The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Senate

  • PIB for second reading at Senate

    PIB for second reading at Senate

    ALL was quiet yesterday at the Senate as the inflamable Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) smoothly scaled the second reading.

    The seamless passage of the bill to the committee stage surprised many in the gallery.

    Apparently because of the revelation on Wednesday that northerners own more than 83 per cent of oil blocks, the Senate gallery was filled up.

    LL was quiet yesterday at the Senate as the inflamable Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) smoothly scaled the second reading.

    The seamless passage of the bill to the committee stage surprised many in the gallery.

    Apparently because of the revelation on Wednesday that northerners own more than 83 per cent of oil blocks, the Senate gallery was filled up.

    Those at the gallery who expected a stormy session left disappointed when nothing of such took place.

    Senate President David Mark, who summed up contributions by senators, declared that the PIB is not North versus South affair.

    He noted it was obvious that what is good for the North is also good for the South and what is bad for the South is bad for the North.

    He said that the bill, like most Senators pointed out, is the life-wire of the country.

    The bill, he added, has national interest as well as international interest.

    He said: “We are very united on the fact that so much power is given to the Minister, particularly where the minister can grant lease unconditionally; you can also revoke lease unconditionally.

    “We also all agreed that the frontier exploration services should be properly funded and independent and the time within which it will complete and start prospecting for oil in all parts of the country.

    “Those who spoke very strongly for South-South or Niger Delta also emphasised this, and this was an area where people expressed fear.

    “The fact of the matter is that we all need to be on the same wave-length.

    “I must emphasise that the bill is not North versus South; far from that, because what is good for the North is also good for the South and what is bad for the South, is bad for the North.

    He said that the PIB will go for second reading and public hearing and “by the time it comes back, their will be amendments, additions and subtractions.”

    For those who think that the draft bill is final, Mark made it clear that “the draft bill that has been given to us is not sacrosanct”.

    Mark said: “So I want to say that the bill is a worthy bill. The important thing is whether the bill guarantees the transparency we want in the petroleum sector, because that is a key issue because there is no transparency at the moment.

    “Does the bill ensure that more revenue accrue to the government and by extension to the people and more importantly does the bill ensure the independence of the new companies that will come out from the unbundled Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and, finally, does the bill encourage investment?

    “Does it provide an enabling environment for investors to come and invest in Nigeria?

    “We are all conscious of the fact that almost all African countries are nearly oil producing countries, so the competition is stiff more than what it used to be before.

    “There is also the issue of host community fund; that is the one that is most contentious. But the background to it is that the monies accruing to the Niger Delta have not been properly utilised. That is the fear that is the underlining fear of everybody.

    “Everybody that spoke here agrees that the host community needs to benefit; it is how they benefit that has been a problem.

    “The fear is whether the 10 per cent for the host community will be another pipeline where a few characters would hijack it at the expense of the host community.”

    Mark rejected the suggestion that an ad-hoc committee to consider the bill at the committee and public hearing levels.

    To Mark, there are provisions in the bill that seem impracticable

    “There is the issue of pipeline passing through communities.

    He said: “There are so many things in this bill that are impracticable.

    “I think in theory they may sound nice but if a pipeline and the current pipeline from Kaduna passes through my local government and through about three, four local governments.

    “How are each of the local governments going to quantify for the money that would be given to us?

    “Is it by the length of the pipe that goes through or by the volume of products that is pumped through?

    “It is not just a practicable thing.

    “To me it is just an avenue where a handful of people will come together and manipulate government and then siphon money.”

    Mark also underscored the need for a regulatory agency to control the industry.

    The bill, he said, must ensure that there is transparency in the industry “because very few people know what is happening.

    “I do not know what is happening in that industry and I have tried to (know) but it looks like a Mafia world where nobody is willing to tell you anything.

    “So the bill must ensure that the industry is opened up and there is transparency.”

    Mark said that the drafters of the bill have tried to make it an exceptional bill.

    He wondered how it could be suggested that the bill should be exempted from the procurement act?

    He described the situation as “scandalous”.

    Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (Ekiti North) said his position on the bill is largely that of regulation because there are basic principles for legislating for regulatory authorities.

    He said: “For every commercial sector of the economy in Nigeria , there is a distinct regulatory authority that is established by the Act of Parliament. We have the Central Bank of Nigeria that is regulating financial services. You have Civil Aviation Authority that is regulating the aviation sector. You have PenCom for Pensions and you have NIACOM for Insurance.

    “The question is, what is the regulatory agency for the petroleum sector?”

