The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Fed Govt

Fed Govt restates commitment to ease of doing business

The Federal Government has reiterated its commitment to providing well-designed legislative framework to ensure ease of doing business in Nigeria.

Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment Dr. Okechukwu Enelamah said this at the Japanese Business Mission to West Africa Business Seminar and Networking organised by Japan External Trade Organisation (JETRO) in Lagos.

The programme had in attendance representatives of 14 companies from eight countries, which include Japan, France, United Kingdom, South Africa, Ghana and United Arab Emirates.

Enelamah said the fulcrum of the economy agenda of the Muhammadu Buhari administration was the ease of doing business in Nigeria for local and foreign investors.

This agenda of the government, he said, has led to a number of bills introduced in the National Assembly, which focuses on the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

The minister asserted that to encourage foreign direct investments to Nigeria, with its high potentials for growth, there must be functional legal framework to ease the acts of doing business.

He added that last year, the Federal Government inaugurated the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) with Acting President Yemi Osibanjo as Chairman.

“I am the vice chairman and we are poised to work with stakeholders in the public and private sectors so as to identify obstacle of doing business in Nigeria and find possible solutions,” the minister said.

Enelamah, who was represented by the Director General of Nigerian Investment Promotion Council, Ms Yewande Sadiku, noted that the Federal Government was poised toward increasing trade and business opportunities with other countries in its effort to diversify the economy.

He said Nigeria’s population remains a force nobody can ignore in Africa as the country remains the 24th largest economy in the world and hope that by 2030, it will be the 19th economic giant in the world.

The minister added that Nigeria is increasingly trying hard to diversify away from oil as service sector contribute the largest Gross Domestic Product for the Federal Government to the tune of 19.82 per cent in 2016 followed by agriculture.

The Director General, JETRO Paris, Susumu Kataoka, stated that the purpose of the visit was to know the business environment in Lagos and see the changes, processes and identify new business opportunities.

He said Japanese companies were ready to do new businesses and expand their frontiers in African countries, especially in Nigeria.

Kataoka restated the commitment of the Japanese government in investing $30 billion for sustainable development in African’s infrastructure, technology transfer, improvement of living condition and regional stability.

March 13, 2017
ILO seeks Fed Govt, Labour dialogue on minimum wage

The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has advised the Federal Government and Labour to use social dialogue in negotiating a new minimum wage for its workers.

Its Country Director for Nigeria, Mr Dennis Zulu, gave the advice in Abuja.

The ILO Convention stipulates that a minimum wage review is every four years.

He said: “Discussion on the minimum wage for instance, this social dialogue mechanism can be used to achieve an optimum solution and optimum win-win results agreeable to all the parties or the tripartite partners in Nigeria.

“Social dialogue is a critical component to maintaining industrial harmony in the workplace and therefore we want to encourage that the three parties, the private sector, worker organisations and government.

“Always use this mechanism as a way of reaching agreements on this contentious issue and have the necessary information to put in place an appropriate argument to back their demands,’’ he said.

Zulu said Nigeria has a social dialogue mechanism within which all the three parties meet and should not relent in using such platform.

He added that ILO would want to see more of these meetings, especially as a way of finding solutions to agreements on some issues that arises in workplaces.

“Basically, each of the three partners has equal right to all discussion around the work place through the mechanism called the social dialogue.

“We encourage the three partners to engage in discussions, consultations on all issues that will affect the welfare of workers in the workplace.

“Because we believed that it is only through reaching consensus through social dialogue that we can get the industrial harmony that is needed for the workplace to be functional,’’ he added.

March 10, 2017
Fed Govt launches guidelines for HIVprevention, treatment

The Federal Government has launched the 2016 National guidelines for HIV prevention, treatment and care.

At the launch in Abuja,Minister of State for Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire said the event climaxed the journey that Nigeria embarked upon in 2001 in search for a stable and sustainable system for the delivery of HIV/AIDS services.

