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  • Dogara warns over non-assent to Electoral Act Amendment Bill

    HOUSE of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara yesterday expressed regrets over the non-assent to the Electoral Act, 2007 Amendment Bill 2018 by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    This is as the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) caucus yesterday lost Michael Adeniyi, a member from Okitipupa/Irele Federal constituency to the All progressives Congress (APC).

    He said presidential refusal would deny Nigerians the benefits of the many innovations introduced to enhance the nation’s electoral process as well as encourage those that might want to undermine next month’s general elections.

    Welcoming his colleagues from the Christmas and New Year break, he also decried the spate of killings arising from insurgency in parts of the country, urging President Buhari to consider an overhaul of the security system to pave way for a proactive response to security challenges.

    He said: “It should remain a thing of pride for us that the National Assembly has done its best by taking steps to guarantee the successful and rancour-free conduct of the 2019 general elections by passing the Electoral Act Amendment Bill for the third time after Mr. President had declined assent to it twice.

    “Lack of passage into law of the amended Bill means that the impending general elections will not benefit from the innovative mechanisms crafted in its collaboration with international and development partners.

    “Consequently, the palpable fears of well-meaning Nigerians and the international community of the possibility of some forces working to manipulate the coming elections by exploiting the identified loopholes in the current Electoral Act may become a reality, if proactive steps are not taken by critical stakeholders.

    “I believe that our intention to improve on the successes of the 2015 general elections through the Amendment Bill is very clear to all fair-minded Nigerians. The spate of serious allegations by stakeholders, corroborated by some press reports against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigerian Police in the recent elections, which are already subjects of litigations, are some of the factors that gave rise to public apprehension on the success of the coming general elections.

    Read also: Don’t renew BEDC’s licence, Oba Ewuare II tells Buhari

    “We had intended, through this Bill, to minimise the risk to the survival of our hard-won democracy through responsive and timely legislation aimed at ensuring free, fair and transparent elections.  Nonetheless, as parliament, we have done our best to guarantee the stability and growth of our fragile democracy, and I have no doubt that history will be very kind to us.

    “Under the present circumstance, we have no choice than to take INEC and the Police by their words and give them the benefit of doubt in their recent assurances to be impartial, efficient and truthful in the conduct of the coming elections.  This is the minimum that the country deserves from them at this auspicious time.

    “Nothing short of complete openness, a level-playing ground and strict adherence to extant Laws will be acceptable to Nigerians.”

    On security challenges facing the country, Dogara noted that the time has come for the President to take a hard look at the security system.

    “We are all witnesses to the continuous deteriorating security situation in our country, more especially in the Northeast, Northwest and some parts of the Northcentral.

    “Only three days ago, scores of people were killed in Sokoto State and elsewhere. Hardly does any week pass without reports of mass killings and bloodletting, either by terrorists or armed bandits.

    “This calls for drastic, urgent and concerted action and efforts to bring to a quick end. Our citizens are looking up to us and we can’t afford to fail them because security of lives and properties is the primary purpose of government. The fight against unbridled violence is one we cannot afford to lose as we can’t do so and still keep our civilisation.

    “The symptoms of the malady afflicting our national security architecture are in plain sight. It is, therefore, imperative for the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces to take a hard look at our national security architecture with a view to fixing the malady to secure lives, national pride and prestige.”

  • 2019 Budget: Reps for Second Reading Thursday

    The House of Representatives has said it will pass the 2019 budget expeditiously.

    Speaking at resumption of plenary on Wednesday, after the Chrismas and New Year break, the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara said in a bid to fast track the process, copies of the document has been distributed to members.

    According to him, the second reading will commence immediately after the valedictory service for the late Ayeola and the former President Shehu Shagari.

    Dogara said: “I hope copies of the budget have been circulated? If copies of the budget have been circulated, we may have to start the second reading of the budget tomorrow.

    “We will set aside some time to pay tribute in form of valedictory session for our brother, Hon. Ayeola and the late president, Alhaji Shehu Shagari.

    The 2019 budget was laid before a joint sitting of the National Assembly on the 19th of December and the House through its Spokesman had said it would concentrate on the passage of the budget on resumption.

    However, there was consternation that the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) which ought to have been approved and passed before the budget was not mentioned.

    Read Also: Reps adjourn plenary till Thursday in honour of late Shagari

    According to the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, the
    MTEF/FSP which encompasses parameters like Oil Bench mark, Crude oil production estimates, inflation and GDP and other projections amongst others, ought to have been approved before the commencement of the budget consideration.

