President Muhammadu Buhari has signed eight bills into law.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Ita Enang, briefed State House correspondents on Friday.
Details Later.
Tag: Ita Enang
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Buhari, Senate leadership meet in Aso Rock
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday night met with the leadership of the Nigerian Senate at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki led the delegation.
Speaking at the end of the meeting, Saraki said that they were at the Villa to brief the President on the decisions and resolutions of the Senate regarding the Benue crisis.
Asked what the President’s response was, Saraki said that the President received the team and it’s briefs very well.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Ita Enang commended the Senate for robust debate on the crisis devoid of sentiments.
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Presidency urges Senate to lift embargo on confirmation of nominees
The Presidency has urged the Senate to lift the embargo on confirmation of nominees sent to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.
It would be recalled that Senate on July 4, 2017 resolved to suspend all issues relating to confirmation of nominees submitted by the executive over what it termed as a move to reduce its legislative powers.
The senators had said the decision would remain until the issues of confirmation as contained in the Constitution and the laws of the federation were adhered to.
All the same, the presidency had in October 2017 nominated Mrs. Aisha Ahmad as a Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria ( CBN ) to replace Dr. Sarah Alade, who retired from the bank in June.
Speaking to newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) Mr Ita Enang said “the president had submitted as required by law and the confirmations are pending before the legislature.
“We are engaging with the legislature within the law.
“Therefore we are conscious that the legislature, in particular the Senate, is very responsive and very concerned about the economy.
“And the Senate is also conscious that nothing should be done that will be detrimental to the international image of Nigeria and perception of Nigeria.
“So we are engaging with the legislature particularly the Senate on this and the Senate is very sensitive to the public to what is likely to happen.’’
He said the senate must have been engaged with a number of bills last year and were prioritising issues.
“They are going to attend to it. Any matter that is standing as an issue between the executive and the legislature which may be the reason for the embargo, we are going to address it and make sure it is surmounted.
“Therefore, Nigerians should be comfortable that the Senate will answer questions within the law,” Enang said.
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Gov. Shettima justifies establishment of North-East Development Commission
Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno on Sunday said the establishment of North-East Development Commission ( NEDC ) was a direct response to the large scale devastation caused to the North-East by Boko Haram insurgents.
The governor said this in a statement signed by Malam Isa Gusau, his Special Assistant on Communications and Media Strategy in Maiduguri.
According to the governor, the effect of Boko Haram insurgency is such that no geo-political zone wishes to experience.
Shetiima said, “Having a commission like the NEDC is a direct response to large scale devastation which no geo-political zone should wish to experience.’’
He said Borno would have to experience 50 years of backwardness due to destruction caused by the Boko Haram.
“A comprehensive assessment report by the World Bank put the damage at over $9 billion U.S dollars.”
“NEDC will set out for the recovery of this backwardness so that the state recovers earlier than it would have taken us to recover.
“It is not something any section of the country should wish to experience.”
Shettima noted that the development had also demonstrated Federal Government’s commitment to ensure rapid social and economic rebuilding of the region.
The governor commended President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the NEDC Bill into law.
He said that the people of the North-East would remain grateful to Buhari over his concern and commitment to their plight.
Shettima said the people were highly appreciative of “President Muhammadu Buhari’s open love for them’’ and the role of the 8th National Assembly in the passage of the bill.
“I must confess that if Buhari was not elected in 2015, only God knows what would have become of Borno and the rest of the North-East.
“Buhari has made determined efforts to reverse all the many years of neglect the North-East suffered from 1979 to 2015. ‘’Buhari is the greatest inspiration for us.
“The President’s passion for the North-East is clearly understandable, because this is a region that lost thousands of its precious sons and daughters, suffered destruction of public and private infrastructure worth $9 billion U.S dollars”.
The governor also commended the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki and the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Doagara for their leadership role in the passage of the bill.
Shettima said that the people of the region were also satisfied and grateful to members of the National Assembly for good representation of the region.
“For us, they have achieved 50 per cent of what our people elected them to do at the national assembly by the passage and Presidential assent to the bill establishing the NEDC.’’
President Buhari signed the bill: The North East Development Commission (Establishment) Bill, 2017 in to law recently.
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) Sen. Ita Enang said this in a statement in Abuja on Oct.26.
The Commission is charged with the mandate to receive and manage funds allocated by the Federal Government and international donor agencies for the resettlement, rehabilitation, integration and reconstruction of roads, houses and business premises of victims of insurgency.
