Yesterday, May 27, one of Nigeria’s iconic figures in the entertainment sector turned 80: Ken Calebs Olumese, an Esan man from the university town of Ekpoma as he likes to describe his home town of which he is proud, as if every other town these days does not have a university but in those days when a university was established in Ekpoma (1981), it was such a thing of pride and achievement that Olumese took upon himself as a personal badge. But the real story about him and his life is his immense contributions to the cultural space in Nigeria, the impact that he has made in turning music, art, song, food, drinks, space and dance into entrepreneurial tools for the promotion of social cohesion, inclusion, solidarity, creativity and pure fun. He was the Don Cornelius, without the controversy, of the night club scene and entertainment arena in Lagos in the 80s and 90s.  He was colourful, charismatic, decent, debonair, affable, and quite astute in making friends, and building bridges and relationships. In the Opebi, Ikeja area where he ran a nightclub that was famously known as Niteshift Coliseum, he was a lord of the territory, father of the kids on the streets and friend of the gentrified class with an understanding of the register of social and communal survival beyond the pale of regular entrepreneurship. He moved with a swag. He strutted with poise.  He was the Guv’nor: who never went on transfer, or had to seek seasonal elections, or go on break, he was his own constituted authority running an entertainment empire. The phrase Guv’nor was first used in the 1840s, a variant of the more popular noun - Governor, but over time, it would gain resonance as the title of a film in 1935, and as the nickname of a number of sports figures – Diego Costa, Bobby Abel, Paul Ince, Lenny McLean. When Ken Calebs Olumese established the Niteshift club in Opebi, Lagos in 1988, he took the title as label, brand and cognomen, and thus began a fresh chapter in the entertainment story of the city of Lagos.  

Ken Calebs Olumese did not invent nightlife in Lagos, but he helped for about two decades to shape and enrich it. The people of Lagos, being Yorubas are naturally fun-loving, and having fun at night time has been part of their culture even before the Victorian times in the 19^th century, aspects of which have been examined at great length by Professor Michael J.C. Echeruo in a book titled “Victorian Lagos.” The city that became known as “The Liverpool of West Africa” in the 19^th Century, an emerging commercial, port city was also a community of persons and cultural developments, including the media, culture and nationalism. Lagosians love the good life. They enjoy the thrill of evening fun be it at the beach, or at the clubs, or on the streets of Ebute Metta where there used to be a party every evening, or anywhere else where the people could dance to highlife. By his own account, Ken Calebs Olumese arrived in Lagos in the late 60s or early 70s just like many of these persons from the hinterland who continue to troop into Lagos on a daily basis. Thousands arrive daily from all parts of Nigeria, very few go back to where they came from, indeed over time, they become part of the Lagos ecosystem, get lucky and excel. In Olumese’s case, when he left Ekpoma, he lived in Benin. He got involved in the Socialist Movement, which was quite a rave in Nigeria’s 70s, the season of the cold war. He would eventually gain a scholarship to study Medicine in the Soviet Union. Many young Nigerians went to the Soviet Union at the time. The then young Ken Calebs Olumese returned with a degree in Microbiology. By 1977, he, with the help of his kinsman, Chief Anthony Enahoro, played some role in the arrangements for FESTAC 77, his first major direct involvement in cultural diplomacy. He was also closely associated with the likes of Dr Tunji Otegbeye, trade unionist, medical doctor and leader of the Socialist Workers and Farmers Party of Nigeria (SWAFP). The most notable part of that phase of his return is not necessarily FESTAC 77, however but the fact that he eventually ended up as a Sales Representative with the French Pharmaceutical Company, Roussel, where he rose through the ranks to become the Director of Administration and Finance. Olumese was like the rest of us: waking up in the morning, pursuing the nine to five hustle, struggling like everyone else to raise a family. He had a good career. 

