₦airaland Forum

*THE FIGHT AGAINST CORRUPTION: MONKEY DEY WORK, BABOON DEY TALK*

The National Assembly is working hard to fight corruption. Though, if you read those broadcasts that are full of bulls**t — some paid Whatsapp pundits have been lying and saying that the legislators are the real reason why Buhari’s governments fictional war against corruption is highly *selective*, totally *political*, extremely *ineffective* and of course, ENTIRELY *non-existent.*

Blame is easy. Taking charge and fixing your f***ups is the hard part. Yes, Nigeria has a corruption problem. And yes, this administration, pledged, swore, pleaded and begged us to vote them into power. They said that they would fix corruption — now, they are blaming the National Assembly? Total BULLS**T!

*Let’s analyze this critically. You be the judge of who is really fighting corruption:*

Q: The Presidency’s pundits say that the National Assembly is yet to pass the *Whistleblower Protection Bill*. Is this true?

A: No. On July 19th, 2017, the Senate passed the *Whistleblower Protection* Bill sponsored by Senator Biodun Olujimi. This Bill will encourage the disclosure of bad conduct by public officers, by protecting Whistleblowers from injury, death, economic sabotage, job termination, etc.


Q: What about the *Anti-Money Laundering Act?*

A: The Buhari government withdrew the Bill with their own hand o! After an intensive examination of the *Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Bill (2016)*, the EFCC, yes, Magu’s EFCC, asked the National Assembly to dump the bill. If you do not believe it, read it here: http:///2FpLY7z.

Q: Okay, now, what happened to the Witness Protection Bill that will provide more safety for people that testify in corruption cases? Has the National Assembly done anything about it?

A: Yes o! The Senate has passed the *Witness Protection Bill* sponsored by the late Senator Isiaka Adeleke, which creates a programme in Nigeria that protects witnesses who provide vital information, evidence or render assistance to law enforcement agencies during investigations, enquiries or prosecutions.

Q: How about the other anti-corruption Bill they call *Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill*? Where is it now?

A: Okay, the *Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill* is the only Executive Bill on Anti-Corruption that is currently in the pipeline. It was passed by the Senate on May 30th 2017. This Bill will enhancing the collaboration between Nigeria and other foreign countries on cases that have to do with corruption.

Q: What else is left? Are there any other anti-corruption bills that Buhari has sent to the National Assembly?

A: No! In fact, the Senate has already gone ahead and passed two other Bills that will help Nigeria fight this corruption nonsense.

Q: 2 Bills? What are they?

A: The first is the *Nigerian Financial Intelligence Agency (NFIA) Bill*, sponsored by Senator Chukwuka Utazi. This law will establish an independent financial intelligence unit in Nigeria, that will liaise with other nations on financial investigations like: money laundering, terrorism financing, proliferation of arms, corruption, financial crimes and economic crimes.

The other is the *Federal Audit Services Bill* that will give the Auditor-General of the Federation more independence to investigate and probe all the money that the Federal Government spends. Under this new law,*every single kobo* that is spent in Nigeria can and will be open for investigation. So there will be no place to hide for looters and their friends.

Q: Then why are people believing all this nonsense about the National Assembly not helping in the fight against corruption?

A: Because people do not read or research, and it is easy to blame the people that are working, instead of focusing on the work that is in front of you.

*DON’T LET THEM DECEIVE US. SHARE THIS WIDELY*

*WHO IS REALLY FIGHTING CORRUPTION: THE EXECUTIVE OR THE LEGISLATURE*

*Corruption is getting worse in Nigeria, according to the latest corruption perception index (CPI) released by Transparency International (TI) on Wednesday, which shows that Nigeria has dropped 12 places in its Corruption Perception Index.*

Whose fault is this, the Executive or the Legislature? Let’s break this down…

There have been several attacks from sponsored sources that allege that the National Assembly is frustrating the efforts of the Executive in fighting corruption.

However, if we look at the facts on the ground, we can see that:

The National Assembly, through the Senate, has been at the forefront of exposing high-levels of corruption in government — yet, the Executive has not done its part to prosecute those that have been exposed.

The Senate exposed the former SGF, Babachir Lawal’s, intimate involvement in a N200million grass-cutting scandal through which funds meant for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the North-east were diverted into private pockets. Two Committees, one in the Senate and another one headed by the VP, had indicted the man. Yet, it took President Muhammadu Buhari over 9 months to sack the man. and up till now, he is still has not been prosecuted.

Also, months after the committee headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo indicted the former NIA DG over the 43million Dollar Cash in Ikoyi Flat scandal, the man has not been prosecuted. The DG NHIS that was suspended over financial misappropriation bh the supervising Minster was arbitrarily recalled and re-instated without recourse to the report of the on-going investigation by the EFCC.

When a Senator leveled allegations of misappropriation of funds against the Inspector General of Police, instead of he Government to investigate the allegations and allow the IG to seek redress if he feels he has been defamed, the Government sought to intimidate the Senator by filling criminal charge against him.

In the same vein, there are other allegations of corrupt practices leveled against top members of the Executive arm which are simply swept under the carpet.

Now, we know that write-ups like the one being circulated on WhatsApp are now alleging that the National Assembly is frustrating the anti-corruption war will come out as a way of fighting back by the Executive over the AMENDMENT OF THE ELECTORAL LAW in which the Presidency failed to get through its preferred ORDER OF ELECTIONS. This write up is just the Executive arms way of fighting back by stereotyping the Legislative Arm.

NOW BEYOND THE PROPAGANDA, FALLACY AND FALSEHOOD, let’s check the facts.

The Senate has already passed the following bills that are aimed at fighting Corruption in Nigeria:

*The Mutual Assistance in Criminal Matters Bill*, which is aimed at enhancing the collaboration and mutual assistance between the Nigerian government and its foreign counterparts. This Bill will also help to facilitate the identification, tracing, freezing, restraining, recovery, forfeiture and confiscation of proceeds of crime wherever they are located.

*The Whistleblower Protection Bill*, which will encourage the disclosure of improper conduct by persons, public officers and corporate bodies, private and public.

*The Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) Bill*, which, in line with international best practices, establishes a substantive and autonomous financial intelligence unit in Nigeria, that will promote the exchange of information with all countries in issue that relate to criminal intelligence and financial investigations that deal with money laundering, terrorism financing, proliferation of arms, corruption, financial crimes and economic crimes.

*The Witness Protection Bill*, which creates a programme in Nigeria that protects witnesses who provide vital information, evidence or render assistance to law enforcement agencies during investigations, enquiries or prosecutions.

*Of all these Bills, THE ONLY ONE

Following the directive by the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, the Senate ad-hoc committee on security, chaired by Majority Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan, is currently in Benue State on a fact-finding mission over the killings in the state.

https://punchng.com/killings-senate-panel-storms-benue-to-meet-ortom-others/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

BREAKING NEWS: Saraki Victorious as 15 charges dropped at Court of Appeal, to appeal 3 other charges to Supreme Court

The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was successful today as the Court of Appeal dismissed 15 out of the 18 count charges that were filed against him.

Recall that in a unanimous decision, the two-man panel tribunal headed by Justice Danladi Umar, held that Federal Government failed to prove essential elements of all the allegations it leveled against Saraki.

Also recall that the tribunal held that oral and documentary evidence that the federal government adduced before it were discredited during cross-examination, saying that the proof of evidence was so ‘manifestly unreliable that no reasonable court or tribunal could rely on it to make any conviction.

More to come…

VIDEO: Watch the highlights from the President of The Senate - Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki's, week.

Link: https:///7bSLdq

CCT and a Timeline of Inconsistencies


By Bamikole Omishore


Potter Stewart, a renown Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court who played a significant role in the interpretation of Civil Rights laws, coined the basic phrase: “Fairness is what Justice really is.” This phrase, conceived to propel the notion of every individual’s equitable right under the law, demonstrates that an unbiased legal system, is a necessary component for justice to be dispensed.


As things stand, the case of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) against the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has proven to be full of contradictions and inequity. ‘Contradictions’ because since the case was in its preliminary stages, there has been a mismatch between the facts being propelled by the prosecution, the methods being employed by the tribunal, and the charges that have been brought against the Senate President.


Since the case was brought to light in late 2015, few weeks after Dr. Saraki’s emergence as President of the Senate, members of the Nigerian public have come to understand that the charges against Saraki, and the testimony of the chief witness have not been in sync. 


Additionally, Nigerians have started to also understand that certain legal precedents have not been followed by the tribunal. For example, based on the non-adherence to Section 3, paragraph D of the act that established the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and the Tribunal,  the Senate President ought to be given an opportunity to respond to the charges brought against him.


One noteworthy instance that comes to mind is that in 2007, the CCT dismissed the charges against former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar based on the non-adherence to the precedent clause. Another ocassion, in 2011, the same CCT quashed the case against Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the same ground. However, in what has been described by many legal practitioners as an abuse of judicial precedent, the same judicial body, with the same Chairman that delivered the Tinubu judgement, went back on the legal precedent that it had set on several occasions, and threw out the proviso which created a condition precedent clause before the  law can be applied against Saraki case.


What was even more disturbing, was the self-indictment by Dan Ladi Umar in the case, as he casually revealed that Tinubu’s ruling was simply “made in error.” This outright reversal stirs up questions regarding if Umar was under duress when he delivered his judgement; if the tribunal understands the legal implications of their actions; and if the same 1999 Constitution and Code of Conduct Bureau acts were not the documents used in the cases of Atiku and Tinubu.


Furthermore, the contributions of the prosecution's Chief Witness, Michael Wetkas, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has poked further holes in the prosecution’s case. 


Some clear examples are Wetkas admitting that neither he nor his team investigated three crucial exhibits (11, 12, and 13) tendered as evidence against the Senate President. Another example is the witness mentioning that it was the EFCC that investigated Saraki, as opposed to agents from the CCB. In essence, the case before the CCT now is money laundering, instead of false Asset Declaration which it is created to handle.


These inconsistencies lend credence to what the Senate President and his team have been saying for a while: “This case is not about prosecuting alleged corruption, but about some powerful individuals settling political scores, using their control of the judiciary.”


Finally, in another ruling by the Chairman of the CCT that demonstrates his bias in the Saraki situation, Mr. Danladi  Umar mandated the trial of the Senate President to proceed on a day-to-day basis - citing the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), despite the fact that he has adjourned other cases - that are also under the purview of the ACJA.


This situation came to a head on Wednesday, April 20th, 2016, when the Counsel for the Former Minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, argued that because the trial had earlier been moved from April 14 to 20 for continuation, their case should be heard before Saraki’s case which was adjourned just a day before. However, Justice Umar insisted that the Senate President’s case must continue, and stood down Orubebe’s case - leaving many to question if in fact there is a timeline (as some have speculated) to convict Saraki by hook or by crook before a certain date. 


As the head of the Senate President’s New Media team, based on all these observations, it has become not only necessary, but mandatory to let the Nigerian public know that as things stand,  the case against my principal, the Senate President, is concocted on shaky evidence as the outcome of the on-going cross-examination has indicated. As the prosecution is attempting to make this a media trial, I enjoin Nigerians to urge the CCT to make this a trial that is based on the substance and the spirit of the law. Doing this, would ensure that the process is free and fair, so that at the end of the day, we can all be able to claim that justice was in fact done.


