Aso Villa Reads for 16/5/2019
Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria.
Punch reports that “the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency says it has installed Thorium-X tablet, a fuel consumption data collection device, on board a Nigerian-flagged fuel tanker vessel, MT KINGIS, commencing the process targeted at ending green-house gas emissions on vessels. According to the agency, the pilot project, which came as fallout of the Maritime Technology Cooperation Centre conference held in Kenya in March, aims at reducing fuel consumption by vessels. It added that the MTCC was targeted towards developing countries, and Nigeria was nominated for the pilot project. The Director-General of NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside, who was represented by the Head of the Marine Environment Management Unit at NIMASA, Dr Felicia Mogo, stated, “NIMASA is ensuring that we are keeping to global best practices with a commendable track record in administration and regulation in the maritime sector. NIMASA was chosen to lead the project in Nigeria, being the chosen country in the West and Central Africa region. This pilot project will last a year. But the data will be reported to the Kenyan portal, then it goes to the International Martitime Organisation’s global portal after every voyage.”
“Another external loan of $1bn was approved by the Federal Executive Council on Wednesday. The session of the council, which was presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, approved the loan to be sourced from the China-Exim Bank for the Gurara II Hydropower project. The power plant is planned to generate 360 megawatts of electricity, according to the Minister of Water Resources, Mr Suleiman Adamu, who spoke on the decision of FEC. The new loan will add to Nigeria’s growing debt stock, which the Debt Management Office admitted last month, stood at N24.387tn as of December 2018. In 2017, the debt stock was N21.7tn.” Punch reported that “the Minister, who addressed State House Correspondents after the FEC meeting rose, spoke on the fresh loan and other approvals. He stated, “The FEC approved $1bn Chinese loan from Chinese EXIM Bank for the Gurara II Hydropower project, which has the capacity to generate 360 megawatts electricity. Council also approved N5.7bn revised total estimated cost for the completion of Nkari Dam in Akwa Ibom. Council also approved the appointment of a consultant to resuscitate the Gari Irrigation Project in Kano/Jigawa states. Council had in 2017 approved for the resumption of the project, which was earlier abandoned for 17 years.The consultant is the same appointed in 1998. The contractors are already on the site. Council also approved the revised estimated total cost of N10.4bn for the completion of Ile-Ife Dam in Osun State. The project was started in 2004 and abandoned. The completion period is 24 months.”
“Between January 2015 and December 2018, the Federal Government through the Bank of Industry disbursed a total of N521.5bn to large, medium and small enterprises. The amount, which is contained in the annual financial statements of the bank covering 2015 to 2018, is part of the intervention programme of the government as encapsulated in the Nigerian Industrial Revolution Plan. An analysis of the amount showed that the sum of N83.5bn was disbursed in 2015. For the 2016 fiscal period, the bank provided the N65.9bn as a credit to businesses, while the 2017 and 2018 fiscal period had N112.5bn and N259.6bn respectively. Speaking on its development programme, the BoI Managing Director, Mr Olukayode Pitan, said the bank would continue its intervention in various sectors of the economy. This is according to Punch.
“As part of efforts to find lasting solution to the Apapa gridlock, the management of the Nigerian Ports Authority has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with a logistics and marine transportation firm, AP Moller Capital, to extend the evacuation of containers via barges beyond Ikorodu to Epe, a statement from the NPA indicated on Wednesday.” According to Punch “the Managing Director, NPA, Hadiza Bala-Usman, was quoted as saying during a visit from a team at APM Capital, that the problem of Apapa access road seemed intractable because of a decade-long decadence caused by multiple problems. She said the NPA had made several efforts including contributing ₦1.8bn to rehabilitate the road and also coming up with a truck call -up system that would soon be upgraded electronically. Bala-Usman maintained that the NPA would continue to build on the synergy that existed with stakeholders.”
Business Day (Thursday 16 May 2019, page 8) reports that “the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Justice Reform, Juliet Ibekaku, said negotiation was in top gear and civil society organisations (CSOs) would be involved in the repatriation and disbursement of the money. Ibekaku, who doubles as National Coordinator on Open Government Partnership (OGP), told a one-way pre-OGP summit dialogue yesterday in Abuja that the treatment of the first batch of $322 million had elicited confidence in the current administration with respect to management of funds. She stressed that the money must get to the people, urging the CSOs to always interrogate government on utilisation of returned assets.”
“The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola says the power to revoke licenses of non-performing electricity Distribution Companies is vested in the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission. Fashola said this on Thursday in Abuja at the 2019 Punuka Annual Lecture with the theme: “Rethinking the Model for an Effective Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry: Challenges for Government and Industry”. According to him, the power not to renew or to cancel the license of non-performing DisCos exists and it is vested in the regulator, NERC and not in the minister. He said that the regulator could on its own, upon complaints of consumer or a group of customers amend or cancel the license of a non-performing DisCo. Fashola said that the powers of NERC to amend or cancel licenses is applicable to all licensing authorities, the transmission companies, generation companies, distribution companies and others under the Act. “The power not to renew or to revoke the operational license of any of the authority is in sections 73 and 74 of the Act and so, there is no monopoly granted any agency unless it is endorsed on their license. So, there is nothing that stops the regulator from licensing another person to do the same activities within their territory as DisCo. If you are not serving an area well, you will get a notice that consumers in the area are not happy and you will be given a time limit to deal with the problem. Upon failure to address the problem, the regulator can amend your license, take the area out of your territory and license it to another person or cancel the entire license,” he said.” Business Day (Thursday 16 May 2019, page 33) reported this.
According to Business Day “President Mohammadu Buhari presently presiding over the last Federal Executive Council meeting under the current dispensation that will consider and approve projects for execution. BusinessDay checks revealed that 17 different Memos have been listed for consideration at Wednesday’s FEC meeting with infrastructure development topping the agenda. Many representatives of the Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government were seen waiting patiently to be called to defend their submissions. Minister of Information and Culture three weeks ago disclosed that the last FEC meeting which comes up on the 22nd of May will be the valedictory FEC. BusinessDay gathered that today’s FEC will be the last under which memos generated by the current cabinet members will be considered. About 27 memos were considered during the last FEC meeting which lasted for almost 12 hours, as the President began winding down of activities, ahead of the May 29th inauguration which is expected to be a low key celebration. “There are 17 memos listed for today’s consideration because as you know, this is the last FEC that will consider memos. Next week’s FEC will be simply valedictory and no memos will be discussed,” one Villa Source revealed.”
