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Tag: Femi Gbajabiamila

  • Reps pass vote of no confidence on Fayemi, Bwari

    Reps pass vote of no confidence on Fayemi, Bwari

     

    The House of Representatives has passed a vote of no confidence on the Minister of  Mines and Steel  Kayode  Fayemi and his deputy, Minister of State, Abubakar Bwari for failing its invitation to address the parliament on the state of the nation’s steel sector with particular reference to the Ajaokuta Steel Company.

    Though the non appearance of the two Ministers did not affect the commencemen of the sectoral debate, the House is to constitute an ad hoc committee to investigate the state of Ajaokuta Steel Company that was 98 percent completed since 1993 but has remained stagnated till date.

    The lawmakers said the attitude of the two Ministers has lent credence  to insinuations that there were too many incompetent Ministers in the government of the day.

    The decision of the House followed the adoption of a motion by the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, who said the attitude of the two Ministers amounted to lack of courtesy for the parliament despite being informed of the importance of the debate to the Nigerian economy.

    After his opening remarks, Speaker Yakubu Dogara explained why the need for the sectoral debate was meant to prevent the sector and the steel company from imminent total collapse.

    He said that the Ministers could not claim ignorance of the invitation having been written on 16th February, adding that the Ministry’s  Permanent Secretary replied the letter.

    The lawmakers were angered.

    Reacting to the Ministers’ absence, Hassan Ado Doguwa, Chief Whip of the House said the non-appearance of the two Ministers was an affront on the entire people of Nigeria being their elected representatives.

    “This attitude is unfortunate, unacceptable and we cannot tolerate it, no one should undermine the parliament in the name of being a Minister”, he said.

    Minority Whip, Yakubu Barde said the attitude of the two Ministers has shown that being members of the party in government, the two have no respect for their leaders.

    While he said his reaction was non partisan, he urged his colleagues to apply the law on the two.

    Umar Bago (APC, Niger) said the unnecessary romance of the House with the Executive arm of governmwnt has ended with the attitude of the Ministers.

    “Its time to draw the line, because they have over crossed the line,” he added.

    Aminu Shagari (APC, Sokoto) said the event of the day was the constatnt frustration of Committees of the House go through in the hands of Chief Executive Officers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government,

    Uzoma Nkem-Abonta(PDP, Abia) said the attitude of the Ministers was not only painful but worrisome, describing  the absence as executive rascality, “I don’t think they know the effect of this affront on the Legislature  because of the effect this is likely to generate.

    “There must be a sanction, they are just ignorant because they ought to know the provisions of the constitution to know the implications of their actions.

    “This confirms the insinuations that we have too many incompetent Ministers. I suggest that they be made to appear immediately,” he said.

    Zakari Mohammed (APC, Kwara) said it was the obligation of the parliament to check the excesses of the legislature, “They must tender an apology and be summoned to appear before us and be arrested if they refused again” he said.

    The Speaker said the House has all the tools to make the Ministers appear before the House at plenary after which he put to the motion to vote and was unanimously adopted.

     

  • Reps adopt 2018-2020 MTEF document

    Reps adopt 2018-2020 MTEF document

    The House of Representatives was in total agreement with the Executive on the set parameters in the 2018-2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework ( MTEF ) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

    This was despite an attempt by Betty Apiafi (PDP, Rivers), to divert attention towards the status of recovered looted fund in funding the 2018 budget.

    Though the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila reminded the House that the consideration was about MTEF report, the Chairman Committee of Supply, Speaker Yakubu Dogara nonetheless said it has become necessary for the House to investigate the state of independent revenue of government.

    “It is safe to say the 2018 budget will not be funded by recovered looted funds but it is necessary to investigate the independent revenue of government by way of a motion,” he said.

    The consideration went on and the report was adopted without a dissenting voice.

