Author: The Nation

Some concerned members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have urged President Bola Ahmed Ahmed Tinubu to set up a Presidential Task Force on project and policy implementation monitoring team.

The group, under the aegis of Patriotic and Concerned APC Members, said the team would shield the President from policy saboteurs in his administration.

Addressing reporters yesterday in Abuja, the group’s Chairman Danjuma Mohammed said there are people in government who make it a duty to derail government policies and programmes.

Mohammed said President Tinubu should nominate men of integrity and loyalty into the monitoring team.

Taking such a line of action, he said, has become necessary, following the experiences of the past administration whose appointees worked at cross purposes with the President.

The chairman said the last administration was the worst hit, recalling that many of its appointees did not do what the former President wanted.

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Danjuma said: “We advise His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to establish a Presidential Task Force that will monitor, detect and expose saboteurs among the senior appointees of his government.

“The task force shall also monitor strict compliance with the directives of the President and programmes of the government by all appointees and agencies of government.”

The chairman suggested former APC Chairmen – Chief Bisi Akande and Senator Adams Oshiomhole – as well as the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila, amongst people better he said are fit for the monitoring team.

Other names he suggested include Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Festus Keyamo, Bayo Onanuga, and former Jigawa State Governor Muhammed Badaru Abubakar.

The Patriotic and Concerned APC members also urged all Nigerians to join hands with President Tinubu to redirect Nigeria to the right track of development.

• •Fed Govt seeks support for over 90,000 refugees in Nigeria

The Federal Government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have advised countries and other international partners to address the plight of about 110 million refugees across the world.

The 110 million people worldwide are said to be forcibly displaced due to persecution, conflict, violence, human rights violations and other social issues.

The Federal Commissioner of the National Commission for Refugees Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI), Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, who spoke yesterday in Abuja on the plight of refugees, also said Nigeria currently hosts over 90,000 registered refugees.

The NCFRMI chief, who said majority of the refugees in Nigeria are from Cameroon and 33 other countries, spoke during a road walk to commemorate World Refugee Day with the theme: Hope Away from Home.

She assured refugees that the Federal Government would continue to implement policies that would ensure their safety.

Suleiman-Ibrahim said: “We have over 90,000 refugees in Nigeria right now. But this figure changes every single day. The refugees are from about 34 countries, but majority of them are from Cameroon.

“We have a role to play to ensure that refugees feel safe and hopeful about their future because they all have dreams and aspirations. We are giving them hope away from home because they fled for safety and fear of persecution. So, it is paramount that they feel at home while we rebuild their hope.

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“So, we will do whatever we can do to strengthen their coping mechanism. But we still need to strengthen partnership with international organisations to ensure that the number of refugees in Nigeria and across the globe reduces.”

Also, the UNHCR Deputy Representative Nigeria, Bernadette Muteshi, said there was need to address the growing number of refugees globally.

Muteshi said: “We are calling on international community not to forget refugees because they need our support. They are people like us. They have dreams and aspirations that were not fulfilled in their countries of origin because of conflicts and other issues.

“We also want to highlight the fact that despite efforts made, the numbers of displaced population are going up. It requires additional advocacy, solidarity, and understanding because when we understand the problem, then we will be able to contribute to make their lives better.

“In 2013, we had 51.3 million people displaced. Ten years after (as of today), we have about 110 million displaced people worldwide.

“So, the situation is becoming dire, which requires that we reinforce our efforts and give back all the support that we can to halt the trend. We don’t want the numbers to go up. We want the numbers to reduce and each of us can contribute to ensure that the number reduces.”

The UNHCR chief also urged countries that host refugees to avoid discrimination against them.

“We should look at refugees based on the capacities they come with to contribute to our communities and countries rather than look at them as additional burden, pending when they can return to their countries of origin.

“We should adopt legal frameworks that support them, ensure that they have basic assistance being able to share in our national social services, like health, education, jobs and other means of restarting their lives again and giving them hope until they are able to go back home. This is because anyone can be a refugee. Nobody chooses to be a refugee.”

A federal lawmaker from Lere Constituency in Kaduna State, Ahmed Munir, said it was imperative to make the refugees hopeful, despite their situation.

He said: “I am really touched by what I see and the theme of this year’s event is Hope Away from Home. The theme is in tandem with the Renewed Hope agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

“We at the National Assembly are standing in solidarity with refugees not only in our country but across the globe. We are offering our support through legislative framework to ensure that refugees get the necessary assistance that they need, be it education, health, basic amenities, to ensure that they have better life and future ahead of them.”

