Education

Falana Tasks N’Assembly on out-of-School Children

By Web News 479

Human rights lawyer and activist, Femi Falana (SAN), has called on the National Assembly to address Nigeria’s worrisome out-of-school crisis to save the future of the country.

Falana made the call in a speech he read at a summit on Nigeria’s out-of-school crisis, hosted by the UK charity IA Foundation in Lagos at the weekend.

The activist said that the refusal of state governments to make counterpart contributions to the Universal Basic Education Fund in the country was hampering access to basic education in Nigeria.

A 2022 UNESCO report said that approximately 20 million children are out of school in Nigeria, which is Africa’s most populous nation.

Falana, in his speech, made available to the press in Abuja on Sunday, stressed the need for the National Assembly to act fast, lamenting that the number of out-of-school children in the country was alarming.

According to him, pursuant to Section 2 of the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act, it is important for the state governments to make counterpart contributions to the Universal Basic Education Fund, which has continually been ignored.

The activist argued that the National Assembly should ensure an amendment of the constitution to empower the accountant-general of the federation to deduct the counterpart fund payable by every state government from its source.

“In June last year, the Executive Secretary of the Universal Basic Education Commission, Mr Hamid Bobboyi, bemoaned the refusal of state governments to provide counterpart funding and access the annual matching grants given by the commission to develop their basic education system.

“The commission was particularly concerned that about N110 billion of the intervention funds accessed from UBEC were not utilised by the states in 2021, with the money left in the coffers of State Universal Basic Education Boards.

“Sometime in 2017, we learnt that the Federal Government had decided to refund state governments all monies so far deducted from their accounts to meet the London Paris Club obligations.

“We were able to convince the Federal Government to deduct the counterpart fund that the state governments had failed to contribute to the Universal Basic Education Fund.

“The suggestion was accepted by the Federal Government and that was how the sum of N71.3 billion was deducted from source and remitted to the account of UBEC.

“Thereafter, UBEC added the matching grant of N71.3 billion and the states received a total of N142.6bn for the provision of needed facilities in public primary and junior secondary schools in the country.

“What the National Assembly should do is to address the refusal of state governments to make counterpart contributions to the Universal Basic Education Fund pursuant to Section 2 of the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act.’’

According to him, the National Assembly should, as a matter of urgency, ensure the amendment of the constitution to empower the accountant-general of the federation to deduct the counterpart fund payable by every state government from its source.

Falana explained further that since each of the 36 states of the federation had adopted the Child’s Rights Act and enacted a Child’s Rights Law, it had become the joint responsibility of the federal, state and local governments to ensure that every Nigerian child was given an opportunity to acquire free and compulsory education.

He added that the Discrimination Against Persons With Disabilities (Prohibition) Act of 2019 guaranteed free education up to senior secondary school level for every person with a disability.

“In the same vain, all public schools, whether primary, secondary or tertiary shall have at least one personnel trained to cater for the educational development of persons with disabilities or special facilities for the effective education of persons with disabilities.

“These laws have been observed in their breach because the members of the political class, drawn from all registered political parties have not demonstrated any commitment to the education of every child in Nigeria.

“The members of the legislative and executive organs of governments have failed to appreciate the danger of having 18.5 million out-of-school children, the highest in the world.

“Therefore, amending the Compulsory Free Universal Basic Education Act to make it more stringent for parents will not work in a poverty-stricken environment,” Falana said.

Punch/Simeon Ugbodovon

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Crime

Mohbad: Police Exhume Corpse, Arrest Nurse

By Web News 486

The Lagos State Police Command has confirmed the exhumation of the corpse of the late singer, Ilerioluwa Aloba popularly known as Mohbad on Thursday.

According to The Punch newspaper, the police also arrested the nurse who reportedly injected the deceased before his demise on Tuesday, September 12.

The late musician, who passed away on September 12, 2023, was buried a day later and there have been calls for investigations to unravel the circumstances behind the musician’s death.

Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, said on Wednesday that Omowunmi, wife of Mohbad, visited him to demand justice for her late husband.

Mr Falana noted that he visited the Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Mr Idowu Owohunwa, adding that the commissioner assured that investigation had been launched.

Punch/Maxwell Oyekunle

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Labour

NLC Protest is Legal – Falana

By Web News 367

Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana says the proposed strike and protest by the Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, and its affiliates does not translate to contempt of court as averred by the Federal Government.

In a letter to the Ministry of Justice, Falana said no court has issued a perpetual injunction restraining Nigerian workers from participating in peaceful rallies convened by the NLC.

In the letter dated July 28, 2023, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who is also the counsel to the organised labour, argued that the rights to peaceful protest have not been removed from the Nigeria constitution.

“You will agree with us that the National Industrial Court or any other Court has not granted an order of interim, interlocutory or perpetual injunction restraining Nigerian workers from participating in peaceful rallies convened by the Nigeria Labour Congress.

“Since the constitutional right of Nigerian workers to protest peacefully cannot by any stretch of imagination be classified as an Industrial action or strike of any nature, you ought not to have threatened our client with contempt of court’’, the letter read.

He said the Union has the right to demonstrate and protest on matters of public concern as long as no unlawful act was done.

“Finally, freedom of speech and freedom of assembly are part of the democratic rights of every citizen of the republic; our legislature must guard these rights jealously as they are part of the foundation upon which the government itself rests,” Mr Falana wrote.

FRCN Abuja / Titilayo Kupoliyi

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News Analysis

Re-Strategising On Security Situation In Oyo State

By Web News 1073

Cases of kidnapping for ransom, highway robbery and herdsmen attacks have taken a difficult dimension in parts of Oyo State, which is affecting residents, expatriates and businesses.

Towards the end of last year, a female quarry worker, Damilola Agboola was abducted at Moniya Area, Ibadan and this came few days after two Indians were kidnapped near the old Toll Gate along Lagos – Ibadan Expressway.

Shortly before that incident, a Lebanese, Hassan Mills was rescued from his abductors, sadly, an officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps lost his life while a soldier sustained injuries.   

It was as a result of the killing of a prominent farmer in Ibarapa area of Oyo State, Fatai Aborode that youths in the area staged a peaceful protest recently.

While the dust is yet to settle on the Aborode killing, three persons were killed by unknown gunmen in Idere in Ibarapa Central Local Government Area of Oyo State.

One of the victims, was the owner of a filling station, Mrs Sherifat Adisa who was abducted and killed while the others, two nine-year-old girls had gone to the station to buy fuel but got caught in the attack.

With the policing system strength of the nation is about thirty-seven thousand which majority of them have been deployed to guard the very important personalities and many of the soldiers have been overwhelmed with joint operations in some states.   

With the deteriorating security situation in the country, it is not viable for any state government to depend on the federal government for security of their state as they need to should develop and sustain their own security system to guard the security of lives and property of its citizens.

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana recently noted that notwithstanding the shortcomings of the 1999 constitution, there are some residual powers reserved for state governments, which have not been explored to promote the development of the country.

It is therefore necessary that state governors need to leverage on these provisions to insist on power sharing with the federal government with respect to the management of the economy and security of the nation as stipulated by the constitution.

Oyo State government must seek legal advice from lawyers on how to explore constitutional provisions available to secure the lives and property of its people.

The Amotekun Corps in collaboration with other security agencies should be formidable enough to flush out the bandits and robbers hibernating in the state’s forests, and patrol the intra-state highways and roads with the assistance of relevant, maximising technology.

To have a reputable security system entails leadership and efficient coordination which Oyo State government needs to inculcate, coupled with the joint efforts of courageous and capable professionals will reduce the insecurity situation to the barest minimum.

Giving out intelligence report from members of the public would also go a long way in tackling insecurity as they are closer to the grassroots.

While a robust relationship between security personnel and the public must be paramount for them to earn their trust in working together as police cannot be everywhere.

Fawzeeyah Kasheem