The Nation Newspaper

Tag: SURE-P

  • Sure fraud?

    Sure fraud?

    •Where is N500bn SURE-P funds? That is the question

    WE cannot fathom why stakeholders in the fuel subsidy conundrum have found it difficult to account for the N32 subsidy removed on each litre of Premium Motor Spirit (petrol) sold from January 2012 to September 2013. The money is meant for use of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P). Unfortunately, the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and the Ministry of Petroleum Resources have treated the summons by Senate’s ad hoc committee on SURE-P with contempt. The committee wanted them to give account of how the accrued fund was disbursed and managed.

    The amount being sought is huge, something reportedly in the range of about N500billion public funds based on N32 removed on each of the 25 billion litres of fuel sold in 21 months. Senator Kabiru Marafa, a member of the committee confirmed in a report that the amount was contained in a response dated October 9, 2013, to the committee’s correspondence which was signed by Salmanu Faskari, Ministry of Petroleum Resources’ Director of Finance and Accounts.

    Marafa puts it thus: “The committee had earlier written the NNPC to ascertain the quantity of fuel sold from when the subsidy programme started till date. NNPC gave us the quantity sold from January 2012 and September 2013, covering 21 months…The SURE-P team led by Christopher Kolade said they were receiving N15bn flat rate every month. If you multiply 21 months by N15bn, it will be about N350bn. What we are even asking is what happened to the over N500bn difference. That is what we ask the NNPC…and the CBN as the custodian of the fund to come and tell us.’’

    The committee is not asking for too much. If by January 2012, the country, according to the ministry’s position, consumed about 1.3 billion litres which had dropped to 941million litres by February 2013 and further dipped to 770, 695, 645 in September 2013; Nigerians have a right to know why subsequent remittances remain constant. It is our view that these should have dropped, too. The difference should be accounted for by the relevant authorities saddled with managing the SURE-P funds.

    The apparent lack of transparency in how SURE-P funds are deployed is condemnable. Any fund duly appropriated by the National Assembly should be properly managed and accounted for. It is sad that Diezani Alison-Madueke, petroleum minister, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, CBN governor and Andrew Yakubu, NNPC’s group managing director consider themselves to be above Nigerians whose representatives invited them to personally appear before the Senate committee to shed more light on this important issue. The law in the country is no respecter of people in high office.

    We note the NNPC’s denial of involvement in the matter; but it does not amount to much. Its management should have appeared before the committee to say whatever it had to say instead of issuing press release to say it knew nothing about how the funds are disbursed.

    The rigmarole over SURE-P funds is expected in view of the untidy and hasty manner of its creation. The programme, we have always said, is undesirable because it was not created with the best of intentions by the Federal Government. No meaningful achievement can so far be pointed to as having been attained by the programme. What it professes to be doing is what other existing agencies were already doing. So, it is nothing but a mere duplication of duties and sheer waste of public funds. The initiative is, ab initio, a failure and it would continue to suffer from perception problems for as long as it exists and the current shady manner of its administration continues.

     

  • Budget Office: N500b not missing from SURE-P

    Budget Office: N500b not missing from SURE-P

    THE Budget Office of the Federation has said N500 billion is not missing from the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) account as alleged by the Senate.

    An official of the Budget Office said the office don’t have up to 50 per cent of the amount in its books.

    The source accused the Senate of distracting the Office from preparing the 2014 budget prior to the President’s submission to the National Assembly on Tuesday.

    The Budget Office refused to be drawn into any debate over the whereabouts of the money until they have concluded work on the nnext year’s budget.

    The officials of the Budget Office, the agency which serves as the accounting hub for SURE-P, said they would not speak on the matter citing civil service rules.

    They said the office works with whatever the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) remits to it and that any claims of missing funds should be directed to the oil giant.

    They also asked if the N800 billion allegedly funnelled to SURE-P was for the three tiers of government or the Federal Government alone.

    The SURE-P was set up by President Goodluck Jonathan, as an interventionist committee to manage the proceeds from fuel subsidy removal.

