…. alleges attempt to make mockery of judicial system

The Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, on Wednesday, decried what he termed as unpalatable cocktail of misleading and conflicting judgements emanating from courts of coordinate jurisdictions in the country.

He said the National Judicial Council, NJC, has already activated the process that would ensure that errant judges are made to face the consequence of their “despicable and odious conduct.”

Speaking shortly after he inaugurated 22 judges into the Court of Appeal Bench, the CJN, lamented that the avalanche of frivolous interlocutory orders emanating from the various courts, have continued to make a mockery of the judicial system.

He said: “I have made it known at different fora that we have been treated to an unpalatable cocktail of misleading and conflicting judgments as well as frivolous interlocutory orders emanating from courts of coordinate jurisdictions, which have literally attempted to make a mockery of our judicial system and flagrantly desecrate the revered Temple of Justice.

“Several cases of such abound across the length and breadth of the country. This is, largely, an embarrassment to our jurisprudence, and we will never handle it with levity.

“Punitive measures must definitely be meted out to such erring Judges. We have already activated the process of reining-in such errant Judges with a view to making them face the consequence of their despicable and odious conduct.

“As Judicial Officers, we have to continually remind ourselves the fact that we are not occupying our respective positions to serve ourselves, but the Nigerian masses; and the best way we can serve them is by doing what will make them feel safe in our hands and also trust us to always deliver the right judgments that will not be tainted by sentiments, emotions or other clandestine considerations.”

Justice Ariwoola, who also swore in 12 legal practitioners that were recently appointed as judges of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, High Court, implored the new judicial officers to always abide by their oath of office.

He described as unprecedented, the number of Justices that were elevated to the bench of the appellate court, noting that the last time such large number of judicial officers were inaugurated, was on June 28, when the court got 18 Justices at the same time.

“Today’s ceremony is an indication of the perilous times that we are currently in, which has resulted in an upsurge in litigation.

“Several unfathomable crimes are being committed in the country, aside from the usual political matters that have made litigation’s to go on alarming rise.

“No court in the land is spared of this  litigation deluge, as it were. We are constantly on our toes and the dockets are ever increasing in response to the challenges of the time.

“This underscores the fact that Nigeria is fast emerging as a front-line crime-infested country that we all have to urgently curtail,” the CJN stated.

He said the enormous task of cleaning the Augean stable rests squarely on the Justices.

“Your Lordships, so, you must hastily fasten your belt and roll up your sleeves to face the challenges head-on.

“In other words, you should hit the ground speeding at a supersonic velocity; and not just running. You must redouble your pace to catch up with the expectations of the sprawling community of litigants.

“As judicial officers, you have a divine mandate on earth that you must discharge with unveiled honesty and sincerity. You must give good account of yourselves to justify your elevation to the Court of Appeal.

“In the next couple of months, we shall be having two governorship elections in Edo and Ondo States, respectively.

“As usual, the courts will be besieged with Plethora of petitions. It is our statutory duty to hear all matters that come before us and adjudicate according to the laws of the land.

“We must not falter; and we must not tread the path of infamy. Yes, it is true that we cannot please everyone through our actions and work, but with the right application of the law and the Constitution of the land, which we all have collectively pledged to uphold, we can go a long way to do those things that our conscience will be very proud of; and the generality of the Nigerian citizens will equally be happy about.

“Every position we attain in life always avails us that unique opportunity to do something novel and impactful, especially if there was any previous act of wrongdoing or misapplication of discretion.

“With Your Lordships’ elevation to the higher Bench today, you have to be very mindful of the enormous confidence the public is now reposing in you vis-a-vis their expectations.

“Like we often say, to whom much is given, much is expected. Your Lordships must not rest on your oars, as the onus now lies more heavily on you to discharge your judicial duties more dispassionately, discretionally, and transparently.

“So, you must, individually and collectively, guide your loins to do more to earn lasting trust and integrity.

“Your conduct and disposition must tally with the yearnings and aspirations of the generality of the citizenry,” the CJN added.

Actress Toyin Abraham has denied she arrested a Twitter user’s mother.

The user had taken to the social media platform to claim the filmmaker arrested his mother illegally.

However, Abraham set the record straight, stating that she only made a report at the cybercrime unit due to threats to her life and family.

According to her, the user’s friend, Ayo was arrested for alleged bullying and defamation.

Abraham emphasised that she did not arrest the user’s mother, contrary to the claims made.

She also clarified that she deleted related tweets after the issue was resolved.

The Twitter user had claimed that his mother was picked up from her shop to Panti police station but Abraham maintained that she did not initiate any arrests.

This development comes amid growing concerns about online bullying and harassment.

The incident has sparked a wider conversation about the boundaries of free speech and the need for responsible social media usage.

An X user Danny wrote: “Hello @toyin_abraham1, you will have to send the police to pick all of us. You are very shameless”.

Replying to him, Toyin stated that he can abuse all and call her names, and it would be okay but where she draws the line is when people curse her kids and lie.

