Legislature

Senate to hold Zonal Hearings on Constitution Review May 26
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
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
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...
Reps Meet Chief of Army Staff Over Threats of Breakup
Legislature, News, Nigeria, Security

Reps Meet Chief of Army Staff Over Threats of Breakup

The members of the House of Representatives have held a closed-door meeting with the Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Ibrahim Attahiru, to discuss the secession threats in the country. Despite the refusal of the lawmakers and the military to divulge the details to reporters, reports say the succession agitations in the south-West championed by Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Ighoho, the Indigenous People of Biafra, and other agitations in the South-East and South-West featured the most. The House delegation led by its Chairman, Abdul-Razaq Namdas, held the meeting with the COAS behind closed doors at about 11 am at the Nigerian Army Headquarters in Abuja. The lawmakers raised concerns over the agitations of individuals and groups to divide the country and rising insecurity. ...
NLC Mulls Nationwide Protest Over Removal of Minimum Wage from Exclusive List
Finance, Labour, Legislature, News, Nigeria

NLC Mulls Nationwide Protest Over Removal of Minimum Wage from Exclusive List

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, plans to embark on a nationwide protest to protest a move by the National Assembly to remove the minimum wage from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List. The NLC in a statement signed by its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, and Acting General Secretary, Ismail Bello, said its National Administrative Council could embark on a nationwide strike, should the national assembly fail to reverse their decision. Their reaction followed a plot by the House of Representatives to change the current wage structure which gives the Nigerian government the power to negotiate the minimum wage for workers across the country. According to the statement, the NLC warned that workers would not tolerate the undermining of their rights by those it tagged opportunistic...
Imo Assembly Impeaches Majority Leader
Legislature, News, Nigeria

Imo Assembly Impeaches Majority Leader

The infighting at the Imo State House of Assembly, Owerri, on Thursday, took a different turn as the lawmakers impeached the majority leader, Uche Ogbuagu. Ogbuagu, who represents Ikeduru state constituency, had moved to the All Progressives Congress, APC, following the removal of former governor Emeka Ihedioha in January 2020 by the Supreme Court in a bid to assume a principal role in the house. It was gathered that he was impeached by a majority vote at Thursday’s plenary which took place amid heavy security presence. His removal was announced by the speaker, Paul Emezim, who presided over the plenary. The impeached lawmaker is speculated to have been embroiled in a cold war with the deputy speaker, Amarachi Iwuanyanwu. Details later…
Senate Ratifies N11.35bn Police Trust Fund Budget
Finance, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Senate Ratifies N11.35bn Police Trust Fund Budget

The Senate has approved N11,352,457.70 as the budget for the Nigeria Police Trust Fund in the 2020 fiscal year. The approval followed the consideration of the harmonized report of the Senate and House of Representatives Committee on Police Affairs. The implementation of the approved NPTP 2020 budget is set to elapse on the 30th of April, 2021. Senator Halliru Jika, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Police Affairs on Wednesday presented the report of hid committee at the plenary. According to Jika, it was the first budget of the NPTF since the establishment Act came into being in 2019. He said, “Only 0.5 per cent of the total revenue accrued to the federation account and 0.5 per cent of the total VAT were remitted to the NPTF Account. “Other sources of revenue as prescri...
El-Rufai to FG – Give us State police, Resource Control Now
Legislature, News, Nigeria, Security

El-Rufai to FG – Give us State police, Resource Control Now

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has asked The Federal Government to as a matter of urgency implement the three specific recommendations of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Committee on True Federalism to address the insecurity in the country. The governor disclosed this when he featured as one of the speakers on a live broadcast on Friday tagged, ‘The Fierce Urgency of Now: Tactics and Strategies to Pull Nigeria from the Brink.’ El-Rufai said that Nigeria had failed “jealously and consistently protect its prerogatives and status as a leviathan, the ultimate guarantor of security, the protector of rights and the promoter of the rule of law.” He said that is why the Federal Government’s power is being challenged in a frighteningly sustained manner by a phalanx of armed non-sta...
New Service Chiefs Set for Reps Screening Wednesday
Legislature, News, Nigeria, Security

New Service Chiefs Set for Reps Screening Wednesday

The House of Representatives is set to screen the newly appointed service chiefs, on Wednesday. Chairman of the House Committee on Defence, Babajimi Benson, said the service chiefs will be screened behind closed doors for security reasons, Punch reports. The service chiefs to be screened include - Maj. Gen. Lucky Eluonye Onyenuchea lrabor – Chief of Defence Staff; Maj. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru – Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo – Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Vice Marshal Isiaka O. Amao – Chief of Air staff. They will replace the erstwhile Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin; Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai; Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas; and Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadique Abubakar. Femi Gbajabiamila, spea...