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FG, NASS’ Talks On Budget, Healthy …41.3% Already Implemented – Finance Minister
Senate President David Mark said yesterday that the disagreement between the legislature and the executive over the non-implementation of the 2012 budget was necessary.
The Senate president said this at an event to mark StarTimes’ second anniversary and the inauguration of StarTimes Mobile TV.
He said that the rift between the two arms of government became necessary in order to achieve the common objective of ensuring that ordinary Nigerians benefitted from the dividends of democracy.
“The rift between the executive and the National Assembly is a necessary disagreement for us to come to one simple objective.
“The final objective for the legislature and the executive is that the ordinary Nigerian in the street must see the dividends of Democracy.
“The intricacies and mechanism that result to this is not truly the problem of the ordinary Nigerian. So, when we talk of whether we have implemented the budget to 56 per cent or to 21 per cent or to 36 per cent, the man who walking on the street in Nigeria is not interested in those figures.
“He wants to see that there are infrastructures on the ground for him to utilise. He wants to be employed. He wants to have three square meals in his house. He wants security to do his business. He wants to have enough power”, he said.
Mark, who said the disagreement was exaggerated, called on both arms of government to sheathe their swords and work toward the growth of the economy.
He called on both arms of government to concentrate more on meeting the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians, rather than debating on the level of budget so far implemented.
“We should not begin to preach about percentage, I think we should worry more on how these percentages have been translated to realities on ground.
“But let me also say that I think there is an over exaggeration as to the rift between the executive and the Legislature, we are all working for Nigeria, but I must emphasise that the legislators are the elected representatives of the people and we wear the shoes, so we should know where they hurt most and I think people should listen to us,” he said.
Meanwhile, Senate President David Mark said that the military was better off in a democratic setting since it performed its constitutional roles without interference
Mark said this yesterday at a dinner organised by the National Defence College for Graduates of Course 20 participants and also to mark the 20th anniversary of the college
He said the military was getting back to its glorious days where the personnel did their constitutional duties and nobody would think they would do otherwise’
“So we have accepted that democracy is the order of the day and the military regime is no more in fashion and is completely outdated.
“And the Nigerian Armed Forces are so well trained, that they understand that constitutional democracy is the order of the day, so I want to thank you for that,’’ he said.
Mark said the Course 20 participants had the most challenging period, adding that the experience gained by them was not thought of some years back as there were no suicide bombers then in the country.
He said the challenge the participants had during the course was an opportunity for the participants to review most of the activities of these suicide bombers.
“Therefore, I think you had very challenging and exciting period as the Defence College by now have got a blue print because this is the highest thinking institution in the whole of West African Sub-Region.
“And anything you cannot solve militarily , then it is assumed that it is difficult for any military institution to solve and the challenge that you have must have informed your new syllabus and the new thinking that the college is working on,” he added.
Mark said by changing the name of the college from war to defence college showed that the tendency in the world now was not to fight war but to defend.
“Let me assure the commandant, staff and participants of the college that the National Assembly would do what it can in terms of legislation to make sure that they are properly equipped, to make sure they are in a position to deliver the best training.
He called for synergy between NASS and the college as their research papers would help in ways to curb the current security challenges.
Our correspondent reports that presentation of awards were made to staff who distinguished themselves.
In a related development, the 2012 budget was passed in April and 41.3% has been implemented. This was confirmed by the Minister of Finance, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. The minister said this while addressing members of the Senate Committee on Appropriation, yesterday.
Okonjo-Iweala said that the sum of N1.3 trillion was appropriated for capital expenditure in the 2012 budget and out of this; the ministry has released N404 billion with N324 billion cash backed.
“So far, 56 per cent of the capital budget had been utilised while 44 per cent was still outstanding.” she said.
She added that the ministry had so far released N1.6 trillion for recurrent expenditure.
The Minister said that the budget was meant to run from January to December, so it should be executed in that manner, she also claims that the media lied about the budget implementation.
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister, Dr. Abiy Ahmed.
Upon arrival yesterday, Shettima was received at the airport by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ethiopia, Dr. Gedion Timothewos, and other members of the Ethiopian and Nigerian diplomatic corps.
Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Communication, Stanley Nkwocha, revealed this in a statement he signed yesterday, titled: “VP Shettima arrives in Ethiopia for official state visit.”
During the visit, Vice President Shettima will participate in the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme, a flagship environmental initiative.
The programme designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
In line with strengthening bilateral ties in agriculture and industrial development, the Vice President will also embark on a strategic tour of key industrial zones and integrated agricultural facilities across selected regions of Ethiopia.
News
RSG Tasks Farmers On N4bn Agric Loan ….As RAAMP Takes Sensitization Campaign To Four LGs In Rivers
The Rivers State Government has called on the people of the state especially farmers to access the ?4billion agricultural loans made available by the State and domiciled in the Bank of Industry.
This is as the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) of Rural Access and Agricultural Marketing Project (RAAMP), a World Bank project, took its sensitization campaign to Opobo/Nkoro, Andoni, Port Harcourt City and Obio/Akpor local government areas.
The campaign was aimed at enlightening community dwellers and other stakeholders in the various local government areas on the RAAMP project implementation and programme activities.
The Permanent Secretary, Rivers State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr Maurice Ogolo, said this at Opobo town, Ngo, Port Harcourt City and Rumuodumanya, headquarters of the four local government areas respectively, during the sensitization campaign.
