The Nation Newspaper

Tag: House

  • ‘My desire is to have a house of my own’

    ‘My desire is to have a house of my own’

    Gbenga Babalola is very popular at the popular Adegbola Newspapers Distribution Centre in Akure. He hails from Akure, the Ondo State capital and was deformed from birth. He is popularly known as “Orobo” among his friends.

    On daily basis, Gbenga hawks newspapers of different outfits to make ends meet. As early as 6:00 a.m. he is always at the Adegbola Junction to collect newspapers for sale.

    He has been doing this job for over 17 years and is always excited about it. He has good hope for a better future.

    Ordinarily, Gbenga wanted to specialise in the repair of electrical appliances like television and radio sets. Unfortunately, his dream was cut short by the death of his father in 1984.

    After he had finished his secondary education at Saint Thomas’ Secondary School, Akure, his father took him to a man who repairs electrical appliances in Akure metropolis.

    He had spent just three years as an apprentice when his father died. Orobo said: “After leaving secondary school, my father took me to a place where I would learn how to repair electrical appliances.

    “I was there as an apprentice for three years when my father died. His death brought my dream to an end.

    “I had to leave the apprenticeship because I could not pay the money in the agreement. It was highly painful to me that I had to leave the job because I had already gone far.”

    Despite his father’s death, Orobo, as fondly called by his friends, ventured into selling of newspapers and magazines in 1987. He started selling Nigerian dailies when the cover price was 30 kobo.

    His words: “I remember vividly that a copy of newspaper was sold at the rate of 30 kobo when I joined the business.  As low as the price was then, only few people were buying newspapers. You cannot compare the sales of newspapers in 1987 with the present time.”

    However, in spite of his hard work, Gbenga has not been able to make any headway in meeting up most of the challenges of life. As much as he struggles, the effort to live like he desires is still a tall dream. Fortune has not smiled on him.

    His aspiration is to have his own house and do whatever his other colleagues are doing legitimately.

    Though he is living an average life, Orobo believes that one day, he would become a landlord through sheer hard work.

    According to him, one of his desires in life is to build a house of his own as he currently lives in one room apartment.

    “My desire is to have a house of my own. I know I will get there one day. But my dream can only be achieved if I get money to establish another business aside from selling newspapers. Not that I want to quit newspaper business, I need to diversify my business,” Orobo said.

    He passionately appealed to well-meaning individuals and government at local and state levels to assist him; especially as a physically challenged person who is determined to live a normal life.

    Orobo believes that deformity should not be hindrance to one’s determination in life, even as he pledged to remain resolute in pursuing his goals.

     

  • House renews confidence in Tambuwal

    House renews confidence in Tambuwal

    The House of Representatives returned yesterday from a long recess to a rowdy session.

    A letter by the Baraje’s faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) requesting to visit the House exploded like a time bomb on the floor of the House.

    The reading of the New PDP’s letter which was signed by its secretary Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, disrupted proceedings end and sparked a shouting match that halted proceedings for almost 30 minutes.

    Members were screaming party slogans and the chamber resonated with screams of “no, yes, no, yes”. They gathered in groups, discussing in loud voices and making passionate gesticulations.

    The Speaker’s chair was surrounded by scores of members suggesting ways out of the row. Many were speaking at the same time. The Sergeants- at- arms formed a wall of protection around the mace.

    Yesterday’s session mirrored the polarity between members of the “old” and the “new” PDP.

    Normalcy returned to the floor when Speaker Aminu Tambuwal revealed that a letter requesting a scheduled visit to meet with the leadership of the House and the PDP Caucus, written by PDP Chairman Bamanga Tukur, was also received but withdrawn early yesterday morning.

    “There was a communication from our leader, Bamanga Tukur, to address the PDP caucus, but he withdrew his letter this morning and that was why I couldn’t read it,” Tambuwal said.

    If Tukur had not withdrawn the letter, both factions would have been meeting with the lawmakers about the same time.

    As the uproar subsided, Kingsley Chinda (PDP, Rivers), moved a motion titled “The recent development in the country and the need to remain focused” under Point of Order

    According to him, members of the constituencies watching the proceedings might misconstrue it to mean there was division in the House.

