The Nation Newspaper

Category: Northern Report

  • Meningitis vaccination goes to schools

    Authorities of Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) have directed its agency, Primary Health Care Board (PHCB) to extend the ongoing meningitis vaccination to schools, officers in its employ and residents of the six Area Councils of the FCT.

    The development is part of proactive measures to forestall the spread of the dreaded disease in the FCT.

    FCT Permanent Secretary, Dr. Babatope Ajakaiye who gave the directive in his office during a meeting with the six area council chairmen and other stakeholders urged officers, schools and residents of the territory to be available for the exercise, adding that government would not hesitate to arrest and prosecute those who defy the directive.

    According to a statement issued by the Press Secretary, Office of the FCT Permanent Secretary, Tony Odey, Akjakaiye charged parents and religious organizations to always make their children and followers available for vaccination, while stressing that the FCT Administration would continue to carry out policies and programmes aim at enhancing the wellbeing and welfare of residents of the Territory.

    The Permanent Secretary assured the board of the readiness of FCT Administration to make financial intervention in the event of shortage of vaccines and other facilities.

    He further remarked that no responsible government would watch the lives of its citizens being ravaged by diseases that can be prevented.

    Responding, the Executive Secretary of PHCB assured the Permanent Secretary of the readiness of the board to carry out the directive.

  • ‘Hasten payment of London-Paris club refunds’

    Labour union leaders in Kwara State have urged the Federal Government to accelerate the release of the second tranche of London-Paris Club loan refunds to states.

    The union leaders made the appeal after the meeting of the Kwara State Joint Accounts Allocation Committee (JAAC) in Ilorin, said the release of the funds would assist local councils in the state to offset part of the outstanding salary arrears of their workers.

    Vice chairman of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the state, Miss Abubakar said the Paris club refund will go a long way in ameliorating the hardship of local government workers and basic education teachers who are owed varying degrees of salary arrears.

    Comrade Abubakar,  who is also the state chair of Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) urged the state government to ensure that a substantial part of the Paris Club refund, when received, is used for payment of LG staff salary arrears.

    The Deputy President of the State Chapter of Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE), Oloruntade Ibikunle also appealed to the State government to take over the funding of basic education as a way of reducing the financial burden on the local governments.

    Responding, the State Commissioner for Finance, Alhaji Demola Banu said that the State government will inform the public whenever it receives the Paris club refund and assured that the government will use the fund to clear part of the outstanding salary arrears at the local government.

    Speaking on the April federal allocation to the 16 LGs in the State, the Commissioner said the councils got a gross statutory allocation of N1, 071, 999, 329.90, Value Added Tax (VAT) of N425, 294, 976.45, excess Petroleum Profit Tax (PPT) of N80, 116, 025.82 and Exchange Difference of 245, 081, 267.72.

    Banu revealed that the sum of N280, 045, 355 was deducted at source as repayment for the N4.820billion loan facility the councils obtained in 2015 to pay salaries. He listed other deductions from the allocation to include funds for traditional council, bank charges, waste management, ALGON dues, LG pension board and LG Commission running cost.

    Following the deductions, Banu said that the total amount distributable among the LGs stood at N448million, including 10 per cent of the state government’s Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) distributable for the month, representing N52.2 million He stated that the sum of N900m was appropriated for the payment of

    Basic Education (SUBEB) teachers’ salary while the sum of N130, 208, 234.25 was allocated for LG pensioners’ entitlements.

    The Commissioner, however, disclosed that the State was yet to receive its allocation for the month of April from the FG. He explained that it always take about a week after the Federal Accounts Allocation

    Committee (FAAC) meeting before states start receiving their allocation.

    Banu also emphasised that the state government does not owe any of its workers and retirees, noting that the issue of unpaid salary arrears only affects LGs in the State, which he said was caused by reduction in their federal allocations.

