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Tag: Fed Govt

  • Dambazzau: Fed Govt ‘ll partner states for better security

    Dambazzau: Fed Govt ‘ll partner states for better security

    Minister of Interior Lt-Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazzau (rtd) has pledged that the Federal Government will partner with states to make the nation more secured and safe for local and foreign investors.

    Dambazzau, who spoke in Abeokuta, Ogun State and Ikeja, Lagos State when he visited Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Governor Akinwunmi Ambode as well facilities and infrastructure under his ministry, said the task of securing the country should not be left with the Federal Government.

    Speaking at the Oke-Mosan Governor’s Office in the Ogun State capital, he identified the nation’s porous borders and light arms smuggling as responsible for the internal security challenges being contended with.

    The minister assured Nigerians that technology would be deployed to the borders to make them make more secure.

    Dambazzau said there would be no genuine development for any country if its environment was not secured, “hence the commitment of the Federal Government to make Nigeria safe and secured internally”.

    He noted that the level of involvement of his ministry through five service organisations – the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Nigeria Prisons Service (NPS), Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) and Federal Fire Service (FFS) – in internal security was “enormous”.

    According to him, the Federal Government, through the ministry, has deemed it necessary to foster a closer relationship with the states to move the country’s internal security forward.

    “Without security, there can be no development. We want to secure our environment so that Nigerians can sleep with both eyes closed and make the country comfortable for investors – local and foreign – to thrive,” Dambazzau said.

    Amosun hailed the minister for the visit and assured him of the state’s support to make the country safer.

    He noted that if not for insurgency by Boko Haram, Nigeria was relatively safe.

    He added that the internal security of the country must be taken seriously by people entrusted with the task.

    He said given the fact that Ogun is a gateway state and one with the highest number of land borders with the Republic of Benin, “it requires more security presence to police the borders”.

    The governor urged the ministry to relocate the about 100 years old Ibara Prison, Abeokuta, from the city centre.

    When the minister visited the Lagos House, Ikeja,  Ambode sought the support of the Federal Government to facilitate the relocation of the Ikoyi Prisons.

    He urged the minister to revisit the agreement on the relocation of the prison, assuring that the state was willing to provide land for the construction of a modern structure for the facility.

    He also urged the minister to revisit the partnership between the Federal Government and the state, especially in combating the frequent fires in the state and reducing the influx of illegal immigrants.

    On his part, Dambazzau hailed the government for the N4.7 billion security equipment purchased for the police last year, saying such gesture was unprecedented in the nation’s history and a sign of seriousness about the security of lives and property of residents.

    The minister, who is in Lagos on a three-day tour of facilities and infrastructure of security agencies, said the state is the vanguard of support for the ministry, adding that the state’s gesture was well noted and appreciated.

    During his tour of Falck Prime Atlantic Training Centre in Ipara, Remo, Ogun State yesterday, the minister said the deployment of technology to the borders has become imperative because Nigeria’s borders are porous and expansive.

    He said: “The porosity of our borders is a general problem because we have close to 5,000 kilometres of borders and most of it is on land. We are looking into the situation. Certainly, one thing I’m very sure is that we will apply technology to monitor the expansive borders.

    “The step will check unnecessary incursion into the country, particularly those who come in here with bad intention – smuggling small arms and light weapons, drugs and engage in human trafficking, and all the cross-border illegalities. These are priorities for the Ministry of Interior because most of the internal security problems we are having have to do with accessibility and availability of weapon, and of drugs. We will check this at source, and if we do this, about 50 per cent or more of internal security challenges will be solved.”

    Owing to the standard of Falck Prime facilities, the minister pledged not to send personnel in his ministry overseas for training.

    “I’m very impressed with the facilities we have here for training particularly in the area of fire fighting. As we have such facilities here, so we don’t need to send our personnel outside this country,” he said.

  • Fed Govt won’t accept job loss in oil, gas sector, says Ngige

    Fed Govt won’t accept job loss in oil, gas sector, says Ngige

    Minister of Labour and Employment Senator Chris Ngige has emphasised that the Federal Government will not accept any job loss in the oil and gas sector.

