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Tag: Reps

  • Senators, Reps sitting off amid growing suspicion

    •INEC confident despite call-off                                   

    •APC: no plan to arrest Saraki

    Plans by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for a hitch-free election next year may be jeopardised, with the National Assembly calling off yesterday its sitting to endorse the electoral umpire’s budget.

    The sitting was called off amid the growing suspicion between the Executive and the Legislature.

    The lawmakers have alleged that there are plans by the Executive to instigate the removal of Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy Ike Ekweremadu. This has been denied.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has also alleged that there are plans to arrest Saraki and Ekweremadu. It is all lies, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday.

    Also to be affected by the lawmakers’ recess is President Muhammadu Buhari’s plan to fund capital projects through loans.

    But a senior INEC official said last night that there should be no panic over the development.

    “If they don’t sit, the Presidency will find a  way to fund the INEC budget. There must be a way around it,” the official said, pleading not to be named because he is not allowed to comment on such matters.

    Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, Abdulrazak Namdas, said yesterday that the National Assembly would not reconvene today because the leadership was yet to reach a decision on the plan to sit.

    He said: “We are not reconvening tomorrow (today). This is because we are yet to make a decision over it; we are still meeting. As a matter of fact, the leadership will meet later this evening (yesterday) or tomorrow (today) to decide when to reconvene”.

    When asked if the leadership of the political parties in both chambers had presented their reasons to the leadership to reconvene the Assembly since there was no national media advertisement to that effect, Namdas said he believed the right steps have been taken.

    “Everyone is aware of the rule book said on the procedure for this sort of sitting, I believe the right steps must have been taken, no one would do anything outside what is prescribed in the rule book,” the House Spokesman said

    It was gathered yesterday that the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives might have ruled out the possibility of reconvening today because “it is practicality impossible for the planned emergency session to hold and approve the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) budget in a single sitting”.

    The leadership of the National Assembly had said after a meeting with INEC Chairman Prof Mahmood Yakubu last week that the two chambers would reconvene today to consider and approve the INEC budget and the virement requested by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Yakubu also told reporters that he was assured that the budget for the 2019 election would be approved this week.

    The source close to the leadership of the National Aseembly said that the lawmakers would no longer reconvene in view of latest developments and the practicability of the resumption date.

    He noted that the thinking of many lawmakers is that to consider and approve Buhari’s request will take the National Assembly close to a month.

    He said: “The request by President Muhammadu Buhari is not just a single line item that would just require a one day sitting.

    “The request has variety of committees that will be involved, including Appropriations, Finance, INEC and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    “It is different from a situation whereby the President is asking for an increase in the size of the budget through a change of benchmark.

    “The request by Mr. President is not something that can be done in one day. Even those who are pushing the agenda know it.”

    The source insisted that the National Assembly cannot achieve anything even if it was reconvened for one sitting “because the request has to be passed to the necessary committees and the committees have to meet with relevant MDAs for their input”.

    He added: “Besides, there is another issue that has to do with the constituency projects. The letter is requesting the lawmakers to remove funds from their constituency projects and use the same to fund INEC.

    “Remember that the constituency projects are not one line items in the budget.

    “You can’t imagine how long it would take the Appropriations committees to sort out that issue with the MDAs.

    Another source noted: “Reconvening the National Assembly will not really work. It would mean that you want to keep the lawmakers around for the next one month, which defeats the idea of the annual recess.

    “The letter by the President is not just requesting for an increase in benchmark, which can be handled in one day through Senate or House resolution. Treating the letter by the President will take two to three weeks or even more weeks.”

    He said that that the logistics of securing a quorum of either the Senate or the House was becoming more and more difficult as members are getting deep into their recess.

    “Many of our colleagues have travelled for Hajj. Many are in their constituencies battling the challenges of re-election. If you check even with the APC right now, they can’t get up to 30 senators and next week is Sallah. Arafat is on Monday and you will have holidays. A number of people have travelled. It is not practicable to reconvene now,” the source said.

    The leadership of the National Assembly has not descided when to reconvene the House of Representatives said yesterday.

    There was no official communication about the plan to reconvene from the Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr Mohammed Omolori.

    The Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission(INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu had on Aug. 8 said the commission had been assured by the National Assembly leadership that the 2019 General Elections Budget of N242 billion may be considered for passage this week.

