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Tag: rejects

  • House rejects Okonjo-Iweala’s explanation

    House rejects Okonjo-Iweala’s explanation

    Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has been summoned by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance which rejected her response to most of the 50 questions on the economy posed to her.

    She is expected to submit her response to additional observations and requests by the Committee on February 20.

    The committee vowed that it will “not be frustrated or distracted” from doing its oversight on the executive.

    The Abdulmumin Jibrin-led committee has been quarreling with the minister on the state of the economy since December when the minister’s appearance before it was aborted.

    Thereafter, 50 questions were sent to her with a deadline. The minister sent her response to the questions after the deadline.

    Her response was more than 100 pages but the committee said there are missing gaps.

    The Committee in a letter to the Minister with the title: “Re: State of the Economy: Observations, Request for additional Information and Invitation to Investigative Hearing,” expressed its dissatisfaction with the minister’s responses.

    “Having gone through your responses, the Committee noted that some questions were either not answered, partially answered, outrightly (sic) ignored or completely misunderstood. The Committee further noted glaring missing gaps in the responses, absence of supporting proofs to assertions and lack of relevant documents to back up the presentation as is the practice in any legislative oversight or investigation,” the letter said.

    Jibrin said observations and requests are made on questions 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 30, 31, 32, 33, , 35, 36, 37, 39, 41, , 43, 44, 45, 47, and 48 while further details on the following questions will be taken at the hearing: Questions 7, 18, 19, 21, 2, 8, 29, 34, 38, 40, 42, 44, 46, 49 and 50.

    The committee in its observation and request noted: “The Minister did not provide the details of the N4.67 trillion of AMCON’s total debt exposure. She is required to do so with all requisite supporting documents. The Minister is required to also submit a Performance Report for AMCON from January 2011 to December 2013. Just in case things do not go as planned, on whose balance sheet will AMCON’s toxic liabilities be reflected?”

    The lawmakers further raised issues on reduction in recurrent expenditure, saying she did not answer the question properly. “How far has government succeeded in making these necessary cuts; and where exactly have these cuts been made in this effort to reduce recurrent expenditure? In other words, based on real amount spent on capital expenditure, how much reduction was made in 2011 against 2010, in 2012 against 2011 and in 2013 against 2012?

    “On the Orosanye Report, can the Honourable Minister confirm if the Executive has sent in any bill to the legislature on the streamlining and merging of agencies with duplicative functions, or any other activity in respect of implementing the Report?”

    The committee in its additional request wanted to know why domestic borrowings are not tied to any project. “In addition to the answers provided by the Honourable Minister, the Committee would appreciate the provision of the repayment dates of each of the loans, the dates of completion or duration of the projects, and their locations. Also to be provided are supporting documents for the disbursement schedule for these funds and implementation levels of these projects.

    “The Honourable Minister is required to submit the detailed performance report, including disbursement schedule and levels of implementation, for each of the projects for which external borrowings were made, since 2011,” the committee said.

    The committee also in its observation questioned the N268.3 billion proposed in 2014. “This persistent reduction in the funding of the SURE-P is thought by some Nigerians to be deliberate on the part of government. What is the government’s reason for this persistent poor implementation of the SURE-P and what is the implication on the masses of Nigerians? The Minister is requested to submit detailed Performance Report of the SURE-P since 2012 with accompanying supporting documents.”

    On local industries, the committee observed: “The Honourable Minister made generalised statements on the government working to protect local industries/SMEs from their foreign counterparts and domestic operational hazards. The Committee requires specific efforts supported by documentary evidence of what the government is doing or has done in this regard. The Honourable Minister should provide documentary evidence of the disbursements of the FGN’s N200 billion intervention fund to the SMEs she referred to, with the Central Bank.”

    On the benchmark it requested: “Given the average price of crude oil at over $100 in the last three years, how much has Nigeria made in excess of the average Benchmark price for these years (2011-2013)?”

