The Nation Newspaper

Tag: PRESIDENCY

  • Presidency: War against corruption is all-encompassing

    TO the Presidency, the conviction of the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen, by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) is a major boost for the anti-corruption policy of the Buhari administration.

    Reacting to the verdict in a statement by Presidential spokesman Garba Shehu, the Presidency affirmed that that the outcome of the trial demonstrates clearly that the law is no respecter of persons, titles, social or political connections.

    The President said the verdict should send clear signals to all public office holders that the law is no respecter of persons.

    The statement reads: “The Presidency has affirmed that that the conviction of former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mr. Walter Onnoghen by the Code of Conduct Tribunal was a major victory for the anti-corruption policy of the Buhari administration.

    “The outcome of the trial demonstrates clearly that the law is no respecter of persons, titles, social or political connections.

    “The the essence of the rule of law is to hold everyone accountable equally before the law, regardless of their high or law status in the society.

    “The war against corruption is all encompassing and is not designed to persecute anyone for political or other reasons.

    “The rule of law would lose its meaning and validity if only the weak, the poor and powerless are punished for their violations of the law. Countries succeed because the rule of law is evenly upheld and enforced.

    “The war against corruption would go nowhere if the high and mighty are spared because of their influence and connections. You can’t fight corruption by allowing impunity because the rule of law cannot function where impunity is tolerated.

    The conviction of Justice Onnoghen should send a clear message that the dragnet against corruption will be spread widely to hold public officials accountable, whether they are politicians, judges, civil servants or holding positions of public trust.”

     

  • Reps condemn Presidency for starving first-line charge agencies of funds

    The House of Representatives yesterday condemned the Presidency for allegedly implementing last year’s Appropriation Act without respecting the provisions for government agencies on first-line charge.

    The lawmakers faulted the Executive for not respecting the constitutional provisions on first-line charge for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Universal Basic Education (UBEC), the Public Complaints Commission (PCM) and the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

    The House urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct the Minister of Finance and the Accountant General of the Federation (AGF) to fully implement last year’s Appropriation Act with regard to statutory transfers to agencies on first-line.

    To emphasise the urgency of the matter, the leadership of the National Assembly and the committees on Appropriation, Finance and Legislative Compliance were directed to ensure compliance and report back to the House within two weeks.

    The move followed the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance by Edward Pwajok (PDP, Plateau), who noted that the 1999 Constitution, as amended, creates and allocates separate powers to the three arms of government.

    The lawmaker said the three arms of government are co-equal and should operate independently to guarantee the smooth working of the government under the Presidential Constitution.

    He noted that the Executive breached the Constitution, despite being aware that it was amended by the first Alteration Act, 2010 Act No. 1, by altering Section 81(3) to place INEC, the National Assembly and the Judiciary on first-line charge by stipulating that the amount standing to the credit of those agencies or arms of government be paid directly them.

    Pwajok said: “These bodies are captured in the annual Appropriation Acts under Statutory Transfers.

    Read also: Presidency: home-grown school feeding now in 30 states

    “It is worrisome that the Executive arm of government is currently in breach of the Constitution by refusing or neglecting to implement the mandatory provisions of the Constitution regarding statutory transfers and first-line charge requirements, by not releasing the funds to these bodies in line with the Appropriation Act 2013 and the Constitution.

    “In spite of a previous resolution of the House passed in 2018 on the above subject and the appearance of the Minister of Finance before an ad hoc committee, the matter has remained unresolved.

    “The implication of the brazen flouting of the Appropriation Act 2018 and the Constitution is that it may make the Legislature and the Judiciary to become subservient to the Executive, thereby negating the letters and spirit of the Constitution and the law with dire consequences to the practice of democracy in Nigeria.”

    The motion was unanimous adopted after a voice vote, while the resolution is expected to be transmitted to the Senate for concurrence.

  • Presidency: home-grown school feeding now in 30 states

    The Home-Grown School Feeding programme of the Muhammadu Buhari administration is now in 30 states, the Presidency said yesterday.

    It said millions of Nigerians are targeted for the government’s social investment schemes.

    The Presidency also said over 12 million Nigerians have benefitted from the programmes while 9.5 million pupils are being fed.

    The Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on Media and Publicity in the Office of the Vice-President, Laolu Akande, stated this in a statement in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

    He said one million poorest households will benefit from the current cash transfer.

    According to him, the programmes are in continuation of the Buhari administration’s efforts to invest in human capital development through the National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIP).

    Akande said the administration is supporting the most vulnerable in society through the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) scheme while developing a skilled workforce for economic productivity by providing jobs for millions of youths through the N-Power programme.

    The Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), the SSA said, provides financial support through micro-credit schemes to small traders and businesses at the bottom of the financial pyramid.

    Beneficiaries, he maintained, include petty traders, women’s cooperatives, youths, famers and agricultural workers.

    According to Akande, in the “Next Level” of the Buhari administration, about 10 million Nigerians are expected to benefit from GEEP, which includes TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni.

    “While the Cash Transfer scheme aims to reach one million poorest households, one million new beneficiaries are expected to be added to the N-Power scheme, arguably the largest job creation and youth employment scheme in Africa,” he said.

    The presidential aide noted that the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP), which has a target of reaching 12 million pupils, is currently feeding over 9.5 million public primary school (classes 1-3) pupils with one free, balanced and nutritious meal a day in 30 states.

    Akande said 101,913 cooks have been empowered in Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Taraba, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Plateau, Delta, Zamfara, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Niger, Katsina, Ondo, Edo and Gombe states.

    He added that the HGSFP has helped to increase enrolment rates and effectively tackle early year malnutrition while improving the children’s cognitive skills.

    The statement said: “The school feeding programme has also provided sustainable income for local farmers, cooks, thereby increasing growth and productivity in the local economy.

    “As of March, 297,973 Nigerians in 20 states (including the Borno IDP camps) are current beneficiaries under the National Cash Transfer Policy Programme (Conditional Cash Transfer), which started in December 2017 with over 5,000 savings groups and cooperatives formed as a result.

    “The following states are currently receiving payment: Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Ekiti, Gombe, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kogi, Kwara, Nassarawa, Niger, Osun, Oyo, Plateau and Taraba.”

    Akande said the CCT was designed to deliver timely and accessible cash to beneficiary households and so enhance their capacity for sustainable livelihood.

    The programme, he added, provides beneficiaries – poor and vulnerable households – with a monthly transfer of N5,000 with the sole aim of taking them out of poverty.

    health, agriculture and tax and monitoring; and a further 200,000 non-graduates in training or attached to organisations as interns.

    “N-Power beneficiaries across the 36 states and the FCT are provided with a N30,000 monthly stipend, in addition to technology devices with relevant content for continuous learning.

    “Many N-power beneficiaries have gone on to become entrepreneurs who are building successes in their chosen vocations.”

  • Igbo and unending struggle for presidency

    IN their angry response to the statement by some well-known northerners that the presidency could not be reserved for anyone or zone in 2023, let alone the Southeast, Igbo politicians and opinion moulders vented their spleen on northerners advocating that heresy. The advocates insist that in 2023, aspirants from the North would feel free to run for the presidency, and would be determined to win. They did not quite define the North they had in mind, and were even more silent on whether it was fair or equitable to present a candidate for the top position so soon after someone from that region had presumably spent eight years in office. The northern advocates were President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Yerima Shettima, former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal, and the northern gadfly and former federal lawmaker, Dr. Junaid Mohammed. They were all adamant that the presidency would remain in the North.

    The Igbo reactions to the presumptuous position of the northern advocates are divided into two almost mutually exclusive perspectives of the 2023 presidential contest. It does not matter which Igbo man is on what side, or how well-known they are. One side chafes at the arrogance of the northern advocates, presuming them to be either representatives of the North or voicing what may yet become the dominant position of that region. There is, however, nothing concrete to suggest that any of the three northern advocates for an open 2023 presidential contest is speaking for the North or representing the dominant regional position, regardless of their political status.

    Mr Lawal seeks some rehabilitation for his wounded pride, having become one of the earliest casualties of the Buhari presidency’s amorphous war against corruption. Mallam Shettima rattles ethnic sabre more than he rattles logic and patriotism. And Dr Junaid, as acerbic as ever, pontificates on every subject with the ardour of an intellectual ventriloquist. He knows nearly enough of everything, and his views, at least to him, are both unassailable and in large measure binding. Despite the limitations of the northern advocates, Igbo responders view the inchoate northern position as provocative and insensitive. As far as the Igbo leaders are concerned, nearly all the geopolitical zones of the country have had a shot at the presidency since the return to civil rule in 1979. Since then, they growled, no Igbo had been given the chance to be president. And since the presidency is expected to rotate between the North and the South, and the Southwest as an arm of the South had taken their chance in 1999-2007, it should be the turn of the Igbo in 2023.

    The Igbo must, however, find ways of overcoming, at two levels, the unconstitutionality of the rotation principle. At one level, the rotation principle is merely an expedient and crude measure to institute inclusiveness in Nigerian politics. There is even no consensus on the subject. At the second level, rotation is a political expediency of the political parties, particularly the leading parties. Though political parties subscribe to an informal zoning arrangement, it is not even a constitutional issue for them. They prefer to see which way the cat jumps before they commit themselves. And, more alarmingly, though the two leading parties cast furtive glances at each other’s manoeuvres, there is nothing binding them to an implacable rotation formula. Both parties will always watch the weather or commit to stargazing in order to determine how to angle their rotation, if necessary.

    If the Igbo are to make headway in 2023, they will have to first locate the right party in which to pursue their agenda. Then they must find a brilliant and acceptable politician whose affinity for his ethnic group, like ex-president Olsuegun Obasanjo’s, is truly and insufferably tenuous. Then, because of the dynamics of their population and land mass, they must recognise and respect all the nuances of promoting his candidature deftly. These will be herculean tasks, tasks not made easy by the ethnic suspicion and bigotry that still afflict the country — two vices the idiosyncratic Igbo will labour strenuously to combat and dispel.

    But there is a second option contemplated by the Igbo, and it seems even more realistic and transcendental. Rather than wait for what they describe as a chimerical rotational turn, some Igbo have suggested that no one should join issues with the northern advocates of 2023 presidency because that election is not as important as finding a way to restructure the country to induce permanence and bring closure to Nigeria’s fissiparous politics. According to them, without restructuring the country such that each region or zone develops at its own pace and to the satisfaction of its people, a president of Igbo extraction will be circumscribed by the same appalling limitations that undermined the presidencies of Chief Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan. It is hard to fault them. Chief Obasanjo pretended to be his own man as president, but in reality, he was unable to exercise the powers and administrative freedoms he would have loved as president. Dr Jonathan was even more hamstrung. Not only did he bend over backwards to accommodate regions he felt could undermine his presidency, he allowed policy distortions to pockmark his leadership because he was always tap dancing before powerful interests.

