*Nigerians want FG to focus on Economy and stop political victimization*


The Federal Government will today formally withdraw criminal charges filed against the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, of forging the 2015 Senate Standing Rules used in electing them to office.

Both presiding officers were charged to court earlier this year alongside the immediate past Clerk to the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa, and his deputy Benedict Efeturi.

The charges were filed more than a year after the controversial election and inauguration of the two principal officers on June 9, 2016,

Days after the elections, Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi (APC-Kaduna North) petitioned the Inspector General of Police, alleging that the Standing Rules used for the exercise was forged.

He accused the four officials of conspiracy, and demanded criminal investigation of the matter, the suit at was filed by the current Attorney General who was a private lawyer at that time.

The police later launched an investigation, submitting a detailed report to the nation’s Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.

Mr. Hunkuyi is the secretary of Unity Forum, a group of All Progressives Congress Senators opposed to the emergence of Mr. Saraki, preferring his opponent, Senator Ahmed Lawan instead.


The case, with reference number, CR/219/16, was filed on June 10, 2015 at the Federal High Court in Abuja. It has been assigned to Justice Yusuf Haliru.

The case bothers on two-count charge, including offence of conspiracy punishable under Section 97 (1) of the Penal Code Law; and offence of forgery with “fraudulent intent” punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Law.

Count one reads, “That you Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu on or about the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly Complex, Three Arm Zone, Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, conspired amongst yourselves, to forge the Senate Standing Order, 2011 (as amended) and you thereby committed the offence of Conspiracy, punishable under Section 97 (1) of the Penal Code Law.”

Count Two reads, “That you Salisu Abubakar Maikasuwa, Benedict Efeturi, Dr. Olubukola Saraki and Ike Ekweremadu on or about the 9th of June, 2015, at the National Assembly Complex, Three Arm Zone, Abuja within the Jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, with fraudulent intent forged the Senate Standing Order 2011 (as amended) causing it to be believed as the genuine Standing Order, 2015 and circulated same for use during the inauguration of the 8th Senate of the National Assembly of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, when you knew that the said Order was not made in compliance the procedure for amendment of the Senate Order, you thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 364 of the Penal Code Law.”

Nigerians on social media welcome the development and ask that both executive and legislators put aside their differences and work towards ending the economic recession.

*SE‎NATE PROCEEDINGS FOR THURSDAY 6th OCTOBER 2016.*

#TodayInPlenary
Senate President Bukola Saraki presided over plenary.
‎Adoption of votes and Proceedings of Wednesday 5th 2016, Senator Monsurat Sumonu moved for the adoption and Senator Sam Anyanwu seconded.‎

*‎PETITIONS*
Senators Jeremiah Useni raised a Petition from his Constituent it was referred to the committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions.‎

*PRESENTATION OF BILLS*
Five Bills passed First Reading they are:
1. Price Control Act CAP P28 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2016 (HB. 264) - By Senate Leader
‎2. Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (Establishment) Bill 2016 (HB. 160) - By Senate Leader
‎3. Chartered Institute of Local Government and Public Administration (Establishment) Bill 2016 (HB. 108) - By Senate Leader
4. Mortgage Institutions Act CAP M19 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2016 (HB.253) - By Senate Leader
‎5. Oaths Act CAP O1 LFN 2004 (Amendment) Bill 2016 (HB. 169) By Senate Leader

*PRESENTATION OF REPORTS*
Four Reports were laid and they are:
1. Report of the Committee on Niger Delta on screening & nomination of the Chairman and Members of the NDDC laid by Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi.
‎2. Report of the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights & Legal Matters on the screening of nominees as Justices of the Supreme Court by Sen. David Umaru‎
3. Report of the Committee on Ethics Privileges and Public Petitions in respect of a petition from Uche Ugoagwu Esq. On behalf of Bar. Uche Pascal Obilor and Mrs Obilor Against Abuja Geographic Information System (AGIS) FCT Administration over alleged Double Allocation of plot No. 2022 by Sen Sam Anyanwu.
4. Report of the Committee on Ethics Privileges and Public Petitions in respect of a petition from Mohammed Yamah & Co. On behalf of Nine Communities of the Niger Delta Against the Federal Republic of Nigeria and ministry of Niger Delta Affairs for Non-payment of Compensation for lands Compulsory Acquired laid by Senator Sam Anyanwu.

‎*EXECUTIVE COMMUNICATION*

‎The Senate considered request of President Muhammadu Buhari on the confirmation of Nominees into board of Nigerian Communications Communication.

The Nominees are:
1. Sen. Olabiyi Durojaiye Chiarman South West.
2. Sunday Dare Executive Commissioner (Stakeholders Management) South West
3. Aliyu Saida Abubakar Non-Executive Commissioner North East.
4. Clement Omeize Baiye Non - Executive Commissioner North Central.
5. Chief Okoi Ofem Obono Obia Non- Executive Commissioner South South.
6. Pastor Ezekiel Yissa Non - Executive Commissioner North Central.
7. Senator Ifeanyi Ararume Non-Executive Commissioner South East.

*CONCURRENCE TO HOUSE RESOLUTION*
The Senate concurred with the resolution of the House of Representative to invite the President Muhammadu Buhari to address a joint session of the National assembly to intimate it on plans to get the country out of the recession to enable the House take further legislative Action.

*CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS*
Two Reports were considered and passed for 3rd Reading they are:
1. Defence Space Agency (Establishment, etc) Bill, 2016. (SB. 166).
2. Agricultural Credit Guarantee Scheme Act (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (SB. 17).

*CONCURRENCE TO HOUSE BILLS*
Ten bills from the House of Representative were considered and passed for 3rd Reading they are:
1. University of Abuja Act CAP U2 LFN 2004 (Amendment ) Bill 2016 (HB.262) Concurrence.
2.Chartered Institute of Stock Brokers Act CAP C9 LFN, 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (HB.242)- Concurrence.
3.Treaty to Est. African Economic Community Relating to Pan African Parliament ( Accession & Joint solution) Bill Concurrence.
4.Utilities Charges Commission Act CAP U17 LFN, 2004 (Amendment) Bill, 2016 (HB.244) Concurrence.
5. National Judiciary Institute Act CAP N55 LFN, 2004 (Amendment ) Bill, 2016 (HB 302)- Concurrence.
6. Endangered Species (Control of International Traffic) Act CAP E9 LFN, 2004 (Amendment ) Bill,2016 (HB. 249) Concurrence .
7. Quantity Surveyors (Registration etc.) Act CAP Q1 LFN 2004, (Amendment ) Bill, 2016 (HB. 252) Concurrence.
8. Advertising Practitioners (Registration etc.) Act CAP P7 LFN 2004 (Amendment ) Bill 2016 (HB. 303) – Concurrence
9. Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Act CAP C31 LFN 2000 (Amendment ) Bill, 2016 (HB, 232) Concurrence
10. Small and Medium Scale Enterprise Development Agency Act CAP C19 LFN 2004 (Amendment ) Bill 2016 (HB .259) Concurrence.

ADJOURNMENT
The Senate Leader moved that Plenary be adjourned to Tuesday, 11th October 2016. The Minority leader seconded.

Senate adjourns plenary to Tuesday 11th October.
This is the summary of Senate Proceedings of 6th October 2016 for more details visit@NGRSenate.

Recession: Senate to fast-track passage of PIB, Other Critical Laws

The Senate has resolved to prioritize and fast track the passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and other legislations capable of contributing to the quick recovery of the national economy, and provide favourable level playing environment for both local and foreign investors.

This was part of the 20 points resolution passed by the Senate as its legislative intervention to speedily pull Nigeria out of the current economic recession, and put the economy on the path of sustainable growth.

Apart from the PIB, other bills that will enjoy priority attention include the National Development Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill, Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority Act (Amendment) Bill and National Road Fund (Establishment) Bill.

Others are National Transport Commission Bill, Warehouse Receipts Act (Amendment) Bill, Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), Investment and Securities Act (Amendment) Bill, Customs and Excise Management Act (Amendment) Bill, Federal Competition Bill and National Road Authority Bill.

The decision to fast track the bills was taken after the Senate concluded a debate on the report of its ad-hoc committee on economic recession and the way forward.

The committee was set up to harmonize the position of the Senate after a two-day debate that followed the speech on the current economic recession delivered by the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki to welcome his colleagues back from their annual recess.

In addition to the speedy passage of the bills, the Senate further resolved to institute adequate legislative framework including amendment of the Constitution to aid government economic restructure and strengthen the fight against corruption.

It resolved further to "immediately commence a sustained oversight drive to monitor the activities of the Executive in the implementation of the 2016 Budget. 

"To this end, all Committees of the National Assembly will be empowered to undertake regular visits, checks and engagements that will ensure the full implementation of the Budget, and the Government’s stimulus plan", the Senate stated.

It expressed readiness to always engage the Executive in order to create the necessary synergy on all matters of economic and social interventions that are capable of bringing succor to Nigerians.

It urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently consider building and institutionalizing an enduring partnership with the legislature for the promotion and sustenance of good governance and economic policy formation and implementation.

Recession: N'Assembly Ready With 8 Bills for President's Assent

The Senate of the National Assembly has passed eight Bills received from the House of Representatives for concurrence. The Bills, which are aimed at strengthening the laws of the Federal Republic, were considered and passed in a single sitting of the Senate - demonstrating commitment to employing all legislative mechanisms at its disposal to end the current economic recession in the country.

