The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Senate

  • Senate confirms appointment of Supreme Court Justices

    Senate confirms appointment of Supreme Court Justices

    The Senate on Tuesday confirmed the appointment of Justice Ejembi Eko and Justice Amina Augie as Justices of the Supreme Court.

    The confirmation of the Justices followed the consideration of the report of its committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, which urged the Senate to go ahead with the confirmation.

    In confirming the appointments, the 8th Senate employed the electronic voting system for the first time since its inauguration in June 2015.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalled that the last time the electronic voting system was employed by the Senate was in 2014 during the 7th Senate under the Presidency of Sen. David Mark

    The Senate then used the electronic system to vote during the Constitution review of 2014.

    At Tuesday’s plenary, 38 senators supported the appointment of Eko while 39 senators supported Augie’s appointment while one senator did not vote for either of the two.

    Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu who presided over plenary commended the two justices and charged them to uphold and defend the tenets of their calling.

    Meanwhile, the Senate commenced the screening of six Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) who were directed to appear before its committee on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    The senate while considering executive communications agreed to begin the consideration of the nomination of the six commissioners for appointment.

    They are: Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu (Anambra), May Agbamuche-Mbu (Delta), AVM Ahmed Mu’Azu (Gombe), Mohammed Haruna (Niger), Dr Adekunle Ogunmola (Oyo) and Abubakar Nahuche (Zamfara).

    The Senate also considered the request by President Muhammadu Buhari for the confirmation of five commissioners for the National Population Commission (NPC).

    They also include Engr. Benedict Ukpong (Akwa Ibom), Gloria Izonfuo (Bayelsa), Barr. Kupchi Iyanya, Dr Haliru Bala (Kebbi) and Dr Eyitayo Oyetunji.

    The commissioners-designate are to appear before the Senate Committee on National Population.

    The committee is to report back to the Senate in two weeks.

     

  • Senate summons Emefiele, Enelamah, MTN, others over $14b ‘capital flight’

    Senate summons Emefiele, Enelamah, MTN, others over $14b ‘capital flight’

    The Senate has invited South Africa’s MTN, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Mr. Godwin Emefiele, the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah, four lenders and eight others to appear before it on October 20 for an “investigative hearing” on an allegation that MTN illegally moved $14 billion out of the country.

    The upper house last month agreed to investigate whether the telco wrongly transferred the money out of Nigeria between 2006 and 2016.

    The allegations first appeared in a motion proposed by Senator Dino Melaye to launch an investigation on the matter. It is coming as the country struggles with its first recession in a generation and chronic foreign currency shortages due to a slump in oil prices.

    MTN and Elenemah have denied any wrongdoing.

    The four lenders invited to appear before the Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and Other Financial Institutions are Stanbic IBTC Bank, Standard Chartered Bank, Citibank and Diamond Bank, the committee’s chairman, Rafiu Adebayo Ibrahim, said in a statement yesterday. Also to appear before the committee is the Financial Reporting Council of Nigeria (FRCN),

    Citi and Diamond Bank declined to comment. A spokesman for Stanbic was unavailable and Standard Chartered said it would cooperate fully with law enforcement agencies.

    Other persons invited to appear include Dr. Pascal Dozie, Ahmed Dasuki, Gbenga Oyebode, Babatunde Folawiyo, Colonel Sani Bello and Victor Odili.

    Senator Ibrahim said the invitation to the affected persons and organisations emanated from a September 27 resolution of the Senate on alleged unscrupulous violation of the Foreign Exchange (Monitoring and Miscellaneous) Act.

    Melaye had accused Enelamah as one of the individuals that assisted MTN to move the cash out of the country through the incorporation of offshore companies in Cayman Island, Mauritus and the British Virgin Islands.

    Shares in MTN extended losses yesterday, falling 2.3 per cent to R110.67, partly on news of the hearing.

    The Senate move is likely to raise tensions between Nigeria and MTN.

    The allegation is coming months after the carrier agreed to pay a greatly reduced fine of N330 billion  ($1.1 billion) to end a long-running dispute over the size of the penalty imposed on it by the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) over its failure to disconnect active unregistered subscriber identity module (SIM) cards from its network. Total fine originally was set at $5.9 billion.

