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Tag: Fed Govt

  • Fed Govt’s agents, politicians threaten judiciary, says CJN

    Fed Govt’s agents, politicians threaten judiciary, says CJN

    The independence of the judiciary and its ability to dispense justice unhindered are threatened by Federal Government agents and politicians, the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Onnoghen, has said.

    Onnoghen regretted an emerging trend where judicial officers (judges and justices) were unduly castigated and accused of corrupt practices by agents of the Federal Government and politicians, without giving them the opportunity to be heard.

    He spoke yesterday during a thanksgiving service in his honour at the Methodist Church Nigeria, Abuja Diocese, Wuse Zone 3.

    “The Judiciary is under threat. Judges and judicial officers, including myself are being castigated without given the opportunity to be heard. But, God knows our heart.

    “I did not set out to be a judge, but today I am a judge by divine intervention. It’s the Lord’s doing, and mine is to follow. My prayer is that God should help me and should not let me down.

    “I thank Nigerians for attending this event. It is supposed to be a personal thing between me and my God, but I have no hiding place. I thank God for fulfilling His promise to me,” Onnoghen said.

    The CJN, who was accompanied by his family , cited the case of Anambra Central Senatorial election, where Senator Uche Ekwunife reportedly accused the Judiciary of robbing her of her mandate, without evidence, as a case of undue accusation of the Judiciary.

    He said the nation would only get it right when the leadership abides by the Constitution and Rule of Law.

    Justice Onnoghen, who thanked God for his eventual emergence as the CJN, urged Nigerians not to relent in their prayers for the sustenance of the judiciary.

    The event was presided over by the Archbishop of Abuja Diocese of the Methodist Church, the Most Reverend Joseph Oche Job.

    The cleric prayed God to direct and give the CJN the wisdom to lead the Judiciary.

    He prayed for peace in the country and urged all to be guided by the fear of God.

    Dignitaries at the event include the Head of Service of the Federation (HOSF), Winifred Oyo-Ita, former governors of Rivers and Cross River states – Peter Odili and Liyel Imoke; and Senator Ndoma Egba.are Justices Mary Odili, Bode Rhodes-Vivour, Clara Ogunbiyi, Olukayode Ariwoola, Chima Nweze and John Okoro (all of the Supreme Court). A retired Justice of the court, John Fabiyi, was also in attendance.

    Others are Adegboyega Awomolo and his wife, Victoria; former Justice Minister and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), Bayo Ojo, Niyi Akintola, Sabastine Hon, Alex Izinyon, Sunday Ameh, Yakubu Maikyau and Godwin Obla – all Senior Advocates of Nigeria.

    Officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) invaded the official residences of seven judges late last year and arrested them, accusing them of corruption.

    Following the development, the National Judicial Council (NJC) directed the affected judges to stop sitting, with the exclusion of Justice Nnamdi Dimgba of the Federal High Court, Abuja, whose house the DSS said was visited in error.

    Of the seven, two were charged to court. While Justice Adeniyi Admola (one of the two charged) has since been acquitted, the trial of Justice Sylvester Ngwuta (the second) is fast progressing.

    The others affected judges are currently left idle as the DSS has failed to either charge them to court or issue them with a clearance notice to enable the NJC to direct them to resume duties.

  • ‘I never said Fed Govt doesn’t know who’ll sign budget’

    ‘I never said Fed Govt doesn’t know who’ll sign budget’

    Minister  of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed has debunked a claim widely credited to him in the social media.

    A statement by his Special Adviser Segun Adeyemi said: “Our attention has been drawn to a story in a section of the media quoting the Honourable Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, as saying ‘’we don’t know who will sign the 2017 budget’’.

    “This quote is a malicious misrepresentation of what transpired at the post-Federal Executive Council Meeting press briefing on Wednesday, 17 May 2017.

    “When the Minister was asked a question relating to the signing of the 2017 Budget, his response was: ‘’When it is transmitted to the Presidency, the issue will be addressed.’’

