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We’ve total control over our funds – Adamawa NULGE

By Muhammad Adam
NULGE
Yola, Aug. 13, 2019 (NAN) The Nigerian Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) in Adamawa says local councils in the state have total control of their funds.

Malam Hamman-Joda Gatugel, the state Chairman of the union, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Yola.

Gatugel said the state government no longer has access either directly or indirectly to the local government funds.

“In Adamawa state, all the 21 Local Government Councils have total control of their funds,” Gatugel declared.

He said the union had not received any report from the 21 local government councils of the state indicating that the state government had interfered in the local council funds.

He explained that the only convergence was when the local authorities and state government met during monthly joint accounts for the statutory deductions which, he said, was clear and understandable.

Gatugel listed the statutory deductions to include State University, Training Fund, Pension Board and Traditional Councils.

The chairman thanked the Federal Government for introducing the direct local government accounts allocations and the establishment of Nigerian Financial Intelligent Unit (NFIU).

“The direct Federal Allegations to the Local Government Councils and the establishment of Nigerian Financial Intelligent Unit (NFIU) is assisting a lot in improving the service delivery and living condition of local government workers in the state,” Gatugel said.

According to him, all outstanding local government workers salary and allowances had been paid with a steady monthly salary payment.

The NULGE chairman therefore urged the workers to reciprocate the gesture by improving their productivity, loyalty and dedication to service. (NAN)
AMA/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Stunting: NGO advocates release of funds to save Bauchi children

Stunting: NGO advocates release of funds to save Bauchi children
By Amina Ahmed
Children
Bauchi, Feb. 18, 2019 (NAN) The Centre for Justice and Empowerment (CJE) has called for the release of allocated funds to curb malnutrition and save children in the state from stunting as well as low growth and Intelligent Quotient (IQ).
Mr Kingsley Yalling, the Founder of the Bauchi based NGO, made the appeal in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday in Bauchi.
He said that children affected with malnutrition were more likely to be backward than their peers.
Yalling said that although development partners support patients in the state, the state government still needs to do more.
According to him, the adverse effects of malnutrition are not limited to the family alone; they affect the larger society in terms of upbringing, education and economic development.
“All hands must be on deck to sensitise and create awareness to general public on the use of nutritional farm products within the locality.
“Bauchi state has only 21 Community-based Management Acute Malnutrition (CMAM) centres in the nine local government areas across the state.
“Recently, we visited some of the centres and saw that office accommodation was not favourable for patients; the Ready to Use Therapy Food (RUTF) was either short or out of stock in some of the centres we visited.
“Parents need to be reminded that nutritional food should be provided for children according to their ages, for healthy growth,” he said.
Yalling also called on the Bauchi state government to provide food supplements to patients. (NAN)
AE/VIV/MST
Editing by Vivian Ihechu/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Economy

SEC advises on collective investments, mutual funds

SEC advises on collective investments, mutual funds
By Lucy Nwachukwu
Investors
Abuja, Dec. 26, 2018 (NAN) The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has advised retail investors in the capital market to invest in Collective Investment Schemes and Mutual Funds to help reduce risk.
The Acting Director-General of SEC, Ms Mary Uduk, said this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja.
Uduk said such investments were managed by professionals and they help investors to invest in various asset classes to minimise risk.
She however reiterated the commission’s commitment to protect investors through various initiatives.
She said: “The Commission has put in place a number of initiatives to protect investors as well as boost their confidence.
“These includes the e-dividend mandate Management System, Direct Cash Settlement, we set up a committee on identity management in the Nigerian Capital Market Regularisation of Multiple Subscription and Complaints Management Framework.
“We protect investors through the National Investors Protection Fund (NIPF), Risk Based Supervision and the Complaints Management Framework.
“We want investors to take ownership of their investments; they have to be able to monitor their investments, attend Annual General Meetings as well as read the annual reports sent out to them.”
According to Uduk, the commission is working with other major stakeholders to set up a committee that will look into and proffer solutions to problems around identity management in the Nigerian capital market.
“For instance, to boost the e-dividend mandate and Direct Cash Settlement initiatives, we are engaging the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBSS) to facilitate identity and account validation to enhance market processes,” she said.
She said the electronic distribution of annual accounts by public companies to shareholders had continued to record tremendous success, as shareholders had accepted the new initiative.
She said the SEC and other stakeholders had continued sensitisation to further enlighten shareholders on the benefits of the initiative.
On the need to grow the market for trading in securities on unlisted public companies, Uduk said the SEC was collaborating with relevant stakeholders to assist public companies yet to register their securities to do so without much difficulty.
The acting director-general also said innovations in financial technology had made possible the potential of using digital tools to make financial services available to a wider range of consumers and enterprises.
She said innovative technology had also promoted financial inclusion and the affordability of financial services in the country.
“A financially inclusive society will provide increased access to finance, especially for women, help support sustainable growth and will create a million more jobs.
“The gains of having a more inclusive financial system are enormous, as it helps broaden financial markets and make policies more effective.
“These initiatives continue to highlight and promote developments and trends in the Nigerian capital market and drive financial inclusion aimed at reducing adult exclusion from financial services,” the statement read in part. (NAN)
LCN/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Foreign

