Business
NASS To Verify Companies’ Claims On N375bn Grant
The National Assembly will verify claims made by companies that are shortlisted for the N375billion Export Expansion Grant (EEG)
Director-General of the Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Dr Ezra Yakusak, disclosed this during the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the NEPC and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency of Nigeria in Abuja.
“I had announced that the FG had approved the EEG, but it is not automatic. It goes through the National Assembly either for ratification or approval. It is before the National Assembly who will look at it and justify or verify each of the claims made by the companies,” Yakusak said.
The EEG is a grant provided to exporters to enable them to stay competitive in the global market. The N375 billion is the backlog of the EEG from 2017 to 2020, whose payment was delayed due to budgetary constraints by the Federal Government. About 285 companies will benefit from the scheme.
According to Yakusak, the essence of the MoU between the two agencies is to expose Nigerian micro, small and medium enterprises to the West African market.
“This is the first time we are doing this. There is a need for us to collaborate, get our SMEs together for the purpose of empowering them and taking them to some key international markets.
“Right now, with this MoU, the first market we intend to go by way of trade fair or solo exhibition is The Gambia. It is an English-speaking country, and trade between Nigeria and The Gambia is not encouraging. We need to ensure we scale up trade between the two countries,” he noted.
He said, MSMEs would apply and the agencies would look at the possibility of their products being accepted in The Gambia.
He stressed that the agreement was another way of showing the general public the level of cooperation and synergy among related government agencies in boosting the Nigerian economy through the promotion of non-oil exports.
On his part, the Director-General, SMEDAN, Wale Fasanya, described the MOU as a marriage of two minds.
“We will take MSMEs with exportable products and create a market for them within the West African market,” he said.
“We are looking at other agencies of government doing things that increase MSMEs competitiveness. We are going to work with them and we will not work alone,” he noted.
Fasanya said SMESDAN was thinking out of the box, given that a number of MSMEs found it difficult to access funds. He stressed that the agency was looking at programmes where it would combine financial initiatives with capacity building.
He disclosed that before the end of this year, SMEDAN and other partners would set up a microfinance institution to empower MSMEs.
“Before the end of the year, we are going to roll out a microfinance institution in conjunction with a number of business member organisations. NASME met me and said they would like to even have shares.”
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As part of its programme to empower Young Nigerians with the necessary employability skills, the Federal Government, through the National Directorate of Employment (NDE), has flagged off the second phase of the “Renewed Hope Employment Initiative” (RHEI).
Performing the ceremony in Port Harcourt, the Director General of NDE, Silas Ali Agara, said the second phase of the programme will absorbed over 41,307 youths across the country.
Agara said the first phase of the programme, which was flagged off December 2024, successfully trained 32,692 unskilled and unemployed Nigerians in demand-driven skills across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to the DG, who was represented by the Rivers State Coordinator of the Programme, Matthew Amala, “The strategic goals were increasing trainee employability, supporting small scale enterprises, promoting agricultural productivity, improving rural infrastructure and providing transient jobs.”
He said, over 5000 beneficiaries were resettled with loans and starter packs, while linkages to credit institutions for those that could not be accommodated under the Directorate’s soft loan scheme was ongoing.
“As we reflect on the achievements of the first phase of the Renewed Hope Employment Initiative, I’m excited that the second phase is being flagged off today.
“In the second phase, NDE will train 41,307 persons in over 30 skills set, ranging from vocational, entrepreneurial, agricultural, ICT, and activities in the public works sector.
“We have improved and digitalized our processes through a robust registration portal fully equipped with scalable backends and geofenced capabilities.
“This has made our processes more transparent, fair, equitable, as well as providing us with a credible database”, he said.
The DG said at the end of the training, a total of 14,457 will be resettled with starter packs to help them establish themselves in their chosen fields.
“It’s our sincere expectation that the participants would be equipped positively with skills to enhance their employability, foster entrepreneurship mindsets in them and improving livelihoods to contribute to their community and the economic growth of the Nation”, he added.
He said despite the challenges of limited budgetary resources, the NDE remains committed to equipping unemployed Nigerians with demand driven skills in order to empower these individuals to become employers of labour and future wealth creators.
John Bibor & Edidiong Johnson
Former Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Prof. Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu, has canvassed that the $450m Nigerian Content Intervention Fund (NCI Fund) be increased to US$1bn.
He said the increase will be deployed to cater for the funding of mega oil and gas projects, setting up of pipe mills and manufacturing of other critical equipment needed in the oil and gas sector.
Kachikwu also recommended that oil and gas producing companies should provide timelines for developing oil and gas blocks, saying same condition should also be for firms that win industry contracts based on commitments of investments.
He made these recommendations on Monday at the Business Mentorship Lecture Series organised virtually by the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Tide gathered that the webinar drew nearly 500 participants via Zoom and the Board’s YouTube page.
The former minister, who served as the Chairman of NCDMB’s Governing Council from September 2016 to May 2019, stated that a larger NCI Fund will provide seed capital for developing blocks, accessing technology, skill sets and equipment.
According to him, the fund should include contributions from operators, and other investors in the sector and not just government resources, expressing dismay that many awardees of oil blocks in Nigeria treat them like certificates of occupancy for land which has caused huge losses to the nation.
“I like to advise the Government to cancel oil blocks that are not developed after a prolonged period. We need to find a way to force performance in the industry. Some companies get contracts to import pipelines with proviso to invest locally. We need to begin to produce those equipment.
“You’ve to show the joint venture that you are setting up to produce pipes, where is the foreign partner with the funds and technology? You need to give a timeline”, he said.
Speaking on the global investments space and how Nigeria can attract funding to the energy sector, the former minister argued that there was a lot of money waiting to be tapped, saying that however it is only going to countries where there is a perception of regularity.
