News

Reps Tell APC Chieftain Lukman, “Speak To issues Not Criticize”

Published

10 months ago

July 3, 2024

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has lashed back at the former National Vice Chairman (North-West) of All Progressives Congress, Salihu Lukman on his recent negative comments of the National Assembly.

In a statement by the House Deputy Chairman Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Rep. Philip Agbese, sternly warned Lukeman to desist from what it called his needless criticism of the National Assembly, and instead, speak to issues of national importance.

The House warning followed a statement issued by Lukman on Tuesday, July 2, where he said that the 10th Assembly as a failure.

The statement reads, “Partly because of the faint or almost complete absence of courageous voices in the National Assembly, the President and the members of the executive body of government are practically getting away with virtually every wrong decision that is injurious to the wellbeing of Nigerian citizens.

“A good example is the impulsive declaration of President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to end petroleum subsidy without any clear plan, followed by another impulsive decision to float the naira exchange rate against other international currencies with hardly any plan.

“How did we get to this abysmally low level of legislative practice whereby it can almost be said that in Nigeria, democracy equates to darkness? Without going into details, combinations of many factors, which have taken place over the last 25 years are responsible.

“Some of the factors include the reality whereby systematically, the leadership of both chambers of the National Assembly have been downgraded to the status of appointees of the President.

“That was largely made possible by the fact that the party machinery or organs, which are supposed to serve as the platforms for negotiations have been weakened and also subordinated to the President.”

The remarks of the former APC chieftain did not sit well with the legislative chamber as Agbese while reacting to Lukman’s statement, described the ex-stalwart of the ruling party as a man looking for political relevance.

“Lukman is advised to retrace his steps and embrace constructive criticism and restraint expected of an elder statesman,” Agbese said in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday.

The statement further read, “Salihu Lukman’s persistent attempts to assert relevance in the political sphere have led him to unfairly criticise the esteemed leadership of the National Assembly, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

“Lukman’s baseless accusations against the National Assembly are regrettable diversions from the genuine challenges facing our nation. Those who thrive on anarchy and discord are the true obstacles to national cohesion and progress. Instead of responsibly addressing national issues, Lukman focuses on undermining dedicated leaders who are committed to serving the nation.

“Known for his rigid and self-righteous stance, Lukman often positions himself as the sole arbiter of truth, dismissing alternative viewpoints. This inflexibility hinders meaningful dialogue and constructive engagement. We urge Lukman to refrain from dragging Senate President Akpabio and Speaker Abbas into his disputes, as the National Assembly has no role in dispensing patronage to disgruntled political operatives.”

Agbese also questioned Lukman’s public office records, stressing that his “Consistent political failures, including his lacklustre tenure in various positions and his difficulty in maintaining relationships within political circles,” were partly responsible for his resignation as Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum and as National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress.”

According to him, “The 10th Assembly remains committed to its constitutional mandate of holding the executive accountable while advocating for constructive engagement over unnecessary conflict. Disagreements with the executive are approached with patriotism and the nation’s best interests in mind. Unproductive friction between branches of government serves no purpose and undermines our nation’s progress.

“The National Assembly is open to constructive criticisms and feedback from well-meaning Nigerians, as we uphold our commitment to serving the nation with integrity and diligence.”

News

Reps Tackle CBN, OAGF Over Missing Grants, Bailout Funds

Published

1 hour ago

April 17, 2025

Gloria Ikibah

By Gloria Ikibah

The House of Representatives has commenced investigations into the utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and interventions allocated to government institutions, from 2015 to present.

The Special Committee received submissions from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Federal Ministry of Health, among others on Thursday.

Naijablitznews.com recalled on March 6, 2025, the Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, set up the special committee sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent public importance, by the House Minority Leader, Rep. Kinglsey Chinda at plenary.

Rep. Chinda noted that over the years, various agencies and institutions, both old and newly created have received start-up funds and special financial support from the government to help with their initial operations and meet specific needs, including settling pending obligations.

He expressed concern that there have been ongoing reports pointing to the misuse or redirection of these funds, which may prevent them from being applied to the purposes for which they were originally intended.

According to him, such financial mishandling not only disrupts critical public services and projects but also results in major losses to the nation’s purse—resources that could have been channelled into crucial services and developmental efforts, as laid out in Section 14(2)(b) of the Constitution.

Speaker Abbas, thereafter setup a Special Committee to be chaired by Rep. Chinedu Martins to immediately launch a probe into the “Utilisation of take-off grants, bailout funds, and interventions allocated to MDAs, government institutions, and GOEs from 2015 to present.”

Standing in for the Governor of the Central Bank, the Acting Director of Development Finance, John Hammah, assured the committee of the bank’s willingness to collaborate fully in helping it achieve its objectives.

