The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) said it is targeting at least 1.5million candidates to sit for the examination which comes up later in the year.
This is following the opening of application portal for the 2022 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination UTME, over 500,000 candidates are believed to have successfully registered nationwide.
The Board made the disclosure on Thursday in Abuja.
Registrar of JAMB, Professor Is-haq Oloyede, who led a team of officials of the Board to monitor the registration exercise in some Computer Based Test (CBT) Centres in Abuja.
He noted that in many registration centres across the country, the exercise has been going on smoothly except little glitches with the system, especially network problem in some places, saying however that this year’s registration process was an improvement over the previous ones, having put into consideration some of the challenges and complaints of candidates in the past.
According to Oloyede: “So far so good, we have registered about 500,000 candidates. We are expecting about 1.5 million candidates or there about. We still have more than 12 days to go.
“If things continue to go smoothly, we planned to register 50,000 per day, the day before yesterday, it was over 70,000 per day, we believe today we should be able to register 70,000. Yesterday, there was a little glitch on the system,” he said.
Oloyede took time during the monitoring exercise to interrogate prospective candidates who could not proceed with registration because of challenges in generating code from the National Identify Management Commission (NIMC), among other issues.
“But you have seen what is happening now, that is why I’m happy that you are here and able to talk to candidates who have problems. You saw that 99% of the problems are self-inflicted and it is because they play into the hands of fraudsters,” he said.
He was particularly worried about a young man who claimed upon interrogation at the Kogo CBT Centre, Bwarri, that he was a “do-gooder” but was doing wrong thing on the profile of the prospective candidates.
He appealed to non-candidates to keep off the exercise while also calling on the parents to allow their children to read the instructions and follow them, insisting that most the problems faced by candidates are self-made.
The Registrar, however, disclosed that four vendors who were found wanting are currently being interrogated by the appropriate office, vowing to blacklist their agents if the Board is convinced of their involvement in underhand dealings.
Just as the clock ticks towards the national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) schedule for March 26th, issues relating to who emerges the National Chairman is generating a lot of issues with a rumoured endorsement of Senator Abdullahi Adamu by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Mustapha Audu, leader of APC Progressive Youth and Aliyu Audu, convener of APC Rebirth Group are guests at Arise Television on Thursday where they maintained that they were open to anyone who the party leaders endorse, as long as that person will allow youth inclusiveness, even though they openly voiced out their reservations about Abdullahi Adamu who they said is not youth friendly.
On the controversy trailing the alleged endorsement of Adamu and why some people are not comfortable with him as national chairman, Aliyu said, “He is not popular. He was one of the strong proponents of the third term agenda, during Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s era. We should reward people who do good, and not those who do badly. If that third term agenda had succeeded, we would probably have ended up with a life President today. People who did or said things that threatened our democracy shouldn’t be rewarded.
According to him, “Secondly, Senator Adamu is not a young people-friendly person. He was the reconciliation chairman and there were lots of agitations, he never invited a single young people’s groups. We account for 85 percent of the population of the party. We wrote petitions to the party leaders but he didn’t recognize us.”
Aliyu said that he didn’t believe that the President endorsed any particular candidate, stressing that the President only approved that a consensus candidate should emerge from the North Central but didn’t endorse anyone.
Mustapha said, “As young people we respect our President 100 percent. We believe that the time has come for the APC to get its acts together. We had a long standing issue with the party as young people but we have been working hand in hand with the party recently but what we would like to say is that some of these issues are usually lack of communication and carrying people along. APC has always used consensus to elect their chairmen.
“There is a difference between imposition and consensus because the new electoral act took care of that. All the people have to agree and sign for the consensus candidate to be authentic.
“We had a lot of issues with the party because there was no inclusion. We had a meeting with Mai Mala Buni and he assured us that we are in the convention planning committee, going to take up zonal positions. Our fight is for inclusion; our fight is to ensure that the party has a chairman that recognizes the young active agile APC members,” he said.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) has lost governance following the persisting fuel scarcity hitting the nation.
The party has also demanded that the Minister for Education, Adamu Adamu should resign immediately and tender unreserved apology to the nation for abusing and walking out on Nigerian students, who went to his office to plead for his intervention to end the on-going strike by lecturers in public universities in the country.
PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, charged Nigerians to brace up and support one another in the face of abandonment by the APC administration as all critical indicators show that the ruling party has abdicated its constitutional duty to guarantee the security and welfare of the people.
