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Tag: Assemblies

  • NULGE takes autonomy battle to state assemblies

    NULGE takes autonomy battle to state assemblies

    The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has put in place measures to ensure that state assemblies pass the local government autonomy bill, its National Executive Council (NEC) has said.

    At its meeting in Abuja, NULGE resolved to declare a national day of prayers to make the members of houses of assembly support councils’autonomy.

    The association’s  President, Comrade Ibraheem Khaleel, said the union would sustain its advocacy and ensure that the constitution review was achieved.

    Khaleel pointed out that the statement credited to the Speaker of theHouse of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, that the state assemblies should be held responsible, if the proposal failed was very sensitive.

    Khaleel said apart from organising prayers across all the 774 local governments, the association would sensitise state assemblies and councillors to approve local government autonomy.

    He pointed out that since the National Assembly had approved the proposal and transmitted it to the state assemblies, the union would  ensure that the state legislatures approved it.

    On the mass sack of workers in Kaduna State, Comrade Khaleel said the union had agreed to support the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in organising a mass action against the “anti-workers and people policy” of Governor el-Rufai.

    He pointed out that NULGE would organise its members across the country to converge on Kaduna and participate in the protest.

    He said the anti-people policies of the Kaduna State governor and the activities of a cabal surrounding the president had disconnected President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Nigerians.

    The union, which regretted that President Buhari and the APC came to power on the mantra of change, with promises to create employment for Nigerians, said the major political office holders in the government, especially the Kaduna State governor, had done the opposite.

    Specifically, NULGE said the sack of 22, 000 teachers and 4, 000 local government workers in Kaduna  by el-Rufai lacked merit and was against civil service rules.

  • Constitution review: Governors mount pressure on Assemblies

    Constitution review: Governors mount pressure on Assemblies

    Governors are mounting pressure on House speakers over the planned review of the constitution, The Nation has learnt.

    Some of the speakers have been threatened with removal, should they remain adamant.

    The Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) has invited speakers to an emergency meeting  tomorrow in Abuja.

    The session, according to sources, is designed to abort the consideration of the amendments to the constitution by 20 Houses of Assembly on Wednesday.

    The Conference of Speakers has given a December 20 deadline to all Houses of Assembly to conclude debate on the proposed amendments sent to the states by the National Assembly.

    Some governors are said to have mandated their states’ speakers to either halt the consideration of the amendments or face the consequences.

    It was learnt that the governors and the speakers have disagreed on four major components of the proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution as passed by the National Assembly.

    The areas of disagreement are:

    • Autonomy for Local Government Councils;
    • Abrogation of State Joint  Local Government Accounts (JAAC);
    • Financial autonomy for state legislatures(House of Assembly autonomy); and
    • Critical amendment to facilitate fast dispensation of cases at the Supreme Court of Nigeria and other courts; election petition, front loading of briefs on jurisdiction etc

    A source, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “The two parties have not been able to reach a consensus on these four areas. They have been holding series of meetings in the past few weeks.

    ”The speakers met in Enugu about three weeks ago and raised a seven-man committee comprising a Speaker from each of the six geopolitical zones to be led by the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Ali Ahmed.

    “The speakers have decided to uphold these four areas to save local government administration from collapse and end non-payment of workers at the local level.

    “They observed that there had been gross abuse of JAAC.”

    “ The governors also set up a seven-man team headed by Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola to guide the NGF. While consultations were ongoing, some State Houses of Assembly endorsed the amendments passed by the National Assembly.

    “About 20 states are expected to approve the amendments on Tuesday, including the upholding the four points of disagreement. But the governors have vowed to resist them,” the source said.

    Another source said: “Some of the Houses of Assembly were hasty because they had not recognized the governors’ input. They acted as if they harbour a pre-determined agenda against the governors.

    “The governors wanted the Houses of Assembly to step down the four contentious areas for a broader understanding with the Governors’ Forum.

    “Some Speakers said the governors ought to have prevailed on senators and members of the House of Representatives to influence these four areas instead of killing the amendments at the state level.

    “Alternatively, they have asked the governors to throw the four amendments open to the public and let Nigerians decide on these four critical amendments.”

    The NGF has summoned the 36 Speakers for an emergency meeting tomorrow.

    A December 15, 2017 notice by the Director-General of NGF, Mr. A.B. Okauru, said: “The Governors Forum at its meeting of 13th December, 2017 resolved to consult with the Honourable Speakers of the 36 State Houses of Assembly on the above subject matter( Amendment of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria).

