The Senate on Friday threatened to order the revocation of plots of land said to have been allocated to former President Goodluck Jonathan and 29 others in Maitama district, Abuja.
The Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory ( FCT Abuja), Senator Dino Melaye who issued the threat during a budget defence meeting between the committee and the FCT Minister, Muhammed Bello, did so on the ground that the plots of land were allotted on a reserved area
Insisting that the plots of land allocated to Jonathan and others in the Maitama District fall within an area designated for erection of tourist structure for foreign visitors, Melaye said that his committee had directed that work should stop on construction and buildings on the area.
He listed former Justice Minister and Attorney-Gwneral of the Federation, Muhammed Bello Adoke; former Bauchi State governor, Isa Yuguda; acting National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus; late National Security Adviser, Andrew Okoye Azazi etc, as beneficiaries of plots of land in the area.
Following Senate’s directive to all its standing committees last week to embark on oversight functions of agencies of government under them, Senator Melaye had stormed the plots of land in Maitama district along with members of his committee where they saw workers erecting structures on them.
Aside ordering the workers to stop work, the committee also summoned the FCT Minister to appear before them on the matter which he did yesterday along with his budget Defence.
Meanwhile, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki has said that the Senate would immediately after the completion of the on-going process of passage of the Appropriation Bill, commence the amendment of the Procurement Act.
Addressing the organisers of the Made in Aba Trade Fair who visited him in his office said, while the move was a way of realising the objectives of the 2016 Budget, certain sections of the Act needed to be reviewed to ensure that the scarce resources which are available from the budget are well utilized.
He said the Act will be amended to ensure that Made in Nigeria goods are patronized and that government agencies only resort to imported goods when there are no local alternatives. He also said areas of the law dealing with advance payment for government procurement should be scrutinized.
The Senate President said the 8th Senate under his leadership is in support of the protection of local industries through appropriate legislations, patronage and direct intervention.
His words: “This is the only way we can create jobs, solve the problem of unemployment and stop the growing army of aggrieved youths who pose danger to society. We can do it. We have the population which translates to a huge ready market. This is how we van genuinely help our people.
“The chairmen of our relevant committees are being put on notice to ensure that they focus their oversight on these areas. We must make sure that government agencies like the Armed Forces can patronize the shoe making industries in Aba and other places”, he said.
Saraki, however, urged local industries to increase the quality of their products and make their prices competitive. Saraki also thanked Senator Enyinanya Abaribe who led the delegation to his office for his consistency in promoting goods made in Aba over the years.
“Senator Abaribe has done so much in promoting Made in Aba goods. In fact, it is his constituency project and he has invested so much time and money on it, even before the decline in oil price. This is import substitution and I assure you of the support of the Senate in this endeavour”, he said.
Abaribe in his speech said the promoters of Made in Aba goods will want Section 34 sub sections 1, 2 and 3 of the Procurement Act amended so that government agencies will be required to buy local goods and can only resort to imported goods after getting certification from the Bureau of Public Procurement stating that there is no local alternative.
He urged the Senate President to help Aba based manufacturers get the much needed government recognition and encouragement. The group also invited Saraki to attend the trade fair holding in Abuja from February 9.
