The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • ‘Govt loses 560,000bbls, 109m litres of fuel in six months’

    ‘Govt loses 560,000bbls, 109m litres of fuel in six months’

    • Petroleum sector roadmap coming

    Over the past six months (January- June) this year, Nigeria lost 560,000 barrels of oil and 109 million litres of petroleum products to the activities of pipeline vandals, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr Ibe Kachikwu said yesterday in Lagos.

    Speaking at the 2016 annual conference of the National Association of Energy Correspondents (NAEC) with the theme is: Low oil price: Impact and the way forward, where he delivered the keynote address, he lamented the huge impact renewed attacks on oil and gas pipelines this year has cost the Federal Government.

    Kachikwu said over 3,000 incidents were recorded from 2010-2015, resulting in loss of 643 million litres of products amounting to N51.28 billion, while between January and June this year, 1,600 incidents were recorded resulting in loss of 109 million litres of products and 560,000 barrels of crude meant for the refineries.

    Besides, he noted that for the Federal Government to meet its targeted annual production, it requires additional 1.1 million barrels per day from now to the end of the year. He also added that due to pipeline vandalism, about 850 million standard cubic feet per day (scf/d) of gas has been shut in with power outage exposure of 2,700-3,000 megawatts (Mw). In addition, he lamented that the Niger Delta crisis has resulted in loss of lives, high cost of operations, fuel shortage and environmental degradation.

    Kachikwu also stated that the Federal Government will unveil a petroleum sector roadmap next week as part of efforts to unlock the potential in the oil and gas sector, noting that five other regulations to provide clarity on the position of government with respect to the management and development of the sector are also to be rolled out by October.

    He said the roadmap is imperative now that investment capitals are shrinking globally. Such policies will remove obstacles and encourage the inflow of foreign direct investment (FDI) to grow the sector. The roadmap will provide comprehensive gas policy, unlock gas potentials, transit Nigeria from gas flare penalty regime to flared gas commercialisation and shift focus from government built to investor built infrastructure.

    The Group Managing Director, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mr. Maikanti Baru lamented that the decline in oil prices from $110 per barrel in June, 2014 to $45 per barrel has adversely impacted government revenue earnings as oil sector accounts for approximately 90 per cent of the nation’s foreign exchange.

    “A major challenge, therefore, is securing the crude volumes to a level that ensures we deliver the revenue target.  We are working assiduously to resolve the security issues in the Niger Delta so that we can guarantee volumes,” he added.

  • Govt working to rescue girls, says Lai Mohammed

    Govt working to rescue girls, says Lai Mohammed

    Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed said yesterday that “the Federal Government is doing everything possible to secure the release of the Chibok girls and put an end to the horrible saga of their abduction.”

    Reacting to the Boko Haram video of some of the girls, the minister said: ‘’We are on top of the situation. But we are being extremely careful because the situation has been compounded by the split in the leadership of Boko Haram. We are also being guided by the need to ensure the safety of the girls.

    ‘’Since this is not the first time we have been contacted over the issue, we want to be doubly sure that those we are in touch with are who they claim to be.’’

    He expressed the hope that the latest development will signal the beginning of the end of the nightmare to which the girls, their families and indeed all Nigerians have been subjected since the unfortunate abduction.

  • Govt increases insurance cover for PMBs

    The Federal Government has approved the upward review of the maximum deposit insurance coverage (MDIC) from N200,000 to N500,000 per depositor for Primary Mortgage Banks (PMBs). It also approved the extension of Differential Premium Assessment System (DPAS) to them.

    The approval was granted by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun in a letter dated August 4 to the Nigeria Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC).

    It emphasised the need for the Corporation to ensure that all the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs), PMBs and Micro Finance Banks (MfBs) strictly adhere to sound risk management practices and entrench compliance to the CBN approved code of corporate governance standards.

    NDIC in a statement noted that its board is empowered to “periodically review the maximum deposit insurance coverage for licensed banks and other deposit taking financial institutions in accordance with changes in deposit structure, income levels and in line with global best practices”.

    The MDIC review, it said, “is carried out through studies and surveys and is aimed at ascertaining the adequacy or otherwise of the deposit insurance coverage level for insured institutions in Nigeria. The outcome of the most recent survey that was conducted in August, 2015 revealed the compelling need for the upward review of the current MDIC for the PMBs from N200,000 to N500,000 per depositor. The survey also revealed that the MDIC increase would cover 99 per cent of depositors of the PMBs in Nigeria.”

