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Tag: Fed Govt

  • Ugwuanyi, Ekweremadu hail Fed Govt on 41km Enugu-Ebonyi road

    Ugwuanyi, Ekweremadu hail Fed Govt on 41km Enugu-Ebonyi road

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Senate Deputy President Ike Ekweremadu have hailed the Federal Government for starting the rehabilitation of the 41-kilometre Ozalla-Akpugo-Amagunze-Ihuokpara-Nkomoro Ebonyi road.

    The project, which was awarded in 2010, was stopped because of poor funding, but was re-awarded by the Muhammadu Buhari administration, following the intervention of Ugwuanyi, Ekweremadu, and other federal lawmakers from the state.

    At the kick-off of the project, Ugwuanyi expressed appreciation about the synergy among the federal lawmakers from the state.

    The governor noted that this contributed to the start of work on the road.

    He said: “What we are witnessing here is the gift of synergy among National Assembly members from Enugu State, led by Senator Ekweremadu.

    “On behalf of Ndi Enugu, we appreciate the Federal Government for acceding to the request by the state for the road rehabilitation, which will bring about socio-economic transformation to the people.”

    Also, Ekweremadu praised the Buhari administration for making funds available for the project.

    The senator noted that the project faced an initial challenge because it started as a constituency project under Peace Nnaji.

    According to him, such projects usually suffer a setback for continuity, especially when the lawmaker who initiated it did not return to the National Assembly.

    Ekweremadu said the road had been awarded as a full project under the Federal Ministry of Power, Works, and Housing.

    The senate deputy governor hailed Ugwuanyi for cooperating with the National Assembly to reactivate the project.

    He added that the Governor mandated them to ensure that no federal road in the State was abandoned.

    Ekweremadu said: “I would, therefore, like to express our special gratitude to the Federal Government for making funds available to continue this project. I also call on them to step up efforts on other roads in the Southeast.”

    The Managing Director of Arab Contractors, the firm handling the project, Mohammed El-Eldaros, assured the governor of timely delivery of the project.

  • Misau v. IGP: Fed Govt shocks everybody

    Misau v. IGP: Fed Govt shocks everybody

    Last Tuesday, the federal government, through the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), filed two separate sets of charges against Isa Misau, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Navy. He is accused of making “injurious falsehood” against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Ibrahim Idris, and of publishing or passing forged and counterfeit documents in respect of his electoral documents. The two cases were filed before the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory in Abuja, and encapsulate the federal government’s response to the allegations of gross wrongdoing made by Sen Misau against the IGP.

    In August, the senator had, among other things, accused the IGP of collecting N120bn annually from persons and organisations requiring police security services and not remitting everything to the purse of the government. He also alleged that the IGP had commercialised police promotions and postings contrary to service rules. He was to later compound the allegations by accusing the IGP of dalliances with policewomen prejudicial to service discipline and ethics. But in turn, the police has accused the senator of desertion and forgery of documents submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for the purpose of election.

    The media patiently listened to the allegations and counter-allegations and reported them accordingly. While the senate has directed its Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to investigate the senator’s allegations as well as the police counter-allegations, the federal government’s response was to apparently ignore the accusations for more than a month until it filed charges against the senator last week. First was the federal government’s irresolution, as damning as this was; then followed an even more appalling decision to sue the accuser rather than investigate the accused. This official approach to ethics and anti-corruption shows clearly government’s double standard. No one expected the government to take sides; but no one also expected what has now indirectly amounted to an egregious show of official disingenuousness and connivance.

    The implication of the AGF’s lawsuit against Sen Misau is that for every accusation of corruption, the government would demonstrate the unfeeling, provocative and disrespectful tendency to draw a line between its favoured and disfavoured officials. Worse, as many cases involving some of President Muhammdu Buhari’s appointees show, the government even appears angry that the integrity of some of its favourite officials are questioned. The government was forced, screaming and kicking, to suspend the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal, over allegations of corruption. It is both incredible and incomprehensible that rather than investigate the IGP, even if he would eventually be exonerated, the government has instead sued the accuser.

