*Tinubu tours Presidential Villa 

*S’Court dismisses PDP’s suit seeking to stop president-elect, Shettima

*Age, perjury, citizenship suit also dismissed at high court 

*FG declares May 29 public holiday
*Buhari directs outgoing officials to declare assets

Preparatory to his resumption of office next Monday, President-elect Bola Tinubu was yesterday taken on a tour of the State House, the seat of the federal government, by outgoing President Muhammadu Buhari.
On the same day, legal hurdles before the inauguration of Tinubu and Vice President-elect, Kashim Shettima were cleared by both the Supreme Court and a Federal High Court in Abuja.

The federal government has also declared Monday May 29 work free for all workers in the country, to commemorate the inauguration of the nation’s 16th President.
Yesterday afternoon, Buhari and Tinubu walked into the Press Gallery of the State House after participating in the Jumat prayers at the State House Mosque, to begin the tour of the State House.
Followed by a large entourage of state officials and security personnel, Tinubu was guided on the tour by the State House Chief of Protocols (SCoP), Ambassador Lawal Kazaure.

At the Press Gallery, which is an adjoining office to the Council Chambers of the State House, the two leaders who stood for a couple of minutes, listening to their guide, Kazaure, however, did not speak to reporters who were itching to ask them probing questions.
Before the tour of the Villa, Tinubu joined Buhari for the Juma’at prayers at the State House Mosque, as part of nationwide special prayers marking the inauguration of the incoming administration.

Speaking after observing the prayers, Tinubu said he had come to join President Buhari to offer prayers to Almighty Allah to support him to carry out the task of governance successfully.
He said he would drink from the fountain of knowledge and wisdom of the Chief Imam of the State House Mosque, Sheikh Abdulwahid Abubakar Suleiman who reminded leaders of the burden of trust in leadership.
The formal handover ceremonies started Thursday with the investiture of the President-elect and the Vice president-elect with highest national honours and presentation of the handover documents to the incoming president.
The events will climax on Monday May 29 when the former Lagos governor takes the oath of office as the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Legal Hurdles Cleared

Legal hurdles before the inauguration of Tinubu as President and Kashim Shettima as Vice President were cleared yesterday by both the Supreme Court and a Federal High Court in Abuja, in two separate judgements.
While the Supreme Court in a unanimous judgment dismissed the appeal by the People’s Democratic Party seeking Tinubu’s disqualification from the February 25 presidential election over alleged double nomination of Shettima, the Federal High Court in its own ruling dismissed the suit on alleged perjury by Tinubu.
PDP had approached the apex court to set aside the concurrent judgement of the Court of Appeal and Federal High Court, which dismissed its suit against Tinubu for being incompetent and lacking in merit.

PDP is claiming that the APC breached the law when it nominated Shettima as senatorial candidate for Borno Central and as Vice Presidential candidate.
In the suit filed on July 28, 2022, the plaintiff specifically challenged the validity of the Tinubu/Shettima ticket for the 2023 presidential election, arguing that Shettima’s nomination as the running mate was in breach of the provisions of Sections 29(1), 33, 35 and 84{1)}(2)} of the Electoral Act, 2022 (as amended).
But Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court, Abuja, in his judgement on January 13, held that the PDP lacked the locus standi to have instituted the suit in the first place.

Dissatisfied, PDP approached the appellate court which in its own judgement affirmed the decision of Justice Ekwo, forcing the PDP to again approach the apex court.
Delivering judgement in the appeal yesterday, the apex court in a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Adamu Jauro, held that the case of the PDP was incompetent and lacking in merit because it lacked the necessary legal authority to initiate the suit in the first place.
The five-member panel of Justices agreed with Tinubu’s lawyer, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, that “PDP acted as busy body and meddlesome interloper in the ways and manners it dabbled into APC’S affairs unjustly.”

While Fagbemi and the other respondents had argued that Section 285(14)(c) of the Constitution does not permit a political party to interfere in the internal affairs of another political party, the Supreme Court held that the PDP not being a member of the APC cannot challenge how the APC produced its candidates for an election.

While holding that the PDP lacked the necessary locus standi to file the suit, having not been an aspirant, a member of APC, the apex court said that the PDP did not reveal any harm it suffered as a result of the nomination of Shettima as VP candidate.
According to the apex court, “no matter how manifestly bad a process is, it is only a person with locus standi that can file a suit against it”, adding that, “no matter how pained the PDP may be, it must keep mum and remain an onlooker.”