The statement reads, “The prevailing chaotic situation in the country with widespread uncertainties, unabating fuel crisis, piercing economic hardship, sectional agitations, heated industrial unrests, infrastructural stagnation, kidnapping, daily bloodletting and escalated insecurity with gangsters now taking over the streets of major cities further confirms that the APC administration is now on autopilot with its central command structure in disarray.
“The decision by President Muhammadu Buhari to jet out to the United Kingdom (where leaders are committed) for yet another ‘routine medical check-up’ after his administration has wrecked our healthcare system and when the nation which he leads is in crisis, underscores the insensitivity of the APC which by nature and outlook has never been ready for governance since inception.
“While other world leaders are solving problems in their countries, President Buhari, who promised to fix our refineries, abandoned Nigerians to the excruciating fuel crisis caused by the corruption perpetrated by APC leaders in the helm of affairs in the petroleum sector, which has now crippled economic activities in the country.
“Nigerians will recall that after being exposed for importing contaminated fuel with consequential damage to vehicles, machineries and businesses, the APC government had promised to fix the situation. Sadly, several weeks after, the APC Federal Government had failed in its promise as always like in every other aspect of our national life,” the PDP lamented.
The party noted that with the corruption and abdication of duty by the APC, the nation is now at the mercy of black-market vendors, who charge already overburdened Nigerians as high as N500 per liter of fuel; a development that has resulted in spiral increase in transport fares, costs of food, medicines and other essential commodities.
The statement continued,”This is in addition to the collapse of many businesses, massive loss of jobs, hunger and starvation, sudden death of bread winners with grave economic pressure on millions of families and attendant social consequences to our country.
“By travelling out of the country at the time Nigerians expect him to make himself available and provide leadership to address the agitations by striking university lecturers, President Buhari further exposes APC’s lack of commitment towards the wellbeing and development of Nigerians youths,” the party said.
The PDP has also pointed out that by arrogantly insulting and refusing to attend to the member of the National Association of Nigerians Students (NANS), Adamu Adamu recklessly abdicated his duties and exhibited an unpardonable discourteousness unfitting of a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, let alone a Minister of Education.
“Our Party insists that Adamu Adamu’s action is an assault and embarrassment to the nation’s education sector. It amounts to spitting in the face of the generality of the Nigerian youths as well as their parents; a conduct that is characteristic of the impunity, insensitivity and arrogant disdain for Nigerians which have permeated the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration.
“That is why the APC government has always walked away from Nigerians in the face of critical situations that have to do with the security and welfare of the people. Of course, the APC as a party is in approval of the conduct of Adamu Adamu because such is in line with APC’s detestation and disparagement of Nigerians, especially the youths.
“Adamu Adamu’s action is reminiscent of the October 2020 brutal killing of Nigerian youths by APC-controlled security agents at the Lekki Toll gate in Lagos for exercising their rights to peaceful protest against injustice and brutality in our country. But for the maturity displayed by the students, Adamu Adamu’s attitude was capable of causing a breakdown of Law and Order at the venue of the meeting.”
The party further said that the right to education is a basic right which must not be denied our youths, adding, “It is therefore reprehensible that the minister of education who ought to defend such right could conduct himself in such an undignified manner towards the youths.
“Moreover, by stating that he could only comprehend a point in the list of very concise serious issues raised by the students including the demand for adequate funding for education, reopening of universities and the negative implication of constant industrial crisis in tertiary institutions; Adamu Adamu shows that either he is downright inattentive or lacks the required capacity to assimilate or comprehend critical issues.
“Such only points to the fact that Adamu Adamu is not a fit and proper person to continue to hold public office as minister. In any case, by training and professional experience, Adamu Adamu is a square peg in a round hole as Minister of Education. He lacks the proficiency to understand, comprehend and effectively attend to issues of education in our country.”
While urging the students not to relent in their demands, the PDP called on President Buhari to remove Adamu Adamu and appoint a new minister of education from the array of qualified academicians and seasoned administrators that abound in the country, who can understand and effectively manage our education sector.
The Nigerian Governors’Forum (NGF) on Friday lamented that despite declaring profits in the last few months, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company, (NNPC) Limited contributed zero to the Federation account this month.
Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of NGF, Kayode Fayemi, made this known at the Governor’s Forum session which marked the end of the panelists session of the 5th edition of the Nigerian International Energy Summit (NIES 2022).
While noting that there concerns around transparency, accountability and governance of the sector particularly as efforts are geared towards revitalising the industry.
