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Tag: Report

  • NAFDAC denies report of 70 per cent fake medicines in Nigeria

    The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has denounced a newspaper report that 70 per cent of medicines in Nigeria were fake.

    A press statement by Prof. Moji Adeyeye, Director General of the agency on Friday, said that the false report was published by Vanguard Newspaper.

    Adeyeye said that a study jointly carried out by NAFDAC, the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the Department for International Development (DFID) in 2005 revealed that fake medicines stood at 16 per cent.

    She added that a survey conducted by NAFDAC in 2017 and 2018 on some widely used drugs showed that Nigerian medicines were 98 per cent wholesome.

    She described the report as “categorically untrue and grossly inaccurate.’’

    `NAFDAC wishes to inform members of the public, especially health care providers, policy makers and development partners to disregard an online publication at https://www.vanguardngr.com that 70 per cent of all drugs in Nigerian markets are fake.

    “NAFDAC in collaboration with WHO, DFID and United States Pharmacopeia conducted series of studies on quality of medicines in Nigeria and the report runs contrary to what Vanguard reported.

    “A study of Counterfeit and Substandard Medicines in Nigeria conducted by NAFDAC in collaboration with WHO and DFID in 2005 revealed that counterfeit medicines stood at 16.7 per cent in 2005.

    “This was as against 40 per cent in 2001,’’ she said.

    She added that subsequent tests carried out between 2010 and 2012 revealed that the situation was even better than in 2005.

    “The National Survey on Quality of medicines using Truscan® device was conducted by NAFDAC across 29 States including FCT, Abuja from January 2010 to April 2012.

    “The medicines involved in the survey included antibiotics, antimalarials and antidiabetics. A total of 5,790 samples of medicines were tested.

    “5,419 samples of medicines out of 5,790 (93.6 per cent) tested during the survey passed quality tests while 371 samples (6.4 per cent) failed.

    “Another survey on the quality of medicines was conducted in Lagos state in May, 2012 using the Truscan® device.

    “A total of 235 samples of medicines comprising antimalarials, antibiotics, antidiabetics and anti-inflammatory agents were tested,’’ she said

    Adeyeye said that 226 samples of 235, equating 96.2 per cent passed quality test while nine samples equating 3.8 per cent failed.

    She said that in a further survey carried out in August, 2015, 96.4 per cent of the samples of antimalarial medicines passed while 23.6 per cent out of the samples failed.

    She said that NAFDAC carried out further surveys between 2017 and 2018 which showed that Nigerian medicines were 98 per cent wholesome.

    She urged Nigerians to disregard the report.

    “The report of series of studies conducted by NAFDAC with relevant stakeholders established that the online publication in Vanguard has no scientific basis, is untrue and grossly misleading and as such it should be disregarded.

    “One of the focus and priority areas of my administration is reducing substandard and falsified drugs through emphasis on local manufacturing. Promotion of local manufacturing has been on my priority list.

    “This is to reverse the trend of 30 per cent locally manufactured drug products toward 70 per cent.

    “Local manufacturing ensures drug security, reduces unemployment and increases contribution of the pharmaceutical industry to the nation’s GDP,” she said.

    The NAFDAC DG distanced the agency from any workshop organsed by Christabel International Organisation, where the statements were said to have been made.

    “NAFDAC hereby states that the Agency was never a party to any sensitisation workshop organised by Christabel International Organisation at Onitsha.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, NAFDAC is hereby unequivocally refuting her participation or involvement in the said workshop.

    “The agency hereby wishes to inform the general public that the fight against fake drugs and other unwholesome NAFDAC regulated products is something that the Agency considers as a daily routine activity,’’ she assured.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Vanguard Newspaper, on 19th April, published the contentious report online, under the headline, “70% of drugs in Nigerian markets fake — NAFDAC, NDLEA, NOA.’’

  • JUST IN: Buhari receives report on Minimum Wage funding

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday received advisory report on how to fund the newly increased workers’ minimum wage.

    The bill to increase the minimum wage to N30, 000 is still before the National Assembly.

