News
FG Targets $10bn In Crude Accounts
Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi
Okonjo-Iweala, said in Tokyo on Sunday that Nigeria’s Excess Crude Account
would be built up to $10 billion by early 2013.
Okonjo-iweala made this known while briefing newsmen on the
Nigerian economy at the Annual Meeting of the World Bank and the International
Monetary Fund (IMF).
“I strongly feel and I have shared with the governors, with
Mr. President and vice-president who fully support that the Excess Crude
Account must be built up to $10 billion.
“We should strive to do that in the next few months and we
keep that as buffer.’’
According to her, if the account is built up to $10 billion
dollars and it is not touched for a while, it will serve as buffer.
She noted that there was the need to increase the nation’s
external reserve, considering the population of the country.
“Our reserves are not huge, we are just building backup;
it’s not my place, it is the monetary policy that manages it, but I have
discussed with the CBN governor that we need to build up our reserve to $50
billion, if we can.
“That will be the desires of the fiscal authorities, so I
don’t consider us with the size of the economy and population we have.
“Look at Algeria, their reserve is nearly $200 billion, for
a country much smaller than Nigeria,’’ she said.
On infrastructure, she noted that the country needed about $10 billion yearly to tackle its infrastructural challenges adding that Nigeria would draw from the World Bank’s loan offer with a go-ahead from the National Assembly.
She noted that Nigeria would not draw from the international
monetary resources at the moment to tackle the infrastructure challenges.
“We are trying to put our borrowing to really direct it to
infrastructure, as you know we have gone to other sources, the Word Bank is
helping us with power, so is the African Development Bank.
“Those are very concessional resources. The problem we have
right now is that the meetings from the World Bank; they are indicating that if
we do not pass through external borrowing plan, where we have $1.2 billion,
that has been approved.
“They are very sympathetic to us, they will like Nigeria to
use that money but if the money stays there and it’s not approved for use, they
will have to move it and give it to other countries.’’
Okonjo-Iweala noted that the loan to be taken would be given
at zero interest rate, a 40-year repayment period and 10 years of moratorium
and only 0.7 per cent commitment charge.
She said that the money would be used for power, water and
health care among others, adding that Nigeria could only benefit from the loan,
if the National Assembly approved.
Meanwhile, the Central Bank of Nigeria, Governor, Sanusi
Lamido Sanusi said in Tokyo yesterday that the bank would soon stop the selling
of cash to bureaux de change.
“70 per cent of the dollars that people buy from bureaux de
change are not for transactions outside Nigeria, they move dollars from one
part of the country to the other, in fact, from one part of Abuja to another
part.
“In a briefcase, you can carry $100,000, that’s N50 million.
“We are coming up with policies; we are going to have to
stop selling cash to BDC and credit their accounts.
“If you want to pay for medical bills abroad, you give
hospital account; if you want to pay school fees, do transfer like everybody
else; if you want to travel, do travelers cheques or get money on your card.’’
He said that at the moment, the dollar was becoming
Nigeria’s second national currency, becoming a source of worry to the apex bank
and even to President Goodluck Jonathan.
Sanusi noted that part of the reason why the bank moved to
restructure the Naira was to tackle the genuine need of high net-worth cash
users.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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