At today’s senate plenary, lawmakers addressed some issues, including an error they made earlier regarding the removal of the code of conduct tribunal chair, the nomination of the army chief, and the consideration of a bill.
Tinubu seeks confirmation of new chief of army staff
President Bola Tinubu has sent a letter to the senate seeking confirmation of Lt-Gen. Olufemi Olatubosun Oluyede’s appointment as the substantive chief of army staff.
In the letter read by the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, President Tinubu sought Oluyede’s confirmation in accordance with the provision of section 218(2) of the 1999 constitution (as amended) and section 18(1) of the armed forces act.
Oluyede was appointed in acting capacity on October 30th, 2024, following the illness of Lieutenant-General Taoreed Lagbaja who eventually died on 5th November, 2024.
Senate corrects gaffe over tribunal chair
The senate has corrected its mistake regarding the removal from office of the chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, Umar Danladi, for alleged misconduct.
This error was highlighted following a motion raised by leader of the senate, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) during Tuesday’s plenary.
The motion aimed to address the error and correct the procedural lapse. It comes on the heels of last Wednesday’s plenary, where 84 senators overwhelmingly voted in favor of recommending the removal of Umar Danladi as chairman of the tribunal, based on Bamidele‘s motion.
Where the senate got it wrong was that despite having spent over four hours in a closed-door session, they ended up referencing a wrong section that applies to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) chairperson and not the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) chairperson.
READ ALSO: Senate corrects error in removal of code of conduct tribunal chair
Senate advances bill on cassava flour
The senate has passed for second reading a bill seeking the inclusion of 20 percent high-quality cassava flour in wheat used by all producers of edible flour in Nigeria or imported into the country,
The sponsor of the bill Sen. Saliu Mustapha (APC, Kwara Central) noted that Nigeria, being the world’s largest producer of cassava, has an annual output of over 63 million metric tons as of 2021 which represents one-third of the total output for Africa. He stressed that Nigeria can take advantage of the high demand of cassava in both domestic and industrial use locally and in the international market which is now used for new energy.
According to him, the prolonged war between Russia and Ukraine had further increased the cost of wheat globally, thereby necessitating the need to seek alternative ways to reduce the cost of wheat and all its derivatives, especially bread which is a major staple food for the masses in Nigeria. He noted that the continued importation of wheat has negative impacts on the Nigeria economy causing trade imbalance, loss of foreign exchange and fueling food dependency.
BILLS CHART FOR THE DAY
Below is OrderPaper’s signature presentation of bills taken in the senate today. Readers are invited to contact us for further information via info@orderpaper.ng or WhatsApp via +234 704 700 3031.
