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24 States Get N477bn Refund For Expenses On Federal Road Projects [See States]

Published

2 years ago

June 22, 2022

Editor

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, Wednesday, said that the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has so far reimbursed state governments about N447 billion for expenses incurred on construction and rehabilitation of federal roads and bridges.

Alhaji Mohammed made the disclosure while briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said said the release was the first tranche of such reimbursement.

The Minister announced that following the money already released to the affected states, the council in its Wednesday’s sitting, approved the sum of N18 billion refund for Yobe State out of the N20 billion bill it submitted.

Mohammed gave a breakdown of the amounts of such reimbursement by some of the states, stressing that the reimbursement was for projects implemented before the coming of the present administration.

According to him, most the beneficiaries are opposition states, indicating that the Buhari administration does not discrimination contrary to claims in some quarters.

He explained: “I think it’s important to say that, well it’s true that we’re just reporting this particular memo, which is the refund being sought by Yobe State government; Yobe State government is asking for the sum of N18,663,843,109 as reimbursement for five federal roads, which they rehabilitated or constructed.

“A committee was set up to inspect the claim, they were actually found to be true. They reviewed the N20 billion they asked for and certified 18 billion as refund due to Yobe State for undertaking the construction/rehabilitation of these federal roads on behalf of federal government.

“But this is not the first time. We have, since 2015, made refunds to about 24 states. If my records are correct and I want to put on record here that but for the benevolence of this administration, many states would have sunk under.

“You will remember that by the time we came in’ about 27 states of the federation were unable to pay salaries, they owed salaries and could not pay. It took this federal government to really bail many of them out so they could pay not only salaries, but also they could pay the arrears.

“When the price of crude crashed, this same government gave each state what is called a bailout and some of the states today that complain that they’ve never benefited from the federal government, especially the PDP states, are the ones that have taken the lion share of this reimbursement.

“The records I have here say that Akwa Ibom got to the tune of N61 billion from this federal government for works done on behalf of the federal government and especially before we came in. Rivers had upwards of N100 billion. But we show that for this administration, it does not matter whether you are PDP or APC or you’re Labour or you’re APGA. This administration looks at you as a Nigerian and when largesses are being distributed, it does not favour you just because you are from APC state or from a friendly state.

“The first tranche of these reimbursements about N477 billion was refunded to many states; Edo got N8 billion; Lagos got N106 billion; Niger, N333 million; Ogun, N37 billion; Delta 56 billion; Ebonyi, 10 billion; Enugu N12 billion; Jigawa, N10 billion; Ekiti, 10 billion and this was the first tranche.

“Second tranche and the last tranche, I think if I remember, I think it’s Yobe and two other states that are supposed to be the next batch.

“We have Yobe, which has gotten its N18 billion today for works that they undertook on behalf of the federal government.:

He also affirmed that most of the states would have gone down but for the bailout funds made available to them by the administration.

While noting that the reimbursements were for the work implemented in the previous administration, he said: “It was actually as a result of this reforms we’re making that we said henceforth, you cannot take on your own federal responsibilities.”

He further said: “I think this is a good opportunity to also let you know exactly what the federal government has done between 2015 and today, to ensure that states stay afloat.

“Honestly, without the federal government bailout, most states would have gone under.

“Like I said, apart from these reforms that were made, I said earlier on that when we came in, 27 states could not pay salaries and federal government had to bail those 27 states out. Not only did they give them money to pay salaries, they also gave them bailout to pay arrears.”

Mohammed, who clarified that the reimbursement was different from the bailout, explained: “Refunds are when you refund for jobs that were done on behalf of the federal government. That was the first one that we spoke about and we’re speaking about it because Yobe just completed its own.

“But before then, I have here phase one of 24 states that were refunded for what they did on behalf of the federal government, even before we came in.

“These claims were not based on what they did on our behalf, but what they did in previous administrations. Number two, I have said that but when we came in, 27 states could not pay salaries. So, we bailed them out to be able to pay salaries and pay their arrears.

