FOURTH REPUBLIC 9TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY FIRST SESSION NO. 93 2525 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA FIRST VOTES AND PROCEEDINGS Tuesday, 2 June, 2020 1. The House met at 11.22 a.m. Mr Speaker read the Prayers. 2. The House recited the National Pledge 3. Votes and Proceedings Mr Speaker announced that he had examined and approved the Second Votes and Proceedings of Thursday, 28 May, 2020. The Votes and Proceedings was adopted by unanimous consent. 4. Announcement (a) Bereavement: Mr Speaker announced the demise of: (i) Aisha (Indo) Abdulkadir, the mother of Hon. Armaya’u Abdulkadir (Musawa/Matazu Federal Constituency), who died on Wednesday, 20 May, 2020. (ii) a former Senator Munir Muse (Lagos Central Senatorial District, 2007 — 2011), who died on Tuesday, 2 June, 2020 at the age of 80. A minute in silence was observed in honour of the deceased. (b) Annual Report: Mr Speaker announced that the First Session of the House will end on Wednesday, 10 June, 2020. He ordered all Committees to forward to his office their Action Plan and Annual Report on or before Tuesday, 9 June, 2020. (c) Ad-hoc Committee on Abandoned Properties across the Federation: Mr Speaker directed that Hon. Sani Ma’aruf Nass be added as a member of the Committee. PRINTED BY NATIONAL ASSEMBLY PRESS, ABUJA 2526 Tuesday, 2 June, 2020 No. 93 5. Matters of Urgent Public Importance (Standing Order Eight, Rule 4) (i) A Call on the Federal Government to Suspend the Additional 2.5% Value Added Tax Made Possible by the Finance Act of 2019 Until January 1, 2021 in the Interest of Nigerians During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Hon. Unyime Idem (Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency) introduced the matter and prayed the House to: (a) consider and approve the matter as one of urgent public importance; and (b) suspend Order Eight, Rule 4 (3) to allow debate on the matter forthwith. Question that the matter be considered as one of urgent public importance — Agreed to. Question that the House do suspend Order Eight, Rule 4 (3) to enable it debate the matter forthwith — Agreed to. A Call on the Federal Government to Suspend the Additional 2.5% Value Added Tax Made Possible by the Finance Act of 2019 Until January 1, 2021 in the Interest of Nigerians During the COVID-19 Pandemic: The House: Aware that in December 2019, this House had passed the Finance Act of 2019 which was subsequently signed into Law by the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria; Also aware that the Finance Act changes the Nigerian tax regime by amending among others the Value Added Tax (VAT), 2019 which enabled changes that are primarily focused on raising additional revenues for the Federal Government to meet the 2020 budget targets; Notes that companies and enterprises in Nigeria are directly charging their customers Value Added Tax on all products and services; Also notes that although the Value Added Tax is in the interest of the economy, it was made without taking into cognizance the negative impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Nigeria and the World at large as it was not in sight at the time; a situation that has led to the increase in the cost of goods and services in the country; Concerned that the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Lockdown that was declared across the Country have affected the personal economies of virtually all Nigerians with the poor crying on a daily basis; Also concerned that in spite of the effects of the Pandemic on Nigerians and the economy, prices of goods and services are continually and consistently increasing; a situation that has made life more difficult for all citizens especially those whose sources of livelihood were shut down for weeks during the total lockdown due to the Pandemic; Worried that this continued taxation will cause more hardship on Nigerians especially the poor and the vulnerable ones in the society; Resolves to: (i) urge the Executive Arm of Government to suspend the additional 2.5% Value Added Tax contained in the 2019 Finance Act until January 1, 2021; and (ii) mandate the relevant Committee(s) of the House to ensure compliance (Hon. Unyime Idem — Ukanafun/Oruk Anam Federal Constituency). No. 93 Tuesday, 2 June, 2020 2527 Debate. Motion withdrawn by leave of the House. (ii) Attempt to Tarnish the Image and Hard Earned Reputation of Dr Akinwumi Adesina; President of African Development Bank (AfDB) on Trumped-Up Allegations: Hon. Ndudi Elumelu (Oniocha North/Onicha South/Oshimili North/Oshimili South Federal Constituency and 9 others) introduced the matter and prayed the House to: (a) consider and approve the matter as one of urgent public importance; and (b) suspend Order Eight, Rule 4 (3) to allow debate on the matter forthwith. Question that the matter be considered as one of urgent public importance — Agreed to. Question that the House do suspend Order Eight, Rule 4 (3) to enable it debate the matter forthwith — Agreed to. Attempt to