How FG will spend its N500b 2016 social welfare budget.

The presidency has said that its provision of N500b for social welfare in the 2016 budget is informed by the need to pay attention to the masses in a way that has never been done before.

According to Mr Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, this is the first time ever that the welfare of the people is being provided for in the budget.

“Economic historians say that not only is the half a trillion naira vote unprecedented, but it is also the greatest service ever done to the people by any Federal Government,” he said.

He explained that there are six social safety plans in the budget to reduce poverty and vulnerabilities and improve Nigeria’s Human Development Index on the global United Nations ranking.

He said that the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), by which one million poor Nigerians will receive N5,000 monthly in 2016, will be paid directly to beneficiaries through a payment system that is being fine-tuned.

He added that the World Bank and the Bill Gates Foundation were collaborating with the Presidency to work out an efficient payment system.

Noting that implementation of the welfare programs would begin as soon as the budget is passed, Akande said that the system has been designed to eliminate middle men.

“In the case of the CCT, those one million poor Nigerians would be paid directly, while in the case of the Homegrown School Feeding, the suppliers of the meals to primary school pupils would also be paid directly by the Federal Government. There would be no middle agents involved, official or private,” he said.

He said that beneficiaries of the Conditional Cash Transfer would have to immunize their children and enroll them in school as a precondition.

Akande noted that the Buhari administration also has other social investment plans.

“There is also a Youth Employment plan to take 370,000 non-graduate youths through skill acquisition and vocational training programmes. As the teaching jobs, the selection of beneficiaries for this scheme would be done on states and FCT basis, open to Nigerians of different shades.

“For small scale traders, artisans and market women, there is the Micro Credit scheme where one million Nigerians would get a one-time soft loan of N60,000 each through the Bank of Industry.

“And finally there is the Free Education plan for students of Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics (STEM), where government will pay tuition for 100,000 students.”

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How banks are frustrating e-dividend registration - SEC

The Securities and Exchange Commission, SEC has cried out over the activities of banks frustrating the e-dividend registration launched recently in Abuja to help investors clear the over N90b unclaimed dividends in the system.

While some banks are changing as much as N1,050 to stamp and sign the e-dividend forms that will enable investors migrate from the old dividend warrant system to the e-dividend platform, others are simply not providing the service.
Abujacitynews was told by an investor that he had been to his bank several times since the free e-dividend registration started but was told on each occasion that there was no instructions from their head office to embark on the exercise.

An SEC source disclosed that the Commission has already reported the matter to the Central Bank of Nigeria.

The source also said that the free e-dividend registration has been extended to April ending to counter the antics of unscrupulous bank officials who are bent on frustrating the exercise.

The SEC said that the e-dividend registration campaign which kicked off in January 2016 in Abuja with road shows and a town hall meeting will move to Lagos this week.

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Insanity has befallen my critics - Oliseh

Coach Sunday Oliseh has described those criticizing his team or calling for his sack over the failure of the Super Eagles to go beyond the group stage of the last CHAN tournament as insane.

Oliseh who was fielding questions during an interview with sports radio station Brila FM wondered what would be done to the coaches of Ghana, South Africa and Egypt who did not even qualify for this year's CHAN.

Querying the importance of CHAN, Oliseh said that he has done well by losing only two games out of fourteen since he became coach of the Super Eagles.

“I am addressing this insanity that has befallen some of our critics, and I call it insanity because you must be insane to start seeking a plebiscite on the future of the national team coach of Nigeria because we lost CHAN.

“With all due respect, CHAN is probably the least important tournament that is held by CAF and it is a tournament that weighs more on the strength of the leagues against one another; you can see how far Congo have gone and how TP Mazembe did in the African Champions League.

“What then should be done to the Coaches of Ghana, South Africa and Egypt who did not even qualify to this tournament,” he fumed.

The Super Eagles had crashed out of the last CHAN tournament after losing by a lone goal to Guinea in their last group match.

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Buhari orders publication of 2016 budget proposal online.

President Muhammadu Buhari has directed that the 2016 budget proposal presently before the National Assembly be uploaded to the website of the budget office for Nigerians to read and make observations.

The Senior Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu said that putting the document on the internet would help dispel opinions that government could be misleading the public on some aspects of the budget.

Concerning a report that the President allocated more funds to the State House Clinic than all Federal Government-owned teaching hospitals in the 2016 budget, Shehu said that the
summary of the allocations to all the sectors under the Ministry of Health exposed the inaccuracy of the report.

