News
Court to hear suit on Benue LG polls June 27
A High Court in Benue State has scheduled June 27 for a hearing concerning the upcoming local government (LG) elections. The suit aims to compel the Benue State Independent Electoral Commission (BSIEC) to hold the elections before the current chairpersons’ terms expire.
The BSIEC has set July 6 as the election date, a week after the current chairpersons’ terms end on June 29. Presently, the chairpersons of the 23 local governments are suspended.
The Benue House of Assembly approved the suspension of the LG chairs in June 2023 following allegations of financial misappropriation by the state’s governor, Hyacinth Alia.
During Thursday’s court proceedings, Judge J. M. Shishi denied a request for an accelerated hearing from businessman Sesugh Akume and instead fixed June 27 for the substantive suit. Akume seeks a court order to compel BSIEC to conduct the elections promptly to avoid a governance vacuum at the local level.
Additionally, no date has been set for another suit filed by Akume challenging the suspension of the LG chairpersons. Akume mentioned that court officials informed him that the courtroom is being used by a commission of inquiry, causing all cases before that court to be placed on hold indefinitely.
“The officials said the court could not sit on the last adjourned date, May 8, due to ongoing renovations,” Akume stated.
In his suit, Akume calls for the court to disband what he describes as illegal and unconstitutional caretaker committees and to remove from the Local Government Law any provisions allowing for the suspension of elected local government councils or the appointment of unelected councils. He argues that such provisions are outdated and have been invalidated by the Supreme Court, asserting that the dismissal of elected local government councils constitutes a coup d’etat.
Dangote Refinery has announced that it will need to export 95-97 percent of its Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) due to low interest from Nigerian marketers. The refinery, which processes 650,000 barrels per day, revealed that only 3 to 5 percent of petrol marketers are purchasing its fuel.
Devakumar Edwin, Vice President of Oil and Gas at Dangote Industries Limited, shared these details during an X Space session hosted by Nairametrics on Wednesday. He highlighted the challenges facing both the Dangote Refinery and Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.
Edwin explained, “I’m selling 2 to 3 percent to small traders who are willing to buy, while the remaining 95 to 97 percent has to be exported,” referring to the local sales of the refinery’s products.
This situation arises as the NNPCL’s deadline for adjusting the Dangote Refinery’s fuel distribution approaches without a clear plan in sight. It is worth noting that while Aliko Dangote, President of Dangote Group, has announced the refinery’s initial petrol rollout, its distribution to marketers is contingent upon NNPCL’s decisions.
The final sixteen teams for the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia have been determined following the conclusion of the group stage.
In recent matches, Ghana triumphed over New Zealand with a score of 3-1, and Japan secured a 2-0 victory against Austria.
As a result, Japan has advanced to the Round of 16, joining the other 15 teams in this knockout stage.
The Round of 16 matches are scheduled for Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday.
The full lineup for the Round of 16 is as follows:
- Spain vs Canada
- Brazil vs Cameroon
- Colombia vs South Korea
- Mexico vs USA
- North Korea vs Austria
- Germany vs Argentina
- Netherlands vs France
- Japan vs Nigeria
The Nigerian Army has refuted claims of widespread resignations among its soldiers due to issues like corruption and low morale.
In a statement, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, dismissed these reports as unfounded.
A news outlet had alleged that numerous Nigerian soldiers were resigning because of corruption and low morale. However, the statement condemned these allegations as misleading and a deliberate attempt to create discontent and undermine the Nigerian Army’s reputation and the dedication of its personnel.
Major General Nwachukwu clarified that, similar to other military organizations worldwide, service in the Nigerian Army is voluntary rather than mandatory. This means that personnel have the freedom to resign following established procedures.
He explained that the resignation process allows personnel to prepare and manage their entitlements, including pensions and gratuities, as outlined in the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service (Officers/Soldiers).
Contrary to the report’s implications, the statement emphasized that Nigerian Army personnel are highly motivated, and their welfare is a priority under the leadership of Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja.
We’ll be forced to export 97% of our petrol – Dangote Refinery warns
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