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Tag: House of Representatives

  • APC may bow to pressure, void Tony Nwoye’s victory

    APC may bow to pressure, void Tony Nwoye’s victory

    There were indications on Tuesday that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may bow to pressure being brought to bear on it by political heavy weight in Anambra state and cancel its August 26 governorship primary in Anambra state which was won by a member of the House of Representatives, Tony Nwoye.

    It was gathered that some of the aspirants who petitioned the appeals panel are calling for a total cancellation and a repeat of the exercise, alleging that the thugs and members of NANS were brought into the accreditation venue.

    One of those who petitioned the Appeals panel, Senator Andy Uba who came second in the primary with about 931 votes alleged in his petitions the primary election was marred with heavy irregularities, heavy financial inducement and the use of thugs to intimidate delegates and swap their delegate cards.

    But another aspirant, Barrister Nonso Nmadu said the primary was done in a transparent atmosphere and has been described as the best primary, stressing that he is surprised that Senator Uba would disparage the same primary he commended when the process was ongoing with the believe that he would emerge winner.

    The Governorship Primary Appeals panel which submitted its report to the National Organising Secretary, Senator Ostia Izunaso told the party that many petitions were received from the aspirants who contested the governorship primary.

    Submitting the committee report, the Secretary of the Committee, Dr. Nosa Aladesulu said they received many petitions from the aspirants, while many APC stakeholders in the state appeared before the Committee while it got in touch with relevant persons involved in the primaries.

    Aladesulu however told newsmen that her committee actually received a numbers of petitions against Hon. Tony Nwoye’s victory, saying “a number of persons submitted petitions and also a good number representing our party members from Anambra State also made personal appearances. 

    “We also have situations where some group that did not come, submitted affidavit of their understanding of the processes they observed to the committee. What we have in this report was a collection of those complaints and responses. 

    “After reviewing the petitions from our members at the primaries, we also invited persons, officials and other stakeholders indicted by the petitioners and key persons whose responses were key to our reports were also attended to and heard their witnesses.

    “What we have in the report are the analysis of both the petition, our understanding of the witnesses we received and our recommendations to the NWC to decide on the final outcome in their own wisdom.”

    However, Barrister Nonso Nmadu who also contested the primary wants the party to uphold the victory of Nwoye at the primary, stressing that the entire accreditation and voting was done in a transparent manner, accusing Senator Andy Uba of trying to tarnish the exercise..

    Nmadu said Senator Andy Uba does not have the capacity to win the November 18 elections, saying “If Senator Andy Uba’s capacity could not win him the apc primaries, he does not have the capacity to win the november 18th elections in which votes are expected to count. 

    “I urge the most distinguished senator Andy Uba to stop embarrassing himself and work for the party as earlier pledged.  His actions are being seen by Anambra state members as anti-party and our national leadership should not fail to wield the big stick when necessary.”                       

    He describe as untrue allegations that Tony Nwoye brought thugs/NANS members into the accreditation venue to chase away delegates, adding that the accreditation was conducted peacefully while delegates were identified through their Permanent voters card(PVC) National ID card, drivers license or International passport. 

    He said delegates also came with their party membership slip with photograph issued to them by the party during registration, adding that two weeks before the primary, the party made available to all the aspirants the list of delegates.

    According to him, “the allegation that delegated were swapped is simply laughable. After accreditation, delegates were conveyed to the voting center on marked buses with full police escort. Their was no room for any maneuver as the delegates had no physical contacts with outsiders.           

    “The road leading to the voting venue was not even accessible to commutters and other road users, as it was cordoned off by security agencies, making it impossible for any non-accredited person to gain entrance to the venue.                     

    “Most importantly, during voting proper, once a local government is called, the various ward chairmen are called to vote first, then line up in front of the hall to identify delegates from their ward who then proceed to cast votes.    

    “The allegation of presence of thugs at the venue is untrue, except if Senator Andy Uba is now referring to genuine APC members as thugs simply because they did not vote for him.                                                    

    “Senator Andy Uba also alleged that some delegates have gone to court to depose affidavits on what transpired. The party should note that this is their usual tactics of scuttling elections once it doesnt go their way.  It is a PDP tradition which they want to import to our peaceful APC and must be resisted.  

