₦airaland Forum

oyejideogunjumo:
[s]What is their total number?
How much is the cost of one uniform ?
How much is their projected revenue generation?
How much will it be left?
Does it really worth it to let them exist?
These are salient questions to be asked

HenryThegreat1:
https://punchng.com/unremitted-funds-how-buharis-appointees-sabotage-economy-worsen-borrowings/

The Federal Inland Revenue Service has earmarked the sum of N2.8bn for “uniforms and clothing” for the year 2022.

The tax body has also budgeted about N550m for refreshments and N200m for sporting activities. The FIRS, which is one of the highest revenue generating government bodies, set aside N262.5m for security votes while N17.8bn would be spent on “miscellaneous” expenses.

The details are included in the 2022 budget proposal the agency submitted separately to the National Assembly.

Already, there are concerns over the cost of governance and the percentage of the annual budget that goes into recurrent expenditure.

In the 2022 budget proposal the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), presented to the joint section of the National Assembly on October 7, a whopping N4.69tn out of the total N16.39tn budget was appropriated for personnel costs and pensions (inclusive of N617.72bn for the 63 GOEs). Also, the overhead cost would gulp N792.39bn (inclusive of N451.0 billion for the 63 GOEs).

Owing to the nation’s scarce resources and low revenue, the Federal Government would spend N3.61tn on debt servicing while it would borrow an additional N6.25tn from domestic and external sources to fund the deficit in the budget.

Meanwhile, the total budget of the FIRS stands at N228bn, surpassing the 2022 budget of the National Assembly (N134bn) and the judiciary (N120bn).

The FIRS budget also surpasses the current 2021 budgets of Abia, Adamawa, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Ebonyi, Edo, Ekiti, Enugu, Gombe, Jigawa, Kano, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Nasarawa, Niger, Ondo, Osun, Plateau, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara states.

Budgets N17.8bn for miscellaneous expenses

In its 2022 budget proposal, the tax body earmarked N2.5bn for the purchase of land, N3bn for office furniture, N1.5bn for photocopying machines, N2.04bn for computers and N500m for the construction of sports facilities.

The agency set aside N1bn for generator fuel and N250m for maintenance while a separate N550m was set aside for purchasing more generators.

The FIRS will spend N6bn on its new headquarters and N2bn on the purchase of vehicles.

It budgeted about N1.3bn for cleaning and fumigation of its offices nationwide while N1.4bn will be spent on general maintenance services.

The FIRS budgeted about N1.3bn for office stationery and computer consumables while N3bn will be spent on printing non-security documents.

The agency will spend N1.4bn on electricity charges, N460m on telephone charges and N1.3bn on security services.

The FIRS will spend N7.9bn on donations and N200m as contributions to international organisations.

The agency earmarked N800m for legal services, N1.04bn on bank charges, N9.5bn on welfare packages; N1.1bn on staff retreat and N2.9bn on repairs.

The FIRS collects Value Added Tax, Company Income Tax, stamp duty, technology levy, Personal Income Tax, Capital Gains Tax, Nigeria Customs Service Import VAT, electronic money transfer and gas income.

Currently, the FIRS is involved in a legal dispute with Rivers and Lagos states over the right authority to collect VAT.

The Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, had on September 10 ruled that Rivers State and not the FIRS should collect VAT and Personal Income Tax in the state.

Until then, the FIRS was the agency collecting VAT across the country and after deducting its four per cent collection cost, it remitted the rest to the federation account for sharing among the three tiers of government.

Following the ruling of the Federal High Court, the FIRS filed an appeal at the Court of Appeal in Abuja, and the court ordered all the parties to maintain status quo. It also granted the application for joinder by the Lagos State government. Rivers and Lagos states have enacted their VAT laws.

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has however transferred the matter to its division in Port Harcourt for further hearing.

Meanwhile, the Rivers State Government has also approached the Supreme Court to set aside the Appeal Court’s ruling that parties should maintain status quo.

post=106697627:
Source: https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2021/10/nigerian-man-arrested-for-drug-trafficking-in-cambodia.html

The Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has approved 2021 promotions for workers in the state’s civil and public service.

The approval was disclosed in a letter dated September 28, 2021, and signed by the Permanent Secretary, Directorate of Establishment, Training and Manpower Services, Mrs F.A.O Edwards on behalf of the Edo State Head of Service, Anthony Okungbowa.

She explained that the approval is in line with the government’s commitment to the welfare of the workers in order to improve efficiency, productivity and optimal service delivery.

The letter with Reference Number TM.701/VOL.11/101, directed all Ministries and Extra-Ministerial Departments to forward the list of all eligible officers on grade level 07 to 16 who are due to be promoted in the year 2021 to the office of the Head of Service for necessary action.
The government also directed that the name, rank, grade level, date of birth, date of confirmation, date of present appointment and retirement of the officers should be forwarded to the office of the Head of Service.

The circular, which is directed to be treated as extremely urgent, was sent to the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, Head of Service, All Honourable Commissioners, Permanent Secretaries, and All Heads of Extra Ministerial Departments.

“All Accounting Officers are to with immediate effect ensure strict compliance with this directive,” the letter read.

THE President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), did not fulfill his promise to increase the annual domestic education expenditure by 50 per cent over the next two years, according to the details of the 2022 Appropriation Bill currently before the National Assembly.

Buhari made the promise during the Global Education Summit which was held in London, United Kingdom recently.

During the summit, the President had joined other world leaders in making a commitment to increase funding of the education sector.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation had in the Education for All Report for 2000 to 2015 tagged, ‘The Dakar Framework for Action,’ called for significant increase in financial commitment by national governments and donors to the education sector to accelerate progress towards the EFA goals.

In 2016, the first budget prepared by Buhari’s regime after taking over from former President Goodluck Jonathan in May 2015, the Federal Government allocated N369.6bn which amounted to 6.7 per cent of the national budget of N6.06tn to education, while in 2017, N550.5bn; 7.38 per cent of the N7.29tn budget was allocated to the sector.

In 2018, N605.8bn, out of N9.12tn budget, representing 7.04 per cent was allocated to education; in 2019, it was N 620.5bn, representing 7.05 per cent of the N 8.92tn budget.

In 2020, N671.07bn of N10.33tn which amounted to 6.7 per cent was allocated to the sector; while in 2021 the sector got N742.5bn of N13.6tn budget, representing 5.6 per cent.

However, during the summit in London, Buhari had said, “We commit to progressively increase our annual domestic education expenditure by 50 per cent over the next two years and up to 100 per cent by 2025 beyond the 20 per cent global benchmark.”

But analysis of the 2022 Appropriation Bill which the President presented before the National Assembly last week revealed that the allocation to the education sector showed an allocation of N875,925,404,037 (which includes a UBEC allocation of N139,236,349,701) out of a total budget size of N16.9 tn.

This means that the sector got a 5.3 percent allocation which falls below last year’s percentage of 5.6 per cent.

The Federal Government has allocated the sum of N5.93tn to critical sectors of the economy including defence, health, education and infrastructure.

According to the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, the Federal Government prioritised defence and infrastructure sectors in the 2022 budget by allocating N2.41tn and N1.45tn to these sectors respectively, which represent N15 per cent and N8.9 per cent of the total budget.

