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Tag: PRESIDENCY

  • Presidency moves to strengthen whistle blowing policy

    Presidency moves to strengthen whistle blowing policy

    The Presidency on Wednesday said the Federal Government has started efforts towards strengthen the Whistle blowing policy in the country.

    A statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, said the evidence followed breakthrough recorded in the war against corruption and unaccounted wealth.

    He said the enthusiastic response of Nigerians to the whistle blowing policy has boosted the tempo of the anti -corruption crusade of the Buhari administration and as a consequence, the government is considering ways of enhancing the structural capacity of the whistle blowing mechanism.

    The government, he said, is considering empowering the mechanism by either bringing it under the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) or some other body to imbue the process with a strategic national purpose.

    “In a word, government thinks that the whistle blowing mechanism is too important to be left without a strategic, national direction,” Shehu said.

    He commended the zeal and patriotism of Nigerians for responding positively to the whistle blowing incentive policy, which is intended to expose hidden looted funds.

    “No public policy can succeed or go far enough without public support and participation. When the citizens realise they are victims of corruption, they may feel encouraged to join the efforts to expose looted funds,” he added.

  • Senate, Presidency: Torn apart by anti-graft battle

    Senate, Presidency: Torn apart by anti-graft battle

    The Senate is locked in a battle of supremacy with the executive over some issues. It has surpended the consideration of proposals from the executive, unless it complies with its resolutions. Assistant Editor LEKE SALAUDEEN writes on the implications of the face-off between the two arms of government on democratic governance.

    THE Senate is flexing muscles with the Presidency for failing to comply with its resolutions. The Upper Chamber listed the resolutions that were ignored by the executive to include: the one that recommended that   that the President should sack the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. David Lawal, for his alleged involvement in a contract scam; and its directive that the executive should find a replacement for the acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr Ibrahim Magu, who could not be considered on the strength of the Directorate of Security Services (DSS) report alleging that he was involved in corrupt practices. The Senate is also not happy with the executive over the latter’s indifference on the face-off between it and the Comptroller-General of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (rtd). The Comptroller-General has been asked to resign for failing to appear before the upper legislative chamber in uniform. The Senate is angry over the retention of these men in office. As a result, it has resolved not to consider any proposal from the executive, until its resolutions on the above matter are implemented.

    The face-off has taken its toll on governance; it has slowed down the decision-making process; it has heightened political tension in the country. For instance, the list of 27 Residential Electoral Commissioners (RECs) sent to the Senate by President Muhammadu Buhari for confirmation has been set aside. The two ministerial nominees forwarded to the chamber last week is likely to receive a similar treatment. The senators’ stance has incurred the wrath of public, with some calling for the abolition of the upper legislative chamber.

    Coincidentally, the House of Representatives has joined the fray over a similar non-compliance of parliamentary resolutions by the executive. The Speaker, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, bared his mind on the matter last week, saying apathy of the executive towards resolutions of National Assembly is not encouraging. He said the House is not satisfied with the level of compliance by the executive to its resolutions.

    Are the resolutions of the National Assembly binding on the executive? A principal officer in the Sixth Senate who craved for anonymity said National Assembly resolutions are not binding on the executive. He said resolutions are generally advisory in nature. He added nevertheless that the executive is obliged to respect the position of the lawmakers, because it needs their cooperation and mutual respect to drive its policies.

    He however warned the Senate to be careful with the kind of resolutions it is passing. He said: “The resolutions must be matured in nature; they must not be borne out of vengeance, overzealousness, legislative rage or personal animosity. Resolutions can only be binding on the executive, if it has the force of law; that is putting in place an act of parliament saying resolutions passed with the backing of two- third majority. It is like passing a bill into law. What is needed to override the governor or the president’s veto is two-third majority of the legislature.

    “Any resolution that tends to undermine the provision of the constitution cannot stand. If, for example, the legislature passes a resolution that is in conflict with the constitution, it cannot stand. That’s why Prof. Itse Sagay is saying he would not honour the Senate’s invitation to appear before it. There is freedom of expression enshrined in the constitution in Sections 88 and 89 that has to do with the Senate’s power of investigation. Sagay does not fall within the category of people that could be summoned by the National Assembly.

    “The power to invite or summon anybody can be exercised when the House embarks on the process of law-making or investigating corrupt practices. It is an infringement to summon an individual not heading an agency that the National Assembly appropriated for. Legislators should exercise caution by ensuring that resolutions passed are implementable and not borne out of vengeance or emotion.”

    But, a legal luminary, Malam Yusuf Ali (SAN), explained there is a distinction between decision and resolutions of the National Assembly. He said people should understand the Senate’s position on the EFCC boss. He explained that the upper legislative chamber considered his eligibility to occupy the office and found him unqualified.