The Bills that will be presented to the President soon include the Telecommunication and Postal Offences Act (Amendment) Bill, National Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds (Registration) Act (Amendment) Bill, Produce (Enforcement of Export Standards) Act (Amendment) Bill, Prevention of Crimes Act (Amendment) Bill, Water Resources Act (Amendment) Bill, National Agricultural Land Development Authority Act (Amendment) Bill, Bee (Import Control and Management) Act (Amendment) Bill and Agricultural and Rural Management Training Act (Amendment) Bill.

The Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, emphasised the importance of the Bills in ending Nigeria’s economic contraction and stated that the Bills will be promptly forwarded to President Muhammadu Buhari for his signature.

“By now it is clear that the Senators take Nigeria’ economic situation very seriously,” he said, “If you recall, one of the points from the 21-point resolution passed by the Senate on the economy stated that it would fast-track all economic related bills. What this Senate has done is match its words with its actions.”

The 8 Bills, which are all primarily amendments to existing laws, are aimed at strengthening the enforcement mechanisms in sectors of the economy that can help boost Internally Generated Revenue.

Important highlights of the Bills include the amendment to the Telecommunication and Postal Offences Act, which is aimed at increasing some of the prescribed penalties, fines and compensations for non-compliance with the Act. This is intended to help boost investment and participation in the telecommunications sector.

Additionally, the National Crop Varieties, Livestock Breeds (Registration) Act (Amendment) Bill, Produce (Enforcement of Export Standards) Act (Amendment) Bill, National Agricultural Land Development Authority Act (Amendment) Bill, Bee (Import Control and Management) Act (Amendment) Bill, and the Agricultural and Rural Management Training Act (Amendment) Bill are all aimed at bolstering the standards in Nigeria’s Agricultural sector to help the country achieve more economic diversification.

Meanwhile, the Senate President, who is the Chairman of the National Assembly, has stated that the 8 Bills will be promptly forwarded to the President for assent.

“Moving forward, Nigerians can expect that the legislature will adopt a united and efficient approach to getting Nigeria’s economy back on track,” Saraki stated, “We will quickly forward these 8 Bills, which have been passed by both Houses of the National Assembly to the President. This is only a first step and we will continue to work to ensure that at the end of our tenure, Nigerians will see that this is a people-centred National Assembly.”

Saraki Keeps His Word, As #GeoBill Passes Second Reading



President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki  has fulfilled his promise to remove all barriers against women, eliminate discrimination and enforce the Rights of women in Africa and other matters connected. 

The Senate at its plenary session today passed the Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill (SB. 301) for the second reading before it ended the days business. 

The #GeoBill is an act to incorporate and enforce certain provision of the United Nations convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women.

The #GeoBill also seeks the adoption of special measures to ensure equality of all persons and ensure modifications to gender stereotypes. 

"The message being passed is that the 8th Senate is a gender-friendly one and I hope that the judiciary committee will do justice and take further action to progress further" Saraki said.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Biodun Olujimi from (Ekiti South) and got the support of Senators Oluremi Tinubu, Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, Senator Garba Binta and Senator Olusola Adeyeye

*#TBT*
*#Economy*
*#Senateplan*

Procurement Act passed by Senate to boost business for Local manufacturers

https://www.naij.com/866149-rising-economy-local-manufacturers-will-rich.html via @naijcom

#SenateResolution

Do you have questions or concerns on what the Senate is doing to jumpstart the economy?

Join Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki on Facebook

www.facebook.com/Bukola.Saraki

Or join him on Twitter @BukolaSaraki to ask questions

Live streaming starts at 2:45pm

*GOVERNMENT LAWYER TELLS COURT HE IS NOT PREPARED FOR TRIAL AGAINST SARAKI & EKWEREMADU*

https://www.thecable.ng/just-in-im-not-ready-for-sarakis-forgery-trial-government-lawyer-tells-court

*SENATE RESOLUTION TO EXECUTIVE ON GETTING NIGERIA OUT OF RECESSION*

1. The executive should forward an Economic Stimulus Bill containing all the fiscal stimulus packages, investments and incentives which will receive accelerated consideration and passage at the National Assembly.

2. The fiscal and monetary authorities must harmonise all policies that lower interest rates for investors in the real sector and small/medium scale farmers.

3. The government should adopt peaceful means in the Niger Delta to restore Nigeria’s oil production back to 2.2 million barrels per day.

4. The release of low interest funding under the stimulus package should be targeted at the following areas.
Social Safety Programmes
Humanitarian Activities in the North East
Power Generation
Agricultural value chain
Textile manufacturing
National highway network construction and maintenance
Railway construction and maintenance
Motor vehicle assembly plants
Completion and commissioning of Ajaokuta Steel Complex
Arts, Science and Technology

5. The President should appoint a Senior Special Adviser to lead the government engagement with the aggrieved Niger Delta Militants to ensure the protection of Nigeria’s oil and gas assets.

6. The Federal Government should negotiate foreign concessionary borrowing agreements to cover shortfalls in the 2016 budget and the government’s accelerated infrastructural development programme.

7. The Federal Government should restrict and cap the issuance of bonds and treasury bills in order not to crowd-out local investors from the market.

8. The Federal Government should ensure the payment of all genuine domestic debts owed to local contractors who have completed their jobs.

9. The Federal Government should settle all salaries and pension liabilities.

10. The Federal Government should leverage the use of pension and insurance funds to provide long-term capital on lending for agriculture, industry and housing projects.

11. The Executive should reconstitute the Board of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and all other critical agencies in order to ensure that they operate in accordance to their enabling laws.

12. The Legislature (through law) and the Executive (through policies) must take action to encourage telecommunications companies to float their shares in Nigeria’s stock market.

13. The Fiscal Responsibility Act should be used to encourage States and Local Govenrments to be more prudent and accountable in their revenue and expenditure agreements.

14. Cases involving unaccounted oil exports should be pursued vigorously to logical conclusions.

15. The Federal Government should immediately set-up an ad-hoc committee for the reconstruction of the North-East and the rehabilitation and resettlement of all Internally Displaced Persons.

16. The President should consider establishing a Council of Economic Advisers made up of experts in economic management.

17. The Federal Government should establish a platform for pro-business-oriented leadership-level engagement to boost market confidence.

18. The Federal Government should retool its export promotion policy scheme with export incentives like the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) and the export financing initiatives.

19. The National Assembly will institute a legislative framework with timelines for key government policies in the area of agriculture and solid minerals to boost investor confidence in government - and to protect investors from rapid policy reversals.

The National Assembly will examine, prioritise and fast-track the consideration of the following bills to revive Nigeria’s economy:
Petroleum Industry Bill
National Development Bank of Nigeria (Establishment) Bill
Nigerian Ports and Habours Authority Act (Amendment) Bill
National Road Fund (Establishment) Bill
National Transport Commission Act of 2001
Warehouse Receipts Act (Amendment) Bill
Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA)
Investment and Securities Act (ISA)
Customs and Excise Management Act
Federal Competition Bill
National Road Authority Bill

20. The National Assembly will immediately commence sustained oversight to monitor the activities of the Executive in the implementation of the 2016 Budget.

21. The National Assembly will continue to engage the Executive to create the necessary synergy on all economic and social interventions that are capable of bringing succour to Nigeria.

Want to know what your Senators are doing about the recession?

Follow this link to *WATCH LIVE* proceeding of the Senate for *Tuesday 27th of September 2016*


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPS7rHsk9WY

Keynote Address by the President of the Senate, at the 2016 Kings College, Founders Day Lecture
September 24, 2016

President of the Senate, SENATOR (DR) ABUBAKAR BUKOLA SARAKI (CON) at the 2016 Kings College, Founders Day Lecture
The Principal of Kings College, Mr. Oluseyi A. Thomas; staff and students of this great institution; eminent guests; fellow alumni and Kingsmen. I say a big thank you to the President Kings College Old Boys Association for the invitation to speak at this Founders Day lecture. The last time I was here was during the Centenary celebrations in 2009. Witnessing that occasion, made me really proud to be a part of the great history of this school. It therefore gives me a great joy to be back today and to be in this distinguished company of old friends, seniors, classmates and juniors.

As I stepped into this hall this morning, long forgotten memories of my last real performance here came rushing back to me. I just came to Kings College as an 11-year-old boy. It was really my first time of leaving home. As was the tradition, new boys were selected to give a performance as part of the initiation process to welcome them to this great institution. If you did well, you got a good applause. Otherwise, well, the brine was waiting for you.

I was generally seen as an ‘aje butter’, so I was a natural target. For this reason, I knew that no matter my performance that night, for me, there would be no escaping the brine. In any case, I didn’t think I gave an Oscar-worthy performance. Therefore, I must have been treated to a double, if not triple ration of the brine. But in the end, I was fine. I enjoyed the occasion and understood it for what it was: a tradition, designed over several years and handed down by generations of students who would later became great men; a tradition designed to remind a green-eyed boy that he had left the nest and from the moment he stepped into this hall, he had to learn to face the world and stand up for himself because it is only by accepting small challenges like that, that he would learn to deal with the bigger challenges that await him subsequent years and on the road to becoming a worthy Kingsman.

As simple as that event of many years ago was, the memories have stayed with me till this day. More importantly, the principles that it was meant to teach have also endured. I fervently hope that my performance today, unlike that of many years ago, would be good enough to earn me applause. If however, I fall short once again, and you are considering sentencing me to a drink of brine, remember that my security aides are just outside these doors.

