The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Fed Govt

  • Fed Govt to partner stakeholders on desertification

    Fed Govt to partner stakeholders on desertification

    The Federal Government has called on stakeholders to support the Great Green Wall (GGW) Programme to prevent desertification, drought and climate change in the North.

    Director-General, National Agency for Great Green Wall Mr. Goni Ahmed made the appeal during a courtesy call by representatives of the World Bank and  Reducing Emission from Desertification and  Forest Degredation ( REDD)+ in Abuja.

    In the statement, the agency’s Information Officer, NAGGW, Larai Daze, quoted Ahmed as saying that without stakeholders’ support, the North could experience debilitating levels of out migration.

    He explained that the NAGGW was a holistic and an integrated approach aimed at reducing emission from desertification and forest degradation.

    Ahmed said the agency needed assistance in the rehabilitation of  nurseries, establishment of shelter belt,  sand dune stabilisation, agro-forestry, farmers’ managed natural regeneration, integrated water and natural resources management.

    Others include transboundary ecosystem management, sensitisation and awareness, development of alternative sources of energy, gender mainstreaming, scientific expertise and research, capacity building and knowledge sharing.

    Earlier, the leader of the World Bank delegation, Mrs. Haddy Sey, said the visit was to facilitate the World Bank’s collaborative initiative on reducing emission from desertification and Forest degradation in developing countries.

    She also said the programme supports processes and promotes meaningful involvements of all stakeholders, including people living in the dry lands.

    The GGW is a Pan African initiative launched by the Federal Government aimed at preserving the north from desert encroachment.

    It is being implemented in 11 frontline states. They are Gombe, Bauchi, Kano, Jigawa, Katsina, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Borno, Yobe and Kebbi.

  • Elections: Fed Govt buys 25 sniffer dogs

    As the general election approaches, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) has bought 25 sniffer dogs from the United States of America (USA).

    The canines can detect any Improvised Explosive Device (IED).

    More of such dogs, according to the corps, are still being expected to assist 500 others to monitor security before, during and after the elections.

    NSCDC Deputy Commandant General (DCG) Operations, Evans Ewurum disclosed this in Abuja on NSCDC road map to next month’s election.

    Ewurum said security operatives have agreed that the Feb 14 election would be free, fair and credible.

    He said 60 thousand personnel will be deployed to monitor the election.

    The issue of Boko Haram, he assured will be over soon with what government is putting in place.

    His words: “there should be no fear about the Feb. 14 election. UNDP alongside the US are patnering with Nigeria in training and in other areas to ensure that the election is free and fair.

    “60 thousand officers will be deployed to conduct the election. 25 sniffer dogs from the US have been bought and these dogs can detect any Improvised Explosive Device (IED). More are still coming and they will assist the 500 sniffer dogs already on ground. Everystate  will have atleast 25 dogs for the election.

    “In no distance the issue of Boko Haram will be over. The polity should not be over hitted. We cannot disclose all our plans to the media because when Boko Haram are planning they do not go to the media.”

    Commandant General of NSCDC, Dr. Ade Abolurin who was represented at the event by the Deputy Commandant General (DCG), administration, Suliman Bello assured that there is synergy within other security agencies.

     

  • Fed Govt mulls ban on porn websites

    Fed Govt mulls ban on porn websites

    The National Security Adviser, Col. Sambo Dasuki (rtd.), says the Federal Government is planning to introduce a law that will ban and block all porn websites in the country.

    He stated this at the closing ceremony of a three-day workshop on use of social media organised for Islamic preachers, Imams and youths in Kaduna yesterday.

    The workshop, which was organised by the national body of Izalatil Bid’a Wa’iqamatis Sunna (JIBWIS), aimed at correcting anomalies in the use of social media.

    Dasuki, who was represented by the Minister of Special Duties, Alhaji Kabiru Turaki, said: “Government is planning to ban and block websites that inculcate negative attitudes in our children, but we need a law to support such move.

    “Because without a law, people can go to court and claim infringement on their rights.”

    While urging preachers to avoid use of unguided utterances against leaders, Dasuki said that preachers were not politicians, but they must play politics.

    In his remarks, Kaduna State Governor Muktar Yero stressed the need for credible people to join politics to contribute their quota toward sanitising the system.

    He cautioned people against the use of social media negatively to blackmail others.

  • Fed Govt okays N26b for dry season farming

    Fed Govt okays N26b for dry season farming

    President Goodluck Jonathan at the weekend announced the release of N26 billion by the Federal Government for this year’s dry season farming.

