HIGHLIGHTS:

NASS To Receive 2018 Budget Estimates From President Buhari On Tuesday

Dogara Urges China To Establish Production Plants in Nigeria
Reps To Investigate Remittances Of JAMB To Federation Account from 2007 Till Date
Federal Government's Investments and Proceeds from Solid Minerals and Steel
Development To Be Probed By Lawmakers
NASS To Receive 2018 Budget
Estimates From President Buhari
On Tuesday
The House of Representatives has received
communication from the president of the Fed-
eral Republic of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, of
his intention to address a joint sitting of the Na-
tional Assembly and to present the 2018 Budg-
et proposal on Tuesday, November 7th, 2017 at
the National Assembly.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt.
Hon Yakubu Dogara, read the letter from the
president conveying the message on the floor
of the House of Representatives during the ple-
nary session on Thursday.
The event, which will take place in the House of
Representatives Chamber, will begin at 2 p.m.
President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, will
take charge of the joint sitting, alongside the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt.
Hon Yakubu Dogara.
Speaker, House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara receiving a gift of
Chinese Calligraphy from the Head of delegation of Chinese Foreign Affairs,
Mr. Ji Pieding during a courtesy visit to the Speaker by the Chinese delega-
tion at the National Assembly in Abuja
Dogara Urges China To Establish
Production Plants in Nigeria
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu
Dogara, has urged the Peoples Republic of China to
open more opportunities for Nigeria to benefit from
the bilateral trade agreement between the two coun-
tries by setting up production plants in Nigeria.
Speaking when he received a delegation from
the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by Mr Ji
Pieding in his office, he said at the moment, Nigeria is
barely getting economic benefits from the partnership
between the two countries, while China, on the other
hand, enjoys patronage from the government and
people of Nigeria.
While acknowledging that both countries are not at
par when it comes to production, he appealed to Chi-
na to help Nigeria develop its market by bringing
more of its production plants to the country.
The Speaker also informed the delegation that Nige-
ria has made far reaching changes towards sanitising
its business environment and making it attractive to
investors.
Earlier, the head of the delegation of Chinese Foreign
Affairs ministry, Mr Ji Pieding, expressed gratitude for
the One China policy of the federal government, add-
ing that China is ready to embrace African continent
in general and Nigeria in particular for development.
Reps To Investigate Remittances Of
JAMB To Federation Account from
2007 Till Date
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives have
mandated the Committee on Basic Education and
Services to conduct an investigation into the man-
agement of the financial affairs of the Joint Admis-
sions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) from 2007 till
date as it relates to its earnings from prospective
candidates and remittances made to the Federation
Account.
While adopting the resolution of a motion spon-
sored by Hon Segun Alexander Adekola (Ekiti), the
House also noted that the Minister of Finance, Mrs
Kemi Adeosun, while evaluating the performance
of Government Agencies recently, announced that
for the first time in its 40 years of existence, the
Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
remitted the sum of 5 billion into the coffers of
the government, with a balance of 3 billion still to
be remitted, amounting to 8 billion within nine
months of the tenure of the current Management
of JAMB.
It further noted that the Accountant General of the
Federation had, in response to a Freedom of Infor-
mation (FOI) request by the Premium Times Centre
for Investigative Journalism, stated that JAMB re-
mitted 11,522,808 in 2011, 25,303,274 in 2013
and 13,926,402 in 2014 but did not make any re-
mittances in 2012, 2015 and 2016 respectively.
The lawmakers observed that the total amount
JAMB remitted to the Federation Account between
2010 and 2016 is 50,752,484, which is about 1%
of the amount the agency remitted to the Federal
Government in 2017 alone, adding that the remit-
tance of such an amount by a non-focal revenue
generating agency underscores the importance of
transparency in the administration and manage-
ment of government business and of the urgent
need to beam a searchlight on other government
agencies to guard against flagrant misappropria-
tion of public funds with a view to promoting pro-
bity in governance.
Federal Government's Investments
and Proceeds from Solid Minerals
and Steel Development To Be
Probed By Lawmakers
The House of Representatives has resolved to
set-up an ad-hoc committee to investigate
the investments of the federal government in
the development of solid minerals and steel
sectors and the proceeds that accrued to the
Federal Government, including leakages from
2012 to 2017.
In a motion moved by Hon. Johnbull T. She-
