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Tag: Yakubu Dogara

  • UNIMAID attack: height of wickedness – Dogara

    UNIMAID attack: height of wickedness – Dogara

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara has described the bomb attack at the University of Maiduguri which left three people, including a professor of Veterinary medicine, Professor Aliyu Usman Mani, dead as the height of wickedness.

    Dogara, who urged the Nigerian military not to he deterred in its efforts to rid the country of terrorism, however, wondered how learning institution could be the target of the degraded insurgents.

    Late Prof Mani, who died in the UNIMAID masque attack
    Late Prof Mani, who died in the UNIMAID mosque attack

    A statement by Dogara’s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan reads. “Describing the sad incident, which occurred at a mosque in the university’s staff quarters during today’s early morning prayers, as the height of wickedness, barbarism, callousness and ungodliness, the Speaker lamented that in spite of the military feat which dislodged the terrorists from their enclave, the insurgents could still find  the audacity to carry out such a dastardly act on the University campus.

    “Noting the latest bomb attack as yet another evil dimension taken by the terrorists, the Speaker urged the Nigerian security operatives not to be deterred by the new tactics of the terrorists but to step up their operations as to consolidate on the gains so far made in the fight against terrorism.”

  • 2017: The economy is our central focus – Dogara

    2017: The economy is our central focus – Dogara

    The Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has assured Nigerians of the unwavering commitment of the House to enact legislation that would pull the country out of recession in 2017.

    Dogara gave the assurance on Tuesday in Abuja in his address to welcome lawmakers from the Christmas and New Year break.

    The Speaker said the legislature would implement reforms to the budgeting process that would make it more transparent and devoid of controversies.

    He urged members to work assiduously to pass critical bills including the 2017 Appropriation Bill to lift the country out of recession.

    According to Dogara, critical bills designed to stimulate the country’s economy such as the Public Procurement Act Amendment bill, Federal Competition Bill, Petroleum Industry bill will also receive expeditious consideration.

    The Speaker, however, noted that the 2017 Budget remained the major tool to resuscitate the economy, in addition to other fiscal and monetary policies.

    He assured that the procedure and process of consideration and passage of the 2017 budget would be transparent, inclusive and professionally handled.

    He said that details of the budget should be debated and passed in plenary to avoid needless pitfalls that normally characterised the process.

    “We must brace up and work conscientiously to give Nigerians a budget that will not only lift us out of recession but kick start the needed expeditious journey into Nigeria’s prosperity.

    “We pledge to reform the budget process.

    “To this end therefore, we would ensure that the procedure and process of consideration and passage of the 2017 Budget is transparent, inclusive and professionally handled.

    “The recent fiscal measures including import prohibition of certain items and the increase or decrease of tariff on some items should receive appropriate legislative scrutiny to ensure that the economy and the interests of our people are protected.

    “We must ensure that we take no prisoners in accomplishing this task,” he added.

    Dogara, who condemned the spate of impeachment of Speakers of state Houses of Assembly, warned that the trend portends grave danger for the country’s democracy if nothing was done to reverse it.

    He said that the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution was considering bills that would grant financial autonomy to the state Houses of Assembly.

    “While we recognise the constitutional right of the legislature to conduct its internal affairs, it presents a different scenario where hiring and firing of its leadership is rife with accusations and insinuations of external influence and also devoid of extant procedure.

    “Leaders everywhere can only function efficiently where there is certainty that commendation is the reward for good leadership and sanction the consequence of inept leadership,” Dogara added.

  • Dogara @49: I have more confidence in youths – Buhari

    Dogara @49: I have more confidence in youths – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has commended the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, for always putting Nigeria’s interest above every other thing.

    The President stated this on Sunday in Abuja in a statement to mark the Speaker’s 49th birthday anniversary.

    Buhari, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, noted that he was impressed with Dogara’s rising political career and his leadership style at his relatively young age.

    He added that the Speaker’s performance had reinforced his confidence in the country’s youth.

    “With Dogara’s performance as Speaker, fears that the country’s younger politicians have been pushed into background are unfounded,” the President said.

