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Tag: BUHARI

  • Buhari certificate saga is dead issue – Presidency

    •APC: Opposition party thrives on the trivial

    The Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday hit back at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the opposition party took President Muhammadu Buhari  to task over his Secondary School certificate .

    The Presidency dismissed the flak from the PDP as an indication of idleness on the part of those speaking for the party on the matter, while the APC branded the criticism trivial.

    “The certificate saga is a dead issue, only idle people will consider it,” the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Mr. Femi Adesina, told The Nation yesterday when contacted.

    “It is something that had been laid to rest before the 2015 general elections,” he added.

    “Those raising the issue (PDP and others) are idle and they have run out of ideas. They see defeat staring them in the face and they are desperate to cling to any straw. This issue was resolved before the 2015 election.

    “It is a matter of fact that when President Buhari and others joined the military, they took their original certificates from them. The military knew where they kept the original certificates of the President.

    “In fact, a former Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Alani Akinrinade corroborated that the military collected the original certificates of all its officers. The PDP believes it is going to lose the elections, and they will lose, and it is raising dust over a dead issue.

    “The military already said they lost the certificates. But does it mean that it did not exist that the President went to school, sat for examinations and passed; attended military courses and War College.

    “It does not change the fact that the President rose through the ranks to become a Major-General in the Nigerian Army and a Military Head of State.

    “Didn’t those opposed to President Buhari go to court over his certificate and lost before? They will still lose this time around. It is a dead issue.”

    The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu, spoke along the same line of thought.

    His words: “It is a dead issue. When PDP has something new to say, Nigerians will be ready to listen to the party.

    “This certificate issue was thrashed in 2014. The President has the minimum qualification he ought to have to stand for election and he had more than the minimum.

    “PDP thrives on the trivial. We want to tell Nigerians what we have achieved in the last three years and why the President should be re-elected. Instead of engaging in meaningful discourse, PDP trades on the trivial.”

    Buhari had, in a sworn affidavit attached to his nomination form for next year’s election, said his certificate was in the custody of the military.

    But the PDP insisted that the certificate be produced  for the President to be believed.

    Buhari, in an attachment to the form his party  submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)  listed his   academic and military attainments as follows: Elementary School Daura and Mai Aduwa (1948-1952); Middle School, Katsina (1953-1956); Katsina Provincial Secondary School (now Government College, Katsina)-1956 to 1961; Nigerian Military Training School, Kaduna (1962-1963); Cadet Officer Course Aldershot, UK (October 1963); Platoon Commander Course, Nigerian Military College, Kaduna (1963-1964); Army Mechanical Transport  School, Bordan, England (1965); Defence Service Staff College, Wellington India (1973-1974); and United States Army War College (1979-1980).

    Lending credence to the affidavit of President Buhari, another presidential candidate, Major Hamza Al-Mustapha (rtd) of the Peoples Party of Nigeria (PPN) claimed that his credentials were still with the Nigerian Army.

    In his nomination form, Al-Mustapha said: “My entire personal documents including my certificates and awards were taken away by the then government in 1998. Formal complaints were registered before High Court of Lagos (2000-2001) and Federal High Court 3 (Lagos Division)-2004-2007 but the government refused to obey court orders till today.

    “However, Nigerian Army (my employer-1983 -2013, is in custody of the certificates this applicant is asking of.

    “I was a victim of persecution for 15 years (1998-2013) over trump up charges. I was however exonerated and freed of the wanton charges vide Court of Appeal ruling: “Major Hamza Al-Mustapha v, The State CA/L/469a/ 2012”-Judgment delivered on 12th July 2013.”

    Sections 130 and 131 of the 1999 Constitution provide eligibility guidelines for a presidential candidate.

    Section 130 of the 1999 Constitution says: “There shall be for the Federation, a President” and such “President shall be the Head of State, the Chief Executive of the Federation and Commander- In –Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federation”.

    “Section 131 states: “A person shall be qualified for election to the office of President if –

    *He is a citizen of Nigeria by birth;

    *He has attained the age of forty – years.

