The House of Representatives Committee on Federal Polytechnics and Higher Education has said that request for more funds by agencies of government should be based on justification of the utilisation of previous funds allocated to them.
Speaking at the budget defence session of the National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), Chairman of the Committee, Faud Kayode Laguda (APC, Lagos) said performance is key to progress and should be used to justify demands for more funds by agencies in 2025.
Laguda said there was need for government agencies to judiciously utilise resources available to them before asking for more, as their performance should determine why more resources should be allocated to them.
He said, “Performance is very key because that is what will help us move forward. It is an acceptable and known fact that polytechnics in Nigeria are poorly funded. We know. But we need to justify our need for more funds and show why we need it. To be honest with ourselves, have we been able to do that? That is what we should answer. “
The Lagos lawmaker said the NBTE as a body is very crucial in the area of technical education; hence, adequate funding for the agency will go a long way in ensuring that technical education institutions are positioned to provide Nigeria with needed expertise and workforce to drive innovation and development.
He sought better synergies within the polytechnics and various stakeholders; and charged the Rectors to be more proactive and introduce modern courses, syllabus and relevant courses to their immediate environments.
The Executive Secretary NBTE, Professor Idris Bugaje had, while presenting an overview of the agencies 2024 budget performance and the 2025 proposed estimates, called for an increase of its budgetary allocation to recruit more personnel in order to supervise the activities of over 700 Polytechnics and other institutions under its purview across the country.
“Similar agencies like ours have more staff fewer institutions and more funds to carry out their duties, but our personnel cost is very low, so we want that one to be increased so that we can inject more hands to do that rotation”.
House of Representatives’ Committee on Defence has stressed need for more funding for the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA).
Committee Chair, Babajimi Benson, spoke when he led members on the maiden oversight to headquarters of DIA in Abuja.
Benson said the DIA is central to the security architecture of the nation and the visit underscores importance to intelligence driven approaches in addressing multifaceted security challenges.
He said: “There are three intelligence agencies in Nigeria: DSS, NIA and DIA. We have looked at the budget of the three and believe DIA should be getting more because it does not only cover internal security which has allowed the armed forces to come in, but also provide intelligence from Nigeria and outside Nigeria.
“So, they are the only agency wearing those two caps. DSS is just Nigeria, NIA is foreign but DIA does both. But if you look at the budget of the three agencies it is shocking DIA gets the least.
“So, we are here today to see what they have done with the little they have, but there is a need to ramp up what they get for them to be at par with what DSS and NIA get. This is the recommendation we are taking away and we are going to ensure Mr President, father of the nation, sees it.
“He needs to adopt DIA as his baby because they need so much potential. As you can see insecurity has gone down drastically in Nigeria and DIA has played a very critical role,” Benson said.
The House of Representatives Committee on Public Asset and Special Duties has given the management of the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) seven days to provide all documents on its current Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) deals.
The committee also directed the corporation’s management to provide detailed information on a trending video suggesting that some unidentified persons carted away facilities from a train station.
Committee Chairman Ademorin Kuye announced the ultimatum at a public hearing on the need to investigate and assess the performance of NRC’s PPP programmes and concession.
The lawmaker said the committee issued the ultimatum following the failure of the corporation to submit the documents it earlier requested it to submit for scrutiny.
He said the NRC management should also submit all documents connected with each asset of the PPP and programmes, concessions and lease agreements with their commencement dates.
Kuye directed that the corporation’s management should also tender the documents on evidence of remittances to the Special Concession Account, income profile from PPPs/Concession/Lease, and specific achievements recorded by the period under reference.
The committee chairman asked the NRC management to tender documents and evidence of advertisement of PPPs/concession/lease and expression of interests on the leases.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday asked its relevant committees to invite the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Managing Directors of Commercial banks, and other financial institutions utilizing point-of-sale services to find solutions to the challenges faced by users of POS in the country.
This followed a motion by John Okafor (APC, Imo) on the need to implement verifiable documentation of Point of Sale users and fund recipient identity across the country.
Okafor said the increasing challenges posed by the undocumented identities of Point of Sale (POS) users and fund recipients in Nigeria have given opportunities for fraudulent activities within the financial system and the necessity to combat such illicit practices and safeguard the integrity of financial transactions within Nigeria.
He said undocumented POS transactions from both parties’ identities create a loophole for fraudulent activities, such as identity theft, money laundering, and unauthorised transactions. Also, by enforcing the documentation of users’ identity, the incidence of fraud will be significantly reduced and the security of financial transactions in Nigeria will be enhanced.
