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Tag: Alhaji Lai Mohammed

  • Anti-graft war: Don’t mock us, Minister begs media

    Anti-graft war: Don’t mock us, Minister begs media

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has appealed to the media not to mock the Federal Government anti-corruption war, rather it should fully support the Administration’s fight against corruption.

    The minister stressed that as the fourth estate of the realm, the media cannot afford to sit on the fence as far as the battle to rid the nation of corruption is concerned.

    He spoke Monday in Abuja while declaring open the 68th General Assembly of the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON).

    The Minister said while the media should not hesitate to criticise the government’s strategy for the war against corruption, when necessary, it should do so without mocking the government.

    ”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. And this war is not Buhari’s war. It is our war,” he said.

    On why all hands must be on deck to fight corruption, Alhaji Mohammed said corruption is the reason for the many ills being experienced in the country today, including erratic power supply, poorly-equipped hospitals, lack of motorable roads, poor quality of life, poor economy, lack of jobs and insecurity

    ”After previous administrations spent billions of dollars on power, all we inherited – when we took over on the 29th of May 2015 – was 2,690 megawatts. That is due to corruption. After previous governments budgeted billions for roads over the years, what we inherited are death traps. That is due to corruption. Why did Boko Haram thrive for so long? The answer is corruption, because money meant for the purchase of weapons for the military were simply diverted. Why did we inherit an economy in dire straits? It is corruption. For a country that sold oil at over 100 dollars per barrel for years, we simply failed to save for the rainy day, and when the rain came, it beat us silly,” he said.

    The Minister said the war against corruption is the toughest of the three broad issues that the Buhari Administration campaigned with, ”because fighting corruption anywhere is like walking a lonely road”.

    ”While many will join hands with you to tackle insecurity or to revamp the economy, you are on your own when you take on corruption. Most Nigerians were direct beneficiaries of corruption. Many were subsidized by corruption. Now that the gravy train of corruption is fast derailing, many are finding it difficult to come to terms with it. That’s the origin of the ‘Bring Back Corruption’ Campaign being carried out by certain elements in our society,” he said.

    Alhaji Mohammed said the war against corruption becomes tougher when the media is not fully on board, adding: ”When the media seizes on every setback we suffer in prosecuting this war, they give succor to the corrupt. When the media falls for the distraction tactics of those who are mortally afraid of this war, they weaken the battle.”

    He said the because of the courageous, determined and committed leadership provided by President Muhammadu Buhari, and despite the fact that corruption is fighting back furiously, the Administration is winning the war.

    ”For our efforts so far, we have so much to showcase: Because we are tackling corruption, we have succeeded in raising power generation from 2,690 to an all-time high of 7,001MW. Because we are tackling corruption, we are saving 25 billion Naira monthly by cutting unnecessary allowances of officials. Because we are tackling corruption, we have added 500 million dollars to our Sovereign Wealth Fund that stagnated at the 1-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 800 billion and 1.3 trillion Naira annually, yet petroleum products are available at competitive prices.

    ”We recovered at least 43 million dollars and 56 houses from just one former government official. We have recovered 2.9 billion dollars from looters so far. Our Whistle-blower policy has led to the recovery of 151 million dollars and N8 billion in looted funds from just three sources,” the Minister said.

  • ‘States can’t continue to expect bailout’

    ‘States can’t continue to expect bailout’

    Information and Culture Minister Alhaji Lai Mohammed spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU in Lagos on how the country overcame recession, the anti-terror war, the battle against corruption, national security and restructuring. 

    What is the evidence that Nigeria is out of recession?

