Category: South East

Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi yesterday presented the 2022 Appropriation Bill of N145,410,597.49 to the House of Assembly.

Tagged: “Budget of Latter Rain”, the governor said the major revenue to finance the budget is expected to come from the federal allocation, while other revenues are expected to come from other revenue heads.

The governor said the 2022 estimates represent an increase of 46.65 per cent over the revised budget of N99.157.171.65.

He said the increase is due to the carry-over of a large part of the expected receipts in the 2021 fiscal year to the next fiscal year.

Among such carry-overs, he noted, is the Federal Government of Nigeria’s bridging finance of N18.225billion, which he said, is given to each of the 36 states.

“We expect N4.315bilion from TETFund for our tertiary institutions, UBEB growth of over N1.2billion, SFTAS of N16.727billion and Domestic Loan of N7billion,” Umahi told the lawmakers.

Read Also: Abiodun presents N351b ‘Budget of Restoration’ 

The governor said the proposed capital expenditure of the budget is N89.763.717.205, representing 61.73 per cent, while recurrent expenditure is proposed to be N55.646.880.517.69 or 38 27 per cent of the total budget.

“This proportion of 61.73 per cent of capital to 38.27 per cent recurrent is structured, bearing in mind our determination to deepen our capital projects development, especially the completion of ongoing projects,” he said.

A breakdown shows that education, works and infrastructural development for concession ministries got the highest chunk of the budget.

The Education ministry is to gulp N24,397,399, 015.78, covering 16.78 per cent of the budget.

While the Ministry of Infrastructural Development for Concession is to get N17, 498,56,922.44, covering 12.03 per cent, the Ministry of Works and Transport is projected to get N24, 335, 057, 558.09, which is 16.74 per cent of the budget.

The Ministry of Agriculture is to get N3,425,238,354.88, which is 2.38 per cent of the 2022 budget sum.

Umahi noted that the government has profiled 200 youths and women from each local government area to access the N3billion #Endsars empowerment programme from January, 2022.

“In 2022, we are going to pursue the stoppage of leakages and illegal revenue collections. We shall promote ease of doing business and automate our revenue collection processes to prevent multiple taxes,” he said.

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki yesterday presented N214.2 billion 2022 budget of renewal, hope and growth to 10 of the 24 members of the House of Assembly, led by Marcus Onobun, at the renovated assembly building on Ring Road, Benin.

The budget shows an increase of 32.9 per cent over the 2021 approved budget of N161 billion.

Obaseki said the 2022 budget proposal consisted of N95.9 billion as recurrent expenditure, while N118 billion would be for capital expenditure.

He said: “The increase in capital expenditure over the previous year’s approved budget underscores my administration’s commitment to enhance and stimulate the ease of doing business.

Read Also; Gov. Zulum presents N267bn 2022 budget for Borno

“Recurrent estimates of the budget are based on $57 per barrel benchmark for crude oil and an average daily production of 1.88 million barrels per day, as well as increase our Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) to N50.2 billion.

“The proposed capital and recurrent expenditures’ ratio is put at 55 per cent to 45 per cent.

“The total projected IGR for 2022 is N186 billion, comprising N65 billion statutory allocation.”

The governor also proposed N24.6 billion for education, N14.1 billion for health, government buildings would take N21 billion, while N30 billion would be for road/bridges, N8 billion for environment, and youth/social development would gulp N5 billion, among others.

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt and Nsa Gill, Calabar

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has distributed e-learning devices to secondary school pupils, undergraduates and other youths in the Niger Delta, to facilitate their access to knowledge.

The Interim Administrator, NDDC, Effiong Akwa, who distributed the devices, appealed to the youth to shun drugs, cultism and social vices.

The commission, at a programme it organised in Calabar, Cross River State, to mark the International Youth Day 2021, identified drugs, cultism and social vices as the tripod of evil threatening to wipe out youths.

Akwa, represented by his Special Adviser on Youths and Sports, Udengs Eradiri, said the commission was making efforts to create conducive environment for the youth to actualise their potential.

Read Also; Youths urge Buhari not to rush NDDC report

He said the suspended NDDC scholarship scheme was being reviewed to achieve more positive impact, explaining that the commission would no longer waste its scarce resources to send students abroad to study courses available in the country.

Akwa said the NDDC would rather spend the resources to upgrade schools in the country, especially in the Niger Delta, to absorb its scholarship students.

He said as part of the review, only students interested in special courses not offered in Nigerian schools would be sent abroad for studies.

