HIGHLIGHTS:

Dogara Asks African Nations To Unite In Fight Against Money

Laundering, Terrorism
Speaker Dogara Urges Security Forces To Utilise Intelligence
Gathering Methods For Combating Crime
House Approves President Buhari's Request for Approval
of USD2.5 Billion External Loans
Dogara Asks African Nations To
Unite In Fight Against Money
Laundering, Terrorism
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Ya-
kubu Dogara, has called for stronger synergy
among impoverished countries in Africa in order to
achieve desired outcomes in the fight against mon-
ey laundering and terrorist financing.
The Speaker noted that due to lack of effective in-
ternational cooperation and collaboration, criminals
have globalised their activities, connecting across
the globe seamlessly whilst the enforcers of the
laws are hampered in no small measure.
stashed away in their jurisdictions, adding that the
National Assembly will, when called upon for any
legislative intervention, bring its system in tandem
with global realities and requirements with utmost
sense of responsibility, knowing the central role
the subject matter of anti money laundering and
combatting terrorist financing play in the attain-
ment of economic prosperity and global peace.
The Speaker also called for continuous and sus-
tainable coordination and collaboration amongst
the competent authorities in Nigeria and other ju-
risdictions whilst assuring the Competent Authori-
ties in Nigeria that the doors of the legislature is
always open to them for constructive engagement
and discussion.

Delivering a keynote address at the 28th plenary

meeting of the Inter-Governmental Action Group
against Money Laundering in West Africa (GIABA)
in Abuja, he said the National Assembly, and in-
deed, Nigeria, is ready to fully comply with global
standards required of her by demonstrating politi-
cal support to the relevant competent authorities in
the country to deepen the anti -money laundering
and combatting the financing of terrorism culture
in Nigeria.

Dogara also stressed that the administration of

President Muhammadu Buhari is wholly focused
and effectively poised to deal with the issues of
corruption, money laundering, insecurity and ter-
rorism in the country.

Going further, he highlighted the connection be-

tween stolen and criminally acquired funds and
sponsorship of terrorism, which he stressed contin-
ues to be a major challenge for policymakers in
both developed and developing countries, with the
magnitude of wanton destruction and loss of lives
it leaves in its trail.

He commended the openness and willingness of

many countries across the world that partner with
Nigeria to fight corruption and return to Nigeria,
monies and other assets that have been stolen and
Speaker Dogara Urges Security
Forces To Utilise Intelligence
Gathering Methods For
Combating Crime
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon.
Yakubu Dogara, has urged Nigerian security
forces to focus on intelligence gathering and
timely deployment of information as a means
of combating terrorism, kidnapping and other
crimes in the country in order to protect Ni-
geria's democracy.
He gave the charge while speaking at the An-
nual Conference for Nigerian Defence Attaches
organised by the Chief of Defence Intelligence
in Abuja.
Dogara stressed that maintenance of law and
order is the most important function in any so-
ciety, noting that democracy thrives only when
lives are secure.
He also commended the military for upholding
law and order in times of crisis saying, "the
work you do perhaps is the most important
work that can be done in a democracy."
Reps To Probe Alleged Refusal of Inter-
national Oil and Gas Companies to Use
Local Assets and Marine Facilities
Owned by Nigerian Companies.
Lawmakers have mandated the House Committee
on Local Content to investigate the process of en-
gaging vessels by International Oil and Gas Compa-
nies with a view to determining whether the pro-
cesses comply with the provisions of the Nigerian
Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act of
2010.
The probe is aimed at ascertaining if International
Oil and Gas Companies patronise local assets and
marine facilities owned by Nigerian companies in
line with Sections 12 and 15 of the Act which pro-
vides that first consideration will be given to Nigeri-
an goods and services in the evaluation of bids for
goods and services required for projects by Oil and
Gas Companies.
The House disclosed in a motion sponsored by Hon
Daniel Reyenieju that indigenous companies had
spent money to procure vessels which are now lying
fallow at the Ports as the IOCs and Multi-National
Companies have refused to engage their services
and would rather engage the services of foreign
vessels that are not flying Nigerian flags and some-
times, working through Nigerian companies as de-
coy.
The legislators said this is intolerable, adding that
they are determined to put an end to the flagrant
violation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Con-
tent Development Act (NOGICD), 2010 by Interna-
tional Oil and Gas Companies.

House Approves President
Buhari's Request for Approval of
USD2.5 Billion External Loans
The House of Representatives has approved President
Muhammadu Buhari's request for theapproval of ex-
ternal loans for issuance of USD 2.5 billion in the inter-
national capital market through Eurobonds or a com-
bination of Eurobonds and diaspora bonds, for the
financing of the Federal Government of Nigeria 2017
Appropriation Act and Capital Expenditure Projects.
It also approved the request for issuance of $3 billion
Eurobond in the international capital market and/or
loan syndication by banks for the refinancing of ma-
turing domestic debt obligations of the Federal Gov-
ernment.
Presenting the report of the Committee on Aids, Loans
and Debt Management on the request to the House
for consideration, Hon. Adeyinka Ajayi stated that the
approval of the stated funds are vital for the execution
of projects that are indeed relevant to the develop-
ment and lives of people living in Nigeria, especially in
light of the need to diversify the Nigerian economy
and ensuring an all inclusive governance system.
The House approved as follows:
(i) Issuance of $2.5billion Eurobond in the inter-
national capital market through Eurobonds or a
combination of Eurobonds and Diaspora bonds
for the financing of the Federal Governments
2017 Appropriation Act and Capital Expenditure
Projects in the Act.
(ii) Issuance of $3 billion Eurobond in the interna-
tional capital market and/or Loan syndication by
banks for re-financing the maturing domestic
debt obligations of the Federal Government.
(iii) That the prior approval of the Committee on
Aids, Loans and Debt Management shall be
sought and obtained as to the parties, structure,
cost of syndication
and other terms and conditions of a Loan syndi-
cation intended to be utilised in re- financing of
maturing domestic debt obligations;
(iv) That the Committee on Aids, Loans and Debt
Management should monitor the disbursement
of the proceeds of the approved $1.5 billion Eu-
robonds as specified in the 2017 Appropriation
Act.
House To Conduct Enquiry
Into The Second Niger Bridge
And The Lagos - Ibadan
Expressway Contract
The House of Representatives has urged the Fed-
eral Ministry of Power, Works and Housing to
include funds in the 2018 budget for the comple-
tion of the 2nd Niger Bridge and the Lagos - Iba-
dan Expressway projects.
Sequel to the adoption of the resolutions of a
motion sponsored by Hon. Solomon Bulus Ma-
ren, the House also mandated the Committee on
Works to investigate the Nature of the contracts
and concession.
Leading debate on the motion, Maren noted that
contracts for construction of the Second Niger
bridge and reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan
Expressway have continued to feature in the an-
nual budgets without any seeming signs of their
completion or the amount required to do so.
He referred to a statement by the Hon. Minister
of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babtunde Fas-
hola, while commenting on the 2017 Appropria-
tion Act, that monies for the projects were re-
duced and they may become elephant projects
as they are not under any concessional or Public
Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement even
though the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Au-
thority (NSIA) had spent about 18 billion on the
projects as the financier during their early stages.
He also expressed belief that unless proactive
steps are taken to ensure early completion of the
projects, efforts made so far to ease the trans-
portation difficulties of the people would have
been in vain, businesses would continue to suffer
heavy losses and operational costs, while the
originally intended aim of galvanising the various
interests of Nigerians through the execution of
the projects will remain unfulfilled.
Lawmakers To Investigate Non
Release of National Economic
Empowerment and Development
Strategy (NEEDS) Assessment In-
tervention Fund.
The House of Representatives has directed
its Committee on Tertiary Education and Services to
investigate the non-release of the National Economic
Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS)
Assessment Intervention Fund to public Universities.
The House, while considering a motion sponsored by
Hon. Samuel Ikon, recalled that between December
2011-January 2012, academic activities at public uni-
versities were suspended owing to the non-
implementation of the 2009 agreement between the
Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU).
He noted that it was in a bid to nip a re-occurrence in
the bud that the Federal Government set up a com-
mittee on National Economic Empowerment and De-
velopment Strategy (NEEDS) Assessment of Public
Universities with a view to carefully considering specif-
ic and general needs of those universities which sub-
mitted its report to the National Economic Council
(NEC) on 1 November, 2012, leading to the constitu-
tion of Stakeholders Committee on National Economic
Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS)
Assessment of Public Universities.
As a result, he continued, the Federal Government, at a
meeting with the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC), the
Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Academic Staff
Union of Universities (ASUU) on the need to revitalize
public Universities, resolved to release the sum of
1,300,000,000,000.00 (One Trillion, Three Hundred
Billion Naira) only (aside annual budgetary allocations
and regular Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND)
intervention) but till date, only the initial payment of
200,000,000,000.00 (Two Hundred Billion Naira) only,
had been paid into the account, leaving the outstand-
ing balance of 1,100,000,000,000.00 yet to be
released.

MPs Adopt Report Of Ad-hoc
Committee Investigating The
Process Of Digital (Broadcast)
Switch Over In Nigeria.
The House has considered and adopted the report
of the ad-hoc committee which investigated the
Process of Digital (Broadcast) Switch Over in Nigeria
and approved the recommendations.
The House, which considered the report in the com-
mittee of the whole after presentation by
Hon. Sunday Marshall Katung, recommended as fol-
lows:
(i) That there should be an enactment of a new
broadcasting law to encompass elements of digitisa-
tion, define roles and responsibilities of the Federal,
State, Local Governments and the Private Sector.
(ii) That there should be amendments to existing
legislations to incorporate Government Policy Rec-
ommendations on Digital Broadcasting in Nigeria
and to legalise Digital Access Fee (DAF) and Condi-
tional Access Fee (CAF).
(iii) That there should be an amendment to the Na-
tional Broadcasting Commission (NBC) Act to
strengthen its regulatory responsibility and develop
a standard regulatory documentation for digital
broadcasting as contained in the White Paper Re-
port.
(iv) That there should be an effective collaboration
between the Ministry of Information and the NBC on
the Digital Switch Over Process. The NBC and the
Ministry should develop the proposed National Me-
dia Content Policy for the Digital TV era, covering a
media content master plan including Media Content
Fund (MCF) to fund content production. Manage-
ment of the Fund should be as proposed by the
Ministry with necessary legal backing.
(v) That the optimal management of Spectrum for
the DSO should be ensured by the Ministry. It is
equally important to confirm the total amount har-
vested from the sale of the spectrum by the NBC
and how these monies were expended.
(vi)That the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON)
should be involved in the activities of Set Top Box
Manufacturers to ensure standard and avoid a situa-
tion where the Country is turned into a dumping
ground for substandard and obsolete equipment.
(vii)That the NBC should collaborate with Nigcomsat on the
best way to use its facilities for the switch over to enable
the country conserve foreign exchange.
(viii)That the Government should offer more incentives to
Set Top Box Manufacturers to encourage local manufactur-
ing of STBs but not necessarily to provide a subsidy.
(ix) That the licence issued to Set Top Box Manufacturers
who have failed or neglected to establish manufacturing
plants to engage the teeming unemployed youths and cre-
ate other opportunities in pursuit of local content, should
be withdrawn forthwith in accordance with the terms of the
licence and consider licensing or replacing them with Nige-
rian companies which have capacity in accordance with the
provisions of the White Paper.
(x) That the Ministry and other key stakeholders should ini-
tiate effective public enlightenment programmes to create
awareness on the process and expectations of the Digital
Switch Over.
(xi) That the ongoing Phase/State implementation of the
DSO strategy should be thoroughly supervised and moni-
tored by the Ministry, Signal Distributors must exhibit ca-
pacity to cover at least 80% of an assigned State before
being allocated or proceeding to another State.
(xii) That the issues surrounding the quality of equipment
purchased by one of the licensed Signal Distributors as ob-
served during the oversight tour of the Committee, should
further be investigated in order to assure Nigerians and
ensure standard in line with global best practices. The ac-
tual amount paid to ITS by NBC must be ascertained for the
records.
(xiii) That the NBC should coordinate the activities of STB
Manufacturers and the Content Aggregators in the manner
recommended by the White Paper.
(xiv) That in view of technology development, the process
should be further investigated on the public procurement
infractions observed during the investigation as well as sta-
tus of funds generated and utilised.
(xv) That the Ministry and the NBC should ensure regional
collaboration on DSO timelines/final switch off date.
(xvi) That Analogue Broadcasting should not be switched
off until 95% DSO coverage is achieved in the country.
(xvii) That all parties that were not contemplated by the
White Paper but were somewhat brought in, albeit inad-
vertently by the regulator in furtherance of this process,
should be excised in the spirit of equity and integrity of the
process as well as in the interest of the country in general.
Dogara: Nigerias textile
sector crucial to economic
development
The revitalization of Nigerian textile
sector would lead to the countrys eco-
nomic development, Speaker of the
House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu
Dogara, has said.
Dogara said due to the importance of
the sector all stakeholders proffer solu-
tions to the problems that made the
textile industry comatose.
Declaring open a public hearing on two
bills that seek to address the challenges of
the sector, organized by the committee on
industry, the Speaker said the introduction
of the bills at this period of national devel-
opment came handy and timely.
The bill on cotton, textiles and garments is
really very crucial, if we must grow our tex-
tile sub-sector and encourage local partici-
pation in our textile industry. Equally im-
portant is the bill on rapid build-up of in-
dustrial capacity and to promote competi-
tiveness in our manufactured goods and
products, he said.