    “Our party leaders should note that this tactics was used in 2013 to scuttle the ambitions of the same Tony Nwoye after he defeated the same people in a primaries televised live on national TV.  The litigation went all the way to the Supreme court and by the time judgment was delivered Dr Tony Nwoye had just 10 days to campaign. Despite the short time left for him to campaign, he still finished 2nd in the General elections.                                           

    “Senator Andy Uba asked to be declared winner of an election he clearly lost. There is a popular saying among party members that with the margin of over 2,000 votes to andy uba’s 900, Tony Nwoye did not just come first, he came second and 3rd while Uba finished 4th.                                      

    “Senator Andy Uba should spare us with the “capacity” statement which he has made a sing- song. He should know that the days of PDP abracadabra are over. He does not have the capacity to  win any election that is free, fair and transparent in which votes are allowed to count hence he couldnt win the APC primaries.”

  • Centenary City project: Judge refuses to quash report against Anyim, others

    Centenary City project: Judge refuses to quash report against Anyim, others

    Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja Monday refused to quash the damaging report issued by the House of Representatives on its investigation of the controversial Centenary City project promoted under the administration of Goodluck Jonathan.

    The report had indicted former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Anyim Pius Anyim and other major actors in the handling of the project.

    In a judgment yesterday, Justice Dimgba dismissed the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/258/2017, filed in the name of centenary City Plc,seeking among others, the voiding of the report.

    Justice Dimgba noted that the allegations of bias and bad faith raised against Herman Hembe, who head the House of Reps’ committee that investigated allegation of corruption in the project, was insufficient to move the court to quash the report.

    The plaintiff had, in the suit filed on March 29 this year, claimed among others, that Hembe had sought a private meetings with the plaintiff  prior to the investigation (public hearing) with the intention of being induced.

    It equally claimed that its representatives at the public hearing demanded Hembe’s disqualification from the committee, but that its lawyers and representatives later walked out of the proceedings when Hembe failed to step down.

    The plaintiff, which complained of being denied fair hearing, said the committee proceeded with the public hearing, without its participation, and issued a majority report, but with a member dissenting, a report the entire House of Reps later adopted.

    In his judgement, Justice Dimgba said the suit was one that was built on Section 36(1) of the Constitution, which “provisions are only applicable, in the determination of the civil rights and obligations of persons before a court or other judicial tribunal established by law”.

    The judge observed that “the majority report, adopted by the whole House made adverse findings and recommendations on the project”.

    He further observed that the plaintiff thought that the House of Reps’ perception of the project, its adverse conclusions and recommendations, contained in its report, were not accidental, but orchestrated by the second defendant (Hembe).

    The judge also noted that the plaintiff, in filing the suit, thought that Hembe had “some legacy hatred against the chief promoter of the project, former Senate President and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim”.

    Justice Dimgba said granting the plaintiff’s prayers and quashing such a report issued and ratified by another arm of government could endanger the stability of the political system in terms of the relations among independent and equal arms of government.

    The judge said it was necessary for the court “to tread very carefully here so as not to breed hostility among separate organs of government that should accord each other reciprocal respect”.

    Justice Dimgba said: “In all honesty, upon a full and dispassionate appraisal of what has been placed before me, I do not believe that a sufficient case has been made warranting the intervention of the Court in the manner prayed for in the suit.

    “First, this suit has been built on Section 36(1) of the Constitution.  A review of the said section shows that the provisions are only applicable, ‘in the determination of the civil rights and obligations’ of persons ‘before a Court or other judicial tribunal established by law.

    “I do not agree that the defendants are acting as court or tribunal or performing a quasi-judicial function. I do not even agree that the defendants are acting in administrative capacity.

    “All the conditions enumerated in Section 36 must co-exist in a given situation for the provisions to enjoy any relevance,” the judge said.

    He refused the plaintiff’s argument that the House of Reps’ report must be voided because the Senate had earlier conducted similar investigation and given Anyim and others pass mark.

    The judge added: “I state for the avoidance of any doubt, that the House of Representatives’ investigation of the Centenary City project, which the Senate has justified, might appear mischievous or driven by questionable motives or goals, as alleged, but the investigation itself is not illegal, since the Senate’s findings are not binding on the House of Representatives, being independent legislative facilities established by the Constitution.”

    The judge said the plaintiff failed to provide the court with relevant materials to prove that the House of Representatives’ committee was compromised by Hembe’s personal interest.

