Committee
Senate invites finance, works ministers, others over road projects
The Senate committee on finance has invited the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, over the funding status of three federal government legacy road projects estimated to cost N2.7 trillion. Also to appear before the panel are the Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Accountant General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, and the Managing Director of the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), Uche Orji. The chairman of the panel, Solomon Olamilekan, gave the directive during an interactive session with the NSIA boss on Tuesday. The legacy projects are the Abuja-Kano road, Lagos-Ibadan expressway and the Second Niger Bridge. They are funded and implemented through a tripartite agreement between the ministries of finance, works and the NSIA. Orji, who was invited for the same r...
Embattled AfDB chief survives another probe into his conduct
Embattled President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr Adewumi Adesina, has survived a second round of investigation into his conduct, giving him a boost in his re-election bid next month. A team of independent auditors demanded for by the US government said they could not find proof he had engaged in corruption or nepotism as anonymous whistleblowers had alleged. The panel was set up on the insistence of the US to review the report of the Ethics Committee of AfDB, which had earlier cleared Adesina of wrongdoings as alleged by whistleblowers. The unanimous report of the independent panel of three said there had been insufficient evidence to prove the allegations. According to the report, the members of the panel said they “considered the President’s submissions on their face and finds ...
AGF queries NDDC over non-payment of over N70 billion unremitted tax, revenue
The last is yet to be heard about the entrenched corruption in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) as the office of the Auditor General of the Federation (oAuGF) queried the Commission over N70 billion and secrecy shrouded in the multi-million dollar revenues paid by oil firms into the coffers of the Commission since inception. The query was part of numerous audit query issued by the oAuGF including the sum of N31.453 billion ‘some payment of 2012 not verified due to non-presentation of payment vouchers and bank mandates; non-remittance of N29 billion before 2008; N5.69 billion payment vouchers from Access Bank Account Number 0015078045 not presented for audit, and payments by unrecognized oil companies into the Commission’s final accounts to the tune of N3,280,818,832, among oth...
Senate demands review of Power Sector Reform Act
The Senate on Wednesday called for the review of the Power Sector Reform Act 2005. According to the upper chamber, a new and more dynamic Electricity Act would among others, “consolidate the roles of regulators and policy makers; bridge existing gaps in the legal and regulatory framework; and cater to post-privatization operational issues in Nigeria’s power sector. The position of the Senate was contained in resolutions reached following consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Power on “Addressing Nigeria’s Power Problems.” Chairman of the Committee, Gabriel Suswam (PDP – Benue North East), in his presentation stressed the need for more consumers to be metered to avoid estimated billing. He added that the Federal Government’s intervention since the privatization of the power...
Senator Ngige: Suspended NSITF chief awarded N4.448 billion contracts in one day
The Minister for Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, on Tuesday, shocked the members of the House of Representatives Ad-hoc Committee investigating the Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) when he alleged that the suspended MD awarded about 332 different contracts worth about N4.448 billion in one day. Senator Ngige who appeared on the second day of the investigative hearing being Chaired by Hon Miriam Onuoha further revealed that the controversial contracts were awarded just two days after he left office as Minister in 2019. The two times Minister of Labour and Employment also informed the Committee that the suspended management committed about 74 different infractions for which they were suspended. Senator Ngige who insisted that the action taken so far against the affecte...
I slapped Senator Akpabio because he harassed me sexually – Ex-NDDC boss
The suspended Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) Interim Management Committee, Joi Nunieh, has revealed that she once slapped the Minister of Niger Delta, Godswil Akpabio, for sexually harassing her. She made this known while fielding questions on Arise News on Monday but said what Akpabio attempted to do could not be regarded as ‘attempted rape’. Justifying why she slapped the minister, the former NDDC MD said Akpabio was always scheduling a meeting with her either at his guest house in Apo or in the hotel. She said when he (Akpabio) could not succeed to sleep with her, the Minister then came up with accusation of insubordination to suspend her from office. Ms Nunieh says: “When Akpabio saw that I cannot bring out the money, he now tried Plan B, a case of i...