    Senate President Bukola Saraki on July 17, read President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for Senate’s approval of N242.45 billion for the Independent National Electoral Commission to enable it to commence preparations for 2019 general elections.

    Part of the funds, according to the President’s request, will be given to the Department of State Services and other security agencies for the same purpose.

    The request was contained in a letter dated July 11 and personally signed by Buhari.

    The presidential letter also indicated that Buhari requested that out of the needed figure, N164.10 billion should be provided through virement or supplementation of 2018 Budget.

    It also requested that the balance of N78.34 billion, mostly related to personnel allowances, fuelling and other costs not required until election proper, be provided for in the 2019 budget.

    The sum of N189.21 billion was earmarked for INEC, N4.3 billion for Office of the Security Adviser, N12.21 billion for DSS and N3.6 billion for Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps.

    The Nigeria Police Force got a proposal of N30.5 billion while N2.6 billion was earmarked for Nigeria Immigration Service.

    Specifically, the president requested that N164.10 billion of total funds proposed for the elections should be funded from the N578.31 billion inserted in the 2018 Budget by the National Assembly.

    Also to be funded from the “inserted funds’’, he stated, was additional N64.75 billion for reinstatement of critical project cuts in 2018 budget, bringing total figure to get from the “inserted funds’’ to N228.85 billion.

    The letter stated that the request to deduct N228.85 billion from the N578.31 billion was in view of fiscal constraint, which would not allow for over-burdening of the 2018 budget.

  • Kogi senators, Reps allege harassment by Bello

    EIGHT federal lawmakers from Kogi State at the National Assembly yesterday alleged harassment and intimidation by Governor Yahaya Bello against them and their constituents.

    The federal lawmakers, in a joint statement, claimed that Bello had allegedly continued to “terrorise and intimidate” them.

    They urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call the governor to order in the interest of survival of democracy in the state and the country.

    The statement was signed by Senators Dino Melaye (Kogi West), Ahmed Ogembe (Kogi Central), Atai Aidoko (Kogi East) and five of the nine members of the House of Representatives.

    They chronicled alleged acts of “terrorism and intimidation”, which they claimed the governor unleashed on them and their supporters in the last one year.

    According to them, the latest of such actions was the prevention of Senator Ogembe from entering Okene last Saturday by suspected thugs.

    The same thugs were said to have chased away the senator from his constituency in March this year during an empowerment programme for his constituents in Okene

    The statement said: “This cry has become imperative because persons holding contrary or alternative political views with Governor Bello can no longer move freely within the state, neither can they hold political meetings or conduct political activities such as town hall meetings, constituency empowerment programmes without violent interruptions by the state government and its agents.

    “The governor has muzzled the state legislators, flagrantly disobeyed the judicial pronouncements of the courts and acting as Lord unto himself and no one else can challenge him in any manner whatsoever despite our constitutional democracy and its well-entrenched time-tested principles of checks and balances.

    “If as legislators, we are prevented from constituency visits, and our empowerment programmes are violently disrupted by the governor, and his agents, one wonders how it would be possible for elections to hold without violence in 2019.

    “Enough is enough. We hereby call on Mr. President to instruct the police and other security agencies to be neutral politically and call the governor to order.”

    The aggrieved lawmakers also called on the international community to take note of the happenings in Kogi State in the country’s interest.

    Others who endorsed the statement included: Karim Sunday, Yusuf Ayo Tajudeen, Egwu Emmanuel, Benjamin Okolo and Omale Hassan Atayoma.

     

     

     

  • Reps to probe IOCs over debt to local firms

    The House of Representatives is to investigate  International Oil Companies (IOCs) operating in the country over huge debts owed indigenous contractors.

    An ad hoc Committee that would carry out the investigation will also examine the processes of marginal oil  fields licence acquisition as well as the financial proceeds from successful bids, remittance and non-remittance of revenues by the licensed operators into the Federation Accounts.

    The operations of licensed marginal fields Strategic Alliance Agreements between IOCs, investors and Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) in the operations of the margnal oil fields would also be examined by the panel.

    The decision of the House followed the adoption of a matter of urgent public importance by brought by Diri Douye (PDP, Bayelsa), who said the need to investigate the processes of licensing rounds and financial proceeds of the oil and gas fields operators has become imperative.

