Headlines
Senators Donate Half Salaries, to Slash NASS 2020 Budget
The senators have agreed to donate half of their March salaries to the fight against the spread of coronavirus in the country.
They are however still consulting among themselves on the amount to cut from their own portion of the N128bn National Assembly budget approved for the year.
Investigations by our correspondent on Sunday revealed that the senators have started sending half of their salaries to a dedicated account.
The account it was learnt was being coordinated by the Senate Committee on House Services.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, confirmed to our correspondent on Sunday that his colleagues had started donating half of their March salaries.
He said, “We’ve already given out 50 per cent of our salaries like ministers, (to government) amidst other individual efforts to our constituents.”
But the Leader of the Senate, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi, told our correspondent on Sunday that the senators were still consulting on the matter.
He, however, disclosed that the senators would not do exactly what the ministers have done.
He said, “The senators are still consulting. The result of our consultations will be made open tomorrow (today) Monday.
“We are not doing exactly what the ministers have done.”
Abdullahi also said that the leadership of the National Assembly had not agreed on when to reconvene and review the 2020 national budget.
A senator, however, told our correspondent on condition of anonymity on Sunday that the part of the sacrifice that members of the Senate wanted to make was to reduce their own portion of the N128bn National Assembly budget.
He said, “We have agreed to slash the National Assembly budget for this year in line with the current reality. It is certain that the Federal Government will reduce the N10.59tn national budget because of the reduction in the revenue to fund it. So, we are reducing our own too.”
The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) had proposed N125bn to the federal parliament, but the lawmakers added N3bn to it.
Nigeria’s 43 ministers had last week announced the donation of 50 per cent of their March 2020 salaries to support the Federal Government’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
This was contained in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.
The Punch
The Super Eagles of Nigeria defeated Egypt 4-2 on penalties to win the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) 2025 third-place playoff on Saturday.
Goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali proved the hero of the night with two crucial saves during the shootout, including one from Egyptian star Mohamed Salah.
Ademola Lookman then calmly converted the decisive penalty to secure the bronze medal —Nigeria’s ninth third-place finish in AFCON history.
With neither side able to break the deadlock in a cagey second half, the game ended 0-0, sending the contest directly to penalties.
Despite Fisayo Dele-Bashiru missing Nigeria’s first kick, Nwabali’s immediate saved from Egypt’s first two attempts shifted the momentum.
The Supreme Court has dismissed the appeal of the son of a former Jigawa State governor, challenging the decision of the trial court, which convicted him for failing to declare $40,000 at Kano airport.
In a unanimous decision, the apex court panel dismissed the appeal of Aminu Sule Lamido, the son of former governor Sule Lamido, for lack of merit.
Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested Aminu on December 11, 2012, at the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport while preparing to travel to Cairo, Egypt.
The prosecution said Aminu declared $10,000 to the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), but was found with an additional $40,000, which was not disclosed on his currency declaration form.
The EFCC charged him before the Federal High Court in Kano on a one-count offence of false declaration of foreign currency, contrary to provisions of the Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act.
On July 12, 2015, the court convicted Aminu and ordered him to forfeit 25 per cent of the undeclared sum to the Federal government.
Dissatisfied with the ruling, Aminu approached the Court of Appeal in Kaduna to overturn the conviction and set aside the forfeiture order.
In a judgment delivered on December 7, 2015, however, the Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has ordered that the trial of former governor Lamido, his two sons, and others, over alleged N1.35billion fraud, should continue before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
A five-member panel of the apex court issued the directive in two unanimous judgments, in the two appeals filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Supreme Court upheld the decision of the trial court, which dismissed the no-case submission filed by the Lamidos and held that the defendants had a case to answer.
Both appeals were against the July 25, 2023, judgments of the Court of Appeal in Abuja, which upheld the no-case submission made by Lamido and others and struck out the 37-count charge on which they were being prosecuted, on the grounds that the Federal High Court in Abuja lacked the jurisdiction to hear the case.
In the lead judgments of the Supreme Court, Justice Abubakar Umar set aside the July 25, 2023 judgments of the Court of Appeal and affirmed the earlier decision by Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu of the Federal High Court, Abuja, which overruled the no-case submissions by Lamido and others and ordered them to enter their defence.
The EFCC, in the 37-count charge, among others, accused Lamido of abusing his position as a governor between 2007 and 2015, allegedly laundering sums of money received as kickbacks from companies that were awarded contracts by the Jigawa State Government under his leadership.
The other defendants charged alongside Lamido are his two sons – Aminu and Mustapha; Aminu Wada Abubakar and their companies – Bamaina Holdings Ltd and Speeds International Ltd.
