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Tag: Abuja

  • FEC okays National leather policy

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday approved leather products policy for the country.
    The Minister of Science and Technology, Ogbonnaya Onu, briefed State House correspondents at the end of FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
    He was with the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed.
    The new policy, he said, is to harness the leather resources in the country in order to export finished leather products out of the country.
    Noting that leather products have imparts in every area of a Nigerian life, he said that it was not in favour of Nigeria to export semi-finished leather products.
    He recalled that for 2013 alone, leather contributed $921 million to the Nigerian economy.
    He said “National leather products policy will enable government attract more investment into the sector. We would now harness our leather resources in a manner that will allow us make more gains instead of exporting raw leather or semi finished products.
    “We want to prepare our nation so that we can process our leather and use the leather in production of finished leather products.
    “This has application in almost every sector of our economic life, including footwear, apparels and automobile industry. There is hardly any machine that you will open without finding leather component. This is the only we can create more jobs and a lot of wealths. We would be in a position to fight poverty.
    “In any country, they always start with textiles and then leather. Here we have comparative advantage because our Labour cost is low.” he said
    As far as light leather is concerned, he disclosed that Nigeria is number two in Africa and number 8 in terms of exporting leather in the world.

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    He said “If we harness the leather we have in Nigeria and that we processed our hides and skins, we will be creating a lot of jobs and wealth because of the small scale enterprises that will spring up. You will now be having new business springing up. President Buhari is very much interest in sense ring that those who want to work can work.
    “In terms of contributions, leather contributes almost $921m to our economy, as at 2013. There was a time leather was number three in terms of contributions from the non- oil sector. We believe that leather will help us achieve much to the economy.” he said
    On health hazards associated with processing, he said “This is exactly why you have the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology and we have the Leather Research Institute in Zaria.
    “This institute is conducting research in the various segments. This is the only organization permitted to offer higher train in leather industry. You use certain chemicals you have to find away to treat before you can discharge them into any water source.
    “A percentage will be in what is environmentally acceptable. They are working on that at the moment. We are very much aware of that because we have ternaries at the moment. We want to make that our people are safe.” he said
    Responding to question on the threat of the Shiites protests in the FCT, Lai Mohammed said “This came up for discussion, the Hon. Minister of FCT was asked to take up the matter with his own security committee.”

  • Senate seeks immediate payment of petroleum marketers

    The Senate on Thursday criticized the Federal Government for its alleged refusal to pay oil subsidy claims by petroleum products marketers.

    The upper chamber said that the Federal Government has failed to pay the marketers despite the approval granted it by the National Assembly in July.

    The Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) held a stakeholders meeting in Abuja where members of the committee took turns to disparage the government action.

    The senators claimed that government agencies appeared to have been deliberately slowing down paying the products marketers their entitlements.

    The committee ordered the Federal Ministry of Finance to within one week initiate a meeting with other government agencies and the marketers to reconcile figures of subsidy claims.

    The committee also resolved that the meeting should discuss ways and means of fast tracking payment of arrears claims without further delay.

    It mandated the stakeholders to report back to the committee the progress made next week.

    The upper chamber had, in July 2018, approved payments of subsidy claims of over N348bn to oil marketing companies.

    The approval was granted based on a request by President Muhammadu Buhari to that effect.

    It also followed the adoption of an interim report by the committee on “Promissory Note Programme and Bond Issuance to Settle Inherited Local Debts and Contractual Obligations to Petroleum Marketers.”

    The Senate approved that 55 oil marketers should be paid verified figures totalling N275,750,415,108.

    The upper chamber said that 19 other marketers “with contentious claims and verified figures” be paid 65 per cent of their claims, totaling N73,452,639,866, pending further investigation and verification by the committee.

    Chairman of the committee, Senator Kabiru Marafa, noted Thursday that the meeting was called to know how much the Federal Government had implemented the Senate’s resolution.

    Marafa also said that his committee wanted to know the situation with the 19 marketers with contentious claims.

