NEWS
Executive Lawlessness: Wike, Others Risk Jail Term
It appears that the Judiciary is fed up with executive lawlessness, which has seen some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) flout court orders.
The National Industrial Court (NIC) might be leading in instituting the rule of law, as it moved on Wednesday to make an example of Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike and some of his executives, at the FCTA.
It was gathered that the NIC, Abuja has begun contempt proceedings against Wike, and others over what it termed ‘disregard of series of court orders’.
One of the reasons Wike would be standing trial is Managing Director/CEO, Abuja Markets Management Limited (AMML), Faruk Abubakar tenure.
One of the instances which incurred the irk of the NIC was Wike’s inclusion of Abubakar in the list of heads of agencies dissolved on September 27, 2023.
Recall that Wike had, on September 27, 2023 through a statement, relieved the heads of 21 parastatals, agencies and government companies of the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) of their appointments with immediate effect, including AMML.
The contempt charge, filed by Abubakar also joined the FCTA, AMML and the Abuja Investments Company Limited (AICL) as 2nd to 4th defendants respectively, including the former acting managing director of the AMML, Engr. Yakubu Abbas.
In the Form 48 marked: NICN/ABJ/62/2023, which was dated and filed on November 3, 2023, the application was titled: “Notice of Consequences of Disobedience to Order of Court.”
The application was brought pursuant to Section 72 Sheriff and Civil Process Act, 2004; Order IX Rules 1-3 of the Judgment Enforcement Rules and Under the inherent jurisdiction of court.
The application reads, “Take notice that unless you (the defendants) obey the orders and directions contained in the judgment of court on July 20 and the order of this Honourable Court made on July 26, you will be guilty of the contempt of court and will be liable to be committed to prison.”
It was gathered that that Abubakar’s counsel, Faruk Khamagam, had, following the dissolution, formally apprised Wike on September 28, 2023 about the peculiar situations that surrounded the agency’s headship and the legal tussle that preceded his appointment as minister.
Khamagam, in the letter, informed Wike of series of court judgments that affirmed Abubakar’s status as substantive managing director of the AMML.
The contempt proceeding would be standing on the allegation that Wike and others had been acting in disobedience to the orders of the industrial court made on July 20, restraining them from giving effect to the purported letter of termination of the employment of Abubakar as the managing director or the AMML.
Justice R. B. Haastrup had restrained the defendants from giving effect to the termination of the employment of Abubakar as the managing director of the AMML, which order was contained in a letter dated July 17, 2023, until the hearing and determination of the counterpart motion on notice.
The judge also ordered the defendants not to, in any way, interfere in the management, business and corporate affairs of the AMML and that status quo ante be maintained until the counterpart motion on notice was heard and determined.
In the same vein, Justice Donatus Okorowo of a Federal High Court, Abuja, had, on July 10, 2023 in a judgment, restrained the FCT Minister, the FCTA and others in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/499/2023 from dissolving and reconstituting the Board of the AMML by political fiat or press statement, without first following the procedure of CAMA, 2020.
According to the court, doing so would be ultra vires the powers of the FCT Minister and the FCTA.
The court had also affirmed Abubakar as the managing director of the AMML.
Khamagam, who said the AICL and FCTA had continued to insist on the termination of Abubakar’s employment as contained in their July 17, 2023 letter, also averred that Abbas had been parading himself as the acting managing director of the AMML in contravention of valid court orders and judgment.
He said, “Engr. Yakubu Abbas himself, has been parading himself as the acting MD of AMML and has been signing and issuing documents in that capacity, in the name of AMML from unknown locations.”
On his part, Legal Adviser and Secretary, AMML, Felix Edache, alleged that on Monday, the policemen stormed the AMML’s head office in Gudu on the order of the FCT commissioner of Police.
According to Edache, the officers were led by DSP Bello Adamu, who disclosed that they were deployed to maintain peace and workers’ safety.
“When I resumed, I saw a flood of armed policemen all over the premises.
“Upon getting to the office, I was told that they had come to ensure safety of the place but I told them that I am not aware that AMML made any complaint to the police to that effect.
