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Tag: PRESIDENCY

  • No plan to reject 2017 budget, says Presidency

    No plan to reject 2017 budget, says Presidency

    The Presidency yesterday said that there is no plan to reject the 2017 budget as passed by the National Assembly.

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, made the clarification following insinuations that the budget might be rejected by the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

    Enang in a statement in Abuja said that the Presidency is already working on the budget to ensure that it was assented to.

    He said that reports that the budget would be rejected by the Presidency should be disregarded.

    Enang added, “The Presidency is working within the constitutional time-frame required to process details of the 2017 budget passed by the National Assembly.

    There is no such plan by it to reject the 2017 budget passed by the National Assembly as alleged in some reports. The Presidency can only assent to the budget or withhold assent as the case maybe.

    “However, should there be areas needing input, the Presidency would engage the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives.

    “As such, any report suggesting a rejection of the 2017 budget by the presidency is incorrect.

    “Right now, the Presidency is subjecting every detail of the budget using the available systems at its disposal to ensure the figures appropriated to MDAs are consistent with the realities on ground, while also engaging in consultations.

    “When the budget was presented to both chambers of the National Assembly for consideration last year by President Muhammadu Buhari, both chambers subjected the document to legislative processes using internal systems at their disposal.

    “This, exactly, is what the presidency is actually doing at the moment to ensure what would be eventually assented to sufficiently address the nation’s present realities, as not doing so could expose government to a backlash from Nigerians.”

     

  • Budget: Presidency awaits feedback from MDAs before assent

    Budget: Presidency awaits feedback from MDAs before assent

    The Presidency is yet to assent to the 2017 budget because it is awaiting feedback from Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) on the bill passed by the National Assembly, The Nation learnt yesterday.

    The government has asked ministers to study the budget to determine the extent of adjustment, alteration and tampering.

    The government is said to be trying to avoid a repeat of the padding of the budget as the case in 2016.

    The National Assembly on May 11 passed the 2017 Appropriation Bill and raised the estimate from N7.28 trillion proposed by President Muhammadu Buhari in December last year to N7.44 trillion.

    Although the Assembly exercised its constitutional right, the government was not expecting that the Appropriation Bill would be raised up.

    But the Presidency has asked ministers and the agencies under them to “go through what was passed.”

    The Presidency made the budget available to ministers last Tuesday and Wednesday.

    The MDAs have about a week to go through the document.

    It was gathered that the Presidency does not want to rush into signing the budget without verifying the proposals approved by the National Assembly.

    A source in the Presidency said: “There is no problem about assent to the 2017 budget; the Presidency is only awaiting feedback from MDAs.

    “The last time I checked, the feedback was still coming from ministers and the agencies. But the government is tidying up the process.

    “This is to show you that everyone is involved in the process. We want to make the budget as transparent as possible.”

    A top government official also said: “Actually, the budget was given to ministers to check the details to avoid a repeat of the padding of 2016. The purpose is to ensure that the proposals of the government for 2017 were not significantly tampered with.

    “At the end of the day, the government will evaluate the aggregate of the adjustments made to the budget before deciding whether or not to sign it into law or draw the attention of the National Assembly to significant alterations.

    “If the aggregate of alterations is less than five per cent, the President or the Acting President (as may be directed) will then sign it into law.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “The analysis of the budget by MDAs is also good for the records in comparison with past budgets.

    “On assent to the budget, I can tell you that this government is one. It can either be President Muhammadu Buhari or the Acting President as may be directed. There is no problem at all contrary to insinuations.

    “We are all hopeful that the President will be well enough within the next one week or two to sign the budget. Otherwise, the Acting President will assent to the document.”

    Buhari presented the budget to the National Assembly on December 14, 2016.

    It was learnt that two significant aspects of the budget are sxciting to government officials.

    The aspects are Clause 11 of the Appropriation Bill which provides that the budget will run for 12 months, starting from the date it is signed into law and the allocation of 30 per cent to capital expenditure.