    The bill was passed over to the joint committee of Petroleum (Upstream), Petroleum (Downstream), and Justice and Human Rights.

    The joint committee was given six weeks to work on the bill and conduct public hearing before returning it to the committee of the whole for clause-by-clause consideration.

  • Mark seeks parliamentary ties with Germany

    Mark seeks parliamentary ties with Germany

    President of the Senate, David Mark, on Tuesday called for stronger parliamentary ties between Nigeria and Germany.

    Mark spoke when German parliamentarians led by Member of Parliament, Uwe Kekeritz visited him in Abuja.

    Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh, in a statement said both statesmen pledged to continue to boost the bilateral relationship between the two nations especially on power and health sectors as the major areas of focus.

    He said both countries also agreed on parliamentary cooperation in terms of training and exchange programmes needed to improve and sustain democratic practices.

    According to him, Mark opined that parliamentary cooperation has become imperative between the two parliaments in order to share ideas and programmes to meet the challenging democratic principles globally.

    He admitted that Germany has an older democracy which Nigeria could learn from saying “Nigeria must use the opportunity to interact and build stronger cooperation in parliamentary procedures.

    “We will like to start cooperation with German parliament in order to learn from their legislative experience.

    “I am confident that we will benefit immensely and translate our experiences to the betterment of our country.”

    Talking on the insecurity situation in the country and the impression given to the outside world about Nigeria, Senate President told his guests that Nigeria still remain an economic hub of Africa.

    He said: “Nigeria’s image has been bastardized by public opinion and views abroad. I want to say clearly that Nigeria is not as bad as it is being painted outside. We have our good and positive sides.”

     

  • Senate renews budget row

    Senate renews budget row

    The Senate on Thursday renewed the row between the National Assembly and the Presidency over national planning and budgeting processes.

    The upper chamber, through a unanimous resolution, mandated its committees on National Planning and Finance, to review the current national planning and budgeting linkage with the aim at recommending immediate improvement.

    This followed a motion by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi (Ekiti North) and 46 others entitled: “A call for review of the National planning and budgeting process.”

    Senate President, David Mark, lamented that some government officials have become “too powerful and hijacked duties meant for other people and refused to allow those charged with specific responsibilities to do their work.”

    Adetunmbi in his lead debate noted the subsumed role of the national planning function in the country’s budget process.

    He said that national development planning continues to be a dominant policy instrument in many low-income and emerging market economies.

    The lawmaker observed that the traditional five-year development plans the country used to operate had been replaced by a medium-term expenditure framework.

    He believed that linking multi-year development plans to the national budget is fundamental to economic growth.

    The budget, he said, is the mechanism by which development policies are converted into spending priorities, while the Medium- Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) is a strategic, multi-annual perspective to the budget process.

     

  • Maina’s suit: Judge warns Senate against delay

    Maina’s suit: Judge warns Senate against delay

    A Federal High Court, Abuja, yesterday warned parties in the suit by the Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT), Mr. Abdul-Rasheed Maina, to avoid delaying the proceedings.

    Justice Adamu Bello gave the warning while granting the application by the respondent’s counsel, Ken Ikonne, who sought an extension of time within which to file and serve a counter affidavit and written address out of time.

    Maina’s counsel Mahmud Abubakar Magaji (SAN) then asked the court for a short adjournment to enable him respond to the counter affidavit and other processes filed by the respondents.

    “Anything that will be a ploy to delay proceedings should be dropped, so that this matter should be given expeditious hearing in the interest of all the parties,” Justice Bello said while granting the application brought before him by the counsel representing the Senate and other respondents, Ken Ikonne.

    He adjourned the matter till March 5, for parties to adopt their written addresses.

    The respondents are Senate President David Mark, the Senate, the Clerk of the Senate, the Senate Committee on Establishment and Public Service and its chairman, Senator Aloysius Etok; and the Senate Committee on State and Local Government Administration and its chairman, Senator Kabiru Gaya.

    Joined as a respondent in the suit is the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mohammed Abubakar.

    Maina was recently declared wanted by the Police Headquarters following an arrest warrant signed by Mark because he refused to honour the Senate’s invitation to defend himself for alleged pension fraud.

    In the substantive suit, Maina is seeking an order setting aside the warrant of arrest issued on Febraury 2, following a resolution by the Senate.

    He is pleading with the court to quash the purported report of the Senate committee’s resolutions that led to the bench warrant.

    According to him, the action violated his fundamental right as guaranteed under Section 35(1) of the 1999 Constitution.

