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Senators Walk Out Buhari’s Aide …FG Tells Saraki, Deputy To Face Trial

Senators, yesterday, walked out President Muhammadu Buhari’s Adviser on Prosecution, Chief Okoi Obono Obla, who appeared before the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters led by Senator David Umaru to answer questions on the forgery case against the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.
Obla, represented the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, during a hearing on the Senate Rules forgery case.
The AGF’s failure to honour the invitation was sequel to the letter for him to do so initially on the 23rd of June, 2016, which he responded to demanding for adjournment to enable him prepare for his responses, which was granted.
Though he was represented by the Special Adviser to the President on Public Prosecution, in the Federal Ministry of Justice, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, the Committee Chairman, Senator David Umaru, expressed dissatisfaction with Obono-Obla’s explanations that his principal was unavoidably absent, adding that it was not in the tradition of the Senate to interact with proxies.
“Mr. Obla, this is the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and this invitation was for the Justice Minister to appear in person, hence, we cannot interact with you on this matter,” Umaru declared.
A member of the Committee, Senator Joshua Lidani, who was visibly angry, said he was not surprised at the turn of events, maintaining that the action of the AGF undermines the Senate.
Senator Chukwuka Utazi stated that Nigeria’s democracy was being jeopardised on the altar of egocentricism by those who should know better.
He insisted that there were court judgements in favour of the Senate, while wondering what the AGF was looking for to have interferred with issues that were purely Senate’s internal affairs.
Committee Chairman, David Umaru, however, promised that the committee will revert to the Senate with report within the two weeks given to them
The Senate had penultimate Tuesday summoned Malami over the forgery suit following a motion sponsored by Senator Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi West).
The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, outgoing Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa and the Deputy Clerk, Ben Efeturi, are being tried at the FCT High Court.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has hit back at the Senate President Bukola Saraki and his Deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, over statements they made last Tuesday after they were arraigned for allegedly forging the Standing Rules of the upper legislative chamber.
The government said it would be better for Saraki and Ekweremadu to either honourably resign or face the judicial process.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, said statements issued by both Senate leaders targeting the government, and President Muhammadu Buhari as an individual, as if the executive arm was the initiator of the forgery case against them, were not acceptable.
Lawal, who also signed the statement, said the separate comments by “the two leaders of the Senate also gave this erroneous impression that by their arraignment, it is the entire Senate and indeed, the legislative arm of government that is on trial.
“They want the public to believe that their prosecution is in utter disregard by the executive arm of government for the constitutional provisions of separation of powers and that preferring the forgery case against them is a vendetta exercise.”
He said the two separate statements conveyed ‘‘messages that are far from being complementary to the person and government of President Muhammadu Buhari.’’
‘‘Senator Saraki in his statement clearly insinuated that Mr. President is not in control of his administration and that a cabal now runs the federal administration.
‘‘On the part of Senator Ekweremadu, he insists that President Buhari is exhibiting dictatorial tendencies that can derail our democracy.”
Although he said the case is in court and the judicial process must be allowed to take its course, Lawal absolved the executive arm of government of blame, saying: “It is important to emphasize that this case involves only the four accused persons and should not be presented to the unsuspecting public as involving the entire Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The complaint leading to the forgery investigation was reported to the police by some aggrieved senators who specifically accused certain persons. It is not the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria that is involved and definitely not the House of Representatives.
‘‘To bring the National Assembly as a body into this court case is totally unwarranted. It can only be for other purposes and reasons outside the investigation and legal proceedings.”
He explained further that it was a case of alleged forgery, which cannot be preferred against an institution but on individual.
Citing the case of former Speaker Salisu Buhari, who forged a certificate showing that he graduated from a Toronto University, Lawal said: “What he did was to resign, honourably. The matter did not even go to court. In that particular case, it was never orchestrated as a matter for the National Assembly. The individual involved did not drag the entire legislature into the matter.”
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
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Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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