    By implication, the budget cycle may run from May to May.

    Other highlights in the budget are  Statutory Transfers ( N434 billion);  Debt Servicing (N1.8 trillion); Sinking Fund for Maturity Bonds( N177.5 billion);  Recurrent Non-Debt Expenditure (N2.99 trillion) and Development Fund for Capital Expenditure, exclusive of the capital expenditure in statutory transfers for the year ending Dec. 31, 2017(N2.2 trillion).

    The crude oil production benchmark for the budget is 2.2 million barrels per day with foreign exchange rate at N305 to the US dollar.

  • Why El-Zakzaky, Dasuki are in detention  

    Why El-Zakzaky, Dasuki are in detention  

    The Buhari administration has not failed Nigerians, the Presidency said yesterday.

    Besides, a proper assessment of the government’s performance could only be done at the end of its tenure, officials said.

    Special Adviser on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu and Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity Laolu Akande fielded questions from reporters at the State House in Abuja. It was a review of the administration’s two years at the helm.

    They also spoke on why Sheikh Ibraheem El Zakzaky and Col. Sambo Dasuki are still in detention in spite of court orders for their release.

    Adesina said the All Progressives Congress (APC) “has four years to deliver and not two years”.

    The person that asked the question said there is a buzz in town. I am sure that you have not conducted a scientific survey that shows you that is a popular position. People can always express their opinions; there is liberty on that but you don’t have a scientific survey that has given you the percentage of people that believed that the APC has failed.

    “Like the minister of transportation said recently, the APC did not promise to solve all the country’s problems in one year or two years.

    “This administration will take Nigeria far beyond how it met it. So if anybody says APC has failed, just tell them it is too early in the day because it is a four-year term and this is just two years. You don’t reach definitive conclusions in two years.”

    TRENDING: This debit alert from GeNs@gtbank.com

    On the alarm by Army chief Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai: Adesina said: “The Army has spoken and let us take that position. What the Chief of Army Staff said was a routine warning that goes to military officers – don’t hobnob with politicians –  and the army has explained the position, let’s take that position and not stretch it beyond what the military has said because they are the ones that can give us the definitive position and they have spoken on it.”

    Stressing that the masses were happy with President Buhari, Mallam Garba Shehu said: “If elections were held today, Buhari will win overwhelmingly.  The masses are still with him.

    The ordinary Nigerians are the pillars of the Buhari administration and their confidence in his administration has remained unshaken. The whistle-blower policy has excited them. They are happy that their stolen money is being recovered. The masses are happy but those elite whose sources of ill-gotten wealth have been blocked are not.

    On why Dasuki and El-Zakzaky are still in detention, Shehu said: ”It is a common thing in all nations of the world that there are matters of public safety.

    “The Attorney General and Minister of Justice has made his points here. In all cases, public good should override individual interest.”

    He said El-Zak Zaky family members and relatives had unhindered access to him.

    “On the issue of El-Zak Zaky, the information we have is that he is being kept more for his own safety than the offences he committed.

    ”If you set him free today, what do you think will likely be the reactions out there on the streets of Kaduna or in the streets of Zazzau where he comes from?.’’

    RELATED: Travails of El-Zakzaky

     

    He said Dasuki was being held because he had other criminal cases to answer, adding that his release might affect the investigation of cases against him.

    On the Chibok girls, Shehu said the government had no peculiar interest in keeping them, stressing that most of them preferred to stay in Abuja and “don’t want to return home.”

    “The human rights records of this administration are impeccable; they are unimpeachable. I think we should avoid speaking in general terms. The thing to do is to pinpoint specific cases to buttress assertions that people make and then we can tackle them.”

    Shehu defended the power situation, saying: “It is also a mistake to say power has deteriorated under this administration because when we came in 2015, power generation was 3,324MW, it increased to 4,357MW as at August 2015, barely three months after President Buhari came to power and rose to the peak of 5,077MW in 2016, it was the highest power generated in the country.

