The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Dele Anofi

  • Reps refer Buhari to interpretation of law on Magu’s confirmation

    Reps refer Buhari to interpretation of law on Magu’s confirmation

    The House of Representatives has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to approach the court for the interpretation of the laws surrounding the appointment of the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Despite being told that being the aggrieved party, the House ought to be the body to approach the court for the position of law on the issue, the lawmakers insisted that the Executive should head to the court for clarity on the issue.

    The lawmakers said their decision became imperative for the preservation of doctrine of separation of power going by the remarks by Vice President (VP) Yemi Osinbajo, who backed his position with Section 171 of the Constitution that the appointment of EFCC Chairman does not require the confirmation of the Senate.

    The Senate had to reject President Muhammadu Buhari’s nominee, Ibrahim Magu twice.

    Following the adoption of a motion on the need to prevent the erosion of the doctrine of the separation of powers in the nation’s democratic practice by  Minority Leader Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta), the lawmakers roundly condemned the Vice President for attempting to ridicule the nation’s parliament with his remarks on the issue.

    Ogor said rather than make utterances that point to a negation of the doctrine contained in Sections  4(2), 5 and 6 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, the Executive should approach the court for the interpretation of the law.

    He said: ” I brought this motion clearly in defence of our democracy and in defence of the doctrine of the separation of power. Our democracy stands on a tripod which must be protected”, he said.

    “By the clear provision of Section 2 (3) of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act, the Chairman of the anti-corruption agency shall be nominated by the President subject to the confirmation of the Senate;

    “I am convinced that the EFCC Act is an Act of the National Assembly that can only be set aside by a Court of competent jurisdiction, and until that happens, the law remains in force and binding on all persons and authorities in the country;

    “Furthermore, I’m  aware that the Executive Arm of Government has not filed any proceeding in any court to challenge the provision of Section 2 (3) of the EFCC (Establishment) Act of 2004.

    “Under the Doctrine of Separation of Powers, the interpretation of the Constitution and Acts of Parliament is the sole responsibility of the Judiciary and not that of any person or official of the other Arms of Government;

    “It should be of concern that the statement credited to the Vice President is capable of eroding the Doctrine of Separation of Powers in our democracy, with its obvious implication of instituting a dictatorship in the country.”

    Supporting the motion, among several other lawmakers, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers) said Osinbajo should know that he is not the best despite being a professor.

    He said utterances of the government officials like the VP should be discouraged from being turned into the government policies.

    Sunday Karimi (PDP, Kogi) said the VP should be summoned to explain to the House why he has to ridicule the nation’s parliament with his remarks.

    On the other hand, Sani Zoro  (APC, Jigawa) urged his colleagues to exercise caution by confirming the authenticity of the remarks credited to the VP before taking a decision.

    On his part,  Abiodun Balogun (APC, Lagos)  said since it was the House that was the aggrieved party, in this case, it should be the one to approach the court for the interpretation of the law.

    “It is not advisable to ask the Federal Government to approach the court over its own position in this matter.”

    The contributions of the two were rejected.

    The motion was unanimously adopted after it was put to a voice vote by Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

    Committee on Legislative Compliance was mandated to ensure the implementation of the resolution.

  • Again, controversy trail salaries of lawmakers

    Again, controversy trail salaries of lawmakers

    The face-off between the House of Representatives and the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El- Rufai has once again stimulated the debate on how much exactly a federal legislator earns.

    Similarly, the six months pay slip of the Speaker of the House of Representative, Hon. Yakubu Dogara published in the Media earlier in the week has thrown pundits into a frenzy with some claiming that what was shown to the public could not the true state of a legislator’s salary.

    The Speaker’s slip showed that he earns N346, 577. 87 monthly, with his basic salary as NN206, 425. 83. The constituency allowance also shows N 175, 461.96. Recess allowance is N20, 642.58, while a monthly PAYE deductions of N55,952 was evident.

