The Nation Newspaper

Category: Letters

  • Olubunmi Kuku: A new dawn in FAAN?

    Olubunmi Kuku: A new dawn in FAAN?

    • By Mercy Abeke Ejibunu

    Sir: The appointment of Olubunmi Oluwaseun Kuku as the Managing Director of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has spurred a new dawn in the agency.  For Kuku, the appointment is a testament to her preparation and professionalism.

    In the last 25 years, Kuku has held executive roles that require transformational leadership in achieving its growth objectives while delivering enterprise value and returns to industry key stakeholders.

     Kuku’s job at FAAN is simple yet daunting. Her emergence as the new boss in FAAN has continued to gather accolades from industry stakeholders, who are aware of Kuku’s professional experience over the last 25 years.

     From George Uriesi to Captain Rabiu Hamisu Yadudu and Kabir Yusuf Mohammed, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria has had a number of MDs.

    However Kuku’s emergence is said to be one of the writings on the wall for a new dawn, change and global practices.

     She has a strong track record of professional achievement in the public and private sectors in Nigeria and across Africa. She joins a growing list of accomplished female professionals whose hands are on deck to turn Nigeria around.

    Read Also: Rivers crisis: loyalists blast Rep member for attacking Wike

     She’s neither new to the agency she has found herself nor the sector where she currently has the job of managing Nigerian owned airports across the states.

    For four years, between 2011 and 2014, Kuku took her time to understudy the aviation industry as a Special Adviser to the Minister of Aviation at that time.

     Her experience in the public sector also saw Kuku working at the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency (NAMA) as the General Manager, Business Development and Investment. In the four years she worked at NAMA, she was tasked with increasing the revenue base for NAMA from both Aeronautical and Non-Aeronautical sources, developing and implementing strategic plans to enhance NAMA’s business development efforts, aligning actions with the agency’s overall objectives while analysing market trends, identifying emerging opportunities, and formulating strategies to capitalize on them.

     There is no doubt that she understands and knows the Nigerian aviation sector like the back of her palm. She understands the industry and is well aware of the agency’s challenges, as well as opportunities.

    •Mercy Abeke Ejibunu,

    Lagos.

  • Year of Renewed Hope

    Year of Renewed Hope

    • By Fredrick Nwabufo

    Sir: The road has not been without a few bumps, but the journey is as exhilarating as the promise of a propitious destination. 2023 has been the year of Renewed Hope. 2024 will even be a greater year of Renewed Hope, with some of the plans and programmes of the administration coming to fruition. Already, initiatives and polices such as the Renewed Hope Grants for Poor and Vulnerable Persons; the Presidential Conditional Grant Programme; the Presidential Palliative Loan Programme; The 3MTT programme and other digital economy programmes; the food security scheme, tax reforms, CBN reforms, and many others have come on stream – and still maturing. But 2024 will be a greater year of renewed and manifest hope.

    In this year of Renewed Hope, Nigeria decoupled from the ponderous yoke of petrol subsidy.

    In this year of Renewed Hope, Nigeria’s credit rating improved, with global financial services firms forecasting a reinvigorated economy in the coming months.

    In this year of Renewed Hope, insurgency and terrorism in the southeast and in the northeast receded.

    In this year of Renewed Hope, Nigeria received pledges of investments worth over $14 billion from a single event – the G20 Summit in India.

    In this year of Renewed Hope, Nigeria saved over N1 trillion in just two months of removing petrol subsidy.

    In this year of Renewed Hope, the federal government approved 50 percent input subsidy for wheat farmers for dry-season farming to boost productivity.

    In this year of Renewed Hope, the Tinubu administration launched the food security plan to cultivate 500,000 hectares of farmland across the country to produce essential grains such as rice, maize, wheat, as well as other crops.

    In this year of Renewed Hope, the Tinubu administration embarked on a diligent reform of Nigeria’s tax system, setting up the Tax and Fiscal Reforms Committee to drive reforms, streamline tax administration, improve and expand collection, and revitalise the economy.

