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Tag: assembly

  • Lagos Assembly seeks reversal of Egbin power station sale

    Lagos Assembly seeks reversal of Egbin power station sale

    Panel to probe abuse of pupil

    The Lagos State House of Assembly has frowned at the sale of the Egbin Power Station in Ikorodu to a foreign firm.

    The House empowered Governor Babatunde Fashola to do everything possible to reverse the sale and ensure that Lagos is given the first right of offer.

    It made the resolution at plenary yesterday when the member representing the host community (Ikorodu Constituency II), Mrs. Adebimpe Akinsola, decried the sale of the power station without consideration for the host community and state.

    Mrs. Akinsola, who said she read about the sale in a newspaper, was bitter that the Federal Government could sell such an important infrastructure without giving Lagos State the right of refusal.

    Deputy Speaker Kolawole Taiwo said Lagos State initiated the independent power generation project, which he said was frustrated by the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration, and should be given the first offer now that the Federal Government has bought into the idea, more so when Egbin is in Lagos.

    Taiwo said: “The activity of the station will affect the host community. The people’s interest was not taken into consideration in the sale of the station and this is wrong.”

    The Speaker, Adeyemi Ikuforiji, condemned the way the sale, was handled by the Federal Government and insisted that the sale should be reversed.

    The Assembly set up a four-man ad-hoc committee to investigate the alleged inhuman treatment meted out to a female pupil of Kadara Junior Grammar School, Ebute Metta, by the headteacher for using hijab.

    The MSSN alleged that the headteacher gave the 16-year-old pupil, Aisha Alabi, 43 strokes of cane for using hijab.

    Mr. Suuru Avoseh (Badagry Constituency II) said: “It is an unfortunate event and we do not expect such to happen here in Lagos. There is no law that prohibits religious dressing in our schools.

    “We need to be careful in handling religious matters of this nature. I will suggest that the concerned school and the Ministry of Education be invited to the House .

    The Chief Whip, Razaq Balogun, said: “We have only heard a side of the story. I do not want to believe the child was beaten for wearing hijab. We should investigate the matter and not jump to conclusion.”

    The panel members are Balogun, Chairman; Mr. Wahab Alawiye-King; Mrs. Muhibat Rufai Adeyemi and Mrs. Bimpe Akinsola.

     

  • Edo Assembly confirms 18 as commissioners

    THE Edo State House of Assembly yesterday confirmed 18 commissioners cleared by the Standing Committee on Rules, Business and Government House.

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole had on February 20 sent the names of 19 nominees to the lawmakers for screening and confirmation.

    The yet-to-be confirmed nominee is Anena Elizabeth Jemitola, from Akoko- Edo Local Government.

    She was absent from the screening because of ill- health.

    Those cleared were Louis Odion, Abdul Oroh, Clem Agba, Chris Ebare, Francis Evbomwan, John Osagie Inegbedion, Lucky James, Ekpenisi Omorotionmwan and Donald Osikhena.

    Others were Patrick Agwinede, Henry Idahagbon, Blessing Maigida, Macdonald Obasuke, Osarodion Ogie, Omo Ojo Orobosa, Osifo Omerede Osemede, Lawrence Aghedo and Isimeme Iriogbe.

    The Chairman of the screening committee, Phillip Shaibu, who presented the committee report before the confirmation, said 11 petitions were written against three nominees.

    Shaibu said one petition was written against Clem Agba, by the monarch of Weppa Wanno, George Egabor, who alleged that Agba is not from the locality.

    He said three petitions were received against Ekpenesi Omorotionmwan but that only one of the petitions was treated because it was signed by the petitioner.

    The chairman said the petitioner alleged that Omorotionmwan took away a plasma TV and tyres after serving as Commissioner for Education.

    He added that the committee discovered that the petitioner was not a staff of the ministry.

    Shaibu said seven petitions were received against Ms Jemitola, the former Commissioner of Arts and Culture.

     

  • Police chase kidnapped driver’s family from Assembly

    The police yesterday teargassed the family of a driver, Victor Igbinovia, at the two entrances of the Edo State House of Assembly.

