Connect with us

NEWS

NEITI Moves to Recover $6bn, N66bn from Oil Stakeholders

Published

on

Share

 Plans are underway to recover $6 billion and an additional N66 billion owed to the Federal Government by stakeholders in the oil sector.

Mr Ogbonnaya Orji, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), stated this on Monday in Abuja.

He was speaking at the 2025 budget defence session organised by the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (Upstream).

Orji revealed that NEITI was collaborating with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to recover the funds into government coffers.

The executive secretary noted that, according to the 2020 and 2021 reports, over $3.7 billion was recovered into government coffers as outstanding liabilities from companies operating in the sector.

He explained that NEITI was established to promote transparency and accountability in the Nigerian oil and gas, as well as the mining sector.

Orji said the agency had been allocated a budget of N6.5 billion for the 2025 financial year, comprising N2.220 billion for personnel, N1.722 billion for overhead, and N2.575 billion for capital projects.

Orji outlined some of the critical activities to be undertaken in the year.

They include conducting industry reports on the oil, gas, and mining sector, as well as fiscal allocation and statutory disbursement audits.

He added that research studies would be conducted on the actual volume of PMS consumed in Nigeria.

According to him, it will also indicate the economic impact of energy transition, and a national perception survey of EITI implementation in Nigeria.

During the budget defence session, Rep. Kafilat Ogbara (APC-Lagos) emphasised the need for government agencies to ensure that their budget proposals comply with the specified line items.

She expressed concern over the N32 million allocated for meals in the 2025 budget, stating that it was excessive, especially during a time of economic hardship.

“Most of our agencies should ensure that what they are bringing as budget proposal must actually tally with the line item and the purpose why you want to use such funds.

“Let us not just see budget defence as, ‘the money is there and we should share it. So, let us see how to get our own share’,” she said.

Rep. Ademorin Kuye (APC-Lagos) also stressed the importance of considering the economic situation in the country when preparing the annual budget.

He noted that the public perceives the National Assembly as a rubber stamp that approves anything presented by government agencies.

The Chairman of the Committee, Rep. Alhassan Doguwa, faulted the language used in the budget preparation.

He also faulted the inclusion of the National Assembly as beneficiaries of the agency’s welfare package.

Doguwa emphasised that the committee’s primary concern was the welfare of the Nigerian people.

He said the agencies must be mindful of their expenditure of public resources.

“While I agree that the budget stops at our desk and you are just presenting a proposal, I will like to say that the economy is actually bad.

“The population of people for whom we are actually here are crying out. Agencies of government must be mindful of what they spend out of public resources on.

“All these proposals are going to be spent at the expense of the Nigerian people.

“Sometimes, we come to make presentations here that sounds funny and very insultive in the eyes of the people.

“Especially, when you say in your projection things like welfare package in form of ex-gratia, health insurance, welfare packages to staff and some critical stakeholders,” he said.

Doguwa, however, assured the committee’s readiness to support the agency in actualising its mandate.

“Your agency is a critical one and the legislature was appreciative of the work that you are doing,” he said. (NAN)

NEWS

Stakeholders task FG on making Uterine Health a priority

Published

on

Share

By Laide Akinbpade, Abuja

Stakeholders in the Health sector on Thursday, tasked the Federal Government (FG), to make women uterine health a priority in Nigeria.

This appeal was made at a one-day strategic roundtable on Uterine Health in Nigeria, organized by Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (FMoH&SW) with The White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria and Youterus, in Abuja.

Uterine health is the overall condition and functionality of the uterus encompassing, it’s structural integrity and ability to perform its various roles such as menstruation and carrying a pregnancy.

Uterine health conditions like fibroid, abnormal uterine bleeding, endometriosis, chronic pelvic pain, endometrisis and menopause impact on millions of Nigerian women but are often excluded from national health policies and services.

It has been discovered that fibroid alone accounts for 30% of gynecological consultations at Nigerian tertiary hospitals.

With Uterine health missing from from the key national framework, it is therefore imperative for government to give it a priority.

Dr. Binyerem Ukaire said, women are the bedrock of every nation and are crucial to social economic development of any nation. A woman reproductive health cannot be good without good uterine health.

Dr. Samuel Oyeniyi, Director Reproductive Health, Division FMoH &SW, in his paper presentation titled, ‘Uterine Health and its public health importance in Nigeria’, at the occasion said Uterine Fibroids are extremely common affecting approxemately 12.1% of Nigerian women about 12.8million women nationwide

“Among black women the lifetime risk rises to 80% by age 50. Fibroids are major cause of hospital visits and gynecological surgeries leading to symptoms such as chronic pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, anemia and infertility, most women affected are in their productive age.

“Endometrisis affects upto 48.1% symptomatic Nigerian women in some studies, causing severe pelvic pain, painful menstruations and infertility and diagnosis takes between 7 to 10 years.

“PCO affects 17 -28% of Nigerian women disrupting mentrual cycles and causing hormonal imbalance that can lead to diabetes, obesity and cardiovascular risk and can be undertreated or underdiagnosied.

