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Tag: Tambuwal

  • ‘Formidable team’ will rescue Nigeria in 2015, says Tambuwal

    ‘Formidable team’ will rescue Nigeria in 2015, says Tambuwal

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal yesterday said a “formidable team” would take Nigeria “to the highest level” in 2015.

    He, however, did not elaborate on who would make up the team, and declined comments on his rumoured Presidential ambition. He said he was more concerned about stabilising the House.

    He addressed reporters in Lagos after delivering the Quarterly Business Lecture of the Island Club. He spoke on the topic: The Legislature and the growth of our democracy.

    During a question-and-answer session after his lecture, Tambuwal said: “The future is very bright for Nigeria and it will witness a very great and important development come 2015, to usher in a formidable team that will take Nigeria to the highest level.”

    Asked whether he would run for the presidency, Tambuwal said: “I’m hearing about Presidential ambition from you for the first time. Let’s talk about something else. What I want to do for now is to stabilise the House of Representatives and ensure that we complete our tenure the way we have started. By the grace of God, we shall be remembered positively.”

    On the leadership crises in his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Speaker said disagreements are part of democracy, and that his membership was not under threat.

    “I am a member of the PDP and my membership is not threatened. The crisis in PDP is part of democracy. It’s part of democratic evolution. When you have a big family like that, you are bound to have some disagreements, even between husband and wife and among family members you have arguments. And we’re addressing them gradually,” he said.

    On the latest bloody return of the Boko Haram sect, with the killing on Monday of seven students and two teachers in Damaturu, Yobe State despite the State of Emergency, Tambuwal said the security agencies deserve praise for their efforts so far despite the security challenges.

    “I think the security agencies are doing their best, and I think we’re getting some positive results from the efforts they are making so far. We should continue to encourage them,” he said.

    In his lecture, Tambuwal said credit must go to each member of the House for whatever modest successes the he has recorded.

    “Everything we have achieved, therefore, we have achieved because members were often determined to place their country above every parochial interest. Even my emergence as Speaker has been due largely to this desire to elevate the collective interest above everything else,” he said.

    Tambuwal said there is no democracy without legislature, adding: “Although we all talk about the three arms of government being separate and equal, the truth is that the legislature is the first among equals of these three arms of the democratic composition.”

     

     

     

     

  • Tambuwal: She was an uncommon gift

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Aminu Tambuwal, has described the death of Alhaja Abibatu Mogaji, mother of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who passed away yesterday, as a painful loss which has created a vacuum in the ranks of philanthropic Nigerians.

    In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, Tambuwal described the deceased as a committed nationalist who gave all for the unity, progress and development of the nation.

    Tambuwal said as family members, friends and associates mourn Alhaja Abibat, they should be comforted by the knowledge that the renowned market leader lived a life full of many indelible achievements and notable contributions to development of Lagos State in particular and Nigeria in general.

    The Speaker said the deceased “was an uncommon gift to Nigeria. And we will continue to cherish her love and affection”.

    While praying to Allah to reward her good deeds with Jannat, Tambuwal prayed to God give the family the fortitude to bear the loss.

  • Tambuwal 2015: Where will the Speaker port?

    Tambuwal 2015: Where will the Speaker port?

    A cloud of uncertainty currently hangs over the political ambition of Speaker Aminu Tambuwal of the House of Representatives. Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan, takes a look at the various options open to the Sokoto-born politician.

    Following his surprise emergence on the national political terrain of the country in 2011, Honourable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal has remained one of the major players in the unending power games played in the corridors of power.

    The Sokoto-born politician became the Speaker of the House of Representatives following the defiance to the zoning arrangement of his party, the Peoples’ Democratic Party, (PDP) by the majority of the lawmakers elected on the platform of the ruling party.

    To successfully defy their party’s directive, Tambuwal and his co-travellers teamed up with opposition lawmakers. This coalition succeeded in thwarting an arrangement by the PDP to force Hon. Mulikat Adeola from Oyo State in the Southwest geo-political zone on the House as its Speaker.

    From his first day in office as Speaker, Tambuwal did not leave anyone in doubt that he intended to be his own man. From criticising the government and hobnobbing freely with opposition political figures, the young politician has ensured that his actions in and out of office are not determined by party affiliation.