“Now, in addition, we found out also that the states were in difficulties and they could not start any work, in terms of infrastructure, and federal government gave each of them N10 billion.

“When the price of oil again, collapsed and states were in trouble, federal government again gave out a bailout of a billion naira per month to each state for eight months and N800 million per month, per state, for over eight months and the records are there.

“When also the states complained that they did not benefit from the Paris debt refund, the federal government, again, gave states their own share of Paris Fund and I can let you know that Jigawa State in particular, received N40 billion of this Paris Club Refund.

“Next time I come, I’ll give you what every state received in terms of Paris Club.

Again, when states complained to federal government for deducting what they owed federal government, Mr. President also said they should be refunded because times were hard.

“I’ve said this to let you understand that in spite of things some states are saying about federal government, many of them would have gone under without this government because there’s no constitutional duty on part of federal government to do what we’re doing.

“Only last week, Lagos State government came to Federal Executive Council with a memo, asking for us to convert the Lagos State Lekki Concession Company loan to a sovereign guarantee and what that means, effectively, is that Lagos State government could no longer bear the burden of paying for the loan they took to construct Lekki. So, federal government accepted.

“By doing so, now they’re given a longer term to pay the loan and lower interest. So, these are some of the things that the federal government has been doing to ensure that there’s stability and everybody is happy, irrespective of whether you are APC or PDP.”

Headline

Kudos As Nigeria Gains Additional Territory ‘Five Times The Size Of Lagos’

Published

1 day ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has commended the High Powered Presidential Committee, HPPC, on Nigeria’s extended continental shelf project, a team of experts who worked hard over the years to advance the project.

The president gave the commendation when he received the report of the protect yesterday in Abuja.

According to Vanguard, the project aims to extend Nigeria’s maritime boundaries in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982.

The president expressed his appreciation in Abuja after listening to technical presentations by Professor Larry Awosika, a marine scientist and member of the committee, and Surveyor Aliyu Omar, Secretary of HPPC.

The experts have been involved in the project since Nigeria’s initial submission to extend its continental shelf to the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) in 2009.

They informed the President that the UN has approved Nigeria’s submission, granting sovereignty over additional square kilometres of maritime territory.

A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Chief Ajuri Ngelale, quoted the President as saying: ‘’When the HPPC briefed former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022 on the status of the project, the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf, CLCS, was still considering Nigeria’s submission and having technical interactions with the HPPC.

‘’These interactions and consideration have now culminated in the approval for Nigeria to extend its continental shelf beyond 200M (200 nautical miles).

‘’As it stands now, the area approved for Nigeria is about 16,300 square kilometres, which is about five times the size of Lagos State,” Surveyor Omar told the president.’’

He added that the official notification of the decision was conveyed to Nigeria by the UN Nations Commission on the limits of the Continental Shelf, CLCS, in August 2023, shortly after President Tinubu assumed office.

Omar outlined the available options for Nigeria following the approval: “The first option is to take the area gained and finalize the registration with the UN Secretary-General and close everything, meaning that we are satisfied with what we got. This will take at least one year.

“The second option is to take what we have right now, acquire more data, do a support write-up, and make a revised submission as recommended by CLCS for further consideration. This will take another four years. Either way (options), Nigeria will keep what has been approved.”

In his presentation, Professor Awosika explained that the approval came after years of meticulous scientific research on geophysics, geology, geography, and diplomatic efforts, which solidified Nigeria’s legal rights over a vast expanse of seabed and subsoil beyond its traditional territorial waters.

Awosika highlighted the economic potential of the newly acquired territory, which includes hydrocarbons, gas, solid minerals, and a wide variety of sedentary species.

He, however, cautioned against total disclosure of sensitive data acquired during surveys, noting that this will jeopardize confidentiality as Nigeria is expected to monetize the information to recover project expenses.