    Ali said: “Before a minister can hold office, he has to be screened by the Senate for confirmation. If the nominee is rejected by the Senate for one reason or the other, the President can’t swear him in and assign portfolio to him to function as a minister. The same thing applies to the case of Magu. He was the President’s nominee for the position of EFCC Chairman. He must be screened by the Senate. In this case, the Senate is insisting that he is unfit and that the President should find a replacement. That is the decision of the Senate. With that Magu is not qualified to remain in the office. If the President refuses to comply with the Senate’s decision, the Senate can use its power of appropriation not to allocate funds for the presidential appointee that was not confirmed by the chamber. Keeping such appointee is a breach of the Constitution.”

    Ali agrees that resolution does not have a force of law. He added however that the case of the SGF is a different ball game. He said the SGF does not require the Senate’s confirmation to occupy the position. As a result, he said the Senate’s resolution on the SGF may be honoured or rejected by the executive.

    However, Ali believes that the resolutions crafted in high persuasive language may likely compel the executive to honour it. He said: “For example, if there was a disaster involving lives and property, and the National Assembly passed a resolution that the executive should send relief materials to the people affected or to declare a state of emergency in the affected area, no serious person will ignore that.

    “But a resolution that the executive should remove someone from office does not carry such weight; it is a piece of advice. People may be emotive in passing resolutions on issues, but the President is not compelled to honour them.”

    A lawyer and human rights activist, Mr Monday Ubani, agrees with Ali. He said resolutions are not mandatory on the President or governors, because they are not laws. He said resolutions are mere expressions of personal feelings of lawmakers.

    Ubani expressed disappointment over the quality of representation in the 8th National Assembly. He said: “Nigerians are disappointed with the way members of the National Assembly conduct themselves in the hallowed chamber. If we have a referendum today, majority of Nigerians would support scrapping the Senate, because of their excesses.  The kind of representation does not justify the nation’s investment on the legislative arm. They are always after their comfort. There are many bills pending that if they are passed into law will impact positively on the lives of Nigerian. We are in April and the 2017 budget is yet to be passed, despite the submission of the appropriation bill by the President since December 2016. Instead they spent most of the time on discussing trivial issues.

    “The legislators are in the world of their own. They care less about the people they represent. They care less about the public perception of their image. That is to tell you that many of them have lost touch with their constituents. How would they know the needs of their people and legislate on them? A lot of people are angry with them, because most of their actions are not in tandem with national interest.

    On Magu’s predicament, Ubani absolved the Senate of any wrong doing. He noted that the upper chamber withheld its confirmation on the strength of a petition written by an agency under the Presidency — the Directorate of Security Services (DSS). He said the DSS was probating and approbating on the issue. In one breath, the DSS is saying confirm him; in another, it says don’t confirm.

    Ubani added: “We have thought that the executive will use the opportunity of the Senate’s rejection of Magu in the first instance to put its house in order, by making the DSS withdraw the controversial report on Magu and clear him of the allegations and then reach out to the Senate. I don’t mean giving them bribe, but to lobby them and convince them why the President wants Magu to be confirmed for the job. It appears the executive didn’t lobby and the Senate took decision on Magu based on information before it.”

    Civil rights activist Comrade Mashood Erubami said the running battle between the Senate and Presidency is a new phenomenon and that it is a threat to democracy.  Erubami believes the battle is centred on veiled reasons which cannot be detached from 2019 ambition and seeming corruption fight backs, coupled with professed general misunderstanding of basic obligations of the National Assembly. He said most of the issues dividing the two arms of government are veiled in the politics of 2019.

    He said: “It is not by accident and is quite painful that the National Assembly never disagreed with the Presidency or engaged in any in-house fighting in the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly over the sky-rocketing prices of commodities in the market, bad roads, devaluation of the naira, lack of drugs in hospitals, unpaid salaries of workers and pensioners, hunger and the anger of the people.

    “However, the visible issues being presented as the cause of the conflict are political strategies developed to fight corruption.

    “The support of the PDP members for the Senate President and the Speaker of the House, who are APC members, against the position of the APC government is not just because the PDP lawmakers voted for them, but it is part of the script written before they agreed to join forces with some APC lawmakers to weaken the avowed crusade against corruption and win back power in 2019.”

    Analysts have commended the executive for taking steps to reconcile outstanding issues with the National Assembly. To this effect, President Buhari has set up a committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to improve the relationship between the two arms of government.

    To avoid power tussle and frequent friction between the executive and the legislature, the senator who sought for anonymity advised the legislators to go back to the bases. He said: “The legislators should guard against overzealousness, emotive reactions and outbursts. This is also applicable to the executive; they should refrain from making statements that would over heat the polity. Overzealous members of the executive making inflammable comments should be called to order; they should be more matured in their utterances.

