The Nation Newspaper

Tag: House

  • NHIS crisis: Fed Govt, House to the rescue

    • Council, students issue threats

    The crisis rocking the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) is far from being over. The governing council that suspended the schemes executive secretary has threatened to quit if its decision is reversed. Students’ unions are also plan to storm the NIHS office today. But the Presidency and the House of Representatives are intervening, report VINCENT IKUOMOLA, VICTOR OLUWASEGUN, ABDULGAFAR ALABELEWE and YINKA ADENIRAN.

    For the Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof Usman Yusuf, this is not the best of times.

    His suspension, the second in less than 18 months, has pitted workers’ unions within the scheme against one another.

    The embattled NHIS boss had showed up at work a day after his ‘indefinite suspension’ last Thursday by the scheme’s Governing Council.

    The unions staged protests and counter-protests on Monday.

    Security agents had hectic time controlling the organised protests staged by three unions at the NIHS Abuja headquarters by pro and anti-Yusuf.

    The unions are the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Medical and Health Workers Union of Nigeria (MHWUN) and Nigeria Civil Service Union (NCSU).

    According to the Governing Council, Yusuf was suspended over alleged gross misconduct.

    Other allegations against him include: fraud and severe infractions, public procurement infringement, unlawful staff posting, willful defiance of Council directives, violation of Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy and superfluous arrogation of projects.

    Health Minister Prof Isaac Adewole had on July 6, last year suspended Yusuf over similar allegations.

     

    Students’ union bodies plan protest

     

    The National Union of Nigerian Students (NUNS) said it has mobilised and concluded plans to storm the NHIS office with other students unions tomorrow.

    The mission is to sack Yusuf from office.

    The students’ union body said, aside the fraud and sundry allegations against Yusuf, “Tertiary Institution Students’ Health Insurance Program (TSHIP) under the NHIS supervision has become another fraud and scam”.

    In a press statement by its spokesman Ibrahim Olawale Seriki, NUNS said: “While this is considered as bad precedence for our generation and those unborn, NUNS, National Association of University (NAUS), National Association of Polytechnic Students (NAPS) has jointly resolved to launch an action against this shameful act targeted at rubbishing the integrity of dear country and administration of President Muhammadu Buhari particularly as we approach electioneering year.

    “The NHIS ES earlier suspension by Health minister in July 2017 was over N919 million fraud allegations which he refused to honor until his controversial reinstatement in February 2018 by the Presidency.

    “The TSHIP under the supervision of NHIS has become another fraud and scam, it is best described as gambling on students’ lives, students are forced to pay the sum of N3, 500 each per session for TSHIP a charge increased recently from N2, 500 with approval of NHIS despite it woeful effectiveness and serial complains of poor and inconsistent fulfilment of statutory roles of HMOs by Students across the country.

    “Students have not benefited from this programme as expected, students die on daily basis following poor implementation of TSHIP, it is assumed to be a conspiracy between NHIS management and HMOs to defraud the students as well endanger their lives as we bank on imaginary health insurance policy (policy which does not work in real sense).

    “A student of the Emmanuel Alayande College of Education, Oyo State, is medically stranded with no aid from TSHIP; the Federal Polytechnic, Ado Ekiti, lost a student to reckless TSHIP; the Federal University of Technology Minna lost a student to the same failed insurance program; a 100 level student of the University of Abuja died recently over ineffective TSHIP, just as a student of same university (a victim/survival of an accident with permanent disability) is yet to get compensation and one is still financially stranded in National Hospital as we speak among many others too numerous to mention.

    “The incessant refusal of executive secretary to suspension to pave the way for a thorough investigation is a pointer to guilt and culpability stand of the ES even before the investigation, hence, the students’ move to act in defence of the constituted authority and restoration of sanity in our system towards complimenting the effort of Federal Governments’ fight against corruption and most ultimately to end the failed TSHIP and continuous murder of students by HMOs under the NHIS supervision with ineffective and fraudulent TSHIP programme.

    “Nigerian students, lovers of justice, admirer of rule of law, crusaders of due process and life savers are hereby invited to join us as we move to eject the adamant suspected Fraudulent ES who is refusing to stay aside from office for investigation on tomorrow (Thursday, October 25,)

    “Our prayers are the immediate vacation of the ES from office until investigation is concluded and immediate probe of TSHIP Programme and discontinuation of the program by NHIS.”

    But the Federal Government reinstated him on February 6, 2018, after an administrative panel found him not guilty of the allegations of abuse of office and maladministration.

    Yusuf officially resumed work on February 8, 2018, after he was given the clean bill.

    A protest staged by members of the NHIS chapter of ASCSN to prevent Yusuf from gaining access into the office, was countered by their NCSU colleagues.

    The situation that almost degenerated into security breach was however contained with the intervention of a combined team of police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Department of State Services (DSS) operatives.

    But the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu yesterday said the Presidency has stepped into the NHIS crisis.

    Shehu, who featured on Channels Television Sunrise Daily in Abuja, said the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha and Health Minister Prof Isaac Adewole, had intervened in the NHIS crisis with a view to finding lasting solutions.

    The SSA noted with regret that the NHIS crisis had been ethnicised and politicised by some interest groups within and outside the agency.