    It is of course not the responsibility of the Igbo to determine what the country should choose between rotation and restructuring. That duty is a national one. But whatever option is taken will have colossal impact on Igbo political aspiration, particularly in view of the alienation they have been controversially subjected to under the Buhari presidency. To choose rotation, however, is a temporary remedy. The fundamental problems afflicting the country are a direct consequence of the misshapen structure of the country. Until that structure is reset, nothing lasting or productive can be built on it.

  • Presidency: No deal with Onnoghen over resignation

    •Prosecutors meet on final address to present to CCT

    There is no deal between the Presidency and embattled Justice Walter Onnoghen on his exit as Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN),The Nation learnt last night.

    Onnoghen who had been on suspension since January 25 following allegations  of corruption against him by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), turned in his letter of resignation on Thursday.

    Then followed speculations that he had reached an agreement with the Presidency for the purpose of giving him a soft landing after the National Judicial Commission (NJC) recommended that he should be compulsorily retired.

    However, highly placed Presidency sources said yesterday that at no time was a deal reached between the seat of power and Onnoghen or his representatives on how he should leave office.

    Sources said his ongoing trial for non-declaration of assets would run its course.

    There was anxiety yesterday over his fate at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) which is handling the case.

    Some forces in government are said to be pushing that the trial should go on, some members of the bench and the bar are in support of the NJC decision that Onnoghen be retired.

    A top source in CCT said the tribunal will go ahead with its sitting on April 15 unless there is a notice of discontinuance of the trial from the prosecutors.

    The tribunal has given the Onnoghen’s lawyers up till Tuesday (April 9) to file their final address.

    The prosecutors have an April 11 deadline to submit their final address.

    The prosecutors were locked in a marathon session yesterday to prepare their final address.

    According to the tribunal, all addresses will be adopted on April 15 by the two parties.

    A top source, who spoke in confidence, said: “The fate of Onnoghen is still dicey. It is unclear whether or not the Presidency will see through the conclusion of his trial by the CCT.

    “There are also some alleged infractions which were investigated by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). We do not know if he will face trial or not on these.

    “While some in government and rights groups have been calling for his trial, some members of the bench and the bar are trying to lobby the Presidency to adopt the soft-landing window provided by the NJC.

    “President Buhari is awaiting the legal opinion he commissioned on NJC’s report and he might unfold his position when he returns from Jordan.”

    Another highly-placed source said of Onnoghen:

    *Isn’t his retirement notice or resignation an afterthought?

    * Does retirement amount to acquittal of any offence?

    * If he wanted retirement, why did he allow this case to the extent of attracting political propaganda against the government?

    * Why would NJC recommend retirement with full benefits without deterrence for Onnoghen?

    * Shouldn’t the outgoing CJN forfeit suspicious funds in his accounts, especially monies outside his salaries, investment and official allowances?

    *Will it not amount to double standards to slap Onnoghen on the wrist while other Nigerians go to jail for lesser offences?

    * Will a political pardon for Onnoghen put an end to the Cold War between the Executive and the Judiciary?

    *Won’t any pardon for the outgoing CJN mess up the anti-corruption agenda of Buhari?

    The source added: “There are many salient points surrounding this Onnoghegate. The outgoing CJN said he decided to retire or resign to save the Judiciary.

    “By the time the legal advice is out and digested by the President, we will know where we are going.

    “Even in the Presidency, we know that Onnoghen’s retirement or resignation has made the case at hand to be interwoven.”

    Sources at the CCT said: “We have not received any notice of the discontinuance of the trial of the CJN. We do not know whether or not the prosecutors will file any application next week.

    “Going by our schedule, the trial continues. The CCT has directed Onnoghen’s lawyers to submit their final address on Tuesday (April 9) and the prosecutors will take their turn on April 11.

    “All parties are to appear before the tribunal on April 15 for the adoption of their addresses. But if the government chooses to withdraw the charges against Onnoghen on April 15, the tribunal has no case than to strike out the matter.”

    It was gathered that the federal government prosecutors met yesterday to compile their final address.

    A source in the prosecuting team said: “We have not got any directive from the government that we should either stay action or discontinue the trial of Onnoghen.

    “We are holding a session to wrap up our final address and meet the timeline set by the CCT.”

     

  • Buhari keeping promises, says presidency

    •Says governance didn’t suffer during campaign election

    Despite his busy campaign schedules to all the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory leading to his winning the presidential election of February 23, 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari has said that his governance would not take the back seat or suffer.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, listed the achievements and actions of the government during the campaign and election periods.

    He highlighted the areas touched by the President during the period.

    On minimum wage, he said that the President on January 9, 2019, inaugurated the Presidential Technical Advisory Committee on the Implementation of the National Minimum Wage (PTAC), with a mandate to advise the Federal Government on how best to fund, in a sustained manner, the additional costs of implementing the imminent increase in the National Minimum Wage.

    According to him, the Committee, chaired by Mr. Bismarck Rewane, submitted its report on Monday, March 25, 2019.

    Also in January 2019, he said, President Buhari submitted a National Minimum Wage Amendment Bill to the National Assembly for passage, following the approval of the National Council of State. The Bill is now awaiting presidential assent.

    On financing government, he said that the Strategic Revenue Growth Initiatives (SRGI) programme of the Federal Government was launched on January 23, 2019  by Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, in Abuja.

    SRGI, he said, is built on three (3) main planks including achieve sustainability in revenue generation, identify new and enhance the enforcement of existing revenue streams and achieve cohesion in the revenue ecosystem (people and tools).

    The Steering Committee of the SRGI, with membership drawn from all the major revenue-generating agencies, Adesina said, held its inaugural meeting on February 12, 2019.

