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Tag: Administration

  • Women will be well represented in my administration – Tinubu

    Women will be well represented in my administration – Tinubu

    The President-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has assured that women would be properly represented in his administration.

    Tinubu said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the public presentation of a book titled, “101 Nigerian Women of Impact” authored by Mrs Zainab Marwa.

    The President-elect was represented by the National Women Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Betta Edu.

    He said that Nigerian women have paid the price for the development, peace and unity of Nigeria, hence they must be appreciated.

    Tinubu congratulated the author for her accomplishments in the gender space, saying the book would inspire women to greatness.

    “All I can say is Nigerian women can go home smiling because you will have one of the best times in representation in government. Nigerian women will be appreciated.”

    Tinubu described the book lunch as a celebration of Nigerian women.

    “They have done well and are still doing well. We are proud of every effort that have been put on the table.

    “The message you have sent by writing the book to celebrate 101 women amongst over 100 million is simple: You can aspire to do more.

    “The second message is that working together we can change the picture of Nigeria.

    “Nigeria is at a turning point and the missing chip in that puzzle that would fix this country and give us the speed we need are the women folk. This is your call to action and development,” Tinubu added.

  • Buhari delivers three projects that defy solutions for decades – Fashola

    Buhari delivers three projects that defy solutions for decades – Fashola

    The Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola says the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has delivered three critical infrastructure projects that defy solutions for decades.

    The minister said this on Tuesday in Abuja at the 21st edition of Town Hall Meeting focusing on the achievements of the Federal Government in Infrastructure Development.

    The town hall meeting was organised by the Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

    In a presentation, Fashola said that Apapa-Oworonshoki road in Lagos state which was notorious for gridlock and in bad shape for decades was one of the difficult projects.

    He said the road built in 1970 had failed intermittently and seemed to have defied solution in the history of the country.

    Fashola said Buhari found solution to the critical infrastructure with the construction of a new 37 km road from Apapa Port to the Toll Gate which would last for at least 50 years after completion.

    The minister also identified Bodo-Bonny Bridge in Rivers which was the only access to the site of Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas.

    “For decades, this place is only accessible by air and when there is bad weather which are a usual occurrence people cannot get there for days.

    “Three attempts had been made by the previous administrations to construct the bridge but all failed,’’ he said.

    Fashola said the Buhari administration succeeded in constructing the first road and bridge linking Bonny Island in highly challenging environment and soil condition

    The third project according to Fashola is the Second Niger Bridge which he said would be delivered and inaugurated before the end of the year.

    The minister said the second Niger Bridge had always come up as an election statement by past administrations and nothing happened until Buhari broke the jinx.

    The minister said the administration awarded 1,019 infrastructure contracts covering 859 projects across the country and no state was left out without benefitting from the projects.

    He said the administration also took an initiative to fix roads inside federal tertiary institutions and the impact had really worth the efforts.

    “We are in 76 federal tertiary institutions we have completed and commission 29 and starting a round of 22 last year before the ASUU strike.

    “Our promise of change as a party and government is manifesting in the area of road transport infrastructure

    “The money we borrowed is being invested in all part of Nigeria and it is driving growth,’’ he said.

  • Why my administration invested so much in education – Ex-President Jonathan

    Why my administration invested so much in education – Ex-President Jonathan

    Former President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has said no country can make progress without educated citizenry as education is vital to the development of the manpower resources of any society.

    The one time number one citizen, who was the keynote speaker, stated this on Monday at the maiden five-day Bayelsa State Education Summit, with the theme: “Optimising the delivery, performance and sustainability of outcomes in the education sector,” in Yenagoa.

    Highlighting the contributions he made in the development of the education sector when he was governor of the state and at the national level, Dr. Jonathan emphasised the important role of information and communication technology.

    According to him, his administration made substantial investments at the national and state levels, including providing scholarship programmes.

    He stressed that his recognition of the vital place of an educated citizenry was the reason behind his administration’s investment in almajiri schools in the North.

    His words: “Education is a strategic tool for national development and social change. You cannot make progress without educated citizenry. People cannot develop without functional education.

    “Today, ICT is key. It is replacing almost everything. The teaching of ICT has to start right from the nursery schools.”

    He applauded the vision of Governor Douye Diri and his team in holding the summit to fashion out a sustainable policy for the sector.

    He urged the state government to legalise its educational policies so that successive government would not jettison them.
    .
    Jonathan also charged stakeholders at the summit to consider introducing a common language in the educational curriculum.

    “If we must come together, we must have a common language. When you want to develop our educational policies, do not forget the languages because language is very critical in creating global citizens.”

    Declaring the summit open, Governor Douye Diri said at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bayelsa was handicapped as it lacked the equipment required in delivering remote learning.

    On the need to back educational policies with a law, the governor said a bill would be sent to the House of Assembly to that effect.

    Commenting on the need to adopt a common language, Senator Diri said already, the state executive council had adopted Kolokuma as the chosen dialect and directed the Ministries of Education and Ijaw National Affairs to ensure implementation of the policy.

    According to him, “language is not only critical in education but also in establishing one’s identity and conscious efforts must be made to ensure our language does not go into extinction.”

    He called on stakeholders in the sector to develop a 15-year education plan that could be reviewed periodically to enable Bayelsans take their rightful place in the country and the world.

    Diri also assured that his administration would continue to support the model schools he inherited
    from his predecessor and called for support from the private sector, particularly the oil companies operating in the state.

    Chairman of the state Education Development Trust Fund and one-time Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. Turner Isoun represented by Prof Francis Sikoki, said the board remains committed to providing interventions in the education sector.

