President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday urged the Senate to approve a request to pay judgment debt in the sum of $566,754,584.31, £98,526,012.00 and N226billion being judgement debt owed by the Federal Government through the issuance of promissory notes.
Buhari’s letter of request was read at plenary by Senate President Ahmad Lawan.
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The Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) said the Federal Government has agreed to halt further deductions from State Governments’ accounts “to meet Local Government Councils London/Paris Club obligations.”
The NGF Chairman, Governor Aminu Tambuwal disclosed this while briefing members at the forum’s meeting held on Tuesday.
He said the Finance Minister also promised to ensure the refund of what had been deducted before now.
According to the communique, the meeting also effected changes in the forum’s leadership with the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq emerging as the new Chairman, with Oyo State’s Governor Seyi Makinde as Vice Chairman.
Read Also: AGs want FG to cease deductions on N418bn London/Paris Club
The communique reads: “Members were briefed by the Chairman of the forum that the Hon. Minister of Finance has granted the request of the forum to immediately stop further deductions from the accounts of States to meet Local Government Councils London Paris Club obligations and the monies so far deducted be paid back to the States.
“On the leadership of the forum, the Governor of Kwara State, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, emerged the new Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum through a consensus, and the Governor of Oyo State Seyi Makinde is now the Vice-Chairman.
“Members expressed satisfaction with the success of the just concluded Induction for new and returning Governors that took place between 14 and 19 of May, 2023. Members committed to sustained collaboration among the states through enhanced peer review, learning at the sub-national level and deepening the relationship with the Federal Government and other institutions.”
The issue of Paris Club obligations and deductions have been a major cause of dispute between the Fed Govt and state governments in recent time.
PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari yesterday gave a robust defence of his administration’s N77 trillion debt.
According to him, the loans were largely used to fund capital projects for the people’s benefit.
He explained that his focus on infrastructure was a deliberate action to create wealth and stem poverty.
President Buhari also justified the closure of Nigeria’s borders with neighbouring countries and the appointment of Col. Hameed Ali (retd.) as Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS).
The President spoke during the inauguration of some landmark projects of his outgoing government, including the Second Niger Bridge, which was named after him by Southeast governors.
The other projects inaugurated virtually by Buhari are the Ikom Bridge in Cross River State, the Loko-Oweto Bridge linking Nasarawa and Benue states, a section of the Kaduna-Kano dual carriageway, federal secretariats in Anambra, Bayelsa and Zamfara states as well as Customs new headquarter building in Abuja.
The President said the funds were used to buoy economic development, create more employment and make Nigerians prosperous.
Emphasising that his government was transparent, especially in the application of public funds, he jokingly warned: “If anybody with force moves, I have a good relationship with my neighbours. Niger Republic people will defend me.”
The President, who emphasised that he shared the concerns of Nigerians over the debts, reminded them that the wealth of other nations was traceable to their investments in infrastructure made possible by debts redeemed over decades.
He said: “As we look at the debt profile, I urge us to also look at the assets and investment profiles, some of which were paid for by debt and some by investment income.
“In eight years, I am proud to say that we have doubled Nigeria’s stock of infrastructure to GDP (Gross Domestic Product) from about 20 per cent to over 40 per cent and that is no small undertaking.
“The projects that we hand over today (yesterday), apart from others, such as rail, sea and airports, a gas pipeline that had been previously completed, symbolise our country’s sharp focus on delivering prosperity.”
He explained that the Second Niger Bridge, the 365-kilometre Abuja-Kano highway of which 200 kilometres have been completed and the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway were all funded partly from dividends from investments in the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG), repatriated funds from overseas, and loot recoveries.
Buhari said: “This is an example of the change that we promised; to invest dividend income in visible assets that last for generations and to put proceeds of crime to public and enduring use for the country.
“Our anti-corruption approach does not end in courts. Stolen and recovered assets are utilised for the common good.”
The President named the federal secretariats in Bayelsa, Anambra, and Zamfara states after former President Goodluck Jonathan; Ebele Okeke and Yahaya Gusau.
Inaugurating the N19.6 billion Customs headquarters, the President said Nigerians who initially criticised him for closing the nation’s land borders eventually appreciated it.
He explained that he shut the borders to encourage Nigerians to produce food for their consumption.
“I deliberately closed the borders because knowing Nigerians, they order rice, give some to the Niger Republic and the rest, and then they bring the rice here.
“With our potential, we have people, we have land, and weather – how many nations are as lucky as Nigeria in the world? Very few nations.
“So closing that border, 1,600 kilometres, Nigerians insist they eat boiled rice – you eat what you grow or you die. I tried to make my point and later Nigerians appreciated it.”
‘I don’t have houses outside Daura, Kaduna’
Buhari restated his plan to retire to his country home Daura in Katsina State, which according to him is far away from Abuja but close to Niger Republic where he has people that could defend him.
