A bill seeking to create a new state in the south-east geopolitical zone has passed second reading at the house of representatives. The proposed legislation, which is co-sponsored by three lawmakers from the region — Amobi Ogah (Abia), Miriam Onuoha (Imo), Kama Nkemkama (Ebonyi), Chinwe Nnabuife (Anambra), and Anayo Onwuegbu (Enugu) — scaled a second reading during plenary on Thursday. The lawmakers are proposing to alter the 1999 Constitution to create a new state from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo. The new state will be known as Etiti, with Lokpanta as its capital.   The state will have 11 LGAs: Aninri, Awgu, Isuikwuato, Ivo, Oji-River, Ohaozara, Okigwe, Onuimo, Orumba north, Orumba south, and Umu-Nneochi. In his legislative brief, Ogah said the bill seeks to address a “longstanding” issue of regional parity and administrative efficiency within the south-east. “The establishment of Etiti state is not just a matter of administrative convenience but a step towards ensuring balanced regional development and effective governance,” Ogah said.   “It responds to the aspirations of the people of a very important region to this country and aligns with the principles of equity and inclusivity enshrined in our democratic ideals. “Suffice it to say that it is a long overdue step in the right direction to foster equitable representation, enhance governance efficiency, and promote socio-economic development within the region.” The bill was voted for when it was put to a voice vote by Tajudeen Abbas, speaker of the house. The bill was read for the first time on July 2.   On Thursday, the senate also introduced a bill seeking to create Tiga, a new state, from Kano. LEGISLATIVE HURDLES The national assembly is currently amending the 1999 Constitution. In January, Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, said work on the amendment of the constitution would be completed in December 2025.   Requirements for state creation and boundary adjustments are among the most challenging provisions in a constitutional amendment process. Section 8(1) of the constitution stipulates that a new state can only be created if it is supported by “at least two-thirds majority of members (representing the area demanding the creation of the new state) in each of the following, namely — “(i) the Senate and the House of Representatives. (ii) the House of Assembly in respect of the area”.   “(iii) And the local government councils in respect of the area is received by the National Assembly; (b) a proposal for the creation of the State is thereafter approved in a referendum by at least two-thirds majority of the people of the area where the demand for the creation of the state originated. “(c) The result of the referendum is then approved by a simple majority of all the states of the Federation, supported by a simple majority of members of the Houses of Assembly. “(d) The proposal is approved by a resolution passed by a two-thirds majority of members of each House of the National Assembly.” No state has been created since Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999.

  A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that a former Minister of Power, Saleh Mamman, be remanded in Kuje prison in Abuja pending the consideration of his bail application. Justice James Omotosho issued the order on Thursday after the court resumed Mamman’s arraignment on money laundering charge which was earlier stepped down by the judge. The former minister pleaded not guilty to the charge preferred against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. The EFCC had filed a 12-count money laundering charge against Mamman.   He was alleged to have committed money laundering offences to the tune of N33 billion. The former minister served under former President Muhammadu Buhari from 2019 to 2021. On May 10, 2021, he was arrested and detained at the headquarters of the anti-graft agency in Abuja. Buhari had September 1, 2021, sacked Mamman and the then Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Sabo Nanono, in what was called a cabinet restructuring. Mamman was accused of conspiring with staff of the ministry in charge of the accounts of the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects to divert about N22 billion. The investigations uncovered property in Nigeria and overseas allegedly linked to the suspects, while millions of naira and dollars had reportedly been recovered. Details later…

  Executive Chairman, of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede has said they’ll punish false claims and misleading intelligence given by whistleblowers saying every whistle blown must point towards truths and evidential proofs. This is as he said the war against corruption cannot be won through lip service, emotional outbursts, or mere mob campaigns. Represented by the Dr Benedict Ubi, the Acting Zonal Director EFCC Zonal Directorate Kaduna on the Occasion of 2024 African Anti-corruption Day on Thursday, the EFCC boss said the world over, the issue of corruption has been a bane to both local and global development. He said there can be no accurate statistical or quantitative evaluation of the havoc corruption is wreaking on genuine efforts at development because of its pervasive and recurring nature. “Aside terrorism, corruption ranks as the next deadliest affliction of humanity in every region of the world,” he added. “In view of the danger