The apex court also pointed out that the case of Nwosu relied upon by the appellant was not applicable because Nwosu was nominated by two different political parties while in the instant appeal, Shettima was nominated by just one political party, the APC.
Similarly, the apex court agreed with Fagbemi that the PDP failed to prove that Shettima knowingly presented himself for double nomination, when there was evidence that he withdrew his candidate from the Borno Central Senatorial race, after he was nominated by Tinubu as running mate.
It is the position of the apex court that Shettima could not have contested two different constituency elections, when in actual fact no primary election was conducted for the position of Vice President.

The apex court affirmed the N2 million cost awarded against the appellant in favour of the respondents, which are INEC, APC, Tinubu and shettima.
Meanwhile, barely four hours after the Supreme Court dismissed a suit challenging the qualification of Tinubu for the February 25 presidential election, a Federal High Court in Abuja has also dismissed another suit by three individuals seeking to stop the May 29 inauguration, on alleged perjury.
Justice James Omotosho, in a ruling dismissed the suit on the grounds that it is incompetent and lacking in merit.

The plaintiffs, Praise Ilemona Isaiah, Pastor Paul Isaac Audu and Anongu Moses, had approached the court for an order halting the inauguration of Tinubu as President of Nigeria, on the grounds that Tinubu supplied false information to INEC about his age and citizenship status.
But in his ruling, Justice Omotosho held that the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi to initiate the suit in the first place, adding that the court also lacked necessary jurisdiction to entertain the suit since it relates to a presidential election.

After holding that the case of the plaintiffs was frivolous and abuse of court process, the judge accordingly slammed a total cost of N17 million against the plaintiffs and their lawyers to serve as deterrent to others who may want to bring such frivolous, vexatious and time-wasting processes before the court.
While the three litigants are to jointly pay the President-elect a sum of N10 million and another N5 million to the APC, the lawyer who filed the suit, Daniel Elomah, was ordered to pay Tinubu and APC N1 million each.

Justice Omotoso also ordered that an interest of 10 percent be placed on the judgement debt per year until when finally liquidated.
At the proceedings yesterday, their counsel had pleaded profusely to pardon his clients and advised that the court should counsel them against filing frivolous suits in future.
Legal luminary, Prince Lateef Fagbemi SAN, who is Tinubu’s Counsel, had argued that the suit be dismissed on the ground that the three plaintiffs lacked locus standi to institute it.

The senior lawyer informed the Court that none of the plaintiffs participated in the primary election that produced the President-elect but chose to harass, intimidate and irritate Tinubu through a frivolous suit.
Fagbemi, further argued that the litigants engaged in gross abuse of court by their multiple cases against Tinubu and the APC in various courts without any reasonable cause of action.

Atiku: S’Court Decision Will Not Affect My Petition

The Presidential candidate of the PDP in the February 25 Presidential election, Atiku Abubakar yesterday said that the dismissal of the suit on double nomination against Shettima will in no way affect his petition in the Presidential Election Tribunal.
He said his legal team will robustly defend his petition, describing the Presidential Election as manifestly fraudulent.

Atiku maintained that the Presidential Election did not mèet the set guidelines for the election.
Atiku, who took to his twitter handle said, “The Supreme Court’s dismissal of the case of the @OfficialPDPNig is not a setback to my quest for justice.
“Our legal team is primed to robustly prove that the election of February 25 was fraudulent, did not comply with the constitutional requirements and the electoral guidelines…”

FG Declares May 29 Holiday

The federal government has declared next Monday work free for all workers in the country, to commemorate the inauguration of the nation’s 16th President.
The declaration was made yesterday by the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, in Abuja in a statement on behalf of the federal government.
The Minister, in the statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Dr. Shuaib Belgore, felicitated with all Nigerians on the momentous occasion, commending them for their faith in democracy as expressed in the nationwide election that produced the President and his Deputy that would be inaugurated, and other elected representatives across the states.
He enjoined them to continue to support and promote democracy through adherence to the rule of law and uphold all democratic institutions.

Buhari Directs Outgoing Officials to Declare Assets

President Buhari has directed all outgoing officials to declare their assets.
In a statement by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesperson, Buhari said his strict adherence to the constitutional requirement of assets declaration before and after taking office was aimed at strengthening best practices.
Speaking in Abuja after collecting his form from Isah Mohammed, chairman of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), Buhari said no one was excluded from the constitutional duty of assets declaration.

The president noted that asset declaration raises moral standards in public service and helps to build integrity and combat corruption.
Buhari said: “I signed, collected and acknowledged receiving my form. From here, I will ask my bank manager in Kaduna to show me what has gone in and out of my account.
“Nobody is excluded from declaring their assets. I expect everyone from the Vice-President downwards to follow the system.”

