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  • I am saddened by Killings in the North – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said he was saddened by the spate of killings in the northern parts of the country, especially by armed bandits and other Blessing Olaifa, Assistant Editor, Abuja criminal elements, promising that the situation would be brought under control.

    He said his administration has ordered deployment of more troops into the affected areas and further called for increasing vigilance on the part of security forces in the troubled areas.

    The President made the remarks at the Graduation Ceremony of Course 26 of the National Defence College, Abuja. He was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha.

    He said the present administration is encouraged by the efforts of the armed forces in ensuring peace and security across the country, noting that through their collective efforts and commitment, the activities of the Boko Haram terrorists group is now in recession.

    President Buhari also said although more needs to be done in several fronts to achieve the desired goals of the administration’s cardinal objectives, he noted that there is need to carry out fundamental review of the nation’s security architecture to enable the police play more roles in internal security.

    President Buhari also said his administration has achieved a lot in the fight against corruption, noting that decisive steps taken to entrench the change agenda have yeilded results in checking hemorraging and restoring confidence in the country.

    The President assured that with the commitment of the administration towards economic diversification, things can only get better and called for support and understanding of the people to enable the administration to succeed.

    In his remarks, the Commandant of the College, Rear Admiral Adeniyi Osinowo said a total of 136 participants made up of 106 officers of the rank of army Colonel and equivalent in the Nigerian Navy and Air Force, 4 Commissioners of Police, 10 Civilians participants from Ministries and Departments and Agencies as well as 16 participants from Allied Countries spread across Africa, Europe and Asia graduated from the Course 26.

    “The foreign participants in NDC Course 26 is the largest ever since the inception of the College. Among other implications, this observation represents the rising international profile of the college as it also demands that the college must reposition itself as a credible tool of National Foreign Policy action, at least in terms of quality of studies and infrastructure”, Rear Admiral Osinowo stated.

    Read Also: Gunmen abduct preacher, two others in Kaduna

    Rear Admiral Osinowo said: “The graduands received 126 lectures/presentations and conducted 8 participants’ concluding seminars. They also presented 3 term papers, Strategic Leadership paper, draft Policy paper and the College Research Paper.

    “Other highlights of the course were: conduct of 4 exercises on higher defence management, strategic tour of 11 states: tour of strategic installations; visit to strategic military establishments: regional study tour of selected African countries: and geostrategic world study tour of 20 countries.

    ” Towards deepening the intellectual value and output of our activities, the College has sustained the presentation of the newly introduced Vice President’s Paper: the Second Edition was presented to His Excellency the VP, Proic Osinbanjo on 23 July 2018. Meanwhile, Participants from the NA, NN and NAF are also for the first time required to collectively produce a well researched Service Chiefs paper to their respective heads of Service”.

    Among other dignatories at the graduation ceremony are the Minister of Defence, Mansir Dan Ali, The Chief of Defence Staff of Sierra Leone, Lt. Gen Susay, The Chief of Defence Staff of Nigeria, Gen. Abayomi Olonisakin, The Chief of the Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar, The Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ete Ibas, and the Commandants of several military institutions in the country.

  • Major General Enenche: An engineer in unfamiliar terrain

    Major General Enenche: An engineer in unfamiliar terrain

    Major General John Enenche has seen many battles, some more fierce than others and he has conquered all, but the battle he faces as the new Director of Defence Information (DDI) is an unfamiliar one, can the General navigate the murky waters of Public Relations to reposition the image of the Nigerian Military? Assistant Editor, Seun Akioye reports

    When Major General John Enenche, the newly appointed Director Defence Information (DDI) entered the conference room at the Defence Headquarters Abuja, to face the group of people upon whom the success of his new position depends, he did not carry with him the airs of a General in the Nigerian army, instead he addressed them as comrades and friends.

    The position to which General Enenche is taking over is a far cry from his previous assignment at the Defence Headquarters as the Liaison Officer. Even though in many of his military postings, he had defended the institution of the military, his new assignment will require a defence not based on arms but by intellect, information and his ability to manage the sometimes oversized egos of the media practitioners.

    The General could not have chosen a more auspicious day for his maiden meeting with the media, being March 15th– or the historically infamous Ides of March– it was no day to seek approval or curry favour.

