NTA Parliamentary News | 22 April 2026

NTA NEWORK

2 days ago

Transcript

00:00I

00:44On the News, National Assembly reconvenes after Easter break. President Inibu writes

00:50Reps seeks passage of police thought fund bill. Plus, Kano Assembly screens Muritala

00:56Sulegaru as Deputy Governor nominee passes Syria Court of Appeals deal. Good evening and welcome to

01:02NTA Parliamentary News. I am Opakal Galagina. The two chambers of Nigeria's bicameral legislature

01:10reconvened generally this week, Tuesday after a few weeks of break, in observation of the

01:16extraterrestrial. A trans-Assembly correspondent Lani Ali reports that activities in the chamber

01:21were however low-key as they mourned a deceased member, Mohamed Hassan.

01:25Both the Senate and House of Representatives reconvened to continue the business of lawmaking

01:31as they last sat on Tuesday, the 31st March, during which they passed the national budget,

01:37which was last week assented to by President Bolatinibu. The mood in the two chambers today

01:43was somber as the moon-late Mohamed Hassan member representing Dawaki Mkudu, Warawa Federal

01:49Constituency of Kano State, who died on the 10th of April, 2026.

01:55Legislator and dedicated public servant who contributed significantly to legislative development

02:02and democratic governance in Nigeria. It is a dark day for the House of Representatives.

02:10As dark as the clothes I'm putting on and the cap I'm wearing. He was also a member of the

02:17Constitution Drafting Committee, Review Committee of the House, and worked closely with the Office of the Deputy Speaker.

02:26May the soul of late Honorable Barrister Mohamed Njuma Hassan rest in perfect peace.

02:34In line with parliamentary tradition, consideration of legislative items were suspended to honor the

02:42deceased. Meanwhile, its members have shifted the lines across political parties in the Great Chamber.

02:48In another development, Senator Odjo Zokalu has urged politicians to do away with unproductive criticisms

02:56and channel their energy to strengthening democratic institutions. Speaking to journalists on some

03:02political events in the country, Senator Odjo advised politicians to avoid issues that are harmful to Nigeria's image.

03:09Tinebu is contributing his quota, but we are feeling the impact of both governments, and the impact is very good.

03:16So, reforms are not surviving one day. Reforms is what takes time to survive. Singapore, everybody did

03:25reform, Indonesia, China. Nigeria is like 30 years of China today. So, we are working. I mean, Rome was not

03:33built in a day.

03:34He concluded by saying, APC is moving to victory like a hurricane by 2027. From the National Assembly,

03:42Nami Ali, NT News.

03:45The Senate is urging frontline communities that have become top targets to assist in the fight against

03:52insecurity by making available to security agencies relevant information to live in the board activities

03:58of terrorist and other criminal elements. This form part of adoptions in the Senate, equal to a motion from

04:05the Senate ship with Muhammad Tahir Mungunu and two others from Borno State, which lament recent casualties

04:11recorded by the armed forces of officers and soldiers who lost their lives in Mungunu and Bani Sheikh,

04:18following attacks by insurgents. While commending the federal government and armed forces for commitment

04:24to restore peace across communities, Senate calls for enhanced synergy and effective intelligence sharing

04:32among the various security related agencies. The Nigeria Police Trust Fund, MPTF, Act to repeal and reenactment

04:43is imperative to provide management and administration of the fund and support for the training and enhancement of

04:51the skills of the Nigerian police force, provision of modern security equipment and machineries,

04:58and then enhancement of the welfare of the Nigerian police force amongst other matters.

05:07The Senate may wish to note, President Bola Ahmed Sinibu has written to the House of Representatives

05:12seeking the consideration and passage of the Nigerian police first fund repeat and reenactment deal,

05:19to the National Assembly Correspondent Ignatius Nkos has more.

05:23Second day of resumption, after the Easter break, for the first for legislative business,

05:30security measures took the spotlight, a speaker touched in the bars with executive communication

05:36from the presidency, which seeks to strengthen the Nigerian police trust form.

05:40The proposed repeal and reenactment of the act establishing the Nigerian police trust form will significantly enhance the operational capacity,

05:51accountability,

05:51and sustainability of the NPTF in line with the present security imperatives of the nation.

05:58Security issues continued on the floor. Representative Suleiman Gumi called the attention of the House

06:05to what he described as killings and abduction of innocent people in Bukum local government area of Zamfara state.

