Tag: Abbas Tajudeen

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, said on Sunday that he will provide a start-up capital of N100 million for graduates of vocational and skill acquisition in his constituency in Zaria.

Speaking at the graduation of students of the Zainab Ahmed ICT/Vocational centre in Zaria as part of his second anniversary as speaker, Abbas said the money will be used to start up all those who will pass through the centre.

He said, “We cannot train you and leave you alone. We will give you starter packs for you to start your own business. Make good use”

Speaker Abbas said, “From my early days growing up on these streets, I have always believed that true progress is built in the classroom, in the skills centre, and in the mind of every child and every young person determined to rise above their circumstances.

“That belief has driven every step I have taken as your Representative to widen the doors of education across our communities.

“In these past two years, we have uplifted our schools, built new institutions, created more opportunities for our farmers and traders, supported our teachers, and empowered our sons and daughters with knowledge and skills that will stand the test of time.

“In all these efforts, Information and Communications Technology (ICT) holds a special place. This is the century of digital transformation.

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“It is the age in which your ideas, your creativity and your courage can travel far beyond our borders and connect you to opportunities you never imagined. Many decades ago, my only access to knowledge was through the words of my teachers and the pages of books in the library.

“Today, the world’s greatest entrepreneurs, innovators and problem solvers are no longer limited by location. They are defined by what they know, what they can do, and how they use technology to change lives. And that is what we want for you.

“Across Africa and right here in Nigeria, we see young people building successful businesses online, offering freelance services to clients in every corner of the world, developing mobile applications that solve everyday problems, harnessing digital marketing to grow small businesses, and using online learning to gain new skills in fields once out of reach.

“With a laptop, a phone, or a simple internet connection, our youth are breaking barriers and becoming part of a truly global economy. This is the practical power of ICT– it puts the future in your hands.

“To our graduating trainees, I am proud of your achievement. You are proof that when young minds are given the chance to learn, there is no limit to what they can achieve. Take what you have learned here and build on it. DO NOT STOP. Let this be your launch pad to greater things. Let your ideas soar.

“Create businesses, design solutions, and open doors for others. I believe in you. I see the future in your eyes. I know you will make us proud.

“My beloved people of Zaria, you are the reason for this journey. Your trust, your prayers and your partnership have made everything we celebrate today possible. I am deeply grateful to everyone who has worked behind the scenes to make these days of celebration meaningful and impactful.

“As we look ahead, I ask you once again for your prayers and your unwavering support. We have come this far together, but we are not done. By the grace of Almighty Allah and with your faith in this vision, we will do even more. We will build more opportunities, create more jobs and strengthen our communities. We will leave no one behind.”

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen said yesterday that the involvement of the people in governance is what strengthens democracy anywhere in the world.

Abbas, who spoke at the second edition of the ‘Citizens’ Roundtable with the leadership of the House of Representatives, said citizens must not only be heard but also involved in governance under democracy.

Represented by his Deputy, Benjamin Kalu, the Speaker said the House was committed to constantly engage with the public on issues of national importance, reaffirming that democracy is strongest when the people are not only heard, but fully involved.

He said: “We came together with a shared purpose—to listen to one another, to reflect on how far we have come, and to chart a more inclusive and responsive path forward.”

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Speaker Abbas stated that he was truly encouraged by “the richness of the exchanges, the clarity of the perspectives offered, and the passion with which you have spoken about the future of our country.”

He added: “This event is not a conclusion. It is part of an ongoing process of building a parliament that works with the people and not just for them. As Speaker of the House of Representatives, I am more convinced than ever that the strength of our legislative work depends on the depth of our engagement with citizens.

“That is why we placed citizen participation at the heart of the Legislative Agenda of the Tenth House. That is why we have committed ourselves to regular platforms like this one—to listen, to learn, and to act.

Earlier in his welcome address, the Majority Leader, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, said the engagement, which brought together the leadership of the House with the citizens, “underscores our resolve to continually engage with the people we are privileged to serve.”

House Speaker Abbas Tajudeen and his deputy, Benjamin Kalu yesterday described as tragic, the accident claiming the lives of the athletes returning from National Sports Festival.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Musa Abdullahi Krishi, Spealer Abbas expressed sorrow over the deaths of the athletes.

 Abbas prayed for the repose of the souls of those who lost their lives, and quick recovery for the injured.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the deceased athletes and the Kano State Government at this moment of grief.

“This is one unfortunate incident too many. May Allah give their families the fortitude to bear these irreparable losses,” the Speaker said, urging the relevant authorities and the Kano State Government to take measures to prevent reoccurrence.