    Justice Dimgba said: “The evidence clearly shows that the plaintiff was invited to the public hearing, as were other relevant stakeholders.

    “The right to be heard, simply means the opportunity to be heard, not that one must be heard definitively even when you spurn the opportunity,” he said.

    He noted that, with questions of credibility surrounding the report, especially as captured by the minority report, ignored by the House of Reps, the plaintiff, rather than rushing to court, ought to have impressed it on the government agencies, to which the report was sent, not to implement it.

     

  • Senate, House of Representatives excited

    Senate, House of Representatives excited

    Senate and the House of Representatives are elated by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report which yesterday suggested that Nigeria’s economy was bouncing back.

    Senate spokesperson Sen. Sabi Abdullahi said it was commendable that the economy grew by 0.55 per cent in the second quarter of 2017 after five consecutive quarters of contraction.

    Abdullahi also said that the improved performance of the trade, manufacturing, agriculture and oil sectors were indications that with carefully aligned policies and legislative interventions, Nigeria’s economy could thrive beyond current forecasts and expectations.

    ”The Senate received second quarter economic report with great excitement.

    ”We are delighted that government’s response to the economic recession has begun to yield tangible results.

    House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara expressed happiness over the report.

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs Turaki Hassan, the Speaker said the House of Representatives is gladdened by the performance of the economy in the last quarter.

    He said this positive result is an indication that the economic policies of the APC administration were on track and the task ahead is sustained efforts by both the Executive and the Legislature in fast tracking programme implementation for rapid economic growth and development.

    “We must now channel our energies towards  measures aimed at job creation for the millions of our people, address the widening socio-economic inequalities and creating opportunities for all Nigerians

    “The House of Representatives will more than ever before step up its partnership with the Executive in this regard by introducing as well as supporting all measures designed to blossom the economy and put food on the tables of all Nigerians.

    “This informed the passage of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Bill which should go a long way in attracting foreign direct investment, create job opportunities for our people and provide healthy and conducive business environment for the private sector to thrive.

    “We will implore the President to assent to this revolutionary bill as soon as it is concurred by the Senate and transmitted to him.”

  • Tenement rate ban lifted

    A House of Representatives committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has directed the FCT administration through the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) to start collecting tenement rates again, having considered it legitimate.

    About 10 months ago, the National Assembly through the House of Representatives Committee on FCT ordered the FCTA to suspend collecting tenement rates in the territory by the Area Councils because of the growing controversies the rates collection generated.

    Consequently, the Area Councils were asked to make submissions to the National Assembly with a view to studying and harmonizing the grey areas as well as proffering lasting solutions to the impasse.

    The situation then did not go down well with residents as many advised the National Assembly to ban the collection of tenement rate in FCT.

    Briefing newsmen on the development, the Chairman Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), Hon. Adamu Candido said the approval was conveyed in a letter dated August 1, 2017 and addressed to the council through the House of Representatives under the provision of section 13 of the Federal Capital Territory Act. CAP 128, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    Candido solicited the cooperation of stakeholders and all property owners within the council to discharge their civic responsibility by paying their accrued tenancy rates promptly to AMAC authority.

    Represented by the AMAC’s Supervisory Councilor Account and Finance, Mrs. Salamatu Jubrin, the chairman said: “The temporary halt though, did not go down well with us here at Abuja Municipal Area Council, as our constitutional mandate was brought to dispute. We are, however, subservient to the authority and allowed due process to take its course.

    “It is our delight, therefore, to announce to you through this medium, that after meticulous deliberations on the matter at the lower Chamber of the National Assembly, by the fair-minded legislators, the suspension placed on the collection of tenement rates in the Council has been lifted.

    “In a letter dated 1st August, 2017 and addressed to the Council, conveying approval for the collection of Tenement rates within the Federal Capital Territory by Area Councils, that the issue had already been addressed by the house under the provision of section 13 of the Federal Capital Territory Act. CAP 128, laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 “The letter reads in part: “…The issue of collection of Tenement Rate by the Area Councils had already been addressed by the National Assembly through the provisions of Section 13 of the Federal Capital Territory Act, CAP 128, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004. This piece of legislation by Reference was made pursuant to Section 299 (a) & (c) and Section 303 in fulfillment of the Fourth Schedule to the Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 wherein Tenement Rate is Item (j).

    “From the community construction of these Constitutional provisions; Section 13 of the Federal Capital Territory Act Cap 128 as well as the Judicial Authority in ADVIN VENTURES LTD & 2 Ors V CHAIRMAN ABUJA MUNICIPAL AREA COUNCIL (12TH MAY, 2014 per Court of Appeal) the Tenement Rate of 4% or 4k per Naira, currently being assessed and collected by the Area Council is within the contemplation of this established legal framework and accordingly, the Honorable Speaker House of  Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has

    Directed that this should continue to operate without let or hindrance…”

    “We remain grateful to God Almighty that this lingered contention over collection of tenement rate by the Council has finally been laid to rest and stamped under the power of our revered Constitution. We particularly appreciate the entire members of the National Assembly

    particularly House Committee on Area Councils & Ancillary Matters. Our most sincere appreciation goes to the Hon. Minister of FCT, Mallam Muhammad Musa Bello for supporting the Area Councils and standing by them by ensuring governance works in FCT. We want to assure the Hon. Minister of our absolute loyalty to his administration. And we will not in any way disappoint him, we thank him for his fatherly role, patience and support to all the Area Councils in FCT.

    “As we hit the ground again in our tenement rate drive, we wish to solicit for more cooperation from stakeholders and all property owners within the Council to discharge their civic responsibility by paying promptly their accrued tenancy rates to AMAC authority.

    “We would also like to assure the public that the management of AMAC is very mindful of the current recession in the country and has adopted measures to collecting revenues within the ambit of the law without the use of force. To whom much is given, much is also required. We are aware of this great challenge bequeathed on us by this victory and we would reciprocate this privilege honour by deploying judiciously every kobo collected as tenement rates into the services of the people and development of the grassroots.

    “This administration came into office a year and three months ago and we have been stifled by lack of funds to provide the needed services expected of us.”

     

  • Condemnable self-interest

    Condemnable self-interest

    It is sad that our House of Reps sees purchase of pricey cars for its members as something done in the national interest

    Obviously, “national interest” may mean different things to different people. Even then, the definition by the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas, to justify spending N6.1 billion on procurement of 360 Peugeot 508 cars for members  of the lower house stretches the meaning of national interest beyond the realm of reason. Each of these cars costs N17 million. Indeed, in this context, national interest is equivalent to condemnable self-interest.

    Here is the explanation Namdas gave in an interview to show why the purchase is supposedly necessary: “People should get this thing right; the order for the cars was not recent. The issue of 360 cars has been there in the last nine months. We actually took delivery of 50 of the cars about nine months ago. The additional 200 cars that were supplied lately came in batches. It has been an ongoing process. The vehicles are meant for the utility services of members; for example, committee work. It is known everywhere that parliamentarians undertake what is called oversight functions. An oversight function requires moving from one place to another and, therefore, we need these utility vehicles.”

    Nigerians had condemned the plan to buy these cars at the beginning; why then is Namdas pretending he is not aware of this fact? A truly sensitive House of Representatives would have shelved the idea nine months ago.

     Interestingly, some of the legislators have complained about the allegedly slow process of delivering the said cars to the beneficiaries. Namdas reportedly “explained that instalment supply of the vehicles was due to the financial challenges facing the House leadership.”  He was quoted as saying: “But, since it was provided for in the budget, every member will get theirs before the year runs out.” With about four and a half months to the end of the year, it is understandable that the legislators who are still waiting to get their own cars are getting more and more anxious as the days go by.

    The difficulty in supplying the cars, necessitating the piecemeal approach, shows that the House is struggling in the pursuit of an objective that is objectively unreasonable in the prevailing economic circumstances.

    The hardest part of this arrangement is making it look reasonable to members of the public who consider it unreasonable and unfeeling, particularly as the country is still struggling to get out of recession and those in power are expected to demonstrate a sense of moderation.

    It would appear that the lawmakers are so desperately fixated on getting these cars that their understanding of a sense of moderation amounts to a misconception. Namdas said: “In fact, it is because of the recession that we opted for Peugeot 508 cars, rather than going for Prado SUVs (sport utility vehicles) and other higher vehicles. Even state legislators have Prado SUVs as their utility vehicles. We, in the House of Representatives, chose Peugeot 508 cars because of national interest. It is very important to emphasise this point.”