    On financing infrastructure, he said that President Buhari signed the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, Executive Order 007 of 2019 on January 25, 2019.

    Through this Scheme, he said, companies that are willing and able to spend their own funds on constructing roads to their factories or farms, will recover their construction costs by paying reduced taxes, over a period of time.

    In the first phase, he said,19 Eligible Road Projects are to be undertaken by 6 leading manufacturing and construction firms, in 11 States, and in each of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, as follows:

    “The Companies: Dangote Industries Limited; Lafarge Africa Plc; Unilever Nigeria Plc; Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc; Nigeria LNG Limited; and China Road and Bridge Corporation Nigeria Limited.

    “The Roads: a) Construction of Ashaka-Bajoga Highway in Gombe State; b) Reconstruction of Dikwa-Gambaru-Ngala Road in Borno State; c) Reconstruction of Bama-Banki Road in Borno State; d) Rehabilitation of Sharada Road in Kano State; e) Rehabilitation of Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway / Bypass, in Kaduna State; f) Reconstruction of Birnin Gwari Expressway – Road in Kaduna State; g) Reconstruction of Birnin Gwari – Dansadau Road in Kaduna State;

    Other roads include “h) Reconstruction of Makurdi-Yandev-Gboko Road in Benue State; i) Reconstruction of Zone Roundabout-House of Assembly Road in Benue State; j) Reconstruction of Obajana-Kabba Road in Kogi State; k) Reconstruction of Ekuku-Idoma-Obehira Road in Kogi State; l) Construction of Adavi-Eba-Ikuehi-Obeiba-Obokore Road in Kogi State; m) Rehabilitation of Lokoja-Ganaja Road in Kogi State; n) Ofeme Community Road Network and Bridges in Abia State; o) Rehabilitation of Obele-Ilaro-Papalanto-Shagamu Road in Ogun State; p) Reconstruction of Sokoto Road in Ogun State; q) Reconstruction of Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki-Ojota Road in Lagos State; r) Construction of Bodo-Bonny Road & Bridges across Opobo Channel in Rivers State; and s) Rehabilitation of Benin City – Asaba Road in Edo State.

    On consumer protection, Adesina said that President Buhari assented to the new Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), Nigeria’s first unified and comprehensive Competition legislation on January 30, 2019.

    He said that the new Act establishes the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), to replace the Consumer Protection Council.

    “The goal of the FCCPA is to foster a business environment in which markets are competitive and the rights of consumers are protected.

    “The functions of the FCCPC include the review and approval of mergers and acquisitions, to ensure that they do not have anti-competitive effects in the relevant market.

    On special economic zones, he said President Buhari presided over the signing ceremony for a Partnership between the Nigeria Special Economic Zones Investment Company (NSEZCo) and Strategic Investment Partners on February 8, 2019:

    The ceremony, he said, also marked the full operationalization of the NSEZCo.

    He also said that the Project MINE – Made In Nigeria For Exports – is the Buhari Administration’s Special Economic Zones programme that seeks to boost manufacturing’s share of GDP to 20%, generating $30bn in annual export earnings; and creating 1.5 million new jobs, all by 2025.

    “A new company, the Nigeria Special Economic Zones Investment Company (NSEZCo) has been incorporated as the delivery vehicle for Project-MINE.

    “NSEZCo is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) jointly owned by Government of Nigeria (Ministry of Finance) and a group of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), including the Africa Export Import Bank, Africa Development Bank, Africa Finance Corporation, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority.

    “NSEZCo will mobilize public and private sector funding to develop world-class export-oriented industrial zones in Nigeria, offering advanced infrastructure and facilities at competitive costs.

    “The projects in the pilot phase include Enyimba Economic City, Funtua Cotton Cluster and Lekki Model Industrial Park. Infrastructure upgrade work is also ongoing in the brownfield Calabar and Kano Free Trade Zones, for which the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the award of contracts in excess of N19.45 billion.

    “NSEZCo will be working with a range of local and international partners – anchor tenants, development advisers and consultants to deliver on this project.” he added

    On healthcare, he said, President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the NSIA – LUTH advanced cancer treatment centre located in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos on February 9, 2019.

    Structured under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement between the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA and the LUTH, he said, the project is a US$11 million investment for the rehabilitation, equipping and operation of an existing cancer center co-located in LUTH, which will provide advanced radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment services.

    He said “The PPP is executed as a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT). The NSIA owns the center 100% today and but full ownership is expected to revert to LUTH after 10 years of operations.

    “The upgraded facility will run as a joint venture between NSIA Healthcare Development and Investment Company (“NHDIC”) and LUTH.

    “The centre is the first of three projects with the other two, NSIA-AKTH (Kano) and NSIA-FMCU (Umuahia) Diagnostic Centers, scheduled for commissioning in the first half of 2019.” he stated

    On the ease of doing business, the Presidential Aide said that the government on March 1, 2019, commenced National Action Plan 4.0, which will run from March 1 to April 29, 2019.

    “This was accompanied by the launch, on March 15, 2019, of the reportgov.ngWebsite and App to enable the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) / Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES) obtain feedback from citizens.

    “PEBEC/EBES have also launched, in addition to ongoing stakeholder engagements across the public sector and organised private sector, the Business Made Easycampaign to communicate the reforms

    “NAP 4.0 will run from the 1st of March to the 29th of April, 2019. It aims to deepen the reforms delivered over the past 3 years and drive institutionalization.”

    According to him, NAP 4.0 will focus on initiatives such as: enforcing compliance with SLAs across all indicators/focus areas,

    driving the passage of the CAM Bill 2018 for improved, effectiveness of company law in Nigeria, enhancing efficiency in the small claims court, and

    enhancing the application and approval system for visas on arrival.

