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Senate rejects Buhari’s water bill immediately after his tenure

Published

11 months ago

June 7, 2023

Senate rejects Buhari’s water bill immediately after his tenure

The Senate, on Tuesday, rejected the controversial National Water Resources Bill, 2023 after it was listed for concurrence on the order paper for consideration and passage.

Former President Muhammadu Buhari had in 2017 presented the controversial bill to both chambers of the National Assembly, which seek to transfer the control of water resources from the states to the Federal Government.

The bill sought to establish the National Council on Water Resources, Nigeria Water Resources Regulatory Commission, River Basin Development Authorities, Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency, and the National Water Resources Institute.

The proposed bodies, if established, were to “provide for the regulation, equitable and sustainable development, management, use and conservation of Nigeria’s surface water and groundwater resources.”

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The rejection of the bill on Tuesday by the Senate put an end to the controversy generated by the bill among governors and federal lawmakers majorly from the southern part of the country.

When the bill was read for concurrence on the floor of the Senate, Senator Gabriel Suswan from Benue North-West raised Order 85 of the Senate Rules, which provides that senators must have full details of the provisions of any bill coming for concurrence.

Senator James Manager from Delta South, who seconded Suswan, stressed the need to have details of the bill since provision was made for only the title of the bill.

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, later ruled in favour of the rule cited.

The Senate, thereafter, withheld concurrence to the bill, having ruled in favour of those who opposed it.

It would be recalled that the House of Representatives had passed the bill in 2020 amidst suspicion by members and the general public.

Before the passage, Chairman of the House Committee on Water Resources, Sada Soli, said the then Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN), as well as commissioners for justice and attorneys-general of the 36 states of the federation, had been consulted and the opinions received would be attached to the bill and distributed to all members.

Senate rejects Buhari’s water bill immediately after his tenure

Punch/Platinumpost

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Tinubu approves palliative for traditional, religious institutions

Published

23 mins ago

April 23, 2024

Trends Admin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tinubu approves palliative for traditional, religious institutions

Vice-President Kashim Shettima has revealed that President Bola Tinubu has approved that 20% of palliative food intervention go through religious and traditional institutions.

Mr Shettima made this known while delivering the keynote lecture at a High-Level Dialogue of Faith Leaders on Nutrition in Nigeria, which was hosted at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Tuesday.

“The Imam of Bayero University (BUK) mentioned about the exclusion of the traditional and religious leaders in the distribution of palliatives.

”The President has approved that 20 per cent of the palliative in terms of food intervention be routed through our religious organisations and the traditional institutions.

“The Tsangaya schools, the mission schools will be specially targeted for such intervention,” Mr Shettima said.

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The Vice-President said that government was working out logistics through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture to ensure smooth implementation of the intervention programme.

“This intervention will be anchored in the office of the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu, and he is going to anchor the programme.

“We are going to provide the overall supervision towards the implementation of the programme.

“Also 20 per cent of the funds for the School Feeding Programme is going to be channeled through the office of the Minister of Budget and Economic Planning to the religious bodies.”

Mr Shettima stated that government had already commenced engagement and working out modalities for the intervention to ensure a very transparent disbursement, taken into cognisance of all tendencies in our system.

He added that the intervention would include Tsangaya and Mission schools.

Tinubu approves palliative for traditional, religious institutions

(NAN)

News

Peter Obi was never a Labour person, LP just special vehicle – Doyin Okupe

Published

25 mins ago

April 23, 2024

Trends Admin

Peter Obi was never a Labour person, LP just special vehicle – Doyin Okupe

Former director-general of the Labour Party presidential campaign, Doyin Okupe has said the party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi, never believed in the ideologies of the party.

Okupe stated this while answering questions in an interview on Arise Television’s flagship programme, The Morning Show.

The Labour Part, according to Okupe was just a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the presidential election.

Okupe who resigned his membership of the Labour Party in January, on the grounds of ideological differences said his membership of the party ended the moment Obi lost the election.

“The LP for us — for Peter Obi and I — and those in the leadership of the movement… the party was a special purpose vehicle (SPV).

“I have never been a labour person, I have never operated on the left before but we needed a platform and this was the only platform readily available to us.

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“We thought that if we won the election… there are no fast and hard rules about ideologies. You can always find a shade between the left and the right. You can always move to the centre.

“We were hoping and praying that if we won we would find a way to come to some consensus with the labour.

“Peter Obi is not a labour person. He is not a leftist person, he is a trader, he is a businessman just like me. I am a liberal democrat, I believe in liberal democracy, I believe in free enterprise.

“I am not a social worker. As far as I’m concerned, my membership of labour expired the moment we lost that election.”

The former presidential aide said it was “unreasonable” for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to present a northerner as its candidate in the buildup to the 2023 election.

Peter Obi was never a Labour person, LP just special vehicle – Doyin Okupe

News

BREAKING: EFCC arrests Buhari’s Aviation Minister Sirika

Published

27 mins ago

April 23, 2024

Trends Admin

BREAKING: EFCC arrests Buhari’s Aviation Minister Sirika

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has arrested Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation under former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration over an ongoing N8 billion money laundering probe of Nigeria Air.

Vanguard gathered that Sirika arrived at the Federal Capital Territory Command of the EFCC at about 1:00 pm on Tuesday.

Sirika is currently being quizzed by the EFCC investigators over alleged fraudulent contracts awarded by him to a company known as Engirios Nigeria Limited, owned by his younger sibling, Abubakar Sirika.

Recall that, in February, EFCC investigated the activities of the Aviation Ministry under Sirika for conspiracy, abuse of office, diversion of public funds, and contract inflation.

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Others are criminal breaches of trust and money laundering amounting to N8,069,176,864.00 during Sirika’s tenure in office.

Apart from being listed as the company’s Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abubakar is said to be the sole signatory to the company’s two accounts, domiciled in Zenith and Union Banksy.

It was gathered that the ex-minister’s younger brother, Abubakar Sirika, has been arrested and detained by the commission in connection with N3,212,258,930.18 paid to his company, Engirios Nigerian Limited’s, bank account by the former minister.

It was noted that there is no trace of work done on any of the contract items to date.

Sirika was arrested Sunday February 4 to assist the commission in its probe of the Aviation Ministry’s financial expenditures during his tenure.