Headlines
Ondo court nullifies ex-deputy speaker’s impeachment
THE High Court, sitting in Akure, Ondo State, yesterday, nullified the impeachment of the former deputy speaker of the House of Assembly, Mr. Iroju Ogundeji.
The court, presided over by Justice Adetan Osadebey, described as illegal, null and void the purported removal of Ogundeji as the deputy speaker, on November 24, 2020, by some members of the Assembly, and ordered his immediate reinstatement.
Mr. Samuel Aderoboye, who is the current Deputy Speaker, has been asked to stop parading himself as the Deputy Speaker.
Ogundeji was impeached last year by the members of the assembly who accused him of gross misconduct.
They held that his conduct had brought disrepute to the Assembly. Ogundeji had disagreed with the Speaker of the Assembly, Mr David Oleyeloogun over the plan to impeach the former deputy governor of the state, Agboola Ajayi.
Ogundeji was immediately replaced after his impeachment, by Samuel Aderoboye from Odigbo as the deputy speaker.
Dissatisfied with the resolution of the house, Ogundeji, who represents Odigbo Constituency 2, through his lawyer, Mr Wale Omotoso, SAN, approached the court, describing the decision of the Assembly as nullity since the purported impeachment did not follow the constitutional requirements.
Delivering judgement, Justice Osadebey said the lawmaker was not given a fair hearing as the purported impeachment had been carried out before a panel to investigate him was set up by the Assembly.
This, according to her, was like putting the cart before the horse, adding that the claimant was not served by the impeachment proceedings, which made it a nullity.
Also, the judge said there was no parliamentary resolution before the purported impeachment was carried out and that not all members were present during the impeachment as required by the rules of the Assembly and the 1999 constitution.
Subsequently, the court ordered that Ogundeji should be reinstated and all his entitlements paid up-to-date while his paranephelia of office should be restored immediately just as the appointment of Aderoboye was described as a nullity.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF), says a comprehensive investigation is in progress to ascertain the veracity of reports of loss of civilian lives in the course of recent airstrikes in Zamfara.
The Director, Public Relations and Information of NAF, AVM Olusola Akinboyewa, made this known in a statement on Monday in Abuja.
Akinboyewa said that the NAF dealt a decisive blow to bandits terrorising villages in the area in recent airstrikes at Tungar Kara in Zurmi Local Government Area of the state.
“The operation successfully eliminated several bandits and led to the recovery of some kidnap victims, the NAF viewed with grave concern reports of the loss of civilian lives in the course of the operation.
“As a responsible and professional custodian of airpower for the security of the nation, the NAF believes in the absolute value of the life of every Nigerian.
“Accordingly, a comprehensive investigation is in progress, to ascertain the veracity of the reports, the outcome of which will be duly communicated to inform and re-assure the public.
“Please rest assured that, while our mission in the North West remains to combat banditry and restore peace, the safety and well-being of all Nigerians are of utmost importance.
“We will therefore work closely with all relevant authorities to unravel the facts and take appropriate steps, as part of our unwavering commitment to prevent, minimise and mitigate any harm to civilians and civilian infrastructure in the course of our operations,” he said.
The Federal Government has approved four airlines as official air carriers to transport intending pilgrims for the 2025 hajj pilgrimage in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
The Executive Chairman, National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), Prof. Abdullahi Usman, made this known in a statement by the commission’s Assistant Director, Information and Publication, Mrs Fatima Usara, on Sunday in Abuja.
Usman explained that the four airlines were selected out of the 11 companies that submitted applications to transport Nigerian pilgrims to Saudi Arabia for Muslims pilgrimage.
According to Usman, the four approved airlines are Air Peace Ltd., Fly-Nas, a Saudi Arabia designated airline, Max Air, and UMZA Aviation Services Ltd.
The NAHCON boss stated that the airlines were screened and shortlisted by a team of 32 members that were inaugurated by the NAHCON on Nov. 26, 2024.
He said that the composition of the Aviation Screening Committee included representatives from State Pilgrims’ Welfare Boards, three members from Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and one member each from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
He also said that some members of the committee were drawn from the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA), Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), and Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB).
Similarly, Prof. Usman said that one member each was drawn from Nigerian Customs’ Service (NCS) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC).
Others, he listed, were NAHCON Board members representing each geo-political zone of the country, NAHCON Heads of Aviation, Procurement, Legal, Internal Audit, and Special Duties as well as Board Member representing the Aviation industry.
The NAHCON boss also disclosed that three excess cargo carriers were selected for the hajj operations.
He named them to include; Aglow Aviation Support Services Ltd, Cargozeal Technology Ltd and Qualla Investment Ltd.,
The Chairman, who congratulated the successful companies, urged them to fulfil their responsibilities as promised during the screening.
Meanwhile, Prof. Usman signed the 2025 Hajj Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Saudi Ministry of Hajj and Umrah on behalf of the Nigerian Government.
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was represented by the Deputy Minister of Hajj and Umrah, Dr Abdulfatah Masahat, at the signing ceremony.
The event was held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to formalise this year’s Hajj engagements.
Some health stakeholders have said that Nigeria’s Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs), which serve as the backbone of the country’s healthcare system, are in dire need of revitalisation.
The stakeholder said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Abuja, (more…)
NAF investigates reports of vigilante losses in Zamfara airstrikes–official
FG approves 4 airlines for 2025 hajj operation – NAHCON Chair
Nigeria’s primary healthcare centres in need of urgent revitalisation – Stakeholders
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