The Acting Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho has confirmed that Justice Idrissa Saleh, who was declared missing since Saturday, August 24, 2019, is safe.

The acting CJ who confirmed that he personally paid a visit to Justice Saleh on Tuesday added that he has since reunited with his family members.

“I wish to assure that Hon. Justice Idrissa has been located today (August 27) and is safe and reunited with his family. ” have personally visited him and there is no cause for alarm”, Justice Tsoho said.

Recall that the Judge who was declared missing since Saturday, was found by the Police. The FCT Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Anjuguri Manza, who confirmed the development said that the Judge was found around Nyanya, a suburb of Abuja and has been taken to the hospital for treatment.

The judge, who is reportedly ill had left his hospital room in Abuja after early morning prayers on Saturday and didn’t return.

He was later declared missing and the search for him commenced. Justice Saleh has, however, been returned to the hospital to continue his treatment.

The following points will be useful to those considering a law degree and that current law students can relate to them.

1. Career prospects
2. There’s so much reading
3. Work hard, work smart, be organized
4. Everyone will try to pawn free legal advice from you
5. Law school is intense

Law school prepares you for a lot, but there’s plenty more to do with the actual practice of law that law school just doesn’t cover.

Here are some other things that schools should teach young lawyers about in law school—and that you should be learning about yourself in the meantime.

1. How to listen
2. How to manage the unintended consequences of lawyering
3. How to nurture creativity
4. How to have a difficult conversation
5. When to use alternative methods to help clients
6. How (and why) to hone your conflict management skills
7. How to be resilient
8. How to run a law practice
9. How to manage your personal finances
10. How to nurture an internal sense of success and self-worth

BILLING
Billing–it’s the bane of every lawyer’s existence. Whether it’s capturing billable hours, explaining and justifying fees to clients, or trying to collect fees from non-paying clients–it’s
never “fun.” Then again, we all knew when we entered law school that practicing law wasn’t all fun and games.

EFFECTIVE BILLING TIPS

• Detail, detail, detail! Provide detailed descriptions of billable items. Clients will appreciate it and will have less questions about invoices.
• Don’t bill in blocks. Break down your tasks and avoid billing large blocks of time all at once.
• Be clear from the outset. Discuss the fee agreement prior to beginning work on a case and put it in writing, if possible.
• Earn your retainer fee. Don’t expect your client to pay you if you haven’t done your job.
• BILLING AND COLLECTING FEES ETHICALLY
• Withdraw from representation if non-payment. It is wise to include this possibility in the retainer agreement. Withdrawal from representation is often permitted if doing so will not have a materially adverse effect on the client’s case.

Hon. Justice Nelson Ogbuanya of the National Industrial Court has decried the slow rate at which Judiciary adopt technology in Nigeria.

He made the remark whilst speaking on a panel discussion topic: ” LEVERAGING TECHNOLOGY IN JUSTICE ADMINISTRATION, ISSUES & CHALLENGES,” at the ongoing 2019 Nigerian Bar Association Annual General Conference, Victoria Island Lagos.

“We received technology late when others have left what we are introducing for something more advanced.” Justice Ogbuanya.

Speaking on why ICT should be adopted adequately, he recommended that Judges should update their ICT skills and knowledge for efficient Justice delivery system.

Another panelist, Hon. Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye gave his view on the legislative framework for admissibility of electronic evidence in Nigeria.

His Lordship stressed that Judiciary cannot escape from the reality of the digital age as cases coming into the courts now take new forms and actions with a digital signature like computer forgery, digital theft, cybercrime, etc.

”As lawyers, we must understand these realities and know how to apply them in our practice.

”The judiciary initially resisted technology, as they harbored the most technophobic people as judges were trained to be conservatives, but the narrative is changing mainly because there was a legislative intervention through the enactment of Section 84 of Evidence Act 2011.

”Whether or not evidence generated from electronic devices was admissible within the framework of the old Evidence Act was highly contentious as there were many cases in the past where electronic evidence was rejected,” he said.

Speaking further, he said that there was also a restrictive definition of the document before, but today it is now used broadly. He added that there are inadequacies in Section 84 of the Evidence Act.

”Our legislatures need to be proactive in enacting legislation and be alive to its responsibilities of enacting laws that reflect and match the advancement in technology”.

Dr. Akpabio, on the other hand, said that everyone is a stakeholder in the administration of justice, cited the amendment made by the American Bar Association in 2012 to their rules, that a lawyer must be competent in delivering their service which includes ICT competency urged the Nigerian Legal System to adopt same.

In the same vein, a Senior Engineer at Conoil, Mr. Mike Mbon, spoke briefly on the advantages of using Technology in Justice Administration.

He stated that as technology is growing, so crime is also growing. He said that we need technology to apprehend these criminals and for justice administration.

