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Tag: MDAs

  • FG approves revision of new procurement thresholds for MDAs

    FG approves revision of new procurement thresholds for MDAs

    The Federal Government has approved the revision of the subsisting Prior Review and Monetary Thresholds for service-wide application for procurement of goods, works and services.

    The approval is a sequel to government’s deliberate bid to ensure sustained and realistic procurement outcomes in the face of current economic realities and to enhance budget implementation and ease of doing business.

    The approval is contained in a circular directed to relevant officials and offices, dated May 27, and signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation [SGF], Sen. George Akume.

    Akume said the current approved procurement thresholds supersedes any extant operational threshold except the special thresholds approved for expenditures related to the NNPC Ltd. which is in US Dollars and is self-adjusting to reflect the prevailing Naira equivalent values.

    He said the revised thresholds would apply to the Three Arms of Government, the Executive, the Legislature and the Judiciary and their respective tenders boards.

    The SGF said that revising the procurement method threshold aims to ensure sustainable and realistic procurement outcomes given current economic realities, while also enhancing budget implementation and facilitating ease of doing business.

    He said the Bureau of Public Procurement (BPP) has been directed to enforce the use of Open Competitive Bidding as the default method of procurement.

    “Therefore, MDAs should note that the use of Restricted Tendering, Direct Procurement, Direct Labour and Emergency Procurement Methods shall be limited to projects that meet the statutory requirements stipulated in the PPA, 2007.

    “Additional guidelines shall subsequently be issued by the BPP on the appropriate use of these methods.”

    Akume said the BPP would focus on prior and post reviews, procurement audits, surveillance and monitoring to guard against abuse of procurement processes and to enforce appropriate sanctions where necessary in line with the provisions of the PPA 2007.

    The SGF said the Audit Report would be forwarded to the National Assembly bi-annually in line with Section 5(p) of the PPA, 2007.

    “Further to the above, the bureau shall henceforth conduct quality assurance of all procurement proceedings approved by the Ministerial Tenders Boards (MTB) that do not require a Certificate of “No Objection”.

    “Therefore, MTB approvals for procurements that fall below N1 billion for Goods and Services and N5 billion for Works should be forwarded to the BPP for review as a prerequisite to contract award.

    “These should be accompanied with evaluation reports, minutes of MTB meetings and draft contract agreements.

    Akume said that given the foregoing, Ministries/Extra-Ministerial Bodies, Parastatals, Agencies and Government-owned companies were to ensure strict adherence to procurement processing timelines as stipulated.

    “To this end, MDAs are required to furnish the bureau with quarterly procurement progress reports to enable the bureau track the progress of their procurement activities and ensure that procurements are implemented within the stipulated timelines.

    He said procuring entities were further directed to issue notification of award to successful bidders and immediately debrief unsuccessful bidders.

    “Additionally, in accordance with the provisions of the PPA, 2007, procuring entities must publish the details of all contract awards on their website and the website of the bureau monthly.”

    The SGF said MDAs were to ensure projects that fall within the National Competitive Bidding Threshold and below, such procurements shall comply with the Government’s “Nigeria First” policy.

    “In other words, MDAs shall give preference to goods made in Nigeria and the use of local companies in the delivery of works and services.

    “These goods, works and services must, however, conform to international standards and be certified by relevant government agencies charged with the statutory responsibilities to supervise those sectors.”

    He said the government would no longer allow non-performing and dishonest contractors to participate in public procurement processes.

    “Consequently, the BPP will debar any supplier, contractor or service provider that fails to deliver a contract satisfactorily; deliberately abandons a contract, or obtains a contract through corrupt, fraudulent, collusive, coercive/obstructive practice.”

    Akume said accounting officers would be responsible for the direct supervision of all procurement processes, while the political heads of ministries have the statutory duty to confirm approvals by the respective tenders boards.

    He said the federal government was reiterating the need for timely completion of procurement activities for the Financial Year 2024 and early commencement of procurement activities for the Financial Year 2025, as conveyed in previous Circulars.

    “These activities should now take into consideration the newly revised thresholds.”

  • Recruitment: Senate to tackle MDAs not complying with federal character

    Recruitment: Senate to tackle MDAs not complying with federal character

    Senate on Wednesday, promised to expose violators of federal character system of recruiting into Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

    Sen. Allwell Onyesoh (PDP- Rivers) said this at an investigative hearing on Violation of the Federal Character System on recruitment across the various MDAs.

    Onyesoh urged the MDAs not to hide any documents needed for the investigation .

    “As enshrined in Section 14(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the Federal Character Principle is fundamental to our national cohesion.

