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Tag: Reps

  • Police exonerate serving reps member of rape allegation

    The Imo State Police Command on exonerated a member of the House of Representatives representing Ohaji/Egbema Oguta and Oru West Federal Constituency, Hon. Uju Kingsley Chima of the rape allegation levelled against him by one Mrs. Nkeiruka Cynthia Kamalu.

    The Command dismissed Kamalu’s allegations against Hon. Uju as false and baseless.

    It stated this in a statement signed by Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) Orlando Ikeokwu, which was obtained by The Nation.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the command has been drawn to the news making the rounds in some media, dailies and other social platform in which one Nkeiruka Cynthia Kamalu claimed that she was raped by one Hon. Uju Kingsley Chima and as such claimed she was unlawfully arrested, tortured and detained.

    “The command wish to state that on 6/5/2019 the command received a report of a case of advanced fee fraud, conspiracy, child trafficking, forgery and threat to life against one Nkeiru Cynthia Kamalu ‘f’ 40 years of Plot 4, Ademola Close By Ire-Akari Estate, Ago, Lagos State.

    “The command arrested two suspects namely -(1) Nkeiruka Cynthia Kamalu ’f’ and (ii) Emeka Muoneka ’m’. Both of the suspects made confessional statements as to the offence committed. For the purpose of clarity, the said Nkeiruka Cynthia Kamalu ’f’ called Hon. Kingsley Uju Chima claiming to be pregnant for him and as such blackmailed him into sending her various sums of money. She later claimed to have given birth to twins and one died of which she sent him picture of a baby boy.

    However, in the course of the investigation, the following were discovered.

    “That she was never in Canada as she claimed.

    “That she forged Canadian visa which she snapped and sent to Hon. Kingsley Uju Chima to trick him into sending money.

    “That Emeka Muoneka ‘m’ took her to Nnewi in Anambra State where she bought a three-day old baby boy at the sum of N1,800,000.

    “That she installed a software in her phone in which she used to call Hon. Kingsley Uju Chia, to ensure that a foreign number appears whenever she calls.

    “That both Nkeiruka Cynthia Kamalu and Emeka Muoneka led operatives to Nnewi, Anambra State where they bought a three-day old baby, for the purpose of deceiving Hon. Kingsley Uju Chima and blackmail him into sending money to her.

    In view of the above findings, the command said she was charged to court for the offence, adding that there was no time she was victimized, torturer detained.

    The command therefore urged members of the public to discharge the allegations as “they are false and baseless.”

    On September 11, 2019, Kamalu, a businesswoman, filed a fundamental rights suit marked FHC/L/CS/1458/19 alleging “intimidation, mounting surveillance and or illegal oral invitation threat of life and annihilation of property,” against the lawmaker.

    She alleged that she was raped by Chima, on August 9, 2015, while she was married to a United States-based doctor.

    “I lodged the case first at New Owerri Police Station wherein he influenced it and I wrote a Petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Force State Quarters, Abuja. The petition was assigned to Zone 9 Police Command, Umuahia, Abia State.

    According to her, the police persuaded her to settle with the lawmaker and soon after, they resumed an incestuous relationship

    Mrs Kamalu claimed that afterwards, the lawmaker offered to pay her N20 million if she was divorced by her husband, Mr Gabriel Igbibi. Her husband subsequently left her and her new resumed relationship also failed, she said.

    She further alleged that the lawmaker caused her to be arrested in Lagos on 27th day of May, 2019 by SARS and that she was tortured and detained for seven days, after which she was arraigned on a fictitious N40 million theft charge.

  • Abandoned Projects: Reps set to grill NCC, NigComSat, Blackbone Galaxy, others tomorrow

    Abandoned Projects: Reps set to grill NCC, NigComSat, Blackbone Galaxy, others tomorrow