“While Pelvic Inflammatpry Disease (PID), affects 116 per 100,000 women in West Africa, making it a leading cause of infertility and ecotopic pregnancy in Nigeria.

“Cervical cancer causes more than 8,000 deaths and more than 13,000 new cases yearly in Nigeria . it is prevented by HPV vaccines and about 12 million Nigerian girls have been reached “.

But he said Nigeria’s Non-communicable Disease (NCD), action plan provide an opportunity to include chronic uterine conditions.

He concluded in his presentation by saying, investing $1 in uterine health would yield $9 in benefits.

Dr. Nana Chidi Emmanuel Chairperson, Board of Trustees White Ribbon Alliance Nigeria, in her welcome speech at the roundtable said it is imperative that women health especially uterine health should be prioritized in Nigeria’s health system.

She said currently women are going through a lot psychologically, mentally and other wise, so women health must be a priority to any government all over the world.

She said, “Chronic uterine conditions such as fibroids, abnormal uterine bleeding, and endometrosis affect millions of Nigerian women and girls, causing immeasurable suffering, recurrent medical crises, and economic hardship. Despite this immense burden, women facing these conditions have long confronted silence, stigma, and systemic neglect. Too often, their pain is dismissed, their diagnosis delayed, and their pathways to care—financially and logistically—out of reach.

“Today, together with our committed partners at Youterus Health, we affirm our collective will to change this narrative. We aim to place uterine health at the center of national policies in Nigeria and Africa, financing, and service delivery—moving it from the margins of awareness into the mainstream of Nigeria’s health and development agenda.

“Let us remember that at the heart of these deliberations are the stories and hopes of real women and girls—mothers, daughters, sisters, friends—who endure the daily realities of untreated uterine conditions. Their experiences fuel our urgency and remind us all why this work matters deeply. Our collective efforts here today can catalyze meaningful change that restores health, dignity, and hope.

“WRA Nigeria firmly believes that the leadership of the government working hand in hand civil society and the private sector, is essential to drive durable, just, and people-centered changes. It will take our united voices, innovative models, and steady commitment to dismantle the barriers that have persisted for too long”.

Fatou Wurie, the Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Youterus Health,
in her welcome speech said, uterine health affects millions of Nigerian women and it is under developed women wellbeing and it impact, not only the physical health but social and economy of any nation.

And this uterine health challenges have caused immeasurable suffering in women in Nigeria.

She lamented that most often the pain women feel is ignored and diagnosis delayed.

She said it is imperative for Federal Government to place uterine as a national priority that should be taken up.

“Uterine Health has long being an issue in the world. Uterine Health should be a national issue that should be on a top burner. We are really looking forward to government priotising uterine health in Nigeria”, she said.

Austin Akpakwu, from the office of the Vice President, who represented the Senior Special Assistant to Vice President on Public health, said the office of the Vice President, is keen to support in addressing the uterine health challenges in Nigeria, “It is a laudable project and the office of Vice President is very keen in supporting this project. I have a junior sister that has uterine health issue and that is presently in the hospital so this is very important issue and all hands must be on desk to address it”.

Continue Reading

NEWS

Published

on

Share

NAFDAC Generates N2.5bn from Illicit Drug Market Raids

By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Wednesday, said that it generated N2.5 billion from its recent raids of illicit drug markets in Lagos, Onitsha, and Aba, respectively.

Director-General of the agency, Prof.

Mojisola Adeyeye, who revealed this during a session with the House of Representatives Committee on Food and Drug Administration and Control, said the funds were fines collected from traders found guilty of selling fake or substandard drugs during recent enforcement actions in open markets across the country.

While stressing that all funds were paid directly into NAFDAC’s official account, she noted that N996 million was spent on enforcement operations, N159 million was borrowed from a donor grant, and N1.175 billion went to regulatory expenses.

According to her, the agency was left with about N206 million after deductions.

She said the operation, which deployed over 1,300 security personnel, uncovered widespread violations ranging from expired and unapproved drugs to poor storage practices.

Adeyeye said the enforcement drive, which lasted up to four weeks in some locations, uncovered serious threats to public health.

She disclosed that some shop owners were caught distributing banned substances like Tramadol and selling expired or unregistered medicines.

“These charges were not punitive but necessary. The standard fine for violating Good Distribution and Storage Practice (GDSP) is N2 million, but in many cases, we reduced it to N500,000,” she said.

She, however lamented that the agency’s inability to sustain such critical operations is being crippled by severe revenue restrictions imposed by the federal government

While decrying the financial constraints facing the agency, Adeyeye explained that at the end of 2023, NAFDAC had N19 billion in its accounts 

The DG however noted that N9 billion was removed before the agency could access it, and only N4.5 billion was eventually released.

Speaking of the agency’s 2024 raid in Kano, she described the operation in the Northwestern state as a monumental and court-mandated intervention that differed significantly from the raids conducted in Lagos, Onitsha, and Aba.

She said the Kano raid was anchored on a judgment delivered on February 16, 2024, by the Federal High Court which ordered the relocation of open drug market traders to the newly constructed Coordinated Wholesale Centre (CWC), known as the Kanawa Pharmaceutical Centre.

