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Nigeria will overcome current socio-economic challenges, says Jonathan
Former President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed optimism that the country will soon overcome the current socio-economic challenges facing the people.
Jonathan stated this in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State capital, yesterday, while formally declaring open the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Yenagoa Law Week 2024 with the theme: ‘The Legal Profession In A Time Of Socio-Economic Uncertainty’.
The ex-President, represented by a lawyer and first-class monarch in Bayelsa, King Collins Daniel, noted that the Federal Government is doing its best to salvage the situation.
He commended the Somina Johnbull-led NBA Yenagoa for organising the 2024 NBA Law Week 2024 for successful hosting of the event, saying the theme was not only apt but well-chosen in view of the present economic hardships in the country.
He said the topic presents an opportunity for a reflection on general governance issues and the need to address them urgently for the wellbeing of the citizenry.
Jonathan said: “May I also remind us that the present economic hardships ravaging this country is not limited to the legal profession as it pervades all professions and sectors, including the high and low.
“We therefore need collaborative efforts in finding solutions to it.
“Socio-economic uncertainty is not a new phenomenon in human race. After the First World War, the world also suffered from economic hardships as a result of economic depression which occurred about 1929/30. Nigeria was not also left out.
“Between 1984 and 1987 there were also economic challenges in Nigeria under the General Ibrahim Badamasi Babagida’s administration, which led the Federal Government to introduce an economic recovery programme called the Structural Adjustment Programme, codenamed SAP. The country experienced scarcity of essential commodities, and the citizens suffered severe hardship. God was with us and the country bounced back.
“Between 2016 and 2019 the whole world went through another economic recession.
Nigeria also had her own share of the hardship, but we were fortunate we were able to get out of the recession in a few years.”
Also speaking, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, said whatever economic challenge Nigerians have in the country, it is not peculiar to Nigeria.
Lokpobiri said: “Whatever you see here is what happens everywhere in the world. As a government, President Bola Tinubu is doing whatever that is necessary to see how the country can support the most vulnerable people in the society. For any society to be good, there will be times like this for a very bold decision for the interest and prosperity of this country.
“If the president had not taken that decision the day he was sworn in, Nigeria would have been like Venezuela. The government means well and we are doing whatever that is necessary.
“The lawyers, like I said, have so many opportunities. Whatever happens here is not different from what happens in New York. For any lawyer to be successful, they must first be hard working, secondly, they must be honest. I want to assure the lawyers that there are so many opportunities that they haven’t explored and I gave a few of them. No lawyer that is hardworking will lack. We want them to hold on and keep the flag flying.”
On her own part, the Chief Judge of Bayelsa State, Justice Matilda Ayemieye, said the legal practitioners play a vital role in adapting to changes whether by drafting new legislation, challenging unjust law or interpreting the legal proceedings in court.
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Tinubu declines assent to bill seeking to extend National Assembly staff retirement age
By Francesca Hangeior.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has withheld his assent to a bill that proposed extending the retirement age for legislative officers and staff of the National Assembly.
The bill aimed to increase the retirement age from 60 to 65 years or extend the length of service from 35 to 40 years, whichever came first.
Titled “A Bill for an Act to Make Provisions for the Retirement Age for Staff of the National Assembly and Related Matters,” the bill passed its second reading in October 2023.
Despite multiple attempts in the 7th, 8th, and 9th Assemblies, the bill had previously failed to pass.
Reintroduced in the 10th Assembly and sponsored by Deputy Minority Leader Hon. Aliyu Sani Madaki (NNPP, Kano), the bill was finally passed by the House on December 20, 2023, but did not receive presidential approval.
Although the Senate initially rejected the bill, it backtracked and passed the bill on the 31st of March 2024 and was transmitted to the President for his assent.
Some of those who opposed the Bill believe that it will lead to stagnation through the rank, while those who supported the bill argued that it will promote efficiency and ensure that experience prevails
However, Tinubu in a letter, read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio during plenary, said he has decided to withhold his assent to the Bill.
He said his decision was informed by the consent which empowered him to take such an action.
The letter reads in part: “I write in respect of the harmonised retirement age for legislative officers of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Bill passed by the National Assembly and forwarded to me for assent.
“Upon thorough examination and careful consultation, I have decided to withhold my assent to the bill.
“This decision is made in accordance with the powers vested in me by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“I wish to express my sincere appreciation of the diligent work of the Senate as regards the drafting and passage of this bill.
“However, I trust that this decision would be received with understanding and acceptance.”
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Nigerians struggling to survive due to harsh realities of inflation – Akpabio
By Francesca Hangeior.
The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has said that the citizens are struggling to survive as a result of the courageous economic reforms of President Bola Tinubu.
In a welcome address to fellow Senators on Tuesday, marking their return from the annual recess, Akpabio noted that the National Assembly is fully aware of the economic struggles citizens face, including inflation, high living costs, and market volatility.
He expressed sympathy for Nigerians enduring these challenges but maintained that the current economic situation is not the fault of the Tinubu administration.
He, thereafter, sympathized with Nigerians for the harsh economic situation but claimed that the situation was not caused by the Tinubu-led administration.
He said, “In the face of rising economic pressures, our fellow citizens have been grappling with the harsh realities of inflation, soaring living costs, unpredictable markets and economic indices.
“The challenges have tested the very fabric of our society, and we stand together to express our deepest empathy for every Nigerian who may be buried in the brunt of the current reforms as a result of the need to reposition the economy for most of our country and take us out of the doldrums and the messy situation we met when we assumed office in 2023. We want Nigerians to know that their struggles are not lost on this side.”
He assured that the upper chamber would respond to the economic challenges of the country.
Akpabio said, “Our security duty, as your earnest representatives, remains to respond with the audacity and compassion that the current situation deserves.”
He, however, commended the president for the courageous reforms being carried out on the Nation’s economy which according to him, have started yielding fruits.
He stated, “Amidst these trials, we have also seen commendable strides in various sectors from the executive arm of government led by President Bola Tinubu. Our agricultural initiatives are beginning to bear fruits. The strides made in infrastructure can be seen by all, even starting from the federal capital territory.
“These glimmers of hope pave the way for a brighter future. The hard-won gains will not overshadow the pressing issues that still loom large before us.”
On insecurity, the Senate President assured that lawmakers will prioritise the security of people’s lives and properties.
He stated, “We must, as senators, prioritize the issues of security of our great nation, ensuring that every citizen can walk down any street in this country without fear.
“In the sense of such, insecurity in some parts of the country remains a source of concern for the Nigerian Senate. It is also a clear calling for us to double our efforts in crafting laws and taking decisive actions in the National Assembly to safeguard our communities. There cannot be development in the face of insecurity.”
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