Today, the 28 day of November 2013, a huge amount of young nigerian lawyers were called to the Nigerian Bar Association. We the family of nure'sblog extend our warmest wishes and congratulations to our young and brave newest barristers...

More than 300,000 children under the age of 5 die annually in Nigeria from malaria, the Malaria Action Programme for States has said.

Mr Dominic Usman, the organisation's Behavioural Change Communication Officer in Benue, provided this information at the ongoing 5th Benue State Council on Health meeting in Makurdi.

He added that the country recorded over 100 million clinical cases of the disease annually.

Royal Variety Performance: Prince Charles and Camilla greeted by Jessie J and Andrew Lloyd Webber at glitzy bash.

                          
The prince, who was attending the event in place of the Queen, was dressed in a smart evening suit with Camilla sporting an elegant blue gown

Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall were greeted by singer Jessie J and Andrew Lloyd Webber as they arrived at this year's Royal Variety Performance.

The Duchess looked elegant in a blue gown, while the Prince of Wales looked smart in an evening suit.

The glitzy night at the London Palladium - which is the show's 86th extravaganza -  was packed with stars of stage and screen.

Jessie J ditched her usual style for a glamorous, if revealing, white top and skirt as she shook hands with the prince and Camilla.

Jessie, who had her hair shaved off for Comic Relief earlier this year, sported a 20s style short to top off her look.

Prince Charles has represented the Queen at this year's performance, which will be screened on ITV in two weeks time, and is hosted by Liverpudlian comedian John Bishop.

The show, which is a huge gig for any star to present, has previously been hosted by funnymen Peter Kay, Michael McIntyre and David Walliams.

Sale of refineries may not be transparent – Experts

There are fears in the Nigerian oil industry that the planned sale of the four government refineries, with a combined capacity of 445,000 barrels per day, may not be transparent.

There are, therefore, strong indications that the assets might be sold in a hurry to friends of the government.

Some of the intended beneficiaries, it was learnt, might be some indicted persons in the fuel subsidy scam, who had yet to be cleared.

The Federal Government had set the first quarter of 2014 as the deadline for the sale of the four refineries.

The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, last week confirmed in London that the refineries would be handed to the private sector.


She stated, “Government does not want to be in the business of running major infrastructure entities and we haven’t done a very good job at it over all these years.”

By the timetable of the Federal Government, it is expected that within the set period, the evaluation of the assets, expression of interests of would-be investors, the technical and commercial bidding processes, as well the short-listing of successful bidders and final handover of the assets, will be concluded.

Alison-Madueke said a Presidential audit of the facilities had last year recommended the sale of the refineries due to inadequate government funding and their unimpressive performance.

Although Nigeria is one of Africa’s top crude exporters, it still imports fuel to meet more than 70 per cent of its local needs.

The refineries operate at a fraction of their capacity because of poor maintenance and aging equipment.

Paul Okoye not impressed with £1.2m Goûtdediamants champagne

Peter Okoye may have been impressed by the N300m (still find it hard to believe that's really the price) champagne he got as a gift from luxury designer, Alexander Amusu, but not his brother, Paul.

A few hours after Peter posted a photo of himself with the luxury drink on Wednesday, Paul updated his BB PM, writing - 'I rather take a pic with a bottle of coke...than that shit!' Lol.

 Angelina Jolie buys Brad Pitt an Island for his 50th birthday

What do you give a man who has almost everything? An Island! According to new reports, Angelina Jolie just dropped $19million for a secluded heart shaped Island located in Lake Mahopac, 50-miles away from New York City, which she reportedly plans to present to her partner Brad Pitt on his 50th birthday on December 18th.

Angelina paid a recent visit to Petra Island where she discovered two sprawling properties designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, who is Brad's favorite architect. She reportedly paid for one of the properties.
"As soon as Angelina heard the island was on the market she arranged a viewing. She was really impressed. The house is perfect for romantic getaways or as a family retreat," a source told the Daily Mirror U.K. "It's very private and Angelina knows the fact the island is in the shape of a heart will mean so much to him," the source explained.
The 11-acre Island boasts panoramic views, a helicopter pad, the famous Massaro house and a cottage.

A lawmaker representing Ilaje Constituency II in the Ondo State House of Assembly,  Mr. Olugbenga Edema, on Monday,  dragged President Goodluck Jonathan; Senate President David Mark, and the Attorney – General of the Federation to a Federal High Court in Abuja on behalf of his people.