    Between the senate approach and federal government’s defensive high-handedness, the legislature has shown more restraint and decorum. For a government that swears by its motive in ridding the country of corruption, for a government that swears it has zero tolerance for corruption, the least expected of it was to acknowledge  Sen Misau’s allegations, investigate them, and determine who should be dragged before the courts. Should the IGP be indicted and taken to court, it still would not have precluded the senator from being indicted of charges unrelated to the IGP case. After all, the senate has sensibly indicated that the court case against the senator would not truncate the senate investigation of the IGP. It should not. The country deserves to know the whole truth.

    President Buhari’s anti-corruption war is undoubtedly headed for trouble. His reluctance to subject the war to uniform principles and standards will open more gaps in the war and, if care is not taken, eventually doom it. More dangerously, it seems that the fundamental mindset of the government is to first look at the colour and face of the accused before determining whether the accuser acted mala fide or not. The IGP case is a perfect example of why few can afford to be optimistic about the government’s anti-corruption war and its famous boast of fairness and equity.

  • Fed Govt to enforce ‘no work, no pay’ law

    Fed Govt to enforce ‘no work, no pay’ law

    OWING to incessant strikes, Federal Government has incicated plans to, henceforth, enforce the ‘no work, no pay’ rule.

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja,  Minister of Labour and Employment Chris Ngige said the law is still subsisting.

    The minister, who noted that the International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions are subject to local laws of countries, said the organisation specified strict punishment for workers that go on strike, especially bordering on essential services.

    He said: “There were certain industrial matters that were looked into today in council. Council had earlier directed the SGF to set up a technical committee on industrial relations matters in the Federal public service.

    “This committee was set up precisely on April 27, 2016. It was chaired by the SGF and co-chaired by the Head of Civil Service of the Federation. Members were Chairman of National Salaries, Wages and Income Commission, Ministry of Labour, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Science and Technology, Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and they produced a report.

    “This report was all encompassing and council looked at it today.

    “First and foremost, the report emphasised the need to implement the law on “no work, no pay’. The ‘no work, no pay’ is not a rule, neither is it a policy. It is a law captured on trade disputes Act of the Federation.

    “Section 43 to be precise says that workers have a right to disengage from an employer if there is a break down in discussions or negotiation. But for the period that the worker does so, the employer should not pay and those periods are to be counted as non-pensionable times in the period of work.”So council today re-emphasised that that law is still in situ and that it should be brought to the knowledge of workers in the public and private sector, especially those in the public sector.”

    According to him, the Federal Government took the decision because of the spate of industrial crisis Nigeria has suffered in the last two months.

    He said: “When we had plethora of strikes all over the place, so council has said this should be re-emphasised to workers so that they will know.

    “Meanwhile, for the strike embarked upon the last time, we will see what we can do about that because there is a law in place.”

    He said the council looked at the situations where some workers are permanently doing union activities.

    “Secondly, council looked at another recommendation in terms of people who are permanently doing union activities. They are presidents of trade unions for life and they sit tight, criticise those who are trying to do third term or fourth term while they themselves are sitting tight.

    “It was agreed that my ministry should continue with our work in terms of fishing out the unions that don’t have constitutions that prescribed time limit for their elected officers.

    “Such unions should be made to comply with the law, so that people can be elected, they serve out their term and other people will take their place. That is democracy in action.

    “Council also looked at part of the recommendation on Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), if an employer and employee have a dispute and reconciliate; the product of reconciliation is the bargaining agreement. Most times, those agreements are not signed, they are usually signed by wrong persons.

    “So, council agreed with us that according to the labour laws, they should be signed and whenever issues of salaries and wages are involved, National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission must sign, the Ministry of Labour must sign and the document domicile in the Ministry of Labour in consonant with Section 4 of the Trade Dispute Act.

    “Finally, council has set up a small committee to look at the Yayale report and the white paper should be brought to council for final stamp.

    “We presented another memo to council on diving at work regulation. Diving at work involves workers that carry out their task of work by diving into deep water to work. They are welders, fitters, plumbers, engineers of all sorts. We now have to make recommendations flowing from the Factories Act Cap F1 of the law of the federation of 2004.”

    He said the essence of the regulations is to regulate those who go under water.