Return of stolen funds: Nigeria wants stronger commitment from intl community

Return of stolen funds: Nigeria wants stronger commitment from intl community
By Isaac Aregbesola
Funds
New York, Sept. 29, 2018 (NAN) The Minister of Foreign Affairs, chief Geoffrey Onyeama, has called on the international community to demonstrate strong commitment towards the return of all illicit assets and finances to their countries of origin.
Onyeama made the appeal at the High-Level Meeting on Financing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the ongoing High-Level Segment of the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York, U.S.A.
On illicit financial flows, he urged the international community to compliment the efforts of Member States, particularly developing countries.
He said that they should increase public awareness on the need to curtail the illicit flows and stressed the need to dismantle safe havens for proceeds of illicit assets.
In this regard, he called upon all UN member states to consider the possibility of waiving or reducing the processes and costs of recovery of illicit assets to the barest minimum.
He encouraged countries and relevant multilateral organisations to continue to provide technical assistance and capacity-building assistance to developing countries to improve their capacity to prevent, detect and combat illicit financial flows.
He noted that to a large extent the successful implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063 depends on strengthening of institutional and human capacities.
According to him, the success also depends on improving strategic linkages at various levels, and mobilising and financing of the value-chain of a well-structured economic transformation.
He requested the support of the international community, particularly in the areas of Official Development Assistance (ODA).
He expressed concern that over the years, the total amount of ODA from developed countries is still far below the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income that was set by the UN.
He said that ODA was indispensable in the collective resolve to achieve the agenda for sustainable development bearing in mind that it is the main channel for international cooperation. (NAN)
IAA/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Uncategorized

We’ve no hidden $470.5m, N8bn in commercial banks – NNPC

We’ve no hidden $470.5m, N8bn in commercial banks – NNPC
By Edith Ike-Eboh
NNPC
Abuja, Sept. 21, 2018 (NAN) The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) says it has no hidden 470.5 million dollars and N8 billion in any commercial bank as alleged by the Nigerian police.
The NNPC in a statement by its Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Mr Ndu Ughamadu, in Abuja on Friday, explained that the allegation was not only misplaced but equally misleading.
He stated that the corporation had no funds hidden in any commercial bank as the Presidency, the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (AGF) and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) are fully aware of.
According to Ughamadu, the AGF and CBN receives periodic status reports on balances yet to be remitted to TSA by commercial banks.
“Following TSA implementation, the Corporation had made a report to the Presidency on the failure of some commercial banks to complete transfer of US dollar deposits.
“A Presidential directive was issued for the Central Bank of Nigeria to ensure that the funds were completely transferred to the Corporation’s Treasury Single Account in US dollars.
“Most of the commercial banks have since complied with the Presidential directive and completed transfer to the Corporation’s Treasury Single Account in US dollars, including the reported $470.5 million,’’ he said.
On the purported recovery of N8 billion by the Nigeria Police Force, he said the corporation was not aware of any change in the subsisting Presidential directive to the effect that all of the US dollar balances must be transferred to NNPC’s CBN Treasury Single Account in US dollars.
He noted that no such funds had been deposited into the corporation’s CBN Treasury Single Account.
“Consequently, NNPC’s record of the US dollar funds still yet to be transferred by a few commercial banks cannot reflect the said recovery.
“While the Central Bank of Nigeria executes the Presidential directive to ensure complete transfer of US dollar funds to the Corporation’s CBN Treasury Single Account, it is pertinent to reiterate that NNPC will resist every attempt to subject these funds, which have been in the full view of Government, to five per cent whistle blowing fees,’’ he added.
This, he said, would be unreasonable and a sheer waste of public funds.
Ughamadu said that the NNPC as an entity with fiduciary responsibility to the government and people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, its commitment to transparency and accountability remained unwavering.
It would be recalled that the Nigerian Police Force on Thursday said it had succeeded in recovering monies belonging to the NNPC Brass/LNG Investment, which were supposed to be deposited in the Treasury Single Accounts (TSA) of the federal government.
According to a statement by the police, the money includes “$470,519,889.10 belonging to NNPC Brass LNG Investment hidden in some commercial banks after the directives of the federal government on TSA’’.
The statement also alleged that recovered by the police was the sum of N8,807,264,834.96 belonging to NNPC/Brass Investment that was not remitted to TSA Account of the federal government (NAN)
ENO/MST
Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Health

