Speaker
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...
Late former Edo Speaker’s wife, driver abducted by gunmen
Wife of late former Speaker of Edo State House of Assembly, Hassana Garuba, has been reportedly abducted by gunmen. Her husband, Zakawanu Garuba, who died yesterday at Abuja after a brief illness, was being taken home to Auchi for burial when the widow, her three children and the aged mother of the late former Speaker encountered the gunmen at Kabba junction in Kogi State. They were said to have abducted the widow and the driver, leaving the three children and their grandmother stranded in the vehicle. A younger brother of the late Zakawanu Garuba, said the kidnappers are yet to establish contact with the family but arrangements have been made to bring the children and their grandmother home. Get more stories like this on Twitter You Deserve to Make Money Even When you are looking for Date...
Governor Obaseki, PDP mourn ex-Edo speaker
Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki and the state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party have mourned the death of former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Alhaji Zakawanu Garuba. Garuba (54), who was speaker between 2007 and 2009, was said to have died in Abuja in the early hours of Saturday after a brief illness. Obaseki, in a statement, said the former Speaker’s passing was “a deep personal loss to him.” According to him, “I received the news of the passing of Rt. Hon. Zakawanu Garuba with a heavy heart. He was an outstanding Nigerian and a good man. He worked for the good of the people and contributed his quota to the development of his immediate community and the state. “As Executive Commissioner, Corporate Services & Supervising Executive Commissioner, Operations at the Secu...
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...
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...
Oyo Assembly holds special sitting in honour of deceased Senator Ajimobi
The Oyo State House Assembly on Tuesday held a special sitting in honour of the late Abiola Ajimobi, the immediate past governor of the state. Addressing the Assembly, the Speaker, Adebo Ogundoyin, said the news of the death of Ajimobi filtered into the state like a dream. Ogundoyin said that Ajimobi’s death was unexpected and painful because he died at a time that his wealth of experience was needed by the nation, especially APC, his political party. “O death where is thy sting? O grave where is thy victory? Ajimobi was endowed with supernatural wisdom and intelligence, the virtues which he displayed in the governance of the state in particular and the nation in general. “He was a statesman of note as he served as a senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and governor of Oyo State for ...
Ex-convict arrested for impersonating late Abba Kyari’s widow
A 58-year old man identified as Mallam Aminu Ado, has been arrested by men of the Nigeria Police for impersonating the widow of the late Chief of Staff to the President, Abba Kyari, in a bid to swindle unsuspecting Nigerians. Spokesperson of the Nigeria Police Force, DCP Frank Mba, who paraded him before newsmen on Monday, June 22, said after the death of the former chief of staff, Ado who is also known as Al Amin Yerima, went on to impersonate the widow and reached out to prominent Nigerians asking for donations to enable him organize special prayers for the soul of the departed. “In the course of doing that some of the prominent Nigerians became suspicious and reached out to us. He has been cooperative with the investigation and held back no facts. He is 58 years old. He had also had a s...
Ekiti opens sexual assault referral centre for victims
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...
Protesters topple down 120-year-old statue of Confederate general in Washington DC
A group of protesters toppled down a statue of Confederate General Albert Pike in Washington, D.C. on Friday night. The protesters gathered in Judiciary Square around the statue of Pike reportedly at around 11 p.m. (0400 GMT Saturday) and tore down the 120-year-old artwork 15 minutes later. The city’s only outdoor Confederate statue, after falling to the ground, was lit on fire before police officers arrived and extinguished the flames. The episode came on Juneteenth, which commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. President Donald Trump lashed out at the Washington, D.C. police for allowing the incident to happen. “The D.C. Police are not doing their job as they watch a statue be ripped down & burn. These people should be immediately arrested. A disgrace to our Country!” h...
Jigawa ex-speaker drags speaker to court over committee chairmanship
The previous speaker in the Jigawa State House of Assembly, Alhaji Isa Idris, and three other House members have vowed to challenge the current Speaker, Alhaji Idris Garba, for stripping them of committee chairmanships. The aggrieved members include the former majority leader from Gumel constituency, Alhaji Isa Isyaku, who was until his removal the Chairman of the Emergency Relief Committee, while the former chief whip from Ringim constituency, Alhaji Aminu Sule, was Chairman, House Committee on Due Process. Former Speaker Idris, who was the Chairman, House Committee on Dutse Community Development Authority (DCDA), was stripped of his chairmanship along with a member representing Taura, Alhaji Dayyabu Shehu, was removed as Chairman, Committee on Petitions. The embattled members have accu...
Akwa Ibom speaker hails President over executive order on financial autonomy
Speaker of Akwa Ibom House of Assembly, Mr Aniekan Bassey, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari, for signing into law Executive Order No. 10, of 2020. The law is for the implementation of Financial Autonomy of State Legislature and State Judiciary. Bassey made the commendation on Sunday in Uyo while fielding questions from newsmen on the legislative autonomy. He, however, warned his colleagues not to take the autonomy as an avenue for legislative “rascality”, but as a means of cooperation among the three arms of government. He described granting financial autonomy to the legislative and judicial arms of government across the country as a means of ensuring smooth conduct of government businesses within the three arms of government. “Financial autonomy granted to the two arms of governme...
Speaker Gbajabiamila inaugurates coronavirus committee, to interface with government
The House of Representatives on Tuesday inaugurated the 18 man ad-hoc Committee on Coronavirus pandemic. The committee has the task of working in tandem with the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and by extension, the entire relevant machinery of the federal government to find a solution to the challenges posed by the epidemic. Performing the ritual at the national assembly complex, the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila charged the members to give utmost attention to the welfare of frontline workers. He said: “The 18 man Committee we have come to inaugurate reflects the intention of the House of Representative to engage the executive arm of government in a partnership that serves the best interests of the Nigerian people as we join hands to confront and conquer the most severe chal...