“In fact if there should be any of such complaint, it should have come from me,” he said.
He was rattled, however, when later in the evening the same policemen tendered a memo from the FCTA signed by the General Counsel, Salman Dako, purportedly written on behalf of the FCT Minister asking the CP to prevent the MD, Abubakar, and the Legal Adviser from gaining entrance into the office.
He continued, “Although, the memo by Dako cited the termination of Abubakar’s employment as the eason for the request, it did not say why the police is being asked to prevent me from entering the office.
“We are law abiding citizens. We will never do anything to subvert the law.
“However, any attempt to trample our right would be resisted with every legal tool.
“It is time for the Minister to reassess his legal team at the ministry so that they don’t end up misleading him into running foul of the law which he also swore to protect as both lawyer and public servant.
“I am hopeful that the minister will act accordingly.”
Critical stakeholders are lamenting that fuel importers, licensed by the Nigerian government, are selling imported premium motor spirit (PMS) also known as petrol around N200 per litre, above what local refiner, the Dangote Petroleum Refinery and Petrochemicals (DPRP) is selling.
The Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) noted that the importers including Matrix, AA Rano, Hayden among others have started pricing imported petrol significantly above the rates offered by the DPRP, raising concerns over the effectiveness of the government’s import licensing policy.
IPMAN’s National Publicity Secretary, Chinedu Ukadike, said independent marketers had expected the import licences to serve as a check on domestic fuel pricing but are now shocked to find out that the policy had failed to deliver the desired outcome.
“The independent marketers of Nigeria have looked at the price volatility, the issue of the import license, the issue of sales of petroleum products and dollar, and holistically I will want to use the opportunity to urge the federal government to look into this thing transparently through NMDPRA, who is the authority of the industry,” he said.
According to him, the recent import licences issued to marketers have not helped reduce fuel prices as anticipated.
“The recent import licenses, which are termed to be used as a guiding principle or a check to domestic petroleum products being refined here in Nigeria, is not yielding the results as was expected by the independent marketers,” he stated.
Ukadike expressed surprise that some importers were reportedly selling imported petrol at about N1,350 per litre, despite lower prices from the DPRP.
“We were shocked, even as I am talking to you now, that the licenses that have been given to AA Rano, Matrix and all the rest of them to be able to import petroleum products are trying to peg the price of petroleum products at N1,350, which is far, far distant from what Dangote has been selling to us,” he said.
He further questioned the quality and pricing of imported products, insisting that the policy was undermining the purpose for which the licences were granted.
“The essence of NNPC or NMDPRA or the federal government opening up this import license is also to checkmate the domestic price of petroleum products, whereas where we find out that these products are being brought into this country, one, their qualities are questionable, two, their prices are higher,” Ukadike added.
The IPMAN spokesman also warned that continued fuel importation at higher prices was increasing pressure on Nigeria’s foreign exchange market, with the naira approaching N1,400 to the US dollar.
He argued that imported petroleum products priced using the international PLATTS benchmark were about 20 percent more expensive than products supplied by the DPRP, making imports less competitive.
Ukadike urged the Federal Government to sustain the sale of crude oil to the Dangote refinery in naira, saying the arrangement would help stabilise domestic fuel prices, reduce demand for foreign exchange and ease pressure on the local currency.
He also cautioned against what he described as the indiscriminate issuance of import licences, warning that such a policy could ultimately lead to higher pump prices for consumers instead of promoting competition.
The Sahara Group Foundation (SGF) has expanded its waste management network and recycling infrastructure in Northern Nigeria with the commissioning of two Sahara Go Recycling hubs in Jigawa and Kaduna States.
This was detailed in a statement from the Foundation on Sunday, which had it that the hubs, located at Gidan Hakimi in Shuwarin Local Government Area of Jigawa State and Asharami Retail Station, Badiko, Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State, are the Foundation’s 21st and 22nd recycling hubs nationwide and its second and third in Northern Nigeria.
According to a statement, the Jigawa hub was delivered with the support of the King’s Council, Shuwarin, while the Kaduna hub was established in collaboration with Asharami Synergy.
