President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of the Minister of State Petroleum Resources (Gas), Ekperikpe Ekpo, as the Co-Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

This was contained in a statement issued by Ajuri Ngelale, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, on Thursday.

According to the statement, the appointment would ensure effective oversight of the gas aspect of the nation’s assets.

“In line with his avowed commitment to establish a more efficient, targeted, and consistent approval process for unique oil and gas projects in the country, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Mr. Ekperikpe Ekpo, Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Gas), as the Co-Chairman of the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).

“This is also to further ensure effective oversight of the gas aspect of the nation’s assets.

“The President remains committed to unlocking Nigeria’s immense gas potential to stimulate industrial development, job creation, and sustainable economic growth,” the statement said.

[DailyTrust]

A Bill which seeks to increase the salaries and allowances of judicial officers on Thursday, May 9, scaled second reading at the Senate.

The resolution of the Senate followed its consideration and debate on a bill titled: “A bill for an act to prescribe the salaries, allowances and fringe benefits of judicial office holders in Nigeria and for related matters (2024).”

The bill was sponsored by the deputy majority leader of the Senate Senator Ashiru Yisa (APC-Kwara South).

The House of Representatives on March 20 passed the bill which provides a monthly package of N5.39 million for the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).

The executive bill also provides a total package of N4.21 million for Justices of the Supreme Court, while the president of the Court of Appeal is to earn a total monthly package of N4. 48 million.

In addition, Justices of the Court of Appeal are to earn a total monthly package of N3.73 million, while the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, President of the National Industrial Court, Chief Judge of the FCT High Court, Grand Khadi, FCT Sharia Court of Appeal, President of Customary Court of Appeal, Chief Judge of State High Court and Grand Khadi of State Sharia Court of Appeal and President of State Customary Court of Appeal are to earn a monthly package of N3.53 million.

Other allowances not embedded in the total monthly package include leave allowances, estacode per night of $2000 when applicable, duty tour allowances when applicable, severance gratuity of N80.78 million after successful completion of tenure as well as an option of motor vehicle loan to be repaid before the expiration of tenure.

It would be recalled that President Bola Tinubu had in a letter read by Senate president, Godswill Akpabio, during plenary on March 20 proposed a salary increase for judicial officers in the country.

The President in the letter argued that the bill would promote the independence and capacity of the Nigerian judiciary system.

Senator Yisa in his lead debate said remuneration was needed to reflect the contemporary socio-economic realities of the times.

He argued that the proposed legal framework would bring about significant improvement in the welfare, capacity, and independence of the judiciary, which have remained contentious issues of public discourse over the years.

In his contribution, the deputy president of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, thanked President Tinubu for proposing a Bill to increase the salaries and allowance for Judicial Officers in the country.

Barau said: “I joined the President of the Senate to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for bringing forward this Bill. This is very important and he has done well, not only for the judiciary but for the entire nation.

 “Mr. President, by the nature of the judicial officers, they don’t agitate. They cry in silence, and they don’t speak out. Other workers agitate, and they stage protests. But the judiciary doesn’t talk; they cry in silence.

“Now, the president of the country has spoken for them. What he did is something laudable and we are applauding him here. Because a country that didn’t take its judiciary in a very important passion is doomed.

“And when you want to take the judiciary seriously, you have to take the remuneration of the judiciary staff seriously.  That is very important, and that is what he has done. They have stagnated for several years.

“What the president has done should be supported and we will give him more support to continue to work on this kind of trajectory for the development of the nation. So, Mr. President, I joined you and other colleagues to commend President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”

Senator Mohammed Monguno (APC – Borno North) Monguno, said improving the welfare of judges will insulate them from corruption and ensure they deliver just and fair judgments.

On his part, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu (APC-Abia North), said: “No right-thinking Nigerian will not think that it is right to keep the judiciary comfortable. I want to thank the executive for deeming it fit to increase the salaries of judges at all levels.”

Senators later approved that the bill be read for a second time when it was put to voice vote by Akpabio.

Akpabio thereafter referred the Bill to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, and Legal Matters for further legislative input and to report back in four weeks.

[TheNation]

The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has insisted on negotiating the salary of its members with the Tinubu-led administration, thereby, rejecting the N35,000 wage award.

ASUU National President, Prof. Emmanuel Osodeke, stated this in Ibadan on Thursday at the inauguration of the secretariat of the University of Ibadan (UI) branch of ASUU.