Akwa said: “We are reviewing the scholarship scheme. We are trying to reach out to schools in the Niger Delta. We want to go into partnership with these schools, upgrade their facilities to international standard.

“These schools will affiliate with NDDC and will run their programmes seamlessly. Only students for special courses not available in Nigerian schools will be sent abroad for studies.”

Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike yesterday appeared at the State High Court in Port Harcourt, to testify as a witness in a N7billion libel suit against THISDAY Newspaper.

He explained that he was in court to seek justice and clear his name as a person from the alleged malicious publication by THISDAY.

He alleged that the report portrayed him as a deceitful and an untrustworthy person, who exerted subterranean influences on judicial matters and over court sittings in Port Harcourt.

The governor had in August 2020 demanded N7billion damages in a libel suit against a report published by THISDAY  on Tuesday, June 23, 2020 headlined:  “With Wike, Obaseki Meets His PDP’S Waterloo; Almost.”

The defendants in the suit are THISDAY Newspapers Limited, Leaders and Company Limited, Davidson Iriekpan, Chuks Okocha and Adibe Emenyonu.

Wike, in a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, while testifying as witness in the court presided over by Justice A. Enebeli, asserted that the defendants maliciously and falsely portrayed him as an unreliable friend/person.

Read Also: Wike creates two offices 

“When you say somebody cannot be trusted; that cannot be a fair comment. When you say somebody is influencing the judiciary, that cannot be a fair comment,” he said.

In his written statement on oath, Wike said the defendants accused him of influencing the decision of the court sitting in Port Harcourt that granted an injunction restraining Godwin Obaseki from participating in the primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State in 2020.

He said that the defendants maliciously accused him of undemocratically exerting influence on the primaries process of PDP in Edo State to aid his ally, Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, who was the beneficiary of the court order, restraining Obaseki from participating in the PDP primaries.

The governor, who told the court that he was not even aware of the aforementioned suit by Ogbeide-Ihama against Obaseki, said the publication was reckless, false and without regards for the truth.

According to him, contrary to well- known journalistic tradition and practices, the defendants did not investigate properly to ensure the information they relied on was accurate.

“They did not seek to verify the facts from me or in any manner oblige me with the opportunity to state my own side of the story before proceeding to make the false publication,” he said.

Wike said that the defendants further denigrated him before the entire world as a fake democrat, who engaged in meddling in the internal affairs of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in order to get at his political foe, Chibuike Amaechi.

The governor explained that he was not a member of the APC and had no hand in the internal crisis, which bedevilled the party in Rivers State and all over Nigeria.

He said: “By the letter of Messrs. E. C. Ukala and Co., Solicitors, under the hand of Emmanuel C. Ukala, SAN, dated 23rd June 2020, the defendants were given opportunity to retract and recant the publication as well as to offer apology for the false publication, but the defendants spurned the opportunity and ignored the letter completely.”

The governor, while responding to claim by lawyer to the defendants, Turudu Ede, SAN, that the essence of the lawsuit was to intimidate and harass his clients, said the suit was to get justice and clear his name as a man of substantial character, honour and repute.

“The essence of the suit is to get justice since they (defendants) refused to retract the publication or apologise. So, I sued them to clear my name,” he said.

The court adjourned the matter for further hearing till 12th, 13th and 14th of January 2022.

• Over IPOB prayer for Kanu

• Panic grips residents

There was tension in some parts of Anambra State yesterday, following abrupt closure of schools, markets and shops over the purported order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) directing the shutting down of business activities, to enable the residents offer prayers for Nnamdi Kanu’s release.

In Onitsha and Nnewi, schools and markets were shut about 8am. People ran helter-skelter, including parents and guardians who rushed back to schools to bring home their children and wards.

A woman, who was seen rushing home with her children, said she took the decision because other parents withdrew their children from schools.

Read Also; Sit-at-home: Banks, schools, markets still shut in Nnewi, Onitsha

“I was taking my kids to school when I saw other parents trooping out with their children. When I asked them why, they said the school authority said they received information ordering closure of schools,” the woman added.

A statement circulating online quoted IPOB as declaring November 30 as a day of prayers, asking for businesses to be shutdown.

Reacting, IPOB spokesman Emma Powerful confirmed that the decision to pray on November 30 was by the leadership, noting that they did not order closure of markets, schools or any other institution.

He said: “Yes, this is the decision of IPOB leadership to seek the face of God Almighty to help release Nnamdi Kanu.

“We did not, however, ask markets, schools or any other institution to close.”