and threat to our existence which corruption represents, it is imperative that individuals, communities, corporate bodies and indeed the whole world join hands together to tackle it frontally. One way of doing this is through the whistle-blowing initiative.” “The Whistle-Blowing Policy in Nigeria, was launched on December 21, 2016 by the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Finance as an anti-corruption programme that encourages people to voluntarily disclose information about fraud, bribery, looted government funds, financial misconduct, abuse or embezzlement of government assets and any other form of corruption or theft.” “The theme of the 2024 African Anti-Corruption Day is “Effective Whistleblowing for Corruption-Free Nigeria”. Whistleblowers are anti-corruption promoters. Through their efforts, anti-corruption agencies are alerted about environmental compromises that should be investigated. The alert can come through verbal and non-verbal corridors. At the EFCC, the Eagle Eye app is an established corruption reporting device that is generating intelligence the Commission can leverage on.” “I urge whistleblowers to key into this device. Mails can be sent, telephone calls can be made, and personal visits can be made to any EFCC Command across the country to expose acts of shadiness around us. We also assure every whistle-blower of protection. EFCC will never betray you! “On this note, I want all of us to embrace this obligation more seriously. We cannot win the war against corruption through lip service, emotional outburst or mere mob campaigns. There is a need for commitment, passion, consistency and credibility of intelligence. Every whistle blown must point towards truth and evidential proofs. There is punishment for false claims and misleading intelligence.” Meanwhile, the African Network for Anti-Corruption (ANA) has posited that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) can not succeed in its operations without citizens’ support. This was even as it’s said fighting corruption is everybody’s business. It also said Nigerian leaders must take up the challenge to fight corruption at all levels if the country must make progress. The convener of the group, Muhammad Musbahu Basirka made this known while speaking in Kaduna on the fight against corruption.

  Saleh Mamman, former minister of power under ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, collapsed outside the federal high court in Abuja on Thursday. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has filed a 12-count charge bordering on money laundering to the tune of N33,804,830,503 against Mamman. Before proceedings on Thursday, Femi Ate, Mamman’s counsel, informed James Omotosho that his client had collapsed due to ill health. When hearing resumed, the ex-minister walked into the courtroom and stepped into the dock. His clothes were partly drenched. The judge then asked Mamman why he was sweating or if it was raining outside. The ex-minister said water had been poured on him. Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika, the EFCC counsel, had told the court that there was a development outside the courtroom.   Olumide-Fusika said he had discussed Mamman’s ill health with Ate outside the courtroom. “I was informed of an incident outside. I will want my learned senior advocate to tell the honourable court himself,” Olumide-Fusika said. Responding, Ate said “upon being brought into the premises of the court, Mamman collapsed and had to be resuscitated and treated by the medical personnel of the federal high court”. He said his client was served with the charge after he was resuscitated. “He was served this morning,” he added. Ate said he had appealed to Olumide-Fusika that the case be adjourned to Monday on account of his client’s ill health. However, the judge had said due to the backlog in the court dockets, the arraignment could only be fixed for September ending. Ate then withdrew the oral application for an adjournment. ‘I TOOK DRUGS WITHOUT EATING’ Olumide-Fusika said he had filed an amended charge in the morning following a mistake in the name of the defendant, and prayed that a fresh charge be read to Mamman so he could take his plea. Omotosho however demurred. The judge then asked Mamman if he was fit enough to take his plea today. The defendant responded in the affirmative. The former minister told the court that he collapsed outside the courtroom because he had taken drugs on an empty stomach. He said while he was outside the courtroom waiting to be called, his blood pressure dropped. Mamman said he was fit to continue with the arraignment. “It can happen to any one,” the judge said. The ex-minister told the court that he called the attention of his lawyer to “the error” made by the EFCC on the name in the charge served on him. “I was complaining about the name, that it was not my own,” he said. Omotosho then stepped down the arraignment until 1pm today. Mamman was appointed minister by former President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2019 and was sacked in September 2021. In May 2023, the former minister was arrested by the anti-graft agency over an alleged N22 billion fraud. The anti-graft agency alleges that Mamman conspired with officials at the power ministry and some private companies to “indirectly convert” the sum of N33.8 billion, which was meant for the Zungeru and Mambilla Hydro Electric Power projects.

  Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria, CBCN, has described the recent Samoa Agreement as “a threat to the sovereignty and values of Nigeria”. This was part of a 25-point communique, issued yesterday, after their meeting and signed by the President and Secretary, Most Rev. Lucius Iwejuru Ugorji and Most Rev. Donatus A. Ogun, respectively I’ll draw 1,000 faces of people making positive impact — Ebunoluwa, 9-Yr-Old wonderkid..0:00 / 0:00 The Bishops said: “The Agreement looks innocuous and attractive on the surface but underneath it is carefully blended with post-modern secularistic ideologies that significantly undermine the moral, cultural, and religious beliefs of Nigerian citizens. “We are concerned that our civil authorities may not be fully aware of the implications of the nuanced language in the document, which threatens our national sovereignty and values. “We, the Catholic Bishops of Nigeria, as watchmen and guides, deeply committed to the sound moral, religious, and cultural growth of our dear country, hereby clearly highlight what the Samoa Document portends for the future of Nigeria and Nigerians and call on our government to, as a matter of urgency, propose an amendment of the Agreement or withdraw from it.” Taking a hard look at the legal effect of the document, CBCN said: “In international law, when the state signs a Treaty, it indicates its intention to be bound by it in the future, and it demonstrates its support for the principles and goals of the Treaty and its willingness to consider ratifying it in the future. “Given the secrecy surrounding Nigeria’s signing of the Samoa Agreement, it is unclear whether the signature was tendered subject to Ratification, Acceptance, or Approval. “The Samoa Agreement essentially gives international law status to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity, Comprehensive Sexuality Education, and Abortion through its prolific reference to Gender approaches and the phrase Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. “The Treaty does not have a glossary of terms or a definitions section to ensure that all parties have the same understanding of terms, which may pose a problem in its implementation and evaluation phases. “Ordinarily, signing a Treaty creates an obligation to refrain, in good faith, from acts that would undermine its object and purpose (Arts 10 &18, Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties 1969). Signing a Treaty serves as an intention to be bound by it when it is enforced. “Under article 98.3 of the Samoa Agreement, Nigeria, by signing it, bound itself to recognize the validity of any measure taken to implement the Agreement after the date of its entry into force. “Its signing makes Nigeria surrender its position as a persistent objector to the impugned language during negotiations in several international fora. Most of Africa has always counted on the leadership of Nigeria to contest anti-life, anti-family, anti-culture and anti-African values at the United Nations. “The decision not to sign the Samoa Agreement in November 2023, was consistent with Nigeria’s persistent objection to those issues. Its signing has weakened the persistency and consistency of the objection that Nigeria has always had. “The Samoa Agreement has 61 references to gender equality, gender perspectives and gender mainstreaming. The most outstanding is Article 2.5: The parties shall systematically promote a gender perspective and ensure that gender equality is mainstreamed across all policies. “The term gender is no longer an innocent term. There are over 110 genders that would claim a stake in the term gender equality.” Addressing the Joint Positions and Actions with the European Union, in international fora, CBCN said: “Several provisions in the Samoa Agreement commit Nigeria to take joint positions with the European Union in international affairs. “The challenge is that Nigeria has led several African nations in protecting African Values, culture, interests and sovereignty. Provisions that mandate joint positions will make it difficult for Nigerian diplomats and negotiators to distinguish themselves in thought and representation.” On the way forward, the Catholic Bishops said: “Given that Nigeria has signed the Samoa Document, we call on the government to propose an insertion of a substantive article in the general Agreement and the African Regional Protocol that nothing in this binding Agreement can be interpreted to include any obligations regarding sexual orientation, gender identity, comprehensive sexuality education, abortion, contraception, legalisation of prostitution, same-sex marriage, or sexual rights for children. “If Nigeria takes the lead in calling for Amendments to the Samoa Agreement and its protocols, other states in the African Caribbean and Pacific regions may more likely follow suit. If accepted, this Amendment will go a long way in preventing SRHR from becoming international through an economic partnership agreement. “Nigeria should withdraw from the Samoa agreement if the EU rejects the proposed Amendment. A precedent has already been set by South Africa, which withdrew from the Cotonou Agreement in 2023.”