Health Ministry Vehicle Scandal: ‘MDA Cannot Spend Above N50m’

 

By AGBO-PAUL AUGUSTINE

Procurement expert and national coordinator, Procurement Coordinator And Advocacy Initiative (PRADIN) Mr Mohammed Attah, has said that no ministry, department and agency (MDA) of government has power to spend more than N50 million even in an emergency situation.
In an exclusive interview with LEADERSHIP Friday yesterday in Abuja, the procurement expert said while emergency situation could come at any time in the life of an organisation, the Public Procurement Act (2007) allows MDAs to carry out exercise of procurement in an emergency situation without due process but the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) must be put on notice.

“You are to carry out the exercise and return to the ministry and ask for certificate of no objection ‘to’ the contract awarded. Yes, you can have emergency as flood, outbreak of epidemic and others but MDA is not expected to spend beyond N50 million.
“Contract splitting in MDA is an offence under the PPA and virement is a fraud against the principle of transparency”, he said.
Attah was responding to the alleged petition against the purported procurement of 15 Toyota Hilux Vehicle at the Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA) a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Health.

LEADERSHIP Friday recalls that a group under the aegis of Concerned Members of Staff of the Primary Health Care System In Nigeria, Federal Secretariat, Abuja on August 1, 2017 sent a petition to three anti-graft agencies including the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) raising the alarm over the fraudulent procurement of 15 Toyota Hilux motor vehicles worth N337, 500, 000 million without due process by NPHCDA.
The petitioners accused the executive director of NPHCDA, of fraudulently withdrawing the said amount from the coffers of the Agency, in respect of the contract involving LanreShittu Motors Nig. Ltd, a private supply company.

The petitioners also alleged that the supply company had no existing contract with the Agency as at the time of payment which is a clear violation of the Public Procurement Act of 2007.
The petition reads in parts: “The N337, 500, 000 was not part of NPHCDA 2016 Procurement Plan. Reliable sources in NPHCDA indicate that Procurement of 15 Toyota Hilux Vehicles for states is not part of NPHCDA 2016 Procurement Plan. Effectively, the implication of the Executive Director’s action amounts to Virement which can only be undertaken with the approval of the National Assembly. This infraction is taken seriously under the 1999 Constitution (as amended). It is also an affront to the Public Procurement Act of 2007.

“Fraudulent Payment of N40, 556, 250 (Forty million, five hundred and fifty six thousand, two hundred and fifty Naira) to Supreme Equitable Insurance Brokers LTD for a non-existing motor vehicle insurance contract, at the time of payment, in respect of the 15 Toyota Hilux motor vehicles and additional vehicles. Payment was made to the Supreme Equitable insurance Brokers LTD account number 1771681235 in Skye Bank Plc”.
When LEADERSHIP Friday visited some Toyota auto dealers in Abuja recently, the prices of 2015-16-17 models of Toyota Hilux Manual and Automatic, ranges between N18.5million and N19.5million respectively. The 2014 model is between N15million and N16million even as our correspondent was informed that it could be less in some companies around Abuja.

The director, Media and Public Relations in the office of the minister of Health, Mrs ‘BoadeAkintola, told LEADERSHIP Friday that her office was never furnished with the petition from the group.
She however told our correspondent that all effort will be made to reach out to the executive director of NPHCDA for further clarification on the matter.
Sources within the ministry told LEADERSHIP Friday that the NPHCDA claimed the recent meningitis that hit some parts of the country necessitated the contract award.

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Ship Finance: NIMASA Moves to Disburse $100m CVFF Fund

 

Eromosele Abiodun

Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has assured Nigerian ship-owners that the agency is making frantic efforts to disburse the Cabotage Vessel Financing Fund (CVFF) in line with set down regulations.

Peterside stated this at a parley for stakeholders in Ship and Maritime Infrastructure Financing organised by the Nigerian Ship Finance Conference and Exhibition (NISFCOE) in Lagos.

Peterside said the fund, which is currently over $100 million is with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) due to the Treasury Single Account (TSA) policy.

