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Tag: Senator Ita Enang

  • Don’t validate manufactured controversy against Udom Emmanuel – Chief Essien advises Enang

    Don’t validate manufactured controversy against Udom Emmanuel – Chief Essien advises Enang

    A former Minister of Lands and Housing, Chief Nduese Essien, has called on Senator Ita Enang to focus on advocating legislative reforms rather than “lending credibility to what increasingly appears to be a manufactured controversy.”

    Chief Essien, the political leader of Akwa Ibom South Senatorial District, made this statement while hosting a team of journalists at his Ntaisip country home in Eket.

    Expressing concern over the ongoing media trial of former Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, Essien accused Fejiro Oliver, a Delta State-born self-proclaimed political activist, of orchestrating the campaign without concrete evidence. 

    He described the situation as a “social media drama,” emphasizing that Oliver had resorted to online trials in the absence of verifiable proof.

    “The most striking aspect of this unfolding drama is that when Mr. Oliver first made his allegations; he had no tangible evidence against his supposed target. Yet, he proceeded with the familiar strategy of media trial. On January 8, 2025, he boldly declared that he would submit a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) against Deacon Udom Emmanuel by the following Monday. He further alleged that the former governor was in a state of panic and had dispatched an advance team to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to block the petition.”

    Chief Essien, a former two term National Assembly member wondered why his name should be dragged into what he had no prior knowledge about. 

    “Adding intrigue to the saga, he needlessly dragged my name—Hon. Nduese Essien—into the fray, alleging that I was “hired” to appear on Arise News or Channels Television to defend Udom Emmanuel. It was an interesting claim, considering I had no prior knowledge of or involvement in the absurd drama.

    “With all the noise surrounding the anticipated petition, one would have expected swift action. Instead, despite the media frenzy, the grand petition did not surface until January 21, 2025—a full two weeks after the much-publicised announcement. What does this reveal? Simple: Mr. Oliver was fishing for evidence. He hoped that certain individuals in Akwa Ibom would supply him with just enough material to write his petition. It appears his gamble paid off, as he eventually cobbled together a petition, and the court of public opinion announced its verdict”, he said. 

    He further stated that he has been an active critic of government for the general good of the masses, but warned that it must be based on accountability, principles and through proper channels.”

    “Let me be clear: I have previously criticised Udom Emmanuel, just as I have done with Obong Victor Attah and Chief Godswill Akpabio. My criticisms were never for financial inducement, personal gain, or public appeasement. Rather, they were based on principle. Accountability is fundamental, but it must be pursued through legitimate channels. Justice is not served by reckless declarations of guilt in the media to advance a particular agenda.”

    The former lawmaker condemned the ethnic colouration of the media trial of former Governor Udom Emmanuel, adding that the rule of law transcends ethnic affiliations. 

    “Additionally, we must reject the ethnic undertones creeping into this issue. Corruption, accountability, and the rule of law transcend ethnic affiliations. Whether one hails from Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Eket, or any other part of the state, the law remains the law. Those purporting to fight corruption must do so with fairness and objectivity, rather than sowing discord along ethnic lines to manipulate public sentiment.”

    He urged Akwa Ibom people to ignore opportunistic grandstanding as witnessed by the ongoing media trials initiated by the political activist. 

    “At some point, we must differentiate genuine demands for accountability from opportunistic grandstanding. Public officials are, by default, subject to scrutiny by the EFCC, ICPC, and other anti-graft agencies. If there are legitimate grounds for prosecution, due process will take its course. Until then, let us refrain from fueling baseless media trials. And, above all, I will not allow my name to be co-opted into this circus for the sake of sensationalism.”

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    He commended what he described as the newfound peace and unity in the state, an act he attributed to Governor Umo Eno, urging for it to be sustained.

    “Akwa Ibom has been experiencing another era of peace and inclusive governance since May 2023, thanks to Governor Umo Eno. The days of fierce disagreement and bickering between successive governors and opposition parties are gone. Today, there is a remarkable sense of harmony, which has allowed stakeholders across party lines to work together towards a common goal. 

    “This newfound unity is a welcome departure from the past, where political differences often hindered the development of the state. The efforts of the current government to foster inclusivity and cooperation have created a conducive environment for growth and development.