    By Emmanuel Ovuakporie
    The House of Representatives Adhoc Committee investigating abandoned communications contracts since 1999 will on Thursday grill officials of Nigeria Communications Commission, NCC, Federal Ministry of Communications, Galaxy Blackbone, NigComSat, Nigeria Postal Service, Nipost and National Information Technology Development Agency, NITDA over their alleged roles in the failed contracts.
    Recall that the House had constituted the investigative panel to x-ray the failed contracts and bring the culprits to book.
    The chairman of the committee Hon Chukwuma Umeoji during its inaugural hearing barely two ago had sent a warning signal to those involved to prepare as the committee will dig deep to fish out all those involved.
    Umeoji had frowned at the quantum of abandoned projects across the country and vowed to bring those behind the failed projects to book in line with the anti-corruption posture of the present administration.
    He explained that the mandate of the Ad-hoc Committee involved in the investigation of Federal Government’s abandoned projects from 1999 till date with a view to establishing the cost of award, period of award, state of completion and constraints inhibiting the completion of such projects.
    According to him, as you are aware, Federal Government Ministries, Departments, Agencies,Parastatals, Commission’s and Boards awarded contracts for the execution of several capital projects to contractors since the return of the nation to democratic rule in 1999.
    “Many of these projects have been abandoned even as many of them have received advanced payments of not less than 50% of the contract sum.
    “Government has spent several billions of naira on such contracts without government and the people getting value for money spent so far.
    “It is instructive to note that if the nation is to have a meaningful development in terms of infrastructure and social services, there is urgent need for a change in the manner of award of contracts for and the execution of capital projects”.
    He had assured that: “our unshaken resolve must be to uphold public trust above any primordial sentiments and dispense fairness and justice in our dealings with every stakeholder in this regard.”
    A source close to the committee on Wednesday told TNG that most of the communication contracts awarded by government did not follow due process.
    The source who spoke under the condition of anonymity explained that’ the $470million failed CCTV contract was one of such contracts and this is abnormal.
    “The most baffling part of it all is that the loan for the contract was given by the Chinese and the contract was executed by the Chinese.
    TNG had done an exclusive piece on the CCTV contract scam last week unveiling all those that were involved in the scam.
  • Reps Move to Reduce Nylon, Plastic Pollution

    Reps Move to Reduce Nylon, Plastic Pollution

    From Jonas Ike, Abuja

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday mandated its Committee on Environment to investigate the circumstances surrounding the non- implementation of plastic policy of the Federal Government with a view to ensuring the reduction of nylon and plastic pollution on the society.
    The House further urged the Federal Ministry of Environment to carry out a sustainable campaign on the dangers of nylon and plastic wastes and to as a matter of urgency initiate a programme for collection and recycling of plastic wastes across the country.
    These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion titled: “Need to Curtail Nylon and Plastic Pollution” moved by Hon Chukwuka Umeoji (APGA, Anambra) on the floor of the House.
    Umeoji while debating the motion noted that over 15% of solid wastes generated in major cities across the country are from nylons and plastics
    He further noted that due to inadequate supply of drinking water in most homes, most households resort to sachet water thereby generating large volume of wastes.
    He expressed concerns that the burning of nylons and plastics wastes cause air pollution due to the release of poisonous gases into the air which jeopardize public health and deplete ozone layer.
    The lawmaker also noted and informed the House that organic wsst poses a lesser hazard to the environment due to it’s easy decomposition while organic wastes like nylon and plastics constitutes serious environmental hazards because it takes more than 30 years for them to decompose.
    Consequently, the House presided by the Deputy Speaker Hon. Idris Wase put it to a voice vote and it was unanimously adopted the lawmkers.
    He thereafter mandated the Committee on Environment to investigate the matter and report back to the House in four weeks for further legislative actions.

  • Delayed FAAC Disbursement: Reps raise alarm over excessive bank charges

    By Emmanuel Ovuakpore
    …point accusing finger at House leadership
    …say over 200k is deducted from each member’s monthly dues
    …insist bank rips lawmakers of at least N72m monthly
    Some members of the House of Representatives on Tuesday have alleged that an old generation bank is charging each member of the House roughly N200,000 monthly due to Federal Account Allocation Committee, FAAC’s delay in disbursing funds to first line charge government bodies.
    TNG investigations revealed that on a monthly basis FAAC does not disburse allocations until the 9th and 12th of every other month.
    This development made the House leadership to strike a deal with an old generation bank to pay all Reps either in the 25th or 28th of every month until ,FAAC releases their money by either 10th or 12th of the ensuing month.
    It was also agreed that within the stipulated period of delay interest should be charged on individual salary account of the lawnakers.
    But this is not going down well with the lawmakers who claimed it was a rip-off as the interest charged on the said accounts are outrageous.
    One of such lawmakers who hails from the South South geo-political zone but chose to speak under the condition of anonymity said:
    “It’s horrendous that in ten days we are made to cough out as much as N200k because our leaders failed to reason beyond their nose.
    “Before now another old generation bank (name withheld) had handled our salaries in the eighth Assembly and the bank use to give us ten days of grace but this one they start counting days immediately.
    “Some of us are of the opinion that the leadership must have struck a deal because if you calculate it by 360 members what they deduct is almost N72m monthly.
    Another lawmaker who spoke in the same vein declared that “we know a deal must have been struck with our leaders but the question is why was the salary account moved from SunTrust a new generation bank that gave us days off grace to an old generation bank that is charging us so much.
    “This question and so many others are giving us a lot to think about because we are smelling a rat in all these transactions.

