Echotitbits – Nigeria News

Tag: National Assembly

  • Senate committee tasks military on ending insurgency in North-West Nigeria

    Senate committee tasks military on ending insurgency in North-West Nigeria

    Nigerian Troops fighting bandits in the North-West of the country have been urged to bring a decisive end to the scourge in the zone.

    The call was made by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Alhaji Ali Ndume, at a press briefing held at the Nigerian Army Super Camp in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State during an inspection exercise of Nigerian Army’s Operation Sahel Sanity.

    Senator Ndume reckoned that the operation has recorded much success, which is said to be evident in the resumption of farming and commercial activities in the affected Local Government Areas (LGAs).

    READ ALSO:

    NDDC Scandal: PDP Reps insist independent panel probe allegations against lawmakers

    While assuring that the National Assembly will work with the executive arm of government to provide resettlement for people who are still internally displaced, the lawmaker however charged the Army on doing more to stop attacks on rural communities and especially remote areas of the forest.

    In his speech to newsmen earlier, the Head of Faskari Local Government Administration, Malam Lawal Ibrahim, said that the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the area has reduced from five thousand to two thousand in the last two months.

    READ ALSO: Flood: Residents of Kaura Namoda in Zamfara cry for help

    Participants in the inspection exercise were the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Tukur Buratai; Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Army, Alhaji Abdurrazaq Namdas; and Special Adviser to Governor Aminu Bello Masari on Security Matters, Alhaji Ibrahim Katsina.

  • Senate reviews National Health Act 2014 to improve healthcare for Nigerian

    Senate reviews National Health Act 2014 to improve healthcare for Nigerian

    The Chairman Senate Committee on Health, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, says plans are on to review the National Health Act 2014, for better health coverage in the country.

    Senator Oloriegbe says the National Health Insurance Authority Bill as well as the 6 months maternity leave bill has passed 3rd reading and presently before the house of representative for its concurrent list to be presented to Mr. President for assent.

    Speaking during the Save The Children Nigeria, World breastfeeding week webinar, Tagged: Innovative Strategies for improving breast feeding and Nutrition in Nigeria, the lawmaker stressed that the legislature is working to ensure increased budgetary allocation for the health sector.

    “As the Chairman Senate Committee on Health, my colleagues and i would make sure all this bills are signed into law, our focus is to reduce maternal and child mortality rate at all levels”

    “Breast milk is a natural renewable resource and when children are exclusively breast feed, their brain becomes well developed to contribute to a better society, we all must champion this cause”.He said

    Earlier, the wife of the Kaduna State Governor, Mrs Aisha El’rufai, expressed optimism that before the end of this year, the state would implement the bill for maternity leave.

    “Kaduna State is at the forefront of this campaign, breast milk remains the best nutritional food for infants growth, every state governors wife must take the lead in this campaign until we achieve zero water for infants at early stage”

    The Deputy Director Food System and Applied Nutrition NAFDAC, Mr Abdulsalami Ozigis, explained that the Agency has checked unethical practices that undermines breast feeding.

    “We have been able to promulgate Act No 41 of 1990 on marketing of breast milk substitute and have been conducting several training and sensitization on this”

    In his submission, the Advocacy Campaign and Policy Manager, Survive Program of Save The Children Nigeria, Mr Innocent Ifedilichukwu, who maintained that breast milk nutrition is a necessity for human development, called on Government as well as private organizations to establish a crèche within their firms to create opportunity for working class mothers to breastfeed their infants, while at work.

    Mr Ifedilichukwu, added that Save The Children would continue to partner relevant agencies in advocating for the right of children to quality education, health care services and equal opportunity.

    – Radio Nigeria

  • SERAP urges NASS to release 20yr probe reports, more trouble for NDDC

    SERAP urges NASS to release 20yr probe reports, more trouble for NDDC

    A legal and advocacy organisation, Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has invoked the Freedom of Information (FoI) law to demand the publication of completed public hearings and corruption probes since 1999 from the National Assembly.

