The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Mr Yakubu Dogara

  • Reps move to separate AGF’s office and Minister of Justice

    Reps move to separate AGF’s office and Minister of Justice

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday, moved to separate the office of Attorney-General of the Federal (AGF) from that of Minister of Justice.

    The move followed the second reading of a Bill for an Act to alter the 1999 Constitution to introduce the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation separate from the Minister of Justice.

    Presenting the Bill, Rep Mohammed Monguno (APC-Borno), said that if passed, it would emphasise the independence of the AGF’s office and ensure it was not subjected to political consideration.

    Monguno said that separation of the AGF’s office would allow for effective separation of power, adding that the two offices would be given the necessary environment to function optimally.

    Monguno said, “The Attorney-General of the Federation, being the Chief Law Officer is empowered in Section 150 and 195 respectively of the 1999 Constitution to enter nolle prosequi.’’

    Nolle prosequi is an entry on the record of a legal action that denotes that the prosecutor or plaintiff will proceed no further in an action of the suit either as a whole or as to some count or as to one or more of several defendants.

    The lawmaker added that ‘’The power can only be exercised if the office is free from any political interference.

    “The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation is such an office that should be seen to be Independent and not be subjected to some political consideration,

    “His appointment should be seen to meet some standard in the legal profession.

    “The fact that the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) performs some quasi-judicial functions hence, the need for the office to be separated from the Minister of or Commissioner for Justice.”

    According to him, the AGF is the Chief Law Officer of the federation and advises the government whether at the federal or state levels on matters relating to law generally.

    “Whereas, the office of the Minister of or Commissioner for justice is political in nature, if read alongside other ministers or commissioners.

    Monguno further advised that the office of the AGF should be based on merit and competence and the National Judicial Council be involved.

    “It should be shielded from the vicissitudes of political influence”.

    The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, referred the Bill to the Special Adhoc Committee on Constitutional Review for further legislative action.

  • Reps call for prompt payment of pensions

    Reps call for prompt payment of pensions

    The House of Representatives on Thursday urged the National Pensions Commission to ensure prompt payment of pensions in order to mitigate the sufferings of pensioners in the country.

    This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Prestige Ossy (PDP-Abia) entitled “Need to Create a More Conducive Atmosphere for Senior Citizens to Access Their Pension When Due’’.

    Moving the motion, Ossy expressed concern that citizens who spent most of their active years working for the country were deprived of their entitlements.

    He said, “it was disheartening that 12 years after the Pensions Reform Act of 2004 was enacted, state governments and the organised private sector have failed to fully activate the contributory pension scheme.

    “Most retirees who are old and frail are made to stand in long queues for hours in a bid to collect their pensions, which sometimes lead to the collapse or untimely death of some persons in the process.

    “The mode of accessing pension in Nigeria is too rigorous for these old and frail citizens and there is urgent need to device a less cumbersome procedure to access pensions by senior citizens.’’

    Ossy called for probe into allegation that most states in the country did not release funds for payment of pensioners as and at when due.

    “This has resulted to some of them being owed up to nine months pension arrears as a result of sharp practices on the part of state government officials, who use the monies for pensions for their personal aggrandizement,’’ he added.

    Ruling on the matter, the Speaker of the house, Mr Yakubu Dogara, mandated the Committee on Pensions to investigate the immediate and remote causes of delay in payment of pensions in the country.

    The Committee was given four weeks to report back to the house.

  • Reps summon AGF, IGP over Kogi Assembly

    Reps summon AGF, IGP over Kogi Assembly

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday, summoned the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami, to appear before its Committee on Judiciary over his alleged role in the Kogi House of Assembly crisis.

    This followed a point of order moved by Rep. Nicholas Ossai (Delta-PDP), who cited the Attorney General’s instruction to the Inspector-General of Police to reopen the assembly for proceedings.

    Ossai described the move as unwarranted and unlawful.

    In his contribution, the Majority Leader of the House, Mr. Femi Gbajabiamila, described the actions of the Attorney General as sad.

    He said that the resolution of the house to seal Kogi assembly was based on Section 11 of the house’s rules.

    Pally Iriase, who led the chamber’s delegation to Kogi, said that the matter was not in court when the house passed a resolution to take over legislative functions of Kogi assembly as provided by the Constitution.

    The Speaker of the House, Mr Yakubu Dogara, said that sensitive matters like that should be treated with seriousness.

    On his part, Rep. Muhammadu Bago (Niger-APC) called for the Attorney General’s resignation, saying that he lacked the power to instruct the reopening of the assembly.

    The legislators, however, resolved to summon the Inspector-General of Police and Malami to appear before their relevant committees.

    They also constituted a 22-member Ad hoc Committee headed by the majority leader to investigate the matter and report back in two weeks for further legislative attention.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the house resumed plenary on Tuesday after two weeks recess for the Easter celebration.