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Tag: Federal government

  • ACF to FG: Deploy intelligence to rescue Leah Sharibu, others 

    Following the recently released audio purported to be that of the abducted Dapchi girl, Leah Sharibu, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) has asked the Federal Government to deploy intelligence to rescue the outstanding Dapchi girl from terrorists’ den.

    ACF in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Muhammad Ibrahim Biu in Kaduna on Wednesday said, the released audio if it is authentic has rekindled hope that, Leah Sharibu is alive and will be rescued.

    Read Also:Buhari won’t rest until Leah Sharibu, others are released, says Presidency

    According to the statement, the forum said, “Arewa Consultative Forum (-ACF) has received with grief and hope the audio voice alleged to be that of the Dapchi girl, Leah Sharibu still in the captivity of Boko Haram terrorists that abducted the Dapchi girls in February this year.

    “In the alleged audio, Leah is appealing to President Buhari and all Nigerians to come to her rescue from the terrorists. If the audio is truly of Leah, it gives hope that the girl is still alive and may be released someday.

    “Although majority of the kidnapped girls were rescued by the Military and other security agencies one month after their abduction, Leah has not been lucky. Hence the anxiety and concern which the audio has rekindled in the minds of not only the parents but also across the nation.

    “The assurance given by the Federal Government that the Security Agencies are decoding the alleged audio cassette to verify its authenticity is a welcome development and heartening.

    “ACF however, urges the Federal Government to not only fast track the process of verification of the audio, but also utilize its intelligence to trace and rescue Leah and other Chibok girls that have been in the terrorist’s den for the past four years.

    “ACF also appeals to Nigerians to be prayerful and hopeful for the successful rescue of our kidnapped girls and many others in the captivity of Boko Haram terrorists. The situation demands consciously directed efforts from all,” The statement read.

  • FG inaugurates Presidential panel on prerogative mercy 

    The Federal Government on Tuesday inaugurated the Presidential Advisory Committee on Prerogative of Mercy.

    The inauguration was done by Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha in the SGF conference hall.

    He was represented at the brief ceremony by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, who is the chairman of the committee.

    Read Also:Prerogative of Mercy: Lagos orders release of 18 Kirikiri inmates

    He said “The significance of an occasion like this goes beyond the ceremony itself; it gives a signal for the members so inaugurated to brace up with the responsibility embedded in the assignment.

    “The committee is a four year tenured committee constituted to assist Mr. President in the discharge of his constitutional responsibility of not only granting pardon to deserving prisoners and ex-convicts and reintegrating them into the society but also to work towards decongesting the prisons nationwide.”

    According to him, the inauguration of the committee will go a long way to reduce the congestions in the prisons.

    Stressing that the responsibility of the committee is sensitive and enormous, he said that the purpose for its constitution and its guiding principles must be completely adhered to.

    He said that the terms of reference of the committee are statutory and constitutionally as they are enshrined in Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution.

    “The inauguration today enables you to kick start the processes leading to nationwide prison visits and consequent recommendation of eligible ex-convicts and convicts for presidential pardon.” he stated

    While making an opening remark, a member of the committee and Permanent Secretary in the Special Duties office, Williams Alo, recalled that the President reconstituted the committee on the 19th of June, 2018.

    Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution on Prerogative of mercy reads “(1) The President may (a) grant any person concerned with or convicted of any offence created by an Act of the National Assembly a pardon, either free or subject to lawful conditions; (b) grant to any person a respite, either for an indefinite or for a specified period, of the execution of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence; (c) substitute a less severe form of punishment for any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence; or (d) remit the whole or any part of any punishment imposed on that person for such an offence or of any penalty or forfeiture otherwise due to the State on account of such an offence.

    “(2) The powers of the President under subsection (1) of this section shall be exercised by him after consultation with the Council of State. (3) The President, acting in accordance with the advice of the Council of State, may exercise his powers under subsection (1) of this section in relation to persons concerned with offences against the army, naval or air-force law or convicted or sentenced by a court-martial.” it stated

    The 12-man committee included Abubakar Malami (Chairman), Williams Alo,  Lucy Ajayi, Joshua Abu, John Idoko, the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, representative of the Nigerian Prisons Service, representative of the National Human Rights Commission.