  • ‘Fed Govt can incorporate traditional medicine into health sector’

    ‘Fed Govt can incorporate traditional medicine into health sector’

    Can Traditional Medicine and Complimentary Alternative medicine be integrated into the health sector? For experts, who held a two-day workshop in Lagos, the answer is yes. Oyeyemi Gbenga-Mustapha writes.

    Why is it difficult for the government to fuse Traditional Medicine/Complimentary-Alternative Medicine (TCAM) into the main health care system?

    Many factors are responsible for this, says the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Director-General (DG), Prof Babatunde Salako.

    He listed quality of herbs, quality assurance/quality control in processing and manufacturing/preparation of herbal medicines as  some of the problems.

    Others, he said, were herbal mechanisms of action, bioavailability, herbs  chemical constituents, herb and drug interactions, efficacy measurements, and quality of life and safety issues.

    Salako made this known at the international conference on indigenous traditional knowledge organised by Paxherbals Clinic and Research Laboratories and its subsidiary Ofure (Pax) Integral Research and Development Initiative (OFIRDI), which held at Federal Institute of Industrial Research, Oshodi (FIIRO), Lagos.

    The theme of the event was: ‘The contribution of indigenous knowledge in stimulating integral development in Nigeria and Africa’.

    Other organisations, which partnered PaxHerbals to host the conference, were: FIIRO, Oshodi, Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, National (NNMDA) Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion and Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan.

    Salako, who spoke on: ‘Western allopathic medicine and traditional African medicine: any hope for a synergy?’,  said other factors which affects integration of the TCAM into modern medical practices are poor quality, adulterated or counterfeit products, unqualified practitioners, misdiagnosis, delayed diagnosis, or failure to use effective conventional treatments, exposure to misleading or unreliable information and direct adverse events, side effects or unwanted treatment interactions.

    Despite these challenges, Salako said no hope was lost because the World Health Organisation (WHO) has a strategic master plan for the TCAM.

    WHO support for TCAM (WHO TM Strategy 2014-2023) integrates TM into national health care systems, where feasible, by developing and implementing national TM policies and programmes.

    “Safety, efficacy and quality — promote the safety, efficacy and quality of TM by expanding the knowledge base, and providing guidance on regulatory and quality assurance standards. Access — increase the availability and affordability of TM, with an emphasis on access for poor populations. And Rational use — promote therapeutically sound use of appropriate TM by practitioners and consumers,” he explained.

    Salako said TCAM should be incorporated as an integral part of a country’s health care with each recognised as a legitimate form of sytstem.

    He said TCAM could be practised with modern medicine. ‘’Traditional and modern practices could be integrated as two branches of medical science, with the incorporation of elements of both to form a new branch.

    ‘’And what are needed are to make traditional medicine and evidence-based medicine (EBM) an integral part of a country’s formal health care system  e.g China, Japan, Korea, India and Ghana.

    “Awareness campaign and advocacy among physicians and herbal medicine practitioners on the role of scientific, cultural, educational, and legal issues in improving integration. We need to make Western medical doctors receptive to the ideas of TCAM. Africa Biomedical and traditional practitioners need to unite and be open to the idea of working with one another as peers.

    ‘’TCAM practitioners must be open to sharing their methods and knowledge by allowing western doctors to examine and analyse them using their own systems of fact finding. There has to be acceptable intellectual property guidelines/Memoradum of Understanding (MoU) from the beginning of collaboration.Incorporate alternative medicine practices into the training curriculum of all health care workers in all medical schools.”

    The DG said the WHO has defined three types of health system to describe the degree to which TCAM is recognised as part of the national health: Integrative systems, parallel system and tolerant system.

    “Integration of biomedical and traditional medicines through medical education and practice as it obtains in China. Parallel System involves separation of biomedical and traditional medicine in the national health system:  Nigeria, Guinea and Ghana, Asian countries including India and South Korea, and tolerant systems where biomedical health facilities are encouraged to complement delivery of care by some traditional medicines which have been endorsed by the country’s legislation: South Africa and Ghana,” he added.

    He said NIMR has a centre to assist realise some of these.