  • Abandoned projects: Again, NDDC MD, Directors Shun Reps Invitation

    By Ezeike Jonas, Abuja
    The Chairman House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee on Niger Delta Development Commission NDDC Hon Osai Nicholas Osai on Thursday revealed that the Acting Managing Director of the agency Prof. Nelson Braimbriaifa and other directors of the agency had for the third time failed to attend the investigative hearing on all abandoned NDDC projects by the Committee.
    Osai who said this at a press briefing of the Ad-hoc Committee at the House Press Corps added that they have extended invitations to the NDDC officials three times and they failed to appear in all of them.
    He submitted that the House view this non-appearance by the NDDC officials as a breach, an obstruction and a slap on the powers of the House to investigate any matter within its legislative purview.
    He however informed that the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria CBN Mr Godwin Emefiele and other directors of the apex bank who were summoned alongside the NDDC officials had made appearance at the investigative hearing.
    He informed that the CBN team had sent in their papers requested by the Committee for scrutiny and the Committee will work on them and make appropriate recommendation to the House based on its findings
    Speaking further on what the Committee will do to ensure compliance, he said that they will extend another invitation to the NDDC helsman and other directors to appear before the Committee on Monday September 23, 2019 unfailing.
    He added that failure on the the part of the invited officials to appear before the Committee, they will immediately issue a bench warrant of arrest to them based on the powers confered on the House in Sect 88 of the 1999 Constitution.

  • Reps ask CBN to halt implementation of cashless policy on individual, corporate accounts

    From Jonas Ike, Abuja
    The House of Representatives on Thursday asked the Central Bank of Nigeria CBN to suspend the implementation of its cashless policy on individual and corporate accounts until all the relevant stakeholders are consulted in the country
    This was sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance by Hon.Benjamin O.Kalu (Abia,APC) on the matter on the floor of the House.
    Kalu while debating the motion noted that the CBN on Wednesday September, 18, 2019 imposed 3 per cent processing fee charge on withdrawals on individual deposits above 500,000.00 and 2 per cent charge as processing for lodgements.
    He also hinted that the policy also entails 5% processing fees for withdrawals and 3 per cent processing fee for lodgements on corporate deposits above 3,000,000.00 across board.
    The lawmaker expressed worries noting that the CBN did not consult stakeholders in the banking sector before the new policy took effect.
    He further expressed worries that the implementation had left sour taste in the mouth of bank customers and affected deposits.
    The All Progressives Congress lawmaker also said that the bank policy which kicked-off in 2012 has affected the growth of small and medium enterprises in the country.
    He therefore urged the House to immediately ask the CBN to suspend the implementation of the policy until there is proper consultation of all stakeholders.
    He added that the implementation of the cashless policy has not contributed to the Consolidated Revenue Fund CRF of the federation.
    Other lawmakers notably Hon. Uzoma Nkem Abonta (Abia,PDP) and Hon.Gudaji Kazure (Jigawa,APC) spoke in support of the motion saying that it is an anti people’s policy.
    Consequently, the House presided by the Speaker Hon.Femi Gbajabimilla passed the motion unanimously.
    The Speaker thereafter mandated the House Committee on Banking and Currency to interface with the CBN with a view to ensuring that consultation of stakeholders are sought for its proper implementation.
    The Committee is to report to the House within 4 weeks for further actions
  • $9.6bn Judgement: Reps summon Malami, Sylva, others

    $9.6bn Judgement: Reps summon Malami, Sylva, others

    The House of Representatives on Wednesday set up a 17-man ad hoc committee to as a matter of urgency, invite the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the federation, Abubakar Malami and his counterpart in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Timpriye Sylva.

