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Health insurance underway for senior citizens, retirees – Omokaro

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Senior Citizens of Nigeria
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The National Senior Citizens Centre is packaging a health insurance scheme, to cater for the health needs of senior citizens in the country.
The Director-General of the centre, Dr Emem Omokaro, made the announcement in Abuja on Sunday at an interview session of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
Omokaro said that the management of the centre was working currently to enlist stakeholders, who would sponsor the scheme for the benefit of the senior folks.
“Access to a health care is free in some developed countries because someone has paid for it.
“The challenge in Nigeria is not to say that this is free. It is who is paying for the service and how sustainable can the payment be?”
She disclosed that the Federal Government had set up a committee to revise the National Social Protection Policy, to take special care of senior citizens.
“The 2017 National Social Protection Policy has been undergoing revision for nearly a year.
“We have identified all categories of older persons and we have noticed that the policy did not have an implementation working document and there was no cost attached to it.
“It was just a guiding document that the present administration picked and then identified some pillar programmes and embarked on.
“Right now as I speak, the final draft of the policy has been brought to an inter-ministerial committee for review.’’
The director-general pointed out that in some societies senior citizens were given near free medical care, noting however, that whatever that was given free to the senior folks must have been paid for by some sponsors.
Omokaro advised that while doing a comparison of countries one should try to determine if the care provided was by legislation or via a trust fund.
“What is the basic health package? Have they paid for you when you can approach the hospital and ask: can I have surgery, can I check my heart and do full body-check?
“What is the content of the healthcare that is free? So we thank this administration for now embarking on revising the policy.’’
The director-general assured that health insurance, which senior citizens and retirees were not enjoying would soon become a thing of the past.
“After you have retired now, you will realize how much you have over-worked your body and how your body will start demanding something from you. That is when you need your health.”
Omokaro revealed that the ministerial committee, which she was a member of before her current appointment as director-general did a good job of appraising the issues – relating to who pays for healthcare?
“All these questions have been answered in the report which is going to be submitted to the Federal Government soon.
“I know that with the political commitment of this administration, older persons and anybody who retires will soon get the service.’’
She described older citizens as a diverse segment of the population, who should deserve health benefits as their dividend for being citizens of the nation. (NAN)

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Natasha Not Suspended for Sexual Harassment Allegation, But Violation of Standing Orders, Senate Clarifies

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Nigerian Senate
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The Senate has faulted pervasive claims that one of its members representing Kogi Central, Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended for accusing the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio of sexual harassment.

Rather, the upper chamber clarified that Akpoti-Uduaghan was suspended specifically due to her flagrant disobedience to Sections 6.1 and 6.2 of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (As Amended) and her unparliamentary behaviour during its plenaries and proceedings.

The Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele made these clarifications in a three-page statement released on Saturday amid the deliberate misinformation and false narratives being circulated by certain media organisations.

Contingent on the report of its Committee on Ethics and Privileges, the Senate had suspended Akpoti-Uduaghan for six months over alleged misconduct and refusal to comply with its sitting arrangement during the plenary.

The Senate upheld her suspension with a proviso that if Akpoti-Uduaghan “submits a written apology, the leadership of the chamber may consider lifting the suspension before the six-month period expires.”

Rather than submitting to the Authority of the Senate, Akpoti-Uduaghan had been misinforming the unsuspecting public that she was suspended because she accused the senate president of sexual harassment.

In a statement he released on Saturday, however, Bamidele clarified that the disciplinary action against Akpoti-Uduaghan was unequivocally a response to her repeated violations of legislative decorum.

In the same vein, the statement further clarified that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s petition on sexual harassment failed to meet the clear and established procedural requirements for submitting petitions to the Senate.

The statement reads in part: “It has come to the attention of the Senate that some media reports are attempting to falsely suggest that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was due to allegations of sexual harassment.

“This is completely untrue, misleading, and a calculated attempt to distort the facts. If Akpoti-Uduaghan had strictly followed our guiding principles, the Senate would have treated her petition based on merit in line with its practice. But she never obeyed the established practices of the institution where she was serving,” the statement said.

Specifically, the statement revealed that Akpoti-Uduaghan’s suspension was “a decision of the Committee of the Whole Senate, following the submission of a report by the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges.”