It is one of those ironies of life that he would eventually become famous through his hobby, rather than his vocation. In 1988, he decided to set up a Night Club at 21 Opebi Street with a corporate office was at 5, Ogundana Street, off Opebi Road, marking Olumese’s transition into the arena of entrepreneurship, from selling pharmaceutical products, to the retail of songs, food, drinks, and whatever brings joy. He had been a prolific nightlife denizen himself. He turned his interest into a passion and his passion into business. When Olumese arrived on the nightclub scene in Ikeja and Lagos in the 80s, there was already a thriving, habitual ecosystem in place. From Idi-oro in Mushin, to Jibowu, Ayilara and Ojuelegba,, there was a buzzing axis of nightlife entertainment. In Ikeja, Ipodo, Awolowo Road, Allen and Opebi streets came alive similarly at sun down. There was a gentleman called Omieba Dan Princewill, he ran two clubs – City Tavern and Daniel’s. There was the colourful, stand-up comedian, John Chukwu who owned a club called Klass, with Eddie Jay Omodiagbe as Dee Jay. There was Ozone owned by Jibola Shitta-Bey on Allen Avenue. There was also at some point, De Roof, Singer’s Cruise, Bread and Butter and another club called Princes. On Allen Avenue, Jerry Jones Anazia ran a night club called Ace. On Toyin Street, there was Climax, with a DJ called Stagger Lee. In those days of course, there was Shrine, the main watering hole for night crawlers, and beyond Ikeja, all the way towards Ojuelegba, there was a long list of fun spots including pepper soup joints such as Igbinedion, or Fafolu: point and kill joint, No. 67 Bode Thomas in Surulere, Empire Hotel, Tarmac. Many would also remember Kakadu Nite Club in Alagomeji, Yaba, where Fela used to perform in the 60s, and Bobby Benson’s Caban Bamboo, which in many ways was the old version of what the Niteshift Coliseum later became. There was at some point Paradiso in Yaba, Faze 2, Lord’s Club around Maryland, and Hotspot Club at Abibu Oki, off Broad Street. Basically, for a while, the Lagos social scene was a mix of band life, joints and discotheques. The latter would later prevail.  

Ken Calebs Olumese changed the face of night life in Lagos, particularly with the rise of the discotheque, which he capitalized upon turning Niteshift Coliseum into a space where the hottest and latest music could be heard. He invested heavily in music and equipment.  He raised the bar to such a level that others began to learn from him, and even copy him. He changed the game. Even when there was a seeming rivalry between Lagos Island and the Mainland, the arrival of Niteshift Coliseum gave nightlife on the Mainland, an edge. What Olumese did was simply to be different. He carved a niche and constantly reinvented it. Whereas you could go to Ozone, DeRoof, Klass and Climax and run into celebrities and prominent persons, mingling with others, dressed in both formal and bohemian attires, Olumese made it clear from the very beginning that his club was meant for the middle class and the upper middle-class members of society. It was an exclusive club and there were rules. There was a man at the door, “The First Man” who would not even allow you to buy a ticket if you looked out of place. Jeans, slippers, any form of scruffy dressing were not allowed. You didn’t have to wear a tie, but you were required to appear decent. 

The club also had different segments. There was an exclusive section reserved for Senior Fellows of the Gold Card Sector.This was a section reserved for prominent persons, diplomats, captains of industry on a discreet night out. The lighting for that section was also deliberately dim. And there was the Section for the Glamour Boys (later and Girls) of Nigeria: the reserved section for the upwardly mobile in society, but even then you had to be admitted as a member to sit there. In the general hall was the popular section. The status of a guest or member was indicated in the colour of the glass with which you were served. The staff were trained to know the differences. Everyone wanted to be part of the Niteshift crowd. Usually, when people left other clubs, they ended up at the Coliseum. The food was good. The air-conditioning was the coldest in the business. To add to the snobbery, Niteshift did not use the same terms as other clubs. Its bathrooms were called “The Vanity” for example.   The hostesses wore something called “Oriental Ornamental.” The Dee Jay was “The Flight Captain” sitting in “The Cockpit.”  And the entire night was a cruise. Olumese was the master of razzmatazz. 

