The Nation Newspaper

Tag: GOVT

  • Govt, stakeholders to deliberate on banking reform

    Top government officials and stakeholders in the economy will on Monday, March 12, converge at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, to unveil a book meant to chart the way forward to revamp the banking sector.

    The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, will lead the guests that will brainstorm at the gathering, which will take place at the public presentation and launch of the book, “Banking Reform in Nigeria: The law, The Prospects and The Challenges,” written by eminent scholar, lawyer, chartered banker and influential member of the House of Representatives,  ‘Bode Ayorinde.

    Other top government officials expected at the occasion include Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, and the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor Godwin Emefiele, Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, who is  Special Guest of Honour; Chief Justice of Nigeria Hon. Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen, Minister of Finance, among others, will also grace the event.

    The book traces the historical development of banking business in Nigeria and critically examines all the laws relating to banking since inception.

  • Refuse: Court gives govt, PSP 14 days to settle

    A Lagos High Court yesterday gave the  state government and the incorporated trustees of Association of Waste Managers of Nigeria (AWMN) two weeks to perfect their terms  of settlement.

    Justice Taofiquat Oyekan-Abdullahi directed them to meet on Saturday as well as March 14 and 16 to resolve  issues concerning  domestic waste management in the state.

    She noted that though  progress had been made, there was a need to get the litigants on the same page for a resolution.

    The judge ordered the parties to ensure that their terms of settlement is in the court’s file by March 20.

    The agreement could then be adopted as the court’s verdict on March 22.

    The AWMN otherwise known as Private Sector Participation (PSP) operators, filed the suit last year to stop the government from preventing its members from managing domestic waste.

    It claimed that the government intended to “take their job and give it to a foreign company,  Visionscape Sanitation Solutions (VSS) Ltd.”

    The co-respondents in  the suit are the Commissioner for Environment, the Attorney-General/Commissioner for Justice, Visionscape Group, VSS and ABC Sanitation Solutions Ltd.

    But the government, through its counsel S. A. Quadri, said, among others, that the claimants were former contractors whose contract had expired.

    It insisted that the claimants had no subsisting agreement to work with it.

    Last year, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode initiated the Cleaner Lagos Initiative (CLI) in furtherance of the Environmental Management Protection Law.

    At the resumed hearing of the case yesterday, the claimant’s counsel, Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, said the parties ad been meeting to settle the case, but there were pending issues.

    Adegboruwa said the PSP operators were interested in keeping the state clean, but on certain terms and conditions.

    According to him, the bone of contention is domestic waste. He blamed ‘fifth columnists’ for the delay in reaching an agreement.

    Adegboruwa said: “The waste of people in residential areas – because of the volume and the number of the members – is critical to our settlement.

    “We have been in discussion with the Attorney-General. We believe that some fifth columnists are responsible for the delay of this settlement.

    “We believe that government will be sincere in addressing the fundamental issues that relate to domestic waste.

    “We appeal to our members, especially the PSP, to continue to keep the work of cleaning Lagos, picking waste and disposing them and not allow any sabotage of the CLI,” he said.

    Adegboruwa said if government had given the PSP operators the same support accorded Visionscape in form of soft loans and trucks, waste would disappear from the state.

    “We felt frustrated that we have been doing the job meritoriously for years and now, a foreigner has come, with the intention that we are not capable.”

  • Tax: Govt targets property owners in highbrow areas

    Tax: Govt targets property owners in highbrow areas

    The Federal Government has extended its searchlight on tax evaders with net-worth properties in highbrow areas of major cities.

    The Federal Government on July 1, 2017 granted tax payers a nine-month grace to regularise their tax status under the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS).

    Yesterday, a  source in the Presidency told reporters that the government through its data mining agency “Project Lighthouse” had received documents on property owners across the country from state governments.

    The first set of property owners that will come under scrutiny for tax compliance are owners of buildings in Maitama, Asokoro, Garki ll, Wuse ll in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and those on Banana Island and its environs Magodo, Lekki, Ikoyi in Lagos state.

    The source revealed that tax records and bank account details of these property owners are being reviewed by the team of “Project Lighthouse.”

    The source said “the extension of the searchlight on these property owners is not unconnected with Illicit Financial Flow (IFF). Most of these people are diverting their incomes to properties and are not paying taxes.”

    It was further learnt that some state governments in collaboration with the federal government have provided electronic searchable data base for individual and corporate property owners with the following key information: Name of owner, plot number, location and Certificate of Occupancy (CofO) number.

    It was also leant that the federal government is extending the searchlight to other northern states, the south east and the south-south regions.

    The decision to go after highbrow property owners the source said, is because “it has been observed that their life style does not reflect in their tax payment.”

    Last week, the federal government played to prosecute tax evaders from April 1. Under the VAIDS programme, state governments will be major beneficiaries of the programme because after the recovery, the money will go to the states, which is why the states are cooperating with the federal government on the scheme.

