The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Dogara

  • Why North shouldn’t criticise Tinubu over tax reform bills, by Dogara

    Why North shouldn’t criticise Tinubu over tax reform bills, by Dogara

    Former speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has appealed to northerners to reconsider their criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s proposed tax reform bills.

    The bills, currently before the National Assembly, have drawn sharp opposition from northern leaders and calls for a comprehensive review, with concerns that the reforms may disproportionately affect the region. 

    The Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF), representing 19 states, echoed these reservations after consultations with the Northern Traditional Rulers Council.

    During a Channels Television town hall meeting on the tax reform bills on Monday, Dogara urged northern governors and elites to adopt an informed approach, emphasising the potential long-term benefits of the reforms.

    “I want to talk to my brothers in the North,” Dogara said. “I don’t think this is the time for us to begin to condemn the president and to begin to say that on account of these bills, he is anti-north. I want to remind us that the president has done something significant.

    “If he can pursue this to the end, it would be that there is no northern leader of my lifetime that has done what the president has done for the north. And I will tell you what he has achieved—the creation of the livestock ministry. There is a global business around that.

    Read Also: Gov Mohammed blasts Dogara, accuses ex-speaker of “shedding crocodile tears”

    “The global market size of dairies and beef in the next three years will rise to about $2.5 trillion. You can Google it. So if in the North, we are able to organize ourselves in such a way that we can corner just 5%, just 5% of this global market size of dairies and beef, I tell you that gives us $250 billion.

    “We don’t need VAT from any state in Nigeria to survive. The North can survive on its own. We are the most endowed part of Nigeria.”

    Addressing concerns about the timing and lack of sufficient consultations on the tax reform bills, Dogara dismissed these issues, stressing that the primary focus should be on the potential benefits of the reforms rather than political considerations or previous engagements.

  • Dogara berates Bauchi governor over attack on Tinubu

    Dogara berates Bauchi governor over attack on Tinubu

    Former House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, yesterday dismissed as unnecessary the recent criticism of President Bola Tinubu by Bauchi State governor,  Bala Mohammed.

    Mohammed had cast aspersions on the President on account of the current economic situation in the country and the cost of living protests sparked by it.

    But Dogara who is a native of Bauchi State himself said the governor lacked the moral right to criticise the President given his own poor performance as governor.

    He said the same Mohammed had sought Tinubu’s help after allegedly rigging his way back into the Bauchi Government House in 2023.

    “When Gov. Bala Mohammed was in court after rigging himself into office and desperately needed PBAT to save him, he was busy singing his praises to the highest heavens and telling the world how amazing PBAT was, not even minding the fact that he is the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum,” Dogara said.

    He added: “Just months after PBAT saved him, he has turned around to describe the President as ‘now inept, incompetent, and incapable of running Nigeria.

    “No doubt, these are trying moments in Nigeria, with lots of nerves in the air and lots of spitting into the political wind. The job of leaders, irrespective of the political tribe they belong to, is to ensure that we bring this crisis to a responsible end by appealing to governments at all levels to scramble to meet some of the legitimate demands of the protesters, most especially hunger and pervasive insecurity in the national interest.

    Read Also: Dogara: Fed lawmakers not earning jumbo pay

    “It is certainly not a time to engage in blowing all the dog whistles at once in the irresponsible manner Gov. Bala Mohammed did.

    “I am penning these lines to further disavow him and to tell those who don’t know that although Gov. Bala Mohammed is one of us, he is not all of us. Bauchi State is home to tested leaders who were not raised like mushrooms and who will not dare speak or operate in a manner that reveals contempt for rules, precedent, order, stability, and national cohesion. But Gov. Bala Mohammed does not only do so; he thrives in it.

    “Not long ago, I said of him, ‘any time the Governor speaks either by himself or through his aides, it is always an outburst of profanity which debases and demeans all of us.’

    “A leader is supposed to nurture and inspire the people he leads into positive action as opposed to indulging in wanton self-adulation and praise.”

    Dogara said six years into Mohammed’s tenure as governor, Bauchi State has no functional social amenities and is one of the states with the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria.

    Continuing, the former speaker said: “Just one example: my Alma Mater, the famous Bauchi Teachers College, located right under his nose, now lies in ruins. Let him tell the world which of the hospitals in the state is fully functional and how many doctors he has employed. The list is endless.

    “Yet, amid the destitution and squalor that Bauchi State found itself under his watch, he has built the biggest government house for himself and his family and the best family house in Northern Nigeria, if not in the whole country.