    The same evidence that Nigeria was in recession is the same evidence that Nigeria is out of recession. Technically, when a country goes into recession, it has recorded two has recorded two consecutive quarters of negative growth in the Gross Domestic Product (DGP), which is measured by the services and products the country has achieved. If you have a negative growth two consecutive quarters, then, the country is said to be in recession. And we have been in recession in the last five quarters. But, we have come out of that recession by the second quarter of this year. The important thing about recession is that first, it is not good for economic growth and what is pleasing in this particular recovery, is that it was led, not by the oil sector, but by the non-oil sector of the economy, notably agriculture, mining, construction, manufacturing, electricity and creative industry and the like. Why this is pleasing to us is that, one of the first things we realized when we came in was that we have been operating a defective economic structure, which is overtly dependent on oil. The government decided that it will divert Nigerians to the area of agriculture, manufacturing, mining, construction, creative industry and other service industry so that if there is inactivity in the oil sector, it will not affect us the way it has affected us in the past. Among other reasons, the main reason for recession was that the price of crude dropped from over 100 dollars to as low as 20 dollars in an economy that failed to invest in infrastructure, save for the raining day, pay its debt when there was a boom. It was quite injurious. So, we decided that henceforth, we will diversity our economy. I am to say that, even throughout the quarters when we were in recession, agriculture and mining were not in recession. They were always recording positive growth. By the second quarter of 2017, agriculture and mining, manufacturing, electricity have improved.

    How do you measure the impact of that on the wellbeing of the citizenry?

    Coming out of recession is like the person has been very ill. He has been in an intensive care. Now, he is moved out of the intensive care. He is now in the general ward. He has not been discharged. He will not go to the farm the very next day. He won’t begin to visit people the very next day. It will take time for other parts of the body to wake up. So, what happens when you get out of recession? Number one, it gives confidence to the operators of the economy, principally the investors. And foreign investors; it gives them confidence about the economy. That invariably translates into more jobs and better productions. For instance, in the second quarter of 2017, we recorded a 95 per cent increase in foreign capital inflow. In the first quarter of 2017, we attracted only 902 million dollars, but by the second quarter, we attracted 1.792 billion dollars, which was about 95 per cent increase in foreign capital that was brought in. Our trade balance has improved positively. We import less, we export more. Our foreign reserve between October 2016 and August 2017 has reached almost 80 million US dollars. These are indices that shows the reawakening of the economy. The multiplier effect has to be felt. Then, you will see there will be more jobs created, prices of food will go down and it will impact on the lives of common Nigerians.

    Workers in many states are still in pains over the non-payment of salaries. When should states expect the next phase of bailout from the Federal Government?

    This is a very important question. I think as much as a searchlight is being brought on the Federal Government, we must not fail to understand that we run a federal system of government, whereby each level of government also has direct access to revenue accruing to government. The constitution also gives them certain responsibilities. I think the fact between 2015 and 2017 the Federal Government released over 1.6 trillion naira bailout shows how caring it has been. This is in addition from what they receive as federal allocation every month. I think the government at the centre has shown enough passion, enough commitment and enough concern for the welfare of Nigerians. It is not under obligation to give any money to any state, but because we wanted to soften the impact of the recession, because we wanted to make sure that workers don not go hungry, because whoever works must be happy, that was why the government made available the 1.6 trillion in the last two years. For one to appreciate that, it is more than one quarter of the total budget in 2016. That was what the Federal Government gave out in the last two years. All states and local governments should ensure that money meant for bailout are meant to pay workers, supplement workers’ wages, supplement payment to contractors and make life more abundant for the people in the states. At the end of the day, every citizen belongs to one state or one local government.

    How cordial is the relationship between the executive and the National Assembly now?                                                               

    I think both arms of government have realized that there is the need for cooperation. Yes, once in a while, there are differences, there are spats. But, overall, it is an experiment and it is work in progress. Daily, we begin to understand one another better. I think what has really impressed me recently is the improved working relationship between the executive and the judiciary. About two weeks ago, the judiciary on its own said it will set up courts for trying corruption cases and its directives are out to all the chief judges to ensure that they nominate or put aside one court each where the cases will be tried. They first of all set up a monitoring committee on corruption and financial crimes cases. I think this is a good turning point in the relationship between the judiciary and the executive. Both arms of government are now aligned and are convinced that corruption is unarguably the greatest threat to our corporate existence.

    How do you react to complaints by some leaders of the ruling party that they are being sidelined from the affairs of the Federal Government?

    All such complaints are being looked into.