    The adoption of DPAS in assessing the yearly premium paid by PMBs the statement explained “will promote better risk management in the banks in line with international best practices.”

    Over 120 countries have adopted DPAS as an objective method of insurance premium pricing.

  • Govt plans 16 tech colleges, vocational centres

    The Minister of State for Education, Prof Anthony Anwukah, has announced plans by the Federal Government to establish about 16 more technical colleges and vocational centres across the nation to foster entrepreneurship among youths.

    He made this known while speaking at the ninth annual speech day and prize giving/valedictory ceremony of the Federal Science and Technical College (FSTC), Ijebu-Imusin, Ogun State.

    Anwukah, who is currently on tour of all 21 technical colleges run by the Federal Government, said the aim of establishing more is to position the country to produce more skilled craftsmen and technicians who will be job creators.

    He said: “I want to assure all here present at this occasion that Technical/Vocational Education is pivotal in our education policy. This is the reason why we are enforcing the 60 per cent/40 per cent ratio in our admission policy for Technical/Science in our FSTCs.  Effort is being made by the Federal Ministry of Education to ensure that Federal Science and Technical Colleges are built in states that are yet to have one and vocational training centres in local government areas. We are determined to move away from the production of job-seeker to job creators.”

    Inaugurating new projects in the institution, including a fully equipped e-learning centre funded by the Universal Basic Education Committee (UBEC) and a block of toilets, the Minister said new projects have been approved in the 2016 appropriation bill for the college.

    They are completion of perimeter fencing, renovation of the plumbing workshop, renovation of female hostel, and construction of ICT centre.

    He charged the school to make the most of the new facilities and ensure their safety and maintenance, while advising the graduands to pursue success with determination to avoid being left behind by their peers.

    Principal of the College, Mrs Anastasia Opara expressed gratitude to the government for its prompt attendance to the school’s calls, while calling for improvement in areas of construction of road network and drainage system, clinic, staff quarters, students’ bus, hostel renovation, among others.

    To the graduands, Mrs Opara said: “I enjoin you to always remember you are a creature of excellence. Do not forget your alma mater. You are going into the wide world; you have to open your eyes wide. Be the best you can be by being on top of your class. Go out and set new records, because I know you can do it.”

     

     

     

    Management consultant, Mrs Fola Ogunsola was guest speaker, while School Based Management Committee (SBMC) Chairman, Hon Wale Oshun, was Father of the day at the event.

     

  • ‘Civil servants to get homes from govt estate’

    Fresh  hope for civil servants, who want to own houses, appeared on the horizon last week as President Muhammadu Buhari kicked off the first estate project under the Federal Integrated Staff Housing (FISH) Programme at Apo Tyafi District of the Federal Capital City, Abuja.

    The Federal Housing Authority Mortgage Bank (FHAMB), a subsidiary of the FHA, has been named mortgage banker to the scheme. The President was represented at the ceremony by the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing, Alhaji Mustapha Baba Shehuri.

    In a document obtained by The Nation, the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs. Winifred Ekanem Oyo-Ita, it was learnt,  expressed regret that a large proportion of civil servants, who did not benefit from the immediate past sale of government houses lived in slums and unplanned settlements because of their inability to own houses or rent decent accommodation in planned layouts.

    She said the FISH initiative was conceptualised to provide cost effective and affordable housing for various categories of workers as a way of uplifting their quality of life during and after service.

    Mrs. Oyo-Ita said the delivery of affordable housing under the programme was predicated on multi-sectoral support and cooperation, which include group land acquisition from the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) and the states, provision of infrastructure and financial support through strategic partnership, cost effective pre-structural drawings and designs, as well as special intervention funds from the Federal Government using the expertise and skills of civil servants to supervise, develop and implement housing delivery.

    She said the FISH programme, operating under the umbrella of the Federal Integrated Staff Housing Cooperative Society, has forwarded applications for land to the FCTA and would be doing same to other states nationwide. “By that arrangement, the high cost of land acquisition and the difficulty in processing title deeds that added to the excessive cost of houses per unit at completion would be assuaged,” she stated.

