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Tag: Bukola Saraki

  • We discussed national issues with President Buhari – Dogara

    We discussed national issues with President Buhari – Dogara

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said that himself, president of the Senate, Bukola Saraki and leader of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, discussed national issues when they visited President Muhammadu Buhari in London  Wednesday evening.

    Dogara in a tweet via his verified official twitter handle @YakubDogara on said they discussed national issues with the President in the United Kingdom.

    The Speaker, according to a statement by his Special Adviser Media & Public Affairs Turaki Hassan further said “President Buhari is as fit as a fiddle and cracked jokes in his usual manner.

    “President is as fit as a fiddle, “after burning national issues, it was all PMB’s vintage humorous jokes. I’m so elated he is as fit as a fiddle.”

    Recall that the leadership of the National Assembly’s visit to the President is sequel to an agreement reached between the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives.

  • NLC, TUC protest rising cost of living

    The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) on Thursday staged a protest at the National Assembly complex, Abuja over the rising cost of living in Nigeria.

    The NLC Chairman, Mr Ayuba Wabba, said that the groups were protesting the delay in the upward review of minimum wage amidst increasing cost of items in the country.

    “We are here to demand for good governance and express our support in the fight against corruption.

    “More importantly, we demand for respect for rule of law, greater accountability and transparency in governance,’’ Wabba said.

    He expressed worry that Nigerian workers had been the major victims of the fall-out of corruption and bad governance.

    “Today the dollar rate is one Naira to 500 dollars and the salaries of Nigerian workers have remained the same.

    “Therefore, we are here to urge the National Assembly to play an important role to ensure that life is made better for Nigerians.

    “We cannot succeed if the fight against corruption does not succeed.

    “We appreciate the efforts by the National Assembly to ensure financial autonomy for the local governments and this must be sustained because money meant for the local governments does not get there.’’

    The NLC chairman further expressed concern that in spite of the bailout funds to states for workers’ salaries, “the living condition of workers have not been improved because many are not paid’’.

    He explained that pensioners in the country were owed up to 77 months and called on the National Assembly to synergise with other arms of government to pay them.

    Contributing, the TUC President, Bobboi Kaigama said that the inflation rate in the country was growing astronomically.

    Kaigama said that it was time for governments at all tiers to go back to the drawing board to revive the country’s economy.

    “Whatever it takes, we must review the structure of our economy.

    “If we must kill corruption, the laws have to come from the National Assembly.

    “Nigerians are hungry, the cost of living is high, no houses, no light and factories have gone comatose,’’ Kaigama said.

    Responding, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said it was time to go into action towards addressing the numerous challenges confronting Nigerians.

    According to him, we need to sit down and work out how to make necessary adjustments.
    “It can’t continue this way, the exchange rate is high, cost of things in the market have gone high but only the workers’ salaries remain the same.

    “By the next time we will meet, I will tell you what the National Assembly has done to improve the living condition of Nigerians,’’ Saraki said.

  • Saraki speaks with Buhari,says he is in high spirit

    Saraki speaks with Buhari,says he is in high spirit

    The President of the Senate Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari is healthy and in high spirits.

    Saraki who too to his tweeter handle @bukolasaraki to give the confirmation said that he spoke with the President on Wednesday night and he (President Buhari was in high spirit.

    “Happy to have spoken with President Buhari tonight tonight. He was in good spirits and joked about my working late into the night, as usual.

    Saraki has joined the list of many prominent Nigerians who have confirmed that they have spoke with President Buhari and found that he was healthy and in high spirit.

    On Wednesday, President Buhari’s only surviving sister, Hajiya Rakiya, said that she speaks with President Buhari everyday and that he is fine.

    The 84 year-old Hajiya Rakiya told our correspondent in Daura, Katsina state that the President was a mortal who could fall sick or die but stressed that he was fine.

    She urged Nigerians to pray for their President rather than spreading rumours about his state of health.

    “I just returned from the lesser Hajj and even while in Saudi Arabia I was communicating with him everyday,” Rakiya popularly called Amadodo told NAN. She said while in Saudi Arabia, she communicated with him every ten hours”

    “We were 28 from our parents.Buhari was the last born of our mother, Hajiya Zulaihatu who died in 1992,” she said.

  • Osinbajo, Saraki, Dogara meet in Aso Rock

    Osinbajo, Saraki, Dogara meet in Aso Rock

    The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday met behind closed doors with the leadership of the National Assembly at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    At the meeting were the Senate President, Bukola Saraki; and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

    The duo had held similar meeting with Osinbajo on Tuesday. 

