Business
2016 Budget And Poverty Alleviation: Matters Arising
By all accounts, the
commitment of President Muhammadu Buhari to redeem his campaign promise of removing millions of Nigerians out of poverty is significant and exceptional.
Analysts observe that although successive administrations initiated various measures and policies aimed at alleviating abject poverty among Nigerians, such efforts have not yielded meaningful results.
A World Bank’s global poverty rating placed Nigeria among the five poorest countries in the world.
The report revealed that most Nigerians lived on less than one dollar per day.
The World Bank President, Jim Yong Kim, while releasing the report at the April 4, 2014 IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in New York, emphasised that Nigeria had one of the largest concentration of poor people.
According to him, seven per cent of the world poor live in Nigeria in spite of the rebasing of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) that ranked it as the largest economy in Africa.
Concerned about this development, President Muhammadu Buhari has earmarked N500 billion for social welfare packages to the vulnerable persons.
This is contained in the administration’s Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper presented to the National Assembly.
Buhari said that the Federal Government would collaborate with state governments in the implementation of the N500 billion social welfare packages to the vulnerable.
“The Federal Government will collaborate with state government to institute well structured social welfare intervention programmes such as school feeding programme initiatives, conditional cash transfer to the most vulnerable,’’ he said.
According to him, these interventions will start as pilot scheme and work towards securing the support of donor agencies and development partners to minimise potential risks.
He said that the government would create a phased social welfare programme to cater for a larger population of the poorest and most vulnerable Nigerians.
Also, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, assured Nigerians of the Federal Government’s commitment to their welfare.
He insisted that provisions made in the 2016 budget would reduce the sufferings of Nigerians, noting that the measures would be targeted at unemployed graduates, market women, artisans and farmers, among others.
“We are aiming to lift millions of Nigerians out of poverty through massive social interventions,’’ Mohammed said.
According to him, the school feeding programme that will provide one meal per day to school children, the conditional transfer of N5,000 monthly to 25 million most vulnerable Nigerians and access to loans by different categories of people, are among the measures for which provisions have been made in the 2016 budget.
“In addition to providing succour, these measures will also stimulate the economy; just imagine the impact on the poultry sector alone if, for example, one egg is given daily to one million school children,’’ he said.
The minister observed that in spite of the global economic downturn, the impact of the current harsh economic environment on Nigerians would have been less severe if the previous administrations had managed the economy well.
“The gains of the boom when oil was selling at more than100 dollars were either stolen or frittered away.
“Yet, those who brought the nation to this sorry state have continued to grandstand, even having the audacity to further insult the victims of their impunity.
“The Buhari administration is not making excuses. That is why it has included in the 2016 budget the measures that will provide relief for Nigerians.
“But it is important for Nigerians to know the kind of deficits that the government ran since 2009 that partly brought us to where we are now.
“In 2009, the Federal Government was spending 228 dollars for every 100 dollars earned, leaving a deficit of 128 dollars.
“In 2010, the spending was 158 dollars for every 100 dollars earned, leaving a deficit of 58 dollars.
“In the next few days, the administration will start firing from all cylinders, starting with the unveiling of the 2016 budget.
“Nigerians will witness measurable and impactful progress in all spheres of governance.
“We shall not abandon our social intervention policies such as one meal a day for school children and the payment of N5, 000 monthly to each vulnerable Nigerian.
“We are committed to lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty, this government will not give excuses,’’ he emphasised.
Mohammed said that the Federal Government would take advantage of the vast opportunities in the agriculture, solid minerals, and real sectors, among others, to also create more jobs.
The minister said that the administration would invest massively in developing infrastructure because it would be difficult to create jobs without such investments.
“Job creation, which is our major promise, is going to be realised and all we are waiting for is the 2016 Budget to be put in place.
“You cannot create jobs without investing massively in infrastructure and I know that what we are aiming at this year is to ensure that most of our spending will be on infrastructural development.
