Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun on Monday swore in four new permanent secretaries in the state’s Civil Service.

During the ceremony, Abiodun stated that the permanent secretaries were chosen based on seniority, merit, and the overall interest of the people of the state.

“My administration will continue to build on the foundation laid in the last four years.

“My administration has placed a premium on skills, experience, and honesty, and will continue to prioritize the welfare of workers in the state,” he said.

The governor encouraged the incoming permanent secretaries to collaborate closely with their respective commissioners.

The new permanent secretaries- Mrs Roseline Jacob, Mr Samuel Oyeleye, Mrs Kehinde Akinola and Mr Oladipupo Ogunfowora.

Later, in an interview, Jacob and Oyeleye expressed gratitude to the governor for appointing them as permanent secretaries in the state’s civil service.

They promised to add value to the current administration’s programmes.

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun has approved constituency projects for all the 236 councillors in the state.

Mr Abiodun stated this in a statement issued on Monday in Abeokuta by his chief press secretary, Lekan Adeniran.

According to the statement, Mr Abiodun spoke when he received the councillors who were on ground to pass a vote of confidence in his administration and also thank him for paying their full furniture allowance.

The approval, the governor said, was in fulfilment of his promise to ensure the councillors executed projects in their various constituencies as the closest to the people at the grassroots.

Mr Abiodun, who recently approved the full payment of furniture allowance to the 236 councillors, also promised to ensure their continuous empowerment.

“You have reminded me of my promise to you about your constituency projects. Consider that done because you are the closest to the grassroots. You are the ones representing us at the grassroots. You will not be put to shame.

“I am a promise-keeping governor. Whatever promise I make to you, I will definitely keep it.

“I also promised that I was going to ensure that you are sufficiently empowered. You are politicians, you must be empowered to continue to empower your various constituencies and I think I am trying,” he said.

Mr Abiodun also thanked the judiciary for upholding the rule of law and called on opposition members to stop running around ‘to buy judgements’ and join his administration in moving the state to the next level.

He said that the state remained the fastest growing economy in the country, even as he ascribed the success to the team which shared the same vision with him.

The governor promised that his administration would spend the next three-and-a-half years building on the solid foundation laid in his first term, noting that no stone would be left unturned.

Earlier, the chairman of the state forum of councillors, Olanrenwaju Adeleye, thanked the governor for approving and paying their full furniture allowance.

Mr Adeleye also acknowledged Mr Abiodun for executing at least a project in each of the 236 wards of the state.

He commended the governor for not abandoning projects left behind by the immediate past administration in the state.

A public procurement advocacy group, Network for the Actualization of Social Growth and Viable Development (NEFGAD) has decried that 70 percent of procurement proceedings are being initiated and concluded in the bedrooms of privileged few in the country, even as it commended the Federal Government over plan to review the public procurement Act 2007 for possible amendments.

The group in a statement, signed by its head of office, Mr Akingunola Omoniyi and made available at the weekend in Abuja. said President Bola Tinubu has again demonstrated courage and tact in tackling one of the most vicious enemies of the country’s growth and development.

Akingunola stressed that ‘’the current Public Procurement Act enacted about 15 years ago is due for review in line with global best practices and changing operational dynamics in the public contracting sector.”

He noted that the Public Procurement in Nigeria has become an ‘anything goes’ phenomenon whereby everything and anything is possible maintaining that the Public Procurement Act in its current form is creating veneer of legality to blatant procurement illegality.

He said: “The Act as it stands has been so bastardised to such an extent that restricted/selective tendency is now a norm rather than exception with more than 70 percent of procurement proceedings being initiated and concluded in the bedrooms of privileged few on whom the Act placed so much supervisory and regulatory responsibilities.

The implication of this dastardly act is that 70 percent of the contract sum ended up under the same bedroom through which the procurement proceedings emanated as against solving critical national developmental problems.”

Akingunola emphasised that the Public Procurement Act is not creating any obstruction or impediment to development as what some self serving elements will want the people to belief, the only timeline set out by the Procurement Act is the mandatory six weeks newspaper advertisement period for bid solicitation, and the wisdom in this is to promote competitiveness that will ensure economy and value for money, all other timeline and processes are at the discretion of procuring entities.

The statement further emphasised that for the country to be littered with over 11,000 abandoned federal projects alone under a regulated procurement system shows that it is the corrupt few that are now regulating their pockets.

‘’One of the major contributing factor for the bastardization of the procurement system in the country is that successive governments are in the habit of enforcing the Procurement Act in breach by the non constitution of the National Procurement Council and appointing Director General for the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) through the back door of non-competitive selection.

Akingunola admonished president Tinubu not to consider the distractive proposal of some people making the President head of National Procurement Council, noting that presidents all over the world only sit to discuss policies and programmes not with contractors to debate contracts either at weekly Federal Executive Council or as Chairman of a National Procurement Council.

He also advised the government to enslaved stiffer sanctions against rampant mis-procurement particularly reverse-procurement whereby procurement proceedings are initiated and sometimes concluded without cashbacking.

Hundreds of women staged a protest march to the Kano State Police Command to show their displeasure over the recent Court of Appeal nullification of the election of Abba Kabir Yusuf.

The women, who carried placards and sang songs in support of Mr Yusuf, said they were protesting the alleged injustice done to the people of Kano State by the appellate court.

The protesters, who began their march from the residence of former Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso at Miller Road, went peacefully straight to the Kano State Police Command Headquarters in Bompai to hand over their letter of protest.

However, on their way to Bompai area, they were intercepted by teams of police officers and personnel of the Nigeria Correctional Service, who escorted them peacefully to their destination.

The women, most of whom wore red veils, converged on the Kano State Police Command Headquarters and demanded to see Commissioner of Police Usaini Gumel.

The placards had various inscriptions such as “Our mandate must be restored,” “Injustice exposed in CTC,” and “Kano voted for Abba,” among others.

One of them, Zuwaira Abubakar, said: “The protest is not for Abba alone but for Kano State. The world has seen that Governor Abba was voted for during the March 18 polls. The state should not be taken away from him.”

Another protester pleaded with the federal government to stop “interfering with the courts” and allow justice to be done.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Friday, upheld the election victory of Gov. Nasir Idris of Kebbi.

The three-member panel, in a unanimous judgement, dismissed the appeal filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Aminu Bande, for lack of merit.

The appellate court, in a judgement delivered by Justice Ndukwe Anyannwu, resolved all the five issues formulated for determination in favour of the governor and against PDP.

The court held that the appellants failed to establish all the allegations brought up against the governor in their petition.

It held that the allegations of forgery of testimonial brought against the deputy governor of the state, Abubakar Umar Tafida, could not be established as required by law.

It also held that the issues of non-compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act in the conduct of the election could not stand because the appellants failed to prove how the allegations substantially affected the poll.

The court, consequently, affirmed the judgement of the Kebbi State governorship election petition tribunal, which had earlier dismissed the petition.

The election petition tribunal had, on Oct. 5, affirmed Mr Idris as the duly elected governor.

The three-member tribunal dismissed the petition by the PDP and its governorship candidate, Mr Bande.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared the March 18 Kebbi gubernatorial election inconclusive owing to “massive vote cancellation and overvoting” in 20 of the 21 LGAs in the state.

The commission later fixed April 15 for a supplementary election.

At the end of the exercise, Mr Idris, the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), scored 409,225 votes to beat Mr Bande, who got 360,940 votes.

Mr Bande and his party rejected the result and filed a petition before the tribunal.In the petition, the petitioners alleged that there was over-voting in some polling units and that Idris was not qualified to contest the poll.

They also alleged that the deputy governor had submitted a fake secondary school testimonial to INEC.

However, in the judgement, Ofem Ofem, the chairman of the tribunal, held that the petitioners failed to prove beyond doubt that the third respondent (deputy governor) presented a fake certificate to INEC.

Mr Ofem added that the evidence presented showed that the testimonial in question was duly signed and issued to him by the then principal of Sultan Abubakar College, Sokoto, in 1982.

The tribunal chairman described the documents presented by the petitioners as “iron cast evidence”, saying, “We state categorically that the third respondent did not forge certificate”.

On the issue of over-voting, Ofem said out of the 59 polling units being questioned, irregularities were discovered in nine.

The panel deducted 1,735 votes from APC, while over 900 votes were also taken away from PDP’s results.

The chairman, however, said the deduction of the votes would not affect the margin between the election winner and the runner-up.

He added that there was no substantial evidence to prove over-voting and irregularities in other polling units.

The Bauchi government has approved the renovation of four emir palaces in the state, with a total budget of N2.2 billion.

The palaces include those of the emirs of Bauchi, Jama’are, Ningi, and Dass.

The Commissioner for Ministry for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ahmed Sarki Jalam, announced the decision after the State Executive Council Meeting presided over by Governor Bala Mohammed.

He said the renovation aims to create a conducive environment for traditional institutions, enabling the smooth discharge of duties by the traditional rulers.

Additionally, the State Executive Council has given the green light for the renovation of 16 strategic roads and two flyover bridges, totalling N100 billion, to enhance traffic flow and beautify the city centre.

Commissioners for Works and Transport, Ibrahim Galadim, and his counterpart at Special Duties and Rural Development, Faruq Mustapha, said the projects have been awarded to competent contractors in line with the developmental initiatives of the Governor Bala Mohammed-led administration.

The project comprises two flyover bridges at the busiest areas of Wunti Market and Central Market roundabouts to beautify and decongest traffic in the city centre at a cost of N20 billion.

The execution of the road project has already commenced with the construction works on the dualisation of the 11-kilometre Ningi-Gudduba road in Ningi township for a whopping sum of N10.3 billion.

Some of the road projects that are part of the 200-kilometre construction across the three senatorial zones include the 29-kilometre Boi-Gambar-Sara-Marti-Lere road at a cost of N11.3 billion; rehabilitation of Dindima-Yashi-Maina Maji road; 5.2-kilometre dualisation from Emir’s palace in Azare to Setraco roundabout; dualisation of 7-kilometre road from A.D. Rufa’i College to Misau town; construction of 2.6-kilometre Gwallameji-Doka-Rafin Zurfi-Dass road; 4.5-kilometre Sabon Kaura-Birshi Gandu-BRC road; construction of 1.1-kilometre Bayara township road; construction of 4-kilometre Zango-Gwallagan-Mayaka access road.

Other constructions are Shari’a Court of Appeal; 22-kilometre Darazo-Gabciyari road; 2.6-kilometre internal road at Bauchi State University Gadau; 29-kilometre Adamani-Disina road in Jama’are Local Government Area; and 42-kilometre Geljaule-Lame road.

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesom Wike, has directed the education secretariat of the FCT Administration to reconstruct the classrooms of Local Education Authority Primary School, Bagusa, Abuja.

The school under Abuja Municipal Area Council, with a population of about 200 pupils, had only six classes and a crèche built by the community, but without walls, except a zinc roof supported by pillars of wood.

The class has only 16 desks, and of the six classes, only the crèche section had a cement floor, forcing the pupils to sit on the bare floor to learn.

The Mandate Secretary, Education Secretariat, FCTA, Dr Danlami Hayyo, made this known shortly after inspecting the school in Abuja on Thursday.

He told journalists that Wike was concerned about the condition of the school and the challenge it poses to the learning outcomes of the pupils.

He said that for the short and long-term solution to the problem, the administration would complete the construction of existing classrooms built by the community and construct additional classrooms for the school.

