Tag: Senate

The Senate yesterday commended moves to establish a Federal Data Bank in the country.

The commendation followed the first reading of a Bill titled: “A Bill for an Act for the establishment of a Federal Data Bank that would cover every sector of the economy and provide data for development for the public and private sectors during plenary.

The bill was sponsored by Senator Jimoh Ibrahim (APC – Ondo South).

The objectives of the bill, according to Senator Ibrahim was to provide for an Act, for the establishment of Federal Data Bank that would cover every sector  of the economy and provide data for development for both the public and private sectors.

According to him, “data is critical to economic planning and development, making the need for Data Bank very important in any vibrant economy for in-depth insights into customer behaviour, the state of internal processes, and external risks, which will give room for variety, volume, velocity and value.

“There is a need for the Federal Government and stakeholders to invest in a data bank that will drive the growth agenda.

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“Centralised data bases make managing and accessing information for national development easier.

“This is especially important for countries with a large amount of data, or that need to store data for an extended period.”

He added that all levels of government can also benefit from the federal to local government level with access to information.

“When established, the Federal Data Bank can be self-sustaining since it can receive data and sell data; again, the international community and institutions like the World Bank and IMF will give support for the take-off of the bank, the senator said.

The Senator Sani Musa-led Joint Committee of the Senate scrutinising the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) on Wednesday, November 15, frowned at the alleged loss of N1.3trillion to waivers and concessions in 2023 by the federal government.

Also yesterday, the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) said it has no details of the Customs’ $ 3.2 billion modernization project.

The Comptroller General of the NCS, Adewale Adeniyi, disclosed this when he appeared before the Joint Committee in Abuja.

Adeniyi was represented at the session by the Deputy Comptroller General, Mba Musa.

The senators had asked the CG about details of the agreement signed by the Federal Government on the modernization of Nigeria Customs.

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had in April 2023 approved the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) modernisation project, also known as e-customs, despite a court order restraining the Federal Government from going on with the initiative.

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The administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari had awarded the implementation of the Customs modernization project to a concessionaire.

The concessionaire is Bergman Securities Consultant and Suppliers Limited as the project sponsor, Africa Finance Corporation UFC as a lead financier, while Huawei Technologies will be retained as a lead technical service provider.

However, stakeholders have faulted the project, saying it will mortgage the future of the service and also inimical to national security.

Speaking on the modernisation project before the Senate joint committee, Mba told the lawmakers that the NCS was not aware of the details of the modernization contract.

He stated: “We are not privy to details of the modernization agreement of the Nigeria Customs Modernisation Project.”

He also declared that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) lost N1.3 trillion in 2023 due to waivers and concessions that ex-President Buhari’s administration granted to investors.

He explained that NCS would have generated more revenue to the nation’s Consolidated Revenue Fund in 2023 if not because of the waivers and concessions arrangement.

Obviously not comfortable with the arrangement, the Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Sani Musa, said the Senate would commence an investigation into granting waivers and concessions in the country.

He said: “By now, we should not be talking about concession for cement manufacturers, we should not even be talking about sugar importation.

“We should not deny ourselves revenues that we should generate to make our economy vibrant. By now, we should be consolidating on waivers given to boost revenues.

“We would review the waivers and make our recommendations. By now, you (NCS) should be meeting up on your projected target, if there are no waivers.”

The Chairman of the Joint Senate Committee on the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP), Sani Musa, has directed all heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government to furnish the panel with their records of remittances.

Musa gave the directive yesterday in Abuja at the ongoing public hearing by a joint committee of the Senate, which he chairs.

He insisted that no federal agency would henceforth be allowed to spend the revenues they generate.

Musa, who is also the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, directed the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation to collate details of the remittances and the list of defaulters.

The Joint Committee, which comprises Appropriations; National Planning and Economic Affairs; and Local and Foreign Debts, is engaging heads of federal MDAs on the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF-FSP).

Musa said: “The National Assembly is working hard to protect the economy of the country.

“The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), for instance, is a Nigerian entity. It must abide by the Nigerian rules; it must abide by the ground norms. When it is due to remit, it must do so.

“No agency of the government should come before us to say they are exempted from remitting revenues to the Consolidated Revenue Funds (CRF).

“The Accountant General should take note of the agencies that have yet to remit their revenues to the CRF.

“You should liaise with the committee’s secretariat so that we could find time to reconvene, like this, to sort out those issues.”

The committee chairman was responding to a presentation by the Nigerian Institute of Legal and Advanced Studies (NILAS) and the Nigerian Maritime Academy (NMA) on delayed remittances to the CRA.

He insisted that the MDAs should present a breakdown of their revenue collection and remittances from January to date to the committee.

