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  • Knocks, applaud as Senate debate 2016 budget

    Knocks, applaud as Senate debate 2016 budget

    The Senate Wednesday commenced the debate of the general principles of the 2016 budget on a high note.

    While some Senators commended the spirit and content of the budget, others described the fiscal document as unimplementable and asked that it should be reworked.

    The debate followed sharp party lines with most All Progressives Party (APC) Senators who spoke insisting that the budget is an honest move to fix the economy of the country while their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterparts expressed skepticism about the workability of the fiscal policy.

    Some of the lawmakers cautioned the government to be mindful of excess borrowing to finance the budget as the measure might signal a wrong impression of economic affluence when the economy is actually undergoing recession.

    At a stage during the debate, there was shouting match on the floor of the Senate but the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, managed the situation to avoid out right rancor.

    Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, led the debate by outlining the objective assumptions of the budget.

    Ndume noted that the budget entitled “budget of change” is unique in so many ways.

    The preparation of the budget, he said, was based on Zero Based Budgeting (ZBB) system which required all expenses on projects and programmes to be fully justified by MDAs.

    The Senate Leader who said that the budget is aimed at promoting inclusive growth including the poor and vulnerable noted that it would however be challenged by the decline in oil prices and slowdown in the global economy.

    Ndume said that the budget was designed to ensure that the country’s economy survived by stimulating economic activities, making it more competitive by focusing on infrastructural development as well as to create a number of jobs.

    He added that budget focuses on broadening the tax base and improving the effectiveness of revenue collection as well as diversifying the economy and moving it away from dependence on oil.

    He said that the 2016 budget of N6.08 trillion is a “framework that will consolidate and add impetus to the change agenda of this administration and will promote economic growth, job creation, poverty reduction and service delivery to all Nigerians.

    “Let me start by saying that indeed we have to fund part of this budget by borrowing because in the previous administration a huge chunk of our common patrimony our resources have been stolen.”

    Senator Ahmed Lawan (Yobe North) in his contribution noted that the challenge of the economy is not the current price of oil in the world market.

    Lawan said that the challenge of the economy “is and has always been corruption, corruption. 55 privileged Nigerians in the last 16 years stole 1.34 trillion.”

    He added, “This is the 17th budget I am debating in the National Assembly and with the exception of 2005 Appropriation, there was never an implementation of more than 40%. Nigerians was shortchanged for 16 years.

    “The proposal before us is the first in the last 17 years that an allocation of 30% of the appropriation is given for capital expenditure and for the first time in a genuine, sincere, honest and transparent manner the executive arm of government has deem it necessary to give ordinary Nigerians something, some succour, some hope and genuine one for that matter that we have N500 billion allocated to the school feeding and social and the safety nets generally.

    “Mr. President 2015 budget when we debated it here the proposal was N500 billion for the entire capital budget and we said it and it came to pass that they were not going to implement even half of that.

    “In fact at that time I mentioned that Nigerians with over 179.9 million will have only about N200 billion in a budget of 4.9trillion.

    “Today, we have a budget that provides 30% in the first instance and so many other social safety nets that will be for disadvantage Nigerians, Nigerians that are most vulnerable that have little or no hope. This is again the first budget presented to the assembly in the last 17 years in which revenue from oil is not predominant and is not overwhelming.”

    Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) faulted the budget and urged the government to withdraw it so as to go back to the drawing board.

    He said, “I am going to quote copiously from the Senate Leader. He said this budget is unique and titled `Budget of Change’.

    “This budget is indeed unique, the first budget that has ever been sent out to the public of Nigeria and after the budget presentation, the finance minister has never come to explain the details of the budget as it is normally done.

    “It is a budget of change, I agree but it is a change in the wrong direction. I say it is a change in the wrong direction because it says that it is based on zero budgeting requiring all expenses to be fully justified.

    “A budget that increases spending up to 30% based solely on borrowing, in what way is it justified? That is the question we want to ask the people who brought this budget of change.

    “We ask a question: this budget has moved the 2015 budget from N4.45 trillion to N6.08 trillion and we felt that moving it on zero based budgeting should actually show how it is done.

    “Of course we get nothing; all we get is that we are going to borrow.

    “A budget that moves domestic spending within Aso Villa from N580 million to N1.7 billion cannot be a budget of change.

    “We were told that in the revised budget there was an adjustment due to error, we agree but what has happened is that the money up to N7 billion were moved from buying vehicles to being spread in offices.

    “It also increases the spending that is due to renovations within the Villa; they are going to renovate the Villa with N3.9 billion.

    “What else do you want to renovate there that Nigerians will see in the Year 2016.

    “We know what is going on in the global economy; this budget is predicated on an oil benchmark of $38 per barrel and I can now say that with oil being $28 today, this budget is dead on arrival.

    “The job of the opposition is to help the government to get its priorities right so I want to please urge this government to withdraw this budget and go back to the drawing board.”

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator John Owan Enoh, (Cross River Central) took a critical view of the budget insisting that the budget has quite some fine points no doubt.

    Enoh said that the debate should dwell on some of the matters that will concern everyone.

    He said, “The budget seeks to stimulate the economy for example through economic diversification, import substitution, export expansion and promotion. This is good.

    “There’s already an injection of some kind of new leadership in various revenue generating agencies. There is also the fine point about zero budgeting, which attempts to optimise the impact of public expenditure in aligning resources to government programmes.