He said aside from his houses in Daura and Kaduna, he refused to even build a school or study abroad to ward off accusations of misappropriation of public funds.
Buhari added: “I deliberately refused to improve on my infrastructure other than the house I had in Daura and the one in Kaduna. So those who want to make trouble for me will have many problems. I didn’t build a house.
“I didn’t build a school. I haven’t gone to school outside Nigeria.
“So those who are having problems with Nigeria leaders to condemn them for misappropriation and misbehaviour don’t have a problem with me.
“I said these few things about my personal belief because I have only six more days to go.
“And I try to plan to be as far away from Abuja as possible. I came from an area which is far away from Abuja.”
Read Also: Buhari inaugurates 1.6 km second Niger bridge named after him
He said he nominated Ali as Comptroller-General of Customs because of his experience and competence.
“My decision for Hameed Ali to come to Customs was a deliberate one. I brought him to ensure that I have peace of mind.”
Buhari also said that the new Customs Act, which he recently signed, would enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the Customs administration.
Ali, who hailed the President, said the increase in the salaries of personnel had made them less susceptible to corruption.
“We must mention the game-changing intervention of Mr President to rid the NCS of corruption and put it on a path of integrity,” he said.
Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, said the projects of the All Progressives Congress(APC)-led government had impacted Nigerians.
He explained that the economic activities that took place during the construction of the projects had resulted in pushing back multi-dimensional poverty.
He listed other benefits of the projects, including job creation, reduced travel time in comfort, business efficiency, and value appreciation of properties.
The Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC) yesterday consolidated three petitions challenging the declaration of Bola Tinubu as the President-elect.
They were filed by Atiku Abubakar/Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peter Obi/Labour Party (LP) and the Allied Peoples Movement (APM).
The court disagreed with the respondents who contended that merging the petitions will create confusion because the claims are not exactly the same.
Justice Haruna Tsammani noted that the fusion was in line with Paragraph 50 of the First Schedule to the Electoral Act 2022.
The paragraph states: “Where two or more petitions are presented in relation to the same election or return, all the petitions shall be consolidated, considered and be dealt with as one petition…”
The judge held: “This court hereby determines that the justice of this petition demands that petition No: CA/PEPC/03/2023 be consolidated with petitions No: CA/PEPC/04/2023 and CA/PEPC/05/2023 and be dealt with as one petition since they all relate to one election and return.”
The court also set timelines for the proceedings while issuing pre-hearing reports on the petitions, all of which are expected to end on August 16.
Parties in the petition by Atiku/PDP will adopt their written addresses on August 8.
Each of the three sets of petitioners will open its case on May 30 by calling witnesses.
Justice Tsammani said in line with Paragraph 41(3) of the First Schedule, there shall be no oral examination, except to adopt written statements on oath and to identify documents.
The court ordered that each star/expert witness will testify in chief for 30 minutes; cross-examined for 20 minutes and re-examined for five minutes.
Read Also: BREAKING: PEPC concludes hearing in all petitions August 8
Each of the other witnesses is entitled to 10 minutes both during evidence-in-chief and cross-examination, with five minutes for re-examination.
The court allocated three weeks to the petitioners to conduct their case; five days to each of the other respondents and four days to the APC.
The court chose August 5 for final adoption in the petition by Obi and the LP, following which a date shall be chosen for judgment.
Respondents to the petition are the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettma and the APC.
Justice Misiturat Bolaji-Yusuf read the pre-hearing report on the petition by the APM in which the same time was allocated.
Respondents to the petition are INEC, APC, Tinubu, Shettma and Ibrahim Masari (running-mate placeholder).
The petitioner was allocated one day to conduct its case; INEC and APC got one day each, with Tinubu and Shettma given two days and one for Masari.
Adoption of final written addresses is fixed for July 3, following which a date will be set for judgment.
The court allocated three weeks to Atiku and the PDP to conduct their case, with INEC, Tinubu and the APC as respondents.
The court allocated two days to INEC to conduct its case and five days each for Tinubu and the APC.
Final adoption is fixed for August 8, following which a date will be set for judgment.
Justice Tsammani had on Monday hinted that the court must decide the petitions by September 16.
He urged parties to cooperate with the court to ensure an expeditious hearing.
Election petitions must be determined within 180 days; appeals must be decided within 60.
The UK government yesterday barred international students from bringing family members as dependants to the country in a move to cut immigration.
The changes will come into effect from January 2024.
Under the new proposals, only students on longer postgraduate courses designated as research programmes, such as PhD, will be able to bring dependants to the UK while they study.
Overseas students will be prevented from switching “out of the student route into work routes” before their studies have been completed.