He said proper documentation of POS users’ identity fosters accountability among operators and users, adding that this transparency will help trace transactions back to the individuals involved, holding them accountable for illegal activities conducted through the POS system, and ensuring a lasting end to the criminal use of POS.
He said there is an obvious regulatory bias and enforcement challenge towards due process by the relevant regulatory bodies and the urgency for immediate intervention to avert this ugly situation and shield Nigerians from the hands of criminals through the use of the POS system.
According to him, establishing a system for verifiable documentation of POS users’ and recipients’ identities aligns with the national and international financial regulatory requirements to prevent financial crimes and ensure compliance with anti-money laundering (AML) and know-your-customer (KYC) regulations.
He stressed that implementing stringent identity verification measures will protect consumers and businesses from becoming vulnerable to fraudulent schemes carried out through POS transactions, adding that the process will build trust in the financial system and encourage greater participation in the growing cashless transactions system in Nigeria.
The House of Representatives yesterday rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to provide for a six-year single term for the President and governors across the federation as well as local government chairmen.
The Bill also aimed to provide for the division of the country into six geopolitical zones and rotation of the Presidency and governorship seats inherent in regions and zones.
The Bill, sponsored by Ikenga Ugochinyere (PDP, Imo) and 33 others, also aimed to amend the Constitution to provide that all elections be held on a single day.
The lawmakers refused to allow the sponsor of the proposed legislation, which sought to alter sections 76, 116, 132, 136, and some others of the 1999 Constitution lead the debate on the Bill.
The proposed Bill also sought to amend the provision of Section 132 of the Constitution by inserting a new subsection (2) and deleting the extant subsection (4) and renumbering the entire section accordingly to provide that an election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be rotated between the North and the South regions of the country every six years.
It also sought to amend Section 180 of the Principal Act, as altered, by removing “four years” for “six years”.
Besides, it sought to alter Section 76 by inserting a new subsection (3) as follows: For the Purposes of Section (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, governors, National Assembly and states’ Houses of Assembly shall hold simultaneously on the same date, to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.
“Section 116 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting a new a subsection (3) as follows; < For the purposes of subsection (1) of this section, all elections into the offices of President, Governors, National Assembly, State Houses of Assembly and Local Government Councils shall be held simultaneously on the same date to be determined by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in consultation with the National Assembly and in accordance with the Electoral Act.
“Section 132 of the Principal Act is amended by inserting a new é subsection (2), deleting the extant subsection (4) and renumbering the entire section accordingly: An election to the office of President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria shall be rotated between the North and the South regions of the Country every six years. Provided that where it is the turn of the North or South to present a candidate for election into the office of President, it shall be rotated among the three geo-political zones that constitutes the regions. The extant subsection (2) becomes subsection (3); The extant subsection (3) becomes subsection (4); The extant subsection (4) is hereby deleted; The extant subsection (5) remains subsection (5).
“Section 136 of the Principal Act is amended by deleting the a extant subsections 1 & 2 and replacing them with new subsections I, 2 and 3 as follows: If a person duly elected as President dies before taking and subscribing the Oath of Allegiance and oath of office. or is for any reason whatsoever unable to be sworn in, the person elected with him as First Vice President shall be sworn in as President and he shall appoint a new First Vice President with the approval by a simple majority of the National Assembly at a joint sitting.
“A person who was sworn in as Governor to complete the term for which another person was elected as Governor shall not be elected to such office for another term. The Principal Act is altered by inserting a new Section 188 immediately after the extant 187 and immediately before the extant 188 and renumbering accordingly as follows; 188(1) Notwithstanding any other provision, the Governor shall present a mid-term account of stewardship performance report to the State House of Assembly at the end of the third year of the six-year term.
The state House of Assembly shall determine by a resolution supported by not less than two-thirds majority of members whether the governor bas by the account of stewardship report justified his continuous stay in office.
Where, upon the consideration of the mid-term report under subsection (1) of this section, the State House of Assembly is not satisfied with the performance of the Governor for the period he has been in office, the State House of Assembly shall pass a vote of no confidence on the Governor. The State House of Assembly shall immediately commence the process for the impeachment of the Governor from office.”
The House of Representatives announced that it will investigate the activities of Anti-Corruption Transparency Units (ACTU) across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in the country.
It said that its investigation would focus on incidents of age falsification among civil servants within these MDAs.
The decision came after the House resolved during a plenary session on Thursday, following two separate motions.