Ahmed disclosed this at the “Public Presentation and Breakdown of the Highlights of the 2022 Appropriation Bill’’ held in Abuja on Friday.

She noted that the N2.14tn allocated to the defence and security sectors includes recurrent and capital expenditure for the Military, Police, Intelligence and Para-Miltary.

Some of the projects that will be funded with the allocation include balance payment for the procurement of 3 X JF – 17 Thunder Aircraft, support equipment and spares including targeting Pod for JF – 17, complete with aircraft arms and ammunition (N22.08bn), procurement of 30/32/35 metre hydro survey ship and landing ship tank (N9.69bn) and procurement of 3 X AW109 helicopters and part payment for procurement of 1 X AW139 Helicopter (N1bn).

Others are the Completion of Naval War College complex (N4.4bn) and the upgrade of the Nigerian Navy Reference Hospital Ojo (N1.4bn).

Meanwhile, the N1.45tn allocated for infrastructure includes provisions for Works and Housing, Power (inclusive of Power Sector Recovery Programme provisions), Transport, Water Resources and Aviation.

On allocations for health and education, the minister stated that the sum of N820.2bn was allocated to the health sector.

The education sector was allocated N1.29tn; this is 7.9 per cent of the total budget.

This also includes N875.93bn provided for the Federal Ministry of Education and its agencies for their recurrent and capital expenditure, N108.10bn provided for Universal Basic Education Commission as well as N306.00bn for transfers to the Tertiary Education Trust Fund.

“For the health sector, we made a provision of N820.2bn. This is for the Federal Ministry of Health and its agencies, including hazard allowances for the medical personnel. We also provided N54.87bn Gavi/Immunisation funds, including Counterpart Funding for Donor Supported Programmes and Global Fund.

“We also provided N54.05bn for Transfer to Basic Healthcare Provision Fund. The BHCPF has been on statutory transfer since 2020 which means that it is on auto pilot so they get the one per cent of the Consolidated Revenue Fund.”

Ahmed also said N863m had been designated for social development and poverty reduction programmes in the 2022 budget.

The United Kingdom has announced that fully vaccinated travellers from Nigeria to England will not need to take a pre-departure test, undertake a day 8 test or self-isolate for 10 days as previously required, with effect from Monday, October 11.

This policy, it said, applies to those fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (including Covidshield), Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson.

In a statement on Thursday titled, ‘UK changes travel rules for fully vaccinated travellers from Nigeria,’ the British High Commission said the traveller must also have a valid proof of vaccination recognised by the British Government which is the certificates with valid QR codes as issued by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency.

It stated, “From Monday, 11 October 2021, fully vaccinated travellers from Nigeria will be able to come to England without needing to provide a pre-departure test, undertake a day 8 test or self-isolate for 10 days, although will still need to book and pay for a day 2 test.

“This policy applies to those fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca (including Covidshield), Pfizer, Moderna and Janssen (Johnson and Johnson). Fully vaccinated means that you have had a complete course of an approved vaccine at least 14 days before you arrive in England.

“The day you had your final dose does not count as one of the 14 days. You must be able to prove that you have been fully vaccinated under a vaccination programme and have valid proof of vaccination recognised by the British Government: (for Nigeria, the certificates with valid QR codes as issued by Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency are recognised).”

It said the unvaccinated Nigerian traveller to England is still required to take a pre-departure COVID-19 test – to be taken three days before travel, book and pay for day 2 and day 8 COVID-19 tests – to be taken after arrival and complete a passenger locator form – any time in the 48 hours before arrival.

“After you arrive, you must: quarantine at home or in the place you are staying for 10 days, take a pre-booked COVID-19 test on or before day 2 and on or after day 8,” the high commission further said.

The statement quoted the acting British High Commissioner, Ben Llewellyn-Jones, as saying, “The exemption of fully-vaccinated Nigerians travelling to the UK from providing a pre-departure test and self-isolating for 10 days, is a very welcome development.

“To make this happen, we have been working closely with Nigeria’s National Primary Health Care Development Agency on recognising Nigeria’s vaccine certification, which we have now done.

“The UK remains committed to opening up international travel and enabling those who wish to enter the UK, to do so safely. Vaccines work and – as the pandemic has shown – no one is safe until we are all safe. I would encourage all eligible people to get vaccinated.”

The President, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd), has ordered the arraignment of a former acting Director-General of the Federal Institute of Industrial Research Oshodi, Lagos, Chima Igwe.

He directed the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission to begin the process of his prosecution for receiving salaries with a phantom doctorate for 18 years.

Buhari also asked the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, to allow the institute’s governing board to operate freely.

The President instructed that the board should commence the process of appointing a substantive director general.

This may be a resolution of the leadership tussle that has crippled the running of the institute for about two years.

In 2019, when the position of DG was vacant at FIIRO after the former occupant retired, Onu appointed Igwe despite the opposition of the governing board due to his controversial doctorate, which was being investigated by the ICPC.

Our correspondent, who visited Universite D’Abomey Calavi, Benin Republic, where he claimed to have bagged the PhD, discovered that he did not complete the programme and had only been using an attestation letter issued by his supervisor in 2002 to gain promotion at the institute.

The ICPC, which initially cleared Igwe, said it was misled and reopened investigation into his case. The agency later concluded that he did not finish the academic programme.

He was subsequently deposed and demoted by the FIIRO board to the position he held before claiming the phantom certificate in 2002.

In the heat of the several investigations by The PUNCH, Igwe returned to the Benin varsity, defended his thesis and was issued a certificate dated 2020.

Onu subsequently pressured the FIIRO board to reinstate him as DG, which was rejected by the board Chairman, Alhaji Ibrahim Gwarzo, who insisted that the officer deserved prosecution and not reward for the fraud.

After several failed attempts to get the board to do his bidding, the minister levelled allegations of financial improprieties against the members, which were reportedly dismissed by the authorities.

Efforts by the board to begin the process of installing a substantive DG were frustrated by Onu, who claimed that the President was still considering Igwe for the position.

The minister later sent a memo to the board, saying their term had expired, despite not completing their four-year tenure and without the approval of the President, who alone had powers to dissolve the board.

However, Buhari, in a letter dated September 7, 2021, addressed to Onu, and signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President (Administration and Operations), Ibrahim Adamu, declined the “prayers of the Honourable Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation on the appointment of Chima Cartney Igwe as the substantive Director-General of FIIRO, Oshodi, Lagos State.”

“Directed the governing board of FIIRO to commence the process of the appointment of a substantive Director General in accordance with Section 2.1.3.3 (a) and (d) of the Conditions of Service for Federal Research and Development Agencies, Institutes and Colleges (Revised 2019).

“Directed the Honourable Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation to allow the Governing Board of FIIRO to operate freely within the ambit of the provisions of extant regulations guiding the relationship between the ministry and parastatals.

“Directed the ICPC to commence prosecution of Mr Chima Cartney Igwe for giving false information to his employer,” the document added.

Reacting to the development, the Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of Universities’ Teaching Hospitals Research Institutes and Associated Institutions, FIIRO branch, Togunde Oyekola, commended the board chairman and his team for their commitment to justice and integrity.

Oyekola urged the board to do more on productivity enhancement and staff welfare.

He also called for transparency in the appointment of a substantive DG within the confines of the law, public service rules, conditions of service of research institutions and other extant rules.

