Tag: Nigerian Senate

Oshiomhole causes commotion in Senate after accusing APC-PDP lawmakers of looting

Aminu Imam

Former governor of Edo State, Senator Adams Oshiomhole, yesterday caused disaffection among members of the upper legislative house after accusing Senators of the 9th National Assembly of looting their offices at the end of their tenure in June 2023. The rowdy session followed a Point of Order moved by Senator Solomon Adeola, saying his privilege was breached by Oshiomholes allegation. He called on Oshiomhole to apologise to the Senate for saying senators looted their offices. Senator Adamu Aliero supported Adeola, saying that Oshiomhole should apologise. Following the revelation, Chief Whip of…

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Tinubu writes Senate to confirm Service Chiefs appointments

Aminu Imam

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has asked the Senate to screen and confirm the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and other Service Chiefs he recently appointed. The President made the request in a letter addressed to the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio. Akpabio, after reading the letter yesterday during Plenary, said that the request was in line with the Act establishing the Armed Forces. Recall that President Tinubu had, last month, appointed Major General Christopher Musa as the new Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and Major-General Taoreed Lagbaja as the…

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Senate queries AGF over failure to recover N910bn loan

Aminu Imam

The Senate has indicted the Office of Accountant-General of the Federation, (AGF) over failure to repay short-term loans given to Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, (MDAs) from Special Funds Accounts totalling N910 billion. The lawmakers said they discovered this after a thorough investigation by the Senate Public Accounts Committee chaired by Senator Mathew Urhoghide following the submission of the 2017 Auditor-General report. According to the query, loans and debts arising from Special Funds Accounts totalling N910,039,557,742 showed that the balances remained unpaid throughout the year although the loans were meant to…

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Senate holds Emergency Session, amends CBN Act,

Aminu Imam

The Senate has approved the upward review of the Ways and Means loan accessible to the Federal Government from five to 15 percent. According to the lawmakers, the very essence of the Bill was to enable the Federal Government to meet its immediate and future obligations in the approval of the ways and means by the National Assembly and advances to the Federal Government by the Central Bank of Nigeria”. Ways and Means, by definition, are the revenues and methods of raising the revenues needed for the functioning of a…

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Senate to go on break for 2023 election campaigns

Aminu Imam

The Senate has said it will adjourn plenary next week to enable lawmakers to embark on rigorous campaigns in their various constituencies in preparation for the forthcoming National Assembly elections. Senate President Ahmad Lawan stated this during plenary in Abuja. He said the break would enable lawmakers contesting for various offices during the 2023 general election to interact with their constituents and canvass for their votes. He however said the Senate may possibly close this week if it was able to deal with urgent issues requiring its attention so that…

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Senate threatens to cut budget of Army, Police, INEC, NIA, NSA, 95 others

Aminu Imam

The Senate, yesterday, threatened to withdraw allocation to about 100 Ministries, Department, and Agencies, (MDAs). The Upper Chamber’s resolution was on the heels of observations made at its plenary session by Senator Mathew Urhoghide. The Senator representing Edo-South, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Accounts, has accused the chief executives of the agencies of failure to honour his Committee’s invitation, based on queries against their finances by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. Senator Urhoghide, during the plenary, said, The agencies that have vehemently refused to…

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Crude Oil Theft: ‘Nigeria lost $2bn in 8 months’, Senate alleges

Aminu Imam

… Bows to pressure; fails to indict masterminds The Senate Ad-Hoc Committee meant to investigate the siphoning of the countrys crude oil and the negative impact of the plague on the economy, on Tuesday submitted its findings to plenary. The findings painstakingly detailed that between January and August 2022, Nigeria lost an unwholesome $2billion, that is, N1.3 trillion to oil thieves. It said: Nigeria lost over $2billion to oil theft between January and August 2022, with consequent loss of revenue that would support the countrys fiscal deficits and budget implementation. The…

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New Naira Notes: Senate pledges support as lawmakers disagree on deadline

Aminu Imam

The Senate yesterday, via a consensus, has agreed to provide legislative support for the policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to redesign the naira. Recall that in October, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Godwin Emefiele, announced the plan to redesign the 200, 500 and 1,000 notes which will go into circulation in December. The resolution of the Red Chamber was affirmed following a motion on the policy by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, Senator Uba Sani. They also resolved to…

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Senate panel summons NNPC boss over oil theft, subsidy, dilapidated refineries under his watch

Aminu Imam

The Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) yesterday summoned the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, (NNPCL), Mele Kyari, over oil theft, subsidy, and dilapidated refineries under his watch. The committees chairman, Senator Mohammad Sabo Nakudu, said this in Abuja, at an interactive session on oil theft, state of refineries, and subsidy, among others. Nakudu said Kyari must appear on Tuesday to brief the committee on efforts being made to address crude oil theft, dwindling revenue, and the poor state of refineries. NNPCL General Manager, Public…

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Senate confirms Justice Ariwoola as new Chief Justice of Nigeria

Aminu Imam

The Senate yesterday confirmed Justice Olukayode Ariwoola as the substantive Chief Justice of Nigeria, (CJN). Justice Ariwoola was confirmed after responding to a few questions from lawmakers on the floor of the Senate. Recall that Ariwoola was appointed as the acting CJN after Ibrahim Tanko Muhammad resigned as the head of the countrys judiciary in June 2022, and President Muhammadu Buhari forwarded his name to the Senate for confirmation. The Upper Chamber could not confirm him then as they were on recess. Justice Ariwoola has been acting CJN after the…

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