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  • What we discussed with Buhari in London – Saraki, Dogara

    The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has disclosed what he (Saraki), the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Yakubu Dogara discussed with President Muhammadu Buhari in London.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Saraki and Dogara visited President Muhammadu Buhari in London on Thursday.

    Saraki, however, described that the parley with the president as a “meeting of substance.”

    The Senate President disclosed that they discussed the virement request the Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo made to the National Assembly on the 2017 budget.

    In a series of tweets, Saraki also noted that the president all through their meeting exhibited “remarkable” recovery and was up to date with political events in the country.

    According to Saraki, “Mr. President exhibited remarkable recovery and was very conversant with all the political happenings back at home and across the continent.

    “It was a meeting of substance where we discussed important matters of state. We also discussed the 2017 budget.

    “In particular, we talked about the virement request by the Presidency which is before the National Assembly.

    “We then considered the steps to be taken in the preparation of the 2018 budget to ensure its early passage.

    “International issues were also discussed and Mr. President informed us that he has conveyed his sympathies to the people of Sierra Leone.

    “It is clear that Mr. President’s insistence on following his doctors’ advice has yielded the desired results.

    “I therefore confidently look forward to Mr. President’s imminent return home.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that President Buhari traveled for medical check-up in London on Sunday, May 7, more than a month he came back into the country from a previous medical vacation.

  • Anambra Chruch gun attack: Saraki, Dogara,Ekweremadu condole with victims

    Senate President Bukola Saraki has expressed deep sadness over the massacre that occurred at St. Philip’s Catholic Church, Anambra State on Sunday.

    In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki stated that the killing of worshippers represents the purest kind of evil, and the security services must not stop until the perpetrators are brought to justice.

    “Today, my heart goes out to Nigeria’s Christian community, Governor Willy Obiano, the people of Anambra State, and the families of the victims and the survivors of this terrible massacre,” the Senate President said, “This brutal act of attacking innocent and unsuspecting worshippers represents the purest kind of evil.

    “Our security forces must not stop until everyone involved in the orchestration and execution of today’s massacre in St. Philip’s Catholic Church, Anambra are brought to book by the strong arm of justice.

    “The Senate will continue to offer any form of necessary assistance in this endeavor, because today, all of us, as Nigerians have been attacked by this senseless act committed by evil people”, Saraki stated.

    He further urged security agencies in the country to step their intelligence gathering activities so as to prevent activities of criminals and also unravel any crime committed against Nigerians by undesirable elements in the society.

    Ekweremadu: Anambra Church Attack sacrilegious

    In the same vein, the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has described as beastly and sacrilegious the Sunday massacre of worshippers at St. Philip’s Catholic Church Ozubulu, Anambra State.

    Ekweremadu, who also described the day as a black Sunday, not only for Anambra State, but also the entire nation, called on the security agencies to fish out the killers and bring them to justice.

    He said: “I received with a deep grief the news of the blood-curdling killing at St. Philip’s Catholic Church, Ozubulu today. It is indeed a black Sunday and the act is most sacrilegious and condemnable.

    “My heartfelt condolences go to the Government and good people of Anambra, especially the bereaved families and the Church. I also pray God to grant the deceased a peaceful repose and the wounded a quick recovery.

    “However, this dastardly act brings to the fore, once again, the need to reengineer our security system, especially our policing system to arrest the rising wave of violent crimes in the country”.

    He said in the meantime, the least the nation owes the deceased and the casualties was to work with the security agencies “to bring apprehend the culprits and ensure that justice is done to both the living and the dead”.

    Dogara: Anambra Massacre is abominable, barbaric

    Similarly, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has described Sunday’s attack on worshippers in a Catholic church in Anambra state as abominable, barbaric, inhuman, and the height of wickedness.

    Scores of worshippers were murdered by gunmen inside a Catholic church in Ozubulu in Anambra State.

    The shooting is said to have occurred during church service while worshipers were still inside the church building on Sunday morning.

    In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, the Speaker said his heart is broken by the sad news of the massacre of innocent worshippers in cold blood by people he described as ” sons of perdition whose souls will rot in hell.”

