Nigerian Newspapers
Senate kills six-year tenure
•Legislators weaken NLC, TUC
The Senate yesterday killed the proposal for six-year single tenure for president and governors as it voted on recommendations for further alteration of the 1999 Constitution.
The lawmakers also rejected local government autonomy and mayoral status for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It curiously voted ‘yes’ to make any woman eligible for marriage even if she is underage.
It endorsed a proposal that Presidential assent shall no more be required for the purpose of altering the Nigerian Constitution.
It also approved a proposal that a presidential or governor’s assent would not be required after a bill passed and transmitted to the president’s or governor had stayed for 30 days with the president or governor as the case may be.
It granted financial autonomy to State Houses of Assembly.
The Senate also endorsed first line charge for State Independent Electoral Commission, State Houses of Assembly, Auditor-General of the State and State Judiciary, but failed to approve first line charge for the Attorney-General .
Before the historic voting began, Senate President David Mark reminded senators that they were on the threshold of history.
Mark told the lawmakers, that for any clause to pass, 73 yes votes were needed.
“I urge every Senator to vote according to his conscience. Every voting will accordingly be reflected on the votes and proceedings of the Senate. We have gone through this before and because of the importance of the issues slated for voting, we are not to resume debate again. You must, therefore, endeavour to vote according to your conscience,” Mark said.
On presidential assent for Constitution amendment, the Senate voted that “for the purpose of altering the provisions of this Constitution, the assent of the President shall not be required.”
In all, 95 senators endorsed the proposal while three opposed it.
Clause 4 which sought the alteration of Section 29 of the Constitution almost threw works. In the upper chamber into turmoil.
The Section is on renunciation of citizenship.
It states (29)(1) “Any citizen of Nigeria of full age who wishes to renounce his Nigerian citizenship shall make a declaration in the prescribed manner for the renunciation. (4) For the purpose of subsection (1) of this section (a) ‘full age” means the age of eighteen years and above (b) any woman who is married shall be deemed to be of full age.”
The Constitution review Committee recommended that the Section 29(4)(b) should be deleted.
The Senate voted 75 ‘yes’ and 13 ‘no’ to delete the Section.
The endorsement of the clause by the Senate became a battle between Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima (Zamfara West) and other senator.
Yerima said the clause is against Islamic law and insisted that it should not be deleted.
He noted that declaring maturity age for women is against Islamic law.
He said the Constitution forbids the National Assembly from making law on Islamic matters.
Yerima insisted that a second vote should be taken on the passed clause.
Mark said he is not an expert on Islamic law and added that if Islamic scholars raise the same sentiment, it should be revisited.
But Senator Danjuma Goje (Gombe Central) took up the matter from Yerima.
He accused the Senate President of double standard.
Mark took exception to the accusation and reiterated that he had been very consistent in the consideration of the clauses.
He wondered why the issue should be made a personal matter.
Following insistence by Yerima, Mark agreed that the clause should be revisited.
Mark said, “Once more, because of the serious nature of the laws we make and because we want our actions to stand the test of time, we will revisit the issue raised by Yerima.
“This is because of the sensitivity of issues that has to do with religion, we should revisit it so that we take another vote on it.
“But Yerima is a member of the Constitution Review Committee, he should have raised the issue at that level.”
Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu who chaired the review committee said that the clause has nothing to do with religion.
Ekweremadu added that the Constitution Review Committee felt that a woman should be old enough to renounce Nigerian citizenship.
He recalled that Yerima said the clause is unconstitutional at the review level but insisted that the clause has nothing to do with religion.
A total of 99 Senators registered to vote on the controversial clause.
The repeated vote showed that 60 Senators voted to retain the clause while 35 voted to delete it as recommended by the review committee.
After the vote Mark said: “Once you are married, you are deemed to be of age whether you are one or two years it doesn’t really matter.”
Immediately the clause was killed, there was outrage in the gallery as many spectators felt that the upper chamber had endorsed under age marriage.
Yerima was later shouted down when he attempted to thank Senators for voting to retain the clause.
On assent to a bill, the Senate passed alteration to Section 58 by inserting a new subsection “5A” which states: “Where the President neither signifies that he assents or that he withholds assent, the bill shall at the expiration of thirty days become law.”
