Senators from the South-South geopolitical zone have endorsed the contentious Tax Reform Bills pending before the National Assembly.

In a statement signed on behalf of the group by Senator Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa West), the lawmakers have highlighted the importance of the bills in enhancing national revenue.

The statement said, “Recognising the importance of tax reforms in enhancing national revenue and fostering economic stability, we resolved to support the Tax Reforms Bills.

“This support will be anchored on a comprehensive study and thorough evaluation of the content of the Bills to ensure they align with the overall interest of Nigerians, particularly the well-being of the South-South region.

“The Caucus calls for restraint on the part of those bent on introducing sentiments, whether regional, ethnic or tribal to a national dialogue and looks forward to robust interactions and consultations as already commenced by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We remain committed to working collaboratively with our colleagues across the Senate and all stakeholders in fostering a legislative agenda that guarantees the peace, prosperity, and progress of our beloved nation.”

According to them, their support for the bills stems from a shared commitment to boosting national revenue and driving economic growth.

The senators, who cut across party lines, also expressed their unflinching support and confidence in the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio.

“After a meeting held on the 4th of December, 2024, we, the senators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria from the South-South geopolitical zone, met on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, to deliberate on key national issues and the role of the Senate in advancing the collective interest of the country. After extensive discussions, the following resolutions were made:

“The South-South senators unanimously agreed and passed a vote of confidence in the Senate President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to standing by him and supporting his leadership in steering the Senate toward its constitutional mandate of making laws that serve the best interests of the nation and its citizens.

“We pledge our full support to the Senate President and the leadership of the National Assembly in their efforts to ensure the effective and timely passage of legislation aimed at promoting good governance, national unity, and economic development.

The communiqué was signed by Senator Seriake Dickson (Chairman), Senator Jarigbe Agom Jarigbe (Secretary), Senator Barinada Mpigi, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, Senator Neda Imasuen, Senator Munir Ned Nwoko, Senator Thomas Joel-Onowakpo, Senator Aniekan Bassey, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong, and Senator Allwell Onyeso.

Others include Senator Ipalibo Banigo, Senator Benson Agadaga, Senator Konbowei Benson, Senator Eteng Jonah Williams, Senator Ekong Sampson, and Senator Ede Dafinone.

Dele Farotimi’s book, ‘Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System,’ has become a bestseller on Amazon Books as the human rights advocate faces legal action over the publication.

The book is ranked 555 out of all books on the e-commerce website and is number one in elections.

The book also topped Amazon’s charts in general elections, political process, and political commentary and opinion.

Customer reviews rated the book 4.9 out of five stars.

Published on July 2, Farotimi examined how affluent Nigerians allegedly manipulated the country’s judicial system for their interests.

However, his description of the country’s legal landscape has become a subject matter in a law court.

On Wednesday, Farotimi was arraigned in a magistrate court in Ado-Ekiti, the capital of Ekiti state, for allegedly “criminally defaming” Afe Babalola, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), named in the book.

The activist pleaded not guilty to all the charges.

Samson Osun, the police prosecutor, asked the court to remand Farotimi pending further investigation.

Dayo Akeredolu, counsel to Farotimi, opposed the remand request and prayed the court to admit the activist on bail under liberal terms and self-recognition.

Akeredolu’s bail application was rejected.

Abayomi Adeosun, the magistrate, ruled that Farotimi be remanded in prison custody till December 10.

Hours after the legal proceedings, Roving Heights, a bookstore, announced that its website crashed.

The bookstore said the technical glitch was caused by “unusual traffic and a spike in demand for some titles”.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has stressed the need for the people to end corruption in Nigeria before the practice does more harm to the country.

The anti-graft agency asserted that corruption has severely undermined Nigeria’s economic and social fabric, urging citizens to demonstrate the bravery necessary to expose corrupt practices.

Naija News reports that Ekere Usiere, the Resident Anti-Corruption Commissioner for the Commission, emphasized this during an event in Yenagoa commemorating Anti-Corruption Day.

The Anti-Corruption and Transparency Unit of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board organized the event.

In her presentation titled From Fear To Courage: Overcoming Barriers To Whistleblowing In Nigeria, Usiere warned that without the courage to confront corruption, Nigeria faces the peril of being overwhelmed by it in the foreseeable future.