    Jonathan, who spoke at the 2015 Agrifest at the Eagle Square, Abuja, pledged the support of his administration to farmers.

    The president used the event to highlight his administration’s successes in agriculture.

    Nigeria, he said, would not be held hostage by rice importers, adding that the country is working to attain self-sufficiency in rice production.

    Jonathan said: “To further boost your efforts to produce more food for our nation, I am pleased to announce here today the release of N26 billion naira towards the 2015 Dry Season Farming Programme.

    “Nigeria, our dear country, will not be held hostage by rice importers. There will be no sacred cows under my watch. All those owing Nigeria on rice import duties must pay.”

    The president said the private sector have put over N45 billion private investment in new oil palm plantation.

    The investment, he said, would allow farmers to cultivate 70,000 hectares of new plantations to allow Nigeria to become self-sufficient in palm oil production by 2016.

    He said: “I am excited that today, Okomu, Presco, PZ – Wilmar and medium size oil palm estate operators such as Wilbahi are taking the lead in revamping our vast oil palm plantations.

    “We will continue to support the revamping of our oil palm industry and support the private sector to build new refineries to process crude palm oil produced in Nigeria.”

    Earlier, the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, said government was supporting 27 Nagropreneur with N122 million take-off grant to do their business.

    The youths were given N5 million each under the Youth Empowerment in Agriculture Programme.

    The minister added that the ministry would work closely with all states government to ensure capacity-building for youths.

    Also, Minister of Finance and the Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said most of the 1.2 million jobs created in 2014 were in the agriculture sector.

    Dr. Okonjo-Iweala explained that without agriculture, the nation would not make much progress.

    “Because of agriculture, inflation has reduced. We are showing that we can feed ourselves,” she said.

  • Ahmed: Fed Govt has failed Kwara

    Ahmed: Fed Govt has failed Kwara

    Kwara State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed has said the Federal Government, controlled by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has failed the state.

    The governor said the Federal Government has no

    achievement to point at in the state.

    Ahmed spoke yesterday at Patigi, Kpada and Lade towns in Patigi Local Government Area during the All Progressives Congress (APC) campaigns.

    The governor noted that the lack of Federal Government’s presence in the state, especially in the provision and development of infrastructure, became prevalent in the last six years of the Goodluck Jonathan administration.

    He urged the people to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) before the end of this month to enable them vote for a progressive Federal Government under the APC.

    During a visit to the Etsu of Patigi, Alhaji Ibrahim Chatta Umar, the governor noted that if Nigerians failed to collect their PVCs, they would not be able to change the nation’s administration for the better.

  • Fed Govt committed to providing stable power, says Nebo

    Fed Govt committed to providing stable power, says Nebo

    The Minister of Power, Prof Chinedu Nebo, has reassured Nigerians of Federal Government’s commitment to provide stable power supply.

       He listed the government’s steps to achieve the goal.

       Nebo spoke yesterday in Lagos when he addressed editorial board members and other top officials of the The Nation at the company’s headquarters.

       The minister hailed the newspaper’s management for sustaining its objective reporting over the years.

    He said the Federal Government had taken steps  to ensure that Nigerians enjoy stable power supply in the months ahead.

    Nebo listed various projects in thermal, hydro and solar energy which he said the government had undertaken.

    According to him, some of   the projects have been completed while others are ongoing.

    Nebo said power generation stood at 4,500 megawatts (MW), adding that because of some hitches, it had reduced to 3,500MW.

    The minister also said the government’s activities in rural electrification, aimed at achieving its  Operation Light Up Rural Nigeria programme, was on course.

    He decried the level of vandalism of gas pipelines, saying it impeded efforts at achieving reasonable power output.

    Nebo said: “When the current administration came on board, the power facilities were delivering barely 2,800MW. In fact, the actual daily average did not reach 2,500MW. But today, we have hit 4500MW and I think it is a milestone by any standard. Electricity is not something you just can do overnight. It takes time for any of the projects to really mature.

    “On a daily average, because of all kinds of downtime, load-shedding, among others, we have exceeded 3,500MW, which is well in excess of 1,000MW over what Mr. President inherited. But we have been picking up, at least for now. Apart from vandalism, we have picked up to 4,500MW, and we have the capacity to do more than that.

    “The government is working very hard to make sure that gas is available. Also, the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP), which President Goodluck Jonathan inherited, was virtually moribund. It was when he became the Vice President that he started wooing and encouraging the states to come on board and ensure that the NIPP didn’t quite die completely. When completed, all of the 10 plants under NIPP will supply to the grid approximately 4,500MW. Two of the plants (Geregu and Omotosho) have already been commissioned while others are on board and will be inaugurated within this year, by the grace of God.

