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Cash Transfer: Publish Names Of Beneficiaries, Group Tasks FG
The Legal Defence and Assistance Project (LEDAP) has called on the President Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government and its agencies, especially the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Office of the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment, the Ministry of Finance and the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 to display transparency and accountability in the disbursement of palliatives and conditional cash transfer to millions of poor Nigerians aims at alleviating the hardship caused by the Covid-19 lockdown.
The group said that it was worrisome that despite the billions of Naira earmarked by the government, in addition to the donations from the Private Sector Coalition against COVID-19, (a private sector led initiative to support the Nigerian Government to cushion the negative effects of Covid-19 pandemic), millions of households are yet to benefit from the announced palliatives and Nigerian are not clear about the criteria for selection of the beneficiaries, adding that “This is contrary to the government’s claims of distributing cash payments to households in Nigeria. “
In a statement, yesterday, signed by its Programmes Director, Pamela Okoroigwe, LEDAP noted that the government had also indicated payment locations, most of which are not in the areas most affected with the Coronavirus.
“There seems to be little or no connection between the palliatives’ payment plan and areas most impacted by the Covid-19 crises. At this difficult time, it’s imperative to show transparency in the process of identification of poor households to Nigerian citizens, who are faced with the hardship in the wake of the lockdown order imposed by the government to curb the spread of the deadly virus,” the group said.
LEDAP insisted that Nigerians are legitimately entitled to know the details of beneficiaries and the quantum of disbursement made to each person in the country and the yardstick put in place to identify the poorest and most vulnerable to qualify for the government relief packages.
It said that failure to disclose this information to the public will not only promote corruption and distrust but will also display lack of accountability to the general public, which is a breach of the hallmark of a modern democracy.
LEDAP called on the Federal Government, the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, and all relevant agencies to publish the names, amount received and contact details of all the Nigerian citizens who have benefited so far from the conditional cash transfers and other palliatives so far distributed by the Federal Government to cushion the lockdown effects.
LEDAP further beckoned on the Federal Government and its agencies to liaise with the state and local governments who are closer to the people in the identification, verification and disbursements of the palliatives.
It requested for clear criteria for selection, which it said must be set out and disclosed to the public; also, “visible efforts must be made to ensure robust citizens’ participation.
“Media houses and grassroots civil society organizations should be carried along in this exercise as it is a matter of safeguarding the human rights and preserving the dignity of the citizens and not charity or politically driven,” LEDAP said.
“The National Assembly should rise to their responsibility as the spokespersons of the people to demand that the Federal Government presents a bill on social investment and Covid-19 palliatives, which will spell out the priority areas of the reliefs, criteria for selections and indicators for measuring success of the programme.
“To ensure transparency and boost the credibility of the government in a dire time as this, LEDAP reiterates that the Federal Government, Office of the Special Adviser to the President on social investment, the Ministry of Finance and the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 should make available the following information: “Detailed list of the names and addresses of those who have benefited from relief funds in whatever form whether through donations of palliatives or cash payments.
“Detailed action plans on the mode of distribution of funds, locations for further distributions.
“A breakdown of the total amount of donations received in cash and materials from all sectors and how much has been spent so far on the relief palliatives.
“Detailed plans to provide relief for the rest of the over 80 million of the country’s poorest spread across the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT inclusive.
“LEDAP urges the Federal Government to act swiftly in implementing the above recommendations as a sign of good faith and in turn win the trust and confidence of its people, we believe that if we all play our respective parts effectively, we will collectively defeat this global scourge.”
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.
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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.