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Tag: Aminu Tambuwal

  • APC Reps: House Leader, other key officials must go

    APC Reps: House Leader, other key officials must go

    Party writes speaker to assert its majority status

    A major crisis has broken out in the House of Representatives, with All Progressives Congress (APC) members demanding House Leader Mulikat Adeola-Akande’s removal.

    Some other principal officers should also step down, the APC Caucus will demand in a letter to Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

    The 171 APC members in the House rose last night from a meeting in Abuja to demand their right to produce the House Leader – in line with constitutional provision on simple majority.

    A court restrained yesterday the House from tampering with its leadership. But the Reps said they were not bound by the order.

    The decision will not affect Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, it was said.

    The APC members also vowed not to recognise Mrs. Adeola-Akande as the House Leader.

    A source at the meeting said: “Those of us in APC are now 171 in a chamber of 360 members. We met and decided to write the Speaker to invoke the relevant constitutional provision and rules to effect a change of leadership from the Majority Leader(House Leader) downwards.

    “We only require a simple majority of one or two members to effect a change of Majority Leader and other principal officers as the House may deem fit. PDP, APGA, Labour Party and Accord are about 150 members.”

    On the deputy speaker, the source, who pleaded not to be named, said: “We cannot ask the Deputy Speaker to step down because the Constitution says it requires two-thirds of members to take such a decision.

    “So, the Speaker will certainly get our letter on Tuesday (today) and read it on the floor of the House.”

    The resolution of the members of the party was the outcome of a short meeting at the National Assembly yesterday.

    The letter will insist on the removal of Akande-Adeola, Deputy Majority Leader Leo Ogor, Chief Whip Mohammed Isiaka Bawa and Deputy Chief Whip Mohammed Mukthar.

    Ihedioha is left out, “though with reservations”, a member said.

    The letter will also contain the request that all the emoluments and allowances accruing to the listed leadership members because of their offices be frozen until the leadership change is completed.

    The APC legislators also vowed not to recognise any bill, motion or argument that comes through the listed leadership members until the change is effected.

    Members who were alerted about the meeting through text messages began arriving at the National Assembly from 5:30 pm yesterday and by 6:30 pm the meeting, which was presided over by the opposition leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, was over.

    A member of the APC, who did not want to be named, said the letter was to abide by the rule of the House. He said: “According to the rule, we have to tell him officially, and he ( the Speaker) will call the Clerk to cross check and they will effect the changes.”

    On the court case, members cited the case of PDP National Secretary Olagunsoye Oyinlola, saying the PDP was also disobeying court cases. “ In any case, we have not even got the ruling,” a member said.

    Asked about the court injunction, the source said: “We have heard about it in the realm of rumours; let those who have it come to the House with a copy on Tuesday.

    “The question you should ask yourself is: Can the court stop the Legislature from functioning? What has become of the Principle of Separation of Powers?

    “We will not accept any Kangaroo injunction from anybody. We will respect the Judiciary, but we won’t allow anyone to interfere with our job.”

    Another member at the meeting said: “We learnt that they are planning to disrupt our proceedings on Tuesday; we are prepared for them.

    “We have made it mandatory for all our 171 members to make it to the chamber on Tuesday.”

    It was gathered that all the parties were seeking legal consultations last night. The areas of focus were sections 49, 50,and 56 of the 1999 Constitution.

    Section 49 says: “Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, the House of Representatives shall consist 360 members representing constituencies of nearly equal population as far as possible, provided that no constituency shall fall within more than one state.”

    Section 50 (1) reads: “There shall be –

    (a) a President and Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves, and

    (b) a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected b members of that House from among themselves.

    (2)  The President or Deputy President of the Senate or the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives shall vacate his office –

    (a) if he ceases to be a member of the Senate or of the House of Representatives, as the case may be, otherwise than by reason of a dissolution of the Senate or the House of Representatives; or

    (b)  when the House which he was a member first sits after any dissolution of that House; or

    (c) if he is removed from office by a resolution of the Senate or of the House of Representatives, as the case may be, by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of the members of that House.