    He assured unions in the sector that the government would forestall any threat to industrial harmony.

    Ngige spoke at a meeting with members of the National Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUNPENG), Petroleum & National Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) and contractors in oil and gas in his office.

    He said if new jobs could not be created in the sector or other sectors, efforts must be made to keep the present jobs.

    He said: “We all know that the backbone of the Nigerian economy for now is still the oil and gas. As the Minister of Labour and Employment, I am committed to forestalling any issue that could bring industrial unrest in the sector or threaten job security in the country.

    “I wish to put on record that the Buhari administration has zero-tolerance for any form of job loss. If the oil and gas sector or any other sector for that matter cannot create new jobs, they must go the extra-mile to retain the existing ones. Any job loss has multiple adverse effects on the population.

    “I have before me petitions, which border on industrial and employment relations – retrenchment, casualisation, redundancy as well as unfair treatment of Nigerians in the employ of the oil majors.

    “I have, therefore, summoned this meeting for us to properly ventilate the issues and make a way for a speedy resolution, after which we shall hold stakeholders’ summit.”

    On the vexed issue of expatriate quota, the minister said the ministry was already discussing with the Ministry of Interior to check the abuse of the nation’s immigration/labour laws and promised that the displacement of qualified Nigerians by foreigners would soon become a thing of the past.

    Minister of State, Labour and Employment James Ocholi (SAN) harped on the readiness of the ministry to sustain industrial peace and harmony, stressing that the economic realities on the ground have made any job cut very unpalatable in view of its negative consequences on Nigerians.

    NUPENG President Comrade Igwe Achese said the drop in the international price of oil was not a tenable reason for the continued enslavement of Nigerian workers through contract staffing and casualisation.

    He argued that nowhere in the world are workers subjected to harsh and unfriendly labour environment as done by the oil majors in Nigeria.

    PENGASSAN National President Comrade Francis Johnson called for the urgent passage of the Petroleum Industrial Bill (PIB) as a roadmap to the maintenance of peace and harmony in the oil and gas sector.

  • Fashola: Fed Govt to complete 200 roads worth N2tr

    Fashola: Fed Govt to complete 200 roads worth N2tr

    OVER 200 roads worth N2 trillion awarded by the Goodluck Jonathan administration will be completed across the country this year, it was learnt.

    Minister of Power, Works and Housing Mr. Babatunde Fashola said this at a budget session with the House of Represdentatives’ committees on Power, Works and Housing and FERMA.

    He told the committees, led by  Toby Okechukwu, that the government owes road contractors over N1 trillion.

    The minister said 206 projects were in diverse stages of completion, while contractors, consultants for engineering design and supervision consultants, etc. have not been paid.

    On the 2016 budget proposal, Fashola said of the N433 billion proposed for the three critical sectors, N208 billion is for roads, N99 billion for power and N66 billion for housing.

    The challenges of the ministry as regards the timely completion of projects, Fashola said, “is inadequate budgetary provision for projects to sustain annual cashflow requirement levels.

    “This underscores the need for diversifying the sources of funding highway projects.”

    He presented a three-year plan (2016-2018) for the completion of major economic roads linking different states and regions, totalling over 6,000 kilometres.

    He said some of the priority roads included: Sokoto-Kantagora-Makera Road, Katsina-Kano-Maidugari road, Hadeja-Nguru-Gashua Road, Ilorin-Jebba-Makowa, Lagos-Ibadan road, Enugu-Portharcourt, Calabar-Adokpani-Ikot road and Ajibandele-Sagamu road.

    On the delay in the completion of the Lagos-Ibadan Express road, the minister blamed the concession agreement between the Federal Government and Bi-Courtney Limited, which he described as “problematic”.

    Two court orders obtained  by Bi-Courtney have stalled the project, he said.

    His words:  “The brief I have received was first, there was documented advice to government, that they should have never issued that concession. But government went ahead to issue and this perhaps explains the inability to perform.

