Business
House of Reps to investigate N5bn COVID-19 intervention fund by the Ministry of Aviation
The House of Representatives is set to listen to complaints from airline operators in Nigeria over COVID-19 intervention fund.
The House of Representatives announced that it has agreed to listen to complaints lodged by airline operators in Nigeria over the handling of COVID-19 funds by the Ministry of Aviation.
This was disclosed by Rep. Nnolim Nnaji, Chairman, House Committee on Aviation, in a statement on Monday.
The House Chairman added that the allegations raised by the airline operators could not go unnoticed, and revealed that the House of Reps has agreed to summon the Ministry on its disbursement of intervention funds, citing that the Committee would cut short its Easter break to investigate the issue.
READ: Nigeria @ 60: The Aviation sector and its travails
“The essence is not to witch-hunt anybody but to clear every doubt over the disbursements. We want to know the detailed disbursements, airline by airline, the parastatals under the ministry and other organisations.
“The committee was quite aware of the challenges facing the industry due to the COVID-19 impact and the genuine concerns expressed by its Minister, Sen. Hadi Sirika, on the need for Federal Government’s palliative to the industry.
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“Some airline operators, have, however, complained that despite being asked to submit their details which they did, up till date, there has been no response from the ministry.
“There were also allegations that the ministry carried out selective disbursements and that the exercise lacked transparency,” he said.
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What you should know
Recall Nairametrics reported in November 2020 that the federal government would soon start disbursing the approved bailout fund of N5 billion to operators in the aviation sector, which is intended to ameliorate the harsh realities of the COVID-19 pandemic on their business operations.
Business
Lagos State seeks investors in aquatic and livestock agriculture value chain
The Commissioner revealed that the scheme was in line with the State’s five-year strategic agriculture roadmap.
The Lagos State Government announced it is seeking private sector collaboration for Agriculture sector value chain development in livestock feed mills, fisheries and red meat.
This was disclosed by the State Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms Abisola Olusanya, in a statement on Sunday in Lagos.
The Commissioner revealed that the scheme was in line with the State’s five-year strategic agriculture roadmap, as the State identified the 3 main sectors for value chain disruption.
READ: Lagos goes tough on illegal conversion of land use, enforcement begins in Ikeja GRA, Lekki, others
She also added that investment in the sectors would also develop jobs for the industry and boost the State’s GDP growth, through Private Sector collaboration as Lagos residents consume over N5 trillion worth of food annually.
“The objective is to stimulate and encourage more public-private partnerships in the three value chains,” she said.
“When you consider this pool of transactions happening in Lagos, it shows that we are the market. For instance, we demand over 400,000 metric tons of fish on an annual basis.
“But our fishermen and our aquaculture farmers are only able to produce just about 174,000 metric tons with deficit of 200,000 metric tons,” she added.
READ: CBN invests over N120 billion on 320,000 farmers across CTG within four years
She also disclosed that the state has 9,000 artisanal fishermen, and bringing more youths into the space will increase the level of fish and seafood being harnessed from our water bodies. Looking at the transactional value on an annual basis, the fisheries sector is worth well over N120billion according to her.
In case you missed it: Nigeria exported agricultural products worth N321.5 billion in 2020, representing a 19.16% increase when compared to N269.8 billion recorded in 2019 and a 6.27% increase compared to N302.28 billion recorded in 2018.
Business
#DigitalSkillsTraining: FG announces conclusion of selection process
Only successful applicants that are contacted by the Ministry are to report at the training venue.