    “Have we lost our humanity? Where is the place of sanctity of life and sacredness of worship places in our society? What offence did the worshippers commit to warrant their massacre in cold blood by wicked souls and heartless men?”

    The Speaker lamented that increasing insecurity is reducing Nigeria to the state of nature as life is increasingly becoming cheap.

    He again reiterated his call for the overhaul of Nigeria’s policing architecture that will lead to reform of the Police Force, equip them with modern and sophisticated gadgets so as to discharge their duties of protecting lives and property effectively and ensure social order in the society.

    Dogara further called on security agencies to fish out perpetrators of the heinous crime and bring them to justice speedily.

    He extended his heartfelt condolences to families of the victims, people and government of Anambra state, Nigeria and the Catholic Church over the sad and unfortunate incident.

  • SERAP drags Dogara to UN over bill to crackdown on civil societies

    SERAP drags Dogara to UN over bill to crackdown on civil societies

    Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) has sent an urgent appeal to three UN Special Rapporteurs urging them to “put meaningful pressure on the leadership of the National Assembly in Nigeria particularly the Speaker of the House of Representatives Mr Yakubu Dogara to immediately withdraw the repressive bill to establish a commission that would monitor, supervise, de-register, and pre-approve all activities by civil society, labour, community based organizations, and the media, in the country.”

    Speaker Dogara The urgent appeal dated 28 July 2017 was sent to Ms Annalisa Ciampi, Special Rapporteur on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association; Mr Michel Forst, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; and Mr. David Kaye, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

    SERAP also urged the Special Rapporteurs to “prevail on the Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo to decline to sign the bill into law; and on the House of Representatives and the Senate to exercise their legislative powers for good governance, and ensure a safe and enabling environment for civil society organizations both in practice and rhetoric, in line with the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended) and the government’s international human rights obligations and commitments.”

    The organization said, “the sole objective of the House of Representatives is to weaken and delegitimize the work of independent and credible civil society. If adopted, the bill which is copied from repressive countries like Somalia, Ethiopia and Uganda, would have a chilling effect not only on expressions of peaceful dissent by the citizens but also on the legitimate work of NGOs and individual human rights defenders and activists scrutinizing corruption in the National Assembly and exposing human rights violations by the government.”

    The urgent appeal signed by SERAP executive director Adetokunbo Mumuni read in part: “the bill (sponsored by Umar Buba Jibril Deputy Leader, PDP: Kogi State), if passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate of Nigeria and signed into law by Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo, would severely curtail the rights of all Nigerians to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly and association in the country.”

    “SERAP is seriously concerned that the bill is by far the most dangerous piece of legislation in the country in terms of its reach and devastating consequences not only for the work of civil society but also the effective enjoyment of constitutionally and internationally recognized human rights of the citizens. The bill will devastate the country’s civil society for generations to come and turn it into a government puppet.”

    “The bill is a further path of closing civic space in the country, something witnessed only under military regimes, and has no place in a democratic Nigeria. The bill is entirely unnecessary, as the work of civil society is already sufficiently regulated under existing legislation, including the Companies and Allied Matters Act, Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Act, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) Act and other similar legislation.”

    “SERAP is also concerned that the proposed bill is coming at a time the members of the Senate and House of Representatives are proposing amnesty and immunity for themselves against prosecution for corruption and other economic crimes; and the government is proposing a social media policy to restrict and undermine citizens’ access to the social media ahead of the general elections in 2019.”

    “By including civil society in general, the bill will also undermine both section 22 of the 1999 Nigerian constitution and article 13 of the UN Convention against Corruption, both of which have given the media a critical role to ensure that the government, at all levels, is accountable to the citizenry.”

    “The bill would subject Nigerians and civil society to extensive government control and interference that it would negate the very essence of the constitutionally and internationally recognized rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly. The bill also raises serious concerns about the commitment of Nigerian lawmakers and the government to good governance and basic freedoms in a democratic society.”

    “SERAP fears that the overbearing bill would inhibit and obstruct the ability of Nigerians to work collectively through local and international organizations on any human rights, transparency and accountability research or advocacy that may be deemed contrary to “the national interest” of Nigeria, or not “consistent with the programmes of government.”

