12022018 - Fuel crisis : PDP, APC in verbal war over President's role

VANGUARD, MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2018—9
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2019: FG'll not divert capital project
funds for election —Adeosun
•Projects 3.5% economic growth in 2018
THE
Federal
Government’s capital
budget would be strictly
deployed to fund
infrastructural projects
across the country,
particularly the completion
of ongoing projects,
Minister of Finance, Mrs
Kemi Adeosun, has said.
Adeosun, who also
projected 3.5 per cent
economic growth for 2018,
said government would
retain the capital budget
despite forthcoming
elections in the country.
The minister made this
known on Friday in Abuja
while representing Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo at
a lecture delivered to
National Defence College,
NDC, Course 26
participants.
Responding to an enquiry
by a member of the NDC
Course 26 on the use of the
capital budget for the
general elections, Mrs.
Adeosun maintained that
the current administration
would not engage in the
diversion of capital project
funds for the forthcoming
elections.
She said: “The
administration remains
committed to infrastructure
spending at the high levels
of the past two years and
the completion of major
ongoing projects.”
She further reiterated the
commitment of the
administration to its
programme of
transformation, and jobs
and wealth creation across
the country.
Earlier at the National
Defence College, the
finance minister had
delivered the Vice
President’s lecture to the
Course 26 participants
entitled, “Economic
Dimensions of National
Security: The Nigerian
Experience.”
In the speech, Vice
President Osinbajo said
improvement in economic
security was vital to
Nigeria’s economic growth,
human security
improvement, and
realisation of national
defence and security
requirements.
He assured that the
Federal Government would
continue to play a key role
in ensuring national
cohesion by promoting
social inclusion as a key
state objective.
He said: “Economic
development is a
springboard for improved
national security because it
comes with growth which
enables more resources for
a growing population.
“National economic
development means that a
country can meet its
national security needs
without depending on
outsiders for the provision
of its defence and security
needs. Depending on food
and energy imports makes
a nation vulnerable to
external pressure,” said the
vice president, who chairs
the Economic
Management Team, EMT,
of the government."
On the Social Investment
Programme, Osinbajo
revealed that about 200,000
N-Power jobs had been
created under the
programme while 250
million meals had been
served under the Home
Grown School Feeding
Programme.
VISIT: From left, Laure Beaufils, British Deputy High
Commissioner; Ade Bajomo, Executive Director, IT and Operations,
Access Bank Plc; Paul Arkwright, British High Commissioner; Herbert
Wigwe, GMD/CEO, Access Bank Plc; Titi Osuntoki, Executive
Director, Business Banking, Access Bank Plc, and Richard Ough,
Team Leader and Senior Economist, Department for International
Development, during a visit of British High Commissioner to Access
Bank head office in Lagos, weekend.
FG resumes prosecution of Boko
Haram suspects
A BUJA—THE
Attorney-General of
the Federation, AGF, and
Minister of Justice,
Abubakar Malami, SAN,
has ordered the resumption
of prosecution of suspected
Boko Haram insurgents
detained in various
locations of the country.
Special Adviser on Media
and Publicity to the AGF,
Comrade Salihu Othman
Isah, who disclosed this in
a statement, yesterday, said
the second phase of the trial
would commence at Kainji
detention facility in Niger
State today.
According to him, the
resumption of trial arose
from the conclusion of
investigation of over 1000
suspects as ordered by the
court during its
proceedings of October
2017 by the Office of the
Attorney-General of the
Federation and Minister of
Justice.
He explained that it was
expected that suspects with
prima facie cases would be
prosecuted, while others
without it would have
applications made for their
discharge.
He said those discharged
would undergo a process
of deradicalization from the
Office of the National
Security Adviser, ONSA,
before their final release to
their families.
This exercise, which is a
concerted effort of Federal
Ministry of Justice and
Office of the National
Security Adviser, ONSA.
kicked off in Kainji, Niger
State on Monday, October
9, 2017.
Four judges were
allocated to four dedicated
courts to handle the trials
located in a military facility
in Kainji, while defence
counsel were provided for
those suspects without
capacity to hire private
legal practitioners to
defend them.
Unlike the first phase,
which was restricted, Isah
said this phase was opened
with some civil society
groups, including human
rights organisation and
journalists, invited to
witness the proceedings.
