Kano state government says there is no going back on its intention to access loan for the construction of Light Rail Transit Project in Metropolitan Kano, a project conceived after due consultations with major stakeholders in the state.
Kano state government also inisists that the light rail project, apart from other benefits, is designed to expand commercial activities, and ease transportation of agricultural goods and services across the state for the benefit of the good people of our dear state.
A press release issued by the Commissioner for Information, Malam Muhammad Garba, in a swift reaction to a statement by the Kwankwasiyya Movement on the project, indicates that no amount of criticism will deter the government from carrying out laudable projects that aim at transforming Kano to a Mega City.
Earlier, Aminu Abdulssalam, running-mate of the defeated Peoples Democratic Party gubernatorial candidate in the 2019 elections, who has now taken another job as the spokesman of the Kwankwassiyya Movement, addressed a Press Conference in Abuja, where he made an attempt to discredit the dynamic initiative of Kano state government, which initially covers a total of 75.02 km, but has now been reduced, in view of its capital intensive nature (considering the economic realities occassioned by the COVID-19 pandemic), and the need to ensure a well-planned execution.
Malam Garba points out that since the foreign loan has already been approved by the China Export-Import Bank, government would go ahead with the projects and the state lawmakers have recommended the contractor Messrs CR18G-CRCEGJV to commence with lot I which starts from Dawanau Graiins Market-Bata, being Phase I of the project and to be completed within 20 months.
Malam Garba states that all the due processes are being followed which include getting approval from the state House of Assembly and clearance from the relevant federal agencies and the National Assembly.
The commissioner further explains that the Kwankwasiyya position on the project is not in any way surprising considering that the movement never appreciate any thing no matter how well thought out by the APC administration in Kano.
He says the Kwankwassiyya Movement, which has been overawed by the uncommon achievements of Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje administration in all facets of development, and particularly, the initiation and execution of mega projects, is now afraid of its shadows. They have embarked on a smear campaign in a desperate move to bring the state government into disrepute.
The Commissioner, however, says that no amount of blackmail will stand as stumbling block for the APC government to initiate people oriented policies and programmes in the overall interest of the state.
MALAM MUHAMMAD GARBA Hon. Commissioner, Information, Kano State
Where do I begin from to show my deepest appreciation to everyone and I mean everyone who showed up to celebrate the faithfulness of God upon my life.
You never know how much you have gained until you give others a reason to express it.
I am in awe of the love, care and honesty expressed by you in every call, every post, every comment and every share. Even those who usually shy away from social media, where out to celebrate with me
Words are never enough to show the depth of gratitude but I am truly overwhelmed
The children of the TRANSFORMATIONAL Parenteen Academy, my Parenteen support group, classmates, school mates, friends, colleagues, media associates, women groups Teens Ministers, Deacon Assembly, LCF worldwide, my Pastors, JmtFamily , my family, children, brothers and sisters Greatest Josites, great mothers, wordpainters, the list plenty o
.
Thank you all. I celebrate you all. I tried responding one by one but kai, I am overwhelmed. God bless you bountifully in Jesus name.
Mother In Israel Faith Ifeanyichukwu Aina, Chairperson ESOCS Women Association Abuja Province.
BY OGONNAYA UMEHAM,ABUJA
Literally, women empowerment is the process of empowering women to be independent in all aspect of their lives. It means feeling to make your decision create a sense of empowerment.
It creates power in individuals over their own lives, society and in their communities. People are empowered when they are able to access the opportunities available to them without limitations and restrictions such as education, profession and life style.
It includes the action of raising the status of women through education, raising awareness, literacy and training. It is all about equipping and allowing women to make life determining decisions through the different problems in the society.
Empowering women over the years has been the major task of the present Chairperson of ESOCS Women Association, Abuja Province, Senior Mother-In-Israel Faith Ifeanyichukwu Aina.
Her contributions towards empowering women in the province has been very impressive and encouraging.
