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Tag: Yakubu Dogara

  • N150bn allocation for lawmakers not over bloated – Deputy Speaker

    N150bn allocation for lawmakers not over bloated – Deputy Speaker

    The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun, on Tuesday defended the N150 billion budgetary allocation for the National Assembly, saying it is not excessive.

    Lasun spoke at the inauguration of the House ad hoc committee on Welfare where he represented Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

    The Deputy Speaker while reacting to questions from reporters on the public criticism of huge salaries and allowances of the Senators and members of the House of Representatives, noted that the N150 billion received by the National Assembly annually is only 2.67 percent of the national budget.

    He said, “When you talk about salary it has to be tied to something. Let me tell you this, for the last three years with the exception of 2015, the budget of National Assembly has been N150 billion and that is exactly 2.67 percent of the total budget of the federation, so I don’t know where people see this when they said it was 25 percent of the budget of the federation.

    “The budget of the National Assembly is 2.67 percent of the budget of the federation and so it is not overblown. People have suddenly forgotten and don’t know that here are 469 members in the National Assembly with each one having five aides, paid from the N150 billion with their technocrats. We have National Assembly commission all of them draw their salaries and allowances from the N150 billion.

    “So when people talk, they say it’s only the House of Reps members and the Senators that collect the N150 billion. But they forget that in the 2015 budget, the money was reduced to N120 billion and so when you do the calculation.

    “That’s why the Dogara’s Speakership in the last one week has repeatedly made it known to the public that he’s going to engage in what we call NEEDS assessment. With that we are going to call the development partners to sit down and see what it takes for National Assembly to be involved as an arm of government and you might be surprised that we have reasons that we can compare with other legislative houses all over the world.

    “But it is not going to come from us, it will come from that body that is going to sit down.”

     

  • Alkali: we have been vindicated over APC crisis

    Alkali: we have been vindicated over APC crisis

    Prof. Rufai Alkali, the former Special Adviser on Political Affairs to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, has reiterated his earlier claim that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not prepared to govern a complex nation like Nigeria.

    Speaking with reporters in Abuja yesterday, he reminded Nigerians of his earlier call on the leadership of the APC, before the handing over of government “to plan more and talk less”.

    But he alleged that he was instead castigated by the APC’s spokesman, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    He was reacting to the selection of the leadership of the National Assembly and the responses from stakeholders within and outside the APC.

    He said: “I have observed with keen interest the scenario in the National Assembly that resulted in the election of Senator Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara and other leaders of NASS and what attracted my attention more, though not surprising, were the incoherent and contradictory responses from the leaders of the APC.

    “This is indeed a clear confirmation of my earlier warning to the APC to plan more and talk less. Undoubtedly, things have started falling apart in the APC.”

    On the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP as Deputy Senate President, he said: “Whoever said that the PDP is dead and buried should please show me the cemetery and the grave where the PDP was buried.

    “Nigerians should not forget the fact that some of the members of the PDP who joined the APC went there as a result of some circumstances, but the souls and minds of most of them are still in the PDP.”

  • NASS: Tinubu can resolve APC crisis – Majekodunmi

    NASS: Tinubu can resolve APC crisis – Majekodunmi

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Femi Majekodunmi, on Friday expressed the confidence that the crisis within the party resulting from the emergence of the leadership of the eighth National Assembly would be resolved soon.

    Majekodunmi,  said the National Leader of APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has the political sagacity to handle the matter and urged him to begin the process of reconciling all the parties involved in the crisis.

    The medical doctor – cum politician who spoke with  reporters in Abeokuta at the weekend, said given the immense contribution of Tinubu to the successes recorded by the party, the onus on him to save the ruling party from what could lead to its factionalisation.

    According to him,  the former Lagos State governor has the skills needed to call a meeting of the major stakeholders of the party where the crisis which erupted over the election of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Hon. Yakubu Dogara, as Speaker, House of Representatives respectively, can be settled once and for all.