    But Enenche carried the day, while listening to the litany of complaints from aggrieved members of the media, betrayed very little emotion, frowning only once for a fleeting moment. He made promises to open up the information system and be at the beck and call of the journalists.

    But not a few of the journalist thought the General was trying hard to not only justify his new position but to also win the approval of his new constituent. He extended friendship to all, bringing jokes and humour to his meetings and seeking to give a personal touch to every media representative.

    General Enenche brought enough laurels to his new position, born on 16th February 1966. He began his military career in 1984 at The Nigerian Defence Academy as a member of 35 Regular Combatant Course.

    He also has Bachelor of Science degree in Geology and Mining from the University of Jos in 1994 and Masters in Strategic Studies from the University of Ibadan.

    Aside attendance of several military courses, he has also held various appointments including Troop Commander 12 Field Engineers Regiment; General Staff Officer 3, HQ 42 Engineers Brigade; Squadron Commander 13 Field Engineers Regiment, Officer Commanding Engineer Squadron, Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF); Commanding Officer, 14 Field Engineers Regiment and Nigeria Battalion 11 (NIBATT) United Nations Mission In Liberia (UNMIL), MD Post Service Housing Development Ltd, DD, Directorate of Civil-Military Relations, DHQ; Directing Staff, National Defence College, Nigeria.

    His awards are also in bounds, he is a Member Of The Order Of The Niger (MON), Distinguished Service Star (DSS), Chief of Army Staff Commendation Award (CCA) received twice, United Nations Peace Medal, Distinguished Fellow Defence College (fdc+) and Fellow Nigerian Institute of Management (FNIM) etc.

     A new approach

    The new spokesman left no one in doubt that he intends to chart a different course for himself, far away from those practised by his immediate predecessors. And this new approach will be hinged on an open house to all journalists.

    He also intends to re-introduce the moribund monthly journalist media forum where updates would be given on the activities of the three services. The media forum which has in the past helped correct erroneous impressions and coordinate information from the three services has been abandoned “for about a year,” a situation which has reportedly led to misinformation to the media and the public.

    But the greater work would be for the media and General Enenche did not mince his words in pushing the responsibility back to the Fourth Estate of the Realm which he called the 4th level of warfare after the Army, Navy and the Air Force.

    “Please let us have first and foremost our national interest at heart, what is our core national interest, it is that we would remain as Nigeria where peace and tranquility reigns, but do you know that a word can upturn this thing, we must ensure that in whatever we do particularly in our analysis of situation, how will this affect Nigeria as a corporate entity,” he said looking around as if he expected an applause from his audience.

    Enenche also tried to situate the importance of the military and the important position it is holding in the country calling it the “backbone of the corporate existence of this country.”

    He said: “The  Armed Forces of Nigeria, I will confidently tell you that we are the backbone of the corporate existence of this country. I have been in this job for about 31 years and I have been exposed to internal and external operations and if you look at my hobbies, you will see that I am a current affairs person, what has caused others to disintegrate worldwide has happened here and we still remain intact.

     “So how will our reportage, what we tell the world to affect our military? I want us to be conscious of it. We must keep these things in focus, but we must tell people the truth no matter how bitter,” he said.

     A controversial appointment

    Some public commentators and industry watchers have severely criticised the appointment of General Enenche to a position exclusively reserved for qualified Public Relations practitioners. They referred to the Decree No. 16 of 1990 (now an Act of the National Assembly) which regulates and monitor conformity to the ethical standards of Public Relations practice in Nigeria.
    The law also bars non-members from practising public communication in the country to prevent an infiltration by quarks and all-comers to the detriment of the profession.

    General Enenche has a long list of achievements, qualifications and awards all in the field of Military engineering where he stands a colossus but the practice of public relations was not one of them. It is not clear if the authorities at the Defence Headquarters reverted to the laws of PR before the appointment of the General as Spokesperson.

    But the new spokesperson will not be deterred. “I am a very current officer, if you look at the abridged profile we gave you and you see my hobbies, you will see one of them is monitoring current affairs,”  he said.

    Even though this hobby may not qualify him as a PR practitioner, General Enenche says he is also an avid researcher, a qualification which he is lavish in ascribing to himself and which he says would bring to bear on his new assignment.

  • CBN’s forex intervention, artificial – Economist

    CBN’s forex intervention, artificial – Economist

    • says ERGP la is specifics

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has been cautioned that its current foreign exchange (forex) intervention to stabilise the Naira is artificial and capable of scaring off foreign investors.