karau, the House said it was aware that most
of the nation's solid mineral resources are ei-
ther undeveloped or underdeveloped and
where they have been fully developed, the
revenues accruing from their exploitation are
not fully remitted to the coffers of the Federal
Government as a result of corruption in the
system.
It expressed concern that given the desire of
the federal government to attain economic
recovery and growth through diversification
into solid minerals and steel development,
the absence of proper supervision in the sec-
tor is having detrimental effects on the gov-
ernment's quest as its huge investments in
the sectors have not been justified by ex-
pected dividends to the coffers of the govern-
ment.
The lawmakers also noted that activities of
illegal miners and cartels in the business and
previous acts of neglect of the sector have
combined to deprive the nation of the royal-
ties, taxes, ground rent and levies that would
have been yielding revenues for the develop-
ment of the nation.
House To Ascertain Allegations Of Non-Remittance of Contributions To
NSITF By FG, State And Local Governments
In reaction to allegations that the federal, state
and local governments have not been making
their contributions to the Nigerian Social Insur-
ance Trust Fund (NSITF), the House of Repre-
sentatives has resolved to set up an ad-
hoc committee to carry out an investigation into
the matter.
The House, in a motion sponsored by Hon Baba-
tunde Kolawole, recalled that the National As-
sembly passed the Employees Compensation
Act in 2010 to provide an open and fair system
of guaranteed and adequate compensation for
all employees or their dependents for any death,
injury, disease or disability arising out of or in
the course of employment, rehabilitation to em-
ployees with work-related disabilities, establish-
ment and maintenance of a Solvent Compensa-
tion Fund managed in the interest of employees
and employers, among others.
It further noted that by Section 33 of the Act,
every employer shall, within the first 2 years of
the commencement of the Act, make a minimum
monthly contribution of 1.0 per cent of the total
monthly payroll into the Fund and subsequently, pay-
ment will be based on estimates of the employer's
payroll for the year, actual assessment or based on
minimum assessment.
The motion also added that while private sector play-
ers have, to a reasonable extent, been complying
with the provisions of the Act, particularly in view of
Section 16(6)(d) which makes it mandatory for bid-
ders to have fulfilled all obligations to pay taxes, pen-
sions and social security contributions, however, the
federal, states and local governments have all failed
to make payments of their contributions to the
NSITF, despite the mandatory provisions of the Act.
If this anomaly is not addressed, the House contin-
ued, civil and public servants will continue to be short
-changed and remain at the receiving end of a sys-
tem that exposes them to occupational hazard with-
out any form of insurance or compensation.
Environmental Degradation: Security Agencies Should Involve Experts
in the Destruction of Illegal Refineries, Petroleum Products - Reps
In order to avoid pollution and degradation of
the environment and minimise economic loss,
the House of Representatives has mandated its
Committees on Petroleum Resources (Upstream),
Petroleum Resources (Downstream), Environ-
ment and Habitat, Army, Navy, Interior, Niger
Delta, and Legislative Compliance to interface
with relevant security agencies to ensure that
officials of relevant Ministries, Departments and
Agencies (MDAs) are involved in the process of
destroying illegal refineries and boats laden with
petroleum products to guarantee, to an extent,
retrieval of the stolen crude oil, avoid spillage,
either on land or water.
The House, in a motion sponsored by Hon.
Owoidighe Ekpoattai, noted that the quest to
acquire crude oil illegally by non-professionals is
devastating the environment, destroying wild
and aquatic lives, as well as stunting the eco-
nomic development of the nation, thus resulting
in an estimated loss of 10.9 billion dollars be-
tween 2009 and 2011.
In a bid to curb the menace, Hon Ekpoattai said
while moving the motion, the Nigerian Security
and Civil Defence Corps, the Nigerian Army and
the Nigerian Navy have collectively destroyed at
least 280 illegal refineries and barges loaded with
petroleum products and secured the conviction
of 40 perpetrators out of the 118 arrests made in
the last one year in the Niger Delta region.
However, he continued, despite the commenda-
ble efforts of the various security agencies to
curb the menace of illegal refineries, the methods
adopted in the destruction of those refineries are
further endangering the environment of the re-
gion and negatively affecting the general health
and well-being of the people because wastes em-
anating from the destroyed refineries and barges
are washed into the creeks and the ocean.
He said this was caused by the failure of security
agents to involve experts in carrying out the de-
struction of the refineries, thereby posing envi-
ronmental hazards in addition to that of the ex-
istence and operation of those illegal refineries