    “As it is, we wait to see whether the ‘Kaura 2027’ his cult followers printed on their gowns will be a POLITICAL scandal or an execution DATE.”

  • Dogara: Fed lawmakers not earning jumbo pay

    Dogara: Fed lawmakers not earning jumbo pay

    • I earned N400,000 salary as speaker

    • Abbas gives House of Reps scorecard

    Former House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara yesterday said that federal legislators are not earning jumbo pay as being insinuated by critics.

    He said  when he was Speaker, his monthly salary was less than N400, 000, adding that his monthly impress as a presiding officer was N25 million.

    Dogara, who served as Speaker between 2015 and 2019, noted that while the emoluments of National Assembly members have been on the front burner for a while, their monthly allowances cannot not last them for more than three days.

    He urged Nigerians, particularly the constituents, to limit the financial demands on the lawmakers, owing to the belief that they earn huge salaries and allowances.

    Dogara said the public misconception about huge salaries and allowance drawn by National Assembly members has given them a negative image.

    He lamented that due to the perception, lawmakers  are called thieves, even at public fora.

    Dogara spoke at the ‘Legislative Open Week’ organised by the House of Representatives to mark the end of its first legislative year and commencement of its second year.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, another former House of Representatives Speaker Bello Masari called for grassroots engagement at the ceremony where House of Representatives Speaker Tajudeen Abbas presented his score card.

    Reiterating his call for cooperation among the organs of government, the president said building a solid nation is not the exclusive role of one arm.

    No jumbo salary, says Dogara

    Dogara, who acknowledged that the presidential system is expensive, said that does not mean that lawmakers draw fat salaries.

    He said: “While I was Speaker, my salary was less than N400, 000. I don’t know if it has been increased now. My total impress was 25 million naira and I told my accountant to open a separate account for the impress and I never for once took any money out of that account. Everything that came into that account was used to cater for the needs of constituents.

    “My accountant complained of the level of demand on the account and I told him if the money there is finished, borrow; when money comes, you return it to where you had taken money from.

    “I am saying this so Nigerians will give their legislators a breathing space and know that the narrative is not true about members’ pay.

    “We all know that democracy is expensive and if we think that it is too expensive, maybe, we should ask our political scientists to develop for us a local model that will be cheaper for us.”

    Dogara said lawmakers should not to allow people to bully them into surrendering the current democratic order for whatever reason, stressing that the collapse of rational conversation is the problem of democracy in Nigeria.

    He urged them to constantly engage the people as their representatives to put an end to speculations, especially about their earnings.

    Read Also: Beyond Steez: Ogun’s paradox of grandeur, deathly roads

    Dogara said: “It is not always good enough to talk to the people. What is important is to speak with the people, create a forum for them as an opportunity to talk with them so they can express themselves and not to speak for them or to them.”

    The former Speaker said the time has come for the National Assembly to throw open it’s finances dispel the insinuation that the legislators were taking homongous amount of money on a monthly basis.

    Abbas renders account

    Abbas said the House under his leadership had contributed to inclusive and participatory governance in the past one year, adding that he has been implementing its Legislative Agenda, which it introduced in October.

    The Speaker said the House introduced 1,351 bills, the highest number in any first session since 1999, adding that 89 of the bills were passed.

    He said: “The 10th House of Representatives has been committed to running an open House that actively incorporates citizens’ input in lawmaking and oversight processes. We have made concerted efforts to listen to the voices of our constituents and reflect their aspirations in our legislative activities.

    “Through town hall meetings, public hearings, and stakeholder engagements, we have ensured that the legislative process remains inclusive and participatory. This approach not only enhances the quality of our laws but also ensures that our decisions are rooted in the genuine needs and desires of the Nigerian people. No chamber of the National Assembly has undertaken such an initiative.

    “By doing so, we demonstrate our commitment to transparency and readiness to be held accountable by the people we serve. Presenting our scorecard publicly allows us to showcase our achievements, acknowledge our challenges, and highlight our plans for the future. It reinforces the idea that the parliament is not just a body that makes laws but an institution that is responsible to its constituents for its actions and performance.

    “This performance assessment was undertaken to evaluate how effectively the 10th House of Representatives has implemented its legislative agenda within its first session.

    “The assessment serves several key purposes:

     (i) to gauge the level of preparedness and institutional capacity of the 10th House to deliver on its mandate amid challenging national circumstances, (ii) to assess the maturity of our democracy, which is largely dependent on the efficiency of the legislative arm of government, and

    (iii) to document the assessment report as a valuable resource in the growing literature of legislative activism.

