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No fewer than 300 persons have been confirmed dead following a siege on Agatu local government area of Benue state. It was reported two...
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Akpos went to the American Embassy for a student visa, and the process of his interview with the white lady went this way White Lady: what a...
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Jackie Chan landed 38th on Forbes' latest celebrity rich list, making him the second highest-paid actor in the world. While Chan hasn...
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A degree may be awarded with or without honours, with the class of an honours degree based on a weighted average mark of the assessed work a...
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Buhari’s first decision as the president of Nigeria is the order to relocate the military command centre from Abuja to Maiduguri immediately...
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Jackie Chan's son, Jaycee, faces up to three years in jail if found guilty. (Getty Image) Jaycee Chan , son of respected Chinese ...
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Trailer accident but this time one carrying loads of campaign rice.That guy is bleeding heavily.. A truck carrying sacks of rice branded fo...
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Dere's no Special reason for dis msg, I juz want 2 steal a single moment out of ur busy life and hope I can make u smile n say... Someon...
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Rodner Figueroa has apologized for his actions by writing an open letter to Michelle Obama on March 12. The Emmy Award winning TV host was f...
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After a 22-year-old Sikh man removed his turban to help an injured boy, a handful of friendly strangers acted quickly to return the favor. H...
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1. You aren’t controlled by your income. You might not be able to afford a Rolex, but if you aren’t living from week-to-week financially you...
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Jackie Chan landed 38th on Forbes' latest celebrity rich list, making him the second highest-paid actor in the world. While Chan hasn...
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Pictures of president Buhari hosting world leaders
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Emmanuel Anyaebe is paying the price for peeping at a bathing woman An Enugu State based man, Emmanuel Anyaebe, who took delight in p...
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With electricity which is popularly known as Dumsor, in Ghana, fast becoming a major issue, it seems the good friendship which has existed b...
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President Barack Obama has officially endorsed gay marriage nation wide in the United States. CNN reports that the Obama administration Frid...
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Coach of the the U-20 Ghanaian team, Kwesi Nyantakyi has tipped the Flying Eagles of Nigeria for the final of the ongoing African Youth Cham...
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The Presidential Spokesman has officially responded on behalf of the office of the president. Find it below... The front-page story of ...
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The Eagle has the longest life-span of its species. It can live upto 70 years. But to reach this age, the eagle must make a very difficult d...
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Manchester United have been given the clear to sign Real Madrid superstar, Cristiano Ronaldo according to reports. The current Ballon d'...
This is one of the best messages I received today, so like to share with you....
1. No matter how beautiful and handsome you are, just remember Baboon and Gorillas also attract tourists.
***Stop Boasting.
2. No matter how big and strong you are, you will not carry yourself to your Grave.
***Be Humble!
1. No matter how beautiful and handsome you are, just remember Baboon and Gorillas also attract tourists.
***Stop Boasting.
2. No matter how big and strong you are, you will not carry yourself to your Grave.
***Be Humble!
According to leadership, Oyegun an address to journalists at the APC secretariat in Abuja said his recent absence from work was nothing unusual, noting that it was due to malaria. He said after serving as party chairman for two years he was embarking on a break after the rigours of building the party and a very intense period putting government together up to
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WATCH ! Female students film secret s**x video in university library
01:47 SlyNaija 0 CommentsA 32-year-old gardener, Abeng Oji, has been arraigned at the Igbosere Magistrates' Court sitting in Lagos State for allegedly raping his boss’ six-year-old daughter inside a bathroom at the residence where he worked in the Ologolo Community in the Eti-Osa Local Government Area of the state.
It was gathered that the victim's parents had gone for
A newly-wed plumber, Emeka Okpala, has reportedly drowned while installing a pumping machine in a well. The incident, occurred on Oladogba street in the Ikosi-Ketu area of Lagos state as the man was said to be descending the well. It was gathered that Okpala, 40, was the one originally contracted for the job, but took up the job after the initial plumber declined the offer.