    Buhari received the report from the Technical Committee on the Implementation of the new minimum wage at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Buhari thanked the committee for submitting the report before the bill was passed into law.

    He assured that the government will expeditiously study the report towards its implementation.

  • EFCC responds to U.S. Report indicting it of shielding corrupt officials in Buhari’s government

    EFCC responds to U.S. Report indicting it of shielding corrupt officials in Buhari’s government

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on Thursday faulted a report by the United States alleging that Nigeria has made little progress in fighting corruption.

    It said it has secured 943 convictions between 2015 and 2018.

    The commission also said it has recovered N676, 522, 889, 647.05; $254, 563, 877.27 £486, 736.82 Pound; €8, 136, 071. 80, 931, 500; CFA 3, 729.50; RMB/YUAN; 452, 175 DIRHAM; 90, 956SR; 117, 004 CAD$ (ONE Hundred and Seventeen Thousand and Four Canadian Dollar); 120, 141.50 YEN; 5, 000Francs and 2, 000 Ruppies.

    It said the historic trial of prominent major oil companies- Shell and ENI in Milan, Italy by the public prosecutor over Malabu Oil Block was made possible by the political will of President Muhammadu Buhari and dexterity of the EFCC.

    It said for the first time in the history of Nigeria, ex-First Lady Patience Jonathan forfeited $8, 400, 000 traced to her by the EFCC and believed to be proceeds of illegal activities.

    The EFCC said judging by the way it has prosecuted its cases from the High Court to the Court of Appeal up to the Supreme Court, the commission is by far the major contributor to case law and jurisprudence in Nigeria.

    It said no fewer than 10 countries on March 18, requested for Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) with the commission following the nation’s anti-graft war success.

    It said strong US agencies, especially the Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the US Securities and Exchange Commission, Post and Telecommunications Department and the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) have very strong collaboration with the EFCC

    The commission made the clarifications in a statement by its management against the backdrop of a recent report by the US Department of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour.

    The statement said: “The attention of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been drawn to a misleading report of the United States Department of Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labour over Nigeria’s anti-graft war, published on March 17, 2019 entitled: “Nigeria: Massive, Pervasive Corruption At All Levels of Govt – US Report”.

    “The report, among other things, said that ‘there is a climate of impunity in the President Muhammadu Buhari government that allows officials to engage in corrupt practices with a sense of exemption from punishment’.

    “The Bureau, in its Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2018, said Nigeria had made little progress in efforts to limit corruption in its public service. This report is not only outdated and false but misleading.

    “The report is unfounded on the grounds of Nigeria’s remarkable achievements in the last four years as the war against corruption is on course.

    “The EFCC’s commitment to the fight against corruption in the last four years is not in doubt to any discerning and genuinely concerned observer. This commitment is benchmarked by the unprecedented record of convictions, non-conviction based forfeiture and stolen assets recovery.

    “We are surprised that the US report could ignore or downplay our convictions in such a brazen manner when it claimed that the EFCC secured only 13 convictions in 2016. That is false and far from the truth.”

    The EFCC laid the cards on the table on how it has secured 943 convictions between 2015 and 2018.

    It added: “For the avoidance of doubt, the EFCC has secured 943 convictions since 2015 till date. The agency recorded 103 convictions in 2015, secured 195 convictions in 2016, got 189 convictions in 2017.

    ‘ It is important to state that the EFCC secured 314 convictions in 2018 including two former state governors who were sentenced to 14 years imprisonment without option of fine.

    ‘It is instructive to note that the two former governors serving their jail terms in prison are members of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). The Commission has so far recorded 142 convictions as at March 19 this year. These are verifiable facts.

    “We wish to state unequivocally that these convictions being celebrated included high profile persons among who were top ranking military personnel and other politically exposed persons.

    “It is instructive to state that no other agency in Africa has this record of convictions and recovery of stolen assets which were achieved in spite of great encumbrances faced by the Commission in the discharge of its assignment as it has come to be known that when you fight corruption, corruption fights back.”

    On the cash recovered from looters, the EFCC said it was more than N676.5billion and $254million, among others.