    In their goodwill messages, chairman of the state traditional rulers council, King Alfred Diete-Spiff, representative of the Executive Secretary, Nigeria Content Development and Monitoring Board, Mr. Dan Kikile, and a representative of the Managing Director, Sterling Bank, described Senator Diri’s vision on holding the summit as brilliant.

    They said this was time to put Bayelsa on the global map.

  • Next administration will inherit stable democracy, revamped security forces – Buhari

    Next administration will inherit stable democracy, revamped security forces – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged his commitment to hand over a strong repositioned agriculture-led, diversified home-grown economy, stable democracy and revamped armed and security forces to the next administration.

    Buhari stated this at a dinner in honour of the 2022 Committee of Business, Political, Media and Civil Society Leaders at the State House, Abuja, on Monday.

    The president said he was looking forward to completing his tenure in 2023, leaving a legacy for a united, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria with 24 years of uninterrupted democracy.

    He further assured Nigerians that his administration would finish strong in the last lap of his tenure.

    He said: ”I am gradually entering my final year in office. It is a period I intend to spend not only on consolidating on the achievements of the past seven years but also to leave a legacy for a united, peaceful, and prosperous Nigeria.

    ”I take this initiative to mean that you all intend to collaborate with this administration in that direction.

    ”For those among you who are politicians, you must look beyond gaining power to how you can leverage public positions in the process of societal change.

    ”To the businessmen and women among you, there is great glory in public service.

    ”The question that should be uppermost always is: How do we leverage our business endowment for the greater good of our country?

    ”I am delighted that members of the Nigerian elite have woken up to the fact that the task of changing this society is a task for all of us, whether we are in the private or public sector. Knowing that, we have enormous challenges as a nation, but they are not beyond our capacity to overcome if we embrace a new approach.

    ”We cannot retreat to our ethnic cocoons, nor can we continue to seek solace in our past. We must champion the idea of a Nigeria where every citizen would be proud to call their own. That is the charge before you.”

    He expressed delight on the new consciousness by the Nigerian elites to work together with the political class and civil society to build a better Nigeria.

    Buhari noted that building consensus around issues of the economy, national security, governance, and ”such other critical areas of national life is a sure path to the future we seek to build.

    ”As we all know, I have been very critical of the Nigerian elites, essentially because some of us have not always demonstrated that we can rise above personal gain, political partisanship as well as ethnic and religious differences when the situation demands that we all speak and or act as one in the interest of our country.

    ”There are also many among our elites for whom profit remains the only motivation for any and every enterprise.

    ”But now, I feel heartened that a more collaborative social enterprise model for resolving our common challenges is being forged.

    ”I must commend this initiative and its conveners. This is the kind of spirit I have always advocated because it is what we need at this time as we seek to build our society for peace, security and prosperity through dialogue while narrowing the gap between rich and poor.”

    On the activities of the Committee, the president acknowledged that he was aware that attendance at their inaugural meeting on Sunday cut across a broad section of the society in the public, private sectors, civil society, and the youth.

    He lauded the group for rising above all ethnic and religious divides for the common good, describing the feat as ‘‘fantastic’’.

    The president, who said he had wished the group had convened earlier, advised them to try and accommodate a few more interests in their next meeting as they take a ”deeper dive into our national challenges and proffer workable and sustainable solutions for the near, medium, and long term.

    ’’It is our desire to finish strong in the next 16 months and ensure all hands are on deck for the last lap. We are doubling our efforts against all forms of insecurity, equipping our armed forces and strengthening the police.

    ”We are determined to continue the war against corruption and fight poverty, we remain focused on building an all-inclusive economic opportunity for all citizens. ”

    The president told the meeting that despite the enormous problems inherited when he assumed office almost seven years ago, he could look back with satisfaction that this administration has kept faith with the people.

    According to him, the administration has done well even amid dwindling resources for reasons that are well beyond our control.

    ”But we probably would have fared even better if we secured the support of most of you that are here today, know that while government comes and goes, the country must remain and thrive,” he added.

    Buhari used the occasion to wish politicians, at the dinner, interested in elective positions in the 2023 polls the best, advising that ”there is nothing better than experience in leadership.”

    Responding to concerns raised by Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti on the resurgence of military takeovers in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso in Aug. 2020, Sept. 2021 and Jan. 2022, respectively, the president said he strongly believed that ‘‘Nigeria has passed through that stage for good.’’

    On the political situation in some West African countries, Fayemi said:

    ”We believe Nigeria has a manifest destiny to protect democracy not just in Nigeria but also in our region.

    ”But in doing that we must ensure that our politicians adhere strictly to constitutional principles and I am happy that our President’s position on leaders seeking third term is well known.”

    While giving further insight on the workings of the Committee, Fayemi said Nigerians who had benefitted from the country in good time, serving in different capacities, have a duty to support the country.

    “What the Committee has tried to do is to develop an elite consensus on security and economy, ” he said.

    The governor said the Committee would take advantage of the president’s consistent leadership, relentless passion and patriotism to ensure a seamless transition, while ensuring that the achievements of this administration are sustained and followed through for the benefit of the country.

    “Here we have PDP and APC chieftains and we hope by the time we finish this work, what we will present to the president is void of partisan colorations.

    ”It is from people who want Nigerians to succeed,” he said.

    The Convener of the Group and Chairman of THISDAY/ARISE Media Group, Nduka Obaigbena said with Nigeria facing a ”historic transition like no other”, and with crisis across Africa and at home, the 2022 Committee emerged to defend the national interest.

    ”The 2022 Committee was put together to defend Nigeria in a time of crisis and in a time of transition, we must defend the national interest,’’ he said

    He noted that membership of the group had been carefully selected from the business community, investors, governors, security sector and elder statesmen.

