The Nation Newspaper

Category: Saturday Magazine

  • Jilted pastor jumps from two-storey building, dies in Anambra

    Jilted pastor jumps from two-storey building, dies in Anambra

    A 30-Year old man identified as Prosper Igboke,  has reportedly died after jumping down from a two storey building in Nnewi, Anambra State.

     The deceased, a pastor of a Pentecostal church and native of Umunneochi, Abia State was said to have jumped down from the building after he was jilted by his female lover.

     A relative of the deceased who preferred anonymity said the lady had declined his marriage proposal after seeing her through university education.

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     “The incident happened recently. The man was 30 years old at the time of his death. His girlfriend, whom he intended to marry, disappointed him after seeing her through the university.

     “He jumped down from a two storey building and died. I am surprised that a man of this age and a pastor could do that.

     “He will be buried in a forest for committing sacrilege according to the tradition of Leru Autonomous Community of Umunneochi LGA in Abia State.

     The Nation gathered that the deceased was eventually buried in a bush in his community.

  • Sexy skirt outlook

    Sexy skirt outlook

    • By Esther Emedom

    There are some special moments, moments when you just want to be noticed and grab attention. At such moments, you can step out in a sexy, trendy, or remarkable skirt that is easy to manage and comfortable.

    Skirt trends keep evolving. There are a variety of designs currently making a lot of statements in the fashion scene.

    From the bodycon design making waves to pleated and flared options, you can create a variety of looks creatively.

     It comes in a variety of colorful and easy-to-wear designs that many find irresistible.

    Read Also: FG secures $500m for local funding of digital innovation, entrepreneurship – Minister

    One interesting option is the English skirt and blouse styles mostly worn by young ladies. The short skirt design is superb for casual outings while you can opt for the knee-length design for formal events. The blouse on the other hand can be styled as a crop top, Bodycon top, or off-shoulder top.

    You can also get creative with the pencil skirt. This midi-length skirt gives ladies a more elegant and confident look. This dress style can be achieved with cashmere fabric, cotton, polyester, or  Crepe.

    For that more adventurous look, you can try the

    Skater or Flare Skirt, short skirt, pleated skirt, peplum, or the plain and pattern options.

  • Ex-Customary Court president murdered in Makurdi

    Ex-Customary Court president murdered in Makurdi

    Benue State Judiciary has been thrown into mourning following the brutal murder of retired Justice Margaret Igbetar.

    Justice Igbetar  retired as President, Benue  Customary Court,  and lived a quiet life in Makurdi,  the Benue State capital.

    The Nation learnt that the retired jurist who was last seen on Tuesday lived in her Gboko Road sprawling compound.

    She was said to have been found dead on Friday in a pool of her own blood. Her remains were found in the kitchen with a deep cut on her back.

    The Benue State Police Command confirmed the incident, saying that it had arrested one Aondohemba Joseph, over the death of Justice Margaret Igbetar.

    The Police Public Relations Officer, SP Sewuese Anene, confirmed the arrest in a statement on Saturday in Makurdi.

    “On August 24, information was received at ‘E’ Police Division Makurdi, that Justice Margaret Igbetar (rtd), could not respond to calls and was nowhere to be found. Detectives were immediately deployed for investigation.

    Read Also: NDDC to partner French, German agencies for job creation, farmers’ productivity

    “A search conducted within her house at Wantor Kwange Street, Gboko Road, Makurdi, led to the discovery of her body,” the statement said.

    The deceased was born on October 17, 1950, in Mbape, Shangev-ya, Tsar-Mbaduku, in Vandeikya Local Government Area of Benue State.

    She started her career as an  Assistant Registrar, Grade I Area Court, Katsina-Ala, Benue State in 1971, and rose to become a judge of the Customary Court of Appeal in 1995, a position she held till 2003 when she was appointed President of the court.

    Igbetar was a founding member of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, Benue State, a life member, the first Chairperson of the Benue branch and a National Trustee of the association.

    The late Justice served as a member of the Election Petition Tribunal, Bauchi State, between 1998 and 1999, the National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal Imo/Abia State in 1999 and the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, Kebbi State.

    She was also a member of the Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution in 2000.

  • Teenager nabbed for chopping off farmer’s hand in Bauchi

    Teenager nabbed for chopping off farmer’s hand in Bauchi

    A 15-Year-Old, Adamu Ibrahim, has been arrested by the Bauchi State Police Command  for chopping off the hand of a farmer in Jital village, Bauchi Local Government Area (LGA).

    The Spokesman of the Command, SP Ahmed Wakil, disclosed this in a statement he issued  on Saturday in Bauchi.

    He said police operatives  had arrested the suspect, Adamu Ibrahim, of Jital village along Gombe Road, Bauchi State, for trespass, mischief and causing grievous hurt.

    According to Wakil, “A disagreement ensued in the course of which the suspect stabbed the victim upon asking him to vacate his farmland.

    “In addition, the suspect drew his machete and chopped off the left hand of the victim.

    “Preliminary investigation revealed that the suspect had on several occasions trespassed on the victim’s farmland with his cows while rearing,” he said.

    The Police spokesman explained that the unfortunate incident followed a series of complaints to the suspect’s father by the victim for intrusion into his rice farmland by the suspect.

    Read Also: Abia announces free health scheme for pensioners

    “The investigation revealed that on the 24th of August, 2023, the suspect who was armed with a stick and machete, again went to the victim’s farmland and destroyed crops, whose value is yet to be ascertained,” Wakil said.

    According to him, on receiving this report, police operatives swung into action and activated more preventive measures to avert a possible herder-farmer clash in the area and arrested the suspect.

    “The victim was rushed to the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, for medical attention and he is responding to treatment,” he said

    Meanwhile, Wakil said the Commissioner of Police in the state, CP Auwal Mohammed, had warned herders to keep away from farmlands in the state.

    He said the CP directed that the suspect be charged to court upon completion of discreet investigation.

  • Real reason I was remanded in prison for one year -Senator Nwaoboshi

    Real reason I was remanded in prison for one year -Senator Nwaoboshi

    • Says his arrest, detention was contrived by political opponents
    • ‘Supreme Court has vindicated me’

    Until he was set free by the Supreme Court on July 1, Delta APC stalwart, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, was a guest of the correctional centre for more than one year following a court order resulting from his arrest and arraignment over a billion-naira loan deal he insists he had nothing to do with. In this interview with OKUNGBOWA AIWERIE, the former Senator representing Delta North Senatorial District opens up on the alleged brains behind his ordeal and his plans to bounce back into political reckoning.

    Could you recall the issues that led to your incarceration for more than one year?

    The essence of the whole issue was to make sure that I did not participate in the last general elections and also to dent my political image. Otherwise, like the Supreme Court said, a company took a loan, I’m not a signatory to the account, and then it now looks as if I once worked in that company and that I’m guilty of diversion of loan. There’s no law as diversion of loan in any of our legal books. There’s nothing called diversion of loan. And that is what the Supreme Court said. There’s no such law.

    But more importantly, they took me to the Federal High Court. All efforts to compromise the judge at the Federal High Court failed. They did everything but the man refused; that he would not be compromised and that justice must be done in the matter. Even the judge who was used in trying to compromise the judge who declared me innocent at the Federal High Court, at the right time, I will call his name, because we must sanitise our judiciary. If you go to the prison, you would see innocent Nigerians that are suffering. Some people have been there for 10 years awaiting trial. Some people are just there because they don’t have money. They can’t even hire lawyers. And some judges and other people would just take joy in dealing with innocent people, especially the poor. However, I got justice based on the integrity of the judge who handled the case at the Federal High Court and I was declared innocent.

    Read Also: Regulator upsets airlines with fleet requirement

    But the matter went up to the Supreme Court?

    Yes, they proceeded to the Court of Appeal still with the Paris Club money that was at hand at that time. They went and compromised some of the justices. I am a lawyer with about 33 years’ experience. I practice Law, I hold a masters degree in Law so I should be able to know my bounds. I didn’t sign a cheque, I didn’t sign an agreement, I’m not a director, I’m not a shareholder of the company you said that I’m the alter ego. The managing director of the company is alive, the directors of the company are alive, none of them was invited, none of them was questioned.

    The EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission) did not even visit the factory to obtain evidence. The NEXIM Bank witness that they called, it is there in the records, said that ‘we gave this company’; he didn’t say they gave me. He said we gave the company a loan of N1.2 billion and that they followed all the procedures and the loan was legally granted to the company. That is their own witness; not my witness. The witness testified that the company had paid the capital of N1.2 billion that they borrowed and that as he was giving evidence, the company had paid N700 million as interest, and that the company had four months left for the tenure of the loan, which is five years, and what was left to pay was N24 million. And they went further to ask, ‘do you think they will pay?’ and they said they could pay, they are our good customers, we did not bring any case against them. This was the evidence of NEXIM Bank.

    You mean it was a legally acquired loan?

    The loan was legally obtained. Money laundering is money acquired from an illegal source and then you try to launder it like somebody whose shirt or dress is dirty and he goes to the laundry to wash it. It is not money obtained from a legal source. And there is no way a judge would say he does not understand the phrase ‘money laundering’. A company in which I am not a shareholder, you said that I am the alter ego of the company, just because one of the Justices was promised appointment to the Supreme Court of Nigeria. He decided to sacrifice me and to convince the other people around the judgment.

    You sound as if you are deeply

  • Boosting African industrial growth with power sector investments

    Boosting African industrial growth with power sector investments

    For years, African countries, including Nigeria, have grappled with the challenge of industrialisation hindered by inadequate power supply despite longstanding policies and initiatives. However, a transformative shift is underway, driven by Transcorp Group’s continuous investments in the power sectors of Nigeria and West Africa. Last week, in a significant move, the conglomerate acquired a 60 per cent stake in the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), strategically fortifying its presence in the region. This acquisition perfectly aligns with Transcorp Group’s vision to empower Africa and catalyse the expansion of the continent’s industrial landscape. Assistant Business Editor COLLINS NWEZE reports

    Power is a strategic infrastructure and one of the most important requirements for growing Nigerian and African economies. It is also at the centre of the continent’s prosperous future, which is envisaged to be private sector-led. Getting to that desired future depends largely on providing adequate electricity for running of businesses and unlocking economic potential. Access to electricity enables businesses and industries to operate, makes education widely available, transportation seamless, and society to function efficiently.

    By investing in the continent’s electricity infrastructure, improving transmission and distribution networks, and increasing power generation capacity, jobs will be created, access to energy will expand, and reliability of power will be improved. Achieving such milestones will require huge investments and quality leadership in the power sector. 

     Last week, Transcorp Group set the ball rolling; it redefined its power play in Nigeria and Africa through investment and leadership changes in the conglomerate. Under Transcorp Group Chairman, Tony Elumelu, the conglomerate’s market capitalisation crossed N540 billion mark, providing the financial muscle to make electricity accessible to Nigeria and Africa’s teeming population. Elumelu is Africa’s billionaire businessman, renowned philanthropist and chief promoter of Africapitalism. His passion for powering Africa has been on for decades. He believes that the next big challenge for Africa would be tackling the lack of electricity, and Transcorp has been energised with the right leadership and capital to bridge power supply gaps in the continent.

     Transcorp Power Limited is a member of West African Power Pool and a participant in the ECOWAS Regional Electricity Market. Today, Transcorp Power supplies electricity to the ECOWAS Regional Market. The ECOWAS member states have shown commitment to achieving electricity interconnections for the pooling and sharing of energy resources, and Transcorp Group is at the centre of ensuring a more efficient power sharing within the West African sub-region. 

    New investments in power

    Transcorp Group, through a consortium, acquired 60 per cent stake in Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and engineered management changes. Transcorp Power Managing Director/CEO, Christopher Ezeafulukwe, was appointed by the board of the Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC), as the new Managing Director/CEO of AEDC. Current CEO of Transcorp Energy, Peter Ikenga, succeeds Ezeafulukwe as Managing Director of Transcorp Power. Elumelu used the portfolio realignment to further consolidate Transcorp’s position within the continent’s power space and energise its economic growth with steady power supply.

     Prior to his appointment as the MD/CEO of AEDC, Ezeafulukwe was the MD/CEO of Transcorp Power Ltd, Ughelli – a 972-Mega Watt thermal plant.  Under his leadership, Transcorp Power Ltd consistently led the Nigerian power sector, being the first successor power company from the 2013 power privatisation programme to be discharged from post-privatisation monitoring by the National Council on Privatisation, having surpassed the expectations of the Council. The Ughelli Power plant, which Transcorp Group acquired during the privatisation of the power sector in 2013, demonstrates the Group’s transformative prowess.  The plant’s available capacity, which stood at 160MW on acquisition, increased by 227 per cent to 680.83MW in four years, surpassing the Bureau of Public Enterprise’s (BPE) five-year target of 670MW. 

    Power challenges in Africa

    The World Bank says solving Nigeria’s power problem will offer the nation an opportunity to tackle long-standing challenges and boost the economy. The lack of reliable power is a significant constraint for citizens and businesses, resulting in annual economic losses estimated at $29 billion, which is equivalent to about two percent of Gross Domestic Product. Aside Nigeria, West Africa has one of the lowest electrification rates, with 220 million people living without access, coupled with some of the highest electricity costs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

     The Director-General of Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said problems of the power sector have culminated into erratic electricity supply, frequent power outages and persistent collapses of the national grid.  “For many years, the situation has stunted the growth of the economy. Consequently, access to electricity has remained a hurdle for millions of Nigerians,” he said.

     President, Africa Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, speaking at a Lagos forum, said major challenge facing the industry in Nigeria is the very high cost coupled with unreliability of supply of electricity. “Load shedding and unreliable power have made the cost of manufacturing extremely high and uncompetitive. Most of the manufacturing companies self-provide energy through a reliance on cost-prohibitive generators and diesel and heavy fuel oil. The polluting emissions make them brown industries, not green industries,” he said.

    Adesina said that unless Nigeria decisively tackles its energy deficiency and reliability, its industries will remain uncompetitive. On the way out, he said: “There should be massive investments in gas to provide power and to ensure stable base load power for industries, hydropower resources, large-scale solar systems, direct power preferentially to industries, and to support industrial mini grids that concentrate power in industrial zones. In addition, we should develop more efficient utilities, reducing technical and non-technical losses in power generation, transmission, and distribution systems.”

     Last year, Nigeria manufacturers spent a total of N144.47 billion on alternative energy, an increase of 87.1 per cent from N77.21 billion in 2021. Also, the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), based on recent customer enumeration data, estimates that about seven million electricity customers are currently unmetered, while an additional three million meters are obsolete and require replacement. Meters serve as a revenue assurance tool for Nigeria Electricity Supply Industry (NESI) service providers and a resource management tool for end- use customers. According to NERC, the existence of a large population of unmetered customers has contributed to threats affecting the financial viability of NESI while unmetered end-use customers have also expressed dissatisfaction with the estimated billing methodology. Further, it noted that the revenue assurance objectives of DisCos have been challenged as they are unable to properly account for the utilisation of electricity by end-use customers. 

    Elumelu’s footprints in the power sector

     Former Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, during the inauguration of Transafam’s 240 megawatts Afam 3-Fast Power Plant, Oyinbo, Rivers State, said  Transcorp Corporation Plc, has through its subsidiaries in the power sector – Transcorp Power Plc and Transafam Power Plc – boosted power supply in the country. Transcorp’s power subsidiaries have the capacity to produce about 1,938MW of electricity, including the 966MW from its plant in Afam, Rivers State, and 972MW from its Ughelli plant in Delta State, accounting for 15.5 per cent of the total installed capacity in Nigeria.

    The results of the investments and general inputs made by the Transcorp Group in the power sector led the Federal Government, through the National Council on Privatisation (NCP), to present post-privatisation Discharge Certificate to Transcorp Power Plc, the owner of Ughelli Power Plant in Delta State. The Discharge Certificate marked the delisting of Transcorp Power from the routine evaluation and monitoring of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE), signaling a major achievement for the company. This followed the fulfillment of all privatisation conditions set by the NCP, by Transcorp Power, owned by Elumelu, after the purchase of the power plant in 2013.

     Osinbajo commended Elumelu and his Transcorp Group for ensuring compliance and surpassing expectations with all post-privatisation deliverables. Osinbajo said, “Post privatisation monitoring is an important aspect of the federal government’s privatisation programme. Transcorp Power has been able to ensure compliance and surpassed expectations with all post privatisation deliverables. I commend Tony Elumelu and his Transcorp team for this feat. I urge Transcorp Group to continue in that path and even do better.”

     The Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) noted that Transcorp has met and exceeded the performance targets and all other covenanted obligations agreed during the signing of the privatisation agreement in 2013. “Transcorp Power increased the generation capacity of the plant by 227 per cent from the operational status as at handover in 2013,? it said. According to the agency, “a capital expenditure totaling N58.612 billion was covenanted for phase 1, phase 2 as ‘additional investment’ but the actual investment made by Transcorp was the sum of N83.85 billion, leading up to a score of 143 per cent.”

    Investment promises kept

    Elumelu had promised to invest massively in the power sector to help Nigeria’s industrialisation through enhanced access to electricity and ultimately tackle poverty in the country and continent. He said in addition to fulfilling the post-privatisation performance criteria, Transcorp has driven a strong indigenous agenda, saying their plants were being managed and fully operated by Nigerians, hence creating jobs and reducing unemployment in the country.

     “For us as Heirs Holdings Group, for us as Transcorp Group, we believe in improved access to electricity because we know that improved access to electricity means powering our schools, helping hospitals to function very well, helping businesses to grow and create employment and most importantly, helping to industrialise Nigeria. So because of this, we invest in the power sector and we will continue to even invest more in that sector because in line with our philosophy of Africapitalism, we cannot develop Nigeria, Africa without improvement in our access to electricity,” he said.

     Continuing, he said the best investment that private sector can make is in power to uplift the people out of poverty, create jobs and get women involved in economic activities. He also reiterated the Transcorp Group’s “strong indigenisation agenda” and expressed the group’s pride having Nigerians managing and operating the plants, which is helping in job creation for Nigerians. Elumelu further said, “But beyond job creation is improving the expertise of our people. We also have operated under very strict safety standards. We have operated since 2013 -10 years now. No incident, no health hazard, nothing and we will continue to stay that way because we know that in 21st century, sustainability is key. Health is important; safety extremely important.

     “So we bring all of this together in what we do at Transcorp Group. And finally, I would like to say that we don’t grow alone at Transcorp Group. We grow with the community. We have grown with our community. We have helped to develop the community we are operating. We created jobs; we economically empower people. We have a functional hospital, we have a primary and secondary school and we will continue to do more.”

     He said in line with the Transcorp Group’s philosophy of Africapitalism, the group maintains a symbiotic relationship that ensures mutual support between them and their host community. “So for us at Transcorp, it is about improving lives and transforming our society. We know that you cannot improve life if you cannot invest massively in access to electricity. And I want to use the opportunity to call on our friends, other Africans and private sector leaders, let’s prioritise the power sector in Nigeria and Africa so that we can get our people out of poverty and create jobs for our young ones,” he stated.

  • Ministers lay out plans for nation’s development

    Ministers lay out plans for nation’s development

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu inaugurated the 45 ministers who will help him to implement his Renewed Hope Agenda yesterday in Abuja. The ministers promised to put in their best in order to help the President implement his agenda for the good of all Nigerians

    Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr Wale Edun has assured Nigerians that President Tinubu will not turn his back on the Nigerian masses who are suffering the pains of the President’s reforms.

     He assured Nigerians that the current discomfort being experienced across the country will become a thing of the past in short order.

     Addressing the Directors of the ministry after he arrived from the inauguration as a minister, Edun urged all members of staff of the ministry “to perform and deliver as expected of you.”