    The family besieged the Assembly complex for the third day to protest the kidnap of Igbinovia on February 3 with his lawmaker-boss, Victor Edoror.

    Igbinovia and the lawmaker were abducted at Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area.

    The lawmaker was released two weeks later but the driver’s whereabout is not yet known.

    Members of the family blocked the Assembly complex and prevented workers from entering, until the police teargassed them.

    Some of the members prayed in front of the complex.

    Igbinovia’s wife and three-year-old daughter were present at the protest.

    Edoror, in an interview, denied using his driver for rituals.

    He said the last he saw of him was when the kidnappers took him (the driver) in another vehicle.

    The lawmaker said he heard two gunshots and the kidnappers told him they had shot Igbinovia.

    Edoror said he was yet to thank God for his release because Igbinovia has not been released.

    The kidnappers are yet to contact the lawmaker or Igbinovia’s family.

  • Maina’s supporters protest at National Assembly

    Maina’s supporters protest at National Assembly

    Hundreds of supporters of the embattled Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Mr. Abdulrasheed Maina, yesterday protested at the entrance of the National Assembly, Abuja.

    The protesters, mainly youths, under the aegis of the Pensioners’ Children, said they were at the National Assembly to protest against what they described as the witch-hunting of Maina by the Senate, stressing that the senators went outside their constitutional powers of investigation as contained in sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution.

    Spokesperson for the group, Comrade Etuk Bassey Williams, said the call by the Senate on President Goodluck Jonathan was unconstitutional and appealed to the President to disregard the resolution.

    According to Williams, it was untrue that Maina misappropriated N159billion of the pensioners’ fund “when in fact he recovered N251billion from suspected fraudsters, and the recovered amount is lodged with the Central Bank of Nigeria.”

    He added: “The allegation of the mismanagement of N469billion of the pension fund by the Alhaji Maina-led pension task team is not true, considering that the pension task team’s running cost is financed by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation.”

     

     

     

     

  • Kidnapped driver: Family locks out Assembly workers

    Workers of the Edo State House of Assembly were yesterday locked out of the premises by the family of a driver, Victor Igbinovia, who was kidnapped on February 3 with his boss, Victor Edoror.

    Edoror was released two weeks later but the driver is yet to be seen.

    The family, which protested last Friday, continued yesterday, carrying placards in front of both entrances of the Assembly complex.

    Inscriptions on the placards read: “Edoror, where is our son Victor Igbinovia?”; “Give us our son”; “We have not seen where a driver has been kidnapped before”.

    The protesters said the kidnappers have not called to demand any ransom.

    Igbinovia’s wife, Felicia, who was among the protesters, sat in front of the gate weeping.

    She was inconsolable and carried their three-year old child.

    Felicia said: “Edoror called my husband on Saturday to take him to Irrua that one of his relatives had an accident.

    “Since that day, I have been waiting for my husband and I have not seen him.

    “The lawmaker said he didn’t see my husband that they were kept in different places.

    “They came to my house three times asking me not to worry that if the lawmaker is released, my husband would also be released.

    “I am not sure this is kidnapping anymore. I went to his house to ask for my husband but he asked his security details to chase me away.

    “One threatened to shoot me and I dared him to shoot.

    “He does not call us. He said the kidnappers gave him a cell phone and N3,000 but that he cannot make calls with the phone except the kidnappers called him. I then said maybe he had something with them.”

    The victim’s brother, Osahon, said the lawmaker has refused to meet with them.

    When contacted, Edoror said it was uncivilised for the family to accuse him of having something to do with their brother.

    He said the driver was taken away in his official vehicle and he was kept in a jeep and was blindfolded.

    Edoror said he was yet to be contacted by the kidnappers.

  • Wages of National Assembly overreach

    Wages of National Assembly overreach

    Last week, the spat between Abdularasheed Maina and the National Assembly finally hit the home stretch. On Thursday, a reluctant President Goodluck Jonathan was forced to issue a directive to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation Alhaji Isa Bello to commence disciplinary action against the embattled chairman of the Pension Reforms Task Team (PRTT). An Abuja court also removed the remaining obstacles setting the stage for his possible arrest.