Speaker Abbas also called for the immortalization of the deceased athletes, saying they paid the supreme price in the line of duty.

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The Speaker equally extended his condolences to all sport loving Nigerians, the National Sports Commission, among others.

In his own statement signed by his Special Assistant, Press Affairs, Udora Orizu, Deputy Speaker Kalu expressed sadness over the death of members of the Kano State contingent .

The Deputy, in a condolence message described the death of the young athletes as painful, heartbreaking and a devastating blow to the nation.

He noted that the late athletes through their passion, dedicated themselves to excellence in sports, for a brighter future for the nation, saying that their good deeds will never be forgotten.

Kalu extended his condolences to the deceased families, Kano State Government, National Sports Commission and all sport enthusiasts, praying to God to give them the fortitude to bear this irreparable loss.

House of Representatives Speaker Abbas Tajudeen has said the porous nature of Nigeria’s borders exposes the nation to the happenings in other West African countries.

He said the development has made it compelling for the country to have a stronger cohesion among its diverse people.

The Speaker noted that porous borders mean that the nation’s security becomes inseparable from that of its neighbours.

He stressed that continued support for joint patrols, standby force concept and regional initiatives, such as grazing corridors, would strengthen resilience across West Africa and within the country.

Abbas said this while delivering a lecture at the Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) in an engagement with the Nigerian National Defence College, Course 33, at the National Defence College in Abuja.

In the lecture, titled: National Resilience and Security in the 21st Century, the Speaker said national resilience and security are profoundly influenced by regional dynamics across Africa and among ECOWAS member-countries.

He noted that security challenges happen across the continent: states contend with insurgencies in the Sahel; constitutional crises occur in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger; while economies that depend heavily on commodities have health emergencies, such as Ebola and COVID-19, and severe climate impacts.

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Abbas said: “Yet, African societies consistently demonstrate adaptability, from post-conflict recovery in Rwanda and Sierra Leone to navigating economic hardship. The African Development Bank’s 2022-2026 Strategy emphasises that strengthening institutions, communities, and investments collectively builds shared resilience”

At the continental level, the Speaker said African Union’s Peace and Security Architecture — with its early warning systems, mediation efforts, and standby force — alongside initiatives, such as the Great Green Wall and ECOWAS drought resilience plans, highlights the need to address security, environmental, and development challenges in a coordinated manner.

According to him, ECOWAS has repeatedly acted to contain crises, deploying missions in Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Ivory Coast, and leading the 2017 Gambian intervention to uphold election results under Nigerian leadership.

“A wave of recent coups now tests the sub-region’s commitment to constitutional governance, prompting sanctions, negotiations, and proposals for a dedicated ECOWAS standby force to deter unlawful power seizures,” Abbas said.

The Speaker stressed that economic integration measures, such as plans for a common currency, solidarity funds, and coordinated health procurements during the pandemic, further bolster regional stability by facilitating resource flows.

He added: “An effective resilience strategy follows three integrated phases: mitigation, adaptation, and recovery. Mitigation employs proactive measures, such as flood defences, robust building standards, preventive diplomacy, and deradicalisation programmes, to reduce risks before they occur.

“Adaptation acknowledges that some shocks are unavoidable and builds capacity to cope through drought-resistant crops, emergency communications drills, and diversified energy sources.

“Recovery restores and strengthens communities and systems through relief efforts, infrastructure rebuilding, the reintegration of affected populations, and economic stimulus, while embedding lessons learnt to address future vulnerabilities. By treating these phases as a continuous cycle, each recovery informs better mitigation and adaptation, ensuring that past crises guide future security planning.”

House of Representatives Speaker  Abbas Tajudeen and stakeholders in the electoral process have backed a bill seeking the establishment of an independent body  to register and regulate funding of political parties in the country.

Abbas  said the country must find ways to make party politics serve the purpose of politics, not wealth creation for its managers.

He spoke at a technical workshop for the House Committee on Political Party Matters on the Political Parties Bill (HB 1862) organised by Yiaga Africa and supported by the European Union with partnership from the Kukah Centre on Monday in Abuja.

He  had also at  an interactive session with a group of social media influencers, said that the success of the nation’s democracy must be measured by how critical stakeholders   are involved.

The speaker, who was represented  at the workshop by a member of the House    Ishaya Lalu, said: “The Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) has the power to register political parties, but there is a need to strengthen the legislation. In some instances, political party funding in Nigeria is taken over by wealthy individuals as investments.

‘’Those who make the investments, either as businessmen or politicians, hijack the political parties or impose candidates on the parties during the electoral process.

‘’There cannot be a democracy where there is no internal democratic process through which candidates for election emerge at the level of the political parties.’’