The Nigerian Communications Commission says the October 31 deadline for linking their National Identity Numbers with their Subscriber Identity Modules remains sacrosanct.

It also said that Nigerians without NIN would soon be denied the opportunity of acquiring driving licences and passports.

The commission said at the NCC Digital Signature radio programme, which transmitted the second episode of Telecoms Consumer Town Hall on Radio (live on a radio station in Lagos to discuss benefits of NIN-SIM integration.

This was disclosed in a statement titled ‘NIN-SIM Integration: NCC sensitises telecom consumers on October 31 Deadline’ signed by NCC’s Director of Public Affairs, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, on Wednesday.

The statement read, “NCC has reminded and urged telecoms consumers to link their NINs with their SIMs before the expiration of the deadline of October 31, 2021 set by the Federal Government.”

It added, “Speaking during the live programme, Director, Public Affairs, NCC, Dr Ikechukwu Adinde, advised Nigerians to make use of the extension of the NIN-SIM integration exercise to October 31, 2021, to enrol with NIMC, get their NINs and link them to their SIMs.”

Adinde said, “Soon, people without NIN will be denied of necessary services that play vital roles in their lives including acquisition of driving licence, passport.”

The statement further said, “On the benefits of the NIN-SIM integration, Adinde said the exercise will significantly enhance national security as NIN is the primary identity for Nigerians, stressing that in line with Federal Government’s commitment to ensure that Nigeria deploys technology to improve service delivery, the NIN-SIM database will enhance citizens’ access to government services.”

Also speaking on the show, NCC’s Director of Consumer Affairs Bureau of NCC, Efosa Idehen, said, “Those SIMs without unique identification could be used to commit crimes that remain untraceable.”

The Regional Director of NIMC in Lagos, Funmi Opesanwo, who also spoke on the programme, said that submission of NIN to a mobile network provider helped to provide a means of verifying an individual’s identity and safeguarding both identity and mobile line.

The Senate has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits ravaging the North West and other parts of the country as terrorists.

The Upper Chamber also called on the President to declare known leaders of bandits in the country wanted and track them wherever they are for arrest and prosecution.
It also urged the President to direct the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to urgently support all victims of banditry in Sokoto and other parts of the country.

These resolutions of the Senate followed its consideration of a motion titled: “Banditry in Sokoto State particularly Sokoto East Senatorial District” sponsored by Senator Ibrahim Gobir.

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Joseph Daudu (SAN), has charged Northern Governors to develop the economy of the region instead of dissipating energy on the debate over whether or not states should collect Value Added Tax.

He also chided the governors for condemning calls by their southern colleagues for a power shift in 2023.

Daudu said this when he appeared as a guest on a Channels Television’s political programme, Politics Today, on Tuesday.

He explained that northern governors missed the point by thinking that the VAT was a one-off tax.

The senior legal practitioner said, “The northern governors know for a fact that there is less economic activity happening in Jigawa or Yobe than in Rivers and Lagos. Is it fair to take the resources of Lagos and give Jigawa?

“The answer lies in how every state should develop its economic base. So long as other states are not allowed to develop and extract their resources, they will continue to look across the border to see who can give them handouts. We should be tired of this.”

He argued that every state was endowed and should be encouraged to develop its potential for the benefit of its people.

Speaking further on the VAT collection debate, Daudu insisted that states ought to collect this tax because they suffer the direct consequences of the actions/ inactions of manufacturers.

According to him, some of these states with high populations have environmental and associated issues which they would need these taxes to deal with.

Daudu said, “The nature of VAT is that at every point of sale for consumption, VAT is deducted. It then goes to the credit of the state that it (product) is paid for and consumed. If the final consumer does not sell, the matter ends.

“The truth is that some states are more economically buoyant than others. States that have heavy economic activities like Lagos, Kano, Rivers, Abia, Anambra to cite a few, for example, these states sell things that are consumed they are bound to get much more VAT.

The SAN further stated, “I would rather as a northerner; want the northern governors to develop their resources, it may take five to ten years. There used to be a meat canning factory, in those days, meat was exported from Bauchi out of the country, all these industries have died.

“The present governors, instead of thinking about who is going to be President in 2023, or whether that person should come from the north, they should first resuscitate all the industries that made the north a very great place, instead of coming now to heat up the polity by saying there will be no rotation, that really is not the matter at hand.”

The PUNCH had reported that the Rivers State Government has approached the Supreme Court to seek interpretation of relevant sections of the law as to whether or not the state should be responsible for collecting VAT.

okrote4real:
BUSTED: Sponsor Of Pro-Buhari Protest In New York Identified As Businessman And All Progressives Congress Party Chieftain, Nasiru Danu



http://saharareporters.com/2021/09/27/busted-sponsor-pro-buhari-protest-new-york-identified-businessman-and-all-progressives

The Federal Government has said 484,000 Nigerians have been enrolled into the Basic Health Care Provision Fund as of April 2021 in its efforts to implement the National Health Act.

The Secretary of the Ministerial Oversight Committee of the Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Chris Isokpunwu, disclosed this in an interview with The PUNCH.

The National Health Act 2014, which was signed into law on October 31, 2014, provides a legal framework for the regulation, development and management of the nation’s health system.

Part 1 Section 11 of the law makes provision for the establishment of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, which provides for not less than one per cent Consolidated Revenue Fund for health funding.

In 2017, the Senate passed a resolution mandating its Appropriation Committee to make provision for the BHCPF in the 2018 budget.

When passing the 2018 budget in May, it earmarked N57.15bn for the BHCPF.

When asked about the level of implementation of the provisions of the Act, Isokpunwu told our correspondent that about 484,000 Nigerians had been enrolled into the BHCPF as of April 2021.

The enrolees, he added, are drawn from 23 states across the country.

According to him, while no funding was received from 2019 and 2020 budget, fund was allocated in the 2021 budget.

He, however, did not disclose how much was budgeted.

Isokpunwu said, “No funding was received from 2019 Budget; none was also received from the 2020 budget.

“But there was funding allocated from the 2021 budget and a committee was inaugurated in April this year. The committee had its first briefing in June.

“As of April 2021, over 484,000 have been enrolled from 23 states to receive basic minimum package of healthcare services across the country.

“The number has even increased by now from across the states.”

When asked about the counterpart funding by states and those who have paid theirs, Isokpunwu said, “ We have not reached that stage yet and I doubt if anybody would give that information considering that the person is not under the Ministry of Health.”

36 states receive disbursement for primary healthcare

Isokpunwu added that all the 36 states of the federation have received disbursement from the BHCF for primary health care as of September 2020.

He said, “For the primary healthcare, all the 36 states of the federation have received disbursement from the basic health care fund as of September 2020 and the primary healthcare facilities are functioning based on the disbursement of the funds.

“This has also catered for 5,701 primary health care facilities.

“More than 50 per cent healthcare centres across the country have been revitalised in terms of making them functional.”

Isokpunwu added that the government was working towards fulfilling its promise of ensuring that there is at least one functional healthcare centre in each ward in the 774 local government areas.

“The promise the government made was to make sure that there is at least one functional primary health care facility in each ward in the 774 local government areas we have in the country and the government has been working towards it.

The plan of the government is to revitalise and make functional 10,000 primary health care centres and as at now, over 5,000 have been made functional.