The House directs its committee on public service matters, special duties, federal character, and National Planning and Economic Development to invite the Head of Service of the Federation to provide comprehensive details of all civil servants assigned to the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) for verification to track down the offenders.
The committees are also to investigate the Head of Civil Service of the Federation’s Report.
While moving to the motion to investigate the anti-corruption units, Shehu Umar Ajilo (PDP, Kaduna) recalled that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission requested the establishment of an Anti-Corruption Transparency Unit, popularly referred to as ACTU, in all MDAs to help in the fight against corruption.
He explained that on October 2, 2001, and April 16, 2003, two circulars were issued for the establishment and funding of the units, respectively, adding that another circular was issued on October 5, 2016, re-emphasizing both the establishment and funding of the units in all MDAs.
According to him, the ACTUs in each organization are expected to operate as an autonomous outfit of which its independence and protection shall be guaranteed.
He said the unit is supposed to be the watchdog or an anti-corruption division saddled with the responsibility of monitoring the activities of Federal Government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies and reporting any matter that is regarded as a corrupt practice to the ICPC for further action;
Worried that despite these circulars and efforts, corrupt practices persist in most MDAs, and if not checked, corruption will continue forever.
On his part, Yusuf Ahmed Badau described the Federal Civil Service as the heartbeat of the Public Service Administration in the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary, adding that the roles of civil servants constitute the foundation of nation-building; consequently, the strong and viable public service system is needed to promote effective and efficient public service to the country.
He said the primary responsibility of the Legislative Arm of Government in Nigeria is to monitor and investigate violations of laws enacted by it, which include matters pertaining to age falsification and other matters related to public service in Nigeria.
Badau said the rising number of unemployment caused by age falsification is highly of concern and requires urgent investigation and prosecution and expressed concern that in the last quarter of 2024, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report indicated that the unemployment rate has risen by 5.3%, making Nigeria one of the countries with the most unemployed populace in the African continent.
He said the number of graduates without jobs is extremely worrying, requiring swift action to address the issue through investigation and prosecution of age falsification offenders to create space for bright new minds to impart in the productivity and prosperity of the public service in Nigeria.
The House of Representatives on Thursday passed for a second reading, a Bill seeking to amend the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja Act to provide for an increase in the number of judges in the FCT High Courts.
The bill was sponsored by the Deputy Speaker, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu, Hon. Babajimi Benson, Hon. Akin Rotimi, Jr, and five others will now be subjected to legislative scrutiny by the House through public hearing.
Leading the debate on the general principles, Jonathan Gaza Gbefwi (SDP, Nasarawa) told the House that the Bill seeks to address a fundamental aspect of the judiciary’s ability to deliver timely justice, which is an increase in the number of judges in the High Court of the FCT, Abuja, from the current maximum of seventy to a minimum of one hundred Judges.
He said the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory stands as a crucial pillar in Nigeria’s judicial framework, serving not only the residents of Abuja but also, in many respects, playing a pivotal role in cases of national importance.
Gbefwi recalled that at the beginning of the 2022/2023 legal year, the FCT High Court carried forward 12,513 pending cases from the previous year, underscoring a substantial backlog and over the same period, the court assigned an additional 5,952 new cases, bringing the workload to a level that greatly strains available judicial resources.
According to him, the FCT High Court is limited in the number of judges it can engage, and this inadequacy significantly affects the rising volume and complexity of cases brought before it.
He expressed optimism that by increasing the number of Judges, this amendment is anticipated to reduce delays in case resolution, ensuring more efficient handling of cases, and consequently, enhancing public confidence in the judiciary.
Gbefwi said: “I stand before you today to lead the debate on the general principles of a Bill for an Act to Amend the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (Number of Judges) Act, Cap H6, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Provide for Increase in the Number of Judges in the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; and for Other Related Matters.
“The High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja stands as a crucial pillar in Nigeria’s judicial framework, serving not only the residents of Abuja but also, in many respects, playing a pivotal role in cases of national importance.
“However, as it currently stands, the High Court of the FCT is limited in the number of judges it can engage. This inadequacy significantly affects the rising volume and complexity of cases brought before it. The court’s current judge complement, though dedicated, is insufficient to keep up with these caseloads.
“The considerable backlog reflects the limitations faced by the court in addressing the high volume of cases, which is only anticipated to increase with Abuja’s population growth and economic development.