     

     

     

     

     

  • Afenifere rejects Okurounmu committee’s report

    Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) has rejected the recommendations of the Senator Femi Okurounmu’s Presidential Advisory Committee on National Dialogue, saying it cannot engender the type of confab the country needs.

    In a statement yesterday by its Publicity Secretary, Kunle Famoriyo, the group said any conference convened, based on the recommendations, could not meet the yearnings of Nigerians.

    ARG maintained its stance that the proposed conference must be a conference of ethnic nationalities.

    It said: “We found the recommendation that representation should be based on federal constituencies distasteful, because this political structure has been used as veritable tools of injustice, social and political discriminations, which have held this country down.

    “Nigeria has six administrative regions, which have become a defining structure for almost any national issue. Our recommendation therefore is that equal number of delegates should come from each administrative zone and these delegates should be selected by ethnic nations within each zone.

    “We reject also the recommendation that conference delegates should be saddled with the responsibility of deciding how decisions and outcomes of the proposed conference will be integrated into the constitution and laws of the country.

    “This committee could not come up with any recommendation on this Term of Reference, despite the avalanche of historical antecedents in other countries, more than 1,000 presentations and memoranda, technical presentations from experts and leaders, and other consultations available to it.

    “This is, to say the least, an evasion of responsibility and rejection of popular desire for a new constitution. A cursory look at the 38 agenda recommended for discussion by the committee is a confirmation that Nigeria needs a new constitution, which it surprisingly shied away from recommending. Resolving constitutional problems in the country cannot be the most difficult in the world and certainly, not as difficult as the committee, in its recommendation, wants us to believe.”

  • Senate rejects nomination of FIRS boss

    Senate rejects nomination of FIRS boss

    The controversy trailing the nomination of the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) played up yesterday in the Senate.

    The nomination of Mrs. M’fon Akpan by President Goodluck Jonathan for appointment as chairman of FIRS suffered a setback in the upper chamber.

    The Senate was forced by mostly Northern Senators to reject a motion to refer the nomination to the relevant committee for screening.

    Although most Northern Senators insisted that the rejection of the referral was the end of the nomination of Mrs. Akpan, Chairman Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Ita Enang said that the nomination was still pending on the floor of the Senate.

    Although, Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba had moved that the consideration of the nomination be deferred to another legislative day, Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central) opposed it.

    Marafa who came under Rule 45 of the Senate Standing Orders, 2011, argued that a motion to defer a matter to another legislative day can only be approved by a vote of two-third of the Senate.

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the session ruled Marafa out of order, saying it had not come to the time of raising an objection.

    “We are not taking any vote. So I completely rule you out of order. Can somebody second the motion so we can make progress,” Ekweremadu said.

    When the Senate Leader moved the motion a second time , it was seconded by Senator Boluwaji Kunlere (Ondo South).

  • Presidency rejects governors’ demands

    Presidency rejects governors’ demands

    The Presidency yesterday rejected the demands by aggrieved governors as part of the terms to settle the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crises.

    Special Adviser to President Goodluck Jonathan on political matters Ahmed Gulak, yesterday said those demands are not consitutional.

    He spoke against the background of Tuesday night’s peace talks at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    There were strong indications last night that President Jonathan and the aggrieved G-7 governors will meet again on Sunday to continue the peace talks.

    There was concern yesterday on alleged determination of some forces in the Presidency to isolate Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi and make him a scapegoat of the crises.

    It was learnt that although the President made some concessions at the peace talks on Tuesday night at the Presidential Villa, he was said to be non-committal on all issues relating to Amaechi.

    The President was at the session with the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, Chief Tony Anenih, the Chairman of PDP Governors Forum, Godswill Akpabio (Akwa Ibom); Governors Liyel Imoke (Cross River) and Idris Wada (Kogi).

    On the side of the G-7 governors were Amaechi, Sule Lamido (Jigawa); Babangida Aliyu (Niger) and Aliyu Wammako (Sokoto).

