Aso Villa Reads for 09/07/2020
Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria
The Federal Government has commended Office Chérifien des Phosphates (OCP) Africa, a Morocco-based phosphate fertiliser company for the distribution of fertilisers at subsidised rate to 50,000 farmers in 11 states of the country as Coronavirus (COVID-19) palliatives. Alhaji Mustapha Shehuri, Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural Development conveyed government’s commendation on Tuesday at the official inauguration of OCP Africa fertiliser distribution to farmers in Karshi Development Area of Nasarawa state. Shehuri said that the distribution of subsidised fertiliser to about 50,000 farmers in eleven states was in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s drive to pull the country out of poverty by providing the required supports and creating an enabling environment for private sector support, partnership and input. “The laudable gesture being shown by OCP Africa fertiliser is not only commendable but worthy of emulation by other meaningful organisations and individuals operating in the country. “I understand that similar gesture is being extended to other selected farmers in many places across eleven states in the country and covered 50,000 farmers with 2 bags of NPK fertilisers at N4,500 per 50kg bag,” he said. He assured that government would continue to support such initiative due to the priority accorded the agriculture sector by President Buhari in his determination to diversify the sector, create more jobs and reduce poverty in the country. Herald reports.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, says the Federal Government of Nigeria will not reopen schools as earlier decided in view of the rising cases of coronavirus in the country. Adamu disclosed this to State House reporters on Wednesday after the virtual meeting of the Federal Executive Council, chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, had, on June 29 during a briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, announced the reopening of schools for Primary 6, JSS 3 and SSS 3 students to enable them to prepare for their examinations. The Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, had, on Monday, reportedly said the 2020 West Africa Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) would hold from August 4 to September 5. But Adamu on Wednesday, emphasised that schools would remain closed until it was certified that the situation was safe. As reported by Daily Trust, he said this was not the right time to open schools, adding that the government would not mind forfeiting the WASSC earlier scheduled to begin on August 4 in order to save the lives of students.
Federal Government is targeting expansion of its revenue base from solid mineral sector with the signing of memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Sealink Promotional Company Limited on the use of Ajaokuta Jetty Landing Port. Sealink Promotional Company is a ferry company, and the MOU commitments would enable it transport Nigerian solid mineral by waterways, which will remove about 80 percent of cost element of vehicular transportation, while ensuring proper tracking of Nigerian solid mineral movement. “With logistics and transportation that is digitalised, not one ounce of our solid mineral will get missing when being transported .That is one thing that Sealink is bringing to the table in this MOU with the government,” chairperson of Sealink Promotional Company, Dabney Shall-holma, said at the MOU singing in Abuja, Tuesday. Also, the project, which is being executed in conjunction with Nigeria Export Import Bank (NEXIM), is geared towards utilising the commercial value of the jetty and effective usage of the waterway. Olamilekan Adegbite, minister of mines and steel development, speaking during the signing ceremony, disclosed that the use of waterways as means of transportation would not only increase the volume of commerce, but also would remove the huge logistics challenges encountered on the road, reduce the damage done to the roads by heavy duty trucks as well as decrease the high cost of road maintenance. Business Day reports.
Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has written a petition to the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, demanding the probe of a blogger, Jackson Ude, who is also the publisher of an online medium, Point Blank News. The petition dated July 8, 2020, is titled, ‘Criminal Defamation of the Vice-President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), GCON by Jackson Ude’. In the petition written on his behalf by his lawyer, Bayo Osipitan, the Vice-President said Jackson authored a story in which it was alleged that the suspended acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Ibrahim Magu, who is facing a Presidential probe, told the investigative panel that he gave N4bn to Osinbajo. The Vice-President said Ude was in the habit of publishing malicious articles against his person. He subsequently attached printed copies of some of the blogger’s reports to the petition. According to Punch, Osinbajo said the articles were defamatory and capable of bringing him to ridicule before members of the public. He called on the IG to probe the blogger with a view to prosecuting him for criminal defamation.
The Federal Government has commenced preparation of its 2021 budget, as the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning has received anticipated personnel costs for next year, from various Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs. This followed the Personnel Cost Budget Call Circular issued in April by the Minister, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, which gave all MDAs a June deadline within which to submit their personnel budgets to the ministry. The circular was addressed to the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President; Deputy Chief of Staff to the President, Office of the Vice President; Minister/Ministers of State; the Secretary to the Government of the Federation; Head of Service of the Federation; Chairmen of Commissions; Permanent Secretaries; Chiefs of Staff/Inspector General of Police; Auditor-General of the Federation; Accountant-General of the Federation; Heads of Extra- Ministerial Departments/Directors-General/Chief Executive Officers of parastatals and agencies. The minister said the circular was issued to provide special instructions and guidance to ministers, heads of extra-ministerial departments and ministries accounting officers charged with the responsibility of preparation and submission of personnel budgets of their respective MDAs. Vanguard reports.
