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Tag: FG

  • Criminalize sale of foreign rice– Rice processors appeal to FG

    Criminalize sale of foreign rice– Rice processors appeal to FG


    The Rice Processors Association of Nigeria (RPAN) has appealed to the Federal Government to criminalise the sales of foreign rice in the country.

    The Director General of the association, Mr Andy Ekwelem stated this while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Saturday over the influx of smuggled rice into the country.

    Ekwelem cautioned if the government did not take decisive action on smuggled rice, all the mills in the country would collapse and lead to many jobs losses.

    He stated that rice value chain sub sector had engaged about 13 million Nigerians on direct employment.

    He added that the number of people that would lose their jobs to the activities of smugglers would be much especially in this trying period.

    He said that the government tackled the menace of rice smuggling but with the reopening of borders by the Federal Government, the markets were flooded with foreign rice again.

    “We have said it many times on the need for government to criminalise sales of foreign rice in the markets and supermarkets. Rice is number one on the list of prohibited products in which CBN placed forex restriction.

    “It is assumed that any rice you see in this country now, in the markets, shops and even in your homes that is not Nigeria made rice, it is smuggled into the country.

    “The country is losing revenue because these smugglers are not paying the right duties to bring the rice into the country and this ugly development is killing our economy.

    “We want a law that will empower law enforcement agencies to go to markets and shops to arrest anyone found with foreign rice because their action amounts to economic sabotage.

    “When that is done, people will be discouraged from buying from these people that smuggled rice into the country. We need to take drastic measures against smugglers as well as those selling the products,” Ekwelem said.

    The director general lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for his giant stride in the rice production, adding that there were only six Integrated Rice Mills in the country before 2015 and had risen to about 60.

    According to him, about N3.4 trillion has been invested in the enrire rice value chain production across the country.

    He added that the gains made in the sub sector in the last few years were possible through the support and interventions of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

    He said addressing this challenge of smuggling was paramount so that all these efforts, commitments and resources put in the rice value chain sub sector would not be a waste.

    He noted that most of the mills in the country were now working at half capacity because there were no offtakers for the products they produced for Nigerian markets.

    Ekwelem however appealed to Nigeria Customs Service to step up in manning borders to curb the activities of smugglers.

    The director general said the association was committed to standard in rice production, adding that all members are committed to maintaining it.

  • COVID-19: Buhari to blame over failure of school resumption– ASUU

    COVID-19: Buhari to blame over failure of school resumption– ASUU


    The Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, University of Calabar, UNICAL, branch, has accused President Muhammadu Buari government of abysmal failure in ensuring a conducive environment for those in the academic sector.

    Dr Edor J. Edor, the ASUU Chairman of UniCal said the statement of the Nigerian government regarding schools resuming on January 18, 2021, was an indication of government’s failure.

    Recall that the Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu had said government was reviewing the January 18 resumption date.

    Adamu had said the resumption date was under review due to the spike in the figures of COVID-19 cases across the country.

    However, Edor in a chat with DAILY POST said: “Having regards to the absymal and shameful failure of the federal government to put in place infrastructure of public universities in other to make them conducive for learning and teaching, the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 on Monday said resumption is under review.

    “This is a clear admission of federal government’s failure to do the needful in public universities.

    “If we have condusive lecture theatres, conducive hostels, conducive offices and infrastructure, if they have possible water, have ordinary taps as one of the COVID-19 protocols is saying that wash your hand frequently with soap under running water before sanitising then why will the federal government be shifting resumption of schools.

    “They know that those things are not in place, so it will be unsafe for students, academic and non academic staff to return back to school in the face of the spike of the new and resilient variance of the COVID-29 virus.

    “This should send a signal to members of the forth estate of the realm, to parents, to Nigerians that what ASUU has been drumming by asking federal government to inject finances into the revitalization of universities, COVID-19 has come to lay it bear.

    “We are now confronted face-to-face with the fact of the depth of poverty and pluacity of infrastructure in public universities.

    “Of course, ASUU has suspended strike so right now we have picked up our tool which we downed on March 23, 2020 and we are ready to work but federal government is saying we should hold on, we can’t go back to work because it’s risky.”

  • FG can not give Nigerians vaccine without research and scientific study of the prevalent types of COVID-19 in Nigeria – Dino Melaye (video)

    FG can not give Nigerians vaccine without research and scientific study of the prevalent types of COVID-19 in Nigeria – Dino Melaye (video)

    Former Senator Dino Melaye has faulted Federal Government’s announcement of receiving Coronavirus vaccines amid a second wave of the disease.

    Dino Melaye in a video he shared, stated that FG can not give Nigerians a vaccine without research and scientific study of the prevalent COVID-19 strains in Nigeria.

    The former lawmaker who averred that Coronavirus vaccines delivered to different countries around the world were made according to the prevalent condition, affirmed that it is shameful that the largest Black country with over 150 universities and thousands of core scientists cannot develop its own vaccine.

    He also wondered why N400 billion can be used to import vaccines when Nigerian professors need less than N50 billion to deliver.

    Dino tweeted;

    FG can not give Nigerians vaccine without research and scientific study of the prevelent types of covid in Nigeria.

