News

Tax Reform Bills: Drama In Senate As Tinubu’s Economic Team Attends Plenary

Published

9 months ago

November 27, 2024

There was a mild drama Wednesday at the National Assembly, Abuja, as the Senate attempted to allow members of President Bola Tinubu’s economic team into the chamber.

The Senate Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central), had moved for suspension of Order 12 to allow for visitors into the chamber.

Bamidele said, “Tax experts and consultants as well as the Director-General of the Budget Office and the Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Tax, Zacchaeus Adedeji, were to attend the plenary to explain the Tax Reform Bills in detail to lawmakers.”

However, immediately after the submission, the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, Senator Abdul Ningi (PDP), stood up and read from the Order listing the titles of those who were allowed into the Senate plenary according to the Senate’s rules.

Ningi said such a conversation was more appropriate at the committee level and should be handed over to the finance committee and, maybe appropriations, to interface with the team.

In response, Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano North) explained that the Senate suspended its rule to allow for openness and let Nigerians watch the live proceedings and listen to the debate on the Tax Reform Bills.

He, thereafter, asked the Senate leader to address the order he came under.

Bamidele, in response, said, “Mr President, I listened to the Point of Order raised by the most distinguished, highly respected, well-revered former leader of the House and of the Senate, distinguished Senator Abdul Ningi.

“Mr. President, let me clarify. My motion was for suspension, not invocation of Order 12. Order 12 talks about those who are privileged to speak in this hallowed chamber, as well as the exceptions that can be granted.

“But when a motion is moved for suspension, it means that the rule does not apply again. In addition, sir, for our working relationship, let me also amend my motion by saying that in addition to my motion for the suspension of Order 12 on floor privileges, I’m also coming under Order 1B, which says in all cases where there’s no specific provision or rule, the Senate shall regulate its procedure.

“So, Mr President, let it be said that my motion is based on both the invocation of Order 1B of our rules, as well as the suspension of Order 12 of our rules. Nigerians need to know, and we also want to know. Let’s hear these people.”

Upon his explanation, the deputy president then put the question to a voice vote, after which he hit the gavel in favour of the ayes.

Shortly after, Ndume stood up and said such an important matter should have been highlighted on the Order Paper and since it wasn’t a Supplementary Order Paper, it should be printed or stepped down for another legislative day.

Barau, after explaining, said they should avoid rhetoric and face facts, after which he ruled Ndume out of order.

A moment after members of the economic team were allowed into the plenary, Ndume stood up and raised another Point of Order stating that the Deputy Senate President describing his comment as “rhetoric” was an insult.

He said, “I, therefore, demand an apology from you.”

In response, Barau laughed and said rhetoric wasn’t an insult, and it wasn’t directly in response to his comment but a general statement.

Once again, Barau ruled Ndume out of order.

News

Bumper Harvest: Foundation Distributes 6,000 Fertilizers To Farmers In Bauchi

Published

14 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

A group, Wunti Al-Khair Foundation has donated 6,000 50kg bags of fertilizer to farmers in Bauchi state in order to have a bumper harvest.

Speaking during the flag off ceremony of the distribution of the fertilizers on Thursday, Mr Abubakar Mohammed, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer, Wunti Al-Khair Foundation, said the distribution was only for the indigent farmers in the state.

He said the fertilizers would be distributed to farmers in underserved communities across the three Senatorial Districts of the state.

“We are gathered here to flag off the free distribution of fertilizers to farmers, especially the indigent farmers that don’t have the means to buy fertilizer for their farms.

“That is the reason why the founder of this foundation bought the fertilizers and distributed them to the low income farmers in the state.

“We have gone round the nooks and crannies of the state to identify the underserved communities and those that deserve this particular gesture.

“We planned to distribute about 6,000 bags of fertilizer and due to the populous nature of the Bauchi LGA, they have the largest share but some other local governments too have hundreds of beneficiaries which we divided into Senatorial zones,” he said.

According to him, today was the flagging off of the Bauchi South Senatorial District, adding that the extension of the gesture would commence in Bauchi North and Bauchi Central Senatorial Districts tomorrow.

