Senate President Bukola Saraki made it clear that he is very loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari and that he would not want his administration to fail.

In an interview with Daily Trust, Senator Saraki emphasized that he is loyal to the President, confirming that there has been a lot of misinformation out there.

“From Day One I took a position, and some very powerful people don’t like the position. When you want to know who is loyal to you, it is during your trying moments. Go back two months ago.

“Who was it who stood up resolutely and said Mr. President will be back and there is no cause for alarm? I don’t think a man who is not loyal to you will do that. We know some people who went to London and saw President Buhari, but they just left. They did not say anything.

“My message to all our party’s supporters is that I am committed, that whatever we promised Nigerians, we will deliver.

“For some of us, this government cannot be allowed to fail. We left one party with our supporters and embarked on this journey. We must be able to go back to them and tell them that that journey was worth it. If God forbid this government fails, what will I go back and tell them? It is in my personal political interest to see that this government succeeds.”

This was even as Senator Saraki accused former Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume of trying to to “embarrass” him, by accusing him of him of importing bullet-proff SUV jeep worth N37 million.

Saraki narrated: “the issue of the car, when it came up, the management issued a statement. When government appointees buy an official car, it is not their car. Government provides a car to you by virtue of your job.

“The National Assembly Management said no car was imported in Senator Saraki’s name, and Senator Ndume knew that. Even if you think that your colleague is not qualified, did he call him and say ‘Colleague is it true that you don’t have a genuine certificate?’ There are many ways of addressing these issues.

“Coming to the [Senate] floor escalated the whole issue. What the committee was saying was did you check this thing very well before you came to the floor and said your privilege was… So it is not that he gave me an opportunity to prove it because the management had already said that no car was brought in under my name, and Ndume knew it. He brought the issue to embarrass both myself and the institution. I am not an importer. I don’t agree with you that he gave us a chance to clear ourselves because we had already been cleared.”

The Senate had in March, suspended Senator Ndume for six months for raising false allegations against Saraki and Senator Dino Melaye through order 14 and 15 at plenary.

The suspension followed the report of Senator Samuel Anyanwu-led committee on Public Petitions, Ethics and Privileges which recommended for his suspension for one legislative year.

Ndume had called for the probe of his colleagues, after a publication in national dailies reported that “the Senate President, Bukola Saraki bought SUV bullet proof Jeep worth N370 million without paying it’s Custom duties.”

The motion he raised also called for the investigation of Senator Dino Melaye representing Kogi East Senatorial district, who he alleged did not graduate from Ahmadu Bello University Zaria as claimed by an online newspaper. [myad]

President Muhammadu Buhari has commends the humility, simplicity and cosmopolitan outlook of Alhaji Aliko Dangote who clocked 60 years old tomorrow, Monday.

In a letter of congratulation, the President described Dangote as an entrepreneur who defies ethnic and religious persuasions in extending support to the poor and vulnerable and is providing employment opportunities without discrimination, while inspiring and mentoring young Nigerians to greatness.

He said that Dangote, the Forbes’ rated richest African and black man is endowed with patriotism and kind heartedness by always making sacrifices to safeguard the health of the nation, “most remarkably the polio and Ebola interventions.”

The President said that the global business mogul is a shining example of the virtues of choosing entrepreneurship from an early age, “treading the path of diligence, perseverance and continuous learning to build some of the world’s largest manufacturing and distribution companies, with household names in Nigeria and beyond.”

The President acknowledges Dangote’s role in bolstering the economy through continuous engagement and counseling of governments on best practices in promoting the ease of doing business.

This was even as the former Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, also venerated Dangote, describing him as an astute businessman and philanthropist who has remained an inspiration to many people.

In a letter to Dangote personally signed by him, Asiwaju Tinubu commended the business mogul for his boldness and bravery in taking the business risks he took, which he said have now paid off.

The All Progressives National Congress (APC) national stalwart said that Dangote has broken all business barriers and is now helping to industrialise Africa, with the operations of his Dangote Group in 17 African countries and beyond.

In the letter dated today, April 9, Tinubu said: “Dear Alhaji Dangote, my family and I congratulate you on your 60th birthday.

“Your life has been an inspiration to many. From a lowly background, you rose to the top by dint of hard work and perseverance.

“The boldness and bravery you demonstrated in taking the business risks you took have paid off.  You have shown that with resilience, we can always convert risks and challenges to opportunities.

“Today, you are that African man that has broken all barriers. With operations in over 17 African countries including Nigeria, the awesome Dangote Group you established is helping to industrialise Africa.

“You have made people and made lives a lot better through the employment opportunities you have created and your other humanitarian activities.

“I wish you many more years in life. I pray that Allah grants all you need to continue to impact the lives of many more people.” [myad]

Lagos Human Rights Lawyer, Femi Falana, has resigned his membership of the editorial board of THISDAY newspaper, describing allegation the paper leveled against him regarding the case involving the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) as the fecund imagination of the fictitious writers in the newspaper.

