Court orders forfeiture of N827.6m to FG

The Federal High Court in Lagos has  ordered the temporary forfeiture of a total of N827.6m recovered from one Matthew Edevbie by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

The anti-graft agency told the court that it was investigating an intelligence report against Edevbie, said to be the owner of Flank Power Resources.

It said the funds were suspected to have been diverted from the coffers of the Federal Government.

Counsel for the EFCC, Rotimi Oyedepo, told Justice C. J. Aneke that the application was urgent, adding that delay could lead to the funds being dissipated.

The judge granted the forfeiture request and told the anti-graft agency to publish same in a national newspaper.

He adjourned till June 29 for anyone interested in the funds to appear in court and convince him why the money should not be permanently forfeited to the Federal Government.

Airlines to cut passenger loads on government's order

While the airlines have made it clear that that they'll stick with the directives of the Federal government with regards to passenger reduction, they have asked the government to speed up its aviation intervention programmes.

All domestic airlines operations in Nigeria is set to kick off on June 21. It can be recalled that this is the date that was announced by the Federal Government for the commencement of domestic commercial flight operations.

On June 2, the Federal Government had announced that domestic flights would resume on June 21 and directed airlines to take between 50 and 70 per cent of passengers on any flight. The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, had said, 

“The modality of operations by airlines and the passenger numbers will certainly drop and the load factor will also drop.

Only 50 or 70 per cent of the passengers should be taken. These are some of the things that we have been looking at.”

Reacting to the aviation minister’s remarks, the Communications Manager, Dana Air, Okwudili Ezenwa, said the directive was done in good faith and would be complied with, but was quick to state that the government had to support airlines. He said, 

“It depends on what the government will be putting on the table in terms of support for the airlines because we know that the industry is not booming right now.

There are certain things we’ve been asking for before now, like the removal of VAT and the rest of them, which have not been implemented at the moment. So if the minister advises that we should do between 50 and 70 per cent, there’s no problem.”

Ezenwa said it would be tough to forecast how the business would pan out once flights resume fully and urged the government to fast-track its intervention in order to help airlines implement its recent directives. He said, 

“We know the advice is in good faith, but we don’t know how the business is going to pan out upon resumption.

So it will be nice for the government to fast-track its intervention for airlines so that jobs can be sustained and the aviation business can thrive.

So it is in good faith and we accept his advice as the minister and at the same time ask that some of the things we’ve been asking for should be implemented.”

The Dana Air spokesperson further noted that all other guidelines of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority were being implemented by the carrier.

“The NCAA reeled out some guidelines recently and also requested trainings. It outlined some procedures and we are doing all that at the moment,” he stated.

On the serviceability of their airplanes based on the fact the machines had not been flown since the lockdown period, Ezenwa said, 

“We kept our engineers on ground all through the lockdown as part of safety consciousness.

This is because there’s no way you can keep an aircraft on ground for too long without flying it. So we applied for passes for our engineers and they’ve been on ground for the past two months ensuring our aircraft are sound. We are set to fly.”

The spokesperson for Air Peace, Stanley Olisa, said the airline was ready to comply with the demands of government as regards the resumption of flights. He said, 

“With respect to the date announced by the Federal Government, we are ready technically and operation-wise and we are complying with all the protocols that have been laid down by the NCAA and the aviation ministry. So we are ready.”

On the mandate by government that airlines should carry between 50 to 70 per cent passenger volume in any flight, Olisa said Air Peace was ready to obey the mandates of aviation authorities.

“What I can tell you is that we are ready to comply with the conditions given by the Federal Government. That is what I can say,” he stated.

The Corporate Communications Manager, Arik Air, Banji Ola, said Arik was set to also begin operations. He said, 

“There are guidelines put in place by the NCAA and just like other airlines, we are complying with those guidelines. Everything related to the restart of operations as spelt out by the NCAA, we are complying with them. So we are ready to start operations by June 21 as directed.”