    “It mandates that governance must reflect the diversity of our federation to prevent domination by any one group or region.

    “Sadly, systemic abuse and ineffective enforcement have made this principle more honoured in the breach than in observance,” the senator said.

    Onyesoh said that persistent and non-compliance by many MDAs on   recruitment and infrastructure allocation had fueled marginalisation and deepened discontent.

    “The Federal Character Commission, despite its legal powers, has tried  with enforcement.

    “This development calls for urgent reforms, possibly including a Federal Character Compliance Tribunal to ensure that violations are meaningfully addressed.

    “This committee will pursue the federal  character mandate through rigorous investigative hearings, interactive sessions, and, where necessary, on-the-spot assessments,” the senator said

    The senator  stressed  that the approach was not punitive, but corrective.

    “We aim to foster accountability, reinforce equity, and restore trust in our national institutions.

    “We call on all stakeholders, MDAs, civil society, and the public to support this process

    “Full cooperation is expected and the committee will not hesitate to invoke its constitutional powers under Sections 88 and 89 where necessary,” the senator said .

    He said President Bola Tinubu was in support of the planned investigation , warning that ” those aiming to hide behind or under the presidency would be disappointed as time to account for their misdeeds has come ” .

    The Vice Chairman of the Committee, Sen.Simon Lalong (APC -Plateau), in his remarks, said the committee was all out to stop the violation in the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians .

    According to him, the first set of agencies that will face the committee for the investigation from Monday are the Federal Character Commission , Federal Civil Service , Nigerian Ports Authority , National Pension Commission , Independent National Electoral Commission ( INEC) among others.

    NAN reports that the Federal Character principle in Nigeria is enshrined in Section 14(3) and 14(4) of the 1999 Constitution.

    It mandates that the composition of the government and its agencies, at both the federal and state levels, must reflect the diversity of the country and ensure no single ethnic group or state dominates.

    The principle aims to promote national unity, loyalty, and a sense of belonging for all citizens which however, been grossly violated by public officers at both the federal and State levels over the years.

    Senate had also in plenary on Tuesday after exhaustive debate on motion sponsored by its minority whip, Sen.Osita Ngwu (PDP -Enugu ) , mandated its Committee on Federal Character to investigate violation of the principle across the various MDAs.

  • Auditor-General’s Report: Lagos Assembly probes indicted MDAs

    Auditor-General’s Report: Lagos Assembly probes indicted MDAs

    Lagos State House of Assembly on Monday began probing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) indicted in the 2023 Auditor-General’s Report.

    The Chairman, House Committee on Public Account (State), Mr Kehinde Joseph, made this known when the committee received the first set of government officials summoned to respond to queries raised in the report.

    NAN reports that the exercise is tagged: “Consideration of Y2023 Auditor-General’s Report of the Lagos State Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies”.

    Joseph said that the three-day exercise would cover from Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023, and would review economic activities of all the state’s MDAs.

    The chairman said that heads of indicted MDAs would be requested to clarify issues raised in the report to enhance service delivery.

    According to him, the annual probe  is important.

    Joseph said that the assembly was committed to ensuring transparency, accountability and probity in the management of public funds and other resources.

    He said that the Public Account Committee was  empowered by the 1999 Constitution to review, monitor and supervise  government agencies, programmes and activities.

    “Furthermore, Section 125, subsection 2 and Section 129, subsection 1c of the 1999 Constitution grants the committee the authority to summon any person in Nigeria to give evidence and produce documents.”

    He also said that the Constitution empowered the committee to examine such a person.

    “Therefore, this committee is committed to ensuring transparency, accountability and probity in the management of public funds and resources.

    “It is to ascertain completion, accuracy and reliability of financial transactions, confirm compliance with financial regulations, legislations and accounting standards.

    “The committee will also review the financial performance, the position of each sector, confirm revenue and budget performances of all MDAs,” he said.

    Joseph said the committee would examine capital expenditure budgets and reconciliation of financial records with the oracle system, and assess project management and control system of MDAs in the state.

    He added that the committee would  focus on fixed asset register aimed at ensuring accurate recording and valuation of assets to prevent mismanagement and loss.

    The chairman said that the committee
    would also check  abandoned projects, identifying and resolving stored projects to maximise public investment.

    He said that the essence of the probe was also to investigate and address projects that had been ongoing for an extended period.

    Joseph urged the MDAs to remember that public expectations on them were  high as they had been recognised as a model for probity and accountability in governance by other states.

    He gave the assurance that findings from the probe and recommendations would be compiled and forwarded to the House of Assembly for deliberations.

    The proble is conducted annually by the  committee.