    From the look of things, the prospect of being hauled before the self-appointed magistrates at the Red chamber would seem a far worse prospect than the civil service noose of possible dismissal for absconding from duty.

    Check out the rules of the Civil Service to find out why the latter option would be preferable. It is no accident that the civil service is described as the bastion of due process. There, anything goes! Whereas some members of the political class enjoy the privilege of immunity – (whether conferred or not), the civil service has something of an equivalent in their turgid rules of General Orders and due process which comes close to making their class invincible. The point may have been missed by the distinguished senators in their self-righteous anger. That may yet prove fatal to their cause(s) in due time. And trust Maina; he should know one or two tricks in the GO to make things work his way! Had the distinguished Senators realised this early enough, it’s mostly likely they would be wary of starting a war they could never hope to finish!

    Now, let’s get back to where the hoopla started from. Sometime in March last year, the Senate committee on Pension held a public sitting. In the course of that exercise, a Chief Superintendent of Police in the Police Pension Office, Toyin Ishola, accused Maina and his PRTT of fraudulent activities.

    He told the committee that the task team, headed by Maina, “unilaterally opened three accounts in different banks without recourse to extant financial rules and approval from the Accountant-General of the Federation and the Minister of Finance”.

    He claimed that one of the accounts domiciled at the Abuja Central Business District branch of Fidelity Bank, operated by the younger brother of the embattled Maina had a fixed amount lodged with monthly interest of over N100m. Another N3bn was said to have been deposited in UBA with no proper documentation. The PRTT boss was also acused of spending N240m on the biometric exercise of 20 retirees.

    As it turned out, that was only a tip of the mountain of scam. The Senator Kabiru Gaya-led panel would later discover from the records of the Accountant General of the Federation, huge discrepancies between pension releases and the actual funds spent totalling N195 billion.

    Could the Senate have handled the Maina saga better? Note that the issue here is an alleged scam in the pension office – not a contest of egos.

    Let’s start with the Senate inquiry. I do not think anyone questions the powers of the Senate to undertake any inquiry under the sun, more so from the official of an institution charged with the onerous responsibility to administer the pensions. Indeed, anyone that has followed the probe of the PRTT could not have failed to recognise the deliberate stone-walling and open defiance of the authority of the parliament from the government appointee, in this case Maina. Agreed, it comes with the territory that the subject of an investigation will try stall for time. In the case of the PRTT boss, his overall conduct somehow gave him out as an individual with something to hide.

    But so also is the sack order by the Senate on Maina a case of legislative overreach. Obviously, the Senate could not draw the line between the disrespect shown to the institution by Maina (a misdemeanour) and the crime of heist said to have been committed. Whereas the Senate may impose punishments in a manner it deems fit and consistent with its rules in the case of the former, the punishment for crime is altogether a different matter.

    Was the President right when he artfully parried the demand for the big stick by going for a more probable offence of AWOL governed strictly by the applicable rules of the service? Whether those baying for Maina’s blood recognise the presidential directive as face-saver or not, it seems unlikely that they will have the final settlement on their terms anytime soon – that is, if ever they will. In any case, only the high minded Senate could have contemplated the summary trial and sentencing of a public officer without reference to applicable rules of engagement. What the President did was find a way out of the dilemma even when it came by way of substituting the serious charge of stealing with the lesser charge of AWOL at this point in time. As it is, the prospect of administrative punishment, which again is most likely to be contested in courts, seems the price the nation would pay for what is said to be a crime of heist.

    Earlier, I raised the question of what the Senate could have done differently. The answer seems obvious: the Senate ought to have called in the anti-graft bodies the very moment it sniffed crime. After all, the institution is no court of law; and no matter how painstaking its efforts at fact findings are, the exercise cannot substitute for a due process of trial in the courts. The drama of Maina-chase, other than stoke excitement across the land, has neither advanced the cause of institution-building nor offered a pathway to restitution. And, given the judiciary’s unknowable ways, it would be dangerous to speculate on the direction in which the pendulum will finally swing.