    “We should allow the legislature to grow by returning experienced legislators into the assembly. Inexperience is a major factor. Almost two-thirds of the current National Assembly members are fresh. The Senate should use the power of summon sparingly. Frequent exercise of this power makes it lose its value. The hallowed chamber should not be reduced to where all Tom, Dick and Harry come on invitation. It desecrates the chamber.

    “There should be regular interaction between the leadership of the Senate and the executive, to smoothen rough edges before the executive proposals are tabled for discussion at the plenary. The Presidential Assistant on Legislative Matters must be respected, be amiable and charismatic. He should have free access to Mr President and interact freely with members of the Senate. He should be able to calm the frayed nerves; facilitate good relations for Mr President with the Senate. In the United States, the Vice President is the Senate President. He doesn’t sit on regular basis, but when there are major issues for debate, he presides. That is how friction between the Senate and the executive is checkmated in the US.”

    Ali said if the President is not willing to honour the resolutions passed by the legislators, he should let them know. The executive should not ignore resolutions and keep quiet. There should be a way of communicating between the two arms to avoid the breakdown of communication and schism.

     

  • Presidency insists Buhari’s anti-graft battle will go on

    Presidency insists Buhari’s anti-graft battle will go on

    Senators, others face legal tussle over Magu

    Nothing will stop President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s war against corruption, the Presidency said yesterday.

    It said that not even the strong resistance being put up by the opposition and its calculated actions to thwart the efforts at sanitising the system would force the government to give up on the crusade.

    In a statement by the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the Presidency recalled that Nigerians gave their votes in 2015 to Buhari because of his commitment to rooting out corruption as one of the cardinal policies of his election campaign.

    He said: “Let me say one thing. Those whose illicit ways of accumulating money have been stopped will criticise this government, but all that will not derail the unfaltering commitment of the President, Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to the war against corruption.

    “He is aware that this was one of the main reasons Nigerians, in their millions, put their trust in him; the main reason they voted him into power in 2015.

    “To keep that trust of ordinary Nigerians who voted him into the office, he has vowed to give corruption a good fight. He will not let them down.”

    The Presidential spokesman also admitted that so far, the battle to uproot corruption has not been easy as corruption has been fighting back.

    “Corruption has been fighting back vehemently, finding accomplices in various forms and guises. Nevertheless, the Buhari administration will not relent,” Shehu said, adding that the days when corruption reigned indiscriminately were gone for good.

    He said: “Nothing will return our country to those sad, old days of wanton thievery that have plunged us into the economic mess from which Nigeria is currently recovering. The war against corruption in Nigeria is one of those clashes between good and evil, where good is determined to triumph.”

    He dismissed rumours that members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were being spared, saying that all are equal before the law.

    Highlighting the various measures introduced to promote transparency by the administration, Shehu disclosed that upon directives by the President, the National Hajj Commission audited accommodation agents in both Makkah and Madina in Saudi Arabia. More than $16.7 million will be saved by the paying pilgrims this year.

    The statement reads: “Each Hajj pilgrim is being saved between 600 to 1,000 Saudi Riyals, which is about N60, 000-N100,000, from accommodation, money that had lined the pockets of agents in the past. This year, houses are being rented directly from owners.”

    Shehu praised ordinary citizens for embracing the whistleblower policy by “taking extraordinary risks to expose corruption”.

    On the rehabilitation of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and the relocation of flight services to Kaduna for six weeks, the presidential aide said the government and people of Kaduna should think hard to devise ways by which the social and economic benefits brought to Kaduna in this period would not depart the city with the reopening of the Airport in Abuja.

    He said: “The government of Nigeria has done a big thing for Kaduna. You must show appreciation of this by supporting the administration.”

    On the cash releases for capital projects in excess of a record N1 trillion in last year’s budget, Shehu praised Works, Power & Housing Minister Babatunde Raji Fashola with the record of being the first-ever minister to ride on all the federal roads across the nation.

    He listed the Mambila Power Project, the Lagos-Kano, Lagos-Calabar and Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway modernisation and the new Presidential Initiative on Fertiliser (PIF) as other projects dear to the President’s heart.

    According to him, the impact of the PIF was already being felt in the reduction by half in the price of fertiliser.

  • Presidency/Senate feud: Saraki may meet Buhari

    Presidency/Senate feud: Saraki may meet Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari and Senate President Bukola Saraki are likely to meet this week on the cold war between the Senate and the Executive.

    The meeting may discuss the fate of the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, The Nation learnt yesterday.

    According to a source, who spoke in confidence, the proposed session follows the tension created by the decision of the Senate not to screen the President’s 27 nominees for Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC).

    The Presidency considered the Senate’s decision as an “affront” but most senators regarded it as “asserting the principle of separation of powers”.

