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Tag: Alhaji Lai Mohammed

  • Minister seeks MDAs’ cooperation for tourism development

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called for cooperation among the various Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) in the generation of relevant data for the development of tourism in the country.

    The Minister who spoke in Abuja on Monday during an audience with the Technical Consultant of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) on Tourism Statistics, Mr. David McEwen in his office.

    McEwen is in Nigeria to meet with the various government MDAs with a view to developing a framework for the generation of data in the nation’s tourism industry.

    He said “Tourism, as an industry, and the other sectors are interdependent, so it’s not by coincidence today that while Mr. McEwen is here, he is going to interact with at least ten other parastatals or departments and ministries, including the National Bureau of Statistics; the
    Nigerian Tourism Development Corporation; the Nigeria Police Force; the Central Bank of Nigeria; the Nigerian Immigration Service; the National Park Service; the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria; the Federation of Tourism Associations of Nigeria and the National
    Population Commission and other bodies.”

    While stressing the need for cooperation and coordination of the relevant MDAs, the minister said the ministry of Information and Culture, which he presides over does not generate the data required for policy formation and planning for the industry.

    “The coordinating role of the ministry is of great importance and is for us to ensure that we persuade and get the cooperation of all the other different actors in the industry for us to be able to plan and develop,” the Minister said.

    According to him, most of the agencies that generate the data are not under the purview of his ministry, but their input remains paramount in order to develop tourism in Nigeria.

    In his remarks, The Technical Consultant on Tourism Statistics of the UNWTO, Mr. McEwen, said tourism is one sector that depends largely on other sectors to succeed.

    “I don’t think there is any industry that needs coordination and cooperation like tourism. It’s one part of it that the airlines can’t do without accommodation and the accommodation can’t do without the airlines,” he said.

    The UNWTO Consultant said from the experience he gathered from other countries, statistics generated by other agencies and organs play a vital role in attaining the objective of tourism development, hence the need for the government to play a vital role in the development of
    synergy for tourism to thrive in Nigeria.

    McEwen said there will be a Technical Workshop on Tourism Statistics for stakeholders on the way forward, during the UNWTO/CAF Meeting to be hosted by Nigeria in Abuja in June.

    Read Also: Nigeria ready to host African Tourism Ministers – FG

  • Dapchi schoolgirls: David Bako fake soldier, no conspiracy anywhere – Lai Mohammed

    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has debunked stories in the social media alleging a top level conspiracy that stage-managed the abduction of Dapchi schoolgirls on 19 February and also declaring a certain Sergeant David Bako allegedly spreading the rumours as unknown to the army.

    Mohammed spoke in Lagos today in response alleged news in social media since the abduction and return of scores of Dapchi schoolgirls by Boko Haram insurgents that the abduction as planned.

    “I can tell you categorically that this David Bako is fake. There is no such soldier in the Nigerian Army. There was no conspiracy anywhere. The intention of those behind the disinformation and fake news is to cause disaffection between Christians and Muslims, and between Southerners and Northerners,” Mohammed said.

    “This Administration’s success in seeking an early release of the Dapchi girls has ruffled many feathers. It has upturned a lot of plans by naysayers. They have not been able to sleep since the girls came back. Their campaign to unseat President Buhari is fuelling their desperation. Nigerians should prepare to see more avalanche of disinformation and fake news. But they should not lend any credibility to such reports. They belong to the trash can!”

    The minister restated that the schoolgirls were freed as a result of intense backchannel engagement with Boko Haram.

    “This was done in concert with a friendly country, international organization and trusted facilitators, he said.

    111 schoolgirls, pure water seller and primary school girl captured

    ” A total of 111 girls were abducted from the Government Girls Secondary and Technical College (GGSTC) in Dapchi on 19 Feb. 2018. That means one student was not captured on the list of 110 abducted students that was compiled by the school, on the basis of which the Federal Government gave the number of abducted schoolgirls as 110.

    “Also kidnapped were two other persons, who are not students of the college. They include a primary school boy who came to the school to sell pure water and another primary school girl. That brings the total number of abducted persons on that day to 113.

    “So far, a total of 107 persons, comprising 105 Dapchi schoolgirls and the two non-students, have been released by the insurgents.