    Shehu said: “Did the board follow due process in suspending this gentleman? There are opinions that said ‘no they haven’t’.

    “Again, we all have to do the right thing all of the times. I don’t deny the fact that there is a lot of work to do – (the crisis) is complicated by the fact that the whole thing about the NHIS has been ethnicised and politicised.

    “Even a political party was issuing a statement on matters that are unknown to it. I’ll tell you one thing, as we speak now, you know that no matter whatever mistakes this gentleman may have made, and that is to be proven because I don’t have the records to say yes or no, he has launched a major reform in that institution, which had blocked access to public resources.

    “Money from the NHIS is not money belonging to government, it is money taken from your salary, from my salary.

    “If we have been enlisted, we are supposed to get treatments when we fall ill. Then, you should ask the question, in 13 years of the NHIS, how many Nigerians have received the treatments.

    “Yet, you have HMOs, these vendors, taking N5 billion every month, money that is just being shared and somebody came and said, `look, this can’t go on’ and with strong support from this administration, the N5 billion has been reduced to N1.3 billion.

     

     

    “And even at then, the administration is not satisfied. We want to see healthcare delivered to the citizens of this country. So, there is a lot of work to do.’’

    The presidential aide, who stated that he was not in the position to challenge the allegations of wrong doings levelled against the executive secretary in some quarters, however, maintained that the two chambers of the National Assembly had previously cleared the executive secretary of the allegations against him.

    He also dismissed the accusation of “double standard” by the Buhari administration while dealing with cases of corruption being levelled against public servants or political office holders in the country.

    According to him, it was wrong to compare the case of former SGF Babachir Lawal to that of the NHIS scribe.

    “Well, there is no double standard there either than to say that the pictures that the government is looking at, many Nigerians, perhaps, may not be seeing those pictures,’’ he added.

     

    Fading faith in scheme

     

    The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) yesterday called on the government to strengthen Nigerians’ faith in the scheme.

    The Association, which described the health insurance scheme as a vital tool in the attainment of the Universal Health Coverage, harped on the urgent need to improve enrolment to the scheme, which is currently put at less than five per cent coverage.

    Oyo NMA Chairman, Dr. Akin Sodipo made the call yesterday at the NMA House at a press conference to kick-off the weeklong annual event to celebrate medical and dental practitioners in the country.

    The event christened: “2018 Physicians Week” which is to run from October 21 to 27, is said to be “in recognition of the sacrifices and dedication to the wellness of their immediate communities and the Nation at large, and to also look at those factors that militate against the provision of effective healthcare by the Nigerian doctors.”

    The celebration themed: “Universal Health Coverage- Leaving no one behind”, according to Sodipo is chosen after analysing key issues affecting “our health care delivery system vis-à-vis quality of lives of Nigerians and in line with the aims and objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2015.”

    He said the UHC will enable everybody and all communities access the needed promotional, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative health services.

    Sodipo said: “The healthcare delivery in our country is still largely out of pocket which constitutes about 70 per cent of our health expenditure as opposed to the recommended 30-40, abysmal low coverage by NHIS which is still less than five percent, poor budgetary allocation to health (less than five per cent of the total budget), inequitable distribution of human resources for health with inverse distribution of health personnel compared with the population with over 70 per cent of health personnel serving 30 percent urban dwellers as against less than 20 per cent health personnel serving over 70 per cent population living in our rural areas, generally low doctor/health workers to patients ratio, low per capita income, poor access to healthcare facilities among others.

    “In recognition of the importance of health financing in the achievement of UHC, a fundamental strategy to address our abysmal poor health indices, there is urgent need to improve enrolment in our National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) from the current less than five per cent coverage. Nigerians are increasingly losing hope in NHIS as a tool, which is vital to the attainment of UHC.

    “To achieve UHC, it is, therefore, important to strengthen the NHIS and explore other health care financing system like community-based health insurance which some states have keyed into. This scheme will significantly cater for the informal sector especially the rural dwellers.

    “There is also the need to ensure that our leaders muster enough political will for quality and effective healthcare services in Nigeria.”

    The NMA also called on the Federal Government to immediately constitute the council of the MDCAN and its sister profession, the Pharmaceutical Council of Nigeria (PCN).

     

    House investigate suspension of NHIS boss

    The crisis rocking the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) got the attention of the House of Representatives yesterday. The Green Chamber said it will investigate the suspension of the scheme’s Executive Secretary, Prof Usman Yusuf.

    The House passed a resolution to raise an ad-hoc committee to investigate the issue.

    The House resolution was sequel to the adoption of the prayers of a motion of urgent importance by a member, Diri Douye (PDP, Bayelsa) on the floor yesterday.

    Moving the motion, the lawmaker said the latest NHIS crisis came barely five months after the executive secretary was ‘controversially’ reinstated by President Muhammadu Buhari from an indefinite suspension slammed on him by his supervising  Health ministry on July 2017 over similar alleged gross misconduct, corruption and nepotism.

    Douye noted that the suspended executive secretary flouted the authority of the NHIS Council by violently breaking into the Abuja Head Office of the Scheme on Monday, “aided by almost 50 heavily armed policemen and overpowered the security men.