    Abbas added: “The legislative agenda prioritises economic empowerment and diversification to reduce Nigeria’s reliance on oil exports. Key bills include the Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which aims to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of Nigeria’s electricity sector by promoting investment in renewable energy sources.

    Abbas listed other bills passed by the House in one year.

    These include the Federal Audit Service Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023, the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2023; the Federal Fire and Rescue Service Bill, 2023; the Oath Act (Repeal and Enactment) Bill, 2023; the Control of Small Arms and Light Weapons Bill, 2023; the Niger Delta Development Commission Act (Amendment) Bill, 2023; the South East Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2023; the Nigerian Medical Research Council (Establishment) Bill, 2023, among others.

    On public hearings, the Speaker said “analysis of sessional reports from committees of the First Session of the 10th House reveals that committees conducted numerous public hearings between November and December 2023. Also, as of June 13, 2024, 679 motions were moved on the floor of the 10th House. Of these, 672 (99%) were being considered at various committees, while seven (1%) were negative. Among these motions, 43 (6.0%) were referred to ad-hoc committees and 629 (93%) to standing committees.”

    Speaking on the oversight visits and inspections by the House in one year, the Speaker said “the House Committees visited 107 Ministries, Departments, Agencies (MDAs) and projects nationwide. This is despite most standing committees being inaugurated between November and December 2023, averaging 1-2 visits per committee. These visits aimed to ensure that government programs and administration were implemented effectively, efficiently, and in alignment with legislative intent.

    “The House committees held a total of 502 meetings in the first session of the 10th House. Further analysis shows the frequency distribution of meetings conducted by 117 House committees. The data reveals that 91 committees (77.8%) conducted between 1 and 5 meetings, 21 committees (17.9%) held between 6 and 10 meetings, and 4 committees (3.4%) held more than 11 meetings each. However, one committee did not convene any meetings during this period, he added.

    The Speaker also highlighted legislative efforts towards conflict resolution of public complaints through the House Committee on Public Petitions where a total of 240 petitions were received in one with 40 of those cases closed while 10 have been laid before the House for resolution. Same has also been demonstrated in cases of industrial disputes between the organized labour and government.

    “The 10th House has also played a pivotal role in mediating conflicts and ensuring the smooth resolution of crises before they escalate. A notable example of their intervention is with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), where the timely dialogue and negotiations led to the successful call-off of a nationwide strike, thereby averting further potential economic disruptions. Additionally, the House’s proactive engagement with the Nigerian Teachers Union swiftly resolved their grievances, ensuring minimal disruption to the educational sector. Similarly, their effective mediation with the Nigerian Medical Association facilitated the resolution of key issues, promoting stability within the healthcare sector,” the Speaker said.

    Speaker Abbas noted that these efforts and the resultant effects were products of a harmonious working relationship that exists between the 10th House and the Executive arm of government under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    ‘Pay attention to grassroots engagement ‘

    President Tinubu urged the lawmakers to pay more attention to grassroot engagement and carry along their constituents in their lawmaking and oversight function as part of the accountability process.

    The President, who was represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator George Akume, said the task of building a strong, solid and united country does not rest with only one arm of government.

    He said collaboration was essential among all the segments of society.

    The President said his government was prepared to collaborate with the Legislature  and the Judiciary to ensure an all-inclusive government.

    He urged the lawmakers to carry out robust oversight functions for the purpose of correcting the executive and fostering accountability.

    He said they should organise town hall meeting with their constituents to collate their views and feelings about governance because every citizen cannot  come to Abuja.

    He  said representative democracy would always promote inclusivity, accountability and good governance.

    President Tinubu said citizens engagement would enable the grassroots to contribute to the lawmaking process and policy formulation for the good governance of the country.

    Masari said engagement with those at the grassroots could result in inclusive democracy.

    He urged the lawmakers to constantly hold town hall meetings to collate the views of the people.

    Masari, former governor of Katsina State, said engagement with the people in the constituency would  furnish them with information on what the government is doing and give them the opportunity for quality feedback.

    He said: “I believe we should constantly have interactive engagement with the people. These engagements should not only be in Abuja. Celebrating 25 years of unbroken democracy is important, but we should bear it in mind that it is still work in progress because it is always important to look at where you are coming from and where you are going.”

    Masari said research has shown that 70 percent of Nigerians prefers democratic governance.

    He however, pointed out that “77 percent of that 70 per cent is not happy with what is going on.

    He said: “The dividends of democracy must be seen on the ground. You are the mirror of democracy. People see you more and so, a lot is expected from you”.

    Work hard, Sani tells lawmakers

    Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani said despite its achievements, the House should work harder to achieve more for the country.