    What is the status of the anti-terror war now?

    I think the war against terror has been largely won by government. I always like people to remember that, when we were sworn in on May 29, 2015, 24 local governments in the federation were under the sovereign control of Boko Haram terrorist. By this control, I mean, not only were they physically present in those local governments, they set up parallel government; they hoisted their own flags, levy taxes. They had a judicial system of government alien to Nigeria. I can say without any fear of contradiction that they do not hold sway again in that manner in any local government of the federation. There is no doubt that Boko Haram has been severely degraded. They do not have the kind of capacity they had before. Before 2015, they were active. They were attacking. And they were operating in about 12 states of the federation-Sokoto, Kano, Borno, Niger State. Even, the federal capital was not immune. They were attacking at will. As a matter of fact, in those days, people went to churches and mosques with their hearts in their mouths. I think all that has ceased now. Again, if you look at the Northeastern part of the country, which was largely inaccessible before; for some years, schools were closed, roads were closed. They have all been reopened. If there is any further proof that normalcy has returned to the Northeast, I think one of the finals of the Nigerian football matches recently was played in Maiduguri between and MFN and El-Kanemi Warriors. It is ample proof that peace has returned to the Northeast. Yes, we are battling with humanitarian crisis in the region. But, it is not limited to the region. It extends to the entire Lake Chad and the government has been proactive. It set up two committees. The infrastructure there has been destroyed. Government is fixing them and ensuing that normal life returns to the area. We are also addressing the issue of several people who have been displaced, to take care of their welfare. It is a commitment that we made. Our goal is to ensure that, not only do we have to win the war on the battlefield, but we also ensure that the people return home in peace and continue their normal life.

    And what about the twin battle; the anti-corruption war? What is the status of the war because people are complaining that it is not easy to secure conviction in cases involving high profile people?

    I think this is why we are so excited about the new collaboration between the executive and the judiciary. Now, the looters took comfort in the congestion in our courts. They play a game of encouraging obstruction in the judicial system. Now, with the creation of separate court to try corruption cases, there is no longer any hiding place. The corrupt official, no matter how highly placed, cannot go scot free.

    Opinion is divided on the deployment of troops to the Southeast for ‘Operation Crocodile Smiles and Python Dance’…

    I think we must stop criticizing the issue of security. It is a dangerous game. Everywhere in the world, the security is important. The military has a role to play; to protect, secure our borders and ensure the territorial integrity of Nigeria. We must not attempt to politicize it. We must not attempt to localize it. A situation whereby some people in one part of the country will say no is not acceptable. You may have your local concerns, agitations. But, the military should be completely be immune from that. The military should defend the territorial integrity. Otherwise, you will have a situation whereby a group will say, oh, you can’t pass here; another group will say you can’t pass there. Who is going to defend us? We should stop politicizing the issue of security. It is a serious matter.

    IPOB was once described as a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government. A foreign organisation said it cannot be categorised as a terrorist group. What is the status now?

    I think Nigeria as a sovereign nation does not need the permission of another country to declare any particular body a terrorist organisation, once it is done within the ambit of our own law. And what the world needs today is collaboration and cooperation in the fight against terrorism. Alqueda was pronounced a terrorist organisation by the US, by the western world. We cooperated with them. If we have not done so, the issue of Boko Haram would have been much difficult to handle. I don’t think we need the permission of any nation to declare a particular body a terrorist organisation. It is in the interest of world peace and stability that countries collaborate with one another over what IPOB means to Nigeria. We are glad that, even the governors of the Southeast that IPOB claims to represent, have dissociated themselves from IPOB. What they are seeking for is not self-determination. MASSOB has been around much longer than IPOB. As long as they did not cross the line and they did not publicly solicit for arms, making insurgent statement that, if you don’t give us Biafra, what we have done will be a child’s play, attacking the military, erecting checkpoint and extorting money. That is not self-determination. It is a terrorist act. As far as we are concerned today, IPOB remains proscribed.

    What is your assessment of the performance of the 2017 budget?