He said that in line with its car
go support initiative for indigenous practitioners, the agency is already getting the support of the presidency to change the Nigerian terms of trade from Free-on-Board (FOB) to Cost Insurance and Freight (CIF).

He, however, lamented that many Nigerian ship-owners are not ready to take advantage of the opportunity when it finally arrives.

Peterside identified lack of debt facility from Nigerian banks and high interest rates as major challenge confronting Nigerian ship-owners. He vowed that NIMASA is ready to crash the interest rate in order to allow Nigerian ship-owners compete favourably against their international counterparts.

According to him, “We are determined to disburse CVFF according to the law and according to regulation. We are dedicated, we are committed and we are passionate about disbursing it.

“We would match the CVFF fund with some money coming from the financial institutions, this will crash the rate of borrowing, and that is why we are passionate about disbursing CVFF to bring our own funds to come almost at the cost of nothing and match it with their own fund coming at the rate of 25 per cent, the first thing that would happen is that the rate would crash from 25 per cent to a one digit interest rate. CVFF is lying at the CBN under TSA arrangement, we are working hard to disburse it, and it is over a hundred million dollars.

“We are in talks with the CBN. We want to change the terms of trade from FOB to CIF, but how many persons are prepared for this regime? If we get NNPC to change the terms of trade and we are getting the support of the presidency, if we get it changed, how many of us are ready?”

Peterside said that the NISFCOE is apt because it would enable NIMASA meet critical private sector investors who would translate its vision.

According to him, NIMASA depends on private sector energy to set frame work and it is ready to partner anybody that has concepts that can change its story.

Also speaking, moderator of the conference and former Director General of NIMASA, Temi Omatseye said that the Minister of Transport needs to be properly guided on how to draw attention of financial institutions to benefits of supporting shipping trade in Nigeria.

He said changing the terms of trade from FOB to CIF would only require a presidential order.

On her part, a ship-owner and former President of Trawler Owners Association, Mrs. Margaret Orakwusi said it is wrong for government to keep holding on to the CVFF fund. Rather, she advocates that the fund be used as seed money to set up a maritime bank.

According to her, “CVFF does not belong to the federal government. It is our money, the government is only to monitor it, but they are now squeezing life out of us.”

Convener of the Nigerian Ship Finance Conference and Exhibition, Mrs. Ezinne Azunna said that the parley was held preparatory to the actual NISFCOE conference 2017 billed to hold in November 2017.

She noted that the Nigerian maritime sector, although endowed with huge potential, cannot be called a maritime nation because it lacks ships and many other maritime infrastructure.

She said that one of the aims of the conference is to look at how to raise money to acquire ships by bringing the regulators, banks and the private sector together to design a way out.

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NAHCO Boss Tasks Staff on Performance, Security

Chinedu Eze

The acting Managing Director of the Nigerian Aviation Handling Company Plc (nahco aviance), Mrs. Folashade Ode, has urged the staff members to be dedicated to their duties.

Ode, who spoke while on a visit to some units within the company, told members of staff that it is important for them to be very vigilant.

She said the company appreciates the efforts they put into their work and advised them not to rest on their oars.
Ode who was named MD/CEO in an acting capacity in a notice to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) on August 7, 2017, told staff at the Export Warehouse of the Company that they should at all times adhere strictly to the guidelines governing the exportation of cargoes through the warehouse.

She reminded staff that they should always educate and update themselves on prohibited items on the export list so as to guide against taking them from shippers.

These items, as published on the website of NCS include, maize, timber (rough or sawn), raw hides and skin (including Wet Blue and all unfinished leather) H.S. Codes 4101.2000.00 – 4108.9200.00, scrap metals and unprocessed rubber latex and rubber lumps.

Others are artifacts and antiquities and wildlife animals classified as endangered species and their products e.g. crocodile; elephant, lizard, eagle, monkey, zebra, lion etc. and all goods imported.

Ode emphasised to the staff on the need to watch out especially for donkey skin which is prominent on the list of prohibited items and which had been the source of concerns between shippers and Customs.

“NAHCO has never and will never accept to export any item on the list of prohibited items including donkey skin. You should always be on your guard.” She said.

