There was reportedly pandemonium on the floor of the Senate yesterday over the step down motion bordering on the disbursement of N500 billion loan.

Lawmakers in the camp of Senate President, Godswill Akpabio that benefitted from the recent announcement of principal officers clashed against the losers.

Naija News recalls that Akpabio had released the list of principal officers with former governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and former leader of the Senate, Ali Ndume, failing to clinch the two most coveted positions in the upper legislative chamber.

Ekiti senator, Bamidele Opeyemi was named majority leader while Simon Mwadkwon was announced as minority leader.

However, the dissatisfaction with the development became obvious when Ndume got up to read the contents of his motion, which had been captured in the Order Paper, titled: “Un-even disbursement of half a trillion naira loan to six geopolitical zones by the Development Bank of Nigeria.”

According to The Sun, Ndume claimed that the annual integrated statutory report of the Development Bank obtained in July, 2022, revealed that N483 billion was disbursed, but only 11 per cent went to the entire 19 northern states, while only Lagos State got 47 per cent of the entire funds.

While trying to establish certain facts, about the same motion he sponsored in the 9th Senate, Akpabio stepped in and stopped him.

Infuriated, Ndume tried to explain his position but Solomon Adeola, who has been primed to head the Senate Committee on Appropriations, stepped in.

Adeola told the Senate that Sani Musa headed the adhoc Committee in the 9th Senate and should be allowed to talk. He was permitted by Akpabio.

While explaining his role in the saga, Musa accused Ndume of deliberately misleading the Senate, insisting that the final report was signed by Ndume, and therefore he can’t feign ignorance of what transpired.

Thereafter, Akpabio, without further recourse to Ndume, ruled and suspended the consideration of the motion already captured in the day’s Order Paper. An attempt by Ndume to reintroduce the motion was frustrated by Akpabio.

A member of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) from Nasarawa State, Aliyu Wadada insisted on debating the motion.

However, Akpabio ruled him out of order and refused to allow any debate on the issue.

An angry Ndume accused Musa of peddling falsehood against him. Ndume said as an experienced senator, it was wrong for him to have been accused unfairly and insisted that the issues in the motion were too germane to be ignored.

Again, Akpabio refused to allow a debate on the motion. The issues were still pending, when the deputy leader of the Senate, David Umahi, who stood in for the Senate leader, Bamidele moved to the next item in the Order Paper.

Former Governor of Oyo State, Rasheed Ladoja has said the immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari refused to listen to complaints raised by him and other Nigerians.

Speaking with the reporters in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, Ladoja said most of the complaints Tinubu is acting on now had already been raised with Buhari.

The former governor said the activities of the suspended Econoamd Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa, and the suspended Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, were raised with Buhari.

Ladoja, therefore, said he is in support of the removal of fuel subsidy and decisions made so far by President Bola Tinubu, adding that the Nigerians will not be disappointed.

He said: “I am in support of the decisions made so far. All of us know there is the need for us to adjust and rejig Nigeria. It is even not a question of palliatives now. It is a question of how do we re-distribute wealth.

“So, it is not about giving five million people N5,000 each. The President promised to give a living wage to workers. This means he knows the workers are not earning a living wage. I am sure he knows what he is doing and by the grace of God, we will get there.

“Most of what we blamed Buhari for was that he just turned a deaf ear to our complaints. Most of the complaints Tinubu is acting on now had already been raised with Buhari.

“The issue of [Abdulrasheed] Bawa, former EFCC chairman and [Godwin] Emefiele, suspended CBN governor was raised with Buhari. So, we can assume that Tinubu knows what he is doing. If we can take away a lot of corruption, there will be speedy progress. Tinubu does not need to police people. They will police themselves.

“Now, for instance, we don’t need to police the borders on account of people taking subsidised petrol out of the country, as long as Nigeria is getting all the money that is due to it and there is no subsidy.

“It is for the Benin Republic to collect taxes from people who are bringing it into its country. Governance will be easy when you don’t need to police anything. Everything will become liberal and there will be competition that will force the price to come down.

“Look at GSM when they started, the SIM was aboutN30,000. But now, they are even ready to give people free of charge. Once there is competition, things will get better and I am sure the president knows that, having come from the private sector.”

The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited has said that it will reconcile fuel subsidy deductions with the Federal Government, after stating that no fuel subsidy payments were made to marketers since January 2016.

The company stated this on Tuesday, July 4 when it posted a before and after fuel subsidy factsheet via their official account on Twitter.

It is important to also note that two days after President Bola Ahmed Tinubu announced an end to fuel subsidies in the country, Mele Kyari, the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NNPC Limited said the Federal Government owed it over $6 billion (N2.8 trillion). This is the exact amount that the NNPCL has paid to keep fuel cheap.

Meanwhile, in the Nigeria Development Update report from the World Bank, it was stated that the recent decision to remove the fuel subsidy marks a crucial initial step towards restoring macroeconomic stability, creating fiscal space, and improving growth prospects. The World Bank report stated that the removal of the subsidy will improve Nigeria’s fiscal position.

This is because it sets the foundations for a more resilient, faster-growing economy. However, the overall fiscal impact of the decision will depend on several factors, including how the Government plans to use savings from the fuel subsidy regime.

Other facts the NNPCL posted on Tuesday, were:

Payments
Before – No marketer is paid petrol subsidy by NNPC Limited as marketers buy below-cost price

After – Marketers will now pay the cost price as determined by the market

Debt burden
Before – Federation continuously in debt for subsidy payment

After – End of a burden, the beginning of a new era of renewed hope and opportunities

Settlements
Before – NNPC Limited pays suppliers either cash or delivers the equal value of crude oil volumes as settlement.

After – Crude oil swap deals will phase out

Supplies
Before – Suppliers import products on commercial terms for NNPC Limited on the back of their credit abilities.

After – NNPC Limited will no longer be the sole importer of petroleum products

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has resolved the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) over the principal officers of the ruling party at the National Assembly, Daily Trust reliably gathered last night.

A fresh crisis erupted in the ruling party on Tuesday when the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, rejected the principal officers of the party announced by both the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas.

Akpabio and Abbas had announced the principal officers of the APC, including the majority leaders, chief whips and their deputies during the plenary.

But shortly after the announcement, Adamu was quoted as saying the list did not emanate from the party although the governors of the party under the aegis of Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) endorsed the new officers.

The national chairman, who spoke during a meeting with the PGF led by Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State on Tuesday, said he was not aware of the development.

“I am just hearing it as a rumour from the online media that there have been some announcements in the Senate and House of Representatives.”

“The national headquarters of the party, the NWC has not given any such information or communicated about the choice of offices,” Adamu stated on Tuesday.

His statement created tension in the ruling party. Yesterday, President Tinubu summoned Adamu and the party secretary, Dr Iyiola Omisore, to the State House, Abuja, where the issue was discussed.

At the end of the meeting, there was no official statement from the presidency on the matter. A source said the president was embarrassed by the development.

Another source told this paper that at the meeting, the president endorsed the actions of the Senate President and the Speaker on the principal officers.

When contacted, however, the national chairman told one of our correspondents that the matter had been resolved.

“We have met the president and the issues have been resolved. It’s a family affair and there were some misunderstandings. We have been able to resolve our differences.

“Those who are eager to see the continuation of the conflict, they should please sheathe their swords. We have a complete understanding now.

“ The president is the leader of our great party; we met him and we are very satisfied with the discussion we had with him on the subject matter. As far as we are concerned, the issues have been laid to rest,” he said.

Tinubu’s men unhappy with Adamu

Meanwhile, chieftains of the APP loyal to Tinubu are unhappy with Adamu, and they are rooting for his ouster, Daily Trust can report.

Several sources close to Tinubu in Lagos, his home base, said it is high time the national chairman was eased out because he could no longer be trusted.

Some of the Tinubu loyalists said it was wrong for the party’s chairman to have publicly dismissed the list of officers which the president, who is the leader of the party, must have endorsed.

Many loyalists of the president said the posture of the national chairman had shown that “he cannot be trusted.”

A prominent chieftain of the party who spoke with our correspondent yesterday accused Adamu of nursing grudges against Tinubu after winning the election.

