Transparency
Payroll fraud: Gombe approves N1.49 billion for biometric system installation
The Gombe State Government has approved the sum of N1.499 billion for the supply and installation of biometric attendance system to check payroll fraud in the state’s civil service. Muhammad Magaji, the state’s Commissioner of Finance and Economic Development, stated this, on Wednesday, while addressing newsmen after the 12th State’s Executive Council meeting. Magaji said the initiative tagged “Gombe state Integrated Payroll Payment Gateway and Human Resource Management Information System’’ would help to reduce, if not eliminate, payroll fraud. According to him, when installed, the system would increase transparency in the payment of salaries and pensions, as well as effectively manage the state’s human resource capacities at both state and local government levels. He stated that the initi...
South-West PDP congress: Seyi Makinde, Ayo Fayose’s groups fight over 756 delegates
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State and a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, are to test their popularity with 756 delegates that will elect officials of the Peoples Democratic Party in the South-West on Monday. While Makinde is backing a former Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Taofeek Arapaja, for the position of chairman, Fayose is mobilising for Dr Eddy Olafeso. Olafeso, who is from Ondo State, is a former occupant of the office. He resigned to contest the party’s governorship ticket in the last Ondo State election, which he lost to Eyitayo Jegede (SAN). Makinde had wanted the congress to hold in Ibadan, but the Fayose faction wanted it in another venue, saying the Oyo State capital was not safe for it and its supporters. However, two days ago, the National Working Committee of...
South West PDP Congress: Ayo Fayose, others reject Dino Melaye as screening chairman
A group in the South West People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led by former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has rejected the choice of Senator Dino Melaye as Chairman of the Congress Screening Committee. The group insisted on Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, earlier agreed upon by both parties, saying “the sudden emergence of Senator Dino Melaye is suggestive of a planned hatchet job.” This was contained in a release jointly issued by Fayose, PDP governorship candidates in Osun and Ogun States, Senator Ademola Adeleke and Hon Ladi Adebutu respectively as well as the immediate past Zonal Chairman and aspirant in the next Monday, April 12th, Congress, Dr Eddy Olafeso. They said “What the party told us was that Senator Abaribe will be chairman of the screening committee. “To us...
Nigeria to benefit as G-20 approves extension of debt relief
Finance ministers of G-20 countries have approved an extension of debt relief for the world’s poorest nations till December 2021. David Malpass, World Bank president, made the announcement at the virtual spring meeting, on Wednesday. TheCable had earlier reported that the G-20 countries will meet this week to consider an extension of the debt freeze. The G-20, is a group of finance ministers and central bank governors from 19 of the world’s largest economies, including those of many developing nations, along with the European Union. G-20 countries had established a debt service suspension initiative (DSSI) which took effect in May 2020. Nigeria had benefited from the initiative which delivered about $5 billion in relief to more than 40 eligible countries. The suspension period which was or...
CDD: Monitoring and evaluation vital in tracking fight against corruption
The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) says monitoring and evaluation is vital in tracking the fight against corruption in Nigeria. Speaking at a three-day monitoring and evaluation capacity-building workshop for Anti-Corruption Agencies (ACAs) on Monday in Calabar, Idayat Hassan, CDD director, said monitoring and evaluation (M&E) is a process that helps track the progress in the fight against corruption in the country. The workshop was organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) in partnership with the Technical Unit on Governance and Anti-corruption Reform (TUGAR). It also had support from the MacArthur Foundation. Represented by Emmanuel Akomaye, the centre’s project consultant on anti-corruption, Hassan said the CDD believes that it is important to bring all...
Delta government heads to Supreme Court to reclaim £4.2 million James Ibori loot
The Delta State Government says it will challenge federal government’s plan to deploy the recently returned £4.2 million (around N2.2 billion) recovered from former governor, James Ibori, at the Supreme Court. The Commissioner for Information, Ehiedu Aniagwu, disclosed this on Tuesday while reacting to news of the repatriation of the funds, which the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), said would be used to complete the ongoing work on Second Niger Bridge, Abuja-Kano Road and the Lagos-Ibadan road. “We would try to get take advantage of the legal system to make the federal government correct the injustice they are about to visit on us as a state,” he said. “If they are quite sure that the funds they are about to repatriate left Delta State on ...