    He added that the local councils owe their workers varying degrees of salary arrears depending on the number of staff, federal allocation and IGR of each of the councils. According to him, about N580m is required to cater for LG employees’ monthly salary, N1.114b for SUBEB staff salary and N355m for LG pensioners’ monthly entitlements.

  • Minister assures on completion of NYSC orientation camp

    ‘Without any doubt I believe that almost every person in this hall is a beneficiary of the NYSC scheme. The NYSC is one of the laudable projects established by past leadership of this country that has endured and continued to serve its purpose, for that I think we should be eternally grateful’

    In order to ameliorate the challenges being experienced at the FCT National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) orientation camp in Kubwa due to overstretched facilities, the Federal Capital Territory Administration is doing all that is necessary to make the permanent orientation camp habitable in no distant time.

    The FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello disclosed this when the Director-General of the Corps paid him a courtesy call

    The Minister described the NYSC as a veritable instrument of nation-building that has benefitted the nation immensely by engendering unity and the spirit of selfless service among Nigerians.

    His words: “Without any doubt I believe that almost every person in this hall is a beneficiary of the NYSC scheme. The NYSC is one of the laudable projects established by past leadership of this country that has endured and continued to serve its purpose, for that I think we should be eternally grateful”.

    On the complaints about the congestion and the overstretched facilities at the Kubwa NYSC camp, the Minister said the FCT Administration has tried as much as possible to upgrade the facilities and make the camp habitable but lamented that the reality is that the facilities there are grossly over stretched and the ultimate solution is to move to the Permanent orientation Camp.

    According to a statement issued by the FCT, Chief Press Secretary, Cosmos Uzodinma, the minister said: ”There is no doubt that the Kubwa camp of the FCT NYSC obviously is now overstretched by a combination of factors: the urbanisation of Abuja itself is a factor because at the time when the camp was established it was considered to be out of town, very far and remote. But you can see now that the town has literally engulfed it. But more importantly the number of the NYSC Corps members has also increased beyond our imaginations”. The reality is that the facilities are grossly over stretched and there is nothing you can do. So ultimately the solution is for us to move to the Permanent orientation Camp”.

    Bello recalled that when he visited the FCT NYSC office about six weeks ago, he observed that the office space was not sufficient for the staff and therefore not conducive for the very important work they are doing.

    “From what I saw, I totally agree with you that the office is inadequate. So I think the best solution is to identify an office where you would be on your own and we would work and see if we can achieve that in 2017 or if not in the early part of next year”, the Minister said.

    The NYSC Director-General Brig. Gen. Suleiman Zakari Kazaure commended the FCT Administration for its commitment to providing a conducive environment for the NYSC.

    Kazaure thanked the Minister for the completion of the water reticulation project in the Kubwa camp as well as regular approval of fund for the feeding and welfare of corps members during camping among others.

    He appealed to the Minister for the allocation of a plot land to the agency for housing purposes to the staff as well as an official vehicle for its activities in the FCT.

     

  • Presidency,NIA and anti-graft battle

    Since his suspension three weeks ago, perhaps the greatest shock of his career, the Director General of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) Ambassador Ayodele Oke has been traumatised and subjected to a series of drilling.

    There was no doubt that the move by President Muhammadu Buhari caught him unawares. As a result, he has been quizzed by the Presidential Investigative Panel headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for the better part of the two weeks duration of the work of the committee.

    His problem started when he laid claim to the $43m recently discovered by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in a residential apartment at Osborne Towers, Ikoyi, Lagos.

    It will be an understatement to say that President Buhari was ruffled by the discovery as he was deeply shocked that such a large sum of money could be found in a residential apartment and linked to an official of government.

    He never expected that any government official under his administration, known for zero tolerance for corruption, will have what some Nigerians have described as slush fund hidden in a residential apartment.

    To get to the root of the matter, the President swiftly directed his deputy to investigate the matter along with the allegations against the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal.

    As he was giving the Panel the deadline to submit report of the investigation in two weeks, he also immediately ordered the suspension of the two officials from office to prevent any interference with the work of the committee.