    However, the House yesterday adjourned sitting till today as a mark of honour for the late member, Hon. Abayomi Abdul-Kabir Ayeola, who died during the recess and in honour of former President Aminu Shehu Shagari.

    Before his death, Hon. Ayeola, was the member representing Ibeju-Lekki federal constituency of Lagos State on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

  • Akpabio chides Saraki, Dogara

    Senator Godswill Akpabio has described the inability of Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara to deliver their speeches during President Muhammadu Buhari’s budget presentation as a sign of weakness. He urged them to resign peacefully.

    Akpabio, in an interview with reporters shortly after Buhari presented the 2019 Appropriation Bill at the National Assembly in Abuja, said: “They really couldn’t talk because they shouldn’t be sitting on those seats since they now belong to a minority party.

    “When I was in the minority party, I was the minority leader; I wasn’t the Senate President.

    “So I will expect that what has happened today should be a wake up call on the Speaker and the Senate President to resign peacefully,” he said.

    Read also: Atiku promises ease of doing business in Southeast

    On the rowdy session, he said such action was a characteristic of a parliament all over the world.

    “But you could also notice that the majority party, the APC, showed its strength. There was a lot of quietness; there was a lot of silence whenever the President was making key points.

    “The rest were just normal nuances of politics,” he said.

  • Dogara congratulates Saraki on 56th birthday

    Mr Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of the House of Representatives, on Tuesday, congratulated Dr Bukola Saraki, President of the Senate, on the occasion of his 56th birthday anniversary.

    Dogara felicitated with Saraki in a statement made available to News Agency of Nigeria by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Turaki Hassan, in Abuja.

    He commended the Senate president for his constant promotion of the independence of the legislature and his outstanding contributions to the nation building, describing him as “a courageous and patriotic leader.”

    “I note with great pleasure that in the last three and half years, you have demonstrated great courage and patriotism while conducting the affairs of the Senate and the National Assembly as a whole.

    Read Also: Strike can’t stop NASS from sitting – Gbajabiamila

    “Your consistent display of unwavering commitment to the unity, peace and progress of Nigeria and particularly, the independence of the legislature is legendary and worthy of commendation,” he said.

    According to Dogara, the Senate under Saraki’s leadership has remained focused and people-oriented owing to his dexterity, capacity and vibrancy”.

    “As you mark this auspicious occasion, I wish to join your teeming well-wishers in praying to Almighty God to grant you more wisdom and sound health to continue to serve the nation,” he said.

  • Revenue leakages from MDAs affecting payment of salaries, says Dogara

    •CBN: we’ve no record of under-remittance

    HOUSE of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara yesterday blamed irregular payment of salaries by the federal and state governments on non-remittance of revenue generated by federal agencies into the federation account.

    He spoke at the opening of a four-day investigative hearing into alleged under-remittances of revenue to the federation account.

    The investigation was conducted by the James Abiodun Faleke-headed ad-hoc committee.

    But the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) told the panel that it has no records of unremitted funds by the MDA.

    Dogara, who was represented by Jerry Alagboso (PDP, Imo), frowned at the constant clashes between the Finance ministry and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over revenue remittances and figures.

    He said: “When government is making efforts toward diversifying the economy in order to reduce the country’s over-reliance on the oil sector, it is disheartening to hear repeated allegations of non-remittances of huge amounts of revenue by agencies required to generate and manage our revenue.

    “You may recall that the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) meeting in July was stalemated, two or three times, due to controversies over unremitted revenue.

    “This led to delays in the payment of salaries by the federal and state governments and other budgetary expenditures in most federal government agencies and establishments.”

    Read also: FAAC: Kwara gets N3.9b for November

    The speaker said the continuous bickering, with respect to revenue remittances and figures between the ministry of Finance and NNPC on one hand, and state governments and revenue generating organs of the Federal Government on the other hand, show some of the many instances of unending issues of revenue leakages in our economy.

    Dogara said: “With the dwindling oil fortunes and the spirited efforts being made in the country to diversify our economy base, there is no gain saying the fact that closing up leakages in our economy has become imperative if we must grow our economy and accelerate the development of the country at this period of economic downturn.”

    However, the CBN Director of Banking Services, Dipo Fatokun, represented by Jack Okituetu, an acting director, said the apex bank has no records of under remittances.

    He said: “We don’t have any record of under remittances as CBN is simply a government bank. We’ve never falsified reports as all the revenue agencies have access to their various accounts and we are not also a revenue collecting agency of government.”

