₦airaland Forum

Pieromania:
I see a gang up against federal government through the judiciary. I smell The new Chief judge of the federation is a tool in the hand of the corrupt thieves

Sanchez01:
The cabals working behind the curtains on this man's case should kindly advise him to pen his resignation and settle quietly in his hometown in Daura, so as to tend to his health.

We cannot be wasting the nation's resources on constantly failed health.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday assured Nigerians that his administration would approach the nation’s economic challenges with the same commitment it had put into fighting corruption and terrorism.

Buhari made the promise while launching the country’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan 2017-2020 at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

While saying his administration inherited numerous challenges, the President recalled that his political campaign was based on a recognition of the difficult situation Nigeria was in and the need to bring positive and enduring change.

He said he remained committed to his electoral promise to change the way of doing things and change Nigeria for good.

The President stated, “We are committed to delivering on the three key areas that we promised; these are improving security, tackling corruption and revitalising the economy. Security in the North-East and other parts of Nigeria is significantly better today than when we came in.

“With regards to our fight against corruption, as you all know, our law enforcement agencies are prosecuting very many cases of corruption. Our successes in these two areas are clear for all to see.

“I want to assure all Nigerians that we are approaching the solution to our economic challenges with the same will and commitment that we have demonstrated in the fight against corruption and in the fight against terrorism and militancy.”

Buhari said the ERGP had brought the government’s sectoral plans for agriculture and food security, energy and transport infrastructure, industrialisation and social investments together a single document.

According to him, the plan builds on the Strategic Implementation Plan and sets out an ambitious road map to return the economy to growth, and to achieve a seven per cent growth rate by 2020.

The President added that the government’s aim was to optimise local content and empower local businesses, noting that the plan was to place the nation on the path of sustained growth.

Buhari said, “We seek not just to take the Nigerian economy out of recession, but to place it on a path of sustained, inclusive and diversified growth.

“We are determined to change Nigeria from an import-dependent country to a producing nation. We must become a nation where we grow what we eat and consume what we produce. We must strive to have a strong naira and productive economy.

“The plan I am launching today, therefore, sets out what we, as a government, are committed to do, to create the enabling environment for business to thrive. The plan is a national plan, hence the role of state governments is critical to its success.

“I, therefore, wish to appeal to the state governments to draw inspiration and strategic direction from the plan to articulate their economic programmes, particularly in the development of the real sector.”

Buhari also called on all Nigerians to work with the government to ensure that the objectives of the plan were realised.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, said from when he was campaigning, Buhari had shown commitment to change Nigeria in a fundamental way.

He said the ERGP was a fulfilment of his promise to re-invigorate the economy and noted that while the plan had just been formally launched, its implementation had started earlier.

The minister stated that the plan put together in one place for easy access all the sectoral plans that the government had been working on from inception, including the Strategic Implementation Plan for the 2016 Budget.

He assured Nigerians that the plan would be effectively implemented.

“Whilst the Ministry of Budget and Planning will be coordinating the plan, the President has approved that a special delivery unit be created in the Presidency to monitor its implementation and remove all bottlenecks to the plan’s implementation,” he added

The President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, described the plan as a promise kept.

He said because the National Assembly was carried along in preparing it, the federal lawmakers would make it work.

“I pledge that we will make this work because we were consulted and we are part of it. We are also working closely with the Ease of Doing Business Committee. It is a great document and we will ensure its implementation,” Saraki stated.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, also pledged the support of the lower chamber of the National Assembly for the plan and made a case for its proper implementation.

He said, “My concern is the implementation, but we have been reassured by the minister that it will not go the way of good visions in the past that failed because they were never implemented.

“We have in the person of Mr. President a good captain. I pledge the unalloyed support of the House to the implementation of this document and we promise that we will follow through to see that this document is implemented because this nation is a burial ground for good ideas that were never implemented.”

The Chairman, Nigerian Governors’ Forum, Abdulaziz Yari, said the plan marked a milestone in the economic management process of the country.

Lalasticlala, Mynd44

softwerk:
I blame Kemen for this

Ask me why?!

labanji:
At this your age, you don't know the answer
Olodo like you,
Answer is; Lagos State Vehicle Plate Number Manufacturing Company (LASVPNMACO)

Rtopzy:
Hardware!!!! kikijikikikik..... laffing my ass off

Rtopzy:
Beebeeooh, yoúngest85, come and see your type of woman

xynerise:
I don't think it has anything to do with the other room o

It is rich in fiber which is good news for those with piles

Rtopzy:
Ok, so u take it 4 OzaRoomThings?