He had a personal touch that could not be found among other club owners. He knew most of the regular clientele personally, and took an interest in their personal lives. He served drinks, and could be found correcting any error by any of his staff.  His dressing was impeccable. From his hair cut to his shoes, he paid attention to every detail. He drank Remy Martin, and he could hold his drink. He was very generous to his guests. For young persons and others close to him, the first drink was always on the house, and in the morning, the club served tea or coffee on the house depending on individual choices. There were days patrons stayed in the club till 7 am, not knowing it was daybreak. The Guv’nor of Niteshift Coliseum actively cultivated the friendship of the media. He knew every entertainment, arts and culture reporter and editor on the beat. He was similarly friendly with publishers and editors. He had one or two friends in every newsroom. Journalists were understandably some of the more prominent members of the club, and through this connection Niteshift became a place of choice for many media events. There were times however when he had issues with journalists. He protected the privacy of celebrities who came to the club jealously and he would not hesitate to quarrel with any journalist who published gossip about any of his patrons. He used to quip that the club does not ask for marriage certificates. It is place of fun, not a church. Funny enough, Olumese is the son of an Anglican priest. 

Niteshift was not just about disco. The Guv’nor was constantly re-inventing the concept. There was in due course a full Niteshift band, which mixed the idea of disco with live performance. There was also the Niteshift Musical Talent Show, on the platform of which the club provided space for the flowering of many talents including Felix and Moses, Tuface, Tony Tetuila, Tony Montana, Eedris Abdulkareem, Platanshun Boys, Sunny Neji, Daddy Showkey, Nel Oliver. There was also Miss Niteshift beauty pageant. Niteshift was also the watering hole for many Nollywood artists – actors, actresses and producers. But the high point arrived in the early 90s when the club was moved from 21 Opebi Street to a bigger, more permanent space, the purpose-built Coliseum at 21 Salvation Road, off Opebi.  At this new location, the club had more space, more meeting rooms, a bigger dance floor, more of everything: an impressive edifice that was a testament to the success of the club, and the dogged vision of the founder. There was even a place called The Dacha: a block of 12 rooms reserved exclusively for the use of members. The major highlight at the Coliseum was the increased focus on a special programme which Olumese had introduced at the 21 Opebi address - the Grand House Reception (GHR). This further differentiated the Niteshift Coliseum from its peers. The GHR was an evening of interaction with major public figures. It was a huge hit which attracted exactly the clientele that the Guv’nor wanted. Some of the prominent persons who featured on the platform included, to cite just a few: Chief Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Beko Ransome-Kuti, Alhaji Tafa Balogun, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, Governor Gbenga Daniel, Governor Segun Osoba, Governor Orji Kalu, Chief Lucky Igbinedion, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu… H. E. Flt Lt. Jerry Rawlings, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar… and others.  

Ken Olumese kept raising the bar, and he was good at research, and monitoring the competition. I was one of the Glamour Boys of the Club, having joined that section sometime around 1989. I would later end up as one of the club’s major resource persons. I can conveniently report that I was actively involved. On many occasions we visited other clubs, before the start of business at the Coliseum. There were occasions when the Guv’nor would arrange for us to go on a West Africa tour. We were in Ghana again and again to attend different night clubs and observe their operations. We used to travel on Wednesday and return on Monday. Niteshift Coliseum would also eventually introduce a Wednesday programme, a Ladies night, free entry for ladies and other programmes to boost the clientele. 

In 2011, I left for Abuja on national assignment. By the time I returned in 2015, circumstances had changed on the Lagos night scene. The pulse had shifted from the Mainland to the Island, with new clubs patronized by the nouveaux riche and the Gen Z springing up on the other side of the city. Ken Calebs Olumese was also advancing in age. He has since retired and rented out the premises of the Niteshift Coliseum to another entertainment group called Floating World.  Indeed, we live in a world that floats. But the Niteshift dream would be remembered for its impact and longevity. Many ventures of its type have short mortality rates, but Ken Calebs Olumese kept it going for more than two decades, even after the club was razed down in a mysterious midnight fire on December 18, 2003. It was a brilliant run, still and long is the echo of the Niteshift Bugaloo, the opening sequence of the club at 12 midnight, taken from the song by the Commodores of the same title: Nightshift. Happy Birthday, Guv’nor.  Lord Have Mercy!   

