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Tag: NASS

  • Lawmakers express fear as Senate rejects private investigators bill

    Lawmakers express fear as Senate rejects private investigators bill

    A bill seeking to regulate and provide legal backing for private investigators in the country on Wednesday at plenary failed to pass second reading at the Senate.

    The bill titled “A Bill for an Act to prescribe standard and conditions of licence for operation and practice of private investigators in the country was sponsored by Sen.Osita, Ngwu (PDP-Enugu).

    The non passage of the bill for second reading ,followed the fear and reservations expressed by lawmakers on the bill.

    The lawmakers had expressed fear that the bill if passed would empower private individuals to pry into the private lives of perceived opponents.

    Leading the debate on the bill earlier, Ngwu said private investigators could be used in various capacities. He said while some of the investigators specialised in tracing, others specialise in Technical Surveillance Counter Measure (ISCM).

    This , he said involved locating and dealing with unwanted forms of electronic surveillance like a bugged boardroom for industrial espionage purposes..

    “This type of service is typically conducted by those with background in intelligence/counter intelligence, executive protection and law enforcement.”

    He listed the objectives of the bill to includes: “fraud prevention, detection, assessment and resolution; corporate fraud and risk management services. Others according to him are insurance fraud and claims investigation, aviation accident and lossed investigation.

    The rest are “marine loss investigation, occupational health and safety incident investigation; witness location and bail bond defaulters.

    Sen. Victor Umeh (LP Anambra),who supported the bill said it was a well thought out bill to fill the gaps left by the EFCC, ICPC, and other security agencies.

    “When due diligence is applied, a lot of high profile crimes will no longer be swept under the carpet,”he said.

    Sen. Neda Imaseun, on his part said “it’s the bill was the best practice over the world”.

    However, Sen. Adams Oshiomhole (APC-Edo ) vehemently opposed the bill saying “it will be wrong to create an open ended body” that will have the power to pry into people’s privacy.

    ”It could be a willing tool in the hands of political enemies.”

    Sen. Aminu Iya Abbas (PDP- Adamawa) said the the bill if passed would be a duplication of efforts and functions of security agencies in the country.

    Sen. Titus Zam (APC-Benue) said: “I rise to express my strong reservation as the country has enough investigators.

    “Our country is divided on ethnic, religious and political lines and your enemies can use your opponents against you.”

    Sen.Salihu Mustapha,(APC- Kwara ) opposing the bill said the developed countries like the US and UK where private investigators was operating were currently experiencing a debate on the use of private investigators who pry into private lives.

    He said certain conditions like the existence of national forensic institute needed to be in place” to streamline evidence been of a private investigator.

    President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, thereafter sought the opinion of the sponsor either to put the bill to vote or humbly withdraw the it by himself for further legislative consultations and action.

    Ngwu, thereafter opted to withdraw the bill.

  • Crude oil ‘wahala’: NASS to unveil joint probe into petroleum sector malpractices today

    Crude oil ‘wahala’: NASS to unveil joint probe into petroleum sector malpractices today

    The National Assembly would unveil its probe into alleged economic sabotage within Nigeria’s petroleum sector, following the decision to form a joint committee.

    This became necessary after the earlier suspension of separate probes by the Senate and House of Representatives in July.

    The Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who also chairs the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on this issue, revealed the latest developments in a statement on Monday.

    “As we fully return to legislative duties this Tuesday, the National Assembly is prepared to revisit the pressing issues in the petroleum industry,” Senator Bamidele said. “The sector is not performing optimally, which is tied to several challenges such as crude oil theft, ongoing and ineffective maintenance of public refineries, substandard petroleum imports, and disruptions in fuel supply.”

    Addressing earlier reports suggesting the Senate had suspended its investigation, Senator Bamidele clarified: “The Senate did not suspend its Ad-hoc Committee on Alleged Economic Sabotage in the Petroleum Industry. The public hearing was only postponed to resolve matters concerning the National Assembly’s procedural rules.”

    He further explained that both the Senate and the House of Representatives are now ready to collaborate through a joint committee, which will pick up the investigation from where the individual efforts left off. “We are committed to uncovering the root causes of economic sabotage in the petroleum sector and establishing stronger mechanisms to make the industry more efficient,” he affirmed.

