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The Nigerian Communication Commission (NCC) has set in motion moves to ensure judicious use of drones in the country through regulation.
The telecoms regulator said this became imperative for Nigeria to enjoy optimal benefits of spectrum.
To that end, the commission, in its usual consultative approach to regulation, held a stakeholders’ forum in Lagos yesterday to review the guidelines on the use of the 2.4 and 5.8 GHZ spectrum bands, which are the frequencies for deployment of drones and other emerging technologies in Nigeria.
Speaking at the forum, the Director, Spectrum Administration, Nigerian Communications Commission, Engr. (Dr.) Austin Nwaulune, said the deployment of drones has increased in the country, hence, the need to regulate its use from the perspective of spectrum.
“The drone market is scaling rapidly and delivering enriched services in the process. The wealth of new applications of this new technology and the role that stakeholders can play is very critical. This forum has been organised to bring together all stakeholders featuring drone experts, operators, law enforcement agencies and business representatives to discuss and share their views on development trends and innovative applications of drone industry as well as the technicalities associated with deployments of drones relates to spectrum from the standpoint of spectrum use,” he said.
Nwaulune noted that there are a number of challenges inhibiting the realisation of full potentials of drones in the country. One of the challenges, according to him, is meeting the spectrum requirements for drone.
“Currently, the NCC in its effort to optimise usage and benefits of the spectrum, is advancing the administrative standards by establishing technical parameters to use the 2.4 and 5.8 GHZ bands as the frequency for deployment of drones and other emerging technologies.
“Over the years, the commission has had guidelines on both the use of 2.4 GHZ and 5.8 GHz Bands for Wireless Access System (WAS). And these are all license-exempt bands (ISM Bands) which studies have shown to be suitable for drone’s deployment globally. However, the prevailing guidelines on the use of 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz band do not cover the general requirements for the control of drones and payload links such as on-board cameras, sensors, etc. Some of these requirements include technical parameters such as transmitting power, coverage distance, modulation schemes etc. that were not envisaged at the time the existing guidelines were being crafted.
“In view of this development and in line with the Commission’s agenda of optimising the full benefit of spectrum, facilitating strategic collaboration and partnership so as to ensure regulatory excellence and operational efficiency, the commission invited all stakeholders and key representatives from the communications sector to share and constructively exchange ideas and discuss how to foster innovation and growth in the industry,” he said.
Meanwhile, stakeholders at the forum called for global harmonisation of spectrums to avoid interference of networks in the use of drones. They also said that a framework needs to be set up to ensure strict compliance for drone usage. They also recommended that there should be stronger synergy among stakeholders, especially NCC, ONSA and NCAA.
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Protests rage in India against citizenship law amid restrictions 
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December 19, 2019
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Big rallies are expected across India on Thursday as the tumultuous and angry reaction builds against a citizenship law seen as discriminatory against the country’s 200 million Muslims.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s move to drive the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) through parliament last week has ignited nationwide protests that have often turned violent, with six people killed and students attacked.
The law gives migrants fleeing persecution from neighbouring Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh an easier path to citizenship, except that Muslims – 14 percent of India’s population – are excluded.
Critics say it is further proof that Modi, emboldened by a resounding election victory this year, is moving quickly to reshape India as a Hindu nation and weaken its secular foundations, reports al-Jazeera.
India’s Supreme Court turned down a pleaon Wednesday to halt implementation of the law but said it would hold hearings next month on the sweeping measure.
More rallies amid prohibitory orders
During the past week of unrest, hundreds of people have been arrested, authorities have cut the internet in some flashpoint areas and banned large gatherings in others.
Police have fired tear gas into crowds and been accused of beating protesters, including women and students, fuelling the anger.
Protest organisers have flagged plans for major rallies on Thursday in major cities across India, including the capital of New Delhi.
Police refused a march permit for one of two major demonstrations planned in New Delhi, officials said. Organisers said they planned to march anyway.
With more demonstrations likely, authorities in the southern state of Karnataka have moved to ban large public gatherings in at least three major cities, a police official said.
The restrictions will come into force on Thursday morning, including in the state capital Bengaluru where offices of dozens of multinational companies including Walmart Inc’s Flipkart, Uber, Infosys and Wipro, are based.
Similar restrictions were also imposed in Lucknow, capital of northern Uttar Pradesh state.
