DAILY NEWSPAPERS REVIEW MONDAY APRIL 12, 2021

OPL 245: SHELL, ENI SHOULD WHO’S AFRAID OF AGF MALAMI? – DAILY SUN PG.16FACE PROSECUTION, HEDA TELLS BUHARI – THIS DAY PG.52, DAILY TRUST PG.12

President Muhammadu Buhari has been asked to ensure that oil giants, Shell and Eni face prosecution in Nigeria.

Shell and Eni have been dragged to court in Milan, Italy over horrendous alleged cases of corruption in relation to the Oil Prospecting Lease (OPL) 245. The country’s foremost anti-corruption group, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, (HEDA Resource Centre) in a letter sent to Buhari urged the Nigerian authorities to ignore public statements by the oil company, ENI, that the trial in Italy should substitute for and annul any other possible legal action in Nigeria. President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) to investigate the involvement of any top government officials accused of any wrong-doing for prosecution if found liable is at risk of going the way of past probe that yielded little or no results. No. It is not because the ad-hoc panel is compromised; it is because the kind of people that published such past efforts are hard at work engaging their old tricks that may just again prove effective. Mr President’s directive was not unconnected with the black eye he suffered when the Senate first indicted and called for the removal of the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) Mr David Babachir over conflict of interest and inflation of contracts and later within the same period refused to confirm Ibrahim Magu as the substantive Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) chairman citing a security report that fingered him for corruption.

CAN TACKLES NSCIA OVER JUDICIAL APPOINTMENTS, OTHERS – DAILY SUN PG. 6

Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has accused the Nigerian Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) of being myopic in its observation and analysis of event in Nigeria. It said NSCIA has taken pleasure in “feeding” Nigerians falsehood and several incitements instead of speaking truth to the government on the deplorable state of the nation. This was in response to NSCIA’s recent statement in which it used some unprintable names to describe CAN’s position on the shortlisting of 20 Justices-designate by the Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) and other national issues.  CAN General Secretary, Joseph Daramola, in a statement, yesterday, claimed NSCIA was being economical with the truth when it picked an example of just one arm of government (judiciary) without addressing the totality of fundamental questions on all the arms of government.

UN CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON HUMANITARIAN FACILITIES IN BORNO – DAILY SUN PG.6

The United Nation’s Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Edward Kallon, on Sunday condemned the attack carried out on aid facilities in Damasak, Borno State. He said humanitarian operations in town would be reduced due to the violent attack, and that would affect the support to 8,800 Internally Displaced Persons. Kallon’s position was contained in a statement titled “Mr. Edward Kallon, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Nigeria, Statement on the Attack Against Aid Facilities in Damasak.”

SOUTH-EAST GOVS REITERATE BAN ON OPEN GRAZING – THIS DAY PG.1&11, THE NATION PG.1&6, PUNCH PG.14& 39

South-east Governors have reiterated their ban on open grazing of cattle in the zone. The chairman of the South East Governors Forum and Ebonyin State Governor, Mr. David Umahi emphasized this yesterday during APC stakeholders meeting at the Christian Ecumenical Centre Abakaliki.th-east Governors have reiterated their ban on open grazing of cattle in the zone. Umahi has also called for flushing out of all criminal elements from the forests in the south-east by security agencies.

JUDGES SHOULDN’T MANAGE JUDICIARY FUNDS, SAYS FALANA-LED COALITION – THIS DAY PG.53, DAILY TRUST PG.14, PUNCH PG.9

The Alliance on Surviving COVID-19 and Beyond (ASCAB), led by human rights activist, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN) has said that the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) and the Nigerian. Bar Association (NBA) should put in place a transparency mechanism that will exclude judges from managing funds budgeted for the judiciary. The group stated this in a statement issued yesterday and titled, ‘ASCAB Seeks Transparency Mechanism to Manage Funds for the Judiciary,’ which was signed by Falana.

RELEASE EL-ZAKZAKY NOW, S’WEST SHI’TES TELL FG – DAILY TRUST PG.12

The Islamic Movement of Nigeria, popularly known as Shi’ites, on Sunday, asked the federal government to release the leader of the group, Sheikh Ibrahim Yaquob El-Zakzaky after the court had asked him to be released. The southwest Coordinator of IMN, Alhaji Muftau Zakariya, who spoke at a press conference in Ibadan on Sunday faulted the federal government for not honoring the rule of law.

AGBAKOBA BACKS JUSUN, ASKS GOVS TO ENFORCE COURT DECISION – DAILY TRUST PG.46

Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr Olisa Agbakoba SAN has thrown his weight behind the 6-day old strike embarked upon by Judiciary staff and called upon state governors to enforce the decisions of the court on the financial independence of the Judiciary. Agbakoba stated this on Sunday in a letter to Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF).