Nigeria wins UN Economic Council seat

Nigeria was on Thursday elected to occupy a UN General Assembly Economic and Social Council seat for a three-year term, beginning January 1, 2024.

Of all member states of the 18 vacant seats of the council, Nigeria is the only country that got all the votes of 191 members.

Other 17 countries to serve with Nigeria are France, Germany, Haiti, Japan, Kenya, Liechtenstein, Mauritania, Nepal, Pakistan, Paraguay, Poland, Senegal, Spain, Suriname, United Kingdom,, Uruguay and Zambia.

Similarly, member states elected Türkiye in a by-election for a seat vacated by Greece in the Western European and Others Group.

Türkiye’s term will also start on January 1, 2024 and run through December of the following year.

We haven’t changed, says PDP G-5 after meeting Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday evening at the Presidential Villa met with members of the Peoples Democratic Party’s ‘G5 Governors’ also known as the Integrity Group.

The G5 group, made up of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and former governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Ifeanyi Ugwuwanyi of Enugu and Samuel Ortom of Benue have reportedly been friendly with President Tinubu, and contributed to his electoral victory on February 25, 2023.

Speaking to newsmen, on behalf of the group, after the meeting, Governor Makinde said they were at the State House to intimate President Tinubu with the happenings in the country,

The Oyo governor also disclosed that the complete number of the G5 members came to remind the President of what they represent, which include fairness, justice and equity.

He said, “Nation-building is a difficult task, you have to keep evaluating what you are doing, where you are going, so we have to keep seeing the President to let him know what is happening and for this evening, the G5 (the Integrity Group), we came to let the President know what we stood for; fairness, justice and equity and we haven’t changed”, he said.

Asked what next for the G5, Makinde said, “We’re going towards Mr President coming with us on the route for fairness, for justice and for equity in Nigeria”.

Governor Makinde and former Governor Wike have visited the Villa a couple of times since last week.

Tinubu signs bill for all judges to retire at 70

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday signed into law a bill unifying retirement age of judges at 70.

A statement from the State House disclosed this.

The statement by Abiodun Oladunjoye, State House director of information, also said the President pledged that his administration would strengthen the judiciary and empower judicial officers.

The bill, titled, “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (fifth altercation) (No.37) Bill, 2023”, was the first to be signed by President Tinubu since taking the oath of office on May 29.

The law extends the retirement age of high court judges — and others — from 65 to 70 years.

The retirement age of justices of the appeal and supreme courts is already pegged at 70.

The legislation would also ensure uniformity in the pension rights of judicial officers of “superior courts of record” specified in section 6(5) of the 1999 constitution (as amended).

On May 2, the National Assembly directed Amos Ojo, its clerk, to transmit the bill to former President Muhammadu Buhari for assent.

However, the immediate past Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, advised Buhari to decline assent to the bill.

In a memo dated May 23 and addressed to the office of the chief of staff to the then President, Malami said the bill appeared to be “far-reaching, unduly wide, ambiguous”, adding that it made no justification for the extension of retirement age and benefits for judges.

The former AGF said the bill if approved, could lead to further agitation for the extension of the retirement age of justices of the Supreme Court and court of appeal.