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Senate did not suspend deliberations on Tax Reform Bills – Akpabio
The Senate on Thursday said that it did not suspend deliberations on the Tax Reform Bills as reported in some quarters.
Leader of the Senate, Opeyemi Bamidele, made the clarification when he raised Senate Point of Order 42, during plenary.
Raising the order, Mr Bamidele said that it was reported by a news medium that “the hallowed chamber suspended further consideration of the Tax Reform Bills before the Senate”.
“No where in our votes and proceedings was it stated that we suspended further deliberations on the tax reform bills, because we did not.
“I felt it will be important to place on record that this Senate did not suspend or withdraw. This Senate did not suspend and does not intend to suspend deliberation, consideration of the tax reform bills.
“It was a misunderstanding of legislative process for anybody to have even reported that we have withdrawn the bills.
“The bills were executive bills; transmitted to us by the Executive Arm of Government, through the office of Mr President.
“It is only the executive arm that can withdraw these bills. They are not private member bills sponsored by any senator.
“So no senator is going to withdraw the bill and there is no reason for these bills to be withdrawn. In a legislative process, it is normal that some people will have concerns,” he said.
According to him, it is normal that people will sit around those concerns and discourse, hence, in its wisdom, the Senate referred the matter to the Committee on Finance and gave them six weeks for report.
“Six weeks is long enough in a country that wants progress for a consensus to be reached for anybody who has concern to sit down and allow such concern to be addressed in overriding public interest.
“So the essence of what I am saying is that it is important that members of public are patient with us.
“They understand the legislative process that we have to follow. They understand our role in the Constitution.
“Any attempt from any quarter to intimidate the parliament will be undemocratic and we will not allow ourselves to be distracted.
“We will encourage consensus. We will encourage discussions, engagement at all levels,” he said.
In his remarks, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said that the members of the National Assembly were all elected to work, which was the work of lawmaking, in the overall interest of Nigeria.
Mr Akpabio said that the work was not done through social media, committee or any forum of any nature, but was done according to their conscience, in the best interest of Nigeria.
He said that the moment the bills went through second reading in the Senate, it simply meant that the bills were alive.
According to him, the next procedure is for the committee on finance to commence the process of consultations and public hearings, with a view to bringing recommendations back to the chamber
“But in the wisdom of the Senate yesterday (Wednesday), we had, in a closed session, set up a committee to be headed by the minority leader before the passage of the second reading.
“That committee was an internal mechanism of the Senate, different from the committee on finance.
“I think that was what was announced that the committee should immediately move into work,” he said.
NAN
A group of concerned citizens has raised the alarm over an alleged plot to sabotage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reforms on local refineries.
The group, Concerned Nigerians led by its National Coordinator Obinna Francis, claims to have uncovered a sinister plot to stop the supply of crude oil to domestic refineries.
According to Francis, the plot is being orchestrated by a cabal within the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), in collaboration with importers of fake petrol.
The group alleges that this cabal is seeking to undermine the government’s economic reforms, which have led to a significant reduction in fuel prices and a subsequent decrease in the cost of food items.
The concerned citizens believe that the plot is driven by a desire to return Nigeria to the era of petrol importation and the reintroduction of subsidies.
They argue that cutting off crude oil supply to domestic refineries would create a shortage of refined products, forcing the country to import fuel.
The group claims that the cabal has been manipulating officials in the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission (NUPRC) to justify the planned refusal to supply crude oil to local refineries.
They also allege that the cabal has the support of individuals seeking regime change, who hope to capitalize on public anger and protests to bring down the government.
Francis added: “The members of the cabal, working through certain officials of NNPCL, have been manipulating their colleagues in the NUPRC, which has responsibility for overseeing the supply of crude oil to refineries in Nigeria.
“Their plot includes sabotaging exploration and distribution infrastructure to justify the planned refusal to cut off crude supplies. This unholy alliance has the support of individuals who have been angling for a regime change.
“Our suspicion is that while the NNPCL/NUPRC cabal pursue the monetary gains of truncating the steady supply of refined products, their political wing anticipates that a disruption in refining capacity would lead to petrol scarcity, drive fuel prices up and hike food prices with the attendant anger against the government of the day.
“They desire to weaponize such public anger into anti-government protests that would bring the administration down. We are concerned that if not stopped, this plot will undo all the gains that have been made in the implementation of economic reforms of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government and doom us all.
“We are further concerned that such a plot at this critical time of our economic evolution would plunge the country into an abyss from which it may never resurface.”
The concerned citizens are calling on President Tinubu and the Department of State Services (DSS) to intervene and prevent the plot from being executed. They praised the president’s economic reforms, which have driven Nigeria towards energy sustainability and revived the oil industry.
The group warned that if the plot is not stopped, it would undo all the gains made by the government and plunge the country into economic chaos.
They urged the president to ensure that no one in NNPCL, NUPRC, or any other connected agency undermines the achievements recorded in the sector.
Actor-turned-politician Desmond Elliot has become a hot topic online after a video surfaced showing his emotional reaction on Monday, shortly after Mojisola Meranda resigned as Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly.
Earlier, SPEARNEWS reported that Ms Meranda announced her resignation during a plenary session.
Following her resignation, the impeached Speaker, Mudashiru Obasa, was reinstated to his former position.
In a viral video, Mr Elliot, who represents Surulere Constituency 1 in the Assembly, was emotional over Ms Meranda’s resignation.
Dressed in a black native outfit, the 51-year-old attempted to deliver a farewell speech but was overcome with emotion and struggled to hold back tears.
At one point in the viral video, he found it difficult to continue speaking and requested that another lawmaker take the floor while he composed himself.
“Madam Speaker, can you allow others to speak first?” he asked.
Ms Meranda responded, “Have your seat,” prompting him to sit down, covering his face with one hand as he wiped away tears.
Seyi Lawal, an All Progressives Congress (APC) representative from Ikeja Constituency 1, was granted permission to speak in place of Mr Elliot, who has served in the House since April 2015.
Kano State government has made arrangements to feed 91,000 people in 91 designated centres during the 2025 Ramadan Feeding Programme.
Flagging off the feeding programme in m Fagge Local Government Area on Sunday evening, the Deputy Governor and Chairman of the programme, Alhaji Aminu Abdulsalam, said that that the initiative would run for 27 days.
He said that the programme was aimed at supporting vulnerable residents and would provide daily iftar meals to fasting Muslims, alleviating the challenges faced during Ramadan.
“Since the assumption of office, Gov. Abba Kabir-Yusuf, has institutionalised this initiative to support vulnerable residents by providing daily iftar meals during the holy month of Ramadan.
“The programme, which is part of the state’s annual humanitarian efforts, aims to alleviate the difficulties faced by fasting Muslims during Ramadan.
“Recognising the needs of the state’s large population of Ramadan observers, the Kano State Government remains committed to ensuring that relief reaches those in need,” he explained.
Abdulsalam expressed satisfaction with the seamless commencement of the initiative.
He further urged the catering companies involved to ensure prompt and efficient delivery of meals to all feeding centers, in order to achieve the programme’s objectives.
Abdulsalam was accompanied by key officials, including the Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Ibrahim Waiya, as well as his counterpart in the Ministry of Religious Affairs, Sheikh Tijjani Auwal. (NAN)