  • Govt to get Lassa fever vaccine

    Govt to get Lassa fever vaccine

    The Federal Government said yesterday it will soon receive vaccine to check the spread of Lassa fever.

    Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole made this known yesterday after signing a joint approval of the biennium WHO Programme Budget of 2018 to 2019 in Abuja.

    Adewole explained that before the end of the year, the government would receive vaccine to address the outbreak of Lassa fever in the country.

    The minister said that he had summoned the Commissioners for Health in the five states affected by Lassa fever to get an update on the situation in their states.

    According to him, the meeting will take place on Tuesday in Abuja.

    The minister listed the affected states as Ondo, Ebonyi, Edo, Nasarawa and Imo.

    Adewole commended Ondo and Ebonyi State Governments for being outstanding in tackling Lassa fever in their respective states.

    “We are doing everything possible to fight and address the outbreak of Lassa fever on all fronts,” he said

  • Falana: workers must demand how govt spends recovered loot

    Falana: workers must demand how govt spends recovered loot

    •Govt ‘not fighting real corruption’

    Human right lawyer and activist Femi Falana (SAN) said yesterday that workers represented by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) must demand from the Federal Government detail account of how the money recovered so far by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) will be spent.

    Speaking on the final day of the 40th anniversary celebration of the NLC, Falana accused the Buhari government of not fighting what he described as “the real corruption”, saying what was being done was scratching the issue on the surface.

    He described the third force being canvassed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo as the real party for the working class, saying the congress must take steps to rebrand and revive the Labour Party (LP) and make sure it does not become a dumping ground for disgruntled elements of the ruling party.

    He said the workers must rise up in defence of the country by demanding accountability and judicious use of the recovered looted funds as many citizens are dying from starvation.

    Falana added that Nigerians could not be complaining of being broke, considering the huge public resources in private hands.

    “NLC has a role to play to protect the interest of the Nigerian people. That is why whenever there is a problem in the country, people will be asking: where is NLC? If you say you are fighting corruption, we have nothing to lose but to join them to expose themselves.

    “The EFCC in the last two and half years recovered N750 billion. NLC must find out what they will do with the money. I told government publicly that what they are doing by saying they are fighting corruption is a tip of the iceberg. The real corruption is not been fought.

    “I wrote a letter to the Minister of Finance and itemised how this country can recover about 200 billion dollars. Therefore, they don’t need to go anywhere to borrow money.  But what the minister did was to write me back to acknowledge the receipt of the letter and that it is receiving attention. And up till now, that letter is receiving attention.

    “In 2006, the then CBN Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, gave $7 billion to 14 banks and those banks have not paid back the money. Also in 2008, the then CBN Governor, Malam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, gave six banks N600 banks and up till now, the money has not been returned. You cannot say we are broke, pay back this money.

    “You also remember the N100 million that was released for the revive of textile industry. But these textile companies are still moribund. Also in the last 10 years, over N400 billion was released for agriculture, but yet we are hungry.”

    Falana said the organised Labour must put in place mechanism to revive the Labour Party to bring succour to the Nigerian people.

    Lead speaker and a universityd, Prof. Omotoye Olorode, said the labour movement had not forged any serious labour-based party since the 1950s and the 1960s, adding that effort to form a Labour Party in 1989 was squandered by some of the trade unionists when they ended up in bourgeois political parties.

  • Retired professors to Rivers govt: pay us

    Retired professors to Rivers govt: pay us

    Over 200 retired professors of Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt, have urged the Governor Nyesom Wike administration to pay their salary arrears for 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 sessions.

    The retired professors, under the aegis of Contract/Adjunct/Sabbatical Professors and Other Academic and Technical Staff, said that the arrears ranged between eight and 23 months.

    While addressing a news conference yesterday in Port Harcourt, the capital, Coordinator of the group Prof. Sunny Amadi pleaded with Wike to  intervene to put an end to their predicament.

    He said: “We wish to draw attention to the painful plight of the above categories of staff of Rivers State University, who are currently burdened with outstanding arrears of salaries in 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 academic sessions, ranging between eight and 23 months.

    “This disclosure is coming on the heels of series of earlier appeals to the authorities to address the unfortunate situation and bring the travail of the affected staff to an end.”

  • Govt committed to workers’ welfare

    Minister of State for Labour and Employment Prof Stephen Ocheni has said the Federal Government remained committed to improving workers’ wellbeing in the country.

    Ocheni, who spoke in Igalamela Local Government Area  of Kogi State, said the Federal Government had inaugurated a committee on minimum wage to fashion out an improved and living wage for workers.

    According to him, the economic recovery and growth plan of the government is designed to improve the standard of living and wellbeing of Nigerians, including workers.

    He said President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has embarked on an all-inclusive economy, designed to improve both the private and public sector and government alone cannot be the employer of labour.

    The government, he said, has invigorated National Directorate of Employment’s (NDE’s) efforts at creating self-sustaining employments for youths in the country through skills acquisition and empowerment with startup packs.

