FG to audit Ecological Fund

The National Economic Council on Thursday resolved to audit the Ecological Fund and has set up an Adhoc committee to carry out the mandate.

The decision to audit the fund was taken after the Accountant General of the Federation briefed the Council on the Natural Resources and Ecological Funds stating that the Natural Resources Fund balance as at 31st of March 2017 was N70.9 billion while the Ecological Fund balance as at 31st March 2017 was N33.645 billion.

Reports show between 2007 and 2015, the ecological fund got an average of N48 billion yearly. A total of N432.5 billion accrued to the fund during the nine years.

The state governors last year pressed for the release of the ecological fund, to assist them in combating environmental challenges faced in their different states. The problems include soil erosion, flood, drought, desertification, oil spillage, pollution and general environmental degradation.
From inception, the ecological fund had been on a first line charge which provides handy resources for the amelioration of ecological problems. The fund which originally received one per cent of the federation account was reviewed upwards to two per cent in 1992.

The enabling statutes for the fund have over the years placed it under the control of the Federal Government to be disbursed and managed in accordance with directives that may be issued from time to time by the presidency.

However, briefing newsmen after the NEC meeting, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, alongside the governor of Anambra State Willie Obiano and the National Security Adviser, Babagana Mongunu, said it had become imperative to audit the account seeing that there has been no disbursement to states, yet the account was depleting.

“No state has been given the fund in the last two years,” he said adding that in the last administration the money was released based on political loyalty but now due process has to be followed.

An Ad-hoc Committee comprising Oyo, Borno, Imo, Kaduna, Anambra, Akwa Ibom, Benue and Ministers of Finance and Environment has been set up to do the audit and come up with recommendations on how the fund shall be managed. Council also resolved that States and Local Governments will now keep their share of Resources Fund and Ecological Fund for use of intervention as the need arises in their respective jurisdictions, Lalong said.

NEC chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo also received briefing from the minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun on plans to commence disbursement of the second tranche of the Paris Club refund to states even as the governors thanked President Muhammadu Buhari for the previous disbursement which helped to bail out the states. According to Lalong, the federal government is not doing the states a favour by releasing the money but returning what originally belonged to them.

Adeosun also briefed the council on the Excess Crude Account and the Efficiency Unit which is domiciled in the Ministry of Finance. She said the ECA stands at $2.2billion while the operations of the efficiency unit have been able to save the country a whopping N17billion since it was established in November 2015.

The Council appreciated her presentation and urged States to also establish Efficiency Unit in order to entrench systems that will improve efficiency, reduce cost and block leakages in line with the fiscal sustainability plan.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo briefed the council on the progress of four of the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) of the Administration, namely: N-Power, Conditional Cash Transfer, Homegrown School Feeding Programme and the Government Economic and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), for micro –credit. He also briefed them about the impediments that caused the delays in the implementation of the programme noticed in the FG/States Government’s collaboration and resolved to end such obstacles to the successful implementation of the SIPs. The Council, therefore, resolved to upgrade the States coordination unit for the FG’s SIP to the Governor’s offices for better and more effective FG/State collaboration.

The Minister of Health Isaac Adewole also briefed the governors of the handling of the Meningitis Outbreak stating that there have been 9,646 suspected cases of Meningitis affecting 6 States in the country, namely Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto, Niger, Kebbi, and Kaduna.

According to Obiano who briefed newsmen on the matter, the minister told the council that about N46.7 billion is required to vaccinate the valuable population. The minister also called for the establishment of a National Health Emergency Fund to be domiciled in the Presidency under the supervision of NEC Chairman.

The National Security Adviser (NSA) briefed Council on the security situation in the country, particularly the conflict between armed herdsmen and farmers, especially in Kaduna, Taraba and Benue States among others. He told Council that security agencies have commenced a nationwide crackdown on armed herdsmen, gun runners, cattle rustlers, militants and others perpetrators of violence, even as the Council resolved that there is need to have an extraordinary session dedicated to discussing security issues in the country as a means to deepening
the issues and effectively addressing the menace.

Meanwhile, governors under the aegis of the governors’ forum on Wednesday night expressed concern over attempts to ridicule their image thereby making the office of the governors.unattractive.

According to the chairman of the forum and Zamfara state governor, Abdulazeez Yari “The way the image of governors are turned upside.

 

Elizabeth Archibong