The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) yesterday directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies to return unspent personnel funds to the Sub-Treasury of the Federation by December 31st.
The agency said any defaulting public officers risk being prosecuted.
The directive was contained in a statement by the Chairman of ICPC, Mr. Ekpo Nta against the backdrop of a similar exercise in 2012 which led to the recovery of N9billion.
The statement said: “The Commission conducted a System Study and Review on the utilization of the 2012 Personnel Vote of some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs). Observable lapses were highlighted and recoveries of about N9billion effected from the various MDAs.
“The Commission will be carrying out another System Study and Review of the 2016 Personnel Vote to ensure total compliance with Section 16 of the Finance (Control and Management) Act, LFN, 1990 and the Financial Regulations regarding unspent balances in line with the extant rules and regulations.
“All Ministries, Departments and Agencies not presently captured on the IPPIS platform are requested to submit the Receipt and Expenditure Profiles of their Personnel Cost to reach the Commission not later than 20th December, 2016.
“For avoidance of doubt, the Personnel Vote is strictly for the payment of salaries and allowances for Government employees only, as specified in the 2016 Appropriation Act. It does not cover Sallah/Christmas bonuses, “13th month” salaries, arrears of promotions, etc.
“All unspent balances should be returned to the Sub-Treasury of the Federation by 31st December, 2016.
“The Commission will commence verification of the returns made to the Sub-Treasury by January 2016. “Letters have been sent to the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies for strict compliance and to note that any infractions will be prosecuted
Tag: MDA
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ICPC orders MDAs to return unspent funds to sub-treasury by Dec 31
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Govt releases MDAs’ capital funding details
The Federal Ministry of Finance has released details of its capital funding for Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) from 2016 budget allocation.
According to the breakdown released yesterday, out of the total sum of N753,633,667,464, the Ministry of Power got the largest share with N209,246,760,165; Defence has so far received N69,512,363,730; Transport-N30,540,042,428; Agriculture-N29,578,929,050; Water Resources-N25,201,857,951; Interior-N21,210,059,596; while Health got N18,472,539,524.
Also, Education got N16,743,672,981; Niger Delta N8,161,196,486; Science and Technology-N6,681,349,721; Mnes & Steel-N3,360,000,000; Petroleum-N2,413,847,044 while others got N312,511,048,789.
In the 2016 budget, the Federal Government projected to spend N1.8 trillion or 30 per cent of the total of N6.06 trillion budget on Capital Expenditure. What the breakdown showed was that government was working to meet at least, 50 per cent releases for capital projects.
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Ex-Egbin Power chief: MDAs, others owe DisCos N80b
Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and the military owe the electricity power distribution companies (DisCos) over N80billion, the former Managing Director, Egbin Power Plc, Michael Uzoigwe, has said.
Uzoigwe, who is Group Leader, Generation, Sahara Group, said the Army, Navy and Airforce are the major debtors.
He urged the DisCos to collect their money to stay in business, adding that failure of the firms to recover the debts would further affect their operations.
Uzoigwe, who delivered a paper entitled: ‘The present state of the privatised electricity business in Nigeria’ at the On-Grid Energy Summit organised by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) in Lagos, said electricity generation and distribution is a serious business and that no firm is ready to run its business at a loss.
According to him, the federal agencies and ministries that were owing the firms needed not complain of power failure, arguing that it was not normal for the DisCos to provide electricity to customers, who pay their bills promptly.
Uzoigwe said military and police maltreat officials of power firms on debt-recovery duties, which he described as unfortunate.
He said: “The Ministries, Departments and Agencies owe the DisCos N80billion in form of bills and other charges. Anywhere I can say N80billion is being owed the energy distribution companies by the government agencies and others and I ‘m ready to defend it. Whenever we send our boys to recover debts owed the DisCos, the debtors use police to maltreat them. They lock the boys up.
“As a distributor, what business do I have supplying power to Army or Navy barracks that refused to pay their bills? Such debtors need not complain if they are denied electricity supply. As a matter of fact, it does not make economic sense to continue to serve debtors that appear unrepentant.