    He noted that the committee wanted the solution to the continued conflict of subsidy figures between the government and oil marketers.

    Marafa said, “The situation is becoming a vicious cycle that will not end. There is a general disquiet in the industry as I am speaking to you today, that government’s efforts may be sabotaged because as Chairman of this committee, I am aware of the very serious efforts put in place by this government to ensure that there is no fuel scarcity in this country. We have abundant quantities in every part of Nigeria.”

    He added that the government and the marketers reached agreement in June 2016, with another agreement made in June 2017.

    Marafa said that the government was yet to pay the agreed sums while the marketers had continued to groan over interests caused by the delay in their payment.

    He said, “Since they were not paid as at that time, the interests did not stop.”

    The committee chairman noted that there was a meeting between the relevant ministries and agencies with President Muhammadu Buhari where the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria allegedly said commercial banks would be advised to suspend interests on loans taken by oil marketers for fuel importation.

    He said, “All that did not happen and the marketers are saying that the interests have continued (to grow). Apart from the figure agreed, they are now asking for another figure. Even if the government pays that one, there is another problems again. So, this issue of subsidy will continue and it is going to tell on the integrity of a lot of people. This committee is concerned.”

    Director-General, Debt Management Office, Mrs. Patience Oniha, on her part noted that while the payments were approved by the Senate in July, the office did not receive communication from the Clerk to the National Assembly until September.

    She said that the processes of the payments were detailed in the request made to the Federal Executive Council, which was passed and forwarded to the National Assembly for approval.

    The DG noted that the processes, which must be followed, were still ongoing and DMO would engage the marketers by the middle of November 2018.

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    Oniha said, “By the time the Senate kindly approved the one for oil marketers, we had already started working and putting a framework in place which was submitted to the Minister of Finance. For us to incur any debt – to book any debt in whatever form, whether promissory note or public debt stock – we need the approval of the National Assembly. That of the (upper) House was only communicated to us in September.

    “So, technically, if we had put everything in place, until we got that final resolution from the Clerk, we would not have started. In the letter that came from the Clerk to the National Assembly after the approval by the Senate, it was expressly stated that this was the approval of the Senate and we only got the approval in September.”

    She also said that the Federal Government wanted to contract an international consultant based in Nigeria to audit the subsidy claims and payments.

    The accounting firm, which she did not name, had been approved by FEC to do “a review of the numbers.”

    The marketers, she said, would be paid based on the outcome of the review.

    The DMO DG noted that the Federal Government planned to convert the claims and pay the marketers with promissory notes.

    The committee disagreed with the DMO DG on the processes of payment.

    Members of the committee insisted that the process of payment would further worsen the plights of the marketers in the hands of the banks.

    Senator Mao Ohuabunwa, a member of the committee said, “With the brief from the DMO, are we trying to give the marketers a grant or pay them for a business that had been contracted and concluded? You said you wanted to appoint an international auditor and you have not appointed one. You are still in the process of engaging one and you are talking about promissory notes. You said from 15th November you would start engagements (with marketers), not even to start paying, which means there is no fixed time frame yet. I can’t understand this.”

    Another member, Senator Ibrahim Dambaba said, “I want to register my disappointment and displeasure over the way government handled this matter. I have a paper here with me that dated 30th June 2017. These debts were verified as far back as June 30th. To this point as I am talking, nothing is happening, and you are still saying that you will engage these marketers again. I think that should not be the case.”

    Marafa noted that the committee would be forced to report to President Muhammadu Buhari if ministries, departments and agencies delayed the payments, leading to fuel scarcity in the country.

    Marafa said, “I think there is a fundamental problem. I agree with some of the submissions by my colleagues. These things are badly handled. That is the truth of this matter. When you look at the submissions by DMO and the processes, from 2017 that you agreed to something, who forced you? Did anybody force the Federal Government to agree with these figures? From the moment you accepted, you have to honour your words.

