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  • NASS: Legislators to watch in the 8th Assembly

    NASS: Legislators to watch in the 8th Assembly

    From new Senate President Bukola Saraki, who represents Kwara Senatorial District to little known Lasun Yusuf from Osogbo, Osun State, Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, identifies some of the federal lawmakers he expects to make waves in the 8th Assembly

    Now that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has replaced the defeated Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the political party at the helms of the federal government, the expectations in most quarters are that a new political order will gradually emerge on the political landscape of the country.

    While this will happen in the federal executive council to be constituted by President Muhammadu Buhari as soon as ministers are nominated and confirmed by the Senate, the National Assembly itself will have its fair share of the imminent change in the order of things.

    Already, the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as a replacement for legendary ex-Senate President David Mark and the coming of Hon. Ahmed Dogara into office as the new Speaker of the House of Representatives are parts of the changes that will herald the new order in the 8th Assembly.

    And with the elections safely out of the way, politicians are returning to their duty posts. So it is with elected legislators, who are expected to prove themselves deserving of the mandate of their constituents in the new assembly. Based on their political and other antecedents, it seems certain that some of the legislators will play crucial roles in the new parliament as things unfold. So, some members of the parliament, old and new, to watch out for in the 8th Assembly include:

    David Mark

    The political story of the years to come will very much be incomplete without good mention of former Senate President David Mark’s performance and the direction in which he chooses to take the PDP caucus in the National Assembly.

    No doubt, he remains the leader of the party in the parliament, with or without the title of Minority Leader. So, there is pressure on him to help kick start the revival of PDP from the National Assembly. Reviews of strategy and policy are under way in the PDP as a whole, but much is expected from the David Mark-led National Assembly caucus of the party. So, expect to hear a lot about David Mark, the man who holds the enviable record of being not just the longest serving Senate President in Nigeria, but also the only two-term Senate President ever, in the history of the country.

    Bukola Saraki

    Today, there is no gain saying in the fact that the new Senate President is one of the most influential politicians in Nigeria. Even before his controversial emergence at the head of the National Assembly last Tuesday, his prominence has shot up astronomically and he left no one in doubt that he is one of the legislators to watch out for in the new dispensation.

    Many say the medical doctor-turned politician has finally stepped into the big shoes of his late father, Dr. Olusola Saraki, who was not just the political godfather of Kwara State in his life time, but was also for a time one of the most revered members of the National Assembly where he served as the Senate Leader.

    Saraki was a presidential assistant to former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He later became a two-term Governor of Kwara State. He was also chairman, Northern States Governors’ Forum (NSGF) and Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF). He enjoyed the support and loyalty of his colleagues all through his tenure.

    It was Saraki, as Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology and a member of the Senate Committees on Capital Markets and Finance, who pushed a motion in the Senate to expose the fraud in the fuel subsidy regime.

    It was that motion that brought to the fore the excessive waste of the country’s resources under the subsidy regime and set him on collision course with his then party, PDP. And with the in-coming APC administration determined to end the rot in the petroleum sector, coupled with his position as Senate President, it is natural to expect to hear a lot about Bukola Saraki.

    Ike Ekweremadu

    A lawyer from Enugu State who has served in the Senate of Nigeria since May 2003, Ekweremadu, like Mark, is a chieftain of the troubled People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and is currently Deputy President of the Nigerian Senate for the third consecutive time.

    An outspoken senator, in September 2003, as Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Information, Ekweremadu stated that the senate would make a serious investigation into allegations of bribery leveled by the then Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai. El-Rufai was eventually charged with corruption in 2008.

    An internationally acclaimed parliamentarian, he was elected First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament in 2009 and emerged the Speaker of the regional parliament in August 2011.

    Aside from his surprise return to office as Deputy Senate President last Tuesday, Ekweremadu’s ranking as one of the longest serving members of the National Assembly comes with so much responsibilities. Consequently, he is a politician to watch out for in the new dispensation.

    Ahmed Lawan

    Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan is currently in the news as the preferred choice of the ruling APC as Senate President. He lost the seat to fellow party man, Bukola Saraki, in controversial circumstances but has taken his seat as the senator who represents Yobe North Senatorial District of Yobe State.

    A ranking lawmaker, Lawan became a senator in 2007. He was earlier elected to the House of Representatives 1999, where he chaired the House Committees on Education and Agriculture at different times, discharging his duties meritoriously. He was also a member of the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on Constitution Review.