    “As Akwa Ibom continues on this path, it’s clear that it is poised for a bright and prosperous future, where witch-hunting, tribal sentiments, speculations, and pull-down syndrome have no place.”

  • Will Buhari sit on his hands once again?

    FOR the life of me, I want to believe that the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, was merely playing to the gallery when he reportedly expressed his principal’s unwillingness to play any crucial role in the process leading to the emergence of a new leadership for the incoming 9th Assembly. It is either the ex-lawmaker was speaking for himself without the mandate of Aso Rock or he is the proverbial fifth columnist parading the corridors of power. Ita Enang, in case he actually wants us to believe this joke, must have taken us for a fool. I would have labeled him the crooked firewood that spoils the broth. But I doubt if that was the intention of this fine gentleman. How on earth would President Muhammadu Buhari – knowing the magnitude of after-effects that followed his inaction and the surprise emergence of a scheming Sarako in 2015 – now sit on his hands and allow those characters in the legislature to berth another calamitous treachery that would further inflict irreparable damage on his ailing government? For, if we must say the obvious truth, that was exactly the leeway that a gang of selfish bandits exploited to invade and hijack the 8th National Assembly and then, force a twist in the tale of the executive/legislature relationship that proved deadly for the ruling All Progressives Congress which then found itself dining on the same table with its worst foes.

    Listen to Enang spewing hollow patter: “The principle of President Buhari is that each arm of government should function according to what the Constitution says which is that every person in government should do the right thing. He will not go beyond what the constitution allows him and every arm of government should stick to its responsibilities.”

    Now that is pure balderdash and Enang, a serial winner of the House of Representatives’ ticket from his Akwa Ibom State Senatorial district before his emergence as Senator, should know this for a fact. Yes, due respect must be given to the principles of separation of power as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. But nothing stops the leadership of a ruling party to take steps that would help it in the smooth implementation of policies by having the right persons in key positions in a critical arm like the highest law-making body in the land. It is called lobbying in other democracies and it is legal. It doesn’t have to come through the force of state power but it can be orchestrated through persuasion and appeal to commonsense. What makes democracy tick, by the way, is not the absence of conflict or divergence of opinions. Instead, it is the synergy that exists among the various arms that often disagree to agree or, sometimes agree to disagree. And if I may ask, how many of such did we see in practice in the present dispensation under the adversarial leadership of a certain Senator Bukola Saraki and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara?

    Yoked under the burden of a putrefying and choking air of mutual distrust, the Buhari administration’s faltering steps started manifesting immediately the Saraki/Dogara legislative coup was hatched. Of course, it was not helped by the fact that Saraki had to concede the seat of the Deputy Senate President to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party despite the fact that the APC had the upper hand in terms of number. It was a complete sell out. A shambolic one at that. In his confessional statement afterwards, Saraki, I remember, revealed certain details that suggested that he was ready to damn the consequence in his vaunting ambition to become the President of the Senate. He said he slept in one of the rickety cars in the National Assembly car lot and sneaked into the chambers whilst some of his party loyalists had gone to the International Conference Centre to attend a meeting summoned by Buhari and the APC leadership with the aim of reaching a concrete agreement on the candidates for the positions. The meeting had barely started before news filtered in that this gang of coup plotters had hatched the most treacherous trick on everyone. At that point, Buhari had no option than to succumb to the blackmail, waxing lyrical about his preparedness to work with whatever political miscalculations emanated from the Saraki coup. Well, it turned out to be the biggest mistake of his life and we are all living witnesses to that misjudgment by this neophyte in politics!

    Should Buhari allow thunder to strike him twice by sitting idle while another band of self-conceited sadists is allowed to seize the gavel of legislative impunity, the joke would be on him this time. There should be a limit to how one wrings one’s hands in stupefaction amid the rot in a broken nation. Buhari and the party oligarch should rein in the errant irritants in their fold. Nigeria cannot afford another four years of executive/legislative feud in which sheer ego defines the currency of political cum economic decision making process. Let me, for emphasis sake, crave your indulgence to rehash some paragraphs from an earlier piece titled “The emergence of Saraki, Dogara and the Buhari Presidency” which was published on June 2015. The short piece forecasts the grim realities that awaited the Buhari administration and most of the things did come to pass.

