COVER
Senate, Reps Receive 1999 Constitution Amendment Reports
.Aisha Buhari Leads Female Ministers, Others to Witness Event in Red Chamber
.Consideration, Vote Commence Next Week
By Jude Opara & Ubong Ukpong,
Abuja
Both chambers of the National Assembly, yesterday received the long-awaited 1999 Constitution Amendment Reports.
In the Senate, Wife of the President, Mrs Aisha Buhari in company of Minister of Women Affairs, Pauline Tallen, Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed and a delegation of other Nigerian women were present to witness the laying of the report by the Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Alteration to the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ovie Omo-Agege.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, after referring to a Bill for an Act to Amend the Federal High Court Act Cap F134 to the Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, immediately suspended Rule 12(1) – Privileges of the Floor – and invoked Rule 1(b) to admit the Wife of the President and her delegation into the chamber at exactly 11:58am.
As soon as the visitors settled down, Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Alteration to the Provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Omo-Agege laid the report.
The Senate President in a brief remark after the report was laid, said the visit of the First Lady was to show support for a bill to have more women at the federal and state legislatures.
Lawan said; “The First Lady’s visit is to show support for a bill for more female parliamentarians in both chambers in the Senate and the House and the State Legislatures.
“This, we believe, will help in nation building as such significant participation by our women will add value to not only legislation but the much desired and needed national development.
“For us as a nation, our motto is Unity and Faith, Peace and Progress. We believe that all hands must be on deck to ensure the participation of each and every segment of our society.”
He further assured the First Lady that the Ninth Assembly, while voting on the amendments to the constitution as contained in the ad-hoc committee’s report, would ensure that women representation in governance is commensurate with their population.
“At the moment, you will all agree with me that our women have not been able to get that level of participation commensurate with their population as reflected in our demography.
“Therefore, what we are trying to do (Amendment of the Constitution) will go through voting later to complete the process in the National Assembly.”
The report submitted in House of Representatives contained 68 proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution, presented to it by the Deputy Speaker, Idris Wase-led Special Ad-hoc committee saddled with the responsibility.
With this presentation, members are ready to debate and vote on the reports and their recommendations next Wednesday and Thursday, as earlier announced by the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to the Deputy Speaker, the report included bills which sought to abrogate the State Joint Local Government Account and Provide for a Special Account into which shall be paid all allocations due to local government areas from the Federation Account and from the Government of the State, as well as establish Local Government as a tier of government and guarantee its democratic existence, tenure, as well as a bill seeking to provide for the financial independence of State Houses of Assembly and State Judiciary and for related matters.
Another include bill seeking to establish State Security Council; Empower the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly to summon the president of the country and state governors to answer questions on issues on which the national and state Assemblies have the power to make law; reduce the period within which the oresident or the governor of a state may authorize the withdrawal of monies from the Consolidated Revenue Fund in the absence of an Appropriations Act from six months to three months; Replace the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federation with the Consolidated Revenue Fund of the Federal Government; and Establish the Office of the Accountant –General of the Federal Government separate from the Office of the Accountant –General of the Federation.
The House also received reports on the bills which seek to ‘Empower the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission to enforce compliance with remittance of accruals into and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account and streamline the procedure for reviewing the revenue allocation formula; Expand Immunity to the Legislative and Judicial arms of Government; Specify the period within which the President or the Governor of State shall present the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly require the President or Governors to submit the Names of Persons Nominated as Ministers or Commissioners within 30 days of taking the Oath of Office for Confirmation by the Senate or State House of Assembly; and include Presiding Officers of the National Assembly in the Membership of the National Security Council.
Other reports were bills seeking to “compel persons to obey or comply with Legislative Summons”; ‘Regulate the First Session and Inauguration of Members-Elect of the National and State Houses of Assembly’; Institutionalize Legislative bureaucracy in the Constitution; provide for the procedure for passing a Constitution Alteration Bill where the President withhold assent’; as well as a bill which seeks to provide the procedure for overriding Executive Veto in respect of Money Bill.