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BPE Boss Inspects SAHCOL

 

The Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), Alex Okoh has commended Skyway Aviation Handling Company Limited (SAHCOL) when he visited the company at the Murtala Muhammed Airport, Lagos as part of the bureau’s post privatisation monitoring programme.

Okoh, who was accompanied on the visit by the BPE Director of Capital Market, Baba Mohammed, was received by the Managing Director of SAHCOL, Rizwan Kadri, and the Management staff at the company’s headquarters on Wednesday.

He explained that the purpose of the visit was to commend SAHCOL for a job well done so far, and to seek whether it is ripe to give SAHCOL a clean bill of health, in order to present a discharge certificate to the company, so as to be completely off the monitoring of BPE.

The Director-General, revealed that SAHCOL was one of their success stories so far, and hence would want to understand the dynamics behind the success, and perhaps be able to replicate it in BPE’s future privatisation and transactions.

“Essentially we want you to know that we are quite pleased with the progress SAHCOL has made so far, which goes to justify the principles of privatisation,” Okoh said.

He explained that the federal government to show its support for privatisation, enacted a law in 1999, known as the Public Enterprise Act, to identify certain government enterprises which needed to be privatised and handed over to the private sector.

This, according to him, was to ensure that the efficiency of the services rendered by these enterprises are improved upon, and also to stop the bleeding in terms of the pressure that these enterprise that were not fully efficient were putting on the treasury of the federation.

In addition, he said the transaction method observed and chosen for the privatisation of SAHCOL was full privatisation, so as to heighten the level of services rendered, given the international benchmark, but in some of the other enterprise sold, government has held some stake essentially in order to direct the strategic services that are provided to the public space.
Reinforcing the essence of his visit to SAHCOL, Okoh emphasised that what BPE tried to do, especially for the fully privatised companies like SAHCOL “is to keep monitoring the performances of the level of services rendered, given the international best practices that have to be met, to ensure that they meet the critical objectives of privatisation in the first place.”

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Okorocha, APGA disagree on Eke-Ukwu Owerri demolition

 


Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha and the All Progressives Grand Alliance( APGA), in the state have disagreed sharply on alleged deaths at the Ekeukwu Owerri market in Owerri, the state capital. Okorocha insisted nobody died during the demolition last Saturday, and accused political elites in the state of spreading rumour to enhance their political chances in 2019. But, the state chapter of APGA has, however, accused the governor of blatant disregard of the law and violating his oath of office. The party demanded Okorocha’s impeachment. The governor, who spoke after the State Security Council meeting, which was attended by all heads of security agencies in the state, asked anyone with proof of any death during the demolition to come forward with it. “The council reaffirmed that nobody was killed in Ekeukwu as a result of the demolition and those who are claiming that people were killed, parading rumours that are not true should stop doing that” he said. He said relocation of the market will restore sanity to Douglas Road and added that “there is no day that passes without two or three robbery taking place in Ekeukwu. “We are not finished with the exercise, it is a continuous one. New Market will also be relocated. They have been given time to relocate. We must get Imo better, I am on rescue mission to get Imo better; Imo must be better”. He said the state’s laws prohibit location of markets within five kilometres of Government House, and added that other markets within the city will also be relocated. But, APGA Chairman in the state, Peter Ezeobi, said Okorocha had turned himself into an Emperor who is not bound by any law.

Ezeobi added that the governor has become a threat to democracy “by using instruments of coercive power to kill and maim citizens of the state, in the name of relocating a market.

“It is worrisome to have to put people in such kind of situation, to kill citizens in the name of relocation is sad. As a welfarist party, we can only look up to God to save us while we urge the House of Assembly to, immediately, commence impeachment proceedings against the governor over his failure to uphold the constitution which he had sworn to protect. He is now a dictator and emperor and has, therefore, become a threat to democracy.”

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Nigeria needs more agric reforms, say stakeholders

Nigeria needs more reforms to boost agricultural productivity and competitiveness of the economy, the Acting Executive Director, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Dr. Olufemi Oladunmi has said.