    In addition to the petroleum sector probe, Senator Bamidele highlighted that both chambers are awaiting the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) from the Executive, both essential for the preparation and approval of the 2025 national budget. “The MTEF is crucial to our legislative agenda because it must be in place before the 2025 Appropriation Bill can be submitted,” he said.

    Furthermore, the Senate Leader discussed the 1999 Constitution review, chaired by Deputy Senate President Senator Barau Jibrin. In the coming weeks, the committee will host retreats, call for public memoranda, and organize zonal meetings to address sections of the constitution in need of amendments.

    With a highly skilled team working on the constitutional review, Senator Bamidele expressed optimism that the process would deliver meaningful reforms, adding, “This exercise promises a truly federative approach that will reshape governance in Nigeria.”

  • VIDEO: Watch Tinubu speak about fuel price with former NASS presiding officers

    VIDEO: Watch Tinubu speak about fuel price with former NASS presiding officers

    President Bola Tinubu on Friday met with former presiding officers of the National Assembly (NASS) under the aegis of the Forum of Former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly (NASS), led by Mr Ken Nnamani, former Senate President.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports the meeting was held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja where Tinubu spoke with the former presiding officers of NASS about petroleum prices, fuel security and fuel subsidy removal.

    “When I resume, I said subsidy was gone. There was no subsidy in the budget handed over to me. I cannot be creative to look for magic lamp to create budget and ever since, we maintained that,” he said, adding: “Yes, we have fuel in the ground. Do we have the capacity to bring it up before we refine and distribute? Have we examined alternative source of energy with all that the world has given to us?”

    Watch President Tinubu address former NASS presiding officers below:

    Former NASS presiding officers express support for Tinubu’s administration

    The former presiding officers of the National Assembly on Friday expressed full support for President Bola Tinubu’s administration and its efforts to address Nigeria’s pressing challenges.  The former lawmakers, under the aegis of the Forum of Former Presiding Officers of the National Assembly, expressed the support at a meeting with Tinubu in Abuja on Friday. They were led by Mr Ken Nnamani, former Senate President.

    At the meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Nnamani, who spoke on behalf of the delegation, noted that the meeting was the president’s first official engagement with the group since his assumption of office.

    “Mr President, history has never been the burden of one man alone, but some are called to meet a special share of its challenges.  Though not of your creation, it has fallen onto you to end the pervasive insecurity across the nation, the economic downturn that has resulted in hunger and anger, infrastructural decay due to years of neglect and myriads of other national challenges.

    “As difficult as these problems are, we believe that with your experience, you can face the difficulties and surmount them.  What gives us more hope is the courage with which you handled the issue of Local government autonomy, which has won you open admiration from friends and foes alike.  We are convinced that you will dig in deeper again to eradicate these problems and restore Nigerians’ pride of place among the comity of nations,” said Nnamani.

    He added that the group had seen what elite complacency had caused nations and resolved to unite across all divides to render whatever assistance it may be called upon to offer, to contribute to nation building and ensure enduring prosperity for citizens.

    “It is in this light and in the national interest that we wish to pledge our support as you work to restore national security, build an economy that works for all and strengthen the bond of unity amongst our disparate peoples,” he said.

    Nnamani also commended the President for his trust in appointing some of their members to critical national positions, recognising their vital role in nation-building.

    Tinubu, in response, assured the former NASS presiding officers and Nigerians that his administration was focused on delivering tangible results and making a positive difference in the nation’s infrastructure, food and energy security, education and long-term economic stability.

    The President emphasised that he was not in office for personal gain but to serve the country.

    “I didn’t come to look for money and exploit the situation. I came to work. I asked for the votes, and Nigerians gave them to me,” the President, who was a former senator, told the meeting after a session of banters and handshakes with the former parliamentary colleagues.

    The meeting was attended by 16 former presiding officers, including former senate presidents, former speakers of the House of Representatives, former deputy senate presidents, and former deputy speakers of the House of Representatives.

    The President acknowledged the support and encouragement from the Forum members, irrespective of party affiliations, and implored them to continue fostering unity and camaraderie to achieve national development goals.

    Reflecting on the complex nature of legislative activities, constitutional reviews, and nation-building processes, the President expressed confidence that Nigeria could progress through collaboration and inclusiveness.

