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Tag: NASS

  • Buhari threatens to sack heads of 50 govt agencies, others, over failure to defend budget before NASS

    Indications emerge on Saturday that President Muhammadu Buhari may sack chief executives of federal parastatals and agencies that fail to appear before the National Assembly to defend their budgets.

    The president reportedly made his position known during a meeting he had with the leadership of the National Assembly at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Thursday evening.

    A source who was at the meeting confided in newsmen that Buhari took the decision after the federal lawmakers succeeded in convincing him that they should not be blamed for the delay in passing the appropriation bill so far.

    The source said the lawmakers told the President that out of about 60 government parastatals and agencies, only about 10 chief executives had appeared before them to defend their budgets.

    The federal lawmakers were also said to have reported some ministers who they claimed had not been cooperating with them to the President.

    The source mentioned the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola; and the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, as some of the ministers whose cases came up at the meeting.

    The source, however, did not disclose the response of the President on the ministers’ cases.

    The source said, “You know that the budget delay, by popular sentiment, is being blamed on the National Assembly. They defended themselves very well before the President that ministers and chief executive officers have not been coming to the National Assembly to defend their budgets.

    “They cited some ministers like the Minister of Power, Works and Housing that he has not gone to defend his budget up until now. I am sure you have also been following the exchanges between them and the Minister of Solid Minerals.

    “The President was extremely unhappy with what he heard. His directive to the SGF was that they should start fishing out chief executives who fail to defend their budget, because he was told that out of about 60 of them, only about 10 have appeared. He has asked that ministers should supervise them. It is a serious issue.

    “He made it clear that by the time people are being sacked, there will be sanity.”

    When asked if a new deadline was set at the meeting for the passage of the appropriation bill, the source said the National Assembly would wait for the MDAs to comply with the President’s directive, after which the bill would enjoy speedy processing.

    At the end of the meeting on Thursday night, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, had told State House correspondents that Buhari had directed all ministers and parastatals to appear before the National Assembly to defend their budgets.

    Mustapha said, “The President gave them (the lawmakers) update on security, economy, job creation, processes in the National Assembly especially with regards to the budget and the need to conclude on it.

    “Mr. President has given an instruction that all ministers and parastatals should ensure that they appear before the National Assembly to defend their submissions so that we can get this out of the way.

    “You know this is a very dynamic year and there are preparations for elections and we are having quite a lot of security challenges and so if we don’t appropriate, where will the money come from?”

    Meanwhile, another source in the Senate who had details of the meeting also told one of our correspondents that Buhari invited the NASS leadership to know what had been responsible for the delayed passage of the appropriation bill.

    Buhari was said to have been shocked when he was presented with facts on the low turnout of heads of the MDAs at the budget defence sessions held by Senate and House of Representatives’ Committees.

    The source said, “Leaders of the National Assembly discussed the budget with the President. The President did not have full information that officials in the executive have been responsible for the delay. He thought the National Assembly was frustrating the passage but they told him they were not.

    “The National Assembly leadership showed him the list of MDAs that have yet to come forward for budget defence or provide details of their budgets to the relevant committees. He was informed that about 70 per cent of the MDAs had not been cooperating with the legislature. The President was surprised.

    “This is why the President ordered the SGF to issue a memo to all the MDAs, asking them to comply with National Assembly’s demands within one week. He wants everything to be sorted out within the time frame.”

    The legislature and the executive have been passing the buck on which arm of government is responsible for the delayed passage of the budget, which President Muhammadu Buhari laid before a joint session of the Assembly on November 7, 2017.

    On Monday, the Senate had said it was still uncertain when the 2018 Appropriation Bill would be passed by the National Assembly.

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Aliyu Sabi-Abdullahi, had said, “The budget process is on and I cannot tell you this is the specific day it is going to end. All I can tell you specifically is that we are working very hard on it and we want to assure Nigerians that at the end of the day we will have a budget that will serve the purpose of Nigerians.”

    Recall that the Senate had on February 14, 2018, asked 63 agencies and parastatals under the Federal Government to submit details of their proposed 2018 budgets within one week or risk sanctions.

    The upper chamber of the National Assembly had said that while Buhari had complied with the law by laying the 2018 Appropriation Bill along with details of estimates before the lawmakers, agencies of the government had disregarded the law.