    “The expectations of Nigerians are high; President Tinubu has taken key macro, monetary and fiscal measures that will change the economy. It is our duty to minimise the pains that will come with the reforms. We have a job to do to ensure that Nigerians are not left behind,” he said.

    Read Also: Hope, expectations as Alake, Edu, Tijani, others unveil agenda as new ministers

     The minister praised his immediate predecessor, Zainab Ahmed for what she did with the economy and promised to build on her achievements in order to take “the country to greater heights.”

     Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of Special Duties of the ministry, Mr Udo Okokon Ekanem pledged the total commitment and loyalty of every member of staff of the ministry to the minister.

     He said the member of staff of the ministry “are receptive to change and innovation and pledge to work with the minister.

    Health Minister Pate to prioritise health security, cut medical tourism

      The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate has stated that under his leadership, the ministry will improve governance processes, prioritise health security and reduce medical tourism.

     He also stated that in line with the renewed hope mandate and vision of President Ahmed Tinubu, himself and his team will place Nigerians at the centre of policies and implementation to ensure that the health indices of the country are improved.

    At a briefing at the Federal Ministry of Health in Abuja after the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Prof. Pate called for better synergy among the federal, state and local governments, including the private sector and all critical stakeholders.

     He said: “President Tinubu signalled intent for his administration in selecting who he assigned to the health sector. We are very excited about that, and the fact that he also included social welfare with health, means he considers the people as the foundational element of what his administration tries to do.

     “While we try to grow our economy, we will also try to attend to the people, and health is an important component of that.

      “About what we do in the Ministry of Health, we save lives; we reduce pain whether physical pain or financial protection, and we produce health; that is all we do.

     “We will work as a team, with my brother, the Minister of State, and also with the Permanent Secretary, and also with the Directors of the ministry. We hope that the team spirit will come together to move the country forward.

     Dr Tunji Alausa, the Minister of State, Health and Social Development, added: “This is a very good time in the history of our country. President Tinubu has been very deliberate in the way he has chosen his cabinet, more so for the healthcare sector. This is the first time in the country that we now have a round peg in a round hole.

     “If we should be honest with ourselves, we are still far behind.”

     Wike: I have presidential mandate to restore Abuja master plan

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike has vowed to restore Abuja’s Master Plan following the backing of President Tinubu.

     He vowed to prioritise and improve the sanitary outlook of Abuja and curb the security challenges in the city within the next six months.

     Wike cautioned all those who are distorting the master plan of Abuja to desist from such, as the new administration will not hesitate to step on toes, in order to turn around Abuja to be competing with other cities of the world.

     Wike, who was in high spirits yesterday said President Tinubu expects positive changes in the FCT, adding that he will demolish all illegal buildings and structures in the FCT without fear or favour.

     He expressed displeasure over what he described as a high level of insecurity in the country’s capital.

     The minister, who spoke during a press conference at the FCTA after the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa said: “We have the mandate of Mr President and Vice-President to give a different narrative as far as FCT is concerned. They have given us the matching order that we must bring FCT back to what it is supposed to be. And we have the capacity to do that.

     “It is not going to be business as usual. Those distorting Abuja Master Plan: if you build where you are not supposed to, the building will go down.”

     He said that motorcycle and tricycle operators would be banned from the city, even as he vowed to end to open grazing within the capital city.

     On security, Wike promised to work with all security agencies in the FCT and provide them with the necessary tools and logistics to rid the city of criminals.

    Wike also promised to consider the natives in political appointments with a view to carrying everyone along.

    I’m pan-Nigeria minister, a field officer, says Umahi

    The Minister of Works, David Umahi has stressed that he is not a regional or Ebonyi State Minister but the Minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

     He stated that under his leadership, bureaucratic processes will be a thing of the past, as no file will be expected to be left unattended for two hours without genuine explanations.

     He further stressed that with his background, he is not an office person but a field person. Hence, he and the ministry’s team of experts will be touring the six geopolitical zones of the country to see the state of road infrastructures and work around ways to make the lives of Nigerians better.

     At a press conference at the Federal Ministry of Works in Abuja after the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa, Umahi said: “I’m going to be training tomorrow. I will offer my address to you tomorrow. I have indicated to see the contractors, and after taking a briefing from the Heads of Departments, we will meet with the contractors because I am not an office person. I am a field person. God giving us life, with some of you in that department, I will be inspecting the Lokojo-Benin Road and Lokoja-Abuja Road.

     Solid minerals are economy’s growth factors, says Alake

    The Minister of Solid Minerals, Dele Alake has explained why his portfolio was the upset of the entire cabinet.

     He said although a lot of people expected Mr President to make him the Minister of Information given his antecedents, exposure and experience in the area of perception and information management, the administration decided to shock everyone.

     The minister said this yesterday in Abuja at his assumption to office as the Minister of Solid Minerals.

     Alake said the nature of the sector to the country’s economic growth and vitality is dear to the heart of Mr President.

    President Tinubu considered it apt and proper to send him to the solid minerals ministry because he knows and trusts that he has a demonstrable sense of responsibility and courage to drive the agenda.

     His words: “My portfolio has been the upset of the entire cabinet portfolio because, given my antecedents, exposure and experience in the area of perception, information management and the likes, people have pigeon hole me for information and so we decided to shock everybody.

     “Now, if you all can sit down to analyse the global trend of economic development, you would note that hydrocarbon, that is oil, is fading out and the world is moving towards alternatives such as gas, electric cars and the rest. So, what is the next economic growth factor? It is solid mineral.

     “Given the nature of this sector to our economic growth and vitality, which is dear to the heart of Mr President, it’s just very apt and proper for him to send me here because he knows and trusts that I have a demonstrable sense of responsibility and courage to drive the agenda that is why I am here. We are going to drive that agenda with the full cooperation of everyone.

    “I am going to set an agenda with focus and objectives. We would get the results. Now, we are not going to be allowing civil service structures and scriptures to stifle us from creativity and flourishing. What we need is attitudinal change.

     “Now, when a memo reaches your table, regardless of what the subject matter is, that memo must leave your table within an hour; that is the way I work and whoever doesn’t shape in, ships out.”

    Oyetola vows to ensure safe, sustainable marine

     The Minister of Marine and Blue Economy, Adegboyega Oyetola yesterday assumed duty at the ministry in Abuja after he was sworn in by President Tinubu.

     Oyetola arrived at the ministry’s conference room around 2:15 p.m. in the company of his wife, Kafayat Oyetola, his son; Femi Oyetola and some of his aides.

     He was received by the Permanent Secretary of the ministry, Dr Magdalene Ajani, the Managing Director of NIWA, Dr George Moghalu, the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers Council, Emmanuel Jime and some Directors of the ministry.

     Oyetola urged the members of staff of the ministry to join hands with him to find innovative solutions to the challenges in the sector and ensure that the oceans and marine are safe, reliable, and sustainable.

    He also said that the blue economy is estimated globally to be worth more than $1.5 trillion annually.

     He said considering the size of the country’s blue economy, Nigeria should be a significant player in the sector to contribute to the country’s revenue and also provide jobs for the unemployed.

     He promised to come up with practicable ways of ensuring that the inland rivers, lakes, and waterways are utilised for cargo shipment and passenger transportation.

     He also said he would promote better inter-agency cooperation and coordination among the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, the Nigerian Ports Authority, and the Nigerian Inland Waterways Authority.

     “We must seize this opportunity to create positive change, leaving a lasting legacy for generations to come. These are my thoughts as I join you today. I believe that when we are able to do all these and more, we would have contributed our quota towards realising Mr President’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Marine and Blue Economy sector.”

    Stable, accessible power are priorities, says Adelabu

    The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu yesterday pledged to tackle the challenges that the national grid is facing.

     He also vowed to meet the universal metering of households.

     He spoke on the assumption of office at the ministry headquarters in Abuja.

     The minister said, under his watch, the sector will pay attention to renewable and alternative energies.

     Adelabu said: “A significant goal is the universal metering of households and addressing challenges faced by our national power grid.

     “We will equally pay critical attention to the options of renewable and alternative energies. The world is indeed going in that direction and Nigeria must not be left behind.”

     According to him, Nigeria’s success is a collective one.

     Challenging the ministry to the task ahead, he said: “Let us move from political discussions to action; each of us contributing our talents and energies towards a brighter future.”

    Plan to lift 133m out of poverty on course, says Edu

    The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Betta Edu has expressed the Federal Government’s commitment to lift 133 million Nigerians out of poverty.

     Edu said this when she assumed office yesterday in Abuja and held a maiden meeting with the Chief Executive Officers of the agencies under her ministry.

    She assured Nigerians of her determination to ensure transparency and accountability during her tenure as minister.

    She explained that the ministry will achieve the target through different interventions and initiatives aimed at lifting millions of Nigerians out of poverty.

    “What is most important is that we will keep our focus on lifting 133 million Nigerians out of poverty.

     “We can do it in phases, a step at a time, because with determination and strong will nothing is impossible.

    ”We will play down on politics; we are here to face the real business of governance,” she said.

     The minister, who described as unacceptable the alarming rate of poverty in the country, said all hands must be on deck to address the situation.

     The Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, Dr Nasir Sani-Gwarzo expressed commitment and loyalty to the minister in her quest to deliver on the mandate of the ministry.

    We ‘II achieve self-sufficiency in food production, boost export, says Kyari

     The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Senator Abubakar Kyari has said the target of his team is to make Nigeria self-sufficient in food production and unlock the potential in food export so as to stimulate economic growth.

     Kyari, who stated this yesterday in Abuja at the ministry after the swearing-in ceremony at the Presidential Villa, said he is ready and willing to commit 100 per cent to the service of the country.

    While noting that the challenges associated with food production are insecurity, flooding, and pests, among others, he said that the political will of President Tinubu to revive agriculture is the biggest hope towards achieving self-sufficiency.

    Also, the Minister of State for Agriculture, Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi said the task before this ministry is a daunting one, which all hands must be on deck to make Nigeria self-sufficient.

    AGF Fagbemi: I’m open to criticism’

     The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN) has said he is open to criticisms.

