The Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, Tuesday asked the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed to explain how the ministry expended N19 million on international travel during the COVID-19 lockdown.

This was even as the Chairman of the Committee, Senator Danladi Sankara (Jigawa North-West), called on the Federal Government to increase the annual budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Information and Culture in view of its numerous critical schedules.

Senator representing Imo East, Ezennwa Onyewuchi, had during the ministry’s budget defence raised questions on how N19 million was expended from the N43 million meant for international travels whereas the period coincided with the COVID-19 lockdown.

“Let me take you on this 2020 overhead. You have here on local travels and transport appropriated is N30 million you expended N23 million on local transport you received N96million as appropriated as released and you expended N90 million.https://galleria.com.ng/pushgalleriaads?q=201&i=59&ho=dailyasset.ng

“On International travels and transport you had N43 million and you expended N19million.

“So, I am wondering this period of lockdown where nobody was able to go to any country during the 2020 appropriation, how were you able to embark on international travels and you expended N19 million.

“So we need to look at that critically and you should also tell us here in parliament how you were able to do that.

“Most part of the year we had travel restrictions. I am sure you will remember you did a lot of enlightenment programmes on this and I am sure you will remember that most of us were prevented from moving into other states.

“So I don’t know how you also had the luxury of spending the entire amount that was appropriated on those travels so those are the information we need to get from your expenditure,” Onyewuchi queried.

The Minister in his response said the international travels were undertaken before the COVID-19 lockdown.

“You will notice that N43 million was budgeted but less than 40 per cent was spent precisely because of the COVID-19 and before then remember that we had travelled to attend several international summits starting UNWTO conference, UNESCO in Spain and in the UK. We also did advocacy in the UK at the same time. These were all before the lockdown.

“I think our last trip was actually in Addis Ababa when we accompanied the President to the AU summit and that was about March 2020 before the lockdown.

The lockdown came at the end of March. So whatever we spent here was before the lockdown.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the Committee, Sankara, called for more budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Information and Culture.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s several initiatives targeted at jobs for the youths and alleviating poverty among women and vulnerable groups remain the best in the history of the country.The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated this in Kaduna at a meeting of the Northern Governors Forum with traditional rulers on the aftermath of the #EndSARS protest.The meeting hosted by  Gov. Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna was attended by a federal government delegation led by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari.Other members of the delegation were the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu.The Senate President, Sen. Ahmad Lawan, and  some members of the National Assembly from the region were also in attendance.In a presentation to the meeting, the minister who is a member of the federal government delegation said the Buhari government has remained committed to creating jobs for the teeming youths and alleviating poverty.“”No government in the history of this country has ever methodically and seriously put in place measures aimed at addressing poverty alleviation and creating jobs for youths like this Administration,” he said.Buttressing his position, the minister identified the N75 billion National Youth Investment Fund (NYIF) initiated by the government  aimed at providing opportunities for the youths.He said the Fund is part of the N2.3 trillion Economic Sustainability Plan to cushion the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on most vulnerable Micro Small Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) across the country.The minister said the Fund, approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on July 22, 2020, targets young people between ages 18-35 years and is expected to last for a period of three years (2020-2023).NAN recalled that President Buhari recently said that no fewer than one million Nigerians have applied for the N75 billion NYIF since the portal opened on October 12, 2020.The minister also listed MSMEs Survival Fund as part of the administration’s initiative at jobs sustainability.He said the Fund is a cluster of grants to support MSMEs to meet their payroll obligations and safeguard MSMEs jobs from the shock of COVID-19 pandemic.Highlights of the MSME Survival Fund, according to the minister included Payroll Support for businesses in health, education, hospitality and food production sectors targeted at 500,000 beneficiaries.One-Off payment to support self-employed individuals like mechanics and drivers, hair dressers, Keke Napep and Okada riders, plumbers, electricians with a one-time payment of N30,000 for 333,000 beneficiaries.Formalisation Support where federal government will register 250,000 new businesses with the Corporate Affairs Commission at no cost to MSMEs.General MSMEs grants which will provide N50,000 to an additional 100,000 MSMEs.Guaranteed Offtake Stimulus Scheme which aimed to stimulate direct local production in the 36 states and the FCT.Products from MSMEs involved will enjoy off-taker guarantees from the federal government.Mohammed said other initiatives targeted at the youths included N-POWER which had engaged 500,000 beneficiaries with 400,000 more in December.He said 10,000 youths had been trained and benefitted under N-TECH and N-AGRO respectively.The minister said the federal government FINTECH created enabling environment for growth of businesses that use technology to enhance or automate financial services and processes.He said over two million farmers, traders, mostly youths were empowered under FARMERMONI, TRADERMONI and MARKETMONI.Digital Youth Nigeria was also initiated to implement skill acquisition programmes for poverty alleviation and employment generation.Mohammed said over 100,000 youths across the country benefitted from Mobile Service Repair Training with financial and technical assistance.Over 500,000 youths have also benefited from the Graduate Internship Scheme which provides short-term employment graduates.1000 farmers from each of the 774 LGAs in the country were empowered and guided under the Youth Entrepreneurship Support programme.He said Entrepreneurship Training Programme ensures MSMEs are equipped with skills and access to credit while Digital Youth Nigeria focusses on positioning youth for revenue jobs opportunities tapping into the global tech market.The minister said the federal government made provision for 300,000 homes to be built by young Architects and Engineers as well as provision of 5 million Solar Home System to be installed by youth owned businesses.Mohammed reiterated that the federal government was promptly responsive to the demands of the #EndSARS protesters in meeting their five-point demands.He said the failure of the organisers to embrace dialogue led to the hijack of the protest by hoodlums leading to destruction looting and burning of public and private propertyNAN reports that some of the traditional rulers that attended the meeting are the Sultan of Sokoto, and the Emirs of Kano, Zauzau, and Bauchi.The Emirs of Ilorin and Gwandu, Tor Tiv, the Shehu of Borno, the Etsu Nupe and the Ona of Abaji in the FCT were also attended the meeting. (NAN)

Abayomi Omomuwansa, managing director of the Lekki Concession Company, operator of the Lekki toll gate, has said security cameras mounted by the company stopped recording, therefore did not capture soldiers’ shooting of #EndSARS protesters on Tuesday, October 20.