    “I don’t want to say this but I can see some hands behind these things. God forbid, honestly, if these things result into any fuel scarcity, I will be one of the few people that will walk up to Mr. President and say that there is sabotage. I know the efforts the government put to avoid these things.”

    The marketers claimed that commercial banks, from which they obtained loans to import Premium Motor Spirit (petrol), had continued to seize their assets since it was announced that the National Assembly had approved payment of subsidy arrears.

    The Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria, Olufemi Adewole, said, “The processes they have highlighted, to us, are killing our businesses. I can tell you without mentioning the name of the banks that the moment some banks heard – they just heard; they read it in the media – that the National Assembly had approved, they went to courts, got injunctions and seized our assets. My people – marketers – are in a dire state.

    “I don’t need to go over how many members of staff have been laid off. Those who were laid off are feeling the pain right now. Today is the end of the month and another cycle of interests will be placed on those accounts tomorrow (today) morning. Every CEO here will get an alert of increase on interests tomorrow morning. These are needless expenses for the Federal Government. We are pleading, we are at our knees’ end, by whatever means, let us have this money.

    “Giving us discounted promissory notes is like killing us twice because it is already a loss for us; now we are to be given promissory notes that we are going to be forced to discount. The CBN governor promised us then, that the banks would be advised to stop charging interests. We have written to him several times but nothing has been done and the banks are doing this. We are pleading, we need these payment instruments like six months ago.”

    A former Minister of Trade and Investment and Chairman of Integrated Oil and Gas Limited, Captain Emmanuel Iheanacho, also said his firm hand been dragged to court by its creditor who was about take over his assets.

    Marafa said that the committee would continue to monitor and ensure that the marketers were paid their claims.

  • PDP faults Osinbajo on debt profile

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted Vice President Yemi Osibanjo’s account on the country’s rising debt profile. The party said the debt has escalated to a frightening proportion under the watch of the present administration.
    Speaking at a public lecture organised by the Sigma Club in Ibadan on Saturday, Osinbajo had stated that the Buhari-led administration inherited a debt of $63 billion and has only borrowed $10 billion since it took office in 2015.
    The Vice President said, “In 2010, our debt was $35 billion; $41 billion in 2011; $48 billion in 2012; $64 billion in 2013; $67.7 billion in 2014; $63.8 billion in 2015; $57.8 billion in 2016; $70 billion in 2017; and $73 billion in 2018.
    “The nation’s debt as at today was $73 bilłion, an increment of $10 billion from the $63 billion inherited in 2015.”
    Speaking further at the event, Osinbajo said the nation’s oil earnings stood at $119.8 billion between 1990 and 1998; $481 billion from 1999 to 2009; and $381 billion from 2010 to 2014, while the present administration has only earned $112 billion from June 2015.
    “The earnings from oil from 2010 to 2014 were the highest recorded in the history of the country. This was a period when the price of oil per barrel sold from $100 to $114″, Osinbajo added.
    But while addressing a media conference in Abuja on Thursday, the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan accused Osinbajo of deliberate distortion of facts and figures.
    The main opposition party described the vice president’s position as a desperate attempt to divert attention from the “failures” of the administration.
    Ologbondiyan said, “Vice President Osinbajo falsified financial templates to argue that this government has no blame in the accumulation of debts under its watch.

    “It is an incontrovertible fact that the Buhari administration has accumulated more debts that any other administration in the history of our nation.

    “Our dear Vice President forgot that Nigerians are aware that between 2016 and 2017, under President Buhari, our annual borrowing was about N3.7 trillion as against the N1.04 trillion annual borrowing perimeter between 2008 to 2015. Between 1999 to 2007 the annual borrowing perimeter was as low as N96 billion.

    “To deceive the public and divert attention from the alarming borrowing spree of the Buhari administration, the APC-led Federal Government converted domestic debt borrowed in naira under its watch, to the US dollar so that the very high exchange rate will make the domestic debt look smaller in dollars. This is a deceptive picture because domestic debt was accumulated in naira and not in dollar.

