Tag: Lai Mohammed
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Critics of $1bn anti-terror funds are unpatriotic – FG
Frustrated by the unrelenting criticism of the National Economic Council (NEC) approval for the withdrawal of $1 billion from the Excess Crude Account (ECA) to fight Boko Haram insurgents, the Federal Government lost its cool yesterday as it described its critics as unpatriotic elements.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, vented the government’s anger at a news briefing in Lagos and said those who had imputed ulterior motives to the NEC action were wrong, contending that their comments were a disservice to the nation’s service men and women.
“The controversy over the approval of $1 billion by the NGF (NEC) is absolutely unnecessary and unhelpful,” he stated firmly.
But in a swift response Tuesday, the main critic of the decision, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the federal government’s position was nothing but a red herring, insisting that the government had not come clean about the real purpose of the fund.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, said that from the discordant tunes being sang by high level officials of government about the purpose of the fund, it was obvious that it would be used for political purposes.
The proposal to withdraw $1 billion from the ECA to fight the insurgency in the North-east was an initiative of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), which received the nod of the NEC, headed by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and populated by the 36 state governors of the federation as well as some officials of the federal government stipulated in the 1999 Constitution as amended.
The decision, which was announced by the Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki after a NEC meeting three weeks ago, has been greeted by an avalanche of criticisms with some governors and public policy analysts querying its rational and legality.But Mohammed described the criticism of the decision as unnecessary, uninformed and highly-partisan, explaining that the fund would be used not only to fight Boko Haram but also to tackle other security challenges, including illegal oil bunkering, kidnapping and cattle rustling.
He said: “Just because some people, under a different political dispensation, squirrelled away money meant to equip the military in the past does not mean the military should be left to its own devices or that every allocation to the military will suffer the same fate.”Mohammed said that the All Progressives Congress (APC) government is a disciplined government that would not allow allocated funds to end up in private pockets or spent on prayers.
He said: “We will always empower the military and other security agencies to be better able to carry out their tough tasks.”The minister justified the necessity for the fund, saying that the $1 billion was not too much given the gravity of the security challenges the country faced.
Citing the fight against Boko Haram, Mohammed said the aircraft being used for the war, including fighter jets and helicopters, altogether consume 64,021.08 litres of fuel per day.
He said: “With the aircraft flying a total of about 30 sorties a day, and at N275 per litre, it costs a total of N15,153,428.25 daily to fuel the aircraft.”
According to him, the spares for the aircraft from January to November 2017 cost N20,019,513,739.88, while consumables for the aircraft (engine oil, plugs etc.) amounted to N3,863,600 monthly and N46,363,200.00 annually.He said: “What about the cost of ammunition? Just for 42 days, from 5th November to 17 December, the cost of ammunition was over $5 million!”
Mohammed said that the cost of acquiring air force platforms should also be considered.
He said: “For example, the 12 Super Tuscano aircraft recently approved for sale to Nigeria by the US Government costs a whopping $490 million, yet this is government to government contract, and the costs of spares, munitions and other consumables are not included!
“Let’s remember that the costs stated above are for the air force alone and restricted to operations in the North-east alone. We have not even talked of the Army or the Navy, which are also fully involved in tackling internal security challenges in the country.“Neither have we included the operating cost of the Nigerian Air Force in the Niger Delta to curb pipeline vandalism; in the North-west to contain cattle rustlers; in the North-central to curtail herdsmen and farmers’ clashes; and kidnappings, armed robberies and separatism in other parts of the country.”
The minister said there was nothing wrong in the opposition offering constructive criticism, adding that democracy allowed citizens to freely air their opinions.
He, however, warned that criticisms should not be a licence for anyone to distort facts, engage in crass sensationalism or bring partisanship to every issue, not the least one that concerned the security of the nation.He said that those who viewed the $1billion from the prism of partisanship were wrong.
According to him, the military is undoubtedly the most national of all our institutions.
