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Tag: Senate

  • Senate summons Okonjo-Iweala, Diezani as fuel price hits N200 per litre

    Senate summons Okonjo-Iweala, Diezani as fuel price hits N200 per litre

    The Senate Committees on Petroleum Resources (Upstream and Downstream) yesterday summoned the Finance Minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and her Petroleum counterpart, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, to appear before it on Monday over the lingering fuel scarcity in the country.

    Also invited by the joint committee is the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Managing Director of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC), Managing Director of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR), Executive Secretary of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Authority (PPPRA), Major Oil Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) and the National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO).

    The Joint chairmen of the committees, Senators Emmanuel Paulker and Magnus Abe signed the invitation to all the stakeholders in the oil industry on a day fuel price hit N200 per litre in some filling stations in Lagos.

    Some other filling stations dispensed between N150 and N180 per litre.

    Most filling stations remained shut across the country, leaving thousands of commuters and motorists stranded.

    Long queues of vehicles at the few filling stations that had fuel in Lagos metropolis yesterday obstructed traffic on the Lagos/Otta/Abeokuta Expressway.

    The Senate committees on Downstream Petroleum sector and Petroleum Resources (Upstream) are expected to submit the report of their investigation on Tuesday, May 26, for deliberation.

    Reports from Abuja, Bayelsa, Ogun, Ondo, Rivers, Kano and Kwara states yesterday said most filling stations have closed shop for lack of the product.

    Many vehicles and motorcycles have been forced off the roads in Yenagoa.

    A Yenagoa taxi driver, who identified himself as Joseph, lamented that the situation has gone from bad to worse.

    In Minna,the Niger State capital, only about five filling stations sold at the official price.

    A taxi driver, Mojheed Akano, said he has been buying fuel from Gwada, some 30 kilometres from Minna at N120 per litre.

    “I have discovered that one gets fuel easily from the villages than in Minna,” Akano said.

    Commercial drivers and other motorists blamed the marketers for the scarcity in the state capital. They wondered why fuel are in the suburb villages and the state capital.

    However, transport fares remain stable across the state, unlike Ondo State where inter and intra-state vehicle operators have started charging exhorbitantly, thereby forcing commuters to groan.

    Transport fare from Ikare to Lagos has gone up to N3,000 from  N2,500, while Ikare to Akure is now N800 as against N500.

    The Iyalaje of Ikareland,Hajia Risikat Mohammed appealed to the federal government to find lasting solution to the present fuel scarcity.

    Commuters in Abuja are also being made to pay through their nose with an average fare now costing  N300 from N100.

    At the NNPC super mega station at Katampe, vehicles formed queues that stretched over five kilometres.

    Some independent petrol stations at Kuje, Kubwa, Byazhin Across sold petrol for between N130 to N140 per litre.

    Consequently, only a few commercial vehicles were seen on the roads.

    This situation has created room for a thriving black market.

    Some motorists go as far as Kaduna in search of fuel.

    In Kano, most filling stations across the city have no fuel to sell to motorists.

    Long queues of vehicles, motorbikes and tricycles dotted most of the filling stations in the metropolis, as they wait endlessly to buy fuel, forcing most of them to spend the night in various filling stations.

    In most of the filling stations visited by The Nation, the pump prices ranges between N125 to N140 per litre.

    Vehicles also formed endless queues at several petrol stations at Abule Egba and Meiran communities in Alimosho Local Government Area of Lagos State.

    Some of them sold petrol at N200 per litre and an additional N100 for those who bought with jerry cans.

    One sold fuel for about three hours and then shut its gate.

    The fuel scarcity in Rivers State worsened yesterday, with black market operators taking over.

    Almost all the filling stations, including the mega filling stations of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), were under lock and key.

    Commercial drivers capitalised on the fuel scarcity and slightly increased their fares.

    The situation was not different in Ilorin, Kwara State, with many filing stations shut.

    This has affected commercial transportation as commuters now pay between N60 and N70 per drop as fare for cab as opposed to N50

    Commercial motorcyclists (Okada riders) currently have a field day. Okada riders charge between N70 and N100 per drop depending on the distance of the journey.

