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  • High court nullifies suspension of 5 Imo lawmakers

    A High Court sitting in Owerri, the Imo state capital has set aside
    the suspension of five members of the state House of Assembly
    declaring the action of the state legislature as null, void and of no
    effect.

    Delivering judgment yesterday, the presiding judge, Justice Goddy
    Anunihu , declared the processes leading to the indefinite suspension
    of the five lawmakers as an act of “putting the horse before the cat.”

    The judge awarded N8million as cost against the three defendants- the
    Imo State House of Assembly, the Speaker, Hon. Acho Ihim and the state
    governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha.

    Justice Anunihu who flayed the Rescue Mission lawmakers for acting
    contrary to the law, when they are lawmakers and faulted the setting
    up of an investigation team to look into the allegations against the
    their colleagues without following due process.

    He explained that based on the evidence before him, the said panel was
    set up even before the “purported indefinite suspension” .

    The embattled reinstated lawmakers: Hon. Chiji Collins, Israel
    Nnataraoye, Nkenna Nzerue,Uche Oguwuike and Donatus Onuigwe
    representing Isiala Mbano, Mbaitoli, Ikeduru, Oru East and Oru West
    state constituencies respectively had filed the suit challenging their
    purported suspension by their colleagues.

    It would be recalled that the lawmakers were in July this year
    suspended by their colleagues over allegations tagged “un
    parliamentary conducts” by the Speaker and his cohorts.

    One of the reinstated lawmakers, Nnataraonye, who spoke to newsmen on
    the phone shortly after the court verdict said, “I am in my office
    now. I have moved in and resumed duties immediately. This is victory
    for democracy and it shows that our judicial system is a place of
    justice. ”
    The suspension of the lawmakers, it was then said, was not unconnected
    with the plot to impeach the Deputy Governor of the state, Prince Eze
    Madumere who suffered similar irregular removal from office by the
    purported impeachment slammed on him by the pro-Okorocha lawmakers

  • 11 months to certify Nigeria polio- free

    By Joyce Remi- Babayeju

    Nigeria government is patiently awaiting its 11 month countdown to be certified by the World Health Organization, WHO, as the last polio free country in the African continent.

    Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Dr Faisal Shuaibu on Tuesday revealed that in 11months WHO will certify Nigeria as a polio free if the country keeps up with the positive trajectory of immunization.

    Shuaib disclosed this good news in Abuja at the 36th quarterly meeting of Expert Review Committee, ERC, meeting on polio eradication and Routine Immunization in the country.
    He said, “we have to achieve polio free nation, then we have to do a better job to endure all Nigerian kids are vaccinated.”
    Shuaibu emphasized that Nigeria is very close to polio eradication, “we have done over 25 months now surveillance showing clearly that we are not missing wild polio virus cases in any of these areas. If this positive trajectory continues in the next 11 months”, then we will be certified as a polio free nation.

    According him the experts and NPHCDA had done over 25 month surveillance with no case of polio virus infection recorded, adding that some measures have be put in place by NPHCDA to ensure the coverage of hard to reach areas but we still need parents to bring their children for routine immunization,”.

    Speaking further he said that recent studies have shown that between 2016 and early month of 2018, there is 10℅ increase in routine immunization coverage.

    “But we have gone so far, when it comes to polio eradication, we must provide an environment where people can do the work that will help us cross the line. I am happy with all the folk’s that are doing the hard work at the operational level and those on the field.”

    Faisal noted that there is the need to begin to target the community and harness all resources towards at improving primary health care.

    In his goodwill message, UNICEF Country Representative, Muhammed Fall, commended all front line workers who lost their lives, sustained injuries or are in captivities while discharging their duties. Any gain made today will be sustained, he emphasised.

    WHO Country Representative, Dr. Wondi Alemu said, “the challenges are still there and tough, we are not deterred with the challenges ahead as WHO is committed and dedicated to eradicating polio in Nigeria.

  • National Action Plan for Agriculture will favour women- Aisha Buhari

    BY Joyce Remi- Babayeju

    Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari has said that the new National Action Plan on Agriculture will favour women famers more who constitute majority of farmers in the country.

    Mrs Buhari formally launched the National Action Plan on Agriculture at the 2018 Women and Girls Summit in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl Child at the National Women Development Centre in Abuja.

    She said that the Action Plan will go a long way to support agriculture in the country to transcend subsistent farming in the country.

    Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Mrs Aisha Abubakar at the launch said, “Agriculture is an important engine of growth and poverty reduction, though the sector has improved in performance over the years, the expected result is yet to be achieved because women who are often a crucial resource reservoir in agriculture face constrains that reduce their productivity.”

    She however lamented that although women contribute significantly to agriculture and food production, malnutrition is higher amongst women and children.

    I am positive that the launch of the National Gender Action Plan for Agriculture will improve on the already sustained efforts from all stakeholders towards ensuring gender equity in agriculture which will in turn promote the standard of living of the women farmers in the country, Abubakar noted.

    Meanwhile Director-General of National Council of Women Development, Barrister Mary Ekpere-Eta, said that the Girl Child day is marked to support more opportunities for the girls and increase awareness of gender inequality face by girls worldwide based upon their sex.
    Ekpere- Eta highlighted areas of inequality for the girl child as right to education, nutrition, legal rights, med care and protection from discrimination, violence against and early child marriage.

    The President, National Council for Women Societies, NCWD, Mrs Laraba Shoda, emphazied the need for sex education in homes and schools, saying many are still ignorant and advised girls to be determined to achieve their dreams, saying education is key.
    Further National Women Leader of All Progressives Congress, APC, Hajiya Salamatu Bawa, present at the occasion advocated that young girls should be taught to know their rights, be innovative and contribute meaningfully for the overall development of the country and appealed that the girl child should not be limited to stereotypes.

  • Tension As Labour concludes plan to embark on indefinite strike tomorrow

    Tension As Labour concludes plan to embark on indefinite strike tomorrow

    …Insists minimum wage strike must go on despite court ruling

    …Directs industrial unions to ensure maximum compliance

    …Strike won’t cause fuel scarcity – NNPC

    …FG keeps mum over labour’s decision

    Tension is building up among Nigerians across the country especially in the private sector as the organized labour directs all industrial unions to embark on an indefinite strike from 12 midnight today over the breakdown of negotiations on the benchmark of the new minimum wage for civil servants.

    It would be recalled the organized labour had proposed N65, 500 as minimum wage for workers but decided to come down to N30,000 during a negotiation with the federal government at a tripartite meeting which ended in a deadlock last week.

    The federal government on its part had gone to court on Friday November 2 and obtained an injunction restricting the organized labour from embarking on strike over the minimum wage issue, but labour citing ILO charter insists that the strike must go on as planned and also backed out from further negotiations with the federal government.

    In a statement signed by the General Secretary of the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, Comrade Peter Ozo-Eson said the decision to embark on the indefinite strike on November 6 was reached at the end of a joint meeting of the CWCs of Labour Centers in Lagos on November 2 same day government went to court.

    While appealing to the leadership of all industrial unions to do the needful to ensure maximum compliance of their members across the country, Ozo-Eson said each union is expected to mobilize all its members to fully participate in the strike and to work in harmony with other labour centers and unionists in their states as well as civil society activists.

    In another development, a civil society group operating under the aegis of Joint Action Front, JAF yesterday said it is in support of the new N30,000 minimum wage proposed by organised labour while accusing the government of being insincere and unwilling to pay the proposed amount.

    JAF in a statement signed by Dipo Fashina and Abiodun Aremu, its chairman and secretary respectively, urged the organised labour to disregard the court injunction procured by the federal government stopping it from embarking on its planned indefinite strike.

    Following the breakdown of negotiation with the government, the organised labour fixed November 6 as the start of an indefinite strike. The government, however, secured an order from the National Industrial Court of Nigeria on Friday stopping the two main labour unions in the country, Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade Union Congress, TUC from embarking on the planned strike.

    JAF said the strike is the only way to get the government to accept the proposed minimum wage.

    “Minimum wage by law, and by legitimate demand, is for all workers from level 01 – 17 and other salary scales in the public and private employment of 50 or more employees. Indeed, for us in JAF, Minimum wage should be mandatory for all employers regardless the number of employees.

    “The current demand for a new National Minimum Wage has gone beyond the stage of negotiation, hence the N30,000 agreed at the Tripartite Committee, which is even very poor @ US$83 per month compared to 1981 Minimum Wage of N125 @ US$250), represents an irreducible minimum and therefore and is not negotiable”, it added.