“The power distribution companies have kilowatts of electricity they supply a given area or location within a period. If a DisCos supplies, for example, Surulere 70 kilowatts of power out of 100 kilowatts budgeted for the area in a month and the residents pay for the 70 kilowatts. What is going to happen to the remaining 30 kilowatts? The firm cannot return the remaining 30 kilowatts. But it is a good decision if the DisCos supply an industrial layout that do not only consume the 100 kilowatts, but pay for the power.’’
Uzoigwe likened the problems in the sector to a recurrent decimal, which comes up always, stressing that what people see outside the power industry is not the true picture of the happenings inside it.
He explained that many of the critical problems plaguing the sector were hidden, because they are not known to many Nigerians.
Uzoigwe accused Nigerians of playing what he described as a ‘blaming game’, arguing that they apportion blames wrongly.
He said lack of practical experience about the power industry, on the part of some government officials, especially politicians, is the bane of the industry, arguing that only theorists were appointed to head critical units.
He urged Nigerians to report any act of vandalism to the police and other security agencies, noting that everybody has a role to play, if the sector would grow to a level where there would be energy sufficiency.
He said failure of people to report cases such as destruction of transformers, cables, poles, meters and others, they are adding more to the problems in the sector.
He said bypassing of meters is a serious offence, adding that such cases abound in Lagos and other states in the country.
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MDA returns with more excitement
PRODUCERS of Nigerian family dance show, Maltina Dance All have announced that all is set to stage its ninth season. The announcement was made at a media parley event on Wednesday at Maltina’s office in Lagos.
Themed Happiness Amplified, producers have promised that the activities and dance routines lined up for this season will heighten the excitement and happiness shared by competing families and viewers of the dance show.
According to Mr. Franco Maria Maggi, Marketing Director, Nigerian Breweries Plc, “Maltina Dance All provides a platform for sharing happiness, promoting family values and bonding. The lives of various families have been positively affected through this platform.”
Maggi stated that the previous editions utilized the regional auditions format and that the brand received feedback that several families were unable to participate in those auditions due to travel constraints.
This year, he said, the brand chose the online auditions format to make the dance show more accessible and give families the opportunity to submit entries for the 2016 Maltina Dance All from the comfort of their homes by making a short dance video and simply uploading the video on the website.
“Maltina Dance All is one of the platforms through which the brand connects with, and allow consumers heighten their interactions to share happiness,” said Mr. Kufre Ekanem, Corporate Affairs Adviser, Nigerian Breweries Plc. “The show through its creative and diverse dance routines brings incredible energy, excitement, and fun for competing families and fans. We can’t wait to see what season 9 will bring,” said Maggi.
He said that the show’s innovative format this season will allow interested families to participate by submitting their dance videos from all across Nigeria on the Maltina Dance All website.
The winning family, he said, will be rewarded with a grand prize of N10 million, while the first and second runners up will receive N3 million and N1 million respectively.
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Assembly urges MDAs to avert flooding
The Lagos State House of Assembly yesterday urged ministries departments and agencies (MDAs) to take steps to guard against flooding during the rains.
This followed a motion by Segun Olulade, House Committee on Health Services Chairman, over the flood that sacked Poka and Imokin villages in Eredo, Epe.
The House urged the Ministry of the Environment to redouble its efforts at ensuring free flow of water across the state and adopt palliative measures in villages overran by flood.
The lawmakers urged the Ministry of Physical Planning and Urban Development to ensure that all buildings comply with the approved designs.
The House advised the Ministry of Information and Strategy to continue sensitising the public on the danger of blocking the drains with refuse.
Explaining the motion, Olulade, who implored residents to desist from throwing refuse into canals, said two communities in Epe Local Government were sacked by flood.
He said: “This is not far from building on waterways and illegal disposal of wastes. “It is important for all relevant agencies to enforce all regulations to ensure protection of life and property during this rainy season.”
