The Deputy Leader of the Senate, Bala Ibn-Na’Allah has said that in democracy, there is no where political party can impose its decision on members of the Senate even though the party can influence its members to toe its line.

Na’Allah emphasized that the party can influence its members in the National Assembly and at the state level through the various caucuses, but not by imposition.

“I have not seen any issue here; it is just that people are trying to overheat the polity without knowing what the process is all about.”

The Deputy Senate Clark who spoke to journalists in Abuja today, stressed that it only a letter from the president of Nigeria can be read on the floor of the Senate or the House of Representatives, which was why the purported letter written by the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the National Assembly was not and will not be read at plenary.

“A lot of people do not understand; as a member of the National Assembly, the moment you step into the National Assembly, you either take the Bible or the Quran; and then you subscribe to the oath of allegiance and then take your oath of office.

“The oath of office says that you will uphold, protect and defend the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Law and then the Rules of the Senate.

“Outside these three documents, (a) senator does not have any leverage to do anything; there is no other document outside these three.

“And then if you carefully look at the rules of the Senate, the only letters that can be read on the floor of the House should a letter from Mr. President.

“And that is the convention not only in Nigeria, but in all other parliaments all over the world”.

He stressed the need for Nigerians to understand the workings of democracy before making attributions unknown in democratic circles. [myad]

Bauchi state government has recovered 97 government landed properties which were illegally allocated to individuals by the immediate past government of Isa Yuguda.

Chairman of the Committee set up to look into the alleged illegal land allocation, Air Cdr Ahmed Tijjani-Baba (Rtd), said that the plots of land belonged to State Government institutions but were allocated to individuals by the immediate past administration in the state.

According to him, 89 of the plots belonged to the Bauchi State College for Arts and Science (BACAS), allocated to individuals in the name of “curve outs.”
Tijjani-Baba also explained that eight plots were also curved out at the premises of Bauchi State Agricultural Development Programme (BSADP), and equally allocated to individuals.

He said that the plots at BSADP were meant for the construction of senior and junior staff quarters, staff school, police outpost, football field and other recreational facilities meant for staff and children of the Programme.

He said that documents, including Allocation Letters, Grant or Certificate of Occupancy, were initiated, approved and issued to the beneficiaries on May 28, 2015.

The chairman said that the committee had taken possession of all the affected plots, while the beneficiaries were directed to surrender the documents to the State Ministry of Lands and Survey.

Alhaji Garba Noma, one of the beneficiaries, while commenting on the matter, insisted that the plot situated at BACAS, was allocated to him by the last administration two years ago.

Noma said that the said plots used to be a hideout for armed robbers and miscreants, following the relocation of some faculties of the school to its permanent site along Bauchi to Jos Road.

He said that he had requested the then administration of Governor Isa Yuguda to allocate the plot to him for the construction of some social amenities, and was obliged.

Noma said that he had received the revocation notice and halted ongoing construction work on the site. [myad]

Aso Rock correspondent of Deutsche Welle, a German Radio and Television media group, Mallam Ubale Musa, who was barred from the Villa in the last days of former President Goodluck Jonathan, has been fully re-integrated back to his beat by President Muhammadu Buhari.
On the directive of President Buhari today, the Villa Press Tag of Ubale Musa was restored to him.
Presenting the Press Tag to the correspondent at the Presidential Villa, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina said that Ubale Musa’s re-accreditation as a State House correspondent was in keeping with President Buhari’s commitment to correcting the wrongs of the past.
“Part of the change promised by President Buhari is to correct things that were wrongly done before. Mr. Ubale Musa’s accreditation was wrongly withdrawn. To redress the wrong done to him by the withdrawal, we have returned his Villa Press Pass to him so that he can continue his work without hindrance,” Adesina said.
In his brief remarks after receiving his Villa Press Pass, Ubale Musa thanked President Buhari and his media team for restoring his accreditation.
He promised that he will continue to do his work as a State House Correspondent objectively, professionally and with due regard to the ethics of journalism. [myad]