    “Though the economic potentials of such fields are enormous to the economy of Nigeria, but it is sad that the operations and remittance of funds back to government is skeletal as the operators keep claiming to be battling with a range of challenges from environmental, financial to procedural.

    “The Deparrmemt of Peteoleum Resources  (DPR) has also not lived up to its billing in the supervision of the operation  and this has made the process which should be a large contributor to the national funds remit barely four per cent  earnings to the national coffers.

    “The result is a recurring system of huge revenue loss which can no longer go unnoticed and unresolved,” he said.

    The motion was unanimously adopted after a voice vote.

     

  • Reps urge FG to fix date for census

    The House of Representatives on Wednesday urged the Federal Government to fix date for national census scheduled for fourth quarter of 2019.

    This followed a motion under “Matters of Urgent Public Importance” by Ossy Prestige (Abia-APGA), on the need to conduct census for proper planning and development in Nigeria.

    Moving the motion, the lawmaker quoted United Nations Fund for Population Activities as saying that Nigeria had a dynamic economy and large population expected to double in the next two decades.

    He said census was pivotal and necessary tool for the growth of any emerging society, which in turn informed decision-making in public and private sectors.

    NAN

  • R-APC plot: Senators, Reps to be denied tickets

    Senators and House of Representatives members involved in the Reformed-All Progressives Congress(R-APC) “plot” may be denied tickets to return to the parliament, sources close to the ruling party said yesterday.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not concede automatic tickets to defecting R-APC senators and representatives, The Nation learnt.

    The APC’s tough stance accounted for why its National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole did not make any commitment last Thursday, when the party’s House of Representatives Caucus demanded automatic tickets for its members in 2019.

    Between 30 and 40 per cent of senators and House of Representatives members, many of them unpopular in their constituencies, are believed to be involved in the R-APC “plot”.

    A principal officer in the National Assembly said: “This R-APC matter may consume some senators and members of the House of Representatives. This is why some of us are watching before we leap.

    “With the way the plot is going, about 30 to 40 per cent of members of the National Assembly, especially those in R-APC, may not come back in 2019. We have done our homework in arriving at this percentage.

    “About 60 per cent others have been engaging in meticulous calculations because at the end of the day, the key drivers of R-APC, like Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara, may survive. Others will be left in the lurch.

    “You can appreciate why political leaders, like Sen. Aliyu Wammako, Sen. Danjuma Goje, and Sen. Adamu Aliero among others, have been tactical.”

    Wamakko, Goje and Aliero, among others have pitched their tent with the APC.

    “Those members of the National Assembly who might pay the price are the younger and inexperienced ones with youthful exuberance, joining the R-APC bandwagon. They are mostly in APC-controlled states,” the source said.

    For the PDP, it was leant that ex-Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke’s Contact and Mobilisation Committee, which has been negotiating with R-APC leaders, only recommended creation of a level-playing field for defectors from the ruling party instead of automatic tickets.

    A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the PDP, who spoke in confidence with our correspondent, said: “There is no automatic ticket for Senators and Representatives defecting to the PDP to re-contest in 2019, but we will ensure a level-playing field for all. Even PDP Senators and Representatives are not guaranteed automatic tickets.

    “The ongoing talks between R-APC and PDP do not have any clause of automatic ticket. Those who are defecting should know that it is based on principles and desire for good governance but not for automatic tickets.

    “It will amount to over-expectations for any lawmaker to dream of automatic ticket as bait for defection.”

    The source said that in fielding candidates for 2019 polls, the PDP will look at “various likely winning indices instead of bandwagon benchmark”.

    “There are some local peculiarities that PDP cannot ignore in its alliance with R-APC and other parties. So, automatic ticket cannot work,” the source said

     

  • Senators, Reps reply Buhari on 2018 budget

    THE Senate and House of Representatives yesterday listed the need to address “geo-political imbalances’ and ensure compliance with the constitutional principle of Federal Character as the reasons for its adjustments to the 2018 budget proposals submitted to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The lawmakers also claimed that the budget process is a joint effort that “must reflect the input of both the executive and the legislature, the latter being the closest representatives of the people.”

    But it admitted that it was “fully aware that the Executive has the exclusive responsibility to execute all parts of the Appropriation Act once it is signed into law.”

