Economy

FG may merge NIWA with NPA, stop funding recurrent expenditure of MAN, ORON in a public service reform

—–as FG ready to implement Orosanye report

The Eyewitness reporter

In a major civil service restructuring exercise that is expected to be implemented in 2023, the federal government may merge the functions and duties of the National Inland Waterways Authority (NIWA) with the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

Similarly, the government will stop funding the recurrent expenditures of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria (MAN), ORON, but still retains the funding for capital projects of the school.

The reform is part of the recommendations of the Orosanye report on the merger and scrapping of some federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies of government (MDAs).

In 2011, Stephen Oronsaye submitted a report to downsize the federal service commission and eliminate the duplication of duties by the 541 Fed Govt parastatals, commissions, Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

According to the report, Nigeria stands to save over N300bn if Federal Government should implement the white of Orosanye report which recommended the scrapping or merger of 400 out of the 541 MDAs next year.

Our reporter gathered from the report that the functions and duties of NIWA would be subsumed under the NPA to cost costs.

The committee said that there is a duplication of some of the duties and functions of the two agencies which should be undertaken by the NPA.

It could be recalled that the core duties of NIWA include overseeing the waterways transportation and dredging some of the channels of the waterways for safe navigation of water crafts, which overlap with the functions of the NPA.

On the activities of MAN, ORON, the committee suggested that the government should stop funding the recurrent expenditures of the school like staff salaries which the report suggested could be funded by the school through the fees and other levies placed on students.

The government will, however, continue to fund the significant capital projects in the school for enhanced efficiency.

Before becoming the Head of the Civil Service, Orosanye had a rich stint in the private sector and brought his experience of judiciously managing resources to bear on the Civil Service.

Members of the committee included: Japh CT Nwosu; Rabiu D. Abubakar, Salman Mann; Hamza A. Tahir; Adetunji Adesunkanmi; and Umar Mohammed.

Recommendations were made for 263 of the statutory agencies to collapse into 161, a merger of 52 agencies, and the outright expungement of 38 redundant agencies while returning 14 as sub-units In ministries.

And in 2014, a white paper was issued by Fed Govt to act upon the report.

From all indications, the Buhari government is poised to implement the white paper issued in 2014 on the report.

The following statutory and non-statutory agencies are up for merger or out-and-out expulsion.

Their previous budgetary allocations gleaned from open-source materials suggests what could be saved when the NASS completes the repealing of some of the agencies.

The CBN, NNPC and many other agencies won’t be getting budgetary allocations in 2023.

Merge the Nigerian Communications Commission, National Broadcasting Commission, and Nigerian Postal Service into one single commission called the Communications Regulatory Authority of Nigeria.

The National Examinations Council (NECO) goes under the roof of the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

A merger of The Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Voice of Nigeria and the Nigerian Television Authority to form the Federal Broadcasting Corporation of Nigeria.

Scrap the Federal Road Safety Corps while putting the agency under the Highways Department of the Federal Ministry of Works, and their staffers should be sent to the Police Service Commission and Vehicle Inspection Office.

Economic and Financial Crimes Commission( EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission( ICPC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau become a single entity.

The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria became privatised.

National Inland Waterways goes under the roof of the Nigerian Ports Authority. The report says to abolish the National Rural Electrification Agency.

Pull the plug on 23 research institutes and fund them through the National Research and Development Fund and research grants.

The National Directorate of Employment and the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria merge to become the National Agency for Job Creation and Empowerment.
Privatise Nigerian Communication Satellite.

Hajj and Christian Pilgrims Commissions funding from Govt should discontinue. Merge Administrative Staff College of Nigeria and the Public Service Institute of Nigeria.

Repeal the law establishing the National Salaries and Wages Commission and transfer its functions to the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Responsibility Commission.

The Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission goes under the Bureau of Public Enterprise.

The Border Communities Development Agency is to be absorbed by the National Boundary Commission.

Cut recurrent expenditure funding of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies while maintaining the capital expenditure.

Merge the National Emergency Management Agency and the National Commission for Refugees.
The Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research is to be funded by a proposed National Research Development Fund.

The National Agency for the Control of AIDS goes under the roof of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

Privatise The Nigerian Communication Satellite.
National Board for Technical Education and the National Commission for Colleges of Education to morph into the Tertiary Education Commission.

Quit approving concurrent expenditure for the National Open University of Nigeria.

The Nomadic Education Commission and Mass Literacy Council go under the wing of the Universal Basic Education Commission.

The Federal Ministry of Environment and the Department of Petroleum Resources take over the National Oil Spill Detection and Response Agency.

The Ministry of Environment assumes the functions of the National Environmental Standards and Regulations Enforcement Agency.

Scrap the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution and transfer its functions to the Department of Strategic Studies at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs.
Cut the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa.

Federal Ministry of Trade and Investment to take over the functions of the Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) after repealing the law establishing NCC.

Scrap the National Productivity Centre.

Abolish the National Steel Raw Materials Exploration Agency and transfer its functions to the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency.

Scrap National Metallurgical Development Centre, Jos, and Metallurgical Training Institute, Onitsha.

Merge the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency and the Petroleum Equalisation Fund.

The Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board to accommodate the Petroleum Technology Development Fund.

Scrap the Federal Ministry of Police Affairs and saddle its functions with the Ministry of Special Duties.
Merger the National Council of Arts and Culture with the National Troupe of Nigeria and the National Theatre.

Scrap The National Power Training Institute of Nigeria.

Discard The National Centre for Technology Management.