  • Senate to probe fuel scarcity

    Senate to probe fuel scarcity

    Worried by the worsening fuel scarcity in parts of the country, the Senate Thursday mandated its joint committee on Petroleum Resources ( Upstream and Downstream ) to investigate the remote and immediate cause of the scarcity.

    The mandate followed a motion by the Deputy Senate Leader, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) who drew the attention of the Senate to the biting fuel scarcity in the country.

    Ningi told his colleagues that it is obvious that the fuel crisis is creating immeasurable hardship for Nigerians.

    The Senate, he said, should take it as a matter of priority to find out what is behind the lingering fuel scarcity.

    He added that Nigerians should be told whether fuel scarcity has come to stay in the country and whether they have to brace up for the hardship it brings.

    He noted that the best thing to do in the circumstance is to ask relevant committees to dig into the crisis so that the Senate would be in a position to brief Nigerians.

    Ningi said that the Senate cannot pretend not to be aware that Nigerians are suffering for no fault of theirs due to prolonged fuel scarcity.

    He noted that since the Seventh Senate still had the mandate of the people‎ until June 1, the upper chamber had the responsibility to intervene in the crisis of fuel scarcity in the interest of the people.

    Ningi said, “We need to know whether fuel scarcity has come to stay. We need to know whether it has become part of our life so that we can plan.

    “By planning and talking about it we will be able to sensitise Nigerians to brace up for the impending issue of fuel scarcity whether it is going to be here permanently or temporary.

    “But we can’t know all these things until we hear from the experts. Therefore my prayer is to ask the committee on downstream and upstream to come up with explanations next Tuesday through which Nigerians will know and plan their future.

    “Otherwise, I think it is legally and morally wrong to keep silent about it, sweep it under the carpet and to continue to believe these things are usual.”

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over the plenary, did not allow debate of the motion.

    Ekweremadu said that since Ningi raised the motion under personal explanation, the Senate would not debate it.

    Ekweremadu said, “Ningi’s prayers are simple and straightforward. He is asking us, as representatives of the people, to direct our committees on Petroleum Upstream and Downstream to find out what is currently going on the oil sector and possibly find a way of addressing it.

    “In that regard, we now ask our committees on Petroleum Resources ( Upstream and Downstream), to find out what is going on and what the government is doing about it and report back on Tuesday next week.”

  • Senate eulogises Chukwumerije, Zannah

    Senate eulogises Chukwumerije, Zannah

    The Senate conducted a solemn session on Wednesday to mark the demise of Senators Uche Chukwumerije and Ahmed Zannah.

    The upper chamber devoted the entire day to eulogise the late lawmakers as Senators took turns to extol their colleagues.

    Chukwumerije died on Sunday April 19, while Zannah passed away on May 16.

    Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, led the tribute with a motion entitled: “Demise of Senator Uche Chukwumerije and Senator Ahmed Zannah.”

    Senate President, David Mark, lamented that ‘this is not the best of time for us” with the death of two Senators in quick succession.

    Mark said, “All of us have unusual burden today because when you sit over a family and the family records so many deaths, you are pained for the unusual but we are consoled in the very usual statement that there is time to be born and there is time to die.

    “None of us, no matter what we are, no matter how good or how bad we think we are, nobody has any control about his or her birth or death.

    “When the time comes, Almighty God will call us. It is difficult for anyone to express his innermost feelings on the passage on to glory, of a nationalist per excellent that we all called Senator Comrade Uche Chukwumerije.

    “It is even harder to attempt to express an opinion in a single narrative. We can sit down here for a whole day to talk about Uche Chukwumerije.

    “He was an economist, an educationist and a journalist of repute. He didn’t leave anyone in doubt as to where he stood on a particular issue regardless of the nature of the issue. He stood firmly to be counted especially on issues concerning security and the welfare of the Nigerian people.