    Dr Anthony Aziegbemi, an economic consultant and partner at Value Fronteira Limited stated at his presentation on the “Way out of recession” on Wednesday that “daily roll out of restrictions and pumping out of forex creates uncertainty and will scare away foreign investors because they are not sure of what will happen to the rate and the value of the currency to enable them plan.”

    Dr Aziegbemi, who was a former legislator during the Olusegun Obasanjo-led administration, noted that “pumping forex out because we have it, once that dries up we will be back to square one. The value of the exchange rate should be determined by market forces.”

    “If you don’t follow these laws and you do it artificially, like banning of the 41 items from getting foreign exchange, the economy won’t work as expected.”

    Speaking on the way out of the current recession, Aziegbemi advocated for more money to be voted for the power, housing and works over this year’s figure of N370 billion in order to create jobs and stimulate the economy.

    The former lawmaker also criticised the CBN’s decision to increase interest rate from 11% to 12% arguing that this will not move the economy out of recession but he expects the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) to cut rates at its next meeting.

    He said that countries that successfully came out of recession had to lower their monetary policy rates to encourage spending. “So raising the lending rate has made less money available in the system and more difficult to drag the economy out of recession,” he said.

    Aziegbemi also urged the federal government to drastically reduce the country’s import bill which stands at over $8 billion annually by at least half of that amount. He noted that “if we don’t curb our taste for foreign goods we will still be in trouble.”

    Also speaking on the recently released Economic Recovery Nas Growth Plan (ERGP) Aziegbemi lamented that the document lacked specifics on some of the plans and targets stressing that there was no information on how government hopes to meet 8% growth rate for the manufacturing sector by 2020 as stipulated in the document.

    The document he added does not have a fiscal stimulus package “which is what is needed to get out of recession.”

    His solution to get the country’s economy out of recession he pointed out include putting money into specific projects to generate employment and stimulate spending by the masses; reducing Company Income Tax (CIT) from 30% to 20%; eliminating leakages in all forms including the CBN released g the names of the companies that benefit from its interventions and those behind the companies for transparency sake; and granting amnesty to treasury looters with a moratorium of six months.

    While commending government for its efforts to recover stolen public funds, Aziegbemi noted that lengthy legal battles and the fact that in the two years that the government has been prosecuting the war, only one high-profile figure has so far been convicted while according to him “between N5 and N10 trillion are reckoned to be buried in soak aways, mud houses and farms across the country.”

    To get some of this money back, the ex-lawmaker advocated for amnesty for these looters to return what they have stolen but after the expiration of the six months moratorium any looter that fails to return the loot should be made to face the law.

    [news_box style=”2″ display=”tag” tag=”Forex” count=”4″ show_more=”on” show_more_type=”link”]

  • ‘Teaching Hospital can’t provide cotton wool, spirit’

    ‘Teaching Hospital can’t provide cotton wool, spirit’

    .X-Ray machine down

    .Resident Doctors to go on strike Monday

    The management of the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria cannot not provide common cotton wool and methylated spirit needed for the dressing of patients’ injuries.

    Also, the Haematology Department of the teaching hospital cannot provide blood component for patients. The hospital is also having problems with its X-Ray machines.

    These were part of the revelations made by the President of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Waziri Aliyu in Abuja on Friday.

    Aliyu, who led a delegation of his colleagues to the Senate Committee on Health, also complained about dilapidated infrastructure and insecurity within the hospital’s work environment.

    He similarly complained about poor sanitation and broken down facilities and equipment that have continued to reduce human and material capacities.

    Dr. Aliyu narrated an incident where a member of the association suffered a snake bite but could not get prompt medical attention.

    Said he, “The sewages in the hospital’s labour ward are presently leaking. The Haematology Department of the teaching hospital cannot provide blood component for a patient. As simple as X-ray is, we have been having problems with it.”

    The doctor also said the premises of the teaching hospital were not completely fenced, giving room for frequent intrusion and trespass.

    According to him, two medical officers were recently attacked by hoodlums on two different occasions.

    He continued, “Lack of adequate accommodation and opportunity of Residency Training as various units of the health institution lack adequate personnel, a situation that has led to the over stretching of the remaining workforce even without motivation.