    And the lesson for all concerned? There can be no wrong path to a good intention.

    Is the matter therefore settled? I do not think that it has even started. N195 billion seems too hefty to vanish without trace. Now that the drama has ended with the Presidency officially declaring their man AWOL, it may well institute its own inquiry to determine where the money went. That should offer some balm to the sore egos of our distinguished Senators.

  • AfDB blames National Assembly for non-release of $700m SMEs loans

    The African Development Bank (AfDB) has explained the rationale for delay in the release of the $700 million (N108 billion) loans for small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs). It blamed the delay on what it called technical hitches and the National Assembly.

    In 2011, AfDB approved $700 million for the development of SMEs in Nigeria. It also provided loans to the Bank of Industry (BoI) and NEXIM Bank two weeks ago following the signing of an agreement. The loans were given in two tranches of $500 million to BoI and $200 million to NEXIM for distribution to the qualified SMEs.

    AfDB’s representative in Nigeria Dr Ousmane Dore told The Nation that the loans arrived late because the National Assembly did not approve it in time.

    He said: “This is a sovereign-guaranteed (Federal Government-backed) credit lines. In this case, the credits must be approved by the parliament. So, it was one of the loans that had to wait for the approval of the National Assembly before it can be released.

    “We are trying to work out some conditions guiding the release of the loans.These are technical issues relating to the capacity of the beneficiaries to pay back the loans. Some negotiations need to be done to ascertain whether the banks have the capacity to undertake the risks of collecting the loans. This is important to ensure that confidence between the AfDB and Nigeria is intact.”

    Dore said the board of the AfDB has since approved the loans, adding that the technical issues must be sorted out before the cash is released to the would-be-beneficiaries.

    According to him, the bank is lifting its operational goals to employment generation to foster the growth of the continent. This, he said, is evident by the decision of the bank to approve and release the $700 million loans promised the operators of small and medium scale enterprises in the country.

    He said AfDB has set up loans for capacity building in some countries, including Nigeria, adding that the loans are sovereign guaranteed.

    The AfDB, he said, looks at the conditions attached to sovereign- guaranteed loans, before it releases the loans to the beneficiaries. He added that the loans are given to people at a considerable terms to ensure flexible mode of payments.

    He berated banks for not providing enough funding for the agricultural sector, adding that the sector plays a critical role in the economy. The agricultural sector, he said, is poorly funded, and as such cannot deliver expected results.

    “If you look at the overall credit in the economy, only two per cent goes to a sector like agriculture identified as one of the strongest contributors to the Gross Domestic Product(GDP). The Federal Government can work towards improving the scheme. I think the government has some schemes on that,” he added.

    He said the AfDB has dedicated loans for the growth of the power sector, stressing that infrastructural development is of major priority to the institution.

    The bank has medium-term projects in Nigeria, with a gestation period of four years.The projects spanning road construction, transportation, water, irrigation, among others, aimed at meeting the nation’s infrastructural challenges.

     

  • Assembly unveils southern agenda

    Assembly unveils southern agenda

    Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly recently held a retreat in Enugu where the members articulated the position of the south on some important issues like constitution review, stating that only a national conference can give Nigerians an acceptable people’s constitution, reports Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu

     

     

    when some elders of Southern Nigeria, took a retreat to Nike Lake Resort Hotel in Enugu on Tuesday, January 29, 2013, the aim was not just to savour the serene environment of the resort, but to take a stand on some of the major socio- political and economic issues of the day.

    The 2nd General Conference of the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly, attended by leaders and elders from the 17 southern states, was chaired by former Vice President of Nigeria, Dr. Alex Ekwueme (South-East), and co-chaired by Sen. Chief Edwin K. Clark, (South-South) and Bishop Bolanle Gbonigi (South-West).

    At the gathering, the leaders deliberated on issues like corruption, national security, infrastructure development, ecological disaster and the on-going efforts at the National Assembly to review the 1999 Constitution.