    The statement said: “ “Indeed, the EFCC has revolutionized the process of assets tracing and recovery. From the available records, the Commission recovered assets worth several billions of naira and different foreign currencies between 2015 and 2017.

    “Breakdown of the recoveries for the three year period (2015- 2017) show that N676, 522, 889, 647.05; $254, 563, 877.27; 486, 736.82 Pound; Euro 8, 136, 071.13; 80, 931, 500 CFA; 3, 729.50 RMB/YUAN; 452, 175 DIRHAM; 90, 956SR; 117, 004 CAD$ ; 120, 141.50 YEN; 5, 000Francs and 2, 000 Ruppies.

    “In 2018 alone, various sums amounting to billions in Naira and other foreign currencies were also forfeited to the Federal Government through the unrelenting efforts of the EFCC.

    “The sums are: N171, 131, 700, 541.17; $14, 490, 174.49; 873, 278. 09 Pounds ; 298, 055 Euros; 391, 838 Riyals and 10, 135 Dirham.”

    “ These recoveries are unprecedented as no other agency can boast of such record.”

    The EFCC insisted that it has followed the Rule of law in prosecuting its cases.

    It said: “Judging by the dexterity with which the Commission has prosecuted its cases from the High Court to Court of Appeal up to the Supreme Court, the Commission is by far the major contributor to case law and jurisprudence in Nigeria. The major Law Reports are replete with successfully concluded cases by the Commission. Again, these facts are verifiable!”

    The EFCC listed some landmark recoveries which it recorded through due compliance with the Rule of law.

    It said: “As a quick reminder, the Supreme Court of Nigeria had on Friday, March 8, 2019 in a unanimous judgement, dismissed the appeal of a former First Lady and wife of former President Goodluck Jonathan, Patience, against the interim forfeiture order of a Federal High Court, Lagos, for $8, 400, 000 (Eight Million Four Hundred Dollars) traced to her by the EFCC and believed to be proceeds of illegal activities.

    “Subsequently, on March 14, 2019, the Supreme Court dismissed another application by Mrs. Jonathan, seeking to upturn the interim forfeiture order by a Federal High Court, Lagos placed on the sum of N2.4 billion linked to her.

    “Also of interest is the fact that the former Chief of Defence Staff, the late Alex Badeh forfeited six choice properties and $1, 000,000 (One Million Dollars) to the Federal Government, few days ago on the order of Justice Okon Abang of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

    “It could also be recalled that the EFCC on Friday, March 1, 2019, secured the final forfeiture of the sum N732.85 million being proceed of fraud perpetuated by 17 individuals in the Presidential Amnesty Programme Office. These are no rhetoric, but hard facts!

    “We further wish to state that in the area of convictions, Air Vice Marshall Tony Omenyi (retd), was jailed by Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of a Federal High Court, Abuja, on Thursday, February 28, 2019. He was found guilty of the amended three-count charge brought against him by the EFCC and was sentenced to seven years imprisonment without an option of fine.

    “Justice Dimgba, also ordered Huzee Nigeria Limited, a concern owned by Omenyi being a corporate entity to forfeit N60, 000, 000 (Sixty Million Naira) to the Federal Government.

    “The prowess of the EFCC’s investigative power is worthy of note in the celebrated Malabu’s case. The historic trial of prominent major oil companies- Shell and ENI in Milan, Italy by the public prosecutor was made possible by the political will of President Muhammadu Buhari and dexterity of the EFCC.

    “The comprehensive investigation of the commission and evidence generated in prosecuting the corrupt deal formed part of documents used in prosecuting the criminal aspects of the notorious deal by the Milan prosecutor.

    “The EFCC recorded another first in Africa with its prosecutor appearing in the Milan trial as a witness, the first of such to happen in Italian prosecution.

    “Some individuals including an Italian, Gianlura Di Nardo and a Nigerian, Emeka Obi, were last year convicted in the matter while the Dutch prosecutor just recently notified Shell of his readiness to prosecute the oil giant over the controversial deal.”