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Saraki said that the Thursday meeting was centered on Nigeria’s troops deployed in The Gambia. 

    “The Acting President was briefing us on our trip to The Gambia and what the situation is. He told us that the Navy and the Air Force will be coming back and that it is likely some troops will be left behind,” he stated. 

    He had disclosed that the Tuesday’s meeting had discussed the state of the economy and the 2017 Appropriation Bill currently before the National Assembly. 

  • N600m rent allegation: Senate clears Saraki, Dogara, others

    N600m rent allegation: Senate clears Saraki, Dogara, others

    • Senate to seek review of Senate President’s building contract

    The Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) on Thursday said that presiding officers of the National Assembly did not receive any rent from the Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA).
    The committee also said that the Senate would demand the review of the contract for the building of the residences of the Senate President and Speaker House of the House of Representatives.
    Chairman of the committee, Senator Dino Melaye at a media briefing in Abuja said that the review of the contract sum of the building became necessary due to the discovery of what he called “skyrocketed and over inflated contract prices.”
    Melaye said that the clarification of the “erroneous impression” that the National Assembly leadership collected over N600 million rent from the FCDA became imperative following a “false report by an online medium to that effect.”
    The Kogi West Senator noted that it is on record that the National Assembly leadership does not collect rent from the FCDA.
    Melaye said: “Our attention has been drawn to a story in an online medium, where a sponsored group called Citizen Action to Take Back Nigeria (CATBAN). Obviously, one of this briefcase Civil Society Group that are not registered even by law in the Federal Republic of Nigeria and hurriedly packaged to do assassin jobs on the social media.
    “This fake briefcase NGO called CATBAN claimed that the president of the Senate, the speaker and their deputies are using Federal Capital Development Authority to collect some amount of money as rent for their accommodation.
    “We want to state clearly that the four presiding officers of the National Assembly do not collect any money for rent, furniture and renovation from the FCDA or any federal government agency for that matter.
    “I as the chairman of the Senate committee on FCT, I put my integrity on test to say that no kobo was collected by any of the presiding officers from the FCDA and those who know how government bureaucracy works know it is practically impossible for any of the presiding officers to collect money directly from the FCDA.
    “It should be noted that while senators Bukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu as well as Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and Lasun Yusuff are entitled to well furnished official accommodation by virtue of their positions just like the president, the vice president and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, they all live in their private residences.
    “They even insisted last year if you recall that the president of the Nigerian Senate insisted last year that the N10 billion which the FCDA put in the 2016 budget for the completion of the official residencies of the Senate President and speaker be removed from the budget to save cost in reflection of the mood of the nation and that money was removed from the budget because Nigeria is in recession, they sacrificed their own personal comfort for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
    “It should be noted that this same group CATBAN on January 3rd, 2017 held a press conference where it cleared Mr Babachir Lawal, SGF who had been indicted by the senate for corruption in the award of contracts and utilisation of funds meant for the northeast humanitarian crisis.
    “Therefore, the same NGO that held a press conference and their name came into limelight for the first time on the 3rd of January is the same NGO now that is speaking trying effortlessly to indict the leadership of the National Assembly, therefore, we know where this is coming from.
    “We advise the sponsors of the group who are holding on to straw as they are drowning in the six pole of their corrupt practices to always check their information very well as they got it wrong this time.
    “I also want to use this opportunity to call on fake NGOs like this who propagate falsehood and lies all over the social media to advise themselves and do the right thing and I do expect that intelligence group before coming to the public will carry out even if they are been fed with lies.
    “I expect them to process this lies and check the veracity or otherwise of it before jumping into conclusion.
    “I challenge this group to provide evidence in terms of transfers or how in any manner any presiding officers have benefited financially from the FCDA.
    “I say it is a lie, it is not true, it is malicious, it is fallacious, it’s baseless and totally untrue.”
    On the review of the contract sum of building the Senate President residence, Melaye noted that as “Chairman of the committee, even if the Senate President had not asked that the money is removed from the budget we would have stopped it.”
    Melaye said that his committee went on oversight to the buildings and discovered that the contract was inflated.
    He said: “As I speak to you, the mosque that is occupying less than 100 square meters that are meant to be the prayer place for the Senate President and deputy senate president’s residence and even the Vice President’s residence was awarded for over N200million. And it is a three bedroom boys quarters less structure.
    “The gatehouse of the Vice President’s residence was also awarded at over N250million. We are going to call for a review of that contract and Julius Berger said they are going to build a concrete building.
    “I went there with a hammer and I hit the wall and I saw block. So, that investigation is ongoing. And we want to make sure that government is not being raped and shortchanged. So we are definitely going to call for a review of the contract because this is a rape of the taxpayers’ money.”