    Section 56 says: “ (1) Except as otherwise provided by this Constitution, any question proposed for decision in the Senate or the House of Representatives shall be determined by the required majority of the members present and voting; and the person presiding shall cast a vote whenever necessary to avoid an equality of votes but shall not vote in any other case.

    (2) Except as otherwise provided by this Constitution, the required majority for the purpose of determining any question shall be a simple majority.“

    Chairman of media and publicity Committee Zakari Mohammed confirmed that the House leadership will witness some shake-up from today.

    Mohammed spoke at the weekend in Kaiama, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, shortly after a meeting with some politicians in the council.

    The House spokesperson, alongside 34 members of the defunct new PDP, defected to the APC.

    He said that 10 other PDP members were set to defect to the APC.

    “As it stands today, as I talk to you now, we have (APC) 172, PDP is 167 and the rest which is 20 to 22 belong to the other parties.

    “We have about 10 members who are coming into the APC as soon as we resume on Tuesday, (January 21)”.

     

  • Jonathan, Tambuwal, Suswam condole with Mark over sister’s death

    President Goodluck Jonathan, House of Representatives’ Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and Governor Gabriel Suswam of Benue State were among eminent Nigerians at the Otukpo country home of Senate President David Mark for the burial of his younger sister, Mrs. Mary Adakole (nee Mark).

    Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh, in a statement in Abuja, said Jonathan at the requiem Mass at sympathised with Mark and Adakole’s families over the untimely death of their sister and wife who died in an Abuja hospital after child birth.

    The president, who was represented by Ministers of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade; Water Resources’ Sarah Ochekpe and Interior Minister Abba Moro, urged the bereaved to take solace in the fact that the late Mary lived an exemplary life and died as a child of God.

    He renewed his pledge to give the health sector priority to save more Nigerians.

    Jonathan urged health professionals to brace up to the challenges of modern health care services in the country.

    Tambuwal enjoined the bereaved to see the passing away of their sister as an act beyond humans, saying that only God knows when a man should be born and die.

    On his part, Suswam expressed sadness over the untimely death of Mary, whom he described as a very promising daughter of the state.

    Senate President David Mark said: “It is sad that I am the one mourning my sister instead of the other way round.”

    He promised to continue championing the crusade to improve health care delivery services so that no woman would die during childbirth.

    Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, led scores of Senators on a condolence visit to Mark at his Apo residence in Abuja.

    Rev. Father Sylvester Onmoke, who led other priests at the requiem mass preached peace and forgiveness stressing that death is a necessary end that must come when it shall.

    Late Mary Adakole was born on January 17 1978 and committed to mother earth on her birthday, January 17.

  • Defections: PDP sues Tambuwal

    Defections: PDP sues Tambuwal

    •Speaker to court: dismiss case

    In what seems a pre-emptive move, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has asked a Federal High Court in Abuja to restrain the House of Representatives from altering the composition of its leadership.

    PDP, in a suit it filed on January 7, urged the court to, among others, restrain House of Representatives’ Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, other principal officers and defecting members from taking any step “to alter or change the leadership of the first defendant (PDP).”

    The suit has the House, its Speaker, the Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha and other principal officers and former PDP members, who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), as defendants.

    An officer of the PDP, Nanchang Ndam, said in a supporting affidavit that while the defection of some of the defendants was still a subject of litigation before Justice Mohammed, the defendants, particularly the Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, have issued threats to change the leadership of the House.

    PDP also urged the court to declare that the defecting lawmakers, who are plaintiffs in the earlier suit before Justice Ahmed Mohammed of the same court, “are not competent to sponsor, contribute or vote on any motion calling for the removal or change in the leadership of the House or the removal of any principal officers of the House.”

    It prayed the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendants from altering or changing the House’s leadership.

    The PDP equally filed an application for interlocutory injunction restraining the defendants from altering the leadership of the House pendinga the determination of the substantive suit.

