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How Governors Exploit and Render Local Governments Useless By AGF Fagbemi
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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, has called for the abolition of State Electoral Commissions, which he identifies as major obstacles to the development of local governments.
Fagbemi made these remarks during a one-day discourse on “Nigeria’s Security Challenges and Good Governance at the Local Government Levels,” held in Abuja on Monday.
The event was organised by the House of Representatives.
Fagbemi highlighted that state governors have exploited the loopholes and inadequacies in certain sections of the 1999 Constitution to undermine and render local governments ineffective.
He specifically pointed to sections 7(1), 83(3), and 7(5) of the Constitution, which he claims governors use to impose their will on local governments, thus stifling their development and functionality.
Fagbemi noted that these inadequacies have allowed the governors to abuse the rights of local governments and in turn deprive people at the grassroots to feel their presence.
The Minister of Justice stated that the most prominent abuse of local government was the use of state electoral commissions to impose leaders at the local government levels through sham elections while most Governors only appoint caretaker leadership in their local governments.
He further noted that the abuse of States/ local governments joint accounts by state governors have imposed a fiscal emasculation which has rendered the local governments poor as the governors hold on to their federal allocations.
He therefore called for the scrapping of State Electoral Commissions in order to allow democracy to take its roots in the local governments.
He also called for a robust constitutional amendment that will remove all encumbrances hindering the development of local governments and their ability to fulfill their constitutionally recognized functions.
He said, “To achieve this, many experts have proposed that there is need for the scrapping of the state independent electoral commission. Their functions and powers should be transferred to the independent national electoral commission because the state independent electoral commission remain an appendage to every incumbent governor. This is perceived as the root cause of the problem of local government administration in Nigeria.”
Fagbemi’s comment comes after he filed a suit against governors at the Supreme Court, on behalf of the Federal Government.
He asked the Supreme Court to stop the remitting of local government funds to states and to stop the 36 state governments from the disbandment of elected local government chairmen and replacing them with caretaker committees
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Ramadan: Speaker Abbas Urges Muslims To Pray For Peace, Prosperity of Nigeria
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Just in: Ramadan begins today -Sultan declares
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Fasting in the month of Ramadan, which is the ninth of the 12 Islamic calendar year, begins today, Saturday March 1, 2025, the Sultan of Sokoto and Leader of Muslim Ummah of Nigeria, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, declared on Friday.
The Sultan explained that his declaration followed verified and authenticated reports from various Muslim leaders across the country, which he said had been accepted.
The Sultan said: “Today, Friday, 28th February, 2025, brings us to the end of Sha’ban. Reports of positive sighting of the new crescent of Ramadan were brought to us by various leaders across the country. We have verified and have authenticated such reports and have duly accepted such reports.
“Therefore, tomorrow, 1st March, 2025, makes it 1st Ramadan 1446 After Hijrah,” the Sultan said.
He, therefore, called on Muslims in the country to commence the fasting while also urging them to pray for leaders to enable them to lead the nation and its people well.
He seized the opportunity of the announcement to enjoin well-to-do Muslims to reach out and give to the less privileged or needy during the period.
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NAFDAC paints popular Indian company black over alleged sale of harmful
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The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it has blacklisted Aveo Pharmaceuticals Pt Limited, an Indian company, over the illegal production and exportation of dangerous opioid combinations into West Africa, including Nigeria.
Opioids are a class of drugs that work in the brain to produce a variety of effects, including pain relief.
Opioid drugs include prescription pain medicine and illegal drugs.
In a statement on Friday, NAFDAC said investigations revealed that the company, managed by Vinod Sharma on the outskirts of Mumbai in India, is responsible for manufacturing and distributing Tafrodol and Royal 225 drugs containing a harmful mix of tapentadol and carisoprodol.
Tapentadol is a powerful opioid, and carisoprodol is a banned muscle relaxant.
The agency said the substances pose severe health risks such as respiratory failure, seizures, overdose, and death to users.
“A BBC World Service investigation exposed how packets of these drugs, branded with the Aveo Pharmaceuticals logo, have been found on the streets of Nigeria, Ghana, and Côte d’Ivoire,” the statement reads.
“Further evidence confirmed that Aveo Pharmaceuticals is also involved in the illegal exportation of high-dose tramadol above 100 mg, a strength not registered or approved by NAFDAC.
“Undercover footage captured Vinod Sharma admitting to the mass distribution of these opioids for abuse as street drugs across West Africa.
“Given the severity of these findings, NAFDAC has taken decisive action to blacklist Aveo Pharmaceuticals and block any future registration of its products in Nigeria.”
NAFDAC said it is committed to protecting public health by enforcing international best practices in pharmaceutical regulation, including stringent product registration, good manufacturing practice (GMP) inspections, post-marketing surveillance, and pre-shipment inspections for high-risk imports.
The agency said it has intensified enforcement operations against illicit pharmaceuticals in major drug distribution hubs across the country.
NAFDAC urged the public to avoid unregistered medicines and only use prescription drugs dispensed by licensed healthcare professionals.
“With continued vigilance and public support, NAFDAC will persist in its fight against the circulation of fake, substandard, and dangerous pharmaceuticals in Nigeria,” the agency said.
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