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Tag: Dogara

  • Party primaries: Dogara advocates option A4, independent candidacy

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara has called for the adoption of direct voting method where all card carrying members of political parties are allowed to choose candidates who will represent their parties in elections.

    The Speaker said this on Thursday, while responding to a request from a delegation from the Conference of Female Parliamentarians of State Houses of Assembly, led by its chairperson, Hon Elizabeth Ativie, at the National Assembly, that Option A4 should be included in the Electoral Act.

    He argued that direct primaries was more effective in choosing the true candidate of the people because it takes away the option of manipulation of a few delegates by interested parties, who have more financial or political influence.

    Speaking on the merits of Option A4, he said, “it is there in most of the Constitution of our political parties where primaries are supposed to be by direct or indirect means. But in most cases, most political parties, if not all, have always opted for the indirect primaries.

    “To be more candid, direct primaries can help even in general elections because once a candidate emerges under those conditions, you will know that he is generally accepted by the people.

    He argued that direct primaries was more effective in choosing the true candidate of the people because it takes away the option of manipulation of a few delegates by interested parties, who have more financial or political influence.

    Speaking on the merits of Option A4, he said, “it is there in most of the Constitution of our political parties where primaries are supposed to be by direct or indirect means. But in most cases, most political parties, if not all, have always opted for the indirect primaries.

    “To be more candid, direct primaries can help even in general elections because once a candidate emerges under those conditions, you will know that he is generally accepted by the people.

    “Unfortunately too, our laws do not help matters since we do not have independent candidacy. The only requirement is that you must have a political party platform before you are elected into any office. It therefore means that something has to be done in order to free the process.

    “In order to ensure that this process is truly transparent and democratic and the only way is to let all card carrying members of a political party participate in the election of their candidate. So to this suggestion, you already have a convert in me”, Dogara added.

    While assuring them that the House would pass the Gender Equality Bill, the Speaker urged the state legislators to engage their federal counterparts to ensure that a consensus is reached on the issues raised.

  • 2018 Census: No going back on preparations, NPC tells Dogara

    The Chairman of the National Population Commission, NPC, Eze Duruiheoma, has said despite calls in some quarters for a postponement of the proposed 2018 census, the Commission will go ahead with scheduled plans.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Duruiheoma was reacting to calls by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara to postpone the census after the 2019 election year.

    Dogara noted that since the census can’t be achieved in 2017 (this year), there was no need conducting it a year to the general elections as politicians would take undue advantage of the window of opportunity made available by the census to maneuver figures for their selfish political gains.

    In his words: “I won’t advise anyone to conduct a national census in 2018. I said it before that if we are not going to achieve it in 2017, then we should just forget it until after 2019. If you conduct a census just before the elections, there will be so much pressure, crisis and a lure for people to manipulate the figures for political reasons, such that the agency cannot even cope with.

    “So, it is better for a fresh administration to conduct this exercise from the beginning of that administration when we do not have any pressure of elections in sight. Then we may have something that resembles reality, but I can bet on it that if the census is conducted in 2018, the outcome will be unreliable. Seriously speaking, because I know who we are and I know the kind of litigation, backlash and the pressure that come with this kind of exercise and we don’t need that now to be candid.”

    However, Duruiheoma had while reacting to the speaker’s position said the commission will go ahead with its plans because the Federal Government has not called for the cancellation of the census.

     

    Speaking in an interview with reporters in Abuja on Tuesday on the stand of the commission, Duruiheoma said: “The NPC is an agency of government. Whatever we say, whatever we do, we give it to government; government reacts and directs us. The Speaker (Dogara) is entitled to his views, any other person is also entitled to his or her views. That is where we are. We are supposed to be an umpire.

    “We have not been asked not to go on with preparations, so we will continue to prepare. In any case, even if it is to be held in 2020 or 2021, there has to be preparations. I expect government to direct us.”

    The NPC boss added, “If the census will take place in 2030, there has to be some preparations. Preparation is a regular thing. It is not an election. Even if it is an election, you have to prepare for it.”

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the Commission had proposed that conducting the census next year will cost the nation an estimated N272bn and this has attracted severe criticisms.

  • Saraki, Dogara, others mourn Senator Adeleke

    The leaders of the National Assembly, Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara have expressed shock over the sudden passing away of the first civilian governor of Osun State and a two-term serving Senator, Isiaka Adeleke.

    Saraki, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, described Adeleke — the first elected Governor of Osun State — as an important figure in the Eighth Senate.

