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Tag: Senate

  • The 8th Senate and the challenges ahead

    On May 17, the 8th Senate under the leadership of Senator Bukola Saraki during a solemn session withdrew considerations for the Frivolous Petitions bill introduced months before by Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah.

    The bill was not an ordinary one. Since its introduction, it has generated heated criticism and disapproval from the public who saw it as a way of clamping down on social media critics, a restriction of freedom of expression and curtailing human rights of the people. Following the heated opposition, the Senate mandated its Committee on Human Rights and Legal Matters to review the bill.

    The recommendation of David Umar, chairman of the committee was unambiguous: it requested that the bill be withdrawn. Following a voice vote, that was what the Senate did.

    It is one year of legislative activism by the National Assembly and the upper chamber has come into focus of Nigerians with many comparing the achievements of the 8th Senate against its predecessors, in terms of bills passed and interventions it has made to further economic and social development in the country.

    While it will be modest to say the Senate has its shoulder high, it has also introduced a major dimension into governance, one which is usually not associated with the Nigerian political class –bowing to the public will.

    In the 8th Senate, the people of Nigeria remain king. Unlike what obtained in the past where public officials flagrantly ignore and disrespect the masses, the Senate has been able to repose a sort of trust and confidence between the public and the legislators. Indeed in this Senate, the leadership has encouraged inputs from the private sector into legislation and has robustly courted the social media community, the youths and even its most fierce critics.

    But this is not the only milestone that would define the first year of the 8th Senate. There are what commentators have described as the passage or considerations of game-changing legislation which is designed to move Nigeria into the centre of the 21st century.

    The Senate has shown and consistently too, that it is on the same page with President Muhammadu Buhari on the anti-corruption fight and the recovery of stolen funds. Acting within its legislative border, the Senate initiated an investigation into the issues of suspicious waivers granted by past administrations. It will be recalled that Nigerian manufacturers, civil society movements and other stakeholders had called for a review of the waiver regime.

    This 8th Senate had the balls and the political will to do just that and the revelations were staggering. A total of N447.42billion fraud was exposed in the duty waiver and concessions scam involving rice and other imported foods and automobile by different organs of government from 2011 to 2015.

    According to Adamu Aliero, the chairman of an Senate ad-hoc committee, in 2011 alone the country lost N78,489,941,114.74 to questionable import waivers. Others followed similar pattern:  In 2012, the federal government lost N128,538,453,758.99. Similarly, in 2013, the Senate report claimed that N46,056,265,355.78. In 2014, N87,654,744,360.22 and in 2015 alone, a total sum of N106,711,892,098.14 was approved as concession, waivers and grants to companies.

    ”Customs duty waivers and concessions have been used by the Budget Office of the Federation to entrench a very destructive patronage system to our economy, whereby very few operators in the economy were singled out for favours resulting to unfair competition in the system”, Aliero said.

    Consequently, the Saraki-led Senate urged the government to recoup N10.3billion from six companies that enjoyed rice importation waiver in 2014. This money when recovered will go a long way in providing the much needed dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

    Easing the burden of doing business in the country has been a major concern for the 8th Senate with different motions and intervention leading to the change in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy which allowed small business owners access to foreign exchange. That is not the only focus on the economy by the Senate; a probe led to the strict implementation of the Treasury Savings Account (TAS) which today has saved Nigerian about N20billion.

    Perhaps one single act of nationalism which directly impacts all Nigerians is the abolition of fixed charges in electricity tariffs.  In the past, Nigerians have complained about the ‘inhuman’ monthly fixed charge on their electricity tariff. The situation is made worse for the millions of homes using the prepaid meter.

    Senator Sam Egwu who moved the motion said: “The high tariff being charged by DISCOS does not make provision for payment of only electricity that is consumed even though bills are dished out… I am also concerned that even those that have the prepaid meters are being billed a fixed rate of about N700 a month irrespective of whether or not the person consumes electricity.”

    Consequently, the Senate President, Saraki, ordered the National Electricity Regulation Commission (NERC) to abolish the fixed charges.

