News

Reps Hold Valedictory Session In Honour Of 4th Assembly Speaker, Late Ghali Na’Abba

Published

8 months ago

February 22, 2024

Gloria Ikibah

Reps Hold Valedictory Session In Honour Of 4th Assembly Speaker, Late Ghali Na’Abba

…colleagues describe him as one who gave his life for the nation

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has held a Valedictory Session is held in honour of Speaker of the fourth Assembly, Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba, on Thursday at the National Assembly.

This is in accordance with the tradition of the House, when a former or sitting members passes on.

Naijablitznews.com reports that the former Speaker died on December 27, 2023, in Nigeria.

In accordance with the House rules, the Leader of the House, Rep. Julius Ihonbvere, moved the motion for the commencement of the Valedictory Session and it was seconded by the House Minority Leader, Rep. KingsleyChinda.

Naijablitznews.com recalled that on Wednesday at plenary the House moved a motion for the admission of non members into the Lower Legislative Chamber for today’s ValedictorySession.

Former members of the National Assembly from 1999 till 2023 were present and they include former Speakers Aminu Bello Masari, Femi Gbajabiamila, former Deputy Speakers Chibudum nwuche, Austin opara, Lasun Yusuf, Emeka ihedioha, former House leaders Bawa bwari, Ahmed Gamaliel among others.

Also present at the session was the family of the late Ghali Umar Na’Abba.

In his opening speech, Speakerof the House, Rep. Tajudeen Abbas, described the deceased with his simplicity, modest and religious man who gave his life for the service of the nation.

He said: “While this is a moment of grief and national mourning it is a moment of celebration and sober reflection. As we reflect on his life we are reminded of our democracy”.

Former Speaker and current Chief of Staff to the President, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, described Late Na’Abba as a talented politician, worthy public servant and ‘a true Nigerian whose death has brought us sorrow”.

“I appear in mixed emotions but I take solace that we are here not to mourn but to celebrate a giant.

“The evident abound that he lived a very good life. He was a follower of Mallam Aminu Kano and was concerned about the downtrodden in the country.

“He served the downtrodden and chose to be a servant of the people, his voice was to speak for the voiceless”, he stated.

According to Gbajabiamila, “Our democracy is young but after two decades we have become comfortable with the present situation. When we returned to democracy in 1999 the political rules that guided us today was not there but Rt. Hon. Ghali Umar Na’Abba understood what it took to lead the House.

“As a Speaker, I consulted with him on a regular basis and I thank him for that. He was a beloved father, brother a mentor and guardian”.

Former Speaker Aminu Bello Masari who spoke on behalf of the Body of Former Speakers said the history of the legislature cannot be written without the name of Late Ghali Umar Na’Abba.

According to Masari, Ghali has paid his dues and he prayed for God to grant him eternal rest.

He added: “For those of us who were with Ghali from 1999-2003, I remember when the House was constituted none of us had any experience of legislative duties. We had an executive who was a former military General with no experience of democracy. This was the situation that Ghali found himself at that particular situation.

“Ghali came from a radical political background and it gave him courage to face the situation.

“He was a distinguished Nigerian and parliamentarian, he had the courage to provide leadership under such difficult times. But he survived and completed his tenure despite all the challenges. The sad part of it in Nigeria is that you are taken care of when you are dead and not when you are alive”.

Masari therefore the lawmakers to provide leadership that will give the citizens hope.

Hon. Chibudum Nwuche spoke on behalf of the Body of Deputy Speakers, described the late Ghali Na’Abba as a “Leader Per Excellence” who led the House in the 4th Assembly without a compass.

Hon. Nwuche stated: “Between 1999-2003, I had the singular opportunity to serve under two Speakers, Hon. Salisu Buhari and Hon. Ghali Na’Abba. This House was full of members who had dreams for the country and were independent.

“Ghali ensured the NDDC Act was passed in the Assembly and Ghali ensured that he mobilized the House to override the President’s Veto. Ghali passed the Act without the President. They tried to remove us several times but with the support of members we stayed till full term”.

The former deputy speaker said the late Ghali was a leaders that should be mortalized. “Ghali was a good man”, he added.

On behalf of the Body of Principal Officers, Hon. Bawa Bwari, described today as a day of mixed feelings.

He said: “We had a special bond filled with mutual trust. He was a mentor. I recall the countless times we worked side by side in transparency. He was a pillar, strength and beacon of hope”.

Hon. Bwari said one of his qualities was fearlessness and he always worked for what he believed in.

“What I will always remember was his ability to unite a House of various divides. He impacted on me, the 1999 House and Nigerian.

“Na’Abba has left a void in the House of 1999”, he added.

Senator Binta Masi Garba, who spoke on behalf of female parliamentarians, described how the late Former Speaker gave all 12 female parliamentarians in the 4th House the same opportunity to assent “our contributions to nation building”.

“He was a dogget fighter, detribalized Nigerin. What the National Assembly is doing today, he was the man that started and gave the independence of the parliament”, she asserted.

The House Minority Leader, Rep. Kingsley Chinda, described the late Ghali Na’Abba as a nationalist.