Governor Ganduje: Four million registered with APC in Kano
Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has said about four million people have so far registered as members of the All Progressives Congress in the ongoing membership registration /re-validation exercise in the State. This was contained in a press statement signed by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Abba Anwar, in Kano on Monday. He quoted the governor as saying this during the Sixth APC Stakeholders meeting, in Kano. The statement quoted Ganduje, as saying, “The registration of members has hit between three and four million members, as the state has already exhausted all the registration slips, issued to the state and is expecting more from the APC headquarters.” However, Ganduje appealed to those coordinating the registration, to ensure fairness and transparency, in the regist...
Bayelsa governor: 2.5% revenue for host communities ‘unacceptable’ to Niger Delta
Gov. Douye Diri of Bayelsa on Tuesday proposed that 10 per cent of derived oil revenue be provided in the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) for the host communities. Mr Diri, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Daniel Alabrah, said this on Tuesday during a townhall meeting on the bill with members of the National Assembly in Yenagoa. The governor said the 2.5 per cent revenue proposed for the host communities in the PIB was grossly inadequate and unacceptable to the people of the Niger Delta. He argued that if the National Assembly members saw firsthand the level of environmental degradation and its attendant effects on the people, they would not hesitate to increase it from 10 per cent. Mr Diri stressed that the PIB was critical in addressing issues such as unemployment, lack of tran...
Former NAF chief Nsikak Eduok laid to rest in Akwa Ibom
It was a harvest of tributes for a former Chief of Air Staff, late Air Marshall Nsikak Eduok as his remains were laid to rest in his hometown in Ibesikpo Asutan, Akwa Ibom state on Saturday. Chief of Air Staff, Oladayo Amao who spoke at the Ibom Hall grounds Uyo during the funeral service conducted by United Evangelical Church, Founded as Qua Iboe Church, described late AM Eduok as a man of valour, integrity and a great achiever with unprecedented strive for success. Based on these sterling attributes, the Force has decided to immortalise him by naming Ultrafit Gymnasium center at the Nigerian Air Force Base Yola after him. According to him, late Eduok was one of the best hands the force had, one who changed the landscape of the service and was mentor to many retired and serving officers. ...
How ICPC is combating corruption in MDAs, stopped diversion of N189 billion personnel cost
File Photo In the past few years, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other-Related Offences Commission, as part of its statutory mandate, has been conducting systems study and review of ministries and organisations in the federal public service. The overall objective of a system review is reform of the systems and procedures of public agencies with a view to identifying and eliminating, preventing, blocking and obstructing opportunities for corruption. To achieve this, the exercise targets detecting areas of vulnerabilities, actual weaknesses, leakages and corruption risks and to recommend ways of strengthening these systems and removing the discretionary gaps and such opportunities for both individual and institutional malfeasance on public resources. In addition, the review also targe...
How ICPC is combating corruption in MDAs, stopped diversion of N189 billion personnel cost
File Photo In the past few years, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other-Related Offences Commission, as part of its statutory mandate, has been conducting systems study and review of ministries and organisations in the federal public service. The overall objective of a system review is reform of the systems and procedures of public agencies with a view to identifying and eliminating, preventing, blocking and obstructing opportunities for corruption. To achieve this, the exercise targets detecting areas of vulnerabilities, actual weaknesses, leakages and corruption risks and to recommend ways of strengthening these systems and removing the discretionary gaps and such opportunities for both individual and institutional malfeasance on public resources. In addition, the review also targe...
Coronavirus: CBN doubles loan disbursement to N300 billion – bank governor
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) says it plans to double the Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) from the initial N149.21 billion to N300 billion following the resounding success recorded in the disbursement of the Covid-19 loans to the applicants. In his keynote address at the 2nd virtual seminar for Finance Correspondents and Editors at the weekend, the Governor said the Bank took the decision in order to accommodate many more beneficiaries as well as boost consumer expenditure which would positively stimulate the economy. He disclosed that the CBN initially created a N150 billion Targeted Credit Facility (TCF) for affected households and small and medium enterprises through the NIRSAL Microfinance Bank, adding that already, N149.21 billion has been disbursed to 316,869 beneficiaries. “Given...