    He urged the lawmakers to speedily consider the bill on the creation of state Police as part of efforts aimed at tackling the rising insecurity.

    The governor also urged them to take another look at the Fire Arms Act and bring it in conformity with international best practices.

    Sani said out of about 350 million illegal arms in circulation in West Africa, more than 70 percent are  in Nigeria.

    He lamented that more than 65 percent of Nigerians are living below  poverty line, adding that the country also has the highest number of out of school children in the world.

    How to enhance democracy, by Edun

    The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun said democracy can only thrive when the voice of the people is heard.

    He said Tinubu’s government has upheld the principles of democracy in the course of navigating the challenges facing the nation.

    The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said communication with the people was healthy for any democracy, adding that it will prevent fake news.

    He said Tinubu’s government had embarked on value reorientation to reclaim the value system.

    Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu explained that inclusive and democratic legislative process should truly reflect the constituents’ needs and voices, stressing that it is a model for effective governance.

    He stressed the commitment of the House to effective oversight to ensure that government programmes are implemented effectively, efficiently, and in line with the legislative intent.

  • Dogara to lawmakers: It’s time to make finances of NASS open

    Dogara to lawmakers: It’s time to make finances of NASS open

    …says his salary as speaker was less than N400,000

    Former speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara said on Wednesday, July 3, that the time has come for the National Assembly to throw open its finances to dispel the insinuation that the legislators were taking a humongous amount of money monthly.

    Dogara, who spoke at the first-ever legislative open week of the House of Representatives, told the audience that as Speaker of the House, his monthly salary was less than N400,000, while his monthly allowance as a presiding officer was N25 million.

    Dogara said the earnings of members of the National Assembly have been on the front burner for a while even though their allowances cannot last them for more than three days.

    He, however, said it is important for Nigeria to allow their Representatives to work and limit the financial demands on them occasioned by the belief that they earn huge salaries and allowances, adding that the misconception of huge salaries and allowances by Nigerians has given the National Assembly a negative image where they are called thieves even at public fora.

    “While I was Speaker my salary was less than N400, 000. I don’t know if it has been increased now. My total impress was 25 million naira and I told my accountant to open a separate account for the impress and I never for once took any money out of that account. Everything that came into that account was used to cater for the needs of constituents.

    “My accountant complained of the level of demand on the account and I told him if the money there is finished, borrow, when money comes, you return it to where you had taken money from.

    Read Also: Dogara to Tinubu: allow private varsity students benefit from loans

    “I am saying this so Nigerians will give their legislatures breathing space and know that the narrative is not true about members’ pay.

    “We all know that democracy is expensive and if we think that it is too expensive, maybe we should ask our political scientists to develop for us, a local model that will be cheaper for us’.

    Dogara told the lawmakers not to allow people bullying them into surrendering the current democracy for whatever reason while insisting that the collapse of rational conversation is the problem of democracy in Nigeria.

    While asking them to engage more with their constituents, Dogara said: “I believe that engagement should start from the bottom to the top. We should engage more with the people by talking with them and not talking to them. By so doing, they will be involved in the governance process and policy making”.

  • Why naira is volatile, by Dogara

    Why naira is volatile, by Dogara

    A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, is convinced that the insatiable demand for the United States Dollars (USD) by Nigerians is responsible for the steady decline in the value of the naira.

    Dogara, conveyed his sentiment on the volatility of the naira at a programme organised by the Covenant Nation church in Lagos, to mark the 2024 Democracy Day.

    The event with the theme: “Democracy and the Free Market Economy” also has in attendance Anambra State Governor, Chukwuma Soludo; former Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola; the Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Rev. Matthew Hassan-Kukah; among others.

    The former lawmaker argued that the initial withdrawal of “ill-gotten money stashed in USD in private vaults” from the banking system triggered the first web of the hyper demand for dollars which ultimately led to the free fall of the nation’s legal tender.

    He said the advent of the Bank Verification Number (BVN) significantly limited the ability of corrupt officials and shady individuals to conceal their loot in anonymous bank accounts.

    He said: “I think the only inflection point we witnessed was due to the advent of the BVN which crippled the ability of corrupt officials and other shady characters to keep their loot in anonymous bank accounts. Almost all ill-gotten money is stashed in USD in private vaults as the naira is too bulky to warehouse.”

     The initial withdrawal of such funds from the banking system triggered the first web of hyper-demand for USD.

    Read Also: NLC seeks cash availability as Dogara hails policy

    “Therefore, I’m of the firm belief that our insatiable demand for the USD is what is killing the naira. Believe it or not, nearly all big-ticket deals and transactions both legitimate and shady are closed in USD in Nigeria.”