    Now, when people complain about the performance of the budget, I think the budget was passed around June. I don’t think it is fair to be asking about its performance three months later. We are still addressing the bureaucratic bottlenecks about procurement. For me to procure, I need to advertise for six weeks, after which I will analyse all the bids, contact all those that are qualified and then contact the Bureau of Public Procurement and go to Federal Executive Council. It is burdensome. The real issue is that we have to overhaul the procurement process. There are many requirements that may slow down governance. A person is bidding; you asking for his tax clearance, evidence of whether he has paid his contributory pension scheme. I don’t think this kind of requirement is helpful. Part of the mandate of the Committee on ease of Doing Business is to identify the statutes and recommend them for overhauling.

    What lesson has government learnt from the late passage of the budget?

    There are two issues that may affect development. One is the late passage of budget. The other would be the revenue; the finance. When budget is passed late, one of the challenges is weather. You cannot build or construct during the raining season. You have to wait for the rain to stop. Fertilizers must reach farmers before the start of planting. These are some of the setbacks of late passage of budget. But, this year, we will submit next year’s budget by October to the National Assembly and hopefully, by December, it will be passed.

    Is the Federal Government prepared for restructuring?

    The president is clear on this matter. There are some legitimate demands. But, the question is: what do we mean by restructuring? Restructuring means different things to different people. To some, it is simply about resource control where every state will have control over its resources. To some, it is going back to the former three or four regions. To even some, it is the creation of more states. To some, it is the devolution of powers to states. Each of these will have to be examined. The APC committee is going round the country today to collate opinions. So, when we get the aggregate of the views, there will be need for constitution amendment. Restructuring will be about the amendment of the constitution.

  • Why cost of food items is high – FG

    Why cost of food items is high – FG

    The Federal Government says despite the revolution witnessed in the agricultural sector, the cost of food items is still high because of infrastructural deficit and export demands.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said this on Tuesday when he featured in a Current Affairs programme “Focus Nigeria” of a Lagos-based Television station.

    “Despite the fact that the production of staples like rice, grains, yam has increased with the agricultural revolution of the government, food items are still on the high side.

    “There are many reasons why the prices are still up there but principally, I think it is an infrastructural deficit.

    “By this, I mean what it takes to bring the produce from the farms to the farm gates and from the farm gates to the city centres and this may not improve until various road and rail projects are completed.

    “The good news, however, is that from October this year, the General Electric, which has the concession for the 3,500 narrow gauge rail routes will commence work.

    “The Lagos to Kano standard gauge rail project and the Lagos to Calabar rail lines which will crisscross all the South Eastern States are priority projects of the government.

    “That will help in the transportation of goods and services including agricultural produce at a far cheaper fare and that will percolate to the common man,” he said.

    The minister said that the government would leave no stone unturned to ensure that the Lagos to Ibadan, Kano to Maiduguri and other critical roads across the country were completed.

    Mohammed also explained that “there is so much demand for our grains and cereals from other parts of Africa.

    “You cannot stop the farmers especially with the ECOWAS Protocols that allows for free movement of goods and services.

    “There is also a lot of demand for our grains from other parts of the world and as a matter of fact, we got over N30 billion from agricultural export in the second quarter of this year.

    “I believe that with the economy picking up and the various infrastructural development coming up, Nigeria will very soon start to feel some relief.

    “Also the Presidential initiative to employ 10,000 people from each state in the agricultural sector will bring succour and a lot of relief,” he said.

    Speaking of his hopes and fears for the country, the minister said that, 57 years after independence, he was very confident and optimistic that Nigeria will be great.

    “Living together for 57 years as an independent country with all the ups and downs and challenges and we are going stronger in all ramification.

    “The present administration is getting its priorities right and focused on the economy, good governance, security and improving the quality of life of Nigerians,” he said.

    The minister reiterated the position of President Muhammadu Buhari that with Nigeria exiting recession, the administration would not rest on its oars until the impact is felt by all Nigerians.

    He said it was on record that since January, the country had recorded monthly steady reduction in headline inflation.

    “Capital inflow has improved from 902 million dollars in the first quarter to 1.792 billion dollars in the second quarter.