    “Also, when the NIPP was conceived, there was no concomitant development and deployment of gas infrastructure to supply gas to the plants to power the turbines. They are all gas-fired turbines.  But working with this administration’s gas master plan, we can comfortably say that essentially all the NIPP plants now have gas infrastructure. In other words, once gas is available, we can power all of them. But that was not the case a few years ago. In the past, there was no mention of connecting those plants to gas.

    “The Rural Electrification Agency was scrapped because the previous government considered the project as not being useful. But President Jonathan saw the need to keep the agency. So, he reactivated and bonded the agency to make sure that those in rural communities are also given light. The agency now is not only alive but booming.”

  • Fed Govt revokes 1,200 quarry, 44 coal licences

    The Federal Government revoked 1,200 quarry licences and 44 coal mineral titles last year, the Director-General (DG), Nigeria Mining Cadastre Office, Mr. Mohammed Amate, has said.

    Amate told  the News Agency of Nigeria that the office issued over 3,000 quarry licences out of which 1,200 were revoked.

    He Nigeria has 1,800 valid registered quarry licences on its data base, and that the Office intended to issue between 250 to 300 quarry leases this year, adding that quarry was one of the major mining operations in the country. According to him, operators are expected to commence work within 18 months of issuance of a quarry licence.

    “If we discover that, after 18 months, the operator has not commenced operation, the law requires that we withdraw the lease and re-issue it to more serious investors,” he told NAN.

    The director-general said this was to ensure that committed investors had access to the mineral resources. He noted that most of the quarry licences were used in the construction industry.

    Amate said quarry was important for the nation’s economic development, adding that it accounted for the granite used for construction of roads, bridges and houses, among others. “A single quarry employs between 200 and 300 people annually. Each year, we issue nothing less than 200 to 250 quarry leases. If you multiple this, you will see that it is a major employer,” he explained.

    He said statistics available had shown that quarry employed from 60,000 to 70,000 people annually. Amate said the Federal Government made it mandatory for any foreign mining company in the country to employ 75 per cent of its workforce from Nigeria. “A lot of nationals such as Chinese and others are establishing more quarries, but we insist that a certain population on their payroll must be Nigerians.

    “We liaise very closely with the Federal Ministry of Interior so that it does not give them unnecessary waivers to bring personalities from either China or any other country,”Amate said, adding that the quarry minerals being mined included granite, marble, laterite, kaolin, limestone, gypsum, feldspars, pyrite, bentonite.

    The DG also disclosed that 44 coal mineral titles were revoked last year for being idle.

    He said in 2014 the Office issued 4,027 mineral titles, which covered exploration, mining, quarry and small scale mining licences.

  • Fed Govt slashes petrol price to N87 per litre

    Fed Govt slashes petrol price to N87 per litre

    The Federal Government last night slashed the pump price of Petroleum Motor Spirit (PMS) to N87.00 per litre.

    The new price regime, which took off from midnight, slices off N10 on every litre —an action that was immediately described as “too little” and “most likely political”.

    Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs Diezani Alison-Madueke last night directed the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) to immediately effect the change at the pumps.

    She said: “As you may be aware there has been a lot of volatility in price of petroleum product particularly crude oil over the last few months , invariably this has meant that the price of the product in Nigeria has also been greatly impacted.”

    “It is as a result of this under the approval and directive of Mr. President and in line with Section 6 Clause 1 of the Petroleum Act, that it is my responsibility as the Minister of Petroleum to announce that there will be a reduction in the pump price of petroleum (primium motor spirit) by N10, therefore the reduction will be from N97 per liter to N87 per liter effective as of mid-night Sunday the 18th of January 2015.”

    “In line with this I have directed the Petroleum Product Pricing Regulatory Agency and the Directorate of Petroleum Resources to ensure there is strict adherence to this new pricing regime as soon as it takes effect from midnight Sunday 18th of January 2015.”

    “I do hope the entire country will benefit immensely from this reduction in the pump price of petroleum.” she added

    On why the government has to wait till this time, she said: “We think it is actually time to reduce the price. We have been watching very carefully for the last two weeks to ensure that the volatility did not destabilise this particular reduction in price and we think it is safe to implement it at this time.”

    Last week, All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential candidate Gen.  Muhammadu Buhari urged the government to implement immediate price reduction on fuel products to reflect the downscaling in global oil prices.

    In a statement, the APC Presidential Campaign Council asked the government to “stop stealing from Nigerians and allow them enjoy the relief that has come to consumers of petroleum products globally”.