    *He is a member of a political party and is sponsored by that political party; and

    *He has been educated up to at least School Certificate level or its equivalent.

    Independent National Electoral Commission Chairman Mahmood Yakubu  said on Friday that Nigerians who have an issue with the credentials submitted by candidates contesting next year’s elections are free to challenge such claims in court.

    Citing Section 31(3) of the Electoral Act as amended, the INEC chair said: “Each candidate nominated by a political party is required to provide details of his/her personal particulars by personally completing the Form CF001 and to swear an affidavit at the Federal High Court, a High Court of a State or the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    “Within seven (7) days from the close of submission of these documents, the Commission is required to publish the Form in the constituencies that candidates seek to represent as required by Section 31(3) of the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended).

    “This will give the general public the opportunity to view the affidavit of personal particulars of those who aspire to represent them.

    “Any person with reasonable ground to believe that any information on Form CF001 submitted by a candidate contains incorrect or false claims is at liberty to file an action against such candidate at the Federal High Court or the High Court of a State or the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).”

  • Recharging Lake Chad biggest help Europe can give Africa —Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said the greatest investment Europe and America can make in Africa now is helping the continent accomplish inter-basin water transfer to recharge the Lake Chad.

    The President spoke at State House, Abuja yesterday while hosting the Chairman of the African Union Commission, Mr Moussa Faki Mahamat.

    Buhari, according to a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, noted that the Lake Chad, which provided a means of livelihood for several millions of people in four countries – Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria – has now been reduced to 10 per cent of its original size due to the impact of climate change.

    He said: “People who depended on the lake for fishing, farming, animal husbandry, and many others have been thrown into dire straits.

    “That is one of the reasons youths now dare the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea, to seek greener pastures in Europe.

    “But helping to recharge Lake Chad will help a great deal in curbing irregular migration.”

    While noting that the size of Nigeria and resources available place a lot of responsibilities on her shoulders, President Buhari pledged that the country would continue to fulfil its obligations to the African Union.

    “At all international fora, we emphasise the matter of Lake Chad.

    “We also talk about the influx of small arms from the Sahel, which worsens the security situation between herders and stagnant farmers.

    “We will keep the issues on the front burner,” the President emphasised.

    Mr Mahamat lauded President Buhari, saying his leadership was good for Nigeria, for AU, and for Africa in general.

    He said that the next AU Summit would look into the reform of the AU Commission, positioning the AU and Africa in the world, Single Air Transport Market, the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, and other issues.

    Stressing that Nigeria has played major roles towards peace in countries like Guinea Bissau, Togo, Liberia, Mali, Sierra Leone and many others, the AU Commission chairman said: “Nigeria is the engine of Africa politically, economically and in the area of peace and security. Without her, Agenda 2063 cannot be accomplished.

    “We depend on the elder to reach our destination in good shape. Nigeria is worthy of being followed. We rely on your wisdom to fulfil the task before us.”

  • Buhari offers free cataract surgery to 270 in Nasarawa

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s “Restore Vision Project” is offering free cataract surgery to more than 270 visually impaired persons in Nasarawa State in collaboration with the state Ministry of Health.

    Dr James Ajige, a Consultant Orphthomologist at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, told reporters yesterday that  the exercise has commenced with the screening of persons with cases of cataract.

    Read also: Buhari, Nnamani meet in Aso Rock

    He explained that after proper examination, those requiring surgery would undergo the process, and urged all cataract patients to avail themselves of the opportunity.

    “We have already screened quite a number of persons and are expecting more to come forward and get screened in order to benefit from this gesture that will be carried out across the three senatorial zones of the state,” Ajige said.

    He also appealed to Nigerians with any form of visual impairment to visit the hospital and not resort to self-help or self- medication considering the delicate nature of the eye.

    “I will like to encourage anyone with poor vision to go for proper medical check at the hospital to avoid complications given the sensitivity of the eye,” he said.

    Health Minister  Isaac Adewole, had on March 8, 2018, launched the Buhari Restore Vision Project aimed at restoring sight to 10,000 Nigerians with cataract through surgical intervention.

