The Nation Newspaper

Tag: House of Representatives

  • Reps to Obasanjo: You’re grandfather of corruption

    Reps to Obasanjo: You’re grandfather of corruption

    …Says he’s angry with NASS over Third Term

    The House of Representatives Thursday lambasted former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his statement that the National Assembly stinks.

    The lawmakers described him as the “grandfather of Corruption,” adding that he wants to bring down Buhari’s government and that he is “acting as lifetime opposition leader, blackmailer,”

    The former President while delivering a lecture at the first Akintola Williams Annual Lecture in Lagos on Wednesday had said the “National Assembly stinks and stinks to high heavens. It needs to be purged.”

    He also accused the Parliament of corruption and of operating a cabal “worse than any cabal that anybody may find anywhere in our national governance system at any time.”

    In a Press Conference by Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, Chairman, House Committee on Media & Publicity Thursday the Green Chamber spared no invective as it also said Obasanjo introduced corruption to National Assembly on its first day in 1999.

    His words: “Our attention has been drawn to a statement credited to former President Olusegun Obasanjo at a lecture he delivered recently, wherein, in his characteristic manner accused everybody but himself of corruption.

    “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?

    In the speech Namdas said the House 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.

    “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. It is most unfortunate that a former President of Chief Obasanjo’s stature would allow himself to be hoodwinked and procured by a renegade member of the House, who embarked on massive propaganda and lies just because he was removed from office.

    “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 implication 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 Reps Spokesman said 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 Olesugn Obasanjo.

    “He birthed the 4th Republic National Assembly with corrupt practices from day one; indeed the first day of the Republic. He bribed both 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 want immediate review of FCT master plan

    Reps want immediate review of FCT master plan

    The House of Representatives on Thursday urged the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello, to commence the review of Abuja master plan to reflect the current social, economic and demographic realities.

    The House also urged the Minister to direct the FCT Development Control to stop the demolition of small and medium businesses within the capital city, pending the outcome of engagement with the House Committee on FCT.

    The resolutions followed the unanimous adoption of a motion under matters of urgent public importance moved by Rep. Nnenna Ukeje (Abia- PDP).

    Moving the motion, Ukeje said UN report stated that between 2000 and 2010, Abuja experienced 139.7 per cent growth, making it the fastest growing city in the world at a population of three million people.

    According to her, further annual growth of 35 per cent due in part to urban drift, migration due to insecurity, economic and social migration has left the population of Abuja hovering at about 6.5 million people, projected to hit 10 million in 2018.

    She said “there have been repeated calls for review of the Abuja master plan as stipulated, to reflect present day realities as the present situation has ambushed the city’s dream.

    “Certain deviations to the original plan such as NNPC plaza, military barracks, Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre, Asokoro express way, drainage infractions in Apo area have significantly altered the Abuja master plan.

    “These remain unchecked as they have been explained to be expedient at the time.

    “We watch with dismay as small and medium businesses become focus of demolition exercise,’’ Ukeje said.

    She expressed concern that figures released this week by the National Bureau of Statistics showed that the country was moving from recession to depression following consecutive quarters of negative growth.

    The lawmaker said that the Federal Government needed to create 30 million jobs to cater for the teeming population.

    The House then mandated its Committee on FCT to engage the Minister of FCT and relevant agencies of the ministry and report back to it
    in two weeks.

     

  • Reps move to approve N208.8bn Virement  in 2016 Budget

    Reps move to approve N208.8bn Virement  in 2016 Budget

    The House of Representatives is set to approve the request for virement of funds in the Appropriation Act 2016 totaling N208.821 billion.

    This follows the submission of the report of the House Committee on Appropriation at plenary yesterday.

    While the requested Special Intervention in Recurrent Expenditure was N167,113,304,018 that of Capital was N39,208,367, 476.

    The request was sent to the Hon. Mustapha Bala Dawaki- headed committee on Appropriation on Wednesday, November 16, 2016 for further legislative inputs.

    While submitting the report yesterday Dawaki said the committee had met with relevant stakeholders.

    “The affected MDAs justified the need for intervention and approval of the virement.

    “The Committee observed that there are other areas of critical needs with potentials for development and stimulating the economy and for which additional funds could be provided through virement from the Special Intervention Program,” he said.

    The committee report shows a virement request from Service Wide Vote (SWV) for Public Service Wage Adjustment PSWA, (N71.8 billion);  SWV to Contingency N1.2billion); SWV to Margin for Increase in Cost MIC, ( N2 billion ); Ministry of Interior to Cadet feeding- Police Academy, Wudil, Kano ( N932.4 million); SWV to Amnesty Programme ( N35 billion); SWV to Internal Operations of the Armed Forces( N5.2 billion; SWV to Operation Lafiya Dole N13.9 billion.