    “Consequently, we write to invite the Honourable Speakers of the 36 State Houses of Assembly to a meeting with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum( NGF) scheduled as follows: Tuesday, 19th December, 2017by 3pm at the Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja.”

    A Speaker said: “Some governors have been threatening a few of our colleagues to reject the four amendments or forget their jobs.

    “We are seriously under pressure. In fact, a mail was secretly sent to the governors to attend Tuesday’s meeting with their Speakers as if we are small boys.

    “We are surely heading for a stalemate after spending over N7billion to effect the latest amendments to 1999 Constitution.”

    Section 9(2) and (3) provides the guidelines for alteration to 1999 Constitution.

    The section says: “The National Assembly may, subject to the provision of this section, alter any of the provisions of this Constitution.

    “An Act of the National Assembly for the alteration of this Constitution, not being an Act to which Section 8 of this Constitution applies, shall not be passed in either House of the National Assembly unless the proposal is supported by the votes of not less than two-thirds majority of all the members of that House and approved by resolution of the Houses of Assembly of not less than two-thirds of all the states.”

  • Assemblies of God factions disrupt schools handover

    Assemblies of God factions disrupt schools handover

    Abia state Governor Theodore Orji was ready to hand over four primary schools owned by Assemblies of God Church to their owners in furtherance of the administration’s policy, but two representatives of factions of the church came forward to collect the papers.

    That startled the governor who quickly saved further embarassments by asking the claimants to return to their seats while the matter was sorted out.

    The development took place at the return of 100 primary schools to their original owners by the state government.

    The state government had, three years ago, returned over 30 secondary schools to their original owners  and now decided to extend the policy to the primary level of education.    One hundred primary schools were returned.

    Governor Orji was to hand over the documents of the primary schools to the church when two different groups appeared shouting and claiming to be the rightful owners of the Assemblies of God Church schools that were being returned to them by the state government.

    Orji was taken aback when two men stepped onto the podium to receive the ownership certificate of the four schools handed over to Assemblies of God with both of them stretching out their hands to take the documents from the governor.

    As none of the factional representatives was prepared to budge, the governor asked them to go back, saying, “We will sort it out” and continued with the ceremony.

    The governor demonstrated maturity as he saved what would have been a clash between two factions of Assemblies of God who carried their disgraceful politics to the governor’s office as both factions wanted to take the documents.

    Governor Orji, in his wisdom, laughed it off and refused to hand the schools or the documents over to any of the factions, even as he told them that the issue would be resolved later.

    Handing over the documents of the schools to their original owners, Governor Orji said it was regrettable that, for decades, the policy of handing over the schools to their original owners has been in the limbo, expressing his joy that his administration has broken the jinx.

    The governor who said the hand over programme would be in phases, also noted with happiness that the handover of secondary schools has impacted positively on the system as has manifested in the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE) and other results in recent period.

    He said the government was emboldened to embark on the handover programme to “right the wrongs” done to the churches who are the original school owners.

    Orji said: “I am proud to attest that there has been appreciable impact of this policy reversal on the secondary schools we returned to their original owners. It is my belief that these schools we returned today will experience similar transformation which was experienced in the secondary schools that were returned to their original owners.”

    According to him, if the trend in of high academic and moral standard continued to be sustained in the schools that were returned, it would encourage his successor to bring the exercise to logical conclusion by returning the remaining schools to their original owners after sorting out the controversies of ownership.

    The Abia State governor asserted that private proprietors and religious organisations have proved their effectiveness in running schools, hence he was emboldened in taking the decision to reverse the “wrong” policy that made government to take over schools from their original owners over four decades ago.

    He said his action was based on his “pursuit of equity, fairness and righting of wrongs” done by past governments that implemented the policy of appropriating schools; leaving their owners to agonise as fortunes of education dipped drastically.

    Commissioner for education, Dr Monica Phillips had earlier in her address noted that government was motivated by the need “to revive our cherished values” when it embarked on returning schools to their original owners”.

    She urged the new owners to always liaise with the Ministry of Education in order to keep abreast with global trends in education and in so doing maintain international standards in Abia school system.

    The breakdown showed that the Anglican Church got 26 primary schools returned to it, followed by the Catholic Church with 25, Methodist Church 16 and Qua Iboe Church 12.