    It is funded with the difference or the savings which would have been used to subsidise imported premium motor spirit (PMS) had there been full subsidy for the product. By implication, the difference between N65 per litre cost of PMS as full subsidy and N97 the price of PMS from partial withdrawal of subsidy, is what the government uses to fund SURE-P. The money saved is shared among the three tiers of government.

    However, SURE-P in carrying out the mandate of reinvesting the Federal Government’s share, established a fund management structure. In the structure, the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation (DG Budget Office) is designated as the accounting officer for SURE-P.

    The account of the programme is, therefore, domiciled in the Office of the Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation.

    After the committee has approved payments for projects, the chairman signs, then the DG Budget Office, as the accounting officer, processes the approvals, after which the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) makes payments to beneficiaries.

    On the annual budget, it has been revealed that some measure of politicking influences budget implementation in some states. Another source at the Budget Office, admitted that more capital projects included the budget are executed in states controlled by the ruling party than in those controlled by the opposition.

    He said only a fraction of the capital projects in the budget for states controlled by the opposition party are executed by the Federal Government, noting that in some cases, funds for the projects in opposition held states are diverted to projects in states controlled by the ruling party.

    This development may not be unconnected with the persistent poor performance of the budget, which has been a source of friction between the executive and the legislature. This admittance from the corridors of the executive arm of government raises questions about budget implementation.

  • Abuja-Lokoja road to be completed by March 2014, says Minister

    The Minister of State for Works, Amb. Bashir Yuguda, yesterday said the Abuja-Lokoja highway would be completed in the first quarter of 2014.

    Yuguda said this while inspecting ongoing work on the Abuja-Lokoja and Obajana-Okene-Auchi roads.

    He said the four sections of the Abuja-Lokoja road consist of 200 kilometres but that work on 150 kilometres has been completed.

    “By the end of the first quarter of 2014, this particular road’s dualisation will be completed.

    “We have certainly attained 80 per cent of work on the road and, having achieved this, I am sure the ministry will surely deliver as assured,” Yuguda said.

    The minister explained that part of the funds from the Subsidy Re’-investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) were being used to fund the project.

    “The programme is benefiting from SURE-P. With that, I am certain that money constraints will not be a problem,” he said.

    While expressing satisfaction with the quality of work done so far on the road, Yuguda called for a speedy completion of work on major routes.

    He said this would enhance a free flow of traffic during the upcoming yuletide period.

     

  • N500b SURE-P cash missing, says Senate

    N500b SURE-P cash missing, says Senate

    The Senate is investigating the whereabouts of N500 billion Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) cash.

    The cash ought to have been released to SURE-P for the implementation of its projects, senators said yesterday.

    A member of the Senate Committee on SURE-P, Senator Kabiru Marafa, broke the news at a meeting with Minister of Petroleum Resources Mrs. Diezani Alison-Madueke and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

    Marafa noted that the committee wrote the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, requesting the quantity of fuel it supplied for consumption since the inception of SURE-P in 2012, which was 21 months (January 2012 to 30th September 2013.)

    He noted that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources responded that 25 billion litres of PMS (fuel) was supplied.

    He said since N32 was SURE-P’s component of oil subsidy, the committee multiplied 25 billion litres of PMS the ministry supplied by N32, which gave about N800 billion.

    The lawmaker added that the leadership of SURE-P had at a meeting with the Senate Committee put the total money released for its activities at N300 billion.

    He said SURE-P also told the Committee that it received N15 billion monthly for its activities.

    Said Marafa: “Since SURE-P claimed that it received a total of N300 billion, it means that N500 billion that should have accrued to SURE-P is missing.

    “We are curious to know what happened to the N500 billion. We also want to know why CBN has been remitting N15 billion to SURE-P monthly. This is because the releases to SURE-P should have varied according to PMS consumption, but we hear that N15 billion is remitted to SURE-P monthly.”

