JANUARY 26TH, 2018 NEWSLETTER.

OFFICE OF THE

SENATE PRESIDENT
DR. ABUBAKAR BUKOLA SARAKI (CON)
GEORGE WEAH’S
INAUGURATION:
SENATE PRESIDENT
IN LIBERIA
On Monday, the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar
Bukola Saraki, was in Liberia, for the swearing in of
President George Weah.

In a tweet on his personal handle, @BukolaSaraki, the

Senate President said: “It was an honour to witness the
inauguration of President George Weah as the 24th
President of the Republic of Liberia. I wish President Weah
success as he takes up the mantle of leadership of his
nation.”
HEALTHCARE: DISEASE
CONTROL BILL A PRIORITY,
SAYS SENATE PRESIDENT
The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola
Saraki, has stated that the establishment — through
legislation — of the Nigerian Center for Disease Control
(NCDC) will remain a priority of the National Assembly,
as it is important to give the Center the necessary legal
framework and budgetary allocations.

Represented by the Senate Deputy Majority Leader,

Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, at the Public Hearing on a
Bill to Establish the Nigeria Center for Disease Control
by the Senate Committee on Primary Healthcare and
Communicable Diseases, the Senate President stated
that due to the emergence and growing complexities of
infectious diseases, Nigeria must make disease control a
primary issue.
EDUCATION: SENATE
COMMITTED TO DEVELOPMENT
OF SECTOR THROUGH ICT

The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on

Tuesday stated that the federal legislature would yesterday
said the National Assembly would provide all necessary laws
that will aide in the development of Nigeria’s education sector.

Represented by the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmed Lawan, the

Senate President said this at the Senate Public Hearing on
“Innovative Education Technology: E-Learning and Blended
Learning in the Education Sector’’ which was organized by the
Senate Joint Committee on Education (Basic and Secondary),
Tertiary Institution and TETFUND and Communications.

The Senate President said: “One viable option proffered by

experts and education stakeholders as a means of reviving
and transforming our ailing educational system is the adoption
of technology-mediated learning.”
 PIGB: SENATE PRESIDENT
NAMES CONFERENCE
COMMITTEE
The President of the Senate,  Dr. Abubakar Bukola
Saraki, has announced a seven-man Committee of of
the Senate to to meet with the House Committee on
the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill (PIGB) to
harmonise the two chambers’ versions.

Recall that last week, the House of Representatives,

passed the PIGB following the 8th Senate’s passage
of the Bill in May 2017.

The members of the Committee are: Senators Tayo

Alasoadura, Akpan Bassey, Philip Aduda, Gershom
Bassey, Baba Kaka Garba, Abubakar Kyari. While
Senator Kabiru Marafa will serve as the Chairman.

Once harmonized and signed into law, the PIGB will

address the regulatory frameworks of Nigeria’s oil
and gas industry, and make the sector more effective
for business operations.
 P H O T O - O P
AT T H E S E N AT E

GIVE
WOMEN
A VOTE
On Tuesday, the President of the Senate,
Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, met with the
UK Special Envoy for Gender Equality,
Joanna Roper, and the UK High
Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul T.
Arkwright.

The Green, White and Violet Flag means:

Green = Give, White = Women, Violet =
Votes
CONFIRMATIONS: SENATE PRESIDENT
REITERATES SENATE’S RESOLVE
On Wednesday, the President of the Senate, Dr.
Abubakar Bukola Saraki, stated that resolutions of the
Senate must be adhered to.

Following a point of order raised by Senator Mao

Ohuabunwa, who stated that 2 or 3 states are not
represented in the NDDC board. The Senator asked that
the Senate allow the committee to proceed with the
confirmation of the nominees, despite a standing
resolution of the Senate to stop all confirmations until the
legislatures rejection of nominees is adhered to.

The Senate President said:

“The issue you just raised, we will look at it to see

whether the exercise itself had started before the
resolution,” he said, “We will tell the secretariat to check
the records to see whether it started before, and we will
look into it. However, unfortunately, if it started after,
unless that resolution is rescinded, we are all bound by
it.”
 The Senate President also stated that the objective of the
amendment is to place the country in a position that will be
competitive and attract investments. 

"I am so excited that we made the promise to Nigerians at the

beginning of the 8th Senate and today we have seen the
completion of the work. To me, this is a great achievement. I am
very confident that if we pass these two bills, they will significantly
help in making our country attractive for investment. And if you look
at the core issues affecting the country today, it all comes back to
the issues about the economy. 

SENATE PRESIDENT RECEIVES REPORT OF 2

ECONOMIC PRIORITY BILLS
-Pledges Quick Passage
“
"If we can get the economy right, create jobs for our youth, create
investment and empower people, we will be able to significantly
Distinguished
reduce
justus,
colleagues,
all the areas it is my appeal
of friction. So to each andgoes
your contributions
that our legislative duty to Nigeria and her people, must be
these two bills as it is a contribution to the development and
uppermost in our minds. We must not allow the upcoming 2019
social stability of the country. On our part, we will work to get them
elections to overshadow our work for the people that elected us -
passed quickly in both chambers," he said.
everybeyond
one of

or distract us from that which we are mandated to do by the

The President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, on constitution and the trust reposed in us by the people. This is my
Theappeal:
leader itof isthetooNational Assembly TAC on CAMA and ISA,
Wednesday reiterated the commitment of the 8th National Assembly early for 2019 politicking to override the
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us
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see it to its proper conclusion. It would be most insensitive to theyears now.
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needs of the thepeople
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if we were tohasdoproduced
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reenactment bills in respect of CAMA and the ISA.”
Senate in Abuja.
SENATE PRESIDENT MEETS NATIONAL
ASSEMBLY COMMISSION CHAIRMAN,
OTHERS
- FIRST PRESIDING OFFICER TO DO SO
On Wednesday, the President of the Senate, Dr.
Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was the first Presiding Officer of
the National Assembly, to visit the headquarters of the
National Assembly Commission.

The meeting centered around the budgetary constraints

of the Commission; the perception of the National
Assembly; the training and re-training of legislative aides;
and the collaboration between both Chambers of the
National Assembly and the Commission.

“As we work through the number of bills passed, the

public hearings held, and the number of ad-hoc
committees that have been established — we know the
challenges of not being able to fund some of our
activities. So far, I am happy to report that despite these
constraints, the 8th Senate has been able to surpass all
previous Senates in the number of Bills that we have
passed in 2-years — despite the funding gaps,” the
President of the Said.
 ELECTORAL ACT: SENATE
PRESIDENT ANNOUNCES
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
The President of the Senate,  Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki,
has announced a six-man  committee of senators to reconcile
the Senate's version of the amended Electoral Act with the
version passed by the House of Representatives.

The Senate's conference committee has the Chairman of the

Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral
Commission (INEC), Senator Suleiman Nazif, as Chairman.

Other members of the committee are Senators Shehu Sani,

Biodun Olujimi, Hope Uzodinma, Dino Melaye and Peter
Nwaoboshi. The committee is expected to meet with the
House of Representatives to harmonise the version of the
amended electoral bill before being sent to  President
Muhammadu Buhari for his assent.

In 2017, the Senate passed an amended version of the 2010

Electoral Act. The House passed its own version this week.
Harmonization of both versions of the Bill is currently
underway.
HUGH MASEKELA
THE SENATE PRESIDENT SALUTES A LEGEND

Hugh Masekela was a statesman of African music. With his

passing at the age of 78, the world has lost a boundless
creative spirit — one who made immense contributions to the
body of African arts, especially music.

His music was part of the soundtrack of the anti-Apartheid

struggle. With his trumpet and voice, Masekela gave
expression to life under the Apartheid regime and heralded
the release of Nelson Mandela and majority rule.

He paid dearly for this activism, spending more than three

decades of his life in exile. Yet he never stopped playing,
and he never stopped smiling.

Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki (CON)

President of the Senate
 MUSDAPHER
THE SENATE PRESIDENT MOURNS EX-CJN

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has

expressed sadness over the death of a former Chief Justice of
Nigeria (CJN), Hon. Justice Dahiru Musdapher, and described
him as a respected jurist who spent his life in the service of his
state, country and humanity.

He stated that Justice Musdapher would remain an inspiration

to the younger  generation having traversed the judicial ranks
first as a legal practitioner   with a meritorious practice in the
bar before he was appointed the Attorney General of old
Kaduna State. 

"His dedication and hard work paved the way for his eventual
appointment as a Judge in the Kano State Judiciary, where he
rose to become the Chief Judge of the state before his
elevation as a Justice of the Court of Appeal and later Justice
  of the Supreme Court, until he retired five years ago as the
CJN,” he said.
 SENATE GIVES NNPC 7-DAYS
TO END FUEL SCARCITY
The Nigerian Senate has given the Nigerian National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), seven days (starting from
Thursday) to end the ongoing fuel scarcity in parts of the
country.

Speaking on the development, the President of the Senate, Dr.

Abubakar Bukola Saraki, stated that with the 7-day ultimatum,
NNPC has to clear the fuel queues that exist. He said:

“NNPC must go and make sure that these queues that exist
must disappear and we are giving them seven days to make
sure of this. By next week we have a report that addresses the
resolution that was given to them on that effect and also within
that week the committee should come back to confirm to us that
NNPC has complied with the resolutions that we have taken on
this matter. It needs to be brought to an end.”

The Senate has also directed all security agencies to enforce

effective border control measures to avoid the smuggling of
petroleum products, and directed the Department of Petroleum
Resources (DPR) to double their efforts in enforcing price
control and monitoring.