Tarnish the Image and Hard Earned Reputation of Dr Akinwumi Adesina; President of African Development Bank (AfDB) on Trumped-Up Allegations: The House: Notes that at a conference convened by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Khartoum, Sudan in August of 1963, an agreement was reached establishing the African Development Bank (AfDB) and signed by 23 African Governments including Nigeria; Also notes that in 1964, the Agreement came into force with a mission to fight poverty and enhance the standard of living on the African continent as well as promoting the investment of public and private capital through the implementation of projects and programs that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the African Continent; Aware that on 8 May 2015, a distinguished Nigeria and one time Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina was elected the president of the African Development Bank, emerging as the first Nigerian to hold the office; Also aware that the AfDB under the leadership of Dr Adesina has been very remarkable in steering the organization and has made its presence highly visible and impactful in less than five years of his headship; Further notes that a group of whistleblowers recently wrote a petition against Dr Adesina accusing him' of 16 breaches of the Bank’s Code of Conduct, some of which included private gains, impediments to efficiency, preferential treatment, and involvement in political activities, which Dr Adesina has continued to deny; Still notes that on investigation by the Ethics Committee of the Board of Directors, the allegations were found to be frivolous, unsubstantiated and lacking in merit and therefore the Committee exonerated Dr Adesina, and the chairman, Board of Governors, being satisfied that the committee had done a thorough job having followed all known rules and procedures of the bank in handling such cases declared Dr Adesina exonerated of all the sixteen allegations against him; Concerned that though the Ethic Committee followed the established law governing AfDB in arriving at its decision in absolving Dr Adesina of the allegations, the United States Treasury Secretary, Steven Mnuchin, in a letter to the Chairperson of the Bank, Niale Koba, 2528 Tuesday, 2 June, 2020 No. 93 rejected the verdict of the committee and called for an independent investigation into the allegations against Dr Adesina, whose tenure is due for renewal, given the fact that he is the only contender to the office; Also concerned that this act of interference in the running of the Bank portends a grave danger to the independence and laws governing the Bank and if not addressed, could undermine the hard earned reputation of the Bank; Believes that the move may be an attempt to discredit Dr Adesina and therefore dissuade him from seeking another term at the helm of Africa's largest multilateral lender; hence 15 former African leaders led by former President Olusegun Obasanjo issued a statement highlighting the danger it portends to disregard the laws governing an institution such as the AfDB as well stating in clear terms that no nation, no matter how powerful, has a veto power over the African Development Bank; Cognizant that if these kind of witch-hunt and unnecessary harassment are not checked, it may become a recurring decimal thereby destabilizing the stability the bank has enjoyed for decades and erode the intended results; Resolves to: (i) urge the Board of African Development Bank (AfDB) to halt all further investigations of Dr Akin Adesina, and let the rule of law prevail; (ii) endorse Dr Adesina's bid for a second term at the helm of Africa's largest multilateral lender, and wish him a stable tenure ahead; and (iii) also urge the Federal Government to call on all African leaders to rally round him and ensure an end to the lingering crisis (Hon. Ndudi Godwin Elumelu — Oniocha North/Onicha South/Oshimili North/Oshimili South Federal Constituency). Debate. Agreed to. The House: Noted that at a conference convened by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) in Khartoum, Sudan in August of 1963, an agreement was reached establishing the African Development Bank (AfDB) and signed by 23 African Governments including Nigeria; Also noted that in 1964, the Agreement came into force with a mission to fight poverty and enhance the standard of living on the African continent as well as promoting the investment of public and private capital through the implementation of projects and programs that are likely to contribute to the economic and social development of the African Continent; Aware that on 8 May 2015, a distinguished Nigeria and one time Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina was elected the president of the African Development Bank, emerging as the first Nigerian to hold the office; Also aware that the AfDB under the leadership of Dr Adesina has been very remarkable in steering the organization and has made its presence highly visible and impactful in less than five years of his headship; No.