    He said that his administration would always encourage the younger generation.

    He was also optimistic of closer working relationship with the legislature in order to fast track the implementation of critically important national policies and programmes.

  • Judge’s absence stalls hearing in Jibrin’s case against NASS

    Judge’s absence stalls hearing in Jibrin’s case against NASS

    The absence of the judge presiding over Abdulmuni Jibril’s case against the National Assembly and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, on Tuesday stalled hearing on the matter at the Federal High Court, Kano.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Kiru/Bebeji federal constituency had challenged the suspension of Jibrin by the House of Representatives over his involvement in the alleged padding of the 2016 budget.

    Speaking to journalists in court, the lead counsel for Kofa’s constituency, Mr. Bashir Muqaddam, said the Judge, Justice Idris Koko, had travelled out of the state for the judges’ conference, currently holding at the Federal Capital, Abuja.

    He said after returning from the conference, the judges would proceed for the Christmas and New Year vacations.

    According to him, the judges are expected to resume on January 19, 2017 while the case has been fixed for January 18, 2017 for mentioning.

    “We are asking that the sum of N2 billion be given to our client, Hon Abdulmumini Jibrin, as payment for damages to his reputation.

    “When we resume on January 18, 2017, the case will come up for mentioning,’’ Muqaddam said.

    He said the constituency was challenging the legality of Jibrin suspension by the House of Representatives.

    “We want to know whether his whistle blowing role in exposing how the 2016 budget was padded was in contradiction of any stipulated law of the land.

    “Fundamentally, we want an immediate re-instatement of the suspended member and the court to also order for the payment of all his entitlements for the suspension period,” he added.

     

     

  • Dogara: sack governors who hijack council funds

    Dogara: sack governors who hijack council funds

    Governors who refuse to conduct council elections should be removed from office for gross violation of the Constitution, House Speaker Yakubu Dogara has said.

    He accused governors of violating the 1999 Constitution by undermining local councils’ independence.

    The Speaker accused governors of using local government funds instead of making the money available to the councils.

    He described the state/local government joint accounts as “evil”, adding that governors have emasculated councils and turned them into cash cows.

    According to him, it is unfortunate that most governors have “pocketed” Houses of Assembly, making them toothless, hence their inability to impeach governors who violate the constitution.

    To Dogara, failure to conduct council elections amounts to “serious violation of the provisions of the constitution”, which he said was “one of the biggest grounds for impeachment”.

    He said: “As a matter of fact, joint account is one of the biggest evils because it gives the authority to local government ministries in the state.

    “In most states, especially in the north where we don’t have oil and co, the ministry of local government in the state is regarded as the ministry of petroleum resources.

    “So we all know when funds are allocated to the councils. Instead of getting to the councils, they are hijacked at that (state) level and appropriated according to the whims of the powers that be.

    On what is to be done, Dogara said: “We will have to make this local government system a bit independent.

    “I am not saying absolute independence because we may not achieve that since ours is a strong federation. It is not a weak federation like what you have in the United States where councils and states join their own money and then appropriate it and pay royalties in taxes to the federal government.

    “So, what we can therefore do is make sure that in the spirit of the constitution, the local government administration is democratically-elected to ensure that by provision of the constitution, that any local government that is not democratically constituted will not have access to any funding from the federation.

    “That was the problem we had, there was this issue of Lagos creating more councils and then President Olusegun Obasanjo decided to deny them allocation from the federation account before the courts said you are just a trustee, you can’t do that. As a matter of fact, the money does not belong to the Federal  Republic of Nigeria. So, we must cure that

    “We talked about financial autonomy, which is the biggest. We want to guarantee that by ensuring that councils submit their respective account numbers to the federal government where money meant for them are paid directly without any intervening authority or third party on the chain so that council authorities and citizens that live in those local governments will know that this is what is coming.

    “The money is published every month so they know. And to be able to achieve this, I did talk about the state legislators needing some form of autonomy and we want to give them that. That will definitely be in the proposal that will be going out to them to vote on. We talked about ensuring democracy, credible elections at the third tier of government and we agreed, it was your suggestion actually, and I concurred that state independent electoral commissions have never worked and will never work. So our best bet is to make sure that they are eliminated.”

