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Federal EXCO Okay N965.9m for NCoS to purchase 49 vehicles

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Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at Abolongo correctional center, after it was attacked by Gunmen on Friday Night 22nd October, 2021
Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola at Abolongo correctional center, after it was attacked by Gunmen on Friday Night 22nd October, 2021
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The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the sum of N965.9 million for the purchase of 49 operational vehicles to enhance the services of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, stated this when he briefed State House correspondents at the end of the Council meeting presided over by President Muhammad Buhari by  on Wednesday in Abuja.

According to him, the vehicles to be sourced locally will complement the ones already in use by the Correctional Service.

He said: “The Nigerian Correctional Service through the Ministry of Interior presented a memo to council and obtained approval to spend the sum of N965, 902, 524.58 to procure 49 operational and Green Maria vehicles.

“These 49 vehicles will complement the 513 operational and Green Maria vehicles already purchased between 2016 and 2020.

“This does not in any way mean that we have met the vehicle needs of the Nigerian Correctional Service.’’

The minister noted that since the advent of the Buhari administration, concerted effort and commitment had been made to ensure that the Correctional Service was provided with operational tools to meet its mandate of keeping the facilities safe.

He added that necessary logistic support meant to move inmates from the facilities to the over 5022 courts scattered all over Nigeria were also being provided by the government.

Commenting on the recent calls for his resignation as a result of the frequent attack on correctional facilities across the country, the minister dismissed the call, saying there was no need for such calls.

He said: “Our facility in Imo was attacked in April, Kabba was in September, Abulungu was in October and Jos was in November; just to capture the attacks. As painful as those attacks were, nobody will really want the end of justice to be so vulnerable.

“The custodial facilities are the final end of criminal justice system because such facilities are the ultimate end of the administration of justice.

“So, morally, the State owes itself the responsibility of safe custody that must not be violated.

“So, on that account alone, we must appreciate the enormity of any successful attack on our custodial facility and I so do.

“But I want us to put these things in the context of our security situation.

“In Jos, our men died, meaning that the best we could put there was there and when your best could not suffice, it means that it is no longer a question of inability to make preparation or failure for preparedness it is just that at that instance we could not just hold the defence as expected,” he said.

According to Aregbesola, the authorities concerned are upping their game, to ensure that such attacks do not happen again.

“We are upping our game and we will prevent any such opportunistic attack and even make it impossible.

“We are working with all arms of government particularly security to make our custodial facilities impregnable and we will not rest until that is achieved; that is the assurance I want to give Nigerians.

“As to whether it calls for my resignation, I still don’t see any need for that because it is not for lack of preparedness that the attacks were successful,” he stated.

Femi Adesina, special adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, who also spoke on the outcome of the meeting, said the council approved N145 million for the procurement of an office accommodation for the Federal Character Commission in Bayelsa State.

He also announced the approval of N136.2 million by the Council for the procurement of operational vehicles for the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA).

The Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, also disclosed that the Council ratified the Finance Bill 2021 for 2022 fiscal year.

She stated that already the bill had been transmitted to both Houses of the National Assembly by the president for their approval.

“Today, the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning presented to Council for Council’s ratification the Finance Bill 2021 for the 2022 fiscal year.

“I’m sure you would have all noted that this bill has already been transmitted by the president to the National Assembly and both houses have already started working on the bill.

“So, this draft bill was prepared by the Fiscal Policy Committee and it focused on tax and reviewing some fiscal laws and also amending some, and these laws are about 11 in number,’’ she said.

 

 

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Lakurawa Terrorists, Not Bandits Responsible For Zamfara Explosion — Police

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The state’s police commissioner says members of the dreaded group were seen around the scene of the incident shortly before the explosion.

The police have fingered newly formed terror group Lakurawa as the mastermind of an explosion that occurred along the Dansadau-Gusau Road in the Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State on Wednesday.

“This Lakurawa (group) when they were dislodged by the Army in Sokoto and Kebbi, the rest of them that survived the military onslaught were trying to find new enclaves,” the state’s police commissioner Muhammed Dalijan said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily breakfast programme on Thursday.

“As they were passing that village to Birnin-Gwari forest, they planted a bomb under a bridge. Then a motorist was passing and step on it. It exploded and killed the driver and three other people were seriously injured.”

The police commissioner said members of the dreaded insurgent group were seen around the scene of the incident shortly before the explosion.

Dalijan said planting of explosive devices was a new development in the North-West state. He said though Zamfara has had a long battle with deadly bandits, they don’t have the capacity to plant explosive devices.

