The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Federal government

  • UN seeks more investment in women, peace in Nigeria 

    UN seeks more investment in women, peace in Nigeria 

    The United Nations (UN) on Wednesday called on the Federal Government of Nigeria to double its investment on the development of women and promotion of peace in the country.

    Deputy Secretary General of the UN, Amina Mohammed made the call after closed doors meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to her, the UN team led by herself was at the Villa to discuss the implementation of the agenda 2030 and 2063 and see how Nigeria could be supported especially in regards to development of women.

    The UN deputy scribe who served as minister of Environment before her current position t the world organization explained that in achieving the desire of promoting women development, the Federal Government needs to begin to put women at the center of it affairs.

    She said “I am honoured to be leading a delegation with the focus on peace and development of women.

    “With me we the chief executive of the UN women, we also have our special representative on women and conflict, we also have with us, our partner the AU, the special adviser also on peace, women and development.

    “All our regional heads partnering together with the ministry of women affairs and the support of the minister of for national planning,” Amina said.

    “It’s an exciting time to be here because really we are talking about the implementation of the agenda 2030 but also 2063 and for us, it’s about how do we support Nigeria and it’s a very difficult context to do more and to do scale so everybody feels it.

    “We know that there many lessons that have learnt and there challenges that we have but we have some successes from the North East all the way to the South.

    “We want to make sure that we do more so that we can see the scale of this, particularly from the women at the center.

    “In our discussion with the acting President, it’s been about how to increase investments in women, peace and development to ensure that women are a central part of what we do.

    “And we will see the difference, as he said, it’s not just the question of the morals or rights but it’s an economic one as well,” the UN deputy scribe added.

     

  • Borno’s abduction, atrocious, cowardly – Osinbajo

    Borno’s abduction, atrocious, cowardly – Osinbajo

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday condemned the atrocious and cowardly abduction of women which occurred recently in Borno State.

    He sympathises with the families of the abducted women, and assures that the Federal Government will spare no efforts to ensure the safe and speedy return of all the victims.

    The Acting President, according to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, has therefore directed Nigeria’s military and intelligence agencies to take all necessary steps including coordinating with our international partners to rescue the abducted women, as well as to ensure further tightening of security in and around Borno State.

    The Buhari presidency assured that the ongoing efforts of security agencies, including the establishment of additional military and police bases in parts of the country, as well as the improved intelligence gathering will continue, and commends some of the recent significant breakthroughs in combating kidnapping and banditry in the country.

  • Local contractors groan over govt’s N2.4 trn local debts

    Local contractors groan over govt’s N2.4 trn local debts

    Local contractors have cried out over N2.4 trillion debts owed them by government ministries and agencies in the three tiers of government across the country.

    At a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the contractors said the N10 billion which the Federal Government announced in 2016 for part payment of the contractors money has remained a mirage.

    The chairman of the contractors association, Mr. Onuche Okoh, regretted that the circular issued by the Federal Government directing payment to local contractors was being abused by the same government.

    Okoh lamented that about 572 of their 11, 802 members have died within the last seven years while waiting to be paid.

    According to him, top government officials in the MDAs have been awarding government contracts to themselves through consultants without going through due process, while registered contractors are forced to buy the same contracts from third parties.

    “Consultants have taken over the job of contractors and contractors are now buying contracts through third parties who happen to be fronts and cronies of top government officials”, Okoh further lamented.

    He stated that attempts by the contractors to have the Bureau of Procurement publish the list of all registered government contractors in the county were ignored.

    The chairman alleged that apart from awarding contracts to their private companies through proxies, MDAs patronise foreign contractors from who they collect hefty of kickbacks.

    Said he, “They are awarding contracts to these foreign firms and consultants because of the percentage they collect from these foreigners.

    “There are no more contracts for local contractors and no payment for contracts executed by our members. We are begging the government to give us listening ear”.

    The contractors called on the Federal Government not to take a second look at its directive to the Ministry of Finance to pay for contracts executed in 2016 alone, saying there have been backlog of unpaid contract sums dating back to 10 years.

    The group cited the cases of the Nigeria Police which owed contractors to the tune of N7.7 billion and the Federal Ministry of Works owing contractor to the tune of over N600 billion.

     

     

  • Osinbajo inaugurates $49 million irrigation project in Zamfara

    Osinbajo inaugurates $49 million irrigation project in Zamfara

    Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Wednesday flagged off the rehabilitation of 8,000 hectares and conversion/expansion of 5,560 hectares works of Bakolori irrigation scheme.

    The $ 49 million World Bank assisted Transforming Irrigation Management in Nigeria (TRIMING) project, is being implemented by Federal Ministry of Water Resources.

    Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu, who represented the acting president, said this in a statement issued by the ministry’s Director of Press and Public Relations, Margaret Umoh, on Wednesday in Abuja.

