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Tag: Fed Govt

  • Fed Govt mulls using TSA to fund budget

    The Federal Government is planning to use a portion of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) balance to fund the national  budget, the Accountant-General of the Federation, Alhaji Ahmed Idris, told reporters yesterday in Abuja.

    Speaking at the retreat on TSA, he said: “The policy has helped to reduce the amount of borrowed funds by government, there is need to have a mechanism that would allow the balances in TSA to be used in a profitable manner  for  budget execution. The implementation of the policy has been successful, there is need to harness the immense potentials of the initiative in budgeting and debt management.

    “This is one of the critical aspects of our reforms. Beyond mere cash management, there is need to look particularly in this time of recession to see how best we can deploy the large balances that we have been keeping with CBN (Central bank of Nigeria) for the betterment of the economy.”

    He said all the stakeholders will continue to talk and  would be advising government appropriately. “It is not something that we will do tomorrow; we have to sit on how we deploy them profitably into very efficient and very viable instruments. So all that needs to be worked out,” Idris said.

    He also said there is improvement on deployment of technology and modern applications to solve all the challenges that are being encountered.

    “Right now, we are talking with some programme developers, because we observed that for teaching hospitals and universities, there are endowment funds, there are third party funds and there are funds that are not meant as holding funds. We deploy technology to seep out those funds, separate (them) from normal conventional revenues,” he explained.

    Idris reiterated that his Office has stopped N4.7 billion in cost of keeping old ministies, department and agencies (MDAs) accounts which attracted large cost of borrowing through over drafts, and other charges monthly.

    As a result, the OAGF has “been able to track government revenue; we have been able to see revenue inflow and that has helped us to harness our revenue in that direction. We have been able to stop leakages because some of these over 20,000 accounts were not even known to some agencies that owned them, and TSA has brought about transparency in terms of delivery.”

    Reacting to concerns that the implementation of the TSA has forced many banks to sack workers, Idris said: “Banks are never created to hold public funds or government funds virtually for free. No! That is not banking. Nowhere in the world are banks relying on public funds to survive. So, banks are now becoming more innovative and that innovation is what will bring them back to business. I believe very soon, retrenchment in the sector will be a thing of the past and they will be looking for people to employ because they are now focused on doing what they are supposed to do.”

    Since the policy was fully implemented in September 2015, about N5.244 trillion has accrued to the account and everyday the account keeps swelling.

    The retreat was attended by stakeholders in the private and public sectors of the economy.

  • Economy going out of recession, says Fed Govt

    Economy going out of recession, says Fed Govt

    The recession is receding, the Federal Government said yesterday.
    Proof: the about eight-fold over subscription of the government’s Eurobond (orders in excess of US$7.8 billion compared to a pre-issuance target of US$1bn).
    Besides, the oversubscription, the government believes, has confirmed the confidence level of the international investment community in Nigeria’s economic reform agenda.
    A report in Issue 23 of Aso Villa’s Newsletter, Government at Work, released on Monday, also gave 11 other reasons why the government believes that the economy is on its way out of recession.
    After two consecutive quarters of negative growth, according to the newsletter, the non-oil economy witnessed in Q3 2016 a modest return to positive territory at 0.03%.
    It attributed this marginal growth to the continued good performance of agriculture and solid minerals, two sectors prioritised by the Federal Government.
    According to it, agriculture grew by 4.54% in the quarter; crop production is at nearly 5% – its highest since the first quarter of 2014.
    Growth in the solid mineral sector, the newsletter said, averaged about 7%.
    The second reason why the government believes the economy is recovering is the Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria, which it said substantially raised local rice production in 2016 (yields improved from two tonnes per hectare to as much as seven tonnes per hectare, in some states) and produced a model agricultural collaboration between Lagos and Kebbi states.
    Thirdly, it said that the Fertiliser Intervention Project (which involves a partnership with the Government of Morocco, for the supply of phosphate) is on course to significantly raise local production, and bring the retail price of fertiliser down by about 30 percent.
    Another reason given by the government is the taking off of the newly established Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), with initial funding of US$1.3bn (provided by the World Bank, German Development Bank, the African Development Bank and Agence Française de Development) to provide medium and long-term loans to MSMEs.
    The newsletter states: “A new Social Housing Programme is kicking off in 2017. The ‘Family Homes Fund’ will take off with a 100 billion naira provision in the 2017 Budget. (The rest of the funding will come from the private sector).
    “More than N800 billion  has been released for capital expenditure in the 2016 budget, since implementation started in June 2016. This is the largest ever capital spend within a single budget year in the history of Nigeria. These monies have enabled the resumption of work on several stalled projects – road, rail and power projects – across the country.”
    The government also gave the implementation of the Social Investment and Empowerment Programme (SIP) as a reason for growth of the economy.
    All the four components of the SIP, it noted, have now taken off.
    The newsletter described the SIP as the largest and most ambitious social safety net programme in the history of Nigeria, with more than 1 million beneficiaries so far: – 200,000 N-Power beneficiaries, 23,400 Government Enterprise and Empowerment (GEEP) Scheme beneficiaries, 1,000,000 Homegrown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP) beneficiaries, and ongoing Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) payments across nine pilot states.
    It said: “Strategic Engagements with OPEC and in the Niger Delta have played an important part in raising our expected oil revenues. Already, Nigeria’s External Reserves have grown by more than $4 billion in the last three months.
    “Collaboration with China, proceeding from President Buhari’s April 2016 visit, has unlocked billion of dollars in infrastructure funding. Construction will begin on the first product of that collaboration, a 150km/hour rail line between Lagos and Ibadan, in Q1 2017.
    “The National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (NERGP), the Federal Government’s medium-term Economic Plan, is due for launch in February 2017, and will chart a course for the Nigerian economy over the next four years (2017 – 2020).” it stated

  • Fed Govt, ASUU begins 2009 renegotiation agreement

    Fed Govt, ASUU begins 2009 renegotiation agreement

    THE Federal Government has inaugurated a committee to re-negotiate the 2009 FGN/University Based Staff Unions Agreement.
    Minister of Education Malam Adamu Adamu, who performed the inauguration yesterday in Abuja, said it was done in demonstration of the government’s commitment to fulfilling its promises.
    Adamu said the team for the re-negotiation with unions from the polytechnics and colleges of education would soon be constituted as their respective governing councils are being put in place.
    The minister said: “The inauguration of the re-negotiation team is significant as it confirms to the unions that government is committed to keeping its own side of the promise.
    “It wants to ensure that an environment that is conducive for teaching, learning, research and community service is engendered through lasting industrial harmony in our tertiary institutions.
    “Today’s inauguration kick-starts our drive for re-negotiation across the three segments of the tertiary education sub-sector – universities, polytechnics and colleges of education – starting with universities.
    “The administration in the ministry and the administration in the country does not consider the unions as enemies or even opponents. As I have always said, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Non-Academic Staff Union (NASU) and Nigerian Association of Technologists in Engineering (NATE) and all others are patriotic people who are very concerned about education because what they are struggling for is not for their personal glory or gain. Therefore, you should be facing friends who are interested in education as you are.”
    Chairman of the committee Dr. Wale Babalakin said a conducive environment in the tertiary institutions would be the bedrock for growth of a nation’s intelligentsia.
    Babalakin, who assured the minister that the committee would rise beyond expectations for the growth of tertiary education, appealed to the members to ensure that the task was not underestimated, but carried out with the commitment of all.

  • Fed Govt ‘feeds one million school kids in seven states’

    Fed Govt ‘feeds one million school kids in seven states’

    •Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Zamfara get funding

    THE Federal Government now serves one meal a day to more than one million pupils across seven states under the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, the Presidency has said.
    Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicityto the Acting President Laolu Akande said this in a statement yesterday.
    According to him, N844,360,550 has been released to begin the programme in Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, Oyo, Osun, Ogun and Zamfara as at last week.
    But he noted that not all the states have started implementation.
    He said: “In Anambra, Enugu, Osun, Ogun and Oyo states, the feeding has actually started, while it is expected to start this week in the two other states of Ebonyi and Zamfara that have been funded already.
    “That means, the Buhari Presidency’s Homegrown School Feeding Programme would be feeding this week a total of 1,043,205 pupils in those seven states.
    “Equally, a total number of 11,775 cooks have now been employed to prepare the meals in those states already, while local farmers in the states are also the one producing the food prepared and served.
    “Of all the states, Anambra, which was the first state to receive the Federal Government funding late last year, has now received three full funding tranches covering 30 school days, totalling N188,769,000. The state has a total of 937 cooks and feeding 96,489 pupils,” he said.
    He added that the Federal Government has released N115,218,600 andengaged 1,466 cooks to feed 164,598 pupils in Ebonyi State.
    “Also, in Enugu State, the Federal Government has released N67,244,800 to feed 96,064 pupils and 1,128 cooks engaged.
    “In Ogun State, the Federal Government has released N119,648,900 to feed 170,927 pupils and engaged 1,381 cooks. In Osun, a total of N92,425,400 have been released to feed 142,193 pupils with 2,688 cooks engaged.
    “For Oyo State, a total of N72,288,300 has been released by the Federal Governmentto feed 103,269 pupils with 1,437 cooks engaged, while in Zamfara,the Federal Government has released a total sum of N188,765,500 to feed 269,665 pupils and engaged 2,738 cooks,” he stated.