    “The provisions of the bill are also not subject to any judicial oversight. SERAP believes that independent groups and activists should have space to carry out their human rights and anti-corruption work without fear of reprisals, such as losing their registration or being sent prison.”

    “Apart from the Nigerian Constitution, article 22 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and article 10 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to which Nigeria is a state party guarantee the rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

    The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights has made clear that the charter does not allow governments to “enact provisions which would limit the exercise of this freedom.” The African Commission has consistently criticised restriction on the work of civil society.”

    “SERAP is concerned that by proposing this bill, Nigeria’s parliament is trying to immune itself from public criticism and scrutiny. If this bill is passed into law, good governance, the rule of law and respect for human rights of Nigerians would become a farce in the country. By gagging civil society from criticising the National Assembly and the government, the bill will undercut the rule of law, shrink civic space, and expose vulnerable Nigerians to greater level of injustice and repression.” “Civil society groups have play a key role in holding government and parliaments accountable but without a strong civil society in Nigeria, the problem of high-level official corruption and other cases of violations of human rights would go unaddressed, and perpetrators would continue to enjoy impunity.”

    SERAP therefore urged the Special Rapporteurs to: publicly condemn the bill and hold that it is inconsistent and incompatible with Nigeria’s international obligations to respect, protect, promote and fulfil the citizens’ rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly and ask the authorities should use and rely on existing legislation which already regulate the work of these groups; and to urge the House of Representatives and Senate not criminalize Nigerians simply for exercising their rights to freedom of expression, association and peaceful assembly.

    It would be recalled that the House of Representatives debated the bill known as ‘An Act to provide for the establishment of Regulatory Commission for the Supervision, Coordination and Monitoring of NGOs, CSOs and Communities Based Organizations in Nigeria’.

    The bill will establish a commission responsible only to the president and the senate. Under section 7, the commission will monitor and supervise these groups supposedly to “ensure that they accomplish their missions according to law” and under section 26, strictly “in line with the programmes of government.” Section 8 of the bill even goes further by empowering the commission to coordinate the work of all national and international NGOs in the country. All groups must register with the commission and submit their annual reports for discussion and governmental approval.

    The commission may take any punitive action against civil society and “do all such things incidental to its functions” under the Act. Section 10 establishes ‘a documentation center’ to which all civil society groups must submit the list of their activities and other information that may be required or prescribed. Section 11 then requires submission of all proposed activities by civil society for approval. Section 12 requires registration of all civil society organizations on the payment of unspecified fees and other fees as the commission may require or prescribe. But registration may be turned down, as stated under section 13.

    Registration is valid for only 24 months and renewable, subject to conditions as may be prescribed. Registration may also be denied if the activities of civil society groups are not in line with “national interest”. Operations of the groups will be terminated without any such registration. Under section 19, workers of the groups must apply for work permits. The groups can only appeal to “a minister” if they are dissatisfied with the application of any of the provisions of the Act, as provided for under section 19.

    The bill in section 24 criminalizes behaviour that is inherently legitimate by prescribing severe criminal penalties, including fines of N500,000 or 18 months imprisonment or both, for operating without registration under the bill. Under section 26, any such person will be banned for 10 years from doing any civil society work. The combined effect of sections 25 and 26 is that no civil society group will be able to carry out any activity without first seeking and obtaining a ministerial approval.

  • Presidential transition bill will address chaotic, hostile hand over after election – Dogara

    Presidential transition bill will address chaotic, hostile hand over after election – Dogara

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said that the Presidential Transition Bill under consideration will help in solving the problems of a chaotic handing over and hostile taking over of power after any general election.

    Dogara stated this while declaring open a Public Hearing on A Bill for An Act to Provide for the Smooth and Orderly transfer of Power from One Government to another held at the National Assembly.

    He said the bill, when passed into law will ensure accountability and transparency in the system, and help minimize or avoid disruptions that might be occasioned by the transition.

    ” This Bill institutionalises the transition process and takes it out of the whims and caprices of the actors in the political arena”.

