Budget defence: N2bn on furniture, zero allocation to Mambila hydro project raises concern

 

On Wednesday, the daily budget defence in the National Assembly continued with usual revelations and drama.

In the House of Representatives, DAILY POST reports that the Committees on Finance, Electoral matters and Power had a schedule as different Ministries, Departments and Agencies defended their budget estimates.

Committee on Electoral matters infighting:

Normally, fighting during committee meetings are between executive and judiciary, however, on Wednesday, it was between the Chairman of the Committee, Aisha Dukku and Solomon Bob from Rivers State. Bob had challenged the Chairperson for non-oversight activities by the committee.

“The committee did not carry out any oversight on the commission in the last one year, but here are we, being called upon to superintend over another budget,” Bob argued.

However, the Chairperson used the gavel to rule him out of order.

Zainab Ahmed throwing Minister of power under the bus:

According to reports, the N100billion Mambila Hydroelectric power project did not get any allocation in the 2021 budget proposal. The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed said the Ministry of Power did not prioritize the project.

She disclosed that every committee has a budget ceiling, however, the Ministry did not prioritize the project and therefore did not include it in their budget.

“They are now expected to make their budget within that ceiling. The Ministry of Power didn’t have Mambilla in their submission. We do not provide programmes that go into budget for Ministries, Departments and Agencies.

“The Ministries know what their priorities are, they are the ones to indicate. So if the Ministry of Power did not have Mambilla in their submission, it is because they did not provide it that‘s their responsibility”.

N2billion to buy furniture by NERC:

While Nigerians are struggling to get electricity in their homes, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) is proposing to use N2billion to furnish and partition their office in Abuja.

The Chairman of the Commission, James Momoh had a hard time at the budget defence before the committee on power.

According to Momoh, the money will be used to furnish and partition the 8 storey building in Abuja.

However, the Chairman of the Committee, Aliyu Magaji threatened that he will delete the item for the budget if details are not provided.

“If you don’t have the contract sum we will delete it from the budget. You have only one line item and you came unprepared. So you should go back and bring the total contract sum,” he said.

The budget defence process continues.

- DAILY POST

Trump undermining US electoral system – International observers

 President Donald Trump is trying to undermine America’s electoral system through baseless allegations, international observers have warned.

The observers from Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe invited by the State Department have tracked U.S. elections for nearly two decades.

The group monitored election in 30 states. Members of the group who visited post offices said they found nothing untoward in the handling of mail-in ballots.

In their interim report, the group listed the challenges which characterized the 2020 U.S. election, citing  allegation of fraud without evidence by Trump as top of the pack.

''Baseless allegations of systematic deficiencies, notably by the incumbent President, including on election night, harm public trust in democratic institutions,” said Michael Georg Link, a German politician with the OSCE monitors.

Also, Urszula Gacek, a former Polish diplomat who heads the OSCE mission, said Trump has no solid ground to make the allegation of fraud. “The system has held up well,” she said at a news conference in Washington on Wednesday.

“Given the extreme stress test the system was exposed to … the American electoral process appears to have passed that test,” Gacek said.

“The enormous effort made by election workers, supported by many engaged citizens, ensured that voters could cast their votes despite legal and technical challenges and deliberate attempts by the incumbent president to weaken confidence in the election process,” said Gacek.

- PM NEWS

Strike continues as ASUU, FG meeting end in deadlock

 

Chris Ngige, the minister of labour and employment, says the federal government does not have the N110 billion revitalisation fund being demanded by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Speaking after a meeting with the union on Wednesday, Ngige said the government could only offer ASUU N20 billion due to the dire economic situation in the country.

The union embarked on an indefinite strike in March following the non-implementation of agreements and resolutions reached in 2009 and subsequent memoranda of understanding signed in 2013 and 2017.

The union also opposed the adoption of the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) but presented its University Transparency Account System (UTAS) as an alternative.

The government has said it would consider accepting UTAS adding that the software is undergoing an integrity test.

“There are three issues and these include the revitalisation fund where the government offered ASUU N20 billion, on good faith based on the memorandum of understanding (MoU) entered into in 2013 as a result of the renegotiation with the then government in 2009. This present government is still committed to it, while we are giving them offers of some fund,” Ngige explained.

“This government is not against revitalisation but this government says that because of the dire economic situation due to COV1D-19, we cannot really pay in the N110 billion which they are demanding for revitalisation.

“We offered N20 billion as revitalisation fund. On earned academic allowances (EAA), the government offered N30 billion to all the unions in the universities, making it N50 billion altogether.

“ASUU is saying that the N30 billion should be for lecturers alone, irrespective of the fact that there are three other unions. So there is a little problem there. We do not have any money to offer apart from this N30 billion.

“As you know last week, the minister of communication and digital economy has approved that NITDA gets ASUU system (UTAS) and subject it to integrity test. This test should be conducted without fear or favour and as early as possible. So today, they have submitted the document for onward transmission to NITDA.”

Ngige said the government could not pay the lecturers their entitlements during the transition period because there was no platform for the payment to be made.