He said the guidelines were informed by the basic principles of equality, equity and social justice , adding that they aligned with the universal declarations of human rights by promoting universal access to comprehensive HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and care for all persons in Nigeria.

Dr.Ehanire enumerated some of the highlights of the Guidelines to include: Test and Treat, meaning that everyone who tests positive to HIV is, without exception, immediately eligible for treatment, not omitting pregnant women in the Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) programme, all persons who are at risk of contracting HIV infection are to be offered antiretroviral drugs as prevention.

The Guidelines also stated that all persons on treatment are entitled to at least one free viral load test annually and that great emphasis shall be placed on differentiated systems of care that are adjustable to the individual needs of the patients.

While commending the contributions of partners like PEPFAR and other UN Agencies like UNAIDS, Clinton Health Access Initiative, Civil Society Organisations and frontline health workers for their contributions, he urged Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) supporting HIV interventions to close ties with the Federal and State Ministries of Health, and also called on the body of People Living with HIV /AIDs to come fully on board.

Mr. Obatunde Oladapo, Executive Director, PLAN Health Advocacy and Development Foundation, Ibadan was of the opinion that Nigeria should revise the treatment for People living with HIV, stressing that empowering patients with vital information on treatment and monitoring of treatment of PLWHIV are imperative to reduction of infection.

He also noted that stigmatisation of people living with HIV was a barrier to access to treatment adding that government should step up its campaign against discrimination of people living with HIV and AIDS.

March 10, 2017
Ambode tackles Fed Govt over Lagos Airport Road

Governor: Ministry of Works frustrating us

Lagos State yesterday accused the Federal Government of frustrating its plan to rebuild the Oshodi – Murtala Muhammed Airport road.

Besides, six months after President Muhammadu Buhari directed that the Presidential Lodge in Marina should be ceded to the state, it is yet to take over the edifice, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said.

The governor spoke after inspecting projects which he plans to inaugurate as part of the Lagos at 50 celebration and the second anniversary of his administration.

Lagos State was created on May 27, 1967. Ambode mounted the saddle on May 29, 2015.

Speaking to reporters at the Lagos House, he described the Airport Road as “a national embarrassment”.

He said although his administration had come up with a design for the reconstruction of the road and the funds for the project, the Federal Ministry of Works failed to give it the green light.

He said: “The road linking Oshodi to the International Airport, you would all agree with me, is a national embarrassment. In the spirit of the regeneration and urbanisation that this administration has set out to achieve, we believe strongly that the image that is exhumed by the decadence of that road must be repaired and we took it upon ourselves to appropriate in the 2017 budget that the House of Assembly should approve the total reconstruction of the Airport Road from Oshodi to the International Airport.

“The State currently has a design of 10 lanes to come from Oshodi to the International Airport with interchange and flyover that would drop you towards the Local Airport. The contractor is already set to go and we already have the cash, but we are having challenges with the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. This is a Federal and not a state road. The Federal Ministry of Works believes that they should do the road, but they have not been able to do it all these years past.”

Ambode said the Federal Government was owing the state N51billion, spent on repairing federal roads over the years. In spite of this, the state is ready to fix the Airport road.

Ambode said if given the approval, his administration was ready to begin the construction within two weeks and finish it within six months.

He urged the Federal Government to avail the state of the N2billion appropriated for the Airport Road in the 2017 National Budget to carry out the project as addition to what the state would spend on it.

“I just want to appeal to the Federal Ministry of Works, to let go or reimburse us with whatever it is that they are owing us and even if they are not willing to pay us now, we have the money to do it. It is a national disgrace. We would like to do it as part of the celebration of Lagos at 50,” Ambode said.

The spokesman of Mr. Babatunde Fashola, the Minister of Power Works and Housing, Mr. Hakeem Bello, said last night that he would consult and get back to The Nation, but his reaction did not come until the newspaper went to bed.