He also said technology will make lawyers smart and would also help to apprehend criminals and for better justice administration.

During the question and answer session, a question was asked as to why some judges reject digital photo as evidence because it is not accompanied by a memory card.

Responding, Hon. Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye said that it is not required that a digital photo be rejected by a judge because there is no memory card accompanying it.

He added that it was the old knowledge the judges are using, as in the case of coming with a photo accompanied by its negative, but this has changed and so the lawyer needs to put up a strong defense in this regard.

The panel session was chaired by Dr. Tammy Danagogo with Hon. Justice Alaba Omolaye-Ajileye, Dr. Amanim Akpbio, Hon. Justice Nelson Ogbuanya, and Mr. Mike Mbon as the panelists.

The Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF), Mr. Ahmed Idris, Wednesday said the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is a public institution and must be subjected to rules of engagement applicable to public institutions.

He said the agency was also expected to key into all financial policies with no exemptions, adding that: “If you want to operate outside the rules, you are to seek approval.”

Speaking when he received the management of NHIS led by the Executive Secretary (ES), Prof. Mohammed Nasir Sambo, who paid an advocacy visit to him, Idris further urged NHIS to get enrolled into the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) as soon as possible as it remains the only platform to payroll federal government employees.

The AGF also said the NHIS issues with Aso Savings and Loan Limited would have been averted if the office of the AGF was carried along in the transactions.

He said: “Consequently, we need to populate your account department with treasury officers, otherwise you will face the consequences of your action.”

In a statement issued by the Deputy Director, Press and Public Relation, Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Mr. Henshaw Ogubike, Idris however promised to assist NHIS to get back its money from the mortgage company, adding that the issues of merger will be looked at to confirm the truth, stressing that NHIS should be placed under IPPIS.

The AGF said the OAGF is the main driver of public finance initiatives for the government like the Treasury Single Account (TSA), Government Integrated Financial Management Information System (GIFMIS), a platform for making payment and preparing budget as well as IPPIS, a platform for paying salaries of federal government employees and other reform initiatives.

Sambo, however, said that the agency is one of the most important versatile agencies providing support to the people in terms of health care.

According to him, the NHIS remains the organ given the responsibility to handle healthcare in the country.

He noted that the federal government took a drastic decision to establish a presidential fact finding team in order to improve the health sector as well as a white paper which involved the Ministry of Health and OAGF to look into details of the financial situation of NHIS.

He said that one of the aims of NHIS is to achieve universal health coverage and also to ensure that the vote of NHIS is viable to capture the most vulnerable in the society, adding that the government will not be able to finance the health institution of the masses alone

President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Paul Usoro, has said that the Federal Government sometimes uses the anti-corruption fight as an excuse to degrade the Rule of Law.

According to him, if the government is indeed serious about fighting corruption, it would directly block the loopholes that have allowed the menace to thrive.

Mr Usoro who was a guest on Channels TV’s Politics Today on Wednesday, said this while addressing the issue of Separation of Powers and the independence of the various arms of government.

He said: “This business of having to fight corruption…sometimes, it is used as an excuse to infringe on people’s rights and degrade the Rule of Law.

“If the government is seriously interested in having to fight corruption, the significant way to do it is to look at those loopholes in the system and make sure you plug those loopholes”.

The NBA boss also took a swipe at the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for the manner in which he says the agency goes about fighting corruption.

According to him, recovering monies or winning cases does not bring an end to corruption.

“I find it very ridiculous that for example (the EFCC), its index for establishing that it is fighting corruption is how much money that it recovers and how many cases that it wins in court.

“That doesn’t stop corruption.

“On the other hand, if for example you find that petroleum subsidy enhances corruption, then government needs to look into it.

“If you look into it, then you will block that oxygen that gives life to corruption,” he said.

The Presiding Judge, Lagos Division, His Lordship, Hon. Justice Benedict Kanyip and His Lordship, Hon. Justice Nelson Ogbuanya of Porthacourt Judicial Division have been selected as speakers for the 59th Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) scheduled to hold at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island, Lagos, Nigeria, from 23rd to 29th August 2019.

Succinctly, the twin of globalization and technology has evolved exponentially over the years and has disrupted every fiber of society. Artificial intelligence, blockchain, financial technology, cloud computing, electronic documentation, and electronic discovery are a few of the technologies that have directly and would continue to impact the manufacturing and services sector including legal and justice sub-sectors.

Justice Kanyip and other experts will be speaking on Monday 26^th August 2019 on “Modern Trends in Evidence: Gathering, Preserving and Presenting Evidence in the Digital Age” while Justice Ogbuanya will join Justice Alaba Ajileye-Judge, Kogi State High Court, Dr. Tammy Danagogo -Secretary to the Rivers State Government,   and two others to speak on “Leveraging Technology in Justice Administration: Issues and Challenges.”