    Under the Memorandum of Understanding signed with the OHCSF, FHAMB would be the custodian of the FISH programme with funds accessed by beneficiaries of the scheme through the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) loan window. FHAMB will disburse funds to contractors and developers as approved by the FISH Project Committee and the FHA. It will also assess civil servants for mortgage facilities for houses and package mortgages for those qualified in all the states as well as collect loan repayment from beneficiaries. FHAMB will be the project financier through collaboration with the Nigerian Mortgage Refinance Company. FISH will be run by a 15-member committee headed by a Permanent  Secretary in the OHCSF, Mr. S. K. Y. Adelakun. It has seven other permanent secretaries as members as well as FHA’s Managing Director, Prof Mohammed Al-Amin and the FHAMB Acting Managing Director, Alhaji Hayyatudeen Atiku Awwal.

    FISH is expected to leverage on Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to acquire group land allocations at reasonable cost to make the houses affordable. It will use the Public Private Partnership (PPP) window to build houses and harness the existing potentials of such partnerships to provide massive and affordable housing for Federal civil servants before and after retirement. FISH will also consolidate existing unutilised group land allocations to the cooperative societies of MDAs and related Federal civil servants associations into the Federal Integrated Staff Housing Cooperative Society Limited for the purpose of effective coordination and utilisation for optimal benefit of staff.

    The programme will provide land and infrastructure for proposed estates while the houses would be built in phases. Buyers are expected to provide 20 per cent equity of the cost of their houses, which shall be domiciled in FHAMB while the remaining 80 per cent shall be financed through mortgage. The monthly repayment by beneficiaries shall either be remitted to FHAMB through its correspondent banks monthly or have their salary accounts domiciled in FHAMB.

  • $321m Abacha loot: Govt sends plans to Switzerland

    $321m Abacha loot: Govt sends plans to Switzerland

    •$480m stalled in U.S., says AGF 

    In line with Switzerland’s request, the Federal Government has submitted five proposals on how it will spend the $132million Abacha loot if returned.

    Switzerland had asked for how the cash would be spent before releasing it.

    The proposals are based on social benefit projects to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians.

    The government is, however, weighing options on another condition bordering on the payment of monitoring fees to the World Bank on five projects.

    To cut cost, the government is thinking of reducing the projects to two for the World Bank to monitor.

    If the $321million loot is released, the amount to be repatriated to Nigeria by the Swiss authorities will amount to $1.044billion in 11 years.

    Switzerland has released $723million to the country in the last 10 years.

    But, a matter before a court by a Nigerian lawyer based in the United States (U.S.) has stalled the return of $480 million by the American government.

    But both the U.S. and the Federal Government are collaborating to overcome the legal hurdles at the appeal court.

    Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Mallam Abubakar Malami (SAN)  told our correspondent that the government was trying to meet the terms of Switzerland.

    Malami said: “We got a request from Switzerland that we should provide a list of projects that we will spend the $321million on.

    “The government has done its homework and submitted five proposals that have bearing with social benefit projects.

    “Some of the projects have been captured in this year’s budget. They will impact on all Nigerians.

    “They wrote back to us on the fact that they will want the World Bank to be directly involved in the monitoring of the projects with a caveat that we have to pay monitoring fees.

    “We have not come to terms with paying monitoring fees for all the projects. We have not taken any decision to pay the bills for all the projects or to restrict the payment to two of the projects,

    “We are already collaborating with World Bank on three projects which will accelerate the nation’s development.”

    Last March, Nigeria and Switzerland signed an agreement on the return of the $321million.

    The pact, titled: “Letter of Intent on the restitution of illegally-acquired assets forfeited in Switzerland,” was signed by Malami, and the Swiss Head of Foreign Affairs Department, Didier Burkhalter. The document revealed that $321 million acquired illicitly by the Abacha family, was initially deposited in Luxemburg before being confiscated by the Swiss Republic Judiciary and Canton of Geneva following a December 11, 2014 forfeiture order.

    On the $480 million Abacha loot in the U.S., Malami said it was yet to be repatriated because a Nigerian lawyer in America was impeding its return.

    The minister said: “For the US, the only impediment is a Nigerian lawyer who has been constituting a threat to the repatriation of the funds.

    “He has filed many court processes in the past few years demanding 40 per cent of the amount involved. He relied on a purported court injunction granted him in the last 14 years. Over the period of 10 years, the matter had gone through processes.

    “At a point, he did not even have licence to operate in the US. His filings have been of concern to the US and the Federal Government.

    “We are looking at the possibility of concluding the process at a Court of Appeal in the US.”

  • ASCSN to govt: Protect pension funds

    ASCSN to govt: Protect pension funds

    The Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) has urged the Federal Government to offer ‘adequate protection’ to the N5.3 trillion workers contributory pension funds.

