Falana faults service chiefs appointment, says they remain nominees – Newstrends
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Falana faults service chiefs appointment, says they remain nominees

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Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointment of new service chiefs, saying it is unconstitutional.

He said in a statement he personally signed on Wednesday that they remained Buhari’s nominees, quoting a 2013 judgment which described such appointments without the concurrence of the National Assembly as illegal and unconstitutional.

Falana said that Buhari only nominated the service chiefs and did not appoint them.

“President Buhari was reported to have appointed new service chiefs for the armed forces.

“Upon a critical review of the law on the subject matter the members of the Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAP) have found that the appointments remain inchoate as President Muhammadu Buhari has not forwarded the names of the proposed service chiefs to the National Assembly for approval in strict compliance with the relevant provisions of the Constitution and the Armed Forces Act.

“The appointments of service chiefs without the concurrence of the National Assembly which had been the practice since 1999 was challenged in the Federal High Court sometime in 2008 by Mr Festus Keyamo SAN in the case of Keyamo v President Goodluck Jonathan (unreported Suit No FHC/ABJ/ CS/611/2008).

“In his landmark judgment delivered on July 2, 2013, Adamu Bello J. (as he then was) held that it was illegal and unconstitutional, null and void for the President to single-handedly appoint Service Chiefs without the approval of the National Assembly having regards to the combined effect of Section 218 of the Constitution and section 18 (1) & (3) of the Armed Forces Act,” the statement read.

Falana said that the Federal Government did not challenge any aspect of the judgment at the Court of Appeal having acknowledged it as sound and unimpeachable.

He said the judgment was binding on all authorities and persons in Nigeria in accordance with the provisions of Section 287 of the Constitution.

Falana asked President Buhari to send the names he had selected to both chambers of the National Assembly for confirmation.

Buhari appointed new service chiefs on Tuesday following the resignation of the former officers.

The new service chiefs are Major-General Leo Irabor as Chief of Defence Staff; Air Vice Marshal Isiaka Oladayo Amao as Chief of Air Staff; Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo as Chief of Naval Staff; and General Ibrahim Attahiru as Chief of Army Staff.

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Nigeria saves $20bn from subsidy removal – Finance Minister Edun

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Nigeria saves $20bn from subsidy removal – Finance Minister Edun

 

Wale Edun, Nigeria’s Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, has declared that the country has saved $20 billion by eliminating the petrol subsidy and adopting market-based foreign exchange pricing.

He made this disclosure at an event in Abuja marking the first 100 days in office of Esther Walso-Jack, Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

Edun stated, “When there was a subsidy on the PMS and on foreign exchange, they collectively cost five percent of the GDP.

“Assuming GDP was $400 billion on average, five percent of that is $20 billion—funds that could now go into infrastructure, health, social services, and education.”

He explained that the savings were being redirected into developmental projects. He said, “The real change is that no one can wake up and target cheap funding or forex from the central bank to enrich themselves without adding value. “Similarly, profiteering from the inefficient petrol subsidy regime is no longer possible.”

President Bola Tinubu officially ended the petrol subsidy regime on May 29, 2023.

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Crude-for-naira deal: NNPC fails to deliver agreed crude oil – Dangote refinery

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Crude-for-naira deal: NNPC fails to deliver agreed crude oil – Dangote refinery

The Lagos-based mega Dangote refinery has accused the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) of failing to meet its crude oil supply obligations under the naira-for-crude agreement.

Edwin Devakumar, the Vice President of the Dangote Group, disclosed this in a statement reported by Reuters.

Devakumar explained that the national oil company had committed to supplying the refinery with a minimum of 385,000 barrels per day (bpd) under the crude-for-naira deal.

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However, he alleged that the NNPC is falling short of this commitment.

According to Reuters, Devakumar characterized the volume of crude currently supplied by NNPC Limited as “peanut,” though he did not specify the exact amount.

“We need 650,000 barrels per day, and NNPC Ltd agreed to supply a minimum of 385,000 bpd, but they are not even delivering that,” Devakumar stated.

 

Crude-for-naira deal: NNPC fails to deliver agreed crude oil – Dangote refinery

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Tinubu restructures media team, says no individual presidential spokesman

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Tinubu restructures media team, says no individual presidential spokesman

 

President Bola Tinubu has reorganised his media team, re-designating the positions of his two recently appointed special advisers  for media and communications.

This is contained in a statement released on Monday night by his Special Adviser on Media and Strategies, Bayo Onanuga.

He said Sunday Dare, the special adviser on public communication and national orientation, is now the special adviser on media and public communications.

Onanuga added that Daniel Bwala, announced last week as a special adviser on media and public communication, will now function as the special adviser on policy communication.

“These appointments, along with the existing role of special adviser, information and strategy, underscore that there is no single individual spokesperson for the presidency,” the statement read.

There had been some confusion as Onanuga, designated as special adviser on communication and strategy, had been the presidential spokesman since the exit of Ngelale Ajuri, who was special adviser on media and publicity.

However, on Monday, Bwala announced himself as the presidential spokesperson.

“Today, I resumed officially as the Special Adviser, Media and Public Communications/Spokesperson (State House). I am happy to have joined a meeting of the robust and fantastic communication team of Mr. President. I love the existing unity among the team and hope we can leverage on that even for more synergy,” he wrote on his X handle.

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