    “So many other things happened, like a change of government. But the last administration took the view that they wanted out of the concession and the company went to court seeking to be compensated and that the concession be restored.

    “While that was going on government set up a finance, corporate and management agreement and that’s where Motorways came in. Money was raised by Motorways to fund the contractors, RCC and Julius Berger. Again, Bi-Courtney instituted went to court and got an order stopping any of the lenders under the Motorways contract…”

    Okechukwu said there should be creative ways of funding important road projects and its time the ministry started thinking outside the box.

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Fed Govt welcomes constructive criticism on 2016 budget

    Fed Govt welcomes constructive criticism on 2016 budget

    •Buhari orders budget proposal placed on website

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration will continue to welcome well-meaning criticism of its policies, its budget and expenditure, the Presidency said yesterday.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said the government decided to take the stance because it was the only way the change promised the country would have a meaning.

    To this end and in line with established tradition, he said the President has directed that the draft 2016 appropriation budget, which is before the National Assembly, should be put on the website of the budget office so that Nigerians can read it with a view to making their observations.

    With the directive, he said suggestions that the Presidency was misleading the public on any aspects of the budget could no longer stand the test of time.

    The statement, which was a reaction to a newspaper story that said: “2016 Budget: Buhari to spend more on State House Clinic than on all federal govt-owned teaching hospitals,” noted that the Budget Office supplied a summary of the allocations to the various sectors under the Ministry of Health, which showed clearly that the published story was inaccurate.

    The statement reads in part: “The budget office has affirmed that in terms of both capital and recurrent allocations, the draft budget has put far more money in the 17 teaching hospitals than it did in the State House Clinic.

    “Having said this, we are not by any stretch of imagination suggesting that the draft budget is beyond comments or reproach. Nor do we wish to dwell on this simply to make a point. To do that will drive away good citizens from pointing out needed corrections and, ultimately defeating the change mantra of the administration.

    “The budget is a Nigerian budget and citizens reserve the right to examine its content and provide their own perspectives.

    “As the draft goes through the approval process, this and many other aspects will continue to generate interest, criticism, commendation and sometimes condemnation in discussions in the parliament, the media and the court of public opinion.

    “We believe that the process of “change” will be affected by, and stands to gain from these debates, especially where there is good faith on all sides.

    “Government has no reason whatsoever to mislead the citizens on the budget and on all other matters for whatever reason.”

  • Why Fed Govt ’ll spend N500b on social welfare in 2016, by Presidency

    Why Fed Govt ’ll spend N500b on social welfare in 2016, by Presidency

    •Beneficiaries to get conditional cash transfer, school feeding directly

    The Presidency explained yesterday that the need to pay attention to the masses informed President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration proposed N500 billion estimate in this year’s budget for social welfare.

    Senior Special Assistant, Media & Publicity in the Office of the Vice President, Mr. Laolu Akande, in a statement, said no admnistration included such  welfare vote in the nation’s budgetary history.

    “Economic historians say that not only is the half a trillion Naira vote unprecedented, but it is also the greatest service ever done to the people by any Federal Government,” he said.

    He noted that six social safety plans would reduce poverty and vulnerabilities as well as increase Nigeria’s Human Development Index on the global United Nations ranking.

    “The President’s vision is to increase investments in human capital to guarantee security, employment and improved well-being,” he added.

    Akande said the Presidency was aware that past attempts to address poverty suffered because of insufficient political will, presence of UN-coordinated initiatives and poorly targeted beneficiaries among other factors.

    But he assured Nigerians that this Federal Government would avoid such pitfalls.

    According to him, the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), where one million poor Nigerians will receive N5,000 monthly in 2016, will be paid directly to beneficiaries through a payment system that is being worked out.

    Akande said the World Bank and the Bill Gates Foundation were collaborating with the Presidency to develop an efficient payment system.

    Together, he said, about N60 billion would be paid out to poor Nigerians while the implementation of the programme would start with the passage of the budget.

    The Vice President’s spokesman said there would also be direct payment in the Homegrown School Feeding Programme.