    Of course, he became controversial in a way as many of his actions and utterances generated discusses. That same controversy appears to be dogging his step ahead of the 2015 general elections in the country. This is because it is still uncertain which of the many options before him he will settle for eventually.

    For one, Tambuwal’s yet-to-be-denied presidential ambition is reportedly heating up the political camp of many presidential hopefuls from the northern region. Pundits say many northern politicians with presidential ambitions are waiting on the Speaker to either declare or deny his rumoured interest in the race before going public with theirs.

    On the other hand, the Speaker’s supporters back home in Sokoto State are calling on him to come and be the next governor of the north western state. Sources within the ruling party in the state even told The Nation that at a time, Tambuwal was adjudged as a consensus candidate by party elders and the various factions within the PDP in the state.

    Yet, there are those who swore that the Speaker’s plan is to seek another term in the lower assembly so that he can retain his position as Speaker in the next political dispensation.

    Although he has not declared his presidential ambition, analysts claim recent moves by Tambuwal give the impression that he is a likely candidate in the 2015 presidential contest.

    .Several groups and organisations across the country went viral with requests that Tambuwal should join the presidential race. Individual politicians were not left out as the Speaker was endorsed for the presidency by political heavyweights within and outside his party.

    Finally, in what political observers called an apparent response to speculation that the Speaker may be gearing up to run for president in 2015, the House of Representatives announced that it would back Tambuwal’s aspiration if he decides to run.

    Deputy spokesman of the House, Hon. Victor Ogene (APGA, Anambra), told Nigerians that Tambuwal had displayed worthy leadership qualities that show he would make a fine president and that if Nigerians asked him to run for the office, he wouldn’t turn the request down.

    “As it stands today, Tambuwal has displayed good leadership in the House of Reps. It is only left for Nigerians to determine who will lead them in 2015. Though he has not told us about this, leadership is done by the people.

    “If he decides to achieve the dream, we will support him. Tambuwal is not a PDP Speaker; he is the Speaker of the House of Reps. He can relate with any party in the best interest of Nigerians,” he said.

    Hon. Ali Ahmad (PDP, Kwara) and Chairman House Committee on Justice also confirmed Tambuwal’s eligibility for the 2015 presidential contest, when he said, “Anybody who knows the Honourable Speaker and the way he has steered the House in the last two years and the way and manner he has been able to hold firm the House, will know that not a single pen has been thrown in this Assembly.

    “That shows you glaringly the quality of this man is better than what I will say about him. So anybody can judge his capacity to control and manage people with different ideas and disposition. So a man like that has what it takes to be the president of this country.

    “He could be one of the front runners because I know there are many people who will come out to contest in 2015, including those who have done so in 2011. If I am the repository of the decision of Nigeria, if I were the embodiment of the 160 million Nigerians and if Tambuwal expresses his desire to contest, I have to say ‘if’ because now he is concentrating on this House and we don’t want him to digress because now we have two years to go with serious business to do. But if he decides and I am the embodiment of the 160 million Nigerians, I think he will be our next president.”

    In spite of all the agitations and endorsements for his presidential candidacy, mum has been the word from the Speaker. But his close associates and followers said he is currently engaged in widespread consultations and discussions with leading politicians across the country.

    “The Speaker is talking to people across the country. He is conscious of the fact that he will have to seek the support and votes of all Nigerians across the states when the race is declared open. That is why he has chosen to seek the approval of as many leaders as possible before stepping out.

    “Tambuwal has all it takes to be president and I am sure it is just a matter of time before he publicly declares his interest in the job. Once we get all the approvals and encouragement we seek, we will come out and tell Nigerians what we want them to do for us in 2015,” an aide of the Speaker told The Nation.

    All these and more leave no one in doubt that Tambuwal’s name has crept into the roll call for the presidential race. Many analysts believe that what is just left is for the 47-year-old politician to publicly announce his readiness to contest the next presidential election.

    Meanwhile, admirers of the lawyer-turned-politician in his home state of Sokoto want him to come back home and rule the state in 2015. For them, the presidency shouldn’t be the next port of call for their illustrious son whose wealth of experience, they claim, the state requires at this time.

    The argument is that since the incumbent governor, Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako, would be reaching the constitutional limit of two terms having been first elected in 2007, the state should put its best man on the job to consolidate on the achievement of the outgoing governor.