This, according to him, will ensure the pupils properly transit from the primary level to junior secondary school on the same site.

He added that the construction would be executed swiftly and efficiently to guarantee a conducive learning environment for the pupils.

He said that FCTA would collaborate with relevant authorities and stakeholders like the Universal Basic Education Board on the counterpart funding to expedite construction of the classrooms.

To further safeguard the school land, Hayyo advised community members to keep off the school land.

He explained that the school was built by the previous administration.

He said that the deplorable state of the school was brought to the minister’s attention through a media publication and immediately directed an inspection visit and immediate action.

He added that the school would be converted to a modern school where both primary and junior secondary schools would be situated in the same location to ensure transition from primary to junior secondary school.

“At the secretariat level, we are committed to addressing the underlying issues that led to this unacceptable situation. We will work tirelessly to enhance infrastructure and ensure that no child’s education is compromised by inadequate facilities or unsafe conditions,” the mandate secretary said.

The pioneer Head Teacher of the school, Mr Chebawaza Katungu, expressed happiness that the school had received the minister’s attention for prompt intervention.

This, according to him, will ensure a safer and more suitable learning environment for quality teaching and learning.

Also speaking, the Chief of Bagusa Community, Mr Zakka Iyah, thanked the FCT minister for the prompt intervention.

Mr Iyah assured of the community’s cooperation when the construction would begin.

The Federal Government has approved the establishment of crèches at markets and workplaces nationwide to optimise working mothers’ productivity and promote breastfeeding.

President Bola Tinubu disclosed this on Wednesday in Abuja at the inauguration of the remodelled workplace nursery (crèche) by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs.

Represented by the Special Assistant on Health, Dr Salma Anas, the President said the innovation would enhance national development.

He commended the Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, for her laudable achievements within 100 days of her assumption of duty.

“We will continue to support you to replicate this in every state of the federation and in every workplace. This will be extended to those working in the informal sector because more women are working outside the formal sector.

“So, working with you and all our partners that are here, we hope to replicate and ensure we have workplace crèches for mothers working in the formal and informal sectors, as well the market place,’’ he said.

The President said the renaming of the Centre after Victoria Gowon, wife of a former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, was apt as the facility would contribute to the achievements of his Renewed Hope Agenda.

“It is a great landmark that we are witnessing, because this aligns with the vision of the Renewed Hope Agenda for economic growth of Nigeria, for revamping Nigeria and putting it back on track.

“We cannot achieve Renewed Hope for Nigeria without focusing on the future of our nation. The future of our nation are our children and it starts right from birth by encouraging breastfeeding for their physical and mental growth,” he said.

Ealier, the minister said the crèche would be upgraded to nursery and primary school in the future.

She also mulled having women and children hospitals across the nation, starting from the six geopolitical zones to the states.

Kennedy-Ohanenye reiterated the commitment of her ministry to the empowerment of women especially in the area of agriculture and elimination of all forms of violence and harmful traditional practices in society.

The Abia Government on Tuesday announced the cancellation of the preliminary test sessions for students of the School of Nursing, Amachara and the Federal Medical Centre, Umuahia.

The Commissioner for Information and Culture, Mr Okey Kanu, disclosed this during a news conference on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting in Umuahia.

Some students of the schools had on Thursday protested and alleged that the examinations were manipulated by their various schools. The students called for the cancellation of the examination.

Mr Kanu said that the cancellation was done by the government based on allegations of wrongdoings during the exercise.

“As a responsive government, a committee was set and the preliminary report of the committee showed that the exams be cancelled while investigations continue,” he added.

Mr Kanu said that the government committed to promoting transparency in its activities.

“Rest assured that very soon there will be another exam to ensure that all the issues associated with the problem are put right,” he stated.

The Principal Secretary to the Governor, Mr Chinenye Mba, said the committee had met with stakeholders and leaders of both institutions to ascertain what went wrong during the examination.

