HIGHLIGHTS:

 Lawmakers Salute Dogara @50

 Dogara To Set Up Endowment Chairs In Universities For Youths

 Dogara To Donate Proceeds Of Birthday Charity Match,

Book Launch To IDPs

 Small and Medium Enterprises Catalysts for Economic Revolution

- Dogara
Dogara @50 Charity
Football Match in pictures.
As part of events to mark the 50th birthday of
the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara, his group of friends
known as 'Friends of Rt. Hon Yakubu Dogara',
organised a charity football match in Abuja to
raise funds for internally displaced persons in
the North East.

The match was well attended by members of

the National Assembly (serving and former),
governors and top shots in the private sector,
including Alhaji Aliko Dangote and Chief Femi
Otedola.

The Speaker's birthday is on the 26th of

December.

Lawmakers Salute Dogara @50
Members of the House of Representatives took
turns on Thursday to shower accolades on the
Speaker as he turns 50 years old on Tuesday.
This was sequel to a motion of personal explanation
raised by Hon Nnenna Elendu-Ukeje, who said she
was using the opportunity of the last plenary to sa-
lute the Speaker as his birthday comes up after the
House has gone on break for the end of year festivi-
ties.
She extolled the leadership qualities of Dogara, say-
ing he is a man who is propelled by the zeal to en-
sure that the lives of Nigerians are improved by the
government.
The lawmaker also described him as one who only
says what he means, a man of honour and an up-
right leader.
Other lawmakers also took turns to pay their respect
to the Speaker.
Dogara To Set Up Endowment
Chairs In Universities For Youths
....says academic institutions key to shaping leaders.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yaku-
bu Dogara, has disclosed that as part of activities to
mark his 50th birthday, he will set up endowment
chairs in selected institutions in Nigeria in order to
contribute to the development of youths academi-
cally.
Dogara, who disclosed this when he received a dele-
gation from the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, led
by the Vice Chancellor Professor Mohammad
Mainoma, at the National Assembly, also charged
institutions of learning to ensure that they impact
quality education on their students in order to pro-
duce leaders that can move Nigeria forward.
Regretting that Africa has not performed well in the
area of impacting quality education that will lead to
development of the continent through leadership,
he said time has come to deliberately shape leaders
for that role from the classrooms.
Speaker To Donate Proceeds Of
Birthday Charity Match, Book
Launch To IDPs
Speaker of the House of Representatives,
Hon Yakubu Dogara, has disclosed that all monies
generated at the charity football match organised by
his friends in Sunday to mark his 50th birthday will be
donated fully to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in
Nigeria.

Dogara, who also expressed profound gratitude to his

friends and associates who honoured him at the Small and Medium Enterprises
event, also said he hope to use the years God grants
to him on earth to invest in people to raise them from
Catalysts for Economic
ashes to their God-given destinies. Revolution - Dogara
Earlier, chairman of the event, President of Dangote
The Speaker of the House of Representatives,
group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, commended the Speak-
Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has said that Small and
er for choosing to celebrate his 50th birthday by rais-
ing funds to better the lives of IDPs and called for
Medium scale Enterprises as catalysts for eco-
generous donations towards the cause. nomic revolution.

In his remarks, Senate president, Sen. Bukola Saraki,
noted that there has been progress in rebuilding the
North-East region and expressed hope that they will,
sooner, rather than later, return to their normal lives.
Speaking on behalf of the IDPs, Miss Amina Gwoza,
expressed gratitude to the Speaker for the NEDC Act
and his concern for matters concerning them, saying
they hope to see its impact very soon in the progress
and development of the North-East.
The Speaker who stated this when he received a
delegation from the Nigerian-American Cham-
ber of Commerce, Kaduna State Chapter, also
argued that any country that fails to pro-
vide economic opportunities for its citizens is
doomed.
The Speaker assured that the National Assembly
will continue to provide legislative support that
will create enabling environment forentrepre-
neurs, adding that the National Assembly had
passed legislations in record time to support
the growth of SMEs and the ease of doing busi-
ness in Nigeria.