    “The Ministry of Finance has been quite foremost in efficiency management. It has also indicated the fact that the implementation of Integrated Personnel Information System is going to be extended to all MDAs.

    “In spite of how many years we have implemented IPIS, it’s sad to say that less than 50 percent of MDAs have been covered. And the innovation by the Ministry of Finance is that they are going to use the BVN to extend IPIS.

    “Having gone through the real details of the budget, but I think that the expenditure item for IPIS needs to be under control if the BVN is going to be used for that purpose.

    “There is also the emphasis on having to ensure microeconomic stability by attempting to make sure that the real GDP growth rate for 2016 is about 4.37 percent.

    “I think that for a country that the third quarter of 2015, the real GDP growth rate was less than 3 percent, it’s perhaps too optimistic that we can achieve that kind of growth rate, especially given the international situation with the economy the world over.

    “Now going into the real statistics, this budget is based on assumptions. There are a few assumptions that we must look at for.

    “For the first time in about 17 years, the National Assembly may now have to take a decision about the downward review of the oil price benchmark.

    “I’m not too sure when this budget is going to be passed but I think we need to be careful and look at what the market price of oil is going to be at the time that this budget is going to be passed.

    “The second element has to do with the Exchange Rate figure, which this budget has pegged at N197.

    “If you compare that to the parallel market in spite of the implication that it may have in the purchasing power of the Naira, we need to be a little bit more realistic and practical in terms of what the real Exchange Rate should be.”

    Enoh expressed concern that the budget has a deficit figure higher than the capital, saying:

    “What it means is that some component of what we are going to borrow, we are going to use for recurrent items and we need to be very careful on this basis.

    “I think that although the deficit to GDP is about 2.16 percent, which is about 14 percent of our GDP, and we think that in terms of international comparison, we are still doing well.

    “But we need to also remember that when the IMF chief executive came to Nigeria, she was quite graphic in what she demonstrated; that a situation in Nigeria in which for every one Naira, about 37kobo is devoted to servicing debt. We need to be a little bit more careful about it.

    “That means there’s pressure on what we earn in terms of what we use to service our debt.

    “When you talk about other expenditure items, I believe there is also too much optimism. We are talking about the fact that we expect to raise about 1.45trillion non-oil proceeds. If you look at what we did and how we performed in 2015, you find out that the difference is so huge. No matter how much we want to spend capital expenditure, if we don’t realise the revenues that are being projected here, it comes to nothing. And we also need to look at the absorptive capacities of the MDAs.”

    He noted that “the budget contains some kind of challenge to NNPC to come up with new funding models for joint venture cash calls. Joint venture cash calls for 2016 budget is about N1.09trillion. If such funding models are discovered, what it means is that as much money as that is going to be available for more expenditure.

    “If you look at the figures for capital expenditure, there is a 30% increase no doubt, there’s 233% year on year growth in terms of our capital. But if you look at the recurrent, it’s just an improvement of about 9 percent.

    “I think that what we have succeeded in doing in this budget is to add up the figures without doing much in efficiency management.

    “The hope is that as we go further, the 2017 and future budgets will do much better than what this budget tends to indicate.

    “Overall, if you are looking at what this budget intends to achieve in terms of economic diversification, we need to be very guided and mindful of what we think is going to come in terms of revenue because without realising the revenue that is being projected, there is nothing much that this government can do in terms of additional capital expenditure that it intends to achieve.”

    Senator Barau Jibrin (Kano North), said there was no doubt that the budget would engender massive spending on critical infrastructure which would stimulate the economy.

    Jibrin noted that it was equally commendable the budget went a long way to address the issue of the social sector especially education and health.

    He said that the challenge remained falling oiling price.

    He said, “Today oil is about $28pb. We need to take a second look at the situation and rearrange the budget in line with oil price reality. Ether we do it or we give it to the Executive to do it.”

    Also speaking, Senator Babajide Omoworare, described the budget as beautiful.

    The Osun East lawmaker lamented that the country is where it is today because “we did not make hay while the sun is shining, we did not diversify our economy.”

    Omoworare said that the country had an era there was so much corruption and impunity asking “how come for 16 years we did not fix our refineries.”

    He said that the economy cannot grow “when we don’t export anything but imports everything even tooth pick.”

    He insisted that the country should take steps to diversify and fix critical sectors including the education sector.

    Senator Gbenga Ashafa in his contribution said that he thought that with the visit of the Central Bank of Nigeria Governor, the debate of the budget would be sober and aimed at how to move the economy forward.

    The Lagos East Senator urged his colleagues to see the budget as really a budget of change.

    He asked the Senate to assist President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that the spirit and content of the budget was realized.

    He also sought to know how the 500,000 teachers to be recruited will be paid whether the payment would involve state governments already finding it difficult to pay salaries.

    Senator Adeola Solomon Olamilekan ( Lagos West) said that the budget is futuristic and spelt out economic indexes that will support its implementation.

    Olamilekan noted that for the first time the country has a budget that it’s realization is not really based on oil benchmark.

    He said that the implementation should be painstakingly followed in the interest of the country.

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said that the challenge is that over the years, the country saw prosperity but now grappling with downward trend.

