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Don urges ECOWAS parliament to ensure effective budget monitoring, implementation

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Don urges ECOWAS parliament to ensure effective budget monitoring, implementation

By: Michael Mike

Dean, Faculty of Management Sciences, Nile University, Nigeria, Prof. May Nwoye, has implored the ECOWAS parliament to ensure effective formulation, monitoring and implementation of community budgeting for subregional development.

Speaking on the sub-theme: “Improving the Effectiveness and Efficiency of the ECOWAS Parliament in Considering and Monitoring the Community Budget,” at the event with main theme: “The Role of the ECOWAS Parliament in Community Budget Formulation and Monitoring.” Nwoye said
that parliamentarians should be committed to ensuring that the budget always effectively and efficiently aligned with the long-term goal of ECOWAS integration Vision 2050.

Nwoye defined a budget as a financial plan, which forced an institution to map out its goals, control expenditure and keep track of progress to make vision a reality.

The Management Science expert said that effective budget formulation, monitoring and implementation were crucial for achieving both financial stability and ensuring efficient allocation of resources.

“For me, ethical budgeting is the building block of financial management.

“Effective budget formulation is crucial for achieving economic stability, promoting economic growth and ensuring efficient allocation of resources.

“We should take a collective resolve to decolonise our region through ethical budgeting that is goal-oriented, effective and efficient towards the recovery of our ecosystem.

“We must, therefore, tackle the old impediments to be able to confront new imperatives, and contribute in ensuring that  Africans benefit from their resources.”

The academic noted that the subregion was besieged with economic predicaments and was currently faced with the problem of formulating an impeccable system capable of delivering socioeconomic services to the citizenry.

She told the parliamentarians that their bringing financial management issues for discussion at the event showed how important the parliament viewed the goals and programmes of pursuing regional economic development.

Nwoye said that in order to promote ECOWAS’ economic integration vision across the region, which required humongous resources, the lawmakers must be strategic in their plan and intentional in their approach.

“The essence of this event is to encourage parliamentarians to improve on their knowledge of community budget formulation and implementation.

“The event also aims to help participants attain a better understanding on how to mitigate the challenges associated with considering and balancing the community budgets.

“The knowledge of financial management will play a pivotal role in the strategic and operational functions of most of your activities.’’

The expert also stressed the need for parliament to have a cordial working relationship with the ECOWAS Commission and the Administration and Finance Committee (AFC) in implementing the 2016 Supplementary Act.

She said that various sectors were competing for the same limited and scarce resources; hence, they were expected to negotiate for adequate allocation of funds by justifying why they wanted the money.

“ECOWAS Parliament should also facilitate collaboration and coordination among the ECOWAS institutions and relevant bodies within the community for effective and efficient budget formulation, monitoring and implementation.

“Implementing effective budget monitoring and control measures is crucial for ensuring that their budgets are accurate and that budget variances are minimised.

“By closely monitoring and controlling the budget, ECOWAS Parliament can identify potential issues and take appropriate actions to address them in a timely manner,” she said.

Nwoye urged the parliament to leverage ICT by deploying budgeting software or tools, which could greatly enhance the effectiveness of budget monitoring and control.

“These tools provide real-time visibility into budget performance, automate data collection and analysis, and generate reports and alerts to keep stakeholders informed,” she said.

She said that to ensure accountability and transparency, the parliament should create a budget oversight committee to oversee the monitoring and control process as well as applying deliberate efforts to regularly track and review budget performance.

Don urges ECOWAS parliament to ensure effective budget monitoring, implementation

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President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

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President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

By: Our Reporter

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved a sweeping reconstitution of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited board, removing the chairman, Chief Pius Akinyelure and the group chief executive officer, Mallam Mele Kolo Kyari.

In a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga,
Special Adviser to the President (Information & Strategy), President Tinubu removed all other board members appointed with Akinyelure and Kyari in November 2023.

The new 11-man board has Engineer Bashir Bayo Ojulari as the Group CEO and Ahmadu Musa Kida as non-executive chairman.

Adedapo Segun, who replaced Umaru Isa Ajiya as the chief financial officer last November, has been appointed to the new board by President Tinubu.

Six board members, non-executive directors, represent the country’s geopolitical zones. They are Bello Rabiu, North West, Yusuf Usman, North East, and Babs Omotowa, a former managing director of the Nigerian Liquified Natural Gas( NLNG), who represents North Central.

President Tinubu appointed Austin Avuru as a non-executive director from the South-South, David Ige as a Non-executive director from the South West, and Henry Obih as a non-executive director from the South East.

Mrs Lydia Shehu Jafiya, permanent secretary of the Federal Ministry of Finance, will represent the ministry on the new board, while Aminu Said Ahmed will represent the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.

All the appointments are effective today, April 2.

President Tinubu, invoking the powers granted under Section 59, subsection 2 of the Petroleum Industry Act, 2021, emphasised that the board’s restructuring is crucial for enhancing operational efficiency, restoring investor confidence, boosting local content, driving economic growth, and advancing gas commercialisation and diversification.

President Tinubu also handed out an immediate action plan to the new board: to conduct a strategic portfolio review of NNPC-operated and Joint Venture Assets to ensure alignment with value maximisation objectives.