His words:
“The budget office has affirmed that in terms of both capital and recurrent allocations, the draft budget has put far more money in the 17 teaching hospitals than it did in the State House Clinic.

“Having said this, we are not by any stretch of imagination suggesting that the draft budget is beyond comments or reproach. Nor do we wish to dwell on this simply to make a point. To do that will drive away good citizens from pointing out needed corrections and, ultimately defeating the change mantra of the administration.

“The budget is a Nigerian budget and citizens reserve the right to examine its content and provide their own perspectives.

“As the draft goes through the approval process, this and many other aspects will continue to generate interest, criticism, commendation and sometimes condemnation in discussions in the parliament, the media and the court of public opinion.

“We believe that the process of “change” will be affected by, and stands to gain from these debates especially where there is good faith on all sides.

“Government has no reason whatsoever to mislead the citizens on the budget and on all other matters for whatever reason,” he said.

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Borno IDP camps record harvest of babies

Not even the pain of losing their homes and loved ones could deter the Internally Displaced Persons in Borno State from falling in love and making babies.

And even the makeshift accommodations in the IDP camps still produced sufficient coverage for romantic and conjugal activities.

According to the Borno State Primary Healthcare Management Board, no less than 1500 women gave birth in the 28 IDP camps in the state in 2015.

The Executive Secretary of the Board, Dr. Sule Mene, told the
News Agency of Nigeria, NAN on Sunday that the deliveries were recorded between January 2015 and January 2016.

He added that about 14,600 pregnant women were given anti-natal health care, psycho-social services and child nutrition support.

He also said that 20 Integrated Primary Health Care Centres have been built in the IDP camps to provide integrated primary health care and referral services.

“The Borno Government has procured health kits for each of the IDPs to help cater for their immediate needs.

“We have equally distributed mosquito nets to each and every one of them,” he said.

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Defamation: Activist sues blogger over Facebook post

A civil rights activist, Ms Lauretta Onochie has approached an Abuja High Court to seek damages against a United States of America based lawyer and blogger Emeka Ugwuoye for a libelous publication which portrayed her in bad light.

Ms Onochie who is a staunch member of the Buhari Media Support Group is demanding one billion naira as damages for enormous damages done to her person by the article which was published on Facebook.

In a suit filed on her behalf by Barr Festus Keyamo at the Abuja High Court, and made available to newsmen, the plaintiff is also demanding the retraction of the said publication and an unreserved apology for the libelous words used alongside her photograph.

According to the suit , about163 persons have ‘Liked’ the post, while over 80 people have ‘Shared’ it with 198 ‘Comments.”

The defendant had in the January 21, 2016 post titled “A major break in tracking of the Dubai Madams and their agents – A key Madam revealed as a socialite with apparent connections to Nigerian politicians,” and published on his Facebook page, Due Process Advocates claimed that Onochie, using names like Aunty Lolly, Madam or Aunty, runs an international prostitution ring spanning the United Arab Emirates, Italy and Greece.

She therefore, asked the court for an order of perpetual injunction restraining the defendant, whether by himself, agents, privies or servants from further publishing or causing to be published any libelous , injurious or defamatory materials against her person.

She further said that the defendant labeled her “an international human trafficker who belongs to a powerful network of criminal gangs and racketeers,” an allegation which she described as malicious and untrue.

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See Hon Patrick Obahiagbon's reaction to OBJ's prostration before the youthful Ooni of Ife

Only recently, former President Olusegun Obasanjo was at the palace of the Ooni of Ife where he prostrated before the 41 year-old monarch.

That sent tongues wagging as many a Nigerian didn't expect Obasanjo who is now 82 to pay obeisance in that manner.

As expected, former member of the Federal House of Representatives, Hon Patrick Obahiagbon didn't fail to add his voice to a burning national discourse as he took to Facebook to pour out his heart.

Hon. Patrick Obahiagbon

The OKIKIOLAKAN's avuncular gesture of humility devoid of his De Die In Diem obtrusivity and obstreperousness is deservable of both eulogies and panegyrics and I am consensus ad idem with him that the Ooni of Ife is a non pareil epiphanic emblematization of an avatar seised of a sui generis Heirophantic mission....I wish this Ooni well and may the Celestial choir and Cosmic hosts grant him good health, peace profound, intrep
idity, mental and spiritual discernment as he holds aloft his incandescent flambeau....God bless the Ooni....

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