The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Reps

  • Reps invite Jonathan over Malabu oil deal

    Reps invite Jonathan over Malabu oil deal

    … Ex-President must give evidence on oil deal – Lawmakers

    The House of Representatives on Wednesday insisted that former President Goodluck Jonathan must give evidence on his role in the controversial $1 billion Malabu Oil deal.

    A statement issued by the Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee probing the alleged corruption, malpractices and breach of process in the award of OPL 245, Hon. Razak Atunwa, said they would write the former President to come and defend himself on the allegations.

    The statement reads: “The Ad-hoc Committee on OPL 245 met to consider the progress of the Committee’s work and the next steps to be taken.

    “The Committee noted that it had conducted extensive investigation into the OPL 245 saga and that it is drawing to a close.

    “However, the Committee is of the view that in the interest of thoroughness, natural justice and fair play, it imperative that evidence should be taken from former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    In arriving at this decision, the Committee took account of the following facts:

    “Mr. Jonathan was the President at the material time the ministers brokered the deal that lead to the allegation of $1bn funds diversion.

    Mr. Jonathan’s name features in the proceedings initiated by the Public Prosecutor of Milan in Italy.

    “A UK court judgment in relation to an application to return part of the money being restrained, castigated the Jonathan administration as not having acted in the best interest of Nigeria in relation to the ‘deal’;

    “The Attorney-General of the Federation at the material time, Mohammed Bello Adoke, has recently instituted proceedings in court wherein he pleaded that all his actions were as instructed by former President Goodluck Jonathan.

    “Accordingly, pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution, the Committee has decided to request that former President Goodluck Jonathan give evidence on his role in the matter. The Secretariat will write to him asking for his response and submissions.”

     

     

  • Reps summon Fashola over comments on 2017 budget

    Reps summon Fashola over comments on 2017 budget

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday summoned the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to appear before its adhoc committee and defend comments he reportedly made on the 2017 budget.

    The committee is headed by Hon. Aliyu Madaki (APC Kano).

    The minister is expected to explain the rationale behind the comments and “why he is inciting Nigerians against the National Assembly.”

    The House decision was sequel to a motion brought under privilege by one Sadiq Abubarkar and passed by majority votes.

    Fashola had claimed recently that one of the spokesmen of the National Assembly did not have a grasp of issues relating to the 2017 budget.

    “This showed very stark and worrisome gaps in knowledge of the spokesperson about the budget process he was addressing,’’ the minister said.

    The date for the hearing has not been announced.

     

  • Reps to Fashola: your budget proposal was sectional

    Reps to Fashola: your budget proposal was sectional

    The House of Representatives has said it will not allow the nation’s resources to be unfairly distributed to the detriment of any section of the country.

    According to the lawmakers, the National Assembly was forced to tinker with the 2017 bAudget document because the proposal presented by the President Muhammadu Buhari for the Ministry of Works,  Power and Housing failed integrity test as it was skewed to favour a section of the country.

    House Spokesman Abdulrazaq Namdas, in a statement yesterday, said it was time for the Minister, Babatunde Fashola, to be reminded that it was the duty of the National Assembly to ensure fairness in the distribution of the nation’s patrimony.

    He said: “We need to remind Mr. Fashola that the National Assembly is a national institution made up of members from all geo-political zones. They represent all tendencies, interests and ethnic nationalities.

  • Fashola’s budget proposal failed integrity test – Reps

    Fashola’s budget proposal failed integrity test – Reps

    The House of Representatives said on Wednesday it would not allow the nation’s resources to be unfairly distributed to the detriment of any section of the country.

    The lawmakers said the National Assembly was forced to tinker with the  2017 budget because the proposal presented by President Muhammadu Buhari for Ministry of Works,  Power and Housing failed integrity test as it was skewed to favour a section of the country.

    The House Spokesman, Abdulrazaq Namdas, said in a statement the time was ripe for Minister of Works, Power and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to know that it was the duty of the National Assembly to ensure fairness in the distribution of nation’s resources.

