The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Reps

  • 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.

     

  • Reps, Kachikwu square up over petrol pricing

    The members of the lower legislative chamber are crossed with the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu over what they described as the arbitrary pricing of petroleum products in the country.

    The House of Representatives had specifically requested explanation from the federal government on the rationale behind its importation of 95 percent of the nation’s consumption requirement of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) petrol while leaving five percent to the private sector.

    This is as the Minister of Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu restated the 2019 total exit date for importation of petrol with the refurbishment of three refineries to aid the process.

    Kachikwu said 100 percent refining of crude oil will reduce the foreign exchange allocation by 30 percent.

    While addressing members of the Ad hoc Committee investigating review of PMS price, Kachikwu said Nigeria cannot afford to be left behind by global trend whereby countries are exiting sale (export) of crude oil but concentrating on refining and selling.

    He told the committee that it was along this line that the federal government is determined to ensure that the country exit subsidy in downstream sector of the petroleum industry.

    He however regretted that the gains so far recorded in the deregulation of some petroleum products are being affected by pricing of the product.

    He said: “What you see a lot of countries do is that people are moving away from selling crude, they are moving to refining their products and selling out the refined products, whether it is white product, whether it is diesel, whether it is black product and the rest. So people are moving away from this crude exportation.

    “What this mean for me is that the demand for investment in the downstream refining and processing facilities are going to be high and the investment capitals are going to be challenged and you are going to have to compete with the rest of the world who been initially been crude exporters.

    “Products that have been largely deregulated like kerosene, how has that performed? Our performance on the deregulated products is commendable but there’s still a struggle because of volatility and access of forex.

    “As a result, we have to move away from price parity to look more into cost-based pricing structure.

    “The pricing structure has created fears for investors and that is why there is a need to avoid what is happening to gas where operators export and leave local market (consumption) struggling.”

    Chairman of the Ad-hoc Committee, Nnanna Igbokwe (PDP, Imo) expressed concern over the structure of importation of petrol asking why only five percent of the country’s consumption requirement was allocated to private sector participants.

    “In the interim, while making steps to enhance supply of PMS through oil production and shore-up supply of PMS through the Direct Supply Direct Purchase, you need to guide against sabotage of good government’s programmes,” Igbokwe said.

    The Committee is set to visit Nigeria’s neighbouring countries with a view of assessing their petrol prices, among others.

  • Content Act to cover power, other sectors, say Reps

    The House of Representatives has said it’s work on the bill that would extend the Nigerian Content Act to other key sectors of the economy such as power, construction, information communication technology and telecommunications is to enable Nigerians enjoy the sectors.

    Members of the House of Representatives Committee on Local Content led by its Chairman, Hon. Emmanuel Ekon, stated this when the committee paid  an oversight visit to the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board’s (NCDMB) premises and project sites in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    The Committee chairman said the first reading on the bill to extend the Nigerian Content Act to other key sectors has been passed, adding that the House members currently are fine tuning it. “I believe the bill will be passed this year,” Ekon added. He noted that violation of Local Content Act was more prevalent in the construction sector than the oil and gas sector.

    The committee commended the NCDMB for its diligent implementation of the Nigerian Content Act,  speedy execution of its headquarters building and the Polaku pipemill projects located in Bayelsa State.

    Speaking at the Polaku pipemill site, Ekon stated that the location met all requirements for citing such a facility including proximity to natural gas needed to generate electricity for the plant’s operations, access to road, which is a driver for transporting raw materials and finished products.

    He dismissed insinuations that the Board was acting beyond its mandate by promoting the pipemill, insisting that the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act empowered the Board to woo investors and prepare locations especially difficult terrains so that prospective investors would be convinced to commit their funds.

    After tour of the projects, Ekon promised that the House of Representatives would pass the bill extending the Nigerian Content Act to other key sectors of the economy so that Nigerians will enjoy the benefits. He also hailed the Board and its main contractor, MegaStar, for the speedy execution of the building project.

