FG, Governors Resolve To End Impunity In Herdsmen, Farmers’ Killings

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OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT

PRESS RELEASE

FG, GOVS RESOLVE TO END IMPUNITY IN HERDSMEN, FARMERS’ KILLINGS

*VP, 9 Govs form working group in accordance with President’s commitment to bring perpetrators to book

 In accordance with President Muhammadu Buhari’s commitment to end the farmers/herdsmen clashes across the country and to effectively bring to book all the perpetrators, the Vice President and nine governors have formed a working group under the auspices of the National Ecoomic Council, NEC.

The composition of the working group was part of the resolutions of the 84th National Economic Council meeting chaired today by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN. 

According to the Council, “the Committee which is composed of nine (9) Governors under the Chairmanship of the Vice President will work in accordance with the President’s commitment to ensuring that all perpetrators of violence are brought to book.”

The working group comprising Governors of Zamfara, Kaduna, Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Edo, Plateau, Ebonyi and Oyo States started its meeting right after today’s NEC, at the Vice President’s office.

Council was also briefed by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, on the balance in the Excess Crude Account (ECA), she said the balance of ECA as at 15th January 2018 stands at $2,317,146,678.82.  She also informed Council that the balance in Stabilization Fund Account as at 15th January 2018 stands at N9, 730,057,887.25.

Below are the highlights of the first NEC meeting in the year 2018:

NEC (1st in 2018) 84TH NEC MEETING –THURSDAY,  18TH JANUARY 2018

1. UPDATE ON THE NEED FOR INCREASED DOMESTIC FUNDING FOR TREATMENT OF PERSONS LIVING WITH HIV IN NIGERIA

• The Honourable Minister of Health and the Director-General of NACA made a presentation seeking increased Public Sector Funding for HIV Services in Nigeria in order to achieve the goal of eliminating HIV/AIDS by the year 2030.
• The presentation stated such an increase will reduce dependency on donor funding for HIV services and attendant development implications.
• They also called for investment in HIV treatment that will lead to increased life expectancy in the country and a proportionate increase in the GDP.
• They added that the need to invest in HIV is imperative because Donor Funding is on the decline due to global economic circumstances.
• Reducing the gap between those who required HIV care and treatment and those actually able to access it is another reason adduced to investing in HIV.
• The presentation asked Council to consider and approve the resolution of the 59th National Council of Health that “At least 0.5 t0 1% of the monthly Federation Allocation to States be earmarked for financing the implementation of the HIV/AIDS sustainability roadmap”.
• Council was also asked to consider and approve universal free antenatal services and abolition of user fees associated with accessing Prevention of Mother-to-Child Transmission (PMCTC) services.
• Council was also asked to request that the State Health Insurance Schemes include HIV as an indicator disease for both testing and treatment particularly as it relates to Community Health Insurance Programmes.

Council decision

• Council noted and approved the recommendations above.

UPDATE ON THE ECONOMIC RECOVERY GROWTH PLAN (ERGP)

• The Honourable Minister of Budget and National Planning informed Council that Federal Government is taking steps to address the economic situation in Nigeria through the ERGP covering 2017 – 2020
• Key execution Priorities of the ERGP are:

–  Stabilize the Macro-economic environment

–    Achieve agriculture and food security

– Ensure energy sufficiency in power and petroleum products.

–      Improve transportation infrastructure.

–      Drive industrialization focusing on SMEs.

• Government need to ramp up efforts to deliver the ERGP targets within the 3 years left to achieve.
• The focused Labs in selected areas within the 6 sectors to deliver quick and fast results on investments and job creation are:

1. i) Agriculture and Transport
2. ii) Manufacturing and Processing

iii)         Power and Gas

• Labs intended to achieve two objectives:

1. i) New investments for critical projects
2. ii) Resolution of complex inter-agency problems that inhibit private sector investment.

1. REPORT ON EXCESS CRUDE ACCOUNT (ECA)

• Honourable Minister of Finance reported to Council that the balance in ECA as at 15th January, 2018 stands at $2,317,146,678.82.

1. REPORT ON BALANCE OF THE STABILIZATION FUND ACCOUNT

• The Honourable Minister of Finance informed Council that the balance in Stabilization Fund Account as at 15th January, 2018 stands at N9,730,057,887.25.

1. UPDATE ON CURRENT BALANCE OF NATURAL RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT FUND

• The Honourable Minister of Finance also told the Council that the balance in the Natural Resources Development Fund as at 15th January, 2018 stands at N115,010,873,691.36

1. UPDATE ON BUDGET SUPPORT LOAN FACILITY

• On the Budget Support Loan Facility, the Honourable Minister of Finance informed the Council that N700 million has been disbursed to eleven (11) States, and the States having outstanding payments are required to meet/complete the necessary obligations before the disbursement is effected.
• The Minister told the Council that the criteria for disbursement is tied to the government Fiscal Sustainable Plan which NEC and the State Governors had already approved.

ANY OTHER BUSINESS (AOB)

On the farmers and herdsmen crisis, Council constituted a working group to collaborate with the Federal Government in addressing the issues of impunity regarding the killing and violence.  The Committee composed of nine (9) Governors under the Chairmanship of the Vice President will work in accordance with the President’s commitment to ensuring that all perpetrators of violence are brought to book.

The working group consists of Governors of Zamfara, Kaduna, Adamawa, Benue, Taraba, Edo, Plateau, Ebonyi and Oyo States has started its meeting right after today’s NEC.

PRESENTATION ON THE NATIONAL ROAD NETWORK PROJECTS BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF POWER, WORKS AND HOUSING

• The Honourable Minister told the Council that Road Transport accounts for over 90% of fright/passenger services for inland transportation.
• Government is making efforts to keep the national road network in serviceable condition, given its socio-economic importance.
• Emphasis is given to completion of ongoing projects on a prioritized basis.
• Major North-South routes has been identified as carrying the heaviest traffic in the country and therefore require adequate attention to keep them open to traffic at all times to keep the economy running.
• Challenges in the work sector (highway) include:

ü Inadequate funding for (transportation, maintenance and rehabilitation)

ü Misuse of road network

ü Need to increase private sector participation in project delivery and finance.

Government Priorities

• Federal Government has prioritized Road Sector Projects within the MTSS 2017 – 2019 into seven (7) categories to cover road projects along critical economic routes, including:

ü North-South, East-West routes for carriage of goods across the country.

ü Links to Agricultural producing hubs, factories, mining deposits, manufactured goods, ports, refineries, petroleum depots etc to ease movement to other parts of the country.

ü Roads in key agricultural States producing Cash Crops (yam, rice etc)

ü Other on-going constituency projects on the national road network.

ü Internal road network within Federal Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education.

ü  Prioritized major bridges projects (2nd Niger Bridget and Loko Oweto).

ü There are also emergency road projects to remove bottlenecks and ensure free flow traffic that are under procurement.

Alternative Funding for Road Projects

* Federal Government commitment on road/bridges is in the tune of N2.8 trillion presently, this makes it difficult to fund from consolidated government budget, as such government resorts to:

–      Bond Financing for roads and Tax Credit Schemes.

–      Sovereign SUKUK Bond of N100 billion to fund sections of 25 priority roads in the country to N57 billion.

–      PPP arrangement and Tax Credit for organizations to fund highway projects.

–      FEC approved Road Trust Fund (RTF)

–      Tolling and Axie Load control at some selected locations nationwide with modern facilities.