  • FG bans plastic bottles, Styrofoam packs across Ministries

    FG bans plastic bottles, Styrofoam packs across Ministries

    The Federal Government has banned the use of single-use plastics across all Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

    Single-use plastic, otherwise known as disposable plastic, is any plastic item that is used once, and then thrown in the trash.

    Examples of such items are Plastic bread bag tags, Plastic bottles, Styrofoam takeaway containers, Straws, among others.

    Addressing State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC), on Tuesday, Minister of State for Environment, Iziaq Adekunle Salako, said the single-use plastic ban aligns with the government’s broader plastic waste management strategy.

    He said, “This initiative demonstrates our commitment to addressing the triple threat of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution”.

    The minister highlighted the severity of plastic pollution in Nigeria, describing it as “a major issue in our country”.

     

  • Federal Govt recovers N57bn from 10 MDAs

    Federal Govt recovers N57bn from 10 MDAs

    Aisha Omar the Director, Special Projects, Federal Ministry of Finance,  has said the ministry has recovered N57 billion from the N5.2 trillion owed by Ministries, Departments and Agencies, MDAs.

    Omar made this revelation during the Sensitisation Workshop on Federal Government Debt Recovery Drive through Project Lighthouse Programme for South-East zone, on Tuesday in Enugu.

    She added that the debts came to the spotlight from data aggregated from over 5,000+ debtors across more than 93 MDAs.

    Omar represented by the Deputy Director special projects, Ministry of Finance, Abuja, Bridget Molokwu, said the debts were in the form of liabilities to the Federal Inland Revenue Service, FIRS.

    The director said that it also received refunds to the government by companies who failed to deliver on projects for which payment had been made.

    Others are unpaid credit facilities granted to both corporate entities and individuals by the Bank of Industry (BOI) and Bank of Agriculture, BOA), Judgment Debt in favor of Government, debts owed Pension Transitional Arrangement Directorate (PTAD) by insurance companies amongst others.

    She added that data from Project Lighthouse revealed that many companies and individuals, who owed government agencies and refused to honor their obligations were still being paid.

    This, she said, was done through the government platforms such as GIFMIS and Treasury Single Account, TSA, due to lack of visibility over these transactions.

    According to her, in actualising debt recovery goal, the Federal Ministry of Finance initiated “Project Lighthouse”, which has enabled the aggregation of relevant economic and financial information from multiple agencies who hitherto did not share data.

    “Generally, revenue loopholes have been aided by poor information sharing and enforcement.

    “It may interest you to note that the Ministry through the consolidation efforts of the Debt Analytics and Reporting Application, has been able to aggregate monumental debts of approximately N5.2 trillion.

    “The debt aggregation effort is still ongoing. Currently, approximately, N57 billion has been recovered so far from this amount due to concerted efforts on the part of stakeholders and the Federal Government,” she said.

  • Reps begin investigation into alleged certificate racketeering by MDAs

    Reps begin investigation into alleged certificate racketeering by MDAs

    The House of Representatives has began investigation into alleged certificate racketeering by some officials of Federal Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies involved in alleged certificate racketeering with Nigerian students.

    Rep. Abubakar Fulata, Chairman, Joint Committee on Certificate Racketeering vowed to confront such menace in the tertiary institutions during its sitting in Abuja.

    He said certificate racketeering could cripple health care system and various sectors of the economy if allowed to go unchecked.

    Fulata said the House mandated its Committees on University Education, Interior Foreign Affairs and Youths Development to investigate the matter and report back.

    “This has been a burning issue in both public and private institutions where there are seemingly less observance of rules, regulations, processes, quality assurance among others.

    He said there was a need to get to the root of the illicit act and proffer solutions, while appealing to MDAs and relevant stakeholders to cooperate with the committee in order to achieve the desired result.

    A Nigerian reporter, Umar Audu had, in December 2022, bagged a degree from a university in Cotonou, Benin Republic, in six weeks and subsequently participated in the mandatory National Youth Service Corps scheme.

    Audu subsequently accused unnamed officials of the Ministry of Education as members of the racketeering syndicate; a development that elicited widespread criticisms by well-meaning Nigerians.

    Leading the debate on the motion, Fulata called on the House to “identify officials of MDAs and students who benefited from such institutions and their campuses in the last ten years.

  • Justice Sector Plan: Fagbemi tasks agencies, parastatals on optimum performance

    Justice Sector Plan: Fagbemi tasks agencies, parastatals on optimum performance

    The Attorney-General of the Federation, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, has urged the Heads of Agencies under his ministry to work towards improving public service delivery strategies in the justice sector.

