The Senate on Saturday dismissed a story published by an online medium, SaharaReporters, that it Inadvertently announced names of ambassadorial nominees who are members of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) as it said the only letter on the issue from President Muhammadu Buhari requesting for screening of the ambassador nominees did not specify that any of them is representing the intelligence community.

In a statement by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, the Senate said its President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, read the contents of the communication on the nominations as forwarded by President Buhari and as demanded by its rule.

"The letter from the President only listed the ambassador nominees without any indication of whether any of them is from NIA or other agency. The Senate President read the letter as demanded by the rule of the Senate. The only other letter that came on the issue was to correct the fact that the name of one of the nominees was mentioned twice on the list.

" if anybody is looking for fault on the reading of the list, that person should look elsewhere and far from the Senate. In fact, the Senate leadership has been informed that the list usually does not distinguish who and who is from the NIA until during the period of the screening when the Minster of Foreign Affairs comes to the Senate to provide information on who is who.

"The SaharaReporters story is merely raising false alarm as nobody knows who is who on the list. This is another indication of the news medium trying to find faults and malign the character of individuals unjustly. It is also a demonstration of its penchant for stoking fire of disagreement between the executive and the legislature.

" We use this opportunity to call on journalists to demonstrate more caution, sensitivity and sense of responsibility in reporting issues that border on national security and international image,” he said.

#8thSenateAt1 We Have Achieved A lot in One Year- Saraki

By Thursday, it would be one year that Senate President Bukola Saraki took over the mantle of leadership in the senate. Despite all the challenges, Saraki believes that the 8th senate has lived up to expectation. He also said the upper legislative chamber had put in motion a mechanism to ensure that the executive complied with its resolutions, and dismissed the insinuation that the upper legislative chamber was a “toothless bulldog”.
The senate president, who is facing a 13 count charge of graft at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), told select journalists in Abuja that he does not want to end his tenure with regrets.Below are excerpts from the interview.

How would you describe your experience in the past 365 days?
Well, I think, of course at different times and at different moments all the words you used can fit in, in one way or the other. Most importantly, I give a lot of thanks to our creator for giving one the opportunity because whatever you say, it is an honour, it is an opportunity; it is not the story of many… and to have been able to achieve that, I think one is honoured. So, based on that, every day one is grateful for the opportunity and it always reminds me of when I was governor of Kwara state, I used say that every day… what was driving me was that I was counting the days when the job will end, and I wanted to say when the job does end I will be able to say- that I did this, I did that. I don’t want to end the job and say I wish I had done this, I wish I had done that. So, I am focused on what needs to be done and I believe this has been a huge challenge.

I believe that motivates one to see that we must make a difference, we must make a difference. And every day, that is what drives me to say; what do we do today to make a difference; so from that point of view, we will work. I expect this kind of challenges when you’re trying to make a change, especially in the legislative arm, which is where the change is the most because Nigerians are used to the executive. Nigerians are used to the judiciary. The youngest arm of government is the legislature and it is also the one people don’t understand and the one that people cannot see how it connects with their daily lives. An average man or woman in Nigeria knows how the executive affects his or her life.

When a minister makes an announcement that we have now raised the duty on car importation or the exchange rate has gone to this and you’re paying school fees, you know how it is, so people appreciate and understand the executive, of course the judiciary too, they know that this judge can rule against or for, when you have a case. So, they wonder why this over 400 and just under 500 Nigerians, what are they doing there? How does that affect me? They’ve passed laws, that makes it more challenging and of course that’s where the challenge comes from.

But I am very hopeful that by the time we’re done, Nigerians will see the difference.

What’s the difference between the senate you are presiding over, and the one when you were a member?
I think I have been in the seventh senate for four years. I have followed the activities of the national assembly; I believe that where we are now, the group of senators that we have are very focused, very patriotic and have a commitment to Nigerians; very patriotic because this is the first time that you have a senate where the majority is very slim, so you can’t really compare it to the previous senate. So, when you have a senate with this kind of slim majority, every day really should be chaotic, every day should be up in arms and this and that… when you go and watch over the last one year, any time we have discussed national issues, issues that had to do with the economy, senators have come there as senators of the federal republic not as senators of APC or PDP.

When there are issues right from the time we looked at the screening of ministers, we looked at the budget, and they have also behaved like senators of the federal republic of Nigeria, because it is their right as opposition that any little thing that does not follow… because the legislature is something that is all based on processes. Sometimes, the substance might be good but like the judiciary, if you missed the process, it is out. But the senators have shown a lot of maturity and a lot of patriotism and you’ll not know that the senate has a slim majority. I am very happy because without that support, majority of the issues we want to discuss in this country cannot. So, I am very happy, very honoured by the support they’ve given me.

If you look at the supplementary budget, that supplement budget under normal circumstance would not have been passed if the senators should go on party lines and platforms which they were elected. If you see what we have done in the past one year despite a lot distraction, you’ll see that it is a senate that has a roadmap. We are not just coming to the senate and just jumping from one issue to another, you can see, this is a senate that is focusing largely on the economy, we are focusing on how do we make Nigeria a better place.

I don’t think any senate has had this kind of openness; the people have access to what is happening in the senate there and there. People know what is happening in the senate. And to have that happen, you can’t do it alone as senate president, you don’t even have a vote… because the senators themselves want it and believe in that agenda. If I don’t have this kind of colleagues to work with, some of these things that we are doing we will not be able to do.

To what extent is your trial at the CCT affecting your job as senate president?
From what we’re seeing in the court, not my own words, even the word of the witness some of the comments there support what I said. Those of you who were in court, you remember the day the chief witness said that the first time they wrote the committee on federal government implementation of property sale was in August 2015, that’s like two months after I emerged, and to me that was further confirmation of what I said. Which means that prior to then, there was no investigation. As that may be, I see it as a huge distraction because there is more we could be doing in the hours we were losing when we go to court. We have to do that, I want to clear my name as soon as possible, but it is an unfortunate distraction, I think it was ill conceived by those I talked about at that time and of course, as I said it is a huge distraction.