    “It is important to point out that the domestic debts of states were not part of the data base until 2013. Therefore, a sincere comparison of debts over the years should have focused on total external debt and Federal Government’s domestic debt.

    “In view of the above, if Vice President Osinbajo, a professor of law was not being economical with the truth, the appropriate comparison should be to have the domestic debt in naira and convert the external debt to naira to get national debt for each of the years, which showed that the Buhari administration has accumulated more debts that any other administration”

    Ologbondiyan pointed out that an appropriate comparison will further show that the annual growth rate of public debt was only 0.44 percent under the Olusegun Obasanjo administration; 20.14 percent under the Yar’Adua/Jonathan administration; and 29.6 percent under President Buhari.

    The opposition party charged the Vice President to refrain from bandying figures that he cannot substantiate, saying it was an attempt to score cheap political point.

    “Nigerians have moved beyond the lies, deception, propaganda and beguilement of the APC. It amounts to a huge disservice to our nation if a person of such high office of the Vice President will allow himself to be used to distort figures to deceive Nigerians”, Ologbondiyan said.

  • Buhari, Nnamani meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday met behind closed doors with the former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Nnamani said that there are moves to bring those aggrieved during the primaries back to the APC fold.

    He said “We are still harmonizing; in the primaries and the congresses, there were quite a few conflicts and conflicts are common in political arena.

    “Right now, we are grappling with the outcome of the primaries, trying to bring everybody together.

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    “We are not asking anybody to go to hell; we are asking them to come together; if you do not do well, there is nothing to cheer; if you do well, everybody will be happy; we are still working on appeasing a number of people so that we can be happy.

    “APC is a national party and we should do everything to integrate our people, so that we can make progress.” he said.

  • Your work must add value, AuGF charges auditors

    The Auditor-General for the Federation (AuGF), Anthony Mkpe Ayine, says the entire purpose of audit is to add value to the system and tasked auditors to ensure that their work impacts positively on the country.

    Ayine gave the charge on when he flagged open the 48th bi-annual conference of the body of Federal and State Auditors-General, at the Audit House in Abuja.

    He stressed that any audit work that does not add value is useless, explaining that “an audit report that simply sets out findings but does not state clear and implementable recommendations, falls short of the standard expected. Our impact is also not intended to stop only at the point of submitting our reports”.

    The AuGF who noted that Nigeria is still plagued by major underdevelopment, corruption, waste, inefficiency, lack of transparency and infrastructure, said by implementing audit recommendations, government will block leakages and achieve better outcomes from the money it spends.

    Ayine urged the State Auditors-General to reflect deeply on the theme of the conference – “The Role of Supreme Audit Institutions in Value Creation” – and come up with ways of ensuring that their work is seen to add value to the system.

    “As Auditors-General, we must be able to demonstrate or create some value through our work. Today we are confronted with challenges that have accumulated over decades of neglect. We all need to push for better governance if we are to improve the living conditions of citizens of our country. There can never be good governance without transparency and accountability,” he stated.

    He also mentioned various recent achievements of his Office to include manpower development, the launch of its five-year strategic plan, the launch of the new audit methodologies and manuals, as well as the procurement and distribution of audit tools to members of staff to aid their work.

    In order to make its work more robust, the AuGF revealed that the Office also has a number of specialized audits underway, such as the Integrated Personnel and Payroll Information System (IPPIS), the Government Integrated Financial Management and Information Systems (GIFMIS), and the Nigerian Immigration Service e-passport Systems.

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    Speaking earlier, the Chairman of the body of Federal and State Auditors-General, Abdu Usman Aliyu, said the theme of the conference was very apt in view of the various challenges in governance processes and the need to be thoroughly acquainted with modern trends in auditing.