    Ad-hoc committee chair Faleke expressed hope that the outcome of the ongoing investigation will help to reposition the revenue generating system at all levels of government towards adequately achieving the goals and mandate of the committee.

    His words: “Apparently the picture being envisaged after now is a Nigerian economy devoid of leakages, with more available funds required to leverage on the many opportunities that abound.”

    He, however, expressed concern over the level of impunity being perpetuated by the agencies, pointing out that they perpetrate impunity.

    Faleke expressed the determination of the House not to compromise the country’s future.

    His words: “The current state of affairs in Nigeria shows a crunch and cash-strapped economy that seems to be crawling at a slow pace out of recession.

    “This has occasioned a bizarre situation where state governments can barely pay salaries, with borrowing categorising a large chunk of government spending and overall budgetary expenditure being adversely affected by dwindling revenues.

    “Yet the current system has continuously encouraged unpatriotic Nigerians to device ways of diverting our revenues for their personal use at the expense of the poor, the vulnerable aged persons, pensioners, our teachers and civil servants as well as the sick and down trodden.

    “Thus, it could be right to assert that given a transparent and accountable revenue remittance system, we would successfully reduce the overdependence on oil as well as the large amounts of borrowing evident in our society.”

    To the CBN, he said: “We demand for a comprehensive list of all mandates given to your bank to make it a complete process.

    “We want to see precisely how all the transactions were made and FAAC transaction so far till date.

    Okituetu promised to make available all the mandates all the next sitting of the committee.

  • Secondus alleges plots to arrest Atiku, Obi, Saraki, Dogara

    •You’re flowing stream of fake news, says Presidency

    PEOPLE’S Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus has raised the alarm, alleging plots by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest some key leaders of the opposition party on trump up charges.

    Secondus listed the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar; his running mate, Peter Obi; Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara and the party’s other leaders as some of those marked for arrest.

    But, the Presidency denied the reports claiming that the Buhari-led government ordered raid on the home of PDP presidential candidate’s son and the alleged blockage of the Obi’s bank accounts and his family.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the reports are manifestation of the PDP’s growing expertise in fake news.

    He called on the public to disregard the reports.

    The statement reads: “The story about the raid ‘ordered by Buhari-led government’ on the home of PDP presidential candidate’s son and the fairy tale on the alleged blockage of the bank accounts of the running mate and his family are both untrue, and should be dismissed as just another manifestation of the PDP’s growing expertise in fake news.

    “Nigerians must be becoming wary by now, of a political party with absolutely nothing to offer in the coming elections and has instead, transformed into a knight in shining armor, slaying the truth.

    “In this so-called transformation, PDP has changed into nothing but to a ceaselessly flowing stream of fake news.

    “It is impossible to find in Nigeria today, anyone propagating fake news more than the PDP.

    “Our advice to Nigerians is: ignore them.”

    In a statement yesterday by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, Secondus warned that the country would explode any moment the EFCC chairman, Ibrahim Magu continued with such impunity.

    Alleging plots to prefer frame up charges against the PDP chieftains, the main opposition party chairman warned that the country is presently sitting on gunpowder.

    Prince Secondus cautioned the Acting EFCC chairman, saying that he won’t get away with the hatchet job he has taken upon himself by using instruments of state to harass and intimidate opposition figures.

    Regretting that Magu has made himself a willing tool for oppression, Secondus said available intelligence indicated that the EFCC chairman was working in cahoots with some prominent chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “They are presiding over clandestine meetings and developing strategies for the APC, which is aimed at caging and crushing critical leaders of the opposition,” Secondus said.

    The party chairman said aside arrest and detention of the targeted opposition leaders, their family members and business associates have also been lined up for intimidation and harassment, including freezing their business interests and their bank accounts.

    Read also: 2019: Knocks for Obasanjo over anti-Buhari comment

    He described as an afterthought fabrication, the EFCC’s statement that the two sons of Atiku, whose residence was raided by the commission operatives on Saturday, were not the target of the raid.

    Secondus noted the security search on Atiku on November 11, when he arrived in the country from Dubai, saying the country has gone into full blown dictatorship.

    “After that embarrassment and harassment aimed at intimidating the candidate and nothing incriminating was found on him, no apology was extended to him as a former number two citizen.

    “They followed it up with the freezing of the bank accounts of our vice presidential candidate as well as that of his friends and family members as part of a large scheme to keep the party distracted from its focus of regaining power in 2019,” the statement added.