    “This Bill seeks to make provision for the smooth and orderly transfer of power from one government to another. It provides that where at any general election for the Office of the President of the Federal Republic Of Nigeria, the incumbent President is not re-elected, the President shall within 2 weeks of the declaration of the President-Elect as the winner of the election, provide space for not more than ten (10) persons designated by the President-elect to begin a review and analysis of the budgetary expenditures during the tenor of the current president, review all other necessary documents as may be requested by the President-elect transition team and to acquire a working knowledge of the various offices, departments, commissions, boards and other agencies of the executive arm of the Federal Government with a view to promoting the orderly transition of executive power when government changes hands”.

    The speaker who harped on the need to achieve peace and harmony during transition process saying, “the purpose of the Bill is to promote the orderly transfer of executive power in connection with the expiration of the term of office of a president and the inauguration of a new president. The national interest requires that such transitions in the office of the President be accomplished smoothly so as to assure continuity in the faithful execution of the laws and in the conduct of the affairs of the Federal government, both domestic and foreign. Any disruption occasioned by the transfer of the executive power could produce results detrimental to the safety and well-being of Nigeria”.

    While making reference to the practice in other climes, the Speaker further said, ” In the United States of America, ‘The Presidential Transition Act (PTA) of 1963, as amended, established formal mechanisms to facilitate presidential transitions and authorizes the Administrator of General Services to provide facilities and services to eligible presidential candidates and the President- elect. A presidential transition facilitates the establishment of a new Administration and prepares it to govern. Additionally, as noted by the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs in a report on S. 1172 (114th Congress, Presidential Transitions Improvements Act of 2015), planning for a presidential transition helps to ensure the nation’s security’.

     

    He called on members of the Committee to improve the Bill and be guided by best practices in other presidential democracies worldwide.

  • Spending $5bn annually on generators in Nigeria not acceptable – Dogara

    Spending $5bn annually on generators in Nigeria not acceptable – Dogara

    …Why we are making laws on renewable energy

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has said it is unacceptable that Nigerians spend 5 billion dollars on generators annually, saying the House of Representatives will support the Executive to find a permanent solution to the power problem in Nigeria.

    He also explained that the House of Representatives is reviewing some of Nigeria’s energy laws in order to provide an appropriate legal framework that will facilitate the exploitation of renewable energy to the benefit the Nigerian economy.

    He said, “Power is arguably the single most important driver of the national economy. Indeed, it is difficult if not impossible to imagine modern life without power. Our industries and factories need electricity to run; and so do our offices, homes and businesses.

    “It is estimated that Nigerians spend about $5 billion US Dollars yearly to fuel their generators. This is an unacceptable situation and the House of Representatives stands ready to support the Executive arm of government to put a stop to this state of affairs.

    “Renewable energy is a source of clean energy which is environmentally friendly and is crucial to the economy of the future. We can only be self-sufficient in the energy field when we combine all of our energy resources such as wind, solar, hydro, biomass, biofuel, landfill, sewage gas, solid waste, geothermal energy, ocean energy etc. Renewable energy sources are natural and often replenishes itself. Nigeria needs to invest more in renewable energy as fossil fuel is a diminishing asset.

    “An appropriate legal framework to exploit renewable energy which is nature’s gift to mankind is not adequate in Nigeria. This makes it difficult to organise the sector in a commercially viable matter. Herein lies the merit and strength of this Bill under consideration,” the Speaker said.

    The three bills are: A Bill for an Act to provide for the utilisation, sustainability and adequate supply of renewable energy for electricity and heat generation and for other related matters.

    A Bill for an act to amend the National Electricity Regulatory Commission metre reading, billing and cash collection and credit management for electricity supplies and regulations to address matters relating to outstanding liability of electric bills in rented apartments.

    A Bill for an Act to amend the Electric Power Sector Reform Act to reposition the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission for effective service delivery and for related matters.

    The House, had on inception of the 8th House of Representatives, committed itself in its Legislative Agenda (2015 – 2019) to devise a “Legislative Initiative on Power: The House shall take legislative action to tackle Nigeria’s energy crisis that has led to a general collapse of industries and businesses and inflicted hardship on citizens. Legislative measures to support improved generation and distribution of electricity to homes and businesses will be encouraged”.