    In 2009, as chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Lawan initiated and sponsored the Desertification Control Commission Bill. Same year, he spoke against the proposed Kafin Zaki Dam. He said dams caused intense poverty, increased desert encroachment, migration and conflicts between arable farmers and herdsmen.

    Although he lost his bid to become Senate President, a development his party, the APC is currently contesting in court, Lawan’s pedigree as a legislator and his commitment to good governance stand him in good stead to emerge as one of the stars of the 8th Assembly.

    George Akume

    The immediate past Minority Leader of the Senate, like Lawan, is the preferred candidate of the APC leadership for Deputy Senate President. He lost in similar controversial manner as Senator Ekweremadu got the seat. Of course, the APC is in court contesting the elections.

    In 1999, he became governor of Benue State and served two four-year terms. He won elections to represent the people of Benue as a senator for Benue North West in 2007 and was reelected Senator in the April 2011 elections, running on the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    He was again re-elected in March 2015 for a third consecutive term as senator. With his vast experience, both as governor and senator, Akume is expected to bring his weight to bear on the 8th Assembly irrespective of the outcome of his party’s spirited effort to get him into office as Deputy Senate President.

    Oluremi Tinubu

    A second term senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, the former First Lady of Lagos State is no doubt a highly respected lawmaker, especially within the ruling APC as well as amongst female legislators.

    Since emerging as a federal legislator, she has brought her voice to be heard on matters affecting the womenfolk as well as the average Nigerian. She is seen as a stabilizing force within the senate, giving her numerous roles in dousing tensions within the hallowed chamber.

    An educationist, administrator, and Officer of the Order of the Niger, she was the exemplary First Lady of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, during which period she founded the New Era Foundation; a Non-profit organisation, dedicated to youth development, girl-child education, women empowerment and inspiring young persons to excellence.

    As Senator, she hosts a quarterly Town Hall Meeting with her constituents, to render accounts of her stewardship and obtain feed-back on their developmental needs. To date, she has sponsored three bills: to provide Social Security for Elderly Citizens; seek the Amendment of the Labour Act, to enhance employment opportunities for women, and; a Bill to provide Special Economic Assistance to Lagos State in view of its status as a former capital city and the commercial capital of Nigeria. Pundits say she will no doubt play significant roles in the 8th Assembly.

    Dino Melaye

    The Senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye, is another legislator to watch in the 8th Assembly largely due to his penchant for controversy within and outside the hallowed chamber.

    A former member of the House of Representatives, Melaye is the founder and served as the Executive Secretary of Anti-Corruption Network, Abuja.

    With his recent statement that the Senator Barnabas Gemade-led group, The Unity Forum, was frolicking at a critical time outside the National Assembly when they were supposed to be on sit to participate in the election of principal officers of the Senate, Melaye is already courting controversy.

    Ex-Governors’ bloc

    Following reports that they had a hand in the emergence of Bukola Saraki as the Senate President, the group of former governors in the National Assembly may have fired the first salvo in their bid to tell Nigerians that they are not in the Senate to complete the numbers as some have insinuated.

    Sixteen former governors joined some of their colleagues in the senate. With their sizeable number in the senate, the club of ex-governors is expected to impact on the 8th Assembly in many ways. Many say the putsch that saw Saraki emerge as Senate President is just the beginning.

    The governors-turned-senators include Theodore Orji (Abia-Central), Godswill Akpabio (A/Ibom West), Samuel Egwu (Ebonyi North), Joshua Dariye (Plateau Central), Jang Jonah (Plateau North), Akume George (Benue West), Goje Danjuma (Gombe-Central), Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano-Central) and Kabiru Gaya (Kano-South).

    Others are Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), Bukola Saraki (Kwara Central), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), Isiaka Adeleke (Osun West), Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto North), Bukar Baba Ibrahim (Yobe East) and Ahmed Rufai Sani (Zamfara West).

    Female lawmakers

    Although the next Senate will be men-dominated, the eight female members of the 109-member Chamber and their counterparts in the House of Representatives are not likely to spend their time in the National Assembly warming the benches. Given their pedigree and personalities, some of them will leave lasting marks on the sand of time in the 8th Assembly.

    Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who is a ranking member of the Red Chamber from the Lagos Central Senatorial District and the immediate past Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Alhaja Monsurat Sunmonu, who is representing Oyo Central are two of the amazons.

