The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Tuesday, approved the issuance of a N758 billion bond to clear pension arrears for retirees.
The approval was granted during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja.
The Debt Management Office (DMO) was mandated to raise the funds for the payment of the arrears under the Defined Benefit Scheme, which preceded the Contributory Pension Scheme introduced in 2004 and reviewed in 2014.
Also, a 30 million Euro loan was approved for students’ housing scheme.
Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, told reporters after the meeting chaired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, that the move would address the financial burden of retirees who are waiting for their entitlements.
He said: “There was an approval for the government through the debt management office to raise a Federal Government bond of about 758 billion naira.
That is to clear up the backlog of pension liabilities owed various categories of pensioners under the Defined Benefit System that preceded the defined Contributory Pension Scheme that came into force in 2004 and of course, was updated with a new act in 2014.
“There were some accrued liabilities which were building up over time. For example, someone who was on a defined benefit scheme yet to retire, would need a top up of their contributions or the amount due to them every time that there was a wage increase, every five years or so.
“So, this liability that built up to a point where it was not going to be easy to pay them down on an ongoing basis, and so, to clean up that important area and to give people their right, which is payment of the pension liabilities as and when due, the government has put in place an approval for debt management office to raise 758 billion naira that will pay down all these liabilities and of course, be a tremendous relief to the beneficiaries.”
FEC also approved a €30 million concessional loan from the French Development Agency (AFD) to support student accommodation projects.
The financing will be implemented in collaboration with Family Homes Limited, the government’s partner for the initiative.
The concessional loan is expected to improve student housing conditions across the country, aligning with the administration’s commitment to enhance educational infrastructure.
Edun said: “I will just highlight some particular approvals. First of all, a €30 million financing, long term concessional financing by Agence Francaise de Development (AFD), the French development agency, which is supporting student housing in conjunction with Family Homes formed limited, thats the partner and implementer.
“It is for students tertiary accommodation project sites throughout the country to provide sustainable and clean energy based accommodation for students.
“An approval has been given for the all important National Single Window Project. So, the technology providers, the hardware suppliers, have been approved for implementation of the project.
“Some aspects will take 12 months for delivery of the hardware and for complete implementation, including the software solutions and the technology solutions and the e-government solutions that will take up to 24 months and this project not only speaks to improving the economic competitiveness the international ability to export efficiently, and of the of the Nigerian economy.
“It also speaks to increasing government revenue. So, it’s both on the on the fiscal side, it is both revenue earning in terms of foreign exchange and in terms of government revenue, it speaks to the increased productivity of the Nigerian economy.”
He added: “Increased international competitiveness at a time where under the African continental Free Trade Agreement, Nigeria is pushing to be a big player, both in the ECOWAS region and in the African continent as well.
“Why that is particularly important, we are all seeing that the world is moving away from open trade, from the rules based world trade organization led, world trading environment is moving to a more closed environment, and so the regional and the continental markets will be that more much more important for Nigeria.
“Finally, we also commented that given the plethora, the large amounts of approvals which were given today, that there was the assurance also given that the economic management team is going to harmonize, synthesize, synchronize, and very much prioritize in an orderly fashion, these different approvals in line with Mr. President’s priorities.
“First of all, to attract investment that will grow the economy and create jobs and reduce poverty, but more importantly, to also focus on his immediate priorities for stabilizing for now, implementing what will strengthen the Nigerian economy and grow it and create jobs in the near term.”
“Such as, strengthen food security, enhancing fiscal the fiscal condition, including, as we have seen, the revenue benefits that can come from the National Single window project, increased energy security, strengthen social protection, improved economic competitiveness.
“Timely implementation of the new national development plan, so that we all have a framework in which to implement the various programs and policies of the government, and also to be able to show to all stakeholders the direction in which the government is going, and as we clearly know, the benefits of the reforms are beginning to come through, there is greater fiscal strength, there is greater competitiveness of the Nigerian economy.”
The Nation