Bamikole Omishore is the Special Assistant on New Media to the Senate President.

PENDULUM: A Candid Response from the Senate President
justice.

By Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki
My dear brother Dele, let me thank you most sincerely for your article last weekend, “My Candid Letter to Saraki.” I take everything you said in that article to heart and I must commend you for your candidness indeed and the sincerity of your intentions.
As you said in your article, you are someone I have known more by reputation than by any personal relationship, until recently when we struck up some personal acquaintance based on our shared political interests, especially during the last presidential election. However, I understand why you had to sound so defensive for knowing me at all and had to publicly map the boundaries of our relationship. We have got to that point in our country when we no longer believe that anyone could stand for anything based on principles and convictions alone. Moreover, in the growing culture of media crucifixion and presumed guilt; it is rare to find a voice like yours that calls for fairness and justice.

I would have simply sent you a text message or call you up for your candid advice to me, which I take seriously. But I feel the need to make some clarifications on some of the issues you raised. One of them was that in seeking to be Senate President, I struck a deal with the PDP and made it possible for one of them to be the Deputy Senate President. I know this is the dominant narrative out there, but it is far from the truth.

I did not do any deal with the PDP. I did not have to because even before the PDP Senators as a group took the decision to support my candidature on the eve of the inauguration of the 8th Senate, 22 PDP Senators had already written a letter supporting me. What I did not envisage was a situation where some members of my party would not be in the chambers that day, especially when the clerk had already received a proclamation from the President authorizing the inauguration of the Senate. Pray, if a team refused to turn up for a scheduled match and was consequently walked over, would it be fair to blame the team that turned up and claimed victory? I believe those that made it possible for PDP to claim the DSP position were those who decided to hold a meeting with APC senators elsewhere at the time they ought to be in the chambers. What the PDP Senators did was to take advantage of their numerical strength at the material time. They simply lined up behind Senator Ike Ikweremadu while those of us from APC voted for Senator Ali Ndume. It was a game of numbers, and we were hopelessly outnumbered. If the PDP had nominated their own candidate for the Senate Presidency position that day, they would have won. It was as simple as that.

Secondly, I don’t know if you were aware that in the build up to Senate inauguration, the National Working Committee of the APC sent two signals. The first signal specified how leadership positions in the National Assembly have been zoned. While we were trying to give effect to this decision, the second signal came, which contained names of people to which these zoned position had been allocated. What was not acknowledged was that the President of the Senate is not an executive president. He is primarily one of 109 senators. Therefore, I cannot decide by myself who gets what in the Senate. Therefore, when they said I defied party directive in the choice of principal officers, they are invariably ascribing to me the power that I did not have.

My dear brother, most people talk about the Senate Presidency position, but this was not my only offence. I have also been accused of helping to frustrate some people’s opportunity to emerge as President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate. But I have no problem with anybody. My concern was that it would not be politically smart of us to run with a Muslim-Muslim ticket. I doubt if we would have won the election if we had done this, especially after the PDP had successfully framed us a Muslim party. I felt we were no longer in 1993. Perhaps, more than ever before, Nigerians are more sensitive to issues of religious balancing. This, my brother, was my original sin. What they say to themselves, among other things, was that if he could conspire against our ambition, then he must not realize his own ambition as well. For me however, I have no regrets about this. I only stood for what I believed was in the best interest of the party and in the best interest of Nigeria.

Now to the substantive issue of my trial. As you rightly noted, this trial is not about corruption. And I am happy that since my trial started, people who have followed the proceedings have now understood better what the whole thing is about. I have had opportunity to declare my assets four times since 2003. Over those years, the Code of Conduct Bureau had examined my claims. There was no time that they raised any issues with me on any item contained in my declarations over those twelve years. This is why you should be surprised that while I am being tried by the Code of Conduct Tribunal, the witness and the evidence supplied against me were all from EFCC.

Like you, I have an abiding faith in the judiciary. May God forbid the day that we would give up on our judicial system. However, the onus is not on me to prove that I have confidence in the judiciary; the burden is on my prosecutors to prove to the world that justice is done in my case. If the process of fighting corruption is itself corrupt, then whatever victory is recorded would remain tainted and puerile!

Some people have wondered, why has Saraki been “jumping” from one court to another instead of facing his trial? To those people, I would say that I have only gone to those courts in search of justice. Strange things have happened, and they are still happening. For example, Section 3(d) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act states that the Bureau shall refer any breach or non-compliance to the Tribunal. However, where the person concerned makes a written admission of the breach, no reference to the Tribunal shall be necessary. It was on this basis that the case against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was dismissed in 2011, by this same judge in this same Tribunal on the grounds that he was not given an opportunity to deny or admit to any breach before he was brought before the tribunal. This was the ruling that I relied on in making my case. But what did the judge say? That he had judged in error in 2011 and he had since realized his error and departed from it. My question is whether a Tribunal of first instance has the power to reverse itself. I should expect that everyone would be worried if justice is applied differently to different people. However, in spite of my fears, I remain hopeful. Why? Because the judiciary does not end with this Tribunal.

Do you know the genesis of my real problems with President Goodluck Jonathan? I have had a touchy relationship with him, but the turning point was in September 2011 when I moved a motion on the floor of the Senate that exposed the N2.3 trillion fuel subsidy racket. I remain proud that I was the Senator that blew the lid on the most elaborate corruption scheme ever in this country. But after that I became a marked man. My security was withdrawn. I was invited and re-invited by the EFCC and the Special Fraud Unit. I was even declared wanted at a point. I believe I am still one of the most investigated former governors in this country. I have no doubt that if the Jonathan government was able to find anything against me, they would not have allowed me to go unpunished.

Let me make this point clearly. I do not expect to be shielded from prosecution because of my contribution to APC, if there was genuine basis for such action to be taken against me. But I have every reason to expect not to be persecuted by the party that I contributed so much to build. The New PDP may not have given APC victory in 2015, but it was an important factor in the dynamics that produced that victory. And with all sense of modesty, I was an important factor in the formation of New PDP; in leading that group to the APC; in ensuring our group’s support for the candidate during the primaries and in mobilizing substantial resources for the election. For these, I have not expected any special compensation. Rather, I only expect to be treated like every loyal party member and accorded the right to freely aspire!

Some people have complained that I have been taken Senators with me to my trial. But I did not force them to follow me. The Senators have freely accompanied me to the Tribunal not because they are loyal to me as Abubakar Bukola Saraki, but because they are committed to the principle that produced me as the President of the Senate. The same principle that produced Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President and produced Ali Ndume as Majority Leader. They see all of us in the Senate leadership as manifestation of their jealously guarded right to freely choose their own leaders. Because they know they made us their leaders without any external interference; they are confident that they retain the power to remove us whenever they so wish. They also know what this trial is all about. They believe I am being victimized because they have expressed their right to choose their own leadership. This is why I am not in any way perturbed by my absence in the chambers during this trial. Because I was not imposed on the Senate, I feel confident that the Senate will protect its own choice whether I am present or not. It is never about me. It is about the independence of the legislature. It has always been so since 1999. It is so today and it would be so in 2019, it would be so in 2023, and as long as we practice a democracy that operates on the principle of separation of powers.

My dear brother, let me end by observing that I am not alone in this trial. On trial with me in this process is the entire judicial system. On trial with me are our entire anti-corruption institutions and our avowed commitment to honestly fight corruption. On trial with me is our party’s promise to depart from the ways of the past, a promise that Nigerians voted for. And I dare say, on trial with me is our media; and their ethical commitment to report fairly and objectively. In the end, it is my earnest hope that whatever we do will ultimately ennoble our country.

Dr. Saraki is President of the Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria

#BringBackOurGirls 


Two-year Observance of The Abduction of Chibok School Girls. 




Today, the Senate passed a motion on the two year observance of the abduction of the 276 Chibok School Girls that were taken at gunpoint from Government Secondary School in Chibok, Borno State on April 14, 2012.


This abominable event, unforgettable in its own right - as one of the greatest mass abductions of young people in the history of the world - marked a crucial turning point in Nigeria’s war against the terrorist group Boko Haram. This is because since this episode came to light, the world began to pay attention to our collective struggle as a nation against radical insurgency.


Since then, many of us have rallied and campaigned in every way that we know how, and demanded as one nation that our young daughters and sisters be returned back to us safe and unscathed.


To aid in these efforts, we in the National Assembly have worked to empower our men and women in uniform by appropriating funds to ensure that they are properly equipped in their battles on the front lines. Because of this, since this administration took office nearly a year ago, we have recorded significant successes in our efforts to reclaim once-lost territory. To put it simply, our formidable armed forces have taken back large swarths of Nigerian territory that were once under Boko Haram control.


Nonetheless, more needs to be done to ensure that the communities affected by Boko Haram are resuscitated and rebuilt. Yet still, even more needs to be done to guarantee that never again in this history of our nation will we experience a tragedy like this.


Moving forward, to address the plight of the North East, the Senate will work expeditiously on the passage of the North East Development Commission (NEDC), that is aimed at restoring the livelihoods of our millions of internally displaced people (IDPs), and putting back our more than 10.5 million school-age children that are out of the classroom back in schools.


To aid the capabilities of our security agencies to combat terrorism in all its forms, laws like the Biometric Identification bill - which have passed second reading, will be fast-tracked to ensure that the Nigerian police and other relevant agencies have a robust crime and criminal tracking system that will enhance our national security and counter-terrorism efforts through the automation of criminal records with biometric identification data.


As we work to put the legislative frameworks in place to ensure that occurrences like the abduction of our Chibok Girls remains a thing of the past, the executive must treat the return of the abducted Chibok schoolgirls and all other Nigerians that have been kidnapped by Boko Haram as an outright priority. We owe it to ourselves as a nation, and to their families to bring all our abducted countrymen and women home.


It is clear that with the pace that this government is going, this insurgency will be tackled once and for all. However, governments across all levels in the federation must work together to secure our young population. In this regard, solid security structures must also be put in place to guarantee that when our children leave their homes to get an education, they are safe and secure.


On our part, the Senate will continue to dig-up and work on the review of our existing laws that address counter-terrorism and security. As I have stated at different times, the work of nation building requires our collective effort. In a similar vein, the task of bringing back our girls requires our unconquerable resolve to do so.


Therefore, as we remember our abducted girls and our mission to ensure their safe return, we must not equivocate and we must not relent. Nigeria must not forget her daughters.


By Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki 

President of The Senate

Exposed: How Sahara Reporters Spies The Homes of CCT Chairman, Judges to Discredit The Integrity of The Nation's Judiciary


By Akpan Bassey


All indications have shown that Sahara Reporters, a politically sponsored online platform which has unashamedly sold its soul to the devil, apparently has never relented in its pursuit of spreading falsehoods; rather, it has upped its game by spying over the houses of not only the personnel of the Code of Conduct tribunal (CCT), including its chairman, Mr. Danladi Umar, but also all the personalities in the judiciary arm of federal government of Nigeria. It is an understatement that the online medium which has in current times, concentrated its energy in digging down the judiciary for information and twisting the information to the tunes of its sponsors, is on a paid assignment of soiling the integrities of the nation’s law lords. With the recent preemption of court cases, especially on the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki, one would conspicuously see that the platform, which has left a lot of Nigerians spoon-fed with erroneous submissions and lies, is not only a tool to protect the interest of its sponsors but also a threat to the privacy of judiciary and judicial officers in Nigeria. This is because virtually the judges' households and that of their associates are the strong sources of its distorted facts. Reports have exposed the platform's operator, Omoyele Sowore, connects his deployed spies and blackmails judges via his hotlines:08097048153 and +16467045433.


Remember few weeks ago, the Special Adviser to the Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu blew the whistle that SaharaReporters is on the mission of maligning and bringing to dishonor, the person of his principal. The Senate President's aide, in that report, was bittered that it is constant with the online news platform in its calculated attempt to always malign and bring to disrepute, on all topical issues, the Senate President, Dr. Abubukar Bukola Saraki. ‎All sensible Nigerians should share the conclusion of Olaniyonu that SaharaReporters ‎represents the greatest shame of the professional genre it pretends to represent and disregard its day-to-day anti Saraki fairy tales. Conversely, people would conspicuously see that since all the past orchestrated plans by its sponsors and the CCT chairman have failed, there seemed to be a rapture in their unholy marriage which resulted in the recent blackmails of the CCT chairman on facebook, twitter and other online channels. Unarguably as written by the late Chinua Achebe, things will always fall apart, when the Centre could not fall. 


In reminiscening, two months ago, after the apex court dismissed Saraki’s appeal to stop his trial, his lawyer, Ajibola Oloyede filed the lawsuit asking the federal high court to halt his trial and to disqualify the chairman of the CCT, Mall. Umar Danladi whose white garment is evidently full of stains but still stays put to preside over the trial.  Meanwhile, as a law abiding citizen, Saraki understood his prayers in the violation of his rights to fair hearing by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB), which he said did not invite him for clarification according to the law of the  federal republic of Nigeria, Section 3D, before it filed charges against him at the CCT. The worst of it all was that he heard about the trial first from Sahara Reports, even before he was served the handy copy of the letter. This also exposed the thick political conspiracy involved in the trial which gives the credence to it being regarded as harassment. It is significant to revisit the two corruption allegations on Mr. Danladi and his impunity displayed when he was summoned to appear before the House of Representatives Committee. A petition however requested the House to investigate alleged acts of impropriety purportedly committed by Umar while the other requested it to investigate the office of the Attorney General of the Federation for its failure to act on investigations ostensibly conducted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on him.


Its most recent libel act is that, which made Justice Abdul Kafarati of the federal high court, Abuja, to withdraw from a fundamental rights suit filed by Saraki’s lawyer, Ajibola Oloyede to quash the trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) on Monday 22nd March, 2016. The judge who earlier disqualified himself from the trial with the explanation that his integrity had been called into question in the matter, having read a report of Sahara Reporters accusing him of corruption to the tune two billion naira, has now been re-assigned to take over by the Chief Judge of Federal High Court Abuja this week. I personally am not happy seeing our Judiciary operating with fairy tales fabricated by some individuals from the corners of their houses and circulating online. In that earlier circumstance, he deemed it fit to disqualify himself from this case thereby sent the case file to the chief judge for re-assignment to another judge. If Judiciary is believed to be the last hope of the common men, then I can say that the hope has been dashed out. Kafarati's decision was borne out of his hard-built good name which was up for staining with slots of mud by the trivial media platform called Sahara Reporters, though, I would have loved the platform shamed at the end. After all, the EFCC it claimed alleged the Judge of 2 billion naira bribery, refuted the news the next day the platform allegedly dragged its name in, that it was the figment of imagination of the owner of the platform and its sponsors. Well, I sound it laud and clear to Umar Danladi and other Judges in Nigeria that 'Watch your back" by doing the right thing or "get blackmailed". 

Sane Nigerians won't be disappointed if Sahara Reporters does some preemption on the High Court judgement to come up this week but will, when when our judicial officers, once again succumb to mere threats of blackmail by unethical platform.


Akpan Bassey is a Public Affairs Analyst from Eket, Akwa-Ibom State

Opinion: Exploring the CCT-EFCC connection in the trial of Bukola Saraki By Wale Bakare http://ynaija.com/bukola-saraki-cct-efcc-trial/


Like many Nigerians, I am eager to see our justice system work. I want to see a situation where criminal cases are speedily adjudged with increased efficiency by the courts, followed by the conviction of members of the political and non-political class if found guilty.

You will agree with me that this is the Nigeria most want to see. Unfortunately, its an open secret that our judicial system is broken and nothing suggests that the pieces will be put together any time soon.

A case in view is the structure of the current trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, over a 13-Count allegation bothering on false asset declaration.

It is important to note that the hiccups experienced in the build-up to the trial emanated from the fact that the federal government was eager to prosecute Saraki while it failed to produce witnesses from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) and also establish if it was dealing with a criminal case or false asset declaration putting into the consideration that the Tribunal is a lower court and only quasi-criminal in nature.

One thing is clear: Nigeria’s justice system is also undergoing trial. While Saraki’s trial at the CCT is believed to be politically motivated, legal luminaries have however, decried the danger such trend portrays to our democracy.

Many have equally frowned at the Economic Financial Crimes Control (EFCC) for taking over the functions of the CCB/CCT by lining up witnesses from the anti-graft agency to testify against Saraki. This gives credence to recent assertions that the sacked Chairman of the EFCC, Ibrahim Lamorde, also has a role to play in the hijacking of the judiciary to settle political scores.

Recall that some news media reported a case of judgement racketeering involving the CCT Chairman, Danladi Umar, the Secretary General of the Federation, Babachir Lawal and the APC National Leader, Bola Tinubu.

The meeting between the trio was allegedly convened to perfect Saraki’s political demise by striking out his objection of denying him his right as provided by Section 379 of ACCJ to present statement to be attached to his charged sheet. Similarly, a publication in Vanguard newspaper of October 18, 2015, Babachir disclosed that Tinubu influenced his appointment as the SGF. This too, adds to the growing suspicions.

Ironically, Saraki’s travail may have been compounded by the decision of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges to invite the former EFCC Chairman, Ibrahim Lamorde to answer questions bothering on financial misappropriation during his 4-year spell as the boss of the anti graft body.

Severally, Lamorde refused to honour invitations for questioning on funds recovered by the EFCC; rather he unleashed his partner and lawyer, Festus Keyamo on the Senate committees. The riot act was read to Keyamo who in turn notified his boss that the Senate was indeed unyielding on its course to prosecute corrupt public office holder.

The picture becomes clearer when Ibrahim Lamorde discharged Danladi Umar who was embroiled in N10million bribery scandal at that time and the charges were quashed by Lamorde based on self-recognition. When all these roforofo alliances are put together, collusion to ignore injustice is inevitable.

EFCC Witness, Michael Wetkas succeeded in raising to high heavens the hopes of his sponsor’s wish to expedite Saraki’s persecution and to a large extent sway public opinion with his revelations. His uncanny demeanour at being theatrical with mere documents yet to be ascertained or disproved by Saraki’s legal counsel leaves much to be desired.

In one of the allegations, Wetkas said: “On October 16, 2006, the defendant obtained a loan of N380 million from Guaranty Trust Bank. On that same day, there was a bank draft in favour an implementation committee in the sum of N286.3 million.’’

In addition Wetkas also alleged that Bukola Saraki left office as Kwara State governor in 2011, but his account statement shows that he received salary up until the 31st of August 2015.

“As of June 3, 2011, the salary was N291, 124. On July 4, there was another payment with the narration Kwara State Government, June 2011 salary. The amount was N572, 286. On August 29, 2011, there was another payment in the sum of N744, 002 from Kwara State Government’’

The EFCC detective has only succeeded in retrieving the defendants account details vis-à-vis money coming in and going out, nothing suggests that the said lodgements contravene the CBN’S financial rule. The Kwara State government as at no point in time declared that state’s fund was missing, what the documents establishes at the moment is that most of Saraki’s properties could have been bought with repayable bank loans.

Moreover, the Kwara State government through the Secretary to the State Government in a press release disclosed that Saraki was not receiving salary after he left office, stating that only his pension was being paid after June 2011.

If care is not taken, the said bank documents now admitted by the CCT could be distorted along the line, if both the EFCC and CCB fail to justify that the money in question was indeed used to purchase landed properties. The implication is that prosecution misconduct will rein supreme while false confessions and incriminating statements from untruthful testimony will now be admitted as exhibits.

Saraki no doubt is familiar with the essentiality and philosophy of our legal system which presuppose that until proven guilty by law court, a victim remains innocent.

Now that the evidences are weaning out, the CCT is looking to correct its errors by changing the narratives, but correcting a major foundational error is not easy, it takes time and costs money. The CCB/CCT will waste useful time and spend tax payers’ money to travel down the same line of incompetency.

It is disheartening that successive governments have promised to reform the justice system and none of these attempts have succeeded. But in the corrupt world of our judicial system, like Saraki’s trial, justice isn’t what matters. How does one explain a scenario where an allegation of multiple cash lodgements within 24hrs without evident or traces to property purchases made which is the crux of the 13-count charge the CCB has based its charge sheet on ab initio.

The missing gap in the system is uniformity in dispensing justice which invariably gives room for alteration in criminal cases. Nigerians are unanimous in their desire for a free, transparent judicial process that conforms to established judicial procedure devoid of interference from external bodies. It is in this that our democracy can be nurtured without hindrance.

Fact is the last option, and the best alternative no matter the matters arising.

PEOPLE WORKING FOR PRESIDENCY ARE NEEDLESSLY LYING ABOUT 2016 BUDGET 


Excerpt Of Tweets By The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation Via His  @AbdulAbmJ On The Budget 


I actually find it shocking that even some National Dailies made the removal their headlines. A little research would would have helped.


Lagos-Calabar Railway line was NEVER captured in the budget that was sent by the Executive. How then could it have been removed by NASS?


All they, and those spreading the false information needed to have done is check the initial document sent by the Executive.


Lagos-Calabar Rail was never included. How could NASS have removed what was not there? But the nation is being misled.


The NASS has always been on the receiving end of bad press. This is being capitalised on in the conversations on #Budget2016


This is unfortunate as it is quite clear to all and sundry that #Budget2016 and all its headaches and controversies didn't emanate from NASS


Take the budget of the ministry of Transportation was overshot by N54b. That is, by the time you add up the items on the ministry's budget..


You'd still have a gap of N54b. N54billion lying there without being allocated. NASS has a responsibility and here it did the right thing


What NASS did with the N54billion; We added N39.7b to the Lagos-Kano Rail project. This will help complete the project once and for all.


We also allocated N10b of this sum to the airport's navigation and security apparatus.


