18082018 - Dkaura ready for Ruhari - President returns today

2019: Budget delay will not change election
dates, INEC boss insists
*Denies budgeting N6bn for Police
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
CHAIRMAN of the In
dependent National
Electoral Commission,
INEC, Prof. Yakuub
Mamoud yesterday insisted
that despite the delay in the
passage of the commission’s
budget for the conduct of the
2019 general elections in
the country, the dates for the
election remained sacrosanct.
The INEC boss who
said that he was not worried
over the budget delay in the
National Assembly, also
stated that areas of doubts
among the lawmakers have
been cleared.
Prof. Mamoud who spoke
to State House correspondents
at the Presidential Villa,
Abuja, further denied the
allegation that the commission
budgeted N6 billion for
the feeding of police during
the elections.
He also said that there
was nothing like N7m budgeted
for foreign observers,
adding that the commission
only made provision of
N4.6 million for the feeding
of personnel including policemen.
On the budget delay, he
said,, “We have made the
clarification that the National
Assembly asked for.
I am happy that the two
committees on INEC expressed
satisfaction on the
clarification that we made
for the matter of appropriation.
So we look forward
to hearing what the the National
Assembly will say.
“But we also need to make
this very important clarification,
the commission requested
for N189.2 billion.
That is what the executive
proposed to the National
Assembly, so there are no
discrepancies in the figures
at all.”
On whether the delay in
the passage of the budget
would affect the dates already
fixed, he said, “I have
said this over and over
again, there are no conditions
under which elections
should be postponed, under
section 26 of the Electoral
Act, the date is formed and
fixed, February 16, 2019.
“We issued the timetable
long in advance for the very
first time in the history of
our nation, citizens of Nigeria
know when elections
will take place one year in
advance. It has never happened
before.
“Secondly, for the very
first time in the history of
our country, Nigerians
know exactly the details of
the budget of the electoral
commission. The budget
has never been defended
before the National Assembly.
Now, citizens know line
by line how much the commission
proposed , what the
money is going to be spent
on. I think I am very happy
with this process.”
On what brought him to
the villa, he said, “It has
nothing to do with our national
politics. Recall that
in March 2016, I was elected
the President of ECOW-
AS network of electoral
commission. In that capacity
recently, we undertook a
NEEDS assessment visit to
the Republic of Guinea-Bissau
and part of what they
requested from Nigeria, is
assistance for voters registration
kits.
“Since I returned a little
over two weeks ago, I have
received daily calls from
electoral commission, and
this afternoon, the ambassador
of Guinea-Bissau to
Nigeria, they want to start
the voters registration on
the 23rd of this month but
they are relying on Nigeria
to provide the assistance.
“That is why I came and I
had a meeting with Ambassador
Lawal with the Senior
Special Assistant to the president
on foreign affairs to
facilitate Nigeria’s electoral
assistance to Guinea-Bissau.
It is important to do so
because you should also remember
that for several
years now, Nigeria has had
troops in Guinea-Bissau to
From left
Regional Business
Executive
Ikorodu &
Beyonde Mrs.
Olufunke Usalo
and Abeokuta
Branch Manager
Mr. Adebayo
Oridate jointly
present money
box to master
Fadele Joseph
after the lecture.
PHOTO:
WUNMI AKINOLA
Daura ready for Buhari
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
Barring any last minute
changes, President Muhammadu
Buhari would return
from his 10-day working vacation
in London, United
Kingdom today. The President
left Nigeria two weeks
ago after transmitting a letter
to the National Assembly,
NASS, to inform them of his
vacation.
He also transferred power
to the Vice President, Prof
Yemi Osinbajo. Senior Special
Assistant to the President
on Media and Publicity,
Malam Garba Shehu, yesterday,
confirmed that the President
would return today.
Saturday Vanguard gathered
that the President may
leave for his Daura country
home either tomorrow or
Monday to observe the Sallah
festival.