  • Buhari tells Nigerians what to expect from his administration in New Year message

    Buhari tells Nigerians what to expect from his administration in New Year message

    President Muhammadu Buhari has asked Nigerians to envision a year of continued progress against the nation’s combined challenges arising from security and socio-economic issues.

    He gave the charge on Friday in his New Year message to Nigerians to usher in the year 2022.

    The President also urged the people, irrespective of their religious and political affiliation, to come together in the fight to keep the country united against all odds.

    He admitted that the persistent insecurity in parts of the country may have threatened the overall objective of his administration to position the nation on the irreversible trajectory of sustainable growth and progress.

    President Buhari, however, assured that the government would remain resolute in its commitments and would continue to press ahead with its programmes and plans.

    To achieve this, he stressed that standing together against all odds, was by far greater and would ultimately be more prosperous and viable than the sum of its distinguishable parts.

    The President also used the occasion to highlight some of the efforts made so far by his administration, and what Nigerians should expect in the areas of security, economy, and anti-corruption fight, among others.

    Read the full text of President Buhari’s New Year message below:

    We remain grateful to the Almighty God for yet another Year attained as a country, united by a common destiny and resolute in our determination to overcome the several challenges along the path to build the great and prosperous nation of our dream.

    2. I salute the courage and resilience of all Nigerians, which was evident in 2021 as this nation, like other countries of the world, faced significant challenges that occurred as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic and the efforts to restore the global economy and social order.

    3. The persistent insecurity in certain parts of the country may have threatened to unravel the incremental gains achieved in the real sectors of the economy and in the administration’s overall objective to position the nation on the irreversible trajectory of sustainable growth and progress, but I assure you that we will remain resolute in our commitments and shall continue to press ahead with our programmes and plans.

    4. The path to nationhood is often fraught with unpredictable difficulties and challenges, and most tried and tested nations have often prevailed through dogged determination, resilience, concerted commitment to unity, and the conviction that the whole of the nation, standing together against all odds, is by far greater and would ultimately be more prosperous and viable than the sum of its distinguishable parts.

    5. There is no doubt that the issue of Security remains at the front burner of priority areas that this Administration has given utmost attention to. As a follow up to our promise to re-energize and reorganize the security apparatus and personnel of the armed forces and the police, it is on record that this Administration has invested heavily in re-equipping our military in line with upgrading the platforms and firepower required to tackle the current challenges being faced in the country.

    6. The net results of these efforts have been the number of insurgents and bandits who have willingly surrendered to our Security Forces and continue to do so through various channels and the Safe Corridor created for that purpose.

    7. Government, however, realizes that victory on the battlefield is just one aspect of sustainable victory. We know that to fully win this war, we must also win the peace and real security lies in winning the hearts and minds of the affected citizens. To this end, working with our international partners and neighbouring countries, we would be deploying multi-faceted solutions that will be targeted at addressing human security at the grassroots, before it leads to insecurity.

    8. Once again I would like to take a moment to remember and honour the gallant Military, Police Officers, and other security agents who have lost their lives in the cause of protecting the territorial integrity of this Nation against both internal and external aggressors, assuring their families that their sacrifices would not be in vain.

    9. We equally remember and commiserate with Nigerians who have lost loved ones as a result of insecurity in different parts of the country. Every life matters and every single death caused by any form of insecurity is a matter of personal concern to me both as a citizen and as the President of this great country.

    10. We remain fully committed to upholding the constitutional provisions that protect all Nigerians from any form of internal and external aggression.

    11. On the economy, we have shown a high level of resilience to record some significant achievements despite the turbulence that has characterized our economy and indeed the global economy. The lessons we have learned and keep learning from COVID-19 have encouraged us to intensify efforts to mitigate its socio-economic effects on our Nation.

    12. The major wins we have recorded can be clearly seen in Nigeria’s most recent Gross Domestic Product (GDP) figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The 4.03% growth recorded in the third quarter of 2021 is indicative of the recovery being recorded in our economy and the confidence that is being shown through the policies that our Administration has put in place after the outbreak of the pandemic.

    13. We may also recall that this recent growth is closely followed by the 5.1% (year on year) growth in real terms recorded by Nigeria in Quarter 2 of 2021. This growth was one of the best recorded by any nation across Sub-Saharan Africa. The 5.1% growth at that time was and remains the highest growth recorded by the Nigerian economy since 2014.

    14. Despite the challenges we have faced as a Nation, the good news is that we have so far recorded four consecutive quarters of growth after the negative growth rates recorded in Quarter 2 and Quarter 3 of 2020 due to the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    15. On August 16, 2021, I signed the landmark Petroleum Industry Act into law. The signing of this legacy legislation is a watershed moment in the history of our Nation, considering the massive positive impact the new Act would have on the economy. I would like to sincerely commend the 9th Assembly for the grit they demonstrated, succeeding where others have failed, and the cooperation that led to the completion of this process after almost two decades.

    16. Just like I stated during the investment trips and fora that I have attended recently, the legislation is expected to serve as a liberalizing force in the energy industry, and we are optimistic that this law will provide the much-needed legal, governance, regulatory and fiscal framework for the development of the energy sector, the host communities, and Nigeria as a Nation. Our objective to increase Liquefied Natural Gas exports and expand our domestic market is still very much at the forefront of some of the policies we would be pushing in the new year.

    17. In year 2022 and going forward, our Administration would intentionally leverage ICT platforms to create jobs, while ensuring that the diversification of our economy creates more support to other emerging sectors. I am proud to announce that several foreign investors are taking advantage of our ranking as one of the leading start-up ecosystems in Africa to invest in our digital economy.

    18. We have given the utmost priority to fighting corruption and other related offenses which have been a bane to the growth and prosperity of our dear Nation. We have made major strides and breakthroughs through the innovative use of technology and forensics in the investigative and prosecutorial procedures with commendable results to show that the anti-corruption drive of our Administration is succeeding.