  • Osinbajo, Saraki, Dogara meet over economy

    Osinbajo, Saraki, Dogara meet over economy

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday met behind closed-door with the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The meeting was over the economy and the 2017 Budget presently before the National Assembly.

    Speaking with the State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Saraki said that the meeting was purely a consultation.

    “We are meeting on the economy and the budget, myself, the Vice President and the Speaker, minister of budget and minister of finance.

    “We are aware that the economic team will soon be going on a road show and just to brief us and let us know the issues and just carry us along.

    “We have just started the budget defence so there are no issues, these are just consultations,” Saraki stated.

  • Tribunal adjourns Saraki’s trial to Jan. 17

    Tribunal adjourns Saraki’s trial to Jan. 17

    The Code of Conduct Tribunal has adjourned the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki to Jan. 17, to enable the prosecution to present more witnesses.

    Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar, adjourned the matter following request for more time by the prosecution counsel, Mr Rotimi Jacobs.

    Umar said the tribunal was doing all it can to work by the provisions of Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), on the matter.

    “We are bound by the ACJA; we are trying to be lenient with all the parties. This matter is hereby adjourned to Jan. 17 for continuation of hearing,

    Jacobs had said some of the prosecution witnesses were in Lagos and that time was needed to enable him to produce them.

    Defence counsel led by Kanu Agabi (SAN), had prayed the court to grant leave for possible re-examination of a witness, Michael Wetkass.

    Agabi said there were perceived ambiguities in some of the evidences given by the witness during his examination and cross-examination.

    Mr Paul Usoro, a defence counsel informed the court that the essence of the re-examination was to clarify some of the ambiguities before the tribunal.

    “One of the charges says 3.4 million dollars was transferred but your evidence in chief says otherwise’’, Usoro said.

    Wetkass had told the tribunal that he did not investigate Saraki personally and that his business record was also not investigated by him.

    Wetkass also told the tribunal that he was part of the investigative team and that the total amount transferred by Saraki to his foreign account through America Expresss Bank was 3.5 million dollars.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that there was serious argument on the exact period Saraki’s property at No. 15, Madona Street, Ikoyi, Lagos was allocated to him. (NAN)

  • 2017 Budget will be passed in good time – Saraki

    2017 Budget will be passed in good time – Saraki

    The Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Thursday promised that the 2017 Budget will be passed in good time, unlike the experiences with past budgets.

    President Mohammadu Buhari is expected to lay the proposal before the joint session of the Senate and the House of Representatives for consideration.

    Speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Saraki said that much consultations have been carried out on the soon to be presented 2017 Budget proposals.

    According to him, the National Assembly is ready to receive the President as soon as communication is received from the Executive.

    He also said that the issues concerning the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) will soon be resolved.

    He said: “We are ready. Once the document comes to us, we are ready. I think this time around, a lot of work has taken place behind the scene, there is a lot of more collaboration and you will see the result of that in the time frame it will take after the president will have presented it.

    “I came for consultation with the President on a number of national issues. We are all getting towards the end of the year, getting the budget. Just regular consultation,” he stated.

    On MTEF, he said: “That is still a work in progress. I am sure that very soon, that matter will be concluded. But I am very optimistic that this year’s budget will be passed much more sooner than what we saw in the past.”

    Asked if he can give details about the budget, he said: “Well, I haven’t seen the details until the president lays it. I am sure within the next ten days, it will be presented

    He maintained that the decamping of a lawmaker on the floor of the Senate was democracy at work.

    “It is democracy at work. The opposition party has its views about the defection of a senator to the APC. Normalcy has been restored to the house and we are one family again,” he said.

  • Be magnanimous in victory, Saraki urges Akeredolu

    Be magnanimous in victory, Saraki urges Akeredolu

    President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki has congratulated the Governor-elect of Ondo State, Chief Rotimi Akerodolu over his victory at the poll.

    Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja on Sunday, said the people of Ondo state “could not have had a better choice.’’

    Saraki said Akeredolu’s victory did not come to him as a surprise, going by his excellent credentials and years of preparedness for the business of governance.

    He, however, urged the governor-elect to be magnanimous in victory by working with all relevant stakeholders in the arduous task of moving the Sunshine State to the next level.

    He urged Akeredolu to fully deploy his wealth of experience garnered over many years in private legal practice in running the affairs of the state.

