The Nation Newspaper

Tag: FG

  • FG moves to mitigate fuel scarcity

    FG moves to mitigate fuel scarcity

    The Federal Government has approved the release of fuel from the nation’s strategic reserves to mitigate the scarcity of the product nationwide.

    The Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke, said this in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria on Wednesday in Okirika, Rivers.

    Alison-Madueke spoke with NAN on the sideline of the inauguration of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation Jetty in Okirika Local Government area of Rivers.

    “We have put all our weight and our strategic reserves out to ensure that we keep it (scarcity) as minimal as possible.

    “I do believe that the issue of fuel scarcity and subsidy payment is also being handled aggressively by the Ministry of Finance.

    “On our side, we will ensure that our strategic reserves are put to very good use and that we keep it (fuel scarcity) as low as possible,” she told NAN.

    Alison-Madueke said the turnaround maintenance and rehabilitation of the nation’s refineries were presently ongoing, adding that the completion of the exercise would guarantee accessibility of products by consumers.

     

     

     

  • FG insists on 2015 commissioning of power projects

    FG insists on 2015 commissioning of power projects

    The Minister of State for Power, Hajiya Ibrahim Kuchi, on Tuesday night insisted that the Mambilla Hydroelectric Power Project and the Zungeru Hydroelectric Project must be completed in the first quarter of 2015.

    The directive came on the heels of the explanation by the project consultant, Engr. Joseph Okoye, that due to the gigantic nature of the project, it would be impossible to complete them in less than six years.

    She spoke in Abuja after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Messrs CGGC and Sinyohydro Corporation for the implementation of the Zungeru HEP and another MoU with Sunrise Power and Engineering Transmission Company for the implementation of the Mambilla project.

    Kuchi said, “We have no time for dragging of feet. We are challenging Sinyohydro . We don’t have six years to deliver. Mr. President will have to commission the projects by 2015. We are looking at the first quarter of 2015.”

    The Mambilla project, according to the ministry, would cost $3.2billion. Of the whole cost, the Federal Government has made available N87.6billion, representing 15 per cent of the project cost.

    She noted that the Ministry of Finance has secured a $928million loan from the Exim Bank of China for the funding of the Zungeru project in Niger State.

    According her, the equity funds would be from the federal government and other private equity funds.

     

  • Aliyu cautions FG on dialogue with Boko Haram

    Aliyu cautions FG on dialogue with Boko Haram

    Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF), Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, on Tuesday advised the Federal government not to dialogue with faceless but recognised members of the Boko Harma sect in order to prevent fraudsters from hijacking the peace process.

    Aliyu also urged members of the group to come out of their hiding for genuine and meaningful dialogue that would finally restore peace back to the region and the country.

    Speaking in Minna the Niger State capital on Tuesday when he received ”The Road map for Peace Unity and Development of Northern Nigeria” prepared by the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) , Aliyu said, ”we should know who we are talking to, we should not allow 419 people to hijack the process.

    ”We should confirm who we are dealing with, we should talk to them but we should talk only to genuine people,” the Niger State governor advised.

    Expressing the forum endorsement of federal government acceptance of the olive branch extended by the sect, Aliyu maintained that the forum support any move that will bring lasting peace to the region, including dialogue with the leadership of Boko Haram.

    He also advocated the merger of ACF and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) both socio -political organizations with membership drawn from the northern part of the country.

    He argued that the merger of the two bodies will give the northern region the opportunity to speak with one voice on all issues.

     

  • FG, Senate disagree over amendment of Customs laws

    FG, Senate disagree over amendment of Customs laws

    Amendment of the Nigeria Customs Service laws ended in a deadlock on Monday as the Senate and Minister of Finance, Mrs. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala disagreed over the proposed amendment.

    While the Senate described the laws governing the operations of the Customs Service as “archaic” and wanted a wholesale amendment of the laws, Okonjo-Iweala objected to some provisions of the proposed Bill.

    The occasion was a public hearing on Customs Service Bills 2012 and Company Income Tax Act 2004 (amendment) Bill 2012, held by the Senate Committee on Finance.

    Senate Leader, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, who represented the Senate President, Senator David Mark, regretted that various reforms and reorganizations in the past failed to critically consider and address archaic laws that govern the service.

    Ndoma-Egba said that the 7th Senate is making history by transforming the Customs Service through repealing the Customs Act 2004 and other Customs and Excise laws to establish the administration and management of Nigeria Customs in conformity with international best practices.

    He said the Companies Income Tax Act, 2004 (amendment) Bill 2012 when passed will generally boost the economic activities that would be generated through tax cessation and hence provide the much needed employment opportunities for Nigerians.

    He assured that the Senate has not taken a position on any section of the proposed bill.

    But speaking at the event, Okonjo-Iweala objected to the proposal to erode the powers of the President to grant waivers, appointment of members of the Customs board and the fusion of both policy and executive powers in the Customs administration as proposed in the new bill.

    On his part, a member of the Committee, Senator Isa Galaudu noted that the proposed bill has become necessary as the Customs Service lost about N58.7billion to waivers last year alone.

    The minister in her response said it was the Federal Government that lost the revenue to waivers and not the Nigeria Customs Service.

     

  • Reps will encourage FG, Boko Haram dialogue – Tambuwal

    Reps will encourage FG, Boko Haram dialogue – Tambuwal

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, said the House will encourage the Federal Government to engage in dialogue with the Boko Haram sect.

    Tambuwal who made the statement at the Benin airport on Saturday while speaking with journalists said the move would assist in ending the wave of terrorist acts by the group.

    The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that the sect recently offered to engage in dialogue with the federal government.

    It also named a former head of state, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), to lead its five-member negotiation team.

    “I will encourage our leadership to engage the leadership of the sect in dialogue. Whatever will bring peace to this country, we should go for it.

    “We have had more than enough bloodshed of innocent Nigerians and government should do everything possible, including dialoguing with the Boko Haram sect, to bring the killings to an end,’’ Tambuwal said.

    Commenting on the call by the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) for a referendum on the proposed amendment of the 1999 Constitution, Tambuwal described it as unconstitutional.

    “We are expecting that we will incorporate the views of Nigerians in the amendment, but the call by NBA for a referendum is unconstitutional.

    “I am a lawyer like the President of the NBA, and I know it is unconstitutional,’’ the Speaker said.

    NAN recalls that NBA President Okey Wali had criticised the high number of clauses slated for amendment.

    Wali had also questioned why the National Assembly was in a hurry to amend the Constitution.

    He had said this was inappropriate as President Goodluck Jonathan was yet to forward the Justice Alfa Belgore Report on Constitution Amendment to the legislative body for consideration.

     

     

  • FG targets 5,000 MW by December

    FG targets 5,000 MW by December

    Nigeria is to attain 5,000 megawatt of electricity by December 2012, a top official in the ministry of power said on Friday.

    He said this is attainable since the country has achieved a national peak of 4,321 megawatts on August 31.

    The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Power, Dr. Dere Awosika, disclosed this on Friday at the seventh Session of the West Africa Power Pool General Assembly in Abuja.

    To achieve this, he said works have commenced on the renewable energy projects in Katsina State.

    Aside from increasing the nation’s power supply to 5,000 megawatts, the renewable energy projects in Kaduna are Nigeria’s way of meeting the order given to all West African countries that five per cent of their electricity generation should be renewable energy by 2020.

    “The updated master plan will reinforce the transmission interconnections and provide additional generation capacities. An interesting aspect of mandate of the master plan is the recommendation that five per cent of the national generation should be derived from renewable energy by 2020,” Dr. Awosika said.

     

  • FG, UNDP partnership kicks off with 37 beneficiaries

    FG, UNDP partnership kicks off with 37 beneficiaries

    The Federal Government and the United Nations Development Programme has signed a Memorandum of Understanding that will see 37 Nigerians engaged in Junior Professional Officers Programme (JPOP) spread across the UN system.

    The programme is expected to kick off next month. Nigeria will be the first African country and the 20th contributor to the JNOP.

    Nigeria is the fifth contributor to the UN peacekeeping mission with about 6,000 Nigerians currently on peacekeeping missions in various parts of the world.

    The successful candidates, whose salaries will be borne by the Nigerian government, will be exposed to development assistance training opportunities that will cover different areas of human endeavors.