    19. In the meantime, the accomplishments that have been recorded so far can be traced to the dedication of the Nation’s anti-corruption Agencies who have received the necessary support needed to effectively prosecute their duties.

    20. Despite our challenges in 2021, it was also a year in which the Administration executed successfully, key projects, programmes, and initiatives to fulfil the promises made under the Security, Economy Anti-corruption (SEA) agenda.

    21. As we welcome 2022, let us, with hope, envision a year of continued progress against our combined challenges arising from security and socio-economic issues.

    22. As it is said, the past is but a story told, the future will still be written in gold. Let us be united in our fight to keep our Nation united against all odds and with gratitude, celebrate life in this new epoch.

    23. I wish you a very happy and prosperous New Year.

    Muhammadu Buhari

  • Buhari’s UNGA speech, a complete disagreement with ugly realities of failures of his administration – Reps Minority Caucus

    Buhari’s UNGA speech, a complete disagreement with ugly realities of failures of his administration – Reps Minority Caucus

    The minority caucus in the House of Representatives has faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent speech at the United Nations General Assembly, claiming Boko Haram terrorists were emboldened under his watch.

    In a statement, Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Ndudi Elumelu, said the caucus had extensively reviewed the President’s address at the 76th session of the UNGA, noting that it is in “complete disagreement with the ugly reality of the failures of his administration, as well as the economic, security and social ruins that have confronted the nation under his watch”.

    Elumelu said the caucus was “alarmed by President Buhari’s report to UNGA that terrorists have been so weakened in Nigeria that they are now preying on soft targets, when in reality, insurgents have become so emboldened under his watch”.

    According to the statement issued on Saturday, the insurgents are now attacking military formations, kidnapping and killing the nation’s gallant officers while overrunning communities and murdering our citizens without restraint.

    As representatives of the people, the Minority caucus expressed regret that President Buhari’s speech did not reflect on the kidnapping and killing of students in Nigeria.

    The opposition lawmakers argue that Buhari did not reflect the closure of schools and crippling of education in some parts of the country, where normal life has been destroyed by terrorists, neither did it show any empathy towards the victims of terrorism attacks.

    “Our caucus is worried that in reflecting on violent conflicts, Mr. President’s address conveyed no personal commitments that can guarantee an end to poor and undemocratic governance, human rights abuses, poverty, ignorance, injustice and inequalities, that are prevalent under his watch, even after identifying such as the causes of conflicts,” Elumelu said.

    “Also, the minority caucus is shocked by the claims in Mr. President’s speech that his administration “built” isolation centers and emergency hospital wards, ‘all over the country’ ‘in record time’ in the fight against COVID-19; a claim that is in conflict with the infrastructural reality in the country.

    “Moreover, our caucus is worried that Mr. President’s speech did not portray any decisive road map towards economic recovery and food security; had no personal commitment to end corruption in his administration; had no personal commitment to end borrowing or show a clear-cut plan to repay the huge debt being accumulated by his administration.”

    On the 2023 general elections in the country, the opposition accused the President of lacking what it described as the definite personal commitments towards credible electoral process.

    The Minority caucus therefore asked President Buhari to always cross check the content given to him by his handlers so as to ensure that his position, especially on the world stage, captures the reality as well as aspiration prevalent in the country.

    This to them, is because such addresses ought to serve as an unblemished working document for interventions and solutions at various levels of governance.

  • My administration has good track record of paying debts, Buhari appeals to striking doctors, others to return to work

    My administration has good track record of paying debts, Buhari appeals to striking doctors, others to return to work

    President Muhammadu Buhari has called on health workers, including members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) to return to their duty posts.

    He made the call on Friday during a meeting with members of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) at the State House in Abuja.

    The President urged others contemplating strikes to opt for settlement of issues by negotiation, no matter how long it takes.

    “Debts genuinely owed Health workers will be settled,” he was quoted as saying in a statement by his media aide, Garba Shehu. “This administration has a good track record of paying all debts owed to government workers, pensioners, and contractors and we have even revisited debts left by past administrations, once due verification is done.

    “I learned that some of the 12 points demand in the ongoing strike were already addressed, although the review of a new hazard allowance has not been fully negotiated because of the sharp and deep division within the ranks of the striking doctors.”

    President Buhari gave an assurance that all outstanding benefits owed medical doctors would be cleared, after verifications, insisting that going on strike was not an option to consider.

    “The lives of citizens that could be lost or damaged when doctors withdraw services, are precious enough to be worth opting for peaceful resolution of differences.

    “Protecting our citizens is not to be left to government alone, but taken as a collective responsibility in which, especially medical professionals play a critical role. Let me speak directly to the striking doctors; embarking on industrial action at this time when Nigerians need you most is not the best action to take, no matter the grievances,” he said.

    The President said the outstanding issue of an establishment circular issued by the Head of Service, removing house officers, NYSC doctors from the scheme of service had an addendum circular from the National Salaries and Wages Commission to clarify that they would continue to earn the wages attached to them on their present wage structure.

    He requested that the agreement reached in the meetings held on August 20 and 21 and captured in the MOU which he saw be religiously implemented.

    To further improve the health sector, President Buhari said budgetary allocations had been increased and a Health Sector Reform Committee led by the Vice President had been commissioned to identify and address weaknesses in the health system and align with global best practices that raise public confidence.

    According to him, the government is also supporting initiatives to expand health insurance coverage and bring more resources to health financing.

    “We have many more challenges ahead and much more to do, for our large population. In this respect, it is important to remind you that, as senior medical personnel and representatives of one of the most respected professional groups in the world, your responsibility for the health and wellbeing of Nigerians is clear,” the President told the NMA leaders.

