Suspended Bauchi senator Abdul Ningi finally took his seat in the Senate chamber after his suspension was lifted.
The Senate commenced activities last Tuesday by welcoming the Bauchi Central senator, Abdul Ningi, to the chamber after his suspension was lifted the previous week.
Mr Ningi, a member of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), entered the Red Chamber at 10:40 a.m. and took his seat after exchanging pleasantries with some of his colleagues.
Mr Ningi was suspended on 12 March for three months but was recalled after about two months following a motion by the Minority Leader, Abba Moro (PDP, Benue), on behalf of the minority caucus.
The Bauchi senator had accused the leadership of the upper chamber of illegally inserting projects worth N3 trillion in the 2024 budget.
During Tuesday's plenary, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, welcomed Mr Ningi back to the chamber and urged him to overlook his suspension.
Mr Ningi, in his response, stressed that he no longer has issues with the Senate leadership and that the issue of his suspension is now a "bygone."
Senate reviews judicial officers' remuneration
On Wednesday, the Senate passed a bill seeking to increase the salaries, allowances and official benefits of judicial officers.
The bill was considered and approved by the Committee of the Whole.
The upper chamber passed the bill after considering the report of its Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, presented by Tahir Monguno, its chairman.
Mr Monguno, while presenting the report, lamented that the severance and allowance of judicial officers have not been reviewed for many years.
The Borno senator maintained that the increment in the allowance and salaries of the judicial officers is long overdue.
He said the new salary and allowance scheme will help the Nigerian Judiciary to achieve fairness in delivery of justice.
Mr Monguno also said apart from the new salary and allowance scheme; the bill will also make provision for the retirement of judicial officers.
The Committee Chairman noted that the new payment scheme will attract and retain officers who wish to remain on the bench.
None of the senators opposed the report when the senate president put the passage to vote.
Mr Akpabio, after the bill was passed, expressed appreciation to the committee members and the senators for supporting it.
Lawmakers seek end to farmers-herders clashes, ban on open grazing
Concerns over the endless farmer-herder clashes in some parts of Nigeria resurfaced at the Senate.
On Wednesday, the upper chamber passed for a second reading a bill seeking to ban open grazing and establish ranches for herders.
It is titled "A Bill for an Act to Establish National Animal Husbandry and Ranches Commission for the Regulation, Management, Preservation and Control of Ranches throughout Nigeria; and for connected purpose, 2024."
It was sponsored by Titus Zam (APC, Benue North-west).
The legislation seeks to address the prolonged conflict between farmers and herders.
It specifically proposed that ranches should be established in states where communities are prone to pastoralism without forcing it on other states that do not have pastoralists.
The bill was passed after a majority of the senators supported it when the Senate President put it to vote.
Mr Akpabio thereafter referred it to the Committees on Agriculture, Trade and Investment, and Judiciary and legal matters for further legislative action.
He directed the committees to report back to the senate in one month.
Senators say education a must for Nigerian children
The senators also considered a bill seeking to ensure free and compulsory primary education for children in Nigeria as prescribed in the Universal Basic Education Act 2004.
The bill passed a second reading at the Senate on Wednesday.
Sponsored by Idiat Adebule (APC, Lagos West), it proposed a penalty of N250,000 against parents who fail to enrol their children in primary and secondary schools.
Section 2 (1) and (2) of the UBE Act states that "Every Government in Nigeria shall provide free, compulsory and universal basic education for every child of primary and junior secondary school age.
"Every parent shall ensure that his child or ward attends and completes his (a) primary school education and (b) junior secondary school education by endeavouring to send the child to primary and junior secondary schools."
Mrs Adebule, while leading the debate on the bill, argued that if passed, it would reduce the high rate of out-of-school children in the country.
She said the majority of the parents whose children are out of school were not concerned because there was no punishment for them.
The senator submitted that poverty should not be an excuse for not acquiring western education.
The majority of the senators who contributed to the debate supported it.
After debate, Mr Akpabio put the bill to vote and the majority of the senators supported it.
More money for FCT
The 2024 supplementary budget for the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCDA) passed a second reading at the Senate on Wednesday. The budget is estimated at N98.5 billion.
The Deputy Leader of the Senate, Oyelola Ashiru, had presented budget estimates during the plenary.
The senators did not debate the bill before it was passed.
The Senate President referred it to the Committee on FCT for further consideration and directed it to report back to the senate within two weeks.
Mining communities get Senate attention
The Senate on Thursday called on the federal government to deploy security agencies to mining communities across the country in order to maintain vigilance around mining areas.
The call was a sequel to a motion sponsored by Sani Musa (APC, Niger East) during the plenary.
Over 30 persons were trapped while seven others were rescued at a collapsed mining site in Galadima Kogo, in Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State last Monday.
Mr Musa, while presenting his motion, said there was a need to secure the Niger mining site and other mining communities to forestall future occurrences.
The Niger senator stressed that securing the mining communities with adequate security agencies will reduce illegal mining and its consequences.
He called on the federal government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the collapse of the mining site in Niger.
Majority of the senators voted in support of the motion when it was put to vote by the Senate President.
The senators, after that, observed a minute silence in honour of the victims of the collapsed mining site.
Lawmakers move against performance enhancement drugs in sports
The Senate on Thursday passed a bill seeking to prohibit Nigerian athletes from consuming substances that enhance performance during or after competitions.
The bill was considered and approved by the Committee of the Whole.
The upper chamber passed the bill after considering a report from its Committees on Sports Development and Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters.
The report was presented by Kawu Sumaila, chairman of the sports committee.
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Mr Sumaila, while presenting his report on the bill, said that the committees had critically considered it.
The Kano senator said the bill would develop the Nigerian sporting sector if passed and assented to.
If President Bola Tinubu assents to it, Nigerian athletes will be prohibited from consuming performance substances at the Olympic Games seminar scheduled to be held in Paris in July.
The athletes will also be prohibited from consuming substances during or after any sporting events.
It also means that Nigeria will comply with the requirements of the World Anti-Doping Code.
The World Anti-Doping Code (Code) is the core document that harmonises anti-doping policies, rules and regulations within sports organisations and among public authorities around the world.
Senators want security strategy in North-west reviewed
The Senate on Thursday called on President Bola Tinubu to review the strategies adopted by security agencies in the fight against terrorism, kidnapping and other insecurity challenges in the North-west region.
It also urged the president to consider the deployment of additional security personnel to the identified hotspots to ensure the protection of lives and properties in the region.
The call was a sequel to a motion sponsored by Nasiru Daura (APC, Katsina North) during the plenary.
The motion was also co-sponsored by other 20 senators in the region.
The states in North-western Nigeria are Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Sokoto, and Zamfara.
Mr Daura, while presenting his motion said the states in the North-west have been experiencing banditry attacks which have resorted to the loss of lives, kidnapping, displacement of communities and disruption of economic activities.
After exhaustive debate, the senators voted overwhelmingly in support of the motion when the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, put it to vote.
