24042019 - Dogara bombs Tinubu

8—Vanguard, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 24 , 2019
:Vanguard News :@vanguardnews :@vanguardnews NEWS HOTLINES: 08052867023, 08052867058
VISIT: From left, Country Director, African Development Bank, AfDB, Mr Ebrima Faal;
COS AfDB President, Prof. Oyebanji Oyeyinka; AfDB President, Dr Akinwunmi Adesina;
President Muhammadu Buhari; Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, and Foreign Affairs
Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama when Buhari hosted Adesina at State House, Abuja, yesterday.
Our borrowing still at 19% to GDP
—Finance Minister
By Emma Ujah,
Abuja Bureau Chief
ABUJA—MINISTER of
Finance, Mrs Zainab
Ahmed, has put Nigeria’s
borrowing at 19 per cent to
Gross Domestic Product, GDP,
saying it is low compared to
countries such as Ghana,
Brazil, South Africa, Egypt
and Angola.
Ahmed in a statement by
her Special Adviser on
Media, Mr. Paul Abechi, in
Abuja, yesterday, was
obviously reacting to concerns
by critics that the current
administration was mounting
debts.
“In the borrowing, we are
still at 19 per cent to GDP. Our
borrowing is still low. What is
allowed by our Fiscal
Responsibility Act is the
maximum of 25 per cent of
our GDP compared to
countries such as Ghana,
Egypt, South Africa, Angola
and Brazil and we are the
lowest in terms of borrowing,”
she was quoted as saying.
Challenge of
revenue generation
Acknowledging the
challenge of revenue
generation by the country, the
minister said: “What we have
is revenue problem and
when revenue performs at
the aggregate rate of 55
percent, it hinders the ability
to operate our budget.
“So it hinders our ability to
service all categories of
expenditures, including
salaries, allowances, capitals
as well as debts.”
Consequently, Ahmed said
the ministry was paying
particular attention to
enhancing revenue and
collection capacities.
On fuel subsidy
Clarifying the vexed issue
of subsidy, the minister said
there was a difference
between the current subsidy
regime and what it was under
the past administration.
According to her, in the
past, subsidy was paid to oil
marketers in a manner that
lacked transparency, as
against the new regime in
which NNPC is the sole
importer of petroleum
products.
She said: "So when they
import, it is the cost of
business and deduct that cost
before they remit the little
money to the federation
•Says borrowing low, compared
to Ghana, Brazil, S/Africa
account. So that is completely
different. It is more cost
effective, it is cheaper and
what is being done now is
easier to monitor what
transpired.”
She also insisted that there
was no immediate plan to
remove subsidy from
petroleum products in the
country, as no alternative
arrangement had been
found.
“We are not there yet and
we discuss this periodically
under the Economic
Management Team, but we
have not found a formula that
works for Nigeria and you
know Nigeria is unique
because what works in
Ghana may not work in here.
"So it is still work in progress
and so there is no intention
to remove fuel subsidy at this
time,” Ahmed said.
Nigeria suffers 450,000 barrels
setback in 3 days, records $32m loss
•As Aiteo extinguishes Nembe Creek fire, moves to
inspect facility
By Udeme
Akpan
NIGERIA has so far
suspended the export
of about 150,000 barrels of
crude oil per day, bpd, for
three days, totalling 450,000
barrels due to the destruction
of Nembe Creek pipeline,
dedicated to the export of
crude in the area.
The disruption in export
covered the period from April
21 to 23.
The destruction of the
facility, which culminated in
the declaration of force
majure, has also hindered the
generation of about $32
million at the current price of
$73 per barrel.
Meanwhile, Aiteo has
succeeded in tackling the fire,
expected to pave way for
inspection and
commencement of
rehabilitation of the facility.
This is even as Neconde
Energy Limited has invented
an Alternative Evacuation
Technology, AET, to tackle oil
theft and pipeline vandalism
in Nigeria.
In a statement, yesterday,
Aiteo stated: “Aiteo confirms
that the fire reported within
its Right Of Way (ROW) of
the NCTL on April 21, 2019
has been completely put out.
The security team conducted
further inspections at various
times yesterday and confirms
this position.
“In line with regulatory
requirements, a Joint
Investigation Visit, JIV,
comprising security and
regulatory agencies as well
as community
representatives and Aiteo
personnel will be constituted
and deployed to the site to
attend to the necessary
incident formalities.This team
is expected at the incident site
imminently.
“The Joint Task Force on
Security team has confirmed
that sabotage of the pipeline
at Awoba was responsible;
has identified some culprits
and is set to act as is
necessary.
“Aiteo is working on further
site preparation and
mobilisation of specialised
equipment to the swamps for
further remedial action to
facilitate a quick return to full
functionality. Further
information will be made
available as soon as these
occur.”
