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Infrastructure: NNPC invests 1.9trn In Road Construction Via Tax Credit Scheme
The Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited says it is investing N1.96 trillion into road infrastructure development via its tax credit scheme intervention.
The company made this known at a meeting with the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola and other key stakeholders in Abuja, yesterday.
Mr Umar Ajiya, representative of the Group Managing Director, NNPC, Mr Mele Kyari, said the company was committed to funding the critical roads across the country.
The Tide source recalls that the NNPC in 2021 intervened in the first phase of the tax credit scheme with N621.24 billion to rehabilitate and increase the stock of major roads and highways.
“Clearly as you recall we have done phase 1 and funding has been steady, we are now committed to a second phase of N1.9 trillion and we are also committed to setting aside funds to fund the contractors including any necessary mobilisation that could be required.
“What is important for us is that our consultants will have to validate the value for money and the quality of work that you’ve done on this roads.
“I think that our road users alluded to the fact that they have seen extensive quality work being done on the roads that have been assigned during phase 1.
“We want the same quality to be maintained because of execution of the roads under phase 2, and speaking of execution is very important, because the funds are available and therefore there should be no excuses,” Kyari said.
Also at the meeting, the Executive Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) Mr Muhammed Nami called on the contractors not to be doubtful of their payments, assuring them that all their monies would be paid.
“I’m assuring you that we have existing and future tax capability based on the estimate received by the FIRS that will be able to provide you with enough funds as your payment are due and confirmed.
“The gains of phase 1 have been evaluated, some of the roads that we were speeding through were roads constructed over 40 years ago and to God be the glory through this executive orders they are now being fixed.
“There are generally benefits for paying taxes because globally civilisation is made possible through the taxes being paid.
“We continue to appeal to Nigerians and particularly the big tax payers to continue to trust this executive 007 so that they will continue to provide critical infrastructure that our country so dearly needed for our people to move goods and products from one location,” Nami said.
Giving a general overview of what had been achieved with the Phase I of the NNPC Tax Credit Scheme, Mr Kuti Adedamola, Director Highway, FMWH said the tax credit scheme had done a lot in the construction and rehabilitation of some major roads across the country.
Adedamola said part of the roads worked on are the dualisation of the Suleja-Minna road, dualisation of Jebba-Mokwa Bokani road. Also Junction road on Kwara and Niger state among others.
The Minister of Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, on his part said the Government of President Muhammadu Buhari had taken practical steps to increase the stock of infrastructure ‘without infrastructure you can’t grow the economy’.
Fashola said that when this administration came into power what was budgeted for infrastructure was N18 billion but that the present government increased this to N260 billion.
The Minister said even if the government had gone into borrowing to build the infrastructure it was leaving behind a stock of assets in ports, railways, bridges and roads which had impacted positively on the prosperity and economy of the people.
He said the government had gone into other pragmatic models like private sector partnership, SUKUK funds and then the tax credit by the NNPC.
“The debts are building roads and bridges, of which the Lagos-Ibadan road and the Second Niger Bridge are part. And it shows a clear difference between two governments.
“There are 44 roads, many of them are contracted but not funded, but now funding is place. There is sustainability for the completion of these roads even if this government is no longer there.”
Fashola, however, appealed to all communities obstructing the right of way of government, insisting that government would not pay right of way to communities encroaching into the rights of way of the constructions.
Speaking also at the occasion, Mr Lucky Osesua, Chairman, the Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas Workers (NUPENG) while commending the NNPC for its intervention called on government to pay urgent attention to some critical roads which he said are in bad states.
The roads according to him, included Benin- Sapele, Okene Auchi-Okpela road, Obigbo-Aba, Ogoja- Itu road and failed sections of Mokwa-Makera-Tegina-Kaduna border in Niger state adding that an enabling road would enhance the unions performance.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG) and Chief of Staff (CoS) to carry out their duties with discipline, loyalty and a firm commitment to the success of the administration and the wellbeing of the people of Rivers State.
The governor warned that any involvement in unauthorised nocturnal meetings or any conduct capable of embarrassing the government will attract immediate dismissal.
Fubara gave the warning yesterday shortly after the newly appointed Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Dr Dagogo S.A. Wokoma and the new Chief of Staff (CoS), Barrister Sunny Ewule, were sworn in at the Executive Council Chambers of Government House, Port Harcourt.
As part of the ceremony, the Chief Registrar of the State High Court, David Ihua-Maduenyi administered the Oath of Allegiance and Oath of Office on the duo before the governor gave his charge.
Addressing the appointees, Fubara reminded them that their elevation to the new positions was a call to service and not a platform for political grandstanding or the pursuit of personal ambition.
He stressed that their foremost responsibility should be to themselves and to the people of Rivers State, stressing that their conduct must always reflect integrity, restraint and dedication to public good.
Speaking directly to Dr. Wokoma, whom he described as an accomplished academic and mathematician, the governor expressed confidence in his intellectual depth and capacity to deliver on the new assignment.
The office of the Secretary to the State Government, Fubara stressed, demands thoroughness, discipline and a deep sense of responsibility. He charged the SSG to represent the State with honour at all times.
“Your duty includes representing the state government. You need to represent us in a way and manner that will bring honour to us.
“What is important to this administration is to see that the good works that we started and the ones that we met, are concluded in a way that will bring progress and development to our dear state,” he stated.
