The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • AHCN rues govt’s disposition to NHF

    The Association of Housing Corporations of Nigeria (AHCN) has taken a swipe at government’s attitude towards the National Housing Fund (NHF), saying it has been contrary to what obtained when the policy was newly introduced.

    In a communique issued at the end of the two-day national workshop on emerging partnership options for decent and affordable mass housing, organised by the association at Owerri, Imo State,  the body advised that all outstanding contributions to the NHF be remitted appropriately. It also demanded a strict enforcement and application of sanctions on erring parties as embedded in the National Housing  policy.  The communiqué was signed by the AHCN Chairman, Muhammed Baba Adamu and Secretary, Olusola Martins.

    According to Adamu,  some states have pulled out of the NHF, thereby robbing their civil servants of the inherent benefits of accessing mortgage loans through the NHF.  “In view of the proposed housing development programme to be embarked upon by the association in all the states of the federation, we call on all states that have pulled out of the funds to return so as to provide opportunities for their civil servants to benefit from the funds.

    “Also, we call on the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) to make the loan application and approval process more applicant-friendly by removing all bureaucratic hurdles and demonstrate verifiable and transparent trends of benefits to contributors nationwide in order to win back the confidence of states that have withdrawn,” the communique read in part.

    The AHCN also used the occasion to urge Power, Works and Housing Minister Mr. Babatunde Fashola, to make use of state housing agencies in executing the Federal Government’s planned housing projects in all the states of the country.

    The body also advised on the use of local building materials and application of more efficient Nigerian Building and Road Research Institute (NBRRI) building technologies to bring down the pricing of the housing units in order to make it affordable.

    The body stressed that the country’s property market if well-structured and harnessed, has the capacity to contribute about 15 per cent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

    It then called for Federal Mortgage Bank of N           igeria’s (FMBN) recapitalisation and its harmonisation with the Nigeria Mortgage Refinance Company (NMRC) to create a friendly, robust, mortgage system with the association to develop affordable housing for Nigerians.

    The communique equally urged that the third tier of government- the local governments, be alive in the provision of housing for the people by embracing emerging partnership options by proactively trading their resources to achieve same.

    It also charged them to embark on profitable ventures through collaborating states’ housing agencies as well as help in the formation and administration of cooperative societies to stimulate and promote affordable and decent housing for rural populace.

     

  • 2018 budget: Expert advises Govt, NASS on early passage

    2018 budget: Expert advises Govt, NASS on early passage

    A financial expert, Prof. Sheiffdeen Tella, on Monday called on the Federal Government to work closely with the National Assembly to ensure speedy passage of 2018 budget.

    Tella, a Professor of Economics at the Olabisi Onabanjo University, Ago-Iwoye in Ogun, said in Lagos that this was to avoid returning the country to recession.

    President Muhammadu Buhari had on November 7, 2017 presented before a joint session of the National Assembly, a budget proposal of N8.612 trillion for the 2018 fiscal year.

    This represents 16 per cent increase of N7.298 trillion over the 2017 budget.

    NAN reports that budget had started generating controversy since it was presented by the President Buhari.

    Tella said Federal Government should work on the NASS to pass the budget on time and set to start its implementation immediately.

    The expert said budget implementation could only be achieved with early passage of the budget.

    He said all attempts should be made to grow the economy faster to avoid returning the country to recession.

    “Federal Government should start implementation of the capital aspect of the budget, particularly power, road and rail infrastructure and mining as well as financial sector development to engineer cheap or affordable credits for industrial sector.

    “Increase in money supply is likely to increase due to increased political activities, but that will be from the second quarter.

    “It can cause inflation, if improved production does not begin from the end of first quarter.

    “So, budget implementation must start early if the budget is passed early in the year.

    “All efforts must be made to grow the economy faster to avoid returning to recession,” Tella said.

    He said the progress made on the economy in 2017 would leap-frog in 2018 on improved policy implementation.

    The economist said the pace of diversification of economy, through agriculture and industrialisation, should be pursued steadily and consistently with appropriate corporation between monetary and fiscal policy makers.

    Tella said the country should be interested in domestic production of refined fuel than importation, adding that action on modular refinery should be intensified.

    He said power supply should progress more in such that alternative energy sources like solar and wind should be improved upon and diverted to non-commercial areas.

    Tella said energy from gas and thermal sources should be diverted for industrial use.

    He said improvement in power supply would bring down the cost of production greatly for effective competition of domestic goods and imported.