  • NLC to Fed Govt: enact law to protect whistleblowers

    NLC to Fed Govt: enact law to protect whistleblowers

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday asked the Federal Government to put in place laws that will protect whistleblowers, if the fight against corruption is to succeed.
    Its President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, spoke while addressing members of the Joint Health Sector Union, who were picketing the Federal Ministry of Health.
    He said it was unfortunate that while the government was promising to reward whistleblowers, those who have come forward with information were being prosecuted.
    Wabba accused Minister of State for Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire of fragrantly undermining the civil service rules and protecting the Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, who was accused of corruption by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
    He said while the civil service rules stipulate that any public officer accused of offence must give way for proper investigation to be carried out, “the medical director was being protected and allowed to remain in office while being tried for fraud on an 18-count charge by the EFCC”.
    The NLC President said while judges indicted for corruption have been asked to step aside while their trial last, the medical director was allowed to remain in office, alleging that she was using her position to victimise those who reported her to the EFCC.
    He said labour was not only fighting corruption, but impunity in the Federal Medical Centre and the Federal Ministry of Health.
    Wabba assured the health workers that the organised labour would keep supporting their agitation.
    He said through the activities of whistleblowers, the government was able to recover $9.8 million from a single individual, noting that the protest would continue until the minister of state respects the law and do the right thing.
    The NLC President said while the medical director remains in office, she has ordered the removal of the names of the whistleblowers from the payroll of the Federal Medical Centre, stressing that that “democracy can only thrive where there is transparency”.
    Wabba said: “No worker who is a whistleblower will be allowed to be punished. We will continue this advocacy until the right thing is done.”
    He, however, announced a suspension of the protest for three days to give the permanent secretary and the ministry official’s ample opportunity to address issues raised and get back to them.
    He said if the ministry failed to address the issues raised within the three days, workers would be mobilised to protest both at the ministry and in the house of the minister of state, who supervises the Federal Medical Centres.

  • NLC to Fed Govt: cut off looters’ hands as a deterrent

    NLC to Fed Govt: cut off looters’ hands as a deterrent

    THE Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) yesterday asked the Federal Government to cut off the hands of those found to have stolen public funds.

    It urged government to name and shame those involved to serve as a deterrent to others.

    Addressing a protest rally for good governance at the Unity Fountain in Abuja, NLC President, Comrade Ayuba Wabba, said it was unfortunate a few individuals stole the nation’s common wealth and nothing had been done to bring them to book.

    Wabba said government must prove to the world it was serious about winning the fight against corruption and recovering stolen money as well as the alleged $22 billion not remitted to the Federation Account from sale of oil and gas.

    He said when the hands of such people are amputated, Nigerians would be able to identify them as those who stole public funds and who were responsible for the country’s recession.

    He said: “We must not allow a situation where few, because of their interest, will hold the system to ransom. We are demanding increase in electricity supply and they are saying add more tariff, we are demanding increase in minimum wage and they say they are going to be paying in percentage. We should not be tired.

    “Why should somebody steal one billion naira and walk the street free. We are demanding that they should be named and shamed. We are also demanding that one of their hands be cut off so that when we see them, we will know that they are people that have stolen our money.

    “So, let us not be tired. Not to pay salaries and pensions is criminal. Not to increase our wages in this condition is corruption and so, we must demand good governance and support the fight against corruption.”

    President of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Comrade Bobboi Kaigama, said efforts must be made to end corruption in the country.

    He said: “We must end corruption in this country and support good governance. It is only in Nigerian that corrupt people are being celebrated.