    One of the defendants’ lawyers, Sebastine Hon (SAN), has urged the court to strike out the suit for want of jurisdiction.

    In a notice of preliminary objection he filed yesterday for the 11th to 30th defendants, Hon claimed that the plaintiff lacked the locus standi to institute the suit; that the suit is not justiceable; that the court lacked the jurisdiction to dabble in the internal affairs of the House, and that the case amounts to an academic or hypothetical exercise.

    He also filed a counter-affidavit to the plaintiff’s application for interlocutory injunction, challenging the competence of the application.

    Last Friday, Justice Adeniyi Ademola refused an ex-parte application by the PDP, in which it sought to restrain the defendants from among others, altering the House’s leadership. He ordered the party to put the defendants on notice and adjourned till yesterday.

    When the parties returned to court yesterday, defendants’ lawyers, Mohammud Magaji (SAN), James Ocholi (SAN) and Eric Apia objected to the move by the plaintiff’s lawyer, Yunus Usman (SAN), to argue his application for interlocutory injunction.

    The lawyers argued that they were served last Friday and were entitled to 48 hours to reply. They sought for time to respond.

    Justice Ademola granted the defendants’ request. He gave them up to January 16 to file their responses and serve the plaintiff. He adjourned the matter till January 20 for hearing of the application for interlocutory injunction.

  • Mark, Tambuwal and the defectors

    Mark, Tambuwal and the defectors

    When lawmakers in the House of Representatives began to defect to the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), it was widely expected, or perhaps speculated, that the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, would soon enact his own spectacular crossing. He has not burnt his bridges yet. In view of the fact that the opposition now controls the lower chamber, and the ruling PDP has lost control of that chamber, the speculations have continued to rage. Fearful that the PDP could lose control of the Senate, thereby compounding the political tragedy gnawing at the soul of the ruling party, the Jonathan presidency and forces favourable to Senate president David Mark have advanced stories indicating that the seats of defecting senators would be declared vacant. It is not quite certain that those stories are official.

    But it is at least clear that the takeover of the Senate, as is being plotted by the opposition, would not be as easy as that of the House of Representatives. And, apparently, it would not matter whether Senator Mark and his forces are on the right side of the constitution. They will defend their turf as brutally as President Jonathan defends his presidency – with single-minded unconstitutionality, if necessary. The resolve of the ruling party in the Senate is, therefore, likely to dampen the enthusiasm of the APC senators. In the House of Representatives, any attempt to declare any seat vacant in a legislature already fallen into the hands of the ‘enemy,’ will flounder very badly. In view of the political dynamics in the Senate, and the foul mood of the Jonathan presidency, it is important for the opposition to modify tactics by getting potential defectors to act like defectors without actually defecting – at least until the time is right.

    Given the mood in the Senate and the predilection of the Jonathan presidency, it is expected that Alhaji Tambuwal might want to re-examine his options, if indeed he ever meant the story of his defection to be taken at more than face value. It is already known his heart and soul belong to the APC. Would it be necessary to defect before he could advance and protect the interests of the opposition? With him standing pat in the PDP and keeping the office of Speaker, defectors would not only have a fair deal, they would even flourish. In addition, it would not only be unwise for an APC majority to move against him, should he choose to stay in the PDP, it would be unnecessary and counter-productive. An APC move against the Speaker is unlikely to ever happen. The Speaker may allow the speculations about his intentions to continue, but neither he nor the APC should think anything of it; for the Speaker is as sure of his constituency’s support as he is sure of securing a majority anytime a vote is forced on the floor of the legislature.