    On February 28, the Senate had told Nigerians to blame members of Buhari’s cabinet and the ministries, departments and agencies for the delay in the passage of the appropriation bill.

    The lawmakers alleged that ministers and heads of Federal Government departments and agencies were allegedly frustrating legislative work on the budget proposal with their foreign trips and non-cooperation with the lawmakers.

    But the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Mr. Ben Akabueze, had denied the allegation, saying the National Assembly already had enough details to work with and pass the appropriation bill.

    Speaking with State House correspondents after the meeting, the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, also disclosed that the meeting was on the budget, security and other national issues.

    He said the National Assembly leadership also gave the President their opinions during the interaction.

    Saraki said the legislature was working on the budget, noting that some agencies had yet to defend their budget. “We are hoping that with this, they will come and defend their budget,” he said.

  • JUST IN: House of Reps to override President Buhari’s veto on 10 bills

    The House of Representatives is to override President Muhammadu Buhari’s veto power on ten bills including the Nigerian Peace Corp bill.

    This was made known at the House plenary session on Wednesday after Buhari declined to assent to the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act forwarded to him by the National Assembly (NASS).

    A second look at why Buhari declined to assent to the Electoral Act amendment indicates the President cited Section 25, Section 138 and Section 152 Subsection 325 of the Principal Act to give reasons why he withheld assent.

    “The amendment to the sequence of elections in Section 25 of the principal act, may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organize, undertake and supervise elections provided in Section 15(A) of the third statue to the Constitution.

    “The amendment to Section 138 of the principal act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates, unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process.

    “The amendment to Section 152 Subsection 325 of the Principal Act may raise Constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections,” he stated.

    However, it is yet to be known if the House will override Buhari’s veto power on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018 as well.

    Meanwhile, a professor of law at the Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Uli in Enugu state has said that Buhari’s decision to withhold assent to the Electoral Act as amended by the National Assembly is in order.

    Professor Osita Ogbu said that the prevailing circumstance needed not be misconstrued as a constitutional crisis, and that there was no cause for alarm as the president acted within the law.

    He said that if the NASS felt undone by the action of the president, they would have to muster third-majority of their members to veto such presidential decision.

    “The president has the constitutional right to veto the document but if the NASS can muster two- third majority against that decision, it can be overridden. This is a democratic process and part of checks and balances in the art of governance,” Ogbu said.

     

  • Second look at why President Buhari declined assent to Electoral Act amendment

    President Muhammadu Buhari has presented reasons why he declined to assent to the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act forwarded to him by the National Assembly (NASS), but here is a second look at the reasons he cited.

    The reasons President Buhari presented for declining to assent to the amended electoral act are contained in a letter he addressed to both chambers of the NASS, which was read on the floor of the Senate House by Senate President Bukola Saraki today.

    Buhari in the letter stressed that a section of the amendments conflict laws establishing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    “The amendment to the sequence of elections in Section 25 of the principal act, may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organize, undertake and supervise elections provided in Section 15(A) of the third statue to the Constitution,” he stated.

    TheNewsGuru reports the NASS amended Section 25 of the Principal Act seeking majorly to provide for the re-ordering of the sequence of polls during general elections.

    According to the Section as amended, general elections shall be held in the following order: (a) National Assembly election (b) State Houses of Assembly and Governorship elections (c) Presidential election.

    This amendment, which is at variance with INEC elections time-table earlier published in accordance with the Principal Act, and which stipulates Presidential and National Assembly elections were to hold first, while governorship and state assembly would follow, did not go down well with President Buhari.

    The President also stated that “The amendment to Section 138 of the principal act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates, unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process”.

    He also stated that “The amendment to Section 152 Subsection 325 of the Principal Act may raise Constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections”.

    While Buhari was not specific about the “two crucial grounds” in Section 138 that were deleted, Section 152 states that, “Without prejudice to the other provisions of this Act, the Commission may delegate any of its powers and functions to any National Electoral Commissioner, Resident Electoral Commissioner, Electoral Officer, any other officer of the Commission or any other officer appointed under the provision of this Act subject to any conditions or limitations which it may consider necessary or expedient to impose and no such delegation shall be construed to limit the right of the Commission to exercise such power itself”.

    However, Section 152 Subsection 325 President Buhari referred to in the Principal Act was not immediately clear after due consultation of it.

