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Saraki Dismisses Plot To Impeach Him …Says ‘I’m Not Losing Sleep’ …As NASS Panel On INEC’s Budget Resumes, Today
The Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, at the weekend, said he was not losing sleep over rumour of plans to impeach him following his defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Saraki spoke when he visited Asaba, Delta State to consult with the state Governor, Sen. Ifeanyi Okowa on his aspirations for the 2019 general elections.
Saraki, who came in company of other senators, including Dino Melaye and Peter Nwaoboshi, spent about 45 minutes in a closed door meeting with Okowa at the Government House, Asaba.
“I am not losing any sleep about impeachment, we have a country that a lot of Nigerians believe there must be rule of law, those who are talking about impeachment are engaging in cheap blackmail and I am not concerned about that,’’ Saraki said.
On why he left the All Progressives Congress (APC), Saraki said that he already had a four page statement on the issue.
“I have made a four page statement on why I left the APC and I made it very clear that the ideas and visions of what we expected, was not realised in the areas of democracy, justice, and so on.
“Those that followed the political terrain of the last three years can see that the people are not happy, it is not about me but about Nigerians and about the kind of country we want to build.
“It is the kind of democracy we want to practice and the kind of leadership we need, but, we have not been able to achieve any of this under the APC as much as we have tried,’’ Saraki said.
The Senate President, who addressed newsmen after the meeting, said he was in the state to consult with the governor, particularly now that he had rejoined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
He described Okowa as a capable and competent colleague who worked closely with him in the senate for four years.
“I spent four years with a very capable and competent colleague (Okowa) in the Senate.
“We worked very closely together and I have come to spend some time with him and to hear his views now that I have rejoined the PDP.
“Governor Okowa is a very important party member, he is someone I truly respect and I have come to listen to him, hear his views and to consult with him,’’ Saraki said.
He commended the level of development going on in the state in the past three years, adding that the governor had impacted the people of the state through physical and manpower development programmes.
“There is a lot of development in the state and this is what we want to see in most of our states.’’
Meanwhile, the National Assembly has concluded plans to resume today, with speculations that it may cut the budget for the 2019 polls, due to duplication of line items by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
Findings at the weekend showed that ahead of the resumed sitting of the Senate and House of Representatives Joint Committees on Electoral Matters today, members’ opinions tilted towards adopting INEC’s version of the budget, which is N189.2billion.
It would be recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari’s version was N143billion.
Before the committees adjourned for the Sallah break, there was a deadlock on whether to pick the President’s version or INEC’s.
But, committee sources disclosed to newsmen in Abuja that the INEC version would be adopted, though it might be cut due to duplication of line items.
One senior official said that several duplications were identified, especially in the allocations which INEC made for the police and other security agencies.
The source observed that those items were also provided for in the 2018 national budget of N9.12trillion earlier passed by the National Assembly.
The source added that at the resumed sitting today, the committees would first iron out the duplications by getting the heads of the affected security agencies to appear and defend the fresh proposals by INEC.
The official spoke further, “We are trying to harmonise the President’s version and INEC’s version. But, it may not be that same figure (N189.2billion) because there are line items that we are going to follow one-by-one.
“There are duplications of some of the line items, which means that the funds allocated to them will be dropped.
“Again, the funds allocated to the security agencies, such as the N6billion to the police and others will also be cut.
“We will invite the police, the Department of State Services, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, and the Nigeria Immigration Service to appear, so that we can be sure that the funds we already approved for them in the national budget are not repeated in INEC’s elections budget.
“Remember that the National Assembly increased the national budget (N9.12trillion) by over N508billion. In that increment, the security agencies were given additional N20billion. Here, we have the INEC budget making provisions for the security agencies again.
“So, first, we will invite these security agencies so that they can come and defend these new provisions by INEC. In the process, any duplication that we identify will be removed.”
The official told newsmen that the heads of the security agencies would either appear today or a decision would be taken by the committees on when they would appear.
“The implication is that, the joint committee may or may not conclude its work on Monday. It depends on the speed with which the heads of the security agencies will come to defend these items.
“We must avoid a situation where we approve N6billion for the police in the INEC budget and there is another N6billion or more in another budget elsewhere.
“We have to remove all the duplications, which will ultimately affect the final size of the budget. This, we will do within the week, from Monday”, the source added.
When contacted for comments, the Chairman, House Committee on Legislative Budget and Research, Timothy Golu, confirmed that the joint committees, indeed, raised the issue of duplications and were set to resolve them today.
Golu, who is a member of the House Committee on Electoral and Political Party Matters, admitted that he was also aware that the heads of security agencies would be summoned.
“Yes, they are to appear over some duplications. However, I don’t know when the committees will require them to appear. A decision will have to be taken on Monday”, he stated.
Efforts to reach the Chairman of the House committee, Mrs. Aisha Dukku, failed.
Investigations further show that the work of the electoral committees would drag the possible reconvening date of the National Assembly into September.
One member explained, “The issue of reconvening the National Assembly doesn’t even arise here yet. These committees must first conclude their work and report to the Committee on Appropriations.”
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.