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Tag: Dr Bukola Saraki

  • Saraki congratulates Onnoghen

    Saraki congratulates Onnoghen

    The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has congratulated the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen, for his confirmation by the Senate on Wednesday.

    Saraki, who felicitated with Onnoghen on his Facebbok page, said that the man’s confirmation was a major milestone in Nigeria’s democratic process.

    “Today, we screened and cleared Justice Walter Onnoghen, for confirmation as the Chief Justice of Nigeria.

    “The screening represents a major milestone in the progress of our democratic process.

    “I am pleased to note that all arms of government have played their parts exactly as envisaged in our Constitution.

    “On behalf of my distinguished colleagues, I congratulate Justice Walter Onnoghen for his well-deserved elevation to the highest judicial office in the land.

    “This achievement should underscore the inspiring reality that a Nigerian can grow to any position he merits,” he said.

    The President of the senate, however, urged Onnoghen to deepen the productive relationship between the legislature and the judiciary.

    He pledged that the senate “will collaborate with the two other arms to support critical reforms and other initiatives that will improve the integrity and the impact of the judiciary.

    “On behalf of my colleagues, I wish Justice Walter Onnoghen a most fruitful tenure as Chief Justice of Nigeria”.

    The new Chief Justice of Nigeria was appointed in acting capacity by President Muhammadu Buhari on Nov. 10, 2016, following the retirement of Justice Mahmud Mohammed.

    His appointment was also on the recommendation of the National Judicial Council.

  • Senate begins probe of NNPC over alleged N5.1trn subsidy fraud

    Senate begins probe of NNPC over alleged N5.1trn subsidy fraud

    The Senate has initiated probe into an alleged N5.1 trillion fuel subsidy fraud, believed to have been stolen by some Nigerians in connivance with top officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) between 2006 and 2016.

    At its plenary session of Wednesday, the upper legislative body alleged that the NNPC failed to remit the monies into the Federation Account.

    In a motion sponsored by Senator Dino Malaye (Kogi West), the lawmakers said some corrupt Nigerian were hiding the funds in caskets, uncompleted buildings and in remote villages in different parts of the country.

    “Monies are not accounted for and that might be the reason why we now see petro-dollars buried in caskets and uncompleted buildings in remote villages in some parts of the country”, Melaye said.

    Melaye drew the attention of the Senate to the continued refusal of the Federal Government to probe the NNPC, which he said got 51 percent share of imported petroleum products into the country.

    Petroleum product marketers, some of who are currently facing trial over alleged subsidy fraud, are responsible for the remaining 49 percent of the importation of the products.

    The senator observed that it was the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, that raised the alarm over subsidy fraud in the Seventh Senate, wondering why the government is trying only the marketers, leaving the NNPC off the hook.

    Said he, “While we are prosecuting the independent marketers whose proceeds from subsidy stood at N3.83 trillion, the NNPC collected a total of N5.1 trillion on subsidy and this has never been investigated.

    “This has never been looked at and we are busy chasing independent marketers. The time to look at the books of the NNPC as regards petroleum subsidy is now.

    “We have taken the lead in the fight against corruption in this chamber and I want to say we must do everything within our powers to investigate and bring whoever is found wanting to book”.

    In his contribution, Saraki noted that the alleged subsidy fraud was a serious matter, saying that it goes to the core of the fight against corruption, particularly as it affects the NNPC.

    At the end of the debate, the Senate mandated its committee on Petroleum (Downstream) to investigate the NNPC’s accounts relating to fuel subsidy and the abuse of product marketing and distribution between 2006 and 2016.

    Saraki said, “A situation where individuals do what they like and are not accountable to anybody should be stopped. The committee should do a thorough job and ensure that they get to the root of this issue. It borders on the issue of corruption which has been affecting the country negatively”.

  • ‘President l saw today is healthy, witty and himself’

    ‘President l saw today is healthy, witty and himself’

    Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki has assured that President Muhammadu Buhari who is on an extended vacation in London on medical grounds is “healthy, witty and himself.”