    Saraki lauded the security agencies and INEC for the peaceful conduct of the election and thanked the people of the state for voting for APC during the election.

    Saraki said: “The people of Ondo have made a clear choice by voting for the APC. I can only assure the good people of Ondo state that APC and its flag bearer have all it takes to wipe away your tears.

    ‘’Akeredolu will provide you the dividends of democracy that have hitherto eluded you.

    “With Akeredolu on the saddle of governance, I have no doubt that the state will soon witness unparalleled development socially, economically and politically.’’ (NAN)

  • Court strikes out suit challenging Saraki’s trial at CCT 

    Court strikes out suit challenging Saraki’s trial at CCT 

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has struck out a suit challenging the propriety of the trial of Senate President, Bukola Saraki before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole struck out the suit following an oral application by Mrs. H. M. Eken, lawyer to the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN).

    At the commencement of proceedings, Mrs. Eken noted that the applicant – Timipa Jenkins Okponipere – was absent in court. She argued that the applicant’s absence was an indication the lack of diligence on his part to prosecute the case.

    Mrs. Eken urged the court not only to strike out the suit, but to also award N20, 000 cost against the applicant.

    Ruling, Justice Kolawole noted that on the previous adjourned date of September 29, 2016 neither the applicant nor the two respondents were in court.

    He noted that although the hearing notices ordered by the court were not served on parties, the fact that the 2nd respondent was in court showed more diligence on the AGF’s part.

    Relying on the provision of Order 19 Rule 15 of the court’s Civil Procedure Rules, the judge struck out the suit.

    He declined to award any cost against the applicant on the ground that there was no evidence that hearing notice was served on the applicant.

    The applicant, who claimed to be “suing as attorney to Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki,” listed the CCT and the AGF as respondents in the suit, in which he sought among others, to restrain the respondents from proceeding with Saraki’s trial.

    Okponipere had prayed the court’s declaration that “the plan to resume the trial of Senator Abubakar Saraki at the CCT is a breach of his fundamental right to fair hearing as guaranteed by Section 36(1) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    He also prayed for an order compelling the CCT and AGF to suspend indefinitely, any plan to resume the trial at the CCT.

    Among the grounds relied on by the applicant, include that the trial at CCT was commenced at the wrong time; four years after Saraki allegedly committed the offences.

    “Having regard to the aims and objectives of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and its functions in sections 2 and 3 of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal (CCBT) Act, Senator Saraki ought to have been prosecuted by the respondents long before he returned to public life again in 2015 as an elected Senator.

    “Indeed, the CCBT Act never contemplated that an incumbent public office holder was already corrupt before he attained public office, otherwise, people like Senator Saraki, who had a case to answer regarding his activities between 2003 and 2011 would not have been permitted to return to public life.

    “However, four years later in 2015 4enator Saraki not only returned to public life as a Senator, he went on to become the President of the Senate, Chairman of the National Assembly and Nigeria’s number three citizen.

    “It is nobody’s fault that the 1st and 2nd respondents were not vigilant enough to stop or prevent Senator Saraki from attaining public office. If truly the respondents were proactive institutions of government, they ought to have prosecuted Senator Saraki immediately after he left office as Governor of Kwara State in 2011, but they never did.

    “The failure, refusal and/or negligence of the respondents to prosecute Senator Saraki for the offences he allegedly committed between 2003 and 2011 before he returned again to public life as a Senator, vitiated all his past alleged misdeeds such that, as of June 8, 2015 when he was inaugurated as a Senator, he was assumed to be a public office holder without blemish in the eyes of the law and in the eyes of the respondents, otherwise they would have long since initiated proceedings against him.

    “The subsequent attempt to put Senator Saraki on trial over offences allegedly committed between 2003 and 2011 are not only tainted with political mischief and desperation, they constitute a breach of his fundamental right to fair hearing,” Okponipere said.

    However, the AGF, in a notice of preliminary objection, faulted the suit and urged the court to dismiss it for lacking in merit.

    The AGF noted that the subject matter of the suit did not fall within the provisions of chapter four of the Constitution, containing the guaranteed fundamental human rights.

    “The appellant lacks the locus to institute this suit on behalf of Senator Saraki in the absence of any legal basis which prevents him (Saraki) from deposing to the affidavit accompanying this application himself.

    “The grant of the applicant’s reliefs will constitute an abuse of court/judicial process having regard to the fact that the subject matter of this suit has been determined by the Supreme Court,” the AGF said.