    It is equally important to emphasise the point that, at N17 million per car, these cars are high-priced and buying such cars at this point in time demonstrates self-absorption and insensitivity unbecoming of elected representatives of the people.

    Namdas struggled to make sense just as the public is struggling to make sense of this unconscionable car-buying arrangement that has justifiably attracted public ill will. “These vehicles are not official vehicles,” he maintained. “They are called utility vehicles…Utility vehicles are used to service activities or assignments that may arise, but they are not the property of the individuals. The cars are still the property of the National Assembly…At the end of every House, the vehicles are valued. This happens every four years. This is a standard practice everywhere in Nigeria: after the valuation, if you are interested (in keeping the vehicle), you are given the cost and you pay. They issue you a receipt and you take the vehicle. It is not free. If you don’t want the vehicle, you leave it for the National Assembly.”

    The question is: How many members of the National Assembly leave such cars behind when they leave the legislature?  Lamentably, what usually happens when legislators leave the legislature is that they leave with such cars, which are sold to them at ridiculously low prices compared with the ridiculously high prices at which they were bought. This kind of tradition necessitates rounds of mass purchase of cars for legislators by the legislature in a seemingly endless drama of dishonourable conduct.  This practice is not only wasteful; it may well be unsustainable in the long run.

    Namdas put up a sophistical defence that calls into question the value system prevailing in the National Assembly and how things are done there: “I wouldn’t know what happened in the past. This valuation is usually done by the bureaucracy of the National Assembly. It is not the lawmaker that does it. You need experts to value these cars. Now, what they are looking at is not based on the number of years but the wear and tear that a car has suffered.”

    In the final analysis, there is nothing in this narrative of insensitive self-aggrandisement that redeems the morally wrong move to buy pricey cars for lawmakers at the expense of the people.

  • ‘Unarmed robbers’: Our position on Obasanjo has not changed – Reps’ spokesman

    ‘Unarmed robbers’: Our position on Obasanjo has not changed – Reps’ spokesman

    The House of Representatives does not intend to issue a formal response to the fresh label of ‘unarmed robbers’ pinned on federal legislators on Thursday by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, it was learnt Friday.

    Obasanjo,speaking at a book  presentation in Ibadan on Thursday had described the legislators as a bunch of  unarmed robbers because,as he said, “they are one of the highest  paid in the world where we have 70 per cent of our people living in abject poverty.”

    The House said yesterday that its response to an earlier accusation in the heat of the budget padding controversy in 2016 is sufficient for the latest accusation by the former President.

    House spokesman Abdulrazaq Namdas, contacted by The Nation said: “There is nothing to say because the House has responded to the former President previously.

    “The accusation this time is the same as before, so there is nothing to add. Our position has not changed from what we said in 2016.”

    Besides, Namdas said that on a personal basis, he was not prepared to cross fire with Obasanjo in view of his age and position as a former President.

    His words: “He is an elder and in my culture, you don’t respond to elders every time.

    “You don’t banter words with your elders. Having responded once and he accuses you again and again, what you do is you keep quiet.

    “Remember he is a former President and an elder statesman. I will not say more than that.”

    Several other lawmakers contacted by The Nation also declined to respond saying that the former President has not said anything.

    One of them who chose not to be named said: “I will not like to respond to this allegation on the basis that his is an elder and a statesman but that does not validate his claim.

    “I can only describe the accusation as coming from people seeking relevance. Not that Obasanjo is seeking relevance but the fact remains that if anyone wants to be in the news, all you need do is to hit members of the National Assembly.

    “For instance, someone like former President Ibrahim Babangida who has found a new love for restructuring.Why did he not make it happen when he had all the opportunities in the world as the head of the military government then?

    “What did he do? Nothing.But it is now convenient to shift the blame. You know we like playing the blame game in this country.

    “As such, I will rather not comment on it, I will give him that respect but that does not mean what he said is true.”

    Another lawmaker seen by The Nation as he left a Committee meeting said: “In my place, we don’t respond to elders like that. Moreover, Namdas has given the position of the House. Thank you.”

    A lawmaker from the North Central said the former President should be allowed to express himself and enjoy it while it lasts.

    “You know, he is an old man. Let him enjoy himself.

    “Responding to him will only spark an unnecessary debate, and since he has a fixated mind about us, so be it’.