    There is also Binta Masi Garba from Adamawa North. From Anambra are: Former House of Representatives member, Uche Ekwunife (Central) and former Aviation Minister Stella Oduah. Ekiti State contributed Abiodun Olujimi, former Deputy Governor (South), and Fatima Raji-Rasaki (Central), a former House of Representatives member between 2003 and 2007.

    Fatima is also the wife of former military administrator of Oyo and Lagos states, Brig-Gen. Raji Rasaki (rtd). The other is Rose Okoh, Cross River (North). Okoh has been indisposed since her nomination as the PDP candidate. She neither participated in the campaigns nor the election she won.

    Yakubu Dogara

    Yakubu Dogara, the new Speaker of the House of Representatives, represents Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa-Balewa Federal Constituency of Bauchi State. Dogara has been a member of the Federal House of Representatives since 2007. He has sponsored many bills and undertaken several assignments as a federal legislator.

    Between 2007 and 2011, Dogara chaired two House committees, namely the House Committee on Customs and Excise, and the House Services Committee. During this period, he was also a member of the House committees on judiciary, capital markets and institutions, foreign affairs, rural development and power, among others.

    During the 2011-2015 dispensation, he served as Chairman of the Committee on House Services and Welfare, and as a member of others, including judiciary, land transport, labour, employment and productivity, steel development, and legislative budget and research.

    He emerged as the Speaker of the House of Representatives on June 9, 2015 after a keenly contested race with Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila. He is definitely one federal legislator to look out for in the 8th Assembly.

    Lasun Yusuf

    Following his surprise election as the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yusuf Sulaimon Lasun, representing Osogbo/Olorunda/Orolu/Irepodun of Osun State has become one of the leading figures of the 8th Assembly.

    The hitherto little known politician from Osun State, according to sources close to him, is determined to make the best of the opportunity given him by his colleagues to make his mark as a federal lawmaker.

    Lasun defeated Hon. Mohammed Monguno, who is the preferred choice of the APC for the position, to emerge deputy to Dogara. He polled a total of 203 votes as against Monguno’s 153 votes.

    Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila

    The former Minority Leader of the House of Representatives lost his Speakership bid. But he is still expected to make his mark in the 8th Assembly. Gbaja Biamila was elected to the House in 2003, and re-elected in 2007. He represents the Surulere I Constituency of Lagos State in the House of Representatives.

    Razak Atunwa

    Atunwa was the Honourable Speaker of the 7th Kwara House of Assembly. On 28 March 2015, he was elected as a member of the House of Representatives to represent Asa/Ilorin West Federal Constituency. An astute ally of Saraki, Atunwa was a major backbone that championed the election of Dogara as Speaker of the House.

    In August 2005, he was appointed the Honourable Commissioner for Land and Housing of Kwara State. A year later in August 2006, he became Honourable Commissioner for Information and Home Affairs. In July 2007, he became Honourable Commissioner for Works and Transport. He was moved to the Ministry of Finance in November 2009.

    Abdulmumin Jibrin

    Jibrin was a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) until 2013 when he was one of the leaders that led 37 other lawmakers to cross-carpet to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He had previously served as an officer of a civil society group and occupied different positions in political formations. He contested for an elective political office in 2011 which won him a place as a member of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, representing Kiru/Bebeji Federal Constituency of Kano State of Nigeria.

    He was re-elected in March 2015. He vied for the Speakership but stepped down for Dogara and emerged as the strongest pro-Dogara voice. He is a legislator to watch out for.

  • NASS: Tinubu can resolve APC crisis – Majekodunmi

    NASS: Tinubu can resolve APC crisis – Majekodunmi

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Majekodunmi, on Friday expressed the confidence that the crisis within the party resulting from the emergence of the leadership of the eighth National Assembly would be resolved soon.

    Majekodunmi,  said the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has the political sagacity to handle the matter and urged him to begin the process of reconciling all the parties involved in the crisis.

    The medical doctor – cum politician who spoke with  reporters in Abeokuta at the weekend, said given the immense contribution of Tinubu to the successes recorded by the party, the onus on him to save the ruling party from what could lead to its factionalisation.

    According to him,  the former Lagos State governor has the skills needed to call a meeting of the major stakeholders of the party where the crisis which erupted over the election of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Hon. Yakubu Dogara, as Speaker, House of Representatives respectively, can be settled once and for all.

    Majekodunmi, a close associates of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, maintained that going to court by the aggrieved party will bring further damage to the APC.

