Category: Legislature - Page 3 - African News Today

Presidency Downplays Move To Impeach Buhari, Tags It “Babyish Antics”

28Jul

By Kosi UchennaNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria

Presidency Downplays Move To Impeach Buhari, Tags It “Babyish Antics”

Following the call by opposition senators to institute impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidency has described it as a bluff. Reacting, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, in an interview by Channels Television described the threat as a waste of the country’s time. The minority Senators staged a walkout during plenary on Wednesday, chanting songs against the President. Adesina in his reaction said, “I think it was just bravado, and sadly, security is not something you subject to bravado. “You don’t begin to issue flippant ultimatums in something that is a matter of life and death,” “They know in their heart of hearts that they cannot achieve what they are saying, they are just wasting the country’s time, wasting th...

Insecurity: Buhari Summons Service Chiefs For An Emergency Meeting

28Jul

By Mary UgwuanyiNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria, Security

Insecurity: Buhari Summons Service Chiefs For An Emergency Meeting

Following the heightened insecurity across the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has invited all the service chiefs for an emergency meeting on Thursday (today). The summon comes on the heels of an attack on the Presidential Guards by suspected terrorists along the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. Following the heightened insecurity across the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has invited all the service chiefs for an emergency meeting on Thursday (today). The summon comes on the heels of an attack on the Presidential Guards by suspected terrorists along the Bwari Area Council of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT. This was disclosed by Femi Adesina, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, when he appeared on Channels ...

Organ Harvesting: Again, UK Court Refuses Ekweremadu’s Bail Application

1Jul

By Kosi UchennaNo Comments

Child Abuse, Human Rights, Judiciary, Legislature, News, Nigeria, Violence

Organ Harvesting: Again, UK Court Refuses Ekweremadu’s Bail Application

Senate President_Ike_Ekweremadu Nigerian lawmaker and former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, was yesterday, refused bail for the second time, by the UK Uxbridge Magistrate Court, despite his insistence that the alleged organ donor, David Nwamini, was not 15 years old. Ekweremadu was arraigned in court alongside his wife, Beatrice Nwanneka, for charges bothering on alleged kidney harvesting, however, his wife did not appear in court, yesterday. Recall that the London Metropolitan Police had last week arrested and charged Ekweremadu and his wife for allegedly going against a law on organ harvesting. The donor, identified by the UK police as Ukpo Nwamini David, claims to be 15 years old, despite his passport data page suggesting he was 21 years old having been born on Oc...

NASS Should Invite Buhari – Oby Ezekwesili On Beheading Of Anambra Lawmaker

23May

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Crime, Legislature, News, Nigeria, Security

NASS Should Invite Buhari – Oby Ezekwesili On Beheading Of Anambra Lawmaker

Oby Ezekwesili, a former Minister of Education, has called on the National Assembly to invite President Muhammadu Buhari to account for insecurity in the country. Ezekwesili made the call in response to the beheading of a member of the Anambra State House of Assembly, Okechukwu Okoye by unknown gunmen. Okoye’s head, without his body, was found on Saturday at Nnobi, in Nnewi South Local Government Area of Anambra State. This development occurred days after he was abducted. Read Also: Soludo Places N10m Bounty On Killers Who Beheaded Lawmaker, Okoye The Anambra lawmaker, from Soludo’s constituency, was kidnapped last week. Reacting, Ezekwesili tweeted: “Perhaps, now that our @nassnigeria has seen that their fellow lawmaker in Anambra State could be barbarically mangled...

Court Sacks Ex-Speaker, Dogara For Defecting To APC

23Apr

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Judiciary, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Court Sacks Ex-Speaker, Dogara For Defecting To APC

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Friday, declared the seat of the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, vacant, following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. The court, in a judgement that was delivered by Justice Donatus Okorowo, held that Dogara, having abandoned the political party that sponsored his election, ought to vacate his seat in line with the provisions of sections 68(1) (g) and 109 (1) (g) of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. His sack followed a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1060/2020, which was lodged before the court by the PDP. It will be recalled that Dogara was in 2019, re-elected on the platform of the PDP to represent Dass, Tafawa Balewa and Bogoro Federal Co...