When I came to this College many years in 1973, I had an option to go to Barewa College, which also offered me admission. But I didn’t like their uniform and the tie. So, Kings College was a clear choice for me. Like I said earlier, like most of the boys, I was leaving home for the first time. I was therefore, not sure how I was going to fare in a boarding house. Some of the boys liked me and made the pains of leaving home more tolerable. However, many of the boys also didn’t like me, for different reasons. To this second category, I owe a lot of gratitude because they taught me most of the very important lessons that had helped me through life up till this day.

They taught me some of my very early lessons about peer envy. They taught me that coming from a privileged background does not necessarily translate to an advantage. In fact, it could be a liability. In my own case, because of whom my father was, may thought I was a pampered daddy’s boy who could not hold his own or deal with difficult situations. I soon learn however, that when people define me this way, they also underestimate me. This continues to happen till today. However, I soon learn to convert this into a form of strength. It taught me to win by sheer mental strength, and never giving up in the face of challenges or adversity.

I also learnt that not all friends are true friends; and not everyone who does not want to be a friend is an enemy. I learnt that generosity could be a form of power and humility could be a form of strength. I learnt that by being nice to people, you could get them to be nice to you in return. I learnt that respect starts with self-respect. And, by learning all these, I also learnt the delicate art of winning people’s heart; a skill that I continued to perfect through my stay in KC because it was the only way I could have survived, but which has turned out to be the defining factor in my career as a politician!

All these lessons that KC taught me have combined to serve me in the course of my life, and continued to define the life I have lived. However, there were a couple of things I couldn’t achieve here. Even though, my ambition was clearly about becoming a doctor, I also wanted to be a great sportsman. I wanted to be the best triple jumper in KC. I also wanted to be a great debater, pianist, and dramatist. I tried them all. I joined the drama and debate club. I took lessons to play the piano and tried to join a band. I participated in a lot of other things. If it was there, I had to try it. Even though I didn’t come close to achieving greatness in any of these, they all taught me important lessons about discipline, commitment to a defined goal and teamwork. All of these, no doubt, prepared me for the role that I have played in public life, and proved beyond all doubts that KC is indeed a great training ground for leadership.

I recollect my first experience as a public officer. It was in 2000, when I was appointed a Special Assistant to the then President, Olusegun Obasanjo. Initially I rejected the appointment because I had been promised a ministerial post and coming from a position as an Executive Secretary at a bank, I thought it was a step down. In fact, for a year, I was almost in limbo in negotiations about the role until I was allowed to determine what my engagement would be. I appealed to my strengths and chose to be the Special Assistant on the Budget. Once accepted, I put everything I had into the role and before I knew it, I had built the portfolio into one of the most sought after within the cabinet; with several people openly lobbying for my job. For my age and level, I was the only Special Assistant allowed to attend the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings and given the opportunity to engage with the President on a personal level. I realized quickly that the work I had to do was more important than the position I occupied. I learnt that whatever opportunity you have, you have to make the best of it to leave things better than you met it. In the end, this is what would define you rather than the titles that you bear.

Three years later, I was faced with another opportunity to serve when I decided to run for the office of the Governor of Kwara State. Leading up to the election, I had an interview with NTA at their studios in VI and the experience stays with me till this day. The interviewer asked me what she thought was a daunting question. She asked me why I thought I would be of any use to the people of Kwara given that, in her opinion, I had been born with a silver spoon, had never been hungry in my life; and could not possibly empathise with any of the issues facing the masses. There is a common mistake we make as people, to underestimate anyone who is different or coming from different circumstances; and it happens at all levels. My answer to her was simple: seeing as I was not hungry, my concern upon resumption of office would be to make sure none of my people were either. When you put people in public office who are hungry, their first concern is to stem THEIR hunger before they think about anyone else’s. My focus is, was and always will be, service for the greater good of all.

This attitude stayed with me when I became the Governor of Kwara State three years later. All that we achieved in those years, remain a reference point in creative governance in Nigeria up till this day. From the pioneer commercial agriculture programme, popularly known as the Zimbabwean farmers; to the Kwara Aviation College, which continue to produce a new generation of aircraft pilots; the first-of-its-kind Community Health Insurance, that provides broad health services coverage for rural dwellers for a mere

N200; to the most comprehensive education reform programme ever attempted in Nigeria, Every Child Counts, my government was able to prove that with innovative thinking, and well educated leadership, we could find new solutions to the old problems that we have always grappled with in our country.

Our dear country Nigeria is so hugely blessed. But why have we remained rooted to one spot like a man running on a treadmill? Why have we failed to achieve the limits of our potentials, despite our rich endowments in human and natural resources? The answer, my dear Kingsmen, cannot be far-fetched. We are where we are today because we have failed to develop a system that ensures that only the best and the most competent of our citizens assume leadership positions. While other countries continue to ensure that only the brightest and best of their citizens occupy public positions, whether elective, appointive or even in the bureaucracy, the opposite appear to be the case in our country. While other people continue to hand the destiny of their country to men and women with Ivy-league credentials, we continue to wallow in mediocrity. A combination of mutually destructive competition for power; pursuit of parochial interests no matter how defined, and utter failure of the elite to devise a vision of development and build a consensus around it; all these have conspired to ensure that those who have real contributions to make don’t even get to put a leg in the room.

Well, I am delighted however to see that Kings College has produced a Senate President. The point I seek to make here is that we need to understand that by virtue of being a Kingsman, you are already earned your right to be in leadership position in this country. Whatever limitations we have, we shall deal with it. But the vision, the philosophy of this great institutions, starting from when it opened its doors to the first set of 10 students 107 years ago, was to produce men who would be leaders of our country. We must not lose sight of this. I am confident that as long as we continue to keep this vision alive, someday soon, in our politics, the choice of who becomes President of Nigeria will be based on capacity as opposed to religion, origin or language.

Our country, Nigeria is going through a very difficult time. The present is challenging, the future looks very bleak. Just like the National Bureaus of Statistics has confirmed, GDP growth in the second quarter of 2016 at -2.06% following a decline of 0.36% in the first quarter, meant that the Nigerian economy has had two consecutive quarters of economic contraction and therefore has formally slid into recession.

One of the questions that I get asked very frequently these days is, how did we get here? During my welcome address to the Senate earlier in the week, I tried to answer this question. Thecollapse in oil prices from over $100 per barrel to about $48 recently set the broad stage for the challenges that we are currently facing. However, our situation has been compounded by low sovereign savings with FX reserves having declined from over $65bn in 2007 to about $30bn by 2015. The implications of this is that we must do something drastic and quick to restore confidence back into the economy and get people investing and spending again if we are to end the despair in the land.

Another question that I have also been repeatedly asked, which I consider to be even more important than the first questions, is whether we can get out of this recession and how must we proceed from here. I am fully aware that as the first alumni of this school to occupy the position of President of the Senate, I have a responsibility built on Truth, Honesty, Patriotism, Integrity and most importantly, Service; to work in collaboration with my Distinguished Colleagues at the National Assembly to get us back on track. And contrary to what you might hear, we are doing just that. Especially, as we have a President that is committed to doing what it takes to return Nigeria back to the leadership position that the country occupied on economy and opportunities in Africa.

What we are working towards is so that when you get out of school and wish to embark on whatever career path you desire; be it entrepreneurship or in the employ of a company or even in public service, that you have an enabling environment to thrive in. I am sure like in my time, there are one or two of you that are already testing out the entrepreneurial waters, brokering deals here and there (trade me your cornflakes for my milk); but if you wish to register a business and legitimise yourself, you will hit some hurdles that at your young age would be most daunting. It is not uncommon for people as young as 18 or 21 to start businesses in other developed economies—Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook who recently visited Nigeria, launched the site at the age of 20—and I am confident as fellow Kingsmen, you possess the will, creativity and innovation to come up with products and services that can change the way we live in Africa; and the world. So, at the Senate, we are working to protect your opportunity to do just that. If it is easy to start, run and grow a business, it is easy for young Kingsmen like yourself, to find or create jobs; andcontribute to the King’s College Alumni legacy and traditions of service to one’s community and country.

By this time next year, a portion of you will be resuming in universities and tertiary institutions across the country and around the world. We now have a law in Nigeria that further protects you and your female classmates from unwanted sexual harassment from your professors and administrators. You might think that this is an issue that only affects girls but any one of you could find yourself on the receiving end of unwanted advances; or you can have a classmate who has an undue advantage due to unscrupulous activities of having been propositioned by a professor. We are working to make sure you all have a level playing field in both your access to quality education, the opportunities that come with it and a conducive environment to grow your minds. We are also working on a law to make sure that when you write your JAMB, the results are valid for two years as opposed to one, to lessen the stress and rigours of seeking admission.

We have reformed the bills on Railways allowing for private sector to come in, play an active part and bridge the gaps in moving people, goods and services across the country. Our hope is that in a few years, you all can decide—say for instance as part of your graduation activities—that if you wish to travel to explore Nigeria, you can just hop on a train and do so safely, affordably and on time; just like your counterparts in other countries.

I know the parents of those of you who have to come to school from outside of Lagos will be happy about that. But beyond the ease of moving people up and down, we will be able to move products and goods faster and more efficiently. So when you order something online—as your generation is wont to do—it gets to you safely and affordably.

We are aggressively promoting the patronage of “Made In Nigeria” products and services as a way to reverse the expenditure on imported foreign goods that heavily deplete our limited foreign exchange reserves; something that we cannot afford to happen in an oil-export economy faced with falling oil prices. Government is the largest spender on goods and services; and so we have passed a bill compelling that when there is any procurement to be done, the government MUST patronize a Nigerian-made business; and only IF it cannot find the product or services locally can it look outside of our shores to import. The goal is to increase domestic expenditure on goods to 90% with 10% on imported goods.
You as students, teachers and alumni can do your bit to support the policy. We should see our local brands of cereal, dairy, backpacks, school shoes, notebooks and study materials dominant in your private purchases. We all have to buy Nigerian to Grow Nigeria. And it starts with you. Make the decision to choose Nigeria, to choose the legacy, to choose service and choose your fellow man; and together we will choose the future that we want and need.