    Maina is praying the court to restrain the Senate from interfering with his official duties and from inviting him having completed and submitted their report without giving him a fair hearing.

    He is also asking for N100 billion as exemplary damages and N500,000 as general damages.

  • Senate panel: quality products vital to SMEs’ growth

    The Senate Committee on Industry has said standardisation is essential to the growth of Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).

    Its Chairman, Senator Nnenadi Usman said for SMEs to be relevant, there is need for them to meet the basic standards so that their goods would be acceptable.

    She was speaking during the committee’s tour of Ethiopia, Kenya and Tanzania.

    The essence of the visit, she said, was to boost trade within and outside the region, adding that the basic thing necessary for economic growth is the development of the SMEs.

    Usman said the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has a critical role to play in reducing substandard products and encouraging other African countries to set up office and agencies to develop and maintain standards.

    She said the visit would explore Ethiopia and map out areas of collaborations between both it and Nigeria in developing and maintaining standards.

    “Our SMEs should be revitalised to stop dumping. The way forward is to empower SON to train SMEs owners to conform to standards.This would increase their productivity, expand their business; leading to more income and wealth creation,” she said.

    She pointed out that Ethiopia also faces the same challenges as Nigeria in terms of dumping substandard goods, adding that Ethiopia has a new way of resolving their challenges which Nigeria must adopt.

    She said the major challenge most African countries are facing is importation because most importers like to bring in goods at cheaper prices. He said when African products try to compete in the market, they do not do so well.

    “It is cheaper to go to China to make a substandard good than to make a good of standard quality in Nigeria. Most people prefer to use cheaper goods even though it does not last. We have had influx of substandard cheap cables from China where people used to build houses which later resulted in fire outbreak destroying lives and property,” she said.

    She said: “The issue of funding is critical to maintaining standard. We have learnt something about the funding of the agency itself because without fund, the agency will never work properly and it will not produce any result.”

    According to her, the summary of the three visits to the three countries showed that they have spent a lot of money to improve their standards and said that they all have well-equipped laboratories that can compete globally.

    “I think Dr. Odumodu is doing a great job and if better equipped he would do more because he has the will and the capabilities,” she said.

    She said when one organisation should look at standards, ensuring that goods that are substandard do not enter the country.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Senate seeks financial autonomy for AGF

    Senate seeks financial autonomy for AGF

    If a bill which seeks to alter relevant sections of the Constitution sails through the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly, the Auditor General for the Federation and the Auditor General for State Governments may become financially autonomous.

    The bill specifically seeks to place the Office of the Auditor General for the Federation and Offices of the Auditor General for State Governments on the First Line Charge of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

    Sponsored by Senator Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North), it also seeks to empower the Auditor General for the Federation and the Auditor General for State Governments to audit the accounts of statutory corporations, commissions, authorities and agencies in the country.

    Apart from financial autonomy, it wants timely release of funds and enhanced funding for the Office of the Auditor General at both the federal and state levels.

    Lawan in his lead debate noted that a significant impediment to the performance of the AGF is the system and level of funding over the years.

    He said, “In other climes, the office of the AGF is funded by direct appropriation by the parliament.

    “In those jurisdictions, the AGF submits his annual financial requirements to the parliament and the parliament approves what it deems necessary for his operation.”

    He noted that the task of providing adequate funding for the office of the AGF lies squarely with the parliament because “the Executive Arm of Government is an entity and therefore would logically prefer an underfunded, weak and inefficient office of the AGF.”

    He said the same thing applies to the states.

     

  • Reps back Senate on Maina’s sack

    Reps back Senate on Maina’s sack

    he House of Representatives yesterday backed the Senate in its call for the sack of the Chairman of the Pension Reform Task Team (PRTT) Abdulrasheed Maina.

    The House ordered the Inspector-General of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, to appear before the Committee on Police Affairs to give reasons why he did not act on the warrant issued by the Senate.

    The lawmakers defied picketing by over a thousand sacked National Identity Card Management Commission ( NIMC) to attend plenary yesterday.

    The Senate on February 13 passed resolutions requesting that Maina be dismissed from the public service and that he should be disengaged from the acts relating to the public.

    The posture of the House yesterday was surprisingly at variance with an earlier position of its Committee on Pension, headed by Ibrahim Bawa Kamba, which at the onset of the face-off between the Senate and Maina flayed the Senate report and urged President Goodluck Jonathan to give Maina more protection to carry out the pension reforms in MDAs and parastatals.