Osodeke stated that the union had agreed that whatever was legally sent to members’ accounts should be spent but not to be taken as the negotiated salary.

“We told them we should negotiate our wage, but they said we are giving you an award of N35,000; we have told them that it is not our own.

“We are still insisting that there has to be negotiated salary,” he said.

He identified the renegotiation of the existing agreement, payment of withheld salaries, earned academic allowance and release of the Needs Assessment Funds as some of the pending issues with the Federal Government.

While commending the UI ASUU branch for the edifice it built using the expertise of its members, Osodeke decried the use of external or foreign consultants to handle projects in the country.

He said the government should rather hire experts within the country, especially from within Nigerian universities as consultants.

Earlier, the Vice-Chancellor, UI, Prof. Kayode Adebowale, represented by Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Research, Innovation and Strategic Partnership, Prof. Yemisi Bamgbose, had commended the union.

Adebowale said the secretariat would serve as a hub of intellectual discussion, collaboration and solidarity among the union members “as it continues to strive for a better future for our universities and our nation.”

The UI ASUU Chairman, Prof. Ayo Akinwole, said the secretariat was built without donations from external people or bodies.

He commended members of the union who gave in cash and kind to see to its completion.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the inauguration had a session, titled, “Challenging NeoLiberal Narrative in Nigeria’s Education Sector: ASUU’s 2022 Strike and Matters Arising”.

Speaking on the theme, Akinwole, said the impact of neoliberalism on education was complex and multifaceted.

He noted that the lecture was appropriate “at this period in our nation’s march toward self-reliance and independence in the right sense of the word.

“Expectedly, the lecture beams light on the way forward in continued relevance for scholars and all concerned leaders of the progressive movement in Nigeria.”

A Professor of Botany, Odoje Biodiversity Centre, Ogbomoso, Prof. Omotoye Olorode, spoke on the foundationality of the neoliberal narrative as expressed in the Nigerian ruling class response to ASUU’s strike.

He said, “ASUU’s struggles arise out of the necessity to build a country in which every citizen shall be free, educated, well fed and healthy.

“We cannot abandon these struggles and yet be worthy of being called ‘intellectuals’.

“This is where we stand. This is where we ought to stand.”

NAN reports that the union’s building at Olajuwon Olayide Extension, Ajibode, University of Ibadan, has a secretariat building, scholars’ chalets as well as other modern facilities.

(NAN)

Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games gold medallist and President of the Professional Footballers Association of Nigeria, Tijani Babangida, was on Thursday involved in a car accident that claimed the life of his younger brother Ibrahim Babangida, The PUNCH has learnt.

Former teammate, Emmanuel Babayaro, the General Secretary, PFAN, announced the incident in a statement.

Though the details of the accident remained sketchy as of the time of filing this report, our correspondent learnt that the accident happened along the Kaduna-Zaria Road.

“Comrades! Let us be in prayers for our president, Tijani Babangida, who just had a ghastly motor accident along the Kaduna-Zaria Eoad.

“Ibrahim Babangida, his younger brother, died on the spot from the accident while Mr President (Babangida) and his family were taken to the hospital.

“May the soul of Ibrahim Babangida Rest In Peace with God, amen,” he announced.

When our correspondent reached out to Babayaro, he confirmed the incident.

“Yes, it is true. The accident happened while they were on their way to Zaria from Kaduna,” he said.

“His brother Babangida died on the spot from the accident. The accident happened today (Thursday) this afternoon and his wife was also involved in the accident.

“He is currently admitted at Shika Hospital in Zaria, where he is receiving treatment and to the glory of God he is conscious,” he added.

The late Ibrahim, 47, a retired footballer himself, was a member of the 1993 FIFA U-17 World Cup-winning Golden Eagles squad in Japan.

He featured for local sides Bank of The North, Stationery Stores and Katsina United on the domestic scene before joining Dutch side Volendam in 1997.

A federal high court in Abuja has adjourned a suit filed by Olu Agunloye, a former minister of power and steel, against the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) until June 24 for a hearing.

Emeka Nwite, the presiding judge, fixed the date after Jedidiah Akpata, lawyer to Agunloye, sought an adjournment to enable parties in the suit to regularise their processes.

Akpata, who held the brief of Adeola Adedipe, lead counsel to the applicant, told the court that they were yet to respond to the defendants’ counter-affidavits.