    The problem, therefore, is the Senate, where top legislators are speaking at cross-purposes, and many of us are unsure whether the stories and threats they issue are real or contrived. Since this column is in favour of all legitimate moves to whittle down the power and influence of the PDP and also ensure Dr Jonathan is unelectable in 2015, it will offer unsolicited advice to the opposition. The opposition must recognise that they can only second-guess the reactions of the PDP Senate and the Jonathan presidency with a limited amount of certainty. Nothing is sure, especially in the light of the desperation of the ruling party and its fear that it could go into the 2015 general elections greatly hobbled. Even with its control of the Senate and the security agencies, its chances of retaining power is less than sure. Knowing full well that it would be a nightmare for the party to go into the next polls with the Senate in the hands of the opposition, especially after the House of Representatives had been lost irretrievably, the ruling party would fight tooth and nail to ensure that that should never happen.

    The best option for the APC is to assume that the Senate’s top leaders and the presidency would fight rough in order to maintain control of the upper house. If a fight ensues, as every statistician knows, the chances of winning and losing are even. If an already crippled ruling party enters the fight disadvantaged, a 50 percent chance is a good outcome for them. On the other hand, a 50 percent chance for the APC, which is on a high at the moment and is even feeling triumphant already, is not good enough. And what is the use of a frontal attack on the ruling party in the Senate when the opposition can engage in feints and intrigues whose outcomes can be salutary? Since the intended defectors are known, the APC should let them stay in the PDP, in body of course, while their hearts and souls are claimed by the opposition. This tactic will work because in every vote called on the floor of the Senate, the potential defectors will frustrate the PDP and short-circuit the ruling party’s plans.

    I admit that if the defections are carried through it would be a morale booster for the opposition and a dampener for the PDP. But the APC need not be carried away by the aesthetics of politics. Every move it makes, and every scheme it engages in, must serve the purpose of winning the next polls, rather than painting the party in a boisterous and effervescent mould. The party already has seemingly insurmountable problems of forging a fit, united, fairly ideological and victorious army out of the disparate and cantankerous defectors it had welcomed into its fold. That task will not be easy, for long-standing party members will resent the presence of more aggressive and opportunistic newcomers. Such a daunting problem should therefore not be allowed to be compounded by a distracting war in the Senate over defectors whose seats the forceful chicaneries of the Senate leadership and a vindictive presidency could make untenable.

    This is why I also suggest that Speaker Tambuwal should, in cognizance of political realism over political aesthetics, remain for now in the PDP and offer defectors in the lower chamber genuine cover. The run-up to Poll 2015 will see bitter and sanguinary battles for the control of the physical and spiritual manifestations of the levers of power. The APC should avoid being entangled in needless controversies and displays. It must unite its warring groups, new and old, forge a credible and winnable platform, avoid the Machiavelian entrapment the ruling party will weave along its path, for they are no pushovers themselves, and ensure that even if it kills them they manage to give the country a presidential ticket that is indisputably a winner.

    The next one year or so will be the most stressful and harrowing for the opposition; it should rise to the occasion with purpose and determination. But that time will also be the most nightmarish for the ruling party, and the country must hope it cannot rise to the occasion. For, as all of us know, and as I indicated in this place last week, only change can save the country. Continuity is definitely not an option, not with the despicable and divisive use of sectarian politics now embarked upon by the PDP.

     

  • Tambuwal, Fashola, Aganga for group’s lecture

    Tambuwal, Fashola, Aganga for group’s lecture

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal; Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN) and Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr Olusegun Aganga, are among dignitaries expected at the second edition of the lecture series of January 9 Collective (J9C).

    The theme of the event, will hold tomorrow at the Sheraton Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, is: Nigeria beyond Petrodollar: A Realistic Perspective.

    Tambuwal will deliver the key note address while Fashola is the host governor and chairman of the lecture.

    The lecture will feature key presentations by officials of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Lagos Internal Revenue Service.

    The group’s Chairman, Percy Ademokun, noted that with the fluctuating global prices of crude oil and the advent of innovative technology, there was need to start exploring other economically viable avenues to reduce the nation’s current over dependence on oil.

    Oba Adedokun Abolarin, the Orangun of Oke-Ila Orangun, is the royal father of the day.

    The event will also feature panel discussions by seasoned professionals and a communiqué will be issued at the end of the deliberations.

