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Tag: Senate

  • Why I turned down N250m for third term agenda — Wabara

    Why I turned down N250m for third term agenda — Wabara

    Former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara has revealed that he rejected the sum of N250 million to support the third-term agenda during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration.

    In an excerpt from the YouTube interview series “Untold Stories with Adesuwa,” released on Monday, when asked about the truthfulness of this assertion, he said, “That’s very correct.”

    The third-term agenda marked a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s 25-year uninterrupted democratic history, involving a constitutional amendment bill aimed at allowing then-President Olusegun Obasanjo to run for a third term in office.

    Speaking further, Wabara revealed that while he didn’t believe the stories that some senators received N50 million at the time, he received N250 million bribe, which was brought to him in a G-Wagon at 1:20 a.m.

    Wabara also stated that his educational background played a huge role in rejecting the third-term agenda.

    *“I turned down a N250 million bribe to support the third term agenda. The money came to me by 1:30 a.m., before my third-term speech. It came in a sparkling black G-Wagon. I can still remember that it was in a black G-Wagon and a rickety 504 station wagon. The money was discharged, and my wife was there.”*

    Highlighting the significance of the decision, Wabara stated that if the third-term agenda had stood, other presidents wouldn’t have emerged.

    “Without people like us, there wouldn’t be democracy now. Yes, if we had supported the third term, you know, I mean we would have had dictatorship, tyranny, and people like Buhari wouldn’t have emerged. Even the present Tinubu would not have emerged because Obasanjo would have still been there,” he said.

    Speaking on the current state of affairs in the country, Wabara lamented that those in power had unfortunately weaponized poverty.

    His words: *“Hunger misdirects, and my people say that when you are having leaves or whatever the goat eats, you are the person they will continue to follow. That is what is happening in our democracy today because of hunger. The elders and the politicians—those in government—are not creating the enabling environments to eschew hunger.*

    *“It is a deliberate act to continue to make the electorate hungry so that they will continue to follow sheepishly. So, there will be stomach infrastructure before they start thinking whether we are being led aright.”*

    He also clarified that he was not removed from office by Obasanjo but resigned while reiterating that there was no pressure.

  • No request for presidential jet before us – Senate

    No request for presidential jet before us – Senate

    The Senate, on Thursday, said  there was no request from the Presidency to approve the purchase of a Presidential aircraft.

    Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele, during  plenary, dismissed speculations that the Upper Chamber was debating  approval of a Presidential aircraft in the 2024 supplementary budget.

    Opeyemi said:  “Senate is aware of  insinuations that the its President, Godswill Akpabio ,either had at one time, indicated that we had a request for  purchase of a new plane to  be approved for President Tinubu.

    “And that President of the Senate had indicated that regardless of what Nigerians were going through, that it will be approved.

    “As we sit here, a section of the social media had also been circulating that we had gone into an executive session to discuss about the presidential request for a new plane and how we are going to approve it.

    “Let me alert Nigerians that there is the presence of a fifth columnist and some other propagandists who are doing everything possible to destabilise this country and also destabilise the parliament.

    “I say for the record, as the Leader of this Senate, that there is no request before this us  as of yet.”

    The Senate Leader added that there had not been a basis for the Red Chamber to debate whether to approve a Presidential aircraft or not.

    “It has never been discussed either on the floor of this Senate or among individual senators or at the executive session.

    “There is no such request. If the request comes, it is not about the  President of the Senate alone.

    “It is for 469 elected representatives of the Nigerian people to discuss and take a position. 360 in the House of Representatives, 109 in the senate.”he said.

    Reacting ,Akpabiosaid: “When you hear stories such as the death of the Vice President of Malawi as a result of a  defective plane and  then you hear stories such as the death of the President of Iran, as a result of defective helicopter, we should never dream and allow such to be our portion, it will  not be.

    “The Senate is responsible, the National Assembly is very responsible. We will look into issues that will benefit the governance of the country.

    “Those speculating know very well that something like that may come in future, and if it is a necessity, the Senate will look into it. But ,there is nothing like that before us now,” Akpabio said.

  • Senate passes bill for Act to amend 2023 supplementary appropriation bill till 31st December

    Senate passes bill for Act to amend 2023 supplementary appropriation bill till 31st December

    The Senate has passed a bill for an Act to amend the implementation of the 2023 supplementary appropriation bill till 31st December, 2024.

    The passage followed the emergency plenary convened which was presided by the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio.

    After clause by clause consideration of the bill and after the Committee of Supply, the bill was then read the third time and passed.

    The 2023 supplementary budget bill was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, APC, Ekiti Central for its implementation to be extended.

    In his remark, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio who thanked Senators for their understanding and patriotism, expressed his belief that the implementation would allow the executive to complete all abandoned projects.