On the Presidential Lodge, Ambode said: “As we speak, we are yet gain entrance into that place. It’s frustrating our programme. So, I want to use this medium to appeal and say that the approval of Mr. President should be rightly honoured and the agencies concerned, that is the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing and the Security Services, should honour that promise by Mr. President.”

The Ojodu Berger regeneration project, the Abule Egba Flyover Project and the Aboru Abesan Link Road are to be inaugurated as part of the state’s golden Jubilee celebrations.

Ambode said compensation had been paid to owners of properties that had to give way for the Oshodi and Ojodu Berger regeneration projects. Property owners at Abule Egba are also to get their’s within the next four weeks, he added.

March 9, 2017
Recession will end before December, says Fed Govt

Nigerians got yesterday some cheery news – the recession that has kept everyone panting will end before the year runs out.

The yet to be passed 2017 Budget has been structured to achieve the goal, Budget and Planning Minister Udoma Udo Udoma told State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

He said: “Yes, we are determine, to get the economy out of the recession before the end of this year. And the 2017 budget is structured to do just that.

“So that is why we are anxious to get the budget passed so that we can begin the implementation and begin to take all the steps we need to get the economy out of recession.”

The ministry briefed the Council on the National Bureau of Statistics Third Quarter GDP Report and the full report on 2016.

“I also informed council of the release of the Economic Recovery Growth Plan which is already on the website of the ministry of budget and National Planning as well as the Budget Office,” Udoma said, adding:

“With regards to the NBS report, as you are aware, the fourth quarter of the economy contracted by 1.3 per cent, which is lower level of contraction than the previous year and which indicates that we are already turning and we are beginning to recover even though we are still in recession.

“And the overall result was better than what many people projected. The IMF report had thought the GDP for 2016 was going to be -1.8 per cent and it turned out -1.5, so that’s better than expected but we are not out of the woods.

“It is encouraging but we have to do and continue to do more to make sure that we get the economy out of the recession this year.

“So we are encouraged but we are even more energised to put in more effort in agriculture, which is doing very well to do even better. To put in more efforts in solid minerals to make sure that our infrastructure is revamped because that is what will stimulate our economy, if we continue in this way.”

Udoma went on: “You saw yesterday the acting president went to break ground for the railway from Lagos to Ibadan all the way to Kano. As you know, the economic recovery and growth plan focuses on three objectives; one is restoring growth and that is what we are determined to do.

“Two, inviting our people; our people are our greatest resource and three, building a competitive economy because ultimately the economy cannot do well unless it is competitive.

“And as you know the five priority areas that we have are one, stabilising the micro economic environment. Two, achieving agriculture and food security. Three, ensuring energy sufficiency – power as well as petroleum products. Four, improving transportation infrastructure and five, driving industrialisation, focusing on small and medium scale enterprises. So we are determined with this plan to make this economy great again. We are determined by the end of the plan to move from the negative growth that we experienced in 2016 to the growth rate of 7 per cent by 2020.”

March 9, 2017
NLC to Fed Govt: workers’ patience running out on wage review

THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) said yesterday workers were running out of patience with the Federal Government over delay in negotiation of a new minimum wage.

It said the workers could not wait indefinitely for government to respond at its own time.

Speaking at the Fourth NLC National Gender Conference in Abuja, NLC President Comrade Ayuba Wabba said workers were getting tired of government’s delay tactics in constituting a tripartite committee to negotiate a new minimum wage.

He asked the government to act immediately

Wabba said the although wage was due for renegotiation after five years, the Buhari administration was dragging its feet in constituting a tripartite committee as is the practice to negotiate a new minimum wage.

He said “against the background of the harsh economic times and the impact on the working people, we cannot wait indefinitely for government to respond at its own time”.

“Though, we have been told by the administration that the panel will be constituted, we enjoined the government to urgently sort out whatever is the constraint it is facing and act on the matter before we are forced to take actions that may be unpleasant,” he said.