She stressed that to combat corruption effectively, the nation must adopt a mindset of courage and reject fear.

She said, “There is no gainsaying that the scourge of corruption has brought Nigeria to its knees, from economic underdevelopment to socio-political decadence. If we don’t kill corruption, corruption will definitely kill Nigeria. That is why we need an effective whistleblower mechanism as a critical tool to fight against corruption.

“To effectively blow the whistle against corruption, we, the citizens, need courage. The absence of fear is simply the definition of courage. Citizens need to overcome cultural, psychological and systemic challenges to blow the whistle against corruption and other ills bedevilling our country, Nigeria.

“This programme is therefore a timely and welcome development. The aim of this paper is to charge participants to obliterate fear from their mindset and embrace courage in order to blow the whistle against corruption. If we must fight corruption in Nigeria and reduce it to the barest minimum, then we must put on the armour of courage to surmount the fear of whistleblowing.

“If you see something, you must say something! If you hear something, you must say something.”

Earlier, the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Felix Ogbe, commended the Anti Corruption and Transparency Unit for the excellent job done in putting the event together while reiterating his resolve to staff to protect the institution from all forms of corrupt tendencies through preventive strategies.

His words: “Today, we are marking and celebrating the International Anti-Corruption Day, with a focus on raising the consciousness of our youths to the ills of corruption and how it turns the socio-economic development of any nation.

“This is to send a strong message for extra-vigilance by all of us in combating the menace. In NCDMB, we have taken deliberate steps to curb corruption. We have provided adequate support to our ACTU members by providing a functional office and giving them a free hand to discharge their functions.

“In the area of capacity building and awareness, we have deepened our participation in the Anti-Corruption Academy of Nigeria through capacity building training for staff, including training in corruption prevention techniques, strategies for effective workplace anti-corruption campaign, bribery and corruption risk assessment, etc.; all these underline the board stance against corruption.

“In the area of system check, we have instituted corrupt risk assessment probing major functions of the board including human resources, procurement, monitory, evaluation, planning, research and statistics, all in a bid to mitigate vulnerability to corruption across the board.”

The Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, George Ibezimako Ozodinobi (LP, Anambra), has condemned the decision of some Labour Party (LP) lawmakers to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Ozodinobi, who spoke shortly after the Speaker announced the defection of his colleagues during plenary on Thursday, said the defectors would weep.

He added that they don’t have a future in the new party they crossed to.

Recalls four Labour Party (LP) House of Representative members defected to the APC as announced during plenary on Thursday by the Speaker of the House, Tajudeen Abbas.

The lawmakers who defected to APC are Esosa Iyawe (Edo), Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Matthew (Kaduna), and Bassey Akiba (Cross River).

Also, a lawmaker, Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu (Delta), dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC.

The now-former Labour Party lawmakers cited division within their party as the main reason for their defection.

Reacting to the development, Ozodinobi raised a point of order on the floor of the House and, in his comment, expressed disappointment with his colleagues who had just left the LP.

“I will quote the Bible. When Jesus was carrying the cross to the Calvary, the woman, Veronica, was weeping. And he looked back and said, women of Israel, don’t weep for me, weep for yourself.

“I am telling those who have defected that they will continue weeping for themselves because where you have crossed over to, you don’t have a future,” he said.

American-born Nigerian singer, David Adeleke, better known by his stage name Davido, has opined that unlike the United States of America (USA), Nigeria lacks true democracy.

Davido who was a few days ago under fire for not being patriotic in defense of his country said he believed in American democracy.

He stated this while featuring in a recent episode of The Morning Hustle podcast.

According to the singer, he congratulated Donald Trump after his electoral victory despite voting for his opponent, Kamala Harris of the Democratic Party because he believes in American democracy.

Davido said: “I congratulated Donald Trump. That’s the president! What are you talking about? If I were running against him, I would still have congratulated him.

“What I like about America is that there’s true democracy. Where I come from (Nigeria), it’s not so.

“To be honest, I voted for Kamala Harris because I wanted to see the first female president in my generation. That would have been cool.”

The Anambra State Aids Control Agency (ANSACA) says no fewer than 3,138 tested positive out of 257,953 individuals tested for HIV in Anambra between January and October 2024.

Dr Afam Obidike, Commissioner for Health, Anambra, gave the statistics on Thursday in Awka during a media briefing to mark World AIDS Day observed every Dec. 1, since 1988.

World AIDS Day is commemorated globally to raise awareness about HIV and AIDS and honor the lives affected by the epidemic.

This year’s commemoration had the global theme: ‘Take the Rights Path, Sustain HIV Response, Stop HIV Among Children to End AIDS in Nigeria by 2030′.

Obidike said the state recorded significant strides in the fight against HIV/AIDS with the extension of comprehensive services to 175 healthcare facilities across the state.

He said: “From January to October 2024 alone, 257,953 individuals were tested for HIV, with 3,138 (1.2 per cent) newly testing positive.

“An impressive 99 per cent of those who tested positive, were successfully linked to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Currently, 49,067 individuals living with HIV have been placed on Anti-retroviral treatment.

“As part of HIV prevention efforts, the state, through its partners’ support, has distributed 1,406,744 condoms and 26,640 lubricants to support safe practices among key populations and the general public.

“These distributions underline the state and its partners’ commitment to mitigating transmission risks and supporting comprehensive prevention strategies,” he said.

The Commissioner said Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme had been pivotal to the progress recorded in reducing pediatric HIV in the state.

Obidike said that spectrum projections indicated an estimated 5,167 pregnant women in Anambra required PMTCT services in 2024.

“Through the efforts of mentor mothers and partners in the communities, 56,199 antenatal attendees tested for HIV, and 560 HIV-positive pregnant women (both known and new cases) were identified and were successfully linked to care.

“The integration of innovative diagnostics like m-PIMA machines for Early Infant Diagnostics has improved our ability to test HIV-exposed infants and ensure they are linked to care promptly.

“This is a significant stride toward ensuring healthier outcomes for mothers and their babies,” he said.

Obidike said the state government initiated the domestication of the HIV anti-discrimination Act to protect the rights of People Living with HIV, eliminate stigma and gender-based violence.

“The state remains focused on achieving health equity and an AIDS-free future for all residents,” Obidike said.

(NAN)

Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, daughter of former Delta State Governor Chief James Ibori and a member of the House of Representatives, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a letter dated Thursday, December 5, and addressed to the PDP Chairman of the Ethiope West Council area, Ibori-Suenu cited exclusion by the Delta state chapter of the party as the reason for her resignation.

The letter, titled “Notice of Resignation of Hon. Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu as Member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” stated: “Please be informed that by this notice I formally resign as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with immediate effect. I surrender my attached Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] Membership Card, with membership number 0777144 in furtherance of my complete dissociation and disengagement from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

Ibori-Suenu explained that her resignation was due to her complete exclusion by the State chapter of the party and the ongoing national leadership crisis, which has divided the party into implacable camps.

The Nigerian Senate has refuted claims that it suspended Tax Reform Bills during its Wednesday plenary, clarifying that the bills remain active and are progressing as planned.

Akpabio said the Tax Reform bills have not been withdrawn by the Senate because it’s an executive bill.

He spoke against the backdrop of a point of order raised by the Senate leader, Michael Bamidele Opeyemi that the proceedings of the Chamber were misreported particularly on the controversial Tax Reform Bills.

Expressing his discontent over reports in the media, he said: “I watched Arise television news and what was reported was that this hallowed chamber had suspended further consideration of the tax reform bills before the Senate.

“The reporter even invited the governor of Nasarawa State and pointedly told the governor that now that the Senate had withdrawn, he used the word withdrawn.”

Opeyemi said the report suggested that Senators were confused and the only option was the suspension of the Bills. Quoting the conversation between the reporter and the Governor of Nasarawa State, he said: “Arise news described them as pony drums suggesting that they were confusing. They were problematic. What would you say Mr governor? Are you happy that these bills have been withdrawn, the governor said I am not just happy.”

Opeyemi said, Senators do not move from one television station to another trying to correct misinformation but could only deliberate on issues on the floor of the Senate, urging the Senate to be clear on the Tax Reform Bill now that the public has been misinformed.

“They understand the legislative process that we have to follow. They understand our role in the Constitution. Any attempt from any quarter, to intimidate the Parliament, will be undemocratic, and will not allow ourselves to be distracted.

“But we will encourage consensus. We will encourage discussions and engagement at all levels. But we will not, we cannot be bullied into adopting a certain procedure.

“As far as we are concerned, the tax reform bills are alive in this hallowed chamber, they are receiving consideration at various levels and we are open to discussions to negotiations to interface.

“Let it not be said anywhere that we suspended further consideration of these bills and also it will be laughable for anybody to also think or say or report that the bills were withdrawn.

“Like I said there are executive bills that can only be withdrawn by the executive and there’s no reason to do so because these bills we believe are in overriding public interest.

“We will do everything possible to ensure that across geopolitical interests I mean political parties, across religious interests, everybody that has concern, civil society everybody that has concern is given a chance to contribute to the passage of these laws.”

Reacting, the Senate President thanked the Committee Chairman, Senator Abba Moro for having commenced sitting as soon as the Committee was announced yesterday.

“And I want to almost thank the senior senator, Abba Moro, the chairman of the committee, because as soon as that announcement was made yesterday, immediately started consultation.

“In fact, he has a meeting today that he has set up to enable him to abstract the process so that the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance and members of the committee can commence public hearings either next week or as soon as practicable.

“Therefore, your point of order clearly demonstrates that this is a very important issue.

“And the item to be explained is that the bills are live, have not been suspended, the actions have not been suspended, the bills have not been withdrawn and the bills have passed second reading in the Senate and further legislative actions are taking place. All those points are hereby sustained.”

Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Umar Usman Kadafur, and over 100 passengers narrowly escaped a tragic incident when a Max Air aircraft experienced an engine fire shortly after takeoff from Maiduguri International Airport.

The incident occurred around 7 p.m. on Wednesday when the aircraft, en route to Abuja, suffered engine failure caused by a bird strike about 10 minutes into the flight. The pilot and crew managed to execute an emergency landing back at Maiduguri Airport, averting disaster.

A Max Air staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed the incident on Thursday morning.

The staff member explained: “Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft struck a bird mid-air, which caused one of the engines to catch fire. The pilot acted swiftly to ensure the safety of all passengers.”

Following the emergency landing, passengers were reportedly in a state of panic, with many opting to collect their luggage and return home rather than board another flight. However, Max Air management promptly arranged for another aircraft from Kano to transport resilient passengers, including the Deputy Governor, safely to Abuja.

The ill-fated aircraft remains grounded at Maiduguri International Airport, undergoing extensive repairs. Investigations into the incident are currently underway.

The airport authorities have reassured passengers of their commitment to safety and thanked the crew for their professionalism in managing the situation.

The Labour Party (LP), has described the defection of some of its lawmakers in the House of Representatives into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), as unfortunate.

The party spokesman announced that the LP has opened “A Hall of Shame” to accommodate the names of those who have so dishonoured not only the party but the teeming number of supporters who against all odds voted them into office.

According to him, the party will in the coming days approach the Speaker of the House of Representatives for him to declare the seats of the affected lawmakers vacant in line with relevant sections of the constitution.

While expressing the party’s displeasure over what he described as an unfortunate episode, Ifoh said, “The leadership of Labour Party has received with discontentment the news of defection, today of some lawmakers representing the party in the National Assembly to the ruling APC.

“The Reps members include Tochukwu Okere (Imo), Donatus Mathew (Kaduna), Bassey Akiba (Cross River), Iyawe Esosa (Edo) and Daulyop Fom (Plateau).

“Their letter of defection to the APC was read on the Green Chamber floor by the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas.

“The defection, to us, is quite unfortunate and we condemn the action which is irrational, untenable, inconsistent and alien to all known norms for which democracy stands for.

“Section 68(g) of the 1999 constitution is emphatic on when to defect and what happens when a lawmaker sponsored by a political party decides to jump ship.

“The Constitution states (g) being a person whose election to the House was sponsored by a political party, he becomes a member of another political party before the expiration of the period for which that House was elected; “Provided that his membership of the latter political party is not as a result of a division in the political party of which he was previously a member or of a merger of two or more political parties or factions by one of which he was previously sponsored;

“Since the formation of Labour Party in 2002, the party has been very active in the political scene having in the past produced a governor and several other elected officers across board.

“But it was in the 2023 general election that it achieved its highest feat under the leadership of Barrister Julius Abure having won a governorship seat, 8 Senate and 35 House of Representative seats as well as numerous state House of Assembly seats.

“The party also caused a major upset at the presidential election, one that many Nigerians still believed that Labour Party won.

“The successes achieved at that election expectedly elicited some pockets of internal pressure which have since being dealt with through internal peace mechanism and also through judicial means.

“Presently, while some other big parties are swimming in their own political tempest, Labour Party has since moved on having resolved all its challenges.

“It is therefore safe to say that there is absolute peace in the Labour Party.

“Therefore, no one elected on the ticket of the Labour Party has the constitutional protection to decamp from the party along with the party’s mandate.

“For emphasis, you will recall that the leadership of the party in 2022, in line with the party’s manifesto, threw the doors of the party open to all Nigerians who desire to be in the leadership cadre but could not because of the monetization policies of some of the octopus parties then in existence.”

The party’s Spokesman further said, “The Labour Party thought it wise to percolate power down to the grassroot to serve the intended population rather than allowing power to be exclusively for the urbane and rich few.

“ Labour Party did not only give out free membership cards but also gave out free nomination forms to as many that could not afford the ridiculously low fees.

“Thousands, including Okada riders, brick layers, young unemployed graduates, and artisans of all sorts including a palm kernel crusher in Enugu, took advantage of the party’s policy to participate in the 2023 general election, for which many of them won their elections.

“These deserters did not win because of their pedigree or financial muscles but simple because of the ticket they ran on and by the grace of millions of people that vowed to see the end to the ‘entitlement mentality’ of a few cabal.

“Nigerians invested their tears and blood; their all to see these changes, entrusted their future on these neophyte lawmakers hoping that they will represent them well, but sooner than they were initiated into the cabal club with N160 million limousine and other pecuniary allowances running into hundreds of millions, they easily derailed.

“It would be recalled that a Labour Party Women Leader in Kaduna State, Victoria Chintex was assassinated in 2022 while working for candidates of the party in the state including one Okada rider, Donatus Mathew, who eventually won as a member of the House of Reps for Kaura constituency.

“ In his case, he said he defected because he is the sole Labour Party member in the whole of Northwest region and not because the party is in any crisis.

“Hon Mathew practically spit on the grave of late Chantex and disrespected thousands of party members in Kaduna who toiled to elect him into position of power.

“This is why the party, arising from a recent unfortunate activity, did say that ‘the beautiful ones are not yet born’.

“In the case of Reps Okere, Akiba, Esosa and Fom, these men got into their positions on a platter as the party issued them solitary tickets, funded their campaigns, stretched backwards to defend them in the tribunal, gifting them waivers and spending fortunes administratively to ensure they were not removed.

“Interestingly, none of these ingrates remembered to send a kobo to the party in their 18 months of their legislative adventure as a way of check-off dues.

“No support to the party whatsoever since their inauguration. They simply forgot where they were coming from.

“Though, the Labour Party leadership is undaunted by the defection, it has however, elected not to allow it slide and has therefore instructed its legal team to commence the legal actions against the defectors and to also commence the process of regaining our mandates in line with the 1999 constitution and 2022 Electoral Act as amended.

“The party will also approach the Speaker of the House of Representatives to declare vacant the seats occupied by these former Labour Party members in line with the House Rules.

“It is inappropriate and unacceptable for the these lawmakers to continue to function as representatives of their constituencies illegally.

“The party has also decided to open a ‘Hall of Shame’ register for these lawmakers or any lawmaker or elected officer of the party who engages in fraudulent act of defection without first dropping the mandate gotten under the ticket of the party.

“The following lawmakers include 1. Senator Francis Ezenwa Onyewuchi (Imo East) 2. Reps Bassey Akiba (Calabar Municipality/ Odukpani Federal Constituency) 3. Reps Tochukwu Okere (Owerri Federal Constituency), 4. Reps. Donatus Mathew (Kaura Federal Constituency.), 5. Reps Iyawe Esosa (Oredo Federal Constituency) and Daulyop Fom (Plateau). These lawmakers will feature prominently in the register.

“On that note, we will call on Nigerians to beware of these genre of politicians lacking in clear democratic ideology and ethos rather than ‘Jumpology’ ideology; jumping from one party to the other, in disregard to the enabling laws and without any ideological leaning.

“If we really want this democracy to thrive, we must isolate these political merchants and opportunists and help bury their mercantilist political enterprise by snubbing, affronting and rejecting them in future polls having exhibited grave level of character deficit by betraying public trust. “