He said: “It serves all Nigerians, irrespective of their religion, ethnicity or political party. It should never be dragged into the partisan arena.”He said that the fact that Boko Haram had been largely degraded did not mean the war was over, explaining that asymmetric wars like the one against the insurgents did not end with an armistice.
“It is therefore curious that some of those who have criticised the $1-billion approval have hinged their argument on the fact that the Boko Haram has been degraded,” he noted.Mohammed claimed that fighting an asymmetric war was costlier than fighting a conventional war. He also said that the war against terror was never fought with budgetary provisions.
He said: “It is common knowledge that the annual budgetary allocation to the military is not commensurate with the internal security challenges we face, for which we have had to continuously rely on the military to assist the police and the Civil Defence Corps.“When insurgents take over a chunk of our nation’s territory, we turn to the military. When the farmers/herders clash escalates, we turn to the military. When kidnappers up their game, we turn to the military. When illegal bunkerers and pipeline vandals are seeking to overwhelm our oil production and export, we turn to the military. When ethno-religious clashes occur, we turn to the military.
“But when it is time to give the military the resources it needs to function, we say it is a waste of scarce resources; we come up with spurious reasons to deny the military its due.”
He said that NGF acted wisely in approving the withdrawal from the ECA to fight Boko Haram and other security challenges in the country.“Security of lives and property is at the core of the existence of any government and the NGF understands this quite well, going by its action in approving the withdrawal from the ECA,” he stated.
He said that had the military been better equipped to tackle Boko Haram in the early days of the insurgency, thousands of lives, including those of service men and women would have been saved and that the war would have been over a long time ago.Mohammed also said that if the funds meant to equip the military had not been diverted into private pockets, there might be no need today to withdraw any money from the ECA for that purpose.
But reacting to Mohammed Tuesday, PDP’s Ologbondiyan said the federal government was fishing for justification for the $1 billion ECA fund, saying the reasons given for it had not been consistent.He said: “Governor Obaseki was very clear in his briefing that the fund was approved for the fight against Boko Haram insurgents. When we queried the constitutionality of spending the federation’s money on a fight in a section of the country that the government claimed to have won, Vice-President Osinbajo expanded the scope of the use of the fund to include expansion of the security architecture of the country.
Ologbondiyan insisted that it would be unconstitutional for the NEC to lure the federal government to spend funds from ECA on security, which is on the exclusive legislative list.
According to him, “Security is on the exclusive legislative list, which means it should be the responsibility of the federal government. We are curious that the states are willing to donate their own share of the ECA, a fund that actually should be in the Federation Account for distribution to the three tiers of government, to the federal government even when they know that the central government has already been reimbursed for security through its massive share of 48 per cent of the revenue of the country.”
He said the PDP believed that the federal government ought to fund security, including the military through its share of 48 per cent of the nation’s revenue and if it felt overwhelmed, it should decentralise its security function.
He regretted the reference to the critics of the $1 billion proposed disbursement as unpatriotic elements, saying it showed how intolerant of dissent the federal government was.
According to him, rather than apologising profusely for leading the country into another round of hardship occasioned by its inability to make petroleum products available to Nigerians, the federal government was busy casting aspersions on their integrity.“What we think should engage the federal government’s attention now is how it will bring fuel to our filing stations and end the misery of citizens and not this frivolous attempt to justify an obvious fraud,” he said.
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Lai Mohammed launches DSO in Illorin, says no stopping roll out across Nigeria
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has pledged a continuous and rapid rollout of digital television across the country, in order to ensure that Nigerians benefit from the immense benefits of the Digital Switch Over (DSO).
The Minister spoke in Ilorin on Wednesday at the launch of the DSO in Ilorin, Kwara State.