In the suit filed in Abuja, Edema is seeking an order of the court to declare illegal, null and void, the list of the NDDC board members sent by Jonathan to the Senate last week.

He also sought a declaration of the court that the people of the oil producing area of Ondo State deserved the position of an Executive Director in the new board of the NDDC,  being the 5th largest oil producing state in the country.

Edema consequently asked the court to restrain Mark and the Senate from screening or confirming the list of the board sent to it by the president.

He further asked the court to prevent the Senate from considering or screening any list that might be sent to the senate by Jonathan in future, which would not include the name of an Ondo State indigene as an Executive Director in the proposed NDDC board.

The lawmaker also pleaded with the court to restrain the President from inaugurating the nominees contained in the NDDC list before the Senate without the inclusion of an indigene of the oil-producing area of Ondo State as either the Managing Director or an Executive Director.

Edema supported his originating summons with a 26-paragraph affidavit.

No date has been fixed for hearing.

Did u know? Musomania is a psychological condition that causes a person to become obsessed with certain music and or a specific song.

The leadership of the Academic Staff Union of University, ASUU, has said that the 4month old strike would only be called off if the federal government pays them their four month salary arrears since the inception of the strike as well as the full implementation of the N1.2trillion federal govt proposed funding for public universities with the immediate release of N100billion this year. The remaining N1.1trillion would be spread for 5 years.

They made this resolution after their Friday November 23rd National Executive Council meeting held in Kano state. A meeting between them and President Jonathan is been called for by the association before they can call off the strike.

Belgian model puts Jay Z on blast, claims he spent thousands of dollars on her & her friends

Belgian model puts Jay Z on blast, claims he spent thousands of dollars on her & her friends

You know what they say, politeness has become so rare that some people mistake it for flirtation. Jay Z bought drinks for a Belgian model and her friends at a nite club and the lady did an interview about it like he's trying to leave his wife for her

From The Mirror

Jay Z is said to have bought drinks for a beauty queen amid rumours about his marriage to Beyonce. The rapper spent more than $8,000 on champagne while partying with gorgeous model Claudia Scheelen in Antwerp’s Magic nightclub last month.

Claudia, 27, told the Mirror: “I was with my girlfriends and he sent over a drink to us – he had this huge bottle of Ace of Spades champagne, it must have been six or ten litres.

“He told me ‘I’ve been all over the entire world, but the girls in Antwerp are the prettiest girls.’”Claudia says Jay Z didn’t talk about his wife or one-year-old daughter when they met. “He didn’t mention Beyoncé or Blu once,” she added.

Oprah Winfrey awarded highest civilian honour by President Obama

Oprah Winfrey awarded highest civilian honour by President Obama

President Obama yesterday Nov. 20th presented talk show legend and media mogul Oprah Winfrey and 15 others with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is America's highest civilian honor. The award is given to individuals who have made "meritorious contributions to the security or national interests of the US, to world peace, or to cultural or other significant public or private endeavors.”

President Obama called Oprah "the pinnacle of the entertainment universe," as he put the medal on her neck. Former President Bill Clinton, country star Loretta Lynn, women's rights activist Gloria Steinem, baseball legend Ernie Banks and astronaut Sally Ride also received the award yesterday.

The Judicial System In Nigeria

Nigeria operates a federal political structure under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. The Federation consists of 36 (thirty six) States and a Federal Capital Territory. This constitution vests the legislative, executive and judicial powers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in the National Assembly, the Executive and the courts established there under respectively. The powers of the States are vested in similar organs, except that the legislative organ of the States is known as the House of Assembly.
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice is the Chief Law Officer of the Federation. He is the head of the Federal Ministry of Justice and institutes, undertakes, takes over, continues or discontinues criminal proceedings before courts of law in Nigeria in respect of offences created under any Act of the National Assembly. Likewise, the Attorneys General of the States have similar powers in respect of Laws enacted by the Houses of Assembly of the States.
The development of the Nigerian legal system has been greatly influenced by its colonial past as a part of the British Commonwealth . The common law of England , the doctrines of equity as well as statutes of general application in force in England as at 1 st January 1900 form an integral part of our laws in addition to certain English statutes that have been received into our laws by local legislation. Other sources of Nigerian law include local legislation (State and Federal), Nigerian case law as well as customary law. The principles of judicial precedent and hierarchy of courts is also a fundamental part of our legal system with the Supreme Court of Nigeria at the apex of the court system.
Nigeria operates the adversarial system of court proceedings similar to what obtains in other common law countries. However, the jury system is not used in the system of administration of justice, as the presiding judge is both a judge of the law and fact.
The 1999 Constitution makes provisions for the establishment and constitution of the following courts:

