The Artisan Support Scheme is under the Federal Governments’ Survival Fund programme to support Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) nationwide.

Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, in the Office of the Vice President, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Abuja.

He said that the beneficiaries in 11 states and the FCT were in the first stream and had started collecting the N30,000 one-time grant.

“These (states) include Lagos, Ondo, Kaduna, Borno, Kano, Bauchi, Anambra, Abia, Rivers, Plateau and Delta states and the FCT.

“The registration for the second batch of states has already begun; there will also be a third batch.

“All the 36 states and FCT are covered and verified beneficiaries will be paid the one-time grant.

“Another phase has begun on the survival fund scheme where 250,000 businesse names will be registered by the CAC for free.

“The Federal Government is going to pay for the cost of the business registration and the first 250,000 Nigerians will be beneficiaries, it is on a first-come-first-serve basis.”

Akande said that the Federal Government, under its MSME Survival Fund scheme, would be paying three months’ salaries of certain categories of workers.

Akande listed such categories as private school teachers, transport workers and other categories of business owners; so as to help cushion the economic effect of the COVID-19 pandemic shut down.

He added that the Survival Fund Payroll Support would pay the sum of N30,000 or N50,000 grant over three months to 500,000 beneficiaries nationwide.

According to him, a one-time grant of N30,000 will be paid to artisans and N50,000 to some small businesses.

Akande said that in spite of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) would help revamp the nation’s economy, boost local production, sustain and create jobs.

He said that the ESP, which was approved by the President and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in June, was a N2.3 trillion stimulus plan for the economy.

He said the ESP had different components which were sector specific and tailored to provide solutions to sustain jobs and boost the economy.

“The Agro programme (for agriculture) has been making progress so far as we have enumerated more than 4 million farmers who will be benefiting under the agricultural aspect of the ESP.

“The Central Bank on Nigeria will be making lending possible for the bigger partners who will in turn make the equipment, services, yields and fertilizers to smallholder farmers.

“They will also be going to about 5 million and these are essentially small holder farmers, of which they are also targeting the significant increase in cultivation.

“They are also looking at 20,000 acres of land per state, of which all of that is in progress and very soon money will be allocated to fund the project.”

He said that the Federal Government was making progress on the ESP 300,000 social housing scheme, which was designed to build houses across the country for low income earners.

On the ESP solar power initiative, Akande said it would create 250,000 jobs and provide electricity for millions of homes via installation of solar panels in 5 million homes across the country.

He disclosed that the Solar Home systems and mini-grids would be installed in 5 million homes across the country in places where they were not already connected to the National Grid.

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Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, who confirmed this development in a statement in Abuja on Friday, said President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Instrument of Ratification on Friday in Abuja.

”President Muhammadu Buhari, on behalf of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, signed the Instrument of Ratification at Abuja, Friday, Oct. 2, 2020,” he said.

The excerpts from the Instrument with the president’s signature and seal of the Federal Republic of Nigeria read:

”I, MUHAMMADU BUHARI, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, do hereby formally declare that the Federal Republic of Nigeria accepts the aforementioned Amendment of the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and undertakes faithfully to perform and carry out the stipulations therein contained.”

A total of 144 of the 192 signatory countries need to submit their formal acceptance of the Amendment for it to enter into force.

Confirming Nigeria’s endorsement of the climate treaty, Patricia Espinosa, the Executive Secretary, UNFCCC, tweeted:

”An incredible milestone! With 144 parties now signed, the Doha amendment enters into force. This is fantastic news for our process @UNFCCC towards #ClimateAction. Many thanks Nigeria @MBuhari for your ratification!”

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The president’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, made the statement on Tuesday when he fielded questions from State House correspondents in Abuja.

The presidential aide was speaking with reporters on some issues raised by the opposition PDP since the beginning of the interrogation of suspended Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr Ibrahim Magu.

Shehu said the volume and reach of the anti-corruption crusade had so far, reflected what the PDP left behind.

“Corruption became so normalized by the PDP that they had difficulty defining what is corruption and theft,” he stated.

The spokesman lauded Buhari’s determination to end corruption in Nigeria.

“The large number of cases, new and old, may appear to be daunting but PDP, which is now heckling the president has forgotten that the party bequeathed this to the current administration.

”They had large number of cases they did not investigate and prosecute.”

Shehu also warned the PDP to allow the process of investigation and prosecution to work, instead of being preemptive about ongoing cases and unduly agitating the public.

He expressed his optimism that the judiciary would deal with the cases swiftly and satisfactorily in a manner that would deter other would-be offenders.

“The current administration is handling many of the cases that the PDP should have dealt with and the new ones as they arise,” Shehu said.

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The breakdown was released by Mr Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, on Sunday in Abuja.

Th Act has the following objectives.

“Promoting fiscal equity by mitigating instances of regressive taxation.

“Reforming domestic tax laws to align with global best practices.

“Introducing tax incentives for investments in infrastructure and capital markets.

“Supporting Micro, Small and Medium-sized businesses in line with the administration’s Ease of Doing Business Reforms.