    He said: “In the case of the CCT, those one million poor Nigerians would be paid directly, while in the case of the Homegrown School Feeding, the suppliers of the meals to primary school pupils would also be paid directly by the Federal Government. There would be no middle agents involved official or private.”

    The media aide observed that recipients of the CCT would meet the conditions of their children participating in immunisation and school enrollment but also boost the economy as the money would boost consumer spending.

    He said regarding the Homegrown School Feeding programme, the Federal Government will start a pilot scheme in selected states once the budget is passed.

    The one-meal-a-day programme is also being supported by the Imperial College in the United Kingdom through the Partnership for Child Development (PCD).

    According to Akande, the home-grown school feeding would feed the children and help their learning significantly as well as boost the local economy of the states and the local communities.

    He said the Buhari presidency has four other social investment plans, including the 500,000 direct jobs, where unemployed graduates will be trained and hired to become volunteer teachers in their communities while looking for jobs in their chosen professions.

    “There is also a Youth Employment plan to take 370,000 non-graduate youths through skill acquisition and vocational training programmes. As the teaching jobs, the selection of beneficiaries for this scheme would be done on states and FCT basis, opened to Nigerians of different shades.

    “For small scale traders, artisans and market women, there is the Micro Credit scheme where one million Nigerians would get a one-time soft loan of N60,000 each through the Bank of Industry.

    “And finally there is the Free Education plan for students of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM), where government will pay tuition for 100,000 students.”

  • MAN advises Fed Govt against EPA

     •Berates NSC’s introduction of ICTN levy 

    The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has advised the Federal Government against signing the European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), saying it runs against  the nation’s industrialisation objectives.

    Giving the advice, MAN President Dr. Frank Udemba Jacobs said  signing the agreement would heavily disadvantage local manufacturers and harm the economy.

    He said this was because the nation’s infrastructure is not developed and cannot compete with the developed economies’, or with their products because of differences in the operating environment and cost of funds.

    Jacobs, who spoke with The Nation in his Lagos office, gave instances of countries which closed their borders to imported items until they became self-sufficient in certain products. He listed the countries to include India, China, Britain and Malaysia. He, therefore, urged the  government to borrow a leaf from these countries.

    He also said the International Cargo Tracking Note (ICTN) levy reintroduced by the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) should be scrapped.

    Cargo tracking is a global initiative put in place to monitor and verify cargoes on transit. It is mandatory for all International Maritime Organisation (IMO) member-countries. In US, it is called 24-hour rule; in Europe it is known as EU Advanced Cargo Declaration; China, 24-hour Advanced Manifest Regulation, etc.

    The policy was first introduced in Nigeria in 2010 and implemented through the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA). However, it was discarded by the Federal Government in 2013 on the request of the operators in the manufacturing sector due to additional cost to cargo clearances at the ports. However, attempts to re-introduce it has not gone down well with MAN

    In a related development, the MAN boss disclosed that the Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON) has granted manufacturers a 25 per cent reduction on all administrative charges. He said the association recorded remarkable success in its collaboration with SON, the Nigeria Customs Service and the Federal Government.

    He added that SON had eased importation by issuing annual import permits to manufacturers while also exempting them from the mandatory SON Conformity Assessment Programme in respect of importation of spare parts, machinery, raw materials as well as packaging materials.

    Dr  Jacobs also said there had been improvement in the implementation processes of the Pre-Arrival Assessment Report (PAAR) in conjunction with the Nigeria Customs Service, as MAN members have been profiled for special clearance and admission to the Fast-Track system.

    He added: “A Conflict Resolution Committee has also been set up, made up of the Nigeria Customs and MAN officials to sort out and resolve any issue arising from PAAR  for those that had queries or were not satisfied with the valuation of their imports.

    “The NCS is also addressing the issue of high charges arising from arbitrary upliftment of the values of members’ imports. In fact, the Comptroller General of Customs ordered immediate release of members’ cargoes that were hitherto detained following our interventions.”