    “We are united. People watching what happened on the floor will misinterpret it to mean that we are divided,” he said.

    The lawmaker said various publications in recent times were meant to cause ill feelings among members.

    He moved that a vote of confidence be passed “on the Speaker and the members of the leadership as presently constituted”, adding that this would, to a large extent, show that the members of the House are united and have faith in the leadership.

    The motion passed with overwhelming support.

    Femi Gbajabiamila, speaking under Order of Privilege informed the House of the birth of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the recess.

    “I do this for the sake of formality and in recognition of the fact that scores of our members walked into the chamber and there was no register with APC,” Gbajabiamila said. He urged the Speaker to directs the Clerk to register the APC.

    There were shouts of “APC!” as all members of the party stood and applauded.

    The Speaker directed the Clerk to “do the needful and within the confines of the law”.

    Tambuwal, in his resumption speech, titled: “We must remain focused”, said there was more to be done to bring the dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

    “Most of our people still can’t afford to live decently. They still can’t afford quality education for their children or good healthcare for their families. They still don’t have those basic needs of life – from clean water to adequate security and regular power supply – that other nations take for granted. This means there remains a whole lot more to be done.

    “Recently, the polity has witnessed sustained heat generated by both inter-party and intra-party squabbles. This is not all together unexpected, given the approach of 2015. What is worrisome, however, is that these squabbles have further exposed the weaknesses of internal party democratic culture and inter-party intolerance. These are viruses that we must resolve to dispense with in order to sanitise the political space.

    “I wish to caution that we exercise the highest restraint to the obvious distractions that the approaching 2015 is bound to bring so that we do not lose our focus in the diligent pursuit of our mandate. The proper timing for 2015 will surely come and at that time, we shall do the needful.”

    While thanking members for their efforts in the Constitution Amendment, Tambuwal said there were still areas to attend to.

    “We also hope to amend the Electoral Act again to see how we can ensure that no one takes unfair advantage of the existing loopholes to rig elections. The fact is that until we can ensure that each vote counts in this country, the people will always be taken for granted by their leaders. We, therefore, want to produce a solid Electoral Act, comparable to any in the world and able to stand the test of time.

    “Budget implementation still remains a sore point of governance. The level of implementation of the 2013 capital appropriation is way below expectation, given the early submission by the Executive and equally early passage by the Legislature. We have consistently advised that the procurement process be employed in a value added manner rather than the slavish adherence to and unproductive worship of procedures. It would appear that not much progress has been made in that regard.

    “So far, by the information and statistics at our disposal, there would appear to be no justification for this state of affairs. However, in order to be comprehensively guided, all the Committees of the House will proceed on one week of oversight to Ministries, Departments and Agencies at the end of which they shall submit their reports to the Committees on Legislative Budget and Research and that of Legislative Compliance. The two Committees will collate same and submit a joint report to plenary for consideration. This report will guide the House in the consideration of the 2014 budget proposals.

    “In an Interim Report to Leadership, the Ad hoc Committee on the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has reported that public hearings on the bill have been successfully conducted in the six geo political zones and Abuja. The importance of this bill to the economy cannot be overemphasized, accordingly the committee is hereby directed to expedite work and submit its report to the House soonest”

  • A fellow in the house

    A fellow in the house

    How true the Yoruba aphorism that people are one’s apparel. The truth in it came to the fore at the decoration of a former Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) commissioner, Benson Enikuomehin, in Lagos. His people from Ilaje in Ondo State turned out in large number to share in the joy of the day with him at Oriental Hotel on Lekki-Epe Expressway in Lagos. Dressed in traditional and foreign attires, they were the cynosure of all eyes on entering the hotel.

    They marvelled at the setting of the hotel’s auditorium – its mirror-like floor, dazzling lights and unique scenery, among others.

    A live band led by Remi Ado entertained the house.

    The aroma from a sizzling dish wafted in the air. Waiters moved from table to table, attending to guests’ needs.

    It was all at the decoration of former Commissioner of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Benson Enikuomehin as a Special Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration of Nigeria (CILGPAN).

    Enikuomehin, who represented Ondo State on the NDDC board, also bagged a CILGPAN’s Distinguished Performance Award for his achievements during his tenure.