  • Minimum Wage: Minister updates Buhari, Osinbajo as FG, Governors meet on Monday

    The Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige yesterday briefed President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on the threat by the organised labour to embark on industrial action from November 6 over delay in the implementation of new national minimum wage.

    Ngige, who spoke to State House correspondents after the closed door meetings at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, said the Economic Management Team would be meeting with state governors to harmonise positions on the ongoing negotiation with labour unions over the issue.

    He said: “I have come here to consult with the vice president and Mr President. On Monday the economic team will meet and the governors are supposed to come so that the federal government will brief them on what is on the ground.

    “And we will see what they will be able to put to us, because the government side is still three tiers, the federal, states and the local governments. The federal government is the leader.

    “So, we are inviting them to come so that we will listen to them again, tell them what we are doing and what we intend to do, because they even have members on that committee.

    “So, on Monday we will have a very useful discussion before the tripartite committee will come and submit its report.”

    The minister faulted the position of the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) on the draft White Paper on Industrial Harmony.

    According to him, the labour officials are misinformed about the draft white paper, saying the white paper did not oppose the inclusion of non elected officials to lead the labour unions in negotiations.

    “I don’t think they read the reports of the committee that was set up. The one I participated in is the white paper drafting and the recommendation is there.

    “So what the labour officials are talking of may be misinformation, because the particular aspect of it they are talking about, we rejected it – where they say non-elected member should not lead them in negotiation, my committee said, `no’ because those people they call Secretary-General or General Secretary, some of them become automatic members of those unions.

    Read also: Labour: we’ll begin strike on Nov 6 unless N30,000 minimum wage is adopted

    “So, you don’t have to dispossess them of the right to lead. So government rejected it but they are shouting that government accepted it,” he said.

    It will be recalled that the organised labour had on Sunday announced that it would commence an indefinite industrial action from Nov. 6, if the government refuses to meet their demand on new minimum wage of N30,000 for workers.

    The president of the NLC, Ayuba Wabba, and that of the United Labour Congress, Joe Ajaero, confirmed this development in a press statement.

    They explained that the forthcoming strike was informed by the federal government’s stance on new minimum wage for workers.

    The minister of labour and employment, however, told State House correspondents after the meeting of the Federal Executive Council that federal government would only increase the minimum wage from the current N18,000 to N24,000.

  • Those after Oshiomhole are enemies of Buhari –South South APC chairmen

    STATE chairmen of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South South geopolitical zone have said that all those calling for the resignation of the party’s national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole are enemies of President Muhammadu Buhari and working as fifth columnist to ensure that the party loses the 2019 presidential election. Rising from a meeting in Abuja, the state chairmen said all those working for the ouster of Oshiomhole were doing do so for selfish reasons and working to cause crisis in the party, adding that they would resist any such move aimed at causing disaffection within the party.

    The communique was signed by the five of the six state Chairmen, namely Prophet Jones Ode Erue (Delta), Anslem Ojezua (Edo), Hon.Ini Okopido (Akwa Ibom), Hon.Amos Jothan (Bayelsa) and Dr Matthew Achigbe (Cross River). The Supreme Court recently voided the election of the state executive in Rivers State. While passing a vote of confidence on the leadership of the Oshiomhole led National Working Committee, they expressed satisfaction with the conduct of the party primaries to elect candidates for the 2019 general elections. They appealed to state governors, party leaders and members to unite and “continue to support the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party and we are sure of victory come 2019 general elections.”

    The communique which was made available to newsmen in Abuja reads: “We, chairmen of the All Progressives Congress in the six states of the South South, at the end of our emergency meeting held on Thursday October 25, 2018, in Abuja, passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). “The leadership of the APC under Comrade Oshiomhole has been working satisfactorily in repositioning the party and we are satisfied with the conduct and outcome of the presidential, National Assembly and State House of Assembly primaries held at the national and state levels.