There will also be “improved and more enforcement activity” and a clamp down on “unscrupulous agents” using education as a cover for immigration, according to the government statement.
It said net migration has been steadily on the rise and is reportedly expected to hit a record high this year.
Read Also: BREAKING: UK bans Nigerian students, others from bringing family
In the year ending December 2022, 486,000 student visas were issued to applicants – up from 269,000 in 2019.
Last year, the number of student visas issued to dependants stood at 136,000 – an eightfold increase from 2019, when 16,000 were provided.
Immigration figures point to an “explosion” in the number of people relocating to Britain on the privilege of their relatives’ student visas.
A total of 135,788 family members reportedly tagged along as students moved into Britain for study last year — nine times more than in 2019.
“Last year, 59,053 Nigerian students brought over 60,923 relatives,” The Sun reported.
In the written ministerial statement, Home Secretary Suella Braverman said recent immigration figures had shown an “unexpected rise” in the number of dependants coming to the UK alongside international students.
She said the increase was made after the government made its commitment to lower net migration.
In 2019, when net migration stood at 226,000, the Conservative manifesto committed to making sure “overall numbers come down”.
Ms Braverman said while the government’s strategy around international education “plays an important part in supporting the economy”, it should “not be at the expense of our commitment to the public to lower overall migration”.
“This package strikes the right balance between acting decisively on she said.
“Now is the time for us to make these changes to ensure an impact on net migration as soon as possible. We expect this package to have a tangible impact on net migration.
“Taken together with the easing of temporary factors, we expect net migration to fall to pre-pandemic levels in the medium term,” she said.
Education Secretary Gillian Keegan added: “The number of family members being brought to the UK by students has risen significantly.
Read Also: UK to ban foreign students from bringing families
“It is right we are taking action to reduce this number while maintaining a commitment to our international education strategy, which continues to enrich the UK’s education sector and make a significant contribution to the wider economy.”
The announcement comes as the government comes under mounting pressure over migration figures – an issue that has reportedly caused splits in the cabinet.
Sky News reports that official statistics due to be published later this week are expected to show that net migration has increased from 504,000 in the 12 months to June 2022 to more than 700,000 in the year to December.
Criticisms trailed the policy announcement.
Deputy National President of the National Parents Teachers Association of Nigeria (NAPTAN) Chief Adeolu Ogunbanjo said the policy was rather unfortunate.
“It’s their country; there is nothing we can do. But what this translates to me is that they are now discouraging mature students from coming to the UK to study.
“It’s not all of these students who travel to the UK to study that stay. Most of them still come back after their studies.
“The Federal Government should appeal to the UK Government to reconsider the total ban on families. They should look at it case by case basis. A total ban will be unnecessary.”
Director of Research, Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Associate Professor Efem Ubi, said though it was an internal affair of the United Kingdom, the policy will not augur well for some Nigerian students.
“I can understand the situation. Most students use the opportunity to relocate their families to the UK and never return after completing their studies,” he said.
According to him, most students studying for Bachelor’s degrees may not have been married. In the case of those studying for Master’s Degrees, some of them may be married before travelling to the UK.
A public affairs commentator, Paul Ejime, said: “The policy is not a good one for Nigerian students who desire to go to the UK for studies looking at it that we have been having an excellent relationship right from the colonial period to the Commonwealth.
“But you should remember that the reason for Brexit is to regulate the inflow of people into the UK.”
He said the present UK government want to show they are serious about curtailing immigration.
According to him, many trained Nigerians in the fields of engineering, law and consultancy are contributing to UK’s development and economy.
“I hope they are not making the mistake of losing brilliant Nigerians to other countries like the U.S. and Canada. You can’t stop migration because it has come to stay,” Ejime said.
He urged the incoming Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration to discuss with the UK Government at the level of a bilateral meeting.
According to him, the UK can make the visa requirements stricter to restrict the relocation of all extended families to the UK.
By Emmanuel Oladesu, Deputy Editor; Olukorede Yishau, United State Bureau Chief, Onyedi Ojiabor, Jide Orintunsin, Musa Umar Bologi, and Gbenga Omokhunu, Abuja; Bisi Oladele and Kelvin Osa Okunbor
World attention is focusing on Nigeria ahead of the inauguration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as president.
United States President Joe Biden has designated a presidential delegation to attend the May 27 ceremony holding at Eagle Square, Abuja.
Also, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who visited Tinubu yesterday at the Defence House, Abuja, pledged the support of the ‘Tony Blair Institute for Global Change’ for the incoming administration.
The transition programme has kicked off with a Regimental Dinner for President Muhammadu Buhari, who is expected to bow out next Monday.
Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) is already agog with minor festivities.
Airfares on the Lagos/Abuja route on major carriers have soared. Most hotels in the city have been booked by dignitaries expected at the ceremony.
Blair to support incoming govt
Blair expressed his readiness to support the incoming Tinubu administration to succeed in office.
He said the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, which he founded, would be a willing partner of the administration, especially in prioritising its goals and delivery.
He said since leaving office as the UK prime minister, he had been working with governments around the world to help them deliver on their mandates.
He said the institute has a project in place in Nigeria, adding that it was incumbent upon him to meet the next president to understand his administration’s priorities.
Blair said: “We would like to help in any way with your administration. We only need to know what the leadership priorities are and help in how to actualise them,” Blair told President-elect Tinubu.”
The former prime minister commended Tinubu’s campaign focus on key areas of security, economy, agriculture and power, describing the intertwined nature of the areas as critical to the development of any society.
He said with the appetite shown by investors to invest in Nigeria, the Tinubu administration could get the required support to spur economic development in the country.
Blair, however, acknowledged the difficult task before Tinubu and other leaders at a time of global turmoil.
He said: “Being in government today anywhere in the world is tough. You have things happening around the world which affect you and for which you can’t do anything much.”
President-elect Tinubu expressed appreciation to the former British leader for the visit and for his offer to work with his administration.
Read Also: Security beefed up ahead of May 29 inauguration
He spoke of the shared vision between him and Tony Blair Institute in their priority areas, but underlined the importance of tackling investment challanges and the need for social investment to fight poverty.
Tinubu said: “Yes, we are challenged. But where is our courage? We can eliminate ignorance, diseases and poverty in Africa. We must work hard to ensure democracy works for our people.”
“We have to invest more, put technology in place and keep terrorists at bay because without effective security, there is no guarantee investors will come,” he added.
The president-elect promised to provide a conducive environment that would encourage investors and open up opportunities for the people.
A statement by Abdulaziz Abdulaziz of the Office of the President-elect said Tinibu was accompanied by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila; Vice President-elect Kashim Shettima; member of Tinubu Transition Team and one-time Lagos State Finance Commissioner Mr. Wale Edun; former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman Mallam Nuhu Ribadu; Senator representing Lagos East Senatorial District, Adetokunbo Abiru and Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council, Mr. Zacch Adedeji.
Air fares soar
Six days to the inauguration, airfares on the Lagos / Abuja route on major carriers have soared.
Experts and airline operators attributed the increase to the surge in passenger traffic on the route next Monday.
Checks on the website / booking platforms of major carriers indicate more flight frequencies in the D- Day, forcing fares to go up.
Checks by The Nation reveal that booking made for some days before the presidential inauguration stands at N47,000.00 for a one – way / one – hour flight, whereas bookings for a day before the inauguration for an economy seat stands at N 74,000.00. However, flight bookings for Monday, May 29, 2023 for same economy seat in one of the major carriers is selling for N95,300.00.
Also, flights for three days after the inauguration is going for N47,700.00 respectively.
Investigations further revealed that local carriers have increased their flight frequencies for next Monday, with one of the leading airlines scheduling Lagos / Abuja flights for 6.30 am, 8.00 am, 8.40 am and 10.35 am, 12.40 pm, 2.15 pm, 6.20 pm and 7. 30 pm .
Flight bookings on one of the biggest carriers for all rotations for an economic seat for the schedules for May 29 is going for N75,300.00 respectively.
All seats in the First Class cabin have been booked. Booking for Business Class cabin for same day on scheduled flights ranges between N129,900.00 and N143,000.00 respectively.
Return flights between Abuja/ Lagos for same day travel on Economy seat cabin ranges between N47,700.00, N53,000.00 and N95,300.00 .
Bookings for Business Class cabin for travel same day ranges between N123, 000.00 and N143, 000.00.
Sources hinted the airport authority is scaling up efforts to handle the high influx of passengers that will use the airport.
The Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS), it was learnt, is planning to facilitate the movement of foreigners / diplots coming into the country for the inauguration ceremony.
DHQ, FCDA: we are ready
The Defence Headquarters (DHQ) and the Federal Capital Territory Authority (FCDA) have said they are fully prepared for the inauguration.
Read Also: Court to rule Friday on suit seeking to stop Tinubu’s inauguration
The DHQ said adequate security measures have been put in place to ensure a hitch-free ceremony.
The agency assured that there is no cause for alarm whatsoever.
It further said the military is working with the Nigeria Police and other security and intelligence agencies to ensure adequate security before, during and after the inauguration.
Director Defence Information, Defence Headquarters, Brig.-Gen. Tukur Gusau, said preparations in terms of military parade and security of the venue and Abuja are on.
He said: “The inauguration is under the presidential transition comittee, we are just a member. The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) is a member. But off course we are handling the military parade and the security,
“Preparation is at the top gear. The Guards Brigade is the one leading the military parade. The rehearsals are on and everything is in the top gear.