  • Buhari’s wife, Senate to partner German company on reproductive health 

    Buhari’s wife, Senate to partner German company on reproductive health 

    Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari and the Senate, Wednesday pledged to partner Merck Pharmaceuticals – a German company – on reproductive health issues in the country.

    Mrs. Buhari who is also the initiator of Future Assured and the Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Senator Lanre Tejuoso disclosed this during the “Merck More than a Mother” in Nigeria Campaign Launch in Abuja.

    “Merck More than a Mother” initiated by Dr. Rasha Kelej – Chief Social Officer of Merck – aims to empower infertile women by improving access to information, education, healthcare, change of culture, mindset and to de-stigmatize infertility.

    Mrs. Buhari in a speech read on her behalf by the Vice President’s wife, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo,  pledged her support in the implementation of “Merck More than a Mother’s” activities in Nigeria – with emphasis on creating awareness and providing information and education on causes of infertility; facilitating access to healthcare; and economic and social empowerment of infertile women.

    She expressed her willingness to help strengthen advocacy for women with infertility challenges through her Future Assured Initiative Project.

    On his part, Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Senator Lanre Tejuoso, said the Senate would initiate a legislation on Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) in the country.

    Wife of the Senate President, Mrs. Toyin Saraki, in her remarks, called for partnership between government and the private sector to make infertility treatment affordable.

    Saraki’s wife who spoke on behalf of wives of other Senators said that they would carry the message of the “Merck More than a Mother” campaign to every Senatorial District in the country.

    A panel discussion by fertility experts and policy makers during the launch called for an end to the stigmatization of infertile women; creation of awareness and education on the causes of infertility and management since over 85% of the cases are caused by infections which can be treated and prevented.

    They added that it also involved building advocacy for the development of ART laws to improve the governance and quality of fertility care; improving access to fertility care by integrating it into public reproductive health services and building the capacity to provide quality and safe fertility care through training.

    The panelists also supported the empowerment of infertile women who form a vulnerable part of the population and noted that infertile women in Nigeria and many other African countries who can no longer be treated have been empowered socially and economically to lead independent and happier lives through “Empowering Berna” initiative.

    “Empowering Berna” is part of “Merck More than a Mother” campaign.

    The panel included Senator Dr. Lanre Tejuoso, the Chairman Senate Committee of Health; Minister of Health, Prof.  Isaac Adewole, Minister of Women Affairs, Senator Aisha Alhassan and Uganda’s Minister of State for Health, Hon. Sarah Opendi.

    Others are a Member of the Kenyan Parliament, Hon. Joyce Lay; National Coordinator, Future Assured, Dr. Mohammed Kamal; President of Africa Fertility Society, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru and Chief Social Officer of Merck Pharmaceuticals, Rasha Kelej.

  • NDDC board: Senate rejects nomination of two members

    NDDC board: Senate rejects nomination of two members

    …Faults arrest, detention of Judges

    The Senate on Tuesday rejected nominations of two Olatokunbo Ajasin (Ondo) and Hon Donatus Enyinna (Abia) as board members of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    Also, the Senate faulted the arrest, detention of Judges by the Department of Security Service (DSS) following adoption of a motion.

    Details shortly…

  • Special status: Lagos Assembly writes senate to rethink

    Special status: Lagos Assembly writes senate to rethink

    …As members calls for re-presentation

    Lagos state House of Assembly at plenary Monday resolved to write the Senate to see reason and let go sentiments and do the right thing on the issue of special status for Lagos which it rejected through a voice vote at its sitting last week.

    The House was reacting to a motion on the issue raised by Hon. Bisi Yusuf (Alimosho 1) under matter of urgent public importance.

    Yusuf while drawing the attention of his colleagues to the incident said the senate rejected the request without any good reason, “and most of them who rejected the request have their families here in Lagos”.

    He wondered why the senators can refuse such a request when the state is not being paid derivation for revenues accruing to the federal government from the two sea ports in the state as well as the VAT realised from the state.

    He urged his colleagues to call on the senate to revisit and pass the bill.

    Although most of the lawmakers who contributed to the debate condemned the action of the senate pointing out that the rejection is a bad signal from the senate and capable of leading to the kind of situation prevailing in the Niger Delta, adding that it is like they are not conversant of the unique place of Lagos not only in Nigeria but Africa as a whole.

    Obasa however, advised against attacking “our senior colleagues”, and that to get the bill through it is numbers that is needed that members should reach out to senators they know to see reason to pass the bill into law.

    He said a special status for Lagos is for the benefit of all Nigerians not Lagos alone, “Lagos is important to all Nigerians because apart from being the commercial nerve centre of the country, the struggle for independence and all political developments started here”.

    The speaker commended the House on the issue “because we have been on this issue for years”. He commended Senator Oluremi Tinubu for her determination, commitment and devotion to get things done in the state urging her not to be tired but continue with her determination to get things done.

    Obasa however, cautioned the senators to tread carefully, “they must not instigate Lagos to behave otherwise; their attitude shows that they don’t want Lagos in Nigeria, and their action as pointed out by a member here is capable of giving rise to what is happening in the Niger Delta now.

    A PDP member in the House, Hon. Jude Idimogun said he supported the call for a special status and condemned its rejection by the senate. He called for the representation of the bill and appealed to Senator Tinubu to lobby her colleagues for the bill to be passed. Adding that Lagos is unique because it is only in Lagos that an Ibo man can be member of the state Assembly

    While the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Sanni Eshilokun said the senators were only driven by ego and ethnocentrism in rejecting the bill.

    While other lawmakers felt there was no justification for the rejection of the request.

  • We need a united front to fight recession – Senate

    The Senate on Friday said the forgery case against Senate President! Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu has been a distraction to the law making body and that the withdrawal was a confirmation of its position that the nation cannot afford any sharp division between the various arms of government.

    In a statement issued by its spokesman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate said the decision to withdraw the case and its subsequent dismissal as well as the discharge of the defendants has confirmed its earlier position that the case was indeed an abuse of court process having been dismissed earlier by the court.

    The statement said, “We have always said it that case was politically motivated. The executive cannot decide for the legislature the genuineness or otherwise of its standing rules. However, where there is a crack in the wall, it is easy for others to capitalize on the differences between us. Now that Senators have closed their ranks, the executive is only taking the right cue.

    “We are happy with this development. We believe it is a sign of good things to come. It is a victory for democracy. A victory for separation of powers, checks and balances and constitutionalism.

    “We commend the judiciary for its continuous dedication and commitment to the rule of law in our democracy. We restate our confidence in their ability to adjudicate and dispense justice in all matters in the polity which no doubt greatly contribute to national productivity. Our commendation also goes to the Federal Ministry of Justice for being courageous enough to do the right thing.

    “We, however, call on the government to go the whole hog and withdraw other cases with political coloration. This is a period for the political leadership to present a united front. There is an emergency in the country. The economy is in crisis.

    “This has resulted in escalating and excruciating poverty among our people. Social problems are on the rise. There are conflicts across the country. National values are being eroded. Crucial Infrastructure and social services are collapsing. These are the things that should pre-occupy our minds, especially now that our economy is in recession.

    “The International community will take us more seriously when they see that everybody in the national leadership is speaking along the same line of solving the economic problem, encouraging productivity, creating employment, promoting discipline and working to make our country great.”

     

  • Senate and Lagos Special Status Bill

    Senate and Lagos Special Status Bill

    SIR: The National Assembly (NASS) again made a show of its narrow-mindedness in shooting down a bill aimed at giving Lagos State a special status as a former nation’s capital.

    With a ballooning population greater than many countries in Africa, even the antagonists of this bill cannot contest the fact that the state has been overstretched beyond limit in provision and maintenance of social amenities to cater for rural-urban migrants desperately exploring greener pasture and exiting the parlous condition of unemployment and low living standards in other states of the federation.

    Housing in Lagos has almost assumed a crisis proportion; the proceeds of a special status would have afforded the state government, latitude for provision of affordable mass housing compatible with minimum wage.

    Secondly, Lagos civil service is forced to absorb many non-indigenous staff as a carryover of its former status as the nation’s capital.

    In other climes, cities with Lagos explosive population in numeric and demographics cannot be serviced with less than three airports, multiple seaports and state of the arts network of roads and rail to befit the commercial nerve centre that it is.

    The road to Murtala Mohammed International Airport for instance is an eyesore to say the least. It is doubtful if there is any airport in the world with such a decrepit access road; a special status would have made more resources available to Lagos State to assist the federal government in providing ultra-modern access road.

    Lagos as it were is a collateral lost paradise even though fortunate to have been serially administered by progressive governors with creative ingenuity and leadership acumen in the likes  of Bola Tinubu, Babatunde Fashola and the incumbent award winning Akinwumi Ambode. A special status would have made Lagos another Dubai in Africa.

    For the myopic lot who shouted nay to eclipse this promising dream, it is a collateral disservice for the fact the first investment destination of any visionary Nigerian is Lagos including members of NASS who practically live in Lagos and work in Abuja.

    The sponsor of the bill, Senator Oluremi Tinubu should not be deterred by this setback and should re-present the bill at a more auspicious time. The bill actually towers above the rhetoric of political reductionism festering in the NASS; it has a pan Nigerian exigency.

     

    • Bukola Ajisola,

    bukymany@yahoo.com.

  • Senate probes N330b Amnesty fund

    The Senate on Thursday launched investigation into activities of the Presidential Amnesty programmes with the aim of ascertaining how the N330 billion accumulated budget of the programme was spent.

    The upper chamber said the investigation became necessary following reports that despite huge sums of funds allocated to the programmes to cater for ex-militants, militancy in the Niger Delta region is on the increase.

    Findings showed that since the inception of the amnesty programme in 2009, over N330 billion had been budgeted for the programme.

    At least N65 billion was voted for the programme in 2016.

    The Senate therefore is suspecting funds mismanagement  by the programme handlers.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who inaugurated the investigative hearing, said the Amnesty programme was created by the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua to curb restiveness in the Niger Delta region.

    He said seven years down the line “we should ask ourselves whether the objectives of the programme have been achieved.”

  • NDDC: Senate screens Ndoma- Egba, others

    The Senate on Tuesday started the screening of nominees for board of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC)

    Those screened are nominees for the positions of Executive Directors and state representatives of the NDDC.

    A former Senate leader, Senator Victor Ndoma- Egba who was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as Chairman of the Commission was asked to take a bow and go.

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, who chaired the screening session, noted that the committee will not compromise its assignment.

    He said the committee decided to make the screening open for all Nigerians to see what was going on.

    He said: “We have made the screening open, we don’t want to hide anything. We want Nigerians to see everything. Some said we have been compromised, we have the backing of the leadership of the Senate not to bend the rules and we are not ready to bend the rules.”

  • Senate opposes MTN plan to sack Nigerian workers

    Senate opposes MTN plan to sack Nigerian workers

     The Senate on Tuesday declared as unacceptable a situation where Nigerians working in the telecommunications industry would be indiscriminately relieved of their positions without recourse to the global labour rules and practices.
    Chairman, Senate Committee on Communications, Gilbert Nnaji stated this in Abuja while reacting to report that MTN Nigeria Limited recently sacked over five hundred staff. 
    The committee chairman insisted that “As the representatives of the people we cannot fold our arms and watch our constituents being relieved of their jobs indiscriminately by employers of labour. 
    “We cannot in any way tolerate such. At the same time, we shall also ensure that our foreign investors are not unduly threatened. 
    “When my attention was drawn to this ugly development I immediately contacted the Managing Director of the company. 
    “Although he said that facts were somehow misrepresented in the report he still admitted that it was only the short-term contract staff who work in the call centres that were affected. 
    “I then let him know that it would be proper for him to review the action especially in view of the biting economic situation in the country. 
    “It is only when that option fails that the committee and by extension, Senate, would take a position to protect our people.”
    MTN has since denied the reported sack of its workers. This is the second time in one week that the South African telecoms giant is making public denial. 
    Just last Wednesday it denied an allegation that it had illegally repatriated 13.92 billion dollars from Nigeria, saying the claim was without merit.
    [news_box style=”2″ display=”tag” link_target=”_blank” tag=”MTN” count=”6″ show_more=”on” show_more_type=”link”]