    “The party under the leadership of Comrade Oshiomhole, our national chairman, is on course towards ensuring victory for our party in 2019 and all mechanisms set in place to address disagreements on the outcome of the exercise are in the right direction and well received by us. “We urge all aggrieved members of our great party to explore the internal mechanism provided by the party in finding amicable solution. In any such exercise, such conflicts are bound to occur and we are satisfied that they are being addressed. “We stand by the leadership of the party under Comrade Oshiomhole and we will resist alleged efforts of fifth columnist to cause disaffection in the party.

    All those allegedly working for the removal of our national chairman are not only doing so for selfish reason, but working to cause crisis in our party ahead of the election and we will resist all such moves. “We are convinced that all their plans are indirectly aimed at the second term victory of President Muhammadu Buhari come 2019. We want to add that those calling for the resignation of our amiable National Chairman, Comrade Oshiomhole are enemies of President Muhammadu Buhari. “We appeal to all our governors, party leaders and members to unite as one and continue to support the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole led National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party and we are sure of victory come 2019 general elections.”

  • 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.

    Read Also: Paramount ruler’s death: Kaduna senators sue for peace

    “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.

  • Buhari’s Chief of Staff, INEC Chairman meet in Aso Rock

    The Chief of Staff (COS) to President Muhammadu Buhari, Abba Kyari, on Friday met behind closed doors with the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu.

    Read Also: Nigeria can’t blindly sign agreements, Says Buhari

    The meeting, which was held at the COS office, lasted for about thirty minutes.

    He didn’t speak to journalists when the closed doors meeting ended.

     

    Details Later...

  • Nigeria can’t blindly sign agreements, Says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said that Nigeria is too big and too diverse to blindly sign agreements without understanding the consequences of such actions.

    Buhari made the remark while receiving representatives of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) led by its President, Mr Babatunde Ruwase, at the Presidential Villa.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said that the President used the occasion of his audience with members of the LCCI to shine more light on his decision to inaugurate a Presidential Committee last Monday to assess the potential costs and impact of the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for Nigeria.

    He said ‘‘Nigeria is still assessing the impact of this agreement on its backward integration and import substitution policies.

    ‘‘Specifically, the provisions on rules of origin and transhipment were matters of concern to us.

    ‘‘Already, some of the treaties we are party to have been significantly abused resulting in massive smuggling which has crippled many of our local industries and destroyed millions of jobs.

    ‘‘To avoid these past mistakes, we conducted vast consultations across the country in which the LCCI participated. The responses have been mixed,’’ the President said.

    On the issue of the gridlock in Apapa, Lagos, President Buhari acknowledged that the situation was a major concern to all.

    Read Also: 11 people died in Benue boat mishap – NIWA

    ‘‘The work on Wharf road is in progress. We will continue to do our best to expedite the repair works at the Ijora Bridge without compromising quality.

    ‘‘We have also directed the Nigerian Railway Corporation to use their infrastructure in the ports to support the evacuation efforts, thereby further decongesting the area.

    ‘‘Be assured that the completion of these projects is a major priority of this administration,’’ he said.

    Speaking earlier, Ruwase while commending the Federal Government for the series of Executive Orders focused on promoting the ease of doing business in the country, stressed the need to improve the regulatory environment in the oil and gas industry.

    He appealed to the executive arm of the government to expeditiously consider the Petroleum Industry Bill through appropriate collaborative actions with the National Assembly.

    The LCCI president also drew the attention of the President to the numerous abandoned Federal Government properties in Lagos and the economic waste it represents.

    He urged the Federal Government to either return the property to Lagos State government which is the original owner of the land; or give them out on lease to the private sector.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the closed doors meeting, he said “We commended the government on Ease of Doing Business. We also asked the government to digitize its operations as part of measure to tackle corruption. That will reduce man to man interactions in carrying out government business. We advised government to use this all through its processes.

    “We also tasked government on the Petroleum Industry Governance BIll PIGB. We need to pass this quickly because many countries are discovering crude oil and this has made investments in the sector very competitive.