In attendance at the Governor’s Forum session were Kebbi State governor, Abubakar Bagudu, the representatives governor of Ondo,Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Razaq Obe, representative of Bayelsa state governor, Ibieri Jones, Commissioner for Mineral Resources, and respresentative of Rivers state governor.
The NGF boss, lamented that transparency is central to the challenge the oil and gas sector face, adding that Nigerians appear to be suffering more even though the oil prices in the international market is going up.
According to him, “This is a time to talk about revitalization, the petroleum industry act has just being passed into law, even if governors have some issues as the Minister already knows, we do have with the law itself, and that is being worked on by the implementation committee but we think it is significant step 20 old years after that attempt started to review the 1969 petroleum act that has been the driver of the industry over the last 50 old years.
“And clearly the gaps that have been noticed in growing the industry and growing the sector particularly in ensuring that we run a sustainable institution that would not only respond to the yearnings of the industry, but also the general concerns of the Nigerian public. So the things that have been addressed partly in the law.
“For us as states that are beneficiaries of the goose that lays the golden egg, the oil and gas industry, we also are very desirous that this industry is sustained over the long term. We see areas of concerns particularly in terms of revitalising the industry around transparency around accountability around governance of the sector.
“We’ve just had Federation allocation accounts. Committee meeting a couple of days ago, and the NNPC contributed zero to the Federation account this month and this is not the first month that the NNPC is contributing zero. Over the last couple of months we’ve been having these challenges of course, we know why.
“Even though oil prices in the international market is going up, maybe $110 today or more, the more it goes up it would appear that the more we suffer locally now. So there’s an ambiguous relationship of sorts between what is happening in the international market and what we’re experiencing here in Nigeria and as critical stakeholders in the Nigerian Federation, states are naturally concerned about this, they are concerned about how to grow this industry and ensure that this industry is sustained over the long term in a manner that it can benefit those who are stakeholders in the industry. That is partly why for us governments of the sector is a very, very critical thing to do. The PIA is responding to some of the issues that we have about that, but it’s like a typical transition.
“In every transition, the old is done but the new is not yet born you’re caught in the middle and there is a significant amount of confusion that happens in that transition period. I guess that’s what we’re experiencing now but the faster we can complete that process of transition, I think the better it is for us .
“Also because of the nature of the industry and the exclusivity of the industry in the constitution of Nigeria, States have always had their own issues. Whilst in principle, we understand why the industry is in the exclusive nature of the Nigerian constitution or in the exclusive list, We also feel we need to begin to look at this rather differently in a manner that strengthens the commitment to private sector development, but also strengthens the ownership across states, local authorities if they have the wherewithal to do this and also the federal government and when one of the things that states are interested in is how institutions, companies that they’ve created themselves or established as private sector entities either in joint venture partnership with other private sector entities or exclusively as a special purpose vehicle to warehouse state interests should be able to participate actively in the oil and gas industry, as we do”.
He continued, “As I recall when I was in the Ministry of Mines we made it possible for states to set up a special purpose vehicle that can then apply for licence in order to actively participate in the mining industry be it gold or bitumen.
“So that’s in terms of revitalising the industry and ensuring sustainability over the long term, that’s an area that I think we need to look at.
“When you look at the statistics, transparency is central to the challenge this sector faces. On my way here, I was looking at the Natural Resources governance Institute reports and Nigeria is not doing very well. We rank 40 out of 58 natural resource country on the transparency index, because we are still believed to run a largely opaque industry and we see it ourselves
“NNPC declares profits yet it cannot meet its obligations. My simple knowledge of economics teaches me that it is only after you’ve met all your obligations, that you then talking about making profits. So if your obligation to the Federation account has not been met, how can you then talk about profit making
“Local content is growing in the industry. I saw a report; Seplat buying of mobile producing assets in the country. This is something that should be commended because Seplat is a local industry even though operating in the global market, I believe that there must be some positive to that and we must build on on such initiatives as long as it is transparently done before.
“For us as states ultimately what we’re looking at is a situation where at some point even the industry itself could operate the way your LNG operates currently, so that at the end of the day there’s greater transparency, there’s greater accountability and the governance framework is really built on efficiency of the industry” he said.
The Japanese Government through the COVAX facility on Wednesday gifted Nigeria with 859,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and 175 Solar Direct drive Refrigerators to aid COVID-19 response.
The Executive Director , National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) Dr. Faisal Shuaib received the vaccines on behalf of the Federal Government.
The Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Amb. Matsunaga Kazuyoshi, said the donation was part of the ten million doses to be donated by Japan to Africa, through COVAX.
He said that the vaccines came with Direct Drive (SDD) Refrigerators to keep them safe.
According to him, ” Increasing vaccine donation is not the goal but the goal was to get as many people vaccinated.
“These vaccines will help save lives, protect livelihoods, and heal economies currently affected by the pandemic. In our interdependent world, Japan and Nigeria are united, beyond borders. We must work together to ensure we are all protected”, he noted.
He added that there are more vaccines in the pipeline.
More so, the Country Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said that “In addition to providing vaccines, Japan is donating 175 Solar Direct Drive Refrigerators, to ensure stable delivery of vaccines to vaccination sites, with the necessary temperature controls. These efforts are key to ensure that vaccines get to the people who need them.”
He added that, Nigeria has so far received 67,973,250 doses of COVID-19 vaccines including 2,100,000 doses out of the Johnson and Johnson vaccines procured by the Federal Government of Nigeria.
About 96.9% (65,873,240) doses) of the vaccines received were through the COVAX Facility. While more than 47million doses are in the pipeline from now to the end of the year.
The vaccines include AstraZeneca, Moderna, Pfizer and Johnson and Johnson donated by GAVI and different countries including United States, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Finland, Greece, Iceland, Spain, Italy, France, Norway, Canada, Germany Ireland, Switzerland, India, and Japan.
Also, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) commended Nigeria saying, the results of its determination has led to the vaccination of more than 200,000 people per day.
According to the UNICEF Country Representative, Peter Hawkins, who was represented by the Chief of Staff of the agency, Dr. Eduardo Celede, said the donations will make a difference at the federal and state level in terms of the capacity to administer and store the vaccines.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has affected millions around the world including Nigeria. We are here today because two actors decided to act – the NPHCDA and the government of Japan. We are seeing that now we are vaccinating more than 200,000 people per day.
“We are seeing how the equipment and cold chain of the country has improved massively over the last year, and how the vaccines are delivered to the arms of the people that need them.
“NPHCDA has been remarkable over the last year and half. The donation that we are receiving today is an indication of the government of Japan to act. The donations today will make a difference at the federal and state level in terms of the capacity to administer and store the vaccines.
“More than 60 million vaccines have arrived in the country through COVAX in the last year. Also, more than 25 million doses of vaccines have been delivered to the arms of the people. With all these efforts from the government and partners, we will be able to end COVID-19 in Nigeria,” Celede.
…As Ndume Throws Weight Behind FCTA, Says We Must Obey Rules, Regulations Of Abuja,
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) on Wednesday begun mass demolition of shanties built on green and flood plain areas behind the Old Federal Secretariat and Dunamis Church in Area 1.
Our correspondent observed that, tz wo Development Control bulldozers swiftly crushing over two hundred structures mostly constructed with local bricks hitherto used for residential and commercial purposes.
It would be recalled that the Administration had in February, 2022 issued a demolition notice to owners of the illegal structures with reminder on 1st March to leave the place.
Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to the minister, Comrade Ikharo Attah while briefing newsmen on the enforcement exercise said the spate of shanties in the area was worrisome and need serious clean up.
He regretted that the secretariat that houses the Ministers of Interior, Trade and Investment have been taken over by the illegal structures which constituted security threat to the nation’s capital.
Attah explained that the demolition followed series of complains received about the area from security agencies and strategic persons, recently.
His words: ” It is a lot worrisome, we have been receiving series of complains from security agencies and strategic persons, so as part of our efforts to clean the federal capital of shanties we have to start the pulling down of the illegal structures.
“The FCT Administration will not allow shanties to take over ministers of Interior and that of Trade and Investment with other key ministries.
“It would have been done since last year but because of the wet season we had to leave it till now, dry season, even now is not easy but we have to do it. We warned them time without number to vacate the place”
Speaking on claims by owners of the illegal structures that they were Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Borno state, Attah said the IDPs were few in numbers at the fringes of the Dunamis church and near the main road.
Meanwhile, Senator Ali Ndume who represents Borno South in National Assembly visited the area during the exercise and called for profiling of the IDPs.
Ndume said, “we are all Nigerians, we must obey rules and regulations, there is nothing wrong demolishing structures serving as security threat to offices belonging to senior government officials, therefore let all of you that know that you are IDPs write down your names for proper documentation” he said.