    In a statement issued after he visited Buhari along with Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Saraki said there is no cause for alarm over the President’s health.

    ” We were delighted to see that President Buhari is doing well, was cheerful and in good spirits

    ” The President l saw today is healthy, witty and himself.

    “The President’s absence and imminent return show that there is no vacuum in government and our system of democracy is working with all organs of government fulfilling their mandate. And let me use the time-tested cliche, there is no cause for alarm,” Saraki stated.

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  • APC Senators fire Ndume as Senate leader

    APC Senators fire Ndume as Senate leader

    The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, at plenary on Tuesday, announced Sen. Ahmed Lawan (APC-Yobe North) as Leader of the Senate.

    Reading a letter from the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate Caucus dated January 10, Saraki said based on the letter, Sen Ali Ndume (APC-Borno South) was no longer the leader of the senate.

    He further stated that “a letter from the APC Senate Caucus dated January 10, His Excellency, the President of the Senate, notice of change of leadership.

    “This is to inform your Excellency and the senate that after several meetings held on Monday, Jan. 9, 2017 and upon due deliberations and consultations, the APC caucus of the senate wishes to notify you of the change in the leadership of the senate.

    “The new senate leader  is now Senator Ahmed Lawan, representing Yobe North Senatorial  District, Yobe State.’’

    In his reaction, Ndume expressed shock at his removal as the leader of the senate.

    He said he had no prior information with regard to the development, adding that the announcement of his removal was made when he stepped out of the chamber.

    “I was leading the business of the senate and I asked Bala Ibn N’Allah to sit in for me to pray and on coming back the session ended.

    “I didn’t know that there was a change because I went to pray. I don’t know if I am no longer the senate leader.

    “I was not invited for any meeting. There should be a procedure. The announcement came to me as a surprise, I can’t tell you more than that.”

    Ndume said he was not sure if his removal was as a result of his position on Ibrahim Magu’s non-confirmation as Chairman, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    He promised to speak to newsmen on the development.

    The APC in a mock election on June 6, 2015, adopted Sen. Ahmed Lawan as President of the Senate.

    However, Saraki emerged President of the Senate at the inauguration of  8thNational Assembly on June 9, 2015, while Ndume emerged as the leader of the senate.

    Until his emergence as the leader of the senate, Lawan was Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence.

     

  • Saraki pays tribute to late Kure

    Saraki pays tribute to late Kure

    The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has expressed shock over the death of the former Governor of Niger State, Abdulkadir Kure.

    In a statement signed by Bamikole Omisore, Special Assistant (New Media) to the Senate President,  Saraki described Kure as a man who sacrificed all he had for nation building.

    He said that the death of Kure had left a vacuum that could not be easily filled.

    “I received the shocking news of the demise of a political Icon, Engineer Abdulkadir Kure, his demise no doubt leaves a vacuum that cannot be easily filled, “he said.

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    He said that the late Kure was an inspiration for many, especially the downtrodden, adding that his memory and legacy would linger on till eternity.

    The Senate President also commiserated with the family of the late Kure, most especially his Wife, Sen. Zainab Kure, who had also served the country as a Senator.

    Saraki urged the former Senator to take heart and accept the will of God over the shocking death of her husband.

    He prayed Allah to grant the departed soul Al-Jannah Firdaus (the best abode in Paradise).

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  • Senate committee calls for improved response to the North-East crisis

    Senate committee calls for improved response to the North-East crisis

    A call has gone out to the Federal and state governments to ensure improved coordination and synergy for the well being of the Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East.

    The Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis headed by Sen. Shehu Sani made the call on Tuesday at a public hearing in Abuja.

    He said that the synergy became necessary to make life comfortable for the IDPs.

    Sani said, “ The suffering of the IDPs was not as a result of lack of funds, donations or lack of empathy.

    “It is due to lack of coordination and synergy in the laudable initiatives of humanitarian crisis management by both state and federal governments.’’

    “The lack of coordination can be seen in the executive’s intervention initiatives,’’ the said.

    He noted that the Presidential Committee on the North-East Initiative was designed to integrate all actors and actions of humanitarian crisis management into one coordinated national roadmap.

    He, however, observed that it had been operating independently from yet another committee.

    Sani decried that IDPs were faced with multiple challenges, including lack of food, shelter and clothing and sexual abuse among women and diversion of humanitarian materials by “some unscrupulous agents of devils.”

    He, however, noted with delight that international donor agencies were scaling up their humanitarian responses to the starving and malnourished children in the North-East.

    Declaring the session open, President of the Senate Dr Bukola Saraki also stressed the need by stakeholders to strengthen humanitarian response coordination to ensure life-saving assistance to about 5 million people.

    The Deputy Senate President, Sen.Ike Ekweremadu, represented the Saraki at the occasion.

    Saraki was represented by said that it was time for the government to give a clear directive on which organisation was supposed to be the lead agency to coordinate the response to the ongoing crisis.

    “Currently, there are two agencies the international community has been told to liaise with for the purposes of coordination.

    “This is not a sustainable or functional solution. I hope the government can move expeditiously to harmonise the necessary efforts with international partners,” Saraki said.

    He said that with lean resources and as responsible representatives of the people, the legislators must ensure that the resources set aside for the improvement of the life of the IDPs were judiciously applied.

  • Senate to FG: Declare security emergency in Southern Kaduna

    Senate to FG: Declare security emergency in Southern Kaduna

    The Senate on Tuesday urged the Federal Government to declare a “security emergency” in Southern Kaduna.

    The call followed a motion by Sen. Danjuma La’ah (PDP-Kaduna), who told the senate at plenary that since 2011 many communities in the senatorial district had been consistently attacked by herdsmen.

    He said that such attacks had resulted in deaths, loss of property and displacement of indigenes of the communities.

    La’ah noted that the district was substantially agrarian with large arable and fertile lands.

    “We are aware that there has been regular attack by armed herdsmen, the latest being on the 15th and 16th Oct. 2016 in Godogodo community in Jama’a Local Government Area.

    “Subsequent to the attacks, these herdsmen have virtually occupied the displaced communities and are grazing their cattle freely,” he said.

    According to him, the Kaduna State Government and the Federal Government had made efforts at restoring peace in the area but apparently, the efforts are neither adequate nor effective to prevent more attacks.

    Contributing, Sen. Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) said that the motion was an ample opportunity for senators to intervene in the crisis.

    “It is not that it is the first time a government will intervene, but there have been series of interventions that have not produced any result.

    “It is very clear that security agencies and the government have failed to provide security for people who live around that area.”

    He explained that “what we can do is not simply about condemning what has been happening because there has been lots of condemnation that has not produced any result.”

    “The lawmaker said that what was needful was for the senate to see the killings as “a matter of life and death.”

    “I believe the intervention of the senate will seriously help the people of Southern Kaduna to get out of the quagmire which they have found themselves,’’ he said.

    In his remark, the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, said that it was clear and very important that the increase in violent killings was of great concern and that something needed to be done.

    “We must as a society, be able to live happily and harmoniously together and anything that threatens that is a threat to the country in general.”

  • Senate moves to avert ASUU strike

    Senate moves to avert ASUU strike

    The Senate on Tuesday pledged to engage relevant stakeholders to avert  the warning strike being planned by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    ASUU had on Monday announced plans to embark on a one-week warning strike over the inability of government to implement agreements reached with it since 2009.

    The move by the Senate to intervene in the matter followed a motion moved by Sen. Jibrin Barau (APC-Kano North) under matters of urgent national importance.

    The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, urged the chamber to intervene and ensure that the eight -year- agreement was fully implemented.

    “We must find a way of seeing to the implementation and we will look into the matter quickly.

    “We will also get the relevant parties to quickly come to the table so that we can find a way of moving forward and report back to us,” he said.

    While reading the motion, Sen. Jibrin Barau, who is Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TetFund, urged government to implement all agreements.