    In a statement issued by SERAP Sunday morning, the organisation asked the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan and his counterpart at the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila “to tell Nigerians the number of probes that have resulted in indictment of suspects, name the suspects & send reports to anti-corruption agencies”.

    SERAP in its FoI request stated that: “We urge you to sponsor a resolution to stop lawmakers from directly getting involved in the execution of projects by MDAs to ensure the proper and effective exercise of oversight functions, in cases such as the NDDC and NSITF public hearings & probes.

    “We also urge you to use the opportunity of the ongoing corruption probes to influence Nigeria’s anti-corruption agenda, including by immediately amending section 52 of the ICPC Act, to expand & strengthen the powers of independent counsel to prosecute grand corruption cases”, SERAP said.

    Meanwhile, there seems to be more trouble for the Management of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) at the House of Representatives on the strength of queries by the Auditor General of the Federation over certain expenditures at the interventionist agency.

    The ongoing probe of the activities of the commission by an ad-hoc committee of the House has already exposed many alleged shady deals at the commission, which has triggered the anger of many Nigerians calling for a decisive action to punish anyone found culpable in the alleged multi-billion Naira embezzlement.

    According to a report from the office of the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF) to the House Committee on Public Accounts on the finances of the commission, more damning revelations was reported to be coming.

    The embattled leadership of the NDDC is opposed to call by the National Assembly that the commission be returned to the Presidency for supervision as was the case in the past.

    The AuGF’s report on NDDC covering the period 2008 to 2012 raised questions over extra budgetary expenditure, award of emergency contracts and paying for unexecuted contracts.

    While responding to the questions raised, the commission only stated that the resort to the award of emergency contracts was to ensure that peace prevailed in the regime, and that there was no way it could identify projects such as roads and other infrastructures which might need emergency attention.

    Some of the queries by the AuGF are:

    Payment of N199.5 million by the commission for the supply of school desks in Delta State.

    It said that there was no evidence that desks were supplied to schools in Ethiope West, Warri North, Isoko North, Sapele and Warri South local government areas of Delta despite payment to the contractors.

    The use of unbudgeted contracts, which the Commission explained that “as an interventionist agency it is mandated to intervene in critical areas.’

    The commission added that: “the project was awarded under a global budget emergency repairs, Corporate Social Responsibility and strategic access road… It is not feasible to determine roads, bridges or other infrastructure that may require our urgent attention.

    On alleged non-deduction of VAT from recently completed contracts for which mobilisation payments were made before 2008.

    The value of the contacts was put at N936.77 million.

    The Commission said “VAT is a tax burden to the commission and hence VAT due to contractors and consultants on projects, supplies and other services are calculated and paid to the relevant tax authority at the end of each month. It is not a deduction from contractor’s bill unless specified in the bill of quantity or suppliers invoice. It is an addition to project cost and hence, overpayment to contractors will not arise in any way because of VAT”.

    Again, the Auditor General observed what it called “unrecognized oil company’s contributions into final account N3.280 billion”, to which the Commission said “all contributions received from oil companies were paid directly into our Union Bank Account in Port Harcourt and the Off shore account in the United Kingdom and in recent years, a few were remitted into the First Bank account in Port Harcourt and the offshore account in the United Kingdom… the process of ascertaining the actual companies that made contributions into these banks could be difficult sometimes due to insufficient information which could, in few cases, lead to wrong posting.”

    However, while the audit query stated it identified tax deduction on payment vouchers without evidence of remittance of N10,027,330,926.17, the commission insisted that “we have remitted all taxes to the appropriate authority.

    Also of concern was multiple contract awards and payment of mobilisation detected, but the NDDC management said it was looking into this with a view to relocating one of the contractors to another site, but the mobilisation paid is safe since they are backed by bank guarantees.