    “Anything beyond that response amounts to deliberate mischief and should be ignored.”

  • Anti-graft war yielding results, says Fed Govt

    Anti-graft war yielding results, says Fed Govt

    CRITICS of the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s anti-corruption war got a reply yesterday.

    The administration has a good story to tell, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed said.

    He said the government had taken on corruption at its core in the last two years.

    Very soon, there will be more prosecutions and convictions of treasury looters than the nation has ever seen, the minister said.

    Mohammed spoke at the Special (10th) Edition of the Town Hall Meeting in Abuja, following swipes from Senate President Bukola Saraki and House Speaker Yakubu Dogara.

    Mohammed  said: “Let me say straightaway that in giving this mid-term report, I am convinced beyond a reasonable doubt that this Administration has a story to tell, a story of achievements that – if we are able to continue along this path – will stand the test of time and put our dear nation on the path of sustainable growth and development.

    “We have taken on corruption at its core. There are more prosecutions and there will be more convictions for public sector corruption than Nigeria has ever seen.

    “We have acted to address the leakages in government spending that make corruption possible. Through the zero- based budgeting and the Treasury Single Account (TSA), the government’s efficiency unit and the hugely successful whistle-blower policy.”

    The minister said the government was waging the war against corruption because of its interest in a prosperous future for all Nigerians

    He added: “At the same time, corruption levels in our society had become completely unacceptable. The brazenness and impunity of those involved, and the lack of accountability at all levels of society had to be addressed if we were to create the foundations for future prosperity.

    “That future prosperity, for all Nigerians, was the overriding objective of the administration. We were, and remain, 100% committed to delivering an economy that enables all Nigerians to achieve their ambitions, no matter how big or small.”

    Finance Minister Mrs Kemi Adeosun said the anti corruption fight was not only yielding fruit but had become acceptable among Nigerians.

    In her view, “the whistle-blowing policy has made every Nigerian a detective’’ and many of them are not requesting for any compensation.

    According to Adeosun, the Federal Government had got more than 2,500 tips that are likely to lead to the recovery of looted funds and blocking of leakages.

    She said the government was taking measures that would get the country out of recession, adding that Nigeria would come out stronger.

    Mohammed spoke on other achievements of the administration.

    He said: “When President Buhari was inaugurated on May 29th, 2015, he set out an ambitious agenda to take on the most pressing challenges our nation faces. It’s important to remember the context of that speech, and the situation that we faced at that time.

    “As he was speaking, Boko Haram was in control of a significant part of Nigeria’s North-East. In Borno State alone, Boko Haram occupied 24 out of the State’s 27 local councils. The territorial integrity of Nigeria was threatened. Our first and most pressing assignment, therefore, was to restore security to the nation.

    “We have restored security to the North-East and ended the scourge of Boko Haram.

    “We are addressing comprehensively the issues in the Niger Delta that make the production of our oil resources so vulnerable. We are restoring the sanctity of our judicial system, and. We are implementing and Economic Recovery and Growth Plan designed to reset our economy and remove our reliance on oil production, and oil revenues, forever.

    “These are just a few of the initiatives that government is delivering on and it is this last message on the economy that I want to focus on now:

    • We must be able to own our own future. We cannot be a hostage to oil price or production levels. That means taking back control of our economy and making it productive, and delivering value for all  of our people.
    • By building an economy that is no longer reliant on income from one commodity, thanks to the ongoing diversification process, we will create a sustainable basis for long term and inclusive growth for all.
    • The Economic Recovery and Growth Plan sets out the framework for achieving that, and the Honourable Minister of Budget and National Planning is 100% focused on implementation. He will tell you more about his plans shortly.

    “At the heart of this is the need for Nigeria to rebuild the social contract between its government and its people. Government must be accountable, and this government is very accountable. We are providing security; we are providing an enabling environment for business and we are delivering strong and effective public services.