Paucity of funds impedes reintegration of VVF victims in South East

Paucity of funds impedes reintegration of VVF victims in South East
By Uchenna Ugwu/Stanley Nwanosike
Fistula
Abakaliki, May 8, 2018 (NAN) The National Obstetric Fistula Centre, Abakaliki, says paucity of funds is hampering its efforts to reintegrate Vesico Vaginal Fistual (VVF) patients to the society.

Dr Daniyan Babafemi, Head of Clinical Services at the centre, made this known in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abakaliki.

Babafemi said that the limited funds at its disposal had hampered the Social Welfare Department of the centre to carry out advocacy to communities.

“The centre has counsellors and social workers but our major challenge is funds to organise skills acquisition programmes to empower these patients.

“Advocacy and sensitising the public needs funding because the team are sent into communities,” Babafemi said.

He said that the centre had five mandates of repairing, prevention, research, training and rehabilitation of patients who had suffered obstetric fistula.

He said studies conducted by the centre revealed that even after successful repair, the patients were still stigmatised.

Babafemi said that the centre had put a lot of efforts in place to reintegrate treated patients with their family through counselling even before admission.

He noted that the patients were faced with serious financial and acceptance challenges after treatment.

Babafemi appealed to the Federal Government to assist the centre and the patients overcome the challenges.

Mrs Chidubem Okoye, a patient from Enugu at the centre who is currently assisted by her sister, said her husband had not returned to the hospital since she was admitted.

Okoye, a mother of one, said that her problem started when she delivered her baby, and pleaded with the government to come to her aid.

“My husband has not returned again since I was admitted, instead he called me on phone and asked me to return to my mother.

“I am here with my sister,” Okoye said.

But the Enugu State Commissioner for Health, Dr Fintan Ekochin, said that the state’s health institutions hardly record any case of VVF because its obstetricians ensure that professionally VVF did not occur.

Ekochin told NAN that the state did not have victims of VVF to be reintegrated.

He noted that education and exposure had made most people, especially communities in the state to shun early girl child marriage in any form.

“We have professionals, I mean obstetric doctors that do a neat job in child bearing, especially as it concerns child delivery and health of nursing mothers in the state.

“While we are currently running a free maternal and child care
programme in every state government-owned hospital to allow every resident take advantage of the hospital system and its professionals to deliver in a healthy way.

“Our people and community do not engage in early girl child marriage any more notwithstanding the baptismal name given to it,’’ he said.

Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, the Chairman, Enugu State Traditional Rulers’ Council, said the council had succeeded in stamping out all forms of female genital mutilation and early girl-child marriages, which could cause VVF.

Agubuzu said that traditional rulers in the state had campaigned vigorously against the practice and had succeeded in stopping it.

“Today, the state does not have any burden or issue of reintegration of VVF victims.

“The traditional rulers’ council made it a subject to be tackled and today we the traditional rulers had fought it and wiped it out
completely in the state,’’ he said. (NAN)
CVU/KSN/OFN /MST
Edited by Felix Nwadioha/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Environment

Water resources ministry seeks special funds for climate change research

NAN-AE-6
Funds
By Tosin Kolade
Abuja, Feb. 16, 2018 (NAN) The Federal Ministry of Water Resources has called for a special budget to fund research and capacity building activities in efforts to tackle the impact of climate change in the country.