    He said, “I am not an economist but I know that if my income is N100,000 and suddenly I start earning N30,000 and I tell my children that we will now be spending N120,000, they will start wondering where I will get the money.

    “The problem we have is that over the years we have seen prosperity and we have adjusted to it and now we are seeing a downward trend in our revenue, we don’t seem to be addressing this issue.

    “We have always increased the budget of this country from between 10 and 20 per cent.

    “I just want to appeal that for the first time we should be able to reduce the budget by the same 20 to 30 per cent.

    “That is in order for us to be realistic otherwise it will not be implementable.

    “I am aware that during the great recession in America they had to inflate the economy by doing more projects. We are in recession whether we like it or not.

    “They did not go to borrow money, people had to make sacrifices so I appeal that instead of financing in deficit through borrowing and mortgaging the future, we need to look inwards and raise the money.

    “I believe that as we look at the spending side, we have to look at the revenue side; we have not been creative enough to raise money to run this country.

    “In many countries, they have the communication tax law which ensures that everybody that makes a call or sends a message pays tax to government.

    “But in Nigerian, from bus stops to schools to hospitals to the markets, Nigerians are on the phone every minute of the day and nobody is paying tax on it.

    “If we pay tax on it we do not need to go and get any loan from anywhere, we will have enough money to finance this budget.

    “In the banks we have transactions like withdrawal and payment of money in excess of the threshold, you pay some money.

    “I discovered that the money belongs to the bank, it should be for the government.

    “I do not believe we should ban any good from coming into this country, we should rather increase the tariff by 300 per cent so that government can make money.

    “We need to begin to reduce the cost of running government so that we can be able to afford the government which we deserve.

    “I also believe that looking at the budget; we need to concentrate more on ongoing projects rather than starting new projects.

    “If you look at some sectors, they have about N5 billion for designs alone, these designs means new projects. We need to concentrate on the important existing projects.

    “My consolation is that this parliament has the final say on this budget so I will like to appeal to my colleagues to look at this budget critically, I will be really worried if we are able to pass the budget the way it is.”

    On allocation for roads he said, “I am also worried about the spread, the equity in some of the figures. I hope our colleagues will do the right thing.

    “Look at the Kano-Maiduguri Expressway what you have is N10 billion, the Enugu-Port Harcourt N10 billion, Enugu- Onitsha N3 billion but Lagos – Ibadan has N55 billion.

    “I think that our committee needs to look at it. I do not have any problem with that road but I think there should be equity in the distribution of the figures.

    “It may never be enough but we need know that a man who is not justly treated can never be interested in peace. So I think if we want peace in this country we have to be fair to all concerned.

    “This country belongs to all of us, we have to look at the key sectors that can create jobs in this country, we have to focus on diversifying our economy.”

    Senator Suleiman Adokwe (Nasarawa South) in his contribution said, “I recall with a lot of sense of responsibility that when I served in the Committee for Downstream Petroleum, nobody could ever know how much barrels of oil were exported in this country, nobody could establish the true collection of the Federal Inland Revenue Service and so many other sources of revenue.

    “As we speak today 2015 total other sources of revenue from oil fell by nearly 40 percent, which means that the real business that this government has now is to establish the true level of our revenue before going to borrow.

    “Because if you begin by borrowing so heavily, you will give a false sense of economic well-being and people will continue with business as usual.

    “It is not a very sound economic policy to begin to borrow almost 50% of what you need to fund the budget.

    “What normally other jurisdictions do is to debate between whether to tax or not to tax so that we generate employment depending on the way you look at it.

    “Industrialists prefer tax holidays so that they can use the profit to employ more, while welfarists believe that if you tax more, you will pay more people and more people will go to work.

    “And more production will be achieved. But we are not doing any of these two, we are simply going to borrow and give more.

    “The worse aspect of it is that you are borrowing to do what? If you just borrow to provide welfare, it does not provide economic growth in any way; people will just eat and go to sleep.

    “But if you are borrowing to invest in productive resources that will generate more income, then you know that you are borrowing for a good purpose.

    “This matter of borrowing to fund the budget must be looked at very critically; otherwise we will be digging more into economic problems than we bargained for.”

    Senator Peter Nwaoboshi said that certain pages of the budget were missing wondering “what they want to put in the missing pages.”

    Nwaoboshi also questioned the reduction of the budget for the Presidential Amnesty Programme from over N40 billion in the 2015 budget to N20 billion in the 2016 budget.

    He wondered why N35 billion would be provided for exploration of oil in the Chad basin while N20 billion would be earmarked to keep the peace in the Niger Delta area.

    He also said that the N500 billion earmarked for social services was not in the budget.

     

  • Senators, Service chiefs meet on relocation of IDPs

    Senators, Service chiefs meet on relocation of IDPs

    The Caucus of Northeast Senators yesterday met with the Service chiefs to address the relocation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their local government areas.

    Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume, who addressed the Service chiefs before the parley moved into a closed session, said the meeting was necessary following President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that steps should be taken to relocate IDPs to their local government areas.

    Ndume, who represents Borno South, said the plan to relocate the IDPs was informed by the relative peace in Borno and Adamawa states.

    He said the IDPs involved were those from Borno and Adamawa states camped in Maiduguri and other places.

    The senator noted that because of the relative peace in some local governments, some IDPs have been returning back to their homes.

    Ndume said there was need to open the highways to improve commercial activities.