After her election as the Chairperson of the Association in 2018 part of the promises she made in her acceptance speech is to empower women in the four Districts that make up the province.
In 2019 during the Women Association Annual Anniversary Thanksgiving Service she empowered a Dorcas with Sewing Machine that is worshipping at the Provincial Headquarters in Kubwa, Abuja.
Also plans are on to empower another Sister from Nyanya District in this 2020 Women Association Anniversary Thanksgiving.
May God continue to bless, protect and preserve our beloved Senior Mother in Jesus name amen.
In an interview with WEEKENDERS MAGAZINE Senior Correspondent, Ogonnaya Umeham recently in Abuja, she reiterated her commitment towards empowering the women of the Province saying that empowering women especially ESOCS women has been her major priority since she emerged as the Chairperson of the Association and the process she noted is still ongoing.
So far, she said she has empowered not less than 100 women through skill acquisition programme in the Women Wing of the Organization of African Instituted Churches(OAIC), FCT Chapter, ESOCS Women Association, NHAC, Abuja and ESOCS Women Association, Abuja Province in bead making, makeup, soap making, tailoring and catering.
“I care for my women and will continue to empower them as it pleases the Lord” she explained further.
Asked what advise she has for those empowered? She called on them to be faithful, hardworking, honest, religious, and make judicious use of what has been given to them in order for them to help others in future.
She also commended the efforts of the Chairman of ESOCS Abuja Province, Senior Apostle Bereni Iyaye, the Secretary of the Province, Supervising Apostle Dickson Chigbata , Mother-In-Israel Demuren, the Chairperson of ESOCS Women Association Worldwide, Senior Mother-In-Israel, Elizabeth Iwerima, Secretary of ESOCS Women Association Worldwide, Mother-In-Israel, Bunmi Akinde, the members of Eternal Sisters Association (ESA), Abuja Chapter, and and other good spirited individuals for their support and financial contribution towards assisting a member of the Association who is going for surgery.
She prayed the good Lord would continue to replenish their pockets and protect them from evil plaques and grant them long life in the land of the living.
.
“EMPOWERING ESOCS WOMEN HAS BEEN MY MAJOR PRIORITY”
SENIOR MOTHER-IN-ISRAEL FAITH IFEANYICHUKWU AINA
BY OGONNAYA UMEHAM,ABUJA
Literally, women empowerment is the process of empowering women to be independent in all aspect of their lives. It means feeling to make your decision create a sense of empowerment.
It creates power in individuals over their own lives, society and in their communities. People are empowered when they are able to access the opportunities available to them without limitations and restrictions such as education, profession and life style.
It includes the action of raising the status of women through education, raising awareness, literacy and training. It is all about equipping and allowing women to make life determining decisions through the different problems in the society.
Empowering women over the years has been the major task of the present Chairperson of ESOCS Women Association, Abuja Province, Senior Mother-In-Israel Faith Ifeanyichukwu Aina.
Her contributions towards empowering women in the province has been very impressive and encouraging.
After her election as the Chairperson of the Association in 2018 part of the promises she made in her acceptance speech is to empower women in the four Districts that make up the province.
In 2019 during the Women Association Annual Anniversary Thanksgiving Service she empowered a Dorcas with Sewing Machine that is worshipping at the Provincial Headquarters in Kubwa, Abuja.
Also plans are on to empower another Sister from Nyanya District in this 2020 Women Association Anniversary Thanksgiving.
May God continue to bless, protect and preserve our beloved Senior Mother in Jesus name amen.
In an interview with WEEKENDERS MAGAZINE Senior Correspondent, Ogonnaya Umeham recently in Abuja, she reiterated her commitment towards empowering the women of the Province saying that empowering women especially ESOCS women has been her major priority since she emerged as the Chairperson of the Association and the process she noted is still ongoing.