”We cannot afford to drop the ball as we continue our journey from analogue to digital television, because the benefits to our people are huge. Yes, this process has not been without hiccups. But like the saying goes, you will never reach your destination if you stop to throw stones at every dog that barks,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said the DSO is not just to move customers and Nigerians from analogue to digital in a simple technical sense, but to transform the whole TV watching experience.
”In doing this, we are ensuring access to information for all citizens, a key ingredient of democracy, and also ensuring the economic empowerment of all participants in the industry
while providing a level playing field for Nigerian companies and entrepreneurs to build viable businesses,” he said.The Minister implored the Integrated Television Services (ITS), the Signal Distributor for Kwara State, to rapidly extend the digital television experience beyond Ilorin and its environs, ”so that the good people of Kwara can reap the digital benefits. Our people deserve no less”.
He said the key benefits of the DSO programme, which will help to achieve a credible and effective development of the digital economy, include the availability of over 30 digital channels to Nigerians without monthly subscription; the creation of tens of thousands of jobs through technical and manufacturing opportunities, especially the local production of Set-Top-Boxes or decoders.
Alhaji Mohammed also said the DSO will catalyze the growth of the TV advertising market by $400m per annum through audience measurement, and also create a 100 Billion Naira per annum FreeTV distribution network for Nollywood, among others.
Dignitaries at the occasion include the Kwara State Commissioner for Information, Alhaji Mahmud Babatunde Ajeigbe, who stood in for the State Governor; the Directors-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Mallam Is’haq Modibbo Kawu; and the NTA, Mallam Yakubu Ibn Mohammed and the Chairman of Digiteam, Mr. Edward Amana
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Don’t allow Nigerians forget damage done by treasury looters, Lai Mohammed charges CSOs
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has challenged the civil society to work with the media and other stakeholders to ensure that Nigerians never forget, for one moment, the damage done to the country by treasury looters.
The Minister threw the challenge at the launch of the Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR), which includes civil society organizations, media groups, government agencies and other stakeholders, in Abuja on Tuesday.
”Those who turned our treasury to their piggy bank are once again presenting themselves as the saviours of the nation. They say the best time for Nigeria was when the proceeds of their corruption subsidized many and gave the illusion of economic boom. They are so emboldened as to say Nigerians are earnestly yearning for them. No contrition. No apologies. No shame. Just sheer bravado. Unbridled arrogance. Revisionism.
”The Civil Society, the media and indeed all stakeholders owe it a duty not to allow Nigerians to forget, to say ‘Never Again’ to those who view Nigeria as nothing but a cash cow to be milked to death,” he said.
Alhaji Mohammed said the formation of the ACSR could not have come at a better time, as the Buhari Administration’s fight against corruption is gaining momentum, ”and the government is winning the war”.
”But there is a challenge: There seems to be a feeling of numbness among the citizens about the conduct of those whose actions brought us here, those who looted the national treasury dry. Suddenly, these same people are engaging in revisionist history and blaming everyone but themselves for the mess their actions put the country into,” he said.
Reeling out the cost of corruption to the nation, the Minister listed the conversion to a slush fund of the 2.1 billion dollars meant to buy weapons for the Nigerian military to fight Boko Haram; the fact that country could only generate 2,690 megawatts as at 29 May 2015 despite spending billions of dollars on power and the failure of past governments to save for the rainy day, even when oil was selling above 100 dollars a barrel for many years.
He listed some of the gains of the anti-corruption fight as raising the country’s foreign reserves from 23 billion dollars to 38 billion dollars; stoppage of the payment of phantom subsidy of between 800 billion and 1.3 trillion Naira; and the recovery of at least 43 million dollars and 56 houses from just one official of the immediate past Administration.
Other gains of the fight against corruption, according to Alhaji Mohammed, include the recovery of 2.9 billion dollars from looters so far; the Whistle-blower policy which has led to the recovery of 151 million dollars and N8 billion in looted funds from just three sources; the elimination of thousands of ghost workers, which has saved the nation 120 billion Naira and the elimination of the 108 billion Naira in maintenance fees payable to banks, pre-TSA.
