Business

ActionAid Harps On Budget Expenditure Monitoring

Published

13 years ago

April 30, 2012

ActionAid wants civil society groups to monitor budget expenditures

ActionAid Nigeria, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has called on civil society groups to monitor and ensure compliance with the implementation of the 2012 budget recently assented to by President Goodluck Jonathan.

ActionAid’s Head of Programme Quality, Mrs Tasallah Chibok, made the call in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja.

Our correspondent noted that President Goodluck Jonathan assented to the 2012 Appropriation Bill of N4.697 trillion on April 13, which according to him, is geared toward supporting economic growth and employment creation.

Chibok urged the public and all civil society groups to ensure that monies earmarked for projects listed for execution in all sectors of the economy were used for the implementation of such projects.

She pointed out that civil society groups needed to be carried along in the preparation of budgets by all tiers of government because of the complementary role they play in realising government objectives.

“I think the point to start monitoring is even at the point at which the budget is being developed.

“So there is the need for civil society organisations – whether at community level or at state level, whichever level they are involved – to be part of developing the budget because at the point, they will be able to make their suggestions and be able to make their inputs; that is the point at which the monitoring starts.

“It’s not just when the budget is being read that you go through it and say, we should have put in money here; we have so much money here and all that; it starts from the point of developing the budget.”

Chibok maintained that if all projects listed in the budget were duly implemented economic activities would be stimulated to generate vast opportunities that Nigerians would take advantage of to better their lives.

She said capacity building on budget monitoring and evaluation was necessary “to put the government on its toes’’ in the execution of projects in the country.

“We have a network of budget monitoring in Nigeria that is involved; we have other CSOs at state levels that other projects are even sponsoring, that are being involved.

“Skills are being built because if you don’t have the skills to do it, you will just be a spectator, but skills are being built for CSO partners to be able participate in budgetary processes from the beginning to the end of the process.

“So with that, I think we are all sitting up.”

Apart from budget monitoring, ActionAid also engages in building the capacity at the grassroots and improving their lives through advocacy.

It is also committed to poverty eradication in Nigeria with major projects in the education and health sectors, among others.

Business

NPA Assures On Staff Welfare

Published

4 days ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

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

Business

ANLCA Chieftain Emerges FELCBA’s VP

Published

4 days ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

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

Business

NSC, Police Boost Partnership On Port Enforcement

Published

4 days ago

June 27, 2025

The Tide

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