According to Wabba, “it is no longer news that our country is in a severe recession and prices of virtually all consumable and non-consumable items have skyrocket. In the last 12 or more months, the inflationary trend in the economy has gone over the roof, and the mass of our people, the salaried and the teeming millions of the unemployed, are facing very difficult times.

“Amid these difficulties, we have contended with a number of state governments that have misplaced priorities and have regularly refused to pay workers in the state pay roll, their salaries as at when due.

Wabba stressed the congress’ commitment in promoting gender equity and gender participation in the affairs of trade unions in the country.

March 9, 2017
FRC: Fed Govt, states’ debts hit N11.84tr

About N11.84 trillion – that is what states and the Federal Government are owing.
The Fiscal Responsibility Commission(FRC) says the debts include domestic debt (N9.73 trillion or 82.20%) and external debt (N2.11 trillion or 17.80%).
Of the debt stock, the Federal Government has about N10.29 trillion, comprising domestic debt of N8.84 trillion or 85.96% and external debt of N1.44 trillion or 14.04%.
All the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) as at the end of 2015 were owing N1.55 trillion.
Only Anambra State did not borrow from either commercial banks or the capital market.
There are “no clear indications” that the debtors got the approvals of the appropriate legislative bodies before acquiring the debts.
Besides, there was no evidence of compliance with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007, according to the FRC.
It accused banks of lending to all tiers of government, their agencies and corporations in breach of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.
These are contained in the 2015 Annual Report of the Fiscal Responsibility Commission (FRC), which was obtained by The Nation in Abuja.
The report said: “The capital market borrowing component of FGN debt stock stood at N8.84 trillion, representing 85.88% of the total debt stock and almost the entire domestic borrowing (99.99%) as only N8.00 billion was raised through commercial banks.
“The debt stock of all the 36 states, including FCT, as at the end of 2015 totaled N1.55 trillion. This is made up of domestic debt of N887.22 billion or 57.24% of total debt and external debt of N662.75 billion or 42.76% of total debt. The component of domestic debt was; N60.95 billion (6.87%) for capital market borrowing and N826.27 billion (93.13%) borrowing from commercial banks.
“Analysis of the total domestic debt of the Federal Government, states and FCT amounting to N9.73 trillion revealed the Federal Government component of N8.84 trillion representing 90.85%. The States and FCT on the other hand accounted for N887.22 billion or 9.15%.
“Further analysis revealed that the N8.90 trillion domestic debts raised from the capital market was in the ratio of 93.71% and 6.29% for the States and FCT. Conversely, the proportion of borrowings from commercial banks weigh heavily in favour of the States and FCT at N826.27 billion or 99.01% while the FG accounted for the N8.00 billion representing 0.91%.
“The bulk of the total domestic debt was contracted by the FG which was 90.88% as against 9.12% for the states and FCT. The composition of the domestic debt indicated that the greater part was obtained from the capital market.
“The fact that the bulk of FG borrowing was from the capital market apparently suggests that it mobilised resources towards financing long term capital projects aimed at providing critical infrastructure. The FG capital borrowings in 2015 consist of 65.73% raised through the issuance of Bonds, 31.38% Treasury bills and 2.90% Treasury bonds.
“The debt profile of the states and FCT was similar to that of the FG in that there were more of domestic debts than external debts. The states and FCT borrowed from commercial banks.
“Seven states borrowed from the capital market along with the FG, namely Benue, Cross River, Gombe, Kogi, Oyo, Plateau and Zamfara. These States, in addition to borrowing from the capital market borrowed from commercial banks as well.
“Only Anambra State borrowed neither from commercial bank nor the capital market. In 2014, all states and FCT borrowed from commercial banks with only Bauchi State borrowing from capital market in addition to commercial banks.”
But the Fiscal Responsibility Commission faulted states for not complying with the laws on borrowing.
The commission said there were “no clear indications” that all tiers of government were borrowing with the approvals of the appropriate legislative body.
It also said there was no evidence of compliance with the provisions of the Fiscal Responsibilty Act 2007.
The report added: “Analysis of the borrowings of both the FGN and states revealed that all outstanding external debts as at 31 December, 2015 were for capital expenditure and human development in line with the provisions of FRA 2007.
“However, there was no clear evidence that the loans were obtained on concessional interest rate of 3% or less. Similarly, it could be ascertained that all the loans were on reasonably long amortisation periods of not less than 10 years.
“The categories of the external debt are multilateral agencies 70.54%, bilateral agencies 1.47% and commercial loans 27.99%. Loans from multilateral agencies were largely within the 3% concessional interest rates while the commercial loans are well above 3% interest rate.
“For domestic debt, there were no clear indications that all tiers of government were borrowing for only capital expenditure and human development at 3% interest rate with the approvals of the appropriate legislative body and in compliance with the provisions of FRA, 2017.
“In order to keep the domestic debt within reasonable control, it is desirable for domestic borrowing to be rationalised.
“As in previous years, most of the domestic loans in 2015 have maturity period of between five to 20 years with most of the loans having no specified purpose for which they were meant.”
The commission said that despite several letters and reminders, some banks continued to lend to state governments/agencies without obtaining proof of compliance with FRA as clearly stipulated.
“It was noted that such lending are indeed contractual arrangement with the banks for repayment via deductions from the States Statutory allocations. This is contrary to Section 45 (2) of the FRA, 2007 which stipulates that ‘all lending by banks and financial institutions in contravention of this Part (Part X) shall be unlawful,” it said, adding:
“Against this backdrop, any contractual arrangement undertaken as debt transaction(s) between states/ their agencies with any bank(s) without compliance with section 45 (2) is unlawful.
“In effect, all commercial banks still lending to governments in the Federation, their agencies and corporations are not only in breach of the FRA 2007, but such lending are clearly unlawful and may be irrecoverable.”