Hammah, said he was representing Olayemi Cardoso, who is currently out of the country, appealed to the committee for some time to gather and organise the relevant details needed for their ongoing work.

He said: “Mr Chairman and Honourable members, We got the invitation to appear before you yesterday and we hurriedly put this report together. We now understand the broad scope of your assignment and that you need accurate data covering the period 2015 to date. We plead with this committee to give us additional time to enable us to furnish you with to date report as requested”.

Following extended discussions, the Committee Chairman Chinedu Martins granted the Central Bank a two-week window, instructing that the CBN Governor must appear in person before the Committee on May 2, 2025.

In a similar move, representative of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, James Abalaka, was also given two weeks to return with a detailed breakdown of disbursements, and highlighting which agencies received funds and the exact timelines.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) was also in attendance, as the Commission’s Secretary, Muhammad Hammajoda, called on the Accountant General’s office to provide the EFCC with the necessary disbursement records related to the various MDAs.

“We want a formal report detailing the amounts and purpose of disbursement. This is the format we want the report to come from the secretariat. When we get these documents, we will sit down and analyse them”, he stated.

Speaking on behalf of the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Ali Pate, Deputy Director Accounts, Olatunde Makinde, explained that the Ministry only received the Committee’s invitation earlier that Thursday.

To ensure accurate and complete information is provided, he requested additional time so the Ministry could gather the necessary documents before appearing.

“We don’t want to give you inaccurate information. We want to seek indulgence and understanding to give us time to reach out to the institutions under us and get an accurate view. There are many of them across the 36 states of the Federation,” he said.

Earlier, while declaring the investigation open the Speaker of the House of Representatives, represented by the House Leader, Rep. Julius Ihonvbere outlined the significance of the exercise.

He said: “The House has implicit confidence in the Committee’s capacity to conduct a thorough, impartial, and transparent investigation, engaging with relevant stakeholders, and gathering evidence to inform its findings.

“Our overall goal is to promote good governance, optimise public resource utilisation, enhance accountability in government business and equally strengthen our democracy.”

Also in his welcome address, the Committee Chairman, Rep. Martins reiterated that the purpose of the investigating hearing is to ensure that Nigerians get value for their money.

“It is imperative that we thoroughly investigate how these funds have been utilised, ensuring that every naira spent is accounted for and that it has truly benefited our citizens. Therefore, I would like to urge heads of agencies and organisations present today to provide truthful and accurate information to this committee in order to enable us to carry out our work.

“The hearing is not a witch-hunting exercise; rather, it is an opportunity for all stakeholders to come together in the spirit of cooperation. I assure all participants that we are committed to a fair hearing and respectful dialogue through this process,” he said.

News

Abuja light rail project must be commissioned on May 29-Wike vows

Published

1 hour ago

April 17, 2025

ADMIN

The FCT Minister, Mr. Nyesom Wike, expressed satisfaction with the progress on the Abuja light rail project, reaffirming its May 29 delivery as sacrosanct.

He made these assurances after inspecting the ongoing construction of access roads to the train stations on Wednesday, from Metro Train Station in the Central Area to Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

Reassuring journalists accompanying him, the minister reiterated that President Bola Tinubu would commission the rail project on May 29 to mark his second year in office.

The visited stations were Wupa station near Idu and Bassanjiwa station near the airport.

“This is part of our routine inspection of ongoing projects to see the contractors’ progress,” Wike explained.

“We are working day and night to fulfill our promise to President Tinubu and FCT residents. By May, Mr. President will ride on the Metro line.”

News

Just in: Alleged Herdsmen Armed With AK-47 Rifles Take Over Communities In Benue State

Published

2 hours ago

April 17, 2025

ADMIN

Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herdsmen are currently invading some communities in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.

According to sources, the herdsmen armed with AK-47 rifles stormed the community around 04:15pm on Thursday.

“Our lives are in danger this evening, armed Fulani herdsmen, about 600 in numbers have taken over our communities this evening,” a resident told SaharaReporters.

“They’re currently moving around towns in Ukum Local Government Area of Benue state. No security personnel at all, Governor Alia didn’t send security, they said operation will start soon once they (herders) have observed the place.”

The insecurity situation in Benue has been alarming in recent weeks with attacks from gunmen suspected to be herdsmen.

The media had reported that suspected herdsmen again unleashed terror in Benue State, attacking three communities in Otukpo Local Government Area (LGA) on Wednesday, just a day after 11 people were killed in a deadly raid on Otobi community.

The latest victims of the escalating violence were Emichi, Odudaje, and Okpamaju, communities that had previously suffered an attack in February, which left five people dead.

However, the renewed attack has created fear and mass displacement among residents, with women and children fleeing to safety.

Local sources say the death toll from the fresh attack remains unclear, but several casualties are feared.