Adeyeye clarified that no administrative charges or fines were collected during the Kano enforcement, due to the urgent and court-directed nature of the operation.

The DG however noted that post-marketing surveillance was carried out after relocation.

She added: “These are the lives we are trying to save. We had no funds at the time our accounts had just been shut down and reopened with zero balance at the start of January 2024. Yet, we had to carry out the court judgment and move over 1,300 shops into the regulated centre.”

Adeyeye stated that Kano was the only state that had built its CWC as mandated by a presidential directive, long before her tenure began.

Responding to lawmakers’ concerns that Kano traders were treated more leniently compared to the operations in the southern part of the country, she said the agency followed due process, guided by the urgency of the court judgment and prevailing security risks.

Clarifying the financial situation of the agency, Director of Finance and Accounts, NAFDAC, Adeniji Nma, said the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) had unilaterally classified NAFDAC as a revenue-generating agency and begun sweeping up to 50 per cent of all revenue inflows into the federal treasury.

Because of it, we find it difficult to do most of our operations.”

After the presentation, a member of the committee, Hon. Emeka Idu, requested a detailed breakdown of the revenue generated from each location where fines were collected during the enforcement operations.

The NAFDAC team was unable to provide the breakdown at the hearing.

Chairman of the committee, Regina Akume, noted that the agency’s presentation was incomplete.

The committee, consequently, directed the agency to return with a comprehensive, location-by-location account of the N2.5 billion generated from the raids.

ReplyReply allForwardAdd reaction
Continue Reading

NEWS

Adamawa Police Boost Capacity to Handle Gender-Based Violence Cases

Published

on

Share

From Yagana Ali, Yola

The Adamawa State Police Command, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has begun a second-phase step-down training on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) for its gender desk officers.

The training, held at the command’s conference hall in Yola, brought together 80 personnel, divided into batches A and B.

The Commissioner of Police, Morris Dankwabo, represented by Deputy Commissioner of Police John Sandere, urged the personnel to utilize the training to change the narrative of public perception on police handling of GBV cases.

Sandere emphasized the importance of updating their knowledge on GBV to effectively address the scourge in the state.

Resource person Balkisu Ahmed called on the general public and the police to work together to bring an end to GBV cases in the state.

Ahmed noted that every individual, organization and government is working hard to ensure perpetrators are brought to book and survivors receive justice.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Sulaiman Yahaya Ngroje, assured that the command is committed to ensuring that personnel knowledge is up-to-date on handling GBV cases and that justice is done to survivors.

Inspector Ijidugal Mperiju, Gender Desk Officer, Girei Division, commended the Adamawa Police Command for stepping down the training, saying it will enrich their knowledge on handling GBV cases and enable them to work diligently.

The training is a significant step towards enhancing the capacity of Adamawa State Police personnel to handle GBV cases effectively. The collaboration with UNFPA demonstrates the command’s commitment to protecting the rights of citizens, particularly vulnerable groups.

Continue Reading

Advertisement

Read Our ePaper

Top Stories

NEWS2 hours ago

Stakeholders task FG on making Uterine Health a priority

ShareBy Laide Akinbpade, Abuja Stakeholders in the Health sector on Thursday, tasked the Federal Government (FG), to make women uterine...

NEWS2 hours ago

ShareNAFDAC Generates N2.5bn from Illicit Drug Market Raids By Ubong Ukpong, Abuja The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration...

POLITICS4 hours ago

S/West PDP National Ex-Officios Lauds NEC for Selecting Ibadan as Convention Venue

ShareBy Mike Odiakose, Abuja National Ex-officio members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from the South West have commended the...

POLITICS4 hours ago

INEC Warns against Underage, Multiple Registration as Exercise Begins Aug 18

ShareAhead of Aug.18 commencement date for Continuous Voters registration (CVR), the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has warned against multiple...

NEWS4 hours ago

Adamawa Police Boost Capacity to Handle Gender-Based Violence Cases

ShareFrom Yagana Ali, Yola The Adamawa State Police Command, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has begun...

NEWS4 hours ago

FG Calls for United Front to Tackle Human Trafficking

ShareThe Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has called for a coordinated, multi-sectoral response...

SPORTS4 hours ago

Gyokeres Breaks Arsenal Shirt Sales Record After Completing £70m Move

ShareViktor Gyokeres has smashed Arsenal’s shirt sales record since his move from Sporting Lisbon was confirmed. Following weeks of arduous...

SPORTS5 hours ago

Bayern Sign Liverpool Winger Diaz for £65.5m

ShareLuis Diaz said he “fulfilled his duty” at Liverpool after completing a £65.5m move to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich. The...

SPORTS5 hours ago

Okoronkwo Wins Super Falcons’ WAFCON 2024 Fans Award

ShareEsther Okoronkwo has been voted Super Falcons’ Fans Player of the Tournament at the 2024 Women’s Africa Cup of Nations....

Metro5 hours ago

FG to Set up Livestock Breeding Centers in Six Geopolitical Zones

ShareThe Federal Government on Wednesday disclosed a plan to set up a livestock breeding center in each of the six...

Copyright © 2021 Daily Asset Limited | Powered by ObajeSoft Inc