“As regards the locations and communities, I am sorry, I cannot share them with you,” he said.

GOVERNOR Samuel Ortom of Benue State on Thursday accused the President, Major General Muhammad Buhari (retd.), of promoting nepotism and acts of sectionalism in all his appointments.

Ortom, who said such act violated the principle of federal character as enshrined in the constitution, added that the lopsided federal appointments and other acts of sectionalism had divided Nigeria more than ever.

The governor stated this in Enugu during a lecture organised by the Nigeria Union of Journalists, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Enugu chapel, with the theme, ‘Emerging security situation in the South-East: the place of good governance” held in Enugu.

He said, “The lopsided federal appointments, nepotism and other acts of sectionalism, particularly from 2015 to date, have divided Nigeria now more than at any other time in the country’s history.

“The Federal Character Principle as enshrined in the constitution has been abused and abandoned by the present administration. This is where leadership has failed Nigerians and good governance has also been relegated to the back seat.

“Eastern Nigeria, like other parts of the country, deserves equal attention with the provision of critical infrastructure and development projects, as well as allocation of resources and key appointments at the federal level.”

Ortom, who said he would never be cowed, maintained that the All Progressives Congress government had failed in every area.

He said the Federal Government was busy fighting perceived opposition while at the same time looking the other way amid mindless killing and maiming of Nigerians by herdsmen.

“The present administration at the centre has adopted the approach of intimidation of those who dare to voice out their frustrations and concerns over growing insecurity and marginalisation.

“But I, Samuel Ortom, will never keep quiet as long as injustice and marginalisation prevail in the affairs of our country,” he added.

The Peoples Democratic Party may zone its national chairmanship position to the South-West, The PUNCH has learnt.

The recommendation to zone the position to the South-West was contained in a leaked working document prepared by the party’s 44-member National Convention Committee on Zoning.

The committee recommended the position of secretary for the North in the document was sighted by our correspondent on Wednesday.

The committee chaired by the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, will meet on Thursday (today).

According to the document, the main consideration is that the zone has not produced the party’s national chairman since inception.

In zeroing in on the South-West, members considered the past distribution pattern of the geopolitical zones that produced chairmen and came to the conclusion that the South-West deserved to get the slot.

Apart from the past distribution pattern, members were said to have noted that before the emergence of Uche Secondus as the national chairman, no fewer than 12 members from the South-West aspired to lead the party before it was taken to the South-South.

The distribution pattern as considered by the party is that the North-Central has produced five past chairmen in persons of Chief Solomon Lar, Barnabas Gemade, Audu Ogbeh, Ahmadu Ali and Kawu Baraje; while the North-East has produced three chairmen in persons of Dr Bamanga Tukur, Dr Adamu Muazu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff.

The North-West produced two – Dr Haliru Bello and Senator Ahmed Makarfi; the South East produced two – Vincent Ogbulafor and Okwesilieze Nwodo; while the South-South produced Secondus both as acting and as substantive chairman.

“It is now clearly seen that the national chairmanship position has stayed long in the North, and particularly dominant in the North-Central. The South-West had never been given the opportunity.

“In actual fact, it is was an issue generally acknowledged that the national chairmanship was aspired by no fewer than 12 aspirants from South-West before the twist that took it to the South-South,” the document read.

•North-West, South-West ahead other regions with four mega projects

•Six zones listed as beneficiaries of $62m NASS solar power infrastructure

North-West and South-West, the geopolitical zones of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), and the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, respectively have the highest number of projects allocated to them among the projects that will be funded with the fresh external loans the President is asking the National Assembly to approve for his regime, Saturday PUNCH has learnt.

Buhari had asked the National Assembly to approve fresh external loans of $4.05bn and €710m for his regime.

He also sought the legislature’s approval for grant components of $125m in the 2018-2020 external rolling borrowing plan.

These were contained in a letter addressed to both chambers of the National Assembly and read by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and Speaker of House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, respectively on Tuesday on the floor at the resumption of plenary.

Buhari in the letter, dated August 24, 2021, explained that the projects listed in the 2018-2021 Federal Government Borrowing Plan would be financed through sovereign loans from the World Bank, French Development Agency, EXIM Bank International Fund for Agricultural Development, Credit Suisse Group and Standard Chattered/China Export and Credit in the total sum of $4,054,476,863 and €710m and grant components of $125m.

According to the President, a summary of some key projects in each of the six geopolitical zones that will be funded by the loans and a summary on the expected impacts on the socioeconomic development of each of the six geopolitical zones were attached to the letter.

According to the breakdown obtained exclusively by our correspondent, 13 key projects each to be funded with the loans were listed for the North-West and South-West, making them the geopolitical zones with the highest number of projects.

The President is from Katsina State in the North-West while Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo is from Ogun State in the South-West.

Our correspondent, however, noticed that most of the projects that were listed for the two zones are projects that are common to all the geopolitical zones or more than two zones, leaving only one project that is peculiar to the South-West and two that are peculiar to the North-West.

The only project peculiar to the South-West is the Lagos-Ibadan railway modernisation project (Apapa-Tin Can Island Ports Project); while the two that are peculiar to the North-West are the Kaduna Bus Rapid Transport Project and the Kano-Katsina-Jibiya-Maradi Rail Line.

Apart from the North-West and South-West that have 13 projects each, 11 projects each were allocated to the North-Central, North-East and South-East while 10 projects were allocated to the South-South.

Curiously, however, the provision of 17 megawatts hybrid solar power infrastructure for the National Assembly complex which is to be funded with the $62,120,000 to be provided by Standard Chartered Bank/China Export and Credit (SINOSURE) was listed as item 9 for all the six geopolitical zones as beneficiaries.

This is despite the fact that the impact of the project was stated in one of the documents as “to address the National Assembly complex’s power supply deficit and to reduce higher overhead burdensome cost of running and maintaining fossil fuel generators (25 megawatts installed capacity) to power the National Assembly complex.”

Besides the projects peculiar to the geopolitical zones, however, are many others that have all the geopolitical zones as beneficiaries.

They include the $750,000,000 World Bank’s facility for State Fiscal, Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme for Results: the $400,000,000 Nigeria COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project – Additional Funding; the $700,000,000 Agro-Climatic Resilience in Arid Zone Landscape Project; and the $700,000,000 Nigeria Sustainable Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene Project.

Others are the €100,000,000 National Identity Management Project; the $500,000,000 Livestock Productivity and Resilience Support Project; the $276,981,586 three power renewable energy projects and the $200,000,000 Agro-Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project, among others.

The PUNCH had reported on Friday that five bodies would jointly provide the $4,054,476,863 component of the loan.

They include the World Bank – $3,250,000,000; China Exim Bank – $225,120,000; IFAD- $50,000,00; European ECA/KfW/IPEX/APC -$190,255,276; Bank of China -$276,981,587; and Standard Chartered Bank/China Export and Credit (SINOSURE) – $62,120,000.

The Euro component of €710m will be provided by AFD – €210,000,00 and Credit Sussie Group €500,000,000 while the World Bank will provide the grant components of $125m.

Part of Buhari’s letter to the National Assembly had read, “I write on the above subject and submit the attached addendum to the proposed 2018-2020 external rolling borrowing plan for the consideration and concurrent approval of the Senate for the same to become effective.

