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Senate Proposes 376 New Agencies, Shuns Oronsaye Report

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The Senate has proposed the establishment of 376 new agencies and institutions despite moves by the Federal Government to restructure the public service in line with the Steve Oronsaye Committee Report on Restructuring and Rationalisation of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies and Commission.

The report recommended the scrapping or merging of some ministries, departments and agencies in order to reduce the cost of governance.

A white paper committee set up by the Federal Government to review the parastatals, agencies and commissions created since 2014 submitted a draft report in August.

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The Federal Government also in November last year, inaugurated sub-committees headed by former heads of service of the federation, Bukar Aji, Ama Pepple and Oladapo Afolabi , on the implementation of the Oronsaye Report, while the Ebele Okeke Committee was to draft a White Paper on the Ama Pepple Committee Report and harmonise the other committee reports.

READ ALSO: Senate, Reps Disagree Over ICT Bill

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, had said that the Federal Government would soon conclude the process of restructuring the public service.

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But findings by our correspondent indicate that the 9th Senate has passed a total of 1,070 bills, including 376 establishment bills for the creation of various institutions and agencies in spite of the economic challenges facing the country.

Some of these establishment bills have been passed while others have progressively moved to committee levels in defiance of the recommendations of the Oronsaye report.

The establishment bills include: the Federal University of Education Kontagora (Est. etc.) Bill, 2019 which was sponsored by Senator Sabi Abdullahi. The bill was read for the third time in December, 2019.

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Also, the Federal College of Education Illo Establishment Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Abdullahi Yahaya was first read in January, 2019 and passed for third reading in December, 2019, while the Federal Polytechnic Kabo (Est. etc.) Bill, 2019 sponsored by Senator Jibril Barau was first read in March, 2019 and passed for third reading in November, 2022.

Similarly, the bill to establish the City University of technology Auchi , Delta State was also passed for the first time in 2019, sponsored by Senator Francis Alimikhena was first read in October, 2019 and passed for the third time in April, 2022.

The bills also include the Federal University, Wukari (Est. etc) Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Emmanuel Bwacha. It was first mentioned at the Senate in October, 2019 and passed for third reading in January, 2022.

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The bill to establish the Federal University Gusau sponsored by Senator YaU Sahabi was first read in October 2019 and passed for the third reading in November, 2019.

A former Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun sponsored the creation of the Federal University of Medicine and Medical Sciences, Abeokuta. The bill was first moved in 2019 and subsequently passed in February, 2022.

The Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege equally sponsored the bill to establish the Federal Polytechnic Orogun, Delta State in 2019. The bill was reported out of committee in June, 2021.

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A former Majority leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, also presented a bill on Federal Medical Centre Igboho Oyo State in 2021 which was sent for concurrence to the House of Representatives in November, 2021 and passed in February, 2022.

Likewise, the National Commission for the Eradication of Child Destitution (Establishment) Bill, 2019 by a former Sokoto governor, Senator Aliyu Wamakko passed first reading in September, 2019 and passed third reading in June, 2022.

However, the Federal College of Education Usugbenu, Edo State (Est, etc) Bill, 2019 sponsored by Senator Clifford Ordia is currently awaiting Committee Report after scaling through second reading in November, 2019.

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The Bill for the establishment of the Federal College of Education Giwa Kaduna State, sponsored by Senator Uba Sani, scaled the third reading in July, 2020 after scaling the first reading on the floor of the Senate in October, 2019.

Also, a bill to establish a Federal Polytechnic in Aba proposed to the Red chamber by Senator Theodore Orji scaled the first reading in November, 2019 and passed third reading in November, 2020.

The PUNCH reports that most of the institutions were situated in the states and constituencies of their sponsors.

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These include the proposed establishment of the Nigerian Research Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Bakassi (Est) Bill, 2020 by Senator Gershom Bassey; the Federal College of Education, Mutum Biyu, Taraba State sponsored by the senator representing, Taraba Central, Yusuf Yusuf.

Also a bill introducing a Teaching Hospital Development Tax Fund by Senator Musa Sani passed the first reading in November, 2019 and scaled the last reading in October, 2021.

Senator Obinna Ogba sponsored a bill on the establishment of a National Sports Commission and the Federal University of Sports, Nkalagu, Ebonyi State.

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The Senate on June 21, 2022 passed into law four Bills to establish four Federal Medical Centres in four states.

READ ALSO: Why We Shifted 2023 Budget Passage – Senate President

The hospitals will be sited in Osogbo, Osun State; Onitsha, Anambra State; Gada, Sokoto State; and Ijebu-Ode, Ogun State, respectively.

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Efforts to get the comment of the Senate spokesperson, Senator Basiru Ajibola, on Tuesday, failed as his line was unreachable. He had yet to respond to a text message sent to his phone as of the time of filing this report.

