₦airaland Forum

[size=20pt]That Is A Very Big Lie, Madridguy Is Standing With Buhari Till The Final Whistle..[/size]

baybeeboi:
Oyo, Osun and Kogi civil servants right now

Federation Account allocations to the 36 states in the country have fallen by an average of N2bn per state every month, following the crash in global oil prices and the consequent economic challenges, the Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has said.

This made the 36 states to record N864bn fall in federal allocations in the last one year.

Emefiele stated this in his keynote address at the 2016 Annual Bankers Night organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria in Lagos on Friday.

He said Nigeria was facing “a classical case of economic stagflation” occasioned by external shocks.

In his speech entitled, ‘Policy options for reversing Nigeria’s economic downturn’, the CBN governor said the global crash in oil prices had also made foreign exchange inflows into the CBN to drop by an average of $2.3bn in the past 26 months.

He said, “In reality, Nigeria’s economy is currently facing a classical case of ‘stagflation’. This situation largely occurs when a country’s Gross Domestic Product is falling or stagnant, while unemployment and inflation are rising, all simultaneously.

“Given the sharp drop in oil prices, Federation Account allocations to states have dropped by an average of about N2bn monthly per state, which partly explains their inability to meet some basic recurrent expenditures, including payment of workers’ salaries.

“Similarly, average inflows of foreign exchange into the CBN have fallen by over $2.3bn every month over the last 26 months.”

Emefiele, who said the country could have been better prepared for the challenges, said lack of right policies and proper capital controls threw the country into economic crisis.

In response to recent calls for the CBN to reduce the high lending rates, he said, “The CBN would be abjectly failing on one of its cardinal objectives if it cuts interest rates at this time. He added,

Meanwhile, SUNDAY PUNCH investigations had revealed that the value of banking stocks quoted on the floor of the Nigerian Stock Exchange crashed by N2.27bn last week.

As of the last day of trading, 616.999 million shares of banks valued at N2.667bn were traded in 6,142 deals.

However, the NSE record showed that 2.632 billion banking shares valued at N4.935bn were traded in 10,882 deals.

kcmichael:
Yes I am addressing u as p!ural because una plenty for nl,so convey the message to them.

kcmichael:
Wailers spotted.APC has won ondo already

GudluckIBB:
This Buhari has the charisma of a president, but I don't know why he has not been able to make Nigerians smile.


Its sad!

asuo27:
That one caught my attention...you wouldn't blame a girl.

asuo27:
J.Lo, that was the only thing you saw on my post.

Shouldn't you be at politics section?.

asuo27:
He did all this just to steal?.
See him long prick.

Ode!.

It is traditional in the military to talk about the morale among personnel being low or high. But there hardly seems to be a better way to describe the current mood in the two chambers of the National Assembly, than to say that the spirit of lawmakers is quite low.

The low morale in the Assembly is not unconnected to the increasingly loud complaints from members that they are cash-strapped. These days, it’s commonplace to hear lawmakers discuss how they and other colleagues are struggling to meet their financial obligations even as their salaries are seldom paid on time. Indeed, the late payment of salaries to members has contributed to the financial struggles of the lawmakers as the controversial constituency allowance is now paid along with salaries, contrary to when it was paid quarterly -with speculations up until 2014 placing the allowance of House members at N36 million. But now, lawmakers no longer have a large chunk of money quarterly to play around with, their salaries where the money has been diced into smaller chunks come late. A lawmaker confirmed to Saturday Sun, that his October salary hadn’t been paid as at last week.

Members are also complaining about the new trend, where unlike the past, largesse regularly came from the Executive through the presidency and Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), they now have to carefully request for patronage or assistance from heads of MDAs. Equally linked to the anger in the House during and after recent allegations and counter allegations of budget padding which ended with the suspension of former chairman of the House Committee on Appropriations, Abdulmumin Jibrin is the desperation of newcomers to attract projects to their constituencies. First timers who far outnumber returning lawmakers fear that due to their current financial situation, they might not be able to match potential rivals in 2019 money wise.

First term lawmakers who came in with a lot of enthusiasm were hopeful that they can influence the choice of contractors for constituency projects but they are now frustrated by the foot-dragging of talks between the National Assembly and the Executive on the possibility that the Federal Government will fund constituency projects. N100 billion was allocated in the 2016 budget for constituency projects but the Federal Government has said the economic recession has forced it to prioritise other projects much higher tthan the constituency projects. In spite of this, Saturday Sun gathered as at Thursday that funds were already being released by the Federal Government for the execution of the controversial constituency projects.

