Aso Villa Reads for 25/09/2020

Every day, we bring you the best stories that the Media is reporting about the Government of Nigeria

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has said that indigenous companies operating in the nation’s oil and gas sector must upscale their capacity for global competitiveness in order to achieve the target of reducing the cost of oil production in Nigeria. A statement by the NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division, Dr. Kennie Obateru, quoted the Group Managing Director of the corporation, Mallam Mele Kyari, as having made the remark, during a virtual stakeholders consultative summit organised by the Senate Committee on Local Content. Kyari argued that there was need to amend the local content act to reflect current realities in the industry. The NNPC boss, who was represented by the Group General Manager, Corporate Planning and Strategy, Mrs. Eyesan Oritsemeyiwa, argued that there was need to have a legislation to resolve the issues of funding challenges faced by local players. He stressed that oil and gas business required high technical skills and competence to compete favourably at the global stage. Speaking further on the need for greater capacity building on the part of indigenous companies, the GMD said the nation’s education system has a great role to play in the development of highly skilled technical manpower. He added that any legislation on Nigerian content development that fails to embrace issues of investment in the educational system was not likely to achieve much.[This Day]

After initially rejecting an oil sector reform bill passed by the previous set of lawmakers two years ago, saying it whittled down his powers as Petroleum minister, President Muhammadu Buhari is forwarding the long-awaited bill to lawmakers and consideration could start early next week. Foreign news service Reuters reported Wednesday that the national assembly has already chosen teams of members who will work most closely on individual portions of the bill. Excerpts of the bill seen by Reuters, includes provisions that would streamline oil and gas royalties, boost the amount of money companies pay to local communities and for environmental clean-ups and alter the dispute resolution process between companies and the government. It also includes measures to push companies to develop gas discoveries and prescribes a framework for gas tariffs and delivery.[Business Day]

Fourteen communities across Oyo state have benefitted from water projects, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Water Resources and Oyo State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (RUWASSA) as new solar-powered boreholes were provided to some, while others have faulty boreholes rehabilitated and upgraded, Business Day has learnt. Among the communities that benefitted from the project, which was a COVID-19 Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) response project, include, Oke Ipin Community in Ibarapa East Local Government, Sango Community in Ibarapa East Local Government, Lanlate area in Ibarapa East Local Government and Ipapo in Itesiwaju Local Government. Others are Ijio Community in Iwajowa Local Government, Igboburo Community in Atiba Local Government, Otefon Community in Atiba Local Government and also Ile Baago at Atiba Local Government. In Ibadan, communities that the projects were sited, include Mokola in Ibadan North Local Government, Ajia Community at Ona Ara Local Government, Balogun Ogbori Efon Community at Ibadan North Local Government, Aba Alamu at Ibadan South-west Local Government, Monatan High School, Lagelu Local Government and Idunnu Alakuta at Ido Local Government.

The Federal Government has reiterated that the nation’s 60th independence anniversary celebration will be low-key. The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, who disclosed this while briefing journalists on Thursday, in Abuja, said this is not unconnected from the COVID-19 pandemic. “The 60th independence anniversary celebration will be low-key just as the President has already announced. This is not unconnected from the global COVID-19 pandemic which has forced some safety protocols on nations around the world,” he said. The Minister said that the celebration will last for a period of one year and end September 31, 2021. He explained that this doesn’t mean there will be daily activities between now and September 31 but there will be staggered events within the one-year period to commemorate Nigeria’s diamond jubilee anniversary.[Channels]

The federal government, Thursday, unveiled a new National Policy on Science and Technology Education. Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, who unveiled the policy through his representative and Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nnwajiuba, in Abuja, said the development was aimed at enhancing skills in science and technology among students. The policy redirection was a fall out of a recent meeting by the National Council on Education which recommended the review of the S&TE curricula. He said given the critical importance of science and the acquisition of technical and vocational skills as tools for driving national growth and development, the absence of a road map has slowed down the pace of Nigeria’s quest for technological achievement. “This initiative underscores the passion and determination of the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to address the challenges facing the delivery of quality science and technical education in Nigeria,” he stated.[Vanguard]

The 9th Steering Committee of the Open Government Partnership, Nigeria has extended the country’s National Action Plan till August 2022 due to the outbreak and disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic that ravaged the world. Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Clem Agba, who chairs the committee, disclosed this in Abuja on Thursday at the steering committee meeting. He said the decision to extend the NAP was based on the agreement of most member countries to extend the action plan having met with the Governance and Leadership Committee for the extension. Agba said, “We had a meeting with the International Steering Committee due to the pandemic, which is not only affecting Nigeria but the entire world causing major activities not to take place. So a decision was taken at the International Steering Committee to extend the implementation period for the various action plan in the country. It is dependent on each country to agree and decide whether their own NAP will be extended. So when the Governance and Leadership Committee met we agreed that we should extend the National Action Plan just like other countries in OGP to the 31st of August 2022 due to the shut down.” He said the committee ratified the agreement to extend the country’s NAP till August 2022. At the meeting, the committee members also agreed to make adjustments on operational decision on the current action plans on ground Agba, however, assured Nigerians that the Federal Government was committed to ensuring the integration of OGP principles in future development plan of the country.[Punch]