    The Secretary to the Government of Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, who signed on behalf of the government, said the JPOP is another significant milestone in actualizing President Goodluck Jonathan’s major aspect of the transformation agenda.

    He said JPOP initiative will no doubt enhance and indeed galvanize the objective of the present administration to further empower the Nigerian youths by exposing them to critical international platform that will showcase their enormous talents, deep intellectual capacity and knowledge.

     

  • Cleric tasks FG on insecurity, flood

    THERE is need for a comprehensive reform of Nigeria’s security forces and judicial system to restore public confidence in crime control and justice delivery, Bishop Taiwo Akinola of Rhema Christian Church, Ota, Ogun State has said.

    Speaking on current national issues at a briefing on the forthcoming annual convention of the church tagged “Blessed beyond curses”, the cleric opined that a drastic action was necessary to tackle the spate of violence and insecurity in Nigeria.

    He said: “The news of the gruesome murder of 40 students of The Polytechnic, Mubi, Adamawa State and the four students of the University of Port Harcourt who were tortured, murdered and burnt in Aluu, Rivers State came to me as a rude shock. These events were, to say the least, appalling, reprehensible, horrific, repugnant and absolutely condemnable”.

    Akinola added: “The fact that innocent lives could be snuffed out with impunity with no concrete action taken after several days portend a gradual and very dangerous systemic failure of our security agencies in combating crime.”

    He urged government to take proactive measures to contain flood currently ravaging parts of the country.

    According to him: “We, as a nation, must develop our proactive abilities in the face of national disaster rather than always engaging in bush fire crisis management.

    “It is time for us to develop our National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to be able to respond effectively and efficiently to event of national crisis in future.”

  • Eid-el-Kabir: FG declares Thursday, Friday public holidays

    Eid-el-Kabir: FG declares Thursday, Friday public holidays

    The Federal Government has declared Thursday and Friday as public holidays to mark the 2012 Eid el-kabir celebration.

    Minister of Interior, Abba Moro, who announced this in Abuja on Monday, called on Nigerians to imbibe and emulate the worthy tenets of Islam as practiced by the holy Prophet Mohammad.

    A statement signed by the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Interior, Mrs. Daniel Nwaobia, quoted Moro as urging the citizens to pray for peace and prosperity of the nation.

     

  • FG votes N23.6bn for Niger Delta militants

    • Reneges on judgement debt

    The coming year is looking good for the former Niger Delta militants with the Federal Government earmarking N23.6billion for their stipends. Thirty thousand of them are expected to share the amount.

    Another N35.4billion will be spent on what government calls re-integration of transformed ex-militants and N3.699billion for the presidential amnesty programme.

    Government is also going back on its promise not to settle judgement debts after the 2012 fiscal year.

    It plans to spend N7billion next year to settle such debts.

    The Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala had vowed that Federal Government would not settle judgment debts beyond this year because they usually eat deep into public funds.

    In 2012, the National Assembly appropriated N11 billion for the settlement of judgment debts, N1billion less than government’s request.

    Under the consolidated revenue funds charges for 2013, the executive arm is asking for N13 billion to settle external financial obligations, N15 billion for job creation, N23.6 billion as stipends and allowances for 30,000 Niger Delta ex-militants, N35.4 billion for reintegration of transformed ex-militants and N3.699 billion as operational cost for the presidential amnesty programme.

    Next year, the federal government has budgeted N5.1 billion for recurrent adjustments N1.9 billion to settle arrears of monetisation, N2.5 billion to insure sensitive assets and youth corps members, N2.3 billion to settle the entitlements of former presidents, heads of state, vice presidents and chiefs of general staff, and N2.599 billion as benefits of retired heads of the civil service of the federation and federal permanent secretaries and N11 billion as group life insurance for all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    To settle domestic debts, government is asking for N38 billion to settle local contractors’ debts, N75 billion is proposed to be spent on the payment of maturing domestic debts bonds, another N25 billion to be paid into the sinking fund for retiring future matured bonds, N8 billion for gas revolution initiative, and N5.7 billion to compensate victims of the 2011 election violence and civil disturbances (damage done to public properties and places of worship).

    In addition, government is proposing to spend N45 billion on the privatisation of the Power Holding Company of Nigeria (PHCN), N20 billion to be refunded to states for the rehabilitation of federal roads.