Reacting to the reduction of aircraft passengers as directed by the government, Ola said, “All I know is that we are ready for the guidelines set by the NCAA and also ready to fly from June 21.”

IPOB using Christianity to wage war against Nigeria - Presidency

The Presidency has raised alarm over the misleading campaign spearheaded by the so-called Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), using false allegations of persecution of Christians against the Nigerian State.

Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja, said that the Federal Government had since uncovered two interconnected campaigns being run concurrently by the IPOB in that regard.

According to him, both are using the cover of Christianity – and calling for a US Special Envoy to be appointed to stop the “genocide” of Christians in Nigeria.

He said the real purpose was to drive a wedge between the Nigerian government and its US and UK/European allies.

“IPOB leadership of course self-proclaims as “Jewish,” a position not shared by the generality of the members.

“For reasons of convenience, it claims to have an interest in the welfare of Christians – but this is a ruse.

The case for independence, IPOB leadership believes, is strengthened by `proving’ the government of Nigeria is `autocratic’, engaged in a `silent slaughter’ of citizens along religion and ethnic lines – and that, therefore, the only viable option for the unique religious and ethnic minority is a sovereign Biafra separate from Nigeria,’’ he said.

The presidential aide therefore advised Nigerians and the international community to be wary of this divisive campaign, “which available evidence shows is being funded with a monthly spending of $85,000 USD since October 2019, with no records of the source of this largesse’’.

Budget slash : SERAP drags FG to UN

The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has dragged the Federal Government before the United Nations. This was done due to the plans in motion to slash the education and health care budgetary allocations in the country.

In the petition, the group also urged the UN to prevail upon the Federal Government to drop the plan to spend N27bn on the renovation of the National Assembly complex as soon as possible.

The Deputy Director of SERAP, Kolawole Oludare, said that the petition was sent to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Education, Koumbou Boly Barry; UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Health, Dainius Puras; and the UN Special Rapporteur on Extreme Poverty and Human Rights, Olivier De Schutter.

SERAP accused the Nigerian authorities of “putting politicians’ allowances and comfort before citizens’ human rights.” It said, 

“The budget cuts show failure to address the growing economic and social inequality in the country and to genuinely address the consequences of COVID-19 on the poor and marginalised groups.

Nigeria’s budget deficits are caused by excessive expenditures on politicians’ allowances and mismanagement.

Nigerian authorities would only be able to commit to fiscal discipline if they prioritise cutting the allowances of lawmakers and the costs of governance in general, rather than cutting critical funding for healthcare and education.

We believe that alternative policies and measures, such as reducing the costs of governance, including the excessive allowances for high-ranking public officials and the lawmakers, would have been a more appropriate solution to addressing budget deficits, as this would increase the available resources for healthcare and education, which in turn would contribute to reducing socio-economic inequality.”

Curfew time changes as FG further eases restrictions

The federal government has further eased coronavirus induced restrictions which first kicked off on March 31.

Churches and mosques are now allowed to open their doors for worship in accordance with guidelines or protocols handed by state governments.

According to the president's new media aide, Tolu Ogunlesi, the following will now apply:

"Nationwide curfew remains in place, timing now 10pm—4am. (No longer 8pm to 6am).

Full opening of financial sector. That is, banks and the likes will now open all through normal working hours.

Restricted opening of places of worship, (regular church and mosque services ONLY), to be based on state govt protocols.

Interstate travel remains prohibited except for goods and essential travel.

Gathering of more than 20 persons remains prohibited; outside of workplaces and religious services.

The aviation industry has been requested to start developing protocols for domestic flights to possibly resume from June 21.

Schools are still shut."

During the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing of Monday, Boss Mustapha, who is Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the PTF, announced that President Buhari had approved the relaxation of the ban for four weeks.

“The PTF submitted its recommendations and the president has approved the following for implementation over the next four weeks spanning 2nd – 29th June, 2020, subject to review.

