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Sanusi: Reps Make U-Turn …Publish Members’ Salaries, CPC Tells NASS
The House of Representatives yesterday changed its mind on its invitation to the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, to appear on the floor of the House.
The House, which was presided over by Deputy Speaker, Bayero Nafada, rather directed that the CBN governor should now appear before committees of the House of Appropriation, Banking, Drugs, Narcotic and Financial Crimes at a date to be determined by the committees.
Hon. Igo Aguma had raised a counter motion to that of the Senate Leader, Tunde Akogun for Sanusi’s appearance.
The CBN Governor was said to have arrived at the premises of the National Assembly by 10am prepared for his appearance.
The Tide gathered that the change of mind by the Reps was fallout of indications that Sanusi had come better prepared than he was when he made a similar appearance before the senate on Wednesday.
Sanusi had stood by his comment on the allegation that about 25 per cent of the nation’s budget was consumed by the National Assembly even when senators pointed out to him that his figures were inaccurate and misleading.
He was said to have arrived at the Reps wing of the National Assembly with loads of documents apparently to tackle members of the House of Representatives.
The House gave the committees one week to report back on the matter.
Meanwhile, the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has showered praises on the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, for sticking with his position that 25% of the overhead of the Federal Budget is consumed by the National Assembly.
Sanusi was asked by the lawmakers to explain to them and to Nigerians how he came by the said figure but he couldn’t. He rather remained adamant that he was convinced that the lawmakers’ jumbo pay was digging a big hole in the nation’s treasury.
In a statement made available to our correspondent, National Publicity Secretary of the group, Osita Okechukwu said, “We salute Governor Sanusi’s courage and uncommon passion for public good in the midst of intimidation by hostile senators and at the risk of losing his job, he maintained his stoic stance that the NASS’s expenditure was bleeding heavily on the national treasury.
“We waited anxiously for Governor Sanusi in this hour and salute him for upholding his own ratings, for Nigerians hold in very high esteem the man who exposed the errant bankers who played casino with depositors’ funds.”
The CNPP suggested that the federal lawmakers were earning a lot more than the official emoluments approved by the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission.
“We challenge the NASS members to publicly tell the world whether they abide by the emolument and allowances benchmark prescribed by the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission {RMAFC}.
“Governor Sanusi talked only of the Report of the Budget Office but diplomatically did not expose the Trade Center antics of the NASS members and their food is ready economic policy; where instead of law making, they engage in contract sharing and contract splitting. This is the conduit pipe NASS members use to bleed our national treasury, subvert the Millennium Development Goals and undermine our decayed infrastructure.”
The group however prayed the National Assembly members to desist from haunting down people like Sanusi whom they described as a patriot and focus on saving the country’s democracy from the threat posed to it by the monumental corruption in the land. He said, “CNPP wishes to appeal to our Distinguished Senators and Honourable members to instead of haunting down brave patriots like Governor Sanusi; to graciously embark on soul searching, look inwards and as a matter of urgent national importance remove the specks in their eyes, which regrettably has converted the National Assembly into a Trade Center.”
Meanwhile, the Congress for Progress Change (CPC) yesterday called on the National Assembly to publish detailed facts concerning the basic salaries and allowances of its members for the sake of enhancing transparency in the public sector.
A statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr Aghanya Dennis in Abuja made the call in a reaction to the summon on the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Lamido Sanusi by the National Assembly.
“This observation has become very necessary in view of the recent summoning of the Central Bank Governor by the Senate to explain his claims that 25 per cent of overhead of the government’s revenue is spent on the National Assembly,” it stated.
The statement noted that constituted authorities should be allowed to function without any form of intimidation from any arm of government.
“Instead of summoning him in the usual manner of the NASS, his office should have been simply asked to forward its records to substantiate his claims,” the statement added.
The party further called on Nigerians “not to be intimidated by the incessant summoning by the National Assembly as they were selected to represent us”.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.