    In this year of Renewed Hope, the CBN introduced effective monetary policies, clearing a significant amount of foreign exchange forwards backlog, and initiating the ongoing unification of foreign exchange rates.

    In this year of Renewed Hope, the federal government addressed some of the critical concerns of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    In this year of Renewed Hope, Nigeria launched a well-defined and articulate foreign policy, anchored on Democracy, Development, Demography, and Diaspora (4Ds).

    In this year of Renewed Hope, the foundation upon which the triumph of subsequent years rests stands firmly ensconced.

    Read Also: Tinubu to NPC board: start work now, I won’t tolerate non-performance

    2024 comes with great expectations and promises, especially as the Budget of Renewed Hope will begin running its course in the New Year. An understated element of the proposed budget is the allocation to health and social welfare — N1.33 trillion – a clear prioritisation of the nation’s engine.

    The administration is strengthening Nigeria’s health sector through targeted and robust investments. To mitigate the cost of healthcare, the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is redesigning the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) to boost access to essential healthcare services as outlined in the National Health Act (2014). Also, a constituent of a more muscular health agenda is to increase the number of functional primary healthcare centres (PHCs) from 8,809 to 17,618 by 2027 across all 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    The prices of some pharmaceuticals are spiralling, and the government is raptly attentive to the concerns of Nigerians. Professor Ali Pate, Coordinating Minister of Health and Social Welfare, recently announced that the government would establish a mechanism for the pooled procurement of critical pharmaceuticals in 2024. This initiative, he said, aims to mitigate costs and guarantee quality, making essential medications more affordable for Nigerians.

     ”In the medium term, Mr. President’s initiative to unlock the healthcare value chain will see Nigeria manufacturing increasing share of its generic drugs, medical devices, and associated content, such as vaccines over time. This will reduce our dependency on those only keen to exploit our markets,” he said.

    2023 is the year of Renewed Hope. 2024 will be a greater year of manifest hope.

    •Fredrick Nwabufo,

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement,

    Abuja.

  • Renewed hope for offenders at correctional service

    Renewed hope for offenders at correctional service

    • By Chief Henry Udutchay

    Sir: In the words of late Nelson Mandela, “No one truly knows a nation until it has been in its jails”. This famous quote of former president of South Africa who himself spent a greater part of his youthful life incarcerated succinctly captures the reality of most correctional centres all over the world and the below average condition of most inmates and how they struggle to navigate life daily inside the walls of the correctional facilities.

    Which begs the question if truly the centres are correctional or it’s just semantics. Because an offender is expected to serve term in custody, go through various stages of development so that when he or she regains freedom, reintegration into the society will be seamless and the returning offender would have acquired adequate correction and become a better citizen.

    Even in cases where an offender is spending the rest of their lives in confinement, one of the UN international human and prisoners’ rights promulgated in 1990 states that “All prisoners shall be treated with the respect due to their inherent dignity and value as human beings.” 

    Another of the rights as promulgated also stated that “Conditions shal be created enabling prisoners to undertake meaningful remunerated employment which will facilitate their reintegration into the country’s labour market and permit them to contribute to their own financial support and to that of their families.” 

    The submission above clearly explains the need to recognize that though the correctional centres are to serve as punishment to offenders, it has a duty to accord human dignity and respect on all inmates regardless of what they are there for. It is on that premise that most correctional centres are being charged to revisit issues of offenders’ welfare and ensure that the right practices are being done. 

    Since the establishment of Nigeria Prisons, now Nigerian Correctional Service, in 1872 by the British, the Service has gone through various reforms, the last being 2019 that led to the name changed to Nigerian Correctional Service. Many issues have been raised concerning the Custodial Centres, such as state of the physical structure, staff welfare, inter agency collaborations for intelligence purposes, decongestion etc.…but not much has been achieved, until recently, in the area of offenders welfare. 

    For every time offenders welfare has been brought to the fore, somehow it never seemed to get the needed support as expected, therefore efforts to revive the living condition of inmates has always fallen short of expectation. The administration of current Controller General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Haliru Nababa is however moving in the right direction with regards to welfare for offenders and it is commendable.