    “At present, the average generation is about 3,000mw. This is as a result of vandalism or gas pipeline infrastructure and also low water in our dams. The power sector is also gaining gradually from the peace in the Niger Delta. Usually, we experience low generation of power during dry season and this is not because of the Buhari administration.

    “Government is investing heavily in power and has been licensing a lot of renewable energy projects, which is the future. We are doing what is called energy mix, we are not just doing gas power, we are doing hydro etc.”

    On alleged weak prosecution, Akande said: “Our criminal justice system does need a profound and deep reform. The important thing is that this government is working on it. The Acting President has put together a national prosecution coordination team for all the cases to see how in the medium term we can bring some progress but also working on justice sector reforms in the long term, on criminal justice system to strengthen both the investigation and prosecution at the courts. And I know it is going to take a while for us to address it.”

     

  • Presidency dismisses Coup plot reports

    Presidency dismisses Coup plot reports

    Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, has urged Nigerians to ignore the media reports on Coup plot, saying it should not be stretched beyond what the military authorities had said.

    Adesina stated this at a media chat with State House correspondents to mark two years of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration on Tuesday in Abuja.

    According to him, what the Chief of Army Staff, Maj.-Gen. Tukur Burutai, said about the issue was a “routine warning that goes to military officers.’’

    The presidential aide addressed the correspondents alongside the Senior Special Assistants to the President on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu and Mr Laolu Akande (Office of the Vice-President).

    Adesina said: “The Army has spoken and let us take that position. What the Chief of Army Staff said was a routine warning that goes to military officers, don’t hobnob with politicians and the army has explained the position.

    “Let’s take that position and not stretch it beyond what the military has said because they are the ones that can give us the definitive position and they have spoken on it.’’

    The presidential spokesman also debunked the assertion that the ruling party had failed in fulfilling its political obligations and promises to the electorate in view of the reported hardships being experienced by a cross section of Nigerians.

    He maintained that it was unfair to assess the performance of the Buhari’s administration within its first two years.

    “People can always express their opinions, there is liberty on that but you don’t have a scientific survey that has given you the percentage of people that believed that the APC has failed.

    “The second point is that, when a government via a party is voted into office, it is voted for a four year term under our own democratic arrangement.

    “When you have spent two years which is like a midterm, the first half of a game, you don’t then determined that it has succeeded or it has failed.

    “No. You can be accused of being atomistic using a small part to determine the whole. You can’t write the report card of this administration when it is just hitting the half way mark, that will not be fair.

    “This administration will take Nigeria far beyond how it met it. So if anybody says APC has failed just tell them is too early in the day because is a four year-term and this is just two years. You don’t reach definitive conclusions in two years.’’

    Malam Garba Shehu, who spoke on the Human Rights records of the Buhari’s administration, said the records were impeccable.

    “The Human rights records of this administration are impeccable, there are unimpeachable. I think we should avoid speaking in general terms.

    “The thing to do is to pin point specific cases to buttress assertions that people make and then we can tackle them.

    “As we speak to you now, we are not aware that the administration of Muhammadu Buhari is in breach of the constitution of Nigeria with regards to the protection of the rights of Nigerians.

    “Journalists in this country ought to bear testimony on this, there is no single journalist that has been expelled from his duty because he has reported or failed to report, there is no single journalist who is in government detention because they have expressed some views that the government does not like.’’

    According to Shehu, the Buhari’s administration is complying with the decision of the courts of the land.

    “I assure that if anybody tries to do otherwise the president will not allow him to get away with it.’’

    Laolu Akande, who spoke on alleged weak prosecution of corruption cases across the country, said: “The truth of the matter is that our criminal justice system does need a profound and deep reform.

    “The important thing is that this government is working on it. As a matter of fact now, the Acting President has put together a national coordination prosecution team for all the prosecution trying to see how in the medium term we can bring some progress.

    “But also working on judicial sector reforms on the long term on criminal justice system to strengthen both the investigation and prosecution at the courts.

    “And I know it is going to take a while for us to address it,” he said.