“Security is a joint task and adequate security has been put in place.
“But you know the Police is the lead agency there. So, adequate security measures have been put in place before, during and after the inauguration.
“This is about the sevenths times, if I’m not mistaken, we will be involved in presidential inauguration. Former President Olusegun Obasanjo was inaugurated twice, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’adua once, Goodluck Jonathan twice, President Muhammadu Buhari twice.
“So we are good to go, no cause for alarm.”
On its own, the FCDA said it’s not leaving any stone unturned in its determination to ensure a hitch free inauguration.
The Director Security Services, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Adamu Guwari, explained the plan they have to host the inauguration on May, 29, 2023.
Guwari said: “The panning started more than a week ago. The Commissioner of Police who led other security agencies has mapped out their operation plans and order for the inauguration and it has been made available to the FCT minister.
“The essence of the operational order is to give security agencies necessary logistic support.
“We have commenced activities to ensure a hitch free inauguration ceremony.
“Security agencies are now everywhere in the city. I advise residents and visitors to abide by the law and follow due process.
“There are several diversions in the city during the hours of the inauguration.
“Everyone needs to corporate with security agencies. The people should also give vital information to security agencies if there is any security threat.
“For those planning to disrupt the inauguration, security agencies will deal with those elements.
“This is operational strategy and I will not disclose what will happen to those people. All hands are on deck to avert any problem.”
On May 29, Senator Uba Sani will succeed Mallam Nasir El-Rufai as Governor of Kaduna State. Correspondent AbdulGafar Alabelewe examines the challenges that will confront his administration
Until his nomination by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governorship candidate in 2014, the name El-Rufai was more prominent on the national scene than his native of Kaduna.
However, his antecedents as the minister, who changed the face of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja, paved the way for his emergence as Kaduna State governor in 2015.
El-Rufai came at a time Kaduna was yearning for development and the people believed they had found a transformational leader. Before then, the state had faced some form of developmental stagnation since the exit of former Governor Ahmed Makarfi in 2007.
During his electioneering campaigns, El-Rufai came up with the mantra of “Making Kaduna Great Again’, through ensuring massive infrastructural development, good governance, the attraction of investments by providing the enabling environment, enhancing youth and gender inclusion in governance as well as providing law and order in the state.
As his administration winds down on May 29, it is evident that the El-Rufai-led government has lived up to expectations, though not without challenges, but more gains for the incoming administration of Senator Uba Sani to inherit, address and build on.
Away from the demolition of illegal structures, a sack of ‘unqualified’ teachers and abolition of some traditional districts, which have gained prominence as his bad policies, El-Rufai has set a new standard for governance in the State through infrastructure, an investment drive, overhaul of the education sector, improvement of access to healthcare, as well as youth and women inclusion in governance among others.
In investment and revenue generation, El-Rufai has been able to put Kaduna State on the investment map of the country. His administration increased internally generated revenue (IGR) and made Kaduna State the first subnational in the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business ranking. This feat made it possible for the government to attract an unprecedented number of foreign and local investments into the state, which has created job opportunities for the teeming youth.
The administration established Kaduna Investment Promotion Agency (KADIPA), an agency that processes land titles, licenses and permits as well as all necessary documentation for investors coming into Kaduna State. It also started the annual Kaduna Economic and Investment Summit (KADInvest), launching the Ease of Doing Business Charter at the maiden edition in 2016, which committed the state government agencies to specific deliverables.
With these policies in place, El-Rufai’s government has attracted several investment worth over $2.8 billion, including Olam Hatchery and Livestock Feed Plant, a multinational company, one of Nigeria’s largest single foreign direct investments. The African Natural Resources and Mines have set up an iron ore mining and steel processing company at Gujeni village in Kagarko Local Government.
There is also Damau Ranch and Milk Farm, where the government is partnering with the Danish dairy company, Arla. The government is building roads and two bridges, while Arla Global Dairy Products Limited is setting up a 200 hectares demonstration farm. The 9,000 hectares Damau Household Milk Farm project will settle 1,000 pastoralists’ families and they will have veterinary clinics, primary health care facilities, cattle pens, schools and markets in each of the five districts of the project.
Dangote Peugeot Ltd has started producing Peugeot cars along the Kaduna-Abuja Expressway. In addition, the government provided the enabling environment for Tomato Jos to set up the third largest tomato paste factory in Nigeria, Kaduna. Companies like OCP Fertilisers; Blue Camel Energy Limited, Dangote Tomato Processing Company, Shoprite, Indorama Corporation and US-based drone medical supply company, Zipline have come into Kaduna.
In infrastructure, the Urban Renewal Programme in Zaria, Kaduna and Kafanchan towns has been recorded as the single most comprehensive infrastructure upgrade that the state had witnessed since it was created in 1967. The programme has seen improved infrastructure and the building of new ones, which have generally made Kaduna state the reference point of how to deliver dividends of democracy, especially in northern Nigeria.