    Tambuwal’s chance of winning the governorship race, according to sources, is also made more attractive by the zoning arrangement in the state as well as the support he is said to be enjoying from Governor Wammakko in the crowded race to the Government House.

    Sokoto south, Tambuwal’s senatorial district, is the only zone yet to produce a governor for the state and there is currently a strong agitation by the people of the area to have a shot at the plum job in 2015. The Speaker is expected to be a beneficiary of this agitation should he decide to opt for the job.

    But the recent suspension of Governor Wamakko from the PDP, which is already being viewed in some quarters as an attempt to frustrate Tambuwal’s governorship ambition, may adversely affect an attempt by the Speaker to seek to replace the governor in 2015.

    “Tambuwal is to use Governor Wamakko’s political structure to run for governorship in 2015, while the governor will seek to go to the Senate and represent Sokoto Central. But with this move by the party at the national level to take the control of the party away from Wamakko, it is left to be seen how these two allies will achieve their ambitions in the state,” a PDP chieftain in Sokoto explained.

    This perhaps explains why some analysts feel the best option for Tambuwal would be to seek another term as a federal legislator with a view to retaining his speakership. His chances of doing this, they argued, remain bright considering his hold on the House since he became the Speaker.

    “Tambuwal will find it easier remaining the Speaker beyond 2015 than gunning after the presidency or even the governorship of his state. He has a firm hold on the House and he enjoys the support of opposition lawmakers, who would rather have him on the seat than any other PDP member.

    “The PDP is not likely to lose its majority in the House in 2015. In such a situation, a repeat of the 2011 scenario where the opposition and rebellious PDP legislators went into a coalition to produce a Speaker would play out again and Tambuwal will defy the odds to remain as Speaker,” Fred Ogunba of the Centre for Democracy and Justice (CDJ) analysed.

    With just a little more than a year to the commencement of the general elections, many politicians within and outside the Speaker’s political party are impatiently waiting for him to tell the world where he intends to port politically in 2015.

  • Tambuwal: Has House lived up to expectation?

    Tambuwal: Has House lived up to expectation?

    VICTOR OLUWASEGUN and DELE ANOFI examine the performance of the House of Representatives in the last two years under the leadership of Speaker Aminu Tambuwal.

     

     

    When the mantle of leadership fell on Speaker Aminu Tambuwal in the House of Representatives two years ago, expectations were high. Many people expected a clean break from the past. Since the image of the Lower Chamber was mired in controversy between 2007 and 2011, some people were also indifferent to the change of baton.

    Tambuwal has garnered tremendous goodwill, following his people-oriented approach to national issues. The Speaker had pledged in his ‘Legislative Agenda’ to pursue the national interest and make the Lower Chamber an enviable arm of the National Assembly.

    The acid test came during the controversial fuel subsidy removal. As crisis engulfed the country, the House rose to the occasion. It convened an emergency session to pass a resolution advising President Goodluck Jonathan to rescind his decision. Although the Presidency initially ignored the advise, the masses hailed the House for aligning with their cause.

    To reposition the House has been the priority of Tambuwal. In the last two years, the House, under his leadership, has come up with a new approach to the budgetary process. The Speaker explained that the goal was to prevent budget failure and foster fiscal discipline.

    The House oversight function, in this regard, has found expression in the stringent examination of the 2012 and 2013 budgets. Although the move generated a row between the legislature and the executive, the House has remained committed to the principles guilding the appropriation process. For example, the House Committee on Finance began a campaign to reduce the deficit in the this year’s budget and investigations into the non-remittances to the Federation Account by over 60 agencies.

    This approach has forced many agencies to abide with the extant laws on the remittance of their operating surpluses and income into the Federal Government coffers, which has now swelled up.

    Similarly, the House has insisted that the facts and figures, as regards government income and expenditure, should be made known to the public. This move hasenhanced transparency and accountability.

    The agitation for accountability underlied the Hous’s position on the fuel subsidy. Trailing the House emergency meeting on Sunday, January 8, 2012, when 294 members cut short their Christmas break to discuss the vexed issue, was the probe of the subsidy scandal.

    The probe panel was headed by Hon. Farouk Lawan. The committee found a huge fraud in the management of the subsidy funds. When it was later discovered that certain legislators allegedly soiled their hands during ther probe, the House did not shield them.