House of Reps quizzes NDDC over N70.495 billion awarded contracts
The House of Representatives at the weekend flagged off its investigation into the N70.495 billion allegedly paid by Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to 1,773 contractors as mobilization fees without resorting to site, between 2008 and 2012. Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Wole Oke who presided over the investigative hearing into the audit queries from the Auditor General for the Federation (AuGF) for the period under review, underscored the need for the NDDC acting Managing Director, Prof. Pondei Kemerbrandikumo to provide details of the projects and list of all defaulting contractors along with a statement of accounts showing the recovered funds as alluded to by the NDDC acting Director of Internal Audit, Mr Itu Eno Ubi who argued that only the sum of N19 bill...
Nigerian government frees 7,813 inmates in 18 states, FCT
The Federal Government, on Tuesday, said it has released a total of 7, 813 inmates from various Correctional Centers since the outbreak of Coronavirus in the country. The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, SAN, who made the disclosure at a press conference in Abuja, said FG took the decision so as to curb the spread of the virus among inmates. Malami said the Federal Executive Council had earlier in 2017, passed a resolution that directed the Federal Ministry of Justice to put in place measures to fast track the decongestion of Correctional Centres nationwide. He said as a result of the resolution, a Presidential Committee on Correctional Service Reform and Decongestion was inaugurated in October 2017. Highlighting some achievements of the Pres...
Lagos Assembly urges governor to probe highway workers protests
The Lagos House of Assembly has urged Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to investigate the recent protest by street sweepers engaged by Lagos State Waste Management Authority (LAWMA) over non-payment of their salaries. The resolution followed a motion, entitled; “Need to Enhance Waste Management In Lagos State,” moved by Mr Desmond Elliot (Surulere Constituency I) during plenary on Monday. Newsmen report that highway workers had on June 23 embarked on protest over non-payment of their three-month salaries. The sweepers also took to social media to express their grievance. In a video posted on Twitter, the sweepers were seen removing their uniforms and dumping them on the floor, which formed a huge pile. Elliot said the House condemned those behind the videos that went viral on the issue of non-payme...
Festus Keyamo to appear again in National Assembly over 774,000 jobs controversy
Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo, SAN, will appear before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Labour on Tuesday to defend the 774,000 job recruitment across the country. The Minister is going on the invitation of the Joint Committee after the earlier meeting ended in shouting match. But Keyamo has made it clear to the lawmakers that he was sending a written submission on issues surrounding the programme ahead of his appearance to avoid a repetition of what happened during the last sitting. He also expressed reservations that he might not get a fair hearing from the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Labour, alleging that the Committee Chairman was the one at the forefront of insisting on controlling and dictating the execution of the programme...
House of Reps probes utilisation of N25 billion appropriation of refugee commission
The House of Representatives on Monday expressed displeasure over the failure of the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCRMIDP) to provide relevant documents on the utilisation of N25 billion appropriated between 2015 and 2019 fiscal years. Chairman, House Committee on Public Accounts, Hon. Wole Oke, who presided over the investigative hearing into the 2015 to 2019 audit queries issued by the office of the Auditor General of the Federation (oAuGF), stressed the need to investigate the efficiency of Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) with a view to stopping the menace of ghost workers in all the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). According to the documents presented by the Commission to the Committee, from the tot...
Sports minister receives report of Edo 2020 committee; set to make final decision
The Edo 2020 Sports Festival Committee set up to review Edo state readiness to host the event in the wake of the postponement due to the outbreak of covid-19 has submitted its report to Youth and Sports Development Minister Mr. Sunday Dare. Speaking while submitting its report to the Minister on Thursday in Abuja, Chairman of the Committee, Honourable Tonobok Okowa, said the committee had done a thorough job which would help the government decide on the best possible date to host the festival. According to the Minister, ”Exactly a month ago this committee was set up , i thank you for keeping to the schedule of your mandate. We shall study your report, sit down with relevant agencies of government to examine the recommendations therein. The Ministry is properly guided by Covid-19 protocol a...