Mohammed, who spoke during a familiarisation visit to the headquarters of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, expressed concern that between 60 million and 80 million Nigerians lived below the poverty line.
“It is not that in the past there had not been attempts at poverty alleviation but it could not be at the scale we are aiming.
“We are embarking on these massive social interventions so that we will talk of millions of Nigerians that will be rescued from abject poverty.
“We have about five groups that we are talking about; we have those that we call vulnerable because they are poor, because they do not have access to basic medical care.
“We have those that are vulnerable because they live with disabilities and this group is different; then there are young Nigerians who are vulnerable because they lack the economic strength.
“We have plans specifically for unemployed graduates and this takes various forms, in the case of market women, we intend to advance them money through their cooperative societies,’’ he said.
The minister also said that graduates who had completed the National Youth Service Scheme and had been enrolled in a skill acquisition programme would be paid a stipend.
He noted that the government was ready to work closely with persons with disabilities and to create a more accessible and enabling environment for them.
“We can make persons with disabilities in our society very productive by giving them the right incentives and we are looking into making public areas accessible to them,’’ he said.
Social analysts, however, insist that although the initiative is laudable, the government must put in place a careful and meticulous strategy to ensure effective implementation of the social security packages.
They insist that government must also carry out a comprehensive census of the beneficiaries to prevent the hijack of the scheme by some unscrupulous persons.
According to them, the government should involve the private sector in the implementation of the programme to ensure its sustainability beyond the tenure of the current administration.
Adamu writes for NAN.
Sani Adamu
The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola-Ogbe, has reeled out initiatives evolved by the Board in its contribution towards capacity building for youths across the country.
The NCDMB Scribe revealed this recently at the 2024 Practical Nigerian Content (PNC) Youth Forum held in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
Tagged “empowering the future: unlocking the opportunities in the Niger Delta oil and gas sector”, the event featured three thematic lecture series delivered by the founder and leader of the Niger Delta Peace Coalition (NDPC), Mr. Zik Gbemre, the Bayelsa State Commissioner for Youths Development, Mr. Alfred Kemepado Nimizigha, and the Chief Executive Officer, PE Energy ltd., Mr Daere Akabo.
Ogbe, who was represented by the Manager, Capacity Building of the Board, Mr. Olugbenga Sheba, noted that the NCDMB has recently partnered the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas (NLNG) to commence the Nigerian Content Human Capacity Development (NC-HCD) in the oil and gas sector for the training of 331 young graduates.
“As you already know, the NCDMB was established by the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010.
“Our mandate is to develop human capabilities and material capacities in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, and to monitor and enforce compliance with the provisions of the act”, the NCDMB Scribe said.
“The theme for this year’s youth event is ‘Empowering the future: Unlocking the opportunities in the Niger Delta Oil and Gas Sector’. This theme speaks to our determination and ongoing efforts to introduce youths from the Niger Delta to opportunities that abound in the oil and gas industry.
“Few weeks ago, we partnered the NLNG to kick start the Nigerian Content Human Capacity Development (NC-HCD) basic training programme for a total of 331 young graduates. The training covers ICT, Engineering, Welding and Fabrication, Non-destructive Testing (NDT), Lifting and working at Height, Quality Management Systems, Marine and offshore services and Facility Management and Maintenance.
“We also organised training for youths with the Industrial Training Fund (ITF), WalterSmith Petroleum, and other organizations. And as part of the NCDMB’s initiatives in the Niger Delta, we’ve developed two oil and gas parks at Emeyal one in Ogbia Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, and Odukpani in Cross River State”, he added.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Federal Government College, Warri, Delta State, has won the maiden ‘’Anti-Corruption” debate organised for select Secondary Schools across the six geopolitical zones of the nation by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), in partnership with the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC) at the Content Tower, headquarters of the Board, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State.