    The minister said the TRIMING project would improve irrigation potential of Nigeria.

    He said five basins of Dadin Kowa, Gombe; Hadejia Valley in Jigawa; Kano River in Kano; Middle Rima in Sokoto and Bakolori in Zamfara have been selected for the pilot phase of the scheme.

    The minister said the Federal Government plans to replicate the scheme in other parts of the country to boost the agricultural policy of food security of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    “TRIMING is converting the sprinkler component covering 5, 500 hectares and rehabilitation of gravity component covering 8,000 hectares that will provide a potential of about 13,500 hectares. This will improve large scale public irrigation in Northern Nigeria where it will make a contribution to agricultural production, growth and rural poverty reduction,” the minister said in the statement.

    He called on Nigerians to embrace agriculture in full commercial scale as it now accounts for over 40 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).

    “The potential irrigable area in Nigeria is 21 million hectares, with over 1 million in the north while only 200,000 hectares are currently irrigated. Therefore, the irrigation transformation and development is very essential for sustained agricultural growth of the country,” he added.

    National Project Coordinator, TRIMING, Engr. Peter Manjuk, said the intervention project would transform dry season farming in Nigeria.

    He said the project has a seven-year life span to improve on the nation’s dams, integrate water resources management, and develop Nigeria’s irrigation facilities.

    He added that the project has the potential to develop the entire agricultural facilities of the country thereby creating value for Nigerian farmers.

     

  • FG to deploy drones in aviation industry 

    FG to deploy drones in aviation industry 

    The Minister of State for Aviation, Hadi Sirika on Monday said that the Federal Government will explore the good uses of drones in the Nigeria aviation industry.

    He made the remark at the end of closed door meeting with Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    President of International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), Olumuyiwa Benard Aliyu, was part of the delegation that met the Acting President on Nigeria’s hosting of symposium on remotely piloted aircraft system.

    Sirika said “Nigeria is going to benefit immensely through this symposium. They have created awareness and we will use the outcome of the symposium to regulate more efficiently the use of unmanned air vehicles.

    “We are not going to over regulate but for sure we will regulate so that we will remain safe and secure and then make the industry much more efficient.

    “We will tap from the good uses of drones. We have seen during the symposium on how we can use drones to send blood samples, to rescue someone with heart attack or to deliver pizza or to take aerial photograph and so on.These are some of the benefits of unmanned vehicles

    “We hope that by regulating we will eliminate the dangers. For example if one unmanned vehicle is capable of carrying loads, you could think of them carrying a kilogram or two of bomb, with GPS and remotely piloted from a bedroom it can go and be dropped somewhere.

    “At this symposium we will share ideas and come up with solutions on the good uses of the drones and of course over the bad uses,” he said.

    On the Acting President’s response, he said “He has one himself and has flying drones himself, he is very much conscious and aware and he gave us the support and guidance that we need. He even warned that we should not over regulate so that we will not send people away.”

    Aliyu thanked the Acting President at Nigeria is hosting the symposium.

    He said that he was also in the Villa to express appreciation tothe government for the investment and support that is givento aviation development in Nigeria, which is supporting development of aviation in Africa and globally.

    He said “For Nigeria being a very responsible member of ICAO, I am also here to express the support that I still intend to continue to provide in this aviation development and to urge government to put aviation as the corner stone of the national development.”

     

  • SSANU task FG on security at UNIMAID

    SSANU task FG on security at UNIMAID

    Senior Staff Association of Nigeria Universities, (SSANU) has called on the Federal Government to immediately take steps to arrest the current spate of suicide bombing at the University of Maiduguri by putting in place adequate security apparatus to check the incident.

    The association want the government to set up a task force in  the University to protect the university community from attacks by insurgents and safeguard the lives of staff and students and create a conducive atmosphere for learning in the institution.

    Speaking at the 31st National Executive Council meeting of the union, its National President, Comrade Samson Ugwoke said the union has lost manpower since the university became the target of attacks, stressing that the spate of attacks in the institution was worrisome.

    While asking security operatives to up their games in arresting the ugly situation of suicide bombing in the university, he lamented that the economic recession in the country had lasted for too long, even as he urged the Federal Government to give account of the recovered loots from politicians and public office holders and also inject the recovered money into the economy.

    Comrade Ugwoke said: “Sambisa has been cleared and I feel it is now accessible. But what concerns us most is the spate of attacks at the University of Maiduguru. It is auspicious concern to us.  It seems that the suicide bombers are targeting that university. The University has lost a lot of manpower to terrorists of suicide bombers..

    “I got a letter of the university community calling on the Federal Government to set up a special task force to look after the University. As you are aware, teaching, learning, research and community development cannot take place in atmosphere of chaos and fear. 

