The upper legislative chamber experienced a rowdy session on Tuesday after three senators engaged in a heated debate.

Danjuma Goje, senator representing Gombe central, and Sahabi Yau, senator representing Zamfara north, expressed displeasure over the seats assigned to them, and complained to Opeyemi Bamidele, majority leader.

The senate is using its refurbished chamber, two years after renovation began on it.

According to the standing rules of the upper legislative chamber, senators should sit in order of rank.

The senate’s Easter and Sallah recess was postponed to accommodate the completion of the renovation of both chambers of the national assembly.

However, while Senate President Godswill Akpabio read his welcome address, the heated argument among the three senators began.

It was learnt that Goje and Yau, sitting on the second row on the right side of the aisle, did not like the seats allocated to them by the senate committee on services.

Sunday Karimi, senator representing Kogi west, is chair of the senate services committee.

The four-term senators subsequently insisted that they should have been assigned seats on the front row on the extreme right — opposite the row of the majority leader and the deputy senate president.

After the argument, Kawu Sumaila, senator representing Kano south, called for a “point of order” which was ignored.

Thereafter, Bamidele moved a motion for a closed-session, which the senate is currently in.

Commuters in many parts of Lagos were on Monday left stranded at different bus stops, amid the lingering petrol scarcity.

Fares were hiked by 50 percent as motorists filled up dispensing stations for the scarce commodity.

Some filling stations were shuttered, while others still selling petrol were encircled by long queues.

Some motorists said they bought petrol at N700 and N800 per litre at filling stations. Roadside dealers now sell the product for N1000 and N1200 per litre.

The petrol scarcity triggered a 50 percent increase in fares across Lagos.

From Abule Egba roundabout to Agege, commuters were asked to pay N300, which previously cost N150 or N200. From Agege to Alausa in Ikeja is now N400, which cost N300 last week.

From Berger to Ikeja, commuters pay as high as N1000 in fares.

In most of the bus stops visited by newsmen on Monday morning, survival of the fittest was the prevailing philosophy as hordes of commuters were seen running after a few commercial buses.

Ola Olukoyede, chair of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), has appointed Michael Nzekwe as his chief of staff.

As part of a restructuring drive, Olukoyede upgraded all the zonal commands of the EFCC to departments and appointed 14 new directors.

A statement by Dele Oyewale, EFCC spokesperson, said the security unit of the agency has been upgraded to a department with a chief security officer at the helm.

“To this effect, 14 new directors have been appointed to head each of the zonal commands,” Oyewale said.

“Additionally, to bolster and fortify the security architecture of the commission, the security unit of the EFCC has been upgraded to a department with a seasoned officer appointed as director, security and chief security officer.

“A new department has also been created in the executive chairman’s office and it is headed by former Makurdi zonal commander of the EFCC, Mr. Friday Ebelo who also doubles as director and coordinator, special duties at the corporate headquarters of the commission.”

Nzekwe was the commander of the Ilorin zonal command and a course one officer.

Nzekwe, a lawyer and an investigator, has served in various departments in the anti-graft agency — including legal and prosecution, operations (now department of investigations), internal affairs (now department of ethics and integrity), Servicom, and asset forfeiture.

The new chief of staff has attended trainings and courses at home and abroad, including the Advance Defence Intelligence Officers Course organised by Defence Intel Agency (DIA).