  • Nigeria is losing N7trn to insecurity in high seas annually – Dogara

    The Speaker, House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, on Monday said Nigeria lost about N7 trillion annually to insecurity and revenue leakages in the waterways.

    Dogara said this at a public hearing on a Bill to amend the Maritime Operations Coordinating Board Act organised by the House of Representatives.

    The Bill seeks to ensure the repositioning of the board for effective control of maritime operations in Nigeria’s territorial waters and create the Maritime Security Fund.

    Dogara insisted that security in Nigeria’s territorial waters must be strengthened and urged the Nigerian Navy and other relevant agencies to ensure greater collaboration to stem the tide of piracy and other coastal attacks.

    He assured Nigerians that the House would embark on holistic review of extant maritime legislations with a view to halting the loss in the sector.

    The Speaker said, “it is even more disturbing to note that Nigeria is said to be losing about N7 trillion annually in the maritime sector due to leakages in revenue generation and insecurity in the water ways.

    “Between January and March, 2016, several attacks were reported off Nigeria’s coast. This was said to involve pirates stealing cargoes of crude oil and petroleum products.

    “Reports had it that no fewer than 44 ship crew members were abducted and in the first half of 2017, over 20 commercial vessels were attacked in Nigerian waters.

    “The increasing level of attacks and violence in the Gulf of Guinea has given Nigeria and other countries in the sub-region very damaging and negative image.

    “This is in addition to an estimated monthly loss of 1.5 billion dollars to the country.

    “As I said recently, prevalence of insecurity in our waters resulted in the loss of 1.3 billion dollars annually to illegal unregulated fishing in West Africa alone.

    “The only way to promote intra-African trade in our water ways is to ensure safety and security of navigation in our waters.

    “Thus, the onus is on the Nigerian Navy to stem the tide of pirate attacks and secure our territorial waters in cooperation with other agencies of government.’’

    He added that in the absence of enabling laws stipulating stiff penalties and adequate funding, the Navy might not be able to perform its responsibility effectively and efficiently.

    Dogara said that the importance of the maritime sector and its capacity to take Nigeria out of recession could not be undermined.

    “The importance of making Nigeria’s maritime sector safe and secure cannot be over emphasised given that the bulk of our trade and commerce come through our waters.

    “This will greatly boost government revenue, increase our foreign reserve and ultimately provide jobs to millions of our youths.

    “Our water ways and even the Gulf of Guinea have been witnessing increasing level of piracy and kidnapping of expatriates and Nigerians alike,’’ he said.

    He assured that bills that would address insecurity in the sector, especially piracy, would receive urgent passage in the House to restore order to the marine sector.

    The Speaker added that establishment of Maritime Security Fund would provide the Navy with needed funds to effectively discharge its sub-regional duties of patrolling the joint development zone between Sao Tome and Principe and Nigeria.

    The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ibas, at the hearing, confirmed the recovery of over N420 billion stolen oil fund in 2016.

    Ibas said that the recovery was aside from stolen oil worth N6. 7 billion destroyed in various illegal refineries between January and June, 2017.

    He cited the report of study conducted by Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) data, saying estimated oil production in Nigeria plummeted by more than 25 per cent in 2009, as a result of piracy and sea robbery.

    He, however, reiterated Navy’s commitment toward combating criminality ranging from vandalism, kidnapping, environmental pollution, maritime terrorism, illegal bunkering and poaching.

    Other anti-economic growth vices, the naval chief said, included smuggling, proliferation of arms, waste dumping and oil pollution.

    He noted that such colossal loss to piracy and sea robbery was avoidable, but added that intense efforts were being made to drastically reduce the menace over the past 18 months.

    Ibas said “according to the Oil Producers Trading Section (OPTS) report, annual crude oil loss due to COT for 2014 amounted to about 36,162 barrels per day’’.

    He, however, said that the intervention of the Nigerian Navy had led to increase in national crude oil production from less than a million barrels per day in early 2016 to over two million barrels per day in April, 2017.

    On his part, Chairman, House Committee on Navy, Rep. Abdussamad Dasuki, lamented that while incidences of sea piracy had reduced in other territorial waters due to effective coordination, “it is increasing in Nigeria and the Gulf of Guinea.

