The Senate has suspended Senator Abdul Ningi for three months over his allegation of N3.7 trillion budget padding in an interview with BBC Hausa.

     

       Senator Abdul Ningi

The Senate has suspended Senator Abdul Ningi for three months over his allegation of N3.7 trillion budget padding in an interview with BBC Hausa. During the interview Ningi had said the Northern Senators Forum would take up the issue with Senate President Goodwill Akpabio and President Bola Tinubu, insisting another budget was passed “underground.”

At a resumed sitting on Tuesday, Senator Adeola Solomon (Ogun West) moved a motion for the senators to debate the allegation, saying it has breached his privilege as a senator who was part of those that passed the appropriation on the floor of the senate.
His motion was seconded by Senator Ned (Edo South).

After a long debate by Senators on the matter. Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC Ondo South), said Ningi should be suspended by for months.

But contributing, Senator Asuquo Ekpenyong (Cross River South) pleaded that the period be reduced to 6 months.
However, Senator Sani Musa (APC Niger) suggested that Ningi should be suspended for 3 months and should be also made to write an apology letter to the Senate.

After all contributions, Akpabio said, “Senator Ningi is hereby suspended for 3 months and disconnected from all activities of the Senate for the three months.”

This was after a voice vote from the Senators.Although Ningi denied some of the claims in the interview during a briefing on Monday, saying he was quoted out of context.

Before Ningi’s suspension, angry senators were engaged in a debate on the allegation which threw the Red Chamber into a rowdy session.

President Bola Tinubu is currently meeting behind closed-doors with the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio and the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

   

Senate President with President Tinubu

Senator Akpabio met with the President shortly after the nation’s upper legislative chamber, otherwise called the Red Chamber, handed over a three-month suspension to the Chairman of the Northern Senators Forum, Abdul Ningi, representing Bauchi Bauchi Central Senatorial District

The agenda of the meeting was not made public at the time of filing this report, but it was reliably gathered that it was not unconnected with the suspension of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Senator over the comment credited to him that President Tinubu is implementing a different budget from what was presented to the National Assembly.

Though, the Bauchi Senator had since denied the allegation, he, however, did not escape the wrath of the majority of his colleagues, including his northern brothers, who alleged that his (Ningi) allegation in an interview he granted to the BBC, Hausa Service, put the senate in bad light.

The President of the Senate did not talk to journalists when he finished the meeting with the President

 

Tinubu Appoints ex-LAMATA DG Dayo Mobereola As DG Of NIMASA.

President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Dayo Mobereola as the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) for a renewable term of four years.
According to a statement by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, appointment follows the exit of Mr. Bashir Jamoh, whose tenure recently expired.

Dr. Dayo Mobereola

 

Dr. Mobereola holds a Ph.D, and an M.Sc in Transport Economics from the University of Wales, United Kingdom. He is a fellow of the Chartered Institute of Transport, England, and a fellow of the same institute in Nigeria.

He was the Managing Director of Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) from 2003 to 2015 and was also the Commissioner for Transportation in Lagos State from 2015-2016.

In the private sector, he was Deputy Managing Director and Project Development Director at AFM Consulting Plc, London. He was also Senior Economist at British Petroleum Shipping Limited, London.

“The President expects the new Director-General to bring his vast experience to bear in his new role and to achieve the mandate of NIMASA in providing world-leading standards of maritime safety administration, maritime labour regulation, marine pollution prevention and control, search and rescue, cabotage enforcement, shipping development and ship registration,

in accordance with the policies and programmes of the Renewed Hope Agenda for the sector as ably guided by the Honourable Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, H.E. Adegboyega Oyetola,” the statement said.

 

 

Atiku Denies Exit From PDP, Says Tinubu Pursuing Personal Agenda Instead Of Focusing On Governance.

He accused President Tinubu of pursuing a personal agenda with the story instead of focusing on governance.

President Tinuke with former Vice President  6Alh. Atiku Abubakar.

 

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has described the reports claiming he is set to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2027 elections as pure mischief, which is devoid of truth.

Some reports claimed that the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 presidential election and some other politicians were planning to form a new party to challenge the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and President Bola Tinubu.

However, Atiku in a statement posted on his X handle on Tuesday affirmed his loyalty to the PDP. He accused President Tinubu of pursuing a personal agenda with the story instead of focusing on governance.

He said, “I have been inundated with calls from our party members, supporters, and concerned Nigerians regarding the fabricated story in The Nation, Tinubu’s ragtag, alleging my departure from the @OfficialPDPNig.

“Let me be unequivocal: this is pure mischief, devoid of truth. I reaffirm my unwavering loyalty to the PDP while advocating the swift merger of opposition parties. The urgency of this consolidation cannot be overstated.

“Tinubu’s relentless pursuit of personal agendas at the expense of national governance is glaring. His myopic focus on 2027 betrays a disregard for the pressing needs of the populace. It’s high time he ceased his bumbling escapades and prioritised the welfare of the people.

“My media team is vigorously countering his baseless claims. Let this be a wake-up call to all: the pursuit of power must not overshadow the imperative of effective governance. Together, let us propel Nigeria forward, leaving behind the antics of political charlatans.”