    “Regardless of party differences of the past and difficulty of the present, you still believe in me and what we all plan for this country.  I thank you very much; no one will do it better than us. I have travelled the world and seen how developed countries have done it for themselves through collaboration, inclusiveness and financial structure.  Yes, there is hardship, but how did we get here? What did we do when we had very high crude production?” asked Tinubu.

    He said past administrations neglected communities; neglected the goose that laid the golden eggs; forgot even to give citizens a good standard of living.

    “We forgot to educate our children. Go round and look at the dilapidated schools. The education environment must be decent enough for pupils to want to learn.  We can complain from now till eternity that the school enrolment is low. But did we do anything to encourage the enrolment process? We must ask ourselves because it is a matter of conscience,” he said.

    The President outlined his administration’s focus on addressing these challenges, including improving infrastructure, ensuring compliance with financial regulations, exploring alternative energy sources and providing energy security.

    “We have come a long way, and I promise we must do our best,” he said.

    He urged the former presiding officers to continue sharing their wealth of experience in nation-building and governance. He noted that they were uniquely positioned to provide “clear interpretations of where we are” to Nigerians.

  • RMAFC clarifies N13.5m monthly salaries, allowances paid members of NASS

    RMAFC clarifies N13.5m monthly salaries, allowances paid members of NASS

    The Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has cleared the air on the salaries and allowances being paid to members of the National Assembly.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the chairman of RMAFC, Mr Mohammad Shehu in Abuja on Tuesday.

    According to him, the clarification has become imperative.

    Shehu said that the issue had continued to occupy the front burner of national discourse, especially among elder statesmen, public affairs commentators, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) as well as the media.

    He said that Shehu Sani, a former senator, was reported to have disclosed to the public that each senator collects monthly running cost of N13.5 million in addition to monthly N750, 000 prescribed by the commission.

    “First of all, I wish to state that RMAFC does not have constitutional powers to enforce compliance with proper implementation of the remuneration package.

    “This lacuna is, however, being addressed by the National Assembly.

    “A closer look at the monthly entitlement of senators reveals that each senator collects a monthly salary and allowances of the sum of N1,063,860 consisting of  basic salary of N168,866.

    “Motor vehicle fuelling and maintenance allowance N126,650; personal assistant N42,216, domestic staff, 126,650; entertainment, N50,660, utilities, N50,660; newspapers/periodicals, N25,330, wardrobe, N42,216,66; house maintenance, N8,443.33, and constituency allowance, N422,166.

    According to the chairman, it is instructive to note that some allowances are regular, while others are non-regular.

    He said that regular allowances were paid with basic salary, while non-regular allowances were paid as at when due.

    “For instance, furniture allowance which is N6,079,200, and severance gratuity also N6,079,200, are paid once in every tenure.

    “Also, vehicle allowance which is N8,105,600, the payment is optional. It is a loan which the beneficiary has to pay before leaving office.

    “It is important to also emphasise that with exception of some few political, public office holders such as the President, Vice President, Senate President, Speaker of the House of Representative, all public and legislative officers are no longer provided with housing as was the case in the past.

    “The commission also wishes to use this opportunity to state that any allegation regarding other allowances being enjoyed by any political, public office holder outside those provided in the remuneration amendment Act, 2008 should be explained by the person who made the allegation.

    “This is to avoid misinformation and misrepresentation of facts capable of misleading citizens and members of the international community.

    “The commission considers it most appropriate and necessary to request Nigerians to access the actual details of the present remuneration package for political, public and judicial office holders in Nigeria published on its website: www.rmafc.gov.ng.”

  • Reps reply Obasanjo, say 10th Assembly driven by patriotism

    Reps reply Obasanjo, say 10th Assembly driven by patriotism

    The House of Representatives say its members are driven by patriotism and service to Nigerians, not parochial sentiment.

    The Deputy Spokesperson of the House of Representatives, Philip Agbese, said this on Sunday in Abuja.

    Agbese was reacting to claims by former President Olusegun Obasanjo that members of the National Assembly determined their own salaries and allowances.

    According to him, the 10th House of Representatives is different from Obasanjo’s era, adding that the former president was using the past to pass judgment on the present.

    “As a parliament, we have strived to maintain the highest level of accountability and transparency in all that we do.

