Katsina Lawmakers Stage Walkout At Govt House Over Cellphone Ban

Members of the Katsina state House of Assembly reportedly created a scene  at the Katsina state Government House on Wednesday.

The lawmakers , who were at the Government House to attend a meeting convened by Governor Dikko Umar Radda  staged a walkout  over the  order banning the use of personal cellphones there.

 Governor Radda had  invited  members of the  state Executive Council, state lawmakers, and the 34 local government chairmen to the Council Chamber and the main agenda was to discuss the recent Supreme Court ruling on Local Government autonomy and the signing of the 2024 supplementary budget.

The state house of assembly members had however  refused to  drop their phones with  the security personnel at the entrance to the venue of the meeting and this had led to the delay  in starting the meeting .

The  meeting which was scheduled to  start at 11 am  did not start until two hours later.

Team@orientactualmags.com  learned that journalists were also asked to   drop  their phones.

 ‘This is embarrassing. Even after much persuasion and pleadings, the security people still did not allow us access to the meeting venue with our phones’ one of the lawmakers had submitted.

After staging a walkout, the lawmakers got in touch with Speaker Nasir Daura and asked him to leave the venue of the meeting to show solidarity with them.

 ‘As you can see, in anger, we had to call the Speaker  to leave the venue and join us in the protest.

We told him, ‘You better come out of there and meet us at the complex immediately. Luckily, the Speaker too left the building’ one of the lawmakers also submitted.

Team@orientactualmags.com learned that the aggrieved lawmakers later returned to the council chamber  and Speaker Daura formally presented the 2024 supplementary budget to the governor for his assent.

While presenting the supplementary budget, the Speaker assured Radda that the Assembly would support the policies of the government for development and progress of the state.

‘We are here to present the 2024 supplementary budget for Katsina state as passed by the honourable House. The House of Assembly is ever ready to support your policies. Thank you’  Speaker Daura stated.

After signing the supplementary budget into law, Governor Radda  disclosed that he will be embarking on a 30-day vacation .

‘I want to thank the House for the passage of the supplementary budget. You are always supportive of this government and prompt in addressing the challenges affecting the state. We thank you very much.

The adjusted figure of the budget is an inflow sum of N27, 399,967, 890. And the total budget we have for the state including the supplementary budget is in the sum of N481, 78, 830,120 that has just been signed. I also want to seize this opportunity to inform you that I will be leaving for my vacation tomorrow, Thursday, 18 July, 2024, and hope to return back to Katsina on the 18th of August, 2024.

I  have transmitted power to the Deputy Governor to act as an acting governor for this period of 30 days. I have sent the letter to the State Assembly, which was approved as provided by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The acting governor, I wish you well for these 30 days while in office’ the governor added–Team@orientactualmags.com  Do you have any information you wish to share with us? Do you want us to cover your event or programme? Kindly send SMS to 08059100286, 09094171980 or get in touch via orientactualmag@gmail.com.  Thank you