Falana, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), in a statement, recalled that on Sunday, April 3, 2017, the management of Thisday newspaper claimed, without any factual basis, that he influenced the appointment of Mr. Ola Olukorede, the current Chief of Staff to Ibrahim Magu, the Acting Chairman of the EFCC.

“As the tendencious publication could not be justified, I was compelled to resign my membership of the editorial board of the newspaper.”

Falana said that in a desperate bid to blackmail him, the forces of corruption who are using the newspaper to fight back proceeded to allege that Mr. Olukoyede was a lawyer in his office and that he seconded him, Mr. Olukoyede to the EFCC, adding that it was also alleged that the EFCC had given him (Falana) one of the properties forfeited to the federal government by ex-governor DSP Alamiyeseigha.

“In the first place, Mr. Olukoyede has never worked in my law firm. I met him for the first time about two years ago. Having not known him or worked with him closely I could not have recommended him for any position of responsibility either in the EFCC or in other public office. The second allegation is equally a figment of the fecund imagination of the fictitious writers in Thisday newspaper.

“Although the address of the property allegedly given to me by the efcc is not stated it is public knowledge that all the funds and other assets forfeited by the late governor were handed to the Bayelsa State government sometime in 2010 by the then management of the efcc. Based on my belief in public accountability, I have never said that the properties recovered by the EFCC should not be investigated.

“I therefore urge members of the public to disregard the dubious report of the reactionary elements who are hell bent on diverting the attention of Nigerians from the mega looting of our commonwealth by a coterie of plutocrats.” [myad]

“I will like to challenge him (Governor Nasiru Ahmed El-Rufai of Kaduna State) to champion this cause for transparency in the budgetary process from the National Assembly to other arms of government: the Judiciary first. We want to see clearly how Chief Executives of States… how they are paid. What do they spend monthly as security votes, and if they can publish what happens to local government funds under their jurisdictions. That will help our discussion going forward.”

These were the words of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara at the closing of a retreat for management of the National Assembly in Kaduna today, Friday.

The speaker also asked Governor El-Rufai to extend his campaign for transparency in the budget of the National Assembly to other arms of government, including how governors spend their security votes. He asked all Governors to, in the spirit of accountability and transparency; publish how they utilize funds allocated to local governments.

The Speaker, who was reacting to a call by governor El-Rufai on the legislature to make its budget public, said that the bureaucracy had been directed to publish the National Assembly’s budget beginning from 2017.

Dogara acknowledged the challenges faced by the management of the federal legislature, saying that  the National Assembly is the most misunderstood institution.

According to him, no parliament in the world can win popularity contest even as he said that Nigeria’s National Assembly is not an exception.

“When, for instance, public discussions on funding of the legislature are being made, the entire bureaucracy is often completely discountenanced, neither is any consideration given to the fact that this is a special bureaucracy saddled with a multitude of ‘masters’ who must be equally served in addition to service to the nation.”

Dogara said the Nigeria Civil Service will begin to record progress when it breaks away from its usual tradition to new ways of carrying out its functions and administration.

He said that for there to be productivity in the workforce, there must be innovation, which is borne out of motivation of staff through rewards such as promotions based on merit.

“As leaders, you must be prepared to motivate the workforce. Motivation is the key to innovation anywhere. For far too long, the bureaucracy in Nigeria has failed to innovate because it is locked in a tradition that defines boundaries that must not be crossed.

“A tradition that says we have always done it this way and apportions sanctions for those who dare doing it the other way even if the outcomes are better.

“These are chains that bind the bureaucracy in Nigeria from within. Although the most difficult chains to break are those within us, we must break them in order to free the bureaucracy and make it competitive and innovative. The key to achieving this is undoubtedly, training and retraining in an environment such as this.

“The necessity for every manager to fully understand the ecology of his organization is not negotiable. The legislature is a distinct organization with several peculiarities, thereby making strategic management approach an imperative.

“The management of the National Assembly, whatever their managerial competencies, cannot provide efficient and effective services to the legislature except they fully understand and appreciate the organizational goals, objectives and the attendant challenges.

“I need not warn you of the bitter lesson of life, which is that it will never offer you more than who you are. But the good news is that you can become more. To become more, you must change your ideas and you will never change your ideas until you learn something new. New things learned are useless and cannot result in growth until you put them to use.

“That is why you cannot over spend on training. Tell me the size of your organization’s budget for training and retraining and I’ll predict with absolute certainty, the future of your organization.”

The Speaker commended the visionary leadership approach of the Clerk to the National Assembly, Mohammed Ataba Sani-Omolori, for the swift manner in which he was able to undertake a management needs assessment of the institution, which was the basis for the retreat. [myad]