Another issue that has made life difficult for lawmakers is the allegation by Jibrin that they receive between N10 to N20 million as office maintenance allowance. Twice, a member, Ayo Omidiran raised a point of order on an infringement on her privileges, but she never got to speak on the floor, though people close to her confirmed to Saturday Sun that she wanted the issue of running costs to be discussed in plenary.

When approached by Saturday Sun, Omidiran declined comment saying the issues she wanted to raise were “internal matters”, which are not to be discussed with the press. But investigations by this paper showed that the lawmaker wanted clarification on exactly how much each member receives as running cost and the official amount allocated to standing committees. There is also the notion among lawmakers that the House is gradually recovering from the bashing it received during the budget padding crisis, hence the show of lethargy by many members, even when it comes to committee meetings and oversights. Though participation at committee level is much better than attendance during sittings, the enthusiasm shown by members at the beginning of the 8th assembly has waned to a noticeable level.

One more common cause of concern among lawmakers is their failure to recoup millions they spent before they could be elected into the National Assembly. According to section 91 of the Electoral Act, 2010 as amended, a campaign expenditure of N40m and N20m was set for Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates respectively. But some lawmakers who faced stiff competition in their constituencies have confessed at different times of spending higher amounts to get elected.

“If only some people could open up to you, they just might express their regret spending so much to become Honourable members because now, they have to thread softly when approaching heads of MDAs for one thing or the other”, said a highly placed staff of the National Assembly.

[size=15pt]Senators on the offensive[/size]

In the Senate, the situation is slightly different. Apparently frustrated that there is no more patronage from the presidency, contrary to what was obtainable in the past, Senators have launched an offensive against President Muhammadu Buhari.



Important documents or requests sent to the Senate now goes through thorough vetting and sometimes rejected. Infinitesimal details that were hitherto ignored by lawmakers, now come under scrutiny. This new stance by the Senate is perceived by pundits as a positive development. For them, the Senate is no longer a rubber stamp legislature that can be boxed into a corner by the presidency.

However, many lawmakers have temporarily abandoned the Red Chamber. Instead, they are now actively involved in oversight functions. They traverse every nook and cranny of the country where Federal Government agencies exist. Unlike in the past when certain misgivings by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government were overlooked, lawmakers are now frequently engaged in probing.

It seems the officially rich status of the National Assembly with N115 billion allocated to it in the 2016 budget, isn’t reflecting on the 8th House as there have been months of speculation that low morale had led to poor attendance in the Green Chambers. Many observers would agree that the frequently scanty Green Chambers and short time spent at plenary, especially after lawmakers resumed from their eight-week vacation, can be traced to their seeking for greener pastures outside the Three Arms Zone location of the National Assembly.

A ranking member from a North-Central state who spoke under anonymity confirmed this much to Saturday Sun, saying some members have now shared their time between their businesses and lawmaking in order to stay afloat financially.

“Would you blame those who have decided to activate their businesses or those who now supervise their business by themselves?”, he asked. He further explained: “Some people here cannot even say they gather up to one million Naira a month, yet they have as much as two million naira worth of requests coming from their constituents, so wouldn’t you understand it when they activate the businesses they had before coming here?”

Saturday Sun also gathered from lawmakers, majority of who spoke off record, that members are resorting to borrowing from banks and from old associates in order to meet their financial obligations. Investigations also showed that Speaker Yakubu Dogara, a few other principal officers of the House and wealthy lawmakers have had to assist other colleagues financially.

“ I have taken overdrafts twice from different banks since I was elected into the House. It wasn’t like this when I was in the State House of Assembly”, lamented a South-South lawmaker. He equally explained that his financial struggles, like that of his colleagues is traceable to high legal fees. “I have spent about N10 million on a lawyer who has made just four appearances for me and he is not a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. I have a friend from the North here, who engaged a SAN and has spent much more than me. Add that to the expenditure incurred to get elected and you will believe me when I say I applied for two overdrafts “, he stressed.

Though the lawmakers have started taking delivery of their Peugeot 508 official vehicles which cost about N10 million each, when it comes to spending money from their own pockets, many of them are making significant changes. Again, the South-South lawmaker gives an insight into the new direction by members of the House. “ I won’t be surprised if colleagues start being more hesitant when sending their children to universities overseas. They might sacrifice to keep those already there, but I know of members who have told me they too have to struggle to get forex, so they really have to consider sending another child for University in England or America”, he said.

Why we are broke – House Spokesman

Chairman House Committee on Media and Publicity, Abdulrazak Namdas told Saturday Sun that members have been attending plenary in good numbers. He stated that when members aren’t on the floor, they are involved in other legislative duties. “The truth is that we are still carrying out our duties as lawmakers”.

