03032018 - APC budgets N500m for 20 vehicles

SATURDAY Vanguard, MARCH 3, 2018 — 5
2019: APC budgets N500m for 20 vehicles
* To generate N100m from each APC state
*National convention, presidential primaries get N1.3b
*Total budget: N14.82b
By Omeiza Ajayi
AHEAD of 2019
general election, All
Progressives Congress,
APC, has budgeted N500
million for the purchase of
20 vehicles for members of
its National Working
Committee, NWC.
The party which has a
total budget of N14.82
billion for 2018 also set aside
N1.3 billion for its national
convention and presidential
election primaries.
In addition, APC is in the
process of purchasing its
National Secretariat
building at the cost of N2.3
billion.
The Chief John Oyegunled
NWC revealed these in
the audited financial report
for 2016 and 2017 it
presented to the party’s
National Caucus.
Speaking in that regard,
the party’s National
Treasurer, Bala
Gwagwarwa, said N350
million had been generated
for the acquisition of the
secretariat.
He further said the 20
vehicles for NWC members
would be purchased at the
cost of N25 million each.
Gwagwarwa said:
“Looking ahead to 2018
which is an election year, a
lot of activities ranging from
organization of congresses/
primaries, conventions,
sensitisation meetings and
campaigns are expected to
take place. The budget must
inevitably have to be robust,
flexible and capable of being
implemented. Bearing this
in mind, a budget of N14.82
billion is being proposed.
“In order to ensure
funding stability and budget
implementation,
membership contribution
has been identified as
crucial. Accordingly, a
framework to deploy
electronic payment system
that assures convenience,
transparency, and ease of
reconciliation of payment
has been designed. This
system allows the use of
airtime to pay the monthly
N100 membership dues by
members while bigger
payment can be transacted
through the banks. This
system has been
substantially completed
except the negotiation of
the revenue sharing
formula between the party
and the telecom companies
whose platform will be used
in collecting the payment
and regulatory
impediments by the
Nigerian Communications
Commission and Central
Bank of Nigeria.
“The Minister of
Communication has
graciously lent his
support and it is
expected that issues
around the regulatory
impediments will soon be
resolved, which will
substantially support the
party’s ongoing
discussion on revenue
sharing formula. Due to
the difficulty the party is
facing, we have
additionally engaged
SystemSpec (Remita) as
an alternative channel for
collection of dues and
levies, which we hope will
be launched soon. “2017
2019: INEC partners Immigration Service, retrieves 299 PVCs
from aliens in 26 States
By Omeiza Ajayi
IN a bid to further
ensure the fidelity of
the register of voters to be
used for the 2019 general
elections, the Independent
National Electoral
Commission, INEC, has
entered into partnership
with the Nigerian
Immigration Service NIS
to assist with the
identification of non-
Nigerians who might have
gotten their names into the
register during the
ongoing nationwide Voter
Registration exercise.
INEC Chairman, Prof.
Mahmood Yakubu,
accompanied by National
Commissioners made the
request when he paid a
courtesy visit on the
Comptroller Genetal of the
Nigeria Immigration
Service, Muhammad
Babandede, in Abuja.
Yakubu appreciated the
NIS for supporting the
Commission in identifying
foreigners on the voters
register in 26 states of the
federation in 2017. He
said, “the Service wrote the
Commission, forwarding
confiscated Voter cards
retrieved from aliens who
illegally registered before
the last general elections
under the pretext that they
were Nigerians. The total
number of such cards
retrieved so far is 299 from
26 states of the federation
and the FCT”.
Speaking further, he
President Muhammadu Buhari receiving a gift from the President, Fertilizer
Producers & Suppliers Association of Nigeria, Mr. Thomas Etuh and the Chairman,
Presidential Initiative on Fertilizer, Alhaji Abubakar Badaru (2 right) flanked
by Chief of Staff to the President, Mallam Abba Kyari during the meeting of the
Presidential Initiative on Fertilizer at the State House, Abuja. Photo by Abayomi
Adeshida
said; “as we approach the
2019 general elections, the
cleaning up of the voter
register is a priority for the
Commission. We believe
that your service which has
already demonstrated
willingness to partner with
the Commission will be of
immense assistance in this
respect”.
He explained that the
law was clear on categories
of persons ineligible for
registration as voters.