    He noted that because of the closure of some highways, commercial activities were limited because people could not move easily.

    He said the Service chiefs were invited to brief the lawmakers, who inform their constituents in the Northeast.

    Ndume said the meeting was important especially now that the National Assembly was debating the 2016 budget.

    Another caucus member, Abubakar Kyari, hailed the Service chiefs “for the wonderful work you are doing to bring peace to the Northeast.

    He said: “ I have seen the great work you are doing to bring peace to the Northeast. I have received intelligent reports from some of my constituents. I want to commend you for the good work you are doing.”

    The Service chiefs, including the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, who were represented at the meeting, did not speak to reporters.

    The Caucus of Northeast Senators yesterday met with the Service chiefs to address the relocation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) to their local government areas.

    Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume, who addressed the Service chiefs before the parley moved into a closed session, said the meeting was necessary following President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that steps should be taken to relocate IDPs to their local government areas.

    Ndume, who represents Borno South, said the plan to relocate the IDPs was informed by the relative peace in Borno and Adamawa states.

    He said the IDPs involved were those from Borno and Adamawa states camped in Maiduguri and other places.

    The senator noted that because of the relative peace in some local governments, some IDPs have been returning back to their homes.

    Ndume said there was need to open the highways to improve commercial activities.

    He noted that because of the closure of some highways, commercial activities were limited because people could not move easily.

    He said the Service chiefs were invited to brief the lawmakers, who inform their constituents in the Northeast.

    Ndume said the meeting was important especially now that the National Assembly was debating the 2016 budget.

    Another caucus member, Abubakar Kyari, hailed the Service chiefs “for the wonderful work you are doing to bring peace to the Northeast.

    He said: “ I have seen the great work you are doing to bring peace to the Northeast. I have received intelligent reports from some of my constituents. I want to commend you for the good work you are doing.”

    The Service chiefs, including the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase, who were represented at the meeting, did not speak to reporters.

     

  • Senators, Service Chiefs meet over relocation of IDPs

    Senators, Service Chiefs meet over relocation of IDPs

    The Caucus of North East Senators Tuesday met with the Service Chiefs to address the issue of relocating Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) back to their local government areas.

    Senate Leader, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume who addressed the Service Chiefs before the parley moved into closed session, said the meeting became necessary following the directive of President Muhammadu Buhari that steps should be taken to relocate IDPs back to their local government areas.

    Ndume who is representing Borno South Senatorial District said that the plan to relocate the IDPs was informed by the relative peace prevailing in Borno and Adamawa States.

    He said that the IDPs specifically involved were those from Borno and Adamawa States who were camped in Maiduguri and some other places.

    He noted that because of the relative peace in some local governments, some IDPs have already began to go back to their local government areas.

    Ndume said that the need to open the highways to improve commercial activities has also become imperative.

    He noted that because of the closure of some highways, commercial activities are limited because people cannot move easily.

    He said that the Service Chiefs were invited so that they could brief the lawmakers who would in turn brief their constituents back home in the North East.

    Ndume said that the meeting was particularly important especially now that the National Assembly was debating the 2016 budget.

    Another member of the Caucus, Abubakar Kyari, commended the Service Chiefs “for the wonderful work you are doing to bring peace to the North East.

    He said, “I have seen the great work you are doing to bring peace to the North East. I have received intelligent report from some of my constituents. I want to commend you for the good work you are doing.”

    The Service Chiefs including the Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase who were represented at the meeting did not say anything before reporters were asked to excuse the meeting.

     

  • Bad day for senators, reps at Appeal Court

    Bad day for senators, reps at Appeal Court

     Some lawmakers who manipulated their way into the hallowed chambers of the National Assembly are being shown the exit by the Court of Appeal. Eric Ikhilae and Okodili Ndidi report that five lawmakers, whose elections were voided yesterday, are to run again in Rivers and Imo states. 

    SOME  lawmakers  got a piece of bad news yesterday. Two senators and two members of the House of Representatives lost their seats at the Appeal Court. All the affected lawmakers won on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The court, which sat in Owerri, the Imo State capital and Abuja, the Federal Capital City (FCT), voided the Certificates of Return given to senators Mao Ohuabunwa (Abia North Senatorial District) and George Thompsom Sekibo (Rivers East Senatorial District). The appellate court ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct rerun elections in the two senatorial zones.

    The Senatorial Election Petitions’ Tribunals in Imo and Rivers states had upheld the elections of Ohuanbunwa and Sekibo but unsatisfied with the verdicts, their challengers, Orji Uzor Kalu of the Progressives People’s Alliance (PPA) and Andrew Ibonule Uchendu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) approached the appellate court.

    Also to undergo bye-elections in their federal constituencies are two PDP representatives from Rivers State. The duo, whose elections were annulled are Kingsley Ogundu Chindah and Blessing Nsiegbe, representing Obio/Akpo and Port-Harcourt II respectively. APC’s Anthony Chinedu Okocha and Collins Owhondah had appealed the lower tribunals’ ruling in their petition against the declaration of Chindah and Nsiegbe as winners of the House of Representatives election on March 28.

    In Owerri  

    Deciding the appeal filed by Kalu, a former Abia State governor, the Court of Appeal set aside the judgment of the lower tribunal and ordered for a fresh election in the Abia North Senatorial District.

