The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Senate panel

  • Senate panel asks NEITI to retain part of recovered cash

    Senate panel asks NEITI to retain part of recovered cash

    THE Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream) has called for a review of Nigerian Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) law to enable the agency retain a percentage of revenue recovered from extractive companies.

    Its Chairman, Senator Omotayo Alasoadura, spoke when he led colleagues on an oversight visit to the NEITI Secretariat, Abuja.

    He hailed NEITI on reforms in the extractive industries.

    A statement from NEITI yesterday quoted Alasoadura as saying: “The Senate and Nigerians are happy with NEITI, given the courage and boldness the agency exhibits in its assignments, resulting in the reforms we have witnessed in the sector.”

    NEITI’s Executive Secretary Waziri Adio identified the need for a new law in the petroleum sector as one  area the Senate needed to pay attention.

    He presented NEITI’s latest policy brief, titled: “The Urgency of a new Petroleum Sector Law”, to the committee.

    Adio said the urgency of a new petroleum sector law was the focus of the brief.

    Quoting from the policy brief, he said: “Nigeria’s Petroleum Bill is perhaps one of the most important bills ever to be contemplated in Nigeria’s history, yet the one that has taken the most time and generated the most activity without legislation.”

     

  • Lamorde, others to face Senate panel today

    Lamorde, others to face Senate panel today

    Immediate past Chairman of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde will appear before the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions today to answer questions bordering on alleged diversion of N 1 trillion.

    The allegation was made by an activist, Dr. George Uboh, in a petition he forwarded to the Senate.

    The committee chairman, Senator Samuel Anyanwu, confirmed that according to his committee’s schedule Lamorde was scheduled to appear before the committee today.

    The embattled former EFCC boss was billed to appear before the committee last week Tuesday, but the committee suspended sitting without giving reason.

    President Muhammadu Buhari, however, asked Lamorde to proceed on terminal leave the same day he was scheduled to appear before the Senate panel.

     

    Also, a statement yesterday by the clerk to the committee, Mr. Freedom Osolo, said: “The Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions of the National Assembly will hold a hearing with petitioners and those petitioned today”.

  • Senate panel to consider Edo N14.7b loan request

    Senate panel to consider Edo N14.7b loan request

    The Senate’s Ad Hoc Committee on Local and Foreign Debt yesterday got the nod to consider President Muhammadu Buhari’s request that the Senate should approve $75 million (N14.7 billion) World Bank loan to Edo State.

    Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki constituted the seven-man committee and urged it to consider the request and report to the Senate today.

    The members are: Kabiru Gaya (chairman); Buka Abba Ibrahim, David Umoru, Duro Faseyi, Emmanuel Paulker, Samuel Anyanwu and Ibrahim Abdullahi.

    President Buhari requested the Senate for approval to enable the state obtain the World Bank loan.

    In a letter to the Senate president, which was read on the floor on August 4, President Buhari reminded the lawmakers that the World Bank approved a development policy programme of $225 million to the state in 2012.

    It would be implemented in three tranches of $75 million per annum.

    He told senators that the first tranche of the loan was approved by the National Assembly in the 2012-2014 Federal Government’s external rolling borrowing plan.

    The President said the Edo State government had successfully implemented the Development Policy Operation (DPO) since 2014.

    He explained that following this success, the World Bank’s board of directors approved the second tranche, noting that on April 29, 2015, the DPO was also captured in the Federal Government’s external borrowing plan of 2014-2017 pending before the National Assembly.

    The President said the request for approval would enable the state consolidate on the gains of the first tranche.

     

    Also, five bills including National Centre for Cancer Research and Treatment Bill 2015, sponsored by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa (PDP Abia North) passed through first reading.

    Others that scaled first reading included Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation Act (Amendment) Bill 2015 sponsored by Senator Babajide Omoworare (APC Osun East) and Chartered Institute of Entrepreneurs (Establishment, etc) Bill 2015 by Senator Gobir Ibrahim (APC Sokoto East).

    The Forestry Research Institute of Nigeria (Establishment, etc) Bill 2015 sponsored by Senator Uche Ekwunife (PDP Anambra Central) and The Electronic Transaction Bill 2015 by Senator Hope Uzodimma (APC Imo West) passed first reading.

    The Senate also considered the request of Mr President for the Confirmation of Mr Abdullahi Kaugama as the Resident Electoral Commissioner (Jigawa State) in the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The Senate referred his confirmation to the Committee of the Whole for further legislative action.

     

  • Missing $20b: Senate panel never cleared minister, NNPC – Saraki

    Chairman Senate Committee on Ecology and Environment, Senator Bukola Saraki, on Thursday denied media reports that the Senate Committee on Finance had cleared the Minister of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke and the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) over the alleged missing $20billion.

    Saraki, who is also a member of the Finance Committee, said nothing significant has changed to suggest the clearing of the minister and the NNPC.

    He stated that even though the report of the committee has been laid before the Senate, more was still being done to unravel the missing money.

    The former Governor of Kwara State, according to a statement issued by his media aide, Bamikole Omishore, in Abuja, urged the media to wait for the official release of the report to the public before jumping to conclusions.

    The statement reads: “The recent media reports claiming that the Senate Committee on Finance has cleared NNPC of any unaccounted revenue fund are not true.

    “Though I could not attend the last meeting of the committee, I have been very active in the investigation, nothing significant has changed to suggest clearing of anybody.

    “I can say on behalf of the committee that these media reports bear no correlation to the content of the Senate Committee report and I would urge the public to disregard it in its entirety.

    “The committee is yet to receive the report on the forensic audit and independent analysis on the subject clearly indicates we have a lot of grounds to cover in order to determine the level of culpability or otherwise of agency on the alleged non-committal, so to suggest any clearance for anybody at this stage is out of the question.

    “I will further advise that the media should wait for the Senate to release the details of the committee report to the public before they jump into spurious conclusions.”

     

  • Senate panel urges govt to support local airlines

    Senate panel urges govt to support local airlines

    CHAIRMAN of the Senate Committee on Aviation, Senator Hope Uzodinma, has urged the government to encourage indigeneous airline operators.

    According to him, such incentives would save Nigerians from the prohibitive fares charged by foreign airlines.

    It will also position indigeneous carriers to exploit the benefits accruing from the bilateral air servives agreements.

    Uzodinma spoke when his committee visited Arik Air corporate office in Ikeja, Lagos.

    The lawmakers arrived the Arik Air premises after a tour of the remodelled General Aviation Terminal of the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Ikeja, Lagos, the airport power improvement project site as well as that of the total radar coverage of Nigeria.

    Speaking to reporters after the tour, Uzodima explained that the visit was part of the oversight functions of the committee to ascertain compliance with budgets and ongoing projects of aviation agencies.

    So far, he explained that the committee has observed some projects in the sector, which need to be improved on to enhance improved public perception.

    Arik Air Managing Director, Mr Chris Ndulue, spoke on the airline’s activities, including its network and aircraft fleet, and how the carrier has raised the stakes of air travel in Nigeria, West Africa and the continent.

    He told the committee of the airline’s plans to emerge as the number one carrier in Nigeria

    This year, he said, the airline plans to fly more passengers than it did last year.

    Ndulue listed the achievements of Arik Air to include the International Air Transport Association (IATA), certification for its operations in addition to being the biggest player in the domestic scene of aviation in Nigeria.

    About two months ago, the airline, he said, hit the 10 millionth passenger mark since it began operations.

    Arik Air, he said, is the second airline in the world that has a modern control centre in Lagos, a feat that has only been achieved by Emirates Airlines in the Gulf Region.

    He listed the challenges of the airline to include the remodelling of the old domestic terminal at the domestic wing of the Lagos Airport, adding that it has impacted on its operations.

    He expressed optimism that the early completion of the terminal would boost the operations of the carrier, adding that plans are afoot to build a hub in Abuja.