    As soon as the investigation began, Oke was confident that he would be able to explain himself out of the problem.

    The greatest defence Oke was relying on was that the relevant agencies of government were aware that the money meant for NIA operations was in his possession.

    He had informed the panel, which has the National Security Adviser (NSA), Babagana Monguno and the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami as members, that Monguno was duly briefed of the existence of the money.

    He instantly became something of an orphan who had nobody to fight for him, when the NSA disowned him and claimed that he was not aware of the money at the point the present administration came on board.

    While the investigation was going on behind closed doors, a presidential source had disclosed that President Buhari was kept completely in the dark concerning the money at the inception of the administration and that the NSA only stumbled on it during another probe his office carried out.

    The source had said: “The NSA was not told that NIA had this lump cash stashed away in the place it was eventually discovered by EFCC.

    “In any case, extant rules are clear that such monies ought only to be placed in the NIA headquarters or in CBN vaults.

    “So let us even assume that the NIA DG wanted to keep funds in Lagos for the Lagos based projects, he did not need that much for the total of the Lagos projects at all. And apart from that it is completely untenable to stash away agency money in a private apartment instead of keeping it with the CBN or inside the NIA head office where the money would be well-secured and its disbursement well protected.” the source added

    With the thickening storm against him, Oke had no choice but to declare that he will leave everything in the hands of Almighty God, who knows the truth about every situation on earth and in heaven.

    The onus fell heavily on Oke to prove that NSA was aware of the existence of the money right from May, 2015, when the administration came on board.

    Unless Oke has any document that will expressly support his claims, it will be an harculian task to prove that the NSA or the Presidency or any other agency of government was aware of the money’s existence.

    If other heads of government agencies could easily deny knowledge of the money, that will not be the same for the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, Godwin Emefuele, because he has been in office since the tenure of former President Goodluck Jonathan. He definitely should know something about the money.

    The foreign currencies could possibly have been paid through the CBN under Emefuele”s tenure during Jonathan’s government.

    With the invitation to appear before the panel, it is really hoped that Emefuele had helped the committee by shedding light on the true source and the purpose of the money.

    Because hiding any part of the information or not painting the true picture of the source of the money and what it was meant for will amount to sentencing an innocent man to death.

    While the Osinbajo’s Panel was expected to submit its report by yesterday, it is very important that the recommendations in the report are fair to all.

    All those who deserve to be punished should be punished, while those who have not done any wrong should be cleared to continue in office.

    Even though accusing finger was pointed at a member of the committee, the Panel should be able to stand for the truth and do everything possible to uncover if the NSA was actually aware of the money at the inception of the administration while the President was kept in the dark or if it was just a defence strategy to rope more government officials into the matter.

    But the job of the panel would have been neater if none of its members was accused in any way in the two cases before the Panel.

    Because it will not be morally or legally right for an accused to be a judge in his own case.

    Being fair to all will go a long way to show that the administration is not selective and very serious about the anti-graft battle.

    It should be fearless and be able to take hard decisions against anyone found on the wrong side of the law,  irrespective of how highly placed the person is.

  • Dam: End of water scarcity in sight in Kogi communities

    Living without water for years, the prospect of a dam in Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu area of Kogi State has lifted the spirits of the constituents.

    A federal government dam project backed by the World Bank has been approved in the area.

    A representative of the constituency at the National Assembly, Hon. Teejay Yusuf facilitated the project, a development that has thrown the people into a celebratory mood.

    Yusuf, chair of the Committee on Capital Market and Institutions of the House of Representatives, was no less enthused, having fulfilled one of the promises he made to his people, whose long search for the precious liquid was reaching near ridiculous levels.

    With the approval of the dam project, the challenge of water will be greatly reduced, and a good reason why the people gathered to celebrate their son, at the project groundbreaking ceremony in Kabba.

