Members of the House of Representatives are demanding raises in their salaries and allowances, citing the removal of fuel subsidies and the state of the economy.

During a meeting on Tuesday, July 11, which included an executive session during plenary, some lawmakers expressed their concerns regarding their salaries and allowances, prompting the need to address the issue and alleviate tension.

During the meeting, some lawmakers raised their grievances about the delay in receiving their salaries and allowances, which led a few of them to resort to taking out loans.

However, speaking anonymously, one of the lawmakers who attended the meeting said the discussion solely revolved around the need for a salary increase rather than the issue of delayed payment.

The lawmaker explained that they conveyed to the Speaker, Tajudeen Abass, that their current salaries and allowances were no longer sufficient to meet the demands of their positions, necessitating a review.

“So nobody talked about any money or whether we have been paid or not,” the lawmaker explained.

The source said the focus was on the economic challenges resulting from the fuel subsidy removal, which has led to skyrocketing prices of goods and services in the country, according to NAN

The news agency also stated that the source disclosed that Abass did not make any promises regarding the salary and allowance review, as such matters can only be accommodated through the proper budgetary process.

The speaker, according to the anonymous legislator, told his colleagues that their request for a review of their salaries and allowances was not in the 2023 budget.

The source emphasised that given the country’s situation, they understood why the speaker could not make immediate commitments, stating, “We all know the situation in the country; we are all facing the same problem.”

The Revenue Mobilization, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) is responsible for determining the salaries and allowances of public officials and had proposed a 100 per cent increase.

However, the approval of such an increase is pending the president’s decision and inclusion in the budget.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu submitted a communication to the House of Representatives on Wednesday, July 12, seeking an amendment to the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act.

The proposed amendment aims to allocate ₦500 billion for the provision of palliatives to cushion the effects of the fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

President Tinubu stated that the requested amendment was necessary to ensure the government’s ability to provide support and relief measures to alleviate the impact of the fuel subsidy removal.

The Senate on Thursday confirmed the appointment of the nation’s service chiefs and the Chief of Defence Staff appointed by President Bola Tinubu.

This follows the conclusion of their screening before the lawmakers at the Senate Chamber.

During the screening which was held behind closed doors, the security chiefs briefed the Senate on their career progression and pledged to meet national expectations of ensuring security and defending the nations’s territorial integrity.

The Service Chiefs Are:

Maj. Gen. C.G Musa, Chief of Defence Staff

Maj. Gen. T. A Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff

Rear Admiral E. A Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff

AVM H.B Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff

It would be recalled that President Tinubu had in a letter on Tuesday to the legislators, urged the Senate to screen and confirm the CDS and Service Chiefs nominees for substantive appointments.

Ifeanyi Ubah, the lawmaker representing Anambra South Senatorial District has said that South-East leaders are planning to meet President Bola Tinubu for the release of Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra.

Kanu has been in detention for over 2 years which has fueled attacks in the Southeast.

According to Ubah, Kanu's release will help reduce insecurity in the South-East geopolitical zone.

“There is a resolution that we are going to meet with the president and we will tick his leniency and see if it is going to be possible to plead with him to have Nnamdi Kanu released,” Ubah said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday.

“We have taken that position and for also some of us in the Senate, we have our caucus, we have also taken that position.”

The lawmaker noted that Kanu’s release is part of the discussion to put on table once they are able to get into talks with the President.

He maintained that there is a connection between releasing the IPOB leader and the state of security in the South-East.

Ubah also said that Kanu is not in support of sit-at-home, adding that he has said it publicly in one of his appearances in court.

Further speaking, the lawmaker divorced Kanu’s agitation from the sit-at-home, lamenting that the recent surge of the sit-at-home order is stunting the growth of the economy of the zone.

“The agitation is different, we are talking about sit-at-home which is really deteriorating the economy of the southeast region. The agitation is a political issue about the inequities in how an Igbo man is seen in Nigeria,” he said.

Ubah also said that the South-East leaders are as well considering engaging with the government of Finland to probe sit-at-home crusader, Simon Ekpa.

“We also need to look at the young man that is in Finland that is causing all this problem and see how we can diplomatically engage the government of Finland and show them that he is not really giving a good service. Even though we don’t know if he has taken the nationality of Finland,” he said.

Last week, the Senator had warned Ekpa to carry the sit-at-home crusade to his home state of Ebonyi and leave Anambra State alone.

Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Peter Obi has portrayed the sit-at-home directives in the south-east as the handiwork of a criminal enterprise.

This was contained in a statement posted on his official Twitter page on Thursday by the former Anambra governor, Peter Obi.

He said the sit-at-home orders are not issued by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), while calling on security agencies to take urgent steps to deal with the heightened insecurity and crime across the country.

Obi also commended south-eastern governors for their efforts in curbing criminal activities in the region, and called for more strategic and intelligence-driven approaches to reduce the suffering on citizens.

“The situation in the Mangu Local Government Area of Plateau state has raised a lot of anxiety because of the number of lives and properties lost with very little resistance from security operatives,” Obi said.

“Also disturbing is the continued disruption of business and social activities in the South East region over the Sit-at-Home directive purported to be coming from the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB, when the body has publicly denied issuing such directive.

“What is going on in the South East therefore is essentially a criminal activity that must be nipped in the bud, with all hands being on deck, security agencies, and the people alike.

“The South East Governors are to be commended for their renewed efforts at curbing this menace but there is a need to be more strategic and intelligence-driven in our approach to reducing the suffering of innocent people.

“Security agencies should take necessary and quick steps to arrest the ugly incidents because the country cannot just be spilling the blood of innocent citizens.

“We as a people through our various governments should up our value for human lives in the way and manner we respond to issues that touch lives.

“The implications of an insecure environment for development are far-reaching because no investor will consider going to an area where their resources will not be safe and secured.”

Obi called on religious, traditional leaders and stakeholders to continue pushing for peace among their people, and called on governments at all levels to take urgent steps to address the widespread poverty and youth unemployment in the land.

“Therefore, I will like to urge critical stakeholders in these areas, traditional, Christian, and Muslim leaders to continue pushing for peace among their people in the way and manner they conduct themselves,” he said.

“The various governments at all levels should also take deliberate steps to address the issue of poverty and youth unemployment because the provision of stomach infrastructure is the surer way to tackle insecurity.

“Also, urgent steps should be taken consciously and intentionally to ameliorate the hardship of the people.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said 12m families will get N8, 000 over a period of six months to ameliorate the hardships faced by Nigerians as a result of subsidy removal.

In a letter to the House of Representatives read by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas during plenary on Tuesday, Tinubu said it was support to enable poor and vulnerable Nigerians cope with the cost of meeting basic needs.

The letter was for approval of additional financing for the national social safety net programme scaled up by the National Assembly.

He said this would have a multiplier effect on about 60 million individuals.

In order to guarantee the credibility of the process, he said digital transfers would be made directly to beneficiaries accounts.

Recall that Tinubu requested for approval of a loan facility of $800million from the World Bank to finance the National Safety Net Programme of the Federal Government.

In the letter sent to the Senate, the President said the $800million loan facility is intended to be used to support poor Nigerians and will be disbursed to poor households across the country.

He said the facility is an extension of the unconditional cash transfer being implemented by the Federal Government.

Tinubu’s letter of request for the $800million World Bank loan, reads in part: “Please note that the Federal Executive Council led by President Muhammadu Buhari approved an additional loan facility to the tune of $800 million to be secured from the World Bank for the National Social Safety Net programme. Copy of FEC’s extract attached.

“You may also wish to note that the purpose of the facility is to expand coverage of shock responsive safety net support among the poor and vulnerable Nigerians. This will assist them in coping with basic needs.

“You may further wish to note that under the conditional cash transfer window of the programme, the Federal Government of Nigeria will transfer the sum of N8,000 per month to 12 million poor and low income households for a period of six months, with a multiplier effect on about 60 million individuals.

“In order to guarantee the credibility of the process, digital transfers will be made directly to beneficiaries’ accounts and mobile wallets.

“It is expected that the programme, will stimulate economic activities in the informal sector, and improve nutrition, health, education, and human capital development of beneficiaries’ households.

“Given the above, I wish to invite the Senate to kindly grant approval for the additional loan facility of $800 million to be secured from World Bank for the National Social Safety Net Programme.

“While hoping that this submission will receive expeditious consideration by the Senate, please accept the assurances of my highest regards.”

The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal in Ibadan on Thursday dismissed the petition challenging Governor Seyi Makinde’s victory at the March 18 governorship election in Oyo State.

