The candidate of the All Progressives
Congress in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State, Godwin
Obaseki, has promised to provide farmers, under the Anchor Borrowers’
Programme, with free Certificates of Occupancy to enable them access
their lands for productive farming.
Obaseki stated this on Wednesday during
the inauguration of the programme in Benin, where the beneficiaries were
awarded a loan of N2bn provided by the Central Bank of Nigeria and
guaranteed by the Edo State Government.
He spoke just as Governor Adams
Oshiomhole explained that the aim of the loan was to provide employment,
reduce food imports and diversify the economy.
The APC candidate also assured that his
administration would collaborate with various communities on the use of
modern equipment for farming.
He said, “I will make sure that all
farmers under this Anchor Borrowers’ Programme get their certificates of
occupancy free of charge because with the certificates of occupancy,
you now have access.
Obaseki, who said that the programme
would ignite agricultural revolution in the state, noted said that there
were other incentives that the state government would provide to reduce
the cost of production, cultivation and increase profit for farmers.
The plenary of the House of
Representatives on Wednesday became rowdy following the protest by some
sympathisers of the sacked House Chairman on Appropriation, Abdulmumin
Jibrin, who felt a member had moved a motion to suspend Jibrin.
Trouble started after the Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, Emmanuel Orker-jev, raised a point of order.
He was recongnised to speak by the Speaker, Yakubu Dogara.
After welcoming his colleagues back to
plenary, Orker-jev urged them to disappoint journalists, who had
predicted a rowdy session by allowing peace to prevail in the chamber.
He asked for and received permission to
move a motion, citing a breach of the privileges of the House as well as
that of members.
The lawmaker noted that the House had come under heavy attack by the allegations of budget padding being made by a member.
At this point, all eyes were on Jibrin,
who was dressed in a white flowing gown as he stood from his seat,
stepped out of the chamber and returned minutes later with a stash of
documents.
Members of the internal security arm of the National Assembly kept him under close watch as some moved to protect the mace.
Orker-jev proceeded to read his motion
titled, ‘Breach of privileges of the House of Representatives of the
Federal Republic of Nigeria, National Assembly and provisions of the
Legislative House’s Powers and Privileges Act, CAP, L12, LFN’.
Things went on smoothly as members listened attentively until he got to the point where he mentioned Jibrin’s name.
Some lawmakers, believed to be members
of the Transparency Group, started shouting, “No, no, no!”, colliding
with shouts of “Dogara, Dogara, Dogara” as pro-Dogara members began to
distribute green scarves with the inscription ‘I stand with Dogara’
boldly written in white.
Some tied it on their heads; others hung it on their shoulders, while others tied it to their waists.
The rest of the motion was drowned in the noise which followed.
When a relative calm was restored after
about 20 minutes, Dogara told his colleagues that copies of the motion
would be distributed.
He, however, said he would read the only
prayer of the motion, which was to refer the matter to the Ethics and
Privileges Committee for proper investigation.
The committee was given one week to submit its report.
At this point, another member, believed
to be Jibrin’s supporter, Aliyu Madaki, raised another Point of Order
amidst protests from other lawmakers.
Dogara, nevertheless, recognised him
after jokingly telling him, “You are reaping what you sowed. When others
were speaking, you did not allow them.”
Madaki then went on to explain that
Orker-Jev’s motion was not seconded before it was referred to the
committee, but was overruled.
The motion was, however, passed and referred to the ethics and privileges committee.
Jibrin could be heard saying, “I won’t get a fair hearing” a couple of times.
This was happening at about a time when a
group of protesters, under the aegis of the Coalition in the Defence of
Democracy, staged a protest at the main entrance of the National
Assembly, demanding Jibrin’s immediate suspension.
Convener of the protest and President of
the National Youth Council of Nigeria, Imo Ugochinyere, said the
protest was organised to defend the integrity of the National Assembly.
He alleged that there was a plot to destabilise the National Assembly using the sacked appropriation committee chairman.
“Despite knowing the powers of the
legislature in appropriation as provided in sections 59, 81 and 82 of
the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, Hon. Jibrin
obliged himself to negative democratic influences, who are willing to go
the extra mile to derail democracy,” he said.