    Enikuomehin, a lawyer, within two years on the NDDC board, put smiles on the faces of his constituents.

    Among other projects, he saw to the construction of the multi-billion naira Ugbo-Oghoye road, donation of science laboratory across the state and constructing solar street lights in about 14 communities.

    In June 2011, Dr Enikuomehim brought in medical experts from India to perform surgery on over 2,500 people.

    The celebrator came with his beautiful wife, Mabel and son Boluwatife.

    He was in a black suit, a white shirt, a black bow tie, eye glasses and a pair of black shoes.

    His wife wore a simple white attire.

    The ceremony featured the recitation of the National Anthem, showing of a mini documentary of Dr Enikuomehin’s achievements, the reading of his citation and musical interlude.

    Guests stretched their necks to see what was happening when CILGPAN’s President Prof Adekunle Awotokun decorated him with an academic gown, collar and cap.

    He later received a plaque and a letter, certifying him as a fellow.

    The Council’s Registrar, Dr Uche Okereke, said Enikuomehin was selected after a careful consideration of his achievements.

    Dr Okereke described him as a man of calibre.

    “A man who has helped his people; the choice of Benson was done after due consideration of his management of public institutions,” he said.

    Before he delivered his acceptance speech, Dr Enikuomehin revelled in the entertainment supplied by the Ondo State Cultural Troupe.

    After their superlative performance, one of the lead singers danced to where the celebrator and other guests were seated and handed horsetail to him and his wife.

    The couple did not disappoint the cultural troupe; they headed towards the stage and gave a good account of themselves on the dance floor.

    The couple got a standing ovation for their dancing skill. Some of the guests, including traditional rulers from Ondo sprayed them with new naira notes.

    Congratulating Enikuomehin, a legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), urged Nigerians to emulate his selfless service to the people.

    “I have known him for years; he’s just like a junior brother to me; if you see us, you will think that we are biologically related. I have since taken keen interest in him; his activities in the legal practice and even in his politics, he is a focused person,” he said.

    Olanipekun, who returned to the country because of the event, said: “Honouring him (Enikuomehin) is like honouring God because he’s a worthy citizen of this country, a worthy product of Ondo State and an ambassador.”

    Oba Philip Olabisi Kalejaiye from Ilaje Local Government Area of Ondo State described Enikuomehin as a dynamic person.

    Oba Kalejaiye said: “He is upright; ready to serve at all times; he has written his name in gold; he spent only two years on the board of NDDC representing Ondo State and his achievements were tremendous. He had a little problem which took him to India; after his treatment in India, he arranged to bring the doctors to Ondo State to give us treatment free of charge and the cost of the exercise was not on the bill of the NDDC. Dr Enikuomehin is a kind-hearted man, more people like him is what we need to make the nation better. He is not extravagant. I wish him success.”

    The Alagho of Odonla, Oba Elias Ikuomola, described the celebrator as a man of integrity.

    “He was born to be a head; God will take him to higher level. I pray God to spare his life till then. My advice to him is to be patient and be prayerful so that God will take him to where he is going,” the monarch said.

    An elated Enikuomehin said: “I am humbled by this award because I did not lobby for it; in fact, I am seeing Prof Awotokun for the first time. I appreciate the entire members of the council; this is nothing but God’s grace,” he said.

    He thanked Chief Olanipekun who flew in from London to grace the event.

    Dr Enikuomehin reserved special praise for his wife, Mabel for taking care of the home front.

    “To manage me, you need a woman like her; she was there when it was raw. She is an embodiment of encouragement and also beautiful,” the hall erupted in laughter to his speech.

     

  • House, Legal Studies Institute to collaborate

    The House of Representatives has pledged to partner the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) to improve the administration of justice in the country.

    Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal said the Institute for Legislative Studies and the House Committee on Justice will also collaborate with NIALS to deepen democratic ethos.

    Tambuwal, represented by Hon. Osai N. Osai, spoke at the public presentation of two books: The Restatement of Customary laws in Nigeria” and Traditional Administration of Justice in Nigeria by NIALS in Abuja.

    He said the House has passed the bill on customary law, adding that the law makers also approved the panel of seven justices for the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal in the ongoing amendment of the constitution.

    According to him, the House will continue to work towards strengthening judicial processes.