“The distinguished Senate President may recall that I submitted a request on the 2018-2020 borrowing plan for the approval of the Senate in May 2021.

“However, in view of other emerging needs and to ensure that all critical projects approved by the Federal Executive Council as of June 2021 are incorporated, I hereby forward an addendum to the proposed borrowing plan.

“The projects listed in the external borrowing plan are to be financed through sovereign loans from the World Bank, French Development Agency, EXIM Bank and IFAD in the total sum of $4,054,476,863 and €710m and grant components of $125m.

“A summary of some key projects in each of the six geopolitical zones and a summary on the expected impacts on the socioeconomic development of each of the six geopolitical zones are attached herewith as Annex II and III.”

The Joint Health Sectors Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professional Associations have suspended their planned strike billed to commence with effect from 12am Saturday, September 18,2021.

The unions had on September 2 threatened to embark on strike over unmet demands and also issued a 15-day ultimatum to the FG.

But rising from the emergency meeting of the expanded National Executive Council of the JOHESU and AHPA on Friday, the unions admonished the Federal Government to expedite action and fulfil their demands within 15 days.

This was contained in a communique signed by the acting Secretary General, JOHESU, Chief M. Ajorutu, issued at the end of the meeting.

The expanded NEC comprised the presidents and general secretaries of affiliate unions and professional associations, NEC members of affiliate unions and JOHESU chairmen and secretaries at the state and branch levels.

The NEC-in-session said it critically appraised the reports of JOHESU negotiation and conciliation meetings with FG since the declaration of the trade dispute through the 15-day strike notice issued on September 2.

NEC also noted the appeal from the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on the need to show understanding with his administration and his pledge to pay any debt owed health workers.

It further said it received and examined reports of congresses held at various health facilities across the country on the mobilisation for the strike action.

The communique read, “NEC-in-session after long hours of exhaustive of deliberations on issues surrounding the planned strike action resolved as follows:

“The Federal Ministry of Health should ensure speedy circularisation of all establishment and welfare matters as agreed during negotiation meetings.

“The Federal Government should ensure that the new data for the computation of the adjusted Consolidated Health Salary Structure for JOHESU members be completed and submitted to the ‘high level body’ of the FG not later than Wednesday, 22nd September, 2021 as agreed.

“NEC-in-Session urges the Federal Government to ensure that the ‘high level body’ complete and submit the computation of the adjusted CONHESS for inclusion in the 2022 budget within the 30th September, 2021 submission window.”

The union further urged the government to reciprocate “the patriotic humanitarian gesture of JOHESU in the interest of the larger Nigerian masses to expeditiously resolve all the demands within the 15-day window.”

“Finally, NEC-in-session unanimously adopts a resolution to step down the notice of strike action due to expire mid-night 17th September, 2021 and issue a fresh notice of 15 days,” the unions said.

Justice Ladiran Akintola of Oyo State High Court has directed the Department of State Security (DSS) to pay N20 billion to Chief Sunday Adeyemo (aka Sunday Igboho) for unlawfully invading his Soka, Ibadan house on July 1.

Akintola awarded the sum as exemplary and aggravated damages against the secret police in the suit filed by Igboho in which he is seeking N500 billion damages for the invasion.

The court also declared the invasion illegal and tongue-lashed the DSS for acting based on what he described as “arbitrary aggression and prejudices” from his agitation for Yoruba nation.

STRIKING members of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors have said that they may shift ground on their ongoing strike that started on August 2 if they see signs that the Federal Government will honour agreements and clear some outstanding payments.

The outstanding payments the association is expecting the government to settle before they can consider ending the strike include death benefits of members who died during COVID-19 pandemic and salary arrears among others.

It was further learnt that the leadership of NARD and that of the Nigerian Medical Association would be meeting the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, on Friday in continuation of efforts to end the strike.

Our correspondent gathered that the issue of review of hazard allowance will feature prominently in the Friday meeting.

An earlier meeting NARD and NMA had with the minister on Tuesday was said to have been postponed due to the failure of both parties to agree.

When contacted on the telephone on Wednesday, NARD’s Secretary General, Jerry Isogun, confirmed the development to our correspondent.

However, the Federal Government and NARD on Wednesday told the National Industrial Court, Abuja that they were open to negotiations in order to end the ongoing strike action.

They disclosed this to Justice Bashar Alkali when the matter came up in court.

The counsel for the resident doctors, Femi Falana (SAN), prayed the court to direct the parties to return to the negotiation table.
The counsel for the Federal Government, Tochukwu Maduka (SAN), responded that the matter at hand was of a special breed.

He told the court that the parties were earlier sent to an industrial arbitral panel, but the arbitral process failed.

However, Maduka told the court that the Federal Government was still open to negotiations.

Consequently, the court fixed its ruling on the ongoing dispute between the Federal Government and the resident doctors for September 17.

Falana had raised the issue of the court’s jurisdiction and had sought that his application challenging the court’s jurisdiction be taken.

But Maduka stated that the issue of contempt had yet to be taken and argued that the issue of contempt should take precedence over the issue of jurisdiction.

• How he succeeded his father, B/Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf
• Led terrorists’ onslaughts on security forces
• We’re not aware of his death – Military
• Situation dicey – Expert

Leader of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), Abu Musab Al-Barnawi has been killed in Borno State, Daily Trust learnt from many sources.

He was reportedly killed in the last week of August, this year.

Al-Barnawi was the son of Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf who was also killed by security forces in 2009 when he launched a war against the Nigerian state. More than one thousand people died during the uprising.

In 2016, the Islamic State (IS) militant group announced Al-Barnawi as the leader of its West African affiliate, Boko Haram, which was hitherto led by Abubakar Shekau.

Shekau took over as the group’s leader after the death of Mohammed Yusuf.

Before his dethronement, Shekau had sworn allegiance to IS in March 2015 and had killed thousands of people and destroyed countless communities during his reign of terror that extended up to Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

His dislodgement in 2016 heralded the rise of the relatively young Al-Barnawi as ISWAP leader and at the same time, the split of the terrorist group into two factions.

It was reported that ISIS partly chose Al-Barnawi as leader in the Lake Chad region in order to punish Shekau who reportedly “violated all known norms” and to also retain the confidence of Boko Haram fighters who were loyal to his father, Yusuf amid threats from other factional groups.

Al-Barnawi was also said to have been trained by ISIS for years ahead of his ascension to power.

Shekau, who was declared wanted by the United States with a price on his head, had led the Boko Haram faction with solid footing around the Sambisa forest and part of the Mandara Mountains bordering the Cameroon Republic.

On the other hand, Al-Barnawi sustained vicious attacks especially on military facilities and troops in the Lake Chad region while at the same time strategising on how to subdue Shekau.

He controlled large swathes of territory in Northern Borno, imposed taxes on the local population and earned serious income from fishing asides from the financial and material support he got from ISIS.

Al-Barnawi’s fighters had also destroyed many military super camps in Dikwa, Monguno, Abadam and Marte in Borno; and other military facilities around Geidam in Yobe State.

He equally established many cells on the Lake Chad islands and surrounding villages from where his fighters launched attacks on Nigeria, Niger and Chad.

His death in August, after that of Shekau in May 2021, was seen as a turning point in the war against terror even as security experts had called for sustained offensive towards decimating the two rival groups to have a lasting peace after twelve years of uncertainty and carnage.

