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Tag: NASS

  • Confusion looms in NASS over Acting Clerk

    Confusion looms in NASS over Acting Clerk

    • Senate leadership splits
    • Senators, Reps fault Saraki’s letter

    A fresh storm is brewing in the Senate in the aftermath of Thursday’s rejection by Senate President Bukola Saraki of the appointment of Alhaji Mohammed Sani-Omolori’s as Acting Clerk of the National Assembly.

    Saraki’s action may also have pitched him on a collision course with the National Assembly Service Commission which made the appointment.

    The Senate president had ordered the withdrawal of the letter of the appointment because, as he said, the Commission sidetracked due process in taking the decision.

    He said Mr. Benedict Efeturi who is the Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly (DCNA) and who has previously acted as the Clerk ought to have been considered ahead of Sani-Omolori.

    Many Senators are said to have been shocked by the Senate President’s action which they saw as unnecessary.

    “When the news broke on Friday, many of us were hearing about the correspondence for the first time. The issue of who becomes the Clerk of the National Assembly is strictly the business of the civil service and there is a commission in charge of such matters,” one senator told The Nation yesterday.

    He added: “To tell you the truth, the last is yet to be heard of that matter. Many of us will not support such interference. And already, questions are being asked as some of the principal officers are also saying they were not aware of the decision to reject the appointment.”

    A  Principal officer of the Senate said Saraki’s  letter rejecting Sani-Omolori’s appointment  was never discussed with other principal officers before it was sent to the commission.

    “The issue will be revisited once we return next week (this week). It is not a serious matter. It is just something that should be placed in proper perspective and that is what we will do when we get back next week. I cannot say anything on the matter now because it was not discussed by the entire senate or the principal officers before the correspondence.”

    The Nation also learnt that some Senators and members of the House of Representatives from Sani-Omolori’s home state of Kogi, are also not in agreement with the Senate President’s position on the matter.

    A well placed source said Saraki’s letter was the culmination of weeks of intrigues over who becomes the acting clerk of the National Assembly.

    While Saraki and majority of NASS Principal officers had wanted Efeturi all along, and had done everything possible to ensure his emergence, The Nation learnt that the commission for certain reasons, decided to give the position to Sani-Omolori.

    “One major reason why Efeturi didn’t get the job was the fact that he was not properly appointed as the deputy Clerk. Sani-Omolori’s appointment is in a bid to correct past politicisation of purely civil service procedures. The commission was well guided in its choice and that will be proven soon,” the source said.

    A source in the Senate, however, described the failure of the National Assembly Service Commission to follow seniority in the appointment of the Acting Clerk  as “an affront on the guiding principles of the appointment and promotion in the National Assembly.”

    “Even if Efeturi was not going to be appointed on the ground of seniority and the fact that he is Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, reasons should have been provided by the appointing authorities in order not to create bad blood in the system,” the source said.

    He noted that it is not clear how the issue will be resolved “since a major mistake seemed to have been made in the first instance.”

    The Senate President, had in his letter asking for the withdrawal of Sani-Omolori’s letter of appointment, said: “We present to you the compliments of the President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly, Distinguished Senator Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, CON. Please recall that during your last meeting with the President of the Senate on April 20, 2016, the procedure of the appointment of the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly was discussed.

    “The Commission was directed to follow due process and ensure that seniority is adhered to. Of course, Mr. Benedict Efeturi who is Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly (DCNA) and who has previously acted as the Clerk of the National Assembly should be the first to be considered.

    “Most importantly, you have been directed to confer with the President of the Senate over the outcome of the Commission’s meeting before a letter of appointment is issued and regrettably that did not happen.

    “The President of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives were informed that Mr. Efeturi was not considered for the appointment because he was not duly appointed as Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly. On further enquiries, we found he was duly appointed by the National Assembly Service Commission.

    “Consequently, I am directed by the President of the Senate, to inform you that the letter appointing Mr. Sani Omolori as Acting Clerk of the National Assembly be withdrawn immediately for further consultations.”

    The letter was signed by Saraki’s Chief of Staff, Alhaji Isa Galaudu

  • Budget: NASS to override Buhari

    Budget: NASS to override Buhari

    The National Assembly has threatened to override the President Muhamadu Buhari at the end of 30 days if he fails to accent to the 2016 Appropriation bill which was passed by the legislature.

     

    The member representing Afikpo North/South constituency in the Federal House of Representatives, Idu Igariwey stated this yesterday.

     

    The Lawmaker who chided those blaming the National Assembly for making changes to the bill said the lawmakers should not be crucified for doing there constitutional duties.