    In the judgment delivered by Justice I G Mbaba, the court held that there were certain documents the lower tribunal should have relied upon to decide the case which were not presented and where presented, were not stamped.

    The presiding judge noted that the election was marred by irregularities to the extent of result mutilation. With the mutilated result compromising the overall outcome, the court held that to ensure a credible and transparent election, all the parties in the election should go back to the field for a fresh poll. He therefore ordered for a rerun election within the next 90 days.

    Ndubuisi Nwosu, a lawyer from the K.C Nwufor (SAN) chambers and counsel to the petitioner, noted that the Appeal Court largely based its decision on the non-tendering of some critical documents and cases of irregularities to nullify the election.

    In his reaction, Ohuabunwa’s counsel, Mike Onyeka, expressed displeasure and disappointment with the judgment. He said: “As a person, I do not agree with the conclusion of the court here today (yesterday) but as a lawyer, I am bound by the judgment. If there was another opportunity to contest this judgment, I would have done it. In any case, this is not the worst case scenario as all the parties involved would have to go back.”

    In Abuja

    Nullifying Sekibo’s election in an appeal by Uchendu and the APC, the Court of Appeal upturned the decision of the Rivers State National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal that sat in the FCT.

    The lower tribunal, chaired by Justice Muazu Pindiga, had held that the APC candidate failed to prove his case that election did not hold as claimed by the defendants including the electoral umpire and the PDP.

    But the appellate court yesterday held that it was for the respondents – Sekibo, the PDP INEC – who claimed that election actually held, to lead evidence to prove that election held as required under the Electoral Act.

    The court, in the appeal marked: CA/A/EPT/626/2015, ordered that fresh election be held in the senatorial district.

    Sekibo led two other senators from Rivers State to present a petition before the Senate, during the ministerial screening, opposing the nomination of the ex-governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.  The former governor was eventually screened and cleared. He has been handed the Ministry of Transportation portfolio by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The elections of Chindah and Nsiegbe were also voided by the appellate court.

    The court upheld the appeals marked: CA/A/EPT/624/2015 and CA/A/EPT/625, filed by Okocha and Owhondah of the APC.

    In the three judgments, the Justice Ali Gumel-led three man panel, upheld the appeal filed for the appellants by their lawyer, B. E. I. Nwofor (SAN).

    Others know fate today

    As at 8pm last night, the court was yet to deliver three other House of Representatives judgments scheduled to be delivered yesterday.

    They include: the appeals filed by Ogbonna Nwuke against Jerome Amadi Eke (Etche/Omuonu Federal Constituency); Maureen Tamuno against Gogo Bright Tamuno (Okrika/Ogubolu) and Frank Chudi Wihioka against Boniface Emerengwa (Ikwere/Emuoha). All three appellants in the three appeals are of the APC and the respondents are of the PDP.

    Barring the unforeseen, the court will today rule in the appeal marked: CA/A/EPT/627/2015, by Igochukwu Auma of the APC and PDP’s Ken Chikere in respect of the election in Port-Harcourt I Federal Constituency.

    Ohunabunwa and Sekibo joined the club of former Senate President David Bonaventure Mark (Benue South Senatorial District) and Senator Bashir Marafa (Taraba Central Senatorial District). Unlike Mark, who was asked by the Court of Appeal to participate in a rerun election within 90 days, the court ruled that Marafa’s Certificate of Return be transferred to his challenger as the winner of the March 28 poll.

    The Makurdi Division of the court voided Mark’s election last week and ordered INEC to conduct fresh election in the Benue South Senatorial District within 90 days.

    Mark’s victory at the March 28 senatorial election was challenged by Daniel Onjeh of the APC, who petitioned the Benue State National Assembly Election Petitions’ Tribunal and asked for the cancellation of the election and an order to conduct fresh election in the district.

    Although the Justice Mosunmola Dipeolu-led panel dismissed Onjeh’s petition on October 7   on the ground that the evidence he tendered was documentary hearsay, he approached the higher court for judicial remedy.

    On September 30, the National Assembly Elections Petitions Tribunal in Yola, the Taraba State capital, nullified Marafa’s election as the senator representing Taraba Central Senatorial District.

    The court ordered INEC to issue Certificate of Return to the APC candidate, Yusuf Abubakar, who the court said proved his appeal beyond reasonable doubt.

  • Buhari, Senators meet in Aso Rock Thursday

    Buhari, Senators meet in Aso Rock Thursday

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, will on Thursday lead other Senators to a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The agenda of the meeting scheduled to take place in Aso Rock Villa, Abuja, is not immediately known

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over Wednesday’s plenary session, had asked Senators to converge in front of the Senate President’s office by 7: 00pm for onward departure to the Villa for the meeting.

    Ekweremadu did not disclose the agenda of the parley.

    Some insiders, however, said the meeting may not be unconnected with the desire of the Senate Leadership to mend the frosty relationship between the Presidency and the Senate leadership.

    The Nation gathered that the Senators might use the opportunity of the parley to table the poor financial state of affairs at the National Assembly before President Buhari.

    Finding also showed that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who held emergency meeting closed door meeting on Tuesday, discussed the Villa meeting.

     

  • Ekweremadu can’t preside over us, APC Senators insist

    Ekweremadu can’t preside over us, APC Senators insist

    All Progressives Congress (APC) Senators Wednesday threatened to stay away from the Senate chamber at any session presided over by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.

