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Tag: The Senate

  • Senate endorses three higher institutions for establishment

    The Senate has technically endorsed the establishment of Federal Polytechnic Adikpo, Benue State, Federal Polytechnic Item, Abia State and Federal College of Education, Omuo Ekiti, Ekiti State.

    The endorsement followed the consideration of the Bills which proposed the establishment of the institutions at a widely attended public hearing held by the upper chamber in Abuja.

    Senators Barnabas Gemade sponsored the Bill for the establishment Federal Polytechnic, Adikpo while Senator Mao Ohuabunwa proposed the establishment of Federal Polytechnic Item.

    Senator Biodun Olujimi sponsored the establishment of Federal Collage of Education, Omuo Ekiti.

    Senate Chief Whip, Senator Olusola Adeyeye who represented Senate President at the public hearing underscored the importance of education in the country.

    He also stressed the need to spread the establishment of educational institutions in parts of the country for the benefit of education hungry Nigerians,

    Adeyeye assured that the Senate will continue to support the establishment of vital higher institutions in the country.

    The Osun Central lawmaker noted that there was no doubt polytechnics have continued to play vital role in the provision of middle level manpower and young professionals who help in no small measure in the development of the country.

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund, Senator Jibrin Barau noted that the public hearing became necessary in order to enable Nigerians make input before the Bills are passed.

    Barau said the input of the public will, no doubt, will enrich the Bills before their passage into law.

    Senator Gemade who gave the synopsis of why Federal Polytechnic Adikpo should be established noted that Benue State is one of the few states in the north that are known to have made education an industry.

    Gemade also said that the establishment of the polytechnic will help to balance the establishment institutions of higher learning in the state.

    He noted that the only federal presence in his entire constituency is a unity school which is not significant enough to give the people a sense of belonging.

    He said that the people of Adikpo area were not only industrious in education but have produced five vice chancellors that served in the state and at national level.

    The lawmaker added that he is convinced that the establishment of the institution will go a long way to enhance the education fortunes of Benue State people.

    On his own Senator Ohuabunwa, noted that apart from University of Agriculture Umudike, there is no other federal institution in the state.

    He said that the Senate came up with the resolution that there should be federal presence in every constituency in the interest of Nigerians.

    He said that the Federal Polytechnic Item is well cut out as the best location to site the institution because of the abundance of technical know-how in the area.

    The Abia North lawmaker said that there were many schools in the area to feed the polytechnic for the benefit of the country.

    Senate Deputy Minority Whip, Olujimi said that each constituency wanted federal presence to give the people sense of belonging.

    She noted that Ekiti State is known for one industry ‘and that industry is education.”

    Olujimi said that Ekiti South should be given a right of place through the establishment of the Federal College of Education.

    She said that the people were ready to give whatever it takes to facilitate establishment of the institution.

    At the end of the public hearing nobody spoke against the establishment of the three institutions in the three states.

    Barau promised to submit the report of his committee to the Senate in plenary as soon as possible.

    Read Also: http://staging.thenationonlineng.net/no-date-yet-budget-passage-senate/

  • Senate screens CBN, MPC nominees

    The Senate Monday screened President Muhammadu Buhari’s two nominees for the position of Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    The nominees are Mrs. Aisha Ahmad and Mr. Edward Adamu.

    Similarly, four other nominees were also screened as members of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC). They are Prof Festus Adeola Adenikinju, Dr. Aliyu Rafindadi Sanusi, Dr. Robert Chikwendu Asogwa and Dr. Asheikh Maidugu.

    The nominees took turns to face the Senate committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, as members of the committee threw a barrage of questions at them.

    Mrs. Ahmad who was accompanied to the venue of the screening by her husband and her father, was the first to be screened. In response to questions, the nominee stressed the need for the country to have a stable foreign exchange policy in order to stabilise the economy.

    On his part, Edward Adamu, who is widely acknowledged to have been appointed on merit, based on his track record at the apex bank, was not subjected to the grill. Members of the Senate committee were unanimous in giving him a smooth passage.

    Earlier moves, allegedly by some Presidency cabal to replace Adamu with a preferred candidate were vehemently resisted by his colleagues at the CBN who vowed to frustrate such manipulation.

    The Senate had put on hold the screening of the nominees and others appointed by President Muhammadu Buahri for several weeks, owing to disagreement between the two arms of government.

    At the commencement of the exercise, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Ita Enang, pleaded with the lawmakers to also screen other nominees of the President whose nomination are still pending.

    Chairman of the Senate committee, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, however said the leadership of the Senate decided to yield ground owing to the strategic and sensitive nature of the nominees’ appointments.

