The Nation Newspaper

Tag: State House of Assembly

  • Killings: Zamfara Govt. donates N60m to victims’ families

    The Zamfara Government on Tuesday donated cash to families of those killed by gunmen in Kawaye village in Anka Local Government area of the state.

    The gunmen had attacked the village, killing 13 persons and burnt down several houses and food items worth millions of naira.

    The donation was presented by the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alhaji Sanusi Rikiji, at Anka Emir’s palace, the headquarters of the local government.

    Rikiji said the state government released the donation of over N60 million, 318 bags of assorted grains and 305 sets of clothing materials.

    The beneficiaries comprised families of the deceased, kidnapped victims and those who lost their properties.

    Rikiji, said N500,000 would be given to each of the deceased family while N250,000 to those who lost their properties, shops, houses, motorcycles and silos.

    He said the state government also donated N500,000 to each of the 10 persons who lost their vehicles to the bandits during the attack and N200,000 to each of the 60 kidnapped victims from the area.

    Read also: Troops kill 55 bandits, rescue 760 abductees in Zamfara

    He said N2 million also would be given to a victim who lost his new car to the fire set up by the bandits during the attack.

    Rikiji said the assistance was aimed at supporting the victims and reducing their worries caused by the incident.

    He urged people of the state to continue with prayers and support government and security agencies in fighting insecurity in the state.

    The Emir of Anka and Chairman of the state Council of Chiefs, Alhaji Attahiru Ahmad, thanked the government for the assistance.

    Ahmad promised judicious distribution of the items to the affected victims.

    He decried the incessant killings caused by the bandit attacks in the state, which he described as unfortunate and worrisome.

    The emir attributed the increase of insecurity in the country to handling of arms by individuals.

    He said the major cause of insecurity in the country was the proliferation of illegal arms from neighbouring countries through borders.

    He urged the Federal Government to maximise its efforts in ensuring border control management in the country.

    The Chairman of Anka Local Government, Alhaji Mustafa Muhammad, lauded measures introduced by the government in addressing security challenges in the state.

    He urged security agencies to increase their efforts to provide solutions to the problem. (NAN)

  • Former reps defects to PDP in A’Ibom

    Former House of Representatives member and All Progressives Congress (APC) party candidate for Etinan Federal Constituency, Dan Akpan, who was defeated by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Onofiok Luke in the just concluded elections has defected to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    Akpan who defected with Etido Ibekwe, former majority leader in the State House of Assembly from Essien Udim local government area alongside others returned to the PDP during the PDP governorship grand rally in Uyo Township stadium.

    Speaking yesterday in Uyo, Governor Udom Emmanuel commended the people for casting their votes for the PDP on February 23, and welcomed the decampees, stating that the umbrella of the PDP is big enough to accommodate them.

    He advised the people not to be deceived by the blackmailed and lies of the people from Abuja noting that they don’t have followers.

    He challenged the opposition to an option A4 voting pattern, noting that if it was effected in Akwa Ibom State, the PDP will win overwhelmingly.

    He alleged that the electorates were harassed and brutalized on 23 February, that was why many people were not able to vote, adding that he has video proofs to that effect.

    He encouraged the people to go out and vote on Saturday, defend their votes and assured decampees of their political freedom.

    Emmanuel cautioned security agencies against working against the people on Saturday, noting that they were equipped and empowered with taxpayers money to defend the people and not fight them.

    “Akwa Ibom State is a peaceful land. Today I am here to appreciate the Akwa Ibom people. I am here today telling Akwa Ibom people that I salute you for standing firm, for your resilience in letting the world know the truth between light and darkness, God and man.

    “If Akwa Ibom is a land named after God, the wicked man will continue to fall; Akwa Ibom shall be liberated. Let me also thank all of you for voting PDP on the 23rd of February.

    “Let me thank all those who have completely collapsed their stature for the PDP. Let me also thank all those people who have defeated to PDP. I want to assure them that we have many mansions in PDP.

    “The PDP is big enough to cover them; PDP is the only party that can bring unity, development, bring infrastructure and preach righteousness.

    “I challenge the Abuja people, let them proof something to the centre, let them come down, let the Akwa Ibom people queue, if they have 20 percent, whenever we tell you that Akwa Ibom is PDP, don’t believe us,” he said.

    The Director-General, Divine Mandate Organisation, Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (rtd) called on Senator Godswill Akpabio to accept defeat and congratulate Chris Ekpenyong who defeated him at the elections, adding that it is the most honourable thing for him to do.