But it has no deterred us, I believe that we have been able to address and push along our own agenda, after the case is over, I believe that as an institution too we must look into how to strengthen our judiciary and how to ensure that political battles that are lost in the political arena do not find themselves into the judicial arena, it is not good for the system, I think even as you hear people use the word ‘corruption trial’ when actually look at the issue the best you’ll call it is administration misdemeanour… there is nowhere at any time you’re talking about government funds missing somewhere… and when we start to paint the fight against corruption and people begin not be sure whether it is corruption or politics, we do more harm to the fight against corruption.

Now that the house of representatives has amended the Code of Conduct Bureau/Tribunal Act, will the senate concur or not?
Whether senate will concur or not, I’ve not seen the details of what they have passed, as you know there is a process, when they passed it, they will send it to us, when we get it we will look at it and see the rationale of what they’re doing.

What’s the status of the process of amending the constitution?
On the constitution amendment, we have set up committees headed by the deputy senate president, and they have started meeting, we have given them a very clear mandate. As you’re aware in the seventh national assembly, a lot of work had been done, even though it was passed in the national assembly, but did not get the accent of the former president.

We have told them to break the work into two phases, let us first agree quickly and push for the amendment of things that would really be agreed on by most people, and in two weeks, they are going to have a retreat in Lagos to review all the areas where there are common positions.

Secondly, new areas will also be looked at it… but the purpose is that the areas that we have agreed where there is little or no controversy or disagreement…. They will also consult with the speakers of the all 36 state houses of assembly, and also with the house of representatives and try as much as possible to see that before the year ends, we can pass the constitutional amendment.

The eighth senate in the past one year has passed quite a number of resolutions, but without teeth, what are you doing to stop the senate from being a toothless bulldog? Also, are we going to see this nation restructured through the constitutional Amendment?
The second phase of the constitutional amendment will bring in issues like this, whatever new issues that people have will come in.

Going into the first question on resolutions, we have made it clear that we are not going to be a national assembly that will be effective. Some of the resolutions that we have passed, we have already featured what we call compliance committee to oversee some of the things that we have made and see that the executive arm complies.

Rest assured that, we have always said this, that this national assembly is not afraid of anybody, this senate is not afraid to say the truth when it is necessary, we’re not afraid of taking on anybody when he or she is not doing the right thing. There are no sacred cows in this business, we know that by doing that the system will come back, this is the promise we made to Nigerians, unless we do this right thing nothing will happen.

To us, at the national assembly we’ll make sure that our resolutions will have substance and are transparent, and we’ll ensure that the right thing is done.

On many occasions you promised to make the breakdown of national assembly budget available to the public, have you changed your mind?
No. I have not changed my mind. I’m sure they’re in the process of making it available, there is no going back on that, I have already released the figures, I think there is a need for greater awareness, there is no going back on it. That is the minimum… because you can’t be shouting transparency and inside your own house there is no transparency, there is need for a wide coverage and have the documents out there… put it where people can assess it. I think on our website, I’m sure in the next weeks that will be done.

What is your take on take on the executive-legislature relationship in this dispensation? Secondly, if you have the opportunity will you seek a second term as senate president?
In terms of relationship between the legislature and the executive, in all honesty, I think we need to improve on it. There is no doubt about that, I think, in all democracy the relationship between the executive and the legislature is very important but again, don’t forget this is the beginning of a new government; it takes time for people to understand each other and to work best in the interest of country. I think that is important, it is better than how it was about 365 days ago and I’m confident that as time goes on that will happen.

I think is too early to talk about seeking a second term as senate president, because the issue is not in my hands, you decide at the end of your period. First of all, you assess yourself before you put yourself forth, you have to ask yourself, have I done well enough to deserve the confidence of the people, and then other factors can come into it.

Our focus now is to leave a very good legacy to be able to say that this eighth senate was different from the way things were done in the past. This eighth senate has positioned the national assembly the way it should work, that is our primary aim, the rest is secondary.

What is the senate doing in contributing to the fight against corruption?
We must make sure the process of fighting corruption is transparent. When I received the NEITI report, in one year close to N1trn is lost to government. Meanwhile, all the people that work in these agencies have never visited the EFCC or the ICPC.

The eighth senate will not protect any corrupt fellow, and we are in support of the president’s fight against corruption by blocking the leakages.

My take is that the institutions should be very strong such that, whether the president, Magu or I are no longer there, the fight against corruption would continue.

Our focus again is to make laws that will strengthen these institutions… don’t let them believe they have to play to the gallery by making one person happy and the other person sad. They should not politicise issues, they should be very clear cut cases, we have not got there yet we need to be clear with ourselves.

How do you think that peace can be restored in the Niger Delta?
On the issue of the Niger Delta, well, we had this kind of problem before in the time of the late President Yar’ Adua and we were able to find a solution that brought peace to the Niger Delta, clearly there is a need for us all to put all hands on deck and bring peace to the Niger Delta. It has been done before, I remember then, I was also chairman governors’ forum, we know the role we played as of that time to ensure that the Yar’ Adua government worked hard towards an amnesty programme to sustain peace in the region.So, the national assembly is available to play its own role to bring about that peace, but it is a priority, and I believe no price is too high for peace sake.

As the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, continues at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Dan Ladi Umar, has advocated for the return of Decree Number.

Speaking at the end of Tuesday’s proceedings, Umar, who has repeatedly made biased statements that reveal his slant against the defendant, stated that “journalists should be punished” for publishing falsehood,”it is a criminal offence.”

Recall that during the military administration of General Buhari, Decree Number 2 Gave the Chief of Staff at Supreme Headquarters the power to detain for up to six months without trial anyone considered a security risk.

At the time, special military tribunals increasingly replaced law courts while the state security agency, the National Security Organisation, were given greater powers.

The chairman said this in response to articles that 1st appeared in Premium Times and ThisDay that the trial of the Senate President was adjourned indefinitely.

It is noteworthy that the CCT Chairman is an extension of the Presidency and his words today have sent a strong signal that the administration of President Buhari, who was at the helm of affairs when this decree was introduced 30 years ago might be coming back.

The Nigerian football icon Stephen Okechukwu Keshi died suddenly in the early hours of Wednesday in Benin City, Edo state, TheCable stated.

The former international football player and coach had lost his wife of 33 years, Kate, last year after a prolonged battle with cancer.