Bilikisu Idris, a resident, explained that she got to know about the incident at about 3.00pm, noting further that the victim died because the person who employed him for the job failed to raise the alarm early.
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The anti-graft agency gives reasons why Amamgbo was arrested
23:38 SlyNaija 0 CommentsDonald Chidi Amamgbo, a cousin to Diezani Alison-Madueke, a former minister of Petroleum has been arrested by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC),. Amamgbo, who is chief executive of Mezcor Oil and Gas limited, Tridax Oil and Gas Limited, Lynear Energy Limited and Bulk Strategic Reserved Limited, was arrested in Lagos state at about
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shocker!! Sunday Oliseh resigns as Super Eagles coach
23:27 SlyNaija 0 CommentsReports filtering in have it that Sunday Oliseh has resigned as the coach of the Super Eagles. The controversial coach who had blasted his critics took to his official Twitter handle to announce his resignation, stating that unpaid salaries, lack of cooperation, among other factors, were responsible for his action.
MOre will be reported
No fewer than 300 persons have been confirmed dead following a siege on Agatu local government area of Benue state. It was reported two days ago that the local government area was under attack by over 300 militants, a development which was reported to have erupted following the Senate south rerun election in the state. Fresh reports from another reporter have it that at least 300 persons have lost their lives following series of attacks by
The Senate is expected to round off the collation of reports on the 2016 budget estimates of N6.08 trillion this week for due consideration next week.
According to the chairman, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Sen. Danjuma Goje ( APC-Gombe Central), that would be preparatory to the passage of the Appropriation Bill before the end of next month.
Goje who stated this while briefing the Senate on the progress recorded since the presidency presented the budget proposal at yesterday’s sitting, said that his committee had mandated the different sub-committees to make their submissions between yesterday and Tuesday next week.
He appealed to the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the Senate standing committees to cooperate with the Appropriations Committee, by ensuring that the Tuesday deadline was met for the submission of their reports.
He said, “Today is the beginning of the submission of reports to us by the various sub-committees. The Appropriations Committee is ready; we are set to start receiving the reports.
“I therefore, urge my colleagues, the chairmen and vice-chairmen of the various committees to cooperate with us to ensure that we conclude this exercise within the one week that was stipulated by this Senate.
“This means that the submissions will start today and end next week Tuesday. If we don’t go by the programme, there will be problem of submission of our report. But because of the importance of this budget, it is incumbent that we go by the programme.
“I want to inform the Senate that the Appropriations Committee is ready to accept the reports. Immediately after my explanation, all the members will go to room 224 where we are ready to start receiving the reports.
“The timetable has been distributed to you and the committees concerned that are supposed to submit their reports as stated in that timetable. So, Mr President, I will like to ask my colleagues, chairmen, vice-chairmen and members of the various committees to cooperate with us to ensure that we conclude this exercise within the one week stipulated by this Senate.
“If we do go by the programme, there would be a problem of submission of our reports. It is therefore, incumbent that we go by the programme during the exercise of receiving our reports within one week to allow us compile the reports and submit it to this Senate for passing into law.”
Reacting to the submission made by Goje, president of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki, implored the committees to adhere to the one week target for collating the reports.
“I think, as the chairman of the Appropriations has said, they are ready to receive the reports and am sure the timetable is out and within this week, please let’s ensure that all committees submit their reports to Appropriations Committee, so that we can keep to the timetable, and we will try as much as possible and ensure that time is available so that people can do this report when we are still sitting in the plenary”, he said.
Besides, President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday wrote the Senate requesting it to extend the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) 2015 Statutory Appropriation Act to March 31, 2016.
Buhari in a letter to that effect as read by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, noted that the 2015 FCT Appropriation Act was assented to by former President Goodluck Jonathan on the 28th of May, 2015.
He pointed out that the late assent of Jonathan to the document allowed the FCTA only seven months in 2015 for implementation, which he said was not enough to fully implement the Act.
The president further explained that the delay in signing the appropriation bill into law, also affected its implementation in respect of capital projects and other expenditures, resulting in numerous payments for critical and essential projects remaining outstanding.
