By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The World Bank has marked five states to receive a combined $15 million in performance-based incentives under the World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme after emerging as the best-performing states in the implementation of key education and healthcare reforms.

The National Coordinator of the HOPE Governance Programme, Assad Hassan, disclosed this on Tuesday in Abuja during a retreat for commissioners, permanent secretaries and directors of budget and planning from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the Communications Officer of the HOPE Governance Programme, Joe Mutah.

The programme, domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, approved a total of $27 million in incentives for states that successfully achieved the Year Zero Disbursement-Linked Results under the programme.

The incentives are based on the findings and recommendations of the Interim Independent Verification Agent, which assessed states’ performance in meeting the programme’s Disbursement-Linked Indicators.

The statement read, “The World Bank-supported HOPE Governance Programme, domiciled in the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, is set to disburse $27 million as performance-based incentives to states that successfully achieved the Year Zero Disbursement-Linked Results.”

A breakdown of the incentives showed that Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi and Yobe states emerged as the biggest beneficiaries.

The five states will receive $1.5 million each for meeting the requirements under Disbursement-Linked Result (DLR) 2.1, which focuses on the adoption of comprehensive guidelines for the preparation and submission of consolidated work plans for state basic education budgets.

The same five states also qualified for another $1.5 million each under Disbursement-Linked Result (DLR) 2.2, which measures the adoption of comprehensive guidelines for the preparation and submission of consolidated work plans for state primary healthcare budgets.

Together, the five states are expected to receive $15 million from the two indicators alone.

Under Disbursement-Linked Result (DLR) 2.3, which centres on the adoption of harmonised budget guidelines and a chart of accounts by local governments, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Borno, Delta, Gombe, Kano, Plateau, Taraba and Yobe states qualified for incentives of $500,000 each.

Similarly, under Disbursement-Linked Result (DLR) 4.1, which focuses on the publication of the 2025 Citizens Budget for basic education and primary healthcare by February 28, 2025, 15 states qualified for incentives.

The states are Abia, Bayelsa, Borno, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Nasarawa, Ondo, Plateau and Yobe.

Each of the states will receive $500,000.

Explaining the basis for the disbursement, Hassan said only states that met the stipulated conditions within the specified timelines qualified for the incentives.

The statement noted: “The incentives are based on the findings and recommendations of the Interim Independent Verification Agent, which carried out a rigorous assessment of states’ performances against the Year Zero Disbursement-Linked Indicators.

“For DLR 2.1 and DLR 2.2, Bayelsa, Borno, Kano, Kebbi and Yobe states met all the requirements and are therefore eligible to receive $1.5 million each for both indicators.

“For DLR 2.3, nine states successfully adopted harmonised budget guidelines and a chart of accounts for local governments and will receive $500,000 each.

“Also, under DLR 4.1, 15 states met the conditions relating to the publication of the Financial Year 2025 Citizens Budget for basic education and primary healthcare and will equally receive $500,000 each.”

He added that many participating states failed to qualify for the incentives because they either missed the stipulated deadlines or failed to meet the programme’s requirements.

“Other participating states were not eligible for the incentives because they either published the required guidelines after the March 31, 2025 deadline, failed to meet most of the stipulated criteria, or did not publish the required results on their official state websites,” he said.

The coordinator identified weak institutional coordination as one of the major factors responsible for the poor performance recorded by some states.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved judgment in two separate appeals over dispute surrounding the timetable for the conduct of the 2027 elections released by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

A three-member justices of the appellate court, in a judgment delivered by Justice Adebukola Bankole on Wednesday, held that judgments would be reserved in the appeals.

According to her, the date of the judgement will be communicated to parties in the appeal.

Two political parties, Youth Party of Nigeria, YPN, and Social Democratic Party, SDP, had approached two Federal High Courts in Abuja, to nullify the timetable released for the 2027 elections by INEC.

While Justice Mohammed Umar of the Federal High Court granted the reliefs sought in the suit by YPN and nullified the election guidelines by INEC, Justice James Omotosho, in the suit filed by SDP, granted some reliefs in favour of the party and some others in favour of the electoral umpire.