“Don’t forget the national chairman never supported Asiwaju (the president) during the primary. He supported Senator Ahmed Lawan, the former Senate President. So I think he cannot be trusted to lead the party now that Asiwaju has been sworn in,” the source said.

A chieftain of APC in Lagos, Mr Joe Igbokwe, who spoke with our correspondent in Lagos, reiterated that Adamu’s time is up as the party’s chairman.

He said, “He was supposed to have been removed that time when he supported Ahmed Lawan but APC managed the matter. We can’t trust him.”

Igbokwe, a former spokesman of APC in Lagos, said even if the chairman was not satisfied with the list of principal officers released yesterday, he should not have made it public.

“In all honesty, we can’t trust him again. He was managed for us to come out of the election. Now is the time to ease him out but I know Asiwaju knows what to do,” he said.

A former chairman of the party in Lagos, Chief Henry Ajomale, said there is a limit to the party’s interference in the affairs of the National Assembly.

According to him, the interference of the party should have stopped at the level of nominating the presiding officers for the two chambers of the National Assembly.

He said, “I believe that the party’s main duty is to nominate the presiding officers like the Senate President, Deputy and the Deputy Speaker. I think the others are supposed to be internal so that within themselves they can choose those who are going to occupy the principal officers’ positions because they know themselves more than the party.

“I believe they should be given an opportunity, since they know one another, to pick these themselves.”

But the Chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Council (GAC) in Lagos, Prince Tajudeen Olusi, called for calm, saying the party remains one.

He said the national chairman, like other members of the party, has the right to express his opinion which he has exercised.

Olusi said, “Any member of the party, including the national chairman, is at liberty to express his dissatisfaction in respect of any action or purported action taken by the party.

“Our party is a well-organized party and if there are issues to be resolved, we shall be resolving them amicably.”

Olusi stated that the president, as the leader of the party, is capable of resolving any dispute within the party.

“The president is blessed with the ability to run organisations and we have many responsible leaders within the party. As far as I am concerned, there is nothing to bother about,” he added.

Another chieftain of the party in one of the South-West states, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the national chairman should stop his opposition against the president.

“I am not happy with his comments. It is a well-established principle that the president is the leader of the party. Why should it be during Tinubu that we would have a national chairman who is not in good terms with the president? We need to act fast as a family,” he said.

It’s not about Adamu but North – Former gov, other

But sources close to Senator Adamu said the horse-trading in the party was not about the national chairman but the North.

One of them, a former governor, said, “Look, it is not about Abdullahi Adamu alone. It is about the survival of the North. Of course, power has shifted to the South but the North is a major stakeholder. It is with the support of the North that power shifted to the South, and therefore, when it comes to the allocation of positions, the North should have a say. It is about our people.

“People might not understand what is happening until much later. But as you can see, the president called the national chairman today (yesterday) and they spoke. They understood themselves and the problem is over unless something new comes up,” he said.

Another source said the misunderstanding at the party is a natural occurrence.

“Leaders must disagree to agree later. It is not good for the system that those that control power should always have their way.

“Powerful forces are supporting Adamu, we are with him. He is not alone. What we are doing is to strengthen the ruling party and by extension entrench good governance for the benefit of all,” the source said.

A Professor of Political Science and International Relations, Babafemi Badejo, has said though former President Muhammadu Buhari failed woefully in the fight against corruption, his successor, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will be worse.

Badejo stated this while delivering the first inaugural lecture of Chrisland University, Abeokuta, Ogun State, titled: “Interests.”

He submitted that Tinubu, judging from his actions in the last one month, would do by far than Buhari in other areas, but not in the fight against corruption.

“It is my own view that former President Muhammadu Buhari failed woefully on the issue of anti-corruption. He did start by wanting to implement the UN anti-corruption’s strategy and went further to appoint a committee and that committee did nothing till today.”

“On President Tinubu, it is too early to give a conclusion, but I can say that from what he has done in one month, he will do by far better than Buhari, but not on corruption.