    “The staff at the premises, including women were indiscriminately teargassed and manhandled.”

    “This very critical sector, on which the hope of our universal health delivery is  hinged, far from being a theatre of health it has degenerated into a theatre of war, with so many scandals in recent times.”

    Duoye’s colleagues condemned the scandals while contributing to the debate, with a member, Tobi Okechukwu (PDP, Enugu), lamenting: “this government claims to come and fight corruption but it is so sad that this impunity is happening”.

    Edward Pwajok (APC, Plateau), however, cautioned his colleagues not to be judgmental since the motion is investigative.

    According to him, “it does not need debating as it is investigative in nature.”

    When Speaker Yakubu Dogara called for a vote on the motion, it was passed by the majority.

     

    Council threatens to resign if suspension is reversed

    •Leave us out of your problems, HMOs tells ES

    The crisis took a fresh dimension yesterday as members of the Governing Council threatened to vacate office should the presidency reversed Yusuf’s suspension and investigation of infractions against him.

    This is as the Health Maintenance Organisations (HMOs) urged the executive secretary to leave it out of its problems with the scheme governing council.

    Announcing the suspension last Thursday, the council said the executive secretary would not be allowed into the office premises for the administrative panel investigating the allegations to do a thorough job.

    But, the executive secretary insisted that the council lacked the power to suspend him, hence their directive to him to proceed on indefinite strike would not stand. Challenging the council, Yusuf argued that only the President who appointed him has the power to remove him from office.

    Speaking to The Nation on the lingering issue, a source within the scheme doubted the possibility of council members working with the NHIS boss given their experience with him.

    The source who pleaded for anonymity noted that Yusuf was in the habit of flouting the directives of the council.

    Responding to the question on what would be the council’s next line of action should the Presidency quash the suspension and investigation instituted against the NHIS boss, the source said: “You see, one thing is clear, since this council was inaugurated till date, nothing has happened at the scheme. No instruction given to the ES was carried out. So, if he should be reinstated by the Federal Government, it is clear that the council and the ES can’t work together. So, we have to review that relationship.”

    When pressed further to know if the council members would resign, the board member said: “We will walk away. We cannot work with him anymore. The council will work away. We can’t work together.

    “The issue is this, in the course of this discussion; we need to clarify who has the superior power. The council formulates policies, serves as checks and balances to the management of all agencies.

    “So, if there are infractions, it is the prerogative of the council to question those infractions and investigate those infractions and whoever is been investigated shouldn’t be seating on the council as at that time. So the law is very clear about that.”

    Reacting to some of the allegations against the Council by Deji Adeyanju, a social crusader, Lekan Ewenla, representative of the HMOs on the Board of the NHIS governing council said there was no correlation between the HMOs and the infractions raised against the executive secretary.

  • House of Reps aspirant to canvass state status for FCT

    An aspirant for the House of Representatives for Bwari/AMAC Federal Constituency in the FCT, Hassan Musa Mohammed has said if he is  given the opportunity to represent the area, he will work with others to ensure that the territory is accorded the status of a state.
    Mohammed who is capitalizing on the not-too-young bill to contest the seat asked the leadership of All Progressives Congress (APC) to ensure a level playing ground for those seeking the party ticket for various offices in the forth coming general election.
    Mohammed who spoke after obtaining his nomination form said “I believe that FCT has contributed a lot to the political development of Nigeria. That is why I will work with other lawmakers to agitate for the Territory to be given the status of a state. I believe this is a long deserved issue that need to be looked at passionately.”
    While noting that a fair and level playing can guarantee victory for the party during the election, he refused to be drawn into the controversy of direct or indirect primary.
    He said whichever mode the party adopts for it’s primaries, the key issue will be to ensure that all aspirants are given equal treatment and same access to those who will select the party flag bearers.
    The party has scheduled the House of Representatives primaries for September 29, with every aspirant for the ticket expected to pay N3.85 million for nomination and expression of interest form.
    Mohammed said he was inspired into the contest by the youth friendly policy of the Buhari-Led government which has enhanced youth participation in politics.
    Chairman of the APC in the FCT, Alhaji Abdulmalik Usman assured that the party will be fair to all those aspiring for various offices within the territory, adding that the party has always given all it’s members a level playing ground.
    Usman said the party in the FCT has already put it’s house in order ahead of the elections and has prepared ground for a free, fair and transparent primaries, stressing that the chapter executive of the party will not take sides with any aspirant.
    He said  that the party leadership want to ensure that anybody who  emerge winner will be a true Representative of the people who will ho ahead to win the general election.

  • House to reconvene next week for budget

    •Buhari not involved in National Assembly blockade, says APC Caucus

    THE National Assembly will reconvene next week to consider the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) budget and the supplementary budget forwarded to it by President Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus said yesterday.

    House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila and Deputy Speaker Yussuff Lasun led the lawmakers to a meeting, where they also declared that Buhari had no hand in Tuesday’s invasion of the National Assembly by Department of State Service (DSS) operatives.

    They called for full investigation to unravel those behind the act. The Caucus said Buhari is the candidate of all APC lawmakers.