    Majekodunmi, a close associates of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, maintained that going to court by the aggrieved party will bring further damage to the APC.

    He said, ”  It is important for the leadership of the party to learn from and also move a step ahead of what happened when both Hon. Dimeji Bankole and Hon. Aminu Tambuwal were elected Speaker of the House of Representatives even when they were not the preferred candidate of their party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which did not sanction them.

    “With what Asiwaju Tinubu has done in the past, the time has come for him to deploy his political know-how to tilt the leadership of the party towards genuine reconciliation through a meeting of the necessary stakeholders which will make Nigerians not regretting voting for the party in the last general elections.”

    The Baagbile of Egbaland further enjoined the APC National Leader not to have any candidate for any position among members of the party, stating that his role in the present political dispensation should be that of father to all with no preferred or anointed member.

    He said the APC has to be careful not to give room for the opposition to come to limelight, noting that the PDP will always be happy to capitalise on the foibles of the ruling party to catch the attention of Nigerians.

    “It is in the interest of the leadership and teeming members of the party not to play into the hands of the opposition party whose major prayer will be for the APC to fail and disappoint Nigerians through its actions and in-actions,” he said.

  • Speakership: Buhari’s stance encouraged me to run – Dogara

    Speakership: Buhari’s stance encouraged me to run – Dogara

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara has said President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision not to interfere with the process that produced the National Assembly leaders encouraged him to vie for the Speaker of House of Representatives.

    Dogara, who said this during a meeting with some state caucuses, pointed out that his victory was by Nigerians and hence he will not be vindictive.

    The Northern caucuses had come to plead with the Speaker, urging him to forget any acrimony that may have been caused by the election and work with all parties.

    He said: “We must also commend the President for his decision not to interfere in the process leading to our emergence by refusing to impose anybody on us. It was his position on this matter that gave us the encouragement to offer ourselves for this leadership.

    “Although, we faced a seemingly insurmountable hurdle which took the grace of God to overcome. So it was Nigerians who made this possible, members from all parts of the country, and so we can’t say it was only the people of Bauchi or the Northeast who supported me.”

    Dogara said he will not run a divided House on the basis of opposition to his bid during the election, adding that “this House must be stable for us to succeed.”

    The Speaker added: “Now we have to face the issue of governance. In politics, people have different views and positions either based on conviction or personal interest.

    “I bear no ill feeling towards anybody who did not vote for me, because this is the House for all and people must have their preference and I see all us as one.

    “We must come together to bring about stability and unity in the House, so as to make the achievement of the President’s policies a reality by facilitating speeding enactment of legislations that would help him to govern well.”

     

  • Saraki, Dogara: APC diaspora calls for sanctions

    Saraki, Dogara: APC diaspora calls for sanctions

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Scandinavia Chapter has vehemently condemned the result of the elections held at the National Assembly on Tuesday which produced Senator Bukola Saraki as senate president.
    The APC Scandinavia Chapter condemned  what it called ‘manner and way, Saraki and his APC cohorts treacherously worked against the party to emerge the president of the 8th Senate and Honourable Yakubu Dogara as speaker of the House of Representatives respectively.
    “It is ignominy and derogatory drama that some APC members could pull together with PDP members to elect a PDP deputy Senate president and majority leader of the 8th Senate.
    “It is a clear pointer that some APC members are still having the mindset of Jonathan led administration in the present APC led administration,” noted Lawal Ayoola, National Coordinator, APC Scandinavia Chapter.
    According to Ayoola, the chapter urges the national leadership of the party to weigh in and set the record straight by meting out the appropriate sanction and punishment against any individual or group for any anti-party activity.
    “This is a litmus test and a clear opportunity for the party leadership to send the clear signal that the party’s interest supersedes any individual ambition or interest and this is real change and business unusual,” he maintained.
  • Dogara to opponents: You did not lose

    Dogara to opponents: You did not lose

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu  Dogara, has assured that his leadership will not be vindictive against those that contested against him for the position.