    A letter by the Ministry of Petroleum Resources gave the breakdown of national monthly consumption of petrol(PMS) from the inception of SURE-P to 30th September, 2013 as:

    January 2012-1,300,250,896; February 2012- 1,565,615,315; March 2012- 2,002,664,178; April 2012-2,068,580,537; May 2012- 1,66,365,783; June 2012-1,374,735,096, July 2012- 1,499,580,516; August 2012- 1,201,378,428; September 2012- 954,263,951; October 2012- 1,173,436,515; November 2012- 1,286,305,205; and December 2012- 1,447,080,385.

    For 2013, the Petroleum Ministry gave the breakdown of national PMS consumption as: January 2013- 1,109,808,171; February 2013- 941,177,731; March 2013- 1,056,091,918; April 2013- 1,027,298,978; May 2013- 1,088,157,472; June 2013- 798,911,153; July 2013-899,593,874; August 2013- 843,882,415 and September 2013- 770,695,645.

    Chairman of the committee, Senator Abdul Ningi and other members condemned the absence of Mrs Alison-Madueke and Sanusi at the meeting, after acknowledging receipt of the committee’s invitation.

    Though the CBN governor later sent some officers to apologise for his inability to honour the invitation, Ningi said that the apology was unacceptable.

    He said because NNPC was key to the implementation of SURE-P, the committee wanted the Petroleum Minister to appear to clarify certain issues.

    The lawmaker noted that because the CBN was the disbursing body, the CBN Governor was also crucial to the meeting.

    A member of the committee, Senator Solomon Ganiyu, said that members of the committee wanted to know how funds made available to SURE-P was used.

    Ganiyu added that it was obvious that most Nigerians were not happy with the implementation of SURE-P.

  • N500b SURE-P funds missing – Senate

    N500b SURE-P funds missing – Senate

    The Senate on Tuesday said that it is investigating the whereabouts of N500 billion Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) funds.

    The upper chamber said the funds ought to have been released to SURE-P for the implementation of its projects.

    A member of the Senate Committee on SURE-P, Senator Kabiru Marafa, disclosed this at a scheduled meeting with Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke and Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

    Marafa noted that the committee wrote the Ministry of Petroleum Resources requesting the quantity of fuel it supplied for consumption since the inception of SURE-P in 2012 which was 21 months (January 2012 to September 30, 2013.)

    He noted that the Ministry of Petroleum Resources responded that 25 billion litres of PMS (fuel) was supplied within the period under review.

    He said that since N32 was SURE-P component of oil subsidy, the committee multiplied 25 billion litres of PMS the Ministry supplied by N32 which gave about N800 billion.

    The lawmaker added that the leadership of SURE-P had at a meeting with the Senate Committee put the total money released for SURE-P activities at N300 billion.

    He said that SURE-P also told the committee that it receives N15 billion monthly for its activities.

    According to him, “since SURE-P claimed that it received a total of N300 billion, it means that N500 billion that should have accrued to SURE-P is missing.

    “We are curious to know what happened to the N500 billion. We also want to know why CBN has been remitting N15 billion to SURE-P monthly. This is because the releases to SURE-P should have varied according to PMS consumption but we hear that N15 billion is remitted to SURE-P monthly.”

     

  • Senate, Fed Govt disagree over N18b SURE-P funds

    Senate, Fed Govt disagree over N18b SURE-P funds

    The Senate yesterday disagreed with the Federal Government over the whereabouts of the N18 billion meant for the payment of 110, 000 beneficiaries of the Subsidy Re-Investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) scheme across the country.

    The Chairman of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on SURE-P, Senator Abdul Ningi, claimed that the cash was diverted into infrastructural projects after it was passed in the 2013 Supplementary Budget.

    But the Director of Budget Office, Dr. Bright Okogu, said the fund was not earmarked for SURE-P by the Senate.

    Chairman of SURE-P Dr. Christopher Kolade had cried out two months ago, that the agency would no longer be able to pay the N10, 000 monthly stipends to beneficiaries of its empowerment programme from the end of September due to lack of funds.

    Kolade attributed his committee’s inability to honour its obligations to the 111, 000 youths it engaged across the country to the reduction of its N27 billion budget proposal for that purpose to N9 billion by the Senate.