So far, she said she has empowered not less than 100 women through skill acquisition programme in the Women Wing of the Organization of African Instituted Churches(OAIC), FCT Chapter, ESOCS Women Association, NHAC, Abuja and ESOCS Women Association, Abuja Province in bead making, makeup, soap making, tailoring and catering.
“I care for my women and will continue to empower them as it pleases the Lord” she explained further.
Asked what advise she has for those empowered? She called on them to be faithful, hardworking, honest, religious, and make judicious use of what has been given to them in order for them to help others in future.
She also commended the efforts of the Chairman of ESOCS Abuja Province, Senior Apostle Bereni Iyaye, the Secretary of the Province, Supervising Apostle Dickson Chigbata , Mother-In-Israel Demuren, the Chairperson of ESOCS Women Association Worldwide, Senior Mother-In-Israel, Elizabeth Iwerima, Secretary of ESOCS Women Association Worldwide, Mother-In-Israel, Bunmi Akinde, the members of Eternal Sisters Association (ESA), Abuja Chapter, and and other good spirited individuals for their support and financial contribution towards assisting a member of the Association who is going for surgery.
She prayed the good Lord would continue to replenish their pockets and protect them from evil plaques and grant them long life in the land of the living.
Recently, the Women Association of the Eternal Sacred Order of the Cherubim and Seraphim (ESOCS), Abuja Province, led by its Chairperson, Senior Mother-In-Israel Faith Ifeanyichukwu Aina organized a One-Day Prayer Summit with the theme “Rehoboth” Genesis 26:22.
Part of activities of the programme includes; teachings, prayer sessions, seminar and health talk on menopause which is our major focus on this write up.
The word menopause is like a time bomb to most women. Some women do not like to discuss the issue but it an important aspect in a woman’s life worthy of discussion.
In her paper presentation entitled ” menopause” Special Mother-In-Israel, Esther Adelesi (JP) a Retired Chief Nursing Officer, defined menopause as a process when the reproductive activities of a woman start reducing and finally stop functioning.
According to her it is a natural decline in the reproductive hormones when a woman reaches the age of 40-50 years.
Biblically, she defined menopause as when God’s fulfilment manifest in a woman’s life as a wife , mother and organs start declining gradually arguing that in the case of Sarah Abraham’s wife, this definition was wrong, because of God’s miracle was upon her life, she explained.
” At the age of 90 she became pregnant and had a son called Isaac our father” she pointed out.
Menopause she explained further affects every woman differently, each woman she noted has her own unique signs and symptoms and they are never the same.
“Periods or menses stops naturally while you are aging. It means that as a woman at a certain age, you would stop being fertile that is you cannot be pregnant or have babies anymore” she explained further.
She enumerated some of the symptoms of menopause which includes; irregular menses, vaginal dryness, hot flushes, chills/cold, night sweats, sleeping problems, mood changes and weight gain and slow metabolism.
She noted that when menopause happens before 40 years of age it is called premature menopause but if it happens before 40/50 and above for twelve good months it is called menopause but if it happens by biological body changes e.g. after hysterectomy, it called postmenopausal period.
The only way to treat menopause or address problems associated with menopause is to indulge in hormone therapy that is estrogen therapy because it is very effective in relieving hot flushes, she said.
Other remedies she explained further includes; vaginal estrogen treatment,low dose of antidepressants, medication to prevent osteoporosis e.g. intake of calcium, vitamin C, vitamin D supplements and consult your doctor for further treatment.
Still on addressing the issue of menopause, in her talk on Menopause presented at the just concluded Annual Convention of Women Wing of Christian Association of Nigeria ( WOWICAN) held at Uyo, Akwa Ibom, Mrs Ekaette Akan, Director of Nursing and Principal School of Midwifery, Anua, Uyo advised women who are under menopause to avoid the following.
She called on them to avoid smoking, or inhaling second hand smoke, stop wearing tight clothing, using heavy blankets or sheets to cover, drinking alcohol or caffeine and eating spicy food.
Also they should stop being in a hot room, and stressors.
