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PIB Set For Passage, Tuesday, Lawan Assures
President of the Senate, Dr Ahmad Lawan, yesterday, said that the National Assembly will always follow due diligence in approving loan requests of the Executive arm of government.
The Senate President also said that the long awaited Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) will be laid before the two chambers of the National Assembly during plenary next Tuesday.
He made the disclosure while speaking with State House correspondents after meeting behind closed doors with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Lawan said that the Electoral Act Amendment Bill will be passed before the National Assembly goes on annual vacation next month.
It is expected that the National Assembly may proceed on annual vacation about July 15.
The Senate President emphasised that the National Assembly will not frivolously approve loan requests from the Executive, adding that the Legislature will always ask for details of the before any loan is approved.
According to him, “What I want to assure Nigerians is that we are not going to be frivolously supporting or approving loans for the Executive arm of government. Whenever we have to approve any loan, we have to insist on the details of what projects will be funded by those loans.
“We’ll have to look at the conditions that are attached to the loans, they must be favourable conditions before we approve and we will be up to date with our oversight to ensure that what we have approved is directly deployed and on those projects that we have also approved for implementation. So, we will not be frivolous and will not take it lightly to just approve any loan.”
He, however, expressed his support for government sourcing for loan to execute projects, saying the revenues are not readily available while Nigerians cannot be taxed further.
He said, “Our options are really very limited as a country. First, we don’t have the necessary revenues, Nigeria is poor, we shouldn’t deceive ourselves. Nigeria is not rich, given the circumstances we live in, given the challenges we have; our resources are so low, our revenues are so low, and, therefore, the option of not doing anything, just to sit because we have no money, and we shouldn’t go for infrastructural development is not even an option worthy of consideration. You cannot keep the economy stagnant.
“Two, you cannot, in my view and judgement, tax Nigerians further for you to raise the money for infrastructure development. Other countries do that, but we have serious situation across the country, so you cannot put taxes on people.”
Speaking on the much-awaited PIB, Lawan said the National Assembly will next Tuesday receive the report of its joint committee on the Bill which will be laid at the plenary.
He said, “At the moment, we are dotting the I’s and crossing the T’s on the PIB; the Petrol Industry Bill, and by the grace of God, our committees, the joint committees, will finish their work on it by the end of the week, hopefully. The reports would be laid on Tuesday in both chambers. This is what we have planned and this is what we’re working towards.”
He further said much work had been done on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill by the Assembly and that it will be passed before the legislative arm proceeds on its annual vacation next month.
He said, “We also have some work to do on the Electoral Act (amendment) Bill. Our committee in the Senate and indeed, in the house, have worked jointly and we have very little to do really, to get the reports and considered in the two chambers.
“We expect that we’ll do that before we go on our annual summer recess, which comes up on the 15th of July, by the grace of God. So, before we go on summer recess, we should be able to pass the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.”
The Senate President assured that the National Assembly will also work on the confirmation of nominees for INEC Commissionership as well as passing the 2021 Supplementary Appropriation Bill sent to it last week by the Executive.
He said, “We also have outstanding confirmation requests for National Commissioners of INEC, we’ll do that, we’ll consider those confirmation requests from Mr President before we go. We’ll also have the loan request from Mr President.
“The loan request is to fund the 2021 Appropriation Act and of course, this is not a new request it’s something that we had passed in the MTEF and it’s something that when we pass the budget 2021 we also passed that, so it’s only to give the necessary legislative approval for the administration to go further and collect the funds.
“The Executive arm of government, had submitted a Supplementary Budget request. In the Senate, we have had the second reading yesterday and we have given the Appropriations Committee, particularly to deal with it.
“We expect a report on this by Tuesday, by the grace of God and we may consider that report on Wednesday next week so that we’re able to pass the request because of the urgency and the need for us to hit the ground running, we need to give so much attention to our security agencies because of the situation across the country and of course, the Covid-19 vaccines, procurement is also an essential thing that we need to do.”
The National Assembly has lauded the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Mr Zacch Adedeji, for exceeding the 2024 revenue collection target of N19.4 trillion.
FIRS generated N21.6 trillion, surpassing the target by N2.2 trillion.
The commendation came during a meeting on Wednesday in Abuja, where the FIRS chairman appeared before the joint committee on Finance to defend the service’s revenue projections for 2025.
The committee proposed a N25 trillion revenue generation target for FIRS in the coming fiscal year.
Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Finance, Saidu Abdullahi, was the first to commend Adedeji’s performance, calling it “unprecedented” and “worthy of commendation.”
“The feat achieved by FIRS in revenue collection for 2024 was unprecedented and truly commendable.
“Surpassing the target set for the agency in the 2024 Appropriation Act, from N19.4 trillion to N21.6 trillion, is both encouraging and impressive,” he said.
He encouraged the FIRS to study the tax collection methods of South Africa, which generated higher tax revenue, and to focus on expanding the taxable base to include more informal sector workers.
Sen. Joel Onowakpo emphasised that tax collection was a global norm, and advised the committee to raise FIRS’s projected 2025 revenue target to N30 trillion.
Similarly, Sen. Binos Yeroe lauded Adedeji’s innovative approach in surpassing the 2024 target.
“Your performance in 2024 was highly commendable, and I hope you continue to maintain this level of success,” he said.
