2022 budget: Reps urge Army to fast-track counter-insurgency training for officers

 

.As Army earmarks N43.3bn for training of 3,885 cadets, 18,000 recruits

.Reps C’ttee canvasses financial autonomy for Office of Auditor-General

 

 

Jonas Ezieke, Abuja

 

The House of Representatives Committee on Army has urged the Chief of Army Staff Maj-Gen Farouk Yahaya and other senior officers to adopt and fastrack counter insurgency training of officers and men of the military force to enable it tackle the ravaging insecurity.

 

Chairman of the House Committee Hon.Abudulrazak Namdas gave the charge to the Army Chief and senior officers during the 2021 budget reveiew and 2020 budget defence by the House Committe on Thursday in Abuja.

 

The lawmaker said the Army authorities should pay attention to trainings and retrainings of officers and men in counter terrorism or counter insurgency.

 

He had assured the Army officers of continuos support in terms of funding even as he also called on the President Muhammadu Buhari to declare the bandits terrorists.

 

He said:”We call on President Muhammadu Buhari to declare bandits as terrorists.

“As a Committee, we ‘ll continue to support the Army. However, funds appropriated must be judiciusly used”.

 

The Adamawa State born lawmaker also enjoined the Army officer’s hierachy to ensure that  the Training and Doctrines Command TRADOC a training institution of the military is very functional.

 

Meanwhile the Nigeria Army has proposed the sum of N43.3 billion for its 2022 budget for the efficiency of its operations.

 

Commander of the Training and Doctrine Command TRADOC of the Army Maj-Gen Stevenson Olugbenga who represented the Army Chief presented the budget estimates to the House Committee for consideration and approval.

 

He hinted that the budget estimate is for the training of officers adding that its component includes personnel cost, overhead and capital expenditure.

 

He also told the House Committee that the budget for training of personnel is to cater for all the 3,885 cadets and 18,000 recruits absorbed into the Army for the defence of the nation’s territorial integrity.

 

Meanwhile, the Public Accounts Committee PAC, of the House of Representatives is calling for both administrative and financial autonomy for the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation, OAuGF because of its functions and for transparency

 

The Chairman of the Committee, Hon Oluwole Oke, (Osun, PDP) disclosed in Abuja on Thursday at the  2022 Budget Defence exercise of the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation .

 

Oke who said that a bill being sponsored by him before the House which had already passed  the second reading  lamented that caging the Operations of the all important Office through financial and administrative control  eroded transparency and accountability

 

He cited instances such as when from the Auditor General’s Report, it was established that between 2013 and 2020, a sum of N7 trillion was expended from the service wide vote on the OAuGF, prastatals and agencies under it, without the Office of the Auditor General feeling any impact or having any knowledge of such expenditure.

 

Hon Oke noted that such a serious infraction on the part of the Executive arm of government that controls the vote would have been followed to its logical conclusion if the OAuGF had been autonomous in every aspect.

 

The Committee helsman then advised the OAuGF to embark on intensive lobby to effect an increase in its annual budgetary allocations and assured that the committee would laise with the House Leadership with a view to placing the Office of the Auditor General of the Federation on the First Line Charge in budgetary funding

 

 

Oke announced the constitution ofa 7-man sub committee, headed by Committee Deputy chairman with members drawn from the six geo-political zones in the country to work together with OAuGF office towards producing a tenable report that would expeditiously facilitate the direct funding of the Office.

 

Earlier, the Auditor-General of the Federation Mr  Adolphus Aghughu had announced a proposed budget of N9.64 billion for the year 2022 if the Office must function optimally.

 

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BONYI STATE GOVERNMENT CHARGES PRIVATE SCHOOLS ON INTERNALLY GENERATED REVENUES PAYMENT TO GOVERNMENT

 

The government of Ebonyi State has charged private schools in the state to update their Internally Generated Revenues ( IGR) records without delay.

 

The Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Education, Dr Mrs. Obianuju Aloh gave the charge in a private schools meeting held in the Multi-purpose Hall, Old Cabinet Office, Abakaliki.

 

Dr. Mrs Aloh stressed that the state Government under the leadership of Governor David Nweze Umahi has done much to improve the lots of Ebonyi people, and therefore the private schools should reciprocate this by paying the revenues due the state government.

 

She advised the schools to adhere to the approved academic calendar, upgrade their infrastructure in line with the set standard, use Government approved text books and engage the services of qualified and trained teachers to improve the quality of education in the private schools subsector.

 

The Chairman of Internal Revenues Service, Mr. Agwu Nweze outlined fees and levies approved as Internally Generated Revenues IGR from private schools to include Annual Renewal/Operational Fee, Waste Management Fee, Fire service Fee and Development Levy.

 

Mr. Nweze who was represented by Mr. Celestine Okoro noted that these fees and lavies are contained in Ebonyi State Revenues Law, 2021 and should be paid by private schools as at when due.

 

Another Senior Staff of the board, Mr. Green Oko stated that non-compliance with the revenues payment by any private school could attract the sledge hammer.

 

Mr. Oko thanked the SSA on Education for her doggedness in enforcing Government policies, and assured her of the support of the board to ensure aggressive revenue drive to improve the state  revenue.

 

The State Chairman of the National Association of Proprietors of Private Schools, Elder Kingsley Igboke expressed joy for the meeting which he said gave the association the opportunity to rub minds with the government on issues bothering on private schools development, and assured the government that the association would give it the needed support to advance the course of education for the overall development of the state.

 

On the issue of IGR payments, Elder Igboke said that the private institutions would pay the revenues due to the government without being forced

 

He  added that the association would continue to train and retrain their teachers, improve on their infrastructure, use text books approved by the government and maintain clean learning environment.

 

The meeting was well attended by Revenues Officers, NAPPS executive and other critical stakeholders in the education sector.