Youths occupy NASS, protest delay of 2016 budget passage"

hundreds of youths, under the aegis of Citizens United for Peace and Stability, CUPS, yesterday stormed the National Assembly calling for immediate resignation of Senate President, Saraki, on the allegations of corruption leveled against him and controversies surrounding the 2016 budget yet to be signed into law.
 

Meanwhile, the National Assembly leadership was, at press time, set to commence a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari in a move aimed towards resolving the crisis arising from the passage of the 2016 budget. This came as Senate Presiden’s Senior Special Assistant on Youth Matters, Ikenga Ugochinyere, was yesterday, arrested and detained by the Department of State Service, DSS. Youths occupy NASS, demand Saraki’s resignation.

The National Assembly was literally sealed as hundreds of protesters, under the aegis of Citizens United for Peace and Stability, CUPS, stormed the complex calling for the immediate resignation of Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on the allegations of corruption levelled against him. However, another group of pro-Saraki protesters said the trial of the Senate President at the Code of Conduct Tribunal, CCT, was another attempt to muzzle the Senate and pleaded with Nigerians to stand against it. The placard carrying anti-Saraki protesters accused the Senate President of acts of corruption, citing his alleged false assets declaration and alleged padding of the 2016 budget by legislators as well as the delay in the President’s assent to the budget as reasons he should resign. 

The youths, made up of civil society organisations and students, also demanded that the federal lawmakers immediately revisit the grey areas identified in the 2016 budget by President Muhammadu Buhari. According to them, the suffering Nigerians are passing through at the moment, due to the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the 2016 budget is partly the making of the National Assembly, which has been sympathetic to Saraki. Deficient in integrity Speaking on behalf of the protesters, Sadiq Jidda alleged that the Senate President was deficient in integrity and that his inability to live above board as a National Assembly leader had disqualified him from the post. They also condemned the purchase of exotic jeeps for senators at exorbitant price and asked them to return the vehicles immediately or face the wrath of Nigerians. 

The protesters marched from the Unity Fountain, within the Central Area of the city, to the National Assembly, a journey of about two kilometres and forced their way to the main gate, defying all security network mounted by regular and riot police officers. The protesters, who donned T-shirts with inscription #Occupy National Assembly, had vowed to sustain the protest for Saraki’s ouster in office until he resigned. They also barricaded the main entrance to the National Assembly complex. The protesters, armed with placards containing various inscriptions, vowed to seal off the federal parliament for the initial three days to see whether their demands would be met, adding that they would resume a permanent protest that would paralyse all activities in the National Assembly until all their demands were fully met. 

Security operatives helpless as legislators, others stranded The youths, thereafter, forced the main gate closed, thus preventing staff, lawmakers and visitors from either entering or leaving the premises. Following the blockage of the gate, lawmakers and staff in the National Assembly were forced to make do with the alternative entrance at the back of the complex to resume work, just as vehicular movement to and fro the complex was paralyzed. Some of the placards carried by the protesters read: “Saraki your time is up resign”, “Saraki must go to stop corruption in NASS”, “Enough is Enough, Occupy NASS to stop corruption”, “Legislation, Yet, Legislooting, No”, ”To Keep Nigeria going, Nigerians Must Stand Up,” among others. 

The anti-Saraki group arrived the place some minutes to noon and started chanting anti-Saraki’s songs and were still there at press time. For fear of breakdown of law and order, security operatives at the complex moved swiftly to shut down the giant gates in an attempt to prevent the protesters from gaining entry into the main premises, but they became helpless as legislators, aides, staff and visitors were stranded. Earlier, the pro-Saraki group had addressed a motley crowd of supporters, saying the ongoing trial of the Senate president was an attempt to muzzle the Senate and urged Nigerians to stand up against it. Protest against NASS, bad precedent — Senate Addressing journalists on the protest after plenary, Senate Leader, Senator Ali Ndume, who described the protest against the National Assembly and plans to occupy the complex as baseless, said the development was a very dangerous precedent for the nation’s democracy. Ndume said: 

“That is why we are not trying to say anything about them because what is happening out there is a very dangerous precedent that we are trying to set. “Nigerians and you too, press, will have to be able to help to define rights, know where your rights end and my own starts. “I contested to be senator of Borno South, I did not force myself on my people and, therefore, somebody out there, especially the one that did not elect me, cannot force me out because I didn’t come in by force. I came in by ballot, not by gun, not by placard. I had posters not placards.” 

Buhari, NASS leadership meet The meeting of the National Assembly leadership follows a meeting between Speaker Yakubu Dogara and the President earlier in the day. Dogara did not give reason for his visit to the president and there were speculations that it was meant to set the stage for last night’s meeting between the Presidency and the National Assembly leadership. Before moving to the Presidential Villa, the presiding officers of the National Assembly met with the Appropriation Committee chairmen from both houses during which they resolved to present a common agenda to the President on the issue.

 DSS arrests, detains Saraki’s aide Ugochinyere was picked up by men of the DSS over alleged anti-government posture and criticism of activities of the Sports Minister, Solomon Dalong. Ugochinyere, who is also the current President, National Youth Council of Nigeria, NYCN, was arrested barely two weeks after he conferred life patron of NYCN on the Senate President.