The Accountant-General of the Federation, Mrs. Oluwatoyin Madein, said her office had engaged the MDAs to reconcile their accounts and remittances made to government, in line with the financial laws.

Also, the Director General of the Debt Management Office, Mrs. Patience Oniha (DMO), who was responding to a question on a new government loan request, said Nigeria needed to challenge itself on revenue generation, given its projection on debt services.

MDAs that presented their revenue projections for the 2024-2026 MTEF and FSP are: Office of Accountant General of the Federation (OAGF), NMA, NILAS.

Others are: the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency (NOSDRA), Development Bank of Nigeria (DBN), Debt Management Office,

among others.

The NCC, the Joint Matriculation and Examination Board (JAMB), and the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) were asked to appear at another day for re-presentation of their expenditures and revenue projections.

Earlier, Mrs. Madein said: “I am here to make a presentation on the 2023 budget presentation.

“The office of the Accountant-General of the Federation is saddled with the treasury management of receipts and expenditures.

“In the area of revenue, we are earning the monitor, accounting and remittances through collaboration and synergy of various agencies of the government that are critical in revenue generation.

“The office is equally looking at the MTEF that has been put together by the Office of the Budget and Economic Planning.

“I will highlight figures from 2020 to 2023.

From the Federation Account, in 2020, the budgeted revenue was put N7.9 trillion, and the actual gross revenue was N8 trillion while net distribution was N7.6 trillion.

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“In 2021, the budget was N9.2 trillion while the actual gross inflow was N9.3 trillion and the net inflow was N7.7 trillion.

“In 2022, the budget was N15 trillion, the actual revenue was N12.2 trillion, the net distribution was N8.6 trillion.

“In 2023, the revenue projection was N13.7 trillion, as at October; the total revenue inflow was N12.4 trillion

“Under the Stamp Duty, the budget for 2020 was N17.3 billion while the actual was N119 billion,

“In 2021, the budgeted amount was N16.8 billion, while the generated amount was N33.94 billion.

“In 2022, the budget stamp duty was N16.8 billion while the generated amount was N53.5 billion.

“In 2023, the budgeted amount was N44.46 billion and the generated amount was N53 billion.

“For the IGR, in 2020, was N871.3 billion, while the actual amount N532.9 billion

“In 2021, the budgeted amount was N1.06 trillion while the generated amount was N1.06 trillion. In 2022 the budgeted amount was N2.2 trillion while the amount collected was N1.39 trillion.

“In 2023, the budget was N2.6 trillion, while actual amount was N1.42 trillion as at September 2023.

“We can only project IGR for 2024 and we put that on 20 per cent mark-up of the budget of 2023, which is N3.1 trillion.”

President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio has harped on the need for legislative exchange programmes between the Republic of Ireland and Nigeria.

Akpabio made the call on Thursday, November 10, while receiving in courtesy, the Ambassador of Ireland, Peter Ryan and his entourage in his office in Abuja.

The chairman of the National Assembly, while receiving the Irish Envoy and his team, relieved the robust relationship he had had with a former Irish Ambassador when he was the Governor of Akwa Ibom State from 2007-2015.

A statement by his Special Assistant on Media, Jackson Udom, quoted the number one lawmaker as saying, “Let me on behalf of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria welcome you and your team here. I congratulate you also for the peace in Ireland.

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“We have a lot to learn and gain from Ireland because we operate the same bicameral legislature. It would be good we work together for the mutual benefit of the two countries. We can learn a lot through the exchange of parliamentary ideas and programs in order to build capacity for our lawmakers.”

Akpabio said: “We also need a lot of assistance from Ireland in the area of funding. The President Ahmed Tinubu-led administration is doing a lot in the area of security, but we still need international support. It would be a pleasant thing if we worked together in the area of lawmaking, bill drafting and oversight. I believe by the time we are 50 years in democracy, other nations will also come to learn from us.”

Earlier in his speech, Ambassador Ryan said that the Irish government at home is very fortunate to have very wonderful Nigerians resident in Ireland, who are contributing their quota to the development of the two countries, saying, “It is because of this wonderful relationship that we are here today and to assure you that we are ready to cooperate and support the leadership of this country in any area possible.”

He promised to collaborate with Nigeria in the area of human capital development, saying, “There is great value in uniting and working together as democracies. Nigerians resident in Ireland are law-abiding people and contribute their best to the development of Ireland. They have left us with educational legacies.

He said: “I am delighted to be here, to pay respect as your tenure commences as the President of the Nigerian Senate. You have ahead of you, some of the challenges facing Nigeria, but with your track record, you will give it all it takes to surmount them. I look forward to working together with you.”

The Senate on Thursday, November 9, urged President Bola Tinubu to fire any head of government agency that fails to honour the summons of the National Assembly’s committees.