The Tide reports that at the debate umpires said following the evaluation from the presentations by the two finalists, Federal Government College, Kazaure, Jigawa State, scored a total of 74.4 points as first runner-up while the Federal Government College, Delta State garnered 76.4 points to emerge winners.
Other schools that participated in the various stages of the debate leading to the finals were Federal Government College, Odi, Bayelsa State; Federal Government College, Okigwe, Imo State; Federal Government College, Ijanikin, Lagos State; Federal Government College, Maiduguri, Borno State; and Federal Government College, Rubochi, Abuja.
The Tide further reports that the theme for the 2024 International Day of Anti-Corruption was, “Effective Whistleblower Protection Mechanism: A Critical Tool in the Fight Against Corruption”, while topic for the debate was, “Impact of integrity on the expansion of public trust and confidence in governance.
Earlier in his keynote address, the Executive Secretary, NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, restated the Board’s stance against corruption, noting that fighting corruption is a must for the Board.
He reaffirmed his commitment to ideas and programmes geared towards putting an end to corruption within the system, and lauded the Federal Ministry of Education for approving the participation of students in the event.
While commending the ICPC for their support and continuous oversight over the activities of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACTU) of NCDMB, Ogbe also thanked the anti-graft unit of the Board for putting the event together, noting that they were doing well in their efforts at combating corruption.
“To be clear on what today is about, we’re marking and celebrating International Anti-Corruption Day (IACD), with focus on raising the consciousness of our youths on the ills of corruption and how it stunts the socio-economic development of any Nation.
“This is to send a strong message for extra vigilance by all of us in combating the menace of Corruption from all fronts”, the NCDMB boss said.
By: Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Federal Government has earmarked N700billion from the federation account to implement the distribution of free electricity meters under the Presidential Metering Initiative.
This was disclosdd by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Power on Strategic Communications and Media, Bolaji Tunji.
Tunji, who, in a chat with The Tide’s source noted that the PMI was on course with a target to deliver two million meters yearly, also revealed that the amount reserved for the project had reached N700 billion and procurement had started.
“The Presidential Metering Initiative is still on course. Two million meters every year, delivery of the first batch will start by the first quarter of next year. About N700billion provision has been made, and the money is ready”, he said.
He further revealed that the government would fulfil its promise to deliver 1.3million electricity meters out of the 3.2 million meters under the World Bank Distribution Sector Reform Programme initiative this month, saying that “The DISREP programme will commence this month”.
An analysis of the Federal Account Allocation Committee meeting minutes obtained by our correspondent between April and August showed that the government had saved N420billion from a monthly deduction of N100billion.
The amount deducted from the monthly federation revenue before allocation to the three tiers of government was aimed at bridging the metering gap in the country, which currently stands at 50 per cent.
Recall that N120 billion was deducted from April revenue as the first tranche for the PMI, bringing the amount deducted from the federation account for the initiative as of August to N420billion.
In May, the Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu, said the government would provide an initial N75billion as seed capital while the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority pledged to inject N250 billion annually for the initiative.
The Minister also disclosed that the initiative would leverage debt financing from diverse financial institutions to bolster the PMI’s resources.
The Managing Director of Abuja Distribution Electricity Distribution Company, Mr. Victor Ojelabi, recently said the PMI would unlock about N1trillion in revenue currently tied up in the Nigerian Electricity Supply Industry due to a large number of unmetered customers.
Under the initiative, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission announced the approval of N21billion for the 11 electricity Distribution Companies to provide meters for end-use customers at zero cost.
The Distribution Sector Recovery Programme is a comprehensive initiative aimed at addressing the challenges and inefficiencies within Nigeria’s electricity distribution sector.
Recently, the NERC acknowledged that the country’s metering gap remains substantial despite installing 3.03million meters since privatising the power sector in 2013.
It said 6.15 million out of 13.33 million registered customers had been metered, bringing the metering rate to 46.14 per cent in 2024.
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