By EgbemaVoice, The Court of Appeal, Abuja division has held that “A serving military officer cannot be invited, interviewed, interrogated, arrested, tried under general criminal laws of Nigeria, unless he elects". This position was the conclusion of the Appellate Court in Mohammed vs. EFCC & Anor. Appeal no: CA/ABJ/CV/90/2022. According to the Court’s judgement sighted by TheNigeriaLawyer, the invitation, interrogation, arrest and trial of a serving military officer cannot be done under general criminal laws of Nigeria and by regular investigatory body but under Armed Forces Act, unless he objects. In the said case, the Appellant who is a serving military officer with the Nigerian Army, had been invited by the officials of the 1st respondent, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for interrogations in relation to allegations of criminal conspiracy and money laundering. The Appellants honored the invitation and his rented apartments were searched. Subsequently, i

by Adebayo Paul, Comrade Adams Oshiomole, a former governor of Edo State, has questioned Peter Obi’s ability to address the nation’s insecurity problems, pointing out that while Obi was governor of Anambra State, he utterly failed to do so. In a widely shared video, Oshiomole described how Willie Obiano, Obi’s successor in Anambra, battled the insecurity left over from Obi’s rule. He charged Nigerians to go on popular video blog site, YouTube and find out how Obiano had to start demolishing dens and hideouts of Bakassi boys, Bakassi girls and bandits that besieged Anambra during Obi’s tenure. His words: “I think for those of you who are SM (social media) warriors there are issues here that you need to speak to. Go to Google, and look at the first six months of Governor Obiano’s administration in Anambra state. What you will find is Governor Obiano using bulldozers to demolish houses of kidnappers and those who were referred to as Bakassi boys or even Bakassi girls. Who was the governor

By EgbemaVoice reporters، Ademola Adeleke, the governor-elect of Osun State, has admitted that there was over-voting in six polling units in the State of the Living Spring in the July 16 election. He, however, stated that the assertion contradicted incumbent Governor Adegboyega Oyetola‘s claim that over-voting occurred in 750 units. “For the benefit of members of the public, there are two aspects to the defence in relation to the APC’s claim of over-voting,” it says. The first is that the over-voting in 750 polling units claimed by Oyetola/APC in their petition is false over-voting caused by incomplete BVAS data based on an unsynchronized BVAS report. This does not correspond to what is on the BVAS machine and Forms EC8A.” The correct result is as recorded in the synchronised BVAS report, which corresponds to the data on the BVAS MACHINE itself.  “The defence also stated that even if the false over-voting in the unsynchronised BVAS report is admitted, the PDP will still be in the lead

Reports by EgbemaVoice,  EgbemaVoice reporter had exclusively reported that there was disquiet among policemen over how the leadership of the Force refused to pay up the six months arrears of the new salary scheme after the federal government had released the funds. Days after Sahara Reporters' report, the Nigerian Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba has reportedly directed the immediate payment of the six months arrears of the new salary structure approved by President Muhammadu Buhari for the Force since 2021. Sahara Reporters had exclusively reported that there was disquiet among policemen over how the leadership of the Force refused to pay up the six months arrears of the new salary scheme after the federal government had released the funds. Some policemen had told SaharaReporters that the newly approved salary structure, which implementation was supposed to have commenced in January 2022, started in July with only one-month arrears of payment. However, after the report, th

    By EgbemaVoice, Life is not fair; heard this statement countless times and I have also agreed a couple of times too. There was a time in my life when I believed life was all white and black and fair. At that time, I was being catered for. I understood not the ups and downs of life. What were you expecting from a 14/15yr old girl. However, life had so many surprises in store for me that would change my perspective about life. I will be turning 21 on the 24th of September which is Saturday and I have been asking myself this question; is life truly unfair? Truly, I have not seen so much in life and 21yrs might not be so much but for me it is. Whatever you read here are the thoughts of a soon to be 21yr old...lol. In my opinion, life is not always fair. Sometimes, life is bitter and terrible. So terrible that we question ourselves what we did wrong or if it is the shortcomings of our parents or ancestors. What a lot of us consider as the unfairness of life is the hardships and tribulat

NIGER DELTA YOUTH PEACE SUMMIT 2022 AT AKWAIBOM STATE CAPITAL UYO.  Theme: Promoting Peace and Unity for a Prosperous Niger Delta of our Dreams.  It is pertinent to inform you all that Niger Delta Youth Peace Summit 2022, has 11 Days to go. The Youths Summit is a unique platform that primarily targets the youth as the key actors in the development agenda of the Niger Delta region.  The summit convenes young leaders from all Ethnic nationalities in the Niger Delta region and the Diaspora, and also to promotes their impact on Peace, Unity and Conflict Management amongst others.  The PYLF-ND youth event for discourse, dialogue and insightful engagement where young leaders learn from and engage with global leaders from multinationals, development institutions, CSOs,  public and private organizations. PYLF-ND focuses on channeling the energy and enthusiasm of the youth to positive ends by empowering them and building their capacities to drive positive personal, community, nation

