House resumes with N6tn budget not on Reps’ agenda

Yakubu Dogara

The 2016 budget is not on the agenda of the House of Representatives as lawmakers reconvene this week in Abuja from their Christmas and New Year break, naijjatonic learnt on Monday.

The lawmakers will resume work on Tuesday (today), but contrary to expectations, the budget will not be on the table this week.

Rather, other bills (excluding the Appropriation Bill) will take priority today, Wednesday and Thursday.

Findings show that the House would start looking at the N6.08tn budget from next week.

The Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Abdulrazak Namdas, confirmed to The PUNCH in Abuja that debates on the budget would begin next week.

Namdas said, “The House is not treating the budget this week. It is going to be next week.

“The reason is that copies of the document will first be circulated to members this week. They need a couple of days to study the details of the provisions in the budget.

“If you recall, the House had already adjourned by the time Mr. President presented the budget estimates at a special joint session of the two chambers last month.

“Members still do not have copies. So, the decision is that, this week, the copies will be circulated and from next week, debates may start.”

He said the immediate priority of the House would be speeding up the passage of some of the 130 bills introduced in one day to the House late last year.

He added, “We want to use this week to start working quickly on the bills.

“We are looking at passing up to 20 bills daily, if possible, and pass at least 60 before next week.

“Because of this, we are also paying less attention to motions this week.”

The budget has a deficit of about N2tn. Its crude oil benchmark of $38 per barrel is already generating controversy amid dipping global oil prices.

Prices hovered around $33 over the weekend, a far cry from the budgeted figure.

The Senate, through its spokesman, Saabi Abdullahi, had hinted last week that the National Assembly was unlikely to retain the proposed $38.

Speaking with reporters on Thursday last week in Abuja, he said, “We are going to be as realistic as possible by reviewing it in line with realities on the ground as regards the proposed parameters like the oil price benchmark, with a barrel of crude oil in the international market today far lower than the projected benchmark figure of $38 per barrel.”

The House of Representatives in particular had long raised doubts over the workability of the $38 per barrel oil benchmark before President Muhammadu Buhari presented the budget estimates to the National Assembly just days to Christmas.

The House joint Committee on Finance, Appropriations, Aids / Loans / Debt Management had while considering the 2016-2018 Medium Term Expenditure Framework, doubted the sustainability of $38.

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Aregbesola promised and failed again?

Rauf Aregbesola

The Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, may have withdrawn the threat to sack all doctors in state-owned hospitals who have been on strike since September 28, 2015.
Our correspondent learnt on Monday that the strike was still on. The doctors said they could not be frightened by the threat, adding that they earned a quarter of the salaries of their colleagues in other states in the county but were paying higher taxes.
Some of the doctors, who spoke to our correspondent in Osogbo on Monday, said they had yet to receive letters of termination of appointment or any memo indicating that they had been sacked.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Osun State chapter, Dr. Suraj Ogunyemi, when contacted, said he was not aware of any sacking.

The NMA had dared the governor to carry out the threat and they also threatened to frustrate the governor’s alleged plan to bring in doctors from Cuba to take over from their Nigerian colleagues.
The Chairman of the Osun State Association of Medical and Dental Officers, Dr. Isiaka Adekunle, when contacted, also said he had not seen any sack letter.
He said, “I have not received any sack letter but we are still waiting. We are in touch with our members and we have not been told that any of them has been sacked.”
When contacted, the Head of Service in the state, Mr. Sunday Owoeye, declined to comment on the issue.
He said, “I am not available now. Please call me back next Friday.”
The doctors embarked on strike to reject half salaries which the government was paying.
Aregbesola had on December 18 given the doctors a seven-day ultimatum that any doctor that failed to resume on December 25, 2015 should consider himself sacked.
The ultimatum was later extended to last Friday and the governor said at a forum that he would implement the civil service rule if the doctors failed to resume on Friday, January 8.

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NIMASA collected revenue in dollars, remitted naira – FG

Adeosun

The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, on Wednesday, said the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency had not been remitting the revenues generated to the government’s coffers.

The immediate past Director-General of NIMASA, Patrick Akpobolkemi, is currently facing 40 counts of fraud and money laundering to the tune of N34.5bn.

Adeosun specifically stated that in some instances, NIMASA collected revenue in dollars but paid naira into the government’s account.