While he acknowledged the government’s success in pursuing macroeconomic and structural reforms, Oladunmi said more attention was needed to improve the attractiveness of the agriculture sector through domestic investment.
In an interview with The Nation, Oladunmi said growth driven by agriculture could be effective at reducing poverty, calling an enabling environment to drive greater investments from the private sector.

Oladunmi urgedthe government to reform the land use act to attract the kind of direct investment it needs to build and  expand food production and infrastructure.
He said: “The Land Use Act should be reviewed to give unhindered access to land by the small holder farmers,especially the women farmers.”
On funding he added: “We have to carry out microcredit reform from the perspective of the microfinance banks and institutions.The small holder farmers should be able to access funds at single digit interest rate when the need arises.”

Also, National Cashew Association of Nigeria (NCAN) National Publicity Secretary, Anga Sotonye, said the nation’s agricultural growth could be raised further, if the government   implemented necessary reforms, including unifying the tax regime, as well as opening the economy further to investment and trade.

According to him, inclusive agricultural policies could have a remarkable impact on sustainable production and food security, adding that   the time had come for finance and investment firms to consider investing in the sector, especially in the production of cashew.

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FirstBank initiates fundraising for Sierra Leone flood victims

 

FirstBank has initiated a fund-raising drive among its members of staff as part of the FirstBank Employee Volunteering Scheme, set up to provide humanitarian services to the bank’s host communities, including victims of mudslides and floods that devastated parts of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown.
The efforts allowed staff members to collectively give succour and hope to the needy and the funds gathered would complement the bank’s corporate donation to the victims of the disaster.

The bank has also implored its customers and  the public to join it in  providing succour to victims of this tragedy. Accordingly, a special donations account has been set up and members of staff, customers and  the public can pay directly into the account:  FBN CSR Donations — 2032381764.
The bank, according to a release, has remained unwavering in its commitment to doing business responsibly with individuals and corporate citizens, which include positively impacting the lives of its stakeholders and empowering its host communities.

The Managing Director/CEO, First Bank of Nigeria Limited and Subsidiaries, Adesola Adeduntan, said the  bank would continue to uphold the citizenship approach, which includes considering the needs of its stakeholders and working to meet those needs in line with its corporate responsibility and sustainability strategy.

The bank and its subsidiaries have identified and empathised with the victims of the mudslides and floods that devastated parts of Sierra Leone’s capital, Freetown. The feat is part of its commitment to drive the sustainable development of the communities in which it does business.

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‘Off-grid solar ’ll transform businesses’

Mobile solar revolution will transform Nigeria’s small-business economy, Lumos Nigeria Chief Executive Officer Mr. Yuri Tsitrinbaum has said.
He said access to power is a major constraint to the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), and many are using the Lumos Mobile Electricity service, which provides customers with reliable, clean, affordable solar electricity.
Speaking with The Nation, Tsitrinbaum said he believed that the availability of solar solutions would play essential role in efforts to bridge the electricity supply gap. According to him, businesses without access to the grid find alternative electricity sources expensive, unreliable and dirty. “Many are now discovering that the clean energy wave sweeping across Africa can transform their fortunes,” he said.
According to Tsitrinbaum, a recent survey revealed that 61 per cent of SMEs in Nigeria spend between N500 to N1,000 per day on fuel, while as many as 85 per cent of micro and small businesses rely on generators for supply of electricity. He, however, said with the Mobile Electricity service, costs are as low as N150 per day, or just N4,500 per month.
Tsitrinbaum pointed out: “We are witnessing a power revolution in Nigeria. Our everyday lives demand more access to electricity, and we need to meet that demand in order for businesses to grow. If we are to meet the true potential of the thriving business community here, access to power must follow the path of the mobile revolution.
”Lumos Mobile Electricity service, in partnership with MTN, is an alternative to noisy, polluting generators. Available at MTN stores nationwide, the Y’ello Box is providing a solution to millions of Nigerians who don’t have access to reliable electricity.”
He continued: “Lumos, which has attracted major investors into the Nigerian economy, has witnessed a rapid rise in the number of SMEs thriving, thanks to safe, reliable and affordable power from the Y’ello Box.
“SMEs have found the Mobile Electricity service attractive as they can benefit both from its affordability and reliability, doing away with fuel and maintenance costs. With the Y’ello box, SMEs can increase their trading hours, and their profits.”
On a visit to SMEs and health clinics using the Y’ello Box earlier this year, the United States (US) Ambassador to Nigeria Stuart Symington praised the service, noting that it would help Nigeria “fulfill its full economic potential”.
Lumos, Tsitrinbaum disclosed, is already providing clean and affordable solar power to more than 200,000 people, many of whom are business owners and households, noting that by the end of the year, Lumos aims to provide one million Nigerians with access to reliable, clean and affordable electricity.
“Lumos Global brings affordable, modern and clean electricity to communities that have been living off-grid. It connects the dots between the mobile payment revolution and solar energy through its patented, self-deployable solar power system, with integrated cellular payment and advanced security mechanisms.
“With Lumos, households in the off-grid world can replace generators, candles, and flashlights with modern electricity that can power lights, cellphones, fans, laptops, TVs and other small electronic devices, and all for less the cost spent today on generators – on a lease to own basis, subscription via the mobile phone.”