     Fagbemi, who met with senior officials of the Federal Ministry of Justice upon his assumption of duty yesterday, however, cautioned that such criticisms must be constructive.

     “You cannot just criticise. Your criticism must be constructive. You should be able to proffer solution and suggest better options,” Fagbemi said.

     He noted that his ministry was critical to the success of the administration and the achievement of its objectives. He sought the cooperation of all and assured them of a harmonious relationship.

     Fagbemi cautioned against acts of insubordination, urging officials of the ministry to be guided by their conscience and their oath of office.

     He urged the ministry’s officials to redouble their efforts in the discharge of their duties, adding that, the office of the AGF in the country is strategic as it services all government Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs).

    The Solicitor-General of the Federation and the Permanent Secretary, FMJ,  Mrs Beatrice Jedy-Agba assured the AGF of the support of the ministry’s officials.

     She added: “We will deploy all the human and material resources of the ministry and its parastatals to support and assist you in realizing your set objectives, and more importantly, in achieving the enormous constitutional and statutory mandates and responsibilities vested in the Federal Ministry of Justice.”

    Keyamo: ‘I will build on the aviation roadmap’

     The Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo (SAN) has said his appointment to head the aviation ministry was not a mistake.

    He said he will continue to build on the aviation roadmap developed by the immediate past administration.

     Keyamo stated this while assuming office yesterday in Abuja.

     He said:  “My appointment by President Tinubu was not by mistake. The President would have thought it well before appointing me.”

     On his plans for the sector, he said: “I have read the roadmap developed in 2016. I read it thoroughly and our intention is not to disrupt things that have been done so well.

    He also stated that he has noted some items in the roadmap that need to be improved upon.

     Keyamo said: “For me, my watchword is transparency. At every point, Nigerians must understand what we are doing and we must carry everyone along,” he stated.

     The Permanent Secretary, Dr Emmanuel Meribole described the minister as somebody who is well grounded and result-oriented.

     He said the ministry is set to reposition the aviation sector through the aviation roadmap, assuring that the members of staff of the ministry are committed to give the minister the needed support.

    He also urged the minister to use his in-depth knowledge to address some litigation issues in the ministry.

    Stakeholders’ cooperation needed for desired change in education , says Mammam

    Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mammam and the Minister of State for Education, Dr Yusuf Sununu have assumed duty after their swearing-in by President Tinubu yesterday.

      They were received by the Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, David Adejo, Directors and Heads of agencies and parastatals under the ministry.  Mammam solicited support from Nigerians in order to bring about the “desired change in the education sector.”

     He called for teamwork to build the education sector.

     He said: “If the education sector is fixed, every other thing will work perfectly in the country since the ministry is the foundation of all.

     Minister of State, Sununu sought for the cooperation and understanding of Nigerians, especially members of staff of the ministry to improve the standard of education.

    He said the time was now to surmount the challenges in the sector.

    Sununu said that working together as a formidable force would help to overcome the challenges.

    The Permanent Secretary pledged to cooperate with the ministers for a successful operation.

    Adejo called on the ministers to help deliver the service the education sector would want to deliver to the citizens.

    It’s henceforth business unusual, Tunji-Ojo warns paramilitary agencies against infraction

    Minister of Interior, Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo has assumed duty yesterday. He promised to change the narratives of the ministry for the better. He enjoined para-military institutions under the ministry to do their jobs in accordance with the law.

     He said he would hold the leadership of the Agencies accountable for any infraction within and outside the Services.

     The minister said he would like to lead from the front to enable him to meet the targets set by the President.

     At the old Federal Secretariat, Tunji-Ojo said:”I am here to work but in working, we must have a good environment. The work of this ministry affects everyone; whether you are rich or poor.

    “I don’t lead from the back, I lead from the front. We will try; we will do our best to provide leadership, built on the foundation of your support.

     The Heads of the four paramilitary Agencies under the ministry, namely the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Federal Fire Service, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps and the Nigeria Immigration Service also attended the maiden meeting with the minister.

    I’ll disseminate truth to engender people’s trust, says  Idris

    Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris has said that his ministry will drive President Tinubu’s `Renewed Hope Agenda’ with the dissemination of honest and sincere information.

    The minister stated this yesterday when he assumed office and held a maiden meeting with heads and management staff of the agencies and departments under the ministry at the Radio House, Abuja.

    The minister, who said he was familiar with the information industry, pledged that dissemination of credible information would be his watchword.

    “Mr President did not tell me to come and lie and this is a covenant I am going to have with you and Nigerians.

    “National orientation will also be at the core of this ministry, in addition to the job of information dissemination that we know of it,” he said.

    Idris, who assured the ministry would unveil its agenda, in the next few days, sought the support of the media and other stakeholders in the discharge of his assignment.

    The Permanent Secretary, Dr Ngozi Onwudiwe pledged the collaboration of the management, members of staff of the ministry and its agencies to work with Idris to achieve his mandates.

    The Managing Director, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Mr Buki Ponle, expressed her confidence that Idris, as a round peg in a round hole, would record excellent performance in his new assignment.

    Enoh promises to reposition  sports sector

    Minister of Sports Development, Senator John Enoh has pledged to provide transparent leadership in repositioning the Nigerian sports sector.

    Enoh made the pledge yesterday shortly after assuming office as the 36th Minister of Sports Development.

    He said in spite that he was not an active sports personality, he was ready to hit the ground running by working as a team player with all sports stakeholders to transform the sector.

    “I don’t think you need to be an active sports participant for you to be minister of sports.

    “I think what is required is who can provide leadership, direction, someone who is transparent, understand the sector and reposition it and that is what I am bringing on board,” he said.

    The minister stressed the importance of sports as a unifying factor. He called for all hands to be on deck to develop the sector in line with international best practices.

    “There is no other endeavour in this country that is as uniting as the sports endeavour,” he said.

    Enoh also encouraged Nigerian athletes to represent the country at the ongoing 2023 World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary.

    “Let me assure you that President Tinubu is standing behind you with the entire country, united in our support and admiration,” the minister said.

    He said the Federal Government will continue to ensure that Nigerian athletes get their due recognition and the right atmosphere is created for them to excel.

    Uzoka-Anite promises to attract more investments

     Dr Doris Uzoka-Anite yesterday assumed duty as the Minister of Industry Trade and Investment shortly after she was sworn in by President Tinubu.

    Uzoka-Anite was received by the Permanent Secretary, Dr Evelyn Ngige and the Directors in the ministry.

    While promising to attract more investments into the country, the minister assured of her determination to promote business-friendly environment for indigenous businesses to grow.

    According to her, our work here is to ensure that we create more jobs, more employment, lift people above the poverty line and ensure that small and middle enterprises and industries that already exist expand and grow better.

    “Our job is to attract investments. There is so much opportunity. One of them I have already witnessed here is human resources.

    “If we only just harnessed our human resource potential Nigeria will be great even without our mineral resources.

    “Even without our non-mineral resources only our human capital alone is enough to take us where we want to,” she said.

    The minister said that projecting Nigeria’s image positively was crucial in attracting investors and ensuring that businesses thrive in the country.

    According to her, the ministry would ensure that the image of the country out there is as investment-friendly as the investments that we have here.

    “So, I want to put that on the table and we will be doing a whole lot of branding and image-making for the country because we have to re-introduce ourselves to the world,’’ she said.

    Describing her assumption of duty as a new dawn, Uzoka-Anite emphasised the need to do business to fit into global best practices.

    While seeking the cooperation of members of staff to achieve the ministry’s mandate, the minister promised to operate an open-door policy.

    Earlier, Ngige assured the minister of her support to oversee the activities of the ministry.

    Ngige urged the minister to bring her wealth of experience to bear in the ministry’s task of developing economic growth, boosting industrialisation and promoting Micro Small and Medium Enterprises as well as facilitating trade in goods and services.

    Revival of steel companies to be a gradual process, says Audu

    The Minister of Steel Development, Shuaibu Audu has said the resuscitation of the Ajaokuta Steel plant and other steel plants in the country would be a gradual process.

    Audu said with the creation of the Ministry of Steel Development, his administration hopes the country’s steel industries would begin production soon.

    He said his ministry would ride on Vice-President Kashim Shettima’s visit to Russia in July to aggressively pursue the gains of the visit.

    He said this yesterday in Abuja after his assumption of office as the Minister of Steel Development.

    His words: “The steel industry is a new industry, which we are hoping to focus on to achieve, in line with President Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda that is our aim and objective.

    “There are many steel companies in Nigeria. You cannot tackle all problems at once.

    “Our ultimate objective would be to get the engines started; that would be a remarkable achievement. We hope to, at least, start producing even if it is a small sheet of steel. That would be a remarkable achievement, considering where we are coming from.

    “Efforts have been made to achieve this agenda with the recent visit of the Vice President to Russia in July this year, it is my intention that under my administration, the ministry would aggressively pursue the gains of that memorable visit, with the option of not only to complete Ajaokuta but to also set the pace for viable steel development in the country.

    “There is no doubt that the steel sector in Nigeria has faced and is still facing several key challenges. My main task as the Minister would be to work with all the well-experienced stakeholders to address the challenges with the view to ensuring a successful take-off of the steel plants.”

  • Widespread excitement amid high expectations in health sector

    Widespread excitement amid high expectations in health sector

    Since the announcement of the appointment of Prof Muhammad Ali Pate as the Minister of Health and Social Welfare, local and international stakeholders have expressed excitement and high hopes that the sector is set to receive the much-needed leadership boost to improve the country’s health indices. MOSES EMORINKEN writes about the daunting tasks ahead and what can be done to reshape the health and wellbeing of Nigerians.

    Since the appointment of Prof Muhammad Ali Pate as Minister of Health and Social Welfare by President Bola Tinubu, there appears to be a groundswell of excitement and jubilation from every quarter in the health sector. Many have described his appointment as a round peg in a round hole; one of the best things to have happened to Nigeria’s health sector.