    A statement by the group’s Publicity Secretary, Wole Olagundoye, said J9C was formed on January 9, 2012, in the wake of the anti-fuel price hike protests (Occupy Nigeria).

  • 2015: Tambuwal urges INEC to emulate Yobe SIEC

    2015: Tambuwal urges INEC to emulate Yobe SIEC

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal yesterday called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to get ready for the 2015 polls.

    Tambuwal gave the advice in his New Year message signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam.

    He praised Yobe State Independent Electoral Commission for conducting a peaceful and credible election worthy of emulation.

    “The lesson in what happened in Yobe should not be lost on all of us in spite of the security situation in the state and operating under the State of Emergency,” he said.

    He appreciated the role played by the government and people of the state as well as security agencies to ensure that the election witnessed massive turn out and was concluded peacefully.

    “The determination of the government and people of Yobe State to have democratic structures at the grassroots played a huge part in ensuring the success of the exercise.

    “It should not be lost on all of us that when all hands are on deck, and with sincerity of purpose, we can achieve success together.

    “I commend the security agencies, the government and people of Yobe State for setting an example worthy of emulation,” the Speaker said.

    He urged Nigerians to remain positive about the country, and prayed to God for a prosperous and peaceful 2014.

  • Plot to suspend Tambuwal fails

    Plot to suspend Tambuwal fails

    A plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to suspend the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, over his alleged romance with the opposition, has hit the rocks.

    The Speaker’s home chapter of the PDP in Tambuwal Local Government Area of Sokoto State rebuffed the national leadership of the party which had launched a hate campaign against him.

    The plan was for the PDP local chapter to announce Tambuwal’s expulsion last Thursday with the national leadership intervening by converting the expulsion to suspension “pending further investigation.”

    However, party sources said the local executive members of the party saw through the instigation and declared that it was beyond them to expel him.

    They advised those who had complaints against the Speaker to lodge same with the state executive council of the party.

    “The plan was to get the L.G.A chapter of the party to expel the Speaker. If that had happened, the national leadership would have intervened by revoking the expulsion order and placing the Speaker on suspension while it claims to be looking into the allegations against him,” sources said.

    “That way, other lawmakers plotting to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC) would have been cowed. But in spite of the heavy pressure mounted on them, the leadership of the PDP in the council declined to go all the way with the plan. Instead, they requested that those with genuine complaints against Tambuwal should report him to the state executive committee.”

    The Nation also learnt that days before the botched meeting, some chieftains of the party in the state had gone round urging PDP members in the LGA to append their signatures and names to a “vote of no confidence” motion meant to be passed on the Speaker after his planned expulsion.

    It was however gathered that the Speaker survived the plot through the intervention of Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko. The Governor, according to sources, prevailed upon the party chieftains in Tambuwal not to allow themselves to be used to disturb the peace of the state.

    “The governor, though no longer a member of the PDP, enjoys the respect of many of the leading chieftains of the party, especially at the grassroots level. Aside that, he was able to explain to the politicians that any move that is capable of threatening the position of Tambuwal as the Speaker will create chaos in Sokoto State,” one source said.

    The national leadership of the party is understood to have compiled a list of allegations against the Speaker with which it intended to defend the planned suspension.

    The Nation learnt that senior party officials are not only displeased with the Speaker for his close relationship with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) , they are also irked by his recent criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan.”His recent criticism of President Goodluck Jonathan and the party leadership and his presence at a meeting of APC stalwarts in Abuja are some of the reasons why the party wants to place him on suspension as soon as possible. He will soon be suspended,” a party source said.

    It was also gathered that the current move against Tambuwal may be pre-emptive. According to party sources, some chieftains of the party and some senior presidency officials are of the opinion that it is better to take the shine off Tambuwal’s rumoured defection by kicking him out of the party first.

    “Convinced that nothing can be done to stop the Speaker from joining the APC sooner or later, some stalwarts of the party within the presidency and the party leadership has been able to convince Tukur and Jonathan that it is better to kick him out of the party before he announces his defection to the APC. That way, they feel the shine will be taken off the Speaker’s alleged planned exit from the PDP.