    As a way out of the problem, the Speaker said any state whose councils are run by caretaker committees should not get federal allocations.

    “What we are trying to say is, okay,  if your local government administration is caretaker, you cannot draw funds from the federation account. That should be a provision of the constitution itself,” he said.

    Dogara wants State Independent Electoral Commissions (SIECs) abolished. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should conduct council elections, he said.

    In an interview, Dogara said the constitution provides that the local government officials must be democratically-elected, but very few of them have elected executives running their affairs.

    “It is a system that is in crisis. Since 1999 when we had this latest advent of politics, I don’t want to go back to the days of military regime, you will attest to the fact that there is hardly any local government that has lived up to its constitutional mandate and the reasons are quite obvious,” he said.

    According to him, in other democracies such as Brazil, India and the United States, there are democratically elected leaders for the councils’ executive, legislature, courts and police.

    “But in Nigeria, the governor will sit in the state executive meeting and they will come up with a resolution that they have sacked an elected council executive and then they appoint council caretaker committees. And to be candid, that is a gross violation of the constitution.

    “I don’t know if the framers were able to anticipate that that may likely be the situation that most of the governors will violate the powers that were assigned to the states with respect to local governments under the constitution.

    “That has become the norm rather than the exception, where majority of the councils in Nigeria, even as we speak in this era of change and the promise All Progressives Congress (APC) made, you will be surprised that majority of the area councils are run by caretaker councils and there is no where in the constitution where caretaker is mentioned,” Dogara said.

    The speaker said the joint account is “one of the biggest evils” bedeviling local government areas.

    His words: “In most states, especially in the North where we don’t have oil and co, the ministry of local government is regarded as the ministry of petroleum resources.

    “So, we all know when funds are allocated to the councils, instead of getting to the councils, they are hijacked at that level and appropriated according to the whims of the powers that be.”

    The solution, Dogara said, is a Constitution amendment to make councils less subject to laws passed by the state assemblies.

    “For us to tackle this problem, since they are constitutional, it means that the only avenue we have is to embark on constitution amendment. If we don’t get it on that level, I don’t think it is going to work,” he said.

    According to the Speaker, for councils to have financial autonomy, they must maintain an account with the Accountant-General of the Federation where monies due them will be paid directly, thereby eliminating joint accounts.

    He said the constitution has to be very clear on how council executives are composed to avoid situations where states unilaterally suspend a council chairman or councilors.

    Dogara said if councils become efficient, the best hands would want to contest elections as chairmen and councilors.

    He said when financial autonomy and independence is achieved, councils would still, to some extent, be under states’ jurisdiction regarding healthcare, basic education, policing, among others.

    On the House’s role, he said: “The aspect we will be looking at is to ensure that all local government councils in Nigeria are democratically run, not run by caretaker councils appointed by the state executive. That is one big area that we are looking at.

    “The second area is democratically elected council legislators, not caretaker committees, so that they will be saddled with the responsibility of passing laws that will give the council the powers to effect all latitudes given to them under the 4th schedule of the 1999 constitution. We talked about financial autonomy, which is the biggest.

     ”We want to guarantee that by ensuring that councils submit their respective account numbers to the federal government where money meant for them are paid directly without any intervening authority or third party all the chain so that council authorities and citizens that live in those local governments will know that this is what is coming. The money is published every month so they know.

     ”State legislators need some form of autonomy and we want to give them that. That will definitely be in the proposal that will be going out to them to vote on.”

    On why SIECs should be abolished, he said: “State independent electoral commissions have never worked and will never work. So our best bet is to make sure that they are eliminated.

    “From the proposal that will come out from us, you will discover that the state independent electoral commission will be removed from the provisions of the constitution but it is left for the state assemblies, two thirds of them, to agree with us.

    “Once we do that, we will transfer the powers of organising elections in the third tier of government to INEC which appears to be doing a better job than the state electoral commission, and that is by popular consensus anyway.