They said despite the massive surrender by Boko Haram fighters, nothing should be taken for a ride because there are many fighters who still believe in the course they are pursuing and could recover lost grounds if they get the slightest opportunity.

How Al-Barnawi was killed

There are two versions of the story of Al-Barnawi’s death with one saying he was killed by Nigerian troops and the other version saying he died during a rival war within the ISWAP camp.

The first version revolved around the information shared among some security operatives in the theatre of operation, which indicated that he was ambushed by troops during which four or five top ISWAP leaders and many foot terrorists loyal to him were also killed.

A source said he was killed around Bula Yobe, a community near the Borno/Yobe states border along Mobbar and Abadam axis that leads to the Lake Chad area.

However, a different source said the Bula Yobe where he was ambushed and killed could be accessed from Yale, Bama, Banki junction through the Kashimbri-Gulumba.

Other sources told the Daily Trust that it was leadership tussle that led to the death of Al-Barnawi.

One of them said the battle of supremacy climaxed between August 14 and 26, 2021, and that the fight had claimed many commanders on both sides.

Yet, another source said the other camp had mobilised some terrorists from Central Africa to overthrow Al-Barnawi and they succeeded.

The military high command in Nigeria rarely confirms or denies the killing of high profile Boko Haram/ISWAP commanders because of the sensitivity of the issues.

This might not be unconnected with the multiple announcements of the killing of Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau over the years only for him to resurface again and again.

It was until May 2021, when ISWAP fighters engaged Shekau in a fierce battle that led him to kill himself at one of his enclaves at the Sambisa forest.

When contacted yesterday, the Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Benjamin Sawyer, told one of our correspondents that he could not confirm when Al-Barnawi was killed because troops had no link with them.

He said, “If there is a problem in their (Boko Haram) camp, how will I know? We normally have a fortnightly brief on operations. If ISWAP or BHTs are fighting among themselves, it is the media that always gives the entire nation the information. It is not us, because we are not in their camps.”

Daily Trust reports that Al-Barnawi fell less than two months after he consolidated his grip following the death of Shekau.

He had in an audio released in Kanuri language confirmed the death of Shekau and the triumph of his faction.

This is what he said in the 28-minute audio, “He (Shekau) never thought this would happen to him even in his dream, but by the power of God, we destabilised him.

“He became confused and fled to the forest where he spent five days, wandering and stranded. We followed him again where we faced him with heavy fire. He ran away.

Then our troops called on him to surrender so that he would be punished. We kept assuring him that we were not out to kill him but he was adamant and confused. As a cantankerous fellow, he believed it was better for him to die than to surrender,” he said.

Shekau reportedly killed himself with a bomb “When he observed that the ISWAP fighters wanted to capture him alive.”

It’s a dicey issue – Expert

A security sector reform expert, Chukwuma Ume, while speaking on the implications of the ISWAP leader’s killing on counter-insurgency, said it would have both positive and negative effects on the country.

According to him, “We are trying to focus as a nation. We are trying to up our game in terms of dealing with the issue of terrorism and insurgency.

“In as much as many people may want to say it is a welcome development, it shows that our military is waging this war seriously as we expect them but some of us will still think that a unilateral output, in this case, kinetic (use of force), may also not be the entire solution or a comprehensive solution that is required.

“This is not to take away anything from the Nigerian military. This is not to take anything away from our men and women out on the field but we are also calling on the government to be a bit more proactive in the sense that the issues leading to these: insurgency, terrorism or violent extremism should be dealt with.

“It needs a more holistic approach or integrated approach. Where there are structural imperfections or imbalance, where there are issues of exclusivity, where people feel that the quality of the life they live is on the defensive, the government should endeavour to provide these social contracts, especially those who are hitherto disadvantaged to become inclusive and to also have equitable distribution of source of livelihood.

“Yes, it is good that we seem to be winning the war, but at the same time we need to start addressing those issues that gave rise in the first instance to insurgency,” he said.

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No fewer than 5,540 applicants have applied for the 100 vacancies approved by the Nasarawa State Government at Isa Mustapha Agwai Polythecnic, Lafia.

The Rector of the Polythecnic, Dr. Justina Kotso, made the disclosure on Tuesday in Lafia when the management of the institution appeared before the State House Assembly Committee on Education for its 2021 budget assessment.

She explained that the polythecnic was able to screen the 5,540 applicants and 767 of them were qualified for the job, out of whom were 400 first class graduates.

Kotso also disclosed that the institution under her watch had achieved a lot especially in the area of infrastructural development, Information and Communication Technology and improved security on the school premises.

“But as Oliver Twist, we are appealing for more funding because that is one of the challenges we are facing. We are prepared to continue to bring new innovations for the overall development of the institution” she added.
The Chairman, House Committee on Education, Daniel Ogazi, urged the rector and management of the polytechnic to absorb academic and non-academic casual staff who had been working in the institution for a long period of time before considering other fresh applicants in its ongoing recruitment.

“Some of them have been working as casual staff for many years and now that the government has approved employment, I urge you to absorb them before you consider fresh applicants,” he added.

The Federal Government on Tuesday reached a truce with aggrieved health workers under the Joint Health Sector Unions and Assembly of Healthcare Professionals, after a five-hour meeting.

The marathon meeting hosted by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, began at 4pm and ended around past 9pm, with an understanding reached by both the FG and the unions.

JOHESU had last week issued a 15-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet their demands or face strik .

But, briefing journalists after the meeting, Ngige said they held fruitful discussions, assuring that the Memorandum of Understanding would be signed next week.

According to a statement by the Mnistry of Labour and Employment spokesman, Charles Akpan, titled, ‘FG,JOHESU reach truce, ‘ the minister explained that the parties reached an understanding on all the issues in dispute, including the enhancement of hazard allowance, review of retirement age from 60 to 65 years, the arrears of the consequential adjustment of the national minimum wage and upward adjustment of Consolidated Health Salary Structure.

On the hazard allowance, Ngige recalled that the government held four meetings earlier with JOHESU and NMA alongside their affiliates, but at a point there were areas of departure.

He noted that NMA and a union hitherto thought to be part of JOHESU, demanded the compartmentaliasation of the discussions on the hazard allowance, which the government granted.

He noted, “Based on previous discussion, we delivered to them (JOHESU) the financial implication of what is due to them and they promised to get back to their members and report back to us. On the other hand, government is meeting with NMA next week for their separate discussion on hazard allowance. Already the Federal Government has budgeted the sum of N37.5bn for this.

“The issue was resolved to the satisfaction of all of us. Government is not delaying the hazard allowance as some people want the public to believe.”

On the demand for upward review of retirement age from 60 to 65 years, the statement said, “The matter has already been handled by the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation which has in turn transmitted same to the National Council on Establishment for further processing at its meeting in December 2021.

“Ngige said the meeting agreed that the issues of non-implementation of allowances contained in the 2017 agreement, such as consequential minimum wage adjustment and skipping would be taken holistically.”

Ngige added that JOHESU would meet with the Federal Ministry of Health on Thursday to draw up a framework for all the discussions.

Responding, the President of JOHESU, Josiah Biobelemonye, noted that “strike is not the way to go,” and expressed optimism that all issues raised by the unions would be positively attended to.