    The EFCC described the US report as a disservice and full of inaccuracies.

    “From the foregoing, it is clear that the report authored by the American agency has done a great disservice to the work of the EFCC in particular and the fight against corruption under the leadership of President Buhari, an administration that is globally acknowledged for the enormous political will it has brought to the fight against corruption in Nigeria.

    ”We are conscious of our past with previous government officials’ involvement in corrupt practices with impunity but that history is being re-written by this government and the commission.

    “The rest of Africa appreciate the administration’s work in terms of fighting corruption in Nigeria which was the impetus behind the designation of President Buhari as the Anti- Corruption Champion early last year by the African Union (AU). In that capacity, President Buhari is saddled with the responsibility of leading the rest of Africa out of the corruption quagmire.

    “At the level of the EFCC, the Acting Chairman of the commission, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, attained the leadership of the Heads of Anti- Corruption Agencies in Commonwealth Africa (HACACA) in May 2018. This was based on his antecedents and acknowledged track records in the fight against corruption.

    “There can be no greater validation of the revolutionary impact of the fight against corruption in Nigeria in the last four years than these milestones achievements. But for those who cannot see any good in what Nigeria is doing, it is better to leave the country alone than distract it with bogus reports, “ it added

     

  • Killings: Your report about security situation in Nigeria is outdated, FG replies AI

    Killings: Your report about security situation in Nigeria is outdated, FG replies AI

    …blasts Atiku for ‘taking sides’

    The Federal Government on Thursday advised Amnesty International (AI) to update its report on the current security situation in Nigeria.

    The Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed who spoke in Abuja said contrary to AI’s claim, in all, 947 suspects have been arrested in connection with the farmers-herders clashes. Of the lot, 841 are being prosecuted. In fact, 68 of the accused persons have been convicted.

    The suspects were arrested in 11 states – Taraba, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, Kogi, Niger, Zamfara, Adamawa, Yobe, Borno and Katsina.

    ”Let me say that I have gone through the statement by the Amnesty International on this. One thing they got right in their report is the cause of the killings. Amnesty said the root cause of this conflict has nothing to do with religion or ethnicity; and that it is largely about land and access to grazing.

    “That is correct and confirms what we have been saying that the clashes are a result of environmental factors that have made the contest for resources, especially land and water, very keen; demographic factors and, sometimes, sheer criminality.

    “But they are wrong, very wrong to suggest that the government has done nothing to stem the killings. I think their report is largely outdated.

    “Everyone knows that the killings resulting from the farmers-herders clashes, and indeed killings from cattle rustling and other causes, have gone down drastically. This didn’t happen by accident, but by a concerted and determined efforts by the Buhari Administration. Let me list some of the actions that led to the drastic reduction in the killings:

    • Deployment of a Joint Military Intervention Force (JMIF), comprising Regular and Special Forces personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy, and working in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, Department of State Security (DSS), and Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps (NSCDC).
    • Establishment of the Army’s 2 Battalion Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Kanfanin Doka Village, Birnin-Gwari, Kaduna State.
    • Establishment of a new Area Command and two additional Divisional Police Headquarters in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
    • Establishment by Nigerian Air Force of Quick Response Wings (QRW) in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states, and deployment of Special Forces to these Quick Response Wings.
    • The inauguration, by the Nigeria Police Force, of a new Mobile Squadron in Takum, Taraba State and Operation ‘Whirl Stroke’, operating in Benue, Nasarawa, Taraba and Zamfara states, to tackle the menace of armed herdsmen, cattle rustlers, communal militias, kidnappers and other bandits.

    Mohammed also released a fact-sheet on the suspects arrested and prosecuted over the farmers-herders crises and those prosecuted.

    He said the records are available for Amnesty International to verify with the police and the court.