    “Six Dapchi schoolgirls are yet unaccounted for. All efforts will be made to secure their release

    “As I have said at many fora, we neither paid ransom nor swapped any Boko Haram member to secure the release of the girls. This is a fact, irrespective of how a section of the press has tried to spin the story.

    “The insurgents brought the girls back to the location of the kidnapping themselves as an apparent gesture of goodwill, following relentless efforts by the Government to find long-lasting solutions to the conflict.

    “Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed all security agencies to do everything possible to bring the girls back unharmed. That dictated the method we adopted. Back-channel talks with our international friends as mediators, and the result was the release of the girls

    “Unknown to many, we have been in wider cessation-of-hostility talks with the insurgents for some time now. The talks helped to secure the release of the police officers’ wives and the University of Maiduguri lecturers recently. And the talks did not stop thereafter.

    “Therefore, we were able to leverage on the wider talks when the Dapchi girls were abducted. As I said earlier, the insurgents decided to return the girls to where they picked them from as a goodwill gesture. All they demanded was a ceasefire that will grant them a safe corridor to drop the girls. This is not new. Even in larger war situations, safe corridors are usually created for humanitarian and other purposes. Consequently, a week-long ceasefire was declared, starting from Monday, 19 March. That is why the insurgents were able to drop the girls. This counters the conspiracy theories being propounded in some quarters concerning why it was so easy for the insurgents to drop off the girls without being attacked by the military.

    WHY THE GIRLS WERE FREED EARLY
    “As I have said time and again, there is no government that will not face tragedies. What makes the difference is how such tragedies are managed.

    “President Buhari put this in perspective when he said the response of his Administration is a marked departure from the attitude of the preceding administration in the aftermath of the kidnap of the 276 Chibok girls in 2014

    “Whereas it took that administration 18 days to even acknowledge the kidnap of the girls, the current administration was responsive and was not in denial. No stone was left unturned to secure the release of the girls. For the record, the following actions were taken:

    “The President sent FG’s delegation twice to Dapchi and Damaturu, within four days, to engage in fact-finding and to condole with the government and people of Yobe State and the families of the abducted girls. I was on both delegations.

    “The President ordered the Service Chiefs and the Inspector General of Police (IGP) to take direct charge and brief him on a daily basis on the efforts to bring back the girls.

    ” The President ordered the re-strengthening of a Joint Operational Base involving relevant agencies and Services to coordinate the rescue mission. Consequently, the Service Commanders established a unified Command Centre in Maiduguri, and the Military also raised several rescue teams to comb the forests in the North East Theatre of Operation.

    ” The Nigerian Air Force maintained aerial surveillance of the area all through.

    It was not a surprise, therefore, that this abduction ended about a month after it occurred, and that most of the girls are free.

    THE REACTION OF NAYSAYERS

    You are not unaware of the reaction of the naysayers – the main opposition PDP in particular – to the release of the Dapchi girls. What called for non-partisan celebrations was rather thoughtlessly turned into politics, bad, despicable politics that has no place in any democracy. At times of national tragedies, countries unite. This is the norm everywhere.

    Let me encapsulate my reaction to the disgraceful and insensitive politics, that the PDP has been playing with the Dapchi girls, by quoting the statement of the President when he received the Dapchi girls last Friday: ”May I also warn against those elements who have chosen to make political fortune of our citizens’ misfortune. Government would not tolerate any attempt by any person or group to trivialise or politicise security issues for politically motivated ends. Accordingly, security agencies would not hesitate to decisively deal with such unscrupulous characters.” Those are very clear words that need no elaboration.

    “The PDP and its co-travelers do not understand that terrorism is a global problem. A terror attack on any country is an attack on all countries. The UN was among the first international organizations to condemn the abduction of the Dapchi girls and also among the first to welcome their release.

    “Perhaps we should ask the PDP what indeed the party knows about the abduction of the Dapchi girls, going by its statement that their abduction and release were stage-managed. The party made itself a laughing stock within and outside Nigeria with that statement. Don’t they know that our international friends are involved in the process that led to the release of the girls? Indeed, there should be a new criterion for withdrawing the registration of a party like the PDP which has failed both as a ruling and an opposition party! If a party cannot rule and cannot be in opposition, what else can it do?