    The review of the 1990 Constitution was also a critical exercise undertaken by the House and Senate. The Lower Chamber encouraged the participation of the stakeholders in the public sessions organised across the 360 federal constituencies on November 10, last year. thalso took a new turn with the full participation of the.Grassroots in the exercise.

    The public hearing gave Nigerians the opportunity to air their views on the type of the constitution suitable for the country. Remarkably, many Nigerians voted against full immunity for President, VIce President, governors and their deputies; financial independence for Houses of Assembly and autonomy for local council.

    Tambuwal’s tenure has also been peaceful. The House has operated in an atmosphere of harmony and cohesion. In spite of the claims of discontent in the House, the House has not become a rubber stamp chamber under the Speaker. There is no room for executive overbearing. Tambuwal is seen as a symbol of legislative defiance against a seemingly meddlesome executive.

    Unlike the previous dispensation, the House is not divided along the party lines. The in-fighting and discontent that follow the setting up of the standing committees in the House are not visible in this dispensation. The political parties and legislators are treated equally because there is an equitable distribution of committee slots among the members.

    Recently, the House moderated the emergency powers of the President by stopping his move to utilise the funds of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, which are affected by the ‘emergency rule’. The House position, which was at variance with that of the Senate, has been hailed by Nigerians who perceived the legislators as the defenders of the constitution. The House believes that certain aspects of the emergency proclamation by President Jonathan are undemocratic and unconstitutional.

    However, critics have chided the House for taking wrong steps in some instances. For example, people have criticised its decision to give zero allocation to the Security and Exchange Commission in this year’s budget.

    The House had earlier demanded the sack of its Director-General by the President for incompetence.

    The Lower Chamber also sunk into controversy, following the Hembe/Oteh saga, whereby the hunter suddenly became the hunted. Amid the probe into the imminent collapse of the Nigerian Capital Market by its Committee on Capital Market headed by Herman Hembe, the Director-General of the Securities and Exchange Commission, Arunmah Oteh, accused the committee chairman of demanding and receiving N44 million from her organisation. She claimed that the funds released to Hembe was not utilised for the intended purpose.

    Hembe had to relinquish his position as the chairman of the committee. He is now being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

    Another dark spot was the alleged $620,000 bribe-for-clearance scandal against Farouk Lawan, the former Chairman of the House Committee on Education and head of the ad- hoc panel that investigated the fuel subsidy regime.

    The House commenced an investigation into the allegation. Farouk was removed as the Chairman of the ad hoc committee and Chairman of the House Committee on Education. Ahough only individual legislators were involved, the scandals have dented the image of the House.

    Two years after the issues are: has Tambuwal delivered on his legislative agenda? Is he running a people-oriented House, whose legislations, motions and resolutions are solely in the interest of the people? Are there better federal revenue disclosures? Is the cost of governance being reduced? Are the legislative priorities of the House “ high impact, people-oriented legislation linked to service delivery and attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) capable of eradicating poverty”?

    How well has the committee system in the House been improved, in terms of standard, efficiency, transparency, accountability and legislative deliverables? Is oversight of MDAs efficient and eliminating waste, plugging loopholes and ensuring value for money as promised by Tambuwal?

    It is half-time for the House leadership. The greatest challenge is whether the House under Tambuwal can sustain the tempo, overcome its dark side and strive for improvement in the next two years.

     

  • Tambuwal warns against undemocratic traits

    Tambuwal warns against undemocratic traits

    The lingering crises in the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the threat they pose to the survival of Nigeria’s democracy seem to be agitating the mind of House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. He yesterday warned politicians not to destroy the present democratic dispensation.

    The Speaker was particularly unhappy with “some traits that are very, very undemocratic” that have been creeping into our system of late, which have the tendencies to destroy this democratic setting.

    Speaking at the Trade Fair Complex in Sokoto on the occasion of the 2013 Democracy Day celebration, Tambuwal noted: “What we have been witnessing recently in the Federal Republic of Nigeria, there are some traits that are very, very undemocratic that are creeping into our systems. I would call on all of us who are actors in this democracy not only to sustain the legacies of our heroes past by improving on what we have met, but by ensuring that we do not lower the standards and thereby destroying our democracy”.

    He reminded the political actors and, indeed, all Nigerians that democracy has such essential elements as liberty and freedom and urged “all actors, particularly those of us who have been given the mandate and responsibility to lead and govern this country to continue to behave democratically”.

