16082018 - Uproar as EFCC seeks minutes of Benue's security meetings

By Wole Mosadomi
& Ben Agande
THE fight among
political parties in the
country, especially between
All Progressives Congress,
APC, and Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP, has
assumed a new dimension
with Niger and Kaduna
states houses of Assembly
declaring the seat of
defecting members vacant.
While the Kaduna State
House of Assembly,
yesterday, declared the
seats of the two lawmakers,
who defected from APC to
PDP, vacant, the Niger
State House of Assembly
declared the seat of the
member representing Tafa
vanguardnews @vanguardnews @vanguardnews
Kaduna, Niger assemblies declare
seats of defecting members vacant
constituency, Danladi Iyah,
vacant and all his
entitlements ordered
stopped.
Meanwhile, Kaduna
State House of Assembly
has elected a new Deputy
Speaker, Nuhu
Shadalafiya, representing
Kadarko constituency, who
took over from John
Kwaturu of Kachia state
constituency, who resigned
his position last week and
also defected from APC to
PDP.
Another member,
representing Kudan
constituency, Junaidu
Yakubu, also joined PDP
from APC.
They had claimed that
they dumped APC over
what they described as
“impunity” in the party.
Declaring their seats
vacant, Speaker of Kaduna
State House of Assembly,
Aminu Shaghali, said the
reasons adduced by the
lawmakers for decamping
to the opposition PDP were
not tenable, since there was
no crisis or rancour in the
party at both the state and
the national level.
He cited Section 309 of the
constitution to back his
position.
In Niger
In Minna, for defecting
from APC to an unnamed
party, the seat of the
member representing Tafa
constituency, Danladi Iyah,
BEANS & BEANS PRODUCT EXPORT:
From left— Manager, M&B Tropical Grocery, Mr. Babatunde Sekoni;
Technical Adviser to Minister of Agriculture on Quality and Standard, Ms
Heather Akanbi; ED/CEO, Nigerian Export Promotion Council, NEPC, Mr.
Segun Awolowo; Quality and Business Excellence Expert, United Nations
Industrial Development Organisation, Mr. Simeon Umukoro, and Chairman,
Cowpea and Beans Farmers Processing Marketers, Alhaji Mohammed Kabir,
during the launch of export guideline for dried beans and beans product
book at NEPC's sensitisation workshop for dried beans and beans products
exporters in Lagos, yesterday. PHOTO: Lamidi Bamidele.
By Ben Agande
K
A D U N A —
GOVERNOR
Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna
State, yesterday, presented
a budget estimate of N155,
865,339,539.77 for the 2019
fiscal year to the state
House of Assembly, with a
capital/expenditure ratio of
60/40 percent.
While the recurrent
expenditure of the budget
s t o o d
at N62,339,040,309.19,
the capital expenditure
is N93,526,299,230.58,
representing 60 percent.
Mallam el-Rufai, who
used the budget
presentation occasion to
lash out at the senators from
the state for frustrating the
state from accessing $350
million loan from the World
Bank, said the state would
forge ahead with its
determination to provide
dividends of democracy to
the people.
According to the governor,
the 2019-2021 multiyear
budget was based on
the 2016 zero-based budget
principles and “is tailored
towards actualisation of our
State Development Plan
2016-2020 as stated
earlier.”
His words: “The 2019-
2021 multi-year budget is
hinged on the 2016 Zero-
Based Budget principles
and is tailored towards
actualisation of our State
Development Plan 2016-
2020 as stated earlier.”
Our targets—Gov el-Rufai
“The key targets from a
fiscal perspective are to
ensure the actualisation of
the development priorities
of the government as
articulated in the State
Development Plan and
respective Sector
Implementation Plans,
SIPs;
“Maintaining a
favourable proportion of
capital to recurrent
expenditures: at least, a
target of 60:40 percent ratio;
“Ensuring adequate
provision is made to
complete 2018 projects in
2019;
“Expanding the revenue
generation capacity of the
state and maintaining a
sustainable debt position in
line with Federal Debt
Management Office
criteria.
“In simple terms, Mr.
Speaker, we will strive to
has been pronounced
vacant and all his
entitlements ordered
stopped.
The step was taken after
a letter sent to the Assembly
by the state Chairman of
APC, Engineer Jibrin
Imam, on the defection was
read at plenary, yesterday.
The APC Chairman, in
his letter to the House,
described the reasons
advanced by the defector as
u n t e n a b l e ,
unconstitutional, personal
and unconvincing.
He said: “I want the
House of Assembly to effect
the conditions of Section
109 Sub-Section 1(g) of
the Nigeria constitution
and declare the seat of the
member representing Tafa
constituency vacant.