I am confident we have the right capacity to get out of this recession very quickly. For this to happen however, we must be willing to embrace a new way of thinking about the problems and the solutions. A mind-set that is exclusionary and is not open to a different notion of solutions is likely to keep us longer where we are than we

should ordinarily be. We must begin to act and speak in a way that inspires confidence and encourage people to want to want to do business with us and bring investments to our country. An economically strong Nigeria is good for Africa and for the rest of the world. So, everyone wants to see Nigeria climb out of this recession as quickly as possible. They are willing to work with us. But we must demonstrate that we truly want them to work with us by giving them confidence and speak the language that they understand, the most important of which is that we are able to show them why Nigeria is still a good place for them to bring their money.

The biggest challenge facing Nigeria, even in the best of times, is how to create jobs for our 60 million young

people between the ages of 18-35? Many have pointed asset. However, we know what we must do to ensure that they do not become a demographic burden. We must event in high quality education and we must earnestly being to build a job-driven economy that can put our young people to work and turn them into a productive force.

Great Kingsmen, distinguished ladies and gentlemen. We must not allow the difficulty of the moment to destroy our hope of a great future. I have no doubt that what we are currently experiencing is a passing phase. I have no doubt that the sun will shine again on our glorious country. I have no doubt that a future of greatness awaits the young men in this hall and across our country. However, this is the time, more than ever before, that anyone who has something to contribute must step forward in solidarity. I appeal to all Kingsmen here this morning. All of us as old boys must rediscover the spirit that has driven us to successin our respective endeavours and bring that spirit to bear now, in helping Nigeria out of this current situation. In any group of Nigerians who have gone to school in Nigeria can dig us out of this challenge, I have no doubt that Kingsmen can. Let’s do it.

Thank you all for listening.

Recession: APC must responsibly advise Buhari, Frank tells Oyegun
News Politics3 hours ago

The Acting National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Timi Frank,  has asked the National Chairman of the party to immediately convene a meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) to discuss the present recession the country is going through and advise President Muhammadu Buhari on what to do.

The APC chieftain said the role of the party leadership is not only to conduct primary elections but to add value to governance, adding that such meeting will give a larger members of the party the opportunity to hear their views and provide expert suggestions.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the APC spokesman said the only thing the present Chief Oyegun led leadership of the party is known for is to conduct primary election which he said were even charasterised with crisis.

Frank urged the National Chairman to stop giving Nigerians unrealistic hope while nothing is being done by his leadership to addressed the recession.

His words: “I expect the leadership of my party to be worried because the country is in recession, though the problems were inherited from the past administration of Goodluck Jonathan but we are here to solve the problems. That is why I am demanding an emergency NEC meeting where all the leaders of our party will sit face to face and tell themselves the truth or invite experts to advice them on what quickly should be done.”

Frank also said that APC NEC meeting was over due according to the party constitution which states in article 25 b( i) that “the National Executive Committee shall meet every quarter and or at any time decided by the national chairman  or at the request made in writing by atleast two-third of the members of the National Executive Committee provided that not less than fourteen (14) days notice is given for the meeting to be summoned.”

The APC spokesman also listed pending issues which arose from the last NEC meeting but yet to be addressed as follow:

“It was agreed at the last meeting that there should be mini- convention to fill some vacant positions of the National Working Committee (NWC) but nothing has been done almost six months after. The issue of Board of Trustee (BOT) is still pending and some other issues, including crisis all over the state, but the only thing our national chairman can do is to conduct primaries. As a governing party I believe Nigerians expect more than this from us.

“Though President Muhammadu Buhari is doing his best to deliver on our change mantra but all hands must be on deck to support the president to achieve this because we owe Nigerians explanations at all time and the role of party leadership must also be felt in this government.”

He, therefore, commended the leadership of the National Assembly for taken steps to support the president on his effort to rescue the nation from the economic woe inherited.

#SenateEconomicPlan: 6 Major Takeaways from Saraki’s Economic Speech

On Tuesday, September 20th, the Senate resumed its plenary activities after its yearly recess. For his resumption speech, the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, delivered opening remarks that centred solely around the economy. Saraki stated that over the next few months, the focus of the Senate would be to save Nigeria’s economy from collapse.

Find below six of the major highlights of his speech:

#1. Saraki on Why the Economic Debate is Important

“… the simple question for our debate must be; how do we tame the widespread hunger in the land? How do we save our businesses from collapse? How do we save jobs for the majority and create even a lot more?… How do we arrest this drift so that our businesses can compete and our children can go to school wherever they may find opportunities?”



#2. Saraki On Why an Urgent Response is Needed to Fix Nigeria’s Economy

“Therefore, our response to the current challenge must be dictated by the urgency of the hardship that the people suffer on a daily basis. I say this to urge us that we must have an urgent debate on the way forward. But in having this debate we must resist the temptation of drowning the debate with apportioning blames that will neither bring solutions to the problem or reduce the cost of rice, maize or oil in the market.”



#3. Saraki on Why a Bipartisan Approach is Needed to Fix Nigeria’s Economy

“Nigerians don’t care about our politics; they don’t care about our political affiliations; they don’t care if we are APC OR PDP; north or south. What they want is for us to lead the way out of this [economic] crisis and deliver on the promises that we made to them.”



#4. Saraki on Why the Legislature and the Executive Need to Work Together

“We will work in concert, not at cross-purposes. Our goal is clear; to work together with the Executive to get our economy out of recession. We will proffer our solutions on policy issues, and where necessary enact necessary legislation to ensure that investor confidence returns to the market.”



#5. Saraki on What the Executive Needs to Do Immediately…

On Leadership: “The Executive must immediately put in place leadership-level engagement platform with the private sector. This must be one that is pro-business and shows unequivocally that government is ready to partner with the private sector towards economic revival.”

On Assets: “The Executive must raise capital from asset sales and other sources to shore up foreign reserves. This will calm investors, discourage currency speculation and stabilize the economy.”

On Pension Funds: “The Executive must consider tweaking the pension funds policy within international best practice safeguards to to accommodate investment in infrastructure and mortgages.”

On Monetary Policy: “The Executive and CBN must agree on a policy of monetary easing to stimulate the economy we must ensure local government borrowing does not crowd out credit for the private sector.”

On Export Incentives: “The Executive must retool its export promotion policy scheme with export incentives such as the resumption of the Export Expansion Grant (EEG); and introduce export-financing initiatives.”

On the Niger-Delta Avengers: “The Executive is urged to engage in meaningful dialogue with those aggrieved in the Niger Delta and avoid an escalation of the conflict in the region. The National Assembly is very ready to play any role in the process and offer ideas on approaches that will deliver quick win-win in order to move the region and the economy forward.”

On Release of Funds: “The Executive must as a deliberate response consider immediate release of funds to ensure the implementation of the budget for the near short term to inject money into the economy.”



#6. Saraki on What the Senate Plans to Do Immediately…

Petroleum Industry Bill: “We must ensure the passage of the PIB as soon as possible to stimulate new investment and boost oil revenue. As we all know, this bill is long in waiting and is very crucial for vital investment in the oil and gas sector. The impasse of not passing the bill is doing great harm to the industry and the Nigerian economy as a whole.”

Mortgages: “Mortgages remain key for us in the National Assembly and we will immediately begin the process of accelerating bills aimed at reforming the subsector for growth and accessibility in a manner that deepens our peoples access to housing.”

Economic Reform Bills: “…the Nigerian Ports and Harbours Authority Act (Amendment) Bill 2016; National Road Fund (Establishment, etc); National Transport Commission Act 2001; Warehouse Receipts Act Bill 2016; Review of the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA), Investment and Securities Act (ISA) and Customs and Excise Management Act; Federal Competition Bill 2016; and the National Road Authority. In my view, these bills and some of the other economic reform bills we will be considering in the coming days will be critical in the creation of a basic framework to free up capital and provide the opportunities to get us out of this recession.”

APC Senate Caucus Meeting Unite Members

For the first time in the 15-month life of the Eighth Senate, All Progressives Congress (APC) senators held what can be called a successful unity caucus meeting in which members forgot their differences and discussed issues affecting Nigeria, the federal legislature and the fortune of their party.

The meeting which lasted for two hours was held in the private residence of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki and was attended by 50 senators from the two hitherto existing groups in the party.

The meeting was held preparatory to the resumption of the Red Chamber of the federal legislature tomorrow Tuesday and took place about the same time the People's Democratic Party (PDP) senators also had their own caucus meeting at another venue under the leadership of Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.


What surprised many was the convivial atmosphere as Senators discussed freely and after the meeting exchanged jokes and engaged in banters and back-slapping.

During the meeting, the APC senators discussed the proposed debate on the economic recession which will be spear-headed by the Senate President during the Tuesday plenary and agreed that members should take leadership in the efforts to find solution to the economic crisis.

They praised the efforts of the Senate president in promoting unity among members and his decision to facilitate debates towards finding tangible solutions to the economic recession in the country.

The Senators also noted that by the end of next year, election issues will be very dominant in the polity and that there was need for the Senate to fast-track debates and passage of key bills before the time when partisan engagements will divert  the attention of Senators.