    “So, that is what we want to do in regards to the councils and the motivation is to ensure that we have a sustained basis at the local level where developmental activities can take place to stem the tide of rural-urban migration which has become a big problem in this country.

    “When we do that, we will improve on the quality of the pool of professionals that will serve at the local level. That therefore means that it will escalate developmental activities across the nation. That is what we are doing.”

    Dogara recalled that in the seventh assembly, effort was made during the constitution amendment to vest council with financial autonomy. He said 20 state assemblies endorsed it, but because two-thirds of the states was needed, the amendment could not scale through as it fell short by four states.

  • Akeredolu’s victory a proof of APC’s popularity – Dogara

    The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has congratulated All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Rotimi Akeredolu, on his election as Ondo State Governor-elect.

    The felicitation message is in a statement issued on Sunday by Mr Turaki Hassan, the Speaker`s Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs.

    Dogara maintained that the victory of the APC in the election was a proof that the party was loved by Nigerians.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Akeredolu as winner in the Ondo State Nov. 26 governorship election with a total of 244,842 votes, ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Eyitayo Jegede,
    who polled 150,380 votes.

    The Alliance for Democracy got 126, 889 votes while the Social Democratic Party got 10, 147 votes.

    The Speaker said “the election of Chief Rotimi Akeredolu and the APC in Ondo State is a clear indication of the popularity of our political party.

    “I would like to congratulate Akeredolu on his victory at the poll and also commend our great party, the APC, for a thorough and successful campaign.’’

    Dogara then urged stakeholders to come together and ensure that the incoming APC government in Ondo State delivered the mandate given by the people, in line with the party’s manifesto.

    He said that “as a party, we must take our victory in Ondo State seriously since the people have placed enormous trust in us.

    “We must, therefore, deliver on policies that will improve the standard of living of the people.’’

    While commending the people of Ondo State for keeping the election process peaceful and coming out to perform their civic duty, Dogara also praised INEC and security agencies for ensuring a hitch-free exercise. (NAN)

  • Reps to meet Buhari over incessant Killings

    Reps to meet Buhari over incessant Killings

    Worried by the continuous killings across the country, the House of  Representatives Thursday mandated the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara and other principal officers to meet with President Muhammadu Buhari and the security chiefs over the rising wave of insecurity

    The proposed meeting with  Buhari is for the purpose of getting him to act urgently on the trend of herdsmen attacks, armed robbery, kidnapping, and other security challenges.

    The House also said a conference on security involving all security agencies should be convened to proffer solution to the problem and called for a Declaration of Emergency in Southern Kaduna senatorial district by the Federal and Kaduna State governments.

    The lawmakers also urged the Director of the Department of State Service in charge of internal security to wake up to his responsibility in terms of securing the lives of Nigerians in the country.

    The resolutions of the House was sequel to the adoption of the amended prayers of a motion  of urgent public importance by a member, Hon. Simon Arabo (Kaduna APC) who decried the senseless killings in the region, especially the recent killing of 43 persons and destruction of houses in Kauru Local government, by unknown gunmen.

    Recall that armed men attacked Kigam, Kitakum, Ungwan Magaji, Ungwan Rimi, Ungwan Makera and Kizipi villages in Kauru Local government area of Kaduna state, on November 13 to 14, 2016, killing 43 persons including women and children and injuring several others.

    The lawmakers called for the establishment of a military strike force in the area in the meantime as a form of deterrent, saying the attacks are becoming too rampant.

    The Green Chamber urged security agencies to intensify efforts to apprehend and prosecute perpetrators of the attacks, in accordance with its resolutions of October 19, 2016 which came on the heel of a previous attacks.

    While supporting the motion, Hon. Jagaba Adams Jagaba (Kaduna APC) accused the military of apathy to the killings.

    “You call them and they tell you that they do not have mandate to act. In some cases, they come and arrest the same people who have asked them for protection, after the attackers have gone,

    “There is no concern by government. People do what they like and get away with it. The repercussion is great for the nation.

