News
REVEALED : How FG pays N5.3billion For Renovation Of President’s Residential Quarters, Building Of State House Complex Amid Minimum Wage Tussle
The President Bola Tinubu-led Nigerian government in one day paid a total sum of N5,377,305,494.92 to two contractors for renovation of the President’s residential quarters and construction of an office complex within the State House in Abuja.
Data obtained from GovSpend.ng, an analytics platform run by BudgIT Foundation to give Nigerians access to information on daily spending at all levels of government in the country, revealed that the Nigerian government paid the money to Trucrete Solutions Limited and Green Belt Ltd respectively.
The payment details showed that on May 31, 2024, the State House Headquarters paid the sum of N1,877,305,494.92 to Trucrete Solutions Limited for renovation of the President’s residential quarters.
Also on May 31, 2024, a payment of N3,500,000,000 was made to Green Belt Ltd for the construction of an office complex within the State House in Abuja.
However, whereas a search for the contractors on Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) website showed the status of Trucrete Solutions Limited as active, an indication that the company has filed its annual returns up to date, according to the Commission, Green Belt Ltd could not be found on the CAC website.
But 12 different Green Belt related companies with different registration details were found on the Commission’s website, out of which, status of 10 of the companies showed inactive, indicating that though the companies are registered entities, they have not filed their annual returns up to date, according to the CAC.
The Green Belt related companies include Green Belt Farms Ltd with an inactive status and a registration detail as “under registration, RC – not yet assigned.”
Others are Green Belt Farms & Agro-Allied Products Ltd, registered on March 20, 2024 with active status and registration No. RC – 7407108; Green Belt Agro Services Ltd, registered on September 6, 2022 with active status and registration No. RC – 1972164; Green Belt Multidimensional Services Ltd, registered on December 2, 2021 with inactive status and registration No. RC – 1868686; Green Belt Multi-Links Ltd, registered on October 22, 2020 with inactive status and registration No. RC – 1725750.
Also found were Green Belt Networks Comm. Ltd, registered on October 25, 2017 with inactive status and registration No. RC – 1448015; Green Belt Homes & Properties Ltd, registered on June 29, 2010 with inactive status and registration No. RC – 895817 and Green Belt Surveys Ltd, registered on March 17, 2009 with inactive status and registration No. RC – 807565.
Others are Green Belt Shelter Ltd, registered on January 25, 2008 with inactive status and registration No. RC – 727422; Green Belt Resources Ltd, registered on August 12, 1997 with inactive status and registration No. RC – 318505; Green Belt Nig Ltd, registered on November 5, 1991 with inactive status and registration No. RC – 177970 and Green Belt Refineries Ltd, registered on November 5, 1990 with inactive status and registration No. RC – 157822.
The Nigerian government made the payments of over N5 billion for the President’s residential quarters renovation and construction of office complex in the state house amid struggle with the organised labour on the new national minimum wage for Nigerian workers.
SaharaReporters reported on June 7, barely a week after the payment of over N5 billion was made, that the tripartite committee set up by the President Tinubu government said that the new National Minimum Wage should be pegged at N62,000.
Meanwhile, the leadership of the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) rejected the new recommendation and insisted on N250,000, an amount the Nigerian government has said is not realistic.
The 36 state governors of the federation had also earlier said that putting the minimum wage at N60,000 or above was too high and could not be sustainable, noting that many state governments would be thrown into borrowing to meet up with the new minimum wage implementation.
Credit / Sahara reporter
By Gloria Ikibah
Prominent human rights lawyer and activist, Dele Farotimi, has been released after fulfilling his bail conditions.
Farotimi, who had been in custody over allegations of defaming Senior Advocate of Nigeria and founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti (ABUAD), Afe Babalola, regained his freedom on Tuesday morning.
He is currently enroute to his home in Lagos.
Confirming the development, activist and politician Omoyele Sowore stated on X, “I am pleased to report that Dele Farotimi is no longer being held in the prison facilities of Ekiti State and is now returning home to Lagos. The struggle continues!”
Earlier, a Chief Magistrate’s Court in Ado Ekiti granted Farotimi bail, setting conditions that included a N30 million bond, two sureties (one of whom must be a property owner), the submission of his passport, and a restriction on granting media interviews following his release.
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Following the intervention by the National Assembly leadership, the National Assembly Service Commission, NASC, has reversed the appointment of Dr Ibrahim Atiku as Deputy Clerk to the National Assembly, DCNA.
The Commission has replaced Atiku with the permanent secretary [Estate and Works Directorate], Engineer Bashir Yero.
This was consequent upon the outcome of a meeting convened Monday night by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, with Speaker Tajudeen Abbas and their deputies in attendance.
Present also at the meeting were the Chairman of the NASC, Engineer Ahmed Amshi, two commissioners from NASC, and some permanent secretaries in the NASS bureaucracy.
THE CONCLAVE learnt that the high-level meeting took place in the Senate President’s residence.
Reports from the meeting said that the chairman of the NASC and his commissioners could not justify the appointment of Atiku when asked by the speaker how the choice of Atiku was arrived at.
THE CONCLAVE reports that it was at that point that the commission chairman sought the leave of the Senate President and the Speaker to ask that the permanent secretaries present should excuse them since they could not be sitting over a matter in which they had personal interest.
Upon their return to the room, after the leadership had arrived at a resolution one way or another, it was agreed that Engr. Bashir Yero of Estate and Works Directorate be appointed the DCNA, while Engr Sanda Liman of Procurement Directorate, be redeployed in Estate and Works.
The newly promoted Ibrahim Atiku [to the position of permanent secretary], as resolved and directed, should be deployed in Procurement Directorate.
The NASC is expected to formalise and/or activate the decision soonest.
Source: CONCLAVE
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