“He (Tinubu) has not been talking about corruption, but all he has been saying is that he is going to make sure that make judges are comfortable, make everybody comfortable, but no country around the world can be comfortable by staying very far away from fighting corruption. Maybe he will change his mind later on corruption. I wish him well.”

The inaugural lecturer lamented that, Nigerians had been making corruption to thrive by being “too docile and tolerant of corruption for too long.”

He said “Successive administrations, including that of President Buhari, have not faced corruption frontally with the full force of a political will that goes beyond mere lip service.

“Though possibly a hasty conclusion, I do not think the objective realities would allow President Tinubu to do any better, even if he ever wanted to fight corruption. The resultant outcome is unfruitful half-heartedly done prosecutorial gimmicks and noise, cherry-picking and selective haphazard trials.

“There is need to ensure that in dealing with corruption, no one is immune or beyond the reach of the laws, by virtue of whatever relationships or status. This is indeed very important as part of steps by the President and those in top leadership positions, to begin to demonstrate their commitment to the anti-corruption war, through their personal examples of zero tolerance for corruption.”

The House of Representatives has resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate federal ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs), and tertiary institutions over their alleged mismanagement of personnel recruitment, employment racketeering and breach of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS).

This followed a resolution on a motion moved by Oluwole Oke (Osun PDP) at plenary on Wednesday.

The House noted that the federal government had tried to address other abuses within the system particularly, the menace of ghost workers.

It added that this necessitated the introduction of the IPPIS to help fish out a large number of ghost workers.

Presenting the motion, Oke stated that the process of recruiting and employment into the civil service had become fraught with endemic corruption.

He said, “Public institutions have since stopped the process of advertising jobs and vacancies. Even in the few instances where adverts are published, the slots are already commoditised and available for the highest bidders.

“In other words, most public institutions now sell employment positions, notwithstanding the qualification of the applicant and the ability of the applicant to perform optimally on the job.

“They have also crafted methods that are being used to circumvent the BVN technology. This state of affairs is costing the Federal Government of Nigeria billions of naira monthly in salary payments to ghost workers and illegal payments to several civil servants across cadres.

“This poses a major risk and has indeed constituted itself into a channel for the underperformance of the Nigerian public service.

“Historically and specifically, since 1960 to the 1990s, Nigeria boasted one of the best crops of public servants in the world, and service delivery was at the highest level of professionalism.

“However, this situation has since changed, largely because of the method of recruitment and the quality of recruitment into these public institutions, which is driven by fraud, abuse, corruption and pecuniary considerations.”

The House therefore resolved to set up an ad hoc committee to investigate the MDAS, parastatals, and tertiary institutions and report back within four weeks for further legislative action.

Mr Festus Keyamo, former Minister of State for Labour and Employment, has responded to the European Union’s (EU) final report on the 2023 elections, which indicted him for allegedly engaging in fake news.

In its report, the EU stated that Keyamo, along with former Aviation Minister Mr Femi Fani-Kayode, peddled false information during the 2023 election campaigns, as both were spokesmen for the then-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, who is now President.

In response to the report, Keyamo chastised the Union for delving into the investigation, claiming that it was invited for the sole purpose of observing and reporting, while also raising other concerns in criticising the EU.

An Assistant Director in the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF), Mr. Yildiyel Musa Takat, and an Administration Officer at the National Space Research and Development Agency (NASRDA), Mr. Nankpat Dukbong have been arraigned by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), over allegations of fraud, employment scam and conspiracy.

This was contained in a statement made available to journalists by ICPC spokesperson Mrs. Azuka Ogugua on Wednesday.

According to the statement, the duo were brought before Honourable Justice O. A. Musa of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court 7, sitting in Jabi, Abuja, via a Charge No: CR/151/2022.

It said, “in a 6-count charge, ICPC accused the defendants of conspiracy, abuse of office and defrauding unsuspecting job seekers to the tune of Two Million, Nine Hundred Thousand Naira (N2,900,000).

“The Commission led by its counsel, told the Court of how the accused persons solicited and collected on separate occasions the sums of Five Hundred Thousand Naira (N500,000); and Two Million Four Hundred Thousand Naira (N2,400,000) from their victims in the guise of securing employment for them in the Federal Civil Service.”