    “We have been able to add additional 8 billion dollars to our foreign reserve which was 23.7 billion dollars last year, but now 33.5 billion dollars this year.

    “Our Balance of Trade has increased, farmers today get fertiliser at N5,500 as opposed to N13,000 before and we were able to deliver the fertilisers to farmers before the planting season.

    “These are incremental gains and if we remain focused on our reforms, all these will improve,” he said.

    For those criticising the president on his Independence Address to the nation, the minister said that Buhari addressed issues that were Germaine to national development.

    He said Buhari’s speech touched on national security, economy, corruption, unity and development as well as the achievements recorded by the administration despite constraints.

    The minister said that, though the government had made its position clear on the agitation for restructuring, “the greatest threat we have today is not restructuring but it is about corruption”.

    “I make bold to say that corruption is the bane of the country and the biggest threat to our existence.

    “Year in year out, huge sums of money are voted for and released for projects that will touch the lives of Nigerians but they are stolen and these projects are left abandoned.

    “It is interesting that those people who are vociferous about restructuring are the same people that were in power for 16 years and they did not do anything about restructuring,” he said.

    The minister commended the ruling APC for creating the platform to get the aggregate of the views of Nigerians as to what they meant by restructuring.

  • FG grants tax reliefs to TStv Africa

    FG grants tax reliefs to TStv Africa

    The Federal Government has granted a 3-year tax relief to the newly inaugurated Pay TV operator in the country, TStv Africa, as well as tax free dividends to all investors in the company.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, announced this on Sunday night in Abuja at a dinner to mark the official unveiling of the new company.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports TStv Africa is a wholly owned Nigerian Pay TV operator with refined offerings of novel Unclassified Pay Per View subscription and complimentary internet services.

    Mohammed, who performed the official unveiling of the new company and its products, said the tax reliefs were in line with the Pioneer Status recently granted to the Creative Industry by the federal government.

    The minister congratulated the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Dr Bright Echefu, and his team for liberalising and breaking the monopoly of Pay TV in the country.

    “The important thing about what Echefu has done today is that he has redefined the pay per view television industry and from today that industry will never remain the same again.

    “What he has done is to democratise the media and entertainment industry and make it possible for even a peasant farmer to have access to the best entertainment and news in the world.

    “It is a great opportunity for me to be the one to unveil TStv because just like a Nigerian made history by crashing the cost of telephony in Nigeria, I am glad that another Nigerian is now coming forward to crash the cost of Pay TV,” he said.

    The minister commended the courage of the investor for coming from the Diaspora to invest in his country and for believing in the government’s seriousness about diversifying the economy.

    He said the company had also demonstrated that government alone could not do all things but needed the participation and synergy of the private sector.

    “I want to assure that this administration will continue to assist you and other investors in creating the enabling environment for businesses to grow,” he said.

    The minister said that the government was aware of the huge contributions of the creative industry to the nation’s economy and would continue to support the sector.

    However, he identified contents and the lack of objective audience measurement as major challenges that had retarded the growth of TV and advertising industries in the country.

    “With the liberalisation of the industry, content has become very key because content determines which channels are being watched and which are not.

    “Another major challenge is how to get an accurate measurement of which channel is being watched and which is not.

    “Kenya and South Africa are about one third of our population but they do much better in TV and radio advertisement than us because of their robust audience measurement,” he said.

    The minister announced that the National Broadcasting Commission and his ministry would organise a workshop on Nov. 28 to address the challenge of audience measurement.

    Earlier, Echefu said that TStv Africa, which had gone through a lot of challenges, was birth to liberalise PayTV in the country, make it affordable to every Nigerian with added values.

    He said for the first time, Nigerians could now enjoy Pay Per View because with TStv, “subscription runs as you watch and it has the facility to pause your subscription when you travel”.

    Echefu said that TStv for a start has 70 premium channels model with the cheapest pay-TV in Africa with maximum subscription fee of N3,000 only.