Naija News understands that the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) and its candidate had approached the court to challenge the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for declaring Makinde of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner after polling 563,756 votes.

Respondents in the petition are the PDP and INEC.

Ruling on the petition on Thursday, the tribunal, in its unanimous ruling read by its Chairman, Justice Ejiron Emudainohwo, dismissed the petition and awarded N1 million each as cost in favour of Makinde and PDP against APM.

Emudainohwo described the petition as frivolous, adding that it was scandalous for the petition to be filed 46 days after the party was aware their candidate was not interested in it.

The Judge insists that the cost must be awarded against the petitioner for wasting the time and resources of the respondents in filling their processes and for wasting the time of the tribunal.

Emudainohwo added that being forced to settle the cost would serve as a deterrent for the petitioner.

Earlier, APM’s counsel, Mr Henry Bello, had informed the tribunal that he had applied for a withdrawal of the petition against Makinde.

Bello said the party’s candidate, Adeniran Oluwaseyi, who was supposed to be the beneficiary of the petition, had lost confidence in the petition and has gone on to congratulate Makinde.

He said the petitioner (the party) has nobody to occupy the position even if their petition had been upheld and urged the court to strike out the petition.

Bello said the reason for filing the petition was because the party’s votes were not recorded in many polling units during the March 18 governorship election in the state.

He urged the court not to award any cost against the petitioner because they have committed resources in filing and prosecuting the petition.

He said: “Withdrawing the petition is not because the petitioner is not willing to prosecute the matter, but it is as a result of the attitude of the party’s candidate who is not a party in the matter.”

Bello added that the conduct of the petitioner and its candidate was worthy of sympathy and commendation, urging the tribunal not to award any cost against the petitioner.

In his response, the INEC counsel, Mr Kizito Duru, said he was not opposed to the petition and would also not be asking for cost.

In his reaction, PDP’s counsel, Mr Isiaka Olagunju, said he was not opposed to the petition’s withdrawal and urged the tribunal to award a cost of N2 million against the petitioner.

Olagunju said his client was entitled to the cost because issues had been joined, pleadings completed, pre-hearing completed, and their intention was to commence hearing when they received the withdrawal application.

He urged the tribunal to award the cost against the petitioner for wasting the time of both the tribunal and the respondents.

On his part, Makinde’s counsel, Mr Kunle Kalejaye, said he also got the withdrawal application the day the matter was slated for hearing, but he was not opposed to it.

Kalejaye said the petition ought not to have been filed by the petitioner, who scored 303 votes in the election against his client, who polled 563,756 votes.

He urged the tribunal to dismiss the petition and award a punitive cost of N10 million against the petitioner to serve as a deterrent to others.

Justice Hamza Muazu of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court has ordered the Department of State Services (DSS) to charge or release the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Godwin Emefiele to court within one week.

Emefiele, who was suspended as CBN Governor on June 10, sued the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), the DSS Director General and the DSS for unlawful arrest and detention while seeking N5 million as damages against the defendants.

In his originating motion on notice, Emefiele sought to enforce his right to liberty and freedom of movement, arguing there is no basis for his continuous detention.

When the case on the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the issues surrounding the arrest and detention of Emefiele came up for hearing on Thursday, Justice Muazu maintained that it is within the jurisdiction of a State High Court to entertain the charges brought against the former CBN Governor.

He also noted that the DSS acted within the law and its mandate to arrest, detain and investigate for the prevention of breach of national security.

While the court noted that there was evidence before it to show that there was an order from an Abuja Chief Magistrate Court that permitted the security agency to detain Emefiele for 14 days to enable it to conclude its investigations, the judge nonetheless stressed that Emefiele’s fundamental human rights should not be breached under any guise.

Saying that DSS’ power to arrest must be guided by the provisions of the law that stipulated the conditions under which a Nigerian citizen must be held and for how long, Justice Muazu ordered the DSS to charge Emefiele to court within one or have him released.

While stating that though the applicant has not shown that his arrest and detention are unlawful, the presiding judge however emphasised that the charges brought against Emefiele are bailable, in addition to having rights to a fair hearing.

He said: “Though I am in sympathy with the Applicant but my sentiment will not go far to deliver judgment by granting all the reliefs sought by the Applicant.

“The Applicant has not shown that his arrest, detention and investigation were unlawful.