A total of 100 Senators registered to vote, 89 voted ‘yes’ while 11 voted ‘no’.
The Senate also approved the alteration of the Section 100 by inserting a new subsection “5a” which reads: “Where the Governor neither signifies that he assents or that he withholds assent, the bill shall at the expiration of thirty days become law”
On Section 81, financial autonomy to Attorney General of the Federation.
A total of 100 Senators registered to vote.
While 59 Senators voted that financial autonomy should be granted the Attorney General of the Federation, 41 voted ‘no’
The clause failed to pass.
A total of 83 Senators voted ‘yes’ to grant the Auditor-General of the Federation, 16 Senators voted ‘no’ while two abstained.
On Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Committee, 99 Senators voted ‘yes’ to grant it autonomy while two voted ‘no’.
On National Human Rights Commission, the upper chamber voted 94 to six to grant the commission financial autonomy.
The senate also approved that all labour matters would henceforth be handled at the state levels.
Observers contended that this new development would weaken the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) at the national level.
The clause which states that “Any person who has held office as President or Deputy President of the Senate, Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, shall be entitled to pension for life at a rate equivalent to the annual salary of the incumbent President or Deputy President of the Senate, Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives was passed with a vote of 86 ‘yes’ and 13 ‘no’ with one abstention.
Mark jokingly said that the clause was endorsed ‘overwhelmingly.’
The Senate endorsed financial autonomy for State Independent Electoral Commission; State Houses of Assembly; Auditor-General of the State; and State Judiciary.
But the lawmaker opposed first line charge Attorney General of State.
The Senate voted 86 against,14 in favour and one abstention to nail the coffin of the clause on six year single tenure for President and Governors.
On separation of the office of the Attorney General of the Federation from the office of Minister of Justice, the Senate voted 62 in favour and 35 against.
The clause failed because at least 73 votes in favour were required.
On direct payment to local governments from the Federation Account, 59 Senators voted in favour while 38 voted against while two abstained.
The clause failed.
The clause which sought to confer the power on the Attorney General to direct investigation in certain cases was killed with 62 Senators against and 31 in favour.
The Senate killed the clause for Mayoral status for the FCT with 57 votes in favour, 39 against and two abstention.
The Senate failed to remove the National Youth Service Corps Decree 1993 from the Constitution.
It also failed to remove the Public Complaint Commission Act, National Security Agencies Act and the Land Use Act from the Constitution.
It endorsed the changed Afikpo North and South Local Government Areas to Afikpo and Edda Local Governments.
It also endorsed the change of Egbado North and Egbado South LGAs to Yewa North and Yewa South LGAs.
Labour was deleted from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List with 77 votes in favour and 17 against.
Two Senators abstained.
The Senate also voted in favour of Railways being placed on the Concurrent List.
The votes tied at 72 Senators in favour and 23 against.
Mark broke the tie by voting in favour of Railways going to the Concurrent List.
The Lawmakers also removed pension matters from the Exclusive List but it failed to remove Prisons from the Exclusive List.
Despite explanation from Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and Senator Umaru Dahiru that the removal will solve the problem of prison congestion, the Senators voted against the removal.
The Senate also voted against removing the Chief Justice of Nigeria and other serving Judicial Officers as Chairman and members respectively of the Federal Judicial Service Commission.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Senator Umaru Dahiru said that the CJN, Justice Mariam Aloma Mukhtar, wrote to request the status quo be maintained.
Ekweremadu also informed the Senate that the CJN wrote to say that she was not comfortable with the clause.
He said that the clause is before the Senate to take a decision on the matter.
Mark also said that not withstanding the letter of the CJN, the Senate will vote on the clause.
The clause was defeated with a vote of 72 against and 26 in favour.
Mark voted against the removal of the CJN as Chairman of Federal Judicial Service Commission.
At the end of the voting, Mark thanked Senators and declared: “Today is a historic day in the history of Nigeria.”
“We voted for those issues that we think will make democracy to go on and make democracy to mature.”
He thanked the Senate Committee on Constitution Review saying: “What ever sentiments they expressed, we have put them to test today.”
Mark told the Senate that today would be devoted for valedictory session for the late Senator Pius Ewherido.
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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