    However, many Nigerians have expressed disbelieve on the payment. While reacting to the Speaker’s  published payslips, the suspended former Chairman of the House Committee of Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin said: “If what I saw is the authentic pay slip of Mr Speaker, it means I earn more than him from what I see in my salary statement of account.

    “I have requested for my pay slip from NASS, I will publish it and my monthly salary statement of account. Perhaps I have been overpaid.”

    “Besides salaries, allowances and running cost, no member has details of about 20 other expenditure heads captured in Namdas statement.

    “I am aware majority of members feel terribly embarrassed and are presently insisting on having access to the internal budget of the House.

    “Mr Speaker, you know that NILS HQ is not completely funded from NASS allocation but partly funded by FG under service wide vote,” Jibrin said.

    But how much exactly does a federal lawmaker (House of Representatives) earn? While a member of the House earns about N2million basic salaries records show that in addition to the annual basic salary of a lawmaker, they receive a 100 percent as constituency allowance annually; members also receive 200 percent of the annual salary for accommodation, 75 percent for domestic staff, entertainment and utilities is 30 percent, while clothing or are robe allowance is 25 percent and 15 percent for Newspapers. Responsibility allowance ranges for 5 to 10 percent.
    Others are vehicle maintenance gulps another 75 percent, for staff like personal Assistant is 25 percent; and 5 percent for House maintenance.

    While aides to the principal officers’ total monthly package is between N950,000 and N500,000, five aides that lawmakers are entitled to take home between N150,000 and N450,000 monthly causing many to believe there are two sets of salaries for lawmakers: administrative and political.

    The two presiding officers have about 30 aides between them. A twist to the appointment of aides is that only few lawmakers employ people other than their relatives as Senior Legislative aides.
    More importantly, only a handful engage the services of consultants to support their legislative duties.

    This aside, the salaries of NASS members has always been contentious with Nigerians believing that it is unwieldy if viewed against the N18,000 minimum wage of Nigeria workers. Many have called for a review saying that while the people they represent are wallowing in abject poverty, lawmaker are living in and displaying stupendous affluence.

    Many reports have claimed that NASS members are the highest paid in the world with an annual basic salary of $189,500 (N30.6 m) or above. Some even adduce their payment to the high recurrent expenditure of the country.

    There have been calls for transparency in the budget details of the NASS to allow a glimpse into the financial allocations of the parliament, the most recent being that of the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir.

    He said: “Since the NASS began conceiving its budget as a single-line item, how many legislators, not to mention other citizens, have seen the details of the budget? Can anyone recall seeing the spending patterns and details in any published audited accounts of NASS recently?

    “How in the 21st Century can we have any national institution that is comfortable with not being subject to any oversight, audit or scrutiny. The constitutional principle of checks and balances was not introduced for purposes of idle luxury, but to ensure that every institution exercises its power in an accountable manner.”

    To the supposedly high salaries of its lawmakers, the National Assembly has always had a ready answer for such questions which is that its budget is only about two percent of the national budget and that it used to ensure that the remaining 98 percent is properly utilised.

    Earlier reports that touted the National Assembly members’ salaries as the highest in the world above the United States, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and South Africa and Kenya and others.

    But the National Assembly has always said such reports were not reflective of the true state of the salaries situation.

  • Reps reject powers to impeach governors, deputies

    Reps reject powers to impeach governors, deputies

    • Altered constitution ready in eight months, says Lasun

    An attempt to constitutionally empower the National Assembly  (NASS) to impeach State governors and their deputies when the need arises was vehemently rejected by the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

    This is as the Chairman, Special ad hoc committee on the review of the constitution and Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun, disclosed that a reviewed constitution would be ready in about eight months.

    At the plenary when a bill to alter the Constitution to allow governors to be impeached by the National Assembly was about to be debated, Lasun said the process has gone very far,  that in eight months, it should be concluded.

    Sponsors of the bill, Edward Pwajok  (PDP, Plateau) and Ali Isa (APC, Gombe) said the bill is seeking to delete the Proviso to Section 11(4) of the 1999 Constitution to enable the National Assembly remove a Governor or Deputy Governor of a State in appropriate circumstances.

