Permanent Secretary Explains State House Medical Centre Budget

The Permanent Secretary of the State House, Mr Jalal Arabi, has reacted to criticisms that the 3.219 billion naira budget for the State House Medical Center is over bloated.

Mr Arabi appeared before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs and the House Committee on Special Duties, to defend the 2016 budget appropriation to the state house, Channel News reported.

Having given a breakdown of some of the key areas of the budget before the Senate Committee on Federal Character and Intergovernmental Affairs, the amount allocated to the medical centre attracted most criticism. The same questions he faced at the House of Representatives Committee on Special Duties.

The Permanent Secretary explained that the State House, among others, extends to Marina and the Dordan Barracks in Lagos and most of the infrastructure in the places are calling for attention and need to be made to function optimally, hence the need for increase in budgetary allocation to the State House.

He said that the improvement of the medical center will propel it to serve as a center of excellence and reduce medical tourism.

He added that the medical center does not charge fees for its services and hence does not generate revenue for itself.

The committees are expected to take their findings to the Senate and House of Reps hoping that the budget will be passed.

Stamp duty, Nigeria’s new goldmine — NIPOST

The Nigerian Postal Service (NIPOST) said yesterday that implementation of the stamp duty policy would become a huge revenue base for the country. 

On January 19, the Federal Government announced that a stamp duty of N50 would be imposed on bank customers for money received into their accounts via electronic transfers, cash and cheque.

The CBN explained that the policy was part of efforts by the Federal Government to boost its revenue base in the non-oil sector. The Corporate Affairs Manager of the Lagos Island Territory of NIPOST, Mrs Valerie Ekeogu, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos that the stamp duty would give government extra income to build infrastructure. 

Ekeogu said that income generated from the stamp duty policy would help in the effort to re-position NIPOST. “The funds will stabilise NIPOST as an organisation that is over 100 years and has, hitherto, not been well funded. The stamp duty fund will resuscitate NIPOST and reposition it in boosting the economy of the country,” she said. 

The manager said the injection of whatever percentage the government would give to NIPOST would go a long way to revitalizing and propelling the company to greater heights. She added that the fund would also re-awaken NIPOST to serve its customers better. 

According to the manager, the fund will give succour to the more than 10,000 people working in NIPOST and motivate them to work harder. She noted that offering stamp services was the sole responsibility of the NIPOST, adding that the NIPOST had been discharging the function for many years. Ekeogu urged Nigerians to support the policy, stressing that the benefits of the policy to the public and government could not be over-emphasised.

With Vanguard

N20b vote for Amnesty scheme grossly inadequate, Senators told

                                  Brigadier-General Paul Borah

The Presidency yesterday expressed worry over N20 billion allocated for the Presidential Amnesty Programme in the 2016 budget, describing it as grossly inadequate.

It informed the Senate that most of its obligations in the Amnesty Programme would be frustrated should that amount be approved against the N64 billion it originally proposed for the scheme for the 2016 fiscal year.

Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta/Coordinator, Presidential Amnesty Programme, Brigadier-General Paul Borah (rtd), at a budget defence session with the Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, disclosed that a significant number of the 30, 000 ‎Niger Delta ex-militants currently undergoing training overseas would be adversely affected.

“In view of the foregoing, I urge you most sincerely to consider an upward review from the proposed N20 billion to N64,824,488,493.27 billion for the sustenance of re-integration of ex-agitators in the Presidential Amnesty Programme for the 2016 fiscal year,” he said.Of the N63.06 billion ‎appropriated for the programme in 2015, N63.02 billion was released.
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Borah told the committee that the differences between what was submitted to the National Assembly as budget proposal for the amnesty programme was N44.8 billion.

According to him, while the programme had budgeted N19.950 billion for payments of stipends and allowances of students, a meagre N7.875 billion was voted in the budget proposal that was submitted to the National Assembly.

Another serious difference was that the budget with the National Assembly voted N10.290 billion for re-integration of the ex agitators while N41.804 billion was originally proposed.