    He listed other achievements of the association as securing government’s position on a home-grown policy that promotes import substitution and patronage of made-in-Nigeria products; the partnership the association formed with strategic stakeholders on the maritime value chain to oppose the implementation of ICTN that would have further added to the cost profile of manufacturers.

    He added that the association also partnered relevant agencies to establish the MAN Centre for Entrepreneurial Development, an entrepreneurial academy for aspiring manufacturers.

  • Fed Govt urged to extend forex allocation to power firms

    For a stable power supply, the Federal Government should allocate foreign exchange to the power sector.

    This, according to the chairman, Egbin Power Plc, Mr. Kola Adesina,  will  help the sector’s players to perform better.

    He urged the Federal Government to allocate foreign exchange (forex) to power sector, as it does to their oil and gas counterparts, to enable them provide stable power.

    At a stakeholders’ forum in Lagos, he appealed to the government to help power firms recover some of their debts  to enable them improve their productivity.

    He said the allocation of forex and recovery of debts  were two major issues that should  be addressed to boost the industry.

    Adesina said access to foreign exchange by operators was critical to the growth of the sector. He said the failure of the government to provide the sector with incentives meant the growth of the sector would further be impeded.

    He said investors were operating in a harsh foreign exchange regime, in view of the significant drop in the value of naira, adding that this has negatively impacted on their operations.

    He said operators need foreign exchange to buy equipment from the Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) abroad.

    He said: “One of the most critical issues bedeviling the operation of power firms is unfavorable foreign exchange mechanism. At the point of acquisition of the assets of Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN) in 2013, the exchange rate was N155 per dollar. Thereafter, the rate fell to N199 per dollar at the official market.

    “Invariably, there is the need for the government to allocate foreign exchange to both the operators of both the power generation companies (GenCos) and power distribution companies (DisCos) in the country; the same way it provides for operators in the oil and gas industry.”

    He said this would enable power firms to get the  energy mix right, as well as help the country to record industrial growth.

    Adesina said the management has started feasibility studies on how to double the capacity of Egbin power s plant. He said the company’s growth plans include increasing electricity generation, construction of industrial power park and investing in renewable energy in the Northern.

    According to him, the park would help in promoting the small, medium and large scale enterprises and further move the  economy forward.

    “We, at (Egbin), would definitely overcome some of our challenges. As soon as the coast gets clearer, we would invest more in the sector. We, at Sahara Group, Egbin and KEPCO, are committed to the vision of electrifying Nigeria,” he said.

    The sector had tried to reduce its debt burden, caused by failure of some customers to pay their bills. Also, the operators have been asking for concessions to import equipment into the country for increased production.

  • Fed Govt eyes N66.1b from stamp duty, says CBN

    Fed Govt eyes N66.1b from stamp duty, says CBN

    The Federal Government is targeting an additional N66.1 billion revenue this year from  stamp duty of N50 on bank customers for money received into their accounts.

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor  Godwin Emefiele, who spoke with reporters on the sideline of the Monetary Policy Meeting yesteray in Abuja, said the government is exploring opportunities to shore up revenue shortfall to Federation Account.

    The 2016, 2017, 2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper as captured in the 2016 Budget under the non-oil revenue section, shows that the Federal Government projects to make N66.1billion from stamp duty alone.

    It also projects that the revenue would grow to N71.8 billion in 2017 and to N78.5billion in 2018.

    Emefiele said the Federal Government was looking inwards at the banking sector as part of efforts to boost its revenue base through taxes and rates.

    There are currently various options the government and the economic team are looking at as ways to boost non-oil revenues and stamp duty is one option.

    He said: “The numbers are there in the budget about what we expect to generate from stamp duties in 2016.

    “We will try as much as possible, working with the banks to ensure that all transactions are captured in a way that ensures that for transactions above N1,000 and above, each of those transactions get debited for N50.

    “We have not dimensioned it yet; I believe in due course, Nigerians will begin to know what this will translate into.

    “But we believe that it will help the efforts of the government in improving its revenue.’’

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the CBN had recently reintroduced the policy, as contained in the Stamp Duty Act, 2004.

    The banks have since been directed to collect the duty from their customers and remit it to the Nigerian Postal Service Account at the CBN.

