Author: The Nation

Following reports Friday about his proposed visit with Chairman of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote to President Bola Tinubu, Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Saturday shed more light on the occasion.

The Foundation stated that Gates will visit not only Nigeria but also its northern neighbor Niger to meet with leaders and partners tackling health and development challenges.

It explained in a statement that the meeting follows Gates’ recent visit to China. 

It noted that the visit is part of the Gates Foundation’s commitment to work closely with communities and leaders to support innovation that can help accelerate progress and improve lives across Africa. 

The Foundation said: “Gates and other foundation leaders are visiting to learn from partners helping to address polio, anemia, and other health threats; scientists applying research to develop agricultural innovations that will help with food security and climate adaptation; innovators using technology to improve access to financial services; and others working to improve lives in Niger and Nigeria and throughout the continent.

Read Also: Bill Gates foundation opens new office in Abuja

“They will also meet with national and regional leaders to encourage them to make investments and advance policies that promote innovation and provide equitable opportunity, despite challenging economic conditions.

“Gates will also participate in a conversation with students and young leaders to gather insights and share perspectives on how science and innovation can accelerate positive change and contribute to a brighter outlook for Africa.

“The moderated event, Advancing Africa: Unleashing the Power of Youth in Science and Innovation, will be co-hosted by the Co-Creation Hub Nigeria and Lagos Business School and livestreamed across Africa by media partners Africa.com and Channels Television. It will take place at 10am WAT (Lagos) on 21 June. You can register here to attend virtually.”

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation believes that solutions to Africa’s greatest challenges can come from within Africa, hence its support for African partners “whose bold ideas and creative approaches have the potential to save lives, improve health, and help families across the continent.”

Since the foundation’s inception in 2000, it has supported partnerships with African regional institutions, national governments, and local communities in 49 African countries to contribute funding and scientific expertise in support of their agendas for change. These partnerships have driven the success of numerous health, agriculture, equality, and anti-poverty initiatives.

In Niger, the foundation works with the government and multilateral organizations to strengthen routine immunization and control polio outbreaks.

In Nigeria, the foundation works with the government of Nigeria, the private sector, non-profit organizations and civil society to improve health outcomes, boost agricultural productivity, expand access to digital financial services, and empower women and other marginalized populations with greater economic opportunities.

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Yakubu Mahmood has tendered documents before the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) in respect of the petition of Alhaji Abubakar Atiku and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

The documents were tendered on Thursday through Mrs Morenikeji Tairu, Deputy Director, Certification and Complaints, Legal Drafting and Clearance Department of the commission.

They include Form EC9  of President Bola Tinubu, who is the second respondent in the petition.

The News Agency of Nigeria, (NAN) reports that Form EC9 is an affidavit in support of particulars of persons seeking election to the office of president and vice-president.

The court had  issued a subpoena on Mahmood in respect of certain documents relating to the conduct of the Feb. 25 presidential election following an application by Atiku.

Read Also: Don’t shift blame for sloppy handling of your case, INEC tells LP’s, Obi’s lawyers

Counsel to the petitioners, Mr Chris Uche, SAN, said that the petitioners in the application of May 26, listed 11 items for Mahmood to bring before the court.

 Mrs Tairu, however, told the court that only four items requested by the petitioners were available.

She said that the items available were Form EC8D series (results from states); EC8DA (final declaration of results); Certified True Copies (CTCs) of Rivers Bi-modal Verification Accreditation System (BVAS) report.

Others were the BVAS report from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and the Form EC9 of Tinubu (personal information supplied by Tinubu to INEC in aid of his qualification for the presidential election).

INEC’s  lawyer, Mr Abubakar Mahmoud, SAN, counsel to Tinubu, Mr Wole Olanipekin, SAN and that of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) all objected to the admissibility of the documents in evidence.

Uche, while responding to INEC’s position that the certified documents had not been paid for, reiterated that his clients had  so far paid the sum of N6.7 million to INEC for certification.

He added that the documents brought before the court were court subpoenaed documents.

Atiku and the PDP are before the PEPC challenging the process and the outcome of the Feb. 25 presidential election which produced Tinubu as president.

They are also contending that the election was conducted in violation of the electoral laws.

The petitioners are also insisting that President Tinubu was not qualified to contest the poll on the grounds of alleged double nomination and  dual citizenship.

(NAN)

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has assured consumers of Indomie and other noodle brands in Nigeria of the safety of the staple food amongst children and some adults.