    He said as a fully Nigerian brand with consideration for the masses, TStv is not classified and it has a model that accommodate subscription as low as N200 as N500 for a period of time.

    The CEO said TStv came with PVR (Personal Video Recorder) Decoder which allowed viewers greater control over their viewing experience with functions like pause, rewind, forward, save and record of programmes of interest.

    Echefu said that once you subscribe to TStv, you will also get complimentary internet service, enabled Wi-Fi, as well as video calls and video conferencing services.

    “It has an array of amazing TV channels with premium entertainment, educative programmes that cut across all genres.

    “The genres included news, music, general entertainment, documentary, movies, religious, sports, health, kids, fashion and lifestyle that better define the uniqueness of Nigeria’s diverse culture and traditional values,” he said.

    The CEO said TStv which was modelled for Nigerians had come to stay, assuring that it would not fail and they would deliver on their promises.

    NAN reports that the guests at the ceremony were entertained with live performances by musicians and comedians.

    Among the dignitaries at the event were Gov. Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos represented by the Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Information and Strategy, Mr Fola Adeyemi, and the Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, MS Grace Gekpe.

    Others were the Director-General of National Orientation Agency, Dr Garba Abari; former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode; Nollywood actors including Emeka Ike. Adigwe Okafor, Zack Amata, Dr Opa Williams and Afeez Oyetoro aka Saka. (NAN)

  • Appointments: Era of `Godfatherism’ over – Lai Mohammed

    Appointments: Era of `Godfatherism’ over – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has said that as far as Federal Government appointments to public offices and key positions are concerned, the era of “godfatherism’’ is over.

    The minister stated this in Abuja on Sunday at a thanksgiving reception by the newly appointed Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Culture, Ms Grace Gekpe.

    Mohammed, who was represented by Mr Bayo Onanuga, the Managing Director of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), stated that appointment to positions in the Federal Government “is strictly by merit’’.

    “Gone are those days when people were appointed into positions by other factors apart from merit.

    “Most of us must have heard that the new permanent secretaries were asked to write examination; Gekpe was one of the very few that scaled through the examination.

    Gekpe is a shining and beautiful woman. That could have earned her the appointment, but not under this regime of Change.

    “She is a permanent secretary by virtue of hard work, merit and because she has a lot of things to offer,’’ he said.

    The minister said that the ministry was proud of Gekpe, satisfied with her appointment and wished her all the best.

    Mohammed underscored the need for improved funding for the Ministry of Information and Culture and its parastatal agencies.

    “The Ministry of Information and Culture has a very big responsibility and there is the need for sufficient funding for it and its agencies.

    “The government is doing a lot of things, but it is being misrepresented by naysayers.

    “This is the time that the government needed to raise an army of competent information managers to counter the false and negative narratives about the administration,’’ he said.

    He also underscored the need for upward review of the retirement age of journalists working in the Ministry of Information.

    “They are like judges and university professors; like old wine, they get better with age,’’ he added.

    The Head of Civil Service of the Federation, Mrs Winifred Oyo-Ita, said the position of permanent secretary “is the highest level any civil servant can dream to reach in the public service’’.

    She enjoined Gekpe to present her life and tenure to God for wisdom and guidance and as well show understanding and loyalty to her minister and the administration.

    Oyo-Ita said: “She is called to serve the nation and in doing this, she should face her duties with dignity, integrity and understanding that this is a government of change, it cannot be business as usual.

    “She has to be an epitome of incorruptibility, she should be efficient, productive, and be a citizen centred- permanent secretary’’.

    In a brief remark, Gekpe said her appointment was a call to serve the country.

    She pledged to discharge her responsibilities with the fear of God and in support of the government’s programmes.

    “I will put in my best to assist my immediate boss, the minister, and the government at large to achieve the agenda set for the country,’’ she said.

    NAN reports that a thanksgiving service was held at the Living Faith Church, Jahi District, before the reception.

    The event was attended by heads of parastatals and agencies in the Ministry of Information and Culture and representatives of the Government of Cross River.