The statement noted that the report found Akpoti-Uduaghan guilty of violating Sections 6.1 and 6.2 of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (As Amended) and recommended her immediate suspension.

As established in the findings of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges, the statement pointed out that the disciplinary action was “a response to Akpoti-Uduaghan’s repeated violations of legislative decorum stated as follows:

” Refusing to sit in her assigned seat during plenary on 25th February 2025, despite multiple pleas from the Minority Leader and other ranking Senators—an act of open defiance and disorderly conduct.

“Speaking without being recognized by the presiding officer, in clear violation of parliamentary practices and procedures on 25th February 2025.

“Engaging in unruly and disruptive behavior, obstructing the orderly conduct of Senate proceedings. Making abusive and disrespectful remarks against the leadership of the Senate.

“Defying and refusing to comply with the summons of the Senate Committee on Ethics and Privileges mandated to investigate cases of misconduct,” the statement highlighted violations of the Senate Standing Order 2023 (As Amended) by Akpoti-Uduaghan.

The statement, therefore, noted that these actions represented a direct challenge to the Authority of the Senate and a violation of the Senate Standing Orders 2023 (As Amended) that govern the business of the Senate and the conduct of all its members without any exception.

The statement noted that the disciplinary measure was imperative, necessary and justified to restore order and uphold the integrity of the Senate as the country’s foremost democratic institution.

“Contrary to the false claims being circulated, Akpoti-Uduaghan was not suspended for making any sexual harassment or for submitting a petition. Her petition was rightfully discountenanced because it failed to meet the clear and established procedural requirements for submitting petitions to the Senate.

” The rules of the Senate apply to all members without exception, and no petition—regardless of its subject—can be considered if it does not follow due process. To suggest that her suspension was linked to her petition is not only a distortion of facts but an intentional and malicious attempt to mislead the public,” the statement noted.

While thanking some media organisations for their reporting, the statement urged the media not to distort facts to suit a false narrative expressing dissatisfaction with an attempt to politicise a disciplinary action that was strictly based on clear violations of Senate Standing Orders 2023 (As Amended).

The statement said: ” This coordinated misinformation campaign is nothing more than an attempt to politicise a disciplinary action that was strictly based on clear violations of Senate Standing Orders 2023 (As Amended).

“It is reckless, misleading, and a disservice to the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, who deserve truthful and factual reporting. We, therefore, urge all foreign correspondents and responsible media houses to correct these misrepresentations and avoid propagating falsehoods that undermine the integrity of Nigeria’s legislative process.”

 

 

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Bill To End HND, BSc Dichotomy Scales Second Reading In The House

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Federal House of Representatives
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A bill to abolish the dichotomy and discrimination between Bachelor’s Degree holders and Higher National Diploma (HND) holders has scaled second reading in the House of Representatives.

According to the Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, the bill sought to replace HND with Bachelor of Tech so that graduates of polytechnic would be able to compete favourably with other university graduates.

The bill, which was sponsored by a member, Fuad Laguda from Lagos State, also emphasised the importance of technical education.

Speaker Abbas said the position taken by all boards of polytechnics in Nigeria is “the abolition of HND and in place of it to have Bachelor of Technology so that at least graduates of polytechnics will be able to compete with those from universities”.

“At the same time, they are calling for hybrid supervision where the degree component of the polytechnic education will be handled by the NUC (National Universities Commission) while the national diploma will continue to be handled by the NBTE (National Board for Technical Education).

“Because of the degree component of this amendment, they felt that the qualification for being rector should also be upgraded to a Ph.D holder at the minimum since you will now be talking about degree programmes, it is only proper for such kind of establishment to have a Ph.D holder as the head of the institution,” he said.

Abbas subjected the bill to a voice vote and the lawmakers approved it to scale second reading.

 

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Tax Reform Bills: Senate To Consider Viable Opinions Of Stakeholders

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The chairman, Senate committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, says the Senate will consider viable opinions of all stakeholders in the passage of current Tax Reform Bills .

Senator Musa who stated this during an interview with newsmen in Abuja emphasized the need for Nigerians to be patient for a tax regime that would be beneficial to all and sundry.

He explained that the red chamber would evolve a legislation that is workable in line with international best practices.

Senator Musa told newsmen that president TINUBU needs one trillion dollar economy adding that the proposed Tax regime would outlive every individual including the lawmakers.

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