     

    He said, “Truth of the matter is that the budget came with a lot of difficulties. The budget came almost like a stillborn baby and so it needed the legislators to put life to it. Either because it came in a hurry, was hurriedly conceived and poorly digested before it came to us. Maybe those were the reasons. But at the end of the day, the NASS had to do due diligence to the budget by looking at the various figures and the various areas of allocation of resources”.

     

    “For instance, let us look at the budget for the Works Ministry. If you saw the analysis that was made, you will discover that most parts of the budget were supposed to go to one part of the country. A state like Ebonyi had nothing to do with that budget as it concerns federal roads! And this is a budget that ran into over # 300 billion, I think the only thing that came to Ebonyi state was only # 28 million out of that whooping amount which was maybe to provide shoulder for the Abakaliki-Enugu Road already being completed”.

     

    “And we are only talking about 36 states in this country and so how can you assign #28million out of #300 billion to Ebonyi? And this also happened in other states of the south East. And we as legislators from the East you don’t expect us not to kick against such unequal distribution of our common wealth. So, it was now our duty to ensure that this budget did not go back the way it was conceived by the Minister for Works. We now made sure that some of the items also went to the South East by way of roads”.

    “And that is what the constitution empowers us to do. That is why the constitution gave us the power of appropriation and that is why the document comes to us. There is no legislature in this world where the budget proposal goes to the legislatives and it goes back the same”.

     

    “Then why did you even bring it to the legislature? If there is no need for us to make inputs into it, then the constitution should have conceived a system where the executive will formulate, appropriate, implement and maybe also oversight”.

     

    The lawmaker while recognizing the right of the President to withhold accent noted that the National Assembly also has the right to override him and pass the budget into law”.

     

    “The constitution clearly has made previsions for Mr. President to withdraw his assent as regards any bill, not just the money bill, but the same constitution has given us power within 30 days to override him”.

    “These things were all contemplated by the constitution. So, if Mr. President is withholding his assent, then it is still within his constitutional powers. But he should also expect us as expected by the constitution to also exercise our rights as also provided for by the constitution which is to override his withholding of his assent and when we do, that budget which is the money bill will become law. It’s as simple as he withholds his assent, then we override him”.

  • Is NASS ready for change?

    SIR; In Nigeria, we as citizens have been at the forefront clamouring for change from the corrupt and inept ways of our previous leaders. In fact, our recent history as a democratic nation under the PDP administration was characterized by a total disregard for due process and rule of law.

    In 2015, Nigerians had another opportunity to elect a new leadership and eventually bestowed their mandate on President Muhammadu Buhari. Before his emergence, it was common knowledge that Ghana-Must-Go bags usually exchanged hands between the executive and NASS during budget presentations and defence. As President Buhari rode to power with a pledge to eradicate corruption, secure the nation and rejuvenate the economy, it was obvious that the corruption-infested process of the past in the passage of the national budget was no longer going to be tolerated.

    The question to ask is: Is National Assembly ready for the change? The National Assembly being a key arm of government owes it as a duty to support the President to rid Nigeria of this malaise which has eroded the basic values inherent in governance. Lest we forget, the fundamental objective of any government is the welfare and wellbeing of its citizens.

    The legislature must rise above petty politics and self-aggrandizement by availing the executive of their full support in not only approving the budget as presented, but in supporting its execution for the overall benefit of Nigerians. As the representatives of the people, the NASS must be seen to be on the same page with the President as he seeks to deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians. It does not augur well for the National Assembly to be pulling in another direction, when they ought to collaborate with the executive in ensuring that the budget of change is bereft of obstacles.

    In so far as they retain the discretion to adjust certain items in the budget, it will amount to a monumental error on their part to remove the Lagos-Calabar rail project, which forms a major plank on which the revitalization of the nation’s economy is anchored.

    Nigerians are united in their support for the Buhari administration in its efforts to change the old order, and reposition Nigeria once again on the path of moral rectitude. Already, there are concerns that the National Assembly does not appear to be ready for the change unfolding under this administration. Definitely, Nigerians are sick and tired of the overbearing influence of the legislature in arm-twisting the executive to do their bidding. For once, we need adopt new ways of doing things in Nigeria, and gladly we are in an era where a personage like President Muhammadu Buhari has demonstrated the strong will to chart a new course for the country.  Our lawmakers must not only support the change, but also lead the way for us to realise our dream of a great nation.

     

    • Chukwudi Enekwechi,

    Abuja.

