Buhari meets Saraki, others at Aso Rock

POLITICS

Buhari meets Saraki, others at Aso Rock

 

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said he has reviewed the relationship between the executive arm of the government and the outgoing 8th National Assembly and concluded that it was not the best, and that the country deserves more.

The president made this known when he hosted the leadership of the National Assembly led by Senate President Bukola Saraki to aftar dinner (breaking of fast) at the State House, Abuja, on Tuesday evening.

He said the nation deserved better than what it got and hoped for a better working relationship between the two arms of government with the forthcoming 9th National Assembly.

He said: “Relations between the Executive and the Legislature were not the best in the 8th National Assembly.

“I sincerely hope each one of us will do his utmost to ensure there is a better working relationship between these two arms of government in the 9th Assembly so that we can serve the people better,’’ NAN quoted him as saying.

He stressed that the principal task of the National Assembly “is to cooperate with the Executive so that together we can fashion policies that will lift our people out of poverty and out of illiteracy.

“I appeal to the Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members to subordinate all personal interests and ambitions to the imperative of working for the common good of our people.”

The President congratulated the members-elect on their success in winning their constituency seats and opined that “this is a great burden and a great responsibility placed on you by your people.

“Our citizens are faced with challenges of poverty. Your principal task is to cooperate with the Executive so that together we can fashion policies that will lift our people out of poverty and out of illiteracy.

“I appeal to the Distinguished Senators and Honourable Members to subordinate all personal interests and ambitions to the imperative of working for the common good of our people.”

He assured the leaders that his doors remained open “to all of you who have genuine concerns or advice to improve the quality of governance and service delivery to our people.”

Also speaking, President of the Senate, Senator Bukola Saraki assured the President that the National Assembly would maintain focus on national interest at all times.

In addition to the President of the Senate and Speaker Yakubu Dogara, the event was attended by the Deputy Senate President and the Deputy Speaker, the majority and Minority leaders and the majority and Minority Whips and their deputies.

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"We will have no option but to shutdown Bet9ja" - Nigerian Senate

NEWS

"We will have no option but to shutdown Bet9ja" - Nigerian Senate

 

The Senate has threatened to shutdown sports betting company, Bet9ja offices if it failed to honour its invitation for a second time.

The lawmakers issued the threat on Tuesday in Abuja during the verification of Loto companies with license to operate in Nigeria.

Chairman, Senate committee on Youth and Sport, Senator Obinna Ogba, PDP, Ebonyi, noted that it was unfortunate that Bet9a refused to honour their invitation.

He said, “Clerk, write to Bet9ja again. If they did not honour our invitation again, we will ask the National Lottery Commission to seal their offices.”

Senator Ogba further stated that the Senate was making efforts to assist the lottery commission to generate money for the federal government, saying, “We wanted to see bet9ja. They can’t runaway.”

Senator Ogba said that their verification followed series of complains against the betting companies.

He added that some do not even have offices while others have not been making remittances to the government.

According to the lawmaker, while verifying, about 20 betting companies that honoured Senate invitation, “some got the licenses but they are not operating. The new regulation only gives them one year to start operations.”

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Election Sequence: AGF, Malami Slams National Assembly

​BREAKING NEWS

Election Sequence: AGF, Malami Slams National Assembly

The Attorney-General of the Federation, AGF, and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN, has said that the leadership of the National Assembly has resorted to threats and intimidation, in a bid to force the judiciary to support its move to re-order the sequence of the 2019 general election.

The AGF personally appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja yesterday for hearing of the suit filed by the Accord Party.

The senior lawyer berated the Upper legislative chamber, describing its response to the order the court made to preserve the Res (subject matter) of the case as “a sad development.”

Malami tackled the lawmakers after counsel to NASS, which is the 1st defendant in the matter, J. B. Daudu, SAN, drew attention of the judge to the furore he said the preservative order the court made on March 14, generated in both national and international media.

Daudu had insisted that the court order, which stopped the NASS from taking further action on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill, 2018, that President Muhammadu Buhari declined to assent to, “has once again, placed the judiciary in the eye of the storm.”

Daudu made the assertion while responding to remarks by counsel to the plaintiff, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, who decried that decision of the court to protect the subject matter of the case his client brought before it by asking all the parties to maintain the status quo, was grossly misconstrued “in some quarters.”

Olanipekun said, “What happened in this court on March 14 was that though the plaintiff’s counsel applied for a preservative order in form of some injunctive reliefs, the court, in its wisdom, simply ruled and held that parties should maintain status quo antebellum.

“Unfortunately my lord, this has been misinterpreted in diverse and several quarters, including the 1st defendant, as the court preventing it from carrying out its legislative duties.”

Displeased by the comments, the AGF urged the court not to allow itself to be intimidated, saying his office would support the judiciary to discharge its constitutional duties.

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Lawmakers' N13.5M Monthly Take Home Must Have A Downward Review - Suleiman

BREAKING NEWS

Lawmakers' N13.5M Monthly Take Home Must Have A Downward Review - Suleiman

 

A former Minister of National Planning, Prof. Abubakar Suleiman has called on members of the Senate and House of Representatives to passionately meet the executive to have a downward review of the jumbo pay they collect every month.

He also urged relevant government agencies to take urgent steps to reduce the remunerations of the lawmakers.

He said the lawmakers’ monthly pay must be brought down in tandem with the current realities.

Senator Shehu Sani representing Kaduna Central in the Senate, had revealed that a senator receives N13.5 million as running cost every month. 

Reacting to this when he spoke with the Sun, Suleiman said, “I will agree that it is not the decision of the National Assembly to decide what they earn.

“But in the spirit of fairness and considering the situation in the country, senators and members of the House of Representatives should passionately meet the executive to review their remunerations.

“Considering the situation in the country and the fact that the price of oil in the international market has gone down, I think they should reduce it. That money is too outrageous.

“It’s too killing and it does not make sense. During my days as a minister, I didn’t go home with up to N1 million every month.

“If a minister does not earn that in one month, I don’t think lawmakers should earn it.

“The N1 million I am talking about, my housing allowance was included. Something should be done about the pay and done urgently too.”

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