    “Of course, there is no denying the fact that egos have been bruised on both sides of the divide and it would take a lot of political maturity and understanding to weave a web of unity round the betrayal. As things stand today, the task before President Buhari is how to put into practical reality his promise to work with any leadership put in place by the lawmakers without his interference. He must realise that he is now being described in some quarters as “ baba go slow”, equating him with a one- time governor of Lagos state, late Chief Michael Otedola whose administration was criticized for its tardiness and inaction. Almost two weeks after his inauguration, he is yet to appoint key officials like Secretary to the Government, Chief of Staff, Political Adviser, nor has he given any clear direction of where he is headed.

    “Nigerians are yearning for action, they are tired of promises. The President would also need to mend the broken walls within his party if he must prevent an anticipated encroachment by the PDP which now wields enormous influence in the legislature and may make his work difficult if it so wishes. Being a coalition of strange bedfellows, the APC leadership should not delude itself that it has the overriding power over the NASS leadership as presently constituted. If anything, it should be at the forefront of calming frayed nerves by accepting the choices made by the lawmakers in a democratic setting. Doing anything contrary to this may throw the party into further crisis or even decimate its membership. Since Buhari has declared his intention to work harmoniously with any leadership that emerged, the party needs to respect that decision in order to foster democratic values.”

    Well, we all know how things played out and the consequences of the President’s action and inaction then.  Besides, Buhari cannot afford to sit on the fence and allow some powerful forces to foist a leadership on the National Assembly that could jeopardise the unwritten code of geo-political balancing that is needed for justice and equity. Would he, for example, be comfortable with a legislature whose leadership is picked solely from his geo-political zone all in the guise of non-interference in the affairs of the legislature? Does he know that a region like the South-South deserves to be compensated with a key position in the Senate having been denied of any such privilege since this democratic journey began on May 29, 2019? And does he know that these things matter because our brand of home-grown democracy survives on this unwritten code of delicate balancing? How then can Enang be speaking for a man whose fingers were almost burnt beyond recognition some years back for daring to dine with enemies within? How? Must leaders fail to learn from history and thereby run the people they lead into a ditch or cul-de-sac one more time, causing regrets for all?

  • A’Ibom REC connived with PDP to rig polls, Enang alleges

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters(Senate) Senator Ita Enang has alleged the Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State, Mr Mike Igini connived with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to rig the February 23 presidential/National Assembly elections.

    Enang, in a press briefing in Uyo, accused Igini of manipulating the elections, adding that the election results did not represent the true position of the people.

    “I have in the course of this campaign tried to personally avoid castigating the Independent National Electoral Commission.

    “I have aligned myself with all the campaigns that we as a party made against the Resident Electoral Commissioner and I had thought that in the course of the election that he would display what I thought I knew about him in terms of integrity, but the last elections of February 23 is the lowest low that I could credit to Resident Electoral Commissioner in Akwa Ibom State.

    Read also: Opposition parties in Oyo adopt PDP guber candidate

    ”I hailed him better than that, but it has been very disappointing that he descended into the arena of the election and appeared as if he was and indeed a player on the pitch and not a refree or umpire,” he said.

    Enang further said: “They were several irregularities, several efforts at rigging and results produced in Akwa Ibom State, does not in any manner reflect the true voting and will of the people of Akwa Ibom State because it was heavily and massively manipulated by the Peoples’ Democratic Party in Akwa Ibom State in collussio with and alliance with the Independent National Electoral Commission permanent staff and ad hoc workers”.

    Enang, however, congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice on their victory at the last general elections.

    “Let me use this platform to again congratulates the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the vice on their winning and being declared President and Vice president elect of the Federal Republic and indeed the All Progressive Congress” he said.

    He urged the members of All Progressive Congress in Akwa Ibom State and the entire citizens not to be weakened by the outcome of the election in the state, but they should rather be stronger and optimistic in the candidacy of Obong Nsima Ekere ,adding that the party is the one at the helm of affairs of the country.

    “Despite this, I urge the people of the All Progressive Congress , voters in Akwa Ibom State to maintain, sustain and keep up with the spirit that they had in the APC gubernatorial candidate, Obong Nsima Ekere and the running mate, and all the well elected candidates for the House of Assembly in the different state constituencies. I want to say that the road is actually better pointed by election of President and Vice, that the Federal government is controlled by the APC and that should strengthens them and all the voters in Akwa Ibom State to keep the faith with  APC and keep faith with the destiny of Akwa Ibom State”.he added.