  • NASS committees and anti-graft war

    SIR; The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended) empowers the National Assembly in section 88 to by a resolution published in its journal or the Official Gazette of the Government of the Federation to direct or cause to be directed an investigation into:                                 

    1. (a)any matter or thing with respect to which it has power to make laws; and

    (b) the conduct of affairs of any person, authority, ministry or government department charged, or intended to be charged, with the duty of or responsibility for:

    executing or administering laws enacted by the National Assembly; and

    disbursing or administering moneys appropriated or to be appropriated by the National Assembly.

    1. The powers conferred on the National Assembly under the provisions of this section are exercisable only for the purpose of enabling it to:

    make laws with respect to any matter within its legislative competence and correct any defects in existing laws; and

    expose corruption, inefficiency or waste in the execution or administration of laws within its legislative competence  and in the disbursement or administration of funds appropriated by it.

    It is therefore mandatory for committees of the National Assembly to exercise oversight of Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs to assess policy objectives and implementation strategies; identify lapses and factors inhibiting successfully implementation of projects; advice on improvement; and identify misapplication and mismanagement of funds. Reports of oversight visits are expected to be presented in plenary of the two chambers and if need be, the provisions of Section 88 of the Constitution evoked for full investigation.

    Regrettably, oversight of MDAs has been ineffective in exposing corruption and waste in the public sector. Serious allegations of committee members demanding  MDAs to for example,  fund their local or foreign trips or provide funds for public hearings, or  solicit contracts among others, from the same MDAs they are expected to oversee has negative effect of diminishing the role of the National Assembly in promoting good governance. It also undermines the principle of checks and balances in the conduct of governmental affairs.

    Allegations abound of committees conniving with MDAs by “burying” huge sums of money in the budget with a view to retrieving same after the budget has been passed and signed into law. Budget hearings have become mere rituals and do not guarantee judicious deployment of scarce resources to the most felt needs of citizens nor promote transparency and accountability.

    Equally worrisome, is the acrimony that usually emerges as soon as   legislative committees are constituted at the commencement of a new assembly.  Section 62 of the constitution empowers the Senate or the House of Representatives to appoint a committee of its members for such special or general purpose… and delegate any functions exercisable by it to any such committee. The constitution has no provision for the so called “juicy committee(s)” being sought after by legislators.

    Committee assignments provide opportunity for a legislator to offer meritorious service to his/her country.  The Nigerian experience on the contrary has shown that private gains as against national service are a major factor in the constant fight on the floor by legislators over the so called “juicy committees.” The numerous investigative hearings conducted by committees of the National Assembly whether in the power sector, aviation, petroleum subsidy, capital market, etc., are pointers of failure of legislative oversight. Committees as the engine house of their respective chambers need to be proactive in exposing corruption, inefficiency or waste in the public sector and not wait for things to happen before commencing investigations.

     

    • Dr. Rahila Ahmadu

    Asokoro, Abuja.

  • Labour plans protest march to NASS over budget cut

    Labour plans protest march to NASS over budget cut

    Workers in the public service yesterday said that they would march to the National Assembly to protest the cut in budgetary allocations to the service.

    The Secretary-General of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN), Mr Alade Lawal, told newsmen in Lagos that they had mobilised workers all over the country to storm the Assembly.

    Lawal said that the association had concluded plans to mobilise workers all over the federation to march to the National Assembly over the cut in the budgetary allocation under which promotion arrears, salary increase and pension of workers were captured.

    He said that it was inconceivable that the lawmakers decided to reduce by N28.5 billion, the 465 billion voted by the executive arm of government to settle some arrears of allowances owed thousands of civil servants.

    According to Lawal, some of the workers are being owed outstanding salaries since 2007.

    He recalled that when President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office, the union wrote a series of letters to draw his attention to the outstanding allowances which had continued to generate restiveness in the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for years.

    “This is why the Federal Government set up a government-labour panel under the Federal Ministry of Labour and Employment to look into the matter.

    “The Office of the Head of Service of the Federation (OHSF) directed all MDAs to compile their indebtedness as it affects the outstanding salaries and allowances for the purpose of settling them,’’ he said.

    Lawal said the documents were submitted and computed in record time with the resultant figure added into the 2016 budget estimate.

  • NASS and Panama papers

    SIR: The gamut of legislative enterprise like any other vocational endeavour resonates with the biblical wisecrack that says”where your treasure is there will your heart be”.

    Nigeria’s chequered legislative history has been anything but reflective of the watchdog portraiture it is instituted to depict.This is largely due to the ascendancy of political corruption in the system.

    We can begin to dissect the minds of our legislators from the Panama muckraking. The fact that the National Assembly has not deemed it fit to issue any statement on the purported involvement of the Senate President on this national stigma says a lot about where the treasures of our lawmakers are embedded.

