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FG Plans to Spend N59Bn on Ex-Militants

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The Federal Government plans to spend an estimated N59 billion on ex-militants, according to details of the 2014 Appropriation Bill presented to both arms of the National Assembly last week.

A breakdown of the figure showed that while N23.6 billion will be spent for payment of stipends to 30,000 ex-militants, another N35.4 billion is allocated for transformed ex-militants.

Daily Independent reported that the  Presidency is to spend a total of N33.4 billion within the fiscal year, out of which N25.106 billion represents recurrent expenditure, while capital expenses is estimated at N8.39 billion.

A further breakdown of the Presidency’s budget shows that N320.222 million is for ‘honorarium and sitting allowance,’ N267.775 million for ‘welfare.’

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has been allocated N10.245 billion in the budget, comprising N8.838 billion, or 86.26 per cent recurrent expenses and N1.406 billion, or 13.72 per cent as recurrent.

The budget also made provision of N700 million for the proposed National Dialogue.

Allocation proposed for the Education sector increased to N493.45 billion of the total, which represented 10.6 per cent of the total 2014 budget proposal.

The Appropriation Bill, presented by Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, before both arms of the National Assembly, showed that N3.7 trillion, representing 72 per cent of the N4.6 trillion, is to be spent on recurrent expenditure, while N1.1 trillion was earmarked for capital projects.

This, according to analysts, does not tell of any plan for infrastructure development in the coming year. The document, they believe, failed to address critical needs of the country.

On the revenue side, the Bill proposed a Gross Federally Collectible Oil and Gas Revenue of N7.16 trillion while Non-Oil Revenue is projected at N3.29 trillion.

Out of the oil revenue, total deductions, including cost of crude oil production, subsidy payments, and domestic gas development is put at N2.15 trillion, the same amount as in 2013.

The Federal Government budget revenue is estimated at N3.73 trillion. Subsidy payments were maintained at the 2013 level of N971.1 billion.

On the fiscal balance side, the government projected that in the 2014 financial year, fiscal deficit would be about N911.96 billion, representing about 1.90 per cent of the GDP while total borrowing of N571 billion is proposed in the Appropriation Bill, representing a mere N6 billion decrease from the approved 2013 figures.

For Edwin Ikhinmwin, a financial analysts and former bank chief executive, the 2014 budget does not show any sign of helping to create jobs, which would ordinarily come through massive capital investment “needed to rejuvenate our dilapidated infrastructure and build new capacities to support job creating growth.”

Consequently, he told Daily Independent, a “budget document that provides only 27 percent for capital expenditure is a trip in self delusion and propagation of false hood. The weight of recurrent expenditure cannot be supported by the capital budget. This is symptomatic of a rent economy whose long-term growth is not sustainable.

It is like the winner of a lottery who changed his style to expensive consumption without investing in sustaining wealth creation. The money soon got finished and he became poorer than before.”

Olufemi Awoyemi, and analyst and Chief Executive of Proshare Nigerian, an online finance and economy portal, lamented the inequity in the distribution of spending in the budget.

He is particularly concerned that 72 per cent of the spending is earmarked for payment of salaries and wages to about 10 million workers or less than six per cent of the nation’s 174 million people.

Even under in the days of military, he lamented further, “capital expenditure never grew below 40 per cent of total budget… We just bloated the civil service with every many of hangers’ on and political jobber.”

Mallam Garba Kurfi, Managing Director, APT Securities and Funds Limited, told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in an interview in Lagos, that the Nigerian economy would not grow with the scant emphasis on capital expenditure.

Allocating a mere N1.1 trillion for capital expenditure is a child’s play, considering the nation’s huge infrastructure challenge, and that Nigeria needs capital expenditure for the economy to experience meaningful growth and development.

Sehinde Adenagbe, Managing Director, Standard Union Securities Limited, however expressed dissatisfaction with the late presentation of the budget, calling for quick passage of the budget, which he regarded as the “road map for economic activities”.

This, he said, would help companies in decision making on investment, since it is a pointer to the direction of the nation’s economy in the new year.

Harrison Owoh, Managing Director, HJ Trust & Investment Limited, also told NAN that the budget proposal failed to address critical sectors of the economy, and that it was indeed disheartening that bulk of the nation’s budget would be used for wage payment instead of capital projects.

He said that the Federal Government should be bothered about the sufferings of the masses and ensure the provision of basic social amenities.


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Detained Binance executive drags EFCC, NSA to court

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Binance executive Tigran Gambaryan has has dragged the National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and the Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to court alleging violations of his fundamental rights.

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In a filing dated March 18 and presented by his lawyer Olujoke Aliyu from Aluko and Oyebode Law Firm, Gambaryan sought redress before Justice Inyang Ekwo, requesting five reliefs. Similarly, Nadeem Anjarwalla, Binance’s Africa regional manager who escaped custody on March 22, initiated a separate suit before Justice Ekwo.

Gambaryan and Anjarwalla, in the suits marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/356/24 and FHC/ABJ/CS/355/24, had sued the Office of NSA (ONSA) and EFCC as 1st and 2nd respondents.

Gambaryan, a US citizen overseeing financial crime compliance at the crypto exchange platform, alleged that his detention and the confiscation of his international travel passport violated Section 35 (1) and (4) of the 1999 Constitution, constituting a breach of his fundamental right to personal liberty. He further requested the court to order his immediate release and the return of his passport. Additionally, he sought an injunction preventing further detention related to any Binance investigations and demanded a public apology from the respondents, along with costs incurred.

