TheNewsGuru

Tag: Senate

  • Air mishaps: Senate summons minister, set to declare state of emergency on aviation sector

    Senate Tuesday summoned the Minister of Transportation (Aviation), Alhaji Hadi Sirika, and other heads of aviation industry to appear before it over fatalities at the nation’s airways.

    The development followed a motion sponsored by Senator Gbenga Ashafa (APC), Lagos East and 8 others, stating that there was need to minimize the possibility of air accidents in Nigeria.

    Ashafa expressed deep concerns that Dana Airways overshot its runways at the Port Harcourt airport due to wet surface of the runway on 20th February, 2018.

    He further recalled that weeks before the Dana incident, an emergency door of a plane conveying passengers to Abuja on 7th January, 2018 fell off, noting that the situations was creating panic among air users.

    “Recall that just few weeks before the event, there was also panic on Wednesday, 7th January, 2018, when the emergency door of an aircraft conveying passengers to Abuja fell off upon landing at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International airport in Abuja.”

    Responding, Senator Chukwuka Utazi (PDP) Enugu North Senatorial district said, “It became fearful at a time because all recommendations from the 7th Senate was not implemented. Last time, we closed all airports because we were working on the runways.”

    James Manager representing Delta South Senatorial district expressed worries over incessant air mishaps that led to loss of prominent Nigerans.

    “As a nation, we need to address the aviation issues seriously and frontally too.”

    “Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, Some equipment that were supposed to be installed to make air operations easy are being kept”, wondering what a country Nigeria is.

    “I support the motion that this issue should not be treated at the Committee level, but invited the Minister of Aviation to appear before us.”

    Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi called for decisive action, particularly as the issue had been treated in the past without action.

    “If necessary, we have to declare state of emergency on aviation sector, because it is incomprehensible seeing a door of a plane falling off. It is good to declare a state of emergency.”

    Abdulfatah Buhari berated Aviation officias for not doing their job, adding that the industry was getting decayed day by day.

    Senator Jibrin Barau on his part, stated that it would lead to more disasters if nothing was done to salvage the Aviation sector, adding that the sector has reached a worrisome situation.

    Senator Mao Ohuabunwa explained that most of worrisome issues were due to human failure rather than equipment and machine failure.

    Senator Sam Anyanwu identified inconsistent government policies as responsible for fatalities, saying no airline in Nigeria subjects its aircraft to annual routine checks.

    “Mr. President, distinguished colleagues, it is not just about aircraft maintenance, but government policies and the only aircraft that goes for annual maintenance is the aero contractors that have been taken over by AMCON now. Others do not, and government is not doing anything.”

    Anyanwu also canvassed for government bailout in the Aviation sector, adding that the industry was capable
    of becoming the nation’s national income.

    Reacting, deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu explained that each person might have had experience, hence it was important that the matter be urgently handled.

    Senate also resolved that all the aircraft in the country should be maintained with immediate effect.

  • VIDEO: Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege apologizes to Senate after Electoral Act remarks

  • Senate condemns demolition of APC secretariat in Kaduna

    Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu has criticized the action of the Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai who allegedly demolished the Secretariat of a faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The demolition was reported to have occurred around 4am on Tuesday.

    Presiding over plenary, Ekweremadu declared that the Senate condemns the act and that democracy has no place for such “tyranny and impunity” by the Governor El-Rufai.

    He said: “Let me just say this is actually condemnable and send my sympathy to Sen. Hunkunyi on the destruction of your house. Democracy has no place for tyranny and this kind of impunity. So if you decide to go on the path of democracy, we must accept some of the things that come with it and one is the rule of law.

    “So if you have any form of grievance, it should be centered to the law court and not using force or the weight of the office. This is one of the reason Nigerians are opposed to the issue of immunity especially immunity for executives.

    “This is something that we need to watch. As we head into 2019, I would appeal to politicians not to overheat the system and then impede our democracy. There is a limit to the patience of our people. So I just do hope that this is the end to this kind of incidence in any part of the country.

    “If people have grievances they have the court there to settle it. And our courts are trusted to ensure that justice is delivered to whoever justice is due. If this is true the governor should make efforts to replace the house or rebuild the house or repay him as compensation.”