    Others are Ministry of Youths and Sports Development, NYSC (N19. 792 billion; Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Missions ( N16.3 billion); Federal Ministry of Education: augmentation of Meal/ Subsidy/ Direct Teaching & Lab Cost ( N900 million) and Statutory Transfer to Public Complaints Commission ( N2.5 billion).

    In the area of Capital component of the virement is the Ministry of Defence, Nigerian Airforce, NAF ( N12.7 billion); Capital Supplementation: Presidential Initiative for the North East, PINE (N1.5 billion) and Payment of local Contractors Debts/ Other Liabilities ( N25 billion).

    However, there was confusion in the manner of presentation of the report of the Committee in the Order Paper as it states that the report which came via a motion was titled: “Receipt and Approval of the request for the virement of funds in the Appropriation Act, 2016.”

    The motion was unanimously passed by members when it was out to a vote by the Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara.

    But the Chairman of the Rules and Business Committee, Hon. Orker Jev and the Minority Leader of the House, Leo Ogor cleared the air saying the request still has to be considered in the Committee of Supply before it is finally approved by the House.

    The Spokesman of the House, Abdulrazak Namdas also said in spite of the virement coming as a motion and its subsequent passage, it will still be considered by the whole House before its approval.

  • Drama at Reps hearing as victim identifies alleged killer of brother

    …Confusion over conflicting submissions
    There was drama Monday as a victim’s brother identified one of the people that allegedly buried his brother alive.

    There was a stirring in the House of Representatives committee on Army in its investigative hearing on the killings of unarmed civilians in the South East, when Mr. Eric Kayinee identified one of the supposed killers of his brother and  pointed at a man sitting in the hall, saying the man was present when his brother was buried alive.

    According to him, his brother, Popbi Kayinee, an APC Chieftain was buried alive for political reasons by a notorious Solomon Ndigbara’s gang and the man was part of those that did it.

    The Hon. Rilmamnde Shawulu headed Committee said the name of the man should be collected for further investigations.

    Another man in the hall who was threatening the man who was identifying the alleged culprit was reprimanded by the committee.

    The accused man, Thomas Nwafor, who said he is from Ebonyin state and does fast food business was put under oath by the committee.

    But he denied the allegation that he was at the scene of the crime, and that he assisted in burying Kayinee alive.

    “I don’t know him. My own two brothers were killed. I don’t know Solomon Ndigbara, I don’t know this man (the accuser) I don’t know anybody in Yeghe,” he said.

    At the committee hearing, there were confusing reports, claims and counterclaims by the different stakeholders leading the committee with a string of mysteries in deciding if it was the police, military, militants, cultists of political hatchet men that were responsible for the killings in Ogoni.

    Col. O. N. Taiwo spoke on behalf of the Army saying the matter is still being investigated.

    The Inspector General,of Police, Ibrahim Idris, represented by Commissioner of Police, Rivers State Command, Francis Odesanya said the military were on patrol and they were ambushed by cultists/militants.

    He said two people were charged to court from the group that attacked the Army, adding that they moved straight to the APC secretariat and set the place on fire.

    According to him, the two were identified by people who said they were part of the group  that caused the mayhem.

    He said 5 people were killed while ambushing the army, contrary to the petition from Civil Liberties Organisations which said there were 34 people were killed by the army without any identifiable provocation.

    The Civil Liberties Organisation in its report to the committee on the invasion of Yeghe and other Ogoni Communities by the Nigerian Military operatives said:

    ” February 22 and 23, 2016 were days of blood, fire and bullets in Ogoni land, one of the major ethnic nationalities that make up Rivers State. On that fateful day, soldiers, dressed in full military regalia and armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed some Ogoni Communities in a manner that made many to wonder if war had been declared on Ogoni.

    The submission. Signed by the Zonal Chairman, Chinedu Uchegbu and the Livingstone Wechie Deputy Director, Relations/ Communications demanded further investigation and prosecution of the officers involved in the killings, “including Magnus Abe and Bari Mpigi.”

    But in a twist, the Ogoni Generation Next Project in a submission signed by its facilitator Comrade Kadilo Kabari and Secretary Kenedy Friday said they ” have dispassionately looked at the issues raised by the CLO South- South Nigeria to the Committee and have come to the irresistible conclusion that the petition is laden with distortions to deliberately mislead the Honorable House.

    Cauline Nagbo, a former desk officer of MOSOP, President Ogoni women forum, while speaking also faulted the CLO petition saying it was a plot to get the military out of the region so that mayhem can reign.