    He said: “We need to remind Mr. Fashola that the National Assembly is a national institution made up of members from all geo-political zones, they represent all tendencies, interests and ethnic nationalities.

    “It has a responsibility also to ensure balance in the distribution of road projects and other developmental facilities.

    “It cannot watch our national patrimony unfairly skewed to one region or a few regions to the detriment of other states and geo-political zones.

    “The proposal from Mr. President on the 2017 Budget of the Ministry of Works, Power and Housing did not pass this test.

    “This partly informed the intervention of National Assembly so that every region can be carried along in project allocation.”

  • Senators, Reps to Fashola: Stop blackmailing us

    Senators, Reps to Fashola: Stop blackmailing us

    • National Assembly accuses minister of misleading public on budget slashing

    The Senate and House of Representatives are squaring up to Works, Housing and Power Minister Babatunde Fashola over allegation that the legislature messed up the ministry’s 2017 budget.

    They labelled the minister’s allegation as wrong information, half truth and blackmail.

    Fashola, last week, accused the lawmakers of slashing his ministry’s appropriation for some critical projects, and at the same time introducing 100 new projects to the 200 uncompleted ones he inherited from the Jonathan administration.

    The first response came from the Senate whose spokesman, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, said Fashola did not give the public full details about the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    Abdullahi said the project commenced as a private finance initiative whereas the minister prefers an arrangement that allows the Ministry to continue to award contracts and fund the project through government budgetary allocation at a time when the nation’s revenue is dwindling.

    According to him, the Bureau of Public Procurement, and the Federal Executive Council in 2013, approved the reconstruction, rehabilitation and expansion of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway as a Public Private Partnership project using the Private Finance Initiative, with the Federal Government providing about 30 percent of the funding while the balance shall be provided by the private sector.

    The project was on course for completion by end of 2017 when the private finance initiative was being implemented, with over 30 percent completion rate attained as at early 2015.

    Abdullahi further noted that in a blatant disregard for existing agreements, constituted authorities and extant laws, Fashola on assumption of office got government through the Ministry to start voting money for the implementation of the project.

    “Even as at last year the 2016 Appropriation Act voted N40 billion for the project on the insistence of the Ministry and only N26 billion was released. If we had known, the rest N14 billion could have been allocated to other critical roads across the country”, he said.

    He added: “In the spirit of consensus building and effective stakeholder engagement, the leadership of the Senate met with key relevant stakeholders, including the Ministries of Works and finance.

    “It was agreed that we should give the Private Finance Initiative a chance to complement government’s resources in the delivery of critical infrastructure assets across the country. Hence, in this year’s budget, we have engaged with the Government and private sector groups who have assured that they will resume funding of the project.

    “So, we only provided the fund in the budget that would ensure work does not stop before the funds from the private sector start coming in .What we reduced from Lagos-Ibadan Expressway in the 2017 budget estimate was spread on Oyo-Ogbomoso road in the South-west, Enugu-Onitsha road in the South-East, and two other critical roads in the North-East and North-West; and this was done to achieve equity. The Minister should realise he is Minister for the entire country and not just that of Lagos State.

    “It is our view that the Federal Government cannot fund the reconstruction and maintenance of all the 34,000 kilometres of roads under its care. We are looking for private funds for some of these roads, particularly those with high potentials of attracting private investors. These include the Enugu-Onitsha road, Kano-Abuja road and Abuja-Lokoja road. It has been our hope that the Lagos -Ibadan road would be a model for private sector funding of infrastructure in the country.”

    The Senator said Fashola’s   statement was in bad taste and should “desist from spreading half-truths.”

    “When he said the National Assembly imported projects into the 2017 budget, he did not mention that these include the 26 projects which the Federal Government approved in the 2016 budget, awarded contract for them in January 2016, but totally omitted them in the 2017 budget. One of them is the Abuja-Kaduna road. These ones would have become abandoned projects. We reduced funds across board to make provision for these omitted projects that are of critical importance to the socio-economic development of the country in line with equity and fair play.”