Ban on gatherings in capital
In New Delhi, authorities on Wednesday also imposed a ban on gatherings of more than four people in some of its Muslim-dominated districts.
Police fired shots in the air in a Muslim-dominated part of the capital to repel thousands of demonstrators throwing stones and glass bottles, demanding the law be withdrawn.
At a protest in front of New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia university, which was stormed by policeon Sunday night, leaving 200 students injured, 70-year old Fasiur Rehman accused Modi’s administration of targeting Muslims.
“This government wants to turn us into second-class citizens,” he said, as several hundred protesters around him raised slogans, held up banners, and waved the Indian flag.
The crowd of mostly young people defied the ban on large gatherings.
“We are really very angry with the BJP government… they have taken racism to the extreme point,” Taiba Hadis, 18, told AFP news agency at the rally.
“They are questioning our existence, and it is high time for us to speak up.”
Protests across India
In the financial capital of Mumbai, hundreds of people rallied on Wednesday carrying placards with the words: “India is Ours” and chanting “We Are All One”.
“We just cannot go along with this bill. I can’t believe we now have to prove our citizenship after living in India for so many years,” Tabeer Rizvi told AFP as the Mumbai crowd burst into a Hindi version of the US civil rights movement anthem: “We shall overcome”.
“I am not surprised to see people of all religions come out to protest this bill.”
Rallies were also held in other states including Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Telangana on Wednesday.
In the northeastern state of Assam, which has seen some of the most violent protests against the CAA, thousands of people came out on the streets of several cities on Wednesday.
“We shall continue with our agitation till we get a favourable response from the Supreme Court,” said Samujjal Bhattacharya of the All Assam Students’ Union.
In West Bengal state, where some protests have also turned violent, four people were injured in scuffles in the Uttar Dinajpur district after a procession against the CAA, local official Arvind Meena said.
‘Excessive force’
The UN secretary-general’s spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday the global body was “concerned about the violence and alleged use of excessive force by security forces that we’ve seen that have been taking place”.
The United States’ State Department urged New Delhi to “protect the rights of its religious minorities in keeping with India’s constitution and democratic values”.
At a news conference with his Indian counterpart on Wednesday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Washington cares deeply about protecting religious rights everywhere, but gave a muted answer on the issue.
“We honour Indian democracy as they have a robust debate inside India on the issue,” he said.
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar repeated the government’s line that it was a measure designed to address the needs of persecuted religious minorities.
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Philippine court finds family members guilty in 2009 massacre of 32 journalists, others
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December 19, 2019
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A court in the Philippines has found members of the Ampatuan family guilty in the murder of 57 people – including 32 journalists – in a massacre carried out a decade ago on the southern island of Mindanao.
Three generations of the influential family were among scores of people on trial in a case seen as a crucial test of impunity in a country where provincial power is often decided by corruption, intimidation and violence.
The brazen attack was the country’s single worst case of election violence, reports al-Jazeera.
The defendants denied charges of multiple counts of murder and face up to 30 years in jail for each one.
“We are rooting for a conviction no more, no less,” Nena Santos, a private prosecutor in the case, told reporters ahead of the verdict.
“This is very important because if no conviction here it would mean the impunity continues, press freedom is dead and the democratic process is at stake.”
There were 357 witnesses and 197 suspects, 80 of them still at large.
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Brexit and health, Johnson sets out priorities in Queen’s Speech
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December 19, 2019
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his government’s plans on Thursday, fleshing out how he will honour his election-winning pledges to get Brexit done quickly and boost funding for the state health service.
In a ceremony that marks a new parliament, Queen Elizabeth will read out the laws which the government wants the House of Commons to approve and will pinpoint Johnson’s priorities after winning a commanding majority at last week’s national election.
The prime minister, who won over many traditional supporters of the main opposition Labour Party in northern and central England, has proclaimed he will lead a “people’s government” and will move to fulfil his pledge to “get Brexit done”.
The Queen’s Speech will include new legislation needed to implement the future relationship Johnson has promised to agree with the EU by the end of 2020. He plans to pass the laws needed to finalise the divorce agreement by January 31, reports Reuters.
He will also cement his commitment to spend more on Britain’s much-loved but struggling National Health Service by prioritising legislation to guarantee funding increases, rising to an extra 33.9 billion pounds per year by 2023-24.