“Raising Revenues for Federal, State and Local Governments.”

The fact sheet on the new Act indicates that it was the first legislation created to accompany an Appropriation Act since the return of democracy in 1999.

The new Act raises VAT from five per cent to 7.5 per cent.

To allay fears that low-income persons and companies will be marginalised by the new law, reduce the burden of taxation on vulnerable segments and promote equitable taxation, the Finance Act 2019 has extended the list of goods and services exempted from VAT.

The additional exemptions include the following:

“Basic food items – additives (honey), bread, cereals, cooking oils, culinary herbs, fish, flour and starch, fruits (fresh or dried), live or raw meat and poultry, milk, nuts, pulses, roots, salt, vegetables, water (natural water and table water).

“Locally manufactured sanitary towels, pads or tampons.

“Services rendered by microfinance banks; tuition relating to nursery, primary, secondary and tertiary education.

“Nigeria’s increased new VAT rate of 7.5 pe rcent is still the lowest in Africa, and one of the lowest anywhere in the world — South Africa VAT: 15 per cent; Ghana: 12.5 per cent; Kenya: 16 per cent; Egypt: 14 per cent ; Rwanda: 18 per cent; Senegal: 18 per cent.”

Under Nigeria’s revenue sharing formula, 85 per cent of collected VAT goes to States and Local Governments.

This means that the bulk of additional VAT revenues accruing from the increase will go towards enabling States and Local Governments meet their obligations to citizens, including the new minimum wage as already noted by State Governors.

The Buhari administration had firmly resisted previous suggestions to raise VAT.

The new Finance Act exempts Businesses with turnover below 25 million from VAT payments.

Companies Income Tax (CIT) — under the new law small companies – companies with less than N25 million in annual turnover are charged Zero CIT.

“CIT for Companies with revenues between N25 and N100 million (described in the Act as “medium-sized” companies) has been reduced from 30 per cent to 20 per cent.

“Large companies with annual turnover greater than N100 million will continue to pay the standard 30 per cent CIT.

“The new Act includes a provision that grants to all companies engaged in agricultural production in Nigeria, an initial tax-free period of five years renewable for an additional three years.

“The new Act also provides incentives to promote tax compliance through bonus reductions in CIT for early remittance:

“Two per cent bonus for medium-size companies; one per cent bonus for other companies.”

On Personal Income Tax, the new Act now includes electronic mail as an acceptable form of correspondence for persons disputing assessments by the Tax Authorities.

Contributions to Pension and Retirement Funds, Societies and Schemes are now unconditionally tax-deductible.

Stamp Duty Tax — with the new Act, the N50 Stamp duty charge is now applicable only to transactions amounting to N10,000 and above, a significant increase on the former threshold of N1,000.

The new Act expands the list of items exempted from stamp duty.

The new Act also makes provisions for Customs and Excise Tariff.

It stipulates that to reduce unfair advantages previously conferred on imported goods at the expense of locally manufactured ones, certain imported goods are now subject to excise duties similar to locally manufactured goods.

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Mrs Rhoda Ishaku Illiya, Assistant Director of Information in the ministry, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja while reacting to online reports alleging that Farouq was reprimanded by the presidency.

She stressed that at no time had the Presidency reprimanded the Minister for “excessive use of power and employment of staff beyond the financial capacity of the Ministry”.

“The Minister has at no point employed any support staff, as employment in the Federal Civil Service is guided by laid down rules and procedures and cannot be carried out at the instance of the Minister.

“The staff of the Ministry to date including the Minister’s staff were deployed from other MDA’s with their salaries and emoluments still domiciled in those MDAs.

“The Minister has at no point stopped payment for the Home Grown School Feeding Programme. It is pertinent to state that the Minister has approved payment for the programme up to the 31st of January 2020.

“The Ministry wishes to reassure the general public that all decisions taken by the Minister and Management of the Ministry are guided by extant rules and regulations.

“We appeal to media practitioners to ensure that they are guided by the ethics of their profession and always verify stories before going public with them.

“They should also place public interest above other interests in the discharge of their duties,” she said.

She called on Nigerians not to be distracted by unfounded stories aimed at distracting the Minister and the present administration from addressing poverty, creating wealth and entrenching inclusion in the country.

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The President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, who stated this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday, said: “Nigerians do not need another spate of lawlessness and loss of lives all in the name of ‘revolution’, especially not one that is orchestrated by a man who makes his home in far away New York – and who can easily disappear and leave behind whatever instability he intends to cause, to wit, Nnamdi Kanu.”

The Presidency notes some of the insinuations in the media about the arrest by the Department of State Services (DSS) of the agitator, Omoyele Sowore.

According to the presidential aide, the DSS does not necessarily need the permission of the Presidency in all cases to carry out its essential responsibilities that are laid down in the Nigerian Constitution.

He maintained that Sowore, who called for a revolution to overthrow the democratically elected government of Nigeria,” is a person of interest to the DSS.”

Shehu said: ”He did so on television, and from a privileged position as the owner of a widely read digital newspaper run from the U.S.