Ngige said the government side will meet on Friday and would subsequently communicate to the union if there is a need for another meeting.

- THECABLE

Lekki toll gate shooting: How Malami indicted Buhari as incompetent Commander-In-Chief – HURIWA

 

The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria, HURIWA, has alleged that Abubakar Malami, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice has indicted President Muhammadu Buhari as an incompetent Commander-In-Chief.

HURIWA, a frontline activist group made the remark in response to claim that hoodlums in uniform may have attacked End SARS protesters at Lekki toll gate in Lagos State.

Some gunmen in military uniform had shot and allegedly killed some protesters in Lekki toll gate. The Nigerian Army, however, denied the involvement of soldiers.

Reacting to the outcry, Malami had said hoodlums parading in military uniform may have attacked the protesters.

However, a statement by HURIWA’s National Coordinator, Emmanuel Onwubiko and Director Media Affairs, Zainab Yusuf called on President Muhammadu Buhari to sack Malami.

The statement reads partly: “We condemn the Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami’s claim that hoodlums in Military uniforms may have attacked Lekki toll gate peaceful protesters.

“It’s an indictment on President Muhammadu Buhari as the Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces.

“We call on the President to sack Abubarkar Malami.”

- DAILY POST

Penis disappearance: Ortom visits community, seeks confirmation

 

Amid rumours of the alleged disappearance of male genitals through mystical powers, Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue, on Wednesday, dismissed such rumours as “baseless and the handiwork of mischief makers“.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the alleged claims had led to acts of arson in Daudu in the Guma Local Government Area of the state.

Ortom, who refuted the claims when he visited Daudu in Guma Local Government Area, where the alleged genital disappearance occurred, explained that ” there was no single confirmed case of the incident”.

The governor said the concocted tales of male genital disappearance was not true but  only meant to encourage hatred and underdevelopment of the area.

He expressed regrets that while the people had yet to recover from the effects of  herders` attacks, “it was unthinkable for the youth in the area to embark on destruction of property for a nonexistent disappearance of genital organs”.

Ortom noted that such allegations could scare people who go to Daudu for investment purposes, adding that “law and order must be maintained at all times”.

The governor, who requested those with complaints of missing genital organs to present themselves for physical examination, only one person turned out but could not prove his claim of genital disappearance hence his male organ was still intact.

Ortom warned the people against any breakdown of law and order and said such acts would be tackled by the security agents.

He appealed to the people to refrain from resorting to jungle justice and to report all criminal activities to the security agencies.

Also speaking, the Chief of  Guma,  Dennis Shemberga, commended elders and other stakeholders, especially security agents, for the critical roles they played in ensuring that peace returned to Daudu.

He said the governor’s visit was timely and would help to douse tension in the area.

NAN reports that the governor was accompanied on the visit by the Commissioner of Police, Mr Mukadas Garba, and members of the State Executive Council.

It would be recalled that the Police Command in Benue had also dismissed the claims but admitted that it had arrested eight people in connection with  the destruction of property in the area. (NAN)

COVID-19 claims more lives in Nigeria

 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Wednesday confirmed 155 new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

NCDC also confirmed that the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the nation is now 63,328.

It said four deaths had been recorded in the past 24 hours.

According to the health agency, the 155 new cases were recorded in eight states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

Lagos State reported the highest number of infections with 85, while the FCT had 23, Ondo State had 18 and Ogun reported eight.

Kaduna, Oyo and Taraba recorded five each, Kano State, three; Rivers, two and Bauchi State had one.

“Till date, 63,328 Covid-19 cases have been confirmed, 59,675 patients have been discharged and 1,155 deaths have been recorded in the 36 states and the FCT,” it said.

- DAILY POST

Gboah TV confirms death of reporter ‘arrested by Lagos task force’ during #EndSARS crisis

 

Pelumi Onifade, a reporter with Gboah TV, who was allegedly arrested by officers attached to the Lagos state task force, has been “found dead”.

Onifade, said to be a 200-level student of the department of history, Tai Solarin University of Education, Ijagun, Ogun State, was an intern with Gboah TV, an online television.

He was reportedly taken away by the task force on October 24, while covering an attack by a mob at a government facility in Agege area of Lagos.

He was said to have been dragged away despite wearing a jacket showing he was working as a reporter.

Gboah TV, in a statement on Tuesday, said the family and the broadcast station tried for days to locate him, before his corpse was discovered at a mortuary in Ikorodu.

The news of his death has sparked widespread condemnation with many calling on the police to ensure justice for Onifade, while the hashtag #JusticeforPelumi is also trending on social media.

“It has been confirmed that the Gboah TV staff ‘Onifade Pelumi’, arrested by the Lagos State Task Force at the Ministry of Agriculture, Abbattoir, Agege is dead,” the statement read.

“The Police are currently investigating the matter and have assured the management, the family and community that the investigation will be thorough and swift.

“Onifade Pelumi died while covering the scenes at the site of the palliative storage centre. He will be deeply missed!

“Further details will be released upon completion of the investigation by Police Force.”

- THECABLE