“Those below the statutory
age of 18 years, aliens,
persons registered in
absentia, those barred by
statute or regulations from
registering as voters and
those who do not
ordinarily reside, work or
originate from the areas
covered by particular
registration exercise are
ineligible to register as
voters under the law”.
He hinted that the
Commission would
display the register of
citizens who recently
registered in the ongoing
exercise between the 26th
and the 30th of March
2018, for registrants to
check for corrections at all
registration centres
nationwide and called on
the NIS to deploy its
personnel to assist in
identifying aliens on the
list. “We hope that you will
assist us by deploying
your men to as many of
them as possible to help us
identify any aliens who
may have registered in the
ongoing registration
exercise”, he said.
In his response, the
Comptroller General of the
NIS, Muhammad
Babandede said the
Service was ready to
continue to partner with
INEC in the discharge of
its duties.
budget performance was
substantially better due to
prompt intervention of
our state governors and
National Assembly
members. In addition, he
said APC would generate
N2.4 billion at the rate of
N100 million from each of
the 24 states under its
control. He further
added that the party
hopes to generate about
N1.05 billion from
eminent members of the
party in non-APC states.
LCCI
stakeholders’
set to dialogue
on Lagos Land
Use Charge law
By Naomi Uzor
THE Lagos Chamber
of Commerce and
Industry (LCCI), yesterday
said all is set to hold a
Dialogue Session on the
new Land Use Charge Law
in Lagos.
In a statement by the
Director General of LCCI,
Mr. Muda Yusuf, he said the
session was aimed at
examining the provisions of
the recently passed law viza
viz its implications for
residents and businesses
operating in Lagos and its
environs.
According to him, the
event has been scheduled
to hold on Friday, March
9, 2018 at Commerce House
in Lagos.
“In continuance of its
Public Policy Advocacy
Initiative, it behoves The
Lagos Chamber of
Commerce and Industry
(LCCI) to provide a
platform, such as this, to
aggregate the views of
stakeholders (both public
and private) on the new
Land Use Charge Law in
Lagos, which has
generated heated debate in
the public space.”
‘Boko Haram told me abducted Dapchi school girls were safe
— Aisha Wakil *Says the girls’ll regain freedom soon
AS the Nigerian
government
extended to neighbouring
countries, the search for the
110 schoolgirls abducted last
week in Dapchi, Yobe State,
a human rights activist,
Mrs Aisha Wakil, claimed a
Boko Haram faction had
contacted her to confirm it
had the girls.
Aisha Wakil, who is also
known as Mama Boko
Haram, was a member of
the Dialogue and Peaceful
Resolution of Security
Challenges Committee in
the northern region, set up
during the President
Goodluck Jonathan era.
In an interview with The
News Agency of Nigeria,
the activist said the Barnawi
faction of Boko Haram
contacted her on Thursday.
She added that the
abductors confirmed to her
that the girls were safe,
healthy and in good
condition.
In an interview with
PRNigeria earlier this
week, Wakil had called on
the abductors to release the
girls to enable them to be
reunited with their families.
Wakil, who is said to have
communication links with
Boko Haram and respected
by some leaders of the sect,
declared that she was ready
to sacrifice her life to rescue
the girls.
Wakil said: They are even
the ones that called me, and
said Mama we heard what
you have said and told me
that they are with the girls
and they are going to release
them.
“I begged of them and
said please let this not be
another 1,000-plus days of
Chibok girls, and they
laughed and said no. I
asked them where I can
come and stay with them
(girls) for two days, but they
did not say anything.
“I can assure Nigerians
that so far they are with my
son Habib and his friends;
Habib is a nice guy, he is
very nice boy. He will not
harm them, he will not touch
them, and he will not kill
them.
“He is going to listen to
us, and so far he indicated
interest that he loves peace.
And I love them for that and
believe what they said on
this.
“They will definitely give
us the girls. All I am
begging Nigerians is to
calm down, be prayerful,
everything will be over in
God grace”.
The activist had at various
times participated and
played key role in
negotiations between the
military authorities and
Boko Haram insurgents’
commanders, which
facilitated released of
numerous abductees from
terrorists’ captivity.
In a statement today, the
Federal Government
announced it has stepped
up the search for the 110
girls to the neighbouring
countries.