The Nation Newspaper

Tag: directs

  • CBN directs BDCs to publish forex purchases, sales

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) yesterday directed all licensed bureaux de change (BDCs) to publish all foreign exchange purchases through the apex bank and autonomous sources in their financial statements.

    CBN Director, Other Financial institutions Supervision department, Mrs. Tokunbo Martins, said the operators are also to submit total forex sold and commissions earned within the year. She noted that appropriate sanctions will apply to operators that fail to comply with the directive.

    According the apex bank, Section 13 of the Revised Operational Guidelines for the BDCs in Nigeria issued in November 2015 provides that every licensed BDC shall submit its audited financial statements to Director, Other Financial Institutions Supervision Department of the CBN for approval, not later than three months after the end of its accounting year.

    It also provides no BDC shall publish its audited accounts in a newspaper without the prior approval in writing of the CBN.

    The CBN said it has however, observed that many BDCs have not been submitting their annual audited accounts contrary to the above regulatory requirement.

    “We also observed that in some instances, the accounts were incomplete and inaccurate and that some of the accounts were not endorsed or stamped by the external auditors, thus casting doubts on their integrity and reliability.

    The audited financial statements to be submitted to the CBN shall be prepared in accordance with applicable accounting standards and shall comprise of directors’s statement, auditors’ report, statement of profit or loss and other comprehensive income, statement of financial position, statement of changes in equity and statement of cash flows,” it said.

    Consequently, all BDCs are hereby reminded to strictly comply with the above requirement by submitting complete and accurate annual audited accounts duly stamped by and bearing the professional seal of qualified audit firm and signed by directors as required.

  • Offa robbery: IGP directs service of summons on Saraki

    INSPECTOR-GENERAL of Police (IGP) Ibrahim Idris has directed the court summons and other processes issued by a court in Abuja in relation to a criminal complaint brought against Senate President Bukola Saraki be served on him.

    He detailed a unit in the Police Legal Department at the Force headquarters in Abuja to ensure the prompt delivery of the court processes on Saraki before October 3, the next date of hearing.

    A lawyer, E. S. Marcus, disclosed this development yesterday at the resumed proceedings in a criminal complaint made against Dr. Saraki by an Abuja lawyer and rights activist, Oluwatosin Ojaomo, in relation to the ongoing investigation by the police into the April 5, 2018 bank robbery incident in Offa, Kwara State.

    In the complaint marked: “CR/196/2018, filed under Section 89(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015”, Ojaomo argued that Saraki’s alleged refusal to honour an invitation allegedly sent to him by the police, in relation to the Offa robbery investigation, amounted to the offences of “obstructing a criminal investigation and disobeying a public officer carrying out a lawful responsibility.”

    The judge handling the case at the Grade 1 Area Court, Aco Estate, Lugbe, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, Justice Abdullahi Garuba Ogbede had on September 10 this year, ordered the issuance of the summons on the IGP following Saraki’s absence in court when the case, in which he (Saraki) is listed as the sole defendant, was called.

    The judge had summoned the IGP to appear before his court on September 17 to show cause why Saraki was absent in court and what efforts he had made to ensure his appearance.

    Marcus, who is Ojaomo’s lawyer, told the court yesterday that although the IGP and Saraki were absent in court, he was informed by a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) in the Legal Unit of the Nigeria Police Force, identified as Mahmoud that the IGP has directed a unit to ensure the delivery of all processes in relation to the case on Saraki.

    He said: “The defendant is not in court. At the last date, the court issued a witness summons on the IGP to come and show cause why the police failed to effect service of the criminal summons, warrant of arrest and other processes on the defendant.

    “The witness summons was served on the Nigeria Police Force by the court’s registry.

    “However, we received a call from DSP Mahmoud of the Legal Department of the Nigeria Police Force headquarters, that the matter has been assigned by the IGP to a particular unit of the NPF to effect the service of the summons on the defendant and arrest him.”

    Marcus urged the court to grant a short adjournment to enable the police effect service of the processes on the defendant.

    Justice Ogbede acceded to Marcus’ request and adjourned the case to October 3.

    The criminal complaint by Ojaomo reads: “Criminal complaint brought pursuant to Section 89(5) of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015. Please, cause a summons for a direct criminal complaint on the defendant on the following terms:

    “That you, Dr. Bukola Saraki, on or about the 24th day of July 2018 within the jurisdiction of this honourable court, did refuse to honour the invitation of the Inspector General of the Nigeria Police Force to report at the police headquarters in FCT, Abuja to answer to  an allegation involving the investigation of  some criminal suspects involved in a case which the Nigeria Police Force is currently investigating, thereby obstructing a criminal investigation and disobeying a public officer carrying out a lawful  responsibility.

    “You thereby committed an offence punishable under Section 136 and 149 of the Penal Code Law. Whereas, the complainant is praying the court to charge the defendant accordingly.”

    Ordinarily, the service of the processes on Saraki ought to be effected by the complainant, but Marcus explained that when his client could not serve the defendant as ordered by the court, he applied, under Section 122 of the ACJA, to the IGP to help effect service on the defendant.

    He said the IGP was required, under the law, to either produce the defendant in court or attend court to explain why the defendant was absent, a position that informed the court’s September 10 order on the IGP.

  • 2017 budget: Saraki directs committees to submit reports

    2017 budget: Saraki directs committees to submit reports

    Senate President Bukola Saraki yesterday told Senate standing committees to submit their reports on the 2017 budget proposal to the appropriations committee.

