Natasha: Memo to the Nigerian Senate, judiciary and fellow citizens by Obiageli Oby Ezekwesili - ITREALMS

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The Senate’s Constitutional Overreach in the Case of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan Democracy Dies When Laws Become Weapons and Lawmakers Become Serial Lawbreakers.

Six months have passed since the unconstitutional suspension of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan on March 6, 2025. The Senator, representing the people of Kogi Central Senatorial District, was suspended following her allegation of sexual harassment against Senate President Godswill Akpabio.

Nigerian Senate confirms Maida for Executive Vice Chairman of NCC- ITREALMS

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The Nigerian Senate on Thursday in Abuja, confirmed the appointment of Dr. Aminu Maida as the substantive Executive Vice Chairman (EVC) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), reports ITREALMS.

Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Mr. Reuben Muoka also confirmed this in a press statement available to ITREALMS, noting that Maida was confirmed by the Senate during its plenary session where it adopted a report of the Senate Committee on Communications that screened Maida on Wednesday, November 15, 2023.

Senate finally screens Amaechi, 4 others

ITRealms:

The Nigerian Senate has finally screened the former Governor of Rivers State, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, as a ministerial nominee, ITRealms reports.

Amaechi who was led into the chamber by his party Chairman Chief Odigie Oyegun and Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly (Senate), Sen. Ita Enang, has been on the waiting list since the commencement of the screening exercise in the senate.

ITRealms gathered that the other senators screened, Thursday, include Heineken Lokpobiri form Bayelsa, Cladius Omoleye Daramola from Ondo, Mustapha Baba Shehuri and James E. Ocholi from Kogi State.

Amaechi’s screening became possible following the formal receipt by the Senate of report of the Senator Samuel Anyanwu-led Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition, over a petition bordering on allegations of fraudulent practices during his tenure as the governor of the state.

Although the screening did not go without some interlude in form of interruptions.: Senators of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led by Sen. Godswill Akpabio raised a point of order, stating that content of the report of the Senator Anyanwu-led committee should have been made known to the Senate, before Amaechi’s screening. Akpabio noted that the PDP-caucus in the Senate had reached a resolution not to ask Amaechi questions.

According to Vanguard , another dramatic scene unfolded in the upper chamber with fierce opposition from PDP Senators, when Senate Leader, Ali Ndume, pointed that that the report on Amaechi had already been laid before the Senate by Senator Anyanwu, adding that copies will be handed to senators shortly. Ndume, however noted that being a former lawmaker, Amaechi should be allowed to take a bow.

Cyriacus Nnaj/ED,OPs/GEE

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Senate screens 2 ministerial nominees, Amaechi to wait again

ITRealms:

Barrister Abdulraheem Adebayo Shittu (Oyo State) and Khadijah Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe State) were, Tuesday, screened by the Nigerian Senate, ITRealms reports.

However, the same could not be said of the former River State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi,  who was asked to wait till Wednesday due to charges of corrupt enrichment still hanging on his neck.

There were speculations that Amaechi was to be screened due to the report from the committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public petition. But members of the opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) had filed a court order against him last Thursday, October 15.

On the whole 16 nominees are  still awaiting screening, 15 nominees from the second batch of batch B of Buhari’s list while the remaining one is from the first batch. However, 18 ministerial nominees, ITRealms recalled, have been confirmed by the Senate.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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Saraki emerges Nigeria’s Senate president

 ITRealms

The Nigerian Senate, hours ago, elected the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’) Senator Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central), as the new Senate President to oversee the activities of the Upper Chamber for the next four years,ITRealms reports.

This is coming as Senator Ike Ekweremadu from (PDP) Enugu State also emerged the Deputy Senate President.

Saraki,ITRealms learnt,is a former governor of Kwara State, emerged unopposed as against his party’s preferred candidate, Ahmed Lawan, to become the Senate President of the eighth Senate.

He was nominated by Sani Yerima and seconded by Dino Melaye.
Both Saraki and Ekweremadu were immediately sworn into offices.

The election for the office of Deputy Senate President,ITRealms learnt, has also been concluded and Ike Ekweremadu of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) won with 51 votes against his opponent , Ali Ndume from Borno State, who scored 20 votes.

With this development, Ekweremadu emergence many said is an achievement for PDP.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE


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Senate passes Cyber-crime bill: 7-year jail term awaits offenders

ITRealms:

The Nigerian Senate last Thursday passed into law, a seven-year jail term for all kinds of cyber-related crimes including fraud, forgery, pornography offences, cyber-stalking and cyber-squatting within the nation’s territory, reports ITRealms.

Also, ITRealms gathered that the seven-year jail term was contained in a bill for an Act to Provide for the Prohibition, Prevention, Detection, Response, Investigation and Prosecution of Cybercrimes and for Other Related Matters 2014.

ITRealms learnt that the bill when signed into law seeks to punish interception of data, system interference and misuse of devices, with other objectives including promoting cyber security, protection of computer systems and networks, electronic communications; data and computer programmes, intellectual property and privacy rights.

The sponsor of the bill, Senator Adegbenga Kaka, told ITRealms that anyone who commits fraud, using a computer system or network with the intention of obtaining computer data, securing access to any programme, commercial or industrial secrets or classified information would upon conviction be sentenced to seven years jail term or a fine of N7 million or both.

He also noted that anyone found guilty of possessing a manipulative device, unauthorised automatic teller machine (ATM) card, damaging a computer with the intention to defraud, trafficking in any password to defraud customers or financial institutions would be sentenced to seven years imprisonment or a N7 million fine.

Likewise, any person or organisation who intentionally trafficked in any password or similar information through a computer unlawfully with the intention to defraud public and private interests within or outside Nigeria would be liable upon conviction to a fine of N7 million or three years imprisonment.

ITRealms further gathered that the bill also spelt out a three-year jail term or N2 million fine for anyone who knew that a crime had been committed in his premises or cybercafe and failed to report to relevant authorities within seven days.

While the bill provided for compulsory registration of all cybercafes as business concerns with Computer Professionals’ Registration Council (CPN) in addition to business name registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), it also spelt out three years’ jail term or a fine of N1 million for anyone who perpetrated electronic fraud through a cybercafe.

Accordingly, where the fraud was perpetrated in connivance with owner(s) of the cybercafe, such owners would be liable to a fine of N2 million or three years jail term.

In addition, ITRealms reports that the bill also provided for punishment of 10 years imprisonment without an option of fine against anyone who committed any offence in relation to critical national information infrastructure and 15 years imprisonment for any person who committed such a crime resulting in bodily harm and life imprisonment for such crime if it resulted in death of another person.

Speaking, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said enacting anti-cyber-crime law became imperative because there was no computer at the time the penal and criminal code came into force.

He stressed that passing the bill was a loud statement to perpetrators of cyber crimes that it would no longer be business as usual for them.

+Remmy Nweke +Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) @CPN @SenateNG @DigitalSENSEng @NaijaAgroNet @Nkemdilim Nweke @NGRCommTech @NgComCommission @ITU #Nigeria

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Pix: Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President.