    According to him, the use of local raw materials in production will also reduce importation and cost of production arising from exchange rate problems.

     

     

    On the capital market, he said that the market performance in 2017 was quite impressive and would likely continue in 2018 with the right policy.

    “If interest rate falls and businesses go to the market to raise funds, the market performance will improve faster, otherwise if economy remains sluggish, the capital market can suffer from patronage,” Tella said.

  • Govt told to review tariff

    Importers and clearing agents have urged the Federal Government to review port tariff and make the ports attractive for business.

    They said the ports may witness low volume of imports this year, if the government did not act fast.

    The operators, who spoke with The Nation, said the review had become necessary to eliminate arbitrariness and ensure parity with other ports, particularly those of neighbouring countries.

    ShippersAssociation of Lagos President, Mr Jonathan Nichol, said port tariff were not commensurate with the services rendered by terminal operators and they make the ports uncompetitive.

    He said the operators needed to emulate the Nigerian Shippers’Council that has abolished service charges, bank charge, commission on turnover and concessionaires’ service charge to reduce the cost of doing business at the ports.

    Also, Folas Motors Managing Director, Chief Fola Alakija, said the council had been implementing the Inland Container Depots (ICDs) project on Build, Own, Operate and Transfer (BOOT) to bring shipping to the door of importers.

    He said despite the claim by the government that it has reduced its agencies at the ports, some are still posing big challenges to port operations.

    The importer said there was the need to revive and modernise the railway as a primary mode for long distance haulage of cargo and to free the Lagos ports road.

    According to him, the railway will also reduce the cost of transporting cargo in and out of the ports and create employment.

    Chief Alakija said there was the need to embrace a single window operation to eliminate human contact and the use of discretion, which has been identified as the biggest obstacle to quick cargo clearance from the port.

    He said the single window operation would not only facilitate trade, but also eliminate fraud and improve revenue generation.

  • EFCC: Ex-First Lady’s $15.5m stolen from govt, agencies

    EFCC: Ex-First Lady’s $15.5m stolen from govt, agencies

    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has told the Federal High Court in Lagos that former First Lady Patience Jonathan could not have genuinely earned the $15.5million which she claims ownership of.

    In its defence to her suit challenging the freezing of her accounts, the commission argued that Mrs Jonathan does not run any business from which she could have earned such huge sums.

    EFCC said its investigations showed that the money was allegedly stolen from the Federal Government and its agencies, and that it does not belong to the former First Lady.

    “There is no way the plaintiff (Mrs Jonathan) could have genuinely earned the monies. She is the wife of the former president, a civil servant and a retired permanent secretary in Bayelsa State.

    “She does not run any profit and interest yielding business venture to generate such money.

    “Investigation conducted by the first defendant (EFCC) revealed that the plaintiff is not the owner of the funds in the accounts of the third to fifth defendants (companies), which funds were discovered to be proceeds of fraudulent activities of Waripamo-Owei Emmanuel Dudafa,” EFCC said.

    Mrs Jonathan sued the EFCC, Skye Bank Plc and three companies – Pluto Property and Investment Company Ltd, Seagate Property Development and Investment Company Ltd and Trans Ocean Property and Investment Company Ltd.

    She is praying for an order restraining the defendants from tampering with her funds in the companies’ accounts domiciled in Skye Bank.

    She asked for an order of interlocutory injunction restraining the EFCC from transferring the funds to the Federal Government’s Treasury Single Account (TSA).

    Mrs Jonanthan said the funds in the companies’ accounts belonged to her, but she had been unable to operate the account after EFCC placed a “no debit order” on the accounts.

    The former first lady said representatives of the companies, who pleaded guilty to laundering the money, were unknown to her; nor were they authorised to represent them.

    “The plaintiff/applicant is the lawful owner of her hard earned funds,” she said, adding that her ownership of the money has not been controverted by a third party.

    Mrs Jonathan said she sought the assistance of Dudafa, former Special Adviser on Domestic Affairs to ex-President Jonathan, to open some accounts in her name.

    She said she was issued with four ATM cards after the accounts were opened.

    According to her, she protested the fact that three of the four accounts bore the names of companies she had no connection with.

    The bank, she said, promised to rectify the issue. She continued to operate the accounts pending when changes would be effected, according to the former First Lady.

    Mrs Jonathan said she went abroad in July 2016 for a medical check-up and discovered that she could not make payments from the accounts due to the “no debit order”.