    According to her, the military is needed in the region in order to safeguard the lives and property

    The Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps in their presentation made by Obiekwe Augustine said ” report from our officers in Rivers State shows that prior to the 19th March 2016 rerun election in Rivers  States there were tensions and apprehensions in Ogoni land based in the information that one Mr. Solomon Degbara, a suspected a militant, had in his possession a large cache of arms and ammunitions for the election.

    “The intelligence was shared by the relevant agencies and the security outfits that had the direct mandate commenced operation. Our report shows that the Civil Liberties Organisation saw it as invasion of Ogoni land and went to court.”

    The Chairman of the committee expressed dissatisfaction with the disparities in the submissions of the Army and the Police especially in terms of cause of the shooting and the number of casualties as well as other glaring inconsistencies.

    He read out a letter purportedly written by Senator a Magnus Abe in which he chided the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara for allowing the investigation.

    According to Shawulu, the Senator in the letter said the Speaker as an APC member should not have allowed the investigative hearing.

    Shawulu further said: “We are not interested in issues of Party. The author could be in another party in the next one year. We’re interested in Ogoni and the integrity of the Nigerian Army.

    “The principal allegation is against the army. And what we want to establish is if the MDA we are over sighting has done anything wrong.

    “We want to see in understanding what has happened if we could make adjustments, especially in the Nigerian Army.”

  • Reps to meet Buhari over incessant Killings

    Reps to meet Buhari over incessant Killings

    Worried by the continuous killings across the country, the House of  Representatives Thursday mandated the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari and the security chiefs over the rising wave of insecurity

    The proposed meeting with  Buhari is for the purpose of getting him to act urgently on the trend of herdsmen attacks, armed robbery, kidnapping, and other security challenges.

    The House also said a conference on security involving all security agencies should be convened to proffer solution to the problem and called for a Declaration of Emergency in Southern Kaduna senatorial district by the Federal and Kaduna State governments.

    The lawmakers also urged the Director of the Department of State Service in charge of internal security to wake up to his responsibility in terms of securing the lives of Nigerians in the country.

    The resolutions of the House was sequel to the adoption of the amended prayers of a motion  of urgent public importance by a member, Hon. Simon Arabo (Kaduna APC) who decried the senseless killings in the region, especially the recent killing of 43 persons and destruction of houses in Kauru Local government, by unknown gunmen.

    Recall that armed men attacked Kigam, Kitakum, Ungwan Magaji, Ungwan Rimi, Ungwan Makera and Kizipi villages in Kauru Local government area of Kaduna state, on November 13 to 14, 2016, killing 43 persons including women and children and injuring several others.

    The lawmakers called for the establishment of a military strike force in the area in the meantime as a form of deterrent, saying the attacks are becoming too rampant.

    The Green Chamber urged security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of the attacks, in accordance with its resolutions of October 19, 2016 which came on the heel of a previous attacks.

    While supporting the motion, Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba (Kaduna APC) accused the military of apathy to the killings.

    “You call them and they tell you that they do not have mandate to act. In some cases, they come and arrest the same people who have asked them for protection, after the attackers have gone,

    “There is no concern by government. People do what they like and get away with it. The repercussion is great for the nation.

    Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila warned that the attacks have a tendency to migrate to other parts of the country. Its coming to a time when a state of emergency will be declared in Southern Kaduna. It should therefore not be considered a southern Kaduna problem, This is the time to act,” he said.

    Another member, Hon. Zakari Mohammed (Kwara APC) noted that such incidents speak to the need to revisit laws that regulate the rights of citizens to bear arms and the consideration of state police.

    He said: “We have to look at these issues seriously else people would resort to self help. The problem with self help is that it could cause more harm than the initial harm.”

    Other members who supported the motion include, Mohammed sanni Abdul, Garba Datti Mohammed, Babale Bachir, Shehu Garba, Kingsley Chinda and Sanni Zoro.

  • Reps consider Buhari’s N180b virement request

    Reps consider Buhari’s N180b virement request

    The House of Representatives is set to consider the request of President Muhammadu Buhari for the virement of N180b.

    The request which came through a motion by the Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila was passed with no resistance from the floor on Wednesday. 

    President Buhari had in a letter dated Tuesday, 25 October 2016 to Speaker Yakubu Dogara requested for virement of funds in the Appropriation Act, 2016.

    The request was in respect of virement of funds appropriated for special intervention  (Recurrent) and special intervention (Capital) to fund some critical Recurrent and Capital items.

