Governors of the southern region of the country converged in Lagos state for a meeting to discuss pertinent national matters on Monday. After the sit-down, the governors demanded that the south should produce the next president of the country, and that the anti-open grazing law will be promulgated in the region on September 1. The governors said security agencies must carry them along if they plan to embark on any operation in their states. They also frowned upon what they described as “selective criminal administration of justice”. The Southern Governors Forum (SGF) also talked about the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and reiterated their demand for state police. Below is the full text of the communique issued at the end of the meeting: The Southern Governors Forum at the end of the meeting held on Monday, 5th July, 2021 reviewed the situation in the Country and focused on the current security situation, constitutional amendment, Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). Rising from the meeting, the Forum agreed on the following: Re-affirmed their commitment to the unity of Nigeria on the pillars of equity, fairness, justice, progress and peaceful co-existence between and amongst its people. The Forum reiterates its commitment to the politics of equity, fairness and unanimously agrees that the presidency of Nigeria be rotated between Southern and Northern Nigeria and resolved that the next president of Nigeria should emerge from the Southern Region. Security a. The Forum reviewed the security situation in the country and commends security operatives for their relentless efforts in restoring security and safety and commiserates with families and loved ones of those who have fallen in the line of duty; b. Re-emphasised the need for State Police; c. Resolved that if for any reason security institutions need to undertake an operation in any State, the Chief Security Officer of the State must be duly informed; d. the forum frowns at selective criminal administration of Justice and resolved that arrests should be made within the ambit of the Law and fundamental human rights; e. Set a timeline of Wednesday, 1st September, 2021 for the promulgation of the anti open grazing law in all member States; and f. Resolved that Funds deducted from the Federation Account for the Nigeria Police Security Trust Fund should be distributed among the States and Federal Government to combat security challenges. Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) Law: i. The Forum commends the National Assembly for the progress made in the passage of the PIB; ii. the Forum rejects the proposed 3% and support the 5% share of the oil revenue to the host community as recommended by the House of Representatives; iii. the forum also rejects the proposed 30% share of profit for the exploration of oil and gas in the basins; iv. However, the forum rejects the ownership structure of the proposed Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC). The Forum disagrees that the company be vested in the Federal Ministry of Finance but should be held in trust by Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) since all tiers of Government have stakes in that vehicle. In order to consolidate our democracy and strengthen the Electoral process, the Southern Governors’ Forum reject the removal of the Electronic transmission of the election result from the electoral act; and also rejects the confirmation of exclusive jurisdiction in pre-election matters on the Federal High Court. The Forum unanimously chose Lagos State as its permanent secretariat and appreciated the Governor of Lagos State for the wonderful hosting of this meeting while commending him for his good work in the State. Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu SAN Governor, Ondo State and Chairman, Southern Governors’ Forum.

A 30-year-old man, Shamsudeen Ibrahim, on Monday sued a woman, Hannatu Aliyu, before a Shari’a court sitting in Rigasa, Kaduna for allegedly calling him gay. The complainant who was represented by his lawyer, Alhassan Aliyu, alleged that Aliyu, who is a thrift collector, met his client on the road and asked him about one Murjanatu’s N1,000 daily contribution. “My client categorically told her he was not Murjanatu’s messenger. The defendant rained insults on my client. She called him a pimp who acts like a gay. ”That is why we are here to complain against defamation of character praying court to look into the matter and grant us justice,” he said. In her defence, Aliyu, denied the allegation saying they were untrue. The judge, Malam Salisu Abubakar-Tureta, granted Aliyu bail on the condition that she provides a reliable surety with a N20,000 bail bond. Abubakar-Tureta adjourned the matter until 2, August for the complainant to present his witnesses.

Wole Soyinka, Nobel laureate, says Nnamdi Kanu was kidnapped by the federal government. Kanu was on Sunday extradited to Nigeria to face trial after he jumped bail and fled the country in 2017. Speaking with BBC Pidgin on Monday, the literary icon said there would be an uproar in the country if the truth of how Kanu was arrested becomes known. “It’s not for me to tell the president to prepare itself because it’s going to be a huge squawk when the truth about how Kanu was arrested comes out. People are alleging this or that. That is one phase whether Nigeria has acted outside international law,” Soyinka said. “The second issue, however, has to do with Kanu’s conduct outside the nation. There’s been a level of hate rhetoric which has been unfortunate, from Kanu. Hate rhetoric is an issue that can only be judged by the laws of any nation. “Was it right ‘to have been kidnapped?’ You can say intercepted as much as you want but I think Kanu was kidnapped. That is wrong internationally and morally. Commenting on the reactions that have trailed the swiftness with which the federal government arrested Kanu, the Nobel laureate said the federal government has not shown the same eagerness in going after bandits and insurgents. “The government can not wash itself clean on what seems to be a kind of comparative energy in pursuing the destabilised forces in the nation,” he said. “If we take ourselves back, once when I threw a challenge to Buhari, what I expect from a true leader is to issue an order, give a deadline that any illegal occupant of any villages, farms is given 48hours to quit after which the mighty forces of the nation will be unleashed on them. It was ignored. “Years later, he came to say ‘we will respond to these people in the language they understand’. This is what I expected him to have said years ago, at the beginning of the insurgency. “Their leadership–the Miyetti Allah — should have been arrested years ago, long before IPOB was declared a terrorist organisation.” He said rather, the Miyetti Allah group has continued to act unchecked while the federal government has refused to “mount the same energy against them”. “So people are right to say there has been an unequal and irregular approach to security and enforcement in this nation,” he added. He advised the federal government to stop the blame game and take action.