Today In Senate, It’s Battle Of The Women

Senator Nkechi Nwaogu and Mrs Diezani Allison-Madueke, two women involved in oil and gas sector management are set to engage each other in a battle of wits today. UCHENNA AWOM, presents the issues at the base and what might likely be the outcome of the fight in the Senate.

Two women will square out today in what promises to be an epic battle between the executive and the legislature.

The two arms of government before now enjoyed chubby, rub my back I rub yours kind of relationship.

But the Senate Committee Chairman on Gas Resources,Nkechi Nwaogu and her committee is set to grill the Petroluem Resources Minister, Mrs.Diezani Allison-Madueke.

Alison-Madueke will lead her team of oil and gas experts to the Senate Committee room for what promise to be a robust engagement. Chances are the after the sitting, that relationship between the two arms of government may head for the rocks. The seat may be too hot for the amiable oil minister after all.

The crux of the matter is budget; issues arising from somecontract infraction, and financial shortfalls which require explanation.

Senator Nwaogu is fuming. She and her team are angry and understandably so over the failure of Madueke to appear before the committee last Tuesday to defend the ministry’s budget.

The minister was expected to make clarifications on the revenue profile of the much harangued and less trusted Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

According to the committee, the woman was billed to shed light on the government’s gas policy and its potentials as big revenue source for the country.‘‘Madueke was also supposed to talk on gas flaring and how her ministry plans to enforce compliance and the law on zero gas flaring, but she ignored us, may be we are not what her while. On Monday, we shall meet and Nigerians will see us,’’ Senator Nwaogu said.

Madueke had written the Gas Committee that she would be in far away Davos, Switzerland to attend an international meeting at the period of the budget defence meeting.

“It is not true. She is in Nigeria, infact she was sited within the premises of National Assembly”, an obviously enraged Nwaogu retorted.

So what is scaring the minister away? Could it be because she was yet to balance her records or because she is yet to recover from the heat generated from the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probing subsidy palaver? The fiery Hon. Farouk Lawan heads the committee.

Well, the minister is yet to respond at least publicity to the committee’s complaints. Sources however, revealed that she may have reached out to the senator before today’s meeting. One thing that is clear is that the cordiality expected of such high profile meeting may be missing.

But Madueke may not want to engage in brick bat as doing so will rather add to the already hard times, the oil industry is facing currently. It is also believed that the minister may simply stoop to conquer another day so that the anti-NNPC sentiment will mellow down before she teaches Nkechi lesson!

Aside the subsidy removal, the chilling and mind-boggling revelations at the House of Representatives ad-hoc committee probe have deepened Nigerians’ distrust and hatred for NNPC and Madueke.‘‘No sane person not to talk of a smart minister like Madueke who is eying the future will gamble,’’ a source said.

So addingNkechi’s or any woman senator’s fight for that matter to her worries may be one trouble too many. But those who know the flamboyant minister say she is a proud woman. They also swear that she can’t sacrifice her pride on the alter of political expediency. Anyway, wait and see, remains the best attitude as the meeting goes on.

But who blinks first would ultimately be determined by wise counseling between the two accomplished but fiercely opposed amazons in the current government.

Either way, political analysts contend that the senator must be careful in tackling the minister except if she has forgotten that Maduekeis a sacred cow in the hallowed gamut of President Goodluck Jonathan government. Secondly, the senator must remember that there is an appeal at the Supreme Courton her controversial election.

Caution, observers insist must be the senator’s watch word. Yes, because in Nigeria, the Executive Arm can change man to women literally speaking. Examples abound in Nigeria.

SHARE THIS POST

Read More...

Privatisation: Senators Want Obasanjo Punished

The Senate Wednesday opened debate on the reports of its adhoc committee on the investigation of government’s privatisation and commercialisation activities, with a number of the lawmakers insisting that former President Olusegun Obasanjo should not go unpunished for the widespread fraud that characterised the exercise during his tenure.

But in an apparent bid to save Obasanjo’s neck, Senate President David Mark cautioned his colleagues to remain focused on the committee’s recommendation and avoid politicising the issues at stake.

He said: “We should remain focused; we should not bring partisan politics into the journey that we started so well so far, so that we do not derail.”

Although the committee’s report did not specifically mention Obasanjo for sanction, it made a veiled reference to “presidential interference” in the privatisation exercise, which it strongly condemned and advised its avoidance in future.

Many senators, who commented on the committee’s report, could not however resist the urge to blame Obasanjo for most of the failures of some of the privatised companies to comply with the terms of the privatisation agreement.

The senators were stunned when Senator Olusola Adeyeye (ACN, Osun) related to them how one of Obasanjo’s sons allegedly brought the Indian company that bought the Ajaokuta Steel Company, which later embarked on mass “looting of the company’s assets and sending them to India”.

He said it was wrong to blame former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar for the alleged irregularities in the privatisation exercise when his boss Obasanjo who gave certain approvals in contravention to the privatisation laws would go unpunished.

Also in his contribution, Senate Deputy Minority Whip, Senator Abu Ibrahim (CPC, Katsina), argued that it would be unfair for the Senate to recommend punishment for the former Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) bosses for allegedly taking orders from the former president and fail to recommend same for Obasanjo.

Ibrahim said: “The report is comprehensive and decisive. I am worried that the main culprit who signed these documents has been left out. This Senate would have been encouraged to indict such person. Such person should be reprimanded. The Senate should be encouraged to indict former President Olusegun Obasanjo for breaking these laws. He personally signed these companies off. I believe the committee on privatisation should consider those companies one by one and see if the former president is involved and he should be prosecuted.”

On his part, Senator Smart Adeyemi (PDP, Kogi) said the ad hoc committee’s report had shown vividly that although privatisation as a concept was good but its implementation was against national interest.

He said: “The Indians who bought Ajaokuta Iron and Steel, rather than turn it around, dismantled the equipment and exported them to India. Today, we are importing the same steel from India.”

Adeyemi, therefore urged the government to summon the political will to implement the recommendations of the committee, saying: “The credibility of our Senate will be tested by this report. There are powerful Nigerians involved in this thing and they must be made to face the wrath of the law.”

But chairman of the ad hoc committee, Senator Ahmad Lawan (ANPP, Yobe), defended his committee’s recommendations, saying: “They were very patriotic and devoid of sentiments.”

The lawmakers, however, said that the implementation of the committee’s report would show how determined President Goodluck Jonathan is in his fight against corruption.

Meanwhile, former Head of State and the presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has urged Nigerians to ask Obasanjo to account for monies that accrued to the country when he was at the helm of affairs.

Buhari, who made this call Wednesday at the grand finale campaign of the Kogi State CPC governorship candidate, Mr. James Enejo Ocholi (SAN), at the Lokoja Township Stadium, alleged that the money made by the country during the Obasanjo regime was more than what the nation got from 1914 to the time he was sworn in.

“No CPC governor will be larger than the party. Anybody who steals public funds will go to jail and anyone who is not ready to work will be allowed to go,” he stated.

He said for the country to forge ahead, anybody found guilty of corruption should no longer be spared, but his property should be confiscated and the accused person sentenced to a long jail term.

Buhari, who has been in the state for the past three days, urged the people to vote for Ocholi whom he described as a courageous and credible man who would bring positive change to the state.

In his address, the governorship candidate urged the people to come out en masse and vote for him in Saturday’s election, saying the ruling party had failed the state.

The CPC candidate, who was presented to the electorate at the rally, also promised to embark on aggressive rehabilitation of roads, hospitals, schools and other such infrastructures.

Read More...