    “It does not end only with the welfare of your members but continues with a sense of responsibility for the entire country and its socio-political health and national stability. The global economy has been seriously affected by the pandemic, and despite recent pleasing news of more than five per cent economic growth of Nigeria in the last quarter, we are still having fiscal challenges to deal with, like most other countries.

    “The source of revenue that Nigeria has depended on for so long experienced global decline, our population is rising fast and the tension arising from both is fuelling agitation among our youth. Organisations like the NMA could play a very useful moderating role in society.”

    President Buhari commended the positive role of the NMA as the apex professional medical association in Nigeria, especially with regard to the ongoing industrial action.

    In his remarks, NMA President, Professor Innocent Ujah, thanked the President for the appointment of members into strategic positions in government, assent to the Medical Residency Act, and immunisation coverage.

    He said the association was concerned with the strike by doctors and had been doing its best to alleviate the suffering of patients across the country while appealing for an urgent resolution.

    The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, who was also present at the meeting, said the NMA had been playing a critical role in the development of the health sector, particularly in tackling pandemics, participating in policy formulation, and population health.

  • Governor Uzodinma Quells Fire Of Criticism, Proves His Administration Is For Everybody

    Governor Uzodinma Quells Fire Of Criticism, Proves His Administration Is For Everybody

    By Debo Oladimeji

    My speech, carried live on the cable TV captured our campaign’s big themes-the need for fundamental change; the need to tackle long-term problems like healthcare and climate change; the need to move past the tired Washington partisan divide; the need for an engaged and active citizenry. Michelle and the girls joined me onstage to wave at the roaring crowd when I was finished, the massive American flags hanging across nearby buildings making for a spectacular backdrop. Barack Obama: A Promised Land

    Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State made history last Saturday when he decided to empower 15000 youths from the state with N4billion beyond party line. This was contrary to what the opposition party expects. Some of his detractors earlier argued: that the governor was going to assemble his cronies and well- wishers to dole out money to them in the name of empowerment. Some even went further that nobody was going to benefit from anything. To make matter worse we were told that Governor Hope Uzodimma was planning to bomb Njaba in Imo State. The opposition party went further to claim that the governor planned to bomb school children and everyone if they refuse to run away. That the world must rise up and stop the impeding explosion in Imo State.

    It was the same set of people that were criticizing the governor for bringing military to quell the crisis in Imo State. Now that peace has returned to the state, they were busy devising new ways to puncture the efforts of the governor to make sure that such an ugly event that devastated the state recently will not repeat itself.

    They were expecting him to make a “gaffe,” the expression used by press to describe any maladroit phrase by the candidate that reveals ignorance, carelessness, fuzzy thinking, insensitivity, malice, boorishness, falsehood or hypocrisy –or it is simply deem to veer sufficiently far from conventional wisdom to make said candidate vulnerable to attack. ( See Barack Obama: The Promised Land).

    In his keynote address at the disbursement ceremony of the N4billion held at Dan Anyiam Stadium Owerri Imo State, Governor Hope Uzodimma stated that the empowerment exercise was to meaningfully engage the youths so as to prepare them for future challenges and equally discouraged them from engaging in crime.

    “You have often heard it said that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop, keeping you busy will save you from temptation. Sociology experts believe that there is correlation between unemployment and crime. Our goal is to get you employed and keep you away from crime. Do not disappoint yourself and the Government,” Uzodimma said.

    “My administration is not a promise and fail, I mean every word I say to you,” Uzodimma reiterated. There is no iota of truth in what they are saying. The infrastructural development that is going on the state further demonstrate that the government is up ready to change the landscape of Imo State. “

    It is now crystal clear that the opposition was only looking for ways of scoring cheap political goals by labeling the governor a bandit.

    It has become a pattern in Imo State for the opposition to rake up one controversy or the other anytime that Governor Hope Uzodinma scores high in delivering democracy dividends to the people of the state. Like the Frankenstein monster that seeks to destroy that which it cannot create, members of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and their cheerleaders are always looking behind their shadows anytime Uzodinma scores a bull’s eye in governance so that they will quickly come out with a negative propaganda to whittle down the effect. In their vain attempt to obliterate their incompetence and zero performance record while in office, they have resorted to sheer brigandage and sophistry even in matters that they created.

    Not too long ago, Uzodinma rolled out 30 Coaster buses for the conveyance of civil servants to and fro the State Secretariat daily and free of charge. That was after he had restored the dilapidated buildings and spruced up the environment, returning power and water supply to make the place conducive for civil servants. That had not happened since the creation of the state in 1976. Permanent secretaries, who had been trekking to work due to lack of official cars, were put out of the misery by the same governor who provided brand new official vehicles to them.

    Just as the ovation of what the governor did was about to reach a crescendo, he rolled out 10 mobile clinics to take health care to the sick in their homes. The clinics, equipped with laboratories and drugs and personnel, provide their services free to the sick, the aged and the vulnerable. The rural areas have been agog with the news of the novel policy, which is also the first of its kind since 1976 when the state was created. The outpouring of joy and appreciation by a grateful populace for Uzodinma is at the centre of the current allegation against the governor.

    President Muhammadu Buhari also commended Governor Uzodinma for constructing 46 roads in different parts of the state within one year of assuming office.

    The President, in a virtual speech delivered while inaugurating two of the roads located in Owerri, the Imo State capital, said he was aware that in the first year in office, the Imo State government had embarked on an ambitious target of executing 46 road projects.

    He said: ‘’I am glad to learn that significant strides are being made towards their completion, and a number of them are amongst those being commissioned as part of the events in honour of the one-year anniversary. I must commend the state government, under the leadership of Senator Hope Uzodimma, for setting ambitious targets, and within just one year in office using this moment to evaluate the journey thus far.

