The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Reps

  • Reps plan ‘arrest’ of Sanusi, 14 others

    Reps plan ‘arrest’ of Sanusi, 14 others

    The House of Representatives has begun the process of issuing a bench warrant for the arrest of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

    The impending ‘arrest’ of Sanusi followed his refusal to honour several invitations to a public hearing on remittances of revenues by agencies of the government organised by the House Committee on Finance last week.

    Others to be ‘arrested’ are the Chief Executives of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).

    Others are the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) and National Pension Commission (PenCom).

    The resolution of the House followed the adoption of a motion by the Chairman, Committee on Finance, Abdulmumin Jibrin, who under a matter of urgent public importance requested the mandate of the committee to issue the bench warrant for the affected chief executives for non-appearance.

    Sixty agencies were invited, but 15 failed to appear before the committee despite several official invitations.

    Jubrin noted that the case of Sanusi was peculiar as he was seen at a conference on the day, the fourth invitation, where he was speaking about the need to sack half of the Federal Government workforce.

    The Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, rather than put to vote the prayer of the motion, guided the House on the procedure for the issuance of a bench warrant of arrest.

    He said Section 89 of the constitution empowers committees of the House to summon any person in the country to attend the committee, but that procedure should be followed by the committee.

    “So the procedure is that first, go and put down the request with the office of the Speaker, and I will oblige you,” the Speaker said.

    At press time, it was learnt the committee had written to the office of the Speaker on the matter.

     

  • Reps threaten Sanusi, others

    The House of Representatives has said it would issue a bench warrant for the arrest of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, if he fails to appear before its Committee on Finance this morning.

    Also threatened with arrest if they fail to turn up for the public hearing on remittances of revenue generating agencies are the Chief Executive Officers of the Nigerian Port Authority (NPA), Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON) and nine others.

    The lawmakers said gross earnings of agencies of government would be captured in subsequent revenue framework.

    At the commencement of the public hearing, the representative of the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) Mr. Abatcha Bulama was sent out of the hall because he was mistakenly invited.

    Speaker Aminu Tambuwal said for too long, the menace of revenue leakages has dominated the nation’s finances to the detriment of the economy and wellbeing of Nigerians.

     

  • House of Reps member in certificate scandal

    House of Reps member in certificate scandal

    CONCERNED citizens of Ningi/Warji constituency of Bauchi State have called on the Speaker of the House of Representatives to investigate allegation of certificate forgery against a member, Abdulrazak Nuhu Bature, by the University of Jos.

    In a petition dated November 12th, and addressed to the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal,124 constituents of Bature said; “we are particularly worried by the seeming insensitivity of the House of Representatives leadership to constitute a committee to investigate the damaging allegations which to our mind cast aspersion on the ethical reorientation and/ or transformation agenda of the federal government and the consequential effect of not having men and women of honour and proven integrity in positions of responsibility.” The petition was submitted at the office of the Speaker on Wednesday.

    The University of Jos through its Registrar, Jilli-Dandam, Danjuma had in a letter dated September 7, 2012 urged the National Assembly to disregard Bature’s claim of attending the institution.

    “While we draw your attention to this dishonourable act of one of your members, we wish to put you on notice that we have also lodged complaint to relevant government agencies for necessary action,” the university stressed.

    Danjuma made good his threat by writing the Director-General, State Security Service, Inspector-General of Police Chairman, EFCC Chairman, ICPC Chairman, INEC and the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

    According to Danjuma, the embattled member presented as part of his credentials, a testimonial and a certificate for Advance Diploma in Public Administration purported to have been issued by the Senate of the University of Jos at an election tribunal before it was referred to the university for verification.

    According to the Registrar, the University’s Senate set up a committee which investigated the case and reported that the Bature did not attend the university and could therefore not lay claim to its certificates. The university immediately placed a disclaimer on him in a national newspaper.

    He has also been invited by the State Commissioner of Police over alleged forgery but he is yet to honour the invitation.

    One of the leaders of the constituency who spoke to The Nation from Bauchi yesterday said, Mr. Yunana Katanga said they are determined to make the member explain the forgery and if culpable, face the law.

