Business

Agric Ministry Records 68% Budget Implementation

Published

13 years ago

July 29, 2012

Minister of Agriculture, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, says his ministry recorded 68 per cent in the utilisation of the fund released to it from the 2012 budget.

The minister spoke shortly after briefing President Goodluck Jonathan on the key performance indicators on his ministry in relation to the 2012 budget.

We recalled that Jonathan had early this month directed each ministry to present an outline of the disbursements and utilisation of the 2012 budget to him.

The directive, according to the President, was to ensure that there were clear deliverables in terms of what the ministries, departments and agencies under them were doing.

Two ministries, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of Police Affairs, had earlier made presentation before that of the Ministry of Agriculture.

Briefing State House correspondents, Adesina said contrary to the belief in certain quarters, the ministry had recorded good performance in budget implementation based on the fund made available to it.

“In terms of the budget and how much utilisation, the total amount of appropriated capital budget to my Ministry was N48.1 billion.

“The amount of released to date to the ministry is N13.8 billion. The amount that we have utilised is N9.4 billion, which is a utilisation rate of 68 per cent.

“Bear in mind also that the amount that we got is 29 per cent of the amount budgeted for.

“When you look at the figure of 68 per cent, bear in mind that these are not for on-going projects. These are for new projects that we initiated after March 15.

“So, we have to do procurement on many things. We have to follow the procurement laws. You can’t just get up and spend money without following procurement laws.

“I think that many of the things that we are doing are well on track and I believe that as we enter the second quarter you will see that a lot will be drawn down.

“Remember that agriculture is different. Most of the things we are spending money on is on seeds and fertiliser deliveries to farmers.

“We have made a lot of those commitment and we have spent a lot of money in terms of that commitment and we have to make sure that we are able to get that back,’’ he said.

Adesina said the focus of the ministry had been in line with the Agricultural Transformation Agenda (ATA) of the present administration.

He said the ATA goals were, among others, to achieve food security, reduce dependency on foreign exchange used in importing food, cutting down on food importation, diversifying the economy and job creation.

Adesina said the ministry had taken agriculture as a business and not as a development programme and was thereby generating wealth for farmers.

He said government had within 90 days sanitised the system against corruption in the purchase and distribution of fertilisers and seeds through major policy reform thrust.

The policy, according to the minister, encouraged the private sector to engage in fertiliser and farm inputs directly.

He said 4.5 million farmers had been captured in a database launched by the ministry on fertiliser and agriculture imput distribution and supply.

The minister said government had also successfully developed and commercialised cassava flour within 90 days as replacement to wheat flour bread.

Adesina also clarified that government would not place a total ban on rice importation by 2015 but would rather place a 100 per cent duty on the commodity’s importation.

Business

PENGASSAN Tasks Multinationals On Workers’ Salary Increase

Published

1 day ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria (PENGASSAN) has asked companies in the oil and gas sector to undertake urgent review of salaries of their workers in view of the prevailing harsh economic conditions in the country.

Also, the pensioners of Chevron Nigeria, under the aegis PenCoN, have lauded the President of PENGASSAN, Comrade Festus Osifo and his executive on their unrelenting efforts toward addressing pension abnormalities faced by retired workers in the oil and gas industry.

The association also appealed to the federal government to take necessary measures to check banditry and terrorist activities in parts of the country.

PENGASSAN President, Osifo who addressed journalists shortly after the National Executive Council meeting of the association in Abuja, at the weekend, said that though a lot of success has been recorded in negotiating salary reviews for its members, there are still organisations that have failed to lift their workers from the present harsh economic situation.

He said within this period, PENGASSAN has signed numerous Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) which has brought smiles to the faces of its teeming members.

“This is because we recognise that our job, literally, is how to protect the job of our members, and how to enhance their pay,” he said.

Osifo said that operators in the oil and gas sectors always go for the best qualified professionals to carry out their operations.

“So, the same way they recruit the best, we also challenge them to provide the best condition of service and provide the best remuneration.

“Yes, today, a lot of companies will have achieved successes, but there are still few that we are still discussing at their CBAs, that we are not yet there.