    Over the course of the last years, efforts were taken to improve the all-round training and welfare measures of inmates as well as basic infrastructure and facilities. The service strengthened the Adult and Remedial Education Programmes,  Vocational Training and Skills Acquisition as well as Human Rights/Welfare of Prisoners. Also, inmates who were students before imprisonment can now continue their academic pursuit concurrently while serving their jail-terms. This enabling environment for educational programmes was provided across all custodial facilities.

    Read Also: Rivers crisis: loyalists blast Rep member for attacking Wike

    The Service has also improved medical care for offenders in recent time through the provision of  drugs, treatment of sick inmates and upgrade of the medical facilities across the Custodial Centres. 

    Apart from the aforementioned, another issue that has refused to go away and requires urgent attention is that of daily allowance for the offenders. Information available still have it that inmates are only entitled to about N750 for feeding, which translates to N250 per meal thrice a day. This is very poor going by current state of inflation and cost of living in Nigeria of today. This is why stories about the very poor and unhealthy meals being served to offenders in the prisons will not go away. 

    The Honourable Minister of interior, Dr. Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo is hereby called upon to look into the budget of the Nigeria Correctional Service and see how this can be improved to enable inmates have a befitting meal experience. Looking at how high the cost of living is as at today, it will not be out of place to suggest anything within the region of 1500 to 2500 naira per day.

    Already, the Honourable Minister’s strides have been felt in the Correctional Service in the prompt release of over 4000 inmates in November, through his intervention. This is highly commendable and it shows that the minister is truly committed to serve. More of this support is however required in all other areas, including those highlighted above for a smooth running of the Nigerian Correctional Service.

    •Chief Henry Udutchay,

     Abuja.

  • Government and citizens’ neglect of road safety

    Government and citizens’ neglect of road safety

    By Jide Owatunmise

    SIR: Few days ago, over 80 people in Tudun Biri area of Kaduna were accidentally killed by military bombing. The military apologised and commiserated with the families of the bereaved.

    The president, vice president, ministers, legislators, judges, private sector organisations and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have lent their voices against the incident.

    Some senators have contributed a large sum of money for the bereaved families and the treatment of those injured.  The hospitals where those injured are being treated have been besieged by many very important personalities to commiserate with the victims.

    Within the past month, over 1,000 innocent Nigerians have been killed on the road while over 5,000 have sustained various degrees of injuries. The Katsina truck crash claimed 17 lives. The Katsina – Kano crash claimed 35 lives. The Kaduna – Abuja crash claimed 16 lives. The Lagos – Ibadan crash claimed 10 lives while the Ilorin – Ogbomoso crash claimed 25 lives among several others with higher rates of injuries, all within one month. 

    Sadly, there was no word from the presidency, national assembly, judiciary, private sector organisations, CSOs and other VIPs. Are the Nigerians that died in the bomb blast through Boko Haram and Insurgency more valuable than those who died on the roads through crashes not due to their faults?

    Have we gotten so familiar with deaths and injuries by road accidents that we don’t regard such wasted and injured as fellow Nigerians?

    The statistics released this year by the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC) and World Health Organisation (WHO) revealed that over 43,000 Nigerians, men and women, young and old were killed while a far higher number suffered various degrees of injuries on Nigeria roads. These figures surpassed the number of people killed by Boko Haram, insurgency, banditry and accidental military discharge which have been receiving the open attention of the presidency, National Assembly and other VIPs with significant budgetary allocations annually. 

    Read Also: Kano: No deal with NNPP to compromise Supreme Court judgement, APC dispel rumour

    Road safety has not been receiving the right attention by the governments at the federal, state and local government levels. Most VIPs prefer to obtain Driver Licence for themselves, their family members and others around them without going through the mandatory theory and practical training programmes in standard accredited driving schools.