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CBN: Foreign reserves hit 30-month high at $31.6b

 

The nation’s foreign exchange reserves have stood at a 30-month high at $31.59 billion, as at August 18. The Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN) data have shown.
Nigeria’s dollar reserves have climbed back to a level they last reached in January 2015, shortly before the general elections. The bank, however, did not provide the reason for the increase.
Nigerian assets, largely shunned by foreign investors over the past three years, have attracted significant amounts of capital after the CBN in April liberalised the exchange rate for investors.
The forex buffer stood at $25.73 billion, up by 20.77 per cent from a year ago, but is still far off a peak of $64 billion hit in August 2008.
Also, the naira was boosted as the CBN yesterday, with $297 million injection into the Retail Secondary Market Intervention Sales (SMIS) segment of the forex market raising the total intervention for the week to $547 million.
Confirming the figures, the CBN spokesman, Isaac Okorafor, disclosed that the bank was resolute in its determination to intervene in the forex market with the aim of uplifting the naira exchange rate, boost liquidity in the forex market and ensure timely execution and settlement for eligible transactions.
Okoroafor, an acting director in the Corporate Communication department of the apex bank, expressed confidence that the interventions would continue to guarantee stability in the market and ensure forex availability to individuals and business concerns with genuine demand.
The CBN had earlier intervened in the Inter-Bank Foreign Exchange Market to the tune of $195 million in three segments of the market. In the wholesale segment of the inter-bank Forex market, it sold $100m and uplifted the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and invisible segments, with $50 million and $45 million respectively.
Responding to enquiries earlier in the week, Okoroafor had hinted that the apex bank would increase liquidity in the market in the coming days, noting that the move was necessary to enhance stability in the forex market.

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Skills acquisition: Senator Oduah empowers 1000 constituents

 

Sen. Stella Oduah, representing Anambra North Senatorial District in the National Assembly, says she is training 1000 people in various skills including agriculture, to be self reliant.
Oduah said in an with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja that the training was to empower poor members of her constituency.
She said that the first batch of 350 beneficiaries was undergoing training at Ebonyi State University and MTS in Onitsha.
The senator explained that the training focused on Agriculture value chain as many of her constituents were poor farmers and fishermen.
“As of today we are training in various universities including Ebonyi and MTS Onitsha, about 350 youths out of 1000 that are currently acquiring skills in various fields.
“The essence of that is my constituency is a very poor one; we are farmers and fishermen because we already have those innate skills.
“I promised them that lets focus on that innate skills, let’s acquire a standardised skill that will give them the opportunity to improve on what they already know.
“So if you can cultivate one hectare of land, you should be able to also cultivate 10 hectares after the training, so that the output would be commensurate with the input.
“In that way you create entrepreneurs that are doing what they are already used to enjoy doing without anybody paying them,” she said.
She said that the targeted 1000 constituents would all be trained by 2018.
“We are going to create clusters in every local government.
“We are going to call them fish villages and farm villages, so that youths can actually live there, farm there and trade there.
“My interest is to take the skill which God has already given to them to a commercial level,” Oduah said. (NAN)

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