    Before the consideration and rhe adoption of the report of the Committees on Finance, Appropriations, Aids, Loans and Debt Management, Legislative Budget and Research and National Planning and Economic Development on the 2018-2020 MTEF and FSP, the  2018 Appropriation Bill  had scaled second reading on the floor of the lower House without a dissenting voice.

    Following the referral of the document to the joint Committee last week, in his opening remarks Ibrahim Babangida (APC, Katsina) said the Committees took cognizance of the economic realities on ground in relation to global events.

    In consideration of the recommendations, the House resolved that benchmark for crude oil production of  2.3 million barrels per day be retained as proposed by the Executive for the 2018 Budget.

    The House however reviewed upward from $45 per barrel to $47 per barrel as the benchmark for the fiscal year 2018. “This is in consideration of the current positive outlook in the global oil market and expectation that OPEC and other allied oil partnership countries will sustain oil production “cuts deep” into 2018,” Babangida said.

    The ₦305/US Dollar as proposed by the executive for the 2018 Budget was  adopted. Babagida explained that,  “It is also advised that CBN should adopt measures to close the gap between the parallel market and the official exchange rate”.

    The House also adopted projected ₦5.279 trillion for non-oil revenue in 2018, “In addition, revenue generating agencies should intensify efforts on collections and measures that would reduce revenue loss. Specifically, Pioneer status and Tax incentives must be beneficial to the economy,” Babagida said.

    The ₦1.699 trillion new borrowing for 2018 as proposed by the Executive was also adopted. “However, borrowing must be project-tied. In borrowing more, government must remain focused and ensure it is used to fund critical projects that will increase productivity and contribute to financing such debt,” Babangida said.

    The House also adopted the recommendation that a 3.5 percent  growth rate be adopted, especially with the latest figures indicating a doubling of growth rate to 1.4 percent  in third quarter, 2017.

    Furthermore, the National Assembly was also directed to amend the relevant Sections of the Fiscal Responsibility Act and other extant laws.

    The House also approved the$350m borrowing plan for the Kaduna bye pass after being presented by Chairman, Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management, Ajayi Adeyinka.

    The borrowing plan was presented to the House though President Muhammadu Buhari.

  • 2018 budget: Reps bicker; conclude debate on MTEF/FSP

    2018 budget: Reps bicker; conclude debate on MTEF/FSP

    The House of Representatives Wednesday passed the 2018-2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) through second reading after a contentious debate.

    The document was referred to the Committees on Finance, Appropriation, National Planning and Economic Development, Legislative Budget and Research and Aids, Loans and Debt Management to scrutinize and make recommendations to the House.

    The passage of the document paved the way to begin consideration of the 2018 budget on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week.

    Recall that President Muhamadu Buhari on Tuesday, 17th October, 2017 had forwarded a request to the Green Chamber for the approval of the 2018-2020 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

    Some of the key assumptions in the document is the production of crude oil at 2.3million barrels per day, oil price benchmark at $45 per barrel, while exchange rate is pegged at N305/$1 and GDP growth rate at 3.5 percent (revised)

    However the debate experienced hiccups as members of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP in the House insisted that it is procedurally wrong to debate the MTEF against the backdrop of the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act (FRA).

    Members like Betty Apiafi (PDP Rivers) Nnena Elendu- Ukeje ( PDP Abia), Daniel Renejue ( PDP Delta),  Yakubu  Barde ( PDP Kaduna) , Dan Asuquo ( PDP Cross River) were of the opinion that a bad precedence would be set if the House goes ahead to debate the MTEF/ FSP as it did not come three months before the budget as required by the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

    Hardly had the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila commenced the presentation of his argument on the document than Hon. Betty Apiafi ( PDP Rivers) took the floor through a point of order.

    According to her, it was essential to do the right thing lest Nigerians misconstrue the motives of the legislature. She said the MTEF should precede the consideration of the budget and is supposed to be accompanied with macro- economic framework for the next three years.

    She wondered how the House would make necessary adjustments since that have allowed the executive to err procedurally.