Equally, members are would vote on the bills seeking to: Provide for the Procedure of Removing Presiding Officers of the Legislature; Provide Pension for Presiding Officers of the National Assembly; Establish the Federal Revenue Court and the Revenue Court of a State; Further strengthen the Judiciary for timely dispensation of justice; Provide the timelines within which Civil and Criminal Cases are heard and determined at Trial and Appellate Courts in Order to eliminate unnecessary delay in justice administration and delivery.
The House would also consider reports on the bills to Ensure uniformity in the retirement age and pension rights of Judicial Officers of Superior Courts of Records; Delete the reference to the provisions of the Criminal Code, Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Act, Criminal Procedure Code or Evidence Act; Exclude the period of intervening events in the computation of time for determining pre-election petitions, Election petitions and Appeals therefrom; and bill which seeks to allow Court or Tribunal proceedings to be conducted remotely, virtually, online or through any Media platform or technological Innovation.
Another, were the reports on the bills which sought to ‘Expand the Interpretation of Judicial Office to include Courts or Tribunals created by an Act of the National Assembly or a State House of Assembly; Provide for the Post Call Qualification of the Secretary of the National Judicial Council; Permit Public Servants to engage in healthcare education, production and services beyond farming; Impose the requirement of fair hearing in the process of Recommendation of Removal of Judicial Officers by the State Judicial Service Commission; Include Judges of the National Industrial Court in the Composition of Election Tribunal; Move Airports from Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List and move Fingerprints, Identification and Criminal Records from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List.
The Special Ad-hoc Committee also laid the report on the bills which seek to Delete the prisons in the Exclusive Legislative List and re-designate it as Correctional Services in the Concurrent Legislative List; move Railway from the Exclusive Legislative List to Concurrent Legislative List; allow States generate, transmit and distribute electricity in Area covered by the National Grid; and Alter Part I of the Second Schedule to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 to include Value Added Tax on the Exclusive Legislative List.
In the same vein, the House received the reports on the bills which seek to Provide for Special Seat for Women in the National and State Houses of Assembly; Expand the Scope of Citizenship by Registration; Provide for Affirmative Action for Women in Political Party Administration; provide Criteria for Qualification to become an Indigene of a State in Nigeria; Enhance the Independence of Certain Bodies; Remove Transitional Lawmaking Powers from the Executive Arms of Government; Specify the Time within which the Executive shall present to the National Assembly any Treaty between the Federation and any other Country for Enactment.
Others were bills seeking to: Establish the Office of the Attorney–General of the Federation and of the State separate from the Office of the Minister of Justice or Commissioners for Justice of the state in order to make the Offices Attorneys–General Independent and Insulated from Partisanship; Provide for a State of the Nation and State of the State Address by the President and Governor; Include Former Heads of the National Assembly in the Council of State and Provide for the termination of tenure of certain elected officials on account of a change of political party.
In line with Section 9(2) of the Constitution (as amended), the resolution of the National Assembly on the alteration of the Constitution is expected to be transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly for their resolutions.
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
As part of efforts to reposition the newspaper for optimum corporate performance, the management of Asset Newspapers Limited, Publishers of DAILY ASSET, has announced the appointment of David Torough as the Editor of the Abuja-based national daily.
A statement by the management said the appointments were part of the company’s new strategy to further penetrate the various states in the country and raise its readership and patronage.
“DAILY ASSET is widely acceptable across the country and to maintain our leadership position, we need to increase management presence, hence the need to create new Bureau offices in some locations outside Abuja and Lagos,” the statement quoted the Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief, Dr Cletus Akwaya to have said.
In a statement yesterday, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the fast-growing daily, Dr. Cletus Akwaya said the appointment was part of the new strategy to properly situate the paper for better productivity.