    “Part of their (doctors) grievances with the hospital management include alleged illegal sack of 19 personnel and non-intake of Resident Doctors since 2012 as many people have left the hospital services over time without replacements.

    “ABUTH personnel earn less than their contemporaries in other Teaching Hospitals across the country.

    “As simple as cotton wool and spirit are, we ask the patients to provide them. It is as bad as that”.

    The doctors were summoned by the Senate committee over their warning strike notice to the management. The ultimatum will expire next Monday.

    Addressing the doctors, the Senate committee chairman, Dr. Olanrewaju Tejuoso, requested them to come forward with a comprehensive report on their demands and grievances.

    Senator Tejuoso pleaded with the doctors not to embark on the planned strike, assuring them that the Senate would sort out the issues raised.

    “We will make sure that when your next budget comes, we will ensure that we take care of your demands”, the senator said.

    Also commenting on the issues raised by the doctors, Senator Shehu Sani warned that denying the country’s teaching hospitals the needed attention could jeopardise the nation’s projections in the health sector.

  • PDP crisis: Makarfi, Sheriff camps disagree with court’s judgment

    PDP crisis: Makarfi, Sheriff camps disagree with court’s judgment

    The National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has expressed satisfaction with Wednesday’s ruling of an Abuja High Court, which sacked Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as National Chairman of the party.

    The committee has, therefore, advised Sheriff to retrace his steps and join hands with others to move the party forward.

    But the Sheriff camp has said that the court did not sack the embattled chairman and that the judgement of was being misinterpreted.

    The court, presided over by Justice Valentine Ashi, nullified the 2014 PDP constitution‎ amendment upon which Sheriff was appointed PDP chairman.

    The court described the said amendment as illegal and a violation of the Electoral Act.

    Secretary of the Ahmed Makarfi -led caretaker committee, Senator Ben Obi, in an interview yesterday described the judgement as a welcome development.

    He said: “We expect more positive court rulings in the days ahead in favour of our party‎. It is time for them to face the truth and retrace their steps.”

    He called on Sheriff and his supporters to stop their hard line posture and cooperate with the caretaker committee to move the party forward.

    “We believe that truth must be upheld; we want all hands to be on deck to chart the way forward”, Obi added.

    Repudiating the judgment, the National Secretary of the Sheriff faction, Prof. Adewale Oladipo said in a statement yesterday that “this is completely false and a clear misrepresentation of the ruling of the court as it never gave any ruling ousting the national chairman.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to reports circulating in the media that a Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ousted the National Chairman of the PDP, Sen. Ali-Modu Sheriff.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the court only heard and delivered judgment on a matter concerning certain amendments in the PDP constitution, which has nothing to do with the election of Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the national chairman or even that of his predecessor, Alhaji Adamu Muazu.

    “Senator Ali Modu Sheriff was duly elected as the national chairman of the PDP. He still holds office as the national chairman and has not been removed by any court.

    “We therefore urge those misleading the media and the unsuspecting public to desist from such. The media are also urged to always crosscheck their facts before going to press”

  • CBN launches Naira forex futures market

    CBN launches Naira forex futures market

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Monday formally flagged off the Naira Settlement Foreign Exchange Market.

    A statement from the CBN said the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, expressed delight that the foreign exchange market in Nigeria has attained the position where participants in Nigeria can settle foreign exchange futures transactions in Naira.

    According to Emefiele, who was represented by the Special Adviser, Financial Market, Mr. Emmanuel Ukeje, “this product is novel in Nigeria and it gives comfort regardless of the price at which you have quoted to buy foreign exchange in Nigeria.

    “In the same vein, the product is also expected to provide relief to Nigerians seeking Dollars to import critical machinery and raw materials from abroad as they can now lock-in their foreign exchange deals in earnest against their future demands.”

    He reaffirmed the commitment of the apex Bank to ensure the success of the new foreign exchange market structure and also promised to honour all obligations arising from future deals.

    In his speech at the event, the Managing Director of the Financial Market Dealers Quote (FMDQ), Bola Onadeko urged the regulators of the financial markets to strive for the success of this new foreign exchange initiative by ensuring desired liquidity.

    Earlier in her welcome address, the Chairperson of the FMDQ, Dr Sarah Alade, represented by Mr Yinka Sani of Stanbic IBTC, noted that the launching of the hedging product has revolutionized the financial landscape in Nigeria as the market is now adequately positioned among the global standards and at the same time provide liquidity for the market.