    He said an economy grows when there is a virile judiciary, as entrepreneurs are confident that they will get justice when disputes arise.

    Tambuwal praised NIALS for publishing the two books, and praised its Director-General Prof. Epiphany Azinge (SAN) for taking the institute to greater heights.

    Participants called for more constitutional roles for the Customary court.

    They want the court vested with jurisdiction to be the court of first instance in chieftaincy matters.

    Azinge said he conceptualised the Restatement of Customary Law in Nigeria project as one of the flagship projects of his administration.

    “Informing my resolve in this regard was the need to elevate Nigeria’s customary jurisprudence to its rightful position in our nation’s legal system.

    ”This project, being the first at this scale of coverage, blazes a very important trail in our legal system. The enormity of what was implicated by a project of this magnitude required that our only hope for its completion lies in the unwavering commitment of all academic staff of the institute engaged in various aspects of the project.

    “This yellow bound volume of 385 pages is the product of three years of a massive research undertaking involving 33 researchers who participated in various stages of the research work involving the desk review, field research, presentation of field research findings to stakeholders, further desk review to test findings from the field research, and the core restatement exercise by a select committee of reporters.”

    Azinge said no other area of law in Nigeria is in dire need of a restatement as much as Nigeria’s customary law.

    “A number of reasons inform this position: the cultural diversity of the country has meant that customary practices differ in so many respects on the same issue; the oral tradition of our customary system has placed it in the ‘endangered species’ list; the paucity of authoritative works on customary law has created a yawning gap for the scholarship in this vital area of law; and no matter how we may choose to pretend not to care, customary law continues to play a very significant role in moderating our values system in society.

    “For these reasons, the Restatement of Customary law was conceptualised with the objective of identifying the COMMON LAW of Nigeria’s customary jurisprudence. Our researchers were mandated to identify commonalities in customary practices in four thematic areas: Chieftaincy/Traditional institutions; Inheritance/Succession; Land; and Marriage.

    “Within the three years span it took the institute to carry out this work, certain fundamental foundations had to be laid out.

    “At the conceptualisation stage, a lot of scholarships went into deciding what path was to be followed in the work. At this point, the debate centred on what exactly the restatement work was going to look like – was it going to be a code of applicable customary laws or something else?

    “I held several deliberation sessions with senior researchers and academics in the institute with the sole purpose of deciding this question.

    “At last it was settled that what was expected was something less than a code but more than a treatise, although it would read like a code. It had to be such that it would speak authoritatively on what applied as common custom in the thematic areas pursued by the research.

    “It had to qualify as the purest form of secondary evidence on the issues treated.”

    Azinge said while the work is by no means the final word on the Restatement of Customary Law in Nigeria and Traditional Administration of Justice in Nigeria, it represents an important contribution to the scholarship in these areas.

    He said hopefully, future endeavours would build upon the foundation they have laid.

    Presenting the book, Prof. A. O. Obilade said: “Restatement identifies common rules and principles governing a particular area of the law.

    “Restatement of customary law of Nigeria deals with four areas namely: chieftaincy / traditional institutions, inheritance / succession, land and marriage. The project is not a codification exercise.

    “The ultimate human authority on the correctness and validity of a restatement on any particular point is the judiciary.”

    According to him, Customary Law forms the root of the prevailing values in society.

    “This bold step taken by the institute is highly commendable.

    “I find in the two projects a proper blending of scholarship, commitment foresight and courage which are prerequisites of effectiveness in the type of enterprise.

    “The Director-General has, through the projects, performed a great feat.

  • Riot in the House

    Riot in the House

    It is good to be alive. That is the way the late Aremu Alabi, a colleague of ours retorted whenever there was turbulence in the polity and things started falling apart. As they now do.

    The following are quotes from reports in the newspaper on the biggest show in town.

    The Vanguard:

    “After a three-hour ‘fighting on the floor of the House of Representatives members yesterday threw out a motion calling for the probe of the House of leadership… Besides, the lower chamber of the National Assembly mandated its Ethics and Privileges Committee to investigate an allegation that the Executive using some Reps released half a million naira to each member to induce them remove Speaker Ghali Na’Abba. Four million naira cash was tendered in the House as exhibit. Mr Olaka moved that the Speaker should step down…his pronouncement triggered a fresh round of rowdiness and then culminated in a free for all fights between the pro and anti Na’Abba Reps. First to exchange blows were Messrs Jubril Baran and Samuel Obande. At another corner of the chamber, Mr Sule Yar Gandi who had been moving within the chambers to mobilize support for the Speaker had a brief alteration with another before they were separated.”