    And looking forward to the next round of elections in two years time, the Speaker remarked that “as we are building up towards 2015, I know that people are getting interested, some to continue to maintain their positions and some would be struggling to get elected, but then it is only when we have democracy in place that anybody can be re-elected or anybody can be elected. We, therefore, need to be more cautious.”

    He praised the steadfastness of the military and other security agncies in their support of and safeguard for this democracy but warned that “ we must not overstretch our goodwill”.

    Tambuwal paid tribute to leaders living and dead, who toiled to lay the foundation for “what we are enjoying today in terms of democracy .

    “I pay tribute to them and in particular those of them who lost their lives in the struggle for us to enjoy democracy in Nigeria.”

    An indigene of Sokoto State, the speaker praised the state government for bringing the dividends of democracy to the people in the past six years and urged more support for Governor Aliyu Wamakko from the people to enable the administration do more.

    Earlier, in his address at the Democracy Day rally, Wamakko reeled out the achievements of his administration which cut across education, health, roads, and other social infrastructure.

    He pledged to do more.

  • Tambuwal urges leaders to build institutions for democracy

    Tambuwal urges leaders to build institutions for democracy

    Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Waziri Tambuwal yesterday urged the people in authority to build institutions of governance to allow democracy thrive in the country for the benefit of the coming generation.

    Tambuwal in a statement issued in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, to commemorate Democracy Day, enjoined Nigerians to nurture and protect the country’s democracy by participating in governance at the local, state and federal levels.

    He said one of the cardinal principles of democracy is openness and transparency. “Therefore, those in authority must be open and transparent in the conduct of their activities at all times, Tambuwal added.”

    He said although the country is having challenges in its march towards nationhood, the citizens should roll out the drums and celebrate the 14 years of democracy.

    The House of Representatives Speaker said the devastating effect of military rule and how past dictatorships had stunted the growth of the country and hampered the freedom of choice of Nigerians should not be forgotten in a hurry.

    He congratulated Nigerians, adding that the House of Representatives is determined to play its role for the benefit of the citizens.

  • Leaders must build democratic institutions – Tambuwal

    Leaders must build democratic institutions – Tambuwal

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, on Wednesday urged those in authority to build institutions of governance to allow democracy thrive in the country for the good of generations to come.

    Tambuwal in a statement issued in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Malam Imam Imam, to commemorate Democracy Day, urged Nigerians to nurture and protect the country’s democracy by participating actively in governance process at local, state and federal levels.

    He said one of the cardinal principles of democracy is “openness and transparency.”

    “Therefore, those in authority must be open and transparent in the conduct of their activities at all times,” the Speaker said in the statement.

    He said though the country is faced with various challenges in its march towards nationhood, Nigerians should roll out the drums and celebrate the 14 years of its democracy.

    Tambuwal said the devastating effect of military rule and how past dictatorships have stunted the growth of the country and severely hampered the freedom of choice of Nigerians should not be forgotten in a hurry.

     

  • House to govt: lift ban on Rivers’ jet

    House to govt: lift ban on Rivers’ jet

    Through its Committees on Justice and Aviation, the House of Representatives yesterday told the Ministry of Aviation and other regulatory agencies to lift the sanctions imposed on the Bombardier jet owned by the Rivers State Government.

    The committees said neither the state government nor its officials forged any document to secure flight clearances or any other licence.

    The committees recommended that Caverton Helicopter should be prosecuted under S. 36 (4) Civil Aviation Act, Cap. C13 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    But the company yesterday denied any wrong doing in the Rivers aircraft crisis.

    The committees claimed that although the government operated its aircraft with expired clearance between April 2 and 26, several other aircraft are suspected to be in a similar situation.

    They said the isolation of Rivers State for reprimand has become difficult to deny.

    The aircraft was grounded on April 26 by the government, based on alleged infractions, including operating the aircraft with expired clearance, failure to file a flight plan and failure to make a manifest available to regulatory agencies.

    The row over the aircraft between the Aviation Ministry and the state government made the House to refer the matter to its committees on Justice and Aviation.

    But, in their report signed by the Chairmen of the Justice and Aviation committees, Ali Ahmad and Nkeiruka C. Onyejeocha, the committees confirmed the Bombardier B700-1A11 Global Express marked N565RS as the property of Rivers State.

