Senate
Senate vows to expose MDAs refusing to account for public funds
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said that the upper chamber will publish the names of government agencies that have refused to appear before the Public Accounts Committee to defend the interrogations of the Auditor-General for the Federation in the 2015 report. Lawan made this known in his remarks after the Senate considered the report of the Committee on Public Accounts on the annual report of the Auditor-General for the Federation on the accounts of the Federation for the year ended 31st December, 2015. According to the Senate President, any public official that refuses to account for public funds at their disposal must be shown the way out of office. He said, “This is one of our major responsibilities as a parliament, to hold the executive to account. “[And] whoever is given t...
Senate: National Assembly won’t gag media
The Senate has said it was not possible for the 9th National Assembly to stiffen the media in Nigeria with its current amendments to the acts which established the National Broadcasting Commission and the Nigerian Press Council. The Spokesperson for the Senate, Dr. Ajibola Basiru, who gave the assurance on Monday, said the amendments to the acts and other relevant laws should not be misinterpreted as an attempt to gag the freedom of speech and free press in the country. Basiru spoke in an interview with journalists at the sidelines of a two-day capacity building training for Media Aides to Principal Officers of the National Assembly, organised by the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies in Abuja on Monday. Basiru said, “The freedom of speech is an inalienable right of ...
Senate reassures Nigerians on PIB, electoral, constitutional amendment bills
Senate President Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan said on Friday that the Senate was closer to passing the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), the Electoral Act Amendment Bill, and the Constitution Amendment Bill, assuring Nigerians that the bills will be passed between now and July year. Lawan who stated this while interacting with journalists to mark the second anniversary of the 9th Senate stated that it was a mark of excellent effort that the ninth senate would soon be ready to pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) after twenty years of failed attempts. “This should happen this June, and it should increase accountability, probity, efficiency, equity and justice in that vital sector of our economy. “Our determination to pass the bill is additionally in line with our resolve to be a result-oriented parli...
Senate committee gets 14 days to process President Buhari’s N2.343 trillion loan request
The Nigerian Senate has given its Committee on Foreign and Local Debts 14 days within which to process President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for a fresh ₦2.343 trillion ($6.183 billion) for approval. Senate President Ahmad Lawan gave the directive at the commencement of Tuesday’s plenary session shortly after the Senate Majority leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, drew the attention of the Senate to the pending request. The Senator Clifford Ordia-led Committee on Foreign and Local debt had approved a total of $28 billion so far. The current request will take the total loan approved to $35.683 billion. Buhari had urged the Senate to approve N2.3 trillion ($6.183 billion) external borrowing. He said the loan was to finance the 2021 budget deficit of N5.6 trillion. The President indicated that the loan ...
Constitution review: States creation tops list of submissions at North East public hearing
YouTube States creation topped list of demands by groups from Adamawa and Taraba States at Thursday’s public hearing on the review of 1999 Constitutional in Gombe. Newsmen report that the groups wanted creation of Amana and Gongola out of present Adamawa State and Mambilla out of the present Taraba State. Ahmad Sajoh, the leader of the movement for Amana State, said the struggle for the creation of the state had been on for years. Sajoh said since 1961 when the area was moved into Nigeria from Cameroon, it had been an independent entity and it was the wish of the people to have a state of their own. He said: “The then Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto, convinced us to be part of Nigeria on the condition that the area shall be an autonomous province with ...
President Buhari seeks Senate’s approval to borrow $6.18 billion
President Muhammadu Buhari has sought the approval of the Senate to borrow $6.18 billion external loan to finance this year’s N5.6 trillion budget deficit. The president’s request is contained in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, and read by Lawan at Tuesday’s plenary. President Buhari said the proposed loan, which is equivalent of N2.3 trillion, is to finance the 2021 budget deficit of N5.6 trillion. According to the president, sourcing the loan will enable the federal government to fund critical infrastructural projects in transportation, health and education, among other sectors. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you b...
CDS, service chiefs to appear before Senate over insecurity
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Lucky Irabor, and the three service chiefs are to appear before the Senate Thursday (today) over the deteriorating security situation in the country. The Senate had at plenary last week summoned the CDS and the service chiefs to brief it on the efforts being made by government to surmount the security challenges facing the nation. The service chiefs who will join the CDS to brief the upper legislative chamber by 10am are the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant-General Ibrahim Attahiru; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu and the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Ishiaka Oladayo Amoo. The top military brass are expected to not only brief the Senators about security issues but also take questions from the legislators over the worrisome securit...
Taraba governor advises Nigerian government on state police
Gov. Darius Ishaku of Taraba has advised the Federal Government to try state police in addressing the security challenges in the country. Ishaku gave the advice in his remarks at a world news conference organised by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) at the party national secretariat in Abuja, on Monday. The conference also featured Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Enyinaya Abaribe, and former president of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki. According to Gov. Darius, the primary responsibility of any democratic government was to secure the people and their property. He said the state governors were going through challenges and were helpless in managing the insecurity as they have no power over security. “No matter how bad the state police, let us experiment it. After all, we have the State Electora...
NCP: North-Central doesn’t need chairmanship, but Presidency
The North Central Patriot (NCP) on Monday said that the region doesn’t need the position of chairmanship but presidency. The group said that the zone has occupied that position severally in the time past, adding that their agitation is for the position of presidency, which has eluded them since the nation transmuted in democracy. NCP specifically said that the former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki is not looking for the position of chairmanship, adding that he’s eminently qualified to be President of this country. The group, in a statement by its President, Bitrus Paul, commended the governor of Kogi state, Yahaya Bello, for taking the initiative to tell the world that he’s interested in the position of presidency. NCP reinstated that North Central doesn’t lack quality leaders, who...
Workers Day: Senate president urges labour to consider higher national interest always
Ahead of the May 1 Workers Day celebration, President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Friday, Senator urged organised labour to always look at the larger picture and consider higher national interest in their responses to government policies and actions. Lawan stated this on Friday, while commemorating this year’s workers day celebration coming up today (May 1). In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Ola Awoniyi, the Senate President assured workers that “the National Assembly believes in the well-being and welfare of the workers and will always provide legislative support for every effort to tackle their challenges and improve the work environment.” Recalling that the Nigerian workers across the generations have continued to drive economic productivity, nation-building and democra...
President Buhari nominates Kolawole Alabi as FCCPC commissioner
President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated Mr Kolawole Alabi for appointment as Executive Commissioner, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC). This is contained in a letter dated April 26 and read by President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, at the plenary on Wednesday. “In accordance with the provision of Section 5(1) of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission Act, 2018. “I write to forward, for confirmation by the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the appointment of Mr Kolawole Oladipupo Alabi as Executive Commissioner, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. “The nominee’s CV is attached herewith. “It is my hope that the Distinguished Senate will consider and confirm the appointment in the usual expeditious manner.”(NAN) Get...
Senate passes amended AMCON bill, empowers agency to seize debtors’ assets
The Senate Wednesday passed the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria Amendment bill after considering the report of its Committee on Banking, Insurance, and Other Financial Institutions. The amendment bill passed by the upper chamber empowers the Assets Management Corporation of Nigeria to, among others, take possession, manage or sell all properties traced to debtors, whether or not such assets or property is used as security/collateral for obtaining the loan in particular. It also empowers the corporation to access the Special Tribunal established by the BOFIA, 2020 for dealing with financial related matters. Presenting the report, Chairman of the Committee, Senator Uba Sani (APC, Kaduna Central) said the Committee engaged with stakeholders such as AMCON, Federal Ministry of Finance, ...
