The House of Representatives, yesterday, at plenary, urged security agencies to desist from setting ablaze vessels laden with stolen crude oil. It also resolved to empanel an ad hoc committee to investigate the whereabouts of the 150,000 metric tonnes of stolen crude oil in the recently burnt vessel, MT TURA in Escravos River, Warri, Delta State. The resolution of the …

Following the growing concerns that tertiary institutions might increase tuition fees on the heels of the recently passed Students Loan Act, the House of Representatives has warned against such a move. It also resolved to convene a legislative summit on student loans and access to higher education with all stakeholders in the education sector. This resolution followed the consideration of …

The House of Representatives yesterday warned the Federal Government against terminating the contract signed with a private firm, Iris Smart Technologies Limited, for the production of electronic passports booklets. According to the House, procuring the equipment capable of putting the latest security features in the Nigerian e-passport will cost the government about N22 billion. The legislative chamber also warned that …

The House of Representatives has called on the Teacher Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) to publish details of unqualified teachers in Nigeria, stating that only persons registered, certified and licensed should teach in schools. This was as the House noted that: “The low remuneration of teachers encourages them to migrate from one place to another”. It, therefore, declared that “there …

The House of Representatives Ad Hoc Committee on the State of Refineries in the Country has said that the Federal Government spent over N11 trillion on rehabilitating refineries from 2010 to date. The committee chairman, Hon. Ganiyu Johnson, however, failed to convince the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Ahmed Wase, who chaired the Committee of the Whole, to consider the report. Wase …

The House of Representatives has urged the Central Criminal Court of the United Kingdom and the British Government to “temper justice with mercy” in sentencing a former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; his wife, Beatrice Ekweremadu; and a UK-based Dr. Obinna Obeta. The House also urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to “take all diplomatic steps and …

The House of Representatives ad hoc committee investigating the sale of 48 million barrels of crude oil, amounting to over $2.4 billion, and crude oil export to China from 2014 to date, said yesterday it has uncovered payment of $200 million allegedly made as consultancy fees in whistleblower recoveries by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Mallam Abubakar Malami. …

Another major political alliance has emerged in the House of Representatives about two weeks after members-elect on the platform of minority parties in the chamber formed a coalition against the All Progressives Congress (APC). On Thursday, a member of the ruling APC and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) jointly issued a statement in Abuja to announce an alliance across …

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) has opposed the House of Representative Bill mandating Nigeria-trained medical and dental practitioners to practice for five years before being granted a full licence. In a communique issued at the end of its emergency extended National Officers’ Committee (NOC) meeting held virtually over the weekend, the resident doctors expressed shock at the action …

The House of Representatives has passed two bills seeking to increase the number of judicial officers in the Court of Appeal and the Federal High Court as well as legalise virtual appearances and proceedings in the courts. The House raised the number of Justices in the appellate court from 90 to 100, while the number of judges at the FHC …