    Many public and private sector organisations do not engage accredited driving schools to conduct testing, assessment and training for the drivers in their employment as instructed in the National Road Traffic Regulations 2012 and 2016 amendments. Virtually all employers of drivers believe they are doing their drivers favour by sending them for testing and refresher training in accredited driving schools according to the law. This is an error. An employer or officer who regularly retrains and motivates his driver is doing not only the drivers but more importantly himself favour.  Driving, traffic regulations and several other human, mechanical and environmental factors are dynamic thereby necessitating the regular updating of the knowledge, skills, and attitudes of the drivers for safer road use. A little error committed by a driver can result to the maiming or loss of the lives of the VIP he is driving.

    Virtually all classes of Nigerians don’t want to obey traffic rules. Many of the VIPs who are expected to be re models violate the traffic laws with impunity. Enforcement is weak and full scale deployment of technology for apprehending traffic offenders is still a mirage in Nigeria. The 2023 Global Status Report on Road Safety was released on Wednesday, December 13, showing improvement in some countries but Nigeria is nowhere near the progressing countries.

    Yet the government is not paying attention. The United Nations through the World Health Organisation has warned of more devastating effects if the government failed to take more proactive actions.

    Nigerian government is a signatory to five International Conventions on Road Safety, Africa Road Safety Charter and Nigeria Road Safety Strategy (2021 – 2030). It is therefore disheartening that the presidency and the governors are not making any executive declaration backed up with subsequent proactive actions the way they do on insurgency, banditry, kidnapping and recently, the Kaduna bombing.

    Those killed on the roads are customers of many micro, small, medium and large scale organisations. The loss of a life on the road has chains of consequences on governments, businesses and several others. Road safety therefore is a joint responsibility and much be given the appropriate attention by all the arms of governments, private sector organisations, Non – Governmental Organisations/ Civil Society Organisations and all to ensure the accomplishment and sustenance of the UN Decade of Action on Road Safety (2021 – 2030).

    • Jide Owatunmise, roadsafetytrainers@yahoo.com 

  • Renewing the hope of Nigerians

    Renewing the hope of Nigerians

    By Goodluck F.T. Uguoji

    SIR: Nigerians have not always been like this. They were once vibrant people given to conviviality. They were too trusting. If you promised them heaven, they took you for your words. They expected you would deliver heaven on their laps. Whoever said Nigerians are difficult to govern do not know Nigerians well. They are patient and are long-suffering. They know how to give leadership a chance. Since independence, Nigerians have had to listen to all comers and they gave the all comers all the chance they needed to move mountains. They were told to trust, they trusted. Support, they supported. Follow, they followed – often unthinking and unquestioning.

    What did they get? Their trust was abused, their innocence desecrated, their hopes and aspirations smashed and their vision of a greater tomorrow and a greater nation brutalized and bloodied.

    From the First Republic through 13 years of military rule to the Second Republic and then back to military rule, the aborted Third Republic and now the Fourth Republic, leadership either in agbada or in khaki made thundering promises. Nigerians listened to such promises patiently and willingly; they became adept listeners until their eardrums were shattered by the din of the broken promises. 

    Read Also: Kano: No deal with NNPP to compromise Supreme Court judgement, APC dispel rumour

    Today, they do not hear and they do not want to hear even if they listen. In any case, they do not want to believe. They believed before but where did it land them?

    For Nigerians, there is nothing on the horizon to indicate that the year 2024 we are waiting to usher in would be any different. Nigerians entered 2023 with trepidation. Nigerians in that frightful frame of mind were not ready for another round of promises but action. People seem to have lost all hope. Despair replaced optimism. They have not forgotten the horrors of the past eight years when their plights were not assuaged, and smiles were not enough. Their confidence has begun to wane dangerously and even the current president was forced to acknowledge this development and he promised to do something to regain their confidence.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has a chance to penetrate and deliver the people from their abject conditions. He has a chance to do great things with the 2024 budget and go down as a great leader. Only good leadership and good governance can breed committed and highly patriotic citizens. More exhortations and symbols cannot do it. What will do it is a determined and deliberate effort on the part of the government.