    Yusuf said, “I discovered, painfully, that the non-availability of potable water is perhaps one of the biggest challenges in Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency. From Kabba to Iyara, Ogidi, Iyamoye, Okebukun, Ayetoro-Gbedde and indeed every community, the lack of drinking water was prevalent.

    ”To ameliorate the sufferings of our people, I reasoned that something immediate- as a short term measure, had to be put in place. You will recall that since 2011 and now, to the glory of God, I have succeeded in facilitating the construction/provision of numerous hand pump and solar powered boreholes in various communities within Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency.

    “Cognisant of the fact that to proffer a permanent solution to the challenge of potable water in our very Federal Constituency, there has to be something bigger, in terms of projects, cost and federal government involvement.

    “This massive project, perhaps the very first in Kogi West, when completed will run through many villages, towns and communities in Kabba-Bunu and Ijumu local government areas as well as some communities in Kogi West Senatorial district,” said the lawmaker.

    Commending others whose support made the water project a reality, including the Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu, and kinsmen in the Federal Civil Service, he called for more collaboration to further develop the areas.

    He said, “You will recall that this sustained synergy has been very useful in our mutual desire to attract meaningful infrastructural, institutional and socio-economic development of our very dear Federal Constituency.”

  • FCTA teams up with NOA against polio,flood

    As part of measures to strengthen the war against poliomyelitis, threat of flood and protect the environment, the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has declared its intention to collaborate and work closely with the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

    The FCT Minister Malam Muhammad Bello disclosed this while receiving the FCT Director of the National Orientation Agency who paid him a courtesy visit in his office.

    Bello who commended the FCT NOA for their support to the FCT Administration, stressed that the administration requires the services of the agency now more than ever before in sensitising the residents, particularly the Abuja office.

    The Minister expressed the Administration’s preparedness to leverage on the very wide network of the NOA in the fight against polio following the warning from experts that FCT is at a high risk of its re-emergence.

    He pointed out that the vulnerability of Abuja became so pronounced because of its position as a major hub for travelers as well as a safe haven for people affected by insurgency and militancy across the country.

    “We will also collaborate with the NOA in other important areas which include a sustained campaign on the protection of the sanctity of lives, especially that of children against harmful traditions, the environment and preservation of the Abuja Master-plan,” the Minister said.

    “As you know more than I do, change and being able to inculcate the spirit of change in individuals and communities is a very difficult task and governance at any level cannot really achieve its full potentials if you do not carry the governed along.”

    Bello added: “Over the last one year or so, we’ve tried to strengthen institutions and the capacities of those that man the institutions so that we truly deliver on our mandates. In trying to do so, the greatest challenges I and my team are faced with is, being able to reorient people to do what is right”.

    He reiterated that Abuja is the only city in the entire federation that is a creation of law, noting that everything done in Abuja is governed by one set of regulations or the other and these regulations are clearly enunciated and enacted to guide and help us run the city.

    Earlier in his address, the NOA Director, Mr. David Manya Dogo, commended the leadership by example style of the Minister, saying, “I dare say you are one of the leaders who is leading by example and we commend you for that.”

    The NOA Director said the agency is very active in the campaign to prevent meningitis and polio, pointing out that they have been working at the level of Area Councils to see that people are adequately sensitized on these very important issues.

    Other areas of the agency’s activities the Director said include working with the INEC on the continuous voters registration exercise to ensure proper mobilization and sensitization of the citizens, particularly the residents of FCT on how they can partake in the exercise.

    He assured the Minister that NOA is working together with the Task Force on the decongestion of the Nyanya-Orozo-Jikwoyi-Karshi road to evolve a strategic communication plan that leverages on dialogue sessions and citizen engagement.

  • A health boost in Plateau constituency

    A member of the House of Representatives Hon Solomon Maren has strengthened health facilities in Bokkos/Mangu constituency of Plateau state, which he represents.