    He added: “Amnesty also accused the government of lethargy, saying this has allowed impunity to flourish. Again, they got it wrong

    “Apart from taking concrete measures to end the killings, as I have stated above, there have been arrests and prosecution of offenders. Let me give instances

    • Taraba: 49 arrested and 42 being prosecuted
    • Plateau: 43 arrested and 31 being prosecuted
    • Benue: 120 arrested, 81 prosecuted and 68 convicted
    • Niger: 47 arrested and 40 being prosecuted
    • Zamfara: 172 arrested and 162 being prosecuted
    • Nasarawa: 43 arrested and 40 being prosecuted
    • Adamawa: 38 arrested and 34 being prosecuted
    • Yobe: 42 arrested and 38 being prosecuted
    • Borno: 40 arrested and 36 being prosecuted
    • Katsina: 49 arrested and 46 being prosecuted
    • Kogi: 23 arrested and 20 being prosecuted
    • Operation Absolute Sanity in North-East and North-Central: 158 arrested and 150 being prosecuted
    • IGP’s Intelligence Response Team arrested 123 and prosecuting 121

    “You can now see that the alleged government inaction is not true. I think Amnesty International should update its report to reflect the present reality, which is that the killings from the herders-farmers clashes have thinned down because of concerted efforts by the FG and that perpetrators of the killings are being brought to justice.”

    The Minister condemned the PDP presidential candidate for claiming that killings will continue if Buhari is re-elected.

    He accused Atiku of bad faith and desperation for power.

    Mohammed said: “This amounts to politicisation of the killings and bad politicking and it is totally unacceptable. If it is indeed true that the former Vice President said that, it must be an act of desperation due to his floundering campaign. It is clear to all Nigerians that the electioneering campaign of the PDP presidential candidate has failed to gain traction.

    “From Sokoto to Ilorin to Ibadan to Gombe, it has been a disastrous outing for the campaign. With that magnitude of failure, anyone can say anything to stay afloat.”

    Mohammed denied a report by New York Times alleging indiscriminate killing of Shiite protesters in Abuja.

    He said the government has respect for the sanctity of life.

    Notwithstanding, he promised that the government will study the report and the video clip referred to by “New York Times”.

    He said: “I have read the report and watched the video. First, let me say that as an administration that believes in the sanctity of life and the rule of law, the Nigerian government does not and will never condone extrajudicial killings or the willful violation of the rights of its citizens.

    “This does not define who we are as a government. In this regard, the government will study the report and the video with a view to determining their authenticity and taking necessary actions.”

    He warned against a campaign of calumny to demoralise Nigerian troops

    “But the bigger picture must not be lost on us. There seems to be a choreographed campaign to demoralise our military. This is dangerous, considering their sacrifice, gallantry and patriotism. Thanks to our men and women in uniform, we sleep with our two eyes closed at night.

    “We must be careful not to do anything that will kill their morale, thus hampering the fight against terror, which they have prosecuted with tremendous success since this administration assumed office.

    “For example, when we suffered a setback recently with the killing of our troops in Metele by Boko Haram, we didn’t see the kind of outrageous reports that we normally see when Amnesty International or a section of the foreign media writes to condemn the Nigerian military. There was no widespread condemnation of Boko Haram.

    “I think the impression must not be given that our military is a target of attacks by the human rights organisations and the media, especially the foreign media.”

     

  • Report bribe demanding officials to appropriate authorities — FAAN tells passengers

    Report bribe demanding officials to appropriate authorities — FAAN tells passengers

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) has advised passengers and airport users to report any of its security officers demanding bribe to the appropriate authorities.

    Herietta Yakubu, general manager, corporate affairs, FAAN, gave the advice in a statement on Friday, in Lagos.

    Yakubu said the advice was necessitated by the allegations that some FAAN aviation security personnel were demanding bribe before allowing airport users into the terminal.

    She said that the airport was a public facility and no charge was required from any genuine user to access the facility. According to her, access might, however, be restricted or controlled some times in order to safeguard civil aviation against acts of unlawful interference at the airports.

    Operations at Nigerian airports, particularly the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, have been marred with allegations of bribery and extortion in recent weeks.

    Recall that a Nigerian actor, Aremu Afolayan, had earlier in the week lamented that he was extorted by airport officials in a viral video.

    But FAAN, in its reaction on Friday, urged airport users not to give out bribes to rapacious airport officials.

