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Alleged contempt: Ex-Governor Obaseki’s ‘deputy’ honours court summons
Mr Godwins Omobayo, who was appointed as deputy governor to the immediate-past Governor of Edo, Godwin Obaseki, on Monday, appeared at a Federal High Court in Abuja to honour a court order.
Omobayo appeared in court alongside his counsel, Mr Ken Mozia, SAN, before Justice Omotosho.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Justice Omotosho had, on Nov. 4, ordered Omobayo to appear in person before him on Nov. 25 (today) over his alleged disobedience to court judgment.
The judge, in a ruling, held that the order was to give Omobayo, the alleged contemnor, a fair hearing and the opportunity to defend himself in line with Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
NAN had earlier reported that the reinstated Deputy Governor to Obaseki, Philip Shaibu, had filed the contempt charge for Omobayo to be committed to prison over his alleged refusal to vacate the deputy governorship position after a valid court judgment.
Justice Omotosho had, on July 17, voided the impeachment of Shaibu as the deputy governor of Edo by the house of assembly.
The judge, in the judgment, ordered his reinstatement to office on the grounds that the Edo House of Assembly failed to comply with due process in the purported impeachment.
The judge also held that the allegation on which the assembly based the impeachment proceedings was untenable in law and did not constitute a gross misconduct.
The judgment was in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/478/2024 with Shaibu as the plaintiff.
The reinstated deputy governor had sued the Inspector-General (I-G) of Police, the Deputy Governor of Edo, the Attorney-General, Chief Judge of Edo, Speaker of Edo House of Assembly and the Edo State House of Assembly as 1st to 6th defendants respectively.
Omobayo was, on April 8, sworn in as the new deputy governor after Shaibu’s impeachment by the state’s house of assembly.
Justuce Omotosho had, on Oct. 24, granted Shaibu’s motion ex-parte seeking for an order for a substituted service of Form 49 on Omobayo and fixed Nov. 4 for hearing.
However, neither Omobayo nor his lawyer was represented in court.
Ayotunde Ogunleye, who appeared for Shaibu, therefore, prayed the court to make an order, directing Omobayo to appear in person as order of court cannot continue to be treated with disregard.
Upon resumed hearing on Monday, Omobayo, who was in court, was represented by Mozia.
Ogunleye then told the court that the affidavit of service of Form 48, Form 49, the motion and the hearing notice as ordered by the court on the defendants was dated Nov. 19.
The court registrar equally confirmed the affidavit of service of the documents on the defendants in the court record.
Ogunleye informed the court that the matter was adjourned till today for hearing of the contempt proceedings.
The lawyer, however, said counsel to the contemnor (Omobayo) served them with a motion on notice filed on Nov. 20 by which they sought to regularise their processes.
Responding, Mozia told the court that it was “Godwins Marvelous Omobayo that filed the motion and not a contemnor” as being referred by Ogunleye.
“He filed an application within which to extend time to file his process. It was filed on Nov. 20.
“I crave the indulgence of your lordship to take the application,” the senior lawyer said.
Ogunleye, who acknowledged being served, said he was not opposing.
But Justuce Omotosho said since the motion was filed on Nov. 20 and presumably served on 1st, 2nd and 5th defendants who were not represented in court, it would be necessary to give them opportunity to also respond in the interest of fair hearing.
The judge consequently adjourned the matter until Jan. 29, 2025 for hearing of the contempt charge.
He ordered that hearing notice be issued and served on 1st, 2nd and 5th defendants.
NAN reports that Obaseki-Shaibu’s tenure in Edo ended on Nov. 12 with the swearing in of the All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Governorship Candidate, Sen. Monday Okpebholo as new governor.(NAN)
The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, JAMB, on Friday announced the release of the 2025 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination, UTME, results.
Elanza news reported that over 1.9 million applicants participated in the just-concluded exercise.
The board also disclosed that 80 suspects across the country are currently under interrogation for examination fraud, with Anambra State leading the pack with 14 suspects.
The board said it is withholding the results of 39,834 candidates over issues relating to examination irregularities.
JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede, stated this on Friday while officially releasing the 2025 UTME.
He also disclosed that while 467 underage candidates met the prescribed minimum score, 50 were engaged in cheating scandal.
A press conference to this effect is ongoing.
Details coming…
A massive fire razed a warehouse at Global Crystal Foam Nigeria Limited in Oko-Oba, Oyo State, on Thursday night, destroying property worth millions of naira, officials confirmed.
The blaze, which broke out along Akinmorin Road, prompted a rapid response from state and federal fire services, who managed to contain the inferno within 15 minutes.
Hon. Maroof Akinwande, Senior Adviser on Fire Service Reform to Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde, visited the scene and urged the company’s management to prioritise fire safety measures to prevent future incidents.
“The governor places immense value on the safety of lives and property,” Akinwande said, calling on the public to cooperate with firefighters during emergencies.
The Oyo State Fire Service Agency, led by General Manager Akinyemi Akinyinka, was alerted to the fire at 8:50 pm by a retired fire officer, Mr. M.O. Adewuyi.
“Upon arrival, we found the warehouse engulfed in flames,” Akinyinka said.
“Our team, supported by the Federal Fire Service, Oyo Command, applied firefighting chemicals to restrict the fire from spreading to other sections of the company.”
Akinyinka noted that the fire, caused by overheating foam blocks igniting nearby combustibles, had raged for an hour before the agency was notified by a passerby who spotted smoke.
Despite the delay, the coordinated response prevented the blaze from consuming the entire facility, saving property worth millions.
Security was provided by a team from the Oyo East Division of the Amotekun Corps, led by CFS Adeduntan, who ensured no looting occurred during the operation.
MTN Nigeria, a leading telecommunications company, has invested N3.5 billion in corporate social investment (CSI) in 2024, bringing its total CSI spending to N31.9 billion since its inception, the company’s Chief Sustainability Officer, Tobechukwu Okigbo, announced on Thursday.
Speaking at the Nigerian Exchange Ltd (NGX) during the presentation of the company’s Facts Behind the Sustainability Report, Okigbo highlighted the tangible impacts of MTN’s initiatives.
“Our efforts have benefited over 663,300 individuals, supported 628 small businesses, and improved educational outcomes in 62 schools across Nigeria,” he said.
The company also launched the Sustainability in Action, Value for the MTN Everyone (SAVE) campaign to enhance employee engagement in sustainability efforts.
To improve global accessibility, MTN’s 2023 sustainability report was digitally tagged with extensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL), making it easier for investors and stakeholders to access.
MTN Nigeria made significant strides in reducing its environmental footprint, cutting Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 11% from its 2021 baseline of 113,826 tCO²e to 101,300 tCO²e in 2024.
The company expanded renewable energy use by adding 194 solar-powered rural telephony sites and became the first telecom operator in West Africa to introduce eco-friendly SIM cards.
On the social front, MTN reaffirmed its commitment to gender equality through its Yellowpreneur platform, which provides women access to low-interest loans.
“No fewer than 600,000 women have benefited from this initiative,” Okigbo noted, adding that the loans, facilitated through partner banks, carry an interest rate not exceeding N3.00.