    He said, ”  It is important for the leadership of the party to learn from and also move a step ahead of what happened when both Hon. Dimeji Bankole and Hon. Aminu Tambuwal were elected Speaker of the House of Representatives even when they were not the preferred candidate of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which did not sanction them.

    “With what Asiwaju Tinubu has done in the past, the time has come for him to deploy his political know-how to tilt the leadership of the party towards genuine reconciliation through a meeting of the necessary stakeholders which will make Nigerians not regretting voting for the party in the last general elections.”

    The Baagbile of Egbaland further enjoined the APC National Leader not to have any candidate for any position among members of the party, stating that his role in the present political dispensation should be that of father to all with no preferred or anointed member.

    He said the APC has to be careful not to give room for the opposition to come to limelight, noting that the PDP will always be happy to capitalise on the foibles of the ruling party to catch the attention of Nigerians.

    “It is in the interest of the leadership and teeming members of the party not to play into the hands of the opposition party whose major prayer will be for the APC to fail and disappoint Nigerians through its actions and in-actions,” he said.

  • Saraki, Dogara were wrong – APC Scandinavia

    Saraki, Dogara were wrong – APC Scandinavia


    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Scandinavia Chapter has vehemently condemned the result of the elections held at the National Assembly on Tuesday which produced Senator Bukola Saraki as senate president.
    The APC Scandinavia Chapter condemned  what it called the ‘manner and way, Saraki and his APC cohorts treacherously worked against the party to emerge the president of the 8th Senate and Honourable Yakubu Dogara as speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
    “It is ignominy and derogatory drama that some APC members could pull together with PDP members to elect a PDP deputy Senate president and majority leader of the 8th Senate.
    “It is a clear pointer that some APC members are still having the mindset of Jonathan led administration in the present APC led administration,” noted Ayoola Lawal, National Coordinator, APC Scandinavia Chapter.
    According to Lawal, the chapter urges the national leadership of the party to weigh in and set the record straight by meting out the appropriate sanction and punishment against any individual or group for any anti-party activity.
    “This is a litmus test and a clear opportunity for the party leadership to send the clear signal that the party’s interest supersedes any individual ambition or interest and this is real change and business unusual,” he maintained.

     

  • Saraki, Dogara: APC diaspora calls for sanctions

    Saraki, Dogara: APC diaspora calls for sanctions

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Scandinavia Chapter has vehemently condemned the result of the elections held at the National Assembly on Tuesday which produced Senator Bukola Saraki as senate president.
    The APC Scandinavia Chapter condemned  what it called ‘manner and way, Saraki and his APC cohorts treacherously worked against the party to emerge the president of the 8th Senate and Honourable Yakubu Dogara as speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
    “It is ignominy and derogatory drama that some APC members could pull together with PDP members to elect a PDP deputy Senate president and majority leader of the 8th Senate.
    “It is a clear pointer that some APC members are still having the mindset of Jonathan led administration in the present APC led administration,” noted Lawal Ayoola, National Coordinator, APC Scandinavia Chapter.
    According to Ayoola, the chapter urges the national leadership of the party to weigh in and set the record straight by meting out the appropriate sanction and punishment against any individual or group for any anti-party activity.
    “This is a litmus test and a clear opportunity for the party leadership to send the clear signal that the party’s interest supersedes any individual ambition or interest and this is real change and business unusual,” he maintained.
  • Dogara elected as Reps Speaker

    Dogara elected as Reps Speaker

    Hon. Yakubu Dogara was on Tuesday elected as Speaker of the 8th House of Representatives.

    He polled 182 votes to edge out Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila who garnered 174 votes.

    They are both members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    A total of 356 lawmakers took part in the exercise.

    Dogara was later sworn in by the Clerk of the National Assembly.

    Details later…

  • Confusion as Saraki, Ekweremadu emerge Senate President, Deputy

    Confusion as Saraki, Ekweremadu emerge Senate President, Deputy

    A major crisis broke out on Tuesday morning in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), with Senator Bukola Saraki emerging as Senate President.

    Only 57 Senators sat to vote Saraki. The others (51) were not at the sitting.

    Also on  Tuesday, Senator Ike Ekweremadu edged out Senator Ali Ndume of the APC in the poll for Deputy Senate President.

    Ekweremadu, who  is a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, was the Deputy Senate President in the last dispensation.