    ‘’It clearly demonstrates the commitment of the government to the welfare of the people’’, he said.

    For the opposition who had a golden opportunity to perform for seven months but squandered it while pandering to selfish and vain glory, the successes being recorded by Uzodinma is like a hot knife thrust at their hearts. Because they can’t bear to see the people happy, they have reached for their tar brush in a futile effort to erase the good works of the governor. But that is a mission impossible.

    First of all, the governor is a democrat who believes in the rule of law. That was why he did not resort to violence when the PDP stole his mandate. He quietly pursued his matter to its logical conclusion at the Supreme Court. Secondly, he was a lawmaker for eight years. He understands the workings of parliament, knowing full well that the passage of a bill is a collective decision by the House, irrespective of party affiliation. Thirdly, Uzodinma believes that government is a continuum. That is why he did not rashly rush into the dissolution of even panels set up by his predecessor. He did not revoke contracts awarded by the previous government. He did not disrupt the activities of government just because a new governor came on board.

  • Discord in Buhari’s Choir – Chidi Amuta

    Chidi Amuta

    President Muhammadu Buhari would have made a bad orchestra conductor. In that line of business, a certain faithfulness to synchrony and harmonious outcome is the secret of success.

    Even in his primary lifelong career of soldiering, order and uniformity have remained the hallmarks of the best traditions of the military endeavour. His present occupation of politics is however somewhat different. Politics is the pursuit of ultimate order by means of organized incoherence and deliberate multi speak. Yet power, which is the end of politics, assures governance. Success in governance is the triumph of order in the service of everyone’s good. Disorderly governance is the harbinger of something frightful: anarchy by whatever its various aliases.

     

    In recent months and weeks, Nigerians have been treated to a festival of discordant tunes from the apex of national power and governance. Sustained public outcry led to a belated firing of jaded and incompetent service chiefs. Before the public could decide on whether the service chiefs were pushed out or forced to jump off the wagon, the President nominated all of them for ambassadorial positions.

    Buhari administration seems to be posing fresh challenges for political science on the proper definition of governance in a democracy. Is government a collective responsibility with a unified position and voice? Or, is it an incoherent choir of privileged citizens as lone wolves in which each man or woman in authority sings what he pleases on public issues?

    A Senate that is ever ready to rubber stamp literally any knee jerk or sneeze from the executive branch readily confirmed the former service chiefs to represent Nigeria anywhere the president may send them in the world. No questions asked. No recourse to proper security clearance. No audit clearance by the different arms of the services over which they presided. Not even a public hearing to allow the ex chiefs to defend their track record of public service in their controversial recent roles against the background of spiraling nationwide insecurity. There was not even an opportunity for the Nigerian public to decide whether the former chiefs understand civics let alone Nigeria’s foreign policy imperatives. Just “Carry Go” in popular Nigerian parlance! Take a bow and go!

     

    Just last week, a controversial BBC interview by the president’s National Security Adviser, Mr. Babagana Monguno, raised disturbing questions about basic accountability under the ex service chiefs. Before Mr. Monguno was obviously compelled to readjust his position, he had raised questions concerning the use of the over $1 billion commandeered from the Excess Crude Account belonging to the states to fund military supplies in aid of the counter insurgency operations in the North East. By Monguno’s original account, there is as yet no verifiable evidence of arms and equipment procurement with the funds nor could the funds be located or properly accounted for. An embarrassed presidency jumped to reduce the damage, insisting that no money was missing. But the damage had been done in terms of the considerably degraded credibility of the Buhari administration who keeps swearing by its commitment to the fight against corruption.

     

    While the embers of this potential scandal are still glowing, two major media outlets have recently treated the public to even more damning obviously leaked stories around the office of the NSA. According to a report in The Cable and substantially amplified by the San Francisco based The Will, Mr. Monguno was barely stopped from committing the nation to a $2.5 billion arms purchase deal with a United Arab Emirates third party arms supply company in aid of the same North East counter insurgency enterprise.

     

    According to this yet uncorroborated report, the deal was only scuttled by the intervention of late presidential Chief of Staff Abba Kyari who along with the president insisted that arms purchases of that magnitude should only be on a government-to-government basis. This position was later reaffirmed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo when the matter resurfaced when he was acting president during Buhari’s medical leave.

     

    What is brewing around the NSA’s office is an obvious armsgate hurricane scandal with vast implications for the Buhari presidency. From the numerous reports of money and arms racketeering around the office of the NSA under former president Goodluck Jonathan, it is emerging that the office of the NSA in Nigeria has become a giant clearing house for nefarious arms and security fund related corruption. These range from funneling of funds for political purposes to questionable black market and middle man arms deals.

     

    This trend, now being amplified under Mr. Buhari, raises many disturbing questions. In a country with a Ministry of Defence with extant bureaucratic structures of accountability and arms purchase procedures, it is strange that a black market structure has been allowed to grow in the office of the NSA. Instructively, the Nigerian Ministry of Defence has considerable experience in arms procurement transactions spanning a full -fledged civil war and numerous peace keeping operations for over four decades. Why would matters of arms purchases be left to the whims of the office of the NSA? Why would the office of the NSA be commandeered to carry out nefarious transactions and illicit covert security related operations in spite of the existence of the existence of agencies like the Defence Intelligence Agency(DIA), the Department of State Security(DSS), the National Intelligence Agency(NIA) and even the Police? Many informed opinions in Nigeria have since come to the conclusion that the insurgencies and terrorist related problems of the country have persisted for this long mostly because the entire military operations around them have since transformed into an industry of armed corruption, an over laden gravy train that is not in a hurry to end.