    On the request of the executive for the consideration of the INEC budget, Lasun said: “The Executive has proposed a virement on which INEC has taken a front-burner and so, we met yesterday (Wednesday). Some leader of the National Assembly met yesterday with the INEC Chairman and we have decided we’re likely to reconvene either on Tuesday or on Wednesday to specifically consider that request.”

    Gbajabiamila said: “This institution was shut down by men, and I guess, women of the DSS. Since then, there had been several, should I call them spins, stories on whether it was orchestrated or whether the party had anything to do with it or whether the President had anything to do with it. Stories have been flying right, left, centre.

    “There are certain facts that are indisputable and unassailable. One is the fact that the DSS came into the National Assembly and shut this place down. Two, that there were allegations that APC senators were inside the chambers ostensibly to impeach the Senate President. Three,  that the APC members only were allowed to come into NASS.”

    He said it was also a fact that the DSS DG was summarily fired by the Presidency.

    “And I think what these facts point to is that we all stand together to defend our democracy. Nobody here would accept what happened a few days ago. But, we want to appeal to everybody, particularly to our PDP colleagues, that they shouldn’t use this as an opportunity to malign the party or the President.

    “The President, we know from facts, was not aware of what happened. The moment he heard, he took the right decisions. So, we will be calling for thorough investigations. There are many questions unanswered, and many have raised those questions. How come those APC senators were not there? So many questions that need to be answered.

    “And for that reason, I believe we should tarry awhile and allow the investigations to be concluded so that we know exactly what happened, who did what, who knew what and when exactly did they do it? I believe that is the most important issue that needs to be addressed now.”

    Lasun added that since June 2015, the APC had maintained its majority status in both chambers of the National Assembly.

    ” As a Caucus, we’re one and we’re with our President Muhammadu Buhari, and we’re even with him with the decisions and actions both the President and Acting President have taken in the last few days.

    “I want to enjoin the public to still see APC as the party of choice. We have done our best to right the wrongs of the past administration. We are here as a caucus to condemn what happened some few days back and also commend the government for the actions taken on the DSS Director General.

    Lasun said no other group could represent the caucus better.

    “What we know in the House of Representatives is the APC Caucus. So, no other group can represent our objectives.

    “As long as my colleagues and I standing in front of you this evening are members of APC, nobody can represent us and all of us are for Buhari. As at today, the party in principle has agreed that Buhari is going to be our candidate in 2019.

    “I said in principle because when the date of the primary is finally announced, were all going there to approve Buhari as a consensus candidate,” the Deputy Speaker said.

     

     

     

  • Senate, House fail to lay Budget 2018 six months after presentation

    Six months after President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2018 budget to the National Assembly, the lawmakers yesterday failed to lay it for consideration, contrary to their promise to do so.

    The President presented the document to the lawmakers on November 7, 2017, urging them to pass it on time to enable the country return to the January – December budget cycle, which has not been in place for many years because of the delayed passage. This year’s delay is the longest since the country returned to democratic rule in 1999.

    There was no mention of the budget at the plenary in the Senate and the House of Representatives yesterday.

    Last week, the House of Representatives promised that the budget would be laid yesterday and passed before the end of the week.

    But the Order Paper of the House carried no such item. Reporters were also not told why it was not listed but it might not be unconnected with the failure of some of the committees to submit their reports to the Appropriation Committee.

    Briefing reporters last Thursday, House Committee on Media and Publicity Chairman Abdulrasak Namdas said: “By the Grace of God, we will lay the budget on Tuesday (yesterday) and then try to pass it that same week.

    “We are laying it on Tuesday and I can assure you that within that same week, we’re going to pass it.

    “We tried to do that, but you know, the budget is a voluminous document.. Actually, we’ve been working hard so that we can beat the deadline, and hopefully this time around, I can assure you that by next week (this week), everything about the budget will be concluded and passed.”

    The Senate also gave assurance on the passage of the budget this week.

    On Monday after meeting with President Buhari, Senate President Bukola Saraki said the budget might be laid this week and passed next week.

    Before then, the lawmakers had been giving conflicting dates. House Speaker Yakubu Dogara promised the passage of the Budget by late April. House Committee on Appropriation Chairman Mustapha Dawaki said it would be passed this month.

    After a meeting between the leadership of the National Assembly and the President, the lawmakers accused some ministers and heads of agencies of failing to defend their budgets, thereby causing the delay. The President issued an order for those involved to comply.

    Saraki on another occasion accused some committees of the Senate of failing to do their job with dispatch.

    Yesterday, efforts to reach Namdas, who promised on behalf of the House that the budget would be laid yesterday, failed.

    He was said to have travelled to South Africa on an assignment.

     

  • $496m jets row in Senate, House

    •NEC backs Buhari

    The payment of $496m to the United States government by the Federal Government for the procurement of 12 Super Tucano fighter jets generated furore in the Senate and the House of Representatives yesterday.

    A motion was moved by Senator Mathew Urhoghide (Edo South) for the activation of Section 143 – on impeachment of the president.

    At the House of Representatives, many lawmakers kicked against the President’s letter requesting approval for the payment for the aircraft.

    However, the National Economic Council (NEC), the nation’s highest economic advisory body to which the governors belong and headed by the Vice President, endorsed the payment for the planes.