06:12Deployment of adequate security personnel and necessary operational assets to Bukum local government area of Zamfara state to combat the

06:20banditry and terrorism ravaging communities in the area.

06:24Representatives Bami Dele Salaam pushed for policies to stabilize agricultural prices and protect farmers.

06:31While Alex equates a waste concern over rising cost of medicines, conversing a revival of local pharmaceutical production, both motions

06:40were adopted.

06:42The strategic role of government intervention through price stabilization mechanisms, off-taking, buffer stock programs and structured commodity off-taking

06:53scheme systems,

06:54and cushioning farmers against market volatility.

07:00To urge the federal government through the federal ministry of health, federal ministry of industry, trade and investment and the

07:08central bank of Nigeria to urgently implement and monitor the full operationalization of the executive order on pharmaceutical production inputs.

07:17The factions continued in the House, with six members switching parties. Four from Kano state defected from NNPP to ADC.

07:26They are Sani Wakil, Muqtaru Zakari, Dati Umar and Abdul Hakim Addo, while Chinedu Emeka from Imo state defected from

07:36PDP to APC, and Kabiru Amadu from Zamfara state defected from PDP to APC.

07:41From the National Assembly, Ignatius, Ntia News.

07:48Joining us on parliamentary news to elaborate on electoral acts, party guidelines build up to 2027 elections is Professor Plankset

07:58Jesus, Deputy Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Department of Political Science, University of Georgia.

08:04You are welcome to NTA Parliamentary News.

08:07You are welcome to NTA Parliamentary News, Professor Plankset.

08:09Political parties' primaries are on and already disagreements are coming up among party members.

08:16Why are we facing this scenario?

08:18Well, I think oftentimes there's what we refer to as trust deficit. You see that happening because both the party

08:28members and the admirers believe that there's a lot of, what do I, I don't want to use the word

08:37vote buying even within the primaries.

08:39But you see, when you're having a system where delegates are going to be chosen, maybe three to four or

08:46five per words, it's easy to buy them, you know, in terms of primaries they do in the political system.

08:53So people are already aware that, oh, even though this is a democracy, there's a likelihood that our choice would

09:00not count because somebody will buy these delegates and at the end of the day it's not a representative of

09:07the people.

09:07So that trust deficit is there.

09:10Secondly, I think the activities of money-backs in politics, I don't know whether to call them godfathers or those

09:16whose pocket are deep, those ones are already waiting.

09:20I'm sure that maybe by now we had an informal discussion with some of my students, maybe some of them

09:26have already anointed their candidates that they will bring out.

09:31And, you know, people fear that once you scale through the primaries, you automatically might become the flag bearer of

09:40that party.

09:40And you begin to see the opposition parties will begin to give way on the assumption that once you have

09:47stronger parties, sorry, I don't know the words to use to explain it better, they don't like the words stronger

09:51parties.

09:52Once some political parties bring out candidates, others will now begin to withdraw, believing depending on who is sponsoring who

10:01and who is supporting who.

10:02So that, that's, that's what is creating some of the confusion and fear right from the word levels up.

10:09Voters are key stakeholders in every electoral process. Do you think Nigerian voters are adequately educated?

10:16To a large extent, but let me layer the education of voters. Now, if you talk about maybe voter registration,

10:26yes, they are. If you talk about the candidates, yes, voters, no.

10:32If you talk about the workings of the IRF, the beavers machines and co, there's some gaps in that.

10:48You know, people can't explain to you exactly how that works, how that can be manipulated, how they can trust

10:54that system or not.

10:55So yes, to some extent, I think CDD have done some research in that regard to show that at least

11:0170 something percent of Nigerians are well educated.

11:04But in terms of empowered to make choices within the electoral system, we're still having some deficit in that regard.

11:12How can we improve on these gaps?

11:15Well, you know, you know, voters are not necessarily going after symbols. In fact, they will tell you the names.

11:22So when they go for voting, they will be looking at, I don't want to call any political party, they

11:28will be looking at the names of the parties.

11:30Now, for those voters who are not educated, that's where the symbols come in.

11:35They tell them to just go look for a broom, go look for an umbrella, go look for a horse,

11:41go look for a house, go look for father, mother and children.

11:46That's the description they give them. So it varies depending on the level of education of the voters.