“Nigeria’s image needs to improve, while the Government also needs to create the right investment climate to attract investment. There’s enough investment money out there if you have a holding of hands.
“They need to portray Nigeria as the place you can put money and get good returns. Government should consider co-investing with private companies if there are good prospect of returns”, he added.
The erstwhile Petroleum Minister lauded the transformation in the oil and gas sector with indigenous firms like Seplat, Aiteo, Oando Energy Resources, and Heirs Oil and Gas and others acquiring assets from divesting international oil companies (IOCs).
“Mere ownership transfers are insufficient without enhanced output, management, revenue returns and compliance with extant laws.
“My greatest fear is that without principled accounting, supervision, and effective oversight, indigenous companies may profit while the federal government loses revenue. There’s the need to involve local communities to avoid past disconnects that fueled conflicts”, Kachikwu said.
He also commended the Executive Secretary of NCDMB, Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, for upholding the agency’s mission and recording significant strides since assumption of office.
Reflecting on the NCDMB Scribe’s pivotal role in shaping the Board, Kachikwu emphasized that advancing local content was a core pillar of his tenure as Minister and chairman of the NCDMB Board, noting that local content is not just a slogan, but rather a tool for industrialisation, job creation, and knowledge transfer.
“There should be consistency of policies. For too long, foreign companies dominated every segment of the sector, while our people remained bystanders.
“My message to young professionals is clear: the oil industry may be facing disruption, but it is also full of opportunities. Careers in petroleum now demand more than technical skills. They require adaptability, creativity, and a deep sense of responsibility to both people and the environment.
“The industry is not just about barrels and dollars. it’s about national survival, community welfare, and the environment. Achieving your career goals is a marathon, not a sprint. Patience and endurance are essential. Self-Belief is Crucial.
“Confidence in yourself and your abilities will fuel your progress and help you overcome challenges. Principles matter: Let your ethics and integrity be a guiding light. Build relevant skill sets. Equip yourself with the skills that make you competitive and adaptable in the job market”, the former Minister urged.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Executive Secretary of the NCDMB’s Director of Capacity Building, represented by the Director of Capacity Building, Engr. Abayomi Bamidele, underscored the Business Mentorship Lecture Series’ role in fostering trends and mind-sets for excellence.
Hee said the lecture series was organised in furtherance of the Board’s mandate in sections 67 and 70n of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act of 2010, to hold workshops and seminars to promote and advance Nigerian Content.
In his closing remarks, General Manager, Corporate Communications, NCDMB, Dr. Obinna Ezeobi, praised Kachikwu for sharing deep insights which benefitted stakeholders across the public and private sector of the energy sector.
He also thanked the guest lecture for his contributions to the NCDMB, recalling his sign-off on the Waltersmith Refinery investment, which became a successful project and the launch of the US$200m NCI Fund, which has grown into US$450m, now managed by the Bank of Industry and Nexim Bank.
“NCDMB has fully embraced its roles of enabling businesses, in addition to the traditional mandate of regulating and promoting local content. The Board is committed to supporting Nigerians and local oil and gas firms to grow sustainably in the sector, hence it organises the Business Mentorship Lecture Series.
“We want to assure you that this Mentorship series will continue as a key platform for engaging and educating stakeholders of the industry. I also want to urge interested listeners to visit NCDMB’s YouTube channel to watch the recording of the webinar”, he said.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
The Federal Government has embarked on sanitizing the mining industry, as concrete steps are being taken through the Mining Cadastre’s office to put things in order.
Already, some of the mining licences have been revoked, and more mining licences will be revoked, as part of ongoing efforts to sanitise the solid minerals sector, as well as to protect investors from fraudsters.
Director-General (DG) of the Mining Cadastre Office, Obadiah Nkom, who disclosed this on a live conversation on X (formerly Twitter), said the move was aimed at driving transparency and order in Nigeria’s solid minerals sector.
According to the DG of the Federal Government agency, the clean-up exercise, which covers expired, speculative, and inactive titles, is necessary to make room for genuine investors and ensure compliance with the law.
Nkom disclosed that the agency had identified about 4,709 licences, including 1,400 expired titles, 2,338 refused applications, and 971 notifications of grant where applicants failed to pay, which led to an outright revocation by the Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake.
The DG stressed that the revocation was not punitive but part of a deliberate sanitisation process to weed out speculators who hoard licences without adding value to the economy.
Nkom explained that the exercise had already boosted investor confidence in the sector.
“When you talk about backlog, for now, the ministry has had reasons to clear or revoke close to 4,709 mineral licenses. There were implementations in terms of revoked expiring titles of up to 1,400 licenses.
“We have had reasons to refuse 2,338 applications in the system. We have had a mineral title notification of 971. Can you imagine 971 notifications of grants that were notified, but did not come to pay.
“There are even instances where some people have collected the grants, but they refuse to pay. So what do we do? So this cleaning exercise that we are doing is to be able to now create that space in the minefield for people.
“So, imagine having over 4,709 erased from our system by way of revocations implemented. It has sanitised our sector, and investors now know that if they are not going to be involved in exploration and value addition, there will be consequences.
“We are cautious. We follow the law. And this is why I repeat, we have had 100 per cent success in litigations because we are an agency compliant with the provisions of the Act.
“Where we are wrong, we do not shy away from trapping ourselves and doing the right thing. I would hope that at the end of the day, we will not have any risk by following the provisions of the Act”, he said.
Recall that the minister in 2024 revoked 924 licenses over failure to pay statutory charges and fees due for the Federal Government through the Mining Cadastral Office.
He warned licensees yet to resume work on their mining projects to do so immediately.
Corlins Walter