The Abuja Bureau Chief of the Nigerian Tribune, Dr. Leon Usigbe was on Tuesday night attacked by armed robbers at the Phase 4 Federal Secretariat junction, Three Arms Zone in the nation’s capital city.
The robbers, who were three in numbers, attacked and stabbed him in several parts, living him with deep cut on his right hand and backside.
Recounting his ordeal, Usigbe said, “he had just left a meeting between former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) House of Representatives Caucus hosted by the House Minority Leader, Ndudi Elemelu, at his Lobito Crescent, Wuse residence before his attack.
“The Huasa-speaking robbers swooped on him as he alighted from his car to mount a reflective triangle behind just as the engine suddenly went off at the traffic stop and had problems restarting.
“They grabbed me by his neck from behind and indiscriminately unleashed sharp objects on his body almost, severing his right thumb.
“The robbers succeeded in dispossessing me of my two mobile phones including an iPhone 13 pro and Samsung Galaxy A32 series before disappearing into the waste land opposite the Phase 4 Federal Secretariat”, narrated.
Usigbe continued , ” I was drenched in his own blood, managed to walk to the nearby police post at the Federal Secretariat where some policewomen on duty conveyed him to the State House Medical Centre for treatment.
“My wounds were stitched up before being discharged on Wednesday morning”, he hinted.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in partnership with Nigerian Film Corporation (NFC) has inaugurated a joint sub-committee for the Zuma film festival schedule to hold on the 2nd-9th of April, 2022.
Performing the inauguration at the FCT Minister’s Conference hall on Thursday in Area 11, Abuja , the FCTA Permanent Secretary, Mr. Olusade Adesola expressed delight over the choice of Abuja as the host city for the film festival, noted that the annual event offers Abuja the platform to rank among elite film festivals hosts across the globe.
He highlighted some of the benefits of hosting the show which includes job creation, revenue generation, boosting tourism, reduction of crime rate as well as the elevation of the status of Abuja as a leading entertainment capital city.
Adesola, however, assured that, the Nigerian Film Corporation of the Administration’s support for the partnership to host a successful film festival come April while urging members of the committee to work vigorously towards the success of the festival.
Earlier, the Nigerian Film Festival Managing Director of Dr. Chidia Maduekwe said the 2022 Zuma Film Festival in Abuja will attract diasporan actors and film makers that will create opportunities for them to share ideas with local film makers towards repositioning the Nigerian movie industry.
He said with the inauguration of the 15 Committees, preparations will be on top gear towards ensuring the success of the festival.
Maduekwe also expressed hope that he Committee will vigorously pursue the implementation of all activities that are associated with preparations as well as the success of the show.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has warned residents of the nation’s capital to stop buying land from Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Abuja.
It would be recalled that thousands of persons displaced by Boko Haram from Boron state ten years ago settled with their families at the IDP camp in Area 1.
The Senior Special Assistant on Monitoring, Inspection and Enforcement to FCT Minister, Comrade Ikharo Attah made this known while speaking to newsmen after the removal of illegal structures behind the old Federal Secretariat at Area I in Abuja .
He said it was quite unfortunate that people were buying land from IDPs and building on swamps, water ways and on perimeter fence of old Federal Secretariat, saying, this is unacceptable.
Attah , however,lamented that it was quite painful that people paid as much as N100,000 to buy land in a place that is full of snakes and other reptiles.
His words, “We came back today to continue the clean up, because Distinguished Senator Ali Udume appealed to us to allow them to pack up their things. We all agreed that they should clear up the place.
“I can’t really estimate how many illegal structures were removed today but the work continues. Many of these structures have been here for many years.
“These structures are built within swamps and water ways and within fence.
“What is very painful is that you cannot come here, until at the peak of the dry season, even our machines here are sinking and despite the fact that there has not been rain in over four months so you can imagine if it were during raining season, that means once there is a single rain fall you cannot access this place.
“The fact that people pay from N30,000 to N100,000 to buy land here is very painful and it does not make it genuine, it is very wrong. The fact that you have been staying here for long and the swamp is giving you cover from the machine doesn’t make it right.
He , however, reiterated the commitment of FCT administration to prosecute those selling illegal lands in the Territory, “Minister of FCT Malam Muhammad Musa Bello, asked us to go and remove them, everyone is here to do his job.
“And those who are selling land we will definitely come after them and those who are buy from them, this is the pain you pay for buying illegal lands, those who are renting, I can tell you some people pay rent as much as N150,000 here and you can get a good house in Dutse Alhaji, Nyanya for that same amount”.