Others at the meeting from the Government side include the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, Ministers of State, Olurunimbe Mamora (Health) and Festus Keyamo (Labour and Employment), Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Peter Tarfa, and his Health counterpart, Director General, Budget Office, Ben Akabueze and Chairman, National Salaries, Incomes and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta.

Also in attendance were representatives of the Account General of the Federation, the Head of Service of the Federation and IPPIS.

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The military officer Major Christopher Datong abducted today at Nigerian Defence Academy, Afaka in Kaduna has been murdered.

According to reports, his body was found on Tuesday evening, hours after he was captured by bandits.

The abductors reportedly demanded N200 million to set him free.

Datong who was from Pankshin in Plateau state, was born 4 January, 1978.

One of the photographs circulating in the social media showed the officer with his pregnant wife.
The security breach of the Nigerian Defence Academy triggered shock across the nation , with people wondering if any one is really safe if bandits could operate so freely inside an elite military institution.

NDA’s Public Relations Officer, Major Bashir Muhd Jajira, who reported the attack earlier said two soldiers were killed.

A statement sent by Jajira said:

“The security architecture of the Nigerian Defence Academy was compromised early this morning by unknown gunmen who gained access into the residential area within the Academy in Afaka. During the unfortunate incident, we lost two personnel and one was abducted.

“The Academy in collaboration with the 1Division Nigerian Army and Air Training Command as well as other security agencies in Kaduna state has since commenced pursuit of the unknown gunmen within the general area with a view to tracking them and rescue the abducted personnel.

“The NDA community and Cadets are safe in the Academy. We assure the general public that these unknown gunmen would soon be apprehended and the abducted personnel rescued.”

Speaker of Kaduna State House of Assembly, Alhaji Yusuf Zailani, has described the invasion as an assault on the country’s territorial integrity

Zailani, who stated this in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ibrahim Danfulani, in Kaduna, on Tuesday, said that the incident must be treated with all seriousness and thoroughly investigated.

The speaker described NDA as the premier training citadel for members of Nigeria’s armed forces and pride to the country and Africa.
He said the attack on such an institution was unacceptable and must be investigated by the military hierarchy.

“It is disheartening and unfortunate for such an attack to have taken place, catching those in charge of its internal security off-guard,” Zailani said.

While commending security personnel for making efforts to decimate bandits and insurgents nationwide, he said that they should not let the NDA incident demoralise them.

“I sincerely commiserate with the families of those who lost their lives.

“I am, however, pleased that the NDA authorities have given assurance that the assailants are being trailed and that they will be apprehended,” the speaker added.

The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors has rejected the new Memorandum of Understanding presented by the Federal Government.

The NARD National President, Dr Okhuaihesuyi Uyilawa, said this while addressing newsmen at the end of a closed-door meeting with the Federal Government and other relevant stakeholders on Sunday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the Nigeria Medical Association led the striking doctors to a meeting summoned at the instance of President Muhammadu Buhari aimed at resolving the ongoing strike by doctors across the country.

NAN recalls that the resident doctors embarked on an indefinite strike on Aug. 1 to press home the issues of agitation amongst their members.

It would also be recalled that the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, had on Aug. 13, handed over the trade dispute between the federal government and NARD to the National Industrial Court of Nigeria for adjudication.

According to Uyilawa, NARD had refused to sign the MoU that was brokered by its parent body, the NMA, and the Federal Government due to an undisclosed clause.

“We rejected the MoU, we didn’t sign it because we feel we are being punished for the failures of those in government,” he said.

He said the nationwide strike would continue and that they would proceed with the court case.

He, however, added that NARD leadership has to present the new MoU to its members before he could sign the document.

On his part, Ngige said that all other unions in the negotiation including the NMA and the Medical and Dental Consultants of Nigeria have signed the new agreement.

He noted that the meeting did not discuss the issue of ‘No Work No Pay’ but that all parties at the meeting agreed to an out-of-court settlement. (NAN)

The Federal Government and the Nigerian Association of Residents Doctors are expected to sign a new agreement today in a bid to end the three-week old strike by the doctors.

The two parties held a marathon meeting on Friday where various contentious issues were sorted out, the spokesman, Ministry of Labour and Employment, Charles Akpan said in a statement on Saturday, titled, ‘An end in sight for NARD strike as doctors/ FG agree on all issues.’

The meeting which had the most high-powered representation since negotiations with doctors stretched for 11 hours, ending 1 a.m. Saturday, with all the consolidated 12-point demand by NARD, the Medical and Dental Consultants Association of Nigeria and other affiliates of NMA resolved.

In his address, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige said the President directed him to side- step every technicalities and re-commence conciliation, especially in the background of the alternative dispute resolution window, provided by the National Industrial Court, where the matter was referred to under the instrument of article 17 of the Trade Disputes Act.

“The National Industrial Court in its wisdom advised that NARD should keep talking with its employers. So we are tapping into this widow of an alternative dispute resolution to ameliorate this situation that is already bad,” the minister said.

Ngige commended the President of the Nigeria Medical Association, Prof. Innocent Ujah for assuming his role as the leader of all doctors in Nigeria, saying all affiliate doctors’ associations are under the NMA.

He said, “When you talk to the children and they don’t listen well, you talk to their parents. The standing agreement that every negotiation by affiliate associations must be led by the NMA was not observed in the recent past. I therefore commend Ujah for assuming his role as the father of all doctors. I want you to play this role effectively and efficiently.”
He insisted the present administration has made more investment in the health sector, and for doctors and other health professionals than the previous administrations, and dismissed insinuations that the non-keeping of agreements by the Federal Government was at the root of incessant doctors’ strike.

The Minister of State for Health, Senator Olorunnimbe Mamora in his speech urged the doctors to end their strike in the interest of the nation as government tackles their demands.

However, the NMA President of NMA said the strike was avoidable and blamed some government functionaries for not playing their roles.

“As doctors, we are trained to prevent disease, cure illnesses and promote health but not trained to go on strike,” and regretted that circumstances force the doctors otherwise.

He thanked Ngige for going the extra miles to ensure that officers across Ministries and agencies who are relevant to tackling the doctors’ demands are put on their toes.

“At the meeting we had on Wednesday, before us, he was calling relevant officers, asking what have you done about this, what have you done about this? He does his own and also chases others around to ensure that progress is made,” Uja said, adding there was no misunderstanding between him and the Minister as falsely reported in a section of the media.

“At close door, the meeting tackled and resolved all the 12-point issues such as payment of House Doctors where Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria tabled evidence to show that 2800 doctors have been paid and efforts ongoing to sort the outstanding 144; the N4.8B Residency Training Fund which the Budget Office assured would be paid in seven days.

“The arrears of the consequential adjustment of the National Minimum Wage which the meeting agreed, cuts across other sectors but that greater focus must be paid to clearing that of April to December 2019 which has no ambiguity. The Ministry of Health also revealed that as of August 3, 2021, a list from 38 hospitals has been forwarded to the Budget office for inclusion in the Service Wide Vote.

“The meeting also tackled the issue of locum doctors/ emergency and migration to IPPIS, the bench fees and the hazard allowance which it agreed should be out of the negotiation table since the stalemate created by the disagreement between the NMA and JOHESU was responsible for the delay, as the Federal Government already mapped out N37.5B for it.