House Committee on the Environment Chairman Dayo Saka Fafunmi urged the relevant agencies to visit the affected areas.
Speaker Mudashiru Obasa said the government should not relent in sensitising residents on the repercussion of blocking waterways with wastes and illegal buildings.
He said the relevant agencies should do the needful to avoid losses through flood.
The House directed the Clerk of the House, Mr Ganiyu Abiru to write to the affected ministries for action.
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Taxation of contracts and direct labour procurement of MDAs (3)
Opadiran (1987) defined Direct Labour Procurement as a process by which a project is executed by the workers of an organisation instead of the project being contracted out. It can simply be described as a ‘do it yourself’ approach to project procurement.
Direct Labour could also be defined as a method of procurement whereby a client otherwise known as “the owner” uses his or her own in-house resources for the design and execution of a project. The in-house resources here will include both supervisory staff, skilled and unskilled labour force besides equipment. Worthy of note in this system is the elimination of the contractor, which makes the direct labour method distinct from other procurement methods.
According to Iyagba and Idoro (1995), Direct Labour method of procurement can take various forms among which are;
Fully in-house direct labour
Here the organisation has the human resources in place for all the phases of the project. The organisation pays the monthly wages or otherwise of the human resources.
Partially in-house direct labour
Here the design and production information could be prepared by practicing consultants, while construction is handled by permanent personnel.
Hire-labour direct labour
Here the project owners do hire oflabour, machinery, purchase material and coordinate the construction work, possibly engaging a qualified professional for the management of the construction process.
Self-help type of direct labour
Self-help construction where the inhabitants of a community are organised and mobilised with the direct labour establishments of a ministry.
Others are:
– The developer provides the necessary recources, buys the necessary materials, hires the men and the machinery required, and mobilises the resources on his own.
– Communal construction with the use of voluntary labour drawn from family members and friends.
– A self-help construction whereby the inhabitants of a community organise and mobilise themselves to execute a project.
These arrangements were seen to originally represent the true context of direct labour construction. Based on the definition, the following comments are made on the different forms of Direct Labour presented above:
Forms contract implication
Fully in-house direct labour. No contract Partially In-house Direct Labour Design and production of information by third parties are contracts.
Hire-Labour Direct Labour Hire of labour,machinery, qualified professionals and contract purchase of materials will not qualify as direct labour. Cash purchase of materials may qualify.
Self-help type of Direct Labour Direct Labour of the Direct Labour Establishment of the Ministry. Others may qualify as direct labour when executed through cash advance to a staff of the MDA within approval limit. They may not qualify when managed by a third party.
Contract can be inferred from the basis for payment by the project owner.
a. Cash advance to staff to be retired after the procurement: No contract
b. Payments for staff invoices: Contract (staff should not invoice his/her employer)
c. Payment to staff for third party invoices: Contract
d. Payment based on certificate of job completed: Contract
Any Direct Labour Procurement must possess these characteristics to qualify as non contract procurement.
a. Ownership of procurement facilities: The ministries, Department and agencies of government must use only the in-house resources for the design and execution of the project.
b. Absence of contractual relationship with both staff and non staff, in the procurement.
c. Payment should be through cash advance to staff. The cash advance must be retired at the end of the procurement and within approved limit.
Direct labour procurement and the nigerian tax laws
The schedule to the Companies Income Tax {Rate, etc of Tax deducted at source (Withholding Tax)} Regulations 1995 exempts those transactions which are, and indeed constitute “Outright sale or purchase of goods and property” and which take place “in the ordinary course of that particular kind of business”, from Tax deduction at source. Where a sale or purchase transaction becomes repetitive or habitual, it will not qualify for exemption. The sale of goods on a once-for – all basis will qualify for the exemption in so far as it meets the second condition. A sale takes place in the ordinary course of business when it takes place in the course of that particular business. Where, for instance, a trader sells goods directly to third parties, he will be seen as acting in the ordinary course of his business, that is, trading. However, where the trader enters into contract for the sale of the goods, he is no longer acting within his ordinary course of business, that is, trading, but has made an adventure into another business, that is, contracts. Further, a manufacturer who makes contractual sale or purchase is no longer acting within his ordinary course of business that is manufacturing, but has gone into another business, that is, contract. Although the manufacturer may use the items purchased or sold in his manufacturing business, the contractual arrangement for the sale or purchase will be subject to five per cent withholding tax.