    “I was here when this land was acquired in 2015. Then, this place was bare ground. It’s not even up to two years and eight floors are already standing. We need to sell construction companies like this because it is 100 per cent indigenous. This company has invested resources in machines, personnel and construction equipment. Nigerians, multinationals and the Federal Government should patronise these kinds of companies,” he said

    NCDMB Executive Secretary, Simbi Wabote, in his welcome address, explained to the Committee that the Board’s mandate hinged on promoting, monitoring and evaluating Nigerian Content compliance in the oil and gas industry and serving as a catalyst to attract and drive needed investments so as to grow the economy and create jobs.

    Wabote restated the Board’s preparedness to assist any local or foreign investor seeking to develop facilities, stressing that the Nigerian Content Act provided that goods manufactured in-country would always get patronised by the industry ahead of foreign alternatives.

    On the Polaku pipemill, he stated that the Board had completed the sand filling of the site, conducted environmental impact assessment (EIA) and embarked on the construction of the access road, adding that the Board entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Titan Steel of China, who are expected to commence construction and complete the project by 2019.

    On the modular refineries in oil producing states – being encouraged by the Federal Government,  Wabote stated that the Board’s initiatives seek to ensure that the refineries get fabricated and assembled in Nigeria as against being imported from overseas. He also solicited support from the legislature to ensure that indigenous operating companies and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) comply fully with the provisions of the Nigerian Content Act.

  • ‘Reps’ attempt to amend NLNG Act without shareholders’ involvement illegal’

    •House must carry everybody along, says Na’Abba

    AN amendment to the Nigeria LNG Limited (NLNG) (Fiscal Incentives, Guarantees and Assurances) Act without following the laid down process stipulated in the Act for any amendment would be contrary to the Rule of Law.
    This was the reaction of the General Manager, External Relations, NLNG, Dr. Kudo Eresia-Eke,yesterday in Abuja.
    Eresia-Eke spokewhile responding to the sponsor of the NLNG Act Amendment and member of the House of Representatives, Leo Ogor, during a live television programme, Focus Nigeria, on African Independent Television (AIT).
    Ogor had earlier stated that the Guarantees and Assurances in the Act were not tampered with, adding that the only amendment contained in the Bill as passed by the House of Representatives was to include the payment of three per cent levy to the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to make the Act compliant with the NDDC Act.
    But Eresia-Eke expressed surprise that the amendment as passed by the House explicitly inserted the NDDC levy and deleted the Guarantees and Assurances contained in Paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 6 of the 2nd Schedule of Act, contrary to Ogor’s claim.
    He remarked that the unilateral amendment would easily result in the loss of Train 7/8 and further jeopardise similar projects requiring investor confidence such as Brass LNG and OK LNG.
    He reiterated that with a rating of 169th out of 190 on the Global Ease of Doing Business Index, Nigeria would further weaken its position to attract foreign investments by worsening the already bad situation through an amendment of the NLNG Act outside of due process.
    Adding his voice to the debate during the AIT programme, the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Ghali Umar Na’Abba, remarked that it would be ‘dishonourable’  for the House to amend the NLNG Act without first duly consulting the shareholders, including the Federal Government, as stipulated in the Act.

  • Senators, Reps under fire over N125bn ‘jumbo’ budget

    Senators, Reps under fire over N125bn ‘jumbo’ budget

    The revelation  that the National Assembly will be spending N125 billion this year is already raising dust across the nation.

    Some Nigerians believe the amount is out of tune with reality , given the current economic situation of the country.

    Retired Catholic Archbishop of Lagos State, Anthony Cardinal Olubunmi Okogie is shocked that the federal legislators appropriated  N125 billion considering the economic recession plaguing the country.

    “Are you saying million or billion? It is too much,” he told The Nation when contacted yesterday by phone.

    “These people were elected to make laws that would bring development to the nation but what have they done? They are just there fighting for their own personal interest.

    “During election period you will see them jumping around, making promises that they cannot fulfill. It is not fair. What exactly are these people budgeting this huge amount of money doing in the interest of the nation and the people?”

    The vocal cleric asked them them  to cut the budget because “it is too much.”