    The Comet:

    “In a tempestuous session, the House of Representatives heard yesterday the confessions of some members that they were allegedly bribed with N500,000 each to sign for the removal of the Speaker, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba. But the Executive, accused of the bribery, reacted swiftly, saying it is cheap and wicked blackmail. For hours, almost (N4 million) alleged to be part of the bribe was displayed on the table in front of the Speaker as exhibits… two legislators were injured. Mr Sam Obande (Benue State) has his black suit torn. There were intermittent disruptions of the House’s plenary session while the chamber was soaked in overwhelming tension, deep rancor and revealing drama.”

    Nigeria Tribune:

    “The House, which for the first time in several months began sitting as promptly as 10.00a.m shortly after, threw itself into a rowdy session that was to witness a free exchange of blows by members for over one hour, with many legislators sustaining injuries, while others had their clothes shredded.”

    The Guardian:

    “Members indeed traded punches, stabbed themselves and tore each other’s dress…there were loud disagreements between the pro and anti Na’Abba groups. A melee ensued and in no time Sam Obande (PDP Benue) exchanged blows with a pro Na’Abba, Barai Jubrin. Then many Na’Abba loyalists swooped on Obande and tore his jacket… by this time, the House was a battlefield as the fight spread. Representative Alobi Nyambi (APP Cross River) was stabbed but only his coat was cut.”

    Although I did not see this reported by any of the newspapers, I heard that a little kid who saw his daddy, a Rep on television during the show applauded loudly, satisfied that the family bread winner gave a good account of himself.

    For the avoidance of doubts, the proceedings reproduced above did not occur in a wrestling or boxing arena; they took place in the nation’s House of Representatives, statutorily established for the purpose of making laws for the peace, order and good government of Nigeria.

    Predictably, this show of shame has been attributed to the learning process. And strangely enough, Peter Odili, Governor of Rivers State who got roped into the side attraction called bribery thought so. Another legislator, a Senator, went one step further claiming that rancorous sessions, featuring exchange of fisticuffs are not a Nigerian prculiarity – after all, says this man, “one person was shot dead on the floor of the US House of Representatives sometimes in the 19th century”!

    Pray, what exactly is this fabled learning process? A student of comparative government, or public law in a tertiary institution is not likely to define this learning process the way Nigerian politicians appear to understand it. To the politician, deliberate backward movements and all manner of evil ought to be accommodated under the huge umbrella called the learning process. To ordinary mortals, learning process is no more than civilization through the ages, the trials and errors in constitutional development. It is not something you tailor to suit periodic political rascality.

    Some ten months ago, this column carried a piece which attempted to spell out what may fit into this so-called learning process. We did claim on that occasion, that “there is no way the war, or better still, the battle of attrition between the two arms of government would end, nor is it desirable that it should end. The conflict is a healthy one and, therefore, should go on for eternity. It is the lubricative substance that keeps the wheels of democracy running. The palaver will outlive the presidency as well as the legislature. I declare that it will neither end today, nor tomorrow, not indeed in the years leading on to 2003 and far beyond.” We were talking about dingdong battle of wits between the Executive and the Legislative, not a battle of fists and machetes.

    A riot, by whatever name called, is a riot, be it by the sons of Oduduwa, or the Arewa, or by the Bakassi Boys or by foppishly attired lawmakers converting a legislative chamber into a gladiators’ arena. A violent disorder, confusion and uproar qualify as a riot. Indeed, as a greenhorn in a law school will tell you, disturbance of the peace by three of more people assembled together is a riot. What took place in Nigeria’s House of Representatives last week Tuesday was a riot and no one should dignify it with any euphemism.