    “Our citizens need to see the value that their taxes are delivering in order to have faith in government, and for us to attract the revenue we need for even greater investment in the future. We are here today to show Nigerians that we are and will continue to deliver our side of that bargain.

    “That is why we are front loading borrowing to fund capital expenditure and build the infrastructure we need. You can see the work going on and it will only grow as we implement the 2017 budget.

    “President Buhari has made these commitments to the Nigerian people. He, and his team, are delivering. We are building a future in which all Nigerians can access opportunity and a Nigeria of which we can all be proud.”

     

  • Fed Govt, NCDC raise plan against Ebola

    Fed Govt, NCDC raise plan against Ebola

    AN Ebola Preparedness Working Group (EPWG) has been set up by the Federal Ministry of Health in conjunction with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as a pro-active step in preventing Ebola outbreak.

    The EPWG will lead the coordination of the immediate risk assessment of the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and coordinate the strengthening of prevention and preparedness for any potential introduction of the virus into Nigeria.

    The move followed the formal notification from the World Health Organisation (WHO) of an outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in the DRC.

    The setting up of the working group came after a directive by the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, to the citizenry not to panic given the level of risk of possible transmission of the virus from the Central African country.

    The NCDC convened an emergency meeting with representatives from the Department of Public Health and Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health, World Health Organisation (WHO), the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United States (U.S.) Centre for Disease Control, the African Field Epidemiology Network and the University of Maryland, Baltimore, U.S. to guide the country’s preparedness activities.

    The risk of introduction of the Ebola virus into Nigeria is considered to be highest through its air and land borders.

    Therefore, Port Health authorities have been advised to intensify existing screening procedures at ports of entry with first responder teams being put on alert.

    In addition, there will be an increased focus on reinforcing principles of infection prevention and control by healthcare workers.

    Nigeria’s response to Ebola in 2014 was recognised globally for its speed and efficiency.

  • Fed Govt to report killer-herdsmen to African Union

    Fed Govt to report killer-herdsmen to African Union

    To the Federal Government, itinerant herdsmen are ‘illegal’ aliens. As part of efforts to check their influx, there are plans by the government to take their matter to the next African Union (AU) Summit

    The Federal Government will take the case against invading foreign herdsmen who are killing Nigerians to the African Union (AU) at its next summit.

    This is to force their countries of origin – especially in West Africa – to prevent their illegal entry into the Nigeria Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Audu Ogbeh alleged said yesterday.

    The government has repeatedly that most of the herdsmen who kill farmers across the country are invaders from other lands.

    Ogbeh spoke yesterday at a Town Hall meeting organised in Abuja where ministers gave account of their stewardship before a cross-section of Nigerians.

    He said the move had become necessary as a result of the incessant crises between farmers and herdsmen across the country.

    Ogbeh expressed regret that most of the violent herdsmen who attack farmers and damage their farmlands were foreigners from neighbouring West African countries.

    The minister said that ranching was a sure way of reducing the disagreement which would in turn eradicate the old and outdated wandering style of rearing cattle.

    He said: “The conflict between farmers and herdsmen is a serious security issue. We are going to table the matter at the next AU conference.

    “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is leading the way. Most of the cows and the violent herdsmen you see are not from Nigeria.

    “Those of them who carry AK 47 come from far away countries and our borders are open. So, we are trying to get every country in West Africa to contain their own cattle and we will deal with our own here.

    “We do not want the conflict. So,  we have to deal with it.’’

    On rice importation, Ogbeh said the Federal Government had information that eight ships were on their way loaded with low quality rice heading to the Republic of Benin to be smuggled into the country.

    The minister said the government was planning to reduce the prices of local rice to ensure affordability and availability – all aimed at crashing smugglers’ activities.

    He said Nigeria  imported 580,000 tonnes of rice from Thailand and India in 2015 at  $410, 000 dollars per tonne, but the figure dropped to 58,000 tonnes last year.