It will also tackle the menace of poverty and environmental challenges in the area.
NAN
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Nigeria Peace Corps Bill not before Buhari – Enang
The Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Sen. Ita Enang, says Nigeria Peace Corps Bill is yet to be presented to the President for assent.
He said at the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja that the bill was yet to complete its legislative process at the National Assembly.
Enang said that he was unaware of any bill that had been passed by the legislature that was pending before Buhari for his endorsement.
“I have heard some members of the public saying that the Petroleum Industry Bill has been passed and has not been assented to.
“Some said that the Peace Corp Bill has been passed and sent to the president and has not been signed or that it is already a law and people have started buying forms.
“Some said that they have started sowing uniform and that some states have started operations, as if Peace Corp, as if it were, is a law.
“I want to use this opportunity to say the Peace Corp legislative process has not yet been completed to the extent that it should be forwarded to the president
“It has not been forwarded to the president and so, it is not yet pending for assent,’’ he said.
Enang advised the public not to be worried about the bill, and warned that anybody acting on the bill, whose legislative processes were yet to be completed, was illegal.
“The Bill processes have not been completed and it has not been forwarded to the president for assented to become law, and therefore, anything anybody does, using the bill is at the person’s risk.
“As an agency that has not been established, it cannot start operation; it cannot engage people, it cannot generate revenue unless and until it is established by law. Therefore, I will urge Nigerians not to be worried.
“The last time before the bill went back to the legislature, the Federal Government, the police and other agencies did something to draw attention to the status of the Peace Corp but it does appear that it is going back to where it was.’’
It would be recalled that Bill establishing the Corps, which was sponsored by Sen. Bayero Nafada (APC-Gombe), was passed by the Senate in July, 2017.
The bill was passed in a unanimous voice vote after the Chairman, Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Sen. David Umaru, had presented report on issues surrounding adoption of the conference report on it. (NAN)
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2018 budget to be presented in October – Enang
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, said on Friday that the the 2018 Budget proposal would be presented to the National Assembly by October.
He stated this during chat with journalists in Abuja.
According to him, the 2018 budget is one of the issues agreed between the legislature and the executive at the assent session by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.
“What was agreed was that this budget will run a cycle that should end in December 2017. We are working toward presenting the budget by October.
“The Ministry of Budget and National Planning, myself and the D-G Budget Office of the Federation did a presentation and a briefing to the leadership of the National Assembly on the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper for 2018 as the basis for the presentation.
“What we are doing is to make sure that every person makes inputs before we even present it to them.
“This is aimed at ensuring that by October every matter relating to the pre-loading of the budget is done,” Enang said.
The presidential aide said he was happy with the close relationship between the executive and the legislature.
“I appreciate the National Assembly for the cordial working relationship that the executive has enjoyed in the first two legislative years of the 8th Assembly.
“It was a constitutionally engaging and legislative active year between the executive and the legislature,” Enang added.
NAN
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Nigerians laud Osinbajo on Diaspora Commission Law
The Nigerians in the Diaspora in America (NIDOA) have applauded Acting President Yemi Osinbajo for signing the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission Establishment Bill 2017 into law.
Some of the Nigerians told the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that they were elated that its hallmark bill that had been in the works for years had finally been signed into law by Osinbajo.
Osinbajo had assented to the Bill on June 30, according to a statement issued by Sen. Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) on July 3.
Ms Bukola Shonuga, Public Relations Director of the NIDOA, said “the enactment of the bill is further testament of the recognition of the critical role of Nigerians in Diaspora in Nigeria’s development.
“Over 15 million Nigerians reside in the Diaspora and Nigerians have been cited as the most educated immigrant group in the West and they are represented in every professional field.
“The average Nigerian professional holds at least a Bachelor’s degree and the annual median-income is about 65,000 U.S. dollars.
“The World Bank recently noted that Nigerians in Diaspora remit 23 billion dollars a year, a significant fuel to their country’s economy”.
They also thanked Rep. Abike Dabiri, Senior Special Adviser to the President on Diaspora Affairs for introducing the bill to the parliament about six years ago when she was the Chairperson of the House of Representatives Committee on Diaspora Affairs.
Chairman, NIDO Americas, Mr Sam Adewusi, said “NIDOA and Nigerians In Diaspora Worldwide leadership are appreciative of President Buhari’s administration, and to Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo for signing the Nigerian Diaspora Commission Bill.
“We also recognize and thank all stakeholders who worked in the background and out in the forefront to make the bill possible.
