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Tag: Saraki

  • Saraki, ex-aide in ambition crisis

    The differences between Senate President Bukola Saraki and a former member of the House of Representatives, Moshood Mustapha, took a turn at the weekend.

    Mustapha, who was special adviser on Inter-Parliamentary Matters, Protocols and Special Duties to Saraki, has not hidden his ambition to become governor in 2019 on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC).

    But the APC has suspended him for alleged anti-party activities.

    A statement by the party’s chairman at Mustapha’s Alanamu ward AbdulRahman Jimoh, and Secretary Abdulwasiu Kehinde, said Mustapha was suspended for disregarding invitations to defend himself against allegations of anti-party activities levelled against him.

    The statement noted that Mustapha failed to honour  invitations and refused to communicate with the party.

    The motion for Mustapha’s suspension was moved by Kayode Omotose, former Majority leader in the House of Assembly, and seconded by AbdulWasiu Tetengi, at a meeting in Isale-Aluko, Ilorin.

    But some loyalists of Mustapha, led by former Vice Chairman of the ward, Hajia Lawal, said her group is solidly behind “our own.”

    According to her, Mustapha’s suspension has polarised the party.

    She said: “People don’t believe we are determined to produce the next governor in the person of Moshood Mustapha.

    ‘’We thank you for answering us. What we have done today is not borne out of conspiracy. At Alanamu ward, we are behind Mustapha as the ward has never produced the governor.”

  • Senate invasion: Saraki, Ekweremadu visit injured sergeant-at-arms

    SENATE President Bukola Saraki yesterday visited a female Sergeant-At-Arms, Mrs. Sandra Davou, who was injured on Wednesday as she and her colleagues struggled to stop thugs who invaded the Senate from making away with the mace.

    A statement yesterday by the Chief Press Secretary to Saraki, Sanni Onogu, said the Senate President was accompanied on the visit by his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.

    The statement said Mrs. Davou, who lives in Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is presently recuperating after she was treated and discharged from hospital.

    Saraki was quoted to have said the visit was meant to thank and show appreciation to Mrs. Davou and her colleagues for their hard work, commitment and courage.

    The Senate President, who was away in Washington on official assignment at the time the incident occurred, was quoted as saying: “I was told that a few of our staff were injured during the invasion of the Senate last Wednesday, including Mrs. Sandra, who is very committed and hardworking.

    “She was taken to the hospital and discharged and we felt that for the sacrifice they made by putting their lives at stake beyond the call of duty for our democracy, we have to come and appreciate her.

    “I keep on emphasising that what really defines a democratic nation is the parliament and the moment the parliament is not there, democracy does not exist.

    “So, what she and her colleagues have done fills us all with gratitude and therefore we have come here to thank her and show that we really appreciate what she and her colleagues did.”

    The statement added that Senators Isa Hamma Misau and Baba Kaka Garbai, who were also part of the visit, hailed Mrs. Davou and her colleagues who had put up a spirited fight to prevent the invaders from gaining access to the Senate chamber.

     

  • Senate invasion primitive, disgraceful, says Saraki

    SENATE President Bukola Saraki has described the invasion of the Senate chambers by some thugs on Wednesday as a primitive and disgraceful act.

    Speaking yesterday at the 4th Anniversary Lecture of an online publication,The Nitche, held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos, Saraki said the action of the invaders was against good reasoning.

    Saraki, who was represented by Senator Ben Bruce, said: “What happened was a disgrace. It made no sense if you think about it, and it was a very primitive adventure.

    “If they were looking for a routine change, it was better they followed due process.

    “If you were to impeach the President, for instance, you go through the impeachment process and involve the House.

    “You will have to get a simple majority or three quarters of the members to get him out. And where you are unable to do that, you simply walk away.”

    In his remarks on the theme of the lecture: ‘Development Reporting and Hysteria Journalism in Nigeria’, he commended the media for their role in checkmating the ugly adventure with their “huge role” in apprehending the thugs and stabilising the polity.

    He said: “What is important is the role of the media. The media played a very important role to stop this nonsense. You are the defender of democracy.

    “As I was watching things unfold on that day, I told myself, if this is happening in the most secure location of Nigeria, what hope do we have for somebody in Maiduguri, Yobe and Adamawa where security has completely fallen apart?

    “Politicians must change the way they address people these days, because in the past, when they talked, their comments were limited.

    “Today, when they talk, they seem not to be aware they are addressing the world through a broadened media horizon.”

    He urged Nigerians to defend democracy irrespective of the threats they face, adding that the invasion of the Senate by some thugs and the carting away of the mace were serious offences and threats to democracy.

    The guest speaker, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, said the media would be much impactful if their owners have worldview, noting that developmental journalism was key to economic breakthrough.

    He said: “Today, developmental journalism is practised by specific, specialised media. Ironically, this is in the western world in the context of ‘international development’.

    “One of the major ways by which the media that play the role of a catalyst in social transformation is through investigative journalism; that is by uncovering evidence of malfeasance and shedding light on social ills.

    “Before journalists can carry out their role as watchdogs effectively, they need to have the capacity.

    “Typically, Nigerian journalists used to be highly regarded in society. People like the late Dele Giwa made the profession appealing to many.”

    The chairman of the occasion, Prof. Remi Sonaiya, said reporters must not compromise their duties, stressing that Nigerians were looking to the critical role they would play in 2019.

    She said: “What the media should do at this point is for it to let Nigerians know that they have option in the unfolding political development. It should present to Nigeria all the options available.

    “Unfortunately, during the last election, the options were not clearly elaborated. The media rather concentrated on a few political parties who they gave undue advantage over others.

    “Such a situation should be avoided at this very point in time and for the good of the country.”

  • Saraki, Sultan, Amosun, others extol foremost scholar Adam Al- Ilory

    Eminent Nigerians have extolled the virtue of one of Africa’s most celebrated Muslim scholars, Sheikh Adam Abdullahi Al-Ilory at the main Auditorium of the University of Lagos (UNILAG), Akoka.

    Al- Ilory, a widely published Muslim author and founder of the country’s foremost Arabic school, Markaz, was born in 1917 and died in 1992.

    The event commenced the late scholar’s week-long Centenary Anniversary.

    Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki, Sultan of Sokoto and President-General, Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs (NSCIA) Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, Emir of Ilorin Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun, his Lagos and Kwara state counterparts Akinwunmi Ambode and AbdulFatah Ahmed, UNILAG Pro-Chancellor and Chairman, Governing Board Dr Wale Babalakin SAN.

    Saraki said the Senate would continue to make laws that would provide a conducive atmosphere for learning in order to eradicate illiteracy.

    According to him, the contributions of Sheikh Al- Ilory to the teaching and propagation of Islamic and Arabic knowledge in the country are yielding fruits across the country.

    Sultan Abubakar canvassed the use of indigenous languages in the teaching and learning in schools.

    This, the NSCIA leader said, would go a long way in improving education, healthcare delivery, science, and technology.

    According to him, anyone who has qualitative Islamic education would not engage in the acts capable of inflicting pains on other people.

    He urged Nigerians to cultivate the habit of praying for country’s leaders so that God will direct them right to deliver the dividends of democracy to the people.

    Amosun said he aligned with Sultan Abubakar on use of indigenous languages to teach and learn in schools.

    The Ogun State Governor said Sheikh Al- Ilory laid an indelible mark on human capital development, pointed out that Islam denounces terrorism and encourages learning.

    Senator Amosu called on Muslim clerics to right the wrong by preaching to their subjects that Islam is not synonymous with terrorism.

    Governor Ahmed called on religious leaders to promote peaceful co-existence and religious tolerance among Nigerians.

    He appealed to citizens to provide useful information to the security agents in order to prevent loss of lives and property.

    Others who spoke at the event include former President, Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo salami (retd), Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) Registrar Prof Ishaq Oloyede, former Vice-Chancellor of Al-Hikmah University Prof Razaq Abubakre and Alhaji Kola Belgore, who represented Justice Alfa Belgore (retd).

  • Pro-Buhari group to Saraki: why our ban cannot stand

    Senators to ‘stand by’ Omo-Agege

    Fear over Adamu’s likely suspension

    Despite being banned, the Parliamentary Support Group (PSG) is spoiling for a fight with the Senate leadership.

    The PSG, which is backing President Muhammadu Buhari on the order of elections, said yesterday that its ban could only stand, if similar groups in the Senate were banned. It was learnt that 20 governors are behind the group.

    Some members of the group’s Strategic Committee, who met in Abuja yesterday, said it would ask Senate President Bukola Saraki to disband groups like the Like Minds, Northern Senators Forum (NSF) and others. The Like Minds facilitated Saraki’s emergence as Senate President about three years ago in defiance of the directive of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The PSG, which is considering a six-point plan, resolved to reconvene on Wednesday. It said it would  stand by its secretary, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, who was suspended last Thursday.

    A member of the Strategic Committee, who spoke in confidence, said the PSG would not be disbanded.

    The source said: “We are not going to disband it because the Senate did not form it for us. The freedom of association is guaranteed in our Constitution, the freedom of speech is also guaranteed. It is a matter of interest.

    “If not for groups like this, the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, won’t have emerged as our president. When we formed the Like Minds Group, we disrespected the directive of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to elect him as the Senate president.

    “We have resolved to ask the Senate leadership to let us start by disbanding the Like Minds Group, the Northern Senators Forum  and other groups in order to create a level-playing ground for all. Look, the Northern Senators Forum is even more discriminatory than PSG”.

    On the allegation that the PSG was trying to create a parallel organ in the Senate, the source said: “We are no threat to the president of the Senate because we are not plotting against him, we have no plan to impeach him. Nobody can use us against him.

    “We do not  meet in the Senate, we always meet in somebody’s house. We have never announced any plan on the floor. Even when we were collecting signatures to oppose the plan to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto on the sequence of elections, we were usually going to somebody’s house to sign”.

    Responding to a question, the source added: “We will continue to meet. We have fixed a meeting for Wednesday and the Strategic Committee will hold a session on Sunday ( yesterday).”

    A ranking Senator in PSG listed the six-point plan as follows:

    • Ensure the passage of 2018 Budget
    • Block plans to override the President’s veto on order of elections
    • Push for the confirmation of nominees for some public offices which was withheld by the Senate
    • Pass vote of confidence on the Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu.
    • Give full support to Senator Ovie Omo-Agege in his legal battle to regain his seat.
    • Continue to support President Muhammadu Buhari.

    On the sequence of the 2019 elections, the source said: “We are doing our best to block the plot to override the President’s veto and 20 governors are behind us.

    “And if the Senate wants the reintroduced bill on sequence of elections to go for second reading, we are battle ready because it is in bad faith. Do not forget that they have to take it back to Mr. President.”

    Another member of the group gave insights into what happened in the Senate before Omo-Agege was suspended.

    The source said: “It was really unfortunate that Senator Omo-Agege was suspended. In fairness, a principal officer had intervened  and assured PSG members that he will prevail on the leadership to accept the Senator’s apology.

    “He said he was guaranteeing that Omo- Agege will not be suspended. We met on Wednesday before he was suspended on our line of action and we sent to  the said principal officer to the Senate leadership to remove it from the Order Paper.

    “Even when Omo-Agege saw the issue of his suspension on the Order Paper, he tried to reach out to the said principal officer without access.”

    Asked of the next step, the source said: “We are already in court, the suspension is illegal and subjudice.

    “The Senate does not have a right to suspend any member for expressing his views. It is only in the standing order to suspend a member who is unruly on the floor but not for more than two weeks.

    “There is a subsisting judgement that the Senate cannot suspend a member for expressing opinion because the right of expression is guaranteed by the 1999 Constitution.

    “There is a subsisting court judgement in favour of Senator Ali Ndume which says that you cannot suspend a Senator for a day for expressing his views. The Senate has  gone on appeal and there is no stay of execution of the judgement till date. So, it was illegal to suspend Omo-Agege.

    “Under the guise of the rule of law, some senators run to the court when it is about their interest but when they come to the Senate, they turn the rule of law upside down and come up with different interpretations.

    “Most Nigerians do not know that the report of the committee which the Senate used to suspend Senator Omo-Agege was  signed by six out of 16 members of the panel. And all of the members except two are from an opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

    There were fears over the likely suspension of the former NSF Chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu.

    A quiet member of the PSG said: “We learnt the report on Senator Adamu is ready and it might be tabled this week.

    “From all indications, Senator Adamu might also be suspended for expressing his views. But the tyranny of the gavel will not last.”

     

  • Rescue of Chibok girls, Leah Sharibu a must, says Saraki

    SENATE President Bukola Saraki has called for concerted efforts by governments, security agencies, religious and community leaders to rescue the remaining 112 Chibok Girls and the Dapchi school girl, Leah Sharibu, from Boko Haram’s captivity.

    Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, said even though four years have elapsed since the sad incident of the Chibok girls’ kidnap, it must not dampen efforts being made to see the girls rescued and reunited with their families and loved ones.

    He noted with sadness the plight of the  Chibok parents, whose girls are not back and the anxiety they have had to endure.

    He called on the parents to remain steadfast as government would never relent in efforts to see their daughters back home safely.

    Saraki said: “As a parent, I feel the pains of these unfortunate young girls from Chibok and the latest one – Leah Sharibu – from Dapchi, their parents and the people and Borno and Yobe states  governments over these harrowing experiences.

    “However, all hope is not lost. We are all involved in this . Their return will give us joy while their continued stay in captivity will inflict us with perpetual torment of failure.

    “This is no time for blame game or passing the buck. We must all gear up and work together to see these girls rescued within the shortest possible time. I believe that the last four years has given us ample time to reflect on the calamity, review our modus operandi – politically and militarily – and resolve to ensure that all Nigerians are adequately protected.

    “Let’s fine-tune the strategies that have won us successes and discard those that have failed us. The goal and focus must be clear – to rescue our girls and all those in forced captivity in any part of the country, and ultimately, to restore our pride as a sovereign entity.

    “This is the time for all stakeholders to retool and re-strategise to ensure that all these girls are not only rescued but do all in our power to put a closure to all cases of kidnapping and insurgency in this land,” he said.

    The Senate President called on the citizens, who can help to come to the aid of government and the security agencies on how to rescue the girls.

    He urged security agencies to keep people abreast of developments about the issue to avoid the speculations and talks like the one insinuating that many of the girls may have died.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Local government autonomy imperative, says Saraki

    Senate President Bukola Saraki has reiterated his support for local government autonomy in the country.

    Saraki, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu in Abuja, stated this during a visit by the National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) led by its National President, Comrade Ibrahim Khalil.

    He said the National Assembly appreciates the importance of autonomous governance as the third tier of government and will continue to work towards its realisation.

    “Here in the Senate and the National Assembly, we appreciate the importance of governance in the third tier of government – the local government,” Saraki said.

    “As such, it is very important that we strengthen local government administ-ration.

    “Part of strengthening local government administration is ensuring that there is autonomy.

    “I also believe that strengthening local government administration means that we all do our best to increase the capacity at the local government.

    “Sometimes, you find out that in developed countries, people who are competent to contest at a level even as high as the Senate, would tell you that they don’t want to be at the Federal level like Abuja or Washington, they prefer to stay at the local level,” he said.

    Saraki told the local government employees it is also important to see that local governments are properly and independently funded.

    “It is important that we see how local governments can be independent, how local governments can have more autonomy, and governors cannot interfere with what is due to local governments.

    “In all of this, there must still be a cordial and symbiotic relationship. If we just say that local governments should just be on their own, it might have some disadvantages.

    “We must also look at how we can ensure that local governments have funding of their own without any interference,” Saraki stated.

    Saraki noted following the last Constitutional Review exercise by the National Assembly, only nine states were in support of local government autonomy, stating that he would do more to ensure further cooperation and collaboration is achieved to rectify the issue.

    Khalil lamented local government administration have been rendered impotent over the years as a result of undue interference.

     

  • 20 Senate committees delaying 2018 budget passage, by Saraki

    SENATE President Bukola Saraki yesterday named 20 critical sub-committees of the Senate delaying the passage of the 2018 budget.

    Saraki, who spoke on the worrisome development at plenary, warned that the committees must not continue to hold the country to ransom by their apparent refusal to submit their budget reports.

    The Senate President said he had no option than to openly name the sub-committees to ensure that the needful was done in the country’s interest.

    He mandated the committees to ensure that their reports were submitted to the Senate Appropriation Committee without failure today.

    This revelation is coming more than five months after the 2018 budget was presented to a joint session of the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Buhari had, on submission of the Appropriation Bill on November 7, 2017, sought the leave of the National Assembly to consider and approve the fiscal document by January 2018 to ensure that the budget run its full course of 12 calendar months.

    The request was not kept as the National Assembly earlier blamed heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) for allegedly refusing to appear before sub-committees to defend their budgetary votes.

    The Senate President named Defence, Army, Air Force, Navy, Industry, FCT, States and Local Governments, Culture and Tourism, Petroleum (Downstream), Petroleum (Upstream), Niger Delta, Sustainable Development Goals and Primary Health Care & Communicable Diseases as committee that have not submitted their reports.

    Others are Health, Capital Market, Tertiary Institutions and Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND), Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA), Works, Power and Cooperation and Integration committees.

    Saraki said: “I am sorry to have chosen this method. I have no alternative than to list these committees so that these chairmen can know that they are holding all of us back. The listed committees have not submitted and they must submit unfailingly tomorrow (today).

    “These 20 committees must ensure that their reports are submitted on Friday. We have a deadline, which we have committed to. You can’t hold us back. You must submit unfailingly by Friday.”

    The two chambers of the National Assembly have scheduled April 24 to pass the 2018 budget.

     

     

  • Court dismisses IGP’s suit against Saraki, Senate

    A HIGH Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) has dismissed a suit filed by the Inspector General Ibrahim Idris against the Senate, Senate President Bukola Saraki and eight others.

    Delivering his judgment, Justice Abba Bello Mohammed said his right has not been infringed to warrant court’s intervention.

    Justice Mohammed said Section 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution empowers the Senate to investigate any form of corruption.

    He also added that most of the documents tendered by the IG were inadmissible.

    “The IGP ought to have appeared before the Senate because he was only wanted to share more light on the allegation levelled against him

    “More also, the police act also empowers the police to carry investigation about itself, which the police was already doing.

    “Therefore, his right has not been infringed to warrant court’s intervention,” the judge said.

    Before the judgment yesterday, counsel to the Idris, Dr. Alex Izinyon (SAN), brought an application before the court seeking to stay proceedings on the matter.

    Izinyon prayed the court to grant his application and allow the Appeal Court to conclude an appeal filed against the court ruling of January 22, which stalled the judgment.

    Counsel to the respondents, Abdul Mohammed, urged the court to decline such application, saying it was one of the applicant’s tactics to delay judgment on the matter.

    “It is an attempt to arrest the judgment of the court. The application is incompetent and so we urge my lord to strike it out and proceed with the judgment,” Mohammed said.

    Justice Mohammed dismissed the application for lacking in merit.

    The IG, on November 6, through Izinyon (SAN), approached the court for the enforcement of his fundament rights and breach of right to fair hearing by the respondents.

    He sought an order of perpetual injunction restraining them from infringing on his rights, among other reliefs.

    Apart from Saraki and the Senate, other respondents in the matter are Senators Isah Misau; Francis Alimikhena; Binta Masi Garba and Suleiman Hunkuyi.

    Others are Senators Duro Faseyi Samuel; Ogba Joseph Obinna; Nelson Effiong and Abdulaziz Nyako.

    The fourth-tenth respondents were members of the Senate ad hoc committee hearing misappropriation allegation against the police.

     

     

     

  • 2018 Budget: Saraki orders appropriation panel to submit report next week

    The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday ordered the Senate Appropriation Committee to submit its report on the 2018 budget next week.

    He made the call before the upper chamber adjourned plenary in honour of late Senator Mustapha Bukar who died while the Senate was on Easter break.

    President Muhammadu Buhari had on November 7, 2017 presented a 2018 budget of N8.612trillion to the National Assembly.

    The Appropriation Bill has been at committee level in the two chambers since its presentation following allegation that some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) refused to defend their budgetary requests

    Saraki asked the Appropriation Committee to tidy up reports from sub-committees latest by Friday this week for submission to the Senate next week.

    He said: “The Chairman Appropriation should ensure that by Friday this week, collations of reports from various committees should end.

    “There should be no more extension for that purpose because the appropriation committee itself must submit its report to the Senate unfailingly next week.”