    “NIMR Centre for Research in Traditional, Complimentary and Alternative Medicine is set up to research into preclinical pharmacological assessments and action mechanisms. To research into clinical efficacy, tolerability and safety assessments of herbal medicine. Ensure herbal medicine quality and standardisation. Training and improving the skills of traditional herbal medicine practitioners. Research in drug development in herbal medicine. And ensure intellectual property development among collaborating institutions and practitioners. This is because the NIMR was established by the Federal Government of Nigeria via the Research Institute Establishment Act of 1977 to promote National health and development.”

    Salako said NIMR has signed an MoU with the Paxherbal Clinics  and the Nigeria Council of Physicians of Natural Medicine (NCPNM) to boost natural health care.

    “The purpose of the MoU with Paxherbals is to establish collaborations/cooperation between NIMR and Paxherbal for the search and development of  indigenous natural medicinal products with potential health and economic benefits. The goal of the MoU is to use the strengths and expertise of NIMR to prove and develop the potential of natural medicinal products produced by  Paxherbal and /or other stake-holders into scientifically sound and globally credible medicines/patents.

    “While the purpose of the MoU with NCPNM is to establish collaborations/cooperation between NIMR and NCPNM for the search and development of  indigenous natural medicinal products with potential health and economic benefits. The goal is to use the strengths and expertise of NIMR to prove and develop the potential of  natural medicinal products produced by members of the NCPNM and /or other stake-holders into scientifically sound and globally credible medicines/patents.”

    Salako reiterated that TCAM has come to stay as it has gained global attention and is being used in many countries as an option of treatment of various diseases.

    “There is a need to monitor and report adverse events, including potential drug–herb interactions via clinical trials and phytochemical analysis. Integration of TCAM and EBM is practised in some countries. Therefore, when safety and efficacy of many of the herbs are further established in accordance with conventional scientific principles, the integration of herbal medicine into evidence-based clinical practice will likely improve beyond current status.”

    The convener and Director Paxherbals and Pax Centre for Integral Research and Development, Revd Father Anselm Adodo described the conference as a success, saying the aims were achieved.

    “The aim of this conference is to bring together researchers, scientists, research scholars, entrepreneurs, health care practitioners and health technologists to discuss, exchange and share their experiences and research results in all aspects of indigenous knowledge in health care and health policy, traditional medicine research and practice, community development, local innovations in agriculture, biodiversity, solar technology and business enterprise.

    ‘’There is an urgent need to critically examine approaches to education, health care, technologies, enterprise, agriculture and development in Nigeria and propose new methodologies, new approaches and new action plans.

    ‘’The common thread weaving these diverse topics together is the need to stimulate integral development in Nigeria and in Africa. As such, this conference focused on applying trans-disciplinary approach to issues of development in Nigeria, transcending dichotomies that have tended to impede rather than stimulate sustainable development in Nigeria.”

    Notable participants at the conference were Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Director of Bioresources Development Group, Prof Maurice M. Iwu, who made a presentation on: ‘African Traditional Medicine Research and Development’;  Director general (DG), FIIRO, Prof. Gloria Elemo; guest speaker and book reviewer, Prof.  Alexander Schieffer of University of St. Galen, Geneva Switzerland who spoke on-Communitalism as an African alternative to capitalism and the role of transformative education and research to actualise it.

    Others were Dr. Bunmi Omoseyindemi, Mr. M. O. Lawal, Prof Omon Oleabhiele, and Dr. Femi Jegede.

    On the second day, experts discussed Traditional African gynaecology: Herbs for managing infertility, impotence and ante-natal care herbs, with a special session on licensed traditional birth attendants in Lagos.

    It was chaired by Oleabhiele. Dr. Atoyebi, a gynaecologist with the Agege General Hospital, Lagos and Prof. MacDonald Idu.

    The speakers were Mrs. Owolabi Titilope and National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) team Dr. O. Igbo, Dr. Pogoson, director, IAS, Prof. Omoh T. Ojior, Prof. Sophie Oluwole and Dr. S. Osunwole discussed how to bridge the gap between tradition and modernity. The theme was: The role of indigenous knowledge in promoting sustainable development in education, technology, health care and culture in Africa.