    The former First Lady, in her written address, accused EFCC making moves to take her money from her through an order of forfeiture.

    She said the moves included the “procurement of some unknown persons  who pleaded guilty to a charge and were convicted on November 2, 2016.”

    In urging the court to lift the “no-debit order” and grant her access to her accounts, Mrs Jonathan said she “needs her money to able to cater to her health.”

    But, EFCC, in its statement of defence, said its investigations revealed that between 2013 and 2015, “huge sums of money were stolen from the Federal Government of Nigeria and its agencies.”

    The agencies, it said, were the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) and the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), “etc”.

    EFCC said some of the funds “were converted to dollars and converted to the use of Dudafa”.

    The commission said between February 21, 2014 and April 19, 2016, Pluto Property “fraudulently received and retained” $3,096,377.38.

    The sum, EFCC said, was deposited by State House domestic stewards, Festus Iyoha and Peter Arivin, “using fictitious names on the instruction of Dudafa.”

    The commission said between November 14, 2013 and June 27, 2016, Seagate Properties received $3,624,998.78; while Trans Ocean received $3,765,711.87, “which are suspected to be proceeds of crime.”

    Another company, Globus Integrated Services Limited, was said to have received “a whopping sum of $5,119,021.45” in its account.

    EFCC said after it charged the companies, their representatives pleaded guilty to retaining $15,591,700.

    It insisted that after analysing the companies’ accounts, “it is crystal clear that the plaintiff was neither a director nor a shareholder”.

    The commission said it was Dudafa who allegedly procured the domestic stewards in the State House Abuja to deposit the monies “in an attempt to disguise the proceeds of crime using fictitious names”.

    EFCC said it obtained a valid court order to freeze the accounts, and that it did not need to inform Mrs Jonathan before doing so “as the funds in the said accounts do not belong to her”.

    It added that the firmer First Lady was not entitled to any reliefs, and that her case “is frivolous, spurious, speculative, vexatious and an abuse of court process and should be dismissed with substantial cost.”

    Justice Mohammed Idris had ordered parties to file pleadings in the case, indicating that witnesses, including Mrs Jonathan, may testify to justify the money’s ownership.

    The case will be heard on January 19.

  • What govt should do this year, by NLC

    What govt should do this year, by NLC

    The Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has advised the Federal Government to create jobs, address infrastructure deficit and tackle the problems in the oil sector to avoid fuel shortage.

    In a message to Nigerians to mark the New Year, NLC President Ayuba Wabba slammed Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s planned sack of over 22,000 teachers who failed a competence test.

    The congress recalled the loss of over four million jobs in 2017, according to statistics provided by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) as against the provision of three million jobs annually promised by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in its manifesto.

    According to Wabba, 2017 saw the working people, pensioners and other Nigerians facing a series of daunting socio-economic and security challenges, even though they had hoped that the year would offer succour for the masses.

    He said: “Rather than work to create jobs and improve the condition of Nigerian working people and Nigerians in general, leading elements in the ruling APC government, like Governor Nasir El-Rufai, have been taking measures to further chastise and ruin Nigerians by throwing tens of thousands of workers into the unemployment market and wretchedness.

    “In the same vein, despite the huge revenue that the states have received through the Federal Government intervention funds to clear arrears of unpaid salaries and pensions in many states of the federation, coupled with additional payment of three tranches of windfall (Paris Club debt refunds), states like Kogi, Osun, Benue, Ekiti, Bayelsa and several others entered 2018 with huge arrears spanning up to ten (10) or more months of wages and pensions.

    “Under these conditions, Nigerian workers, pensioners and their families remained the most despondent group in an economy that even the well-to-do are groaning and struggling to survive.”

    He stressed that recently Nigerians had witnessed one of the worst shortages in the supply of petrol in the history of the country, in spite of the Federal Government’s repeated claim that with the complete removal of subsidy on petroleum products, scarcity of petroleum products would become a thing of the past.

    Wabba said the position of the congress regarding the prevailing situation in the petroleum industry has been that the crisis in the industry is due to the inability or refusal of our ruling elite to refine all petroleum needs in Nigeria, adding that Nigeria remains the only major producer of crude oil that imports refined products.

    He said: “For us in the Congress, and for majority of working people in Nigeria, the hope placed on the capacity of President Buhari to bring about positive change is being undermined by his government’s inability to address the infrastructural deficit and other related problems in the oil industry, such as making our existing refineries work at optimal capacity by refining products for domestic consumption.