    The lawmaker, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) serving his first term at the House, made his constituents happy when he donated medical facilities to a hospital in Bokkos Local Government Area as well as to  Mangu General Hospital in Mangu Local Government Area.

    Hon. Maren said, “My decision to supply these health facilities to these two hospitals is for two basic reasons; first, it is part of my free medical outreach for my people, secondly it is to uplift these hospitals because the last time I came to these hospitals for a free medical outreach I was not impressed with the state of facilities in the hospitals, they were in such deplorable conditions that if left that way they will not be able to deliver quality health care to rural people.

    “You remember, during my last medical outreach when we carried out surgery on 148 persons, the facilities at the hospitals were obviously inadequate for a comprehensive medical programme that I intended. And I vowed to myself that before I return here fo another free medical outreach, I must do something about the poor facilities in these hospitals. Today, I’m here with those facilities to equip the hospitals because the health status of people of my constituency is important to me.”

    The lawmaker a complete set of metallic sterilisers used for sterilising surgical equipment. Until now, the hospital in Bokkos lacked the equipment, a situation that compelled its management to often take surgical kits to Jos or Pankshin for sterilising.

    Other facilities donated were stethoscopes, blood pressure monitoring machines in each wards complementing the only one in the cottage hospital. There were other items donated by the lawmaker, including mattresses.

    Hon Maren also kicked off his youth empowerment programme by providing a take-off grant for 150 youths whom he had earlier trained in skill acquisition in Gombe, Ibadan and Ilorin.

    The lawmaker said, “The youths are the working class in any society, and for them to be useful to the society, they need to be empowered, hence I sent them for skills training outside the state. But the training alone will not be enough; they need capital to start their business. With the startup fund I’m providing for them today, these youths have become self-employed. This is just the second batch because in 2016 over 300 youths benefited from a similar programme. Another group of youths will soon be sent on training outside the state”

    The beneficiaries were trained in bakery, weaving, knitting, juice making, food preservation, fashion design, tailoring and hairdressing, among others.

    Senator Jonah David Jang, who witnessed the event, urged Governor Simon Lalong to look into his administration’s handover notes, which he said, contained the list of all equipment needed for all upgrades and renovation of general and cottage hospitals in the state.

    Senator Jang said, “This is not an issue of politics anymore, it is time to look into the pain of our people. I urge Governor Simon Lalong to looked into our handover notes, it has the list of every equipment that is to be procured for all the upgraded and renovated hospitals in the state as time was not by our side to finish these projects.”

    The Chief medical surpritendant of Bokkos Cottage hospital, Dr. Geoffrey Kumven represented by Metron Kemza Shendam thanked the lawmaker for the gesture, appealing that the cottage hospital should be connected to the national grid for effective utilization of the donated equipments. The hospital is also in need of functional toilets and power generating sets.

    At the Mangu General Hospital, the medical superintendent, Dr. Daplet Ezra thanked the lawmaker for coming to their rescue, adding that he had, at some points, bought some of those equipment out of his own pocket.

  • ‘We’re physically challenged but won’t beg’

    ‘We’re physically challenged but won’t beg’

    Of the two paralysed from the waist down, one is a ticketing staff, another cleans a bridge. A third hawks on one leg on a busy expressway. TONY AKOWE and TITILOPE FADARE report on hard-working physically challenged persons in the nation’s capital

    They have enough physical challenges to depend on charity as many do. But the begging bowl is not their tool of sustenance.

    At age seven, Mohammed Abdullahi was struck by polio, and was crippled from the waist down. That hurt, naturally, but he soon shook off the setback and went to school, ending up at the College of Education, Zuba in the Federal Capital Territory where he studied English.

    Opting not to teach, Abdullahi found work as a ticketing staff of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) in Abuja.

    The money is not enough but that is not the point. The point is that his disability is not a death sentence, nor a reason to beg to live. He can do something, he often told himself.

    A resident of Zuba on the outskirts of the FCT, Abdullahi told The Nation that even though he sometimes goes home without any money, he decided against begging because of the shame associated with it.