    Sources last night gave different insights into what happened at the session at the Presidential Villa

    One of the sources said: “The grievances of the governors were tabled and revisited one by one by all those at the meeting.

    “When the issue of party structure in each of the affected states came up, the overriding interest of the PDP was put into the consideration and the President and his team agreed that the authentic party structure should be restored in Adamawa and Kano states.

    “As for Rivers State, the President and his team advised all the parties to withdraw their suits in court to resolve the matter.”

    It was learnt that although the President admitted that the suspension of Amaechi was illegal and the required 30 days had elapsed, everything was predicated on the resolution of disputes in court.

    There was suspicion by the G-7 governors that the Presidency came with a mindset to resolve issues except the crisis in Rivers. “They are trying to isolate Amaechi to deal with him.

    “Everybody has been wondering why the President’s body language was different on Rivers State. Jonathan was non-committal on the solutions to Rivers crisis.

    “The President’s ambivalence on Rivers crisis is making the G-7 governors to be circumspect.

    “The G-7 governors insisted on the resolution of the crisis in Rivers State.”

    On the row in the Nigeria Governors Forum, the source added: “Those with the President advised Amaechi to step down. But Amaechi was straightforward in his response when he said: ‘I won’t step down.’

    Regarding 2015 poll, one of the governors from the North said he had been in four meetings, including at Ethiopia and the United States where Jonathan said he would not contest.

    The source added: “When the tension was too much, it was agreed that 2015 poll should be put on the agenda at the next meeting on Sunday.

    “Also, Tukur’s fate will be discussed on Sunday.

  • Crisis: Suntai’s Deputy rejects sack of exco

    Crisis: Suntai’s Deputy rejects sack of exco

    TARABA State slipped further into confusion yesterday, with Deputy Governor Garba Umar urging the people to disregard Governor Danbaba Suntai’s “dissolution” of the Executive Council.

    Also yesterday, 16 members of the House of Assembly said Suntai was unfit and required medical attention.

    They urged him to go for treatment and allow his deputy, who acted in his stead for the 10-month period he was away, to continue in the capacity.

    Taraba State has been crisis-ridden since Sunday when Suntai arrived from the United States where he had the second leg of his treatment for injuries sustained in a crash in Yola, Adamawa State of an air plane he flew on October 25, last year.

    Umar’s Press Secretary, Mr. Kefas Sule, said in a statement in Jalingo yesterday that “the announcement (of the dissolution of the executive council) is a mere attempt by a cabal to hijack the machinery of governance.

    Senior Special Assistant to Suntai Mr Sylvanus Giwa announced the dissolution of the executive and the appointment of Secretary to Government and Chief of Staff.

    “It is not a directive that was given by the Executive Governor, His Excellency, Governor Danbaba Suntai,” said Sule.

    “To this end, bankers are to note that all financial instruments relating to the State Government’s accounts should be honoured only if they are in tandem with the provisions of the law.

    “The instruments must contain verifiable signature of the Executive Governor of Taraba, Danbaba Suntai and verifiable signature of Alhaji Garba Umar, the Acting Governor of Taraba State.’’

    The statement assured the people that substantial progress had been made to resolve the misunderstanding of the past few days.

    It noted the sense of patriotism exhibited by the people in the way and manner they viewed and handled developments.

    It said “the moment’’ called for greater restraint and vigilance.

    House of Assembly Speaker Haruna Tsokwa ordered Suntai to go back to the hospital for treatment until he is “capable of administering the state”.

    In a statement on behalf of the House, Tsokwa said Deputy Governor Garba Umar remains acting governor.

    Sixteen out of the 24-member House signed that Suntai should not resume on health grounds.

    They are: Haruna Tsokwa (Takum I constituency), Tamko Adamu (Gassol I), Mohammed Gwampo (Yorro), Josiah Sabo Kente (Wukari I), Mohamed Umar (Gashaka), Ibrahim Imam (Jalingo I), Yahaya Abduraman (Gassol II) and Iratsi Daki (Ussa).