The letter reads in part: “I am writing to seek the senate’s approval to extend the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) 2015 Statutory Approriation Act to 31 March 2016.
“You may recall that the 2015 FCT Appropriation was assented to by my predecessor on the 28th of May, 2015. The delay affected its implementation in respect of capital projects and other expenditures.In this connection, numerous payments for critical and essential projects are outstanding.
“In view of the foregoing, the Senate is invited to note: the FCT 2015 statutory appropriation assented to on the 28th of May 2015 allowed the FCTA only seven months in 2015 for implementation.
“To meet its obligations and as permissible by the constitution, the FCT 2015 appropriation needs to be extended to 31st March 2016 as that would enable the FCT to make payments for various critical and essential ongoing projects towards achieving a better performance in the implementation of projects for the 2015 statutory appropriation.
C’ttee Submits Report On Abuse Of TSA
Meanwhile, the committee on Banking, Insurance and other Finacial Institutions submitted its report on the abuse of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), to be debated by the Senate at a later date.
The Committee on Ethics also submitted its report on the petition against Total Exploration Nigeria Limited by some of its staff, who were allegedly disengaged without due process of the law.
Senate Unity Forum Distances Self From Marafa
The Senate Unity Forum (SUF) yesterday warned its spokesperson, Senator Kabir Marafa against making further remarks that are capable of denigrating the Senate and, by extension, the National Assembly as an institution.
It chided Marafa for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the Senate in recent interviews he granted to journalists.
A source at the meeting told our correspondent that the SUF disassociated themselves from the recent utterances made by Marafa, saying he is not pushing their position.
The source who spoke to LEADERSHIP in confidence said the anti-Saraki senators accused Marafa of pushing the views too far. warning that they cannot be supporting him when he is denigrating the institution of the Senate.
He explained that the forum wondered why Marafa should be talking about delaying of the budget when he was the number one person delaying it by not sitting as chairman of his committee to enable the agencies under the committee defend their budget.
A former militant leader, Chief Solomom Ndigbara, also known as Osama Bin Laden has dragged the federal government and the Nigerian Army to court over the invasion of his homes by soldiers. Militants recently declared war on the federal government for its refusal to release Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).
Ndigbara is currently on the run from military authorities following the invasion of his residences by soldiers from 2 Brigade, Nigerian Army on January 11, 2016.It is reported that the former militant is seeking an order of the Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt to enforce his fundamental human rights by halting further harassment and invasion of his homes by soldiers.
The legal representative of the ex-militant, Eugene Ode, told newsmen in Port Harcourt that Ndigbara probably would have been summarily executed by soldiers had he been found at home when his home was invaded following the manner his family was beaten and battered. Ode faulted the military for placing a bounty on Ndigbara without issuing any statement on why he is wanted by the authorities. For us, we think this way beyond the way of the law and we are here to enforce his fundamental human right. Don’t forget, this man is an ex-agitator. He was one of the first to embrace the Amnesty Programme by the late President Yaradua.
This man has surrendered.’’ Meanwhile, nine people were reportedly killed following a heavy gun battle that broke out in Bori, Rivers state earlier on Tuesday, February 23.It's was reported that the battle was between soldiers and militants suspected to be supporters of the ex-militant leader, Solomon Ndigbara. Four people were feared dead at Yeghe in Gokana, the home town of the embattled ex-militant, says local sources.
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The EFCC urged the court to dismiss the no-case submission filed by Metuh and his firm
01:08 SlyNaija 0 CommentsThe Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has explained why it does not need former president Goodluck Jonathan as its witness in order to prove its money laundering case against Olisa Metuh, the national publicity secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The PDP spokesman and his company, Destra Investments Limited, are being prosecuted by
the EFCC on seven counts fraud. He allegedly received from the office of the national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki, N400m meant for the procurement of arms. The prosecution alleged that part of the money was used by Metuh to fund the PDP presidential campaign of the for the 2015 election.They reports that the PDP spokesman has recently filed the no-case submission through his lead counsel, Onyechi Ikpeazu, claiming that the prosecution could not make any case against him without the EFCC calling Jonathan as a witness.