    Details later…

  • NASS members seek removal of fuel subsidy

    NASS members seek removal of fuel subsidy

    Members of the National Assembly yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to prioritize the removal of fuel subsidy as a first step in the fight against corruption and  sanitization of the economy.

    The members, under the auspices of the National Assembly Anti-Money Laundering and Cyber Security Coalition, spoke during its valedictory session in Abuja.

    Chairman of the Coalition, Senator Aloysius Etok, in his address, stated that fuel subsidy as presently operated, only benefits a few rich persons at the detriment of the poor masses.

    Etok noted that the country has so far lost over N2trillion to indiscriminate tax waivers, tax evasion and cyber crimes.

    He commended Buhari for making the fight against cybercrime top priority of his administration.

    He added that fighting tax evasion in the country is no longer a “choice” but a “necessity.”

    Etok said: “With President Buhari’s administration which was inaugurated few days ago, it is generally believed that corruption and related crimes would be frontally tackled.

    “We would expect, among other issues, the present government to: remove fuel subsidy which is seemingly a conduit-pipe for corruption.

    “Setting up of corruption court for speedy trials of corrupt officials and tax evaders and overhauling of expatriate quota policy.

    “Repositioning of Free Trade Zones by giving specific tenure of not more than 10 years to enterprises to revert to normal company just like Singapore, Malaysia and other countries of the world.”

    He lamented that the operation of Free Trade Zone in perpetuity without payment of taxes has resulted in revenue loss and poor infrastructure “which in most cases makes the government to become a tenant instead of a landlord.”

    He said: “As Chairman of this body, I am aware of the dangers of tax evasion and indiscriminate tax waivers present to our economy.

    “It becomes obvious from the briefing of EFCC and ICPC on tax evasion and cyber crimes that Nigeria has lost over N2trillion.

    “For all this reasons, fighting tax evasion is not just a choice, it is a necessity.

    “It is now time for action-prosecution, investigation and recovery. Investigation should not be delayed in court especially when it involves tax evasion and corruption.”

    He urged his colleagues in the 8th National Assembly to ensure speedy creation of cyber security agency, passage of Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), enactment of asset recovering law and strengthening of anti-graft agencies through funding and enforcement of Federal Character law to strengthen the unity of our country.

    The event was attended by Representatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Presidency, Judiciary, Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the United Nations Office in Drugs and Crimes, among others.

  • NASS remunerations: PMB must move fast

    SIR: At the onset of a new administration in Nigeria, it is appropriate to have a new look at many things that bedevil the nation. Apart from those that are apparent to the eye, there is one issue which continues to evade public attention. The lack of information and interest by the public on the total remuneration including take home pay of our Senators and Members of the House of Representative is one of those unpardonable lapses by Nigerians.

    Members of the National Assembly like all federal elected or appointed Nigerians are all political office holders.  They are paid by tax payers, personal or corporate. Nothing should be shrouded in mystery about the   benefits these public servants and others take from the national till.  In fact, the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is charged with the responsibility, among others, of determining the remuneration of all political office holders (from councilor of a local government to the President) and also to judicial officers.  This remuneration package is expected to be passed through the Presidency to the National Assembly for enactment into law.  Both the President and the National Assembly are constitutionally barred from increasing the recommended remuneration by one kobo but could reduce it as they may find it fit.

    Unfortunately, the above constitutionally provision has been routinely and shamelessly flouted by our lawmakers.  I am not sure of any recommendation of the Revenue Commission that enables a Senator or a member of the House of Representatives to earn N3million per month.  But because of the cloud of doubt which envelopes certain aspects of the working of the National Assembly, nobody seems to care to know details of their take home pay. The height of impunity was demonstrated by the Clerk of the National Assembly who allegedly refused to give details to a Committee set up by government or even to a judicial body.  In better climes, this would be completely unacceptable.

    The fairy tale that is making the rounds is that some senators earn up to N12 million N13 million per month, when these annual remunerations are broken down into calendar months.

    President Buhari has many problems on his laps.  It is because of the existence of these problems that he was massively supported during the last election.   He shall not be heard to be weary or hesitant in taking appropriate remedial actions.  Interestingly, one of the purported amendments which the last National Assembly sent for President Jonathan’s signature was a lifelong pension scheme of the principal officer of the two houses.  If this is not milking the nation dry, I don’t know what else it is.  Mercifully, Goodluck Jonathan refused to sign into law this amendment which in any case did not pass through the constitutional procedures expected of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.

