CCPC Tribunal Chairman clarifies why Commission is yet to remit to Consolidated Revenue Fund

CCPC Tribunal Chairman clarifies why Commission is yet to remit to Consolidated Revenue Fund

Hajiya Saratu Mama Shafii, Chairman of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC) Tribunal, on Monday said the revenue generated by the tribunal has not been remitted to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) because it has not been captured on the remita platform.

Indeed, Mama Shafii added that the tribunal has written several letters to the Acting Accountant General on the issue.

The chairman made this known at the budget defence of the Senate Committtee on Trade and Investment held in Abuja.

“The Revenue generated so far has not been remitted to the consolidated Revenue fund because, the tribunal has not been captured on the remita platform, we have written several letters and we have also spoken to the Acting Accountant General on the issue” she said.

Mama Shafii spoke while responding to questions by the committtee on the tribunal’s 2022 budget performance, work plan for the year 2023, current revenue profile and actual amount generated and paid to the consolidated revenue fund.

She explained further that following the provision of releases, the tribunal received the sum of N87.5 million representing about 58 percent and N675m representing about 75 percent for the overhead and capital expenditure respectively.

“So far internally generated revenue we have just N162,000 which was IGR we were able to get from fees and fines”.

Presenting a breakdown of the 2023 budget to the Senate Committtee, she noted that “the key fact in the budget for 2023, personnel cost we have a total of N154million which is to cover payments for salaries and allowances. That is a slight increase to that of 2022.

“For overhead cost we have N159million, and this is an increase of 6.5 percent of 2022. For capital expenditure, we have N586million for on going projects and programmes, there is 35 percent reduction from what we got in 2022”.

NAMA Is A Critical Safety Agency That Cannot Be Ignored – Hon. Nnaji

NAMA Is A Critical Safety Agency That Cannot Be Ignored – Hon. Nnaji

The Chairman House of Representatives Committee on Aviation, Honourable Nnolim Nnaji has described Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, (NAMA) as a critical safety arm of the aviation sector that should not be ignored.

Honourable Nnaji stated this during the committee’s 2023 budget defence meeting with the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika who led the Ministry officials to the National Assembly Tuesday .

The Chairman’s remarks were prompted by the omission of the agency in the 2023 appropriation Bill which according to him would be corrected.

He however stressed the need for the Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika to give clarification on the exclusion of NAMA in the 2023 Federal budge even as he added that his Committee was already deliberating on the issue with Senate committee counterpart to ensure that the anomaly was rectified during appropriation process.

Honourable Nnaji noted that the prevailing security challenges have put enormous pressure on the available infrastructures in the industry and as such the country could not afford to neglect the needs of a safety agency like NAMA.

The committee chairman disclosed that the committee would critically examine the performance of the Ministry’s budget from 2020 to 2022 because some of the projects had been on-going since 2020.

He stressed that the committee expected that the current budget performance report should comprise the full implementation details of the two previous budget years.

Labour Party Will Reverse Infrastructural Decay In Enugu – Edeoga

Labour Party Will Reverse Infrastructural Decay In Enugu – Edeoga

By Tai Agbo

The gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party, (LP) in Enugu State Barrister Chijoke Jonathan Edeoga has pledged to address the infrastructural decay in the state if elected into power in the forthcoming general elections.

He berated the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) led government for paying lip service to issues of development in Enugu State adding that Labour party would liberate the state from the maladministration of the party.

Barrister Edeoga was addressing the people of Enugu North in Nsukka during the flag off of the Zonal rally of the party which was attended by a marmot crowd at the Nsukka High School premises on Saturday.

The Labour Party Governorship Candidate promised to rebrand Enugu State and rescue it from the 23 years of economic strangulation by the PDP’s bad governance.

“Labour party will run an all inclusive government, promote rule of law and ensure equity, fairness and justice ” Barrister Edeoga assured urging the people vote out PDP in Enugu State

He promised to give Nsukka the needed face-lift adding that the zone had remained the least developed among the three senatorial zones of the state despite hosting one of the oldest universities in the country.

He stated that the Labour Party has as part of its cardinal objectives, war against corruption and insecurity which his administration would key into to bring down cost of governance and attract investment into Enugu State.

Edeoga equally pledged to pay attention to education, health and uneemployment adding that his government if voted into power would support small and medium scale enterprises to serve as engine growth for the economy of the state and provide employments for the youths.

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N92bn Abuja Airport 2nd Runway To be Delivered In 6 Months

The National Assembly joint committees on aviation had been assured of the completion of the N92 billion second Abuja International Airport Runway before the exit of the current regime.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika gave the assurance on Thursday during an oversight visit to the airport by the joint committees of the Senate and House of Representatives led by Senator Abiodun Olujimi and Honourable Nnolim Nnaji.

The Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika who conducted members of the committees of the two Chambers of the National Assembly round the on going projects at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport disclosed that the contractor for the second runway, Chinese Civil Engineering Construction Company, (CCECC) had been fully mobilised.

Both chairmen stressed that the Construction of the second Abuja Airport’s runway was long overdue considering the strategic importance of the airport to the nation.

Honourable Nnaji who sought the commitment of the contractor that the project would be completed on schedule observed that Abuja being the admistrative capital of Nigeria coupled with its growing economy could no longer cope with a single airport runway.

The CCECC project manager, Yang Yantao in responding to Honourable Nnaji’s demand for assurance that the runway would be on stream on schedule stressed that with proper funding, the CCECC would deliver the runway and all the components in six months.

Senate Olujimi also used the occasion of the visit to assure the Honourable Minister that the committees of both Chambers would do whatever possible to restore the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, (NAMA) back on Federal Budget because of its critical role to the safety of air navigation.

Senator Sirika had earlier in his remarks applauded the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Aviation for their continued supports to the aviation sector.
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The legislators equally inspected the airport’s cargo terminal and the multi story car park both of which were at the advance stages of completion before departing back to the National Assembly.

NASS Committees Call for More Fundings For Aviation

NASS Committees Call for More Fundings For Aviation

The National Assembly joint committees on aviation have emphasized the need for adequate funding of the sector to enable it cope with the increase in demands for air travel.

The two chairmen of the committees of Senate and House of Representatives, Senator Abiodun Olujimi and Honourable Nnolim Nnaji made the observation during an oversight working visit to the Accident Investigation Buteau, (AIB) and the Nigerian Airspace Management put enormous pressures on the existing aviation infrastructures which required that more investments should be made in the sector.

Both chairmen specifically pledged to look into the alleged exclusion of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, (NAMA) in the 2023 Federal Budget to see what could be done to redress it.

The Managing Director of the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency, Mathew Pwajok had in his welcome remarks appreciated the committees of both Chambers of the National Assembly for their interest and concerns on matters affecting the aviation industry.

He acknowledged their swift passage of the six Executive Bills on the industry as a true reflection of their commitment to the progress of the air transport sector in the country.

At the AIB the members of the joint committees were impressed with the progress so far made in the upgrade of facilities and manpower at the bureau which has led to the reduction of accidents in the country to the barest minimum.

Honourable Nnaji, the House Committee Chairman stressed that members were impressed that for the past seven years now, the country had not recorded any fatalities apart from the helicopter accident which occurred at Opebi in Lagos early 2022.

The Commissioner, Accident Investigation Bureau, Engineer Akin Olateru had informed the legislators during his welcome remarks that the drastic reduction in aircraft accidents in the country has brought down the insurance premiums paid on operating aeroplanes in Nigeria

According to the Commissioner, the high safety records so far achieved by the country in the last couple of years have brought the insurance premiums on wide body aircraft from $800,000 a year to between $150,000 and $200,000.

He also informed the two committees of the National Assembly that the Bureau has set the pace in air safety in Africa by establishing the first training institution for accident investigators in the continent.