    “The very respected former president is reacting because of the things that transpired between him and the National Assembly during his time as president.

    “This is no longer the case, as quite a lot has been done by the current leadership of the House of Representatives to deliver purposeful leadership to the  Nigerian masses,” he said.

    Agbese said that the House of Representatives, under the leadership of the Speaker, Tajudeen Abass, was passionately concerned about the welfare of  Nigerians.

    “In the 10th House of Representatives, we mean everything we say and do for the Nigerian people.

    “The era of narrow interest is over. We are here for our people and their collective interests,” he said.

    On allegations that  President Bola Tinubu gave the sum of  N100 million and N200 million to members of the National Assembly, Agbese said that it did not happen.

    He said that Tinubu was getting the support of the National Assembly due to sheer diplomacy and consultation.

    Obasanjo, in a recent  media chat, had condemned the lawmakers for deciding their own salaries  and allocating  frivolous  allowances to themselves.

  • A rot underrated – By Pius Mordi

    A rot underrated – By Pius Mordi

    By Pius Mordi

    Ensconced within the luxury confines of the Villa, awash with trillions of naira the kind never seen before, Aso Rock and the National Assembly have taken large doses of drugs to make them immune from the nightmare ordinary people are going through to keep going. Routine acknowledgement of the tough challenges facing the national economy turned out to mere platitudes.

    To both arms of government, it was the duty of the people to stoically put up with the haunting hunger elicited by the decisions the government had taken. They were inevitable, the president said, if the country will turn the corner. The sacrifice will be made only by the people, but governance must go on as usual.

    Luxury is a natural quest. It is usually the reward for entrepreneurship and investments into money yielding ventures. Successful business owners display their success by splurging their lifestyle with luxury living. Nobody begrudges them because they worked for it. Luxury is associated with successful business people. It elicits a level of jealousy from government who responds by imposing additional taxes on them.

    However, those associated with luxury now are not those with in any productive venture. They do not own or manage any factory or productive enterprise. They made no investments that may create wealth but one that creates dubious wealth for them. They are politicians that got elected into public office or got appointed to work for the elected people. With the snap of a finger or the red pen of a President or Governor, they suddenly start living in luxury, obscene luxury.

    Plato condemned the confusion of values that reside in a taste for material privilege. To love luxury, he said, is to love power, possession, and appearances. All things that the wise spurn. In Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s view, luxury corrupts morals. According to him, there are  physiological effects, with men becoming soft and effeminate, hiding their bodies – deformed through excessive languishing – beneath vile ornaments. Luxury favours pride: everyone wants to stand out by possessing frivolous objects. When that level of luxury is inordinately exhibited by public office holders who make no contribution to wealth creation, it riles the people. In civilised climes, overnight luxury by public officers is frowned upon, often investigated and punished.

    Not in Nigeria. Here, getting into public office grants access to public treasury which affords such persons to acquire inordinate luxury and flaunt it. For an economy on a cliffhanger, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu did what he thought was the cure all: remove petrol subsidy and float the naira. As the ill-timed measures spiralled into a catastrophic inflation, he embarked on the disastrous acquisition of luxury projects for himself and his acolytes. Members of the National Assembly duly obliged with every item of luxury he sought. They had their own wish list that could not raise eye brows in a compromised Villa.

    The first set of projects saw the approval of N21 billion to rebuild the Vice President’s official residence. Then he spent N1.9 billion for the purchase of SUVs for his wife’s office and her retinue of staff, despite the constitutionmaking no provision for such office. On the other hand, the National Assembly got N71 billion for each member to acquire their own SUV. The scandalous level of acquisition of luxury by both arms are well documented on the public domain. Does the expenditure match Tinubu’s stance that Nigerians should brace up and bear the nightmare further? Only Tinubu and his inner circle do not know this: They have lost touch with the society. And having surrounded himself with his usual crowd from his days as Lagos Governor, all he has access to is the alternative scenario they chose to paint for him.

    This much he demonstrated in his address in the course of the #Endbadgovernance strife. Rather than address the issues raised by the protesters, Tinubu spent more than half of address talking about what he has done in the past 14 months. It was like a lap of honour for him and he seemed at a loss that people are complaining when he should be applauded for, by his perception, having achieved much. I think Tinubu just confirmed Senator Ali Ndume’s stance that he has been caged inside Aso Rock and has no idea what Nigerians are going through.