    Aliyu stressed the benefits of value creation by auditors to include a responsive and accountable government, effective Supreme Audit Institutions (SAIs), strong systems and engaged citizens, and urged participants to “be above board in your business and commercial relation”.
    “Given the ongoing trend of globalization of the profession, the increasing sophistication of audit processes, evidence gathering, the rising demand for integrity, transparency in governance, there is the need for us to be amenable to changes in our domain of operation,” he said.

  • Man bags Nine months imprisonment

    A Karmo Grade 1 Area Court, Abuja, on Wednesday sentenced one Benjamin Ambi, to nine months imprisonment for attempting to escape from police custody.

    The judge, Mr Inuwa Maiwada, however, gave the convict an option of N10,000 fine and warned him to be of good behaviour.

    Ambi, of no fixed address, had pleaded guilty to a three-count charge of criminal trespass, theft and escape from lawful custody and begged for leniency.

    “Please sir, temper justice with mercy, times are hard, and no work in the country,” he pleaded.

    Earlier, the prosecutor, Ijeoma Ukagha, had told the court that Bashir Shuwa of Wuse Zone 3, Abuja, reported the matter at the Utako Police Station, Abuja, on Oct. 19.

    Ukagha said that on the same date, the convict formed common intention and criminally trespassed into Librexe Plaza Utako; stole one motor tyre, valued at N12, 000 from Daniel Onyeanu.

    Ambi was caught and the tyre recovered.

    The prosecutor said that during police investigation, while in detention, the convict attempted to escape from police custody and he was re-arrested.

    Ukagha said that the offences contravened the provisions of Sections 378, 287 and 67 of the Penal Code.

  • Alaghodaro 2018: Obaseki rallies top executives at NESG 24

    The Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has said that his commitment to human development in the state stems from the desire to groom a repertoire of human capital that will not only drive the local economy but also compete favourably with their peers across the world for opportunities in the coming decades.

    Governor Obaseki disclosed this in discussions with top business executive on the side-lines of the 24th edition of the Nigeria Economic Summit, holding in the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Abuja, themed: Poverty to Prosperity; Making Governance and Institutions Work.

    The governor, who will be marking his second year in office in November, was at the event to among other things, rally top business executives for the Alaghodaro Summit holding in Benin City next month, with a theme that is focused on Edo People.

    The governor engaged with top members of the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, which is a private sector think-tank that stimulates conversations around public policy and economic reform.

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    According to him, “We are harping on skills acquisition and vocational education to ensure that the people are equipped with the right skills to contribute to the economy.  We are also focused on basic education and are investing in it through the Edo Basic Education Sector Transformation (Edo-BEST) programme. We are partnering with a technology company to deliver quality education using technology in schools.”

    He said, “After the first school term of the programme, we have seen significant changes and improvement in the performance of students and the ease with which they comprehend instructions.

    “Over half a million students are to benefit from the Edo-BEST programme and over 7000 teachers have been trained and are currently teaching pupils in 612 schools across the state.”

    The governor explained that the state government has, through its skills development platform EdoJobs, trained youth on digital skills, prepping them for jobs and to create solution to society’s problems using digital tools.

    This is in addition to a number of reforms in the civil service to make working in government attractive and dignifying, with the renovation of new office blocks, prompt payment of salaries, and an open governance system.

  • Family announces burial ceremony for late Justice Idris Kutigi

    The family of late Justice Idris Kutigi has announced his burial ceremony for October 24 and 25.

    A statement issued on Tuesday by Mrs Binta Aliyu, the family’s first child, said the body of the late jurist had been scheduled to arrive in Abuja from London in the morning on Wednesday, October 24.

    “The burial will take place same day at 2.00 p.m. at the Gudu Cemetery, Abuja, after the Janazah prayers at the National Mosque, Abuja.

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    “Fidau prayers will take place on Thursday at 10.00 a.m. at the residence of the late jurist in Asokoro, Abuja.

    “The Fidau prayers will also take place simultaneously at the Etsu Nupe’s Palace in Bida and in Kutigi, Niger State.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the retired Justice died on Saturday night at a UK hospital after a protracted illness. He was 78 years old.