    At the end of the meeting at Aso Villa yesterday, Jigawa State Governor Abubakar Badaru said it was important for Nigeria to quickly buy the military jets before the United States changed its mind.

    He said: “We forget easily. If you recall, we have been battling with approval from America to buy these equipment since 2014. We were begging America to sell these equipment to us.

    “We tried Dubai (United Arab Emirates), they could not allow us, we tried a factory in Brazil, we couldn’t get it. The Americans still could not sell to Nigeria.

    “Then, luckily, President Donald Trump said it was okay to buy. So we had to quickly buy before they changed their mind.

    “Because there is also deadline and this is a state to state transaction, no middleman, and we are all here concerned about security and they (lawmakers) are raising questions on way and manner you protect people. This is an emergency situation.”

    Also defending the payment for the fighter jets during the debate at the Senate, Senator Abu Ibrahim said: “Mr. President took the action based on national interest; that is why he authorised this payment.

    “As far as I’m concerned, this is the first time that money drawn from excess crude account is brought to the National Assembly for approval. Since they began to operate this account, I have never seen any expenditure that was brought here for approval.

    “$17.7 billion was withdrawn by former President Olusegun Obasanjo from the excess crude account to pay the Paris Club and fund two projects without the National Assembly’s approval. Obasanjo left $943 billion in the excess crude account but former President Goodluck Jonathan frittered away the money with no recourse to the National Assembly. The Excess Crude account increased from $5.16 billion in 2005 to over $20 billion in 2008 and decreased to less than $4 billion by Jonathan in 2010. It never came to National Assembly for approval.

    “$2 billion was used by the previous PDP administration to fight Boko Haram in 2014. Governor Godswill Akpabio was the one who moved the motion at the National Economic Council to get the money. $5 billion was taken for power generation when they were sourcing for Niger Delta Power Holding, the same process was not taken by Yar’ adua. It was later taken to the National Assembly and it was approved.

    “This is a PDP conspiracy. I will like the PDP to tell us which of their governors has taken the money released from excess crude account to the state assembly for approval. If this is a PDP conspiracy to tarnish the image of Muhammadu Buhari, they will not be able to do it because we are coming out with figures.”

    Ibrahim prayed the Senate to consider the matter dispassionately without political colouration.

    He added: “The payment was government to government without pecuniary interest whatsoever. It was for the security of this country which all of us support. The request should not have come to us in the first instance because the governors approved it. Only 53 per cent of the money which goes to the Federal Government should come to us for approval because we do not legislate for states and local governments. The PDP has interest in it and wanted to be holier than thou in the way and manner they are going about it. But the same PDP has not sanctioned its governors who have not taken the excess crude account money to their state for approval.”

    Senator Godswill Akpabio raised a Point of Order to cut Ibrahim short.

    Akpabio said that he could not recall ever moving a motion to withdraw money from the excess crude account as alluded to by Ibrahim.

    He said the Senate should discountenance the reference to him “because I did not even see Senator Abu Ibrahim in any of our meetings”.

    Ibrahim took the floor again to say that he was totally against the impeachment motion “because it is politically motivated”.

    He prayed the Senate to endeavour to work for the interest of the country.

    The upper chamber resolved to refer the motion for impeachment to its Judiciary and Legal Matters Committee for advice and guide on whether to activate Section 143 of the Constitution which deals with procedures for impeachment of the President, as advised by Senate President Bukola Saraki.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary and Legal Matters, Senator David Umaru, was asked to submit his report next Wednesday.

    The controversial motion followed another motion by the Deputy Senate Leader, Bala Ibn Na’Allah, about the need to include $496,374,470 (equivalent of N151,394,494,335.00) in the year 2018 Appropriation Bill.

    Na’Allah specifically prayed the Senate to consider the request of Mr. President on the inclusion of USD 496,374,470 (equivalent of N151,394,494,335.00) only in the 2018 Appropriation Bill for the purchase of Super Tucano Aircraft from the United States Government.

    Saraki was about to refer the request to the Appropriation Committee for further legislative work when Senator Urhoghide (Edo South) raised a Point of Order.

    Immediately Urhoghide moved that the Senate should activate Section 143 of the Constitution, the chamber went dead.

    When the chamber came alive once again, there appeared to be a sharp division among the senators which Saraki laboured to control.

    Urhoghide, who referred to his aborted attempts to argue the matter on Wednesday said: “This ought to have been the first request to this Senate. We must put it on record that this is a violation of procedure as stated in the 1999 constitution….

    “The objective of the expenditure is very well established but the procedure is wrong.

    “There are serious consequences for violation of our constitution. As a consequence, the only thing we can draw from this is that we call on you, Mr. President, (Saraki) to invoke Section 143 of the Constitution. Because, what it means is that this matter is not to be investigated. It is clear that this offence has been committed by Mr. President (Buhari).

    “I want this Senate to resolve that what the President (Buhari) did is procedurally wrong and a violation of our constitution. It must be condemned and, of course, the consequences of section 143 of our constitution should be invoked.”

    Senator Chukwuka Utazi (Enugu North), who seconded the motion, said: “Mr. President, a time has come when this Senate has to rise up and do the job which the Constitution has stipulated that we have to do.”