    “We want to tell the world that we are insisting that corruption must be fought to a standstill. Those people who are aiding and abating corruption should be prepared for the wrath of Nigerians. If you escort criminals to court, we will follow you there and disgrace you.

    “Today, we have to show our displeasure because it is only in Nigeria. Workers and the downtrodden are suffering. Their pay is not increased, while we have daily increase in inflation and recession because of the stolen wealth that has not been redistributed to Nigerians.

    “We have so much corruption in the states and local governments to the extent that bailout fund given to them will be diverted. We are going to follow them with EFCC and ICPC to make sure that those diverting our bailout fund meant for the payment of salaries, pension and arrears of promotion must be dealt with.”

    Security operatives yesterday prevented the protesting workers from the Presidential Villa to deliver their protest message to Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

    The letter demanded good governance and sustained fight against corruption.

    The workers, led by Wabba and Bobboi Kaigama, who were matching to the Presidential Villa from the Unity Fountain, were stopped at the Federal Secretariat by armed security operatives at 11.05 am.

    They were, however, asked to send a delegation of their leaders to take their message to the Villa, a request which they initially turned down, insisting the Acting President either send a representative to receive their message or they be allowed to enter the Villa to deliver the message.

    However, 20 representatives of the workers were later selected to take their message to the Acting President while the rest waited for their leaders.

    They were entertained by the music of legendary Fela Anikulakpo Kuti, the late Bob Marley, among others.

    Traffic on the busy Shehu Shagari Way was diverted as the workers partially blocked the road waiting for a response from the Villa.

    The placard-carrying workers were, among other things, demanding good governance, accountability and sustained fight against corruption.

    Some of the placards read: “Make payment of salaries a priority”; “Our salaries can’t take us home again”; “Electricity tariff hike in the face of darkness is the height of wickedness”; “Building infrastructure without payment of salaries is corruption”; “Owing workers’ salaries is an act of corruption”; “No electricity, no industrialisation”; “Replace importation with production” and “Non-payment of pension is bad governance” and others.

    About two hours later, the leaders emerged from the Presidential Villa to inform the workers that they were well-received by the Acting President in company of some cabinet ministers and given the assurance that their demands will be looked into by the government.

    Also, human rights lawyer Mr. Femi Falana yesterday called on President Muhammadu Buhari to prosecute those, who diverted the money meant for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    He spoke at Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’ office when organised labour made a peaceful protest to his office.

    Falana, while appreciating labour, said: “President Buhari should flush out corrupt officials out of his government and those involved in the diversion of IDPs money should be prosecuted.”

    The lawyer urged states to join the fight against corruption.

    His word: “In spite of the promises made by this government to make life good for the people, pensioners are dying; things are getting difficult every day.

    “I urged organised labour to ensure payment of pensions and salaries of workers. Despite recession, convoys of governors are still very long and they still purchase cars.”

    According to him, Buhari government should know that “the honeymoon is over”.

    Falana, who wished Buhari speedy recovery, condemned officials of government who travel abroad for medical treatments.

    “It is a shame that our governors and President still travel abroad for medical treatment”, he said.

    Commissioner for Establishment Akintola Benson  promised to deliver the message to the governor.

  • Fed Govt’s lawyer withdraws from Justice Ngwuta’s trial

    Fed Govt’s lawyer withdraws from Justice Ngwuta’s trial

    The lead prosecution lawyer in the trial of Supreme Court Justice Sylvester Ngwuta, Charles Adeogun-Philips announced his sudden withdrawal from the case yesterday.

    Adeogun-Phillips, an ex-prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), while announcing his withdrawal at the resumption of proceedings yesterday, was silent on what informed his decision.

    At the resumption of proceedings yesterday before the Federal High Court, Abuja, shortly after the judge, Justice John Tsoho asked parties if they were prepared, Adeogun-Phillips rose to his feet and told the court he has resolved to opt out of the case.

    When the case was called, a lawyer from the Federal Ministry of Justice, who had always accompanied Adeogun-Phillips to court, Mrs. Hajara Yusuf, announced her appearance for the prosecution.

    She said: “I have been instructed to inform the court that Mr Charles Adeogun-Philips, the lead prosecuting counsel, will no longer be appearing in this matter.

    “In view of this change, myself and my colleagues will be appearing, subject to when arrangement will be made in due course.”

