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Reps demand N45m each as quarterly allowance

April 10, 2014 3:34 pm / Leave a comment

Nigerian Tribune on 10 April, 2014

AT a closed door meeting with the leadership of the House of Representatives, members of the House, on Wednesday, reportedly demanded for increase in their quarterly allowance to N45 million, Nigerian Tribune can report.

Findings revealed that each member of the House currently enjoys  N27 million per quarter as allowances.

Nigerian Tribune gathered that members of the House from both ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and opposition parties were in unison on the clamour for increase in the quarterly allowance.

It was also learnt that members, at the closed door meeting, held at hearing room 028 at the House of Representatives building, queried the leadership of the House on its inability to accommodate their “interest” in the 2014 budget estimates still awaiting the passage of the House.

The meeting, held before the Wednesday’s plenary session, according to the Nigerian Tribune, dwelt on members’ welfare. According to a member who pleaded anonymity, “members of the House do not get to see the details of the National Assembly N150 billion yearly budget estimate.”

A source in the know confided in the Nigerian Tribune that members were particularly angry over the secrecy that surrounded the National Assembly yearly N150 billion budget.

Clamour for increase in the quarterly allowance to N45 million, the Nigerian Tribune learnt, was spearheaded by a female lawmaker from the South-South, who reportedly jumped on the table  to marshal her points on the need for increase in the lawmakers’ quarterly allowance.
After making her presentation, it was learnt that members present at the meeting clapped in support of her submission.

On the increase in the quarterly allowance, a member of the House told the Nigerian Tribune that the National Assembly budget, if well utilised, would accommodate the increase, saying that “the money is there, what are they doing with the money?”

A member also told the Nigerian Tribune in confidence that “2014 budget estimates, transparency and accountability were the main issues discussed at the closed door meeting.”

Nigerian Tribune also learnt that different meetings were scheduled by the leadership of the House to address issues raised by members, so as to have smooth passage of the budget today.

Most members, it was gathered, had stood their grounds that if their interests were not accommodated, they would not pass the budget. It was also learnt that members had shown their grievances on the budget when it was first listed on the order paper on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, Honourable John Owan-Enoh, presented its committee’s report on 2014 budget estimate to the House for consideration.

The Speaker, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, however, hinted that the N4.642 trillion budget estimates would be passed today. Nigerian Tribune, however, learnt that the House would be embarking on Easter break today.

Senate passes N4.695 budget

The Senate, on Wednesday, passed the 2014 budget, four months after its presentation to the National Assembly.
The budget, totaling N4.695 trillion, is N52.2 billion higher than the N4.642 trillion submitted to the lawmakers on December 19, 2013 through the Minister of Finance, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

The lawmakers, at the Wednesday sitting, had considered the report of the Appropriation Committee headed by Senator Ahmed Maccido, which recommended the passage of the budget bill and passed the same after a clause by clause consideration.

A breakdown of the budget indicated that the sum of  N408,687,801,891 was approved for statutory transfers, while debts service would gulp N712 billion. Recurrent Expenditure was put at N2,454,887,566,702, while capital votes stood at N1,119,614,631,407.

Senate President, David Mark, who presided over the plenary, thanked his colleagues for passing the budget, while also urging the Federal Government to ensure its implementation.

While presenting the report of his committee to the Senate on Wednesday, Senator Maccido said it adopted a benchmark price of $77.50 per barrel of crude oil, as well as the production figure of 2.38 million barrels per day and an exchange rate of N160 to $1.

He called for a retooling of the 2014-2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) upon which the 2014 budget rested, adding that the issue of planning needed to be taken into adequate consideration.

He noted that the drops in the volume of oil production and budget implementation challenges were some of the concerns of his committee.

Also on Wednesday, the Senate passed the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) component of the budget, which was added to its final figures.

The Senators passed the sum of N268,370,000,000 as SURE-P funds for 2014.

Senate suspends voting on constitution amendment

The Senate, on Wednesday, deferred voting on the clauses of the 1999 Constitution slated for amendment.

Senate President, David Mark, had, Wednesday last week, announced to senators that they should be ready to vote on the constitution amendment items this week.