     However, excitement of this magnitude is a rarity, particularly within the discerning circles of the health sector. A key example of such an occurrence materialised with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) proclamation of Nigeria as a polio-free nation in August 2020. Remarkably, Prof. Pate played a pivotal role in this achievement, notably during his tenure as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) from November 14, 2008 to July 11, 2011.

     Pate, a distinguished and internationally recognised Professor of Public Health, exhibited unwavering commitment in response to the wild poliovirus outbreak. He zealously pursued an assertive emergency plan for polio eradication and engaged with traditional leaders, particularly in the Northern region. His efforts were directed at bolstering vaccine uptake and dispelling misinformation surrounding polio vaccines. Hailing from Bauchi State and being the son of a Fulani herdsman, Pate holds the title of Chigarin Misau and was born on September 6, 1968.

      At 54 years old, the newly-appointed Minister of Health graduated from Ahmadu Bello University Medical School in Zaria. He initially practiced at the university’s teaching hospital before embarking on a journey to the British Medical Research Council Laboratories in Gambia. Pate holds medical degrees in Internal Medicine and Infectious Diseases, complemented by an MBA from Duke University. His academic pursuits also include studies at University College London and a Master’s in Health System Management from the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK.

     Pate assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer of the NPHCDA at the peak of Nigeria’s polio epidemic. Swiftly after his appointment, his strategic collaboration with traditional leaders to advocate for vaccines and primary healthcare services within their jurisdictions laid the groundwork for an assertive emergency response to eradicate polio. This approach was orchestrated through emergency operation centers (EOCs), effectively containing and ultimately eradicating polio transmission across the nation.

     As the head of NPHCDA, he introduced the Midwives Service Scheme, which recruited retired midwives to fortify underperforming antenatal clinics. This initiative led to a notable reduction of maternal deaths by 30 to 40 percent at the time. Presently, this effort has been expanded and enhanced with the introduction of the Expanded Midwives Service Scheme (eMSS) aimed at augmenting skilled attendants.

     During his tenure as Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health from 2011 to 2013, Pate spearheaded an initiative to rejuvenate routine vaccinations and primary healthcare. He chaired a presidential task force dedicated to polio eradication and introduced novel vaccines to the country. In addition, he launched the “Saving One Million Lives” (SOML) initiative in 2012 to address subpar health outcomes, particularly for mothers and children. The SOML initiative encompassed various goals, from maternal and child health improvements to HIV prevention and child nutrition enhancement.

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     He occupied the Julio Frenk Professor of Public Health Leadership position at Harvard Chan School of Public Health. Throughout his career, Pate has actively participated on boards and expert committees spanning the public, private, and non-profit sectors. From 2019 to 2022, he served as the Global Director for Health, Nutrition, and Population at the World Bank and led the Global Financing Facility.

    His involvement extended to managing the World Bank’s $18 billion COVID-19 global health response fund and representing the institution on influential boards like Gavi, Global Fund, UNAIDS, and CEPI. Notably, Pate facilitated the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s entry into Nigeria, guiding their direct engagement with State Primary Healthcare Agencies. This impressive trajectory culminated in his appointment as Nigeria’s Health Minister, followed by his subsequent transition to the position of professor at Duke University’s Global Health Institute in the United States. He also taught comparative health systems to postgraduate students at the Duke University Global Health Institute.

     In February this year, the Gavi Board sanctioned the appointment of Prof. Pate as the Chief Executive Officer of the Vaccine Alliance, following an extensive selection process. Originally set to commence his role on August this year, Prof. Pate was slated to succeed Dr. Seth Berkley, who had led the Alliance for 12 years. Nonetheless, on June 26, GAVI publicly disclosed Prof. Pate’s decision to decline the CEO position. In a remarkable display of dedication, Prof. Pate chose to forego the opportunity at GAVI – a Global Health Partnership dedicated to ensuring equitable access to vital vaccines for children in the world’s most underprivileged nations – in favour of serving his own country as the Minister of Health.

     Undoubtedly, Prof. Pate has undertaken a significant responsibility, considering the discouraging state of Nigeria’s health indicators. Despite certain advancements, Nigeria’s health sector remains entrenched in numerous challenges, including insufficient funding, inadequate utilisation of resources, scarcity of healthcare professionals, brain drain, frequent healthcare worker strikes, shortage of functional primary health care (PHC) centers, limited health insurance coverage for vulnerable populations, medical tourism, malnutrition, elevated child and maternal mortality rates, prevalent malaria cases, exclusion from malaria vaccine trials, escalating non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and more.

    Stakeholders set agenda for the new Minister

    According to Nigeria’s foremost virologist and Chairman of the Ministerial Expert Advisory Committee on COVID-19, Prof Oyewale Tomori, the new Minister needs to focus on the local production of vaccines, especially vaccines to protect children from dying from the many vaccine-preventable diseases.

     Speaking with The Nation, he said, “My only interest now is what we can do to ensure our children are protected from dying of vaccine-preventable diseases, just one issue; that all necessary steps will be taken, and all stakeholders will be on board in a united and coordinated national commitment to start local production of selected human vaccines in Nigeria before the two years in the office of this administration, that is within the next 18 to 24 months.

     “In particular, Nigeria and the Federal Government will focus on getting the joint venture company – Bio-Vaccine Nigeria Limited (BVNL) – set up by the Federal Government and May & Baker to start vaccine production locally, while we keep at bay external companies whose interest is not in local vaccine production, but in cornering and flooding the Nigerian vaccine market with imported vaccines.

     “This will require that all and each of the stakeholders lift national interest far and above self-interest on the important issue of local vaccine production in Nigeria. Our national health security depends on the government escalating the issue of local vaccine production and supply as a national emergency. It is a shame that any Nigerian child should be dying from diphtheria, utter disgrace, and we should all be ashamed.”

     In a chat with The Nation, Dr. Ejike Orji, a Public Health Advocate and the immediate Senior Special Adviser to the FCT Minister on Health and Hospital Management, said, “Prof. Pate is the best thing that could happen to the health sector, if you ask me. This is based on the fact that we have been saying that the only way anybody in health will understand health and know what to do is for that person to have been in the health development arena. Also, the person would have known that most of the indices that we have in Nigeria, that we know the causes, we know that most of them are preventable causes, and you don’t need an outsider to come and advocate to the person on the right things to do; the person is already in that field, and understands it.

     “Being a medical doctor is not enough in the present Nigeria; you have to be involved in health development, policy making, and know how to use core indicators to be able to measure whether we are doing well or not. We have a high rate of maternal mortality; know the cause, and the mitigating strategies that can be put in place to stop those deaths. Pate is not a new kid on the block; he was part of the reversal of the high infant and under-five mortality rate based on preventable vaccination stopping diseases. Therefore, he knows what will work and what won’t work in Nigeria.

     “In Nigeria, it is not enough to be a key technical person; you also have to be a social entrepreneur. That social entrepreneurship is what will help him galvanise support from all sides, and be able to utilise the skills and abilities that are available in the country. A lot of people are frustrated with what is happening in the health sector, and I am one of them. This is the time, I will say, that we have someone we can hold accountable, because he knows what to do, how to do it, and where to get the resources. I am talking with a little bit of excitement.

     “The only caveat I would add here is that if he is a social entrepreneur on a scale of one to ten before, if it was six, he needs to up it to nine, because Nigeria is not just about how to do it, but how to galvanise support from different desperate thinking people in the healthcare sector, to make sure that we get to the dream that we desire to be. I pity him; I don’t envy him. To bring Nigeria from the hole that we are in, to where we should be, is going to be an arduous task. But I know that he can do it.

     “Nigeria ranks 187 out of 189 countries in terms of healthcare ranking in the world. The only two places we are better than are the Central African Republic and Myanmar. Every other country is better than us in the health hierarchy. He has a big duty in his hands, and I must tell you that the President has made a very good pick. We must, therefore, give him all the support that he requires. I am very ready to rally the civil societies in Nigeria to support him. This means that accountability must also be run by the civil society to make sure that what we agreed that we are going to do, we do it.”

     Also, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Emeka Orji, told The Nation that he does not doubt the abilities of Prof. Pate to deliver as the Minister of Health, owing to his rich national and international experience. He, however, admonished the Minister to prioritise the welfare and working conditions of health workers to reduce the increasing rate of brain drain and medical tourism. He further urged the carry along health unions and associations on policy formulations and Implementation.

     “The truth is that history is replete with a lot of people who come with such experience, but if they don’t also condition their minds to the kind of system they are coming to, they may end up not performing to their full capacity. So, we want to encourage him and wish him well. Of course, we want to pray to work with him to see that the health sector is stable and that Nigerians take the benefits of the services that we render to take care of themselves and their loved ones.

     “Some years back, the World Health Organisation (WHO) tried to rejig the Hippocratic Oath that we have been taking. If you look at the old one, attention is based squarely on patients. So you ask, how about the doctors. Therefore, the new one we have been using for some years now shows that we are also supposed to take care of our own health and need to be in a good state of mind to render services of the highest standards.

      “We believe that urgent attention needs to be paid to the welfare of, not just of doctors but other healthcare professionals. If you consider the brain drain that we have, the most important cause of it is the inadequate welfare packages. Priority should be set for doctors, nurses and other clinical staff, in order to be able to have the good spirit and enthusiasm to remain in the country to be able to render our services.

        “Personnel is also very important. We have a severe manpower shortage. So, much as we know that we still need massive infrastructural development, if you are doing that and you are not matching it up with the personnel required to man them, it will just be considered an highfalutin project if you build something that cannot be adequately utilize, then it becomes a total waste of resources and space. That is why they need to pay attention to personnel as much as they do to infrastructure, and of course, welfare and incentives. These are the things that will make the health sector work. We hope that these are the areas that the new Minister and his team will pay attention to.

     “Also, more importantly, policies that will come out from that Ministry under his watch should have widespread consultation before they bring them out. If you are bringing out policies, and you don’t carry along the people that the policies are meant for or the people that will implement the policies, then the policy will fail before you implement it. So, we want to advise that unions and associations be carried along with the decision-making process that will affect them. It is only when you carry them along and get their buy-ins that they will be able to step it down to their members and convince them of the benefits.

