The President of the Senate, Sen. Bukola Saraki, on
Thursday said the 8th Senate was committed to good governance,
transparency, accountability and due process.
The Chairman of the National Assembly (NASS) was responding to an
open letter from the former President of Nigeria, Chief Olusegun
Obasanjo, to both chambers in which he called the attention of the
lawmakers to issues bordering on budgets and finances of the NASS. SarakiObasanjo also raised issues of fiscal policy irresponsibility, extravagance and impunity by some members.
Replying to the letter in a statement he signed personally, Saraki
however assured the former president that the NASS was aware of the
current economic realities and was also cutting its expenditure.
“Yesterday, I acknowledged receipt of a letter from former President
Olusegun Obasanjo in which he called the attention of the National
Assembly to some issues.
“I will want to assure President Obasanjo that the leadership and
membership of the 8th Senate are committed to good governance,
transparency, accountability, due process and responsiveness to the
economic reality of our nation.
“It is for this reason that the legislative chamber has introduced
bold and progressive reforms in the management of the finances of the
National Assembly.
“This is of even greater importance during a tough fiscal period for our country.
“Like I said, the Senate must lead by example in terms of our own
funding, budgets and accountability; showing, beyond doubt, value for
money.
“I have canvassed that we must lay bare the budget of the Senate, the National Assembly and its affiliated institutions.
“I equally canvassed the need to strengthen the capacity of the
legislative institution to carry our effective oversight of the
executive arm.
“That way, we can ensure the budget leads to the realization of the policy objectives of the Buhari Administration,’’ he said.
Saraki reiterated the commitment of the Senate under his leadership,
to work to block all areas of revenue leakages while also strengthening
the anti-corruption agencies.
He emphasized that he held the former president in high esteem and
would formally reply his letter outlining the actions of the Senate to
address his (Obasanjo) concerns.
“I appreciate President Obasanjo for his consistent role in always
reminding those of us in government about our responsibilities to the
general public and offering timely advice where necessary,’’ he said.
The former President had expressed his concerns in a letter delivered to both chambers of the NASS on Wednesday.
E NUGU— THE Enugu State Police command through operatives of the Udenu Division has commenced investigations into an alleged incident of murder in which a commercial sex worker was allegedly killed in a brothel after a marathon sex with a customer. It was gathered that around midnight on October 24, the customer, identified as Ikechukwu Oga had gone to a brothel at Obolloafor, in Udenu Local Government Area of Enugu State where he met with the sex hawker, Roseline and had a sex deal. Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, Mr. Ebere Amaraizu, DSP, confirmed the incident in a statement made available to newsmen, explaining that the suspect after a bargain with the deceased, agreed to sleep together for a fee. According to the suspect’s confession, ”we bargained and agreed. She told me to come back later as she was already servicing someone. But when I came back, I also discovered that she was still having sex with another customer. Roseline told me to exe...
SENATE President Bukola Saraki, said yesterday that the 8th Senate will break down the budget of the upper Chamber by ensuring that every expenditure and receipt will be broken down into relevant budget heads for easy tracking. Saraki however reiterated his commitment to ensuring that financial dealings of the National Assembly become more open and accessible to the general public. In a statement yesterday by his Special Assistant, New Media, Bamikole Omishore, Senate President Saraki stressed that the days of on line budgets for the National Assembly were long gone. In recent times, Nigerians home and abroad have been canvassing for more accountability and transparency in government, Different youth groups who make up a large population of the country have been pushing for the National Assembly to explain how it spends its now reduced budget of N120bn. According to Omisore, Saraki’s explanations “have put to rest the agitation, with the National Assembly Chairman s...
OHANAEZE Youth Council has condemned what it called molesting of Easterners travelling home for Christmas and new year celebrations at Onitsha Head Bridge, Anambra State allegedly by soldiers from the 302 Battalion of the Nigerian army in Onitsha. Army In a statement by the National President of the Council, Mazi Okechukwu, the council said: “The officers and men of the 302 Battalion of the Nigerian Army at Onitsha appear to have a different agenda in that town. They appear to be there for [alleged] ethnic cleansing. “In the past one month, these raw soldiers have [allegedly] killed more than 20 unarmed Igbo youths. This time around, they waylay Igbos returning home for Christmas and New Year holidays and rough-handle a lot of them. “We can no longer tolerate this brazen act on our own land. We are neither at war nor a conquered people. Mr. President should intervene in this matter before it turns into another thing. We have the right to protect the dignity of our...