“After reviewing all the information that had been gathered from all the concerned parties, it was clear that the examination could have been conducted better to maintain the integrity expectation of an examination.

“We are still looking into the matter to ascertain exactly what went wrong or during the examination and how these things can be corrected,” Mr Mba said.

Also, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Ferdinand Ekeoma, said that the government had set up the right machinery to intervene in the issue.

Mr Ekeoma said that the intervention of the government was in tandem with the promises made by Dr Alex Otti during the inauguration of the present administration.

He said that the administration had declared a state of emergency in the health sector upon assumption of office, and urged stakeholders to support the government’s efforts to transform the sector.

A Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt on Tuesday ordered the two factions in the Rivers House of Assembly to suspend further sitting and maintain status quo, pending the dispensation of the matter.

A factional speaker of the assembly, Edison Ehie in Suit No: FHC/PH/CS/240/2023, approached the court, presided over by Justice Phoebe Ayua.

He prayed the court to stop Martins Amaewhule, the former Speaker of the House of Assembly and the other lawmakers from presiding over the activities of the legislative arm of the state.

In the suit, the plaintiffs are the River State House of Assembly as first and Ehie (Speaker, River State House of Assembly) as second.

The defendants are the factional speaker of the assembly, Martins Amaewhule, Dumle Moal, former deputy speaker, the Inspector-General of Police, Director, Department of State Security Services, Rivers State and Commissioner of Police.

In her ruling, Justice Ayua ordered all the parties to respect the court order, pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

The order directed the plaintiff/applicants to put the respondents on notice forthwith.

“That an order is, however, made, directing that all parties on record to respect the court and should not take any step concerning the subject matter, since the matter is already before this court – sub judice – pending the hearing and determination of the Motion on Notice.”

In the suit, the plaintiffs sought, among others, a declaration that the former speaker and his deputy, having been removed and suspended from the house, are not entitled to participate, disturb, interfere or obstruct the performance of the legislative proceedings and duties of the new speaker.

This, they said, was in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.

The plaintiff also sought for an order restraining the former speaker and the deputy from interfering or participating in the functions of the House of Assembly.

The court was adjourned until November 27 for hearing.

The assembly broke into two factions when Amaewhule and some members attempted to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara of the state.

The Abuja division of the Court of Appeal on Sunday sacked Plateau State Governor, Mutfwang Manasseh of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

It ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to recognise Nentawe Goshwe of the All Progressives Congress, APC, as the validly elected governor in the March 18 governorship election.

Justice Elfrieda Williams-Dawodu, who led a three-man panel while delivering the lead judgment, cited section 177 of the Constitution, noting that Manasseh was not a validly sponsored candidate by the PDP during the election.

The panel held that the party violated the court order that a valid Congress be conducted in the 17 local government areas of that state, by conducting Congress in only 5 local government areas of the state, and as such is a nullity.

The court while dismissing the decision of Plateau State tribunal, held that the issue of qualification is both a pre-election and a post-election matter contrary to the findings of the tribunal which held that the appellant lacked the locus to contest the validity of the respondent’s nomination.

The court also noted that under section 134 of the Electoral Act, it is the sole right of a political party to sponsor its candidate having met the necessary requirements to do so.

While evoking section 136 of the Electoral Act, the court ordered the INEC to retrieve the certificate of return issued to Governor Manasseh and issue a fresh certificate of return to Goshwe.

President Bola Tinubu has assured that under his administration, no student would drop out of tertiary institutions due to inability to pay tuition.

Mr Tinubu also assured that his government would provide the necessary resources to educational institutions to enable them to carry out their responsibilities.

“Under my leadership, and as I have outlined in my manifesto, no student will be forced to drop out of school due to an inability to pay tuition,” the president assured.

The president, represented by Terna Yawe from the National Universities Commission (NUC), disclosed this on Saturday at the 33rd convocation ceremony of the Federal University of Technology, Akure (FUTA) in Ondo State.

