hady oil deals: Reps reject move to absolve Diezani

Former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke

The House of Representatives failed again on Tuesday to make progress on the consideration of the report on the Petroleum Industry Bill.

The lawmakers also stopped a report, which sought to give a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, and other actors a clean bill of health in their alleged involvement in “shady deals.”

The House has only Wednesday (today) and Thursday (tomorrow) left to sit before the expiration of its current tenure on June 5.

The PUNCH had long reported exclusively that the House might abandon the bill, as it was making slow progress on the 348-page report.

As the consideration resumed at Tuesday’s session, which was presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha, members were noticeably divided along regional and political lines.

For example, the provision for a Frontier Exploration Fund to be used for exploring oil in other parts of the country, outside the South, divided members along regional lines.

Buhari seeks Senate approval to appoint 15 advisers

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday requested the approval of the Senate to approve 15 Special Advisers who will assist him to carry out his functions as the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

The President, in a letter addressed to the Senate President, David Mark, said his request was in accordance with Section 151 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, (as amended ).

The President did not attach the list of the 15 special advisers but craved the indulgence of the federal parliamentarians to urgently consider his request.

Buhari’s first letter to the Senate, read by Mark, noted that his action, was pursuant to the provision of the constitution which confers on him the power to appoint special advisers to assist him in the performance of his functions.

Buhari said, “I write to request for your kind consideration and approval of the distinguished members of the Senate of the Federal Republic to appoint 15 special advisers as prescribed in Section 151(2-3) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

Osun earned N204bn in four years –Aregbesola 

Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola

The Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, said on Tuesday that the state earned N204bn from the federation account, internally generated revenues and other accruals from Abuja between 2010 and 2014.

The governor gave this explanation in his speech when he inaugurated the sixth assembly in the state.

Aregbesola spoke just as Mr. Najeem Salaam was returned as the Speaker of the House of Assembly for the second term.

The governor, who was obviously reacting to allegations of financial recklessness levelled against his administration by the Social Democratic Party in the state, denied exposing the state to a financial crisis.

While promising that things would soon get better, the governor traced the genesis of the financial crisis in the state to 2012 when salaries increased drastically as a result of hike in wages.

Aisha Buhari mourns Al-makura’s mother-in-law

The wife of the President, Hajia Aisha Buhari, on Monday paid a surprise visit to Jos to condole with the Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-makura over the death of his mother-in-law, Hajia Aisha Musa.

Hajia Musa passed on in the early hours of Monday at the age of 85 in her residence in Jos.

She has since been buried according to Islamic rites.

Mrs. Buhari, who came in company with senators Ahmed Lawan, Abdullahi Adamu, and Solomon Ewuga, drove straight to the house of the deceased in the centre of the town and left immediately after.

While condoling with the Al-makura family, Mrs. Buhari urged them to take solace in the fact that Hajia Musa lived a life worthy of emulation. On behalf of herself and her family, the President’s wife prayed that the Almakura’s would be comforted by God.

Nigeria’s federalism lopsided, says Ijaw National Congress

The people of Ijaw ethnic stock in Nigeria, under the auspices of Ijaw National Congress, have said the current structure of the Nigerian state is skewed in favour of the majority ethnic nationalities.

They, therefore, argued that since the secession treaties between the Ijaw and the British colonial authorities had lapsed and that the instrument of amalgamation of 1914 that produced Nigeria expired in 2014, the Ijaw would initiate the process of renegotiating the basis of coexistence with other ethnic nationalities.

They contended that the current structure of the nation did not create adequate socio-political and economic space for the minority ethnic nationalities, particularly the Ijaw.

Their position was contained in a communique released after the pan-Ijaw stakeholders’ summit entitled, ‘Ijaw Agenda Beyond May 29, 2015’, and made available to our correspondent on Tuesday.

The communique was signed by 31 prominent Ijaw citizens including a former Bayelsa State Governor, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, a former Military Governor of old Rivers State, King Alfred Diete-Spiff and Emeritus Professor of History, Ebiegberi Alagoa.

The event co-hosted by the INC and the Bayelsa State Government was chaired by Diete-Spiff, who is also the Amanyanabo of Twon Brass

AU, ASUU urge Morocco to free Western Sahara 

ASUU President, Nasir Fagge

The President, Academic Staff Union of Universities, Dr. Nasir Fagge, and other African Union leaders have intensified calls for the liberation of Western Sahara which has remained under the occupation of the Moroccan government for over 30 years.

Western Sahara is documented as Africa’s last colony still under colonisation by Morocco since 1975.

Speaking on Tuesday in Abuja during a two-day international conference on the decolonisation of Western Sahara, the ASUU President said stakeholders should not relent in mounting pressure on the government of Morocco to ensure that the colonisation of Western Saharawi did not extend beyond 2015.

Why we didn’t stop Nigerian who joined ISIS –Turkish envoy

The outgoing Turkish ambassador to Nigeria, Mustafa Pulat, has said that Turkey does not stop the son of a former Chief Justice of Nigeria who crossed the Turkish border to join the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria terrorists in Syria in February 2015, because there was no information on the suspect.

Pulat explained that the suspected jihadist was issued a visa because he had strong credentials and references.

The envoy said this while responding to questions from journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.

He explained that the Turkish mission in Nigeria cooperated with security agencies when approached over suspicions that the former CJN’s son had gone to join terrorists in Syria.

Pulat, however, added that “there is an ongoing international cooperation to stop other foreigners who may want to join the ISIS jihadists,” noting that electronic optical control system had been installed at the borders to track smugglers and prospective militants.