    He described the impeachment motion as out of order especially as the President’s action was not for any pecuniary interest.

    Senator Samuel Anyanwu (PDP, Imo) said the Presidency’s admittance that the money had already been spent was a vindication of his motion that something was amiss in the purchase of the fighter jets.

    He insisted Section 143 of the Constitution should be followed to deal with the alleged infraction on the Constitution.

    Anyanwu said: “I wanted to invoke order 53 (6) of our standing rule which states that no senator shall input improper motives for any other senator. What Senator Abu Ibrahim was saying is out of context on the issue of PDP. It is wrong. I think he should withdraw that.”

     

    $496m request divides Reps

    President  Muhammadu Buhari’s request for parliamentary  approval for the purchase of military equipment at $496m failed to scale second reading on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday.

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara had to refer the request to House Committee on Rules and Business for clarity on the status of the request, whether to be treated as a bill or motion.

    He also requested that the House be furnished with information on whether there had been a precedence on such issue  before or not.

    President Buhari in a letter to the House requested for the approval of the House for the  purchase of Super Tucano aircrafts from the United States (US) government.

    House Leader Femi Gbajabiamila presented the letter and it generated heated debate that eventually led to the invitation of  the Ministers of Defence, Finance and other appropriate officers to brief the House on the need to include the requested the 2018 Appropriation Bill.

    The Speaker eventually  referred the letter for second reading.

    When the request came up for second reading yesterday, lawmakers differ on whether to approve or reject it.

    While some lawmakers opined that the request should be thrown out because the  President had already breached the constitution by spending the money without due process, other felt that national interest  should be considered whikentakingbthe decsion.

     

     

     

  • House moves to criminalise electricity estimated billing system

    •Members recount experiences as bill scales second reading

    THE PROCESS to proscribe the issuance of estimated bills to consumers by electricity Distribution Compnaies (DisCos) has begun in the lower chamber of the National Assembly. It is inform of a bill seeking to amend the Electicity Power Reform Act.

    Sponsored by the House of Representatives Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila and others, the Bill scaled second reading on the floor of the Green Chamber yesterday.

    If passed, every electricity consumer must be provided with a prepaid meter, thus ending the regime of paying for power not consumed.

    The lawmakers also proposed to criminalise non-provision of prepaid meter after application and illegal disconnection of consumer’s light among others with a fine of N500, 000, or six-month jail term.

    Failure to carry out the provision of the proposed law was to attract a six-month jail term, a fine of N1 million, or both.

    The development followed the second reading of a bill where Section 67, sub-Section 1 of the Principal Act among others was amended.

    Leading the debate on the general principles of the bill, Gbajabiamila said that feedback from Nigerians showed deliberate extortion of consumers by the DisCos.

    On the need to back the prohibition of estimated billing by law, the House Leader pointed out the difference between regulation and law.

    He said: “The Electricity Regulatory body  can direct that all consumers be provided with prepaid meters immediately and by the stroke of a pen, can also direct  that the prepaid meter no longer be provided for one reason or another. So, if this is backed by law, such can no longer happen.”

    Other lawmakers took turn to relive their experiences in the hands of Discos officials on estimated bills.

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara said he had to disconnect his house in Bauchi that was not occupied but receiving N80, 000 monthly on estimated bill.

    Deputy Majority Chief Whip, Pally Iriase described estimated bill as a serious financial oppression, adding that the sale of the National asset was faulty from the beginning.

    Saying that the arbitrariness of the billing is real, Iriase regretted that “the people who were handed our commonwealth for nothing and making millions out of it could not add any value to it.

    “These are the same people who don’t want to install the meters even after the consumers have paid for the meter, they kept on giving excuses.”

    Muhammad Monguno (APC, Borno) wonder why estimated bill was alien to Nigeria’s less-developed neighbours like Chad and Sudan and others that Nigeria supplies power to.

    Mrs. Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (PDP, Abia) regretted that corruption has eaten deep into the system. She described as unacceptable a situation whereby an entire community in parts of Southeast gets one prepaid meter while the bill, running into hundreds of thousands are shared by individuals within the community.

    “Billing on one prepaid meter by the entire community is always causing problems every time”, she added.

    Sergius Ogun (PDP, Delta) lamented that the N215 billion intervention fund given to the sector, and by extension to the DisCos, has yielded no result.

    The Principal Act was amended by creating new Sections 68 to 72 as Section 68 (1), estimated billing methodology is hereby prohibited in Nigeria.

    Below are the provisions:

    • Section 68 (2): Every electricity consumer in Nigeria shall apply to the electricity distribution company carrying out business within his jurisdiction for a pre-paid meter and such consumer shall pay the regulated fee for pre-paid meter to be installed in his premises and the electricity distribution company shall within 30 days of receiving the application and payment install the pre-paid meter applied for in the premises of the consumer.
    • Section 68(3): Customers who elect to buy their pre-paid meters through Credit Advancement Metering Implementation must state it in their applications and such customers must be metered within 30 days of the receipt of their applications.
    • Section 68(4): All electricity charges or billings to the premises of every consumer shall be based strictly on pre-paid metering and no consumer shall be made to pay any bill without a pre-paid meter first being installed at the premises of the consumer.
    • Section 68(5): If a customer is not metered within 30 days after application has been duly made, the relevant electricity distribution company is prohibited from refusing to connect the customer or disconnect the customer in the event that the customer has been connected or estimate his bills
    • Section 69: Upon connection, the electricity distribution company serving the Consumer must inform the customer in writing on the nature of the meter installed, tariff methodology and all other services available to the customer.
    • Section 70: In giving effect to the provisions of this Act, the National Electricity Regulatory Commission as the regulatory body must ensure that all licensed distribution companies comply with the provisions of this Act.
    • Section 71: All cases of illegal disconnection, refusal of the relevant distribution company to connect a customer after application, un-metering within 30 (thirty) days of a customer applying for a pre-paid meter and estimated billing shall attract both civil and criminal liability. Any officer found guilty shall be liable to a fine of N500, 000, or imprisonment for a term of 6 months or to both such fine and imprisonment as the Court may deem fit.
    • Section 94 sub-Section (2)of the Principal Act is amended by creating a new sub-section (4) as follows: Any person who performs any act or does anything or refuses, fails and/or neglected to carry out his lawful duties with intention to contravene or frustrate the Implementation of Sections 68 and71 of this Act is said to have committed an offence; and upon conviction shall be liable to 6 (six) months imprisonment or a fine of N1,000,000 or to both such fine and imprisonment without prejudice to the right of the Commission to cancel or suspend any license  under this Act.

    The bill scaled second reading after it was unanimously passed in a voice vote.

     

  • House gives commissioner, oba one week to reverse Baale’s installation

    Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday gave  Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs Muslim Folami, and Onibeju of Ibeju-Lekki Rafiu Salami a week to reverse the installation of Mufutau Olamiji as Baale of Okegun, Ladeseso in Ibeju Lekki. The lawmakers will determine their next line of action after the expiration of the one-week deadline.

    The resolution followed the adoption of the report of the House Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights, Public Petitions and LASIEC on a petition titled: “Complaints against the representation of one Mufutau Olamiji as the Bale of Okegun of Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area of Lagos State.” The petition was brought by Ismaila Ogunkoya of Okegun Odofin.

    In the committee’s report, its Chairman, Mrs Adefunmilayo Tejuoso  noted that only Okegun Odofin, Okegun School were genuine, adding that the one  created by the Onibeju known as Okegun Ladeseso to which Olamiji lays claim  was unknown in the original layout of Ibeju-Lekki.

    It said Oba Salami fraudulently installed Olamiji, who was his personal assistant as Bale of Aladeseso to override Ogunkoya.

    The panel said the commissioner connived with the Onibeju to install Olajimi, adding that Folami also proceeded to the tribunal when the  committee was doing its job despite being asked to stay action.

    Speaker Mudashiru Obasa warned Folami and Salami to respect the resolution so as not to incur the lawmakers’ anger.  He directed that the Attorney-General  be officially informed of the resolution.

    “We will give them (Commissioner and Onibeju) the opportunity to rescind. We will use this as a test case and I am sure they will comply. They should ensure sanity in Okegun.

    “There is need to review the law on chieftaincy titles, the remuneration and to regulate the way and manner Obas and Baales emerge in every nook and cranny in Lagos State,” he said.

  • Anxiety in Senate, House as Buhari rejects polls bill

    Senators seek legal opinion    

    Bill ‘infringes on Constitution’

    There was anxiety in the Senate and the House of Representatives yesterday following President Muhammadu Buhari’s rejection of the bill on the reordering of the 2019 election sequence.

    The Senate and the House on February 14 adopted the conference report of the Electoral Act amendment.

    Unlike what is in the Electoral Act in which elections will hold on two legs: Presidential/ National Assembly and Governorship/ State Assemblies, the amendment is a three-leg process; National Assembly, Governorship /Assemblies and Presidential.

    But the President, in a correspondence to the lawmakers – which was read on the floors yesterday – declined assent to the bill.

    The presidential letter entitled “Presidential decision to withhold assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018” reads: “Pursuant to Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), I hereby convey to the Senate my decision on 3rd March 2018 to decline Presidential Assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018 recently passed by the National Assembly.

    “Some of my reasons include the following:

    “A.The amendment to the sequence of elections in Section 25 of the principal act may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organise, undertake and supervise elections provided in Section 15(A) of the third statue to the Constitution;

    “B.The amend to Section 138 of the principal act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates, unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process;

    “C. The amendment to Section 152(3)-(5) of the Principal Act may raise Constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections.”

    Before Senate President Bukola Saraki read the letter, senators went into an executive session.

    He read the letter at the plenary convened after the closed session. Thereafter, there were no comments.

    After Speaker Yakubu Dogara read the letter in the House of Representatives, there were also no comments.

    This is the second major bill that the President has declined to sign in the last one month, the first being the Peace Corps Bill.

    It was learnt that at the executive session, senators resolved to seek advice from the legal department on the issues raised by President Buhari for withholding his assent to the amendment of the Electoral Act Bill.

    A source said that the next line of action would largely depend on the advice from the legal department.

    The source said: “If the advice turns out that the reasons given by President Buhari to decline assent on the Bill were not cogent enough, we will surely mobilise to override the President.”