    According to the President,  the request was necessitated by a number of reasons, including shortfalls in provisions of Personnel cost, the inadequate provision for the Amnesty Programme,  the need to sustain the war against insurgency and the depreciation of the Naira.

    The letter that came together with the $90b loan request on the same day  was read on the floor while the Speaker said it will be  listed for debate the following week.

    Following the rejection of the President’s requests by the Senate, the House clarified it’s position that it has not rejected the letter but would  rather consider it through a substantive motion.

    The Majority Leader, while justifying the need for the House to consider the motion said in the course of implementing the Appropriation Act, 2016, several Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDA) presented issues pertaining to salary shortfalls as it affects the MDAs that are not under the platform of Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), and some MDAs that are under the IPPIS platform wpuld be locked put as their Personnel Cist budgets would not cover salaries for the rest of the year.

    “Also the Nigerian Air Force needs to cover the foreign exchange differentials in the procurement of its critical equipment and augment the contigency vote, and also to provide for inadequacy in the provision for the National Youth Service Corps in 2016, among others,” he added.

    The motion was unanimously adopted after it was put to a voice vote by the presiding officer, Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun, who referred it to Committee on Appropriation and other Committees to which the virement relates to serve as sub-committees of the Committee on Appropriations.

  • National Assembly begins process of solid minerals bills

    A member of the House of Representatives, Rep. Emmanuel Egwu (APC-Kogi) on Thursday said the National Assembly would commence the consideration of Bills for the management of solid minerals in the country.

    Egwu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja that there were more than one Bill on the issue and that both chambers of the assembly were currently processing the bills before them.

    He said that the bills were aimed at ensuring proper coordination of activities of the solid minerals sector to make it viable enough to generate huge revenue for the country.

    He said that when there was fall in oil price or disruption in production of oil, the nation often suffered losses because price and volume went together.

    Egwu added that “even if the price of oil is high, as high as 100 dollars per barrel and we cannot produce enough, it is still a problem, just like what is happening in the Niger Delta today.’’

    He therefore said that there was the need to process the Bills in order to strengthen sources of diversification of the economy.

    “We should diversify to areas that would be of immense benefit and as urgent as possible to improve on the values of the country,” Egwu added.

    He called for a well-coordinated solid mineral sector, adding that an agency could be engaged to handle such assignment effectively.

    He said that the job of the agency would include coordinating the exploration all minerals available in the country and exportation, explaining that it was necessary to avoid situation where items were produced but could not be exported.

    “When there is more attention from government and assistance to those interested in exporting, I think it will assist Federal Government a lot,” the lawmaker said.

     

  • No Sharia Bill before the House – Spokesman

    The House of Representatives Thursday said there is no Sharia Bill before it and that contrary to the general uproar on the proposed legislation, no such bill has passed second reading on the floor of Green Chamber.

    Speaking on the controversial issue Thursday, the Chairman of the House Commttee on Media and Public Affair, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas said there is the need for him to clarify the issue because of the numerous inquiries from reporters and members of the public.

    “On this issue of the proposal people are calling the Sharia Bill, a lot of people came to my office today. I want to make clarifications.

    “Please gentlemen, we don’t have a bill in the House of Representatives called the Sharia Bill. What we have is that a member on the floor of the House made a proposal to amend the constitution and this was referred to the Special committee on Constitution Review of which I’m a member.

    “Now, it actually talks about trying to amend a certain section of the Sharia. As it is, its been referred to a committee. And if the committee decides that this is not worth a bill, it will not even come back to the House.

    “Once the committee decides on it that it is, it will come on the floor of the House as a bill. And it’s at that time that we will now say there is a bill before the House, which will require a vote of two-third, not only here but all the State Houses of Assembly.

    “So it’s not correct to say that a sharia bill has passed second reading in the House of Representatives. It has not. It is a proposal seeking to amend the criminal aspect of the Sharia law, it can only be done through constitution amendment”.

    The lawmaker said there are lots of constitution amendment proposals before the special committee and the committee is working in them, adding that at the appropriate time, the fate of the controversial proposal will be made known to the public though the media.

  • Reps warn Nigerians against investing in MMM scheme

    Reps warn Nigerians against investing in MMM scheme

    The House of Representatives has warned Nigerians to desist from investing in the Mavrodi Monrodi Moneybox scheme popularly known as MMM or risk loss of their funds.

    The call was sequel to a unanimous adoption of a motion by Rep. Saheed Akinade-Fajabi (Oyo-APC) at plenary on Wednesday in Abuja.

    Akinade-Fajabi, in the motion earlier, said that the scheme was set up by three Russian nationals in 1989 and that clients were made to invest monies with the hope to make 30 per cent interest in 30 days.

