The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, says surveillance regulations could be used against civilians and those critical of the government.

Deputy Director of SERAP, Kolawole Oluwadare, made this statement on Monday while fielding questions in an interview on Arise Television.

His remark comes after allegations by the former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai that the National Security Adviser, NSA, Nuhu Ribadu’s phone conversation was intercepted.

Recall that El-Rufai reportedly claimed that he and another person tapped the phone call of the NSA.

Airing his own opinion, Oluwadare said, “With the kind of weight and power this kind of regulation has, it should go through the legislative process and public hearing. These regulations will take away major rights Nigerians have.

“The current regulations governing interception may not be necessary in their present form. Concerns exist regarding the wording of these laws, the provisions for civil liberties safeguards, and the potential for misuse.

“It is unclear how agencies like the DSS or the Office of the National Security Adviser utilize these powers, raising concerns that they might be used against civilians or government critics.

“Regulations of this magnitude, which could impact fundamental rights, should undergo a thorough legislative process, including public hearings, to incorporate necessary safeguards and ensure their effectiveness in addressing insecurity.

“This stance does not advocate against an interception framework altogether, but rather suggests it should align with models found in other jurisdictions, incorporating robust safeguards as envisioned in existing legal frameworks.”

The All Progressives Congress, APC, National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, alongside the Chairman of the APC National Campaign Council, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, among others, received the newly elected chairmen for the Federal Capital Territory, FCT councils area.

DAILY POST reports that candidates of the ruling party won five councils while the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP got one.

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, the party housing the coalition of opposition leaders failed to win any of the council.

APC won the Abuja Municipal Area Council, AMAC, Abaji, Kuje, Bwari and Kwali.

In a post on its official X handle on Monday, the party said the newly elected chairmen were received by its leaders, including the Party’s National Working Committee, NWC.

The National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, says the Senate and the House of Representatives were pragmatic and realistic in passing the Electoral Amendment Act.

Morka said this on Monday when he featured in an interview on ‘The Morning Brief’, a programme on Channels Television.

He was reacting to the recent passage of the Electoral Act by the National Assembly and its immediate signing into law by President Bola Tinubu.

DAILY POST reports that President Tinubu signed the Electoral Act, 2022 (Repeal and Re-Enactment) Bill 2026 into law barely 24 hours after it was passed by the National Assembly.

The speedy signing of the Act has, however, generated national debates from various quarters of the country, with many criticizing the president for such a speed.

Airing his own opinion, Morka said, “The Senate and the House of Representatives in passing the Electoral Act were being very pragmatic and realistic, taking into account the state of address of communication technology in our country.

“Let’s keep in mind that that All Progressives Congress, APC, is not the only party in our National Assembly. We have other parties there.

“So whatever the outcome of deliberations and bills that are passed through the National Assembly must be considered as the output of the combined effort and collective will of the entire members of the legislature.

“We must be realistic as a people. It’s okay as a people to aspire the greatest ideals to the finest condition.

“But I think that when we look at our country, I’m speaking to you right now from Asaba, Delta state and before I connected this morning, I went through literally about three networks to be able to find a stable connectivity to be on this show.

“I don’t know whether Nigerians assume that whatever is going on in Lagos or in Abuja is the same in the rest of the country in terms of facility.

“I too wish it was different. I wish all of the connectivity issues sorted so that we can upload real-time electronic transmission of election results.”

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, has asked human rights lawyer, Femi Falana, SAN, not to always comment on every issue.

Speaking to journalists on Sunday after meeting President Bola Tinubu at the presidential villa, Wike urged Falana to verify and get his facts right before making comment on any issue.

Falana had faulted Wike for declaring public holiday ahead of the just concluded Area Council Polls and imposition of curfew in the nation’s capital city.

Reacting to Falana’s remark, Wike said, “With all due respect, Femi Falana must not always comment just because he wants to comment.

“Comment on something you know about and have facts on. You can’t just wake up, and you hear somebody said this, and you can’t even verify before you make comments.

“It was Mr President’s approval that movements should be restricted because of security report that people are trying to bring in hoodlums.

“It’s not everything you must comment. And if you must comment, go and find out and know what actually happened.”