    Another source said: “In the next few days, the Senate President might have an audience with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “The session is mainly to compare notes on a number of issues including the 2017 Budget and Senate’s position on Magu as well as other issues.

    “Saraki may also use the opportunity to clear some grey areas and misconceptions about the Senate. This meeting is without prejudice to the committee raised by the Executive to meet with the leadership of the National Assembly.”

    A principal officer in the Senate gave an insight into some issues which may dominate the talks between the Vice President-led Mediation Committee and the National Assembly leaders.

    The source said apart from the row over Magu, some of the likely issues include the following:

    • clarifying that the Senate or the National Assembly is not at war with the President;
    • poor or non-compliance with the resolutions of the National Assembly;
    • lack of cooperation by MDAs during oversight visits;
    • alleged disrespect of summons by members of the Executive, especially political office holders;
    • discordant tunes from the Executive on the tenor of the 2016 Budget;
    • accelerating the passage of the 2017 budget;
    • partial compliance with the earlier agreement between the Executive and National Assembly leaders on appointments into boards of agencies and others;
    • alleged use of anti-graft agencies to haunt lawmakers; and
    • how to avoid rifts between the two arms.

    The source added: “Our shopping list is long but we want to discuss mutually with the Executive to reach an amicable settlement.

    “We are hopeful that we will find common grounds in the interest of the country.”

    The newly-nominated RECs are undergoing screening by security agencies.

    The report on their suitability is to be submitted to the Senate to guide their screening.

    “If any of them is found wanting, he may be dropped. Managing electoral process at any level is not meant for those with moral garbage” another source said.

    “At the end of the day, the security report will be sent to the Senate to guide the screening of the RECs. As I talk now, the screening process has started and the REC-designates have submitted their dossiers.”

  • No resistance will stop Buhari’s anti-graft battle, says Presidency

    No resistance will stop Buhari’s anti-graft battle, says Presidency

    The Presidency on Sunday vowed that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration’s war against perfidy and corruption will not stop despite the strong resistance of the opposition and any calculated actions to thwart government’s efforts.

    Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu stated this in a statement.

    He recalled that the President’s commitments to root out corruption as one of the cardinal policies of his election campaign, made Nigerians to vote him to power in 2015.

    He said “Let me say one thing. Those whose illicit ways of accumulating money have been stopped will criticize this government but all that will not derail the unfaltering commitment of the President, Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to the war against corruption.”

    “He is aware that this was one of the main reasons why Nigerians in their millions put their trust in him; the main reason they voted him into power in 2015.

    “To keep that trust of ordinary Nigerians who voted him into the office, he has vowed to give corruption a good fight. He will not let them down,” he added.

    Shehu also admitted that so far, the battle to uproot corruption from Nigeria has not been easy as corruption has been fighting back.

    “Corruption has been fighting back vehemently, finding accomplices in
    various forms and guises. Nevertheless, the Buhari administration will not relent.”

    He said that the days when corruption reigned indiscriminately in Nigeria are over.

    “Nothing will return our country to those sad, old days of wanton thievery that have plunged us into the economic mess from which Nigeria is currently recovering. The war against corruption in Nigeria is one of those clashes between good and evil, where good is determined to triumph.”

    He dismissed rumors that members of the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC were being spared, saying that all are equal before the law.

    Highlighting the various measures introduced to promote transparency by the present administration, Malam Shehu disclosed that upon directives by the President, the National Hajj Commission carried out an audit of accommodation agents in both Makkah and Madina in Saudi Arabia and as result, a saving of more than sixteen million Dollars (USD 16.7 m) is being made by the paying pilgrims this year.

    “Each Hajj pilgrim is being saved between 600 to 1,000 Saudi Riyals, which is about N60,000-N100,000 from accommodation, money that had lined the pockets of agents in the past. This year, houses are being rented directly from owners.” He commended ordinary citizens for embracing the whistleblower policy by ” taking extraordinary risks to expose corruption.”

    On the ongoing rehabilitation of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja and the relocation of flight services to Kaduna for the six-week period of the closure, the Presidential aide said the government and people of Kaduna should think hard to devise ways by which the social and economic benefits brought to Kaduna in this period did not depart the city with the reopening of the Airport in Abuja.

    “‘The government of Nigeria has done a big thing for Kaduna. You must show appreciation to this by supporting the administration.”

    Referring to the “massive cash releases for capital projects in excess of a
    record one trillion Naira under the 2016 budget,” Malam Garba credited the
    minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola with the
    record of being the the first ever Minister to ride on all the federal
    roads across the nation.

    He said in addition to the roads, three of the major projects very dear to
    the President which he is determined to execute are the Mambila power
    project, the Lagos-Kano, Lagos-Calabar and Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway
    modernization projects and the new Presidential Initiative on Fertilizer,
    which he said is already making an impact by cutting the price of
    fertilizer to about fifty percent.

