10 events that shaped Senate in 2017

The Senate in this outgoing year recorded 10 unusual events that portrayed the Upper Chamber in both good and bad light. NationReformer.com on Sunday reports.

The Upper Chamber of the National Assembly under the leadership of the Senate President Bukola Saraki was shaped by 10 uncommon events in 2017 with two of them to be carried over to next year.

A review of the Upper Chamber’s activities showed that two of the events were carried over from 2016 and eight were recorded in the out-going year. The events range from legislative  matters to forgery, financial to drug related scandals, among others.

The same events that were carried over from 2016 to 2017, have been carried over to 2018 by the senators and there is a likelihood of it outliving the lifespan of the present Senate. The Senators are to resume next year with budget defence on Tuesday January 9, 2018 and plenary is scheduled to commence the following week.

SACK OF NDUME, EMERGENCE OF LAWAN

It was just 10 days into the 2017 that a coup was plotted against Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno) leading to his removal as the Senate Leader. On January 10, 2017, 39 out of the then 63 senators of the All Progressives Congress (APC) signed Ndume out of the Senate leadership.

The Borno-born lawmaker who became the Senate leader in June 2015, was in the senate chamber when the plot to remove him was perfected. His removal was announced when he left for the mosque. The whole drama  happened in less than 10  minutes.

The following day after Ndume was removed, Senator Ahmad Lawan (APC, Yobe), who slugged out the Senate Presidency’s seat with Saraki, assumed duty as the Senate Leader.

Lawan was the preferred candidate of leadership of the APC for the Senate Presidency when the Senate was inaugurated in June 2015. Saraki dribbled his party to emerge as the Senate president with the support of the opposition lawmakers.

MAGU’S CONFIRMATION LINGERS ON

The confirmation quagmire of the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ibrahim Magu, was carried over from 2016 to 2017 and it is being carried over into next year.

The request for Magu’s confirmation was first made by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo when he was acting President in the absence of President Muhammadu Buhari. The letter was read on July 14, 2016 by Saraki.

The Senate rejected the confirmation of Magu on December 15, 2016, citing security report by the Department of State Service (DSS) but President Buhari re-nominated Magu in January this year. The letter was read on 24, January, this year by Saraki.

Again, on March 15, this year, the Senate rejected Magu. The confirmation quagmire reached it crescendo in July when the Senate suspended further confirmation of nominees of President Buhari over Osinbajo’s statement on Magu. The impasse has led to the non confirmation of about 50 nominees of the President. The pending confirmations have been carried over to next year like that of Magu.

SUCCUMB TO PRESSURE ON NASS BUDGET

The pressure mounted by media and civil right organizations on the breakdown of the National Assembly budget yielded result this year. It got the support from one of the lawmakers, as Senator Ndume, 15 days after his sack as Senate leader demanded that the breakdown be made available to the public.

However, the breakdown of the budget of the lawmakers which has been shrouded in secrecy since 2010 when the immediate past Senate president, David Mark, made it a one line item on the National budget was not made available to public until May 11th, this year.

The budget was however raised from N115bn to N125bn the same day the breakdown was made available to the public. That was a plus for the National Assembly in view of the series of allegations that the lawmakers were milking the country dry through the budget.

SARAKI’S BULLETPROOF CAR/MELAYE’S ABU SCANDAL

Another big event recorded in the senate this year was the seizure of Saraki’s  multimillion naira bulletproof car by the Nigerian Customs Service in March. The uproar generated by the car ballooned when Ndume raised the issue on the floor of the Senate. The car controversy has not been finally laid to rest as the Customs is yet to release it.

It was while the car issue was trending that Senator Dino Malaye (APC, Kogi) controversy propped up. He was said to have an issue with his degree program at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria.  Ndume on the 21st March, this year drew the attention of his colleagues to it through a point of order on the floor of the Senate.

However, the issue boomeranged as it led to the suspension of Ndume for six months after the Senate Committee Ethics, Privileges and Public Petition chaired by Senator Samuel Anyanwu found him wanting.

While Saraki and Melaye were cleared by the committee, Ndume was recommended for suspension. He finished serving his suspension in November, this year.

BREAKING OF PIB JINX

This year witnessed the passage of  the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) which had been bottled up at committee level for over a decade. The PIB was sent to the National Assembly by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2008.

The bill which was passed on 25th May, this year splits the NNPC into two, namely National Petroleum Company  (NPC) and the Nigeria Petroleum Assets Management Company (NPAMC). While the NPC would be in charge of Petroleum Products, the NPMAC shall be responsible for the management of assets currently held by the NNPC as a fully commercial entity.

Our correspondent reports that the bill is still awaiting the assent of President Buhari and the three other segments of the bill are still at committees level, awaiting third readings.

RAID OF EKWEREMADU’S  & GOJE’S HOUSES

The raiding of the residences of two ranking senators created pandemonium in April and May this year. First it was the Abuja residence of the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senator Danjuma Goje (APC,Gombe) that was first raided by the Police.

The raid delayed the passage of the 2017 budget for weeks as the security operatives were said to have gone away with critical documents of the budget. The issue was addressed as the Police apologized to the former governor.

But before the issue was laid to rest, the guest house of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu was raided in May by the police. Two persons were, however, arrested and arraigned for misleading the police to raid the lawmaker’s house. Nothing incriminating was found in the houses of the two lawmakers.

MISAU FIGHT WITH IGP

Another uncommon event of the senate this year was the  rift between the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy, Senator Isah Hamma Misau (APC,Bauchi) and the Inspector – General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Kpotun Idris.

The altercation between duo started on August 10, this year when Misau, a retired  Deputy Superintendent  of Police ( DSP) in an exclusive interview with our correspondent alleged that police officers pay as much as N2.5 million to benefit from the special promotions.

The issue exposed the alleged rot in the Nigerian Police with the IGP in the centre of the whole drama. It also exposed how the IGP donated cars to the first family. Two panels are probing the issue at the Senate.

GIVES KASHAMU COVER

Also regarded as uncommon was the resolution of the Senate stopping the Nigerian Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) and other security agencies from extraditing Senator Buruji Kashamu (PDP Ogun) to the United States of America over an alleged drugs related offence.

On 11th April this year, the resolution was passed following the adoption of the report of the Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions chaired by Senator Sam Anyanwu (PDP, Imo) on the probe of a petition by the counsel to Senator Kashamu.

It declared that Kashamu should be allowed to remain free until when the cases in court have been concluded. It noted that the committee found that the senator had been presented at several courts in Nigeria and has been acquitted of all charges.

PASSAGE OF NEDC & ELECTORAL ACT

Among the key bills passed in the year under review were that of the establishment of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) and the amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act.

Key amendments made to the 2010 Act were the inclusion of e-voting, card reader, stripping of president, govs control of party primaries, among others.

The bill for the establishment of the NEDC has been assented to by the President, while that of the electoral act has not gotten the President’s nod.

The commission was conceived to address the challenges of rebuilding the North East geopolitical zone caused by the Boko Haram insurgency.  The bill is regarded to as uncommon in view of the total support given to it by all the senators, regardless of party affiliation and other differences.

CARRY OVER OF BUDGET

Efforts to return the country’s budget to January – December calendar hit the rock as the December target set for the passage of the 2018 budget was not realised.

The President presented the proposal to joint session of the National Assembly on 7th November, this year with a view of meeting the December target. The senators had before embarking on recess picked holes in the proposal and concluded that it cannot be passed.

The delay in the passage was not uncommon but the moves to return the country’s budget to January – December calendar was uncommon as for long the fiscal calendar has not been stable.