The Nation Newspaper

Tag: The Speaker

  • Don’t see non-indigenes as enemies, Speaker tells Lagosians

    The Speaker, Lagos State House of Assembly (LAHA), Mr Mudashiru Obasa, on Tuesday advised residents of the state not to see non-indigenes residing in Lagos as enemies.

    Obasa spoke while inaugurating a water project at Ward D in Ojokoro which was provided by Mr Rasheed Makinde, lawmaker representing Ifako-Ijaiye Constituency II at LAHA.

    He spoke against the backdrop of the ethnic wrangling in Lagos following the outcome of the Presidential and the National Assembly elections.

    “We are one, whether Hausa, Igbo or Yoruba. We should live together; all tribes should vote for APC because we don’t discriminate in Lagos State.

    “We should not see them (non-indigenes) as enemies. We only need to enlighten the non-indigenes among us. There is no need to fight.

    “We should let them know the good things they are enjoying in Lagos State in education and healthcare services, among others.

    “Both Igbos and Hausas enjoy same benefits as Yorubas in Lagos, so they should vote for us,” Obasa said.

    The speaker, however, urged party supporters to rather persuade and enlighten the non-indigenes living in the state on the need to cast their votes for the ruling party.

    According to him, many Lagos residents do not always come out to vote during elections and there is a need to change this attitude in the forthcoming gubernatorial and House of Assembly elections.

    “We want to appeal to non-indigenes in Lagos to come out and support the party that has been making it possible to actualise their dreams and aspirations in Lagos State.

    “They must support what the APC is doing in the state. It is always better when we work together, when we collaborate. If you are living in Lagos, we have not at any time discriminated against anybody.

    “This is a very tangible reason why everybody living in Lagos should support this party.

    “This government has been serving Lagosians since 1999, making every effort to make development available to all. Go and tell the non-indigenes.

    “We cannot force them to do our own but we can encourage them. Go and tell them to support the APC because all the benefits of government here are being enjoyed by all-Igbo, Hausa and Yoruba,” he said.

    Obasa, who noted that Makinde had been a good, vocal and vibrant and active legislator, urged the people to return their lawmaker to ensure they mature in the legislative business.

    He also urged the people of Ifako-Ijaiye and Agege to come out en masse to vote for APC candidates in the upcoming elections, adding that the constituents would benefit more if they return Makinde.

    In his remarks, Makinde commended the speaker for his leadership role in the assembly and the benefits he had facilitated to the area through his office.

    After inauguration of the water project, the lawmaker and his campaign team visited a 132-year-old woman in the area, Mrs Nusiratu Aduke Olaniyan and presented her food items and cash gifts.

    Makinde, who also promised a cash gift of N10, 000 monthly for her up keep, later met with Community Development Association (CDA) members in the area. (NAN)

  • Dogara to the Nigerian military: Focus more on intelligence gathering 

    Dogara to the Nigerian military: Focus more on intelligence gathering 

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has said that for the Nigerian security forces to surmount the many security challenges confronting the country, they must change tactics and focus more on comprehensive intelligence gathering and inter-agency information sharing.

    He said inter-agency information sharing has become imperative considering daily threat to humanity by the advancement of technology and agents of violence.

    While he commended the Nigeria military for the sustenance of the nation’s democracy, the Speaker however said there is more to do by the security forces by ensuring the survival of the nation’s democracy and rescue it from the seemingly intractable spate of kidnapping and other forms of criminality.

    Dogara spoke in Abuja Monday at the annual conference for Nigerian Defence Attaches organised by the Chief of Defence Intelligence (CDI), where he noted that since democracy thrives only when lives are secure, maintenance of law and order becomes the most important function in any society.

    He said: “I believe that if we succeed in gathering effective and reliable intelligence that can be interpreted, we will always be ahead of the terrorists, of the kidnappers, and of all those who are threatening our peaceful coexistence.

    “I have always maintained that terrorism is a global problem,  and therefore, no single nation, no one nation should be left alone to deal with it.

    “And I believe that the best way we can go about it is what we are doing here; in conferences like this, building networks, effective networks, engaging with ourselves, sharing experience, that is the only way we can be ahead.

    “The most important thing in Nigeria right now, even though we are practicing democracy, is not the institution of the presidency, it is not the legislature, it is not even the judiciary but it is law and order and national security in the sense that when there is no peace and order, there can’t be a nation and we must have Nigeria first before we can talk about a Nigerian president, a Nigerian legislature and even the judiciary.