    “My heart goes out to the family of Senator Adeleke, and the people of the great State of Osun,” Saraki said.

    “Adeleke was a leader in every right, a formidable colleague, patriotic statesman, good family man and complete gentleman whose contributions to the development of the of Osun State in particular and the nation in general will never be forgotten.”

    The Senate President went on to eulogize Adeleke, who served as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Capital Market as a consummate reformer, courageous public servant and grassroots politician whose love for his people and commitment to national service remains unparalleled.


    “From his track-record as a second term Senator, it is clear that Adeleke was a man who his people trusted to carry out their mandate in the Senate,” he said, “He was always passionate about his work in the legislature, and showed competence, dedication and an ability to work with everyone to bring about the greater good. He will be sorely missed.”


    He commiserated with the immediate family of the deceased, the larger Adeleke family, Osun West Senatorial District, Governor Rauf Aregbesola and the entire people of the State of Osun, the Vice Chairman and members of the Senate Committee on Capital Market, the Senate, and indeed, the 8th National Assembly.

    Saraki prayed to Almighty Allah to grant Adeleke a place among the righteous ones in Aljannah firdaus.

    Also speaking in a separate reaction, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara described the sudden death of Senator Isiaka Adeleke as shocking and a huge loss to the country.

    In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media & Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, the Speaker said he received with shock, the news of sudden death of Senator Adeleke and said the former Osun State Governor was a distinguished gentleman.

    “Senator Adeleke was a leader who left giant footprints and lasting legacies as the first civilian governor of Osun State,” he stated.

    Dogara also recalled that the late senator was credited for establishing tertiary educational institutions across Osun State when he was governor in the third republic, thereby laying the foundation for the development of the State.

    “On behalf of all members of the House of Representatives, I condole with the Adeleke family, the Senate, government and people of Osun State over this big loss,” Dogara added.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Adeleke, aged 62, died Sunday morning at a hospital in Osogbo, the Osun State capital, hours after he engaged in a political meeting which terminated late Saturday.

    Until his death, Adeleke chaired the Senate committee on capital market.

     

  • What gives me sleepless nights as Speaker – Dogara

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has revealed that his determination to do things better and achieve a more successful legislative tenure than previous leaderships of the House is one of his greatest nightmares.

    Dogara noted that if there was anything he remains greatful to God for, it is the fact that he has removed the fear of anyone or anything from him.

    The Speaker revealed this in an interview with NIGERIA NOW Magazine in Abuja.

    Speaking on some of the challenges that has come his way since assuming the Speaker of the House and how he has successfully surmounted such, Dogara said: “I tell people that one of the things God has developed real well in me is to remove fear from me, I fear nothing.”‎

    He stated that the only thing that frightened him was if the Eighth House of Representatives, which he leads, is unable to leave landmark achievements.

    “The only thing that frightens me is if this Eighth Assembly which, by virtue of the grace of God, I have been called to lead, is unable to leave landmark achievements; that is what bothers me and prevents me from sleeping.

    “At times, I begin to think about what it is that we have achieved, done wrong or could have done better? What is the next line of things we can do for the betterment of the lives and living conditions of our people?

    “This is going to be 2 years, what can we really say we have done that has bettered the lot of Nigerians? What will be our place when the history of this country is written?”

    “Those are the issues that prevent one from sleeping, really, as against political battles with individuals or thinking about next elections – those are not the issues at all.

    “I bother a lot about where we are leading this House to and what it is we can achieve in both parliament and in government, because we are running the same government. If Buhari fails; all of us have failed, because it is one government and we cannot extricate ourselves”‎, he said.

    The Speaker, who also revealed that he occasionally writes advisory memos to the Presidency, stressed the importance of working as one irrespective of party affiliations and positions occupied, in order to make the current administration succeed in its efforts to better the lot of Nigerians.

    “Sometimes I sit down, craft memos by myself and take it to the Executive; it is not my responsibility, the government has its own advisers, but I fear a lot about the place this government will occupy in history.

    “All of us will be involved in that history, none of us will run away whether you just a member, a leader, a Chairman of a Committee, whoever you are it is our government, it doesn’t even matter which political party you belong to, it is one government and we are all involved.

    “So the point is what is the legacy we are leaving behind? What are we achieving? That’s the thing that gives me nightmares sometimes.”