    TheNewsGuru reports the NASS also amended section 87 by adding a new section 87(11) with a marginal note: “time for primaries of political parties”.

    “The primaries of political parties shall follow the following sequence (i) State House of Assembly (ii) National Assembly (iii) Governorship, and (iv), President.

    “The dates for the above stated primaries shall not be held earlier than 120 days and not later than 90 days before the date of elections to the offices,” the marginal note read.

    The NASS also amended section 36 to allow for running mate of a candidate that dies before the conclusion of elections to inherit his/her votes and continue with the process.

    Section 35 that states if before an election a candidate dies he will be replaced by the next contestant with the highest vote was also amended.

    The amendment indicated that if a nominated candidate died in the election process, the next person from the same political party with the second highest votes in the primary election should replace the deceased.

    It stated that the name of the new person should be submitted to INEC, which should accept such replacement as if the deceased was alive.

     

  • Green Party kicks against reordering 2019 elections timetable

    The Green Party of Nigeria (GPN) said on Tuesday that the reordering of the 2019 elections timetable by the National Assembly would lead to unnecessary huge financial burden on the country.

    The party’s Chairman in Edo, Mr Roy Oribhabor, said in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Benin that the GNP was seriously bothered about the move by the legislators.

    He also said that the GNP would back holding the elections in one day.

    “We are seriously bothered about the logistics problem and the financial implications of this legislative action considering the hard situation in Nigeria today,” Oribhabor said.

    He said rather than re-ordering the elections, NASS should explore the possibilities of fixing all the elections to hold in one day.

    “We have listened to all arguments for and against the reordering, but they all lacked the direct solution to our political problems, I therefore called on NASS to use its legislative power to fix the election for one day.

    “It is on record that the 1979 general elections were held in one day and the system gave room for total political participation by all parties, the electorates were able to choose their candidates of interest.

    “We are convinced beyond reasonable doubts that, when all elections are held in one day, the system will give room for more parties to win.

    “Therefore, GPN support one day election because the advantages are superb, it reduces cost, encourage total participation and gives room for more political space,’’ Oribhabor said.

    He advised NASS to make it a legislative duty to make laws not targeted at individuals but for the goods of Nigeria and Nigerians.

     

  • INEC rejects election timetable amended by NASS

    INEC rejects election timetable amended by NASS

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has rejected the amended version of the 2019 election timetable by the National Assembly.

    The amended election timetable puts the presidential election first before the national and state assembly elections.

    The Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, says the electoral body has no reason to change the current sequence of the 2019 general elections released based on the provision of the existing laws.

    Professor Yakubu, who disclosed this in Abuja at a regular consultative meeting with the media, did not rule out the possibility of looking at the sequence of the election timetable if there was any compelling issue.

    “On 9th January, we issued the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2019 General Elections based on our powers and extant laws and nothing has changed. There is a principle behind the choice of these dates- as our democracy matures, we should be moving from uncertainty to certainty.

    “As far as the Commission is concerned, there is no legal lacuna for now; we are working based on existing laws.

    But if something happens tomorrow, we will come out clear and tell Nigerians, but I think we are not operating based on conjectures,” he said.

    The INEC chairman, who reiterated the concern of the electoral body over what he called “monetization of the electoral process,” said the commission was already working with security agencies to stop the menace.

    Professor Yakubu said INEC was optimistic about the conduct of free, fair and credible general elections in view of its continued engagement with critical stakeholders in the electoral process.

    He said the commission had finished all the preparatory steps for the 2019 general elections, adding that practical steps had been taken to implement provisions of the Election Project Plan (EPP).

    The INEC chairman said the commission was making efforts to ensure that voting process was easier for persons living with disabilities (PWDs), including pregnant and lactating women as well as the aged.

    He ruled out the possibility of giving opportunities for underage voters in national elections conducted by the INEC, stressing that the electoral body would do “whatever it takes to clean up the voter register so that only those who are eligible are allowed to vote”.

     

  • Presidency, NASS set to review trade treaties

    An aide to the President of the Senate, Bamidele Omishore says the Presidency and National Assembly are partnering to review treaties and conventions entered into by Nigeria.

    Omishore, who is Special Assistant to the Senate President on Foreign Affairs and International Relations, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday.

