Month: April 2024

The National Council on Climate Change (NCCC) says it is collaborating with the Canadian Government on gender-responsive climate change action in Nigeria.

Dr Salisu Dahiru, the Director- General of NCCC, communicated this on Friday in Abuja at a one-day workshop to brainstorm on a draft report on gender-responsive climate action in Nigeria.

Dahiru acknowledged the critical role of gender equality in climate action and stressed the need for massive sensitisation, mobilisation, education, capacity building, and enhancement to achieve effective climate action.

He expressed gratitude to the Canadian High Commission and other key technical stakeholders.

He called for a deeper partnership on mobilising additional development projects, as well as support for new initiatives focused on climate change mitigation and adaptation.

The director-general urged the Canadian government to further invest in Nigeria as President Bola Tinubu was ready to remove any potential roadblocks hindering Canadian private sector inv
estment in Nigerian climate change solutions.

He assured that the workshop would fulfill the United Nations Climate Change requirements for gender inclusiveness.

Earlier in her remarks, Likezo Karn, First Secretary and Senior Development Officer, Development Cooperation Section of the Government of Canada, highlighted the importance of gender equality in Canada’s international assistance approach.

‘Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy is based on the strong belief that successful development programmes require the equal participation and consideration of all genders.

‘This includes men, women, boys, and girls.

‘Gender equality is not just about fairness, but also about effectiveness; every development issue from climate change impacts men and women differently,’ Karn explained.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports (NAN) reports that the workshop was held with the support of Global Affairs, Canada, to evaluate the impact of policies, programmes and projects on gender in Nigeria and identify ar
eas of improvement.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society (AIS), an Islamic NGO has called for unity and religious harmony as a catalyst for engendering peace and development of the nation.

The organisation made call on Thursday in Abuja at special interfaith Iftar programme (TIIP) which had christian clerics breaking fast with their Muslim counterparts to promote peace and unity.

Sheikh Fuad Adeyemi, national Chief Imam, Al-Habibiyyah Islamic Society told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the programme was organised to promote peace, unity and religious tolerance among all Nigerians.

‘The essence of this programme is to maintain peace and tranquility and also security purposes.

‘When you say peace, it has to be holistic, if one person is not in peace then everybody is not in peace, that is why we are doing this with our Christian brothers to demonstrate that we are one,’ he said.

Earlier, Rev. Fr. Candice Enyiaka, International Programme Development Specialist, Global Peace Foundation say the initiative was capable of add
ressing religious intolerance in Nigeria.

He commended the Society for the initiative while calling on other faith organisations to emulate such to promote peace and unity in the country.

‘This is a commendable gesture by Al-Habibiyyah by bringing faith leaders from different traditions together to witness and be part of the Iftar and distribution of food to thousands of people from the streets not minding and asking questions.

‘I urge other faith based organisations to also emulate this to promote peace, unity and harmony in our country, ‘ he said.

NAN reports that the Christian clerics participated in the Iftar( breaking of fast) and distribution of food to thousands indigents Muslims and non-Muslims.

The programme was attended by Islamic and Christian clerics, representatives from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), faith based organisations and traditional rulers.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

Some lawyers have expressed optimism that the virtual hearing method introduced by the Lagos State judiciary will speed up dispensation of justice in the state.

They disclosed this in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.

They spoke against the backdrop of the N30,000 virtual hearing fee per session announced on March 28 by the Chief Judge of Lagos State, Justice Kazeem Alogba.

Mr Malachy Ugwummadu, a former National President of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights, described it as gratifying to find a way around adopting technology to deal with some clauses affecting the dispensation of justice in the state.

Ugwummadu said Alogba had the constitutional power to make rules for regulating the practice and procedure of the High Court of Lagos in accordance with Section 274 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended).

‘The legality, constitutionality and validity of the Chief Judge to make regulations were derived from the const
itutional provisions which allowed him to announce the virtual fee.

He said there was very little space for escape in relation to adopting technology and modern communication infrastructure as it further advanced the hierarchy of technological revolution, attending the process and procedure in court.

Ugwummadu, however, described the introduction of the fee as a two-way thing, saying that virtual hearing was more recognised in Lagos State.

According to him, there are no escape routes from adopting technology in judicial practice, as it helps in the enhancement of access to justice.

‘For me, it is a two-way traffic, on one hand, it is gratifying that we have found a way around adopting technology to deal with some of the clause that we have had in past procedures.

‘For instance, in those cases in which I had to bring these applications, I have some witnesses who have relocated to London but must they come back to Nigeria just because I intend to lead them in evidence for a maximum of 40 minutes?

‘The ans
wer is no, so we got the application. It was granted and the challenge was handled.

Secondly, where it becomes impracticable to have these witnesses to testify physically, the beauty of what is now available is that you can have the person virtually attended to from the comfort of wherever he is and it is about balancing at the end of the day,’ he said.

Ugwummadu, however, urged the chief judge to take into cognizance human rights lawyers who took up pro bono cases.

‘My argument is on both sides. On the first side, we are great, boasting to enjoy the beauty of technology and on the other hand is how does it poses a limitation to access to justice.

‘I think that my lord, the Chief Judge, is able to factor into decision cases that we human rights activists handle pro bono.