    Arising from this conclusion therefore, we ask: suppose the anti-riot police had waded in to quell the riot the way they would do to a Bakassi or OPC disturbance? Or the way the police did when riotous lawmakers went wild in the Western Region of Assembly some 30 years ago, leading to the declaration of a state of emergency in the region and then the collapse of the First Republic? Suppose the law enforcement agents had invaded the house and ordered everyone to go home? Could they have claimed immunity? Immunity to go gaga? Does anyone know of a more effective way of truncating the current experiment?

    I fear for this democracy, I fear for its life. The party in power is the PDP. It controls both the Executive and the Legislature and yet its functionaries are strangers one to the other. Things appear to be getting messier by the day. What manner of learning are we going through? What sort of learning is it whose report card shows no progress whatsoever? Whose reports show traces of a dunce with crab-like movements?

    All the evidence points to a deep-seated rancour between the Speaker of the Lower House and the Presidency, so serious that the chances of a compromise or reconciliation are zero. The President himself has said in unequivocal language that the leadership of the House is cancerous and therefore he is unable to work with them. The Speaker retorts that the President should resign. In the heart of all this is the persistent calls by all and sundry that the House should probe itself because the place emits bad odours. It refuses, but goes ahead to summon others to appear for questioning on transparency and accountability.

    Now, a dangerous new twist has been added to the drama. Let’s go back to The Commet for a glimpse of this new angle:

    “In a tempestuous session, the House of representative heard the confession that they were allegedly bribed with N500,000 each to sign for the removal of the Speaker. For hours, almost (N4 million) alleged to be part of the bribe was displayed on the table in front of the Speaker as exhibits. Part of the allegation was that the Rivers State governor, Dr Peter Odili funded part of the money allegedly used for the projects.”

    The Speaker himself adds fuel to the flame.

    “At least N140 million was brought to Apo Quarters for distribution to members of the House to unseat me and create disharmony in the House.”

    These are grave allegations which must be impartially investigated. To refuse to investigate is in itself a disaster; to investigate is to get answers and whatever the answers add up to a calamity. Is this a desperate, reckless and amateurishly executed mafia style diversion to ward off a probe? Can it be true that the President, a restless anti-corruption crusader, his Vice, and a state governor conspired ‘to unseat a top officer of an important arm of government by offering bribes to members?’ A yes, or a no to any of these questions has serious consequences to individuals and to the polity.

    For sure, things can’t be the same with the two arms of government again. The executive says the Lower House is afflicted by cancer; it seeks a cure, but the patient rebuffs. Can this be the beginning of the end, so early in the life of the Fourth Republic? I pray not, but the truth is that the outlook is bad, very bad.

     

  • Senate, House pass Budget 2013 Bill

    Senate, House pass Budget 2013 Bill

    The Budget 2013 Amendment Bill sent to the National Assembly by President Goodlcuk Jonathan was passed yesterday by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

    Following a deadlock on the budget as passed by the National Assembly, the President presented an amendment bill on June 27.

    The bill seeks to authorise the issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation N4, 987, 220,425,601.

    The upper chamber adopted without amendment the report of its Committee on Appropriation that restored all the deductions made by the National Assembly on the original Appropriation Bill.

    Apart from the complete restoration of the personnel cost as proposed by the Presidency, the Senate also restored all the deductions made on capital projects.

    The reductions restored include Abuja-Lokoja road, reduced by N4b; Kano-Maiduguri road reduced by N3.5b; dualisation of Ibadan-Ilorin section 2 reduced by N5.5b; rehabilitation of Jebba Bridge reduced by N1.25b; rehabilitation of burnt Marine Bridge and Iddo Bridge reduced by N1b and Special Intervention Fund for emergency roads and bridges cut across the country reduced by N6.28b.

    Mark insisted that standing committees of the Senate must take their oversight seriously to ensure that the budget was implemented faithfully.

    The House of Representatives passed the new version of the Amendment Bill of N4,987,220,425,601.

    The passed bill was, however, short of N161,771,089 from the N4,987,382,196,690 trillion Amendment Bill presented by President Jonathan.

    Before the consideration of the report, Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, John Enoh (PDPD, Cross River) explained that the total figure presented in he bill was not different from what the House had earlier passed in the extant Appropriation Act 2013.

    He, however, urged his colleagues to pass the bill as the Committee had done a thorough job of scrutinising the document and making inputs.

