The Senate has approved federal government’s request for external loans to finance federal and state governments priority projects in the revised 2020 budgets.

The approval, which was contained in the report of the committee of the Upper Chamber on Local And Foreign Debts, is part of measures aimed at addressing the impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic and improving the country’s food security.

Recall that President, Muhammadu Buhari, in a letter dated 19 May 2020, asked the Senate to approve for borrowing, the sum of Five Billion, Five Hundred and Thirteen Million Dollars ($5, 513, 000, 000).

The funds, according to the letter read by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, is meant to “finance priority projects of the government and projects to support state governments.”

In a document obtained by our correspondent, the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, approved the sum of $500,000,000 and $750,000,000 respectively, as loans from the World Bank to cater for “States Fiscal Transparency Accountability and Sustainability program to provide fiscal support to States.”

The funds are also to factor in as “Covid-19 action recovery and economic stimulus program to support State-Level efforts to protect Livelihoods, ensure food security and stimulate economic recovery.”

Similarly, the Upper Chamber of the National Assembly approved the sum of Nine Hundred and Ninety-Five Million Pounds from the Export-Import Bank of Brazil to cater for the 2020 revised budget requested by the executive.

The sum covers the “Green Imperative to enhance mechanization of Agriculture and Agro-processing in Nigeria.”

In her findings, the Senate Committee disclosed that among others, a total of six indigenous assembly plants, one in each geopolitical zone would be rehabilitated and retooled to revitalize farm machinery and equipment to be imported from Brazil.

This is as it advised for restructuring and expansion of existing States Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) program, especially seeing the disruption and shock occasioned by the Covid-19 crises, to match the fiscal measures at the federal level and reallocating the undisbursed balance of the program funds

The Committee also disclosed that the said loans are to be sourced from multilateral and bilateral global lenders and partners with proven records of financial support to the country, even as it said that the borrowing which are concessional loans come with low interest rates, moratorium and a reasonable payback period.

House of Representatives member,Hon. Yusuf Gagdi on Wednesday hinted that the bad governance was solely responsible for the unabating killings and insecurities presently bedevilling the country .

Gagdi, an All Progressives Congress (APC), from Plateau state, stated that the present security challenges would persist until government attends to the basic needs that would give quality life to its citizens.

The Lawmaker, made this known while briefing newsmen in Abuja, saying, “You hear today this one died, that one killed, I think that’s the major problem that the country is faced with.

According to him, “Security is very important and is a collective thing. The followers and leaders must work together to combat insecurity in the country.

“There is a huge moral burden on the part of government on this matter. What is our conduct over issues of insecurity?  I don’t support demolarizing government, but the major problem of insecurity in this country is lack of good governance.

“Government in the first instance, did not address the primary thing the people should enjoy in the country. Government has failed”, the legislator insisted, without fear of favour.

“I am not afraid to say this. If this trend continues, do not thank that this insecurity problem will be solved in the nearest future”, the lawmaker stressed.

He further stated that, what the country was lacking currently was a good President to deliver justice and equity to the people, in order to address to persistent call for restructuring.

“The problem of Nigeria is not restructuring, but bringing a good leader that will provide good governance”, he said.

The Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu during the Wednesday plenary moved for the immediate resignation or sack of the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, for showing sympathy to the activities of insurgents.

Elumelu prayed the House to cause a debate on the issue, particularly demanding Pantami’s exit from office, coming under Order 6, matters of privilege of the House standing Orders.

I would be recalled that public outrage has continued to trail revelations that Pantami made sympathetic utterances for the jihadists even though he had since apologized for making the remarks in the 2000s before taking up political appointments.

But according to Elumelu, “Pantami’s apology does not hold water”, stressing that even the Minister had apologized needlessly.

He said: “Mr. Speaker, honourable colleagues, I rise to move a point of order bothering on the infringement of my privileges.

“In the past few days I have been inundated with calls from my constituents and Nigerians seeking the resignation of the Honourable Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Mr. Pantami who was allegedly accused of having link which seems to support Al-queda and Boko Haram knowing very well what we are facing with issues of insecurity in the country.

“Although he has apologized but to me, it doesn’t stand. So, I therefore call for his immediate resignation or sack”.

Ruling on the matter, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila who presided over the plenary said that the matter had been noted.

Saying; “Your point of privilege has been noted”.

Nigerian judiciary should take a cue from the trial of ex-policeman Derek Chauvin that the rule of law must always prevail irrespective of who is involved in a trial, Chief Olisa Agbakoba (SAN), a former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has said.

Chauvin, a former Minneapolis policeman, was convicted on Tuesday of second-degree murder, third-degree murder and manslaughter in the deadly arrest of George Floyd.

The 12-member jury found Chauvin, 45, criminally liable in Floyd’s death last year after considering three weeks of testimony from 45 witnesses, including bystanders, police officials and medical experts.

During a confrontation in the video, Chauvin, a white man, pushed his knee into the neck of a 46-year-old black Freud in handcuffs for more than 9 minutes on May 25, 2020, when he and three colleagues arrested Freud. Floyd, Floyd is accused of buying cigarettes at a grocery store using counterfeit 20 dollars.

Speaking to our correspondent on the outcome of the judgment and the lessons learned from the Nigerian judiciary, Agbakoba said that the outcome of the trial also confirmed the old saying that the law does not respect people.

According to him; “The lesson is that it is a cardinal principle of democratic consolidation  that the rule of law always prevails, in spite of all odds or who is affected”. 

“The law is no respecter of persons. Amidst impunity and disrespect and chaos, the law comes down fully to deliver a just verdict and most importantly, without fanfare jurisdictional technicalities. This is what the George Floyd’s case has  established”.

“Here in Nigeria, we grapple with the basic matter of whether the judiciary is free  from executive control. I trust people in authority are listening” Agbakoba said .