Due to changing moods, a woman she explained could be less affectionate towards her spouse or others because of discomfort ” and there is need for understanding” but cautioned women should not use menopause as an excuse to be nasty to people.
According to her many factors influence the timing of menopause and this includes; ovarian health, genetics, general health, culture/ethnicity and emotional state of the woman.
Occasional sicknesses, heart or blood vessels diseases, osteoporosis, urinary/ stress incontinence, painful intercourse, gynaecological issues may arise, weight gain, loss of confidence, eye conditions she concluded are all complications of Menopause but advised women should enjoy their menopause.
KANO EXCO APPROVES N490M TO AVERT BRIDGE COLLAPSE ….ULTRA-MODERN SHOPPING MALL AT FORMER DAULA HOTEL
Kano state Executive Council approves the release of the sum of N490, 000,000.00 million for the extension of Shimar Bridge along Karfi-Rano Road to avoid total cut-off of the road in the face of heavy downpour being recorded during this rainy season.
The council has also gives approval for the proposed construction and establishment of an ultra-modern and Multi-Purpose Shopping Mall at former Daula Hotel premises located at Murtala Muhammad Way by Mudatex Mudassir and Brothers Ltd.
The commissioner for Information, Malam Muhmmad Garba who briefed newsmen on the outcome of the council meeting held at the Africa House, Government House, Kano, says the sum of N338, 948, 178.80 million has also been approved by the council as the state counterpart fund for the implementation of the 2020 Health Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) Work Plan for the overarching objective of improving healthcare delivery.
He states that other approvals include the release of funds for the award of contract for the revised estimated cost of N724, 181, 938.65 million for quantity adjust upward of the Underpass and Flyover at Dangi Roundabout along Zaria Road that include among others, increase in main drainage to connect to a safer discharge point at Geza/Tukuntawa area, additional walkway, surface drainage, subbase and stone base, reconstruction of Ibrahim Dabo and Bala Borodo roads.
Malam Garba points out that approval has also been given for the release of N27, 354, 000.00 million for the production of two million assorted seedlings for venue, departmental and institutional planting, distribution to farmers and the general public with a view to achieving green and healthy environment in the 2020.
The commissioner adds that the council has approved the sum of N17, 000, 000.00 million for the production and enrichment planting of 30 hectres at some selected forests in the state with a view to arresting the menace of desert encroachment and other environmental degradation challenges.
He also announces the council’s approval for the release of N69, 257, 637.10 million as final death benefits (final pension for five years and gratuity) for the late Khadi Muhammad Khalil, who died on December 11, 2014.
MALAM MUHAMMAD GARBA Hon. Commissioner, Information, Kano State
NAWOJ FCT MOURNS NIGERIA FIRST FEMALE COMBAT HELICOPTER PILOT FLIGHT LIEUTENANT AROTILE.
The Nigeria Association of women Journalists (NAWOJ) FCT, has Condoled with the Nigeria Airforce ,the people and government of kogi state and the family of Flight Lieutenant Arotile over the sudden demise of their daughter, and first Nigeria Air force female helicopter pilot, Flight Lieutenant Tolulope Arotile who died as a result of head injuries sustained in a road accident at NAF base Kaduna.
In a statement issued by Chairperson of NAWOJ FCT Com.Stella Okoh-Esene described her death as tragic,shocking and painful loss to all Nigerians, especially her immediate family. Ms Tolulope was instrumental in the fight against banditry and insurgency in the north,She worked tirelessly as a fighter pilot and forged new ground for Nigerian women in reinforcing the saying that what a man can do,a woman can even do better,she will be surely missed even though she left her footprints in the sands of time.
She also described her as someone who at an early age has cut a niche for herself and positively impacted the world through her God given potentials skills.
According to her, being the first female combat helicopter pilot, is a feat that has inspired many adding that her bravery in her field is commendable.