    He said that the structure and operations of the scheme indicated otherwise as clients could have multi-level structures under them and earn bonus.

    He said that the scheme prided itself as a mutual fund through which recruited clients contributed money in form of assistance without any intent to engage in banking business.

    According to the lawmaker, the scheme entered Nigeria in 2016, capitalising on the high level of unemployment and poverty in the country to deceive and make Nigerians fall prey of their antics.

    He said that a similar scheme had been launched in Russia by the same founder where investors lost millions of dollars, adding that the scheme had been banned in China to avert “financial havoc’’.

    It could be recalled that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) had admonished Nigerians on the MMM scheme, saying it was fraudulent.

    In his ruling, the Speaker of the House, Mr Yakubu Dugara, mandated the Committee on Banking and Currency to investigate the scheme with the view of saving Nigerians participating in it from financial disaster.

  • Reps move to upgrade National Hospital

    Reps move to upgrade National Hospital

    …Stakeholders differ on Dietician Bill

    The House of Representatives Thursday moved to restructure the National Hospital Abuja for better services as its committee on Health Institutions carried out its mandate on ” the need to conduct a comprehensive investigative hearing towards restructuring, reorganizing, refinancing and repositioning of the a national Hospital.”

    The challenges that caused the Apex Health Institution to deteriorate was reeled out by the Chief Medical Director, Bello Abubakar Mohammed before the Hon. Betty Apiafi- headed Committee, as it considered a bill and four motions at  an investigative hearing.

    Mohammed noted that the Hospital which was meant to be the best in the country has been stunted by lack of funding and obsolete equipment some purchased as far back as 1999.

    The CMD said that the Hospital is over-bloated with patients and they come from as far as Mali, Niger and beyond. The staff strength, he said, is over-bloated “while the real health personnel is not increasing.”

    He said the Hospital is not accorded the status it should have and is treated like every other hospital and opined that moving the hospital back to a presidency from the Ministry of Health will help with funding.

    “If we are going to be sincere with ourselves and call it an Apex hospital, we should give it special consideration. If we don’t fund the National Hospital, the decay will continue,” he warned.

    However, there was drama Thursday as stakeholders including the Ministry of Health, Nigeria Medical Association and Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria opposed a bill titled: “Bill for an Act to establish the Dieticians Council of Nigeria to regulate the profession of Dietetics and for other matters related therewith.”

    The three institutions vehemently opposed the bill saying it will engender conflict of interest and cause confusion within the profession

    Ministry of Health represented by Dr. Wapada Balami, Director of Hospital Services who represented the Minister of Health said the Ministry which oversights the two councils had no input in the bill.

    “Only one of the two contending councils came to tell us they sent a bill to the Nass and we did not have any input.” He said there is crisis within the two Dietetic Councils “And if we don’t resolve the crisis, we can’t go ahead.”

    According to him, the creation of a new council will bring new cost adding that “We’re trying to cut down the cost of governance. By creating a new council we are creating new costs. We have a new report, the Yayale Ahmed report on how to cut cost. Councils are to regulate practice and ethics; they’re not involved in programmes regulation and issues of professional continuing education.

    But the Chairperson of the Committee, Betty Apiafi said the Ministry should allow the National Assmbly worry about budgetary provision adding that professionals have a right to associate. “We make budget provisions from the National Assembly. You have not told us you have problems with running the councils,” she said.

    Prof. Mike Ogirima, President of NMA and Dr. Andulmumini Ibrahim, Registrar Medical and Dental Council also opposed the bill saying many provisions in it are unclear, adding that the bill does not articulate who are those qualified to practice the profession and under what regulations.

    “The NMA is still worried over the unending quest for councils. If the federal government proceed with the council creations, it won’t end.

    But Prof. Elizabeth Kanayo Ngwu, President, Dietitians association of Nigeria, Dr. Grace Fadupin, President Institute for Dietetics in Nigeria and Barr. Tajudeen Olutoye, the institute’s Secretary, put up a spirited defense in favour of the bill.

    According to them there is the need to ensure that charlatans do not invade the profession and passing a bill establishing the Council will allow the refulation of practitioners of the profession.

    They told the committee that they have purposed to work together for the advanxement of the profession. “We have agreed to drop our old name and adopt
    Association of Nigerian Dietitians.”

    The Speaker of the House, Hon. Yakubu Dogara who was represented by the Minority Whip, Yakubu Barde, enjoined the stakeholders to make informed contribution.

    “There is no doubt that your views either for or against the subjects being addressed at this public hearing will go a long way in assisting the Committee on Health Institutions make informed recommendations to the House.”