    Justice Tsoho thanked Adeogun-Philips for his courtesy in the course of his appearance for the prosecution.

    “The court has taken notice of the withdrawal of the prosecution counsel, Mr. Charles. And the court wishes him success in his future endeavours,” the judge said.

    Lead defence lawyer and former Attorney General of the Federation, Kanu Agabi (SAN), also commended Adeohun-Phillips for his conduct and wished him success.

    Agabi later proceeded to cross-examine the first prosecution witness, Nwaba Linus.  Linus said he was paid for the services he rendered to the defendant because he thought it was legal. He said he had never expressed any reservation about the legitimacy of his transactions with the defendant.

    “I would not have accepted the payment if I thought it was a crime, but he explained the source of the money that was why I accepted.

    “The work I did for the defendant was in the open, I documented all the construction I did for him and the document cannot be regarded as illegal.

    “I have never received any complain against the defendant or heard of any report from police or any enforcement agency,” Linus said.

    He said he was arrested and detained for seven days by the DSS. He added that he did not consider his arrest and detention as justified.

    When Linus ended his testimony, Mrs. Yusuf sought an adjournment to enable her put things in order because of the changes that had occurred in her team with Adeogun-Phillips’ sudden withdrawal.

    Justice Tsoho agreed to her request and adjourned to Feb. 13 for continuation of trial.

    Justice Ngwuta was arraigned on a 16-count charge including money laundering and offences relating to obtaining multiple passport.

  • Fed Govt sets guidance for $1b Eurobond

    Fed Govt sets guidance for $1b Eurobond

    The Federal Government has set price guidance for a $1 billion 15-year bullet bond at 8.125 per cent to 8.375 per cent, according to a lead.

    The notes were initially marketed at 8.50 per cent area. Order books are in excess of $4.5 billion.

    The 144A/Reg S notes due February 2032 are today’s business via joint book-runners Citigroup and Standard Chartered, with Stanbic IBTC Capital acting as financial adviser.

    The $1 billion Eurobond offer, priced at 7.875 per cent with 15 year-tenor was yesterday oversubscribed 800 per cent after the Debt Management Office (DMO) defied all known predictions by international financial and capital market analysts to prove that Nigeria’s economy remains resilient and robust in the international capital market during the issuance of the nation’s first fifteen-years maturity $1 billion Eurobond.

    The offer, which comes at $200,000 and integral multiples of $1,000 denominations, will mature in February 15, 2032 with Citigroup Global Markets Limited and Standard Chartered Bank while Stanbic IBTC Capital is the Financial Adviser.

    The issue was 750 per cent oversubscribed, underscoring still buoyant investor appetite for scarce frontier African paper, despite a recent selloff in emerging market assets. ‘The Global medium term Note programme of $1,000,000,000 is due to mature in 2032.

    It was a day of international acknowledgement and endorsement of the Debt Management Office (DMO) continued effective strategy in a peculiar challenging local and global economic landscape.

    Nigeria issued $1 Billion 15-year bond at a 7.875 coupon at a most turbulent time of her economy.

    Commenting following the successful pricing, the Minister of Finance Mrs Kemi Adeosun said: “Nigeria is implementing an ambitious economic reform agenda designed to deliver long-term sustainable growth and reduce reliance on oil and gas revenues while reducing waste and improving the efficiency of government expenditure. At the heart of the agenda is a commitment to invest in developing Nigeria’s infrastructure through a target 30 per cent annual budget commitment to capital expenditure. We are establishing the building blocks for long-term growth and making the hard decisions that must be made to reset our economy appropriately.”

    Analysts also praised the DMO led by its Director-General Abraham Nwankwo  for being able to win the confidence of international investors, leading to the oversubscription of the offer.

    The excitement in the offer was driven by international investors’ endorsement of Nigeria government’s initiatives at economic recovery. Investors hungry for higher returns in a low interest rate environment reckon Nigeria’s benign debt levels, recovering foreign exchange reserves and a potential yield above seven per cent are reasons enough to look beyond the country’s economic woes.

    The $1 billion Eurobonds offer received of ‘B+(EXP) rating from Fitch Ratings. The assignment of the final rating is contingent on the receipt of final documents materially conforming to information already reviewed.