Senator Representing Buhari’s Constituency Dumps APC For PDP

21Apr

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria

Senator Representing Buhari’s Constituency Dumps APC For PDP

Ahmad Babba Kaita Senator Ahmad Babba Kaita, representing Katsina North senatorial district in the current 9th National Assembly has officially dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, for Peoples’ Democratic Party, PDP, citing the loss of credibility in Governor Aminu Bello Masari-led government in the state. Senator Kaita’s Media Adviser, Mallam Abdulkadir Lawal, who disclosed this in a statement yesterday, said his decision to dump the ruling party was premised on the recent trend of activities in the state, including the governor’s refusal to conduct local government elections across the state for a long period. He also cited the marginalisation of critical stakeholders’ by the state government and the state party leadership, as well as the failure of the govern...

Insecurity: Sack NSA, Defence Minister, Reps Charge Buhari

14Apr

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria, Security

Insecurity: Sack NSA, Defence Minister, Reps Charge Buhari

House of Representatives One week after a marathon meeting with leaders of Nigeria’s security team, the House of Representatives, yesterday, lamented rising insecurity in several parts of the country, especially Kaduna, Benue, Taraba and Plateau states. The lawmakers took turns to criticise the action and inaction of President Muhammadu Buhari, restating their earlier call for a declaration of emergency on security. While some called for the sacking or resignation of the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd.) and the Minister of Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd.), others called for the shutdown of the National Assembly, partly blaming the parliament for not doing enough in its oversight of the executive arm. This is coming a day after the Northern...

Buhari Writes Reps, Seeks Increase In Subsidy To N4 Trillion

8Apr

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Finance, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Buhari Writes Reps, Seeks Increase In Subsidy To N4 Trillion

House of Representatives President Muhammadu Buhari has asked the House of Representatives to adjust the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) to accommodate the projected N4 trillion for petroleum subsidy in 2022. The president, in a letter read by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Thursday, is seeking an increment of $11 to the oil benchmark to accommodate subsidy consumption and other expenses. According to Mr Buhari, N442.72 billion was earmarked for fuel subsidy in the 2022 budget (January-June), but because of the hike in the price of crude oil, Nigeria is paying more for PMS subsidy, therefore, the country will require an additional N3.557 trillion for subsidy. The current MTEF contains $62 BPD. If this is approved, the benchmark...

Reps Reject Bills To Stop Children Of Public Officers From Schooling Abroad

4Mar

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Education, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Reps Reject Bills To Stop Children Of Public Officers From Schooling Abroad

A bill seeking to regulate international studies for the children of public officials and strengthen educational institutions in Nigeria has been rejected by members of the House of Representatives. The members said the bill was an affront to their fundamental human rights. But the bill sponsored by Hon. Serguis Ogun representing Esan North-East federal constituency of Edo was ultimately seeking to stop public officials from diverting public funds to their children’s education abroad. Titled “A Bill for an Act to Regulate International Studies for Wards and Children of Nigerians Public Officers, So as to Strengthen Indigenous Institutions to Provide Efficient Educational Service for National Development”, it was roundly debated although it was eventually rejected when put to ...

FG Loses Out As NASS Ratifies States’ Power To Collect VAT

2Mar

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Finance, Legislature, News, Nigeria

FG Loses Out As NASS Ratifies States’ Power To Collect VAT

The Federal Government’s plan to retain the collection of Value Added Tax despite a Federal High Court ruling, hit a brick wall on Tuesday as the National Assembly rejected a proposal seeking to shift the collection of VAT from the concurrent to the exclusive legislative list, effectively leaving the decision to the Supreme Court which is hearing the matter. A Federal High Court had last year ruled that states had the powers to collect VAT. However, the Federal Government opposed the ruling and continued to collect VAT while it projected that it will collect N2.2tn in 2022 through the Federal Inland Revenue Service. Read Also: VAT Row: FG Eyes Out-Of-Court Settlement The regime of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), also incorporated VAT collection in its Finan...