“Given the rapid expansion of Abuja’s population, coupled with an increasing caseload spanning various legal domains, the need for additional judges has become pressing. This amendment Bill is therefore introduced to address these systemic challenges by increasing the statutory number of judges for the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory.
“This Bill proposes an amendment to Section 1 of the extant Act to increase the number of Judges in the FCT High Court from the current maximum of seventy Judges (arising from the 2016 Amendment of the Act) to a minimum of one hundred Judges thus allowing for greater judicial capacity to address the current and future needs of the court.
“This amendment is crucial; it is no doubt a necessary intervention to uphold the principles of timely justice, judicial efficiency, and the rule of law in Nigeria. I urge all members to lend their support to this Bill, as it represents a concrete step towards strengthening our judiciary and ensuring that justice remains accessible and expeditious for all Nigerians.”
The House of Representatives Committee on the Navy at the weekend showered praises on the Naval Dockyard Limited (NDL) for its ingenuity, resourcefulness and towering contributions to overall security in the Gulf of Guinea.
Specifically, the committee noted that the innovations and commitment of officers and men at the NDL had ensured the sea worthiness of naval vessels to enable the Nigerian Navy (NN) and her subregional colleagues fulfill their responsibilities of curbing criminalities in the maritime domain.
Chairman of the committee, Yusuf Gagdi who led other members and their support staff on a tour of duty of naval formations and units in Lagos area, said the efforts of the NDL deserved commendations from the National Assembly, emphasising how all the workshops at the dockyard were now functioning at full capacity, thus making in-country maintenance and repairs of platforms, as well as the construction of boats, possible.
The lawmakers, who also toured the Western Naval Command and units under it, commanded the navy for emplacing befitting hostel accommodations and administrative infrastructure for personnel.
According to them, the visit was to inspect projects funded by the National Assembly and Federal Government’s interventions, as well as support from agencies like NNPCL and the World Bank.
Gagdi acknowledged the challenges of the command which required additional support from the National Assembly, assuring that they would revisit for further scrutiny and to have interactions with unit commanders.
On the NDL, he said: “The Naval Dockyard has been doing well. This is my sixth year as Chairman of Navy. So if there is anybody that knows how the Naval Dockyard was, I should be in a better position too. I can tell you the status of Dockyard six years ago, what they produced, what they didn’t produce.
“I can tell you the abandoned department within the dockyard even in the last three years that I was here. But I will tell you categorically clear that having gone round yesterday, there is no single unit under the dockyard that is not functional.
“Both their electroplating workshop, electrical workshop and the mechanical are all functional. They mix their chemicals now and they will start gold plating soon. Today, 90 per cent of the departments are functioning at full capacity. They also have cranes now to enable them to function.
“That shows there is leadership and when you have someone doing these good things in an institution, you should commend them.
“At the Western Naval Command, we have seen the challenges of the Nigerian Navy, we have seen the things that we need to intervene as representatives of the people both in terms of budgetary allocations and begging for intervention by different agencies including the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“We are particularly happy with the competence, capacity and innovations of the Naval Dockyard Limited. From what we have seen here, we have agreed that the performance of the dockyard is something that the National Assembly needs to commend them for doing better and we have to ensure that the capacity of the Dockyard is improved upon to an extent that we should have a technological institution and warfare that will be the pride of the Gulf of Guinea.
“I am sure the 2025 budget defense will be a different budget defense, it will be a budget defense that members will approach from an informed perspective because they have been involved and have knowledge on the activities of the Nigerian Navy…”
In his response, the Admiral Superintendent, Naval Dockyard Limited (ASNDL), Rear Admiral Bolaji Orederu, thanked the lawmakers for the encomium, noting that the successes recorded were due to the strategic guidance and provisions availed by the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS), Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla.
He also thanked the committee for the support the NN had enjoyed in terms of budgetary allocations and interventions, noting that the NDL wouldn’t have attained such successes without their support.
“I am sure you observed a lot of improvements, a lot of projects that are ongoing, especially projects from the Naval Headquarters. We are getting support and we know that it is because you have been there for us, that is why things are moving.
“So on behalf of the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Emmanuel Ikechukwu Ogalla and the entire Dockyard family, we want to say thank you. We appreciate the work you are doing and we know that with your continuous support, the Nigerian Navy will go to greater heights and Naval Dockyard will continue to function optimally, like our dear Chairman mentioned, to support subregional operations and even the maritime industry in Nigeria…” Orederu said.
The House of Representatives Committee on Urban Development has queried the change of name and ownership of a government financial institution from Urban Development Bank of Nigeria Plc to Infrastructure Bank Plc without any legislation.