11:52Lastly, Prop, we are already witnessing factions in some parties. What is the implication on this position of candidates by

12:03the party?

12:03How do we remove money from politics? Because when you, you know, people vote sometimes because they have incentives.

12:14And they will tell you that this is my opportunity to get what I can get. And after that, let

12:20everything happen.

12:21Because even if they win the elections, nothing comes to me. You know, so we have to find a way

12:26of discouraging the use of money in politics.

12:29How do we do that? I think Central Bank and EFCC can help us in that regard. In the sense

12:35that close to elections, they should watch out for large withdrawals of funds.

12:40You know, when individuals or groups begin to withdraw cash, they withdraw today, they keep and they come the next

12:46day withdrawing.

12:46And you know, it's just few days to elections. Definitely is a signal that they are trying to look for

12:52money for something.

12:53So, civil society organization, central bank, everybody, all hands must be on deck. And I think this system where political

13:02parties are encouraged to do direct primaries might help.

13:07Because if you have to go through delegates now, three per ward, it's easy to bribe those ones. There are

13:12not many.

13:13You know, but if you tell everybody, submit your register, let's see the number of voters you have.

13:18Then when you come, you do your primaries, we want to know how many within the register voted.

13:25It will reduce because it will be difficult to bribe a large number than to bribe three per ward. It's

13:34easy to do that. I think we need to do that.

13:36And then massive voter education again. You know, voters need to know their rights, where to report vote-buying, how

13:45to discourage vote-buying.

13:46And I think sensitization about the use of the beavers and IRF in market squares and places where ordinary Nigerians

13:54who are not in the classrooms and who can understand.

13:59Because there are also a large chunk of the voters we have. So we still need a lot of voter

14:05education in that regard.

14:06Thanks for your insight, Professor Langsted.

14:09Thank you very much. I appreciate it.

14:11We now pause for some messages. Elementary news continues after the break. Please stay with us.

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15:10Welcome back. Thank you for staying with us.

15:13You are watching NTA Parliamentary News, reaching you from the Federal Capital Territory of Nita.

15:18Now for other news across the state.

15:21Kano State House of Assembly has received the nomination of Murtala Sulegaru as Deputy Governor of Kano State.

15:29Following this submission, the House has constituted an ad hoc committee to screen the nominee and report its findings on

15:37Monday next week.

15:39Samira Hamish Deshirak reports that the Kano State Sharia Court of Affiliate Bill, 326, has been passed.

15:46The office of the Deputy Governor became vacant after the resignation of Kano State Deputy Governor Aminu Abdesalem earlier this

15:54month.

15:54Pursuant to provisions of Section 191, Subsection 3 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended,

16:03Governor Abdesalem Abdesalem.

16:05Governor Abdakabe Kaspare Usof forwarded the name of Murtala Sulegaru, a former commissioner for a local government to the Kano

16:11State House of Assembly, for screening and confirmation to fill the vacancy.

16:15I am confident that his wealth of experience, loyalty, commitment and understanding of the state political and administrative landscape will

16:26contribute

16:34Thereon, an ad hoc committee was formed to screen the nominee and report its findings

16:40in five days.

16:41In another development, the House has forged the Kanu State Sharia Court of Appeal Law

16:46in 2026.

16:47While the law establishing Kanu State Pilgrims Welfare Board has also been recalled to be

16:53amended in line with global standards.

16:55The House will resume plenary on Monday, the 27th of April, 2026.

17:01From the Kanu State House of Assembly, Samira Hanusushira, NCA News.

17:07Governor Basi Otu of Cross River State is applauding President Bola Tinibu over ongoing federal

17:13road projects nationwide, believing that the Ninja Delta Development Commission renewed

17:18drive for sustainable development will significantly boost the state's growth.

17:23The National Assembly Committee on the Niger Delta Development Commission is in Cross River

17:38State to assess the performance, transparency, and impact of NDDC-executed projects.

17:45During a courtesy visit, Governor Basi Otu urged the committee to focus on results, stressing

17:53that federal interventions must be sustained and properly implemented for the people's benefits.

18:00The federal government is carrying out some interventions.

18:03And now that NDDC is coming fully into it, I want to believe that this will make the

18:09difference.

18:10Because the economy has been almost dead.

18:12If you pass the major athletes into Cross River State, you will know that the problem

18:18is just too huge.