“People have to remember that the job of a lawmaker is threefold. First is to make laws, representation and thirdly, conducting oversight functions. If you don’t see someone at plenary or any other place, he could be carrying out other assignments or be prevented from being there due to unforeseen circumstances.

On the average , a member belongs to six standing committees and we have to find means to balance things out. I say this because there are people who say we should be more proactive with oversight functions, yet there are people who want us to attend plenary more and still meet with our constituents”, he added.

On the issue of lawmakers being broke, Namdas said : “in terms of us being broke or not, you must remember that Nigeria is in a recession. Almost everyone has been affected by the recession including lawmakers. But that wouldn’t stop us from doing our jobs. In fact, we have to work harder in this period to help pull the country out of recession”.

President Mohammadu Buhari yesterday lamented that the woes in the oil sector had been the cause of the current recession in the country. Speaking while inaugurating the governing boards of three parastatals of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Buhari noted that the boards were inaugurated at a time when the global petroleum industry is witnessing a downturn in purchase.

The parastatals are the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC); Nigerian Content Development Monitoring Board (NCDMB) and the Nigeria Nuclear Regulatory Authority (NNRA).

The President while inaugurating the boards yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, charged members to bring on board their worth of experiences to assist the ministry of petroleum and NNPC chart ways out of the current economic challenges facing the country.

He said the new boards will be chaired by the minister of state for petroleum, Ibe Kachukwu and are composed of selected persons who have both the experience and knowledge to drive the NNPC into harnessing its potentials as well as fulfill its expectations for the nation.

Speaking, President Buhari expressed regret that this had also translated into dwindling production by most producer nations. “Nigeria has been hit by the misfortunes of oil industry but several countries have been hit much harder,” he said.

He also explained that the boards were coming at a time when Nigeria had been hit by the misfortune of the oil and gas sector, with the global petroleum industry witnessing a downturn in purchase which has also translated into dwindling production by most producer nations.

The President explained that members of the boards must ensure propriety in the management of the country’s most important national institutions.

He said: “You should advise the minister and the corporation management on the most effective way for Nigeria to get more money from our assets. “My expectations from the members of these boards is for them to ensure that the NNPC charts a way to face current economic challenges.

“These will involve a careful look at the ongoing reforms designed to steer the corporation to archive better performance and efficiency. In addition, you should explore more innovative ways to resolve the joint venture funding constraints and other investment issues.”

Kachukwu in his response on behalf of the board members reassured the president that the boards will work assiduously to fulfil their mandate to the Nigerian people in line with the disposition of the administration to entrench transparency in the country.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

LastSurvivor11:
And the incompetence continues, apple can never produce mango..

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

Orikinla:
Politics attracts the strangest bedfellows.

Hiploko:
my dear, every ideology that is not Sunni is haram. Be it Shiites, Christianity, African tradition etc... There is an inate desire to either convert you or destroy you!

ayodotcom:
So u believe d so called peaceful shites who say police attacked them with no provocation. Give me a cogent reason d police clashed with them if they were not constituting nuisances

ayodotcom:
How this news take relate to demolition of schools

ayodotcom:
I have no sympathy for people who are terrorists hiding under the guise of religion. A peaceful protest and they carry cutlass, so they should b ready for whatever comes their way

ayodotcom:
I have no sympathy for people who are terrorists hiding under the guise of religion. A peaceful protest and they carry cutlass, so they should b ready for whatever comes their way

Leading candidates in the tussle for Ondo State governorship have intensified horse trading and power-sharing to shore up support for their aspirations, 10 days to the electoral contest.

THISDAY gathered that due to the bad blood and acrimony that trailed the emergence of the governorship candidates of the main parties — the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) — the contest has become characterised by high level intrigues.

Aggrieved incumbent governor of the state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, is reported to be holding talks with the candidate of the APC, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu.

Mimiko and his preferred choice, Prof. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), have been having a running legal battle with businessman Jimoh Ibrahim over the ticket of the PDP. Mimiko has reportedly told the PDP supporters not to join the Alliance for Democracy (AD) if the legal fireworks did not favour Jegede before the November 26 governorship election.

It was learnt that in order to firm up the arrangement, Mimiko held a preliminary meeting with the Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum and Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha on Tuesday.
The meeting, which had the APC candidate, Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), in attendance, took place at the Akure Airport.

A source close to the Ondo State governor told THISDAY that although no firm commitment was reached, Mimiko assured the duo of Okorocha and Akeredolu that if after the court processes Jegede did not fly, he would deploy his forces to back the APC candidate.

Said a Mimiko source: “It is true they met but not as people are speculating that Mr. Governor has already committed himself to the Akeredolu project. We are still confident we will win the mandate back. But if at the end of the day because of lack of time it happens that Jegede cannot fly, we have been told what to do.

“The governor and even those of us supporting Jegede believe that it is an insult for Tinubu to come from Lagos and install Iroko’s successor. It is an aberration we will fight, so rather than allow that, Iroko will be the one to swing support for Akeredolu to win because Ondo State belongs to us.”

On the other hand, the APC National Leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, is said to be rooting for Chief Olusola Oke, the candidate of the AD, following the edging out of his preferred candidate in the party primary, Chief Segun Abraham.

Oke had, like Abraham, lost out in the same exercise but opted for the Action Alliance (AA) before he moved to the AD allegedly on the directive of Tinubu.

There were strong indications that Tinubu has sealed a power sharing deal with Oke. Among the terms of the deal is that for bankrolling Oke, the Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, would nominate the secretary to the state government.

Among other things, the power sharing deal involves the distribution of cabinet slots and other strategic positions if Oke wins. But there is a caveat: the APC leaders must mobilise enough resources and voters to first ensure the victory of the AD candidate.

Although details of the power sharing deal were still kept secret, a source close to the deal disclosed that Oke had agreed to concede some positions to the APC national leader and Aregbesola.

They include: Secretary to the State Government (SSG), chairmanship of the Ondo State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), Commissioners for Finance, Works, Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Health and headship of the Ondo State Board of Internal Revenue. Others include six caretaker committee chairmanship positions, that is, two per senatorial district as well as four special advisers.

The source said: “You know that the circumstances that led us to the AD are very peculiar. At first, we wanted Action Alliance but when the national leader suggested that we need to test the ground with AD in lieu of the zone’s interest ahead of 2016, we had no choice than accept the AD proposal.

“But what I just told you is not abnormal in politics especially when you view it from the prism of the need to cut down the APC candidate. I can assure you that the arrangement will work perfectly well and we will have no problem about that.”

Meanwhile, the leadership of the AD has approved a waiver to enable Oke fly the party’s flag in the election.

In a statement by its National Chairman, Chief Joseph Avazi, yesterday, the party said that it had rectified the waiver for Oke at its National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja.

He said: “After a careful and exiting deliberation during the NEC meeting which took place on the 17th day of November, 2016 at Afri Hotel Abuja, in bid to move the party forward, the NEC hereby adopts the following resolution as issued in this communiqué.”
He said that the AD NEC meeting was monitored by INEC officials, Mr. Ifaladu Saadu and Mrs. Bola Adewon.

Burgerlomo:
Abeg no vex oo, I just say make I help brother in need

The Senate yesterday confirmed Justice Sidi Dauda Bage and Justice Paul Adamu Galinje as Justices of the Supreme Court of Nigeria.

The confirmation of Bage and Galinje has increased the number of Supreme Court Justices from 15 to 17. Each of the six geopolitical zones now has three justices of the Supreme Court, except South-south with two.

Also yesterday, the Upper Chamber confirmed the nomination of six commissioners of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The INEC commissioners are Mohammed Haruna (North-central); retired AVM Ahmed Tijani Mu’azu (North-east); Eng. Abubakar Nahuche (North-west); Professor Okechukwu Ibeano (South-east); May Agbamuche Mbu, (South-south) and Dr Adekunle Ladipo Ogunmola (South-west).

Senators also voted against the confirmation of Mr. Aliyu Saidu Abubakar as representative of the North east zone in the governing board of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC).

Abubakar from Bauchi State was among the organisers of occupy the National Assembly protest. The protest was staged shortly after senators bought 36 cars at N36.5million each in April this year.

Our correspondent reports that when Abubakar appeared before the Senate Committee on Communications for screening October 18, he maintained his position on the scrap of the Senate.

Also rejected was Pastor Ezekiel Yissa Benjamin who was nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari to represent North Central in the Governing board of the commission.

Yissa was Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly during late Mohammed Lawal’s administration.

However, the Senate confirmed the nomination of Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye as Chairman of the NCC Governing board.

The Senate also confirmed Mr. Sunday Dare (South-West), Senator Ifeanyi Ararume (South-east), Mr. Clement Omeiza Baiye (North-Central), and Chief Okoi Ofem Obono-Obla((South-south) as Non-Executive Commissioners of the NCC.

Earlier while delivering the report of his Committee on the screening of the nominees, Senator Gilbert Nnaji(PDP, Enugu) said Abubakar’s response to questions and issues during the screening portrayed him as candidate who was not prepared for the job.

On Yissa’s case, Nnaji said Yissa’s background as a career Nursing Officer won’t put him in good stead to effectively cope with the dynamics of the communications sector if he is confirmed.