    Its President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama said the fund is  workers’ money meant to offset their terminal benefits when they retire.

    He said: “We are worried and disturbed that government functionaries are now making persistent efforts to lay their hands on the contributory pension funds in the name of funding infrastructure.

    “We say capital ‘NO’ to this retrogressive move. Our officials need to understand that the pension funds are not idle funds, but are funds invested mainly in safe instruments like money and bonds markets. We make bold to say that our country is not yet ripe for utilising pension funds for building infrastructure.

    “Our federal, states and local governments are corrupt and incompetent in recovering public funds. We, therefore, strongly advise government to look elsewhere to raise funds for their projects. Contributory pension fund is a no go area and workers and their unions are more than prepared to fight with everything they have to resist pressures to touch and toy with workers future.”

    He called for stiffer sanctions for those who looted pension funds, saying that this would act as deterrent to others.

    He appealed to the federal and state governments to ensure that pensioners were paid their gratuities and monthly stipends promptly.

  • Okorocha: govt won’t enforce three working days’ policy

    Okorocha: govt won’t enforce three working days’ policy

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha has said public servants should not be forced to comply with his administration’s new policy on agriculture, which mandates them to work for only three days – from Monday to Wednesday.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, the governor said his administration had concluded that “since the policy is a popular one and in the overall interest of the public servants and, indeed the state, there is, therefore, no point using force to make them comply”.

    The statement said public servants were free to comply with the Back to Land for Agriculture programme, which reduced working days from five to three.

    It added that this would enable them to participate in agriculture, promote farming and boost the state’s and individual family’s economies.

    Okorocha said his administration would provide agricultural loans to workers and identification cards to participation of the programme, in line with the new policy.

    He said: “The new policy will not affect the salaries of workers. Rather, at the end of the payment of the June and July salaries, which is already in progress, the salaries of Imo workers would begin to be paid between 20th and 26th of every month.

    “In view of the new policy on working days, the permanent secretaries would, as a matter of compulsion, have departmental briefings between 7.30 a.m and 8 a.m each day, while the list of civil servants in the state will be published, with about 3,000 civil servants, also to be recruited, to replace those who have retired over the years”.

    The governor said he expected labour leaders to support his administration’s Agricultural programme and even encourage the public servants to use the opportunity the new policy offered to improve workers’ welfare “instead of sounding as if there is something to quarrel about over the policy”.

  • Chibok community hails govt, landlords of rescued girls

    Members of the Chibok community under the umbrella body of the Kibaku Area Development Association (KADA) have lauded the Federal Government for rehabilitating the two rescued Chibok school girls, Amina Nkeki and Sarah Luka.

    According to the community, the leaders who were given access to the girls have confirmed the government’s handling of the Psycho-social Counseling and Reintegration Process of the girls.

    The community is also appreciative of the government’s return to the reconstruction of the Chibok secondary school which was burnt down more than two years ago by insurgents.

    It urged the government and the international community to fast track the reconstruction of the school and build an additional one to cater for the educational needs of the teeming school age children in the area.

    Chairman, KADA, Abuja Branch, Tsambido Abana, yesterday said: “On a sad note however, we are once again expressing our deep concern over the continued inability of the Government to rescue the remaining 218 abducted girls particularly in light of the recent information provided by Amina Ali Nkeki. Since Amina was rescued on May 17th 2016, we are not aware of further effort on the part of the Government towards rescuing the remaining girls.

    “With the deployment of the Multinational Joint Task Force and relocation of Training Squad from Kontogora to Buni Yadi, we feel that these developments will add impetus to the effort of the Government.  We plead and urge the Government, International Community and Civil Society Organizations to intensify effort towards the rescue of the schoolgirls who are victims of circumstance and return them to their communities soonest.

    “The third issue is the inordinate delay in the reconstruction of the destroyed School, where the girls were abducted. It is worthy to note that this is the only Secondary School in the whole of the Local Government Area but was destroyed by the insurgents on the fateful day of the abduction. In April 14th, 2015, the Federal Government made an apparent effort to rebuild the school by taking some building materials to the site but since then, it suffered set back and stagnation. The parents of the abducted girls and leaders of the community made an appeal to the Federal Government delegation that visited Chibok on 14th April, 2016 on the occasion of the two-year commemoration of the abduction. This plea and other similar efforts made by the Chibok resident in Abuja and the community did not produce the desired result at the appropriate time.”