Conclusion
It is the Public Procurement Bureau’s Policy that procuring entities outsource those services that are either not part of their core business activity or for which there is a fluctuation requirement in the terms of specialist skills or equipment , or where the open market provides a more efficient and commercial alternative. It is also its policy that services, materials and equipment shall be acquired by procuring entities at the most favourable terms compatible with the desired quality and delivery requirements, taking account of total life cycle costs and in a manner that safeguards and preserves the reputation of the procuring entity; and to support the development of an indigenous contractor base in Nigeria and particularly in the area in which the various procuring entities operate. Despite these comprehensive provisions in the Procurement Act and the Financial Regulations, many Government Agencies deliberately set aside contract award procedures in favour of direct labour procurement option.
The pertinent questions would be: why are the MDAs interested in direct labour procurement method? Could it be for better quality delivery, availability of more competent In-house staff, cost saving, non availability of competent contractors or Tax planning etc? Whatever the reasons, their actions should be guided by relevant Laws. They should be sure and ready to prove a case for direct labour in the Public Procurement Act, that they have ascertained:- that a schedule of rates, cost – plus or target contract would not be feasible, as quantities of work to be carried out cannot be defined in advance; that works are small and scattered or in remote locations with no local contractors and demobilization costs for outside contractors would be too high; that works must be carried out without disrupting existing operations; that the risk of unavailable work interruptions is better borne by procuring entity than by a contractor; that no contractor is interested in conducting the work at a reasonable price; that it has been demonstrated that Force Account (Direct Labour) is the only practical method for constructing and maintaining works under special circumstances; or that national security would be compromised if any method was used. Any tax planning that violates the provisions of the tax laws is illegal.
Some government accounting officers are quick to argue that the reason for Direct Labour Procurement option is the absence of budgetary provision for the payment of VAT which are invoiced to them by the contractors. It is advisable that Accounting Officers of Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government should include the VAT payable in the budget estimate for approval instead of violating the provisions of the relevant laws. From the content of the Financial Regulations and the Accountant-General Circular of 2009, it is instructive to note that any payment for public procurement above N200,000 may not be accepted as a payment for Direct Labour, and could be deemed as Taxable Government Expenditure.
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A closer look at Civil Service Reforms
A study on Administrative Reforms in Africa conducted by Prof. Ladipo Adamolekun in 2005 regarded Nigeria as a “hesitant” reformer alongside Gabon, Togo and Zimbabwe closer to the vicious cycle of non-reformers (Somalia, Sudan) than the vicious cycle of advanced reformers, (Botswana, Namibia, Mauritius). 45 long years down the line Nigeria is still hesitantly conceding to administrative reforms in the public service!
Dr. Tunji Olaopa may not be a prophet, neither a Nostradamus who sees tomorrow, but he has been in the bureaucratic corridor of Nigeria, Africa and CAPAM long enough to know that all is not well with the Nigerian Civil Service. That is why, his passion for a professional Civil Service propels him to bring his experience as an “expert insider” to attempt a prospective prognosis, a roadmap towards achieving a world class Nigerian Civil Service in the near future. That is what Dr. Tunji attempts to do in the 372 page book: The NIGERIAN CIVIL SERVICE OF THE FUTURE: A Prospective Analysis. And who can offer a more befitting imprimatur than Dr. Christopher Kolade CON- himself one of Nigeria’s seasoned bureaucrat and technocrat- who in the Forward says, “Olaopa is offering — a timely roadmap for a return journey to a civil service of a world class quality”.