    “We thank all Nigerians for their support and prayers. We are grateful for their belief in the ability of this government to secure an early release of the girls. We will continue with the ongoing efforts to account for the remaining six Dapchi girls, and indeed to bring back our remaining Chibok girls.

    “In the words of Mr. President, this Administration remains committed to the fight against terrorism and insurgency. The security services have since been directed to put in place further measures around all schools vulnerable to attacks to ensure the safety of pupils/students and teachers and school workers. The President has also tasked all the security agencies to work to ensure that we do not witness any recurrence of these incidents.

    “Let me emphasize the government’s position that while the military efforts are necessarily ongoing, we are willing to continue engaging in a meaningful dialogue which is not only about the release of hostages, but intended at a broader engagement on conflict mitigation (reduction of the violence, possibility of ceasefire, protection of civilians, increased humanitarian access). Government is therefore willing to engage on measures which can lead to stopping the bloodshed and finding long-lasting solutions to the conflict.

    “We appeal for non-partisanship on the issue of security. We all have to be safe and alive before we can even belong to any political party. And whether you are in government or in opposition, Nigeria belongs to all of us.

    “We appeal to the media to be more discerning in disseminating materials that serve no other purpose than to sabotage the ongoing efforts to end the insurgency and secure the release of the remaining Chibok and Dapchi girls. Obviously, the naysayers are growing more desperate and will stop at nothing, including disinformation and fake news, to muddle the waters”.

  • Dapchi: PDP’s allegations erroneous, dishonourable – Mohammed

    The Federal Government said on Thursday  the allegation made by the People Democracy Party (PDP) that the abduction and release of the Dapchi schoolgirls was stage-managed “is erroneous and extremely dishonourable”

    In a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said such postulation portrayed the PDP “as insensitive, unpatriotic and unworthy party.”

    He said since the release of the Dapchi girls was negotiated by friendly countries and reputable international organisations, it would have taken a conspiracy of global proportion to have stage-managed the adoption and release of the girls.

    “’As we have said many times since the abduction of the Dapchi schoolgirls, no government is exempted from its own share of tragedies.

    “What makes the difference is the way such tragedies are managed.

    “Whereas it took the PDP all of 18 days to even acknowledge the abduction of the Chibok girls in 2014, the APC Federal Government acted promptly and responsively when the Dapchi schoolgirls were abducted Feb. 19, hence their quick release,” he said.

    The Minister said it was unfortunate that the PDP that failed as a ruling party had also failed as an opposition party “going by its insensitive and crude response to the release of the Dapchi schoolgirls”.

    ”In its 16 years in power, the PDP redefined governance as cluelessness, massive looting of the public treasury and crude exhibition of power.

    Read Also: How Dapchi girls were brought back, by residents

    “In its over three years in opposition, the PDP has again shown it does not understand the role of the opposition in a democracy.

    “How then can the PDP convince Nigerians that it has learnt its lessons and that it is ready to rule the country again?

    “Nigerians must say ‘never again’ to this primitive and soulless party,” he said.

    The minister said further that “the Federal Government has not been responding to the “amateurish and jejune” statements from the PDP.

    “This is precisely because the party has failed to learn the ropes of being an opposition party, even when we have advised them to take a crash course on the role of the opposition in a democracy.

    “’We broke our own rules this time because the PDP over-reached itself and scored an own goal at a time it could simply have congratulated the government and people of Nigeria on the release of the girls or
    just keep quiet,” he said.

    Mohammed assured Nigerians that the Government would intensify the ongoing efforts to secure the release of the remaining Chibok girls and return them safely to their families.

    The PDP had took a swipe at the Presidency alleging that both the abduction and the release of the girls were stage-managed for political purposes

    The National Chairman and the National Publicity Secretary of the party – Prince Uche Secondus and Mr Kola Ologbondiyan – had at respective press briefing demanded the probe, arrest and prosecution of all those involved in the alleged saga.