He commended those behind the formation of the ACSR, a platform to build synergy among anti-corruption CSOs, the labour movement, the law enforcement agencies, the Parliament and the Judiciary, as well as to ensure that Nigerians take ownership of the fight against corruption.
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FG will create sufficient security in FCT – Lai Mohammed
The Federal Government has assured residents in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and, indeed other, parts of the country that their security remains a top priority of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.
Minister of Information and Culture, Mr Lai Mohammed, who said on Sunday in Abuja, informed Nigerians that government has put in place adequate security measures to thwart any possible terror attack in the FCT and other parts of the country.
Following the recent travel advisories issued by some western countries, he said there was no cause for alarm as security agencies have not let down their guard, adding that there has been no terror attack in Abuja since the President assumed office in 2015.
“We know that the terrorists, who have been massively degraded and put on the run, have been looking for soft targets to attack,” the minister said in the statement signed by his aide, Segun Adeyemi.
“This is the nature of terrorism all over the world, as can be seen in recent attacks in the UK, France and Egypt, among others.
“That is why the Nigerian security agencies have continued to be on the alert, even if their efforts have been largely unobtrusive so as not to disrupt the daily activities of the citizenry. Such efforts are routinely stepped up during religious festivals.”
Mr Mohammed said the government would continue to take adequate measures to protect the lives and properties of citizens and non-citizens alike.
He added that the military remains unrelenting in ensuring that the terrorists neither regroup nor regain the capacity to carry out organized attacks.
According to him, the sensitisation campaign on security tagged “if you see something, say something”, would be stepped up on national radio and television.
He also appealed to Nigerian to be security conscious and to promptly report suspicious people and objects noticed in their surroundings to the security agencies.
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Nigerian initiated World Tourism Day – Lai Mohammed
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed disclosed on Wednesday that the idea of World Tourism Day being marked globally on Sept. 27 was initiated by a Nigerian, late Ignatius Amaduwa Atigbi.
The Minister, who is the Vice President, Africa, United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) disclosed this in a statement issued in London to mark the 2017 World Tourism Day.
He said that Atigbi was the then Secretary-General of the Nigeria Tourism Association (NTA), now Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), and Chairman of Africa Travel Commission (ATC).
Mohammed said that the World Tourism Day was adopted at the 22nd General Assembly of the International Union of Official Travel Organizations (IUOTO) in 1971.
He said that World Tourism Day “is marked annually to create awareness for tourism as a tool for economic growth and promotion of international peace and understanding.”
According to Wikipedia, the late Atigbi “was finally recognised for his contribution in 2009 and the colour of World Tourism Day is Blue.”
In his message to mark the day, the minister noted that “sustainability is absolutely necessary if tourism is to achieve its full potentials, which include being a catalyst for economic growth and poverty eradication”.
He stressed that without sustainability tourism could not generate benefits to all stakeholders, solve serious problems such as extreme poverty.
According to him, it cannot also ensure the preservation of precious natural and man-made resources on which human prosperity is based.
Referring to the theme of this year’s World Tourism Day –
‘Sustainable Tourism – Tool for Development’, he charged member states of UNWTO to ensure that their policies for tourism development fully embraced the principles of sustainability.”The sustainability principles refer to the environmental, economic and socio-cultural aspects of tourism development, and a suitable balance must be established among these three dimensions,” he said.
The minister underscored the power and potential of tourism to help eradicate poverty.
”Today, tourism generates 10 per cent of the world’s GDP, one in every 10 jobs, and 30 per cent of world trade in services. It is key to many countries’ economies and livelihoods.
“It has evolved from an industry engaged in and patronised only by the rich and elites of the society to an industry enjoyed by all with significant impact on the nation’s economy.
”As an invisible export, tourism creates a flow of foreign currency into the economy of a nation through public revenue which comes in the form of taxes, duties, licenses.