  • Our grouse about Presidency, by Senate

    Our grouse about Presidency, by Senate

    The Senate yesterday explained its frosty relationship with the executive. It blamed it all on Presidency’s disdain for its resolutions and “quick abuses’ on senators by presidential aides.

    Speaking through the Chairman of its Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the upper legislative chamber said: “We passed resolutions, our resolutions are rubbished. If the resolutions are rubbished, what are we doing with the consideration of Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC)?  If we reject any of them what happens.

    “We therefore mandated the Senate President to convey our worry to Mr. President. We needed a response in order for us to know exactly what we are doing. We did not say we will not confirm the RECs. What we need at this time is understanding of how democracy works. If we do, democracy will work better.”

    Abdullahi had in statement expressed the Red Chamber’s readiness to work with the Presidential Committee on Executive-Legislature relations raised by President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is expected to chair the committee raised during the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) to smoothen the rough edges in the relationship between the two arms of government.

    The statement described the establishment of the peace committee as a welcome development.

    In the statement entitled: “The executive peace initiative is a welcome development”, Abdullahi said the Senate in particular and the National Assembly in general will be ready to co-operate with members of the committee to work and resolve the grey areas standing on the way of a smooth working relationship.

    It reads: “We have heard about the initiative by President Muhammadu Buhari in setting up a Presidential Committee on Executive-Legislature Relations to be headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    ”This initiative is a welcome development. It is a good step in the right direction. The Senate, in particular, and the National Assembly, in general, is ready to co-operate with the group and work with them to resolve all grey areas standing on way of the smooth working relationship needed to deepen our fledgling democracy and ensure good governance for the benefits of Nigerians.”

    Shedding more light on their understanding of the peace initiative, Abdullahi noted that since a committee had been set up, it meant there were some grey areas between the executive and legislature hindering cordial relationship.

    Asked whether the National Assembly had been informed, he said that the leadership of the Senate asked him to react, which was an indication that the Senate President must have been communicated.

    He added that when details of the committee are released, they would know the members and the number of National Assembly members that would be constituted to work the committee.

    Asked whether the olive branch by the Executive would make the Senate to soft-pedal on the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, Abdullahi said the Senate had always worked in the best interest of the country before the Magu issue came up.

    His words: “We have worked to support Mr. President. From what I have seen as somebody speaking for this institution, whatever we do, we put the interest of the country first.

    “There was no personal thing about Magu and the decision we took. Other members of the commission sent to us were screened and confirmed. Senators are just doing their job. There was nothing personal about Magu. Nobody should be happy that presidential aides are quick to abuse senators.”

    On the suspension of the consideration and confirmation of 27 RECs sent to the Senate, Abdullahi said it was informed by the shabby treatment being given to the resolutions passed by the Senate.

  • ACF to Presidency, Senate: Sheath your swords, tackle Nigeria’s challenges

    ACF to Presidency, Senate: Sheath your swords, tackle Nigeria’s challenges

    Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has called on the Presidency and the Senate to sheath their swords and work together to address the numerous challenges confronting Nigeria.

    ACF in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim Biu said, Nigeria is faced with insecurity, economic recession and socio-political problems that require synergy between the Executive and the Senate for good governance and not show of power.

    According to the statement, “Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) is worried and disturbed with the open fights among appointees of the President Muhammadu Buhari on one hand and the altercation between the Executive and the National Assembly in particular the Senate on the other.

    “It is a known fact that in the last three weeks or so, Nigerians have witnessed open disagreement between officials of government that are supposed to work in concert, thereby threatening national cohesion and the development of our young democracy.

    “The relationship between the Executive and the Senate on the other hand to say the least is unhealthy, with each flexing its muscle to intimidate the other over issues that could easily be resolved.

    “This development is certainly not the best for Nigeria considering the myriad of challenges facing the nation. We are faced with insecurity, economic recession and socio-political problems that require synergy between the Executive and the Senate for good governance and not show of power.

    “The attitudes of some government officials over simple invitation by the Senate to come and clarify certain policy issues do more damage than good to the expected cordial working  relationship. On the other hand the Senate resolutions meant to intimidate or threaten the Executive is unnecessary and portrays the Senate as vindictive and antagonistic.

    “ACF therefore appeals to the two arms of government to sheath their swords in the interest of Nigerians who voted them into power and work harmoniously. We can only enjoy the dividends of democracy when all the three arms work in concert, understanding and respect for one another.

    “Our constitution provides for separation of powers to facilitate checks and balances in governance, which should be upheld. Any distraction that will threaten our democracy at this material time is uncalled for.

    “It is our hope that this passionate appeal will touch the hearts of our leaders to promptly do the needful. We welcome the courage and magnanimity of President Buhari in constituting a Committee under the Vice President Prof Yomi Osinbajo to end the rift between the Executive and the National Assembly”, it said.