    The other PDP members backed Apiafi’s position and held their ground until the House Leader made an appeal to them to allow the passage.

    Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun also made several interventions by appealing to members to allow the document pass. According to him, the House still has the power to change the assumptions to reflect the realities of the time and the wishes of the people.

    He said: “The MTEF is a paper that contains key assumptions open to debate, including benchmark, deficit, revenue projections…it is not cast in stone. Wether it is four months or now, no process has been circumvented.”

    Gbajabiamila while moving for the consideration of the document said:” Section 11(2) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 provides that the Medium Term Expenditure Expenditure Framework ( MTEF) shall be considered for approval with such modifications, if any, as the National Assembly finds appropriate by a resolution  of each House of the National Assembly.”

    He said Section 11(3) of the same Act, “provides that the MTEF shall contain, among other things, a macro- economic framework setting out the macro-economic projections for the next three financial years, the underlying assumptions for these projections and an evaluation and analysis of the macro- economic projections for the preceding three financial years.”

    Lasun however said the leadership of the National Assembly has been in a series of meetings with the Executive in a bid to ensure the expeditious passage of the .2018 budget.

    He revealed that the two arms of government had met on Monday, Tuesday and would possibly meet today Wednesday  to smoothen grounds for a seamless passage of the appropriation bill.

     

     

  • ‘Obey traffic rules’

    ‘Obey traffic rules’

    Majority Leader, House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila has urged members of the Lagos State Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) to shun acts that will bring them in conflict with the Lagos State government.

    The lawmaker, who spoke during the inauguration of the Ojuelegba Motor Park, said his intervention on behalf of RTEAN, when asked to quit Ojuelegba Park by the government was due to its exemplary conduct in the past 15 years.

    He thanked the RTEAN for naming the park after him, noting that the Surulere Constituency would continue to promote the people’s welfare and support laudable programmes that would facilitate development.

    He said: “I had to meet with the state government when the operators of this park had issues with the state government. I am indeed happy that the issues were resolved amicably in the interest of all and we now have a better park in view of the conditions given by government.

    “I thank the Chairman, Alhaji Musa Mohammed for the good and responsible leadership he provided for his people. I am not surprised that his people have been supporting him overwhelmingly in the task to add value to the transportation system in Lagos.

    “Mohammed has promised to support us with all his members who are over 20,000. Your vote is your power and when you put this to the coffer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), it would go a long way. I shall communicate this pledge to the governor that RTEAN had already given him 20,000 votes.

    “RTEAN must avoid anything that will result in friction with the authorities. Let us be responsible in our conducts because if anything happens again, I will have to be flying from Abuja to Lagos to seek ways of resolving it. It is better you observe the rules and regulations to prevent a reoccurrence of what happened in the past,” he said.

    Speaking earlier, Mohammed thanked the lawmaker for his support to the association, noting that the association would always abide by rules that would promote the progress of Lagos.

    “Relying on the power conferred in me as the chairman of RTEAN in Lagos, I hereby name this park, Femi Gbajabiamila Motor Park. He has been of tremendous support to our members and we are really proud of him.

    “We do not have any other power, but I know we have 20,000 members and with this number it will go a long way in boosting the position of the APC. This is our own voters’ cards and we are going to give it to the party. The government needs support and all hands must be on deck to ensure that the Lagos State government succeeds,” he said.

    A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot said he was excited about the development recorded under Gbajabiamila in Surulere and its environs.

     

  • ‘Obey traffic rules’

    ‘Obey traffic rules’

    Majority Leader, House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila has urged members of the Lagos State Road Transport Employers’ Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) to shun acts that will bring them in conflict with the Lagos State government.

    The lawmaker, who spoke during the inauguration of the Ojuelegba Motor Park, said his intervention on behalf of RTEAN, when asked to quit Ojuelegba Park by the government was due to its exemplary conduct in the past 15 years.

    He thanked the RTEAN for naming the park after him, noting that the Surulere Constituency would continue to promote the people’s welfare and support laudable programmes that would facilitate development.