    Contacted for comments Bature said;”Let them forge ahead. They took me to court several times and failed. Let them go ahead with the recall process. I wish them well.”

    The National Assembly has had a history of members with questionable credentials. The first Speaker of the House of Representatives, Salisu Buhari, was forced to step down when it was discovered that his Toronto University degree was forged. Another member of the National Assembly, Senator Evans Enwerem was also disgraced out of the nation’s highest legislative house.

     

  • House of Reps approve N400m

    House of Reps approve N400m

    AS THE 18th National Sports Festival tagged Eko 2012 commences today in Lagos, all the states are competing in this year’s National Sports Festival should enjoy a swell time as a result of sufficient funds at the disposal of the Main Organising Committee, the National Sports Commission for the organisation of the event.

    Despite the fact that host state, Lagos has provided what sports enthusiasts call befitting and standard facilities for the Sports Festival, the NSC leadership has also got the approval from the House Committee on Sports on the sum of N400 million asked for by the sports control body in the country.

    “This year’s National Sports Festival has every attributes of being the best because of the availability of quality and standard facilities put in place by the host state Lagos.

    “Besides that the House Committee on Sports has approved the sum of N400 million for the Main Organising Committee of the NSF, the National Sports Commission (NSC) for the hosting of the competition. So, we expect a well organised and a fulfilling competition,” Gaiya disclosed.

    Rivers hosted and emerged overall winner of the last edition and have also vowed not only to retain their crown but to even raise the bar in this 18th edition. All eyes and attention would be on Nigeria as country host her Sports Festival where athletes that would represent Nigeria in the 1216 Olympics are expected to be discovered.

  • Reps approve NDDC budget for 2012

    Reps approve NDDC budget for 2012

    With less than six weeks to the end of the year, the House of Representatives has approved Niger Delta Development Commission’s (NDDC) 2012 budget of N250,857,925,434.

    The budget that was to run from January 2012 to March 2013 showed that 92.5 percent of the total budget was dedicated to capital projects.

    The breakdown showed that N232, 056,215,560 was allocated to developmental projects with N1, 017,852,000 earmarked for internal capital projects.

    Personnel expenditure was allocated N10, 218,484,743 while N7, 565,400,131 was earmarked for overhead expenditure.

    The budget that was considered at the Committee of Supply was unanimously adopted despite a contentious issue of overhead expenditure that was raised by Simeon Arabo (PDP, Kaduna).

    Arabo questioned the huge sum allocated to overhead expenditure despite the provision of N7.6 billion allocated to personnel expenditure under the recurrent expenditure.

    “It seems the Committee on NDDC only endorsed what was presented to them because the Commission was playing with words here.

    “How come overhead expenditure was more than personnel expenditure?”

    Deputy House Leader, Leo Ogor (PDP, Delta) however explained that it was as result of the enormity of developmental capital projects that was responsible for the noticeable overhead expenditure.

     

  • Reps call for minister’s sack over N396b Ecological Fund shortfall

    Reps call for minister’s sack over N396b Ecological Fund shortfall

    •House report exposes irregularities in Fund management

    Tempers flared yesterday at a proposed hearing by the Uche Ekwunife-led House Committee on Environment as the members agreed that the Minister of Environment, Hajiya Hadiza Mailafia, should be sacked by President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Ms Mailafia’s absence yesterday stalled investigations into the shortfall of almost N400 billion in the Ecological Fund deductions.

    The committee, which was to have conducted a hearing on the operation of the Ecological Fund, postponed the hearing following the minister’s absence.

    Members of the committee said Ms Mailafia has no passion for the work and that there is an apparent disconnect between her and the work she was meant to be doing.

    A member of the committee, Mohammed Abdulahi Shamsidin (Kaduna), who made the suggestion, was supported by the committee members.

    He said: “The President has appointed these people to work with him.

    “The Minister of Environment has no passion for the environment and there is a disconnect between her and the work she was chosen for.

    “I would suggest that she should try her luck else where. We should call on the President to find someone else who is not only interested in the job, but has the competence as well as the love for Nigeria.”

    The committee also flayed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) , Anyim Pius Anyim, for his absence at the investigative session which was meant to conclude work the committee started last year.