The statement further noted that While the first defendant (Takat) was charged on counts 1, 2, 4, and 5, the second defendant (Dukbong) was charged on count 1, 3, 4, and 6 respectively.

“Their actions are contrary to Section 26 and punishable under Section 18 of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000.

“The accused persons pleaded not guilty to all the charges when they were read to them,” it noted.

“In two separate “Motions on Notice” and pursuant to sections 34 and 36 of the 1999 Constitution as amended as well as sections 162 and 163 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015, both counsel to the first and second defendants moved for bail application on behalf of their clients.

“They both sought the relief of the Court to use its discretionary powers to grant the bail in the most liberal of conditions.”

“In a swift reaction, counsel to ICPC in a counter motion, opposed the prayers sought by counsel to first defendant, saying that he had been evading trial, describing him as a serial offender who had multiple court cases against him, and therefore urged the Court to deny him the prayers sought by his lawyer, while the bail application of the second defendant was not opposed.

“The trial judge after listening to both parties admitted the first accused person to bail in the sum of Four Million Naira (N4,000,000) and a surety in like sum, who must be a civil servant on grade level 08 and above. The surety was also ordered to surrender his letter of first appointment and last promotion as well as identity card.

“The second accused person was also granted bail in the sum Two Million Naira (N2,000,000) and a surety in like sum.

“Justice Musa also ruled that the sureties must show evidence of residency within the FCT with clear address and snap themselves in front of their residents and submit to court. He equally asked them to undertake a bond to compel the defendants to attend their trial, failure of which will not only result to the revocation of the bails, but the prosecution of the sureties.

“The matter was adjourned to the 19th of October 2023 for hearing,” the statement reads.

Kwara State government has announced the reversal of the directive reducing workdays from five to three for civil servants.

The government on June 5, 2023, through a letter from the state’s Head of Service, Mrs Susan Oluwole, reduced the work days from five to three in the state.

She said the decision was to cushion the effect of fuel subsidy removal by the federal government on the civil servants in the state.

However, in a letter to the heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), Mrs Oluwole reversed the decision.

She said the new directive was to allow the federal government and the organised labour to work out modalities on more efficient interventions to cushion the effect of the subsidy removal.

The letter, signed by Mr. Okedare Adeyinka for the Head of Service, said that the intervention would be unveiled very soon.

“I am directed to inform all heads of Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) that the reduced number of working days have been reversed; hence, all categories of workers are to observe the normal five working days per week, with effect from July 10, 2023.

“Workers not covered in the initial workday reduction, which lasted a few days, will have stipends given to them as a show of appreciation,” the statement added.

Workers that were exempted initially were teachers, health practitioners and other categories of workers providing essential services in the state.

Former senate president Anyim Pius Anyim has reveal why he visited President Bola Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Wednesday.

Anyim, a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation under President Goodluck Jonathan, met with Tinubu alongside former National Publicity Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, Olisah Metuh.

In 2022, Anyim declared his intention to run for President on the PDP’s ticket.

He was later suspended by the in March 2023 for alleged anti-party activity when he supported the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress in Ebonyi State, Francis Nwifuru.

Meanwhile, Metuh publicly resigned from the PDP and partisan politics in October 2022, he cited medical grounds for his decision.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Senator Anyim said they had some frank and sincere discussion with Tinubu.

He said aside from the heart-to-heart conversations, Wednesday’s visit was mainly to encourage and congratulate the President on his inauguration and the successes he has so far recorded.

“It was a great honour to pay courtesy to the President and congratulate him, first and foremost, for his successful inauguration as the 16th President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and also to encourage and congratulate him for the bold he has taken so far.

“We had a whole lot of heart-to-heart discussions, but primarily, it’s to congratulate him,” Anyim said.

Also speaking, the former PDP spokesman, Metuh, said although the country had bled for the past eight years, he is confident that the Tinubu administration will achieve national unity.

He said “We came to see the President, to commend him for his very good takeoff; the policies he has brought, his inclusiveness, and most of all to canvass for the idea of participatory governance, participatory democracy.”