  • FG uncovers IPOB’s slush account in Paris

    FG uncovers IPOB’s slush account in Paris

    Following intelligence reports, FG has located a slush account in Paris to which some Nigerians have made huge deposits in support of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

    It has also uncovered how some IPOB members have invaded Nigerian embassies in Hong Kong and Spain and created some scenes in the last 72 hours.

    The development, security sources said, was an indication of the desperation of IPOB and the justification for the proscription of the organisation.

    But the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Denys Gauer on Friday met with the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    Although the outcome of the meeting between the two leaders was kept under wraps, Gauer was said to have reassured the Federal Government that France would not support any terrorist group.

    It was learnt that the French government promised to take action as soon as the IPOB’s slush account was known to it.

    A top security source, who spoke in confidence, said: “Intelligence gathering has led to the discovery of an account in Paris into which some Nigerians in the Diaspora remit funds to support IPOB.

    “From the said account, funds were being drawn for the activities of IPOB at home and abroad. The relevant security agencies did a thorough job and provided incontrovertible evidence on the basis of which the government proscribed the terrorist organisation.

    “These Nigerians in the Diaspora are using France as a clearing house.

    “Investigations also confirmed inflows into the account from Holland, Hungary, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Turkey, Singapore and other parts of Europe.

    “In fact, a football tournament was recently organised in Senegal to raise funds for IPOB.

    “As a matter of fact, the account is being used to get money from a lot of people in the Diaspora.

    “What many Nigerians did not know is that the Minister of Information and Culture was talking on the basis of credible intelligence report.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “With cooperation by the international community, especially relevant countries, we will soon get the list of all the people remitting funds into the account in Paris.”

    But the government was also concerned that IPOB members were becoming desperate after the clampdown on the terrorist group.

    The source said: “IPOB members are becoming desperate in the last 72 hours. About two days ago, some members of the terrorist group breezed into our Embassy in Hong Kong under the pretence of renewing their passports but ended up staging a protest.

    “The IPOB members also demonstrated at our embassy in Spain a few days ago.”

    At press time, the details of the session between the French Ambassador and the Minister of Information and Culture were yet to be formally released.

    But a source said: “The Ambassador actually told the minister that France would never condone the activities of any terrorist group, including IPOB.

    “He recalled that France has always been at the receiving end of terrorists and so cannot under any circumstances back IPOB.

    “He restated the determination of the French government to support any policy or initiative which will strengthen Nigeria’s unity.

    “He actually made it known that his government will not back secessionist agitation in this country.”

    On the account in Paris, the Ambassador was said to have told the minister that France was “not aware of the account, but Nigeria should make a formal report.”

    The source said the minister also reiterated that he “never said that France was supporting IPOB, because there is a robust relationship between France and Nigeria.

    “We can never accuse France of collaborating with terrorists, because it has been assisting us in tackling Boko Haram insurgency.

    “France played a major role in setting up and managing the operation of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).”

  • Buhari begins process of IPOB proscription-Lai Mohammed

    Buhari begins process of IPOB proscription-Lai Mohammed

    Information Minister Lai Mohammed on Wednesday said that the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) group had written to western nations alleging genocide in Igbo land but that President Muhammadu Buhari had commenced the process of proscribing the group.

    The minister said this while addressing the state House Press corps on the current situation in the country.

    “For those who are fixated with legality, I have good news for them.

    “The President has approved the process of proscribing IPOB and before he left he did approve the proscription and the procedure is on.

    “And I ask, if the President had been overly concerned with the legalese where will Nigeria be today.’’

    The minister noted that he had to deal with the issue of IPOB in many radio and television programmes in the past few days.

    He acknowledged that it was the rights of individuals or groups to seek self-determination but the pursuit should be within the confines of the law and non-violent.

    He stated that where any group crossed the line by engaging in violence it then became out of tune.

    He avoided the semantics of whether the group ought to have been proscribed by the South East Governors or on the labeling of IPOB as a terrorist group by the military.

    But in the other hand he noted that the group had engaged in terrorist activities.

    “All I know is that IPOB has engaged in terrorist activities such as setting up prior military and para military, clashing with the national army and attempting to seize rifle from soldiers.