    She gave an assurance that FMDQ would ensure transparency and innovations in order to attract investors to the Nigerian market.

    The Naira-settled OTC Future are non-deliverable forwards where parties to a contract agree to an exchange rate for a predetermined date in the future, without the obligation to deliver the underlying United States Dollars on maturity or settlement date but only required to settle exchange rate differentials in Naira.

  • Buhari’s foreign trips in order, says Senator Nakudu

    Buhari’s foreign trips in order, says Senator Nakudu

    The Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Trade and Investment, Senator Mohammed Sabo Nakudu has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s frequent trips abroad were part of the price Nigeria had to pay for the impunity and reign of terror witnessed in the country during the regime of former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Senator Nakudu who spoke with The Nation in Abuja on Wednesday said the criticism against President Buhari on his foreign trips were based on ignorance as Nigeria would benefit more from some of the multi-national and bilateral agreements signed by the president abroad.

    He cited the agreement signed by the President with the Government of the United Arab Emirate, UAE, among others as example, saying in a short while billion of dollars starched away in that country would be repatriated into Nigeria.

    Senator Nakudu who represents Jigawa South-West in the National Assembly also defended President Buhari’s Ministers , saying it was unfair to described them as lacklustre since they have not even implemented any budget of their own on their assumption of office last year.

    He said the 2016 federal budget which focuss on the the diversification of the economy would address the problems of unemployment and poverty if faithfully implemented, stressing there is wisdom in the government action to improve revenue earnings from the minining and agriculture sectors.

    His words: “the 2016 budget is a clear intention of the government to do away with oil revenues and embrace agriculture and minining. The 2016 budget is geared towards providing the enabling environment for the economy to grow as can be seen from the allocations to the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and with economc growth, the issue of poverty and unemployment will be reduced.

    “The budget is also farmers friendly because the present government has realized the importance agriculture can play in our economic life. However, it must be emphasized that success in agriculture cannot be achieved without the necessary support from all tiers of government as being done in developed countries.”

    Senator Nakudu who enjoined Nigerians to be patient with the administration as steps are being taken to right so many wrongs in the system, said it would take a systematic approach to rejuvenate the economy of the country.

    “The administration has prioritized the issues of corruption and insecurity. And we have seen the results of both. Insurgent activities have reduced drastically and people are now being careful and cautious in government offices. The administration is doing the right thing and I believe everybody who mean well for this country would key into that,” Nakudu stated.

  • Don’t separate offices of Minister of State Petroleum, GMD NNPC – Group

    Don’t separate offices of Minister of State Petroleum, GMD NNPC – Group

    The Niger Delta Youths Coalition on Tuesday opposed the call for the separation of the office of the Minister of State for Petroleum from that of the Group Managing Director of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

     

    The NDYC in a statement made available to our reporter in Abuja said that the insinuation that the combination of the two offices as presently constituted is too demanding for the Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Dr. Ibe Kachikwu, lacked substance and is not founded on facts.

     

    Endorsed by Comrade Ebipade Jackson (Bayelsa), Comrade Eghosa Idehen (Edo State), Comrade Tony Gbemudu (Delta State), Comrade Amezhinim Ekiye (Rivers State), Comrade Aniebiet Nsikan (Akwa Ibom State) and Comrade Odey Christopher (Cross River State) statement said that the merger of the two offices is also not the cause of the current fuel scarcity.

     

    NDYC said that it is on record that the relationship between the two offices when they were separate, was characterized with friction, power tussle and policy inconsistency.

     

    It added that fuel scarcity had been a perennial occurrence in the country’s history at those times when the offices of Minister of State for Petroleum and the GMD of NNPC were under separate management, as was the case in the era of Funsho Kukpolokun, Austin Oniwon, Andrew Yakubu, Joseph Dawha, and others.

     

    “We wish to condemn in strong terms the call by the President of the Trade Union Congress, Mr. Bobboi Kaigama for the separation of the office of the Minister of State for Petroleum from that of the Group Managing Director of the NNPC because, according to him, the office as presently constituted is too demanding for Dr. Kachikwu.

     

    “Such an argument lacks substance and is not founded on facts. The merger of the two offices era of Funsho Kukpolokun, Austin Oniwon, Andrew Yakubu, Joseph Dawha, and others.