     

  • Third mainland bridge reopened for traffic

    The Third Mainland Bridge which was temporarily closed for Investigative Maintenance Test would be reopened by 5pm today (Sunday)

    Although the bridge was originally scheduled for opening by 12 midnight tonight,  the State Government, in a statement by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Dr Taiwo Salaam, said the decision to reopen the bridge earlier than announced followed the completion of the test by engineers.

    The government also thanked motorists and residents for their cooperation and patience while the closure lasted.

    The State Government, in partnership with the Federal Government, had temporarily shut the bridge for the Investigative Maintenance Test with the closure initially scheduled to last from midnight of last Thursday to midnight of Sunday.

  • Women, children,to get lowest basic health, nutrition services

    The Federal Government is committed to ensuring that Nigeria women, children and adolescents access basic health and nutrition services at lowest cost, the Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole has said.

    The Minister, in a statement signed by Mrs. Boade Akinola, Director, Media and Publicity made the commitment at a forum put together by the Government of Nigeria, the Global Financing Facility (GFF) and Partners, to co- finance efforts towards improving the health and Nutrition of the poorest Women, children and Adolescent in the country.

    Read Also:Improving efficiency of health insurance

    ‘The GFF has created a new sense of awareness that we must put our money on the table for these essential investments in our people and use them in even smarter ways and that is something that has not been done before,” he said.

    The Minister explained that Nigeria being the most populous country in Africa was facing big challenges.

    Nigeria he further said is the single largest contributor to the global infant and child mortality rates annually, something he said was unacceptable.

    The Minister regretted that, those challenges had hugely outpaced government spending on health and nutrition, coupled with government spending in recent years being unable to reach those who needed them most and doing little to reduce high and impoverishing out –of-pocket spending on health by poor Nigerians.

    To this end, Adewole maintained that the grant from the GFF would co finance early implementation of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) with funds mobilised from the government and other contributors, starting in three states: Abia, Niger and Osun.

    Following the start-up phase, the Minister revealed that Nigerian Government would provide most of the financing for the scale-up to the remaining 33 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

    Also speaking, the Director of the GFF, Mariam Claeson, said that Nigeria’s commitment to sustainably financing health and nutrition was a beacon for other countries as they worked closely with the GFF to make sure the investment they made lasted for years to come.

    ‘’The Government on Nigeria will make an enormous difference in the lives of millions of Nigerians by making a lasting investment in the health and nutrition of women, children and adolescents, the foundation of the society and the economy’’

    In his remarks, the World Bank Country Manager for Nigeria, Rachid Benmessaoud, said that the Government of Nigeria, with the support of the GFF, the World Bank and other partners were catalysing REALCHANGE for the people of Nigeria. ‘’This investment in human capital will pay dividends in lives saved and improved and help build a stronger and more prosperous economy’’

    In the long run, the BHCPF’s success will be underpinned by the use of the Government of Nigeria’s own resources to purchase services instead of inputs; the buying of services from both public and private providers; the establishment of a system of accreditation to improve quality of care; the financing of a rigorous system of verification that helps ensure value for money; the creation of robust payment systems and the demonstration of long-term government commitment to using public funds to subsidise the cost of services for the poor , amongst others.

    The GFF is investing a total of US$47 Million in Nigeria, linked to US$350 million in funding from the International Development Association and the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries, which had focused on scaling-up health services in North East, Nigeria and accelerating nutrition results for women, children and adolescents in the country.

    The Global Financing Facility is a multi-stakeholder partnership that is helping countries tackle the greatest health and nutrition issues affecting women, children and adolescents. GFF is supported by Governments of Canada, UK, Denmark, Japan, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Norway.

     

  • FG has 69 ongoing infrastructural projects in South-East, says Minister

    The Federal Government Thursday replied south east governors, saying there are 69 ongoing projects in the region alone.

    The governors had claimed that the region has been shortchanged in the implementation of infrastructural projects by the current administration.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who issued the rebuttal Thursday in Ilorin, at a lecture by Mr. Festus Keyamo, spokesman for the President Muhammadu Buhari Campaign Organization promised to publish the full list of projects and the state.

    Read Also:FG slams PDP over infrastructural development in South East, South South

    ”While this claim may have made headlines, it is totally untrue. His Excellencies were either misquoted or they were quoted of context.

    Either way, this allegation flies in the face of available evidence,” he said, promising to publish the full list of the projects and the state-by-state breakdown.