    Ogbeh said the total cost of the 580,000 tonnes was $238 million but was reduced to $24 million within one year.

    He said: “We have 20 giant rice mills for an average capacity of 100 tonnes a day. We will sell them at 60 per cent discount to make it easy for women, cooperative societies and youths.

    “We will distribute another 27 palm oil mills and we will bring vegetable oil mills for distribution too.’’

    Ogbeh, however, appealed to citizens to be patient with the government, noting that it was working assiduously to ensure food price reduction.

    The Minister of Budget and Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, said the ministry had empowered no fewer than 174,160 youths out of the 200,000 selected for the N-Power programme.

    The N-Power programme recruits and trains young unemployed graduates as teachers, agricultural extension workers and health support workers among others.

    He said that all beneficiaries from 36 states had been engaged and receiving payments as part of the implementation of the N-Power programme.

    The minister said the N-power was being implemented under the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) as promised by President Buhari during his campaigns to help the poor and vulnerable people.

    Udoma said: ‘‘Hence, in the 2016 Budget, we voted N500 billion for the SIPs.

    ‘‘These projects are being implemented by the Office of the Vice- President, with my ministry as the accounting Ministry and Department Agency (MDA) for the programme.’’

    Udoma said that so many people had also benefited from the  Cash Transfer Programme, the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP).

    He said that the Cash Transfer Programme was aimed at providing targeted transfers to poor and vulnerable households, with the final aim of graduating them out of poverty.

    ‘‘So far, 35 states have been engaged in the programme by signing its MoU and 30,000 households with validated Bank Verification Number (BVN) have been paid in the first nine states.

    ‘‘Payments to address backlogs are currently ongoing.’’

    Besides, he said that the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme was designed to increase the enrolment and completion rates at the primary school level.

    The minister said it was called home-grown because it relied heavily on the local value chain from the small holder farmer in the community to the accredited caterer in the same community.

    He said: ‘‘Twenty six states have so far been engaged with the programme by carrying out their capacity building workshops with the aim of establishing their multi-sectoral teams and determining the delivery flow in their states.

    ‘‘Of these 26 states, home-grown school feeding has commenced in seven states while cook-pupil mapping has been carried out in 16 states.

    ‘‘So far, 11,937 cooks have been selected, trained and engaged, and have commenced feeding the pupils; 1,051,619 pupils are currently being fed in 8,487 schools across the seven states.’’

    Udoma further said that GEEP had so far disbursed a total of 57,000 soft loans across 28 states to various beneficiaries.

    ‘‘GEEP aims to provide soft loans to artisans, traders, youth, entrepreneurs and market women among others”, he said.

    The minister said that the SIP would continue under the 2017 Budget entitled: “The Budget of Recovery and Growth,” which has just been passed by the National Assembly.

    He said the budget would consolidate on the gains of last years’ budget, including earmarking about 31 per cent for capital projects.

    Udoma said: ‘‘The budget was prepared on the basis of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) and contains many projects that will stimulate growth in the economy such as the social housing fund and the Special Economic Zones programme.”

    According to him, the ministry had followed up with the development of a more comprehensive medium term – ERGP 2017 – 2020, saying: ‘‘ERGP will take us out of recession to a strong, diversified, inclusive, and sustained growth.

    ‘‘The Plan will help us fire on multiple engines of agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals, services etc., and not just the single engine of crude oil production.

    ‘‘It sets out our policy direction for the economy over the medium-term, and serves as a guide for investors and businessmen.”

    The minister assured that President Buhari would deliver on his promises of tackling corruption, restoring security and fixing the  economy.

     

  • Fed Govt frets over increased gas flaring

    Fed Govt frets over increased gas flaring

    The Ministry of State for Petroleum, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu yesterday expressed fears that the establishment of modular refineries may increase the rate of gas flaring in the country.