“The NHS is the single greatest institution in this country,” he told a reception of health workers late on Wednesday. “We are now putting the biggest investment in the NHS in living memory. We have to keep that investment going.”
On Tuesday, Johnson told his top team of ministers that they “ain’t seen nothing yet folks”, warning them that there was much to do to pay back the trust offered his government in the election on December 12 when he won a majority of 80.
After more than three years of debate over Brexit, Johnson wants to move quickly to try to unite a country riven by disagreements over how, when or whether Britain should leave the EU. Towns, villages and even families have been fractured.
His aides say he is also determined to try to keep the support of those voters in northern and central England, many of whom voted for the governing Conservatives for the first time, by trying to make their lives better.
With a healthy majority, he should be able to fulfil his priority to “get Brexit done” and is expected to announce that the divorce agreement, or Withdrawal Agreement Bill, is brought back to parliament before Christmas and then passed quickly.
He will also offer some insight into how he wants to tackle the domestic concerns highlighted in the election campaign.
Beyond increased funding for the NHS, he is also expected to outline measures to strengthen the justice system, improve transport, better protect those people who rent their homes and kickstart talks to restore the government in Northern Ireland.
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Sweet victories for 8 govs as S’Court affirms elections 
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December 19, 2019
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It was victory galore for eight governors as the Supreme Court, yesterday, upheld their elections in the March 9, 2019 governorship election.
While five governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) retained their seats, three governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) came out victorious.
The apex court upheld the election of Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and consequently dismissed the appeal filed by Adebayo Adelabu of APC.
In a similar vein, the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the candidate of the PDP in Katsina State, Yakubu Lado against the election of Governor Aminu Masari of the APC.
The Supreme Court also, in a unanimous decision, upheld the election of Governor Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State and consequently threw out the appeal filed by Obong Nsima Ekere of the APC.
Also, the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by the candidate of the PDP in Kaduna State, Isah Mohammed Ashiru against the election of Governor Nasir el-Rufai.
In addition, the court upheld the election of Governors Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and David Umahi (Ebonyi).
The apex court, in unanimous judgements, held that the governors were lawfully elected as governors of their respective states.
In affirming Makinde’s election, the apex court agreed with the submissions of Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN) that the majority judgement of the Court of Appeal which nullified the judgement of the Oyo State Election Petitions Tribunal was flawed.
In a four-to-one majority judgement, the Court of Appeal had voided the tribunal’s judgement on the grounds that the tribunal’s decision was perverse because the petitioner, Adelabu of APC was denied fair hearing in the matter.
However, the apex court upheld the submissions of Olanipekun that the tribunal’s judgement was in order and that no party was denied fair hearing throughout the period of the hearing.
Justice Ejembi Eko, who delivered the lead judgment, agreed with Olanipekun that the majority judgement was not in line with the position of the law, unlike that of the minority judgement which, he said, was more sober.
The apex court also held that the respondents (APC and Adelabu) were unable to prove the allegations of violence and malpractices which they claimed marred the exercise in parts of the state.
Justice Eko, therefore, allowed the appeal, set aside the judgement of the lower court and restored the decision of the tribunal as prayed by the appellant.
Makinde had appealed the judgement of the Court of Appeal which had set aside the judgement of the tribunal which upheld his election as governor of Oyo State.
Makinde had polled 515,621 votes defeating Adelabu who polled 357,982 votes.
In the Katsina case, the apex court upheld the submissions of Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) that the first respondent, Governor Bello Masari was eminently qualified for the March 9 governorship election.
The court also agreed with Fagbemi that the appellant did not challenge the basic qualification of the governor, other than mere allegations of submitting false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for his clearance for the said election.
Justice Mary Peter-Odili, while delivering the lead judgement, held that the appeal by Senator Yakubu Lado, was devoid of merit and substance, and accordingly upheld the concurrent judgement of the tribunal and Appeal Court which upheld the election of Masari as governor of Katsina State.
In the Kaduna governorship dispute, the apex court, in its unanimous judgement, held that the appeal filed by Isa Ashiru, the PDP governorship candidate in the March 9 governorship election challenging the victory of Governor el-Rufai of the APC, lacked merit.
Similarly, that of another PDP candidate in Nasarawa State, David Ombugadu against the election of Governor Abdullahi Sule of the APC was also dismissed for lacking merit.