    NAN

  • Kebbi, Ministry partner to revive Argungu fishing festival

    Kebbi, Ministry partner to revive Argungu fishing festival

    Gov. Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi says the state and the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture are collaborating to revive the Argungu fishing festival in the state.

    The Governor disclosed this in Birnin Kebbi whike interacting with a team of journalists on facts finding mission on the agricultural revolution and other developments in the state.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed had led the newsmen to Kebbi to showcase and assess the agricultural revolution being championed in the state through the Federal Government Anchor Borrower Scheme.

    Bagudu said that the Argungu fishing festival, which was last held in 2009, was suspended due to challenges of Boko Haram insurgency.

    He said the then government found it expedient to suspend the annual festival due to its susceptibility to insurgents attack because of the huge crowd it attracted.

    “The government suspended the festival until we are confident that the situation is back to normal, even though Kebbi state was not all that affected by the insurgency.

    “Since last year, we are confident that the situations are back to normal and we have been working with the ministry to revive the festival.

    “But, of course you always avoid the rainy season and there are a lot of things to be put in place like the infrastructure and the accommodation that have decayed in the course of the suspension.

    “We are working hard to ensure that all these are back in order and the sponsors are up to date in order to make it as international as possible to attract the widest audience,” he said.

    Read Also:  Kebbi govt releases 2.5 billion to pay pensioners

    The Newsmen reports that the Federal Government identified the cultural, tourism and creative industry as one of the major sectors to diversify the economy.

    The Federal Government has been formulating policies and taking actions to unlock the huge potentials in the sector.

    The Argungu fishing festival is one of Nigeria’s internationally recognised cultural and tourism attractions.

    The festival, which has been inscribed in the World Heritage list, was said to have originated in the 16th century.

    Argungu festival, which has undergone several changes and modifications, was celebrated in 1934 to mark the end of the centuries-old hostility between the Sokoto caliphate region and the Kebbi kingdom.

    The four day event is marked by pomp and pageantry and draws national and international attention.

    At the beginning of the major event, over 5,000 fishermen and women gather close to the river and at the sound of a gunshot, they all dive into the river to fish.

    The fishing equipment used is the traditional nets and the gourds made from calabash.

    They are joined by canoes filled with drummers, plus men rattling huge seed-filled gourds to drive the fish to shallow waters.

    Vast nets are cast and shoals of fish are harvested.

    The person who catches the largest fish is awarded prize money of about 7,500 US dollars.

    In the year 2005, the winner caught a fish weighing 75kg, the biggest fish that have been caught in the festival till date.

    The festival also includes canoe racing, wild duck hunting, barehanded fishing, diving competitions and swimming.

    The festival usually marks the end of the growing season and the harvest.

    After the annual event, the 1.6 kilometre stretch of the Argungu River is protected throughout the year.

    NAN

     

  • Shettima lauds military for crushing Boko Haram

    Shettima lauds military for crushing Boko Haram

    The Governor of Borno, Alhaji Kashim Shettima, on Monday commended the Nigerian military for the successes recorded so far in the war against Boko Haram.

    The News men reports that the commendation comes amid latest claims by the military authorities that the insurgency has been total crushed.

    Boko Haram, which is seeking the enthronement of a strict Islamic code in Nigeria, launched its deadly insurgency in 2009, killing thousands of people and leaving the economy of Nigeria’s northeast in ruins.

    Shettima, who was speaking in Maiduguri at the inauguration of a special town hall meeting for military and security agencies in the northeast, hailed the military for demonstrating high patriotism and professionalism.

    He said that the military made huge sacrifices to facilitate the restoration of peace and security in the northeast.

    Shettima noted that the military had successfully defeated and over-ran the insurgents in the past few weeks.

    He said that the military had through its counter-insurgency campaign, facilitated a return to normalcy and the resurgence of social and economic development in the northeast.

    “In the past three years, Boko Haram insurgents took over 20 Local Government Areas of Borno State. Maiduguri faced serious threats. We were in a state of siege.

    Read Also: Shettima presents N170bn budget for 2018

    “Thousands of people were killed, maimed and displaced, due to the insurgency.

    “The ugly situation changed for the better because of the hard work and commitment of our gallant troops,’’ he stated.