ChIef Executive Officer of GOTNI  Leadership Centre, Dr Linus Okorie, has said Nigeria lacks leadership capital, which has inhibited its growth and development.

 Okorie said many in leadership  do not have the training to make the role work for them. 

He noted organisations and businesses die as a result of the deficit of leadership capital.

In line with the centre’s vision to raise leaders who transform institutions and grow sustainable systems, he said GOTNI will be hosting a National Leadership Conference Friday and Saturday in Abuja.

 Okorie noted the centre would raise leaders to transform institutions and establish sustainable systems through leadership capital development

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 He said the conference would provide opportunity for managers and executives in private and public sector to strengthen leadership capacities, establish new networks and maximise existing ones. 

The conference, he noted, would reinforce need for leadership development for organisational and national leaders.

“The conference provides a platform for delegates to expand their networks, fostering connections with likeminds, mentors, and collaborators from diverse sectors .

“Speakers will share their experiences, wisdom, and ideas, providing attendees with perspectives on effective leadership in an evolving business world…’’

“Distinguished panelists will engage in insightful discussions, exploring emerging leadership concepts and sharing real-world experiences. Delegates will have the opportunity to engage, ask questions, and receive tailored solutions and expert advice”, Okorie added.

FEDERAL Government will get support from private sector to achieve food sufficiency, Group Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Flour Mill Nigeria (FMN), Boye Olusanya, has said.

He said FMN shares close affinity with Nigeria and would drive this through local content development.

Olusanya said: “Our five key value chains are grains; oils and fats; sugar; feeds and proteins, and cassava starches. We have made significant investments in development of these value chains to reduce our dependency on imported raw materials.

“For oil and fats, we have Premium Edible Oil Products Ltd (PEOPL) – one of the largest edible oil complexes in Africa as our downstream business in the oils and fats value chain producing bottled vegetable oils, margarine, and spreads.”

 Olusanya said FMN, through its subsidiary, Golden Sugar Company (GSC), initiated progressive agricultural interventions towards driving sugar self-sufficiency in Nigeria.

It introduced the out-grower programme, a transformative and innovative intervention designed for local capacity development.

“Hundreds of sugarcane farmers under the scheme were trained and some sent to Malawi for further upskilling,” Olusanya said.

According to him, GSC by FMN will enable Nigeria to attain self-sufficiency in sugar by growing local capacity to meet demand, which will stem the tide of unbridled importation of sugar and its by-products.

“As a source of livelihood for millions, it is our key mandate to continue to progressively and sustainably feed the nation,” he said.

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On the company’s history, Olusanya said in 1972, the group made its first investment outside flour milling, in the Nigerian Bag Manufacturing Company (BAGCO), which remains a pacesetter in providing innovative packaging solutions.

He added: “FMN has participated in NSMP and Backward Integration Plan (BIP) since 2012 through its subsidiary, Golden Sugar Company situated in Niger State. At Sunti, the company has an area of 22,000ha on which a 15,000-hectare sugar estate is being developed’.

“More than N73 billion has been invested to establish the sugar estate of 3,500ha of irrigated sugar cane and a sugar factory with a 3,000 tons per day milling capacity. The factory is the only one built under the NSMP and producing sugar today. Once the development is complete 150,000 tons of sugar will be produced per year.

“More so, FMN continues to drive local content development and innovation through its CSR projects. In September 2022, the Group in partnership with George Coumantaros Foundation (GCF) and in conjunction with the American Farm School (AFS) and Perrotis College in Greece awarded postgraduate scholarships worth over thirty-three million Naira (€46,800) to two deserving Nigerian students.

“The goal is to drive excellence in education and upskilling for players in the food and agro-allied sector, especially in the areas of industry-based technological advancements.

“Also, through the FMN Prize for Innovation (PFI), the Group holistically supports local content development by investing in the business growth and sustainability of food and agribusiness innovators in Nigeria.

“Through a highly competitive and transparent process, participants go through a series of competitive exercises including project pitching, CBT, interviews, and live presentation with a group of judges who are notable players within their industries of practice.

“Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc, through its iconic brand ‘Golden Penny’ produces superior quality products and as a customer-centric company, The Group continues to innovate across its touchpoints in its quest to drive food self-sufficiency in Nigeria and across the continent.”