While appreciating the Chamber of Commerce

for realizing the level of devastation in the
North East and its desire to raise fund to sup-
port the IDPs, reiterated his resolve to use his
50th Birthday anniversary to raise funds to sup-
port the IDPs and other vulnerable members of
the society.
Reps to Investigate the Level of
Implementation of Cassava
Bread Fund (CBF):
Sequel to a motion raised by Hon. Ibrahim Ayokunle
Isiaka on loss of revenue to the federal government, as
well as loss of investment by Nigerians due to the non-
implementation of cassava bread fund by the executive,
the House of Representatives has mandated its Com-
mittees on Agricultural Production and Services and
Banking and Currency to carry out an investigative audit
of the releases, cumulative contributions, owings and
level of implementation of the Cassava Bread Fund Pro-
gramme.
Dogara Advocates Restorative
The committees are also to examine the losses suffered
by Cassava Bread Growers Association and the Value Justice In Nigeria
Chain therein, with a view to compensating/encouraging
them and determine modalities for rejuvenating the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon
Cassava Bread Growers Programme and report back Yakubu Dogara, has queried the essence of the
within six (6) weeks for further legislative action. Nigerian Justice system, saying it does not reform
convicted criminals, but instead makes them
The House said it was informed of the estimation that
more hardened.
Cassava farmers lost investments in excess of N360 Mil-
lion due to break-down in the value chain necessitated
by non-implementation of the programme within a year. The Speaker said this while receiving a delegation
from Prison Fellowship Society of Nigeria, at his
It also said Nigerians have lost investment of over ₦10 office.
Billion in the past 5 years across the value chain and 10
million additional job opportunities across the entire He noted that some people who are sentenced to
CBF Stakeholders, yet the annual wheat importation into jail for involvement in crime get so frustrated
Nigeria is USD3.2 billion yearly (₦979.2 billion at ₦306/
against the system which instead of reforming
USD), while Nigeria spends over USD8.7 million (₦2.6
them, makes them more frustrated and angry and
billion) daily totaling about ₦3.886 trillion for the past 4
years on wheat importation which is not sustainable in their communities.
the face of dwindling revenue.
Dogara added that at the end of the day, such
people return to the society to commit more seri-
ous crimes against other citizens.

He therefore advocated for a reformative system

that will rehabilitate criminals and make their re-
integration into the society easier.

The Speaker also commended the Prison Fellow-

ship Society for their dedication to the welfare of
the prisoners, saying all Nigerians benefit from
their personal sacrifice and conviction.
NCC, Telecom Service Providers
Under Reps Probe Over
Revenue Losses and Cyber Se-
curity Threats caused by Tele-
phone Number Masking
The Committee on Telecommunications has
been directed by the House to investigate the
activities of Nigerian Communications Com-
mission and Telecommunications Service Pro-
viders over loss of revenue and security threat
caused by telephone number masking.
This was sequel to the adoption of a motion
moved by Hon. Saheed Akinade -Fijabi.
The lawmakers noted that telephone number
masking via Voice-Over-IP Technology makes
it possible for fraudsters, criminals and terror-
ists from anywhere in the world to reach out
and talk to anyone on their phones and de-
fraud them of their money and valuables.
They added that the porous nature of the sys-
tem has led to numerous scams against con-
sumers and financial institutions, as well as al-
lowed hackers to sometimes abuse the pass-
word recovery features of online services and
in the process, wrestle control of a victim's ac-
counts.
Apart from loss of revenue the accruable to the
federal government,the House also said it was
concerned that in the absence of an effective
monitoring mechanism to checkmate it, the
trend poses a threat to the nation's security.
Reps Urge Executive To Bail out Ailing
Industries To Check 1.3 Million
Unemployment Figure
Members of parliament have urged the Federal Gov-
ernment to initiate a process of bailing out specific
and critical industries in the country in order to reduce
the huge unemployment among the youth.
They also asked them to devise strategies that will lead
to improvement in power supply, especially to serve
the industries so as to prevent them from going under
due to the high cost of power and design a special bail
out strategy for ailing and collapsed industries (both
publicly quoted and privately owned companies) for
resuscitation devoid of bureaucratic bottlenecks and
demand for collateral, except with the equipment and
assets of the industries.
Furthermore, they proposed that the bail out should
be applied through the Bank of Industry, the Bank of
Agriculture, the Nigerian Export/ Import Bank at a sin-
gle digit interest rate with three(3) years moratorium,
while Cooperative and Micro Finance Banks will also
be included in the bail out programs to lend to busi-
nesses at single digit interest rates to help boost the
stock and sales of those traders.
The lawmakers also directed the Committees on Fi-
nance, Industry, and Labour, Employment and Produc-
tivity to devise a plan that will enable the Federal Gov-
ernment to actualise the bail out proposal to ailing
and moribund industries in order to address the prob-
lem of unemployment in the country
appoint managers (possibly from the pool of unem-
ployed graduates) through the participating Banks to
join the Management Team of each entity to ensure
the revival of the industries and full repayment of the
bail out funds after which the managers will be eased
out of the companies or retained on agreed terms.
These were resolutions of a motion moved by Hon.
James Abiodun Faleke which was adopted by the
House.

Show Sacrificial Love To The
Underprivileged, Dogara Urges
Christians At Christmas
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon
Yakubu Dogara, has urged Christian faithful to
remember to spread love to their neighbours and
remember the underprivileged as they celebrate
the birth of Jesus Christ.
In a statement to mark Christmas, Dogara said
the Lord Jesus Christ was an embodiment of sac-
rificial love to the point that He gave His life for
the redemption of mankind.
He further stated that when Nigerians begin to
exhibit unconditional love
to one another, the impact will bring about a
positive change that will lead to unity and de-
velopment which will move the nation for-
ward.
"As we celebrate the birth of our Saviour, Je-
sus Christ, let us all remember that it is a time
to spread the love of Christ with family,
friends, neighbours and the underprivileged in
the society.
"We should bear in mind that the greatest
command Jesus gave to his followers is to
love one another. Not only does this have
spiritual benefits, it will also make Nigeria a
better place because love overcomes all
things including hatred, violence and other
vices," he said.
The Speaker wished all Nigerians happy
celebration.