  • Fed Govt mulls focused labs for ERGP

    The Federal Government is working on modalities for setting up focused labs as part of strategies to maximise inputs from all stakeholders towards enhancing the successful implementation of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

    According to the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma who briefed members of the Senate Committee on National Planning on the state of the economy in Abuja yesterday, the focused labs would be used as brainstorming facilities to utilise the insights of stakeholders from the public and private sector towards speedy resolution of any challenge in critical areas of the ERGP.

    He said the focused labs would help to further consolidate the gains of government’s economic diversification programme adding that the central objective of the labs include how to bring in private capital to finance a number of development projects across the country.

    He pointed out that the labs are intended to bring all the relevant stakeholders in the public and private sectors into weeks of intensive working sessions to brainstorm on practical steps to overcoming any identified challenges in the selected areas.

    He also said the Federal Government has already engaged some economic and development experts from the private sector and the academia on ERGP implementation to facilitate the process.

    He told the senators that an implementation unit has been set up in the National Planning Ministry to closely monitor the implementation of the critical initiatives of the plan and periodically evaluate implementation progress against set targets and milestones.

    The unit is also to provide early warning signals of potential risks and work closely with the MDAs to articulate actionable measures to be taken against any identified constraints.

    Referring to the recent National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report which announced the country’s exit from recession, Senator Udoma said even though a GDP growth rate of 0.55per cent is not a substantial growth rate, it is nevertheless significant because the downward drift has been arrested.

    “The fact that the downward drift has been arrested and the economic indicators are pointing upwards is a significant step forward in the effort to reposition the economy which took a downward trajectory beginning from 2014 and slipped into a recession in the second quarter of 2016,” he said.

  • Fed Govt to borrow $5.5b

    Fed Govt to borrow $5.5b

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday asked the National Assembly to approve a request to borrow $5.5 billion.

    President Buhari, in a letter dated 4th October, 2017 and read by Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, asked the lawmakers to give their nod to the request.

    Titled “Request for the approval of external loan for: Implementation of the external borrowing approved in the 2017 Appropriation Act and External borrowing to re-finance maturing domestic debts through the issuance of USD3.00 billion Eurobond in the international capital market  or through a loan syndication,” the terms and conditions of the proposed external borrowing were not stated.

    The letter read: “The Senate may wish to refer to the 2017 Appropriation Act, which has a deficit of N2,356 trillion and a provision for new borrowings of N2.321 trillion, respectively.”

    The Act also provides for Domestic Borrowing of N1.254 trillion and external borrowing of N1.067 trillion (about USD3.5 billion.)

    On issuance of USD2.5 billion for financing the 2017 Appropriation Act: the letter said:

    “The Senate may wish to note that in order to implement the External Borrowing approved by the National Assembly in the 2017 Appropriation Act, the FGN issued a USD 300 million Diaspora Bond in the international capital market (ICM) in June 2017.

    “The balance of the 2017 external borrowing in the sum of USD3 billion is planned to be partially sourced from issuance in ICM of USD2.5 billion through Eurobonds or combination of Eurobonds and Diaspora Bonds while USD700 million is proposed to be raised from multilateral sources.

    ‘It should be noted that the intention is to issue the Eurobonds first, with the objective of raising all the funds through Eurobonds, and that Diaspora bonds will only be issued where the full amount cannot be raised through Eurobonds.

    “The Senate may wish to note that the proceeds from the proposed issuance of Eurobonds (and Diaspora bonds) in the ICM would be used to finance the deficit in the 2017 Appropriation Act and provide funding for the capital projects in the Budget. The projects include the Mambilla Hydropower Project, Construction of a Second Runway at the Nnamdi Azikiwe international Airport, counterpart funding for Rail projects and the construction of the Bodo-Bonny Road, with a Bridge across the Opobo Channel.”

    On the USD3 billion for Re-financing of Domestic Debts, it said: “In addition to the implementation of the External Borrowing approved in the 2017 Appropriation Act, in order to reduce debt service levels and lengthen the tenor profile of the Debt Stock, the FGN seeks to substitute maturing Domestic Debt with less expensive long term External Debt. The FGN plans to source USD3.0 billion through the issuance of Eurobonds in the ICM and/or loan syndication by Banks, as approved by the Federal Executive Council at its meeting of August 9, 2017.