Late Flight Lieutenant Tolulope was commissioned into NAF in September 2017 as member of Nigeria Defence Academy Regular Course 64 and later became the first ever female combat helicopter pilot in the service.
Flight Lieutenant Arotile was a trailblazer and her sudden passing is a tragic and painful loss for all patriotic Nigerians. May her gentle soul rest in the bosom of the lord Amen. Rest on Flight Lieutenant Arotile.
NAWOJ called on the Nigerian Air force to immortalize her and see if she has a younger sister they can grant scholarship to replace her.
NAWOJ FCT MOURNS NIGERIA FIRST FEMALE COMBAT HELICOPTER PILOT FLIGHT LIEUTENANT AROTILE.
The Nigeria Association of women Journalists (NAWOJ) FCT, has Condoled with the Nigeria Airforce ,the people and government of kogi state and the family of Flight Lieutenant Arotile over the sudden demise of their daughter, and first Nigeria Air force female helicopter pilot, Flight Lieutenant Tolulope Arotile who died as a result of head injuries sustained in a road accident at NAF base Kaduna.
In a statement issued by Chairperson of NAWOJ FCT Com.Stella Okoh-Esene described her death as tragic,shocking and painful loss to all Nigerians, especially her immediate family. Ms Tolulope was instrumental in the fight against banditry and insurgency in the north,She worked tirelessly as a fighter pilot and forged new ground for Nigerian women in reinforcing the saying that what a man can do,a woman can even do better,she will be surely missed even though she left her footprints in the sands of time.
She also described her as someone who at an early age has cut a niche for herself and positively impacted the world through her God given potentials skills.
According to her, being the first female combat helicopter pilot, is a feat that has inspired many adding that her bravery in her field is commendable.
Late Flight Lieutenant Tolulope was commissioned into NAF in September 2017 as member of Nigeria Defence Academy Regular Course 64 and later became the first ever female combat helicopter pilot in the service.
Flight Lieutenant Arotile was a trailblazer and her sudden passing is a tragic and painful loss for all patriotic Nigerians. May her gentle soul rest in the bosom of the lord Amen. Rest on Flight Lieutenant Arotile.
The Nigeria Association of women Journalists (NAWOJ), FCT Chapter has Condoled with the Nigerian Airforce (NAF), Kogi State,and the family of late Ms Arotile over her sudden demise.
In a statement issued by Chairperson FCT NAWOJ comrade Stella Okoh-Esene on Thursday 16th July, she said her death is a painful one and a great loss to Nigeria and Women.
Ms Arotile, joined the Nigerian Air force in September 2017, and has contributed to a lot towards fighting insurgency in our country, her bravery in the field and skills is second to none.
Ms Arotile was a trailblazer and her sudden passing is a tragic and painful loss for all patriotic Nigerians. May her soul rest in the bossom of the lord Amen. You will be greatly missed and remembered.
Rest on Ms Arotile NAWOJ FCT CARES
SIGNED Okoh-Esene Stella
Chairperson FCT NAWOJ
NAWOJ FCT MOURNS NIGERIA’S FIRST FEMALE COMBAT HELICOPTER PILOT MS AROTILE.
The Nigeria Association of women Journalists (NAWOJ), FCT Chapter has Condoled with the Nigerian Airforce (NAF), Kogi State,and the family of late Ms Arotile over her sudden demise.
In a statement issued by Chairperson FCT NAWOJ comrade Stella Okoh-Esene on Thursday 16th July, she said her death is a painful one and a great loss to Nigeria and Women.
Ms Arotile, joined the Nigerian Air force in September 2017, and has contributed to a lot towards fighting insurgency in our country, her bravery in the field and skills is second to none.
Ms Arotile was a trailblazer and her sudden passing is a tragic and painful loss for all patriotic Nigerians. May her soul rest in the bossom of the lord Amen. You will be greatly missed and remembered.
