Economy

Senate, Reps Pass Petroleum Industry Bill

Published

3 years ago

July 1, 2021

Sunrise Nigeria

The Senate has passed the Petroleum Industry Bill known as PIB.

The bill was passed during the plenary on Thursday after careful consideration of each of the clauses.

The Senate before passing the bill met behind closed doors with the Minister of State for Petroleum, Timipre Sylva, and the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Mele Kyari.

The passage of the bill comes exactly 13 years after it was first presented to the National Assembly in 2008.

On 28 September 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari presented the PIB to the National Assembly for reconsideration.

The Bill seeks to introduce changes to the governance, administrative, regulatory, and fiscal framework of the Nigerian oil and gas industry, in order to ensure transparency, strengthen the governing institutions, and attract investment capital, among other objectives.

Senate President Ahmed Lawan said the Senate expects President Buhari to sign the bill as soon as it is transmitted.

He added that the bill got the input of both the executive and legislative arms of government.

The Senate then adjourned till July 6, 2021.

The House of Representatives had also earlier today, passed the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

The long-awaited bill which passed for a third reading will deregulate and overhaul Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

Rep. Mohammed Tahir Mongunu, Chairman of the House Adhoc Committee on the PIB, moved for the consideration of the motion.

He said: “That the House do consider the Report of the Ahoc Committee on Petroleum Industry Bill on an Act to Provide Legal, Governance, Regulatory and Fiscal Framework for the Nigerian Petroleum Industry, the Development of Host Communities; and for Related Matters, 2021 (HB. 1061) and approve the recommendations therein.”

SunriseNigeria reported earlier this year that the Nigerian government added some changes to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) which includes the reduction of hydrocarbon tax to 30% for converted leases, down from 42.5% in its original bill plan, in a bid to attract more investors to Nigeria’s oil and gas sector.

Economy

Local Government Autonomy: FG Sets Up Committee on Enforcement

Published

3 weeks ago

August 20, 2024

Sunrise Nigeria

By Sule Musa

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Senator George Akume, CON, has inaugurated an Inter-Ministerial Committee to enforce the Supreme Court judgement delivered on 11th July, 2024 granting financial autonomy to Local Governments in Nigeria.

A statement by Segun Imohiosen, Director, Information & Public Relations in the office of the SGF said the members of the committee include:

1. Secretary to the Government of the Federation – Chairman

2. Hon. Minister of Finance & Coordinating Minister of the Economy -Member

3. Attorney General of the Federation & Minister of Justice – Member

4. Hon. Minister of Budget & Economic Planning

5. Accountant General of the Federation

6. Governor, Central Bank of Nigeria

7. Permanent Secretary (Federal Ministry of Finance)

8. Chairman, Revenue Mobilization Allocation & Fiscal Commission

9. Representative of State Governors

10. Representative of Local Governments

According to the statement, the committee’s primary goal is to ensure that local governments are granted full autonomy, allowing them to function effectively without interference from state governments.

Inaugurating the committee, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, and Chairman of the Committee, Senator George Akume, this move is in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s efforts to ensure appropriate implementation to the provisions of the Constitution, which recognizes local governments as the third tier of government.

Economy

Breakdown of FAAC’s N1.358tn July allocation to FG, states, LGs

Published

3 weeks ago

August 18, 2024

Sunrise Nigeria

The Federation Account Allocation Committee said it disbursed N1.358.075 trillion to the three tiers of Government in Nigeria as July allocation.

The was contained in a statement by the Director of Information and Public Relations, Ministry of Finance, Mohammed Manga on Friday.

The disbursed N1.358.075 stems from the total gross N2,613.791 trillion revenue generated in July 2024.

In the period under review, the distributable allocation comes from Statutory Revenue of N161.593 billion, Value Added Tax revenue of N528.307 billion, N18.818 billion from Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), N581.710 billion from Exchange Difference and N13.647 billion.

The federal government received N431.079 billion, states got N473.477 billion, local government councils got N343.703 Billion, while the oil-producing states received N109.816 billion, representing 13 percent derivation or mineral revenue.

This is a slight increase from the figure distributed in June, which stood at N1.354 trillion.

A further analysis of July’s allocation showed that the sum of N99.756 billion was given for the cost of collection by the Government’s revenue-generating agencies, while N109.816 billion was allocated for transfer intervention and refunds.

Business

CBN Approves Merger of Unity and Providus Banks

Published

1 month ago

August 7, 2024

Sunrise Nigeria

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) on Tuesday announced the approval for a pivotal financial accommodation to support the proposed merger between Unity Bank Plc and the Providus Bank Limited.

The Apex Bank, in a statement by its acting Director of Corporate Communications, Hakama Sidi-Ali, said the move is designed to bolster the stability of the nation’s financial system and avert potential systemic risks.

“The merger is contingent upon the financial support from the CBN. The fund will be instrumental in addressing Unity Bank’s total obligations to the Central Bank and other stakeholders,” the statement read.

“It is unequivocal to state that the CBN’s action is under the provisions of Section 42 (2) of the CBN Act, 2007. This arrangement is crucial for the financial health and operational stability of the post-merger organisation.

“It is important to emphasise that no Nigerian bank currently faces a precarious situation comparable to that of Heritage Bank, which was recently liquidated.”

The CBN said it remains committed to safeguarding depositors’ interests and ensuring the smooth functioning of the banking sector through proactive measures and strategic interventions.