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Tag: House of Representatives

  • House of Reps PDP endorses Jonathan for 2015

    House of Reps PDP endorses Jonathan for 2015

    Members of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives Tuesday endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan to run for the 2015 presidential election.

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal was absent at the meeting.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting with President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa few minutes to midnight, the House Leader, Mulikat Adeola-Akande said the caucus passed a vote of confidence on him.

    She said: “We are PDP caucus of the House of Representatives, a meeting like this is not strange because we met with the President who is our leader.”

    “We deliberated on issues affecting our party. The House caucus  on our own decided to pass a vote of confidence on Mr. President and also endorse him for second term.”

    On whether the President accepted, she said: “We did the endorsement and we are urging him to run for second term.”

    On why the Speaker was not present at the meeting, she said: “I am sure when you see Mr. Speaker, you will ask him, this is a PDP meeting.  Obviously, he will have his reasons why he was not at the meeting.”

    According to her, security issues were also discussed at the meeting and the government was commended for efforts to restore peace in trouble spots in the country.

  • Bill to end ‘casualisation’ passes second reading

    Bill to end ‘casualisation’ passes second reading

    A Labour Act Amendment Bill passed through second reading yesterday in the House of Representatives.

    The bill seeks to amend the Labour Act, 2004 to provide a time frame for the regularisation of casual or temporary employment to permanent status by all employers of labour in the country.

    Hon. Emmanuel Jime (APC-Benue), who sponsored of the bill which also seeks to ensure that casual workers  are given permanent status after two years, said the bill, if passed, would ensure that casual workers get permanent employment after a time frame.

    While leading the debate on the general principle of the bill, Jime said the bill was meant to address the rising incidence of casualisation (short term jobs) of workers in the country,

    According to him, there are two categories of workers; short and permanent workers adding that the amendment is seeking to address the plight of the short term workers.

    He said: “There is a clear violation of the rights of these casual workers, since they are not entitled to full benefits. This amendment has opened up the protection of the Nigerian workers by way of a legal backing.”

    He urged his colleagues to support the bill, saying it is for the interest of all the workers.

    1. Nkiruka Onyejiocha (PDP-Abia), supported the bill. She said the bill would enable workers, particularly the  casual workers, to get full employment benefits, adding that the bill is for the protection of the workers.

    The bill scaled second reading despite opposition by Hon. Francis Enekorogh a(PDP-Delta), who argued that it could “create series of problems than solving it.”

    It was subsequently referred to the Committee on Labour and Productivity for more input by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, who presided.

  • Reps to MDAs: Submit 2014 mid-year budget implementation report

    Reps to MDAs: Submit 2014 mid-year budget implementation report

    In a bid to ensure the full implementation of the N4.695 trillion 2014 budget, the leadership of the House of Representatives has directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to submit details of their mid-year budget implementation.

    To this end, all the Standing Committees have directed the MDAs under their watch to submit details of funds released by the Federal Ministry of Finance and Budget Office on or before July 16th in order to confirm the cash-backing for the implementation of capital, personnel and overheads components of the 2014 Appropriation Act.

    A breakdown of the of N4.695 trillion approved in the Act details that the sum of N408.687 billion was for statutory transfers; N712 billion was for debt servicing; N2.454 trillion was for recurrent expenditure while N1.119 trillion was earmarked for capital expenditure.

    One of such letters was written by the Chairman, House Committee on Health, Ndudi Elumelu, requesting for details of the funds released for implementation of capital, personnel and overheads components of the budget so far.

    The letter titled “Request for information on releases of funds from Federal Ministry of Finance from 1st January to 30th June 2014” and dated 30th June 2014, was addressed to the Minister of Health, Onyebuchi Chukwu.

    Elumelu, in the letter, also directed the Minister to provide evidence on details of expenditure of Federal Ministry of Health and various departments and agencies including Federal Medical Centres (FMCs) for the period under review on or before  July 16.

    The non/slow implementation of annual budgets has been a source of contention between the House of Representatives and the executive with the Speaker of the House, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal promising a more intense oversight on MDAs by the committees of the House.

    A  member of the House Committee on Finance and Appropriation, Abdulrahman Terab, confirmed the substance of the correspondence adding that the House has concluded arrangement to ascertain the level of compliance with the 2014 Appropriation Act.

  • Reps to pass 2014 budget on resumption

    Reps to pass 2014 budget on resumption

    The House of Representatives will resume plenary today after a three- week break to tackle the contentious 2014 budget which committees had concentrated on in the past weeks.