themselves.
Reps Move To Address Declining Immunisation Coverage in Nigeria
Worried by the expected complete pull out of
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation
(GAVI) from Nigeria in 2021, the House of Repre-
sentatives has called for alternative and sustaina-
ble financing options must be put in place to
forestall any catastrophe in immunisa-
tion financing in the future and to ensure in-
creased coverage of immunisation coverage
across the country.
To this end, it has called for an increase and sus-
tained domestic investment and funding alloca-
tions for immunisation from 0.2% to 1% of the
national budget, implementation of the 1% Con-
solidated Revenue Fund for financing the Basic
Health Care Provision Fund in the 2018 Budget as
enjoined by the National Health Act, adoption
of innovative financing mechanism by establish-
ing a National Immunisation Trust Fund and ad-
vocacy and sensitisation on immunisation uptake
and co-funding at all levels of government by the
Federal Ministry of Health.
In a motion moved by Hon. Muhammad Usman,
the House noted that the report of a survey com-
missioned by the National Primary Health Care
Development Agency (NPHCDA) and sponsored
by some Development Partners was conducted
by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS); Multi-
Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS)/National Immunisation
Coverage Survey (NICS) 2016/2017 to assess several
thematic areas in public health, including immunisa-
tion, to find out the coverage status of routine vaccine
antigens (immunisation) delivered through the Nation-
al Health System among children aged 12-23 months
was released in August 2017.
The report revealed a National immunisation coverage
rate of 33% using the pentavalent 3 vaccines as an in-
dicator of completed immunisation schedule for any
given child under the Routine Immunisation (RI)
schedule as approved by the National Primary Health
Care Development Agency, contrary to the global
standard of 90% as-an indicator-for- fully immunised
according to the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) or
the African standard of 74%, only 3% of the thirty-six
(36) States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at-
tained 80% coverage.
The 2016/17 report also revealed that 77% of the as-
sessed children did not receive all the life-saving vac-
cines, while 37% received some, 40% did not receive
any vaccines at all from the Routine Immunisation Pro-
gramme and are classified as missed children, in addi-
tion, only 1 in 4 children in the rural areas was fully
immunised while 1 in 10 children of the poorest fami-
lies received full immunisation.
Reps Uncover Plot To Divert $35m Project Fund
The House of Reps has mandated its joint
committees on Finance, Industry, Commerce
and Aids, Loans and Debt Management to
investigate the N97 billion Growth and Em-
ployment (GEM) Project.
The joint committees is also to ascertain the
number of beneficiaries for far, the extent of
involvement of consultants, inflow received
and disbursement made since commence-
ment, including all other related issues and
report back to the House within four weeks
for further legislative action.
The lawmakers also directed the Federal gov-
ernment to halt the planned movement of
$35m out of the GEM project account to
fund any other fraudulent small and medium
enterprise investment project.
Growth and Employment (GEM) Project is an
employment project conceptualized by the
Federal Government under the Ministry of
Industry, Trade and Investment.
The project was meant to create jobs and in-
crease non-oil growth through the empower-
ment of 4000 SMES across the country in
specific high-potential value chain sectors of
Information and Communication Technology
(ICT), light manufacturing and agro pro-
cessing, entertainment industry, hospitality
and tourism, construction and real estate.
The lawmakers have however directed immedi-
ate discontinuation of any processes towards the
consideration or approval of the new restructur-
ing proposal for the creation of the fraudulent
SME Investment Fund.
Consequently, the House has directed the Minis-
ters of Finance, Industry, Trade and Investment,
the GEM Project Coordinator and the World
Bank to maintain the status quo ante as was con-
ceptualized and approved by the National As-
sembly
The decision of the House followed the adoption
of a motion by Mark Gbilah (APC, Benue), who
noted the Minister of Industry, Trade and Invest-
ment, was allegedly involved in the manipulation
of the implementation of the project leading to
its planned restructuring.
According to the lawmaker, the implementation
of the GEM project is predicated on funding
from the World Bank and the United Kingdom
Department for International Development
(DFID).
DFID was expected to provide a grant of 90m
to be strictly managed by it while the World
Bank will also provide a concessionary loan of
$160m to be domiciled in a CBN Project account
under the oversight of the Minister of Finance,
he added.
Dogara Tasks Security Agencies On
Advanced Tools Against
Violence In Nigeria
..Security agencies must develop new tools of protecting,
preserving Nigeria's democracy from violence