The Supreme Court of Nigeria

This is the apex court in the hierarchy of courts in Nigeria and is situated in the Federal Capital Territory , Abuja . The Chief Justice of the Federation heads the Judiciary of Nigeria and presides over the Court. The court has limited but exclusive original jurisdiction in any dispute between the Federation and a State or between States if and in so far as that dispute involves any question (whether of law or fact) on which the existence of a legal right depends. Its appellate jurisdiction is to determine appeals from the Court of Appeal and this is also to the exclusion of any other court. The court consists of the Chief Justice of Nigeria and such number of Justices not exceeding twenty one as may be prescribed by the National Assembly. Ordinarily, the Court is duly constituted if it consists of not less than five Justices of the Court, except where it is exercising its original jurisdiction or a matter involves a question as to the interpretation or application of the constitution or whether any provision relating to the Fundamental Rights provisions of the Constitution has been, is being or is likely to be contravened. In this regard, the Court is duly constituted if it consists of seven Justices of the Court.
The decision of the Supreme Court on any matter is final and is not subject to an appeal to any other body or person. This is however without prejudice to the power of the President or Governor of a State’s exercise of Prerogative of Mercy in appropriate cases. The decisions of the Court are binding on all other courts in Nigeria.

The Court of Appeal

This is next in the hierarchy of courts in Nigeria and its decisions are binding on all other lower courts. It is composed of the President of the Court of Appeal and other Justices of the Court of Appeal not being less than forty-nine. The court has original and exclusive jurisdiction over questions as to whether a person has been validly elected to the Office of President or Vice President of the Federation or whether the term of office of such person has ceased or whether the office has become vacant. It also has appellate jurisdiction to hear appeals from decisions of the High Courts of the States and the Federal Capital Territory, Federal High Court, the Sharia Courts of Appeal of the States or of the Federal Capital Territory, Customary Courts of Appeal of the States or of the Federal Capital Territory as well as from decisions of a court martial or other tribunals as specified by an Act of the National Assembly. The court is duly constituted by not less than three Justices for the purpose of exercising any of its stated jurisdiction. For administrative convenience, the court is divided into Judicial Divisions which sit in various parts of the country namely, Abuja, Lagos, Enugu, Kaduna, Ibadan, Benin, Jos, Calabar, Ilorin and Port Harcourt.

The Federal High Court

There is a Federal High Court for the country, comprising of a Chief Judge and such number of Judges as the National Assembly may prescribe. The court has limited but exclusive jurisdiction in civil and criminal causes or matters as set out in the Constitution. It however has no appellate jurisdiction. In exercising its jurisdiction, the Court is duly constituted by one Judge of the Court. Like the Court of Appeal, the Federal High Court is divided into Judicial Divisions for administrative convenience but has a wider geographical spread as these Divisions are currently situated in over seventeen states of the Federation with plans to establish a Division of the Court in all the States of the Federation.

The High Court

There is a High Court in each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory . Each Court is made up of a Chief Judge and such other number of judges as the State House of Assembly or the National Assembly (in the case of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory ) may prescribe. The High Courts of the various States have general original jurisdiction over civil and criminal matters except matters in respect of which any other court has been vested with exclusive jurisdiction, making them the courts with the widest jurisdiction under the Constitution. The court duly constitutes by one judge. Each High Court is divided into Judicial Divisions for administrative convenience.

The Sharia Court of Appeal

There is a Sharia Court of Appeal for the Federal Capital Territory and any State that requires it. This Court has appellate and supervisory jurisdiction in civil proceedings involving questions of Islamic personal law, which the Court is competent to decide in accordance with the Constitution. The Court comprises of a Grand Khadi and other Khadis as the National Assembly or the State Houses of Assembly (as the case may be) may prescribe.

The Customary Court of Appeal

There is a Customary Court of Appeal for the Federal Capital Territory and any State that requires it. This Court has appellate and supervisory jurisdiction in civil proceedings involving questions of customary law and is comprised of a President and such number of Judges as the National Assembly or the State Houses of Assembly (as the case may be) may prescribe.
In addition to these courts created by the Constitution, there also exist Magistrate Courts, Disctrict Courts, Area Courts and Customary Courts established in various states by state laws. These courts are of limited jurisdiction as specified in their enabling laws and appeals from them lie to the High Court, Sharia Court of Appeal or Customary Court of Appeal as the case may be.
                                                           

 

 

 

 

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