Responding, the president thanked the experts for their diligence, emphasizing the significance of the achievement for Nigeria’s economic and strategic interests.
VANGUARD

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Police Give Tips On How To Report Erring Officers

Published

1 day ago

May 15, 2024

Editor

The Police have urged Nigerians to take the advantage of its Complaint Response Unit, at the Force Headquarters, to report misconduct of its officers and men.

The Head of the unit, CSP El-Musta Sani, made the appeal at a Summit organised in Abuja by the Public Complaints Commission (PCC) in collaboration with the Foundation for Youth Empowerment and Social Justice.

Sanni said that the unit was created in 2015 to handle complaints against police officers from members of the public.

He said, so far, from the first quarter of 2024, the unit had received 459 complaints from members of the public against officers and men, through its social media platforms.

He further explained that 265 of the cases had been resolved while 195 were still being handled by the police.

According to him, “It takes the Unit 21 days to receive and conclude investigations on all complaints”.

He said it was worrisome that members of the public did not know about the platforms to channel their complaints.

“The major problem is that the institutions are there, but Nigerians do not know their functions.

“We receive complaints through WhatsApp, Twitter handles, phone calls, and walk-in petitions.

“And the Unit is directly responsible to the Office of the Inspector General of Police through the Public Relation Officer,” he said.

Sanni assured more sensitisation to enlighten the public to take advantage of the opportunity to lodge their complaint for proper handling.

In his remarks, the Chief Commissioner of PCC, Mr Abimbola Ayo-Yusuf emphasised the need to strengthen institutions to combat administrative injustice and corruption.

He noted that, properly developed institution is key to good governance, adding that the summit aimed to improve service delivery and ensure that the right to complain and raise issues was available to everyone.

“The purpose of this Summit, which is to foster collaboration between the Public Complaints Commission and other organisations, is quite timely and key to the understanding of the mandate of the Commission.

“The PCC, known as the Nigerian version of the Ombudsman, was established to investigate complaints regarding administrative actions,” he said.

Ms. Sandra Benson, the Director Administration, Foundation for Youth Empowerment and Social Justice, said that the Foundation and PCC were working hard to ensure justice for those who had faced injustices over the years.

Banson emphasised the need for collective action to address the issues, stating that now was the time to match voices with action for good governance.

She highlighted the importance of addressing citizens’ complaints about administrative actions and called for immediate responses, sensitisation of workers on grievance channels, and cooperation for swift justice.

“The Summit marks the beginning of important engagements with stakeholders and the PCC, aiming to restore trust in the system and liberate workers from bad leadership.”

Also speaking, Maurice Okoye, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jewel Social Empowerment Initiative, said that the critical need for consequence management in addressing issues in Nigeria was necessary.

Okoye cited the absence of consequence management as a major challenge, leading to lack of accountability among government agency heads.

He also mentioned the reluctance of many to seek justice due to a lack of confidence in the system.

He cited an example where one of his friends chose not to pursue justice after a robbery due to high costs and skepticism about the outcome.

Okoye called for a restoration of public confidence in the justice system and emphasised the need for accountability and responsibility among leaders.

NAN

Headline

Google To Offer AI-generated Answers In Search Results

Published

2 days ago

May 14, 2024

Editor

Google has announced it would introduce AI-generated answers to online queries made by users in the United States, in one of the biggest updates to its search engine in 25 years.

“I’m excited to announce that we will begin launching this fully revamped experience, ‘AI overviews,’ to everyone in the US this week,” Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said at an event in California on Tuesday, May 14.

Google’s search results will feature an AI summary at the top of the page before the more typical unfurling of links.

The AI answers generated by Google’s Gemini technology will offer succinct summaries of what it found on the internet with links to the online sources that supplied the information.

“You can ask whatever’s on your mind or whatever you need to get done – from researching to planning to brainstorming – and Google will take care of the legwork,” said Google Search team boss Liz Reid.

The change comes as Google feels growing pressure from AI-powered search engines like Perplexity, and from the rumors that OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, is building its own AI search tool.

Searches through AI chats have also appeared on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, with users able to get information from the web without Google.

The change will soon spread to other countries, Pichai added, making it accessible to more than a billion people.