     “Also, when you have an association raising an alarm, it is always good to try to nip it in the bud at the initial stage of agitation; try to meet and discuss with them. What usually happens is that when they raise an alarm and they are ignored, the people will believe that the government does not understand what they are saying, and before you know it, there will be industrial disharmony.”

     The Executive Secretary of the Health Reform Foundation of Nigeria (HERFON), Dr Celestine Okorie, said, “All of us in the health space are indeed very excited that Prof. Pate is the Minister of Health. He is a round peg in a round hole because he understands the health sector landscape, challenges and some of the solutions. He has been in the health sector for quite a while for years now. He was the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), and as a Minister of State for Health.

     “At the same time, he has a very strong international background in the international health sector; he is very well known and experienced. We are expecting a lot from him in the health sector. I actually think because of his background, he is one of the few doctors who understands population health, which is the community health of Nigeria. He understands what to do. He can attract a lot of foreign partnerships that can help to uplift the Nigerian health system.

     “If you look at his background working with the World Bank, GAVI (major player in the immunization space globally). We are excited that he turned down the GAVI opportunity to serve Nigeria; it is quite a sacrifice. So, we are expecting a lot from him, and I have no doubt that he is going to perform. The biggest challenge we have with the Nigerian population is what we call poor access to healthcare services for a huge percentage of the population. There is so much poverty in the land, as over 130 million Nigerians are poor. Poverty limits access to quality healthcare, and also fuels ignorance and literacy level. This eventually leads to a high mortality rate. They cannot afford to pay for basic healthcare needs. This is particular for the vulnerable population which includes: women and children under the age of five, people with disabilities or mentally challenged, and the elderly. They can afford access to health services.

     “Another challenge is the availability of good quality healthcare services, particularly for those in the rural areas. About 70 per cent live in the rural areas. In those places, you find poor people with poor hygiene, inadequate infrastructure like roads, lack of security, and poor access to health care. We are talking about Universal Health Coverage (UHC) where people can access good healthcare services without paying from their pockets. We are also talking about financial risk protection because when people are sick, they can afford to go to the hospital to get the care they need.

    “Prof Pate understands what to do, that is, providing basic healthcare insurance; what we call health insurance coverage. Right now, I think we are covering 5 million people, mostly civil servants. Meanwhile one of the policy objectives of this government is to cover 50 million Nigerians in the next two to three years in health insurance. Prof. Pate would expand the coverage. Medical tourism is causing Nigeria about $1 billion. But I believe the reality is double that amount; this is capital flight. It is the foreign exchange that we would have used to keep our economy strong. We have the doctors and experts here. We expect Prof. Pate to tackle this issue.

     “Many healthcare workers in Nigeria are leaving the country because of the poor conducive environment to practice the profession. The compensation for health workers is very poor. There is also no equipment to practice, and they are overworked. With a little adjustment here and there, we can remain our doctors. I am sure if we can address these, most of our doctors will be happy to come back.”

     The Registrar and Secretary-General of the West African Postgraduate College of Medical Laboratory Science, Dr Godswill Okara, added, “Prof. Pate is a refined gentleman. He is very vastly exposed and experienced, and I believe he will do a good job. My interaction with him when he was Minister of State for Health revealed that much. He is a level-headed and focused professional, and I have no doubt in my mind that he will perform excellently. For too long, our health sector has not received the type of boost that will sustain the confidence of people. Also, the craze for seeking foreign medical attention. I believe that having been out there for so long, he knows what it takes to turn around the public health sector by way of investing in state-of-the-art equipment.

     “In terms of personnel, professionals who are skilled in the health sector discipline, we have them. What we need is the provision of the enabling environment and appropriate facilities, and what people are going out there to look for will be delivered here. We are seeing this in the private sector. Many of our private facilities can hold their own, but how many people can afford the private facilities. Therefore, the need for the government to inject funds into the public health sector can never be overemphasised.

     “Often, it is not usually about the lack of funds, but proper utilisation of the little that we have. If we select a few centres and focus on those centres. For selected services, we can refer people to them. I hope the government gives Prof. Pate the free hand and allows him to appropriately apply the budgeted funds and resources. It is not rocket science, and I believe that he will be able to do it.”

       Dr. Gafar Alawode, the Country Director of Palladium, “What I can say in terms of response to the appointment of Prof. Pate is that, of course, personally, I’m excited and I believe many stakeholders are excited for a number of reasons. In terms of the type of person that we need, I believe he fits the description in terms of understanding the health system landscape. He has the experience in managing several health institutions before like the NPHCDA; he was the Minister of State for Health, and others. So, he knows how the system works.

     “He understands policy issues, and has emerged at the very high level and has been the Director of Health Population and Nutrition at the World Bank. So, he knows how to manage the donor community. He is very passionate and creative about health, and has bold ideas. That is the kind of person that we need now. According to the WHO, around 40 per cent of health resources are wasted, stemming from health system design, health commodities, Human Resources for Health (HRH), and other sources. This highlights the importance of ensuring the efficient utilization of healthcare resources which includes an increased absorptive capacity of the health sector and the ability to obtain optimal outputs from the existing level of investment.

     “There is also a need to optimise both government and donor financing for health and ensure aid effectiveness in Nigeria. Sub-optimal implementation of health policies, strategies, and legal frameworks is also one of the major obstacles that hinder progress in the health sector. Resource optimization could be achieved by moving from inefficient input-based financing to strategic purchasing, revival of the Medium-Term Strategy (MTSS), and other policy thrusts. Other areas of strategic shifts also contribute to this.

     “Nigeria’s health financing landscape is characterised by sub-optimal government investment, low coverage of financial protection mechanisms, high out-of-pocket expenditure, and heavy reliance on development assistance for health, especially public health interventions. Existing policy interventions to address this include the State Social Health Insurance Scheme and the Basic Health Care Provision Fund. The recently introduced sugar taxes, the potential removal of petroleum subsidy, and the potential introduction of communication taxes also present significant opportunities for mobilizing additional financing for health in Nigeria.

      “To achieve the desired results above, there is a need to institute policies that will mobilise additional pooled resources for health and prioritise strategic areas of investment such as health insurance subsidisation, family planning, priority disease program (HIV, TB, and Malaria), health security and immunization.”

  • Economic revival is on the horizon

    Economic revival is on the horizon

    Mr Olawale Edun is Nigeria’s second Coordinating Minister for the Economy. This makes him a powerful cabinet member with direct access to the President. By assigning that office to him, President Bola Tinubu is reposing a tremendous amount of confidence in his ability to have a firm grip on the management of the economy.

     As Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy (CME), Edun will wield enough powers to steer the economy in the direction he feels is in the best interest of the nation. Before his appointment, Edun knew what he was getting into and must have prepared himself for the job. The major issues he will be confronted with are foreign exchange challenges, mitigating inflation, managing the country’s public debt and addressing revenue inadequacy.

     The Minister of Finance could consider taking these steps to address obvious challenges waiting for his attention. Monetary Policy Coordination: he has to work closely with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to ensure coordination of monetary policy tools such as interest rates, reserve requirements, and open market operations, to contain inflationary pressures. He should pursue the implementation of prudent fiscal policies aimed at reducing government spending, avoiding fiscal deficits, and reducing the country’s debt burden. This can be achieved through better budgetary planning, reducing wasteful spending, and improving revenue collection efforts.

     Structural reforms to address supply-side constraints, such as improving infrastructure, reducing bottlenecks in the agricultural sector, and promoting investment in critical sectors are dearly needed. These reforms will increase productivity and reduce cost-push inflation. Exchange rate policy that ensures a stable and transparent exchange rate policy, promotes export competitiveness and discourages import-driven inflation should be encouraged. This could involve measures such as managing foreign exchange reserves effectively, addressing currency speculation, and adopting policies that attract foreign direct investment.

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     Edun needs to push for price stability targeting by collaborating with the CBN in implementing inflation-targeting frameworks that set clear inflation targets and adopt appropriate policies to achieve them. This could involve utilising tools such as interest rate adjustments, while also ensuring that monetary policy decisions support economic growth and employment generation. Support for social safety nets through targeted programmes to mitigate the adverse effects of inflation on vulnerable populations. This could involve direct cash transfers, subsidies for essential goods and services, and measures to improve access to education and healthcare.

     For Edun to succeed as Coordinating Minister for the Economy, he must work to improve data collection and research capacity to better understand the drivers of inflation and to inform policy decisions. Accurate and timely data is crucial for effective policymaking. He needs to build on existing collaboration and cooperation with relevant stakeholders, including private sector groups, labour unions, and consumer associations to address inflation pressures collectively. Engaging these stakeholders can help build consensus on inflation-fighting strategies and improve the effectiveness of policy measures.

     It’s important to note that tackling inflation requires a comprehensive approach involving multiple policy areas and coordination between various institutions. The Minister of Finance should work alongside other government bodies, such as the CBN and relevant ministries, to implement a holistic strategy to address inflation and promote macroeconomic stability. To address Nigeria’s high debt levels and low tax-to-GDP ratio while boosting revenue for developmental projects, the incoming Minister of Finance can consider the following strategies.

     Fiscal discipline and expenditure rationalisation through review and prioritised spending: he needs to conduct a thorough review of the budget to identify and prioritise essential expenditures while cutting down on wasteful spending and non-essential projects. Strengthen public financial management systems to enhance transparency, accountability, and efficiency in the allocation and utilisation of public funds as well as conduct a comprehensive analysis of debt sustainability to assess the country’s ability to service its debts and avoid excessive borrowing.

     He has to effectively implement tax reforms to broaden the tax base, improve tax administration, and increase tax compliance. This can include simplifying tax procedures, reducing tax evasion, and expanding the tax net to capture more individuals and businesses. Edun will also need to focus on diversifying revenue sources by promoting sectors such as agriculture, manufacturing, solid minerals, and services. This can include providing incentives for investment and job creation, improving infrastructure, and facilitating ease of doing business.