Two motorcyclists, on Monday, lost their lives during an exchange of gunfire with policemen who prevented an attack on the Ipaja Division of the Lagos State Police Command.

PUNCH Metro gathered that the policemen embarked on the enforcement of the existing ban on motorcycle operations in the state when the motorcyclists revolted against the action.

During the protest to express their grievances against the enforcement, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Benjamin Hundeyin, said in a statement he posted on his verified handle on X.com that the motorcyclists attempted to overrun the police station.

He explained that during the exchange of gunfire between the policemen and the protesting motorcyclists, two motorcycle operators were killed.

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Hundeyin wrote, “Officers of the Ipaja Police Division have successfully repelled an early morning attack on their division by motorcycle operators.

“The attack came after police officers commenced the day’s enforcement of the existing ban on motorcycles in Lagos State. The attackers, who came in their hundreds, stormed the station with dangerous weapons, shooting at the officers and attempting to overrun the station.

“While officers and men of the division held their ground, reinforcement came from the Area Command and the Rapid Response Squad. Two of the attackers were fatally injured during the attack.”

He added that no fewer than 200 motorcyclists were impounded and some suspects arrested during the incident.

Hundeyin said, “This did not deter the officers from accomplishing their mandate as over 200 motorcycles were impounded and some of the attackers arrested, with one locally made firearm retrieved.

“The Lagos State Police Command will not be cowed into abdicating its responsibilities of enforcement of all duly passed laws and maintenance of law and order within the society.”

Our correspondent, during a follow-up conversation with Hundeyin to ascertain the number of the arrested motorcyclists linked to the attempt to overrun the police station, affirmed that the arrested suspects were 22.

“Twenty-two suspects were arrested during the incident,” the PPRO told our correspondent.

PUNCH Metro gathered that during the exchange of gunfire in the area, there was panic and residents and business owners scampered to safety to escape being hurt during the incident.

In December 2023, PUNCH Metro reported that a middle-aged woman, Mrs Bisi Raji, was crushed to death when police officers clashed with commercial motorcyclists in the Abule Egba area of the state.

Mrs Raji was returning from the hospital after an appointment with her doctor around the area.

A resident who spoke to PUNCH Metro said, “The tipper ran over the woman on the head. People who were around the area could not do anything because she died instantly.

They had to get a cloth to cover her body. Her corpse was also on the roadside for hours and there was no one to recover it until the police arrived much later to retrieve the body from the spot. We learnt her family had collected her body from the police and taken her home for burial.

A Kano State High Court presided over by Justice Amina Adamu Aliyu has ordered the police to evict the deposed Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero, from the palace he is occupying along the State Road in the Nasarawa area of the state.

The court, which gave the order on Monday, also issued an interim injunction restraining  Bayero and four other dethroned emirs from parading themselves as emirs, pending the hearing and determination of a motion on notice filed by applicants.

The judge gave the ruling as the state government appealed to  President Bola Tinubu to move the deposed 15th Emir of Kano from the state.

The state Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdussalam, during a press conference on Monday, said Bayero’s presence in Kano posed a threat to the peace and stability cherished by its people. 

The state House of Assembly had on Thursday repealed the Kano Emirates Council Law which divided Kano into five emirates.

Amid the crisis caused by the new emirates, the 14th emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, was dethroned by Abdullahi Ganduje’s administration.

New law 

Upon the repeal of the law on Thursday, the state Governor, Abba Yusuf, signed the new law and sacked the five Emirs.

The sacked Emirs include Aminu Ado Bayero (Kano); Alhaji Nasir Ado Bayero (Bichi), Alhaji Kabiru Muhammad Inuwa (Rano), Alhaji Ibrahim Abubakar II (Karaye), and Alhaji Aliyu Ibrahim Abdulkadir (Gaya).