     

    There is nothing in the section of the Constitution establishing the office of the NSA that entrusts it with the numerous underhand money laundering, humongous stealing and scam errands that we have witnessed both under Mr. Jonathan and now Mr. Buhari. The aberrations are typical exhibits of Nigeria’s institutionalized political rascality and leadership without accountability.

     

    In the US tradition that we pretend to be copying, the office of the National Security Adviser is essentially meant to be one of an intellectual sounding board for the president on National Security issues. Its roles ought to include the generation of policy options as well as liaising with and among national security institutions and agencies on behalf of the president. It even includes strategic projections on future national security threats and building scenarios that would guide the president to avoid future national security emergencies that may grow into credible threats. This why US presidents have tended to traditionally prefer either renowned intellectuals or former military and intelligence persons with a certain measure of intellectual depth and curiosity to fill the position.

     

    On a strictly governmental pecking order, while the NSA is a senior cabinet rank presidential adviser, the only difference between him/her and the other senior advisers of the president is in the nature of the NSA’s subject: security and intelligence. But strictly speaking, the office of the NSA in the US tradition is essentially one of the intellectual multiplier centres for increasing the options available to the president on matters of national security.

     

    On matters of arms and armaments, the views of the NSA would only be important to the extent that such materiel affect the nation’s strategic advantages. Between the NSA’s office and the Pentagon there is both physically and conceptually a very long distance. I could not imagine former US NSAs like Condoleeza Rice, Collin Powell, Zbibigniew Brzenski or Jake Sullivan featuring as glorified arms merchants and political paymasters in any Pentagon arms procurement transaction!

     

    For the office of our NSA to be reduced to an unlicensed mini bureau de change, politicians casino or an Arab street bazaar of infamy is the hallmark of a leadership decay that can only be Nigerian. Furthermore, to use that office to usurp or dilute the functions of the Ministry of Defence is a tragic institutional devaluation. Even worse is the anomaly of allowing the service chiefs to be absorbed in the mundane gritty of direct arms procurement transactions instead of serving as technical advisers to the Ministry of Defence as end users of the armaments. On the potential scandals now flying around on arms and money around the office of the NSA and the former service chiefs, the least that the Nigerian public expects from president Buhari is the urgent institution of a credible investigation into these allegations. The benefit of such an investigation belongs ultimately to the president whose legacy may be further tainted by the potential scandals.

     

    To nearly every ordinary Nigeria, economic calculations begin and end at the gas station. The pump price of petrol and diesel determine most other things that are important to ordinary lives. And for successive Nigerian governments, routine and frequent increases in the price of petroleum products has become the readiest form of lazy taxation. Claims of subsidy on imported petroleum products has fueled the frequent price increases. Barely a fortnight ago, the Petroleum Price Regulatory Agency (PPRA) which administers the prices of these products on behalf of government announced a sudden increase in petroleum products prices, the third or fourth in the last two years. The public woke up to find either shut gas stations, long queues or increased prices. Labour unions were caught unawares. A showdown between government and labour accompanied by spontaneous public unrest was imminent. Government panicked but feigned lack of awareness of the decision to hike prices. The NNPC and the Petroleum Ministry went into a damage control mode by disowning an condemning the increases as unauthorized. The imminent price increase was doused and reversed pending consultations between government and labour.

     

    Here again, on something as important as petroleum product prices, this government was as incoherent as can be. The Ministry of Petroleum and a parastatal under its direct purview were discordant. There is no greater indication that this government lacks internal cohesion and consensus on even the most fundamental issue that affect the welfare of most Nigerians.

     

    While all that lasted, news came that the United Kingdom government was in the process of returning the sum of £4.2 million recovered from former Governor James Ibori of Delta State. Even before the funds were received, President Buhari’s over politicized Attorney General, Mr. Abubakar Malami, quickly announced that the anticipated funds would be appropriated by the federal government to pay for ongoing federal projects ranging from the Second Niger Bridge, the Kano-Kaduna highway and the Lagos-Ibadan expressway etc. Interestingly, no senior official of government or even the presidency itself offered any view in support of the Attorney General. There was no indication that the Attorney General’s position reflected the collective stance of government resulting from any systematic consultations, logic or concerted policy position.

     

    Quickly, the position of the AG was greeted by a firestorm of nationwide controversy which was clearly avoidable. Common sense dictates that the recovered funds should on receipt revert to Delta State from whose coffers they were stolen in the first place. It is of course the responsibility of the federal government and specifically the office of the Attorney General’s office to stage all the legal processes required to deal with any legal matters between the Nigerian sovereign and any external jurisdiction. Once that matter is resolved, the proceeds of the outcome will automatically revert to whatever Nigerian province of state where remedy and restitution is deserved. In the case of the Ibori funds, the money belongs squarely to Delta State and should be accordingly returned to it. A father who fights off robbers who invade his home to steal the property of one of his children can only restore the stolen item to the affected child when recovered, not distribute the recovered item to the entire family. It does appear that what we are dealing with in the Ibori matter is once again the overbearing ego of an Attorney General who may have sliced off a portion of presidential authority and domiciled it in his brief case. Only a few days ago, the AG regaled the nation with self adulation on why he single handedly chose the newly confirmed EFCC chairman, Mr. Bawa, to succeed his political adversary Mr. Magu, for the job!

     

    There is further growing evidence that an increasing number of high officials of this administration are functioning more like policy lone wolves. Highly placed government officials are coming up with disjointed policy positions of their own fabrication and announcing same as government positions even where such policies have far reaching implications for the national economy and the livelihood of many Nigerians. This may be partly because they look in vain for policy direction from the top or informed consensus within government on important issues. A recent example is the Central Bank of Nigeria policy circular arbitrarily banning crypto currencies. That policy announcement quickly destabilized the growing digital economic outreach of some Nigerian entrepreneurs. It also sent out a warning signal to international digital economy players. A number of Nigerian digital economy startups had made considerable inroads and investments in crypto currencies. They were caught napping.

