Tag: Senate

The president of the Senate, Godswil Akpabio, on Tuesday, November 7, expressed the commitment of the National Assembly to ensure that the rule of law remains the foundation of the country’s democracy.

Akpabio made this assertion while delivering a keynote address at a workshop organized by the Senate Committee on Compliance, with the theme; ‘The imperative of Legislative Compliance in deepening democracy and good governance in Nigeria’, at the NAF Conference Centre, Abuja.

Represented by the deputy president of the Senate, Barau Jibrin, the Senate president appreciated the chairman and other members of the committee for putting the workshop together, adding that the workshop is another bit of evidence that the present Senate will ensure the rule of law remains the foundation of the country’s democracy.

He said since the establishment of the Committee in 2016, it had become the eyes of the Senate and has sought to ensure compliance with legislative resolutions with the various institutions of government to ensure compliance for democracy to thrive.

He assured of the commitments of the Senate through the Committee to ensure respect for rules of law governing the various sectors of the country to ensure well-being and development among the citizens of the nation.

Barau, according to a statement by his special adviser on media and publicity, Ismail Mudashir, in a statement, said: “The 10th Senate is fully conscious that it carries a mandate freely given to its members in one of the fairest and freest elections ever in the country. We are conscious that to whom much is given, much is expected. So, the Tenth Senate is a mass movement that carries the desires, hopes, and wishes of our people.

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“Therefore, let this workshop raise awareness of the importance of the decisions and resolutions of the Senate. Let it generate confidence among and obtain support and commitment from relevant agencies, ministries, and departments to emphasize the need to set up robust compliance mechanisms and systems.”

He appreciated the Committee and its members for their performance in strengthening the relationship between the executive arm of government and the Senate, assuring that members of the public would appreciate more the dynamics of lawmaking and see the need for laws to be respected to have a decent society and breathe the air of democracy.

“Though this Committee was established on December 15, 2016, in the 8th , it has discharged its duties responsibly and has never given the Senate any reason to regret its setting up. Past members of the Committee, starting from Senator Bukola Saraki, who was the inaugural committee, deserve our plaudits for their dedication to duties and commitment to building and deepening our democracy.”

The Senate will on Monday, November 6, 2023, hold an emergency meeting, it has been learnt.

The session according to sources is meant to approve the votes and proceedings of Thursday’s plenary.

At the last sitting of the Red Chamber, the Senators considered and approved the report of the joint  National Assembly Committee on Appropriation on the N2.17 trillion Supplementary Appropriation Bill, for 2023.

The Red Chamber also screened and approved three nominees for appointment as Resident Electoral Commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by President Bola Tinubu.

The emergency session which was earlier slated for today (Saturday) was later shifted to Monday by the Clerk to the National Assembly Magaji Tambawal, according to our source.

The source said the planned approval of Thursday’s Votes and Proceedings during the session is meant to enable the CNA to transmit the Supplementary Budget passed by both chambers on Thursday to the President for assent.

“You know the supplementary budget has less than 60 days for implementation. So the earlier it is passed the better for the country. Besides, the bureaucracy cannot transmit the Bill without the votes and proceedings of Thursday being approved by the Senate,” the source added.

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The Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Publicity, Senator Yemi Adaramodu confirmed that the Senate would sit on Monday.

“The session is meant to approve the votes and proceedings of Thursday. We were so late in the Senate Chamber on Thursday, and so many of our colleagues had already gone for public hearings and other committee meetings. So we are just coming up to do just that,” he said.

When asked whether the need to transmit the Supplementary Appropriation Bill was part of the purposes of the emergency session, Adaramodu said everything done by the Senate on Thursday was included.

“Everything that we have done. Not only the supplementary budget will be there. The screening will be there. Everything will be there,” he said.

On whether there is an urgent special communication from the President slated for deliberation at the session, Adaramodu said there is “none.”

The Senate has confirmed three more nominees for appointment as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) for the Independent National Electoral Committee (INEC).

The nominees from Rivers Anugbum Onuoha; Zamfara Abubakar Fawa Dambo and Lagos Bunmi Omoseyindemi, were absent on Wednesday when their counterparts were being screened.

The Red Chamber had confirmed seven nominees for appointment as RECs on Wednesday.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced confirmation of the three nominees as RECs-designate after they were cleared through a voice vote at plenary.

During the screening, Omoseyindemi said he will introduce innovation and strategic planning in the electoral process.

“I observed that people have low apathy for elections. I will collaborate with the INEC chairman to embark on massive election education.

“Before we can have an election, people must participate. I have conducted two elections that the opposition won and they were given their certificates,” he said.

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Omoseyindemi also revealed he is a traditional medical practitioner.

The electoral commissioner said he studied traditional medicine at the University of Ibadan.

He also stated that he attended College of Nursing, University of Lagos.

He said he established a medical facility in Lagos State and explained that he belonged to different medical associations including World Health Organization traditional medicine.

On his part, the REC-designate from Zamfara State, Dambo said he obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degree from Usman Dan Fodio University, Sokoto.

Dambo noted that he served as Chairman of a Local Government in Zamfara in 2011 before he was appointed as special adviser to former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari.

He also said he served as Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs in Zamfara.

Mr Onuoha, the REC-designate from Rivers State, said he is an Associate Professor of Law.

He said he obtained his Bachelor’s, Masters’ and PhD’s from the Rivers State University.

The Senate has passed the 2023 Supplementary Appropriation Bill of N2.17trillion.

President Bola Tinubu had written the Senate seeking the approval of the sum of N2,176,791,286,033 as 2023 supplementary budget to address labour wage adjustments, security and other urgent issues.

The President had also sent the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) to the Senate for consideration.

The passage of the bill followed the presentation, consideration and approval of report of Senate Committee on Appropriation at plenary on Thursday by the Chairman of the Committee, Sen.Solomon Adeola (APC-Ogun).

Adeola ,in his presentation ,said the committee received inputs from the leadership of the relevant sub-committee and heads of MDAs provided for in the supplementary bill.

He said the committee considered the detailed provisions of the bill and inputs received from the heads of the benefiting MDAs and the leadership of the corresponding sub-committee in the senate.

Adeola gave breakdown of the approval as follows: N18billion is for statutory transfers only,N1.33trilion for recurrent non -debt expenditure, while N1.125trillion only is for contribution to development fund for capital expenditures for the year ending December 31,2023.

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A breakdown of sectoral allocations and MDAs is as follows:

INEC, 18Billion; Defence, N346.1billion;
police formations and commands,N29.6 billion;
Office of the National Security Adviser N39.6 billion.

Others are Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, N103 billion; Service wide vote ,N515 billion;
State House N28 billion; Ministry of defence, N200 billion; police formations and commands, N20.3 billion

Others are Office of the National Security Adviser, N10.3 billion; Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food security N97 billion; Federal Ministry of Works, N300 billion; ,Federal Capital Territory Administration, N100 billion; Capital Supplementation N220.5 billion.

(NAN)

There was confusion yesterday following the substitution of the Niger State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) nominee, Prof. Mohammed Yelwa with Mohammed Sadiq.

The nominee for Zamfara State, Isma’ila Kaura Moyi, whose name was on the list read by Senate President Godswill Akpabio at plenary, was replaced with Abubakar Dambo on the order paper.

Dambo was not in the chambers for screening.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in a statement by his Special Adviser Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, named Prof Yelwa and Moyi for Niger and Zamfara states among the 10 REC nominees transmitted to the Senate for confirmation.

At the plenary session yesterday, Sadiq was screened and confirmed for appointment as REC for Niger, but the Zamfara nominee was not available.

Senate Committee Chairman on Media and Publicity, Yemi Adaramodu, said those screened were identified by the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Abdullahi Abubakar Gumel.

Adaramodu said: “You know how screening is being done in the National Assembly. 

“The SSA accompanies all nominees to the Chamber, bringing all their CVs (Curriculum Vitae), security clearance and code of conduct clearance.

“So, it is those that were brought by the SAA with all their papers that will be screened and he will identify them physically. The nominees do not come from the Senate.”

“We screened as they were brought with their CVs, security clearance and code of conduct clearance.”

A source said the nominees were substituted overnight.

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“They changed it. They changed it from Prof Yelwa to Sadiq overnight. 

“It was read in the morning yesterday (Tuesday) but before this morning it was changed. Even the one (nominee) from Zamfara was replaced too,” the source said.

The Senate confirmed seven nominees for appointment as RECs.

Also confirmed was Shaakaa Chira as the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF).

The confirmed nominees are Etekarnba Umoren (Akwa Ibom), Isah Shaka Ehimeakne (Edo), Oluwatoyin Babalola (Ekiti), Abubakar Ahmed Ma’aji (Gombe), Shehu Wahab (Kwara), Aminu Kasimi Idris (Nasarawa), and Mohammed Abubakar Sadiq (Niger).

REC nominees from Rivers (Anugbum Onuoha), Zamfara (Abubakar Dambo) and Lagos (Bunmi Omoseyindemi) did not appear for screening.

All the nominees were asked to take a bow and go after their introductory remarks.

The Senate has commenced the screening of 10 nominees for appointment as Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

President Bola Tinubu had on Tuesday, October 31, forwarded the names of the nominees for confirmation as RECs.

The nominees being screened by the Committee of the Whole of the Senate are: Etekamba Umoren (Akwa Ibom), Isah Shaka Ehimeakne (Edo), Oluwatoyin Babalola (Ekiti), Abubakar Ahmed Ma’aji (Gombe), Shehu Wahab (Kwara) and Prof. Mohammed Yelwa (Niger).

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Others are Anugbum Onuoha (Rivers), Isma’ila Kaura Moyi (Zamfara), Bunmi Omoseyindemi (Lagos) and Aminu Kasimu Idris (Nasarawa).

Details shortly…

The Senate on Monday, October 30, commenced probe of how the Board of Directors of the Nigerian Security Printing and Minting Company (NSPMC) Plc, allegedly paid N14 billion as salary increase to all its staff without the approval of the National Salaries Incomes and Wages Commission (NSIWC).

Chairman, Senate Public Accounts Committee, Senator Ahmed Wadada, disclosed this when the management of NSPMC appeared before the panel in Abuja.

The allegation is contained in the 2019 audit report of the office of the AuGF now being considering by the Committee

According to the AuGF’s audit report for 2019, the NSPMC Board had allegedly approved N14billion for increase in salaries and allowances of staff between 2016 and 2019, without necessary approval.

Under Article 3, the NSIWC Act, 1990 stipulated that the commission shall advise the Federal Government on national incomes policy; recommend the proportions of income growth which should be utilised for general wage increase and inform the Federal Government of current and incipient trends in wages and propose guidelines within which increase in wages should be confined, among others.

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In his written submission, however, the Managing Director of NSPMC, Alhaji Ahmed Halilu, claimed that the company did not need any approval from the National Salaries Income
and Wages Commission because it was registered under the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).

However, Halilu later admitted before the Senate Public Accounts Committee that it was wrong not to have sought the approval of the NSIWC before implementing the new salaries and allowances increase for the company.

Halilu further said: “It has come to our notice that we must obtain approval before salaries increase. It is salaries paid over the period of three years. On this ground, it was not misappropriated considering the volume of works done by thousands of staff over this period.”

Some members of the Committee frowned at the development saying public funds had been spent without due process.

The Deputy Whip of the Senate, Senator Nwebonyi Onyeka, in his part, insisted that the misappropriated sum should be refunded to the Federal Government’s treasury.