While the other four emirs complied with the directive, the deposed Emir of Kano, who was not in the city, returned and headed for the palace at the Nasarawa area.

On Friday, it was reported that Justice Mohammed Liman of the Federal High Court granted an order filed by the Sarkin Dawaki Babba of the Kano Emirate, Aminu Agundi, stopping the Kano State Government from enforcing the Kano State Emirate Council Repeal Law which dethroned the five emirs in the state.

But the state government ignored the order and went ahead with Sanusi’s reinstatement even as the governor threatened to report the judge to the Nigeria Governors’ Forum for granting the order.

He claimed that the judge granted the order while he was in the United States.

Miffed by Bayero’s return to the mini-palace in Nassarawa, the governor ordered the arrest of the deposed monarch but the police authorities said they would enforce the court order.

Ruling on an exparte application by counsel to the applicants,  Ibrahim Isa Wangida, the state high court on Monday restrained the deposed emirs from parading themselves as emirs.

The applicants are the Attorney General of Kano State, the Speaker House of Assembly and the Kano State House of Assembly.

The respondents in the matter are the deposed emirs of Karaye, Gaya, Bichi, Rano, and Kano, the Inspector General of Police;  the Director of the Department of State Services, the Army and the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

Court orders eviction

The court document dated May 27, 2024, reads, “That order of interim injunction is hereby granted restraining the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th defendants either by themselves, servants, privies, and or any other persons or officers serving under them or acting in connection with any other person from parading themselves as Emirs of Kano, Bichi, Gaya, Rano and Karaye pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the applicants.

“That an order is hereby granted to the extent that the Commissioner of Police Kano State should immediately take the palace of the Emir of Kano situated being and lying at State Road Kano and evict the 1 Defendant/Respondent from the said palace pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice dated 24th May 2024.

“That an order of this honourable court is hereby granted restraining the 1st 2nd 3rd 4th & 5th Defendants from parading themselves as Emirs of Kano, Bichi, Gaya, Rano and Karaye in the interest of peace in Kano pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice. 

“That an order is hereby made that 1- 5th defendants be through the office of the Commissioner Police, Kano State who is to ensure immediate implementation of the order of the honourable  court in the interest of justice.” The court concluded.

Justice Aliyu fixed 11th June 2024 for the hearing of the motion on notice.

Also, the Deputy Governor of the State,  Gwarzo, at a press conference at the Government House on Monday,  said Tinubu’s intervention was essential as it would save the state from descending into unnecessary chaos.

He stated, “We appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Office of the National Security Adviser and other agencies concerned to investigate the happenings in Kano as it relates to the deposed Emir, Aminu Ado Bayero, and take immediate steps to evacuate him from his current residence and remove him from in the state. As it is now, he is constituting a security threat in the state.

He said that the state was renowned for its peace and stability, in spite of its political complexities.

The deputy governor stated explained that Sanusi’s reinstatement as the Emir of Kano had brought jubilations after following due process of the law.

In a related development,  the state government has dismissed reports of violent protests in the state. 

Commenting on pro-Bayero protests in Kano on Sunday, the state Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Baba Dantiye, in a statement on Monday, said the protests were embarked upon by some miscreants.

He said, “While the government is aware of isolated incidents in a few areas by a handful of small children and hired miscreants and thugs, these do not in any way reflect the overall situation.

“Those hired unpatriotic individuals were only aiming to destabilise the state for the personal gain and selfish interests of their paymasters. The great majority of Kano State citizens have shown remarkable restraints and understanding of the sincere action of the state government.

“It also behoves to reiterate that the decision by the administration of Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf to legally abrogate the emirates and reinstate the 14th Emir of Kano State was made after careful consideration of the best interests of the state. The move has been welcomed by a significant portion of the populace who understands and cherishes the long-term benefits of a unified emirate structure.