    It is instructive to note that in its first year, 167 bills have passed first reading, 39 are in second reading stage while six are in third reading. To show its commitment to economic recovery especially as it affects the ease of doing business, the Senate is also set to review 54 laws affecting ease of doing business in Nigeria. In all, 162 motions were considered and resolutions which affect ordinary Nigerians were passed. Some of these are: Ban on Nigeria Agricultural export products by the European Union, flood and erosion disaster and landslide in some parts of the country.

    With the speed with which the senate has attacked its legislative duties, it is expected to work even more assiduously as it enters the second legislative year. And of course the Senate must ensure that the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) counts among its achievements at the celebration of its second year in May 2017.

     

    • Adenuga wrote in from Abuja.
  • Senate sets up panel on NNPC’s unremitted N1tr

    Senate sets up panel on NNPC’s unremitted N1tr

    • NEITI: oil production figure unknown

    The Senate yesterday resolved to set up a nine-man ad-hoc committee to consider the statutory report of the Nigerian Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI).

    The upper chamber took the decision after a session with the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Mr. Waziri Adio in Abuja.

    The Senate had invited Adio to throw more light on the 2013 audit report of NEITI he submitted to it.

    Before constituting the committee, Senate President, Abubaka Bukola Saraki said based on the fact that the report cut across many standing committees and in view of the enormity issues involved, the consensus is that the Senate should set up ad hoc committee with the responsibility of addressing all the issues.

    Saraki said the terms of reference of the committee included re-examining the financial processes and the fiscal audit report of the NEITI and the financial loss and leakages to government in all its ramifications.

    He added that the panel should also look at remedial measures and sanctions where necessary, “and of course, more importantly any relevant legislative action that would be required to block all forms of leakages.”

    Saraki, named Chairman, Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) Senator Jibrin Barau as chairman of the ad-hoc committee.

    Other members of the committee included Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Account Senator Andy Ubah, Chairman Senate Committee on Petroleum (Upstream) Tayo Alasoadura, Chairman Senate Committee on Gas, Senator Bassey Akpan, Chairman Anti-Corruption, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator John Owan Enoh, Senators Kabiru Marafa, Bukka Mustapha, and Solomon Adeola.

    The Committee was given four weeks to conclude its assignment and report back to the Senate in plenary.

    Adio in his presentation said the audit report is published every year because NEITI has a mandate to promote accountability and transparency in the management of resources from oil, gas and mining.

    The NEITI boss noted that though the country is aware of its oil and gas export, “we cannot say scientifically what we produce.

    He blamed this on lack of metering in the oil and gas sector.

    He noted that in 2013 the country produced 800.3 million barrels and out of which the country made $58.07 billion which represented eigh per cent reduction on the $62.9 billion the country made in 2012.

    He noted that there are some monies that were withheld, lost or underpaid for different reasons.

    He said: “These monies are in three tranches. The first is in the category of the unremitted, and the unremitted amounted to $3.8 billion and N358 million.

  • Senate asks FG to immortalize Keshi, Amodu

    The Senate on Tuesday asked the Federal Government to immortalize late former coaches of the Super Eagles, Stephen Keshi and Shuaibu Amodu.

    The resolution followed the adoption of two motions on the demise of Keshi and Amodu sponsored by Chairman, Senate Committee on Youth and Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba.

    Apart from urging the federal government to immortalize the two late coaches, the upper chamber also resolved to send two separate delegations to their families and governments of Delta and Edo States to commiserate with them.

    While Keshi hailed from Delta State, Amodu was born in Okpella area of Edo State.

    The lawmaker also observed a minute silence in hour of the departed coaches.

    Senator Ogba in his lead debate reeled out the exploits of Keshi and Amodu in the sports arena and how they made the country proud in their engagements.

    He regretted that Keshi and Amodu died at relatively young age especially when their services were required by the country.

    He noted that the coaches’ demise was a huge shock to him.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, also lamented the death of Keshi and Amodu.

    The resolutions were unanimously adopted.