    “Not only is government unable to achieve this for almost three years now, but moving forward, more refineries, especially modular refineries, which can be built between 12 and 18 months, are required to address the reoccurring challenge of fuel scarcity and price hike in Nigeria and stop the exploitation of ordinary Nigerians. The inherent corruption in the system has made this impossible for more than three decades and should be addressed headlong.”

    On the new minimum wage, Wabba said the tripartite committee recently inaugurated should expeditiously conclude its assignment and ensure that a new minimum wage is put in place before the third quarter of the year and urged the National Assembly to give accelerated hearing  to the bill that will be produced by the committee.

    On local government autonomy, the NLC President said: “Congress appreciates the recent passage of three core bills on local government autonomy in Nigeria by the National Assembly. It is our belief that the passage of the constitutional amendment to guarantee local government autonomy will promote good governance and deepen democratic culture at the grassroots level.

    “We call on the Houses of Assembly to demonstrate courage, patriotism and assert their desired independence by passing these constitutional amendment bills designed towards emancipating our local governments and freeing their finances from being usurped by governors who are determined to truncate the quest for democratisation at the local government level.”

    Wabba called for putting the payment of primary school teachers’ salaries on first line charge of the Federation Account to assuage the fears of all stakeholders in the local government system.

    “We believe that the ascendancy of the APC to power was rooted on the personal integrity and anti-corruption pedigree of President Buhari. As we move into 2018, our expectation is that the executive arm of government would push for the implementation of key anti-corruption protocols and good governance principles in our public and private institutions.

    “In the same vein, we call on the government to increase the tempo of the fight against corruption in a way that is fair, just and all encompassing.”

    Wabba said the workers will observe January 11 as a day of solidarity with the workers of Kaduna State. He promised that the union would mobilise workers to march for the reversal of the sack of kaduna teachers.

    Labour and Employment Minister Chris Ngige, however, assured Nigerians that the government would stem job loses his year.

    In his New Year message, Ngige asked Nigerians not to tremble over the recent statistics on job losses released by the NBC as the development is effectively modulated by a similar release by the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN), which indicates over a seven  million job growth in the Agricultural sector during the year.

    He said: “I wish to assure Nigerians that 2018 will not be as bleak as 2017 in terms of job losses as the Federal Government has put enough checks to forestall a repeat of what was encountered in 2017.

    “As a matter of fact, the figure released by the NBC must be placed alongside statistics by the Central Bank of Nigeria which shows that over seven million jobs have been created in the Agricultural Sector. This is the only way to arrive at a balanced job situation in the country.”

    He said the Federal Government would work harder to create more jobs and sustain the current efforts at protecting the existing ones. “We shall continue to maintain our principled stand against retrenchment and encourage the state governments to do same.”

  • Govt making efforts to end petrol scarcity, says APC

    Govt making efforts to end petrol scarcity, says APC

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has appealed to Nigerians to be patient while the problem of petrol scarcity is being addressed.

    In a statement by National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, the APC “acknowledge the difficulties Nigerians are currently experiencing as a result of the unfortunate fuel scarcity across the country; especially at this Yuletide period.”

    It added: “We understand the unhappiness of Nigerians at this situation, which is happening for the first time in the Christmas period since the APC administration came to power.

    “We also wish to note that while we accept the choice of the opposition PDP to make political gains out of the difficulties that Nigerians are experiencing as a result of this fuel scarcity, we however condemn their desperation to make the government and our party look bad by maliciously fabricating and circulating fictitious statements in the names of our government and party officials and then attack us on the basis of those same statements that they fabricated in the first place. This is bad politics.

    “We appeal for patience with the Federal Government as they make efforts to improve the situation and find lasting solution to this problem that has bedevilled every administration in our country, including the PDP administration under whose government, Nigerians would recall, the oil cabal enjoyed unprecedented prosperity.”

  • VAIDS: Expert urges govt to target rich tax payers

    To achieve the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) objectives, the Federal Government has been advised to deploy more resources that will enable it capture more tax revenues from high net-worth individuals.

    Speaking at a workshop organised by the Federal Ministry of Finance for tax professionals in Lagos,  a Professor of Tax and Fiscal Matters, University of Lagos, Abiola Sanni, said high net-worth individuals control over 80 per cent of the nation’s resources.

    He said more attention should be paid to this category of people if the government intends to rake in more money through the VAIDS, adding  that as critical as the informal sector is, less emphasis should be placed on the sector, which he said, is already heavily taxed and levied.

