NIGERIAN NEWS BLOGGERS

ECOWAS Parliamentarians seeks direct election into Parliament Members of the ECOWAS Parliament have called for direct elections into the Community Parliament, as the fourth legislature of the parliament winds up. The members made the call in Banjul, The Gambia, at the end of the last Extraordinary Session of the fourth legislature, which will end its four year legislative mandate on 3 February 2020. Members of the ECOWAS Parliament are representatives from various National Assemblies or Parliaments of ECOWAS member states. The National Assemblies of the Member States are empowered to elect members from among themselves as members of the Community Parliament. Calling for direct elections into the community parliament, Hon. Afenyo-Markin Alexander Kwamena, a member of the Ghanaian Parliament and member of the fourth legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament, argued that the current mode of determining membership of Parliament, divides the attention of members between their legisl...

Parliament must respect Member State Resources_ Wase tells Plenary Banjul: The Deputy Speaker of the Nigerian house of Representatives Hon. Idris Wase,  who doubles as the first Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament bemoan irrelevant expenses incurred by Parliament and called for respect of countries resources by curtailing these expenses. Hon. Wase had insisted that the ongoing Extraordinary Session of the Parliament be brought to an abrupt end on Wednesday, saying that the evaluation of the activities of the outgoing 4th Legislature, which according to him, formed the basis for the Extraordinary Session, had already been concluded. Kicking against the motion, the Speaker of the  ECOWAS Parliament, Moustapha Cissé-Lo has asked Members Of Parliament who wish to go home from the The Gambia, venue of the ongoing Extraordinary Session, to do so after most members of parliament learnt their voices to Wase's motion which resulted to a pandemonium. This re...

ECOWAS Parliamentarians rejects two term limits proposal for Heads of State Banjul Opening of the Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament experienced a moment of rowdiness as the Speaker, Hon. Moustapha Cissé-Lo read his Speech.  All was calm and quiet during the speech, until the Speaker raised his concerns over calls on ECOWAS Commission to by a pronouncement impose a two term limit on member Countries for heads of State.  According to the Speaker, every country has a sovereign right to choose how its government is run and there should be no interferences from the ECOWAS Commission.  "There are some countries where the mandate is not limited. I can mention Cameroon for instance. Let's leave these countries to alter their constitutions based on their times. All constitutions can be reviewed and adapted to soothe the realities of their times; that is why I say Ecowas cannot make any pronouncements to limit mandates to not more than two terms. T...

JAMB halt Uniabuja Admission Process The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has halted the ongoing admission of students at the University of Abuja due to irregularities. In its latest investigation on the admission process of the university, JAMB found out that the new management under Vice Chancellor, Prof Abdul-Rasheed Na’Allah, had altered the situation. Checks by Economic Confidential indicated that upon resumption of office few months ago, the new VC jettisoned the committee of the university and allegedly contracted the process out, which is alien to the institution. The VC recently addressed a press conference to announce that the process was suspended by the university management for irregularities when in fact it was an instruction from JAMB. The development caught the attention of JAMB, who in turn informed the university to halt the 2019/2020 admission process which did not meet up with its guidelines of uploading all admissions o...

GAMBIA PRESIDENT CALLS FOR IMPLEMENTATION OF ECOWAS PROTOCOLS  Banjul The President of Gambia,  Adama Barrow has stressed the need for ECOWAS member States to put sharper focus on the implementation of ECOWAS Protocols in order to achieve greater regional integration.  President Barrow, while declaring open on Thursday, the Parliamentary Seminar for the Outgoing Fourth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament, taking place in Banjul, Gambia, pointed out that institutional capacity remains a major driver of regional integration and must therefore be prioritized.  The Gambian President, while also bemoaning the high rate of youths migration into Europe,  charged political leaders in the subregion to seek to entrench the respect for the fundamental principles of good governance and dialogue as a means of conflict resolution, in order to provide the needed environment for young people to thrive. "We are saddened by the dangerous journeys our youths...