    • Goodluck F.T. Uguoji, Akute, Ogun State

  • The shenanigans in Ondo

    The shenanigans in Ondo

    SIR: Rotimi Akeredolu, the ailing Ondo State governor may now be back in Germany for further treatment, but the intrigues at home continue with rabid ferocity.

    It bespeaks the many hiccups inherent in Nigeria’s democracy and constitution that there are always loopholes to be exploited by those who are all they are because of the law, but would readily thumb their nose at its operation when it is convenient to them.

    Like grass trampled by a tangle of two elephants, it is the good people of Ondo State that are at the receiving end of what is at once a constitutional and moral crisis.

    The Ondo State House of Assembly, far from being independent, has also finagled a fine film of the farce which threatens to deface the sunshine state.

    Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria and  former Nigeria Bar Association chairman – a very vocal one at that, has been ailing. Months spent in Germany brought only little respite. Upon his return to the country, he relocated to Ibadan where he continued to receive treatment.

    The ambitions of his deputy, Aiyedetiwa were for so long unclear as he was wedged between the rock of loyalty to his boss and the hard place of loyalty to the constitution and the good people of the state.

    Aiyedetiwa was not helped by the vicious whispering campaigns of political jobbers and professional politicians within the state that are bent on sowing discord.

    But the question that begged for an answer in the interest of Ondo people who watched governance ground to a halt in the state was whether the man they elected for the second time in 2019 was still fit to govern them.

    If he wasn’t because illness, so familiar with human nature, had taken  its toll on him, there were unmistakable calls for him to  step aside.

    It was not about making enemies of those calling for this or casting them as power desperadoes, it was about the rule of law and the iron finality which it must always apply to situations when man-made confusion seeks to becloud the certainty of the law.

    Read Also: Clark to CJN: correct grave anomalies in judiciary 

    The saga which threatened to becloud the sunshine state begged the question of the commitment of those who occupy public office at any level in Nigeria. Who are they really sworn to serve? Themselves or their pockets?  Their states or their families?

    If the law is clear, then it should be especially clear to those who occupy positions of authority in the country. When the law is clear, there should be no hiding place for those whose stock-in-trade is obfuscation and confusion.

    In a country where transparency and accountability are alien to the corridors of power, Nigerian politicians have perfected the art of playing which card, and when. The Ondo shambles also showed just how much state legislatures have lost their relevance. Nigeria’s beggar- and-benefactors’ brand of politics makes it such that governors usually have state  legislators in their pockets.

    Once this bread and butter relationship is entrenched, whatever the executive does is not only good, but the governor is blameless at all times.

     The first family of the state was also dragged into what was an unsavory situation.

    There were also the opportunists who  continued to circle like vultures, picking at  situation as if it were  a carcass.

    While it is African to sympathize with and nurse the ill, it is not African but profoundly and profusely selfish to let one man’s illness grind governance to a halt.

    Nigerian politicians must again heed the understated lessons of the transience of power, the reckoning of posterity, and the latent power of legacy.

    Until they do, they will continue to wander in the blind alleys of impunity and infamy.

    • Kene Obiezu, keneobiezu@gmail.com

  • COP28, Fed. Govt. and Peter Obi’s hypocrisy

    COP28, Fed. Govt. and Peter Obi’s hypocrisy

    By Jude Ndukwe

    SIR: Nigeria’s participation at the climate change summit, COP28, in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is still a subject of disagreement and criticism among analysts and politicians in the country. Top on the agenda of the criticism is the size of Nigeria’s delegation to the summit as led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    The Labour Party presidential candidate at the last general elections, Peter Obi had lent his voice loudly against the federal government for what he termed a “wasteful” expedition due to the large number of Nigeria’s delegation to the summit.

    He had declared that “This huge contingent is out at public expense at a time when most Nigerians can hardly afford food and basic needs as a result of economic hardship.”