March 8, 2017
Nigerians free to travel to U.S., says Fed Govt

No Nigerian with full valid entry visa has been denied entry into the United States (U.S.) contrary to reports, according to Minister of Foreign Affairs Geoffrey Onyeama
Onyeama said Nigerians were free to travel to the U.S. as the country was not on the list of six banned mainly-Muslim countries.
The banned countries are Iran, Somalia, Libya, Syria, Sudan and Yemen. Iraq was removed from the list in the revised Executive Order issued by President Donald Trump.
The minister said he was constantly in touch with the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S. and the U.S. Ambassador to Nigeria, adding that there was no report on Nigerians being denied entry into the U.S.
The minister spoke against the background of the advisory issued on behalf of the government by Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Foreign Affairs Mrs Abike Dabiri-Erewa on Monday that Nigerians without any important thing to do in the United States should not ravel there because some Nigerians had been inexplicably sent back home from the airport.
But yesterday, Onyema said: “On the issue of Nigerians being turned back from the U.S., this is not the case.
“I am in touch with the U. S. Embassy and the Ambassador said no, there was nothing of such nature.
“I can tell you to ignore any call or advice to reconsider travelling to the U.S. because there is no basis for that.
“We have absolutely no report whatsoever from the U.S. that people are being turned back from the U.S. or any of our consulate or any Nigerian that any of our people are being turned back,” he said.
According to him, if government was speaking on any external relations, it would be heard from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Presidency as any other source is not from the government.
He said Nigeria had embassies in almost 114 countries across the world and the ministry relied on their reports.
“The U.S. Government has been reaching out to Nigeria.
“The U.S. president took all the trouble to call our president and to offer the hand of cooperation to see how he was doing.
“And, to congratulate him on the efforts he is being making and expressing the respect that he had for him, his leadership and his government,” he said.
According to him, the U.S Secretary of State called to echo exactly the same thing and our cooperation with them is exemplary.
“Nigeria is on no list and Nigerians are on no list ban by the U.S. Government and it is always business as usual and very good business with the U.S. Government.
“Anything you hear in respect of the U.S. is incorrect, so any one that has valid document to go to the U.S. or any other country should please proceed to do so,” he said.
The minister also reiterated that no Nigerian was killed in the recent xenophobic attacks against Nigerians living in South Africa.
“ I want to say that no Nigerian was killed at the last xenophobic attacks in South Africa, wherever the information is coming from it is not true.
“We have the high commissioner and we have the consular there and the report of people being killed is not correct,” he said.
He said the Federal Government was having discussion with the South African Authority at the highest level to ensure that the issue did not repeat itself.
Onyeama said the discussion was also to ensure the protection of foreigners living in South Africa.
But a pressure group, the Nigerian Coalition for Quality Governance, said the minister was misleading the Federal Government with his denial.
The group’s national coordinator, Gbenga Omoniya, said it was wrong for Onyeama to dismiss the travel advisory issued by Mrs Dabiri-Erewa.
Omoniya said the Federal Government could not afford to close its eyes to maltreatment meted out to genuine Nigerian travellers in the U.S. despite exclusion of Nigeria from the travel ban.
Rather than engaging in denial, Omoniya advised the minister to wake up to his responsibility by creating functional communication mechanism to track cases of victims affected by the U.S. immigration measures.
Omoniya said: “We advise Mr. Onyeama to confirm cases of Nigerians affected, but which have not been reported to the Ministry of Foreign Affair rather than engage in spurious denials that have no basis in facts, we enjoin that the minister to collaborate with the relevant agencies of the government in making sure that Nigerians are treated with dignity and respect wherever they may be. Trump is putting America first. Onyeama should put Nigerians first, too.”