TheCable confirmed his death from a member of his family as well as one of his close associates.

“He was not ill at all, never showed any signs of illness, but we suspect he never got over the death of his wife,” a friend said.

He is survived by four children and his mother.

Keshi, the only Nigerian coach to have won the Africa Cup of Nations, achieved a rare feat in 2013 by becoming only the second person to win the trophy both as a player and a coach.
The only other person to have achieved the feat is Egypt’s Mahmoud El-Gohary.

Keshi, a product of St. Finbarr’s College, Akoka, Lagos, started his playing career at a very young age at ACB Football Club, and later played for New Nigeria Bank, Stade d’Abidjan, Africa Sports, Lokeren, Anderlecht, RC Strasbourg, and a host of other clubs.

He represented Nigeria from 1982, at age 20, till 1994, most of the time captaining the Super Eagles and scoring vital goals from his position as a central defender.

He also coached Togo and Nigeria at the World Cup, as well as Mali.

Keshi, nicknamed the “Big Boss” for his leadership skills, is the fifth member of the all-conquering 1994 team to die, following Uche Okafor, Thompson Oliha, Rashidi Yekini and Wilfred Agbonavbare.

http://dailytimes.ng/stephen-keshi-dead/

In an open display of bias, the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Danladi Umar yesterday threw caution to the air, when he said that the 'delay tactics' by Abubakar Saraki's lawyers will in no way affect the consequences of the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

This is simply an indication that the tribunal has made up it's mind to convict Saraki at all cost.
Saraki's counsel, Paul Usoro was about to commence his cross examination of the EFCC Prime Witness, Michael Wetkass, when the Tribunal Chairman opened up He said, " I am not happy at the delay tactics by the defense counsel will not affect the consequences of this tribunal"


At this stage, the lead defense counsel, Kanu Agabi got up and asked the chairman what he meant by the consequences of the tribunal. He further told the tribunal chairman that he and his client are worried over 'assumed prejudices'


Agabi cautioned that he is afraid that the defense team is against assumed prejudices as it is against justice.

Saturday's report by SaharaReporters about a burglary in the Ilorin, Kwara State home of Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, contained series of falsehood and was at best an exaggeration of an incident which happened two weeks ago, his office said on Sunday.
The report was about the theft of N12 million by unknown persons inside the Administrative Office located next door to the house.
Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that the unknown persons broke into the safe in the Administrative Office and stole the sum. The incident has since been reported to the police and the Kwara State Police Command is investigating the matter, with a view to nailing the culprits.
"There is therefore no truth in the claim by SaharaReporters that the money ran into hundreds of millions, that it was in foreign currency or that the incident happened in Dr. Saraki's room. The amount was simply in Naira. Also, the money has nothing to do with Kwara State Government.
"For the umpteenth time, we need to reiterate the fact that SaharaReporters' fixation that any money spent by Saraki or that is in his possession is from Kwara State Government is unfounded, unwarranted, lacks any basis and irresponsible. We wonder whether Saraki was such a poor man before 2003 when he was elected Governor that he could no longer own any money without SaharaReporters attributing the source to the state government.
"In its usual unethical and disgraceful haste to assassinate the character of the Senate President, SaharaReporters ignored the simple professional practice for it to contact the police to find out the facts of the incident. It merely created its own usually fictional story and published it. This is an online publication that cares not about its credibility or the journalism credo that facts are sacred and opinion is free.
"We call on all members of the public to ignore all the claims in the story. Dr. Saraki will allow the police to do their work and unravel the person or persons behind this theft in the Administrative Office," he declared.

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Wednesday pledged that the upper chamber would protect Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination candidates and their parents from exploitation.

Saraki, who said he was joyful that the bill to amend the Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board Act passed second reading, said the Senate would ensure that candidates' results remain valid for three years.

He said thus would ensure that they don't have to purchase fresh firms every year if they are denied admission.

"It gives me great joy to announce that today at the Senate, we passed for Second Reading a Bill to amend the #JAMBBill. When finally amended, this piece of legislation will ensure that the JAMB results of students will be valid for up to 3 years — as opposed to the current one-year validity period.

"The Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) has been saddled with the responsibility of ushering in young school leavers into tertiary institutions for many years.

"However, due to several factors, hundreds of thousands of candidates that sit JAMB exams and do not secure their admission into higher institutions in the same year have to sit for the same exam the next year. This is unacceptable.

"It is our hope at the 8th Senate that this amendment will go a long way in reducing the financial constraints on parents, and the psychological burdens on students who have secured pass marks but are unable to gain admission in the same year," he stated.

The trial of the Senate President,Dr. Bukola Saraki which was yesterday stalled following the absence of the prosecution witness, Mr. Micheal Wetkas at the tribunal.

Daily Sun learnt that Wetkas, who is being cross- examined by lawyers to Saraki was to give evidence in another court in the trial of former Governor Sule Lamido of ‎Jigawa State.

Consequently, the trial has been adjourned at the request of the prosecution counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs (SAN) who wrote the tribunal suggesting that the case be adjourned to between June 7 and 8.

‎The spokesman of the tribunal, Ibrahim Alhassan who confirmed the development added the shift to an undisclosed date was at the instance of the prosecution.

Alhassan explained that due to the absence of some key prosecution witnesses involved in the case, the matter had been adjourned indefinitely.

The tribunal Chairman, Danladi Umar had on May 25, adjourned the trial till today for further cross-examination of Wetkas.

‎Meanwhile, The Court of Appeal will today hear the appeal filed by the Senate President, Dr. Bulola Saraki against his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CC.

Hearing was stalled on May 31, 2016, following the inability of the Justices of the Court of Appeal to form the constitutionally required quorum to hear the case.

The appeal was scheduled to be heard on that date, but only three Justices sat as against five Justices required by law.

Following the development, the presiding Justice, Moore Adumein adjourned further hearing to Thursday, June 2, 2016.

‎Counsel to all the parties where in court represented Kanu Agabi for the Senate president while Mr. Rotimi Jacobs appeared for the Federal Government.

‎In the appeal, Saraki is challenging the jurisdiction of the Justice Danladi Umar-led tribunal to try him on the 16-count criminal charge, preferred against him by the Federal Government.

