Category: Legislature - Page 8 - African News Today

UK Parliament to Query Kenya’s Role in Forced Kanu’s Repatriation to Nigeria

7Jul

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Human Rights, Justice, Legislature, News, Nigeria

UK Parliament to Query Kenya’s Role in Forced Kanu’s Repatriation to Nigeria

The United Kingdom Parliament is scheduled to probe the circumstances surrounding the repatriation of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, from Kenya to Nigeria today (Wednesday). Earlier, the British government had stated that Kanu who was travelling with a British passport, was not arrested within its territory. IPOB had accused the President Muhammadu Buhari administration of complicity in the abduction of its leader in Kenya, a claim echoed by Kanu’s lead counsel, Ifeanyi Ejiofor, who accused Kenya’s special police force of arresting and torturing him before he was transferred to the Nigerian government. Read Also: We’re Not Against Restructuring, Our Demand Is Biafra, Referendum – IPOB However, the claims were debunked by Kenya High Commissioner...

Saraki, Buhari rift Responsible for APC’s Failure – Senate President Lawan

23Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria

Saraki, Buhari rift Responsible for APC’s Failure – Senate President Lawan

Senate President Ahmed Lawan has said that his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, could not perform optimally because of the crisis that existed between the parliament and the Executive during Bukola Saraki’s tenure as President of the Senate. Recall that Saraki was the Senate President of Nigeria from 2015 to 2019, during President Muhammadu Buhari’s first tenure in office. Lawan who succeeded Saraki, said the APC government was hindered from delivering on its promises to the electorates during the first term because the two bodies did not have a cordial rapport. The Senate President said this at the First Progressives Youth Conference 2021, on Monday night in Abuja, PeoplesGazette reports. Read Also: Budget: National Assembly Faults Buhari, Insists On 6,576 Extra Proj...

Reps Seek Mandatory ‘State of the Nation’ Address for Presidents

15Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria

Reps Seek Mandatory ‘State of the Nation’ Address for Presidents

The House of Representatives is seeking to make it mandatory for every incumbent President of the country to address Nigerians on the state of the nation. The green chamber is proposing a bill making it compulsory for the president to address a joint session of the National Assembly periodically, while the legislative chamber could also summon him, he failed to honour an invitation as and when necessary. In the event that the bill becomes law, it would be compulsory for President Muhammadu Buhari and subsequent presidents to address the federal parliament. The bill was sponsored by the lawmaker representing Ethiope-East/Ethiope-West Federal Constituency in Delta State, Mr Ben Igbakpa, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party as the State of the Nation Address Bill2020. The legi...

Reps Scraps Plan to Stop One-Year National Youth Scheme

11Jun

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria, Youths

Reps Scraps Plan to Stop One-Year National Youth Scheme

The House of Representative Committee on Youths has clarified that there is no plan to discard the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC. This was disclosed by the chairman of the committee, Yemi Adaramodu, at an event in Abuja on Thursday, describing the programme as the most successful national at engendering unity in the country. It comes on the heels of recent debates in the national discourse about the relevance of the scheme and its continuation. Recall that the scheme was introduced by the government in 1873 after the civil war to involve Nigerian graduates for the purpose of fostering national unity. The House of Representative Committee on Youths has clarified that there is no plan to discard the National Youths Service Corps, NYSC. Read Also: Nigerians Have More Values...

BREAKING: Senate Screens Lauretta Onochie, Five Others As INEC Commissioners

9Jun

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Elections, Legislature, News, Nigeria

BREAKING: Senate Screens Lauretta Onochie, Five Others As INEC Commissioners

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on Wednesday asked the Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission to screen for confirmation, the appointments of Ms. Lauretta Onochie and five others as INEC commissioners. This is coming eight months after President Muhammadu Buhari sent the list of the nominees to the Senate for screening. It was learned that protests among the Peoples Democratic Party members in the red chamber halted the process of the screening as the opposition federal lawmakers were said to have accused Onochie, who is presently a presidential spokesperson, of unnecessarily casting aspersions on their party. They also faulted the idea of making Onochie, a card-carrying member of the All Progressives Congress as an INEC Commissioner to represent Delta State on ...

Senator Omo Agege Explains Why Gulak Was in Owerri

2Jun

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria

Senator Omo Agege Explains Why Gulak Was in Owerri

Senate Deputy President Ovie Omo-Agege on Tuesday said former Political Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, was in Owerri, the Imo State capital, on a national assignment when he was killed by gunmen on Sunday, May 30, 2021. The former presidential aide was on his way to the Sam Mbakwe International Cargo Airport in the town to connect a flight to Abuja, when he was killed. Omo-Agege spoke at plenary after citing Order 43 to notify the Upper Chamber of Gulak’s death. The Deputy Senate President said the former presidential aide was on a national assignment on behalf of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review when he was killed. “He was a lawyer – a very brilliant lawyer at that. Apparently, it was in that capacity that his relationship with me, as...

Reps Deliberate Scrapping NYSC as Bill Reaches Second Reading

24May

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria, Youths

Reps Deliberate Scrapping NYSC as Bill Reaches Second Reading

The House of Representative is deliberating scrapping the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, scheme. the Alteration Bill, 2020, of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which seeks to amend the NYSC Act is scheduled for second reading. Justifying the move, the sponsor, Mr Awaji-Inombek Abiante, in the explanatory memorandum of the proposal, highlighted the various reasons why the NYSC should be scrapped. It partly read, “This bill seeks to repeal Section 315(5)(a) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended) on the following grounds: “Incessant killing of innocent corps members in some parts of the country due to banditry, religious extremism and ethnic violence; incessant kidnapping of innocent corps members across the country; ...

Senate to hold Zonal Hearings on Constitution Review May 26

12May

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria

Senate to hold Zonal Hearings on Constitution Review May 26

The Senate has said its planned zonal public hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution, would hold from May 26 to 27. Deputy President of the Senate, Ovie Omo-Agege, is the Chairman of the committee which has 59 other Senators drawn from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory as members. All female Senators and principal officers except the Senate President, are equally members of the panel. A statement by the Special Adviser, Media and Publicity to the Deputy President of the Senate, Yomi Odunuga, on Tuesday, said Omo-Agege, disclosed the details in Abuja. The statement explained that the public hearing would be held simultaneously in 12 state capitals in Nigeria, meaning that two public hearings would be held per geo-political zone. He said a national public ...

Reps Guarantee Nigerians of Pay-per-view Tariff Implementation

24Apr

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Finance, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Reps Guarantee Nigerians of Pay-per-view Tariff Implementation

The House of Representatives ad hoc Committee on pay-per-view tariff has guaranteed Nigerians of its resolve to implement payment commensurate with viewing hours on satellite service. The assurance was issued by the Chairman of the committee, Rep. Unyime Idem (PDP-Akwa Ibom) while addressing newsmen at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Friday. According to Idem, a bill to compel service providers to implement pay-per-view has passed second reading in the house. He said that the bill, when passed into law, would expand the powers of the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission to ensure the implementation of a pay-per-view tariff. Idem added that the process to implement a pay-per-view tariff started in June 2020 and would not be swept under the carpet. He said, “I want to as...

Legislative Aids Protest over Unpaid Salary Arrears

13Apr

By Chinedu IbeakanmaNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria

Legislative Aids Protest over Unpaid Salary Arrears

Legislative aides under the auspices of the “Concerned National Assembly Legislative Aides Forum” on Tuesday protested at the foyer of the National Assembly over unpaid salary arrears. The aides stormed the foyer of the National Assembly carrying placards with various inscriptions. They accused the Clerk to the National Assembly, Arc Olatunde Ojo, of failure to pay their salary arrears, implement Consolidated Legislative Salary Structure (CONLESS), minimum wage, Duty Tour Allowances (DTA), lack of training and Conditions of Service. There was however drama when they sighted Speaker Femi Gbajabimila, who was on his way to the Chamber. The protesters had relocated to the back entrance into the foyer of the National Assembly when they noticed the arrival of the Speaker and started...