    The late Kutigi was a Nigerian lawyer and judge. He was Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice in Niger State before becoming a high court judge.

    Kutigi joined the Supreme Court of Nigeria in 1992 and served as Chief Justice from Jan. 30, 2007 until Dec. 30, 2009.

  • Court orders police to pay Charly Boy N50m

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Nigeria Police Force, the Inspector General of Police and the Commissioner of Police, Abuja to pay musician, Charles Oputa (Charly Boy) N50million for violating his rights.

    Justice John Tsoho, in a judgment on Monday, also ordered the respondents to tender public apology to the applicant, which should be published in two national newspapers.

    The judgement was on a fundamental rights enforcement suit by Oputa, marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/343/2018 , filed on March 29 this year.

    The applicant had, in an affidavit, said policemen, numbering over 100 from the Federal Capital Territory (FC() Police Command, invaded the Unity Fountain in Abuja on August 8, 2017 and attacked him and his group with teargas canisters, hot water cannon and wild police dogs during the Resume or Resign protest when he led other activists to protest the prolonged absence of President Muhammadu Buhari from Nigeria on account of his medical vacation in the United Kingdom.

    He claimed that the attack by the policemen was so severe that he collapsed in the process and was rushed to the hospital.

    Oputa claimed that the police attacked them because of claims that their protest over the President’s absence, which had exceeded 90 days on the second day of their daily sit-out protest, had gone international and brought serious embarrassment to the country.

    Justice Tsoho, in the judgement rejected the respondents’ claim that miscreants invaded or stormed the premises of the protest. The judge said there was no evidence to support such claim.

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    The judge said the applicant was entitled, under the Constitution, to stage a peaceful protest.

    Justice Tsoho noted that protest is a constitutionally guaranteed right, provided it is done peacefully.

    He further noted that even if miscreants were on the scene to hijack the protest, the respondents (the police) possess enough measures to dislodge such persons and maintain law and order.

    The judge noted that the respondents, in their counter affidavit, admitted that they resorted to using teargas canisters and hot water canon in order to disperse the ’miscreants’’ who suddenly took over the protest.

    Justice Tsoho said the respondents’ claim that the teargas canisters and hot water canon were not directed at the defendants lacks substance as teargas circulates and affects all persons around where it is expended.

    The judge held that the applicant disclosed a reasonable cause of action against the respondents.

    He further held that the respondents violated the applicant’s fundamental rights to dignity of the human person, freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association as enshrined in sections 34, 39, and 40 of the Constitution.

    The judge was of the view that “the law is that the court has the right to grant redress to anyone whose right is violated and the Applicant is entitled to a remedy.”

  • ‘ANA plot of land in Abuja intact’

    In this encounter with Edozie Udeze, Mallam Denja Abdullahi, the President of Association of Nigerian Authors (ANA) clears the air on the developmental stage of the Association’s plot of land in Abuja

    What is state of ANA plot of land in Abuja now?

    It is about 40 percent completed and work is still on-going with a completion date of May 2019 envisaged baring all unforeseen circumstances. Construction work actually started in August 2017 after the foundation laying ceremony around May 2017.The land is in a very challenging topography and the developer and his sub-contractors are doing their best. There is a land committee set up by the instrument of the congress of the Association overseeing the development. This committee was put in place in January 2016 and they have been closely monitoring the work of the developer on the land and intervening in construction related matters arising from the land. The level of development achieved on the land now is due to the painstaking work of the committee and the supervision of the ANA National Executive Council.

    There is this rumour that past leadership of the association refused to develop the place. How true is this?