“You can abuse and call me names; it’s fine, and as I said, I will accept and take it cos I’m in the public eyes, but cursing kids and lying is what I won’t accept, and lastly, I never and will never arrest anyone’s mother. I made a report on cybercrime as a citizen. I made my report at cybercrime cos the threat to life and curse and threat on my family were beyond what I can take, as for me, abuse me, insult me please, say anything to me please,” she responded.

The X user, Jeffery further alleged the movie star picked up her mom from her shop.

“It’s one thing to make a tweet, and you arrest me. It’s another thing to arrest me for not even making a single comment, @toyin_abraham1. You picked my mom up from her shop to Panti police station for something I didn’t even do. God will judge you,” he tweeted.

Toyin replied, : “Lying on my head comfortably now, the world won’t see this if I react how, they will say something else. I never arrested your mum. Your friend Ayo was arrested for bullying and cursing and defaming my family, and mum went there saying she won’t leave without him”.

Another tweep, Uchenna, questioned why the movie star deleted some of her tweets to which she replied was no need to beat around the bush.

Mr Macaroni, the Nigerian skit maker, has advised fellow celebrities to seek justice in court whenever they are defamed.

In a post via X, the content creator said it is wrong for notable Nigerians to ask the police to arrest their social media critics.

Macaroni, in the lengthy post, argued that he has been “insulted and defamed by APC supporters” on social media but “never resorted to involving the police”.

The movie star also called on his colleagues to stop using their friends in government to “illegally detain citizens”.

“If anyone insults you or defames your character, go to court and seek justice. APC trolls insult me and tell so many lies against my person,” he wrote.

“I have never for once used the police to illegally arrest or detain anyone and Never will I. There is serious danger in using the police to illegally detain citizens.

“I hope those of you supporting this abuse of power won’t cry foul when you or your loved ones are the victims.

“To be clear, this is not to support online bullying and harassment. I strongly condemn it and believe that those involved should be made to face the consequences of their actions.

“I am a victim myself and I know how mentally damaging it is. But go to Court and seek Justice like the rest of us do.

“Don’t use your friends in government to illegally detain citizens. It may favor you now, but think about tomorrow when you no longer have that power or the closeness to that power.

“It might not be you, it might be someone you care about. What will become of us if everyone takes law into their own hands?”

The post followed after Toyin Abraham, the actress, was accused of ensuring the arrest of an X influencer identified as Big Ayo and his mother over defamatory claims.

Big Ayo was said to have alleged that Abraham received money from President Bola Tinubu to address her husband Kolawole Ajeyemi’s baldness — a claim she vehemently denied.

The award-winning actress, however, clarified that she did not get Ayo’s mother arrested but merely reported a case to the cybercrime unit, not the police.

She added that she can tolerate name-callings, but will not condone lies and insults targeted at her children.

The Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) says it will penalise airlines engaged in deceitful departure schedules.

In a statement on July 9 by the NCAA, Chris Najomo, its acting director-general, warned the airlines to desist from the infraction or face dire regulatory actions.

According to the statement by Michael Achimugu, NCAA’s director, public affairs and consumer protection, the authority now runs a zero-tolerance approach to regulatory infractions.

“Ease of doing business is the crux of the D-G’s action plan for the NCAA. In line with that action plan, he has made processes for licensing easy for operators,” he said.

“The time to secure AOC is now shorter and less cumbersome than it used to be in the past. The NCAA therefore expects reciprocity from airlines. Chief of which is world-class services to passengers.”

Najomo said if the NCAA was facilitating a business-friendly environment for operators, then the operators must satisfy the passengers with superior services.

“It has come to our notice that some airlines are being reported for advertising deceitful departure times. The NCAA regulation says no airline shall display deceitful passenger departure time at its counter, advert material or on its website,” he said.

“We want to make it very clear that the D-GCA has directed monitoring and offenders will face serious regulatory actions.”

He said the authority believes in safety, discipline, and economic regulation which is evident in the recent suspension of 10 permits for non-commercial flights (PHCF) holders for failing to comply with the recertification advisory issued in April.

Speaking further, Najomo said the ease of business is an area NCAA would continue to improve.

“This is evident in our high score on the Presidential Enabling Business Council (PEBEC) ranking. Recently our sister agency scored 96 per cent but the NCAA scored 98.5 per cent which is an extremely high score,” he said.

“This is building from the commendable score of 71.04 per cent the NCAA scored during this year’s ICAO Security Audit.

“The numbers are improving and we will continue to do what we can to make the industry safer, and more secure for passengers and stakeholders.”

On the difficulty in refund processes by airlines, Najomo said all refunds must be handled without undue delay and completed within 14 working days, irrespective of the method of ticket purchase.

Regarding the suspension of PHCF licences of 10 operators, Najomo explained that they had been advised since April to commence the process for recertification but refused to comply — leaving the NCAA with no option but to penalise them.

Burna Boy, the award-winning Nigerian singer, will celebrate the fifth anniversary of ‘African Giant‘, his fourth studio album, next week.