The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Awaji-Inombek Abiante, demanded details on how the bank was transformed, projects embarked on and funded by the bank, information on donor agencies into partnership with the bank as well as details of utilisation of funds amongst others.
The bank is dedicated to providing financial solutions to support key long term infrastructure projects, including transportation infrastructure, municipal common services, mass housing and district development, solid waste management and
water provision, and power and renewable energy projects.
It is a government-sponsored but private sector-driven development finance institution
He expressed concerns over the ownership of the Infrastructure Bank Plc.
Abiante said the Bank, which was formerly known as Urban Development Bank of Nigeria Plc, was established in 1992 under decree No. 51 of the 1992 under the Rtd Gen Ibrahim Babangida’s administration.
He said it had no legislation authorizing the change of name or adjustment in the ownership structure of the Bank.
He observed the operations of the Bank were a decision of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) which is not a lawmaking body and was not the right thing to do.
The Rivers lawmaker also worried about reductions in shares belonging to government Institutions.
Acting Managing Director of the Bank, Nkiru Chime, noted the crucial role the Committee plays in creating national policies for urban management in addressing environmental degradation and overseeing agencies responsible for urban development.
This, she said, was in addition to creating vital urban renewal and slum upgrading initiatives which according to her are central to fostering a sustainable and thriving Nigeria.
The Bank has a unique ownership structure, majority owned by the private sector but also has the Federal Government, State Governments and Local Governments as well as the Nigeria Labour Congress as shareholders.
•We welcome reps’ intention to increase derivation fund beyond the present 13%
The bill seeking to rephrase paragraph two of section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) sponsored in the House of Representatives by Awaji-Inombek Abiante and eight others, deserves a critical review. The bill, which has passed second reading, seeks to delete ‘not less than 13 per cent’ in line three and insert ‘not less than 50 per cent’. The lead sponsor referenced the Independence Constitution and the 1963 Republican Constitution, respectively, which provided for the payment of 50 per cent proceeds of any royalty received by the federation for any minerals extracted in any region in the country.
Abiante told his colleagues that the bill, if passed, would benefit the entire country.
We agree.
He posited: “Some of us may feel that this section that we seek to amend makes no meaning to them, because their states are not presently affected but it is pertinent to ask, what about the future?” He went on: “Let us remember that every state in the Federal Republic of Nigeria is blessed with abundant natural resources capable of turning the economic fortunes of the country.”
Thankfully, as his colleagues should know, the Tinubu administration has shown remarkable interest in the development of solid minerals, as a main source of revenue. The Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Dele Alake, has shown remarkable determination to ensure the realisation of the administration’s policy on diversification of the nation’s economy. Perhaps the
passage of this bill may further spur it. We know that the present practice of a dependent federalism is not good for the country. So, let Nigeria return to the era of competitive federalism, where states would, like the post-independence regions, compete amongst themselves.
We recall with nostalgia, the great pyramids of the northern region, the cocoa of the south-west and the palm oil of the south-east etc., which were
the mainstay of the giant achievements of the First Republic. Many would agree that the quality of life of the ordinary Nigerian in that era was much better than what is obtained today. In that era, the governments of the regions ensured productivity in their domains, since that determined the availability of resources for the government. That symbiotic relationship ensured that government established farm settlements, research institutes, marketing boards and all necessary dynamics for a productive economy.
Conversely, the dependent federalism we presently practice promotes the lethargy that has become the bane of the states. Now, most governments and the governed at sub-national levels are bereft of productive energy, while all efforts are geared to be well positioned to access the statutory share of the federal monthly allocations.
Hopefully, passage of this bill would spur competitiveness amongst states, which will ultimately impact positively on the quality of the lives of the productive citizens.
Abiante also argued that retaining more resources in the states would mitigate the environmental challenges facing the impacted states. “Even the intent and desire to ensure the rehabilitation and development of the damaged environment where mineral resources (liquid, gaseous and solid) are derived for the sustenance and development of the whole country does not also seem achievable with the current practice of 13 per cent”, he said.
Of course, we appreciate that weaning the states and local governments’ dependency on the humongous federation account would require a lot of adjustments. So, if the nation would not go the whole hog of 50 percent, the present 13 percent is too low to incentivise and spur productivity at the subnational levels. We therefore urge the National Assembly to start the difficult but inevitable return to the agreements reached at the pre-independence conferences on fiscal federalism, without putting the country’s unity in jeopardy.