Supreme Court declares APC Uzodinma as Imo 2019 Election The Supreme Court on Tuesday voided the election of Emeka Ihedioha as the governor of Imo State. A seven-man panel of the apex court led by the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Tanko Muhammad, unanimously declared Hope Uzodinma as the winner of the March 9, 2019, governorship election and the validly elected governor of the state. Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, who read the lead judgment, ordered that the certificate of return issued to Ihedioha be immediately withdrawn. She directed that a fresh certificate of return should be issued to Uzodinma. She also directed that Uzodinma must be immediately sworn in as the Governor of Imo State.

Supreme Court Verdict: Okowa calls for unity to build Delta   vanguard.ng Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta has called on Deltans to be more united, following the re-affirmation of his victory at the polls by the Supreme Court. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the highest court in the country on Wednesday declared Okowa as the duly elected governor of the state. Okowa made the call on Wednesday evening at a thanksgiving service held at the Government House Chaplaincy, Asaba, to celebrate the Supreme Court verdict. “I want to thank Deltans for all your prayers and support and as we move forward, it is time to work for the good of the state. ”I cannot do it alone; as a government, we require the cooperation of all; it is time for us to partner together; it is time to forget the bitterness. “I will use this opportunity to call on my opponent, Chief Great Ogboru of All Progressives Congress (APC) for him to realise that it is time for him to work together...

Adamawa youths block highway, protest spate of kidnapping Hundreds of Adamawa youths on Tuesday blocked the federal highway passing through Girei community to Yola, the state capital, and other parts of the state to protest against incessant kidnappings in the area. The youths, who are from Girei Local Government Area, rendered many travelers and motorists stranded. They avowed that they would not open the road until the authorities, particularly the Governor or Commissioner of Police, address them and commit to addressing the menace. Alhaji Saidu Hamman-Girei, spokesman of the youth, also theYouth leader, (Sarkin Matasa) of Girei District, said recently about 10 persons in the community lost their lives to kidnappers. “But what we are hearing now is that, there is an order from the police headquarters that the suspects be released,“ he alleged. He said that between N60 million to N70 million had also been paid as ransom to kidnappers. “We mobilised and supported th...

FMC to develop vaccine against Lassa fever – CMD The Chief Medical Director of Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo in Ondo State says it has started a process to develop a vaccine against Lassa fever. The Medical Director of the medical centre, Mr Liasu Ahmed, disclosed this on Tuesday in Owo during the centre’s annual ward round. Lassa fever, also known as Lassa Hemorrhagic Fever (LHF), is a type of viral hemorrhagic fever caused by the Lassa virus. Many of those infected by the virus do not develop symptoms, but when symptoms occur, they typically include fever, weakness, headaches, vomiting and muscle pains. The CMD, therefore, said that with the establishment of a treatment centre in the town, the centre had begun the process of developing vaccine for the virus. The medical director, who took journalists round the wards at the centre, said that the health facility started diagnosing Lassa fever with the use of mobile laboratory. He stressed the need for Federal ...

Abuja Bank Robbery: Police Arrest Alleged Mastermind source: Channels The Federal Capital Territory Police Command has arrested the mastermind of the foiled robbery of a first-generation ba nk in the Mpape area of Abuja last Saturday. The suspect, a barman identified as Ernest was nabbed at his hideout by police detectives and is presently being held at the command headquarters by old CBN building, Garki, Abuja. The police had earlier arrested four suspects and gunned down the fourth member of the robbery gang identified as Patrick during the operation. The FCT Commissioner of Police, Bala Ciroma, had on Tuesday paraded the gang members including a bank employee, Larry Ehizo, 30, Timothy Joe, 21, Princewill Obinna, 24 and Elijah David, 19. Ehizo who allegedly drove the gang members to the bank claimed he was blackmailed by Ernest to carry out the heist. Narrating how the failed heist was executed, David said Ehizo informed the gang members that the r...