    However, Ningi, at an interactive session with the SURE-P Committee and the Budget Office, said that the National Assembly had restored the shortfall of N18billion in the Supplementary Budget passed in April.

    Ningi wondered why there was a communication gap between Okogu’s office and the SURE – P Coordinators because Kolade’s team had yet to be briefed about the restoration of the money.

    The lawmaker said that the fund, based on available information at the disposal of his committee, had been diverted to other infrastructural projects by the executive, contrary to the position of the National Assembly.

    He, however, said his committee would write the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives on the development.

    Ningi said that the Senate Ad-hoc Committee would invite the Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, to explain details of the exact amount being deducted from the total sales of petrol as subsidy, and how it amounted to N15billion monthly.

    He lamented that the previous efforts of the committee to invite Dr. Okonjo-Iweala were not fruitful because letters of invitation sent to her were not honoured.

    He said since Okogu was under the supervision of the Finance Ministry, the attention of the minister was needed to explain the anomaly.

    But Okogu claimed that the N18 billion restored by the National Assembly in the Supplementary budget was not specified for the payment of the unemployed youths but for infrastructural development.

    According to DG Budget Office, many Federal highways were in dilapidated conditions when SURE – P was conceived, hence it was the opinion of the Federal Government that a considerable amount of the money be spent to repair the roads.

    Okogu listed some of the roads to include the Abuja-Abaji-Lokoja Road, Benin-Ore-Sagamu Road, Kano-Maiduguri Road, Port- Harcourt -Enugu Road, East-West Road and the fixing of the railways.

    He lamented that the committee could not effectively coordinate the activities of the programme at the states and local governments level because of the autonomy of the two tiers of government.

    He, therefore, advocated a summit where the various challenges confronting the programme could be presented before the public for people’s contribution on how to tackle the problems.

  • FCT RTEAN requests for 5,000 SURE-P vehicles

    The chairman, Federal Capital Territory (FCT) of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) Chief Lukeman A.E.I Obi, has stated that the chapter needs about 5,000 vehicles from the Subsidy Reinvestment Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of the Federal Government.

    He said it will be sufficient “if they can give us up to 4000 to 5000 to cover all the six local government in FCT.”

    Speaking with journalists in Abuja, he noted that the association has collected 23 buses from the Programme.

    Obi noted that in terms of the repayment of the fund, the association which has not defaulted since it started paying three months ago, made its payment directly to the SURE-P authority.

    His words: “So far we have paid about three months now that the vehicles are within our possession. We have been paying and we have never defaulted our payment.”

    Asked to comment on the impact of the vehicles on the residents of FCT, the chairman said: “You can see by yourself, the vehicles is everywhere, already in FCT moving. They are all in the federal capital because we are not the only people they give that vehicle to, other sister unions have theirs too. So, together with our own, it is working in FCT and other people are enjoying it but we need more to enable us reduce the suffering of the masses.”

     

  • Mortality: Pregnant and nursing mothers charged on SURE-P

    Executive Director, National Primary Health Development Agency, Dr Ado Muhamed and the Anambra state governor, Mr Peter Obi, yesterday tasked pregnant and nursing mothers in Anambra State to avail themselves of the maternal and child health programme of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) in order to reduce maternal and child mortality rate.

    Obi and Muhamed made the appeal at Primary Health Care Center, Ebenesi, Nnobi, Idemmili South Local Government Area during the launch of conditional cash transfer (CCT) pilot programme of SURE-P.

    On his part , the Executive Director, National Primary Health Development Agency, Dr Ado Muhamed, said that all it takes for a woman to be a beneficiary of the programme is to register with SURE-P maternal and child health programme as well as visit the health center during pregnancy.

    Muhamed represented by Dr Dorathy Nwodo described it as a wonderful initiative which has scaled up health indexes in the state.

    In his remarks, the state commissioner for Health, Dr Lawrence Ikeakor represented by Dr Emmanuel Okafor said the programmed geared towards ensuring that women do not die during child birth and children are given the best health care.

