Universal Service Provision: Senate confirms appointment of 3 Board Members

The Nigerian Senate on Wednesday confirmed the appointment of three out of the four people nominated by President Muhammadu Buhari as board members of the Universal Service Provision.

Those confirmed are; Mr Ahmed Walama, Mrs Fatima Kyari and Engineer Gbenga Adebayo.

However, the senate stood down the nomination of Engineer Funke Opeke, because of her failure to appear before the senate committee for screening.

In a related development, President Buhari has requested the Nigerian senate to confirm his appointment of Mr Abdu Abubakar as non-executive director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The President’s letter which was read on Wednesday on the floor of the Senate, was later referred to the committee on banking, insurance & other financial institutions for more input before reporting to the Senate in plenary within your weeks.

Also the Senate read for the second time, a bill seeking to establish the FCT Sports Commission, while another bill seeking to establish the power & petroleum safety institute Oraifite in Anambra State South East Nigeria also scaled second reading.

Meanwhile, the bill seeking to repeal the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission Act also scaled second reading.

The bill is seeking to grant the commission the enforcement powers to monitor how revenue accruing to the federation is disbursed among the three tiers of government.

Meanwhile, the Senate has expressed confidence that the various reports of its public accounts committee will go down in history as part of the Legacies of the 9th National Assembly.

The President of the Nigerian Senate Ahmad Lawan made this known on Wednesday after the senate considered and adopted the report of its public accounts committee, on the audited report of the federation for the 2016 fiscal year.

Senator Lawan believes that fighting corruption should go beyond the anti-graft agencies of government, to the Legislative inputs of the Parliamentarians.

The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, expressed optimism that the 2016 audited report of the federation adopted by the Senate, will help to check acts of corruption in the civil service.

According to the report, thirty-seven (37) Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government were indicted for various offences.

Senate also received President Muhammadu Buhari’s request for the refund of over nine billion naira to two states for federal road projects executed on behalf of the federal government in Plateau and Borno states.

Plateau State is to receive a refund of over six billion naira, while Borno State is to be reimbursed the sum of over three billion naira by the Federal government.

Thereafter, the Senate passed five other bills and then adjourned plenary for two weeks to observe the Easter and Sallah holidays.

The Senate is to reconvene on the 25th of April.

PIAK