     

  • Reps kick over N3b government quarters 

    Reps kick over N3b government quarters 

    House of Representatives has questioned the Presidency over its monitisation policy, saying the policy might have been jettisoned without due process.

    The policy that was introduced during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo led to payment of allowances rather than continuous funding and rehabilitation of government quarters and official vehicles of its workers.

    The houses and vehicles were later sold to civil servants.

    The Herman Hembe-led Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was however shocked when it was told that the Presidency is planning to build 40 houses for its top officials at a cost of N3b this year.

    The Committee, during the 2016/2017 budget session with the Ministry of FCT questioned the change of policy that was not made public by the Executive, considering the fact that they (lawmakers) were equally affected by the monitisation policy.

    While the lawmakers asked for the identities of the beneficiaries, they wondered whether they were lower government functionaries that deserved to be living in rented houses.

    Hembe said: “When government comes up with a policy, it should follow it up. When you begin to build houses for ministers, permanent secretaries and directors, are they above the members of the National Assembly?

    “If you want to move for monetization, it should be complete. I think it was wrong to sell the houses in the first place.

    “This kind of thing may be very difficult to pass on the floor of the house. You can’t push for building houses for them. I remember at some point, they even wanted to sell the Vice President’s house”.

    In his response, the FCT Permanent Secretary, Babatope Ajakaiye, who stood in for the Minister Mohammed Bello said government felt the monitisatuon policy is due for review.

    Saying that governments around the world cannot do away with accomodation of its own, some of which were designated as safe houses, Ajakaiye said the government felt the monitisation policy may not have served its purpose.
    “We have not started it; it is a new project. I still want to plead for understanding on this issue. The issue has been discussed last year and we’re still talking about it. The policy was introduced by government, but after sometime, there was this feeling that it should be reviewed.

    “When government says top functionaries, it is not defining. In countries around the world, they build safe houses, and it’s not meant for any particular person.

    “Can we really say we want to give houses to about 500 legislators in one or two years? Top government functionary could be anybody. There’s always a start,” he said.

    The Committee said that approval for the 40 houses as listed on the budget document would meet stiff resistance on the floor during consideration and passage of the 2017 budget.

    The Committee however demanded for the details of the 40 units houses, their specifications and supposed beneficiaries.

    The Committee also expressed disappointment with the handling of the Abuja light rail proudest that ought to have been completed last year but deferred to the First quarter of 2018.

    The Committee opined that with the paltry allocation of N3b proposed for the project, it’s completion is not likely to see the light of the day in the life of this administration.

    According to Hembe, the project that would have taken between N10b and N15b to complete in 2016 would now require N23b for the 2018 date.

    Ajakaiye sad the Abuja rail project would be completed in the first quarter of 2018 because the Chinese contractor is willing to meet the deadline though Nigeria must come up with its N23b counterpart find.

    Earlier while presenting the budget proposal, Ajakaiye said N3.7b was proposed for the Abuja light rail project; rehabilitation of old Federal  secretariat phase 1, N2b; 40 houses for officials N3b; construction and expansion of airport expressway, N4b.

     

  • Dogara to Presidency: do more to comply with National Assembly’s resolutions

    Dogara to Presidency: do more to comply with National Assembly’s resolutions

    House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara yesterday described alleged apathy by the Executive to the resolutions of the National Assembly as not encouraging.

    He asked the Presidency to see the legislature as partner and implement the decisions of the lawmakers.

    He, however, said the All Progressives Congress (APC)-government has not failed Nigerians.

    The Speaker, who made the observations at an interactive session with journalists in Abuja, debunked insinuations that he was on political exile in the Federal Capital Territory because of a face-off with Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar.

    Dogara said the disagreement with the governor was not personal, but based on the fact that the governor has not lived up to his electoral promises.

    He said: “As to whether we are satisfied with the level of compliance with our resolutions, the answer is no. That is why in the last House, we established a committee known as the Committee on Legislative Compliance and the essence of that committee is to seek to compel compliance with resolutions of the legislature and the committee is working.

    “They have a record of the resolutions that have been complied with and resolutions that have not been complied with. And for those that have not complied with the resolutions of the National Assembly, what we are trying to do is to give the committee more bite.

    “So, it’s something we are aware of and doing everything possible to ensure that there is more compliance with the resolutions of the National Assembly through the instrumentality of that committee.

    “Also, I won’t call the role of the House of Representatives’ mediation as such, but I said our principle is cooperation with the Senate so that together, we can achieve more cooperation with the Executive. Where we will disagree, we will disagree. But in most areas, we should look for ways of cooperating more than fight.”

    Dogara offered an advice on how best to resolve issues that might come up between the two arms.

    He added: “We must always meet, talk to each other, reduce areas of conflict and where there are conflicts, we will overcome them.

    “Like I said, however, there will always be conflicts. But what distinguishes us as leaders is whether we overcome those conflicts or we are overcome by those conflicts, and that is what we cannot allow.

    “So, we try to do that. The House will go to any length, talk to anybody in the Senate, in the Executive, so we can forge an atmosphere that is convenient to work with. So, it’s part of the work we do as leaders and as institutions of government, we should encourage more consultations, more dialogues, especially on issues.”

    Regarding the performance of the APC, Dogara said the government has not failed Nigerians.

    He said: “I wouldn’t say that we (APC government) have disappointed Nigerians. For you to come to that kind of conclusion, you’d have to take certain factors into consideration.

    “Now what was it that we met on ground? What is it that we have improved upon as a government? And what is it that we are seeking to do? I guess it is after looking at the whole gamut of these issues that you’ll be able to arrive at the decision whether we have disappointed Nigerians or not.

    “You can’t talk of disappointment in a nature that is a value judgment, because it depends on the expectation. It’s only having an expectation that you can be disappointed. For me, I can say that a lot has been achieved, even though unsung in most cases. In the context of our society, people want to see first class roads and hospitals. They want to see the tangibles, but nobody places value on the intangibles.

    “For us that come from the Northeast, even some of us that live and work in Abuja, remember how dire this issue of terrorism was. We were all living on the throes of violence. The Police Headquarters here was bombed, United Nations (UN) Mission here in Abuja was bombed, bombs exploded in Kaduna, Kano, Jos, in Nyanya as well. There was even threat of this mayhem being exported to the Southwest and other regions of this country. If you look at it, we have exited from that.”

  • Senate flexes muscles with Presidency over SGF, Magu

    Senate flexes muscles with Presidency over SGF, Magu

    ‘No confirmation of RECs without Lawal’s, Ag. EFCC chair’s sack’

    SENATORS bared their fangs against the Presidency yesterday. They suspended the screening and confirmation of 27 Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) nominees.

    The Senate declared its readiness to defend its integrity against attacks by some persons it did not name, signifying a possible showdown between the two arms of government.

    The upper chamber unanimously resolved to suspend the consideration and confirmation of RECs nominated by President Buhari to protest what it called disregard for resolutions by the Presidency.

    Announcing the resolution after about two hours meeting behind closed doors, Senate President Bukola Saraki said the upper chamber would not succumb to blackmail and intimidation in the discharge of its constitutional duties.

    Saraki did not disclose the identity of the “external forces” he said were attacking the Senate as an institution.

    His words: “The Senate in a closed session discussed the various attacks on the National Assembly, especially on the Senate, for performing its constitutional duties.

    “The Senate resolved to defend the integrity of the Senate against such attacks and will not be intimidated from carrying out our constitutional duties at all times.”

    It was learnt that the Red Chamber’s position may not be unconnected to its face-off with some members of the executive, including the Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali (retd.), and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. David Babachir Lawal.

    The Senate rejected for the second time the nomination of Mr. Ibrahim Magu for Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman on March 15.

    A National Assembly source disclosed yesterday: “The Senate is not happy that despite its rejection of Magu, the President still keeps him in office in an acting capacity.”

    The resolution to suspend the consideration of the RECs’ nomination followed a motion by Senator Peter Nwaoboshi.

    But for Nwaoboshi’s motion, the names of the RECs would have been read the second time and referred to the Senate Committee on Independent National Eelectoral Commission (INEC).

    Nwaoboshi prayed the Senate to suspend action on the nominees for two weeks to allow the Senate President convey the feelings of the Senate to President Buhari over alleged disregard of its resolutions.

    The senator said: “Mr. President, taking a leave from America which started this presidential election. Recently the National Security Adviser was sent to the Senate of America and because of his belief in Russia he was disqualified.

    “What am I saying? Issues like this have to transcend the issue of political parties or where you have lived for the interest of Nigerians and also to protect our constitution and protect our democracy.

    “Recently in this Senate, we have dealt with the issue of confirmation and where are we today? The chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on Anti-corruption (PACAC), Prof. Itse Sagay went to the press and said that the Senate merely confirms.

    “This is not expected of somebody who had lectured Constitutional Law in the university, a professor of Law, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and, of course, a chairman of such a big body to say that the legislature merely confirms, that the legislature has no power.

    “Here are we again today, now being given a list to confirm and we merely confirm. Look at the list here, we have eight of them here out of 27, eight of them are for reappointment, which means they are acting already, they are already working and they are still in position.

    “Prof. Sagay will cite again Section 171, Subsection (D) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that even if we don’t confirm them, he will say ‘continue to work’.

