Ease of Doing Business: Saraki Charges Technical Committee on CAMA, ISA

 By Sunny Anderson Osiebe

 

Senate President,  Dr. Abubakar Saraki has inaugurated an 18-man Technical Committee on the amendment of the  Company and Allied Matters Act (CAMA)  and the Investment and Security Act (ISA) with a charge to improve the ease of doing business in the country.

The Senate President also urged the Committee to work out modalities to halt the  exodus of manufacturing companies from Nigeria to neighbouring countries due to harsh business environment.

He enjoined the technical committee to ensure that  through the amendments of the CAMA and ISA to becomes a veritable instrument for economic diversification and job creation. 

In a statement signed by his Special Assistant on Print Media, Chuks Okocha, the Senate President said: "Men and women with business ideas should be able to register and incorporate their companies without hassles and delay. 

"For  every business that we start,  our nation benefits from employment,  revenue generation, products and services to better our lives and enterprises that will help drive and reinforce our claims of being the fastest growing economy on the continent.  This is were we want to see the Nigerian economy," he said.

He noted that making the nation's business environment competitive is the right thing to do in growing the economy as the Senate in collaboration with the private sector had identified the business environment as one of the major impediments to doing business in the country.

He stated that a detailed list was developed following the launch of the National Assembly Business Environment Round-table (NASSBER) last year which undertook a comprehensive review of the institutional, regulatory, legislative and associated instruments impeding Nigerian business. 

Saraki said that through the collaborative process, a report was presented that identified the need to review 54 Acts and 50 bills that need to be passed, of which the 13 including the CAMA and ISA were designated priority.

 He said that the NASSBER report identified these two laws as critical to the business environment, complimentary to one another and catalyst for the creation, innovation and sustainability or enterprises.

He said: "A reform of these laws is of utmost importance and that is why, in keeping with our commitment to employing the right resources at our disposal in developing the right legislation for our economy, we are constituting you - experts in the field,  regulators,  operators and practitioners alike, into a technical committee to neutrally apply your experience to advice the Senate through relevant committees on the best legislative

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options to enhance th

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  quality or these bills."

In her response,  the leader of the committee, Mrs. Ozofu Ogiemudia, pledged to justify the confidence reposed in them by the Senate as they are abreast with the difficulties encountered in doing business in Nigeria. 

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Senate/Executive feud may linger despite SGF Lawal’s suspension

By Sunny Anderson Osiebe

The ongoing peace talks between the Senate and the Executive may still be deadlocked, despite the suspension of Secretary to Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
Lawal who was part of the issues that drew the lawmakers’ wrath against the executive is regarded as a minor part of the grudge against the presidency.
The major bone of contention is the tenure of the head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Mr Ibrahim Magu.
However, a number of lawmakers, including Chairman of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crises in the North-East, Sen. Shehu Sani, applauded the suspension of the SGF by President Muhammadu Buhari.
According to him, “It’s commendable for the president to heed the call to fumigate the throne of lice and bugs with the same ability he goes after rodents afar”.
On its part, the Senate which spoke through the Vice Chairman, Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Ben Murray-Bruce, PDP, Bayelsa State, said: “The suspension is a step in the right direction, I am a member of the Senate Ad-hoc Committee on Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-East. Buhari is doing the right thing, he should be commended. It is a right step in the right direction.”
It yet to be seen how the latest development will impact on the ongoing peace talks between both arms of government as on Thursday, March 28, the Senate had mandated its President, Bukola Saraki, to meet with President Buhari to come up ways of resolving the feud between it and the Executive Arm of Government.
The decision of the Senate, followed its rejection of a list of Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs), forwarded to it by President Buhari. The lawmakers had contended that the names will not be confirmed until President Buhari removes Magu as the Acting Chairman of the EFCC.
Ripples Nigeria reliably learnt that Saraki, in company of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara and All Progressives Congress (APC) principal officers of both chambers met with President Buhari.
The meeting was held two days after Senate arrived at the decision. That is specifically on the 30th of March. The following week, Saraki, in company of the Senate Leader, Senator Ahmad Lawan, met with the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo to resolve the feud.
The Vice President, Professor Osinbajo, currently heads the peace committee, set up by President Buhari to reconcile with the National Assembly. Former lawmakers who are Ministers are also members of the committee.
At the end of the second meeting, both parties could not strike a deal. It was learnt that Professor Osinbajo, acting on the instruction of President Buhari, told Saraki and his team that two key actors in the centre of the feud, who are members of the Executive, namely, Comptroller-General of Nigerian Customs Service (NCS), Col. Hameed Ali and EFCC boss, Magu, will not be reprimanded.
Saraki, also acting on the instructions of his colleagues, told Vice President Osinbajo that lawmakers were not ready to back down until Magu was relieved of his position.

The meeting, it was learnt, ended in a deadlock. The last meeting held few days before the Senate went on its Easter break, was between Buhari and Saraki, after a Jumat Prayer at the Presidential Mosque.
The Customs boss and Magu, were both at the Presidential Villa, when Saraki and Buhari met behind closed doors, Ripples Nigeria gathered.
It was learnt that the duo decided to allow the leadership of APC, to handle the reconciliation process, since it was a neutral party in the whole saga.
Saraki, unable to brief lawmakers penultimate Tuesday, decided to hold a meeting with principal officers of the Senate, drawn from APC and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Heads of state and geopolitical zones’ caucuses were also in attendance at the meeting. It was agreed that the Senate will formally take a position on the issue and whether or not it will allow the leadership of APC to mediate in the saga.
Media aides to the Senate President, contacted to speak on the issue, declined to comment.