    “His unwavering commitment to the ideals of nation building was unparalleled. Chukwumerije, as all of you were aware, was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Education.

    He was determined to improve the standard of education in this country. Truly, he was passionate about raising the standard of education in this country.”

    On Zannah, Mark described the late Borno Central Senator as a fine parliamentarian who was bold and courageous and spoke his mind on matters.

    He noted that it was obvious that Zannah worked conscientiously for his constituents that made them to re-elect him for a second term in the Senate.

    Mark said he believed that Zannah’s wish would have to fight for the eradication of Boko Haram in the Northeast.

     

  • Senate adjourns plenary in Zannah’s honour

    •Lawmakers hold valedictory session for Chukwumerije today

    THE Senate yesterday adjourned plenary in honour of the senator representing Borno Central, Ahmed Zannah, who died at the weekend after a brief illness.

    Senate President, David Mark, before the adjournment, bemoaned the sad incident, saying he was filled with sorrow.

    Mark said: “It is God who gives life and he is the one who can take life. He has called him (Zannah) at the appropriate time and we are grateful to God that he  contributed his best to make sure that the zone he represented enjoyed the benefits of democracy.

    “Whether it is one senator or two senators or three senators, anytime there is a death the feeling is one of sorrow. The family of the deceased should take it that God knows best.”

    Senate Leader Victor Ndoma-Egba described the deaths recorded so far in the 7th Senate as worrisome.

    Ndoma-Egba said: “We are being confronted with the double tragedy of the loss of Senator Uche Chukwumerije and Senator Ahmed Zannah almost at the same time. It is a circle that is troubling and we pray that this trend will not continue.”

    He said Zannah would be greatly missed by the people of Cross River state.

    “For Senator Zannah, I always say he is the fourth Senator from Cross River State because he was close to us in the state. We will miss him dearly,” he said.

    To Senator Kabiru Gaya, Zannah’s sudden departure from the earthly plain came at a time when his services were most needed to solve the insurgency challenge.

    Gaya said: “It is one death too many. The two senators parted when we needed them most.”

    To Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Zannah was a perfect gentleman.

    Ibrahim said: “He (Zannah) had been paralysed since he came to the Senate, but he could talk and walk. What eventually killed him was not the paralysis, but cancer of the liver.

    “So, it is a very tragic loss not only to the people of Borno but also to the entire Northeast and Nigeria at large.”

    The Senate would today hold a valedictory session in honour of Chukwumerije (Abia North) who died a fortnight ago.

     

  • Senate passes 299.526b NDDC budget

    Senate passes 299.526b NDDC budget

    The Senate yesterday approved N299.526billion as the 2015 budget for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator James Manager, whose committee worked on the budget, presented it for consideration and adoption.

    Components of the budget included Personnel expenditure, N16.133billion, Overhead expenditure N10.423billion; Capital expenditure (internal) N1.879billion; Project (development) expenditure N271.09billion

    Revenue sources according to the budget estimate included revenue brought forward, N10billion; Federal Government contribution N70 billion, Federal government contribution (unpaid arrears) N20 billion; oil companies contribution and others N160 billion; Ecological Funds, N40 billion and Internally Realized Income N100 million, all amounting to N300.1billion.

    Manager said the Committee considered the proposal and noted that the non-project expenditure-personnel, overhead and internal capital totaling N28.465million represented 9.5 per cent of the total proposed budget for the year as against 8.43 per cent in 2014.

  • Senate passes NDDC budget

    Senate passes NDDC budget

    The Senate on Thurday passed a budget of N299, 526,463,156.12 as 2015 budget for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator James Manager, whose committee worked on the budget presented it for consideration and adoption.

    Components of the budget included personnel expenditure, N16, 133,377, 133.000; overhead expenditure N10, 423,319,000.00; capital expenditure (internal) N1, 879, 769, 000.12 and project (development) expenditure N271, 089,998,023.00.

    Revenue sources, according to the budget estimate included revenue brought forward, N10,000,000, 000.00; Federal Government contribution N70 billion, Federal government contribution (unpaid arrears) N20 billion; oil companies contribution and others N160 billion; ecological funds N40 billion and internally realized income N100 million giving a total of N300,100, 000,000.00.