    Pwajok in his lead debate said the intent of the bill is to ensure that the nation was not helpless when situations arise in some States in which normalcy ought to be restored even if it entails removing the governor.

    “It is not as if we just want to remove a governor or deputy for the sake of removing them, no, it is based on Section 11 (4): ‘At any time when a House of Assembly of a state is unable to perform its function, the National Assembly shall do so on its behalf’.

    “In the 1979 Constitution, there was no proviso, but in that of the 1999 there’s a proviso. If Section 11 gives the National Assembly powers to legislate for State Assemblies in their absence, I think it should be allowed to remove the governor or deputy,” he said.

    Isa, in his contribution, said the constitution has already given the National Assembly powers to take over the responsibilities of a State Assembly, which should be all encompassing.

    The majority of the members did not agree with the argument saying that it was an attempt to turn the National Assembly into an institution with absolute powers.

    Most members even rejected the idea of debating such a bill with Ayo Omidiran (APC, Osun) saying, “Do you want to make us omnipotent?  We have powers to remove President and his Vice, you now want us to be removing governors and their deputies?

    “Anyone that has a problem with his governor should go and settle it. We should not even debate his any further because the more we talk about it the more it will attract embarrassment to us and the institution we represent”.

    Peter Akpatason (APC, Edo)  said the constitution did not empower the National Assembly to such an extent.

    “What happens is if it is impossible for the State Assembly to legislate, we then come in. I don’t think we should use that temporary power to remove a governor. If we allow it, one day we may seek powers to remove a local government chairman,” he warned.

    Majority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila said the bill was seeking to install a unitary government in the country through the back door.

    “Of course the constitution can be amended for any purpose but certainly not for such. The keywords in the are Federal Republic. Our constitution tells us that we run a federal system of government. Allowing this bill means a unitary system of government.

    “The bill dies on the ground of vagueness. For us to determine what is appropriate. Why are we wasting our legislative time on this bill? It’s dead on arrival. Why is this bill before this House? To allow us to impeach a governor?”

    While Mohammad Monguno (APC,  Borno) noted that the debate was an exercise in futility and  purely an academic exercise, Adams Jagaba (APC, Kaduna) warned of the consequence of passing the bill.

    “If passed, we are going to send a very terrible signals to the public. The section cited on taking over the legislative functions of a state assembly remains the way it is” he said.

    While Yakoob Balogun (APC, Lagos) said the bill should  die naturally, Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) regretted that on the surface, the bill seeks a removal of he country’s  federalism.

    Zakari Mohammed (APC, Kwara) however expressed caution saying that  the carfters of the constitution were very careful,  “The constitution only talks about a situation where there is crisis, which is temporary, moreover it provided a time line of three months which is renewable,” he noted.

    When he realized the direction the debate has taken,  Pwajok commended his colleagues for displaying nationalism on the issue while encouraging them to show such courage on subsequent national issues.

    He withdrew the bill before a vote was taken by the presiding officer Yussuff Lasun.

  • FG to boost revenue from oil bloc sale, licence renewals

    FG to boost revenue from oil bloc sale, licence renewals

    Collection of outstanding royalties and renewal of leases expiring in 2017 would form a major source of accelerating  Federal government revenue accruable from oil and gas resources, Minister of Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu has said.

    Kachikwu, during the  2016/ 2017 budget defence session at the House of Representatives yesterday said oil and gas regulatory agencies are expected to attract investments, implement Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) and investment road shows in the United States of America, Asia, Middle East and Europe.

    Furthermore, Federal Government is also expected to conduct oil blocks allocation and marginal fields’ award, track gas flare commercialisation and develop gas infrastructure and investments, he said .