    Over 140 reforms, he noted, have been implemented in the past 3 years to make doing business in Nigeria easier.

    The reforms, he said, included: “Online reservation of a business name within 4 hours, Registration of a new company with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) within 24 hours, Automatic generation of Tax Identification Number (TIN) after completion of registration, Creation of National Collateral Registry (NCR) to support the use of movable assets (SMEs can now use movable assets as collateral for loans such as motor vehicles, machinery, inventory, even jewelry).”

    Others are “Passage of the Credit Bureau Act 2017, Small Claims Courts established in Lagos and Kano for cost-effective and fast resolution of debt recovery disputes involving small claims of up to N5,000,000, Filing and payment of federal taxes online available; E-platform accessible to all classes of taxpayers, Removal of the Infrastructure Development Charge (IDC) for 2-floor warehouse construction permits applications in Lagos State, Implementation of 24/7 operations in Apapa Port, Simplified visa-on-arrival process; application done online and issued within 48hrs.”

    Adesina disclosed some reforms that will be delivered in 2019 to include “The new Company and Allied Matters (CAM) Bill, which seeks to repeal and replace the existing CAM Act

    “Establishment of a National Trading Platform for Nigeria’s Ports: a unified digital platform through which all imports and exports happen.” he said

    On micro-pension, Adesina said President Buhari launched a new Pension Scheme that allows the self-employed and persons working in organisations with less than 3 employees to save for the provision of pension at retirement or incapacitation on March 28, 2019.

    “It is a voluntary, self-saving scheme available only to those not currently participating in the existing mandatory Contributory Pension Scheme.

    “To formally flag off commencement of the Scheme, President Buhari supervised the registration of Sagir Shawai, a Motor Tricycle operator in the FCT, and presented his enrolment certificate to him.” he said

    On infrastructure, Adesina said that for the first time in Nigeria’s recent history, election season did not halt or negatively affect on-going Federal Government construction projects across the country.

    The various projects (Road, Rail and Power) currently proceeding on schedule, he said, included: “Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Project (160km)

    Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway (375km)

    Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway

    Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Road (220km)

    Lagos-Sagamu-Ibadan Expressway (130km)

    Others are “Kano-Maiduguri Highway Second Niger Bridge (11.9km)

    Afam Fast Power Plant (240MW)

    Zungeru Power Plant (700MW)

    Bodo-Bonny Bridges and Road (38km).”

    He said that Energizing Economies and Energizing Education programmes is taking clean and sustainable electricity to markets and University campuses across the country.

    In February 2019, he said that Nigeria formally launched its first ever on-grid solar power project, in Torankawa community in Yabo LGA of Sokoto State.

    “The solar plant provides uninterrupted electricity supply to 350 households in the community. For about five years before the completion of this project the community was cut off from the grid.”

    On the citizens’ portal, he said that the Buhari Administration has also launched a Citizen’s Portal on Infrastructure, to showcase the Government’s investments in infrastructure across the country.

    On the economic indices, he said “The National Bureau of Statistics released figures for Q4 2018 economic growth: 2.38 percent; and for the Full Year 2018: 1.93 percent – more than double the Full Year 2017 growth rate of 0.82 percent.

    “This growth in Q4 2018, as well as for the Full Year, owed a great deal to the performance of the non-oil sector. The non-oil sector grew at 2.7% in Q4 2018 versus 1.14% in the oil sector.

    “The non-oil sector recorded its strongest growth since the Q4 2015. (The non-oil sector also grew by 2% in Full Year 2018, considerably better than its 0.47% growth in the whole of 2017).

    The services sector, which accounts for 53.62% of GDP, registered its strongest growth performance in 11 quarters.

    39 out of 46 economic activities recorded growth

    “There has been a sustained accretion to External Reserves from $23.81 billion in September 2016 to $44 billion as of end-March, 2019.

    “Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) in the month of March 2019 stood at 57.4 index points, indicating expansion in the manufacturing sector for the 24th consecutive month.

    “Inflation Rate has been trending downwards from 18.55% as at December 2016 to 15.37% in December 2017, 11.44% in December 2018 (below the ERGP target of 12.42% for 2018) and further to 11.31% in February 2019.

    “Total FX Turnover at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) from launch in April 2017 to March 2019 = US$105.9 billion.” he added

     

     

  • No controversy over status of Nigeria SEZ Investment Company – Presidency

    The Presidency says there is no controversy whatsoever about the status of Nigeria SEZ Investment Company Limited (NSEZCO), also known as Nigeria Special Economic Zones Company Limited as being speculated in some quarters.

    Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, stated this in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.

    The presidential aide, who was reacting to reports in sections of the media about the status NSEZCO, said the company was designed as a special purpose vehicle to deliver Project MINE (Made in Nigeria for Exports), which is a Presidential initiative.

    “We wish to confirm that NZESCO was incorporated as a special purpose vehicle to deliver Project MINE (Made in Nigeria for Exports), which is a Presidential initiative.

    “The Federal Government’s Economic Recovery & Growth Plan (ERGP) identified the development of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as a major strategic tool to accelerate the implementation of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP),’’ he said.

    He added that the Project MINE was envisioned by the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment (MITI) to develop SEZs to world-class standards and position Nigeria as the pre-eminent manufacturing hub in sub-Saharan Africa and a major exporter of made in Nigeria goods and services regionally and globally.