    “I want to commend the military for putting together this function and to say that being aware of our role as the first institution of our democracy, we will do everything within  the confines of our powers and within available national resources, to see that we appropriate more for the peace, order and good governance of this country, because any nation which fails to invest in security will diminish.

    “It has happened, examples are replete, so we will not fail to invest in security”.

    Saying that the contribution of the military to the development of the country’s democracy cannot be overemphasized, Dogara implored the security forces not to be deterred.

    “I want to, on behalf of members of the National Assembly and indeed, Nigerians, thank the military for the work you are doing.

    “The 21st century in particular where the entire humanity is threatened by the advancement of technology and by the threat of violence.

    “Whenever violence occurs you will see a reverse in the social order. As a matter of fact, violence even destroys civilisations.

    “I have always used the theatre of conflict in Nigeria, the North-East, as an example. Virtually everything we have achieved in that region, especially in the three states that are most affected, is completely gone.

    “So, what should be our response to violence because this is a generation that is called upon to defeat violence, otherwise, violence will defeat us and reverse our civilisation as it has happened in the North-East.

    “In most cases, I pity the military because they are always called upon at the 11th hour. In fact, sometimes at the 12th hour when everything has snowballed, crisis have happened, and casualties, that is when they are called upon,” he added.

  • Gov. Obaseki requests Edo Assembly to confirm nominee for traffic agency

    Gov. Obaseki requests Edo Assembly to confirm nominee for traffic agency

    Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo on Monday requested the State House of Assembly to confirm Mr Dennis Omoregie as the Managing Director, Edo State Traffic Control Agency.

    The request was conveyed in a letter signed and sent to the house by the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Mr Osarodion Ogie.

    The speaker, Justin Okonoboh, referred the request to the house committee on rules, business and Government House.
    Also at plenary, a motion to extend the business calendar of the third quarter, second session of the sixth assembly from March 31 to April 7, 2017 was moved by the majority leader, Mr Foly Ogedengbe.

    The motion was seconded by the deputy speaker, Mrs Elizabeth Ativie, member representing (APC Uhunmwode) constituency.

    Moving the motion, Ogedengbe said “the business calendar for this quarter was supposed to have ended on March 31 but we have only extended it with five days,’’ he said.

    The house, however, adopted the business calendar without amendment.

    Meanwhile, the consideration of a bill for a law to eliminate violence in public and private places and prohibit all forms of violence against persons, as well as provide maximum protection, was stepped down.

    The bill was stepped down by the speaker, Justin Okonoboh, as a result of opposition by the chief whip, Kabiru Adjoto and other members of the house.

    Adjoto urged the house to subject the bill to a public hearing, before considering it for passage.

    All efforts by the deputy speaker, Mrs Elizabeth Ativie; majority leader, Mr Foly Ogdengbe, and minority leader, Mr Patrick Iluobe, to persuade other members of the house to support the passage of the bill failed.

    The bill was subsequently stepped down by the speaker.

  • Ekiti Speaker condoles with NMA over death of colleagues

    Ekiti Speaker condoles with NMA over death of colleagues

    The Speaker, Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mr Kola Oluwawole, on Monday condoled with the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Ado-Ekiti branch, over the death of six of its members in an auto-crash.

     

    Oluwawole also condoled with the people and government of Ekiti in a statement issued by his Media Aide, Stephen Gbadamosi, in Ado-Ekiti.

     

    He described the death of the six medical doctors as a grievous moment, not only for EKiti, but the entire nation and the health sector in particular.

     

    Oluwawole, according to the statement, said members of the state Assembly received the news with shock.

     

    “When we received the sad news from one of our members, Dr Samuel Omotoso, who is also a professional colleague of the deceased, we were shocked.

     

    “The deceased were in active service to their fatherland, when death took them in their prime.

     

    “They were going to the 56th NMA Annual General conference and delegates’ meeting in Sokoto, which would have impacted positively on the nation’s health sector,” the statement reads.

     

    He commiserated with the people of Nigeria, Ekiti State as well as members of the medical profession over the monumental loss.

     

    He said, “May the good Lord uphold the medical family and the immediate families of the deceased. ”

     

    NAN reports that Ekiti state government has declared a three-day of mourning in honour of the dead medical doctors, while all flags should be flown at half mast.

     

    The six medical practitioners and their driver died when the car they were traveling in was involved in an accident few kilometers to Kaduna on Sunday.