    Some senators, he said, “are already of the view that we should go ahead and override the president.” The Senate requires 74 members to take that step.

    Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) told reporters that the Senate would do “the needful” because it believed that what the National Assembly did was in the best interest of the country.

    But another ranking senator dismissed Abaribe’s claim.

    He said: ”The President’s action was expected. Many of us felt it (the sequence) should not be altered.  Many APC members are not for reordering of elections clearly this time around and there are sympathisers in the PDP.

    “We felt that it will be money-guzzling and where will the funding come from? The position of the Senate on the development would soon be made known.

    “The issue of veto is not as smooth as the people say it. If there is a stalemate on any matter, it will be put into vote. It is then everyone will answer his father’s name.”

    Following the bill’s passage, some senators, led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu, stormed out of the chamber to fault the amendment.

    The group of nine senators also claimed that President Buhari was the target of the amendment and vowed that it would not stand.

    Some commentators have also risen to fault the amendment and threatened to challenge it in court.

     

  • Fayemi, Bwari disrespectful, says House

    Fayemi, Bwari disrespectful, says House

    House of Representatives Leader Femi Gbajabiamila said yesterday the no-confidence vote passed on Minister of Mines and Steel Development Kayode Fayemi and Minister of State Abubakar Bwari by the House is not an extension of the face-off between the Executive and Legislature.

    He also said it was not meant to destroy Dr. Fayemi’s governorship ambition

    Gbajabiamila told reporters in Lagos that considering the weighty allegations of impropriety leveled against the ministry on the concession or re-concession of the Ajaokuta Steel Complex, it would have amounted to a dereliction of their duty for the House not to act on the issues.

    He said Dr. Fayemi and Bwari were “disrespectful” of the House of Representatives by their refusal to honour the invitation to brief the House on what was going on in Ajaokuta.

    Gbajabiamila said Speaker Yakubu Dogara personally wrote the minister 10 days ahead of the public hearing. He said: “But it was a day before the briefing that the minister called the ministry, to respond to the Speaker’s letter to the effect that he would not be coming and that the minister of state would also not be present.

    “That letter was written by the permanent secretary, which was a breach of protocol; because the minister did not deem it fit to respond to the Speaker who had written him personally. The permanent secretary gave excuses why the minister would not be there and why the junior minister would not be there and again the Speaker took pains to respond to the reply, insisting that it is a very serious matter and that the House has heard a series of allegations, which it doesn’t seem to be true.

    “But if you absent yourselves, you are only giving credence to those wild allegations. Yet again during the hearing, a hurried letter was dispatched to the Speaker on the floor of the House. The language of the letter suggested that they were going ahead with the concession or that it was a fait accompli and that what the House was doing was a waste of time.”

    He added: “The Sole Administrator of Ajaokuta Steel Complex, we understand, was also instructed not to come.” As result, members of the House were upset.

    ”We thought Ajaokuta required that kind of attention and we decided to invite all the stakeholders and some experts in that industry, to brief the House and by extension the public, as to what is going on in Ajaokuta.”

    The House Leader said he tried his best to save the situation, by moving a motion for the setting up of an investigative committee, to give the ministers further opportunities to tell their own side of the story.

    ”But unfortunately sometimes you find yourself in a situation where you can do nothing. If I did not move that motion, someone else would have done it. Then, it would give the impression that the Southwest is protecting its own. No, I had to do my job as the Leader of the House.”

    On the implications of the vote of no confidence motion, he said: “It has its implications. We are in a political terrain; it may have some implications. What the implication would be is everybody’s guess; I’m not going to go into that. I just hope that it doesn’t affect the ministers in a way that they would not be able to get out of it.”

    Fayemi had condemned the action of the lawmakers as “unwarranted and unfortunate”. In a statement by his media aide Olayinka Oyebode, the minister explained the rationale behind the failure of both ministers to appear before the House, saying it had been duly communicated to the leadership of the House in two separate letters.

     

  • House panel probes alleged import fraud

    House panel probes alleged import fraud

    The House of Representatives Committee on Customs has begun investigations into alleged multi-billion naira fraud committed by some companies through massive breach of importation procedures, leading to huge loss of revenues to the Federation Account.

    Chairman of the committee James Abiodun Faleke, who made this known to reporters yesterday in Abuja, said the committee had invited those companies to come and clear the allegations against them or face the wrath of the law.

    “You recall the House in plenary on December 9, 2017 mandated the committee to investigate these alleged infractions of import procedures leading to monumental loss of revenue to the nation. The committee is determined to carry out a thorough forensic investigation in line with its mandate,” he declared.

    According to the chairman, “the unpatriotic and fraudulent act of some of these companies had cost the nation a lot financially. We are talking of losses probably in trillions of naira that should have accrued to our common purse.”

    The committee chairman said the panel was not on a witch-hunt mission but on an “altruistic, patriotic mission aimed at recovering our collective patrimony from unpatriotic elements and corporate entities”.

    Faleke said letters detailing the alleged infractions had been dispatched to the affected companies for appropriate responses and fair hearing.

    The committee chairman disclosed that the “Investigation Hearing Commences from March 7, 2018 and all the companies invited are expected to appear on the date allotted to them unfailingly or risk sanctions”.