‘We pay for filing, service fee and the likes for pro bono cases and in addition to the virtual fee, I think it is a huge sum but if we take all of these into consideration, we will be able to strike the right balance,’ he said.

A Lagos
-based lawyer, Mr Ige Asemudara, also applauded the state judiciary for coming to terms with the need for virtual hearing of cases for the sake of speed and to proper management of manpower.

Asemudara, the founder of Mission Against Injustice in Nigeria, added that virtual proceedings would save cost for litigants.

According to him, virtual proceedings were basically introduced for speed and time management.

‘Virtual proceeding was introduced because we needed to manage speed, time and reduce cost.

‘It is a good thing that the Lagos State Judiciary has taken a step further.

‘However, I am of the view that N30,000 is on a high side, though we are not forced to apply for it.

‘The honourable chief judge should please look into it as there is a need to allow access to justice for both the rich, middle class and the poor.

‘We should not look at it from the angle of counsel but from the angle of litigants who may not have the financial capacity to transport themselves to court to and fro,’ he said.

Another
Lagos lawyer, Mr Abdul Wahab, said that an equitable amount of money should be fixed for virtual hearing.

Wahab said that virtual hearing had made it easy for elderly people who could not afford the time and energy to give their evidence in the comfort of their homes.

He, however, said that the price should be reduced to boost accessibility.

NAN also reports an Information Technology (IT) firm, Global T and T New Solutions Ltd., which partnered the Lagos State judiciary on virtual court proceedings, said that the new development was geared towards leveraging on virtual /remote trial to enhance access to justice.

The remote court payments go to the judiciary purse but managed by Global T and T New Solutions.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), has said that no fewer than 50,000 Nigerian intending pilgrims will perform the 2024 hajj in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Executive Chairman of NAHCON, Malam Jalal Arabi, disclosed this at a news conference held at Hajj House on Friday in Abuja.

Arabi said the commission was on course in conducting a successful Hajj operation, no matter the challenges.

He reiterated that Nigerian Muslims would perform the 2024 Hajj in a number that nobody had ever imagined.

‘ This year’s Hajj preparations is one of the most difficult and peculiar one.

‘ You know in the past, we had the luxury of time to prepare at our own pace; But, this time around, the host which is the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia came up with the timeline that we have to work within,’ he said.

Arabi said that the Federal Government had intervened in so many ways, especially with policies to support the commission to ensure that things did not go wrong.

‘I made bold to say that there were series of i
nterventions that government made in terms of policies to ensure that there is no unnecessary tension in the nation.

‘ Government has a responsibility to keep the nation one, devoid of chaos and rancour,’ he said.

Arabi noted that, going forward, Hajj Savings Scheme would be the surest method to adopt.

He assured that the commission would embark on adequate sensitisation and enlightenment to make sure that intending pilgrims key into it.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah had allocated 95,000 Hajj slots to Nigeria for the 2024 pilgrimage.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), plans to acquire tractors and other modern farming equipment to enhance its agriculture initiatives in the Niger Delta, an official has said.

Mr Victor Antai, the commission’s Executive Director, Projects, revealed this while inspecting farming equipment produced by Bobtrack Limited, in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

He emphasised that investing in agriculture would help the Niger Delta maximise its agricultural potential with traditional farming methods upgraded to mechanised methods.

‘NDDC is looking at procuring various farming equipment to incorporate them into the Holistic Opportunities, Projects and Engagement (HOPE) programme, which focuses on agriculture as a key component.

‘The Project HOPE initiative seeks to create employment opportunities and we have already collated data on youths, many of whom are interested in agriculture.

‘NDDC is committed to ensuring food security in the Niger Delta; we want to engage youths in agriculture to achieve our food
security objective,’ he explained.

Antai expressed satisfaction with the quality of the tractors and other farming tools, noting that the tools would boost the current efforts to shore up mechanised farming in the region.

The Managing Director of Bobtrack Limited, Ibifiri Bob-Manuel, in a remark, stated that the country could achieve sufficiency in food supplies through investments in mechanised farming, moving away from traditional practices.

He added that the company’s tractors were specifically tailored for farming in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria

The Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) has fined the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) ?200 million for failure to comply with the prescribed customer band classifications for the tariff billing.

This is contained in a statement issued by the NERC management in Abuja on Friday.

The commission said AEDC was fined for non-compliance with the Supplementary Order to the April 2024 Multi-Year Tariff Order 2024 for the company.

The NERC said that AEDC will pay the ?200 million as a fine for the flagrant breach of the commission’s order.

According to the NERC, the decision follows a detailed review and customer feedback, which revealed that AEDC had applied the new tariff to all customer bands, contrary to the order, which was designed to ensure fair billing practices.

‘AEDC is therefore mandated to reimburse all customers in Bands B, C, D and E respectively that were billed above the allowed customer categories/tariff bands provided in the order.

‘Reimburse through the provision of
the balance of customer tokens that the affected customers would be entitled to receive at the applicable rates.

‘And all token reimbursements shall be issued to the affected customers by April 11, 2024,’ it said.

The commission also directed the AEDC to file evidence of compliance with the directives in a and c with the Commission by April 12.

The management said the action by the commission underscores its commitment to protecting consumer rights and ensuring equitable practices within Nigeria’s electricity sector.

Source: News Agency of Nigeria