According to the judgement of the apex court, the appellants in the two different appeals failed to substantiate their claims of irregularities and substantial non-compliance with the electoral laws.
The judgement also noted that the two appellants did not show evidence to warrant the setting aside of the concurrent decisions of the tribunal and Appeal Court.
The Supreme Court accordingly upheld the election of both el-Rufai and Sule as Governors of Kaduna and Nasarawa states respectively.
In the two appeals against Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos, a seven-member panel of the apex court held that the cases brought by the applicants did not comply with the requirements for such applications according to Nigeria’s electoral law.
The court also held that the allegations of non-compliance brought against Sanwo-Olu were not substantiated.
“A petitioner has the freedom to use his own language, but should know that he is taking a big risk.
“They were supposed to prove that the non-compliance not only existed, but that it substantially affected the result of the elections. This they failed to do,” the apex court ruled.
In Abiodun’s case, the apex court dismissed the appeal filed by Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied People’s Movement (APM). Akinlade is a protégée of former governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.
The court held that the applicant failed to prove his allegation against the governor.
The court, in a judgement read by Justice Dattijo Mohammed, said the applicants – Akinlade and APM – did not prove their allegation of non-compliance to the electoral laws.
“There is a failure to establish the substance of the alleged non-compliance,” the court ruled.
For Udom, the apex court held that the case filed by the candidate of the APC lacked merit.
The APC candidate in the March 9 governorship election, Nsima Ekere, had challenged the victory of Governor Emmanuel, who was declared the winner of the election by INEC.
In a judgement delivered by Justice Mary Odili, the court says Ekere’s “appeal lacks merit and it’s accordingly dismissed.”
For Umahi, the apex court consequently dismissed the appeal against his election.
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Drama as senators clash over security activities at ports
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December 19, 2019
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The Senate, yesterday, witnessed a mild drama on the floor during the consideration of the report of its Joint Committees on Navy, Marine Transport, and Finance, on the alleged illegal security activities of Ocean Marine Solutions Limited (OMLS) at the Secure Anchorage Area (SAA) of Lagos Ports.
The chairman of the probe panel, Senator George Sekibo (PDP, Rivers East) had presented the report to the apex legislative chamber for consideration.
However, shortly after the presentation, a member of the joint committee, Senator Ahmad Baba-Kaita (APC, Katsina North), rose and strongly opposed some of the recommendations of the committee, describing the report as lopsided.
Baba-Kaita raised a protest against the report when he was asked by the President of the Senate, Dr. Ahmad Lawan, who recognised him, to make contribution to the report.
The lawmaker, who is a member of the committee, immediately started attacking the recommendations, pushing Lawan to query his position on the document in spite of signing it alongside other members.
Lawan said: “This is your signature that I am seeing here. Is this signature not yours; are you not the one that signed this?”
However, Baba-Kaita claimed that he didn’t sign and was not comfortable with the report.
“This report is too lopsided and does not represent the true side. I am not comfortable with the report. This report will not help the security of this country, it’s lopsided,” he said.
Another member of the committee and former Gombe State governor, Senator Danjuma Goje (APC Gombe Central), countered Baba-Kaita, pointing out that what the report was saying was that OMLS should continue to provide security in the nation’s waterways until government was ready to provide alternative.
He said: “It is dangerous for us to open our borders. The security of our waters is still in the hands of the Navy, it is not true that it is in the hands of strangers.”
Also, the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP Abia South), said that it was uncharitable to accuse the committee that investigated the activities of OMSL of bias.
“It is unfortunate that our Navy cannot protect our waterways. How can an individual have a platform and the Navy doesn’t?
“Somebody has been given a job that ought to have been done by Navy and the Navy doesn’t have the platform to do it. Why will the Nigerian agency want to leave our border porous? We must, at all times, put Nigeria first and the ease of doing business must be of interest to us,” Abaribe said.
Contributing, Senator Solomon Adeola (APC, Lagos West) disclosed that the committee invited all agencies that had one thing or another to do with the issue and they came out to give testimonies and the Navy admitted that they were in charge and that OMSL only provided the vessels.
He noted that the Nigeria Port Authority (NPA) didn’t complain that what the company was doing was wrong, but only complained that the money charged per vessel was high.
The lawmaker stated that NPA could only afford four vessels and only one was working, which was not enough to provide security on the waterways, stressing that Navy was short of 150 vessels.