    He said Nigeria entered into several conventions decades ago and that it had become necessary to review some of the treaties to ensure that Nigeria gets the best out of such partnerships.

    With reference to illicit financial flows from Nigeria, which is sometimes tied to vague clauses in some of the treaties, Omishore said a review aim at domesticating such treaties would serve the nation’s interest first.

    He recalled that the Presidency, in 2017, also alluded to its plans to take a second look at conventions and trade partnerships entered into by Nigeria.

    “Nigeria has different treaties and partnerships that we’ve signed with different countries.

    “We are now going through all those treaties to see how we can domesticate them to ensure that Nigeria gets the best from every agreement signed with different countries.

    “The executive is taking a lead; our 8th Senate is to make sure we provide the legislative framework and the appropriate oversight to make sure the interest of Nigeria is protected at all times,’’ he said.

    Omishore recalled that late last year, the executive indicated the intention to review different treaties because times are improving and changing.

    “The executive is taking a look at it while the national assembly’s leadership is also looking to see if some of those things favour us or not.

    “On the illicit financial flows that are going on, that is definitely being looked at as well.

    “The 8th National Assembly is looking to make sure that the illicit transactions are stopped, but government at the same time is creating an environment for businesses to be done with ease.

    “Within the next few months, some strong regulations and laws will be proposed and we will move forward through that.’’

    Speaking on his role as an assistant on foreign relations, Omishore said his mandate was to assist the President of the Senate in building stronger relationships with the international community.

     

  • Strike: UniAbuja SSANU seeks NASS’ intervention

    The University of Abuja (UniAbuja), chapter of the Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU), has called on the National Assembly to intervene in the ongoing industrial dispute between it and the Federal Government.

    Members of Joint Action Committee (JAC) comprising Non-academic Staff Union of Universities (NASU), SSANU and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) have been on strike over Federal Government’s failure to pay their earned allowances.

    The strike commenced on Dec. 4, 2017.

    A statement by SSANU’s National President and Chairman JAC, Mr Samson Ugwoke, on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the leader of UniAbuja chapter of SSANU, Malam Hassan Shallangwa, had presented a letter requesting the intervention of lawmakers.

    He said that the letter was presented to Mr Yakubu Dogara, Speaker of House of Representatives, through his Special Assistant Media and Publicity, Mr Turaki Hassan.

    “The Federal Government, through its relevant Ministers, have refused to dialogue with the unions and are pretending that all is well in our campuses, but we believe that it is only the National Assembly that can call them to order in the interest of Nigerian Education

    ‘’The strike we embarked upon since Dec. 4, 2017 has been crippling almost all activities on our campuses, yet the government remained passive about it, ’’the statement quoted Shallangwa as saying.

    Ugwoke expressed JAC’s dismay that the N23 billion paid by the Federal Government was cornered to pay the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) ‘’for their Earned Academic Allowances.”

    He said that the three non-teaching staff unions were left with N4.6 billion (11 per cent), as earned allowances.

     

  • Jonathan backs NASS decision to reorder 2019 polls

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has expressed his support on the National Assembly’s proposed decision to re-order the sequence of the 2019 elections.

    Jonathan said the new arrangement was in order and would go a long way in ensuring that more quality people are elected at all levels.

    Majority of the members of the two chambers of the National Assembly want election into the Senate and the House of Representatives to come first next year and the presidential election last.

    “Holding presidential election first will affect the quality of persons that will emerge in other polls because of the bandwagon effect,” Jonathan said yesterday when he granted audience to the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, and members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) at the Jonathan Foundation in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    He said the decision of the Assembly will help in the election of quality persons into various positions.

    Jonathan made his feelings known

    A statement by the PDP National Chairman’s spokesman, Mr. Ike Abonyi, quoted the former President as advising the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) to abide by the decision of the National Assembly.

    Jonathan asked the APC to see the proposed order of elections “from national and patriotic interests since laws are not meant for persons in power at a particular time.”

    He said he is even looking forward to a time when presidential election in Nigeria will be conducted differently from the others.

    He was optimistic that the PDP will return to power in 2019, saying: “I believe that the PDP will return to power in 2019, if we continue to build confidence, especially as the ruling party has failed to meet up their promises and give hope to the people.

    “Propaganda may help you win election, but it can’t help you govern and that is what the APC has seen in the last 32 months.