    Yesterday’s investigative session was stimulated by an interim report , which exposed almost N400billion shortfall in the deductions from the Ecological Fund.

    According to the report obtained by The Nation, there were illegal transfers and loans from the Ecological Fund without appropriation from the National Assembly.

    The report reads: “The Statement of Affairs presented by the Accountant General indicates that 1.46 per cent was used in calculating inflows into the fund from January to December 2003.

    “This, according to the statement, was later reviewed downward to one per cent from January 2004 to June 2012, in complete violation of the provision of the Federation Account Act, which provides for two percent.

    “For instance, the total inflow into the Ecological Fund account between January 2003 and February 2012 was N322, 165, 322,070.86 after the deduction of N20,123,084,858.03 for debt servicing.

    “This one per cent used by the Accountant-General of the Federation for the computation of the inflows into the Fund from January 2004 to June this year was contrary to the two percent specified in the Act.

    “This, therefore, resulted in the understatement of the figure , N302,358,388,317.81.”

    The report also said: “N93, 768,951,164.22 was transferred from the Ecological Fund Account to Consolidated Revenue Fund (CFR) and the Federation Account.”

    According to the report, the transfers were said “to have funded the acceleration of capital budget advances to states and local governments to meet shortfalls and funding of 2009 as well as Third Quarter Development Funds Warrant etc.”

    The House report said of the amount, only N50 billion was paid back leaving a shortfall of N43.7 billion.

    “The submissions under review also indicated that a loan of N60.75billion was taken from the Ecological Fund Account by both the federal and state governments for purposes not related to ecological problems.”

    Of this loan, only N30.5 billion was repaid, the report states.

    “ Some direct payments were made to ministries and agencies. There were also deductions of N20, 123,084,858.03 for debt servicing.”

     

  • Reps committee walk minister out at budget defence

    Reps committee walk minister out at budget defence

    The House of Representatives has expressed concern over President Goodluck Jonathan’s failure to prioritise science and technology in next year’s budget.

    Besides, the lawmakers walked out the Minister of Science and Technology, Prof Ita Okon Bassey-Ewa, from the ministry’s 2013 budget defence session for failing to aggregate the ministry’s 2012 budget performance.

    Bassey-Ewa, who appeared before the Committee on Transport, yesterday also angered the lawmakers over the appointment of a substantive Director-General for the National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI)

    Chairman of the Committee Abiodun Akinlade regretted that President Jonathan could not include science and technology in his six priority areas in the budget.

    The minister was walked out for“not taking the Committee seriously” and shouting back at the lawmakers.

    The drama began when Bassey-Ewa was requested to put the 2012 budget performance of the Ministry in percentage, which he failed to do.

    Akinlade said it was not the first time that the minister has failed as he could not convert to percentages his ministry’s performance for the year during their last oversight visit to the ministry.

    “The minister has never taken the committee seriously. I can recollect that he also failed to provide the percentage performance of his ministry when we went to his office for oversight functions sometime ago.”

    But Bassey-Ewa retorted angrily, shouting: “We are prepared; we are prepared. You can see that I have been trying to compute the percentage.”

    He was, however , asked to leave the session after being cautioned. The minister insisted that he was shouted at first by the lawmakers.

    Bassey-Ewa was also advised to get himself acquainted with his ministry’s activities before appearing again for another budget defense.

    In a related development, the lawmakers blasted the Ministry of Power for its inability to utilise half of funds released for its capital projects this year.

    The sum of N75.464billion was budgeted for the ministry’s capital projects while N34.765billion was released by the Ministry of Finance.

    Though the ministry could only utilise N19.763billion, the lawmakers, nonetheless, lamented that less that 40 per cent of the total allocation have been released by the Ministry of Finance.

    The lawmakers noted that it was the reason behind the ministry’s failure to address the perennial power challenges in the country.

    Committee Chairman Patrick Ikhariale said: “As at November, the ministry still has such a huge amount of money yet it has not utilised the money.

    “What this means is that the ministry does not need such amount of money because if it needs the money it would have done something with it.

    “With the way the ministry is going, it is hoped that it will not cause the collapse of the power sector.

    “N15billion not utilised is highly embarrassing, the committee is of the opinion that the ministry should be given what it would be able to use.

    “This year budget is not going to be the normal ritual, we are going to do a thorough job.”

     

  • Reps to investigate issuance of drivers’ licence

    Reps to investigate issuance of drivers’ licence

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday directed its Committee on Federal Road Safety Commission to investigate the indiscriminate issuance of driver’s licence.

    The committee is expected to report its findings to the house within four weeks.

    This resolution followed a motion by Hon. Ezenwa Onyewuchi which was unanimously adopted without debate.

    Onyewuchi said that the aim of the motion was to ensure sanity on our roads.

    He noted that the driver’s licence regime had been commercialised to the extent that it could be acquired from the road side.

    “It is only in Nigeria that one can purchase a driver’s licence, “the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the lawmaker as saying on Tuesday.

    According to him, the FRSC Act, 2007 empowered the commission to investigate and certify driving schools as well as minimise accidents on the highways.

    He identified lack of proper training as a major cause of road accidents on Nigerian roads.

    The motion was referred to the committee on FRSC for further legislative inputs.

    Similarly, the House has urged the FRSC to exercise its statutory function as provided in the Act to minimise accidents caused by abandoned articulated vehicles.

    This resolution followed a motion by Hon. Henry Ofonogo which was adopted without debate.

    Ofonogo alleged that instead of the FRSC carrying out its statutory function, it constituted itself into a revenue generating outfit.

     

  • Minister’s briefing delays Reps debate on PIB

    Minister’s briefing delays Reps debate on PIB

    The House of Representatives yesterday postponed the debate on the contentious Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) to enable the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to brief the House.

    The debate was deferred till next week. This makes it the second time the debate on the bill would be postponed. It was billed for discussion before the House went on recess. Just like the first occasion, the PIB was listed on the order paper for debate, but this was not taken.

    When she was invited to take the lead debate at plenary yesterday, the House Leader, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, said ministerial details were lacking in the bill and therefore requested for more time to enable her receive briefing from the minister.

    Sequel to the demand by the House Leader, the Speaker said: “House Leader has requested that we step down consideration until she gets briefing from the Petroleum minister.

    “We will begin debate on PIB next week. Honourable members intending to contribute are to drop their names with either of the whips.”

    The first time the House refused to debate the PIB was on the eve of the House’s two- months break.The House while rejecting the bill, wondered why the Presidency was sending it at the onset of a two-month recess, adding that the act was not only mischievous but also an effort at blackmail.

    The House yesterday resolved to merge the Petroleum Industry Bill with a similar member bill sponsored by Kaka Kyari Gujibawu, entitled, ‘A Bill for an Act to Establish the National New Frontier Exploration Agency, for the purpose of Exploration and Production of Oil and Gas in the frontier of chad basin, Dahomey basin, Imo basin, Benue trough and Sokoto Basin.’

  • Reps to probe Oduah over Kano airport

    Reps to probe Oduah over Kano airport

    The House of Representatives is to investigate the Minister of Aviation, Mrs. Stella Oduah, for not allowing four international airlines land at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano..

    The affected airlines are Turkish Airlines, Ethiopia Airlines, Emirates Airlines and Skyline.

    This followed the adoption of a point of order raised on a matter of urgent public importance by Aliyu Madaki (PDP, Kano).

    He said the airport, being the first in the country, having been built in 1903, does not have to be so treated.

    “We are also aware that the choice of the airport by these airlines was informed by the number of passengers they convey from the airport to other parts of the world.

    “However, one is concerned that despite applications by the airlines, the minister refused them permission to begin their operations.

    “It is disturbing that the refusal to grant the permission to these airlines is capable of retarding business growth in Kano and by extension Nigeria.”

    According to him, the refusal to grant the permits to the airlines runs contrary to President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda.

    “We are, however, desirous of the need to create a conducive environment for investment and to encourage investors and that is the reason why we have to intervene,” he said.

    Speaker Aminu Tambuwal mandated the Committee on Aviation to investigate the allegation.

    The committee has four weeks to submit its report.