    The report, which was obtained by our correspondent, reads: “That in view of our findings, we hereby make the following recommendations: Rivers State Government should be allowed to comply with the necessary conditions for granting of all required permits and licences of Rivers State Government – owned Bombardier B700 Global Express Registration Number N564Rs;

    “For providing information that led the authorities to wrongly believe that Rivers State Government falsified documents thereby leading to grounding of its aircraft, the Attorney – General is requested to consider prosecuting Caverton Helicopter under provisions of S. 36 (4) CIVIL Aviation Act, Cap. C13 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    “Urge the Ministry of Aviation to desist from undue interference in the day-to-day operations of the aviation regulatory authorities as envisaged by the law;

    “Urge the aviation regulatory authorities to operate professionally and ensure compliance with international best practices in the industry;

    “That the House of Committee on Aviation be mandated to scrutinise the reason for rampant foreign registration of aircraft by their owners and to further investigate all private – use aircraft operating in the country with a view to sanitising their operations and ensuring enforcement of the law in a society that is democratic.”

    The committees blamed the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) for grounding the aircraft without complying with due process, especially notifying the Rivers State government, the owner of the aircraft.

    The report said: “When an operator or aircraft is in violation of a regulation, the NCAA reserves the right to impose sanction, depending on how it chooses to treat the severity of the infraction: it may grant waiver, impose civil penalty or other comparable sanctions or suspend, withdraw or revoke the licence, permit or any other approval.

    “Where it chooses to vary, suspend or revoke a licence or any other authorisation, it is mandatory that it notifies in writing the offending party, specifying the infraction and period of sanction.

    “The Civil Aviation Act generally does not envisage grounding of an aircraft in non-emergency circumstances”, with immediate effect and indefinitely. Thus, NCAA can ground an aircraft in non-safety or security circumstances, but it cannot do so with immediate effect or indefinitely.”

    The committees gave the details of the conclusions, which led to its recommendations.

    The report said: “Based on its findings, the Committee reaches the following conclusions:

    “The aircraft Bombardier B700- IAI I Global Express with Registration Number N565RS is the property of Rivers State government;

    “Operational and other navigational charges were received by NAMA and FAAN and other agencies while operating the aircraft and receipts issued without raising alarm as to ownership of the aircraft by Rivers State government;

    “Perusal of the Trust Agreement between Rivers State Trustor and Bank of Utah Trustee would have shown this fact of ownership, it is distressing that NCAA and the ministry still fail or refuse to appreciate this simple fact; but since the authorities did not raise ownership issue with several other aircraft having the name of Bank of Utah Trustees, this allegation is in bad faith and grossly unprofessional;

    “As the owner, Rivers State government, elected to register the aircraft in the U.S. to save money for the state and avoid unnecessary bureaucracy;

    “Rivers State government, through Caverton, applied to the Minister of Aviation to import and operate the aircraft in Nigeria but the application was not consummated. And so, it is being operated in Nigeria as a foreign aircraft for private use;

    “As from August 27, 2012, when it applied on behalf of Rivers State to import the aircraft, Caverton maintained agency rationship with the government; although that relationship was abated shortly thereafter with regard to the importation of the aircraft, other aspects of the agency relationship continued, especially relating to applications for flight clearance; however, all relationships between the parties were brought to an end by Caverton’s letter of denunciated to NCAA dated 26 April, 2013;

    “As owner and operator of the aircraft, neither Rivers State government nor its officials forged or falsified any document toward securing flight clearances or any other licence;

    “Should top management of Caverton deny transacting business with Rivers State government despite its acquiescence of transactions between its member of staff and the Government, then its behaviour smacks of administrative laxity or negligence; alternatively, its behavior lends credence to the ascertion that it was pressured to deny the relationship.

    “Caverton should be held accountable for providing information that led NCAA to ground the aircraft, contrary to the provision of the law.”

