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RVHA Commits PPPI Bill To Committee Stage … Eulogises Gov Amaechi’s Dev. Strides

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The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday Committed the Public-Private Participation Infrastructure Development bill (PPPI) into committee stage, even as, the state lawmakers commended Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi for his concerted effort to transform the state through private sector participation.

The PPPI bill is seeking to establish a law that would promote, facilitate, and regulate partnership between the public and private sectors in infrastructure development as well as, to establish the state council on pubic private partnerships and the state Bureau of Public Private Partnerships, and other matters related there to.

Kick-starting debate on the bill after it had passed second reading on the floor of the House, Hon. Totenaan Ogiri (Abua/Odual) noted that the aim of the bill was to provide the needed synergy between the government, public and private sectors to promote accelerated development in the state.

He described the bill as laudable and capable of fastracking development to the state adding that when passed into law, it would encourage people to participate in the development of the state.

“The bill is encouraging, as it tends to develop the state. Government would only provide land equity, while in most cases, the private investors would provid about 80 percent of the development needs” he added.

The lawmaker urged his colleagues to partner with the executive arm in its commitment to transform the state by ensuring that the bill is passed on time adding that the bill would stand the text of time.

In their contributions, Hon Chidi Lloyd (Emohua), Maureen Tamuno, (Ogu/Bolo) and Hon Onari Brown (Akuku-Toru I) stated that when the bill is passed into law, the state government would encourage private investors to do business in the state.

The lawmakers opined that the benefits inherent in the bill were more than the demerits adding that when the bill becomes a law, it would provide more employment opportunities to the people of the state.

The lawmakers urged their colleagues to give their consent to the passage of the bill into law adding that it would bring confidence in the management of public companies in the state.

In his rulling, the speaker, Rivers State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry who presided over the session, thanked the lawmakers for their contributions during the debate.

Hon Harry relying on the standing order of the House, committed the bill to the committee stage.

He then appointed an eight man ad-hoc committee chaired by Hon. Lucky Odili to organise a public heavring and report back to the House within two weeks for considerations and passage.

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Protest Rocks Kano Over Appeal Court Judgment

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Protests erupted in Kano city and its environs on Monday afternoon with the demonstrators denouncing the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal that sacked the state Governor, Abba Yusuf.
The Tide’s source reports that uneasy calm pervaded the state capital following a contradictory Certified True Copy of the Appeal Court that affirmed the prayers of both the appellant and the respondent in the contentious Kano governorship, though the judiciary had since cleared the air.
In what appeared like a coordinated action on Monday, huge crowd of protesters had stormed strategic positions in the city as it visited temporary hiccups on commercial activities.
Kano- Zaria Road, Maiduguri Road by Muhammadu Buhari’s interchange, and Kantin Kwari (Kano textile market) were taken over by hundreds of youths who called for justice for Abba Yusuf.
Some of the placard read: “Kano my city my state”, “Justice for Kano”, “ Justice for Abba”, “Abba’s mandate was stolen in 2019, we will not allow it happen in 2023″.
The protest came on the heels of discovery by the Police that “some faceless group are bent on unleashing violence in Kano”, stressing that the police were on top of the situation.
Cp Hussaini Gumel told newsmen in Kano on Monday that already 7 suspects had been arrested and would be arraigned soon.
Gumel revealed that “we have the understanding with the leadership of the contending political parties, and they have signed a peace pact. In view of that, therefore, any one found outside this arrangement will be treated as common criminal”.
However, normalcy had since returned to the ancient city following the peaceful protest that lasted several hours.

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NASS To Receive Tinubu’s 2024 Appropriation Bill, Today

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President Bola  Ahmed  Tinubu will today, present the 2024 budget to the joint session of the National Assembly.
Secretary, Research and Information of the National Assembly, Dr Ali Barde Umoru, confirmed this on Monday to journalists while requesting the list of those to be allowed into the chamber during the budget presentation.
This will be the first budget estimate President Tinubu will present to the National Assembly in person.
He had earlier transmitted two supplementary budgets, 2022 and 2023, to the National Assembly, which the parliament speedily approved.
President Tinubu had, weeks ago, also forwarded to both chambers of the National Assembly, the 20224-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) where the sum of N26.1 trillion was proposed as the total expenditure for the 2024 fiscal year.
The Senate, following the recommendation of its joint committee, which scrutinised the document, approved the MTEF/FSP.
It approved the N26.1trn proposed as the 2024 budget and other parameters as proposed by President Tinubu.
It approved the new borrowings of N7.8 trillion, pegged the benchmark of oil price for 2024 at $73.96, and oil production volume per day at 1.78 million barrels.
Other parameters approved are a GDP growth rate of 3.76%, an inflation rate of 21.40%, an exchange rate of N700 to $1 dollar, and a projected budget deficit of N9.04 trillion.

 

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Muslim Clerics Offer Prayers For Tinubu, Kwankwaso In Kano

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Over 1,000 Islamic clerics have offered special prayers for President Bola Tinubu and the NNPP national leader, Rabiu Kwankwaso, for peace, progress and political stability in Nigeria.
Abdulmumin Kofa (NNPP-Kiru/Bebeji) hosted the ulamas at Kiru for the success of Governor Kabir Yusuf of Kano State at the Supreme Court, according to a statement by the lawmaker’s media aide, Sani Paki, on Monday.
During the prayer session, the clerics recited the Qur’an 1,101 times and prayed for peace, progress and political stability in the country.
Mr Kofa said his relationship with the president was no secret, noting that Mr Kwankwaso is his mentor. He said he would continue to support and promote a harmonious relationship between Messrs Tinubu and Kwankwaso.
Mr Kofa described NNPP as a promising party open to collaboration, alliance and merger with the APC and even with the People’s Democratic Party, Labour Party or any other party that showed interest, so long as it is for the good of Nigerians.
He also promised to deploy his modest political network to reach out to gladiators in Kano politics towards resolving all resolvable issues and to de-escalate the current tension in the state due to the Kano governorship seat.
Also, after the prayer session, the legislator hosted 5,000 primary school kids across his constituency, as he often does, and provided them with school kits.
According to the statement, Mr Kofa assured the pupils of the good plans of the federal and state governments, especially on free education and free school feeding programmes.

 

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