The charge borders on his alleged false/anticipatory declaration of assets, money laundering, operation of foreign accounts while in office as the governor of Kwara State and allegation that he collected salaries as a governor, four years after his tenure had elapsed.

The Senate president, through his legal team led by a former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi, SAN, is praying the appellate court to set aside a ruling the tribunal delivered against him on March 24.

In the said ruling, the tribunal held that it has the requisite jurisdiction to hear and determine the case against him.

The two-man panel tribunal equally declined to stay further hearing on the matter to await the outcome of the appeal. Meanwhile, the federal government through its lawyer, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs, SAN, also filed a cross-appeal against the ruling of the tribunal.

FG is contending that the tribunal failed to make findings on its argument that Saraki’s motion constituted a gross abuse of judicial process. It was the position of the government that since the issue of jurisdiction was earlier decided by the Supreme Court on February 5, following an appeal by the defendant, the tribunal ought not have entertained another application on the same issue.

The matter was adjourned by the appellate Court to enable Saraki’s lawyer to study FG’s response to the substantive appeal. Agabi, SAN, had prayed the court for 14 days adjournment to enable him to study the process as he claimed he was just served on him by FG

The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday said that the Senate would debate the 2013 Audit Report of the Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI) in view of the mind boggling revelations of mismanagement contained therein.

Saraki, according to a statement in Abuja by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu, disclosed this when the the Executive Secretary of NEITI, Waziri Adio led the management of the transparency body to present a copy of its 2013 Audit report to the Senate President.

He lauded the NEITI boss for the approach to formally present the report to the Senate apart from sending the report to the relevant committees.

Saraki said: "I agree with you entirely that this type of opportunity also enables us to strengthen the institutions such as yours that have the responsibility of improving the governance and transparency administration of the management of our resources.

"In preparation for this courtesy call, I studied the report in the early hours of this morning, and honestly I was just dumbfounded about the figures that we are talking about.

"This is just 2013, one year's report. It is not cumulative. In one year's audit report you are talking about figures of over $3.8billion at that time I am sure the rate was close to N150 per dollar. So you are talking about N650billion. Then you are talking about another N358billion which brings it close to about N1trillion.

"Then you are talking about assets that were undervalued and transferred to NPDC but still no payment was made. You are talking about NAPIMS paying cash calls for an asset that doesn't belong anymore to NNPC and you truly wonder that this is going on right under our nose here in this country.

"Honestly, I just concluded that as a country I don't think we are serious. We are just paying lip service to this issue of fighting corruption because this is the real terminology of economic sabotage.

"This is what I believe agencies that are truly fighting corruption should have taken up. Meanwhile you see them sometimes chasing a Local Government Chairman for N10million or chasing even the State Governments for less amounts.

"These are just astronomical figures and nobody is being asked where the authority came from. Even if you say it was a minister, do we have where managements of those organizations have been able to say this is not what should be done?

"There are people who are responsible in management to advise on what should be done. And these people am sure are just walking the streets up and down without anybody asking them any question. It is incredible.

"Honestly, we must begin to do something about this because unless we do that we are just wasting our time. We are just chasing areas that maybe catch news headlines but they don't have any effect.

"So to me and on our own part in this Senate, what I am going to assure you is that apart from getting the report, I have already told my office 'let's get the report, we circulate it to all members of the Senate' and I promise you we are going to have a plenary session on it. And the day we are going to have it, it is going to be live on television. Let us discuss it. It is serious!

"I mean look at the figures they are talking about? And like you rightly said, you will just publish it and it will go and nobody will say anything about it? What is the ICPC doing? What is the EFCC doing? This is what is killing this country.

"But I can assure you that under this 8th Senate, these kind of reports are not going to die without anybody doing something about it. We will shout until something is done because there must be responsibility of those who are professionals that should advise political leaders of these positions," he said.

The Senate President further added that there is the need to talk about laws to strengthen agencies like NEITI because of the type of responsibility they are saddled with.

He further urged the agency to fast-rack the preparation of the 2014 and 2015 reports so as to make them public in good time.

Earlier, the Executive Secretary, Nigeria Extractive Industry Transparency Initiative (NEITI), Waziri Adio, said the team was at the National Assembly to officially present a copy of the 2013 Audit Report of the agency to the Senate President.

"We believe that this is very important for us to get traction on the responsibilities that the good people of the federal republic of Nigeria through your grace have endowed us with," he said.

Adio also lamented the level of mismanagement of resources in the oil and gas industry over the years and said that the country has no definite account of the oil produced over the period.

He said the NEITI 2013 Industry audit reports showed that revenue in the oil and gas industry were not fully remitted to the Federation Account adding that the danger posed on the economy due to the misappropriation of these funds are enormous.

Saturday's decisive victory of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Kwara State House of Assembly election in Oke Ero constituency, Mrs. Victoria Bunmi Afolayan, has been attributed to the popularity of the state's political leader, Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.

According to the results announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the APC candidate secured 5,346 votes against the 1,248 won by Olusola Adeoti of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The ruling party also won in 68 of the 69 polling units which make the 10 wards in the local government area.

In a statement after the official announcement of the results of the election, Hon. Toyin Sanusi, Senior Special Assistant (Political Affairs) to the Senate President, said the victory was a vote of confidence in the leadership of Saraki.

Sanusi who expressed appreciation to the electorate in Oke Ero for trooping out to support the APC candidate in the election despite the situation across the country and in the party said the victory was an indication that Kwara State remains solid in its support for the party leader, Saraki.

"Despite the general economic situation in the country, the fact that the state government lacks the financial capacity to fully pursue its policies and programmes as well as fulfil its responsibilities to the people, in spite of the developments within the APC at the national level, the people have proved that they are still in support of the party leader. This is also in spite of the on-going trial of the leader, Dr. Saraki

"That is why we thank the people for their consistency, devotion and loyalty. With their votes, they have signified their constant support that Kwara is solidly behind Saraki and that is in spite of the fact that some people thought they could capitalise on the travails of the Senate President to erode the influence of the party in the state," Sanusi said.