    “It is important to note that the proposed sourcing of USD3.0 billion from external sources to re-finance maturing Domestic Debt will not lead to an increase in the public debt portfolio because the debt already exists, albeit in the form of high interest short term Domestic Debt. Rather, the substitution of Domestic Debt with relatively cheaper and long-term external debt will lead to a significant decrease in Debt Service Cost. This proposed re-financing of Domestic Debt through External Debt will also achieve more stability in the Debt Stock while also creating more borrowing space in the domestic market for the private sector.”

    The Senate will recall that in the 2017 Appropriation Act, Debt Service at N1.663 trillion represents 32.73% of the FGN’s Total Expenditure, which makes it important to take urgent steps to reduce debt service costs. Failure to rebalance the FGN’s debt portfolio through substitution of Domestic Debt with less expensive long term External Debt will continue to expose the country to the risk of high debt service-to-revenue ratio, thereby limiting the ability of the Government to execute capital projects and other priority expenditure.

    “The Senate may wish to note that, in line with the provisions of Sections 21 (1) and 27 (1) of the Debt Management Office (Establishment, Etc.) Act, Cap D.12 Laws of the Federation, the approval of the National Assembly is required for external borrowings as proposed in Paragraphs 2 – 5.”

    It gave the summary and Terms as “The summary of the requests in Paragraphs 2 to 5 are as follows:

    1. USD2.5 billion issuance in the International Capital Market, through Eurobonds or a combination of Eurobonds and Diaspora Bonds, for the financing of the deficit in the 2017 Appropriation Act and capital expenditure projects in the Act as stated in Paragraph 3; and,
    2. USD3.0 billion external borrowing for the refinancing of maturing domestic debt obligations through the issuance of Eurobonds or through a Loan Syndication.

    “With respect to the Terms and Conditions of the proposed External Borrowings, the Senate may wish to note that being market based transactions, the terms and conditions of the borrowings can only be determined at the point of issuance or finalisation based on prevailing market conditions in the ICM. It is important to state that the previous issuances of Eurobonds by Nigeria were at the following coupons- USD500 million (2011/10-year): 6.75%; USD500 million (2013/5-year): 5.125%; USD500 million (2013/10-year): 6.375%; and USD1,500 million (2017/15-year): 7.875%, while the USD300 million Diaspora Bond (5-year) issued in June 2017 was at a coupon of 5.625%. These coupons were based on the prevailing market conditions at the respective times. It should be noted that current market conditions are considered more favourable than at the time of Nigeria’s last issuances of the Eurobond in March 2017 and the Diaspora Bond in June 2017, with secondary market yields lower than the coupons. The Federal Ministry of Finance, the Debt Management Office and the Federal Government’s appointed Transaction Parties for the proposed External Borrowings will work assiduously within the context of the market to secure the best terms and conditions for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

    It added that “Meanwhile, an overview of indicative terms and conditions is attached for your information as Appendix I.

    “Accordingly, the Senate is requested to kindly approve the following external borrowings:

    “i. Issuance of USD2.5 billion in the ICM, through Eurobonds or a combination of Eurobonds and Diaspora Bonds, for the financing of the FGN 2017 Appropriation Act and Capital Expenditure Projects in the Act; and,

    “ii. Issuance of Eurobond in the ICM and/or Loan Syndication by banks in the sum of USD3.0 billion for re-financing of maturing domestic debt obligations of the FGN.”

    “While looking forward to the timely approval of the National Assembly to enable Nigeria take advantage of these opportunities for funding, please accept, Distinguished Senate President, the assurances of my highest esteem,” the letter concluded.

    The same letter was also read at the House of Representatives.

     

  • Fed Govt urges accountants to ensure prudence

    Fed Govt urges accountants to ensure prudence

    The Federal Government has urged accountants to remain prudent and accountable in the discharge of their duties.

    President Muhammadu Buhari, who spoke yesterday at the opening of the 22nd Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria (ANAN) in Abuja, said accountants are the first set of gatekeepers and should ensure that all transactions are conducted prudently.