In its response filed on Tuesday, February 23, before Justice Okon Abang of a Federal High Court in Abuja, the anti-graft agency urged the court to dismiss the no-case submission, insisting that the former president was not needed to prove its case. “My Lord, in paragraphs 2.22 to 2.25, the defence also contends that the prosecution, through PW8 (EFCC’s investigative officer, Junaid Sa’id) failed to investigate the statement of the 1st defendant (Metuh) to the effect that presentation was made to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan and that the sum for the exercise was paid into the 2nd defendant’s account (Metuh’s firm, Destra). “It is further contended that the former President, to whom the presentation was made for which the payment was made, is therefore a material and indispensable person in order for a prima facie case to be established.
How Metuh berated EFCC, makes demand in court “Learned senior counsel (Metuh’s lawyer) therefore alleged presumption of withholding of evidence by the prosecution. “In response to the above argument my lord, we submit that nothing can be farther from the truth. The defence cannot pick and choose witnesses for the prosecution and as rightly pointed out by the defence, the prosecution is not required to call a host of witnesses or a particular witness in proof of its case. “What the law requires the prosecution to do is to call material witness(es) in proof of its case,” the EFCC stated.
The anti-graft agency called on the court to dismiss the no-case submission filed by Metuh and his firm and direct them to give an explanation to “the overwhelming oral and documentary evidence placed before the court by the prosecution.” Earlier this month, the EFCC arrested Colonel Ojogbane Adegbe, Goodluck Jonathan’s Aide-de-Camp. During the interrogation, Adegbe revealed that another Dasukigate may be looming if he speaks out on the events of the last administration.
Kehinde Olatubosun, 56, who is from Ibadan, Oyo state disclosed that he earned N300, 000 monthly. Amount most graduates can only dream of earning, that is what this beggar cum drug addict earned per month from his trade.
However, he ran out of luck on Saturday night, January 23, when he along 18 other drug addicts was arrested by the Rapid Response Squad (RRS) of the Lagos Police Command at a joint in Ipodo area of Ikeja.
Olatubosun confessed that he made over N300, 000 monthly from begging in Ikeja.
According to Premium Times report, the RRS had on Monday night traced a stolen phone to the joint, leading to the arrest of a three-man gang of mobile phone thieves, three hard drug peddlers and 13 drug addicts.
The suspect disclosed that he made over N10,000 daily begging at the Mobolaji Bank Anthony Roundabout; beside the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital; Toyin street.
Olatubosun said: “All days of the week, I’m always in Mobolaji Bank Anthony Roundabout, Toyin Street roundabout and Opebi. At times, I collaborate with beggars. Whatever we make, we share but I get a larger share,” said the suspect.
“What I do is that, I get LASUTH drug prescription papers. I get it from their waste bin. With this in my hand, I convince motorists, passengers and passersby that I have a relative who is in dire need of money to buy drugs and I show them the prescription papers.
“This is what I have been doing since I was deported from Germany in 2004. Before the deportation, I was working as Electrical Engineer in Bauhusa, Colon, Germany. I was in Germany for 12 years before I was deported.”
The suspect further stated that he was deported from Germany after he was caught in possession of hard drugs.
“I have four children. Two are in Germany with my wife. One is in Texas, United States and another in Nigeria,” he said.
“Unfortunately, all the money I make from this begging goes into drugs. Day after day, I am always there, seven days a week. I make more money on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. I make more than N10,000:00 on weekends.
“As I speak to you, I’m not on drugs but I am experiencing withdrawal symptoms, that is, the effect of not taking drugs for sometimes,” he said.
He explained that he was arrested at the Ipodo drug joint when the RRS men raided the place adding that it was the first time he would be arrested.