    The legislature was responding to Wednesday’s public complaint by President Buhari on the massive alteration made to the budget by the federal lawmakers.

    Buhari who signed the budget document ‘reluctantly’ on account of the alteration said the National Assembly raised estimates he presented by N578 billon, cut N347 billion allocated to 4,700 projects and introduced 6,403 projects of their own, reduced allocation for the completion of the Enugu Airport terminal building from N2 billion to N500 million and the take-off grant for the Maritime University in Delta State from N5 billion to N3.4 billion, among others

    He said: “Many of the projects cut are critical and may be difficult, if not impossible, to implement with the reduced allocation.

    “Some of the new projects inserted by the National Assembly have not been properly conceptualised, designed and costed, and will therefore be difficult to execute.”

    But giving its own side of the controversy in Abuja yesterday, the National Assembly said that the number of projects had to be increased in order to “give a sense of belonging to every geo-political zone of the country to ensure socio-economic justice, equity, fairness, and to command National loyalty.”

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas, spoke for the legislative arm at a press conference.

    Abdullahi said that within the context of the provisions of Sections 4, 80 and 81 of the Constitution, “everything that the National Assembly has done is within its powers.”

    He said that Chapter 2 of the Constitution emphasises the need for balance, inclusivity and equity in the distribution of national resources.

    The annual budget, which symbolises the distribution of these resources, he said, must reflect these values, which they swore to uphold.

    “These Constitutional provisions, in addition to a recent court judgment, have affirmed the fact that the budget process is a ‘joint effort’ that must reflect the input of both the executive and the legislature — the latter being the closest representatives of the people,” he said.

    He said it was wrong to blame the National Assembly for the delay in passing the budget proposals because, according to him, as at March 15, 2018 (five months and eight days after the budget was submitted), the President was still directing the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to compel the Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government to appear before the committees of the National Assembly to defend their respective budget.

    “In addition, up till April (6 months after the budget submission), the Executive was still bringing new additions to the 2018 budget which the National Assembly in good faith and in the spirit of collaboration and harmonious working relationship accepted,” he said..

    “More importantly, the 2017 budget was signed into law on June 5, 2017, and by the provisions of Section 318 of the Constitution, which defines the Financial Year as “any period of 12 months beginning on the first day of January in any year, or other date as the National Assembly may prescribe” – the 2017 budget lapsed on the 5th of June 2018. This same provision is replicated in the 2017 Appropriation Act.

    “It is important to also note that if not for the fact that the 2017 budget elapsed on the 5th of June 2018, the Federal Government would not have recorded notable capital projects for the just ended financial year.

    “This is because the Federal Government only started releasing funds for capital projects in December 2017 when the funds from the Federal Government’s loans were released and disbursed to contractors.”

    On the N347 billion said to have been cut from the budget proposals, Abdullahi said the money was ”made from low priority areas to higher priority areas to support the generation of employment for our youth by MSMEs.

    ”We took the decision to reduce the funds in some areas in order to ensure balance and equity in the spread and utilization of our national funds.

    “Additionally, the figures, given amounts of the reductions made by the National Assembly, were unduly exaggerated, as we did not make any substantial reduction on any project to the extent of affecting its implementation.”

    He added: “It should be noted that the counterpart funding for the Mambilla Power Plant, Second Niger Bridge/Ancillary roads, the East-West Road, Bonny-Bodo Road, Lagos-Ibadan Express Road and Itakpe-Ajaokuta Rail Project, was reduced by only N3,956,400,290 – which represents only 1.78 % of the total N222,569,335,924 submitted by President Buhari. This left these projects with N218,612,935,634 which cannot negatively affect their implementation.

    “This obviously contradicts the claim that these projects lost “an aggregate of N11.5 billion”.

    ”The counterpart funding for 3050 mw Mambilla Hydropower Project was reduced from N8.5billion to N8.2billion (a reduction of N300 million);

    “The construction of the Second Niger bridge including access roads phases 2a and 2b in Anambra and Delta states and other projects in the South East were reduced from N10 billion to N9.1 billion (a reduction of N900 million);

    “The construction of Bodo-Bonny road with a bridge across the Opobo channel in Rivers State was reduced from N10billion to N8.7billion (a reduction of N1.3billion);

    “The funding for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was reduced from N20billion to N18billion (a reduction of N2billion), which would not significantly affect the construction of the road in one appropriation cycle.