  • West Africa loses $1.3bn to Illegal fishing activities yearly – Dogara

    West Africa loses $1.3bn to Illegal fishing activities yearly – Dogara

    ….Says maritime sector key to Nigeria’s economic revival

    ….Pledges commitment to passing suppression of piracy and other unlawful Acts at Sea Bill

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives , Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has expressed dismay that Illegal Unreported and Unregulated ( IUU ) fishing leads to an annual loss of over 1.3 billion dollars in West Africa alone.

    This is just as he pledged the commitment of the National Assembly to continue to be active in passing legislations that will make Nigeria’s seas and waterways safer for exploration and exploitation of its natural resources for the benefit of Nigerians.

    Speaking while delivering a goodwill message at the annual conference of the Association of African Maritime Administrators in Abuja, the Speaker said, “Statistics has it that Illegal Unreported and Unregulated ( IUU ) fishing leads to a loss of over 1.3 billion dollars in West Africa alone, yearly.

    “We must tighten the legal and regulatory framework to stop these losses. We must intensify efforts to promote intra- African trade in fisheries as statistics also show that Pan-African fish trade is worth about 20 billion euros. This will help to sustain African economies in the long term.”

    He added, “We as a parliament have been at the forefront of legislation on maritime issues in the past and are currently, actively involved in processing legislations in the maritime sector. The House of Representatives of Nigeria only last week passed the National Transport Commission Bill which it is hoped would have a huge impact on the maritime sector especially with respect to economic regulation of activities of operators and agencies in our maritime sector.”

    The Speaker also gave the commitment of the National Assembly to give speedy legislative action to the proposed Bill for an Act to provide for the Suppression of Piracy and other unlawful Acts at Sea (and other related offences) and urged the executive to transmit it, and other IMO conventions to the National Assembly.

    “The Bill, when passed, is expected to “give expression to relevant Conventions, Treaties and Charters on safety and security and further strengthen Nigeria’s desire to make its waters safe”, according to the promoters of the Bill. The bill is in the court of the Executive at the the moment and we await its transmission as an Executive Bill for legislative processing into law. The Executive should also use the opportunity to transmit other IMO Conventions and Protocols that have been acceded to by Nigeria, for domestication by the National Assembly,” the Speaker said.

    Furthermore, he charged African maritime organisations to change the present situation where Africans do not benefit from the abundance of natural resources in its seas and waterways.

    Dogara said this is attainable only if the era of paying lip service to producing indigenous skilled sea men and women and indigenous fleet owners is replaced with one in which conscious and practical actions are taken towards achieving the goal.

    “Permit me to awake our conscience, even if it amounts to a rebuke, to the fact that the days of paying lip service to the emergence of, skilled indigenous seamen and sea women and indigenous fleet owners, not vessel owners, are well over. A strong man lifts the cargo he generates, therefore Africa must possess the capacity to lift the cargo it generates, be they dry or wet, if it must qualify as a strong maritime continent. The goal of this conference must not be the sustainable use of African oceans and seas by non Africans but by Africans first and then others. I know of very few curses greater than for one to make his bed and for another to lie on it. Therefore, my charge to you administrators, is to ensure that as you make this bed, you will also be making Africans who must lie on it.

    The Speaker also stated that Nigeria’s economic revival can be achieved through the exploration and exploitation of Africa’s vast ocean resources, while noting that sadly, developing countries have not benefitted from the potentials the resources the seas have to offer while developed countries have done well in exploiting these resources.

    “Developed countries have done a better job of exploiting these resources. We in Africa need to do much more to use these God given resources to feed our people, fight poverty and develop efficient ports and effectively administer the waters of the Seas. We can create high paying jobs for our teeming youths, develop an efficient transportation system, exploit efficiently the oil and gas resources and other minerals contained in the deep seas and oceans of Africa. Nigeria is potentially a major maritime power considering the depth and breadth of our Exclusive Economic Zone and Territorial waters, and can do even more to efficiently and effectively make sustainable use of the Oceans and Seas,” he explained.

    Speaking on some of the potentials, Dogara, added that fishing is one of the major economic activities of most maritime communities all over Africa and sustainable development of the local fisheries sector has the capacity to improve food security and lift people out of poverty and hunger.

    “Fisheries and aquaculture provide jobs for millions of people including our women and youths,” he said, adding, “as a maritime nation, Nigeria has a responsibility together with other nations and international organisations, like the International Maritime Organisation (IMO), to make our waters safe and secure.”

    “It is as a result that the Legislature in Nigeria has been very active in maritime related legislations over the years. In 2007, the National Assembly of Nigeria, created the Nigeria Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) from the old National Maritime Authority (NMA) and amended the 1962 Merchant Shipping Act and empowered NIMASA to administer the Act.

