Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: Ahmad Lawan

  • Lawan rules out impeachment over insecurity despite ‘executive failure’

    Lawan rules out impeachment over insecurity despite ‘executive failure’

    The President of the Nigerian Senate has ruled out impeachment of President Muhammadu Buhari by the National Assembly over insecurity in the country despite attributing the persistent insecurity in the country to “failure of the executive”.

    Senate President Lawan made the comment during finals of the first Plateau North Peace, Unity and Reconciliation football tournament organised by Istifanus Gyang, representing Plateau North District in the Senate, saying such action would not solve the problem.

    Lawan, who was represented by Senator representing Benue North-East District, Gabriel Suswan, said: “Impeaching President Buhari is not the focus of the National Assembly as that may not solve the problem of insecurity in the country. But desperate action is needed by the commander-in-chief to allay the fears of Nigerians.”

    According to Suswan, any incident of insecurity that has persisted, like what the country is witnessing today, is failure of the executive, either at the state or national level. “What we are facing today requires desperate action by the executive but that is forthcoming.”

    He reminded Buhari that he is President for all, and should, therefore, act in the interest of Nigerians.

    “We in the National Assembly have continued to do our best. We have passed motions and resolutions, but most of them have not been respected. The president needs to put the interest of Nigeria above any other,” the former governor said.

    Suswan expressed backing for the bill to establish a special commission for armed forces, which recently divided the Senate. He, however, said that the bill, which seeks to take the power to appoint service chiefs, hire and retire them from the president, was not as crucial as deployment of troops to take out insurgents terrorising communities.

    At the tournament, a former governor of Plateau State, Senator Jonah Jang and Gyang appealed to President Buhari to grant executive pardon for former governor of the state, Joshua Dariye and his Taraba State counterpart, Jolly Nyame, who are in prison.

    Gyang said: “We from Plateau North are appealing to the president that in view of the recent judgment by Supreme Court that absorbed Dariye of criminal misappropriation, and on health grounds, he should be granted executive pardon.”

  • Nigerian Senate Warns Government of Another Protest if Needs Aren’t Met

    Nigerian Senate Warns Government of Another Protest if Needs Aren’t Met

    The Nigerian Senate has warned the Buhari-led Federal Government to dedicate a substantial part of the 2021 budget to create employment opportunities, reduce poverty and ensure food security for Nigerians or risk another agitation similar to the recent EndSARS protest by Nigerian youth.

    The warning was sounded by Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Chairman Senate Committee on Agriculture Abudullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West) during the 2021 budget defence session by the Minister of Agriculture, Sabo Nanono, in Abuja.

    The “abysmally low” budget allocation to the agricultural sector in past years was decried.

    Senate President Lawan affirmed agriculture as a potential job creation vehicle.

    In his advise, Lawan said the Federal Government (FG) ought to be “practical and radical” in applying its resources to address the urgent needs of the masses.

    “Recently, we had some of our youths protesting genuinely. They were seeking the attention of leaders and they got the attention of leaders.

    “So, our budget, especially for 2021 should be mindful of what we do to provide employment opportunities for these youths.

    “They demonstrated and protested because they could do so, there are so many other people who may not be youthful but are also in the same need and they didn’t protest.

    “Let’s meet them where they are. We don’t have to wait until they also start to grumble or protest.

    “We should be proactive, we should reach them and most of them are in the rural areas and give them what we can and what they need to some extent within the purview of our resources and keep them there to live a productive life and that is the only way that we can make a difference in the lives of the people.

    “And for us, elected people, we are going to be accountable. If we escape this one (#EndSARS protests), the other one is inescapable and I am sure people will know what I am saying”, he said.

    Chairman Senate Committee on Agriculture, Abudullahi Adamu also lamented that despite the Maputo declaration that stipulates 10 per cent of national budgets should go to agriculture, the FG’s 2021 allocation to the agricultural sector is less than two per cent of the N13.8 trillion total appropriation.

    “In 2021, the sector (agriculture) witnessed a slight increase with a total allocation of N139,458, 322,208.00.

    “Over the years, the sector’s allocation has been abysmally low, a far cry from the Maputo declaration which states that a country should allocate at least 10 per cent of their national budget to the agricultural sector.

    “This year’s budget proposal only allocated less than two per cent to the agricultural sector.

    “The sector’s N139,458,322,208.00 is broken down as follows: Personnel – N68,031,135,074.00, overhead – N3,186,608,895.00, capital – N110,240,253,439.00”, Adamu said.

    The Minister of Agriculture, Nanono however argued that the agricultural sector recorded meaningful progress in 2020 and remains one of the fastest growing sectors in the country.

    He regrettably admitted the current budgetary allocations for the sector has been low.