  • One year after: Senate takes stock

    THURSDAY June 9th, 2016 was a day of stock taking by the Senate to mark its one year anniversary.

    It was a day senators across party lines took turns to reflect deeply how well the upper chamber has conducted its legislative functions in the service of the country.

    It was a session to look back, re-strategise and articulate ways and means of going forward. The twists and turns of the 8th Senate were duly highlighted.

    It was also an occasion for the lawmakers to exchange banters for a job well done?

    Soon after the 8th Senate was inaugurated on June 9th, 2015 after the Presidential Proclamation of the National Assembly by President Muhammadu Buhari, the upper chamber launched into intractable leadership tussle that became a huge drag on its functions and performance.

    Efforts to resolve the differences have not quite yielded the expected results due largely to the nature of the intervening variables.

    The curious silence of leaders of the Senate Unity Forum, a group of Senators who opposed the emergence of Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki as Senate President, may be a sign that all is not completely well with the upper chamber.

    This is contrary to the impression created by some speakers at the session that the Senate has moved past its differences.

     Most of those who spoke at the memorial session were quite frank and factual, weighing the strength and weaknesses of the 8th Senate while some others chose to play to the gallery.

     Saraki flagged off the commemorative session with a lengthy speech that touched on the performance of the Senate, including bills progression, the dwindling economy, anti-graft drive, insecurity, especially the urgent need to mobilise resources to rebuild the North East, unemployment, transportation, child abuse and sexual harassment, among others.

    Saraki agreed that though the Senate achieved some milestone in its first year, more needed to be done in the years to come.

    “I dream of a day when the poor woman sitting in her house in rural Awka would be able to see the benefit of our work on her life. I dream of a day when a child going to school in Gusau would feel the benefit of the laws that we make.

     “I dream of a day when a young lady in Oshogbo would be able to say how the Senate has helped her small business. I dream of a day when a farmer in Ogoja would see how those of us gathered in this chamber have helped to improve his life. I am confident that if we continue on the path that we have walked in the past year, that day will come soon,” he said.

    On the economy, Saraki prayed the Federal Government to seek out knowledgeable Nigerians to help fix the economy. The serious challenges facing the country, he said, required all hands to be on deck.

    On the crisis that attempted to pull down the Senate he said, “one year ago, this Senate appeared irreparably divided against itself. Today, we have overcome that division and we are able to work with greater unity and fraternity.”

     While commending everyone for this, Saraki assured “on our side in the leadership, we would like to assure you that we would continue to ensure fairness and justice for every Senator and will continue to work to protect and preserve the dignity of the red chamber.”

     Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Senator Babajide Omoworare, gave the status of bills, motions and confirmations.

     Omoworare said 300 bills are pending in the Senate out of which 11 were passed, 189 at the first reading stage while 54 were read second time and referred to relevant committees.

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, in his contribution harped on the existing unity in the Senate.

     “We were divided along the lines of Unity Forum, Like Minds and Non-aligned, but today, we are united as one indivisible Senate, working for the progress of our nation.

     “Let me assure you that I am committed as ever in the unity and progress of this country and in the independence of the parliament. I am proud of our accomplishment as a Senate,” Ekweremadu said.

    Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, who said he is lucky to be in the National Assembly since the year 2003, noted that the 8th Senate despite challenges “we had one year we can proudly say we have achieved a lot.”

    On his part, Senate Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye charged the Senate to be up and doing saying “before we know it, we will be buried in the activities of 2019 and if we have to be honest to ourselves, next year must not be like the past one year.”

    Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio, added the comic side of the session.

    Akpabio recalled how Saraki was “fidgeting, sweating and looking worried” on June 9th, 2015 at the inauguration of the 8th Senate.

    The former Akwa Ibom State governor said that Saraki probably thought that the opposition People Democratic Party senators with the majority during the inauguration would elect to capture the slot of Senate President.

    “The All Progressives Congress must thank PDP senators who had the advantage to take the Senate President but we did not do that. I know that you were worried thinking that we were going to take the Senate President but we consulted and decided to allow APC to take the Senate President while we settled for the Deputy Senate President.

