Twenty Seven State houses of Assembly have forwarded their resolutions on 35 Constitution Alteration Bills to the National Assembly for onward passage to the Presidency for assent
Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Senator Omo Agege ably represented by Senator Opeyemi Bamidele gave the update at Plenary on Tuesday.
The Committee says it is convinced that the 35 underlisted bills out of the 44 Bills transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly for approval have satisfied the provisios Of Section 9(2) of the Constitution for passage into law .
The State Assemblies that have forwarded their resolutions include Abia, Adamawa, Akwa-Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross-River, Delta, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Lagos, Nasarawa, Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Rivers, and Yobe State.
The Nigerian Senate has now Directed the National Assembly clerk to forward the 35 Constitution Alteration Bill to the President for Assent having satisfied all the necessary requirements.
The Senate also urged the remaining State Houses of Assembly yet to submit their resolutions to do so in fulfillment of their Constitutionally imposed legislative obligation to the Constitution amendment process.
OHANAEZE HAILS COURT OVER RULING ON EKWEREMADU’S ASSETS
The apex Igbo sociocultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has commended the federal high court over its landmark ruling which vacated the interim forfeiture order sanctioning the 40 properties belonging to the former Deputy President of the Senate Ike Ekweremadu to the Federal Government.
Ohanaeze in a statement by its spokesman, Chiedozie Alex Ogbonnia also condemned the action of the EFCC which it said portrayed itself as a partisan tool in the hands of some highly placed people to fight imaginary enemies.
The Trial Justice, Inyang Ekwo berated the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the role it played in the continued detention of Ekweremadu in the United Kingdom, saying no Nigerian should be made to pass through such ordeal whether at home or abroad.
It will be recalled that Justice Ekwo had in November 2022, given the interim order based on the facts brought before it by the EFCC.
But in the current ruling, Justice Ekwo accused the EFCC of suppressing material facts before the court, and thus misdirecting the court.
The Justice held: “It is not hard to reason that the essence of the application for interim forfeiture by the respondent (EFCC) is to give credence to the letter of July 18, 2022 to the Crown Prosecution Service and to give them further reason for continued custody of Senator Ekweremadu in the United Kingdom”.
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo salutes the courage of Justice Ekwo in reversing himself based on 40 clear facts adduced by Ekweremadu`s lawyers before the court.
He expressed disappointment that EFCC would desperately rush to court with false and distorted facts to secure a ruling against the former Deputy Senate President who is being unjustly held in the UK prison custody when it (EFCC) knew he was not in a position to defend himself.
CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA MONITORS CIRCULATION OF NEW NAIRA NOTES IN BENUE
The Central bank of Nigeria, CBN, have expressed satisfaction with the response by commercial banks in Benue State in issuing out the new notes to the public.
The Director, Financial Markets Department of the CBN, Angela Shere-Ejembi, led the Central Bank monitoring team to banking halls and ATM spots to ascertain if the new two hundred, five hundred and one thousand naira notes were being issued to customers.
The central bank officially introduce the newly redesigned naira notes on Thursday, 15, December 2022 across the country.
The notes include, the new two hundred, five hundred and one thousand naira notes.
But till present many persons complain that they have not gotten hold of the new notes.
This is a worry to the CBN, and their reason for this visit to commercial banks in Benue.
One of the sub-team Leaders, and Deputy Director with the CBN, states that the 31st January deadline for circulation of the old naira notes remains sancrosanct.
Areas visited included Commercial banking halls and ATM spots
The Director, Financial Markets Department of the CBN, is satisfied with the response by commercial banks in issuing out the new notes and urged the Public to endeavour to dispose of the old currencies in their possession.
She adds that all the banks visited lived up to expectation as people who came for withdrawal were issued the new notes.
The team is expected to extend the sensitisation to traditional and religious institutions to ensure that no one is caught in the web of the the deadline for the circulation of the old notes.