    The group stated that the federal government as well as state governments will not pay the N30, 000 being proposed by labour if not compelled to do so.

    The federal government through the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige is yet to issue a statement on labour’s stand apart from the injunction it obtained from the National Industrial Court.

    Meanwhile, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC has assured Nigerians that there is no impending petroleum products scarcity in the country, arising from the threat of strike by the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC.

    In a statement in Abuja yesterday, Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs of the NNPC, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, advised motorists not to engage in panic buying, stating that the Corporation would do all it could to ensure the strike action, if embarked upon, does not impact negatively on fuel distribution nationwide.

    He disclosed that the NNPC currently has 39 days petroleum products sufficiency and about 25 days products availability on land, stressing that motorist and other consumers of petroleum products are assured of adequate stock to meet their energy needs.

    Ughamadu therefore advised Nigerians to remain vigilant and volunteer information to the Department of Petroleum Resources, DPR, or to any law enforcement agency around them, on any station that attempts to take advantage of any prevailing situation in the country at the expense of consumers.

  • PDP looking for examiners who marked Buhari’s scripts – Keyamo

    PDP looking for examiners who marked Buhari’s scripts – Keyamo

    By Kenneth Atavti

    Spokesperson for Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organisation, Mr. Festus Keyamo, SAN, yesterday said that ‘the opposition is now hunting for the examiners who marked PMB’s scripts in 1961 to ascertain whether the grades in PMB’s WAEC result tallies with the marks they actually gave him.’

    Keyamo made this known on his Twitter handle yesterday.

    He also said that the dumbest comments he has read about the now dead issue of the President Muhammadu Buhar’s WAEC result is to say WAEC forged its own document.

    Where there’s only one body authorized by law to issue a document, it can only make mistakes or clerical errors on it (I don’t concede that here) but cannot forge it.

    Nigerian Pilot recalled that last week the West African Examination Council, WAEC, based in Ghana, presented attestation certificate and confirmation of WAEC result to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The Registrar of the Council, Dr Iyi Uwadiae, made the presentation at the president’s mini conference hall at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The presentation was witnessed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu and other presidential aides.

    Saraki lauds FG for adopting Kwara’s 10-yr old policy

    By Olugbenga Salami

    Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has commended the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government for adopting the ‘Every Child Counts’ education policy initiated by his administration 10 years ago, when he was governor of Kwara State.

    Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, applauded the government for keying into his decade-old vision for education reform, which was initiated to resuscitate public education in Kwara State by ensuring an improvement in teaching quality across the state and building strong educational institutions in the state through the development of the Ministry of Education, the Teaching Service Commission and strengthening the state Education Management Information System, EMIS.

    “I commend the federal government for adopting and modifying the ‘Every Child Counts’ programme that we began in Kwara State in 2008 for the entire country. This shows that this administration values such time-tested ideas that leave positive impact on the lives of our people – especially our young children.

    “Right now, our nation is suffering from a rising epidemic. We have over 10.5million out of school children across the country. In order to systematically and strategically cut down on this number, we must work to implement the ‘Every Child Counts’ policy across the country,” the senate president stated.

    Saraki also emphasised that the federal government must work to ensure that improving the quality of teachers through constant training and re-education – which was a central focus of the Kwara State model – must play a central role in the Federal Government’s policy approach.

    “Teachers are the bedrock of our educational system. The better and more equipped our teachers are the smarter and more educationally sound our young children across the nation will be. Hence, it is important that as we work to build strong educational institutions through this repackaged policy, we must also work to enhance the individual capacities of our teachers to meet the demands of a constantly changing world”, he said.

    Saraki called on other states across the nation to study and emulate the Kwara State model, while also commending his successor, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, for sustaining the model that his administration began in 2008.

    “Right now, we must look beyond our political affiliations to address the issues that are important to our people. Other states across the nation should key into the successes of the Kwara State model, as the federal government has done, to ensure that we not only get our students back in the classrooms, but also to improve the quality of their education through strategic and holistic reforms”, he added.

  • Breaking News: ASUU embarks on indefinite Strike!

    Breaking News: ASUU embarks on indefinite Strike!

    ASUU declares indefinite strike nationwide, the industrial action takes immediate effect.

    The Union led by its National President Prof Biodun Ogunyemi at its NEC meeting held at FUTA, Ondo State directed all its members in public universities to withdraw their services immediately.

    Details later.