    He was soon to be followed by the national chairman of the Labour Party, Julius Abure who lamented and asked “How can a country that is borrowing money to pay workers’ wages, a country plagued by insecurity, battered by power collapse where investors are exiting the country by the day fritter away such a humongous amount of resources on a jamboree?”

    Both Peter Obi and Julius Abure could not be pacified by the explanation given by the government that it sponsored only 422 of the delegates and that the rest were individuals or representatives of corporate entities with interest in climate change who registered for the summit outside the government team.

    Shortly after, Peter Obi took on the Presidency over the sums it budgeted for the renovation of the vice president’s residence. While the sums of N2.5bn and N3bn were allocated for the renovation of the vice president’s residences in Abuja and Lagos respectively, another sum of N15bn was appropriated for the construction of a “befitting residence” for the vice president, Kashim Shettima, making it a total of N20.5bn in both the 2023 supplementary budget and the 2024 Appropriation Bill.

    Read Also; Sanwo-Olu promises medical palliatives to residents

    One wonders where Peter Obi got the moral right to make himself a judge over the federal government when government and leaders of his own party, the Labour Party, are doing even far worse things in Abia State while he and Julius Abure, the party’s national chairman, look away in odious pretence.

    Is it not alarming, sickening and even more ‘shocking and disheartening’ that the governor of Abia State, Alex Otti of his Labour Party spent a whopping sum of N5.32bn on his private residence which he has converted to a government house and from where he conducts his personal affairs and official duties?

    It is even worse that that humongous amount was what was spent on his private residence in just three months (July – September) according to the Abia State 3rd Quarter 2023 Budget Performance Report as featured on the official website of the Abia State government.

    And this is happening when Abia State has three government houses, two in Umuahia and one in Aba (annex). The two in Umuahia are the newly commissioned government house and the old one which is still very functional. To make matters worse, Otti’s private residence which he has converted to a government house at the expense of the state’s resources is neither located in Umuahia the state capital nor in Aba its commercial nerve centre, with all the attendant negative effects of such practice on the capital city.

    As if that was not enough, Otti’s government spent N397m on an amorphous ‘welfare package’ and N927m on meals alone in the same short period (July – September) even though it later claimed it was N233m.

    Yet, Peter Obi and Julius Abure have never for once made any comments about this sad and unfortunate development despite its wide reportage in the media. One could only imagine the kind of dust Peter Obi would have raised if it was the federal government that embarked on such frivolous expenses. The cacophony would have made headlines as usual and the Obidients in obedience would have feasted voraciously on it.

    One would have expected Peter Obi and Julius Abure to have their own little house cleaned before they embark on moralizing on the cleanliness or otherwise of other people’s castles. You cannot have logs in your own eyes and pretend to be seeing the specks only in others’.

    Abia State is stinking and dying under the weight of gross misgovernance by Alex Otti as exemplified by his reckless spending including awarding a 5.6km of road in Aba for a whopping N30bn. If that is not even more “sickening and disheartening”, one wonders what then is!

    • Jude Ndukwe, Abuja.

  • Navigating Nigeria’s economic turbulence

    Navigating Nigeria’s economic turbulence

    By Elvis Eromosele

    SIR: The exit of multinational corporations like Procter & Gamble (P&G) from Nigeria speaks volumes about the intricate challenges faced by the country’s business landscape. The ripple effects of P&G’s departure, resulting in job losses and dwindling foreign investments, shed light on the deeper issues prevalent in Nigeria’s economic climate.

    The core reasons behind such exits primarily revolve around intensified industry competition, declining consumer purchasing power, and the recent devaluation of the naira. These factors, coupled with difficulties in managing foreign exchange exposure, have made it increasingly challenging for companies to sustain operations profitably within Nigeria.

    P&G’s decision to transition to an import-only model marks a significant shift from its previous investments in local manufacturing, citing the unfavorable macroeconomic conditions. The closure of its $300 million plant in Agbara, Ogun State, which initially promised substantial job creation, now stands as a testament to the complexities faced by multinational corporations operating in Nigeria.

