By Dare Balogun, 11th July, 2024
NEWS SOCIETY WATCH following for you; The council meeting took off with the swearing-in of eight new permanent secretaries. Thereafter, council members congratulated President Bola Tinubu on his re-election as chairman of the Economic Community of West African States for another one-year term.
Here are the takeaways:
PROCUREMENT ACT
The council deliberated on the need to align project costs with the budget heads and avoid augmentation after the awards of contracts. Council learnt that the augmented contracts are those inherited by the Tinubu Administration, with most of them awarded more than 10-15 years ago.
The Council decided that the Attorney-General of the Federation should review the Procurement Act in operation since 2007 to bring it in line with contemporary demands.
Henceforth, ministries were urged to reconcile project costs with budget provisions and where extra funding is needed, get the clearance of the Minister of Budget and Minister of Finance. The two ministers will now serve as a clearing house for capital projects, requiring extra-budgetary spending.
SAMOA AGREEMENT
The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning and the Minister of Information and National Orientation reported to the council about the misinformation being disseminated by a Nigerian newspaper against the EU-ACP agreement to sow disaffection against the Tinubu Administration.
The Minister of Budget reiterated that there is no issue of LGBTQ in the international agreement signed by the Nigerian government. He and the Attorney General also reported that the agreement does not contain any clause that conflicts with our laws and the Constitution, citing the position of the Nigerian Bar Association. Minister of Information reported on the complaint filed against the newspaper with the Ombudsman of the Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria.
ASUU AND IPPIS
The council asked the Secretary of the Government of the Federation to expedite the implementation of the council decision made months ago, separating the universities from the IPPIS platform.
NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ABUJA
The Council ratified the anticipatory approval given on 28 May 2023 by former President Muhammadu Buhari to establish the university in the Federal Capital. The university is the first of the network of Pan African Institutes of Science and Technology dedicated to teaching African scientists and technologists.
MINISTRY OF LIVESTOCK DEVELOPMENT
Council decided that the Ministry be excised from the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security and developed along the lines suggested by the Presidential Livestock Development Committee, now headed by Professor Attahiru Jega.
Although many contract memos were stepped down, the FEC approved some others. Among them were:
1. Facility Maintenance Service submitted by EFCC, in favour of Julius Berger at a cost of N392 Million. The contract sum was less than the N533m approved in 2018 for the yearly maintenance of the headquarters of the EFCC in Abuja.
2. Procurement of 2000 tractors, 4000 disc ploughs, 1000 disc ridges, 1200 tractor trailers and assorted spare parts. The items to be supplied are for the National Agricultural Mechanization Programme (NAMP) to strengthen national food security. Aftrade DMCC, which has done a similar job in Zimbabwe, Kenya, South Africa and Togo, will supply all the equipment and will also set up a plant to assemble the machinery, in the second stage of the contract.
3. Contract for the engineering audit of upstream measurement equipment and facilities in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Upstream Sector in favour of Messrs. PE Energy Limited. Completion will be 180 days.
4. Contract for the procurement of pre-field development studies for advanced declaration solution Technology in the Nigerian Oil and Gas Upstream Sector, in favour of Messrs. P-Lyne Energy Limited. Completion will also be in 180 days.
5. Two Contracts for the supply of SUVs and other operational vehicles to the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission. The contracts are in favour of Elizade Nigeria Limited, Lanre Shittu Motors and Vinicius Global Link Ltd.
6. Contract for the procurement of low and high-voltage substation connectors in favour of Messrs. Maglous Enterprises Limited. The connectors are for the Transmission Company of Nigeria.
The council adjourned till Monday 15 July.