    “We thank the APC for allowing us to take the Deputy Senate President while APC should thank us for assisting it to take the Senate President,” he said.

  • Senate passes 11 bills in one year

    Senate passes 11 bills in one year

    It was time for stock taking yesterday in the Senate.

    Senators took turns to review their activities in a special session to mark the one year anniversary of the inauguration of the eighth Senate.

    The 8th Senate was inaugurated on June 9, last year after the Proclamation by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The House of Representatives also took a similar step.

    Although Senators who spoke were upbeat in their comments, it was curious that leaders of the Senate Unity Forum, a group of Senators who opposed the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President, kept mum.

    In all, the Senate passed only 11 bills in one year.

    Committee on Rules and Business Chairman Senator Babajide Omoworare, said the 11 bills were among the 300 bills brought before in the Senate.

    Omoworare said 189 bills were at the first reading stage; 54 have been read second time and referred to committees.

     He noted that several others were awaiting publication in the journal; three withdrawn to be represented by sponsors while one was negatived.

     The Osun East senator listed the passed bills as .Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act CAP B2 LFN 2011 (Repeal and Re-enactment Bill, 2015

    .National Centre for Cancer and Treatment Bill 2015, Electronic Transaction Bill, 2015, 2015 Appropriation Act (Amendment) Bill 2015, Supplementary Appropriation Bill 2015, High Court of the Federal Capital Territory Abuja (Amendment) Bill 2015, Federal Capital Territory Appropriation Act (Amendment) Bill 2016, 2016 Appropriation Bill 2015, Commercial Agriculture Credit Scheme Bill 2016, Environmental Health Officers (Registration etc) Act 2002 (Amendment) Bill and Nigeria Institute of Soil Science Bill, 2016.

     Omoworare also said the Senate passed 96 landmark resolutions, confirmations and received 159 petitions.

     In the House of Representatives, Speaker Yakubu Dogara said the House passed 85 bills out of the 685 bills received.

    “About 98 per cent (675) of them were members’ bills, 10 executive bills and out of the bills, 416 are awaiting second reading.

    “One hundred and thirty bills have been referred to committees; three are awaiting consideration and it is instructive to observe that 85 of these bills have been passed by the House so far,’’ he said.

    Dogara said the number of bills introduced in the last one year represented the highest annual consideration of bills by the House since the return to democratic governance in 1999.

    Saraki, in his seven-page speech, traced the twists and turns of the eighth Senate and concluded that the upper chamber achieved a lot to cheer.

    He said the Senate had continued to emphasised matters that directly touch on Nigerians.

    Saraki added: “We must find a way to bring the best brains in our country on board wherever they may be found. If we are able to mobilise the best human resources that God has bountifully blessed our country with, I have no doubt that with God on our side; we shall overcome.”

     The Senate President congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari, on the one-year anniversary of his administration and also for the great achievements he has recorded on several fronts. He said the President should continue to run an inclusive government.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu said: “We were divided along the lines of Unity Forum, Like Minds and Non-aligned, but today we are united as one indivisible Senate, working for the progress of our nation.

    Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume said: ”We had one year we can proudly say we have achieved a lot.”

    But Chief Whip Senator Olusola Adeyeye sounded a note of caution: “Before we know it, we will be buried in the activities of 2019 and if we have to be honest to ourselves, next year must not be like the past one year.

     ”How do we ensure that before the end of this tenure that we no longer import fuel? How can we ensure that unemployment is dealt with. Every part of the country is doing badly, the earlier we do something about it the better.”

  • Senate seeks proper prosecution of Kano killing culprits

    Senate seeks proper prosecution of Kano killing culprits

    The Senate has condemned the killing of Mrs. Bridget Agbahime in Kano State, even as it urged the Federal Government to ensure that the perpetrators were properly prosecuted in line with the laws of the country.

    Senator Samuel Anyanwu (Imo East) drew the attention of the Senate to the murder. He noted that government at all levels must ensure the protection of lives and property of Nigerians.

    Senator Anyanwu condemned the killing and prayed the Senate to do same. He thanked the Kano State Governor, Umar Ganduje, and the Commissioner of Police for taking immediate actions leading to the some arrests, but insisted that the culprits be prosecuted duly.

    His words: “I think it should go beyond arrests. We do not want a situation where someone is being detained today and after some time, we do not hear about the matter again. The worst thing that could happen to a man is for his wife to be killed right before him.

    “I think this Senate should rise and condemn this act, we are one Nigeria; we all believe in one Nigeria and we want to respect our religious affiliations. This country must be united; you would agree with me that the Igbo are the most liberalised people because we believe in one Nigeria, we live in every part of Nigeria. So I feel bad with the way we are being treated and I think this Senate should rise and ask the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Solomon Arase, to ensure that the culprits are brought to book.”

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, asked Arase and other relevant government agencies to ensure the culprits are prosecuted.

    “Let me on behalf of the Senate express our condolences to the family and to the people of your constituency, the entire Imo State and indeed Nigerians.

    “This is because every soul matters to us as Nigerians. The rate of killing in Nigeria is becoming very embarrassing. We must do everything as leaders to protect the lives and property of the citizens. Every life matters to us, so we cannot continue on the path of diminishing it.

    “It is the responsibility of security agencies to ensure that every Nigerian is protected wherever he or she lives. To ensure that this doesn’t happen again, every effort must be made to fish out those responsible so that they will face the full wrath of the law. We believe that this might be the last of this kind of incidence anywhere in Nigeria,” Ekweremadu said.

  • Buhari writes Senate over medical vacation

    Buhari writes Senate over medical vacation

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s letter informing the Senate about his medical vacation in the United Kingdom was Tuesday read on the floor of the Senate.

    The letter entitled “Medical vacation” read by the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, was dated June 6th June, 2016.

    President Buhari said in the letter addressed to the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, “In compliance with Section 145 (1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended, I wish to inform the Distinguished Senate that I will be away on a short medical vacation from 6th-16th of June 2016, and while I am away, the Vice President will perform the functions of my office.

    “Please accept, as always assurances of my highest esteemed consideration.”

    The President travelled to the United Kingdom on Monday to rest as well as seek medical attention to an ear weakness.

  • Kano killing: Senate seeks culprits’ prosecution

    The Senate on Tuesday condemned in strong terms the last Thursday killing of Mrs. Bridget Agbahime in Kano State.

    The upper chamber urged the Federal Government to ensure that those behind the killing were properly prosecuted in line with the laws of the country.

    Mrs. Agbahime was gruesomely murdered in a Kano market after she was accused of blasphemy.

    Senator Samuel Anyanwu (Imo East) drew attention of the Senate to the woman’s murder.

    The lawmaker noted that government at all levels must ensure protection of lives and property of all Nigerians.

    Senator Anyanwu in his Point of Order, condemned the killing and prayed the Senate to rise and condemn it too.

    He commended the state governor and the commissioner of police for the arrest of some people.

    He insisted that those involved in the killing should be duly prosecuted.

     

  • Senate moves to put new life into railways

    Senate moves to put new life into railways

    The Senate took a major step on Wednesday to revamp and rejuvenate the near moribund Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).

    Senator Olugbenga Ashafa, Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport, submitted the report of his committee on NRC Act 1955 (Repeal and Re-Enactment Bill, 2016).

     The Nigeria Railway Corporation 1955, repeal and re-enactment bill, was sponsored by Senator Andy Uba (Anambra South) for consideration and passage into law.

    Uba sought through the bill, to draw the attention of the Senate to the need to arrest the dwindling fortunes of the NRC and make the once flourishing corporation vibrant again.

     Most senators agreed with him as the bill scaled first reading seamlessly. It was tagged one of the high priority bills that should be given accelerated consideration.

     Public hearing on the bill was held on Monday April 25, 2016 to receive inputs from stakeholders’ on the way going forward.

     The public hearing focused on suggestions that though the bill was a laudable attempt, it needed to be reviewed technically to fine-tune its essentials in order to incorporate the varying, yet valuable inputs by stakeholders.

     The intension was, no doubt, to make the bill well-rounded and a holistic piece of legislation that would address what stakeholders considered the current opaque legal and regulatory framework of the NRC.

     The submission of the report, which contained technical evaluation of the rail system in the country and the way forward to the Senate in plenary perhaps marked the beginning of the long overdue process of unbundling the NRC.

     Essentially, the bill seeks to reduce government over bearing influence as a sole operator and regulator in the sector.

     It is proposing to create three independent agencies that will comprise public and private stakeholders’ platform to perform the functions hitherto carried out solely by the NRC.

     The report talks about the creation of the National Railway Authority, the Independent Railway Regulatory Commission and the Railway Operators’ Scheme as independent bodies.

    It also talks about the need to promote public, private and partnership schemes as well as to encourage state and local government participation in railway development.

    The report recommended that board members should be kept to a minimal.

    Entitled, “Review of the Nigerian Railway Corporation Repeal and Re-Enactment Bill,” the proposed legislation restricts the Ministry of Transportation to policy making, while the National Railway Authority is to manage the infrastructure, pending the establishment of National Transport Commission.

    The Railway Regulator, the bill says, would be charged with the functions of economic and safety regulation of the sector while the Private Sector Railway Operators would have the primary function of providing railway services through concessions.

    To achieve the objectives, the Senate Committee on Land Transport, composed a technical committee made up of engineers in the private sector to review the existing NRC Act and come up with modalities that would enhance efficiency in the sector.

    The 14-member technical committee, chaired by Mr. Chris Okoye, first submitted its report to the Senate leadership.

     Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, who received the report from Senator Ashafa, believed that the reform of the country’s railways sector is important to the much needed economic revival of the country.

    Apparently to underscore the importance of the report, Saraki reiterated the commitment of the 8th Senate towards the passage of the National Railways Commission Bill before the end of the first session of the 8th Senate.

    Ashafa on his part explained that the Senate, after its public hearing on the NRC Bill, gathered memoranda and reports which necessitated the commissioning of a technical committee to make inputs into the repeal and re-enactment bill.

    The sensitive and technical nature of the country’s railway system, he said, should always be considered.

    Okoye described the bill as a defining moment in the country’s railways history.

    While Nigerians may be waiting for how the all important bill will finally be molded in the Senate to transform the Nigeria Railway Corporation to play the pivotal role in the revitalization of the country’s economy, it may be important to caution that some legislations sound beautiful on paper but their practicability becomes another ball game.

    It may be difficult to decode at this point in time how far the Senate can go in its determination to turn the fortunes of the Nigeria Railway Corporation around.

    What is certain however is that a change of approach is urgently needed to put new life into the corporation.

    How well the bill turns out will signal the beginning of its implementability.

    Return of e-parliament

    The plan by the House of Representatives to reintroduce electronic voting in the conduct of the affairs of the House is a welcome development.

    Electronic voting has been used in both chambers of the National Assembly in the past surreptitiously abandoned.

    The Senate and House of Representative specifically adopted electronic voting system during the amendment of the 1999 Constitution. It was thereafter discarded in the two chambers without explanation.

    While some observers said it was abandoned in order for the lawmakers to hide their voting pattern on some sensitive issues; others believed that dumping the system may have been informed by the need to protect non performing members of the two chambers.

    It was therefore reassuring when Speaker Yakubu Dogara announced few days ago that electronic voting system in the conduct of activities of the House of Representatives would soon be the order of the day.

    The plan to adopt e-voting system, Dogara said, is in compliance with the Legislative Agenda of the 8th House of Representatives.

    To give effect to the plan, forms are said to have been distributed to members to collate their data ahead of production of e-voting cards to all the 360 members.

    The Speaker was also quoted to have said that “the implication of the new system is that records of each member’s punctuality and voting patterns can easily be accessed by his/her constituents and members of the public.”