The Nigerian Meteorological Agency, NiMet, has forecast dust haze and cloudiness from Monday to Wednesday across the country.
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‎NiMet’s weather outlook released on Sunday in Abuja envisaged slight dust haze on Monday across the northern region throughout the forecast period.
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‎NiMet said few states such as Borno and Yobe are to experience moderate dust haze with horizontal visibility ranging from 2km to 5km during the forecast period.
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For the North central region, the agency stated that slight dust haze is expected across the region throughout the forecast period.
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‎For the southern region, it said a cloudy atmosphere with intervals of sunshine is anticipated across the region with slim chances of morning thunderstorms over parts of Cross River and Akwa Ibom.
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‎Then, later in the day, the agency revealed that thunderstorms with light rains are anticipated over parts of Ondo, Ogun, Lagos, Edo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom.
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‎The agency predicted moderate dust haze on Tuesday with horizontal visibility ranging from 2km to 5km over the northern region throughout the forecast period.
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‎NiMet envisaged slight dust haze across the North central region throughout the forecast period.
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‎It anticipated a cloudy atmosphere with intervals of sunshine across the southern region with chances of morning thunderstorms over parts of Akwa Ibom and Cross River States.
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‎It predicted thunderstorms with light rains over parts of Lagos, Oyo, Ondo, ‎Ogun, Edo, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom later in the day.
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‎According to NiMet, for the northern region, ‎a thick dust haze is anticipated across the region throughout the forecast period on Wednesday.
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‎For North central region, it said thick dust haze is anticipated across the region throughout the forecast period.
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‎For southern region, the agency disclosed that a cloudy atmosphere with intervals of sunshine across the southern region is predicted with chances of morning thunderstorms over parts of Cross River and Akwa Ibom States
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‎It predicted thunderstorms with light rains over parts of Bayelsa, Lagos, ‎Ondo, Ogun, Edo, Cross River, Rivers, Delta and Akwa Ibom later in the day.
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‎NiMet urged the public to take necessary precaution as dust particles are in suspension over the northern region, north central region and Inland states of
‎the South.
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‎According to the agency, people with asthmatic health conditions and other respiratory issues should be cautious of the weather
‎condition.
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‎It also advised airline operators to get airport-specific weather reports (flight documentation) from NiMet
‎for effective planning in their operations.

The Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Abia State Council has called on relevant government authorities in the State to checkmate the continuous movement of cattle in and around the State’s capital, Umuahia.

The NUJ, which made the call during its monthly Congress at the NUJ State Secretariat in Umuahia, expressed worry that animal dung was messing up some parts of the Umuahia.

A communique from the NUJ signed by Abia State Chairman, Chidi Asonye and the Secretary, Ikechukwu Onuegbu, commended the State government for commencing payment of arrears of Leave Allowances to civil servants in the State, saying that it would encourage the workers to discharge their duties better.

The NUJ, however, reminded Governor Alex Otti to fulfill his 2025 promise to pay the outstanding entitlement to next-of-kin of deceased Abia workers.

The Abia NUJ urged journalists in the State to shun praise-singing of those in positions of trust but to hold them accountable, in line with the constitutional roles of journalists.

The Council further expressed worry with the low figure of registered voters in the State as released by the INEC and urged Abia State government officials, religious and community leaders to mobilize eligible voters to register for future elections.

The All Progressives Congress in Lagos State has concluded the screening of 27 aspirants from each of the state’s 20 local government areas ahead of its local government congress scheduled for Saturday, February 21.

The screening exercise was conducted at the party’s state secretariat in Ogba under the supervision of members of the Local Government Area Ward Congress Committee.

Speaking after the exercise, the committee chairman, Barrister Mungji B. Salama, described the process as orderly and hitch-free, noting that no aspirant was disqualified. He explained that consensus arrangements would be honoured where stakeholders reached agreement, adding that such outcomes would only require formal ratification.

“There is consensus if people agree. They will only need to ratify it,” Salama said, stressing that the full outcome of the screening would be known when the results are officially displayed.

He added that only aspirants who successfully passed the screening would be eligible to participate in the congress, urging those who did not make the final list to remain loyal to the party.

“For those that didn’t qualify, there is always another time. Let us do it without any rancour,” he appealed.

Salama also commended the Lagos APC leadership for creating an enabling environment for the exercise, describing the state as a pacesetter in party organisation and adherence to guidelines.

In his remarks, the Lagos APC Chairman, Hon. Cornelius Ojelabi, said the screening marked the final phase of preparations for the LGA congress. According to him, the party remains committed to transparency and internal democracy.

“We started the process of the screening, and tomorrow we are rounding off in preparation for the local government congress,” Ojelabi said.

He noted that the APC distinguishes itself by consistently inviting the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and members of the media to observe its congresses, emphasizing its commitment to openness and accountability.

Ojelabi also emphasised the importance of strict compliance with the Electoral Act, particularly for officials who will oversee party affairs at the local government level.

“The content of the Electoral Act is very critical, so those who are going to be in charge at the LGA must be properly briefed,” he said.

Congratulating the aspirants ahead of the congress, the party chairman described election into party offices as a call to service rather than personal advancement.

He urged those seeking leadership positions to honestly assess their capacity to serve the party and strengthen its grassroots structures.

Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo has said the All Progressives Congress, APC, is not a party of saints.

Keyamo said only a fool would declare the APC or any political party as one of the saints.

Posting on X, the minister, however, noted that the APC still remains the best hope for Nigerians.

He wrote: “This is the unedited part of the interview I granted a blog in 2017 (nine years ago) emphasising that APC may not be a Party of saints (which, I repeat, is a matter of fact), BUT it is still far better than where we were coming from. Some characters edited the last part of my statement out of it.

“And today, I repeat it again, I will be a fool to say APC is a Party of saints. And anyone who declares any party to which he/she belongs as a Party of saints will also be a fool.

“But, on the balance, the APC still holds the best hope for the country and we cannot return to the era of PDP where you had some of the characters who are running for President today.

“It was only Mr. President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu @officialABAT that never hopped onto that battered train of PDP at that time.”