N-Power Assessment Begins For Applicants

The Federal Government on Friday said assessment of candidates who volunteered under its empowerment programme, N-Power, N-health category has commenced.

N-Power, in a statement on its twitter handle also advised candidates who have gotten its SMS about the test to log in and write the test.

It said other applicants that applied for N-Health will get their SMS between Friday and Monday 2017.

N-Power also reminded applicants that only those whose BVN records match their applications will be invited to write the test.

The tweet reads, “N-health assessment tests have begun. Some of you have gotten the SMS to write your tests, so please log in and write your test.

“N-health assessment tests have begun. Some of you have gotten the SMS to write your tests, so please log in and write your test.

“Some others that applied for N-Health will get their SMS between now and Monday, the 24th of July, 2017

“Some others that applied for N-Health will get their SMS between now and Monday, the 24th of July, 2017

“REMINDER: ONLY those whose BVN records match their applications will be invited to write the test.”

By Seun Opejobi

FG Has Abandoned Bayelsea Despite Tapping Our Resources - Gov Dickson

Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has ​lamented the absence of federal projects in the state​. ​He said the situation ​was unfortunate considering that ​​Bayelsa​ is home to where Nigeria first discovered its current money spinner.

Dickson ​spoke when a delegation of the Senate Committee on Works, led its Vice Chairman, Senator Clifford Odia paid him a courtesy visit in Government House, Yenagoa.

While lamenting that Bayelsa has the least kilometre of federal roads, ​the governor pointed out that​ ​the Federal Government has utilized resources from the state and the Niger Delta to develop major capital cities in the country.

He ​​said crude oil terminals in locations such as Brass in Bayelsa, Bonny (Rivers) and Forcados (Delta) where oil is lifted daily are not accessible by road.

​

Dickson called on the National Assembly to spearhead the ongoing efforts on restructuring the country to achieve an equity, peace, stability, justice and sustainable development.

​

His words: “You have seen for yourselves. All you have talked about is the Yenegwe-Kolo road which has been on the drawing board since the time of Gen. Yakubu Gowon, even before the civil war.

​

”​Let me use this opportunity to once again, remind the Senate of the pitiable situation of our people and to draw attention to that and see what the National Assembly can do not just by way of exercising your powers of appropriation, but more fundamentally, to support the on-going calls for the re-organization of our country to make it more equitable, stable and peaceful.

“We all want a united, big and strong Nigeria but a Nigeria of truth, justice and compassion because if we don’t take the right step to make a peaceful change possible now, a generation is coming up that may make violent change inevitable, which is not what we want.’’

In his remarks, Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Works, Senator Clifford Odia, said they were in the state to inspect all federal projects, with a view to assessing their level of completion.

Senator Odia, however, expressed dismay over the poor quality and slow pace of work on the dualization of the Yenegwe-Kolo road project, which has achieved just a dysmal 47%, even though, it was re-awarded since 2009.

He said, ‘’We are here to inspect federal roads in Bayelsa and we have been able to visit a few of such roads. We visited the site of the dualization of the Yenigwe-Kolo road and what we found there to say the least, was very embarrassing.

​

”​That project was awarded in 2009 but only about 47% of the project has been completed and the quality of work done falls below standard.’’

Senator Odia assured that, the committee would institute a panel to investigate the structural integrity of the road and ensure that provisions are made for the Nembe-Brass road in the 2018 budget.

By Wale Odunsi

New Policy To Reform NNPC Approved By FG

The Federal Government has approved a new policy for the re-organisation of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) for efficiency and to enable accountability.

The approval is sequel to a memo presented to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) by the Minister of State, Petroleum, Ibe Kachikwu.

Kachikwu, who briefed State House correspondents at the end of FEC meeting on Wednesday, said the approval would usher in a a new era of oil administration in Nigeria.

He disclosed said his ministry had already began implementing some of the policy.

The Minister said: “We are working assiduously to exit the importation of fuel in 2019 and we also captured the cash calls changes we have done which enables the sector to fund itself through incremental volumes”

“It captured the issues in the Niger Delta and what we needed to do as a government, to focus on stability and consistency in the sector.

“It is a very comprehensive 100-page document that’s deals with all the spectrum in the industry..

“It’s has been 10 Years and you are aware that the dynamics of the oil industry has changed dramatically.

“Apart from the fact of fluidity in pricing and uncertainty in terms of the price regime in crude, we are pushing for a refining processing environment and moving away from exporting as it were to refining petroleum product, that’s one change you will see.

“Secondly how we sell our crude is going to be looked at, there is a lot of geographical market we need to look at in the long term, contracting and sales as opposed to systemic contracting that we have been doing.