    Ekweremadu, a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Senator, emerged Deputy Senate President in a Senate Chamber with APC as the majority party.

    The Enugu West Senatorial representative for the first time since his controversial election on June 9th, 2015, presided over Senate session Wednesday due to the absence of the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki.

    Saraki, it was said, went to the Presidential Villa, Abuja for the inauguration of ministers by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    During the Senate session, some APC Senators led by Senators Ahmed Lawan and George Akume stormed out of the chamber immediately they noticed that Ekweremadu was to preside.

    It was not clear initially why Lawan and Akume walked out of the chamber but a statement by the Secretary of the Senate Unity Forum, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi (Kaduna North) threw some light on the development.

    Lawan and Akume are leading members of the Senate Unity Forum, a group that supported Lawan to gun for the Senate Presidency.

    Senator Hunkuyi’s statement is entitled “As Mr. President Muhammadu Buhari inaugurates the new Federal Executive Council of the change agenda, PDP takes over the hallowed chamber of the Senate.”

    It read in part, “We notice with joy the inauguration of the FEC by President, Commander-in-Chief, Muhammadu Buhari of the Federal Executive Council today the 10th of November 2015.

    “Finally, the change agenda has cleared the coast to stand up the integrated development of the APC formed government.

    “In equal stance, we noticed with grave sadness the handover of the hallowed chamber of the Senate today to the opposition party, the PDP, by the Senate President to Ike Ekweremadu as the PDP helmsman to preside over the majority membership of the APC led chamber.

    “It is a very sad development that must be denounced by all well meaning APC members and leaders alike.

    “With this, to show our protest, as APC Senators of the 8th Senate wish to announce that we shall cease to attend any sitting presided over by the PDP in an APC majority chamber of the 8th Senate.”

    Hunkuyi told some reporters after the walk out that he does not recognize Ekweremadu as the Deputy Senate President.

    He added that he was not prepared to sit in a chamber presided over by Ekweremadu.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi also APC Senator countered what Hunkuyi said.

    Abdullahi in a statement said that the attention of the Senate had been drawn to a release captioned “The conspiracy against the APC finally consummated.”

    He dismissed that there was any conspiracy of any nature among Senators.

    Abdullahi said that “The consummation of a conspiracy is the figment of the imagination of those behind the news release and should be disregarded by Nigerians.”

    He said, “The Senate wish to reiterate its total commitment to providing robust legislative actions to support the change agenda of Mr. President as he strives to move Nigeria to new height.

    “The bi-partisan stand of the Senate has not and will not be an impediment in any way.

    “The Distinguished Senators are happy with the inauguration of the Federal Executive Council and looks forward to having harmonious, rancor-free but inclusive and participatory relationship that has at its heart the welfare of Nigerians.

    “Finally, as we await the unveiling of the policy directions of Mr. President through the members of his executive, the Senate is indeed poised to work harder and better to support the emergence of a changed Nigeria of our collective dream.”

    Abdullahi said that it became necessary for him to clarify the situation because “the spurious statement by some people has come to our notice.”

    He noted that Senators of APC and PDP were in total agreement that the country has to change.

    Abdullahi said that APC and PDP members including their family members go to the same market and use the same road.

    “We will not allow anything to come between us and the challenges in Nigeria because Nigerians are waiting for us,” he said.

    On the adjournment of the Senate till next Tuesday, he was to honour the dead clerk of the Senate, Mr. Adedotun Durojaiye.

  • Falana to Saraki: stop attending CCT with senators

    Falana to Saraki: stop attending CCT with senators

    Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), has urged Senate President Bukola Saraki to stop attending the sittings of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) with other senators.

    The frontline lawyer noted that it was illegal and unlawful for the Senate President to suspend Senate’s sittings whenever his case was to be heard at the CCT.

    Besides questioning the political will of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to fight corruption and impunity in the country, Falana said the action of the Senate and its President was an assault on the nation’s collective morality.

    In an address, titled: As Corruption Fights Back, delivered on Monday at the investiture of Mr. Dare Oseni as the 2015/2016 President of the International Association of Lions Club, Lagos Isolo Lions Club, at Samkoll Graden, Idimu, Lagos, Falana noted that Saraki violated Paragraph 1 of the Code of Conduct for Public Officers.

    The paragraph states that ”a public officer shall not put himself in a position where his personal interest conflicts with his duties and responsibilities”.

    Falana stressed that Saraki violated the paragraph by suspending Senate’s sittings to enable him to attend court sittings in company of fellow senators.

    He said: “If this morally despicable behaviour is not halted, the distinguished senators may soon resolve to appear in the various courts in the country in solidarity with other members who are facing terrorism and corruption charges.

    “As the Senate President, Dr Bukola is required to preside over the affairs of the legislative house in the discharge of its constitutional duty of making laws for the country. Attendance at court sittings in solidarity with any criminal suspect is certainly not part of the constitutional responsibilities of the senate.”

    The frontline lawyer averred that it was wrong to allow public servants facing corruption allegations to remain in office in the course of the trial.

    He said the proper thing was for such officers to step aside, pending when they would be cleared of such allegations.

    According to him, paragraphs 303, 404 of the Federal Government Public Service Rules (Corrected Version 2008) stipulates that when a public officer is charged to court with a criminal offence he/she shall be interdicted and cease to report for duty until the determination of the case.