    Kachiukwu, who was represented by his Senior Technical Adviser on Investment, Dr. Tim Okon, stated this during the presentation of the report on: New Nigeria Oil &Gas Framework and Policy  in Abuja,

    Kachikwu however said that the government will control the operations of the refineries.

    “Modular refineries will worsen our flare. We have to use economics of scale. If we have many refineries they will accentuate problems; so  we will have to control them,” he said.

    He said the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNP) will next year call for expression of interest for marginal fields, which will be opened for companies’ participation, saying that prior to the exercise, the marginal field policy would have come into force.

    The NNPC, said the minister, will ensure that the Niger Delta gets micro businesses to engage in as the government is keen about providing a business friendly environment.

    Kachikwu said there will be a critical legislation to make gas independent of government subsidy, which has caused significant loss of revenue from the product.

    He said the government wants to make sure that gas can economically stand on its own, adding that in the new scheme of things, government’s intervention in the petroleum sector will focus on developing entrepreneurs to discourage “sharing money that distorts political discourse and value system.”

    Kachikwu said besides oil, Nigeria is a country with deliverable resources, with an educated and aggressive populace.

    Commenting on the economic state of the nation and taking into cognizance of its potentials, he said: “I imagine what Nigeria could become if we do the right thing.”

    He noted that the essence of the seven big wins is to bring out the latent opportunities in the oil and gas system to take a collaborative responsibility to assist those who really want to become players in the field.

    The minister said the sector had been locked down by interest groups for too long positively or negatively, however time has come to open up the areas that are there.

    He pointed out that  it is now the responsibility of the ministry to assist those that have creative ideas about the industry  to “creates employment and development.”

    He recalled that he announced the concept of project 100 in Houston, which is to identify 100 Nigerians with skills, capacities and enthusiasm for the relevant assistance from government.

  • Fed Govt’s capital projects releases hit N1.2tr in 2016, says minister

    Fed Govt’s capital projects releases hit N1.2tr in 2016, says minister

    The Federal Ministry of Finance said yesterday it released over N1.2 trillion for capital expenditure in the 2016 fiscal year.

    Details of the N1.2 trillion capital releases, the ministry said, are “in line with government’s increased focus on capital expenditure”.

    Power, Works  and  Housing received the largest allocation of N307,411,749,682,    followed by Defence and  Security, N171,900,597,013 and Transport and  Aviation, N143,121,925,241.

    Other sectors are Agriculture and Water Resources;  and Education and  Health.

    These sectors accounted for 62 per cent of the cash released.

    Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun said: “We have focused our capital spend on priority sectors to stimulate economic activities and job creation. Despite the challenges in 2016, the Federal Government was able to achieve fully cash-backed capital releases of N1.2 trillion, which is a reflection of our commitment to infrastructure development.”

    These capital releases exclude the capital element in releases to statutory agencies, such as the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Judiciary.”

    The government, the minister said: “Intends to attract private capital to complement government spending in these key areas”.

  • Fed Govt pays N54b to retirees

    The Federal Government yesterday an-nounced the payment of N54 billion accrued benefits of all employees of the Treasury Funded Federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who retired between January and August last year and were duly enrolled.
    The government advised the retirees who fall under this category to contact their pension fund Administrators (PFAs) to commence the collection of their retirement benefits.
    Head, Corporate Communication, National Pension Commission (PenCom), Emeka Onuora, in a statement, explained that arrangements were being made to pay the next batch comprising those who retired between last September and December.
    He said: “On behalf of the Federal Government, the Commission would like to salute the courage, patience and perseverance of the retirees during the period when resources were mobilised to pay their accrued rights.”

    s“Arrangements are being made to pay the next batch consisting of those who retired between September and December of 2016.
    “The Commission remains solidly committed to ensuring that retirement benefits are paid as and when due.”