Acknowledging the education sector’s challenges, Mr Tinubu highlighted the Student Loan Bill he recently enacted as evidence that his government is committed to supporting students.

He said, “My government will not shirk its responsibilities in this area. We will guarantee that educational institutions receive the necessary resources to effectively carry out their statutory responsibilities.

“One of my first actions as president of Nigeria was to sign the Student Loan Bill into law to put this into action.”

On June 12, Mr Tinubu signed the Student Loan Bill into law to fulfil a promise he made during his campaign.

The student loan bill sponsored by the ninth House of Representatives speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, provides interest-free loans to indigent Nigerian students.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Friday, issued the certificate of return to Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo, following his victory at the November 11 Governorship poll.

In a remark at the brief ceremony in Owerri, Mr Uzodimma promised to enthrone a legacy that ensures rancour-free politics in the state.

He also pledged to run an inclusive government “where the interest of every Imo man and woman would be accommodated”.

Mr Uzodimma acknowledged the contributions of all segments of society that ensured his victory.

He commended his running mate, Chinyere Ekomaru, who also received a certificate of return at the event.

The governor urged his opponents in the election to see beyond their immediate environment and commend INEC for doing a beautiful job.

The deputy governor said her emergence made her the second female deputy governor since the creation of the state in 1976.

She also commended INEC for conducting the freest, fairest and most peaceful election in the state’s history.

“I also acknowledge and thank the security agencies for working hard to deliver what has been widely adjudged a credible poll, the integrity of which cannot be questioned,” she said.

Earlier, INEC’s national commissioner for South-East, Kenneth Ukeagu, said the certificate issuance complied with section 72 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

Mr Ukeagu said the commission remained independent, non-partisan and committed to its constitutional mandate in conducting free, fair, credible and transparent elections.

In a welcome address, the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Sylvia Agu, commended the various stakeholders for their roles in the first-ever off-cycle governorship election.

Hon Amina Audu, the suspended chairman of Okpokwu Local Government Area of Benue State who was abducted by armed herdsmen, has been freed.

Audu was on her way to Makurdi when she was abducted along with two others by gunmen and taken into the bush on the Makurdi – N’aka road on Monday.

It was gathered that she was released on Thursday evening in good health along with others and has since reunited with her family.

Efforts to confirm her release from the spokesperson of the Benue State Police Command, Catherine Anene, were not successful.

Aviation workers have threatened to shut down the sector if President Bola Ahmed Tinubu refuses to reconsider the implementation of 40 per cent Internal Generated Revenue remittance by aviation agencies to federal coffers.

On Thursday, Ben Nnabue, the National Union of Air Transport Employees (NUATE), made this known at the 11th Quadrennial National Delegates’ Conference in Benin, Edo State.

According to him, the 40 per cent deduction from the revenue of aviation agencies is unhealthy for the industry.

He stressed that no agency can survive the burden considering the level of expenditure.

He urged the President and the Minister of Finance, Wale Edun, to grant special waivers to agencies in the aviation sector.

“At the current revenue levels vis-à-vis expenditure levels, and recognising the high level of regulation in the industry, it is impossible for any agencies to sustain its operation under the present yoke of the Act.

“If the deductions continue, it is almost certain that the agencies will collapse, which will spell a heavy crisis for the national economy. Therefore, may I use this medium to appeal to President Bola Tinubu and the Hon. Minister of Finance to stop the double deductions and then grant special waivers to the aviation agencies without which the sector cannot perform their statutory duties. I sincerely hope this appeal will be heeded in the national interest,” he stated.

DAILY POST gathered that the policy aligns with Section 62 of the Finance Act 2020, which permits a 40 per cent auto deduction of federal agencies’ revenue to the Single Treasury Account, TSA.

The Zamfara State Governor, Dauda Lawal, has approved the lifting of the ban on the activities of the Zamfara Roads Traffic Agency (ZAROTA).

A statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Cabinet Affairs, Lawal Hussein, on behalf of the Secretary to the State Government, Malam Abubakar Nakwada Gusau, indicated that the decision takes immediate effect.

The statement, therefore, urged members of the general public to be law-abiding and cooperate with the agency in the discharge of its constitutional duties to ensure safety on the road.

Recall that the same agency was disbanded by Governor Dauda Lawal as soon as he came on board.

President Bola Tinubu is scheduled to join other Heads of State and Government in Bissau, Guinea-Bissau, on Thursday to celebrate the country’s 50th Independence Anniversary and Armed Forces Day.

A terse statement by Tinubu’s media aide, Ajuri Ngelale, noted that his principal, the President will arrive in Bissau on Thursday for the ceremony, which will be hosted by President Umaro Sissoco Embalo.

Recall that Guinea-Bissau marked its 50th Independence Anniversary on September 24, 2023, but the government had scheduled all celebrations for November 16, 2023.

Shortly after the event, Tinubu will return to Nigeria on Thursday.

Tinubu had been away from the country attending the Saudi-Africa summit, where he wooed investors to come to Nigeria for a guaranteed return on investment.

The House of Representatives on Tuesday launched an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the cancellation of visas of 264 passengers aboard Air Peace airline from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport on November 13.

This followed the adoption of a motion jointly sponsored by Kama Nkemkanma (LP-Ebonyi) and three other lawmakers during plenary in Abuja.

In a motion, Mr Nkemkanma expressed displeasure over the development, while calling on the Federal Government to adopt the principle of reciprocity.

He said the House was informed that the Saudi Arabian authorities allegedly cancelled the visas of all the 264 passengers airlifted by one of Nigeria’s major carriers, Air Peace.

He said, “The House is aware that all the passengers went through the Advanced Passengers Pre-screening System, which was also monitored live by the Saudi Arabia authorities before the flight left Nigeria. The House is worried because according to sources at the Nigerian Embassy in Jeddah, even the Saudi immigration personnel could not locate who authorised the cancellation of the visas.’’

He added that this happened even when the APPS which was live between both countries was concluded and the airline was already airborne to Jeddah.He condemned the embarrassing act of the cancellation of visas of 264 Nigerians on arrival at Saudi Arabia by the country’s authorities.

Adopting the motion, the House urged the Federal Government to urgently take such diplomatic steps necessary to protect the nation’s image.

The House also urged the Federal Government to ensure the full implementation of the BASA, protect Nigerian national carriers flying into Saudi Arabia including protection of Nigerian travelling public.

The House, however, mandated the joint Committees on Foreign Affairs, Interior and Pilgrims Affairs to inquire into the immediate and remote circumstances surrounding the cancellation and to report back within two weeks

The National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Wednesday urged the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Unions Congress to call off their two-day-old strike.

In a statement issued in Abuja by Mr Zakari Mijinyawa, Head, Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser, Ribadu also condemned the attack on the NLC President, Mr Joe Ajaero in Owerri, Imo State on November 1.

He said ONSA was concerned about the strike and worried about its implications on the livelihoods of Nigerians and its potential impact on economic, security and other strategic national interests.

Mr Ribadu noted that he immediately intervened on learning about Ajaero’s travails in Owerri as attested to by the NLC leadership.

“ONSA regrets the incident and condemns it entirely as it is against the rule of law and the principles of freedom of association and expression subscribed to by President Bola Tinubu and his administration. The Federal Government will never condone such act.

“Fallout of the incident was the directive given to relevant authorities to conduct thorough investigation and to bring culprits to book. Available updates indicate that some arrests have been made in this regard and the outcome of the investigation will be made public as soon as it is concluded.

“The Federal Government, through ONSA, therefore appeals to the labour leadership to call off the strike and allow dialogue already in progress to be exhausted,’’ Mr Ribadu said in the statement.