    Reacting to the issue of vote buying featured during the last elections, allegedly linked to the Akwa Ibom PDP, he advised the public to take the money and resist from voting PDP, as the money spending is from the state treasury which was meant for the development of the state.

    “The way the PDP had sacrilegiously dealt with the treasury in this state, buying vote at great amount and have nothing to show on ground. I tell the people, when they come with your money, please it is the money that they ought to have paid your pensions, it the money that they ought to have paid the school fee and bursary of your children, is the money that they ought to have develop an infrastructure, it is the money that they ought to have completed some infrastructural projects, it is the money that they should have built some extra school to develop you and your future, please collect the money but vote to link Akwa Ibom back to the channel of federal government linking it with the core of the Federal government of APC” he said.

    He admonished the citizens to see the need of linking the state to the federal government as it will draw more developments to the state.

    “I want to reiterate again that, were we are today is that, we are the minority state, where we are today, is that because we were probably linked with the federal government under the government as it were: government at the center, the same government at the state level.

    “That was how we were able to get first the Niger Delta Development Commission past, because our colleagues and compatriots in the North and the intervention of the party leadership said Akwa Ibom  and the south south should be given a special privileges to develop because of what they are going through in suffering from the effect of the oil exploration and exploitation.

    “”It was on the account that were the PDP state as it were at the Federal level, that is how we were succeeded in getting the abolition of the on-shore off-shore dichotomy,” he said.

  • Former APC Senators, Reps to work for Buhari – Presidency

    The last may not have been heard about the Tuesday’s defection of 13 Senators and 37 House of Representatives members from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and African Democratic Congress (ADC).

    The Presidency Thursday said that it has received the commitment of the defectors to work for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari during the 2019 election.

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, made the stunning clarification at a press briefing in Abuja.

    Enang noted that most of the defectors expressed intention to work for and with President Buhari to ensure his re-election in 2019.

    Read Also:Buhari: defection a seasonal occurrence

    He said that the defectors came to the conclusion to work for Buhari’s re-election because they were convinced that their problems were domestic and internal to the political structure of their respective states which had nothing to do with President Buhari.

    Asked to name defectors who gave the assurance to work for Buhari in 2019 Enang parried the question.

    He simply said, “It will be improper and breach of confidentiality for me and for the persons to be named but I have had discussions with them. Most of them are coming back and most of them are defecting to political parties that are not challenging the APC.”

    Asked whether Senate President, Bukola Saraki was invited to the meeting President Buhari held with APC senators at the Presidential Villa on Wednesday, Enang said that the senators were led by Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan.

    The presidential aide said that National Assembly members should bear in mind important pending issues even as they go on vacation.

    Enang said, “These senators by virtue of their procedure have not yet fully and effectually deflected but have expressed intention to defect by the procedure.

    As a political party interacting with the leadership of the APC and other parties there is a lot of room left “for conciliation and reconciliation.

    Again all the grievances expressed by the Distinguished Senators and Honourable members non is attributed or directed to  President Muhammadu Buhari nor his actions or any action or commission or omission  of the President or the Federal Government.

    “In my interaction pre and post expression of intent to defect by the Distinguished Senators and members,  all the dramatis personae, the Distinguished Senators and Honourable members expressed their solidarity and support for Mr. President and  expressed categorically that their grievances and consequent actions are not directed against President Buhari nor his reelection in 2019 but domestic actors in their constituencies political fields such as the governors, state party leaders or frustration over zoning or indeed calculations for a return ticket or platform  for 2019 elections.

    “Indeed a great number of them have indicated that even if they pursue their bid on different platforms, they will still campaign for President Buhari in 2019 on the platform of the APC.

    “What have been done by the Distinguished Senators and Honourable members are group notice to switch camp.  It is inchoate and lives windows, doors and rooms for further consultations and resolutions because our party, the APC minds and cares for all members in or out of office.

    “Like the Holy Bible enjoins, if you loss one sheep out of hundred, preserve 99 and go and search for the lost one sheep.

    “ I believe that all if you saw perhaps this morning that at the interactive between the distinguished Senators of APC and M. President which lasted till the early hours of this morning, some of the Distinguished Senators who expressed defection to other parties or intended defection have returned to the fold of the APC.