“We still use this opportunity to call on these companies that are still foot dragging, that are still holding back, even with the massive devaluation that has occurred in our country, that still don’t want to fix the remuneration of our members.

“We are calling on them to do the needful, because for us in PENGASSAN we will push without holding back. We will push, using everything in our arsenal, to ensure that the needful is done,” he said.

Osifo spoke of the dispute with the Dangote Refinery group, saying there are still pending issues to be resolved.

“Gentlemen of the press, during the networking session, we also looked at the issues that are plaguing some of our branches, and you know that recently, we had some challenges in Dangote Refinery and PetroChemicals Ltd.

“And within this period, since our last National Industrial Action, we have been engaging them in a lot of conversations, but the issues are not fully resolved. There are still a lot of pending issues.

“Yes, the NEC decided that, yes, let us still consummate that process by pushing those issues, by engaging in dialogue to resolve the issues, and by also engaging all our social partners and stakeholders to get the issues resolved,” he said.

Business

SEC Unveils Digital Regulatory Hub To Boost Oversight Across Financial Markets

Published

1 day ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has launched the Regulatory Hub, a new centralized digital platform designed to streamline collaboration, strengthen oversight, and improve transparency across Nigeria’s financial and capital market ecosystem.

The Commission disclosed this in a statement posted on its website.

According to the commission, the platform connects key regulatory and security institutions including the Office of the National Security Adviser (NSA), the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), enabling them to exchange information securely and in real time.

The launch of this regulatory hub comes ahead of the implementation of new tax laws in January 2026, with agencies such as the FIRS spreading its tentacles across sector to monitor compliance.

According to the SEC Director-General, Emomotimi Agama, the launch marks a significant step toward modernizing Nigeria’s regulatory framework through technology.

“The Regulatory Hub is a major step in our commitment to leverage technology for stronger regulatory synergy. By connecting regulators on one platform, we are building resilience, enhancing market integrity, and promoting investor confidence,” he said.

The SEC said the platform would help reduce bottlenecks in regulatory processes and facilitate faster, more informed decision-making across agencies.

Reinforcing the DG’s comments, the Executive Commissioner, Operations, Bola Ajomale, highlighted the operational benefits of the new system.

“The platform will significantly improve the timeliness and quality of regulatory decision-making. It provides a single window for regulators to share data, respond to requests, and collaborate seamlessly in safeguarding our financial and capital markets,” he said.

The commission believes the Regulatory Hub would support its broader mandate to strengthen investor protection, enhance market stability, and harmonize regulatory activities across the financial sector.

It urged stakeholders to initiate interest by emailing the Commission, adding that once registered, participants would be able to access the Hub and take advantage of its features.

Business

NAFDAC Decries Circulation Of Prohibited Food Items In markets …….Orders Vendors’ Immediate Cessation Of Dealings With Products

Published

1 day ago

December 8, 2025

The Tide

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing circulation of banned food products across markets in the country.

The agency, in a Press Release dated 6 December 2025, warned that these items including pasta, noodles, sugar and tomato paste are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are illegal to import.

NAFDAC stated that the sale and distribution of such prohibited items violate national trade laws, compromise the integrity of Nigeria’s food control system, and pose significant public health risks, as they have not undergone the agency’s mandatory safety and quality evaluations.

Importers, market traders, and supermarket operators have therefore, been directed to immediately cease all dealings in these items and to notify their supply chain partners to halt transactions involving prohibited products.

The agency emphasized that failure to comply will attract strict enforcement measures, including seizure and destruction of goods, suspension or revocation of operational licences, and prosecution under relevant laws.

The statement said “The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has raised an alarm over the growing incidence of smuggling, sale, and distribution of regulated food products such as pasta, noodles, sugar, and tomato paste currently found in markets across the country.

“These products are expressly listed on the Federal Government’s Customs Prohibition List and are not permitted for importation”.

NAFDAC also called on other government bodies, including the Nigeria Customs Service, Nigeria Immigration Service(NIS) Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Nigeria Shippers Council, and the Nigeria Agricultural Quarantine Service (NAQS), to collaborate in enforcing the ban on these unsafe products.

By: Lady Godknows Ogbulu