    On food security, Akande revealed that the government had recorded tangible achievements in the nation’s agricultural sector.

    According to him, the committee on food crisis is still working, while the government has reduced importation of food items especially rice.

    He disclosed that about 40,000 farmers in Kebbi state had become millionaires due to government favourable agricultural policies.(NAN)

  • SGF, NIA DG remain suspended, says Presidency

    SGF, NIA DG remain suspended, says Presidency

    The Presidency on Sunday insisted that the suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir David Lawal and the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA), Ayo Oke are still suspended.
    The Presidential Investigative Panel, headed by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, had investigated Lawal over allegations of violations of law and due process in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).
    The panel also probed money linked to Oke concerning the discovery of large amounts of foreign and local currencies by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.
    The two weeks period given by President Muhammadu Buhari for the probe had already expired.
    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity, Laolu Akande, said that the outcome of the Investigation will soon be made public.
    Urging for patience, he said that Nigerians would be satisfied with the outcome of the investigation when made public.
    He also disclosed that the Acting President is billed to hold an interactive session with a cross-section of middle level and senior public and civil servants on Wednesday.
    The interactive session, he said, is part of measures to drive the reforms intended in the new executive orders signed last Thursday.
    He said that the Acting President would be discussing in particular the executive orders on business environment and promoting “Made in Nigeria” products.
    He said that the Buhari administration will drive the new executive orders vigorously in its determination to significantly transform the business environment and how government business is done in the country.
    “These are the people who will be directly responsible for the attainment of the objectives of the executive orders, so the Ag. President wants an opportunity to talk with them directly and also hear from them in person.” he said
    Stressing that the interactive forum would be opened for live coverage by a number of TV stations, and live streaming, Akande said that ensuring the effective implementation of the orders are critical for the overall prosperity of Nigerians and Nigeria.
    Besides, as part of activities commemorating the Second year of the Buhari administration, Akande said next week on May 29, a presidential level Report Card event on the Social Investment Programmes of the Buhari presidency would be held at Aso Rock.
    “Here at this national event, we shall be updating Nigerians on the progress so far attained, how we are addressing some challenges and how President Buhari’s Social Investment Programmes would be significantly expanded going forward,” Akande noted.
    The SIPs are the N-Power, which selected and engaged 200,000 unemployed Nigerians graduates for a volunteer job programmers, the Conditional Cash Transfer being implemented now in 9 states, General Economic & Empowerment Programme, GEEP-a micro credit scheme that has given out almost 60,000 loans out already, and the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme, where 25 million meals have been served and over 1 million primary school pupils in at least seven states are being fed and over 11,000 cooks hired.

  • ‘Presidency, NASS face-off may get tougher in Nigeria’s interest’

    A lawmaker representing, Iseyin/Iwajowa/Kajola/Itesiwaju Federal Constituency), Abiodun Olasupo, has said the face-off between the presidency and National Assembly may be tougher in the interest of Nigeria.

    Olasupo told journalists in Iseyin on Saturday that the face-off was not targeted at settling scores but to fast-track meaningful development in the country.

    Olasupo was on routine tour of his constituency to inaugurate projects and brief constituents on his activities at the National Assembly.

    He said the insinuation of a row between the two arms of government was not entirely correct, saying it was democracy in action.

    The lawmaker said,“It might look like we are antagonizing each other but that is what we are meant to be doing. It is out of this that we put many things in the right shape. The separation of power principle entrenched in the constitution encourages checks and balances. I think Nigerians should be more worried whenever they see us smiling to everything.

    “What the people are seeing is democracy in action. This will not affect the development of the nation. Nigerians should not be afraid, we are doing what the law empowers us to do.”

    Speaking on the government’s whistle blowing policy, Olasupo said the National Assembly was seriously working on enabling laws to strengthen and protect the identity of whistle blowers.

    The lawmaker said the Whistle Blowing Act is at advanced stage of becoming a law in Nigeria so that successive administrations would uphold it.