    According to Dogara, the dollar is the preferred currency in Nigeria, where it is used for exports, fees, and bribes thereby ensuring that demand exceeds supply.

    “Just find out, there’s no hefty bribe that is not paid for in USD. Some schools in Nigeria charge fees in currencies USD. And even our most valued export is paid for in USD. So, to me wittingly or unwittingly, the USD is our currency of choice and as long as we don’t kill our appetite for USD, the demand for it would always outstrip the supplies,”

    The challenge before the government, the ex-lawmaker noted, is how to unlock and make the USD locked up in private vaults in Nigeria begin to chase the naira.

    “That to me is the commonsensical solution. I believe we have enough dollars in this country that we can unlock to make our economy work and crash the FX rate.

    Read Also:

    “So, to achieve this, the government must demand that all Nigerian exports including crude oil exports, be paid for in naira, just as we don’t pay for any import into Nigeria from any country in naira. It’s not too much to demand that,”

    To salvage the naira, Dogara also proposed that the government raise loans from Nigerians with large FX holdings by applying moral suasions.

    “As we all know, Nigerians at home and abroad are said to hold some substantial amount of FX in domestic and foreign domiciliary accounts which are currently idle. For Nigerians to reach an understanding with holders of these funds, two conditions must be made; propose that the government should be able to build trust and engender confidence in the economy and the holders of the funds are sufficiently incentivized to act -incentives will have to be agreed upon mutually,”

    The government, Dogara emphasised, through credible intelligence generated by security agencies, ought to know those individuals in Nigeria who have taken advantage of the system and have idle USD stashed in their private vaults.

    “Such individuals should be offered the incentive I discussed in paragraph two above. Should they fail to respond, it is my opinion that Mr President should invoke and apply the MBS solution, the Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud in Saudi Arabia.

    “No one who has taken advantage of the system should have the liberty to store in excess what his or her country desperately needs to lift millions of its people out of multidimensional poverty,”

    Dogara expressed further concern about the downturn of the nation’s legal tender saying, “If the current downward spiral of the naira is not arrested, I fear we may get to a point where we will have to ditch the naira altogether.

    “And Nigerians at that point won’t mind or bother whether their CBN headquarters is in London, Washington, Brussels or Beijing, provided their currency is very strong; may God forbid that,” he added.

  • Had Gov. Abubakar listened to Dogara!

    Our people have witnessed bad leadership, especially in the ýlast eight years. It will be a disaster if we do not save this situation.”

    These were the exact words prophetically uttered by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, on December 10, 2015, when the outgoing governor of Bauchi State, Barrister Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, visited him in the National Assembly. The Speaker had, few months before then, paid a similar visit to the governor in Bauchi.

    The Speaker had charged the governor to make conscious efforts to deliver on his promises as it was the yearning of the people for a positive change in their lives that led to the massive support he got in the elections in 2015.

    He would always say that God has set for them (leaders), the platform through which they can deliver the changeý they promised the people and that it could only be achieved with a visionary and purposeful leadership as according to him, the difference between a bush and a garden is just organisation. He constantly expressed the view that if you have a ýwonderful garden and you do not organise it, over time, it will become a bush in itself.

    Sadly, all these words of wisdom fell on deaf ears as M.A Abubakar transmuted into an emperor, ran a solo show and ruled with an iron hand like Nero. He listened to no one and no one could counsel him. It was James F. Byrnes who posited that, “Power intoxicates men. When a man is intoxicated by alcohol, he can recover, but when intoxicated by power, he seldom recovers.”

    Governance completely broke down in Bauchi State and no system worked under him. Workers spent over a year without salary following a series of endless verification to weed out “ghost workers”. Pregnant women delivered while waiting in queues, while the sick gave up the ghost without being paid. Hospitals became mere consulting clinics and doctors left the state in droves to the extent that as at today, there are only 40 medical doctors in the whole of Bauchi State. The governor would later admit the failure of his much taunted verification exercise on the BBC Hausa service. The education sector in the state also collapsed as pupils and students sit on bare floor, under leaking roofs, such that the state now has the highest number of out-of-school children in Nigeria of over 1.3 million.

    In four years, the government failed to complete the only 4km Federal Low Cost-CBN Round about road in Bauchi metropolis which gulped over N4 billion. To add salt to injury, no worker was promoted or given his/her leave grant. In fact, M.A Abubakar declared on radio that it is not a right but a mere privilege and as a lawyer with over 30 years experience, no one can tell him what is legit. While this was going on, suddenly, the state’s salary payroll miraculously skyrocketed from N2.6 billion he inherited in 2015 to about N7 billion as at today, even though the government had placed an embargo on employment and did not add a single person into the civil service.