    For its part, the House of Representatives said Fashola’s remarks were meant to paint the National Assembly as an irresponsible institution, “one not concerned with the welfare of the people, and set the Executive and Legislature on an unnecessary collision course on matters of power rather than issues that benefit the Nigerian people.”

    House Spokesman, Abdulrazaq Namdas said ” the decision to redistribute the projects proposed by  the ministry was in order to ensure an even spread of projects across all regions, which the proposal of the executive had failed to do.

    “Considering that the funds that were allocated for the second Niger Bridge in 2016 were returned untouched at the end of the year, the National Assembly decided to reduce N5 billion from the 2017 Budget for 2nd Niger Bridge to fund other projects from the South East, leaving N7 billion for the second Niger Bridge.

    “The truth is that in the 2016 Budget, N12 billion was appropriated for the second Niger Bridge and not a kobo was spent by the Ministry. Not a kobo. The money was returned. The Ministry could not provide the Committees of the National Assembly with evidence of an agreement on the Public Private Partnership (PPP) or a contract for the 2nd Niger Bridge.

    “The projects include – N2.5 billion extra for Enugu/Onitsha Road, N1 billion more for 9th Mile/Nsukka/Makurdi Road; additional N500m for Oturkpa- Makurdi to take care of evacuation of agricultural produce up to Maiduguri; N1 billion more for Ikot Ekpene-Aba-Owerri Road etc. These are strategic Roads in the South-East and North Central parts of Nigeria that had inadequate allocations.

    “The National Assembly had to intervene to fund some other critical roads that were totally neglected in the Executive Budget proposal, including the Abuja- Kaduna – Zaria – Kano Road that had Zero allocation from the President’s proposal and no contract, even in spite of due process certification.

    “N5 billion was provided in the 2016 Budget. It was not utilised. In 2017 Budget, the National Assembly again provided N3 billion for this very critical road that connects many states and where incidents of kidnapping are rife because of bad roads, as we believe that all parts of Nigeria deserve attention or would the Minister also claim that this road has no design?”

     

  • Reps blow hot over Acting President’s comment

    Reps blow hot over Acting President’s comment

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara said the powers of the three arms of government were clearly spelt out in the constitution.

    “From the very pedestrian interpretation of the functions of the three arms of government, one makes laws, the other executes the laws, the other interprets the law. So, a declaration as to which of the arms has the power and rights, in as much as it is related to the interpretation of the law, is the function of the judiciary and not of the executive.

    “I don’t even want to believe that the acting president made that statement; I don’t want to believe that, sincerely speaking. Because when it comes to the issue of the budget, I think we better say this thing and make it very clear, so that our people will have a better understanding. When it comes to the budget, the power of the purse in a presidential system of government rests in the parliament.”

    Accusing the Acting President of breaching his priviledge by his comments, Hon. Abubakar Lawal said the Constitution and the House Rules were clear on the procedure for passing the budget. “For someone to come out and say that we have no power, it’s a breach of our privilege,” he said.

    Cheered on by his colleagues, Dogara, added: “The reason why the Constitution designers made it that way is because the executive is just one man, it is just the president. Every other person in the executive is acting on behalf of the president, so the relationship between the president and every other person there is that of  servant and the master.

    “It is only in the parliament where we have representatives of the people that there is equality and you can say your mind on any issue, you can bring matters of priority the way you like.  The only time you can be cautioned is when you go outside the rules of debate but in the executive, it is not the case.

    “Of recent, especially in this part of the world, people exercise executive functions on behalf of the president  and want to be like experts in emotional  intelligence. Even when the president has not said anything, people are trying to understand what the body language says so that they can tailor their arguments to suit the body language of the President, otherwise that might give them a sack.

    “So, the entire architecture of presidential democracy is that it should run on the basis of consensus and convention between the parliament and the executive, and when there is disagreement between the executive and the parliament, the framers of the Constitution were smart enough to say look, our hope is in the representatives of the people and not in the executive, so the parliament can even go along.

    “In the case of the budget, for instance, if it were the case that parliament disagrees with the executive on the budget, the worst the executive can do is to say they will not sign and after 30 days, if we can muster two-thirds, and it doesn’t have to be two-thirds of the entire membership, once the quorum is formed, two-third of the members sitting and voting, we can override the veto of the President and pass it into law.