    “This is apparently disturbing given repeated warnings by the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) that attacks by sea-borne bandits off the West African coast are on the rise in Nigeria.

    “To compound the problem, the United Nations Security Council reported that Nigeria was losing about 1.5 billion dollars monthly due to piracy and other activities,’’ Dasuki said.

  • Photos: Dogara mourns Hon. Wammako

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has expressed grief over the passing on of another serving member of the House of Representatives, Hon Abdullahi Mohammed Wamakko, who passed on on Friday at the age of 50.

    The deceased lawmaker represented Kware/Wamakko Constituency, Sokoto State and was serving his first term.

    In a statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mr Turaki Hassan, the Speaker expressed his heartfelt condolences to the government and people of Sokoto State over his death.

    While praying that God will comfort his immediate family over the painful loss, he prayed that the Almighty God will grant him eternal rest.

    “Hon Wamakko was a dedicated lawmaker who had the progress of Kware/Wamakko federal constituency, Sokoto State and the entire Nigeria at heart. As we mourn his painful untimely departure, I pray that God will bring solace to his family who will miss him the most and grant him eternal rest.

    Dogara mourns Hon. Wammako

    The Speaker recalled that the late Wamakko was a patriotic, committed, peace-loving and hardworking lawmaker who gave his best for the service of his people and said the House will greatly miss him.

    “I also condole with the government and people of Sokoto State over this loss. May his soul rest in perfect peace.”

     

  • Disclose interests accruing from Nigeria’s foreign reserves, Dogara tells CBN

    Disclose interests accruing from Nigeria’s foreign reserves, Dogara tells CBN

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara on Thursday challenged the apex bank (Central Bank of Nigeria) to disclose exact figures of the interests to Nigeria’s foreign reserve accounts.

    Speaking when a delegation from the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC) visited him in Abuja, he said that agencies like the Commission should be in custody of such figures for dissemination to the public when necessary.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the House had on Dec.15, 2015, passed a resolution calling on the CBN to declare interests accruing on the foreign reserves accounts of the federation.

    “We earn interest on foreign reserves, like Botswana. They don’t have oil but the interest on reserve is their second highest revenue source after natural resources.

    “You will see it as a budget item, interest earned from foreign reserves.

    “In Nigeria, we have been asking the question, `are we earning or are we just running charity with it or just leave people to manage it?

    “Are we capitalising the interest and what is the interest; nobody has ever told us,’’ Dogara said.

    He said that CBN was the custodian of foreign reserves.

    But, he pointed out that if they are not forthcoming with regards to what had been happening with the interest earned on foreign reserves, there should be an agency of government to handle it.

    The speaker also sought to know why the ceiling on borrowing as stated in the FRC Act was not adhered to, saying “do we continue borrowing until we have borrowed billions?

    “The Fiscal Responsibility Act speaks to those things, so, why is it that it is not being done?’’ he asked.

    He said that there was urgent need for the government to properly fund the commission to enable it to deliver on its mandate and strengthen its powers.

    According to Dogara, the commission has the capacity to reduce corruption by over 80 per cent.

    He said that the approach adopted by the government to fight corruption through the EFCC to punish corruption offenders after the crime has been committed should be redirected to checking the root of the problem.

    He said that the motive for, or the reason for the establishment of FRC was for Nigeria to have an agency that would ensure that it had efficient allocation of resources.

    According to the speaker, once resources in a country are not efficiently allocated, or in an efficient manner, there is bound to be dislocation in the economy of that country.

    “If we hope to get the best from agencies such as this, it means that we have to resolve across board to put some resources at the disposal of the agency.

    “But, if we think that we cannot fund the agency and the agency will live up to expectations, I think we are only deceiving ourselves.

    “From the way we are fighting corruption, it is like emphasis is built on EFCC, but the problem with that approach that you are dealing with symptoms of corruption and corruption is like a tree.

    “Once you continue to deal with the leaves and the fruits, and the root is still there, you cannot totally eliminate corruption.

    “These are preventive agencies and we ought to invest more in agencies such as the Fiscal Responsibility Commission because we have to make it difficult for corruption itself to take place.

    “Once we do that, we will be applying the remedy at the root of corruption.

