Departments
ICPC indicts 88 MDAs for procurement act violations
File Photo The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission has indicted 88 Ministries, Departments and Agencies for violating the provisions of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 in the last three years. The anti-graft agency also said 53 MDAs were guilty of tax default, noting that they had been on the Federal Inland Revenue Service tax defaulters list for three years. It classified 132 MDAs that did not respond to its assessment as ‘corruption high-risk MDAs’ stressing that they “will be treated as such.” This was contained in the ICPC Ethics and Compliance Scorecard of Federal MDAs 2020 made available to newsmen on Tuesday. The commission in its assessment found that none of the MDAs attained full compliance with ethical and accountability standards for efficiency ...
#EndSARS: Lagos government directs MDAs to forward list of destroyed properties
Sequel to the recent unrest in Lagos State which resulted in wanton destruction to some government properties, items, and valuables, the state government on Friday directed all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to send the list of all affected properties, items and other valuables in their domain. It would be recalled that the peaceful #EndSARS protests in the state had turned violence following the shooting by military men, resulting in hoodlums vandalizing government and private properties across the state. The State Head of Service (HoS), Mr Muri Okunola, gave this directive in a circular with Ref. No: CIR/HoS/20/Vol.1/114, dated 30th October 2020, titled: ‘Processing of Indemnity for State Property Damaged in the course of the recent civil unrest,’ saying the directive was to...
Delta governor presents N378.1 billion 2021 budget to state assembly
Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, Tuesday, presented a proposed budget of N378, 184,397,889 for 2021 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly. The budget is made up of N170, 370,000 for recurrent expenditures and N207.5 billion for capital expenditures. Okowa in the more than 50 minutes presentation of the Appreciation Bill at the Hallowed Chamber of the House, said the budget christened “Budget of Recovery” would be funded from four sources. The sources according to the Governor, include Internally Generated Revenue, N65.6 billion, Statutory Allocation including Mineral Revenue Derivation and Excess Crude, N219.9 billion, Value added tax, N17.5 billion and Other Capital Receipts, N17.3 billion. Explaining that the 2021 budget estimates was N96.1 billion increase over the revised budg...
ICPC uncovers N5.17 billion fraud in education, agric ministries
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) says it has uncovered diversion of part of the N2.67 billion payments made to some Federal Colleges for school feeding during lockdown. The Chairman of ICPC, Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye, who stated this at the 2nd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption with the theme: “Together Against Corruption and Launch of the National Ethics and Integrity Policy”, said preliminary investigation had indicated that part of the N2.67billion was diverted to private accounts. The event, presided over President Muhammadu Buhari, was held at the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday. The ICPC boss said: “We observed that transfer to sub-Treasury Single Account was to prevent disbursement from being monitored. ...
NBS solicits Nigerians’ support on survey on children, women
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) has appealed to the general public to support its survey on the situation of women and children it is conducting, is brought to “ a successful end”. Mr Sunday Ichedi, the Head, Public Affairs and International Relations Unit, NBS made the appeal on Wednesday in a statement. Ichedi said that Nigeria had formally started the process of conducting the Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS6)/National Immunisation Coverage Survey (NICS) with a virtual inaugural meeting of the National Steering Committee. The global MICS programme was developed by United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in the 1990s as an international household survey programme. The programme was developed to support countries in the collection of internationally comparable data on a wi...
Nigerian government approves N1.1 billion to accommodate NDLEA officials
The Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday in Abuja approved N1.1billion for the acquisition of a 156-room accommodation for use by Staff of the Nigeria Drugs Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, announced this when he briefed State House correspondents on the outcome of the Council. He said: “The memo presented by the office of Attorney General and Minister of Justice is related to National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA). “It is a memo that seeks council’s approval for the award of contract for the purchase of a property properly known and described as Plot No. 1123-1129 Cadastral Zone 0607 at Aviation Village, Airport Road, Abuja – a property which consists of 156 rooms in a...
Police commence arms mop-up in Rivers
The Rivers State Police Command has directed Commanders of all Tactical Units to commence arms mop-up exercise across the state. Commissioner of Police in the State, CP Joseph Mukan in a statement, said the decision to carry out the arms mop-up was in line with the directive by the Inspector General of Police rid the country of illegal possession of firearms. Mukan also directed the Commanders and Divisional Police Officers, DPOs to enlighten local security outfits in their areas of operations. The Rivers Police boss added that, “Area Commanders are to coordinate, Supervise and report the outcome of such Meetings to the CP with immediate effect and informed all persons and/or groups unlawfully bearing prohibited firearms to with immediate effect, submit same to the nearest Police Station, ...
Auditor-General denies illegal withdrawal of N10 billion from NHIS account
The Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr. Anthony Ayine, Monday, described as false and mischievous, allegations that he connived with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to illegally withdraw N10 billion from the account of the National Health Insurance Scheme, NHIS. In a statement from the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation, OAUGF, in Abuja, Ayine said in the allegation, it was stated that the first withdrawal of N5 billion from the NHIS account was made by Osinbajo and himself, in December 2016, noting that he actually resumed office in January 2017. According to him, the whole allegation, therefore, is not only illogical, highly embarrassing, scandalous, frivolous and unreasonable, but it is also calculated to smear the OAuGF and the person of the Auditor-General for the Federat...
PDP: President Buhari government frustrating war against corruption
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Wednesday, accused the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government of deliberate hoarding of relevant information from Nigerians on the extent of corruption in his administration. This is even as the party said Nigerians have noted the blackmails, intimidation, and threats coming from government quarters, “in their feverish bid to frustrate whistleblowers and truncate on-going uncovering of widespread corruption in ministries, departments and agencies, under the All Progressives Congress, APC, administration.” Addressing a press conference at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said one of such antics by this administration was Tuesday, July 28, 2020 press conference by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Moh...
Senator Lawan: Nobody is above scrutiny of the National Assembly
President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, has said that nobody is above the scrutiny of the National Assembly. Lawan stated this in his closing remarks moments before the Upper Chamber adjourned plenary till September 15, 2020. Speaking on the gains of a harmonious working relationship between the Legislature and the Executive arm of Government, the Senate President advised appointees of the President against needless confrontation with the Committees of the National Assembly. According to him, engagements with Ministries, Departments and Agencies of Government by the Committees of the National Assembly are carried out to serve public interest and in accordance with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution as amended. “As for what has been happening recently, let me take this opportunity to adv...
FIRS clarifies stamp duty rates, others
Following several requests by taxpayers seeking clarifications on the current administration of Stamp Duties Act in the country, the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has published detailed information to guide taxpayers and the general public on rates payable as stamp duty. The clarification guide, which is contained in a Public Notice signed by Executive Chairman, FIRS, Mr. Muhammad Nami, published on its website, stated that Stamp Duty is chargeable on both physical and electronic instruments in two ways i.e. Ad-valorem, where duty payable is a percentage of the consideration on an instrument; or Flat Rate, where a fixed sum is chargeable irrespective of the consideration on dutiable instrument or document. The notice described stamp duty as a tax payable in respect of dutiable inst...
President Buhari reads riot act to ministers, MDAs over discord with National Assembly
President Muhammadu Buhari has read the riot act to ministers, ministries, departments and agencies, warning that any disrespect to the National Assembly will not be tolerated. According to a statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari issued the warning after meeting Senate President Senator Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila at the State House, Abuja. Garba said the meeting, which lasted for almost an hour, was characterized by an engaging discussion on a range of key issues of National importance particularly the role of the Legislature as a critical component in supporting their common goal and commitment towards improving the lives of the people of Nigeria. The statement read in part: “In the course of their...