Taiye Odewale and Moses John, Abuja The N11.03 trillion deficit proposed for the N19.76 trillion 2023 Budget will be tackled by the National Assembly through required amendment of relevant provisions of the Finance Act.  Specifically, the Senate said the planned amendment will ensure the various revenue generating agencies double or triple their targets earlier given them, as a major step towards reducing the size of the proposed budget deficit. *The deficit* Defending the 2023-2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) before the lawmakers,  Minister of Finance and National Planning Zainab Ahmed had said the federal government would borrow over N11 trillion and sell national assets to finance the 2023 budget deficit. She was also quoted as saying the government’s budget deficit is expected to exceed N12.42 trillion if it should keep petroleum subsidy for the entire 2023 fiscal cycle. In explaining two scenarios of the budget deficit, she said the fir

By Bimbola Oyesola  The International Labour Organization (ILO) has partnered the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) to build the capacity of workers in the latest world of work challenges as it relates to the decent work agenda. The ILO said it has continued to prioritise the deepening of capacities of social partners for effective engagement and advocacy in national, regional, and international forums and the wider multilateral system to show the value of mainstreaming ILO International Labour Standards, tripartism and social dialogue to policymaking and improved social and economic policy outcomes for workers.  It noted that the Bureau for Workers’ Activities, ACTRAV has developed and continues to explore innovate approaches for supporting and guiding trade unions and encouraging them to take a more proactive and assertive role in processes shaping development policy at national, regional, and global levels. To this end (ACTRAV), in April 2021, launched the publication United Nations Sus

By  Anozie Egole The Director-General of the Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association, Mr Adewale Oyerinde, has said that organised businesses are presently faced with over 50 different taxes, levies and fees at all tiers of government, some of which are duplicated. A statement said while speaking in Abuja, Oyerinde said additional taxes and stringent regulatory environment were threatening the organised private sector. He added that currently, there were over five different bills at the National Assembly which sought to impose taxes on organised businesses, in addition to the notable taxes and levies which were of general application. He said organised businesses should not be made to suffer the lack of proper economic planning and political will that have pervaded successive administrations.  The director-general said, “While debt and paucity of revenue are challenges that are acknowledged, organised businesses should not be made to suffer the lack of proper economic planning and

By  Temitayo Jaiyeola, Fifth-generation technology, commonly called 5G, is now available in Nigeria. MTN Nigeria Communications Plc commercially launched the fifth-generation technology, commonly called 5G, in Nigeria on Sunday. It was launched during an event that enabled guests to test the use of the technology. At the commercial launch event, guests were able to experience some of the use cases of 5G. This follows a pilot launch of 5G by MTN in August, keeping with the Nigerian Communications Commission rollout guideline. In August, the firm announced a pilot launch of 5G and its plan to roll out services in Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt, Ibadan, Kano, Owerri, and Maiduguri. With this commercial launch, 5G services are now available in these locations. In its half-year report, the firm revealed it had deployed 127 5G sites in preparation for its 5G launch. 5G is expected to be rolled out in phases, with full national coverage expected by 2025. While MTN has now rolled out its 5G netwo

USING THE DOG MENTALITY TO X-RAY THE PREVALENT SITUATION IN IJAW NATION: THE CASE OF NDDC INTRODUCTION Ijaw which is the predominant tribe in the geographic Niger Delta region is blessed with abundant human and natural resources.  For the purposes of clarity and deepening of knowledge, there are two Niger Deltas: the natural (geographic) Niger Delta region which is made up of Rivers, Delta, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Edo and Bayelsa States. This is the group that is politically known as the South South geo-political zone.  Furthermore, the geographic Niger Delta is called Niger Delta not because of the abundant crude oil and gas, it is because of the environment, the low lying level where rivers, creeks, tributaries empty their mouths to the ocean. The geographic Niger Delta of Nigeria is the lowest part of the country. Among them, Bayelsa State is peculiar because it is the lowest part of the country, it is below sea level.  Ijaw is the fourth largest tribe in Nigeria according to the Si

NCDC website A multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continues to coordinate the national response activities. To date, 264,933 cases have been confirmed, 257954 cases have been discharged and 3,155 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The 189 new cases are reported from 7 States- Lagos (95), FCT (47), Rivers (33), Kano (7), Abia (3), Kaduna (2) and Plateau (2).

By EgbemaVoice, Ajakurama development forum aka Ajakurama voice, the Apex social cultural group that advocating for Ajakurama development and her communities in Edo and Delta states,  has congratulated her Matron Chief Mrs. Juliet Pukegha Kazeem,  alias Mama P, on her birth anniversary.  ADF, in a statement by public relations officer cum PRO, Egbema Youth council, Engr. Michael Ejemi, Mingo said chief Juliet, she is modern Business woman, that had her pragmatic entrepreneurship, given confidence to budding  upcoming ladies in Egbema and Ijaw nation generally, According to him, Pukegha has made exemplary contributions toward revamping the Ajakurama and Egbema communities in her little effort, she  brought succour to many homes through the numerous assistant to individuals, "On behalf of the Ajakurama development forum aka Ajakurama voice and people of Ajakurama clan, we congratulate our Matron, friend and sister, Chief Juliet, as she celebrates her birth anniversary. 

