₦airaland Forum

peezeygwiny:
what is BBnaija

Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) caucus in the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that irrespective of the nomenclature given to the act of budget-padding, the National Assembly will continue to pad the budget for certain reasons.

Gbajabiamila, who initially claimed not to understand what budget-padding means, explained that lawmakers, even in the most advanced democracies of the world, pad the budget to be able to generate extra money for providing democracy dividends to their respective constituencies especially when their constituencies are not captured in the national budget.

The lawmaker disclosed this during an interview on Channels TV that was anchored by Seun Okinbaloye and monitored by DAILY POST.

He said that it was legislative malpractice for a lawmaker to sit back and do nothing when a national budget that does not make provisions for his constituency is been appropriated.

The Majority Leader said that in some advanced countries, budget- padding is not only practiced but called ‘earmarking’ or ‘pump-up legislation.’

He said that since the National Assembly holds the power to the national treasury, it will continue to scrutinize the level of budget-padding from the executive, stressing that it’s not a rubber stamp.

Gbajabiamila said that since suspended Rep. Abdulmumuni Jibrin decided to take the issue of legislative budget padding to the law enforcement agencies, it was proper for the House to sit back and let them do whatever they want to do, adding that there was no regret over suspension of Jibrin, if indeed he was a true whistle-blower like he claimed to be.

He said: “Abdulmumuni Jibrin did what he needed to do. He took the matter to the law enforcement agencies – the EFCC, the police and the rest of them. He has done his. The National Assembly does not agree with it. He put the ball in the court of the law enforcement agents. It is up to them to do whatever they want to do. I’m not aware of any padding. I don’t understand what that means.

“When it comes to money and I represent a particular constituency but I look at the budget and I don’t see my constituency represented in that budget and I know that throughout the year people of my constituency have needs – they want this; they want that. It is only me they can talk to. They are not going to talk to the President.

“I actually consider it as malpractice not padding, if during the budget circle I have opportunity to attract something to my constituency and I sit back and do nothing and go back in four years to seek for their mandate again when I promised them all these years that I will do this and do that. What do I go back and tell them? ‘Oh, I am not allowed to pad the budget.’

“If for instance, I represent a constituency and a budget is sent to National Assembly. It is one of the most important pieces of legislation to come out of the National Assembly. By my representation, I should attract federal presence to my constituency.

“Even in the most advanced of democracies, you have heard of earmarks, you have heard of pumped-up legislation. It is the same thing. It is done everywhere in the world otherwise you are not worth the sit you seat on.

“Let me explain something to you about padding. That’s what Nigerians need to understand. It doesn’t mean that if you hear anything thing negative about the National Assembly and you are not objective. You will not understand what is going on.

“In terms of padding from the executive, there are checks and balances. That’s why we have always argued that the National Assembly is not a rubber stamp. It is trite that the legislature holds the power of the purse. We will go through this budget and look at it item for item; item by item. Whatever padding means, I don’t know.”

steppin:
What's the correlation between the verse you quoted and the topic of the thread? Smh.

cobadit:
I just love is outspoken act... 80% of it do make sense atleast

Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Mr Ayodele Fayose has slammed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), security agencies, especially the police on their roles in subverting the rights of Nigerians to choose their leaders in free, fair and credible elections.

He said; “While we continue to watch with keen interest, revelations coming from the Edo State Governorship Election Tribunal, the open display of partisanship in the Rivers State rerun elections has made it so obvious that INEC and police have become so shameless in their open display of support for the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

Governor Fayose’s Special Assistant on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, quoted the governor as saying in a release issued in Ado Ekiti on Thursday that it was worrisome that INEC and the Police are no longer hiding their alliance with the APC against Nigerians.

He said; “We have seen the police and INEC going back and forth on Rivers State rerun elections and I wish to ask the police; what happened to that suspect, Christian Chukwuemela Ekikeme, who reportedly confessed to the complicity of some APC top-shots in the murder of DSP Mohammed Alkali?

“Shouldn’t the police be more interested in bringing those who allegedly killed its officers to justice?

“Also, what has happened to that Yobe State INEC Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) established to have received N15 million bribe to rig the Yobe State election?”

The governor warned that any attempt to rig the 2018 governorship election in Ekiti State will be resisted by the people, saying; “Here in Ekiti, we are waiting for them. If INEC and its ally, APC like, they can print as many Form EC8A as it can, they will fail.”

He said; “It is sad that snatching of ballot boxes, hijacking of voting materials, electoral violence and most importantly, falsification of election results, which had become a thing of the past have returned to our electoral process. INEC and security agencies, especially the police have merged with the APC and the way they are going, results of elections will one day be announced in Abuja in favour of APC without casting a single ballot.”

Governor Fayose, who called on the international community, especially election observers to pay more attention to the conduct of elections in Nigeria under the APC government, said; “Democracy is in danger in Nigeria! God forbid, if Nigeria is allowed to sink beyond the level that it is now, the entire continent of Africa will not be able to control the consequences.”

A member of the seventh House of Representatives and governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Hon. Bimbo Daramola, has pleaded with the leadership of the All Progressives Congress(APC) to discountenance the agitation for zoning of governorship slot to Ekiti south senatorial district.

Daamola, who was the Director General of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation during the 2014 poll, said the arrangement was a complete constitutional infraction, which has no recognition in the 1999 constitution and the APC’s constitution.

Aspirants of the South descent, like Bamidele Faparusi, Senator Gbenga Aluko , former Speaker Femi Bamisile, Hon Funminiyi Afuye and others, had consistently been canvassing for zoning of the ticket to their district, which has never produced the governor since 1999, to entrench equity, fairplay and justice in the state.

But speaking in Ado Ekiti on Thursday on the contentious zoning issue, Daramola , who is from Oye Ekiti in Ekiti North senatorial district , said APC had no reason to embrace zoning being a party that has enormous respect for the constitution of the land.

The former federal lawmaker added that what the populace needed was good governance not minding where the personality that is able to give the people a new lease of life hails from.
“The issue of zoning is arrant nonsense. In a civilized clime, what the people always clamour for is good standard of living as reflected in the economy and not where the person who governs comes from.

“Ekiti is an homogenous society that plays little or no recognition for zoning. We see ourselves as one and politicians should refrain from causing division just because they wanted power at all costs.

“In the last governorship election, Governor Ayodele Fayose, who came from the central that had produced himself and Otunba Niyi Adebayo defeated someone from the North. So, the idea of where you came from is inconsequential to our people provided they have implicit confidence in your personality and ability to deliver”, he said.

Daramola warned Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee against breaching the party’s constitution by overtly supporting zoning in the party, saying this could create unnecessary cleavage in the party and submerge the party into litigations.

“Nobody can abridge the rights of any citizen to contest political positions provided he met the constitutional requirements as stipulated in the 1999 constitution. APC must allow all interested aspirants to go into the primaries and whoever wins will be supported by the party.

“None of the elections ever conducted since 1999 was zoned to any zone. In 1999, Otunba Niyi Adebayo of the Alliance for Democracy defeated aspirants from Central and other zones , like Otunba Reuben Famuyibo, Obafemi Adewale and Chief Paul Alabi, who later became his deputy to emerge the candidate and he won.

”Prior to 2007 governorship poll, Dr Kayode Fayemi from the North defeated the likes of Chief Bode Olowoporoku, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, both from the south , Senator Ayo Arise and others to become the candidate of the defunct Action Congress without applying the zoning being bandied around.

“Going by these trajectories, no election had ever been zoned based on agitation for zoning and the forthcoming election must follow the same procedure to avert trampling on the constitution,” Daramola noted.

Sammypope4all:
And when will the guys start showing preek and testicles bikonu....

ForValour:
twwo half range teams

freezy9:
Wich worker extends his one month holiday without getting sacked

femi4:
I ve never been sick for 7days not to talk of one month.

In my working place, after using your sick leave(7days) plus additional 15 days compassionate leave, if you are still not OK....you ll be declare unfit for the job

ciscoxx:
Y she no come?.. I no fit copy ur husband oh.. For him to enjoy is wealth now na sickness.. U wat to b like him? I dy ask You..

The wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari, has advised Nigerians to emulate her husband by never giving up on their dreams and aspirations.

She said her husband became Nigeria’s president in 2015 due to his doggedness, persistence and compassion for the masses.

She said this in Abeokuta on Tuesday in Abeokuta during the launch of a book titled, “Buhari vs Yar’Adua: Facing the future,” written by a Special Assistant on Media to the Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, Opeyemi Soyombo.

The First Lady was represented by the wife of the Ogun State governor, Dr Olufunso Amosun.

She commended the efforts of the author, who documented the legal struggles of her husband in the 2007 election petition challenging the victory of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua.

Despite Buhari’s legal struggles which saw him moving to Court of Appeal and to the Supreme Court trying to prove that he won the 2007 presidential election, he lost the case. But he never gave up his presidential ambition.

Mrs Buhari noted that the importance of record keeping or documentation could not be over-emphasised because without it history would be distorted.

She said there were lots of lessons to learn from the life of President Buhari who contested the presidential election consecutively four times before he eventually won in 2015.

She said, “There are lots of lessons to learn from the life of President Muhammadu Buhari, most especially his doggedness and compassion for the masses. President Buhari contested presidential election consecutively four times before he eventually won in 2015.
“His victory has paid off considering his passion for helping the masses and most importantly the successes recorded in the anti-corruption war of his government.

“I commend the efforts of the writer for documenting the Presidential Election suit between the candidate of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and President Umaru Yar’Adua of the Peoples Democratic Party in 2007.

“This shows that the author has been following with keen interest elections held in the country and the petitions arising from them. In most recent shared views and writings on human and societal development, the investment made on other people gives tremendous yields; thus the facts and authenticity of the book are invaluable.”

The chairman of the occasion, who’s a retired judge of the Ogun State High Court, Justice Ademola Bakre, said Nigerians must all work for a better future of Nigeria.

While he lamented the rot in the country’s judiciary, he warned against interference and undue pressure in the affairs of judges.

He said, “I want to appeal that Nigerians should allow the judges to do their job, people should stop putting unnecessary pressure on them.”
Speaking with journalists after the launch, the author said he was motivated to write the 179-page book, which was divided into seven chapters, to forestall election rigging in the future in Nigeria.

Soyombo noted that Buhari was short-changed in the 2007 presidential election, adding that the book would “ensure that we have credible, free and fair elections and to ensure that the judiciary on no account, either by design or default, would endorse electoral robbery.”

The book was reviewed by Mr Kayode Oyede of the Department of Public Private Law, Faculty of Law, Lagos State University, Ojo, Lagos.

nrexzy:
I agree buh naija politicans fit carry d gods to the other room....