    The AuGF accused the commission of making unauthorised transfer of funds to the personal account of some individuals as well as some undisclosed accounts, stating that the sum of N40 million was transferred by the commission to the personal account of a former director.

    Also the sum of N87, 331,331.11 was reported to have been transferred from Access Bank account of the Commission to an undisclosed account.

    In an attempt at explaining the alleged illegal transfer, the commission did not address the issue raised, it only stated that “the balance arose from the domiciliary account opened at the early stage of the commission to pay contractors and other payables”.

    Meanwhile, NDDC has kicked against the the National Assembly’s recommendations that prayed for the return of the commission to the supervision of the Presidency.

    NDDC’s Acting Executive Director, Projects, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, was reported to have said that the activities of some national lawmakers were constituting a stumbling block to the operations of the commission and should be critically examined for the country to move forward.

    By Tobiloba Kolawole

  • NDDC Probe: Akpabio implicates National Assembly members as Acting MD ‘slumps’

    NDDC Probe: Akpabio implicates National Assembly members as Acting MD ‘slumps’

    Most contracts from the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) are awarded to members of the National Assembly, says the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Sen. Godswill Akpabio.

    The Minister made the revelation on Monday when he appeared before the House of Representatives committee on NDDC, who are probing trillions of Naira allocated to the commission for the development of the oil rich region over the years.

    Akpabio’s comment, which apparently opened another cankerworm in the ongoing probe, erupted as he was being grilled about NDDC expenditure amid a forensic audit during the public hearing by members of the House of Representatives committee on NDDC.

    The Minister had been invited by the lawmakers on Friday to defend his actions as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and shed more light on financial misappropriation within the NDDC.

    “We cannot close down the Niger Delta Development Commission because of the fact that we are doing (a) forensic audit,” he said.

    “The NDDC plays a vital role in ensuring the peace and security of the region and 90 percent or more of the resources of the country come from there.

    “If you close it down in totality all you will have is chaos. You will have a lot of, not just militancy; you will have a lot of insurrection.

    “So it is important that people who have gone to court, people who genuinely did jobs should be paid for their jobs. For me, I am not against it because, of course, who are even the greatest beneficiaries? It is you people.”

    A member of the committee took him up on his “you people” allegation and asked him to clarify.

    “I just told you that we have records to show that most of the contracts in the NDDC are given out to members of the National Assembly,” the ex-Senator said.

    Meanwhile, the Acting Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Daniel Pondei, who also appeared before the House of Representatives committee seems to faint during the grilling session on Monday.

    The committee is in its fourth day of public hearing as it investigates alleged financial misappropriation at the agency.

    The controversy had seen strong allegations of corruption traded between the Minister and the former MD of the NDDC, Joi Nunei, who appeared before the lawmakers via Zoom on Friday.

    Pondei had been grilled for over an hour when he slowly slumped over his desk, appearing to faint.

    Several people present at the hearing rushed to his aid, propping him up and attempting to stabilise him, with the proceedings halted.

    He then appeared to be in a seizure with a man holding open his mouth as others held him upright.

    After he appeared to regain and lose composure intermittently, he was moved out of the session.

    The development led to a brief discussion about the next step to take. A move to have the session adjourned was shouted before the Deputy Chairman of the Committee, Hon. Thomas Ereyi-Tobi, called for a 30-minute recess.

    Lawmakers investigating corruption allegations in the NDDC had on Friday summoned Pondei and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to appear before them today (Monday) as the country sought to understand how budgetary allocations to the agency had been spent.

    This is not the first time an appearance by the NDDC MD before the lawmakers will come to a halt under dramatic circumstances.

    The NDDC boss had walked out on the lawmakers on Thursday, last week, after accusing the Chairman of the Committee, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, of being an interested party in the investigation.

    He said as long as Tunji-Ojo presided over the investigation, the Commission would not get a fair hearing. He then refused to make presentations before the committee and walked out.