A proposed National Commission for Museums to be formed from the merger between the National Commission for Museums and Monuments with the National Gallery of Arts.

Abolish The Nigeria Institute for Hospitality and Tourism Development Studies, and its functions were taken over by the Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation.

Shut Down all 774 field offices of the National Orientation Agency and give the duties to the Public Communications Department in the Ministry of Information and Culture.
Close down the duplicating National Institute for Cultural Orientation.

Nigerian Import-Export Promotion Commission would be formed after merging the Nigerian Export Promotion Council and the Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission.

Discard the National Centre for Automotive Design and Development Council.

Do away with the Oil and Gas Free Zones Authority while transferring its functions to the Nigerian Export Processing Zone Authority.

Stop funding the recurrent expenditure of the Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Oron but maintain the capital expenditure.

Stop funding Nigeria Football Federation as advised by FIFA.

Abolish Federal Character Commission and Fiscal Responsibility Commission.

However, the Federal Government is not prepared to sack workers, even though the President would decide what to reject and adopt out of the list.

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Economy

Court reverses self over contempt charge against Fidelity Bank chief

Managing Director of Fidelity Bank,Nneka Chinwe Onyeali-Ikpe

The Eyewitness reporter

A Chief Magistrate Court sitting in Ikeja, Lagos has vacated its ruling that convicted and sentenced the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank,Nneka Chinwe Onyeali-Ikpe and Company Secretary of Fidelity Bank, Mrs. Unuigboje Ezinwa to six weeks in prison or a fine of Four Hundred Thousand Naira respectively for contempt.

The Chief Magistrate, Mr. Lateef Owolabi vacated the order in a Suit No: MIK/4726/22 between Justin Ahmed, (judgement creditor), Prince Enabulele Osazee, (judgement debtor) and Fidelity Bank Plc, (1st Garnishee/Applicant).

The court, in an earlier ruling delivered on February 6, 2023, held that the Managing Director of Fidelity Bank, Nneka Chinwe Onyeali-Ikpe and the Company Secretary, Mrs. Unuigboje Ezinwa should be committed to six weeks’ imprisonment over alleged disobedience of a garnishee order of the court restraining the bank from allowing a judgement debtor access to his account.

However, at the resumed proceedings on the matter on Feb 15, 2023, the court vacated the committal order on the premise of facts presented before the court that the alleged acts of contempt were not deliberate but arose out of a communication gap between the said parties and the erstwhile counsel.

The court in its ruling also stated that the error or sin of the counsel should not be visited on a party or litigants. The court also noted that the monies that were the subject matter and fulcrum of the contempt proceedings have since been paid to the judgment creditor.

“From the materials presented before this court by the applicant, this application falls within the classic rule where the error or sin of the counsel should not be visited on a party or litigants. Moreover, the applicant has averred that the monies subject matter, the fulcrum of the contempt proceedings had since been paid to the judgment creditor.

”Having fully discharged this payment to the satisfaction of the judgment creditor, this court should not be seen to cry more than the bereaved”, Mr Lateef Owolabi held.

”The solicitor to the bank explained that Fidelity Bank, being a law-abiding institution that will never or under any circumstance, directly or indirectly denigrate the integrity of the nation’s judiciary, had upon receipt of the garnishee order nisi on December 22, 2022, conducted a search immediately, and the result showed several accounts bearing similar names to the Judgment Debtor’s (Prince Enabulele Osazee).”

”To prevent the bank from erroneously restricting the wrong account, the bank filed an affidavit requesting additional account details to enable it to ascertain the correct account(s) to restrict.”

He further stated that, on January 16, 2023, the bank received the Judgment Creditor’s affidavit showing the account number of the Judgment Debtor. Armed with the correct account number, the bank immediately identified and placed a lien on the Judgment Debtor’s account. Unfortunately, during the intervening period, the judgement debtor had carried on depositing and withdrawing from his account.

In vacating the order on February 15, 2023, the Chief Magistrate held that based on the materials before the court, the applicant has been able to tether the law to the facts to warrant the grant of the relief sought on their own strength and not based on lack of opposition.

Economy

Supreme court restrains FG from enforcing naira swap deadline

The Eyewitness reporter

There was a temporary relief for Nigerians over the scarcity of naira notes as the Supreme Court has issued an order of interim injunction restraining the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) from enforcing the February 10 deadline for the phasing out of the old naira notes.

A five-member panel of the court, led by Justice John Okoro said that it was a matter of urgent national importance that the court intervenes and grant the order.

The ruling was on an ex-parte motion filed by the governments of Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states

The order, according to Justice Okoro, who read the lead ruling, is to subsist pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice filed by the state for interlocutory injunctions.

The court adjourned till February 15 for the hearing of the motion on notice and the preliminary objection filed by the defendant – the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF), challenging the court’s jurisdiction over the case.

Economy

CBN succumbs to pressure, extends use of old naira notes to February 10

The Eyewitness reporter

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has finally caved in to Public outcry over the February 1st deadline for the use of old naira notes when on Sunday, the apex bank announced February 10 as the new date.

Announcing the new deadline in a statement, Governor Central Bank Of Nigeria(CBN), Godwin Emefiele, said the decision to add extra 10 days was “to allow for the collection of more old notes”

Up till Saturday, CBN had insisted on the 31st January deadline for the validity of the old N200, N500 and N1,000 despite overwhelming complaints that the notes are either not available or in short supply in the banks or their Automated Teller Machines.

Last October, Emefiele announced the Naira redesign policy which entails the issuance of new notes to replace the existing N200, N500 and N1,000 series.