    “So,  for teaching and learning to take place, calmness and peace and sine qua non. I appeal to the Federal Government to listen to the cry of the University community in Maiduguri by setting up a task force with a designed security gadget or network to track down the people that send these young girls and young boys to bombard the University.

    “These suicide bombers come out from somewhere. They were not born with bombs attached to them.  The fact that the security agencies have not been able to track the source of the manufacturers of these IED and also from where they recruit these innocent ignorant Children to do these heinous acts is surprising to someone of us. 

    “We are calling on security agencies to live up to their responsibilities by securing members of the university community of the University of Maiduguri.”

    He said further that Speaking on the economy, the SSANU President said,  “the recession is lasting too long and it is biting hard on SSANU members. Government should give account of the recovered loot and plough the recovered loot into the economy so as to boost it and move the economy forward. The money is losing value. “

  • FG to deploy different approaches to provide housing for workers – Fika

    FG to deploy different approaches to provide housing for workers – Fika

    The Federal Government is to deploy different approaches to provide decent housing for the  workforce, especially federal public servants.

    Dr Hannatu Fika, Executive Secretary of Federal Government Staff Housing Loans Board, made this known in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja.

    She said the public service was the engine of governance while housing and other staff welfare were critical to motivate workers for the engine to run smoothly.

    Fika explained that the mandate of the board was to provide soft housing loans to confirmed federal public servants, including military, para-military, judiciary and National Assembly staff.

    She said that in view of the volume of coverage, the board had deployed various options to increase available resources to ensure that workers had their own homes while in service  or in retirement.

    She said the board was partnering different stakeholders in the home finance industries, including the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC), to achieve its objectives.

    According to her, the partnership with NMRC has led to the refinance of N13 billion mortgages which is the active loan advanced to workers.

    She said work was, however, on-going to ensure continuity of the arrangement to enable more workers key into the scheme, through which 30,000 workers f had benefited.

    Fika said the board was also working with the Ministry of Power, Works and Housing and some other agencies to ensure that Nigerians were provided decent houses.

    She further said that the N100 billion allocated to the Family Home Fund by the Federal Government would reduce the country`s housing deficit substantially.

    Fika said that the board had provided between five million naira and N15 million as loan to workers to build or buy their own houses, depending on their ranks.

    She added that effort was on to review the loan ceiling in view of the present high cost of building materials in the country.

    Fika said that the delay in the disbursement of loans to workers was due to the paucity of funds.

    She said beneficiaries who collected the first batch of their approved loans and wanted to withdraw could do so, adding that any variation that might arise in their repayment, would be promptly resolved.

    She appealed to loan applicants to be patient and explained  that the batch system was to ensure fairness, justice and equity.

    According to her, inflow from repayment is small compared to the volume of daily applications, as some beneficiaries have tenure of up to 25 years to repay their loans.

    Fika, however, said that in view of the importance of the public service for good governance, the board needed more funds.

    This, she said, could be from both the government or through public private partnership in order to serve the housing needs of workers.

  • Senate seeks more funds for completion of East/West road

    Senate seeks more funds for completion of East/West road

    …Hails NDDC for intervention

     

    The Senate Wednesday asked the Federal Government to source for funds for the immediate completion of the East/West road.

    The upper chamber said that apart from government funding, alternative source of fund the road construction should be explored to ensure the completion of the road especially the sections along Aba/Eleme road junction to Onne road junction.

    The resolution followed a motion on “Urgent need to complete the East/West road’ sponsored by Senators George Thompson Sekibo (Rivers East), Magnus Abe (Rivers South East) and 22 others.

    Senator Abe particularly lamented the deplorable state of the road and commended the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) for taking steps to repair failed sections of the road.

    Abe said that it was noteworthy that the NDDC has taken the initiative to do the needful on the road and prayed the Senate to ensure more funds for the intervention agency.

    Sekibo in his lead debate noted that the construction of the 675 km dual carriage way EAST/West Road was awarded by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006 at the contract sum of N211 billion.

    He said that an additional 23.9km to link Calabar with the coastal town of Oron in Akwa Ibom State was included in the contract by former President Goodluck Jonathan making the road accessible by all the major oil producing areas of the Niger Delta region.

    Sekibo recalled that the project could not commence in 2007 as it was not included in the 2007 Appropriation Act.

    He said that during President Umaru Yar’Adua not much could be achieved because of lack of engineering drawing for the project, which was eventually achieved.

    He said that Senate should be worried that about 11 years from the date of contract award, the East/West road, which was an outcome of negotiation with the agitating Niger Delta Youths, still suffers neglect and disdain by the government.

    Sekibo said that the Senate should be more worried about the state of the section that link Aba road to Onne road junction in Rivers State, which links other parts of the country to multibillion investments including Port Harcourt Refinery 1 and 2, and others.

    He prayed that Senate to resolve to urge the Ministry of Niger Delta to ensure the completion of the road particularly the section that link the multi-national investments within the 2017 budget year.

    He also prayed the Senate to direct its committee on Niger Delta to ensure compliance with the resolution and report back within four weeks. The prayers were adopted.

    On the prayer that Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) should as a matter of urgency intervene in the rehabilitation of the failed sections of the road, Abe argued that it might be unnecessary to do that since the NDDC Was already working on the road.

     

  • ‘illegal’ arms importation, bribery: FG opposes suspects’ bail

    ‘illegal’ arms importation, bribery: FG opposes suspects’ bail

    The Federal Government Monday urged the Federal High Court in Lagos not to grant bail to five men who were arraigned for importing arms and ammunition without authorisation.

    The defendants – Mahmud Hassan, Oscar Okafor, Donatus Achinulo, Mathew Okoye (at large) and Salihu Danjuma – were accused of illegally importing double barrel short guns, pump action rifles and single barrel shotguns (firearms).

    They were arraigned on nine counts of conspiracy to illegally import prohibited firearms, “uttering” of forged documents, bribery and importation of prohibited goods.

    Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) told the court that releasing the defendants on bail would be a risk.

    Prosecuting counsel K.A. Fagbemi, who represented the AGF, opposed the bail applications.

    According to him, Okoye was still at large, adding that it was not in the defendants’ interest to be released on bail.

    Defence counsel – Yakubu Galadima, Godwin Okaka, Olumide Oyewole and Adamu Ibrahim – said the defendants would not jump bail.

    Besides, Oyewole said his client was ill and needed medical treatment. He exhibited a medical report issued by the Isolo General Hospital.

    Count one of the charge said the defendants “on or about January 21, 2017, at Apapa, Lagos conspired together to illegally import into Nigeria 661 pump actions rifles.”

    The defendants, who were arraigned before Justice Ayokunle Faji, pleaded not guilty to all the counts.

    The prosecution said they brought the arms from Turkey through the Apapa Port in Lagos, using a 40-feet container, which they falsely claimed contained steel doors.

    The Federal Government said the defendants violated Section 98A (1)(b) of the Criminal Code Act by corruptly offering bribe of N400,000 and N1million to public officials on two occasions to present a search of the container.

    The defendants allegedly forged documents, such as a bill of lading, a Form M and a Pre-Arrival Assessment Report, in a bid to deceive the officials.

    The alleged offences contravene sections 1(2)(c), 1(14) (a)(i) and 3(6) of the Miscellaneous Offences Act Cap M17, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2014.

    Justice Faji adjourned for ruling on the bail applications. The trial will begin on September 12.

     

  • Don urges FG to strengthen its economic diversification programme

    A don, Prof. Timothy Nubi, on Saturday urged the Federal Government to strengthen its economic  diversification programme to in the country.

    Nubi, who is the Dean, Faculty of Environmental Sciences, University of Lagos, gave the advice while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    He said once the diversification programme was strengthened, more activities should suffice in the economic sector.

    The programme envisages that by 2020, Nigeria would have made significant progress toward achieving structural economic change with a more diversified and inclusive economy.

    Overall, the Plan is expected to deliver on 5 key broad outcomes, namely: a stable macroeconomic environment, agricultural transformation and food security, sufficiency in energy (power and petroleum products), improved transportation infrastructure and industrialization focusing on small and medium scale enterprises.

    He added that an improved diversification programme would help explore the potentials in other sectors and enhance productivity particularly now that the economy “is in recession”.

    The don said the diversification programme would also enable the country to revitalise other sectors in view of the fact that the potentialities in the sector alone could be used to grow and sustain the economy if well harnessed.

    According to him, over-dependence on a particular sector is not healthy for a developing country such as Nigeria.

    He stated that the country has depended on the oil sector for too long.

    Nubi said the neglect of other sectors was the cause of the country’s economic problem.

    “Nigeria’s over-dependence on oil revenues for most of its economic needs and budgets makes the country highly susceptible to oil price volatility.

    “It is time the country looked into other sectors of the economy to discover, explore and develop the potentialities therein to enhance economic situation of the country.

    “The oil sector contributes about 40 per cent to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    “So, let the government pump money into other sectors to ensure they produce finished products that will be exported to augment the revenue from the oil sector,’’ he said.

    He said the role of the oil sector in accelerating Nigeria’s development should be to provide the needed financial resources for strategic diversification investments.

    “Though, the dividend of the diversification will be felt by the economy in the long-run, but let the government specify its position to make significant investments,’’ he added.

    Nubi further urged the government to invest in construction sector by creating more construction activities, saying that construction work engages the services of greater category of people in the economy.

    “When a construction work is going on, the brick-layers, artisans, drivers, dry cleaners and even food sellers (restaurants) will be gainfully engaged,’’ he said.

    He also identified the agriculture, manufacturing and textile sectors as some of the sectors that could be overhauled.