    Beyond P&G’s case, the broader manufacturing sector has experienced a tumultuous period, with various companies either leaving the country or halting production of certain products due to rising interest rates, inflationary pressures, and foreign exchange volatility. This trend has led to a concerning increase in job losses across the sector, ultimately impacting the country’s economy.

    The macroeconomic challenges facing Nigeria, including the removal of petrol subsidies, naira devaluation, and resultant inflation spikes, have significantly affected both businesses and consumers. The aftermath of these policy decisions has led to a decline in purchasing power, higher operating costs for businesses, and an overall adverse impact on the country’s business environment.

    Read Also; Our transformation efforts on economy succeeding with NASS cooperation – Tinubu

    However, amidst the grim scenario, there’s a glimmer of hope in the emphasis on local manufacturing. While conglomerates like P&G might find it unviable, the local industry sees an opportunity for growth and significance. Encouraging local input through backward integration emerges as a potential strategy for manufacturers to navigate the challenging terrain, provided the government stabilizes the foreign exchange market.

    In essence, the departure of major multinational corporations like P&G serves as a wake-up call, prompting a reevaluation of policies, a push for local manufacturing resilience, and the urgent need for a stable economic environment to foster sustainable growth and job creation in the country.

    It is not enough for the government to hope. In the wake of the exit of Procter & Gamble (P&G), the imperative lies in outlining pragmatic solutions to foster economic resilience and sustainable growth in the country’s business landscape.

    First off, actively encouraging and supporting local manufacturing initiatives becomes pivotal. By promoting backward integration, the government can bolster domestic production, reducing reliance on imports and mitigating the impact of foreign exchange fluctuations on businesses. BuyNaija should not just be a slogan at this time but an actual policy drive.

    In addition, urgent policy reforms are needed to stabilize the economy. Measures that ensure foreign exchange market stability and cushion businesses against volatility can facilitate a conducive environment for sustained operations. This might involve revisiting currency policies and implementing measures to mitigate inflationary pressures.

    The government should equally be in the forefront of efforts to foster a skilled workforce through robust training programs and education initiatives so as to enhance the capacity of local industries. This focus on skill development enables companies to harness local talent, reducing dependency on expatriate expertise and potentially lowering operational costs.

    Furthermore, it is widely acknowledged that Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) are the backbone of any economy. Therefore, providing targeted support, such as access to funding, technology, and infrastructural development, can empower these entities to thrive, contribute significantly to job creation, and amplify economic growth.

    All in all, the government’s proactive involvement through incentives, tax reforms, and infrastructural enhancements geared towards enhancing the ease of doing business can stimulate investor confidence and attract foreign investments, fostering a conducive environment for sustainable economic growth.

    The long ahead is long but not hopeless. By embracing pragmatic solutions, Nigeria can potentially chart a path towards economic stability, bolstering local industries, creating job opportunities, and fostering an environment conducive to sustained business growth.

    Nigeria must do things differently. We must do things better.

    • Elvis Eromosele, Lagos.

  • Attention, House Committee on varsity education

    Attention, House Committee on varsity education

    By FUDMA Staff

    SIR: We write to convey to you a matter of concern regarding the delayed enrolment of recruited staff at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma, Katsina State, on the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS).

    Despite completing all necessary documentation processes, there has been a prolonged and uncertain three-year delay in our enrolment on the IPPIS. This delay has not only affected the morale and confidence of the individuals involved but has also raised questions about the efficiency of FUDMA’s administrative processes. It is disheartening to note that some had to work for months before receiving a circular notifying them of their suspension from work, pending capturing on the IPPIS platform.

    The affected employees who joined FUDMA with high expectations to contribute positively to the university have now found themselves in a state of limbo. Some resigned from their previous employments, anticipating a seamless transition to FUDMA. The protracted anticipation has caused significant distress among the affected workers who urgently need clarity on whether there are still possibilities for them to be captured on the IPPIS or not.