    Angered by the move, the lawmakers resolved to issue a warrant of arrest compelling Professor Pondei to appear before the lawmakers and make a proper submission.

    The lawmakers, however, decided to summon him again, and at the start of his appearance, he apologised for his action.

    Although he said he “regretted” the incident which happened last week, before he was questioned by the lawmakers, the Chairman of the Committee recused himself from the session, leaving Hon. Thomas Ereyi-Tobi, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee to preside.

     

  • Public Works Recruitment: National Assembly desperate to get me out – Keyamo

    Public Works Recruitment: National Assembly desperate to get me out – Keyamo

    Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, Tuesday accused the National Assembly of desperate bid to sweep him aside, regarding the recruitment process of 774,000 personnel for public works programme.

    Narrating his ordeal at the National Assembly, Keyamo expressed shocks over the decision of the Senate President Ahmadu Lawan, authorising the Director-General of National Directorate of Employment (NDE) to proceed to submit a plan without the express approval of the minister.

    The minister said: “Earlier today, I appeared again before the Joint Committee of the National Assembly on Labour and Employment. Before the Committee sat, we paid a courtesy call on the Senate Leadership where the Senate President announced that I, as supervising Minister of the NDE, should hands off the preparation and execution of the Programme. He further directed the DG, NDE to bring his plans for the execution of the program directly to the National Assembly on Monday, July 13, 2020, for scrutiny and approval. The Joint Committee also took a similar position and adjourned.

    “With the utmost humility, I regret to say these directives are against the provisions of the NDE Act made by the National Assembly itself and the Constitutional provisions on Separation of Powers.

    “By virtue of Section 3 (2)of the NDE Act, as supervising Minister, I am the Chairman of the Board of NDE that superintendents and gives directions to the Management of the NDE.

    “That by virtue of section 15 of the NDE Act, I am also authorized, as supervising Minister, to give general directives to the Board and Management, with which they must comply.

    “By virtue of Section 16 (1) of the NDE Act, the supervising Minister has the sole prerogative to constitute Committees for the Agency.

    “In addition to the above, Section 6(2) of the National ​​​​Directorate of Employment Act states that, ‘The Director-​​​​General shall, subject to this Act, be the Chief Executive of the ​​​Directorate and shall be responsible to the Minister for the ​​​day-to-day management of the affairs of the Directorate.’

    ​”By a memo Ref: CAO.143/S.1/T11/8 dated October 18, 2019, and forwarded to all Government functionaries by the ​​​Secretary to the Government of the Federation, I was mandated ​​​by Mr. President to oversee all the activities of the National ​​​​Directorate of Employment.

    ​”In addition to the above, by a letter, Ref: SH/COS/14/A/1217 ​​​dated 6 May, 2020, Mr. President, once again, approved that I ​​​supervise the preparation and execution of the Special Public ​​​Works Programme domiciled under the NDE.”

    Keyamo added: “However, today, the National Assembly swept aside all these provisions of the law and Presidential directives and authorized the DG of NDE to proceed to submit a plan without the express approval of the Minister. This was done in a desperate bid to get me out of the way at all cost.

    “My involvement in this process so far is to constitute multi-sectoral Committees at State levels to ensure a grassroots selection process. This was done after an inter-Ministerial Committee headed by the DG NDE made such a recommendation which I accepted. As stated above, I am authorised to do so by virtue of Section 16 (1) of the NDE Act. As a result all the sponsored allegations and attacks in relation to my role so far are nothing but cheap blackmail. My actions are backed by law.

    “In the circumstances of the above, I regret to say I am not bound by such a patently illegal and unconstitutional resolution by the National Assembly and I am only bound by the provisions of the law and the Constitution that all public officers swore on oath to uphold.”