  • Akpabio galvanises South South APC to support Tinubu [Photos]

    Akpabio galvanises South South APC to support Tinubu [Photos]

    The President of the Senate, Senator Godswll Akpabio has called on members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South South zone to continue to lend their support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to achieve his Renewed Hope agenda.

    Senator Akpabio made the call at the South South APC National Executive Committee meeting in Calabar, Cross River State on Sunday.

    The stakeholders’ meeting witnessed a large turn out of members from the six States in the region.

    A statement by the Special Assistant to the Senate President on Media/Communication, Anietie Ekong quoted Senator Akpabio to have urged party members to show more commitment in their support for the party and President Tinubu.

    According to Senator Akpabio who paid special tribute to the former Senate President, Dr Joseph Wayas, the South South was strategically positioned in the national scheme of things after 45 years of having held the position of the Senate President in the Second Republic.

    “We need to be focused and aim at one vision and when we have that in mind we shall succeed. Here is the South South zone, sitting together. Every section is represented and nobody is left behind and we have to work in the same spirit.

    “President Tinubu has assured us that he will never forget the South South region. That is why we have to continue to support the administration to succeed because if he succeeds, we all succeed together. For we lawmakers we were not elected to go to Abuja and fight but to bring the dividends of democracy to our people.

    “The votes that the President obtained in the Presidential election from my Senatorial District alone was more than the votes he garnered in the entire five States of the South East zone combined together.

    “From this zone, five states out of six were able to contribute more than 25 percent of the votes during the Presidential election of 2023 for President Tinubu. Don’t take this for granted because our party was not the dominant party in the zone before the election.

    “That shows that if you are committed you can turn things around in your Senatorial District and your Federal constituency and your Local Givernment Area. With struggle we can reach our destination. And that is the reason why we are gathered here today,” he said.

    Senator Akpabio urged the stakeholders to gear up for the upcoming gubernatorial election in Edo State and implored the party to work hard to win the election so that the South South APC can add another State to Cross River State in the zone.

    The Governor of Cross River State and the Coordinator of the APC in the zone, Senator Bassey Otu said the South South APC must work hard to increase the strength of the party in the zone.

    “As a person this meeting means a lot to me because the Almighty God detests loneliness. He said it is not good for the man to be alone. I read the President’s lips. He said it is not good for Governor Otu to be alone in the South South region. We are here to turn this into reality,” he said.

    Governor Otu thanked the President for the ground breaking of the Lagos- Calabar coastal highway and said the zone will continue to support the President to achieve great successes in his administration’s developmental initiatives

    Earlier, in his welcome remarks, the South South Zonal Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Giadom, thanked party stakeholders for their unwavering support for the party. He thanked the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio for his physical presence at the meeting, describing him as “a lover of the South South and unifier of the nation.

    “Let me on behalf of the zonal leadership, thank the members of the 10th Senate and President Bola Tinubu, for their confidence in our own, Senator Akpabio for the office of the President of the Senate. There couldn’t have been a better choice for the position,” he said.

  • Senate okays 2024 FCT supplementary appropriation bill of N98.5bn

    Senate okays 2024 FCT supplementary appropriation bill of N98.5bn

    The Senate has passed the 2024 FCT Supplementary Appropriation Bill of N98.5 billion.

    This, followed presentation and adoption of report of Committee on FCT by the Vice Chairman,Sen.Osita Ngwu during plenary in Abuja

    Senator Ngwu in his presentation said in line with provision of 1999 Nigeria Constitution as amended, the 2024 FCT statutory supplementary appropriation bill,was read the first time on May 15.

    He said following conclusion of the second reading on June 6, the bill was referred to the Committee on FCT for further legislative action.

    The lawmaker said in accordance with sections 62, 80 ,88,89 and 299 of the 1999 constitution as amended, the committee meet with FCT minister and other relevant officials of FCT administration and delibrated on modalities to process the budget.

    Ngwu said the FCT administration proposed the sum of N98.5billilon for the 2024 FCT statutory suplementary appropriation.

    According to him, the proposed sum was to augment priority areas of the FCT statutory appropriation capital expenditure.

    He said the committee recommended for approval of N98.5 billion for 2024 FCT statutory supplementary appropriation.

    Ngwu said in considering the budget, the committee worked harmoniously with House of Representatives to present one version of the appropriation bill for consideration of Senate.

    “On behalf of the committee, I hereby present the recommendations for consideration and passage of the FCT statutory supplementary appropriation bill into law,”Ngwu said.

  • I am being marginalized in senate committee matters–Senator Kingibe cries out

    I am being marginalized in senate committee matters–Senator Kingibe cries out

    The senator representing the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ireti Kingibe, has expressed her frustration over being sidelined in Senate Committee matters concerning her constituency.

