The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed has said he is not aware that there is a Bill called “Protection From Internet Falsehood and Manipulation Bill”.

The Minister also insisted that there is no such Bill before the National Assembly.

He made this known in an interview with DW a global media organization.

A non-governmental organization, Reporters Without Borders has alleged that the Bill which is currently before the National Assembly has draconian and harsh provisions that violate international laws, likely to be used to gag the media.

There are speculations that the Executive is behind this Bill in an effort to protect it from criticism from the public.

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A non-profit organisation, Lesbian Equality and Empowerment Initiative, has dragged the Corporate Affairs Commission before the Court of Appeal over the refusal of the CAC to register it.

Recall that LGBT activist, Pamela Adie, had in 2018 sued the CAC for refusing to register the organisation, but lost the case.

The activist said on Twitter that she had filed a notice of appeal on the judgement delivered by the Federal High Court.

She tweeted, “Notice of appeal has been filed in the case of Pamela Adie V CAC. As some of you may be aware, I applied to register a non-profit called Lesbian Equality and Empowerment Initiative but was denied by the Nigerian government agency, CAC, because it said ‘lesbian’ was offensive.

“I felt this was an infringement of my constitutional right to freedom of association. My team and I filed a suit against CAC in 2018 at the Federal High Court, Abuja.”

A non-profit organisation, Lesbian Equality and Empowerment Initiative, has dragged the Corporate Affairs Commission before the Court of Appeal over the refusal of the CAC to register it.

Recall that LGBT activist, Pamela Adie, had in 2018 sued the CAC for refusing to register the organisation, but lost the case.

The activist said on Twitter that she had filed a notice of appeal on the judgement delivered by the Federal High Court.

She tweeted, “Notice of appeal has been filed in the case of Pamela Adie V CAC. As some of you may be aware, I applied to register a non-profit called Lesbian Equality and Empowerment Initiative but was denied by the Nigerian government agency, CAC, because it said ‘lesbian’ was offensive.

“I felt this was an infringement of my constitutional right to freedom of association. My team and I filed a suit against CAC in 2018 at the Federal High Court, Abuja.”

The Senate has said it will seek the opinion of stakeholders on the foreign loan borrowing plans of President Muhammadu Buhari

The 8th National Assembly had rejected the President’s proposed borrowing of $29.96bn because the proposal was not accompanied by expenditure details.

Buhari presented the request again to the 9th National Assembly for its consideration and approval in November 2019.

The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, had assured Buhari that his request would be granted, even when the legislative protocol had not been carried out on it.

Lawan’s position did not go down well with members of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Loans, who had been asked to scrutinise the documents and advise the Senate on the next step to take.

Feelers from some members, who last year had spoken on condition of anonymity, showed that they were no longer interested in the approval process.

Some of those who spoke with our correspondent cited Lawan’s statement at a news conference last year that the Senate would approve the bill.

Further findings indicated that the committee, which has Senator Clifford Ordia as chairman and Senator Bima Enagi as vice-chairman, may not hold a public hearing on the loan request.

A member of the panel, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, had said there was an instruction from the Senate leadership not to hold a public hearing.

But the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Solomon Adeola, in an interview on Saturday in Abuja, said the red chamber would hold a public hearing on Buhari’s request.

Adeola, however, stated that the Senator Bukola Saraki-led 8th Senate had approved part of the loan request for Buhari’s regime.

He said, “The Federal Government is not asking the National Assembly to approve the sum of $29.96bn loan. This is because in the last Senate, about $6bn had been approved for President Muhammadu Buhari to borrow out of the $29.96bn.

The Senate has said it will seek the opinion of stakeholders on the foreign loan borrowing plans of President Muhammadu Buhari

The 8th National Assembly had rejected the President’s proposed borrowing of $29.96bn because the proposal was not accompanied by expenditure details.

Buhari presented the request again to the 9th National Assembly for its consideration and approval in November 2019.

The President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, had assured Buhari that his request would be granted, even when the legislative protocol had not been carried out on it.

Lawan’s position did not go down well with members of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Loans, who had been asked to scrutinise the documents and advise the Senate on the next step to take.

Feelers from some members, who last year had spoken on condition of anonymity, showed that they were no longer interested in the approval process.

Some of those who spoke with our correspondent cited Lawan’s statement at a news conference last year that the Senate would approve the bill.

Further findings indicated that the committee, which has Senator Clifford Ordia as chairman and Senator Bima Enagi as vice-chairman, may not hold a public hearing on the loan request.

A member of the panel, who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity, had said there was an instruction from the Senate leadership not to hold a public hearing.

But the Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Solomon Adeola, in an interview on Saturday in Abuja, said the red chamber would hold a public hearing on Buhari’s request.

Adeola, however, stated that the Senator Bukola Saraki-led 8th Senate had approved part of the loan request for Buhari’s regime.

He said, “The Federal Government is not asking the National Assembly to approve the sum of $29.96bn loan. This is because in the last Senate, about $6bn had been approved for President Muhammadu Buhari to borrow out of the $29.96bn.