    The many sins of the outgoing government are too numerous to mention. Is it the illegal N4 billion loan the governor took just two weeks into his government with a forged resolution of the state House of Assembly which is now in court? Or his frequent chartering of private jet to fly out of the state every other week? Is it the diversion of N1.6 billion Paris club debt refund to a private company in the name of consultancy which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, froze? Or the unprecedented monumental fraud using ghost workers to divert hundreds of millions in the name of payment of salaries?

    What more can one say? Bauchi has never been this debased and raped; its resources plundered and its people subjugated, humiliated, ridiculed and enslaved under a tyrannical, despotic and dictatorial leadership which, with a stroke of pen, dethroned about 1000 traditional rulers, pauperised them and desecrated the sanctity of that revered institution.

    When it became obvious that M.A Abubakar was beyond redemption after he rebuffed every effort by good spirited people to advise him, and even shut the door on presidential mediation initiated by President Muhammadu Buhari; Speaker Dogara made a solemn vow on April 4, 2017, in an interview with the Daily Trust Newspaper, saying, “I will lead fearlessly in the hope that we will establish a truly progressive government that will address our yearning for development in Bauchi State. I am going to lead this. Even if everybody in Bauchi agrees that they want underdevelopment, I want development and I will lead it and I believe that majority of our people will tag along with me.” He kept to his words, he led and the people followed, and Bauchi triumphed.

    From that moment, M.A Abubakar launched a war fare on Hon Dogara forcing him and his supporters out of the All Progressives Congress, APC and vowed to retire him from politics.  He also loathed, despised and hated him with a passion and even called him a “sinking man” before crossing into the realms of God by ridiculing the people of the Speaker’s constituency,  Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa Federal Constituency, when he declared them as “that tiny enclave.” In his words, “I want people to know that Dogara comes from a very tiny part of Bauchi State. So, our paths, even if they meet, they will meet in that tiny enclave only.

    “I understand where he is coming from. He is a sinking man. Therefore, he is grabbing at every straw. I am not his opponent. People should understand that Dogara represents a total of 80, 000 registered voters. I won election in 2015 with over 300, 000 difference.”  M.A derogatorily despised the people, even when he knew that the total number of registered voters in the three LGAs is far above 250,000 but he chose to reduce them to just 80,000 in his characteristic arrogance.

    God, who created the people of the three Local Government Areas, heard these words and humbled the outgoing governor by bringing him down to the same Tafawa Balewa where he ran from pillar to post, from Presidential Villa to Court Rooms, shouting to high heavens, contesting the votes of the local government which finally decided and sealed his fate in the election. That same tiny enclave confirmed him a loser in the election . God is wonderful!

    M.A Abubakar then hurriedly packaged and forwarded two Bills to the state House of Assembly; one to totally repeal the Public Property and Funds Tribunal Act which he got enacted in 2017 and another Bill that reversed the sacking of about 1000 traditional rulers. The two Bills were hurriedly passed in a 1-hour sitting attended by only 13 out of 31 Members between early hours of 8am-9am without the knowledge of the remaining 18 Members, some of whom have already secured Court orders restraining him from assenting to the Bills.

    Undoubtedly, as the Speaker said, the ouster of M.A Abubakar in the last election in Bauchi State was the crowning of the struggle for the emancipation and liberation of the people from the forces of darkness, evil and retrogression that have held the state captive and hostage who in their unlettered arrogance have taken Bauchi people for granted, to the point that they believe the patience of an oppressed people will last forever.   By their collective resolve, they have demonstrated that no man-made chains can bind them to servitude. The chains have come undone, sending a clear message that they will never bend their backs again for an oppressor to ride.

    Confirming the words of  Henry Clay, who said,  “An oppressed people are authorised whenever they can to rise and break their fetters,”  Bauchi people rose in unison and broke their fetters. This will serve as a lesson for future leaders of the state.

    A lesson that teaches that Leadership is a trust and though the days may seem long and drawn, there is a time, a day of reckoning, when your works will speak for or against you and just like the electorate gave their trust to you, they can also exercise same powers to give the boot as well. For M.A Abubakar, his chickens came home to roost after just one term.

    As the incoming government of Sen. Bala Mohammed prepares to take over the reins of government, it is of utmost importance that, though the task ahead is enormous, they do not let the people down.