    Idowu Sowunmi

  • Dino’s brother vows to hold Buhari accountable; Court refuses ex-parte application

    Dino’s brother vows to hold Buhari accountable; Court refuses ex-parte application

    By Tobiloba Kolawole

     

    As the standoff  between the Nigerian Police and a lawmaker in the Nigerian Senate, Dino Melaye enters day 5, a brother to the embattled Senator has vowed to hold the Nigerian Police Force and President Buhari accountable should anything happen to the embattled Senator.

    Dino’s brother, Moses Melaye who spoke about the Senators’s plight on Wednesday during a TV programme monitored by Frontpage.ng accused the police of an illegal take-over of the home of a serving Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Melaye stated that the police under Inspector General of Police Ibrahim Idris are bent on making the life of his brother a ‘living hell’ having tried to arrest the Senator severally in 2018. He also reacted to the allegation of complicity in the murder of a police sergeant, Danjuma Saliu, which happened in July 2018.  He berated the police for lying, saying no member of Dino’s entourage (thug) shot at any police officer. He said the allegation is unfounded and untrue.

    Melaye said:  “When injustice becomes a norm, resistance becomes a duty. This government and the police have made the life of my brother Senator Dino Melaye a living hell for the past few months.

    “The case they are raising against him happened in July, I was there. The policemen shot at us; my car has over two bullet holes. So how can they turn around all of a sudden that we were the ones shooting at the police? Our police and security men have been taking away since over seven or eight months ago. So how do we now become the person shooting? That story is not true and unfounded”, he said.

    The brother to the embattled Senator further stated that: “Because of the injustice on a daily bases, we cannot trust or believe anything they say or they do. I believe they are out to harm my brother, if not what is the desperation? American police protects lives, Nigerian police takes lives everyday…they came into the compound arrested the security man, beat him up, handcuffed him, the cleaner, the same thing.”

    When asked about the current location of his brother (Dino), Moses Melaye denied having any knowledge of where the Senator might be. He claimed the Police took over the Maitama residence without an arrest warrant and dislodged family members and staff who live with the Senator.

    Officers of the Nigerian Police Force at Senator Dino Melaye’s Residence

    “I cannot confirm categorically because they did not allow anybody into that compound. They shut his house; they are the one opening gate and closing gate, there are dogs in that house, we have cook, my parents are supposed to be in that house as we speak. Dino is not the only occupant of that house. So we don’t even know, they did not allow anybody, family members or staff into that house. We are going to hold the police and the government of Buhari responsible if anything happens”, Melaye said.

    In the same vein, a lawyer and member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Daniel Bwala believes that both parties are overdramatizing the situation.

    Bwala said: “I don’t know why the police will lay siege for a number of days. When you have a search warrant or warrant of arrest, what you will need to do is when you go to the place if the person does not surrender you break into the house, make the arrest where necessary and leave the place. In other words, in less than a day, they ought to have performed the arrest they wanted to perform so that people like Dino’s brother, mother and other family members will not suffer for the sins of Dino, whom by law is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

    “On the other hand, everyone knows that Dino is a dramatist. Otherwise, the constitution is clear about your fundamental right. It states in clear terms, anybody who alleges that his right is being infringed, or has been infringed or about to be infringed can approach the court for the enforcement of his fundamental rights”, Bwala said.

    The lawyer stated that Dino ought to have approached the court rather than resort to self help. He further noted that: “To evade arrest when you are aware that the law enforcement agencies are demanding your attention in itself is an offence. So when you look at the combination of the activities, on the part of the police, you will see that they are overdramatizing it. Now they have met with a super actor and the whole thing now is unnecessary for the Nigerian nation.

    “I think that the Inspector General of Police should make a decision, if you want to arrest Dino, you know what to do. So to lay siege in front of the house of a private citizen for days as if he’s a terrorist who has come to overthrow the government of Nigeria is unnecessary” he stated.

    Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) where Senator Melaye belongs has described the incident as unfortunate and against norm.

    In his reaction, a PDP Presidential Campaign Spokesperson, Sanni Umar claimed that the police is biased and is not being fair in the matter since the case against the Senator involved their own.