    The unmasking of shell companies meant for fictitious transactions on a global scale which has led to resignations of public office holders in saner climes is still in the orbit of political acquiescence by the National Assembly.

    The budget circumvention, the Code of Conduct Tribunal hearing and other proprietary gap at the National Assembly are delaying the process of change throwing up a distraught public reaction to the executive.

    The directive issued by the Senate barring members from issuing public statements except through committee chairmen may further cast a slur on the transparency quotient of the National Assembly.

    An assembly that thrives on translucent pedigree may not resonate well with Buhari’s departure from the decadence of the past.

    It is high time Nigerians began to  compartmentalize the demand for change by holding the legislature and the judiciary accountable through  legislative  and judicial surveillance.

    Change cannot be accomplished by the executive alone leaving lawmakers, judges and lawyers in the cesspit of the old order.

     

    • Bukola Ajisola,

    Victoria Island, Lagos.

  • NASS set to transmit 2016 budget details to President

    NASS set to transmit 2016 budget details to President

    Succour might soon come to Nigerians as the details of the 2016 budget is set to be transmitted to the President to facilitate his assent to the appropriation bill.

    President Muhammadu Buhari has said he would not sign the appropriation bill unless the details of the budget are attached.

    Buhari has promised to go through the details” line by line” as soon as he receives it.

    The Chairman of the House committee on Appropriation, Hon. Abdulmunin Jibrin Wednesday conveyed the details of the N6.06 trillion budget to the Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa at precisely 4:54pm.

    The budget has been plagued with controversy from the time it was submitted to the National Assembly.

    It was however passed on March 23 after an almost three months delay yet lack of details further elongated the delay.

    The details are expected to be picked from the office of the Clerk of the National Assembly by both Special Advisers to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang and his House of Representatives counterpart, Abdulrahman Ismaila Kawu.

    Jibrin’s counterpart from the Senate, Danjuma Goje was conspicuously absent. He was however said to have been sighted at the Code of Conduct Tribunal where the President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki is undergoing trial for false declaration of assets.

    Jibrin while speaking with reporters as he left the CNA’s office said: “Yes we have just submitted the details of the 2016 appropriation bill to the Clerk of the National Assembly for onward transmission to the executive arm of government.”

    On it there were surprises in the details, he said: “Well I don’t know what you mean by surprises. Of course you know the challenges that the budget came with, again we have gone through that over and over.

    “But even with that, we were able to put all our hands on the table and we have been able to do a lot of cleaning up exercise and working 15,16,17 hours every day and yes we have done the very best we can.

    “But we continue to plead with Nigerians for their understanding. We do know what is going on, we share their pains. And we are also living in this country. We just want Nigerians to understand that this year, it’s a different budget. We have not had such a challenging budget before.”

    The lawmaker said like every other years the National Assembly has made its own inputs into the budget.

    “Of course you know we have worked on the details and when I was coming in, I tried to answer some questions whether there were inputs? Of course, there were inputs of lawmakers on the details.

    “You are faced with what the executive arm of government want or what the lawmakers want but the case of the appropriation committee is to find a middle ground between both.

    “But I think the budget we just signed off with my colleague in the Senate, to the best of our knowledge, is an implementable budget and to a large extent, we believe that it properly aligns with the policy thrust of the government.”

    On what was the next line of action, he said: “Of course, we have done our own part, the budget will be transmitted to the president and so we keep our fingers crossed.

    “The presidential advisers of the National Assembly will come over to pick the details, I have called both of them and there are aware that the details are ready.”

  • ‘NASS, judiciary cannot reverse new electricity tariff’

    ‘NASS, judiciary cannot reverse new electricity tariff’

    The National Assembly and the Judiciary’s resistance cannot achieve the reversal of the new electricity tariff, an expert in Energy Jurisprudence, Dr Ayoade Adebayo has said.

    Adedayo, who was the Head, Department of Energy Law, University of Lagos (UNILAG), said neither a judicial pronouncement nor pressure from the National Assembly can reverse the new tarifff, adding that it is only the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) that can legally do so.

    He told The Nation that it is only NERC’s chairman and his commissioners can  reverse tariff as stipulated in the Electricity Power Sector Reform (ESPR) Act of 2005,  and not any arm of the government.

    He said: “The NERC is being run by an acting Chief Executive Officer, instead of a chairman and commissioners, who are empowered to suspend or reverse the tariff in accordance with the Electricity Power Sector Reform Act of 2005.  Therefore, both the politicians and the courts cannot achieve meaningful results on the issue.