It was gathered that some
of the domestic staff of the
President including cooks
and advance party had started
going to Daura. It has been
the tradition of the President
to observe Sallah with his kith
and kin in Daura yearly. The
President’s Special Adviser on
Media and Publicity,
Mr.Femi Adesina, in a statement
on August 1, 2018, had
said: “In compliance with
Section 145 (1) of the 1999
Constitution, President Buhari
has already transmitted
a letter to the President of the
Senate, and the Speaker,
House of Representatives to
that effect. “While the President
is on vacation, the Vice
President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo
will be in acting capacit¬y
as President.’’
...So many expectations
The President’s return
comes with so many expectations
considering the intriguing
developments that
had taken place in his absence.
Prominent among the
happenings was the invasion
of the NASS by the
Department of State Security
Services, DSS, and the
subsequent sacking of its
former Director-General
Mallam Lawal Daura by
Osinbajo. The relentless
call by the All Progressives
Congress, APC, for the resignation
of the Senate President,
Sen Bukola Saraki,
and threats by the Buhari
Support Group to invade
the Senate, are also on the
list of issues awaiting Buhari
in Daura and Abuja.
Having been away while
the incidents overheated
stabilize the country and
that stability is dependent
upon the conduct of proper
elections.
“Once elections are conducted,
Nigerian Troops
can now safely withdraw. So
it’s much cheaper for Nigeria
to provide this assistance.”
Also fielding question on
the budget for foreign observers,
he said, ‘I have had
this question that we have
prepared budget for international
observers. There is
no line in the budget for international
observers.
“What are provided for
are the kits, you know the
jackets, caps, publication,
that we give to international
observers, the stickers that
are fixed on their cars to be
identified on Election Day.
This is the standard practice.
Each country that organizes
elections provides
these facilities for those who
monitor elections.
“But their accommodation,
transportation will be
born by various election
monitoring groups and not
by the Nigerian government.”
He said the commission
started the continuous voters
registration exercise on
27th April 2017, stressing,
“so we have been, as provided
for in our constitution,
registering voters consistently
in the last 16
months. In response to appeal
by Nigerians, we have
created more centres for the
registration but finally decided
that we should suspended
the process as provided
for by the law, six
months to the elections.
“But gain in response to
appeal by Nigerians we
have now extended it to the
end of the month. As at Saturday
last week the 11th of
August, we have registered
12.1 million citizens, this
will eventually be added to
the 70 million voters that is
already registered for the
2019 general elections.
the polity, it is believed that
prominent political figures
would visit Daura en mass
for many purposes. That
has even been the practice
in Nigeria, where historically,
festive periods are
used to pay homages
aimed at political alignments,
realignments, and
other purposes.
Apart from being the
President’s town, Daura
occupies a significant place
in the history of ancient
Hausa states.
History recognises it as
the spiritual home of the
Hausa and one of the “seven
true Hausa states.” The
University of California’s
African American Studies
Department refers to
Daura, as well as Katsina,
as the ancient seats of Islamic
culture and learning.
During the annual Muslim
festivals, Eid Fitr and
Eid al-Adha , Dubar is celebrated
in Daura.
In September last year, a
special Durbar known as
Hawan Magajiya was held
in the ancient town by the
Emir, Alhaji Faruk Umar
Faruk in honour of Buhari,
who had just returned
from a vacation. The special
Durbar was convened
to celebrate the President’s
return from vacation in
good health.
SATURDAY Vanguard, AUGUST 18, 2018 — 3
2019 Elections: INEC budget
hangs in the balance
*NASS in dilemma whether to approve
N143bn or N189bn proposals
By Henry Umoru
STRONG indications emerged yesterday that approv
al for the N189billion budget proposal made by the
Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) to
conduct the 2019 general elections has suffered a major set
back at the National Assembly It became very clear yesterday
that senators and members of the House of Representatives
were in a dilemma whether to approve the N189bn
made by the electoral commission or the N143bn requested
for that purpose this year by President Muhammadu
Buhari.
