Akinlabi Afolabi, Ibadan
The Supreme Court Wednesday morning heard the case brought before it by the Association of Local Government of Nigeria, ALGON of the previous administration under the leadership of Abass Aleshinloye against the judgement of the Appeal Court which favoured the state government.
Judgement in the case will be delivered 7th May, 2021.
Ibadan North West local government chairman, Bashorun Moshood Ajuwon and others, had instituted the case, with suit number SC556/2020, against Governor Seyi Makinde and others, after sacking them on May 29, 2019 inauguration.
The sacked chairmen, it would be recalled, were elected on May 12, 2018 in an exercise that PDP boycotted on the ground that there was a court injunction against the conduct of the poll that was not vacated before the exercise.
The Court of Appeal had on Wednesday, July 15, 2020, okayed the sack of elected chairmen
But ALGON chairman, Prince Abass Aleshinloye has assured that he and his colleagues would challenge the judgement at the apex court.
NCC sensitizes students on safer internet
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), has joined the rest of the world to celebrate the Africa Safer Internet Day (ASID), which is the continent’s version of the World Safer Internet Day (WSID), held on February 9 every year.
In marking the Africa Safer Internet Day 2021, with the theme “Positioning and Partnering for Child Online Protection”, NCC’s representatives visited secondary schools in Abuja and Lagos to sensitise and educate students, on how they can use the internet productively, avoid being victims of all forms of cybercrime, and deal with cases of cyberbullying.
The schools include Model Secondary School, and Government Science Secondary School, both in Maitama, Abuja; and Kuramo Junior College and Victoria Island Junior Secondary School, both in Victoria Island, Lagos.
Addressing some of the students of Government Science Secondary School, Abuja, under strict observance of COVID-19 protocols, Tokunbo Oyeleye, Deputy Director, New Media and Information Security at NCC, stated that this year’s theme was in sync with one of the focus areas of NCC with respect to child online protection, noting that the Commission constantly sensitises young Nigerians on cybersecurity and its applications.
“We are here, as NCC representatives, to educate you, the younger generation of Internet users on what you need to know to keep safe while online as part of our efforts to ensure child online protection in our country in the use of Information and Communication Technology,” Oyeleye said.
She further explained that the concern over child online protection should not be limited to arresting the perpetrators, but should be more of providing education and counselling that may assist in minimising the harm on younger Internet users.
Meanwhile, at the Lagos event, Nkechi Obiekwe, Controller, NCC Lagos Zonal Office, said the protection and safety of children while they access the internet is a shared responsibility. She added that internet penetration permeates every aspect of life and adoption of the internet presents opportunities for learning.
Earlier, in a presentation, Chioma Ibe, a Principal Manager in NCC, spoke on cyberbullying and signs to watch out for. She also highlighted ways to resist online bullying and the importance of reporting cases of cyberbullying to relevant authorities.
“Online bullying can have a devastating impact on young people, whose online life is a key part of their identity and how they interact socially. Cyberbullying takes many forms, such as sending abusive messages, hurtful images or videos, nasty online gossip, excluding or humiliating others or creating fake accounts in someone’s name to trick or humiliate them,” Ibe said.
Also contributing to the discussion, Chukwuemeka Monyei, the Executive Director, Like-a-Palm-Tree Foundation, educated the students on how to mute conversation with, unfollow, block, and report anybody who engages in an act of cyberbullying toward them as a way of protecting themselves.
Oyeleye urged the students to share the knowledge they have gained during the programme with their friends and relatives towards ensuring a safer internet for all. Pamphlets with salient printed information on child online protection and emphasis on cyberbullying, were distributed to the students across the four schools.
The students who participated in the intensive one-day sensitization expressed delight for being part of such a highly educational programme and commended the Nigerian Communications Commission for its leading role in online child protection.