He stated this on Tuesday when he tendered the video footages of the incident to the Lagos State Panel of Inquiry and Restitution looking into allegations of brutality and killings by men of the SARS as well as soldiers’ shooting at the Lekki tollgate which according to witnesses cost 15 protesters their lives and left scores injured.

According to Omomuwansa, the cameras stopped working from 8pm on the night of the shooting, adding it was tampered with. Multiple reports show the shooting started around 7pm.

“I can confirm that inside here is the video footage that our surveillance camera was able to record for the 20th of October,” he said.

Omomuwansa said the surveillance cameras are called PTZ; wherein P enables the camera pan; T enables the camera tilt, and Z allows the camera to zoom.

“I can confirm categorically that we never ever tampered with that surveillance cameras. That’s why we can still get the footage. Until 8 o’clock when it was tampered with and we couldn’t get any footage anymore,” he said.

The judicial panel had visited the tollgate where the LCC assured it that the recording from its closed-circuit television system (CCTV) on the night of the incident was intact.

The company had also said the power outage on the night of the shooting was because its staff were withdrawn from office locations; hence they could not switch on backup generators when power was interrupted.

Hoodlums wearing army uniform behind Lekki shooting – Attorney General Abubakar Malami

Meanwhile, Abubakar Malami, attorney-general of the federation (AGF), has said it is likely that hoodlums wearing military fatigues — and not soldiers — shot #EndSARS protesters at the Lekki tollgate in Lagos state.

About three weeks ago, thousands of youths nationwide trooped out alongside celebrities like Runtown, Falz, Davido, Phyno, amongst others, to demand an end to police ruthlessness, extortion and killings. The demonstration was largely peaceful until protesters began to be attacked by hired thugs. 

The protests involved calling for the disbandment of the brutal SARS unit.

The police unit was disbanded but the protests persisted as citizens demanded reforms in the force.

Protesters converged on the tollgate for 13 days before they were forcefully dispersed by soldiers who fired live rounds at them.

Speaking with journalists on Monday in Abuja, the AGF said investigation is underway to ascertain what truly happened at the Lekki tollgate.

Malami said it was “pre-emptive” to conclude that there had even been shootings, adding that “hoodlums” may have been hired to create a scene.

“You cannot rule out the possibility of perhaps hoodlums that set in to create a scene… could equally partake in the process,” the AGF said.

The Lekki tollgate incident had sparked off outrage across the country.

Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos state governor, blamed the incident on “forces beyond my direct control”.

But the Osoba Olaniyi, acting director, army public relations, said the Lagos government invited the army to restore order.

However, he denied that soldiers shot protesters, describing reports on the attack by the military as fake.

The army also said it will not disclose the identity of its men who were sent to Lekki tollgate on October 20.

The judicial panel set up by the Lagos state government to probe alleged brutality by the disbanded SARS has already commenced sitting.

The panel visited the Lekki tollgate last Friday.

After about five months, Justice Isa Ayo Salami Judicial Commission of Inquiry is set to wind up investigation into the activities of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

It was learnt that the panel plans to conclude its assignment this week. Its report will then be sent to President Muhammadu Buhari.

It was gathered that one of the recommendations of the panel is that the Head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) should no longer be picked from the police.

It favours appointment of the EFCC chairman from other security agencies.

All the chairman of the agency from inception till date are policemen.

But the proposed recommendation is already generating replies from among stakeholders. The police is represented in the Salami panel by deputy inspector general.

The panel will also recommend that policemen should no longer be operatives of the EFCC.

At present, there are no fewer than 850 policemen deployed in the anti-graft agency.

If the plan to remove the police from the EFCC is approved, it will foreclose the recall of Acting EFCC Chairman Ibrahim Magu.

A source close to the panel said: “We are rounding off this week or as soon as the report can be taken from us.”

A source said: “The advisory to put EFCC’s woes on the police is unfair. In the last 17 years, EFCC recorded landmark achievements under the leadership of senior retired and serving police officers. All the past and present chairmen have won international awards. Police officers and men are not liabilities to EFCC.

“These same police detectives gave on-the-job training to the cadets. The essence of bringing police officers is to put cadets through on investigation. There are still investigative manpower gaps to be filled in EFCC.

“The EFCC as it is now does not have enforcement unit. Policemen were seconded to the anti-graft agency to give back up during operations and when enforcement is required.

“After being used to deal with Magu, the police are now to be sacrificed on baseless allegation. But the Act is clear that a police officer can be chairman of EFCC. We don’t know whether they are planning to amend the EFCC Act.”

The source added: “I think the desperation to get Magu out of the EFCC has made some people to decide to throw away the baby with the bath water. The President should reject any recommendation to ease out policemen from the EFCC.”

Culled from Thenation