The presidential committee on fiscal policy and tax reforms says it has asked the federal government to adopt an exchange rate of N800 per dollar for customs import duty.

The chairman of the committee, Taiwo Oyedele, made this known on Thursday while engaging journalists on the activities of the tax panel in Lagos.

More to come…

The website of the student loan fund has received over 60,000 visitors since its launch, this is according to the Managing Director of the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, Akintunde Sawyerr.

Akintunde made this known during an ongoing press briefing in Abuja on Thursday.

Sawyerr also noted that over 90% of federal institutions have submitted the list of students, noting that only two federal universities and two federal polytechnics are yet to do so.

Sawyerr also noted that the scheme will be made available to students of state universities in the next three weeks.

On June 12, 2023, President Bola Tinubu signed the Access to Higher Education Act, 2023 into law to enable indigent students to access interest-free loans for their educational pursuits in any Nigerian tertiary institution.

The move was in “fulfillment of one of his campaign promises to liberalise funding of education,” a member of the then Presidential Strategy Team, Dele Alake, said.

The Act, popularly known as the Students Loan Law, also established the Nigerian Education Loan Fund to process all loan requests, grants, disbursement, and recovery.

Although the government initially announced that the scheme would be launched in September, it suffered several delays leading to an indefinite postponement in early March.

The Presidency had linked the delay to Tinubu’s directive to expand the scheme to include loans for vocational skills.

After receiving a briefing from the NELFUND team led by the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu, on January 22, the President directed the Fund to extend interest-free loans to Nigerian students interested in skill-development programmes.

Tinubu based his decision on the need for the scheme to accommodate those who may not want to pursue a university education, noting that skill acquisition is as essential as obtaining undergraduate and graduate academic qualifications.

Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday said he would soon forward the 2024 supplementary Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly, to enable his administration continue in its task of providing good governance to Nigerians.

He stated that the budget plan would accelerate the government’s current upward trajectory and promote wealth, development, and advancement.

The President made this known shortly after flagging off the old national anthem “Nigeria, We Hail Thee,’ at a joint sitting of the Senate and the House of Representatives in Abuja.

At the joint session of the National Assembly marking the Silver Jubilee Of Nigeria’s 4th Republic, Tinubu enjoined the lawmakers to continue to dedicate themselves to the service of their fatherland.

The President was accompanied on the visit to the National Assembly Complex by Vice President, Kashim Shettima, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, and Governor of Borno State, Babagana Zulum, and his son, Seyi Tinubu, among other dignitaries.

Expressing his readiness to deliver on his mandate, Tinubu reminded the lawmakers that the task of nation-building is a collective one involving all citizens, adding that as representatives of the people, they carry a huge burden of responsibility.

He said, “Charting a new path is a question of programme for development. I submitted the 2024 budget to you and you expeditiously passed it. We are walking the talk. I will soon bring the 2024 supplementary Appropriation Bill. Building this nation so that the future of our grandchildren will be filled with prosperity, development and progress is a step in the right direction.”

He also urged the lawmakers to look inward and contribute their quota to nation-building, noting that no foreign aid can give Nigerians the country they can be proud of.

He explained, “Our friends, old and new, to every Nigerian, I say congratulations for 25 years of unbroken democracy. Out of respect, I want to say thank you very much for bringing us to this stage. For building the institution, for building this country.

“You are first and foremost leaders that speak for our people. And you have been at the forefront of this institution. The hallowed chambers represent our consciousness of freedom and sense of belonging.

“You see, this is our diversity representing all parts and how we blend to be brothers and sisters. Without this House, probably I may not have found the path to the presidency. I started from here. And that is why I am giving my respect this morning to you, to please continue to collaborate, work together, and build our country.

“Nobody, no aid, no other institution or personality will help us unless we do it ourselves. No number of aid coming from foreign countries or any other nation can do it. They (foreign nations) take care of themselves first. Let us work together to build our nation, not only for us but for generations yet unborn,” he added.

On January 1, 2024, Tinubu signed the N28.7tn 2024 Appropriation Bill into law after rigorous checks by the National Assembly and budget defence by Ministries, Department and Agencies.

The budget size was an increase of N1.2tn from  N27.5tn proposed months earlier by the president.

Speaking after signing the document, the president said the implementation of the budget would be “efficiently pursued and vigorously monitored”.

“All the institutional mechanisms shall be held to account in ensuring diligent implementation,” he said.

Some of the key estimates are capital expenditure, N10tn; recurrent expenditure, N8.8tn; debt service, N8.2tn, and statutory transfers, N1.7tn.

However, fluctuations caused by the free fall of the naira, revenue instability and improved oil prices have affected financial projections made by the government.

The new plan by the government is also in tandem with recommendations by the International Monetary Fund to pass a supplementary budget to accommodate the proposed minimum wage increase for workers.

This is because the negotiated amount may surpass the budgeted amount in the original 2024 budget.

“The authorities noted that a supplementary budget may be needed to accommodate the outcome of the ongoing wage structure negotiations which may exceed what they had included in the 2024 budget,” the international body stated in a report this month.

The government, in the 2024 budget, allocated N6.48tn for personnel costs but the international lender posits that the amount may be insufficient.

The IMF further noted that the country’s budget deficit for 2024 is expected to surpass projections, owing to implicit subsidies for fuel and electricity alongside rising interest expenses on debt.

Earlier report had it that the Red Chamber plan to revisit the budget following the incessant fall of the naira against the United States dollar.

In an interview, Solomon Adeola, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Appropriations, stated, “Yes, the budget was actually passed at N800 to a dollar, but as of right now, it’s no longer visible as the dollar currently stands at N1450 to a naira,” suggesting justification for a reassessment.

“And I can tell you that there is a need for us to revisit the budget as the variables upon which the budget is predicated are no longer there. So all we need to do is just take our time and do some internal workings within the landing cost of petroleum product per litre of fuel.

“After this, we can now collaborate with the current budget that we have so that we can give NNPC what the actual figure for this landing cost will be, and then any savings arising from that can be planned upon for a supplementary budget or reallocation of some project within the budget,” he added.

Financial specialists who commented on the matter confirmed that major adjustments to government expectations have necessitated the passing of a supplemental budget.

Johnson Chukwu, the group managing director of Cowry Asset Management Limited, stated that it was challenging to estimate a budget when the content was unknown.

He said, “It is nearly impossible to talk about the supplementary budget because we do not know the revenue projection or the expenditure projection. We do not even know if its going to be a surplus budget or a deficit budget.

“The direction of it would determine the impact or what we say about it. I advise we wait for the budget to be drafted.”