    “The Railway Projects (Counterpart Funds): 1. Lagos-Kano (ongoing) 2. Calabar-Lagos (Ongoing) 3. Ajaokuta-Itakpe-Aladja (Warri) (Ongoing) 4. Port Harcourt- Maiduguri (New) 5. Kano-Katsina-Jibiya-Maradi in Niger Republic (New) 6. Abuja-Itakpe and Aladja (Warri)-Warri Port and Refinery including Warri new Harbour (New) 7. Bonny deep Sea Port & Port Harcourt of N162,284,335,924 was retained by the National Assembly as presented by Mr. President.”

    Abdullahi said that the National Assembly increased the aggregate funding for the East-West Road from N11,285,000,000 to N12,085,000,000 “because we realised the strategic importance of the road to the entire oil producing areas of our country and the fact that the road project has lingered for too long.”

    On the Second Niger Bridge project, Abdullahi said that “apart from early works, as of today, there is no existing contract for the Second Niger Bridge in spite of frequent requests from the National Assembly.”

    He added that “the N900million reduced from the N10billion proposed by the Executive was deployed to fund ancillary roads that connect to the Bridge.”

    “It should again be noted that the N12.5billion and the N7.5billion appropriated for the Second Niger Bridge in the 2016 and 2017 budget by the National Assembly were never utilised for the project.”

    He said that the National Assembly allocated an additional N2billion to the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway project over and above the sum appropriated by the executive.

    Abdullahi said that under the 2017 budget, contracts for 15 roads were awarded by the Federal Executive Council with no budgetary provisions.

    He noted that the realization of the importance of the projects made the National Assembly to “spread the N3.9billion saved from the earlier mentioned projects funding to facilitate the take-off of these projects that include: the rehabilitation of Ikorodu-Shagamu Road in Lagos State; the rehabilitation of 9th Mile-Orakam to Benue Border; and the general maintenance of Pankshin – Ballang – Nyelleng – Sararele – Gindiri road in Plateau State, etc. These are the projects purported to be “project inclusions without conceptualization.”

    He said that “the National Assembly needs to be commended by Mr. President for helping to support the take-off of these awarded but unfunded projects.”

    On the issue of the 104 Unity Schools across the country and the claim that N3billion was cut from their funding, Abdullahi said that “Nigerians need to know that after careful consultation by the committees of the National Assembly with stakeholders in the sector, the National Assembly actually provided an additional N3.7billion more for meal subsidies in these 104 Unity Schools.”

    On the allocation for the Enugu Airport he said: “It is necessary to again clarify that during the budget defence and oversight processes, the National Assembly discovered that out of the N2billion contract for the Enugu Terminal Building, N1.7billion had already been paid to the contractor. And what is left to complete this project is just N300million.

    “Hence, the National Assembly approved N500million for the project — which is even N200million more than was required.”

    He added: “The Executive’s proposal for the National Judicial Council was N100 billion, however, the National Assembly appropriated N110billion which represents N10 billion increase.”

    He said that the Executive’s proposal for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was N71,195,023,529, however the National Assembly appropriated N81,882,555,891 — which represents a N10,687,532,363 increase;

    “An additional N33,981,437,188 was also appropriated for the outstanding liabilities to the NDDC by the Federal Government to enable the commission settle some of its contractors that were owed over N1 trillion  ;

    “The National Assembly received an additional N14.5billion in funding;

    “In order to ensure that they are able to meet their mandate, the National Assembly increased the Public Complaint’s Commission’s budget from the N4,200,000,000 proposed by the President to N7,480,000,000 — which represents a N3,280,000,000 increase; and

    Lastly, the National Human Rights Commission’s budget was increased from N1.5billion to N3,013,745,000, which represents a N1,513,745,000 increase.”

    Abdullahi noted that “It is therefore very clear that the three arms of government benefited from the increase which was mutually agreed on with the Ministry of Budget and Planning.

  • Why we increased 2018 Budget by N508bn – Reps

    The House of Representatives has insisted it would not be subservient to the Executive on budget preparation and approvals.