    Read Also: http://staging.thenationonlineng.net/senate-makes-u-turn-buharis-nominees/

  • Senate rejects bill proposing skirts for NYSC female members

    Senate rejects bill proposing skirts for NYSC female members

    The Senate on Wednesday rejected a bill proposing the option of wearing of skirts by female members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

    This followed the presentation of the lead debate on the general principles of the bill which was sponsored by Sen. Emmanuel Bwacha (PDP-Taraba) during plenary.

    According to him, the bill is intended to amend Sections 13 and 16 of the Principal Act.

    He said the bill sought to ensure that regulations made by the NYSC Directorate prescribing uniforms and exercise regimen did not violate the religious practices and beliefs of corps members.

    He said the objective of the bill was to also increase the penalty for the offences contained in the Act, to make such fines reflect the present value of the naira.

    Bwacha, who is Deputy Minority Leader, noted that the NYSC was a laudable scheme established in 1973 by the then military Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon.

    “It was part of the effort by the Federal Government to rebuild, reconstruct and reconcile Nigerians following the unfortunate incidents of the civil war which ended in 1970.

    “It is important to point out that while the scheme has lived up to expectation as a reliable platform for nurturing young patriotic Nigerians, fostering unity and promoting a better understanding of our religious and cultural differences, it has, however, become necessary to amend the Principal Act.

    “This is with a view to address observed lapses and shortcomings. One of such lapses is that the penalty for offences contained in the Act is now outdated and in need of urgent review.

    “Secondly, Section 16 of the Principal Act mandates the NYSC Directorate to make regulations or by-laws relating to discipline, exercise regimen, uniforms, welfare of corps etc.

    “Uniforms and drills adopted by the Directorate have become a basis for tension and controversy between the Directorate and corps members and other members of the public.

    “The major bone of contention is that some of the uniforms and drills contravene religious beliefs and practices of corps members and invariably their right to freedom of religion, thought and conscience under the Nigerian Constitution.

    “This bill essentially addresses the above mentioned lapses in the Principal Act,” he said.

    Contributing, Sen. Suleiman Adokwe (PDP-Nasarawa), said “the amendment being suggested is not even worth the trouble”.

    “This is because the powers to prescribe uniform is what the NYSC Act is to the Directorate.

    “I believe if the directorate wants to change the uniform at any time, it is a matter of deciding because it only has power to prescribe the type of uniform.

    “The type of uniform is even not prescribed; so I don’t know why we should trouble ourselves; all you need to do is to put pressure on the directorate to change the uniform but not necessarily to change the law.

    “All the religious organisations that are feeling oppressed by it should put pressure and lobby the directorate to change its dress code,” Adokwe said.

    Similarly, Sen. Sam Egwu (PDP-Ebonyi) said “we should not waste our time on an issue that we have no constitutional right to amend. That is a minute issue that we should not waste our energy on.”

    Also, Sen. Jeremiah Husseini (PDP-Plateau) “there is no need for this bill”.

    In his remarks, the Deputy President of the Senate, Mr Ike Ekweremadu who presided over the proceedings, said: “I am not trying to stop the bill; even if you pass the bill, you must send it to all the states in accordance with section 9(2).”

    After a voice vote by Ekweremadu, the bill was rejected by the lawmakers.

    Read Also: Senate receives report to grant Nigerian Financial Intelligence

  • Senate, Reps agree to move NFIU to CBN

    Senate, Reps agree to move NFIU to CBN

    The Senate and House of Representative conference committee have agreed to domicile the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), it was learnt Tuesday.

    This is coming as the Senate has scheduled today (Wednesday) consider and adopt the report of the Conference Committee on NFIU Bill.

    The NFIU is currently domiciled in the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC.)

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Chukwuka Utazi submitted the conference committee’s report to the Senate yesterday.

    The Bill seeks to grant financial and operational autonomy to the NFIU, which is currently domiciled in the EFCC.

    Findings showed that the conference committee adopted the recommendation of the Senate, which removed the NFIU from the anti-graft agency and domiciled it in the CBN.

    The House position which was jettisoned by the conference was that the NFIU should continue to be domiciled in EFCC.

    The Egmont group, a global network of 154 Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), had suspended Nigeria at its last general meeting in July 2017.

    The FIU threatened to expel the country if the Unit was not given autonomy by its next meeting holding on March 11, 2018.

    If expelled, the country will suffer a blacklist in the global finance sector and Nigerian Banks will be unable to issue Mastercard and Visa credit/debit cards while card transactions with Nigerian originated cards will be blocked. This means Nigerians will be unable to carry out foreign transactions.

    Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over plenary, said that the Bill will be considered today.

    Ekweremadu commended Utazi and his counterpart in the House of Representatives, Kayode Oladele, for putting aside their differences and presenting a harmonised report.

    He said that the Bill will be passed and signed into law before the group’s meeting this weekend.

    Only last week, Utazi accused his counterpart in the House of attempting to derail the process of having a legal framework that would guarantee independence of the NFIU.

    Oladele fired back and insisted that Utazi was behind the delay in the passing of the Bill.

    A meeting between Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, mandated the two lawmakers to meet and conclude work on the conference report.

    The joint committee met on Monday, where the two versions of the report were harmonised.

    Read Also: Senate, Reps bicker over NFIU bill

  • Senate summons Sirika, others over air mishaps

    Senate summons Sirika, others over air mishaps

    The Senate Tuesday resolved to invite Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika, to brief it on steps taken by his ministry to minimize air mishaps in the country.

    Apart from Sirika, who is mandated appear before the Senate in plenary, the upper chamber also invited heads of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Accident Investigation Bureau (AIB) and every other relevant agency in the aviation industry to give a full briefing on the steps that have been taken to minimise human errors and avoid preventable air crashes.

    The resolution followed the adoption of a motion on “The need to minimize the possibility of Air Mishaps and Near Fatalities in Nigeria,” sponsored by Senator Gbenga Ashafa (Lagos East) and eight others.

    Ashafa in his lead debate prayed the Senate to observe that on the 20th of February, 2018 the story of a near fatal incident involving Dana Airlines with number 9J0363 hit the news waves.

    He noted that it was reported that the aircraft overshot the runway upon landing at the Port Harcourt Airport, on a flight from Abuja.

    He said that the incident was attributed to the wet surface of the runway

    Ashafa recalled that “just a few weeks before the afore stated event, there was also panic on Wednesday, 7th of February, 2018, when the emergency door of an aircraft conveying passengers to Abuja fell off upon landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe, International Airport in Abuja.”

    The Lagos East lawmaker said that he is aware that while the said aircraft was cleared to return to service on the same day by the relevant authorities the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), “an experienced pilot interviewed was of the opinion that the aircraft might have experienced a component failure.”

    He noted that report quoted the pilot to have said “What happened is likely to be a component failure due to hand landing. It couldn’t have fallen off when the aircraft was airborne because the aircraft cabin is pressurised. It is very difficult for that to happen but it could fall off when the aircraft is on the ground”;

    He expressed concern that “these recent occurrences might be a sign of a sequence of human errors, caused by the failure of  officials and staff of the agencies saddled with the responsibility of guaranteeing safety to carry out their due diligence before issuing clearance for aircrafts to operate within the Nigerian airspace.”

    Ashafa further recalled with sadness that Nigeria has experienced a significant number of air catastrophes that cost the lives of hundreds of Nigerians, due to a range of causes including human and technical error.

    He said that a chronicle of air mishaps caused by human error as reported  an article titled: Human errors, dereliction of duty are major causes of plane crashes in Nigeria, stated as follows: ”Avoidable human errors and dereliction of duty by public officials working in the aviation sector have been major reasons for the loss of hundreds of lives in air crashes in Nigeria, reports by the Aviation Investigation Bureau (AIB) have shown.”

    The report, he said, stated further that:”Some of the human errors identified by AIB as causes of the plane crashes include non-lightening of runways and airfields, poorly constructed drainage culverts, inaccurate information by the control tower, lack of proper certification of radio operators and poor supervision of aircraft imported into the country.”

    He stated with concern that “it is against this backdrop that it has now become imperative to move with speed and  alacrity in order to ensure that all relevant agencies in the Aviation industry do their work with excellence and minimal human error in order to prevent avoidable loss of human lives.”

    All senators who contributed to the motion agreed that urgent steps should be taken to fix the aviation section in the interest of the flying public.

    Read Also: Senate seeks immediate end to NASU strike

  • Senate, Reps bicker over NFIU bill

    Senate, Reps bicker over NFIU bill

    The Senate and House of Representatives are at war over the passage of the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Units (NFIU) Bill.

    The rift between the two chambers blew open Thursday when Chairman, Senate Committee on Anti-Corruption and Financial Crimes, Senator Chukwuka Utazi, told the Senate in plenary that that his counterpart in the House was frustrating the efforts of the Senate to pass the controversial Bill.

    Utazi complained bitterly that all attempts by his committee to sit at conference with their counterparts in the House had not been successful due to their recalcitrant attitude over the Bill.