    He said: “Indeed, Project MINE was necessitated by the following factors:

    Lack of operating competitiveness that limits the growth of the zones, despite the presence of generous fiscal and regulatory incentives.

    For government-owned SEZs, there were limited Federal budget allocations to make the required investments in infrastructure, operations and management services;.

    Others are the need to develop the skills and experience to operate and manage the zones to world-class standards of efficiency; The absence of a deliberate strategy to attract investors, create clusters or encourage the development of local value chains using SEZs, and therefore the lack of appropriate link between the industrialization strategy of government and the Free Trade Zones.

    Project Mine, therefore, seeks to achieve the following specific objectives:

    • Support structural transformation of the Nigerian economy by increasing the manufacturing sector’s contribution to GDP to 20 per cent by 2029;

    -Contribute to sustainable inclusive growth by creating 1.5 million new direct manufacturing jobs in the initial phase of Project MINE;

    -Increase and diversify foreign exchange earnings to at least US$30bn annually by 2029, by increasing manufacturing sector exports;

    -Create local models of global best practice in the provision of world-class infrastructure at competitive costs connecting SEZs to international and regional markets with transport links, uninterrupted power, ICT, water, sewage and other services to ensure smooth and efficient operation of SEZ businesses;

    • Promote the “cluster” effect to be gained by locating similar export-oriented manufacturing businesses within the same locality;
    • Attract world-class investors with strong positions in global supply chains and investors with potential to increase the scale of operations rapidly to set up operations in SEZs; and
    • Create an enabling environment for SEZ businesses by instituting best in class legal and regulatory frameworks, using technology and streamlined processes to facilitate movement of people, goods and capital and easy access to government services, approvals and permits.’’

    Adesina recalled that in June, 2018, the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved NSEZCO, with the endorsement of the Economic Management Team, as the holding entity for FGN investments and proprietary interests in existing and future SEZs.

    Read also: Saraki assures of passage of police reform bills

    He said the FEC approval also provided that all current and future capital appropriations for Project MINE should be transferred to NSEZCO’s account, as soon as opening formalities were completed.

    “With the formalities completed, NSEZCO became the platform through which Federal Government’s capital budget appropriations for SEZs are converted into long term value-creating investments.

    “NSEZCO is a public-private partnership (PPP) company to operate world-class standards of governance and management, to facilitate mobilization of capital and other resources from PPP partners, in order to overcome budgetary constraints to the provision of critical infrastructure for SEZs.

    “By aggregating and harnessing FG’s investment in a strong corporate special purpose vehicle, NSEZCO will facilitate the mobilization of additional capital from development finance institutions (DFIs) and private investors. Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOFI) is the shareholder, holding the FG’s interest of 25% in NSEZCO.

    “The balance of 75% is currently held in trust on behalf of other prospective shareholders, pending completion of investors’ diligence and documentation and approval procedures,’’ he further maintained.

    The presidential spokesman also recalled that on Feb. 8, NSEZCO signed investment agreements with three Development Finance Institutions: Afreximbank, Bank of Industry, the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA) and Ministry of Finance Incorporated for their investment in NSEZCO at a ceremony presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa.

    He stated that Africa Finance Corporation and African Development Bank which are still in the preliminary stages of their internal approval processes were also in attendance as observers.

    Adesina quoted President Buhari at the signing ceremony as saying that: “When we committed to the implementation of the Nigeria Industrial Revolution Plan and launched our Economic Recovery and Growth Plan to fast track implementation, we had a vision of Nigeria as the pre-eminent manufacturing hub in Sub-Saharan Africa and a major exporter to our immediate West African sub-region, the rest of Africa and indeed the World.”

    He said already, NSEZCO was mobilizing capital from the Federal Government and the development finance institution shareholders, for the development of Special Economic Zones across Nigeria.

    He disclosed that pilot projects in the first phase were Enyimba Economic City, Abia State, Lekki Model Industrial Park, Lagos State and Funtua Cotton Cluster, Katsina State.

    The presidential media aide maintained that “in addition, pre-development studies are on-going in Benue, Kwara and Sokoto States whilst studies will soon commence in Ebonyi, Edo and Gombe States amongst others”.(NAN)

  • ‘Separate Petroleum ministry from Presidency’

    The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to separate the Ministry of Petroleum Resources from the Presidency to make it efficient.

    It urged the incoming federal lawmakers to ensure that they pass the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as soon as possible.

    PENGASSAN President Francis Olabode spoke after the union’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Lagos.

    Briefing reporters, he said Buhari should ensure that the Petroleum Ministry was separated in his second term.

    “The office of the President is too big to add Petroleum Ministry to it. There are a lot of things to be done to make Nigeria independent in refining our products rather than relying on imports,” he said.

    On the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Olabode lamented that it had suffered delays over the years.

    He said: “This bill, which started as the Oil and Gas Sector Reform Implementation Committee report, has been on for 18 years since April 2000. It has gone through various stages with the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill at the forefront.

    “We call on the government (both the executive and legislative arms) to ensure that this bill is passed as soon as they settle down in order to have investors’ confidence in our industry.”

    He said the bill was being stalled by multinationals who believe that it would unfavourable to them.

    Olabode expressed concern over casualisation, contract staffing and outsourcing in the oil and gas industry, saying: “We will continue to engage various stakeholders in ensuring that this menace is adequately resolved in the larger interest of our members

    He stated that to cut cost, most companies, especially the indigenous ones, had resorted to underhand tactics in labour-management relations.

    “Some of these include prevention of members from unionising, disrespect for signed collective bargaining agreements and intimidation and victimisation of labour union and members,” he said.