    “The only other option open to the executive is to say because we didn’t assent to this, this is the budget of the parliament, so we will not implement. But the point is that all of them, including us, are under an oath to faithfully execute the laws of this land. Then the question that will follow is if this is a law of the land and the answer is yes.

    As men of honour, whether legislators or executive, we are bound by  the oath of office to faithfully execute that law.

    “In the case of the executive, if it is not done, all of us know the very consequences. I don’t want to call it by its name, we know the consequences. So in this kind of government, the winner is obvious.  So I don’t think we should bother ourselves belabouring this issue.

    “We all know where these powers are and under our watch, there is no way this House will be a rubberstamp of any executive .

    Dogara said budgets are priorities of the government, but that as representatives of the people they can discern which are the priorities of the people as opposed to the priorities of the government.

    “We can say even though these are priorities of the government, based on our job of representation, these are not the priorities of the people and we can refuse to fund them.”

  • Reps: Security should be on the alert

    Reps: Security should be on the alert

    The House of Representatives yesterday condemned the ultimatum by the Coalition of Arewa Youths to the Igbo to leave the North.

    The House urged security agencies to be on the alert to forestall any breakdown of law and order that may arise as a result of the threat.

    The resolution was sequel to the adoption of a motion under matter of urgent public importance by  Oghene Egoh (Lagos-PDP).

    Egoh condemned the threat issued by some pro North youth groups and the stand of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) on the matter.

    The lawmaker stressed the need for the Federal Government to urgently intervene to avert a national crisis.

    “As part of the campaign by the IPOB for the actualisation of Biafra Republic, Biafra agitators shut down major towns in the South-East on May 30, 2017.

    “It is disturbing that 16 Northern youth groups on June 6, 2017 gave Igbos residing in their states up to Oct. 1, 2017 to vacate the region.

    “In its reaction, the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) said it received with gladness the ‘quit notice’ and urged the Igbo to return home immediately.

    “The two calls created alarming twist, which is ominous and dangerous for the good health of Nigerians.

    “This motion is not interested in the merit or demerit of Biafra; nor is it interested in apportioning blame on those who made the two unpatriotic calls.

    “Rather, this is only concern for the nation’s leaders to immediately intervene to stop these agitations from resulting in violence that may consume the entire nation,’’ Egoh said.

    He also urged the National Assembly and the Presidency to initiate dialogue with the two groups to avoid damage to the nation.

    “While people have the right to their views and decisions about lives, the National Assembly must rise to the occasion we find ourselves and put an end to the confusion that is brewing.

    “This must be done by appealing to both parties to withdraw their demands to avoid loss of lives, especially that of innocent children, women and others who are not part of the problem,’’ Egoh warned.

    Without debate on the motion, the House urged the Arewa youths and their Biafra counterparts to rescind their decisions.

    The legislators called on the Federal Government to urgently wade into the crisis to avoid loss of lives and properties.

  • Things FCT needs, by Reps

    The House of Representatives has bemoaned the fact that the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) does not have any tertiary institution of its own.

    The House also condemned the slow pace of development in the suburbs of the FCT compared to Abuja city.

    Speaking at the ongoing public hearing on bills on the FCT, Chairman, House Committee on FCT, Herman Hembe assured that the House would work assiduously with the Senate to ensure that work on the bill establishing Abuja University of Technology and Abuja College of Agriculture is concluded and sent to the President for assent before the commencement of next academic session.

    According to the Committee, commencement of academic activities on September this year remains sacrosanct.

    “One of the problems that contributed to this long delay is probably that one of the Chambers completed work on the bill and the other could not…This time, the House is going to ensure that the Senate expedites action on it and send it to the President for assent. The school is ready, the infrastructures are in place and ready to take in 200 students.

    “So, we are mindful of the benefits this would impact on our education system and FCT in particular and that is why we are determined this time to make this a reality because it is unthinkable that the FCT does not have its own tertiary institution,” Hembe said.