    The APC candidate said then, “The price of diesel which has been deregulated since 2009 still sells at the pump price of N150 and N170 per litre, the same pump price when the international benchmark per barrel of crude was over $100. Now that the international benchmark has dropped to $47.5 (USD) per barrel as at Monday, we ask: where is the deregulation and the relief which it ought to bring to local consumers of diesel?

    “For the Nigerian consumers, unfortunately the collapse of crude oil price since October 2014 has not translated into any change in diesel, kerosene and PMS prices across the country.

    “We challenge the federal government to reconcile the information on the website of the Petroleum Products Pricing and Regulatory Agency, indicating the maximum open market price of diesel per litre in December 2014 as being at N111.6 and the fact that the price has come down to less than $50 (USD) as at Monday.

    “We want to posit that that the maximum indicative benchmark open consumers of diesel should pay is at a margin below N100 per litre. Therefore, Nigerians are being short-changed by about N50 to N70 on every litre of diesel sold by government.”

    The Trade Union Congress (TUC) on January 5 asked the government  to take advantage of the falling oil prices to reduce retail prices of petroleum products.

  • Court restrains Fed Govt

    An Akure High Court in Ondo State has restrained the Federal Government from trespassing on a land belonging to the Okutanla/Ogunmokun family on Akure/Owo/Ilesa Road.

    It granted the statutory right of occupancy to the family.

    The respondents are the Federal Ministry of Land and Housing, Federal Ministry of Agriculture,Federal College of Agriculture, Akure and the Attorney General and Minister of Justice.

    The family represented by its lawyer, Aladegbaye Falodun, said it was entitled to the land with beacon pillar PBE 260 to PBE 2672, AFA 8720 and AFA 8721.

    Falodun claimed that at no time was the land ever acquired by the Federal Government.

    The lawyer said the Federal Government could only acquire a land for public purpose and not for other purposes, such as selling, leasing or transfer.

    The third defendant through the former FCAA Provost, Dr Mary Ogunkoya, had said the land allocated to the college was more than 685.9 acres which has now been reduced to about 364.394 hectares, due to the cessation of land to the Leper’s Colony,Akure, dualisation of roads and so on.

  • Fed Govt to stop financial allocations to FCT

    The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) will soon be weaned from the annual allocation from the Federal Government.

    The development followed the adoption of the harmonised report on a Bill for the establishment of a revenue board for the FCTA by the National Assembly.

    The Bill, titled: “An Act to provide for the establishment of the Federal Capital Internal Revenue Service”, was sponsored by Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West).

    Once assented to, the FCT will be charged with the responsibility of fending for itself and break away from the age-long tradition of being spoon-fed by the Federal Government, which has provided funds for the operations of the territory since inception.

    The adoption of the Bill means that for the first time since Abuja became Nigeria’s seat of government, the FCTA is being empowered to independently generate the revenue for the administration and infrastructural development of the territory.

    The FCT Revenue Service, among others, is charged with assessing, collection and accounting for the revenues accruable to the FCT.

    Adeyemi told reporters after the passage of the Bill that he was grateful to his colleagues for seeing the need to establish the body.

    The senator regretted that the Bill had been in the National Assembly since 1999, “facing obstacles and hurdles while political considerations made it difficult”.

    He added: “The economic situation in the country now has prevailed over political considerations. The population in Abuja now is different from what it was once projected, which has now made this new law imperative.

    “The population we have in Abuja now demands upgrading of the infrastructure because allocation from the national budget is not enough.”

    The senator also said it took a lot of “horse-trading before my colleagues in the National Assembly conceded to the establishment of the board”.

    He added: “We’ve now put a revenue board to expand the revenue base of the FCT and make sure there’s property tax in Abuja.

    “The harmonised version now allows for the collection of taxes. The power of the minister was reviewed in a way that the board will meet and recommend appropriate taxes to the minister.

    “The approval of the collection of taxes will be done by the minister, who will act on behalf of the President.”

    Also, the Bill, which had scaled the third reading and had been passed, was transmitted to a conference committee of the National Assembly for harmonisation.

    But it still requires the assent of the President to become law.

    The Bill also provides for the establishment of FCT Internal Revenue Service and Management Board, with the power to sue and be sued, control and administer various taxes within FCT and account for such taxes.

    The Bill provides that the revenue board shall be headed by a chairman appointed by the FCT Minister, subject to the approval of the National Assembly.

    It consists of a deputy chairman, six representatives from various departments of FCT and six persons drawn from each of the six geo-political zones of the country, who are knowledgeable in tax matters.