    Saraki, who spoke during plenary, noted that compliance by committees yet to turn in their reports will hasten legislative work on the budget proposal.

    The directive came as Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Idris Ahmed, issued a circular extending the tenure of the Capital elements of the 2016 Budget till May 5, 2017 or the passage of the 2017 budget, whichever is the earliest.

    In a statement quoting the Minister of Finance Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, it was announced that Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should take note of the content of the circular.

    The directive by the Senate president was part of the decision of the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives that met in Saraki’s house on Wednesday.

    A source said part of the resolution of the joint leadership meeting was to ensure that the 2017 budget was passed earlier than that of 2016.

    He said committees were to submit their reports to the appropriation committee latest yesterday, failing which the appropriation committee would be free to adopt what the executive submitted.

    The 2016 budget was passed end of March, 2016. It was, however, rejected by President Muhammadu Buhari and returned to the National Assembly.

    The second passage of the same budget proposal was passed April ending 2016 and assented to by President Buhari on May 6, 2016.

    Saraki insisted that should any committee fail to comply to submit its report before the end of work yesterday, the appropriations committee would go ahead to consider and adopt the original proposal made by the executive.

    Saraki said: “All committees yet to complete work on the 2017 budget proposal are hereby requested to submit their reports unfailingly today to the appropriations committee.

    “The committees, numbering over 20 or thereabout should endeavour to submit their reports, or the appropriations committee will be left with no option but to consider original estimates sent in by the executive.”

  • Govt directs ministries, others on data capturing

    The Federal Government has directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to abide by the guidelines on the alignment of data capture, identification verification and authentication.

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Anyim gave the directive at a workshop by the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) for MDAs in Abuja.

    Anyim warned MDAs affected by the harmonisation to guide against sabotage.

    He said: “This workshop is not for you to analyse why the policy cannot work or why more time is needed. It is not for you to justify the need for your MDAs to have its own separate process or database.

    “Far from all these, the workshop is for you to quickly determine how your MDA can achieve the objective of streamlining activities of MDAs in identity management.

    “It is for you to optimise the use of scarce government resources and establish a single secure, reliable, accessible and scalable NIMS.’’

    Represented by the Special Assistant to the President in the Office of the SGF, Mr. Ferdinand Agu, Anyim said the integration of diverse data capture process and ubiquitous database in the MDAs was overdue.

    He advised the concerned MDAs to abide by the circular issued on the guidelines on the implementation of the presidential directive.

    “When President Goodluck Jonathan on October 17, 2013 gave the directive for all eligible Nigerians to be enrolled by December 31, he meant it. I enjoin you all to do all you can to ensure compliance.

    “In doing so we must also ensure the complete elimination of duplicated processes and further wastage of resources.

    “The government investment should be consolidated in the most optimal manner by that deadline,’’ he said.

    He said the deployment and management of a system of identity data capturing had been a major national challenge. Ayim said until recently, the multiplication of identity databases by different MDAs was a welcome idea since they served the purposes of managing particular demography unique to the agencies.

    He however said that over time, these databases had become overlapping and burdensome to the government.

    Anyim said in a changing world, systems evolve daily and Nigeria as a global player had no choice but to use identity management as a reliable tool for accelerating socio-economic development.

    Earlier, NIMC’s Director-General, Mr Chris Onyemenam, said printing of the national identity cards had been concluded and waiting for lunch by Jonathan. He said the cards would be issued to Nigerians as soon as the formal lunch was conducted.

    Onyemenam said the harmonisation of the NIMS would reduce the cost of governance, enhance the security of Nigerians as well as enhance government service delivery.

     

  • Slain traders: Oyo Assembly directs govt to protest to Fed Govt

    Oyo State House of Assembly yesterday urged the state executive to send a protest letter to the Federal Government on last week’s killing of traders from the Bodija market in Ibadan.

    The House also demanded compensation for the bereaved families from the Federal Government.

    The motion was raised under matters of urgent public importance by Mr. Olusegun Olaleye (Ibadan North) and unanimously agreed by the House.

    Contributing, Mr. Ibrahim Bolomope (Egbeda), reminded the Assembly of a similar incident on May 5.

    He added that it was no longer safe for anyone to travel to the North due to insecurity.

    The lawmaker said the Federal Government’s grains reserve at Kolapo Ishola in Ibadan could be made functional and traders could go there and buy grains.

    Other lawmakers, including Yisau Azeez (Oorelope), Adeshina Adeyemo (Ibarapa) and Waliu Adekunle (Atiba) supported the idea. They expressed fears about insecurity.

    Adeyemo said: “The traders should organise themselves and liaise with the commissioner of police to give them escort when travelling. We use this medium to urge Southwest governors to invest in agriculture. Government should mechanise farming.”

    The Speaker, Mrs. Monsurat Sunmonu, who presided over the plenary, called for voice votes. The lawmakers voted in its support.

    The state government was, therefore, directed to write a protest letter to the Federal Government and demand compensation.

    A lawmaker in the House of Representatives representing Ibadan North Federal Constituency, Abiodun-Dada Awoleye, described the killing of Bodija traders as the effect of bad governance and lack of security.

    He sympathised with the bereaved families and the deceased’s colleagues.

    The legislator decried the killings and urged Nigerians to condemn it.