    Saying that concerted efforts would be directed towards refinery revamp, focus on downstream issues in in and operations, resolve Niger Delta militancy issues, stabilise oil production, the Minister also explained that priority would be given to tracking of oil production to destinations, develop agreement/framework for attachment opportunities with International Oil Companies (IOCs) and partners as well as complete new Joint Venture Cash Call roll out system.

    kachikwu“In retrospective, 2016 was a challenging year for the Nigerian economy which relied solely on oil. It is imperative that lessons learned must inform our plans for reforming the sector to bring real change to the citizens.

    “Our focus must be in promoting efficiency, formulating relevant policies, putting in place string infrastructural development especially joint venture in gas and domestic refining capacities, attraction of new Foreign Direct Investments (DFIs) and stabilising the statutory and regulatory environment of the sector,” he said.

    In addition, he informed the Committee that attention would be focused on the gazette of new policies on PE and gas, fast-track the passage of petroleum fiscal policy and engage in various pre and post Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) activities for which N150m was appropriated for this year.

    [news_list display=”tag” tag=”Niger Delta” count=”2″ show_more=”on”]

    The Mjnister however listed some of the challenges confronting the Ministry which include underfunding and untimely releases of appropriated funds; weak oil and gas infrastructure which impacted on power to gas initiative; pipeline vandalism, oil theft and willful spillage; insecurity especially in the Niger Delta area; and absence of enabling law (PIB is still a draft form).

    He, however, assured that the Ministry is determined to achieve its set goals for  2017, saying, “There’s an urgency attached to the recovery of economy and petroleum sector is crucial to its attainment.

    “The sector must provide a very robust income stream for the economy through petroleum and gas in particular,” he added.

  • Shock, sadness as Reps seek probe IDP camp bombing

    Shock, sadness as Reps seek probe IDP camp bombing

    Divergent opinions of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) were expressed by members of the House of Representatives yesterday following Tuesday’s accidental bombing of an Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDP) camp in Rann, Kale Balge Local Government Area of Borno State.

    With scores reportedly dead and hundreds injured, the lawmakers were in support of a thorough investigation of the incidence with a view of preventing future occurrence.

    Several others said the NAF should not be condemned as such unfortunate incidences are not uncommon in conflict situations.

    Following the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance on the accidental bombing by Sani Zorro (APC, Jigawa), the House resolved to constitute a 10-member Committee selected from committees on IDPs, Refugees and Initiatives on the North East, Army,  Air Force, Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Assistance and Health Services to among other things:

    Visit the scene of the disaster and ascertain the level of response of emergency assistance needed by the surviving victims of the air strike and members of their immediate families.

    Ascertain the extent to which emergency and adequate health services are being extended to the surviving victims of the mishap.

    In his submission, Zorro noted with regret and sadness the deaths of yet-to-be ascertained the number of internally displaced persons (IDP) and injury suffered by hundreds of others including humanitarian workers following the accidental air raid on an IDP site at Rann, Kale Balge Local government areas of Borno State.

    According to him the preliminary explanation by the Armed Forces command was that the incident was not a deliberate act of targeting, nor a hostile act on the civilian population whose lives it had the duty to safeguard and protect.

    He said: “While we are aware of claims and counter claims among humanitarian actors and the media surrounding the actual casualty figure so far recorded in the wake of the incident, we should be mindful of the need to ascertain whether the air strike was in accordance with strict observance of the Rules of Engagement (ROE) under air law and as enshrined under International Humanitarian Law (IHL), otherwise known as the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC)”.

    While many of the lawmakers described the incidence as sad, unfortunate and irresponsible of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), a few said the incidence was not enough to jump into conclusion and condemn the military.

    Toby Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu) argued that the country has never recorded any instance of deliberate incidence like this. “What we should ask for at this point in time is what measures to put be in place to prevent reoccurrence

    “We should not subject the NAF to such demeaning condemnation and I don’t see the need for any investigation.

    “The House should rather call on the Armed Forces to take appropriate measure to avert such reoccurrence and brief the House on such measures”.

    Emmanuel Oker-Jev (APC, Benue) speaking in the same vein, however, emphasised that it will be unfortunate to conclude that the incidence was deliberate.

    “What is needed to be done is to improve their intelligence gathering because wrong intelligence report can lead to disaster.

