2017 Budget now ready for presentation to N’Assembly

President Muhammadu Buhari is ready to present the 2017 appropriation bill before a joint session of the National Assembly.
The document was yesterday given accelerated consideration and approval by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided by Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, while briefing State House correspondents on the outcome of the meeting did not disclose details of the document.
He simply said President Buhari would soon write the leadership of both chambers of the parliament proposing a date when he would present the fiscal document.
According to the Budget minister, who was joined by the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, the lawmakers would decide the date for presentation.
“The budget has been approved by the Federal Executive Council and the details will be revealed when the president presents the budget to the National Assembly,” he said.
“With respect to ‎implementation of the 2016 budget, we have revenue constraints. We have paid all

Navy begins fitness test with 13 warships, others in Niger Delta

To prepare itself for the task ahead, the Nigerian Navy will, from today, commence an exercise to appraise the combat-readiness of its special forces and platforms. Officers of the Nigerian Army Amphibious Brigade, Nigerian Air Force Maritime Patrol Aircraft, police and operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) among others are also participating in the event codenamed, ‘Exercise Eagle Eye’.
Chief of Policy and Plans (CPPLAN), Rear Admiral Jacob Ayeni, told a press conference yesterday in Abuja that the exercise, which ends on December 5 in the Niger Delta region, would provide an ample opportunity for the navy to showcase its capacity to Nigerians as well as the larger Gulf of Guinea, adding that “the activities of miscreants in the region have created a general sense of insecurity in the domain”.
He boasted that the force would prove doubting minds wrong that it had the capability to tackle numerous insecurity and criminal issues on the nation’s waterways.
According to Ayeni, the exercise is being phased in two to check prevailing security threats and second, to consolidate on achievements made so far.
“A total of 13 vessels, 80 in-shore patrol craft, two helicopters and two private maritime security vessels will participate in the exercise,” he added.

Despite criticism, Ogun defends construction of 10-lane Abeokuta/Sagamu Road

The Ogun State Government has explained that it is constructing the 10-lane Abeokuta/Sagamu Road in order to attract investors and migrants as well as funds for further development to the state.
The defense of the State Government is coming amid criticism of the need for the expansion of the road, which attracts little traffic.
It is also coming at a time the government has abandoned some bridge projects in the state, which had led to hardship for the people of the areas affected.
Among the critical bridges left uncompleted are the ones between Berger in Lagos State and Alagbole and Akute.
But the Commissioner for Works and Infrastructure, Architect Olamilekan Adegbite, speaking in Abeokuta on Wednesday, said the Abeokuta/Sagamu Road expansion is aimed at providing necessary infrastructure that will provide conducive environment for big time investors and multinational companies, including about three car assembly plants, which have shown interest in the corridor.
Adegbite recalled that the first Investors Forum, which was organised by the government in 2012, has opened the state to investment, adding that over 100 companies have opened shop in the state since then.

Niger Delta crisis will be resolved by 2017 – Kachikwu

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Dr. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has disclosed that Nigeria was at 2.1 million barrels of oil production per day, before the renewed hostilities by militants, but assured that the formula for peace in the Niger Delta region of the country would be found by next year.
Kachikwu, who spoke to Bloomberg on the “turmoil” in the region, asserted that: “Well, I won’t call it turmoil any more, I would call it a bit of disruption.
According to him, “We’ve passed the turmoil stage, we have moved from 1.4 million barrels a day to 1.9.We were at 2.1 before we had the last incident.
“It is work in progress; we are putting every energy we can. President Muhammadu Buhari is very focused on trying to find solutions to these problems, and we are working hard on it. We are seeing solutions come

How we tackled employment racketeers – Lai Mohammed

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has revealed how he addressed the challenge of employment racketeers in his ministry and parastatal agencies.
Addressing members of Senate Committee on Culture and Tourism on oversight to his ministry on Thursday in Abuja, the minister said the racketeers swindled many unsuspected job seekers, promising t give them phantom jobs.
“When I came in, we were able to uncover a number of cartels engaging in unlawful employment.
“They gave bank account details which their victims paid huge sum of money into and after the payment they issued them with letters of employment.
“They even camped some of them in hotels for capturing into Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS)
“In fact, in a particular organisation, a level 17 Officer was involved in this racketeering, but unfortunately he is late now.

NLC tasks FG to halt free fall of Naira

The Nigeria Labour Congress, NLC, has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led federal government to device a means to stop the continued depreciation of the nation’s currency against major currencies, which has led to high inflation.
Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN’s efforts to arrest the slide have not been yielding much fruits as the Naira keeps depreciating, exchanging at the inter-bank market at about N315.60 to the dollar on Thursday and N470 to the dollar at the parallel market.
Latest date from the National Bureau of Statistics, NBS, showed an increase in inflation to about 18.3 per cent in October, from 17.9 per cent in September.
The Labour Union said it was worried at the fruitless moves by the CBN to bring the situation under control, saying the devaluation and the attendant inflation have caused massive distress to millions of Nigerian families across the country.
The Labour Congress took a review of the state of the nation and noted that the protest it embarked in May against the hike in fuel price of petroleum products justified its position that tying fuel price crude oil price at the international market and the black market exchange rate was not sustainable.

Five million in northeastern Nigeria need food – FAO

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that Boko Haram insurgency and rising inflation have left more than five million people in northeast Nigeria facing acute food insecurity.
The United Nations agriculture agency has appealed for $25 million through May 2017 to support irrigated vegetable production and micro-gardening in the dry season, as well as rebuild livestock systems, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
In a situation update, FAO said the urgently needed funds would tackle food insecurity among returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities.

Amaechi tasks NIMASA board on mandate

Minister of Transportation, Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, has urged members of the governing board of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) to assist the management of the agency to discharge its mandate optimally.
Delivering a keynote address at a retreat for board members, on the topic “Integrating the Transport Sector with the Ocean Economy in Nigeria,” Amaechi urged the board to collaborate with other transportation stakeholders to build an efficient intermodal system for the country.
Represented by Director of Maritime Safety and Security, Mr. Danjuma Dauda, the minister acknowledged the strategic importance of the maritime industry to global commerce, calling on the NIMASA board to “place the agency in an enviable position to optimally perform its functions and deliver on its mandate.”