He, however, noted that some political actors were manipulating the situation to create chaos and unrest, adding that these elements are using the media to spread false narratives and incite public disorder.

The ruling All Progressives Congress has faulted former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s criticism of the current administration’s handling of its ongoing reforms and the coup d’etat in Niger Republic.

Obasanjo had knocked President Bola Tinubu’s implementation of the removal of subsidy from petroleum products as well as the floating of naira.

In the past few months, the masses have continued to groan over the rising cost of food items and inflation following the removal of fuel subsidy and the floating of the naira by the Tinubu government.

In a statement made available to journalists on Sunday by his Special Assistant on Media, Kehinde Akinyemi, Obasanjo said though the policies initiated by Tinubu were necessary, they were wrongly implemented.


The ex-President, according to the statement, spoke in Abuja at the weekend at a colloquium tagged: “Nigeria’s Development: Navigating the Way Out of the Current Economic Crisis and Insecurity.”

“Today, the government has taken three decisions, two of which are necessary but wrongly implemented and have led to the impoverisation of the economy and of Nigerians. These are the removal of subsidy, closing the gap between the black market and official rates of exchange and the third is dealing with a military coup in Niger Republic,” Obasanjo said.

It was the first time he would be openly criticising Tinubu, whom he did not support to become President.


But reacting on Monday, the APC National Director, Bala Ibrahim, faulted Obasanjo, whom he described as a serial critic.

Ibrahim told The PUNCH that he feared the former President might be manifesting signs of old age.

He said, “As a Nigerian and someone who respects Obasanjo, I think senility is beginning to come in. Obasanjo is beginning to manifest the symptoms.

“Ever since he lost the bid to have a third term in office, he has consistently attacked every regime that comes after him. He sees himself as the only one who meant well for Nigeria from independence to date. He thinks he is the best and every other leader is bad. And this is not good for a statesman. Nobody has monopoly on knowledge or style of leadership.

“Obasanjo has been consistent in his criticisms of people in leadership positions apart from himself. So, this is not an isolated case. President Bola Tinubu is not the first to be attacked by Obasanjo. Buhari and Jonathan were also victims of his criticisms. He himself did not fare better when he was the leader. In fact, Obasanjo superintended the balkanisation of the Nigerian economy.

“How can he say someone who is trying to put the economy on a better pedestal is not doing the right thing? I am not a spokesman for Tinubu. Even though the party has discussed him to my knowledge, I practically feel Obasanjo has erred as he has always been doing.”

President Bola Tinubu has said his administration will not spare any effort to ensure Nigeria’s children have a solid footing for realising their dreams.

The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, made this known in a statement signed on Monday in commemoration of the 2024 Children’s Day.

The statement is titled “President Bola Tinubu celebrates Nigeria’s children, the bearers of the nation’s torch into the future, on the special occasion of Children’s Day.”

President Tinubu reassured the nation of his commitment to ensuring a safe and secure learning ambience for children while improving the standard of education.

He added that his administration will continue to expand access to qualitative education for all Nigerians.

The statement reads, “The President rejoices with parents, guardians, and families across the nation, and calls for a reinforcement of the family unit as a place where the sacred values of honesty, modesty, hard work and charity are passed down to the shining lights of tomorrow.

“President Tinubu affirms that society is a reflection of each family unit as a collective, urging the preservation of those principles that make us a wholesome, nurturing, and thriving nation.

“The President states that his administration is sparing no effort in ensuring that Nigeria’s children have a solid footing for the realization of their dreams.

“With increased investments in education, and the recent overhauling of the entire education system to provide both human and material resources for learning, as well as the efforts of the National Commission for Almajiri and Out-of-School Children Education to get the nation’s precious gifts off the streets, the President emphasizes that his administration will continue to expand access to qualitative education for all Nigerians.

“President Tinubu reassures the nation of his commitment to ensuring a safe and secure ambience of learning for the children while improving the standard of education.”

The Kogi State Election Petition Tribunal has ruled in favour of Governor Usman Ododo, dismissing the petition challenging his victory in the November 2023 election.