    According to him, Boko Haram, having been decimated, resorted to suicide bombing, targeting soft targets, “a clear sign of cowardice and weakness on their part”.

    The governor noted that the successes recorded in the war against the insurgents were made under military commanders of southern Nigeria extraction.

    Shettima called on Nigerians to complement the efforts of the military in the restoration of peace by living harmoniously, irrespective of ethnic or religious differences.

    He also lauded the Federal Government for its efforts in ending the war as well as its initiative in addressing the humanitarian crisis caused by the insurgency.

    The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said that the meeting was designed to enable the government to interact with the populace.

    Mohammed said that the Federal Government accorded priority to ending the insurgency and boosting security in the country.

    He commended the troops for their gallantry and for defeating the terrorists.

    The Ministers of Defence and Interior, Mannir Dan-Ali and Abdulrahman Dambazau as well as the Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmad, were at the meeting.

    Also in attendance were members of some states houses of assemblies, emirs and developments organizations, drawn from six states.

    NAN

  • Animation: Minister seeks partnership with China

    Animation: Minister seeks partnership with China

    THE Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has called for a meaningful partnership with China to develop Nigeria’s Animation Industry.

    The Minister stated this in Abuja on Thursday when he received, in his office, a delegation of Television Production and Animation Companies from China.

    He described animation as the fastest growing genre of the film industry, saying animation will thrive in Nigeria, especially if it is rooted in the culture and tradition of the people.

    “Animation today has grown into a multi-billion-dollar business and notably in China, France and some other countries and we have in abundance in Nigeria abundant talent and also content.

    “What we need is a meaningful partnership between these companies and Nigeria to develop our animation technology and our animation culture to a level that it will not only be impactful and meaningful, but will also be another vehicle through which we can promote the culture of Nigeria and its diversity,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

    He expressed the optimism that animation will open another vista of opportunity for the talented youths in Nigeria because of the abundance of interesting stories in the country, and stressed the need for technology transfer from China in order to make the desired impact.

    “We have the content, we have the stories, what we need is the technology. So we want to partner with you in a manner that we can encourage our very young and talented artists, film-makers and producers. But the content of the animation, for it to be meaningful to us and to the younger ones, must be rooted in the culture and history of our people,” the Minister said.

    He said with Nigeria’s remarkable progress in the ease of doing business and the various positive economic indices being recorded, the country is now the preferred destination for investors, with a guaranteed on investment.

    Alhaji Mohammed advised the companies to take advantage of the various policies put in place by the government, such as a three-year tax holiday for companies that have been classified to enjoy pioneer status, and invest in Nigeria in view of the country’s huge population, talent and availability of content.

    Earlier, Mr. Chen Huanan, the leader of the delegation and the Director of Culture and Tradition in the Chinese Ministry of Culture, said the delegation is in Nigeria to seek areas of cooperation with their counterparts in the country.

  • ‘Buhari is fulfilling his campaign promises’

    ‘Buhari is fulfilling his campaign promises’

    Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed spoke with reporters in Lagos on the achievements and constraints of the Buhari administration in the last two and half years and its priorities as it enters the last lap of its first tenure.

    Has your party fulfilled its electoral promises to the people?

    We were very categorical that we were going to address three areas of governance: we are going to fight corruption, we are going to fight insecurity and we are going to revamp the economy.

    I can say with all sense of modesty that we can beat our chest that we have delivered in all those areas.

    On the economy, a former CBN Deputy Governor, Prof. Moghalu, disagreed with your government’s claim that we have exited recession…

    I would rather work on the figure of the National Bureau of Statistics because their indexes and parameters  for the country show that we are out of recession. Clearly even as recently as last week, the NBS came out that for the 11th month we have been able to hold down inflation, that inflation today is 15.37 per cent. This has been happening since January 2017. All indication shows that not only have we exited recession, but that we are making a lot of gains in all the parameters either in the areas of foreign reserves or foreign investment or in the area of inflation or job creation. Whatever Mr Moghalu has said  would run against the current of the figures that had been produced by the NBS which is the best body today that can tell us whether we are out of recession or not. It is the same body that told us we were in recession is the same body that said we are out of recession. So far, they are yet to tell us we have slipped back to recession.

