Tag Archives: Request

Why Senate Rejected Buhari’s $30bn Loan Request

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The Senate, yesterday, unanimously, threw out President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for external loan of $29.96 billion to execute key infrastructural projects across the country between 2016 and 2018 because the letter conveying it was not accompanied by a borrowing plan.

The Senate did not even discuss the request as it died immediately it was mentioned as an executive communication by Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume.

However, the Presidency, in a swift reaction by Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senate, Senator Ita Enang, said it would engage the Senate and provide all the needed documents and borrowing plan.

The matter came up soon after the Senate convened for the day’s plenary and the request was number one under Executive communication in the Order Paper.

Leader of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume, moved a motion that the request be considered and his motion was seconded by the Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha.

President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki who presided over the plenary, put the question forward whether or not the request should be debated.

However, Senate President Saraki was interrupted by Senator Dino Melaye, APC, Kogi West, who raised a point of order. He was still speaking when he was cut short by Saraki, who insisted that the question be put forward before Melaye’s position will be accommodated.

Senate President Saraki, thereafter put it to vote and the nays had it. Senator Saraki who was surprised and apparently out to give President Buhari a soft landing, decided to put it to vote the second time and the Senators again thundered ‘nay’ and the Senate President had no option than to rule in favour of those who voted against collecting the loan.

The request was shot down at about 11am yesterday.

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http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/11/30bn-loan-senate-rejects-buharis-request/

Senate Rejects Buhari’s Request To Borrow $30 Billion

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The Senate has rejected President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for authorisation to borrow about $30 billion.

The president, last Tuesday, forwarded a request to the National Assembly to approve external borrowing plan of $29.960 billion to execute key infrastructural projects across the country between 2016 and 2018.

He made the requests in two separate letters to the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara.

Mr. Buhari said the external loan, the biggest in Nigeria’s history, will fund targeted projects cutting across all sectors with special emphasis on infrastructure, agriculture, health, education, water supply, growth and employment generation.

Other sectors, he said, included poverty reduction through social safety net programmes and governance and financial management reforms, among others.

According to him, the cost of the projects and programmes under the borrowing (rolling) plan is $29.960 billion.

This is made up of proposed projects and programmes loan of $11.274 billion, special national infrastructure projects $10.686 billion, Euro bonds of $4.5 billion and Federal Government budget support of $3.5 billion.

The Majority Leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, was quoted on Monday as saying that the House would approve the loan.

 But The Senate considered the request on Tuesday and refused to give its approval.

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http://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/214171-breaking-senate-rejects-buharis-request-borrow-30-billion.html

Senate Reject Request To Summon DSS Boss Over Judges’ Raid

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Senate Reject Request To Summon DSS Boss Over Judges’ Raid

The Senate on Tuesday reject a proposal to invite the Director General of the State Security Service, Lawan Daura, over the clampdown on suspected corrupt judges.

In a motion brought as matter of urgent national importance by Joshua Lidani (PDP-Gombe), the Senate was asked to look into the action of the SSS which led to arrest of seven judges in the early hours of Saturday.

One of the resolutions canvassed by Mr. Lidani was that the Senate should invite Mr. Daura to explain why his agency carried out the action the way it did without deference to the constitutional responsibility of the National Judicial Council.

When Mr. Saraki called for vote to uphold Mr. Lidani’s prayer, Senators yelled “ayes” and later “nay” in somewhat equal proportion.

Then, Mr. Saraki put the question again resulting in similar response as the first.

He then ruled “the nays have it”, translating to defeat of the proposal to invite Mr. Daura.

Specifically, Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio, supported the prayer that Mr. Daura be invited.

But other Senators did not touch that part of the prayers sought.

The Senate however condemned the raid on residences of the Judges.

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http://leadership.ng/news/554172/senate-reject-request-to-summon-dss-boss-over-judges-raid

EFCC Opposes Fayose’s Request For N5 Billion Damages

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The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has urged a Federal High Court sitting in Ado Ekiti to reject Governor Ayo Fayose’s request for N5 billion damages over the freezing of his personal bank accounts at Zenith Bank.

The anti-graft agency through its counsel, Rotimi Oyedepo, at the resumed hearing of the suit on Friday urged the court to strike out Fayose’s further affidavit in response to its (EFCC’s) affidavit filed without leave of the court.

The EFCC contended that “it is visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that the Applicant (Fayose) is extremely out of time and there is no extension of time to file a further  affidavit.

Fayose had through his counsel, Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate, urged the court to award him N5 billion damages against the EFCC for freezing his two personal bank domiciled at Zenith Bank.