    Falana noted that this contradicted what he called the misleading impression by some lawyers that public officers accused of corruption could not be asked to step aside.

    He said: “During the period of interdiction the public officer concerned shall be entitled to 50 per cent of his/her entitlements provided that if he/she is discharged or acquitted, the officer shall be immediately reinstated and receive his/her full entitlements which have been denied him/her during the period of interdiction.”

     

  • Nothing like juicy committees, say Senators

    Several Senators yesterday dismissed suggestions about the existence of “juicy committees” in the eighth National Assembly.

    The Senators told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in separate interviews that   the perceived juicy committees were products of corruption and belonged to the past.

    Deputy Leader of the Senate, Ibn Na’Allah, claimed he did not understand what a juicy committee is all about.

    “I am saying it with all degree of responsibility that Senator Na’Allah does not understand what is a juicy committee or what is not juicy committee,” he said.

    “It is even more so under the present dispensation, where there is going to be zero tolerance against corruption.

    “So what existed before the coming of this government and what can be referred to as juicy committees, I am absolutely sure, will cease to exist in this administration.

    “What I know will be are committees that should rededicate themselves to the service of their fatherland through doing those oversight functions that have been conferred on them.”

    Na’Allah said that while he was a federal representative he had, as a matter of policy, avoided membership of any committee charged with probe of government agencies or those considered as “juicy”.

    According to him, the work of a Senator is that of service to humanity, to his constituency and to the nation.

    “I had been member of committees such as House Committee on Judiciary, House Committee on Justice and House Committee on Rules and Business.

    “Today I am a member of the Ethics and Privileges Committee because I have passion for ensuring that code of conduct is maintained.

    “It is degrading, it does not show seriousness, and it does not portray service to humanity    when we begin to say some committees are juicy.

    “Let me be honest with you: this thing is only known to this country and it is only known to Nigeria’s democracy.

    “I have never heard in any parliament anywhere in the world where committees are referred to as juicy and non juicy,” he said.

    Another Senator, Kabir Marafa (APC Zamfara Central) said he had no idea of what makes a committee to be juicy except if juiciness is synonymous with work.

    He said he had been privileged to work in a number of committees and they were all juicy as far as work was concerned.

    “Now, if you are talking of juicy in terms of making money, then you are in the wrong government.

    “If juicy means a committee that will engage you 24 hours and bring the best out of you, I think all committees have that potential.

    “There is no single committee that is not juicy in terms of input, if you want to work.

    “But if it is in terms of making money, I don’t know which committee is juicy.

    “Committee ‘A’, ‘B’ or ‘C’, wherever you are asked to go and serve you should go and serve there and there is ample work and you can impact on the lives of Nigerians from any committee,” he said.

    Also speaking, Mao Ohuabunwa (PDP Abia North) said there is no big deal in the sharing of the committees between the PDP and the APC.

    “What is important is that whatever committee you find yourself do your best and work for the enhancement of the committee and the senate.

    “What will be beneficial to Nigeria is what is important, it is not about the committee or its chairmanship but the performance is what is important,” he said.

    Ohuabunwa, who is the chairman, Primary Health Committee, said he would focus more on enhancing preventive medicine rather than curative.

    The committees were announced on Wednesday by the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki.

  • Senators’ road ordeal in Abia

    Senators’ road ordeal in Abia

    A fact-finding mission of members of a Senate ad hoc committee to Abia State reveals how deep and frightening the erosion and poor federal roads are, reports UGOCHUKWU UGOJI-EKE

    At some locations, they could peer into the abyss created by erosion. At other points it was practically impossible to continue their journey. The roads are unspeakably bad, the erosion sites frightening.

    The trip by members of a Senate ad hoc Committee on Works to assess federal roads and erosion sites in Abia State was revealing. The mission shaped up following a motion by Senator Mao Ohuabunwa drawing attention to the horrors of poor federal roads and dangerous erosion locations in the state. The committee members’ trip to Abia was therefore to see things for themselves and bring back a report to the chamber in Abuja. Perhaps, if things were as bad as Ohuabunwa claimed, the Senate could initiate efforts to tackle the disasters once and for all.

    So, off they went, led by Senator Barnabas Gemade. Senators Uche Ekwunife, Bassey Albert, Matthew Urohido and Clifford Odia, Mao Ohuabunwa and Theodore Orji were on the trip.

    Abia residents have been complaining about broken federal roads and the hazards of erosion for years.  The ever-worsening gully erosions have swept off farmlands and even some houses and other structures.

    The senate committee members were prevented from continuing the inspection of Ohafia-Arochukwu Road because a truck was stuck at a gully erosion point, blocking the road.

    The truck was stuck at Ania Ohafia in Arochukwu Local Government Area of the state and forced the committee members to stop further inspection of the bad situation of the roads including environmental degradation to enable them make proper assessment of the roads and erosion sites they came to see.

    They made a U-turn to inspect the serious erosion site on Elu Amuke Ohafia before proceeding to Oruruala Isiukwuato, a major erosion menace that has devastated the area over years and defied all governments from President Olusegun Obasanjo till date.

    Before the ad hoc committee set out from Umuahia, the state capital, the Senator for Abia Central and immediate past governor of the state Senator Theodore Orji took the members to the Ahia Orie Ette erosion site that has posed serious threat to Umuahia.