“They were seen passing through a village and as we were getting reports, trying to get ourselves prepared to pursue them, this (explosion) happened. So, we are sure that they were the ones that planted the bomb.

“The bandits here (in Zamfara) don’t use bombs because they don’t know how to make it; they don’t know how to improvise explosive devices. So, we are 100% sure that they (Lakurawa) are the ones because planting bombs in Zamfara State is a new development and bandits don’t have that capacity,” he said.

Zamfara, located in North-West Nigeria, has become the “hub of banditry” in Nigeria, as described by Governor Dauda Lawal.

The governor said the marauding bandits whose kidnapping-for-ransom trade is booming in the state can be strangulated in two weeks with the right political will.

Meanwhile, military authorities have vowed to eliminate Lakurawa insurgents and other terror groups like Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

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Senate Sets Up Committee To Review Tax Reform Bills With AGF

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The Senate on Wednesday set up a committee to to review the controversial Tax Reform Bills that are before the National Assembly.

The Committee which is headed by Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro (PDP, Benue South) will meet with the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, to address grey areas in the bills and revert to Senate before public hearing.

The Deputy Senate President Barau Jibrin disclosed this during plenary on Wednesday.

Barau, who presided over the session, said that the executive arm of the government agreed with the Senate that there is need to resolve all the issues causing disagreements in the bills.

Barau said, “We decided to put politics, ethnicity, regionalism aside to sit among ourselves in order to find a way forward in respect to issues affecting the tax reform bills. It is on this note that we extended our view to the executive arm of government, and it was agreed that there should be a forum to sit down to look at the areas that are creating disagreements in order to resolve them so that the entire country will remain united in our efforts to solve our problems.

“Before the introduction of these bills, we know we have been faced with several problems; insecurity that we and the president have been trying to solve, issues about our economy which is in line with global economic problems. And we also agreed that we shouldn’t allow any other to come in to aggravate the problems of our country.

“It is on this note that it has been agreed by the executive and by us that there should be a forum that should sit with the Attorney General of the Federation so that we can sit and look at all the areas of disagreement and resolve them for the interest of this nation.

“It is therefore proposed that tomorrow there will be a meeting with the committee that will be set here to sit down with the Attorney General to look at those issues and resolve them. It is on this note that the Committee on Finance that the bills have been referred to halt action with public hearing and other issues until we resolve those issues.”

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had on October 3, 2024, forwarded four tax reform bills to the National Assembly.

The proposed Tax Reform Bills have generated a lot of controversies since its introduction at the National Assembly, meeting serious resistant especially from the Northern part of the country.

Following the controversies the bills have generated, the National Economic Council had advised President Bola Tinubu to withdrawal the bills to allow for further consultations, but he had refused and said that the bills should go through the necessary legislative processes.

Last week, the bills were passed at the Senate for second reading through voice votes.

The proposed legislation seeks to harmonize, coordinate, and resolve disputes arising from revenue administration in Nigeria.

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Gov Sanwo-Olu Signs Lagos Electricity Bill Into Law

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The Lagos State Electricity Law 2024 is a comprehensive plan of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s resolve to address longstanding challenges in the energy sector.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has officially signed the Lagos Electricity Bill into law.

The ceremony which was carried out at Lagos House Alausa Ikeja, had in attendance the state deputy governor Kadri Hamzat, members of the State assembly, as well as the state executive council members.

Governor Sanwo-Olu commended the state House of Assembly for ensuring the speedy passage of the bill, stressing that the bill will change the socio-economic value of citizens in Lagos State.

He stated that the electricity bill has been in the works for some years, and now that is finally achieved as Lagosians can be sure of a steady power supply.

On his part, the state Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Biodun Ogunleye, said the electricity law signed will provide an additional grid for Lagos State, and also put an end to black out in the state.

“There will now be regular power supply. Host community development Trust fund, which will provide opportunities for communities to develop power plant,” he said.

Ogunleye noted that the step taken by the government stands as a beacon of progress, that will ensure uninterrupted power supply in Lagos State.

The Lagos State Electricity Law 2024 is a comprehensive plan of Governor Sanwo-Olu’s resolve to address longstanding challenges in the energy sector.

The law will lay a robust foundation for economic growth, fostering industrial growth, improved quality of life, energy equity, economic prosperity, and environmental sustainability.

Among other things, the law seeks to establish a Lagos Electricity Market that is technically sound, financially viable, and well-regulated, ensure access to affordable, reliable, and sustainable electricity for all citizens.

It also helps to promote diverse energy sources, including renewable energy, and encourage energy efficiency, foster investment, competition, and innovation in the electricity sector and electrify underserved areas, contributing to the sustainable development of Lagos State.

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