NLC TO COMMENCE 'TOTAL NATIONAL STRIKE' OVER NEW FUEL PUMP PRICE

An emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee of the Nigeria Labour Congress was held on Friday of which the Congress decided to embark on a “total strike” on Wednesday to protest the decision of the Federal Government to increase the fuel pump price to N145 per litre.

EFCC INVESTIGATES OONI OF IFE, OBA OGUNWUSI OVER N400M FRAUD

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has commenced the investigation of the new Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Adeyeye Ogunwusi, and his company, Metropole Interproject Limited, over his involvement in an alleged N400 million forgery.

DONALD TRUMP REPLIES POPE FRANCIS WITH STRONG WORDS AFTER HE CALLED HIM 'UN-CHRISTIAN'

Pope Francis has said that the United States Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s plan to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border if elected is “not Christian.”

The Pope said this on Thursday while speaking aboard his papal plane after visiting Mexico and when asked about Donald Trump’s plans if he’s elected into office, he replied thus:

WOMEN PALAVER: THE BITING GAME BETWEEN NOLLYWOOD ACTRESS AND PRINCESS CHINEKE

PRESIDENT BUHARI DEBUNKS CHANGING THE 2016 BUDGET

The fate of this year’s budget was yesterday hanging in the balance, with Senate President Bukola Saraki accusing Presidential Liasson Officer, Ita Enang of printing a different version of the document presented by President Muhammadu Buhari on December 22 following the report received fom the ad hoc committee set up to investigate the matter.

But according to House Presidential Liasson Officer Sumaila Kawu, the Priesident has described the drama surrounding the document as “laughable."

The President cannot direct his agents to “steal” the document and has no reason to smuggle the document out of the Senate because he is well aware of other options he can explore to withdraw the document.

He also described the accusation directed at his Senate counterpart, Sen. Ita Enang as “unfair” because the former senator is an experienced lawmaker who once chaired Rules and Business Committees in the House and in the Senate.

Kawu said the missing budget rumour may have been strengthened by the locking away of the document in the Clerk of the National Assembly’s office.

"It is a suprise to us and Mr President in particular; it is laughable. We just laughed when we heard of it. Being a joint sitting , Mr President laid  one document on the floor; then it is for the Budget Office or National Planning Commission (NPC) to make copies.

In this case, once it was laid, the Clerk of the National Assembly locked the document in his office because of the time of the year; it was holiday period and the lawmakers were going on holiday. The confusion might have been as a result of that.

But our concern in this matter is why we were dragged into it.

Actually, as our job entails, we lobbied the National Assembly to take a second look at the oil benchmark because our projection was no longer in tune with the current reality.
We lobbied the National Assembly on the benchmark; it was not illegal or alien to legislature world over and it has nothing to do with stealing or smuggling it out of the Senate.

We, as the Executive, have to take account of the volatile nature of oil price. The National Assembly was aware of this, but notwithstanding we still have no reason to withdraw it.
Even if the document must be withdrawn, it must be done legally and there are laid down means of doing that, which the President can explore.
Buhari will be the last person to assign his agent to be involved in such illegality."

The presidential aide also said the sad development was not a matter of lack of communication between the Executive and legislature but an act of mischief by those behind it.
He defended Enang, saying:

"Enang is a hands-on legislator that knows the rules. He was Chairman of Rules and Business committees of the House and Senate, so he knows the rules.
This is the same lawmaker that tackled the then Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, on different versions of Budget being implemented.
He is very much aware of what is at stake and couldn’t have involved himself in such an illegality."

On whether the budget may be withdrawn as a result of the crashing global oil price, Kawu said there was no plan for that.

"We will not withdraw the budget  because the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) has taken into consideration a situation like this. We are aware that for Saudi Arabia to raise her domestic oil price and the United States  exporting oil means there’s a problem. That was the reason why diversification of economy is a priority to this government, this budget wasn’t oil-dependent."