The minister said this while addressing journalists after the first Federal Executive Council meeting of the year inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

She explained that the requirement was that such money should go to the Central Bank of Nigeria which would convert the money to naira.

Adeosun said while the government had stopped NIMASA from doing so, an audit was being carried out to identify other agencies.

This, she explained, was why the government was doing a full audit of all those accounts and to ensure that all those revenues were converted in accordance with the extant procedures and guidelines.

The minister added that it was also discovered that some of the agencies spent government money without control.

When asked what would be the fate of the heads of the MDAs under whose purview government funds were diverted in the past, the minister said she would not want to pre-empt the outcome of an audit that would be commissioned by the government.

She, however, said that in a situation where it is clear that financial procedures had been breached, there was a process for dealing with the culprits.

Adeosun said, “The principal discussion in our meeting today was the initiative by this administration to plug revenue leakages in our MDAs that generate revenue. The presentation to FEC was to remind ministers who supervise these revenue-generating boards of their responsibilities under the Fiscal Responsibility Act.

“Let me remind you that under the FRA, these boards and corporations who generate revenue are supposed to generate and operate surplus, 80 per cent of which is to be credited to the Consolidated Revenue Fund.

“But we have discovered that many agencies have never credited anything and never generated any operating surplus including some whose salaries, overheads and capital are paid by the Federal Government.

“In addition to that, they generate revenue which they spend without any form of control.”

Adeosun said one of the initiatives adopted by the government was the directive to all the agencies that they must all submit a budget that must be subject to approval and they must operate within that budget so that the surplus that is meant to come to the Federal Government could be seen to be used appropriately.

Adeosun ruled out the possibility of any ministry inflating its budget when there was no revenue

She said, “There can be no inflation of budget when revenues are so thin and one of the things that I think that the budgeting process is doing is pruning down unnecessary expenditure.

“Let me also mention that we have set up the efficiency unit that is going to look into how we spend money and look at how we make savings because the money just isn’t there.”

Adeosun said the Federal Government had discovered that many revenue-generating agencies had not been remitting the revenues generated to the government’s coffers.

She explained that these are revenues of government in non-oil economies but the government had not been looking in the direction of the MDAs in the past because the country had a lot of oil money

She disclosed that a circular had been issued to the agencies in their hundreds in December 2015 requesting that they send their budgets.

“What we discussed today (Wednesday) was the responsibility of the ministers to ensure that whether those agencies have boards or not, those budgets are prepared and that the Ministry of Finance is going to sit down with the supervising ministers and the boards concerned where necessary, to go through their budgets and make sure that they are reasonable and that the costs are not inflated.

“We also discussed that in some cases, because some agencies have a track record and history of making sure that every naira they earned was spent, we will go in and audit agencies under Section 107 (8) of the Financial Regulations.

“The Accountant-General, who is under the Ministry of Finance, has the power to go in and make inquiries about how public money is spent, so we will be sending in auditors to some agencies where we believe their cost is simply excessive and not in tandem with our expectations.

“The expected outcome of this is that the Internally Generated Revenue which the new budget is banking on will actually become a reality. So, that was the principal discussion and everybody in the cabinet endorsed the initiative.”

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Police arrest five for planned attack on Jonathan’s house

Goodluck Jonathan

Five persons have been arrested in Bayelsa State for an alleged plan to attack the house of former President Goodluck Jonathan in Yenagoa.

The suspects were said to have been apprehended in a hotel in Swali area of Yenagoa as they were perfecting strategies to unleash an attack on the former President’s house.

The names of the suspects, who are all males, were given as, Asupha Emeka, 34; Ebipre Ebebi, 25; Samuel Joe, 27; Okilo Matthew, 25; and Timiere Matthew, 25.

It could not be ascertained the motive behind the plot to attack Jonathan, however, it was learnt that the incident was part of the measures to create tension in the state ahead of the Saturday supplementary poll.

It was also learnt that the suspects were thugs loyal to a candidate of one of the frontline political parties in the state.

Confirming the arrest of the suspects, Police Public Relations Officer, Bayelsa State Command, Asinim Butswat, said their apprehension was based on a tip-off.

The spokesperson said, “On the January 6, 2016, at about 1500hrs, based on a tip-off, detectives from the Anti-Kidnapping and Anti-Vice unit stormed a hotel premises in Swali community, Yenagoa, and arrested five suspects.