    The question then arises, why should our rulers, that is people at the top always feel free to provide for themselves at the expense of the larger society? Oversight functions, Constituency Projects, etc are avenues for direct stealing.  When a Committee of the National Assembly is set up to probe an erring MDA, the latter will be requested to provide funds which must have been provided for by the National Assembly ab initio.  To me, there is no corruption that can match the one being perpetrated by our ‘elected’ rulers.  It is  nauseating, they do it with bravado and impunity and if the executive had the effrontery of asking questions, the next thing is conspiracy for impeachment.

    No, it can’t continue, Nigeria must be saved from less than 1% of the population that appropriates more than 10% of our national wealth.  We must know what our National Assemblymen earn.  There must be a change.  Let PMB start from the National Assembly, we will all line up behind him.

     

    • Deji Fasuan, MON, JP,

    Ekiti State.

  • Our Girls; PDP’s poisoned parting gift – fuel/powerlessness: Nigeria dies;  ‘DAY 1 OF CHANGE’; ‘Liberate States’; ‘Cut NASS to N10b’

    Our Girls are still missing since April 15, 2014. Where is their ‘CHANGE’ and protection under the law in this democracy?

    Be careful what you wish for. The internet brought communication with business and brought loved ones closer. Yes, but it also brought the rapid spread of indoctrination, religious radicalisation, instant reality events like extremist executions and suicidal blogging, yahoo-yahoo and internet scams, identity theft and bank fraud.

    From May 29, ‘Day 1 of CHANGE’, President Buhari, as President of all, should be a truly national leader during this stage of Nigeria’s dark history. SWORN ASSET DECLARATION FOR INCOMING OFFICIALS SHOULD ACCOMPANY THEIR ACCEPTANCE LETTERS FOR APPOINTMENT. Also nationwide growth and progress cannot occur in a military-style unitary system or a FEUDAL FALSE FEDERALISM favouring divine right to rule. ALL NIGERIANS have rights to A SENSE OF BELONGING. Let freedom for development reign. Buhari must ‘LIBERATE THE STATES’ from a historically oppressive federal government –made up of a few ‘FEUDAL FALSE FEDERALISM FOREVER’ myopic men, sitting in conclave in Abuja on every ‘federal decision’, and vetting or vetoing it and enforcing directives and archaic militarist and colonial laws condemning Fellow Nigerians to 19th Century underdeveloped perpetual poverty. This backward cabal of oppression has had a role to control, command and destruction of ideas like state railways, water controls, roads, building projects et cetera. We have suffered this in Lagos State. Can Buhari be more progressive than his predecessors?

    About 95% of the true population of 120m lives in the 36 states but get 35% of the budget. However states, when paid colossal sums between 1999 and 2014, did little for the citizens – corruption. The federal government and National Assembly (NASS) must reduce size, budget and federal powers for states to get more independence though states misused their allocation over the years.  Every Nigerian state has a population bigger than 50 countries. They are the direct responsibility of governors, local ‘heads of state’.

    The 2015 Federal budget is unacceptable. NASS is not a ministry! The N150b NASS budget is more than the allocation to 23 ministries and must be cut to N10b size. Policies cutting stupid salaries and perks, part-time legislation, sitting allowances must be introduced by NASS or by referendum.

    Three items in the press demonstrate oppression of Nigeria’s masses. One is the CBN’s ‘concessional’ 9% loans for agriculture while we borrow from bloodthirsty banks at 21-25% with 13% going to CBN as the MPR, non-existent in most countries. The second is an advert boasting ‘we allow/demand 30% down payment on the N85m homes for sale while the rest is spread over ONE year’. The third is the naira exchange rate N200-215:$1, making the naira ‘toilet paper’. This is down from N1 for $1.5 when I started work in 1974 and we had such misplaced pride in a Nigeria whose leaders had a secret malicious monetary policy. These are cases of systemic corruption and failed leadership. Nigeria fails in financial services to its millions seeking small survival or business loans or housing mortgages– essential for a just society. Can Buhari change our economic woes and listen to Henry Boyo the economist to achieve poverty reduction policies.