But the senators could not go ahead with the planned voting when it was discovered that the number of lawmakers in attendance was only slightly above the required two thirds.

Also on Wednesday, chairman of Senate Committee on Constitution review, Ike Ekweremadu, also announced the suspension of the additional amendment to Section Nine of the Constitution, seeking to empower the president to propose amendments to the constitution.

The clause was introduced last week, with some senators expressing the view that the plot would legitimise the national conference.

Mark, who presided over the sitting, said voting was suspended because the senators in attendance were slighltly above 73, which is the two thirds of 109.

He stated that constitution amendment exercise was a serious matter which every senator was supposed to participate in.

The Senate president, therefore, urged his colleagues to ensure they attend the next sitting, adding that they needed to participate in the “all important process of constitution amendment”

Senator Ekweremadu also told the Senate that his committee had further deliberated extensively on the planned amendment of Section Nine.

He stated that while the Senate was looking forward to the inauguration of a conference committee, the House of Representatives, which is also looking at the amendment procedure, received six new requests which, he said, had serious implications for the electoral process.

Gunmen bomb police station, court, bank in Jigawa

April 10, 2014 3:31 pm / Leave a comment

The Punch on 10 April, 2014

Bandits suspected to be Boko Haram terrorists on Wednesday bombed a police station, a bank and a Sharia Court, killing seven policemen and a civilian guard in Gwaram Sabuwa,   Gwaram Local Government Area of Jigawa State.

Four other persons were also said to have been injured during the incident which occurred between 1am and 2am.

The Assistant Inspector General of Police,  Zone 1,  Mr. Tambari Muhammed, confirmed this in Dutse just as news of another bloodshed by armed men in Niger State spread.

Muhammed, who was quoted by the News Agency of Nigeria as putting the number of the attackers at 20, described the incident as unfortunate.

He added that from the information made available to him, the bandits who arrived in the community in motorcycles and cars, used explosives to attack the police station, the bank   and the court.

Muhammed said that no arrest had been made but  that more armed policemen had been deployed in the village.

An online news  portal   Saharareporters, quoted residents as saying that the gunmen bombed the police station in Gwaram Sabuwa before shooting indiscriminately at villagers.

It added that the residents said the gunmen “numbering over 20” operated and left unhindered.

According to them, the gunmen threatened to come back if they continued to enrol their children in schools, accept polio vaccination and operate football viewing centres in the town.

But as the news of the Jigawa attack spread, there were reports that  gunmen invaded  and killed two people  in  Shadna,    Bosso  LGA of Niger State.

It was gathered that three other persons sustained   injuries during the invasion which took place when the villagers were having their monthly traditional dance on Tuesday night.

The injured persons were rushed to an undisclosed hospital while the dead were buried according to Islamic rites.

The state Police Public Relations Officer, Richard Adamu Oguche, confirmed the report and urged the villagers to   assist the police with information that could aid the arrest of the attackers.

In Bauchi State, arsornists on Wednesday morning burnt down the All Progressives Congress secretariat on Gombe Road, Bauchi.

It was learnt that the burnt secretariat was slated for the APC ward congress which was scheduled to commence by 8am.

But the party still went ahead to conduct the congress in all the 20 LGAs in the state despite the fire.

A member of the party, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that all the office equipment and other things inside the secretariat were looted by the hoodlums before setting it on fire.

He also alleged that the arson was carried out by thugs loyal to one of the factions of the party in the state.

The spokesman for the party in the state, Alhaji Bappah Tafida, said the fire   was an act of “desperate politicians.”

He said, “I cannot precisely say who is responsible for this but I know that this is the handiwork of desperate politicians who are contesting and who think the party will not be just and fair to them.”

When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer,   Mohammed Haruna, said,  “Information at our disposal indicates that unknown hoodlums at 2.00am burnt down part of the Bauchi LGA secretariat of  the APC.

 “No life was lost during the fire incident and the value of the property destroyed is yet to be ascertained. We have commenced investigation.”

