Rivers State governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has said approval for any new campus of the Nigerian Law School in the country should be based on needs assessment and not on political sentiment.
He noted that with the paucity of funds being allocated to the Nigerian Law School by the Federal Government, States with capacity to build brand new campus of the institution should be encouraged to do so based on the model provided by the Council of Legal Education.
Governor Wike stated this when members of the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters led by its chairman, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, paid him a courtesy call at the Government House, Port Harcourt on Tuesday.
The Rivers State Governor observed that due to the current insufficient carrying capacity of the Nigerian Law School, there has been clamour for proliferation of more campuses across the country. But he cautioned that this must not be done on the basis of political sentiment.
“Most of us attended the Nigerian Law School, Lagos, and even at that time, it was not easy to have accommodation within the Law School. But at least, we were able to attend classes. So, it is reasonable for everybody to say there is need to increase the carrying capacity. But that must be done with objectivity; that must be done with facts, that must not be done by sentiment.”
He explained that two years ago when he attended the call to bar ceremony at the Abuja campus of the Nigerian Law School, he was appalled by the decrepit infrastructure in the school.
According to him, this was what spurred the Rivers State government to build 900 bed space hostels and 1500 capacity auditorium for students in Yenagoa campus, and then, the subsequent construction of a brand new campus in Port Harcourt.
“From the record I’ve checked, they’ve (Nigerian Law School) never gotten more than N61 Million Naira to fund the Law School yearly. And I made a special appeal to support to Council of Legal Education to rehabilitate the campus in Abuja, and the Director General said no, we have more problem in Yenagoa, leave Abuja.
“You’ll never allow your slave to attend the campus in Yenagoa. And I want to thank the DG for being a true Nigerian. As I speak to you today, Rivers State government is investing not less than N5.1billion in Yenagoa campus. What is our interest? Our interest is to contribute to the development of legal education in Nigeria.”
Governor Wike said based on the Federal Government’s inability to sufficiently fund the Nigerian Law School, any State government that desires to have a campus should approach the Council of Legal Education for approval.
“I will appeal, in solving this carrying capacity problem, let’s not also create other problems. It is a professional school and so we must be guided. If any state wants to have a Law School there must be a model.”
The governor explained that the construction of Nabo Graham Douglas campus of the Nigerian Law School in Port Harcourt will cost the Rivers State government N16 Billion. According to him, everything that is supposed to be in a Law School, will be found in the Port Harcourt campus when it is completed early next year.
“We are not just merely building a Law School, we have acquired investment to handover to the Law School to use to sustain the school here. This is a model that a Law School should be.”
The governor also disclosed once the project is completed and handed over to the Council of Legal Education, the State government will also provide subvention to the Council to run the campus for the next four years.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Michael Opeyemi Bamidele, said they were in the State to assess the progress of work at the Port Harcourt campus of the Nigerian Law School.
“Your Excellency, when we were all privileged to study law in this country and just as we are doing graduation, the Nigerian Law School was waiting to absorb us. We have children in this country who graduated some two, three, four years ago and they are still waiting to be absorbed into the Nigerian Law School.
“Was it based on the refusal by the Nigerian Law School to so admit them, no. But based simply on the fact that the Nigerian Law School as presently constituted and as funded, is lacking the capacity to be able to respond to the corresponding needs of the Nigerian public, given the number of universities that turned out law graduates every year.”
He commended Governor Wike for his intervention to build a befitting campus of the Nigerian Law School in Rivers State.