    “E-voting will be used regularly during voting to properly reflect voting records of members and parliamentary accountability. The House shall collaborate with relevant stakeholders to achieve the goal of an e-parliament.”

    What is more, Dogara explained that other initiatives that will be introduced include the establishment and equipping of a Parliamentary Information Centre where information and documents of the National Assembly will be made available.

    No doubt, the introduction of e-voting and e- parliament will further increase citizens’ access to the legislature and solve the problem of public access to authentic documents of parliament.

    With the laudable initiative coming from the House, it is not certain whether the Senate would embrace the same e-voting methodology.

    Although the upper chamber also hinted of the need to computerize it activities in its Legislative Agenda, not much has been done in that direction.

    The benefits of digitalization and internet based parliamentary activities cannot be overemphasized.

    For one, digitalization of the functions of members of the National Assembly would go a long way to make it easier to determine the performance of each and every member of the parliament.

    The Senate may do well to quickly toe the line of the House on e-voting.

  • Senate invites NEITI secretary over alleged missing of N1trn

    Senate invites NEITI secretary over alleged missing of N1trn

    THE Senate yesterday resolved to invite the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative, (NEITI), Mr. Waziri Adio, to brief it on the content of 2013 Audit report of the agency.

    The resolution followed a motion on “the urgent need for the Senate to look into the NEITI 2013 oil, gas and solid mineral audit report” sponsored by Senator Tijjani Yahaya Kaura (Zamfara North).

    Senator Kaura in his lead debate noted that one of the key statutory functions of NEITI is to conduct regular audit of the extractive sector as provided in Section 4 of the Extractive Act.

    He noted that details of the report showed that the country made $58.07 billion from its hydrocarbon industry in 2013 while the sum of N33.86 billion was realized from solid mineral sector in the same year.

    The lawmaker said that the report also indicated that the sum of $3.8billion and N358.3 billion stood as outstanding revenue from the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation and its subsidiaries in 2013.

    The outstanding payments, he said, were due to unpaid consideration from divested Oil Mining Lease from NNPC and NPDC and cash call refunds by the National Petroleum Investment and Management Services (NAPIMS).

    He said that it is worrisome that between 2005 and 2013 the sum of $12.9 billion paid by the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) to NNPC was not remitted to the Federation account.

     The report showed that the country lost $5.966 billion and N20.4 billion in the sector from the operation of Offshore Processing Agreements (OPA) by state oil firm, the NNPC and crude oil swap and theft.

    He noted that the report also showed that the sum of $99.98 million was reported as underpayment to the Federation from petroleum profit tax and royalties by oil and gas companies, as a result of the use of different pricing methodology by the government

    He prayed the Senate to invite the Executive Secretary of NEITI to brief the Senate on the missing funds and the cause of the leakage.

    The prayer was unanimously adopted.

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki who summed up debate said that the country lost over N1 trillion in the extractive sector in 2013.

    Saraki who insisted that the matter should be debated noted that if the 2016 budget of the country is N6 trillion, N1 trillion could not be lost in one sector without the Senate finding out what happened.

    The Senate President had said while receiving the report: “I agree with you entirely that this type of opportunity also enables us to strengthen the institutions such as yours that have the responsibility of improving the governance and transparency administration of the management of our resources.

    “In preparation for this courtesy call, I studied the report in the early hours of this morning, and honestly I was just dumbfounded about the figures that we are talking about.

    “This is just 2013, one year’s report. It is not cumulative. In one year’s audit report you are talking about figures of over $3.8billion at that time I am sure the rate was close to N150 per dollar. So you are talking about N650billion. Then you are talking about another N358billion which brings it close to about N1trillion.

    “Then you are talking about assets that were undervalued and transferred to NPDC but still no payment was made. You are talking about NAPIMS paying cash calls for an asset that doesn’t belong anymore to NNPC and you truly wonder that this is going on right under our nose here in this country.

    “Honestly, I just concluded that as a country I don’t think we are serious. We are just paying lip service to this issue of fighting corruption.”