    Speaking after the inspection visits, Senator Gemade observed the magnitude of the problem and the reactions of the people, saying that their visit was sequel to the motion moved on the floor of the Senate by Senator Ohuabunwa for Abia North which compelled the senate to direct the inspection visits to some states beginning with Abia.

    Gemade said “Truly I have seen with my eyes the deplorable condition of the Arochukwu Road which is a federal road; the committee will do all in its power by taking the problem to the ecological office and we are sure that something will be done.

    “It will no longer be business as usual as change has come, we pray that the economy of the country will be able to carry the project, the people should not be allowed to continue to suffer, even as bad roads are not peculiar to Abia alone.”

    He remarked that the problem was not new, only that this time the federal government under President Muhammadu Buhari was resolved to effect change through physical action and not pledges and promised the people that his committee will make its recommendations to the senate and assured the people that succor is on the way.

    He urged the people to continue to have some patience pledging that his committee will make strong recommendation to the senate to cause due attention to be paid on the sites and praised Senator Ohuabunwa for drawing the senate attention to the problem very shortly after his inauguration as senator from the state.

    Senator Ohuabunwa in his remarks appreciated the senate for its quick reaction to his motion by constituting an ad hoc committee to undertake the visit and urged the senate and the federal government to immediately act on the report of the inspection and the committee

    recommendations towards addressing the problem permanently.

    In a memo addressed to the chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, the state Ministry of Works pleaded with the chairman to prevail on the relevant authority to appropriate adequately to rehabilitate federal roads in the state.

    The memo signed by the Permanent Secretary Richard Nwala said, “The level of dilapidation of the federal roads in the state has caused the Abia government to write the Federal Government severally, including requests for permission to take up the construction of some of them

    using State fund, despite the state’s lean resources.

    The requests for permission were made on rehabilitation of Port-Harcourt  Road Aba, Aba-Owerri road and Aba-Ikot Ekpene road which are  no longer passable”, and went ahead to listed 16 other Federal Road Projects  whose rehabilitation contracts , were awarded and abandoned at different points.

    It would be recalled that the collapsed state of federal roads and serious erosion sites in Abia North especially at Isuikwuato, Ohafia, Bende and other local government areas in the state had become challenges to succeeding senators and Reps Members of the area including the Presidents of the country.

    Less than two months after he became the member for Arochukwu/Ohafia Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon Uko Nkole raised similar motion in the  house drawing the members’ attention to the Ohafia-Arochukwu Road which he said had prevented sons and daughters of the area from coming home for their 2015 New Yam cultural feasts.

    Hon Nkole had in several occasions tried to draw the attention of the federal government to the deplorable condition of the federal roads in Abia North zone where his constituency is situated, and the suffering of his constituents and their inability to evacuate their farm

    produce.

    He noted that his constituents have been suffering for years and pleaded with the federal government to come to the aid of his people and save them from further devastation from both erosion and deplorable condition of federal roads in his area, stressing that both the state and federal governments have a lot to benefit when the roads and erosion sites are worked upon.

  • Legislative aides in limbo as Senators, Reps share N4. 3b

    Legislative aides in limbo as Senators, Reps share N4. 3b

    The waiting game continues for former and current legislative aides to federal lawmakers over their unpaid entitlements.

    Serving legislative aides are yet to receive their first salary since their assumption of duties in June while about 3000 former ones who were engaged between 2011 and last May anxiously await information of the payment of their   N5 billion severance benefits.

    The severance benefits were originally scheduled to be paid in June only for the NASS management to keep delaying action.

    National Assembly officials cite lack of funds for the situation, although Senators, Representatives, NASS regular staff and even those sources described as privileged contractors are paid.

    Last month alone, each Senator went home with N13.6million while the 306 Reps received N8million each from about N4.3 billion monthly sub-head for ‘Quarterly Allowance’.

    The National Assembly has a budget of N120billion for this year.

    It was gathered that the NASS management is treating the settlement of liabilities to some contractors as top priority.

    “We  have now been told that the legislative aides’ matter has to wait until a Bill for the 2015 Supplementary Budget is brought to the National Assembly and passed by the two chambers”, one of the leaders of National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum, Mr Moruf Ajibolu told one of our reporters.

    Last Wednesday, all the accounts of the National Assembly were frozen by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) over non-compliance with the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy, but the decision was reversed following the intervention of the NASS management.

    Besides, the NASS is said to owe legislatives aide about N200 million in Duty Tour Allowance (DTA).

    The money was supposed to have been paid in April, according to sources.

    An undated official memo signed by the Director, Personnel Management Department, Dr. I. S. Habu, on behalf of the Clerk of the National Assembly and pasted on various Notice Boards at the National Assembly promised that the issue would soon be resolved.

    But that is yet to happen.

    It was gathered that some legislative aides have started mobilising others for a protest at the National Assembly Complex tomorrow morning.

    However, a faction of the aides is canvassing postponement of the protest by a week to give the authorities time to resolve the issue.

    Efforts to seek clarifications from the acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Benedict Efeturi and the Secretary of Finance, Alhaji Lasisi Bukoye yielded no fruits as text messages sent to them over legislators’ latest N4. 3 billion allowances, non-payments of aides’ benefits and the temporary freezing of NASS accounts last week were not replied.