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu

Dogara, has charged the Directorate of State Services
(DSS) and other security agencies to develop new inno-
vations in order to be able to counter novel security
challenges that are threatening Nigeria's democracy.

Dogara, while speaking at the Graduation Ceremony

participants of EIMC 10 of the Institute for Security Stud-
ies in Abuja, noted that it is important for the paramount
security agency to stay ahead in the war against violence
by deploying knowledge of modern techniques in un-
conventional ways.

He also gave assurance that the National Assembly will

give expeditious passage to any initiative that will further
strengthen the agency to confront violence effectively .

The Speaker said, "We cannot afford to lose the fight

against violence. We cannot . And if there's any institu-
tion that can do this, it is Department of State Service.

The Speaker argued that it is only when security

agencies develop new tools and evolve more ad-
vanced ways of maintaining law and order that de-
mocracy can endure.

He noted that the security challenges that confront

Nigeria's democracy are no longer conventional
saying, "Every challenge now in terms of security
comes with an element of something novel, some-
thing new, something that has not been tested be-
fore. So, we need to stay ahead and the responsi-
bility lies squarely on your shoulders.

House Adopts Conference
Committee Report on the Federal
Competition and Consumer
Protection Bill 2017
The House of Representatives has considered and
adopted the recommendations of the report of the
Conference Committee of the House and Sen-
ate on the Federal Competition and Consumer
Protection Bill 2017.
Sponsored by the Speaker, Rt. Hon Yakubu Doga-
ra, the bill, which is for an Act to Repeal the Con-
sumer Protection Act and establish the Federal
Competition and Consumer Protection Commis-
sion and the Competition and Consumer Protec-
tion Tribunal for the Development and Promotion
of Fair, Efficient and Competitive Markets in the
Nigerian Economy, Facilitate Access by all Citizens
to Safe Products, Secure the Protection of Rights
for all Consumers in Nigeria; and for Related Mat-
ters (HBs1 and 60) had scaled through the two
chambers successfully.
However, differences in the versions passed by the
two Houses required the setting up of a confer-
ence committee, whose report was adopted in the
committee of the whole on Thursday.
The Bill will now be read for a third time in the
House before going to the executive for assent.
House Passed 2017 Budget Pro-
posals of:
1. Nigerian Ports Authority (N270,529,113,135).
2. Nigerian Shippers' Council (N11,369,647, 230.81).
3. National Inland Waterways Authority
(N2,550,000,000.00).
4. Council For The Regulation of Freight Forwarding
In Nigeria (N2, 773,291,764.65).
5. National Agency For Food And Drugs Administra-
tion And Control (N18,924,031,753).
3 BILLS Presented for Third Reading:
1. A Bill for an Act to Authorize the issue from
the Federal Capital Territory Administration Statutory
Revenue Fund of the Federal Capital Territory Ad-
ministration Account, the Total Sum of
222,360,551,512 (Two Hundred and Twenty- Two
Billion, Three Hundred and Sixty Million, Five Hun-
dred and Fifty-One Thousand, Five Hundred and
Twelve Naira) only, of which the Sum of
52,574,479,667 (Fifty-Two Billion, Five Hundred and
Seventy-Four Million, Four Hundred and Seventy-
Nine Thousand, Six Hundred and Sixty-Seven Naira)
only, is for Personnel Costs and the Sum of
40,460,373,354 (Forty Billion, Four Hundred and
Sixty Million, Three Hundred and Seventy-Three
Thousand, Three Hundred and Fifty-Four Naira) only,
is for Overhead Costs whilst the Balance of
129,325,698,492 (One Hundred and Twenty Nine
Billion, Three Hundred and Twenty-Five Million, Six
Hundred and Ninety-Eight Thousand, Four Hundred
and Ninety-Two Naira) only, is for Capital Projects for
the Service of the Federal Capital Territory, Abu-
ja, for the Financial Year Commencing from 1 Janu-
ary and Ending on 31 December, 2017.
2. A Bill for an Act to make Provisions for a Sys-
tem of Standard Scale of Fines and Financial Penal-
ties Imposed by Courts, Tribunals and Other Judicial
Bodies; and for Related Matters.
3. A Bill for an Act to Make it Mandatory for the Na-
tional Assembly to Scrutinize and Approve a Subsidi-
ary Legislation before it becomes Enforceable and for
Related Matters.