Mohammed explained that the only criteria used in selecting the beneficiaries were underserved communities and low income farmers, adding that “we know that a large number of the farmers in Bauchi state are low income farmers.

“Those are the people that we identified, verified and they are our beneficiaries and we have warned the general public about the activities of some unscrupulous elements that go round to impersonate our foundation.

“Wunti Al-Khair Foundation is not charging a kobo for every part of its activities, be it education, healthcare, economic empowerment and community development”.

Responding, one of the beneficiaries, Emmanuel Samson, described the support as a timely intervention that would greatly enhance his farming activities and appreciated the foundation for the intervention.

Another beneficiary, Salisu Maidawa, who was short of words for the gesture, said the gesture came at a time when he was in dire need of it.

News

IYC Urges Tinubu To Sack NCDMB Boss

Published

15 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Western Zone, has urged President Bola Tinubu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, the Executive Secretary of Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB) for allegedly not “keeping up to the fundamental mandate,” upon which the agency was established.

This was contained in a statement jointly signed by Comrade Nicholas Igarama, Comrade Ebi Joshua Olowolayemo, and Comrade Tare Magbei, Western Zone
Chairman, Secretary, and Information Officer respectively, and made available to newsmen in Warri on Thursday, August 14, 2015.

According to the IYC, the call for Ogbe’s sack becomes necessary following his incompetence and ethnic bias, adding that Ogbe has turned the agency meant for the whole Niger Delta to his Itsekiri ethnic group alone.

The IYC, while noting that efforts to meet the NCDMB Executive Secretary to discuss critical issues as they affect the region and its people have proved abortive, said it can no longer fold it arms and watch while things go from bad to worse.

“As Executive Secretary of the NCDMB, Ogbe has consistently failed to input his supposed industry track record in the advancement of the mandate upon which the agency was founded.

“He has continually had a sectional engagement with his fellow Itsekiri Kits and Kin, thereby shutting all other ethnic nationalites in the Niger Delta region out.

“Repeatedly, he avoided critical youth engagement in the region while sponsoring that of his Itsekiri ethnicity through different human capacity development initiatives, while other ethnic nationalites are left unattended.

“As Ijaw, mostly from the western flank where Engr. Ogbe also hails from, we will not sit and watch others benefit from the resources that we produce without our practical involvement to better the lives of our people as well.

“It is on record that the leadership of Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Western Zone has tried to establish communication with Engr. Ogbe, for the last ten months, but every medium of communication to get his attention has fundamentally proven to be abortive.

“As youths, we can no longer have leaders in office who have now equated themselves to demi-god and have refused to attend to most significantly youthful issues in the Niger Delta Region.

“To this end, we therefore call on President Bola Ahmed Tinibu to immediately sack Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, who has consistently displayed disregard for critical actors in the Niger Delta and has also exhibited the highest level of gross inefficiency by not keeping up to the fundamental mandate upon which NCDMB was founded,” the statement reads.

The IYC also called for the probe Ogbe as Executive Secretary after his sack.

Efforts to reach Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, the General Manager, Corporate Communications, NCDMB, for reaction proved abortive.

News

I’m Being Impersonated – Goodluck Jonathan Disowns Social Media Account

Published

17 hours ago

August 14, 2025

Editor

Former President Goodluck Jonathan, on Thursday said he is being impersonated by fraudsters.

Jonathan alleged that a fraudulent Instagram handle has been impersonating him.

In a statement by his Media Aide,
Ikechukwu Eze, the former President insisted that he does not operate any Instagram handle.

The statement is titled ‘Beware of fake Instagram account impersonating H.E. Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan’.

“Our attention has been drawn to a fraudulent Instagram account operating under the handle goodluck_ebelejonathan, which is falsely impersonating former President Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan.

“This impostor account has been deceitfully posting content, some copied from Dr. Jonathan’s Facebook page, while pretending to represent the former President.

“We wish to emphasise that Dr. Jonathan does not operate any Instagram account.

“The media and members of the public are strongly advised to disregard, avoid sharing, or promoting any content originating from this fake profile,” the statement read.