    Dogara, while receiving former leadership of the House in his office Wednesday, promised to reach out and mend walls with his opponents.

    He said rancour – free House is needed to compliment the Executive on the delivery of electoral promises that brought the All Progressives Congress (APC) to power.

    Former Speakers and Deputy Speakers of the House in attendance are – Agunwa Anakwe, Ghali Umar Na’aba, Patricia Olubunmi Etteh, Aminu Tambuwal, Babangida Nguruje and Emeka Ihedioha.

    Others are the immediate past Leader of the House, Mulikat Akande-Adeola, her deputy, Leo Okuweh Ogor, immediate past Chief Whip, Mohammed Ishaka Bawa, his deputy, Muhammed Mukhtar and the immediate past Deputy Minority Leader, Suleiman Abdulrahman Kawu.

    Dogara said, “We are committed to the peace and stability of the House with a view to attaining our legislative agenda that will compliment the efforts of the Executive in trying to bring about the change Nigerians voted for.

    “Talking about healing the wounds and division that has been caused by Tuesday’s event, I assure you that we have been together and we know ourselves.

    “We will come together and mend walls because some people may feel that they have lost.

    “I want to tell them that they have not lost anything, as this remains a leadership that is for all.”

    He also assured the former leadership that his emergence as Speaker was for no other purpose than for the delivery of dividends of democracy to Nigerians.

    “Electoral victory was delivered to the APC because Nigerians were tired of excuses.

    “They can’t wait any longer, and that is why we must as responsible leaders compliment the efforts of government.

    “Because as legislature, we must work with the Executive to achieve the needed change that Nigerians voted for which is why we can’t begin to engage the executive in unnecessary bickering that does no good to the general wellbeing of Nigerians.”

  • APC rejects Saraki, Dogara

    APC rejects Saraki, Dogara

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has rejected the newly elected leadership of the National Assembly, saying it will use all constitutional and legal means to resolve the leadership tussle in the Assembly.

    The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement shortly after the emergence of Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker of the House respectively that the elections that produced the duo were unacceptable to the party.

    Mohammed described the processes as highest level of indiscipline and treachery, adding that no individual should place himself above the party.

    The statement said, “Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Dogara are not the candidates of the APC and a majority of its National Assembly members-elect for the positions of Senate President and House Speaker respectively.

    “The party duly met and conducted a straw poll and clear candidates emerged for the posts of Senate President, Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, supported by a majority of all Senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives.

    “All National Assembly members-elect who emerged on the platform of the party are bound by that decision. The party is supreme and its interest is superior to that of its individual members.

    “Consequently, the APC leadership is meeting in a bid to re-establish discipline in the party and to mete out the necessary sanctions to all those involved in what is nothing but a monumental act of indiscipline and betrayal to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles for the new administration.”

    The party decried a situation in which some people, based on nothing but inordinate ambition and lack of  discipline and loyalty, will enter into an unholy alliance with the very same people whom the party and indeed the entire country worked hard to replace and sell out the hard won victory of the party.

     

  • Dogara elected as Reps Speaker

    Dogara elected as Reps Speaker

    Hon. Yakubu Dogara was on Tuesday elected as Speaker of the 8th House of Representatives.

    He polled 182 votes to edge out Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila who garnered 174 votes.

    They are both members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    A total of 356 lawmakers took part in the exercise.

    Dogara was later sworn in by the Clerk of the National Assembly.

    Details later…

  • NASS: Dogara, Gbajabiamila for Speaker

    NASS: Dogara, Gbajabiamila for Speaker

  • Voting begins in House of Reps

    Election for a new Speaker of the House of Representatives has commenced in the House.

    Femi Gbajabiamila and Yakubu Dogara have been nominated for the position by members of the Green chamber.