    He said, “There is shame in begging. If you meet someone to help you, they can treat you however they like. Personally, I do not like embarrassment because I am learned. It is just because I have not gotten a suitable work. I used to beg; I just stopped because of the treatment I got from people which made me get angry a lot. This was the reason why I joined the union and started with loading of cabs which is currently what I am doing. I have a wife and three children to fend for.”

    Asked what his take home is, he said, “I actually do not collect a steady salary from NURTW. But I manage to feed my family and myself to an extent and I am grateful to God for that. When we finish the day’s work, we give everything to the union and whatever remains they give to us. For example, we are to remit N4,000 daily and whatever remains from the money they return to me. So if it is just N4,500 I make for the day, I get N500 as my share. If the money is not up to N4,000 in a day, I will look for money to complete it.”

    Abdullahi believes that even though there are people who are always sympathetic towards the plight of the disabled, many others treat them with disdain.

    “If you are begging, you will be treated poorly by people but if you get a business, no one will be able to treat you unfairly. They should just try to look for work to do which would be way better for them. If it is possible for the government to help us, they should do so because even the one I am currently doing is not a permanent work; I am just using it to manage myself.

    “Personally, I am not happy that they are begging and it is because they have not seen another work to do. I am always willing to change my job to get something better for my family. I have a lot of plans for myself but this condition does not allow me to do them,” he said.

    Like Abdullahi, Yahaya Ibrahim has decided to do something else with his life instead of resorting to begging and incurring the wrath of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board. Popularly called Action, Ibrahim is seen daily keeping the Kubwa Bridge tidy. With a broom in hand, he sweeps the bridge and gets rewarded by people using the bridge.

    He said, “I’m always with the hope that if I sweep, people would be willing to dash me money or anything they have; I hate begging people.”

    He believes that disabled people should do something for themselves instead of begging for alms.

    Ibrahim, who hails from Niger State, said he is a tailor having learnt to sew, but has not been able to set up a shop for himself due to lack of resources.

    He said physically challenged persons “should go and learn a trade. Using myself as an example, at Zuba Garage I learnt how to sew and the people who taught me how to sew always welcomed anyone to learn how to sew. It is because I do not have enough capital to fund it but I get a little money from little work of sewing and that is what I am using to fend for my wife and my two children combined with the little money I receive from this place.”

    On the average, Ibrahim, a father of two, said he takes home about N20,000 monthly from good-spirited Nigerians who appreciate his efforts in keeping the bridge tidy.

    Another physically challenged person simply identified as Shehu, a native of Katsina State, goes to the busy Berger area every day on his roller board with a bag hanging on his back. In the bag are wares he that he sells. These include shoe polish, shoe brush and a few other items. Away from the road and under a small shade, he spreads a piece of cloth on the ground and brings out his items, and then sits on a stone close by to wait for buyers. Speaking with The Nation, Shehu said he believes that being handicapped should not be an excuse for anyone to beg, pointing out that he has seen all too often how other handicapped beggars were embarrassed by people who should help them.

    He too gets embarrassed but only by officials of the Abuja Environmental Protection Board who move round regularly to clear the street of hawkers.

    He appealed to government to consider giving them a place to do business as well as capital to start something away from the streets.

    A tour round the Berger area revealed that Shehu is not the only disabled person hawking items in the area. But while some others use their wheelchairs to carry their wares, Shehu does not have the luxury of a wheelchair.

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Disability Matters, Dr. Samuel Ankeli said that being disabled is not an excuse to break the law. He appealed to fellow physically challenged people to be law abiding and give the government time to address issues affecting them.

    He said: “The law does not discriminate against ability or disability. I will not support lawlessness and at the same time, I will not support idleness and street begging. It is our desire to have some structures and special markets for them. I am already talking with the government of the FCT and very soon, things will be resolved. So, please help me educate them that being disabled does not give you the right to break laws and I don’t want any of them to be manhandled. It is a dynamic thing, but let us balance the pendulum.”