    The House had gone on break to enable its standing committees meet with Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in order to allow them defend their estimates for the 2014 budget, as well as give the committees time to tidy every aspect of the budget,

    Arguments for the expeditiously passage of the N4.6 trillion 2014 budget is therefore expected to feature prominently as part of today’s deliberation as committees have concluded their reports on the budget.

    Apart from the 2014 budget, other issues the House would likely address today include the continuous deterioration of the security situations particular the killings related to insurgency and how to stem the tide.

    Expected to come through points of orders of urgent national importance by members are recent killings of a hundred people in Kaduna State, as well as the deaths of young job seekers at the Nigerian Immigration Service on Saturday.

    Tambuwal last Tuesday adjourned sitting till today as a special session in honour of students of the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi, Yobe State, who were killed by suspected terrorists.

    Speaking last week during his welcome address, Tambuwal had asked that all Nigerians unite against terrorism.

    The Nation learnt that further down the week, other legislative activities of the House would include an investigation into if the funds to the security agencies fighting insurgency in the Northern part of the country is being properly disbursed or not.

  • Ekiti, Bamidele trade words over finances

    House of Representatives member and Labour Party(LP) governorship aspirant, Opeyemi Bamidele, has accused Governor Kayode Fayemi of wasting nearly N400 billion since assumption of office.

    He made the allegation yesterday in his Iyin-Ekiti country home at the weekend during the LP’s ward congresses held across the 17 wards in the state.

    But the Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Tayo Ekundayo, fired back, describing the lawmaker as a pathological liar.

    He said Bamidele has always employed lying to deal with his perceived enemies.

    Bamidele accused the state of taking N3 billion monthly, saying the deduction has accumulated to N120 billion.

    According to him: “This is aside 16 Local Governments who also take a sum of N3 billion monthly which amounts to N120 billion in 40 months.

    “We also receive money from the SURE-P, MDGs, Ecological Funds and the N25 billion taken from the Capital Market.”

    But speaking with reporters on phone, Ekundayo said: “Where did he get the figure from. What is the entire money coming to the state? This is political season and people will conjure all sorts of all.

    “Again, we have always known Bamidele as a veteran liar. He does not ever hide his hatred for the truth all his life.

    “There was never a time Ekiti gets N3 billion

    allocation. If he could tell lie in this regard, he is capable of telling lies on other issues. He is just running his mouth.”

    He added: “Let the people be alert not to be swayed by his lies. More of such lies will come from him from time to time. But, again, his lying strategy is an indication that Ekiti people should be wary of his evil plans.”

  • House shoots down debate on budget

    House shoots down debate on budget

    • Scales second reading in Senate

    THE House of Representatives has shotdown debate on the N4.64 trillion budget till next week, following arguments between members.

    The Chairman and deputies of three Committees of the House, Rules and Business, Justice and Judiciary, were yesterday mandated to look into the legality of the issues raised and report to the House within 24 hours.

    The Speaker of the House, Aminu Tambuwal stood down the consideration of the budget after tense debates from two opposing camps of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) members at plenary.

    But another disclosure from the Speaker that both the House and the Senate have agreed to postpone plenary till next week to allow APC members register, further dimed the chance of the budget being considered till next week.

    It would be the second time the debate on the N4.6 trillion budget is being put off. Last week, it was postponed to give way for the voting on the constitution amendment.

    Trouble started when Emmanuel Jimeh (APC, Benue) immediately raised a point of constitutional order after the 2014 Appropriation Bill was mentioned for second reading.

    Jimeh said the presentation of the 2014 budget was in breach of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007.

    According to him, the budget was meant to have been accompanied with the details of the estimates of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Nigeria Ports Authority and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC ) and other revenue generating corporations and agencies of the Federal Government.

    Section 21 of the the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007 lists the CBN, NNPC, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Federal Inland Revenue Service ( FIRS), National Communication Commission (NCC), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), National Agency for Food & Drug Administration & Control (NAFDAC), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Securities and Exchange Commission ( SEC) and Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC) as part of corporations, agencies and government owned companies whose details must accompany the budget to the National Assembly.

    Others include the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) and National Maritime Authority (now NIMASA), among others.

    Jimeh further said what Sub-section 3 of the FRA demands is that details of the budget of the listed corporations, agencies and companies accompany the budget to the National Assembly.

    “What I have and what other members are holding is a purported summary. The law requires that the estimates of these corporations and agencies be attached to the budget. The Minister has no right to give us her own summary. I want to ask what is the danger of not giving us the estimate?