“However, I am concerned that the application is not without merit. The Applicant is entitled to a fair hearing.

“At this point, the continued detention of the Applicant cannot be justified in the absence of any charge against him.

“At the very least, justice demands that Applicant should be released on administrative bail.

“Consequently, I hereby male an order, directing the Respondents to within one week, charge the Applicant to court or release him on administrative bail,”

Speaking with journalists after the court session, Emefiele’s counsel, Dawodu (SAN) expressed optimism that the government would respect the pronouncement of the court.

He said the process for Emefiele to regain his freedom would commence immediately.

“I think the judiciary is on the right track. Seven days have been given to the DSS to either charge him to court or release him on administrative bail.

“We are expecting him to be released on administrative bail today, as we speak, expecting him to be released today in obedience to the court order.

“I do not think that the President who is a newly minted president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria will like to start his administration with the organizations under him disobeying court orders.

“He was at the forefront as a NADECO man to chastise military governments for disobeying court orders, now power is in his hand, we’ll see whether he, himself will obey court orders..”

Gov Hyacinth Alia on Thursday declared that no amount of propaganda would stop the ongoing recovery of Benue property stolen by officials of the immediate past administration.

The stolen assets are being recovered by the Assets Recovery Committee set up by the state government.

A statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Tersoo Kula, quoted Alia as saying that no amount of propaganda by the People’s Democratic Party would stop the committee from doing its job.

“My administration will use every lawful means to recover all assets belonging to the State.

“What Ortom and his media men must know is that government is focused and determined to use every lawful means in recovering stolen assets.

“Benue people are solidly behind the government and its mission to recover the assets.

“The Assets Recovery Committee is on course and no amount of media facts-twisting and lie-peddling will stop it from carrying out its mandate.”

The statement said that Alia entered into a covenant with Benue people to deliver good governance and was committed to doing so.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committee on Tuesday raided a private automobile workshop in Makurdi and recovered 20 cars suspected to belong to the state.

(NAN)

The House of Representatives on Thursday approved the request of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for an amendment to the 2022 appropriation act to allow the Federal Government take N500 billion for palliatives to Nigerians to cushion the pains of subsidy removal.

The House at the Committee of supply approved the President’s request after contributions by members of the House who called for proper utilisation of the funds for the purpose it was meant for.

Members took turns to commend the President for taking a bold step to remove fuel subsidy and showing to Nigerians that he was a listening President.

House Leader, Julius Ihonvbare who presented the request to members for debate said the country has a President who listens to the yearning of the people.

Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda however said the proper yardstick to measure a government is whether it is responsible and responsive.

President Bola Tinubu on Thursday asked the Senate to amend the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act and approve a request for obtaining a loan facility of $800million from the World Bank to finance the National Safety Net Programme of the Federal Government.

The President’s request was contained in a letter read by Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, at the plenary session.

In the letter sent to the Senate, the President said the $800million loan facility is intended to be used to support poor Nigerians and will be disbursed to poor households across the country.

He said the facility is an extension of the unconditional cash transfer being implemented by the Federal Government.

Also on Thursday, the President urged the Senate to approve a request of N500billion to provide palliatives to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal on Nigerians.

Tinubu’s letter of request for the $800million World Bank loan, reads in part: “Please note that the Federal Executive Council led by President Muhammadu Buhari approved an additional loan facility to the tune of $800 million to be secured from the World Bank for the National Social Safety Net programme. Copy of FEC’s extract attached.

“You may also wish to note that the purpose of the facility is to expand coverage of shock responsive safety net support among the poor and vulnerable Nigerians. This will assist them in coping with basic needs.

“You may further wish to note that under the conditional cash transfer window of the programme, the Federal Government of Nigeria will transfer the sum of N8,000 per month to 12 million poor and low income households for a period of six months, with a multiplier effect on about 60 million individuals.

“In order to guarantee the credibility of the process, digital transfers will be made directly to beneficiaries’ accounts and mobile wallets.

“It is expected that the programme, will stimulate economic activities in the informal sector, and improve nutrition, health, education, and human capital development of beneficiaries’ households.

“Given the above, I wish to invite the Senate to kindly grant approval for the additional loan facility of $800 million to be secured from World Bank for the National Social Safety Net Programme.

“While hoping that this submission will receive expeditious consideration by the Senate, please accept the assurances of my highest regards.”