    “We are contending with other nations for investment in the sector. So we need to attract investors by reducing unnecessary bottlenecks. Instead of giving incentives, the feelers we are getting is that the NPA is going to levy $1 per barrel of crude and other such levies are going to be imposed. We urged them to quickly pass the law to make our oil and gas more competitive to investors.

    “We also talk about the Apapa gridlock. Instead of making profits, we are counting loses by the day because of demurrage , which has grounded our export drive. What the government need to do is to use pipeline to transport imported petroleum products.

    “We also mentioned to his Excellency that we shall be celebration of our 130th anniversary.

    “In the area of power, we also urged government to look into the issues. The problem we have is distribution. With what we are generating today, we cannot distribute more than 4000 megawatts. We should be thinking more of how to deal with distribution and transmission.” he said

    According to him, the President promised to do something about the Apapa issues.

    “The Central Bank of Nigeria, the Independence building, the National Assembly, the NITEL building etc.

    “We Appealed to the federal government that they either give them to the Lagos State government or put them into proper shape so that they can be put into proper use to generate money for the government. They are currently wasting away and providing abode for hoodlums, criminals and the likes.” he stated.

  • Buhari running on records, say SGF, Bello

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s scorecard took the spot yesterday at various events by government officials in the countdown to the February 2019 presidential election.

    Responding to the request in various quarters for the campaign to be issue-based, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Boss Mustapha declared that Buhari would run on his rich scorecard, unlike in 2015 when he ran on promises.

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello also described the president’s performance in superlative terms.

    At a town hall meeting in Ibadan, two ministers handling the critical areas of infrastructure development – Babatunde Fashola and Rotimi Amaechi –  said the Buhari administration had done more in three years than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) administration did in 16 years.

    The President himself blamed the PDP for wasting  the nation’s commonwealth during their regimes.

    Speaking at a dinner for youthful political appointees at the new Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Mustapha said: ”If we have to make a comparison of what has been achieved in the last couple of years, the 16 years of PDP administration will not constitute one-tenth of what we have been able to achieve in the last three and half years.

    “We went to the 2015 elections with promises, but we will go to the 2019 elections with our scorecard.”

    He added that “as a government arm, we have achieved so much and I am going to make available to you a document that we have put together, which captures what the government has been able to achieve in just about two and half years; what I call a mid-term report.”

    Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, at the same event, said: “President Buhari is a good product we know, but we must go out to sell him to Nigerians. Perception is very critical in times like this. If we fail, God forbid, the ugly narrative of PDP will overtake the land.

    “Our score card is very rich and very rich enough. We must market the incredible accomplishments of Mr. President and of his administration to every voter and in a language he or she understands.

    ”If we don’t market our product very well, a tough and progressive victory against a terrorist threat, which continues to cost the lives of our brave military and law enforcement agencies, will be mistaken for inaction.

    “If we don’t market our product very well, try our politically exposed offenders using long extant laws, which previous leaders were not willing to deploy against cronies, accomplishments will be mistaken for extra-judicial measures and disdain for the rule of law.

    “If we do not put Mr. President’s achievements before our people so that they can sight it themselves, we will be agreeing with the PDP that in fighting corruption, which he is offering again, is somehow better than the alleged incompetence of the APC which has accomplished everything I have enumerated above.”

    Bello, however, warned his party not to underrate the PDP in the election.

    REad also: Alleged N11.5b fraud: Absence of witnesses stalls trial of Alao-Akala, others

    He said: “All that the crooked PDP is offering Nigerians is that corruption is better than incompetence in quote. 2015 was about change, 2019 will be about progress.

    “As members of the APC, we will not deny that our party has a huge task in the 2019 general elections; the election will never be a walk-over; the PDP will not be a push over.

    “And we must take nothing and no one for granted. If we cannot defeat PDP, maybe we should not be influencers or we should not even go to politics.” he said

    The President expressed disappointment that the media had not highlighted the massive achievements recorded by his administration in agriculture.

    He again challenged the PDP over the power generated after claiming to have spent $16billion, Buhari added:   ”I’m very disappointed with the Nigerian press. They didn’t give this government the credit of the go-back-to-land programme. We have cut down the importation of rice by at least 90 per cent.”

