News
Senate demands inclusion of subsidy in 2018 budget – Blasts NNPC over Illegal N216.9bn ‘operational costs’


The Senate Thursday directed its Committees on Appropriation and Public Accounts to liaise with the executive arm of government to ensure that appropriation for fuel subsidy is introduced in the 2018 budget.
It said this following the discovery that the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) paid the sum of N216.9 billion to cover the N26 per litre differentials between the N171 landing cost of petrol and the sale at N145 per litre.
The money which the NNPC said is ‘operational costs’, covered the period between January and December 2017 and was unearthed by the senate’s Public Accounts Committee in its investigations into subsidy payments by the NNPC without appropriation.
The committee found that within the period, the NNPC imported 9.8 billion litres of petrol, for $5.5billion (N1.68 trillion).
The Senate also mandated the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF) to carry out a comprehensive audit of the accounts of the NNPC for the last five years.
The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, said the NNPC has become the sole importer of petrol because of lack of provision for subsidy, which he noted could have encouraged private sector participation.
“The reason why the NNPC is the sole importer is because there is no budget for subsidy, so it just dips its hands into crude oil sales. This is illegal payment. It is better we rectify this and stop deceiving Nigerians. If we include subsidy, even private companies would participate in importing petrol, which may even make the price to go down,” Saraki said.
“NNPC is using the absurd word that is operational costs, and this is an insult to Nigerians. IMF (International Monetary Fund) and others see this kind of reports, and laugh at us,” Saraki said.
The Chairman of PAC, Senator Matthew Uroghide, presenting the findings of the investigation, said it was curious that the NNPC did not seek appropriation for the N216.9 billion.
“The Director of Finance said they do not want to talk about it, after we asked why they are not asking for it to be appropriated. It is not their exclusive right to decide to pay the money, ”Uroghide said.
He added that the NNPC became the sole importer, because other marketers could no longer import the product as a result of the high cost of importation (landing cost and the recharges) which is higher than the approved sale price.
“There is need for the federal government to pay oil marketers the outstanding arrears of subsidy owed them prior to 2017,” the chairman said.
Senator Chukwuka Utazi (Enugu PDP) said the issue of NNPC and the extra-budgetary spending is not something, which the Senate should take lightly.
They are using semantics to hide illegality.“If we condemn Mr. President’s buying of Tucano aircrafts to be supplied in 2020 without appropriation, this one is more condemnable,” Utazi said.
The Senate thereafter directed the corporation to stop the illegal payments immediately. (ThisDay)
News
Gov Mbah Inaugurates Committee to End Gender-Based Violence in Enugu