According to him,  registration and regulation of political party funding   will promote transparency and accountability, separate the regulatory function from government control, and domicile it in an independent body.  

 Executive Director of Yiaga Africa  Samson Itodo said the bill, when passed  , would reform t  party system in the country.

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Itodo appealed to the lawmakers to ensure its passage.

 Executive Director of The Kukah Centre, Atta Barkindo described the bill as a timely opportunity to strengthen internal democracy and institutionalise overdue reforms.

“The quality of political party operations directly impacts the integrity of our elections,” he said.

Chairman of the House Committee on Political Matters, Zakari Nyampa noted that unregulated primaries often lead to crises within parties.

“This bill is key to ensuring accountability, transparency, and proper regulation of political party funding,” he said, underscoring its importance for Nigeria’s evolving democracy.

At the    interactive session with a group of social media influencers,  the Speaker   stressed the  importance of the youth and their voice on the Internet to democracy.

He said  the engagement was for a critical reflection on the intersection of governance, innovation, and responsible communication.

 Abbas said: “We are not unmindful of the challenges posed by misinformation, digital security threats, and the misuse of online platforms. Nonetheless, our approach shall remain rooted in dialogue, education, and constructive engagement rather than censorship or coercion.”

According to him, the interaction was “an unprecedented engagement designed to formalise a dialogue between the Nigerian parliament and the dynamic community of digital actors.’’ 

He described the youth as “  pivotal agents in the contemporary information environment.’’

 ‘’Your platforms serve as vital conduits for citizen engagement, policy interpretation, and the cultivation of public consciousness,” said the speaker.

Those entrusted with public funds must learn to properly account for such, House Speaker Abbas Tajudeen said yesterday.

He said that the House will ensure accountability in public financing .

The Speaker spoke during the  inauguration of the special committee to investigate the utilization of public funds given to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAS), institutions and government-owned enterprises as take-off grants, bail -outs and other special interventions to enable them address immediate funding constraints since 2015.

The Speaker said there are understandably several development gaps seeking government attention within the constraints of the limited funds, adding that these gaps are equally critical to the overall wellbeing of Nigerians and the sustainability of our democratic process.

He said this presupposes that every available fund within the disposal of the government must be prudently utilized so that these perceived gaps could be addressed in a timely and efficient manner.

Speaker Abbas said as a result of this, “persons entrusted with public funds are expected to appreciate the burden of this sacred trust and must not even be perceived to have compromised themselves in the application of these funds.

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“It is on record that government after government consider the urgent need to address some funding gaps in some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as some institutions and government ownec enterprises, with the view to accelerating economic development and social stability, made special allocations as bail-out grants, take-off grants and other forms of special interventions to enable them mitigate their immediate funding constraints.

“These interventions were applauded by Nigerians as timely and crucial. These were humongous public funds that have to be accounted for by the beneficiaries. Hence this investigative hearing.

“This step has become very necessary because the concerned beneficiaries are perceived to have neither justified the utilization of the grants nor have they been able to make appropriate refunds where provided in the relevant clauses for the takeoff grants, Bailout-out funds and Interventions.

“The House is therefore determined to ensuring transparency, accountability, and prudent management of public resources in this instant case. It is not a witch-hunt rather an opportunity to ensure accountability in utilization of public funds.”

The Speaker said it is only when “we appreciate the obvious dangers posed by the poor utilization and lack of accountability of public resources and its implications both on our country’s image and national economy, that we could tackle the matter as a national emergency of social and security implications.”

He said the Special Committee has the mandate to comprehensively investigate these grants and interventions, examine the processes and procedures governing these special grants and allocations to the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) as well as institutions and government owned enterprise; assess and evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of these takeoff grants, accountability, identify areas of wastage, mismanagement, or comuption and recommend appropriate sanctions.

He said the purpose of the special Investigative hearing is to improve transparency in governance as one of the fundamental tenets of democracy; enhance clarity on takeoff grants, ailout-out funds and Interventions allocation and utilization processes; strengthen accountability, promote efficient and optimal utilization of public resources for the benefit of all Nigerians and ultimately identify areas for improvement and recommend corrective measures.

Chairman of the Committee, Chinedu Martins said the purpose of the investigating hearing is to ensure that Nigerians get value for their money.

“It is imperative that we thoroughly investigate how these funds have been utilised, ensuring that every naira spent is accounted for and that it has truly benefited our citizens. Therefore, I would like to urge heads of agencies and organisations present today to provide truthful and accurate information to this committee in order to enable us to carry out our work.

“The hearing is not a witch-hunting exercise; rather, it is an opportunity for all stakeholders to come together in the spirit of cooperation. I assure all participants that we are committed to a fair hearing and respectful dialogue through this process”.