Murtala Ajaka, the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), had filed a petition contesting the outcome of the election.

The petition, filed with the tribunal sitting in Abuja, alleged irregularities including vote-buying and rigging.

The tribunal carefully considered arguments and evidence presented by both parties throughout the proceedings.

During the case, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN); Alex Iziyon (SAN) and Emmanuel Ukala (SAN), who appeared for INEC, Governor Ododo and the All Progressives Congress (APC) – listed as respondents in the petition – objected to the presentation of a witness by the SDP.

They argued that the witness and their expertise were not properly disclosed in the initial petition documents.

Despite these objections, the tribunal ultimately ruled in favour of Governor Ododo, upholding his election victory.

Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Gagbemi, has said a major bottleneck in the functioning of the local government in the country is the State Electoral Commission (SECs), which he suggested should be scrapped if the LGAs will function properly.

SECs are responsible for the conduct of elections at the state level as well as the local government level.

Fagbemi who has begun a push to free the LGAs from the control of governors with an institution of a suit at the Supreme Court on behalf of the federal government argued that governors have abused their control of the third tier of government.

Speaking on Monday at a one-day ‘Discourse on National Nigeria’s Security Challenges and Good Governance At the Local Government Levels’, Fagbemi said governors have latched on to the inadequacies and lacunas in some sections of the 1999 Constitution to undermine and render local governments redundant.

He accused governors of exploiting the weaknesses of Section 7(1); Section 83(3); Section 7(5) and others to impose their will on the local governments in the country.

He noted that these inadequacies have allowed the governors to abuse the rights of local governments and in turn, deprive people at the grassroots to feel their presence.

He pointed out that the most prominent abuse of local government was the use of state electoral commissions to impose leaders at the local government levels through sham elections while most Governors only appoint caretaker leadership in their local governments.

Specifically, the Attorney General identified the abuse of State/ local governments’ joint accounts by state governors as imposing a fiscal emasculation thus rendering the local governments poor as the governors hold on to their federal allocations.

Consequently, he called for the scrapping of State Electoral Commissions to allow democracy to take its roots in the local governments.

He urged the organisers of the event, the House of Representatives, to engineer a robust constitutional amendment that will remove all encumbrances hindering the development of local governments and their ability to fulfil their constitutionally recognized functions.

“To achieve this, many experts have proposed that there is a need for the scrapping of the state independent electoral commission.

“Their functions and powers should be transferred to the independent national electoral commission because the state independent electoral commission remains an appendage to every incumbent governor.

“This is perceived as the root cause of the problem of local government administration in Nigeria,” Fagbemi said.

Justice Inyang Edem Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed May 29 to begin the trial of detained leader of the Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore, Bello Bodejo,

The court fixed the date after dismissing the application for bail of the accused person.

At the last adjourned date, the bail application was fixed for ruling and commencement of trial of Bodejo but his absence in court stalled the trial from going ahead.

Shortly after the court fixed the date for trial, his counsel, Dr Ahmed Raji, SAN, expressed the readiness of his client to stand trial.

Kano Emirate Crisis: Deputy governor apologises to Ribadu, withdraws allegation
Raji said since the court has ordered expeditious hearing in the matter, there would be no need to appeal the ruling on his bail for now.

The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore leader was arrested by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) for allegedly establishing an ethnic militia group unlawfully.

The group, Kungiya Zaman Lafiya, the DIA alleged, was established to promote terrorism.

Bodejo has been in the custody of the Agency in Abuja from where he was arraigned in March on a three-count charge filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) with accusation of violating the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The Miyetti Allah’s leader denied all the charges.

Before the court ruled on hos bail application, Dr Raji had pleaded with Justice Ekwo to admit his client to bail on various grounds ranging from ill-health to the enforcement of his fundamental rights.

The counsel also asked the court for “an order admitting the defendant to bail on liberal terms pending the hearing and determination of the charges preferred against him.”