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Dogara settles patients’ bill

By Sunny Anderson Osiebe

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Yakubu Dogara, on Friday spent N3.76 million to settle bills of patients at the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University Teaching Hospital, Bauchi.
The bills of N1.26 million for five patients with critical issues were settled while N2.5 million dropped with the hospital’s management to cover the bills of other patients.
Out of the critical cases, N500, 000 was paid for a cancer patient, N300, 000 for an orthopaedic case, N200, 000 each for a policeman with gunshot injury and an unsettled bill, and N60, 000 for a man with renal problem.
Dogara, who made the gesture during a visit to hospital, said he was there to assess the quality of facilities and to assist indigent patients.
He said that the settlement of the bills was with the assistance of some his colleagues, who had concern for patients in need.
“We came to assess the quality of facilities here to see where we can assist. As lawmakers, we appropriate funds for Federal Government agencies and the visit is to identify areas we can assist.
“I want to say that with the contribution from some of my colleagues, I will settle the bills of some of the cases we came across”.
Dogara said that visit to the hospital was part of his tour of projects in his constituency “and to thank the people of the state for their support’’.
Receiving the speaker, the acting Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Dr Abubakar Kadas, said that the institution has been facing financial difficulties in providing its services.
He commended the speaker for picking the bills of the patients, and for his continued support to the hospital.
Kadas stated that the management of the hospital would continue to count on the House of Representatives for necessary assistance.
One of the patients, Mr Ismaila Sule, said that he was glad for the speaker’s visit and intervention.
He appealed to other politicians to emulate him.
Some members of the National Assembly, including Sen. Suleiman Nazif, Sen. Ali Wakili, Rep. Halliru Jika, Ossy Prestige, Edward Pwajok, Hassan Saleh and Benjamin Iorember accompanied the speaker on the visit.

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How to Enhance Jobs Creation Through ICT, By Saraki​

By Sunny Anderson Osiebe

President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has stressed the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in transforming Nigeria’s economy and creating more job opportunities for the nation’s youth.

In a press statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, Saraki in a discussion with some visiting foreign dignitaries stated that developing an open and competitive ICT marketplace in Nigeria has the potential of contributing billions of dollars to our nation’s GDP.

“Nigeria’s ICT sector accounted for only 11 percent  of our GDP in 2014. In an era where we are looking to diversify the foundation of our economy, in 2017, ICT can be a key source of potential revenue and livelihoods for millions of our enterprising youth. But the only way this will be possible is if we augment the regulatory and political attention that we devote to the sector,” the Senate President said.

“Nigerians are keen to adopt new information and communications technology in their workplaces and homes, to make life easier, better and more productive for them,” Saraki said, “Nigeria’s ICT space is fast-evolving and is the largest in Africa. With 86 million Nigerians online, the increasing proliferation of tech clusters and the growth of cross-border ICT services, we need to change the way that we think about ICT in Nigeria. We can’t stop thinking locally, but we need to start acting globally.”

“We need to figure out how to push more Nigerian tech companies -- many of whom are run by young men and women -- to be competitive in the global marketplace. We also need to increase access to cheaper ICT solutions to our MSMEs that contribute 47 percent to our nation’s GDP. Most importantly, we need to develop our human resources by strengthening our school curriculum to reinforce Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning and adoption. There are many issues to be solved, but will sufficient cooperation, all stakeholders, public and private, can work together to harness the potential of ICT in Nigeria,” he said.

The Senate President also emphasised the need to build on Nigeria’s current ICT foundation, in order to utilize ICT and ICT services in order to positively make impact on the daily lives of everyday Nigerian. 

In June 2017, the Senate President's Office is scheduled to host a CEO Roundtable featuring Nigeria's leading ICT executives, where the discussion will focus on issues that are particular to Nigeria’s ICT development.

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Ekweremadu Mourns Senator Adeleke

By Sunny Anderson Osiebe

 

The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, has expressed shock and deep sense of loss over the death of the Senator representing Osun West Senatorial District, Senator Isiaka Adeleke.

Ekweremadu, who described the deceased as a perfect gentleman and patriot, noted that the incident was a grave loss, not only to the Senate and the good people of Osun State, but also the entire nation.

He said: “I am in rude shock over this sad development. It is like a rainstorm at the height of dry season.

“Distinguished Adeleke was a brother and friend. He was cosmopolitan in nature and started his education in Enugu, my State. This nature showed in his broadminded approach to debates and national issues, which stood him out as a statesman and pan-Nigerian.

“With him as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), I found a willing partner, as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution in the 6^th Senate in our collective effort to better the nation’s electoral system. He will be remembered for the gains of those reforms as witnessed in the 2011 and 2015 general elections”.

The Deputy President of the Senate condoled with the family of the late Senator as well as the government and people of Osun State.

He also prayed for the peaceful repose of the soul of the departed.

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