[ThisDay]

• Improved Security, Stability In Education System Top Demands
• FG Expresses Worry As Number Of Almajiri Children Hit Nine Million
• NGO Tasks Govt On Welfare Of Children In IDP Camps
*• NAPSS Seeks Comprehensive Agenda For Children On Health, Education

As the curtain falls on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government, Nigerian children have scored the outgoing government low in the handling of security challenges besetting the nation.

The children who bore their minds to The Guardian, as the world marks this year’s Children’s Day celebration today, urged the President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to ensure the happiness of the greater number of Nigerians as he takes the reins on Monday.   

Specifically, 15-year-old Senior Secondary 2 (SS2) student, Jude Ovwure, told The Guardian in Asaba, the Delta State capital that recurring strike actions by public university lecturers are a threat to his future educational pursuits, urging the government to do all within its powers to solve the problem.
  
“I want the Federal Government to settle its differences with the ASUU so that when it’s time for me to enter the university, there would be no problem. I don’t want to wait at home after finishing secondary school.”
  
He queried: “Why can’t government and ASUU agree for our sake since most government officials send their children abroad to study? It is we whose parents cannot afford such that suffer as a result of the incessant strike actions. The government should settle its rift with ASUU,” he said. 
  
On his part, Okpe Johnson, who wants the government to reduce the cost of living, lamented: “Even the packet of biscuits that we used to buy for N20 is now N50, and is smaller. Before now, N100 was enough for our snacks in school, but now, even the N200 my parents give to me for that purpose is not enough

  He also wants the government to address the issue of cultism in schools, “because some members of the cult groups have been threatening us to join them, and we are sometimes afraid to report them to the school authorities.”
  
Master Somtochukwu Okwara, a Primary 2 pupil of Shalom Academy, Asaba, Delta State, appealed to the incoming president to ensure that there is a constant power supply in the country, saying: “I want the president to reduce the prices of everything, especially food items and school fees. 
  
Michelle Chibuikem, a pupil of St. Jude International School, Asaba, simply said: “I want the government to offer free education and scholarship for us.  For Echezona Emmanuel and Ijeh Joy Chukwufunogo, both Junior Secondary 2 (JSS2) students of Unity Secondary School, Asaba, the government should provide free education and inculcate discipline among teachers and students, who are in the habit of coming late to school.
  
According to them, truancy among students and lateness by teachers don’t add value to education, hence such vices should be stopped.  Echezona asked the government to provide accommodation through housing estates for parents who are unable to afford one to make life easy for many families.
 
For Umar Farouk, a student of Government Secondary School, Wuse Zone 3, Abuja: “The Nigeria of my dream is a country where there is justice and fairness. I want a country where there is peace, progress, honesty, and development. We should have quality and affordable health services, and we need a good healthcare system. I want a Nigeria where youths are allowed to contribute their quota to the development of the country. Above all, I want a Nigeria where there is no ASUU strike; where youths enter the university and graduate at the appropriate time; where indigent students are given credit facilities, scholarships, and bursary allowances to enable them to go to school. Most government schools are dilapidated and don’t have enough teachers. We need good schools and qualified teachers. I also want a secure Nigeria, where children are protected.”  
  
Many children in the South East geo-political zone said they want the incoming administration to end the weekly Monday sit-at-home in the region to ensure that students conduct their normal academic activities like their counterparts in other states of the federation.
  
Speaking with The Guardian, an SS2 student of the Queen’s School, Enugu, Mary Onyegbula, noted that like other sectors, education in the region is grappling with the challenge of insecurity due to the wave of kidnappings, abductions, and killings carried out by outlaws.

Her words: “I am worried that my fellow students go to school and end up being abducted, raped, or killed and the government appears helpless. The kind of leadership that I wish for the country is the one that will guarantee the security of lives and property. There is no reason for people to invade schools to attack or kidnap innocent students. We have not forgotten about the Chibok girls who were abducted from their school. While most of them returned with painful stories, others till now have not come back. It is a sad thing.
  
“Here in the South East, it is not easy for us. Students board their school buses but do not end up in their schools because some will be waylaid, kidnapped, raped and what have you. There is also the weekly Monday sit-at-home that has seriously affected our curricula. So, let our new government think of bettering the lives of young people. It is a bad thing that we are not free as students.”
  
John Ugwuja, who is an SS3 student at Government Technical College (GTC), Enugu, while acknowledging the need for the government to protect students, called for a better welfare scheme for Nigerians. 
  