    Manager said his committee considered the proposal and noted that the non-project expenditure-personnel, overhead and internal capital totaling N28,465,133,.12 represented 9.5 per cent of the total proposed budget for the year as against 8.43 per cent in 2014.

    He noted that the Project Development Expenditure as proposed is N271,089,998,023.00 represented 90.5 percent of the total proposed budget for the year as against 91.46 per cent in 2014.

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over Thursday’s plenary, commended the committee members for a job well done and asked that the budget be fully implemented for the benefit of the country.

     

  • Senate stops Constitution amendment

    Senate stops Constitution amendment

    After over two hours closed door session, the Senate on Wednesday halted the Fourth Alteration of the 1999 Constitution.

    The action of the Upper Chamber may have finally nailed the coffin of the controversial review of the 1999 Constitution.

    Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, told reporters after plenary that the Senate would challenge the ex parte order of the Supreme Court on the issue.

    The Senate had planned to override the veto of President Goodluck Jonathan on the amendment of the Constitution.

    Like what it did on Tuesday, the Senate also listed the first reading of the Bill on Constitution amendment as its first business for Wednesday.

    It was listed against the Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Senate Ad hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Ike EKweremadu and 46 others as sponsors.

    But the Senate met at a closed session where it resolved to abort further alteration of the Constitution.

    However, indication that the Senate would not make good its threat to override the President’s veto emerged on Tuesday when it suddenly stood down the bill which was already listed on the order paper for the day.

    Ekweremadu, who presided over Tuesday’s plenary, had hinted that the action became necessary due to the scanty number of lawmakers in chamber.

    However, The Nation gathered that the leadership of the upper chamber had been put under intense pressure to rescind its decision.

    The closed session was meant to allow the leadership of the Senate to seek appropriate legal advice as to the likely implications of its proposed action.

  • Senate passes tobacco, equipment leasing bills

    |THE Senate yesterday passed a Bill to  regulate the production, manufacture,  sale, advertising,  promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products in the  country.

    Also, a bill to control the practice of equipment leasing was read for the third time and passed.

    In his lead debate, Chairman,  Senate   Committee  on Health, Ifeanyi Okowa, represented by Senator Chris  Ngige (Anambra  South),  noted that  the Bill entitled: “A Bill for an Act to Repeal the Tobacco (Control) Act,1990 and to enact the National  Tobacco Control Bill,  2012″, was long overdue for repeal since it was enacted in  1990 – about 25  years ago.

    He  said  the  existing Tobacco Act was inadequate  and, hence, the need to  enact the National  Tobacco Control Act  that  was adequate in ensuring the protection of  the present and  future generation from  the devastating health, social, environmental  and  economic consequences of  tobacco consumption.

    Okowa said the new Bill would also protect Nigerians from exposure to tobacco  smoke, spelling out the dangers of  tobacco and limiting  its use without unduly interfering  with civil rights and liberties.

    According to him, the Bill was also aimed at ensuring  that Nigeria had a comprehensive tobacco legislation for effective regulation and control of production, manufacture,  sale,  labelling,  advertising, promotion and sponsorship of tobacco products.

    The Bill, he added, would help domesticate the World Health Organisation (WHO) framework Convention  on Tobacco Control, and other related treaties that Nigeria was a signatory to.

    The senator stressed that it would also promote and protect the population’s right to health, life,  physical integrity, safe and healthy workplaces.

    He added that it would ensure the establishment  of appropriate government organs to coordinate the execution of  proposed legislation and prescribe punishments for those, who  flout the  provisions of the legislation.

    On the other hand, the Equipment Leasing Bill, which was presented  by  the Chairman, Senate  Committee  on Trade  and  Investment, Senator  Odion  Ugbesia (Edo Central), seeks to regulate the business of leasing and bring sanity and certainty into  the practice  of leasing.