    Majority Leader, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila warned that the attacks have a tendency to migrate to other parts of the country. Its coming to a time when a state of emergency will be declared in Southern Kaduna. It should therefore not be considered a southern Kaduna problem, This is the time to act,” he said.

    Another member, Hon. Zakari Mohammed (Kwara APC) noted that such incidents speak to the need to revisit laws that regulate the rights of citizens to bear arms and the consideration of state police.

    He said: “We have to look at these issues seriously else people would resort to self help. The problem with self help is that it could cause more harm than the initial harm.”

    Other members who supported the motion include, Mohammed sanni Abdul, Garba Datti Mohammed, Babale Bachir, Shehu Garba, Kingsley Chinda and Sanni Zoro.

  • Reps, stakeholders parley on avoidable double taxation for FDIs

    Reps, stakeholders parley on avoidable double taxation for FDIs

    Stakeholders met Tuesday to fashion out a way to stop the practice of double taxation on Foreign Direct Investments.

    The opening of the public hearing on the bill on ‘Agreements between United Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Spain and the Republic of Korea with Federal Republic of Nigeria for avoidance of double taxation and prevention of tax evasion with respect to taxes on income and capital gains,” which was put together by the House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements provided a platform for them to proffer solutions to the problem.

    The House of Representatives assured international community of its intention to honour various bilateral treaties, protocols and agreements including the ‘Avoidance of double taxation’

    While addressing stakeholders during the opening of the public hearing on the bill Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara gave the assurance that the three Executive bills when passed into law will “lower the administration cost of taxation and encourage direct foreign investment (FDI) to the country.

    Dogara who was represented by Chukwuka Onyema, Deputy Majority Leader said the legislative framework will “address complaints of a democratic deficit arising from the absence of consultation and in line with the legislative mandate of the House to ‘establish necessary legislative interventions that respond to national economic challenges.”

    Double taxation avoidance agreements, he said, “are regular bilateral tax agreements between countries in this increasingly globalized world. Such an agreement tries to eliminate double taxation in the case of trans-national flow of income and is widely pursued to avoid a situation discouraging trans-national Economic activities.

    “It also provides the fundamental guidelines for taxation of income that flow from one country to the other.”

    Chairman, House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements, Yakub Balogun in an earlier speech noted that section 12(1) of the 1999 Constitution as amended provides that ‘No treaty between the Federation and any other country shall have force of law except to the extent to which any such treaty has been enacted into law by the National Assembly.’

    The lawmaker explained the agreements seeks to “avoid double-taxing taxable items such as business profits, immovable property, dividends, fees, salaries, pensions and all forms of income accruing to resident individuals and corporate entities of the signatory country in the other contracting country.”

    Babatunde Fowler, chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) in his presentation said:  “double taxation of income across borders could serve as barrier to the flow of goods, service, capital, technology, international traffic or other economic activities, hence the need for countries to come together to develop an agreement to eliminate double taxation, while double non-taxation or reduced taxation reduces potential government revenue.

    “Avoidable of double taxation agreements do not impose new taxes” he said.

    According to him, “the agreement seeks to allocate the taxing rights in the domestic tax laws of the two countries in accordance with international agreed tax rules, based on source and residency principles, in order to guide against double taxation, reduced taxation or non-taxation.”

    Fowler said in Nigeria, the process leading to the conclusion of tax agreements include: negotiation of agreement; signing of agreement by the component Authority, ratification of agreement by Federal Executive Council; enactment of an Act by the National Assembly for domestication and enforcement of agreement in Nigeria, among others.

    Dean for International Tax, Chartered Institute of Taxation of Nigeria (CITN) Moses Ibiloye, observed that the treaties are long overdue, adding that the treaties will facilitate exchange of information between revenue authorities of the two states and provide procedure for prompt resolution in time of conflict, disagreement or dispute.

    His words: “Business making has changed the world over. For success to be recorded, it is important to place your market in the public domain so that investors can see and know the rules or laws. It gives them detailed information about the tax laws of your country and trade restriction”.