    In Gwagwalada area of the FCT, Umaru Shehu is also turning his disability to ability. On one leg he competes for motorists’ patronage with his able-bodied counterparts, selling handkerchiefs, phone chargers and power storage devices. He said that while his disability has often robbed him of a good slice of the market since the able-bodied ones among them get to the customer faster, he has not allowed that to deter him or force him into begging.

    Ironically, a few meters away from where Umaru sells his articles, some abled-bodied persons and other disabled ones were seen begging.

    Ankeli is not happy that rather than do something with their lives, many disabled persons choose to be on the street begging.

    He said: “A lot of our people are in the street begging. But what is the option? I am talking with state government in this. I have been to Kaduna State, Plateau, Katsina and Kogi and I am going to Anambra, Asia, Imo and the other states soon.

    “Giving them an income is one of the ways to get them off the streets. It is not even decent for somebody with disability to stand on the street to beg. As we speak, I am also discussing with some agencies and development partners to see how we can get our people employed in other areas. I have inaugurated a committee on para-sports development fund. If you look at the performances in the Olympics in the years gone by, disability has always proven that we are true Nigerians. We gave you all the medals, but what have you done for us? We want to get resources, employ these people, pay them some token, get them from the streets to use the muscles for sports and not for begging. But we don’t have the facilities. I was supposed to be in Dubai to source for facilities, but funds stopped us, but we are going to work hard to go to China. We want to build a facility in Abuja and in the six zones of Nigeria. We will put them in camps, have farm centres, housing estates in a large place where we call city for champions. From there, they will be engaged and get something to eat. I told them during one of our meeting that I need 100 medals during the next Olympics and they have said, give us the resources and I am sure we can get the resources wherever it is located for them.”

  • Minister to end multiple taxations

    The Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Abdullahi Candido has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise to the ward level.

    Candido pleaded that a lot of his constituents cannot afford to pay their way to the CVR locations, thereby missing out on the exercise. He made the call during the flag-off of the nationwide exercise by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission Professor Mahmud Yakubu.

    He said,” There are many people within AMAC who cannot afford to come to the Local Government office to get registered. Bringing it closer to them will ensure no one is disenfranchised.”

    The INEC chair gave the clearest indication that the commission will eventually take the registration exercise to the wards or polling units to avoid disenfranchising Nigerians who want to be a part of the process. he Chairman of the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) Abdullahi Candido has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to take the Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) exercise to the ward level.

    Candido pleaded that a lot of his constituents cannot afford to pay their way to the CVR locations, thereby missing out on the exercise. He made the call during the flag-off of the nationwide exercise by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission Professor Mahmud Yakubu.

    He said,” There are many people within AMAC who cannot afford to come to the Local Government office to get registered. Bringing it closer to them will ensure no one is disenfranchised.”

    The INEC chair gave the clearest indication that the commission will eventually take the registration exercise to the wards or polling units to avoid disenfranchising Nigerians who want to be a part of the process.

  • Stepping into SGF’s shoes

    It is no longer news that the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir David Lawal was suspended a fortnight ago over allegations of violations of the law and due process in the award of contracts under the Presidential Initiative on the North East (PINE).

    While the main focus of this write-up is not to dwell on how Lawal has fared before the Presidential Investigative Panel headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, it is to look at how the person who stepped into his shoes has handled some of Lawal’s responsibilities in his absence, especially in the Villa.

    When in the Villa, one of the very conspicuous role Lawal had been playing during the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings is to ensure decorum in the Council Chamber prior to commencement of the meeting.

    This role he played in the Council Chamber could be likened to that of a class monitor or representative in a typical school classroom in the country.

    While in the saddle as the SGF, Lawal had ensured orderliness in the Council Chamber.

    Normally, when Ministers arrive the Council Chamber before the meeting commences, they go round to exchange plesantaries with each other.