The Urban Renewal Programme, which is the El-Rufai administration’s flagship programme to upgrade the infrastructure of the major cities in the state, aimed at opening up the state as the number one investment destination of choice in Nigeria through the cutting travel time within the major towns and provision of other facilities, has 14 components including the construction of roads and bridges with traffic lights, mass transit, housing, improved land use, street lights, sports centre, parks and recreational centres, markets and neighbourhood centre, as well as waste management.
In the road component of the programme, El-Rufai administration built and rebuilt 443km of township roads; 414km of intercity roads; and 172km of rural feeder roads across Kaduna State before the end of his first tenure in 2019. The administration has also embarked on the erection of 60km of new solar-powered street lights, while seven new roads, spanning 23.4km, were reconstructed within the Kaduna metropolis based on the Max Lock Master Plan for Kaduna City. The road expansions and improvements include bridges, street lights, culverts, sidewalks, road markings and CCTV on major intersections.
Among the existing Kaduna roads that were upgraded and dualised under the Urban Renewal Programme are, Alkali Road, Katuru Road from Isa Kaita to Rabah Road to Badarawa Road, Waziri Maccido Road, Kinshasa Road, Ungwan Rimi, WAFF Road from NEPA Roundabout to Essence Junction, Swimming Pool Road from Police Roundabout to Almanar Mosque to Gobarau DPR Junction, Tafawa Balewa Way from WAFF Road to GOC Junction to Almanar Mosque, Race Course Road from WAFF Road to Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital to Independence Way.
Read Also: El-Rufai accuses predecessors of building houses with public funds
Also completed are, the dualisation of Yakubu Gown Way from Independence Way to Ahmadu Bello Way, with an underpass replacing Leventis Roundabout by Sheikh Mahmud Gumi Central Market, Rabah Road from Area House Junction to Water Board, FRCN Road Malali to College Road by Legislative Quarters, Ungwan Dosa. Completion of dualised Umaru Musa Yar’Adua Way in Millennium City to Eastern Bypass, construction of Urban Shelter Road from Umaru Musa Yar’ Adua Way to Patrick Yakowa Way, Aliyu Makama Road from Railway Station Roundabout to Television Road Junction in Barnawa among several others in Zaria and Kafanchan.
In educational reform, the government came up with a plan to enhance human capital development, by repositioning the education sector from a near moribund state to an active and revitalised sector, where quality and competence are the watchwords. El-Rufai declared free education from primary to secondary school levels, renovated schools, built new ones and pioneered the school feeding programme in the north, which boosted enrolment figures.
The El-Rufai’s Government, in collaboration with the World Bank, is also implementing the Adolescent Girls Initiative for Learning and Empowerment, to ensure that the girl-child stays in school, completes her education and or learns some skills that would empower her.
Similarly, the administration, in conjunction with the Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), is improving Kaduna State Special School for Special Needs, targeting marginalised students and visually and hearing impaired students in communities. The state is also working with the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) to return out-of-school children to school.
The administration has also renovated over 30 per cent of the 4,250 public primary schools, including Capital School, which got a complete overhaul. The government also constructed new multi-storey mega classrooms in 30 primary schools in high-density areas, to cater for the new enrolments. The benefitting communities include Rigasa, Kafanchan, Kachia, Agban, Kagoro and Fadan Karshi. In addition, El-Rufai has completely upgraded 15 selected historic and prominent schools across Kaduna State, including Rimi College, Government Girls Secondary School Kawo, Government College Kaduna, Government Girls Secondary School Zonkwa, Government Secondary School Kagoro, Barewa College Zaria, Alhudahuda College Zaria, Government College Saminaka, Science School Kufena, Queen Amina College, Kaduna, Technical College Kaduna, Government Girls Secondary School Kwoi, Government College Kachia, Technical School Soba and Government Girls Secondary School Giwa.
Also, in its bid to boost science and technology education, Kaduna State Government under El-Rufai decided to build six Science Secondary Schools at Pambegua (Kubau Local Government Area, LGA), Hunkuyi (Kudan LGA), Rigachikun (Igabi LGA), Buruku (Chikun LGA), Jere (Kagarko LGA) and Manchok (Kaura LGA). The state has also started work on the new site of Kaduna State University (KASU) Rigachikun, Igabi Local Government.
In the area of teachers’ recruitment and recertification, the administration in recognition of the fact that the teacher is the most important component in the education value chain, the government conducted a competency test in 2018, where primary school teachers sat for examination. The cut-off mark was 75 per cent and after the assessment, 21,780 failed the test and were sacked. However, the government recruited 25,000 qualified teachers to replace those sacked.