FG to pay jobless youths monthly to sweep markets and clear gutters

In a bid to curb the high rate of unemployment among youths in the country, the Federal Government has rolled out a scheme which will see unemployed youths in rural areas earning N20,000 per month.

The youths will be engaged in the clearing of drainages, sweeping markets, road maintenance, traffic control, and cleaning of public infrastructures like health centres and schools.

The Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo (SAN), said this at a news conference on Thursday.

Keyamo said the scheme targeted 1,000 youths each from the 774 local governments across the country.

The minister said the programme is one of the biggest social intervention schemes to be carried out within a short period of time by any government in the history of Nigeria.

The scheme, known as the Special Public Works Programme in the Rural Areas, is domiciled in the National Directorate of Employment for implementation and is expected to take off in October.

The minister’s speech read in part, 

“The pilot programme earlier approved by Mr. President was designed to mitigate lack of job opportunities in the rural areas through a short-term engagement of 1,000 unemployed persons per local government area for a period of three months.

It is a dry season/off-season transient job programme and was originally designed for the rehabilitation/maintenance of public and social infrastructure. 

Participants were to be paid an allowance of N20,000 monthly and were to be recruited largely from the pool of unskilled persons resident in those rural areas.

This pilot scheme was approved to be implemented in five local government areas in eight states namely: Adamawa, Borno, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Jigawa, Katsina and Kwara. 

Beneficiaries are engaged in: drainage digging and clearance, irrigation canals clearance, rural feeder road maintenance, maintenance of the Great Green Wall nurseries and orchards in Borno, Jigawa and Katsina states; traffic control, street cleaning, cleaning of public infrastructure like health centres, schools and the likes. 

A total of 40,000 direct transient jobs were expected to be created in the eight pilot states.”

Keyamo said the Special Public Works in the Rural Areas is an employment- intensive technique acquired and adapted by the National Directorate of Employment from one of the capacity-building collaborations with the International Labour Organisation in the late 1980s to the middle of the 1990’s.

The minister said for the purpose of transparency and accountability in the process, the President has approved the use of select banks to register and collate data of the beneficiaries.

“The banks will open accounts for all beneficiaries and in the process obtain Bank Verification Numbers for those without accounts.

All payments would be made from the Central Bank of Nigeria directly to the accounts of the beneficiaries,” he added.

Legalise cannabis - Daddy Showkey tells Federal Government

Nigerian music icon, Daddy Showkey wants the federal government to seriously consider legalise the use of Cannabis for medicinal purposes.

In an almost 3 minutes video shared via his Instagram page on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, the music star wondered why the government has never given medicinal Cannabis a thought. He said,

"Where our brains go? Now many countries dey survive on Cannabis wen una dey call Igbo. The thing wen una nor understand be say, Igbo nor be only to smoke am, Igbo get many medicinal purposes.

Although some people go misuse am but make we think about the medicinal side. There are a lot of things it can help us with. I have never smoked Indian hemp in my life but I can tell you it can help the youths to get jobs, it can be refined into a cream.

Go and do your research on Cannabis, it has one of the best oils in the world...America don legalise, Holland don legalise am, UK don legalise am."

Daddy Showkey joins the growing list of celebrities who have advocated for the legalisation of cannabis farming in Nigeria.

FG - Pilots, other crew members must wear PPEs

The Federal Government has declared that pilots and other crew members operating international flights must now wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and observe infection prevention and control measures for the duration of the flight.

It disclosed this in the COVID-19 Pandemic Public Health Protocols for Nigeria-based crew, which was released by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority.

The protocol also stated that the flight crew would not be quarantined but would undergo mandatory testing for COVID-19 every 14 days at a cost to the air operator upon return to Nigeria.

It added that flight crew members who test positive for COVID-19 would be taken to a treatment centre for further management.

