News Summary 21/05/2024

Omalicha News Summary 21-05-2024 

Court denies Nnamdi Kanu‘s Applications

 Two requests by Nnamdi Kanu, the detained leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), before the Federal High Court in Abuja have been denied.

One of the requests, is to be granted bail, while the other is to be relocated from the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS), where he is now detained, to Kuje prison.

Ruling on the requests on Monday, May 20, Justice Binta Nyako held that issues raised in both applications had earlier been pronounced on by her court and rejected.

Justice Nyako held that she found as a fact that Kanu jumped the bail earlier granted to him and escaped from the country.

The judge noted that those, who stood surety for Kanu when the earlier bail was granted, later applied to be discharged because they could not locate Kanu and did not know his whereabouts. Their requests were granted.

She held that the only option open to Kanu was for him to approach the Court of Appeal on the issues.

Reacting to the ruling, the IPOB leader lashed out at the judiciary and the Nigerian government, insisting that no Nigerian court can try him. He described any attempt to try his case in a Nigerian court as amounting to a breach of the Nigerian constitution and international laws.

Imbibe the spirit of tolerance and compassion, Bishop Chikwe tells Christians

 The Auxiliary Bishop of Owerri Archdiocese of the Catholic Church, His Grace, Bishop Moses Chikwe has advised christians to be careful with their utterances.

Delivering the homily during his pastoral visit to the St Mary’s Catholic church, Azaraubo, Emekuku, in the Owerri North LGA, Bishop Chikwe, drew contrasts between two incidents - the biblical tower of Babel, where language was a source of division and the day of Pentecost, where language was a source of hope and unity.

He admonished the faithful to imbibe the spirit of tolerance, peace, patience and compassion in their interactions with others, whether their partners, neighbors or even strangers.

Omalicha FM’s correspondent reports that 149 Catholic faithfuls recieved the sacrament of confirmation during the Bishop’s pastorial visit to the Azaraubo Catholic parish.

Minimum wage negotiations: Government may shift position, urges labour to do same

The Organised Labour has warned the government that it will not accept N100,000 as the new minimum wage for workers.

Recall that both the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC and the Trade-Union Congress of Nigeria, TUC, pulled out of negotiation last week Wednesday, rejecting government‘s offer of N48,000 as the new minimum wage.

However, in a letter to the groups requesting for a meeting tomorrow, Wednesday,  Chairman of the Tripartite Committee on the National Minimum wage, Alhaji Bukar Goni, indicated that government may shift ground and asked the organised labour to also shift ground.

NLC Head of Information and Public Affairs, Benson Upah, said that the organised labour would honour the invitation tomorrow.

Meanwhile, leaders of both the NLC, and TUC, have put their civil society allies on notice over their planned industrial action should government fail to reverse the hike in electricity tariff and conclude the minimum wage negiation by May 31.

In a joint communique issued today Tuesday May 21, leaders of the two labour unions, gave the federal government and National Electricity Regulatory Commission, NERC, till the end of the month  (May) to reverse the hike.

Central Bank of Nigeria withdraws directive on cyber security levy.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has officially withdrawn the directive earlier issued to banks to commence the deduction of cyber security levy from depositors.

This was disclosed in a circular signed by the apex bank’s director of payments system management, Chibuzor Efobi and Director of financial policy and regulation, Haruna .B. Mustafa, issued to different categories of banks on Sunday.

According to the statement, “the circular on deduction and collection of the cyber security levy is hereby withdrawn.”

Recall that the decision to enforce the levy by the central bank was met by strong criticisms by many who cited the current economic challenges in the country as being unconducive for such levy, which was to have been administered by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA).

 SPORTS

 Heartland Queens of Owerri suffer defeat

 Heartland Queens football club of Owerri on Sunday suffered its first defeat at the ongoing Nigerian Women football league super six playoffs.

At the Samson Siasia stadium in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa state capital, Omalicha FM’s sports correspondent reports that Confluence Queens of Lokoja scored two unreplied goals including a penalty to peg the Owerri Queens at just one point from two games. Their next game comes up tomorrow.

- Benny Naza