    Tambuwal may also have drawn the ire of his party leaders with his presence at a rally recently organised by the Sokoto State Governor, Aliyu Wamakko. The governor, along with four other governors of the PDP, recently defected to the opposition APC.

    Before dumping the PDP, Wamakko himself was suspended by the party for allegedly disrespecting the PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    Tambuwal is close to the Governor.

    Among other things, the party is also said to be angry with the Speaker because of his presence at the launch of Opon Imo, the initiative of the Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, in Osogbo.

  • ‘Xmas: President sells national conference

    ‘Xmas: President sells national conference

    Today is Christmas. It is an occasion to celebrate Christ’s birth and a time for introspection – on the state of the nation.

    Leaders are preaching peace in their messages.

    President Goodluck Jonathan launched a sales drive for the national conference — its controversial pill for Nigeria’s numerous ailment.

    Senate President David Mark and House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal urged Nigerians to embrace peace, tolerance, love and harmony.

    Mark also called for responsible leadership.

    The President thanked God for the grace that helped Nigeria to overcome its challenges since the last Christmas.

    According to him, the annual commemoration of the birth of Jesus Christ is a most auspicious time for the nation to rededicate itself to the virtues and ideals which the Messiah preached and exemplified during his earthly ministry.

    He said: “Let us all, therefore, resolve this Christmas to make the ideals of peace, harmony, tolerance, love and goodwill to all even more manifest in our interactions with others.”

    “It remains my sincere belief that no height of human accomplishment is beyond us as a nation, if we can overcome our differences, such as they are, and forge a binding national consensus to put the progress and well-being of the country above all other considerations.”

    Jonathan promised that his administration would do its all to encourage delegates to the national conference next year to secure the required consensus for national peace and unity.

    He said: “My administration will do all within its powers and abilities to ensure that when representatives of our people assemble for the forthcoming national conference next year, they will have every opportunity and encouragement to make very significant contributions towards forging the required consensus for sustained national peace, unity and progress.”

    The President expects the national conference to contribute largely towards the urgent resolution of contentious issues which hinder Nigeria’s progress.

    “With God Almighty as our Guide, Strength and Enabler, My Administration will continue to implement its Agenda for National Transformation in furtherance of its avowed commitment to improving the living conditions of all Nigerians.”

    “We will continue to count on the prayers, support and cooperation of all patriotic Nigerians in the coming year as we consolidate and build on our achievements in several sectors, including national security, power supply, communications, transportation, health and education.

    “As we commemorate the birth of the Prince of Peace, let us all strive to honour Him more by living our lives as He taught; by making personal sacrifices for the good of others, by showing greater love for others, by being fairer and more honest in our dealings with others, by being ever-willing to forgive those who offend us and by always extending goodwill towards others.

    “On behalf of myself, my family and the Federal Government, I wish you all very joyful Christmas celebrations, and a peaceful and prosperous 2014.”

    Mark, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary Paul Mumeh in Abuja, urged Nigerians to sink their differences, irrespective of ethnic, religious or political leanings and put the peace and unity of the nation above other considerations.

    He implored Nigerians to make peace and religious harmony the cornerstone of their relationship with one another.

    The President of the Senate recalled the ethno-religious conflicts that have claimed scores of lives and property. He pleaded with Nigerians to rethink.

    Mark called on the political class to lead the path of peace, law and order, cautioning that national interest and cohesion should not be sacrificed on the altar of individual or group ambitions.

    He noted that politics should ordinarily be a game and not a battle field and reminded those fanning the embers of war or disunity not to set the house ablaze before they even get there.

    Mark said: “We have come a long way as a people. We should see ourselves as one people, one nation with a common destiny.

    “We cannot be moving in the reverse order when other nations are going to the moon.

    “We have always admitted that the challenges are enormous but we must realise that nobody is coming from the space to solve our problems for us. We should therefore be able to find home grown solutions to our challenges in a manner that would comfort and indeed satisfy all sections.”

