Legislature

Speakership race: Crack in G-7 as Doguwa, two other aspirants declares for Abbas

Published

2 years ago

May 18, 2023

The aggrieved Speakership aspirants in the 10th House of Representatives otherwise know as the Group of Seven (G-7) may have parted ways as the Majority leader Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa has withdrawn from the race,

Doguwa who announced his withdrawal from the race in support of the APC anointed candidate, Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas, was also accompanied by two other aggrieved aspirants, Hon. Abdulraheem Tunji Olaoye, from Kwara and Hon. Makki Abubakar Yalleman from Jigawa respectively.

The Joint Task -10th Assembly, a coalition of all 8 political parties with seats in the incoming 10 House of Representatives had organized a second meeting with the Tajudeen Abbas/Benjamin Kalu campaign group where Doguwa gave the indication

Addressing the gathering which was chaired by the outgoing Speaker of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, Doguwa who referred to Gbajabiamila as “Mr Fix It” stormed the venue of the meeting with some of his supporters saying that the time has come for him to act to a good party and establishment man who also benefited from the system.

“Perhaps it won’t be out of place Mr Speaker if I put your name on quote as the Mr fix it of this time. I wish you well a d I hope you will continue to fix it for the Nigerian people. I call you ‘Mr fix it’ because the way you are fixing it, I can see that you are doing it for the overall interest of the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“My respected honourable colleagues and my brother the Prince of Zazzau, the Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas this year will be highly eventful for the Zazzau Emirate…
“My Honorable colleagues, especially those who are looking at me eyeball to eyeball. Don’t imagine that is my appearance here is by accident. Don’t think you are day dreaming, you are not day dreaming this is reality. Before you is Rt. Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, the Chief Whip of the 8th Assembly and by the leave of my colleagues and the chief leave of the Art. Honourable Speaker, the Majority Leader of the 9th House of Representatives.
“I am here to put on the record that not just from today, that right from day one that the NWC, the National Working Committee of My pattyput it on the table that they have come up with their zoning arrangement, and after zoning with all sense of morality micro-zoned it to the North West, and micro-micro-zoned it to my brother Tajudeem Abbas, representing Zaria Federal Constituency of North West Nigeria.
“As from that day, I therefore called my bid to contest for the speakership of the 10th House of Representatives off.
“I had to do that because I’m a man of the establishment. I had to do that because I’m also a beneficiary of the same kind of arrangement. I have benefited from party arrangements, I have personally benefited from this zoning arrangement. That was what gave me the position of the Chief Whip of the 8th House of Representatives even when there were issues, still the zoning helped me.

“Today I’m the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives courtesy of the National Working Committee of my party. My great brothers and sisters, courtesy demands that it’s only fair that I also stand by the position of the National Working Committee of My party.

“It’s not like the table is turning against m, no. It’s just that time has come for me to also pay back. And I think paying back in this circumstances is a great responsibility that I must oblige.

“I rise before you this evening my colleagues and Rt. Honorable Femi Gbajabiamila, and flanking me are Rt. Hon. Abdulraheem Tunji Olaoye and Rt. Hon. Makki Abubakar Yalleman. We are here individually and collectively stepping into the shoes of this great campaign.

“We all wanted to be Speakers not because we knew there could be so many Speakers at every given point in time, there can be only one Speaker and we have individually and collectively decided to come and surrender our bids to be Speaker to our great party, and we also defer on record to our great gentleman that was picked by the party to run for the Speakership officially on behalf of our great party, Rr. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.

“We are also of the opinion that the selection process of the Art. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas was not in any way bias. We are also quite aware that the person of Tajudeen Abbas and his running mate, are qualified to hold their respective offices,” he said.
Recall that the Group of Seven comprising the outgoing Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Idris Wase(Plateau), Muktar Aliyu Betara (Borno), Aliyu Sani Jaji (Zamfara), Yusuf Adamu Gagdi (Plateau), Miriam Onuoha (Imo), Alhassan Ado Doguwa(Kano) SADA Solo Jibia(Katsina) and Makki Abubakar Yalleman (Jigawa), with the exception of Olaoye all swore to back one aspirant from them to run against the party’s anointed candidate.

Legislature

NASS approves ₦54.99 Trillion 2025 Budget

Published

1 week ago

February 13, 2025

National Update

National Assembly Complex

***Allocates N23.96 Trillion for Capital Projects, N14.31 Trillion for Debt Servicing

The Nigerian Senate along with the House of Represebtatives have passed the 2025 Appropriation Bill, approving a record-breaking budget of N54,990,165,355,396 to finance government activities in the coming fiscal year.