    The lawmaker said if the National Assembly had put its foot down previously on the submission of the details, the incidence of the missing $10.8 billion from the coffers of the NNPC would not have occurred.

    He cited Section 11 (1,2,3) of the Act that stipulates that estimates must accompany the budget.

    “What accompanied the purported budget was a summary rather than the estimates. For instance. If the estimates of the NNPC has been submitted with the 2013 budget proposal, the House would have known where the missing $10billion is.

    “The House should not allow them reach the laws it passed and should not encourage the Executive to continue to engage in breaching the law.This particular budget has breached our law. This parliament must not encourage the President to continue to breach our law. We must not allow ourselves to do the wrong thing for the convenience of the moment. History will not judge the House well for sitting back when the law is breached.”

    But the Chairman of the House Committee in Appropriation, John Enoh ( PDP Cross Rivers) disagreed with the submission of Jimeh when Tambuwal called him to explain the issue.

    “I disagree that the estimates are in the breach.The struggle to get the Executive to comply has been long. Year in, year out, the National Assembly kept insisting. In the past two to three years, the Executive has been in full compliance.

    “The question is: are the estimates abridged or not? My colleague (Jimeh) says it is abridged, but he agrees that estimates accompanied them.

    “It becomes a different thing altogether what the National Assembly decides to do with the estimates. In the 2013 budget, it came the way the 2014 came. There is no time that in the course of passing the budget, that we said we can’t pass it because of the budgets of CBN, NPA, NNPC.”

    At this point members in support of Jimeh’s position shouted “No! No! No!”

    But Enoh ended his argument, saying that the budget of any country, particularly Nigeria, is the most important document before the parliament. “There is none that is as significant and as important as the budget,” he said.

    At this point, Tambuwal ruled, saying what Jimeh said is a valid. He said it was because of the sensitivity of the budget that he called Enoh to explain the issue.

    He appointed the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Abert Sam-Tsokwa and his Deputy, Sunday Adepoju, the Chairman, Committee on Judiciary, Aminu Shehu Shagari and his deputy, Ken Chikere, and Chairman Committee on Justice, Ali Ahmed and his deputy, Emeka Nwaogbo to examine the issues and report to the House within 24 hours.

    Meanwhile, the budget has scaled second reading in the Senate.

    The Bill has generated a lot of controversy since the Senate started its debate on January 28.

  • Reps deny bribery allegation over 2014 Budget

    Reps deny bribery allegation over 2014 Budget

    The House of Representatives yesterday debunked allegations that each member received $100,000 each to peg the benchmark of the 2014 budget at $76.5 per barrel of crude oil.

    The benchmark has been a source of contention between the Presidency and the Lower House with the latter insisting on $79 per barrel as against the Senate’s adoption of $76.5 per barrel.

    No sooner had the House commenced plenary yesterday than it went into a two-hour executive session to discuss the parameters to adopt on the 2014-2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) sent to the National Assembly by President Goodluck Jonathan, particularly the benchmark.

    The Nation learnt that while some members were of the opinion that the $79 per barrel which the House insisted on should be maintained, others were said to have canvassed a more moderate benchmark, arguing that the position of the Senate should be adopted.

    Speaking with reporters after the closed door-session, Deputy Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Victor Ogene, said members did not fight over the issue at the closed door session as alleged by some people.

    “Seriously speaking, you all saw us when we came out, smiling. The issues I told you clearly were between those who insisted that the benchmark remains at $79 and those, who feel that it was okay at $76.5,” he said.

    He said neither did they receive any bribe from the Presidency over the benchmark.

    The allegation made the rounds that the lawmakers were bribed sequel to a meeting with President Jonathan on the issue.

  • Rep slumps, dies

    Oil communities in Ondo State were yesterday thrown into mourning after a member of the House of Representatives representing the area, Raphael Nomiye (Groovy), unexpectedly slumped and died on Friday night.

    Nomiye,50, was elected on the platform of Labour Party to represent Ilaje/Ese-Odo.

    The deceased, according to family sources, slumped and died in his Abuja residence at about 9.55pm on his way to the bathroom.

    He was said to have attended to some guests till 9pm and showed no sign of illness.

    After the last guest had left, he decided to have a shower only for him to slump.

    He died immediately.

    His Uncle, Chief Charles Temitan, said, “This is incredible. I left him at about 3pm on Friday hale and hearty for Okitipupa. I didn’t notice any trace of ailment or death in him. I never knew that would be my last encounter with him. His death is an irreparable loss to us.”

    Only two weeks ago, the deceased participated actively in the burial of his father-in-law at Sabome in Ese-Odo local government area of the state.