Senate president Godswill Akpabio made the call in his remarks at the opening of a public hearing on the 2024-2026 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF/FSP) at the Senate.

In the MTEF/FSP, the federal government pegged the price of crude oil at $73.96; the exchange rate at N700/$; oil production at 1.78 million barrels per day; and debt service of N8. 25 trillion; inflation at 21 percent and GDP growth at 3.76 percent.

The aggregate expenditure or 2024 budget as contained in the MTEF/FSP is estimated at N26.01 trillion made up of statutory transfers of N1.3 trillion, non-debt recurrent expenditure of N10.26trillion, debt service estimated at N8.25 trillion, as well as N7.78 trillion for personnel and pension cost.

The public hearing was organised by the Senate Joint Committees on Finance; Appropriations; National Planning and Economic Affairs; and Local and Foreign Debt.

The session was meant to assess the fiscal document with the chief executives of government-owned agencies with a view to increasing the national revenue base.

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The approved MTEF/FSP will set out the parameters upon which the next year’s budget will be based.

Akpabio said the interactive session on the MTEF/FSP was a very important session and any serious presidential appointee who wanted President Tinubu to succeed must be present.

He stated that due to the importance of the session, he did not attend the grand rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Owerri, Imo State held on Thursday.

He said any invited head of the agency who failed to appear to discuss the economic blueprint of the federal government is not fit to run such an agency and should be sacked.

Akpabio said: “Any serious appointee or any head of any agency that is interested in the success of President Bola Tinubu’s administration ought to be here.

“Chairman should give me the list of all the heads of agencies that you invited who have failed to show up in this session.

“This is the beginning of their failure in their various offices. Therefore, I am happy to see the chairman of FIRS (Federal Inland Revenue Service), he is here. I have also seen the DG NIMASA (Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency) and others.

“Any head of agency that sends representation here is not a serious person and therefore the President must take a second look at such a person’s appointment, it is not a threat but the truth.

“I shelved even my appointment to appear in Owerri today for our final rally of my party and all other schedules that I have, to make sure that I appear so that we can strategise on how we can succeed.”

He added that borrowings for Nigeria, cannot be totally avoided but the current trend cannot be sustained, “the very reason why at this session, strategies must be mapped out by the committees and relevant agencies on more revenue generation for government.”

According to him, the 2024-2026 MTEF/FSP is being considered at a time when events at the global scene and locally, are putting massive negative financial and socio-economic pressure on Nigeria.

The Senate president noted: “Internationally, the intractable Russian-Ukraine war and the sudden Israeli-Palestine war are having international economic repercussions that have consequences for our economic outlook.

“In addition, we are in the throes of the immediate effects of needed reform in our foreign exchange system and the equally needed removal of subsidy on petroleum products, coupled with the security challenges confronting the nation, there is no doubt that we must be painstaking and bold in economic projections and policies to stimulate employment and economic growth.

“While we acknowledge that the majority of our people are going through very difficult times in their daily lives at present, we are very hopeful that in the medium term and in the long run, the Nigerian economy is bound to rebound for relief to the majority of our people in pursuant of this goal.”

The Chairman of the Joint Committee, Senator Sani Musa (APC – Niger East), however, adjourned the interactive session to Monday next week to give invited agencies more time to forward the required documents requested from them, to the committee.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio has warned Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) of the Federal Government against non-compliance with the resolutions and laws of the Upper Chamber.

Akpabio, who was represented by Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin, spoke at a national workshop on Legislative Compliance yesterday in Abuja.

The Senate President stressed the Senate’s commitment to upholding the rule of law.

He also emphasised the importance of MDAs adhering to Senate resolutions and other laws.

The workshop, organised in collaboration with Green Mount Consulting Limited, discussed the imperatives of legislative compliance in deepening democracy and ensuring good governance.

Akpabio noted that non-compliance with Senate resolutions undermined the foundation of the country’s democracy.

He urged MDAs to fully comply with Senate resolutions, emphasising the Red Chamber’s dedication to fulfilling its mandate.

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Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele spoke on the significance of legislative compliance, highlighting its role in maintaining the rule of law within a democracy.

He stressed the need for senators to adhere to their own resolutions and the responsibility of the legislative compliance committee to do the needful.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Legislative Compliance, Garba Maidoki, reaffirmed the 10th Senate’s commitment to addressing issues of compliance.

He emphasised the importance of working together with MDAs to improve the country’s compliance with laws and resolutions.

Senator Ayogu Eze harped on the critical role of the compliance committee, urging its members to draw up an agenda to enhance the country’s compliance with laws.

He added that Nigeria had the potential to thrive, if the right actions were taken.