“Those are the fundamentals, it’s a document if well executed will fundamentally take the change process that we began in 2015 to its logical conclusion hopefully in the next couple of years,” he said.

By Chijioke Jannah

We Are Determined To Implement Tobacco Law - FG

The Federal Government has ruled out backing out of the implementation of the National Tobacco Act (NTC) 2015. 

The director-general of Consumer Protection Council of Nigeria (CPC), Babatunde Irukera made the comment yesterday in Abuja when he received the delegation of the Nigeria Tobacco Control Alliance (NTCA) in his office.

The delegation was led by the chairman governing board of NTCA and Deputy Director of the Environmental Rights Action/Friends of the Earth Nigeria (ERA/FoEN) Akinbode Oluwafemi and the Sub-Regional Coordinator West Africa of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK) Mrs. Hilda Ochefu.

“As an agency of the Federal Government we have responsibility of protecting the citizens on what they are exposed to through purchase or otherwise. The CPC is committed to implementing all government laws that concerned it including the NTC 2015. Sometimes we have to even protect the people against themselves. We have the understanding of the different dimensions the law make obligations on us,” Irukera said.

Ondaje Ijagwu who represents the council in the National Tobacco Control Committee (NATOCC), set up to implement the law, said the CPC is working with the Federal Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to ensure the successful implementation of the law. 

Speaking earlier, Akinbode Oluwafemi said the DGs appointment may not be unconnected to his role as counsel to Lagos government in the suit against tobacco transnationals in 2007.

“Nothing has changed since then as the tobacco industry has recalibrated and now targeting women and children in a renewed effort to get replacement smokers. The National Tobacco Control Act thus presents an opportunity to protect millions of Nigerians from tobacco addiction and its health, social, economic and environmental impacts,” he said.

Mrs Ochefu on her part said some of the new developments in the tobacco industry strategy including British America Tobacco Company intimidatory tactics and litigation against Nigeria and some other countries in Africa that plan to implement tobacco laws.

She therefore among others urged the CPC to champion the cause of smoke-free Nigeria and adopt tobacco control as one of the key areas for intervention to save Nigerians from the scourge of tobacco.

By Abbas Jimoh

FG Releases Details Of Paris Loan Refund To States

The Federal Government has released details of payments to the 36 states as the refund of “over-deductions on Paris Club, London Club Loans and Multilateral debts on the accounts of States and Local Governments (1995-2002).”

This is the second tranche of the refunds to the states.

A total of N243.8billion was released to the 36 states and Abuja.

Acting President Yemi Osinbajo approved the disbursement of the monies on May 4, according to the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun.

“The releases were conditional upon a minimum of 75 per cent being applied to the payment of workers’ salaries and pensions for States that owe salaries and pension,” Salisu Dambatta, a finance ministry spokesperson. said in the statement.

See the full details of the amount received by each state below:
 

RE-REIMBURSEMENTS OF OVERDEDUCTIONS ON PARIS CLUB LOANS FROM STATE GOVERNMENT
MANDATE TO THE CENTRAL BANK OF NIGERIA: 2ND INSTALMENT
S/N STATE AMOUNT PAYABLE (NGN)
1 ABIA 5715765871.48
2 ADAMAWA 6114300352.68
3 AKWA-IBOM 10000000000
4 ANAMBRA 6121656702.34
5 BAUCHI 6877776561.25
6 BAYELSA 10000000000
7 BENUE 6854671749.25
8 BORNO 7340934865.32
9 CROSS RIVER 6075343946.93
10 DELTA 10000000000
11 EBONYI 4508083379.98
12 EDO 6091126592.49
13 EKITI 4772836647.08
14 ENUGU 5361789409.66
15 GOMBE 4472877698.19
16 IMO 7000805182.97
17 JIGAWA 7107666706.76
18 KADUNA 7721729227.55
19 KANO 10000000000
20 KATSINA 8202130909.85
21 KEBBI 5977499491.45
22 KOGI 6027727595.8
23 KWARA 5120644326.57
24 LAGOS 8371938133.11
25 NASARAWA 4551049171.12
26 NIGER 7210793154.95
27 OGUN 5739374694.46
28 ONDO 7003648314.28
29 OSUN 6314106340.62
30 OYO 7901609864.25
31 PLATEAU 5644079055.41
32 RIVERS 10000000000
33 SOKOTO 6441128546.76
34 TARABA 5612014491.52
35 YOBE 5413103116.59
36 ZAMFARA 5442385594.49
37 FCT 684867500.04

By Ifreke Inyang