“He founded an organisation, Revolution Now, to launch, in their own words, “Days of Rage”, with the publicised purpose of fomenting mass civil unrest and the elected administration’s overthrow.

”No government will allow anybody to openly call for destabilisation in the country and do nothing.

”Mr Sowore is no ordinary citizen expressing his views freely on social media and the internet.

”He was a presidential candidate himself, who ran – and lost – as the flag bearer of the African Action Congress (AAC) in the Feb. 23 general elections.”

He further observed that Nigeria’s democracy was a long time in the making, and was achieved after ”decades of often harsh, military-led overthrows of government: the kind of situation Sowore was advocating.

”To believe in and desire armed revolution is not normal amongst ‘human rights activists’, as Sowore has been incorrectly described.

”Again, it is no surprise that he should be a person of interest to the DSS.” According to Shehu, Nigeria is already dealing with an insurgency that has left millions of people displaced and desperate in the northeastern region of the country.

”The Boko Haram militants, who are behind the violence, also fancy themselves to be fighting for some sort of revolution,” he added.

The presidential aide, therefore, opined that Sowore’s self-imposed predicament is a matter for the DSS, acting under its powers.

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Malam Garba Shehu, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, made the commendation in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said: ”The people of Nigeria want results, and with this list of ministers, we are confident they shall be delivered. Specific portfolios shall be assigned with the inauguration of the cabinet.

”This is a fine, capable and committed group of individuals. Working together, they shall help achieve what we all want and labour toward: a secure, prosperous, corruption-free nation in which nobody is left behind, and talents can flourish.

“The executive approaches this 9th National Assembly with a renewed spirit of openness and enthusiasm.

”Where once we sometimes found impasse, we welcome collaboration; where once suspicion took hold, together, we shall demonstrate mutual trust.”

According to the presidential aide, scrutiny should never mean deadlock but proper governance.

He, therefore, expressed optimism that the 9th National Assembly and the executive arm of government would deliver the dividends of democracy to Nigerians in the shortest possible time.

”And with a new swathe of national legislators and ministers, we are confident the executive and the legislature can – in partnership – unleash the change Nigerians deserve,” he added.

The Senate had on Tuesday confirmed 43 nominees as ministers of the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari had on July 23 released the list of 43 nominees to senate for screening and confirmation as ministers.

Following the submission, the senate had on July 24 began the screening of the nominees to determine their suitability for the position.

The screening which lasted for five days came to an end on July 30.

Many of the nominees were asked to take a bow, while few of them were subjected to questions.

The “take a bow” syndrome that dominated the screening exercise was the tradition of the senate to excuse nominees who have had legislative background.

The senate also hinged the reason for asking female nominees to take a bow on the gender sensitive nature of the senate among other reasons.

Following a voice vote for the confirmation of the individual nominees, the senate at plenary confirmed the 43 nominees.

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The Peoples Democratic Party in a statement on Sunday asked Buhari to explain to Nigerians what his administration had spent the one billion dollars drawn from the ECA in 2017 on, which was meant to address the nation’s security challenges.

However, Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, in a statement in Abuja on Sunday night, said “this unverifiable allegation’’ clearly indicated that the PDP was suffering from socio emotional distress.

Shehu, who pledged to provide more details on the issue on Monday, explained that the N876.9million already spent from the money domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria.

According to him, a balance of 123,111,571.29 dollars has remained unspent at the CBN.

He said: “Here is as much detail as we can provide at this time concerning the USD 1,000 Million from Excess Crude Account which withdrawal was authorised by the National Economic Council.

“The record we have is that the Buhari administration paid 496,374,470 dollars for a dozen Super Tucano fighter aircraft for the Air Force in a direct, government-to-government (no Contractors or Commission Agents) transaction with the government of the U.S. They are due for delivery in 2020.

“Various other military procurements for critical equipment have been made. These are for the Nigerian Army and the Nigerian Navy, amounting to 380,513,958,71 dollars.

“These procurements include money for the purchase of Navy Lynx helicopters. Total amount spent so far: 876,888,428.71 dollars.The equipment paid for have due dates of delivery of between six months to two years.

“Balance of the money that is unspent as at today is 123,111,571.29 dollars.”

He said that the entire expenditure involved in these exercises was on the basis of government-to-government procurement.

“In cases where the Nigerian government dealt with equipment manufacturers, their home governments have in all cases given guarantees to the federal government.

“Again, it is important to stress that no contractors or commission agents have been involved in the procurements under discussion.

“All 1,000 million dollars was domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria and to date, not a single Dollar of it has been transferred to the Ministry of Defence or any other ministry, agency of government, individuals or political party office as was the norm under the PDP administration.

“We note that the PDP made so much of a report claiming that the National Security Adviser, NSA had declared the entire amount of 1,000 million dollars as missing.

“The NSA will not have said this. I’am sure he has the correct story to tell. Without approval of end-user certification as issued by his office, no arms can lawfully enter Nigeria.

“In these days of fake news, citizens including political parties pretending to the role opposition parties must be careful about the reports they work with,’’ he said.

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