    Nwankwo said: “Nigeria is delighted to have successfully priced its third Eurobond issue. We have successfully extended the tenor of our borrowing programme in the international capital markets to 15 years, at a price that reflects belief in the quality of Nigeria’s cash flows and government. The Eurobond is the latest step in a broader debt strategy designed to significantly re-balance our debt profile towards longer term financing and reduce the burden of interest on our annual budget.”

  • Fed Govt inaugurates committee for fuel supply

    The  Federal Government has set up a committee to provide a framework for the importation and supply of petroleum products, the National President, Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Mr. Chinedu Okoronkwo, has said.

    He said the committee comprised officials of the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and its depots, privately-owned depots, Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN), Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN), Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) and relevant stakeholders.

    He told The Nation, that  the committee was to  provide modalities for fuel distribution nationwide.

    Others are: ensuring that marketers comply with the fuel pump price of N145 per litre, obedience to the laws guiding the importation of fuel, and hoarding of fuel, among others.

    According to him, the government is aware of the problems any attempt to increase the price of fuel will cause, and decided to step in to nip them in the bud.

    Okoronkwo said: “The government is keenly interested in ensuring uninterrupted supply of fuel in the country. This is the reason behind the decision of the government to set up a committee that would oversee the supply of fuel in the country. As things are, the government wants to keep to the rules guiding the supply of fuel, and also expected stakeholders including the marketers to do the same thing.”

    On the Direct Sale and Direct Purchase (DSDP) import model, Okoronkwo said the government did not make reference to the model, while setting up the committee.

    “The government did not state categorically whether the committee will be involved in the DSDP import model introduced to enable crude oil refiners abroad process the country’s crude oil into petrol and other petroleum products and further bring them to Nigeria. We are watching the events as they unfold by the government. Let us wait and see, whether there will be alternative to the model or not,” he added.

    He said IPMAN was ready to support any policy capable of improving the supply of fuel nationwide.

    The IPMAN chief said marketers were in between the government and the masses on issues relating to fuel importation and supply and had no reason other than to comply with the directives of the government on such matters.

  • Killing of Nigerians: Fed Govt demands justice from South Africa

    Killing of Nigerians: Fed Govt demands justice from South Africa

    •Says about 116 killed in last two years

    The Federal Government has expressed worries over the spate of exra-judicial killings of Nigerians in South Africa.
    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Diaspora Matters, Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa, said there was no justification for the killing of Nigerians by the South African police.
    Mrs Dabiri-Erewa appealed to the South African authorities to ensure that justice was done in the case of the Nigerians killed last December .
    Tochukwu Nnadi, a 34-year- old business man, was murdered by South African police last December 29.
    She spoke yesterday during a visit to the South African Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Lulu Louis Aaron Mnguni, in Abuja.
    The meeting, she said ,also afforded her the opportunity to discuss with the ambassador on how best the two countries can work together to achieve minimum crime and minimal negative reports coming out of Africa.
    She said: “We are worried about the criminalisation of illegal migration, especially amongst ourselves as brothers in Africa. We are worried in particular about the criminalisation of Nigerian migrants in South Africa. Yes some do commit crimes and deserve to be punished, but the extra-judicial killings worry us.
    “At the same time while we appeal to Nigerians wherever they are to obey the laws of the land, we are also worried about extra-judicial killings anywhere in the world. In South Africa, we have lost 116 Nigerians in the last two years. And in 2016 alone, about 20 were killed and 63 per cent according to statistics were extra-judicial killings in particular by the South Afrcan police.
    She hoped that the relationship between both countries gets stronger and better.
    “We hope that the death of the Nigerian who was killed in last December will get justice in the hand of the South African authority,” she said.
    The presidential aide, who showed satisfaction with the assurances extracted from the South African envoy, said : “He has promised that the Nigerian that was killed on December 29, that the case will be properly investigated and justice will be done and his excellency has promised that we are going to get a report on that and that it is not going to be business as usual. ”
    The envoy told reporters that the killing would be properly investigated and those involved would be made to face the music.
    He said: “Whatever has happened, the family of the deceased should know what happened to their loved one, in terms of the outcome of the investigations.”
    South Africa, he said, “has high level of technology to know how a person dies and all we have to do is to ensure that pathologists and the police come out with the truth and that those who have done whatever is wrong are sentenced.”
    He added that some murder cases have been resolved with culprits sentenced.
    “We have come a long way with Nigeria, a country that was so much relentless in supporting us in the days of apartheid rule.”