    “You are all witnesses to our government’s promises on diversifying the economic base of Nigeria, confronting the security challenges and dealing with corruption in all aspects of government businesses. In all these spheres, the role of accountants cannot be over-emphasised,’’ President Buhari, who was represented by the Accountant-General of the Federation, Ahmed Idris, said.

    He noted that the association’s choice of the theme: Sustainable  Economic Management in a Recession was timely and important.

    “To strengthen the fight against corruption, we launched the Whistle Blower Protection Policy and presented as Whistle Protection Bill 2016 to the National assembly in order to ensure and protect Nigerians for supporting this fight.

    “Also a firm implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA)  since September 2015 has significantly enhanced  transparency in the Federal Government’s  Public Financial Management System,’’ Buhari said.

    In the area of agriculture, the president explained that so far, 200,000 small holder famers, cultivating some 233,000 hectares of farmland in 29 states had benefitted from the Agricultural Anchor Borrowers’ Programme.  “We have revolutionised rice production to allow for nation self-sustenance and have impacted on fertiliser availability which eventually led to a sharp drop i the fertiliser price from N13,000 to N5,500 per 50 kg bag, ‘’ he said.

    Buhari, however, said  interestingly, power generation had peaked to an all-time high of 7,001 megawatts (Mw)in the third quarter of this year while aiming at 10,000Mw by year  2020.

    President of ANAN, Shehu Ladan praised the efforts of government in the management of recession through laudable programmes like the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), inauguration of the Nigerian Industrial Policy and Competitiveness Advisory Council to boost the manufacturing sector of the economy through the formulation of sectoral and industrial policies.

    In the area of revenue generation, Ladan advised that government as a matter of policy should ensure that all registered companies submit audited accounts. According to him, the revenue of such companies can be verified by auditors and taxes from such revenue can be more accurate.

    Ladan commended the government for creating the framework for prosecuting the war against corruption and institutionalising probity by the setting up of the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption.

  • Fed Govt loses N1.6tr to substandard products, says SON

    Fed Govt loses N1.6tr to substandard products, says SON

    The Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON)  yesterday said the country has lost N1.6 trillion so far this year to the sale of substandard products.

    It lamented that substandard motor lubricants account for N250billion yearly loss to the economy.

    A representative of SON, Benedict Preke, who spoke during the anniversary ceremony of MotorMechanics and Technicians Association of Nigeria (MOMTA) at the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) office yesterday in Lagos, lamented the loss of N1.6trillion to the patronage of substandard products.

    The occasion which was had: Effects of Adulterated/Sub-standard Lubricants and Fake Spare Parts in Nigeria Automobile Industry as its theme, brought speakers from both the public and private sectors together to proffer solutions to the problem.

    Also speaking,  the Managing Director, MRS Oil Plc, Andrew Ndume, lamented that N250billion is lost from the sale of fake and adulterated lubricants yearly across the country.

    Preake advised end users, particularly the auto mechanics, to the use of standard products and parts, he said government was looking seriously at ways of enforcing standards in the operations of mechanics and ways of imposing stiffer sanctions on fakr auto products peddlers in the country.

    “We advise end users to adhere to standards. When you buy products, ensure you get receipt and if upon discovery that a product is fake, report to SON. After investigation, if found to be true, your money will be refunded to you by the seller,” he assured.

    Ndume said the enforcement of local content policy in the lubricant sub-sector and insistence of MOMTAN members to use only standard lubricants to service their client’s automobiles will help curb the problem.

    In his welcome address on the occasion,  Chairman, Lagos State chapter of MOMTAN, Alhaji Moruf Arowolo, said the purpose of the topic was to let the government and the public know and appreciate the problems mechanics face especially in the area of lubricants and motor spare parts.

    He said: “The effect of substandard oil and motor parts is an important issue that needs urgent attention and remedy; this is seriously affecting the jobs of mechanics in the country as clients no longer have confidence in us. They believe that we are the ones using such products for them causing damages to their vehicles.”

  • Fed. Govt: no monkey pox virus injection

    Fed. Govt: no monkey pox virus injection

    The Federal Government has described as false the news that the outbreak of Monkey Pox in some parts of the country resulted from its free medical care in the affected areas.

    In a statement yesterday, Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed described the news as fake and sinister.