    “All passengers and airport users who might want to transact some business at the airports are advised not to give money to anyone to gain access into the airport and report related cases to appropriate authorities,” the statement said.

    “FAAN remains committed to her core values of safety, security and comfort,” she added.

  • NASS siege: Police submits report on DSS probe to Osinbajo, makes shocking revelations [See letter]

    The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris has submitted the report on the controversial invasion of the National Assembly to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

    The report which was obtained by TheNewsGuru.com on Thursday night indicted the sacked Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal Daura.

    In a report on the controversial incident prepared for Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday, Mr Idris said Mr Daura was working for some politicians for selfish interest, but did not name the accomplices.

    He said Mr Daura did not consult with other security agencies before ordering the siege, and questioned the validity of a security report that allegedly anticipated a violence at the parliament.

    Mr Daura was sacked by Mr Osinbajo on Tuesday afternoon. He was immediately handed over to the police for further interrogation, after unathorised deployment of SSS officers that sparked nationwide outrage and condemnation.

    Mr Idris said the police have been interrogating Mr Daura in Garki, Abuja, since he was arrested.

     

  • Amnesty International report on Nigerian security agencies biased, misleading – Presidency

    The Presidency says the recent report released by the Amnesty International alleging human rights violation by Nigerian security agencies is inherently battling with credibility, falling vehemently short of evidential narration.

    Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, made this position known in a statement in Abuja on Thursday.

    According to the presidential aide, the report is short on credibility because it does not contain factual leads that could have laid the foundation for investigative actions.

    He noted that findings were attributed to people but proper description of such people constituting the source of information was not provided.

    “Engagement was claimed to have been made with Nigerian authorities but which authority is it, is not provided with clarity.

    “This then is just a wild goose chase report, in essence.

    “In some breath, the report seemed like the one in 2015, and the one in 2016, and the one after that year, the same things being recycled again and again.

    “It ignores the fact of the existing mechanisms put in place by the military, as a self-correcting step and the high-level committee constituted by the Presidency to examine any such claims,’’ he further noted.

    Shehu observed that over this period of time, the Nigerian military had indeed established cases of abuse and punishments meted out from Orderly Room trials and Court Martials that resulted in losses of rank, dismissals, and trials and convictions by civil courts.

    He quoted President Buhari during his recent joint press conference with President Trump at the White House to further buttress his points as saying: “the government of Nigeria remains deeply committed to the principles of human rights, as well as promotion and protection of people’s freedom, even in the process of fighting terror.

    ‘’We commit to ensure that all documented cases of human rights abuses are investigated, and those responsible for violation held responsible.”

    The 2017/2018 Reports of the Amnesty International on Nigeria had alleged that the Nigerian military “arbitrarily arrested and held thousands of young men, women and children in detention centres around the country.

    The report alleged that detainees were denied access to lawyers and family members.

    While allegedly accusing the Nigerian army of various atrocities at Internally Displaced Persons camp in the North East region of the country, the Report also acknowledged that the army released 593 detainees in April and 760 in October 2017.

    It also stated that the armed group, Boko Haram, had continued to carry out attacks, resulting in hundreds of deaths.

    It said: “Reports continued of extrajudicial executions, enforced disappearances, and torture and other ill-treatment, which, in some cases, led to deaths in custody. Conditions in military detention were harsh.

    “Communal violence occurred across the country. Thousands of people were forcibly evicted from their homes.’’

    However, authorities of the Nigerian army had since reacted to the Report by dismissing it, and accused the Amnesty International of deliberately attempting to tarnish the good image of the army.

  • Report on Senate invasion, mace theft ready for consideration – Saraki

    Senate President Bukola Saraki on Tuesday announced that the report detailing the circumstances surrounding the incident of April 18 when thugs invaded the Senate chamber and made away with the mace is ready.

    “Distinguished colleagues, you’ll remember that following the incidence of invasion of the senate, one of the decisions that was taken then was that the management must do a report to find out the roles that were played by all the members and what led to the invasion. The report has been ready and submitted. I think that report should go to the committee on ethics for them to review it and make their recommendation to us,” Saraki said.