The EFCC has made a recovery of the sum of N4.16 billion for the government from lottery companies. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has announced that it recovered over N4.16 billion for the government from lottery companies which they had refused to remit. This was disclosed by the Acting Chairman. Mohammed Umar Abbah on Thursday evening, at the EFCC Headquarters during a meeting with Williams Alo of the Ministerial Task Force for recovery of unpaid revenues from lottery businesses. The EFCC acting chairman said that the lottery companies were not forthcoming with remitting the revenue which had forced the anti-graft agency to intervene. “We mapped out strategies which resulted in the recovery of over N1.16 billion from lottery companies, operating in Abuja with over N3 billion from their counterparts, operating in Lagos State,” he said. He added that the EFCC would continue with its cooperation with the Federal Government to ensure lottery companies owing the Federal Government are made to cough out revenues they owe the government, which has already been handed over to the lottery trust fund.[Nairametrics]

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, on Thursday, said Nigeria was not building any rail line to Niger Republic. He said the plan was to construct the rail line up to the border Nigeria shares with the neighbouring country and not into the country itself. The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, had told State House correspondents on Wednesday that the Federal Executive Council approved $1.96bn for the construction of a rail line to link Kano, Dutse, Katsina and Maradi in Niger Republic. But Shehu, in a series of tweets posted on his Twitter handle, @GarShehu, on Thursday claimed that Nigeria would only construct the rail line to the border it shares with Niger Republic in Maradi. The presidential aide wrote, “Nigeria isn’t building rail line into Niger but, only to the designated border point. An agreement between Nigeria and Niger in 2015, coordinated by the Nigeria-Niger Joint Commission for Cooperation, has a plan for Kano-Katsina-Maradi Corridor Master Plan, K2M as it is called. Going by this, the two nations would each build a rail track to meet at the border town of Maradi.”[Punch]

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Thursday, said the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020, which he recently signed into law, would enhance transparency and corporate accountability and help the fight against corruption. The Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, disclosed this in a statement titled: ‘CAMA Act will help us fight corruption, President Buhari explains at UNGA high-level summit’. The presidential spokesman said Buhari spoke in a video message presented at the Open Government Partnership 2020 Virtual Leaders’ Summit on the sidelines of the 75th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, United States. The President spoke at a time stakeholders, including the Christian Association of Nigeria, are faulting some provisions of the law. Adesina quoted the Buhari as saying, “Since the inception of our administration in 2015, the government has been committed to changing international and domestic perceptions regarding Nigeria’s commitment to fight corruption and foster good governance. We focused on the task of dealing head-on with this destructive monster, which led to us joining the Open Government Partnership and making reform commitments such as to establish a public central register of beneficial owners of corporate entities. Since then, we have made significant progress in implementing tougher anti-corruption measures, including my recent assent to the Companies and Allied Matters Act, 2020. The Act provides a legal framework for the implementation of Beneficial Ownership Information Disclosure in Nigeria. Being an OGP member-country has helped Nigeria learn from other countries tackling similar challenges, and to build a coalition to support these reforms across the private sector and civil society. It has also aided our journey towards building citizens’ trust in government.” Buhari encouraged Nigerians to get involved in the OGP and help shape and sustain the country’s democracy now and in the future.[Punch]

The Federal Government says applicants will not pay any ‘facilitation fee’ to access its intervention grant for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), and cautions unsuspecting applicants against fraudsters. Mrs Mariam Katagum, the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, stated this at a news conference on the implementation process of the Survival Fund in on Thursday in Abuja. Katagum, who is also the Chairperson, Programme Steering Committee, said the Project Delivering Office (PDO) for the scheme was receiving feedbacks from Nigerians since its registration portal opened on Sept. 21, for applicants. According to her, the Federal Government, through the Nigeria Economic Sustainability Plan (NESP), has commenced nationwide implementation of the National MSME Survival Fund and the Guaranteed Off-take Stimulus Schemes. Minister said: “Applicants are to access the fund at no cost since the initiative is borne out of the Federal Government’s continued commitment to help cushion the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy. The Survival Fund will not at any time or for any reason request payment or facilitation fees to access the grants. We will, however, like to draw the attention of the public to attempts by scammers and other undesirable elements to swindle innocent Nigerians with promises of assured disbursements for a fee. The public is encouraged to report any such nefarious activities to the nearest security agents and follow up with a report to the PDO via the mediums provided on the website. The PDO has received reports of some attempted cyber-attacks on the application website. We will like to assure the public that the application system is secured with multiple levels of encryption and any information loaded on the official application page is saved from cyber-attacks of any kind,” she said. Katagum lauded MSMEs’ performances across the country and urged them to take full advantage of the scheme by applying for any category that suits their needs.[Vanguard]

President Muhammadu Buhari says there is a compelling need to strengthen international cooperation in the global effort to curtail the menace of Illicit financial flows as current international mechanisms are not strong enough. Buhari made this call in a speech delivered on his behalf by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday at the Financial Accountability, Transparency, and Integrity (FACTI) Panel Video Conference. Osinbajo’ spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement in Abuja, said the event was held at the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The session also featured presentations by the immediate past President of the United Nations General Assembly, Prof. Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, and Amb. Mona Jul of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). According to him, the system makes combating tax abuses, especially by multinational corporations, difficult for most developing countries. “It is my hope that the final report of the FACTI Panel would introduce proposals that would lead us towards a fairer international tax regime. I also hope that the report would contain proposals that would address the continuing advocacy for country-by-country reporting, open disclosure and automatic exchange of information on beneficial ownership, as well as eliminate financial secrecy jurisdictions and tax havens that facilitate base erosion and profit shifting. Profit shifting, harmful tax competition–the so-called race to the bottom–and the taxation of the digital economy should also receive adequate attention and focus in the report of the Panel.”[Vanguard]

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