“The decision of the National Council on Establishment, given effect by the Circular from the Office of the Head of Service of the Federation which excised house doctors and NYSC doctors from the scheme of service was also visited,” he noted.

The parly also deliberated on skipping which is a consequential grade alignment as well as non-payment of three months Covid-19 allowance to some doctors in 2020, and migration of MDCAN to CONUAS, among others.

Apart from Senator Ngige and Senator Mamora, others in attendance included the Permanent Secretaries of the Ministry of Labour and Employment , Dr. Peter Tarfa, Health, Mamman Mamuda, Permanent Secretary, Service Welfare, Office of the Head of Service, Ngozi Onwudiwe, Director General of the Budget Office , Ben Akabueze, Chairman of National Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, representative of the Minister of State, Finance , Budget and Planning, representatives of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, leaders of the NMA, NARD, MDCAN among others.

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Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajia Zainab Ahmed has said the Federal Government will borrow about N4.89 trillion from local and foreign sources to finance its budget deficit for 2022 due to decreasing revenue from government sources.

The Minister spoke yesterday in Abuja during the 2022-2024 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF), and Fiscal Strategy Paper(FSP) interactive session with the House Committee on Finance.

She said the sustained perception about the over valuation of the naira despite recent adjustment by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has compounded Nigeria’s risk aversion in the global capital market which will further put pressure on the foreign exchange market as foreign portfolio investors are yet to return to the Nigerian market.

According to her, government is projecting to borrow from foreign and domestic sources to finance the N5.62 trillion budget deficits in the 2022 financial year and it is likely to cut down capital expenditure by N259.315 billion in 2022.

She said the reduction became necessary given economic volatility occasioned by unstable global oil market as well as effects of the covid-19 pandemic.

She pointed out that in capital expenditure, N1.76 trillion as opposed to the N2.02 trillion will be available to Ministries Department and Agencies of government in 2022.

She also disclosed that the government has decided to peg the Exchange rate at N410 per dollar, adding that the projection is likely to come down in favour of the naira in 2023.

“The budget deficit and the financing items for the expenditure projected for 2022 is N5.62 trillion, up from N5.60 trillion in 2021. The deficit is going to be financed by new foreign and domestic borrowing, both domestic and foreign in the sum of N4.89 trillion, then privatisation proceeds of N90.73 billion and draw downs from project titles of N635 billion.

“This amount represents 3.05 percent of the estimated GDP, which is slightly above the 3 percent threshold that is spent recommended in the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“The revenue that we expect is N6.54 trillion, N2.62 trillion to accrue to the Federation Account and VAT respectively,” she said.

She said further that net oil and gas revenue which will be available for the Federation Account for distribution will be N6.151 trillion in 2022.

She said the key macro-economic assumptions contained in the MTEF/FSP include a crude oil benchmark price of $57 per barrel for 2022, crude oil production of 1.88 million barrels per day, and a dollar exchange rate of N410.15 to one US dollar, an inflation rate of 13 percent in 2022, and a nominal GDP of 149.369 trillion.

She noted that interestingly; non-oil GDP continues to grow at 169.69 trillion compared to oil GDP of 14.68 trillion included in the nominal GDP. Nominal consumption is 130,49.36 billion.

On unemployment, she said the National Bureau of Statistics projected that about 82.9 million Nigerians are currently adjudged to be living in extreme poverty.

The Minister, however, said that Nigeria has continued to be exposed to risk aversion in the global capital markets, which will put further pressure on the foreign exchange market as foreign portfolio investors are yet to return to the Nigerian market.

She emphasised that the situation is also compounded by sustained perceptions about over-valuation of the naira, despite recent adjustments by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), adding that in response to the developments affecting the supply of foreign exchange to the economy, the CBN adjusted the official exchange rate to align with the NAFEX rate, currently N410.15 /US$1, thus Moving closer to a unified exchange rate regime.

She said further that the weaker-than-expected economic performance is threatening the nation’s ambitious revenue growth targets, as seen in the 2021 Performance up to June.

The Minister said further that non-oil revenue performance has been impressive and heading in the right direction. efforts will be sustained in this regard, while high costs, including PMS under-recovery and cost of securing oil pipelines are however weighing down on oil revenues; these issues must be addressed wholesomely to free up much needed fiscal space.

She told the Lawmakers that “the draft 2022 – 2024 MTEF/FSP has been prepared against the backdrop of global economic recovery amidst improved vaccination outlook and lower incidence of infection, despite recent surge in the Delta variant. However, the Medium Term Fiscal Framework shows that there are continuing global challenges in the aftermath of the COVID-19.

“Overall, fiscal risks are somewhat elevated for Nigeria, due to persisting weaknesses in the economy and slower than expected recovery”.

Director-General, Debt Management Office (DMO), Patience Oniha said as a result of poor performance in revenue, there will be an increase borrowing which will not increase the debt stock of the nation.

Oniha said: “I think one of the things that have come out from the presentation from the Honourable Minister is, much as we have been conservative in projecting revenues, we still see that we are underperforming in revenue. So, it means that we are relying increasingly on borrowings to finance the activities of government.

“And if you look at the figures from last year when the budget was revised because of COVID-19, we can see that the borrowing levels are going higher. So, what that means is that the debt stock as expected will keep rising and debt service will also keep increasing, as shown in the presentation.

“I just thought I should highlight that, that this is primarily where the debt stock is growing from, and the debt service, which means that we are also servicing, taking from the revenue which has not grown as expected. I thought I should highlight that because there is a lot of concern about debts. But really, this is the source and we can see the trend.”

Responding to questions, Oniha said: “So, to respond to your question is to say that we have looked at it; just note some numbers in the MTEF, just looking at where the public debt stock is today and what we project it to be, based on the new borrowings provided for in the MTEF; debt stock will grow naturally – look at the trillions of new borrowings there – and we see that debt to GDP as well will also grow.

“The committee may be aware that early this year, the public debt to GDP ratio was increased to 40 per cent primarily because of the increases in new borrowings and other activities of government. So, debt to GDP will also grow over the period but we are still within the limit of 40 per cent that was approved in February. I just said I should highlight these.

Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation, Ben Akabueze, said at the end of June, this year, the non oil sector of the economy was running high in terms of revenue generation, while the oil revenue was on the decline.

He said “as the Minister highlighted in her presentation, as of June, this year in terms of revenue performance, our non-oil tax revenues were running ahead of or very close to target. But our oil revenue performance was a drag – just under 50 per cent of target. That pulled down our overall revenue performance percentage.

“But on the expenditure side, we are running over 90 per cent, not surprising because we are meeting all of our recurrent expenditure and there is also strenuous efforts being made to fund the capital budget. So, that has meant that the deficit was running ahead of plan as of that date.

‘Overall, the deficit is still within the ceiling set in the Appropriation (Act 2021). Expenditure is over 90 per cent but our revenue is a little under 70 per cent; that is the overall in aggregate. On capital, as of the number that we have presented, extrapolated to August. But as of June, releases for capital was over N900bn. But that figure has gone up to N1.3tn (as of August). As the honourable minister has reported, as of August is 63.5 per cent appropriated for capital has been released, which is the N1.3tn.

The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation said they were compiling a list of MDAs that has defaulted in remitting revenue to the government and the amount each agency is owing the government from e presentation to the House Committee by Tuesday.