“His reasons are not
justifiable.”
After a long deliberation
over the matter, member
representing Borgu
constituency, Bala Abba,
threw his weight behind
the APC Chairman’s
request to declare his seat
vacant and therefore
moved the motion, saying
“his defection is
unconstitutional and so
declaring his seat vacant
is the right thing to do.”
The member
representing Bida,
Haruna Mohammed,
seconded the motion.
The Speaker, Ahmed
Marafa, then declared
the seat vacant and
directed the Clerk of the
Assembly to officially
convey the message to the
affected legislator and
stopped all financial
dealings due him with
immediate effect.
el-Rufai presents N155bn 2019 budget
complete every single
project we have started in
each of our 23 local
government areas and to
pay the contractors we
have commissioned to
work for us.
“We will continue to cut
the cost of government
and ensure that our
people are the ultimate
beneficiaries of public
resources.
“The summary of the
draft 2019 revenue and
expenditure estimates is
the proposed 2019 budget
size
is
N155,865,339,539.77,
with recurrent expenditure
of N62,339,040,309.19
and capital expenditure of
N93,526,299,230.58,
representing 40 percent as
recurrent and 60 percent
capital.”
Vanguard, THURSDAY, AUGUST 16, 2018—35
By Ndahi Marama
M AIDUGURI—
BORNO State
Primary Healthcare
Development Agency,
BSPHCDA, under the
leadership of Executive
Director, Dr. Sule Meleh,
through Additional
Financing-Nigeria
States Health Investment
Project, AF-NSHIP, a
World Bank-assisted
project, has organised a
week-long intensive
training on Performance
Based Financing PFB,
for health facility
managers and ward
development chairmen,
WDC.
This is to address
increasing rate of
maternal mortality and
child-related health
issues, as well as ensure
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Iyalode empower Kogi
youths with N15m
By Boluwaji
Obahopo
L OKOJA—THE
Iyalode of Ejiba,
Princess Falade,
yesterday, empowered
42 youths selected across
Yagba communities with
N15 million.
Princess Falade made
the donation through her
NGO, Princess Falade
Ademujimi Iyalode
Youth & Women
Empowerment
Programme,
PFAIYWEP, to mark the
10th anniversary
celebration of her
chieftaincy title as
Iyalode of Ejibaland.
The princess, who
doubles as Yeye-Laje of
Okunland, said the
transparency,
accountability and
community ownership in
strengthening the health
system in the state.
The facility managers
and WDCs were drawn
from Hawul, Shani,
Kwaya-Kusar and Bayo
Local Government areas,
which are part of the
second scale up to benefit
from the project in the state,
while the facilitator were
officials and verifiers from
National Primary Health
Care Development
Agency and BSPHCDA.
The training began on
August 14, to end on
Saturday, 18, with the
signing of Purchase
Contract Documents,
PCDs, between the
BSPHCDA, the selected
facilities and general
hospitals.
gesture was to lessen the
suffering of the jobless
youths, women and
vulnerable people living
in abject poverty.
She said: “In 2008, I
decided to be donating
500 bags (50kg) of rice
quarterly across Yagba,
during Easter, yam festival
and Christmas
celebrations.
“We spend about N15
million yearly to empower
the poor across Yagba land
in skills acquisition, and
donating tools, equipment,
and foodstuffs.
“Today, we are also
giving Certificate of
Competence to 42 lessprivilege
youths who had
been trained for three
months on bead making
and empowered.”
Senator c’ttee on transport
lauded on rail projects
THE
Senate
Committee on Land
Transport, chaired by
Senator Gbenga Ashafa,
representing Lagos East
Senatorial District, has
led the passage of the
Nigerian Railway Bill of
2016, National Transport
Commission Bill and the
Labour Transportation
Bill, to breakdown the
railway sector into the
regulatory and
operations components.
Following this
legislative stride, which
is in line with
international best
practice and to create a
level-playing field for
private sector
participation, works
have commenced on
Lagos-Ibadan segment
of Lagos to Kano
Standard Gauge Rail
System and Calabar-Port
Harcourt segment of
Calabar-Lagos Standard
Gauge Rail.
The bills also got
approval for the new
standard gauge rail line
from Port Harcourt to
Maiduguri, passing
through Enugu, Lafis,
Makurdi, Gombe with
branch lines to Owerri,
Onitsha, Awka, Abakaliki,
Yola, Jalingo and
Damaturu among other
projects.
According to one of
Ashafa’s constituents,
Mujeeb Lawal, “he has
done well and we are
ready to return him again
in 2019.
“Just like Vice President
Yemi Osinbajo said,
defections will come and
go, but a completed
railway line by a
committed administration
endures forever.”