    He added: “Let me digress a little. You should not be surprised that all the measures used in the anti-corruption crusade today were developed by President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. Jonathan’s administration developed the principle of whistle blowing, Bank Verification Number (BVN) and the Treasury Single Account (TSA) but lacked the political will to implement them.

    “You can see that the implementation by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration is bringing the desired results.”

     

  • Presidency,NIA and anti-graft battle

    Since his suspension three weeks ago, perhaps the greatest shock of his career, the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Ambassador Ayodele Oke has been traumatised and subjected to a series of drilling.

    There was no doubt that the move by President Muhammadu Buhari caught him unawares. As a result, he has been quizzed by the Presidential Investigative Panel headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for the better part of the two weeks duration of the work of the committee.

    His problem started when he laid claim to the $43m recently discovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    It will be an understatement to say that President Buhari was ruffled by the discovery as he was deeply shocked that such a large sum of money could be found in a residential apartment and linked to an official of government.

    He never expected that any government official under his administration, known for zero tolerance for corruption, will have what some Nigerians have described as slush fund hidden in a residential apartment.

    To get to the root of the matter, the President swiftly directed his deputy to investigate the matter along with the allegations against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal.

    As he was giving the Panel the deadline to submit report of the investigation in two weeks, he also immediately ordered the suspension of the two officials from office to prevent any interference with the work of the committee.

    As soon as the investigation began, Oke was confident that he would be able to explain himself out of the problem.

    The greatest defence Oke was relying on was that the relevant agencies of government were aware that the money meant for NIA operations was in his possession.

    He had informed the panel, which has the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami as members, that Monguno was duly briefed of the existence of the money.

    He instantly became something of an orphan who had nobody to fight for him, when the NSA disowned him and claimed that he was not aware of the money at the point the present administration came on board.

    While the investigation was going on behind closed doors, a presidential source had disclosed that President Buhari was kept completely in the dark concerning the money at the inception of the administration and that the NSA only stumbled on it during another probe his office carried out.

    The source had said: “The NSA was not told that NIA had this lump cash stashed away in the place it was eventually discovered by EFCC.

    “In any case, extant rules are clear that such monies ought only to be placed in the NIA headquarters or in CBN vaults.

    “So let us even assume that the NIA DG wanted to keep funds in Lagos for the Lagos based projects, he did not need that much for the total of the Lagos projects at all. And apart from that it is completely untenable to stash away agency money in a private apartment instead of keeping it with the CBN or inside the NIA head office where the money would be well-secured and its disbursement well protected.” the source added

    With the thickening storm against him, Oke had no choice but to declare that he will leave everything in the hands of Almighty God, who knows the truth about every situation on earth and in heaven.

    The onus fell heavily on Oke to prove that NSA was aware of the existence of the money right from May, 2015, when the administration came on board.

    Unless Oke has any document that will expressly support his claims, it will be an harculian task to prove that the NSA or the Presidency or any other agency of government was aware of the money’s existence.

    If other heads of government agencies could easily deny knowledge of the money, that will not be the same for the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefuele, because he has been in office since the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan. He definitely should know something about the money.

    The foreign currencies could possibly have been paid through the CBN under Emefuele”s tenure during Jonathan’s government.

    With the invitation to appear before the panel, it is really hoped that Emefuele had helped the committee by shedding light on the true source and the purpose of the money.

    Because hiding any part of the information or not painting the true picture of the source of the money and what it was meant for will amount to sentencing an innocent man to death.

    While the Osinbajo’s Panel was expected to submit its report by yesterday, it is very important that the recommendations in the report are fair to all.

    All those who deserve to be punished should be punished, while those who have not done any wrong should be cleared to continue in office.

    Even though accusing finger was pointed at a member of the committee, the Panel should be able to stand for the truth and do everything possible to uncover if the NSA was actually aware of the money at the inception of the administration while the President was kept in the dark or if it was just a defence strategy to rope more government officials into the matter.

    But the job of the panel would have been neater if none of its members was accused in any way in the two cases before the Panel.