  • Expatriate quota: Labour queries govt

    The Federal Government has been criticised by the organised labour for failing to checkmate expatriate quota abuse by multinationals.

    National Union of Food Beverage and Tobacco Employees (NUFBTE) President  Lateef Oyelekan, who spoke at the inuaguration of the Kwara/Kogi/Niger branch secretariat of the union in Ilorin, said the government’s failure to act decisively has further compounded unemployment in the country.

    “Our government should take this issue of expatraite quota abuse seriously and take a decision that will be beneficial to the country just as the government of Ghana has done,” he said.

    The law of the country, he noted, only allows expatriates on technical ground, but the multinationals, he lamented, no longer respect the law.

    According to him, they now bring in expatriate as line managers, accountants, sale and marketing managers, including other jobs that Nigerians are more qualified to do.

    He said: “Government should ensure that no expatriate comes in for the jobs that Nigerians can do, especially in marketing and sales. When you make a foreigner a marketing director, what does the person know about our terrain and market?

    “Most of our jobs have been taken over by the expatriates and we continue to complain of rising unemployment in the country.”

    Oyelekan said labour would no longer tolerate Nigerians being made second class citizens in their country.

    He recalled that workers in the aviation sector under National Association of Aircraft Pilots and Engineers ( NAAPE ) umbrella recently shut down the operations of the Bristow and Caverton Helicopters nationwide, alleging  expatriate quota abuse and gross violation of workers’ rights.

    The NUFBTE President said all efforts at creating more employment should be encouraged, adding that the union through its entrepreneurial venture has over 200 employees.

    “Our goal is give all our state branches building of their own and empower them to go into business through that more jobs will be created. This we are doing in our little efforts to support the government,” he said.

    He said the inuagurated secretariat’s foundation was laid in 1993, but his leadership as part of the commitment to position the union as self sustaining with little reliance on the employers, undertook several ventures and completed many of such projects.

    Michael Imoudu Labour Institute (MINILS) Director-General, Alhaji Saliu Alabi, who represented the Minister of Labour, Senator Chris Ngige, at the event commended the union for its foresight to remain financially relevant  in spite of the dwindling check off dues.

    Nigeria Breweries Employee Relations Manager, Mr. Niyi Alabi, equally described the new building as a national pride, built in spite of the recession. He urged the union to extend the goodwill to other councils.

  • Govt cautions vigilantes

    Govt cautions vigilantes

    Enugu State government has urged neighbourhood watch groups to hand over suspects to the police for interrogation and prosecution.

    Capital Development and Poverty Reduction Commissioner Mr. Obinna Mbaeke told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Enugu that vigilance groups should work with the police.

    According to him, they must remain under the supervision and guidance of divisional police officers.

    Mbaeke said: “At all times, they must apprehend and hand over any suspect to the police. They should not detain any person or operate unauthorised detention camps.’’

    He said the government established neighbourhood watch groups to complement statutorily recognised security agencies, as they were closer to the grassroots.

    The commissioner enjoined members to show integrity and operate within the ambit of the law.

    He reiterated government’s commitment to support security agencies.

    Mbaeke advised them to work with traditional institutions.

    “Vigilance group members must assist the government to achieve the set target of security and development at the grassroots.

    “Any deviation from the law establishing the programme will attract sanctions,’’ the commissioner said.

  • Govt to end gold mining abuse

    Govt to end gold mining abuse

    The Federal Government will, in the next few months, end the indiscriminate mining and exportation of gold.

    The development is aimed at ensuring that product is well mined, processed, and exported to attract good prices at the international market.

    The Special Assistant on Media to Dr Kayode Fayemi, Minister for Solid Minerals, Mr Yinka Oyebode, said the idea would enable both the private and the public sectors to achieve good profit margins.

    In an interview with The Nation, Oyebode said plans were afoot to improve the mining, export and sale of gold from Nigeria at the international market, adding that the government is experimenting the idea of transforming the process of mining gold, first with two states.

    Oyebode said: “With respect to the issue of mining gold to attract good pricing in the international market, the government has started the pilot studies with Osun and Kebbi states. More would join as time goes on.

    ‘’Hitherto, local miners are selling the product to the Congolese and the Chinese at a ridiculous low price, a development, which informed the decision by the government to try and find solution to the issue.”

    He said pilot studies were taking place, adding that in the next few months, there would more exploration and earnings from the resource.

    According to him, the development would enable the government to improve its earnings in form of royalties from exploration of gold, and help the private sector operators.

    He said solid mineral activities were private sector-driven since  mining and export were handled by private operators, stressing that the government is only providing guidelines on what, where and how things should be done in order to improve the growth of the sector.

    He said the government will allow private sector operators to buy into the initiative to encourage the industry growth.

    “The reasons behind the transformation of the solid minerals sector, especially the gold aspect of it by the Federal Government are many. First is to help in improving the price at which the product is bought at the market,’’ he added.