    He cautioned the APC National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to be guarded on his statements on the state, stating that Akwa Ibom people have chosen PDP and will remain so.

    “I can only advise that once the people have spoken, the sign of liberty is that we go by the wishes of the people. We pay tax so that the security operatives will protect the people of Nigeria, please don’t turn their guns against the people of Nigeria.

    “The people of Akwa Ibom state want PDP. For anyone to bring violence into a peaceful community means that they don’t mean well for Nigeria,” he said.

     

  • A’Ibom 2019: Udom, PDP move to strengthen support base 

    Amid the growing political tension in Akwa Ibom state, arising from the lingering battle between the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state and the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) over who controls the state, Governor Udom Emmanuel and the PDP have stepped up moves to strengthen their support base and galvanize their people with the ongoing peace-building process in the party.

    Akwa Ibom state has been in the “eye of political storm” in recent weeks following the crisis in the state House of Assembly which led to a face-off between the state government and the police authority and led to heated altercations between the PDP and APC in the state.

    Read Also:Akwa Ibom: Udom’s service to God and humanity

    Apparently to aid this galvanization process and also help in dousing the palpable apprehension in the state, the PDP Integration and Harmonisation Committee, in a statement Wednesday, December 5 2018, announced the commencement of the second phase of interactions with aggrieved stakeholders and other members of the party who have concerns over diverse issues in the party, which include what they refer to as “poor reward mechanism”.

    According to the statement in Uyo the state capital, signed by the Committee secretary, Barrister Goddy Umoh, who is also the legal adviser to the party in the state, this second phase will “entertain complaints from individuals who have sent private petitions to the Committee through its dedicated phone numbers, email and website.”

    The Committee, headed by His Excellency, Engineer Patrick Ekpotu, former deputy governor of Akwa Ibom state, was inaugurated by Governor Udom Emmanuel, in October and charged with the responsibility of bringing together every aggrieved parties in the recently concluded primary election exercise of the PDP in the state, with the aim of addressing their grouses, in order to present a united front in the coming 2019 governorship election.

    Barrister Umoh revealed that the “Integration and Harmonisation Committee started interactions with stakeholders of the first sets of local government areas on October 26. In that first phase the Committee hosted and received complaints from people from eight local government areas, which included, Ikono, Uyo, Ikot Ekpene, Itu, Nsot Ibom, Nsit Atai, Mkpat Enin and  Urue Offong/ Oruko.”

    Different interests within the party in the local government areas that have met with the committee were said to have unburdened their grievances to the committee. Issues ranging from people who felt shortchanged by the system at the party primaries after working hard for the party or communities/wards that raised concerns over seeming neglect by successive governments in the state in the areas of either projects or political appointments were presented to the committee.

    The committee, working closely with the governor on the Integration and Harmonisation process has assured that a “mechanism is in place with the full backing of the governor to address these concerns in order to assuage the apprehension of the people, because the spirit of setting up the committee is not only to help our party put its house in order, in this peculiar challenging period in the state,  but essentially to heal wounds and encourage inclusiveness by integrating every interest for peace, progress and unity of our dear state.

    “So far the response by the people has been very impressive. As should be expected in this kind of setting, we have been having explosive but very frank sessions with participants from different local government areas, as people are encouraged by the committee to air their views with sincere openness, aimed at a dispassionate resolution. The beautiful aspect of our often heated sessions is that sometimes people came with palpable apprehension, but often would live with smiles and genuine convivial embrace and handshake.”

    Umoh disclosed that after attending to these individual complainants, the Committee, would then resume its interactions with the remaining local government as according the statement, “the objective is to achieve equity, fairness and justice in the party, which will ultimately lead to peace and harmony in the PDP family, and essentially more electoral success by the party in the state.”

  • NANS condemns ‘attempt to truncate democracy’ at A/Ibom assembly

    The Senate of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has condemned what it considered as an attempt to truncate democracy in the State House of Assembly in Akwa Ibom State following the recent leadership saga.

    The Senate President NANS Comrade Abdulmajeed Oladimeji Oyeniyi at a World Press Conference addressed in Kaduna said, “We are in receipt of credible intelligence highlight plan by the opposition to use thugs to invade the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly and prevent the House from carrying out its legislative business of law making.