FACE OF THE WEEK
NAME: Emmanuel-Edidiong Joseph EyoAGE: 20+DATE OF BIRTH: 22/03/199*
NICK NAME: 3E
STATE: Akwa Ibom
CONTRY: Nigeria
CURRENT LOCATION: Uyo
INSTITUTION: Uniuyo Graduate
COURSE OF STUDY: Agric.Econs/Extension
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single and searching lol
RELIGION: Conscience is my religion
BIOGRAPHY/ABOUT ME: Fat slim, dark fair, rapper/farmer
LIKES: Food!!!
DISLIKES: Fake/proud people
BLACKBERRY: 2BA7A1ED
PHONE NUMBER: +234 706 483 5718
FACEBOOK URL/PROFILE LINK: www.facebook.com/3E.Eyo
TWITTER HANDLE: @3E_Eyo
WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT NAIJASLY’S DIARY: Awesome blog. Shoutout to the CEO, God bless us all
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CEO of Legend Firm Entertainment Empire under serious robbery attack
13:49 SlyNaija 0 CommentsReports reaching Naijasly.com have it that the Mr Oto-Obong Eka, CEO of Legend Firm Entertainment Empire was under serious robbery attack
few nights ago.
According to eyewitnesses and phone call, Items like Phones, LFE wears, laptop and some other gadgets were stolen.
This really left the young CEO at a stage of total confusoin has he is yet to get out of the shocking incident
Fresh reports also have it that casualty was not recorded in the attack
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Messi receives Camp Nou tribute for fifth Ballon d'Or
17:20 SlyNaija 0 CommentsThe Barcelona idol was honoured with an enormous banner after winning the award once more, as the Catalans prepared to take on Athletic in La Liga Lionel Messi continues to venture where no footballer has ever been before, and his fifth Ballon d'Or only pushes him further ahead of his rivals in the record books.
The Argentine has won the prize twice more than anyone else in history, recognition for an incredible 2015 where he lifted the treble with Barcelona and also helped his nation to the Copa America final.
And in his first appearance back in the Camp Nou since receiving the award, his fans paid tribute with a huge banner marking the achievement.
Messi went on to enjoy a second presentation in the middle of the Catalan turf, prior to Barcelona's key Liga clash at home to Athletic
The Federal Government has categorically stated it cannot afford to pay indolent Nigerians the N5,000 stipend promised to the unemployed, revealing that it will review the scheme to ensure that beneficiaries use the money for productive purposes.
Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, disclosed this when he spoke with newsmen at the All Progressives Congress (APC) secretariat in Abuja. He said while some people will get N5,000 under cash conversion scheme, some will get N10,000 while others may get more than N15,000 in training.
Ngige further explained that some beneficiaries would go through different training programmes before getting employed by either the state or Federal Government.
“We also have the programme on the commission cash transfer. Though, even you, the media, have said it, we won’t pay N5,000 for people to be indolent. No country in the world would pay people to go home and sleep and collect cash, so, Nigeria won’t be an exception.
“We will pay some people N5,000, pay some N10,000, and even for people in teacher conversion scheme, we will pay more than N10,000, N15,000 as stipend while in training and, then, after the training, they are going to be employed by state governments and the Federal Government in different institutions.
“It is not a programme we shall run alone, the state governments are going to buy into it; they are going to synchronise with us. We are going to do it in synergy,” he explained.
Emphasising that the present administration had some poverty alleviating and employment generating programmes, the former Senator added that the programmes would span through many ministries.
“The programmes will span through ministries of Education, Agriculture, Labour and Agriculture, because we have some agricultural universities and we plan to convert some people to teach the relevant agricultural science,” he note
On the President Muhammadu Buhari skills acquisition scheme, Ngige said: “The ministry has specialist skills acquisition centres; we have seven like that based in the ministry under the commissioner of skills or directorate for skills…”
During the campaign, the APC promised a welfare scheme where unemployed graduates will be paid N5,000 stipend each.
Late last year, attempts by the Senate caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to raise the issue was scuttled by the APC caucus.
