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Tag: Emmanuel Paulker

  • Senator resolves chieftaincy tussle in Bayelsa community

    Senator Emmanuel Paulker representing Central Senatorial District has resolved an age-long chieftaincy tussle in his Opolo community in Yenagoa Local Government Area of the state.

    It was gathered at the weekend that Paulker’s intervention restored the peace in the community and led to the election of Chief Ekezie Gabriel as the new Paramount Ruler.

    The community was reportedly thrown into crisis following the expiration of the tenure of the former traditional ruler council of the area, which caused litigations and arrest of many indigenes of the community.

    Confirming the development, a family head, Chief Hezekiah Odede, said that the chieftaincy crisis was resolved through the efforts of Paulker.

    He said prior to Paulker’s intervention, the community was divided with rival groups laying claims to the traditional stool.

    He confirmed that many court cases were filed against the people of the community adding that many indigenes were arrested and detained by the police.

    Odede said the senator, who got wind of the impasse persuaded the two factions to sheathe their swords and work for the peace of the community.

    Read Also: Senator advises Buhari on new cabinet

    He said: “It was after the Paulker’s intervention that election was conducted and Chief Ekezie Gabriel won as the Paramount ruler and all his council members. With this, the Senator has made good impact on the lives of Opolo people because the crisis almost destroyed this community.

    “Everybody now is living as brothers and sisters just like our fathers used to live. We are now enjoying the sustained peace up till today. Businesses in our community is doing well.

    “Besides, the Senator has attracted many social amenities to our area, including water projects, solar lights, library with computers and others.

    “You know, here in Niger Delta, access to portable water is our problem because of the oil explosion, that is the problem we face before now, but with the installation of these water projects around this community, many people no longer Falk sick due to water burnt disease”.

  • Senate probes NNPC diversion of $1.05 bn NLNG dividend

    The Senate, on Tuesday, asked its Committee on Gas Resources to investigate alleged diversion of $1.05 dollars by the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Maikanti Baru, last week, told the Senate that the NNPC was using Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) funds to augment under-recoveries in the importation of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS).

    The NNPC GMD claimed that the landing cost of the product was higher than the government control price of N145 per liter.

    Baru who appeared before the Senate ad-hoc committee set up to investigate alleged $3.5 billion subsidy fund, noted that the fund was sourced from the NLNG dividend funds.

    He said that the decision was taken at the height of last fuel scarcity experienced by the country between December 2017 and January 2018.

    Baru said that the corporation acted in line with a directive from the National Assembly “to do everything necessary to end the scarcity of fuel in the country”.

    Baru noted that the decision was also in line with section 7 (4) (b) of the NNPC Act which mandates it to fund its operations from its revenues.

    The NNPC represents the Federal Government, which holds 49 per cent stake in the NLNG shareholding.

    In a statement on Monday, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said that it was illegal for the NNPC to unilaterally draw from the NLNG dividend funds without appropriation by the National Assembly.

    Saraki said the dividends paid to the federal government from the NLNG business were supposed to be kept in the federation account and shared among the three tiers of government.

    Chairman of the Senate Committee on Gas, Senator Bassey Akpan, Tuesday, raised a point of order at plenary, seeking the permission of the Chamber to carry out a thorough investigation into the withdrawals and spending by the NNPC from the NLNG account.

    Akpan noted that utilizing the funds without appropriation by the National Assembly and without the knowledge of state and local governments was an illegal act that should be investigated.

    He said: “The Senate Committee on Gas has received several calls, complaints and questions from the general public through phone calls, emails on the basis of what has been trending in the newspapers and social media on the unauthorized withdrawal of over $1 billion from the proceeds of the NLNG dividends account by the NNPC.

    “The NLNG dividend account belongs to the three tiers of government and comes under the Consolidated Revenue Account. Therefore, any unauthorized withdrawal from the account without the approval of the National Assembly or any other structure of government is illegal.

    “I therefore, seek the leave of the President of the Senate, to allow the Senate Committee on Gas to investigate this withdrawal and other withdrawals and the way and manner the account of the NLNG proceed is treated by the NNPC and report back to the Senate,

    Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, said that the investigation of the 1.05 billion dollar NLNG dividend fund should be left for the ad-hoc committee, which he chairs and is already looking into the matter.

    The 15-member ad-hoc Committee was set up on Oct. 16 to investigate the alleged secret spending of 3.5 billion dollars by the NNPC on fuel subsidy.

    Lawan said, “Mr President, I don’t think at this juncture that the Senate Committee on Gas should go and investigate the utilization of the 1.05 billion dollar from the NLNG dividend fund.

    “We are already doing that. But if the committee on gas is to do this, it means our work is over, because we adjourned, NNPC is presenting all their documents to the committee next week.

    “We are sitting this afternoon with other stakeholders. So, I pernally feel that this will subtract from what we are doing, and I think it will make our work unnecessary.”

    Senator Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa Central) disagreed with Lawan saying that the matter being investigated by the ad-hoc committee was different from the NLNG fund.

    He said: “The ad-hoc committee was set up specifically to look into the alleged spending of 3.5 billion dollars on fuel subsidy.

    Subsidy issue should not be confused with the issue of the interest that arose from the dividend of the NLNG. So, I believe they are two different issues.

    “So, while the ad-hoc committee is going on with their work to identify what NNPC did with the subsidy, I see nohting wrong for the gas committee to investigate the usage of the dividend arising from the NLNG Ltd,” Paulker said

    Saraki agreed with Akpan and Paulker.

    He said that the Gas committee’s investigation would be restricted to the utilisation of the NLNG dividend fund.

    He noted that the dividend issue was beyond the alleged 3.5 billion subsidy payment and should be separately investigated by the Committee on Gas.

    Saraki said: “Who knows, maybe the dividend is also being used for other things, may be for recurrent expenditure, we don’t even know. I think the ad-hoc committee’s investigation is wide, and Akpan is talking about dividend of NLNG being used for subsidy.

    “Could it be that the fund is also being used for other things as well? I think they are two separate issues.”

  • WAEC: Senate inaugurates committee to investigate recurring mass failure

    The Senate has directed its Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary) to interact with the Minister of Education to identify the causes of the recurring failure in the WAEC results with a view to finding remedies.

    The resolution followed the adoption of a motion sponsored by Sen. Umaru Kurfi (Katsina Central), who described the recurring mass failure of West African Examination Council ( WAEC ) results in the country since 2009 as embarrassing.

    The Senator expressed worry that the rate of failure continues to increase, saying it was prejudicial to the interest of Nigerians secondary school students and their parents.

    According to him, in both 2009 and 2010 WAEC, only 25.99 and 24.94 per cent respectively passed with 5 credits including Mathematics and English, while the remaining others constituting 70 per cent failed.

    “In 2011 May/June WAEC, only 86,612 out of the 1,540,250 candidates that participated in the examinations got credit in mathematics and English language.

    “Also in 2011 May/June WAEC, only 86,612 out of 1,540,250 candidates that participated in the examinations got credits in Mathematics and English Language.

    “In 2012 May/June WAEC, only 649,159 out of 1,672,224 candidates that wrote the examinations which represents just 38.81 per cent got 5 credits and above including in the core subjects of Mathematics and English language.

    “In 2013 WAEC, only 29.17 per cent candidates actually passed the Nov/Dec WAEC examinations while 70 per cent failed.

    “In both 2017 and 2018 recent January/February private examinations, only 26.01 per cent and 17.13 per cent candidates have passed with 5 credits including Mathematics and English language respectively, while the remaining over 70 per cent candidates failed,’’ he said.

    Kurfi regretted that the future of the country would continue to be bleak if urgent action were not taken to address the situation.

    Contributing, Sen. Barau Jibrin said that urgent steps must be taken to find reasons for the failure and remedies.

    Sen. Emmanuel Paulker said that the situation called for a grave concern, attributing the development to the problem from poor quality of education received at the primary school level.

    “And it is this same crop of students that will move to the secondary school. Some of them can hardly write or read; without a foundation, there is no way a house can stand.

    “Those formulating our school curriculum must sit up, if not, we have our future doomed,’’ Paulker said.

    On her part, Sen. Biodun Olujimi emphasised the need to evaluate the entire value chain in the education sector, saying, “There is need for revaluation to understand where the missing link is.

    “There is also the need to look at teacher education because we have some teachers who are not properly trained, who don’t do research and cannot read or write.

    “So, how can they teach our children well,” Olujimi said.

    In his remark, the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki stressed the need to increase the value of human resources to promote quality education in the country.

    “I am sure the committee will work assiduously to get to the bottom of this matter and see that it is addressed.

    “Indeed the education sector need some reforms,’’ Saraki said.

    NAN

  • Ambassadorial nominees:  Senator raises alarm over omission of Bayelsa State

    Ambassadorial nominees:  Senator raises alarm over omission of Bayelsa State

    The Senator representing Bayelsa Central Senatorial District, Emmanuel Paulker, Tuesday raised the alarm over the omission of Bayelsa State in the list of ambassadorial nominees submitted to the Senate for confirmation and approval by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Senator Paulker noted that he was inundated with calls by his constituents and other concerned Nigerians who drew his attention to the fact that no nominee from Bayelsa State was included among the ambassador designates.

    The lawmaker said that he carefully went through the list sent to the Senate and discovered indeed that there was no nominee from Bayelsa State.

    Paulker said that the non-inclusion of a nominee from Bayelsa State is made more painful when it is realised that some states had three nominees while others had two.

    He prayed the Senate to mandate its committee on Foreign Affairs to take up the matter to ensure that justice was done to the state.

    President Buhari had on June 9th, 2016 forwarded a list of 47 ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation and approval.

    Paulker said, “Mr. President, just as we left here (Senate) at the close of work (on Thursday June 9th, 2016) my other two colleagues and I were inundated with calls drawing our attention to the fact that no nominee from Bayelsa was reflected on the list of ambassadorial nominees sent to the Senate.

