Nasarawa House of Assembly summons governor’s aide over insurbordination

By Abubakar Lawal

The Nasarawa State House of Assembly, has summoned Arc. Stanley Buba, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Gov. Abdullahi Sule on Development Control to appear on September 9, 2020 before it.

This, the Assembly said was to give the SSA fair hearing on the leadership crisis between him and the Managing Director of the State Urban Development Board(NUDB), Adamu Sule Mohammed.

Rt. Hon Ibrahim Balarabe-Abdullahi, issued the summon after Hon. Suleiman Adamu, Chairman, House Committee on NUDB raised the issue under the matter of public importance during the legislative proceedings in Lafia on Monday.

Balarabe Abdullahi said that the invitation extended to the SSA was to enable him explain to the House reasons he undermined the resolutions passed by the House Committee on NUDB over the leadership crisis facing the board.

“I want to commend Hon Suleiman Azara for bringing this matters of public importance and Honourable members for your positive contributions on this matter.

“We are all aware that NUDB is a creation of this House and by law, we cannot sit to allow any person or group of persons undermine the power of this House.

“We are summoning the SSA to appear before this House on Wednesday, September 9, 2020 by 10am.

“This is to enable him provide the House or give some clarifications and information on allegation raised by Hon members against him.

“It will also give him the opportunity to express himself on the leadership crisis, he may have some vital information to give us we may not know” the speaker said.

Abdullahi, directed the clerk to the House to communicate the House resolution to the SSA on or before the closing Hours of today.

Earlier, the Chairman, House Committee on NUDB, Hon Suleiman Yakubu Azara (APC-Awe-South) while raising the issue said that the SSA is undermining the power of the committee over the leadership crisis between him and the Managing Director (MD) of the Board.

Azara said thahe leadership crisis between the two senior officers of the board is affecting the development of the board and the state negatively, hence the need for the committee’s intervention.

“When we invited the affected officials, they both explained their sides of their powers and we have taken a position based on the law that established the NUDB.

“Unfortunately, the SSA proved to the committee that he is more powerful than the committee.

” It is in view of this that I am raising this matter on the need for the House to intervene in order to avert future re occurrence, “he said .

Hon Daniel Ogazi (APC- Kokona East) , the Deputy Majority Leader of the House seconded the motion on the need for the House to invite the SSA on why he is undermining the power of the committee.

” The responsibilities of the SSA is purely advisory. The MD is the head of the board. The SSA should appear before the House to explain why he is taking the responsibilities of the MD and the board.

Also speaking Hon David Maiyaki (PDP- Karu/Gitata), Dr Peter Akwe (PDP- Obi 1, and Mohammed Omadefu (APC-Keana) all supported the motion on the need for the SSA to appear before the House to explain his action.

They said that the law establishing NUDB is clear, adding that the Managing Director is the Chief Accounting Officer of the Board while the SSA can only play an advisory role to the governor and management of the board.

It would be recalled that on Sept.1, the state House of Assembly Committee on NUDB headed by , Hon Suleiman Azara (APC-Awe-South) resolved the leadership crisis in the Urban Development Board (NUDB) between the board’s Managing Director (MD),Town Planner Adamu Sule Mohammed and Arc Stanley Buba, Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Gov. Abdullahi Sule on Development Control.

According to the committee, the law establishing NUDB in the state is clear, the MD is the head of the board.

“In the interest of peace, the SSA should take charge of the board’s activities in western zone especially, zonal office in Karu and all approval in the zonal offices should be granted by the MD, ” the resolution of the committee read in part.”