Aso Villa Reads for 24/02/2020
Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria
The National Bureau of Statistics on Monday released the Gross Domestic Product report for the 2019 fiscal year with the economy growing by 2.27 per cent in 2019. The annual GDP growth rate of 2.27 per cent, according to the NBS, represents an increase of 360 basis points over the growth rate of 1.91 per cent recorded in 2018. According to Punch, the report said that during the fourth quarter of 2019, Nigeria’s GDP grew by 2.55 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms. Compared to the fourth quarter of 2018 which recorded a growth rate of 2.38 per cent, it said this represents an increase of 0.17 percentage points and an increase of 0.27 percentage points when compared with the third quarter of 2019. The strong fourth quarter 2019 growth rate, the NBS noted, also represented the highest quarterly growth performance since the 2016 recession.
The Federal Government has ordered the redeployment of 101 top civil servants across ministries, departments and agencies. Those affected in the mass redeployment, which was announced through a circular on Friday, are directors, deputy directors and assistant directors. Many of those redeployed were moved to fill vacancies created in their new stations either because of promotion or retirement of former holders of the positions. Some others were redeployed on request, to understudy some officials or to serve as deputies to some officers. A circular conveying the redeployment was obtained by The PUNCH on Sunday. The circular dated February 21, 2020 was marked HCSF/CMO/002/S.I/III/94. The circular was signed by the Director Overseeing Office of the Permanent Secretary, Career Management Office, I.A Mariga, on behalf of the acting Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Dr Folasade Yemi-Esan.
President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the constitution of a National Humanitarian Coordination Committee (NHCC) to oversee all humanitarian actions in the country. The committee, according to the statement by Chief Femi Adesina, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity in Abuja on Monday, will among others, provide a national vision for humanitarian actions, advise on coordination between the security services and humanitarian actors, settle disputes that may arise from interactions between security services and the humanitarian community. “Other functions include: propose policies that enhance coordination and seamless delivery of humanitarian aid to affected communities, facilitate delivery of humanitarian interventions to vulnerable persons, and promote transparency and accountability in all aspects of humanitarian delivery in the country, ” the statement said. The NHCC will be chaired by the Minister, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development (FMHADMSD), and National Security Adviser (NSA), as co-Chairman. Other members are; Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum, Ministers of Defence, Interior, Justice, Minister of State Budget and Planning, Chief of Defense Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Chief of Air Staff and the Inspector General of Police. Governors of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states, Commandant General, Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, Comptroller General, Nigeria Customs Service, United Nations Resident Coordinator, Permanent Secretary, FMHADMSD (Secretariat), Chairman, Non-Governmental Organization Forum, and any other nominated by Chairman of the Committee are also members. Vanguard reports.
The Federal Government has taken a more pragmatic approach towards making the Onitsha River Port functional, saying that in no distant time it will be functional. This was disclosed on Monday in Onitsha by the Managing Director, National Inland Waterway Authority, NIWA, Dr. George Mosfffghalu, during the 2nd Sensitization Seminar of Stakeholders by NIWA within South East Zone, themed, “Reforming the Maritime Sector in Onitsha Priority Areas, Potential Projects and the Way Forward, held at C.J. Patterson Hall, All Saints Cathedral Onitsha, Anambra State. Dr. Moghalu however, stated that the present administration will in few months conclude the concessioning process for the effective take-off of the Onitsha River Port, adding that the Federal Government is equally committed to assisting genuine investors to access the Cabotage Vessel Financing Funds in order to boost investment in shipbuilding and repair. “The Federal government was committed to pursuing the expansion of the nation’s river ports system through the development of other river ports to be driven by the private sector, including development of Baro River Ports and Lokoja River Ports. “The government interest in ensuring the safety and security of the nation’s waterways, informed the repositioning of NIWA to partner with the Nigerian Navy and other relevant security agencies in addressing security challenges especially in the Gulf of Guinea.” Vanguard reported.
Business Day reports that Anambra State government has donated land to the Federal Government for the establishment of an automotive industrial park in Nnewi, the second-biggest commercial town in the state. Nnewi, regarded as ‘Detroit of Nigeria’ is home to Innoson Motors, the first indigenous motor manufacturing firm in Nigeria, as well as a large number of small and medium scale enterprises (SMEs) that are engaged in the manufacture of car and motorcycle spare parts. Chris Azubogu, member, representing, Nnewi North, Nnewi South and Ekwusigo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, confirmed the development at the just concluded Nnewi Economic Summit organised by TBWA and C&F PorterNovelli with funding from Ford Foundation. He explained that the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment, and Anambra State government had already sited the first out of the three approved automotive Industrial parks in the country in Nnewi. “I can reliably tell you that Governor Willie Obiano, has handed over the land for the project to the Federal Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment and as we talk, they have already moved to the site.
Federal Government has announced the disbursement of N315 million to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to strengthen preparedness for the Covid-19 (Coronavirus). The sum of N71 million was initially disbursed by the Federal Government to scale up interventions at port health services, making it a total of N386 million disbursed so far. The permanent secretary, Ministry of Health, Abdullahi Abdullaziz, who confirmed this at a press conference weekend in Abuja, said the total amount disbursed was part of the N620 million requested by the health minister. The minister of state for health, Olurunnimbe Mamora, while giving an update on Nigeria’s level of preparedness, said all five suspected cases of Coronavirus in Nigeria tested negative and there was currently no confirmed case in Africa. The minister informed that the Inter-ministerial and multi-sectoral committees were working with the NCDC and meet twice a week or more to strengthen preparedness and response activities. He also informed that Nigeria was receiving technical support from the World Health Organisation (WHO), the African Centre for Disease Control and some other relevant health organisations towards the same cause. Business Day reports.
Auwalu Sarki, the director of the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) said on the back of various reforms currently being embarked on by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, Nigeria has the capacity of exceeding local consumption of premium motor spirit within few years. He said issues and concerns of huge subsidy payment are gradually being addressed by the federal government through meeting local sufficiency through mega and modular refineries investments in various parts of the country. As reported by Business Day, he disclosed that the border closure currently being enforced by the federal government has given a near-perfect picture of the local consumption of petroleum products in the country. “The government is looking at ways of making energy affordable to each and every Nigerian which makes the downstream critical in the success of any administration. He states further that the ongoing effort of the DPR to create the enabling environment of creating deep import can be seen with the establishment of mega and modular refineries to ensure local consumption sufficiency. “The domestic refining capacity we believe in the next two years will exceed the requirement of the consumption of the population.