  • APC Senators Back Oshiomhole, Four Governors plot his Removal

    APC Senators Back Oshiomhole, Four Governors plot his Removal

    DayBreak learnt that aggrieved governors in the ruling All Progressives Congress are wooing members of the Senate who lost tickets at the primaries to join in their plot to remove the National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.

    It was reliably gathered on Friday that the aggrieved governors, seeking the removal of Oshiomhole for not allowing them to have their way at the primaries, were mobilizing fellow aggrieved senators who failed in their senatorial and governorship bids.

    A senator confirmed the development, but disclosed that the APC lawmakers would prevent the governors from “using” his aggrieved colleagues to hatch the anti-Oshiomhole plot.

    No fewer than four APC governors have openly expressed their grievances with the party chairman on how he handled the primaries in their respective states.

    Oshiomhole had insisted on the decisions by the APC National Working Committee on candidates despite the pressure mounted by the governors, especially through the Presidency.

    Speaking with on Friday, a senator who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the lawmakers were also mobilising the chairmen of the state chapters of the APC.

    He stated, “I can tell you that there is an attempt by the disgruntled governors to rake in as many members of the National Executive Committee as possible, to force a meeting by NEC and pass a vote of no confidence in Oshiomhole. But I can also tell you that we have made our moves to counter that.

    “As I speak to you right now, the entire South-South and South-East’s chairmen, who are members of NEC, are resolute that the attempt (by the governors) will not see the light of the day.

    Responding to a question on whether more governors were seeking Oshiomhole’s removal apart from Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Rochas Okorocha (Imo) and Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), who had openly declared their disenchantment, the lawmaker said, “Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo) too.”

    He added, “They know that they don’t have the backing of the Presidency. Anyhow you look at it, Oshiomhole enjoys the support of Mr. President. The reason why some of us are resolute in our support for Oshiomhole is because although he is not a perfect man, he is trying to implement the promises that he made to all APC senators with a presidential backing; and getting them implemented, he has incurred the wrath of some of these governors who are not on the same page with the senators. It is the same with the House of Representatives.”

    The lawmaker criticised the governors for allegedly demanding too much from the APC leadership. He cited the examples of Okorocha in Imo and Amosun in Ogun who got senatorial tickets and still insisted on determining the governorship candidates to succeed them.

    “Now imagine someone like Senator Lanre Tejuoso (Ogun-Central). This is a man who has been loyal to Mr. President. When we needed him most, he was with us to prevent the veto and override of Mr. President, to ensure that Mr. President was not impeached.

    “We also needed his vote and he gave his vote to us on the issue of elections sequence that was targeted at Mr. President, to take the president to the back of elections timetable. We had him supporting us. But now, all of a sudden, the guarantee he would have needed to return to the Senate, he is now deprived of,” he said.

    The Majority Leader of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, who dismissed the alleged alliance between aggrieved governors and senators as speculative, said removing Oshiomhole wouldn’t solve APC’s problems.

    “I don’t think there is any truth in it because disagreements are normal in political parties and organisations. And leadership requires that when there are disagreements, the parties involved come round a table and discuss to find a way forward,” Lawan stated.

    He added, “There are so many issues up for discussion and I don’t believe that there is any particular effort to just get the national chairman of the party removed because of the situation today. My instinct tells me that my party – a very progressive party – will not be going for that kind of thing, just removing the chairman because that will not address the issues.

    Also speaking, Secretary of the Parliamentary Support Group, a body of the APC lawmakers in the National Assembly loyal to Buhari, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, vowed that the attempts by the governors to sack Oshiomhole would be resisted.

    “Some of us are standing by Oshiomhole because he is standing by us. Majority of us have so far succeeded (in getting tickets) but a couple of them failed,” Omo-Agege said.

    When asked to confirm the alleged alliance between aggrieved governors and senators, the lawmaker said, “Yes, you can say so. Our preference would have been that all the senators, to whom promises were made, were returned but we know that Oshiomhole has bent backward to accommodate most of us except a couple that he was not able to.

    “Oshiomhole should know that he has the backing of the APC Senate Caucus at all times.”

    Meanwhile, the chairmen of the APC in the 36 states of the federation are said to be working with some top leaders of the party to remove Oshiomhole following the crisis that arose from the last primaries of the party.

    It was gathered that the chairmen, some of whom have been in Abuja for up to a week, might call for an emergency National Executive Committee meeting of the party next week to carry out the plot.