No Person Should Take Andy Uba Seriously Because He Was Never The APC Candidate
1. A number of Anambra people, including people from his hometown of Uga in Aguata Local Government Area, have been warning Senator Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against carrying out his threat of going to the Election Petitions Tribunal following the November 6 gubernatorial election in Anambra State in which he took a distant third position, despite the APC being the national government party. The warning is hinged on two considerations: the need to build on the culture of social harmony which the state has created since 2017 when the candidates of the major parties congratulated Governor Willie Obiano on his massive reelection and the need to maintain judicial integrity, since most Nigerians do not regard Uba as someone who plays by rules in political games.
2. Much as the concerns of these people are legitimate and much as it is acknowledged that Uba can ordinarily sue in a democracy if he is genuinely dissatisfied with the process or outcome of an electoral exercise, Anambra people need not worry about any likely antics by the controversial former senator. He has no locus standi to approach the Election Petitions Tribunal. He was never the APC candidate in the November 6 election. Uba himself knows this to be the fact in his heart. Hence, he instructed his lawyer, Abubakar Magaji Mahmud (SAN), to do everything within his power to stop Mr Justice Inyang Eden Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja from delivering judgment on November 4, 2021, on a case brought by Chief George Moghalu, Managing Director of the National Inland Waterways Authority, and a founding APC member who sought the party’s ticket to contest in the governorship election. Chief Moghalu is suing the party for forwarding Uba’s name to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its nominee in the election. The reason given by Uba and his lawyer for seeking to stop the judgment was that the outcome of the judicial decision would have severe consequences for them since the election would take place two days later. Justice Ekwo, out of pity, decided to postpone the judgment. From all indications, Uba knows how the judgment will turn out. After all, INEC has written a report showing that no primary election took place.
3. Every APC leader believes there was no primary election on June 26, 2021, which Senator Uba or any other person could have won and, therefore, qualified to be the party’s standard bearer. Senator Chris Ngige, the Minister of Labour and Employment and the party’s leader in Anambra State who is also a former Anambra State governor, has repeatedly stated in public that there was no primary election on June 26.
4. It is, therefore, not surprising that on two occasions the Andy Uba Gubernatorial Council announced that President Muhammadu Buhari would grace the flag-off of its electioneering campaign and on two occasions the president ignored the council. The council later announced that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo would attend its flag-off in Onitsha on September 25, only for the respected Vice President, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and evangelical pastor, to ignore them for fear of soiling his image. No APC governor or minister or senator attended any function by Uba. Hence, Uba entered the history book as the only APC member to participate in a governorship race without the President or Vice President or even a representative in attendance. Senator Uba also made history as the only APC membership to take part in a gubernatorial election without ever having a campaign flag-off anywhere.
5. All this owes to the fact that Andy Uba was never the APC candidate in the November 6 election in Anambra State. His purported candidature will be nullified formally once Justice Ekwo delivers judgment on the suit brought by Chief Moghalu, one of the other 13 APC governorship aspirants swindled by certain party operatives who came to Anambra State to conduct the party’s congress and primary election after they had paid a whopping 23 million naira each for the Expression of Interest/Governorship Nomination Form.
6. Andy Uba and his group took dubiousness too far when it was claimed that he received 230,201 out of a phantom 348,490 votes cast in the so-called primary election. No journalist saw any APC member vote anywhere. No observer witnessed any party congress. No party member in the state participated in either the congress or the alleged primary election. Of course, there are not up to 20,000 APC members in Anambra State where the party had its worst result in the 2019 general election. Hence, Uba could not garner more than 43,285 votes in the November governorship election, as opposed to Professor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) who got 112,229 votes and Mr Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who scored 53,807 votes.
7. The Anambra people are satisfied that the party which took second in the election has congratulated the winner, just as the APC which came third. President Buhari says he is looking forward to working closely with Professor Soludo, a former Central Bank governor and a member of Buhari’s Committee of Economic Advisers, for the development of not just Anambra State but the Southeast. It is, indeed, a mark of gross indiscipline that after President Buhari, the APC leader, has congratulated Professor Soludo on his massive victory in 19 out of the 21 local government areas in Anambra State, Uba, who could not win in even one state, is threatening the Anambra people with fire and brimstone as well as the so-called Imo Formula which, in his fanciful world, could make a person who took a very pathetic third position occupy Anambra Government House.
8. Anambra people and all Nigerians are enjoined to disregard the threat from Uba and his so-called supporters who want to milk so much from him in the belief that he is just what Nigerians call “money miss road”. All local and international observers have confirmed that the November 6 election was free and fair and transparent. Local and international journalists who covered the historic election are of the same view. The massive rejoicing in Anambra State and beyond over the outcome shows the profound legitimacy of INEC’s declaration of Professor Soludo as the winner of the November 6 vote. It is time to ignore Uba, a bad loser who was never the APC candidate in the first place.
God bless Anambra State, the Light of the Nation.
Signed
C. Don Adinuba
Director, Media and Communication
Soludo Campaign.

PRESS RELEASE

LAGOS OPEN FOR COLLABORATION, INVESTMENTS FROM WILLING PARTNERS, SAYS SANWO-OLU

•Seeks partnership with Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland

•We’ll partner LASG in circular economy, human development, others – Nordic ministers

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Tuesday, said the State is set to harness the potential of its landmass and face challenges headlong with innovative solutions as a 21st Century Mega City.

He said with a landmass of less than 0.4 percent, the Lagos State Government was ready and open for collaboration investments from willing partners as well as the political will to address issues on climate change.

Governor Sanwo-Olu made the statement while speaking at the Nordic – Nigeria Connect Smart City Lagos 2021, a high-power conference on Smart City solutions and circular economy themed: “Developing a Greener Lagos” held at Eko Hotels and Suites, Victoria Island on Tuesday.

The Nordic countries include Norway, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.

Governor Sanwo-Olu assured foreign partners, especially investors from the Nordic countries that Lagos is ready and open for collaboration for investments from willing partners, noting that Lagos has taken steps to improve ease of doing business.

He said issues on the agenda for the conference “are of considerable importance to our planet, especially as we ramp up efforts to forge lasting consensus on tackling climate change,” adding that the timing of the conference could not be more perfect, in the immediate aftermath of COP26.