ANNUAL JUDICIAL VACATIONS- THE JUDICIARY MUST DEMONSTRATE A MORAL AND VOCATIONAL COMMITMENT TO AMELIORATING THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON THE DELIVERY OF JUSTICE. TAKING LONG VACATIONS AT THIS TIME IS INSENSITIVE
Introduction Some Federal and State Courts are Announcing Court Vacations Beginning this July, which will last for up to two months. But some Judiciaries have put off those vacations for the year 2020. Among those who have done so are Ogun and Jigawa State Judiciaries. Access to Justice applauds the heads of court that have, in response to the exigencies of ameliorating the delays caused by the Judiciarys reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, put off annual vacations for their Judges. The heads of these judiciaries have shown conscientious and responsive leadership. Taking Vacations after Long Suspension of Court Sittings Not Right; Gives Wrong Message About Judiciarys Commitment to Delivering Justice. The announcement by other Federal and State Judiciaries that their courts will proceed on routine annual vacations, for at least a two-month period, is unfortunate. Thousands of cases were affected by the suspension of court sittings following the Chief Justice of Nigerias directive to suspend court activities in March, or the limited scope of hearings taking place now following the partial resumption of court business. Many of the cases affected by limited court sitting are cases that are delicate, time-sensitive, vital for other processes or those that involve personal liberties. In some criminal cases, defendants who could not access pre-trial bail are in overly-congested correctional houses, institutions that also present a very peculiar problem of their own. Should there be a COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in them, many of the inmates there would be at huge risks of infection and their lives on the line. The Judiciary as an institution has a primordial and frontline responsibility to protect human life, and this responsibility ought to weigh heavily on how its decisions including vacation decisions – are arrived at. Many Things Wrong About How Judiciary Takes Vacations In the first place, the idea of taking en bloc judicial vacations is wrong. Many judiciaries around the world that practiced it have abandoned the model. Judicial officers may take individual vacations as individualized vacations have lesser effect on the delivery of judicial services as a whole. Second, the length of judicial vacations, when calculated cumulatively over a given year, is also excessive. In the present context, given that courts docket backlogs are possibly at breaking point, the Judiciary ought to have taken a different approach to the length of vacation period. Last year, the Court of Appeal President cancelled vacations for Court of Appeal Justices on the grounds that taking those vacations would prejudice the determination of many time-bound election cases. That sentiment ought to have prevailed in the current situation.
A2Justice is a non-profit, non-governmental organization working to promote integrity, transparency, accountability and independence in legal and judicial institutions and to protect the rights of individuals and groups to justice. A2Justice is the 2009 recipient of MacArthur Foundations Award for Creative and Effective Institutions and also the 2010 recipient of the first- ever Nigerian Bar Associations Gani Fawehinmi Award for Human Rights and Social Justice.
National Judicial Council Must Step in and Reverse Vacation Schedules The National Judicial Council (NJC) must step in now, just as it weighed in to direct the suspension of court proceedings following National Policies and Guidelines in March and April. The NJC ought now to make a Judiciary-wide policy on vacations that demonstrates that the Nigerian Judiciary does not exist in an abstract institutional vacuum of its creation, but is part and parcel of Nigerian society, and will itself make the sacrifices necessary to ensure the overall good and welfare of the Nigerian people. The NJC should direct all the courts that have announced judicial vacations to reverse those decisions now.
Cherry-Picking Persons to Appoint to Judicial Office Undermines Judicial Independence and Raises Questions of Misuse of Power. President Buhari Must Offer Cogent and Justifiable Reasons for Rebuffing NJC List of Judicial Nominees
Friday, 10th July, 2020 Access to Justice Media Advisory
Introduction In March 2020, the National Judicial Council (NJC) nominated thirty-three (33) persons for appointment as judges of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory. And on Tuesday July 9th 2020, the Nigerian Senate read out President Buhari’s request for the confirmation of the appointment of eleven (11) judges of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory following a letter written to that effect. In other words, the President decided not to appoint twenty-two nominees out of the list of thirty-three nominees forwarded by the NJC.