    The Senate President while commenting on a point of order raised by Tijjani Kaura (Zamfara-APC) made this announcement.

    Kaura had called the attention of the Senate to recent killings and kidnappings in his constituency urging the Senate to look into the matter.

    Saraki said the appearance of the Inspector-General of Police on Wednesday will suffice to address security issues in Zamfara and other parts of Nigeria.

    “Again it is unfortunate of the incident in Zamfara. Which is of a daily basis. It is of great concern to us. We at the National Assembly, we must play our role to see what we can do to tackle this insecurity issue. It is unfortunate as we said last time we expected the IG here, we have given him again till Wednesday to come here so that we can truly engage and address these problems we are facing today in the country.

    “We saw what happened in Kaduna State some days ago and now it is Zamfara. We will do our best despite the level of lack of cooperation but we must play our role and I can assure you that we would do something to bring a change and make this country more secure.”

     

  • Tenure Elongation: Lalong committee submits report

    The technical committee on All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) tenure elongation submitted its report on Friday.

    Giving the document to the party´s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, in Abuja, the committee’s Chairman, Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau, urged the party leadership to painstakingly study the recommendations.

    He said that if the recommendations were accepted and implemented, the leadership logjam in the party would “become a thing of the past’’.

    ´´The task appeared not easy when it was given to us, but with God on our side and the very wide consultations we made, we accomplished it.

    ´´This report has solved most of the problems that we were thinking was within the APC, that is to tell you that there is democracy in the party,´´ Dalung said.

    He said that in carrying out the assignment, the committee was guided by the party´s constitution and the 1999 Constitution of the country.

    “The committee also looked at the minutes of the party´s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of Feb. 27 where the decision to extend the Odigie-Oyegun-led NWC and other party executives by one year starting from June was taken.

    Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari, at another NEC meeting on March 27, opposed the tenure extension decision, saying it was illegal and unconstitutional.

    The president had explained that the decision was causing acrimony within the party, with some members not comfortable with the matter, dragging the party to court.

    ´´We also looked at the passion and the commitment of the President towards keeping the party as one and at the end of the day, we made far-reaching recommendations.

    ´´We noticed that there were different interests, which is quite usual when you have a party like this, that is progressive,´´ the committee chairman said.

    He added that the interests identified were genuine, and that the committee was able ´´to marry´´ all interests for the party to move forward.

    “A lots of things will be revealed in the report,’’ he said, adding that the committee´s report contained recommendations of certain issues that it thought the party should carry out immediately.

    He hinted that one of such recommendations was that the party´s leadership must summon another NEC meeting.

    ´´Already, we have received notices of NEC meeting for Monday which is also in line with our recommendations and we want to assure you that at the end of the day, APC is coming back to life,´´ Dalung said.

    Receiving the report, Odigie-Oyegun commended the committee for the job, “finally, the recommendations in your report will lay to rest the ghost that has been hovering over the leadership of APC´´.

    Governors elected on APC platform, had at a meeting with Buhari on Tuesday, unanimously agreed that the party should hold a congress to elect new executive.

     

  • Senate receives report on EFCC/SSS officers clash

    The Senate on Wednesday received the report of its ad-hoc committee investigating the clash between officers of different security agencies on November 21, 2017.

    The chairman of the committee, Francis Alimikhena, laid the report before the lawmakers during plenary.

    Fatima Rasaki seconded the motion for the report to be laid.

    The Senate had in November 2017, set up the committee to investigate the showdown between officials of the State Security Services (SSS) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Abuja.

    The face-off was said to have stemmed from EFCC’s attempted arrest of former director- general of SSS, Ita Ekpeyong and that of the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayodele Oke.

    “The EFCC went to the residence of the former DG of DSS, Mr Ita Ekpeyong, to effect his arrest and the men of the DSS stopped the attempt,” the chairman said.

    Mr Alimikhena, however, told newsmen that the report had been laid and was awaiting the day for the consideration of the report before he could pass any comment.