    “There is no limit to the kind of attention we can pay to agencies like this because this is the right way to combat corruption itself to ensure that resources are efficiently allocated and that we have fiscal discipline.

    “Once we have done that, we would have reduced incidents of corruption by perhaps, over 80 per cent,’’ he said.

    Earlier, Chairman of FRC, Mr Victor Muruako, urged the speaker to facilitate the speedy amendment of the Act establishing the commission.

    He said that there was need to empower the Commission to retain a percentage of the operating surplus it collected from ministries, departments and agencies on behalf of the Federal Government.

    “This is in order to boost its activities and grant it financial independence.’’

     

     

    NAN

  • Effective Local Government administration will subdue growing national disenchantment – Dogara

    Effective Local Government administration will subdue growing national disenchantment – Dogara

    …Urges State Assemblies to endorse financial autonomy

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara has said growing level of discontentment and disenchantment by the generality of Nigerians will be greatly reduced when local government systems work effectively.

    He added that there is a chance to meet up with the expectations of Nigerians as the ongoing Constitution Amendment exercise affords lawmakers the opportunity to improve on governance from the grassroots to the top.

    The Speaker said these while speaking at a consultative meeting for building consensus among the conference of Speakers, National Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) and leaders of thought on local government and State Houses of Assembly Autonomy by leveraging on the ongoing Constitution Review Exercise.

    He said the “amendment exercise could not have come at a better time than now that there is a loud and deafening call across the nation for restructuring and deepening our democratic systems and processes.

    “As leaders, we must use every opportunity to find ways of strengthening Nigeria’s unity through effective governance and delivery of public goods and services that will lead to an improvement in the livelihoods of the average Nigerian. If we can make the local government system work effectively, most of the discontentment and disenchantment among the rural population and the generality of Nigerians will be greatly reduced.

    “The Constitution amendment process provides an opportunity for the National Assembly in collaboration with the State legislatures to enhance our governance architecture, strengthen our democratic institutions, entrench equity and social justice in our polity and most importantly put Nigeria on the part of the greatness that Nigerians crave for.”

    He also disclosed that in the last aborted Constitution Alteration exercise in the 7th Assembly, all the State Houses of Assembly voted to support autonomy for the State Houses of Assembly, having learnt from the bitter experience of the 2nd Alteration Bill where the State Houses of Assembly on their own turned down Autonomy for State Houses of Assembly.

    Reiterating his position that financial autonomy for local governments and state House of Assembly will bring good governance and dividends of democracy to the states and rural areas, he noted, “Indeed, financial autonomy for the State legislatures is one of the most important ingredients for good governance at the State level.”

    Stressing the need for continuous dialogue and consensus building in democratic governance, Dogara said it provides a platform for thorny and divergent views to be discussed, harmonised and addressed amicably.

    “Democracy in practice, is a process through which government actors and citizens’ representatives continuously dialogue constructively in order to build harmony and consensus on critical and competing issues and interests,” he said, adding that “consultation is a very critical element of any democracy because it provides a platform for thorny and divergent views to be discussed, harmonised and addressed amicably.

    He commended the leadership of the State Houses of Assembly, DFID and PERLS for the partnership and support in the previous amendments, and called for same as the legislature strives to find lasting solutions to the bottlenecks that have inhibited the ability of Nigeria to achieve its true potentials.

  • Photos: Osinbajo, Saraki, Dogara, Obasanjo, others attend Amosun’s daughter’s wedding

    Photos: Osinbajo, Saraki, Dogara, Obasanjo, others attend Amosun’s daughter’s wedding

    The ancient city of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital on Saturday witnessed an usual gathering of elite members of the Nigerian society, politicians, captains of industries and service chiefs for the society wedding of the daughter of Governor Ibikunle Amosun, Miss Ayomide Amosun, and Mr. Oladipupo Dabiri; son of former House of Representatives member and Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari, on Nigerians in Diaspora, Abike Dabiri – Erewa.

    The African Church Primary School, Ita Iyalode, Abeokuta, the venue of the traditional engagement and Nikkah ceremony and Muhammad Buhari Presidential Estate where the reception took place was filled to the brim with the high and mighty in Nigeria’s political and business class.