We often make so much noise about airport security after major plane crashes. But we need not wait for crashes to enhance safety at airports


We allocated the balance to Baro Ports for its completion and equipping. Baro Port is strategic to our economic development.


Much ado about vaccines that weren't even there. The budget of the ministry of Health was the most controversial.


The Minister of Health came to deny the document that was presented to the NASS by the Executive for the 2nd time.


There is a lot more to be said about this and they will be said in the coming days.


I saw reports saying NASS allocated too much for Rural projects including rural roads,  primary health care, empowerment programmes...


we also allocated funding for rural solar street lights, vocational centres, cottage industries etc. On this one, there is no going back.


Nigeria isn't just for urban dwellers & as representatives of the people, ours is to ensure justice in the distribution of national wealth.


About 95% of the input of NASS which would have given life to the policy thrust of Mr. President were discarded by the Executive.


Some of these inputs include; Special Intervention for the Solid Mineral Sector. This is even imperative seeing the realities around oil.


Some of our other inputs include; Special Intervention for Rural Agriculture, Payment of Pension Arrears. Rural Community Light project.


The Rural Community Light project to light up 100 communities spread across the 774 Local Governments.


We also had Special Programmes for Women Empowerment and the payment of debt owed local contractors.


We also suggested N100b be taken out of N500b set aside as Special Intervention Fund.


That N50b be set aside as special bursary for students of tertiary institutions and another N50b for special training on Entrepreneurship for students of tertiary institutions pre-graduation. These were our inputs.


These are my preliminary submissions seeing as there have been no official communication between the Executive and the National Assembly.


These points are being noted because of the reports in some of today's papers -who really would have done better with a little more research


Not to mention the fact that the Executive has not come out to disown the false reports flying around.


We will come up with a comprehensive position especially with respect to our observation of the budget and what we did to make it better.


The crux of the matter as it is, is that while the NASS believes in the bottom up agenda for development- focus on rural areas & communities


The Executive seems to favour a top-down approach. But this is not enough reason to mislead Nigerians on the role of NASS on the budget.‎

Press Release


April 9, 2016



Plot to Unleash Sponsored Anti- Saraki Protests Uncovered



The Office of the Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki has uncovered plots by some politicians to sponsor protest marches and demonstrations in which some hired people will be given placards to disturb public peace.



In a statement signed by his Special Adviser ( Media and Publicity), Saraki's Office stated that sponsors of the proposed protest marches are seeking to forcefully mobilize and pollute public opinion against the Senate President.



"As part of their plan, they are already distributing money and other materials to some faceless civil society Organisations, market men and women associations and other shadowy groups with a view to instigate demonstrations in Lagos, Abuja and Ilorin starting from Monday, April 11.



"They believe that the on-going trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal provides them the opportunity to stampede Dr. Saraki out of office so that their defeated objective of getting their lackey into the office of Senate President will be realized. This is another desperate move by these spineless politicians to achieve through the back door what they failed to realize on the floor of the Senate.



"We are alerting members of the public to the antics of these desperate politicians which may result into breach of public peace, order and health. Dr. Saraki is a peace-loving and law abiding politician. The trial at the CCT is just beginning and while the prosecution's witness has started giving evidence, he is yet to be cross-examined by the defence team. The defence has also not opened its own case. We urge members of the public to patiently wait for the conclusion of the case.



"Since the fundamental principle of our legal system is that an accused person is presumed innocent until he is found guilty, Dr. Saraki will not allow any distraction to take him away from his responsibility as President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly," Olaniyonu added.



Signed



Yusuph Olaniyonu



Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the Senate President

CCT TRIAL: Saraki’s Lawyer Set to Summon Lamorde For Allegedly Manipulating Evidence Against him


The Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) trial of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on asset declaration continued with the first witness of the prosecution, Michael Wetkas, an operative of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) continuing his testimony against Saraki.


Many will recall that at the onset of the trial, Saraki maintained that under Section 3D of the act that established the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal, he ordinarily should have been given an opportunity to either confirm or deny the allegations brought against him in the 13 count charge. Saraki, through is lead counsel at the time, Philip Daudu, mentioned that based on those grounds, the trial should have been dismissed.


Several Senators like Majority Leader, Ali Ndume, and Senators Ibrahim Gobir and Isa Misau, have  maintained that the trial of the Senate President is clearly politically motivated and is distracting the process of governance.


On the sidelines of the CCT sitting, Mr. Bode Abodurin, a political analyst, mentioned that it was odd that after two days of the trial, we are yet to see or hear from any official of the CCB.


“I find it funny that it is only the EFCC that we have heard from,” Abodurin said, “This is meant to be a false asset declaration case of the CCB, yet we all we are seeing and hearing is information that the EFCC failed to prosecute Saraki for the past five year.”


Abodurin further maintained that it was mighty suspicious - given the history of the CCT Chairman, Dan Ladi Umar with Ibrahim Lamorde - that the first witness maintained that the evidence he was presenting in court were gotten directly from Lamorde.


“I don’t doubt the credibility of the witness, Mr. Wetkas,” Abodurin said, “He seems like a fine gentleman. What I do doubt, is the fact that given Lamorde’s history with Umar - with Umar’s N10 million bribery case with the EFCC - the documents Wetkas obtained from Lamorde could have been doctored.”


A member of Saraki’s legal team, disclosed that with the connection between Lamorde, Wetkas - the witness, and Umar, the defence would be inviting the former EFCC Chairman to the trial to find out his connection to the documents presented in court on Wednesday, April 6th.


Additionally, there have been recent rumours that as the case of the Senate President continues to gain nationwide traction, there have been a few meetings between Lamorde, Umar, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, David Lawal, and a National Leader of the ruling party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.



Many will remember that during the administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, the two other judges of the CCT, Robert Odu rtd and Agwaza Atedze had in a joint letter to former President and copied to the EFCC, drew the attention of the government to the N10 million bribery allegation made against Umar, saying that the issue had brought serious embarrassment to them and the tribunal.


After the disclosure of an abated investigation and continuous happenings in the CCT-EFCC, it was gathered that Dan Ladi Umar was granted bail by the Lamorde-led EFCC on self-recognition on 29th of March 2014.


Since the Senate began the probe of the EFCC in September 2015 for diverting ceased funds, analysts believe that Umar was directed by Lamorde to begin the trial of the Senate President, in order to put an end to the probe of the financial crimes watchdog. 


Lamorde was subsequently fired by President Buhari in November 2015. However, in a clear indication that the case against Saraki was motivated by the former EFCC Chairman, all the witnesses so far have been drawn from the EFCC, and not the body meant to investigate asset declaration forms, the Code of Conduct Bureau.

WE WILL NOT ALLOW SARAKI’s IMPEACHMENT – Senators 


The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, got yet another lifeline in the midst of the controversies surrounding his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) as his colleagues senators rose today from a meeting and declared that they would protect the seat of the Senate President currently occupied by Saraki with the last blood in their veins.


This is not the first time the overwhelming majority of senators have lined-up their support for Saraki on the ongoing trial before the CCT.


Arising from a meeting at the Asokoro residence of Sen. Magartarkada Wammako, the Senator representing Sokoto Central Senatorial District, the Senators said for whatever it is worth, they would continue to stand firmly behind Dr. Saraki and ensure that his Senate Presidency seat is protected.


While addressing the media in Abuja on Wednesday on behalf of other senators, Senator Ibrahim Abdulrafiu reiterated their earlier stance that Saraki’s trial was a ‘mere persecution’ and an attempt to tarnish his image in ways not experienced before.


“We have since discovered that the trial of the Senate President is a mere attempt to blackmail him and make him look bad in the court of public opinion. No more, no less. A dispassionate analysis of the proceeding of the CCT yesterday has pointed to the fact that the APC led Executive is still embittered against Dr. Saraki over the manner of his election as the Senate President.”


“This is why we are standing for the Senate President and we will so do till the very end. We are doing this not for him but for the institution of the Senate that he imminently represents. We will never allow any arm of government to rubbish the cherished autonomy of the Senate.”


However, commenting on the calls in some quarters that the Senate President should resign from his position, the senators insisted that the calls are borne out of ignorance and pure hatred. The Senators described the calls as ‘wicked and unfounded.’


“For those calling for the impeachment of the Senate President, we urge them to avail themselves of the provisions of the law relating to such a sensitive step. As far as we are concerned, there is nothing like that on the table, and if anybody is trying to import that from the outside of the Senate, God helps them. All I know is that they will have to produce as many as a 100 senators to achieve that aim. As long as they don’t have the majority, the call is a tall dream that will remain a figment of the imagination of the groups and their sponsors.”


Many Senators were interviewed on the ground of the CCT where the trial is happening and they affirmed that officials of executive are busy pushing to persecute Saraki and have abandoned governance which is why there is scarcity and nothing seems to be working in the country.‎

Saraki : I'm Happy that the Trial Has Commenced


Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has said he is glad that his trial before the Code of Conduct Tribunal on asset declaration in 2003 has finally commenced.


Saraki said the proceedings of today has given him confidence that if the trial is conducted fairly he would be vindicated. 


The Senate President noted that even though the prosecution tried to bring in some dramatic narratives,  it was clear that they were merely thrashing around and hoping to titillate the public with salacious tales. He added that he was hopeful however that when the time comes, his lawyers will have the opportunity to present his case.


End.


Signed


Yusuph Olaniyonu

Special Adviser to Senate President on Media and Publicity‎

Code of Conduct Tribunal not court of law, says Former Chief Justice of Nigeria Belgore, Nwabueze, Agbakoba


Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday lost another application to stop his trial over an alleged false declaration of assets as the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) ruled that it has the jurisdiction to prosecute the case.


The tribunal consequently fixed April 5, 2016 for the commencement of the trial in a charge brought against him by the Federal Government.


But while insisting on the trial of Saraki, the CCT admitted error in discharging former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu some years ago.


Meanwhile, eminent jurists and leading legal practitioners yesterday declared that the CCT is not a law court as enshrined in the 1999 constitution and therefore lacks criminal jurisdiction to exercise such powers. The jurists include former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Salisu Modibo Alfa Belgore, Retired Justices of Supreme Court of Nigeria, Messrs Gorge Oguntade and Samson Odemwingie Uwaifo.


Others are Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour of the Supreme Court of Nigeria, Prof. Ben Nwabueze (SAN), former Attorney-General of Anambra State, Chief Nnoruka Udechukwu (SAN), former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Dr. Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), Chief Emeka Ngige (SAN) and Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) .


The tribunal had on the preliminary objections to his trial, dismissed Saraki’s application challenging the legality of the charges against him.


The Chairman of the tribunal, Mr. Danladi, Yakubu Umar, stated yesterday that the failure of the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) to meet certain conditions precedent to putting Saraki on trial was not weighty enough to discharge him and strike out the trial.


He said that Section 3(b) of the Code of Conduct Bureau Act which makes it a requirement for any defendant to be invited for confirmation or denial of discrepancies in the Assets Form had been overtaken by the provision of Section 3 (e) of the 1999 Constitution.