Made up of 18 chapters, Dr. Tunji labouriously and painstakingly takes us on his visionary journey to a trajectory for the future of Nigeria’s Civil Service. He chronicles the reform dynamics of Nigeria’s Public Administration; the Politics-Administrative Interface; the beginning of the Nigerian Civil Service and reflections on the Nation’s Administrative history. Olaopa also interrogates Nigeria’s reform profile and its emergent dysfunctions, explaining why administrative reforms have failed in Nigeria. From analyzing the elements of the Civil Service Reform process which include: structure, recruitment, capacity building, performance and promotion, professionalism and modernity to accountability, Dr. Tunji examined the statist environment of the Nigerian Civil Service and how that has, one way or the other, compromised its capacity to represent the government in its task of effectively and efficiently delivering qualitative goods and services to the citizens.
Indeed as the roadmap to the future which includes a reflection on the past, Olaopa gives us a synopsis of what he calls “a practitioner’s perspective” on bureaucratic corruption and the Public Service, noting the following as the contextual dimensions and manifestations of corruption: bribery, embezzlement, fraud, extortion, abuse of power, conflict of interest, insider trading/abuse of privileged information, favouritism and nepotism. With empirical hindsight acquired from his several researches on the bureaucracy, Tunji says that “the manifestation and the effectiveness of Nigeria’s anti-corruption strategies and control mechanisms have unfortunately recorded inadequate outcomes”. Therefore, if corruption equals, monopoly plus discretion in decision-making minus accountability, the overall objective of the anti-corruption strategies should be “to increase the level of transparency and accountability”.
Dr. Tunji also unravels the pay and compensation conundrum and its effect on productivity: if you pay peanuts, you get monkeys. Nigeria needs to adopt a new style management in terms of the management of the salary/wage set up of the Civil Service, bearing in mind her social and economic environment. This is a solution framework for industrial relations and Nigeria’s productivity challenges. In envisioning the future of the Nigeria Civil Service, Dr.Tunji does not claim puritanical ideas. He examines the National Strategy for Public Service Reforms (NSPSR) Reform Blueprint, and concludes that “it can be negotiated through a 5-Point Agenda” by creating a new generation of public managers committed to the agenda of a new productivity paradigm; Reengineering of MDA management system into performance-oriented, technology-enabled and social compact or accountable business model; strengthening and leveraging Public-Private Partnerships to facilitate and deepen effective and efficient service deliveries; Reorienting the public service into a rebranded profession and a leadership development scheme that empowers.
But how can this be done? In prescribing the building of a new generation of public managers/leaders, Dr. Tunji examines the New Zealand model, the German ‘Slim State’ model, the Nordic model and the New Public Governance model which lay emphasis on managerialism as the paradigm of organizational efficiency and suggests that “the Public Service should be carried on by the admission into its lower ranks of a carefully selected body of young men ( and women) who should be employed from the first upon work suited to their capacities and their education and should be made constantly to feel that their promotion and future prospects depend entirely on the industry and ability with which they discharge their duties”- a return to professionalism.
In addition to the above, the Service needs to get back to the basic right in terms of creating a core institutional framework for managing the reform process. This entails ownership of the Reform Management Strategy and he presented many models for managing the reform process which could include sustaining the present arrangement and the strengthening of the Bureau of Public Service Reforms (BPSR) which coordinates all reforms in the Public Service including issues of governance, institutional reforms, service delivery and efficiency improvement, cost economy, and rightsizing etc.
Dr. Tunji equally suggests a critical rethinking of personnel and performance, the role of the Civil Service Commission and the imperative of Human Resource Management (HRM) under a New Public Management paradigm. His prospective opinion is that “the advantages of best practices in HR management can be better deployed within a decentralizing context”.
