The House of Representatives on Thursday passed the 2020 to 2022 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy (MTEF) Paper.

This followed the presentation of the report of the committees on Finance and Appropriations on MTEF by Rep. James Faleke, Chairman House Committee on Finance during the plenary session.

The house recommended the adoption of 2.18 million barrels per day (mbpd) as daily production output in 2020.

It noted that the production would be realisable due to concerted efforts by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and security agencies to combat the menace of oil theft and vandalism.

The lower chamber also recommends the adoption of $57/barrel as crude oil benchmark price for the fiscal year 2020.

The reps further recommended that the revenue target of Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) of N942.6 billion for 2020 should be increased to N1.5 trillion.

It said the increase was as a result of the performance of NSC in last nine months with three months still outstanding.

“The NCS revenue as at September stood at N1 trillion against the budget figure of N969.8 billion for the year 2019.

“The Joint Committee commends the NCS for exceeding the targeted revenue despite the global economic challenges and closure of the Nigerian borders.”

The green chambers also suggested that the sum of N557.4 billion from the revenue increment of NCS be used to reduce borrowing by N200 billion and increase capital expenditure.

The increment, it stressed, would decrease the size of the budget deficit from N1.7 trillion to N1.5 trillion and also increase the total capital available to ministries, departments and agencies by N357 billion, from N1.01 trillion to N1.367 trillion.

“The adoption of N1.5 trillion as the amount for New Borrowing as a result of reduction of N200 billion which was sourced from the increase of revenue target of the NCS.

“However borrowing must be project-tied.

“In borrowing more government must remain focused and ensure that it is used to fund critical projects that will increase productivity and contribute to finance financing such debt.”

The house also recommends that the exchange rate of N305 per dollar should be maintained for economic stability while more work should be done by the finance minister and economic stakeholders to improve economic growth.

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It noted that economic growth would be achieved through increasing the GDP and reducing the inflation rate to single digit.

Furthermore, the reps recommended that proper investigation be carried out on the e-collection stamp duties domicile with Central Bank of Nigeria for the past years.

“So as to show probity and accountability and of course increase the revenue base of the country,” the house stated.

Additionally, the house called for the immediate amendment of Act of the National Assembly on Production Sharing Contracts with International Oil Companies and for proper investigation on NNPC so as to ascertain the actual cost associated with the Joint Venture agreements.

The lower chambers further recommended that more Government Owned Enterprises budget be added to the nation’s budget to ensure proper checks and balances among all Federal Government Agencies.

The reps called on the Debt Management Office to put more efforts and strategies in managing the foreign and local debts.

The house also suggested that the total estimated expenditure of the Federal Government should be increased from N10.002 trillion to N10, 729.4 trillion.

It also recommended that the National Assembly expedite action on the passage of the finance bill.

The reps said that the bill would be brought along with the National Budget into Law for easy implementation of the 2020 budget, especially in the area of VAT.

The house called for an urgent amendment to the Fiscal Responsibility Act and the various Laws of the revenue generating agencies to align with current realities.

It also recommended that earmarking one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund to finance the Basic Healthcare Provision Fund to be classified as Statutory Transfer.

(NAN)

President of the Senate, Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, has urged security agencies to arrest and prosecute foreigners and Nigerians illegally mining of the nation’s mineral resources.

Lawan said this while contributing to a motion titled: “The need to check illegal mining activities in the country” sponsored by the Senator representing Zamfara North, Yau Sahabi and 32 others.

He said: “This Senate will look into the solid minerals sector seriously, and we will charge our Committee on Solid Minerals, Steel Development and Metallurgy to call for a public hearing on what the sector should be in this country.

“We know we have policies on solid minerals as well as legislation.

“The Federal Government gave N30 billion to the ministry just to revamp the sector in the last four years but I think as a parliament, we should be able to contribute very meaningfully to ensuring that this sector, which is so important to us, is given attention, given the kind of situation the oil industry is going through.”

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He described illegal mining as unacceptable while calling for revamp and protection of the sector.

Lawan said: “We have to work to ensure that this particular sector is properly revamped and protected.

“The situation of illegal mining is unacceptable. We can’t tolerate it and allow that to happen.

“If there are any foreigners coming in their helicopters and on their feet to come and mine our resources without the necessary documentation, I think it is for us to ensure that our security agencies arrest them and prosecute them.

“I believe that this Assembly, particularly this Senate, must be at the vanguard of reviewing the situation in the mining sector and what we need to do if there are gaps in terms of legislation,” Lawan said.

The Founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Chief Afe Babalola has said Ekiti has been grossly neglected by the federal government in the area of infrastructure critical to socio-economic development.

Babalola said the decrepit state of infrastructure has impacted negatively on the the socio-economic landscape of the state, saying the nagging problem have made the state to be allergic to investment.

The legal icon said the event leading to the collapse of the bridge linking Ado Ekiti capital city with his university and Federal Polytechnic was a testimony that the state has been grossly overwhelmed with infrastructure deficits.