They agreed that they should persuade their colleagues to always endeavour to be prompt at plenary so that sitting would always commence early and that the Senate should engage with the executive on the implementation of constituency projects as a way of spreading federal presence to the nooks and crannies of the country.

Other issues discussed at the meeting include image and public perception of the National Assembly, need to hold the caucus meeting regularly and the need to be methodical in the work of the Senate.

They resolve to fast-track the passage of bills, motions, public hearings, oversight, committee work and other legislative activities so as to ensure the Senate achieve more before its tenure will expire.

The meeting may have created a new chapter in the relationship between APC Senators. The ruling party has a majority of 60 Senators in the 109-member chamber.

End

Recession: Saraki Takes Buy-Made-In-Nigeria Campaign To Manufacturers

In furtherance of his resolve to promote Made in Nigeria products as one of the ways out of the current economic recession,  Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Monday assured the nation's manufacturers that the National Assembly would do all it takes to ensure maximum patronage for their goods and services by government agencies and Nigerians alike.

According to Saraki who spoke while receiving the President of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs, who led other members of the executives of the group on a visit to his office in Abuja, the Senate will not rest until the country overcomes her present economic hardship occasioned by the recession.

He said apart from the Public Procurement Act which has been amended by the Senate to drastically reduce the time wasted in the process of procurement and award of contracts by the Federal Government, the Senate has also amended the Railways Act and made provision for private investment in the sector.

He added that the National Assembly will continue to enact relevant legislation to fast-track the diversification of the economy by the executive as well as to ensure stability in government's economic policies.

Saraki, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Sanni Onogu in Abuja, said: "We are very concerned about the situation of the economy. It is our primary focus for the next few months and I am sure with the support of everybody, we will get the country out of it.

"We will do whatever is necessary to find solution to the crisis because Nigeria comes first. We are not afraid to say what we have to say. Where we find ourselves today, we cannot continue to apportion blames but to search for solutions. And your coming here is part of our search for solution. We will take some of your suggestions and we will make sure we work together.

"I want to assure you that this 8th Senate is very committed to work very closely with MAN and to support local industries. Before your visit, we have been very strong on how to revive the economy. We have engaged the Nigerian Economic Summit Group. We have engaged with the private sector to come out with bills that will support the economy of the country. We are looking at how to improve on Bills that affect doing business.

"As you must have known that we have passed the bill on procurement law, an amendment with two areas of interest. One area was to shorten the time it takes for government to process the award of contracts.

"You will find out that this is one area where so much time is lost and by the time the budget is approved they will go to tender the bills and in the process, you will find out that almost the entire year is gone. What we are hoping is that the House of Representatives  will concur with us so that the law will be effective immediately.

"Also, part of what we passed in that law is to make it compulsory for government to patronize locally produced goods. This is the practice you see in other countries," Saraki said.

Earlier, President of MAN, Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs, urged the National Assembly to ensure stability of relevant government's economic policies like the Export Expansion Grant (EEG) through appropriate legislation.

Dr. Jacobs commended the diversification drive of the present administration adding that efforts should be geared towards focusing on the non-oil sector.

He also called for appropriate manufacturing financing that would enable manufacturers to access loans with five per cent interest rates as well as the inclusion of local content in locally produced goods.

END

‎Press Release 
September 15, 2016

Saraki Calls for  Implementations of UN Resolutions on Environmental Issues

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Thursday advocated political will on the part of world leaders towards the implementation of resolutions on environmental issues.

The Senate President spoke when a delegation of the Working Group on Environmental Audit of African Organisation of the Supreme Audit Institutions (AFROSAI WGEA) paid a courtesy visit on him at the National Assembly, Abuja.

Dr. Saraki who was responding to the address by the leader of the delegation, acknowledged that some of the issues already highlighted remains to be implemented for development due to absence of appropriate political will by the leaders.

He said,  “I think some key points you said, some of the agreements you talk about that you have signed with some organisations, the point is how far have they have gone on implementation? Who is making sure that they are being  implemented?

"By the time we leave all those conferences as politicians, we shake hands with ourselves, we take pictures, the real issues are these commitments. Are they being met.

"I think these are the areas we truly want to say that what you are doing will play a key role to ensure that some of these environmental policies and solutions that we put aside are addressed," he said.

According to the Senate President, “In Nigeria, we talk about deforestation, we talk about oil spillage,  and it is clear that it is affecting the lives of our people all over. This shows us the point we are and what we need to do.

"I think we don’t need to wait every 10 years for the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to do reports. Groups like this can keep us constantly on our toes and I appreciate the fact that the Auditor-General have also decided to identify ways, apart from your core mandate, of addressing the issue of environment. 

“So, I want to commend the efforts you are doing and to assure you that we are going to cooperate to bring more successes to what you are doing.

"We can do that as part of efforts to make your work easier and to bring more success to what you are doing. I think that it will go a long way in helping and making the environment much more better.”

The Senate President commended the relevance of AFROSAI on environmental issues, saying, "I want to commend the work you are doing and definitely to show you that the Senate and the National Assembly will do our best to give you the necessary support as a necessary advocacy and awareness in order for you to do what you have set out to do.

"You have captured some key issues that I have always talked about. I will continue to say that the environment is a subject matter that is battling with a numbers of issues like poverty, infrastructure development and so on,  and different countries have pushed it to the back thinking it  is not as important as it is. The impact of environmental issues on every facet of our social economic development cannot be underestimated," he stated. 

According to the leader of the delegation, Mrs. Mbah Acha Rose Fomundam, the AFROSAI - WGEA is mandated to  contribute to the understanding by  member Institutions on specific issues linked to environmental auditing, facilitate the exchange of information and experiences among Supreme Audit Institutions,   update and improve standards and tools for environmental audit, including dissemination of guidelines and other current materials on the environment.

She also said that the  theme of this year’s meeting hosted by Nigeria, is “Working together for a sustainable and healthy environment in Africa"  explaining that  this  theme calls on all to respect the environment, the common heritage without which no life is possible.

Accordingly, the leader of the delegation of AFROSAI said, "This theme goes beyond simple respect; as it also invites us to adopt a vision, to strengthen our ties and to adopt an active and optimistic attitude – that of working together for sustainability."

For some years now, she said, "environmental sustainability has become a global challenge, synonymous to responsibility towards future generations. Through many initiatives, conferences and summits, world leaders came to the understanding that the natural resources of the earth are not unlimited."

Mrs. Mbah said that recently, world leaders gathered at the  United Nations  General Assembly Meeting in September 2015 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development where they  adopted the  Agenda 2030, which is a global development program with 17 Sustainable Development Goals, to be implemented by the year 2030.

"Yet, the observation is that despite the signing of multilateral agreements on the environment and established Institutions, current scientific studies reveal that many of the planet’s ecosystems have rapidly deteriorated over the last twenty years.

"At the same time, citizens have increasingly expected that organizations that hurt the environment be held accountable for their actions. Many citizens feel that Government declarations concerning the environment and sustainable development should be subject to independent audits to assess the extent to which they are implemented," she stated.

Chuks Okocha: Special Assistant to the Senate President on Print Media

Following Senate Probe, Buhari Orders Arrest of Officials Diverting IDP’s Food

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday, directed that the police should arrest and make an example of government officials accused of stealing food aid intended for Internally Displaced People in the North East.

Many will recall that last week, following reports of hundreds of female IDPs staging a peaceful protest in Borno to draw attention to the severe hunger and nutrition in the camps, the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, called on the Nigeria Police Force, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and other law enforcement agencies to quickly investigate the diversion of food aid deliveries, stating that the Senate would investigate the severe hunger and nutrition crisis in the Internally Displaced Persons camps in the North-East.

Buhari’s spokesman, Garba Shehu, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation on Thursday that “The president has asked the Inspector General of the police to catch some of these alleged thieves, to look out for them and make public examples of them.”

Earlier today, the Senate President stated that accountability will be the key to ensure the development of the North East, emphasising that oversight must be a necessary component in the nation’s efforts to rehabilitate the insurgency-ravaged North East zone.

Saraki further stated that when the eighth Senate resumes sitting later in the month, the humanitarian crisis in the North East will be a high priority, mentioning that a motion would also be introduced to create a Senate Ad-Hoc Committee to conduct a Public Hearing on the humanitarian response in the North East.

The aim of the public hearing would be to review the recommendations of domestic and international partners operating in the geopolitical subregion in order to develop a sustainable framework for Nigeria’s emergency and humanitarian crisis management for the North East and future complex emergencies.

Recall that as part of the activities marking the 2016 World Humanitarian Day in August, Saraki sent a technical team to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to conduct interviews with both domestic and international stakeholders working in the internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. The team interacted with officials and volunteers of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), and international aid organisations operating in the region.

The purpose of the visit was to collect information about the emergency relief, recovery and rehabilitation efforts in Borno State.

END

How Senate Plans to Stimulate an Economy in Recession
August 28, 20160789

Saraki...this Senate is committed to addressing the nation's challenges


2
Chuks Okocha

The passage of the Public Procurement Bill by the 8th Senate would not have come at a more auspicious time than now. The bill when concurred to by the House of Representatives and assented into law by President Muhammadu Buhari would turn out to be the tonic needed to grow the Nigerian economy that is said to be currently in recession.

The reasons for this is simple. The bill will help to curb the frequent capital flight and increase the patronage of local content by empowering local companies to produce locally made goods. Also, it will help fight and reduce corruption in this era of crusade against corruption. In other words, the bill when eventually passed into law will enhance transparency and competitiveness, the ingredients needed for national growth.



For instance, in section 34 of the bill titled, ‘Domestic Preference’ it says, “A procuring entity shall grant a margin of preference in the evaluation of tenders, when comparing tenders from domestic bidders with those from foreign bidders or when comparing tenders from domestic suppliers offering goods manufactured locally with those offering goods manufactured abroad.”

This is a welcomed development as preferences would be given to goods made in Nigeria.
This is by no means meant to whittle down standards. No. There are several made in Nigeria goods that can compete favourably with foreign made goods, but due to the craze for foreign goods, such locally manufactured goods suffer neglect, whereas goods that are of sub-standard qualities are given patronage by Nigerians. A very good example is in the textile industry. This law will help in curbing capital flight and improving the value of the local currency, the Naira. By so, doing, that is, by increased preferential patronage of the local industries, the usual practice of transferring profit to the home country of the manufactures would be gradually reduced. The new bill has capacity to also assist and support local business community to become competitive and efficient suppliers to the public sector.

One of the problems of public procurement in Nigeria is delayed payment by government agencies. But this bill has an answer that would cure this. In section 37, it proposed payment of interests for any delayed payment. This would act as a panacea to local competitors that took bank loans to execute government contracts.

There are several Nigerian companies (from all sectors) that are technically competent and with human capacity but lack the requisite capital to compete or bid for contracts to be awarded by government ministries and agencies, However in the proposed amendment that have been passed by the senate, the usual practice of 15 percent mobilisation fee is to be increased. Under the new plan, the mobilisation fee is to be increased to not more than 25 perrcent. This idea is to give financial strength to technically competent Nigerians companies to bid and tender for big government contracts.

Another aspect of this bill, especially in this era of the anti corruption mantra, is the open competitive bidding. According to section 24 of the bill, “ all procurement of goods and works by all procurement entities shall be conducted by open competitive bidding.” This means that every thing that regards government procurement shall be transparently done. Bye bye to ‘long leg and god fatherism’. Every qualified bidder shall be given equal opportunity.

This bill that is currently awaiting concurrence by the House of Representatives will seek to harmonise all government policies as regards procurement in standards and benchmarks. It will also ensure application of fair competition, cost effectiveness and professionalism in the public sector procurement system.

It is in line with this position that the chairman of the Senate Committee on Industry, Senator Sam Egwu, said that he championed a bill that amended the Procurement Act to encourage local manufacturers to invest more in local production. He also said the bill, if passed by the National Assembly and assented to by President Muhammadu Buhari, would put an end to capital flight.

Sam Egwu, who threw more light on why he proposed an amendment to the existing act, said his decision was predicated on what he termed as “high quantum of capital flight taking place in the country on yearly basis.” He explained that the new legislation made it compulsory for ministries, departments and agencies of government to first seek to procure certain percentage of locally made goods before considering foreign products, where such local products are available.

According to the former governor of Ebonyi State, “I was inspired by the fact that I realised that a lot of money is appropriated for capital projects every year and most of these funds end up in the hands of foreign companies that produce the goods and services that we need.

“This is because once a budget is passed, it simply goes for procurement of goods and services. Then you start asking yourself, what is the fate of this huge amount of money that has been appropriated in a local economy?
“You will find out that more often than not the money so appropriated just ends up in capital flight because the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) will end up the procurement with foreign goods and services, leaving our local manufacturers who produce such things without patronage.

“You know that importation is not done with the local currency; importation is done with foreign currency, and this causes a lot of pressure on the foreign reserve, and it keeps depleting everyday. But when we now patronise our made in Nigeria goods, there will be no need for much pressure on our forex”.

Egwu also stated that the Senate, in the new proposal, increased the contract mobilisation fee from the current 15 per cent to 25 per cent, as a means of addressing the issue of rampant cases of abandoned projects across the country. According to him, when contractors are mobilised with reasonable percentage of the contract sum, they will have no reason not to execute the project but when the mobilisation fee is small, they can be tempted to leave the contract undone.

He also stated that the improved mobilisation fee would facilitate timely completion of contract procurement process, which used to drag under the extant procurement Act. He further explained that the Senate decided to remove the power of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to approve contracts and ceded the power to the National Council on Public Procurement, NCPP. The legislator pointed out that the National Council on Public Procurement would be made up of professionals and bureaucrats, who know the right decisions to take in order to make things work.

For instance, Egwu noted that the Senate also approved the inclusion of Nigerian institute of Architects and the Nigerian Institute of Quantity Surveyors as members of the Council.
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, who did not hide his excitement over the passage of the bill by 8th Senate, said that the new amendments to the act would help stimulate the nation’s economy.

According to the Senate President, “We all have a role to play to ensure that the Executive complies, especially in the area of giving first priority to locally produced goods.
“This has helped many countries to develop when they had issues of downturn in their economy.
“I want to commend my colleagues for passing this bill,” he said.

The passage of this all important bill is in line with the agenda of the 8th senate to encourage local manufacturers by championing procurement of made in Nigeria goods and enthrowing transparency into the economy.
–– Chuks Okocha is a Special Assistant to the President of Senate on Print Media.

Saraki: Senate Will Investigate IDPs Hunger/Nutrition Crisis


President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Saturday stated that the Senate will investigate the severe hunger and nutrition crisis in the IDP camps in the North East. Last Thursday,  hundreds of women from camps in Borno State took to peaceful protest and barricaded the Maiduguri-Kano/Jos Road.

While reacting to the protest, Saraki described the development as desperate and reiterated his calls for better coordination amongst government and international aid agencies. He again emphasised the need for Nigeria to quickly operationalise a more effective and efficient humanitarian response infrastructure to address the dire situation.

“It is important that we all focus on eliminating the coordination, access and food supply issues hindering us from successfully feeding the millions of IDPs. This is particularly important for the many children who are dying daily from starvation. It should break every Nigerians heart to know that our own women and children are enduring such horrendous hardships", he stated.

The Senate President further called on the  Police, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other law enforcement agencies to quickly move to investigate the diversion of food aid deliveries, stressing that government officials and contractors should be held to account for how truckloads of provisions intended for the IDP camps mysteriously went missing.

“Anyone that is found to be diverting the food aid deliveries should be investigated and brought to book if investigations prove their participation in these vicious schemes. Profiting from a complex humanitarian crisis is unacceptable. The people of the North East have suffered enough indignities in the past four years from the marauding Boko Haram terrorists. Stealing food meant for starving children is beyond the pale and only adds insult to injury", Saraki stated.

Saraki had recently called for an International Summit on the North East - similar to the one held in London for Syria which raised about $10 million.  He also plans to offer a motion on the situation in the North East when the Senate reconvenes from recess next month.

The motion specifically calls for the establishment of a Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on the North East. Additionally, the motion will call for the conduct of a public hearing for the purpose of the Senate to use its oversight powers to review Nigeria's humanitarian policies, better understand the current humanitarian coordination infrastructure and hear testimony from witnesses representing the government, humanitarian experts and the IDPs themselves.  

"The situation in the North East has been underreported and under resourced for far too many years. In terms of scale and complexity, the situation in the North East is more dire than South Sudan. Yet, apparently the crisis appears not to be sexy or star-studded enough to attract greater international attention and support", he stated.

Signed

Yusuph Olaniyonu 
Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to Senate President

Sahara Reporters's Story is a Mere Fairy Tale, Says Saraki

Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki has described the story by an online medium, Sahara Reporters insisting that the money stolen during an Abuja robbery incident in which some soldiers and Department of State Security (DSS) officials were arrested belong to him as another fairy tale and outright falsehood, which are the hallmarks of the medium. He said the money does not belong to him.

In a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki reiterated his earlier statement that he knew nothing about the money and that the security agencies have on their own confirmed that the money belong to the operator of an Abuja based bureau de change.

"Also, the Bureau de Change operator has admitted to investigators that the money belongs to him. However, Sahara Reporters owned by one Omoyele Sowore, having realised that it goofed has been holding on to straw and piecing together inaccurate information, outright falsehood and manipulation of situations to create a story that will support their false position.

"It is unfortunate that the online medium and its sponsors are exploiting the loopholes in the law to malign the character of people, make false and exaggerated claims and even disrupt criminal investigations with the belief that they cannot be made to account for their illegal activities because they operate outside the country.

"If the medium has access to people who are fugitive from the law on allegations of robbery, should they not help the investigators by reporting to the relevant security agencies? At this point, the security agencies are advised to look at the claims made by this online medium and take appropriate step. This is another irresponsible story from the stable of an organisation that has little regards for ethics and morals of the noble profession of journalism.

"The Senate President will want Nigerians to recall that he had earlier sent a letter dated March 17, 2016 to the Director General of the DSS and followed up with a reminder calling on him to investigate the robbery case and let members of the public know the outcome so as to establish that he has nothing to do with the stolen funds. By now, one would have expected the SSS to have concluded their investigation and make public the outcome.

"Also, the medium claimed that Dr. Saraki live in an official quarters, a claim that is far from the truth. The Senate President lives in his private residence in Maitama, Abuja. Members of the public can recall that Saraki and Speaker Yakubu Dogara saved the nation N8bn which they directed should be removed from the allocation in the 2016 budget by the Federal Capital Territory Administration for the construction of their official residences. The two men said they will continue to live in their private residence as they cannot approve more than N1bn each for the construction of official residence which had a vote of N10 billion originally allocated to it.


"Once again, we made bold to say that Dr. Saraki has nothing to do with the money stolen from a Bureau de Change operator in a robbery incident involving some soldiers and DSS agents. When the incident of theft in his Ilorin office occurred, we quickly made a statement stating the facts. 

"It should be clear to members of the public that Sahara Reports clearly take delight in publishing falsehood and running down decent people in the society. On several occasions it has published false reports concerning the Senate President's case at the CCT and each time it is proved that it's reports are false, the medium will move on as if nothing has happened. Many top public officers have been victims of the blackmail game by this organisation.

"It is only in a country like ours that online media which disseminate information for public consumption will be acting without laws and regulation to guide their activities. The importance of the role of the online media in today's Nigeria places a social responsibility on them to be self regulated and act in line with global best practices. It is believed that in a society that is asking for change, the change should not be restricted to people in public offices, it should also extend to operators of private institutions that serve public purposes like the online media", the statement noted.


Signed

Yusuph Olaniyonu

Press Release
August 16, 2016

Rio Olympics: Go For Gold, Saraki Urges Nigerian Team

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki on Tuesday called on Team Nigeria at the ongoing Rio Olympics Football games to strive to get the gold medal because only the best is good for their determination, resilience and display of soccer skills.

In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, Saraki specifically commended the superlative performance of the U-23 Eagles team so far, in spite of the initial hiccups.

Saraki said: "The resilience, determination and winning streak of the Dream Team VI in the men’s football event at the Rio Olympics excite me and rekindle my hope that Nigeria can once again get the coveted gold medal like we did in Atlanta, in 1996.

"With the focus and team spirit we have seen in your games so far, we are upbeat that we can repeat the 1996 Atlanta feat. Therefore, I urge you not to settle for less. I look forward to a resounding victory in your semi-final encounter against Germany on Wednesday," he said.

The Senate President however called on Nigerians to borrow a leaf from the indomitable spirit of the nation's Dream Team VI and always display patriotism even in the face of challenges to make their country great.

"With positive attitude and determination, we shall surmount our present socio-economic challenges as a nation. The Under-23 Team has demonstrated our innate capacity to rise above challenges and achieve success. This season calls for the can-do-spirit. Let every Nigerian come together and pray for this team to win the gold. Our prayers should also be extended to other athletes who are still competing in the Games.

"Again, from now on, all Nigerians should come together and act as one football team in bringing development to our country, respecting the law, patronising our locally made products, striving for the best for our country, shunning vices, making patriotism our badge of honour and showing that we are proud to be Nigerians and ready to bear the burden and benefits of our citizenship", he stated.

END

Signed:

Yusuph Olaniyonu
Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, to the Senate President

PRESS RELEASE

APC YOUTHS TO EFCC: YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO ARREST BLOGGER

The All Progressives Congress Youth Forum (APYF), on Monday (August 8th, 2016) night accused the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of abusing its powers under the law by sending its operatives to pick up one of the Forum’s founding members, Mr. Abubakar “Abusidiq” Sidiq Usman, on charges of cyberstalking.

A statement released by the EFCC earlier on Monday claimed that Abusidiq was arrested and questioned on offences that allegedly contravene the Cyber Crime Act.

In a statement signed by Olu Onemola, the the National Public Relations Officer of the Forum, the APYF condemned the filing of spurious charges against Abusidiq, stating that if the EFCC’s actions was left unchecked, it could dent the institutional credibility of the financial watchdog and the perception of the adherence to the rule of law of the entire President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government.

The APYF further stated that it would be utilising all the protections and legal recourses that are available to citizens in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“We will be petitioning the Attorney General of the Federation to call the EFCC and its Chairman to order,” the APYF said, “We will [also] be filing a petition with the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges to express our unease on the abuse of institutional powers by one of Nigeria’s leading institutions.”

The APYF also stated that it would be filing a freedom of speech fundamental rights enforcement under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria against the EFCC and its Acting Chairman — on whose orders the armed operatives acted.

The Forum further called for the immediate and unconditional release of Abusidiq, stating that it intended to see the government fulfil its mandate to fight corruption and impunity, hence, it would be holding the government accountable for all its actions.


Read the Full Statement Below:

CALLING THE EFCC TO ORDER: STATEMENT BY THE APYF ON THE ARREST OF ABUSIDIQ

On Monday, August 8th, 2016, one of the founding members of the All Progressives Congress Youth Forum (APYF), Mr. Abubakar Sidiq Usman (Abusidiq), the founder and owner of the blog abusidiqu.com was picked up from his home by armed operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), purportedly under the orders of the Acting Chairman of the Commission, Ibrahim Magu.

A statement released by the Commission claims that Abusidiq was arrested and questioned on offences that allegedly contravene the Cyber Crime Act.

The APYF wishes to condemn in the strongest possible terms the arrest and filing of spurious charges against Abusidiq, by an agency that has obviously overstepped its jurisdiction and crossed beyond the purview of its responsibilities which are to combat financial and economic crimes.

From the EFCC establishment act, “The Commission is empowered to prevent, investigate, prosecute and penalise economic and financial crimes and is charged with the responsibility of enforcing the provisions of other laws and regulations relating to economic and financial crimes.”

From the aforementioned, the APYF wishes to state in the clearest possible terms that the EFCC lacks the powers to put forward such charges against Abusidiq on the grounds of cyberstalking as it is not within their mandate to do so.

As an organisation that believes firmly in the rule of law, moving forward the APYF will be utilising all the protections and legal recourses that are available to citizens in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

1. We will be petitioning the Attorney General of the Federation to call the EFCC and its Chairman to order - as these allegations if left unchecked can dent the institutional credibility of the Commission in particular, and the perception of the adherence to the rule of law of the entire government.

2. We will be filing a petition with the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges to express our unease on the abuse of institutional powers by one of Nigeria’s leading institutions in the fight against corruption, and to raise questions on the suitability of the Acting Chairman to serve in a confirmed capacity.

3. We will be filing a freedom of speech fundamental rights enforcement under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria against the EFCC and its Acting Chairman — on whose orders the armed operatives acted.

In this regard, the APYF calls for the immediate and unconditional release of Abusidiq, and wishes to reiterate our commitment to seeing this government fulfil its mandate to fight corruption and impunity. Hence, we intend to do so by holding the government accountable for all its actions. Now, and always.


Signed:

Olu Wole Onemola
APYF National Public Relations Officer

Saraki Congratulates NGE's President, Egbemode

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Sunday, congratulated Mrs. Funke Egbemode, on her official confirmation as the President of the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), during the guild's 12th annual conference in Port Harcourt last week.

Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, in Abuja, noted that Egbemode, who is the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief, New Telegraph Newspaper, is a square peg in a square hole having risen through the ranks to get to her present position.

The Senate President stated that though the requirements of the new responsibility are Herculean, he had no doubts about the ability of the new president to take the NGE to the next.

He said: "Mrs Egbemode is not just a technocrat and media executive of repute, she is a professional per excellence. She is a living exemple of the saying that 'what men can do,  women can do better' even though practitioners n the media  are generally referred to as 'gentlemen.'

"I believe that her confirmation as the new President will not only mark a positive turning point for the NGE, it would also serve as an inspiration for more Nigerian women to get to the heights of the journalism profession," he said.

He urged Mrs Egbemode to bring to bear, in her new duties, her track record of excellence by leading the needed change in the journalism profession in the country with the aim of making it more responsive and development-centred.

"Your confirmation as the new President of the Guild could not have come at a better time than now. I am confident that you are well equipped to champion the necessary reforms that would place the NGE and the journalism profession in the country at par with their counterparts in the western world," he added.

He further reiterated his call on the NGE to join hands with the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) and other relevant stakeholders to rid the noble pen profession of quacks and impostors whose activities daily undermine the credibility of the true professionals.

SARAKI COMMENDS UNICEF’s DECISION TO RESUME AID WORK IN N/EAST

-Urges probe of alleged Diversion of Relief Items to IDPs


Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on Tuesday commended the pledge of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to continue providing relief assistance to millions in the North-east, despite last  Thursday’s (June 28th, 2016) attack on a Its relief convoy that left two aid workers, one contractor and two soldiers  injured.

In a Statement by his  Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, the Senate President also called on the Security agencies and the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami to investigate the allegations that some aid deliverables meant for the internally displaced persons are being diverted by officials in charge of distributing to the people.

The Senate President applauded UNICEF for not turning its back on the troubled zone, which has witnessed increased cases of malnutrition - primarily amongst women and children - since the Boko Haram insurgency in the region led to suspension of agricultural activities, destroyed markets, and hindered access to clean water.


http://www.abubakarbukolasaraki.com/saraki-commends-unicefs-decision-to-resume-aid-work-in-neast/

Labour Hails Governors Who Pay Salaries, Pension; Describes Gov @AbdulfataAhmed Labour Friendly

http://newsdiaryonline.com/labour-hails-governors-pay-salariespension-promptly/

Organized labour has hailed state governors that “promptly pay” monthly salaries of workers and pensions of retirees as it charges defaulting governors to put an end to what it calls “crisis of workers’ compensation” in their respective states. Comrade Issa Aremu, General Secretary, Textile Workers’ Union and member NEC of NLC in a statement in Kaduna at the weekend commended the renewed energy of NLC leadership to ensure public employees in states are paid as at when due. Comrade Aremu also backed the joint Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) 30-day ultimatum issued to Kogi state Government to pay 7-month outstanding workers’ salaries failing which the state faces total labour protests as he also urged government ministries at Federal and State levels to remit contributory pensions of their workers to Pension Fund Administrators (PFAs).
Comrade Aremu singled out Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, ALHAJI ABDULFATAH AHMED OF KWARA STATE and Malam Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State as “labour-friendly” state governors who pay salaries, pensions, promotion increments and yearly increments of their civil servants. According to the labour leader “the greatest assets of states are their employees” saying governors can only demand for discipline and improved productivity from their employees if their workforce are well motivated.

Aremu observed that nothing including declining oil revenue could justify delayed or non-payment of workers’ salaries adding that payments of salaries and pension are legitimate entitlements and mark of corporate responsibility of any employer and urged governors to reorder their resources in such a way that labour is seen as a critical factor of development before anything else. “Who ever employs must pay the working man or woman as at when due” he said. He likened non-payment of salaries to what he called “economicide”, which he describes as “a systemic destruction of lives of workers on account of lack of means of livelihood adding that many workers have died due to non-payment of salaries that were never adequate even when promptly paid”.
Meanwhile Comrade Aremu also urged Governors who regularly pay their core civil servants to ensure their local government employees and teachers are also regularly paid. He said “state workers are not divisible” when it comes to compensation just as when it comes to workers’ service delivery and productivity to the state. He said governors can only be certified “labour friendly” if all workers in their states, private and public sectors, local and state employees are equally dignified with prompt salaries payment.

While hailing President Buhari for bailing out debtor states in meeting the pay obligations to their workers, he said state governors must apply same principle to debtor-local governments adding that 1999 Constitution says that the primary duty and responsibility as well as the primary purpose of government is the security and welfare of the people which can only be made possible with “suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, reasonable national (minimum) living wage, old age care and pensions, and unemployment, sick benefits and welfare of the disabled”.

As the economy is officially acknowledged to be in recession, the labour leader urged Buhari administration to intensify move towards reindustrialization through diversification and what he called “wage-led economic recovery”. He observed that Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) had raised the alarm about low demand for locally produced goods, leading to high inventories and low capacity utilization. “Nigeria can only diversify its economy if workers as consumers are well paid to patronize locally produced goods and services”. He also observed that Anti-corruption campaign cannot be sustained when workers do not receive adequate salaries on time. “A hungry worker is not only angry but vulnerable to graft. There is a link between economic growth and wage payment” he noted.

Kwara Releases Details of July Allocation

The Kwara State government has released its federal allocation figures for the month of July, 2016.
According to a statement issued on Friday by the State Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Banu, the State government received a total sum of N3, 117, 634, 155.58 from the federation account as allocation for July.

Giving a breakdown, Alhaji Banu disclosed that the State government got a statutory revenue allocation (SRA) of N1, 964, 362, 872.63; VAT of N621, 720, 038.40; Exchange Difference of N473, 821. 529.00; and proceeds from solid minerals, N57, 729, 715.55, totaling N3, 117, 634, 155.58.

While giving details of the federal allocation received by the 16 local government councils in the State, the Finance Commissioner said that the LGs got a total of N2, 233, 730, 999.61 as July allocation.

Figures released by him shows that the LGs received a statutory allocation of N1, 532, 966, 930.89; VAT of N352, 531, 877.20; exchange difference of N312, 517, 416.19; and proceeds from solid minerals, N35, 714, 775.33, making a total of N2, 233, 730, 999.61.


While stressing that the details of allocation to each local government council will be made public after the Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC) meeting next week, Alhaji Banu expressed optimism that with this month's increased allocation, local government councils should be able to meet more of their contractual obligations.

*Private Sector Can Now participate in Nigerian Railway Industry*

This morning, I signed the Senate’s version of the Repeal and Re-enactment of the Nigerian Railway Corporation Act of 1955. This re-enactment, which is coming nearly 61 years after the act first came into existence, is significant because it provides a legislative framework that opens up Nigeria’s railway system to private sector participation.

The changes in the law are also aimed at promoting competition in the railway system - in order to make the service more affordable, effective and accessible to every single Nigerian. Furthermore, the framework which the Senate has passed places emphasis on the maintenance culture of our rail systems.

I would like to commend the Senate Committee on Land Transport, led by Senator Gbenga Ashafa for the thorough job that they did in putting together the final version of the Bill.

I am equally delighted that the Nigerian Society of Engineers are in support of this Bill, as a message I received from the Chairman of the Society earlier today expressed that the 8th Senate has achieved a feat that “seemed like an impossibility for more than 40 years.”

Moving forward, it is my hope that this Bill, which was a key focus at the breakout session on Land Infrastructure at the National Assembly Business Environment Roundtable (NASSBER) earlier this year, will be given expedited passage in the House of Representatives and signed into law by Mr. President for the benefit of Nigerians across the country.

Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki

*FULL LIST OF RESHUFFLED SENATE COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN*

1)Senator Hope Uzodinma, Chairman, Senate Committee on Customs

2)Senator Adamu Aliero, Chairman Senate Committee on Aviation

3)Senator Oluremi Tinubu, Chairman, Senate Committee on Environment

4)Senator Kabiru Marafa, Chairman, Senate Committee on Downstream Petroleum

5)Senator Jibrin Barau, Chairman, Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND

6)Senator Binta Marsi Garba, Chairman, Senate Committee on Women Affairs

7)Senator Joshua Dariye, Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Procurement

Senator James Manager, Chairman, Senate Committee on Solid Minerals

9)Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, Chairman, Senate Committee on Power

10Senator Hunkuyi Suleiman, Chairman, Senate Committee on National Identity

11)Senator Suleiman Adokwe, Chairman, Senate Committee on National Orientation and Information

12)Senator Jide Omoworare, Chairman, Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance

13)Senator Baba Kaka Garbai, Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business

14)Senator Tijani Kaura, Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Character

15) Senator Ahmed Ogembe, Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Marine Transport

16)Senator Omo Agege, Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Land Transport

17)Senator Philip Aduda, Vice-Chairman, Senate Committee on Downstream Petroleum

JUST IN: Buhari’s Govt Has No Economic Blueprint – Senate
July 21, 2016Akorede Shakir
• Senator Olujimi alleged that the Buhari’s government is devoid of economic direction
• Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun argued that the government is only a government of truth and reality
• Adeosun admitted that the country is currently in economic recession

As the Senate quizzes the Minister of Finance on the fiscal policies set to salvage the nation’s economy, the Buhari’s government has been said to lack efficient economic direction.

Senator Biodun Olujimi (Ekiti South, PDP) made this damning allegation today, July 21, when taking her turn to query the Minister.

The female senator alleged that the Buhari’s government has neither economic blueprint nor an economic team.

In her words, “27 states can’t pay salaries; the markets are dry; no one is selling nor buying while the Minister paints a rosy picture.”

Battling the pejorative accusations, Mrs. Adeosun spoke vehemently to defend the government. “I disagree that we don’t have an economic management team,” she responded.

Asked if the country is currently in an economic recession, Adeosun however, admitted saying: technically, Yes, we are.
On the other hand, she argued that the economic team of the ‘change’ government stands for transparency and truth. In strong words, Adeosun stressed: “even if the truth is not fine, we will continue telling the truth.”

She clarified further:

“The fundamental thing needed to diversify the economy is infrastructure we are attacking the infrastructure deficits.

“Our focus towards economic diversification is to bridge the infrastructural gap.

“The previous administration was borrowing to pay salaries. We were taking panadol when we had cancer.

“We are not immune to the sufferings of Nigerians. It affects us all and we are doing all we can to assuage it.”

Mrs. Adeosun barely escaped the scathing daggers that came her way from all angles of the senate chamber; THE BRIEF witnessed the drilling moment.

It would be recalled that the economic team of the Buhari’s administration is ably championed by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

Since the inception of the administration, Nigerians have continued to suffer abjectly as a result of the downturn that has crippled the economy of the country.

 

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*SARAKI REMAINS A PROUD MEMBER OF APC*

The attention of the Senate President's Media Team has been drawn to a false publication that is making the rounds on social media that Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki has defected from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC). This fabrication is entirely untrue as the Senate President stands committed to the APC; a party that he helped midwife and worked for its victory in the 2015 elections.

In his official capacity as Senate President and chairman, National Assembly, he attended the end of session event of the PDP caucus yesterday evening and spent only 30 minutes before leaving the members to continue with the event.

The Senate President would like to assure every Nigerian that he is committed to the APC-led government and appreciates the confidence reposed in him and the APC during the 2015 General Elections.

Signed,

Bamikole Omishore
Special Assistant New Media to President of The Senate.

*Saraki Keeps Promise as Senate Discusses Malnutrition in N/East,*


*Challenges International Partners to Intervene

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, today kept his promise that the Senate would weigh in on the malnutrition crisis that is plaguing the North East,  following the Boko Haram insurgency that ravaged the zone.


At its plenary on today (Wednesday), Senate debated a point of order raised by Sen. Baba Kaka Garbai (APC - Borno Central), which was aimed at addressing the acute malnutrition in the country and resolved that the Ministry of Finance should release necessary funds to the North East while the Federal Government should  coordinate donations from the private sector to the region.

Writing on his social media pages, Saraki noted that it was unacceptable for an average of 134 children to die everyday from starvation-related causes. He called on private sector and international partners to support the federal and state governments in the rehabilitation, resettlement and rebuilding efforts in the area in order to curb the humanitarian crisis brought about by malnutrition.

“We do not need to lose more lives to malnourishment. Hence, Nigeria must adopt a public-private-partnership driven approach to combat the issue of malnutrition”, he said.


   


The Senate President commended the military for the successes recorded thus far, and also praised the Borno State government for the work that it has done to alleviate the malnutrition crisis in the State.


Senate Majority Leader, Ali Ndume, while contributing to the debate, harped on the fact that the Federal Government needed to do something immediately as the situation was becoming serious.



Signed

Bamikole Omishore
Special Assistant on New Media to the Senate President