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Presidential Pardon: We’ve Received 320 Applications From Convicts -Malami
The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami, SAN, yesterday, disclosed that the Federal Government has received numerous applications from some convicts and inmates that are praying for pardon and clemency.
He said that 320 of such applications that were brought on behalf of some convicts in custodial centres across the nation were routed through the Federal Ministry of Justice.
Malami said that myriads of requests his office alone was inundated with, led President Muhammadu Buhari, to order the reconvening of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the Prerogative of Mercy (PACPM).
The AGF spoke during a meeting he held with members of the committee at the Federal Ministry of Justice Headquarters in Abuja, yesterday.
Also in attendance at the meeting were the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, as well as Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Special Duties, Umar Mohammed; and Amb. Anthonia Ekpa; respectively.
In his keynote address, Malami, noted that FG had on June 19, 2018, constituted the PACPM that comprised of distinguished Nigerians, with himself as chairman of the committee.
“The core mandate of the committee is that of assisting Mr. President in the discharge of his constitutional responsibility of granting pardon and clemency to convicts or ex-convicts in deserving cases and reintegrating them back into the society geared towards decongesting correctional centres and discharge the role constitutionally bestowed in him in that regards.”
“By virtue of Section 175(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), the President may; grant any person concerned with or convicted of any offence created by an Act of the National Assembly a pardon, either free or subject to lawful conditions; grant to any person a respite, either for an indefinite or for a specified period of the execution of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence; substitute a less severe form of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence.
“Remit the whole or any part of any punishment imposed on the person for such an offence or of any penalty or forfeiture otherwise due to the state on account of such an offence”, Malami stated.
He said the committee had in 2018, after a painstaking exercise at selected correctional facilities in various states that cut across the six geo-political zones of the country, recommended some convicts and ex-convicts for a presidential pardon.
Malami noted that Buhari, in March 2020, considered and approved the implementation of urgent measures to decongest custodial centres towards the control of the Covid-19 pandemic, including the implementation of the report of the committee.
According to the AGF, based on report of the committee, the presidential pardon was granted to two inmates, clemency to 39 others, while four ex-convicts were also pardoned.
He said the Council of State at its meeting on August 27, 2020, ratified and validated the president’s action which he said had since been officially gazetted.
“Since the committee submitted its report and proceeded on recess, the Federal Ministry of Justice has received numerous applications for presidential pardon and clemency.
“However, following Mr President’s directive to all stakeholders to swiftly ensure the decongestion of correctional centres in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the glaring consequent danger posed to the custodial centres nationwide on the one part, and the fact the office of the honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and that of the Committee Secretariat is being inundated with myriad of requests for the grant of presidential pardon and clemency (320 applications) on behalf of some convicts in custodial centres across the nation.
“It has become expedient for the committee to be reconvened. You are to look into these applications and advice as appropriate, based on facts.
“You are to carry out your assignment objectively in the public interest and the interest of justice”, Malami added.
Meanwhile, in his remarks, the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume, decried that the population of inmates in the country has “become a stain on the nation’s criminal justice system”.
While applauding Federal Government for reconvening the PACPM, Akume, stressed that mandate of the committee is to interview, select and determine convicts and ex-convicts to be granted pardon for onward recommendation to the National Council of State headed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
He, however, warned the committee to be mindful of the kind of convicts it would recommend for a presidential pardon.
“Mr President will be relying on you as a committee, to do what is required of him constitutionally, to grant pardon to deserving inmates, convicts and ex-convicts.
“I want to urge you all to tread with caution while investigating inmates in order not to release unrepentant criminals back into the society and thereby causing more social problems in the country”, Akume warned.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
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RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.