The same attention was also paid to school furniture, equipment and books, while regular payment of scholarships and bursaries, as well as the Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), were not left to suffer. But, his education policy, which did not go down well with the majority of the Kaduna citizens, is the increase of tuition fees across the state’s tertiary institutions. Though, the government gave the need to improve the quality of degrees obtainable in the state’s institutions as justification for its action.
In healthcare, El-Rufai’s government brought primary healthcare under one roof, under the Kaduna Primary Healthcare Development Agency, it then went ahead to rebuild, expand and equip with modern equipment, all 255 primary healthcare centres (PHC), ensuring one PHC in each of the 255 wards, to bring healthcare closer to the people, especially pregnant women and routine immunisation for children. The government also renovated and refitted 23 general hospitals in the state with modern equipment for improved diagnosis and safer surgery, through a partnership with General Electric (GE). It equally installed solar power infrastructure in 34 PHCs.
The administration procured and supplied ambulances to the general hospitals while procuring cold-chain equipment for the storage of vaccines and medical supplies in most of the 255 primary healthcare centres. It also procured dialysis machines for Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, while subsidising the cost of dialysis. The government also procured and installed Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) machine at Barau Dikko Teaching Hospital, while installing Fluoroscopy Machine at Patrick Yakowa General Hospital, Kafanchan.
Having considered manpower as a key component of healthcare, El-Rufai’s administration embarked on the recruitment and training of health personnel for the various healthcare facilities in the state. It recruited 1,200 health professionals, just as another set of 1,250 health workers were recruited in 2020. The government followed that up with the recruitment of 2,500 health personnel and additional 3,000 health workers for its 255 primary healthcare facilities. Also, the state government is training 17 health personnel in Edinburgh, Scotland on supply chain management and an additional 45 medical doctors to address the shortage of medical doctors.
One area that has remained complex despite the El-Rufai-led government’s efforts is in security though it inherited farmer/herder clashes, cattle rustling, rural banditry and kidnapping. Expectations were high that, he will solve the problems same way he has been able to address infrastructure.
The government took several measures, chief among which is the establishment of the first Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, to coordinate internal security matters and intelligence gathering, as well as liaison with the Federal Security Agencies present in the state. The move has no doubt yielded positive results to a reasonable extent, but there is serious room for improvement to a level where banditry and communal clashes become challenges of the past.
Agenda for Uba Sani:
There is no doubt that Malam Nasir El-Rufai is leaving behind a big shoe for his successor, as he has been able to raise the bar of governance in the state, with policies and programmes that have reset the state on the path of progress. The good thing, however, is that Senator Sani as a foundation member of El-Rufai’s government has a good understanding of these policies and programmes.
Senator Sani was not just a member of El-Rufai’s kitchen cabinet, he was his Political Adviser until 2019 when he went to the National Assembly to represent Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone. It was in the cause of that assignment that, Uba Sani as the Chairman Senate Committee on Banking and Other Financial Institutions, facilitated the $350m World Bank Loan with which the El-Rufai’s government is turning around the fortune of Kaduna State.
Therefore, it is expected that Senator Sani keeps up the tempo of the developmental projects initiated by the El-Rufai government. It is also expected that he applies some level of diplomacy if he must carry on with some of El-Rufai’s policies which the government felt are good but considered harsh by the citizens.
Speaking on the agenda for the next governor, a veteran journalist and public affairs analyst, Alhaji Tajudeen Tijjani said, since the Uba Sani government is going to be a continuity of Mallam Nasir’s eight solid years, it is expected that projects that the outgoing government initiated should be continued and given priority in the first year of Uba Sani administration.
“However, there can be some amendments here and there, we must be careful not to abandon them, because, that has been the problem of old government in this country that has impeded our growth. The new government should look into issues of education, health and security and not go backwards on what is on the ground.
“Another area of concern in Kaduna State is the issue of unity among the diverse community in the state. The traditional institutions must also be given a role, at least in security and farmers/herders’ disagreement. Now that projects and development of urban centres are almost completed, the new government should endeavour to come to rural areas and assist them with good roads, health centres and extension of tap drinking water.
“No human project is perfect and the new administration may look into areas where there are human errors and rectify them. Again the new government must not rely completely on field reports from government officials who do whatever they feel and put the blame on the administration. Overzealous government officials created problems for authority and make the citizens hate any administration whatever may be the trial of the government to touch people’s lives,” Tijjani said.
In his view, a Kaduna-based legal practitioner, Sani Idris said, the incoming government of Senator Uba Sani needs to keep up the tempo of achievements recorded in infrastructure and social amenities across the state, maintain focus on civil service to make the system effective and properly sized.
He also advised that the new government needs to keep the focus on the state’s economic comparative advantage and improve on the IGR.
