House of Representatives
Congress Introduces Another Bill to Save Independent Music Venues
The ENCORES Act would provide relief in the form of tax credits on ticket refunds. A new bill in the House Representatives aims to keep struggling independent music venues afloat during the ongoing pandemic. Introduced Thursday by Reps. Ron Kind (D-WI) and Mike Kelly (R-PA), the Entertainments New Credit Opportunity for Relief & Economic Sustainability (ENCORES) Act would allow venues to recoup some of the losses they have experienced from issuing ticket refunds for canceled events by providing a tax credit for 50% of the value of those refunded tickets. To qualify under the proposed legislation, venues must be in the business of promoting, producing or managing live concerts, comedy shows, sporting events and live theatrical productions and have 500 or fewer employees. They must ...
Former Speaker Dogara dumps PDP for APC
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has dumped the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. The Chairman of the APC Caretaker/Convention Planning Committee and Governor of Kebbi State, Mai Malla Buni, disclosed this after the duo met with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. Although Dogara declined to speak after the meeting, Mai Buni told journalists that the former Speaker “is now a member of APC.” Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Dates Online. So we reimagined what a dating should be. It begins with giving you back power. Get to meet Beautiful people, chat and make money in the process. Earn rewards by chatting, sharing photos, ...
Speaker Gbajabiamila: House of Reps to provide funds for fight against gender-based violence
Speaker of the House of Representatives Femi Gbajabiamila says the house will provide funds for the fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in the 2021 budget to be presented to the National Assembly in September. Gbajabiamila said this in response to a request by Ulla Mueller, the Country Representative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Nigeria on Wednesday in Abuja. Mueller led a delegation of United Nations (UN) and European Union (EU) Spotlight Initiative on a courtesy call to the speaker, a statement issued by Mr Lanre Lasisi, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity said. Gbajabiamila said that apart from budget funds, the house would also provide all necessary support and partner with relevant stakeholders for the fight against GBV to succeed. According to the speaker...
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...
Donald Trump orders US census to exclude illegal immigrants in setting Congress numbers
President Donald Trump ordered the US census Tuesday to exclude illegal immigrants in its population count for determining representation in Congress, a move that could boost long-term Republican strength. The unprecedented order challenges the long-accepted constitutional mandate to count every person in the country every 10 years, as the basis for determining representation in the 435 seat House of Representatives. “For the purpose of the reapportionment of representatives following the 2020 census, it is the policy of the United States to exclude from the apportionment base aliens who are not in a lawful immigration status,” Trump’s order said. Excluding undocumented migrants in setting Congressional districts “is more consonant with the principles of representative democracy,” the orde...
House of Reps probes immigration documents of Chinese in Nigeria
The investigation which began on July 20 in Abuja, is being conducted by the joint house committees on Interior, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring and Commerce. The Speaker of the house, Rep. Femi Gbajabimila, recalled that in April, photos and videos which went viral on the social media allegedly depicted institutionalised racial discrimination, maltreatment of Nigerians in China. He said it also showed xenophobic assaults, embarrassments, illegal detentions and forceful evictions of Nigerians and other Africans living in Guangzhou, China. Gbajabimila said that he summoned the Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Zhou Pingjian precisely on April, 10 to register Nigeria’s displeasure with the incident. “Subsequently, the House of Representatives on Tuesday, April 28, issued a strong...
Senator Akpabio indicts National Assembly members in NDDC contract scandal
The minister for Niger Delta Affairs Godswill Akpabio on Monday said he has not awarded a single contract since he assumed office. Instead, he indicted members of the National Assembly. “I have never approved a single contract not even one kilometre for the NDDC,” Akpabio said while responding to questions by the House of Representatives committee probing the financial misappropriation at the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). “Most of the contracts in NDDC are given out to the members of the National Assembly. If you don’t know, please ask the two chairmen,” Akpabio alleged. Akpabio, however, said that the contracts were not given to the committee chairman, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo. “I don’t think the NDDC has given any contract directly to Honorable Ojo,” Akpabio said. On the alleged m...
Kidnapped ex-Taraba senator cries out to governor for help
Kidnapped former Senator, representing Taraba North, Zik Ambonu Sunday, has cried out from his abductors’ den, calling on Governor Darius Ishaku to pay the fifty million naira ransom being demanded so that he could regain his freedom. The ex-senator was kidnapped in his Bachama village, Karim-Lamido local government area of Taraba at about 1.30 am last Saturday, according to police spokesman, David Misal. Zik Ambonu Sunday was senator from 2003 to 2007. The abductee has also called on the federal House of Representatives member from Karim–Lamido/Ardo-Kola, Danladi Baido, to assist in making up the ransom cash. His abductors had initially demanded N100 million as ransom. But a few minutes ago -after spending a week with him, they reduced the ransom cash to N50 million, after series of negot...
President Buhari reads riot act to ministers, MDAs over discord with National Assembly
President Muhammadu Buhari has read the riot act to ministers, ministries, departments and agencies, warning that any disrespect to the National Assembly will not be tolerated. According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari issued the warning after meeting Senate President Senator Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila at the State House, Abuja. Garba said the meeting, which lasted for almost an hour, was characterized by an engaging discussion on a range of key issues of National importance particularly the role of the Legislature as a critical component in supporting their common goal and commitment towards improving the lives of the people of Nigeria. The statement read in part: “In the course of their...
Presidency: Why 2020 budget was increased despite drop in revenue
File Photo The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (House of Representatives), Umar El-Yakub, has said the decision of the Presidency to increase the 2020 Budget despite drop in revenue was meant to mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the nation’s economy. President Muhammadu Buhari had on Friday signed the Appropriation (Repeal and Amendment) Act, 2020 into law. The revised budget provides for aggregate expenditure of N10.81trn, which is an increase of N216bn over the level of expenditure initially proposed in the 2020 Appropriation Act. El-Yakub, in an interview with State House correspondents, attributed the increase to the government’s decision to prioritise infrastructure projects that would reflate the economy. He said, “One needs to und...
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...
No factions in Oyo APC – chairman
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State says there is no division within its fold. The party’s Chairman, Chief Akin Oke, said this in a statement issued on Monday in Ibadan. Recall that some members of the party had been parading themselves as a faction of the APC in the state. The APC in the state, which was recently thrown into mourning following the death of its leader, Sen. Abiola Ajimobi, had in 2018 witnessed internal wrangling. This had resulted in the floating of a splinter group, ‘Unity Forum,’ through which virtually all the aggrieved members left the party to join opposition parties in the build up to the 2019 general elections. Oke, however, warned those peddling rumours indicating existence of factions or warring groups in the party to desist from such acts. “These gr...