     

    “It is common knowledge that the cause of the present fuel scarcity is as a result of the inability of fuel importers to source enough foreign exchange for the importation of fuel.

     

    “The Central Bank should as a matter of urgency grant these fuel importers access to foreign exchange to alleviate the pains being experienced by all as a result of the scarcity of petroleum products.

     

    “We wish to utilize this opportunity to call on the ordinary Nigerian to rally round Ibe Kachikwu.

     

    “It is on record that Dr. Kachikwu has made some far-reaching changes since assumption of office.

    “His re-engineering of the NNPC to make it more profit oriented and a veritable revenue earner for Nigeria is a great feat which past administrations failed to achieve.

     

    “As a matter of fact, the NNPC has been running at huge losses over the years and was mostly dependent on the finances of the country for sustenance.

     

    “Another major feat recorded by Dr. Kachikwu is the jettisoning of the fraud called fuel subsidy which had served as a drain pipe on the resources of this country for years.

     

    “Available records show that fuel subsidy payments gulped over N5 trillion between 2011 and 2015. With the recent down-grading of the fuel subsidy regime, the system is now free for fair and competitive businesses that can grow the economy unlike in the past where a very few held the system hostage and continually made false declarations on the quantity of products brought into the country.

     

    “Dr. Ibe Kachukwu has been very proactive in the management of the Petroleum sector since assumption of office and we urge him not to be deterred because  President Muhammadu Buhari’s change agenda as is being brilliantly prosecuted by Dr. Ibe Kachikwu through revolutionary policies geared towards revamping the oil and gas sector.

     

    “We also want to use this opportunity to thank and commend His Excellency Muhammadu Buhari for finding in Dr Kachikwua worthy change agent who has the capacity and skills to deliver on the determination of his administration to restore hope to Nigerians.

     

    “We therefore thank Mr President for his unwavering support for Dr. Ibe Kachikwu’sprogrammes in the petroleum sector since assumption of office and urge him to discountenance and disregard all negative insinuations which without doubt, are borne out of greed and mischief.

     

     

    “South South people are solidly behind Dr. Ibe Kachikwu and we remain profoundly proud of his outstanding achievements in life, including the giant strides he has already recorded in the Nigerian oil and gas sector where, on resuming office, he has characteristically grabbed the bull of corruption and inefficiency by the horns, and began a transformation of the NNPC to a modern and more efficient oil company.

     

    “We finally urge Dr. Ibe Kachikwu to remain focused and unrelenting in his commitment to justify the confidence placed on him by Mr President.

     

    “Dr. Ibe Kachikwu remains one of our best brains in the Niger Delta region and we are glad to note that this administration recognizes the importance of engaging our best unlike in the past, to head sensitive positions in government and thus bring good governance to bear not just on the Niger Delta region but in Nigeria as a whole.

     

    “For the avoidance of doubt, it must be put on record that for the first time in the history of this country, the era of profligacy in the management and administration of the oil sector is now over and this is as a result of the dexterous application of the world acclaimed professional skills of a sincere and honest administrator, against all the odds placed on his way by devious persons in the industry who are opposed to the change agenda.”

  • I’ve fully complied with law on asset declaration, says Saraki

    I’ve fully complied with law on asset declaration, says Saraki

    Senate President,  Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on said that he has fully complied with the provisions of the law on declaration of assets by public officers.
    Saraki in a  reaction to the claim contained in the Panama-based offshore provider, Mossack Fonseca and shared by the International Consortium of Investigation Journalists (ICIJ) that he failed to declare assets belonging to his wife, Mrs Toyin Saraki, in secret offshore territories, noted that  he has in his different asset declarations included properties owned individually by himself and his wife.
    The statement signed by his Special Adviser Media and Public Affairs, Yusuph Olaniyonu, said that the property in question formed part of Saraki’s wife family asset.
    It said: “The property in question forms part of Dr. Saraki’s wife’s family asset. It is public knowledge that Mrs. Saraki comes from a family of independent means and wealth with numerous and varied assets acquired over decades in family estates and investments.
    “Furthermore, the law only requires a public officer to declare both his own assets and those held by his spouse and his children under 18 years of age. The law does not require a public officer to declare assets held by the spouse’s family.
    “It is not expected by the law that a public officer should declare such assets held in the spouse’s family estate.
    “Indeed, the Code of Conduct form does not make provision for the declaration of spouse’s family assets,” he stated.
  • Senate receives 2016 budget, AGF audit reports

    Senate receives 2016 budget, AGF audit reports

    The Senate on Monday received the 2016 budget and the 2014 Auditor-General of the Federation audit reports.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriation, Senator Mohammed Danjuma Goje, presented the 2016 budget report marked “2016 Appropriation Bill, 2016 (SB.212).