    To the present crop of leaders, Mark told them that it is incumbent on “all of us to act and behave in a responsible manner that would give trust and confidence to the people”.

    He requested the religious to fervently pray for the nation and its leaders, adding that the time calls for wise counsel and divine intervention.

    The National Assembly, Mark assured, would always stand by the people, reiterating that the welfare and security of the citizens remains the cornerstone of all legislation.

    Tambuwal enjoined Nigerians to continue to reflect on the positive tenets that unite the nation, strengthen the polity and enhance its stability and prosperity as they celebrate Christmas.

    In a goodwill message to Christians by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mallam Imam Imam, the Speaker also called for sustained prayers for peace, unity and stability in the country.

    He admonished persons of all faith to be their brother’s keepers and shun all vices and negative acts that can jeopardise the efforts of government in providing democracy dividends to the citizens.

    “This period calls for sober reflection and continued prayers for our dear nation. We must replicate on the teachings and lessons of Christmas and continue to exhibit good character as well as extend hands of fellowship and build blocks of unity and understanding to all irrespective of our perceived differences.

    “On our part we are committed to providing legislative measures and interventions that will support government’s effort at guaranteeing peace, welfare and security of Nigerians and the greater development of our dear country in line with our legislative agenda.

    “On behalf of the House of Representatives, I wish all Nigerians a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.”

  • APC to Jonathan: sack Oduah now

    APC to Jonathan: sack Oduah now

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has hailed the House of Representatives for taking a definitive stand on the N255 million armoured cars bought for Aviation Minister by the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA).

    The party praised the House for asking President Goodluck Jonathan to review the continued engagement of the Aviation Minister Ms Stella Oduah over her role in the scam.

    In a statement yesterday in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC noted that by its action, the House of Representatives had again shown its readiness to play its part in fighting the massive corruption which has enveloped the country.

    It said also by its unequivocal stand on the scandal, coming on the heels of the recent criticism of President Jonathan’s tepid fight against corruption by Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, the House had left no one in doubt that the legislature was taking its oversight role very seriously.

    “There is no doubt that the House of Representatives took its stand, which included asking the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate and prosecute all those involved in the scandal, after a painstaking work by its Committee on

    Aviation. This action is commendable and reflects the general opinion of Nigerians on the shameful scandal.

    “Therefore, Ms. Oduah has no basis for continued occupation of her post as Minister of Aviation and should step down immediately. If she fails to do so, she should be fired by the President,” it said.

    APC stressed that if the minister failed to resign and the President refused to fire her, it would confirm the general perception that “this President is not ready or willing to fight corruption; that he is comfortable in the company of corrupt officials and that he would rather cream off the proceeds of corruption by taking contributions to his war chest from corrupt folks”.

    The party said the President’s failure to heed the House of Representatives on the Oduahgate would also add to his earlier failure to act on the House’s decision on the massive oil subsidy scam, and the failure of his administration to bring to justice all those behind the series of corruption cases that have dogged the administration.

    APC said: “The list is long, and includes the pension scam, the Malabu (oil) scandal, the massive corruption in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), the Halliburton scandal, the unprecedented crude oil theft and the extensive corruption in the oil sector.

    “The President’s decision to hug corruption rather than fight it has also been reflected in his comments, saying, for example, that the perception people have about corruption in Nigeria is exaggerated; and that his administration is ‘winning’ the war against corruption.

    “But this overly simplistic take on corruption in Nigeria flies in the face of the available evidence that Nigeria has sunk deeper into the mud of corruption under President Jonathan, especially the latest ranking by Transparency International, which lists Nigeria as one of the most corrupt nations in the world, and the report of the US Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2012, which shows Nigerian government officials and agencies frequently engaged in corrupt practices with impunity.

    “It is now up to President Jonathan to take the fight against corruption seriously and work with other arms of government in combating the canker worm, or go down in the history of the country as the most corrupt administration ever. He can start by acting decisively on the Aviation scandal, and stop using ad hoc panels to bury corruption cases.”