    Namdas in responding, on November 24, 2016,   to Obasanjo’s description of federal lawmakers as corrupt at the height of budget padding controversy, called him a blackmailer, acting as a lifetime opposition leader.

    He said: “He ventured to accuse the National Assembly of budget padding, accused the House of criminal activities of threatening the life of a “whistleblower”, lampooned constituency projects which he approved as President, ventured to discuss the budget of National Assembly which is highly underfunded?

    “The House of Representatives would ordinarily not join issues with the former President as he has held an office that deserves respect and reverence.

    “However, because of the material misstatement of facts, outright lies and falsehoods, and mischievous innuendo introduced in his statement, we are left with no option but to correct him.”

    Mr Namdas went on to address all issues raised by the ex-President during the controversial lecture:

    “We have repeatedly maintained that there was no “padding” of the 2016 Appropriation Act, which is a legitimate document passed by the National Assembly, authenticated by the Clerk to the National Assembly as provided in the Acts Authentication Act and assented to by Mr. President…

    “For the avoidance of doubt, there is no crime that was committed by the National Assembly by exercising its constitutional function of appropriation.

    “If Chief Obasanjo has an issue with the execution of the 2016 Budget or indeed other Appropriation Acts, he should direct his anger elsewhere.

    “He claimed that the National Assembly Budget is very high, when by all standards, the National Assembly is grossly underfunded and is hampered from effectively and legitimately carrying out its constitutionally assigned functions. The National Assembly Budget funds a bureaucracy of about 5,000 civil servants.

    “It has some other agencies under its preview such as the National Assembly Service Commission with its own staff of about 500, even the Public Complaints Commission is now a parastatal of the National Assembly.

    “National Assembly Budget also funds the National Institute for Legislative Studies, which is a legislative think-tank and highly rated academic institution that serves both National and State Houses of Assembly and even international legislators.

    “All these agencies also have their capital budget including development of their headquarters, procurement of office equipment, procurement of regular items for running their offices; the National Assembly maintain legislative aides of about 3,000 in number, that aid the work of the Assembly; it also conducts regular public hearings involving the media and stakeholders and oversight activities, involving huge sums of money.

    “The cost implications of running the National Assembly is high because of the nature of our Presidential democracy.

    “Then of course, there are 109 Senators and 360 members of the House of Representatives that require proper equipment to function effectively. They require adequate travel and transport support to carry out legislative functions.

    “The National Assembly also has buildings and offices to build and maintain. National Assembly staff and members attend conferences, trainings, seminars to keep abreast of legislative developments worldwide. The activities are very encompassing and expensive.

    “It is also unbecoming of a former President to quote figures of sums of money that are factually incorrect. No member of the House of Representatives receives N10m every month.

    “The salaries and allowances of members of the House are as determined by the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).

    “Of course further sums of money are spent as running costs, that is, the cost of running the office of a member.

    “If a Minister, Chief Executive or Director in a Ministry travels on official duties, for instance, do you include the cost of his ticket and accommodation as part of his salary or allowances?

    “Does the cost of stationeries and maintenance of equipment like computers used in their offices, form part of their salaries and allowances?

    “These are some of the costs that must be taken care of by the National Assembly and the media calls these costs “jumbo pay”. For goodness sake, the National Assembly is an arm of government, not just an ordinary agency of government.

    “The budget of many agencies in the Executive Branch are indeed higher than the current Budget of the National Assembly that is an arm of government.

    “Examples abound, CBN, NNPC, NCC etc. Allowances paid to even junior staff of some of these government agencies cannot be compared to what members of National Assembly enjoy.

    “Undoubtedly, the former President Obasanjo is understandably angry with the National Assembly as an institution having foiled his ambition for a third-term in office even after trying to corrupt the members with a bribe of at least N50m each.

    “Lest we forget, the person who introduced corruption to the National Assembly is Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

    “He birthed the 4th Republic National Assembly with corrupt practices from day one; indeed the first day of the Republic. He bribed PDP, ANPP and AD legislators on their inauguration in 1999 to vote against the majority candidate of PDP, Dr. Chuba Okadigbo. That was how Senator Evan Enwerem became Senate President.

    “Have we forgotten the sacks of money displayed on the floor of the House of Representatives being bribe money paid by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to some Honourable members to impeach Speaker, Rt. Hon. Ghali N’abba?

