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Tag: 2019 Budget

  • 2019 Budget: Communications Minister inaugurates ICT working team

    The Minister of Communications, Mr Adebayo Shittu on Thursday in Abuja, inaugurated the ICT Sector Working Team (SWT) to consider important aspect of the 2019 budget.

    The team comprises of the Minister of Communication, who will serve as chairman, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Mrs Nkechi Ejele as Deputy Chairman.

    Other members of the team are Heads of Major Departments of the Ministry, Heads of Agencies under the ministry and other identified parties.

    Mr John Emeawa, Director, Planning Research and Statistics, Ministry of Communications is to serve as Secretary of the team.

    Speaking at the ceremony, Shittu said the inauguration was part of government strategy to ensure fiscal efficiency, adding that the medium term strategy has been made an integral part of the annual budget process.

    According to him, toward preparation of the 2019 budget, the Federal Ministry of Budget and the National Planning Commission has requested for the constitution of the SWT, which will oversee the preparation of the 2019 ICT sector medium term strategy.

    Shittu listed the terms of reference for the team to include authoring the 2019-2021 MTSS- Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), identifying and collating projects, undertaking project priorisation to fit 2019-2020 MTSS ERGP.

    “Updating the projects’ costing and obtaining the sector’s budget ceiling from Budget Office of the Federation.

    “ Other assignments include ensuring capital projects fit into Budget Ceiling and phase projects implementation over 3 years (2019-2021) and obtain a sign-off of the permanent secretary and the minister.

    He said timeliness and milestones have been prescribed for the team to work assiduously with.

    “ I am already aware that some of our officers participated actively in the budget training conducted by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning.

    “ I am also glad that a consultant from the ministry of budget and national planning has been working with officers to help collate inputs to the budget proposal for 2019.

    “ Going forward, the work of our officers will be subjected to scrutiny and validation by the SWT, which will prepare a report on same for signature.”

    The minister also urged the SWT to take the assignment seriously to provide a budget that will support realization of government agenda for ICT sector.

     

  • Airports perimeter fencing to be captured in 2019 budget – FAAN

    The Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) says it is making plans to erect perimeter fencing at airports across the country to improve safety and security of aircraft and passengers.

    The general manager, Corporate Affairs, FAAN, Henrietta Yakubu, disclosed this to journalists in Lagos on Tuesday.

    Yakubu said the managing director of FAAN, Saleh Dunoma, had assured that funds to embark on the construction of the perimeter fences would be captured in the 2019 budget.

    She said:”The incidence of runway incursion is a threat to safety, which remains a great concern to FAAN.

    “The incident at Akure airport where cows entered the runway is being addressed. The animals gained access to the restricted area through a gap on the perimeter fence.’’

    According to her, engineers from FAAN are already at the Akure airport to fix the collapsed section of the fence.

    She also disclosed that as part of measures to further strengthen the security of the airports across the country, FAAN had stopped the renewal of On Duty Cards (ODCs) for former workers of airlines and FAAN.

    According to her, this is to ensure strict personnel monitoring and make sure that only people designated to be in restricted areas are able to gain access to such areas.

    Yakubu explained that all security measures had been reviewed, while 10 vehicles were recently added to the ones on the ground to enhance runway patrol.