The Nation Newspaper

Tag: budgetary allocation

  • NUPENG rejects N11.5b cut in budgetary allocation

    The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers (NUPENG) has condemned the N11.5 billion cut by the National Assembly from the proposed allocations in the 2018 budget.

    According to NUPENG President Prince Williams Akporeha, cutting from allocations for crucial and very critical infrastructural projects is unhealthy for economic development, especially as efforts are being made to consolidate on growth after the recession.

    He said the projets have huge socio-economic impacts on national and regional roads like the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, second Niger Bridge, ancillary roads, East-West Road, and Bonny-Bodo Road, among others.

    “To say the least, it is unreasonable and insensitive to the yearnings of the people our parliamentarians claim to represent. More painfully, these ill-informed decisions have the potential of impacting negatively on the nation’s economic recovery plans,” he said.

    Akporeha said Nigerians were still in shock that these critical trunk roads, which play significant roles, particularly in the value chain of the oil and gas downstream sector and other critical economic activities in the country, would be expunged from the budget at a time the union was craving for state of emergency on Nigerian roads.

     

     

    He said, “NUPENG strongly believes that the constitutional direction of a national budget must be patriotically designed to consolidate achievements of previous budgets so as to deliver on Nigeria’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) which is the same line of logical, reasonable and responsible thought process that we expect from our federal lawmakers.”

    He said the union cannot afford to fold its hands while its hardworking and patriotic members’ lives are being carelessly wasted on the highways as well as facing unimaginable hazards on the roads.

     

  • Senator calls for more budgetary allocation

    Senator Olamilekan Adeola (Lagos West) has called on  the Federal Government to increase budgetary allocation to Lagos West Senatorial District in view of its unequal population, as well as the numerous Federal Government establishments.

    Adeola made the plea yesterday during his town hall meeting where he distributed empowerment materials to some beneficiaries in his constituency.

    According to him, his Senatorial Districts is the largest in the country, with a population of about 12 million people, and notable federal institutions.

    “Lagos West also accommodates strategic Federal Government institutions and key corporate concerns. From the Muritala Mohammed International Airport, to large military formations, research institutions and huge industrial establishments,”Adeola added.

    He lamented that this huge burden is heaved on the Lagos State government, in addition to the challenges it has to bear in attending to the huge development and massive urbanisation going on in the state.

    The Senator thanked party leaders and well wishers, noting that the empowerment materials was his little contribution towards their economic enhancement and self-reliance.

    He challenged them to use the materials well and so encourage him to give more to others who did not partake in the current ones.

    Some of the empowerment materials distributed include freezers,  generators, vulcanising machines, hair dryer machines and grading machines.

    Deputy Governor Dr. Idiat Adebule ,who was represented by Lanre Ogunyemi, warned the beneficiaries against selling the equipment but make a success  of it.

     

  • FG urged to increase funding of police force

    FG urged to increase funding of police force

    The Federal Government has been advised to increase the budgetary allocation of the Nigeria Police Force in order to enhance the effectiveness of its officers and men.

    This is contained in a communique issued at the end of a human rights training the trainers’ workshop held in Kaduna on Saturday.

    The communiqué was signed by Dr Uju Agomoh and ACP Ambrose Onah on behalf of the organisers and participants of the workshop.

    It said authorities concerned should improve the funding of the Nigeria Police Force, particularly the provision of adequate and effective working materials and other logistics.

    It also called for the training and retraining of officers and men of the force and all other agencies involved in the administration of justice and maintenance of law.

    It urged authorities and other relevant agencies to protect the rights of officers and men with improved conditions of service, pension and insurance.

    It also called on police officers to conduct themselves, whether on or off duty in line with the Nigerian Constitution, the UN Code of Conduct for Law Enforcement Officials and all applicable laws.

    According to the law, Police Officers shall not compromise their integrity nor that of the Force by accepting, giving or soliciting any gratuity, which could be interpreted as capable of influencing their official acts or judgments.

    “That the Police Force should encourage and promote child friendly policing practices while enhancing the protective role of police officers and improving access to justice for children.

    “Police officers shall mainstream gender into their duties particularly in protecting the rights of women and other vulnerable groups,” it stated.

    The meeting, according to the communique, also reiterated the need for officers to treat all members of the public courteously and with respect.

    The capacity building training was aimed at enlightening men and officers of the Nigeria Police Force on the need to promote and protect human rights in the discharge of their duties.

    It was coordinated by Prisoners Rehabilitation and Welfare Action and supported by the German Corporation for International Cooperation.

    The workshop was also supported by the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs of the Swiss Government, and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

    Participants at the workshop include instructors from all the nine Police Training Institutions in Northern Nigeria and officers from the Department of Training and Development of the Police Headquarters.

    Members of the Civil Society Organisations and representatives of the media were also in attendance.

  • Group urges lawmakers to reduce budgetary allocation to N50b

    Group urges lawmakers to reduce budgetary allocation to N50b

    The National Assembly has been urged to reduce its annual budgetary allocation of N150 billion to N50 billion so as to reduce the cost of governance.

    A group, the Centre for Social Juatice, in a recommendation following its analysis of the 2014-2016 Medium Term Expenditure Framework of the federal government, said “the national assembly should reduce it’s allocation of N150billion to N50billion and champion the reduction of the remuneration of all political office holders through the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission.

    The body, a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) led by Eze Onyekpere, said “to stem the continued devaluation of the naira against major international currencies, reduce inflation and excess liquidity, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should avoid the perpetual creation of new money by directly allocating foreign exchange earned from crude oil sales to the three tiers of government as recommended by vision 20:2020.”

    The report noted that “the reduction of oil production projections by the medium term expenditure framework due to oil theft, appears clumsy and is unacceptable to Nigerians who sweat to maintain the security agencies.”

    The NGO then advised the federal government to be “alive to it’s responsibilities to protect lives and property, rather than allowing oil thieves to have a field day.”

    In addition, the CBN was urged to “consider establishing a special fund to increase local refining capacity and the establishment of petrochemical complexes through the private sector as a means of diversifying economic activities and limiting the resources spent on fuel subsidies.”