President Of Nigeria "Googluck Jonathan" okays sharing of $1bn by states

• NEC to check multiple taxation, others
From JULIANA TAIWO-OBALONYE, Abuja
President Goodluck Jonathan has approved the distribution of $1billion from the Excess Crude Account among the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to enable them execute more people-oriented projects in line with the government’s Transformation Agenda and the need to deliver more democracy dividends.
The Chairman, Governors’ Forum and Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, told State House Correspondents at the end of the 45th National Economic Council (NEC) meeting and the first for this year chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo, the approval was announced by the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama, who briefed the council on the state of the Excess Crude Account which he said has a total balance of $9.242 billion after $1billion was spent on subsidy payments.
Also, the council has prevailed on states to buy-in the activities of the National Agency for Prohibition of Traffic in Persons and other Related Matters (NAPTIP). Abia State Governor Theodore Orji said the council considered a report presented by the National Planning Minister and Chairman of the Ad-hoc
Committee, Dr.Shamsuddeen Usman, on the states Buy-in to the activities of NAPTIP in which recommendations were made towards combating human trafficking.
The recommendations include the development and effective implementation of Trafficking in Persons Plans of Action at the state level, the development and strengthening of the state Social Welfare System for Child Protection and the provision of basic needs, including medical care, educational, vocational and recreational facilities for victims of trafficking. Others are the mobilizing and providing support for civil society organizations, working on combat-trafficking and related issues, assisting and empowering identified victims of trafficking by providing educational grants, scholarships and other incentives and enabling and fully implementing the Child’s Rights Law in each state.
Orji said the council adopted the recommendations and directed the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and Chief Executive of NAPTIP to liaise with the states to ensure better collaboration in addressing the situation. It also noted that Abia, Kogi and Ogun states should be treated as pilot cases in the bid to combat the societal scourge. Also, Dr. Usman who briefed the council on the status of the on-going implementation of the states GDP computation programme embarked upon by the National Planning Commission, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the Governors’ Forum and the states, said following the successful completion of the flag-off of the state GDP computation in the six pilot states, the NBS is now working closely with the states’ statistical bureaux/agencies to conduct the survey and publication of data on the GDP computation for the six states: Niger, Rivers, Gombe, Anambra, Kano and Lagos.
Usman said the council reiterated the endorsement it had given to the roadmap, when the matter was first presented to NEC in July 2010. The council encouraged the states to work closely with the National Planning Commission and the NBS to address the identified capacity and infrastructure-related gaps in the states’ Statistical Bureau and Planning Commissions to ensure the sustainability of the states GDP computation programme in Nigeria.
The council got a briefing from a team from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) led by its president, Chief Kola Jamodu, on multiple taxation across the country at various levels and its effects on the manufacturing sector’s productivity. Jamodu told newsmen that in its presentation, MAN had many prayers including reduction in stamp duty, VAT exemption on some raw materials, harmonization of taxes and levies within the three tiers of government, outlawing of unorthodox means of collecting taxes as well as full automation of the entire tax administration system. After extensive discussions on the issues raised by MAN, the council set up a committee to look further into the issues and report back by March.