    He said each of the treaties is fairly balanced, conducted in the spirit of give and take and that Nigeria’s interest have been properly taken care of. Incentives are given in line with the domestic tax laws to attract business investment from the contracting states, while not giving away Nigeria’s rights.

    Ibiloye however lamented the number of treaties Nigeria has as well as the prolonged process of domestication of such treaties adding that bureaucratic process involved in the initiation and negotiation formed part of the delay.

    He observed that Nigeria presently has 10 subsisting tax treaties compared to 50-100 in other countries of similar size with Nigeria.

    “Some of the hurdles against procurement of tax treaty in Nigeria include bureaucratic process involved in the initiation, data gathering, correspondence and negotiation; constitutional requirements on treaty; legislative process as well as political structure as relating to taxation,” he said.

    Ann Ameh, Senior Associate for PriceWater Chooper (PWC) on her part observed that previous ratified laws in Nigeria with respect to taxes covered residents and permanent establishment while rates of applicable WHT rates on interests, dividends and royalties. The reduced WHT rate of 7.5% is applicable to dividend, interest and royalties paid to members of both contracting States.

  • Budget padding: Jibrin challenges suspension in fresh suit

    Budget padding: Jibrin challenges suspension in fresh suit

    …Seeks N1bn compensation

    Former Chairman, Appropriation Committee of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumin Jibrin has challenged his suspension from participating in the House’s activities for 180 days.

    The legislator, who was recently suspended following his disagreement with the House’s leadership over alleged fraudulent conduct, including padding of the last national budget, is seeking N1billion damages against the defendants in a fresh suit he filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    Jibrin, in the suit with House Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, Clerk and others as defendants, wants the court to declare among others, that his suspension amounted to a violation of his fundamental human right to freedom of expression.

    He equally wants a declaration that the resolution passed by the House, suspending him, was in breach of the provisions of Section 68 of the 1999 Constitution.

    Jibrin wants an order of injunction restraining the House from preventing him from participating in its activities, including those of its Committees, or accessing the legislative chambers to perform his legislative duties.

    He seeks an order for the award of N1 billion against the defendants as punitive and general damages for his unlawful suspension.

    Justice John Tsosho, to who the case is assigned, has fixed hearing for November 22.

    Meanwhile, Jibrin withdrew yesterday, an earlier suit he filed before before his suspension.

    He had sought to restrain the House of Reps and its leadership from giving effect to the threat to suspend him.

    Friday, Jibrin’s lawyer, Chukwuma Nwachukwu applied to withdraw the earlier case on the ground that it has been overtaken by event.

    Although defendants’ lawyer, Kalu Onuoha demanded for cost from the plaintiff, Justice Tsoho struck out the suit, but declined Onuoha’s request for cost.

  • Buhari to declare N/Assembly seminar on corruption open

    Buhari to declare N/Assembly seminar on corruption open

    President Muhammadu Buhari, will Tuesday declare open a two day seminar aimed at formulating a legislative framework for the anti-corruption fight in the country, the Senate said Monday.

    The seminar being organised by the Senate and House of Representatives committees on Anti-Corruption, has as its theme: “The role of the legislature in the fight against corruption in Nigeria.”

    A statement by the Special Assistant to Senate President on Print Media, Chuks Okocha, said that Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara will co-host the anti-corruption seminar.

    It said that Senate Committee Chairman on Anti-corruption, Senator Chukwuma Utazi, explained that “the seminar is to give legal strength to the anti-corruption fight of the present administration and to create legislative synergy for the anti-corruption fight”.

    “The seminar is aimed at making good the promise of the National Assembly that we are on the same page with the President Buhari led administration and in line with the legislative agenda, that there is a synergy between the National Assembly and the Presidency in the fight against corruption.

    “It is to reaffirm the point that you cannot clap with one hand. It is our way of saying that there must be a legislative strength to back the anti-corruption stance of the present administration”, Utazi said.

    The keynote address of the seminar, it said, will be delivered by Prof. P. L. O. Lumumba, Director General of the Kenyan Law School who is also an international scholar on the issues of corruption.