    “It is important we call on the attention of the entire world to this undemocratic act that is about to be perpetrated by the opposition in Akwa lbom State”.

    The student body stressed that the State Legislative arm is an independent arm that do not require the intervention of external body and alleged that, “we are pretty sure that the target is not directly on the Speaker but the person of the Governor, such that if the opposition succeed by taking over the state Assembly, it will be very easy for them to impeach the Governor.

    Read Also: Drama as Senate confirms Olukoyede as EFCC Secretary

    “Nigerian Student wish to categorically state that the era of truncating democracy or the people’s will has for long gone and our Democratic systems have come to stay, we hereby advice the opposition to desist from this act of un-patriotism to our democracy, her citizen and the country at large.

    “The leadership of Nigerian Student wish to remind the general public that the Speaker of Akwa Ibom State House of Assemble was once a Senator of NANS and the Speaker to Nigerian Youth Parliament, therefore any attempt to stampede his activities as the Speaker of Akwa lbom State House of Assembly, the Students’ Community and Youth leaders across the country will not hesitate to invade the state capital”.

    The student body also called on the Federal Government to as a matter of urgency address issues raised by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) with the view to bringing the ongoing stike to an end.

  • Amosun presents N402.6bn budget of enduring legacy to Ogun Assembly

    Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Wednesday presented a budget estimate of N402.63Bn  to the State House of Assembly as the 2019 Appropriation Bill  which represents 17% increase compared to the out – going year budget size of N345.4Bn.
    A breakdown of the estimate christened, “Budget of Enduring Legacy,” shows that the sum of N254.005Bn would go at capital expenditure representing 63.1%, while Personnel Cost which consisted of Pension and Gratuities would take N22.20Bn.
    Also, estimate for salaries and allowances is put at  N74.43bn while  the recurrent expenditure has N148.57bn allocated to it and represents 36.90%. The overhead cost is fixed at N41.447.
    Amosun said N161.24bn of the budget estimate would be sourced through Internally Generated Revenue(IGR), N42bn  from the Federation Account, while the sum of N101.38Bn is  expected from capital receipts, with other receipts providing N80Bn representing 19.80% of the total funding.
    According to the Governor,  education would get the lion share of N88.57Bn, representing 22%, with N22.54Bn allocated to the Health sector, while N20.13Bn goes to  various agricultural production and industrialization programmes.
    He added that the sum of N53.14Bn was meant to cater for affordable housing and urban renewal, with rural and infrastructural development/ employment generation gets  N82.53bn, just as other sectors would share N135.68Bn.

    Read Also: Amosun hails state troupe on award

    Responding, Speaker Suraj Adekunbi in his closing remarks,  assured that members of the 8th Legislature would work towards speedy passage of the budget and partner with other arms of government through people oriented legislations for the implementation of new projects and completion of on-going infrastructural facilities across the State
    Earlier in his opening remarks, Adekunbi stated that 8th Legislature under his leadership had within the year, passed a total of 21 bills, while 18 others were under various legislative processes.
    Adekunbi added that 50 motions were  passed into Resolutions,  explaining that the Assembly equally carried out its annual oversight function to ensure judicious use of fund in line with the Appropriation Act.
    According to the Speaker,  the Assembly has been conducting its legislative activities peacefully without rancor despite the heterogeneous nature of political party representations.
    He attributed the development and progress recorded in all sectors of the State economy to the existing symbiotic relationship between the three arms of government.

  • Lagos APC primaries: Tinubu, Adeola win, Ashafa loses

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Electoral Committee of the National Assembly and State House of Assembly primaries in Lagos on Saturday officially released the results of the elections.

    The primaries, including a repeat of the senatorial primary election, were held on Friday.

    The senatorial primaries initially held on Thursday, but were cancelled and rescheduled owing to logistic issues.

    Announcing the results in Ikeja, Chairman of the committee, Mr Lucky Imasuen, said the primaries were contested for the three senatorial seats, 24 House of Representatives and 40 state House of Assembly seats .

    For the results of the senatorial primaries, Imasuen said Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, who was unopposed, polled 89,494 votes to emerge as candidate for Lagos Central.

    For Lagos West, the committee chairman said the incumbent, Sen. Olamilekan Solomon emerged winner with 378,906 votes, as against the 1,179 votes scored by Mr Kayode Opeifa and Mrs. Areago Olopade’s 1,275 votes.

