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Tag: Senate

  • Senate to probe N213b power intervention fund disbursement

    Senate to probe N213b power intervention fund disbursement

    Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki has asked the Senate Committee on Power, Steel Development and Metallurgy to initiate immediate public hearing into the country’s deteriorating electricity generation.

    Electricity generation is said to hover at 3000 megawatts (MW).

    The hearing is to confirm and ascertain claims of non-remittance of funds among the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET), Electricity Distribution Companies (Discos) and Generation Companies (Gencos).

    The committee is also to investigate how the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) paid the N213 billion intervention funds to the power sector and the usage of the funds.

    The Senate President gave the mandate at the weekend at a stakeholders’ meeting aimed at finding answers to the dwindling electricity generation in the country.

    Saraki said the committee should also consider the role of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), whose officials serve as board members in the Discos and Gencos.

    He expressed displeasure with the poor electricity supply, especially its negative impact on growth and the need to pull out the country out of economic recession.

    He feared total collapse of the country’s electricity system, if urgent steps were not immediately taken to remedy the situation.

    Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing Mr. Louis Edozien, who led the stakeholders to the meeting, lamented that power generation has gone down to 3000MW/H from a 7000MW/H generating capacity with a 12000MW/H connected load.

    Discos, Edozien said, are presently remitting about 45 per cent of collectable revenue instead of the performance agreement target of 65 per cent.

  • Magu: SERAP drags Senate to UN

    Magu: SERAP drags Senate to UN

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has petitioned the United Nations (UN) over alleged intimidation, harassment and unfair treatment of EFCC Chairman, Mr Ibrahim Magu, by the Senate.

    The petition, which was signed by the Executive Director of SERAP, Mr Adetokunbo Mumuni, was addressed to Mr Michel Forst, the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders.

    In a copy of the petition made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, Mumuni accused the Senate of “apparently working with other agencies of government to use a purported security report it knew or ought to know is baseless and politically motivated to reject Mr Magu’s confirmation as substantive chairman of the EFCC.

    “By relying on a report they knew or ought to know is baseless and politically motivated to reject Mr Magu’s appointment as chairman of the EFCC, the Senate of Nigeria has flagrantly violated his right to a fair hearing, and is implicitly working to weaken, intimidate, harass and ultimately undermine the independence and freedom of action of the EFCC in its efforts to combat high-profile official corruption,” it said.

    The project, therefore, urged Forst to “urgently intervene in this matter to stop further intimidation and harassment of a prominent anti-corruption campaigner and human rights defender.

    “SERAP believes that the action by the Senate of Nigeria and other agencies of government apparently working with them undermines and violates Nigeria’s international obligation to respect, protect, promote and fulfill the human rights of the citizens, which inevitably creates a duty for the government to establish efficient and independent anti-corruption mechanisms.

    “Apart from the fact that the allegations against Mr Magu are baseless and politically motivated, the Senate of Nigeria flagrantly denied him constitutionally and internationally guaranteed right to a fair hearing by not providing him an opportunity to respond to the allegations against him.
    “The Senate confirmation hearing therefore amounts to a nullification, or destruction of the very essence of the fundamental principles of fair hearing.

    “The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria relying on a baseless and politically motivated report declined to confirm the appointment of Ibrahim Magu as substantive chairman of the country’s leading anti-corruption agency, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    “The Senate claimed that its action was based on a purported security report forwarded to it by the State Security Service,” the petition read in part.

    SERAP said that it had reviewed the security report, which primarily alleged that sensitive and unauthorised EFCC official documents were found in Magu’s home.

    “However, SERAP is aware that this allegation was part of the conspiracy to harass Magu and frustrate his anti-corruption work, as he was unjustly detained for three weeks.

    “Following investigation by the police authorities in 2008, Magu was subsequently cleared of any wrongdoing, and in fact, promoted to the rank of Assistant Commissioner of Police.

    “The report also incorrectly stated that Magu currently occupies a residence rented for N40 million at N20 million per anum and paid for by suspected corrupt persons.

    “But SERAP’s finding shows that the property was in fact paid for by the Federal Capital Development Administration,” it said.

    SERAP said it believed that the purported rejection by the Senate of Nigeria of Magu’s appointment as the chairman of EFCC was politically motivated and in bad faith.

    It also said it was prart of a persistent move by the National Assembly of Nigeria including the Senate and the House of Representatives and other agencies of government apparently working with them to undermine the ongoing fight against corruption.

    “SERAP is deeply concerned by intimidation, harassment and politically motivated allegations against one of the most efficient, focused, consistent and hardworking anti-corruption campaigners in our country.

    “These politically motivated allegations are not only to victimize him as the head of EFCC but also to harass, intimidate and frustrate the work of other anti-corruption and human rights campaigners and institutions in the country.

    “SERAP considers Mr Magu to be a human rights defender within the provisions of the UN Declaration on the Right and Responsibility of Individuals, Groups and Organs of Society to Promote and Protect Universally Recognized Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms of 1998 (UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders).

    “SERAP therefore urges you to urgently assert your mandates to put pressure on the Senate of Nigeria and other agencies of government apparently working with them to end continuing harassment and intimidation of Mr Magu by immediately withdrawing any politically motivated allegations against him.

    “We also urge you to send a strong message to the Senate of Nigeria and other agencies of government that the campaign of intimidation and harassment against human rights and anti-corruption campaigners is unacceptable, and will not be tolerated.” (NAN)

  • Senate inaugurates Abe, Sekibo, Ideozu

    The Senate on Thursday inaugurated Senators Magnus Abe (Rivers South East), George Thompson Sekibo (River East) and Osinakachukwu Ideozu as Senators of the Eight Senate.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, inaugurated the senators following their victory in the December 10 Rivers State parliamentary elections.

    After the inauguration, Senator Abe told journalists that without dutiful security agents, it would have been near impossible for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct the election.

    He said some people with vested interest attempted to scuttle the election but for the determination of security agents to see the election through.

    Abe, who was part of the 7th Senate, noted that “coming back to the Senate is a dream come true. I know that if election is conducted in the Rivers South East any time I will emerge victorious.”

    Abe promised to continue promoting the interest of Nigeria above personal interest.

  • Senate rejects Magu’s nomination as EFCC chairman

    Senate rejects Magu’s nomination as EFCC chairman

    The Senate on Thursday rejected the nomination of Mr. Ibrahim Magu as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    The Senate after a lengthy closed session drafted the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, to address journalists and announce the rejection of the Magu’s nomination.

    Abdullahi said Senate’s decision not to confirm Magu was due to unfavourable security reports against his nomination.

    He did not give details of the security reports that stopped Magu’s confirmation as EFCC chief.

    Abdullahi said, “This is an official statement from the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “It is a statement on the confirmation of Chairman and members of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

    “The Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria wishes to inform the general public that based on security reports available to the Senate, the Senate cannot proceed and confirm the nomination of Ibrahim Magu Mustapha as the Executive Chairman of EFCC.

    “Accordingly, the Senate hereby rejects the said nomination and has returned the said nomination to Mr. President for further action.”

    Asked that there appeared to be confusion especially when the screening of Magu and others was listed in the Order Paper, Abdullahi said: “There is no confusion here. We have said it is based on security reports. Please, all of us public officers go for security screening, everybody. And we are saying based on security reports, we cannot proceed and confirm and we are rejecting it and returning it back to Mr. President for further actions. That is just the statement. It is as simple as that. That is exactly what the Senate has said and I don’t have any other explanation more than this.”

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, also announced that the Senate rejected the nomination of Magu and referred the nomination of four other members of the commission to the Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption for screening.

     

  • Senate hearing on NDBN bill rekindles NERFUND’s workers’ hope

    Senate Committee on Banks, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions held a public hearing on the bill to establish the National Development Bank of Nigeria (NDBN). Some stakeholders say the proposal is timely, reports JOHN OFIKHENUA.

    The deliberations on the bill proposing to establish the National Development Bank of Nigeria (NDB) has revived the dying hope of staff and management of the National Economic Reconstruction Fund (NERFUND), whose faith has been hanging in the balance since 2000. Soon after the hearing on December 5 in Abuja, some of the staff cheered,, saying that they see light at the end of the tunnel. They said the public hearing has reawakened the hope that should the bill scale through, at the very minimum, their jobs will be secured.  One of them who asked not to be named, said: “We are very elated. At the end of the day our cries have been heard and our sufferings will now be assuaged by the legislative action. We, in  NERFUND are of the opinion that if it is passed, it will help to safeguard their jobs. We have  been waiting for this day,” they said.

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2001, merged the Bank of Industry (BoI), the Nigeria Industrial Development Bank (NIDB) and NERFUND to form the Bank of Industry, but along the line, the merger wasn’t consummated. However what only took place was the amendment of the Memoranda and Articles of Association of NIDB in order to absolve the assets of NBCI. The ploy made the merger cumbersome and encumbered till this day. This new bill wants to sanitise this whole exercise by repealing the NERFUND Act, dissolve the Bank of Industry and establish a National Development Bank (NDB).

    During the Public Hearing, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Banks, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions (BOFI ), Senator Rafiu Ibrahim said that he was aware that vested interests did not allow the merger to happen as the Federal Government directed, saying he is aware that BoI is claiming that it has today merged with NIDC and NBCI to become the  Bank of Industry. But he is aware that the management of the Bank of Industry did not resolve and settle the staff of NBCI, but simply took over the asset of NBCI and allowed the staff to go away disgruntled. They were never severed even though they were qualified to be absolved. They are still there angry and they are writing petitions every day. NERFUND has been under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Finance, hence its insulation from the fate of NBCI.

    Although NERFUND has not been through the NBCI journey, it has its own history of neglect and near abandonment. The last board of NERFUND was dissolved in 1993, and since then, the Federal Ministry of Finance has not constituted another board. Instead it created an Interim Management Committee (IMC) chaired by the Minister/Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance. Consequently, the ministry has been nominating acting Managing Directors of NERFUND from 2000 till date.  An industry source who made this known to The Nation on the condition of anonymity, said the situation has plunged the FUND into limbo, culminating in its poor performance.

    The source said due the absence of a substantive leadership, “ NERFUND began to do what DFIs should not do. It started funding political projects which may not have met the minimum eligibility for funding. But because they are coming from some politicians or politically exposed individuals, they will just collect notes and give them the money.”

    The bill is now seeking to  repeal the NERFUND Act and also dissolve the Bank of Industry (BOI) , and as well repeal the Act establishing the Nigerian Bank of Commerce and Industry (NBCI).

    In his memorandum at the hearing, the National President, National Association of Small Scale Industries (NASSI),  Ezekiel Essien pointed out that the association was pleased that the Federal Government has decided to float the NDB, expressing the hope that it’s establishment would deepen diversity in the sub sector and not otherwise.

    Making case for the establishment of the new bank, he said despite the popular notion that it is more desirable to have one single Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), for the whole country to service over 180 million population, it is clearly not the usual practice in other countries across the world. For instance, while Nigeria has only five DFIs, South Africa has 12.”

  • Inflation of contracts: Senate is talking balderdash, says SGF

    Inflation of contracts: Senate is talking balderdash, says SGF

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) David Babachir Lawal, has denied accusation of contract inflation and abuse of office by the Senate.
    The Senate on Wednesday had asked Lawal, to immediately resign his position in order to face prosecution over alleged abuse of office, contract inflation and misappropriation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) funds.
    Responding to the accusation, the SGF said “the Senate is talking balderdash; it has developed the habit of bring him Down syndrome. Nigerians have decided that we should destroy our best.  We should all destroy the promising and best among us by bringing people down without a cause. This is just how I saw it.
    “I have the report of the Senate Committee in which it was said that I didn’t resign from Rholavision Nigeria Limited. Let me tell you, Rholavision was formed by me in December 1990, and it has been a company that was run very successfully.
    “Now, when I was appointed Secretary to the Government of the Federation, I resigned from that company on 18th August 2015. I can see that in their report, they are talking about 2016. I don’t know where they got their facts.
    “By the way, it is very instructive that when the committee was sitting, no effort was ever made to invite me to come and make a submission. It is therefore, surprising that they devoted a whole session of today (yesterday) at maligning me, claiming what is not true without even giving me the chance to come and put my own case before them” he lamented.
  • Senate seeks SGF prosecution for contract inflation

    Senate seeks SGF prosecution for contract inflation

    The Senate on Wednesday asked the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr. David Babachir Lawal, to immediately resign his position in order to face prosecution over alleged abuse of office, contract inflation and misappropriation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) funds.

    The funds, the Senate said, ran into billions of Naira.

    The upper chamber also asked its ad-hoc committee on the mounting humanitarian crisis in the North East to dig into alleged misappropriation of over N127 billion said to have been part of the donation for the care of IDPs.

    This followed the consideration of the interim report of the ad-hoc committee presented by its Chairman, Senator Shehu Sani.

    Other resolutions adopted in the report included that the Federal government and states in the North East should as a matter of urgency ensure that food items are adequately and promptly provided to displaced persons in order to address the prevailing malnutrition ‘observed amongst them.

    • Serious efforts should be put by both Federal and state governments of the North East to provide conducive learning atmosphere for the children of the lDPs.
    • The Federal Ministry of Health should be compelled to immediately deploy their personnel to all the lDPs to support the efforts of the International Humanitarian Crisis Managers and the Nigerian Air Force medical team in providing the necessary medical assistance in order to avert possible outbreak of communicable diseases like cholera, measles, and diarrhea.
    • Federal and state government should intensify efforts towards reconstruction of destroyed infrastructure, rehabilitation and empowerment of the lDPs so that they can go back to their respective homes.
    • The newly constituted Presidential Committee on the North East Initiative (PCNI) should ensure that there is synergy and proper coordination among all humanitarian crisis agencies if the lDPs are to gain maximally from the entire exercise.

  • Buhari seeks Senate’s confirmation of Ayine as Auditor-General

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday asked the Senate to consider and confirm Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine, as the Auditor General of the Federation.

    This is contained in a letter by President Buhari to the Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Tuesday.

    President Buhari noted in the letter read by Saraki that Section 86(1) of 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (as amended), states that the Auditor-General for the Federation shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Federal Civil Service Commission subject to confirmation by the Senate.

    The letter added, “In line with this constitutional requirement, the Federal Civil Service Commission has recommended Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine for appointment as the Auditor-General for the Federation. The Curriculum Vitae of Mr. A. M. Ayine is herewith attached.

    “I have accepted this recommendation and hereby present the nomination of Mr. Anthony Mkpe Ayine for confirmation by the Senate.

    “While hoping that this request will receive the usual expeditious consideration of the Distinguished Senators, please accept, Mr. Senate President, the assurances of my highest regards.”

     

  • Northern Senators disagree over North East commission

    The controversy trailing the proposed North East Development Commission continued on Tuesday as Senators from the North-East and North-West geopolitical zones, sharply disagreed over the removal of Kano and Plateau States as beneficiaries of commission.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, however prevailed on the lawmakers to pass the bill setting up the commission.

    Aggrieved North-West Senators threatened to sponsor an amendment bill to include other states.

    The upper chamber had on October 20 during the third reading of the bill included Kano and Plateau States as parts of the proposed commission.

    The main function of the commission is to rebuild Boko Haram ravaged North-East region.

    Apart from the North East region, other states affected by Boko Haram insurgency are Kano, Plateau, and Benue south and will be included as parts of the commission.

    Senator Kabiru Marafa (Zamfara Central), who opposed the passage of the bill, noted that the removal of Kano and Plateau as parts of the commission was unacceptable.

    Marafa said, “This report should be rejected. There are other parts of the north that were affected by insurgency. We cannot adopt this report and pass it. This is wrong. There were terrorist attacks in Kano and Plateau and why should they remove the two states even when we have already resolved that here?

    “Another thing is that, out of 14 members of the committee, only five members signed the report and that means those who did not sign are not in support of what has been done by the committee. We are all from the north and we need to carry everybody along.”

    Senator Kabiru Gaya, (Kano South) also opposed passage of the bill.