    Head, Planning and Strategy Unit SURE-P , Mrs Ann Okigbo informned that the conditional cash transfer is part of the SURE-P maternal and child health care initiative.

  • SURE-P not a scam, says Anyim

    SURE-P not a scam, says Anyim

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Ayim, yesterday said the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) of the Federal Government was not a scam.

    He said the programme was a fulfilment of President Goodluck Jonathan’s promise to improve the people’s standard of living.

    Anyim spoke at Amaeze Primary Healthcare Centre, Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, during the launch of the SURE-P Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) pilot programme.

    Over 500 women benefited from the pilot programme.

    Anyim said the programme was aimed at reducing maternal and infant mortality rates, especially in rural and under-served communities.

    He explained that the programme would accelerate the country’s progress to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

    Represented by a Federal Commissioner to Ebonyi State of the National Population Commission (NPC), Chris Okereke, the SGF urged Nigerians, especially expectant mothers, to be part of the CCT pilot programme under the SURE-P to enable them access the cash from the Federal Government for their health and that of their children.

    Anyim said: “This is a promise made and a promise fulfilled. You all know that during the electioneering period, President Jonathan promised that he would transform Nigeria through the Transformation Agenda. But because we are used to politicians making promises and not fulfilling them, most Nigerians thought it would be the same thing. But here we are. The promise made is not a television or radio programme.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • SURE-P not a scam, says Anyim

    •500 women benefit from health scheme in Ebonyi

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator Anyim Pius Ayim, yesterday said the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) was not a scam.

    He said the programme was a fulfilment of the promises made by President Goodluck Jonathan towards uplifting the living standard of the people.

    Anyim spoke at the Amaeze Primary Healthcare Centre, Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. during the launch of SURE-P Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Pilot Programme Launch.

    Over 500 women benefited from the CCT Pilot programme.

    Anyim said the programme was aimed at reducing maternal and newborn mortality rates, especially in rural and under-served communities.

    He said the programme would accelerate the country’s progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.

    The SGF, who was represented by a Federal Commissioner to Ebonyi State, National Population Commission (NPC), Chris Okereke, urged Nigerians, especially pregnant women to be part of the CCT Pilot programme.

    He said: “This is a promise made and a promise fulfilled. You all know that during the electioneering period that President Goodluck Jonathan made a promise that he is coming to transform Nigeria through the transformation agenda and because we are already use to politicians making promises and not fulfilling them, most Nigerians thought that it will be the same thing but here we are because the promise made is not a television or radio programme.

    “It has been designed to enable women access to good quality healthcare, funds, immunisation among others; this is one of the agenda to make sure that all our women are healthy and for them not to be afraid of pregnancy and delivery. Government is doing its own and everybody should participate. All of us should join hands and not stand on side line. Let us participate actively towards the transformation of this country. The government has started, join your hands, play our role and by God’s grace we will all be happy.”

    The Executive Director/ CEO of National Primary HealthCare and Development Agency, (NPHCDA) Abuja, Dr. Ado Muhammad, commended the Federal Government for the SURE-P initiative, saying it would serve as an incentive to women that they should visit health centres during their pregnancy period.

    He said: “The main reason we are here today is to showcase the functionality and benefits of the Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT initiative under the SURE-P MCH programme; the CCT programme provides cash incentives to pregnant women in communities as a means of encouraging them to go through the full continuum of care. Today, we are launching our Conditional Cash Transfer, CCT, programme in Ebonyi state and giving out the first hand-outs to qualified programme beneficiaries.”

    Governor Martin Elechi, who was represented by his Commissioner for Health, Dr. Sunday Nwangele, said the SURE-P (MCH) began operation in the state in October 2012, adding that the State Steering Committee was inaugurated on July 11 .

    He said: “In 2008, the Mother and Child care Initiative of the first lady, Mrs. Josephine Elechi also established a VVF centre, today known as National Obstetric Fistula Centre, NOFC, where over 1, 725 women with obstetric fistula and many others with uterine prolapse have been cured free of charge. Notably, these women came from over 20 other states across the nation.”