    He said the country had achieved food security and remarked that he appointed Mr. Audu Ogbe as minister of agriculture because “he is somebody who has suffered in that sector.

    “Ogbeh went to a bank, borrowed money and invested in agriculture. He suffered but eventually he paid the money. So, you cannot have a better person (for the job).”

    Executive Director at the Nigerian Social Insurance Trust Fund (NSITF) Jasper Azuatalam, one of those hosted at the ceremony, said: “The worst thing we can do to this country, Nigeria, is to allow PDP to come back to power in 2019. It is the worst thing we can do to Nigeria.

    ”I will liken PDP to a lion that has been put in the cage for a long time. I have interacted with their members and I know how hungry they have become because they don’t see free money as before.

    ”If we loose this lion again in 2019, then Nigeria is going to walk more than 1,000 steps backward.

    ”Like we always said in those days we lost elections, Mr. President will always get 11 to 12 million votes whether he operates from a party or not. That’s the goodwill we had that time.

    ”But that is because a lot of people believed that by Mr. President’s integrity and his anti-corruption, he is going to do magic when he resumes office as President. That in two months, Nigeria will change. They don’t know how it would happen.

    ”But the truth is that most of these have been disappointed because they didn’t see the magic. That is why we need to do the real work.”

  • Buhari and borderless trade deals

    President Muhammadu Buhari’s refusal to attend and sign the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, which 44 other African States endorsed at the 10th Extra-Ordinary Session of African Union Assembly, has attracted undue criticisms. But this is not the first time President Buhari has declined to append his signature on a borderless trade deal.  He had earlier withheld his signature from the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) among the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).  It would appear that the president’s attitude to EPA had escaped the notice of his critics or AfCFTA came up close to an election year.  Otherwise, the president’s actions have been consistent and largely predictable.

    But what are the grievances of the president’s critics on the AfCFTA agreement?  Till date, there has not been any cogent and strong reason to fault President Buhari’s refusal to sign AfCFTA agreement.  What resembles a reason why Buhari is under fire for declining to sign AfCFTA was given by former President Olusegun Obasanjo at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan, Cote d Ivoire.  He said that Nigeria being the founder of the Organisation of African Unity, after it took over the mantle from Egypt, her president has no reason not to sign the agreement.  He had hoped that the president will sign the agreement before it would be too late.  When it will be too late, he unfortunately did not state.  As anyone would expect, his appeal and hope seem to have fallen on deaf ears.

    The unnecessary rancour generated by Nigeria’s refusal to sign AfCFTA agreement conveys the wrong impression to the public, that borderless trade deals are new.  This is wrong.  It is for this reason that this intervention became necessary.

    In considering borderless trade deals, I have deliberately excluded the European Union trade deal, because before Europe contemplated any free trade deal, almost all countries on the Euro-zone were at comparable levels of development in manufacturing, technology, external trade, urban planning, building and architecture, and other human endeavour.  It will therefore, be in order to consider the Asian experience in putting together free trade treaties/agreements.  Two such agreements stand out, namely: ASEAN Free Trade Area (AFTA) and South Asian Free Trade Area (SAFTA).

    AFTA is the trade agreement of Association of Southeast Asian Nations, signed in Singapore on January 28, 1992, by six member states of Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.  Vietnam, Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia joined in 1995, 1997, and 1999, respectively.  Similarly, SAFTA agreement was signed in Islamabad, Pakistan, on January 6, 2004.  The agreement created a trade bloc, currently of 1.8 billion people in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Maldives, Pakistan and Sir Lanka.  The agreement came into force on January 1, 2006, after seven member states ratified it.  India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, considered the developing countries, were expected by the agreement to bring their duties down to 20 per cent in the first phase of the two-year period ending in 2007.  But India and Pakistan did not ratify that agreement until 2009.