    The recommendations of the report were adopted by the House.

    In the passed bill, the lawmakers allocated N2,415,745,972,812 for Recurrent (non-debt) expenditure, as against contrary to N2,418,976,391,494 in the bill sent by the President.

    About N1,588,578,805,197 was proposed by the President for contribution to development fund for Capital expenditure, the House passed N1,591,657,252,789.

    The House also passed N388,053,200,000 for statutory transfers as against N388,063,000,000 proposed by the President; N591,764,000,000 proposed for debt services was left untouched.

    The Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) got N273,522,000,000.

    Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Affairs Senator Joy Emodi commended the lawmakers for passing the budget, saying it is “the triumph of constructive dialogue”.

  • Commissioning of football house

    Commissioning of football house

  • Ex-pupil donates N5m house to alma mater

    Anambra State Governor Peter Obi has unveiled a six-classroom brick house worth over N5 million built by Mr John Nwosu for his alma mater, Odida Central School Nnewichi, Nnewi.

    Obi, represented by the Education Commissioner, Dr Uju Okeke, praised Nwosu, Chairman of Jet link and Governorship Aspirant under the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), for his gesture urging others to emulate him.

    Nwosu, who announced a scholarship for Chioma Okolocha, a primary six pupil for her brilliant performance in debates and other brain tasking activities, said his gesture was devoid of politics, but inspired by the desire to contribute to the development of his former school.

    “My intention is to give the pupils the best to learn under conducive environment. But I want to use this opportunity to advise contractors and builders to be sincere in dealing with the public and by being selfless in doing projects they are paid for in the society as shoddy jobs don’t pay anybody any good,” he said.

    He praised Obi for returning schools to the mission.

    HeadTeacher of the school, Lady Pauline Obi, also praised the donor. But the listed areas of need of the school, including new buildings to replace an existing structure which, she said, has become a death trap, classroom and teachers’ furniture, computers as well as repairs of the damaged boreholes and an overhead tank.

     

  • A Lady Macbeth in the House?

    A Lady Macbeth in the House?

    Behind every successful man there is a woman, we are told, but no one seems ready to openly admit the converse that lurking behind every failed man is a certain woman. The closest I have heard people admitting this negative tendency is the African proverb that says that behind every wicked masquerade there is a wicked commander.

    History is replete with the manipulative roles wives and/or concubines have played in the making of despotic rulers. Conversely also, some of the most successful leaders the world had produced had wonderful wives, who inspired them to greatness and goodness. No man born of woman, it should be noted though, is immune to the influence, good or bad of a woman. She could either be his wife, concubine, sister or mother. And in rare cases his daughter. However, most often than not, the unseen manipulative hand behind the good or the wicked man (leader) is his wife.

    As the political temperature in Rivers State rises towards boiling point, Nigerians, especially those from that oil producing state should shine their eyes and use their magnifying glasses to see the wicked commander(s) behind President Goodluck Jonathan’s wicked masquerade.

    Our dear First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan was reportedly annoyed last Thursday when a crowd of supposed supporters went to Port Harcourt International Airport at Omagwa to welcome her back home after a “hard week’s” work in Abuja, and a certain gentleman in the crowd called Chikaodi Dike, introduced himself as the chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in Rivers state.

    Madam, a “daughter of the soil” who expectedly had been following keenly the ongoing face-off between her husband, Jonathan and her state governor Rotimi Amaechi over God knows what, reportedly asked Chikaodi whether he is the suspended or new chairman of the council, to which the man replied as being the latter. The response got her annoyed and Madam was reported to have described Chikordi “an illegal chairman”.

    To those familiar with the power speak in Abuja, this was euphemism for trouble and it didn’t take long to arrive as armed policemen invaded Obio/Akpor local government secretariat the following day and sacked the interim administration of Chikaodi put in place by the state House of Assembly following the suspension of the former chairman and his councilors. The council (administration) as I write is under the jackboot of the Nigeria Police deployed by “Madam and Oga at the top”.

    And since last Friday Obio/Akpor local government area and indeed the whole of Rivers State has been under a state of fear, fear of what trouble could come next (from Abuja), part of which was manifested Monday when thugs opposed to the new administration in the council invaded the premises of the state House of Assembly.