The Foundation said the initiative is designed to convert waste into income-generating opportunities for households. The Director of Sahara Group Foundation, Chidilim Menakaya, said the hubs demonstrate the organisation’s approach to expanding practical sustainability initiatives through partnerships.
“By partnering with institutions and sister companies that understand local needs and realities, we are building a recycling ecosystem that communities can own, sustain, and benefit from over the long term,” she said.
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The commissioning ceremonies were attended by members of the King’s Council, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Environment, Dr Nura Doka, the Chairman of Shuwarin Local Government Area, Abdulhamid Balago, the vice chairman, community leaders and residents in Jigawa, as well as Asharami Synergy’s leadership and the Filling Station Manager in Kaduna.
Speaking at the Jigawa event, Alhaji Bashir Abdullahi, Sarkin Gabas and Hakimin Shuwarin, said the facility addresses a longstanding waste management challenge in the community.
“For years, our people have had no organised way to deal with waste beyond burning or dumping it by the roadside,” he said. “This hub gives our young people and our women a way to earn from something that used to just pollute our surroundings.”
At the Kaduna event, the Filling Station Manager of Asharami Retail Station, Badiko, Aliyu Abdullahi Mabai, said the recycling hub complements the station’s operations.
“We are glad to host this recycling hub on our premises,” he said. “It gives our customers and neighbours a simple way to recycle, and fits with what Asharami Synergy stands for as a responsible business.”
The Foundation also disclosed plans to commission another recycling hub in Kano State in the coming weeks following a recent engagement with the Emir of Kano, Muhammadu Sanusi II, who expressed interest in the initiative.
According to the Foundation, Sahara Go Recycling has supported the recycling of more than 1,000 tonnes of materials since its launch and has directly or indirectly impacted more than 2,000 livelihoods nationwide.
Andy Burnham has officially been sworn in as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom after meeting King Charles III at Buckingham Palace, marking the beginning of a new chapter in British politics.
Burnham assumed office on Monday after outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer formally resigned during an audience with the King. Following Starmer’s departure, King Charles III invited Burnham to form a new government, which he accepted.
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The 56-year-old becomes Britain’s sixth prime minister in the past 10 years, taking office amid mounting economic pressures, political uncertainty and a lingering cost-of-living crisis.
In his farewell speech outside 10 Downing Street, Starmer reflected on his two years in office, insisting his government had left Britain in a stronger position.
“I am confident that Britain is now stronger and fairer than it was two years ago,” Starmer said.
“I go with good grace, I go with a smile, and I go proud of everything that we have achieved,” he added.
Burnham is expected to use his first address as prime minister to outline his vision for restoring public confidence in government while prioritising economic growth, easing the cost-of-living crisis and devolving more powers to regional communities.
Speaking in an interview with The Times before taking office, Burnham signalled a break from recent policies.
“What we’ve been doing hasn’t been working. That’s the way I see it,” he said.
“I am going to try and do things in a different way.”
The new prime minister inherits a series of pressing challenges, including slow economic growth, rising government borrowing costs, a growing welfare bill and continued irregular migration across the English Channel.
He has also pledged a different approach to public spending, promising greater investment in prevention and long-term economic development.
“A different approach to public spending and to running the economy — more focused on early investment, early intervention, setting people up for success and much less paying for failure,” Burnham said.
As one of his first policy decisions, Burnham scrapped the nationwide digital ID scheme introduced under Starmer’s administration, saying the estimated £1.8 billion earmarked for the project would instead be redirected toward helping families cope with the rising cost of living.
A former Greater Manchester mayor, Burnham previously served as a Member of Parliament from 2001 to 2017 and held ministerial roles under former prime ministers Tony Blair and Gordon Brown.
He returned to Parliament only weeks ago before emerging as Labour’s new leader following Starmer’s resignation.
Burnham now has less than three years to deliver on his promises before the next general election, expected in 2029, as Labour seeks to fend off growing support for Nigel Farage’s Reform UK party.
Addressing supporters after securing the Labour leadership, Burnham described the moment as Labour’s “last chance” to regain the confidence of British voters, insisting that his government has a clear plan to steer the country in a new direction.
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