Speaking on sustainability he noted that, “As long as the machines work they won’t come back here. The machine must constantly work as a reminder to those commiting illegality, that they should stop. It like security if you remove them from the streets there will be anarchy. As long as we have law enforcement agencies , those who are commiting crime will do it hidden. As long as there is enforcement, illegality won’t be allowed to prevail”.
A resident Ifie Samuel who spoke to our correspondent said he has lived in the area for over six months, “I work in one of the plazas around here, one of my friends that have been living here for over 10 years brought me here.
According to him, “And I bought a land in 2019 but started building in 2020 and moved in 2021.
“I brought water into this community, I connected the water from water board and it is registered. I paid close to N600,000 to connect the water.
“When I bought the land they didn’t tell me the land was illegal, they told me it is an IDP camp. And there is no access road to this place, those selling the land said they are from Gosa.
“To be sincere I didn’t spend less than N1.2 million to build the house”.
A bill seeking to amend the 2022 Appropriation Act scaled second reading in the Senate.
The bill seeks to amend the 2022 budget by making provision in the sum of N106,161,499,052 for Capital Expenditures and N43,870,592,044 for recurrent without increasing budget deficit.
The bill was sponsored by the Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North).
Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari, in a letter to the National Assembly dated 10th of February, 2022, underscored the need to remove all capital projects that were replicated in the 2022 Appropriation Act.
He disclosed that 139 out of the 254 projects in the budget totaling N13.24 billion had been identified for deletion.
The President also requested that an additional provision for N2.557 trillion naira be appropriated by the National Assembly to fund the petrol subsidy in the 2022 Budget Framework which was revised to provide fully for PMS subsidy.
Buhari requested the National Assembly to reinstate four capital projects totaling N1.4 billion in the Executive proposal for the Federal Ministry of Water Resources; and N22.0 billion cut from the provision for the Sinking Fund to retire mature loans needed to meet government’s obligations under already Issued Bonds.
Leading debate on the general principles of the 2022 Appropriations Act Amendment bill, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi gave key highlights of the amendment to include eleven areas such as Funding to cushion the impacts of the recent suspension of the Petroleum Motor Spirit subsidy removal; and Addressing the adverse implications that some changes made in the 2022 Appropriation Act could have for the successful implementation of the budget.
Others include restoring the provisions made for various key projects in the 2022 budget proposal to ensure that critical projects that are cardinal to the administration are implemented and to ensure that those nearing completion do not suffer setback due to reduced funding; Re-instating the N25.18 billion cut from the provision for the Power Sector Reform Programme; Re-instating the four Capital Projects totaling N1.42 billion in the Executive Proposal for the Federal Ministry of Water Resources; restoring the N3 billion cut from the provision made for payment of mostly long outstanding Local Contractors’ Debts; and transferring the National Assembly’s expenditures totaling N16.59 billion in the Service Wide Vote to National Assembly Statutory Transfer provision.
The Senate Leader added that the amendment also seeks the reinstatement the N22.0 billion cut from the provision for Sinking Fund to retire Mature Loans; reinstatement of cuts made from provisions for the recurrent spendings of Nigeria’s Foreign Missions; restoration of reductions in provisions for allowances payable to personnel of the Nigerian Navy and Police Formations and Commands; and removal of all capital projects that were replicated in the 2022 Appropriation Act; following the identification of 139 out of 254 such projects totaling N3.24 billion for deletion from the budget.
Contributing to the debate, Senator Gabriel Suswam bemoaned the high tax expenditure in the 2922 budget.
“Tax expenditures are waivers that are given to individuals or companies.
“Mr. President, if you look at the tax expenditure in 2022, it is about N1 trillion and totally unnecessary.
“It is not just what the president has sent here, let us consider those areas that can help them save money, because we might decide to step down those tax expenditures.”
The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, after the bill scaled second reading, referred the same to the Committee on Appropriation for further work.
The Committee was given one week to report back to the chamber in plenary.
Meanwhile, two bills seeking to establish the Federal College of Education Afon, Kwara State; and Alvan Ikoku Federal University of Education have also passed second reading.
The bills were sponsored by Senators Yahaya Oloriegbe (Kwara Central) and Ezenwa Onyewuchi (Imo East).
The bills after consideration were both referred by the Senate President to the Committee on Tertiary Institution and TETFUND.
The Committee was given four weeks to report back to the Senate.