Babalola, who described Ekiti as the most neglected state in the country, expressed serious concerns over the collapse of the bridge after a torrential downpour in which claimed one live.

The bridge on Ureje bridge along Ado-ABUAD-Ikare road was on Monday flooded by water and collapsed.

A man who wanted to navigate the water got drowned and died in the process.

Several commuters coming in and out of Ado Ekiti capital city were stranded for several hours between 7pm on Monday till 12 noon on Tuesday after the bridge had collapsed.

Speaking with journalists in Ado-Ekiti on Wednesday, Babalola attributed the collapse to the negligence of the government, saying his several efforts to made the federal and state governments to rebuild the bridge on Ureje river were to no avail.

He said: “for the past nine years, I have been maintaining that road but this year after series of letters , Federal Road Maintenance Agency(FERMA) wrote to me informing that they have awarded the road to a contractor and I have been following the contractor day and night.

“What I know which is true is that the contractor had done more damage to the road than helping us.I wrote about the bridge to all those concerned ; federal ministry of works and copy the President. I also wrote letters to Governor Kayode Fayemi because I knew that road was neglected by the contractor and the federal government.

” Indeed, Ekiti state is the most neglected state in this country. Look at the road between Ilesha and Ado-Ekiti, it was made over 20 years ago. This road from Ado-Ekiti to Ijan to Ode to Ikare to Lokoja was build before i was born over 100 years ago.

“That bridge which you saw was also build over 100 years ago , that narrow bridge. When I was in school, we used to trek from that place to Ogbese river in order to cut what we called prank cane to make chairs and wooden ceilings along that route.

“Nothing has been done to improve the bridge. I have been writing , phoning , sending text messages about that bridge will collapse anytime. I warn all of them , including the governor that it will collapse that something should be done
.
“When it happened two days ago, I sent text messages to Fayemi that what I told you should not happen has happened. I also got in touch with Minister of Works, who eventually phoned me that they were going to do something about the bridge.

” I sent messages to monarchs and others. In the afternoon , I got a text from Fayemi that some people will come the following day to work on it. Fashola told me they are moving there immediately.I went to the bridge and i saw them working there.

“My team of engineer has been there early in the morning. No heavy truck or vehicle should pass that place otherwise it will go down.

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“What we need is a new bridge and a dual carriage road from Ado-Ekiti to the university , which is only 15km. I don’t know why the road has not been repaired.I hope now with what has happened, things will change. I went through Afao to Igbemo to Iluomoba to the university. It takes me about One and half hours to get to the university on Tuesday instead of 15 minutes.

“Like I said, Ekiti is the most neglected state in this part of the world. Secondly , I protested in my usual way. Former President Obansanjo did little work on the road and you can see it has not been completed.

“Again, I was lawyer to federal government , Obasanjo again work on it from Itawure to Ado-Ekiti, a dual carriage, since he left it is all forest”.

Corroborating the level of neglected in Ekiti, Babalola said the road from Ado-Ekiti to Akure, Ondo State capital, is one of the worst roads in the country.

“What I will continue to do now is to continue to pile pressure to those responsible and in authority for us to have good infrastructures, because without good infrastructures , nobody can come to the university. You know we are suffering here”.

He, however, called on the Federal Government to expite action on the rehabilitation of the deplorable federal roads which will invariably improve the socio-economic fortune of the state.

The Nigeria Union of Teachers(NUT) has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to sign into law the bill seeking to increase the retirement age of teachers/education officers from 60 to 65.
NUT’s National President, Muhammed Idris, stated this during a briefing in Abuja to mark the International World Teachers Day.

He said that the union would not rest on its demand to see that the bill is assented to by the president.

According to him: “I wish to also acknowledge the collaborative efforts of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Nigeria Union of Teachers and other stakeholders to see that our age-long demand for review of the retirement age of teachers/education officers from 60 to 65 is addressed.
“We urge all of us not to rest on our oars until the bill is signed into law.”

He commended Buhari for sustaining the sponsorship of the President’s Teachers and Schools Excellence Award to honour and reward outstanding teachers in the country.

Minister of Education, Malam Adamu Adamu, said the ministry has put in place mechanisms to strengthen the implementation of teacher education in the country.

The minister listed the mechanisms to include: reviewing the quality assurance/monitoring instruments in line with global best practice, engagement of independent quality assurance teams and stakeholders in monitoring of all academic activities.

Others are: conducting nationwide capacity building workshops for 100, 000 teachers at basic and post basic levels through the support of the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

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Adamu, who was represented by the Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, added that teacher development and motivation were central to efforts the ministry is making to reposition the education sector to meet national aspirations.

“The ministry is systematically and fully committed to constant upgrading of the teaching standards and contents to boost teacher quality in Nigeria.

“We are leaving no stone unturned in our quest to ensure that teachers are professionally qualified, empowered and adequately remunerated, motivated and supported for efficiency and effectiveness,” the minister said.