The list also includes Nigerian Transportation Accident Investigation Bureau (Est. etc.) sponsored by Senator Ibn Na’allah; the Lagos State Special Economic Assistance Programme (Establishment) Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Oluremi Tinubu; and the National Religious Equity Commission (Est.etc) Bill, 2019, sponsored by Senator Stella Oduah which scaled first reading in November 2019.

Also, a bill to establish a Constituency Development Fund (Est. etc) Bill, 2019 , sponsored by Senator Ali Ndume was first read in November 2019.
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Eswatini Jails 10 Africans Deported From US

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The African kingdom of Eswatini said it received and jailed 10 more deportees from the United States on Monday as part of a US scheme to expel undocumented migrants.

Eswatini took in a first group of five men in July, with Ghana, Rwanda, and South Sudan also accepting US deportees in recent months in a programme criticised by rights groups.

The tiny southern African nation agreed in May to accept up to 160 deportees in exchange for $5.1 million to “build its border and migration management capacity”, according to a deal signed with the United States and seen by AFP.

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Its correctional services department said in a statement Monday it “confirms the arrival of ten (10) third country nationals from the United States of America”.

It did not give details but said they had been “securely accommodated in one of the country’s correctional facilities” and the government would “facilitate their orderly repatriation”.

A US-based attorney representing some of the deportees said the new group included “three Vietnamese, one Filipino, one Cambodian”.

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READ ALSO:US Deports Six Nigerians For Various Offences

The lawyer, Tin Thanh Nguyen, represents two of the Vietnamese nationals who arrived Monday.

“One of my clients … tried to assert a reasonable fear of harm being deported to Eswatini, but ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) ignored him and put him on the plane anyways,” he told AFP.

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He also represents a Vietnamese and a Laotian who were part of the first group which also included nationals from Cuba, Jamaica and Yemen.

– ‘Legal black hole’ –

The deal that Eswatini signed with the United States on May 14 says that the US deportees may include third country nationals “with criminal backgrounds and/or who are designated suspected terrorists”.

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Washington said the first group of men had been convicted of crimes in the United States, including child rape and murder, but their lawyers told AFP that all five had long finished serving their sentences.

READ ALSO:Venezuelan Deportees: US Embassy Gives Reason For Reducing Visa Validity For Nigerians

Eswatini jailed them in its maximum security Matsapha Correctional Centre which is notorious for holding political prisoners and for overcrowding.

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One of them, a 62-year-old Jamaican who had reportedly completed a sentence for murder in the United States, was sent back to his country around two weeks ago.

Nguyen said Eswatini was a “legal black hole” and the deportees were denied legal counsel.

His two clients had been detained since mid-July without a charge, he said.

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“I cannot call them. I cannot email them. I cannot communicate through local counsel because the Eswatini government blocks all attorney access,” he told AFP.

Lawyers and civil society groups in Eswatini have gone to court to challenge the legality of the detentions.

READ ALSO:Judge Halts US Govt Effort To Detain Student For Deportation

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A local lawyer on Friday won a court ruling allowing him to visit the four men still detained, but the government immediately appealed, suspending the ruling.

US President Donald Trump has overseen a drastic expansion of the practice of deporting people to countries other than their nation of origin, notably by sending hundreds to a notorious prison in El Salvador.

But rights experts have warned the deportations risk breaking international law by sending people to nations where they face the risk of torture, abduction and other abuses.

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Human Rights Watch last month urged African governments to refuse to accept US deportees and to terminate deals already in effect, saying they violated global rights law.

Eswatini, formerly known as Swaziland and landlocked by neighbours South Africa and Mozambique, has been led by King Mswati III since 1986 and his government has been accused of human rights violations.

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Russian Strikes Kill Five In Ukraine, Cause Power Outages

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Russian strikes Sunday on Ukraine killed five people and badly damaged energy infrastructure, temporarily severing power supplies to tens of thousands and prompting neighbouring Poland put ground defence on high alert.

Russia has stepped up strikes on energy networks, increasing fears Moscow would resume its widespread campaign of attacks on power facilities, which have plunged millions into darkness in past winters.

Russian forces fired 496 drones and 53 missiles at Ukraine, the majority of which were shot down, according to the Ukrainian air force.

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“Sadly, five people were killed. My sincere condolences to everyone who lost loved ones to this terror,” Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Strikes killed four people near Lviv, which lies in western Ukraine and is hundreds of kilometers from the front line, and has been largely spared the attacks that have hit cities further east.

“Near Lviv, an entire family of four was killed in their home, including a teenage girl,” Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga said.

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READ ALSO:Russia Arrests Woman For Detonating Bomb On Railway

Emergency services released photos showing firefighters battling flames in a destroyed building, and helping elderly residents to safety.
Attacks also killed one person in the southern region of Zaporizhzhia and wounded people near the eastern front, local authorities said.
“Russians once again targeted our infrastructure -– everything that ensures normal life for our people,” Zelensky said.