    “The Borno incidence is unfortunate but can happen anywhere, this should not lead to condemnation of our military”.

    Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma (PDP, Edo) it was no time to point fingers and castigate the military which makes the investigation of the incidence inevitable.

    “How do we know if it was an error or otherwise? We should not jump into conclusion and this is not the time to point fingers and castigate anyone. The investigation should be conducted with no sentiments”.

    Mohammed Sani (APC, Bauchi) said though the incidence was unfortunate, issue of friendly fire is not uncommon in situations like this.

    He said major concern should be on the quality of intelligence gathering among and within the security agencies should be questioned, because the level of error should be zero or minimal.

    He canvassed for proper coordination and intelligence sharing among securiry agencies as well as proper administration and delineation of IDP camps.

    Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje (PDP, Abia) said, “Only recently our military was celebrated over the capture of Sambisa but we should know this is not a conventional war. The entire intelligence coordination of our security agencies should be looked into”.

    Nasir Ali Ahmed (APC, Kano ) also noted that with all their sophistication many advanced countries have recorded collateral damages during conflicts. “Proper marking or mapping of IDP camps would have prevented this incidence,” he added.

    Abdulrazak Namdas (APC, Adamawa) said the military has performed well in the past but regretted the incidence as unfortunate. “Other IDPs are now apprehensive because they feel they might be mistaken for insurgents.
    NAF should be more cautious
    Investigate,” he noted.

    On the other hand, Anayo Nnebe (PDP, Anambra) described the incidence as sad and irresponsible of the NAF to say it was accidental. “NAF has not done well, there is need to investigate it thoroughly,” he added.

    Shuaibu Abdulrahman (APC, Adamawa) said the accidental bombing was pathetic at a time the military was being praised for doing well in the Northeast. “We need to know if it was really an accident,” he said.

    On his part, Aminu Shagari (APC, Sokoto) noted that the Nigerian military has always  been very careful in their operations, “That is why it should be investigated to find out if it was deliberate, negligence or an error, so that appropriate punishment is served to serve as deterrence,” he said.

    The motion was unanimously adopted after it was put to a voice vote by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.

    Similarly, the House also condemned the twin bomb d blasts by Boko Haram at the University of Maiduguri Monday and have urged the security agencies in the State to intensify intelligence gathering operations with adequate protective measures put in place around tertiary institutions in Borno State to avoid the occurrence of a similar attack.

    The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) was also urged to pay the medical expenses of the injured persons.

  • Southern Kaduna: Reps summon security agencies’ chiefs

    Southern Kaduna: Reps summon security agencies’ chiefs

    Heads of security agencies in the country have been directed to brief members of the House of Representatives at plenary over the security situation in the country, it emerged yesterday.

    The invitation followed the adoption of a motion on violent terror attacks on the people of Kaura Federal Constituency of Southern Kaduna by unknown gunmen.

    Though the date of the appearance of the security chiefs has not been fixed, the meeting would be held behind closed doors, Speaker Yakubu Dogara said.

    The lawmakers said it was high time security and intelligence agencies take responsibility for the escalation of attacks in conflict-prone areas around the country.

    The lawmakers also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to deal decisively with the masterminds of the attacks, be more proactive in identifying the exact areas of the attacks and carry out a comprehensive security mapping to identify the base of the attackers in order to combat the menace.

    Mover of the motion, Gideon Gwani (APC, Kaduna) noted with grief the violent terror attacks of 6th – 9th January 2017 at Tachirak, Adu and Tsonje villages of Kagoro town in Kaura Federal constituency of Southern Kaduna which led to the death of 13 people.

    He, however, regretted that despite the 24 hours curfew imposed in the area and the presence of men of the Armed Forces and the Police, gunmen continued to attack villages and unleash mayhem, while the security personnel deployed remained in the township.

    Gwani, who recalled the resolution of the House on Wednesday, June 24, 2015, in which the executive was urged to set up a high-powered committee to comprehensively address the incessant killings in Kaduna State and other parts of the country, regretted that it has not been complied with.