    They are to give situational report on the matter and explain the lapse in judgement of time and due diligence in the (miss)handling of the case with a view to finding lasting solutions to the avalanche of extant and future cases.

    The ad hoc committee is headed by Hon. Sada Soli (APC Katsina).

    The lawmakers are also to invite other officials of the ministries, saddled with the responsibility to negotiate the agreement with P&ID and the prosecution of the matter before the tribunal.

    This was sequel to the passage of motion of urgent national importance sponsored by a member, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere.

    Ihonvbere, while moving the motion noted that the recent judgement debt of $9.6 billion (with daily interest accruing) by a commercial court in the United Kingdom against Nigeria, in a matter between Process and Industrial Development (P&ID) Limited “leaves a very sour taste in the mouth.”

    He said for a country with a foreign reserve of only $45 billion and a sovereign debt profile of over $80 billion, the judgment debt is not only punitive but would devastatingly affect the Nigerian economy.

    Details shortly…

  • Xenophobia intervention: Reps recommend Air Peace boss for national award

    Xenophobia intervention: Reps recommend Air Peace boss for national award

    From Jonas Ike, Abuja

    The House of Representatives on Wednesday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to include Chairman of Air Peace Airline Mr. Allen Onyema in the 2020 National Honours Award list for his efforts in evacuating many stranded Nigerians from South Africa.
    This was sequel to the adoption of a motion by Hon. Abdulrazak Namdas (Adamawa, APC) entitled: “Need for Federal Government to Award Mr Allen Onyema National Honours for Evacuating Stranded Nigerians from South Africa” on the floor of the House.
    Debating the motion, Namdas noted that Onyema in the wake of renewed unprovoked xenophobic attacks on Nigerians and other foriegn nationales living in South Africa had depolyed his airlines to evacuate many stranded Nigerians.
    He further noted that in the last two weeks many Nigerians had landed safely at the Murtala Muhamed International Airport Lagos from South Africa
    The lawmakers also noted that the good gesture from Onyema who he described as a detrabalized Nigerian was done at no cost at either the federal or state governments in Nigeria.
    He called on other well meaning citizens of the country to emulate the good gesture from Onyema and called on the House to ask that the Federal Government include his name in the 2020 National Honours Award list.
    Prior to the motion, a good number of other lawmakers from all the six geo-political zones had spoke glowingly about the good gesture extended to stranded Nigerians from the Anambra State born lawyer and businessman.
    Consequently, the Speaker Hon. Femi Gbajabimilla put the matter to a voice vote and the lawmakers voted overwhelmingly for it.
    He subsequently mandated the Clerk to the House Hon. Muhammed Abdulkadir to ensure that the resolution is immediately transmitted to the President for necessary action.