“Lagos is open for collaboration and investment. We have the talent and expertise. We have the financial markets. We have the demographics to support your business cases and plans. We have massive opportunities for the rollout of low-carbon infrastructure and solutions, and we have the political will, as a government, to ensure that your ideas and investments take root and thrive.

“We are delighted that many of the investors we are seeing in Lagos are deeply committed to projects that advance the desired goals of climate resilience and environmental friendliness, while also making great business sense and meeting the practical needs of the populace.

“I am delighted that we are seeing considerable interest in our ideas and opportunities, from the Nordic countries, which are themselves world leaders in the circular economy, in environmental sustainability, and in the inevitable transition to a net-zero-carbon future,” he said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu who identified some of the challenges facing Lagos State with its large population to include, transportation, infrastructure, environment, waste management and Green Energy, among others, said that his administration’s driving force is the T.H.E.M.E.S. developmental agenda.

“I am pleased to note that our administration’s governing agenda for Lagos, known as the T.H.E.M.E.S. agenda prioritises that “21st Century” thinking. The ‘M’ in T.H.E.M.E.S. stands for Making Lagos a 21st Century Megacity, while the first E represents Education and Technology, which are the key requirements for the evolution of a Smart’ City,” he said.

He said Lagos State Government is currently building Nigeria’s biggest metropolitan fiber-optic network that will provide high-speed internet access for public institutions and private sectors, as well as investing public funds in start-ups and academic research, through the Lagos State Research and Innovation Council (LASRIC), as part of its commitment to entrenching a culture of innovation.

“We are also looking at agricultural systems that can enable us to maximise productivity while minimising environmental impact, considering our limited land resource. We are automating and digitising various government procedures, like land and property registration – which as you know will have a positive environmental impact, in terms of minimising travel to government offices while also reducing the use of paper,” he said.

Speaking at the event on behalf of the Nordic countries, Deputy Minister for International Trade, Finland, Ms. Nina Vaskunlahti; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Norway, H.E. Anniken Huitfeldt; State Secretary for Trade and Global Sustainability, Denmark, Mr. Steen Hommel and State Secretary for Foreign Trade and Nordic Affairs, Sweden, Mr. Krister Nilsson, said their countries are set to partner with the Lagos State government in the areas of the circular economy, human development, recycling and waste management and Green transport solution, among others.

Also speaking, the Founder, the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu commended the Nordic countries for organising the event and interacting with the Lagos State government and business practitioners for investments in the State, noting that entrepreneurship is very key to Africa development.

He implored government and public sector leaders to create an enabling environment for investors and foreign partners.

SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
NOVEMBER 23, 2021

PRESS RELEASE

SANWO-OLU MOURNS BABATUNDE OMIDINA (BABA SUWE)

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has extended his heartfelt condolences to the Omidina family and the Nigerian entertainment industry on the passage of a renowned Nigerian comic actor, Mr. Babatunde Omidina, popularly known as Baba Suwe, who died on Monday at age 63.

Governor Sanwo-Olu, in a statement issued on Tuesday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, said Omidina’s demise was painful and a great loss to the deceased family, Nollywood and the country as a whole, especially fans and lovers of the popular Yoruba actor.

The Governor urged the deceased family, friends, associates and the movie practitioners to take the death of ‘Baba Suwe’ in good faith and as an act of God.

He said: “The late Babatunde Omidina, popularly known as Baba Suwe was a bundle of talent, who used his God-given gift to advance the course of mankind. As an actor, he put smiles on the faces of many people through his comic roles in different movies and television drama series.

“No doubt the death of a loved one is usually painful because it is irreparable but we must always take solace in God, especially if the deceased had lived a fulfilled life, just like the late Babatunde Omidina, who was a celebrated actor during his lifetime.

“Baba Suwe’s death had left a vacuum that would take some time to be filled in the entertainment industry. I pray that God will grant the late Babatunde Omidina eternal rest and grant the family, colleagues and associates the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.”

SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
NOVEMBER 23, 2021

PRESIDENT BUHARI GREETS FORMER HIGH COMMISSIONER TO UK, DR DALHATU TAFIDA AT 81
President Muhammadu Buhari joins family, friends and associates of former Nigeria’s High Commissioner, United Kingdom, Dr Dalhatu Sarki Tafida, to celebrate his 81st birthday, November 24, 2021.
The President warmly felicitates with the dedicated public servant, who had variously worked for a greater nation, serving variously as Medical Doctor, Consultant Physician/Permanent Secretary, Chief Consultant Physician to a President, Commissioner of Education and Minister of Health.
President Buhari notes the wisdom and experience that the former High Commissioner had always brought to every national assignment, setting standards, motivating others to achieve goals, and uplifting many in his community and across the nation.
As a member of the Constituent Assembly, 1988-89 and Senate Majority leader, the President affirms that Dr Tafida also played a major role in shaping political developments in the country, and has remained relevant in inspiring many leaders.
President Buhari prays that the Almighty God will grant him good health, strength and longer life.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
November 23, 2021