    During the debate, lawmakers wondered why it was impossible for security agencies to identify masterminds and perpetrators of crises in Southern Kaduna that began in the early 1980s.

    They said the intelligence community has failed in identifying the perpetrators and preventing the breakout of hostilities as they are more visible running errands rather than performing their primary responsibility of covert gathering information.

    While noting that there have always been reports and recommendations by Committees set up by governments to investigate each attack, the lawmakers regretted that none has been implemented citing Gen Martin Luther Agwai-led Committee that probed one of the crises in Southern Kaduna.

    The lawmakers urged Nigerians to support the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government to find a lasting solution to the crisis rather than condemn it considering the fact that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government failed to nab the mastermind of the crisis in its 16 years rule.

    The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara assured that the government is not relenting in efforts to find an enduring solution to the Southern Kaduna crisis.

    “I have the opportunity of discussing the issue with Mr President and he assured that steps with a lasting solution are being taken and will soon begin to manifest.

    “It is also our duty to support and monitor those steps and if they are not working, it is our responsibility to also do something about it,” Dogara said.

    While the Federal government was urged to provide relief material to victims of the attack,  Committees on Army, Airforce, Police Affairs, Interior and National Security and Intelligence were mandated to analyse the situation and proffer solutions to the security challenges in the area and report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.

  • UNIMAID attack: height of wickedness – Dogara

    UNIMAID attack: height of wickedness – Dogara

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has described the bomb attack at the University of Maiduguri which left three people, including a professor of Veterinary medicine, Professor Aliyu Usman Mani, dead as the height of wickedness.

    Dogara, who urged the Nigerian military not to he deterred in its efforts to rid the country of terrorism, however, wondered how learning institution could be the target of the degraded insurgents.

    Late Prof Mani, who died in the UNIMAID masque attack
    Late Prof Mani, who died in the UNIMAID mosque attack

    A statement by Dogara’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan reads. “Describing the sad incident, which occurred at a mosque in the university’s staff quarters during today’s early morning prayers, as the height of wickedness, barbarism, callousness and ungodliness, the Speaker lamented that in spite of the military feat which dislodged the terrorists from their enclave, the insurgents could still find  the audacity to carry out such a dastardly act on the University campus.

    “Noting the latest bomb attack as yet another evil dimension taken by the terrorists, the Speaker urged the Nigerian security operatives not to be deterred by the new tactics of the terrorists but to step up their operations as to consolidate on the gains so far made in the fight against terrorism.”

  • Reps consider Buhari’s N180b virement request

    Reps consider Buhari’s N180b virement request

    The House of Representatives is set to consider the request of President Muhammadu Buhari for the virement of N180b.

    The request which came through a motion by the Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila was passed with no resistance from the floor on Wednesday. 

    President Buhari had in a letter dated Tuesday, 25 October 2016 to Speaker Yakubu Dogara requested for virement of funds in the Appropriation Act, 2016.

    The request was in respect of virement of funds appropriated for special intervention  (Recurrent) and special intervention (Capital) to fund some critical Recurrent and Capital items.

    According to the President,  the request was necessitated by a number of reasons, including shortfalls in provisions of Personnel cost, the inadequate provision for the Amnesty Programme,  the need to sustain the war against insurgency and the depreciation of the Naira.

    The letter that came together with the $90b loan request on the same day  was read on the floor while the Speaker said it will be  listed for debate the following week.

    Following the rejection of the President’s requests by the Senate, the House clarified it’s position that it has not rejected the letter but would  rather consider it through a substantive motion.

    The Majority Leader, while justifying the need for the House to consider the motion said in the course of implementing the Appropriation Act, 2016, several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) presented issues pertaining to salary shortfalls as it affects the MDAs that are not under the platform of Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), and some MDAs that are under the IPPIS platform wpuld be locked put as their Personnel Cist budgets would not cover salaries for the rest of the year.

