By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

The House of Representatives on Wednesday, expressed deep anger over faulty air crafts in the Presidential air fleet, just as it summoned the National Security Adviser, (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, for investigation.

The House in plenary, during a heated debate on the motion, reiterated that billions of naira was budgeted to maintain the presidential Air Fleet.

The motion, which was moved by Hon Satomi Ahmed was followed by a heated debate by members who were divided over the issue.

Recall that the Vice President Kashim Shettima was on Sunday forced to cancel his trip to the United States where he was scheduled to represent President Bola Tinubu at the 2024 US-Africa Business Summit, due to a fault with his aircraft.

Moving a motion of urgent public importance, Satomi who is Chairman House Committee on National Security and Intelligence, and represents Jere Federal Constituency, Borno State, noted that in April, President Bola Tinubu was embarrassingly, forced to fly in a chartered plane from Netherlands to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to attend the World Economic Forum.

He noted that Vice President Kashim Shettima similarly used a chartered jet recently as presidential jets were undergoing repairs.

He expressed love for the President and Vice president insisting that such incident was a national embarrassment despite billions of naira budgeted yearly to maintain the air fleets.

In his contribution, member representing Balanga/Billiri Federal Constituency, Gombe State, Ali Isah while supporting the call for investigation of the state of the presidential aircrafts, said the development should offer President Tinubu opportunity to travel by road to enable him understand the state of road infrastructure across the country.

He said, “I think this will afford our President and other leaders the opportunity to travel by road and appreciate the state of our roads.

“This happens all the time in some countries of the world.”

However the proposal did not sit well with Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Kalu who presided over Wednesday’s plenary.

“Are you saying Mr President, the number one leader should travel around by road?,” he asked rhetorically amid support from All Progressives Congress lawmakers.

 Supporting Isah’s position, the Minority Leader of the House, Kingsley Chinda argued that “In Britain, the Prime Minister flies British Airways. I don’t see anything wrong with a public officer using commercial transportation.”

Chinda  also said that  bringing the motion to the floor of the House was not necessary as it is the duty of the relevant committee to go ahead with the investigation without necessarily bringing it on the floor of the House .

Chinda further advocated the resuscitation of a national career as a way out of the embarrassment.

The Deputy Speaker however, said it was indeed not necessary to bring the motion  before the whole House as it was within the duty of the relevant committee to investigate the incidence of it deems it fit he therefore called that the motion be stepped down

By Johnson Eyiangho, Abuja

Former Vice-president Atiku Abubakar has asked the Federal Government to halt the move to mop up the sum of N20 trillion from the Pension Fund and other funds to finance infrastructure projects.

Atiku described the move as a “misguided initiative that could lead to disastrous consequences on the lives of pensioners who toiled and saved and who now survive on their pensions having retired from service”.

He said in a post on his X handle yesterday that his attention was drawn to the disclosure of the FG’s move by the Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr.

Wale Edun, as he addressed State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday, 14 May.

Moreover, Atiku said Edun did not  provided useful details, such as the percentage of the funds to be mopped up from the Pension Funds.

According to him, it is another attempt to perpetrate illegality by the Federal Government. The government must be cautioned to act strictly within the provisions of the Pension Reform Act of 2014 (PRA 2014), along with the revised Regulation on Investment of Pension Assets issued by the National Pension Commission (PenCom). 

“In particular, the Federal Government must not act contrary to the provisions of the extant Regulation on  investment limits to wit: Pension Funds can invest no more than 5% of total pension funds’ assets in infrastructure investments. I note that as of December 2023, total pension funds assets were approximately N18 Trillion, of which 75% of these  are investments in FGN Securities.

“There is no free Pension Funds that is more than 5% of the total value of the nation’s pension fund for Mr. Edun to fiddle with.”

He told the finance minister that there are no easy ways for him to address the challenges of funding infrastructure development in the country as he cannot cut corners but must introduce the necessary reforms to restore investors confidence in the nation’s economy and leverage private resources, skills, and technology.

From Marcel Duru & Charity Winns, Owerri
The Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma has told the leadership of the National Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC) that they are partners in progress with him in the service to God and humanity.
He made the remarks on Monday at the Government House, Owerri while playing host to the Executive Secretary of NCPC, Bishop Stephen Adegbite, who led his top officials on a thank you visit to Governor Uzodimma for sponsoring a historical 1000 Christian pilgrims to the Holy Land in 2023.

The Executive Secretary and his team did not come empty-handed as they presented the Governor with two souvenirs from NCPC, with Bishop Adegbite announcing him the “Pilgrimage Governor of the Year 2023” and consequently, the ‘’first Pilgrimage Ambassador of the Commission in Nigeria.”
Making the presentation to the Governor at the New Exco Chambers, Bishop Adegbite explained that “the award was necessitated by the unprecedented sponsorship by the Governor of 1,000 Christians from the State to the Holy land in 2023, which is the first of its kind from any Governor/Government of a State and FCT in Nigeria.”
He further appreciated the Governor for what he described as his “overall support to the National Pilgrimage, the Imo Pilgrims Welfare Board and the Christian Association of Nigeria in general,” and requested the Governor to “do more.”
Bishop Adegbite congratulated the Governor on his reelection for a second tenure, noting that his return by the people of Imo State “is not a surprise looking at the several achievements of the Governor in his first tenure.”
Describing the Governor as “a willing shepherd ready to lead his people, the man with the golden heart and full of expectations from his people,” Bishop Adegbite added that “the Governor has given hope to the hopeless, homeless, and the disadvantaged, as well as lives to the people.”
Bishop Adegbite who proceeded to reel out the things Uzodimma has done in the different sectors of the economy in Imo State used the opportunity to woo the Governor to join in an ‘’Executive Pilgrimage’’ with his wife so that the Governor can experience in Israel, what he has been experiencing in the past 23 years of travelling to the place, and possibly tap from the country’s agricultural potentials, “though a country in the desert.”
He noted that the award to the Governor is to appreciate and encourage him to do more.
Receiving his guests, Governor Uzodimma thanked the NCPC for deeming it fit and necessary to honour him with the Award and right away, dedicated the same to the Almighty God.
He recalled how Imo State, before 2023, was besieged by crime and criminality and challenged on all fronts, noting that “after applying kinetic solutions to no avail,  it became necessary to seek the face of God by crying to God as a non-kinetic approach.”
“It is as a result of this that I decided to send 1,000 Christians in Imo State to go to the Holy Land to pray and seek the face of God.  When they came back God heard their prayers and today Imo State is Safe.”
Uzodimma added that “as Christians we must always commit to those activities in the scriptures,” insisting that, “we did it before, we will do it again, God willing.”
Earlier, he described Bishop Adegbite “as a committed and morally guided Christian whose appointment was acknowledged nationally as a round peg in a round hole.”
The Governor however requested the leadership of the NCPC to endeavour to give those who have not been to the pilgrimage before the opportunity to have the experience.
While welcoming the visitors on behalf of the Government of Imo State, the Secretary to the State Government, Chief Cosmas Iwu, said the State was not surprised over the Award to the Governor going by  the unprecedented number of Christians he sent to pilgrimage in 2023. He said the appreciation was an indication that “one good turn deserves another.”
Iwu who joined the NCPC in congratulating the Governor on the Award and honour, described him as “a man of many parts who has carved a niche for himself in law making, governance, religion, education, empowerment, digital-economy and many others,” adding that, “the Award is another feather to the cap of the Governor.”
The Deputy Governor,  Lady (Dr.) Chinyere Ekomaru, the Chief of Staff, Barr. Nnamdi Anyaehie and other top Government functionaries joined the Governor in receiving the visitors.