    Caverton helicopter in a statement yesterday by its communication consultant, Mr. Waziri Adio said: “We urge the public to look beyond political considerations and engage the facts as they are;

    “We want to restate that the only relationship that we have had with this aircraft was the request for importation, which was communicated to the Minister of Aviation on August 12, 2012. This request was not consummated, as the Canadian company that mandated us to write the initial letter of request (ACASS) later told us to stay action as they were no longer in charge of the aircraft;

    “We want to restate that subsequent requests for clearance permit for the aircraft did not originate from us. We maintain that the requests sent for flight clearance in our name were forged and we are inviting security agencies to investigate the matter;

    “We also maintain that the curious attempt to conflate request for importation with application for flight clearances is at best tendentious. The two are not, and cannot be, the same;

    “We challenge the Rivers State government to show evidence that it has a contractual relationship with us on this aircraft. We challenge Rivers State to show any mandate, any contract, any correspondence, any form of payment to us for providing the purported services to them in the last eight months as they claimed. It is inconceivable that, as a business, we will be providing the purported services to them for free and without any form of documentation.”

  • Tambuwal hails Orji

    Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal has hailed Abia State Governor Theodore Orji for the infrastructural transformation in the state.

    He described the unity in the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the handiwork of Orji.

    Speaking in Umuahia while commissioning the new ultra-modern office complex for the State Environmental Protection Agency (ASEPA) and the new industrial market, Tambuwal said the delivery of democracy dividends has endeared Orji to the people and made the party more popular.

    The Speaker said Orji has added value to the lives of residents and enhanced the PDP’s fortunes.

    The governor praised the symbiotic relationship between the House and lawmakers.

    Orji said the edifice was a testimony of government’s commitment to clean and sustainable environment.

     

  • Tambuwal on Obasanjo

    Tambuwal on Obasanjo

    Chief Olusegun Obasanjo was not the main subject of Hon Aminu Tambuwal’s lecture last Wednesday in Kano, but the former president (1999-2007) received unsparing and uncomplimentary mention enough to merit strong headlines in the following day’s newspapers. In an exhaustive treatise delivered at the annual Mallam Aminu Kano memorial lecture, Tambuwal, who is Speaker of the House of Representatives, described Obasanjo’s government as a proponent of lawlessness. He went beyond just describing that government as lawless and arbitrary, he added that it also endangered the country’s democracy. He damned the Obasanjo presidency with faint praise for establishing various institutions to undergird democracy and good governance, and concluded that that government lacked the discipline to restrain its law enforcement agencies from mass killings in both Zaki Biam and Odi towns in Benue and Bayelsa States respectively.

    Drawing on various sources, Tambuwal gave the following summary of the Obasanjo presidency and the Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan governments: “A closer examination of the actions and inactions of the government since 1999 shows that the rule of law has been relegated to a mere declaration in conformity with the ideological smokescreen of the government. An example of the strangulation of the rule of law is the failure in recognising and respecting the constitutional roles of the three main institutions of State namely the legislature, the executive and the Judiciary. The political imbroglio between the Lagos State government and Federal Government over the failure of the latter to remit funds allocated to local government councils in Lagos following the State Governor’s creation of some additional council is a case in point of bizarre executive lawlessness on the part of the executive arm of government in Nigeria. Despite the judgment of the Supreme Court on the matter, the federal government turned deaf ears to the ruling of the highest court in the land ordering the Lagos State to be given all the statutory allocations due to LG councils in the state. Indeed it was the late Yar’Adua regime in 2007 that enforced the Supreme Court ruling and ordered the immediate release of the funds to Lagos State amounting to N10.8 billion.”

    The Tambuwal conclusion is not significant simply because he mourned the abject failure of Obasanjo and his successors to seize opportunities to consolidate democracy, or because he wanted the mass killings in Zaki Biam and Odi to be censured. It is in fact not clear that the Speaker saw any significance. What is significant is that the governments the Speaker spoke disapprovingly about were all produced by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He is, however, not the only one with such strident views of the ruling party, though he is a member of the party. But to hear him and others in the PDP speak forthrightly and dismissively of all the governments that have ruled Nigeria since 1999 gives the heartwarming impression that the process of party formation is just beginning. The political dividing lines are not yet cast in granite, and in the foreseeable future there will still be movements across party lines, with patriots sensibly ignoring party loyalties and structures in order to form and nurture alliances capable of rebuilding the country’s democracy.

    Beyond the façade of one-party dominance of the polity, a façade PDP leaders said could continue for some 60 years, clearly discernible undercurrents of resentment against mediocre governance, executive arbitrariness, and mishandled economic reforms are being seen and felt. Tambuwal’s lecture, assuming it is the product of deep conviction rather than a mere academic exercise, indicates quite appropriately that substantial change is afoot, perhaps strong and copious enough to save the polity and engender growth and stability.