Also, N3.07 billion was originally proposed to take care of operational cost but some N1.834 was eventually submitted to the National Assembly.

Borah further said: “With due respect, the proposed N7.875 billion for stipends and allowances can only accommodate 9,868 ex-agitators for the 2016 fiscal year‎, leaving a balance of 15,132 ex-agitators. However, if the proposed sum is to be utilised for the payment of stipends for the 30,000 ex-agitators, the monthly stipend will come to N21,875 for each ex-agitator which will be inadequate to cater for their accommodation and feeding allowances essential in the re-integration phase of the progranme.

“Mr. Chairman, distinguished Senators, this amount will be at variance with the initial agreement between the Federal Government and the stakeholders in the Presidential Amnesty ‎Programme which stipulates that daily feeding allowance of N1,500 and monthly accommodation allowance of N20 000 be paid to each of the ex-agitators”

According to the chairman of the committee, Peter Nwabo‎shi, the committee would also vet the list of 30,000 ex-agitators submitted to it to ensure that they were genuine.

The Committee asked the Presidential adviser to immediately disengage the 247 consultants who have been working for the Programme, pointing out that the economic reality in the country cannot ‎support the engagement of such number of consultants.

with The Guardian

$620,000 Bribe: Otedola To Testify Against Farouk Lawan

The prosecution in the trial of ex-chairman, House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, Farouk Lawan, has indicated its intention to invite Femi Otedola, as one of its witnesses in the case aginst the former lawmaker.

Otedola was listed as a prosecution witness in some documents currently before the court, according to The Nation.

Lawan is standing trial before Justice Mudashiru Oniyangi of the Federal Capital Territory High Court, Maitama, Abuja, on a seven-count charge against him by the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related Commission (ICPC).

He was arraigned alongside the former Secretary of the House of Representatives ad-hoc Committee on Fuel Subsidy, Boniface Emenalo on February 2, 2013. The duo were accused of receiving $620,000 as bribe from businessman, Otedola, ostensibly to exclude his companies – Zenon Petroleum and Gas and Synopsis Enterprises Limited – from the list of companies found to have allegedly defrauded the Federal Government during the fuel subsidy regime.

Boko Haram: Operatives beef up security in Aso Rock

The Presidency has expressed the fear that terrorists focusing on high profile targets around the world may launch attacks on the Presidential Villa, Abuja if proper precautionary measures are not put in place.

It has therefore ordered that all vehicles, official and unofficial, must be subjected to thorough security checks before gaining access into the premises.

The order is irrespective of whether the vehicles are conveying Very Important Persons or not.

The directives were contained in an official memo signed by the Chief Security Officer to the President, Bashir Abubakar.

On Tuesday  a copy of the document titled, “Use of tinted cars around the Presidential Villa, Abuja” dated January 26, 2016 was sighted, according to The PUNCH.

Abubakar also frowned on a situation where drivers of cars with tinted glasses refuse to wind down at security checkpoints “on the excuse that they are security operatives or because the vehicles are official.”

He said such acts were not in tandem with proper security arrangements worldwide.

If unchecked, he said the acts posed security threat to the seat of power.

Henceforth, Abubakar said all workers and visitors to the Presidential Villa, irrespective of their status must subject themselves and their vehicles to proper security checks.

The document partly read, “It has been observed that some members of staff of the Presidential Villa driving tinted cars, especially security personnel are in the habit of refusing to wind down their windscreen for security checks before driving into the Villa.

“It is most worrisome that some of them used the excuse of either driving official cars or driving VIPs to justify their acts.

“This act which is not in tandem with standard security drill and procedure poses a serious threat to the safety and security of the Villa.

“It is important to note that the insistence of security operatives at the pilot gates to properly screen vehicles coming into the Villa whether tinted or not tinted, official or unofficial is not out of place.

“Therefore, there is need for all to subject themselves and their vehicles to security checks as the case may be, so as to prevent unscrupulous elements from exploring the situation to launch attacks on the Villa.”