It stated that investigations by the agency have revealed that Indomie Noodles implicated in the recalls in Malaysia and Taiwan are not in Nigeria.

The Director General of NAFDAC, Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, according to a statement, disclosed this on Thursday at the MAN House, Ikeja, Lagos during the Quarterly Interactive session between the Agency and the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria MAN, where she implored Nigerians to always eat safe. 

“I love to eat good food, including noodles. But I want to be sure that the food I am eating is not going to make me sick, take medicine. And if I am taking medicine the food that I am eating will not make me add to the medicine that I am taking. Therefore, I take food very, very seriously,” she said.

Read Also: NAFDAC bursts Baban Aisha production factory, impounds equipment

She explained that immediately the news of the recalls of Indomie Noodles from Malaysia and Taiwan got to Nigeria she directed the Director, Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Mrs. Eva Edwards, and Director of Laboratory Services (Food), Dr Charles Nwachukwu, respectively to begin tripartite discussions with manufacturers and marketers.

The DG disclosed that someone asked her when the results were going to come out, adding that the Agency had run all the necessary tests. “But we needed a chemical standard. It’s all science. We are a science organization, and our processes are science driven. We cannot conduct our own Nigerian science. No. We have to use the international standard chemical agents and things like that.”

She insisted that the implicated foreign noodles are not in Nigeria, hence, the locally produced noodles are safe for human consumption.

President Bola Tinubu has called for the support of state governors in the task of turning around Nigeria’s economy.

He said that the initiative had started with the removal of fuel subsidy and unification of the exchange rates.

Tinubu made the call at the inauguration of the National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday in Abuja.

Tinubu also listed eight priority areas for urgent attention and called for collective frameworks that would stimulate a buoyant economy that meets the needs of the poor and vulnerable.

The president assured the governors that the administration would address issues that devalue the lives of Nigerians, with a focus on security, economy, jobs, agriculture, infrastructure, monetary policy and fuel subsidy.

“It is worthy of note that the monthly meeting of NEC chaired by Vice President Kashim Shettima has remained officially the economic platform for robust dialogue among the federal government, the 36 state governors, the CBN, and other key stakeholders.

“In my inaugural speech of May 29,  2023, I expressed this administration’s commitment to improving the lives of Nigerians in a manner that not just reflects our humanity, but encourages compassion towards one another and duly rewards our collective efforts to resolve the social ills that seek to divide us.

Read Also: COAS assures Tinubu of absolute loyalty

“I also listed the principles that will guide our administration and it is as follows: to be impartial and govern according to the constitution and ensure the rule of law; to defend the nation from terror and all forms of criminality; to promote economic growth and development through job creation, food security and putting an end to poverty.

“The principle also includes to prominently feature women and youths in all our activities; to take proactive steps such as championing a credit culture and; to discourage corruption while strengthening the effectiveness and efficiency of various anti-corruption agencies,’’ the president said.

Tinubu said that the policies and programmes of the government would be driven by compassion for the less-privileged.

He said that for more inclusivity, women and youths would be involved in the design and implementation of issues that impact their lives.

“It is evident that the task of growing our economy is enormous but you and I asked for it.

“We campaigned for it, we even danced for it, we begged for it, so we have no reason to complain.

“We must harness the growth potential of Nigeria and bring about serious development that will take us from ‘a potential nation’ to a pragmatic economic development in a rapid manner,’’ he said.

Tinubu urged NEC to stimulate ideas, through robust discussions, that would improve the livelihood of Nigerians, while highlighting the exigency for interventions on poverty.

“Members of this country are behind us, they want reform and they want it quick to impact their lives,’’ he added.

The president noted that the three tiers of government would need to be involved in economic development in order to ensure inclusiveness, collectivity and ownership of policies and programmes.

He stressed that significant steps had been taken by ending the fuel subsidy and unifying the foreign exchange rates.

“This government will continue to transform the fortunes of our nation and bring about unprecedented development through good governance.

“We are committed to sustainable initiatives and programmes that will stimulate the rejuvenation of the economy without causing inflation.

“The plans and ideas we have presented, underscore our confidence and ability to meet the challenges of the day and pave the way for a better future,’’ Tinubu said.

The NEC was established by the provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as amended.

As one of the key bodies of the Federal Government, NEC has the mandate to advise the president on the economic affairs of the federation on appropriate measures for coordination of economic plans and programmes of the government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies.

NAN