In a letter with reference NCAA/DG/AIR/11/16/120, 27th May 2020, signed by the Director-General, Capt. Musa Nuhu, to all operators, airports, and other service providers, the agency said the new protocol had been approved by the Federal Ministry of Health.

It said that the protocol replaced the current practice where Nigeria-based flight crew members who operate international flights were quarantined for 14 days upon their return to Nigeria.

It stated that Nigeria-based airlines/aircrew wishing to conduct flight operations outside the country shall ensure the orientation and sensitisation of crew on Infection Prevention and Control measures as per training and guidance from public health authorities.

The authority said the airlines must ensure they have adequate stock of PPE, a minimum of 70 per cent alcohol-based hand sanitisers and Universal Precaution Kits onboard aircraft before the flight.

Providing further guidelines on how the crew should use the PPEs, the NCAA said flight deck crew should wear non-medical face mask and gloves.

“Face mask can be removed when the cockpit door is closed for safety reasons,” it stated.

For cabin crew, it said they should use a non-medical face mask, gloves, disposal surgical gowns, and safety visors/goggles.

“Ensure the safe removal of gloves after performing specific tasks. Avoid touching their face and eyes with unclean hands,” the agency said.

It added, “Flight crew is to ensure that all passengers wear a non-medical face mask for the duration of the flight except when eating or using emergency oxygen.

Flight crew are to ensure that passengers rub their hands with alcohol-based sanitiser as they embark on the aircraft.

Put up a notice in the lavatory/washroom on handwashing that requests passengers wash their hands after using the lavatory."

The NCAA said flight crew was to maintain a safe distance between passengers and themselves, avoiding direct physical contact.

It said the cabin crew would serve only pre-packed meals to passengers, adding that where practicable, the flight crew would reserve one lavatory for their own use.

SERAP takes Wike and FG to ECOWAS court

A human rights group, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP), has sued Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike and the Federal Government over the “brutal crackdown, repression and grave violation and abuse of human rights of Rivers State people.”

The suit, marked ECW/CCJ/APP/20/20, was filed last Friday on SERAP’s behalf by its solicitors, Kolawole Oluwadare, Atinuke Adejuyigbe and Opeyemi Owolabi, at the ECOWAS Court of Justice in Abuja.

In the suit, SERAP contended that “Governor Wike is using COVID-19 as a pretext to step up repression and systematic abuses against the people of Rivers State, including mass arbitrary detention, mistreatment, forced evictions and imposition of pervasive controls on daily life.

Governor Wike is using executive orders 1 and 6, 2020 as instruments to violate and abuse the rights to liberty and freedom from arbitrary arrest and detention to a fair trial, and to property, contrary to Nigeria’s international human rights obligations, including the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

This suit is primarily against Governor Wike and Rivers State government for failing to respect, protect and ensure the constitutionally and internationally-guaranteed human rights of the people of his state. The governor has used executive orders 1 and 6 to run roughshod over the human rights of Nigerians.

Ultimately, the Federal Government, being the signatory to ECOWAS treaties and protocols, cannot escape its responsibility to ensure that the human rights guaranteed under human rights treaties to which Nigeria is a state party, are fully and effectively realised throughout Nigeria, including in Rivers State.

Suing the Federal Government alongside Governor Wike is entirely consistent with Article 27 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, which provides that a state may not invoke the provisions of its internal law as justification for its failure to perform a treaty”, SERAP stated.

The rights group, therefore, asked the court for an order of injunction to “restrain and stop Governor Wike from further using, applying and enforcing executive orders 1 and 6 or any other executive order to harass, arbitrarily arrest, detain and demolish property of the people of Rivers State.

It is also seeking, among other reliefs, an order directing “Governor Wike and the other defendants to pay adequate monetary compensation to the victims of human rights violations and abuses, and to provide other forms of reparation, which may take the form of restitution, satisfaction or guarantees of non-repetition, and other forms of reparation that the court may deem fit to grant.” No date has been fixed for the hearing of the suit.