    It’s sad, shameful and a total disgrace. Why can’t the largest Black country with over 150 universities and thousands of core scientists develop it’s own vaccine? Why use 400 billion Naira to import vaccine when our professors need less than 50 billion to deliver!!!

    See the video:

  • Atiku asks FG to ban UK flights over new strain of Coronavirus

    Atiku asks FG to ban UK flights over new strain of Coronavirus

    Former Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has asked the federal government to ban flights from United Kingdom after new strain of Coronavirus was detected in the country.

    Atiku who stressed that Nigeria took the first hit of Coronavirus because the Federal Government failed to heed the warnings of well-meaning Nigerians, stated that the new strain of Coronavirus that has erupted in the United Kingdom and specifically, London, can add to Nigeria’s health emergency if those in charge do not act with an abundance of caution and temporarily halt all flights to and from the UK until the new strain is brought under control.

    He wrote;

    The reason Nigeria took a harder than necessary hit during the first wave of the #COVID19 virus is that the Federal Government failed to heed the warnings of well-meaning Nigerians, like myself and others, to shut down our borders once the virus became a pandemic.

    Hindsight is 20/20. Nevertheless, we must learn from history, or we stand the risk of repeating it.

    The new strain of COVID19 that has erupted in the United Kingdom, and specifically, London, can add to Nigeria’s health emergency if we do not act with an abundance of caution and temporarily halt all flights to and from the UK until this new strain is brought under control.

    Already, prudent nations are taking prompt action, and Nigeria must take necessary precautions due to the volume of air traffic between Nigerian airports and London, where this new strain has erupted.

    We must face the reality that our health sector is not sufficiently prepared to handle a sudden and unpredictable surge of this pandemic. We have already lost lives needlessly. We need not lose more. In the case of this virus, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.

  • ‘No more 35%’ — FG to slash levy on imported cars to 5%

    ‘No more 35%’ — FG to slash levy on imported cars to 5%


    The federal government has concluded plans to slash the levy to be paid on imported cars from 35 percent to five percent.

    This is contained in the draft bill of the 2020 finance bill to be presented to the national assembly.

    The bill becomes law after it is passed by the legislature and assented by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Details of the bill shared by the presidency also show that the import duty of tractors and motor vehicles for the transportation of goods has been slashed from 35 percent to 10 percent.

    The bill also grants tax relief to companies that donated to the COVID-19 relief fund under the private sector-led Coalition against COVID-19 (CACOVID).

    To improve ease of doing business, the bill also proposes that software acquisition now qualifies as capital expenditure.

    Zainab Ahmed, the minister of finance, budget, and national planning, had previously explained that the reduction in import duties and levies is targeted at reducing the cost of transportation.

    “The reason for us is to reduce the cost of transportation which is a major driver of inflation especially food production,” she told state house correspondents at the end of the federal executive council (FEC) on Wednesday, November 18.

    In 2019, Hameed Ali, the comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service had urged the federal government to reduce the levy paid on imported cars to 10 percent.

    At the time, Ali argued that the levy, which is paid in addition to the 35 percent import duty, has discouraged importers; causing them to divert their importation to neighbouring countries and heightened smuggling.

  • FCT natives task FG on ministerial appointment, state status

    FCT natives task FG on ministerial appointment, state status

    FCT Natives under the umbrella body of the “Abuja Indigenous Liberation Movement (AILM), on Sunday in Abuja, called on the Federal Government to consider FCT indigenes for ministerial appointments and to reorganise FCT as a state so as to ensure equality and development.

    The Director, Institution of Governance and Development, Nassarawa State University, Prof. Andrew Zamani, made the call at a summit organised by AILM with the theme: “’Indigenous People of FCT, Issues of Land Ownership and the Way Forward’’.

    The professor, who is also the chairman of the summit also called on the Federal Government to give proper consideration to ancestral owners of land in FCT to make the natives have a sense of belonging and equal representation in the country.

    He said the Court of Appeal in Abuja had ruled on Jan. 15, 2018, that indigenous people of the FCT were entitled to a ministerial representation in the Federal Executive Council as provided in Sections 147(3), 299, 14(3) and 42 of the 1999 Constitution.

    “We need a state status to increase our franchise beyond local government elections to enable us to have an executive governance structure, independent governing body and to expand our representation at the National Assembly.

    “The Federal Government should take a position on constitutional legitimacy of land administration in the Federal Capital Territory to stop the marginalisation of the people.

    “We also plead with the government of Nigeria to honour the Appeal Court and the ECOWAS Court judgments on the status of the FCT as an autonomous governance entity,’’ he said.

    Prof. Zamani recommended that based on the decision of the Court of Appeal and pursuant to the provisions of Section 299 and section 147 (3) of the 1999 Constitution, the Senate should approve that the indigenes of the FCT should nominate one of their own for appointment as a minister.

    In his remarks, the coordinator of the group, Mr Nathaniel Gaza, said that the summit was organised for the indigenous people of the FCT to discuss ways of addressing some challenges facing the natives and draw government’s attention to the need for FCT to be treated as a state.

    Gaza also stressed the need for FCT indigenes to be given their right to land ownership and the creation of more tertiary institutions in the FCT to enable indigenous youths to have easy access to quality education in the FCT.