“DAILY ASSET has a commitment with the Nigerian people. We are determined to weather the storm and give Nigerian readers a Newspaper that satisfies their yearnings and reading pleasure and we can only do that with the right set of professionals,” the statement said.
Akwaya, a former Commissioner of Information from Benue State said the difficult times being faced by Nigerians posed a great challenge to the media as the people deserved credible information with which to make choices.
“We have a bond with the people, to offer credible information at all times in the best tradition of the Nigerian Press and on this scale of objectivity, truth and fairness, we pledge to remain steadfast no matter the challenges,” Akwaya was quoted to have said.
He said the newspaper will maiantin its daily print run and circulation to all states of the federation and urged advertisers to take advantage of the deep penetration of the Daily Asset brand to send their messages.
Torough, the new Editor has had a steady rise in the Newspaper in the last five years.
A graduate of Mass communication of the Benue State University, Makurdi, Torough joined the company in 2022 as Benue State Correspondent. He was spotted for his brilliance and redeployed to Abuja the following year and promoted to Deputy News Editor. He was subswuently named Deputy Editor of the paper, a position he held until the recent appointment.
Torough has attended several journalistic workshops and trainings to properly equip himself for the task ahead.
The statement also said the Management named Eze Okechukwu as Deputy Editor.
Before his elevation as Deputy Editor, Eze has been Deputy Politics Editor and DAILY ASSET Newspaper correspondent covering the Senate, having joined the organization in 2021.
Born on March 10, 1975, Eze holds a Masters Degree in Mass Communication from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology.
Eze began his journalism career with Daily Star, Enugu and later worked with Daily Trust Newspaper, Abuja as sports reporter.
Aside from his journalistic excellence, he has a great deal of passion for sports.
From Ngutor Dekera, Kaduna and Aliyu Askira, Kano
Northern governors and traditional rulers yesterday called for the suspension of mining activities across the region for six months, blaming illegal mining for worsening insecurity in many states.The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued after a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.
The meeting, chaired by the Gombe State Governor and NSGF Chairman, Muhammadu Yahaya, had in attendance the 19 northern governors and chairmen of the 19 states’ traditional councils. The Forum expressed concern over the escalating violence in parts of the North, including the killings and abductions recently recorded in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano states, as well as renewed Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe.“The Forum extends its deepest condolences and solidarity to the governments and good people of the affected states,” the communiqué said, noting that the attacks on schoolchildren and other citizens had become “unacceptable tragedies” that required urgent collective action.It commended President Bola Tinubu for what it described as the Federal Government’s “firm response” to recent abductions and insurgency threats, especially the rescue of some abducted pupils.The governors also saluted security agencies for their sacrifices on the frontlines.“We resolved to renew our support for every step taken by the President and Commander-in-Chief to take the fight to insurgents’ enclaves in order to end the criminality,” the Forum stated.A major highlight of the meeting was the North’s renewed push for the establishment of state police, with governors and traditional rulers insisting that decentralised policing had become inevitable.“The Forum reaffirms its wholehearted support and commitment to the establishment of state police,” the communiqué added, urging federal and state lawmakers from the region to “expedite action for its actualisation.”On illegal mining, the governors said criminal mining networks were fuelling violence and providing resources for armed groups.As a corrective measure, they asked Tinubu to direct the Minister of Solid Minerals to impose a six-month suspension of mining activities in order to allow for a full audit and revalidation of licences.“The Forum observed that illegal mining has become a major contributory factor to the security crises in Northern Nigeria. “We strongly recommend a suspension of mining exploration for six months to allow proper audit and to arrest the menace of artisanal illegal mining,” it said.To strengthen the fight against insecurity, the governors also announced the creation of a regional Security Trust Fund.Under the proposed arrangement, each state and its local governments will contribute ₦1bn monthly, to be deducted at source under an agreed framework.They said the fund would help provide sustainable financing for joint operations, intelligence-driven interventions and coordinated security responses across the region.At the end of the meeting, the Forum reaffirmed its commitment to unity and collective responsibility.