    “Also the Nigerian Air Force needs to cover the foreign exchange differentials in the procurement of its critical equipment and augment the contigency vote, and also to provide for inadequacy in the provision for the National Youth Service Corps in 2016, among others,” he added.

    The motion was unanimously adopted after it was put to a voice vote by the presiding officer, Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun, who referred it to Committee on Appropriation and other Committees to which the virement relates to serve as sub-committees of the Committee on Appropriations.

  • Edo Polls: PDP caucus alleges APC, INEC of conspiracy to rig

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) and some personnel of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are conspiring to rig Wednesday’s governorship polls in Edo state, the caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives has alleged.

    Compromising INEC staff, issuance of sensitive materials including result sheets before elections and alteration of card readers, among others  are the means to be employed to carry out the rigging, the leader of caucus, Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta) said at a briefing on Tuesday.

    “INEC surreptitiously and in conjunction with APC compiled names and list of INEC staff and persons sympathetic with APC to superintend over election to skew same in favour of APC.

    “Thus, INEC staff earlier listed for the elections were all replaced majorly with people from a particular section of the country, claiming that most people from the South-south are sympathetic to the PDP.

    “There was an arrangement to issue sensitive materials such as results sheets and incident forms to the APC before the election to enable them originate fake results and submit same with the assistance of security men.

    “Some top APC members were arranging with ICT experts and some INEC officials to alter the card readers to be used for the election to give an inaccurate figure, which was not generated from the legitimate accreditation in the field.

    “Additionally, INEC unlawfully agreed with some security agencies to move collation centres to police station, saying the action was to give the APC, who are ill-prepared and indeed not capable of winning any free and fair election in Edo State, the covering to bring in compromised results for the Returning Officers to announce,” he said.

    Ogor, who was accompanied by several members of the caucus said the APC in the State, in conjunction with some security agencies have consistently harassed PDP members in the various local governments of the state ahead of the election.

    The security report which was used as excuse to postpone the election would also be deployed as grounds to militarise Edo to ward off any anti APC voter, Ogor alleged.

    The caucus however appealed to the electoral umpire to live above board, saying, “We urge INEC as an independent and unbiased umpire to forestall these evil arrangements and uphold its integrity. The issues raised herein should be taken seriously and acted upon by civil society, the Nigerian public and the press to give credibility to the electoral process”.

  • Padding: How committee Chair usually sabotage budgets – Jibrin

    Padding: How committee Chair usually sabotage budgets – Jibrin

    Former Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumin Jibrin (APC, Kano) has revealed how Chairmen of the Committee used the office to manipulate national budget proposals.
    He said being Appropriation Committee Chairman, the power of the office can be used to fraudulently review upward or downward allocations for projects.
    Jibrin, on Thursday in response to Speaker Yakubu Dogara’s defense of lawmakers’ input on budget documents, said an Appropriation Chairman can also sabotage the budget through inadequate allocation.
    The lawmaker had alleged the Dogara, Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun, Whip Alhassan Doguwa, Minority leader Ogor and nine Committee Chairmen of padding the budget illegally.
    He said: “Before the corrupt, shameless and fraudulent QUARTET of Speaker Dogara, Lasun, Doguwa and Ogor mislead the Nigerian public again, let me avail you some facts.
    “Now that I have raised allegations backed with documents to show that the QUARTET and their gang of few other corrupt committee Chairmen are responsible for the fraudulent insertions also known as padding in various versions of the 2016 budget and NOT ME as they claim, corrupt Speaker Dogara shamelessly made a U-turn on a National TV and declared that such insertions do not constitute an offense.
    “For Dogara and his cohorts, Padding is an offense only if Hon Abdulmumin Jibrin is the accused. Today, they went a disgraceful step further to threaten that the budget is already a law and therefore no offense can be committed in that regard.
    “This is clearly a diversionary plan to mislead the public, avoid the anti-corruption agencies and buy time to cover up their dirty mess.
    “I cry for Nigeria… so long as we continue to respect corrupt people so shall our country continue to relapse…”