    They were with Mr. President and those who were not there, because the notice was short some of them could not return and most of them will still be joining further interaction within the weekend with the leadership of the party.

    “There has been a lot of return and a lot of calm on the family of the APC.

    “The executive, president and ministers will keep working with the legislature with respect due their offices and person and keep working with them as legislators of the Federal Republic of Nigeria who make laws for the executive to execute irrespective of their individual political decisions while leaving all options open for conciliation.

    We will be praying the legislature, the leadership, membership to consider that there are many matters of very urgent nature which are pending before the legislature and unless considered, the functioning of certain institutions of the government will be hampered. If you recall a lot of the funding for the 2018 budget was budgeted to come from some external sources.

    The request for approval to raise funds from these external sources is before the legislature and unless considered it may hamper the level of implementation.

    Again, before the legislature proceeded on vacation, Mr. President also laid before them the request for virement, this also will be affected.

    Mr. President had earlier on laid the request for the application of some security funds for the purchase of Tucano jets to fight insurgency that is still pending.

    There is also the budget which is pending. You remember the president laid before the National Assembly some times in November last year the 2018 budget. It was the budget of the Federal Government and the budget of the government-owned corporations, what has been passed in 2018 is the budget of the Federal Government and the budget of the Federal Government corporations has not yet been passed.

    “You know that these budgets also include provisions for employment, provisions for capital spending which will affect the run of the economy, functioning and a lot other economy unless the legislature considers this, the executive is very law abiding and will not do a thing which the law requires the legislature to do, to approve first before it is done unless it is done. We will be praying the legislature to consider the emergency implications of this and decide to come out of this and consider this within the period of the vacation.

    “We accept that some exigencies may have caused the abridgment of the time within which they were to proceed on vacation.

    “We will be working with them to ensure that we have few of these considered and passed within a time that it will still be reasonable to attain the purpose of the economy.

    “All of them have said that they do not have a problem with the president.

    “These persons have expressed intention to work for and with President Buhari; all these are domestic and internal to the political structure of the respective states and has to do with the 2019 electoral calculations.

    “Some of them are questions that have to do with zoning. The president said that he is aware of the issues that they have. The questions that have arisen in this matter are party matters domestic to the different states. The national office of the party is handling the issues.”

  • APC Convention is a quit notice signal to PDP, Fayose – Presidency

    The Presidency says the All Progressive Congress (APC) convention holding at the Eagle Square, Abuja, would be a quit notice signal to the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, gave the assurance to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) at the ongoing convention arena.

    Enang, who said he expected a peaceful poll at the convention, said the successful completion of the occasion would also indicate a quit notice to the Ekiti State’s incumbent governor, Ayo Fayose.

    NAN reports that the governorship election in the state, which is scheduled to hold on July 14, has the immediate-past Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Kayode Fayemi, as the APC gubernatorial candidate.

    ”It is a signal to PDP and Ayo Peter Fayose that we have served him quit notice and that he will quit.

    ”With the strength of APC in the Federal Government at the federal level and the strength of APC in Ekiti State, we will win Ekiti and we will sack PDP from the seat,” Enang said.

    He said he expected a fruitful and rancour-free convention.

    He urged the winners and losers in the ongoing convention to display a spirit of sportsmanship.

    ”My words for the winners today, be magnanimous in victory, and for the losers, be also accommodating. Let all those who lose also play into the party, let those who win accommodate those who may not win today,” he said.

    Also speaking, the Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu, said the convention would go well and come out successful.

    ”You can see that everybody is happy to be here. We are lucky that we have Muhammadu Buhari as our president; everybody loves him.

    ”No matter the differences or disagreement in the generality of membership, the president’s position as a beloved leader and mentor is sacrosanct. And I think that will contribute largely to the final successful outcome of this convention,” he said.

  • Presidency indicts Mark, Tambuwal, others over poor oversight

    Presidency indicts Mark, Tambuwal, others over poor oversight

    The Presidency on Tuesday indicted the leadership of the seventh National Assembly over alleged failure to conduct effective oversight on Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    The Presidency claimed that the failure of the seventh National Assembly to carry out proper oversight on MDAs was responsible for massive corruption and stealing of public funds which it said was the hallmark of the‎ administration of President Goodluck Jonathan.

    Recall that Senator David Mark was the President of the Seventh Senate, while Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, current governor of Sokoto State, was the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the 7th National Assembly.

