The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Fed Govt

  • Food security: Fed Govt partners Morocco-based firm on fertiliser

    The Federal Government is encouraging the Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP) to establish fertiliser production plants in some parts of the country to boost agriculture. DANIEL ESSIET writes on the partnership that will boost food production.

    MORE international supports are pouring in for the Federal Government’s diversification policy. Fertilizer production plants are to be established in some parts of the country by the Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCP), a major integrated phosphate producer.

    The government is banking on the mining and agriculture sectors to diversify the economy for oil.

    The plants are to boost agricultural development and fertiliser utilisation by indigenous farmers, the firm, based in Casablanca, Morocco, said while reiterating its commitment to enhance partnership with Nigeria and other African countries to ensure food security.

    OCP’s Managing Director Mustapha El Ouafi, told reporters that local farmers will benefit from fertiliser production projects in terms of technical expertise and capacity building.

    According to him, the OCP has taken immediate action to rehabilitate the fertiliser industry in Africa and working with the government to rehabilitate infrastructure, provide internal and external training programmes for players in the industry.

    He confirmed that his company has an agreement with   the Federal Government to develop a major fertiliser production and distribution hub, adding that the products would be sold in the Nigerian market.

    El Ouafi said: “We are happy to be part of Nigeria’s agricultural development and fertiliser utilisation initiatives. Our goal and aspiration are to make the desired results realisable.

    “We want to be the laboratory of fertiliser of the future which is crucial to the development of agriculture in Africa and the world at large and we’ll continue to work hand-in-hand with the Nigerian government and other stakeholders in the agricultural sector as it is a known fact that Nigeria is one of the major hubs of agriculture in Africa and as a matter of fact, the world as a whole.”

    The OCP chief said it was imperative to enhance the use of fertiliser to meet the food demands of the fast-growing world population in the face of diminishing arable land per capita.

    Projected to be the world’s first phosphates exporter by 2020, the OCP, which has gained more market share,   plans to boost its fertiliser production in Nigeria.

    The new partnership will be through the construction of a new unit with a yearly production capacity of 1.2 million tonnes of fertiliser.

    El Ouafi, informed that the OCP will collaborate with agricultural research institutes to carry out research on soils in order to determine the right type of fertiliser, saying “only this can only guarantee quality and improved yields for farmers.”

    Given the state of agriculture development in Nigeria, El Ouafi spoke of the need for an exchange of knowledge and technology transfer.

    He explained that the company, which started as a government mining company, exploring the country’s rich phosphate deposit, has evolved to become a vertically-integrated agriculture company, moving up the value chain into manufacturing and distribution of fertiliser.

    The managing director attributed OCP’s global reputation to an expanding global population and an increasing demand for phosphate and other products.

    He said that Morocco was doing well in agriculture and has developed great expertise in fertiliser and solar technologies.

     

    OCP as a global player

     

    The company is a leading player in the industry with the promotion of highly efficient and environmentally-friendly fertiliser. Its products not only reduce the pollution of soil nutrients and improve their efficiency, but help to diminish pesticide use – the conditions for sustainable farming.

    The OCP Group has a three-phased production link that relies solely on the use of advanced technology. The first is the raw material – phosphate, which is extracted from the mine located in Khouribga, a town in Southwest of Morocco.

    The raw material is then transported through pipelines to the industrial facilities also located in Khouribga for thorough washing.

    After the completing the process, the washed phosphate product is transported through a world-class underground 200-kilometer pipeline from the Khouribga facility to the Jorf Lasfar processing plant where it will be processed into fertiliser and series of phosphate-based products and derivatives for local use and for international exports.

     

    The Nigerian partnership

     

    The various agreements between the Federal Government and Morocco are yielding results for both countries.

    Morocco and Nigeria signed three cooperation agreements. One of such deals was signed during President Muhammad Buhari’s visit Morocco for a strategic Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline.

    The 5,600-kilometre pipeline will give Africa a new economic, political and strategic dimension.

    Another was a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the OCP Group and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) for the development of an industrial platform for the production of ammonia and related products.

    The other was an agreement in the field of agricultural vocational training and technical supervision between the agriculture ministries of the both countries for joint development of agriculture and fisheries in Western Africa.

    It was learnt that the OCP Group has signed MoU with the Dangote Group for the construction of a fertiliser production platform which will be powered by gas from Nigeria and phosphate provided by OCP.

    During his visit to King Mohammed VI Polytechnic University in Benguerir, Morocco, Bauchi State Governor Mohammed Abubakar, secured a consent for the building of a new fertiliser plant in his state.

    More than 30,000 farmers are to benefit from the Bauchi State government collaboration with the OCP Africa School Project, involving instant mobile soil analysis to determine the suitable fertiliser to increase yield.

    Bauchi, alongside three other states, entered into the agreement with OCP Africa for the school laboratory project.

     

    Relationship with stakeholders

     

    In 2016, OCP and the Fertiliser Producers and Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FEPSAN) signed a MoU to strengthen Nigeria’s agriculture industry.

    The MoU was signed at the State House in Abuja when King Mohammed VI visited President Buhari.

    The MoU has detailed contributions to the agricultural sector through the supply of fertiliser which are adapted to local oils and crops, while ensuring farmers’ access to continuous fertiliser supply.

    The collaboration between OCP Group and FEPSAN covers a large array of issues relevant to the agricultural sector, including the implementation of fertilising solutions which can adapt to the soils and crops, market supply of fertiliser and support for local farmers.

     

    Ammonia plant billed

    for Niger Delta

     

    For experts, the location of an ammonia plant in the Niger Delta will play a major role in agricultural growth in the region. Cheaper fertilising solutions are affordable to small holder and resource-poor farmers that make up about 80 per cent of the farming community in the region.

    More than 2.2 million people in Niger Delta rely on agriculture for their livelihoods, but experts warn that stagnant and declining yields of major crops such as rice and wheat can be ultimately linked to declining investments in the sector.

    The Federal Government plans to reduce by half the number of undernourished people in the region by raising agricultural productivity and alleviating poverty while protecting the region’s natural resources base.

    The ammonia plant partnership project between Morocco and Nigeria is based on the integration of both countries’ natural resources – Morocco (phosphate) and Nigeria (gas) – for the production of fertiliser.

    The initiative will create thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the oil-rich Niger Delta.

     

    A plant in Kaduna soon  

     

    As part of efforts towards the development of the agricultural ecosystem in Africa, OCP Africa reiterated its readiness to build a fertiliser blending plant in Kaduna State. The plant is to support government’s effort to boost agriculture.

    Already, the Kaduna State government has provided land with titled documents for the early take-off of the fertiliser blending plant.

    Under the agreement, OCP will provide the technical know-how and the expertise to help the state achieve its food security goals.

     

  • Herdsmen crisis: Fed Govt begins construction of Benue communities

    Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom yesterday kicked off the reconstruction of some public infrastructure destroyed by herdsmen.

    The reconstruction work is sponsored by the Federal Government in partnership with the Benue State government.

    The governor called on the Federal Government to address the insecurity which led to the farmers/herdsmen crisis.

    Ortom, who kicked off reconstruction work at the Comprehensive Health Centre, Gbajimiba, one of the 28 facilities to be rebuilt, urged President Muhammadu Buhari not to hurriedly stop Operation Whirl Stroke but further empower the military to eliminate the threat of attacks on the communities.

    Ortom, who was represented by his deputy Benson Abounu, was happy with the response by the Victims Support Fund (VSF), led by Gen. Yakubu Danjuma (rtd), to his request for help in reconstructing the damaged infrastructures

    He thanked the VSF for the five clinics to be built and begged that the required equipment be provided to enable the government take over their running.

    The governor hinted that the first phase will cover 21 communities in Guma, Logo and Agatu Local Government Areas, while others will be captured later.

    The Executive Director of VSF, Prof. Sunday Ochoche, said following Ortom’s request and an assessment visit to the state in March, the committee approved the construction of 23 blocks of classroom and five comprehensive medical centres in three councils.

    He added that the projects, which cost N700 million, will be completed within three months.

    Ochoche called on the local communities to see the project as theirs and so support the contractors fully.

  • ‘Fed Govt should raise standard of engineering education’

    The founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD), Aare Afe Babalola, has said one way by which Nigeria can raise its standard in engineering is by making entry qualifications into engineering programmes competitive.

    He said it was time the Federal Government raised the standard of engineering education, adding that it should compel the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) to jettison cut- off marks and allow universities’ Senate to decide their admission criteria.

    Babalola, who spoke while delivering the maiden Ademola Olorunfemi Annual Public Lecture at the Dome, Akure, Ondo State, lamented that successive administrations underfunded the education sector, which had effect on science-oriented disciplines.

    He said the underfunding inspired him to establish ABUAD eight years ago as a model of what an ideal 21 century university should be.

    Babalola said: “One major problem facing engineering education is the entry qualification.

    “In Nigeria today, the entry qualification for the study of Engineering is the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE), equivalent of GCE Ordinary Level. Whereas in England, the minimum qualification for entry into universities is GCE ‘A’ Level. In many other countries, the entry qualification in Law and Medicine is first degree.

    “To make matters worse, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board last year announced that universities could even admit students with as low as 120. I am of the view that declaration of entry point by JAMB should be scrapped. The entry point for every university is a matter to be decided by the Senate of each university, having regard to their quality and acknowledgement by parents of applicants.”

    He recalled that Nigeria had its first taste of engineering education with the establishment of Yaba College of Technology.

    Babalola implored the Federal Government to support the funding of private universities, especially those that had reached post graduate level, and whose proprietors had committed a lot of money into it.

    He urged alumni associations to salvage their alma mater

    and praised the National Universities Commission (NUC) for its withdrawal of accreditation in some universities.

     

     

  • Fed Govt plans vulnerability assessment in states

    The Federal Government is to conduct vulnerability assessment in states.

    Technical Advier to the Vice President on Disaster and Risk Management, Dr. Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu said a technical committee to actualize this will be set up.

    According to him, this will mitigate against flooding in the country.

    In his statement, Oke-Osanyintolu said a workshop the theme:“Building Flood Resillient Communities,” will hold in flod –ptone states between August 20 and September 14.

    Oke-Osanyintolu listed the schedule of events to include: “From August 20-21st,  Ikeja, Lagos; Benin, Edo State, August 27th-28th, Porthacourt, Rivers State, August 30th-31st. Others are Yenogoa, Bayelsa State, September 3-4th, Owerri, Imo State, September 6-7 and Katsina, Katsina, September 10-11th while the programme had been slated to hold in Awka, Anambra State, September, 13th-14th.

    He said:“Governors will be required to give an update on efforts they have made towards mitigating imminent flood incidents in their states. Participants will also review the 2018 seasonal rainfall predictions and the annual flood outlook.

    “One of the outcomes of the event will be the setting up of a technical committee on the vulnerability assessment of the states.

    “Participants at the event will comprise of state governors, relevant ministries, deferral legislators, state commissioners, the Armed Forces, Police and para-military.

    “Others are; developmental partners, Local Government Chairmen, civil society organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations, NGOs.”

    Lagos State Governor Akinwunkmi Ambode has kicked off the seminar in Lagos.

  • Fed Govt to establish delivery units in ministries

    THE Federal Government has finalised arrangement to establish delivery units in six ministries, Minister of Budget and National Planning Senator Udoma Udo Udoma has said.

    He said this is to tackle challenges faced by investors for the implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    Udoma, who briefed State House correspondents yesterday after a meeting of the ERGP Central Steering Committee, presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, said the units would be set up in the Agriculture, Transportation, Industry, Trade and Investment, Mines and Steel Development and Power, Works and Housing ministries.

    He said: “The units will continue with problem-solving, critical challenges faced by investors in those sectors.

    “It was agreed that the overall philosophy of the focus labs should be continued, as the Federal Government is committed to sponsoring a few more mini focus labs to tackle issues faced by investors.

    “So, the focus lab concept is a continuing concept, which we are working on. We will do more mini focus labs.”

    The minister said the committee also agreed to establish a special office within the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment to focus on the Cotton, Textile and Garment (CTG) industry.

    “The modalities for that office, which will focus on CTG, are being worked out by the minister of Industry, Trade and Investment,” he said.

    Udoma said the electric power sector was a key focus of yesterday’s meeting.

    He said: “The meeting agreed to redouble its effort at engaging and communicating our single and coherent vision for the power sector working with the private sector.

    “It appears that the overall roadmap and impact of initiatives that the Federal Government is working on is not fully understood. So, we agreed to communicate this single roadmap to the public.”

    The minister said the committee referred a number of issues to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to look into, including “wider access of intervention funds by agricultural companies.”

    He said other issues were referred to ministries to look at and address in the next few weeks.

    “So, we continue to monitor and continue to move forward with the effective implementation of the projects that came out of the ERGP Focus labs.”

    Asked the extent to which the focus labs have generated jobs and attracted foreign direct investments, Udoma said: “This is still the early days.”

    Many of the ventures in agriculture and power, he said, were being worked upon.

  • Eid-el-Kabir: Fed Govt declares Tuesday, Wednesday public holidays

    The Federal Government has declared Tuesday Wednesdayas public holidays to celebrate Eid-el-Kabir.

    Minister of Interior Abdulrahman Dambazau, according to a statement by Dr Mohammed Umar, the Permanent Secretary of the ministry enjoined the citizens to use the period to embrace the virtues of love and sacrifice for the unity and development of the country.

    He urged Nigerians to support the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari in its determination to foster a peaceful and united Nigeria.

     

  • Fed Govt didn’t pay ransom to free Dapchi girls, says minister

    The Federal Government insisted last night that it did not pay any ransom to secure the release of the Dapchi girls.

    In a statement in Ilorin, Kwara State,  Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed challenged anyone with any evidence of payment to publish such.

    ”It is not enough to say that Nigeria paid a ransom, little or huge. There must be a conclusive evidence to support such claim. Without that, the claim remains what it is: a mere conjecture.”

    a report by the United Nations (UN) has claimed that the federal government paid “huge ransom” for the release of the kidnapped Dapchi schoolgirls in February.

    The report also identified the predominance of cash economy as a major factor fuelling the nefarious activities of the Boko Haram and other terrorist groups in the Lake Chad Basin region

    Titled “Letter dated 16 July 2018 from the Chair of the Security Council Committee pursuant to resolutions 1267 (1999), 1989 (2011) and  2253 (2015) concerning Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant  (Da’esh), Al-Qaida and associated individuals, groups,  undertakings and entities addressed to the President of the

    Security Council,” was obtained from the UN’s official website yesterday.

    Signed by the Coordinator, Analytical Support and Sanctions Monitoring Team, Edmund Fitton-Brown, and the Chair, Security Council Committee, it stated that Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have had similar impact in their areas of control, including the Lake Chad basin.

     

     

  • Fed Govt’s N701b cash increases generation by 3,000Mw

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, said the N701billion payment assurance guarantee fund for electricity generation companies (GenCos) raised power generation capacity to 7,000 megawatts (Mw).

    The minister disclosed this on Monday at the 29th monthly power sector meeting hosted by Mainstream Energy Solutions Limited (MESL) in Minna, Niger state.

    Fashola said the payment which started last year had raised GenCos’ monthly payment to 80 per cent from 20 per cent, which has also significantly increased their revenue.

    The GenCos have been battling with losses from the inability of distribution companies (DisCos) to pay the monthly invoices for the energy delivered to them, hence the creation of the fund to enable GenCos meet up with gas payment to stabilise power generation.

    He said: “This was not in any law. It was a creation of the (President Muhammadu) Buhari government to give comfort to investors in the generation side of the value chain that they will be paid for supplying power.

    “Since its implementation in 2017, recovery of payments by GenCos has increased from 20 per cent to 80 percent, and power supply capacity has improved from 4,000Mw to 7,000Mw and there is an appetite by other players to participate.

    “We must harmonise the price of gas for payment under the scheme, where there are differential prices arising from different gas suppliers.”

    Fashola added that the DisCos remain the weakest in the power sector value chain.

  • Fed Govt mulls VAT removal on locally produced LPG

    The Federal Government is working with relevant agencies to remove the controversial value added tax (VAT) from locally produced liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), commonly called cooking gas,  The Nation learnt at the weekend.

    There has been effort from operators in the LPG subsector of the oil and gas industry to persuade the government to remove VAT from locally produced LPG. This is because  imported LPG doesn’t attract VAT making it cheaper than its local counterpart.

    The Federal Government has given assurance to resolve the VAT issue. The Executive Director, Commercials, Products and Pipeline Marketing Company (PPMC), an arm of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Sir Billy Okoye, who spoke on the sideline of the annual general meeting (AGM) of Nigerian Association of LPG Marketers (NALPGAM) in Lagos, said: “A lot of work is being done to address the issue of VAT on locally produced LPG as against imported ones. The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), NNPC, NLNG, Nigeria Liquefied Petroleum Gas Association (NLPGA) and NALPGAM are working together and very soon, official announcement will be made on VAT removal.

    “The NNPC is supportive of the initiative of NALPGAM in deepening LPG consumption by distributing free gas cylinders to very low income earners and in rural areas.

    “The Corporation wants LPG consumption to get to all the nooks and crannies of the country. The refineries are producing LPG today and our intention is ensure that enough LPG is supplied to the country. Thanks to NLNG for what it is doing.

    “NLNG in collaboration with the NNPC is supplying a lot of LPG to the country and we intend to continue doing that. .”

    President of NALPGAM, Nosa Ogieva-Okunbor, said removal of VAT on locally produced LPG will make the commodity cheaper and boost the consumption of cooking gas in Nigeria. He said NALPGAM distributed about 500 cylinders free of charge at Sheraton Lagos inaugural free cylinder initiative and plans to do more.

    He said: “It is imperative to develop effective policies to encourage investors to come into the LPG subsector to deepen market penetration, boost the country’s economy and protect the environment.”

    He commended  the  government for setting up a committee to look at the issue of  VAT  on  locally produced  LPG  which  he said has  made  the product out of the reach of many consumers.

    The LPG produced in the country and supplied to local market for internal consumption is done by the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (NLNG). Unfortunately, at the establishment of the NLNG, the supply of LPG to the local market was not in the plan. The entire LNG and LPG produced by the company was meant for export.

  • Fed Govt moves to tackle procurement challenges

    The Federal Government has initiated measures to tackle procurement challenges that may affect the implementation of this year’s budget.

    The Director-General, Bureau for Public Procurement (BPP), Alhaji Mamman Ahmadu, who spoke at the opening session of a workshop on public procurement processes, said the need to address challenges in the procurement process was based on the conviction that it would help to check the issue of corruption and reduce the number of abandoned projects in the country.

    Ahmadu said the capacity building programme which was attended by heads of procurement departments in Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government would facilitate “the development of new skills that will enhance the implementation and performance of the 2018 budget.”

    He said as the regulatory agency responsible for the monitoring and oversight of public procurement, BPP is putting in place adequate measures to have an efficient procurement system.

    One of such measures he said is that government will not force bidders to bid for goods and services delivered to government below cost. To guarantee fairness, Ahmadu said “what we can do is to create a very competitive environment in which making excessive profit will be eliminated.”

    He said BPP has upgraded its national database of contractors by integrating it with other agencies such as the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) among others to eliminate the use of falsified documents in the procurement bidding process.

    The exchange of data between agencies he said will also “eradicate the patronage of portfolio companies, prevent companies from providing false claims in their submissions to gain undue competitive advantage.”