Headlines
Why We Suspended Buhari’s $22.7bn Loan Approval – Gbajabiamila
The Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said the protest by National Assembly members from the South-East geopolitical zone led to the suspension of work on the $22.79bn external borrowing request by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
Gbajabiamila said the House of Representatives was already in talks with the Federal Government on how the zone would be accommodated in the execution of projects with the loan.
The Speaker said this in Abuja, on Wednesday, when he hosted Leaders of the South-South and South-East Faith Forum.
The House had, on March 11, suspended consideration of the $22.79bn loan request indefinitely.
It had scheduled consideration of the report by the Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt Management, on the 2016-2018 Federal Government External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan, but Gbajabiamila asked that the consideration be stood down without giving a new date.
On March 13, members of the South-East caucus in the National Assembly, led by the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, met separately with President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan; and the Speaker behind closed doors.
Responding to the call by the Leaders of Faith Forum that the Federal Government should jettison the idea of taking the loan at this critical time, the Speaker said the issue was debatable, adding that government should be given the benefit of the doubt.
Gbajabiamila disclosed that the confirmation process was discontinued due to protests that the South-East would not benefit from the loan.
The Speaker said he spoke with Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed; and the Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, to find a solution to the impasse.
He said, “There has been a lot of agitation about South-East not benefiting from the loan. It is one of the reasons we haven’t considered the loan in the House. I’ve discussed with the finance minister and the DG Budget. It is a matter that we are looking into seriously.
“I’m hoping that there will be some kind of amicable resolution, so that everybody will be carried along. Equity suggests that all zones must be carried along.
“With the quality of members that you have and the generality of the House, we’ll work towards a fair resolution of the issue so that it leads to something that will bring us together and unite us as a country.”
Gbajabiamila also said the House was already addressing the issues of open grazing and insecurity, among others, as raised by the clerics, challenging them to come up with alternatives and possible solutions to any issue that they were uncomfortable with.
The Speaker also urged religious leaders to always pray for Nigerian leaders because they need prayers all the time in order to succeed.
He appealed to the clerics to avail Nigerian leaders with their wisdom and knowledge, especially in the areas of politics and governance.
Earlier, leader of the delegation, Bishop Sunday Onuoha, said the visit was to discuss issues of concerns with the Speaker, saying, while they applauded the Federal Government’s food security agenda, farmlands across the country were still unsafe.
The leaders urged the government to urgently address the situation and avert impending hunger in most communities that depend on staple food like cassava and rice.
The religious leaders said the issue of open grazing must stop, adding that it generated insecurity and people were no longer safe in their farmlands.
The Punch
Headlines
Abiola Cannot Be Recognised As Former President; He Was Never Sworn-in – Gen Ishola Williams
By Eric Elezuo
One of the prime actors of the June 12, 1993 incidents, General Ishola Williams, has said that much as Chief MKO Abiola wrong was created having won the election, and denied victory, he cannot be recognized as a former President of Nigeria.
Gen Williams made his revelation while speaking as a guest on Channels television socio-political programme, Inside Source.
He maintained that only those who were sworn in that recognised as former presidents, and Abiola was never sworn in.
“Abiola cannot be recognised as former president because he was never sworn in.
The General, who said that he resigned from the army as a result of the wholesome reception given to General Sani Abacha, when he overthrew Chief Ernest Shonekan-led Interim National Government, contrary to expectation, also picked flaws in the narratives given by former Military President Ibrahim Babangida, in his recently launched book, A Journey In Service.
Williams rose in the army to become the Commandant of Army Signals, Commander of Training and Doctrine (TRADOC) and Chief of Defence Training and Planning, from where he resigned.
Headlines
Breaking: Supreme Court Recognises Martin Amaewhule As Rivers Assembly Speaker, Orders CBN to Stop Releasing Funds to State
By Eric Elezuo
The Supreme Court of Nigeria has in its ruling on Friday recognised Hon Martins Amaewhule as the authentic speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, mandating him to urgently resume sitting with elected members of the assembly.
The apex court also ordered the Central Bank of Nigeria to stop releasing to the Rivers State government until a proper assembly is constituted.
Details soon…
Tension escalated at the Lagos State House of Assembly on Thursday as impeached Speaker Mudashiru Obasa made a dramatic return to reclaim his position.
Accompanied by heavily armed men, Obasa stormed the Assembly complex in a bold move that has thrown the State’s legislature into turmoil.
In a stunning turn of events, security details assigned to the substantive Speaker, Rt. Hon. Mojisola Meranda, were abruptly withdrawn on Thursday morning, clearing the path for Obasa’s controversial comeback.
Sources revealed that the Inspector General of Police (IGP) ordered the withdrawal of all security operatives attached to Meranda, leaving her exposed in the midst of an intensifying power struggle.
The Speaker’s Special Adviser on Information, Mr. Victor Ganzallo, expressed concern over the security vacuum created by the withdrawal of personnel.
“In the early hours of Thursday, we woke up to the startling news that all security details assigned to Madam Speaker, Mojisola Meranda, had been withdrawn.
This includes the police and DSS officers, leaving her exposed to threats amid the ongoing speakership crisis,” Ganzallo stated.
He further called on Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, as the State’s Chief Security Officer, to intervene urgently to prevent a complete breakdown of law and order within the Assembly.
“The withdrawal of security personnel has left the Assembly naked and vulnerable at a critical time. Urgent action is needed to restore order,” he pleaded.
With the speakership battle taking a dramatic new turn, political watchers are keenly observing how the crisis will unfold in the coming days.