Earlier, Dogara in an address of welcome
he read during plenary, stated that the leadership of the House had
exercised great restraint in the face of consistent attacks and
unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoing by Jibrin.
He said the events of recent weeks gave
cause for grave concern and posed existential threats to the corporate
integrity and image of the House as a democratic institution.
Dogara stated, “Shortly after we
adjourned for recess, our colleague and erstwhile Chairman,
Appropriation Committee, embarked on a strange propaganda clearly aimed
not only at the destruction of the image of some members but a
systematic destruction of the institution of the House of
Representatives and indeed the legislature by portraying it to the
public as an irredeemably corrupt institution.
“The chief motivation for his actions,
as he has said several times and repeatedly is to have the four
principal officers removed from their positions and not that the truth
should be known. It was T. S. Eliot, who once said, ‘The last temptation
is the greatest treason: to do the right deed for the wrong reasons’.
“Unfortunately, T. S. Elliot didn’t tell
us what it is when someone does the wrong deed for the wrong reasons.
These wild allegations, which were initially directed at four members of
the House leadership, progressively engulfed the entire membership of
the House and then the institution.”
The Speaker added, “We chose the part of
maturity by maintaining great restraint in the face of all these, fully
conscious of the fact that at the appropriate time, the truth will
prevail. I have bad news for those who think they can pull down this
institution of the people.
He stated that members were also
patriotic enough to understand the mood of the nation and the critical
and sensitive matters of urgent national importance deserving of
immediate attention.
Dogara said, “We will, therefore, not be
distracted by any insidious antics, however well orchestrated and
falsehoods however cleverly propagated to confuse Nigerians. We remain
accountable to Nigerians for our conduct as public servants.
“This is not the appropriate venue to
address allegations made against individual honourable members, many of
who are criminal in nature, as there are constitutional avenues for
that.
“This is more so that these matters are before all the security agencies and ridiculously before some foreign missions.”
Meanwhile, the Conference of Nigeria
Political Parties has called on Dogara and other principal officers of
the House, who were accused in the budget padding saga in the chamber,
to step down immediately.
It said this would enable the House and security agencies to investigate the matter.
CNPP said it agreed on this decision at a meeting held by its national leadership in Abuja on Tuesday.
The CNPP, in a statement signed by its
National Chairman, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, and the Secretary-General,
Chief Willy Ezugwu, in Abuja on Wednesday, vowed “to mobilise Nigerians
to occupy the National Assembly if the Speaker and his accused
colleagues refuse to listen to the voice of reason.”
The body maintained that “it is out of place for the House leadership to continue to be the judge in their own case”.
The statement added, “The best way to
lay to rest the budget padding allegation is for the speaker and the
principal officers of the House to step aside.
“Anyone, whose hands are clean, should not be afraid to submit himself or herself to investigation.
“To us, the budget fraud allegation,
running into billions of naira, is grave enough for the leadership of
the House of Representatives to disqualify itself from presiding over
the House to allow for internal self-cleansing and to give room to the
security agencies to do a thorough job.”
The Economic and Financial Crimes
Commission has frozen Patience Jonathan’s personal account, titled
‘Patience Ibifaka Jonathan’, which is domiciled in Skye Bank Plc.
Impeccable sources within the agency
told our correspondent on Wednesday that the move had become necessary
due to the prima facie case established against the former President
Goodluck Jonathan’s wife.
As part of investigations into alleged
diversion against a former Special Adviser to ex-President Jonathan on
Domestic Affairs, Waripamowei Dudafa, the anti-graft agency had frozen
four companies’ accounts in Skye Bank with a balance of $15,591,700.
However, before the EFCC could arraign
the four companies in court, Jonathan’s wife deposed to an affidavit,
claiming that the money belonged to her.
Despite Patience’s claims, however, the
EFCC arraigned the four companies –Pluto Property and Investment Company
Limited; Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Limited;
Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Limited; and Globus
Integrated Service Limited.
The companies pleaded guilty and the
EFCC had already begun moves to ensure that the money is forfeited
permanently to the Federal Government.
A detective at the EFCC told The PUNCH,
“Recall that we had frozen the four companies’ accounts, which Patience
Jonathan later laid claim to. We have been able to establish that the
money was part of proceeds of crime.