    “Have we forgotten that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo used his position as President to extort money from businessmen and contractors with his government to build his presidential library?

    “The list of his corrupt acts while in office is endless. Unquestionably, he is the greatest corrupt person ever to hold office in Nigeria.

    “He remains the grandfather of corruption in Nigeria and lacks the moral authority to discuss corruption or indeed abuse of office in Nigeria as he remains the most corrupt Nigerian on record.

    “It is unfortunate that he has started his very familiar method of bringing down governments. He did it to Alhaji Shehu Shagari, he did it to Gen. Buhari, he did same to Gen. Babangida, he attempted to bring down Gen. Abacha before he imprisoned him for treason; he made frantic efforts to derail the government of President Ya’ardua when he couldn’t use him.

    “He supported President Goodluck Jonathan but when he refused to take dictation, he turned against him. He supported President Buhari, but since he has sensed that Nigeria is having economic difficulties under him, he has pounced to derail his government.

    “The way Chief Obasanjo talks gives the impression that he is a lifetime opposition leader who has never held any office. What did he do about the issues he raised in his 8 years as President?

    “This is a man with unlimited access to President Buhari. Or is it because he has not appointed all his cronies as requested? We may never know. His stuck in trade is blackmail, subversion and treachery.

    “We wish him well.”

  • Reps issue 24 hour ultimatum to BoI chief over N11b loan

    Reps issue 24 hour ultimatum to BoI chief over N11b loan

    The House of Representatives has given the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry (BoI), Olukayode Pitan 24 hours to appear before it or risk being forced to.

    Pita was given till 11am Thursday to appear before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House over N11b the bank has been unable to recover.

    In his place at the PAC meeting Thursday was the bank’s Chief Financial Officer, Taiwo Kolawole, who said Pitan had to be at another previously scheduled meeting in Enugu.

    This angered the Kingsley Chinda-led  Committee that sent a reminder of its earlier invitation to Pitan on 28th of July.

    The Committe said the MD’s attitude to the House was denigrating,

    Chinda said: “Over N8b loan given out have not been recovered and the bank is not doing anything about it according to the query.

    “The second query is on N2b unexplained expenditure.

    “Considering the enormity of the sum involved, over N11b as contained in the query by the AuGF, and considering the fact that the MD has given more importance to a meeting with Enugu state government.

    “We are tempted to take action as appropriate but in the spirit of fair hearing, we want to give him another opportunity so that he can appear before us tomorrow, the 18th of Aug 2017 by 11 am, failure of which we will order for his arrest”.

  • Between Lasun Yusuf and Rotimi Makinde

    Between Lasun Yusuf and Rotimi Makinde

    In the politics of Osun State, the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Hon. Lasun Yusuf and ex-House of Reps member, Hon. Rotimi Makinde, are regarded as gladiators on opposing sides of personal and ideological battles. But they have both proved that whatever disagreement exists between them does not supersede their mutual admiration for each other as comrades.

    At the final burial ceremony for the mother of the state governor, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, both Yusuf and Makinde showed everyone that political opponents do not have to be enemies. Hon. Makinde had made the first move by going to Yusuf to exchange pleasantries; a gesture the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives promptly reciprocated.

    The ice broken between the pair, they chatted amicably for a time to the surprise of the scores of onlookers.

  • Hon Akinlade raises his game

    When the stakes are at their highest, success cannot be achieved without a robust groundwork, cooperation and creative risk-taking. For suave politician, Hon. Abiodun Akinlade, this is pretty much the case. He has no choice but to raise his game in the high-stakes of the Ogun governorship tussle which is set to mesmerise everyone as the hopefuls slug it out in the weeks and months leading up to 2019.

    The three-term member of the House of Representatives has been watering his governorship ambition like a patient gardener. The consummate politician who represented Yewa South/Ipokia Federal Constituency has been building up his grassroots base and consulting with those who hold the keys of the door to the governorship seat, including the incumbent, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

    Indeed, despite not being in office, the Baba Adinni of Yewaland is making himself felt in the political circles of the state. Coming from the Ogun West senatorial zone, Akinlade is banking on the total support of the people in a zone that has enjoyed little in terms of political appointments in the state since inception. Coupled with his anticipated move to the ruling APC to take advantage of a more robust political structure and the might of incumbency, Akinlade’s campaign is already generating massive excitement.