    According to him, the Bill would also usher in a regulatory regime that would protect both the parties in a transaction.

     

  • Constitution: Senate’s bid to over ride Jonathan’s veto suffers setback

    Constitution: Senate’s bid to over ride Jonathan’s veto suffers setback

    The attempt by the Senate to over rider the veto of President Goodluck Jonathan to the Fourth Alteration of the 1999 Constitution suffered a setback on Tuesday.

    Although the first reading of the Bill on “Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Fourth Alteration) Act 2015” was listed on the Senate Order Paper, the planned first reading could not hold.

    The item listed as first Business of the day had Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and 46 others as sponsors.

    Ekweremadu is Chairman, Senate ad hoc committee on review of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    Without offering any explanation, Senate Leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, moved a motion that the first reading of the controversial Constitution amendment Bill be deferred to another legislative day.

    The first reading of the Bill which had been passed by the two chambers of the National Assembly would have marked the beginning of the process to over ride the President’s veto by the upper chamber.

    The National Assembly had, on Monday, gazetted the Fourth Alterations of the Constitution to pave the way to over ride President Jonathan’s veto.

    The Gazetted copy of the Fourth Alterations of the Constitution obtained by our correspondent is entitled: “ National Assembly Journal No 06 vol.12’ dated 6th May, 2015 with Long Title: “A Bill for an Act to further alter the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, and for other related matters.”

    It is listed as “Bill No SB 548” and contained all the alterations of the Constitution adopted and passed by the National Assembly.

    Gazetting of the document is preparatory to a fresh passage of the Bill after it must have scaled first, second and third readings in line with legislative practice.

    It is not clear at press time why the slated first reading of the Bill was stepped down.

    While a source said the absence of Senate President, David Mark, in the chamber might have informed the action of the Senate on that matter, another source told our correspondent that “intense pressure is being mounted on the National Assembly from outside to reconsider the move to over ride Mr. President’s veto.”

    The source added that “ some highly placed Nigerians have been making frantic efforts to convince the National Assembly to take a second look at the reasons Mr. President gave for withholding his assent.”

  • Senate passes VAPP Bill

    Women and girls rescued from the Sambisa forest can decide on the best course of action most suitable for them and get the backing of the law, as the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Bill (VAPP Bill) has been passed by the Senate.

    It took the Senate exactly 22 minutes to pass all the 46 clauses contained in the VAPP bill, which has been in the National Assembly for close to 13 years.

    VAPP Bill is a bill for an act to eliminate violence in private or public life, in peace and conflict situations to prohibit, prevent and punish all forms of violence in the society and to provide maximum protection and effective remedies to all victims of violence.

    Clause to clause consideration of the bill which started on April 14, 2015 suffered initial hiccup following observations that Clause 1 of the bill had issues with the term of imprisonment for underaged sexual offenders.

    After the April 14 set back, passage of the bill suffered delay due to internal issues that were later resolved.

    The events which caused the distraction and subsequent postponement of the clause by clause consideration include the death of Sen. Uche Chukwumerije, the refusal of the President to sign the amended constitution, xenophobia in South Afruica,  the consideration of the 2015 budget and the killings in Jos that  almost caused another set back.

    However, the passage did not go without a drama as the absence of the Chairman of the Senate Committee of Human Rights, Judiciary and Legal Matters, Sen. Umar Dahiru almost marred the process when the bill was called for consideration.

    When the Senate Leader called it up for consideration, Sen. Dahiru was not in the chambers. Another member of the committee who stood in for Sen. Dahiru almost caused a deferrement because he was not aware that contending issues raised on the first day of consideration had been resolved.This was later resolved by the chairman.

    The Senate moved into consideration of all the clauses and sebsequently passed the bill.

    Sen. Ike Ekweremadu that took charge of proceedings for the Senate President.

    In his closing remarks after the bill was passed, Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ekweremadu described the passage as “an achievement”.

    “It is the primary responsibility of the executive to protect the lives and property of its citizens, especially against violence, while ours (the Legislature) is to enact laws to support such responsibility,’’ he said.