Kaduna assembly speaker warns el-Rufai’s son over threats of lawmakers

Kaduna State House of Assembly Speaker, Hon Yusuf Liman, has warned Bello El-Rufai, the son of the immediate past governor of the state, Nasir El-rufai, against threatening and intimidating the House over the probe panel set up to investigate his father’s eight-year tenure in office.

Hon Liman expressed worry that Bello sent insulting and subtle threat messages to him as the Rt. Hon Speaker of Kaduna State House of Assembly via WhatsApp message over the probe of his father.

This was contained in a statement made available to newsmen on Wednesday by the Media Aide to the Speaker, Malam Suraj Bamalli.

The State House of Assembly had on Tuesday raised a panel to investigate financial dealings, loans, grants, and project implementation from 2015-2023 in Kaduna State during the administration of ex-governor el-Rufai.

The Speaker also noted that el-Rufai’s son allegedly took to social media with two tweets, insinuating a call to “fight” and disrespecting the entire members of the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

Bello el-Rufai is a member of the House of Representatives representing the Kaduna North federal constituency.

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According to the statement, “Threats and intimidation from anyone, including federal lawmakers, will not deter the Kaduna State House of Assembly from its pursuit of justice and accountability. The Assembly remains resolute in its mandate to provide checks and balances and uphold the rule of law in Kaduna State.

“We urge the good people of Kaduna State to remain vigilant and steadfast in their support for transparency, accountability and the rule of law. The Kaduna State House of Assembly will continue to serve the best interests of the state and its citizens.

“In light of recent events, the Kaduna State House of Assembly wishes to address the erratic and unruly actions of Hon. Bello el-Rufai, the member representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency.

“Shortly after the establishment of a committee to investigate financial dealings, loans, grants, and projects implementation from 2015-2023 in Kaduna State, Hon. Bello Elrufai took to social media with two tweets, now deleted, insinuating a call to “fight” and disrespecting the entire Legislative Arm of Government.

“Additionally, he sent insulting and subtle threat messages to the Rt. Hon Speaker of Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon Yusuf Liman via WhatsApp.

“The screenshots of these tweets and messages have been widely circulated, causing concern among the citizens of Kaduna State. It is disheartening that a Federal Lawmaker, entrusted with representing the people, would resort to such behaviour, attempting to obstruct the lawful functions of the State Assembly.

“The Kaduna State House of Assembly wants to reassure the good people of Kaduna State that it remains steadfast in its commitment to serving without fear or favour. The members of the Assembly took an oath to uphold the integrity of their office and ensure due diligence in their duties, regardless of any attempts at intimidation or threats”.

Kaduna assembly speaker warns el-Rufai’s son over threats of lawmakers

We’ve stopped paying fuel subsidy, FG replies el-Rufai

The Federal Government has said that assertions in some quarters that it’s still spending trillions in naira to subsidise Premium Motor Spirit, popularly called petrol, are untrue.

The government debunked the payment of subsidy on petrol claim through its Ministry of Petroleum Resources and the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited.

This is even as it challenged those who are alleging the return of subsidy payment to provide evidence to substantiate their claims.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources (Oil), Heineken Lokpobiri, stressed that since President Bola Tinubu had declared the end of subsidy on petrol, nothing can change.

He noted that fuel subsidy was a sensitive issue, but noted that the government had made its position known on the matter.

Lokpobiri, in a recent video, insisted that petrol subsidy had ceased to exist, and implored those who alleged that the government was still subsidising the commodity to provide evidence and facts.

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The minister said, “I don’t want to delve into that issue. It is a very sensitive issue. It is better we get all the facts. As far as I’m concerned, the President removed the subsidy and it remains removed till today. Anybody who is saying that subsidy is being paid, it is left for the person to bring the facts and then we will talk about them.”

Asked whether the price being paid for petrol currently is determined by market forces, the minister replied, “It may not be determined by market forces but let us deal with the price as it is today.

“Every government has a duty to do certain things, not only in the petroleum sector but in several other sectors, to be able to cushion the effect and burden on Nigerians.”

El-Rufai had told journalists in Maiduguri on Monday that many citizens were not aware that the government had reintroduced the PMS subsidy.

“The Federal Government is now subsidising fuel; many people don’t know this. It is the right policy. I have always supported the withdrawal of oil subsidies; but in the course of implementing the policy, the government realised that subsidy has to be back; right now, the government is paying a lot of money for subsidy, even more than before.

“You start implementing a policy because you are sure it is the right policy, but in the course of implementation, you come across bottlenecks, and you modify.

“The keyword in leadership, in my view, is pragmatism. You should be pragmatic. So when you make a policy, you start implementing it, and it doesn’t seem to work well. You should have the humility to stand back and say this is not working, and you modify it,” the former governor stated.

We’ve stopped paying fuel subsidy, FG replies el-Rufai

Why we exclude private varsity students from loan scheme – FG

The management of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has stated that students from private tertiary institutions are not included in the Student Loan Scheme because the loan is meant for indigent students.

The Managing Director of NELFUND, Akintunde Sawyerr who spoke during an interactive session with journalists under the umbrella of the Education Writers’ Association (EWAN), argued that any student found in private tertiary institutions in Nigeria cannot be said to be poor.

He added that though President Bola Tinubu’s desire was for all students in Nigerian tertiary institutions to benefit from the loan, the loan is targeted at indigent students to ensure their access to higher education.

“I met with the President and he asked similar questions because of his belief that every Nigerian child whose parents’ taxes form the sources of the loan should benefit.

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“But we cannot say because the taxpayers are the funders and so the purpose should be defeated. Any student found in private institutions in Nigeria cannot be said to be poor,” he said.

He added that mechanisms have been put in place to identify students who truly deserve the loan.

“What we are to do is wealth redistribution and not to take from the rich to pay the rich again. We target only those who truly deserve it and we have our mechanisms to confirm this in place. Applicants’ BVN is one of such,” he said.

Sawyerr however noted that inmates from correctional service’s custodial centres studying in higher institutions such as the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) are excluded because it will be difficult to offer loans to them since they are serving jail terms.

“The money is not a grant but a loan that is recoverable but how do you recover a loan from somebody serving life sentence or prolonged jail term? Even when they are out, there could be difficulties securing jobs that will enable them to repay,” he said.

Why we exclude private varsity students from loan scheme – FG