 

The ministry made the call in a communique issued at the end of its workshop on the “Effects of Climate Change on Water Resources Management’’, a copy of which was given to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday.

 

The communiqué, signed by the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Dr Musa Ibrahim, underscored the need for adequate sensitisation and awareness of all stakeholders on the impact of climate change.

 

“There is the need for adequate budget to fund research, capacity building and procurement of state-of-the-art equipment in the field of climate change by all tiers of government.

 

“Communities should be involved and encouraged to participate in the development and management stages of the projects for sustainability,’’ it said.

 

The communique listed the lack of strong political will, the lack of synergy and stakeholders’ collaboration as well as the non-nonchalant attitude of citizens on the effects of climate change as part of challenges facing the water sector.

 

It also said that paucity of data for effective planning of water resources projects ought to be addressed so as to facilitate efforts to coordinate and manage groundwater resources.

 

It stressed the need to discourage deforestation, saying that the promotion of afforestation projects would help to protect the environment for the benefit of all citizens.

 

The communique said that if pragmatic efforts were not made to minimise the impacts of climate change, it could threaten the livelihoods of the people.

 

It called for the introduction of climate change subjects in the curricula of the country’s primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. (NAN)
TAK/MOL/OOK
===========

 

Edited by Mustapha Lamidi and Dayo Komolafe

Health

Malnutrition: NGO urges timely release of nutritional funds

Malnutrition: NGO urges timely release of nutritional funds

NAN-HG-8

Funding

By Awayi Kuje

Karu (Nasarawa State), Feb. 14, 2017 (NAN) The Civil Society Scaling up Nutrition (CS-SUNN), an NGO, has urged government at all levels to ensure timely release of funds for nutritional activities in order to combat malnutrition among children.

The Project Director of the organisation, Dr Beatrice Eluaka, made the call on Tuesday in Karu, Nasarawa State, during a one-day capacity building.

The training was organised for the Nasarawa state members of the Committee on Food and Nutrition in Karu Local Government Area.

Eluaka said that timely release of fund would not only tackle the menace of malnutrition but would also improve on the standard of living of the people especially women and children for the country’s development.

“The training is aimed at advocating the need to stimulate community to scale up nutrition with specific focus on maternal and child nutrition in Nasarawa state and other parts of the country.

“I want to use this medium to call for strong collaboration between Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), development partners and government agencies to fight malnutrition in the society.

“This is because malnutrition is a development issue in which we need to address its holistically.

“So, what I am saying now is that no one sector alone can address the issue of malnutrition, hence the need for collaboration,” she said.

Eluaka, however, noted that malnutrition-related death among children under-age of five is uncalled for.

She added that there was the need to improve on balanced diet for children so as to improve on their standard of living.

Earlier, the Permanent Secretary, Nasarawa State Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr Muazu Adamu, said that the training workshop was to improve on collaboration among ministries, NGOs intervening on nutrition and the state committee on nutrition.

Adamu, who was represented by Mr Abdul Osama, the ministry’s Director of Planning, assured the state government’s commitment towards curtailing malnutrition in the state.

Osama, who is the Secretary of the state committee on Food and Nutrition, said: “I want to assure this committee and the CS-SUNN that a lot has been done by the state in 2016.

“And we are going to do more in 2017 in order to improve on the nutrition of children in the state,” he said.

He reiterated the state government’s commitment to continue to key into positive policies and programmes that have direct bearing on the lives of children and women in the state.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the workshop brought together nutritional focal persons in all the local government areas of the state.

Others were members of the state committee on food and nutrition of various ministries, departments, agencies, NGOs and CSOs, among others. (NAN)

AKW/JEO/MST

Edited by Jane-Frances Oraka/Muhammad Suleiman Tola

Economy

Chamber advises FG to inject funds into critical sectors of economy

 

NAN-HE-14-
Economy
Abuja, Feb. 14, 2017 (NAN) The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry Ltd (ACCIL), has advised the Federal Government to inject massive funds into critical sectors of the economy to stimulate growth and reverse the current recession.

The ACCIL President, Mr Tony Ejinkonye, made this remark in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Tuesday.

Ejinkonye stressed the need for government to devise the means of spending heavily on capital projects in order to save the economy from total collapse.

He said the injection of funds into relevant sectors of the economy would trickle down to Nigerians involved in small businesses and make more money available for them.

