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Tag: Benue State House of Assembly

  • Benue Assembly Passes N24. 5 billion Supplementary budget

    Benue Assembly Passes N24. 5 billion Supplementary budget

    The Benue State House of Assembly Wednesday passed the second supplementary appropriation bill 2015 of over N24.5 billion.

    Highlight of the bill as passed shows that the recurrent expenditure is N12.5 billion while capital expenditure stood at N12 billion.

    Leading the debate in the Committee of Supply, Chairman of the Appropriation committee, Mr Adam Okloho (APC-Adoka/Ugboju), said that his committee unraveled that most of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the state indulge in extra budgetary expenditure, stressing that the state government had paid the backlog of salary arrears of N12.5 billion with the bailout fund without complaints.

    Contributing, Mr. Ianna Jato (PDP-Katsina-Ala East) called on Benue workers to furnish the house with complaints concerning the disbursement of the bailout fund if any to enable the house tackle them on their behalf.

    Jato further warned MDAs to refrain from indulging in extra budgetary expenditure, stressing that instead they should apply for a supplementary budget when the need arose.

    On his part, Mr Benjamin Nungwa (APC-Kwande West) lamented that the ugly trend of MDAs indulging in extra budgetary expenditure was on the increase because there was no punitive measure meted to offenders’ right from time immemorial.

    Mr. Richard Ujege (APC-Konshisha) said that casual workers syndrome was fast becoming a conduit pipe where heads of MDAs siphon funds in the name of paying them and sometimes they might not have even one casual worker in their place.

  • Benue South rerun: Mark gets further boost

    Benue South rerun: Mark gets further boost

    Chances of former Senate President, Senator David Mark , in the February 20, 2016 rerun election for Benue South further brightens Wednesday as some members of Benue  State House of Assembly and some elites endorsed him.

    The rerun election is between the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) and the All Progressive Congress ( APC) following the nullification of the initial election by the Court of Appeal sitting in Makurdi, Benue state in November last year.

    A statement by the Media Assistant to Mark, Paul Mumeh said that the State House of Assembly members and some elite of the Idoma and Igede extraction of the  state told Senator Mark in Otukpo that their resolve to vote for him again is predicated on his years of meritorious services to the people and  defender of their common interest .

    It said that the Assembly members in their separate remarks were unanimous that Senator Mark remained the choice for Benue South.

     

    It said that the state lawmaker vowed to defend their votes “no matter the gang up by external forces.”

    It said that the state lawmakers at the meeting  included;  Anthony Ogbu ( Ado), Adoga Onah (Oju 1), Ire Mathew ( Oju 2), Joe Ojobo ( Ogbadibo), Chris Adaji (Ohimini),  Baba Henry Otache ( Apa), Sule Audu ( Agatu) and Johnson Ahubi ( Otukpo Akpa).

    It added that House of Representatives members from Benue South ;  Samson Okwu (Obi/ Oju), Ezekiel Adaji ( Otukpo/ Ohimini),  Hassan Saleh ( Ogbadibo/ Ado/ Okpokwu) and Adamu Entonu ( Apa/Agatu) had last week endorsed Senator Mark for the rerun election.

    The statement said, “To the lawmakers, Senator Mark has provided purposeful leadership and quality representation for which the people are proud of. They recalled that it was for this reason that the people overwhelmingly voted for him in the last election and are prepared to vote for him again.

    It quoted the Benue elite under the aegis of Prosperity Group to have said that they have embarked on sensitization especially in the grass roots on the need to vote for Senator Mark as the authentic choice with the capacity to protect and defend the interest of the Idoma people.

    The spokesman of the group, Mr. Abba Adaudu  was quoted to have said, “We came together as a group to rise up and challenge the expansion of domination and oppression by some external actors , who are hell bent on pulling Idoma nation down by sponsoring a candidate for the election against our interest.

    “To this, Posterity Group boldly say no hence our resolve to stand by you ( Mark) before, during and after the rerun election”.

    Senator Mark was said to have noted that in spite of the conspiracy against him, “I am comfortable that my people are with me. I am confident that only the people of Benue South would determine who wins the election through the ballot box”.

    He promised that “for the trust and confidence reposed in me,  I will carry the cross and defend the interest of my people at all times. Whatever is your interest will always be the focal point of my action and activities.”