The Black-Hole, as some insiders called it, the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel Development is the centre of Fraud and Embezzlement for years. As the Permanent Secretary said, they are open to public scrutiny, let me table the following facts about the monumental fraud that is going for long. To make my task easier I will use the Permanent Secretary response on the allegation made by Senator Ben Bruce regarding 700,000,000 web portal allegation.

Below is the Permsec response:

[i]We Invested N700m on IT Infrastructure, Human Capital and Civil Works, Not Website

The attention of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development has been drawn to news making the rounds especially on the social media that the Ministry spent the sum of N700million creating a website for itself. The Ministry considers it incumbent to react swiftly to this misrepresentation and to set the records straight.



It is important for clarity to state that what the Ministry has acquired with the said sum of money is an integrated IT infrastructure which comprises two Data Centres, an off-site recovery centre, civil and environmental works on the Centres, running of the Centres till end of first quarter 2018, training of over 225 officials locally and internationally amongst other cost components of the entire infrastructure and programme. It is indeed disingenuous of anyone to reinvent and reduce all of these into an expenditure on a website.


When, last Thursday, 9th November 2017, our Ministers led other officials of the ministry and sectoral stakeholders to unveil the IT Integrated Automation & Interactive Solid Minerals Portal (IAISMP), we were really fulfilling one of the short-term pledges listed in our roadmap. These assets form critical pillars of our agenda to reform the mining and minerals sector, particularly as a key step towards our vision to lead the sector to shared mining prosperity where we make significant contributions to GDP in the country.


In realising aspects of this project as a turnkey solution, we have been careful to follow all laid down processes. Since the cost of implementing the project is above ministerial limits, we sought and obtained the concurrence of the Federal Executive Council after a detailed presentation in January 2017.


In the course of the project, we have emphasised the need for stakeholders’ interface, which included a facility inspection tour for reporters and journalists who cover the sector. We have no reason to commit public resources to projects that will not advance the cause of repositioning our sector and we believe that we did everything to intimate the general public about our activities in this respect.


For the records and for public information, our IT Integrated Automation & Interactive Solid Minerals Portal (IAISMP) project has the following key components:


6.1. Feasibility assessment, needs analyses and re-engineering of the IT processes within the ministry, departments and agencies;



6.2. 2nos data centres (a fully equipped on-premises centre within the ministry and another off-site centre for recovery and real-time backup in case of emergency), also covering civil and environmental works;



6.3. Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution and Electronic Document Management System (eDMS) solution—Microsoft Dynamics AX: Financials, Supply Chain, Business Intelligence, Human Capital, Procurement (license and maintenance);



6.4. Basic and advanced IT (ERP & eDMS) and GIS training programmes for 200nos staff of the ministry and its agencies. Already 75 officials have been trained in Abuja;



6.5. GIS capacity building for 25nos management and lead technical staff with Esri;



6.6. Wide Area Network at the ministry’s headquarters and all its 10 agencies (including back up internet, disaster recovery hosting and DR site internet—installation and initial one-year subscription);



6.7. Procurement, supply and installation of a GIS laboratory with 20nos computer systems;



6.8. Building of GIS Web Portal with Business Automation System, Content Management System (CMS), Decision Support System and Side Stream along the minerals corridor;



6.9. Reordering and re-organisation of available geological data in the sector into geospatial database;



6.10. Online Mining Licensing and Mineral Title Application with tracking system for openness, transparency and accountability in compliance with global EITI standards for the extractives sector;



6.11. Online payment (royalties and fees) and blocking of revenue leakages by integrating/interfacing with Remita, GIFMIS and relevant revenue generating MDAs of the government;



6.12. Enterprise ArcGIS Solution license and maintenance for GIS Mining and Assets Management;



6.13. On-site project management and execution staff (26nos), including operationalisation of the project management office for upward of 10 months. Project staff to remain on-site till end of Q1-2018;



6.14. Procurement, supply and installation of various project equipment, complete with civil works;



6.15. Collaborative tools and help desk; and,



6.16. Strategic communications.



It is most important to state that acquired IT infrastructure, in all its ramifications, is an enabler of the serious work at repositioning the sector. For us, this is never an end in itself but a robust attempt to ease how the regulatory-cum-administrative systems interface with mining operators and stakeholders everywhere. It is noteworthy that only this past October [2017], the Mining Journal’s World Risk Report, which rated different mining jurisdictions on a range of indicators including legal, governance social, fiscal and infrastructure indicated that Nigeria is showing notable improvements in positions. In the two years that we have methodically and deliberately introduced reforms and implemented a roadmap, our sector now has better perception, lowered investments risks and improved opportunity index.