Ogolo said apart from the ?4billion, the government has also made available fertilizers and other farm inputs to farmers in the various local government areas.
The Permanent Secretary who is the Chairman, State Steering Committee for the project, said RAAMP will construct roads that will connect farms to markets to enable farmers and fishermen sell their farms produce and fishes.
He also said rural roads would be constructed to farms and fishing settlements, and warned against any act that will lead to the cancellation of the projects in the four local government areas.
According to him, the World Bank and Federal Government which are the financiers of the programme will not condone such acts like kidnapping, marching ground and other acts inimical to the successful implementation of the projects in their respective areas.
At PHALGA, Ogolo asserted that the city will benefit in the areas of roads and bridge construction.
He noted that RAAMP was thriving in both the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja; Lagos and other states in the country, stressing that the project should also be given the seriousness it deserves in Rivers State.
Speaking at Opobo town, the headquarters of Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Area, the project coordinator, RAAMP, Mr.Joshua Kpakol, said the programme would reduce poverty in the state.
According to him, both fishermen and farmers will maximally benefit from the programme.
At Ngo which is the headquarters of Andoni Local Government Area, Kpakol said roads will be constructed to all remote fishing settlements.
He said Rivers State is lucky to be among the states implementing the project, and stressed the need for the people to embrace it.
Meanwhile, Kpakol said at PHALGA that RAAMP is a project that will transform the lives of farmers, traders and other stakeholders in the area.
He urged the stakeholders to spread the information to their various communities.
However, some of the stakeholders at Opobo town complained about the destruction of their farms by bulls allegedly owed by traditional rulers in the area, as well as incessant stealing of their canoes at waterfronts.
At Ngo, Archbishop Elkanah Hanson, founder of El-Shaddai Church, commended the World Bank and the Federal Government for bringing the projects to Andoni.
He stressed the need for the construction of roads to fishing settlements in the area.
Also, a former Commissioner for Agriculture in the state and Okan Ama of Ekede, HRH King Gad Harry, noted that storage facilities have become necessary for a successful agricultural programme.
Harry also stressed the need for the programme to be made sustainable.
In their separate speeches, the administrators of Andoni and Opobo/Nkoro Local Government Areas, pledged their readiness to support the programme.
At Port Harcourt City, the Administrator, Dr Arthur Kalagbor, represented by the Head of Local Government Administration, Port Harcourt City, Mr Clifford Paul, said the city would support the implementation of the programme in the area.
Also, the administrator of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Dr Clifford Ndu Walter, represented by Mr Michael Elenwo, pledged to support the programme in his local government area.
Among dignitaries at the Obio/Akpor stakeholders engagement is the chairman, Rivers State Traditional Rulers Council and paramount ruler of Apara Kingdom, HRM Eze Chike Wodo, amongst others.
John Bibor
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the commencement of personnel audit and skill gap analysis across all cadres of federal civil servants.
The president gave this directive in Abuja, yesterday, while speaking at the International Civil Service Conference, reaffirming his resolve to achieve efficiency and professional service delivery in the civil service.
“I have authorized the comprehensive personnel audit and skill gap analysis across the federal civil service to deepen capacity. I urge all responsible stakeholders to prioritize timely completion of this critical exercise, to begin implementing targeted reforms, to realize the full benefit of a more agile, competent and responsive civil service,” the president announced.
Tinubu further directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), to prioritise data integrity and sovereignty in national interest.
He called for the capture, protection and strategic publication of public sector data in line with the Nigeria Data Protection Act of 2023.
“We must let our data speak for us. We must publish verified data assets within Nigeria and share them internationally recognized as fruitful. This will allow global benchmarking organisation to track our progress in real time and help us strengthen our position on the world stage. This will preserve privacy and uphold data sovereignty,” Tinubu added.
President Tinubu hailed the federal civil service as the “engine” driving his Renewed Hope Agenda, and the vehicle for delivering sustainable national development.
He submitted that the roles of civil servants remain indispensable in modern governance, declaring that in the face of a fast-evolving digital and economic landscape, the civil service must remain agile, future-ready, and results-driven.
“This maiden conference is a bold step toward redefining governance in an era of rapid transformation. An innovative Civil Service ensures we meet today’s needs and overcome tomorrow’s challenges.
“It captures our collective ambition to reimagine and reposition the civil service. In today’s rapid, evolving world of technology, innovation remains critical in ensuring that the civil service is dynamic, digital” the President said.
Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Didi Walson-Jack in her welcome address told the President that his presence and strong words of commendation at the conference has renewed the morale and mandate of public servants across the country.
Walson-Jack described Tinubu as the backbone of driving transformation in the Nigerian civil service, and noted that the takeaways from past study tours undertaken to understudy the civil service in Singapore, the UK and US under her leadership, is already yielding multiplier effects.
Walson-Jack assured Tinubu that her office, in collaboration with reform-minded stakeholders, will not relent in accelerating the implementation of the Federal Civil Service Strategy and Implementation Plan, FCSSIP 25.
She affirmed that digitalisation, performance management, and continuous learning remain key pillars in strengthening accountability, transparency, and service delivery across MDAs.
Walson-Jack reaffirmed that the civil service is determined to exceed expectations by embedding a culture of innovation, ethical leadership, and citizen-centred governance in the heart of public administration.