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Anti-graft war must be won against all odds, says Senate President 

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…As Witness Protection bill scales second reading 
 
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said that the war against corruption by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government must be won irrespective of temporary setbacks.

Lawan stated this in his remarks after a bill seeking to establish the Witness Protection and Management Framework scaled second reading during plenary on Tuesday.

According to him, the fight against corruption is one that must be vigorously pursued by government to ensure the eventual elimination of graft, given that same is capable of hindering Nigeria’s development.

He added that the Witness Protection bill, if passed and signed into law, would be an incentive that encourages witnesses to testify in corruption cases since their protection is guaranteed under the law.
 
Lawan said, “Distinguished colleagues, almost every administration in this country would work against corruption that has bedeviled the development of this country.

“The witness protection bill that we are debating today is a way forward to encourage witnesses to testify against corruption. And by protecting them properly, that will incentivise such witnesses.

“The war against corruption is a must, and it must be won. It is not about the quantum of funds or resources that we have, but how we are able to put to use even our scarce resources.

“So, this is a very important bill, and I’m sure all of us would lend our support.”

Sponsor of the bill for an Act to establish the Witness Protection and Management Framework, Senator Suleiman Abdu Kwari, said the bill was first read on February 23, 2021.

According to the lawmaker, it was also listed among the bills of interest and international significance, contained in the recent Executive Communication from President Muhammadu Buhari, which was read on the floor of the Senate on the 19th of January 2022.

“Empirical evidence show that one of the major causes of the inability to successfully prosecute criminal cases in our courts is the lack of witnesses.

“Many of them face intimidation and threats just as prosecutors most times do not have the funds and management framework to safely bring witnesses to testify in court.

“The passage of this bill into law will fill this gap as well as fulfill some of our Country’s international commitments to various conventions and protocols, like the United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) amongst others”, Senator Kwari said.

He further recalled  that the Witness Protection and Management Bill and Whistle Blower Bill were initially considered as co-joined in a single bill by the 8th National Assembly and passed in 2017.

He added that following a technical stakeholders roundtable comprising of representatives of relevant criminal justice system operators, it was resolved that both bills be unbundled in order to allow Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAS) currently running witness protection programs continue in that wise.

“This necessitates the separation of the two bills and accordingly paves the way for witness protection programmes across the broad spectrum of Law Enforcement Agencies, thereby discouraging duplicity and multiplicity of agencies”, he said.

Section 1 of the bill provides for the establishment of a legal and institutional framework to protect witnesses and related persons, with responsibilities for carrying out all administrative duties relating to witnesses and related persons.

The bill under the section ensures that the relevant agency takes responsibility for entering into a witness protection agreement, regulate the procedure while harmonizing existing laws and policies on witness protection and management.

The Bill in Section 2 also specifies offences and laws in which the bill apply, and comprise terrorism, money laundering (prevention and prohibition), economic and financial crimes, corrupt practices and other related offences, drugs and narcotics and their trafficking, trafficking in persons, Criminal and Penal Code offences.

It further provides for customs and excise management, any legislation dealing with proceeds of crimes, confiscation and forfeiture of assets, and to all justice sector institutions and authorities, including the courts, law enforcement as well as security agencies, and other relevant regulatory institutions towards the protection of witnesses in the course of the investigation, detection and prosecution of offences.

Part 2 sets standard for establishing and managing the witness program, while Section 3 mandates all public institutions having responsibility under their laws of investigating and/or prosecuting offences under any law, to establish a witness protection and management program.

The section further provides for rights, duties, privileges and obligations of other bodies such as courts, lawyers, parents/guardian in relation to witness protection and management.

In addition, Part 3 provides for protections such as allowing a witness to establish a new identity or restore a former witness’s original identity by an application from a relevant agency made to the Court, for a new entry in the birth, marriage or death registry and issuance of a certificate as the case may be.

Part 4 mandates relevant agencies, to designate a Witness Protection office at each of their branch offices to enable the adoption and management of the Witness Protection Program.

On the other hand, Part 5 of the bill provide for the establishment of a Witness Protection Fund to be managed and controlled by relevant agencies.

According to the bill, such funds include moneys appropriated by the National Assembly for payment into the Protection Fund, which shall amount to at least fifty per cent of the total estimated expenditure of the Protection Fund, moneys approved by the President for Witness Protection Programs, moneys accruing to the Protection Fund from any fund or account established by an Act for the lodgment of proceeds of confiscation and forfeited assets.

Other sources include a percentage of the total amount recovered by the Government as direct result of information provided by a protected person, subventions, grants, aid and donations from Federal or State Government, etc.

Part 6 criminalizes certain acts relating to false or misleading and unlawful disclosures, false representation and unauthorized access to a witness.

Part 7 under Miscellaneous provides for legal proceedings such as 30 days pre-action notice, non-compellability of witness, restriction on execution against property of the relevant agency, indemnity of officers of the relevant agency including powers of the Attorney General of the Federation to make regulations in respect of the bill.

The bill after consideration was referred by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, to the Committees on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters; and Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes.