    The Enugu North lawmaker feared that the country might be expelled from the Egmont Group if the bill was not passed expeditiously.

    In July, 2017, the Egmont Group, a global network of 152 Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs), suspended NFIU at its 24th plenary of the Heads in Macao.

    “The group also explained that the NFIU was suspended because the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where NFIU is currently domiciled, was leaking sensitive information to the media.

    The Egmont Group equally accused the EFCC of blackmailing individuals with the confidential intelligence made available to it.

    Utazi said, “In July last year, Nigeria was suspended by Egmont Group with a threat to expel the country in March this year. This is coming up on the 11th of March, which is next week. If we do not put our house in order, we will be expelled.

    “The expulsion will have severe consequences. Our financial banks will not be able to do anything. Our banks and foreign transactions will no longer amount to anything. We will be degraded. Even the corruption index we are complaining about will be a child’s play to what we are going to face in few days to come.

    “This Senate passed this bill within a record period of eight working days because of the importance and urgency. That was the first bill to have gotten such a speedy passage in this Senate. I came with a motion earlier to explain issues of what were on the ground.

    “The House of Representatives also took its time to pass this bill. A Conference Committee had been constituted. I have been calling my counterpart in the House of Representatives. The first meeting was stalled. They said the leadership was meeting over the issue.

    “We called for another meeting. Each time I call for this meeting, my counterpart in the House of Representatives will always tell me that he is attending one meeting or another. Even this morning (yesterday), I sent him a message and he said he was attending a budget defence meeting. I told him that this meeting is more important? He knows what is at stake.

    “I am bringing this issue to public knowledge that this Senate is doing its job. This Senate is doing its duty. If anything should happen or Nigeria is suspended, it will not be as a result of the failure of the Senate to act on this issue.

    Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, explained that the issue of the NFIU had been discussed at the leadership level where the conference committee was constituted.

    Saraki promised to take up the matter with the Speaker, House of Representatives to broker a way through and ensure that the Bill.

    Saraki said, “This matter has been discussed at the leadership level and a Conference Committee was set up. I am surprised that this meeting has not taken place. I will meet with the Speaker of the House of Representatives and I will remind him of the decision we took so that he can direct the chairman in the House of Representatives on this.

    “Both of you will work on it as fast as you can so that we can transmit this bill to the President before the next Egmont meeting in order to save this country. We will take action.”

    A source however said that the problem between the two chambers emanated from their different positions.

    He noted that while the Senate wanted the NFIU removed from the control of the EFCC, the House wants the body to be domiciled in EFCC.

    Read Also: Senate threatens to pass 2018 budget without MDAs’ inputs

  • Kaduna crisis: Senate warns against religious conflicts

    Kaduna crisis: Senate warns against religious conflicts

    The Senate Tuesday asked Nigerians to learn to live in peace and harmony with one another in the interest of the country.

    The upper chamber said that Nigerians should avoid all forms of violence especially those that have religious colouration.

    Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, gave the advice following a Point of Order raised by Senator Shehu Sani on the violence that erupted in Kaduna State on Monday.

    Reports had it that about nine persons died on Monday in a clash between Christians and Muslim youths in Kasuwan Magani Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State.

    Ekweremadu after listening to Sani’s lamentation over increasing spate of violence in parts of the country warned that religious conflict could be the fasted means to liquidate the country if not avoided.

    Ekweremadu said, “This is one incident too many, killings in all parts of Nigeria. This is becoming very worrisome. What is even more worrying is the religious colouration to the killings, based on what Senator Shehu Sani has said. This is something we need to avoid.

    “That is, any conflict that will have religious colouration. That will be the fastest way to liquidate this country. As leaders, we must understand that leadership comes with responsibilities. It is our job to keep preaching to those who are leading through our actions and words that we belong to one God.

    “The fact that somebody is a Christian or Muslim does not mean that he hates another person. I have not seen any religion that preaches hate killings. It is the way we behave that promotes that.

    “We are talking about hate speeches. The worst of it is hate action. If we treat ourselves as brothers and sisters, those following us will follow us. We must try as hard as we can not to have any religious escalation in Nigeria.”

    Sani (Kaduna Central) in his submission described the incident as unfortunate and lamented the situation where Nigerians are faced with one form of violence or the other every day.

    He said, “I stand to bring to the attention of the Senate and the nation an unfortunate violence we had yesterday in Kasuwan Magani, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. The violence took the lives of over six to seven people. Houses were burnt and it was a season of mayhem.