The Nigerian Civil Service is very critical but at the same time dysfunctional, that is why Dr. Tunji says that he “ realized the significant imperative of a functional, efficient and professionally capacitated civil service within the context of a framework of good governance” as an “urgent desideratum of the Nigerian government”. Olaopa is optimistic the Nigerian Civil Service though short on service delivery to the people now can live up to this responsibility , but it “has a significant date with its own future as a rehabilitated and responsive institutional framework dedicated to policy implementation and service delivery”. Will the Heads of Service, Permanent Secretaries, Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of Reform Agencies and other MDAs take this “manifesto” for the reform of the Nigerian Civil Service as provided by Dr. Tunji Olaopa and run with it for the good of the Service and good governance? Time will tell.
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MDA regional auditions begin
All is now set for the regional auditions of the family dance show, Maltina Dance All sponsored by Maltina.
The regional auditions form the platform for selecting family representatives who will be expected to ensure their families’ eligibility in the contest before the show proper kicks off.
According to the organisers, the regional auditions will hold in Port Harcourt at the Atrium Event Centre on July 18 and 19; the Lagos auditions will take place at the National Theatre from July 24 to 26 while the Abuja auditions will come up at the Nicon Luxury Hotel on August 1 and 2.
During the regional auditions, consumers and contesting families stand a chance to win regional dance competition prizes.
Speaking on the show, Mr. Adewole Adedeji, Senior Brand Manager, Maltina, stated that building any brand that can stand the test of times and leave footprints in the sands of time is a very long journey.
“We are also very excited about what season eight of MDA has in store for us. You will agree with me that eight years is a long time for a show to still remain relevant; and we’re very glad that Maltina, through MDA, continues to bring the brand experience of sharing happiness and fun to the consumer. The MDA Rhythm of Happiness edition will be refreshingly unique because we put a lot of work into it. Every year, there is something bigger and better,” Adedeji said.
He further revealed that the winning family would go home with the grand prize of N10 million. The first and second runners-up will also get N3 million and N1 million respectively.
The TV show will be aired from September 7, on major TV networks with videos uploaded on YouTube and Facebook.
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Criminals in MDAs
The statement credited to Col. Mohammed Sambo Dasuki (rtd), National Security Adviser (NSA), that many people with criminal antecedents occupy strategic positions in various Federal Government ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) is troubling. Dasuki, through Layiwola Laseinde, director, policy and strategy of the NSA’s office spoke at a one-day workshop on the “Importance of Security Awareness Drills in Contemporary Nigeria”, organised by the Special Services Office (SSO), Office of Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), in Abuja.
The NSA was unsparing when he affirmed: “We want to make sure that people of dubious character are not employed. In some areas, you find out that people have committed crimes and once they have criminal background, they are likely to perpetrate death. I am not saying it is in all cases, but majority of the cases. So the government, especially the security agencies … want to make sure that each agency does its own in-house screening to screen out undesirable people …Government cannot afford for agencies to have staff with criminal record and that is the purpose of this workshop, that those who are trained can go and train other people and also organise their parastatals and agencies to ensure that in terms of personal record and discipline, everything is okay.’’
We know that it is government that employs presumably qualified Nigerians into positions in these MDAs, not the Nigerian public. So, we expect the government, through its numerous security agencies that Dasuki, as NSA, oversees, to have routinely been effectively discharging their job of ensuring that men and women of shady background do not get employed in the MDAs or any other strategic institutions in the country. But it seems that the NSA office is getting to know too late that the country’s MDAs harbour a lot of misfits. The fault is that of the NSA and he should take urgent steps to correct this sad trend.
We now understand why there have been so many leakages in the system; it could not have been different in a place that harbours employees with criminal background. Any system that suffers from high moral standing cannot be a reliable custodian of values of a promising society; and that is what the Nigerian system currently suffers from. The primary constitutional duty of government is the security and welfare of the citizenry and there is no doubt that having people of questionable background in government MDAs constitutes a serious threat to the discharge of this responsibility.
Definitely, some drastic steps must be taken. And we expect to see cogent results from the promised vulnerability assessment initiative of MDAs by the NSA through the Department of State Services (DSS). So far, result of the touted routine inspection of MDAs by the Security Inspection Committee in order to ensure compliance with security regulations as they affect the safety of government’s personnel, documents and facilities has not been felt.