Rep. Etanabene Benedict suggested aiming for N60 trillion in 2025 to avoid borrowing.
Committee chairmen also supported the proposed N25 trillion revenue goal for 2025; with Sen. Sani Musa stating that it was both “achievable and surpassable.”
Speaker of House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has expressed deep grief over the demise of the Deputy Chief Whip of the house, Rep. Adewunmi Onanuga.
In a statement on yesterday, Abbas described the late lawmaker as a strong pillar who would be sorely missed in the house.
The Tide source reports that Onanuga, who died on Wednesday, represented Ikenne/Sagamu/Remo North Federal Constituency and was serving her second term in the house.
Abbas said that he had led members of the house in support and prayers for Onanuga during her health challenge and was hopeful of her recovery, saying that her eventual death was painful.
He recalled Onanuga’s campaigns for gender equality, women empowerment and inclusion in politics and governance, as Chairman, House Committee on Women Affairs and Social Welfare in the Ninth House and as a principal officer in the 10th House.
Abbas also recalled how the late lawmaker, as the only female member in the leadership of the house, inspired and rallied female legislators for the greater good of the chamber and the country in general.
“Onanuga was a brilliant woman, experienced politician, resourceful lawmaker and a dependable ally in the legislative business,” he said.
Abbas commiserated with the Onanuga family and her constituents, the people and the government of Ogun as well as the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the demise of the legislator.
Also, the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, expressed sadness over Onanuga’s death.
Kalu described the deceased as a shining example of dedication, compassion and selfless lawmaker whose service to her constituents and the nation was outstanding.
He acknowledged her support for the Peace In South East Project (PISE-P), which demonstrated her passion for defeating insecurity in Nigeria.
“Onanuga was a dedicated and committed lawmaker, renowned for her unwavering commitment to peace.
“Her passion for promoting harmony and understanding was truly commendable. Beyond her legislative accomplishments, Onanuga’s compassion, humility and simplicity inspired countless individuals.
“Her warm and infectious smile, coupled with her empathetic nature, endeared her to everyone she met, making her a beloved figure in the lives of many,” he said.
Kalu said that Onanuga would be remembered for her commitment to the cause of women’s empowerment and political inclusion as well as her relentless efforts toward ensuring that the gender bills were passed.
The deputy speaker extended his heartfelt condolences to the Onanuga family, her colleagues and constituents, saying that she would be greatly missed.
He prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of the late lawmaker and the fortitude to bear the loss.
The Rotary International Foundation says it has committed over 300 million dollars to polio eradication in Nigeria.
Its Chairman, Board of Trustees, Mark Maloney, disclosed this on Thursday while conducting polio immunisation at a Primary Healthcare Centre in Jahi, Abuja.
According to him, polio eradication is Rotary’s number one priority worldwide and it is focused on eradicating the variant type two poliovirus cases discovered in 2024.
Maloney said efforts towards eradicating the polio variant should be intensified, adding that recording success in that area would be beneficial to the Nigerian government.
He also commended the Federal Government’s polio accountability programme as well as all Rotarians for their efforts in putting an end to the disease.
“The Nigerian government is facing a significant challenge with the continuation of variant polio type two, and so far, we have seen about 92 cases through the cases that have been evaluated in 2024.
“We encourage the government to redouble their efforts to put the focus on this polio eradication as they did with the Wild Polio Virus (WPV), and they were successful.”
On new donations to Nigeria, Maloney said that Rotary would allocate some funds in 2025, but the amount was yet to be determined.
“There are 50 million dollars that I expect will be allocated, but a lot of it has to go to Pakistan and Afghanistan, where WPV is still endemic.
“Though, I think there will be a significant tranche of funds, maybe not tens of millions, but a significant amount of money will be allocated to Nigeria,” he added.
The chairman noted that the organisation has allocated two million dollars to its Programme of Scale project aimed at reducing the rate of birth-related mortality in Nigeria.
“What we are looking to do is to decrease the rate of mortality in births in this country, and it is operating now in several districts.
“One way that the mortality rate can be decreased is for more births to happen in a healthcare facility rather than at home.
“We have seen in the first year of the programme a significant increase in the percentages of births happening in medical facilities.
“One district had gone from 11 per cent happening in medical facilities to 33 per cent, which is a significant increase,” he added.
The Chairman of the organisation’s Nigeria National Polio Plus Committee, Mr Joshua Hassan, said outbreak immunisation efforts are conducted locally in response to the vaccine-derived variant of polio.
Hassan said national immunisation days are planned twice a year for the entire country.
According to him, the organisation is focusing more of its efforts on Kano, Zamfara, Katsina, Kebbi, and Sokoto states.
Prof. Emmanuel Lufadeju, the National Coordinator of Together for Healthy Families in Nigeria, said that the Programme of Scale project was designed to reduce maternal mortality among women by 25 per cent.
Lufadeju said that this is done through community dialogue, home outreaches, medical outreaches, and capacity building.
“We are going to train a lot of people, including doctors and nurses.
“Then we are going to do something that is called a social, behavioural change, to change the attitude of people and make them deliver in the facility instead of delivering at home.”
He added that the two million dollar project, which began in 2024, is expected to end in 2025.
The Tide source reports that Maloney is in Nigeria for an official visit to embark on advocacy, carry out symbolic immunisation, visit the Programme of Scale project areas, and also visit President Bola Tinubu.
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