Not satisfied by the two judgements, INEC approached the Court of Appeal to set aside the judgment of Justice Umar and part of the judgment of Justice Omotosho which limited INEC’s power regarding the conduct of elections.

During the hearing of the appeals, Dr Alex Izinyon, SAN, led two other SANs, from INEC to argued the appeals.

Izinyon, in his submission before the appellate court contended that INEC had the power as provided by the law under the provisions of the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act to issue guidelines for the elections.

“The constitution, specifically, empowered INEC to organise, supervise and undertake elections and other political activities as provided and that the timetable provided is in consonance with the power donated by the 1999 Constitution and the enabling act for INEC to do what it did in issuing elections timetables.

“The trial court erred in law because it failed to interpret, using the Supreme Court authorities and Court of Appeal decisions on the power already donated by the 1999 Constitution to INEC to arrange for elections including pre-election matters.

“Supreme Court and Court of Appeal have held that INEC has the power to organise and supervise elections and this include timetable for elections to carry out political activities preceeding the elections.

“The trial court failed to give effect to the phrase ‘not later than 120 days and not more than 90 days’, which was a subject of contention at the trial court.

“And that not less than 120 days means it should not be more than but it can be less than but for the court to say that it must be exactly 120 days, was too mathematical and not the intendment of the lawmakers as any of the activities can be done before the 120 days and not more than.

“For the trial court to say it must be exactly 120 days is a mechanical application of the statue which is contrary to the decisions of the apex court and the Court of Appeal,” he said.

He said the same goes for the 90-day provisions, adding that the reliefs sought by the respondents at the trial court were declarative in nature.

“There was no evidence by way of affidavit to show that they have commenced any primary or taken steps or that they have suffered any injury..

“Therefore the court ought not to have granted any relief,” the senior lawyer said.

Izinyon said the second appeal was filed by SDP and the judgment delivered by Justice Omotosho, who granted some reliefs to the SDP and granted some also to the INEC.

“INEC appealed part of the judgement in that case which limits their powers by saying that the days were short by few numbers of days that INEC should go back and rectify this,” he added.

Before the main appeal was argued, Izinyon moved three applications.

One of applications prayed the court to close the door against YPN on the ground that the party failed to file its respondent brief after service of the appellant briefs on them five days earlier.

He argued that the court should hold that they had no written briefs in opposition to the appellant’s briefs as they are prohibited by paragraph 13 of the practice direction of the pre-election proceedings issued by the President of the Court of Appeal.

He said the rule states that no time shall be extended for default under the same paragraph.

The YPN’s counsel, Akinwale Irokosun, when asked by the panel, if the party filed any response to the motion, answered in the negative.

The lead counsel later moved his application and the court reserved ruling to be delivered alongside the main appeal.

Izinyon equally opposed the motion by Irokosun, praying the court to grant them an extension of time to file their respondent brief.

He argued that there was no extension of time to file respondent brief when the time provided by the rules had elapsed.

By Yusuf Danjuma Yunusa

A former Minister of Science and Technology, Uche Nnaji, was on Wednesday arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services at the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu.

According to Punch Newspaper, security sources said Nnaji was apprehended in the early hours of Wednesday while attempting to board a private jet bound for Abuja.

Sources also added that the arrest was carried out by the DSS at the request of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, which is investigating the former minister over some allegations.

The sources disclosed that following his arrest, Nnaji was handed over to the ICPC for further investigation.

“The DSS acted on the request of the ICPC. He was arrested at the Enugu airport while preparing to board a private jet to Abuja and has since been handed over to the commission,” one of the sources said.

The sources further revealed that the anti-graft agency had previously invited the former minister on several occasions in connection with petitions alleging irregularities in the management of the Ministry of Science and Technology during his tenure.

“They had extended several invitations to him following petitions relating to the management of the ministry. When he failed to honour the invitations, the ICPC sought the assistance of the DSS to effect his arrest,” another source disclosed.

Nnaji resigned as Minister of Science and Technology in October last year under circumstances surrounding his academic qualifications that generated public attention.