    The resolution of the House yesterday was sequel to the adoption of the prayer of a motion moved under Matters of Urgent National Importance, by the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Albert Sam-Tsokwa.

    Tsokwa, while presenting the motion, said it sought the concurrence with the earlier resolution of the Senate, which sought the dismissal of Maina.

    “Maina has been having a running battle with the Senate on the issue of pension. The committee had summoned Maina to appear several times, but he refused,” the lawmaker said, adding that there is need to present a united front to uphold the integrity of the parliament.

    “It is a constitutional responsibility that the resolutions that should carry the weigt of the law should be agreed to by the two chambers,” he added.

    According to him, the step taken by the House would send a strong signal to the executive arm of the government to stop impunity and disregard for due process in the conduct of government business.

    The Minority Leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila (ACN-Lagos), while supporting the motion, noted that the House was not transgressing on the powers of the executive by requesting the sack of Maina, but asking it to act.

    “A constitution that has no efficacy is no law. It’s a useless provision. There are provisions here that give us the power to recommend as in Section 5 of the constitution,” he said.

    Another member, Abike Dabiri-Erewa (ACN-Lagos), said there was no need to beg the executive to do its job and that the joint resolution should send a message to those allegedly protecting Maina.

    “It’s only in this country that such things can happen. Even if he’s not guilty, he must show up to answer the allegations against him. The resolution has the force of law and must we beg the executive to do its job? If Maina is not found, the Head of Service must lose his job.”

    A lawmaker, Bitrus Kaze, expressed surprise that “it has to take a resolution of the National Assembly for a person to be disciplined and the executive arm has no interest in doing such. It shows the National Assembly can’t bite.”

    Samson Osagie (ACN-Edo) alleged that the executive arm of government had continued to ignore the resolutions of the National Assembly even when the workers of the affected organisations had protested against their management

    Other members like Forte Dike (PDP- Anambra) and Aminu Suleiman (PDP-Kano) agreed that the legislature was constitutionally empowered to do what it was doing concerning Maina since he was being protected and shielded from arrest by people in high places.

  • Senate stands still for Super Eagles

    Senate stands still for Super Eagles

    The Senate on Tuesday stood still for the Super Eagles.

    This followed a motion on the superlative performance of the team at the just ended African Cup of Nations in South Africa.

    The motion entitled: “Nigeria’s glorious outing at the AFCON 2013” was sponsored by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu and 107 others.

    No Senator wanted to be left out of the success story of the Super Eagles in South Africa as players were singled out one after the other for praise.

    Besides, consideration of the motion was one rare moment when Senators threw politics overboard, and in one accord, poured encomium on the nation’s football ambassadors.

    As if praises were not enough, the lawmakers gave a standing ovation to the Super Eagles describing them as the new kings of African football.

    The lawmakers unanimously adopted a resolution urging Super Eagles coach, Stephen Keshi to rescind his reported resignation in the interest of the growth of the country’s sports.

    Other resolutions are – to commend and congratulate the Super Eagles for winning the trophy and making the nation proud.

    -To congratulate Coach Stephen Keshi and his technical team.

    -To commend and congratulate President Goodluck Jonathan for this achievement and for motivating the team.

    – Urge Mr. President and the Federal Government of Nigeria to reward the team handsomely materially and also by conferring befitting National Honours Awards on them.

    – Call on the managers of sports in Nigeria to sit up and return to the grassroots to develop the nation’s abundant sports talents to sustain this new dawn in the nation’s football and sports in general.

    – To urge Coach Stephen Keshi to rescind his resignation in the interest of growth of sports in Nigeria.”

    Ekweremadu in his lead debate said the AFCON trophy had eluded the country for the past 19 years since she last won it in 1994.

    He noted that until this year, the performance of the Super Eagles had been grossly dissatisfactory to the generality of Nigerians, while Nigerian football had nosedived abysmally.

    Ekweremadu urged the Senate to note with pleasure, “the splendid performance of the Super Eagles of Nigeria and Nigeria’s emergence as champion of Africa at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in South Africa.”

    The Senate, he added, should also note with “delight the tenacity of spirit, patriotic zeal as well as unity and team spirit displayed by players, coach, and entire team management.”

     

  • Mark for AFCON final

    Mark for AFCON final

    Senate President, David Mark, on Thursday said he will represent the Senate at the 2013 African Cup of Nations final holding on Sunday in South Africa.

    Mark stated this on the floor of the Senate as part of his commendation for the superlative performance of Super Eagles in the tournament.

    The team trounced the Eagles of Mali 4-1 on Wednesday to zoom into the final slated for Sunday.

    Mark said, “The prayer groups must intensify their prayers because it is the final victory that will crown us the champions of football in Africa.

    “I believe that very many of you who watched yesterday’s (Wednesday) match will agree with me that the Super Eagles flew very well.

    “I will go to South Africa to represent all of you on Sunday.

    “So we need serious prayers. So far our prayers have spurred the Super Eagles into action.

    “I commend them for a job well done and urge them to go all out on Sunday and bring the cup home.”

     

  • Suswam, Gemade battle for Senate

    Suswam, Gemade battle for Senate

    The die is cast between Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam and the former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Senator Barnabas Gemade. The duo are the leading senatorial aspirants in the Benue Northeast District. Correspondent UJA EMMANUEL writes on the preparations for the contest.

     

    The stage is set for the senatorial election in Benue Northeast Senatorial District. Heavyweight politicians are on the track. However, it is believed that the contest is between Governor Gabriel Suswan and Chief Barnabas Gemade.

    Since 1999, the zone has been a hot battleground. The voters are politically conscious. The leaders also know their onions. The districh has produced five senators. They are Professor David Iornem Professor Iyorwuse Hagher, Professor Daniel Saaor, Col. Joseph Akaagerger (rtd), and Chief Gemade.

    What makes the forthcoming primaries interesting is that the governor and former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman are locking horns.

    Recently, Gemade has declared that his second term ambition is non-negotiable. However, Suswan’s foot soldiers are working hard to turn the tide against Gemade. Some PDP chieftains led by a former member of the House of Assembly ,Hon Atoza Hidam,have endorsed the governor for the slot. They said he is the right person to succeed Gemade, who they said, should be prepared to play fatherly roles in the zone in post-2015.

    Since Hidan, who is from Sankera political bloc, started the pro-Suswan campaign, other leaders have joined him. The rank of campaigners is swelling by the day. Hon. Ugba Uye and Dr. Shande have also b een mobilising support for the governor in the zone. They are convinced that Suswan should not be idle, following the expiration of his tenure.

    According to the PDP elders, age is still on the side of the governor, who had represented Sankara Constituency in the House of Representatives between 1999 and 2007. They said that the push for generational shift favours Suswan to assume leadership role in the district.

    The elders said they were impressed by the performance of the former federal legislator and governor, adding that that weight of experience would better be put to used in the Senate in 2015.

    Shortly Suswam was endorsed, Gemade,addressed a press conference in Abuja, describing leader of the PDP elders ,Hon. Hidan,who is his in-law, as a mischievous element .

    He objected to the endorsement on two grounds. Gemade said 2015 is still two years away, stressing that the governor’s attention was being diverted. He also said that, by 2015, the senatorial seat will not be vacant.

    However, Gemade’s remarks have led to the intensification of the pro-Suswan campaigns. A group of former local government chairmen led by Hon Ayom Mar decided to inaugurate a campaign team team for the governor. They also unfolded plans to set up a campaign office. The group has coordinators and patrons in each of the seven local government areas that make up the zone.

    Governor Suswam is said to be excited by the activities of the group, although he has not declared his senatorial ambition. It is also not clear whether he is indirectly funding the campaigns. However, he has not disowned the campaign groups.

    Observers contend that the governor may not have an easy ride. Senator Gemade has openly declared that he will seek re-election. The former national chairman has his supporters, who are fiercely loyal to him. Speaking with newsmen, the former Secretary of Works in the Interim National Government said the people of the zone will renew his mandate in 2015, in recognition of his achievements in the Senate.

    Since Suswam joined politics in 1999, he has not lost any election. This has earn him the nickname “ Civilian General”.

    Addressing the people of Tarka local government area at a political rally last year, Suswam said, if he set his eyes on any thing, he would work hard to get it. The question is: will Suswam dislodge Gemade?

    Ironically, the governor was instrumental to the victory of Gemade at the primaries and general elections. Eyes were on his opponent, Dr. Mathias Byuan, before the shadow poll. But Suswam contacted the Presidency and the the tide changed in his favour. In 2007, it was a different ball game. The former PDP chairman was defeated by Akaagerger. But in 2011, he triuphed over the retired soldier because of the support given to him by the governor.

    Gemade is the Nom Iyange-Tiv(Rising Star of Tiv). The title was given to him by the paramount ruler, the Tor Tiv.

    In 2015, the battle will be between the “ Civilian General” and ‘The Rising Star’.