The Senate on Wednesday passed six bills seeking to establish and give legal backing to Federal Universities and Polytechnics across several states of the federation.
The upper chamber also passed an amendment bill on the Federal Polytechnic Daura Act.
The bills passed by the Senate seek to establish the Federal University of Gashua; Federal Polytechnic, Orogun; Federal College of Education, Illo; Federal University of Education, Kontagora; Federal Polytechnic, Daura; Modibo Adama University of Technology, and Federal University of Agriculture and Technology, Funtua.
The passage of the seven bills was sequel to the consideration of the reports of the Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND chaired by Senator Babba Kaita Ahmad (APC, Katsina North).
Meanwhile, the Senate on Wednesday referred President Muhammadu Buhari’s appointees for the position of Chairman and Member of the National Assembly Service Commission (NASC) to the Committee on Establishment and Public Service for further legislative action.
The upper chamber also referred the President’s confirmation request for two additional nominees as members of the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
Both requests were referred to the respective Committees by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, during plenary.
2020 Budget: Senate approves N140.3b for NCC, confirms FIRS, AMCON chairs, others
The Senate also on Wednesday approved the sun of N140,383,591,000 for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for the 2020 fiscal year.
The approval came following consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Communications during plenary.
Chairman of the Communications Committee, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, while giving a breakdown of the Commission’s total expenditure for the year 2020, said that N39,297,044,000 is for recurrent expenditure and N20,863,699,000 for special projects.
The lawmaker added that out of the total budget for the Commission, the sum of N8,129,462,000 is for capital expenditure, N64,208,446,000 for Transfer to Federal Government, and N7,500,000,000 as Transfer to the Universal Service Provision Fund.
In a related development, the Senate on Wednesday also approved the sum of N11,594,920,847 for the Universal Service Provision Fund for the 2020 fiscal year.
The approval came after consideration of the report of the Committee on Communications chaired by Senator Tinubu.
Out of the total amount approved, N2,354,055,799 is for recurrent expenditure, N196,108,610 for capital expenditure and N9,044,756,438 for USPF projects and programmes.
The upper chamber also confirmed President Buhari’s nominees for appointment as Chairman and members of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).
This was even as the upper chamber confirmed Mr. Edward Lametek Adamu as Chairman of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
The confirmation of the nominees was sequel to the consideration of the reports of the Senate Committees on Finance, and Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions.
The nominees confirmed for positions on the board of the Federal Inland Revenue Service are Muhammad Mamman Nami (North Central), Chairman; James Yakwen Ayuba, North Central; Ado Danjuma, North West; Adam Baba Mohammed, North East; Ikeme Osakwe, South East; Adewale Ogunyomade, South West, and Ehile Adetola Aibangbee, South South.
Representatives of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government on the board confirmed by the Senate are: Ladidi Bara’atu Mohammed, Office of Attorney-General of the Federation; Godwin Emefiele, Central Bank of Nigeria; Fatima Hayatu, Ministry of Finance; Maagbe Adaa, Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission; Umar Ajiya, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation; DCG Isah, Nigeria Customs Service, and Registrar General, Corporate Affairs Commission.
