According to eyewitness accounts and the family’s testimony, NDLEA officers opened fire during a raid in the neighbourhood. The senate has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to, on compassionate grounds, assist the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) in paying a ₦200 million compensation to the family of two-year-old Ivan Omhonrina, who was tragically killed during an NDLEA operation in Asaba, Delta State last year. The call was made on Thursday during plenary, following the...
The committee chairman, Sen. Wadada, emphasised that the NNPCL probe is a constitutional obligation not a political vendetta. The Senate, through its Public Accounts Committee (PAC), has clarified that the ₦210 trillion financial query raised against the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) in federal audit reports covering 2017 to 2023 does not imply theft, but rather an unaccounted sum that the national oil company must explain. This clarification was issued during a high-stakes investigative...
Embattled Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan has now been stripped of her last remaining leadership position within the senate. The senate has officially removed Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan (PDP, Kogi central) as chairperson of the Senate Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations, replacing her with Sen. Aniekan Bassey (PDP, Akwa Ibom north-east). The announcement was made by the President of the Senate, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, during Thursday’s plenary, and the decision is to take immediate effect, according to...
The senate expressed shock that CBEX operated unchecked for months despite its large-scale activities and online visibility, with no timely intervention from regulatory agencies. The senate has launched a full-scale investigation into the alarming rise of ponzi schemes across Nigeria, following the collapse of the controversial Crypto Bullion Exchange (CBEX), which allegedly defrauded investors of over ₦1.3 trillion. This followed the adoption of a motion titled “Investigative hearing into the operations of Ponzi schemes in...
The proposed legislation seeks to address a wide range of issues that have emerged since the enactment of the 2023 Electricity Act. The senate has commenced legislative action to amend the Electricity Act, 2023, with the aim of addressing persistent challenges in the power sector, including infrastructure vandalism, policy inconsistencies, financial instability, and regulatory bottlenecks. The amendment bill titled Electricity Act (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was sponsored by Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe (APGA, Abia South). It scaled...
Sen. Bamidele clarified that the senate has treated House-passed bills with seriousness and due diligence The senate has responded to recent accusations from the house of representatives, denying claims that it has consistently delayed action on concurrence bills transmitted from the house. Speaking during plenary on Tuesday, Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele both dismissed suggestions that the senate had stalled legislative work on bills passed by the house. Their remarks come...
The court declared the suspension of Akpoti-Uduaghan as “excessive” and a violation of both democratic norms and the constitutional rights of her constituents. The federal high court in Abuja has ordered the senate to immediately recall Sen. Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who represents Kogi central, from suspension, marking a significant legal victory in the months-long standoff between the embattled senator and Senate President Godswill Akpabio. Delivering judgment on Friday, 4 July, Justice Binta Nyako ruled that the senate...
In Nigeria, the 1999 Constitution, originally a military decree has long been criticised for its centralised federalism, weak local governance structures, and insufficient protection of citizens’ rights. The senate has commenced a series of public hearings aimed at reviewing the 1999 Constitution (as amended), beginning this Friday with the south-west zonal session in Lagos. This critical exercise, which is being coordinated across five of the six geopolitical zones, is designed to allow Nigerians contribute meaningfully...
For years, Nigeria’s public procurement system has been widely criticised for its overly complex, rigid, and exclusionary nature, which tends to favour well-established and, often, foreign firms. In a significant policy shift aimed at boosting grassroots economic development, the senate has directed its committees on public procurement and local content to initiate amendments to the Public Procurement Act and the Nigerian Local Content Act. The goal is to lower existing entry barriers and level the...
The committee viewed the request for a two-month deferral as a deliberate stalling tactic, potentially indicating an unwillingness or inability to address the troubling findings. The Senate Committee on Public Accounts (SPAC) has issued a 10-working-day ultimatum to the Group Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), Bayo Ojulari, demanding full responses to 11 critical financial audit queries relating to the company’s operations between 2017 and 2023. This stern directive, announced...