    The pattern of ratification of AFTA and SAFTA treaties clearly demonstrates that, it is now conventional wisdom for countries to put their houses in order, before signing or ratifying borderless trade deals.  President Buhari’s withdrawal from signing AfCFTA, is coming on the heels of the revelation that Nigeria performed poorly in her participation and the benefit she derived from the extended trade deal offered by the USA under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). Available records at the US Department for Economic and Regional Affairs shows, in unmistakable terms, that Nigeria accounted for a paltry USD 9 million out of USD 2.7 billion agricultural exports by the continent to the USA in 2017.  If Nigeria ratifies AfCFTA as some people want, she will be competing with other African countries which performed spectacularly well under AGOA in 2017. We do not need any Pastor, Imam or Voodoo Priest to predict that the result will be disastrous.

    Buhari made it clear while receiving letter of credence from KetilIversenKarlsen, head of EU delegation to Nigeria, that he did not sign the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) among ECOWAS countries because our industries cannot compete with the more efficient and highly technologically driven industries in Europe. This is the truth and should be commended by all Nigerians. It is important to remind the president’s critics that there are so many other areas to play politics with.  But to extend politics to Nigeria’s long term economic future and development should be resisted.

    To be sure, President Buhari has not espoused any coherent policy on Nigeria’s economic growth and development.  Different models abound in the world development market-place we can choose from.  We can choose the war-induced development model:  Japan and the defunct West Germany, after World War II; South Korea after the Korean War or the Chinese and Indian model which entails locking your borders and throwing the keys into the ocean for a number of years.  The Chinese did so for 35 years and the Indians for 30 years.  In 1985, India was described by the authoritative India Today as a “caged tiger; implying that the country had developed all factors needed for massive production of goods and services.  Delivering a paper on “India’s Developmental Patterns: What lessons for Nigeria” at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Lagos,  I made the point that India’s giant strides in the economic sphere is directly related to the inward-looking policy adopted immediately after that country’s independence in 1947.

    Given our present level of development and national circumstances, the Chinese and Indian model recommends itself for a variety of reasons.  First, Nigeria is a market, with 198 million people, the largest in Africa.  So there is nothing anyone will produce in Nigeria without selling.  The market is so huge that local industries cannot satisfy even 30 per cent of its requirement, a perfect situation for inward-looking policy, which will stop foreign businesses having a field day.  Herein lies the problem, because initially there will be shortages and given the appetite of the ordinary Nigerians for foreign goods, including clothes used by mad-men in Europe, there will be protests on the streets, claiming that government deprived us the good life.  Chinese and Indians endured shortages for their children to come to Idumota and establish factories where Nigerians work as slaves.  No pain no gain, as your gym-master will tell you.  Second, we need to intensify infrastructural development in earnest, especially electricity and rail transport system.  These infrastructure sub-sectors are intrinsically linked and have propelled unimaginable development in the two countries under reference.

    Third, before a lock down, Nigeria should return to the five-year medium term planning approach.  This planning approach offers a lot of clarity in prioritizing projects and funding as well as implementation timelines, etc.  Government should recall all those who put together our third and fourth national development plans to guide the preparation of a five – year nations development plan for Nigeria – say 2019 – 2024.

    Funding a five – year national development plan can be a lot easier, given that it will be derived annually from the national budget.  The present situation Nigeria has a plan which says she needs trillions and trillions of dollars for infrastructure development is either an academic exercise or wishful thinking.  Except, of course, we plan to borrow such humongous amount and invest it wisely in infrastructure development, an idea which, current managerial capacity and present financial management abilities simply does not recommend.

    Fourth, intensify the anti-corruption effort through the introduction of new strategies and successful models, tested elsewhere.  In this regard, there is need to consider a period of pardon for those who will on their own repatriate ill-gotten money kept abroad. The current approach is time-consuming as several corruption cases will linger in court until the tenure of any democratically elected government expires.

    Nigeria should never go back to the kind of national debate occasioned by the country’s acceptance of the International Monetary Fund’s conditionalties between 1985 – 1986.  Now such a journey will simply be disastrous.

     

    • Igwe, Ph.D is Director, Economic Research and Policy Management, Federal Ministry of Finance, Abuja.