    “You can imagine this kind of advice that these kinds of persons are giving to Mr. President. They are telling Mr. President to disregard and disrespect the institution, the legislature.

    “Mr. President, lets us not take such a precedence. We cannot destroy our democracy because certain persons, certain individuals feel that it is only their belief or what they want is what will happen in this country.

    “This country does not belong to them; this country belongs to the Nigerian people; the Nigerian people have elected us; they have given us the power to look into those names sent to us for confirmation and to look into their credentials.

    “But when you denigrate such an institution that have the power to confirm and use the word merely, we could not ignore it coming from somebody of that status.

    “My position on this matter is that since our confirmation is ‘merely’, let us suspend it until we know whether we have the power as given to us by the Constitution to look into confirmation matters or any other status.”

    Senator Matthew Urhoghide (Edo South) said: “In addition to what Nwaoboshi said, which is the constitutional requirement that this Senate has to confirm nominations sent by the executive arm of government, the act establishing these agencies of government have specified clearly that these officers of these agencies whose appointments will be made by Mr. President have to be confirmed by the Senate.

    ”We are only performing our statutory role and, if by chance, Mr. President sends a name to the Senate for confirmation and they are not confirmed, what happens is that the President is at liberty to send another name but it must be that the Senate too must be properly informed of what has happened to the confirmation either the one that has been upheld or the one that has been turned down by the senate. We deserve the right to know.

    “We cannot keep confirming names or turning down names of nominees of Mr. President only for them to be put in basket, particularly the one that happened recently; we don’t know what has happened.

    “These persons cannot keep acting even when we have turned them down because as it is now they are acting and their names have been sent in for confirmation and we don’t know what has happened in the case of the EFCC.

    “Specifically speaking, is he acting today? If the President knew that he was not going to honour our refusal or rejection of his nominee, they shouldn’t have sent him in the first place, which would have meant an outright violation of the law establishing EFCC and of course, the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended.”

    But Senator Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central) countered the two senators’ position.

    Aliero said: “I rise to oppose what my two colleagues have just said for the reason that there is already an impression that is created, particularly by the media that the INEC is not ready for the conduct of 2019 election. The 2019 election is very crucial to us and the preparation and the conduct of the 2019 election is the submission of resident electoral commissioners to the senate for screening and approval.

    “Without that, INEC will never be ready for the 2019 elections, even though what they said is true. I want to ask that we consider the screening of this list and if there is any observation on any nominee, it should be done at the screening stage.

    “I will want to respectfully say that some of the nominees that are set to be on reappointment they have already left the office and they have served their term for four years.”

    Deputy Whip Francis Alimekhana (Edo North), was more vocal in his support that the confirmation of the RECs should be kept in view.

    He said: “I beg to differ from the suggestion of my colleague, Senator Aliero. It is better to do something and do it well. All these nominees reappointed, new appointment, what if we refuse one of them, what will happen? That is the question that the distinguished senators are asking the executive. There is no need to disapprove one and he (President) goes back to say you can continue to act.

    “The EFCC chairman that we disqualified in this hall is he acting? Among the report that are agog in the papers, he is behind it. Magu is terrorising us because we disqualified him and we cannot hide it. We disqualified Magu and he is terrorising our people because we disqualified him and he is still acting and they are still bringing in nominees for us to confirm. If they know they can do it alone, let them do it.”

    Deputy Senate Leader Bala Ibn Na’Allah urged his colleagues to be cautious.

    Na’Allah said: “This is a defining moment in our journey to nationhood. Having had the privilege of being a leader in this Senate, I have always prided myself with the fact that this Senate is imbued with men of intelligence, courage and character, with determination to play a fundamental role in our journey towards nationhood.

    “I have always said that it consists of former governors, former ministers, former captains of industries. What that means is that at each point we are being called upon to decide on an issue that affects this nation.

    “We must show that we have superiority of thinking and we have more commitment than those anti-democratic forces that survive outside the chambers of the National Assembly. I think this is one situation where that call is relevant and important.

    ”I share the sentiments of my colleagues on this issue. I am in great difficulty to disagree with more convincing reasons as to why I think the Senate will thread cautiously on the request by my colleagues for us to stand down this. I think this matter is going to be referred to the committee, we still have enough time.”

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu noted that some of the positions of the RECs had been vacant for more than one year.

    He said that any delay should not be blamed on the Senate but on the Executive that failed to submit the nominees on time.

    Ekweremadu said Saraki should be allowed to convey Senators’ feelings to President Buhari on his appointments, noting that it was necessary to do so.

    He proposed that the consideration of the nominees should be stood down for one week.

    Before a vote could be taken on Ekweremadu’s motion, Nwaoboshi moved that the matter should be suspended for two weeks.

    Senator Clifford Odia (Edo Central) seconded.

    When Saraki put the resolution to vote, it was unanimously endorsed.