The strikes cut power to over 110,000 subscribers across several regions, Ukraine’s emergency services said, with the hardest hit being Zaporizhzhia.

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– ‘Gas, heat and light’ –
Overnight, more than 73,000 people in Zaporizhzhia were left without electricity, regional head Ivan Fedorov said, though power had been partially restored by the afternoon.

Ukraine’s state-run gas company Naftogaz network also reported damage to its network.
These maniacal terrorist strikes are aimed solely at one thing — depriving Ukrainians of gas, heat, and light,” Naftogaz CEO Sergii Koretskyi said in a statement.

READ ALSO:Badenoch Unveils Strict UK Immigration Plan, Targets 150,000 Yearly Deportations

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The Russian army said it launched an attack “against enterprises of the military-industrial complex of Ukraine and gas and energy infrastructure facilities that ensured their operation.”

Russian attacks have also rattled Ukraine’s European allies after a spate of alleged Russian airspace violations into Europe.

NATO boosted its defences along its eastern borders throughout the month as it accused Moscow of testing the alliance’s air defences with drone incursions into several members and by flying military jets in Estonian airspace.

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Overnight Poland’s armed forces said on X that they had mobilised planes and put ground defences on high alert to secure the country’s airspace, especially in areas close to Ukraine.

Ukraine also said Russia was intensifying a campaign of air strikes on its railway network in an attempt to isolate frontline communities ahead of winter.

Russia launched drones at two passenger trains in Ukraine’s northeastern Sumy region on Saturday, killing one person and wounding dozens, according to Ukrainian officials.

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Badenoch Unveils Strict UK Immigration Plan, Targets 150,000 Yearly Deportations

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Kemi Badenoch, leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, has unveiled an aggressive immigration reform plan aimed at detaining and deporting 150,000 illegal migrants annually, in what she described as the “toughest reforms Britain has ever seen” in border policy. The announcement was made in a video message posted on her X account on Sunday.

The plan, dubbed the Radical Borders Plan, envisages the establishment of a new Removals Force modelled after the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which would replace the current Home Office Immigration Enforcement unit. According to Badenoch, the Removals Force will have a mandate to remove all illegal entrants, foreign criminals, and undocumented migrants, while also monitoring illegal work. She stated, “My message is clear: if you’re here illegally, you will be detained and deported.”

Badenoch sharply criticised previous administrations, accusing both Conservative and Labour governments of failing to manage the migration crisis effectively. “Successive governments have failed on immigration. Labour promised to smash the gangs. Instead, in just a year, they delivered record small boat crossings, over 50,000 illegal arrivals, 32,000 people in asylum hotels, billions wasted. It’s pure weakness. Britain needs a serious, credible plan and the backbone to deliver it,” she said.

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READ ALSO:Badenoch Slams UK’s Palestine Recognition Decision As ‘Absolutely Disastrous’

The proposed plan includes several controversial measures. Asylum claims from illegal entrants would be banned, the Human Rights Act repealed, and the United Kingdom withdrawn from the European Convention on Human Rights. Badenoch added that all new illegal arrivals would be deported within a week, with legal obstacles to mass removals removed and visa sanctions imposed on countries that refuse to repatriate their citizens. She also pledged to “shut down the asylum hotel racket,” which she said would save taxpayers billions and restore public confidence in the UK’s border controls.

The Removals Force, if approved, will operate with an annual budget of £1.6 billion, double that of the current Immigration Enforcement unit, funded by savings from the closure of asylum hotels and other measures within the asylum system. The force will have sweeping powers, including the use of facial recognition technology without prior warning, and will integrate closely with the police. Priority for removals will include new illegal entrants, foreign criminals, failed asylum seekers, visa over-stayers, and others identified as residing in the UK illegally.

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In an interview on BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Badenoch faced criticism for her refusal to specify the destinations to which deported migrants would be sent. She responded, “I’m tired of all of these irrelevant questions about where they should go. They will go back to where they should be or another country, but they should not be here.” When pressed further, she added, “They will go back to where they came from.”

READ ALSO:Badenoch Slams UK PM For Cutting Defence Funding Amid Global Threats

According to the Conservative Party document detailing the plan, the proposed measures are intended to increase removals from the current 34,000 per year to approximately 150,000, marking a five-fold increase in enforcement activity. The party argues that the reforms are necessary to address what it describes as uncontrolled migration and to strengthen public trust in the country’s border system.

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Badenoch’s announcement has intensified the ongoing debate in the UK over immigration policy, balancing border security with human rights considerations. Critics have expressed concern over the repeal of the Human Rights Act and the use of facial recognition technology without oversight, while supporters have welcomed the proposed measures as a decisive step in tackling illegal immigration.

The Radical Borders Plan is expected to be submitted for parliamentary consideration in the coming months, with its implementation contingent on legislative approval and coordination with existing law enforcement structures.

 

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