    Is PDP trying to postpone or sabotage the May 29 inauguration?  The massive corruption and round-tripping surrounding the fuel scarcity has changed my mind as Nigeria dies from being strangled. Buhari should initiate IMMEDIATE FUEL SUBSIDY REMOVAL and urgent ESTABLISHMENT OF MULTIPLE SMALL NEW REFINERIES for home-grown fuel and the 100 useful by-products we never hear about but need for industrial growth. We are already paying N130-400. Is the punishing fuellessness plaguing Nigeria a Machiavellian ‘PDP Venomous Poisoned Parting Present’-fuellessness and powerlessness? Buhari can BLAME PDP INCOMPETENCE AND CORRUPTION for a need for the ‘Immediate Effect’ removal of subsidy.

    Beyond the Boko Haram War, when a country losses its farmers, families, children and armed forces members within the country, it must face the ‘internal terror situation’.  If it is true that the Fulani herdsmen are a few ‘common criminals’ then they should be emasculated with military precision.

    An angry Buhari, a prominent Fulani General, and a former head of state once led a protest delegation to Governor Lam Adesina about a deadly clash between Fulani herdsmen and Oke Ogun, Oyo State farmers. He was educated on who was to blame. With the death of soldiers it seems little has changed except that the herdsmen are better armed, so imagine how they TREAT OUR FARMERS WHO ARE ONLY LICENCED TO CARRY DANE GUNS AND MACHETES. The cattle routes can be guarded easily. The herdsmen have robbed and killed many, including a General in Lagos. Disarming farmers but not herdsmen is ethnic, political and genocidal. What is Buhari’s blueprint on this ‘The Other War’? Let us threaten to stop the North-South cow herd trade until the herdsmen respect other Nigerians –farmers and soldiers. No country whose soldiers are killed can sleep at night. No soldier joins up to be killed in ‘petty cow squabbles’. What ‘medal’ do they get?

    Who is funding Fulani herdsmen weapons? Is their wider mission to destabilise regions of Nigeria or expansionist?  Is it about ‘INSISTING ON RIGHTS OF PASSAGE THROUGH FARMLANDS AND FREE FEEDING/WATERING FOR COWS?  The Fulani herdsmen-Farmer War is internal, not ISIS. A solution must be quickly found. What a waste. Death, so we can eat meat, makes no sense. We demand ‘change’.

  • Senate okays N4.493tr budget

    Senate okays N4.493tr budget

    • Buhari asked to forward supplementary budget to NASS

    The Senate yesterday concurred with the House of Representatives by appropriating N4, 493,363,957,158 as the budget for the 2015 fiscal year.

    This is coming even as the lawmakers asked the President-elect, General Muhammadu Buhari,  to send the National Assembly a supplementary budget that would take care of glaring shortcomings in the Appropriation Act

    Appropriation Committee Chairman Senator Ahmed Maccido presented the recommendations of his committee and the Committee on Finance on the 2015 Appropriation Bill.

    Like the budget passed by the House of Representatives, no appropriation was made for fuel subsidy.

    Some said the implication was that fuel subsidy had been tactically stopped. Others hinted that with the fall in oil prices in the international market, fuel subsidy should also be affected.

    Maccido noted in his submission that given that due consideration had been given to the preparation of the 2015 Appropriation Bill, the joint committee recommended that the Senate should approve the Bill for an Act to authorise the issue from the consolidated revenue fund of the federation the total sum of N4,493,363,957,158 only for the year ending 31 December this year.

    Out of the amount,  N375,616,000,000 is for statutory transfers; N953,620,000,000 for debt service; N2,607,132,491,708   for recurrent (non debt) expenditure while the balance of N556,995,465,449 inclusive of N144,420,000,000 in statutory transfer is for contribution to the Development Fund for Capital Expenditure for the year ending 31st December, this year.

    Maccido explained that Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) component of the budget to the tune of N21,030,000,000 did not form part of the aggregate budget figure of N4,425,930,000,000.

    He said the amount had  however been captured in the final compilation of the Bill having been submitted for the approval of the National Assembly.

    Maccido also said in preparing this year’s budget, the committee adopted a benchmark price of $53 per barrel of crude oil on the recommendation of the Conference Committee on Medium Term Expenditure Framework/Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP).

    He said the committee also adopted the executive proposal of crude oil production of 2.2782 million barrel per day (mbpd) and the exchange rate of N190 to $1.

    Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi who spoke to our reporter on the budget said there would be need to realign the budget to fit into the priorities of the incoming administration.

    He said the realignment would naturally be in form of supplementary budget for necessary amendment

    He said: “The budget is staggering into two successive administrations coming from different political parties.

    “So it is normal that with the kick-off of the new administration, one would expect that the new administration look into the budget to see how it fits into his (Buhari’s) own priorities.