    You have done so much in the fight against Boko Haram. However, it appears that the insurgents have regrouped while Fulani herdsmen-farmers clashes also threatened the security of the nation…

    Security is an issue that every nation at one point in time will have to contend with. I am happy you have acknowledged that we are making progress fighting  insecurity in the country. The herdsmen farmers clash was not invented by this government. It actually predates this government. If you go back to history, it dates bak to independence. But am assuring you that this government is determined to resolve the issue. This government is determined to take speific steps to find a definite end to this issue. It is abount containment, it is about accommodation and it is about understanding. There must be farmers, there must be herdsmen. They must live together. We are determined as a government that shedding of the blood of just one person is too much. It is not about number, it is about the fact that we put a price to human’s life. Am glad that already things are being put in place, such as the committee headed by the Vice President to find long time solution to herdsmen-farmers clashes.

    There is the claim that the attacks were not perpetuated by herdsmen, but by foreign Fulani bandits. Are the security agencies so weak that they cannot fish out these bandits and stop them from entering this country?

    Without going into the details, it is a very complex issue . You talked about bandits, what about the militias that ware funded and sponsored by the late Ghadafi around the same area? As a government we have resolved to find a lasting solution to it. Whether they are bandits or marauders or militias sponsored by the late Ghadafi, what is important for us as a government is to ensure that the shedding of blood whether of the farmers or herdsmen is brought to an end.

    There are queues all  over. Fuel scarcity is back. Why? Are we also paying subsidy on fuel?

    The fuel situation is much better than it was before now. As for subsidy, the Minister of State for Petroleum Resources has said a lot of about subsidy.

    One of the ardent supporters of this administration, Pastor Tunde Bakare, said that the government has failed in the three areas you mentioned earlier.  How do you counter that?

    We are very confident. We don’t have any apologies for our success. Our success is out there. At the beginning of this conversation, I said there were many indexes with which you can measure whether a country is improving economically or not. Am glad to say that not only have grown our foreign reserves from $23billion to $40 billion despite the fact that for the larger part of the time oil sold for $30pb. This is the highest since 2014. This clearly does not indicate failure on the part of the government. Again, NBS said headline inflation has fallen for 11 consecutive months. It is now at 15.37 per ent as at December 2017. The target we set for our selves by the ERGP for inflation has been met and surpassed. You can’t talk about failure. Then the TSA has stopped hemoraging, sine we came in, from the treasury. We were even able to eliminate ghost workers and that has saved us over N120 billion. We have been able to save about N108 billion from the removal of maintenance fees payable to banks pre-TSA because we pay directly. We have saved N24.7billion monthly through determined implementation of TSA.

    You talked about jobs. What  jobs are talking about? In agriculture, we have created an extra 6.2 million jobs. From 6 million jobs two and a half years jobs, today we have about 12. 2 million jobs in agricultural sector alone. How can anyone claim that we have not succeeded in creating jobs?

    Our strategy in the area of encouraging local production of rice has worked. From 64,000 metric tonnes a year two and half a years ago, today we import less than 20,000 metric tonnes. You can imagine the kinds of saving that would bring to government. In the area of infrastructure, we also have good news. Power today is at an all high of 7000 megawatts and we are also able to transmit 7000 megawatts. In the area of distribution, we dsitibute over 5000 megawatts today and the exta 2000 megawatts which we can not distribute we are trying to get willing buyers for these megawatts. Still on the infrastrcuture, the Lagos-Kano modern gauge is on course. We are very optmistic that by 2019 Lagos-Ibadan axis of it will be commissioned while the Kano-Kaduna modern gauge will also be ready by 2019. The coastal rail which will link 15 cities is also  being worked upon and we are hoping that by the year 2021 the entire, mostly the coastal rail and the mordern gauage will be completed. On roads, contracts had been awarded for 25 major highways at the cost of N100 billion. Every geo-political zone of the country is included in this transformation of road infrastructure. These are things that the opposition does not want to hear. These facts are out there for anybody to go and verify.

    Again on security, we know we are winning the war….

    What are the things you think Nigerians can trust you with, given the seeming determination of the PDP to regain power?