    The source said, “Tinubu does not want Oshiomhole removed; so, he too is moving up and down to protect him (Oshiomhole). One of his moves is his private visit to the President recently.

    “This may stop the plot of the chairmen because his visit to the President was not unconnected with the Oshiomhole issue.”

    Oshiomhole had earlier told a news conference in Abuja on Friday that only “two or three out of the party’s 23 governors” had problems with him.

  • Fayose removed as PDP Leader, Olujimi confirmed

    Fayose removed as PDP Leader, Olujimi confirmed

    Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has been removed as the leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State.

    DayBreak learnt that at a stakeholders of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state on Saturday, Fayose was removed as the leader of the party in the state while Senate Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi, was confirmed as PDP’s new leader in Ekiti State and Southwest region.

    Olujimi is the party’s highest ranking political office holder in the southwest geo-political zone.

    They asked for the immediate dissolution of the present State Working Committee (SWC) led by the state PDP Chairman, Mr. Gboyega Oguntuase, and demanded the constitution of a caretaker committee.

    Above stated are part of the resolutions reached at Ekiti PDP Stakeholders Meeting held in Ado-Ekiti, the State capital, and attended by serving and former political office holders.

    Party chieftains who attended the meeting included Olujimi, former Deputy Governor, Dr. Sikiru Lawal; former Acting Governor, Mr. Olatunji Odeyemi; Ekiti Assembly Deputy Speaker, Mr. Segun Adewumi; former state PDP Chairman, Chief Bola Olu-Ojo; governorship aspirants, former National Assembly members, former State Assembly members, former local government chairmen and former party officers.

    Speaking with news men after the meeting, Senator Olujimi explained that Fayose was excluded from the meeting owing to the fact that he had just been released from detention by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over alleged financial fraud.

    “We knew what he might have passed through by staying in detention and we know it might not be easy for him to attend this meeting, so there is no faction at all in our party. My being appointed the Leader does not mean there is crisis.

    “The very day he left office was the day he was summoned by EFCC and we knew the rigour he had passed through. We are going to work together, I mean with former Governor Fayose. What we are doing is that we don’t want to allow his exit from office to mean the end of PDP in Ekiti. So, let me assure our supporters that we are on the same page with former Governor Fayose and other stakeholders. We are not factionalised and we shall work hard and ensure we win in next year’s election,” she said.

  • NITDA establishes 8 world class IT hubs for job creation

    NITDA establishes 8 world class IT hubs for job creation

    The National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) on Thursday said plans to establish additional eight Information Technology (IT) hubs to reduce unemployment in the country was on completion stage.

    Dr Isa Pantami, the Director- General of the agency said this at a news conference on the forthcoming e-Nigeria conference and the achievements of the agency in the past two years in Abuja.

    “NITDA is the process of establishing eight world class IT hubs in Nigeria in the six geo-political zones in the country with one each situated in Lagos and Abuja.

    “The IT hubs are to ensure that digital jobs are created.

    “We also provide seed funds for start-ups and support them by taking them to world class innovation exhibitions,” he said.

    Pantami said that the IT hubs establishment started in 2006, adding that hubs in Lagos, Calabar, Katsina, Oyo, Gombe states were already operational, while other states were still in progress.

    According to him, the agency will establish IT hubs in every state of the country and is upgrading already existing ones to meet with the trends in ICT.

    The D-G said that through the IT clearance policy of the agency, the Federal Government had saved N13 billion over two years and had ensured the alignment of IT projects in MDAs.

    Pantami said that the agency’s digital inclusion programme had created 86 digital capacity building centres, 80 digital job creation centres, eight virtual libraries with e- learning facilities in some tertiary institutions of the country.

    He said that the agency over the past two years had focused on seven pillars, which were IT regulation, cyber security, digital capacity building, government digital services, local content development, digital job creations and digital inclusion.

    According to him, creating digital jobs which is leveraging on Information Communication Technology (ICT) is part of the economic diversification strategy of the Federal Government.

    On ensuring cyber security, Pantami said the agency was piloting awareness programmes in the country to sensitise citizens on the dynamics and dangers of cyber attacks.

    He said that the novel achievement of the agency was bringing sanity in the awarding of IT projects among Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government.