    Because it will not be morally or legally right for an accused to be a judge in his own case.

    Being fair to all will go a long way to show that the administration is not selective and very serious about the anti-graft battle.

    It should be fearless and be able to take hard decisions against anyone found on the wrong side of the law,  irrespective of how highly placed the person is.

  • Presidency releases additional N35bn for amnesty programme

    The Presidency has released additional N35bn to step up the Amnesty Programme for ex-militants in the oil-rich Niger Delta region.

    The additional fund is said to be in sustenance of the new understanding between the Federal Government and the oil-producing communities of the Niger Delta.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity,LaoluAkande, disclosed this in a statement yesterday.

    Akande said although the federal government approved N20bn allocation for the programme in the 2016 budget, President Muhammadu Buhari has raised the funds to N55bn with a recent release of additional N30bn.

    He assured that there is also a planned release of another N5bn later.

    According to him, the Amnesty Office has now paid up all ex-militants backlog of their stipends up to the end of 2016.

    Akande explained further: “The release of the additional funds is coming after presidential level interactive engagements in the Niger Delta, where the Buhari administration has enunciated a New Vision for the oil-producing areas based on the presentation made by the Pan Niger Delta Forum to the President when he received leaders and stakeholders from the region last November.

    “Subsequently, the President asked Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to embark on a tour of the region that saw him visiting several oil-producing states in the country.

    “Besides the monthly payment of about N65, 000 to N66,000 to the ex-militants, the funds would also go to the provision of reintegration activities under the Amnesty Programme including payment of tuition for beneficiaries from Niger Delta who are in post-secondary institutions at home and abroad, payment of in-training and hazard allowances and vocational training costs.”

  • State House Perm Sec not suspended, says Presidency

    The Presidency on Friday denied media reports claiming that the Permanent Secretary, State House, Mr Jalal Arabi, has been suspended.

    A statement by the Deputy Director (Information), Abiodun Oladunjoye, said that Mr Arabi was at his desk on Friday dutifully attending to important state matters.

    The statement also noted that Arabi was not under any probe and was not a subject of any enquiry.

    “Also, there is absolutely no truth in the spurious allegations levelled against the Permanent Secretary and his office in the fictitious report published by an online medium,” the statement said.

    It quoted Arabi as saying that he remained committed and dedicated to the professional discharge of his duties and would not be distracted by “adversarial forces.”

    The Permanent Secretary attended the Juma’at prayer at the State House mosque yesterday with other Muslim faithful, including President Muhammadu Buhari.

     

  • Presidency orders reopening of maritime varsity

    Niger Delta stakeholders have won the protracted battle for the establishment of the Nigerian Maritime University (NMU) ,Okerenkoko,Delta State.

    The federal government yesterday gave the go-ahead for the resumption of activities at the institution preparatory to its re-opening before the end of the year.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice-President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said in a statement that the move was part of the Niger Delta New Vision of the present administration, which is in line with the demands made by major stakeholders in the region.

    A five man committee headed by Education Minister Adamu Adamu is charged with the responsibility of implementing the presidential directive.

    Other members of the committee are drawn from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, National Universities Commission, Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency and Office of the Deputy Governor of Delta State.

    The university was conceived in 2012 by the Jonathan administration with the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency ( NIMASA) as its main driver.

    Its temporary site at Kurutie was formally opened on May 19,2014 by ex-President Goodluck Jonathan who also performed the ground breaking of the permanent site on the same day.

    It was due to take off in the 2015/16 academic session but the change in government in the aftermath of the 2015 election brought about a policy reversal.

    The Federal ministry of transportation decided against it, prompting wide spread protests from stakeholders including youths who cited the decision as one of their reasons for resuming hostilities in the region.

    The stakeholders,at several peace meetings with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo,pleaded for the return of the institution.The Senate earlier this week passed the bill for the establishment of the university following the report of the Committee on Tertiary Education and TETFUND, chaired by Barau Jibrin (APC-Kano).