  • Buhari to Present 2021 Budget to the National Assembly on Thursday

    Buhari to Present 2021 Budget to the National Assembly on Thursday

    President Muhammadu Buhari will on Thursday present the 2021 budget estimate at a Joint session of both chambers of the National Assembly.

    This was made known by Senate President Ahmad Lawn who during plenary on Tuesday acknowledged and read a letter from President Buhari.

    President Buhari, notifying the Senate said: “May I crave the kind indulgence of the Distinguished Senate to grant me the slot of 11:00hrs on Thursday, 8th October, 2020, to formally present the 2021 Appropriation bill to the Joint Session of the National Assembly.

    “While I look forward to addressing the Joint session, please, accept Mr. Senate President, the assurances of my highest regard”, Buhari said.

  • Senate President Lawan, Speaker of House Gbajabiamila face court suit over corruption probes

    Senate President Lawan, Speaker of House Gbajabiamila face court suit over corruption probes

    Nigeria’s National Assembly leaders, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, have been dragged before the Federal High Court, Abuja to defend themselves on reasons for refusing to publish reports of corruption probes supervised by the legislature.

    The suit was filled on behalf of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) by its lawyers, Kolawole Oluwadare and Opeyemi Owolabi over the weekend at a Federal High Court in Abuja.

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    The non-for-profit social initiative organization sued both leaders of the National Assembly specifically for failure to disclose the number of probes that have resulted in any indictment of suspects and to name such suspects since 1999.

    Senate President Ahmad Lawan

    SERAP’s court action followed a recent public hearing by the National Assembly on corruption allegations in ministries, departments and agencies, including the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF), which the National Assembly has not issued a report.

    According to SERAP reports of public hearings and corruption probes by the National Assembly had been kept secret, and the allegations unresolved.

    The court papers as reported by the Guardian stated that SERAP wants an order of mandamus to direct and compel Senate President Lawan and Speaker Gbajabiamila to send all reports of completed public hearings and corruption probes to appropriate anti-corruption agencies to consider if there is sufficient admissible evidence to pursue prosecution.

    Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila

    The plaintiff is also seeking an order for leave to apply for judicial review and an order of mandamus to direct and/or compel Lawan and Gbajabiamila to widely publish all reports of completed public hearings and corruption probes by the Senate and the House of Representatives and to disclose the number and names of any indicted suspects since 1999.

    Further to SERAP’s prayers to the court is “an order of mandamus to direct and compel Lawan and Gbajabiamila to sponsor a resolution to stop lawmakers from directly getting involved in the execution of projects by MDAs, and to ensure the proper and effective exercise of their oversight functions over corruption allegations, including in the NDDC and NSITF.”

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    In a Freedom of Information (FoI) request dated July 25, 2020, SERAP stated that “The most effective way to deter corruption is to make the cost of engaging in these types of acts higher than the rewards. This end can only be accomplished by making public the reports and pursuing public accountability for corrupt acts.”

    While no dates have been fixed for the hearing of the suit, SERAP believes granting the reliefs sought would bolster public trust and confidence in the lawmakers’ oversight functions, and dispel the perception that many of the hearings and probes are politically-motivated and serve a personal interest, rather than the general public interests.

  • Senate advises Buhari to Present 2021 budget in September

    Senate advises Buhari to Present 2021 budget in September

    Nigeria’s Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, has urged the President Buhari-led Federal Executive Council (FEC) to begin in earnest estimates for the 2021 budget and ensure it is presented to the National Assembly by the end of September this year.

    Senate President Lawan stated this Tuesday in his remarks after President Muhammadu Buhari’s request on the 2021 – 2023 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) was referred to the Senate Committees on Finance; and National Planning for further legislative input.

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    Lawan, while charging both Committees to engage the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning on the MTEF/FSP request, stressed the need for the panel to lend its support to Revenue Generating Agencies, where necessary, towards meeting expected revenue targets.

    The Committees were given four weeks to report back to the Senate.

    “The request of Mr. President C-in-C is referred to the two committees, Senate Committees on Finance; Budget and National Planning, with Finance as the lead Committee.

    “This Senate is giving the Committee four weeks within which to work very closely with the Ministry of Finance, Budget, and National Planning, and particularly engagement with the revenue-generating agencies where we are expecting them to meet their targets.

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    “We need to ensure that they have all the support that they require from the National Assembly, particularly the Senate to meet their targets.

    “Meanwhile, the executive should continue to work on the preparations for the 2021 budget, and by this, we are also equally committed to ensuring that we receive the budget estimates at the end of September and that we are able to consider the budget and get it passed before the end of December to repeat what we did for budget 2020,” Lawan said.

    By Tobiloba Kolawole