farming : Nigerian govt spends over N9.5 billion on inputs

The Federal Government spent more than N9.5 billion for the distribution of farm inputs to farmers during the dry season farming, an official of the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development has said.

Ohiare Jatto, the Director, Farm Input Support Services Department in the ministry, said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Abuja on Monday.

He said the inputs were distributed to no fewer than 458,498 farmers across 30 states of the federation between December 2016 and February 2017 dry season farming.

Mr. Jatto said the inputs were provided under the governments’ Growth Enhancement Support (GES) scheme to guarantee improved food production and security.

According to him, some of the inputs provided to the farmers include two bags of Nitrogen Potassium Phosphate, one bag of urea, one bag of organic fertiliser each, 25 kilogramme rice seeds and 20 kilogramme maize seeds depending on the crop value chain.

The director said that the government under the GES usually paid 75 per cent worth of seeds and 50 per cent for fertilisers and pesticides while farmers settled the remaining percentage of the money.

He said the scheme attained 92 per cent success during the planting season.

“The dry season farming was very successful. We targeted 500,000 farmers and we were able to reach 458,498 farmers in 30 states.

“All the northern states and many southern states benefited.  We only reached out to farmers that our funds were able to accommodate,’’ he said.

The director said that the Federal Government was also targeting no fewer than one million farmers to give inputs for the wet season farming.

He said the reason for the delay in the commencement of the inputs distribution for the wet season was due to the delay in the passage of the budget.

Mr. Jatto appealed to farmers to be patient with the government, adding that the inputs distribution would begin as soon as the budget was passed.

He said the inputs were distributed to no fewer than 458,498 farmers across 30 states of the federation between December 2016 and February 2017 dry season farming. According to him, some of the inputs provided to the farmers include two bags of Nitrogen Potassium Phosphate, one bag of urea, one bag of organic fertiliser each, 25 kilogramme rice seeds and 20 kilogramme maize seeds depending on the crop value chain. The director said that the government under the GES usually paid 75 per cent worth of seeds and 50 per cent for fertilisers and pesticides while farmers settled the remaining percentage of the money.

 

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="700"] Over N7 trillion recorded in TSA Nigerian govt[/caption]

Over N7 trillion recorded in TSA Nigerian govt

The Federal Government has recorded over N7 trillion in the Treasury Single Account (TSA) by the end of March 2017, the Accountant General of the Federation, AGF, Ahmed Idris, has said.

In an interview with the Economic Confidential in Abuja, Mr. Idris said the amount represents monies belonging to different Ministries, Departments and Agencies(MDAs) put in portal in such a way that government can view the entire balance as one.

“When we say we have over N5 trillion in TSA, it does not mean free funds for spending. No! no! no! These monies belong to various ministries, departments and agencies put in a portal in such a way that you can view the entire balance as one.

“The movement is now over N7 trillion. But as I explained earlier, these are not free money. People should not be thinking of why is government borrowing to fund budget. These are budgeted monies for MDAs for projects and developments,” he said.

He said that the federal government through the implementation of the TSA has saved additional N4 billion monthly which could have been held by banks, noting that a total collapse of government activities would have occurred were it not that TSA was in place.

“But let me also make a strong and important point. If not because TSA is in place and now that the recession is here, only God knows what would have happened. A monthly drain of over N4 billion and yet no revenue coming in and leakages continued. It could have been a disaster. It was government’s foresightedness and focus even as TSA was in place before the recession. And that is why we are floating and not sinking, and we will not sink God willing,” he said.

“For instance, why would one university have over one hundred and twenty bank accounts, and some of them even hidden and missing and carrying huge balances. We also discovered that there are costs associated with keeping these multiple bank accounts. Every month the government incurs over N4 billion in maintaining these accounts! Yet Government is borrowing its own money. And to stop government from borrowing its money and for the fact that there was no commensurate returns on such monies, it was double tragedy! This is like a sword with two sides that can cut from any of the sides. Sanity was brought with the introduction of TSA.”

Speaking on the transparency in the disbursement of federation account monthly, the AGF noted that transparency and openness are key to the present administration. He said the government cannot be trusted if it says one thing and does another.

“The meagre revenue that has been accruing is being judiciously used and there is fiscal discipline in management of public resources. Let me give you an example, in the previous administration. There was a time state government kicked against savings. Now because what they know and being practiced by government of the day, they have decided to imbibe the culture of savings”.

“What am I trying to say? We have excess Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT). These are excess taxes from petroleum tax. When we get money over and above budgeted figure, the excess is always being saved. If it were before, state governments and other stakeholders would say it should be shared. And this is what has been giving us buffer, especially at this time of recession”.

“Despite the lean resources, we take from it and augment accordingly. And this is being done transparently. All the stakeholders are aware of balances at any point in time. Whatever revenue comes in is shown at National Economic Council meetings including all the governors who will be briefed by the Minister of Finance. They have seen the openness and have accepted what government has put in place and the economic team. This is why we are achieving remarkable success amidst recession”, he said.

On staff welfare, Mr. Idris said “the welfare of the staff of the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation is one of my cardinal objectives since I assume office. It is even a core objective I must say as managers of the treasury. Welfare as you may know promotes the best out of the staff apart from making them serve the system very well. There are different types of welfare for the staff of the OAGF. Some border on entitlements, training to enhance the capabilities of the staff. We have also done very well in the provision of brand new staff buses we sourced from public spirited organizations including banks.”

“On the part of the Federal Treasury Academy, we have done very well in building hostel facilities, renovation of infrastructure and provision of generators, furniture for the classrooms and the auditorium and the provision of sporting facilities among others. Right now, there is an ongoing discussion with some real estate developers to build four hundred one bed-room and two-bedroom houses at our land situated at Federal Treasury Academy Orozo, Abuja”.

According to him, “these developments are targeted at lower cadre officers. All these are some of the initiatives we have put in place. We pay the first 28 days to staff on first come first serve basis and each month we set aside the sum of N5 million towards that. Any staff that gets admission to tertiary institutions on part-time basis and would not disrupt his or her job schedule is allowed. So far, we have given approval to such staff almost one thousand, most especially Nasarawa State University and University of Abuja.”

“We train them and also promote them, we maintain facilities here at the headquarters, we maintain and buy new furniture, apart from making the office environment conducive for work. This is part of motivation, this is part of welfare.”

“When we say we have over N5 trillion in TSA, it does not mean free funds for spending. People should not be thinking of why is government borrowing to fund budget. If not because TSA is in place and now that the recession is here, only God knows what would have happened.

 

Dogara cautions Nigerian govt against conducting census before 2019 elections

[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="860"] Dogara cautions Nigerian govt against conducting census before 2019 elections[/caption]

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has called on the people clamouring for conduct of population census in 2018 to exercise patience till after 2019 elections when there will be no political pressure to manipulate its outcome.

This was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media & Public Affairs, Turaki Hassan, on Monday in Abuja.

Mr. Dogara said conducting population census in an election year may generate unrealistic results, and therefore advised that the next administration should conduct the census at the beginning of its tenure when there isn’t so much at stake.

“I won’t advise anyone to conduct national census in 2018. I said it before that if we are not going to achieve it in 2017, then we should just forget it until after 2019.

“If you conduct census at the niche of elections, there will be so much pressure, crisis and the lure for people to manipulate the figures for political reasons”.

“It is better for a fresh administration to conduct this exercise from the beginning of that administration when we do not have any pressure of elections in sight.”

“I can bet you if the census is conducted in 2018, the outcome will be doubtable.”

“Seriously speaking, because I know who we are and I know the kind of litigations, backlashes, the pressure and we don’t need that now to be candid.”

He said it’s better to empower the agencies to keep building on the blocks that they will leverage on in the future.

He said it’s better to empower the agencies to keep building on the blocks that they will leverage on in the future.

“Doing it in 2018, honestly it is nothing I would advocate.”

The Director General of the National Population Commission, Ghaji Bello, recently indicated his commission’s preparedness to conduct a census in 2018 if necessary logistics are provided.

Mr. Bello also said the proposed 2018 census will cost an estimated N272 billion.

He said the exercise should have been conducted in 2016 in line with international practice.

“We should have conducted the last census in 2016 but for a variety of reasons outside the control of the population commission, we were unable to do it,” he said.

To meet the UN 10-year benchmark, Mr. Bello said the commission was working for a constitutional amendment that would allow for scheduled conduct of the census.

Mr. Bello also argued that conducting a census in the Muhammadu Buhari administration would give it credibility.

He added that the conduct of the census under the present administration would give the exercise a deserved national and international credibility and reliability.

“We are of the firm belief that if it is conducted under this government, that there will be a lot of international credibility for the exercise,” he said.

“This is given the persona of the president that is there presently.

“And then people take advantage of climes and environment and chances and there are times when everything works in your favour.

“We believe firmly in the National Population Commission that census conducted under President Muhammadu Buhari would go a long way in actually achieving the credibility that we want.”

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has called on the people clamouring for conduct of population census in 2018 to exercise patience till after 2019 elections when there will be no political pressure to manipulate its outcome. Mr. Dogara said conducting population census in an election year may generate unrealistic results, and therefore advised that the next administration should conduct the census at the beginning of its tenure when there isn’t so much at stake. “I won’t advise anyone to conduct national census in 2018.