Connect with us

Politics

Senate On Track To Deliver On Promises To Nigerians – Lawan

Published

on

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan said on Thursday that the Ninth Senate which just clocked one year has remained on track to deliver the promises made to Nigerians.

“Today, we can say that we have remained on track to delivering on our promises to the Nigerian people,” Lawan said in while addressing his distinguished colleagues at plenary on the one year anniversary.

The Ninth National Assembly, comprising Senate and House of Representatives, was inaugurated on 11th June, 2019 for a tenure of four years.

He said the Senate, working with the House of Representatives has created a productive and proficient National Assembly.

Lawan said, as a bicameral legislature, the Senate will continue to partner with the House of Representatives to engender stability and productivity.

He said “both the Ninth Senate, indeed the National Assembly and the Executive arm of government have decided to collaborate and partner for a harmonious working relationship.

“There is no doubt that this has proven to be beneficial to the people we represent.

“I commend the executive arm of government for the valuable partnership that has so far yielded improved service delivery to our citizens.”

The Senate President recalled that the major concern one year ago was the need to have a Budget Cycle that will be regular, predictable and stable.

“We worked extra hours and days to ensure that the Budget 2020 was passed before the end of December 2019.

“Our Committees carried out necessary scrutiny of the budget estimates of the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) before the Budget was finally passed by the National Assembly on 5th December, 2019.

“It is noteworthy that the passage of the 2020 Appropriation has enabled the Federal Government to start the implementation of the budget from January 2020,” Lawan said.

The Senate President said in the one year under review, the Senate has introduced 450 bills some of which had been signed into law while others in different stages of legislative processing.

Lawan said the Senate on Thursday passed the revised 2020 budget which was necessitated by the adverse impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the country’s revenue.

“As an oil dependent country economy, the slump in the price of crude in the world market means that the revenues we earn cannot meet the planned expenditure.

“In order to support and enable the government raise the necessary funds for national development, there were requests for approval to borrow both from the domestic and foreign sources.

“We have approved 28 billion dollars in the last one year. We had ensured the proper scrutiny for the desired projects and programmes of government, the conditions of the facilities before approving such borrowing requests.

“The task ahead us is to ensure tracking, monitoring, and supervision of how the loans are applied. We must ensure that the target projects remain and that there is value for money also,” Lawan said.

Politics

Breaking: UAE lifts visa ban on Nigerians

Published

on

Tinubu and Uae ambassador

In a significant development, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has officially lifted the visa restrictions that were previously imposed on Nigerian travelers. This announcement came from the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, following a Federal Executive Council meeting chaired by President Bola Tinubu.

“I can tell you that the agreement has been reached and effective from today, Nigerian passport holders intending to travel to the UAE are able to do so,” Idris confirmed.

The lifting of these restrictions marks the end of a prolonged diplomatic dispute between the two nations. The UAE initially imposed the visa ban due to several unresolved issues, including financial disputes. Notably, Dubai’s Emirates airline had suspended flight operations to Nigeria over the Central Bank of Nigeria’s inability to remit an estimated $85 million in revenue to the UAE.

In June, after extensive negotiations, the Nigerian government reassured its citizens that the visa ban would soon be lifted. The government also announced that it had paid 98% of the $850 million owed to the UAE, paving the way for this positive outcome.

Further details on the agreement will be provided later today, as mentioned by Minister Idris. This development is expected to strengthen bilateral relations and promote travel and trade between Nigeria and the UAE.

Stay tuned for more updates as the full details of the agreement are released. For now, Nigerian travelers can start planning their trips to the UAE, free from previous travel restrictions.

Source

Continue Reading

Politics

I’m leaving PDP for APC – Gov Umahi of Ebonyi State

Published

on

The Governor of Ebonyi State, Dave Umahi, told the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party in Abuja on Tuesday that he was leaving the party.

He said he would join the ruling All Progressives Congress which he claimed would protect the interest of the South-East in the 2023 elections.

Our correspondent gathered that Umahi told the members of the National Working Committee of the PDP that his decision to join  the APC was irrevocable.

The members of the PDP NWC, who were led to the meeting by its National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, were said to have tried in vain to convince the governor not to abandon the party.

Apart from Secondus, among those that were at the meeting at the Ebonyi Governor’s Lodge in Abuja were Deputy National Secretary, Agbo Emmanuel; National Organising Secretary, Austin Akobondu; Financial Secretary, Abdullahi  Maibasira;  National Women Leader, Mariya Waziri  and Senator Sulieman Nazif.

The governor was said to be friendly when he received the PDP delegation, but stuck to his decision to leave the PDP when the issue came up.

It was gathered that the PDP delegation impressed it upon the governor that there was no need leaving the PDP for the APC, which they argued had become unpopular.

Sources at the meeting, however, said the governor was not convinced, insisting that  the APC was planning to zone the 2023 Presidency to the South-East.

He was said to have promised to stay in the PDP if the party could make a pronouncement that it would zone the Presidency to the same zone.

One of the sources said, “I think his (governor’s) mind was made up. We told him there was no need for him to abandon the party that had made him a deputy governor, state chairman of the party, two-time governor and all that. But he refused.

 “He wanted us to unilaterally zone the office of the Presidency to his area. We cannot do that. Parties are not run that way. He told us he was leaving. That is what we got from him.’’

When contacted, Secondus confirmed that the party’s leadership met with Umahi.

 He, however, refused to declared the details of the meeting, insisting that the meeting was on ‘‘national issues.’’

Continue Reading

Crime

We Spent ₦2.2 Billion On Prayers Against Boko Haram – Adariko

Published

on

An Economic and Financial Crimes Commission investigating officer, Adariko Michael, on Tuesday, alleged that N2.2 billion was spent on prayers in Nigeria and Saudi Arabia to win the war against Boko Haram insurgency in Nigeria.
Mr. Michael was giving evidence as the first prosecution witness (PW1) in the trial of Sambo Dasuki, former National Security Adviser (ONSA) to President Goodluck Jonathan, in the alleged two billion dollars arms deal fraud.

Others charged with Mr. Dasuki, a retired colonel, are a former General Manager with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Aminu Baba-kusa, Acacia Holdings Limited, and Reliance Referral Hospital Limited.

The EFCC charged them with 32 counts bordering on misappropriation, criminal breach of trust, dishonest release and receiving various sums of money before Husseini Baba-Yusuf.

Led in evidence by the EFCC counsel, Rotimi Jacobs, Mr Micheal said N750 million was allegedly transferred from the ONSA special account to Reliance Referral Hospital Limited’s account with First Bank.

He added that N650 million was also transferred to Acacia Holding Limited’s account with EcoBank, while another N600 million and N200 million were transferred to the company’s account with UBA.

“Between September 27, 2013, and April 16, 2015, N50 million was credited to Reliance Referral Hospital’s account.

“Based on responses from the banks involved, as investigating officer, we found out that money was transferred to several individuals and companies.

“When we went through the account statement, we asked the second defendant (Aminu Babakusa) the reason for this.

“He informed us that the money was used to hire clerics to pray for the nation as regards Boko Haram crisis.

“When we asked him to provide the names, contacts and phone numbers of the clerics he hired to pray for the nation, he mentioned only two,” he said.

Mr Dasuki spent four years in detention, following his arrest in 2015 over alleged misappropriation of N2.2 billion meant for arms purchase during his time as National Security Adviser to former President Goodluck Jonathan

After the Federal Government had consistently failed to honor court orders granting him bail, including an ECOWAS court judgment in 2016, he was finally released on December 24, 2019

Continue Reading

Trending