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Senate Threatens To Scrap Non-productive MDAs

Published

2 years ago

September 14, 2022

Editor

The Nigerian Senate Committee on Finance Wednesday threatened that any agency of government that wouldn’t meet the target of its statutory responsibility will be met with the Stephen Orosonye report.

Chairman of the Committee, Senator Solomon Adeola Olamilekan, stated this during a five-days interactive session on the 2023 – 2025 Medium Term Expenditure Framework”, in Abuja.

The “Stephen Orosonye Report ”, DAILY POST recalls, has recommended scrapping of numerous agencies and parastatals of government due to the lack of productivity and duplication of statutory mandates.

At Wednesday’s committee hearing, which made it the second of the five day event, Senator Adeola frowned at the supine attitude of some heads and Chief Executives of government owned agencies who could not appear before his Committee, but sent representatives who are bereft of ideas, saying that the parliament would not tolerate that anymore.

The lawmaker insisted that the upper and lower legislative Chambers would give effect to the ‘Orosonye report’ to scrap agencies that have outgrown their usefulness.

He said: “We are behind the Orosanye Report and will give it effect to scrap some parastatals that are not productive.

“These parastatals will be reduced to departments under their relevant ministries and this will help to cut costs.”

The lawmaker further expressed anger that some heads of government agencies were out to milk the nation dry by enriching themselves, noting that the parliament will stop waste and leakages at all costs.

He noted: “Many agencies of government are enriching individual pockets of Chief executives at all levels and that would be reduced drastically. I believe that will be the way out and we are seriously considering it.

“We make sure that in this year’s budget, we start something like this before the President brings his budget. If it will work, it will be the best for us.

“Many of you should prepare for our strongest recommendations that the agencies should pay all costs of collection. We are doing this to FIRS; we are doing it to Custom and nothing will stop us from doing it to other MDAs, NIMASA, NCC. We thought again to FIRS 4% and they still bring their internal budget to the tune of N265 billion. NCC, despite not giving them cost of collection, their total budget for the financial year is well over N600 billion.

“So, all of these, we have to try as much as possible to lower the temperature. It can no longer be business as usual. We have tried; we have assisted; we have called and appealed; we have done all we could to bring everybody to the table and let them understand the current situation of things in the country.

“But to our greatest surprise, nobody seems or wants to listen and it’s on that note that we as National Assembly are looking in that direction to take drastic action to stem the tide of wastage in the system.

“Also, we inform the government that the issue of granting waivers to the tune of N1.6 billion and we are borrowing the sum of N11 trillion, there’s no way we can cope with that.

“What the waiver mean is that some people will not pay duties or other charges and instead of making provisions for them not to pay the humongously amount of money at the detriment of Nigeria, and most those granted waiver ended up being traders rather than encouraging manufacturing and production and since the objective of granting waiver cannot be achieved, it is only right and proper to cancel anything waivers.

“Again on the pioneer legislation, a company that has been in existence in Nigeria and has enjoyed pioneer status for the past five years, after five years, the company returns to seek a pioneer status for another five years, it can no longer be possible.

“If you cannot meet your target within five years, pack your load and go. Enough of wastage, enough of leakages because we cannot grant pioneer status.

“I know many Chief Executives are too big to appear and they will look at us and say I have N5 billion to control and who is this Senator asking us to appear.

“Some people were in my office appealing that their Chief Executives are not around, that I should tamper justice with mercy and allow them to represent their absentee Chief Executives.

“This is a parliament. This is the highest law making body in the land. Most of these Chief Executives are cleared by us. Why are they now bigger and turned against us?”

The meeting continues on Thursday.

News

2023: Why INEC Servers Failed To Work – Peter Obi

Published

21 mins ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi has explained why the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, servers failed to work during the 2023 presidential election.

He said the ‘establishment of criminality’ made the INEC servers not work during the last last general elections.

Obi stated this, while addressing the issues of the 2023 elections, including the IREV servers, in Canada during the weekend.

The Labour Party flagbearer in 2023 said people must intensify engagement with all the stakeholders to make the system work.