    “It is only when the Board of the Commission is reconstituted by the Federal Government, and a chairman and commissioners were appointed to handle it that a reversal of the new tariff can take place. There is nowhere in the world that electricity business is politicissed and it records success.  Electricity issues are sensitive and should not be trivialised, and if we trivialise it, we would enjoy it.

    “A lot of calculations must be made before tariff is fixed. This is being done in order to enable investors get returns on investment.  At this juncture, some questions need to be asked. What are the politicians who are representing their constituencies in the National Assembly doing on the issue? What would the court say on the issue supposing the matter is taken to court? They are doing nothing.”

    According to him, the responsibility of fixing the tariff or reviewing it lies with the NERC.

    Adedayo said NERC is one of the agencies, whose role is key to the success of an administration in the country. He said the Board of NERC and other sensitive agencies are vital to the sector, adding that the only way the government can show Nigerians that the board of NERC is relevant, is to re-constitute it as soon as possible, in order to effectively manage the power sector.

    He said the sector requires between $50billion and $100 billion to produce the megawatts (Mw) of electricity that would make industries operate at optimal capacity, adding that achieving the feat is not possible when people play politics with the sector.

    The National Assembly has kicked against the tariff by the Federal Government. Prior to its introduction last month, the National Assembly, human rights groups, members of Organised Private Sector (OPS), such as the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industries (LCCI) and others, have tried to stop the government from implementing it but to no avail.

  • Electricity pensioners seek Buhari’s, NASS intervention

    Electricity pensioners seek Buhari’s, NASS intervention

    The Nigeria Union of Pensioners (Electricity Sector) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to deploy the change mantra of his administration to ameliorate its members’travails.

    Its President, Comrade Temple Ubani who, spoke at a briefing in Lagos, appealed to the Chairman, Joint Committee on Appropriations of the National Assembly (NASS), Senator Danjuma Goje to assist the union.

    Ubani said the issues  affecting his members ranged from the discriminatory and wrong classification of the PHCN pension under capital supplementation, irregular funding of their pension, persistent delays in the release of funds and payment of their monthly pensions, failure to pay arrears of pensions and other retirement benefits, denial of the 33 per cent pension increase, among others.

    He appealed to President Buhari to urgently intervene by prevailing on the joint committee on appropriation of NASS to ensure that his members pension fund is taken out of capital supplementation to Service Wide Vote, which is the recurrent expenditure in the budget as practised all over the world.

    He said the pension payment be removed from Authority to Incure Expenditure (AIE) which delay their pension payment and put on the Government Integreated Finacial Management Information System (GIFMIS)  Platform as is the case with all other pensioners in the country.

    He  added: “The relevant authorities should ensure regular and prompt payment of their pensions as at when other pensioners are being paid so as to alleviate their sufferings.

    “President Buhari should intervene to see that all outstanding pensioner/next of kin entitlements are provided for in the budget and paid.

    “The National Salaries Income and Wages Commission should be directed to with immediate effect, implement 33 per cent pension increase to our members as it affects other pensioners in the country.”

    He also appealed to other relevant authorities, including Minister of Finance, Minister of Budget and National Planning; Minister of Labour and Productivity; Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation; Accountant-General of the Federation; Auditor-General of the Federation; Director-General Budget Office of the Federation; Director-General/Executive Secretary, PTAD; Director-General/Chief Executive, NELMCO; and Chairman, National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission to help them.

  • NULGE seeks NASS support for local govt autonomy

    NULGE seeks NASS support for local govt autonomy

    The National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) has called on the National Assembly to support true federalism that guarantees the autonomy of local government administration in the country.

    NULGE National President, Ibrahim Khaleel Abdulkadir, made this appeal when he led a delegation of the union on a visit to the House of Representatives in Abuja.

    He also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the ongoing fight against corruption in the country to the local government councils, adding that the union was in total support of the fight against corruption.

    He said the main challenges facing NULGE were the continuous encroachment and diversion of local government funds by the state governments. He, however, said the union would continue with the struggle for the emancipation of the LGAs.

    He said the state governments imposed political structures at the council areas that most times negated the principles of democracy, alleging that the state governments manipulated the State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) during council elections thereby subverting the will of the people.

    Responding, House of Representatives Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, assured the NULGE members that the House would do everything within its powers to ensure that the council areas were granted autonomy.

    The speaker, who was represented by his deputy, Yussuf Lasun, said local government councils should be free and autonomous as they bridge the gap between government and the people at the grassroots.

    He advised them to engage seasoned legal practitioners to study the Nigerian Constitution so as to explore all available opportunities to put in place the framework that will help to realise their quest.