     

     

  • House ‘ll not rescind resolution indicting Osinbajo, NEMA, says Dogara

    National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Managing Director Mustapha Maihaja stands indicted and the House of Representatives will not rescind its resolution on the investigative report that informed the decision, it was learnt yesterday.

    The lawmakers also insisted that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has questions to answer over the management of the agency’s finances, being the chairman of its governing board.

    Osinbajo, on Thursday, in a response to the House resolution on NEMA, said insinuations on  the purported indictments and perceived violations of due process or the constitution were baseless and false.

    Such interpretations are flawed and should be utterly ignored, he said.

    Osinbajo was also indicted and recommended for sanction for approving N5.8 billion for the procurement of food items for victims of insurgency in the Northeast in 2016.

    The lawmakers said the money was released, but no procurement was made.

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara, while ruling on a point of order by the Chairman of House Committee on Emergency and Disaster Preparedness, Ali Isa, said the resolution of the House was informed by the documentary evidence at its disposal.

    Dogara said the House would not rescind its decision, neither would it offer any apology over the decision.

    He, however, said the only means through which the House could rescind its decision is if any government official or Nigerian that have issues with the report could present documentary evidence that would invalidate the ones at its disposal.

    On that note, he said until then, the House stands by its decision, would not withdraw the report, rescind its resolution nor apologise to anyone.

    Isa, had in his point of order, complained that some newspapers misrepresented the report’s recommendation and that there was nowhere in the report where the name of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was mentioned for indictment.

    He said the vice president had a case to answer being the chairman of the board that suspended six directors of the agency and the Acting President that approved the release N5.8 billion from the Euro bond component of the Consolidated Revenue Account (CRA) for the procurement of food items for Northeast insurgency victims.

    He said if any government official felt he was indicted, then so be it.

    He said documents showed that no food grains were procured for the purpose.

    “I was expecting them to have waited to receive the report and the resolution before issuing statement and contradicting the report they have not seen.

    “Meanwhile, this is the government that says it’s fighting corruption, but it’s the same government that is attacking this report that has exposed corruption in NEMA.

    “We acted to save the country and the report is all about asking the government to look at areas of inefficiency of the agencies involved,” the House committee chairman said.

    He laid some of the documents that the committee worked on during the investigation that formed the basis of the report and the recommendations.

    Isa, at a news briefing after the plenary, also defended the Speaker over allegations of being behind the travails and the negative report of the committee that indicted the NEMA MD.

     

  • Saraki, Dogara to meet Buhari over Kaduna killings, others

    The Senate yesterday mandated its leadership and the leadership of the House of Representatives to urgently meet with President Muhammadu Buhari over increasing spate of killings in parts of the country.

    Saraki and Dogara were specifically asked to enquire from Buhari how the recommendations of the National Assembly on ways and means to prevent crisis in the country were being implemented.

    The resolution followed the consideration and adoption of a motion on: “The wanton killings in Kaduna State, a call for caution.”

    Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North), in his lead debate, drew the attention of the Senate to the wanton killings in Kasuwa Magani, a suburb of Kaduna metropolis under Chikun Local Government.

    He expressed concerned over the destruction of lives and property that “have been spiral in the past days of the week”.

    Read also: Senate urges action on gully erosion menace

    Hunkuyi said the Senate should note “the indiscriminate and senseless killings and insecurity that have pervaded Kaduna and its environs even with the curfew imposed within the state”.

    He feared that the curfew while necessary to curb unwarranted movement could also be counter-productive, when majority of the people of the state were living from hand to mouth.

    The senator said: “Locking people at home can only solve one aspect of the problem, while it can lead to other crimes like robbery and theft.”

    He said the Senate should be aware that the paramount ruler of Adara land, Angwan Adara has been taken hostage with six of his aides killed during a kidnap and hostage-taking on the route from Kaduna to Kachia, which is the headquarters of Adara Chiefdom.

    Hunkuyi prayed the Senate to prevail on the Kaduna State Government and the Federal Government to quicken the release of the paramount ruler of Adara, who was taken away about a week ago.

    Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central), who officially announced his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), said the killings were totally condemnable.

    Senator Danjuma La’ah (Kaduna South) described what is going on in Kaduna as “most unfortunate”.

    He said those being killed in Zamfara State were Muslims while those being killed Kaduna State were Christians.

    La’ah criticised the action of Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai for leaving the state without handing over to the deputy governor.

    The Kaduna South senators said it was obvious that those behind the killings were known.

    Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central), in his contribution, said those behind the killings “were well known”.

    Marafa noted that the killings persist because the perpetrators were never punished.

    Senator Philip Gyunka (Nasarawa North) said the problem should be traced to the doorstep of the state governor.

    Saraki said those who spoke underscored the fact that perpetrators were not held accountable for their act.

    He said there was no doubt that there were problems that needed to be sorted out.

    He said the Senate should schedule a date to discuss that issue with heads of security agencies.

    Senator Emmanuel Bwacha countered that a head of security agency invited to discuss the issue refused to honour the invitation “and nothing was done to him”.

    Saraki agreed with the suggestion of the Senate leader Senator Ahmed Lawan that the National Assembly leadership should engage the Executive on implementation of resolutions on national security.

    After two weeks of resumption from its 11-week recess, the National Assembly yesterday adjourned plenary for another two weeks.

    The Senate and the House are scheduled to reconvene on Tuesday, November 6.

    Saraki, who announced the adjournment, said the break is essentially to enable members of standing committees to carry out their annual oversight functions.

    Saraki said the senators are required to focus primarily on the implementation of the 2018 budget.

    The Senate yesterday confirmed Mr. Lanre Gbajabiamila as the Director General of the National Lottery Regulatory Commission.

    The confirmation followed a favourable report submitted to the upper legislative body by the Senate Committee on Sports and Youth Development.

    Presenting the report, chairman of the committee, Senator Obinna Ogba (Ebonyi Central), said the committee decided to confirm Gbajabiamila after finding him suitable for the job, following an extensive screening exercise.

    Similarly, the Senate also confirmed the nomination of Dr. Bello Tukur Ingawa as chairman of the Federal Civil Service Commission. Ingawa hailed from Katsina State.

    Also confirmed alongside Ingawa were 12 commissioners of the commission.

    Their confirmation followed a report submitted to plenary by the chairman of the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service, Senator Paulker Emmanuel (Bayelsa Central).

  • There’s N300b vote in 2018 budget for election funding, says Dogara

    FUNDING for the 2019 general elections is assured, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara has said.

    According to Dogara, there is already provision to take care of such contingencies that might arise in the Service Wide Votes.

    Speaking with reporters at the National Assembly yesterday, Dogara said there is about N300 billion service wide vote provided in the 2018 budget.

    This can be used to service election funding, he said.

    The House of Representatives, he said, considers issues affecting Nigerians as top priority, adding that pending matters, Electoral Act inclusive, would be given accelerated attention.

    His words: “You see, we are servants of the people by our calling as representatives of Nigerians and we don’t have the right to put our interests forward before the interests of the people.

    “We are here to serve public good. These issues are outstanding and it was never going to be threatened in any way as was widely perceived, because we have a provision in the budget for service-wide votes, about N300 billion and whatever was the emergency would have been met from that service-wide fund that we have allocated in the budget.

    “As we are back, we have set ourselves to accomplish what is there in the interest of the people. Even if it means in a day or two, we will accomplish that, even if it means handling it as we did for the ease of doing business bills. There were times that within a week we went through the first, second and third reading and passed it into law just because we saw the need for us to expand the economic space and improve citizens’ participation and wealth creation and the expansion of our economy, especially during these days of economic recession.

    “So, nothing is impossible and I can assure you that as soon as we get the reports submitted from the various committees, hopefully within the week, we should be able to deal with them.”

  • We ‘ll carry out party’s instruction on Dogara, says Akpatason

    THE lawmaker representing Akoko-Edo in the House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason, has emphasised that All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers will carry out any instruction of the party’s leadership on the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.

    Dogara recently defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    Akpatason, who spoke to reporters at his country home, warned the APC leadership against manipulation of the party’s primaries.

    The lawmaker, who is seeking a return ticket to the House, said his people were in support of his third term bid.

    Saying that the APC was not happy with what Dogara did, the former NUPENG President said it was an aberration for a member of another political party to continue to be Speaker.

    His words: “We, as party loyalists, will carry out any instruction we get from the party. We will study the situation when we get back. Whatever the situation is, it’s what we will react to.

    “We cannot be happy to have a Speaker that belongs to another party. It is an aberration and has to be treated as such.”

    On the shifting of National Assembly primaries of the APC, Akpatason noted that the postponement would make aspirants to lose money.

    He stated that any money given out in terms of logistics would not be returned when elections are postponed.

    According to him, direct primaries were not prone to manipulation like the indirect primaries, where delegates could be bribed.