“Business revenue derived from services provided by restaurants, hotels, transport, shops etc and from local resident revenue which come in the form of wages, salaries, rent, interests in investments,” he said.
The minister assured that the Federal Government would continue to play its part in the development and management of tourism and in making it more sustainable.
He, however, noted that the real key to making Nigeria’s tourism industry flourish laid with the industry itself and the businesses and organisations at its heart.
”Governments use a number of mechanisms to encourage greater private-sector engagement, capturing its expertise in ways that will be beneficial to the companies themselves as well as population.
“The private sector on the other hand has an opportunity to work collaboratively with government to yield unprecedented returns in both economic and human capital,” he said.
Mohammed said that sustainable tourism required the informed participation of all relevant stakeholders as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building.
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IPOB: Your government responsible for agitations, not opposition – PDP blasts Lai Mohammed, APC
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has warned the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and the Minister of Information and Culture not to drag it into the current agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, and other separatist groups in the country.
TheNewsGuru.com reports that minister on Sunday opposition parties of sponsoring agitations to discredit the President Muhammadu Buhari led Federal Government.
However, in a swift reaction, the opposition leader said the ruling party should accept responsibility for its failure in offering Nigerians the desired inclusive national government.
The party said this in a press statement by Prince Dayo Adeyeye, its national publicity secretary.
“We had advised not a few times that the APC should look inward and seek solutions to its self-induced challenges in government caused by its unpreparedness for governance. But since the party seem set for self-destruction, we shall not relent to expose its ineptitude to the Nigerian populace.
“We noticed that the minister who is well known for his unbridled capacity for constant polarisation of the polity other than address matters…tried once again on Sunday to shift blames of the poor handling of the agitation by IPOB by the current government to an opposition that exists only in his imagination.
“It is disheartening that rather than accept blame for its ineptitude, the APC government has continued to blame ‘enemies’ real or imaginary for their woes. How on earth will a serious-minded government blame opposition parties which they have conveniently labelled ‘looters’ for the activities of IPOB, but we take solace in the fact that the APC might actually know the looters as the party has clearly demonstrated its penchant for giving covers to people considered as corrupt?
“The recent release of 48 confiscated houses as proceeds of crime back to a member of the APC who was standing trial for allegations of corruption readily comes to mind. Much as we will continue to harp on the one-sided corruption fight of this government, we urge the APC to look inwards in locating the looters with their ill-gotten wealth to sponsor separatist agitating against the government of the day.”
The PDP said the ruling party was being traumatised by an intense power struggle within its ranks.
“It is instructive to know that we are aware of the internal crisis rocking the amalgam of interest the APC and the struggle for power within the government as the noise of discontent keep rising on a daily basis from the party. Based on this its no news that APC has a problem unto itself which has affected its citizenry who daily gnash their teeth in regret for voting the APC into power in 2015.
“We wish to put on record that agitation for the actualisation of the state of Biafra was a total silent voice while the PDP was in power because of the government of inclusiveness we provided for Nigeria’s who were made to experience what a genuine national government meant. The APC should, therefore, mould itself into a real national party, provide good leadership for the people and let the generality of Nigeria freestyle.”
The PDP said ”it has condemned and will always condemn” separatist movements tailored towards balkanising the nation. It further said that the APC government’s policy is a catalyst for the IPOB problem and the party should do some ”soul-searching to correct the anomaly.”
The party said the APC ”was its worst enemy.”
The APC won the 2015 presidential election defeating the PDP which had held on to power since the recent Nigerian democratic sojourn began in 1999.
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Photos: Lai Mohammed meets TheNewsGuru Publisher, Mideno Bayagbon
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed Monday met the Publisher, TheNewsGuru.com, Mr. Mideno Bayagbon in Lagos.
On the card is professionalism in the online media industry in Nigeria; and TNG one year anniversary. Something big, designed to shake the online media practice in the offing.