    The charge is on all transactions by a bank or financial institution in respect of deposits and transfers worth N1,000 and above.

    However, it doesn’t apply to ‘self-to-self-transactions’ whether intra or interbank and it also exempts transfers and withdrawals involving salary accounts and savings accounts, used by majority of low income earners.

    Emefiele said looking at the dwindling revenue from oil, the government was now determined to enforce all financial laws and regulations in order to shore up revenue and prevent leakages.

    The CBN governor noted that the economy is improving as a result of the 41 items CBN banned from receiving foreign exchange in the Nigerian foreign exchange market.

  • Fed Govt to absorb PTA teachers

    Fed Govt to absorb PTA teachers

    The Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education (FME), Dr Folashade Yemisi-Esan has said the 104 Federal Government Colleges (FGC) across the country would benefit from plans to employ 500,000 teachers this year.

    She spoke when she inaugurated a block of three classrooms and staff room and toured ongoing projects at the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Yaba, Lagos State.

    Mrs Yemisi-Esan said part-time teachers employed by the Parents Teachers Associations (PTA) of unity schools would be absorbed by the Federal Government if they are qualified.

    She said the teachers’ lists had already been sent to the Civil Service Commission for review.

    “The reason for the employment exercise is that many states have a problem of quality teachers so this is an intervention by the government. For PTA teachers, their list was sent to the Civil Service Commission. When they are employing, they look at the qualifications first. Some have already been employed,” she said.

    The Permanent Secretary also appealed to parents whose wards attend FGCs, also called Unity Schools not to exert overbearing influence on the schools.

    She condemned the protest by some parents of FSTC, acknowledging the assistance the PTAs render to the unity schools.

    Mrs Yemisi-Esan said: “We (FME) are not happy with the overbearing influence of the PTA over our schools. Yes, they have their roles, but we don’t want them to take over our schools. The schools still belong to the Federal Government.

    “This does not mean the PTA should not partner with the school. The need for PTAs is felt in all schools worldwide. But parents carrying placards is not good. We frown at that. Protesting without first approaching the principal with their complaints is bad. If you have a grudge, go to the PTA chair, if you are not satisfied, go to the school authority and if you are still not satisfied, write to the ministry of education.”

    She expressed the government’s desire to raise all its 104 unity schools to global standards, but for financial constraints, while encouraging the workers to give their best.  To this end, she urged the school to develop its internal revenue sources.

    Dr Yemisi-Esan, who praised the Principal, Rev Chris Ugorji for his efforts in the school, urged old students to partner with the unity schools for better resolution of their constraints.

    Earlier, in his welcome address, Rev Ugorji appreciated the PTA’s efforts in the school and promised to ensure that the directives of the FME are carried out.

    Meanwhile, the teachers also advocated for payment of their promotion arrears and pushed for more comfortable and affordable accommodation.

     

  • Fed Govt urges court to deny Kanu, others bail

    Fed Govt urges court to deny Kanu, others bail

    The Federal Government yesterday urged a Federal High  Court in Abuja to decline the bail application by pro-Biafra agitator, Nnamdi Kanu and his associates, Benjamin Madubugwu and David Nwawuisi.

    The trio were arraigned on January 20 on a six-count of treasonable felony; running an unlawful organisation, plotting to levy war on the country, illegal possession of firearms and ammunition and unlawful importation of a transmitter, with which they ran the illegal Radio Biafra.

    Yesterday, the Director of Public Prosecution, Mohammad Diri, moved the counter-affidavit on their bail application, urging the court to decline the request.

    Diri said Kanu admitted he was a British citizen who sneaked into the country.

    He added that he could sneak out of the country, if admitted to bail.

    Earlier, while arguing the bail application, defence lawyer M. U. Udechukwu told the court that their offences were bailable and urged the court to grant them bail.

    Udechukwu relied on sections 158 and 162 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.

    He argued that the prosecution’s claims were not sufficient to deny the defendants bail.

    Justice James Tsoho adjourned ruling till Friday.