He narrated his experience with the late Former Speaker: “I schooled with one of his children when I did my Masters in Law. I bought handout and text book for one of his daughter and she went home and told the father who insisted on speaking with me. Her father had asked her how she got the books and she told him it was a serving Honourable member that bought it.

“I had the benefit of speaking with him and one of the things he told me was that the time had come for the counter to make a difference in the lives of the downtrodden.

“This spurred me and today we have presented three bills on constitutional amendment.

“Firstly there are several Ghali Na’Abba” living today, please let’s begin to locate them. Secondly, I want us to tap from what we are seeing today, that it is not “How Far”, “How Long” but “How Well”.

“Thirdly, from the life of Ghali everything made, created, were made to bring life to other. A little selfishness and more selflessness will bring joy to the minority”, Rep. Chinda narrated.

Naijablitznews.com reports that the foremost statesman who passed on at the age of 65, was a passionate and courageous public servant who spent his life in service to the country. He made remarkable contributions to the development of the legislature and has been described as one among a special breed of Nigerian lawmakers.

A Kano-born politician, Rt. Hon. Na’Abba served in the crucial office of Chairman, House Committee on Appropriations, before fate thrust on him the leadership of the House on July 29, 1999, as the 7th indigenous Speaker of the Nigeria House of Representatives.

News

Just in: AEDC restores power in some parts of Abuja

Published

49 mins ago

October 15, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

The power outages Nigerians experienced on Monday evening have been restored in some parts of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company franchise areas.

A check carried out by NAN revealed that places like Deidei, Suleja, Lugbe, Kuje and other areas had their light restored on Tuesday at about 5:15 am.

Customers in the AEDC were told of the disruption in supply, which was attributed to the collapse of the National grid.

In a statement on its Twitter handle on Monday, the company said that the system collapse occurred at about 6.58 pm.

Be rest assured that we are working with relevant stakeholders to restore power as soon the grid stabilises,” it said.

NAN

News

Bayero v Sanusi: Court of Appeal fixes new date To hear Kano Emirship dispute

Published

52 mins ago

October 15, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has set October 17 for the hearing of appeals related to the ongoing emirship tussle in Kano State.

The dispute centres around the appointment of the Emir of Kano, a position that has sparked legal challenges involving several parties.

A three-member panel of justices, led by Justice Mohammed Mustapha, reserved judgment on Monday after listening to submissions from the lawyers involved.

The two major appeals are filed by Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero against the Attorney General of Kano State and 10 others, as well as a separate case involving the Kano State House of Assembly versus Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi and six others.

The hearing will also address a motion to stay the execution of the July 25 judgment concerning the enforcement of fundamental rights.

A Federal High Court in Kano, presided over by Justice Abdullahi Liman, has nullified Governor Abba Yusuf’s decision to depose Emir Ado Bayero and appoint Muhammadu Sanusi II on May 23.

The court also held as “null and void” the Kano Emirate Council (Repeal) Bill, 2024, passed by the Kano State House of Assembly, which voided Bayero’s seat.

The judge said, “The above action violates the order of this court earlier stated,” adding “The balance of convenience is on the applicant herein (Alhaji Aminu Babba Dan Agundi).”

However , the ruling comes as a Kano State High Court had also restrained Ado Bayero from acting as the emir.

NAN

News

Super Eagles: Tunisian Pilot Narrates How Plane Was Diverted

Published

1 hour ago

October 15, 2024

Naijablitznews

By Mario Deepromoter

Tunisian pilot who flew the Super Eagles team to Libya reveals he was instructed by Libyan authority to divert the plane to a different location.

According to the pilot, the original flight plan was to land the aircraft in Benghazi, Libya, as approved by the aviation authorities. But later they were suddenly directed by officials to divert to another airport just as they neared their destination.

“The flight plan was to land in Benghazi. We got the approval from the Libyan civil aviation authority that we were approved to land,” the pilot explained. “But unfortunately, when we started the descent, they asked us to divert to Mitiga, which is almost 150 miles (300 km) away. This was not even our alternate airport.”

The pilot said he warned the officials that the diversion would have severely impacted their fuel reserves, and could compromise the safety of the flight.

I asked them several times, at least eight times, and I warned them that I would be in trouble for the fuel situation,” the pilot recounted. “They said it was from the highest authority and that we had to divert to Mitiga immediately.”

The pilot later complied with the directive. Thankfully, the aircraft landed safely in Mitiga with no challenges.

This revelation comes hours after Super Eagles players reported that had been mistreated by Libyan authorities ahead of their Tuesday match, which they later boycotted and flew back home after being held hostage for 20 hours.

In a series of tweets early Monday morning, Super Eagles captain William Troost-Ekong described the situation as “disgraceful,” accusing the hosts of playing “mind games.”

He revealed that the team was kept in an abandoned airport with no access to food, drink, or phone connections.

Nigeria defeated Libya 1-0 at the Godswill Akpabio International Stadium in Uyo on Friday, October 11. Both nations were scheduled to play the return leg in Libya on October 15.