The budget, titled A Bill for an Act to Authorise the Issue from the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation, was approved after deliberations on its allocations and implications for economic growth, debt management, and infrastructure development.
The chairman of the National Assemble Godswill Akpabio who is also the President of the Senate gave the beakdown of the 2025 Budget to show that Statutory Transfers: ₦3.65 trillion, debt Servicing: ₦14.32 trillion, Recurrent (Non-Debt) Expenditure: ₦13.06 trillion and
Capital Expenditure: ₦23.96 trillion

The largest chunk of the budget, ₦23.96 trillion, was allocated for capital expenditure, aimed at infrastructure development, healthcare, education, and security.
This signals the government’s commitment to addressing Nigeria’s infrastructural deficit.

However, the ₦14.32 trillion earmarked for debt servicing highlights the country’s rising debt burden, sparking concerns over long-term financial sustainability.

With the National Assembly approval, the budget now awaits President Bola Tinubu’s assent, after which implementation will begin. Analysts predict a challenging fiscal year, balancing economic growth with prudent spending and debt repayment.

However, time will tell whether the historic budget will deliver on its promises, or economic realities force adjustments down the line?

Legislature

Senator Adeola Olamilekan explains N54.99trn Budget passage

Published

1 week ago

February 13, 2025

National Update

Deola Solomon Olamilekan

***Says addittional fund is to Prioritize Infrastructure, Health, Economic Growth

The chairman of the senate committee on Appropriation Senator Adeola Solomon Olamilekan has explained the approval of the 2025 Appropriation Bill by the national Assembly which it increased from N49.7 trillion to N54.99 trillion—the highest in the nation’s history.
The adjustment followed legislative reviews that uncovered additional revenues from key government agencies.
While explaining the Budget Expansion and Revenue Sources Olamilekan indicated that the additional N4.99 trillion was sourced from Nigeria Customs Service, Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Government-Owned Enterprises (GOEs)

These he said led to an increase in funding for critical sectors, including N1.5 trillion for Bank of Agriculture, N500 billion for Bank of Industry, 1 trillion for Ministry of Solid Minerals, N1.5 trillion for Renewable Infrastructure Fund, N300 billion – Road construction and N400 billion for Rail transport.
Others are N380 billion of Water resources, irrigation, and dam projects, N250 billion for Military barracks renovation N120 billion for New military aviation projects, N50 billion for Border security agencies
Following the suspension of U.S. health aid, which previously provided funding for HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, and polio treatments, President Tinubu approved $200 million (N300 billion) to ensure continued medical supplies and healthcare support for affected patients.

On the major Boost for Infrastructure Development he said a record N23.7 trillion has been allocated for capital projects, marking a significant leap in infrastructure investment.
He listed the areas the funds will focus on to include Roads and railways,nEducation and healthcare improvements and Other critical public infrastructure
To prevent delays in budget implementation, the 2026 budget process will begin in July 2025, with the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) submitted early and the Appropriation Bill expected by October 2025.

Concerns over inadequate rail infrastructure funding in the South East were raised, but legislative leaders clarified that rail projects are primarily funded through public-private partnerships (PPPs).
According to him, the 2025 budget focuses on light rail development in Lagos, Ogun, Kaduna, and Kano, while further discussions on South East projects are ongoing.

He explained that to maintain Economic Stability the budget parameters remain unchanged, with key revenue sources including FIRS increasing its revenue target to N25.1 trillion, Nigeria Customs Service boosting revenue collection through stricter enforcement and Independent revenue agencies contributing 100% of their generated funds to the federal government

Legislature

Reps Launch Probe into Telcos Over Unauthorized NIN-SIM Linkages

Published

2 weeks ago

February 7, 2025

National Update

Patrick Umoh

The House of Representatives has directed its Joint Committee on Communications and Interior to investigate reports of unauthorized National Identification Number (NIN) linkages by telecom service providers across Nigeria.

The decision followed the unanimous adoption of a motion jointly sponsored by Hon. Patrick Umoh (APC, Akwa Ibom) and Hon. Julius Ihonvbere (APC, Edo). The House also instructed the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to probe the allegations and sanction any telecom operator found guilty of violating privacy laws.

Additionally, the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) has been asked to clarify whether telecom providers were authorized to link NINs to subscriber lines and if such actions comply with existing regulations.

Hon. Umoh raised concerns about recent reports indicating that telecom companies have linked NINs to subscribers’ SIM cards without their consent. He warned that this unauthorized linkage exposes Nigerians to criminal activities, such as identity theft, financial fraud, and other cybercrimes.

“This action is a clear violation of the Nigeria Data Protection Act 2023 and the Nigeria Data Protection Regulation (NDPR) 2019, which guarantee the right to privacy and the protection of personal data,” Umoh stated.

He further emphasized that while the NIN system was introduced to enhance national security and streamline identification processes, unauthorized linkages undermine public trust and jeopardize citizens’ safety.

“Aware that innocent citizens have been wrongly implicated in crimes, suffered reputational damage, harassment, and legal challenges for offenses they know nothing about, it is imperative that we address this issue immediately,” Umoh added.

The House has mandated the probe committee to submit its findings within four weeks, as lawmakers seek to protect Nigerians from potential data breaches and uphold the integrity of national security protocols.