    The Acting President Yemi Osinbajo prayed for harmony and blessings of God upon the couple while his wife, Dolapo who supervised the cutting of the wedding cake also prayed God to grant them “joy, happiness and favour” in their marriage.

    The officiating clergy, Abdul – Rahman Ahmad, who is the National Chief Missioner, Ansarudeen Society of Nigeria, in his brief sermon, said marriage is an institution ordained by Allah and advised the couple to have the fear of Allah in dealing with one another and love each other.

    Chief Obasanjo in his brief remarks, congratulated the parents of the bride and groom as well as the couple, urging them to have the courage to understand there would always be friction in marriage and said when it occurs, they should deploy effective communication to resolve it.

    In his words: “Marriage is sweet but it must have a time of friction and when frictions happen please I urge you to iron it out immediately, do not let it last more than 24 hours and the only way you can do that is through communication. Always maintain good communication,” Obasanjo said.

    Also, Speaker Yabuku Dogara advised parents to spend their energies to training the child, attributing high rate of moral decadence and loss of values to bad homes.

    He said marriage is ordained by God and must be sustained by man, explaining that the family remained the most important institution on earth where discipline takes root.

    In his words: “The rate of crime in the society is not because our security agencies are inefficient but because most parents have failed to properly train their children.”

    “As parents, we must deploy our energies at properly training our children because bad homes bring about a bad society,” Dogara said.

    Eminent Nigerians that witnessed the wedding include the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) who was represented by former Finance Commissioner (Lagos State), Olawale Edun, Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dogara, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Senator Dino Melaye, former Managing Director of GTbank, Fola Adeola, Senator Gbenga Ashafa, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Governor Yerima Shettima (Borno), Governor Abdul – Azeez Yari (Zamfara), Governor Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Governor Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Minister of Solid Minerals, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Governor Bello Masari (Katsina). Others are Governor Abubakar Badru (Jigawa), Governor Ahmed Abdulfatah (Kwara) and Senator Gbenga Ashafa.

    Others are former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, former President Obasanjo, Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu, Chief Bisi Akande, Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, his Finance counterpart, Kemi Adeosun, Chairman of the defunct Interim National Government(ING), Chief Ernest Shonekan,

    Chief Femi Majekodunmi, the Alake of Egbaland, Oba Adedotun Gbadebo, the Olu of Ilaro, Oba Kehinde Olugbenle, the Osile of Oke – Ona Egba, Oba Adedapo Tejuoso, the Olowu of Owu Kingdom and Oba Adegboyega Dosunmu.

    Also in attendance are father of the groom Bayo Dabiri and mother of the groom, Abike Dabiri – Erewa, and her husband, Segun Erewa, Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, former Commonwealth Secretary, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora, Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi, former Inspector General of Police, Musiliu Smith, former Attorney – General and Minister of Justice, Prince Bola Ajibola, Senator Lanre Tejuoso and Commissioner of Police Ogun State, Ahmed Iliyasu.

    The Grand Entrance of the Ooni of Ife #DabiriAmosunWedding and #ErewaAmosunWedding #vvipevents #ebonylifetv #aaxdd

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    Others are business mogul and industrialist, Alh. Aliko Dangote, his counterpart in the oil sector, Femi Otedola, Minister of State for Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu, Chief Femi Falana, former Ogun State governor Gbenga Daniel, a former Governorship candidate in Ogun State, Prince Gboyega Isiaka, Minister of Labour, Dr. Chris Ngige, ex – Deputy Governor Femi Pedro (Lagos), Founder First City Monument Bank (FCMB) and Olori – Omooba of Ijebuland, Otunba Subomi Balogun, former Governor Lateef Jakande (Lagos), General Alani Akinrinade (rtd), Senator Daisy Ehanire Danjuma, Senator Grace Ita – Giwa and Interior Minister Abdul – Rahman Danbazzau, former Governor Adams Oshiomhole (Edo), Governor Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Senator Anthony Adefuye, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. John Odigie – Oyegun, Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Kensington Adebutu, former Governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Ogun State, Prince Jide Awosedo, and Prof. Pat Utomi and the nation’s Post Master – General, Chief Bisi Adegbuyi.