    I think it will be tragedy for this country for the PDP to come back because they have not even apologised to the nation for how they destroyed our economy, destroyed our infrastructure, destroyed our qualities. They have not told us how they will do things differently from what they did to get us here.

    Apart from that, I think that our achievements will speak volumes for us. I have just told you, we can come out and beat our chests that met an economy that was collapsing completely, and we revived it. We met external reserve of $23 or so billion dollars, and we grew it to $40 billion. We created over six million jobs in the agricultural sector and we have been able to bring down inflation for 11 months consecutively. We have things to tell the world that we have done. We have taken on 25 major highways at the cost of 100 billion naira and as time goes on some of these projects are being completed and you will begin to see a lot of difference.

    There are a few things you promised to do which you have not done, one is that you promised us to stop fuel importation, you promised that you are going to revive our refineries and even recently after forming government, you even talked about ..modular refineries, all these things have not come on board,

    You see all these things are not things that you just pick on the shelf. They are things that require planning, require procedures, but I can assure you that everything we promised, everything is being undertaken at one level or the other of implementation.

     

  • Minister inaugurates committee for UNWTO/CAF meeting

    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has inaugurated the planning committee for the 61st Meeting of the United Nations World Tourism Organisation/CAF taking place in Abuja, Nigeria, from June 4th-6th, 2018.

    The Minister, who performed the ceremony in Abuja on Tuesday, charged members of the committee to ensure the success of the event.

    “Today’s inauguration kick-starts our preparation for the hosting of the (UNWTO/CAF Meeting). The task ahead of us is enormous, but with the quality membership of the Planning Committee, we are up to the task and we will host a successful event,’’ he said.

    “You have been selected based on your knowledge and expertise in content, logistics and planning. Your role is to execute a successful event with professional inputs and assistance from the Ministry and the UNWTO. I have no doubt that you will take your assignments very seriously,” Alhaji Mohammed said.

    The Minister said the hosting right of the event, which was given to Nigeria, has clearly demonstrated the confidence of the CAF member states and the UNWTO in the country.

    He said the highlight of Nigeria’s relevance and acceptance by the Organization, within two years of its return after a period of absence, was further shown in his election as a Vice Chairman of the UNWTO General Assembly at an election held during the 22nd session of the UNWTO General Assembly in Chengdu, China, in September 2017.

    Alhaji Mohammed said the UNWTO meeting will afford the country the unique opportunity to project its image as a safe and desirable destination for leisure and business as well as promote the country’s tourism products and services.

    He said the meeting will also provide a platform for tourism stakeholders to interact with their counterparts from other countries, generate foreign exchange through accommodation in hotels, airfares and souvenirs purchased by foreign delegates, create direct and indirect employment, thereby alleviating poverty, and provide the platform for the training for public and private sector tourism officials.

    Membership of the planning committee cuts across the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Federal Capital Territory, extra-ministerial departments and agencies as well as the private sector.

  • Minister challenges CSOs, media on treasury looters

    Minister challenges CSOs, media on treasury looters

    The Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) have been challenged on the need to ensure that Nigerians does not forget the evil deeds of the people who looted the country treasury.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, threw the challenge at the launch of the Anti-Corruption Situation Room (ACSR), which includes civil society organizations, media groups, government agencies and other stakeholders, in Abuja on Tuesday.

    The minister challenged the civil society to work with the media and other stakeholders to ensure that Nigerians never forget, for one moment, the damage done to the country by treasury looters.

    He said ”Those who turned our treasury to their piggy bank are once again presenting themselves as the saviours of the nation. They say the best time for Nigeria was when the proceeds of their corruption subsidised many and gave the illusion of economic boom. They are so emboldened as to say Nigerians are earnestly yearning for them. No contrition. No apologies. No shame. Just sheer bravado.  Unbridled arrogance.  Revisionism.

    ”The Civil Society, the media and indeed all stakeholders owe it a duty not to allow Nigerians to forget, to say ‘Never Again’ to those who view Nigeria as nothing but a cash cow to be milked to death.”

    Alhaji Mohammed said the formation of the ACSR could not have come at a better time, as the Buhari Administration’s fight against corruption is gaining momentum, ”and the government is winning the war”.