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, told reporters that the failure of the lawmakers to properly oversee was responsible for the alleged syphoning of the security votes in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and other agencies of government under President Jonathan.

    The Presidential aide also said that the former minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs Diezani Allison Madueke, allegedly ran the petroleum sector single-handedly because the National Assembly does not do its oversight functions.

    Enang who was also a member of the Seventh Senate served as chairman of Rules and Business committee.

    He “If the committees in the 7th National Assembly were doing their work, by checking what was happening in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Petroleum Ministry, we will not have had Diezanigate and all the other gates.

    “We will not have had all the probes and investigation. The legislature concentrated less that is why we are having the spill that the 8th Assembly is having. I feel guilty and I want to apologise. If the legislature did its duty like it is doing now, I think we will not have this situation.

    “This year you will have are going to have a robust executive, legislature relationship, you will not have uncommon compromises. You will have an engaging relationship.

    “The Senate has in two years doubled what the 7th Senate passed. The President has said that he will do his work as the president, the legislature will do its work and the judiciary will do its work. There will be no interference.

    “What is prevailing is the best executive, legislature relationship in the last 18 years.”

    On alleged budget padding, Enany dismissed it insisting that it does not exist.

    He explained that the National Assembly has the right to add or remove anything in the budget during budget consideration just like the executive can make amends before the budget is passed.

    Enang said: “In all my legislative years, padding is a new word in the legislative lexicon. So we have to define it as a new matter. In my opinion, padding is an illegal or unlawful insertion by a person who is not expected to do it in a legal, legislative document.

    “Therefore, unless a bill has been passed and forwarded to Mr President for assent, there can be no padding. If the bill had been forwarded to the president and something is inserted into that before it is assented to by any person and something is added different from what is in the votes and proceedings of the Senate and House of Representatives, that is what constitutes padding.”

    Enang also dismissed the insinuation that the 2017 budget was poorly implemented.

    For him, the level of implementation of the 2017 budget is “very high”, especially when about N1.3 trillion has been released in two quarters.

  • Osinbajo signs two bills into law

    Osinbajo signs two bills into law

    Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Monday assented to two bill passed by the National Assembly.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, said that the Acting President assented to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (Establishment) Act 2017 and the Petroleum Training Institute (Amendment) Act, 2017.

    Enang said that with the action the two bills have come into effect as laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    He noted that the Diaspora Commission Act establishes the Commission under the supervisioory jurisdiction of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

    The Commission, he said, has the responsibility to co-ordinate and organize Nigerians in and from the Diaspora to contribute human capital and material resources, including their expertise for the development of Nigeria and its constituent states.

    It will also provide a database of Nigerians on various fields and potentialities as resource base for Nigeria and the world to draw from, as well as protecting the interest of all Nigerians in the Diaspora, Enang added.

    He said that the Petroleum Training Institute (Amendment) Act on the other hand is to bring the provisions thereof in conformity with the constitution, allowing for due process in the administrative action affecting the principal officers and staff of the institute.

    The Presidential aide welcomed Senators and House of Representative members back to their legislative beat as they resume from the mid-term vacation and constituency engagements.

     

  • Executive, legislature disagreement normal – Presidency

    Executive, legislature disagreement normal – Presidency

    The Presidency on Thursday said the disagreement between the legislature and the executive arm of government in a democracy was normal and should not be misinterpreted.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, briefed State House correspondents on the relationship between the two arms of government.

    According to him, the two arms are working together for the benefit of the people.

    He explained that what seems to be like tension between the legislature and the executive was just the exercise of checks and balances needed to strengthen democracy.

    He said, “I am here to confirm to you that the relationship between the executive and the legislature is very cordial, constitutional, and in all manners, usual.

    “The relationship between the President and the Senate President is perfect and very cordial, personal and official.

    “You have seen at many times the President of the Senate and even the Speaker of the House of Representatives coming to have personal interactions and briefing the President of the affairs of the legislature and other functions of the state.

    “It appears that because of some incidences on the screening of some nominees, people think there are tensions. But let me assure you that there was no tension whatsoever.

    “It is only that the constitution requires that when the President makes a nomination to the legislature, the legislature is to screen, consider and approve as thought fit. If the legislature has reason to have reservations, there is always consultation. It will make its opinion known to the executive by way of appropriate communication.

    “Even if it appeared in the past that there were tensions, the actions of this week: the consultations between the President and the leaders of the National Assembly have doused all.

    “The intervention of the National Working Committee of the APC led by the National chairman has again completely put the question of tension or discord at rest. That too has further brought down what it appeared to be tension.

    “In all the issues that have arisen, no question is raised by the legislature against the action of the President. It shows that in all manners, the President has not done anything that will make the legislature to call him to question.”

     

     

  • We are not aware of budget padding – Presidency

    We are not aware of budget padding – Presidency

    The budget padding controversy took a different turn on Tuesday as the Presidency denied knowledge of any padding in the budget presented to the President for his ascent.
    Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Hon. Ismail Kawu told newsmen in Abuja that the budget signed by the President which is being implemented was not a padded budget.
    Senator Enang, who spoke after over three hours meeting with the national leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) said in legislative palace, there was nothing like budget padding, pointing out that when the a budget is presented to the National Assembly, it is expected that they deliberate and pass it as they deem fit.
    The former Chairman of the House committee on Appropriation, Abdulmumini Jubrin, had accused Speaker Yakubu Dogara, his deputy and two other principal officers of being the brain behind the budget padding.
    However, while the controversy rages on, a group lawmakers which identified itself as Transparency Group had accused the executive arm of government of not free from the blame either on the issue.
    Enang however, refused to give details of their meeting with the APC leadership, pointing out that they have all been asked not to make further public comment on the issue as the party was handling it as a family affair.
    He said: “I am here on the invitation of the leadership of the APC with my colleague to bring answers to issues raised by the party on the 2016 Appropriation and we have been with the party for a little over three hours. We have given explanations to them on every issue and told them that there was nothing, to our knowledge, like padding of the budget.
    “The budget as assented to by Mr. President is the budget as passed by the National Assembly and that is the budget being executed.
    “But as of now, the party is handling it as a domestic issue, and all of us are enjoined not to make public comment on the details because the matter is still under consideration.
    “So, that is what we will want to say for now, we will not want to go into the details of it so that we will not breach the ethics of the party, the directives of the party or pre-empt anything or any outcome of the party investigation.”
    Asked whether the Presidency was giving the Leadership of the House of Representatives a clean bill over the issue, he said “I will want to say that we came here as persons who works as liaison officers on the budget because the party had questions for us and we came to make clarifications on the issues raised.
    “We have made those clarifications and would not want to draw any conclusion. Please let us not go too far by mentioning any office. Let it be that the two of us appeared before the party.
    “In all our years of legislative engagement, we are yet to find in the legislative lexicon the word ‘padding’. When the budget is presented before the legislature, the legislature is to consider the budget and pass as they deem fit. So what the legislature pass becomes the appropriation upon accent. Therefore, any word which is yet to crystallize in legislative lexicon, you cannot hear us mention it.”

  • Ministerial screening: Senate has power to set conditions – Presidency

    Ministerial screening: Senate has power to set conditions – Presidency

    With just four days to the Tuesday date for the screening and possible confirmation of the ministerial nominees, the Presidency has said the Senate is empowered by the constitution to set its criteria and conditions for the screening of prospective ministers.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, stated this on Friday while speaking with reporters in Abuja.

    The Senate has set October 13, 14 and 15 as the dates for screening of 21 ministerial nominees submitted to it by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Enang, who was answering question on the demand of the Senate that ministerial nominees must submit certified true copy of their assets declaration forms, said the Senate is free to set its criteria for the screening of ministerial nominees appearing before it.

    He noted that the nominees are expected to comply with whatever standard, principles, measures, norms or conditions set by the Senate in the course of their screening.

    He said, “The Senate is the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and it is free to set its criteria for the screening of the nominees appearing before it. Our job is to make sure that we work with the respective senators and the nominees to make sure that the senators are satisfied and agree with the nomination.

    “We will not dispute with the Senate what they want because it absolutely lies in the heart and mind of the respective and distinguished senators to determine what questions to ask.

    “The senators are free to ask questions just like the nominees are equally free to answer them.

    “The senators are within their rights to request for what they want.

    On the gains of the recent meeting between President Buhari and the leadership of the National Assembly, he said the meeting had further cemented the mutual relationship between the two arms of government.