    In a communique signed by Ekwueme, Clark and Gbonigi and released after the exhaustive deliberations, the Assembly note among others, that:

    ‘While we recognise the powers of the National Assembly to amend provisions of the Constitution, the right and power to review and give to Nigerians a Constitution is vested in the people of Nigeria, who remain the sovereign authority to do so. The constitutional right to amend the Constitution bestowed on the National Assembly by the 1999 Constitution of ‘the Federal Republic does not amount to and confer on it the right and authority to review wholesomely the provisions of the 1999 Constitution. The present exercise by the National Assembly amounts to usurping the sovereign power and authority of the people to give to themselves a truly peoples constitution.

    ‘That the challenges of inequitable states distribution, skewed federalism which has continually exposed the structural imbalance of our country, the basis of the federating units for our federation and the place of local governments in a truly federal state are critical issues that Nigerians must and can only truly and genuinely address in a National Conference.’

    On this issue, the Assembly therefore resolves: ‘(a) That the process of producing a constitution that truly reflects the aspirations of Nigerians cannot be the sole responsibility of members of the National Assembly. For there to be legitimacy in the process of defining a constitution for Nigeria, and as the basis for the resolution of most of the challenges that tend to tear the country apart, it is a fundamental imperative that a National Conference that would afford genuine platform for Nigerians to dialogue should be convoked to permit the emergence of a “truly peoples constitution”. The sovereign right of the people to give to themselves a constitution can neither be negotiated nor usurped.

    ‘( b) That a National conference is imperative to correcting the present national structural imbalance which has foisted inequity, marginalization and giving undue advantage to the north.

    c) That to bring parity between the north and south there should be created two additional states one of which must come from the South-East.

    d) That accordingly the Conference supports the demand of the South-East zone for one extra state based on equity, justice and fairness.

    e) That without prejudice to the issues aforesaid, the recognition of the present six zonal arrangements by the Constitution as the federating units of Nigeria is fundamental to the sustenance of the corporate existence and survival of our country. Accordingly, thereafter, the creation of states and local governments should be the responsibility of the zonal federating units.

    f) That Local Governments in Nigeria should be autonomous in terms of management, funding and administration.

    Founded in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on July 12, 2012, Southern Nigeria Assembly’s primary aim is to serve as a socio-political and economic forum for all the people of southern Nigeria. It is designed to be the southern voice on national issues.

    The chairman, Dr. Alex Ekwueme, confirmed this in his welcome address when he said his involvement in the convening of a Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly was the second time he would be involved in promoting a pan-Southern Nigeria organisation. The first was during the late General Sani Abacha’s regime after the north held a similar meeting on June 25, 1994, the eve of the commencement of the one year National Constitutional Conference. In that meeting, the northern delegates caucus had reached an agreement to ensure maintenance of the status quo, that is to ensure that political power remains in the north.

    It would be recalled that it was the counter meeting of southern delegates caucus, initiated by Ekwueme, that led to the agitation for power shift.

    Commenting on the effect of the initiative on his political fortunes, Ekwueme told the Enugu assembly, ‘It was suggested to me that my so-called “hard-line posture” in successfully securing power shift and 13 percent minimum for derivation were contributory factors to my inability to obtain the presidential nomination of a party I founded and nurtured to success. Be that as it may, I have no regrets as long as my guiding principles were a search for justice, equity and fair play.’

    He added immediately, ‘I believe I have said enough to show the advantage to be gained by Southern Nigeria speaking with one voice, not for Souther Nigeria alone but for Nigeria as a whole.’

    Governor Peter Obi of Anambra State, in his contribution, used the opportunity to charge leaders in authority, especially fellow governors, to rule with the fear of God by shunning sycophancy.

    “Please help us build a better Nigeria of equitable justice and fair play of balanced desirability with human and material resources, devoid of cheats, neglect and a persistent rulership and domination by a certain section of the society and the nation,’ he told Nigerians, people in authority and members of Southern Nigeria People Assembly.

    In their speech at the Enugu meeting, the South-West delegates said their vision of the role of the assembly is to help build a better Nigerian nation, adding that the assembly has what it takes to lead the country towards the attainment of that goal.

    ‘The American founding fathers did not have our education or our exposure; what they had was a resolve to build a nation and with that resolve, they built what has become the world’s leading nation, with a constitution that has endured, with appropriate amendments, for almost two and a half centuries. We too can show a similar resolve.

    We would like to mention at this juncture that since our last meeting at Uyo, we have played host to the leadership of the Arewa Consultative Forum. While understandably having different perspectives on the appropriate remedies for the challenges confronting our nation, we nevertheless agreed that these problems are all traceable to bad leadership, that a national dialogue has become imperative and that such meetings between various sections of the country should be encouraged,’ said the delegates.

    A release signed by Are (Dr) Kunle Olajide, for the Publicity, confirmed that the next meeting of the assembly has been fixed for Ibadan, Oyo State, on Tuesday 21st May, 2013 tentatively or Akure, Ondo State, as an alternative.

    Among distinguished members that attended the retreat were Senator Femi Okurounmu, Senator Anthony Adefuye, Chief Olu Falae, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Are (Dr.) Kunle Olajide, Prof. Oladapo the immediate Retired Head of Service of the Federation, Senator Kofoworola Akerele – Bucknar the Former Lagos State Deputy Governor and Prof. Adenike Grange.

  • Constitution review: Time this national assembly got serious

    Constitution review: Time this national assembly got serious

    Whether at the corporate level, as in when the Chairman of its Publicity Committee speaks, or individually as in Senator Smart Adeyemi haranguing us, reminding us he remains a journalist and would think nothing of leading a demonstration, it has been sabre rattling galore, threats and more threats, against any sensible voice that asks the National Assembly to drop, like hot potato, this their diversionary and, ill-advised, pre-occupation with wanting to make local governments an unprecedented, third federating unit to the Nigerian federation. What remains to be heard from these supposedly grassroots- loving National Assembly members is their readiness to abandon their stupendous, out of this world, quarterly forays into the national treasury which the Central Bank Governor once calculated to be in the region of 25 percent of the annual national budget. No, their love of country does not extend that far but it is our hope and prayer that somebody, somewhere, will have the presence of mind to demonstrate the political will to let them know it is evil to continue a waste which even the United States cannot afford, and which Nigerians know only too well is arbitrary, as it does not have the approval of the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Commission whose primary responsibility is to fix salaries and allowances. It is also hoped that they will climb down their high horse, eat the humble pie and be gracious enough to accept that there is nowhere under the sun you have three federating units in a federation.

    Rather, what the civilised world has come to know is a federation of the centre and the composite states and this principle and practice had long been cast in stone.

    This is the simple truth governors like Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers State, Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti and Musa Kwankaso have this past week, and for the umpteenth time, tried to drill into them. But this has cut no ice with them since their primary intention is to divert our attention, and rather than accede to the popular demand of reducing their unearned, completely immoral allowances that eat up billions every three months, they want to replicate additional centres of ‘independence’ at both the state House of Assemblies and Local Governments by providing the two with constitutional provenance to ravage the treasury as they will be answerable to no higher authority. That way, they would have succeeded in muting the peoples’ opposition to their own financial recklessness at the federal level.

    In order to perfectly understand this looming travesty of a constitutional review, we would need to quote, at some length, the views of governor Rabiu Musa Kwankaso who described this plot against the people most poignantly in a recent newspaper interview.

    Dismissing the entire constitution review as a charade which will add no value to the lives of Nigerians whose needs are potable water, good roads, improved agriculture and other life-changing amenities, the governor said:

     

    “You see, what we have in the National Assembly is what they want to transfer to the 36 state houses of assembly. Only the Almighty Allah can moderate what is happening in the National Assembly today, nobody else.

    “We hear that some get N45 million or N50 million per quarter. This amounts to N15 million per month and half a million naira per day for every member, whether you are speaking, whether you are in the beer parlour enjoying yourself, you are getting that every day. What sort of business will you do in this country to get half a million naira every day?”

    ’Were these honourable members alive to their responsibilities and not keen merely to further create centres of unnecessary waste of national resources, they should need no lectures in realising that state governors are in a much better position to understand the needs of the people more than the most astute Local Government Chairman. They would also have known, without being told, that local governments exist solely as an arm of state governments for the propagation and execution of state programmes and policies at that level. All these chest-beating and sabre rattling by the National Assembly amount to nothing more than a sterile fishing expedition which is bound to fail at the end of the day.

    Everything about local governments, its creation, its numbers and administration, should completely be under the purview of state governments which can much more meaningfully arrive at the appropriate number of local governments required for its needs. It will, therefore, be a mere waste of time for the National Assembly to attempt to formalise its many threats by granting autonomy to local governments because, we the people, more than the governors, will prevail on the state Houses of Assembly to ensure that fails.

    Finally on constituency projects, what exactly should, in a corruption-free society, be the concern of the legislature with executive functions beyond its oversight function? What their colleagues in the U.S do- and they should be happy to be so compared – is to request that packs be approved for specific projects in their respective states and these, unlike here, are never executed by individual legislators but go straight to the approved projects. For Christ’s sake these people are there to make laws and conduct oversight functions; not become emergency contractors for projects that get mostly abandoned halfway as such funds are most often misapplied – apologies, Late Augustus Aikhomu.

    This misnomer, if we remember, is a direct result of a succession of PDP rigged-in, weak and unsure presidents who subsequently had to do everything to crave the support of the National Assembly especially in passing their heavily compromised budg

    ets. Should the practice continue, however, then our emergency honourable contractors should go learn from their colleagues from Ekiti –all A C N members – who pulled together most of their constituency allowances totalling millions of naira and have put it at the behest of the state government for the execution of a gigantic agricultural project which will fundamentally and positively impact the lives of their people back home rather than using Abuja to launch their miserable wars against their state governors as we are beginning to see in convoys running into convoys.

    For once, the National Assembly should get serious and do something tangible for the poor Nigerian masses its members milk ever so easily and unscrupulously before its next coup against the Revenue and Fiscal Mobilisation Commission, as always happens; even if they have to borrow illegally from banks to meet their greed.

     

    Happy birthday ebino topsy

    Had I not so suddenly lost an uncle who impacted my youth so much, I should have , this past weekend, been ‘jollificating’ with my friend of 48 years; the one and only Chief Ebenezer Babatope, aka Ebino Topsy, who turned 70 to the glory of God.

    Awe, what did we not do together, what risks didn’t we take as young, budding radical intellectuals who, albeit, decided to make University Administration our forte; and actually founded its Association where, with the likes of Talib Umar,later Federal Permanent Secretary, Pat Adaba, later Deputy Governor of Kogi State and our dearly departed Charles Balogun, who would later serve as Executive Secretary NISER, we were all ranking officers? Tinu and I send you and Biola our fraternal greetings and pray the Almighty God to continue to keep you and all yours safe. Amen.

     

  • Union leaders visit Lagos Assembly

    Union leaders visit Lagos Assembly

    Members of the Students’ Union Government (SUG) of the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH) have paid a courtesy visit to the Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Adeyemi Ikuforiji.

    The union leaders, who were led by the president, Olanrewaju Balogun, also witnessed the proceedings of the House to learn about legislative activities.

    Amongst the debates witnessed was the discussion of Cremation Bill, which was eventually passed to law by the house. After the sitting, the students left for the Speaker’s office, with the majority leader in the House, Hon. Dayo Agunbiade.

    The students later paid a courtesy visit to Hon. Sanai Agunbiade, representing Ikorodu 1 Constituency, to appreciate his gesture towards the union and for being the instrument to their visit to the assembly.

    Agunbiade advised the students’ leaders to make the best out of themselves while in school to be able to be marketable in the labour market. “If I was a cultist while in school, every parent will want their children or wards to be one,” he said, adding that his parents were proud of him as he took his academic serious.

    The speaker, Students’ Representative Council (SRC, Kehinde Olofintuyi, told CAMPUSLIFE that the visit was a wonderful experience for him, adding that he had learned more about legislative matters and proceedings.