National
N3trillion Budget Padding: Coalition of Civil Societies Mobilises for Mass Protess, Demand List for All Constituency Projects For Senators
The Conference of Civil society for Transparency and Accountability has said that the request is made under Sections 1, 4, and 9 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011, also demanded a Certified True Copy of constituency projects as benefitted by all senators in the 2024 budget appropriation.
The conference which is a Coalition of over 200 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has written the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, demanding a Certified True Copy of the 2024 budget highlighting the projects attached to the N3trillion allegedly padded.
The coalition which said the request is made under Sections 1, 4, and 9 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011, also demanded a Certified True Copy of constituency projects as benefitted by all senators in the 2024 budget appropriation.
According to the letter signed by the Director of Communication and Strategy, Haruna Abdulsalam for the coalition, the CSOs warned that failure to make those documents available within seven days would force to mobilise for protest for a change in the leadership of the Senate.
The letter titled, “Request for information on allegation of N3.7trillion budget padding and notification of planned mass protest to demand the resignation of the president and the deputy president of the senate,” was dated March 19, 2024.
The allegation of the budget padding, the coalition said, was of grave concern to all Nigerians, especially at the critical time of hunger and starvation and the future adverse effect on the economy and the direct consequences on the living standard of the people.
Abdulsalam said that the Coalition of Civil Society Organisations was established to speak with one voice for the promotion of the rule of law and good governance, moral value, and social justice.
“In an ideal democracy where rule of law, transparency, and accountability is the watchword of those that are privileged to lead, we believe that the allegation by Senator Abdul Ningi should have been referred to a relevant committee for investigation and all evidence and counter evidence deliberated upon and when all fact is exhausted, Nigerians will no doubt pick that which is true from it. But the turn of events suggests that there are questions to be answered by the leadership of the Senate.
“We hereby request the following document: A certified True Copy of the budget highlighting the projects attached to the #3 trillion in contention.
“Certified True Copy of Constituency projects as benefited by all Senators in the budget.”
“For clarity purposes, we wish to state that this information is needed for us to be able to take a position on the whole issue of this budget padding allegation.
“Our plan protest will be hinged on the inability of the Senate through the leadership to avail us with detailed and convincing documents with basic explanations to clarify the alleged anomalies in the budget. For the avoidance of doubt, it is the constitutional right of every citizen to;
“i. Request from government agencies and official details management and running of their offices as it affects the people (FOI ACT 2011).
“ii. Stage peaceful protest of any perceived anomalies as it relates to how the citizens are being led according to the United Nations Charter on Civil Society.
“iii. Every other constitutional means to press home demands on accountability and transparency in governance.”
The coalition reiterated that “if there is no response from your office within Seven days as enshrined in Section 4 of FOI Act, we will be left with no other option than to mobilise over 200 like mind Civil Society Organisations in the Coalition to go ahead with the protest of demanding a change of leadership of the Senate.
A total of 92 visually impaired candidates participated in the ongoing Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examinations (UTME) conducted by the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) at the Kano centre.
Prof. Muhammad Yahuza-Bello, JAMB Coordinator for the Kano centre, made the announcement while monitoring the exercise on Monday.
The examination took place at the School of Continuing Education, Bayero University Kano (BUK), under the JAMB Equal Opportunity Group (JEOG) initiative for candidates with special needs.
Yahuza-Bello, a former vice-chancellor of BUK, explained that the 92 candidates were drawn from Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, and Kaduna States.
He added that among the candidates, two had Down syndrome, while two others had autism.
The candidates, both male and female, were provided with specialized gadgets such as typewriters, braille machines, slates, styluses, and paper to facilitate their participation in the exams.
The coordinator also said over 500 candidates with special needs-ranging from visual impairments and albinism to Down syndrome and autism-had registered to take the exam at 11 centres across the country.
He said, unlike regular Computer-Based Testing (CBT) centres where candidates interact with screens and keyboards, special needs candidates benefit from adaptive materials to eliminate barriers to education.
Since its introduction in 2017, JEOG has seen positive results, with an increasing number of special needs candidates gaining admission into tertiary institutions.
Yahuza-Bello pointed out that while approximately 25% of regular candidates gain admission, over 33% of special needs candidates are successful in securing placements.
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National
Court Approves Federal Government’s Request to Protect Witness Identities in Nnamdi Kanu Trial
A federal high court in Abuja has authorized the federal government’s request to keep the identities of witnesses in the trial of Nnamdi Kanu confidential.
Kanu, who leads the banned Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), has been held by the Department of State Services (DSS) since 2021 on charges of terrorism and treasonable felony.
On Tuesday, prosecution attorney Adegboyega Awomolo informed the court that he had submitted an ex parte application on April 10 to safeguard the identities of the witnesses. He requested that the court provide screens and masks to ensure their anonymity.
“The purpose of this request is to ensure the safety and security of state officers who will serve as witnesses,” he stated.
Kanu Agabi, the defendant’s counsel, did not contest the application.
The trial is underway, with the first witness, a DSS operative, already called to testify.
Kanu was re-arraigned on March 21 before Judge James Omotosho of the federal high court in Abuja.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested Aisha Achimugu.
The managing director and chief executive officer (CEO) of Felak Concept Group was arrested at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja.
Achimugu was taken in around 5am on Tuesday after arriving in Nigeria from London.
More to follow…