PDP Caucus Petitions Buhari Over Alleged Interference

The Rivers State PDP caucus in the National Assembly is accusing security agencies of interference in its cases before the state elections petitions tribunal. The allegation is contained in a petition which the caucus comprising of PDP's 3 senators and 13 House of Representatives members wrote to President Muhammadu Buhari.

The lawmakers accused the Nigerian Army and Department of State Services, DSS of interfering in the various election petition cases involving the party at the tribunal.

They alleged that soldiers and DSS operatives are conniving with APC to testify against PDP at the tribunal. They called on the president to call the security agencies to order to prevent a miscarriage of justice in the prosecution of the cases.

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14 Women Drown In Boat Mishaps

A total of 14 women on Monday lost their lives in two separate boat accidents in Sarkin Pawa River and River Guni both in Muniya local government area of Niger State.

Mr Bala Elikana, Niger State Police Public Relations Officer confirmed the incident to News Agency of Nigeria, NAN.
"We have asked our Marine Police to get us detailed report of what transpired., " he said. He added that the marine police was meeting with boat owners and drivers to ensure safety on the waterways.

Reports have it that 11 women of the same family drowned in the Sarkin Pawa riva accident, just as 3 women from Gumi village died in similar circumstances in Gumi river.

The victims were said to be returning from the farm where they had gone to harvest groundnuts on Monday evening. Some of them were identified as
Munau, Wara, Fiddausi, Zainab, Najaatu, Ikilima, Fatima, Ladidi, Balaraba and Hafsat.

NAN

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War Against Terrorism Going According To Plan - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday assured that his administration was prosecuting the war on terrorism as planned.
He spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja during a joint press conference with visiting President Boni Yayi of Benin Republic.

He said that having identified it's priorities as security and economy, his government is doing its best under the prevailing circumstances.

“We are doing our best under the circumstances in Nigeria. This government has just arrived, we are re-organising the military, they are on ground.

“Especially, the Army and the Air Force are doing very well and the Navy has joined to secure the Gulf of Guinea which is from Senegal to Gabon and Angola.

“So, we are on course, we are getting the cooperation of the international community and I assure you that we are already seeing the difference. The coast is clear.”

President Boni Yayi assured Nigeria of his country's solidarity, while commending President Buhari on his leadership role in the ongoing war on terrorism.

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Buhari Berates RMAFC For Approving Jumbo Pay For Political Office Holders

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday scolded the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, for approving outrageous remunerations for political office holders.

Speaking at a meeting with RMAFC Chairman, Elias Mbam and his team, the president admonished the organization to seek the proper interpretation of its powers and address the outcry of Nigerian people against the unreasonably high payments of political office holders.

He urged the Chairman and his team to go back to the drawing board and come up with humane proposals to rescue ordinary Nigerians.

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Past Governments Caused Subsidy Mess - Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday blamed previous administrations for the current ugly situation in which the country is being cheated out of billions of naira every year for alleged oil subsidy claims.

The president expressed his disappointment over the way Nigeria's oil industry has been run in the last decade plus, saying that if development of refining capacity and petroleum products distribution network had kept pace with national demand, there would have been no need for the massive subsidies being presently paid to importers.

Buhari also said that the country's refineries, oil pipelines and related infrastructure were deliberately neglected for oil subsidy payment and its associated corruption to thrive.

“They allowed the infrastructure to collapse so that their cronies can steal by bringing in refined products from overseas,” he said.

He stressed that Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC, which illegally retained all or parts of its revenues in the past, must now comply with the Nigerian constitution by paying all of its revenues into the Federation Account. He warned that severe sanctions would be meted on anyone who violates the directive.

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Force Headquarters, Police Service Commission Deploy Team To Enforce Withdrawal Of Officers From VIPs

The Police Service Commission, PSC, and the Force Headquarters, Nigeria Police have set up a monitoring team to implement President Muhammadu Buhari's directive to withdraw police officers attached to unauthorized persons and VIPs who are not entitled to their services. Such personnel are to be deployed to tackle the security challenges facing the country.

According to the Chairman, Police Service Commission, Sir Mike Okiro who spoke to the press in Abuja on Tuesday,
“the PSC, in collaboration with the Inspector General Police, has concluded arrangements to deploy a high level monitoring team to the nation’s airports, highways and other public places to enforce the Presidential directive of immediate withdrawal of policemen from very important personalities, VIP, who are not entitled to their services.

“The monitoring team will have the powers to stop VIPs on the highways, airports and so on, for confirmation of their status and that of the policemen attached to them.”

The PSC Chairman stressed that the leadership of the Nigeria Police Force would enforce the presidential directive to the letter.

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Economic Crunch : Buhari, Senators, To Take Pay Cut

The Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC is presently trimming down the pay packages of the President, National Assembly members, governors, and all elected public servants in line with current economic realities.

The Chairman of RMAFC, Mr Elias Mbam disclosed this to pressmen in Abuja on Tuesday after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.

“We are here to brief the President on the activities of the commission, the challenges and the way forward.

“The President advised us to ensure that we use all legitimate means to ensure all public office holders take home remuneration as determined by the commission and also block all leakages.

“We have done a lot in informing the public on the true position of the remuneration packages. It is on our website; it is clearly written there and we have published these remuneration packages in many national dailies several times.

“We have also had interactions with the press at different fora.
What we read on the pages of newspapers is not known to the commission because there is no member of the National Assembly, based on what we determined, who earns up to N1 million per month.

“Presently, we are reviewing the subsisting remuneration packages and it is going to reflect the socio-economic realities of today. We expect that before the end of next month, it will be ready.

“When I talk of packages, the responsibility of the commission is to determine the remuneration for political office holders, both elected and appointed, from the national level to the local government level.

“Of course, National Assembly members are elected. It will include them, it will include the judiciary, it will include the state legislature, executive and of course, the local government will be included.

“Recently, the oil price dropped. Many government agencies, the states and local governments have not been able to pay their salaries. These are some of the issues that made it necessarily to review it. It did not start with this administration; we started the review as far back as last year. It is not because of the present administration that we commenced it.

“They do not have a choice. We are guided by the constitution and we are going to be guided by such laws that are provided for in the constitution and the oath they swore to obey the laws of the country, " Elias Mbam disclosed.

See Vanguard for more.

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