  • Mark Angel Comedy team accepts Senate invitation as Emmanuella lands Disney role

    The Mark Angel Comedy team has accepted Senate President Bukola Saraki invitation of popular Nigerian comedienne Emmanuella Samuel to the upper house of Nigeria’s bicameral legislature, after the lad landed a Disney Hollywood film role.

    TheNewsGuru reports yesterday Senate President Saraki invited the Nigeria’s most popular kid sensation to the Senate, while also congratulating her for landing the Disney role.

    TheNewsGuru reports comedienne Emmanuella took to Instagram to announce her Disney Studios presence, saying, “I never dreamed of being here so soon”.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BfS1Cccgfqq/?taken-by=officialemanuella

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BfV1xw1gnu9/?taken-by=officialemanuella

    Accepting the invitation to the Senate, in a tweet, the Mark Angel Comedy team expressed excitement, and thanked the Senate President for the invitation.

    Emmanuella was three months ago signed as a brand ambassador to Blueboat Fresh Yo yoghurt, a deal said to be worth millions of naira, ultimately, making the young chap a millionaire.

    Emmanuella was in 2016 awarded the best new comedienne and princess of comedy at the Afro-Australia Music and Movie Awards in Australia.

    She is also the first African to have one million subscribers on her YouTube channel.

    In a recent post on Instagram, the lad mulls becoming an Olympic gold medalist.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BfGflIPginY/?taken-by=officialemanuella

     

  • Saraki invites Nigerian comedienne, Emmanuella to Senate

    Nigeria Senate President Bukola Saraki has invited popular comedic act, Emmanuella Samuel of Mark Angel Comedy company to the Nigerian Senate to discuss how to develop the potential of young talents in the creative industry.

    This is coming after the fledgling talent was seen with Disney Studios producers, and The Guardian reporting the popular comedienne Emmanuella is set to feature in a Disney Hollywood film.

    In his congratulatory message to Emmanuella, after hitting the Disney Studios deal to feature in the Disney Hollywood film, Saraki charged the lad to “make them laugh over there”.

    “Congratulations Emmanuella! Make sure you make them laugh over there,” the Senate President tweeted, adding: “Your story is an inspiration. Come by the @NGRSenate sometime, let’s discuss how we can develop the potential of our young talents in the creative industry”.

    Comedienne Emmanuella, who took to Instagram to announce her Disney Studios presence, said, “I never dreamed of being here so soon”.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BfS1Cccgfqq/?taken-by=officialemanuella

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BfV1xw1gnu9/?taken-by=officialemanuella

    Emmanuella was in 2016 awarded the best new comedienne and princess of comedy at the Afro-Australia Music and Movie Awards in Australia.

    She is also the first African to have one million subscribers on her YouTube channel.

     

  • Senate summons Adeosun, Amaechi over alleged diversion of $600m Euro bond

    The Senate on Thursday invited the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, to appear before it to explain how the $600 million Euro bond sourced from the Chinese Government was used.

    The upper chamber said $600 million loan received to revive the power sector was allegedly diverted by the Federal Government to remodel four airports in the country.

    It noted that there was $600 million Euro bond from the Chinese Government for the rehabilitation of the power sector, out of which $100 million was allegedly diverted as counterpart funding for the remodeling of Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt Airports.

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Mathew Urhoghide, issued the summon at the meeting of the committee on Thursday.

    Urhoghide, (representing Edo South), said the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and the Director- General of Debt Management Office (DMO), Mrs. Patience Oniha, would also appear before the committee on the matter.

    Urhoghide, who spoke when the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Sabiu Zakari, appeared before his committee, said those invited should appear before the committee next week to explain the rationale behind the movement of such loans from its original purpose to another.

    He said there was the need to establish the desirability of the loan.

  • Senate adjourns sitting over fire incident

    The Senate has suspended its Thursday’s sitting after fire broke out in a section of the National Assembly building.

    The fire at the maintenance unit of the senate occurred at about 11 a.m.

    Lawmakers initially tried to go ahead with its plenary, but were compelled to cut it short.

    After adoption of votes and proceedings, Ibrahim Gobir, Sokoto-APC, moved that the plenary be adjourned due to the “unconducive” state of the chamber.

