Approval of Tinubu’s $500 million loan request, other top stories at Senate

The Senate commenced legislative activities last Tuesday with the paying of last respect to the late House of Representatives member, Isa Dogonyaro, who died on 10 May in Abuja.

Mr Dogonyaro represented Babura/Garki Federal Constituency of Jigawa and was the Vice Chairman of the House Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria Control, before his death.

The upper chamber sat for about 30 minutes before adjourning to the next day without deliberating on motions or bills.

Before the adjournment, the Senate observed a minute silence in honour of the deceased.

The Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, said the adjournment was in line with the tradition of the National Assembly to pay last respects to colleagues who passed on

Mr Akpabio also condoled with the House of Representatives, the family of the deceased lawmaker, constituents, the government and the people of Jigawa over the death of the lawmaker.

Call for National Dialogue

The Senate on Wednesday asked President Bola Tinubu to convene a national dialogue to deliberate on full autonomy for local governments in the country.

It said the dialogue should involve the governors, state legislators, local government officials, civil society organisations, community leaders and others.

The resolution followed a motion sponsored by Kawu Sumaila (NNPP, Kano South).

Mr Sumaila, while presenting the motion, lamented the neglect of the local government system in many parts of the country.

---

He accused state governors of frustrating the autonomy of local governments.

“Some governors play a crucial role in frustrating local government autonomy in Nigeria via constitutional alteration processes and with limited financial and operational autonomy, local governments might struggle to effectively address local security concerns like community policing initiatives, intelligence gathering, and infrastructure maintenance.

“Local governments, once major employers, are financially constrained and unable to hire the necessary staff. This surge in unemployment creates a pool of vulnerable individuals susceptible to criminal recruitment, further exacerbating the nation’s security issues.”

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, put the motion to vote and a majority of the senators supported it.

The deputy senate president then directed the Clerk of the Senate, Chinedu Akubueze, to communicate the resolution to the appropriate authorities.

Senate approves $500 million loan for mass metering

The Senate on Tuesday granted permission to President Bola Tinubu to process a loan of $500 million to finance the mass metering programme of the federal government.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, announced the approval after a majority of the lawmakers supported it through a voice vote.

The loan was considered and approved by the Committee of the Whole.

The upper chamber approved the fund for the Bureau of Public Enterprises (PBE) after considering a report of its Committee on Local and Foreign Debt, presented by Haruna Manu, its vice chairman.

The $500 million loan is part of the $7.94 billion loan and €100 million which President Tinubu requested permission from the National Assembly to obtain last November.

In December, the Senate approved the request as part of the 2022-2024 external borrowing rolling plan of President Tinubu after it considered a report of the local and foreign debt committee.

Mr Manu, the senator representing Taraba Central Senatorial District, while presenting the committee’s report, explained that the loan ought to have been approved earlier but was delayed because officials of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) did not appear before the committee to defend the request.

The lawmaker stressed that the terms and conditions of the loan will not allow the loan to be misused.

Mr Manu, therefore, recommended the approval of the loan.

“The committee recommends that the Senate do approve the ongoing negotiations of the external borrowing in the sum of $500m for BPE” and that the details be “forwarded to the National Assembly before execution,” Mr Manu added.

FG takes over Kebbi, Nasarawa airports

President Tinubu in a letter to the Senate on Tuesday, disclosed that the federal government has taken over the ownership of two airports, which necessitated reimbursement of N24 billion to the state governments.

The airports are; Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport, Birnin Kebbi and Lafia Cargo Airport, Nasarawa.

In the letter, the president sought the National Assembly’s approval to pay the Kebbi State Government over N15 billion and N9 billion to the Nasarawa State Government as reimbursements for their expenditure on the airports.

The president explained that the decision was based on the fact that “aviation, including airports, safety of aircraft and carriage of passengers and goods by air” are owned and managed by the federal government as contained in item three of the second schedule of the 1999 constitution, as amended

He noted that aviation is listed under the exclusive legislative list, which gives the federal government sole authority over the facility.

The president also said the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the reimbursement of the funds last May through the issuance of provisory laws.

Tinubu sends bill on performance-enhancing drugs

President Tinubu on Thursday forwarded a bill to the Senate seeking to prohibit Nigerian athletes from consuming substances that enhance performance during or after competitions.

The president’s request was contained in a letter read by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary.

If passed, the bill titled “National Anti-Doping Bill 2024,” will regulate substances that can be consumed by athletes during sporting events.

In the letter, Mr Tinubu said the bill would provide a legal framework for the establishment of the National Anti-Doping Organisation to regulate sporting competitions.

He explained that the establishment of the agency was a requirement for Nigeria to achieve compliance with the World Anti-Doping Code.

The World Anti-Doping Code (Code) is the core document that harmonises anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sports organisations and among public authorities around the world.

Mr Tinubu said the law will help Nigeria avoid the imposition of signatory consequences and the inclusion of laws of hosting and participating rights at regional, continental and world championships or major athletic events.

The president urged the lawmakers to consider the bill before the Olympic Games seminar scheduled for Paris in July, to enable Nigerians to be part of the competition.

Senate passes North West Development Commission bill

The Senate on Thursday passed the North West Development Commission (NWDC) Bill.

The upper chamber passed the bill after considering the report of its Committee on Special Duties, presented by Kaka Shehu, its chairperson.

It also considered the bill clause by clause at the Committee of the Whole.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, who presided over the plenary, then announced the bill’s passage after most lawmakers supported it through a voice vote.

The North-west region comprises seven states: Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto, Jigawa and Katsina.

Presenting the report, Mr Shehu, the senator representing Borno Central Senatorial District, said the bill aimed at stimulating socio-economic development in the North-west geo-political zone.

Senate suspends move to stop electricity tariff hike

The Senate on Thursday suspended consideration of the report of its committee on power recommending suspension of the increase in electricity tariff by the National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), pending advice from its legal department.

The resolution was a sequel to a point of order raised by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules and Business, Titus Zam, during the plenary.

The Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, announced the resolution after a majority of the senators supported it through voice votes.

When the Chairman of the Committee on Power, Enyinnaya Abaribe, presented a report on the issue during Thursday’s plenary directing NERC to reverse the increment, many of the lawmakers in their separate contributions rejected the reversal saying the matter is already before a Federal High Court in Kano.

Mr Abaribe (APGA, Abia South), while presenting the report, said the committee recommended that the Ministry of Power and NERC should in the meantime adopt measures to address the problem of power scarcity rather than increasing it.

It recommended that NERC should hold the electricity distribution companies accountable.

The committee stressed that the mass metering programme of the federal government should be encouraged to address the current metering gap.

It further recommended that the Ministry of Power should establish an “Electricity Consumer Protection (ECP) Unit to develop, implement and enforce the Electricity Consumer Protection component of the Electricity Act, 2023. 34(2)(c) and 119 (1)(f)”

The deputy senate president, thereafter, said the report would be suspended until all legal issues surrounding it were resolved