    Alhaji Mohammed said no part of the country, including the South-east, has been left out of the massive infrastructural projects of this Administration, adding that from the proceeds of the 100 billion Naira Sukuk Bond alone, the South-east got 16.6 billion Naira worth of projects, just like any other zone.

    He listed the four projects covered by the Sukuk Bond proceeds in the South-east as Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway Section II (Umuahia Tower-Aba Township Rail/Road Bridge Crossing in Abia State; Enugu-Port Harcourt Dual Carriageway Section I (Lokpanta-Umahia Tower) in Abia State; Outstanding section of the Onitsha-Enugu Expressway (Amansea –
    Enugu State Border) and the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway Section III (Enugu-Lokpanta) in Enugu State

    The Minister said he had gone on a media inspection of the roads, as well as the Aba-Port Harcourt section of the Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway and the 2nd Niger Bridge, where the contractor has completed the first three phases of the project.

    ”In conclusion, the South-east has never had it so good in the area of infrastructure. Had the previous Administrations done even half of what we are doing now in that region, no one will be complaining today. It is alright to ask for more, but it is unfair to say nothing
    has been done,” he said.

  • Propagate our achievements – FG urges Churches

    The Federal Government has appealed to Churches and other religious organizations to use their platforms to propagate the achievements of the President Muhammadu Buhari led Administration.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the appeal at his country home, Oro, near Ilorin, Kwara, when he paid a Sallah visit to the Parish Priest of St Andrews Catholic Church, Rev. Fr. Joseph Awoyale.

    He also urged the Churches to use their platform to correct the erroneous conception being circulated by naysayers that Farmerrs/Herdsmen were religious and ethnic induced.

    Mohammed said the clashes were neither religious nor ethnic but resulted from the heightened contest for increasingly-scarce natural resources like land and water, due to demographic, environmental and other reasons.

    On the progress made by the government, the minister said, “without any form of contradiction, no administration in the history of this country has achieved so much in so little a time and with so little resources in the area of infrastructure.

    “However, most of our detractors realising that they cannot fault us on this never talk about the projects rather they are inventing fake news to de-market the administration.

    “Also, governors that have not performed will like to heap the blame on the Federal Government.

    “But I challenge any of them to match what they have done in the area of infrastructure compare to the Federal Government intervention projects in the state.

    “Be rest assured that this administration is committed to infrastructural renewal of this country and we are leaving no stone unturned,” he said.

    The minister said that the administration was working to undo the 20 years of damage by the previous governments.

    “If a government comes in three years and able to revive, complete and make provision for abandoned infrastructure, it is only fair for the people to appreciate.

    Read Also: Buhari commends honest security men

    “Admit that the government has responsibility to provide infrastructure, we also expect some degree of honesty from the people and community.

    We want informed criticism of this administration and we believe that the Church is a better place because you control and influence many souls.

    We are not asking anybody to do us an undue favour.

    “Where we have performed, people should appreciate and accept it and if they don’t want to, they should stop spreading false information about this government.

    The minister stated further that the killings in some parts of the country, which were purely criminal and unacceptable, have been latched upon by many to divide the two religions.

    “Thank God the killings have now gone down drastically, thanks to the efforts of the security forces.

    “Today, the rhetoric coming out of religious organizations are divisive, incendiary and provocative. They are not healthy for peaceful co-existence and should be stopped forthwith.

    “Thank God that those who sought to give the clashes between farmers and herders in Benue and Taraba, among others, a religious coloration have failed. The clashes are neither religious nor ethnic,” he said

    The minister congratulated the Parish Priest and the church for attaining the centenary of Catholicism in Oro town.

    He said: “A hundred years in the life of any person or organisation is no mean feat, hence it is always worthy of celebration.

    “We have been invited to this celebration, which comes up in Oct 29 to Nov. 1 2018, and we will play our part in the celebration.

    He said the Catholic Church in Oro was a shining example of religious harmony and peaceful coexistence for, several years, making its premises available, free of charge, for the annual Ramadan lecture, which he organised.

    “Now, I am sure that, against the background of the acrimony and mutual suspicion that many religious leaders are promoting today, many cannot believe that a church will throw its gates open to a Muslim.

    “But that’s what this Catholic church did for many years Ramadan lecture held annually attended by chiefs of the town, 80 per cent of whom are Christians

    “The lesson from this is that the religious disharmony that is being propagated today by some religious leaders is avoidable, and that adherents of the two major religions do not have to be enemies,” he said.