He however admonished that, the Senator Uba Sani-led administration should, “reverse the high tuition fee in the state higher institutions of learning, which has forced many young persons to drop out of schools. It should also take steps to address the plight of civil servants who were laid off without their entitlements given to them, to date. He should inject a new life into the state healthcare system and pay attention to the judiciary.”
After eight days in Police custody, Afrobeat singer, Seun Kuti, last night regained his freedom following the perfection of his bail condition.
Kuti was released around 7:45pm from the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Panti, Yaba, his abode since his arrest and detention on May 15, after he surrendered himself to the police over an alleged grievous assault on an Inspector on the Third Mainland Bridge, penultimate Saturday.
Announcing his release from police custody on his verified Twitter account, activist, Omoyele Sowore, who shared a video of Kuti receiving warm embraces from his supporters, wrote: “Just to announce that @RealSeunKuti has been released from @PoliceNG detention in Lagos. Hasta la victoria siempre!”
The singer’s lawyers, Adeyinka Olumide-Fusika (SAN) and Kunle Adegoke (SAN), in an earlier statement assured his supporters that the absence of the Chief Magistrate, Adeola Olatunbosun, would not affect his bail.
Read Also: Seun Kuti’s lawyers accuse police of flouting court order
They issued a statement following protest that greeted announcement at the Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court that proceedings could not hold due to the absence of the Magistrate.
Kuti has been in detention since May 15 for alleged serious assault on a Police Inspector on the Third Mainland Bridge. The singer whose immediate arrest was ordered by the Inspector General of Police (IG) Alkali Usman, surrendered himself to the police that Monday before he was arrested and detained at the SCID, Yaba.
The police had filed a holding charge before the court requesting to detain the suspect for 21 days but was granted two days remand. At the expiration of the 48 hours, the police again, filed an exparte application to the court requesting additional four days to keep the suspect in custody to allow for seamless investigation, which the court obliged.
However, proceedings could not go on at the court on Tuesday following the absence of the Chief Magistrate, who was said to be on a training.
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has revoked the operating licenses of 132 Microfinance Banks, three finance companies and four primary mortgage banks.
The list of affected Microfinance banks include Atlas Microfinance Bank; Bluewhales Microfinance Bank; Everest Microfinance Bank; Mainsail Microfinance Bank; Nopov Microfinance Bank; Ohon Microfinance Bank; Premium Microfinance Bank and Statesman Microfinance Bank.
Others include Manny Microfinance Bank; Reality Microfinance Bank; Osina Microfinance Bank; Zikado Microfinance Bank; Taraba Microfinance Bank, Ndiagu Microfinance Bank, among others.
The Finance Companies- HHL Invest & Trust Limited,
TFS Finance Limited and Treasures & Trust Limited also had their licenses revoked by the CBN.
The affected primary mortgage Banks which also lost their licenses are Resort Savings & Loans, Safetrust Mortgage Bank, Adamawa Savings & Loans and Kogi Savings & Loans.
Read Also: How microfinance bank officials duped us of life savings, vanished into thin air —Traders
In the Federal Government of Nigeria Official Gazette released, the apex bank said the Microfinance Banks, Finance Companies and Primary Mortgage Banks have ceased to carry on, in Nigeria, the type of business for which their licences were issued for a continuous period of six months.
According to the Gazette signed by CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, the affected institutions also failed to fulfill or comply with the conditions subject to which their licences were granted.
They also failed to comply with the obligations imposed upon them by the Central Bank of Nigeria in accordance with the provisions of Banks and Other Financial Institutions Act (BOFIA) 2020, Act No. 5.
“Now Therefore, I, Godwin Ifeanyi Emefiele, CON, Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, in exercise of the powers conferred on the Central Bank of Nigeria under Section 12 of BOFIA 2020, Act No.5, hereby revoke the licences of the Microfinance Banks, Finance Companies and Primary Mortgage Banks stated in Schedules I, II and III respectively attached hereto,” Emefiele stated in the report.
The United Kingdom has announced restrictions barring foreign students from bringing family members into the country.
The Home Secretary, Suella Braverman announced the ban as part of the push to reduce net migration.
The Home Secretary said all foreign students – apart from those on postgraduate research programmes – will be banned from bringing their dependents from January 2024.
The UK permits dependants to accompany their spouses or parent(s) who have a valid student visa.
Braverman had said there had been an “unexpected” spike in the number of dependents – saying the economic benfits brough by students could “not be at the expense” of the Tory promise to cut immigration.
The ban will affect all master’s students and some other post-graduates, but it will not apply to PhD students who are highly skilled and whose courses last between 3 to 5 years.
If implemented, the crackdown will affect many Nigerian students hoping to pursue their postgraduate studies in the UK, as they accounted for the highest increase in the number of dependants accompanying persons with study visas in 2022.