     

    • Hassan is the Special Adviser (Media & Public Affairs) to Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

  • Dogara calls for special prayers for Nigeria

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has urged Muslim faithful to pray to  God to grant the nation’s leaders wisdom to handle the many challenges facing the country, especially that of insecurity.

    Dogara, according to his spokesman, Hassan Turaki, spoke at a Special Ramadan session on Tuesday night, where he hosted Muslim brethren of the house in the breaking of fast, and joined in offering prayers for Nigeria.

    Dogara said prayers should be offered for the leadership in the three arms of government during the fasting period.

    “We use the opportunity to pray for our dear country and for everyone in authority, more so at this period that our nation is being faced with so many challenges, beginning from the insecurity of lives and property, as well as the challenges pertaining to the economy which has given rise to the insurgency that we are witnessing.

    “It has always been a tradition; we usually use this opportunity during the course of this holy month and its activities to commit our dear nation into the hands of God.

    “Without the guarantee of lives and property, we will as a government be reneging on our responsibilities, for truly that is our first duty; to protect lives and properties, and that seems to be a very big challenge,” he said.

    Dogara called for prayers for the leadership of the nation in all spheres, for the solutions to the issues that have affected the country.

  • Nigeria in worst period of insecurity- Dogara

    Nigeria faces one of her worst periods of insecurity, the Speaker of the House Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has said.

    Dogara spoke at a conference with the theme “Press Freedom in Nigeria – Rule of Law, Media and Violent Extremism,” to mark the 2019 World Press Freedom Day in Abuja.

    According to him, “The theme of this year’s celebration is most apt as Nigeria now faces one of her worst periods of insecurity manifesting in violent extremism, rampant cases of kidnapping, cattle rustling, herder/ farmers violent conflicts and murderous campaign of bandits across Nigeria.”

    This, he said, poses a major challenge to media practitioners. “The media must constantly balance the need to inform the citizens with their equally weighty responsibility to ensure that their reports do not contribute to exacerbate an already dangerously tense and fragile situation.

    Journalists while doing their work face challenges, he said, but that nonetheless, free press is important to the survival of democracy.

    He said: “It was the witty Thomas Jefferson, one of the architects of the American Constitution who felt so strongly about the principle of free expression that he declared something that sounds absurd to non-democrats.

    “He said that ‘If it were left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

    “The free press is so important to the survival of democracy that it is the only business the American constitution specifically protects under the first amendment.

    He dedicated the event to journalists who paid the supreme price or those that are being incarcerated for bringing information to the public or upholding the right of the people to know the truth about the way they are being governed.

    “In 2017, the International Press Centre (IPC) reported that two Nigerian journalists were killed and documented 14 assault cases involving journalists and media houses.

    “The slain journalists were Famous Giobaro of Bayelsa State-owned radio station, Glory FM 97.1, who was shot dead on April 16 that year and Lawrence Okojie of Nigerian Television Authority, Benin, who was shot dead while returning from work on July 8.”

    Dogara said documented assault cases involved the invasion of the premises of Premium Times, Abuja by armed police officers on January 19 resulting in the arrest of Dapo Olorunyomi the publisher and Evelyn Okakwu, the judiciary correspondent.

    He further said “The Committee for the Protection of Journalists, CPJ declared the year 2018 as the deadliest for journalists in the last three years. 2018 was marked by the high profile brutal murders of Saudi columnist, Jamal Khashoggi and Slovak data Journalist Jan Kuciak who was shot alongside his fiancé’.

    “At the end of 2018, 348 journalists were in prison with more than half of them detained in China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Turkey. It was also reported that 60 journalists were being held hostage across the world. Permit me on this auspicious occasion to salute the heroism of journalists who died in active service and those who have survived this brutal form of censorship.”

    Dogara said in all nations of the world, the citizens appreciate the role of the press to inform, educate and entertain, as well promote accountability of the government to the people.

    “The law, in all democratic settings, recognizes the watchdog role of the press in governance, which has earned it the appellation as “the Fourth Estate of the Realm.”

    He said “the press, radio and television and other agencies of the mass media shall at all times be free to uphold the fundamental objectives contained in the constitution and uphold the responsibility and accountability of the government to the people.”

    Dogara further said: “This means that it is the duty of the media to monitor the government as it carries out its assigned responsibilities under the constitution. The media is also saddled with further responsibility of relating its observations of government performance to the people.”

    He said this places a constitutional responsibility on the press. “In other words, the press is duty bound to perform its assigned constitutional responsibilities of holding government to account.”

