By Cross Udo, Abuja
The Federal Executive Council, presided by President Bola Tinubu yesterday approved memos from the Ministries of Aviation, Communications, Power, Federal Capital Territory, and Works.
Briefing State House Correspondents at the end of the two-day Federal Executive Council (FEC), the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, said the Ministry of Interior’s memo on the review of the new visa regime was approved.
Idris said the new visa regime was to address the lacuna and challenges faced by citizens and foreign investors coming or going out of the country.
He said the new visa process would now be completely online, with background security checks of applicants done within 48 hours, adding that this would commence in the next four weeks.
*FG formally places cybersecurity levy in the cooler, reviews policy
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has explained that the recent suspension of the controversial Cybersecurity Levy was done for the policy to be reviewed.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Idris, who clarified at the post-FEC briefing said, “The cybersecurity levy has been suspended. It is undergoing review. It had been put on hold for now.”
Recall that the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, had issued a directive to all banks and financial institutions, mandating the implementation of a cybersecurity levy on all electronic banking transactions.
This new levy, set at 0.5 per cent of the value of every electronic transaction, was introduced in response to the escalating concerns over cyber threats and follows the guidelines of the recently enacted Cybercrime (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) (Amendment) Act 2024.
According to the CBN, this measure was crucial for enhancing the security framework of financial operations across the country.
However, the levy drew criticism from businesses and the public over fears it could worsen the already dire economic situation.
*Tinubu, Shettima, other VIPs now to pay toll at airports
Similarly, the Federal Government said henceforth, President Bola Tinubu, Vice President Kashim Shettima, and other top government officials will pay access fees or the e-tag at all federal airports nationwide.
Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Management, Festus Keyamo (SAN), stated this FEC, meeting, presided over by President Tinubu at the Council Chamber, Presidential Villa in Abuja.
The Minister said the FEC approved that all exemptions for VIPs, about payment for access into airports in the country, were cancelled when his ministry presented a memorandum detailing the financial losses to these exemptions.
According to him, the Federal Government had been losing 82 per cent of the N10bn revenue that ought to be accruing from airports’ tollgates but lamented that because of the exemption, which the VIPs have explored to escape paying what is due to the government, the larger part of the actual projected revenue has been lost.
He, however, said the Council had mandated the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) to send out a service-wide circular, informing of the cancellation of the exemption, adding that his ministry would follow up on that circular with another memorandum.
He said, “No more exemption. When we came to the office, we met a tradition on the ground where at the end of the year, all manners of VIPs would approach us for what they call complimentary e-tags or complimentary stickers. Whereby you see them coming into our airports nationwide. They don’t pay the access fees.
“They don’t pay for parking, they don’t pay for essential services at airports, and they are VIPs. And I told myself on my team, I said not under my watch. It will not happen. If this tradition has been existing for years, I will not allow it to happen. Because it is inconceivable that in our country it is the VIPs that don’t pay for services but it is the poor men that pay for services.
“The VIPs were supposed to have money to pay for services, but they compel poor men to pay for services and I said no. So I got my team together, and I said we needed the backing of the Council to compel everybody. Guess what? Our memo says except the President and the Vice President and the President overruled me and said he and the Vice President would pay, he said everybody.
“Let me give you the shocking statistics. The negative figure that we get at the end of the day from the complimentary e-tags is 82 per cent in the negative. In other words, where we are supposed to have a 100 per cent contract for the e-costs from these e-tags that we print, it is only 18% that we now end up selling.
“That is how bad it is, 18 per cent and 82 per cent of these e-tags are given out free of charge to VIPs. So imagine the loss in my sector and I ask myself which other sector will I go to that they give me anything free?
“I’ll give another example. In one of the access gates, based on the count of the barrier going up and down, we are supposed to be making N250m or N260m from that get every month. That gate, because of exemptions, the return is less than N100m every month.
“That also, of course, breeds corruption too because now you cannot track, you cannot have the audit trail of those free tags that you now give to our people to give out to people.
“So it was approved that the SGF should send a system-wide circular to everybody. We are going to also write to everybody, be it in the judiciary, the legislature, the executive, or the military high command, they can buy for their personnel yearly and don’t have to pay for every time you pass. Buy the yearly tags for all your officers, you have the money to pay us so that we can improve your services at the airport”, he said.
*Aviation gets approval to procure N4.2bn aircraft recovery equipment
The Minister also disclosed that the Council approved a memorandum that sought the procurement of aircraft recovery equipment, which is designed to respond to occasions of the breakdown of aircraft from the runways like it was recently experienced in Lagos.
He explained that the Ministry received the approval for the procurement of the equipment at the cost of N4.2bn, expected to be completed within twelve months.
Keyamo said, “We got approval for that as part of ICAO’s requirements in the sum of N4.2bn and a fraction, inclusive of VAT, with a completion period of 12 months to supply and also to train the handlers of these equipment to handle them and remove disabled aircraft from our runways”, he said.
He frowned at the development where uniform officers harass staff of government at the airport, assuring that cameras would be mounted in strategic positions to capture those officers in such habit.
On his alleged interference in the aviation activities especially as it concerns the closure of Dana airline, Keyamo said any airline operator that shows substance signs of danger, will continue to interfere to save lives until he leaves office.
Keyamo also told regulators in the aviation sector to get ready for rough rides, adding, “I will breathe down on the regulators. I must direct them to do what the law says diligently. I will ensure that they don’t water down the regulatory measures”.