    He was a member of the Ondo State Oil Producing Area Development Commission (OSOPADEC) during the late Agagu’s regime before he defected to the ruling LP in the State in 2010.

    His younger brother, Mr. Jackson Nomiye, said his body has been deposited in a morgue in Abuja.

    The extended family is expected to meet soon to deliberate on the burial arrangements.

    He said: “I cannot say precisely how he died. I was not in Abuja when the incident happened but I can confirm to you that the man has passed on. We have lost a rare gem.”

    His residence at New Garage, Okitipupa, was besieged by relations, friends and politicians who had gone to console his family.

    The late Nomiye is survived by a wife and children.

  • Reps to investigate NNPC, Swiss firm over $6.8b fraud

    Reps to investigate NNPC, Swiss firm over $6.8b fraud

    The House of Representatives’ Committees on Petroleum Upstream and Downstream), and Justice are to investigate the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for allegedly conniving with a Swiss trading firm to swindle the country of $6.8billion.

    The committees would question the corporation for selling the country’s crude oil below the market value through what is termed “Letter Box Companies.”

    The decision of the lawmakers followed the prayers and the adoption of a motion by Abiodun Abudu-Balogun (APC, Ogun), that the fraud was reported by a Swiss Non-Governmental advocacy organisation, the Berne Declaration.

    He said the report by the organisation declared the deal as the “greatest fraud Africa has ever known” that is draining Nigeria of billions of dollars in revenue.

    He said: “The report by Berne Declaration, tiled: ‘Swiss Traders Opaque Deals in Nigeria,’ is so disturbing with details of the schemes employed by the NNPC and foreign oil companies to dupe the country of over $6.8billion

    “A major partner of NNPC, Vitol and Transfigura Commodity Trading Firms was mentioned in the deals where large volume of our crude oil was sold below the market price, “ he said, stressing that it should be a source of concern that exclusive and untransparent partnerships of Vitol and Transfigura Commodity Trading Firms with the NNPC, gave them over 36 per cent of the market share, “with NNPC selling its crude at a discount.”

    Balogun sought justification behind Nigeria being the only major oil producing nation that sells 100 per cent of its crude to private traders, rather than market it herself and benefit from the resulting added value with the greatest number of beneficiaries of export allocations.

    He said another cause for worry is the sharp practices and deals in the NNPC crude oil allocations to local refineries that are not utilised, but sold fraudulently at knock- down prices to Geneva-based companies through Letter box companies by swap arrangement.

    “What should also bother Nigerians is the numerous damaging allegations contained in the report against the NNPC and its subsidiaries accused of not publishing detailed financial reports since 2005,” he added..

    The presiding  officer, Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha referred the motion to the three House committees after it was unanimously supported when put to voice vote.

    The committees are expected to put in their report in four weeks.

  • House to committees: turn in all outstanding probe reports now

    House to committees: turn in all outstanding probe reports now

    The House of Representatives yesterday directed its standing and ad hoc committees to turn in all outstanding reports on their assignments.

    The directive followed the report in yesterday’s edition of The Nation that the report, of the committees have notbeen made public.

    Some of the lawmakers did not take kindly to the report, saying that their perception in the public would be adversely affected.

    However, during plenary, Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, who presided over the session yesterday, said that a meeting was held with the Speaker where it was decided that chairmen of committees saddled with investigations as well as oversight functions should, as a matter of urgency, turn in their reports.

    The action of the leadership followed a matter of urgent national importance raised by Razak Bello-Osagie (APC, Edo) who expressed concern about The Nation’s report.

    According to him, it has become expedient for the committees to look inward and oversight themselves by being diligent with legislative responsibilities assigned to them.

    Citing a motion he moved a year ago and committed to investigation but nothing has been heard of it. “If what the newspaper reported was correct, then there is an urgent need for it to be addressed. I am not indicting us, what I am trying to put across is that being a body that oversights government agencies, we should also oversight ourselves.

    “If we strive to make things better by checking the excesses of government agencies, on our own, we should be up and doing about the outcome of our investigations and turn them in on time.

    “We should be seen by Nigerians to be doing the work we are paid for, in essence, our chairmen should do what they are supposed to do, let them meet with committee members and expedite actions on this reports so that we know that the implementation of our recommendations is left with the Executive.

    “Since we can not do the work of the executive by implementing the recommendations of our reports or resolutions or even the Constitution, we should not be found wanting in our own responsibility”.

    The Deputy Speaker directed the Committee on Rules and Business to liaise with committees whose reports are outstanding to immediately work on them and report to the House.