On the Federal Government’s plan to float a Eurobond market, Ejinkonye said that the move would help government to plug the deficit in the budget.

According to him, the floating of the Eurobond will augur well for the economy, if the proceeds of the bond will be used for relevant capital projects in the country.

He said that sourcing for finance through Eurobond was cheaper than obtaining a foreign currency bank loan for capital projects execution.

“Although, the economy is experiencing a serious challenge, the Federal Government has outlined plans to curb the recession and put the country on the path of sustainable growth.

“This will be achieved through the medium term plan that is expected to drive Nigeria to a minimum Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate of 7 per cent within three years.

“We can only pray that the plan is properly implemented,’’ Ejinkonye said.

On the zero per cent import duty on power equipment, he said the decision would encourage investors to further invest in the power sector, especially in the renewable energy production.

He said the zero import duty decision was timely, given the level of infrastructure deficit in the power sector, noting that electricity had been responsible for the poor industrialisation in Nigeria over the years.

According to him, any incentive to harness the potential of the power sub- sector is a welcome development. (NAN)
KC/OIF/YEMI

(Edited by Ifeyinwa Okonkwo/Yemi Idris-Aduloju

 

 

 

Judiciary

FG recovers N18bn looted funds – Minister

FG recovers N18bn looted funds – Minister

NAN-H-49

Recovery

By Wandoo Sombo

Abuja, Jan. 26, 2017 (NAN) The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami (SAN), says the Federal Government has recovered N15 billion and $10.5 million so far in its asset recovery drive.

Malami disclosed this on Thursday in Abuja when the Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters visited the ministry on its oversight function to appraise the 2016 budget performance of the ministry.

“Let me put it on record that the Federal Ministry of Justice has equally significantly recorded success in the recovery drive as it relates to the looted funds.

“In that regard and direction, over N15 billion has been recovered by the ministry and $10.5 million was equally recovered in that direction,’’ Malami said.

The minister said that exclusive of the recoveries, the revenue profile of the ministry as at Dec. 31, 2016, was N12.4 million.

He said this was generated from sale of journals, renting of part of the headquarters building to commercial entities, use of its conference hall, tender fees and sale of un-serviceable items.

He added that the total expenditure profile of the ministry within the same period was N3.7 billion, including personnel and non-regular allowances.

The chief law officer of the country said that the ministry, by virtue of its mandate, was in a vantage position to articulate and implement the present administration’s broad policy objectives in four major priority areas.

“The anti-corruption campaign, the recovery of stolen national assets, the rule of law component of the anti-terrorism war and the institutionalisation of law and order in all aspects of national life,’’ he said.

On Nigeria’s non-membership of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), Malami explained that it will take the collaboration of both the executive and the legislature to scale all the hurdles.

“Among some of the demands required to become a member are the passing of the Money Laundering Act, Proceeds of Crime Act and Autonomy of the Financial Task Force.

“All these bills are still pending before the legislature and have not been passed, so we need to work together to get Nigeria registered.’’

The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. David Umaru  (APC-Niger) said the 2016 budget was fraught with challenges but noted that the ministry and its parastatals was able to make judicious use of it.

He said the committee was not oblivious of the recent economic challenges in the country and was already preparing for the 2017 budget defence.

Umaru said the committee would work in consultation with the executive, particularly the justice ministry, to ensure that the budget was passed so as to address the economic situation in the country.

He added that the committee was also working to ensure that all bills necessary to make the work of the ministry and its parastatals easier were been looked into with a view to passing them soon.

A member of the committee, Sen. Chukwuka Utazi (PDP-Enugu) decried Nigeria’s non-membership of the FATF.

According to Utazi, as a country that really wants to fight corruption, if we are on the FATF, it will help us to recover some of the stolen assets.

“Nigeria is not a member of FATF, this is a very important membership which we have not yet gotten and this can help us recover stolen assets since it is one of its core mandates.’’

He lamented that office of the attorneys-general always put in applications for membership every year but failed to follow it through.

The lawmaker said that the shuttle diplomacy Nigeria was engaging in would not yield much without a membership of the FATF as no other member would give Nigeria support unless it was registered.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that N3.9 billion was appropriated for the main ministry in the 2016 budget with overhead cost taking over N1.7 billion. (NAN)

WS/MST

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola