NASS yet to transmit budget to Buhari ―Udoma

A week after the National Assembly passed the 2018 Appropriation Bill, it is yet to be passed to the president for his assent, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, has said. Speaking after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the presidential villa, Abuja on Wednesday, he denied saying that the budget will not be signed as had been attributed to him in a report.

He expressed fears that the delay in transmitting the budget to the President may have the negative impact on the economy.

Udoma however assured that government was ready to cushion any shock that may arise as a result of the delay.

In denying the statement attributed to him concerning the president not signing the budget, he said: “The President is yet to receive the budget. It is, therefore, impossible to make a statement about the budget that has not been received.

“Once we get it, we will work very quickly on it. When it is submitted, I am sure the National Assembly themselves will inform Nigerians.”

He observed that despite challenges, the economy is looking up with a current GDP growth rate of 1.95percent in the first quarter of 2018.

The minister was confident that the projected 3.5 percent GDP growth was achievable by the fourth quarter of 2018, adding that the foreign reserves were also growing at a steady pace pegging at $47billion as at May 2018.

Meanwhile, FEC has approved consultancy service for the construction of technology building, to shelter data communication, command and control centre.

The centre is to be managed by Nigeria Immigration Service.

The Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazzau (retd) who revealed this as part of the outcome of the council meeting, said: “We realised when we first came in that we have a lot of data which was being handled by service providers engaged in the Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement. The data involves that of passport issuance, visa issuance and residence permits.

“So, we are bringing all that together in the interest of national security under the control of Nigeria Immigration Service, contrary to what has been obtained in the past whereby all the service providers have been handling the databases. This is contrary to the interest of national security.

“The total cost of the consultancy service is N582,838,449.39 plus five percent vat at the completion period of 23 months.

“So, we intend to have that which we will have total control of all the databases that have to with passports, visas and work permits.”

On his part, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi said Council approved two memos he presented for consideration.

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He stated: “The two memos are Local Jajamata River Port Complex we are trying to construct. The port is nearing completion so we are just buying the equipment Cargo clearance.

“So, I got approval for the procurement and installation of 64 tons capacity mobile crane that will help in cargo movement from the vessels to the port at the cost of€N3.5 million and another component of N203 million and N69 million for training. All together it came to N1.6 billion as the cost of the equipment.

“Also Council approved a transactional adviser to advise us on the following railway projects: Port Harcourt-Maiduguri. I have consistently said the State capitals these trains will run across will be Port Harcourt-Abia-Owerri-Umumahia-Enugu-Akwa-Abakilikii-Makurdi-Lafia-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe-Damaturu-Yola-Maiduguri.

“The one from the Central line which will run from Abuja through Baru to Itakpe to Warri with a seaport at Warri. Then the one from Kano-Maradi-Kazaure-Dutse-Daura-Katsina-Jibiya and terminates at Maradi. And then the seaport in Warri.

“These special advisers are to advise us on the financial models when we start our negotiations with the companies and the contractors. The contract is awarded at the cost of N280 million.”

Council also approved the award of contract for the rehabilitation of Ilarunogun Oke-Ila, Ilale Ekon road in Osun State to Ekiti State at the cost of N5,195,176,195.50.

On this contract, Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohamed said:“The contract is to link the two border states, it is a 34-kilometre length road. It has been embarked upon earlier on by the Osun State government but after three kilometres they gave up as they couldn’t fund it. The federal government has taken over the road, the road has always been a federal road. The completion is 15 months.”

Minister of Health, Isaac Adewole, announced that the council ratified the protocol on tobacco control among other things to eliminate illicit trade around tobacco industry.

He said Nigeria ranks the 35th country that has now ratified the protocol, which will also check smuggling activities, tax issues, tracking the market for wrong use among other regulations.