    The PDP National Chairman, Prince Secondus, had earlier briefed the former President on the activities of the NWC since December when they were elected into office.

    Secondus said the new leadership is currently engaged in a number of activities aimed at rebranding and repositioning the party with a view to regaining power in 2019.

    He pleaded for Jonathan’s support and that of other leaders of the party.

    The PDP boss said the focus of the party is on youths and women, pointing out that the leadership will soon come up with a new programme on Generational Next.

    At a separate forum, the PDP National Chairman said that the party has no anointed candidate for any elective positions.

    Speaking at a special banquet hosted for the party leadership by Governor Henry Seriake Dickson in Yenagoa, Secondus said unlike other parties where leaders lord it over to the rest, the PDP derives its power direct from the people who really own the party.

    “In this party under my watch, there would be no preferred aspirant for any position, in the spirit of our rebranding to rebuild, reposition and regain power. We cannot afford not to present our best eleven in the contest, “ he said.

    Secondus also said the party remains open to all Nigerians because it belongs to them, not to any group or individual.

    He said the doors of the party remain open to members from all corners to come in because “all hands are needed to chase the APC out of our political life.

    “We welcome people returning to the party with open arms because the party belongs to them and we need all to be on board for the huge task of chasing away evil regime in our life.

    “We must unite to rescue this country from the APC who has come with vengeance against the people of Nigeria.”

    He said that given the damage done to Nigerians by the APC administration in the past 32 months, what awaits the party in 2019 would be a “Tsunami”.

    While commending the PDP governors for their exceptional performance in office, Secondus particularly singled out Governor Dickson for his innovations in office that had led to the transformation of the state in the last six years.

    Secondus revealed that the party was initiating a deliberate programme called Generational Next aimed at re-integrating the youths in the activities of the party with a view to transferring power.

  • Senate agrees with House on reordered sequence of 2019 General Elections

    The Nigerian Senate has agreed with the House of Representatives committees on electoral matters on the amended sequence of 2019 General Elections.

    TheNewsGuru reports the House had amended the Electoral Act to reorder the 2019 general elections after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had released time-table for the elections.

    The amendment was made at the Committee of the whole House, presided by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Yussuff Lasun.

    The lawmakers amended the Act while considering the report of the House Committee on Electoral Matters which proposed amendment of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

    In the time-table released by INEC, Presidential and National Assembly elections were to hold first, while governorship and state assembly would follow.

    The House amended section 25 of the Principal Act and substituted it with a new section 25 (1).

    According to the section, the elections shall be held in the following order: (a) National Assembly election (b) State Houses of Assembly and Governorship elections (c) Presidential election.

    Both chambers of the National Assembly agreed to the reordered sequence at a conference committee meeting on amendment of the 2010 electoral act chaired by Senator Suleiman Nazif and Honourable Edward Pwajok which held immediately after Tuesday’s plenary.

    The amendment will allow the 2019 general elections to begin first with National Assembly, followed by Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections with the presidential election coming last.

     

  • End recurring fuel scarcity in seven days, NASS tells NNPC

    A Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Petroleum Resources on Wednesday directed the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) to end the lingering fuel scarcity within seven days.

    The committee also asked the Nigeria Customs Service and other security agencies, especially those at the borders, to halt the alleged diversion of fuel to neighbouring countries.

    The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Kabiru Marafa, gave the ultimatum after a closed door meeting.

    The meeting was preceded by another meeting with the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Maikanti Baru, and other officials of NNPC.

    The lawmakers demanded explanations from the NNPC on the lingering shortage and the return of the queues.

    Senator Marafa was said to have described the situation as embarrassing and acknowledged that though NNPC tried to end the shortage during the yuletide, the return of the queues in Lagos and Abuja showed that the problem was not completely over.

    Marafa was said to have insisted: “This situation has lingered for too long. The public are suffering and when they are suffering, we cannot sit and say all is well.

    “At a point, you told us the problem has been solved; we also saw that the queues disappeared for some time, but unfortunately, they have returned.

    “You even went round stations, monitoring the situation, but you have been unable to resolve the issue. In any situation, when your best is not good enough, it is very bad and most unfortunate.”

    He told the NNPC to brief the committee on the reasons for the resurging long queues; what it had been doing to resolve the challenge and how long it would take for the queues to disappear completely.