“The suspects are Asupha Emeka, Ebipre Ebebi, Samuel Joe, Okilo Matthew and Timiere Matthew.”

Though he did not indicate the name of the personality they were planning to attack, Butswat said the suspects were drawing a plan to launch an attack on a yet-to-be identified location.

He added that the suspects were currently undergoing interrogation and that investigation was ongoing.

However, a security source, who craved anonymity, said the planned attack on Jonathan’s residence was designed in such a way as to give the impression that the opposition was after the life of Jonathan.

He said, “The planned attack on Jonathan’s house was to give an impression of violence ahead of the supplementary election in the state. What the mastermind intends to achieve through that is what I cannot fathom.

“You know this is the time of politics when politicians design all manner of tricks, crisis and strategies to heat up the polity. This is one of those aspects of dangerous politics they are playing.

“The ringleader of this dastardly act, we learnt is a member of Jonathan’s party. The whole plot was contrived to give the impression that the opposition is the one responsible.”

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Lassa fever kills 35, infects 76, says FG

Adewole

5018

Friday Olokor,
The Federal Government has put the number of reported cases of Lassa Fever outbreak in eight states at 76 with 35 deaths already recorded and 14 cases confirmed by laboratories.
The government, which said measures had been put in place to curtail further spread and reduce mortality among those affected, however, ruled out placing travel restrictions from and to areas currently affected.
The Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole, who stated this in a statement he issued on Wednesday in Abuja, in response to the outbreak of Lassa Fever in the country, added that “the World Health Organisation is being notified of the cases confirmed.”
According to him, Nigeria has been experiencing Lassa fever outbreak in the past six weeks in Bauchi, Nasarawa, Niger, Taraba, Kano, Rivers, Edo and Oyo states.
“The Nigerian government will continue to enhance its surveillance and social health education, information   and   communication   activities to prevent the disease   from spreading further in Nigeria and I wish to call for the support and understanding of Nigerians, “ the minister said.
He added, “The total number of suspected cases so far reported is 76 with 35 deaths, and a Case Fatality Rate of 46 per cent. Our laboratories have confirmed 14 cases, indicative of a new episode of Lassa fever outbreak.”
The first case of the current outbreak was reported from Bauchi State in November 2015, followed by cases reported by Kano State and subsequently the other six states.
Adewole added that in response to the reported outbreak, the Federal Government had taken some drastic measures to curtail further spread and reduce mortality.
The measures, he said, included immediate release of adequate quantities of ribavirin, the specific antiviral drug for Lassa Fever to all the affected states for prompt and adequate treatment of cases; and deployment of rapid response teams from the Federal Health Ministry to all the affected states to assist in investigating and verifying the cases and tracing of contacts.
The minister also said clinicians and relevant healthcare workers had been sensitised and mobilised in areas of patient management and care in the affected states, while
“affected states have been advised to intensify awareness creation on the signs and symptoms and general hygiene.”
“Furthermore, it is important to note that Nigeria has the capability to diagnose Lassa Fever and all the cases reported so far were confirmed by our laboratories. However, because the symptoms of Lassa Fever are so varied and non-specific, clinical diagnosis is often difficult, especially early in the course of the disease,” Adewole stressed.
The minister added that in view of the steps so far taken, he had directed that all health facilities in the country should emphasise routine infection prevention and control measures and ensure all patients were treated free.
He said, “Family members and healthcare workers are advised to always be careful to avoid contact with blood and body fluids while caring for sick persons. No travel restrictions will be imposed from and to areas currently affected.
“Healthcare workers seeing a patient suspected to have Lassa Fever should immediately contact the epidemiologist in the State Ministry of Health or call the Federal Ministry of Health using the following numbers: 08093810105,08163215251, 08031571667 and 08135050005.
While expressing gratitude to the WHO and other partners for their support so far, Adewole said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control “is already coordinating all our response activities and reporting to me on a daily basis.”
Lassa Fever is an acute febrile illness with bleeding and death in severe cases, caused by the Lassa Fever virus with an incubation period of six to 21 days.
About 80 per cent of human infections are asymptomatic, the remaining cases have severe multi-system disease, where the virus   affects   several   organs in the   body, such as the   liver, spleen and kidneys.
The onset of the disease is usually gradual, starting with fever, general weakness, and malaise followed by headache, sore throat, muscle pain, chest pain, nausea, vomiting,   diarrhoea, cough, and   bleeding   from   mouth,   nose,   vagina   or gastro-intestinal tract, and low blood pressure.
The reservoir or host of the Lassa virus is the “multi-mammate rat” called Mastomys natalensis which has many breasts and lives in the bush and peri-residential areas.