    Other original owners that got their primary schools back included Seventh Day Adventist Church that got back eight schools, Presbyterian Church six, Assemblies of God four while Apostolic Church had two primary schools returned to it.

  • National, state assemblies form group to fight corruption

    National, state assemblies form group to fight corruption

    The Public Account Committees of both chambers in the National Assembly and the 36 Houses of Assembly, in collaboration with the World Bank and Department for International Development (DFID) have formed an association to fight corruption.

    Called the National Association of Public Account Committees (NAPAC), the group was inaugurated at the weekend in Abuja by Senate President David Mark.

    Mark noted that besides the authority to appropriate funds, the association was also important for the parliament to ensure that funds were expended for the purposes they were meant.

    He said: “The National Assembly is working assiduously to amend the Constitution to empower the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation and for states to perform their statutory functions better.”

    The association, which is to ensure international best practices in auditing, will work with anti-corruption agencies as well as produce audit report and collaborate with civil society organisations.

    It will also work with regional and international associations of public accounts committees, such as the West African Association of Public Accounts Committees (WAAPAC) and the South African Development Community Organisation of Public Accounts Committees (SADCOPAC) to stem corruption.

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said corruption and embezzlement would be reduced if the country’s audit system was effective.

    The Speaker, who was represented by Deputy Minority Whip Garba Datti, noted that though anti-graft agencies had been fighting corruption, more still needed to be done.

    He said: “Right now, these agencies are up to their necks with cases. Yet, stories of embezzlement of public funds keep coming.”

    On the need to give the auditor-general more powers, Tambuwal said: “The 1958 Audit Act has become obsolete, making Nigeria one of the few African countries without an audit law.”

    NAPAC’s first National Chairman Sen. Ahmed Lawan, who is also the chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, said standards, in line with international best practices, would be developed through the new association.

    He said there was need to “develop standard procedures and processes to achieve the constitutional mandate of public account committees, provide avenue for interaction, sharing of experiences, ideas and information among members on issues relating to the functions of the public account committees, develop individual capacity of members, liaise with office of the auditor general of the federation and of states for the purpose of ensuring international best practices in auditing and production of audit report”.

    Lawan added: “As government and governance become more complex and intricate and public expenditure pattern and trends expand to cover more societal needs, there is a compelling need for legislatures to improve on their effectiveness and efficiency in scrutiny and oversight of public expenditure by governments?”

  • State Assemblies condemn impeachment of Kogi Speaker

    The Conference of State Legislatures of Nigeria (CSLN) yesterday condemned the impeachment of Alhaji Abdullahi Bello, the Speaker of Kogi State House of Assembly.

    CSLN Chairman and Gombe State House of Assembly Speaker, Alhaji Inuwa Garba, addressed reporters in Abuja.

    He said: “Following the crisis that led to the impeachment of the Speaker of Kogi Assembly, the conference set up a six-man fact-finding committee, headed by the Kwara State House of Assembly Speaker Razak Atunwa.

    “Based on available evidence, it is clear that the purported impeachment of Abdullahi Bello was not done in accordance with the provision of the 1999 Constitution, which requires a two-third majority of members to impeach a Speaker.”

    Garba said the Kogi House of Assembly has 25 members and that two-thirds would be 17 members, who are required for an impeachment.

    He said only 12 members sought to impeach the Speaker, adding: “This is a breach of Section 92(2) (e) of the Constitution.”

    The chairman said CSLN frowns at the breach of the Constitution by some members of Kogi State House of Assembly and would continue to address Bello as the legitimate Speaker.

    Garba urged the President Goodluck Jonathan and the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) to protect the Constitution by ensuring that the Kogi State House of Assembly returns to the status quo.

    He appealed to the Inspector-General of Police to restore Bello’s security details, because they were “improperly” withdrawn.

    Also, Nasarawa State House of Assembly Speaker Musa Mohammed said the conference was not against the impeachment of any Speaker, if he has been found wanting.

    Mohammed added that as lawmakers, they were concerned about the process that led to Bello’s purported impeachment.

    He noted that the lawmakers, who reportedly impeached Bello, did not follow the provision of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    The lawmaker restated the CSLN’s commitment to democratic norms and procedure, respect for rule of law, transparency and accountability in governance.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Bello and other principal officers of the Assembly were impeached on October 16.

    Bello described his impeachment as illegal because 12 of 25 members signed the petition against him.