The Conference will interrogate the current legal regulatory environment, lawyers’ response to technology and preparedness to harness these tools for efficient legal services delivery and a technology-driven judiciary.

With an average of over 11,000 delegates comprised of lawyers, business leaders and a large youth population at the NBA Annual Conferences, the 2019 Conference is the place to be.

#DontWaitToBeTold

#KnowledgeIsPower

Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo has met with aggrieved  All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirants who participated in the party’s 2019 primary election.

Addressing the aspirants at government house in Benin, the governor said that the meeting was in line with the recommendation of the Theophilus Okoh Committee set up to reconcile the aggrieved members of the party.

Obaseki, alongside party leaders in the state, apologised to the aggrieved party members, thanking them for remaining with the party.

“After reading the Okoh Committee report and watching videos, I really appreciate you all and say we are truly sorry for what you may have gone through during the 2019 primarily election.

“Out of the primaries arose almost 20 court cases of those that claimed they were deprived of the opportunities to contest.

“To build trust, confidence and demonstrate that we truly want to reconcile the aggrieved members of our party, within a week of receiving the Okoh Committee report, we have to call a meeting to talk to our aggrieved members,” he said.

He called on the party members to join hands together with his administration to build the party.

“We are proud of our achievements as a government and people are appreciating our administration for moving the state forward”, the governor said one of the aggrieved aspirants, Evbu Igbinedion, called on the governor and members of the party in the state to ensure that female aspirants were given support to win elections.

Another aspirant, Mr Anavberokhai Isah, called on leaders of the party to adopt zoning system to prevent future reoccurrence in the state.

Mr Charles Idahosa, who is one of the leaders of the party in the state, called on the aggrieved members to forget the past and join hands with the governor in developing the state.

Idahosa noted that as the state approached the 2020 governorship election in Edo, the party members needed to support the governor.

More than one million people have signed a petition calling for the British parliament not to be suspended from mid-September to mid-October as requested by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

“Parliament must not be prorogued or dissolved unless and until the Article 50 period has been sufficiently extended or the UK’s intention to withdraw from the EU has been cancelled,” the petition reads.

The petition, which passed the 1-million mark before midnight, was posted a day before Johnson announced his request to suspend parliament ahead of the country’s pending exit from the European Union.

Opposition leaders say Johnson’s request is an intentional attempt to hamper efforts by lawmakers to block a no-deal Brexit.

Governor, Simon Lalong of Plateau state, Thursday sacked the Acting Secretary to the State Government, Mr Richard Tokma. Lalong

He replaced him with Prof. Danladi Abok Atu.

A statement by the Director of Press and Public Affairs, Mr Makut Macham has it that Lalong equally appointed Noel K. Donjur as his Chief of Staff.

Read the statement below:

“Plateau State Governor Rt.Hon. Simon Bako Lalong has announced the appointment of Prof. Danladi Abok Atu as the Secretary to the Government of Plateau State. Prof. Atu until now is the Director, Institute for Peace and Social Rehabilitation, University of Abuja.

“Similarly, the Governor has appointed Noel K. Donjur as his Chief of Staff. Until his appointment, Mr. Donjur was a former Commissioner for Works and Current Member of the Plateau State Economic Council”

Gov. Nasir El-Rufa’i of Kaduna State, on Wednesday, says there is a need for the inclusion of more women in decision making to prevent violent conflicts in the country.

The Governor made the call in Kaduna at a meditation workshop for peacebuilding organised by Farmers and Herdsmen Initiative for Peace and Development in Africa. NAN reports that the workshop, which drew participants from African countries, focused on the use of mediation and other non-violent approaches in promoting peace across the continent.

He said that the socio-political marginalization of youth and women, especially in the mediation of conflicts across the world, must stop, adding that “we need more women in decision making roles to prevent and build resilience to violent conflicts.”

According to him, his administration has deliberately appointed competent women and youth into senior and very visible government positions to reflect a commitment to gender and social inclusion and inspire the young ones to realize their full potentials.

“We have also utilized the mediation and peace building competence of our women to improve security in our communities.”

He asked the participants “belonging to the network of community voices for peace and pluralism” to find commonalities and build relationships that will lead to preventing conflicts and mediating in their countries.

According to him, a lot of people talk about the need to make a difference and make a change, yet what the African continent needs more urgently are leaders willing to step out of conformity and do things differently.

“In this room are women professionals with expertise in a leading organisation, teaching in universities and working among communities.

“This makes you ideal for the task of creating a reference framework from which to create an inclusive culture and practice of women, skilled in conflict prevention,” he said. El-Rufai said that the Kaduna state peace commission, headed by a woman, was established to promote peacebuilding and peaceful coexistence.

The governor appealed for the engagement of women groups in the state and Nigeria to enhance their capability in peacebuilding.