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Akpabio receives threat over senator Ningi’s suspension
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio has come under fire over the suspension of Senator Abdul Ningi for his allegation that the upper chamber padded the 2024 national budget
The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP, in reaction to the development, urges Akpabio to recall Ningi or face legal action.
Ningi, the lawmaker representing Bauchi Central, was suspended for three months over an interview in which he alleged that the National Assembly padded the 2024 N28.7 trillion budget as against N25tn.
He was quoted as saying, “For the first time in Nigerian history, today we are operating two different budgets. One budget was approved by the National Assembly and signed by President Bola Tinubu, and the one was implemented by the presidency.
“The one approved by us is N25tn while the one operating by the Federal Government is N28tn.”
SERAP Deputy Director, Kolawole Oluwadare, in a statement dated March 16, 2024, and made available to newsmen on Sunday, urged Akpabio “to immediately reinstate whistleblower Abdul Ningi who was recently suspended from the Senate over his allegations that the lawmakers padded the 2024 budget by irregularly inserting projects worth N3.7 trillion.”
SERAP equally told the Senate President to refer the allegation to the country’s anti-graft agencies – the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission, which would improve public trust in the Senate.
The statement asked that Akpabio should “urgently refer the allegations that lawmakers padded the 2024 budget by irregularly inserting projects worth N3.7 trillion to appropriate anti-corruption agencies for investigation and prosecution.
“Referring these allegations to appropriate anti-corruption agencies would be consistent with the lawmakers’ oath of office and the letter and spirit of the Nigerian Constitution 1999 (as amended).
“What Senator Ningi has done is a positive act of good citizenship. No whistleblower should ever be penalised simply for making a public interest disclosure.”
SERAP also urged Akpabio “to make a public commitment to discontinue the patently unlawful constituency projects in the next budget cycle.”
The statement continued, “Without inside information, corruption is hard to detect, prevent, and combat. Rather than suspending Senator Ningi, the Senate ought to have used his allegations as a trigger for addressing the lingering problem of budget padding and corruption in the implementation of constituency projects.
“Referring the allegations to the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) would improve public trust in the ability of the leadership of the Senate to ensure probity and accountability in the budget process.
“We would be grateful if the recommended measures are taken within 7 days of the receipt and/or publication of this letter. If we have not heard from you by then, SERAP shall consider appropriate legal actions to compel you and the Senate to comply with our requests in the public interest.”
The organisation expressed its concern “about the opacity and lack of accountability in the spending of public funds on constituency projects since the return of democracy in 1999.
“SERAP is seriously concerned that years of allegations of budget padding and corruption in the implementation of constituency projects have contributed to widespread poverty, underdevelopment, and lack of access to public goods and services.”
News
Tinubu: My govt has created 650,000 jobs via National MSME clinics In 19 states and FCT
President Bola Tinubu on Monday disclosed that his government has created 650,000 jobs through its National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Clinics in 19 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Tinubu also vowed to remove all bottlenecks militating against Nigerians turning ideas and skills into successful businesses.
The President made this known via his verified X handle, @officialABAT and explained that a tailor should not need millions of naira to buy industrial machinery before she can grow her business while a food processor should not have to build a factory before producing at scale.
This, he stated, informed why the Federal Government, “under our Renewed Hope administration, is investing in shared MSME hubs through our National MSME Clinics, giving entrepreneurs access to modern equipment, reliable power and production facilities without carrying the full cost alone.”
According to Tinubu: “Today, 21 shared facilities across 19 states and the FCT are supporting businesses and an estimated 650,000 jobs. ReadPolitical News
“Nigerians do not lack ideas, skill or ambition. Too often, they lack access to the tools and infrastructure needed to turn them into successful businesses.
“Our job is to remove those barriers.
“When small businesses can produce more, at lower cost, they become more competitive. They grow. They employ more people. They create income and opportunity for Nigerian families.
“Giving Nigerian enterprise the tools to succeed is how we build prosperity from the ground up. That is the Nigeria we are building.”
News
Experts raise alarm on Shawarma, Cancer, Kidney Disease
Health professionals have warned that regular consumption of shawarma containing high amounts of salt, sugar, fat, seasoning and processed meat may contribute to hypertension, obesity, diabetes and kidney disease.
Excessive salt can raise blood pressure and put additional strain on the kidneys, while high-calorie sauces may contribute to weight gain.
Nutrition experts advised Nigerians to eat shawarma in moderation, use less mayonnaise and other sauces, choose lean grilled meat and add more vegetables. Consumers were also urged to check vendors’ cleanliness and avoid food prepared where ingredients are exposed to flies, dust or poor handling.
A recent report by experts also warned that frequent consumption of Shawarma may increase the risk of other food-borne infections and long-term health problems.
The report contains documented cases of people who suffered vomiting, diarrhoea, stomach pain and weakness after eating shawarma, with some requiring hospital treatment.
According to the report, poor hygiene could allow bacteria and other contaminants into shawarma, causing illnesses including cholera, dysentery, typhoid and salmonellosis.
It also raised concerns about mayonnaise and creamy sauces kept without proper refrigeration and warned that poor storage could encourage bacterial growth and increase the risk of food poisoning.
A study cited in the report found bacterial contamination in ready-to-eat shawarma sold on the streets
Experts also raised concerns about processed meat such as sausage, noting that the International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies processed meat as carcinogenic to humans.
News
Phone communication exposes married woman in the case of Abuja resident who died in a hotel
The mystery surrounding the death of a man whose body was found by the roadside in Abuja has taken a new turn, with police tracing the case through his missing mobile phone to a married woman who allegedly spent time with him at a hotel.
The FCT Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Sanusi, disclosed this on Saturday in Abuja, saying investigators arrested Rukayat Muhammed after tracing the deceased’s final communications.
The man was found dead on August 26 along the Kubwa Expressway, near Katampe under the bridge, after his family had earlier reported him missing.
According to the police, the case initially raised suspicion of a possible “one chance” incident. Investigators, however, established that the dead man was the missing person after identifying his remains.
Sanusi said the deceased’s mobile phone was missing and had been switched off. Police investigators subsequently traced his last known communication, leading them to Rukayat, a resident of Garki Area 2.
Investigators reportedly discovered that Rukayat, who is married, was allegedly in a romantic relationship with the deceased. The police said she had saved his contact under the name “Safiyat.”
The CP said the pair had lodged at Good Samaritan Guest House on 2nd Avenue, Gwarinpa, where the man later died.
Sanusi said Rukayat allegedly discovered that the man was no longer breathing but failed to alert the police or hotel management. Instead, she allegedly took his phone and left the hotel.
The case took another turn when hotel management later discovered the man’s body inside the room after attempts to contact the occupants failed.
Rather than reporting the discovery, two hotel staff members, Ibrahim Omeiza and Kefat Bitrus, allegedly removed the body from the room and transported it to the Kubwa Expressway, where they dumped it under the Katampe bridge.
The police said the action was apparently intended to distance the hotel and its management from the death.
Sanusi said detectives were still working to establish exactly how the man died and determine the individual roles of those connected to the incident.
He warned that anyone found to have participated in the death, concealment or abandonment of the body would face prosecution.
The commissioner said the investigation remains ongoing.
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