Connect with us

Business

2012 Budget: Jonathan Threatens Heads Of MDAs

Published

13 years ago

on

President Goodluck Jonathan said on Friday that he would sack all Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) who lobbied the National Assembly to distort the 2012 budget.

The President stated this in his remarks shortly after signing the 2012 appropriation bill into law at the State House. Jonathan said the attitude of MDAs lobbying for increase of their budget by the National Assembly had been responsible for the difficulties in budget implementation.

He said that he already had security information on some heads of Parastatal Agencies who lobbied the National Assembly to increase the 2012. Budget and he would make scapegoats of them.

“One of the greatest problems I have noticed from the day I resumed office as a vice president in 2007 till date is that Federal Government budgets have not been based on proper planning.

“In most cases, when the budget comes out from the Planning Ministry and Finance along the line, people distort the budget, especially some heads of MDAs go to lobby the National Assembly to put figures that are not based on planning.

“And that is why it has been very difficult for federal government to achieve targets.

“This year, we clearly frowned at it and I am going to use some heads of parastatals, I got security reports – that came to lobby for their budgets to be increased; I will use some people as an example. I will ask them to leave because we cannot run a country without planning.

“We cannot run a budget that is not based on planning because these figures don’t just come from the blues, people sat down and compute figures and see how it fits into fiscal responsibility and other issues.

“So we will not allow a situation where one person, because of personal interest will distort the budget of a nation, the president said.’’

He pleaded with the National Assembly to always resist overtures from heads of MDAs to increase their budgets. A total of N4.749 trillion budget proposal based on a benchmark oil price of 70 dollars per barrel was presented to the National Assembly. However, the National Assembly, on March 15, passed the budget of N4.697 trillion on a benchmark oil price of 72 dollars per barrel.

The increase in the benchmark from 70 to 72 dollars yielded for the Federal Government at least N98.4 billion. The National Assembly had appropriated N50 billion out of a N98.4 billion increase to reduce the budget deficit. The balance of N48.4 billion was allotted to some MDAs for specific projects. Meanwhile, the president has assured the country that the 2013 appropriation bill would be sent to that National Assembly not later than September to ensure its passage before the end of the year.

To achieve this, Jonathan said he had already directed his Chief of Staff, to ensure that MDAs defended their budget proposals before him between May and June. He said the Ministry of Finance and the Budget Office would fine-tune the budget between July and August before submitting it to the National Assembly in September.

Related Topics:
Continue Reading

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare 

Published

1 week ago

on

June 27, 2025

By

The Managing Director, Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Dr. Abubakar Dantsoho, has said the management will continue to accompany its port infrastructure  and equipment  modernization drive  with the development of the welfare of its personnel.
Dantsoho made the disclosure recently while responding to the commendation by the Maritime Workers Union (MWUN) and the senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations and Government-Owned Companies (SSASGOC) on the  clearing  of the age-long problem of employee stagnation, when the union paid him a courtesy visit at the Authority’s headquarters in Lagos.
A Statement by NPA’s General Manager Corporate & Strategic Communications, Mr. Ikechukwu Onyemekara, quoted Dantsoho as saying,  “our Port infrastructure and equipment modernization drive will go hand-in-hand with continuous staff welfare improvement”.
The NPA MD disclosed that human capital development constitutes the key strategy for creating and sustaining superior performance under his watch, adding that “talent development constitutes a critical success factor for the actualization of the big hairy audacious goals we have set for ourselves especially in the area of Port competitiveness.
“The only way we can meet and indeed exceed stakeholders’ expectations is to deepen the competencies of our human resources assets and boosting their morale.”
Speaking further, Dantsoho commended the Honourable Minister of Marine & Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola, for approving the strategic proposal of the Dantsoho-led Management team that solved the over a decade-long problem of lack of promotion that had fuelled industrial disharmony.
“I must specially appreciate our amiable Minister for graciously approving the multi-pronged stratagem we deployed that cleared all outstanding cases of employee stagnation by conducting examinations in one fell swoop and instituted timelines to forestall a recurrence of such anomaly”, he sad.
Speaking on behalf of the joint maritime labour unions, the President  of Senior Staff Association of Statutory Corporations & Government-Owned Companies (SSASCGOC), Comrade Bodunde stated, “In addition to clearance of the backlog of stagnated promotions, we also wish to express our appreciation for the increase in productivity bonuses, provision of end-of-year welfare packages for staff, and the revision of the Financial Guide to the Condition of Service, which now addresses our members’ concerns about inflationary pressures.”
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Continue Reading

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

1 week ago

on

June 27, 2025

By

National Secretary of the Association of Nigerian Licensed Customs Agents (ANLCA), Elder Olumide Fakanlu, has been elected Vice President of the Federation of ECOWAS Licensed Customs Brokers Association (FELCBA).
The election took place during the FELCBA Congress, held from Tuesday, June 17th to Thursday, June 19th, 2025, in Freetown, Sierra Leone.
Fakanlu’s emergence as Vice President marks a significant achievement for Nigeria within the regional customs brokerage community.
Apart from Fakanlu, Secretary of the Seme Chapter of ANLCA, Austin Nwosu, was also elected, securing the role of Secretary of Relations with Institutions.
The Nigerian delegation played an active role in the congress, with Michael Ebeatu nominated as a member of the electoral officer team, ensuring a fair and transparent election process.
The three-day congress concluded with delegates undertaking a visit to the Sierra Leone Port, offering insights into the host nation’s maritime operations, followed by a recreational trip to the Tokeh Beach.
The newly elected executives are expected to lead FELCBA in its efforts to harmonize customs brokerage practices, promote trade facilitation, and advocate for the interests of licensed customs brokers across the ECOWAS sub-region.
Nkpemenyie Mcdominic, Lagos
Continue Reading

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement 

Published

1 week ago

on

June 27, 2025

By

In a bid to enhance more enforcement in the nation’s Port, the Nigerian Shippers’ Council (NSC) has reaffirmed its commitment to stronger inter-agency collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).
The Council said the collaboration is aimed at enhancing stronger enforcement, compliance and improve operational efficiency across Nigeria’s ports.
Executive Secretary/Chief Executive Officer of  NSC, Dr. Pius Akutah, made this known during a visit to the  Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.
The visit, which he said, focused on strengthening institutional synergy, comes in the wake of growing responsibilities for the NSC under the newly created Ministry of Marine and Blue Economy.
Akutah emphasized the critical role of security agencies in supporting port operations and ensuring regulatory compliance.
He called for the posting of police officers to assist the Council’s monitoring and enforcement teams at key port locations including Lagos, Warri, Onne, Port Harcourt, and Calabar.
“The posting will complement the activities of our revived task teams and enhance our ability to enforce standards across the maritime logistics chain”, he said.
Earlier, the Inspector-General of Police, Dr. Egbetokun, assured the Council of the Force’s readiness to continue supporting the growth of the maritime sector.
The IGP acknowledged that compliance enforcement is essential to the successful implementation of Nigeria’s Blue Economy objectives.
“The NSC and NPF are expected to deepen collaboration in the months ahead, with a shared focus on building a secure, efficient, and competitive port environment”, to the IGP emphasized.
Chinedu Wosu
Continue Reading

Trending