“Only through unity, peer review and cooperation can we overcome the pressing challenges before us,” it declared.The Forum agreed to reconvene on a date to be announced.Meanwhile, Nigeria’s worsening security crisis took a grim turn on Monday as bandits launched fresh attacks in Kano State, abducting 25 villagers, even as the Federal Government raced to secure the release of more than 300 Catholic school children kidnapped in Niger State.In the early hours of Monday, armed bandits invaded Unguwar Tsamiya—popularly called Dabawa—in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State, whisking away nine men and two women after shooting into the air and assaulting residents. The attackers also rustled two cows.A resident lamented the community’s helplessness: “We cannot do otherwise; most of us cannot leave because we have nowhere to go. This is our place, our land and everything is here.”The assault came less than 24 hours after a similar attack on Yan Kamaye in Tsanyawa LGA, a community along the volatile Katsina border.In Niger State, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has assured distraught families of St. Mary’s Co-Education School, Kontagora that the more than 300 students and staff abducted on November 21 will return home “soon.” Ribadu, who led a high-level federal delegation to the school on Monday, said the abductees are safe, though he offered no specifics on their location or the status of rescue operations.According to Daniel Atori, spokesman for the Catholic bishop overseeing the school, the NSA reassured officials: “The children are where they are and will come back safely.”The St. Mary’s attack is part of a worrying resurgence of mass kidnappings reminiscent of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction. Security analysts warn that banditry has evolved into a “structured, profit-seeking industry,” with hundreds of Nigerians abducted in November alone.The Kontagora school abduction occurred the same week 25 girls were kidnapped in Kebbi State—victims who authorities say have since been rescued through “non-kinetic” means. About 50 of the St. Mary’s hostages have also managed to escape.Ribadu’s delegation, which included the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), reaffirmed the government’s commitment to securing the freedom of all abducted citizens.As communities from Kano to Niger continue to bear the brunt of these violent incursions, the escalating spate of kidnappings underscores the urgent national demand for a more decisive and coordinated security response.
By David Torough, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said former Attorney‑General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will face a team of interrogators at its office daily throughout December.A credible source in the EFCC said on Monday that the daily appearance was part of an ongoing investigation into the whereabouts of an alleged 490 million dollars Abacha loot secured through a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAT) request.
The source said that Malami, who was summoned for interrogation by the EFCC on Saturday, was barred from leaving Nigeria for the next one month.According to the source, one of the conditions for his release on Saturday was that he should report daily to the EFCC Headquarters in Abuja for further interrogation.The source said Malami would have to appear daily at the anti-graft office due to the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him.”We seized his passport, it is the normal routine during investigation, but he has to report at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja every day for the next month.”He will be reporting for further investigation throughout December.”He will be reporting every day, starting from Dec. 1st to Dec. 31st.He will appear before the team of investigators for the entire month of December.”He will be reporting to EFCC for investigation for the period because of the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him,” the source added.According to the source, a fact sheet on the former minister revealed that Malami had several issues to clarify with the EFCC within the coming weeks.“We have asked him to explain the whereabouts of the $490 million Abacha loot secured through MLAT.“We didn’t say he stole money, but he should account for the loot. This is one of the issues he will clarify to our investigators.”The commission cited the large volume of documents he must review and the need for extensive interviews as reasons for seizing his passport.The source said EFCC would not engage in a war of words but would release its findings after a thorough investigation.Malami, in a statement by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, on Monday in Abuja, however, described the EFCC investigation as a political witch‑hunt.He confirmed he honored an EFCC invitation on Nov. 28, describing the engagement as fruitful and expressing confidence that the probe would vindicate him.Malami described the EFCC’s allegations as baseless, illogical and devoid of substance, insisting they collapse under factual scrutiny.
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