    He however commended the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in ensuring  adequate supply of the Premium Motor Spirit (petrol).

    He said: “We call on the government to intensify efforts at increasing local refining and remove all encumbrances to the full rehabilitation of all the refineries.

    Olabode commended the Federal Government in it fight against corruption, adding that it should cover all sectors.

    His word: “We believe that the fight against corruption should not be allowed to shrink but rather sustained to cover all sectors and maintain the gains under this dispensation.

    “We advise that reports of probes instituted by the two chambers of the National Assembly and other agencies of government should not be shoved aside but dusted, and those indicted prosecuted.

    “The government should make all effort to see that all recovered looted funds should be accounted for and re-invested into the economy to reduce unemployment.”

    Olabode called on the government to optimise productivity and economic growth.

    “I want to assure you that all industrial issues with utmost seriousness that the elections are over and all recalcitrant companies who think they are above Nigerian laws should brace up for a rude awakening, as the association will explore all possible means to ensure no organisation undermines any provisions of the country’s laws,” he said.

     

  • TraderMoni loans not for election, says Presidency

    CRITICS of TraderMoni  – a social investment programme  of  the Federal Government – got a reply yesterday to their claim that the scheme was introduced to buy votes during the general elections.

    They were told that more than 30,000 traders have received loans after the polls on March 9.

    The Presidency explained that the TraderMoni scheme and other GEEP micro-credit products (MarketMoni  and FarmerMoni), as components of the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programme, are still in operation.

    The explanation came through a statement by Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity to the President (Office of the Vice President) said the loans were never conceived for the purpose of election.

    According to a progress report on the GEEP micro-credit products (TraderMoni, MarketMoni and FarmerMoni), he disclosed that over 30,000 beneficiaries per state have been captured under the programme.

    He said: “So far, a target of 30,000 minimum beneficiaries per state has been achieved in majority of the 36 states and FCT since after the national and state polls.

    “What the implementing agency has been doing since the last phase of disbursements is generating the balance of program funding while ramping up on the states with shortages.

    “Consequently, disbursements have continued to happen in the states; for instance, we have had over 28,000 disbursements across 10 states since after the elections. Our priority is ramping up these numbers in the balance of states before we move to Phase II of the programme after detailed reviews and structural enhancements for larger scale. Under the Next Level agenda, Trader Moni loans will target ten million petty traders, a significant ramp up from the initial target of two million beneficiaries.”

    On the role of the Ministry for Industry, Trade and Investment in the implementation of the scheme, he said: “It is actively involved in the project.”

    Akande said: “That ministry is, in fact the oversighting Ministry of Bank of Industry, which is the deploying agency. The office of the Minister executes the GEEP program via the Bank of Industry.

    “The governance structure of GEEP includes the office of the Vice President (National Social Investment Office), The Ministry of Trade and Investment, and the Bank of Industry.”

    Speaking on measures adopted to enhance repayments, the presidential media aide said GEEP has pioneered innovative solutions to drive repayment compliance.

    Read also: Trader Moni to reach 10m petty traders

    He said: “Working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), we successfully piloted the concept of the BVN as digital collateral; and we saw repayment go up significantly on the MarketMoni and FarmerMoniloans.

    “For TraderMoni, beneficiaries can pay back at any commercial bank in the country just like a NEPA or WAEC bill; all they need to provide the bank teller with is their phone number. We also developed and successfully piloted scratch cards as a repayment option for beneficiaries who stay kilometres away from the nearest banks in their community. The cards are loaded the same way Telco recharge cards are loaded, thus requiring no new learning curve.

    “This improved repayment received compliance to the extent that in January, the Bank of Industry began second level disbursements – disbursements of N15,000 – to beneficiaries in Lagos, Borno, Ogun and Oyo states for trader who had successfully paid back their first N10,000 loans.”

    According to him, “GEEP’s vision (in the long term) remains to empower the over 30 million MSMEs in Nigeria with interest-free, collateral-free loans.”

  • Presidency spanks PDP for threatening to stop Buhari

    Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are threatening to stop with a court’s order President Muhammadu Buhari’s inauguration until the determination of the petition challenging the President’s victory in the February 23 election.

    The Presidency has dismissed the threat as “unserious” and dared the PDP to launch its legal battle.

    The main opposition party was reacting yesterday to the plethora of court cases filed against the announcement of results of the March 9 governorship and state Assembly elections in Bauchi and Rivers states by candidates of the President’s party, the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Governor Mohammed Abubakar (APC) of Bauchi State has obtained an ex parte order at the Federal High Court stopping the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from concluding the governorship election.

    A similar court case was filed by the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Rivers State, Mr Awara Biokpomabo, seeking an order of the court to stop INEC from releasing the results of the governorship election in the state.

    But the PDP, which believes that its candidate, Governor Nyesom Wike, won the election, alleged that the case filed by the AAC and its candidate was instigated by the APC.

    The PDP has filed a petition with the National judicial Council (NJC) against Justice Ekwo Inyang who granted the Bauchi governor the order, inciting a violation of the Constitution and Section 87(10) of the Electoral Act.

    The said provision of the Electoral Act prescribes that no court has the power or jurisdiction to stop any election pending the determination of a suit.

    The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, who decried the action of the petitioners, expressed concerns over hiccups in the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

    The party, at an emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja yesterday, complained about the inability of INEC to conclude the elections in record time.

    The PDP chieftains were particularly miffed that almost two weeks after, INEC could not conclude the governorship and state assembly elections that were held on March 9.