  • Fed Govt to stop sugar import soon

    The importation of sugar for local consumption would soon be a thing of the past, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar , has assured..
    The minister, who gave this assurance while inspecting the BUA Sugar Refinery in Lafiagi, Kwara State, said Nigeria Sugar Master Plan was being pursued vigorously to ensure its full implementation.
    She said: “BUA Group should speed up its implementation so as to join others like Dangote Group which has the Savannah Sugar in Numan, Adamawa State and Golden Sugar in Sunti Niger State.
    “The government is fully prepared to support genuine investors to succeed in their investment anywhere in Nigeria. “Nigeria is getting into agriculture developm proper as the abundance in the past was not well handled, which is the reason for the current hardship the country is presently facing.”
    Also speaking, the Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council, Dr. Latif Busari stated that the government came up with a 10 year Sugar Master Plan for which BUA has keyed into.
    The visit will enable the government come up with new guidelines in the sugar subsector. The various companies are expected to provide good roads, schools and hospitals as part of their social responsibilities to the communities where the companies are located.

  • Fed Govt to DisCos: nobody forced you to buy power assets

    Fed Govt to DisCos: nobody forced you to buy power assets

    POWER, Works & Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola was unsparing yesterday in Jos as he told the 11 DisCos to sit up.

    He said the Federal Government and Nigerians were fed up with excuses from the DisCos over their shortcomings and berated them for lack of “corporate governance” in their relationship with consumers.

    The minister told the DisCos to stick to the terms of their licences and implement their remittance obligations without complaints.

    Fashola spoke in the Plateau State capital during the monthly meeting of stakeholders in the power sector, hosted by the Jos Electricity Distribution Company (JEDC) at their NIPP Injection substation at Lamingo Dam.

    According to the minister, who chaired the 15th monthly meeting, “the monthly meeting is to provide opportunity for stakeholders to meet and brainstorm on challenges and ways to improve power supply to the satisfaction of all Nigerians.”

    He rejected the excuses of the DisCos and the various attempts by them to justify why they have not satisfied their consumers.

    Fashola told the DisCos: “What the public need to know and which your statement is silent about is that you are entitled to fully recover your cost and investment by law. And this is the function of how tariff are also calculated. So if you make your investment, the cost is passed through to consumers.

    “Therefore, if government holds 40 per cent of the shares of DisCos on behalf of the state and local governments and the Nigerian people, I believe that the government has the duty to ensure that you buy your parts and equipment at reasonable and competitive market prices and not through inflated contracts to relatives as we have seen in some DisCos in respect of which NEC will take a decision in due course and sanction those who are involved.

    “You also issued a statement regarding the declaration of eligible customers, your statement claimed that this provision which allows certain classes of consumers to deal directly with generation companies is premature and will result in extra cost to the consumers.

    “Your statement is however silent on the inability of some of your members to invest in feeders and distribution equipment to get the power to the consumers, this has led to the emergence of the terminology of ‘load rejection’ for an economy that does not have enough power and enough crude.

    “Your statement that money does not address the illogic standing in the ways of the consumers seeking to get by himself what the service providers or DisCos have failed or was unable to give him.

    “As for the alarm and the panic which your statement seeks to raise about the increase eligible customer declaration is not compulsory and applied to only those who were left to benefit from it.

    “And they are in the position, I believe, to decide whether the tariff of over N60 per kilowatt hour through generation by diesel which they currently use is preferable to investing in the distribution facilities that give them power at a lower term. What is important is that the law is followed; consultations are held with those prescribed before decisions are taken.

    “Rather than complain about old infrastructure, I wish to remind you that nobody forced you to buy these assets, and that you knew what you were buying when you bought them.

    “As for the N709 billion intervention, let me say that it is consistent with our government policy and determination to enable businesses flourish and it was intended to save the GenCos and the gas companies and their financiers who were providing service from collapse.

    “Your statement did not tell members of the public that these companies were not getting paid because you were not remitting all what you are supposed to be remitting to the market operators.”