    Umar said: “This is an abuse of state power. The police are an interested party in this matter. They are investigating over the shooting of one of them. So the police is not expected to be fair and equitable.”

    He said further that: “There are other motives by the police. Someone who is being looked for since July, why is it taking this time for the police to now make a manhunt for him clearly knowing that elections are approaching.

    “This is not unusual of the police. The police has done that with Senator Ademola Adeleke, when it was only 2 days to Osun election, they now preferred charges of forgery and other things to take him to court. This is to demoralize him and his supporters, to intimidate him and his party and this is not acceptable”, Umar said.

    On Wednesday, Dino Melaye said via his twitter handle that he will not surrender to the police because he fears the Inspector General of Police will inject him to death.

    Latest report however indicates that a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja this Thursday has denied Melaye’s request to have the police vacate his residence and stop its officers from making further attempt at his arrest.

    In the ruling given by Justice N. E. Maha, the court refused the ex-parte application by the Senator but ruled that the substantive matter be granted accelerated hearing.

    The controversial Senator faces two separate charges of attempted suicide and arming criminal suspects. The Nigerian Police Force remains adamant on arresting the Senator.

  • 2019: Atiku doubts Buhari’s commitment to free and fair elections

    2019: Atiku doubts Buhari’s commitment to free and fair elections

    By Tobiloba Kolawole

    The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 election, Atiku Abubakar has reacted to President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to assent the Electoral Act 2018 Amendment Bill. Atiku, who appears to be the main opposition to Buhari’s reelection bid, expressed doubt about the President’s commitment to free and fair elections in 2019.

    The former vice President made his position known on Friday via his Twitter handle: “Mr. President, assurances that your administration will conduct free, fair and credible elections cannot be taken seriously. For Nigerians and especially us in the opposition, you just missed an opportunity to walk the talk.”

    Another prominent PDP member who has voiced his disappointment over Buhari’s decline to assent the Electoral bill was former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, who said that the President’s action can only mean he does not trust the judgment of his party members at the National Assembly that actively took part in the passing of the bill.

    “What is President Buhari’s fear concerning this Electoral Bill? Can the interest of a single individual be placed above that of Nigeria and its people? Is he saying that even his party members in the NASS were wrong to have passed the Electoral Bill? May God save our country?” Fayose wrote on his twitter handle.

    Meanwhile, some Nigerians have alleged that the real reason President Buhari declined assent to the Electoral Act 2018 Amendment Bill was to benefit from faceless voters who had no permanent voters cards (PVCs). One of those making the accusation is a former aide of ex President Goodluck Jonathan.

    According to Reno Omokri, who made reference to a data by DeepDive Intelligence that is now circulating online, President Buhari won the 2015 Presidential election because over 13 million people with no PVCs voted.

    “The real reason Buhari does not want to sign the Electoral Act is because 75% of the faceless voters who voted without PVCs in 2015, voted for Buhari. That is how he rigged the 2015 election. That is what the new Electoral Act will stop”[SIC], Reno said.

    This is the fourth time President would decline assent to the Electoral Act 2018 Amendment Bill. Reasons for previous refusal had been hinged on errors in the document sent by the National Assembly.

    According to the President’s Senior Special Assistant on National Assembly Matters (Senate), “President Muhammadu Buhari has taken decision on Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018. In accordance with his power under the 1999 Constitution, he has communicated that decision to the Senate and House of Representatives, in accordance with the law.”

    Enang was however unwilling to give specific reasons why the President withheld assent to the bill for the fourth time but only stated that Buhari has communicated to the National Assembly.

    However, if Nigeria’s membership of the Economic Community of West African States is anything to go by, President Buhari would have breached the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance. Article 2 of the protocol forbids member countries from making “substantial modification” to their electoral laws less than six months to elections “except with the consent of a majority of political actors”.