    Furthermore, the National Assembly has domesticated twelve very important Maritime Safety and Security Conventions of the IMO which are necessary for safeguarding security and safety in our region. It has also domesticated the International Ships and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code, which is a very important IMO Convention instrument for safety and security at Nigerian ports as part of its Ports State duties. The Nigerian parliament has also domesticated eight important Conventions and Protocols on marine environment geared towards a clean, safe and secure marine environment,” Dogara said.

    He also added that the parliament will actively participate in the discussion of maritime security, safety, administration and development in line with the impact of Climate Change and the possibility of developing a blue economy following the Paris Convention on Climate Change.

    “Nigeria and indeed Africa cannot be left behind. We shall play our own part as when it is brought before us in due course,” he stated.

  • Intensify efforts at releasing other Chibok girls, Dogara charges Buhari, security agencies

    The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has asked the Executive not to give in but rather intensify rescue efforts for the abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

    In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media & Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, in Abuja on Friday, to mark three years of abduction of the girls from Government Secondary School Chibok, Borno State, the Speaker stated that his prayers are with the parents and relations of the girls and urged Nigerians not to relent in praying for their safe return.

    “You would recall that the House, on Tuesday, adopted yet another motion calling on the Executive to rescue our daughters who remain in captivity; this is because no matter how long ago the abduction occurred, as parents, we feel duty-bound to never let the campaign for their release fade out.”

    “The fate that has befallen our daughters is a symptom of the many challenges that the girl-child faces not only on the African continent, but around the world, and it is high time that we, as leaders, played our respective roles in protecting the girl-child and their right to education.”

    “While we commend the Military and Security agencies for their gallantry in stemming the North-East imbroglio and for rescuing thousands of captives from the dreaded Boko Haram sect, we must also, once more, reiterate the need for the remaining Chibok Girls to be freed from captivity and reunited with their families.

    “The House will not relent in collaborative efforts in providing any form of support to the Executive and particularly the security agencies in order to achieve this.”

    “This somber moment also brings thoughts of other students who fell victim to Boko Haram to mind, such as the Buni Yadi boys who were murdered in the most gruesome manner for doing nothing but seeking education. Today, we pray that God grants all affected parents and families succour, as we keep hope alive for the return of our girls as well as other citizens still in captivity.”

     

     

  • Dogara, El-Rufai and security vote – Azu Ishiekwene

    Dogara, El-Rufai and security vote – Azu Ishiekwene

    Azu Ishiekwene

    Speaker Yakubu Dogara meant it as a joke. When he dared Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, to remove the log in his own eye by publishing the state’s security vote and how local government funds were disbursed, Dogara was sure it would be over the governor’s dead body.

    The graveyard of Nigerian politics is littered with presidents and governors who pocketed billions of naira of state funds in a brazen fraud called “security vote.”

    When security vote is the issue, no names are mentioned and one talks about the details in public. It’s a cesspool of slush funds with a history, which dates back to the era of former military President Ibrahim Babangida.

    There was no parliament at the time. Once the Supreme Military Council approved spending, the Budget Office provided the money and the money was spent without questions.

    Soldiers, who shot their way to power, were always looking over their shoulders and the Budget Office, acting on orders from above, supplied the cash the soldiers needed to suss out their enemies or keep them at bay.

    When all was said and done, there was always something left for the soldiers to indulge their pleasures and line their pockets. They didn’t need to account for anything.

    Their civilian successors kept this legacy. And they have kept it for 16 years, drawing huge sums of money month after month, without constitutional backing.

    At a point, senior lawyer, Robert Clarke, launched a campaign against the illegality but politicians laughed him off.

    Various unconfirmed reports estimate that governors get between N200m-N500m monthly as security vote. At the Presidency, it would run into at least one billion monthly.

    An insider told me of a former governor in the North East who always came to Abuja “with at least N25m cash in the boot of his jeep and returned broke after each visit.”

    In 2004, the former Minister of State for Finance, Nenadi Usman, raised the alarm that some governors were in the habit of converting the entire monthly allocation of their states – including moneys for local governments – to dollars and transferring everything abroad.

    She said, “Four to seven days after the Federation Account Allocation Committee meeting, the exchange rate goes up. That means that they (governors) are using the money to buy up dollars.

    “Make telephone calls to any of the states. Ask for the governor and you would be told he has gone abroad. Not only the governors, even the commissioners of finance.”