“It is becoming increasingly difficult for my parents to meet their responsibilities at home. The cost of living is too high and this is affecting the provision of my school needs. So, let the government come up with policies that would turn things around in this country. It is not a wrong thing to provide scholarships for students; it is not a wrong thing to provide us with books and writing materials. Doing so will equip us to concentrate on our studies. So, my advice to the new government is to help reduce the sufferings of Nigerians,” he said.
  
Nkechinyere Njoku, an SS1 student of the Federal Government College (FGC), Enugu, is looking forward to a new government that would lift the standard of education by tackling dilapidation in schools.
  
“Some of the schools in the country don’t have required facilities, including libraries and laboratories. Instead of pure practical, we are now doing alternatives to practical. This is not healthy for our development,” he said.
  
Meanwhile, with the number of Almajiris in the country said to be over nine million currently, the Federal Government has admitted that the menace was assuming a frightening dimension.
  
The government lamented that the values originally attached to caring for the almajiris have degraded not only the children but also the caregivers, thus subjecting the children to a higher level of vulnerability.
  
The Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, while speaking at the commemoration of the Almajiri Children Right Day, yesterday, in Abuja, noted that apart from reducing the religious essence of the almajiri practice, the socio-economic implication of the almajiri phenomenon was enormous in a country that is facing harsh economic realities.

  
The minister, who was represented by the Director of Child Development in the ministry, Ali Maidugu, stated that while stakeholders were working to proffer solutions to address the almajiri question, the Federal Government was also setting up other programmes such as the Alternate School Programme for out-of-school children, especially almajiris. 
  
He pointed out that the Home Grown School Feeding Programme was another way to encourage enrolment, retention, and graduation, especially from primary school and junior secondary school.
 
 The Executive Director, of Almajiri Child Right Initiative (ACRI), Mohammed Keena, in his remarks, said the Almajiri Child Rights Day 2023 was observed to raise awareness of the urgent need for transformative action to address the plight of almajiri children in northern Nigeria. 
  
He said the theme for this year’s commemoration, “Transformative Action to Address Situations of Almajiri Children,” emphasises the need for a thorough and long-lasting strategy to address difficulties faced by these defenseless kids.
  
While noting that the almajiri system has long been a subject of concern due to adverse conditions that it often subject children to, including inadequate access to education, health, and basic social services, he stated that although the Federal Government has made commendable efforts in the past to address these issues through various policies and initiatives, it was crucial to recognise that short-term fixes alone are insufficient to bring about lasting change.

Keena stressed that a system change approach that tackles the root causes of the problem was essential.  He called on the incoming administration to prioritise the issue and increase investment in education, particularly in rural areas, adding that by investing in education at the grassroots level, the country could provide almajiri children with the opportunity for a brighter future and a path to contribute positively to society.
  
He also called on the government to undertake a comprehensive review of existing policies and initiatives on almajiri, with a focus on enhancing access to quality education, improving living conditions, and addressing social and economic challenges faced by almajiri children and their families.
  
According to him, the review should involve consultation with relevant stakeholders, including civil society organisations, religious leaders, educators and communities directly affected by the issue.
  
In a related development, a non-governmental organisation, Eko Smile Support and Empowerment Initiative (ESSEi) has celebrated with children in the Internally Displaced Persons camp in Maraban-Rido, Kaduna State, during which they called on the government to step up its care programmes for the children.
  
Founder/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the organisation, Blessing Eko Sunday, said she visited the camp with her team to ensure that the children celebrate the day with joy and happiness like other children in the country.
 
 According to her, the organisation chose to celebrate with the children at the camp because a majority of them were orphans. Blessing called on the Federal Government to work harder toward improving the welfare of IDPs in the country. She equally called on wealthy individuals both in the country and abroad to support women with skills that could help them to take care of their children. 
  
“They need everyone’s help,” she appealed. Some of the activities carried out at the camp include reading, writing, and dancing competitions, which produced winners that were rewarded with prizes, and the cutting of Children’s Day Cake.
  
The National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools (NAPPS), has also called on stakeholders and governments at all levels to set a comprehensive agenda that caters to the education, health, and safety needs of all Nigerian children. 

 “The nation and the world at large cannot prosper if children of today are not healthy, educated, protected, and properly nurtured to face the future.
  
“Moreover, investing in the education and well-being of children is important not just to a family, but to society as a whole. These children are the leaders of tomorrow, and the outcome of our society depends on what we make out of our children today.
  
“We must note that just as the rights of citizens are enshrined in the constitution, so are the rights of children to good health, education, shelter, security, rights to basic things of life, and many more. 
  
“As the vulnerable ones in society, children need to be protected and provided for by the laws of our country,” he said.

[Guardian]