    “What are they going to do with it? My brother, today is Friday and I don’t want to be annoyed. The country is plagued by the menace of herdsmen, armed robbery, kidnapping and unemployment. These and so many burning issues are things that they should be concerned about.

    “How are they going to account for this thing before God? We always say that God is a merciful father but it appears that the devil does not allow us to remember that God is a God of justice. If any negative thing happens to any of them, they will be saying that somebody caused it for them. These are repercussions of what they are doing,” Okogie stated.

    A similar knock came from   Dr Odinga Adi of the Lagos Business School  who accused the lawmakers of being inconsiderate in allocating such amount to themselves in a period he described as said “unprecedented  economic recession.”

    His words: “It  shows they are politicians that are entirely disconnected from the realities of   everyday life of the citizens of this country . There is no way to justify the kind of budget they have allocated to themselves. They don’t care about the people. It is only when election comes that they  remember the people .”

    Odinga  asked for the review of the constitution because it is  ” largely outdated, anti-developmental, against the principle of equity, and fundamentally flawed.”

    He added: “There can never be any progress if we do not revisit the constitution.”

    A Political Economist,  Dr Collins Nweze, said: “They are not supposed to get one third of that budget considering the amount of work that they do. If  that percentage of recurrent  budget is used to maintain the expensive lifestyle of the personnel, how would the nation grow and how would there not be corruption?

    “ If we have a good system, that kind of money could be put into building small hospitals, fund education and other small projects in rural areas  rather than giving it to a small percentage of people who spend a very short time looking at national issues.

    “The problem is not really their fault. It is the system that is put in place.  We need to do something about the system because it is not sustainable and cannot develop any economy or society.”

    A former Delta state Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Chief Victor Otomiewo, is of the  view that the National Assembly does not deserve any budget at all, considering its ‘nonperformance’ while  the Chairman of the Itsekiri Leaders of Thought (ILoT), Chief Edward Ekpoko  believes it hasnot lived up to its constitutional responsibilities.

    Chairman of the OML 30 Community Development Board in Delta State , Morris Idiovwa, wants  legislative budget slashed by half.

    Otomiewo said:”Since the inception of this democracy in 1999, it is glaring to all and sun

  • Reps pass 2017 Budget

    Reps pass 2017 Budget

    The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the N7.441 trillion 2017 Budget.

    President Muhammadu Buhari presented the 2017 budget before a joint session of the National Assembly on December 14, 2016.

    However, the 2017 Appropriation Bill presented by the Chairman of the House Committee on Appropriation, Mustapha Dawaki and passed by the lawmaker, was N143 billion higher than what was presented to the National Assembly by President Buhari.

    The Green Chamber suspended the business of the day and dissolved into the committee of supply for the consideration and passage of budget with its 12 attached clauses.

    There was only one complaint as the Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara, took members through a clause-by-clause consideration of the bill.

    Members also protested the N84.7 billion Recurrent and Capital budget of the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

     

  • Reps grill Customs CG over revenue drop

    Reps grill Customs CG over revenue drop

    The House of Representatives on Wednesday frowned at the inability of the Nigerian Customs Service (NCS) to meet its 2016 revenue target of N937.3b.

    The Customs only generated N720.7 billion (76.89 percent) of the target between January and December 2016.

    The lawmakers questioned the Comptroller General of Customs, Col. Hameed Ali (retd), on the N216.5 billion (23.11 percent) dip in target for the year.

    But the Customs is targeting N772.8billion revenue for 2017 which is lower by N164.45b or 17.54 percent compared to 2016.

    Ali, who appeared before the James Faleke-led House Committee on Customs in his usual white caftan, was also questioned on the rationale behind the ban on vehicles through land borders.

    Ali said vehicle importation through land borders was injurious to the nation’s growth, adding that the country’s next door neighbour, Benin Republic, was the sole beneficiary.

    He said: “99.9 percent of cars imported into Benin, always ended up in Nigeria through smuggling and other illegal activities on the land borders.
    “Why should we be growing the economy of another country when our own is facing challenges?

    “That is the point that we have been making. That cars from Benin will come to Nigeria after they have collected their import duties over there.”

    The committee wondered why officials of the Customs were not targeted for punishment for complicity in illegal importation of vehicles.
    “You can improve on your activities at the borders.

    “The borders serve some economic benefits for the locals and you must find a way to strengthen your own operations, not a wholesale ban on vehicle importation,” the committee noted.

  • Reps want increase in workers’ minimum wage

    Reps want increase in workers’ minimum wage

    The House of Representatives said yesterday it was time to review upwards the National Minimum Wage of workers.
    The call came against the background of the Monday celebration of the International Labour Day.
    The lawmakers, who appreciated Nigerian workers for their commitment and duties, emphasised that the National Minimum Wage should reflect the country’s current economic realities.
    The resolution of the House was sequel to the passage of a motion tilted: “Need to appreciate the efforts and resilience of Nigerian workers in commemoration of the May Day Celebration,” brought under matter of urgent national importance and sponsored by a member, Ezenwa Onyewuchi.
    The House thereafter mandated its committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity to interface with relevant stakeholders on how to ameliorate the plight of the workers and to report back to the House within four weeks for further legislative action.
    Onyewuchi, while arguing the motion, noted that workers have been adversely affected by the economic recession, which, he said, has led to “massive depreciation of workers’ purchasing power, job losses, unpaid salaries and benefits”.
    The process of reviewing the minimum wage, he said, should commence immediately, to ameliorate the economic hardship the workers were passing through.
    The lawmaker said the resolve of the average Nigerian worker was being tested with the inability of government at all levels and private sector to address issues of workers’ welfare, under employment, casualisation, delayed salaries and pay-cuts.
    Supporting the motion, Sunday Karimu, (PDP, Kogi) said workers are unhappy, particularly in the states, as they are being owed many months’ salaries.
    He described as sad the fact that after receiving the bailout fund from the Federal Government and the Paris Club refund, workers’ salaries are still not paid by some state governors.
    “Workers are not happy. Many workers are owed salaries. In some states especially, Kogi State, workers are been owed 15 months’ salary. Workers are denied their salaries. Pensioners are not paid. Something has to be done in some of these states where government has refused to pay workers,” he said.
    Another member, Johnson Agbonayiman, said some state governors instead of paying workers’ salaries put bail out funds their private accounts.
    Wale Raji (APC Lagos), in his contribution, said an upward review of the minimum wage was long overdue and advised that it be done “in a way that the average worker will have a sense of satisfaction”.
    Toby Okechukwu, while supporting the motion, said: “If government was responsive and responsible, it will waste no time in bringing the Minimum Wage Bill to the parliament.”
    The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, hailed workers for their resilience and contribution to nation-building.
    He noted that the House had passed the Consumer Protection Bill and that it would improve the working condition of workers, if signed into law.
    Dogara refered the motion to the House Committee on Labour, Employment and Productivity for further legislative action.

  • Reps attack El-Rufai as Dogara unveils his pay

    Reps attack El-Rufai as Dogara unveils his pay

    House to governor: face your problems

    oHw much does a member of the House of Representatives earn?
    Nigerians got a rare insight into the package – for long a well kept secret – yesterday, with House Speaker Yakubu Dogara tendering a copy of his November 2016 pay slip.
    The net pay is N346,577.87, according to the little document.
    The basic salary is N206,425.83. There are constituency allowance (N175,461.96); and recess (N20,642.58).
    A monthly deduction of N55,952 is made for the Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax.
    According to the October 2016 payroll, the Speaker is on Grade Leve CO8.

    Pay slip
    The release of the pay slip is in response to Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s challenge to lawmakers to publish their earnings.
    Dogara had told El-Rufai to publish details of his security vote after asking the National Assembly to publish details of its N115 billion 2016 budget.
    The governor responded on Monday. He said his monthly pay is N470,521:74. His security votes for the year is N4.556 billion, spent on CCTV cameras, and drones.
    Other details of the governor’s pay are Income Basic Salary (N185,308.75); Hardship Allowance (N370,617.50); Gross Pay (N555.926.25); PAYE (N85,401.51 deduction.
    The House yesterday advised the governor to face his state’s problems and stop distracting the National Assembly.
    Besides, it faulted El-Rufai’s response, saying he published “the security budget of Kaduna State and not his security vote expenditure as such”.
    Reading from a prepared speech titled: “Mallam Nasir El-Rufai should concentrate on Kaduna State and stop undermining the National Assembly,” to reporters, House Committee on Media and Publicity Affairs, chairman Abdulrasak Namdas said El-Rufai was ignorant of the finances of the National Assembly and that “we decided to respond only to correct some factual inaccuracies and set the records straight”.
    He statement reads as follows: “Nigerians may recall that the Rt. Hon. Speaker on Friday April 7, 2017 in response to calls by Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai disclosed that the leadership of the National Assembly had directed the bureaucracy and all other agencies under the National Assembly to make available details of their annual budgets beginning from 2017 budget which is still under consideration in the parliament.
    “Nigerians may further recall that the Rt. Hon. Speaker requested Kaduna State Governor El-Rufai, who is known for his consistent advocacy for openness in the budget of the National Assembly, to, in the spirit of good governance, transparency and accountability, extend his campaign to other arms and tiers of government, beginning from the Judiciary, to state governments and Local Governments. The Speaker specifically urged Malam El-Rufai who has been championing this cause to impress on his colleagues (governors) to disclose their security votes and also publish what they do with local government funds under their jurisdictions.
    “Thus, the call by the Speaker was for Malam El-rufai to extend his advocacy on transparency and accountability to other arms and tiers of government in order to remove the lid of secrecy that has beclouded expenditures at the state level led by his colleagues, especially on their security votes and not the states’ security budget. We note that what Malam El-Rufai published was the security budget of Kaduna State and not his security vote expenditure as such.
    “We wish to advise the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, to concentrate his efforts in Governing Kaduna State and stop undermining and distracting the National Assembly in playing its constitutionally assigned role in nation building. He launched an attack on the National Assembly on Friday, 7th April, 2017 and continued on Monday 10th April 2017.
    “We are aware that there are serious security issues he should be grappling with in Southern Kaduna and other governmental issues facing him. He should not give the impression that he has no challenging work to do in Kaduna State. These attacks are coming on the heels of his now famous letter to Mr. President, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, where he made strenuous effort to undermine his government by openly lampooning him when he has unhindered access to His Excellency, Mr. President. As a senior citizen, he has a responsibility not to unnecessarily overheat the polity with tendentious and unfounded outbursts.
    “The National Assembly Budget is not opaque. Since 2010 when the Constitution was amended and National Assembly was placed on the first line charge, its budget became part of Statutory Transfers, together with the Judiciary, INEC and others. You cannot find details of the Budget of the Judiciary and INEC in the National Budget. It exists elsewhere. Of course from 1999 to 2010, the details of the National Assembly Budget was (sic) contained in the National Budget.
    “The leadership of the National Assembly has already directed the Clerk to the National Assembly to publish details of the National Assembly Budget from 2017 and so to continue to repeat the same call made three days earlier smacks of propaganda and cheap blackmail.
    “The Kaduna State governor chose to give headings of its budget on security related matters. Maybe he will give further details of actual security expenditures at the appropriate time. He claimed that the state’s accounts have been audited. No grounds have been broken here. The response by the Kaduna State Governor completely missed the point. Mr. Speaker’s call was for El-Rufai to extend the campaign for openness and transparency to other arms of government, including the governors’ expenditures on security votes and local government funds. He merely doubled down on his campaign on National Assembly Budget, leaving out the other aspects of Mr. Speaker’s request.
    “The Kaduna State governor claimed that ‘in 2016, the National Assembly budget for its 469 members was larger than the entire budget of several Nigerian states’.
    “This statement is patently misleading and a terrible display of ignorance and falsehood or a deliberate attempt to blackmail the parliament. For the avoidance of doubt, the National Assembly budget includes the salaries, allowances, expenditure and running cost of 469 members. It includes the salaries, allowances of about 3,000 legislative aides; it includes the salaries, allowances, equipment and maintenance of about 5000 staff in the bureaucracy of the National Assembly.
    “The National Assembly has agencies too. The National Assembly Service Commission has a staff strength of about 500. The National Institute for Legislative Studies is also a parastatal of the National Assembly that serves as a legislative think-tank and a highly rated academic institution, which serves not only the National Assembly but also State Houses of Assembly and the international community. It is currently building its headquarters, which is world class. It has to be funded. El-Rufai’s mischievous publication carefully ignores the fact that the Bureaucracy of National Assembly and its agencies and 469 members need travel and transport support. They require medical attention, offices, equipment and all the support available to others in the public service.
    “El-Rufai conveniently forgot that the National Assembly has buildings to build and maintain. He discountenanced the need for training and re-training of staff and even capacity building for members. The narrative is such that he excludes the need for National Assembly members and bureaucracy to attend conferences both local and foreign. Some of the most critical work the National Assembly does is Oversight. It costs a lot of money to conduct proper oversight of executive agencies to save money and ensure governmental efficiency for the Nigerian people. Public Hearings by the National Assembly and its Committees have become a regular feature of our democracy, because citizen engagement and consultation is cardinal for running a democratic government. It costs a lot of money.
    “It is most uncharitable to ignore the fact that the National Assembly is an arm of government, not a department in the Executive branch. The Budget of so many agencies in the Executive is higher than that of National Assembly, an arm of government. Such agencies as NCC – N102billion, CBN – N421billion, NPA – N250billion, NIMASA – N100billion, FIRS – N146billion, Customs – N81billion and NNPC whose budget runs into trillions are some examples. Indeed, the National Assembly Budget is about 2% of the National Budget.
    “Yes, the National Assembly has voluntarily agreed to publish its Budget from 2017, as a responsible and accountable democratic institution. What happens to 98% of the National Budget should engage our attention too. We are sure that if 10% of the public scrutiny National Assembly receives is also devoted to those spending the other 98%, Nigeria would be better for it.
    “I am directed by the Hon. Speaker, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, to also in the spirit of transparency release his pay slip for the past six months from October 2016 to March 2017, for your information.”