    He explained that 70 Community Tax Liaison Officers (CTLOs) have already been deployed nationwide to assist the states in enforcing tax compliance in the informal sector.

    “The weakness of our system is the over concentration on the middle class that are already over taxed through various means. The informal sector is very large and critical and arrangement has been made to bring in the sector into the VAIDS.

    “While the informal sector is very important, but for VAIDS to be very successful, we must look at high net-worth, a very few individuals who control large resources. In nations where the tax system works, they focus more on those people because a  billionaire can pay much more than all of us put together,” he said.

  • CAN urges govt, security agencies to wake up to responsibilties

    CAN urges govt, security agencies to wake up to responsibilties

    •Next year will be better – Ayokunle

    The President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN),  Rev.  Samson Ayokunle, has advised government and security operatives to wake up from their slumber.

    The development is in reaction to the unending fuel scarcity, kidnapping and killings across the country.

    Ayokunle in his christmas message to christians through a statement he personally issued and signed at the weekend in Abuja said: “On behalf of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), I rejoice with all Nigerians in general and every Christian family  in particular as we celebrate another Christmas in the land of the living and I pray that the joy associated with the season will be your portion in Jesus Name.

    “To us, the joy of Christmas is not limited to His unprecedented and miraculous birth. It is built even more on the triumph of His death and resurrection that gave meaning to His birth because it was His resurrection that gave us hope against every hopeless situation.

    “I am not unaware of the hardship Nigerians are facing today as many could not travel for the Christmas celebration despite the holiday due to the fuel scarcity, unpaid salaries  and other economic factors.

    “But the major theme of the Christmas remains FEAR NOT. No matter what we are seeing or hearing. That was what the angel who broke the Good News told the shepherds. “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.  And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger” (Luke 2:9-12 KJV ).

    “During the week, the National Bureau of Statistics reported that due to the  harsh economic situation currently facing our nation, not fewer than 3.67 million Nigerians lost their jobs last year alone. They are still working on the figure for the outgoing year.

    “The International Monetary Fund (IMF)’s verdict on Nigeria was also as hopeless as that of the NBS if not more but our eyes are not on the government but on God who always fulfils His promises no matter the circumstances.

  • Amosun to homeowners: partner govt

    Amosun to homeowners: partner govt

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun has urged Homeowners in the State to partner with his administration by paying their taxes so as to fulfil the remaining promises to the citizenry.

    Amosun spoke during the distribution of Certificates of Occupancy (C of Os) and building plan approvals to another batch of beneficiaries at the Arcade Ground, Governor’s Office, Oke- Mosan, Abeokuta.

    According to a statement by the press officer in the Bureau of Lands and Survey, Mr. Passover Adeshina, the governor, who was represented by Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, Mrs. Modupe Mujota, urged residents as responsible citizens to perform their civic responsibilities  by paying their taxes to aid socio-economic development of the state.

    The Head, Stamp Duty and Land Matters, Ogun State Internal Revenue Services  (OGIRS), Mr. Olakunle Olayemi said  the Home Owners’ Charter Programmes had improved from monthly to bi-monthly and thousands of beneficiaries had collected their land title documents.

    Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Mr. Joseph Ebeatu from Sango-Ota, thanked the government.

  • Don advises govt on job creation through agri-preneurship

    The Federal Government has been charged to provide employment through agri-preneurship.

    The Dean, School of Agriculture, Lagos State University (LASU), Prof Kehinde Olushola Babatunde, gave the charge at a forum organised by the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Isolo branch.

    Babatunde, who was guest speaker, said for this to be achieved, government should encourage entrepreneurship in farming by removing all the business regulations and complex bureaucratic procedures that stand in the way of agri-preneurs.

    He said: “The government and stakeholders should continue to encourage entrepreneurship in farming through providing information service to advise and support famers in identifying, preparing, designing and implementing efficient farming business.

    “Improving the provision of basic infrastructure and promoting the capacity of training institutions such as ITF and Leventis Foundation School to provide education and training at the right time and place with the right balance of technical knowledge and practical skills”.

    ITF Director-General, Sir Joseph Ari, represented by the Director Field Services Department, Mrs Adesola Taiwo, said no fewer than 11,100 unemployed Nigerians are to be trained by the Fund as part of Federal Government’s efforts towards solving the problem of unemployment.

    The training, which had already taken off in many states, would expose the trainees to over 30 trades and crafts.