    Read Also : Boroffice emerges APC candidate for Ondo North Senatorial District

    Imasuen, a former Deputy Governor of Edo State, added that a member of the state House of Assembly, Mr . Bayo Osinowo defeated the incumbent Sen. Gbenga Ashafa with 247,743 votes to emerge candidate for the Lagos East Senatorial district.

    He disclosed that Ashafa, the incumbent, polled 20,385 in the primary.

    Imasuen said the details of the House of Representatives and state House of Assembly primaries results were ready and that they would be released later.

    He described the exercise as peaceful and successful.

    “The primaries were peaceful and successful.

    “We thank the state chapter led by Tunde Balogun for the support for the committee.

    “We also thank all other stakeholders including all members of our party in the state for making the conduct a success,” he said.

    NAN

  • Kogi: PDP fault alleged planned sale of govt. property

    Kogi: PDP fault alleged planned sale of govt. property

    The opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi state, has condemned alleged plans by the Governor Yahaya Bello administration to sell some state assets, towards funding the 2018 budget.

    The PDP Monday in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Bode Ogunmola, copies of which were made available to newsmen in Lokoja, described the planned sale as not only uncalled for, but wicked, anti-people and retrogressive.

    It read: “The news coming out of Lugard House, the seat of power is a grave foreboding from one faulty step to another. The administration has proceeded in the destruction of our patrimony with the energy of an invader in a foreign territory.

    “We are shocked that the state finance commissioner, Asiru Idris last week during his budget defence at the State House of Assembly confirmed this and went ahead to list these legacy assets/projects.

    “The projects/assets to be sold include the newly constructed Kogi Hotels, Conference Stadium, Confluence Beach Hotel, Commissioners’ quarter, Lokoja International Market, the 12-storey KOGI liaison office in Abuja and Kogi liaison offices in Kaduna and Lagos, among others.

    “We reject this proposal in totality and warns Governor Bello to immediately perish this thought. The plot is devilish, selfish, myopic. It is shameful and the peak of rascality that a government which cannot pay salaries of workers let alone execute projects will now scheme to mortgage our collective future.

    “Our party is not unaware of the grand plan of the government to sell these legacy projects to its officials as a decoy of repositioning the state; we will however strongly resist this evil plan”.

    When contacted, the commissioner of finance said any moment from now the consultant will commence with the sales.

  • Ishaku proposes N96.6 billion for 2018 budget

    Ishaku proposes N96.6 billion for 2018 budget

    Taraba State Governor, Darius Dickson Ishaku, Thursday presented to the State House of Assembly an appropriation bill of approximately ninety six billion and six hundred million naira (N96.6bn) for the fiscal year 2018.

    The governor also proposed the creation of two ministries -Mining and Power, which he said, will take off in January next year.

    The budget, which he referred to as “The Budget of Sustainable Growth,” represents a decrease of 12.32 percent when compared with last year’s budget of N110.2 billion.

    Ishaku explained that the decrease is because of “lower expected receipts from statutory allocation, value added tax, internally generated revenues (IGR) and revenues.”

    Of the total budget, recurrent expenditure is estimated at N51.2 billion, representing 53.03 percent of the budget, while capital expenditure has N45.4 billion, representing 46.97 percent.

    A further breakdown of the budget shows that works, housing and transport has the lion share of N9.2 billion, about 9.55 percent of the budget.

    Agriculture and natural resources has N5.1 billion; commerce, industry and tourism N490.4 million; rural and community development N2.5 billion; finance and poverty alleviation N4.2 billion; information N1.2 billion and education N5.6 billion.

    Another N5.6 billion is proposed for health; social development N1.1 billion; environment N659.7 million; water resources N2.3 billion and lands and urban development N1.6 billion.

    N3.8 billion is to be expended on the executive arm; N342.9 million on the legislature; law and justice N702.3 million, while general governance has N935.6 million.

    Governor Ishaku said he intends to source the budget funds from IGR estimate of N5.3 billion; federal statutory revenue of N31.5 billion; State share of value added tax (VAT) of N9.2 billion; aids and grants N4.8 billion; refund from the federal government of N30 billion, domestic loan of N11.4 billion and external loan draw-down of N4.2 billion.

    The governor stated that with more resources his administration can perform more, adding that the cardinal objective of the 2018 budget was to set expenditure at a sustainable level as to have the optimum for the majority of the people, thereby channeling 40 percent of the budget to capital development.