  • Govt shuts firm supplying militants with explosives

    Govt shuts firm supplying militants with explosives

    The Federal Government has uncovered a firm which supplies militants the explosives with which they have been bombing oil installations in the Niger Delta.

    The firm was said to have diverted 9,000 kilogrammes of nitro-glycerine explosives and 16,420 pieces of detonators to the militants for “illegal use”.

    National Security Adviser (NSA) Maj.-Gen. Muhammed Babagana Monguno yesterday said investigation revealed that the explosives allegedly diverted by Nigerian Development and Construction Company (NDCC) based in Koko, Delta State, were being used by militants to bomb oil installations and facilities.

    According to him, an inventory of the records of explosive magazines and quarries in the region, revealed the diversion of a large quantity of explosives and pieces of detonators.

    NDCC, an importer and seller of explosives, has been sealed off, and its explosive’s licence withdrawn.

    The company has also been blacklisted.

    Six people –  a store officer and five security operatives – have been arrested and are being interrogated, Gen. Monguno said.

    He added: “Right now investigations have been conducted and I can assure you they are deeply culpable and appropriate actions will be taken. Let me once again reiterate that  any individual or company that operates outside the confines of legitimacy and legality will find himself or itself to blame.  I also want to add that the government  of the day will not listen to any influence peddler  in the society on behalf of any company that decides to sabotage national security.”

    Further explaining the development, Minister of Solid Minerals Development Dr Kayode Fayemi, in a statement by his media aide, Yinka Oyebode, said: “This is in addition to the blacklisting of the company and withdrawal of its explosive licences.

    “The development is sequel to investigations by the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), which revealed that the company was involved in illegal diversion of about 9,000 kg of Nitro-glycerine explosives and 16,420 pieces of electrical detonators from its magazines between 2015 and 2016.”

    The minister warned of manufacturers, importers, sellers and end users of explosives in the country  to desist from unprofessional sale, procurement, storage and use of explosives in line with the provisions of the Explosives Act of 1964 , the Explosives Regulations of 1967 and other extant policy directives.

    The NSA also accused two companies – Notore Chemical Industry Limited and Indorama Eleme Fertiliser and Chemicals – which were granted the exclusive rights to manufacture fertiliser for local consumption, of exporting the bulk of their products.

    The firms granted the licence after the Federal Government banned the importation of fertilisers following discovery that certain grades of fertilisers were being used to manufacture the Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) employed by terrorists.

     Gen. Monguno said the ONSA and the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development also facilitated necessary importation of raw materials and ensured secured distribution networks with the objective of solving a national security problem and boosting local production of the product thereby boosting the economy.

    He said the cumulative annual production of the two companies is estimated at 2.05 million metric tons while the estimated national consumption rate is 1.1 million metric tons leaving the companies with a cumulative export value of about 47 percent.

    Gen. Monguno said: “However, the Office of the National Security Adviser has observed with total dismay, some unpatriotic act and abuse of the goodwill of the government. Reports of these companies have indicated that about 71 per cent of the 2.05 million metric tons cumulative annual production is being exported to the detriment of our national economy.

    “This has resulted in a spike in the price of urea-based fertilisers in Nigeria with obvious implications on food security in the country.

    “In view of the foregoing, I wish to categorically state that the government will continue to adhere to the rule of law, however, it must be noted that the rule of law is not akin to anarchy. Accordingly, this office will not hesitate to close and withdraw the operating licence of any company that exports products without first meeting local consumption.  This office and the Ministry will work to put in place measures to assess  production and determine exportable quantity by the respective companies.”

    Monguno, who was joined by Minister of State for Agriculture, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri  and other top officials of the ONSA, noted that due to the unpatriotic acts of the companies,  local farmers are suffering lack of fertilisers.

    “ I must state that the goodwill shown by the government of this country will not be taken for granted, the fact that we are in a difficult situation  in terms of economy and security does not mean that companies and anybody with vested interest should take the government for granted.  The president came to power with specific mandate which is clear to all Nigerians and the international community. We will view with very serious consequences, whatever any company does to fall out of line and behave in a manner that will ruin the economy and the security of this country,” he said.

    The Head of Sales, Notore Chemicals Industry, Mr. Oscar Okpe, who declined to comment on the allegations, however said the company is committed to equitable distribution of fertilisers in the country.  In a telephone interview, Okpe said the company was putting fertilisers in the market and  farmers would soon begin to access the products.

    However, Indorama Eleme Fertiliser and Chemicals said a statement would be issued on the matter later.