He said already, about 82
Boko Haram detainees
have so far benefited from
the Federal Government’s
window to plead guilty to
secure low jail terms or
unconditional release,
which is part of President
Muhammadu Buhari’s
administration’s concerted
effort to boost its human
right records and decongest
the nation’s prisons.
Passage of 2018 budget
will be stormy — Source
By Henry Umoru
A BUJA—FOUR
months after
President Muhammudu
Buhari presented before a
joint session of the National
Assembly a budget
proposal of N8.612 trillion
for the 2018 fiscal year,
strong indications have
emerged that its passage
by lawmakers will be
stormy.
It was gathered that
lawmakers are already
divided on whether the
budget should be returned
to the executive or panelbeaten
and just passed,
even as many are
aggrieved that the
implementation of 2017
budget is so poor and
feared that it would affect
the approval of 2018
budget.
A source told Vanguard
,yesterday, that the passage
of the budget forms a major
problem for the ruling All
Progressives Congress,
APC, especially on how to
carry everyone on board as
well as first convince
senators elected on the
platform of the party.
This is because of the
frosty relation between the
senators and the party.
There is also the problem
of how to convince the
opposition senators in the
Peoples Democratic Party,
PDP.
A very senior party
member and a principal
officer of the National
Assembly, who spoke with
Vanguard on condition of
anonymity simply said:
“We are having serious
problem in our party, the
leadership is far from party
members, especially the
lawmakers.
"You can see that it took
the party a very long time
before it decided to meet
with us at the National
Assembly, there is no
synergy, there is no avenue
for us to discuss issues
before they are brought to
the National Assembly.
‘’There is no national
caucus meeting, our major
problem now is how we can
convince our colleagues to
pass the 2018 Appropriation
bill.”
PTAD shuns SGF, NASS
resolution to recall
disengaged directors
THERE is palpable
fear and disquiet at the
Pension Transitional
Arrangement Directorate,
PTAD, as Executive
Secretary of the agency,
Sharon Ikeazor, has
shunned all entreaties and
directives from Secretary to
the Government of the
Federation, SGF, and the
Senate to recall five sacked
directors, following their
alleged irregular
appointments.
The affected directors are
Godson Ukpevo, who until
his disengagement was in
charge of Civil Service
Pension Department;
Uloma Uruakpa (Customs,
Immigrations and Prisons
Pension Department);
Taiwo Ogundipe
9,973 senior police officers promoted in
2017
ABUJA—THE Police
Service Commission,
PSC, said it promoted
9,973 police officers in
2017.
Chairman of the
commission, Mike Okiro,
made the disclosure in an
interview with News
Agency of Nigeria in
Abuja, yesterday.
He said two
commissioners of police
and 13 deputy
commissioners of police
were promoted to the rank
of Assistant Inspectors-
General of Police and
commissioners respectively
within the period under
review.
The chairman said 41
Assistant Commissioners of
Police and 54 chief
superintendent of police
were also elevated to deputy
commissioners of police and
assistant commissioner
respectively.
He said the period under
review also witnessed the
elevation of 52
superintendents of police
and 513 deputy
superintendents of police to
the rank of chief
superintendents and
superintendents.
According to Mr. Okiro,
other categories of officers
promoted are: 3,365
assistant superintendents of
police and 5,933 inspectors
to the rank of deputy
superintendents and
assistant superintendents
respectively.
On discipline, he said
118 cases were received, 42
treated while 76 appeals
and petitions were still
pending.
Mr. Okiro said under his
administration, officers
were promoted to the next
rank when they are due.
(Parastatals Pension
Department); Atiku Saleh
(Police Pension
Department), and Roz
Ben-Okagbue (Pension
Support Service
Department).
Trouble started when in
March, 2017, the Executive
Secretary sought the
approval of Minister of
Finance for the immediate
implementation of
recommendations of the
staff audit verification report
of February, 2017,
conducted by the Office of
the Head of Civil Service of
the Federation, OHCSF.
Based on that report, the
agency got to know that the
employment of the five
directors three years after,
were irregular, and
contravened section
020205(a) of the Public
Service Rules(PSRs).
The Economic Confidential
gathered that based on the
report, the directors were
sacked and asked to refund
salaries and emoluments
earned within the period of
engagement and pay same
to Federal Government
treasury, as contained in the
personnel records audit by
the Auditor General of the
Federation, OAGF, dated
July 15, 2015.
Dissatisfied with this
treatment by PTAD, the
directors petitioned the
Minister of Finance,
appealing for
reinstatement.