Kogi Assembly Calls For Abolition Of JSS-SSS Transition Exam

Kogi House of Assembly on Thursday called for abolition of the Transition Examination from Junior Secondary School (JSS) to Senior Secondary School (SSS) classes in schools across the state.

The assembly made the call in a resolution following the adoption of a motion calling on the state government to abolish multiple examination system being operated by the state Ministry of Education and its agencies.

Mr Linus Eneche (PDP-Olamaboro), who moved the motion at the plenary in Lokoja, said that the transition examination had no relevance and any direct impact on the educational development of students.

Eneche said that the education ministry, vested with the mandate of providing policy framework for smooth operation of the primary, secondary and tertiary institutions, ought to take cognisance of resources available to parents and guardians.

He frowned at what he described as “exploitative duplication of examinations” in secondary education in the state “all in the name of preparing the pupils for WAEC, NECO or NAPTEB”.

“We have secondary examinations as the Transition Examination, Mock Examination, WAEC, NECO and Promotional Examination from SS2 to SS3.

“These examinations take place simultaneously, paid for and in most cases, not marked.”

Eneche said that the transition examination, which was a duplication of the third term promotion examination, was introduced when the state government took over payment of WAEC fees as instrument for selecting candidates.

Read More: dailytrust

Kogi Assembly Passes N99.9bn Appropriation Bill 2016

Kogi House of Assembly on Tuesday passed N99.9 billion as the State’s Appropriation Bill for 2016 and called on the executive to ensure its proper implementation.

 

The budget is N25.00 billion higher than the N74.99 billion proposals presented to it by the executive arm of government.

 

The passage followed the third and final readings of the bill after clause-by-clause consideration under the chairmanship of Speaker Umar Imam at plenary session in Lokoja.

 

Estimated recurrent revenue was put at N63.12 billion, while the expected capital receipts were put at N36.87 billion.

 

The recurrent expenditure summary showed that salaries and allowances are expected to gulp N42.45 billion with overhead cost standing at N15.83 billion.

 

Mr John Abah (PDP-Ibaji), Chairman of Committee on Finance, Appropriation and Budget Monitoring presented the committee’s report on the appropriation bill.

 

He said legislation on the bill was premised on principles of effective allocation of scarce resources to identified critical programmes and projects.

 

According to Abah, they include completion of ongoing projects and addition of new ones in critical areas of need and expansion of the state’s revenue base through Internally Generated Revenues.

 

Others are enhancement of greater transparency and proper accountability in public expenditure management, creation of environment conducive for investors and donor agencies to operate; and reduction of domestic debt profile of the state.

 

Speaker Imam charged members to be alive to their oversight legislative functions in ensuring that the budget was strictly adhered to.

 

Friday Sani (PDP-Igalamela-Odolu), said the passage of the bill would ginger Gov. Yahaya Bello to deliver dividends of democracy to the people and urged legislators to properly monitor the budget.

 

(NAN)

Kogi Assembly To File Contempt Charges Against NASS

The Kogi House of Assembly on Thursday in Lokoja resolved to file contempt charges against the leadership of the House of Representatives for disobeying a subsisting court injunction.

 

The resolution followed the adoption of a motion by the Majority Leader, Friday Sani (PDP-Igalamela-Odolu) at plenary.

 

Sani said that he agreed with the position of the House of Representatives on the provision of Section 11(4) of the Constitution.
The section empowers the National Assembly to make laws for a state when the state House of Assembly is unable to perform its functions.

 

He, however, contended that the House of Representatives was hasty in its decision to seal up and take over the functions of the Assembly without considering sub-section 5 of the section.

The Section 11(5) according to him, states: “For the purpose of Section 4 of this section, a House of Assembly shall not be deemed to be unable to perform its function so long as the House of Assembly can hold meeting and transact the Assembly business.”

The legislators held that the House had been performing its functions, having sat on Dec. 16 and 29, 2015 as well as March 2 and 11.

“It may interest this House to note that State Assembly does not fall into the category of either Section 11(1), (2), (3) and (4) as anticipated by the House of Representatives.

“This is in addition to the matter filed by the leadership of this House at the Federal High Court, Lokoja, which the hearing notice was granted by the court dated March 1st, to April 6th”, he said.

Adoke Bello (PDP-Adavi) seconded the motion which was supported by all the members at plenary.

In his contribution, Bello Hassan (APC-Ajaokuta) said the action of the National Assembly to seal up and take over the state assembly was “ill-motivated, bias and unconstitutional.”

The new speaker, Umar Imam (APC-Lokoja 1), in his contribution called on the Senate to discountenance the concurrence being sought by the House of Representatives and direct the re-examination of the prevailing situation.

 

(NAN)

I Have No Hand In Kogi Assembly Crisis – Yahaya Bello

Amid the crisis rocking the Kogi State House of Assembly, Governor Yahaya Bello, on Thursday, disassociated himself from the impeachment of the Speaker, Momoh Jimoh Lawal, noting that has never interfered in the affairs of the state legislature in line with his determination to promote the rule of law and strict adherence to separations of power.

 

In a statement by his Special Adviser (Media and Strategy), Abdulkarim Abdulmalik, the Governor said dragging his name to the crisis in the State House of Assembly is in the least, uncharitable.

 

His words: “The attention of the Governor of Kogi State, Alh. Yahaya Bello has been drawn to the spurious allegations by some group of legislators in the legislative arm of Kogi State to the effect that the Governor was the person stoking crisis in the Assembly.

 

“The Governor wishes to inform the general public that the Governor has never interfered in the affairs of the state legislature in line with his determination to promote the rule of law and strict adherence to separations of power.

 

“To drag the name of the Governor to the crisis in the Kogi State House of Assembly is in the least, uncharitable. The crisis in the House of Assembly predates the present administration in the state.

 

“It would be recalled that before the advent of the present administration, the Assembly crisis assumed a violent dimension when vehicles belonging to the different caucuses in the House were vandalized.

 

“The Governor urges all aggrieved parties in the Kogi State House of Assembly to close ranks and work in unity for the progress of the state. He also pledges continued collaboration with the legislative arm to actualize his dream of a better Kogi State.”

 

Credit : Vanguard