Tag: Legislature - Page 6 - African News Today

Reps Set To Deny President Buhari Sole Power To Appoint, Sack Service Chiefs

8Aug

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Armed Forces, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Reps Set To Deny President Buhari Sole Power To Appoint, Sack Service Chiefs

The House of Representatives is undergoing the amendment to the Armed Forces Act 2004 which will strip the President of the exclusive right to appoint, remove and elongate the tenures of service chiefs. The amendment seeks to empower the Armed Forces Council to determine the qualification. This is being proposed in the legislation titled ‘A Bill for an Act to Amend the Armed Forces Act, Cap. A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 to Foster Collaboration between the Armed Forces and Other Security Agencies in the Provision of National Security and Establish the Armed Forces Human Rights Unit to Provide a Reporting Channel for Civilians Whose Human Rights Are Violated by Members of Armed Forces.’ It was one of the eight bills passed for second reading on July 14, 2021, which w...

Senate Indicts Accountant-General For Illegally Withdrawing N665billion From Federal Account

29Jul

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Finance, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Senate Indicts Accountant-General For Illegally Withdrawing N665billion From Federal Account

The Nigerian Senate has accused the office of the Accountant General of the Federal of illegally withdrawing N665.8billion from the Development of Natural Resources Fund and Stabilization Funds and issuing as loans to various government agencies. The upper legislative chamber said the money was withdrawn between 2004 and 2015 contrary to the established objectives of the fund. The revelation is contained in the report of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts on the Federation Account. The committee had been investigating expenditures of federal government agencies from 2015-2018 based on an audit report by the Auditor-General for the Federation. The panel presented the report of its six-month investigation on the Federation Account for the year 2015, which was approved by the...

Both Christian, Muslim Schools Being Raided – Presidency Fires Back Bishop Kukah

19Jul

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Legislature, News, Nigeria, Religion, Security

Both Christian, Muslim Schools Being Raided – Presidency Fires Back Bishop Kukah

The presidency has countered Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Mathew Kukah over his recent statement while addressing the United States Congress on the state of insecurity in Nigeria. The presidency alleged that the cleric was spreading falsehood with the intent to discredit President Muhammadu Buhari administration. Recall that Kukah had in the remote presentation before American parliament faulted Buhari’s approach towards tackling insecurity in Nigeria. He indicted Buhari for nepotism in key appointments and lopsided appointments in favour of Muslims over Christians. Reacting to the development, the presidency in a statement by presidential spokesperson Garba Shehu said Kukah was doing his “best to sow discord and strife among Nigerians” as 234 muslim pupils were still in ...

Senate Explains Onochie’s Rejection as INEC Commissioner

13Jul

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Elections, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Senate Explains Onochie’s Rejection as INEC Commissioner

The Senate has explained its rejection of Lauretta Onochie, an aide to President Muhammadu Buhari, as an Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, commissioner. The red chamber said the decision was informed by Onochie’s partisanship and breach of the federal character principle. This was contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by Ezrel Tabiowo, Special Assistant (Press) to President of the Senate, titled Senate confirms five nominees as INEC Commissioners, rejects Lauretta Onochie’. Several Nigerians had reacted to Onochie’s nomination, noting that she was too attached to the Buhari administration to be an INEC commissioner. According to the statement, the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano South), said the committee also received several petit...

Reps Seek to Make President, Govs Vacate Seats After Defection

11Jul

By Obiajulu Joel NwoluNo Comments

Elections, Legislature, News, Nigeria

Reps Seek to Make President, Govs Vacate Seats After Defection

The House of Representatives is seeking to pass a bill that will force a president or governor to vacate their position if they defect from the political party on whose platform they won an election to another. Currently, the constitution only recommends such to National Assembly and state House of Assembly members. The bill is which is sponsored by a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, from Taraba State, Rimamnde Kwewum, seeks to extend the same to the president, vice-president, governor and deputy governor. Three governors have cross-carpeted since the last general elections in 2019 among whom are David Umahi of Ebonyi State, Ben Ayade of Cross River State, and recently Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State. The bill, which is awaiting second reading by the House, seeks t...

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...

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; ...