The trial of a 23-year-old suspected kidnap negotiator, Samuel Nkono, at the Chief Magistrate’s Court II in Uyo, could not hold, due to the absence of the defence counsel.

Ondo State Government has ordered the proprietor of a private organisation, Royal Life Savings of Nigeria, which collected over N2 million from about 120 unsuspecting unemployed youths for phony jobs out of the state.

I QUESTION whether the necessary psychological conditions exist for us to address Nigeria’s problems or to implement the necessary solutions to them. This skepticism stems from the relative ease with which those in power restore the status quo after Nigerians have appeared to have awakened to the need for change.

The Police High Command, yesterday in Abuja, directed all the Commissioners of Police in the 36 states of the federation and Abuja to immediately begin a work-plan detailing the strategies they intend to employ towards ensuring that the conduct of the 2011 elections in the country is free and fair.

The Comptroller General of Immigration Service, Mr Chukwurah Udehm yesterday reiterated that the machine-readable passport would be phased out by December 31 this year, as only e-passports will be used for all international travels.

President Goodluck Jonathan is committed towards enthroning the rule of law and access to justice in every community in Nigeria, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke, SAN, has said.

For the third time in less than one year, Governor Muazu Babangida Aliyu of Niger State, yesterday triumphed at the Court of Appeal in Abuja as the appellate court declined a request by the All Nigeria Peoples Party, ANPP, to remove him from office.

The Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, has said that the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, may not be able to conduct the much-desired free and fair elections next year unless the appropriate authorities take immediate steps for the enactment of the proposed electoral reforms.

For the first time in the history of the International Labour Organisation, ILO, governments, employers and workers have adopted a new international labour standard on HIV and AIDS which is described as the first international human rights instrument to focus specifically on the issue in the world of work.

MEDIA practitioners and non-governmental organisations, NGOs, have been advised to partner on an all-inclusive journalism that would allow for better representation of youths and children.