     It appears he will work with Taiwo Oyedele and his team to strengthen tax collection by enhancing tax collection mechanisms, including leveraging technology for efficient tax administration, improving taxpayer education, and strengthening tax enforcement to minimise leakages. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are twin measures that will relieve the government of financial stress on the one hand and attract investment from outside the country’s shores to boost economic growth.

     As Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Edun has become the chief promoter of Nigeria as an attractive investment destination. He will do this through targeted marketing campaigns, investor-friendly policies, and streamlined investment procedures. Cost reduction and efficiency measures through public sector reforms are required. Basically, he needs to eliminate duplication, and enhance efficiency in service delivery. This can include measures such as rationalizing government agencies, reducing bureaucracy, and encouraging digitalization and automation.

     The CME has to find a way to address inefficiencies in the energy sector, including power generation, transmission, and distribution, to reduce operational costs and enhance productivity in both the public and private sectors. Though President Tinubu has ruled out subsidising fuel, it is battle that will be fought again in the very near future. Edun will navigate how to gradually phase out or rationalise subsidies on fuel and electricity, ensuring that vulnerable populations are protected through targeted social safety net programmes.

     Debt management: it advisable the Tinubu administration gives serious consideration to debt restructuring and refinancing, exploring options for to reduce debt servicing costs and extend debt maturities, thereby providing fiscal relief in the short term. Going forward, Edun has to adopt a cautious approach to borrowing, focusing on concessional loans, favourable interest rates, and projects with high economic returns. He has to conduct thorough cost-benefit analyses and prioritise investments that generate revenue and promote sustainable development.

     It’s important to note that addressing Nigeria’s debt burden and revenue challenges requires a combination of short-term and long-term measures. The incoming Minister of Finance should collaborate with other government agencies, engage stakeholders, and monitor the implementation of these strategies to ensure their effectiveness and sustainability. Though the Budget Office has been partially removed from his direct control, as Coordinating Minister for the Economy (CME), the fine prints of the budget must get his buy-in and approval before it goes public. What will his approach to budget preparation be? How will he manage the opaque Service Wide vote? Will he continue with the Finance Act tradition of the past administration?

     Edun will be tested if he decides to be hands-on with the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) deliberations. Will he be courageous

  • Delays, controversies over appointment of new Auditor-General

    Delays, controversies over appointment of new Auditor-General

    Almost one year after the retirement of the Auditor-General for the Federation (AGF), Adolphus Aghughu, appointing a replacement has not been possible due to acrimony among directors. The appointment of one of the directors in the interim has not gone down well with some stakeholders, who claim the process contravened public service rules, reports TONY AKOWE.

    The retirement of the immediate past Auditor-General for the Federation (AGF), Adolphus Aghughu threw up an intense competition among directors in the office for the coveted seat.

     Prior to his retirement, there have been moves to outdo one another by some of the directors with claims and counter-claims of who is senior among them who can oversee the office.

     Aghughu’s exit in September 2022 paved the way for the appointment of Andrew Onwudili to oversee the office, even though records show that he was not the most senior director; having been employed two years after three of the directors, making him the fourth in line.

     Before the emergence of Onwudili, the Federal Civil Service Commission had commenced the process for the appointment of a new Auditor-General with an in-house advertisement.

     The Nation learnt that the initial idea was to get the Auditor-General from among the directors in the agency. But one year after the process began, there appears to be a deadlock as the commission has not been able to come up with a candidate who will be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.

     Section 86 sub-section 1 to 3 of the 1999 Constitution as amended provides modalities for the appointment of the AGF.

    The section states that “the Auditor-General for the Federation shall be appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Federal Civil Service Commission subject to confirmation by the Senate. (2) The power to appoint persons to act in the office of the Auditor-General shall vest in the President and (3) except with the sanction of a resolution of the Senate, no person shall act in the office of the Auditor-General for a period exceeding six months.”

    But the process has been bogged down by controversy regarding seniority among some of the directors in the agency. While some of them have been involved in the selection process, two others have been excluded.

     The Nation observed that the struggle for the position appeared to have started long before the occupant of the office vacated it as five of the Directors started struggling for seniority despite the provisions of Public Service on seniority in the public service.

    A letter from the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation dated February 9 2021, with reference number HCSF/PSO/152/II/150 addressed to the Director of Audit overseeing the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation tried to set the records straight about seniority among the directors.

     The letter drew attention to the provisions of the Public Service Rule 020106 which states that “seniority in any department shall be determined by the entry/the assumption of duty certified by an authorised officer as reflected in the appropriate register.”

     In line with the provision, the letter which was signed by Babura in the USA, the Director in charge of Employee Mobility in the OHCSF listed the officers in accordance with their seniority level as Isiuku Julius Michael, Mrs Ogundowo Addition Oluseyi, Mrs Ugwu Ngozi Eucharia, Onwudili Ogochukwu and Gbayan Shirts Gabriel. It also stated that “with the above clarification, this matter would be laid to rest and allow for a good and harmonious working relationship devoid of rancour among the directors and other members of staff in the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation.

      The letter from the Head of Service was prompted by a letter from the Office of Auditor-General seeking intervention on the determination of seniority among the directors.

     The letter reads: “I am directed to request your kind intervention on the resolution of the seniority challenge encountered by the under-listed directors in the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation. The Human Resources Department had received complaints that they were not placed properly on the office nominal roll. Efforts to internally address the issue seem not to be satisfactory. Accordingly, it will be appreciated if the OHCSF can intervene to resolve the matter.”

     However, in another letter reference with reference number HCSF/ALSO/ODD/E&WP/64421/166 dated July 18, 2022, and signed by the Director, Organisation, Design and Development in the OHCSF, B. O. C. Omogo, the earlier list was completely turned round. The letter reads: “I am directed to refer to your letter ref no GEN/EMAD//CORR/2020/55 dated March 28, 2022, on the above subject and convey the reviewed seniority list among the five directors in your office as follows: Andrew Ogochukwu Onwudili, Shirts Gabriel Gbayan, Adeoti Oluseyi Ogundowo, Ngozi Eucharia Ugwu and Julius Michael Isiuku.

    “In arriving at the reviewed list, the parameters outlined below were taken into consideration. (a) date of present appointment; (b) career progression; (c) date of assumption of duty and (d) date of first appointment.

     “This letter, therefore, supersedes our earlier letter ref. UCSF/PSO/152/II/15 and dated February 9 2021 on the subject.”

    A look at the Public Service Rules revealed that the only criterion for determining seniority in service is the date of employment and assumption of duty.

     However, the nominal roll of the office of the Auditor-General for April 2021 sighted by The Nation revealed that while Mrs Ogundawo was first employed in the service on September 26, 1990, and confirmed two years later, the Director overseeing the Office of the Auditor-General, Andrew Onwudili was employed on July 27, 1992, and confirmed two years later. Also, another director in the OAUGF, who was excluded from the process of appointing a new Auditor-General, Mrs Eucharia Ngozi Ugwu was employed on November 11 1990 and confirmed two years later.

     Also, Shirwa Gabriel Gbayan was captured in the nominal roll as having been employed into the service on August 24, 1992, and confirmed two years later in 1994; while Julius Isiuku (he retired from service in December 2022) was employed on January 13 1989 and confirmed two years later.

      The Nation also sighted two different memos from the Federal Civil Service Commission on the list of directors qualified to participate in the selection process for the position of Auditor-General with the names of the two women missing.

    It was also learnt that, in its last days in the 9th Assembly, the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives invited the Head of Service of the Federation, Folashade Esan to explain why it should issue two separate letters on the same issue.

      Although the meeting between the Committee and the Head of Service took place, Oke, who headed the committee, said the best thing to do was to interface with the Minister of Justice and the Attorney-General of the Federation regarding the lingering controversy surrounding the seniority of top officials on the director cadre in the OAGF. Oke had said at the meeting with the Head of Service who was represented by a Director that “there is no provision for the office of the Auditor-General of the Federation to be run by a Director. It is illegal. The Director currently occupying that office cannot fulfil the constitutional roles of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

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     “We have a backlog of audited accounts of the Federation for the years 2020, 2021 and 2022, which are yet to be laid before the National Assembly due to the absence of a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation to sign them.”

     In a petition to the Public Accounts Committee of the House of Representatives, dated February 3, 2023, Mrs Ogundowo alerted that her name was omitted from the list of eligible directors to be considered for accreditation exercise for appointment as Auditor-General for the Federation.

     She said the omission of her name was based on an unsubstantiated report of the EFCC.

     She said: “I humbly write to draw the attention of the PAC Committee to the process undertaken by the Federal Civil Service Commission midwifing the appointment of the next Auditor-General of the Federation. Having been screened by the DSS, and ICPC, it is shocking to note that the Commission (the EFCC) made an incorrect allegation on my account of income flowing into the account from a business “Satisqua Table Water Enterprises” on which I was not invited to explain but reported upon. For this kind of screening held in high esteem, it would be fair and just for the Commission to be specific on the income inflow traced to my account and seek further clarifications before drawing conclusions.

    “It is against this background that I am here seeking clarification and clearance from the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), copy of the registered business name is attached to this application. Your prompt intervention on this would be highly appreciated, please.”

    She also wrote to the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation seeking intervention “in a case of serious misconduct levelled against me by the Auditor-General for the Federation, Adolphus Aghughu.”

     The letter was dated June 28 2022, a few weeks before Aghughu retired as Auditor-General.

    According to her, she was accused of contravention of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation’s Communication Policy; Falsification of Records; Unauthorised disclosure of official information; and any other act unbecoming of a public officer. According to her, issues raised in the query were in respect of seniority of Directors of Audit which she said started in 2020 but laid to rest in line with Public Service Rules (PSR) 020106, vide letter no. HCSE/PSO/152/150 dated February 9 2021.

     In the petition, she said that “at an emergency top management meeting held on June 17 2022, the AGF presented a version of the seniority list different from the one approved by the OHCSF. This he had shared on the WhatsApp Platform of the Colleges of Directors and also acknowledged to have approved.