Since 2023, the Tinubu administration has implemented oil sector reforms to attract investment. Last year, NNPC reported $17 billion in new investments within the sector. The administration now envisions increasing the investment to $30 billion by 2027 and $60 billion by 2030.

The Tinubu administration targets raising oil production to two million barrels daily by 2027 and three million daily by 2030. Concurrently, the government wants gas production jacked to 8 billion cubic feet daily by 2027 and 10 billion cubic feet by 2030.

Furthermore, President Tinubu expects the new board to elevate NNPC’s share of crude oil refining output to 200,000 barrels by 2027 and reach 500,000 by 2030.

The new board chairman, Ahmadu Musa Kida, is from Borno State. He is an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, where he received a degree in civil engineering in 1984. He also obtained a postgraduate diploma in petroleum engineering from the Institut Francaise du Petrol (IFP) in Paris

He started his career in the oil industry at Elf Petroleum Nigeria and later joined Total Exploration and Production as a trainee engineer in 1985.

Musa became Total Nigeria’s Deputy Managing Director of Deep Water Services in 2015. Last year, he became an Independent Non-Executive Director at Pan Ocean-Newcross Group.

Apart from his oil industry career, Ahmadu Musa Kida is a former basketballer and the president of the Nigerian Basketball Federation(NBBF) board.

Ojulari, the new NNPC Limited Group CEO, hails from Kwara State. Until his new appointment, He was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of Renaissance Africa Energy Company. His Renaissance recently led a consortium of indigenous energy firms in the landmark acquisition of the entire equity holding in the Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria (SPDC), worth $2.4 billion.

Like Kida, Ojulari is also an alumnus of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. He graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. He worked for Elf Aquitaine as the first Nigerian process engineer to begin a stellar career in the oil sector. From Elf, he joined Shell Petroleum Development Company of Nigeria Ltd in 1991 as an associate production technologist.

Apart from working in Nigeria, he worked in Europe and the Middle East in different capacities as a petroleum process and production engineer, strategic planner, field developer, and asset manager. In 2015, he became the managing director of Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Company (SNEPCO).

During his career, he was chairman and member of the board of trustees of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE Nigerian Council) and a fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers.

President Tinubu thanked the old board members for their dedicated service to NNPC Limited, particularly their efforts in rehabilitating the old Port Harcourt and Warri refineries, which enabled them to resume petroleum product production after prolonged shutdowns. He wished them well in their future endeavours.

President Tinubu reconstitute NNPC Board, remove Kyari Mele

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Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians

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Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has condemned the recent gruesome killing of 16 traveling hunters in Edo State, who were mistook for kidnappers.

The Executive Secretary of the Commission Dr. Tony Ojukwu expressed deep concern over the horrific incident, which highlights the dangers of mob justice and the urgent need for effective law enforcement and respect for human rights.

He said: “We commend Edo State Governor, Monday Okpebholo, for his swift and decisive action in suspending the Commander of the Edo State Security Corps, CP Friday Ibadin (Rtd.), and banning all illegal vigilante groups operating in the state, but more need to be done.”

Ojukwu said the Commission wishes to use this opportunity to remind the government and the people of Nigeria that every individual has the right to life, as enshrined in Chapter 4 of the 1999 Constitution as amended as well as Article 4 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

He equally said the Commission emphasized that the freedom of movement, as guaranteed by the Constitution and Article 12 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and Article 12 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, has been grossly violated in this dastardly incident.

Ojukwu said: “We at the Commission demand that all the perpetrators be fished out and brought to justice. We call on the government to take concrete steps to prevent such incidents in the future, there is no justification for jungle justice anywhere in the world.”

He emphasized that every Nigerian has the right to life, dignity, and freedom from violence, regardless of their ethnicity, religion, or occupation, assuring that the Commission will continue to advocate for the protection of human rights and the rule of law in Nigeria.

Ojukwu said: “We urge the Edo State Government to continue its investigation into the killings and ensure that all perpetrators face the full wrath of the law. On our part, we will continue to monitor the process of investigation to ensure that justice is served. This will serve as a deterrent to others.

“Promotion and protection of human rights is paramount to national development, let’s all imbibe the culture of respect for human rights and fundamental freedom to make Nigeria a better place.”

Uromi Killing: NHRC Demands Protection for All Nigerians

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Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

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Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

By: Zagazola Makama

Angry youths in Iware, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area of Taraba State, attempted to burn down the office of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) following the alleged torture and death of a suspect in custody.

Intelligence sources told Zagazola Makaka that the unrest began after Yunusa Kaka, 42, was reportedly tortured by security personnel at the NSCDC office in Iware.

Trouble started on March 30 at about 9:00 p.m. when Biliaminu Adamu, 24, was arrested for allegedly stealing two handsets and two packets of Benson cigarettes from Peter Majo of Iware Ward. While in custody, Adamu claimed he had given the stolen phones to Kaka, who denied any involvement.

Security personnel allegedly resorted to torturing Kaka in an attempt to extract a confession. He later became unresponsive and was rushed to Miyetti Allah Hospital in Iware by his brother, where he was confirmed dead.

News of Kaka’s death sparked outrage, with a large number of youths mobilizing to attack the NSCDC office.

However, security personnel managed to prevent the attack, and calm has since been restored to the area.

Authorities say investigations into the incident are ongoing.

Irate Youths Attempt to Burn NSCDC Office in Taraba After Alleged Torture of Victim to Death

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