By Modupe Gbadeyanka

A popular human rights activist, Mr Dele Farotimi, has been remanded in prison custody in Ekiti State after he was arraigned on Wednesday by the police.

He was accused of defaming a legal luminary, Mr Afe Babalola, in a book titled Nigeria and its Criminal Justice System.

The book was published by Mr Farotimi and he claimed that Mr Babalola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), used his position to influence the judiciary.

The suspect, who is also a lawyer, was allegedly abducted this week in his Lagos chamber by officers of the Ekiti State Command of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) and taken to Ekiti State by road.

Today, he was arraigned before Magistrate Abayomi Adeosun of the Ado-Ekiti Magistrate Court on a 16-count charge, which he pleaded not guilty to.

The police said it acted on a petition of defamation written by the founder of Afe Babalola University, Ekiti State.

The nonagenarian lawyer claimed the 56-year-old professional colleague exposed him to hatred, contempt, ridicule and damage his hard-earned career in the book.

At the court today, the police prosecutor, Mr Samson Osun, begged the court to keep the accused person in prison custody pending further investigation.

However, this was opposed by the counsel to the defendant, Mr Dayo Akeredolu, who argued that the alleged offence was bailable and that Mr Farotimi is a public figure who respects the rule of law.

This plea was not answered as Mr Adeosun remanded the suspect in prison custody and adjourned the hearing till December 10.

By Adedapo Adesanya

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Justice and the National Assembly to work on concerns raised in the controversial tax reform bills.

This follows criticisms from statesmen, with the most vocal criticism coming from the northern region, who believe that the reforms will further affect the region.

President Tinubu has now mandated the Justice Ministry to look into the concerns raised and work with the leadership of the National Assembly to finetune the rough edges in the bills.

“It is pertinent to state that the government has nothing sinister to warrant the suggestion that the process is being rushed. In line with the established legislative procedure, the Federal General welcomes meaningful inputs that can address whatever grey areas there may be in the bill,” the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mr Mohammed Idris, said in a statement.

“In this vein, President Tinubu has already directed the Federal Ministry of Justice and relevant officials who worked on the drafts to work closely with the National Assembly to ensure that all genuine concerns have been addressed before the bills are passed.”

The statement noted that President Tinubu is committed to accountability to the Nigerian people and described the debates generated by the bills as “welcomed, and commendable”.

“It is very inspiring to see Nigerians from all walks of life coming out to express their views and opinions on these matters of critical national importance,” he said. “This is the very essence and meaning of democracy”.

“In the spirit of democratic engagement, there should be no room for name-calling or the injection of unnecessary ethnic and regional slurs into this important national conversation,” the minister said.

Although some of the arguments against the bills are that they were targeted at impoverishing some states, especially in the north, the minister has dismissed the claim which he labelled as “fake news” and “ misinformation”.

“The fiscal reforms will not impoverish any state or region of the country, neither will they lead to the scrapping or weakening of any federal agencies,” he added.

When passed, the minister said, these bills are expected to “bring relief to tens of millions of hardworking Nigerians” and equally “empower and position our states and the 774 local governments for sustainable growth and development”.

“On top of this necessary foundation, the resources being conserved and realized from these reforms will be invested in critical infrastructure (healthcare, education, transportation, digital technology, etc) and in social investments that will benefit all Nigerians and ensure that no one is left behind,” the Information Minister’s statement read.

By Dipo Olowookere

The Dangote Sugar Refinery has been commended for its significant investment in the sugar Backward Integration Policy (BIP) of the federal government.

Business Post reports that so far, Dangote Sugar has committed over $700 million to the scheme aimed to stem the national annual sugar import of over $337 million to enable Nigeria to attain national sugar self-sufficiency which will, in turn, revolutionise the economy of the nation as other people-oriented infrastructures would come with the sugar projects being undertaken under the BIP.

Speaking during a visit to Dangote Group’s pavilion at the ongoing Kano International Trade Fair, Mr Silas Agara, the Director General of the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), said the sugar miller’s action would also create jobs for citizens.

“Dangote Sugar in Tunga in Awe Local Government of Nasarawa State is commendable for improving the Communities in Tunga. It has created job opportunities for the teaming youth and improved livelihoods,” the former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State said.

While noting that the company’s commitment is critical for the development of the sugar industry in Nigeria, the NDE chief said, “Nasarawa is proud of Aliko Dangote (the chairman of Dangote Sugar). Tunga Sugar is a spinner for Nigeria’s economy.”

Mr Agara urged Mr Dangote to step up community advocacy, and more collaboration with stakeholders to drive greater positive change in the communities.

However, he noted that, “There isn’t any dissenting voice on Tunga sugar, and the communities have enjoyed growth and development through the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies.”

Recall that recently, members of Nasarawa State House of Assembly visited the Dangote Sugar Tunga BIP project which they described as a blessing to the state.

The Dangote’s Sugar Master Plan and the company’s commitment to the sugar projects in Tunga, Awe Local Government of Nasarawa, and that of Numan in Adamawa State have scaled up the drive towards realization of National Sugar objectives.

The aim is to produce 700,000 metric tonnes of refined sugar from locally grown sugarcane in the next four year, through BIP.

Nigeria is one of sub-Saharan Africa’s largest importers of sugar second only to South Africa, but the Dangote Sugar management assured that by the time the company fully completes its sugar projects in Nasarawa and Adamawa under the BIP, the nation would be saved of more than half of the forex expended on sugar imports annually.