18:20Chairman, Senate Committee on NDDC, Senator Asuka Ekwenyon, briefs Governor Tu on progress

18:26of work at the 27 kilometers of road initiated by the Commission.

18:32A period of just about eight months.

18:35Most of those jobs have been completed.

18:38On the Akankpa 1 stretch, we have about 27.7 kilometers of road that is being rehabilitated.

18:45And about 18 kilometers have been completed with drainages, culverts, road markings, the

18:51works.

18:52Just 10 kilometers is left on that road.

18:54On the other flank of Akankpa, we have 12, call it 13 kilometers of work to be done.

18:59And three kilometers have been completed.

19:02The national assembly members can also attest to the fact that the job that has been done

19:06is of quality.

19:07However, I will also say that they also made some observations that instead of doing the

19:15side dressing of the road, we should rather use, at this even when you see three millimeters

19:19inch asphalt to work on it so that to preserve the road better.

19:25The committee commends Governor Tu's administration attributing the seamless execution of ongoing

19:32projects to his government's support and collaboration with the NDDC.

19:38In Kalabar, Justina Itam, NTA News.

19:43The National State House of Assembly has received a report of the Standing Committee on a bill

19:49for a law to establish the National State's Urban and Rural Access Road Authority.

19:55Adam W. Tari reports that Speaker National State House of Assembly, Enla Di Jato, has also

20:01declared three weeks' oversight functions for the first quarter of the year.

20:05It will be recalled that the B, after passing its second reading two weeks ago, was committed

20:11to the Standing Committee on Works and Transport for proper legislative scrutiny.

20:15The B aimed at establishing the State's Urban and Rural Access Road Authority, NURARA, for

20:21the purpose of the overall development, management, rehabilitation, reconstruction, and maintenance

20:28of Class C and Class D roads in the state.

20:31Report of the committee was presented today before the House after necessary correction.

20:36Majority Leader of the House, Suleiman Yacouba Azara, pointed out gray areas that the committee corrected and recommendation of the

20:44B.

20:44The establishment of NURARA should be prioritized to ensure that dwellers enjoy improved access to markets, enhance

20:54transportation of goods and services, and promote overall economic development.

20:58In a related development, the Standing Committee on Earth also presented a report on a B seeking

21:05to regulate the State Public Earth Security Framework, where the chairman of the committee, Lareven Vawa, attributed

21:12major points of the B as to make the environment conducive for both human and animal health.

21:17State Ministries of Health, Agriculture, and Environment shall jointly adopt and implement the One Health Approach,

21:27recognizing the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health, and the necessity for collaborative public health measures.

21:40Speaker, National State House of Assembly, Dallad Jato, had earlier read an executive letter,

21:47seeking screening and confirmation of Ibrahim Serki Adamu as chairman of National State Internal Revenue Service,

21:54and three other members, saying they are to appear Wednesday this week.

21:58Speaker, Dallad Jato, however, declared three weeks of oversight function for the first quarter of the year, 2026.

22:06I want to declare oversight so that committees, various committees, will embark on seeing whether ministries and NDAs

22:23adhere strictly to the provision of the budget of 2026 as passed for this Honorable House.

22:32So on this note, I have declared three weeks of oversight.

22:39In Lafayette, Adams Abdel-Kadri, NDA News.

22:42The Capitol State House of Assembly has adopted a motion urging the executive arm to consider the permanent appointment of

22:49casual security watchmen across the state as part of efforts to support the fight against insecurity and complement the work

22:57of security agencies.

22:59The House says the move will enhance commitments, improve welfare, and strengthen the overall security at the grassroots level.

23:09The decision followed separate motions sponsored by member representing Bindawa constituency Umar Ali Bindawa.

23:17While presenting the motion, the lawmaker expressed concern over the poor welfare and job insecurity of casual security watchmen across

23:26the state,

23:26despite their crucial role in protecting lives and property at the community level.

23:31He noted that absorbing the watchmen into permanent and pensionable employment would boost their morale, enhance commitment, and strengthen the

23:40state's security architecture.

23:42Casual security watchmen open work under poor conditions, low wages, no job security, no benefits, no gratuity, no pension when

23:53they finish their work.

23:55Above all, they are vulnerable to many forms of risks and hazards.

24:00In a related development member representing Patagarawa constituency, Tukur Ilya Sushagumba, called for the electrification of Nduguru, Sunsua, and Samoa