    ”But there is a challenge: There seems to be a feeling of numbness among the citizens about the conduct of those whose actions brought us here, those who looted the national treasury dry. Suddenly, these same people are engaging in revisionist history and blaming everyone but themselves for the mess their actions put the country into,” he said.

    Reeling out the cost of corruption to the nation, the Minister listed the conversion to a slush fund of the 2.1 billion dollars meant to buy weapons for the Nigerian military to fight Boko Haram; the fact that country could only generate 2,690 megawatts as at 29 May 2015 despite spending billions of dollars on power and the failure of past governments to save for the rainy day, even when oil was selling above 100 dollars a barrel for many years.

    He listed some of the gains of the anti-corruption fight as raising the country’s foreign reserves from 23 billion dollars to 38 billion dollars; stoppage of the payment of phantom subsidy of between 800
    billion and 1.3 trillion Naira; and the recovery of at least 43 million dollars and 56 houses from just one official of the immediate past Administration.

    Other gains of the fight against corruption, according to Alhaji Mohammed, include the recovery of 2.9 billion dollars from looters so far; the Whistle-blower policy which has led to the recovery of 151 million dollars and N8 billion in looted funds from just three sources; the elimination of thousands of ghost workers, which has saved the nation 120 billion Naira and the elimination of the 108 billion Naira in maintenance fees payable to banks, pre-TSA.

    He commended those behind the formation of the ACSR, a platform to build synergy among anti-corruption CSOs, the labour movement, the law enforcement agencies, the Parliament and the Judiciary, as well as to ensure that Nigerians take ownership of the fight against corruption.

  • Stop mocking anti-corruption fight – FG tells media

    Stop mocking anti-corruption fight – FG tells media

    The Federal Government on Monday admonished the media to be fully supportive to its anti-corruption fight and desist from mocking the process.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, made the call at the opening of the 68th General Assembly of the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON) in Abuja.

    Mohammed said that the media as the Fourth Estate of the Realm could not afford to sit on the fence in the fight against corruption.

    He said that the government was not averse to constructive criticism of the process but that it was wrong for the media mock the corruption fight through their reporting.

    “Without mincing words, let me use this platform to appeal directly to the media in general to join this administration in facing the problem of corruption.

    “In recent times, it is not unusual to read such headlines as ‘Buhari’s Government Losing Anti-Corruption War’, `Buhari’s Anti-Corruption War is Failing’, ‘Arewa Youths Knock President Buhari over Failing Anti-corruption War’.

    “This is sheer mockery, not reporting, and this
    war is not Buhari’s war. It is our war.

    “As we have said times without number, this fight must not be seen as Buhari’s fight. It must not be seen as the Federal Government’s fight. It is our fight.

    “We are not saying the media should not criticize us over our strategy for the fight, but they should stop mocking us.

    “If we fail to win by defeating corruption, it will simply kill us as a nation,’’ he said.

    The minister noted that if the media continued to celebrate every setback suffered in prosecuting corruption cases, it will give succour to the corrupt.

    He said Nigeria was winning the war against corruption with the type of leadership provided by Buhari.

    “Yes, corruption is fighting back furiously, but it cannot match the courage, the determination and the commitment of this administration, nor can it dampen the leadership of President Buhari.

    “We are tackling corruption; we have added 500 million dollars to our Sovereign Wealth Fund that stagnated at the one-billion-dollar that was used to set it up.

    “We have raised our foreign reserves from 23 billion dollars to 35 billion dollars.

    “We stopped the payment of phantom subsidy of between N800 billion and 1.3 trillion Naira annually, yet petroleum products are available at competitive prices,’’ he said.

    The minister said that the government had recovered at least 43 million dollars and 56 houses from one former government official.

    He said that 2.9 billion dollars had been recovered from looters so far, while theWhistle-blower policy had led to the recovery of 151 million dollars and N8 billion in looted funds from three sources.

    Mohammed added that with the sincere and full implementation of the Treasury Singles Account, N3 trillion had accrued to the government.

    He said that with the elimination of thousands of ghost workers in its payroll, the Federal Government had saved N120 billion.