    According to the Speaker, press freedom, “which is the focus of this celebration, is very fundamental to the sustenance of the principles of the Rule of Law, Open Government, Democracy, societal peace and order, as well as the delivery of good governance.

    “In conclusion, permit me to say that press freedom is not negotiable and direct violence to journalists is not the only threat. Those who attack the media as “fake news” or “enemy of the people” in order to erode the credibility of the press are as dangerous as those perpetrating violence against journalists.

    “As legislators, we will always stand up and speak out for pressmen and media outfits that uphold the ethics of fairness, objectivity, truthfulness and patriotism in their practice.

    “It is hoped that the 9th Assembly dedicate itself to enacting enabling laws that will prioritize the protection and welfare of journalists to enable them do the work of democracy.

  • Why Saraki, Dogara are hell bent on installing successors

    AFTER Sentry’s report last penultimate Saturday that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, was plotting to retain his seat as Speaker in the 9th Assembly, fresh facts have emerged that the Speaker is working on a Plan B after realising the odds that stack against him succeeding himself.

    Dogara, it was learnt, is now giving a serious thought to installing one of his three loyalists (Mohammed Umar Bago, Idris Ahmed Wase and Aliyu Mukhtar Betara) as the Speaker of the 9th House.

    And he is not alone in the plan to install his successor, as the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, is also said to be busy plotting how to install his successor. As part of this plan, he has in the past few days, drummed it into the ears of members of the National Assembly-elect on the need to elect who is best to lead them.

    Sentry, however, gathered that the motivation behind Saraki and Dogara’s plot to install their successors is to ensure that they are not succeeded by people who would not be willing to cover their tracks over the huge debts the two chambers have incurred under their leadership in the last four years.

    The current National Assembly is believed to have incurred the most debt in the history of the institution, but in his capacity as the chairman, Saraki has stoically refused to disclose the actual worth of the debts, what the loans were used for, the repayment plans and the collaterals.

    The duo is said to be borrowing from the experience of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives and current governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, who was able to install his stooge while leaving the House as Speaker.

  • Court gives Saraki, Dogara, 52 others 5 days to respond to suit challenging defection

    The Federal High Court Abuja on Friday gave Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and 52 other lawmakers until April 17 to file their responses to a suit asking them to vacate their seats.

    An advocacy group, Legal Defence and Assistance Project, (LEDAP) dragged the lawmakers to court seeking a declaration that they were no longer members of the National Assembly having defected to other political parties before the expiration of their tenure.

    The defendants comprise 17 Senators, 37 members of the House of Representatives, the Independent National Electoral Commission, the Attorney-General of the Federation and the clerks to both houses.

    When the matter was called, Mr Efut Okoi announced appearance for the senate and the senators while Safiya Mohammed announced appearance for the members.

    Both counsel urged the court to entertain their applications noting that a litigant’s choice of counsel was his fundamental right.

    Mr Jubrin Okutepa, (SAN) who announced appearance for LEDAP said that the defendants were attempting to confuse the court by changing counsel.

    He noted that at Thursday’s proceedings, Mr Mahmud Magaji, SAN, announced appearance for all the defendants and wondered why that had changed.

    He urged the court to ask Magaji to move the applications he had earlier filed and strike out any other applications before the court with regards to the suit.

    Magaji, in one of his applications, challenged the jurisdiction of the court to hear the matter on the grounds that the plaintiff had no “locus standi” to file the suit.

    The trial judge, Justice Okon Abang however held that it was in the interest of justice to hear all counsel in the matter.

    He ruled that the plaintiff, (LEDAP) was at liberty to reply to all the processes filed by the defendants on or before April 15 and ordered the defendants to file their reply by April 17.

    Read Also: Court withholds judgment in suit against defection of Saraki, Dogara, 52 others

    He said that any party that failed to abide by the court‘s directive would have itself to blame.

    The judge adjourned the matter until April 18.

    The court on Thursday, suspended delivering judgment the suit, even though the judge said it was ready, in order to give the defendants an opportunity to file their processes so as to give all parties in the suit fair hearing.

    LEDAP, in their suit filed on Sept. 14, 2018, prayed the court for an interpretation of Section 68(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.

    This was with regards as to whether any member of the National Assembly who resigns from the political party that sponsored his election before the expiration of the term for which he was elected, automatically loses his seat in the assembly.

    The group was also seeking a declaration that the lawmakers were no longer entitled to receive any remuneration due to a member of the National Assembly and that any of such remunerations after their date of defection be refunded to the Federal Government.

    LEDAP in the suit, also prayed the presiding members of the National Assembly to declare vacant, the seats of the defectors.