On July 15, the ‘City Boys’ hitmaker will be hosting a concert in London, the United Kingdom, to commemorate the fifth anniversary of his album.

The show is sponsored by YouTube Music Nights.

Released in July 2019, ‘African Giant’ won ‘album of the year’ at the All Africa Music Awards and was nominated for ‘best world music album’ at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards.

In December 2023, the body of work was listed on Rolling Stone’s ‎‘500 greatest albums of all time‘.

‘African Giant’ secured the number 330 spot, making it the best Nigerian album on Rolling Stone’s list.

It features hit tracks such as ‘On The Low’, ‘Gbona’, ‘Dangote’, ‘Killin Dem’, ‘Spiritual’, ‘Gum Body’, Anybody’, ‘Collateral Damage’ and ‘Wetin Man Go Do’.

Born Damini Ogulu, Burna Boy started to gain fame after releasing ‘Like to Party’, the lead single from his debut album ‘L.I.F.E’ (2013).

In 2021, the Afrofusion singer set a record in Nigeria after his fifth album ‘Twice As Tall (2020)’ won the ‘best world music album’ category at the Grammys.

Burna Boy claimed he brought the Afrobeats genre to the mainstream in 2020.

He also mentioned 2Baba, Timaya, D’banj, Larry Gaaga, and Wande Coal as the artistes who impacted his career.

Serie A club, AS Roma are targeting a move for OGC Nice forward,Terem Moffi, DAILY POST reports.

Roma are looking for a new striker to replace Romelu Lukaku.

The Belgium international has returned to Chelsea following the conclusion of his loan.

According to LaRoma24.it, the Giallorossi have lined up Moffi as a potential replacement.

The Nigeria international was signed by Roma director Florent Ghisolfi from Lorient during his time as Nice sporting director.

Moffi registered 11 goals and two assists in 32 appearances for Nice last season.

Ahmad Lawan, a former president of the senate, says there will be mass protest if the three arms of government do not work together to reduce food prices and high electricity tariffs.

Lawan was contributing to a debate on a motion sponsored by Sunday Karimi, senator representing Kogi west.

Karimi’s motion was on the need to tackle “food insecurity”.

The former senate president said Nigerians must not be taken for granted in the face of worsening economic hardship.

“If we don’t take urgent actions on increased food prices and electricity tariffs, we will not like the actions we will see on the streets,” Lawan said.

“We cannot take the people for granted for too long.”

Earlier, the Kogi west senator said price of food staples have risen by over 300 percent, following the removal of subsidy on petrol.

“Insecurity in food-producing regions, bad roads, increase in the cost of transportation attributable to the removal of fuel subsidy and depreciation of the value of the naira, are possible factors that have contributed to the increase in prices of food items, household commodities,” he said.

“The greater percentage of the increase in prices of food items and consumables is not only due to these factors but to the zest of the merchants, traders, and retailers to make supernormal profits.”

The senate asked the relevant government ministries and agencies to tackle the problem.

The motion was adopted after it was put to a voice vote by Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

The Supreme Court will tomorrow, deliver judgment in the suit filed by the Federal Government against the 36 Governors seeking full autonomy for the 774 local governments in the country.

A document sighted on Wednesday at the apex court indicated that parties in the suit have been notified through their respective lawyers.

It was observed the notice for the judgment delivery was served on the Federal Government through the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice at the Federal Ministry of Justice in Abuja.

Details shortly…

The House of Representatives has queried the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohaneye, for spending unrelated expenditures, including N45 million for a new year party, N20 million for sanitary pads.

Others include N1.5 million for vehicle fuel.

Rep Kafilat Ogbara, Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs, led the interrogation of the Minister, over the non-payment of N1.5 billion to contractors in spite of the fund release in Abuja.

She said that the investigative hearing was aimed at uncovering the truth and not witch-hunting the Minister and the officials of the ministry.

The committee also investigated alleged diversion of funds meant for contractor’s payments, following a petition from contractors.

The committee also sought clarification on funds appropriated for the African First Lady’s mission and the whereabouts of the N1.5 billion meant for contractor payments.

The minister however denied the allegations of misappropriation, overspending, and non-payment to contractors.

The procurement officer confirmed contractors’ claims, and the Director of Finance and Administration acknowledged only paying approved contracts.

It would be recalled that the committee had at its last sitting summoned the minister to appear before it to explain the rationale behind the non-payment.

The committee also ordered the stoppage of all 2024 contract processes by the Ministry of Women’s Affairs until the whereabouts of the money for the said contracts are determined. (NAN)

Reality TV star Nina Ivy has announced she is undergoing breast reduction surgery. 

In a post on Instagram, she shared excitement and relief, stating that she has been waiting for this moment her entire life. 

After having two children, Nina Ivy said she has struggled with feelings of insecurity and discomfort related to her breast size. 

She said she was looking forward to regaining her confidence and feeling more at ease in her own body. 

“I’ve been waiting for this day my entire life, and finally, the time is here. After 2 kids, I’ve never really felt comfortable and confident about my breasts, and I am super excited to make a change. Finally, a new life,” she wrote..