News Post

The Senate on Tuesday, October 4, 2016 witnessed the passage of five Motions. Debate on the Motions were quite exhaustive and enthusiastic as most the prayers to the Motions were passed as Resolutions. The Motions passed include:

1) Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East, sponsored by Sen. Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai (Borno Central) and 17 others.

According to the Motion, the Senate noted with grave concern the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the North-Eastern part of Nigeria. In the words of Arjan de Wagt, UNICEF’s Chief of Nutrition in Nigeria while granting an interview on September 9, 2016 in Abuja stated that “we have not found the right word to describe the magnitude of the crisis”.

The UNICEF Report indicated that four and half million people are in dire need of assistance out of which one million are in danger of extreme malnutrition. The Motion having enjoyed the overwhelming support of law-makers was passed with five resolutions below:

a) Constitute an Ad-hoc Committee of the Senate to conduct a Public Hearing and ascertain how much has been released to the Presidential Initiative on the North-East and how these funds have been utilized from inception to date.

b) Investigate the diversion of grains and other food items from the strategic grains reserves, NEMA and other sources for the IDPs.

c) Senators to donate Three Hundred thousand each thus totaling N32.7 million to the IDPs in the country.

d) The Committee to  also investigate the officials of the IDP Camps in the region.

e) Senate also commended the International Community and staff  working in the IDP Camps for their support.

The  following Senators as members of the Ad-hoc Committee; Shehu Sani – Chairman, Yahaya Abdullahi, Taye Alasoadura, Theodore A. Orji, Ali Wakil and Ben Murray Bruce. 

2) Demise of Olorogun (Dr.) Michael Christopher Onajirevbe Ibru (OFR), sponsored by three Senators representing Delta State in the Red Chamber, Sens Ovie A. Omo-Agege, James Manager and Peter Nwaoboshi (Delta Central, South and North) respectively. The Motion scaled through with two prayers below:

a) Observe a minute silence in honour of the late Olorogun (Dr.) Michael Christopher Onajirevbe Ibru.

b) Send a delegation of the Senate to condole with the family Late Olorogun Dr. Michael C. O.  Ibru.

3) Indiscriminate Rock Blasting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and other parts of Nigeria. The Need to Respect Nigerian Laws and observe Best Practices, sponsored by Sen. Theodore A. Orji (Abia Central). The Motion sailed through with a single resolution below:

a) Mandate the Committee on Solid Minerals to as a matter of urgency to visit the communities mentioned above and liaise with the Federal Ministry of Petroleum and Solid Minerals to take stock of all quarry sites in the country and ensure strict compliance with the laws of Nigeria and International Standard requirement of five kilometres away from human habitation and make recommendation to the Senate on ways to ameliorate the sufferings of the people of the host communities.

4) Urgent need for value orientation and re-introduction of History as a course of study in the nation’s educational system, sponsored by Sen. Ali Wakil (Bauchi South). The law-maker recalled with nostalgia the cherished values of honesty, discipline, good work, ethics, excellent interpersonal relationships, competitive collectivism, ethnic and religious tolerance among the citizenry and purposeful leadership within the Nigerian State. The Motion was passed with four resolutions below:

a) Call on the various arms of government as a matter of urgency to initiate a means of rejuvenating our fallen value system.

b) Urge all institutions, religious and community organizations, traditional institutions, civil society groups and all concerned to arrest the deteriorating state of our value system.

c) Mandate the Committee on Education to liaise with the Federal Ministry of Education, the National University Commission (NUC), National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) to immediately reintroduce the study of History as a core subject and degree of its own.

d) Direct the National Orientation Agency (NOA) to discharge its statutory duties effectively.

5) The Total State of Disrepair and Collapse of The Enugu - Onitsha Federal Highway, sponsored by Sen. Sam Egwu (Ebonyi North). The Senator noted with serious concern the dilapidated state and total collapse of Onitsha – Enugu Dual Carriage Way thereby making journey on it very traumatic and tragic. The Motion scaled through with two prayers below:

a) Urge the Federal Government to begin rehabilitation work on major roads by and the immediate release of funds to contractors handling the road projects.

b) Direct the Federal Ministry of Works to liaise with relevant MDAs and the Private Sector to fast track the concession of the roads.