    Responding, the parish priest, who said he is partly Muslim and partly Christian by parentage appreciated the minister for the visit.

    He commended the Buhari administration for reconstructing the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road which he said was hitherto a death trap.

    “We thank the administration for that and we hope and pray that they will do more for us it term of roads. I must say to you that we need those roads to be able to connect to villages and towns.

    “I tell people that a performing administration does not need to campaign. your programmes and achievements will campaign for you.

    Is it the N-POWER? A lot of people are benefitting from that, is it the roads? many are benefitting. We will just continue to encourage you to continue to work for a better Nigeria.

    Awoyale also hailed the government’s town hall meetings, which he said were bringing government closer to the people.

    NAN

  • Why FMB seeks N500 billion for recapitalisation – MD

    …Spends N65 billion on estates in 20 states

     

     

    The Federal Mortgage Bank (FMB), is seeking for the approval of N500 billion from the Federal Government towards recapitalization of the bank.

    This was disclosed to State House correspondents by the Managing Director of FMB, Ahmed Dangiwa, at the end of a closed door meeting with the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on Monday night at the State House, Abuja.

    Read Also:http://staging.thenationonlineng.net/fmbn-approves-rent-to-own-housing-scheme-for-workers/

    According to him, recapitalization of the bank would attract over ten times of both local and informal investment.

    He said “We have to seek recapitalisation because even commercial banks have recapitalized over time. N5 billion has been the share capital of the bank but only N2.5 billion has been paid.

    “Even other Private Mortgage Banks have capitalized over N5 billion. With the recapitalization of N500 billion, we will attract investment both local and informal; over ten times of that investment and it is going to reposition the bank properly.”

    On the purpose of his visit to the Villa, he said, “We came to see the Vice President as a follow up to our request on capitalization and other requests and also to brief the Vice-President about our activities so far.

    “We have briefed him on some of the activities we have rolled out like the Rent to Own and the introduction of Equity contributions by the NHF that we have just commenced.”

    On the new initiatives of the bank, he said, “What is new is that with the Rent to own product, you don’t need to have any equity contribution and secondly, you enter into the house as a tenant and over years, it becomes your own just like owner occupier basis.

    “It reduces debt turnaround time; you find out that off-takers, they do not need to go through any PMB to that loan.

    “You just find the estate that you want and you enter there in collaboration with your employer and then the house becomes your own.

    “It has started already; we have funded estates all over the country; over 20 states of the federation which any contributor to NHF can now go and choose the house you want within those estates. FMB offices within those states will then profile you and then send to the head office for approval.” he stated

    According to him, the Vice-President appreciated the efforts that the management was making; and promised to take it to the National Economic Council meeting for further deliberations.

    The bank, he said, has committed over N65 billion to the project.

    He said the bank did not have much challenge apart from the fact that they want people to come in and know that NHF was working; and to know that the estates were there for people to go and choose and then move in.

  • FG appoints MD for Family Homes Fund

    …reconstitutes board of Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Company

     

    The Federal Government has appointed Mr. Femi Adewole as the Managing Director of Family Homes Fund.

    A statement from the federal ministry of finance said “Adewole’s appointment followed a competitive and rigorous recruitment process conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, a renowned multinational professional services organization.”

    The FG described Femi Adewole as “a real estate and housing professional with over 25 years’ experience leading housing initiatives across Sub Sahara Africa and the United Kingdom.”

    Read Also:Family Homes Fund to spend N1tr on affordable housing

    Until his appointment, Adewole was Managing Director of Shelter Afrique, the Nairobi based pan-African housing finance company.

    Family Homes Fund, an initiative of the Federal Government, is aimed at facilitating affordable housing delivery by entering into specific partnerships with supportive State Governments, developers and International partners/agencies that can provide technical support and financing for project implementation.

    The ministry also disclosed that the federal government has reconstituted the Board of Directors of Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading Company (NBET).

    The reconstituted NBET Board, which has been ratified by the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo SAN, has the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun as Chairman.

    The Director-General of Bureau of Public Enterprises is the Vice-Chairman of the Board and the Minister of Power, Works and Housing will serve as Non-Executive Director.

    Other Non-Executive Directors in the NBET Board include Director-General of Debt Management Office (DMO); Director-General of Budget Office of the Federation and the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Asset Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON).