“The NDE have over 120 centres scattered all over the country, we also have those that have been built by state government and we want to capture all of these into that scheme and then get people to the scheme as bricklayers, POP designers, builders, welders, electronics repairer, mecha-tronic, repair of vehicles, automobile carpentry, painting and fabrication of all sorts.
“We are going to do it, teach people, give them certification, because many people don’t know that Ministry of Labour is the only place that can certify tradesmen. This skill acquisition centres are in grades, we have grade A certification, Grade B, Grade C, D and E Certification, they all still exist.
“So, we want to get back our youths, capture them, teach them to use their hands, and when they used their hands, they can earn money by employing themselves. If you get a bricklayer or a painter today, you cannot pay less than N5000 for a daily job.
“If somebody is able to work 20 days in a month for N5000, he already has N100,000. But, today is a sad story, that is why Togolese, Ghanaians, citizens of Benin Republic, Niger Republic do all these skilled job for us. 80 per cent of workers in that specialize category in construction site all over Nigeria, be it in Abuja, in Lagos or in Onitsha, come from outside.
“We don’t know that little drops of water form ocean, the money or the naira they are paid is repatriated to their country and all of them will come at the end of the day to put pressure on naira in the foreign exchange market.
“So, we have decided that we have to train our own youths, let them use their hands to fend for themselves. We will also want to advance some of them into entrepreneurship. If you are very good, we can open a place for you and give you money through the Bank of Industry and SMEDAN and then you move to the next stage where a number of youths will work with you,” he explained.
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President Buhari Writes National Assembly To Withdraw 2016 Budget
17:07 SlyNaija 0 CommentsPresident Muhammadu Buhari has written to the Nationally Assembly to formally request the withdrawal of the 2016 Appropriation Bill he had presented to a joint session of the federal legislature on December 22 for adjustment, according to reporter. The president’s leader was addressed to Senate President Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara. The formal request followed controversy over the alleged secret extraction and doctoring of the original budget document.
The controversy over the budget had raged all through last week, as the National Assembly resumed after a recess and the legislators prepared to begin deliberation on the budget. It emerged that the budget saga, which became the source of an ever-growing confusion, arose from Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang’s alleged adoption of a sneaky approach in the pursuit of an otherwise legitimate objective. It was gathered that Buhari had discovered after presenting the 2016 budget to the National Assembly that some of the figures proposed for operations in the Presidency and the State House were being publicly criticised as outrageous and higher than those of his predecessor, former President Goodluck Jonathan. Given Buhari’s austere nature and the change agenda of his party, the figures for the subheads in the budget for the office of the president, vice president, and a few ministries, which went viral on the social media and had become a major topic of discussion on both the print and broadcast media, were a huge embarrassment.
To reflect the public mood, the president was said to have directed the recall of the 2016 budget from the National Assembly for review. Ordinarily, the review process should have entailed a written request from the president to the National Assembly calling for the withdrawal of the budget. But Enang, allegedly, embarked on a surreptitious process of changing the budget figures, which went awry. The senate had at its plenary on Thursday accused Enang of doctoring the contents of the 2016 Appropriation Bill presented to the National Assembly by Buhari. “What he distributed is different from what was presented by Mr. President and we have resolved not to address any version until we receive the version presented by Mr. President,” Saraki announced to the senators after an executive session that dwelled on a strange confusion about the substitution of the budget, which had raged since Monday. Enang’s indictment followed an investigation by the ethics and privileges committee of the senate.
We Are Not Interested – IPOB reporters checks revealed that when Enang wanted to swap the original document, he attempted to reach the Clerk of the Appropriation Committee by telephone but could not get through. He then decided to call the Acting Clerk of the National Assembly, Mr. Nelson Ayewoh, and told him how he had attempted, albeit unsuccessfully, to reach the appropriation clerk to collect a document from him. Ayewoh, it was learnt, accepted to call the appropriation committee clerk and ask him to call Enang, but without knowing that the communication was in connection with the budget document. Ayewoh was said to have told the investigating committee that he did not know what Enang wanted to discuss with the appropriation clerk but only showed him respect by drawing the clerk’s attention to Enang’s call.