Turning to the new Chief of Staff, the governor explained that he is expected to ensure smooth administrative coordination, managing official engagements effectively and safeguarding the image of the Government House.
He underscored the sensitive and personal nature of the role and emphasised that the position operates strictly under the authority of the governor.
Fubara stressed that the role does not permit independent political engagements or private strategy meetings without his knowledge and consent.
“Let me sound it here very clearly. Your duty is to make sure that you handle the administrative duties and image making roles perfectly well, liaising with whoever is coming for any official assignment here.
“If you involve yourself in nocturnal meetings and all those things, I will sack you. I’m very serious. What is important to me today is peace, progress and prosperity of this state. I’m not going to compromise anything for it,” he said.
The governor cautioned that involvement of the new appointees in any action capable of bringing the government or his office to disrepute would attract appropriate sanctions.
While congratulating the new appointees, Fubara expressed optimism that they would justify the confidence reposed in them.
He called on all public officials to work together in unity, observing that collective success is stronger and more enduring than individual achievement.
The governor who also addressed the Permanent Secretaries present at the ceremony, directed those of them who have reached retirement age to start preparing their handover notes without delay.
The notice, he said, was not intended to scare anybody but to prepare their minds towards the inevitability of exiting the service one day and to pave way for an orderly transition.
He warned against any attempt to engage in financial misconduct or last-minute irregularities, stressing that he was closely monitoring the system to ensure strict enforcement of accountability rules.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminialayi Fubara, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
The governor announced the cabinet dissolution yesterday in a statement titled ‘Government Special Announcement’, signed by his new Chief Press Secretary, Onwuka Nzeshi.
Governor Fubara directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
He thanked the outgoing members of the State Executive Council for their service and wished them the best in their future endeavours.
The three-paragraph special announcement read, “His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, GSSRS, Governor of Rivers State, has dissolved the State Executive Council.
“His Excellency, the Governor, has therefore directed all Commissioners and Special Advisers to hand over to the Permanent Secretaries or the most Senior officers in their Ministries with immediate effect.
“His Excellency further expresses his deepest appreciation to the outgoing members of the Executive Council wishing them the best in their future endeavours.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday told the National Assembly that it requires N873.78bn to conduct the 2027 general elections, even as it seeks N171bn to fund its operations in the 2026 fiscal year.
INEC Chairman, Prof Joash Amupitan, made the disclosure while presenting the commission’s 2026 budget proposal and the projected cost for the 2027 general elections before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters in Abuja.
According to Amupitan, the N873.78bn election budget covers the full conduct of national polls in 2027.
An additional N171bn is needed to support INEC’s routine activities in 2026, including bye-elections and off-season elections, the commission stated.
The INEC boss said the proposed election budget does not include a fresh request from the National Youth Service Corps seeking increased allowances for corps members engaged as ad-hoc staff during elections.
He explained that, although the details of specific line items were not exhaustively presented, the almost N1tn election budget is structured across five major components.
“N379.75bn is for operational costs, N92.32bn for administrative costs, N209.21bn for technological costs, N154.91bn for election capital costs and N42.61bn for miscellaneous expenses,” Amupitan said.
The INEC chief noted that the budget was prepared “in line with Section 3(3) of the Electoral Act 2022, which mandates the Commission to prepare its election budget at least one year before the general election.”
On the 2026 fiscal year, Amupitan disclosed that the Ministry of Finance provided an envelope of N140bn, stressing, however, that “INEC is proposing a total expenditure of N171bn.”
The breakdown includes N109bn for personnel costs, N18.7bn for overheads, N42.63bn for election-related activities and N1.4bn for capital expenditure.
He argued that the envelope budgeting system is not suitable for the Commission’s operations, noting that INEC’s activities often require urgent and flexible funding.
Amupitan also identified the lack of a dedicated communications network as a major operational challenge, adding that if the commission develops its own network infrastructure, Nigerians would be in a better position to hold it accountable for any technical glitches.
Speaking at the session, Senator Adams Oshiomhole (APC, Edo North) said external agencies should not dictate the budgeting framework for INEC, given the unique and sensitive nature of its mandate.
He advocated that the envelope budgeting model should be set aside.
He urged the National Assembly to work with INEC’s financial proposal to avoid future instances of possible underfunding.
In the same vein, a member of the House of Representatives from Edo State, Billy Osawaru, called for INEC’s budget to be placed on first-line charge as provided in the Constitution, with funds released in full and on time to enable the Commission to plan early enough for the 2027 general election.
The Joint Committee approved a motion recommending the one-time release of the Commission’s annual budget.
The committee also said it would consider the NYSC’s request for about N32bn to increase allowances for corps members to N125,000 each when engaged for election duties.
The Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Simon Along, assured that the National Assembly would work closely with the Commission to ensure it receives the necessary support for the successful conduct of the 2027 general elections.
Similarly, the Chairman of the House Committee on Electoral Matters, Bayo Balogun, also pledged legislative support, warning INEC to be careful about promises it might be unable to keep.
He recalled that during the 2023 general election, INEC made strong assurances about uploading results to the INEC Result Viewing portal, creating the impression that results could be monitored in real time.
“iREV was not even in the Electoral Act; it was only in INEC regulations. So, be careful how you make promises,” Balogun warned.
The N873.78bn proposed by INEC for next year’s general election is a significant increase from the N313.4bn released to the Commission by the Federal Government for the conduct of the 2023 general election.