    The report was not debated and no date was assigned for its debate and passage into law.

    Insiders however said that the budget is likely to be passed Wednesday.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Babajide Omoworare, had assured on Monday that the controversial 2016 budget report would be laid on Tuesday.

    The Osun East lawmaker said that the report blights in the fiscal document had been cleaned up by the National Assembly.

    Also, the Senate received the annual report of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

    Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume presented the report entitled “Accounts of the Federation of Nigeria.”

    Ndume asked the Senate to “receive the Annual  Report of the Auditor-General for the Federation on the accounts of the Federation of Nigeria for the year ended 31st December, 2014 in accordance with section 85(2) and (5) of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended).

    The weighty report, submitted to the National Assembly by the Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Samuel Ukura, indicted several ministries, departments and agencies including the National Assembly management.

    The report claimed that more than N3.3 trillion was misappropriated by the MDAs and the National Assembly.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, had assured that the Senate will investigate every bit of the audit report.

    Abdullahi told reporters in Abuja that consideration of the audit report is part of the statutory function of the parliament.

    He said that the exposures in the audit report are queries raised by the Auditor General which cannot be conclusively classified as fraudulent acts until proven by investigation.

    He added that the queries raised in the report by the Auditor General are not necessarily indictment.

    The Senate Committee on Public Account, he said, would dig into the report, invite those queried to ask for clarification before coming to conclusion.

    He said that the Eight Senate had elected to make the difference by painstakingly considering the report to establish the veracity of the report.

    He asked Nigerians to wait and see what the Senate would make out of the audit report.

    He said: “The Eight Senate has chosen to be different as we have stated severally since we came on board and for which we came up with our legislative agenda to make us different from the past because we are in the season and period of change and we want to seriously key in to that.

    “Along that line, you could see the courage that we have to make some differences from what has obtained in the past and to this note, we have passed reports of some committees like the Treasury Single Account (TSA), which is a classical example.

    “Through that exercise, we were able to save the country, N7billion. There are similar works that has been done.

    “We want to say that since we have chosen to be different, we urge Nigerians to wait and see what we will make out of the investigation.

    “Without holding forth for the past assemblies, I want to say that it is not as if they did not do anything about the past Audit Reports.

    “But perhaps they have not taken their action up to the scale that would have made a huge impact that people want to see. If that is what the Auditor – General means, I agree with him.

    “The Auditor – General is raising a query, it is not an indictment. So when he raises his queries, the essence of the Public Accounts Committee is to invite those parties involved in the query and through the instruments of their own work, investigate all the issues by seeking for clarification and at the end of the day, where they have infractions, or infringement on certain procedures, they met out appropriate sanctions as stipulated by extant rules and regulations.

    “When there is a process and someone has done one part, until we conclusively finish that process, it will be wrong to accuse anyone of being guilty.

    “These are administrative procedures and the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has made it clear that we would take oversight functions far more serious than what it used to be in the past.

    “If oversight functions are carried out properly, some of these queries that we talk about will begin to reduce because the essence is to see infractions before they happen.

    “We as lawmakers will stop it before another institution discovers the anomalies and bring them to our notice.

    “These are the powers of the National Assembly through oversight functions. We are committed to ensuring that a thorough job is done this time.

    “We have demonstrated our capacity to match our words with our actions. Wait and see, it is a promise and we have four years to prove that we mean business.”

    Also on Tuesday the Senate received report of the conference committee on Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF).

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator John Owan Enoh prayed the Senate to receive the report of the conference committee on the 2016, 2017 and 2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

    The consideration and adoption of the MTEF and FSP pave the way for the passage of the Appropriation Bill.

    After the receipt of the reports, the Senate adjourned plenary in honour of a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Musa Baba Onwana, Nasarawa/Toro Federal Constituency, Nasarawa State, who died last week.

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