Head, Corporate
Communications of the
company, Mr Ndiana
Matthew, had earlier stated:
“We are constrained to shut
in injection as well as other
related operations into the
NCTL. In accordance with
standard procedure, we
requested the other injectors
to do same."
CJN: Court asked to declare
Muhammad unfit, order new
selection
Taraba killings: Reps urge
security agencies to fish out
perpetrators
By Levinus
Nwabughiogu
ABUJA—HOUSE of
Representatives,
yesterday, charged the
nation’s security agencies to
arrest the perpetrators of the
killings in Taraba State, which
have prompted a renewed war
between Tiv and Jukun ethnic
groups.
The House also called for
thorough investigation to
unravel the forces behind the
crisis with a view to providing
a lasting solution to it.
The resolution followed a
motion on the need for
intervention in the crisis in
Wukari Local Government
Area of Taraba State
sponsored by Danjuma
Shiddi (PDP, Taraba) and
Emmanuel Udende (APGA,
Benue) at yesterday’s plenary.
While further directing the
National Emergency
Management Agency,
NEMA, and the Presidential
Committee on North-East to,
By Ikechukwu
Nnochiri
A BUJA—ABUJA
Division of the Federal
High Court has okayed a
fresh suit seeking to bar
President Muhammadu
Buhari from appointing the
acting Chief Justice of
Nigeria, CJN, Justice Tanko
Muhammad, to take over the
leadership of the judiciary in
substantive capacity.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/
CS/420/2019, is praying the
court to declare Justice
Muhammad, who is
currently the most senior jurist
at the Supreme Court, unfit
to replace the sacked CJN,
Justice Walter Onnoghen.
Specifically, the plaintiff,
Chief Malcom Omirhobo,
who is a human rights lawyer,
is praying the court to declare
that the acting CJN, Justice
Muhammad, having made
himself available as a tool
used in the violation of the
constitution, especially with
regards to the “illegal”
removal of the former CJN,
was, therefore, not a proper
and fit person to be
recommended for
appointment to head the
judiciary.
It is the contention of the
plaintiff that the acting CJN
conducted himself in a
manner that reduced the
confidence of the public in the
integrity and impartiality of
the judiciary.
Cited as 1st to 7th
defendants in the suit were
National Judicial Council,
NJC; Federal Judicial
Service Commission, FJSC;
as a matter of urgency, provide
relief materials including
food, healthcare services
and roofing materials to the
victims of the crisis, the lawmakers
particularly called on
Nigerian Army to step up
surveillance in the affected
communities until peace was
restored just as they also urged
the Benue and Taraba states
governments to close ranks for
the sake of peace.
Moving the motion earlier,
Shiddi said: “In the recent
time, Wukari Local
Government Area of Taraba
State has become unstable
because of communal clashes
between Tiv and Jukun.
“In addition to the
destruction of houses and
infrastructure including
schools, health facilities and
even places of warships,
several people have been
killed in the internecine feud
between the two tribal groups.
“As at the last count, no fewer
than 10,000 people have fled
their homes and their food
stuff completely destroyed."
acting CJN; Federal
Government of Nigeria,
President Buhari, Attorney
General of the Federation
and National Assembly.
The plaintiff, among other
things, urged the court to
declare that the suspension
and/or removal of a CJN from
office, is a shared
responsibility of the 1st
defendant (NJC), 5th
defendant (Buhari) and 7th
defendant
(National
Assembly).
He argued that Buhari
lacked the constitutional
powers to unilaterally
suspend and/or remove a
sitting CJN from office, as
was done in the case of
Onnoghen.
He, therefore, applied for a
court order to restrain the
National Assembly from
confirming any appointment
of Justice Muhammad as the
substantive CJN.
El-Zakzaky:
We’re not at
odds with
Buhari’s govt
—Shi’ites
By Luminous
Jannamike
ABUJA—
Islamic
Movement in Nigeria,
IMN, has said it was not at
odds with either the Federal
Government under
President Muhammadu
Buhari or any other
constituted authority in
Nigeria, in spite of intense
provocation by agents of the
present administration.
Members of the Muslim
sect, also known as Shi’ites,
however, vowed to continue
in their expression of
dismay over the refusal of
the government to obey
multiple court orders
directing the release of their
leader, Shiekh Ibraheem El-
Zakzaky, and his wife,
Zeenat, through every
legitimate means at their
disposal.
Speaking with Vanguard
in Abuja, Chairman, Free
El-Zakzaky Campaign
Committee of IMN, Sheikh
Abdulrahman Abubakar,
said: “We are not at odds
with the government. The
reality is that we are
expressing our concerns
and dismay as regards the
continuous incarceration of
our leader, who was attacked
by the Nigerian army.
"We believe the attack was
at the instance of the
Commander-in-Chief of the
Nigerian army who is the
President, Mr Buhari.
“Despite the court order
that the Sheikh is being
detained illegally and
should be released
unconditionally, the
government has refused to
obey."