    The House absolved itself of blame in the late passage of the 2018 Budget, blaming the Executive for the failure to commence budget cycle from January to December beginning from the 2018 fiscal year.

    In a reaction to President Muhammadu Buhari’s signing of the 2018 Appropriation Act into law, the House said while the Executive was empowered to propose the budget, it is within its power of appropriation to alter and make additions to the budget when necessary.

    The House, in a statement issued on Wednesday by its Spokesman, Abdulrazak Namdas, said it increased the 2018 budget by N508billion because some of the projects designed by the executive, as high-sounding as their names suggest, do not meet the needs of the common man.

    The lawmakers said the additional costs and projects to the budget were done in good faith for the sole purpose of improving the lives of Nigerians.

    The statement reads: “The House of Representatives is appreciative of President Muhammadu Buhari in signing the 2018 Appropriation Bill into law and wish  to make the following observations:

    “That the budget is usually a proposal by the Executive to the National Assembly, which the latter is given the constitutional power of appropriation to alter, make additions, costs or reduce as it may deem necessary. The legislature is not expected to be a rubber-stamp by simply approving the Executive proposals and returning the budget to Mr. President. Therefore, the additions Mr. President complained of in his speech are justifiable.

    “We are on the same page with Mr. President in his desire to return our budget cycle to January-December. By the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2007, the budget estimates should be with the National Assembly around September of the year. In the case of the 2018 budget, the estimates came behind schedule in November 2017, even though this attempt was seen as one of the earliest in recent years. Going forward, we urge the Executive to speed up the reporting time to the National Assembly by complying fully with the FRA.

    “Besides, there were delays that should be blamed on the heads of MDAs. Mr. President will recall that he had to direct ministers and heads of agencies to go to the National Assembly to defend their proposals. This came after the National Assembly had persistently raised the alarm over the non-cooperative attitudes of these government officials. On this grounds, the delay in passing the budget cannot be blamed on the legislature.

    “New projects in budget. On this aspect, we have to remind Mr. President that we are representatives of our people and wish to state that even the common man deserves a mention in the budget by including projects that will directly affect his life positively. Some of the projects designed by the executive, as high-sounding as their names suggest, do not meet the needs of the common man.”

     

     

  • Senators, Reps to President: tolerate us as your ‘children’

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday got a loyalty and commitment  pledge from an unlikely source:the National Assembly.

    Besides the pledge,Senators and members of the House of Representatives  prayed that God might bless Buhari with additional tolerance for him to continue to tolerate them  as his “children”.

    Deputy Senate Leader, Alhaji  Bala ibn Na’Allah, representing  Senate President Bukola Saraki, made the pledge when representatives of residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) paid Sallah homage to the President at the Presidential Villa.

    Na’Allah  said the National Assembly would keep supporting the vision of the Buhari administration for a greater Nigeria and claimed that  no administration since 1999 has received more cooperation from the legislature like President Buhari.

    He said: “Mr. President, I have the authority of each and every member of the Senate and the House of Representatives to wish you a blessed Eid-el-Fitr in 2018 which we are celebrating.

    “And I have the authority of each and every one of us to equally pledge our loyalty and commitment to work with you for the betterment of this country and to wish you more strength; to wish you more health, and most importantly, Mr. President, to add additional degree of tolerance for you so that you tolerate us as your children.

    “Let me seize this opportunity to say, for the record, that from 1999, when we started our democratic experience, to date,  no president and I repeat, no president, and I say for the third time no president has received the amount of cooperation from the National Assembly like you, contrary to what is outside there.”

    The senator thanked the president, on behalf of the National Assembly, over his decision to revisit and address the issue of June 12, 1993 presidential election which was won by the late MKO Abiola.

    President Buhari had, on June 6, in a statement declared that henceforth, June 12, be observed as Democracy Day in Nigeria and that some heroes of democracy be given national honours.

    The president fulfilled this promise on Tuesday when he conferred on Abiola the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (Posthumous).  Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe and  the late Gani Fawehinmi were also conferred with Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger.

    Continuing, Na’Allah  said: “May I, on behalf of the Senate and the House of Representatives, again thank you for that bold steps you have taken in addressing the unresolved issue of the June 12.

    “You might have underestimated the effects of that singular act. But I will tell you sir, you have achieved more than 75 per cent of what South Africa did with the Truth and Reconciliation Committee with this singular act.