According to him, the Constitution is the supreme law. Umar added that Section 3(e) of the 1999 Constitution, which does not make provision for the condition precedent as in the case of CCB Act, has rendered the CCB Act unconstitutional, null and void, having been inconsistent with the constitution.


The tribunal also held that the failure of the CCB to invite the defendant in the instant case has not ousted the jurisdiction of the tribunal.


On the failure of the CCB to obtain a written admission by Saraki on the alleged discrepancies in his Assets Declaration Form before referring him to the tribunal for trial, the chairman noted that the issue was crucial but could be raised in the substantive matter.


Umar said that it was premature for the issue to be raised at the preliminary objection stage.


“On the failure of the CCB to obtain a written admission of discrepancies in the Assets Declaration Form of the defendant before referring him to this tribunal, we hold that this is crucial but the issue can be raised in the substantive matter as doing so now at the preliminary stage is premature. For us therefore, it will be out of place to give legal weight to that failure without hearing the substantive matter.


“On the discharge of the former Lagos State governor by the tribunal some years ago simply because the CCB failed to fulfill the condition precedent, we have since realised that we acted in error in discharging Mr. Tinubu on that ground and we have since departed from that error.


“In essence, provision of Section 3(a) of the third schedule of the 1999 Constitution which has no provision for fulfillment of certain conditions precedent before the CCB can act, is now the guiding force for the tribunal,” the CCT said.


Concerning the filing of the charges by the government, 13 years after Saraki had left office, the CCT chairman stated that there was no statute of limitation on criminal matters and that it was not out of place for the government to charge him the way it did even though he left office for a long time


But the Senate President, who was again accompanied by a large number of supporters, especially his colleagues from the National Assembly, told the tribunal that he was fully ready for trial to prove his innocence. He, however, pleaded for more time to allow him call his witnesses.


Speaking through his lead counsel and former Attorney General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi (SAN), Saraki said although he would have wished that due process of law was followed by government before putting him on trial, nevertheless, he was ready to engage his accusers legally.


“We are the ones being suspected of wrongdoing and we are ready to establish the fact that we are innocent of the charges even though we are convinced that the right thing has not been done as far as the charges are concerned,” Agabi said.


The Senate president had challenged the competence of the false assets declaration criminal charges brought against him by the government, maintaining that they were politically motivated and in bad faith.


In his objection filed by Agabi, Saraki stated that the charges could not be sustained in law since due process was not observed before they were initiated.


He therefore, asked the Code of Conduct Tribunal to quash or strike out the charges contained in Charge No. CCT/ABJ/01/2015 filed in September against him.


The Senate president also asked the tribunal to discharge him from the charges on the ground that the charges were not competent and lawful in the eyes of the law.


His grounds of objection to the trial include the fact that the tribunal headed by Umar has no jurisdiction to entertain the charge because a condition precedent to the exercise of jurisdiction was not fulfilled.


He also anchored his objection on the fact that the charge was brought in bad faith, not in the interest of the public and justice and that the charge constituted a gross abuse of legal process.


The eminent lawyers spoke at the inaugural constitutional law conference of the Ben Nwabueze Centre for Studies in Constitutional Law and related subjects organised at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos. The event, which has the topic: “The Code of Conduct Enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria and its Crucial Importance in the fight against Corruption”, examined the “ Constitutionality of the Code of Conduct Bureau and its Tribunal.”


Speaking on the “Code of conduct enshrined in the Constitution of Nigeria and its crucial importance in the fight against corruption”, Justice Uwaifo berated the trial of Saraki by the CCT, describing it as political.


He said: “It is now open secret that the power behind the ruling APC did not back him (Saraki) for that office. It is fair to see a connection between that circumstance and the code of conduct matter. There is the rumour that the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal has an alleged crime hanging over him, which might give the impression that he may be willing to act as the hatchet-man over Saraki to save himself the prospect of the alleged crime not seeing the light of day by way of prosecution.


“Looking at the treatment Saraki has received so far in the tribunal presided over by the said Chairman who might, or is deemed to, know that there is the Sword of Damocles hanging over him, would the ordinary, right-minded persons aware of the situation have the impression that there was a real likelihood of bias on his part to deny Saraki justice? “


He condemned the docking of Saraki by the tribunal as if he was a criminal. He added that the criminal charge against the tribunal chairman which is not being prosecuted now, may propel him to be hard on Saraki in the hope that he would be finally spared. “The tendency to get the Code of Conduct Tribunal and probably similar bodies to intrude into the administration of criminal justice is not a welcome development. It is indeed a challenge to our constitutional democracy which puts the liberty of individuals at risk. It is also a challenge to the foresight of anyone who fails to appreciate this dire consequence”, he declared.


Udechukwu (SAN) in his intervention on whether the CCT is a court of law or not, gave the verdict that the tribunal could not be accorded the same status as the courts. He maintained that the chairman of the tribunal and his members are not recognised by the Constitution as members of the judiciary. “Under the 1999 constitution, the Code of Conduct Tribunal is not a court of law and therefore, lacks essential ingredients to be so described”, he stated.


In his presentation, Ozekhome (SAN), said the CCT Act as presently constituted is tantamount to a deliberate legislative affront to the clear and unambiguous provisions of the Constitution.


Examining the constitutionality of the CCB and Tribunal Act, he said the courts of the land must therefore, activate Section 1 (3) of the Constitution to put the errant Act in its proper place of playing the second fiddle to the grund norm.


He said that the entire Act, or most of its provisions as they presently stand, must succumb to constitutional discipline and be declared null, void and of no effect whatsoever for seeking to sit on the sacred throne which rightly belongs only to the Constitution.


Ozhekhome noted further that the inconsistency of the CCB vis-a-vis the constitution could be found in the systematic barring of Section 308 of the constitution as non-applicable to the CCT proceedings.


He urged the National Assembly to retool the Code of Conduct Act, adding that there was no need for the lawmakers to legislate on a matter that was already enshrined in the Constitution.


Agbakoba also urged the National Assembly to review the law establishing the CCT. He stressed that lawyers support the fight against corruption, adding that it must be done in accordance to the rule of law.


Earlier, the promoter of the centre, Nwabueze, said he developed the passion for constitutional law while as a student at the London School of Economics, adding that the passion had had expression in his writings.


According to him, he thought on how to preserve his legacies as he approaches ‘the end of my life’ and decided to open the centre. He stated that he was not against the fight against corruption due to his position on the trial of Saraki but wanted the fight to be limited within the confines of the Constitution.


The governor of Lagos State, represented by his Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Kazeem Adeniji expressed the good wishes of the state and pledged to continue to support the legacies of the Nwabueze Centre. He noted that the Code of Conduct exists to address the issue of corruption and reiterated the need to strengthen the CCB and CCT in order to be able to fight corruption.

The 8th National Assembly and Legislative Capacity Building
by Onilemarun Abdulkareem 

The Senate President as an avid user of modern technology and new media platforms knows what advantage the online community serves to the members of the 8th assembly.

Participatory governance in solving our national problems involves slow, difficult negotiations to seek agreement among the three tiers of Government and the citizens. With this, the use of social media puts legislators, organizations, citizens and journalists in touch with each other through simple Question and Answer processes that are facilitated by the use of Internet.

Lawmaking, oversight over the executive, budget appropriations and representation are the major functions performed by the parliament. In performing these functions, they majorly serve the  categories of the stakeholders, the public, members of parliament (MPs), and staff. In addition to these stakeholders, various government institutions and independent institutions such as councils, ministries etc interact with parliament on regular basis. All these stakeholders have different needs at different level of intensity. 

With the advancement of globalisation and technology, parliament is faced with several challenges in terms of providing services to its stakeholders. For example: the public now expects more transparency in parliamentary practices and faster responses to their queries using Internet technology. Here in Nigeria, there have been a strong calls to the Senate President through an online campaign on twitter "#OpenNASS" to make the parliament transparent, accessible and accountable. These calls are the reason the Senate President has set into motion the use of e-parliament (which is the use of information communication technology (ICT) by elected representatives, their members and political and administrative staff, in the conduct of their tasks, actively involving its citizen) in the 8th assembly to bring the electorate more closer to the parliament through the use of various technological tools which are readily available in the hands of million on Nigerians. 

The 8th Senate has committed it members of parliament to interact with the people now than ever on anytime, anywhere basis for various informational and collaborative needs. The birth of new media has changed the landscape of information gathering and sharing which has provided people with real-time information even in the comfort of their homes.

The potential benefits of a strong parliament to the electorate and representatives is that it will bring about:

A transparent parliament that is open to the nation and transparent in the conduct of its business;
An elected parliament that is socially and politically representative and committed to equal opportunities to both members and the public so that they can carry out their mandates;
Involvement of the public, including civil society and other people's movement in the work of the parliament;
Accountability to members and electorates for their performance in office and for the integrity of their conduct;
An effective organisation and performance of parliamentary  duties in accordance with set rules and values;
Enables members to form issue networks through which they can assess policy alternatives and choose ideas for joint action in the parliament. This process will involve international parliamentary hearings and conference calls, and polling legislators to set priorities;
Creation of e-parliament which means the members and public will have access to recent informations, documents related to law-making, oversight and representation through their website(s). It will also provide the means for understanding what the parliament does, who its members are, what they have done and how to communicate with them. Information will be offered in different formats including text, audio, video which enable citizen to find informations quickly and easily. 

With these aforementioned benefits, the call for an "#OpenNASS" will be met.

Before this call for OpenNASS, MPs and the public have to rely on ineffective methods to access parliamentary information such as publications of Acts and Amendments of Acts, irregular committee reports and financing sheets. MPs have to submit petition, motion, questions to parliament in person and the only way to monitor an ongoing bill, Motion is by contacting relevant staff. 

Everyone involved in policy-making needs good ideas. One good idea can make all the difference. One bad idea can be disastrous. Whether in government or opposition, legislators and political parties all need to be on the cutting edge of policy.

Onilemarun AbdulKareem can be reached via 
Twitter : @onile050

This is Nigeria for us, once a person failed to align with us we always find a way to blackmail that entity. We can't just get it right enough until we all kill the selfish and biased mind, Saraki failed be a stooge for for some leaders in APC and he continue to battle with different issues on-on till when are we going to be sane enough to know the reality.

Yesterday, President of the Senate Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki and Rt Hon Yakubu Dogara hosted President of Germany, His Excellency Joachim Gauck at the National Assembly.

You can watch the video clip of the Senate President's address by following this link.


https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=F1bpAE5ElXo

I Never Referred to Obasanjo in My Chat with Senate Correspondents- Bukola Saraki

The Media Office of the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has described a report in which he was said to have replied President Olusegun Obasanjo while speaking to journalists after the presentation of the newly remodeled and refurbished Senate Press Centre as mere mischief, misrepresentation and undue sensationalism.

Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that during the presentation of the press centre, he was asked only two questions, both of which centered  on the 2016 budget. One was on how realistic the budget proposal under consideration is, in view of dwindling oil price and the other on whether the details of the Senate Budget will be made open, particularly in view of the letter by President Obasanjo.

"The Senate President's answer on the first question was that the success of the 2016 will depend less on oil price but more on the non-oil and independent revenue and that that is why the Senate will lay emphasis on  the scrutiny of these areas as well as ensure that leakages are blocked so that the budget can be realized without any hitch.

"On the second question, he reiterated his earlier position that the Senate budget will no longer be a one-line item. He said details of the budget of the National Assembly will be provided for all to see what goes to what budget head. He urged all Nigerians to realize that mistakes have been made by all stakeholders in the past and that we should all move forward by ensuring those mistakes are not repeated.

"In fact his position that mistakes have been made by all of us in the past was a reference to all stakeholders like political office holders, the media, civil society, professional and business groups, among others.

" Dr. Saraki will like to maintain his earlier position that he will only write a formal letter to President Obasanjo to explain all the efforts the Eight Senate is making to address some of the issues the former President raised in his letter to him. The Senate President will not use any public event or the media to give any direct or indirect response to the legitimate points raised by the elder statesman and father of the nation.

" The Senate President further urged the media to refrain from sensationalism which leads to twisting and misrepresentation of the position of public officers and therefore further create unnecessary tension in the polity. The urge to sell newspapers should not override the need for ethical standard and accuracy in presentation of news to be maintained. The media should equally be sensitive to other people's feelings", he stated.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, HIS EXCELLENCY, SENATOR (DR.) ABUBAKAR BUKOLA SARAKI ON THE OCCASION OF THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THE “ABUSE AND MISMANAGEMENT OF TREASURY SINGLE ACCOUNT (TSA) REGIME” ORGANISED BY THE SENATE JOINT COMMITTEE ON FINANCE; BANKING, INSURANCE, AND OTHER FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS AND PUBLIC ACCOUNTS ON WEDNESDAY, 9 DECEMBER 2015.
Protocol:
The commitment and resolve of the 8th Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to work with and support the Executive arm in its effort to improve the life of our people is not negotiable. We are together with the executive on the need to curb waste and plug all loopholes in our revenue and expenditure streams. We are equally concerned and are exploring ways of shoring up the national revenues in spite of the persistent fall in the oil price in the international market. We embrace these challenges as we believe that it will more than anything enable us to think outside of the box to draw up innovative solutions that would strengthen our institutions and the economy at large.
We gladly note the steps already taken by Mr. President to move the country towards efficiency and away from the business as usual mindset through reduction in wasteful expenditures. One of such bold steps is the full pursuit and implementation of the Economic Reform Governance Project (ERGP), which has as its core objective the modernization of Public Finance Management (PFM).
The wholesome adoption of the PFM is in line with the globally accepted Government Integrated Financial Management Information Systems (GIFMIS) which is aimed at plugging revenue wastes. All these are supportive of the introduction and the enforcement of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) which has been fully authorised by the President.
However, it has been brought to the attention of the National Assembly that these laudable goals of TSA could be threatened by the mismanagement and non compliance of extant laws leading to massive abuse such that demand the necessary intervention of the Senate.
The Senate has a critical public role to play to ensure that no such abuse is allowed to fester, hence this public hearing to investigate the purported “Abuse and Mismanagement of Single Treasury Account (TSA) Regime”. This is highly critical and relevant at this stage when we are desirous of entrenching efficiency as a hallmark of the APC government.
Distinguished colleagues, I need not reiterate that the assignment before this joint committee is indeed vital to the success or failure of TSA project. This Senate will like to remind you to act without fear or favour, let or hindrance but to do your utmost to ensure that this investigation is thorough and just.
Your mandate is simple, to investigate and report the entire process culminating in the adoption, remuneration and otherwise of TSA including determining the cost of such project. I expect you to roll up your sleeves and work diligently to unravel the facts and make your recommendations. I urge all who will be attending as witnesses to please furnish the Joint Committee with verifiable facts and documents that will assist in resolving this investigation.
Finally let me reiterate that our goal is in tandem with that of the Executive; to stamp out corruption and expose mismanagement of public resources. We are not going to treat matters bordering on the wellbeing of our economy with kid gloves we simply cannot afford it.
I wish you all a successful outcome on this deliberation.
I hereby declare the investigative Public Hearing open
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE

Saraki Leads NASS Delegation to Paris Conference on Environment
Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki today (Thursday) led a delegation of the National Assembly to Paris, France, to attend two conferences of Parliamentarians from across the world on how to save the environment.
According to a statement signed by Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, the delegation which included members from both the Senate and House of Representatives also include Senators Bukar Abba Ibrahim, Monsurat Sunmonu, Athan Nneji Achonu, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi and abdulaziz Nyako. Also in the delegation are Hon. Onuigbo Samuel, chairman of the Committee on Climate Change in the House of Representatives, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Innocent Onah Special Assistant on Partnership and NGOs, Rotimi Oke Special Assistant, legal and commercial law as well as Ibrahim Yakubu, special assistant on Information Technology.
The delegation will participate in both the Globe COP 21 Legislators Summit which will hold inside the National Assembly of France from December 4-5 and the Parliamentary Meeting on the Occasion of the United Nations Climate Change Conference organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the French Parliament between December 5 and 6.
Eminent parliamentarians like Graham Stuart from Britain, Jean-Paul Chanteguet, President of the Committee on Sustainable Development, Town and Country Planning in the French National Assembly, Segolene Royal, French Minister for Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy, Laurent Fabius, French Foreign Affairs Minister and Senator Jorge Viana, Vice President of the Brazillian Senate will be guest speakers at the Globe COP21 Summit.
The Nigerian Senate President will chair a session on December 5 with the theme - Developments in National Legislation on Climate Change, Disaster Risk Reduction, Energy and Sustainable Development - Towards Integrated National Planning on the 2015 Agenda.
Speakers slated to address the theme to be chaired by Dr. Saraki are Senator Ed Markey, Chair of the US Senate on Climate Change Clearinghouse, Ms Claude Adriano Lopez Moreno, former chair of the Environment Committee of the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, Senator Jorge Viana, Vice President of the Brazilian Senate, Hon. Rep. Suzan Yap, Vice Chairman of the Special Committee on Climate Change and the Foreign Affairs, House of Commons, UK, Hon. Jairam Ramesh, former Indian Minister of Environment and Forests and Dr. Kennedy Graham, President Globe, New Zealand.
The IPU session will be attended by UN Secretary General, Ban Ki Moon, Mr. Claude Bartolone, President of the French National Assembly, Gerarde Larche, President of the French Senate, Laurent Fabius, French Minister of foreign affairs, Mr. Arnold Schwarzeneger, prominent US actor turned politician and Mr. Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme.
The delegation is expected back home on Monday.
Signed:
Yusuph Olaniyonu
Special Adviser (Media and Publicity) to the President of the Senate

Count Me Out of Arms Deal, Says Saraki

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has dissociated himself from the N60bn arms deal involving the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd).

 

Saraki in a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Mr. Yusuph Olaniyonu, stated that contrary to report published in an online medium, SaharaReporters, he has never had anything to do with purchase of security equipment because in his entire political career he never served in any committee or body which has any link with Defence or national security.

 

"As a member of the Seventh Senate, Dr. Saraki was not a member of any of the committees which have oversight function on the Ministry of Defence or the intelligence and national security apparatus. If he was tagged the leader of the opposition to the Jonathan administration, how then will he be privy to Arms purchases and have the influence to blackmail any government agency or institution over the release of funds.

 

"The Senate President would like to alert members of the public to this new plot by this particular online medium, SaharaReporters to tarnish his reputation as the medium and its sponsors pursue the singular objective of removing him from the office of the Senate President, an objective they have since failed to achieve within and outside the National Assembly"

 

This time around, SaharaReporters and its sponsors chose to drag the Senate President to this reigning and current issue of arms purchase by insinuating that he once blackmailed the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to give him and other Senators the sum of N250 million as a way of covering up the arbitrary withdrawal by the NSA from the security fund approved by the former President.

 

First, there is no logic in SaharaReporters’ claim as Dr. Saraki who was persecuted by the last administration could not have had the influence and good standing to walk up to the Central Bank to demand for any money having exposed many atrocities of the past administration. Again, on what ground would the Senate President blackmail anyone for 250 Million naira? It must be emphasized here that Dr. Saraki will never engage in any sharp practice or issue which will warrant him to blackmail any individual or government institution.

 

"Therefore for record purposes, Dr. Saraki did not collect any money from any official of the CBN in respect of any arms deal. The Senate President also challenge SaharaReporters or any official of the apex bank, Senator, serving or past, who witnessed or participated in any sharing of the alleged money purported to have been received by him, to come out with evidence.

 

"It should be recalled that SaharaReporters believe it can continue to disparage and defame people claiming that it is operating outside the country. The medium cannot operate above the law.

 

"This same medium had falsely published the data page of a forged passport it purportedly claimed belonged to Saraki. The Home Office in the United Kingdom has since written to confirm that the said passport, does not belong to the Senate President. Also, SaharaReporters once claimed that Saraki bribed some judges using a former Chief Justice of Nigeria as a front. The claim has since been proven to be false. Anybody who knows the reputation of the retired Justice in question knows that he cannot be used to pervert the cause of justice.

" It also claimed that Saraki tried to cover up the case of $20 billion missing NNPC fund and indeed collected “cash and gifts” from former President Goodluck Jonathan through Mr. Gilbert Chagoury when in actual fact the Senate President was the only member of the Senate committee who refused to sign the majority report of the Makarfi committee because he disagreed with the report which he believed did not address the matter. It is strange however that a man who dissociated himself from the probe report because he believed it amounted to a cover up was later accused by the same online medium as supporting attempts to hide the issue of the missing funds. This is not only completely false, but also a fiction concocted by SaharaReporters to defame Dr. Saraki.

 

"The game being played by SaharaReporters and its sponsors is clear. As they have done in previous cases involving the on-going trial of the Senate President at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, they are targeting the Appeal at the Supreme Court coming up on Thursday, December 3rd 2015. They want to prejudice the Supreme Court as they have done when they blackmailed a judge of the Federal High Court to withdraw from the case and also published false reports, which compelled the Court of Appeal to postpone its judgment at the last minute.

 

"Whatever the motive of SaharaReporters, it is high time we employed the instrument of the law to stop this act of impunity aimed at publishing false reports believing the victims will not go to court or be frustrated by its dubious claims that they are domiciled outside Nigeria.

 

" We urge all Nigerians and other well-meaning individuals across the globe to ignore this absolutely false claim by SaharaReporters. Like we earlier stated, this false claim shall not go unchallenged. We shall meet in court.

“We have allowed SaharaReporters enough latitude to indulge in their unscrupulous and mischievous method of journalism. However, enough is enough. We have no option than to commence legal action against Sahara Reporters in all relevant jurisdictions, particularly on the issue of fake passport, false claim of bribery and the recent one on blackmail, all aimed at tarnishing the image of the Senate President.

 

“We need to put an end to this concerted mischief of defaming the person and good reputation of Senator Bukola Saraki. We will vigorously defend the integrity of the Senate President. We believe law and global best practices should guide these cyber-warriors. They have abused the docility of the law for too long. Enough is enough.”

 

Yusuph Olaniyonu

 

Special adviser (Media and Publicity) to the Senate President

CLARIFICATION ON SP SUGGESTION BOXES 

The attention of the Media Office of the Senate President has been drawn to comments regarding the launch of the "Speak to SP Suggestion Boxes" at various points of the National Assembly.  

With the efforts of the Senate to promote the two-way interaction between Nigerians and their representatives in the 8th Senate, Senators launched the suggestion boxes in order to allow staff and visitors to the National Assembly  to submit internal recommendations on improvements that can be made at the National Assembly. Additionally, the suggestion boxes are a physical component of the online approach being adopted by the Senate to receive feedback from Nigerians.

 

Many will remember that earlier this month, the Senate President sent a message to Nigerians seeking their participation in the formulation of the legislative agenda of the 8th Senate. Many of the credible and practicable recommendations that were submitted online were taken into account, and the Senate adopted them in drafting its legislative agenda. 



Additionally, it would be important to state that there was no ceremony to mark the launching of the suggestion boxes. The Senate President was only accompanied by some of his colleagues for a symbolic ribbon-cutting meant to mark the introduction of the boxes at the National Assembly complex. The speech that was released to the press, was the statement the Senate President was meant to have delivered at the launch. However, as the ribbon-cutting lasted less than five minutes, the speech was skipped all together.

 

We hope that the staff and visitors to the National Assembly will take advantage of these suggestion boxes, as it will strengthen effective communication between the leadership of the National Assembly and the staff that serve as the engine behind all its activities.

 

Signed 

Bamikole Omishore 
Special Assistant, New Media to President of
Senate. Federal Republic of Nigeria

Saraki Gets Standing Ovation At Aso Rock

Senate President, Bukola Saraki  got a standing ovation on Wednesday, November 25 2015 for introducing over 100 senators by their names and their constituencies in Aso Rock,Abuja.

While at the dinner with all senators of the Republic of Nigeria and President Muhammadu Buhari, Saraki  stood up to introduce over 100 Senators in attendance by their names and their constituencies.

This impressed President Buhari that he stood up to give the senate president a warm handshake after his introduction.

The senators also showed support and solidarity to Saraki when they were told to speak on issues they needed to address with permission from the president but they declined.

 None of the lawmakers accepted to speak after the two senators nominated by the Senate President.

However, Bola Tinubu, the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was spotted chatting with Saraki right after.

Ike Ekweremadu,the deputy senate president who presided over plenary had asked the senators to converge at the Saraki's office at 7pm for depature to the Villa.

 Although the agenda of the meeting was not disclosed, it was hinted that the purpose of the meeting was to discuss and mend the relationship between the presidency and the senate.

Saraki Reiterates Pledge to Jettison One-line Budget Item For National Assembly ‪#‎OpenNass‬
Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has reiterated his commitment to making the financial dealings of the National Assembly more open and accessible to the general public.
In an interview with ChannelsTV, Saraki said the days of one line budgets for the National Assembly are long gone.
In recent times, Nigerians home and abroad have been canvassing for more accountability and transparency in government, Different youth groups who make up a large population of the country have been pushing for the National Assembly to explain how it spends its now reduced budget of N120bn.
Saraki’s interview appears to have put to rest the agitation, with the National Assembly Chairman stating that every expenditure and receipt will be broken down into relevant budget heads for easy tracking..
“By the time we come in to the 2016 budget at the end of the year, it will be even clearer because people just see one item line. But that is not going to happen now, you will see what goes to the Senate, what goes to the House of Reps, you are going to see what goes to management, what goes to Legislative Institute, we are going to make all these open and clear.”
“That is part of the openness we promised”, he said.
Since 1999, the financial dealings of the National Assembly, have been shrouded in secrecy, with its leadership stopping just short of labelling anyone who dared question it on the matter a traitor.
When Saraki became Senate President on June 9, in his inauguration speech, he promised “a change from impunity and elite arrogance to a life of accountability and respect for every citizen, regardless of tribe, gender, religion and political persuasion…we must justify the privilege of representation conferred in us by the people”
“As the President of the 8th Senate and chairman of the National Assembly, I shall be guided by the enormity of the responsibilities that this moment imposes on all of us”, he said.
Saraki in the Channels interview not only demonstrated his commitment to remaining accessible to the citizens on the dealings of the Assembly, but also his grasp of the needs of the people, with respect to the office he occupies.
BudgIT, A Nigerian civic tech organization took time out to appreciate the Senate President for his understanding and staying true to his promise that the National Assembly Budget needs transparency.
“For understanding and staying on his promise that National Assembly budget needs transparency, we thank SP Bukola Saraki” BudgIT said on twitter.
"Nigerians generally are optimistic that under Saraki, the Senate and indeed the entire National Assembly, will live up to the huge expectations entrusted in it.

Saraki Hosts World Bank Group, Discusses Health Issues

Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki has called on the
international financial institutions to intervene in saving the
nation's health sector so as to prevent further waste of lives through
maternal and infant mortality.

Saraki who spoke during a strategic breakfast meeting he hosted in
honour of the World Bank Group led by Ms Nicole Klingen and the
Wellbeing Foundation Africa (WBFA) headed by his wife, Mrs. Toyin
Saraki as part of efforts to stimulate discussion on key solutions to
systemic failures in the nation's public health care system said all
avenues to improve on provision of facilities, manpower and service
delivery in the crucial sector should be, explored.

In her own speech at the occasion, Mrs Saraki who is President of WBFA
called on the Federal Government to increase budgetary allocation to
the health sector to help fight the alarming rate of maternal and
infant mortality in the country.

She decried a situation where an estimated 900,000 women and children
still die annually in the country from preventable diseases.

Mrs. Saraki said: “It is evident… that far too many newborns,
children, adolescents, and women in Nigeria still die from preventable
conditions every year, and far too few have reliable access to quality
health services.

"To address this, it is imperative that increased focus be placed on
client-held personal health records – which will facilitate the much
needed accountability in the health care system as enshrined the joint
World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank Group 'Roadmap for
Measurement and Accountability in Health' guidelines; the invaluable
role of midwives; and the critical need for increased access to
universal health coverage.”

She further lamented that, "currently, an estimated 900,000 mothers
and children die each year in Nigeria – positioning the country as the
second highest contributor to maternal and under-5 deaths globally,
second only to India."

On the strength of regional and global advocacy, according to her,
"the Wellbeing Foundation Africa has facilitated accessible and
affordable health care for all, with a special emphasis on women and
children.

"In addition to encouraging proper nutrition, adequate immunization
and preventive healthcare for the populace, particularly those in the
rural communities, the Foundation is fighting the high maternal and
infant mortality problem facing Nigeria through advocacy; multi-sector
partnerships; behaviour change communication and social media
interactions; Emergency Obstetrics & Newborn Care (EmONC) skills
delivery and training projects; and civic engagement to improve
education.

"Taking tangible steps to improve reproductive, maternal, newborn,
child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) indices in Nigeria, the Wellbeing
Foundation Africa and its leadership is seeking the political
commitment of the Nigerian legislature in advocating for more domestic
resources for RMNCAH issues."

She further added that "Working with Federal Government of Nigeria’s
Saving One Million Lives Program, which empowers the Nigerian health
sector to contribute equitably to the economic and social development
of the nation, and the Every Woman Every Child (EWEC) initiative’s
Global Financing Facility (GFF), which aims to accelerate efforts to
end preventable maternal, newborn, child and adolescent deaths, and
improve the health and quality of life of women, adolescents and
children – the Wellbeing Foundation Africa continues to seek
innovative ways to improve health outcomes for mothers and children
through enhanced service delivery models."

On her part, the leader of the World Bank Group, Ms. Nicole Klingen,
commended Mrs. Saraki for the efforts of the WBFA aimed at
ameliorating the scourge of maternal and infant morality in the
country.

Klingen stated that part of the objectives of the World Bank Group is
to ensure sustainable health care delivery in Nigeria and Africa at
large.

She called on governments at all levels to complement the efforts of
other stakeholders in the sector aimed at ensuring sustainable medical
attention as at when due most especially to the vulnerable.

Benefits of Facebook Training to Senators And Their Aides. By @mrbanksomishore

Social media is an integral part of governance and leaders worldwide have accepted the need to maintain a social presence in one or more of the media platform to engage the electorate and further increase the conversations about governance.

Few weeks ago, Head of Public Policy for Facebook in Africa reached out to Senate President, Senator ABubakar Bukola Saraki A New Media Savvy individual to offer to help train Nigerian Senators and their aides on the effective use of the platform to build the communication gap between Nigerians and their legislators.

lt is interesting to note that since the inauguration of the 8th Assembly, Nigerian Senate has actively maintained social media platforms majorly, Facebook and Twitter. (www.facebook.com/Nigeriansenate) and (@NGRSENATE) on twitter in order to bring leģislature closer to Nigerians.

As a step in joining the global community in using the Social media platforms the right way, Head of Public Policy for facebook in Africa will be coming to Nigeria with some of her collagues to Train Nigerians Senators and their aides on EFFECTIVE use of the platform to engage Nigerians on formation of POLICIES and to get undiluted feedback from their constituents.

Recall that over the past few years, Senator Saraki as a Senator was able to get direct unfiltered feedback from his constituents and Nigerians at large on issues that directly affect their lives. I remember vividly a few instances such as the Save Bagega Campaign, which was the issue of lead poisoning in Zamfara and also #SaveAlice in Lagos who was attacked by her foreign employers, just to name a few occasions where people on social media have been able to get in touch directly with him as a Senator to get him to champion issues.
Unfortunately, Some elements have used the platform to defraud Nigerians by creating fake accounts that looks just like that of Senators and other public office holders to defraud unsuspecting Nigerians. This training will allow for verification by Facebook and also how training on effective use of this platform can help in delivering more people oriented bills to Nigerians and urgent interventions where necessary.
One of the impact I’m optimisic this innovation will have on the 8th Senate is that more Senators will be able to get direct feedback on what Bills and Motions their constituents want to see. As you know what we need in Ife East Local Government in Osun will be different from what you need IN Wammako local government in Sokoto.

For instance, last week Senate President released a message on Facebook on need for Nigerians to send recommendations of Bills and Motions they will like to see Senators introduced. We received thousands of emails which we are going through now to see which of the Bills we can develop. if we can have more Senators make proper use of this platform, I believe it will help to build the information gap and take the legislature back to the people.

The Senate President being a technology savvy individual himself does plan to run a more technology inclined chamber. We hope to introduce E-parliament platform where Nigerians can track what will be discussed in the Senate, contributions of each Senator, A Bill Tracker to know where each bills currently stand and details of Bills and more engagement from the citizens which will help with their oversight functions.

The impact it will have on Plenary Sessions, as you are aware not all 109 Senators will always be able to put forward their position on every issue on the floor, As was the practise during the 7th Assembly where Senator Saraki will go on Facebook and other social media platforms to table his positions on issues, we hope more Senators will be able to do this so their constituents will know where they stand on issues.

This training is absolutely free as part of Facebook’s Corporate Social Responsibility – CSR of the sponsors. Facebook will already be in Nigeria for a separate business and offered to do the training for free, I believe that extending such gesture to the Naional Assembly is a laudable CSR and they should be commended for this. Nigerians make up a large percentage of Facebook users in the continent and only proper for it to be used to change our country.

The Training has been scheduled for Monday 16th November 2016 at the National Assembly Complex from 12 noon to 5pm.

Bamikole Omishore is the Special Assistant on New Media to the President of 8th Senate.

#CCTbribery: Will Danladi Umar Toe The Path Of Honour? By Kuddi Haastrups

If i were to give a ‘’brotherly’’ advice to Mr Umar Dan Ladi, i will whisper some words of wisdom into his ears to resign from his current post as the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Umar would make things easy for President Muhammadu Buhari who is battling real hard to convince the international community on his promises of ridding the country of corrupt public officials within the shortest time possible.
On the 10th of November 2015, Mr President relieved the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC – Mr Ibrahim Lamorde of his duty in what many described as a step too late in his anti-corruption crusade. Questionable character, cases of brazen corruption, and granting of soft landing to indicted politicians were among the reasons given for his sack.
To up the ante with a clear message, more than ever, the president needs to listen to the voices of over 150 Million Nigerians who are worried about the sanctity and independence of our justice system. Judicial rascality and law breaking with impunity has become unchecked among the overzealous anti-graft bodies. The trending news of N10 Million bribery scandal rocking the CCT Chairman is one song on the lips of every Nigerian that will not fade away easily. It is hard to juxtapose the realization that a bribe taker will even attempt a rendition of the judicial creed on another ‘’corrupt’’ individual, this is a crazy trend that requires an urgent intervention.
Mr Dan Ladi was caught in the act demanding and receiving Ten Million Naira bribe from a retired comptroller of customs, Rasheed Taiwo to quash a case against him. The payment was agreed to be effected in instalments, Mr Taiwo fulfilled a portion of that agreement by depositing the sum of One million, eight hundred thousand naira into Umar’s Personal Assistant’s account- Abdullahi Gambo who withdrew the money on behalf of his boss the same day. When the CCT chairman pestered further for the balance and Taiwo couldn’t meet up he decided to lodge an official complaint at the EFCC.
The EFCC indeed investigated the matter and found some shady dealings with exchange of text messages and signed documents as evidence of transaction. While the melee was ongoing One George Uboh submitted a petition to the Senate through the clerk accusing the EFCC of graft bothering on funds misappropriation, in a bid to fight back using the available pawn, Mr Lamorde engaged the services of Umar in a trade by barter where as his case was stood down on personal recognition in order to use the CCT to get back at the Senate Chairman Bukola Saraki.
Summarily, what we’ve witnessed in the last couple of weeks is a classical example of judges bias to taint a case in an ungodly way to perpetrate their nefarious acts.
While the Efcc chair has been sacked, his accomplice Umar Dan Ladi must be shown the exit as well.
How can a justice receive a bribe but not removed and prosecuted? It becomes clearer, why justice was hard to come by and the brazzen disregard for rule of law in the #CCT Vs #Saraki Trial.
The social media space is agog with different hashtags like #CCTBribery, #CCTscandal, #CCTChairman to express thier discontent as they prevail on the presidency to not turn a deaf ear on sensitive issues like this capable of truncating his fight against corruption.
Observers opined that any attempt by Mr Umar Danladi to continue to preside over the affairs of further tribunal hearings will be tantamount to putting a round peg in a square hole.
Angry Nigerians took turns on Social media to voice their disgust and support Buhari’s anti corruption campaign to do the needful in series of tweets.
@gbeny007 tweeted –  “When you fight corruption be ready to face the tides & swim an ocean, #CCTchairman should clear his name as a matter of urgency”
@EddieMadakI wrote – “Document nailed Danladi #CCTChairman as a corrupt practitioner who involved in bribery which is punishable under lawhttps:///Vio0oNwpHU“
@Freak4all said – “President Buhari must not Look away, you’ve done well with Lamorde now sack DanLadi”
the vituperations are growing louder by the day for Dan Ladi Umar stomach, hence my recommendation that he resigns by toeing the path of honour for the good of our judicial system rather than waiting in line to be sacked.
This is a necessary step to cleanse the infectious system to restore parity, and redeem the court’s image as the last hope of the common man.
The latest ruling by Supreme Court this morning halting further proceedings in the trial of Senate President Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal pending the determination of the appeal filed before the court further shows how the CCT and its Counsel Rotimi Jacobs have compromised the judges decisions previously to rule in their favour.
Should Umar Dan Ladi refuse to tow the path of honour, in line with Buharis change mantra, He should be sacked and replaced with immediate effect.
Kuddi Haastrups writes from Baltimore, Maryland

Can Presidency Deny knowledge of CCT Chairman bribery scandal?

President Muhammadu Buhari has denied knowledge of the embarrassing N10m bribery and other allegations leveled against the Chairman of Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, Umar Dalandi by the Economic Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

Danladi is caught in a web of intrigue that involves a N10m bribe demanded from former Customs Officer, Rasheed Taiwo.

An agreement to pay the sum in installments was made with the Police made aware ahead of time.

He also allegedly kept on pestering Taiwo for the balance of the N10m that he had requested after collecting N1.8m of the sum through his Personal Assistant, Abdullahi Gambo.

Taiwo paid N1.8m into Danladi’s account, and Gambo withdrew the money on the same day, December 12, 2012.

When Post Nigeria contacted the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina via telephone on Wednesday, November 11, he feigned ignorance to the charges and said “noted’ before ending the call.

Our correspondent went further to text Adesina to comment on the stance of the President who rode to power on the wave of his anti-corruption mantra.

As at press time, the Presidential spokesman has not responded to the question.

During a press conference after the India-Africa Summit, which took place in New Delhi recently, Buhari told the world that he remained resolute in the fight against corruption and would want to be remembered for that when it is all said and done.

His administration has three main focuses; security, economy and the fight against corruption, according to several statements he has made.

He has however roundly been criticized by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as being selective in the fight with witch hunting calls popping up repeatedly.

In light of these heavy allegations anchored like dead weight to Danladi’s neck, if Buhari turns a blind eye he would be actively rubbishing his anti-corruption stance.

SARAKI & THE HYPOCRISY OF THE NIGERIAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM.

 BY RAHEEM RAHEEM ‘OKOYA’



Nigeria operates a form of government that portrays Federalism in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Federation consists of 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory, which are constitutionally empowered with the Legislative, Executive and the Judiciary functions within the scope of their jurisdictions.

However, the Judiciary faces certain problems, which show the weaknesses and defects of the system that require immediate reforms. These problems include corruption, backlog of pending cases, lack of transparency, hardship of under trials, pressure from unseen forces and lack of interaction with the society among others.



Nigeria’s legal system has one of the largest backlogs of pending cases in Africa – as many as 2 million pending cases; of which over hundred thousands are High Court cases, and more than two hundred and fifty thousand are before the Supreme Court. This number is continuously on the increase, which again shows the flawed and defective complexion of the judicial system.



The clamour to increase the number of Judges, create more Courts have continuously met with staunch brick walls because the implementation have been hard to come by. The Right to Information (RTI) Act appears to be totally out of the ambit of the legal system. Thus, in the functioning of the judiciary, the substantial issues like the quality of justice and accountability are uphill tasks.

 

It is very essential that the judiciary of any country should be an integral part of the society and its interactions with the society must be made regular and relevant. In some advanced democracies, there have been the involvements of common citizens in the judicial processes of decision-making. However, in Nigeria the judicial system has no connection with the society, something it had inherited from the British judicial set-up. Even though things should have changed over the periods, but from what we have today, the law officers have not been able to come close to the ground to meet the common man.



In this context, it is important to train the judges in writing judgments which are precise unambiguous and clear. Judges must also remember that apart from interpreting law, they are the arbitrators for the people, who are often strangers to the world of law. A concise, clear and coherent judgment does not only improve public accessibility to the law, but also repose great confidence in the process.

 

The Nigerian judiciary system is a particularly refined system, bearing testimony to the ingenuity of the human thought. The threads of constitutional philosophy have weaved an exquisite tapestry of substantive procedural laws. As a polity, we seek to achieve high values of liberty, equality and justice delivery system that translates the rhetoric of these into practical rules, such that “no man shall be a judge in his cause” and “no man shall be condemned unheard”.

 

Now to the crux, like any other institution of Government, the Nigerian judicial system is fraught with corrupt officials. The recent charges by the Code of Conduct Tribunal against Senate President Bukola Saraki have clearly emphasized that and underscore the weaknesses inherent in the functioning of Nigerian Judiciary. There is no system of accountability. The process of registering against a trial judge for taking bribes is burdened with bureaucratic bottlenecks because it has to have the express permission of the Chief Justice of Federation.



The Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal is enmeshed in corruption and bribery scandals of his own, as a sitting jury over a court of competent jurisdiction that the CCT is, which again justifies the lack of trust in the legal system.



Having keenly observed the proceedings of the CCT in the Saraki trial and particularly, the body language of its Chairman Danladi Umar vis-à-vis having Saraki docked by all means, it is important to bring to the fore a clear case of bias.



Danladi Umar justified his ruling on Bola Tinubu’s release as follows:



ON THE SECOND ISSUE THAT CCB DID NOT INVITE TINUBU BEFORE THE TRIAL, THE TRIBUNAL RESOLVED IT IN FAVOUR OF THE ACCUSED APPLICANT, AS HE SAID “THE BUREAU DID NOT PRODUCE EVIDENCE THAT IT INVITED THE ACCUSED OVER COMPLAINTS ABOUT HIS ASSET DECLARATION”. HE SAID THE INVITATION WAS A CONDITION PRECEDENT BEFORE FILING CHARGES AGAINST AN ACCUSED PERSON BY THE BUREAU. 

"THE TRIBUNAL CHAIRMAN (DANLADI UMAR) LAUDED TINUBU FOR MAKING HIMSELF AVAILABLE THROUGHOUT THE TRIAL, AS HE SAID IT WAS NOT MANDATORY FOR THE ACCUSED CHALLENGING THE JURISDICTION OF THE COURT TO APPEAR BEFORE IT”.



Meanwhile, Section 3 (d) of the Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal Act states that “the Bureau shall receive complaints about non-compliance with or breach of this Act and where the Bureau considers it necessary to do so, refer such complaints to the Code of Conduct Tribunal established by Section 20 of this Act.

"Provided that where the person concerned makes a written admission of such breach or non-compliance, no reference to the Tribunal shall be necessary: WHY IS SARAKI'S CASE DIFFERENT?



Why didn’t Saraki get the same treatment, which is the provision of the law? Why was the matter referred directly to the CCT first?



On the whole, despite the advancements in information and communication technologies changing the life of the people dramatically, the Nigerian legal system is still a vestige appearing to belong only to a section or class, faraway from the people. As a matter of fact, the present system of justice is totally out of place and out of time and tune with democratic procedures and norms that please only a certain section of the society with vested interests. Therefore, there is an immediate need to restructure the entire judicial system to make it answerable to the needs of a democratic, progressive society.