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Aregbesola stops doctors’ salaries over three months strike

Osun State Governor, Aregbesola

Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, may have ordered the stoppage of salaries of doctors in the employment of the state government over the strike which started since September 28, 2015.

Investigation by our correspondent in Osogbo on Sunday revealed that while some  categories  of workers had been  paid October and November salaries, doctors have not been paid for the month October.

The state government had threatened to  sack all the striking doctors if they failed to resume work on December 25. The doctors dared the governor but the next step which will be taken by the governor is not know yet.

However some doctors, who spoke to our correspondent  said they were ready to be sacked than to treat their patients with divided attention.

The President of the Association of Resident Doctors at the Ladoke Akintola University of Technology, Osogbo, Dr. Adeyinka Owolabi, confirmed to our correspondent that doctors had not been paid since October.

Owolabi, who said doctors would not accept half salaries like other workers in the state because their salaries were the least among doctors through the country  and they were being forced to pay the highest taxes.

The ARD president  said it was dangerous to ask hungry doctors  to be attending to patients, saying many doctors had become laughing stock because of their inability to meet their obligations.

Owolabi said, ” It is true that the state government has stopped our salaries. I am not sure if there was a circular to that  effect but we did not receive  October and November salaries  alerts like other workers.

“There is no end in sight to the strike. The salary is the main cause of this strike and we can never accept half salaries because we are not going to give our patients half treatment.  The government is adamant and we are also not going to shift ground on this.”

Owolabi, however, stated that the doctors would reconsider their position if the state government could sign a document that they were owing doctors half salaries  and state when the balance would be paid.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association in Osun State, Dr. Suraj Ogunyemi, said the striking doctors and the state government had remained adamant on the issues.

Ogunyemi, who said he thought the state government would have found a solution to the strike problem before the dawn of the new year said it was unfortunate  that the strike had dragged for over three months.

But the Consultant  to the state government on Information, Mr. Sunday Akere, when contacted said the state government had been making efforts to ensure the strike was called off.

Akere said he believed “something better will  happen this week.”

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Headies awards: Fans divided over Olamide, Don Jazzy clash

 

Fans of hip-hop singer, Olamide Adedeji, popularly called, Olamide Baddo, and versatile producer, Michael Ajereh, better known as Don Jazzy, have taken on one another on Twitter over the rift between the duo at the 10th edition of the Headies held in Lagos on Friday night.

A clash between Olamide of the YBNL label and ace music producer and Mavins Record boss, Don Jazzy, over the ‘Next Rated Artiste’ award at the annual event in the early hours of Saturday had left many in the music industry and their fans shocked.

The relationship between both label heads turned sour when Headies named Mavins Record starlet, Reekado Banks, as the winner of the coveted Next Rated Artist category, which came with a Hyundai Sports Utility Vehicle prize.

Olamide’s protégé, Lil Kesh, was also a nominee in the same category.

Olamide had openly expressed his anger at the decision when he accompanied another YBNL act, Adekunle Gold, who won the award for ‘Best Alternative Artiste,’ to receive the award.

The YBNL boss, after Adekunle Gold made his remarks, took the microphone and said, “He (Lil Kesh) is our next rated artiste. He had back-to-back hits throughout the year—Lyrically, ‘Shoki,’ ‘Gbese’ and ‘Efejoku.’ Ko nii da fun iya everybody (an insulting Yoruba street slang).” He then threw away the microphone while storming off the stage.

The tensed situation became worse when Don Jazzy, apparently feeling slighted, told Olamide to come and take the car, which went with the ‘Next Rated’ award, if he wanted it.

After receiving the Special Recognition Award presented by the Chairman of the Copyright Society of Nigeria, Mr. Tony Okoroji, Don Jazzy said, “I came out here to support my children. As they were trying to present the award, Reekado Banks was performing at Ali Baba’s show. I have already told my children that I will buy cars for all of them… Egbon Olamide, if you want the car, come and collect it.”