    “You may not understand sir, but I’m sure in the near future you will understand the value of that singular act.

    “Along that line, may I on behalf of the National Assembly implore our religious leaders to begin to think along the line of uniting this country.

    “God has brought us together; we do not have any alternative; as far as we are concerned, we should continue to live as brothers and sisters.”

    Responding, President Buhari called on all Nigerians to work towards salvaging the nation from the shackles of past wrongs by sharing in the collective vision for a greater Nigeria and contributing individually to realize the goal.

    He urged all citizens to embrace the reality that Nigeria must exist and continue as one nation, noting that the country needed all its human and material resources to succeed.

  • Reps in rowdy session over June 12  public holiday 

    Opponents of the official declaration of the result of the June 12 as a public holiday mounted a serious obstacle to its actualization on the floor of the House of Representatives yesterday.

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara ruled that the issue be professionally examined by experts which will form the basis of whatever decision the House would take.

    This followed the stalemate on a motion by Wale Raji (APC, Lagos) on the declaration of June 12 as a national holiday.

    Raji, who applauded President Buhari’s initiative, noted that the annulled election was generally acknowledged to be peaceful and adjudged by the international observers as the freest, fairest and most credible in the democratic history of the country.

    He said: “It is saddening however that in spite of the commendable integrity of the election, it was annulled by the military government of General Ibrahim Babangida and the country was thrown into a serious political turmoil leading to another military ear which lasted till 1999 when the country returned to a democratic regime which has survived to date.

    “It is also worrisome that since 1999, successive governments at the federal level have failed to acknowledge and declare and celebrate June 12 as the real Democracy Day, rather continued to celebrate May 29 as Democracy Day in Nigeria”.

    Raji sought the support of the House to urge President Buhari to direct the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release the full result of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and declare the winner, Chief Moshood Abiola, as president-elect posthumously with a view to resolving all issues relating to the election and complete the history of June 12, 1993 presidential election.

    The floor was, however, divided on the legality of the declaration of the holiday as opponents and proponents took turns to make their points before a rowdy situation developed.

    Most of the lawmakers agreed that June 12 deserved to be a public holiday though.

    Opponents of the motion said notwithstanding that Mr President has the powers to declare public holidays, Democracy Day becomes a constitutional issue when it has to be changed.

    They cited Section 2 (2) of Public Holiday Act where May 29 was declared Democracy Day.

    Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) threw the floor into an overdrive when he accused President Buhari of usurping the powers of the National Assembly to declare a public holiday.

    He argued that the declaration of a public holiday is supported by an Act of parliament and not through public declaration.

    Before he could go on, Speaker Dogara referred him to sections of the Principal Schedule of the Act that confers the President with powers to appoint any day as public holiday.

    When the floor became rowdy and opponents of the motion could no longer be audibly heard, the Speaker conferred  with lawmakers after which he declared that expert opinion must be sought before the House could make its stance known.

    The Speaker added: “Whatever we do must be properly done so that we don’t subject ourselves to public interpretation of our actions.”

    He referred the motion to Committees on Rules and Business and Justice.

  • Reps: PIB’ll be passed fully next month

    The House of Representatives has assured that the remaining three parts of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) would be passed next month.

    Its Committee  on Gas Chairman, Hon. Fred Agbedi, gave the assurance  at the 2018 Natural Gas Business Forum 2018 organised by the Nigerian Gas Association in Lagos.

    He assured the participants that the remaining three parts of the PIB – the Fiscals, Administration and Host Communities Bills as the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) has since been passed and harmonised by the Senate and House of Representatives.

    Agbedi said the decision to speedily pass the three bills was borne out of the need to lay down solid foundation for an enduring petroleum laws in the country. He said the House would have passed the bills earlier but was constrained by numerous conflicting presentations by oil and gas industry stakeholders.

    The lawmaker said the lower house was desirous of fashioning out robust laws that would strengthen the nation’s business environment through collaboration with stakeholders in the petroleum industry.

    Representative of the Managing Director, Nigerian Gas Company (NGC), Mr. Justin Ezeala, stressed the need for the private and public sectors to collaborate to ensure the growth of the nation’s gas sector. He said the NGC was well positioned to change the face of the gas industry and also ensure that the sector delivers the right input to the economy.