I promised a second part on yesterdays topic and here it is. Many of us are living our lives like tomorrow is ours to decide and determine. We live with no thought about death. There is no intentionality about how we live. Despite knowing we do not have forever, we still live nonchalantly. Many of us will not change our ways until we get to know the day in which we will depart this world. It is until then we will begin to run around to put things in order or settle things. Is there or are there things you need to change with how you are living your life? Are you waiting until you get to know of your death day ? I have news for you; you will never know the day you will die. Your tomorrow might be closer than you know or think. Be more intentional about whatever you do and how you live. Tomorrow is closer than you know and you die tomorrow. Have a happy weekend

Reads....... Me time isn't just spending time on your own… It's about being present with yourself; mind and body. Me Time is the conscious effort of taking (much-needed) time out to recharge your batteries. Me time can be spent in a range of ways and can vary from person to person. Do you know the importance of me time” I would say No………..Because you are constantly thinking about work, your family, your future and so on……….Actually, you are always busy proving yourself in front of everyone and you forget about the most important one is yourself.  If you are happy then only you can make others happy and you can prove yourself but if you are just caught up in your task 24/7 then you will lose yourself. Whether you agree or not but our mind and body both are connected and for them to work properly then they need to be in a similar zone of relaxation. You are not a robot who can’t take a rest so take a deep breath and sit down. Let your mind run its own course. Think of everything

There has been outrage after a Chinese national Geng Quanrong allegedly killed a 23-year-old Nigerian lover identified as Ummukulsum Buhari at Kuntau in Kano State. According to reports, the incident occurred on Friday night, September 16, 2022, at Kabuga quarters, Gwale Local Government Area. It was said that Geng committed the crime after scaling the fence of the deceased residence to gain access where he stabbed her severally until she gave up the spirit. The Kano state police command confirmed the incident through its spokesman SP Abdullahi Haruna Kiyawa, who explained that the suspect, Geng, 47, committed the crime on Friday after scaling the fence of the deceased residence to gain access where he stabbed her severally until she gave up the spirit. Geng alleged that he was deceived by Ummu who was his girlfriend and promised to marry him but betrayed him even after he had spent so much money on her. The suspect further stated that he was angered by her deception and decided to att

by Sivowaku Abiodun, The director general of the Budget Office of the Federation, Mr Ben Akabueze has said, there is a need for urgent and decisive measures the country must take to avert the public debt crisis among which is the removal of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) subsidies. Speaking on the topic: ‘the National Debt Burden: Causes, Effects and Realistic Economic Solutions’ at the annual conference/awards of the Institute of Chartered Secretaries and Administrators of Nigeria (ICSAN), he said: “since 2020, public debt in Nigeria has risen to N32.9 trillion, equivalent to $86.4bn, It got to N39.6 trillion, equivalent to $95.8bn at the end of 2021 and this has risen to N41.6 trillion, equivalent to $101.1bn as of the end of March this year, while debt service approximately $7.7bn in 2021, an increase from 6.4bn in 2020, and because public debt is domestic debt, domestic debt service is also a significant proportion of debt service. Akabueze, who was represented virtually by his technic

By Dayo Johnson, Akure The leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students, NANS, has vowed to ground activities at international airports across the country, in protest against the seven-monthly impasses between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. The Chairman, NANS National Task Force on ‘End ASUU Strike Now,’ Ojo Raymond Olumide, who spoke in Akure, decried the attitude of the Federal Government towards the striking lecturers as well as education as a whole.  Olumide said that “the four-day shutdown of busy highways and expressways had been a success, hence the move to disrupt international travels in order for the bourgeois and the government to feel the pains that had subjected students to in the past seven months”. According to him, students were already tired of pleading with both parties over the need to end the strike. The students’ leader said that the airports to  be occupied will remain grounded until the strike is called o

By Sodiq Omolaoye, Abuja, *Commission Begins Risks Assessment, Says Poll Must Hold To Avoid Constitutional Crisis, *‘President Didn’t Goof On Credible Poll Statement’, As the 2023 general elections draw near, especially with presidential campaigns commencing on September 28, 2022, there had been concerns in some parts of the country by the electorate, some stakeholders and observer groups as to the negative effects the pervasive insecurity may have on the conduct and outcome of the election. However, despite the widespread security challenges across the country, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said the general elections will hold as planned to avoid a constitutional crisis. The commission noted that it has the capacity to conduct elections in volatile areas.  The assurance came following concerns about the current security situation in the country and how much threat it would pose to the successful conduct of the general elections. From the North to the South,

NCDC website A multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continues to coordinate the national response activities. To date, 264,933 cases have been confirmed, 257,954 cases have been discharged and 3,155 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The 189 new cases are reported from 7 States- Lagos (95), FCT (47), Rivers (33), Kano (7), Abia (3), Kaduna (2) and Plateau (2).