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Tag: Niger House of Assembly

  • JUST IN: Niger House of Assembly member dies

    JUST IN: Niger House of Assembly member dies

    The member representing Munya Constituency in the Niger state House of Assembly, Comdt. Joseph Haruna Sduzaof has died.

    It was learnt that he died on Friday evening after a brief illness.

    The deceased was the Chairman of the House Standing Committee on Security and Intelligence.

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    The Head of Media and Public Relations of the Niger State House of Assembly, Farouq Isah confirmed his death.

    Farouq said in a statement: “The death occurred this evening Friday, 13th September 2024 after a brief illness.

    “We pray that God Almighty grant his soul eternal rest and give the family, leadership, members, and staff of Niger State House of Assembly, Constituents of Munya local government Area the fortitude to bear this loss.”

  • Niger Assembly passes N134.28 bn 2018 budget

    The Niger  House of Assembly on Thursday passed the 2018 appropriation bill of N134.286 billion.

    The figure showed an increase of  N6billion  from the N128.10billion presented by the  governor on Dec. 14, 2017.

    The passage followed the presentation of the report of the Committee on Appropriation and Planning.

    Tagged “The Peoples Budget,” it  set aside N53.244billion for recurrent expenditure as against N52.15billion and N81.42billion for capital expenditure as against N75.858billion budgeted by the executive.

    Presenting the report on the budget, Mr Muhammad Lokogoma, Chairman of  the Planning and Appropriation Committee, said that the House interfaced with various Ministries, Departments and Agencies in the course of scrutinising the budget.

    Lokogoma said the adjustments were made in areas critical to the policy direction of the present administration in the state  with the aim  of sourcing for more revenue to finance them.

    “In as much as it was the desire of the committee to accommodate increases recommended by various committees, we were constrained by inadequate resources,’’ he said.

    He said the  committee observed lack of synergy between the Ministry of Finance and the Planning Commission in the area of information sharing, adding that it was seriously affecting the budgetary  process in the state.

    “The lack of synergy between the planning commission and Ministry of Finance is seriously hampering the budgetary  process in the state.

    “The committee is particularly concerned with the barrier created between the two organisations in the area of information sharing.

    “There is therefore need for the two to work together to ensure effective budgetary  process and financial management,” he added

    The committee also decried the late submission of the budget which resulted in hasty scrutiny, urging the executive to always submit the budget in the first week of October for thorough scrutiny and timely passage.

    In his remarks, the Speaker of the House, Alhaji Ahmed Marafa, thanked the committee members for working tirelessly to  ensure  the passage of the law.

    Marafa said  that the budget when fully implemented would  accelerate speedy urban and rural development.

    He directed the clerk to forward clean copies of the budget to the governor for his assent.

    NAN

  • Niger Assembly passes N21.75bn supplementary appropriation bill

    Niger Assembly passes N21.75bn supplementary appropriation bill

    The Niger House of Assembly on Wednesday passed the 2017 supplementary appropriation bill of N21.754 billion.

    The House passed the bill following the presentation of the report of the Committee on Planning and Appropriation.

    Presenting the report, Chairman of the committee, Bashir Lokogoma, said the bill was necessitated by the in flow of additional funds not envisaged during the preparation of the 2017 budget.

    He said N8.8 billion was received from the excess crude, N5.906 billion from the budget support facility, and Paris club refund of N7.210 billion.

    Lokogoma further stated that the bill had recurrent expenditure of N8.286 billion while capital expenditure was pegged at N13.467 billion.

    The committee, however, observed that the additional in flows were expended before legislative approval, saying it was unacceptable.

    The Speaker thereafter directed the Clerk of the House to forward five copies of the bill to the governor for his assent.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the 2017 budget size now stands at N134.950 billion as against N116.196 billion approved initially.

    NAN

  • Niger Assembly screens commissioner nominees

    Niger Assembly screens commissioner nominees

    Protests and petition almost stopped the commencement of the screening of commissioner nominees by the Niger State of Assembly on Tuesday.

    The Concern Gbayi Youths of Munya local government area of the state took to the streets of Minna, protesting the nomination of one Alhaji Danjuma Salau from the zone.

    The protest almost turned violent especially when the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) officials at the gate started beating some of the protesters and shooting into the air.

    It took the intervention of the speaker and some members of the House to calm the situation.

    The group alleged that the commissioner nominee do not have the support of the local government as his name was not among those shortlisted from the council.

    However, the nominee said he has the full support of the people of Munya local government area, adding that the protest is a sponsored and premeditated one.

    During the plenary, the member representing Gurara local government area, Binta Mamman, presented a petition from the All Progressive Congress (APC) Gurara East, protesting the nomination of George Sabo Goje as the commissioner nominee from the area.

    The petition was referred to the House Committee on Public Petition and Privileges who will deliberate on the matter next Wednesday.

    The House of Assembly screened Dr. Jibrin Mustapha, Hajiya Ramatu Yar’Adua, Zakari Bawa and Haliru Zakari Jikantoro.

     

     

     

  • Niger Assembly probes magistrate over light sentence for rape

    The Niger House of Assembly on Thursday passed a resolution urging the state government to investigate the magistrate who handed a one month prison sentence to a man convicted of rape.

    The House passed the resolution following a motion moved by Nurudeen Umar (APC/Kontagora I) under matters of urgent public importance.

    Umar, who decried the increasing rate of rape and sodomy in his constituency, suggested that the magistrate be investigated to serve as a deterrent to other judges.

    “A man sodomized a 12-year-old boy and was handed a one month jail term and a N30,000 fine.

    “The convict has already served his term, paid his fine and was released, but the outrage of the public on his release forced security operatives to re-arrest him.

    “If nothing is done to ensure that justice is served in this matter, the public may start taking the law into their hands.

    “Section 284 of the penal code law of Niger state provides that whoever has carnal intercourse against the order of nature with any man, woman, or animal, shall be punished with a prison term running up to 14 years.

    “The punishment in this case is so light that the convict and other would-be offenders cannot be deterred,” he added

    He called on the Commissioner of Police to hasten investigation into the matter to quicken prosecution.

    Contributing, Mohammed Bawa (APC/Mokwa), prayed the House to invite the officials of the Judicial Service Commission and the Commissioner of Police for a meeting on the matter.

    Other members, who spoke, condemned the crime of rape and the action of the magistrate in handing out a light sentence to the convict.

    The House also resolved to set up a six-man committee to pay a condolence visit to the family of the deceased victim.

    In his remarks, the Speaker, Alhaji Ahmed Marafa, directed the clerk of the House to communicate its resolutions to the executive.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), reports that a Magistrate in Kontagora, Mohammed Ibrahim, recently sentenced one Nuhu Musa, 37, to a one month prison term and a N30,000 fine, for raping a 12-year-old.

    The boy later died from complications confirmed to have developed from the rape.