  • Reps summon ministers over Queens College epidemic

    Reps summon ministers over Queens College epidemic

    THE House of Representatives has summoned the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole and his Education counterpart, Malam Adamu Adamu, over the outbreak of an epidemic in Queens College, Lagos that led to the death of three students.
    The two ministers were expected to explain steps taken by the Federal Government to remedy the situation.
    However, House Committees on Health and Education Services have been mandated to investigate the death of the three students.
    The school was shut down after two students, Vivian Osuinyi and Bithia Itulua, allegedly died of diarrhoea between Thursday, February 23 and Friday, February 24.
    A fourteen-year-old orphan, Praise Sodipo, also died days later, many of students were hospitalised.
    The cause of the epidemic was linked to a contamination of the source of water supply in the school.
    The lawmakers condemned threat of expulsion of any student whose parents make remarks on the issue on social media by the Minister of Education.
    Adamu, through a circular, directed parents and students of the school to stop making comments on the incident, especially on social media or face expulsion from the school.
    Sponsor of the motion, Majority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila, who raised a motion of urgent public importance, expressed disappointment over the handling of the issue by the Education Minister.
    “Rather than take action that would bring succour to students and their worried parents, the minister chose a high-handed approach to the matter,” he noted.
    He condemned the insistence of the former principal of the school that there was no disease outbreak as well as the remark of the vice principal that the management of the college ought to be commended for taking care of over 2,000 girls with only a few affected during the epidemic outbreak.
    The House Leader said the school should be investigated on how N663 million allocated to it in the 2016 budget and N776 million in 2017 were utilised.
    The joint committee was expected to obtain the action plan by the two ministries to forestall a re-occurrence of a disease outbreak in the school.