    Fagbemi made the during the Performance Contract Signing Ceremony with Heads of Agencies on Wednesday in Abuja.

    He noted that the justice sector is key towards ensuring socio-economic development of the nation, through improved access to justice.

    “Access to justice in this regards calls for synergy between MDAs in ensuring legal protection, legal awareness, legal aid and counsel, adjudication, enforcement, and supporting sustainable peace and security through effective alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

    “It is our collective responsibility to lead the charge for improved governance and effective service delivery in our respective MDAs, with the overall aim of improved socio-economic development of our society.

    “Some of the ways which we can achieve this onerous responsibility within our respective MDAs include setting clear and measurable goals, establishing a system for monitoring and evaluating performance.r

    “Others include providing training and development opportunities for employees, encouraging active participation and engagement from citizens and stakeholders, and providing incentives and recognition for accountability.”

    He said the Justice Sector Plan contains 15 Ministerial Deliverables, 49 Key Performance Indicators Base lines and Targets.

    “You may, therefore, recall that at the retreat in January, I had directed that Heads of Agencies to set up internal committees to carry out the certain responsibilities.

    “These include perusing the ministerial deliverables to discover your role in ensuring optimal performance of the Presidential priorities (Sector Plan 2023-2027).

    “Others include encapsulating the ministerial deliverables into your agencies’ strategic plan and drawing up the 2024 workplan from the initiatives captured in your strategic plan.”

    He assured the MDAs that their presentations would be critically appraised with a view to providing necessary support for the operationalisation of their mandates and the 2024 work plan.

    “I will hold every head of agency to the highest standard of performance in line with the declarations you have made today.

    “It is therefore imperative that you cascade the contents of your presentation to all levels of leadership in your agencies in order to ensure performance on the job and a clear understanding of your mandates under the performance bond.”

    He, thereafter, expressed his gratitude for the dedication to service delivery and coordination of human and material resources by the heads of agencies to meet their respective mandates.

    All the heads of all the agencies under the purview of the ministry were 0present at the signing of the bond.

     

  • Reps to probe MDAs over certificate racketeering

    Reps to probe MDAs over certificate racketeering

    The House of Representative has resolved to probe alleged certificate racketeering by Nigerian students in collusion with some officials of government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs).

    This followed the adoption of a motion by Rep. Abubakar Fulata (APC-Jigawa)at plenary in Abuja.

    Presenting the motion, Fulata, said that the country had been plagued by a scandal involving one Umar Audu, a journalist who went undercover to investigate a booming business in Benin Republic.

    He added that Audu obtained a certificate and transcript from the Ecole Superieure de Gestion et de Technologies, ESGT, Cotonou, Benin Republic, and participated in the NYSC scheme within a month.

    He said that the Ministry of Education often authenticated certificates obtained outside the country before participation in the NYSC.

    Adopting the motion, the House condemned in its entirety the act of certificate racketeering by Nigerian students in collusion with some officials MDAs.

    The House mandated its Committee on University Education to investigate the matter and identify those involved.

    The House also mandated the committees to identify officials of MDAs and others involved and also identified the students that had benefited from such institutions and their campuses in Nigeria.

  • FCT-IRS urges MDAs, employers to file 2023 returns before Jan. 31

    FCT-IRS urges MDAs, employers to file 2023 returns before Jan. 31

    The Federal Capital Territory Internal Revenue Service (FCT-IRS), has urged Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), and other employers of labour in the FCT to file their 2023 returns before Jan. 31st.

    The FCT-IRS Head of Corporate Communications, Mr Mustapha Sumaila, made the call in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday.

    Sumaila stressed that failure to file the returns within the stipulated period would attract sanction in accordance with the provisions of the law.

    He said that the directive was in line with Section 41 of the Personal Income Tax Act (PITA), 2011 (as amended).

    According to him, the Act mandates all employers of labour in the FCT to file annual returns before Jan. 31st of every year, using the prescribed forms – Form G and Form H1 respectively.

    He also said that Sections 94, 95 and 96 of the Act equally stipulate penalties for non-filing, incorrect, false declaration, and late submission.

    He added that the Service would not hesitate to enforce the laws on defaulters.

    “Organisations that wish to file their returns online should visit www.fctirs.gov.ng and click on create account or click on login for those who already have accounts.

    “The organisations should then proceed to any of the FCT-IRS offices to submit electronic copies of their returns.

    “The forms are also available in the 15 offices in the FCT, including the FCT-IRS Headquarters for those who may want to file manually,” he said.

    He urged all employers of labour, organisations, and other agents to file their returns before the Jan. 31 deadline, to avoid penalties for late filing or non-filing in accordance with the law.