“She had no evidence that the money in
the four accounts belonged to her. All she had were platinum debit
cards, which she was using to withdraw money and the cards are not
evidence of ownership.
“Initially, we had traced $5m to her
personal account, which we did not touch but I can confirm to you now
that the $5m account, bearing Patience Jonathan’s name, has also been
seized since she claimed that the monies in the company accounts and the
one in her personal name all emanated from the same source.
“We are tracing other accounts belonging
to Patience. It will interest you to know that despite all the letters
she has written, she has never stated where she got the money from. She
claimed to be a housewife and yet she has $20m.”
Patience had recently written a letter
to the acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu, where she claimed
that she needed the money for her medical treatment abroad.
She had also sued Skye Bank for N200m, accusing the bank of freezing her accounts unjustly.
In a letter written by her lawyers,
Granville Abibo (SAN) and Co, Patience said, “It is noteworthy to
emphasise that the said accounts, which were in US dollar denomination,
were card-based accounts and our client is the sole signatory of these
accounts.
“The said bank officials also assured
our client that they will change the account names accordingly and issue
to our client new credit cards for the said accounts which was not done
despite repeated demands.
“However, our client has been operating
the said accounts using the cards for her medical bill payments and
purchases for her private purposes without any let or hindrance.
“Our client was therefore surprised when
the said cards stopped functioning on July 7, 2016 or thereabout. Our
client immediately thereupon contacted Skye Bank Plc through our
solicitors. It was only then that the bank officials informed our client
that the said accounts were placed on a ‘No Debit Order’ following
investigations and instructions from your commission and this is without
notice to our client by either the bank or the commission.
“It is in the light of the foregoing
that we urge you to use your good offices to vacate the ‘No
Debit/Freezing Order’ placed on the said accounts.”
Sacked
House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation Chairman Abdulmumin
Jibrin (APC, Kano) has vowed not to appear before Committee on Ethics
and Privileges mandated to investigate him for bringing the House into
disrepute with his utterances.
But Timothy Golu (PDP, Plateau) said
(Jibrin) must be sanctioned. He, however, added that members were ready
to forgive Jibrin if he apologises to the House and Nigerians.
Jibrin said he was willing to appear
before the Committee only if its proceedings would be public and
witnessed by Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), among others.
Jibrin, in a statement yesterday said what happened on the floor was a script written by the Speaker.
He urged his colleagues to live above blackmail and deal urgently and decisively with the allegations of individual corruption.
He said he watched events on the floor
carefully and observed that “rather than open up the matter for
discussion in view of the public interest it has generated and allow me
to brief my colleagues, an opportunity I have been denied for several
months, Mr Speaker deployed some legislative tricks and theatrics to
save the day.
“In a move that smacks of abuse of
process, Speaker Dogara granted under point of order, an opportunity to
the Chairman of Business and Rules Committee who started with a speech
then suddenly transited to a motion under privilege – a clear case of
manipulation and gross abuse of the House rule. This is the easiest
resort since the attempts to secure a vote of confidence had woefully
failed.
“The motion was therefore passed and referred to the Committee on Ethics and Privilege with one week to submit its report.
“The grand plan is to dilute the ongoing
external investigation by the police and EFCC and use the Ethics
Committee for a soft landing.
“But what happened on the floor of the House today is just the end of another beginning.
“Despite all these and since I can
substantiate the allegations I raised with cogency, I will take up the
opportunity provided by the Ethics committee to state my case under the
condition that the hearing will be public and will allow the press,
CSOs, NGOs, NLC, ASUU, NANS, NBA and the general public to witness the
entire proceedings.
“This is the only way that I can have
the comfort and confidence that the proceedings, the investigations and
the outcome will not be manipulated or compromised.
“I am ready to appear before the committee even today if the proceedings will be public.
Predictably, in his speech, Mr Speaker
tried to drag the entire House into the matter to give the impression
that the entire House is the accused.
“I wish to state for the umpteenth time
that the allegations I raised are against the quartet of Speaker Yakubu
Dogara, Deputy Speaker Yusuf Lasun, House Whip Alhassan Doguwa, Minority
Leader Leo Ogor and few other members NOT the Honourable House as an
institution.