Mercy Akeredolu, counsel representing the attorney-general of the federation (AGF), said the death of a lawyer who was supposed to handle the case, caused the delay in filing their processes.

M.K. Hussein, who appeared for the EFCC, did not oppose the application for adjournment.

The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/167/2024 has the AGF as the second defendant.

Agunloye submitted that the EFCC declared him wanted without any form of judicial intervention, recourse to constitutional safeguards or order of court.

The former minister is asking the court to order the EFCC to remove his name from the wanted list published on the commission’s official website or any other related platform.

He also wants the court to issue an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from further declaring him wanted concerning the Mambilla hydropower contract except ” by a judicial intervention and recourse to all constitutional safeguards available to him in law and equity”.

Agunloye is seeking N1 billion as “general damages”.

The EFCC is prosecuting Agunloye over a $6 billion Mambilla hydropower contract.

He was arraigned on a seven-count charge bordering on fraudulent contract award and official corruption.

The anti-graft agency said it has traced some suspicious payments made by Sunrise Power and Transmission Ltd to Agunloye’s bank accounts.

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo also challenged Agunloye to tell Nigerians where he derived the authority to award a $6 billion contract to Sunrise for the Mambilla hydropower project in 2003.

[TheCable]

Pursuant to the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention etc) Act 2015 amended in 2024, a levy amounting to 0.5 per cent of the value of all electronic transactions shall be collected and remitted to the National Cybersecurity Fund overseen by the Office of the National Security Adviser.

Even though the said levy of 00.0 5 per cent is payable by the businesses listed in the second schedule to the principal Act, the Central Bank of Nigeria has wrongly directed all financial institutions to apply the levy at the point of electronic transfer origination and that the amount is to be explicitly noted in customer accounts under the description “Cybersecurity Levy” and remitted by the financial institution. The circular issued by the Central Bank has given the very erroneous impression that the levy is payable by individual customers.

The erroneous interpretation might have arisen from the substitution of "businesses" for "business" in the amendment. For the avoidance of doubt, by virtue of section 42(a) of the Cybercrime Act 2025 as amended, the businesses which are required to pay the levy are:

a. GSM Service providers and all telecommunications companies;
b. Internet Service Providers;
c. Banks and other Financial Institutions;
d. Insurance Companies;
e. Nigerian Stock Exchange.

In view of the foregoing, the Central Bank of Nigeria should be directed to withdraw its Circular of 6th of May, 2024 forthwith as it has wrongly interpreted the provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024. The CBN should also apologise to Nigerians for the misleading interpretation of the clear and unambiguous provisions of the Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act 2024.

Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Ondo State’s Reaction to Practice Direction No. 1, Vol 1 Of 2024 Of the Ondo State Judiciary

INTRODUCTION

The Honourable Justice Ademola Enikuomehin of the Ondo State High Court, Owo Judicial Division on the 14th of March, 2023, handed down a judgement in Suit No: HOW/66/2022(ALHAJI RASHEED OLANREWAJU KAZEEM V. THE HONOURABLE CHIEF JUDGE OF ONDO STATE & OTHERS) and after a thorough perusal of the judgement, with deliberate considerations of Sections 86 and 87 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Ondo State, 2015,and Section 35 of the High Court Law of Ondo State, 2006 , the Chief Judge of Ondo State of Nigeria; Honourable Justice Aiyedun Olusegun Odusola, on the 7th of May, 2024, caused to be issued in Practice Direction No. 1, Vol 1 of 2024, a Practice Direction directing; that all criminal cases be commenced, tried and completed by a Court having jurisdiction in the division or district where the offence was committed; that all pending criminal cases in trial which had yet to reach the defence stage be reverted to such division or district where the offence was committed and such criminal matters commenced afresh; and that all prior Practice Directions, Circulars, Orders or any other administrative instructions against the directives were thereby repealed.

The Ondo State Government under the stewardship of the Executive Governor His Excellency, Honourable Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa unfurled an eight point reformative agenda of the Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice Ondo State wherein obeisance to court order and law is given utmost compliance. The Ondo State Government herewith adheres with Practice Direction No. 1, Vol 1 of 2024, to its fullest extent as it will always continue to do.

The Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice Ondo State salutes the judgment of the Ondo State High Court, and the judicial directives of the Chief Judge of OndoState in Pratice Direction No. 1, Vol 1 of 2024, and also assures the Ondo State Judiciary of continuous synergy and partnership with the State executive arm of government.