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has commended Nigerians for working to sustain democracy in the last 17 years despite the various challenges the country has encountered within the period.
In a statement to mark this year's Democracy Day, signed on his behalf by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki described democracy as not only the most globally accepted system of government but also the best solution to the problems confronting a multi-cultural, multi-lingual and multi-religious society like Nigeria.
He said in the last 17 years, the electorate have become more discerning and sophisticated. He said the nation has got to a point that people elected to various offices are now conscious of the fact that they are under constant watch and when they fail to meet the expectation of the voters, they will be given the red card.
"It is the first time in our national history that we will have 17 unbroken years of democratically elected government. Last year, our people demonstrated that our democracy is fast maturing as they voted out a party in power and elected another party. Since then, one can notice how people have become more and more interested in governance and the performance of those elected and appointed into public offices.
"In my own view, these are signs that our democracy has matured. Our people deserve commendation for that. This positive development is also already reflecting in the quality of governance and the level of development being witnessed across board in the country," he stated.
The Senate President further called on elected and appointed officials at all levels of government to continue to justify the confidence reposed in them as he said he and his colleagues in the Senate are conscious of the fact that if they fail to live up to the expectation of the people, the next elections are just around the corner.

He added that at this point, the nation must improve on the conduct of elections in such a manner that the free will of the electorate will be reflected in the results, adding that for the country to become a matured democracy, elections must be peaceful, free and fair.
"The issue of free and fair elections is a joint responsibility for all of us. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) must continue to improve on its process and machinery for conduct of elections while the people must learn to shun violence and all forms of unlawful conduct during electioneering. We cannot be celebrating many years of democracy if people still take elections as if it is war and refuse to accept the decision of the majority.
"We in the National Assembly will continue to strengthen the electoral laws and other legislations that can build institutional checks against the abuse of the laws by individuals and groups. We must get to the point where people who resort to violence to achieve political objectives are severely punished," Saraki stated.
He added that Nigeria must become a model in Africa for the enthronement of the rule of law and protection of fundamental human rights of all individuals and that the country must show a good example to other countries on the continent and in the Commonwealth nations in that regard.
Saraki noted that in the area of the economy, the entire world is facing challenging times and that what the country needs to overcome the situations are discipline, prudent management of her resources and exploration of hitherto neglected areas in creating national wealth.
"I can assure our people that the present economic problem is a temporary challenge. We will all be happy very soon. It is for this reason that, as I congratulate our people on this occasion of Democracy Day, I call on them to continue to pray for the government and support all efforts aimed at ensuring that we all reap the dividends of democracy. We should remember that tough times do not last but tough people do. God bless Nigeria. God bless Nigerians," Saraki stated.

President Buhari meets with Newspaper Publishers across Nigeria.

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Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Friday held a reading session with young children from private and government-run schools, and orphanages in Abuja.

The Senate President read from the book, 'Ngozi Comes to Town.' The book showcases the need to revitalise Nigeria's railway system, and discusses some of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the UN - which the Senate has keyed into.
He also presented Ethan & Harriets Lift & Learn Nigerian puzzle, to help the students learn about Nigeria in a fun way.

Recall that the Senate has recently been working on bills to amend and re-establish Nigeria's railway system with the repeal and re-enactment of the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act.

A former Deputy Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Mr. Rasheed Taiwo Owolabi, has accused the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, (CCT) Mr. Danladi Yakubu Umar, of corruption and bias.
He has therefore asked Umar to disqualify himself from the tribunal panel that will try him on false asset declaration charges.
Owolabi is standing trial on a one-count charge of failure to declare his assets throughout his career in the public service contrary to paragraph II (1) of the Fifth Schedule, Part 1 and punishable under Paragraph 18 (1) and (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.
But the ex-Customs chief claimed that Umar in 2012 shortly after the charge was slammed on him, once approached him for a bribe of N10m to pervert the cause of justice in a criminal matter filed by the federal government.
In his motion on notice filed argued by his counsel, Mr. Festus Ukpe, the applicant claimed that he reported Umar to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, prompting his arrest and interrogation on the alleged bribery request.
Owolabi claimed that he would never get a fair trial and justice from the CCT boss, having implicated him in the bribery saga. He said this was what led to the ongoing trial of Umar's Personal Assistant, Ali Gambo Abdullahi, for a criminal offence at an Abuja High Court.
Specifically, Owolabi alleged that the CCT boss had become biased against him for dragging him (Umar) to the anti-graft agency on his demand for N10m bribe and the part payment of N1.8m. He said he cannot get justice before the tribunal as required by law.
Owolabi who appeared at the tribunal yesterday prayed that the charge against him since 2012 be stuck out for want of diligent prosecution and for the likelihood of bias against him.
The defence counsel predicated the motion asking Umar to disqualify himself on five issues, among which was that during the pendency of his trial, he made several allegations of graft against the CCT chairman, which led to the trial of his PA in respect of the allegation.
He insisted that it has become legally impossible for the CCT chairman to adjudicate over the matter because of a real likelihood of bias by Umar against him.
The applicant therefore asked Umar to disqualify himself from the CCT panel billed to try him on the ground that he (applicant) would not get a fair trial and justice from any trial conducted by Umar.
“The defendant filed an application - a motion on notice asking the tribunal to strike out the case. This motion is supported with an affidavit and written address. The application bordered on the issue of fair hearing by the affidavit in support of this application. It is clear that the defendant will likely not get fair hearing if the present charge is allowed to continue.
“By the affidavit, certain allegations were made by the defendant. The issue of actual bias does not arise but the likelihood of bias. With this, the proper thing is for the tribunal chairman to disqualify himself from this trial and this is our prayer.
“For whatever reason, the prosecution has refused to open their case. If that is the case, the tribunal should strike out the charge.
“We are not saying the tribunal should dismiss but strike out the case and whenever the court is reconstituted after the disqualification of the chairman from this trial, we can come back and continue with the case. But as it is now, the chairman does not have power to continue with the hearing in the interest of justice."
However, in opposing the motion, the Code of Conduct Bureau, which on behalf of the Federal Government filed the charge against the ex-Custom’s chief urged the tribunal chairman to dismiss the motion on the ground that it lacks merit.
Counsel to the CCB, Mr. Peter Danladi, who is prosecuting the defendant told the tribunal that the motion was a ploy to further delay the trial. He added that the tribunal had in 2013 filed a motion at the court of appeal but abandoned the appeal.
The CCB lawyer said the tribunal chairman cannot take the place of the prosecution as the tribunal has always held that the prosecution should prove its case beyond reasonable doubt even though the offence of failure to declare one’s assets is a strict liability offence.
“This application is vexatious and a ploy to stop the trial of the accused. It is in the interest of justice to deny this application and ask the accused to be ready for his trial at this tribunal.
“The prosecution has filed a counter-affidavit dated May 25. It was disposed to by one Suzanne with a three-paragraph affidavit and attached to it are three exhibits. We are relying on all the paragraphs in the affidavit as counter to the Motion on Notice.
Also, we have filed a written address in which they raised three iss

The trial of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki resumed at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, on Wednesday with an admission by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that some of the evidence tendered before the tribunal were incomplete.

The Commission made the admission through its first

prosecution witness, Michael Wetkas.

Saraki is currently facing a 16- count charge of false asset declaration while he was the Governor of Kwara State.

At yesterday’s resumed hearing, Wetkas, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, alleged that Saraki did not declare a property he bought in 1993 during his assets declaration of 2003.

Wetkas said, “Saraki on 16 September 2003, did not declare a property he purchased in Maitama, Abuja in 1993.”

He alleged that Saraki acquired the property through his company, Carlyed Properties Limited.

When asked by Saraki’s lawyer, Paul Usoro, SAN, to verify exhibit 20, a letter by the EFCC asking the Abuja Geographical Information System, AGIS, requesting for information on the property Saraki did not declare, which he tendered before the tribunal, Wetkas admitted that the commission tendered an incomplete evidence.

Wetkas said “I believe that in the course of administrative work and numbering some parts went missing

Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki Reacts to Bill On Sexual Harassment passing 2nd Reading

"Today at the Nigerian Senate, we passed a Bill to Criminalize Sexual Harassment in Nigerian Universities for its Second Reading.

Many young Nigerian boys and girls suffer at the hands of lecturers, fellow students and those in administrative positions of power when they seek to further their education in our universities.

This bill, once passed and signed into law, will help stamp out all forms of harassment to make our schools more conducive for our students.

I can attest to the fact that I have received anonymous emails and messages urging the Senate to make sexual harassment in our universities a criminal offence. In this regard, as we have taken this pivotal step to get this bill off the ground, I enjoin members of the civil society and students across the country to join in the process to make sure that this bill is passed and signed, so that students can receive the protection and backing of the law as they pursue their education."

*Fails to link Senate president to London properties

THE primary prosecution witness, Mr. Michael Wetkas, in the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, may have created another major pothole for the federal government’s prosecution team, as he stated on cross-examination on Wednesday that there was insufficient evidence to sustain Count 11 of the 16 paragraph indictment against the Senate President.

Paul Usoro (SAN), who led the cross-examination of Wetkas at the proceedings, steered Wetkas through a series of questions to try to figure out how the Federal Government arrived at its conclusion to bring Charge 11 against Saraki, a former two-term Governor of Kwara State.

Wetkas, who is also an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the lead witness in the case, admitted that he never asked the defendant about the mortgage alluded to in Count 11, and neither did he see the mortgage agreement to confirm the ownership of the property in question.

The EFCC witness also admitted to the fact that no current evidence shows the location and/or description of the property referred to in Count 11 (No. 37 A Global Road, Lagos) as he was not entirely sure if the Global Road in question was in Ebute Meta, Lagos or Ikoyi, Lagos.

Wetkas also told the Code of Conduct Tribunal that he has no official documents linking the Senate President to the ownership of London properties over which he (Saraki) is facing trial.

Wetkas made the confession during cross examination by the defence counsel Mr. Paul Usoro (SAN), when he said the prosecution only obtained unofficial information of the London properties from their foreign partners in London.

He said the partners promised to oblige them with the official documents of the properties, but they are yet to do so.

"In our investigation, we normally receive unofficial information from our foreign partners" he said.

The EFCC witness also informed the tribunal that Saraki used the N375million obtained from GTBank to buy House No. 7 and 8, Whittaker Street, London in 2011 and 2015 respectively.

He said the tilled number of the House No. 8, was NGL802235 and the second property Number was NGL802661.

The witness said he had requested GT Bank to oblige him with the details of the properties and the address.

He said, the bank told him that the addresses of the properties were not disclosed to them.

Wetkas said from the loan documents attached showed that the N375miilion loan collected by Saraki from GT Bank and the narration indicates that he used the said money to buy properties in London.

"When we see the statement on the mortgage redemption transfer telex, we are convinced that the defendant used the funds to acquire property in London," he said.

However, EFCC counsel, Mr. Rotimi Jacobs SAN, lamented the pace in which the defence was handling the case.

Jacobs accused the defence of attempting to confuse and demoralise the witness.

The Chairman of the tribunal, Mr Danladi Umar, adjourned the case till May 25 for continuation of cross examination.

As the trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, continues at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Justice Danladi Umar has confessed to being under pressure while ruling on the case of Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2011.

Umar disclosed this at the beginning of court proceedings on today (Tuesday, May 17th) where he urged the defense team counsels to desist from examining the witness Micheal Wetkas any further - saying that the process was taking too long.

“We must be fair to ourselves because we will be accountable to Allah,” Umar said. “I want to say that during the case of Bola Tinubu, we were under a serious influence so we did what we had to do.

“We must be fair to ourselves so we don't unduly delay this case. The bench is begging the bar, allowing everyone conduct cross examination will make our records untidy, please let's make progress,” Umar added.

Wetkas, since the cross-examination commenced, has failed to prove the validity of most of his testimonies. Severally, he has disappointed Rotimi William, the government’s lead counsel by responding to questions by saying: “It was not part of my investigation,” “I was not part of the investigation team,” “I am not in a position to answer that” and “I’m not a forensic expert.”

In a case filed by the Federal Republic of Nigeria, against Tinubu with charge No. CCT/ABJ/1/11/ in 2011 for alleged violation in his asset declarations while he was Governor, the Federal Government, having failed to comply with mandatory procedures as provided in Section 3D of the CCT and CCB Act, dismissed the charges against Tinubu through the CCT.

Having made the same clear cut procedural error in the charges against Saraki, on the 5th of April 2016, Umar surprisingly ruled in contradiction to the precedent that he himself set in 2011.

– EFCC detective, Michael Wetkas told the court that Bukola Saraki declared a non-existent property

– Saraki’s lawyer, Paul Usoro was able to prove that the property really did exist

– A heated exchange later ensued over ownership of the property Michael Wetkas, a detective of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, May 11, said Bukola Saraki, the Senate president declared a property that did not exist. Wetkas said this at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) while he was being cross-examined by Paul Usoro, one of the lead counsel to Saraki. According to him, the property which did not exist was said to be at 15b McDonald road, Ikoyi, Lagos.

Isotope asked if he stood by his testimony that the property which the defendant declared did not exist, Wetkas replied that any report brought before the court is from investigations carried out. However, Usoro was able to develop facts that meant the property existed while cross-examining the witness. One of the facts was a letter written to a presidential implementation committee, by one Egwuagu, an occupant of the building, in 2008 stating that he was in possession of the property as of 1994. READ ALSO: Saraki’s trial: CCT stands down for an hour “I am still living in the property with my family and can’t abandon it,” according to the engineer when Isotope read out an excerpt of the letter.

Usoro asked Wetkas: “However, in your investigation report, there was nothing indicating that the property was occupied.” Wetkas agreed although initially he disagreed until he was asked to read it out to the court, then he later agreed that it was not there.

Also, the witness read out a report from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) revealing that the property was verified. However, a heated exchange ensued over ownership of the property.

Usoro contended that there were three pieces of property located at McDonald road, Ikoyi, 15, block A and B, and 15b, and that the property in contention might not be that of his client. However, Wetkas agreed that there were three pieces of property in the same area, but did not give further details.

Meanwhile, on Monday, April 18, Wetkas claimed that Saraki bought a property for N522m, which he failed to declare it at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). He claimed the property was bought in the name of Tiny Tee Limited from a Presidential Implementation Committee on landed property between 2006 and 2007. He said the part payment was from GTB account of Carlie Properties and Investment Ltd. Saraki is still undergoing trial at the CCT and has been since September 22.

https://www.naij.com/826836-cct-trial-read-efcc-witness-said-saraki.html

Michael Wetkas, a detective of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), on Wednesday, May 11, said Bukola Saraki, the Senate president declared a property that did not exist. Wetkas said this at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) while he was being cross-examined by Paul Usoro, one of the lead counsel to Saraki. According to him, the property which did not exist was said to be at 15b McDonald road, Ikoyi, Lagos.
Usoro asked if he stood by his testimony that the property which the defendant declared did not exist, Wetkas replied that any report brought before the court is from investigations carried out. However, Usoro was able to develop facts that meant the property existed while cross-examining the witness. One of the facts was a letter written to a presidential implementation committee, by one Egwuagu, an occupant of the building, in 2008 stating that he was in possession of the property as of 1994.
“I am still living in the property with my family and can’t abandon it,” according to the engineer when Usoro read out an excerpt of the letter.
Usoro asked Wetkas: “However, in your investigation report, there was nothing indicating that the property was occupied.” Wetkas agreed although initially he disagreed until he was asked to read it out to the court, then he later agreed that it was not there.
Also, the witness read out a report from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) revealing that the property was verified. However, a heated exchange ensued over ownership of the property.
Usoro contended that there were three pieces of property located at McDonald road, Ikoyi, 15, block A and B, and 15b, and that the property in contention might not be that of his client. However, Wetkas agreed that there were three pieces of property in the same area, but did not give further details.
Meanwhile, on Monday, April 18, Wetkas claimed that Saraki bought a property for N522m, which he failed to declare it at the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). He claimed the property was bought in the name of Tiny Tee Limited from a Presidential Implementation Committee on landed property between 2006 and 2007. He said the part payment was from GTB account of Carlie Properties and Investment Ltd. Saraki has been undergoing trial at the CCT since September 22, 2015.

‎The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has alleged that his assets declaration form submitted in 2003 when he was the governor of Kwara State has been tampered with.

He submitted through his counsel, Mr. Paul Erokoro (SAN) that the refusal of the EFCC operatives and the Code of Conduct of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to invite and relate with him on the form was because of the fear that he would challenge on insertions made on the form.
‎

But the EFCC witness, Mr. Michael Wetkas, who was being cross-examined by Saraki's Counsel denied the allegation, saying the form was filled and signed by Saraki before a competent Judge.
When the witness was asked if he was aware that the assets Declaration form submitted by the Defendant in 2003 was tampered with since it contained some entries of properties that were not put on sale by the federal government until 2006, Mr. Wetkas said: "As far as I concerned, exhibit one was signed by the defendant himself on September 16, 2003.
And when asked if he inserted No. 15a and B, MacDonald Street, Ikoyi, he said 'no'. And when asked if he knew who did it, the witness said:‎ "The Code of Conduct Bureau is a responsible organisation and he would not believe it would have done that.

He was also asked why he did not confront the Senate President with it, his answer was that he did not have any interaction with him but the document was one he could believe because it was signed before a competent Judge.

He said exhibit one would not have been written in 2003 because of the content. September 16, 2003. He could not have included properties he bought five years later. He argued that the form has been tampered with. He said the EFCC could not submit documents because he was afraid such would be challenged.

The other team that met the defendant include Imam Usman and Musa Sunday. He also said he was not there when they met the defendant.

The house declared for sale by the Presidential Implementation Committee for the Sales of Government Houses in 2006 paid by Tiny T in 2008 after the first winner of the bid was unable to pay for it.

Meanwhile, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki had earlier told the Code of Conduct Tribunal that he had no reason to steal or embezzled public money as he was already worth over N4 billion before becoming the governor of Kwara state in 2003.

He made the clarification even as he alleged that his assets declaration form submitted in 2003 when he was the governor of Kwara State has been tampered with.

The Senate President is facing trial on alleged falsification of assets declaration charges.

He further contended that all the evidence of money laundering adduced by the Federal Government against him at the tribunal are totally irrelevant as he was already a wealthy person before becoming the Kwara state governor.

To demonstrate his affluence, Saraki through one of his counsel referred the tribunal to his assets declaration forms submitted to the Code of Conduct Bureau dated September 16, 2003.m

The document which was read out in the tribunal by the prosecution witness, Michael Wetkas revealed that the Senate president had 13 exotic cars valued at N263.400 million before he became governor of Kwara state.

They include Mercedes G.500 bullet proof valued at N45m; Mercedes S500 N30m; Lexus Jeep bullet proof N30m; Mercedes S320 valued at N16 million; Mercedes S500 valued at N20m; Mercedes G500 at the value of N6m; Mercedes V.220 at N2m; Rally 456GT at the value of N25m and Navigator N15m.

Others are Mercedes MM240 valued at N8.5m; Peugeot 406 at N2.9m; Mercedes CLK320 valued at N9m and Mercedes E320 at the value of N11m.

The value of the Senate President in physical cash as at September 16, 2003 is as follows: $22m; £12m; 2.6 Euros and N4b.

In the area of landed property, the document showed that Saraki is worth N2b.

Hard-hitting Senator representing Kogi West, Otunba Dino Melaye, has vowed to stand by Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, till the end of his ongoing trial by the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

Melaye, who is one of Saraki's strongest allies as well as the emerging godfather of Kogi State politics, on Saturday in Abuja vowed that the Senate President's trial would end in the Supreme Court.

According to him, the committees in the National Assembly would keep a close watch on the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Federal Government and ensure proper implementation of the 2016 budget which has been signed by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Melaye, Chairman, Senate Committee on the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), representing Kogi West Senatorial District on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), who founded "Like-minded Senators", the group which worked for the emergence of Saraki as Senate President, spoke after the conferment of an award on him by the Rotary Club of Ilorin GRA, led by a former Military Administrator of Bauchi and Osun States, Col. Theophilus Bamigboye (retd), for his commitment to nation building.

He said, "Our support for the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, is total and undiluted. Our commitment to his getting justice is a battle of no retreat, no surrender. One thing I want to assure Nigerians is that the trial of Saraki will not end in the CCT, but in the Supreme Court and we are with the Senate President until we get to the last bus stop. We are with him up till Supreme Court."

Melaye expressed excitement that after the controversies surrounding the 2016 budget, it has been signed by the President.
He said, "What is more important is not the signing of the budget but its implementation. But we look forward to making sure that the National Assembly with all sincerity of purpose carry out monitoring of the MDAs to make sure that this budget is properly implemented.
"May we never see a situation where only 30 per cent of capital projects is implemented. May we never see what we have seen in the past. May this budget be properly implemented for the benefit of Nigerians and the masses of the country.

I am using this opportunity to plead with my colleagues in the National Assembly to make sure that our committees function properly and do a very holistic oversight and see to the implementation of this budget and pray that the Executive becomes born again by doing the right thing."
While dedicating the award to the over 200 female students of Government Secondary School, Chibok in Borno State who were abducted by Boko Haram members, Melaye said he was "much concerned and completely pained that after two years of their unceremonious exit and forceful kidnap", they have not been found.

"One will be wondering what their condition would be and what their mental, health and psychological state could be. One is also wondering how traumatised they are. So our prayer is that they join us soon. I am dedicating this award to the Chibok girls to tell Nigerians that there is no other nation to call our own until these girls are back. It is to remind Nigerians that these girls are still there and everything should be done to bring them back", he stated.

Bamigboye said the Rotary Club decided to honour Melaye because of his commitment to nation building.
He said, "We have been following your activities over the years and we have found you to be a fighter and a dependable ally who have the interest of the downtrodden.

I am the President, Rotary Club of Ilorin, GRA. We had a presidential luncheon about a month ago and Dino Melaye was one of the recipients of the award.

"He couldn't come and we are using the opportunity of our conference in Abuja to present it to him. Dino Melaye is a serious human being, we know and he has been doing very well and we appreciate all what he has been doing for this nation."

Following reports of a collision between two trains at Jebba Bridge bordering Kwara and Niger states in which some passengers were reported to have died and several injured, Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has expressed shock and sadness over the tragic incident while also commiserating with the families of the deceased.

Saraki also expressed sympathy with those who sustained injury in the incident and prayed to Almighty God to heal their wounds, according to a statement by his Special Assistant (New Media), Bamikole Onshore.
He also urged the management of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC) to investigate the cause of the accident and immediately put in place measures to prevent recurrence.

"As we work to improve rail system in Nigeria, we have to ensure that we pay attention to safety. Our plan is to make railway the centre of our transportation system conveying thousands of people around the country. With such a plan, the safety consideration must be top in our plan", he stated.

The Senate President noted that the overhaul of the rail system for efficiency and safety is part of the core mandate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government which explains why the Lagos to Kano and Lagos to Calabar rail lines are already part of the recently signed 2016 budget


"It is my prayer that this kind of tragic incident will not be witnessed in Nigeria again. May Almighty Allah in His infinite mercy grant the souls of the departed eternal rest and uphold their families in this moment of grief and sorrow", Saraki prayed.

2016 Budget: Saraki assures Nigerians of adequate oversight

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has commended Nigerians for their patience while awaiting presidential assent to the 2016 Appropriation Act and promised that the National Assembly will ensure its proper implementation through diligent oversight.

Saraki who today (Friday) joined Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other top government officials in witnessing the signing of the budget into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, said the responsibility is now that of both the executive and the legislature to ensure that the objectives and goals of the budget are duly realized.

In a statement by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, he called on ministers, heads of departments and agencies to hit the ground running with the implementation of the various provisions made in the budget so that the expectations of the people can be fulfilled.

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"On our own part as members of the National Assembly, we will closely monitor the implementation of the budget by providing effective oversight. We will also ensure that all necessary laws that will aid the transformation of the contents of the budget into practical policies, projects and programmes that will directly have positive impact on Nigerians will be put in place.

"That is why we have started the amendment of the Public Procurement Act to ensure that a substantial percentage of the money to be spent in the budget are made available to Nigerians through government patronage of Made-in-Nigeria goods and services,” Saraki said.

The Senate President thanked Nigerians for their continued support for the present administration and promised that now that the budget has been signed into law people will start seeing the positive impact on the economy and their standard of living.

Saraki restated the National Assembly's commitment to early passage of subsequent budgets since the President had promised earlier presentation.

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