Rtopzy:
Lolz

The House of Representatives wants persons convicted of economic and financial crimes to be jailed for 20 years.

This is part of the details of the new amendments to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission Act, 2004, which The PUNCH obtained on Sunday.

The Act currently prescribes a penalty of “not less than two years” for economic and financial crimes.

Lawmakers consider this to be “lenient” for the serious crime of stealing public money or other forms of financial crimes.

Four consolidated bills before the House are seeking to further empower the EFCC to fight crime, insulate the anti-graft agency from interference by the Presidency and enhance its financial autonomy.

One of the bills, which was sponsored by a member from Cross River State, Mr. Bassey Ewa, proposes to raise the two-year term for economic and financial crimes offenders to 20 years.

In the new bill, Section 18 of the Principal Act is amended to prescribe tougher punishments for economic and financial crimes.

The new subsection (C) reads: “All convicted persons shall serve an imprisonment of a term not less than 20 years and have their ill-gotten property, accounts or investment confiscated by the government.”

The new proposal also states that plea bargaining or returning the full amount stolen does not exclude the convict from penalty.

Subsection (d) adds, “Where the accused person, upon investigation, accepts to refund the total amount standing in his/her name and willing to plea bargain, he or she shall be convicted for not less than two years.”

Similarly, a company found guilty of economic or financial crimes, will be barred from doing business in Nigeria for 50 years.

This is captured under subsection (e), which states that, “Any company found guilty of offences under this Act, both its assets and finances shall be frozen and the company blacklisted from doing business in Nigeria for 50 years.”

Another key amendment seeks to remove the power of appointing the Chairman of the EFCC from the President and to be vested directly in the hands of Nigerians.

Under the extant provisions, the President appoints the chairman and forwards the name to the Senate for approval.

But in the new amendment, members of the public, through a petition to the National Assembly, are empowered to make the appointments.

For example, Section 3 of the Principal Act is amended to insert new subsections (4) and (5).

The proposed subsection 4 reads: “Petitions against the Chairman or any of the members of the EFCC emanating from the public or the private sector shall be submitted to the National Assembly.

“If upon investigation and found culpable, a simple majority vote of members of the National Assembly is required in considering the fate of the chairman or any of the affected member.”

Subsection (5) provides that the resolution, when passed, will be forwarded to the President, who shall within 30 days, either accept the resolution or reject it.

The section empowers the National Assembly to override the President’s veto with a “two-thirds majority vote” of senators and members of the House of Representatives.

To make the EFCC financially autonomous, the House proposes in Section 35 of the Act that the commission should retain “0.1 per cent” of recovered looted funds.

It is also to retain “0.1 per cent” of its Internally-Generated Revenue.

Another “0.1 per cent” of contracts awarded by the Federal Government is to the credited to the account of the commission.

The PUNCH also obtained the details of amendments proposed to the Act by the Chairman, House Committee on Financial Crimes, Mr. Kayode Oladele.

Oladele’s bill, “A Bill for an Act to Amend the EFCC Act, 2004 to Enhance Effectiveness of the Act, and for other Related Matters,” seeks to grant full autonomy to the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit.

When contacted, Ewa explained why he sought harsher punishment for economic thieves.

He said, “This provision of two years imprisonment, is mild and it should be raised to not less than 20 years. This will deter public servants from stealing money.

“If your are 40 years old and you know that you will be 60 years by the time you are out of jail, you will have some fear in you and think about your children.

“But to say two years is to encourage stealing the more because people say after all, it is only two years.”

The four bills passed second reading last week at a session presided over by the Speaker, Mr. Yakubu Dogara.

dunkem21:
You no go put me for trouble Baebeeoo

dunkem21:
Saraki abeg borrow me some of those motivating books lying on the table ..

No wonder you're so smart

blackpanda:
If am ndume I can never beg.
He has done nothing wrong

LesbianBoy:
Moyo i can't see any "line" on you big nyansh....so you no wear payint! Haa

SalamRushdie:
I am not ..There is still no verified story of a python swallowing a full man alive ..Dont get me wrong most pythons can squeeze a man to deat but can the swallow them whole ..This particular snake is over 22 ft long making it one of the largest pythons around and if the victim was a small sized person then maybe

SalamRushdie:
So Python can swallow an adult man ... I kinda doubt this story because even the Largest known Reticulate Python cant swallow an Adult fully grown man

InvestinOwerri:
Dont mind those confused parasites and their slaves in the South West. The mention of Biafra alone gives them nightmares yet he is talking rubbish!

LionDeLeo:
Yeah, exactly what you read.