    Kingibe made this known during Tuesday’s Plenary session, as the Senate considered the 2024 N98.5bn Supplementary budget for the FCT.

    Speaking under Orders 10 and 11, Kingibe said despite her position as the highest elected official in the FCT, representing over four million people, she is excluded from crucial discussions on FCT matters, particularly budgetary issues.

    “Mr. President, as the highest elected person in the FCT, I am not carried along in matters pertaining to the territory, including budget discussions. Today, the FCT supplementary budget is being presented, but I was not informed about the procedure and was not invited to any meetings.”

    However, Senate President GodsWill Akpabio interrupted Kingibe, requesting that she present her concerns in a motion.
    The senators in plenary agreed that Kingibe would present her complaint in a motion the following day.

     

  • Cost of governance: Aisha Yesufu wants Nigerian Senate scrapped

    Cost of governance: Aisha Yesufu wants Nigerian Senate scrapped

    A renowned political and civil rights activist, Aisha Yesufu, has called for the  scrapping of the Nigerian Senate to reduce cost of governance.

    Yesufu, Co-founder, Bring Back Our Girls Movement, made the call in an interview with NAN on Sunday in Lagos.

    She was reacting to calls in some quarters that the country should jettison its bicameral legislature and adopt a unicameral legislature to reduce cost of governance.

    NAN reports that unicameral legislature is a system with one chamber or house, as opposed to  bicameral legislature which has two chambers(Senate and House of Representatives).

    Some countries with unicameral legislatures include China (National People’s Congress), Sweden (Riksdag), Norway (Storting), Denmark (Folketing), and Portugal (Assembly of the Republic).

    The activist said Nigeria could, alternatively, consider re-introduction of the parliamentary system of government to reduce the heavy funds spent on the National Assembly.

    According to her, until something is done about  the cost of running government and corruption, Nigerians would not feel the dividends of democracy.

    “We need to really and critically examine our democracy and look at what fits us and serve the ordinary people and the masses. The one that will not be too expensive.

    “What we have now is too expensive. We need to cut cost and not just continue what we have that has not been working for Nigerians.

    “I totally support the call for us to have a unicameral legislature. It is very important because the kind of governance that we are practising is very expensive.

    “As a country, we really don’t have that kind of money. Apart from this, the fact is that both Senate and House of Representatives end up duplicating functions in terms of what they do,” Yesufu said.

    She said the Senate had been turned into “a retirement home for a lot of incompetent and failed governors who didn’t do anywhere well for the people in their state”.

    She said that Nigerians had continued to bear the brunt of the hit on resources annually allocated to these political ‘retirees’ in the Senate.

    Yesufu added: “It (Senate) is a joke ground; we cannot say what Senate does is in a really sense different from what the House of Representatives do.

    “They (Senators) do nothing special and at the end of the day, they are paid humongous amount of our money and such huge allowances for doing nothing different.

    “We found out that a good number of them, especially those that are former governors, while they get this humongous salary, they are as well collecting pension from their respective states.

    “There is no way democracy can work for the masses  with this kind of waste of public funds that could have been directed to put happiness to the face of the common man.”

    According to her, Senegal is practising a unicameral legislature, after abolishing Senate for the second time in September 2012.

    She said : “The House of Representatives is capable of taking care of the law making aspect of the nation, oversights and other things that the legislative arm of government does.

    “Unicameral legislature should be adopted in Nigeria because bicameralism is too expensive apart from the fact that it slows down business of lawmaking.

    “It is not working for us, we don’t have the kind of money to run it and maintain this, especially at a time the masses are suffering.

    “Having a single legislative arm will pay us better in terms of reduction of cost of governance,” she said.

    Yesufu decried that Nigeria had not in real sense been practising true federal system of government.

    Speaking further, the activist said the country could also adopt the parliamentary system of government to also reduce cost to governance.

    She said that Nigeria could not longer sustain the current presidential system of government.

    “This will also pay us in terms of reduction of the cost of governance because whoever is leading the country is the one that is the first among equal.

    “Ministers in this system are selected from members of the parliament that are elected.

    “So, that reduces the cost of governance drastically and better than what we have now where separate people are brought in as ministers,” she said.

    The activist said that both bicameral legislature and presidential system of government had brought a lot of pressure on the nation resources.

    “We can have a parliamentary system of government, we shall be reducing cost of governance drastically well.

    “The Prime Minister would not be this powerful and exercise control over everything, including the appointed ministers, because ministers are also members of the parliament,” she said.

