TheNewsGuru

Tag: Yahaya Abdullahi.

  • Buhari assents to Defence Research bill and three others

    Buhari assents to Defence Research bill and three others

    President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law the Defence Research and Development Bureau Bill, 2022 passed by the National Assembly.

    The bill will initiate new scientific, technological and environmental research on defence matters. It also seeks to facilitate collaboration with other national and international institutions in the promotion and transfer of science and technology relating to defence.

    Other bills signed by the President are National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons Act, 2022, the Nigerian Tourism Development Authority Act, 2022 and National Assembly Library Trust Fund (Establishment) Act, 2022.

    This was contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) Babajide Omoworare, on Wednesday, Feb. 15, in Abuja.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that last year, the Senate passed a bill seeking to establish a Defence Research and Development Bureau in the Armed Forces of Nigeria.

    The Defence Research and Development Bureau (Establishment) Bill seeks to initiate new scientific, technological and environmental research on defence matters.

    It also seeks to facilitate collaboration with other national and international institutions in the promotion and transfer of science and technology relating to defence.

    Majority Leader of the Senate, Yahaya Abdullahi, moved the motion for re-committal of the bill to the Committee of the Whole for consideration and passage.

    Abdullahi, in his presentation, recalled that the bill and two others were passed by the National Assembly and transmitted to the President for assent.

    He said, “Some fundamental issues which require fresh legislative action by both chambers of the National Assembly emerged after critical analysis of the bill by Mr President and C-in-C.”

    The lawmaker added that against the backdrop of the issues identified, a technical committee of the Senate and House of Representatives as well as the Directorate of Legal Services of the National Assembly met and reworked the bill.

    Accordingly, the Senate, relying on order 1(b) and order 52(6) of the Senate Standing Order, 2022 as amended, rescinded its decision on the bill as passed and re-committed the same to the Committee of the Whole for reconsideration and passage.

  • Why I left APC for PDP – Senate Leader

    The Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, said that he left the All Progressives Congress (APC) due to “injustice” in the Kebbi State chapter of the party.

    Abdullahi, representing Kebbi North, had on Wednesday joined the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

    The lawmaker told NAN in Abuja on Friday that “it was a case of serial denial of rights”.

    He said: “Yes, I have left the APC due to injustice by the Kebbi State Governor.

    “It is not just injustice; it’s a serial denial of rights and undemocratic rights which we reported to the party for more than 11 months.

    “Nobody did anything about the manner the governor handles the party affairs in the state; imposing candidates and doing whatever he wants.

    “The national headquarters of the party failed to bring order. We cannot just sit down and mortgage our own political career to the whims and caprices of one man.

    “We thought the best thing is to leave the party,” Abdullahi said.

    It was gathered that Abdullahi’s defection may not be unconnected to his loss of the APC governorship ticket on May 26.

    Abdullahi failed to get a single vote while the National President of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT), Dr Nasiru Idris, emerged the party’s governorship candidate with 1, 055 votes out of the 1, 090 votes cast.

    Alhaji Abubakar Gari-Malam, who came second, polled 35 votes.

    In his reaction, Yahaya Sarki, Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to Kebbi State Governor, said the allegations by the Senate Leader were not true.

    “The governor is a loyal party member that has worked assiduously to unite the party since he came into power in 2015.

    “In fact, he has suceeded in wooing many important politicians into the party from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” Sarki stated.

    He added that notable politicians had joined the APC because of the purposeful leadership of the governor.

    “On the issue of alleged imposition of candidates, the governor has never meddled in the affairs of the party. It is entirely a party and electorate affair to elect candidates.

    “In order to carry every one along, whatever decision has to come from the party’s stakeholders which the petitioner or complainant is part and parcel.

    “Numerous stakeholders’ meetings were convened to reach a decision on matters affecting the party.

    “The governor never believes in one man affair to run the party. All stakeholders are involved in decision making.

    “Any time an event, meetimg or any occasion of the party is organised, invitations are extended to all in writing or physically including the complainant.

    “So it is just that he may have lost out on the state politics as well as grassroots politics that is why he left the party,” he said.

    The Senate resumes plenary session on Tuesday after parties’ primaries, it will be expected of the Senate Leader to “vacate his seat” as the majority leader in the Senate.

  • Senate extends 2021 budget implementation to May 31

    Senate extends 2021 budget implementation to May 31

    The implementation of the 2021 budget, has been extended by the Senate, from March 31 to May 31, following the consideration of a Bill to Amend the 2021 Appropriation Act.

    The Senate before considering the bill suspended Rule 78(1) of the Senate Standing Orders 2022 (as amended), to enable the upper chamber to expeditiously introduce and pass the bill.

    The bill was read during plenary on Tuesday for the first, second and third time after the suspension of Rule 78(1).

    The bill was sponsored by Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi.

    Leading debate on the bill, Abdullahi said that Appropriation Act in the past was passed mid-year, with its implementation usually extended to the following year.

    “In previous Appropriation Act, these extensions were usually covered by a clause.
    “The clause is in line with the provisions of Section 318 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that the Act runs for a period of 12 months, starting from the date it comes into effect,” he said.

    He, however, observed on the contrary that Clause 12 of the provisions of Section 318 of the Constitution provided that the 12- month period started from the first day of Jan. to Dec. 31. 2021.

    He said that the 2022 Appropriation Act was amended to extend the implementation from Dec. 31, 2021, to March 31, 2022.

    Abdullahi said that the extension of the budget period became imperative in view of the need to complete ongoing projects nearing completion.
    “As you are aware, the 2021 virement of the aggregate sum of N276 billion was approved for several MDAs by the National Assembly in December 2021 along with 100 per cent release of the 2021 Capital Budget of the MDAs.

    “A significant portion of the releases to the MDAs has been utilised following the extension to March 31.

    “In view of the critical importance of some key projects nearing completion, it is expedient to grant further extension of the expiration clause.

    “This is to avoid compounding the problem of abandoned projects given that some of the projects were not provided for in the 2022 budget hence the need to extend the implementation year from March 31 to May 31,” he said.

    Meanwhile, a total of three bills scaled second reading on the floor.
    The bills included the National Industrial Technology Park; the Federal College of Agriculture Ise-Orin, Ekiti State; and the Federal University of Agriculture Ogoja, Cross River bill.
    The bills were sponsored by Sen. Ibikunle Amosun (APC-Ogun), Sen. Biodun Olujimi (PDP-Ekiti) and Sen. Agom Jarigbe (PDP-Cross River).