    In the process, some of them gather in small groups discussing among themselves.

    Most often the discussions centered on the latest issues in the polity. At times, such discussions could get louder and warrant the intervention of Lawal.

    Lawal, most cases will rise to his feet and urge for calmness and decorum when the hall was getting rowdy.

    “Please settle down, settle down, the President is on his way.” Lawal will be heard on the microphone pleading with the cabinet members. He will also not hesitate to call the names of any Minister, who was still loitering around the Council Chamber after his earlier appeals.

    He will ask such Minister to take his or her seat and settle down in preparation for the President’s arrival that will signal commencement of the meeting.

    All these were clearly absent prior to the commencement of FEC meeting last week Wednesday.

    The cabinet members who were around for that meeting had a field day doing their things before Vice President Yemi Osinbajo arrived in the hall to chair the meeting.

    Either as a sign of respect for her seniors and the politicians in the Council Chamber or because of her qualities as a core civil servant, the Permanent Secretary overseeing the Office of the SGF, Dr. Habiba Muda Lawal, who stepped into SGF’s shoes pending the outcome of the on-going investigation, was not very conspicuous prior to the commencement of the meeting.

    Despite sharing the same surname with the suspended SGF, the Permanent Secretary remained relatively at the background throughout the period before commencement of the FEC meeting.

    The Permanent Secretary, who was one of the early arrivals at the Council Chamber, also did not occupy the seat the suspended SGF normally sits on.

    Over the years, the sitting arrangement from the right of the President’s seat is the Vice President’s seat, followed by the seat of the SGF, followed by the seat of the Chief of Staff to the President, and then the seat of the Head of the Federal Civil Service, Mrs. Winifred Oyo-Ita.

    But that morning, the two seats between the Vice President and Head of the Federal Civil Service were empty as SGF was still on suspension while the Chief of Staff, Abba Kyari was said to be out of the country on errand for the President.

    So many journalists who were looking out to see the Permanent Secretary overseeing the Office of the SGF occupy the the SGF’s seat in the Council Chamber were dissapointed.

    The Permanent Secretary overseeing the SGF could also have remained at the background and avoided the SGF’s seat in the Council Chamber that morning in order not to be seen overshadowing her superior, the Head of the Federal Civil Service.

    All Permanent Secretaries, directors and other staff in the civil service are under the Head of Federal Civil Service.

    So, when the Permanent Secretary overseeing the SGF, Habiba Lawal arrived around 10:37 a. m. with the Permanent Secretary Cabinet Affairs Office, Dr. R. P. Ugo for the meeting slated for 11a. m., she sat on the seat directly behind that of the Head of the Federal Civil Service.

    On her arrival in the hall around 10:49 a. m., the Head of Federal Civil Service, Oyo-Ita, after dropping her bag on her table, turned back to exchange plesantaries with Dr. Habiba Lawal.

    The Permanent Secretary of State House, Jalil Arabi, also approached Dr. Habiba Lawal and exchanged pleasantries with her.

    When Vice President Yemi Osinbajo arrived the Council Chamber around 10:56a.m. and settled down on his seat, Dr. Habiba Lawal and Dr. Ugo, approached the Vice President to greet him.

    They returned to their back seats till Osinbajo called for the rendition of the National anthem around 11:02a.m and journalists were asked to leave the hall for the meeting to commence.

    While there is no doubt that Dr. Habiba Lawal would have performed other functions expected of the SGF at the closed door meeting, her presence was not felt like the suspended SGF prior to the commencement of the meeting.

    Will this change as she attends the Federal Executive Council meeting tomorrow, if the meeting is not cancelled?

    Will she start playing the active role Babachir David Lawal was known for before FEC meetings commence?

    Answers to all these will become clearer as the weeks go by.

    Also how long she will carry on in this new assignment will depend on whether Babachir David Lawal will be cleared of the allegations and resume soon, or a replacement for the position is announced to take over.