  • Senate wants investigation into death of 30 miners in Niger

    Senate wants investigation into death of 30 miners in Niger

    The Senate has mandated the Committee on Solid Minerals to investigate the cause of a rockslide in Farin Doki community, Shiroro Local Government of Niger.

    The rockslide buried 30 informal miners alive in a gold mining site.

    This followed the adoption of a motion at plenary on Thursday in Abuja on an “urgent need to address incident of the rockslide.”

    The motion was sponsored by Sen. Mohammed Sani (APC-Niger East).

    Sani said that on June 3, a catastrophic rockslide occurred at an open pit gold mine, resulting in 30 local informal miners being buried alive in the Farin Doki Community.

    He said that the site was near Erena in Shiroro Local Government, Niger East Senatorial District.

    Sani said the miners, in their quests for gold and lithium minerals, met their untimely death as the avalanche caved in; burying them under tons of rubbles.

    He said the tragic incident underscored the urgent need for a holistic action to be taken to address the dangers faced and posed by local mining activities across the country.

    Sani said it was imperative to secure the mining sites to forestall future occurrence and avoid further loss of life.

    “This will go a long way to ensure that mining activities are conducted safely and legally to prevent future tragedies and improve the overall well- being of miners across the country,” he said.

    He expressed worry that bodies of the deceased had yet to be recovered for proper burial by their respective families.

    According to Sani, conscious efforts should be made by relevant agencies of government for the recovery of the bodies for burial.

    He said given that Nigeria was desirous of diversifying its economy, adding that the mining sub-sector was lucrative enough and should be adequately exploited for the socio-economic development of the country.

    “As such, the appropriate authorities should as a matter of urgency and necessity, initiate thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident so as to identify any existing lapses.

    “As part of remedies to bring sanity to the system, strict regulations should be introduced in order to protect the lives of those who depend on this industry for their livelihood.

    “It is also apt for relevant committees of the National Assembly to step up their oversight of mining activities across the country for the purpose of harnessing the benefits that abound in the sector,’’ he said.

    The Senate, after observing a minute silence in honour of the victims, commended the Minister of Solid Minerals, Mr Dele Alake, for his swift response in monitoring the situation.

    The Senate also urged the Federal Government to come out with strict safety measures and regulation on mining activities in Nigeria in line with international best practices.

    The Senate also called for deployment of adequate security apparatus to the mining communities to maintain vigilance around mining areas to prevent further incursions and intrusion by informal miners.

    It urged the National Emergency Management Agency and other relevant agencies of government to expedite actions on the recovery of the remains of the deceased in the catastrophe.

    According to the upper chamber, such recovery will ensure that the bereaved families have final closure on their loved ones.

    The Senate also urged the committee to accelerate the passage of the Mine Ranger Bill currently before the Senate.

  • Senate steps down FCT N98.5bn supplementary Bill debate

    Senate steps down FCT N98.5bn supplementary Bill debate

    The Senate on Wednesday stepped down deliberation on the N98.5 billion Federal Capital Territory Supplementary Appropriation Bill, 2024.

    This decision was influenced by Senator Ede Dafinone, APC, Delta, assertion that the supplementary budget lacked detailed itemization and cost breakdowns.

    He emphasized the need for additional clarification to ensure transparency regarding revenue sources and expenditure allocation before advancing the bill to the second reading.

  • Senate queries NASC over recruitment irregularities

    Senate queries NASC over recruitment irregularities

    As part of efforts to address irregularities in the Ministries, Departments, Agencies and (MDAs) of government, the Senate on Wednesday has embark on measures to regulate job racketeering in the Country.

    Senator Allwell Onyesoh (Rivers East), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Inter-Governmental Affairs, made this known after an interactive session with the management of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC).

    The Committee members expressed concern over recurrent job racketeering within government agencies, often conducted without public notice and in total disregard of federal character principles in job recruitment. These irregularities constitute violations of the Constitution of Nigeria.

    Addressing journalists after the session, Senator Onyesoh criticized the NASC leadership for disproportionately allocating employment to certain zones, which does not reflect the Federal Character Principle.

    The Senate demanded that the NASC provide additional documentation down to the state and local government levels across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory to explain why the North Central region has 1,224 workers out of a total nominal roll of 3,721.

    Earlier, the Executive Chairman of the Commission, Engr. Ahmed Amshi, stated that he was not involved in the last recruitment process, which took place in 2018, prior to his assumption of office in 2020.

    The Senate warned that any government agency failing to comply with the Federal Character Principle, a constitutional mandate, would face severe sanctions.

    Senator Onyesoh also criticized the concentration of essential infrastructure, such as schools, hospitals, bridges, and roads, in one region. He emphasized that the Federal Character Commission aims to create unity, fairness, and equity, adding, “You can’t have that if someone is feeling rejected, feeling not carried along.”