  • Issues at Stake As Reps Resume from Long Recess

    From Jonas Ike, Abuja

    The House of Representatives will on Tuesday September 17, 2019 resume from its 7 weeks long annual recess embarked upon by both chambers of the National Assembly.
    It would be recalled that the lawmakers in both the Senate and the House had embarked on the ongoing the ongoing recess on July 25 2019 after plenary.
    Before the House was adjourned by the Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamilla, he announced the names of chairmen and deputy chairmen of the 103 House Standing Committees.
    Gbajabiamilla who was elected speaker of the 9th National Assembly on 11th June 2019 is expected to hit the ground running with a robust legislative agenda to tackle the myriad of problems bedeviling the nation.
    From the checklist of the many problems facing the nation currently ranging from insurgency kidnapping, armed robbery, corruption and power failures, the House is no doubt expected to take a tough position on these issues.
    It is therefore supposed take a serious resolution to tackle the issue of kidnapping that has taken millions and billions of hard earned money from hapless Nigerians who traveled along the Kaduna-Zaria highway.
    The lawmakers are also expected to give teeth to and strengthen the issues of fight against corruption in government ministries, departments and agencies in the country.
    Another area in which the House is expected to beam its searchlight is the asset declaration of the newly appointed Ministers who are now members of the Federal Executive Council FEC.
    No doubt corruption is still the major clog to the nation’s wheel of progress, the House is expected to strengthen its oversight on all the government agencies in the country
    Over the years billions of naira had been budgeted in annual budgets of government for personnel, overhead, capital project and sundry expenditures in these agencies.
    The House is expected to look into the level of implementation of the 2019 budget of the federal government before its approval of the 2020 budget.
    The newly appointed Chairman of the House Committees are also expected to give reports on many of the investigative hearings by the House that has been concluded with a view to exposing corruption inefficiency and waste in all the government agencies.
    They are also expected to open up investigation into other high profile corruption cases in the country and investigate the recent killing of three Police officers in Taraba State by a Captain of the Nigerian Army.
    Moreover, they are also expected to either take over or take a tough stand on the issue of autonomy of state legislatures since.many of these legislative houses had been enmeshed in crisis over tussle for power by some legislators who are stooges to some state governors.
    They are expected to heighten the speed of passage of bills and motions and ensure timely transmission of these legislation for Presidential Assent for them to become laws.
    On some some of the long standing legislation which had been passed in one chamber and is still awaiting passage by the other house, they should either give concurrence or negative them.
    The lawmakers are therefore in high expectation of the Nigerian citizenry for there is need to checkmate the abuse of executive power all levels of government especially by the President and state governors of the 36 States of the federation.
  • Reps summon Emefiele, NDDC boss, others over N2trn abandoned projects in Niger Delta states

    Reps summon Emefiele, NDDC boss, others over N2trn abandoned projects in Niger Delta states

    By Gabriel Okoro, Abuja
    The House of Representatives’ ad-hoc committee probing over N2 trillion sum worth abandoned projects of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) since 2000 till date has summoned the governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, acting chairman, NDDC and its Directors to appear before it on Tuesday next week.
    Also invited are former minister of Niger Delta and Managing Director of NDDC.
    The ad-hoc committee chaired by Mr. Nicholas Ossai issued the directives on Tuesday during the one day public hearing which entails abandoned projects in the NDDC from 2000 till date, the cost of award, period of award, the state of completion and constraints as it affects NDDC.
    Hon. Ossai said the directive was due to the neglect of invite issued to the aforementioned by the ad-hoc committee.
    According to him, we’ll not tolerate this. The NDDC is not above the National Assembly.
    “Section 89 of the constitution states that the National Assembly can procure information from any person. And since they refuse to appear, we will invoke sub section 1 (A,B &C) of the country’s constitution which entails summoning of persons involved in the probe” said Mr. Ossai.
    Shortly after declaring opened the hearing by Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, a member of the committee, Hon. Yusuf Buba raised a point of order, notifying the panel of the absence of “critical stakeholders who information are needed from”. He expressed worries that the committee could do little or nothing without them.
    Ossai in response explained that a communication sent in by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Niger Delta, had in similar way blamed their inability to provide the committee with the requested information on failure of the Commission, to fully brief the ministry yet.
    In his opening remarks, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who was represented by Deputy Majority Leader, Hon. Peter Akpatason, said while the investigation was not intended to haunt anybody, “the House will frontally face any infraction found in the course of the investigation”.
    On his part while declaring open the hearing, chairman of the committee, Ossai said the committee would be guided by the principle of fair hearing, adding that abandoned projects have remained great drain pipes to governs,not resources, “due to inflation of prices, when eventually they are revisited, but we will make sure there is value for money”.
    At the interactive session, the Office of the Auditor General revealed that the sum of N61.4billion was collected by the companies involved as mobilization fee for the project from 2000-2015 that was later abandoned.
    Stakeholder from Aiyetoro community, Ondo State, Gbenga Edema while lamenting the abandonment of some major projects in the area said N6.6billion contract was revoked without collecting of any money from the awarded company.
    Other stakeholders like the Commissioner of Works, Akwa Ibom State, Ephraim Inyang-Eyem and Ogua- Olusan of Warri, Brown Mene worried that despite the huge resources injected into the commission the entire region has been littered with abandoned and substandard projects, with state governments left to bear the burden of reconstruction which include roads, bridges, drainages among others.
    The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) was established in the year 2000 to ameliorate the suffering of the people of the Niger delta over the long years of crude oil exploration and its attendant consequences of environmental degradation.