The committee however gave the Central Bank of Nigeria and the office of the Accountant General of the Federation two weeks  to prepare and submit a comprehensive report of all bail outs and grant to MDAs since 2015.

House of Representatives Speaker  Abbas Tajudeen says  that investments by Europe in   Africa  is  fast dwindling, thereby  giving rise to more Asian investors playing key economic roles in the continent.

Abbas stated this when European Unio(EU) Ambassador to Nigeria and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Gautier Mignot visited him in Abuja yesterday.

 He urged the EU to step up its multilateral and bilateral cooperation with African countries by catching in on  the withdrawal of aids to many  countries by the Donald Trump administration .

His words: “I just want to draw our attention to some things that I feel the European Union can do better. You (EU) have tried tremendously in terms of capacity, especially in areas of election monitoring, particularly in Nigeria. But I see a trend that is a bit uncomfortable from your side that the EU needs to address.

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“Asia is fast approaching Africa. You should have dominant investments and stakes in Africa. But what we have today is that the majority of the investments are coming from Asia. Less and fewer investments from the EU are being witnessed in Africa.

“I believe it is an area that we need to holistically look at and see how we can continue to make EU more relevant to Nigeria and to Africa. There are many areas that we have already advanced in our relationship over the last 50 years.

“Just last week, we received the Ambassador of China to Nigeria, and the kind of ambitious plans we heard him say about China and Nigeria, as well as Africa, are unprecedented. Some weeks ago, I also had the opportunity to meet with the Indian Ambassador, and I also heard about the kind of ambitious plans they have.

“We don’t hear much from the EU these days as far as Africa is concerned, perhaps, except in the area of elections and security. But when it comes to real investments, the EU is not actually progressing at the rate it should.

“We believe if there is any country or union that deserves to really stamp its feet in Africa, it is the EU. So, I want to use this opportunity to urge that more and more collaboration needs to come onboard between Africa and the EU.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, has said that only effective communication by spokespersons could change public perception of the government and its institutions.

Speaker Abbas said this was responsible for why the 10th House, under his leadership, has opened legislative activities in the parliament to the public through citizens’ engagements.

The Speaker spoke at the opening ceremony of the 2nd Nigeria Spokespersons Summit and conferment of honorary fellowship of the Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) in Abuja on Tuesday.

He was conferred with an Honorary Fellowship of the Institute at the event.

He said: “Effective leadership communication is key to improving public perception of government institutions. In the House, we have taken concrete steps to make our legislative processes more accessible.

“We now live-stream plenary sessions, publish committee reports in real-time, and provide sign language interpretation during debates.

“For the first time in the history of the National Assembly, the 10th House is conducting annual self-assessments and presenting its scorecard to the Nigerian public. All these demonstrate that our legislature is a vibrant, accessible institution committed to restoring public trust.”

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The Speaker appreciated the NIPR leadership and the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation for hosting the summit and recognising the efforts in strengthening public communication.

He also noted that the theme of the Summit, ‘Integrity and the Evolving Roles of Spokespersons in Leadership Communication’, is both timely and enduring.

Speaker Abbas said: “Today, I wish to address the challenges and opportunities of communicating leadership ideals in our democracy, our shared duty to uphold truth and trust, and the steps we can take together to reinforce good governance.

“After 25 years of uninterrupted democracy, Nigeria has reached a stage where the way we communicate leadership and policy must reflect the maturity of our democratic process.

“At its core, democracy is not merely the government of the people, by the people, or for the people; democracy, for me, is about government with the people.

“This redefinition highlights the need for an active and ongoing partnership between those who govern and those who are governed. This relationship should be built on truth, inclusion, and mutual respect.

“In an era when misinformation can spread faster than facts and erode public trust, the necessity for honest, clear, and inclusive communication cannot be overstated.

“Too often, ‘Public Relations’ has been misunderstood as mere spin or propaganda, yet integrity in communication is the cornerstone of a thriving democracy.

“When practitioners and spokespersons adhere to ethical standards, they empower citizens to make informed decisions and hold leaders accountable. Conversely, practices rooted in deception weaken our social contract and foster cynicism.”

The Speaker noted that the House has embraced a commitment to active citizen engagement by bringing parliament closer to the people.

Speaker Abbas proposed a stronger partnership between the NIPR and the National Assembly, working together to launch public orientation campaigns that explain how policies are created and showcase the important role of parliament.

He added that this initiative could significantly enhance public understanding and reduce negative perceptions. “By combining our efforts, we can ensure clear, effective, and inclusive communication,” he stated.