     It is on this same Platform that I shared a copy of the seniority list I came across, particularly when the AGF had become inaccessible to most of his lieutenants (we the directors).

     This is supported by the fact that he shouted at me and instructed his security personnel to walk me out of his office in March 2021. The WhatsApp Platform for the Colleges of Directors was created to disseminate information among the directors and also for interaction as is applicable in other MDAs.

     Contrary to an allegation of circulating a fake nominal roll to the National Assembly, I wish to state that I am not aware of the existence of such in the National Assembly or any other government agency. It may interest the HCSF to note that one of the ‘fake’ nominal rolls, as alleged by the AGF was placed on the official notice board by the AGF himself.

     The HCSF may also wish to note that many versions of the fake nominal roll are in circulation and that all these versions, which are at variance with what was approved by the OHCSF, placed Mr Onwudili Andrew Ogochukwu, a Director of Audit, ahead of me as my senior, even though this is far from the truth.

     I assumed duty on September 26 1990, while he assumed duty on July 27 1992.  Both of us attained our present post of Director of Audit on January 1, 2017. 

    Mrs Ogundowo alleged in the petition that “there is a plot to disenfranchise me from participating in the selection process for appointment of a new AGF, which is why I am being victimised. This, I believe, is to enable Mr Onwydili to take over after the exit of Mr Aghughu who will be exiting the service on September 7 2022 since the most senior Director of Audit, Mr Isiuku Julius Michael, will also exit the service in December, 2022.”

     She made reference to the fact that the ground for Onwudili to take over as the most senior director may have been laid for him earlier when he was placed above her during their promotion exercise.

    She said: “My claim above is further supported by the fact that, upon our promotion to the post of directors in 201 7, Mr Onwudili was placed on SGL 17 step 10 and my good self on SGL 17 Step 8. We were both on the same step (GL 16 before our promotion to the post of Director).

     I wonder why he was given accelerated incremental steps. It is on the strength of this that I am inclined to conclude that there is a conscious attempt to prevent and disqualify me from aspiring for the post of the AGF, which I am entitled to, just like any other Director of Audit in the Federal Civil Service.”

     Continuing, she claimed that “in my 32 years of active and dedicated service (now 33), I have not received any warning or query. I am a loyal and committed civil servant with a high premium on value addition in the discharge of my official duties or any responsibilities assigned to me.”

     The Association of Retired Staff of the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation have tried to intervene and ensure that justice is done to all those concerned. The association writes two separate petitions to the House of Representatives and the Federal Civil Service Commission.

      In the letters signed by the Chairman and Coordinator, Alhaji Taiwo Lawal, the association said though some of the actions taken since August 11, 2022, were found to be just, fair and acceptable, the Commission suddenly tainted the process “with the unjust removal of the two topmost Directors of Audit from the list of qualified Directors of Audit for accreditation exercise despite the fact that these female Directors of Audit met all the required conditions laid down by the commission.”

     In the letter to the House of Representatives, the Association said its desire was to see a level playing ground for all the Directors of Audit in all the processes for the appointment of the next Auditor-General for the Federation.

     It added that “Mrs Adeoti Oluseyi Ogundowo and Mrs E. N. Ugwu were both promoted Directors of Audit on January 1 2017, but the FCC dropped their names from the list of aspiring Directors of Audit for accreditation exercise that was hurriedly fixed for Friday, January 20 2023.”

     In the second petition to the Civil Service Commission, the association said that “being a critical stakeholder in the growth and development of our former office has been keenly watching and observing the process undertaken by the Federal Civil Service Commission in the appointment of Auditor-General for the Federation.”

      According to them, following the retirement of the former Auditor-General, the association supported the idea of not leaving a vacuum and having someone from within the office emerging as a replacement. It said it felt elated when the commission issued an internal advertisement and also circular requesting qualified directors to submit relevant briefs through the Human Resources Department.

     According to the Chairman, on January 13 2023, the Federal Civil Service Commission, through its circular with ref. no FCSC/CHMN/RAG/023/1I/126 and signed by Ogaba Ede (Director of Appointment and Recruitment) on behalf of the Chairman requested 10 Directors of Audit that have a minimum of one year and above before retirement to re-submit their CVs, briefs, certificates, personal and confidential files, and others to the Commission on or before January 17 2023.

    With the reduction of minimum years to retirement to one year and above, the Commission had widened the space and extended participation to earlier screened-out Directors of Audit.

    However, the Association observed that three names of suitably qualified Directors of Audit that were earlier screened and met all the requirements, including more than two years and above before retirement, were not included.

     The Directors of Audit are Mrs Adeoti Oluseyi Ocundowo FCNA. — promoted in 2017, Mrs Eucharia Ngozi Ugwu FCNA, mni. – promoted in 2017 and Mr Shakaar Chira Kantiyor FCNA promoted in 2021.

      The omission did not provide reason(s) for the non-inclusion of their names on the list. This Association was of the opinion that these three Directors of Audit must have been screened and hence there shouldn’t be a need to re-screen them for accreditation.”

     The association also said that “on January 18 2023, the Federal Civil Service Commission, through its Circular no. FCSC/CHMN/RAG/023/II/127 and signed on behalf of the Chairman by Ogaba Ede (Director of Appointment and Recruitment) released list of 11 Directors of Audit for accreditation exercise fixed then for January 20 2023.”

      It further said that “this Association was founded to protect the interest of serving and retired members of staff of Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation at all times and in all places. Consequently, the Association is not happy to confirm that, the two topmost female Directors of Audit that seem to have met all necessary requirements for accreditation were dropped.

     “Also of note was the inclusion of one of the three serving Directors of Audit (Mr Shaakaar Kantiyor Chira FCNA) —promoted to Director of Audit on January 1 2021, that was among three earlier screened but not added to the list requested for as per letter Ref. no. FCSC/CHMN/023/1/126 of January 13 2023.”

     It asked the Commission to be “gender-sensitive by bringing these two experienced female directors that were promoted in January 2017 up to the accreditation list and allow them to partake fully in the remaining exercise for the appointment of Auditor-General for the Federation.” They also want the two female Directors of Audit to be officially told the justifiable reason why their names were not included in the accreditation list.

     In a letter dated May 31 2023, the immediate past Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts, Oluwole Oke informed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the infractions existing in the agency which is supposed to audit all government assets and accounts and present reports to the National Assembly.

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    Incidentally, by the provisions of section 85 of the 1999 Constitution as amended, all audited reports are to be submitted only to the National Assembly.

      Oke, whose committee has oversight function over the agency for four years, drew the attention to developments within the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation bothering on constitutional infractions on the appointment of a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation.

     He accused the Office of the Civil Service of the Federation and the Federal Civil Service Commission of ignoring the provisions of the public service rules by appointing a junior director to oversee the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation. This decision also contravened the provisions of section 86(3) which requires a resolution of the Senate for anybody to act in the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

     In a petition with reference no HR/ PAC/SC05/9NASS/66/206, Oke said the Head of Service contravened the provisions of the Constitution which states that no one should occupy an office in acting capacity for more than six months. As a result of the development, he said, several annual audited reports of MDAs have not been submitted to the National Assembly because the person acting as the Auditor-General lacks the power to sign the reports.

     The Nation investigation revealed that the last audited report of the government expenditure submitted to the National Assembly is the 2019 report, while the 2021 and 2022 annual reports are still pending. He said the working of the Public Accounts Committees in the National Assembly has been hampered by such delays.

     He said: “The position of the Auditor-General of the Federation became vacant on September 7 2022 after the retirement of the then substantive Auditor-General of the Federation, Mr Aghughu Adolphus.

     Contrary to the practice within the Public Service, which is that the most senior official is required to assume the role of the Head of the Institution in an acting capacity, the number three director (Mr Andrew Onwudili) with less than two years to serve was imposed on the Office and designated as the “Director Overseeing the Office” by the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation.

     This practically upturned the seniority nominal roll of the Office and created severe animosity and apathy within the Office. In addition to the above, Section 86(3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) requires that a public official heading a position can act only for six months and another person can be appointed in an acting capacity.

     However, the Director Overseeing the Office has acted beyond the required six months, which is a gross violation of the Constitution. The implication of this is that actions taken by him are both illegal and unconstitutional.

     In addition, the Annual Audit Report “for various ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) which is due for “submission to the National Assembly, has not been signed and cannot be laid before the National Assembly.

      The Director Overseeing the Office lacks the constitutional capacity to sign these reports; hence, it has created a backlog, which is affecting the performance of Committees within the National Assembly.”

     Oke further said that “based on my personal inquiry and review of the situation, I noticed that one Mrs Oluseyi Ogundowo is the most senior director within the office and should have assumed the role of Acting Auditor-General.

     However, the Public Service Rule was ignored and Mr Andréw Onwudili, a junior director was appointed for perceived parochial considerations. Desperate steps were equally taken to ensure that he was appointed in a substantive capacity before the end of the last administration.

     Nevertheless, the interventions of the Public Accounts Committees of the two chambers of the National Assembly and the petition of the Association of Retired Staff of the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation halted the moves by the Head of Service and the Chairman, Federal Civil Service Commission to install the Director Overseeing the Office as the substantive Auditor-General of the Federation.

     In view of the foregoing and in order to preserve the sanctity of and the amity within the Office of the Auditor-General for the Federation, I wish to appeal that the provisions of the Public Service Rules recognising seniority of directors should be adopted in appointing a substantive Auditor-General of the Federation.

     Sources within the OAGF told The Nation that some of the directors in the office who have been aspiring for the position are due for retirement between now and the end of 2024.

     The source also said that there has been so much acrimony within the directorate cadre over the existing vacancy.

    The source said: “It has gotten to the level that some of them have lost interest. Many of the members of staff are now praying that the government should appoint the new Auditor-General from outside the Office just like it was done with the appointment of the Accountant-General of the Federation.”

     Also, sources close to the Public Accounts Committee of the House told The Nation that the committee wrote to the Attorney-General of the Federation asking that the process be stopped and for justice to be done to all parties involved.