Before putting the resolutions to voice vote, the President of the Senate frowned that the matter was being discussed in the open, exposing the inadequacies of government.
“It is unfortunate we are discussing this in the open, we have been described as the giant of Africa and yet we don’t have the resources,” he said.
Lawan suggested that, rather than make the matter contentious, the question that should be asked was, “how many years are we going to continue with the company and when is government taking over?” adding that “we should look for a way to have our own.”
The Senate, however, resolved that the Nigerian Navy, the NPA and Nigerian Maritime Administration & Safety Agency (NIMASA) should be commended for initiating and implementing a process that led to the provision of enhanced and advanced maritime security in the SAA in the Lagos waters in 2013, which led to checkmating the high rate of attacks on vessels waiting to berth at the Lagos Ports.
The chamber also said that since no fraud was found in the operations of the OMSL and was operating at no cost to government, the firm should be allowed to continue its operation at the SAA until such a time when a better and more cost effective system would be put in place by the government.
The Senate further urged that the Nigerian Navy should be properly funded to enable it procure needed vessels to clear the over 150 vessels deficit to enable them carry out their constitutional responsibilities without over-depending on Private Maritime Logistics Support Companies (PMLSC).
Presenting the report earlier, Senator Sekibo said that the Nigerian Ports Act, 1954 had given the NPA the responsibility of charting, designating, owning, operating and managing anchorage areas, but was silent on the provision or establishment of the SAA.
He also stated that both the NPA and NIMASA were of the views that issues related to anchorage and anchorage areas were the responsibility of NPA.
The lawmaker pointed out that the Nigerian Navy was responsible for securing the Nigerian territorial waterways and was at liberty to be in a collaboration that would effectively enhance its operations and assist in delivering its mandate.
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Senate confirms FIRS board, 7 years after dissolution
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8 hours ago
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December 19, 2019
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…clears Adamu as new AMCON Chairman
- Lawmakers approve N140.3bn for NCC
The Senate, yesterday, confirmed the appointment of the newly reconstituted board of the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), seven years after its dissolution.
The confirmation was sequel to the consideration and approval of the report of the Senate Committee on Finance, presented by its chairman, Solomon Adeola.
The FIRS board was dissolved in 2012 and the executive chairmen appointed since then have been running the agency without a board.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari, in a letter dated December 9, 2019, requested the Senate to confirm the appointment of Muhammad Nami from the North-Central geopolitical zone, as the Executive Chairman of the FIRS.
He also asked the apex legislative chamber to grant approval for the appointment of 13 others as members of the FIRS board.
They are, James Ayuba (North-Central), Ado Danjuma (North-West), Adam Mohammed (North-East), Ikeme Osakwe (South-East), Adewale Ogunyomade (South-West) and Ehile Aibangbee (South-South).
Other members of the board appointed from the ministries, agencies and departments (MDAs) of the Federal Government are, Ladidi Mohammed (Attorney General of the Federation Office) and Godwin Emefiele (Central Bank of Nigeria).
Also on the list are: Fatima Hayatu (Ministry of Finance), Maagbe Adaa (Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission) and Umar Ajiya (Nigerian National Petroleum Commission).
The rest are: DCG T. M. Isah (Nigeria Customs Service) and the Registrar General of the Corporate Affairs Commission.
In a similar development, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Mr. Edward Adamu as the new Chairman of the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON).
The confirmation came as a result of the consideration of the report of its committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions, presented by the Chairman, Senator Uba Sani.
Meanwhile, the Senate has approved the sum of N140,383,591,000 for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for the 2020 fiscal year.
The approval came following consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Communications during plenary.
Chairman of the Communications Committee, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, while giving a breakdown of the Commission’s total expenditure for the year 2020, said that N39,297,044,000 is for recurrent expenditure and N20,863,699,000 for special projects.
The lawmaker added that out of the total budget for the Commission, the sum of N8,129,462,000 is for capital expenditure, N64,208,446,000 for Transfer to Federal Government, and N7,500,000,000 as Transfer to the Universal Service Provision Fund.
In a related development, the Senate yesterday also approved the sum of N11,594,920,847 for the Universal Service Provision Fund for the 2020 fiscal year.
The approval came after consideration of the report of the Committee on Communications chaired by Senator Tinubu.
