Nigeria’s Government is considering the blockage of all sources of funding of terrorism in the country, including suspending mining activities.
“The government is looking at what measures to take in terms of addressing, bridging and blocking associated sources of funding, including payment for ransom and indeed, the mining activities and the possibility or otherwise of suspending for the time being, mining activities, are being considered as well, by the government.”
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Malami dropped the hints today, July 21 at a news briefing shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the Presidential villa, Abuja.
He said that the Council, at the meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari deliberated mainly on the logistics being used by the terrorists: Boko Haram and bandits among others in the act of executing their unfortunate act of terrorism and terrorising the country.
“It was extensively deliberated upon as to what needs to be done for the purpose of ensuring that their means of logistics are, indeed, adequately considered and necessary steps taken in degrading their capacity to move around. “So, discussions were carried out, deliberations made and sizeable resolutions in that direction were equally developed.
“The government would looked into that possibility with particular regard to restriction on use and distribution of motorcycles which is the most conventional logistical means being deployed by terrorists.
“Again, issues of funding of the terrorism and the terrorism act were discussed and deliberated upon and considered. As you rightly know, recently the government under the leadership of President Buhari had indeed, passed and assented to certain bills inclusive of the money laundering, prevention and prohibition act among others.
“With the passage of that law, and assented to, the conventional means of terrorists funding and financing was substantially and drastically addressed and that led to forensic analysis of, and identification of certain personalities that were in one way or the other connected with terrorism funding and financing.”
The minister said that at the Council certain innovations were brought into the terrorists funding and financing, inclusive of the use of mineral resources, which is the mining activities among others.
“And indeed, ransom which conventionally has been taken by the terrorists and then the need arises to now look into those frontiers that are being considered by the terrorists for the purpose of addressing them accordingly.
“A resolution was equally developed on the need to address frontally, attack and ensure at the end of the day, that other considerations be put in place by terrorists in terms of funding their activities are equally addressed.
“Again, other than logistics and funding, mining, other considerations were equally put in place on table for consideration by Council with particular regard to the unfortunate incident of the correctional service attack.”
Malami said that there are anticipated resolutions arising from the consequences associated with dereliction of duty, adding that issues associated with logistics of terrorists and bandits, with blockage of the source of funding, with the likely possible suspension of mining activities were looked into.
“It is a nexus and connection is, indeed, established and the issues associated with consequences for dereliction of duty if indeed, it established arising from the report expected and anticipated relating to the Kuje correctional incident.”

President Muhammadu Buhari has listed hundreds of ecological projects his government has completed across the country in the last seven years (2015-2022).

Speaking today, July 20, at the launch of a compendium of ecological projects undertaken by his government, the President said that 332 ecological projects were approved during the period in review, out of which 266 were accomplished while the remaining 66 are at different stages of completion.

The President, who launched the publication before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting, commended the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Management Team of the Ecological Project Office (EPO), for the judicious use of available resources for the effective implementation of approved projects, as well as the initiative for the publication.

In order to leverage the benefits accruable to government from the commendable efforts of the EPO, and the effective communication of these efforts through the publication, the President directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) which have not done so to showcase their performance and achievements to the public.

“The enormity of Nigeria’s ecological problems and inherited infrastructural deficit in general, has the tendency, like the proverbial drop in the ocean, to always drown our achievements in addressing ecological challenges and infrastructural deficit at large.

“It is against this background that publications like the one being launched today become very important and a useful tool in correcting the negative public perception, that government has not done anything in addressing these challenges.

“The documentation and publication of these achievements in our modest effort to tackle ecological problems is therefore predicated on our quest to improve communication in governance, as a tool for keeping citizens well-informed and helping them to hold government accountable.

“This is the most significant implication of the Ecological Project Office’s initiative in publishing this compendium.”

Buhari said that the Compendium, which is for the reading pleasure and knowledge of Nigerians, would bridge the information and communication gap between Nigerians and the real-time performance of this Administration by portraying the specific locations of ecological projects, with pictorial evidence as well as proofs of handing over the projects to the beneficiaries.

He advised States and Local Governments to judiciously use their shares of the ecological fund, strictly for ecological projects towards addressing the ecological problems in their areas.

This was even as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, told the President that the 554-page publication supervised by the Permanent Secretary, Dr. Habiba Lawal, is aimed at keeping the public abreast of the efforts of the administration in addressing verified ecological problems in ‘‘all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.

He thanked the President for promoting the culture of accountability and for approving the change of name of Ecological Fund Office to EPO, for its mandate not to be misconstrued by the public.

“The Office was established through the Federation Account Act in 1981, primarily to carry out intervention projects nationwide with the Federal Government share of the ecological funds, to address critical ecological problems to supplement States and Local Government shares of the fund.”

On the Federal Government share of the Ecological Fund, the SGF explained that the latest sharing formula of the Ecological and Derivation Fund (EDF) as modified allocates 1.00 per cent to the Federal Government, 0.72 per cent to States while the Local Governments get 0.60 per cent.

He added that out of the 1.00 per cent of the Federal Government share, monthly the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) gets 20 per cent, National Agency for Great Green (NAGGW) Wall 5 per cent, North East Development Commission (NEDC) 10 per cent while the National Agricultural Development Agency (NALDA) receives 10 per cent.