    When Dogara challenged el-Rufai on Friday, he knew where the corpses were buried. What he didn’t know was that one ‘corpse’ was about to rise from the dead.

    And el-Rufai has proved yet again that even though he might be disliked for many reasons, when it comes to clear, forward thinking and getting the job done, you’ll be a fool to underestimate him.

    You may argue with his style or resent his politics, but his public record in the last 16 years has been largely one of results and performance.

    It would be interesting to see which governor follows next. Only a few years ago, 36 of them sat on former President Goodluck Jonathan’s neck, asking him to increase their security vote and share funds in the Excess Crude Account.

    What do they do with the money?

    Will Governor Abdulaziz Yari, for example, tell the world which avenging angel he paid with the Zamfara security vote to afflict hundreds of citizens with meningitis? We should know which celestial agents he paid to do the job, since the fellow thinks meningitis is God’s punishment for our sins.

    Or will Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo show under what subhead he procured photos and plastered the state with life-size billboards of himself grinning while shaking hands with Obama in the White House?

    The biggest joke is on Dogara. He cannot escape it by sending the spokesperson of the House to say, “The Speaker has directed the National Assembly bureaucracy to publish details of the parliament’s account.” That’s nonsense.

    His six-month pay slip, which looks like the type that desperate, unemployed applicants obtain from corner shops to impress consular officers, will also not do. No drip, drip.

    For years now, the world has been waiting to see the books of the National Assembly, everything. El-Rufai has challenged the lawmakers to disclose how they spent N1trillion over the years and what they do with an estimated annual budget of N115billion.

    The answer is not in Dogara’s six-month pay slip. Like the devil, it’s in the details of those allowances – known and unknown – that the suspended House member, Abdulmumin Jibrin, spoke about shamelessly.

    The few grown-ups in the National Assembly must feel genuinely embarrassed about what is going on there. Some have expressed concern that the National Assembly might not only be weakened by the harsh portrayal in the press, it might also be exposed to public incitement.

    Well, the public has been at the receiving end for too long. While millions of workers are pining away on meagre wages and millions more are either unemployed or are being owed salaries for months, legislators are having a good time. They compete with celebrities to flaunt the latest toys in their garage and even find time to make mocking videos.

    Senate President Bukola Saraki and Dogara should open the books. Drip, drip will not do.

    It’s also pointless playing Ping-Pong with el-Rufai, when all that Dogara is prepared to serve is a pay slip that does his reputation no good. He seriously wants the world to believe that he earns less than Jibrin?

    It’s no longer a joking matter. The National Assembly should open its books or wallow in its filth.

    Irony Of Malabu Maths

    A friend sent this short email to me on the Malabu oil block fraud involving Oil Prospecting Licence (OPL 245): “9bn barrels oilfield worth $500billion given away for $1.3bn. (Dan) Etete and his cohorts get $1bn; the country gets $0.3bn, if we are lucky. And the Niger Delta people get the pollution from the drilling!”

    The irony is that the leading figures in the fraud mentioned so are also from the Niger Delta!

    Ishiekwene is the MD/Editor-In-Chief of The Interview magazine and board member of the Global Editors Network

  • ‘If your pay slip is authentic, I earn more than you’ Jibrin lampoons Dogara

    A former chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on appropriation, Honourable Abdulmumin Jibrin has reacted to the release of the monthly pay slip by Speaker Honourable Yakubu Dogara.

    Dogara on Tuesday following a challenge by Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai released his monthly earnings.

    But reacting to the speaker’s pay slip release, Jibrin in a series of tweets on Wednesday said if what Dogara made available to the public was authentic, then he (Jibrin) earned more than the speaker according to his salary statement of account.

    He writes, “I will make few comments on the response of Speaker Dogara to El Rufai and as usual using the institution of the House as cover.

    “As regard NASS budget, I completely agree with paragraph 9, 10 and 11 but will raise issues on paragraph 5, 6, and the pay slip.

    “The statement failed to address the call by Nigerians and majority of members for Mr Speaker to disclose details of our internal budget.

    “Beside salaries, allowances and running cost, no member has details of about 20 other expenditure heads captured in Namdas statement.

    he added, Mr Speaker, you know that NILS HQ is not completely funded from NASS allocation but part funded by FG under service wide vote.

    “If Mr Speaker is saying ‘budget disclosure’ commences 2017, Nigerians will never see details of how a trillion was spent in last 10 years?

    “Its no favour to Nigerians disclosing details of budget. In fact, it is a criminal offense to refuse even members copy of their budget.