The senior lawyer predicated the bail request on the ground that Bodejo “suffers from grave ill-health and that the offences are bailable.”

Citing Section 36 of the Nigerian constitution, Raji said his client is presumed innocent until proven guilty, adding that the charge against Bodejo did not disclose any crime against him.

Contrary to government assertions, Raji informed the court that launching of the group by his client was done in a public place with Police Commissioner and personnel of other security agencies as well as Nasarawa State government officials in attendance.

In an affidavit deposed to by one of his brothers, Mohammed Musa in support of the bail bid, he said the Miyetti Allah leader who was arrested by DIA personnel on 23 January has “been denied access to his lawyers, family members, friends and well wishers.”

Musa described Bodejo as a “patriotic Nigerian citizen who goes about his business within the ambit of the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

The deponent further said that Bodejo “neither established nor has any involvement with the ethnic militia group as alleged in the charge against him.”

He explained further that the essence of establishing the vigilante company was to provide security services to the members of the society and not to commit any act of terrorism as alleged.

However, the Federal Government, through its lawyer, Y.A Imana urged the court to reject Bodejo’s bail application on the ground that charges against the defendant borders on threat to national security.

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ruled against a suit from the impeached former Edo Deputy Governor, Phillips Shaibu, who attempted to overturn the February 22 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary in Edo State, won by Asue Ighodalo.

In a judgment delivered on Monday, Justice James Omotosho ruled that Shaibu lacked the locus standi to challenge the outcome of the primary, as he did not fully participate in it and was not present at the venue on the day it was held.

According to the Nation, Justice Omotosho stated that Shaibu’s case was deemed premature since he bypassed the party’s internal dispute resolution procedures before filing the lawsuit.

The judge emphasized that, as a PDP member, Shaibu was obligated to adhere to the party’s rules and regulations, which mandate that any disgruntled aspirant from a primary must first seek recourse through the party’s Appeal Committee before resorting to litigation.

The judge determined that there was ample evidence indicating that Ighodalo emerged as the rightful winner of the primary election.

Naija News recalls that the impeached deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, had expressed plans to reunite with the former Governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole.

Shaibu made this known in an interview with PUNCH, stating that he is not ready to support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial candidate, Asue Ighodalo.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government has halted the Nigeria Airline project indefinitely.

The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo, announced this development on Monday during the Ministerial briefing commemorating the first year of the Tinubu administration.

Keyamo emphasized that the airline was not truly Nigerian, but rather an effort to pass off a foreign airline as a national carrier.

How Buhari’s Minister, Sirika Was Arrested Over ₦8 Billion Nigeria Air Fraud

Last month, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested a former Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, over its ongoing probe into the botched Nigeria Air project.

Naija News understands that the former minister is being investigated for allegedly awarding fraudulent contracts to a company owned by his younger brother, Abubakar Sirika.

The contracts, worth over N8 billion, were awarded to Engirios Nigeria Limited for various aviation projects, including the construction of a terminal building at Katsina Airport and the procurement of aircraft and simulators for the Nigerian College of Aviation Technology.

According to sources, Sirika was also being grilled over alleged conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds to the tune of N80.06bn, and contract inflation when he held sway at the aviation ministry.

One of the sources told Daily Trust that the former minister was picked up at his Abuja residence by operatives of the anti-graft agency and interrogated at the Federal Capital Territory Command at about 12:55 pm on Tuesday.

The EFCC official source, who spoke under the condition of anonymity, said the EFCC operatives quietly went to Sirika’s residence when they were least expected.

“He was picked up at his Abuja residence by our operatives,” he said.

Another source said the minister was taken into custody and is meeting with EFCC investigators to explain how some funds were expended in his ministry during his time in office.

“Yes, he has been taken into custody and is meeting with our detectives to explain how some funds to the tune of N8, 069,176,864.00 were expended in his ministry when he was the minister.

“All necessary checks have been done before the invitation and he will be asked to explain the role he played in the (alleged) infractions.

“It is an ongoing thing, we will not relent,” the source said.