    The descent to this ugly situation and seeming insecurity in Rivers State did not start last week, it’s been building up for a long time and could be linked to President Goodluck Jonathan’s yet to be declared ambition to run for another presidential term in 2015 and the need to secure the two million or so votes of Rivers State to ensure victory.

    President Jonathan is well within his rights to want a second term in office while First Lady Patience would be failing in her duty as his wife if she refused to pull all the strings at her disposal to help her husband realize this ambition. The problem here is not that she is pulling strings, but the kind of strings she is pulling. If the First Lady calls the head of a local council administration lawfully put in place illegal and the police sack that administration the following day, who does not know where the order to the Police came from: Madam. She is exercising a power she does not have; that of the Commander in Chief. This is dangerous for our democracy.

    Our constitution recognizes one centre of power; the Presidency, headed by Goodluck Jonathan as President and Commander In Chief. If his wife talks or gives directives and we see such manifesting almost immediately, then it is either the man gave the order to support the wife’s position or has ceded part of the power of the C-I-C to the First Lady. And this is not the first time Madam will be acting as such. In fact those close to the corridors of power at the Presidential Villa say even Service Chiefs do sometimes take order from her.

    Since the police sacking of Obio/Akpor council administration there has been no official word as to who sent the policemen. And with the seeming ease with which thugs invaded the Rivers State House of Assembly without any strong attempt to stop them, this could only mean that “Oga and Madam at the top”, are directing the affairs from Abuja with the connivance of a certain former Chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area who currently sits in cabinet with the president as Minister of State for Education. This could only mean one thing; despotism.

    President Jonathan and wife Patience are using the powers invested in him as Commander In Chief to bully and persecute both real and imaginary enemies. He is unleashing his police on Rivers State now, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is expected next while some lackeys in the state House of Assembly are being propped up for a hatchet job to impeach the governor. We have gone through this path before. If all fail they plan to foment trouble and cause chaos preparatory to a planned declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State all aimed at either getting Governor Amaechi out of the way or make it impossible for him to govern effectively and have a say in his successor.

    Nothing is new, but the surprise is the enlisting of such technical agencies of government like the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and their parent Ministry of Aviation in this war of persecution against the Rivers |State Government. The more they came out to attempt to nail the state government over the purchase of an executive jet the more they exposed their inefficiencies and made a fool of themselves. If truly the aircraft has been flying illegally in Nigeria since it entered service last October where have all these agencies been since then? Is this how to manage our sky? As for EFCC, the anti graft agency can only go down if it continues to make itself available for use by politicians to settle political scores.

    The aggregation of all this naked use of state power to bully, persecute and oppress perceived enemies by President Jonathan is that it takes us closer to dictatorship. And if you add the increasing clampdown on freedom of speech/expression/press, you get what I am talking about. Unraveling before our eyes is a budding despot and he is being pushed all the way by a Lady Macbeth beside him, in the full glare of a rudderless and toothless ruling party. And Nigerians are watching.

    This is the time for the so called Council of State, comprising of sitting and former presidents, former Chief Justices of Nigeria and others to call an emergency meeting in Abuja to deliberate on the Rivers crisis and insecurity in the land and proffer solutions. The National Assembly should not fold its arms either. And where are the elders of Rivers State? Let’s save our democracy.

  • Two escape death as vehicle rams into house

    A mother and her nine-year-old son, narrowly escaped death at their Abakaliki Street home in Mile One, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, when a commercial bus rammed into their living room.

    An eyewitness said Mrs. Ngozi Dike and her son, Chiemem, were relaxing in their living room when the bus hit the house.

    Mrs Dike said: “When I came back from work this morning, there was no power supply, I decided to lie down on the sofa in the living room.

    “Shortly after, my son came in and sat on the single sofa opposite me, I suddenly heard something hit the wall, I jumped up and rushed my boy and ran out of the house.

    “It was when I got out that I saw the bus hanging on our wall.

    “The wall did not collapse immediately, it was being suspended by the bus, it was when the bus was removed that the wall crumbled.”

    When The Nation visited the scene, the vehicle had been taken to the Mile One Police Station, where the driver was being detained.

    Police spokesman Ben Ugwuegbulam said he was yet to get details from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO).