The acting Director-General of the NBC, Prof. Armstrong Idachaba, announced at a press conference in Abuja on Monday that the agency has fined Channels Television, Arise Television and Africa Independent Television for what it termed “unprofessional coverage” of the #EndSARS protests.
Browsing: Kolawole Oluwadare
The organization asked Scotland to “urgently consider recommending the suspension of Nigeria from the Commonwealth to the Heads of Government, the Commonwealth Chair-in-office, and Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, as Head of the Commonwealth, to push the government to respect the Commonwealth’s values of human rights, transparency, accountability and the rule of law.”
Kolawole Oluwadare, SERAP’s Deputy Director, said this in a statement on Tuesday.
The organization is also urging him to “instruct the Registrar-General of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Alhaji Garba Abubakar, and Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, not to implement or enforce the CAMA 2020 until the legislation is repealed by the National Assembly, and brought in line with the Constitution of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), and Nigeria’s international human rights obligations.”
The Department of State Services on Wednesday reportedly arrested Olawale Bakare and six other #RevolutionNow protesters wearing orange-coloured caps around Olaiya area of Osogbo, the Osun State capital
The suit followed SERAP’s Freedom of Information requests dated March 27, 2020 to the Minister of Health and the NCDC expressing “concern that lack of transparency in the use of the funds and resources to combat COVID-19 would lead to diversion or mismanagement of funds and resources, unnecessarily cost lives, and result in serious damage to public health in the country.”
The letter of demand, dated June 13, 2020, was signed by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, the organization
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disasters Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouk, had on Wednesday announced that the government would start feeding school children in their homes during the COVID-19 crisis, starting from Ogun and Lagos States and Abuja
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has condemned “the blatant intimidation, harassment and attacks on journalists and media houses by Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State, and the illegal banning of the Correspondent of The Sun newspaper, Chijioke Agwu, and the Vanguard Newspaper, Peter Okutu, from entering Government house and Government facilities in the State for life.”
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sent an urgent appeal to the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, urging them to “immediately make a public commitment to redirect the N37 billion for the renovation of the National Assembly complex to give N1 billion to each of the 36 states, and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, as COVID-19 direct reliefs and benefits to the country’s poorest and most vulnerable people.”
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sent an open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari urging him to use his leadership position to “urgently instruct the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission to jointly track and monitor spending by federal agencies and state governors to combat coronavirus or COVID19 pandemic in Nigeria.”
The letter follows the judgment last year ordering the government to challenge the legality of states’ pension laws and recover public funds collected by former governors and ministers
SERAP wrote the letter to Sanwo-Olu on Tuesday following the ruling on Monday by Justice Raliat Adebiyi of the Lagos High Court that demanding compulsory blood donation from those seeking medical attention, including maternity services, is arbitrary, unfair and a violation of their human rights, including the rights to life and to equal opportunity for everyone within the health system
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has sent an open letter to the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, urging him to use his leadership position to “ensure that the bill that would allow ‘repentant Boko Haram terrorists’ opportunities to access public funds to enjoy foreign education is immediately dropped, and to sponsor bills that would ensure access to justice and reparation for the victims of Boko Haram terrorist group.”
Responding to the development, SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, said: “Providing immunity for presiding officers against crimes of corruption is tantamount to ripping up the constitution. It’s a blatant assault on the rule of law and breach of public trust.”
There is prospect Nigerians keen on knowing details of payment of life pensions to former governors across the 36 states in the country and the names and number of ex-governors and other officials collecting pensions,
SERAP is also seeking: “A declaration that the failure of President Buhari, Vice-President Osinbajo, 36 state governors and their deputies to provide SERAP with the requested information on their assets constitutes a breach of SERAP’s right under the FoI Act, 2011, and such further order(s) the Honourable Court may deem fit to make in the circumstances”
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project has welcomed the announcement by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari ordering the release of #RevolutionNow protest convener, Omoyele Sowore, and the immediate past National Security Adviser, Colonel Sambo Dasuki (retd), from custody.
The organization is also urging each of the 36 state governors to “provide information on whether any such pension law exists in your state, and if so, to provide the names and number of ex-governors and other ex-officials receiving pensions in your state, and to publicly commit to repealing the law, and to pursue recovery of funds collected under the pension law.”
This development was disclosed on Tuesday by SERAP’s Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare.