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Tag: Senate

  • Senate, Customs chief in fresh feud over protocol

    Senate, Customs chief in fresh feud over protocol

    The feud between the Senate and Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (retd), resurfaced on Monday in Abuja.

    Trouble started when the Senate Ad- hoc Committee on Economic Waste in Nigeria visited the Customs Headquarters in Abuja as part of its oversight functions.

    The drama was triggered by remarks made by Chairman of the Committee, Senator Dino Melaye, over the way the Senate delegation was received by the Customs high command.

    Melaye said by protocol, the Customs chief was expected to come down from his office to welcome the committee members into the Custom premises.

    The Kogi West lawmaker said it was a breach of protocol for the Customs CG to casually meet the delegation at the conference room.

    Melaye said the practice of ushering in the Senate delegation has been the practice with statutory bodies like Customs, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS) and others over the years.

    He wondered why such established etiquette which was the norm under previous Customs chiefs was not accorded the committee by Ali.

    Melaye said: “Before reading the prepared speech of the committee, let me make this small remark on what we have just observed here in form of breach of protocols.

    “Mr. CG, rather than meeting us here at the conference room by way of courtesy, you supposed to have met us at the ground floor on arrival into the premises.

    “That has been the practice of statutory bodies headed by Chief Executive Officers like you. Relevant Senate committees have over the years been accorded this by bosses of Immigration Service, Prison Service and others, making us to wonder why it was not so here today under your leadership.

    “Therefore before proceeding further, on account of this observation, we want the Customs management to know that the presence of this committee before it implies that the Senate itself is before it to put things in order as regards the economic waste taking place in the Customs Service requiring the seriousness it deserves from you and the entire management.”

    The Customs CG told the Senate delegation that the agency has its own protocol that is different from other public establishments.

    Ali said: “We have our own protocol as regards receiving visitors like you. I don’t need to come downstairs to receive you just as nobody in the Senate or House of Representatives has ever come out to receive us anytime we visit the National Assembly.”

     

  • 2019: Senate to confront Buhari on order of polls

    2019: Senate to confront Buhari on order of polls

    Lawmakers seek Assembly elections first

    LAWMAKERS are set to dare the Executive on the amendment to the Electoral Act, a senator said yesterday.

    The problem is likely to be the plan to reorder the schedule of elections.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has placed the presidential election before the Assembly elections, but the Senate and the House of Representatives are planning to change that.

    If President Muhammadu Buhari decides to veto the Bill, “we will know what to do”, Senate spokesman Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North) said yesterday.

    Lawmakers want the Assembly elections to come first. The thinking, it seems, is that if Assembly elections come first, the winners may inspire a “bandwagon” effect, which may swing the presidential election.

    In other words, the party with the majority in the National Assembly is likely to carry the day in the presidential election.

    The Senate yesterday said it would push through the amendments after the harmonisation of the versions passed by it and that of the House of Representatives.

    INEC’s schedule of the 2019 elections sticks to the order of elections used in 2015, which places the Presidential and National Assembly elections first. The House of Representatives passed its version of the amendment to the Electoral Act and concurred with the Senate to put the Presidential election last.

    The Senate, which last year passed its own version, immediately set up a panel to meet with the House to agree on a joint position.

    The new bill reordered the order of elections. It places the National Assembly elections as the first in order of elections with the presidential poll coming last.

    The Presidency is believed to be unsettled with that arrangement.

    Abdullahi said: “If you recall, for us in the Senate, as far back as 2016, we had already commenced action in the various amendments and as early as 2017, the Senate had already passed its own version of amendment. And the House of Representatives has just come out with its own version.

    “Immediately they did that, the Senate President announced the conference committee to be chaired by Suleiman Nazif, who is the chairman of INEC so that they can do the harmonisation. So, for us, it is already done.

    “The key issues have been debated and agreed upon. All that is remaining is to bring the two chambers together through the conference committee, which by next week, I want to assure you, will be concluded. Senator Nazif has travelled out of the country. He called me last Thursday and we discussed and I have it on very strong authority, next week, they are surely going to meet.

    “As soon as they meet, the areas of contentions are not much. And I believe they will work together to make sure that we have an agreeable component that Nigerian people will be happy that we are deepening the electoral process.

    “And barring any last-minute issues, I do not think that should take them two weeks. What we did was transparent. INEC was part of it. People with interest were part of it. Since we are passing what is popular, the presidency too should not take time in assenting to it.

    “If the President decides to veto to bill, we will know what to do when we get to that bridge. For now, I do not envisage that extreme situation. This is democracy. I am hoping that we work based on consensus. At the end of the day, we should be able to agree. The interest of Nigerians is paramount and we must not take it for granted.”

    Former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission Prof Chidi Odinkalu said last night that “if it is within the competence and the scope of what the national Assembly can do, I don’t see why not.

    “Nigerians are used to speculating and imputing motives into such moves, which I don’t think is healthy. In many ways, I can also rationalize it, because the presidential election is very huge and requires a lot of logistics. Why don’t we peg those logistics with the parliamentary elections first, before going into the presidential election? Why don’t we perfect the system with the governorship election first, before embarking on the presidential election? It all seems to me to be perfect and rational but sometimes the nature of our speculation is neither rational nor logical.

    Second Republic Presidential Adviser Alhaji Tanko Yakassai said he did not know whether the national assembly’s move is “a good idea or not.”

    He added: But from the point of view of the constitution, it is the responsibility of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to decide the order of elections. I don’t know why the National Assembly is embarking on the exercise to reverse the order of the elections, but let’s see how it works out.”

    Senator Abdullahi also said the Senate had confidence in Senate President Bukola Saraki’s leadership. “Nobody can remove Saraki. We elected him and we are not ready to remove him yet. From day one, they never wanted Saraki. What we are saying is that the right to choose the Senate President lies with senators and we have chosen our leader.”

  • Fuel queues must end in seven days, Senate insists

    Fuel queues must end in seven days, Senate insists

    The Senate yesterday insisted that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC ), must within seven days, end long queues in fuel stations across the country.

    The resolution followed the unanimous adoption of an interim report of the joint committee on Petroleum Resources, on the lingering fuel crisis in the country.

    Chairman of the committee, Senator Kabiru Marafa, told the Senate in plenary that the joint committee recommended that NNPC be issued a seven day ultimatum to ensure the disappearance of queues from fuel stations across the country.

    The Zamfara Central lawmaker underscored the need for security agencies to ensure effective boarder patrol to check diversion of petroleum products to neighbouring African countries.

    He noted that the report also recommended that the Department for Petroleum Resources (DPR) should double its efforts to enforce compliance with the government regulated pump price.

    Marafa said, “During the recess, the committee moved around some cities including Abuja and Lagos to ascertain the situation on ground. When we think that we are making progress, we just realised that the queues were resurfacing at the stations.

    “We also engaged with the NNPC and other stakeholders and we were informed that there were challenges of supply coupled with massive smuggling of petroleum products to neighbouring countries for higher prices. Also there is the problem of marketers selling above approved pump price.”

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, urged management of NNPC to ensure compliance with the resolution and ensure the disappearance of long queues within the next seven days.

  • $16bn Egina oil probe: Unqualified firm got N50bn contract – Senate

    $16bn Egina oil probe: Unqualified firm got N50bn contract – Senate

    The Senate ad-hoc committee investigating local content and cost variation on the $16 billion Egina deep sea oil project yesterday said that it has discovered that an unqualified firm, NOV Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited got a whopping N50 billion contract from Total Upstream Nigeria Limited.

    The committee said that this is contrary to the Nigeria Oil and Gas Industry Content Development ( NOGICD ) Act of 2010.

    It said that the discovery was made when the Managing Director of NOV Oil and Gas Nigeria Limited, Mr. Bertrand Huet, appeared before the committee to brief it on its initially awarded contract from Total Upstream Nigeria Limited of $163 million.

    It said that the contract was later varied to $200million (N50billion).

    Chairman of the committee, Senator Solomon Adeola in a statement by his Media Adviser, Chief Kayode Odunaro, noted that in course of questioning on the basis of document submitted by the company, Total Upstream, NAPIMS and Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Development Board ( NCDMB ), it was admitted by  Mr. Huet, a French citizen that that he solely owned the company without any shareholding for Nigerian.

    Adeola said that the fact admitted by Huet “completely disqualified the company from getting such contract in the oil and gas sector of the Nigerian economy.”

    He noted that by the NOGICD Act of 2010 all such companies operating in Nigeria oil and gas sector must have a shareholding of 51% for Nigerians and 49% for others to be given approval by NCDMB, the regulatory body on Local Content law.

    Adeola (Lagos West) stated that the company that got a whopping N50 billion contract is a one man business solely owned by the managing director.

    He said that it was also discovered that the company was solely incorporated to corner some aspects of the Egina Project that should have been done by Nigerians.

    Adeola said, “There is need to unveil the true identity of NOV Oil and Gas and its operations in Nigeria. Once that is done to ascertain that the company has not breached Nigeria laws in its ownership structure, we can then go into the suspicious variation of its contract from $163 million to $202million and related matter of non adherence to Local Content law that denied Nigerian opportunity for training, capacity building and transfer of technology.”

    Adeola insisted that as representative of the people, “members of the committee will not allow any foreigner to do what they cannot do in their countries in Nigeria or to engage in practices that do not meet international best practices thereby shortchanging the people of Nigeria and Nigerians.”

    Adeola also said that two similar companies AVEON, and GILS Automation engaged in the Egina Project that were billed to appear before the committee but refused risked having their chief executives arrested if they refuse to show up in the next 24 hours.

    He said that non appearance after being duly invited indicates they have something to hide in the Egina Project.

    “The companies should not allow the Senate to invoke Sections 88 and 89 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic to order for a warrant of the arrest of the chief executives of these companies.” Adeola said.

    He directed the executive secretary of NCDMB to stop all dealings and approvals for the companies pending their appearance before the committee.

  • Senate gets committee on Electoral Act

    Senate gets committee on Electoral Act

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on Thursday announced a six-man committee to reconcile the Senate’s version of the amended Electoral Act with the version passed by the House of Representatives.

    The Senate’s conference committee has the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Senator Suleiman Nazif, as chairman.

    Other members of the committee are – Senators Shehu Sani, Biodun Olujimi, Hope Uzodinma, Dino Melaye and Peter Nwaoboshi.

    The committee is expected to meet with the House of Representatives to harmonise the version of the amended electoral bill before being sent to President Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.

    The Senate had in 2017 passed an amended version of the 2010 Electoral Act.

    While the House of Representatives had on Tuesday amended the Electoral Act to change the 2019 general elections time table.

    This came barely a month after the INEC released the time table for the general elections.

    With the amendment, the National Assembly election will take place first, followed by gubernatorial and state assembly polls.

    The presidential election will be conducted last.

    The amendment was made at the Committee of the whole House, presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Yussuff Lasun.

     

     

  • Senate probes Brass LNG account

    Senate probes Brass LNG account

    The Senate yesterday mandated its joint Committee on Public Accounts and Gas Resources to carry out a holistic investigation into the activities of the Brass Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG).

    The upper chamber also asked the committee to probe alleged corruption that has taken place and report back within four weeks.

    The resolution followed a motion on alleged “Monumental corruption at the NNPC” raised by Senator Dino Melaye (Kogi West)

    Melaye, in his lead debate, noted that the Brass LNG was incorporated by the Corporate Affairs Commission on 9th December, 2003 and limited by shares of $1million.

    He observed that the shareholders of the company are: the Federal Government (N NPC) represented by  Mr. Funsho Kukpolokun with $490,000 shares, Philip Brass Limited whose address is in Cayman Island, British West Indies represented by Mr. R.L. Smith with a share capital of $170,000, Eni International B.V with address in Amsterdam, Netherland represented by Mr. A. Forzoli with share of $170,000 . The fourth shareholder, Chevron Texaco Brass LNG Limited with address in Bemuda represented by Mr. J.R. Pryor has a share of $170, 000.

    Melaye also observed that from the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) records, the following are Directors of the Company amongst other foreigners:

    Gauis Obaseki Jackson, Former GMD NNPC; Yukubu Andrew, Former GMD NNPC; Ibogomo Gbeyansa, Staff NNPC; Dawa Joseph Thlama, Staff NNPC; Ige David, Staff NNPC; and Mr. Buba Mohamman.

    He noted that that from the Memorandum of Understanding, the Brass LNG is supposed to be a Joint Venture Company with the NNPC having the controlling shares and their account domiciled with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    Melaye said that he was surprised that “the account of this company is with Keystone Bank opened on 1st August, 2012 with account number 1005825168 a USA domiciliary account with a closing balance of USD 137, 086, 462:54 currently, while the sum of $ 648, 179, 487 was recorded as the account’s last inflow on 19th September, 2016 and a withdrawal of $4 million was effected on the 18th November, 2016 without BVN”.

    The Kogi West lawmaker noted that a lot of questions are begging for answers as regards the company: “The status of investment and principal objectives of the company? The Signatories to the Account? The status of the Federal Government investment? The returns on the investment? Was due process followed in the formation and appropriation of shares in the company?

    Melaye said that he convinced that there is an urgent need to define the position of the company viz-a-viz its operation, management and mandate in order to halt this seeming corruption.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Gas, Senator Albert Bassey Akpan ,who seconded the motion, said that there was no cause for alarm.

    Akpan said: ” I wish to make explanations on the motion to the knowledge of Senate. Mr. President, this issue has been on the front burner of Committee on Gas since last year and we had engaged Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation ( NNPC)on this matter over the last couple of months and what we found out as a committee is that the said account exists and the name of the account is Brass LNG/Nigeria LNG account.

    “What this account does is that there was a presidential approval about few years ago or several years  ago to use the dividends on LNG as part of NNPC joint venture as a portion of NLG account.

    “What really happened was that when the Federal Government wanted the implementation of TSA, most of the banks had invested in dollars, account balances in their various transactions. The banks were insolvent. The said withdrawal of $3million and when the president directed Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), we have looked into the matter.

    “So the only fund that came into the account which was about $3million was what was transferred to TSA and according to an aide to the president, this account has authorised signatories among which was the former GMD of NNPC Gauis Obaseki Jackson among others and the chairman of board of Directors to Brass LNG.”

     

     

  • $16bn EGINA probe: Senate panel uncovers N500m variation

    $16bn EGINA probe: Senate panel uncovers N500m variation

    The Senate Ad-Hoc Committee investigating Local Content and cost variation on the $16 Billion Egina Deep Sea oil project yesterday said that it has discovered N500 million variation from what the Federal Government through NAPIMS approved for a component of the project and the amount Total Upstream Nigeria Limited, the main operator of the project awarded it to SAIPEM Contracting Nigeria Limited.

    The committee said that it made the discovery in continuation of its investigation of the multi-billion dollar offshore oil project that will produce 200,000 barrels per day in course of its interaction with SAIPEM Contracting Nigeria Ltd handling underwater umbilicals and all under connecting links of the Egina project.

    It said that the Managing Director of SAIPEM Contracting Limited, Mr. Guido D’ Aloisio has stated that with documentary evidence from Total Upstream that the value of its contract amounted to $3.2 billion while the approved amount from a document before the Committee by the Federal Government through NAPIMS/NNPC is $2.7billion.

    Chairman of the committee, Senator Solomon Adeola (Lagos West), and other members of the committee faulted the figure in SAIPEM document.

    He noted that for record purposes, it will rely on the figure from government agency involved in the transaction and not a private concern.

    “Between the letter of approval by NAPIMS in March, 2012 and April 2013 when Total awarded the contract to SAIPEM, there was a discrepancy that cannot be accounted for by currency fluctuations as the costing was 90% denominated in dollar with only 10% in Naira. So exchange rate fluctuations could not be responsible for the discrepancies” Senator Adeola stated.

    Adeola directed that NAPIMS and Total Upstream be invited to come and clarify the discrepancy adding that the explanation of SAIPEM Contracting Ltd amounts to cost variation through the back door after the approval of NAPIMS.

     Mr. D’ Aloiso disclosed that SAIPEM has been operating in Nigeria for the past 50 years and had been operating local content in all its projects even before the Nigeria Local Content Act of 2010 stressing that at present they have surpassed local content targets according to the NOGID Act.

  • Senate committee on INEC holds budget defence in Abuja

    Senate committee on INEC holds budget defence in Abuja

    Senate C’tee on INEC holds Budget Defence in Abuja.

    Pic 15. From left: National Commissioner, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Okechukwu Ibeanu; INEC Chairman, Prof. Yakubu Mahmood and another National Commissioner, Hajiya Amina Zakari, during INEC Budget Defence before the Senate Committee on INEC at the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday (24/1/18).
    00439/24/1/2018/Hogan Bassey/ICE/NAN
    Pic 17. Chairman Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Sen Rafiu Ibrahim (r), with members of the committee, Sen Sam Anyawu (l), and Sen Philips Gynuka, during their meeting with Asset Management Cooperation of Nigeria (AMCON) Management Team at the National Assembly in Abuja on Wednesday (24/1/18).
    00441/24/1/2018/Hogan Bassey/ICE/NAN

    NAN

  • Senate to provide legislation for education development

    Senate to provide legislation for education development

    Senate President Dr Bukola Saraki yesterday said the National Assembly would provide necessary legislation for the development of the country’s education sector.

    Saraki spoke at a public hearing on “Innovative Education Technology: E-Learning and Blended Learning in the Education Sector’’ in Abuja.

    The session was organised by the Senate Joint Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary), Tertiary Institution and TETFUND and Communications.

    Represented by Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan, Saraki expressed concern over ailing standard of education in the country.

    According to him, the Senate remains resolute in ensuring that every effort is deployed to facilitate the provision of necessary infrastructure and legislation for the development of our nation’s education sector.

    He, however, said that the adoption of technology-mediated learning was a viable option towards reviving the country’s educational system.

    “The ailing standard of education in Nigeria has been a major concern to all stakeholders for many years now.

    “However, one viable option proffered by experts and education stakeholders as a means of reviving and transforming our ailing educational system is the adoption of technology-mediated learning.

    “Many argue that this method of learning encompasses different teaching and learning approaches and is supported by the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs).

  • ‘Senate won’t dabble in appointment of new DG, NIA’

    ‘Senate won’t dabble in appointment of new DG, NIA’

    Those expecting the Senate to dabble in the appointment of a Director General for the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ahmed Rufai Abubakar may be disappointed after all.

    Many had expressed surprise at Abubakar’s appointment last week.

    Some concerned citizens and groups had written to the Security and Intelligence committees of the Senate and House of Representatives, demanding a scrutiny of the appointee.

    A member of the Senate Committee on Security and Intelligence confirmed that the committee received submissions from interested groups and the public on the matter.

    The senator, who did not want his name in print, confided in our correspondent yesterday that some sensitive issues were raised in some of the submissions.

    According to him, owing to the sensitive and security nature of the observations raised, the committee may advise the Senate on how to go about discussing some grey areas with the executive arm.

    The senator said: “Some of the submissions indicated that due diligence was not conducted on the appointee before the appointment was announced, particularly as relate to antecedents and marriage relationship of the new DG.

    “As a matter of fact, career progression and promotion issues from the parent body, the Foreign Affairs Ministry where the appointee last served, did not receive proper attention from the appointing authority.

    “However, the Senate would not want to be seen as dabbling in security and intelligence related appointments, although we feel strongly that the appointment failed to meet certain thresholds”.

    The lawmaker acknowledged that “genuine concerns” were raised in some of the submissions, stressing that if not addressed, such issues could constitute hindrances to smooth operations of the NIA.

    “For instance, the officer who was acting in that position still has up till September before his retirement date. We feel that the reasonable thing to do is to allow him hold forth till his retirement date before replacing him.

    “A few of the submissions we received spoke highly about the honesty and integrity of the immediate Acting DG, particularly his long standing record of dedication to duties over the years.”