     

    Obviously, the CBN position was patently uninformed either about the crypto currency phenomenon or indeed the current trend in the global economic space as it concerns crypto currencies. Coincidentally, barely 48 hours after the CBN announcement, Elon Musk, the US tech billionaire owner of Tesla and Space X invested $1.5 billion in Bitcoin, a leading crypto currency. The international stock price of Bitcoin went astronomically high and attracted many more high stakes investors. In a somewhat related development, a major Nigerian owned but US based digital economy payment company Flutterwave hit $i billion in capitalization within weeks of the CBN announcement. On its part, the Bank of England announced its policies and regulatory framework on crypt currencies while encouraging British investors to explore possibilities in that zone.

     

    Clearly then, Mr. Emefiele, Nigerian’s Central Bank Tsar, may have taken a decision based mostly on his own conservative economics orientation, not on current global economic trends. Instead of using the vast resources of the CBN to increase knowledge on crypto currencies in order to evolve a suitable regulatory framework for the country, the CBN governor adopted the usual Nigerian lazy approach of staying on the familiar road. Mr. Emefiele was quickly summoned by the National Assembly in a bid to sanctify a pre-ordained medieval policy choice. The NASS hearing produced neither heat nor light on the subject of crypto currencies as a good number of the legislators displayed patent ignorance of the crypto currency phenomenon. Luckily for all of us, the President’s spokespersons kept a dignified silence on Emefiele’s unfortunate misadventure.

     

    While the mostly ignorance driven controversy raged, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stepped forward as usual to add light to an unnecessary controversy. Speaking at a Bankers Committee Webinar a few days into the debate, the Vice President directly contradicted and cancelled out the CBN governor. He insisted that the challenge of Nigeria was to evolve a robust regulatory framework for crypto currencies instead of an outright ban as had been announced. Mr. Osinbajo, ever the persistent voice of enlightenment and reason in the Buhari administration, was advocating the adoption and creation of room for disruptive technologies if Nigeria is to occupy any place in the new world. In a new world ruled by knowledge especially the power of digitization, it is odd that a country with the knowledge base and economic potentials of Nigeria should be marooned in policy antiquity as conveyed in Mr. Emefiele’s recurrent policy positions.

     

    Interestingly, the Vice President is the chairperson of the National Economic Council(NEC) which is constitutionally mandated to oversee the national economy at the apex. Yet he obviously did not have any fore knowledge of such a major policy decision of the Central Bank. It is also interesting that no single member of the president’s Economic Advisory Council came forward to comment on Mr. Emefiele’s ancient policy on cryptocurrencies. Here again, we are face to face with avoidable discord on what ought to be a major government policy position.

     

    On these and numerous other issues, the Buhari administration seems to be posing fresh challenges for political science on the proper definition of governance in a democracy. Is government a collective responsibility with a unified position and voice? Or, is it an incoherent choir of privileged citizens as lone wolves in which each man or woman in authority sings what he pleases on public issues?

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Buhari comes hard on Nigerian elites for constantly harassing him, his administration ‘despite performance’

    Buhari comes hard on Nigerian elites for constantly harassing him, his administration ‘despite performance’

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday alleged harassment of his person and administration by the Nigerian elite “despite our performance.”

    He said that their criticisms often do not take into consideration where Nigeria was when he assumed office in 2015.

    Speaking in his hometown of Daura, Katsina State after revalidating his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Buhari urged the elite to be ‘reflective’ in assessing him and the administration he leads.

    “The problem is that I will like especially the elite to please be reflective. When we came, where we were, the resources available from them and the condition of the infrastructure,” Buhari said yesterday.

    According to him, he was “compelled to go over it several times to tell Nigerians that between 1999 and 2014, let them check with the NNPC, let them check with the governor of Central Bank, production was 2.4 million barrels per day and the average cost was $100 per barrel.”

    He added: “So for a year’s daily production, Nigeria would earn 2.4×100 dollars every day. But look at the condition of infrastructure. You know this better than I do.

    “I know I went to every local government of the country in my three consecutive attempts to become the President. You know the roads more than I do. You know the condition of the rail; the railway is dead. Now look at it everywhere we go, what did they do with all these monies?

    “When we took over the administration, production went down to about half a million barrels per day, the price collapsed. We had to do what is called a bailout, wherever we got the money from.

    “Upon all the money from 1999 to 2014, we gave out money from the centre to pay salaries. No, Nigerian elite are not interested in rating the competence but they are interested in harassing us with all efforts we are making.

    “You, who are in the field in charge of your constituencies, you have to make efforts to convince the elite to please give us the due relevance and respect we deserve that we are working so hard with limited resources.”

    Implementation of 2021 Budget

    President Buhari pledged that the 2021 Budget would be implemented to the letter.

    The budget, according to him, aptly captured some of the visions of the administration, and all efforts would be poured in to ensure its effective implementation.

    He said the budget would be implemented with all transparency and openness in meeting the targets.

    He hailed the National Assembly for the effective and detailed attention before its passage.

    He said: “We have directed all the ministries, departments and agencies to follow what is in the budget so that we can get the National Assembly to easily support the next budget. We can tell them what we have received and how it was spent.

    “We are always ready to make the balance sheet available for all Nigerians and the National Assembly. We have nothing to hide.’’

    President Buhari said the administration had given more attention to agriculture in order to diversify and strengthen the economy.

    He thanked Morocco for “the support they gave us in producing fertilizer in the country. We have 42 companies producing fertiliser in six geopolitical zones.’’