national | news
TUESDAY, february 23, 2016 NEW TELEGRAPH
Akeem Nafiu
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he Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) yesterday failed to stay further proceedings in a suit challenging its powers to hike electricity tariff. Justice Mohammed Idris described NERC's application as lacking in merit. Activist lawyer, Mr. Toluwani Yemi Adebiyi, has asked the judge to intervene in the matter. NERC is asking the court to stay proceedings until its appeal against two previous rulings delivered by the judge was heard and determined by the higher court, the Court of Appeal. Justice Idris had in one of the rulings, barred
Electricity tariff: Court dismisses NERC's application to stay proceedings NERC from implementing any upward review in electricity tariff pending the hearing and determination of the suit. The other ruling has to do with the dismissal of NERC's preliminary objections to the suit. However, while dismissing the application for stay of proceedings for lacking in merit, Justice Idris held that contrary to the claims of the applicant, there was no indication that the appeal has been listed for hearing at the Appeal Court.
He said: "It is clear that the applicant has an application before the court seeking for an extension of time to compile and transmit its record at the Appeal Court. "There is also another motion for leave to rely on the same record of appeal in this present appeal. However, there is no indication that the application has been listed on the cause list or that it had been heard or adjourned for hearing," the judge said. "In the circumstance,
this court cannot grant a stay of proceedings on an incompetent appeal, which is awaiting regularisation at the Appeal Court," the judge further said. On the whole, Justice Idris held that "the application lacks merit and is dismissed accordingly." N10, 000 cost was also awarded in favour of the plaintiff. After the ruling, there were arguments among parties in the matter as to which application should be taken by the court. The plaintiff, Toluwani Yemi Adebiyi, in his sub-
missions, insisted that the ruling of the court has cleared the way for the hearing of his motion for contempt. However, defendants' lawyers want the court to hear the substantive matter. According to them, the plaintiff has not met any of the conditions prescribed by the law for his contempt charge to be heard by the court. In a short ruling on the matter, Justice Idris held that even though contempt charge affects the integrity of the court, it will be in
921
The number of refugees and people in refugee-like situation in Zimbabwe assisted by UNHCR at the beginning of 2010. Source: Blatantworld.com.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (right), presenting the state’s plaque to the board member, FC Barcelona of Spain, Pau Vilanova i Vila Abadal, during a courtesy visit to the governor in Lagos … yesterday.
34,000
The total population of women in Bermuda in 2012. Source: Un.org.
28.22m The total number of subscribers of Globacom Limited as at December 2014. Source: Ncc.gov.ng
Maritime agencies get N500bn revenue target Bayo Akomolafe
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he Minister of Transportation, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, has set a N500 billion revenue target for maritime agencies under his supervision. The minister said he would seek the permission of the president to send away any chief executive officer that failed to meet his agency’s mark. Amaechi, who dropped the hint in his keynote
address at the Maritime Summit 2016 jointly organised by the Nigerian Shippers Council and Tell Communications Limited at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos, said no chief executive officer should come to him for the purpose of winning his favour. He explained that the change the president was talking about was how to generate money to lift the economy up.
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the interest of justice if all applications challenging the contempt proceedings are heard first. NERC's lawyer, Anthony Idigbe (SAN), then moved his application challenging the filing of forms 48 and 49 by the plaintiff. He urged the court to dismiss the application for not following due process of law. The plaintiff, however, urged the court to dismiss all objections to the contempt charge and commit the NERC chairman and the chief executive officers of the Distribution Companies (DISCOS) to prison for desecrating the judiciary. He said the action of the alleged contemnors is highly condemnable and should not go unpunished. After listening to the arguments of parties, Justice Idris adjourned till February 29, for ruling on the application challenging the contempt charge. Adebiyi, in the substantive suit, is seeking an order restraining NERC from implementing any upward review of electricity tariff without a meaningful and significant improvement in power supply at least for 18 hours in a day in most communities in Nigeria.
Dambazua leads FG's delegation to security talks Johnchuks Onuanyim Abuja
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inister of Interior, Abdurahman Bello Dambazau, is to lead the Federal Government delegation to a three-day security talks on security with the country’s neighbours. Other government functionaries in the delegation are the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase; the Comptroller General of
the Nigeria Immigration Service, Mr. Martins Abeshi; the Director General of NEMA, the Solicitor General of the Federation and other top government officials. According to the statement from the Chief Press Secretary to the Ministry, Osaigbovo Ehisienmen, the visit would consolidate President Muhammadu Buhari’s earlier visits to the Lake Chad Basin Commission countries and the Republic of Benin.
The Federal Government delegation would, among other things, discuss the need to tighten security within the region. The statement revealed that the team would meet with the Interior Ministers of those countries in order to strategise on tackling internal security threats, especially those with cross border effects. Also, they would visit refugees who fled Nigeria due to the ongoing insurgency. According to the Min-
ister, who departed with his team yesterday, the increasing security concerns within the sub-region has necessitated the need for contiguous countries to advance security partnership as this will develop into a robust platform for collaborative action, information sharing and improved border security to check the inflow of small arms and light weapons, drugs, illegal migration, human trafficking and movement of terrorists across borders.
N500m suit: Court orders service of NNPC increases Abuja fuel trucks to 250 processes on Customs, others vision of the NNPC, Ohi Johnchuks Onuanyim
Abuja hotels in marketing drive for UN HABITAT3
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Akeem Nafiu
ustice Abdulazeez Anka of a Federal High Court in Lagos has directed that court processes in a N500 million suit filed by the Lagos State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) over alleged assault on one of its members, Otunba Yomi Olomofe, be served on the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) and eight others. Lagos NUJ had filed the
case against the defendants on behalf of Olomofe to enforce his fundamental rights to life, dignity of human person and freedom of expression and the press, following the severe assault and beating he suffered in the hands of the Customs and some hoodlums allegedly hired by the customs officials. At yesterday's proceedings, the judge was told that court processes had not been served on the respondents.
Abuja
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ollowing the queues that came up at fuel stations in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) over the weekend, the management of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) yesterday increased the number of trucks deployed to Abuja and environs from 160 to 250 per day. A statement from the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Di-
Alegbe, in Abuja, said the queues were as a result of the re-run election that held in Niger State over the weekend, which affected truck movement from the Suleja depot. The management, however, called on members of the public to refrain from all forms of hoarding, diversion and panic buying, as it assured residents of the city of the availability of petrol to meet the demands of consumers in Abuja and beyond.
Caleb Onwe Abuja
he preparation to play host to Africa in a crucial United Nations habitat meeting in Abuja has undoubtedly put most hotels in the city on a competitive edge. Most of the luxury hotels in the city centre have been very busy over the weekend, striving to get a fair share of both foreigners and Nigerian participants who are already arriving in the city in droves. New Telegraph checks
on some of the luxury hotel in town reveal that some of the hotels have open special desks dedicated to attend to guests who are checking in for the conference. The United Nations regional meeting on habitat is convened to enable Africa get a common ground and also discuss and identify African priorities ahead of the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, which will take place in Quito, Ecuador, in October 2016.