Ozekhome, argued that the Interim Order obtained by the EFCC on June 24 and granted by Justice M.B. Idris upon which the action was based was “fundamentally irredeemably wrong.”

Fayose sued the EFCC and Zenith on the freezing of his personal bank accounts following Account Numbers: 1003126654 and 9013074033 on May 24 seeking an order to de-freeze the accounts.

The EFCC alleged that the accounts were used to launder funds from the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd) for the purpose of financing Fayose’s campaign in the 2014 governorship poll in Ekiti.

Ozekhome described the EFCC action of freezing or blocking Fayose’s accounts as illegal, irregular, wrongful, unlawful, unconstitutional, null and void.

Fayose’s counsel told the court that he had filed an Originating Summons dated 23rd June and filed the following day having 16-paragraph affidavit attached with Exhibit A, which is a letter from Zenith Bank freezing Fayose’s account.

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EFCC opposes Fayose’s request for N5 billion damages

8 Turkish Coup Plotters Request Asylum In Greece

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A Turkish military helicopter landed in Greece Saturday carrying eight officers seeking asylum after a coup bid, Greek police said.

The Black Hawk chopper arrived after sending a distress signal to authorities at the airport in Alexandroupolis in the country’s north.

Seven of those on board were in military uniform and all are believed to have been involved in the attempted putsch, ERT TV said. Athens News Agency said the asylum seekers comprised three majors, three captains and two sergeant majors.

Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Ankara had asked Athens to send back the eight.

“We have requested Greece to extradite the eight traitors as soon possible,” Cavusoglu was quoted as telling HaberTurk television.

According to an official in the Greek National Defence General Staff, “the helicopter is scheduled to be sent back immediately to Turkey”.

“As far as the asylum seekers are concerned, we are going to proceed according to the international law” Olga Gerovassili, the Greek government spokeswoman, said.

She said Athens was “in constant contact with the Turkish authorities”, and would take into account the fact that “the asylum seekers took part in a coup against the Turkish constitution”.

Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras early Saturday expressed his “support for the democratically elected” Turkish government.

Credit: Guardian

Court Rejects Metuh’s Request To Travel Abroad For Treatment

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A Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday dismissed an application by the National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party, Mr. Olisa Metuh, asking for the release of his passport to enable travel to the United Kingdom for medical treatment.
Justice Okon Abang in rejecting the request in a ruling, held that the court lacked jurisdiction to order the release of Metuh’s passport having earlier directed that it should be deposited with the Chief Registrar of the Court throughout the period of the PDP spokesperson’s ongoing trial.
“The law is settled and required no restatement that when a court has made an order, the court lacks jurisdiction to set aside the order or vary the order,” Justice Abang ruled.
Justice Abang also ruled that the prosecution – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission – having expressed fear that Metuh could jump bail, “the court must be very careful in deciding such complex application.”
“What the court needs to do is to balance the conflicting rights of parties,” the judge ruled.
He ruled that Metuh failed to adduce any evidence that his spinal cord-related ailment which he sought to treat at London Royal Hospital could not be treated in any of the nation’s teaching hospitals and the new hospital in Akwa Ibom State, which he said had been adjudged to be of international standard.
He held that Metuh could not ask for the release of his passport as of right without placing sufficient materials before the court.
The judge ruled, “This is not a sentimental issue. This is not the issue of sympathy. It is purely an issue of the law.
“Chief Olisa Metuh cannot casually apply for the release of his passport as of right.
“Chief Olisa Metuh filed the application as if it is a simple matter. It is not a simple matter.”
Credit: Punch

Court Rejects Kanu’s Request For His Seized Passports, Money

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A Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday dismissed an application by leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra and founder of Radio Biaf?ra, Nnamdi Kanu, for the release of certain items, including his British and Nigeria passports, which are in the custody of the Department of State Service.

Justice James Tsoho dismissed the application made orally by Kanu’s lawyer, Mr. Chuks Muouma (SAN), who had sought the release of the items because they would not be needed by the prosecution since they were not listed as part of exhibits to be tendered.

Apart from the passports, other items which Muouma sought to be released to the IPOB leader who is currently in detention at Kuje prison along with his two co-accuse, are cash sums of $2,200 and N87,000.

Justice Tsoho, in dismissing the application for lacking in merit, insisted that the fact that the items were not listed as possible exhibits did not foreclose the possibility of their being later used by the prosecution as exhibits.

?He then adjourned the case till February 19 for the hearing of an application by the prosecution for protection of its witnesses.

Credit: Punch