    Others are: Rashia Abdullahi (Ngoroje), Aminu Jalingo (Jalingo II), Emmanuel Dame (Ardo-Kola), John Bonzema (Zing), AA Jugulde (Gembu), Hamandama Abdullahi (Bali II), Abdulkarim Mohammed (Ibbi) and Edward Baraya (Karim II).

    Tsokwa said the House met with the governor on Tuesday, but the governor spoke in a manner that brought more doubt to his authorship of the letter purportedly transmitted to the House.

    The Speaker said: “It is no longer news that the Governor of Taraba State, Danbaba Danfulani Suntai was involved in a plane crash on October 25, 2012, whereof, he was flown to Germany for treatment in a condition that made him incapable of transmitting a letter to the Taraba State House of Assembly, informing it of his absence in office.

    “The House invoked the provisions of Section 190(2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) and transmitted power to his deputy to act the office of the governor of Taraba State.

    “We are all living witnesses to the way and manner the governor was brought into the state on Sunday, August 25.

    “The leadership of the Taraba State House of Assembly has made several efforts to see him since his arrival unitl yesterday (Tuesday) August 28 that they were allowed access to the ailing governor. And their visit revealed that he spoke in a manner that brought more doubt to his authorship of the letter purportedly transmitted to the Speaker of the State House of Assembly”.

    “The 16 lawmakers said they were convinced that Suntai is not the author of the letter transmitted to the House.

    “Be it as it may, we the undersigned members of the House have unanimously resolved in our meeting that the deputy governor will continue to act, until such a time the governor (Suntai) is capable of administering the state”.

    Emmanuel Bello, former Information commissioner in the dissolved executive, said the action of the lawmakers was illegal as according to him, “they are not doctors to order the governor to go for further treatment.”

    “All of them were at the governor’s residence yesterday, where they met him and he greeted them, mentioning each of them by their name; I just don’t understand what they want,” he said.

    Renowned constitutional lawyer Sebastine Hon (SAN) urged Suntai not to be distracted but to go about his lawful business of governing the state.

    He spoke to The Nation yesterday, reacting to the statement by the Assembly, stopping Suntai from returning to office.

    Hon said: “Under what law, substantive and procedural, did the Taraba Assembly bring out the so-called statement? It is settled law that the business of the legislature is done through resolutions and law making and not through press-statements.

    “And even then, legislative businesses can only be lawfully done during plenary on the floor of the House and not in private or other premises.

    “In Inakoju against Adeleke (2007), one of the reasons why the Supreme Court voided the governor Ladoja impeachment was that the Oyo State House of Assembly sat in a hotel, instead of its chambers.”

    Hon noted that Suntai has returned and wrote to the House that he is mentally and physically fit to resume office, and has started performing those functions and was seen by all on television doing that. “I will say the man has fulfilled the provisions to the hilt,” he said.

    He said the House has no powers, under the Nigerian constitution, to order Suntai about. “They are arrogating to themselves the powers they lack”, he said, adding: “Are they soothsayers who could look at a man that is doing all the things a man of his standing can do and then proclaim, without medical certification, that he is not well?

    “Section 189 of the constitution has stipulated the procedure of declaring a governor unfit to perform the functions of his office. The section is couched in very strong, positive mandatory terms, hence must be complied with scrupulously.

    “By the Taraba Assembly deliberately refusing to allow Section 189 to take its full course, choosing the path of anarchy above constitutionalism and due process, all well meaning Nigerians must condemn this in clear terms,” he said.

  • ACN rejects Osun PDP’s demand for debt profile

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State has urged Governor Rauf Aregbesola to declare the state’s debt profile.

    In a communiqué by the party’s Secretary, Maj. Raphael Towobola (rtd), after a meeting of the stakeholders and leaders in Osogbo, PDP said it would check Aregbesola’s alleged excesses.

    But the Osun State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) said it was not under any obligation to respond to a party, which appeared not to understand the state economy and the transformational re-engineering of the Aregbesola administration.

    It said its decision not to answer PDP was based on the fact that those, who are requesting explanation on the finances of the state or the so-called debt profile, have no moral, political and social authority to do so.

    The party, through its Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi, a lawyer, in a statement said the same PDP brought Osun State to the brink of bankruptcy from where the Aregbesola administration saved it.

    ACN said: “If these people are serious and know what it takes to be credible politicians, they should have made their investigations and exposed any impropriety to the public, rather than ask their opponent to tell them what he is presumed to be doing wrongly.

    “Those criticising the Aregbesola administration had the opportunity, even unlimited access to the banks and the saboteurs in the ministries to give them whatever details they needed to expose the debt profile of the state. That they do not know how to access these sources of information for facts in the public interest shows how dishonest and intellectually-limited they are.”

     

  • Imo community rejects ‘Eze’ elect

    There is crisis in Elelem autonomous community, Ngor Okpala Local Government Area of Imo State, following the rejection of the ‘Eze’ elect of the community, Nelson Nwaordu.

    The community in a letter by Anthony Nnodim, Secretary of the Community Government Council (CGC), Nze Chigbu Nwaogu, Chairman Elelem Council of Elders, Eugene Madufor, Mrs. B. Ugwulor and Rev Obilor M.O passed a vote of no confidence on Nwaordu.

    “The people of Elelem community after a meeting of elders, chiefs, king makers and the community government council executives unanimously resolved that a vote of no confidence has been passed on the Eze elect. “Nwaordu should not be considered fit for the position of a traditional ruler of Elelem as he has betrayed the people and we are disappointed in him,” the letter reads.

    The aggrieved villagers, who also petitioned Governor Rochas Okorocha, said Nwaordu is not fit for the office of the traditional ruler.

    The petitioners said: “The Eze elect announced a compulsory levy of N720, 000 in each of the five villages which amounted to N3.6 million for the completion of the electricity project. But the contractors handling the project were not paid.”

  • Edo rejects DPP report on slain UNIBEN student

    The legal opinion presented by the Edo State Department of Public Prosecution in the case of the killing of a final-year student of the University of Benin (UNIBEN), Ibrahim Momodu, has been rejected by the Edo State Government.

    Momodu was killed by the former Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ogida Police Division, Mrs. Carol Afegbai, on the allegation of being a robber.

    He was buried by the police but public outcry led to the exhumation of his body for a post-mortem examination.

    The post-mortem showed that Momodu was shot three times in the back, contrary to earlier claims by Mrs. Afegbai that he was shot in the legs and died on the way to the hospital.

    A photograph reportedly released by some policemen showed the late Momodu lying on the ground alive.

    Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice Henry Idahagbon, who announced the government’s position, said the police were yet to do a thorough investigation.

    Idahagbon spoke while addressing students and members of civil society organisations, who submitted a protest letter at his office.

    He said: “The file was returned to my office yesterday. I have examined it and came to the conclusion that the police are yet to do a thorough investigation that can grant a prosecution for murder. Murder is a serious offence. The legal penalty is death.

    “For any prosecution to be done in a murder case, we must get our facts straight, we must get the investigation straight and everything must be in line with the law before we can prosecute. Having examined the DPP report, I came to the conclusion that there are still lots of lapses.

    “We are compelled to do another letter asking them to do investigation in specific areas. There is a difference between sentiment and law. We will not shy away from doing our prosecution. The law is blind. We will do what we need to do. The law will take its course. We will do the letter to the police and once their reply comes, anybody that needs to be charged to court will be charged to court.”

    The House of Assembly Speaker, Uyi Igbe, has said the House would soon set up an independent and separate panel of enquiry.

    Igbe said the House would deliberate on the matter and constitute an independent panel of enquiry into the killing of the principal private secretary to the governor, the late Olaitan Oyerinde.

  • Senate rejects N4b First Ladies Mission House fund

    Senate rejects N4b First Ladies Mission House fund

    The Senate yesterday rejected the appropriation of N4billion for the building of the First Ladies Mission House in Africa.

    This is contained in the summary report of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) 2013 budget, which was approved by the Upper Chamber.

    The controversial figure was part of the proposed budgetary estimates submitted by the FCT to the National Assembly for consideration and approval.

    There were bitter criticisms of the money, which was seen as a waste of scarce resources.

    Chairman of the Senate Committee on FCT Senator Smart Adeyemi noted in the report of his committee that “it is worthy of note that the proposed appropriation for the construction of the building for First Ladies Mission in Africa has been distributed to meet pressing needs in the area of engineering and satellite towns.”

    He added: “Due to litigation in respect of the proposed plot of land, the money cannot be accessed this year.”

    Adeyemi said it is not proper for the Senate to appropriate for a land that is not available.

    The Senate approved N259,649,520,705 as the 2013 budget for the FCT.

    A breakdown of the FCT budget shows that personnel cost amounted to N48.6billion, while the overhead was put at N50.5billion, amounting to total recurrent expenditure of N99.182billion.

    The amount represented 38.2 per cent of the total budget.

    The capital expenditure was put at N160.4billion or 61.8 per cent of the total sum.

    The committee also slated N48,716,036 as surplus budget.

  • Datti Ahmed rejects Boko Haram panel membership

    Datti Ahmed rejects Boko Haram panel membership

    Supreme Council for Sharia in Nigeria (SCSN) President Datti Ahmed yesterday declined to serve on the 26-member committee to dialogue with Boko Haram.

    Activist Shehu Sani turned down his membership on Wednesday.

    Dr. Ahmed said the bitter experience he had with the Federal Government in trying to broker peace with members of the sect informed his decision to opt out of the Presidential Committee on North’s Security.

    He told the Hausa Service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) monitored in Kaduna that the government should be held responsible for the breakdown of earlier peace talks.

    He attributed the collapse of the talks, which he initiated with the insurgents, to what he described as the government’s insincerity.

    While faulting the composition of the presidential panel, Ahmed alleged that the chairman of the Amnesty Committee, who is a minister and the secretary, another government official, would not give correct information.

    He said: “Previously, I made such moves twice and it wasn’t the government that asked me to do that and we reached a stage where, if the government had agreed with what we got, what we resolved with the sect members, by now we would have forgotten everything. Nigeria would have witnessed peace by now.

    “We told the government everything we discussed with them (sect) and the agreement we had which were not difficult. If the dialogue was truly genuine, their wives and children that were unjustly detained should have been released because they’ve not committed any crime.

    “We advised the government on that; we said even if you continue to detain them, there was no gain in doing so; the government said they would release them, but did not.

    “That act showed there was deceit on the part of the government. We also said that if these people were released, a place should be arranged where we would sit and discuss matters.

    “Secondly, this committee, the chairman is a government minister and the secretary too works for the government. So, whatever we discuss, they are the ones who will write and take to the government. So, I believe if this meeting is done, what they will write will be full of lies.

    “They will feed the government with what the government wants to know and we would be in trouble with the ordinary Nigerians. The minister and secretary will take lies to the government and we would be left quarrelling with young Nigerians, young enough to be our children.”

    The Islamic scholar said his previous experience showed insincerity on the part of the government.

    He said: It was so successful but the government caused everything to crumble. It was just like we were going to have a peaceful resolution the next day and what the government should have done was not something difficult – just to release their wives and reduce the tension in Yobe and Borno states and stop persecuting the people there .

    “The government said it was going to do that but it did not. It is the same government, the same Jonathan and his representative and we are the same people; nothing has changed.”