This comment from Don Jazzy had enraged the YBNL boss, who took to his Twitter handle to insult his Marvin Records counterpart, warning him to stay away from Lagos Mainland.

He condemned the Mavins Record boss for mentioning his name when he didn’t mention his (Don Jazzy’s) name in his protest on the stage.

Among other unprintable words, Olamide accused Don Jazzy of ruining the career of his former label mate, DBanj and oppressing artistes signed to his record label.

Among other tweets, he said, “You respect me, I respect you; disrespect me, I disrespect YOU. You’re still going to do the same thing to Reekado when he leaves your label.”

The development caused a division among fans of the two artistes on Twitter.

Tweeting at @Its_Hoe_K, a fan said Don jazzy could have made his point without calling Olamide’s name while on the stage.

The fan said, ‘‘He (Don Jazzy) can, but in a smart way like Olamide play games with his response and not call out Olamide.’’

Another fan, Tunde @KobokoGCFR, tweeted, ‘‘As long as Olamide didn’t mention Don Jazzy’s name! I will support him on this 1001001000. Olamide you are the mvp #TheHeadies2015.’’

Also, tweeting from the handle, @tweetgerian, a fan stated, ‘I have serious issues with the name calling…why call out Olamide? … Childish something!’’

For a fan who tweeted via @abatike, ‘‘Olamide threw shades at the organisers not even Don Jazzy.’’

A fan of Don Jazzy, Oluwachima tweeted@chicent78 thus ‘‘@olamide_YBNL Guys am a big big fan but was really disappointed as I couldn’t differentiate between you and agbero at oshodi. Damn.’’

However, Olamide later took to his Instagram page to apologise to his fans for his conduct at the event.

He said, “I want to apologise for my conduct, including swearing on live TV at the Headies event some hours ago. I recognise that you all are the most important part of my work and my journey so far and would not have come this far without you. Therefore, you deserve better from me. I promise to conduct myself in a more respectable manner in future.”

Lil Kesh had also taken to his Twitter handle to boast that he makes more than the SUV in two weeks.

He later tweeted, “Congrats on your Next Rated Award @ReekadoBanks. This will not be the end for the both of us. More blessings and money. Nothing but love #REEKY”

Both Olamide and Don Jazzy had collaborated on the song ‘Skelemba’ in the YBNL boss’ November 2014 album, Street OT, giving the impression that the two were friends.

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Olamide, Don Jazzy start New Year with beef

Olamide, Don Jazzy

Music industry heavyweights Olamide and Don Jazzy have started the New Year by turning on each other, leaving many in the music industry shocked.

Both artistes had collaborated on the song Skelemba, which is included in Olamide’s November 2014 album Street OT, giving the impression that the two were more of friends.

The relationship between both label heads turned sour following a series of events at the 2015 Headies Awards in Lagos after Marvin Record starlet, Reekado Banks, beat Olamide’s protégé, Lil Kesh, to the coveted Next Rated Artist prize.

A visibly irritated Olamide expressed his frustration at the decision when he accompanied another YBNL act, Adekunle Gold, who won the award for Best Alternative Artiste, to receive the award.

“He (Lil Kesh) is our next rated artiste. He had back to back hits throughout the year – Lyrically, Shoki, Gbese and Efejoku,” he said among other things before throwing the mic away and storming off the stage.

The situation took a turn for the worst when Marvin Record boss, Don Jazzy, apparently feeling slighted, told Olamide to come and take the car, which went with the Next Rated award, if he wanted it.

While receiving the special recognition award, Don Jazzy said, “I came out here to support my children. As they were trying to present the award, Reekado Banks was performing at Ali Baba’s show. I have already told my children that I will buy cars for all of them… Egbon Olamide, if you want the car come and collect it.”

The comments enraged the YBNL boss who took to Twitter to insult his Marvin Records counterpart, warning him to stay away from Lagos mainland.

In a series of tweets the YBNL boss accused Don Jazzy of ruining D Banj’s career and oppressing artistes signed to his record label.

After leading the Marvin Records crew to perform at the One Lagos Fiesta which ushered in 2016 for thousands of Lagosians, it didn’t look like Don Jazzy’s next stop was to catch a beef.

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