Gambaryan stated that he visited Nigeria on February 26 alongside Nadeem Anjarwalla, representing Binance, in response to invitations from ONSA and EFCC. Despite attending the meeting as requested, both were detained afterward without formal charges.

During the court proceedings, T.J. Krukrubo, SAN, representing Anjarwalla and Gambaryan, informed the court of the respondents’ absence despite being served. Krukrubo also mentioned their notice of withdrawal of legal representation for Anjarwalla, filed on March 26.

Justice Ekwo noted the withdrawal of legal representation and adjourned the matter to April 8 to allow the applicants to seek new representation and give the respondents an opportunity to appear.

In Gambaryan’s case, Krukrubo stated that although the processes were served on ONSA and EFCC, they still had time to respond. He requested an adjournment, indicating that the respondents’ deadline to file their applications would expire the following week.

Consequently, Justice Ekwo scheduled the next hearing for April 8 to continue proceedings.


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AXA Mansard Empowers Female SMEs with Financial, Digital Skills

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AXA Mansard, a member of AXA has empowered 200 female Small and Medium Enterprises with financial literacy and digital business skills.

In collaboration with SME 100 Africa, the two-day training, which was held in Lagos, is part of AXA’s lined-up programmes to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day.

Speaking, Olusesan Ogunyooye, Head of Marketing AXA Mansard, said the training was aimed to empower female SME owners with skills to improve business output and position them for the increasing economic opportunities available in an increasingly digital marketplace.

Ogunyooye noted that the move was in line with AXA Mansard’s sustainability agenda, explaining that the company was convinced that support for women through its inclusive protection programmes was pivotal to its purpose of acting for human progress by protecting what matters and its mission of moving from being a payer to a partner.

He further said that focusing on digital skills was important because the company realised the importance of digital skills to the growth of the SME sector in Nigeria and wants to ensure that women were empowered enough to be a consequential part of that growth.

“It’s almost trite to say that SMEs are the engine for economic growth, especially in developing countries like Nigeria, where over 45 million adults are business owners. What needs to be continually discussed is how Nigeria is going to unlock that potential for economic development and how much of that potential will be unlocked by women and for women.”

“For us at AXA Mansard, we are aware that digital will play a major role in unlocking these current opportunities and Nigeria’s economic future. So, to ensure that women are equally represented in unlocking these future potentials, that’s why we have collaborated with SME 100 Africa to support them in developing the required skills”.

“Our choice of digital and financial literacy skills is deliberate. We understand the power of the duo. We understand that helping these SMEs with the skills to attract more customers will be a faster means to empower them.

“We see that they have amazing products and services, but they need to understand how to attract value for themselves by attracting the right customers, and you will agree with me that virtually all customer segments are online in one way or another today.

“So, if we can empower them with digital business skills, we would have helped them with the heavy lifting of trying to find and attract customers”. Ogunyooye explained.

According to him, AXA Mansard believes that for the world to experience progress truly, there must be an equitable distribution of creation and access to opportunities for men and women. This quest for balance informed the SHE for Shield initiative, a women-centred inclusive protection programme of AXA Mansard.

SHE for Shield is a group of initiatives designed for the Nigerian woman. The goal is to see them grow, add value, and help them mitigate risks at every step.

According to the company, research has found that access to health care is one of the most important things to Nigerian women, regardless of their economic segment. They desire to be financially independent, secure, and respected in the community.

 


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IFC Invests in New 4DX Ventures Fund to Support Tech Startups in Africa

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IFC is investing $10.5 million in a new fund by 4DX Ventures, a New York-based venture capital firm focused on supporting early-stage African technology companies across a broad set of sectors, including fintech, e-commerce, edtech, climate tech, and health tech.

IFC’s investment in 4DX Ventures Fund III will come from IFC’s $225 million venture capital platform, which was launched last year to strengthen emerging VC ecosystems and invest in early-stage companies in Africa, the Middle East, Central Asia, and Pakistan.

Africa is among the regions least served by venture capital, receiving just 2% of global venture deal volume in the third quarter of 2023. Access to capital on the continent has been further exacerbated by a slowdown in global venture capital investment.

Tech ecosystems are nascent, or even nonexistent, outside of more established markets such as Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, and South Africa.

“IFC and 4DX Ventures share the commitment to supporting tech entrepreneurs with innovations that will help Africa leapfrog in critical areas such as climate, health care, fintech, e-commerce, and education,” said Walter Baddoo, Co-Founder and General Partner of 4DX Ventures.

“We look forward to partnering with IFC to help promising tech startups build transformative businesses and realize sustainable development impact on the continent.”

4DX’s new fund will invest in companies with tech solutions that can improve productivity, efficiency and competitiveness across Africa. The firm’s first two funds invested in companies such as Egypt-based e-commerce platform MaxAB, an IFC portfolio company; Ghana-based health tech firm mPharma; and Kenya-based B2B e-commerce platform Wasoko, formerly known as Sokowatch.

“By supporting the development of tech ecosystems in emerging markets, IFC’s venture capital platform aims to improve access to key services, boost business competitiveness, and promote job creation through digital transformation,” said Mohamed Gouled, Vice President of Industries at IFC.

“Our investment in venture funds such as 4DX Ventures will help African entrepreneurs access more financing and resources they need to scale tech innovations and bolster sustainable growth across the continent.

In addition to providing capital, IFC will work with 4DX Ventures to implement their environmental and social management system.


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