    “The mayhem was attributed to youths who decided to take the laws into their hands. But it had the colouration of religious violence. Everyday, we wake up in this country and we are faced with one form of violence or another. We are now accepting the reality that violence is the way of life.

    “It is unfortunate that we wake up everyday and we see killings, kidnappings and other things that shake the stability and unity of this country in every respect.

    “I use this opportunity to appeal to all parties involved in all forms of violence to know that we cannot achieve any progress without peace.

    “The unity of Nigeria is not about the flag or the anthem, but the establishment of a system that ensures justice, harmony and love among one another. I want the Senate to identify with us in our time of crisis.

    “We must live together as Christians and as Muslims in this country. We need to live as people, despite the fact that we are from different parts of the country.”

    Read Also: Nine killed as Christian, Muslim youths clash in Kaduna

  • APC NEC meeting: Senate adjourns plenary

    APC NEC meeting: Senate adjourns plenary

    The Senate on Tuesday adjourned sitting in order to allow members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus attend the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting of the party.

    Read Also: Senate splits over passage of 2019 elections order bill

    Details shortly…

  • Constitution review: State assemblies excite Saraki

    Constitution review: State assemblies excite Saraki

    President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on Monday, took to his social media accounts to express his excitement that 25 of the 36 states had voted on amendments to the constitution that were passed by the National Assembly in July 2017.

    Saraki stated that the passage of the amendments by the 25 state assembles was a testament to the fact that with the right vision and follow-through, the country can achieve a lot as a nation.

    He was also quoted as saying that the process was a pointer that politicians from various walks of life and various parties can still come together to get things done.

    Saraki’s comments, reproduced by his media office on Monday read, “I am excited about the news that 25 out of 36 states have voted on the #ConstitutionReview amendments that the 8th National Assembly passed in 2017.

    “In 2015, when we first started the ambitious process to review the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, we never could have imagined the level of support and participation that we would get from all of you — everyday Nigerians, members of the civil society, and political actors across the country.

    “This is why the passage of the #ConstitutionReview amendments in 25 states across the country, is a pat on the back of legislators at both the Federal and State levels — because it shows that with the right vision and follow-through, we can achieve anything as a nation.

    “Make no mistake, this is another #PromiseKept by the 8th National Assembly, and it further demonstrates that despite our differences, politicians from various walks of life and various parties can still come together to get things done.

    “Moving forward, I cannot wait to receive the #ConstitutionReview documents at the National Assembly, so that we can move forward with the process of getting them assented and cemented in the laws of our great Federal Republic.

    “Now that both the Nigerian Senate and the House of Representatives have set up a Joint Committee to review the #ConstitutionReview amendments that did not scale through initially, we are encouraged with the level of collaboration that we have already seen from the State Assemblies throughout this process.

    “I am very encouraged for the next phase of this process.

    “Well done to members of our State Houses of Assembly”.

    Read Also:Saraki names conference committee on electoral reforms Bill

  • Heat wave forces Senate to adjourn

    Heat wave forces Senate to adjourn

    The Senate Thursday abruptly adjourned plenary over unbearable heat wave in the chamber.

    The adjournment followed a point of order raised by Senate Services Committee Chairman, Senator Ibrahim Gobir, who drew attention of his colleagues to the inclement condition in the chamber.

    Gobir prayed for adjournment to allow proper examination of the problem to be made.

    President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki, agreed that the chamber was actually unfriendly.

    He sought the leave of the House to adjourn plenary till next Tuesday to allow for proper examination of cooling system in the chamber.

    The resolution was to adjourn to allow proper maintenance of faulty electrical and cooling systems to take place.

    Findings showed that the air conditioner in chamber broke down on Wednesday.

    Efforts to repair the air conditioners were said to have remained unsuccessful as at press time.

    A fire alarm was raised when huge smoke was noticed at the technical room located at the complex basement.

    The alarm forced staff and visitors to scamper for safety. Fire service men promptly mobilized to deal with the situation.

    It was learnt that there was a spark at the technical room which resulted in the smoke and a possible outbreak of fire.

    The smoke quickly spread even into the chamber forcing the lawmakers to feel uncomfortable.

    Adjoining rooms, including committee rooms, the lobby and the gangway, were not spared.

    Some senators did not wait for the conclusion of the motion for adjournment before they rushed out of the chamber.

    A senator vowed never to return to the chamber until the cooling system was put in order.

    “We are not animals; we need a conducive environment to work. How can anybody say that all is well, that we should continue as if the situation is normal under this heat. It is not possible. The right thing is what has been done to enable them put things in order,” the north east senator said.

    Read Also: Fire scare forces Senate adjournment