    “It used weapons such as machetes and Molotov cocktails and mounting road blocks to extort money among others.

    “The leader has openly solicited for arms,’’ he said.

    Mohammed said that no national army in the world would tolerate the IPOB activities or any army that would look away when attacked by band of thugs.

    The minister noted that but for the swift response of the South East governors the crisis would have turned to something else.

    “For the quick action of the governors in the South East and their counterparts in the North and the traditional rulers there would have been conflagration of immense proportion.

    “Permit me to especially commend the governors from the South East for making it clear to IPOB that it has no support for its violent campaign.

    “By this action, the governors have cut off the oxygen that IPOB needs to survive.

    “If the elected governors in the South East have banned the activities of IPOB who then is the organization fighting for,’’ he asked.

    He remarked that IPOB was a political contraption against the Buhari administration and being sponsored by the coalition of the politically disgruntled and treasury looters.

    The minister remarked that IPOB had decided to externalize its campaign by writing western governments and parliaments alleging genocide as well as using fake videos of killings to deceive the public.

    The minister said the challenge for the country was to ensure that “we counter this narrative’’.

    He noted that IPOB had opened diplomatic moves by setting up its financial headquarters in France and a radio station in London adding that government would stop the funding of the group from the diaspora.(NAN)

  • Why FG declared IPOB terrorists group – Minister 

    Why FG declared IPOB terrorists group – Minister 

    The Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed on Wednesday gave reasons why the Federal Government declared the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist group.

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday, Mohammed said that the group led by Nnamdi Kanu had been using cutlasses and other weapons to terrorize Nigerians.

    According to him, the group has also been getting financial sponsorship from some quarters to destabilise the country.

  • IPOB: PDP advises APC to look inward

    IPOB: PDP advises APC to look inward

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to look inward in resolving the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) crisis.

    The party gave the advice in a statement by its National Caretaker Committee’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr Dayo Adeye, on Tuesday in Abuja.

    It said that it was again constrained to react to a statement credited to the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, noting excuses and blame-game would not help in solving the problem.

    The party said that the minister on Sunday tried to shift blames of the poor handling of the agitations of IPOB by the current administration to an opposition.

    According to it, it is worrisome that government blamed opposition parties, which they have conveniently labelled looters, for the activities of IPOB.

    It urged the APC to look inward in locating the looters using their ill-gotten wealth to sponsor separatist agitation against the government of the day.

    It stated that no external enemy was working against the APC government and advised the party to do soul-searching and correct the anomaly.

    “We wish to put on record that agitation for the actualisation of the State of Biafra was a total silent voice while the PDP was in power.

    “That was because of the Government of inclusiveness we provided for Nigerians who were made to experience what a genuine national government meant.

    “Finally, as a party, we had condemned and we are still condemning separatist movements tailored towards balkanising the nation.”

  • NIGERIA ELECTED VP OF UN WORLD TOURISM ORAGNIZATION GENERAL ASSEMBLY

    NIGERIA ELECTED VP OF UN WORLD TOURISM ORAGNIZATION GENERAL ASSEMBLY

    NIGERIA, represented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has been elected Vice President of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly.

    Nigeria was elected by acclamation to represent Africa, alongside Cape Verde, at the 22nd General Assembly of the UNWTO, which opened in Chengdu, China, on Wednesday. China was elected President of the Assembly.

    Nigeria’s election followed the country’s unopposed nomination by the UNWTO Commission on Africa (CAF), which met a day earlier.

    Reacting to Nigeria’s election, the Minister said: ”To be called upon to serve as a Vice President of the General Assembly of the UNWTO is a very big honour to Nigeria.

    ”It has proven one thing, that in the last two years, we have succeeded in pushing tourism and the Creative Industry as a whole from the back burner to the front burner, from a side issue to the main issue. This has also been noticed by the global community and I feel highly gratified by it.”

    Nigeria, which will serve on the UNWTO General Assembly until 2019, will host the 61st edition of the UNWTO CAF Meeting in Abuja on June 4 and June 6, 2018.