NSA Dasuki must realise that the task ahead is onerous and can only be accomplished with commitment and sincerity of purpose from government, especially its security agencies headed by his office. The entire process of employment in the MDAs and other strategic institutions has to be overhauled to block existing recruitment loopholes. Also, a tight security process must be designed to weed out misguided elements in the system.
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MDAs underfunded, Senate panel alleges
How much has the Federal Ministry of Finance released to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) this year? The ministry claims to have released 90 per cent of the MDAs’ budgetary allocations to them but the Senate Committee on Science and Technology has implored the media to verify the claim.
During a visit to the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA) in Lagos, the committee chairman Senator Robert Boroffice said since the beginning of the year, the MDAs ‘cannot boast of more than 50 per cent budget performace’.
He said: “As journalists, do your investigations. Visit parastatals, agencies and ministries. Look at what was budgeted for them, what was approved and what was eventually released. And do your calculation, it is a simple arithmetic. The visit of the committee is not to fault the executive in its functions, but to ensure that the fund released to the agency is judiciously used; find out the problems confronting the agency, and as legislators, where can we help? I was a director-general in a science and technology agency where I spent 18 years in the ministry, the story is pathetic. Science is not seen as being relevant.
“What am seeing here at this agency of Science and Technology is pathetic. They are given little money. You cannot do science in an envelope- that it cannot exceed that amount released to it hampers research. You see research is not about building houses. In science, you may spend about N10 million on research, and yet not see the results. You see in research, you are dealing with enzymes, products production, microbes and antibiotics; our people are used to capital. When you talk of capital project, they are looking out for buildings, so if you are not building or constructing, they say you don’t need money.”
“Agencies like this are handicapped. If you add a kobo to what is presented by MDAs, you are accused of blowing up the budget, whereas, there is no Ministry of Finance official nor of the Presidency here. We, as Senators, are elected by the people and we know their problems, so when a proposal of N10 million, is put forward and we know it needs N50million, the ministry kicks and insists it cannot go beyond what is in the envelop. It is a terrible experience.”
On the claim that it is expensive to register natural medicine products with the National Agency for Food Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) Boroffice said: “NAFDAC can be invited for dialogue. NAFDAC is working for the government on behalf of the people, so for a government that wants to promote entrepreneurship and create wealth, if an agency of government wants to be an impediment to such, it is not an issue. For it is not a foreign agency but indigenous one. It can be invited to a roundtable talk to reduce its registration and licensing fees.”
A member of the committee, Senator Ibrahim Gobir said: “Any nation that does not embrace its indigenous or traditional medicine is bound to fail. This is because no nation can depend absolutely on orthodox medicine. The challenges facing the development of traditional medicine in Nigeria are two- some practitioners are not ready to subject their production to good manufacturing practice (GMP) and marketability. For instance, this agency has developed some products awaiting marketing and if somebody can come forward to commercialise them with the agency getting the patent right, the products will fly.”
NNMDA Director-General, Tamunoibuomi Okujagu said the agency was doing fine because it focuses on specific projects.
“This is in spite of perception of most people, especially the elite on natural medicine. In this age, most expect to see an old man with a white cap and a tooth chanting or claiming to have solution to plethora of health conditions and diseases. Natural Medicine in this new age has transformed beyond that. We now do more of research and evidence based products that are reproducible anywhere in the world.
“People should start seeing the scientific part of natural medicine. And that is the major challenge we face as an agency. We have myriads of products, results of research and intense scientific investigations, to the point of finished products emanating from good manufacturing practice (GMP). These products and efforts showcase the ingenuity and diversity of natural medicine. The value of traditional medicine to the economy is huge. China, for instance, is exporting its natural health products and that has boosted its economy on foreign exchange. About 85 per cent of our people still partonise natural medicine and the market is waiting to be tapped in, and the potential is huge.”