The Senate and the House of Representatives yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to suspend the implementation of the plan to recruit 774,000 Nigerians for Special Public Works across the country. The position of both chambers of the National Assembly followed a sharp disagreement between the National Assembly Joint Committee on Labour, Employee and Productivity and the Minister for State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo, SAN, over the modalities for appointing the 20-member Selection Committee for the programme. Keyamo who had appeared at an interactive session organized by the joint committee opposed a resolution of the Joint Committee to resolve into a closed door session. The Minister said he rejected the lawmakers decision to quiz him behind closed doors because of the n...
Ondo State lawmakers on Wednesday denied plot to impeach the state Deputy Governor, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, who defected from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over unresolved issues with his boss, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu. The lawmakers who lambasted Ajayi over the bribery allegations against the members of the House of Assembly, saying the claim that the lawmakers were bribed with N10m each by Akeredolu was designed to whip up public emotions. Tension rose in the state early on Tuesday over the planned impeachment of Ajayi by the state House of Assembly while some policemen invaded the State Assembly complex Speaking on behalf of the lawmakers, the Chairman, House Committee on Information, Hon. Gbenga Omole described as reckless and a ploy to drag th...
The Ekiti State Government has established a Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) where victims of rape and other molestations will receive medical and psychological attention, rather than being abandoned to suffer. The government also assured that it will strengthen the adopted policy of naming and shaming of perpetrators of rape, by publishing their photographs on the state’s website and pasting in public palaces. The wife of the state governor, Mrs Bisi Fayemi gave the revelation on Friday while making a presentation on the floor of the Assembly during an advocacy visit to expand the frontiers of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) prevention in the state. She stated that the referral centre, located within the premises of the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado Ekiti will provide we...
Lawmakers at the House of Representatives have questioned the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, demanding activities and whereabouts of the Chinese doctors. The lawmakers at their plenary on Tuesday said they are not satisfied with the statement of the Minister that the Chinese doctors are not guests of the Federal Ministry of Health but that of a Chinese firm in Abuja. The resolution of the House stems from a motion of urgent public importance raised by Representative Dachung Bagos. The House, in a separate motion, also resolved to investigate the status of medical and pharmaceutical research in the fight against COVID-19 in Nigeria. They expressed worry that Nigerian scientists and researchers have not been given the necessary support and funding for medical research. The Minister o...
The Leadership of the National Assembly on Thursday met with the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to be briefed by the latter on the plan by the Federal Government to amend the N10.59 trillion 2020 budget passed by the National Assembly in December last year. The meeting which had in attendance principal officers from both chambers, was presided over by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. The Senate President, in his welcome address told the Executive arm of Government to ensure that the interest of Nigerians remains protected in the proposed cut to the 2020 national budget. Lawan also expressed the willingness of the Federal lawmakers to expeditiously consider the proposed amendment to the 2020 budg...