  • Tambuwal hits Budget Office

    Tambuwal hits Budget Office

    •Finance ministry ‘underfunds agencies’

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal has said the Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance should be held responsible for the economic and infrastructural development challenges confronting the country.

    The Speaker also said the two bodies were holding back progress on the benchmark figure for the 2014 budget.

    Besides, he stressed that the two have always been responsible for deliberately underfunding Ministries. Departments and Agencies (MDA) by changing the required budget figures presented by the MDAs to the Budget Office.

    Tambuwal spoke yesterday while receiving the Board of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), led by its Chairman, Alh. Hamman Tukur, who regretted that the National Assembly had not done enough to assist the power sector.

    He said: “We are not your problems. The National Assembly cannot and is not the problem of any MDA in terms of making attempts to support MDAs for funding.

    “Your main problems are, principally, the Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance.

    “On the oil benchmark, the problem is still with the same people. It is not our fault; we are still dragging with the Executive on the benchmark because we say we need more money to fund our infrastructure development.

    “Meanwhile somebody somewhere says we should be saving money on empty stomach. How do you save money when you are hungry for health care, road infrastructure, power, sound education and somebody is insisting on saving; for what, for who?

    “We have to look at those advice and what interest those people are really serving. Is it truly our own interest or somebody else. This has always been a source of misunderstanding between us and them.

    “We represented the people and have their mandate to act and speak on their behalf and that is a very big difference between us and them.

    “We at the National Assembly are the least of your problems.”

    Saying that the National Assembly has always been supportive of adequate supply of reliable and affordable power to Nigerians, Tambuwal referred the TCN team to past efforts made by the legislators in that direction.

    “Let me say this; we are very ready and amenable to complement the efforts of the government in ensuring that we have stable, affordable power supply in this country.

    “That was why the legislation towards the unbundling of the PHCN was passed in 2005.

    “One is to provide appropriate legal framework and if there are challenge you have in the implementation of the law so far, you are free to come forward with such observations and we are ready to attend to such amendments expeditiously.

    “Secondly, our job is to make provisions for funding, which have been quite challenging. In some cases, arising from our knowledge from what we meet on the ground as a result of our oversight, there were attempts in some cases to adjust funding for some of these critical sectors of the economy and power is one of them

    “But we often meet some resistance, not necessarily from the experts from the MDAs but from the Budget Office and the Ministry of Finance.

    “Many at times, when you are given the envelopes, which has been the traditions, even though we have always opposed it, by the time the budget is prepared and sent to the Budget Office, what comes to the National Assembly is a completely different document from what was sent by the MDA.

    “That has been an area where we have always had frictions between the two arms of government because our committees are aware of the needs of the MDAs, based on the interface they have been having as a result of the oversights they must have undertaken in the course of the year.

    “By the time Mr President lays the budget, what we normally see is a completely different thing from what the MDAs sent to the Budget Office and that is the main problem.

    “Our Committees don’t deal with the Budget Office in term of budget defence; we deal with the MDAs but when they come and diplomatically make their defence and tell us that this is not what they presented.

    “In this case, we will be compelled to actually do the right thing, and the right thing is to listen to the people who are in charge of the sector and adjust the submission of the Budget Office to conform with what is now otherwise implementable.

    “But by the time we so do, somebody somewhere, one individual will sit down in his office and say the National Assembly has tampered, tinkered with and paddled the budget, which is not so”.

    The Speaker pleaded for the understanding of the TCN team and Nigerians that the National Assembly would always be alive to its responsibilities.

    “Until we address the challenges of the Budget Office, which normally changes the submissions of the MDAs, whimsically, without any expertise, we will continue to have problems, not only of funding, budgets but also of implementation because MDAs are being given what otherwise were not their documents to implement, where would they start from?

    Tambuwal said the National Assembly would continue to support the TCN in terms of funding “but we will also continue to follow the money through oversight”.