    Read Also; Sanwo-Olu promises medical palliatives to residents

    We are reaching out to you due to the failure of the university management to communicate clearly with us. We believe you can use your influence and position to intervene in this matter. Given the critical role of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, we believe your intervention will no doubt help to accelerate the resolution of the enrolment issue at the Federal University Dutsin-Ma.

    We passionately request that you investigate the reasons behind the delay and facilitate a prompt and transparent resolution to this matter. Your intervention can play a pivotal role in ensuring that the affected staff are enrolled on the IPPIS.

    Your prompt attention to this matter will not only address the immediate concerns of the affected individuals but also contribute to the overall efficiency and credibility of our higher education system.

    • For: FUDMA Staff Not Enrolled on the IPPIS, samhabushraakareem@gmail.com

  • Nigeria’s credit-rating bounce

    Nigeria’s credit-rating bounce

    Sir: In November, Morgan Stanley made a fetching prognosis on Nigeria’s economic health: It says President Bola Tinubu’s “policy reforms could spur economic growth and the rise of a mass consumer market, with potential opportunities in mobile banking and consumer goods”.

    Earlier in August, S&P Global Ratings revised the previous negative outlook to stable. And just recently, Moody’s Investors Service raised Nigeria’s credit outlook from stable to positive. According to Moody’s, “these policy changes, and those potentially to come, have raised the prospects of a fiscal and external improvement in the country’s credit profile’’.

    The premise of these reports has a common provenance in the policy initiatives of the Tinubu administration. On May 29, President Tinubu announced the immediate cessation of petrol subsidy. The decision was most judicious as Nigeria grappled with mounting national debts, desiccating revenue, haemorrhaging economy, corruption, and shadowy sectoral enterprise. The nation was spending as much as N400 billion every month to subsidise the petrol price and had racked up $6 billion in petrol-subsidy debts. The scheme was projected to have wolfed over N11 trillion in eight years.

    The administration went further in its bold reforms with meticulous monetary policy prescriptions like the (ongoing) unification of foreign exchange rates and the lifting of foreign exchange restrictions on the importation of 43 items. The restrictions had pushed importers into the parallel market, contributing to the surplus demand for forex, and inadvertently, weakening the parallel-market exchange rate, pushing up prices.

    On October 23, at the 29th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES) in Abuja, President Tinubu announced that his administration would honour legitimate foreign exchange obligations and restore confidence in the financial markets.

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    “My government is not blind to the challenges which several of you are facing in the financial markets. I can allay these concerns by revealing that we have a good line of sight into the additional foreign exchange liquidity that is required to restore market confidence,” the president had said.

    And true to his pledge, a few weeks after, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) began clearing a backlog of foreign exchange forwards in banks, delivering about 80 percent of outstanding forex forwards in some financial institutions in November. Nigeria had a forex forwards backlog of nearly $7 billion.

    The 2024 Appropriation bill provides clear evidence of the administration’s determination to deepen its refinements, and sail Nigeria through unsteady waters into a more salubrious economic climate. The proposed budget prioritises defence and internal security, job creation, macro-economic stability, better investment environment, human capital development, poverty reduction, and social security.

    In the bill, exquisitely titled, ‘Budget of Renewed Hope’, security takes a considerable chunk of N3.2 trillion. Securing citizens, property, and investments is the primary objective of government. Investments are cowardly, namby-pamby; they go where there is safety, stability, and security. The administration has been on a passionate drive to attract foreign investments, the allocation to defence and internal security clearly means that the government understands it must make the ground fertile and secure for investments, and as such, it is ensuring that.

    Also, in the proposed budget, education gets an allocation of N2.2 trillion, and health N1.33 trillion. This is in consonance with the government’s focalisation of human capital development as the most critical resource for national development. Other priority allocations include infrastructure N1.32 trillion, social development and poverty reduction, N534 billion.

    The monetary policies and fiscal policies of the Tinubu administration align in an umbilicus of vision. The vision is to re-oxygenate the economy to bring about growth and development through job creation, food security, ending extreme poverty, building resilience, and bringing the future to Nigerians.

    • Fredrick Nwabufo, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Public Engagement, Abuja.