    There is no truth to that rumour. The land was given in 1985 by General Mamman Vatsa and he was arrested about a week after for a coup and killed afterwards. There was nothing anyone could have done in those early period and through out the military era which ended in 1999. Remember after Vatsa was killed by the IBB Junta,Ken Saro Wiwa was later killed by the Abacha Junta, so what could ANA do on that land located in Abuja where the Juntas held sway? This was a writers ‘body then in the trenches against the military. At the return to democracy during the Abubakar Gimba’s era as president of ANA, the Association visited OBJ and put forward the issue of the land and OBJ made a mockery of the request put to him by saying ANA should consider itself lucky to have such a large plot of 60.9 hectares in Abuja when he as President had none. Abubakar Gimba’s exco managed to secure the legal titles to the land during their tenure. It was during the Olu Obafemi as President tenure of which i was part of that an attempt was made to begin development by advertising for bids and entering into a development agreement with Home Securities Ltd which could not begin development due to its lack of capacity and partly due to the discovery that the land had been revoked without the Association being aware of it. Pressure was mounted by ANA on the FCT authorities and the land was restored but with some section excised for other usage by government. Still at that the issue of re-certification of all land in the FCT came up in 2003 and the developer hung on that and did nothing on the land. That was the situation on the ground until the Wale Okediran exco came on board in 2005. In 2007 that exco got the mandate from the congress to terminate the agreement with Home Securities and he took the Association to court for breach of contract. The case was in court from 2007-2012 throughout the tenure of the Jerry Agada led exco into the Remi Raji-led exco during whose time a favourable court judgement was secured for ANA. Even during the Jerry Agada exco between 2009-2011 the Goodluck Jonathan regime cultivated ANA when he started his Bring Back the Book Campaign as part of the strategies to win the 2011 election.ANA put forward the issue of securing government assistance to develop the land as a bargain and the government agreed to give a grant of $250 million dollars. A letter was written by ANA to that effect and duly submitted but after the election was won, no one heard about the matter again. On coming in and after the court case was won in 2012 the Remi Raji exco went on to engage the present developer who actually moved into the site and began the laying of infrastructure, secured an approved building plan from the FCT, developed engineering and structural designs, fought off vicious land grabbers who have encroached on the land and even duped people of millions of naira on it and began clearing, cutting and sand filling of the site. That went on throughout the tenure of the Remi Raji executive until i came on board in 2016. The logical thing therefore for my exco to do was to insist that real development must commence and that is what is going on now as we speak. The story i have narrated is the true story about that land. I can see no unwillingness on the part of any past executive to develop the land. Each past leadership tackled what it met on ground.

    What is the role of the current ANA executives to ensure the land is made into meaningful use?

    Development has commenced and we are determined to see it through to completion so that the facilities can become usable to generate funds for the Association. On the land presently we have burgeoning structures that will later translate into a conference centre, library, shopping malls, offices, auditorium, writers’ residency chalets, 50- one bedroom en-suite apartments for rent and all other structures. The national secretariat of the Association has been moved since March this year from the National Theatre in Lagos to a completed red-brick structure on the land that now houses it. The land is already being meaningfully used to run the affairs of the Association and to oversee whatever is going on there as it affects constructions and developments.

    If finally developed what are the facilities we expect to see there?

    The facilities will be as i mentioned earlier but there is still a lot of space for more facilities to be added in the future phase of development.

    How are  you raising the funds for the projects and the facilities?

    The development agreement that ANA has  presently entered into with KMVL, the major developer has built into it the project funding arrangement and even the management of the fully -built facilities later on.

    ..Is it really true that the original plot has been altered or tampered with?

    The government that gave the land in the first place which was at 60.9 hectares cut it into about 57 hectares and when the present developer took possession in 2012 and went to the Abuja land authorities to verify documents and papers discovered that the size of the land has been further reduced to 36.9 hectares.

    If so why and by who and for what purpose?

    Government owns all land and they determine the use of land at any point in time. This is a land that has been undeveloped for many years in a prime area in Abuja. The excised parts have been allocated for other uses by government over the years. We have a Presidential police barracks on some part of the original land, roads corridors, green areas, allocations to other allotees etc. We in ANA have no control over that. Our own task is to ensure we develop what we have a title to now.