    He said: “I had to meet with the state government when the operators of this park had issues with the state government. I am indeed happy that the issues were resolved amicably in the interest of all and we now have a better park in view of the conditions given by government.

    “I thank the Chairman, Alhaji Musa Mohammed for the good and responsible leadership he provided for his people. I am not surprised that his people have been supporting him overwhelmingly in the task to add value to the transaportation system in Lagos.

    “Mohammed has promised to support us with all his members who are over 20,000. Your vote is your power and when you put this to the coffer of the All Progressives Congress (APC), it would go a long way. I shall communicate this pledge to the governor that RTEAN had already given him 20,000 votes.

    “RTEAN must avoid anything that will result in friction with the authorities. Let us be responsible in our conducts because if anything happens again, I will have to be flying from Abuja to Lagos to seek ways of resolving it. It is better you observe the rules and regulations to prevent a reoccurrence of what happened in the past,” he said.

    Speaking earlier, Mohammed thanked the lawmaker for his support to the association, noting that the association would always abide by rules that would promote the progress of Lagos.

    “Relying on the power conferred in me as the chairman of RTEAN in Lagos, I hereby name this park, Femi Gbajabiamila Motor Park. He has been of tremendous support to our members and we are really proud of him.

    “We do not have any other power, but I know we have 20,000 members and with this number it will go a long way in boosting the position of the APC. This is our own voters’ cards and we are going to give it to the party. The government needs support and all hands must be on deck to ensure that the Lagos State government succeeds,” he said.

    A member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Desmond Elliot said he was excited about the development recorded under Gbajabiamila in Surulere and its environs.

     

  • House yet to decide on Patience Jonathan’s account – Gbajabiamila

    House yet to decide on Patience Jonathan’s account – Gbajabiamila

    The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has dissociated the House of Representatives from the decision of House Committee on Public Petitions which ordered six commercial banks to unfreeze the accounts of former First Lady, Patience Jonathan and her relatives.

    The Uzoma Nkem-Abonta-led Committee had on Tuesday mandated the banks petitioned by Jonathan to immediately unfreeze all accounts belonging to her provided they were not placed on restriction by a court or any anti-graft agency.

    However, in a reaction to the Committee’s order on Wednesday, Gbajabiamila said the House was yet to decide on the matter.

    The House Leader said on twitter handle that the House that would decide on the matter based on the report and recommendations of the Committee.

    He said the Committee was yet to submit its report.

    He said: “Contrary to reports, the House has not made a decision on the bank accounts.

    “The Committee’s report will be debated on resumption.”

     

     

  • Gbajabiamila volunteers to teach

    The Majority Leader of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has promised to explore the recess of the National Assembly to teach in secondary schools.

    He spoke at a Town Hall meeting with principals and parents in his constituency in Surulere, on Sunday.

    The lawmaker said the objective was to have a feel of the learning environment in order to know how he could intervene.

    He praised the Lagos State government, principals and teachers for the job they were doing to improve the lives of children put in their care.

    He also distributed 500 free forms for the November/December West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) for private candidates to indigent students across the 23 senior secondary schools in his constituency.

    Gbajabiamila said the distribution of the forms was part of his electoral promise to impact on his constituents. He said education was strategic to human capital development as well as the development of the nation.

    He said the distribution of 501 e-tablets to students in the first quarter of the year was one of the education interventions in the area. He added that he had built new classrooms, facilitated the renovation of schools as well as given scholarships and provided ICT tools in schools.

    “I am passionate about education and I will continue to support education in my constituency. Apart from what we have done so far, much more will follow, “he said.

    He, however, decried rampant street fights involving some pupils of some schools in the area, describing the  attitude as worrisome. The lawmaker urged parents to warn their wards against the act, as the government could not afford any threat to peace in the area.