March 8, 2017
Cleric to Fed Govt: listen to the people

The General Overseer and Spiritual Leader of Awamaridi Church of Christ, His Grace Eminence Primate Gabriel Olaboye Omotosho has said only can solve Nigeria’s problems.

Omotosho spoke after his church’s thirty–ninth convention and thanksgiving service tagged: “Ma Sunkun Mo” (Cry No More) adapted from Luke 11:13.

He said: “The leaders of this nation should desist from lies, falsehood, and deceit. It is possible for God to show us Mercy in this country if only we can imbibe the culture of truthfulness.

“Our leaders have plunged this Nigeria into her present state. The citizens must pray fervently. Presently, the recession that is biting hard is a sign of good things to come. The leaders should have the fear of God and must desist from falsehood, banditry. If only they can shun looting of public funds, deceit, falsehood, God will show us abundant mercy in Nigeria and things may change better than it was before. Now President Muhammadu Buhari has only succeeded in placing his Hausa/Fulani in a key position and when Yoruba is in a higher position he will be seconded by an Hausa subordinate who will keep on troubling him.”

The church’s chairman, Evang. Temidayo Ogunjobi, said God has wiped away the tears of those who attended the convention.

March 8, 2017
Fed Govt to Nigerians: don’t go to U.S. unless necessary

THE Federal Government has advised Nigerians who have no compelling or urgent reason to travel to the United States (U.S.) to postpone their travel plans until the new administration’s policy on immigration is clear.

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and the Diaspora Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, in a statement on Monday, said the warning became imperative due to series of reports received by the office of the SSA.

Abike-Dabiri-Erewa

“In the last few weeks, the office has received a few cases of Nigerians with valid multiple-entry U.S. visas being denied entry and sent back to the Nigeria.”

“In such cases reported to the office, such affected persons were sent back immediately on the next available flight and their visas were cancelled.”

Dabiri-Erewa said: “no reasons were given for the decision by the U.S. immigration authorities.”
The Presidential aide said the statement “is only to advise Nigerians without any compelling or essential reasons to visit the U.S. to consider rescheduling their trip until there is clarity on the new immigration policy.”

She reminded Nigerians in the Diaspora to abide by the rules and regulations of their host countries and be good ambassadors of the country.

March 7, 2017