The Joint Committee is expected to report back in four weeks.

Meanwhile, a bill seeking to establish the Federal Polytechnic Shagamu also scaled second reading in the Senate.

The bill sponsored by Senator Olalekan Mustapha (Ogun East) was referred by the Senate President after consideration to the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND for further inputs.

The Committee was also given four weeks to report back to the chamber in plenary.

 

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Senate Blocks First-time Senators from Contesting Senate President, Deputy Senate President Offices

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**Approves nine other standing committees

The Senate has amended its standing rules to prevent first-time senators from contesting for the office of the President of the Senate and that of the Deputy President of the Senate.

The amendment was carried out at the plenary yesterday after the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele moved a motion for the amendment of standing rules to accommodate new standing committees. 

The motion, which was seconded by the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Simon Mwadkwon, overwhelmingly received support of all the senators across all political affiliations when the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio put on voice vote.

At the plenary, also, the Senate carried out nine other amendments aimed at accommodating new standing committees.

As shown in its motion, the Senate created the Committee on Atomic and Nuclear Energy, which would oversee the Nigeria Nuclear Energy Regulatory Commission, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission and their annual budget estimates.

The Senate also bifurcated the Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) into two different standing committees namely the Committee on FCT and Committee on FCT Area Councils.

The Senate resolved that the Committee on FCT would oversee matters affecting the FCT, Planning and Development of the new Federal Capital Territory and control of development within the Federal Capital Territory and its annual budget

The upper chamber further resolved that the Committee on FCT Area Councils would oversee Area Council Mandate, Area Council Service Commission, Area Council Staff Pension Board, Auditor- General for the Area Council and other agency or department under FCT.

The Senate similarly divided the Committee on Sports into two standing committees to now reflect the Committee on Sports Development as well as Committee on Youth and Community Engagements.

According to the Senate, the jurisdiction of the Committee on Sports Development shall include Federal Ministry of Sport Development, National Lottery Commission, National Institute for Sports, Nigeria Football Federation, Sport Arena Development, national and international sporting activities, sports administration and annual budget estimates.

The Senate further said the jurisdiction of the Committee on Youth and Community engagements should include Federal Ministry of Youth Development, National Youth Service Corps, Citizens and Leadership Training Centre, Offices of the Senior Assistant to the President on Community Engagement in the six geo-political zones, youths movements activities and associations and its annual budget estimates.

The Senate also divided the Committee on Solid Minerals, Steel Development and Metallurgy into the Committee on Solid Mineral Development and the Committee on Mines and Steel Development.

The Senate said the Committee on Solid Mineral Development “shall oversee Federal Ministry of Solid Mineral Development, Nigerian Geological Survey Agency, Mining Cadastre Office and Council of Nigerian Mining Engineers and Geoscientist, Nigerian Metallurgical Training Institute, Solid Minerals Development Fund, Nigeria Institute of Mining and Geoscience, National Metallurgical Development Centre, exploration of minerals extraction and quarry, geological survey and minerals investigation as well as explosives.

“The Committee on Mines and Steel Development shall oversee Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Aluminum Smelting Company of Nigeria, Ajaokuta Steel Development Company, National Iron Ore Mining Company, National Steel Raw Material Exploration Agency and their budgets.”

 

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NLC,TUC Make U-Turn Suspend Planned Strike, FG To Pay Workers N35,000

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Organised labour have suspended its planned nationwide indefinite strike action for the next month.

This was contained in a memorandum of understanding signed Monday by the NLC President, Joe Ajaero, and General Secretary, Emmanuel Ugboaja; as well as the TUC President, Festus Osifo, and Secretary General, Nuhu Toro.

The three-page document was also signed by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Simon Lalong; Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Dr Nkeiruka Onyejeocha; and Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris.

“The NLC and TUC accept to suspend for 30 days the planned Indefinite Nationwide strike scheduled to begin, Tuesday, the 3rd of October, 2023,” the MoU reads in part.

“The Federal Government grants a wage award of N35,000 (thirty-five thousand
Naira) only to all Federal Government workers beginning from the month of
September pending when a new national minimum wage is expected to have
been signed into law.”

The decisions come at the end of an hours-long meeting between the Federal Government, NLC, and the TUC on Monday.

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Nigeria@63: God Will Heal Our Nation – Pastor Adeboye

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Pastor Enoch Adeboye has prayed to God to heal Nigeria, asking citizens to also pray for the betterment of the nation.

The General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) said this on Sunday during the church’s October Thanksgiving Service and Nigeria’s 63rd Independent Day celebration.

Pastor Adeboye spoke on the topic ‘Freedom Indeed’ during the service.

“I pray in the name that is above every other name that God will heal our nation,” the preacher said.

“Independence is talking about freedom, that is why we would be talking about freedom indeed. You may be enjoying independence from the colonial master and still be a slave to sickness, poverty, terror, and forces of darkness,” he added.

“I am wishing you a very good celebration but more than anything else, I wish all of you who are in Christ freedom and freedom indeed.”

In many churches across the nation, the Christians marked Independence Day with praises and prayers for the country.

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