    Winners of the governorship elections are yet to be declared in seven states where the polls were “inconclusive”. The states are: Kano, Sokoto, Benue, Plateau, Adamawa and Bauchi states. The concluding part of the elections are billed to hold in the states on Saturday.

    The governorship election in Rivers state has become a subject of legal rigmarole by interested parties following the suspension of the announcement of the results.

    Also of grave concern to the main opposition party is what it called the militarisation of the elections in many states in the Southsouth.

    Secondus who presided over the meeting, called on the military not to allow themselves be called out again for what he described as illegal duties.

    He enjoined the military and other security agencies to resist any attempt to be dragged into paying manipulative roles in Saturday’s supplementary elections.

    According to him, “inconclusive” is a rigging strategy introduced by the INEC to aide the APC and its candidates.

    He expressed optimism that PDP candidates will emerge victorious in the upcoming supplementary elections in five of the six states that the election will take place.

    Secondus said that posterity will hold the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, responsible for the consequences of all his actions.

    He said: “The way they are going about getting court injunctions stop elections that have already been held, if we also go to court to stop inauguration of elected officers, it will disrupt the democratic process.

    “If INEC has to give people the opportunity to go to court, we too can go to court and stop the swearing in ceremony, be it the President or other (APC) governors”.

    Senate President Bukola Saraki said the result of the presidential and state elections reflected the strength and character of the PDP and urged members to build on the foundation.

    Saraki said the victory of the APC in the presidential and state elections will be short lived, adding: “We have a great future ahead and I believe we will start that on Saturday to make sure that we defend those five states that are declared inconclusive.

    “If anybody believes that it is a loss to PDP, it is a loss to the country that history will not forgive. We said it many times here, that the worst to do is to do an election that our country, Nigeria will not be proud of.

    “We have done an election that no doubt anybody and even those that think they have won are ashamed of the kind of election that we did.

    “I think it is a shame to the country and to those that were given that responsibility to do. They have Saturday as their last opportunity to try as much as possible to reclaim part of their embarrassment to the country.”

    “How can a country like Nigeria have this type of election? Ghana has done it, Congo and Zimbabwe have done elections. And we say we do elections, with seven inconclusive. We did elections in 2015, we did it in 2011 and 1999 and after so many years, this is what we can produce.

    “It is not a loss to the PDP; it is to the country. It just showed the level of desperation. I have confidence that this will be shortlived and, as such, let us ensure on Saturday that these fives states that are ours remain within the PDP and INEC should, for once, do what is right,” Saraki said.

    Also speaking at the meeting, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara said: “Elections are done all over the world, elections are conducted in Africa and at no time have we heard of this inconclusive elections in other jurisdictions. Ghana elections were held not long ago.

    “It will be very unfortunate if INEC, which is led by a first class Professor, set this very dangerous and unacceptable precedent in our political history. That I want them to take note of.

    “And also what has happened is pure evil; our consolation as members of this party is that evil does not last and no evil doer has ever escaped punishment.

    “If they do what others have done before, they will see what those who did evil saw. Definitely they cannot escape from it. It’s a law of nature and in the scriptures of God, that whatever you sow so you shall reap.

    “This is also for those who believe in power for the sake of power, not because they want to empower people, not because they want to better the lives of our people.

    “There is also lessons they can learn from history. History is now replete with examples of all those who pursued power for the sake of power. Their lives have always ended in tragedy that awaits anyone who seeks power for the sake of power. We have seen that display in Nigeria.

    “For us as members of this party, I don’t want us to despair, even though we have inconclusive elections in some states. In five of those states, PDP clearly won the election in those states.”

    The PDP vice presidential candidate in the February 23 election, Mr Peter Obi, said besides blaming the INEC and the security agencies, the biggest shame goes to those who are directing them to do the wrong thing.

    Obi said: “If you choose to be a leader, especially with APC that claims integrity, the biggest corruption and the biggest show of a government that does not believe in integrity is to rig election. Because the process through which you come into office, is far more fundamental than what you do there after.

    “I think we should hold them responsible for what is happening in this country now. The examples we are setting for the young ones, I don’t know what they will tell a young man who is cheating in an examination in this country after seeing the ways our elections are conducted.

    “I don’t know what they will tell those who are robbing banks and kidnapping people, because we have seen the biggest of it by this election where people are happy after robbing the nation and their states.

    “The chairman said we will do a post mortem after the election. I thank the party, because it is the party that is going to court, not just the presidential candidate going to court to challenge this rascality.

    “I, as a person, have always believed that the biggest enemy of freedom or progress are happy slaves. And thank God that this party has chosen this path, and we will all stand by it.”

    The Presidency said the threat by the opposition party to block May 29 was not suprising.

    It said: “From the day they lost the presidential elections by a margin of four million votes, the biggest margin of defeat by anyone in the Fourth Republic, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has embarked on a plan to erode the credibility of the internationally acclaimed election and erode the authority of this country’s elected government under President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Read also: Presidency spanks PDP for threatening to stop Buhari

    “So much has been said and written about their so-called Dubai Plan or blueprint, designed to win at all cost or paralyse the elected government.

    “The opposition party is doing everything to backslide Nigeria’s democracy and this country’s judiciary, bureaucracy and civil society should not allow them to do so.

    “The PDP has no right to give sermons about democracy, given their dismal and shameful track record during their 16-year tenure.

    Also reacting, the Director of Media and Publicity of the Muhammadu Buhari Presidential Campaign  Council, Festus Keyamo (SAN), dared the opposition party to go ahead with its plan.

    He said: We challenge them to go to court. Buhari is the sitting president. He will continue in office till when they want him to be sworn-in. Let them go to court. We shall meet there.”