  • FRSC DENIES AMBUSHING, EXTORTING MOTORISTS OVER NEW NUMBER PLATES ENFORCEMENT

    FRSC DENIES AMBUSHING, EXTORTING MOTORISTS OVER NEW NUMBER PLATES ENFORCEMENT

    The Federal Road Safety Commission has denied reports that it is ambushing and extorting motorists in its bid to get them to change over to new number plates.

    Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, said in a statement made available to newsmen, that pursuant to the introduction of the new number plate, the agency duly informed the public of the new regime and further gave time for the replacement of old number plates.

    Mr Kazeem said the FRSC resumed the enforcement of the policy after the Court of Appeal nullified an earlier order by the Federal High Court halting implementation.

    He also quoted a communiqué issued at the end of the 136th meeting of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) held on 28th November, 2016 at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, as stating categorically that the renewal of vehicle particulars on the old number plates would be discontinued with effect from the next due date as measure to check fraud and enhance revenue collection.

    READ FULL STATEMENT BELOW.

    The attention of the Federal Road Safety Corps has been drawn to a story in the press alleging “ambush” and “extortion”, by the Corps over new number plates.

    The story is incorrect, untrue and misleading.

    According to Bisi Kazeem, the Corps Public Education Officer, pursuant to the introduction of the new number plate, the Federal Road Safety Corps duly informed the public of the new regime and further gave time for the replacement of the old number plate.

    The Corps Marshal Dr Boboye Oyeyemi also ensured that the Corps undertook a public enlightenment on the security benefits of changing from the old to the new number plate at the point of renewing their vehicle documents which has only one year validity period.

    Kazeem said that item 4 of the communiqué issued at the end of the 136th meeting of the Joint Tax Board (JTB) held on the 28thNovember, 2016 at Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, states categorically that the renewal of vehicle particulars on the old number plates will be discontinued with effect from the next due date as measure to check fraud and enhance revenue collection.

    Further to this, Kazeem stated that the security feature of the new number plate is one of the key reasons motorists are expected to accept the introduction as the National Uniform Licensing Scheme (NULS) helps in the harmonization of data both of vehicles and drivers information system in the central data base.

    He added that the new database also makes it easier to track and apprehend criminals, especially those involved in car theft.

    It would be recalled that following the protests over the publication by FRSC of its intention to commence the arrest and prosecution of drivers or owners of vehicles using any number plate obtained under the repealed National Road Transport Regulation (NRTR) 2004 by 1st October, 2013; one Mr Emmanuel Ofoegbu instituted an action against FRSC at the Federal High Court in Lagos in FHC/CS/1332/13 Emmanuel Ofoegbu Vs FRSC.

    The Federal High Court presided over by Justice JT Tsoho held, inter alia that FRSC had no statutory powers to set deadlines for change-over to the new number plates since there was no enabling law to that effect.

    As a result of the ruling by the Court below, the Federal Road Safety Corps appealed the Judgment in Court of Appeal and on 31st October, 2014 the Court sitting in Lagos, unanimously held that FRSC had statutory power in line with the 1999 constitution under the FRSC (Establishment) Act, 2007 and the NRTR 2012 to regulate the use of number plates and to set deadlines for change-over to the new ones as provided for in the NRTR 2012.

    The ruling upholding the power of the Corps, the court said, “The Court below was thus right to issue the injunction to protect the respondent’s right to the enjoyment of the new number plate of his private vehicle issued on 18-03-13 to expire on 17-03-14. I resolved issue 3 (supra) in the respondent’s favour with a rider that the consequential order of injunction granted by the court below was tied to the lifespan of the number plate of the respondent’s private vehicle which expired on 17-03-14.

    “I will allow the appeal in part. For the avoidance of doubt, the appeal succeeds only in part to the effect that Regulations 2012 has legal force and is enforceable from 01-01-13, the administrative date assigned to it by the appellant.

    “The part of the decision of the court below declaring Regulations 2012 unconstitutional and without back up legal framework is hereby set aside.”

    Though the decision of the court of Appeal Lagos has been appealed by Emmanuel Ofegbu, there is no subsisting order of stay of execution of the Judgment of the Court of Appeal.

    By the above decision of the court, it follows that there is no legal impediment against the enforcement of the provisions of the NRTR 2012 as it pertains to change over to the new number plates.

    As such, the commencement of enforcement on the aforementioned is in tandem with the provisions of the law as stipulated in NRTR 2012 and the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.