Out of the total amount approved, N2,354,055,799 is for recurrent expenditure, N196,108,610 for capital expenditure and N9,044,756,438 for USPF projects and programmes.
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FG, states, LGs share N635.826bn allocation for November
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December 19, 2019
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The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has approved the sum of N635.826 billion for sharing to three tires of government for the month of November.
The amount was less than N702.058 billion distributed in previous month (October).
Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Finance, Budget and Planning, Dr. Mahmoud Isa-Dutse, who presided over the FAAC meeting, confirmed the figures yesterday in Abuja.
The N635.826 billion comprised all the revenues – Statutory Revenue, Value Added Tax (VAT), Exchange Gain and Forex Equalization.
The gross statutory revenue for the month of November 2019 was N491.875 billion. It was lower than the N596.041 billion received in the previous month by N104.166 billion.
Revenue from the VAT was N 90.166 billion as against N104.910 billion distributed in the preceding month, resulting in a decrease of N14.744 billion. Exchange Gain revenue was N0.785 billion and the Forex Equalization yielded N53 billion.
Breakdown of amount shared indicated that from the total revenue of N635.826 billion, the Federal Government received N267.883 billion, the states received N172.569 billion, and the Local Government Councils received N129.972 billion. The Oil Producing States received N49.124 billion as 13% derivation revenue and the revenue generating agencies received N16.277 billion as cost of revenue collection.
A breakdown of the distribution showed that from the gross statutory revenue of N491.875 billion, the Federal Government received N230.243 billion, the states received N116.782 billion, the Local Government Councils received N90.034 billion, the oil producing states received N42.144 billion as 13% derivation revenue and the revenue collecting agencies received N12.671 billion as cost of revenue collection.
From the VAT revenue of N90.166 billion, the Federal Government received N12.984 billion, the states received N43.280 billion, the Local Government Councils received N30.296 billion and the revenue collecting agencies received N3.606 billion.
From the Forex Equalization revenue of N53 billion, the Federal Government received N24.290 billion, the states received N12.321 billion, the Local Government Councils received N9.499 billion and the oil producing states received N6.890 billion as 13% derivation revenue.
The balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA) as 18th December, 2019 was $324.539 million.
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Reps probe PPPRA over unremitted N1.343trn
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8 hours ago
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December 19, 2019
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The House of Representatives has mandated its committee on petroleum resources (downstream) to investigate allegation of withholding of N1.343 trillion internally generated revenue (IGR) by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA).
The decision was taken yesterday following the adoption of a motion jointly sponsored by Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai (PDP, Delta) and Hon. Julius Ihonvbere (PDP, Edo) on “the need to investigate the N1.343 unremitted revenue by the PPPRA”.
Leading debate on the motion, Ihonvbere informed that the PPPRA is alleged to have withheld N1.343 trillion IGR, which is statutorily supposed to be paid into the consolidated revenue account (CRA) of the Federal Government.
He said the allegation against the PPPRA for withholding the IGR and not remitting same into the account, which is domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is in contravention of Section 162(1) of 1999 Constitution (as amended).
The lawmaker recalled that the Director-General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Mr. Ben Akubueze had, at a meeting with the chief executive officers (CEO) of government-owned enterprises (GOEs), disclosed that PPPRA has allegedly withheld unremitted operating surplus amounting to over N1.343 trillion.
“Cognisant of the fact that the alleged N1.343 trillion unremitted revenue by PPPRA was collected as part of its IGR, thereby constituting a breach of the public accounting principle and the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy of the Federal Government.
“Concerned that this allegation is not only grave, but worthy of investigation by the House, especially in the face of the paucity of funds and economic crunch the government is currently passing through,” Ihonvbere stated.
He expressed concern that alleged non-remittance by PPPRA has accumulated over several years, thereby undermining the government’s anti-corruption drive and quest to block leakages in governance.
According to him, the alleged lack of transparency in public sector accounting, occasioned by fiscal indiscipline by Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), have continued to “sink holes in government’s purse.”
Ihonvbere added that the action of the PPPRA, if unchecked, could worsen the country’s socio-economic woes.
The motion was adopted without debate and the committee is expected to report back to the House within 10 weeks for further legislative actions.
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2019 Budget: FG releases N1.2trn for capital projects
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8 hours ago
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December 19, 2019
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- Rehabilitation of Port Harcourt Refinery begins January
The Federal Government has confirmed the release of N1.2 trillion in the 2019 budget for financing of capital projects across the country.
Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, said the release of the amount, which represents 50 per cent performance of the total funds for capital projects, was achieved last week.
Records indicate, however, that the 2019 budget has a total of N2 trillion for capital expenditure.
Ahmed disclosed this yesterday while briefing State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Finance Minister had earlier announced that as of November this year, a total of N650 billion was released; bulk of which was used for the financing of roads projects.
She said: “First, in terms of revenue performance, the revenue performance prorated to third quarter of 2019 is N4.25 trillion and that represents a performance of 81 per cent. That is to third quarter, so it’s nine months prorated, not full year.
“The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth that we planned for 2019 was 3.5 per cent and the third quarter GDP performance was reported as 2.28 per cent.
“On expenditure, we have been able to release all that is required for personnel; so personnel expenditure is on course, debt service is also on course.
“On overhead, we have been able to release eight months overhead for general MDAs and 11 months overhead for some MDAs we classify as critical.
“This includes the security services, the Federal Government Unity Colleges as well as NYSC and Prison rations. So, a few agencies that we classify as critical have received 11 months and we are working on the 12-month overhead release for this category of MDAs.”
The minister continued, “So far, as at last week, we have released up to N1.2 trillion in capital expenditure and that is a 50 percent performance of the capital for the whole year 2019.
“Now that Mr. President has assented to the 2020 budget which is a major achievement for this government, it is clear that the 2019 budget is also a six-month budget. So, we have achieved 50 per cent capital release or 50 per cent performance of the 2019 budget.
“We have also been able to pass through the National Assembly and the National Assembly has passed the Finance Bill of 2019. I believe that by today or tomorrow, the bill will be conveyed to Mr. President for his assent.
“We have started the process of the new long term development plan, we prepared a road map, and it is going to be subjected to various stakeholders’ reviews before we start the actual planning process.”
In his remarks, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, said the government, next year June, will get the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) currently before the National Assembly passed into law.
Sylva said: “On Wednesday, we reported to Council that we have achieved at least one of those mandate areas, which is the passage of the deep offshore amendment Act.
“We also reported that work is ongoing on the PIB and that, hopefully, it will be passed into law by June next year.
“We also reported that next year, we will open up the gas sector and a lot will happen in the gas sector in Nigeria. Rehabilitation of the Port Harcourt Refinery will commence in January and, hopefully, 2020 will be a very busy year for the oil industry in Nigeria.”
Also speaking, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, said he briefed Council that the ministry will be bringing in additional diesel locomotive for Abuja-Kaduna for rail way system.
He said: “It will be eight coaches and two locomotives that will drive them. This is to reduce the pressure we have on the Abuja-Kaduna route.”
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News
Artificial sweeteners could trigger complications in Type 2 Diabetes
Published
8 hours ago
on
December 19, 2019
By
Scientists in Australia have found that artificial sweeteners could be contributing to Type 2 diabetes.
According to the findings of their published review, people who use low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) were more likely to gain weight, the exact opposite of what consumers expect.
Study lead Professor Peter Clifton of the University of South Africa (UniSA) said, “A better option than low-calorie sweeteners is to stick to a healthy diet, which includes plenty of whole grains, dairy, seafood, legumes, vegetables and fruits and plain water.
Clinton noted that there has been a 200 per cent increase in LCS usage among children and a 54 per cent increase among adults in the past 20 years. This is despite controlled clinical trials showing that artificial sweeteners do lead to weight loss.
Low calorie sweeteners are used in place of sucrose, glucose and fructose. They have an intense sweet flavour without the calories, but recent studies have highlighted potential adverse health effects, reported the ‘Medical Express’.
The study of 5,158 adults over a seven-year period found that those who consumed large quantities of artificial sweeteners gained more weight than non-users.
“Artificial sweeteners also change the gut bacteria, which may lead to weight gain and risk of type 2 diabetes,” he said.
Artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) are also linked with increased risks of death and cardiovascular disease, and strokes and dementia among older people, but it is not clear why.
Prof Clifton cited 13 studies which investigated the effects of ASB intake on the risk of type 2 diabetes, all of which found either no link or a positive one. One study found that substituting ASB for sugar-sweetened beverages or fruit juices was associated with a five – seven per cent lower risk of Type 2 diabetes.
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