    While describing  the slow pace of development at the suburbs of the Federal Capital Territory  (FCT) compared to the Abuja city as unacceptable, the Committee regretted  that the four states of Kogi, Nasarawa, Niger and Kaduna bordering the FCT have not benefitted from development emanating from the Federal Capital.

    Hembe said part of the reasons behind the commencement of the process of the establishing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Wider Areas Planning and Development Commission and FCT Security Trust Fund was to implement measures inclined to develop the four states that border the FCT.

    Sponsor of the Wider Areas bill, Jonathan Gbefwi (PDP, Nasarawa) said, “Over the years, these suburbs as they are classified, have recorded high population densities in terms of accommodating majority of people working in the FCT but cannot afford to live there.

    “The bill is therefore aimed at establishing a commission that will be saddled with the responsibility of bringing development to the wider areas through the provision of basic infrastructure and social amenities that will bring about a certain level of urbanisation.

    “Also, in a bid to address prevailing problems caused by congestion in many of these suburbs, a master plan just like that of the FCT would be implemented in the Wider Areas where strategies would be developed towards a more rational utilisation of land and other natural resources as well as the better arrangement of residential, commercial, industrial, recreational and other needed activity centres within these communities,” he said.

    The high point of the hearing however was the failure of the  Ministry of FCT to contribute to the discourse as the Permanent Secretary, Babatope Ajakaye, said the position of his Ministry on the two Bills  would be communicated to the Committee after due and wider consultations.

    He disclosed that a panel to look at the Security Fund bill  has been set up and given a week to conclude its assignment.

  • Recruitment: Reps threaten Immigration CG with arrest

    The House of Representatives has given the Comptroller-General (CG) of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), Mohammed Babandede, till Wednesday to appear before it or risk being compelled to.

    The decision of the House followed the refusal of the CG to honour the invitation of its Committee on Legislative Compliance over the planned recruitment exercise of the agency.

    The House noted that its concern over the planned recruitment exercise was necessitated by the last exercise conducted by the agency, where several unemployed Nigerians lost their lives under questionable circumstances.

    According to the committee chairman, Olasupo Adeola (APC, Oyo), over the weekend, Babandede’s refusal was a slight on the institution of the National Assembly and it was capable of demeaning it before the Nigerian public.

    Adeola said the CG failed to provide reasons for his failure to appear before the committee and he also failed to send a representative.

    The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, it was gathered, has assured the committee of expedited action on the process of securing a bench warrant should the CG refused to honour the latest invitation.

    “The nation can no longer afford to continue to waste it’s best resources just because some people refused to do their job diligently,” the Speaker was quoted as saying.

  • We paid no ransom for freed lawmaker —Reps

    We paid no ransom for freed lawmaker —Reps

    The House of Representatives has said it did not pay any ransom to secure the release of its member who was kidnapped on Tuesday.

    Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Abdulrazak Namdas, while giving journalists a report of the House’s weekly activities yesterday, denied reports that members of the House raised funds to pay kidnappers for the release of the member.

    Garba Durbunde, who represents Sumaila/Takai Federal Constituency of Kano State, was kidnapped along the Kaduna-Jere Road while he was driving to Kano from Abuja on Tuesday, but he was released by the kidnappers on Wednesday after a huge ransom was reportedly paid.

    The House Spokesman said:: “It’s unfortunate that it happened. But we thank God, he has been released unharmed. From what we were told, he wasn’t targeted, though he was alone in the car.

    “We didn’t pay for his release. He was alone in the car and since he didn’t resist, he cooperated with them and was subsequently released. So how could we have paid ransom for someone who was released?”

    It was also learnt that the House may give the contentious South East Development Commission Bill another chance for presentation.

    The bill, which was sponsored by Deputy Minority Leader and Chairman South-East Caucus, Chukwuka Onyema and 42 members of the House South-East Caucus failed to pass through on Thursday after a heated plenary session.

    Namdas insisted that due process was followed in negativing the bill on Thursday but that legislative practices allow rejected bill to be re-presented for first reading or through the House rescinding its earlier resolution.