At the meeting of the National Assembly Joint Committee
on INEC yesterday, debate for approval of either of the
sums among members of the committee was divided along
party lines. Lawmakers on the platform of the ruling All
Progressives Congress ( APC) argued for the approval of
the entire sum of N189billion while those of the Peoples
Democratic Party ( PDP) however insisted that the N143bn
requested by President Buhari in his virement letter should
be approved, since the balance of N45.6bn will be appropriated
in the 2019 budget. The dilemma of the lawmakers
on which of the proposals to be approved was even made
worse with the submission made the Minister of Budget
and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma who
said it was left to their discretion.
The Minister who made the submission when the Chairman
of the Committee, Senator Suleiman Nazif, PDP Bauchi
North sought his opinion on the matter explained to the
committee that the N189billion requested for by INEC was
the same amount the President wrote in the letter, but because
of constraints of funds, President Buhari decided to
break it into two folds by seeking virement for N143bn for
INEC this year while the balance of N45.6billion would be
taken care of in the 2019 budget. According to Udoma, “if
the joint committee decides to approve the entire
N189billion without leading to increase in the N9.12trillion
2018 budget size, let it be and that would be appreciated by
the executive. The President will have no objection to the
National Assembly approving the entire N189billion INEC
budget as long as it does not in anyway lead to increase in
the over all size of the 2018 budget.
“If this is to be done, the N45.6billion which the President
proposed in his letter to be provided for in the 2019
budget, would also have to be vired alongside the N143bn
from the N578bn fund appropriated for in the 2018 budget
by the National Assembly for the additional 1,403 projects
included in the budget”, he said . But when he was asked by
committee members whether he had authorization to seek
the approval of the N189billion as against N143bn requested
for by the President for INEC this year, the Minister
said : “Discretion on which of the requests to be approved
by you is yours. If you approve the N143bn the
President requested for, it is okay and if you approve the
entire N189billion for INEC this year, it is also alright .
“Any of the two is okay for the executive, except that if you
approve the N189billion through virement, the N45.6 billion
planned to be captured in the 2019 budget would no
longer be part of the budget estimates for that year”.
After the Minister’s presentation, arguments by the lawmakers
took party lines as those belonging to PDP like
Senators Mohammed Hassan ( Yobe South), Isa Misau (
Bauchi Central), Hon Wole Oke ( PDP Osun), Hon Ogbeideihama
Omorege ( PDP Edo) and others, argued that the
N143bn requested for by the President should be approved
while their APC counterparts like Senators Ibrahim Kurfi (
Katsina Central), Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi (Niger North) , Ovie
Omo - Agege ( Delta Central) , Hon Aisha Dukku ( APC
Gombe ) and other APC members insisted that the entire
sum of N189billion should be approved .
Cholera kills seven in
Abuja
* FCTA warns residents against open
defecation
By Henry Umoru
THE Federal Capital Territory Administration
(FCTA),yesterday said that seven deaths have so far
been recorded from cholera outbreak in four communities
of Sauka, Mpape, Kubwa village and Ushafa.
The FCTA has however warned residents in the territory
to desist from open defecation to prevent cholera.
Speaking with Journalists yesterday in Abuja, the Director,
Public Health, Health and Human Services Secretariat,
FCTA, Dr Humphrey Okoroukwu explained that open
defecation was one of the causes that predisposes some
residents to cholera which affected some communities in
the territory. He said, “People should stop defecating in
open places, especially around the river banks to prevent
infectious diseases like cholera. “Residents are advised to
have toilets in their homes and those who cannot afford
Water Closet should endeavour to have pit latrines to avoid
outbreak of cholera.”
The director who noted that cholera outbreak was common
during the rainy season, and stressed the need for residents
to take necessary precautions, stressed that cholera
outbreak occurred mainly in rural communities that
had no access to potable water. Okoroukwu also enjoined
FCT residents to treat their drinkable water and ensure
that it was free of any contamination. He advised residents
to take sick persons with symptoms of cholera immediately
to nearby healthcare centres or hospitals.