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FG and LGAs can register marriages, appeal court rules

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The court of appeal in Lagos has nullified the judgment of a federal high court which restrained the federal government from further registering marriages within some local government councils in the country.

In a suit marked FHC/ LS/CS/816/18, Eti Osa LGA of Lagos state had taken the ministry of interior to court, challenging its power to operate marriage registries, conduct weddings and issue marriage certificates.

Other plaintiffs in the suit include Egbor LGA, Edo state; Owerri Municipal LGA, Imo state; and Port Harcourt City LGA, Rivers state.

Delivering judgment on December 8, 2021, Daniel Osiagor, a federal high court judge, agreed that local governments are statutorily empowered to conduct weddings and issue certificates.

The high court judge restrained the minister of interior and/or either by his privies, agents or delegates from further registering marriages contracted or celebrated under the Marriage Act, Cap. M6 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), 2004, within the plaintiffs’ local government areas.

Dissatisfied with the judgment, the ministry of interior approached the court of appeal.

The court of appeal in its judgement delivered on August 2, held that federal and local government councils have the legal authority to celebrate, contract and register marriages between prospective couples.

A three-member panel of the court held that no tier of government has the exclusive preserve to contract and celebrate marriages between prospective couples.

“I am therefore of the considered view that the restriction imposed by the lower court directing the 1st Cross Respondent to only conduct, celebrate and contract marriages in the marriage registries situated at Ikoyi, Lagos, and Federal Capital Territory Abuja is wrong and erroneous,” the court held.

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Demolition of shanties in FCT will continue… protests won’t stop us, says Wike

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Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), says his administration would not be swayed by blackmail or protests.

On November 5, residents of Ruga, a settlement along the airport road in Abuja, embarked on a demonstration against the minister over the demolition of structures.

The protesters were led by Martins Vincent Otse, popularly known as VeryDarkMan (VDM), and Deji Adeyanju, a lawyer and activist.

The protesters demanded the minister’s sack, while alleging ancestral ownership of the demolished settlements.

Speaking on Sunday in Abuja, Wike vowed to continue demolition of all shanties posing a security threat to residents of the capital city.

The minister made the pledge after inspecting the ongoing demolition of shanties in Ruga.

Wike expressed dismay that the area had been demolished 22 times and yet the occupants have refused to leave.

“Be assured that we will continue with the demolition of shanties that pose a security threat to FCT, Abuja,” he said.

“It doesn’t matter what colouration; whatever name anybody wants to give to it, we will do the right thing and nothing will stop us.”

The minister cautioned against rebuilding in the area, emphasising the FCT administration’s responsibility to maintain Abuja’s master plan.

“This is where you have the rail line; this is a buffer zone and if we allow these kinds of people to live here, what it means is that anything can happen to our train,” he said.

“Nobody will take that risk. You can imagine the number of persons that are living here, whom we cannot identify.

“We have told them that nobody should build anything, whether temporary or permanent, until the government has taken a final decision on what to do with the land.”

The minister asked Abba Gara, spokesperson for the occupants, to select five representatives for a crucial meeting with government officials on Tuesday to discuss a peaceful resolution.

Wike said select areas of demolished settlements will be repurposed as bus terminals.

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Okpebholo appoints Fred Itua as chief press secretary

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Monday Okpebholo, Edo governor-elect, has appointed Fred Itua, a journalist with The Sun newspaper, as his chief press secretary.

Itua’s appointment was contained in a statement personally signed by the governor-elect.

Okpebholo’s swearing-in ceremony is scheduled for November 12.

Itua boasts over 13 years as a writer, journalist, and communications consultant.

Until his appointment, he was the assistant political editor at The Sun newspaper.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, a Master’s degree in Media Arts from the University of Abuja, and is in the final stages of his PhD thesis in Development Communication at Veritas University, Abuja.

“Itua brings unparalleled expertise to the table, leveraging extensive experience covering national assembly, migration, health, anti-corruption, and environmental issues to provide profound insights into national and international affairs,” the statement reads.

“His commitment to lifelong learning and cross-cultural collaboration makes him a highly adaptable team player, ready to lead and innovate in multicultural settings.”

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‘He misled me’ — lady in Baltasar Engonga’s sex tape opens up

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Cristel Nchama, one of the women featured in Baltasar Engonga‘s viral sex tapes, has filed a formal complaint with the National Gendarmerie of Malabo; the armed forces of Equatorial Guinea.

Engonga, Equatorial Guinea’s director-general of the National Financial Investigation Agency (ANIF), has been in the public eye after officials, who searched his home and office as part of an investigation into alleged fraud, uncovered about 400 explicit videos purportedly featuring him and multiple women.

Among the discoveries were tapes of Engonga seemingly having romps with his brother’s wife, his cousin, the sister of the president of Equatorial Guinea, the wife of the director general of police, and about 20 wives of ministers, among others.

The now-viral videos were filmed in his office, hotels, and toilets allegedly with the consent of the participants.

According to Real Equatorial Guinea, Cristel, in the complaint, revealed that she had a four-year relationship with Engonga and felt humiliated by the leaked videos.

She claimed that Engonga “misled” her into trusting him and that she previously resisted being filmed, believing any recordings were deleted.

Cristel also demanded that Engonga pays for the damages caused to her “reputation and honour”.

“I am humiliated, it is my reputation, my honour, I want to know where these images came from and why he kept the images,” she said.

The embattled head of ANIF was sacked on Thursday.

The government also suspended all officials said to have had sexual relations in offices of ministries.

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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.

She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others

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