The former Anambra State governor explained that Amazon testified there were no glitches recorded globally on the day of the presidential election.

He said: “Where did we go wrong in the last election? We didn’t go wrong anywhere. We did the right things.

“But as I can always tell people: when you bring a change, you fight all those who live off the old order. They don’t go away; they gang up. And don’t think it’s a straight race to remove an establishment.

“It’s a long-distance journey anywhere in the world. Go and check anywhere, whether you are looking at what happened in India, with Mandela in South Africa, or America. No change has happened overnight, it takes time.

“I urge all of you, if you really want change, we have just begun. We just have to continue from where we are.

“Yes, there might be one or two things we will correct, those things we will correct. I assure you we are correcting them without naming them.It’s not going to be easy.”

News

INC Vows To Internationalise Ijaw Struggle

Published

1 hour ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

The Ijaw National Congress (INC) says time has come to internationalise the “Ijaw struggle” beyond rhetoric.

Prof. Benjamin Okaba, President, INC, said this in a communique of the 2024 edition of the Ijaw National Day celebration held in Bayelsa.

Okaba said that the vexatious factors that provoked grievances between the late Maj. Adaka Boro and the federal government in the improper management of the oil political economy of Nigeria, have remained unmitigated.

He noted that the situation had worsened with its attendant impunity.

According to him, the Ijaw environment continues to bear the brunt of petroleum resources exploitation-related pollution without concomitant remediation or reparations of the heavily despoiled ecosystem.

“Instead, Ijaw communities still face the adverse effects of uncontrollable spills, perennial flooding, ocean encroachment and so on,” he said.

The INC president noted that at different forums, it had been made clear that the Ijaw agenda of self-determination was premised on resource and environmental justice.

“What all Ijaw people seek is for a fair, just and justifiable reward for our resources and sacrifices.

“The Ijaw Congress has articulated a set of prescient conditions for its continuous commitment to the Nigerian project and these include restoration of true federalism (fiscal federalism).

“Devolution of power and repel of all obnoxious and discriminatory environmental and resource related laws (Land Use, PIA), as well as restoration of Ijaw Territory as non-balkanised, administrative and politically generated unit(s).

“This is for the reassurance and promotion of Ijaw developmental pursuits by creating at least two additional states, more local government areas and wards for the Ijaws.

“Remediation of our massively polluted and endangered environment and the enforcement of adherence to international environmental best practices by IOC’s operating in Ijaw territories,” he said.

Okaba also demanded for the relocation of the administrative headquarters of all oil companies and their subsidiaries to their operational bases in Ijaw territory and Niger Delta.

He further called for proper funding and management of the Interventionist Agencies such as the Presidential Amnesty Programme and Niger Delta Development Commission.

“We call for the promotion of modular refineries owned by our people.

“We also want a balance in appointment at the federal levels (the civil service, military and oil companies) as well as equitable distribution of critical infrastructure, to reflect the true principles of federal character.”

He said it was against this backdrop that the theme of the 2024 Ijaw National Day “Re-Invigorating Our Resolve to take the Ijaw struggle for Self-determination beyond Rhetoric” was derived.

News

Drake Gives Condition To Quit Music As Feud With Kendrick Lamar Thickens

Published

1 hour ago

May 5, 2024

Editor

US rapper Drake has vowed to quit his music career if allegations regarding a secret daughter are substantiated.

The controversy started when rival artiste Kendrick Lamar, in his diss track ‘Meet The Grahams,’ levied accusations suggesting Drake’s involvement with an 11-year-old secret daughter.

Lamar branded the Canadian rapper a “deadbeat” for purportedly neglecting his paternal responsibilities

Renowned American media personality Akademiks, however, disclosed rapper’s response to the allegations during a recent broadcast.

According to Akademiks, Drake denied the claims, going as far as promising to leave the music industry and work for Akademiks if any evidence of the alleged secret daughter emerged.

During his Saturday night show, Akademiks shared the rapper’s direct message, stating, “Drake hit [texted] me, he said, ‘Ak, if you or anybody can prove that I have an 11-year-old daughter, I’ll quit rapping and come work for you.’”