    He urged Nigerians to disregard the report.

    ”The Federal Government has not conducted any free medical service or care in either Bayelsa or Rivers State, as alleged in the fake report being circulated. So that could not have been the cause of the outbreak of Monkey Pox in both states.

    “Monkey Pox is a virus found only in monkeys and it is rare in human beings. It belongs to the same family as Chicken Pox and Smallpox.

    ”It is suspected that someone may have contracted it by eating monkey meat, thus triggering the current outbreak,” the minister said.

    He said no effort will be spared in curtailing the spread of the disease.

    With the confirmation of a new case of monkeypox in Akwa Ibom State, there are now 13 cases of the disease in the country.

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) yesterday, confirmed 12 cases, which started with that of an 11-year-old male patient reported at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.

    National Coordinator/Chief Executive Officer NCDC Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu said 11 other cases were identified.

    “All the cases are currently receiving appropriate medical care. All the patients are improving clinically and there have been no deaths. As at first of this month, 32 close contacts of the cases were identified, advised appropriately and are being monitored,” he said

    Ihekweazu explained that a Rapid Response Team (RRT) from NCDC was immediately deployed to support the Bayelsa State Government in the investigations and public health response to the outbreak.

    The team has been supporting the Bayelsa State Department of Public Health and the State Epidemiologist to respond to the outbreak. “As the outbreak investigation and response continues, the Bayelsa State Government has started an aggressive public enlightenment campaign to advise clinicians and the public on the symptoms of the disease and the steps required to manage the cases and to prevent further spread. NCDC has also collected appropriate clinical samples from the cases and these are being analysed through the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja,” Ihekweazu explained.

    There was panic in Akwa Ibom State following the reported case of monkey-pox disease.

    Commissioner for Health Dr. Dominic Ukong, who announced the outbreak in Uyo, said the victim had been isolated.

    He also said two other suspected cases were being monitored by doctors

    Ukpong explained that the viral ailment borne by wild animals, especially Monkeys could be contracted through bodily contact with infected persons and warned the populace to shun bush meat.

    Commissioner for Information and Strategy Charles Udoh spoke of the need for residents to avoid crowded places as relevant agencies had been alerted to ensure appropriate clinical measures were in place to deal with such emergencies.

    But the Bayelsa State Government yesterday said it had curtailed the spread of the virus through various response mechanism it created in the wake of the epidemic.

    Commissioner for Information and Orientation Daniel Iworiso-Markson said many of the victims quarantined at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH), Okolobiri, were already showing signs of recovery.

    He said the government had intensified sensitization and advocacy visits to communities to reassure the indigenes of its readiness to tackle the spread of the disease.

    Iworiso-Markson explained that two of the index cases and the doctor affected by the disease had recovered and were discharged, adding that no death had been recorded from the disease.

    “To further allay the fears and reassure Bayelsans of Governments’ effort in curbing the disease, let me make it clear that we are on top of the situation. However, it is important for people to take note of the fact that prevention is better than cure.

    “Hence, they are required to always wash their hands, avoid monkeys, bushmeat and dead animals as well as be on the lookout for symptoms which often manifest as various stages of rash and an intense weakness of the body and severe pains, among other things,” he said.

  • Fed Govt to replace foreigners with locals

    The Industrial Training Fund (ITF) Director-General/Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Joseph Ari,  has expressed worry over the number of foreigners in some sectors.

    He said the situation not only posed danger, but threatened the attainment of key government policies.

    Speaking at the kick-off of the National Industrial Skills Development Programme in Awka, Anambra State, Ari said the Federal Government had commenced the replacement of foreigners with Nigerians, who had acquired skills for such jobs.

    He said the programme was aimed at instilling skills in Nigerians, particularly the youth, to stimulate economic recovery and growth.

    “It is worrisome that despite the number of Nigerians without work, several surveys, including those conducted by the ITF, have revealed that vacancies exist in some sectors of the economy that are currently being filled by persons other than Nigerians because of the lack of requisite technical skills of our people.

    “It was with a view of arresting this problem, which represents not only a clear and present danger, but also threatens the attainment of key government policies that the ITF conceived the idea of NISDP,” he said.