The process leading up to the appointment of High Court Judges in Nigeria is meant to be one that requires actions by both the Judiciary and the Executive. The process, initiated by the respective Judicial Service Commissions/Committee, is finalized by the NJC before it goes to the President for appointment. The President is expected to make the appointments within the “frame of reference” outlined by the NJC. Unfortunately, the Judiciary’s own process for selecting its nominees for judicial (or appellate) judicial office has been very flawed, and in substantial breach of the NJC’s own appointment guidelines. Some of the standards and procedures established by the NJC’s Appointment Guidelines targeting the recruitment of the most qualified persons using a competitive, merit-based process have been sidelined and gone unobserved for some considerable time. The President’s “Choosing and Picking” from List Forwarded by the NJC Only a third of the names forwarded by the NJC to the President were appointed by the latter amidst controversies over the way the NJC selections were conducted in the first place. These Controversies have birthed several litigations on the subject. When the President chooses and picks the names, he will appoint from a list submitted by the NJC, this raises important concerns of judicial independence, particularly when there is no explanation forthcoming as to what criteria informed the reason why some names from the list were appointed and others were not. Those concerns arise because of the huge potential for misusing the power to make appointments. That power can be used to blackmail, to coerce, extort, or obtain a quid pro quo from the Judiciary, or may otherwise be used illicitly, in a manner that ultimately undermines the independence of the Judiciary.
It is important to point out that the Presidency had not gone on record to raise any objections to the list since it was submitted to it, in March 2020. This is not to say there were no grounds for reproving the recruitment process leading to the submission of the list or the list itself. But if the President was not satisfied with the composition of the list, or the process leading to it, he had a duty, to be transparent about his objections to the list, and to publicly state them. This would have helped buttress the notion that the jury is independent when it comes to conducting its own affairs. If this were not so, the President could permit improper motives to govern the choices he makes on judicial appointments and be wholly unaccountable over his decisions. President’s Selection Decisions Lack Transparency, Disrespects Judiciary and Threaten Judicial Independence The President’s appointment of a downsized number of Judges for the FCT High Court against a much larger list, and the absence of information justifying the selective appointments, blatantly disrespects the Judiciary, given the manner it was done, and the impression it creates is that the Executive controls the Judiciary even regarding matters pertaining to the affairs and organization of the Judiciary. When a similar question arose in India not so long ago [“In re Special Reference 1 of 1998], the Supreme Court of that Country held that a President is bound to appoint Judges recommended by persons in the Judiciary notwithstanding that the Indian Constitution gave the President power over appointment of Judges. It clearly would have been more appropriate for Nigeria’s President to provide both the Judiciary and the public with clear, cogent, justifiable and defensible reasons for downsizing a list sent to him for appointment, by the Judiciary. The precedent set by the President in taking this action is new, but nevertheless an ominous threat to the autonomy of the Judiciary in Nigeria. In order to prevent the propagation of a culture of arbitrariness in the exercise of the President’s powers over the appointment of Judges, Access to Justice urges; President Buhari to immediately furnish reasonable and transparent reasons for not appointing all the persons nominated by the NJC to him for appointment into the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory;
The Nigerian Judiciary, particularly the NJC, to observe the handwriting on the wall, and see how its own actions are hurting the independence of the Judiciary. Its consistent failure to observe the appointment guidelines it put forth (that could have helped strengthen the calibre of persons who get into judicial positions) may be contributing to the escalating levels of disrespect of the Judiciary by other branches of government. The NJC needs to reposition and revitalize the Judiciary. This is particularly urgent in light of the tumultuous events of the past few years where a business as usual approach has led to a reduction of the stock of the Judiciary Right now, there seems to be no visible or significant efforts by the Council to address the dysfunctionalities in the Judiciary, or lift up public perceptions of the Judiciary. If the NJC continues down this path way, the Judiciary’s stock value will only be plummeting downwards at a faster rate.
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