Meanwhile, leaders of southern Kaduna groups on Tuesday signed a six-page document to end about 14 years of hostility   between the Hausa-Fulani and other ethnic groups in the southern part of the state.

The reconciliation move was at the instance of the committee set up by the Inspector-general of Police, Alhaji Mohammed Abubakar, to resolve the clashes between herdsmen and the communities.

The Chairman of the committee,   Michael Zuokumor, and    the state Commissioner for Police, Umar Shehu, were among those that witnessed the signing of the document.

According to the document read by the National President of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union, Dr. Ephraim Goje, the groups condemned what they described as the wanton destruction of lives and property   in the state.

They also declared a ceasefire to create an enabling environment for dialogue for the return of enduring peace and unity to the area.

The document   urged the state government to establish a peace and reconciliation commission and to complete the gazetting of all existing grazing reserves and livestock routes in the state.

But there was a problem as a coalition of community development associations, civil society organisation and non-governmental organisations in Southern Kaduna, kicked against the   peace deal with the Fulani.

They noted that the Committee on Peace and Reconciliation was a mere charade.

The Convener of the coalition, Zakari Sogfa, who led others to a press conference in Kaduna on Tuesday, added that the Southern Kaduna people were never at war with any ethnic group and therefore had no reason to be at any peace treaty.

On Tuesday, the United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle,   began a tour of some states in the North-Central for a first hand report on the   security situation in the zone.

Entwistle was said to have met with the Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswan, and the management, staff and students of the Benue State University.

During the meeting, he emphasised the need for inter-faith cooperation and tolerance  among residents of the state.

The envoy, who was also expected to meet with political, religious and community leaders in   Nasarawa and Plateau states, stressed Washington’s resolve to continue to partner Nigeria on “shared security.”

He stated that the US would lend its support to Nigeria’s efforts in promoting peace and tranquility.

PDP Govs move against 37 defector Reps

April 10, 2014 3:28 pm / Leave a comment

Vanguard on April 10, 2014

*Ask House to declare their seats vacant

ABUJA—GOVERNORS elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, yesterday, urged the leadership of the House of Representatives to, as a matter of urgency, declare vacant the seats of the 37 federal lawmakers who dumped the PDP for the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, if they fail to return to PDP.

The PDP Governors who met in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, Tuesday night, under the aegis of PDP Governors Forum, also urged delegates at the on-going National Conference to work towards the unity and  interest of Nigeria, just as they hailed President Goodluck Jonathan for convening the conference.

A communique signed and read by the Chairman,  PDP Governors’ Forum and Governor, Akwa Ibom State, Chief Godswill Akpabio, said:

*The PDP governors commended the judiciary for its judgment and resolved that members who defected to APC should respect the rule of law.

*That the APC should not play politics with the judiciary.

*That any member who does not return to the party should lose his seat.

*The PDP Governors congratulated Senator Iyiola Omisore and Chief Ayo Fayose on their victory during the primaries in their states.

*The PDP Governors promise to work with them assiduously and  urge other aspirants to support     the two candidates.

*That the next PDP Governors meeting will be held in Bauchi on the 8th &9th May, 2014.

*The PDP Governors commend President Goodluck Jonathan on the on-going Confab.

*The PDP Governor also advised that the delegates at the Confab should work on the unity and interest of  Nigeria.”

It will be recalled that a Federal High Court in Abuja had asked the 37 former members of PDP to resign their seats at the House of Representatives for defecting to the opposition APC.

The court also perpetually restrained the legislators from effecting any leadership change in the assembly.
The court was delivering judgment in a matter brought by PDP asking that the legislators should not be allowed to take part in the activities of the assembly.

The presiding judge, Justice Adeniyi Ademola who held that the lawmakers no longer had any business, morally and legally in the assembly, asked them to resign from their seats as members of the House of Representatives, having defected to another political party while their tenure was yet to expire.

The judge in his judgment said: “Having perused the arguments of counsel and the constitutional provisions, it is clear and unambiguous that the defendants were sponsored by the PDP and won the election on its platform. It is also the court’s opinion that their tenure has not expired and there is no division in the PDP.”