The Enugu State government has inaugurated a steering committee to eliminate Gender-Based Violence, GBV, in the state, declaring zero tolerance for the social malaise.
The inauguration took place at the Government House Enugu.
The panel, which is chaired by the Commissioner for Children, Gender Affairs and Social Development, Mrs. Ngozi Enih, draws its membership from the Nigeria Police Force, Ministry of Agriculture and Agro Industrialisation, Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Chieftaincy Affairs, Ministry of Human Development and Poverty Reduction, Ministry of Trade, Investment and Industry, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education as well as the Civil Society.
Inaugurating the panel known as the Steering Committee for Strengthening Institutional and Community Responses to End Gender-Based Violence/Domestication of Enugu State Gender Policy using the Oputa Panel approach, Governor Peter Mbah restated his administration’s commitment to not bringing perpetrators of GBV to book, but also putting in place proactive measures – activities, infrastructure, and systems in place to prevent them.
Mbah, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Chidiebere Onyia, said, “We take gender-based violence seriously. We have zero tolerance for it, and in Enugu State, we are ready to go the extra mile to deal with it.
“If you notice, the government has selected people that are very committed to this goal. This is not an activity where we just want to check-off the list. We will track this. We will monitor this, and we will have quarterly engagements on the successes that this particular committee has achieved in terms of reference that we are going to send.
“We will tighten those terms of reference indicators, so that we monitor what we are doing both in terms of cost input and the value added. It’s very important to us. Many people will be involved – civil society, the police and various ministries.”
He however, said that the effort was to protect everyone, men and women alike, as GBV was not restricted to any gender.
“The whole idea is to hold people responsible that are involved in matters relating to gender violence and deter people that by culture or by association get involved in that, protect women, protect our children, and in the case of violence against men, protect our men because most times we misconstrue gender violence to mean women, but it can also be men too.
“We encourage our men to speak out and to make sure they understand that the policy that Enugu State is soon going to domesticate is for everyone, and not only for the female gender,” he stated.
In her remark, Mrs. Enih, explained that the Oputa Panel approach was inspired by the need to cover all local peculiarities in domesticating the policy on GBV, restarting government’s confidence in the members of the panel.
“The approach we are going to use is the Oputa Panel approach, and in the Oputa Panel approach, we are going to tour the 17 Local Government Areas to get firsthand information about what our people are going through because policy is meant for the people, and a policy should suit the people.
“Again, every community has its peculiar problems, so that’s why the government decided that if we have to domesticate the gender policy, we have to hear from the people who own the policy and know the changes that they desire to see. That is the reason we are using this approach.
“The committee members are to also serve as judges. As we gather this information from our people, we will come back to tailor it in a way to suit the people of Enugu State, and then our policy is ready.
“We want the people to know that there is a gender policy for them. I can assure you that when the people are aware that there is such a policy, they will seek for the enforcement of that policy. So, this is not going to be one of those policies that will just lie on the shelf,” she said.


Digital solutions provider, Globacom, has congratulated Christians in Nigeria on this year’s Easter celebration, and urged them to emulate the noble qualities of Jesus Christ.
The company, in a goodwill message to the Christian faithful in the country, lauded their perseverance through the Lenten period which preceded Easter. It enjoined them to always promote the ideals of selflessness, love and peace among all as a way of demonstrating the virtues of the exemplary life of Jesus Christ.
“Peace, love and sacrifice are the central message of Easter. Christ offered himself in atonement for the sins of the world and he lived a life which made Him an eternal symbol of peace and goodwill for mankind”, Globacom added.
The company enjoined all Nigerians to share in the lessons of promoting selflessness, a necessary ingredient in the growth and development of every society. It also enjoined all Nigerians to join hands to make Nigeria a better place for all.
Easter is celebrated yearly at the end of the Lenten season of fasting and prayer considered as a ritual of purification for the Christian faithful. It also precedes the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ on Good Friday and His eventual resurrection on Easter Sunday.
The company assured its customers of seamless voice, data and Short Messaging Service (SMS) during and after the Easter celebrations, while urging them to avail themselves of the various data and voice offerings on the network.


The Guild of Private Broadcast Managers has extended its heartfelt congratulations to the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) as it celebrates its 70th Anniversary.
In a congratulatory message signed by the Guild’s National President, Ambassador Patrick Uzoyi-Peters, JP MNGRM, the guild described the milestone as a testament to the NUJ’s unwavering commitment to upholding press freedom, journalistic integrity, and the advancement of democracy in Nigeria.
“For seven decades, the NUJ has played a pivotal role in shaping the media landscape, advocating for the rights and welfare of journalists, and ensuring that the voice of the people remains strong and unyielding. Your resilience, professionalism, and dedication to ethical journalism have been instrumental in fostering transparency, accountability, and national development”.
Celebrating this historic achievement, the Guild’s President, Uzoyi-Peters recognized the sacrifices and contributions of journalists across the nation who work tirelessly to inform, educate, and empower society.
The Guild reiterated it commitment towards collaborating with the NUJ in promoting responsible journalism and strengthening the media industry for the greater good.
While wishing the NUJ continued success, growth, and greater impact in the years ahead, President Uzoyi-Peters prayed that the anniversary serve as a renewed call to uphold the principles of truth, fairness, and press freedom in our collective pursuit of a more informed and just society.