    In his contribution, a member of the Lagos State  House of Assembly, Mr Desmond Elliot, praised Gbajabiamila for his passion for education. He said it took a politician who could look into the future to give a quantum of education support.

    “I have never seen a politician who has given so much back to the people since my over 40 years on earth.  He has a view of the future with his support for education. Surulere is proud to have him as a representative,” he said.

    A parent, Alhaja Wosilat Abiola, described the House Leader’s  gesture as “impactful”. She said the forms would touch the lives of the beneficiaries.

  • Prison decongestion Bill underway – Gbajabiamila

    Prison decongestion Bill underway – Gbajabiamila

    Leader of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila (Lagos-APC), on Wednesday said a Bill proposing community service as alternative to prison term for miscellaneous offenders in the country was underway.

    Gbajabiamila told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that when presented and passed, the emerging law would check congestion prisons across the country.

    He expressed concern over the state of prisons in the country, saying that no fewer than 100 inmates, who currently slept in one prison cell, could breed more criminals in the society.

    According to him, a congested prison has attendant consequences apart from the epidemic that may ensue.

    “This is apart from the people who may be in there for a period of two months to six months because the alternative was to pay a fine of N20, 000 which they didn’t have.

    “They are not criminals but petty offenders involved in misdemeanours like wondering or trading illegally on the streets or hawking,’’ the lawmaker said.
    He said that the situation in the prisons had the potential of producing more criminals.

    According to him, by the time the inmates come out, they are hardened.

    “So, the issue is for us to come up with a bill for community services for people like that rather than making prison term an alternative. All over the world they don’t do that for such offences.

    “I am actually happy that the community service Bill is in the process and will be coming for a second reading very soon so that we can decongest our prisons,’’ Gbajabiamila said.

    He explained that the bill would seek the removal of prison issues from the jurisdiction of the Federal Government to the states for improved services.

    “The ultimate goal for me is for us to remove the issue of prison from the exclusive list and send it down to the states.

    “If each state has about three or five prisons we are talking about over 100 prisons across the country and that will help to reduce congestion.

    “It should be a state matter because these people are tried for state offences mostly,’’ Gbajabiamila said.

  • Students to Reps: Transfer LAUTECH to FG

    Students to Reps: Transfer LAUTECH to FG

    Students of the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology (LAUTECH), Ogbomosho are demanding that Federal Government take over the ownership of the school.

    Students of the school took their pleas to the National Assembly with a protest where they informed the lawmakers that the over nine-month closure of their institution is taking a toll on them and their future by extension.

    The prolonged closure of the school followed an industrial dispute between staff of the institution and the government of Oyo and Osun.

    The leadership of the House of Representatives has however assured them that a coordinated appprach would be employed to actualize the demands of the students.

    The protesting students were addressed by the Leader of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila in company of the House Deputy Minority Leader, Chukwuma Onyema; Akeem Adeyemi; Dapo Lam-Adesina and Olusumbo Olugbemi.

    He said: “When we received your petition to the House, we hurriedly left the chambers to listen to you because we understand your plight.

    “Education is a priority for us in the National Assembly and we will look into this matter but let me bring to your attention that Hon. Segun Odebunmi from Oyo state brought a motion up on the floor of the House and a resolution was passed for the House Committee on Education to look into this matter and come up with recommendations that will guide the House because there are many unintended consequences that can come out of students absence from school.”

    Gbajabiamila said despite the rigorous process involved in transferring the ownership of their institution the House will apply a coordinated approach to resolve the crisis.

    “You are not fatherless or an orphan, you have a government with your interest at heart but there are complications here because we run a constitutional democracy, your institution was established by two state governments and from your request it’s not that easy for the federal government to take over a state-owned institution because we run a democracy but there are ways we can come in  because the welfare of citizens is our primary responsibility and issue of education is shared among the tiers of government.”

    “I apologize on behalf of government because we must all take responsibility, since it’s about funding to improve learning environment we will urge the federal government to work on possible ways to step in”, Gbajabiamila said.