The Practice Direction will restore balance to the criminal jurisdiction across all judicial divisions and magisterial districts in the State, ensuring the jurisprudential development of the Bar and Bench across the State as compared to when the criminal jurisdiction over felonies and capital offences was centralized to the State capital, Akure.

Furthermore, the new directives will reduce the risk of transporting awaiting trial persons and defendants in criminal matters held in our State Correctional facilities across the State to and from the State capital, and also lessen the financial burden on the transportation, personnel, surveillance and armed escort expenditure of the State Correctional facilities. The witness transport expenditure of the Ondo State Judiciary as provided for under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Ondo State, 2015, will also be prudentially managed as the courts will receive fewer requests from witnesses from outside its jurisdiction.

The Office of the Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice reassures the citizenry of Ondo State that the Ondo State Ministry of Justice will continue to meet up its duties in prosecution of criminal matters regardless of the location of the court across the criminal divisions and districts in the State, and that the Ondo State Government will pay rapt attention and facilitate the speedy infrastructural development of court facilities and across the State.

Dated Thursday, the 9th Day of May, 2024

E-signed
Dr. Olukayode Ajulo, SAN, OON
Honourable Attorney-General and Commissioner of Justice, Ondo State

There are probably more books on how to sell everything than there is sand by the seashore. I have read a few myself and might say that when it comes to selling, even though what you have read might help, nothing teaches like what you learn by doing it. 

For some, selling feels natural. I cannot remember how many times I have bought stuff that I really didn’t need because the seller made me feel like they were offering the moon on a stick. Good for those who have such skills but when it comes to selling, I’m far from a natural. I overthink, over-analyse and take failure to deliver rather personal – all perfect signs of a poor salesman.

Even after giving it my best shot, I linger on the matter, beating myself over the head about how I might have done better. That was probably why my first book, The trial of Nuhu Ribadu: A riveting story of Nigeria’s anti-Corruption war was not a commercial success, even though I closed it believing that recording that important phase of Nigeria’s life was more important than commercial success.

When I set out to write my second book, however, a couple of things had changed. Not the textbook principles – place, product, promotions, price or physical presence. Sixteen years ago, when that first book was released, the Internet and social media were in their infancy. That has changed. 

And just as important, I cannot be thinking of writing a book about monetising content, without thinking about how the book will reward my effort. If that was ever going to happen, I needed to be intentional – and even if I fail, fail intentionally. 

Being intentional meant digging a bit more beforehand to find the best combination of theory and practice. Given that social media was going to play a vital role in the effort, a digital migrant like me also needed to immerse a bit more in the cauldron where for many years I was more than happy to have just one toe in.

A closet group of experts – Adeyeye Joseph, Freeman Oloruntoba, Emeke Ishiekwene, Wilson Onwuka, Sam Ossai and Ololade Bamidele – prepped me for weeks on the perils and promises of riding a digital highway riddled with avatars and the armours I must always remember. On this road, it’s not enough to look left, right and left again, as your mother taught you. Timing, form, medium and message are just as important. Plus remembering all the time that the vocabulary in your standard English dictionary may have gone stale!

I must also share something from an article by Kevin Kelly updated in Tim Ferriss’ book, Tools of Titans. Kelly’s principle of 1,000 true fans says that a true fan is someone who will buy anything and everything you produce. This rule of true fans says that to be a successful creator, you don’t need millions. Not millions of dollars or millions of clients or millions of customers.

If you’re happy to make a living, and not a fortune, you need just 1k true fans who will climb any mountain, cross any river, and jump any hurdle to buy a minimum quantity of what you have produced over a period of time. With the over 3k contacts on my phone, I had to decide who among them would be superfans. 

But a part of me also kept going to Stephen King. I don’t know what it was, whether it was genius or serendipity. But when he made his break there was neither Facebook nor X. There was no Instagram or LinkedIn. He was, quite frankly, an unknown; a man of promise and a good husband no doubt, but nevertheless an unknown part-time teacher and writer, hoping for a break someday. He didn’t have a community outside his family of his wife and three children, never mind a fanbase of 1k.

And then he produced Carrie, a book he totally didn’t expect much from when he mailed the manuscript to Doubleday, his publisher, that later passed the paperback rights to Signet Books. He was in his kitchen one day, long after the manuscript had been sent when he got a call from Doubleday that nearly knocked him off his chair. The book, which he would have been delirious to get only $30k from, had just fetched him $400k!