    He also urged government to as well carry out certain actions that were necessary for the wellbeing of the development of Nigerian public universities.

    The lawmaker, however, commended ASUU for choosing the path of dialogue rather than confrontation as a means of resolving all the outstanding issues between it and the Federal Government.

    In his contribution, Sen. Danjuma Goje (APC-Gombe Central) noted that the history of strike in the country was a recurring decimal.

    “It is a disturbing issue to parents and students. There is need to nip it in the bud. We should not allow it to escalate,” Goje said.

    Goje said the motion was apt and called on the senate to engage the leadership of ASUU in order to suspend its planned warning strike.

    The Majority Leader, Sen. Mohammed Ndume, described the senate as a stabilising agent and called for the immediate intervention of the senate leadership in the matter.

  • BREAKING: Appeal court dismisses Saraki’s appeal against tribunal

    BREAKING: Appeal court dismisses Saraki’s appeal against tribunal

    The Court of Appeal in Abuja has again affirmed the jurisdiction of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) to try the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki on charges bordering on assets declaration breaches before the CCT.

    In affirming the ruling of the CCT presided over by Justice Danladi Umar, which affirmed the tribunal’s jurisdiction, Justice Abdul Aboki held among others that contrary to Saraki’s contention, the Attorney-General of the Federation had the power to institute charges against him before the CCT.

    Delivering judgment on Thursday in the appeal filed by Saraki, the Justice Aboki-led panel of the appeal court affirmed the CCT’s jurisdiction after dismissing the appeal filed by the Senate President challenging his trial before the tribunal.

    All the four other members of the panel unanimously agreed with the lead judgment delivered by Justice Aboki‎ who resolved all the eight issues formulated for determination against Saraki.

     

     

  • Budget padding: Group calls for overhauling of NASS

    Budget padding: Group calls for overhauling of NASS

    Following controversies trailing the budget padding scandal, a civil society group under aegis of the Concerned Nigerian Citizens Tuesday called for total overhauling of the National Assembly (NASS).

    The group during a briefing on state of the nation in Abuja described actions of both leaders of the national assembly as unhonourable.

    CNC National Coordinator, Barr. Olusegun Bamgbose emphasised that corrupt practices of the Senate Leader, Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara was capable of destroying future of young Nigerians, thus unworthy of being in the NASS.

    However, he called for the sack of the leadership of both chambers over the corruption allegations.

    Bamgbose noted that the House has been desecrated and in dire need of urgent sanitation, as it lacks what he called the “TEA principle of good governance, that is, Transparency, Equity and Accountability.‎”

    His words: “The entire leadership should be overhauled for sanity to prevail in the legislature. The national assembly has been polluted and there is need for urgent sanitation of the system. There is need for total overhauling of the polity.

    “As concerned citizens of Nigeria, we have a choice, either to act and rescue our Nation or watch our Nation fall. We will not watch our Nation fall. If we refuse to contain and curtail corruption, corruption will crush us.”

    Speaking on Saraki’s case, the group expressed concerns, stressing that, “As concerned Nigerians citizens we deem it absurd, unethical and unacceptable for Dr. Bukola Saraki to still hold on to his position as Senate President. This is unheard of in any civilized and progressive country.

    “How can we have a Senate President that is standing trial for false declaration of assets and forgery and he still deem it fit to occupy the honourable position of the third citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This is absurd. When he is called up in the court, he is referred to as the Accused person and yet presides over our hallowed chambers. This is not acceptable to us.”

    “As a matter of principle, we urge the speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara to step down for proper interrogation,” he added.

    The group utters their concern over the future of the country in the face of corruption and called everyone to join in the fight against corruption.

    “The fight against corruption will amount to be a mockery if these matters are swept under the carpet.

    “The ruling party should not for any reason ‘kill’ these matters in the name of political settlement. We equally urge the Attorney General of the Federation never to withdraw the charges against the Senate President.

    “On our part as concerned citizens of Nigerians we want to tell the leadership of the National Assembly to stop playing politics with the future of Nigerians.” The group warned.