    His aides led by Bayo Onanuga still see the protests as politically motivated. He even accused Peter Obi of Labour Party of instigating the protests. Godswill Akpabio, Senate President, even had made fun of the protesters as people wasti their time while he and his fellow makers are chopping.

    What the administration is exhibiting is the inevitable outcome where the quest for luxury by holders of public office outweighs the task of working for the people. The display of conspicuous consumption is now seen on its most crude form by the people and they have had enough.

    Temporary reprieve may come with the six-month suspension of duties on imported food items to force prices down. In an administration with still three years to go, the measure is too pedestrian and ineffectual. Tinubu is still detached from reality. He adopts any measure to win him broader support, no matter how weird. That is why he chose to create a Ministry of Livestock just to curry favour at a time commonsense dictates that he should at least cut down the cost of governance. His promise to cultivate 10 million hectares of land for farming is a mirage in the prevailing atmosphere of gross insecurity. He has to connect with the people, not mere platitudes as are the vibes from him.

  • Autonomy: NASS told to stop Govs from conducting LG elections

    Autonomy: NASS told to stop Govs from conducting LG elections

    A pan-African students’ movement, Progressive Students’ Movement (PSM), on Monday, urged the National Assembly to enact a law that would stop governors from conducting local government elections.

    President of PSM, Bestman Okereafor, said in a statement in Enugu that it was imperative to make the financial autonomy granted the local governments to make the desired impact.

    Recall the Supreme Court had, in a judgment delivered on Thursday, ordered the Federal Government to begin direct payment of monthly allocations into local councils’ accounts.

    Okereafor described the apex court verdict as a landmark judgment and one which would have direct impacts on the lives of the common man at the grassroots.

    “This judgment will help strengthen our democracy, uphold our constitutional rights and the ideals of local governments regarding financial autonomy.

    “It will check the retrogression suffered by council areas in terms of governors solely and frequently appointing or handpicking caretaker chairmen and councillors in connivance with their respective state electoral commissions.

    “We commend Hon Justice Emmanuel Agim for standing on the path of freedom, equity and social justice. May God bless him for standing with the people.

    “As intellectuals, PSM is calling on the National Assembly to, as a matter of urgency, stop state governments from conducting local government elections for the purpose of transparency, fairness and accountability,” he said.

    The PSM president called for the conduct of local government elections by INEC through its zonal/state offices henceforth.

    “We are of the view that leaving the conduct of local government elections in the hands of state governors, who are not pleased with the Supreme Court judgment, simply means they are still controlling the local government chairmen.

    “The governors will want to remain the chief determinants of who gets what and how the finance is being spent in the council areas,” he said.

    Okereafor commended the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, for having the courage to pursue the case to a logical conclusion in the interest of the Nigerian masses.

    “PSM also commends President Bola Tinubu for allowing due process and rule of law by not interfering in the judicial process and equally affirming that the decision of the apex court is of historic significance.

    “We strongly believe that the Supreme Court judgment will, in no little way, help improve the economy of our people at the grassroots.

    “We are calling on our youths to massively contest at the local government level in their respective states for the renewal of the lost hope,” he stated.

  • Wike threatens to unseat lawmaker in 2027

    Wike threatens to unseat lawmaker in 2027

    Mr Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has threatened to unseat an unidentified lawmaker for criticising his successes as the FCT Minister.

    Wike made the threat during the inauguration of the construction of Mabushi Bus Terminal, Phase I, in Abuja on Monday.

    He said that he overheard somebody, a lawmaker in the National Assembly in Arise TV in the morning, castigating the successes being recorded in FCT.

    The minister said that the lawmaker particularly criticised the rot in schools and the absence of quality hospitals in the territory.

    “You, as a legislator, what have you done?  How many bills have you sponsored for us to improve our education and health sector?

    “I challenge that legislator. If you are very popular, in 2027 come and run under Abuja, we will fail you.

    “Do you think that what happened last time will happen again? It will not happen again.

    “Luckily for me, I am the FCT Minister now. So that is my territory and I’m not afraid,” he said.

    Wike further said: “With all due respect, what you don’t know, you don’t know, what you know you know.