“Our special thanks goes to Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa who started the ball rolling in the Seventh National Assembly.”
Mr Mike Essien, Intellectual Property Lawyer and NIDOA Legal Adviser, said: “this law provides an opportunity for Nigerians in the Diaspora to engage in Nigeria’s development.
“We are thrilled that this much-awaited giant step towards its realization is now law.”
The Nigerians in the Diaspora, however, appealed for the passage and signing into law of the “Diaspora Voting Rights Bill”.
According to them, the “Diaspora Voting Rights Bill” is another vital legislation that would enable them to participate in the civic process and help shape Nigeria’s future.
NAN recalled that Dabiri-Erewa had, in a statement by her Special Assistant on Media, Abdur-Rahman Balogun, on the law, said: “our advocacy for a one stop agency for diaspora matters is finally a reality”.
She noted that 26 countries had full ministries for the Diaspora and “having a commission for our almost 15 million Nigerians abroad is a most welcome development’’.
The presidential aide recalled that Nigeria in June had successfully floated a 300 million dollars Diaspora Bond, saying that Nigerians abroad are so willing and eager to contribute to the development of their nation.
Enang had also said that the Diaspora Commission Act “establishes the commission under the supervisory jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“It has the responsibility to coordinate and organise Nigerians in and from the Diaspora to contribute human capital and material resources, including their expertise, for the development of Nigeria and its constituent states.
“It will also provide a database of Nigerians on various fields and potentialities as resource base for Nigeria and the world to draw from, as well as protect the interest of all Nigerians”.
With the signing of the Bill into law, the head of the Commission will be appointed by the President and confirm by the Senate.
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Presidency has no plans to reject 2017 Budget – Enang
Sen. Ita Enang, Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), says there is no plan to reject the 2017 Budget by the presidency.
Enang made this known in a statement he issued on Saturday in Abuja, insisting that the presidency was working within the constitutional time-frame required to process details of the budget.
“There is no such plan by it to reject the 2017 budget passed by the National Assembly as alleged in some reports.
“The presidency can only assent to the budget or withhold assent as the case maybe.
“However, should there be areas needing input, the presidency would engage the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives.
“As such, any report suggesting a rejection of the 2017 Budget by the presidency is incorrect,’’ he said.
Enang noted that the presidency was currently subjecting every detail of the budget to scrutiny using the available systems at its disposal.
He said it was to ensure that figures appropriated to ministries, department and agencies were consistent with the realities on ground.
“When the budget was presented to both chambers of the National Assembly for consideration last year by President Muhammadu Buhari, both chambers subjected the document to legislative processes, using internal systems at their disposal.
“This, exactly, is what the presidency is actually doing at the moment to ensure that the budget, when assented to, sufficiently addresses the nation’s present realities.
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Osinbajo has power to sign 2017 Budget – Enang
The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Mr. Ita Enang, said on Friday that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has power to sign the 2017 Budget.
This was 24 hours after he said President Muhammadu Buhari will sign the budget and then transmit it to the acting President for other formalities to take place.
“The President will assent to the budget, the acting President is in office and when the budget is transmitted, it will go through the processes and all those other questions will answer itself,” he said on Thursday.
However, Enang submitted the document to Osinbajo on Friday and clarified his earlier position, saying: “The budget as passed by the National Assembly has just been transmitted to the Acting President. I just delivered it.”
“The Acting President has the power to assent to the budget and he will assent to it when the processes are completed.
“The Acting President has the power to assent to the budget. In February, he assented to seven or eight bills.
“Those that he didn’t agree with, he wrote the Senate and House of Representatives that he had withheld his assent from them.
“He has the power of the President to assent to it. But the assent to the Appropriation Bill will be after the completion of the standard operation process. The bill has 30 days within which it will be assented to but the process can be completed within two or three days.
“So, it is not possible to say it will be assented to in so, so and so day or in two or three days. It’s upon the completion of the process that it will be assented to by the President and the President here now is the acting President.”
In a tweet, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said the Appropriation Bill is undergoing diligent consideration.
“2017 Budget-Appropriations Bill now officially received in the Acting President’s office and undergoing very prompt and diligent considerations,” he tweeted.
The budget was passed by the National Assembly last week.
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Breaking: Osinbajo receives 2017 Budget
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday received the 2017 Appropriation bill.
The budget was passed by the National Assembly last week.
The document was submitted to Osinbajo by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Ita Enang,.
According to him, it would be assented to by the Acting President after the laid down procedure.
Details Later…