However, reporter was reliably informed that when Enang appeared before the committee, he denied communicating with both Ayewoh and the appropriation clerk over the budget. He also allegedly said he never had their numbers. Efforts to reach Enang for his reaction to the budget controversy did not succeed. He appears to have decided to reserve his comment on the matter. In the heat of the controversy last week, Enang was quoted as saying, “I do not want to comment on the matter at the moment. It is a very sensitive matter involving two of my bosses – the National Assembly and Presidency. I don’t want to talk about them.” Also yesterday, the Senate and former Interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande, exchanged diatribes over controversy surrounding the 2016 budget.
Apparently unaware that the President had written the National Assembly on the budget controversy, Akande, in a chat with newsmen in his Ila country home as part of activities marking his 77th birthday, said the claim of missing 2016 budget from the upper legislative chamber was the furtherance of the indiscipline that produced its leadership. Frederick Leonard The former interim national chairman of APC also said that the APC still did not believe in the composition of the upper legislative body. He said: “When I first read in the newspapers that budget was missing in Abuja, you know I live in Ila and I don’t have all the details of what goes on in Abuja. I called the lawmaker representing my constituency and he told me that the budget presented to the House of Representatives was not missing. That showed some complications. “The whole thing is borne out of indiscipline. You know when foundation of an assembly is indiscipline, the whole thing is bad. That assembly was not constituted the way my party wanted it. The process was hijacked and the leadership was constituted the way it is.
“So from such an assembly, you should expect all kinds of stories. The development regarding the missing budget may be caused by mishandling by people, who are not supposed to be in position. Mr. President should not be blamed for what is happening “Come to think of it, how can a document as voluminous as the budget of a whole nation go missing? With my experience in government, just a ministry may have up to 10 pages or up to 100 pages. Imagine you have 30 ministries, that means you will have a documents of 30,000. How on earth will such a large document get missing?” The Senate however deplored the comment by Akande, describing his reaction as another expression of the frustration which accompanied his inability
“to impose his lackeys on the Senate as leaders.” In a statement last night, the Senate said it was regrettable that a man of Akande’s status could respond to speculations without cross-checking his facts, alleging that the former governor was always eager to exploit any available opportunity to bring into disrepute the leadership of the Senate because his candidates lost out in the power game. According to the statement signed by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Media, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi, the parliament said if only Akande had chosen to check his record properly, he would see that “at no time did the Senate say the 2016 budget was missing.” He said the Senate had insisted through several official statements and press interviews by its principal officers that the budget was not missing but two different versions of the budget were seen by senators.
Nothing wrong with that “We have said it several times that the budget was not missing; that two versions of the details of the budget exist and this is no longer in doubt as the Presidency has equally admitted this. We expect a man of Akande’s calibre to cross-check his facts and take us up on our words. That he decided to ignore the facts and make comments on speculations is regrettable. He is a man who had served in government. He is a leader of the party with the majority in the Senate and he has several channels of cross-checking facts as against speculations,” the statement stated. The Senate further said contrary to the description of what happened as indiscipline on the part of the leadership, the position of Senate leadership is a demonstration of the regime of openness, transparency and accountability which he said had become the hallmark of the current upper legislative chamber. It added: “Chief Akande is still sulking after his group’s failed attempt to impose certain individuals as the leaders of the Senate last year.
So, he was in a hurry to condemn the leadership. We want him to know that the leadership of the Senate can only emerge through the provisions of the constitution and the standing rules of the institution. As a democrat, Akande should know that once the majority has elected the leadership, all parties to the contest ought to accept the decision. “To continue belly-aching and working to undermine the institution because of the failure to get one’s choice candidates elected casts doubts on his democratic credentials. It appears he is only a democrat when he has his way. We advise him to move on and let us help the legislative institution to focus on its agenda to serve the people in line with the much needed change that President Muhammadu Buhari promised the nation.”