    He commended the “robust understanding and cooperation” between the Taraba executive and the legislature, which he said, “has given impetus to carry out the business of governance without any hitch.”

    Taraba State House of Assembly Speaker, Peter Abel Diah, said the governor did a good job this year as “the spending in 2017 budget paid attention to critical infrastructure and specific areas of challenges in the State in line with the budget.”

    The Speaker promised that the Assembly will give the appropriation bill the required attention and speedy passage.

  • Ebonyi lawmaker offsets SSCE fees for 110 pupils 

    Ebonyi lawmaker offsets SSCE fees for 110 pupils 

    It was a day of joy for pupils of Umunaga Secondary School, Enu-Faith Uburu in Ohozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State as a lawmaker at the State House of Assembly, Deacon Onu Nwonye paid off the 2018  Senior Secondary School Examination fee for 110 candidates in the school.

    Each beneficiary was presented with N16,000 cash with the charge to study hard and become successful in life so that they will empower others in future.

    The lawmaker who represents Ohaozara West Constituency said the gesture will, next year, be extended to 25 best students selected from each secondary School in Uburu.

    Hon Nwonye urged the students to avoid bad friends that could lure them into cultism, which could destroy their future.

    He said he did not pay the SSCE fees because he is rich but having lived in poverty in the past, he understood the pain and suffering parents undergo to meet up with the welfare of their wards especially in the area of education.

    Deacon Nwonye who also distributed fertilizer to farmers in the area, advised the students to always respect and support their parents in farming so that they could produce more pointing out that it is by the grace of God that we are succeeding in life

    He said ‘’ You must understand that the world is like a battle field. You are regarded as a great soldier when you understand and obey the rules of engagement. You cannot make the best out of any situation if you refuse to listen to your parents and when you throw away their good advice in your life.

    “Even as I address all of you today, I am very sure that you are all aware of the consequences of being a cultist. You must not bring your parents and your community to shame and disgrace by getting involved in any of these things. Believe it or not, the price you will pay come with either your death or the death of your loved ones”. he said.

    Mr Roy Umahi who was the founder of the Secondary School and the Chairman of the occasion in his remarks expressed joy that the school he founded for his community in 2008 is progressing and commended Hon. Nwonye for extending his goodwill to every house hold in the community as the students all came from the 14 villages in Uburu.

    He challenged other political leaders to emulate Nwonye pointing out that youths are empowered there will be reduction of poverty and social vices in the land.

    One of the beneficiaries, Onu David thanked Nwonye for taking away their burden by paying for their SSCE fees and assured that they will never let the community down.

  • Sokoto restates commitment to curbing of meningitis

    The Sokoto State Government on Thursday restated its total commitment to curbing the outbreak of Cerebrospinal Meningitis (CSM) in the state.

    The Commissioner for Health, Dr Balarabe Kakale, made this assertion when members of the State House of Assembly Committee on Health, visited the Murtala Muhammad Hospital in Sokoto.

    Kakale said that the State Government had released funds to procure consumables and drugs in order to ensure that those infected are saved.

    He said that the efforts being made by the government to nip the epidemic on the bud was already yielding positive results.

    “We have a number of patients in this centre but in other facilities in the Local Governments, the cases are few.

    “As such, it cannot be used as a yardstick for the state of the disease in Sokoto, as the centre was chosen to be the referral centre in the state.

    “So, I still insist and maintain that, the disease is under control in the state,’’ the commissioner said.

    He said that the government had initiated a powerful public enlightenment campaign and community sensitisation, which resulted in the large turnout of patients at the Murtala Mohammed Hospital in Sokoto.

    Kakale lauded the lawmakers for their support to the ministry in controlling the outbreak of the disease.

    The committee’s chairman, Alhaji Arzika Sarki (APC- Sokoto North II), also lauded the State Government’s efforts in curbing the disease.

    Sarki said that from what was seen, the State Government, through the Ministry of Health, was doing everything possible to save the lives of those infected.

    “So, we at the State House of Assembly are very much impressed with the steps so far taken by the State Government in tackling the epidemic,” he added.

    Sarki also advised the public to maintain a clean environment and ensure that they stay in well ventilated rooms.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the disease has claimed no fewer than 328 lives in 16 states of the federation in the last four months.

    Fourteen states are severely affected in the North with two states in the South.

    No fewer than 41 lives have been confirmed lost to the epidemic in Sokoto between November 2016 and March 31, 2017.