    “The condition is not very conducive because our chambers are there; yesterday we engaged the contractors working in the senate. We believe it is now Saturday they will be able to finish it,” he said.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, approved the prayer.

    He said, “What you presented to us makes sense. Definitely the chamber is not conducive for today’s s activities and as such, I would direct that we adjourn till Tuesday so that between now and the weekend the members of the services and maintenance unit can ensure that we bring the chamber into a conducive environment.”

  • 2019: Senate clears seven REC nominees

    2019: Senate clears seven REC nominees

    The Senate on Wednesday confirmed seven of the nine Resident Electoral Commissioner nominees sent for approval by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    President Buhari on December 20, 2017 sent names of the nine candidates to be considered as RECs.

    Out of the nine, seven of the nominees were confirmed, one failed to show up for screening, while one is still under consideration.

    The confirmed nominees are Baba Yusuf, Borno; Lukman Ajidagba, Kwara; Segun Agbaje, Ekiti, Cyril Omorogbe, Edo.

    Others are Yahaya Bello, Nasarawa; Emmanuel Hart, Rivers; and Mohammed Ibrahim, Gombe.

    The chairman senate committee on INEC, Suleiman Nazif, said the nominee from Osun State, Eric Olawale, did not show up for screening before the committee.

    He said the committee stood down the confirmation of the nominee from Akwa Ibom, Monday Tom, for further legislative consultation.

    He added that the seven approved nominees were duly cleared by relevant security agencies.

  • Senate orders 63 FG agencies to submit 2018 budget details in 7 days

    As part of moves to fast-track the final passage of the 2018 budget, the Senate on Wednesday asked 63 agencies and parastatals under the Federal Government to submit details of their proposed 2018 budgets within one week or risk sanctions.

    The Senate at the plenary on Wednesday said while President Muhammadu Buhari had complied with the law by laying the 2018 Appropriation Bill along with details of estimates before the lawmakers, agencies of the government had disregarded the law.

    Raising a point of order, the Majority Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, said only one out of 64 agencies had submitted its budget details.

    Lawan said, “I came on this particular order because of the budgets of agencies of the Federal Government.

    “Mr. President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria submitted the national budget as well as the summary of the budgets of the agencies. By so doing, he has completed his work.

    “What is required of the agencies is for them to present the details of their agencies.

    “My office has been working closely with the Office of (Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters — Senate) Senator Ita Enang.

    “We have insisted that the details of the budgets of the agencies must be presented to the Senate so that we can consider them together with the main budget.

    “We believe that the 2018 budgets, either for the ministries or the agencies, should be passed as quickly as we can, and together.”

    The Majority Leader made reference to a newspaper advertisement sponsored by Enang on February 7, 2018, in which the presidential aide called the attention of all the 64 agencies that they must submit the details of their budgets to him (Enang) for onward transmission to this Senate.

    Lawan said, “So far, only one (of them) has submitted. I want this Senate to recognise that the Nigerian Communications Commission presented and submitted what was required. It is a very good example of what we are asking for.

    “I want this Senate to give an ultimatum of one week to all the remaining agencies within which to submit the details of their budgets for our committees to consider the appropriations for 2018. I believe that it is possible and it not supposed to be difficult.”

    In his ruling, President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, condemned the agencies for their non-cooperation with the lawmakers.

    He said the parliament would be forced to move against the bodies if they failed to meet up with the deadline.

    Saraki said, “This has been a matter that we’ve been talking about for a very long time and these agencies continue to have total disregard for due process.

    “I really find it difficult to understand where the head of the Executive arm, Mr. President, is doing things properly, and agencies underneath just do things in the wrong way.

    “The SA to the President has even gone far to put an advert in the paper. So, I think it is very clear that we give them the mandate; we give to them one week.

    “It is not that we don’t know what to do. Some of our cooperation should not be misread as weakness or not knowing what to do, because definitely we can mandate the Ministry of Finance to ensure that they do not make further releases because they (the agencies) are breaking the law.

    “We will give them one week and after that one week, if they don’t comply, then we will take the necessary actions to show that they need to comply with the law that guides them.”