    “If what I saw is the authentic pay slip of Mr Speaker, it means I earn more than him from what I see in my salary statement of account.

    “I have requested for my pay slip from NASS, I will publish it and my monthly salary statement of account. Perhaps I have been over paid.

    “I have so much comments to make on 2017 budget which I will release before the budget is transmitted to Mr President, God grace.”

  • Dogara replies El-Rufai, releases 6 months pay slip

    Dogara replies El-Rufai, releases 6 months pay slip

    The face-off between the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara and the Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is far from nearing its end as the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Publicity, Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas on Tuesday (today) in Abuja issued a strong worded release asking Mallam El-Rufai to face business of governance in Kaduna and leave the National Assembly to do its job.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that El- Rufai and Dogara had at the closing session of a retreat for National Assembly members in Kaduna, exchanged words with El-Rufai challenging the National Assembly to make its budget public while Dogara challenged the governor to make public what he was getting as security vote and as allocations to local governments.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that El-Rufai on Monday released details of what he spends on security votes as well as what he earns as governor.

    However, in a similar vein, the Speaker on Tuesday (today) released his payroll which dates back to the past six months.

    See photos of slips below:

     

  • ‘Publish your security votes, LG funds’, Dogara tells governors

    ‘Publish your security votes, LG funds’, Dogara tells governors

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has challenged Governor Nasir El-rufai of Kaduna State, to extend his campaign for transparency in the budget of the National Assembly to other arms of government including how governors spend their security votes.

    Speaking while closing a retreat for management of the National Assembly in Kaduna on Friday, Dogara, also challenged the Governors, to, in the spirit of accountability and transparency publish how they utilise funds allocated to local governments.

    The Speaker, while reacting to an earlier speech by Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmed El-rufai, who urged the legislature to make its budget public, disclosed that already, the bureaucracy has been directed to publish the National Assemnly budget beginning from 2017.

    “I will like to challenge him (El-rufai) to champion this cause for transparency in the budgetary process from the National Assembly to other arms of government. The Judiciary first. We want to see clearly how Chief Executives of States… how they are paid. What do they spend monthly as security votes. And if they can publish what happens to local government funds under their jurisdictions. That will help our discussion going forward,” he said.

    Acknowledging the challenges faced by the management of the federal legislature, Dogara stressed that the National Assembly is the most misunderstood institution and that no parliament in the world can win popularity contest and Nigeria’s National Assembly is not an exception.

    “When, for instance, public discussions on funding of the legislature are being made, the entire bureaucracy is often completely discountenanced, neither is any consideration given to the fact that this is a special bureaucracy saddled with a multitude of ‘masters’ who must be equally served in addition to service to the nation,” he explained.
    Dogara, said the Nigeria Civil Service will begin to record progress when it breaks away from its usual tradition to new ways of carrying out its functions and administration.

    He said for there to be productivity in the workforce, there must be innovation, which is borne out of motivation of staff through rewards such as promotions based on merit.
    “As leaders, you must be prepared to motivate the workforce. Motivation is the key to innovation anywhere. For far too long, the bureaucracy in Nigeria has failed to innovate because it is locked in a tradition that defines boundaries that must not be crossed.

    A tradition that says we have always done it this way and apportions sanctions for those who dare doing it the other way even if the outcomes are better. These are chains that bind the bureaucracy in Nigeria from within.

    Although the most difficult chains to break are those within us, we must break them in order to free the bureaucracy and make it competitive and innovative. The key to achieving this is undoubtedly, training and retraining in an environment such as this.
    “The necessity for every manager to fully understand the ecology of his organization is not negotiable. The legislature is a distinct organisation with several peculiarities, thereby making strategic management approach an imperative.

    The management of the National Assembly, whatever their managerial competencies, cannot provide efficient and effective services to the legislature except they fully understand and appreciate the organizational goals, objectives and the attendant challenges.

    “I need not warn you of the bitter lesson of life, which is that it will never offer you more than who you are. But the good news is that you can become more.

    To become more, you must change your ideas and you will never change your ideas until you learn something new. New things learned are useless and cannot result in growth until you put them to use. That is why you cannot over spend on training.

    Tell me the size of your organization’s budget for training and retraining and I’ll predict with absolute certainty, the future of your organization.
    The Speaker commended the visionary leadership approach of the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Ataba Sani-Omolori, for the swift manner in which he was able to undertake a management needs assessment of the institution, which is the basis for the retreat.