Don’t ask me what that was. Genius, serendipity or a good mix of both. But there you have it! No true fans, no social media, no promotions. Yet, boom! It happened.

You’re right. You don’t get a King every time. And so, I took my fate in my own hands hoping to put into play in the sale of Writing for Media and Monetising It, everything I have learnt about selling from selling charcoal for my mother many years ago to selling newspapers for the past over 35 years when I’ve been a journalist.

My experience in the past three weeks since Premium Times Books released my book has been funny, thrilling, with not a few surprises – and yet these are early days. Last week, I shared the concerns of one of the journalism’s icons and publisher of Vanguard, Sam Amuka, fondly called Uncle Sam, about how to get people to read the book. 

Not an easy one but I’m hoping that sharing how folks can be rewarded – in a clear, relatable way – while they’re doing what they enjoy doing, might interest more than a few regular folks enough to read. I hope I’m right.

If social media feedback were convertible – and there have been quite a number of heartfelt ones – then King might well be prepared for a good chase. Are you laughing, as I suspect?

But seriously, there have also been a few rather curious feedback. One fan – I’m not sure whether to classify him as super or lightweight – sent a message congratulating me profusely for the book. I was naturally hoping the next thing he would ask was how or where he would buy a copy, to which I would have directed him to: www.azu.media. But no. He simply said, “Great one, Azu. Send me a copy!”

That put me on the spot, but not for long. After mulling how to respond, I said, “Thank you, Sir.” To which he responded with the meme of hands clasped in prayer. End of story!

Another one was more social. Amidst a video thread of greetings and wishes for commercial success, this fan simply said, “My own na you look good…brains plus charms…hmm.” To which I responded with the meme of hands clasped in prayers. Or what?

I know it’s still a long road to June 26 when the book will be publicly presented, but with fans like Brains Plus Charms, you’d better not rule out a Carrie story. Writing for Media and Monetising It, may not be a work of fiction like King’s Carrie, but it was invested with no less heart, passion and planning. The rest, perhaps, is a matter of luck!

The Lagos State Government has launched an Electronic Physical Planning Permit System, which enables building approvals to be obtained within just 10 minutes.

Dr. Olajide Babatunde, Special Adviser on e-GIS and Urban Development, LASG, made this announcement during a ministerial press briefing in Ikeja on Wednesday.

This is coming at a time when the Lagos State government is facing a lot of criticism for the way it has been handling the demolition of buildings and shanties across the state.

According to Babatunde, this initiative would ensure a seamless and efficient process for stakeholders.

“The Lagos State Government is poised to revolutionise the planning approval process with the introduction of an Electronic Physical Planning Permit Process System.

“The innovative system will enable building approval to be obtained in just ten minutes, ensuring a seamless and efficient process for stakeholders,” he said.

Backstory

Recall in 2016, the Lagos State Government inaugurated e-GIS project  with which Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu outlined a strategic plan for its implementation in 2021.

Subsequently, the e-GIS Office (LAGIS) was entrusted with overseeing the project, aiming to create a comprehensive digital platform for land administration and geographic information services.

Meanwhile, in Dec. 4, 2023, the bill to establish the Lagos Geographic Information Service (LAGIS) was presented to the Lagos State House of Assembly.

Dr. Olajide Babatunde, the Special Adviser on e-GIS and Urban Development, explained that the e-GIS Office has fully assumed responsibility for supervising and managing the Lagos enterprise GIS upgrade and integrated land administration project.

He said that the processes led to the passage of its bill by the Lagos State House of Assembly.

“To ensure a smooth implementation process, stakeholders and the public will be engaged through a series of retreats and sensitisation programmes.

“This will foster a better understanding of the importance of the bill and the benefits of the Electronic Physical Planning Process System.

“With this innovative system, Lagos State is poised to become a leader in digital governance and efficient urban planning,” he added.

What you should know

In a recent interview on Monday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Physical Planning and Urban Development, Dr Oluyinka Olumide,  reported that 80% of buildings around the Ibeju Lekki and Epe corridor do not have government approval.

• Olumide said despite the rigorous procedures involved in securing government approval, property developers and owners are still circumventing due process.
• The government also mentioned that it is mandatory for property owners or developers to obtain the required planning permit before going ahead with their projects or conversion of properties.
• The Lagos State government also emphasized that all structures or buildings that do not have the necessary building permits will be demolished.

[Nairametrics]