The import of this assessment, in light of the World Bank’s Report on the improved status of our country towards ease of doing business, cannot be far-fetched. Ours is a modest effort to consolidate the overall efforts of the Federal Government at increasing opportunities in other sectors of the economy.


We have done repeated due diligence to ensure that the implementation of the project does not only meet expected design but also fits into globally recognised systems and further help us to place our jurisdiction on the mining map. A phased approach has been adopted, with incremental deliverables which should be fully completed by end of first quarter of 2018.


We continue to be open to checks and to present ourselves to public scrutiny. We want to assure all Nigerians that we do not take lightly the confidence reposed in us or in our government nor would we do anything to undermine our reputation under whatever guise.


We come from a tradition of commitment to service and honour in the handling of all our public service roles. In superintending over this project, we are confident to declare that we have not let the ball down, therefore it is wantonly disingenuous for anyone to reinvent and reduce all of these into an expenditure on a website.


Signed,

Mohammed ABBAS

Permanent Secretary

Abuja | Sunday, 12th November, 2017
[/i]


2. It is important for clarity to state that what the Ministry has acquired with the said sum of money is an integrated IT infrastructure which comprises two Data Centres, an off-site recovery centre, civil and environmental works on the Centres, running of the Centres till end of first quarter 2018, training of over 225 officials locally and internationally amongst other cost components of the entire infrastructure and programme. It is indeed disingenuous of anyone to reinvent and reduce all of these into an expenditure on a website.[b][/b]

My response:
First of all, there is no budget provision for the IT AUTOMATION AND WEB PORTAL MAINTENANCE in 2016 budget.

The IT AUTOMATION AND WEB PORTAL MAINTENANCE with FMOSM30876497 code and provision of 245,000,000 were only captured in the 2017 Appropriation Act assented by the then acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbanjo on 12th June 2017, but approval from BPP was obtained
earlier December 14, 2016, how possible is it?

Engaging in a project without budgetary provisions is against the law, a criminal offence.

Maybe they may say IT Automation was captured in the 2016 budget, NO It wasn't! It was only inserted in the 2016 appropriation act published by the Budget Office. Mind you this is not Printer's Devil or Padding, but only substituting a line item with another after an act was passed by the two chambers of the national assembly and assented by the president. Realy, the law can be tempered with in Nigeria.

For those who wish to know, the Federal Ministry of Mines and Steel for years was engaged in so many IT white elephant projects if I may call it so. And such projects are used over and over to syphoned public funds.

In 2014, the following project where executed under IT Projects:

1. Procurement of Equipment to Upgrade and Update the Data Bank on the Activities of Metal Sector 7,544,643.75
2. Procurement of ICT Equipment 106,575,000
3. The Development of Revenue Collection Management Software and Acquisition of Supporting Hardware 2nd Phase 94,372,530.00
4. Database Management System 23,868,731.25
5. Procurement of User Access Devices 14,017,500

These are only some IT project executed in 2014,

To be continued

This is the begining of the crisis. we hope and pray that nomalcy will return to Jos.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnIQ1PxT7w

@technocracy, don't even waste your time strategizing, the insecurity challenge problem is just because of the masses, not a problem with the leadership, if the masses stop being sentimental about everything.....the insecurity aspect will disappear (vamoose)

check this


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDnIQ1PxT7w

Why the topic? Why Nigerians are sentimental, though I am quite sure the poster is not muslim, and he lost contact with history regarding what happened on that account, please for the sake of religion you worship stop bringing issues that will divide this forum on religious line.

I hope we have people from Niger to testify about what this man Aliyu achieved for the last four years, or as federal permanent secretary. pls tell him to go an fix all the roads linking the major towns in the state, i.e Minna to Suleja, Minna to Kaduna, Minna to Kontogora etc. On this roads I mention always every day lives lost on contnue basis. What is the essence of a government,

chief servant shut up! go and repair your roads linking the state with other states.