    “Mr. President initially I thought those calls were misplaced but we have gone through the record and discovered that the calls were not misplaced.

    “Mr. President, facts are available to us that even in the Foreign Affairs Ministry at least we have two Bayelsans that are on the level of deputy directors.

    “I believe that these two personalities can fit into where these nominees came from.

    “Equally in the list there are some states that have up to three in number. Non-inclusion of any Bayelsans on the list is a clear violation of the Constitution.

    “My only prayer is that before the committee considers this list, I implore you and my colleagues to tell the committee and in fact communicate to the Presidency about the omission so that justice can be done to the state called Bayelsa.”

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki noted that in line with Senate rules Senator Paulker discussed the matter with him.

    Saraki added “You know according to our rules under Order 43, there would be no debate but however I am happy that the chairman committee on Foreign Affairs is here, they will take note of this observation while they carry out their work on this matter. By tomorrow (Wednesday) we would have committed that to the Foreign Affairs Committee to work on it.”

  • Court refuses to restrain Saraki on choice of Minority Leader

    Court refuses to restrain Saraki on choice of Minority Leader

    Justice Gabriel Kolawole of the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Wednesday refused to restrain the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and 17 others from departing from the Senate’s standing rules in the appointment of Minority Leader for the 8th National Assembly.

    Two members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – Alaye Don Pedro (Ward 8 Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers State) and Okechukwu Ibeh of Umukegwu/Umuopia in Ide Ato Local Government Area of Imo State – had, in an ex-parte motion sought to restrain Saraki and 17 members of the PDP South -South Senate Caucus from choosing the Minority Leader outside the provision of Order 3(2) of the Senate Standing Order 2015 (as amended).

    The plaintiffs are contending that the alleged plot by some individuals to make former Akwa Ibom State governor, Godwill Akpabio (a first term Senator) the Senate’s Minority leader, was in violation of Order 3(2) of the Senate Standing Order 2015 (as amended).

    Named with Saraki as respondents, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/602/2005 are – Akpabio, Nelson Effiong, Bassey Albert, Emmanuel Paulker, Ogola Foster, Ben Murray Bruce, John Owan Enoh, Gershom Bassey, Rose Oko, James Manager, Peter Nwaoboshi, Ighoyota Amori, Clifford Ordia, Mathew Urhoghide, George Thomson Sekibo, Olaka Nwogu and Osinachukwu Ideozu.

    Justice Kolawole in his ruling refused the plaintiffs’ prayer for “an order restraining the 2nd to 18 respondents from selecting or appointing the Minority Leader of the Senate by a procedure in breach of Order 3(2) of the Senate Standing Order 2015 (as amended) pending the determination of the substantive suit.”

    The judge also refused their request for an “order prohibiting the 1st respondent from accepting, recognising, announcing or giving effect to the appointment of a Minority Leader of the Senate, whose appointment is in breach of Order 3(2) of the Senate Standing Orders 2015 (as amended) pending the determination of the substantive suit.”

    Justice Kolawole, who noted that the plaintiffs were neither members of the Senate nor contestants for the position of Minority Leader, said he could not grant their prayers because they failed to establish the interest they sought to protect.

  • Senate seeks probe of Ecological funds’ beneficiaries

    Senate seeks probe of Ecological funds’ beneficiaries

    The Senate yesterday urged its relevant committees to investigate those who have benefitted from the Ecological Funds to ascertain whether or not the money was properly utilised.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu gave the directive, following a debate on a motion, titled: Ocean Surge in Coastal Areas and Consequences for Coastal Dwellers, sponsored by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream), Emmanuel Paulker (Bayelsa Central), and 30 others.

    Ekweremadu said the Senate believed there was no proper application of the ecological funds for the purposes for which it was set.

    He said: “I believe that our appropriate committees need to investigate to find out who receives this ecological fund and how it is being applied, to ensure that it is being applied appropriately for matters, such as this (ocean surge).

    “The government at different levels – the states, the local governments and the Federal Government – need to also show more interest regarding our coastal lines to save lives and property of our people living there…”

    Paulker called the attention of the Senate to the plight of coastal communities in Bayelsa and Delta states, who were recently displaced by rising ocean waves.

    The senator said the affected communities include Koluama I, Koluama II, Foropa and several other communities in Southern Ijaw Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.

    He said the residents had “cried about the current ocean activities in the area, which have killed many of their people, wiped out their communities and destroyed their markets and property worth billions of naira and permanently altered their lifestyles”.

    The Senate adopted the prayers of the motion. It urged the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to send materials to those displaced by the ocean surge.

    It urged the Federal Government to ensure proper utilisation of Ecological Funds and pay compensation from Chevron to the affected communities.

    Ayogu Eze (Enugu North) advised relevant agencies to ensure effective enforcement against oil companies that breached environmental impact assessment laws.

     

     

     

     

    Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North) said the misapplication of the ecological funds by various tiers of government was the major cause of ecological challenges ravaging parts of the country.