    ”The good thing for you is to tell people you don’t know when you don’t know, then people will educate you.

    “The Honourable Minister of State, Dr Mariya Mahmoud and my humble self, have not been in office for more than 11months and the person is angry that people are praising us.

    “If you don’t want or you are angry about that, go and hang yourself in a transformer.

    “If we have done well; we have done well. If we haven’t done well; we haven’t done well. I’m proud to say that in the short time that President Tinubu has appointed us, we have done well.”

    The minister warned that if the unidentified lawmaker was angry with the praises they were receiving for doing a good job, “by next year, your blood pressure level will go very high.

    “This is because the praises you would see would be too much.” he said.

    In a related development, Sen. Ireti Kingibe (LP-FCT), who appeared on Arise TV on Monday complained that she was being sidelined in the running of the FCT.

    Kingibe particularly claimed that her constituency was being marginalised, adding that there was no clean water for the residents of Abuja.

    She also said that roads being constructed across the FCT were not addressing the needs of the majority of the people, namely healthcare, water, education and security.

  • Why NASS supports privatisation of teaching hospitals – Committee Chairman

    Why NASS supports privatisation of teaching hospitals – Committee Chairman

    The House of Representative says it will support the campaign for the privatisation and commercialisation of the federal teaching hospitals, to enhance efficiency and better healthcare delivery.

    Mr Amos Magaji, Chairman House Committee on Health, and member representing Zangon Kataf/Jaba, Federal Constituency in Kaduna State, disclosed this to newsmen on Saturday evening, after the committee’s oversight visit to Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH), Zaria.

    Magaji said the House of Representatives would support the initiative to strengthen service delivery, adding that the Federal Government should also take a critical look into health insurance, and increase its capitation before venturing into such a project.

    He added that the health insurance should capture senior citizens age 70 years and above into the scheme because with good capitation from health insurance, people will be able to pay their bills when the hospitals were commercialised.

    “At the moment there is a huge burden of out of pocket expenses on health; and so if you privatise or commercialise the National Teaching Hospital, it is similar to giving Nigerians death sentences,’’ Magaji said.

    The chairman said governance was for the people, and as such, policies of the government should have a human face and tally with the aspirations of people.

    On the visit to ABUTH, Magaji expressed the committee’s dissatisfaction over the number of personnel of the hospital, noting that the prestigious tertiary health facility with 1000-bed capacity, should have adequate workers to man the facility.

    The chairman pledged the committee’s commitment to ensuring all grey areas in the health sector were tackled, in the overall interests of all Nigerians.

    “The oversight visit to the hospital was not to find fault or witch-hunt anybody, but to assist the facility in its business of delivering quality and affordable healthcare services to Nigerians.

    Earlier, Prof Hamid Umdagas, Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, told the committee that dearth of manpower and electricity supply, were the major challenges of the hospital.

    Umdagas said that the hospital, which had six satellite stations, 40 clinical and non-clinical departments, was barely managing with only 2,805 personnel as at June 27.

    According to him, the “Japa’’ syndrome was hitting hard on the facility’s human resources, as some of its health facility just simply disappeared, while a few had retired.

  • Rivers crisis: NASS told to amend LG laws

    Rivers crisis: NASS told to amend LG laws

    A Civil Society Organisation, the Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thoughts, has urged the National Assembly to holistically amend the laws governing local government administration in the country.

    The group’s Convener, Chief Sunnie Chukumele, said at a press briefing in Port Harcourt on Thursday that the amendment would streamline issues surrounding local government administration.

    “This call is as a result of the ongoing crisis over local government councils tenure elongation in the Rivers.

    “The crisis may throw the state into anarchy if left unchecked. So, something has to be done quickly,” he said.

    Chukumele also appealed to President Bola Tinubu to wade into the situation in the state to avoid a total breakdown of law and order.

    The convener called on the Inspector-General of Police to ensure thorough investigation on the crisis with a view to prosecuting the perpetrators.

    He urged the judiciary to be upright in deciding matters concerning the crisis that were currently before the courts.

    “As the last hope of the common man, the uprightness of the judiciary on the matters before the courts will help to enthrone lasting peace,” he said.

    Chukumele said that Gov. Siminalayi Fubara acted rightly by appointing caretaker committees following the expiration of the tenure of the 23 council leaderships.