    Dr. Marilyn Amobi, the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NBET, is also a member of the reconstituted Board.

     

  • 30,000 to benefit from FG’s small-scale loan in Zamfara

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo said on Tuesday that 30,000 persons would benefit from the Federal Government small-scale loan Zamfara state.

    Osinbajo said this while inaugurating some projects at Talata Mafara, Zamfara.

    Read Also:Two million Nigerians get BoI loans

    He said that the Federal Government was committed to tackling unemployment among Nigerians, especially youths.

    He said that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had already engaged 2,363 graduates from the state under the Npower programme.

    He attributed the security challenges confronting the country to the severe unemployment situation in the country.

    According to him, 8,446 persons have been employed under the National School Feeding Programme involving 1,223 schools.

    Earlier in his remarks, Gov. Abdulaziz Yari commended the Federal Government for introducing various loan schemes on agriculture.

    Yari said that the facilities would promote farming activities this year.

    He then appealed to the Federal Government to establish a rice factory in the state considering its potentiality in agriculture.

    This move, he said, would enhance farmers’ productivity.

    NAN

     

  • FG to concession six hydro dams

    Fashola directs NERC to implement competition transition charges

    The Federal Government on Monday proposed to concession six hydro dams to private operators, who are expected to build, operate and transfer them.

    The Minister of Power Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola broke the news at the 29th Power Sector Stakeholders’ meeting in Minna.

    He noted that it was part of the government plans to energize education institutions and markets.

    His words: “These are Government-led initiatives based on the Rural Electrification plan approved by the President in 2016 to provide access to power for rural dwellers and vulnerable members of our society.”

    He noted that the government has proposed to use six hydro dams that had been abandoned for decades, Federal Universities and some markets as anchor.

    “We proposed to use 6 (SIX) small hydro dams that had been abandoned for decades, Federal Government owned universities and some markets as anchors.

    “The 6 (SIX) hydro dams are to be concessioned to private operators to build, operate, and transfer.”

    The minister said that he has directed the Distribution Companies (DisCos) to work out and implement competition transfer charges in accordance with the law, to safeguard their losses.

    He said that he will continue to monitor the impact of the policy and remain flexible to keep what works and change what does not. He urged all the stakeholders to remain open-minded, adaptive and responsive.

    His words: “The DISCOs must be interested to know that I have also issued directives to NERC to work out and implement Competition Transition Charges as provided by Law, to safeguard them from any losses.”

    The minister noted that the problem with the power sector is mostly in the distribution side of the value chain. He stressed that the ministry introduced the

    Meter Asset Provider (MAP) policy to address the meter supply gap, relieve the DISCOs of the financial burden of meters, allow entrepreneurs to take up this as a business and diversify the sources of meter supply.

    Read Also: FG to complete 21 dams, irrigation projects by 2019

    He recalled that the Regulations and Condition for its operation were issued by NERC on 8th March 2018.

    Continuing, the minister announced that “Reports reaching me indicate that there is an embracement of the policy. Entrepreneurs are showing interest and talking to banks to raise finance.

    “Some DISCOs have signed up to the Government-Supported fund of N37 Billion and we will keep an eye on the progress of the initiative.

    Government intervention in this regard is part of its role of enabling to be effective. It does not relieve the DISCOs of their contractual obligation to provide meters. On the contrary it seeks to help them perform their contract.”

    Fashola said that following the N701billion Payment Assurance Guarantee intervention for the Generation Companies (GenCos), the power producers that used to recover 20%, now record 80per cent recovery. The GenCos, he said, would prefer 100percent recovery.

    Owing to the implementation of the payment, the minister said power supply capacity has improved from 4,000MW to 7,000MW and there is an appetite by other players to participate.

    Fashola also urged the GenCos to compulsorily transparently invoice for their output, stressing that there must be harmonization of the price of gas for payment under the scheme in case of different prices from various gas suppliers.

    The minister said that “But this is only one side of the coin. The other side of the coin is that GENCOs must transparently invoice for their output and, for example, we must harmonise the price of gas for payment under the scheme, where there are differential prices arising from different Gas suppliers.”

    Fashola said that with government policy implementation, there are ongoing projects of 37,000 shops in Ariaria, about 13,000 in Sabon Gari, and about 1,000 in Sura represent SMEs, where the majority of our people earn a living.