The Nation Newspaper

Tag: David B. Lawal

  • Google begins digital skills training for 1million Africans

    Google begins digital skills training for 1million Africans

    Google, the American multinational technology company has announced a commitment to train 1million young Africans in digital skills in the next one year, which is undeniably a capacity building opportunity for the continent.

    Making the announcement on Tuesday, Google Country Manager, Juliet Ehimuan-Chiazor described the initiative as an amazing opportunity for businesses and digital entrepreneurs in Africa.

    According to her, if people have the right skills, they can build business, they will become more employable and can really help to boost the economy of the continent.

    “In 2015 we ran a survey across South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya just to understand how Africans are using the web. And we found out that 74% of the respondents said they will prefer to use digital tools for various tasks, while 69% of respondents said the internet is their first point of call if they need to get information.

    “So more and more we are seeing internet as an integral part of our lives on this continent. A Makinson report also mentioned that from 2013 to 2020, the internet would have contributed $300billion to the economy and that ecommerce will go from non existence to a $75billion industry. So the opportunities are in numbers. And there is a World Bank study that says for every 10% increase in broadband, you have a corresponding 1.38% increase in GDP.

    “From the work that we do, we do hear businesses talking about the fact that the internet really makes them more productive, but for a lot of them, they are not sure how. Which is why I am really excited that today we are announcing our commitment to training 1million people across top Saharan Africa with digital skills in one year,” she said.

    In realising this commitment, Google, a content aggregator is supporting its partner, Livity Africa, to run two training programs: ‘Digify Bytes’ to give digital skills to young people looking to develop a digital career; and ‘Digify Pro’, a 3-month immersion program for digital specialists.

    In his remarks, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, Google Communications and PR Manager, West Africa, noted that the tech company is committed to providing digital opportunities and encouraging business startups for the continent and across the world.

    According to him, a group of 65 volunteer Googlers from around the world are helping the team with content development, ‘training the trainers’ and, in some cases, delivering the training sessions.

    To achieve this feat, the global search engine launched Digify Africa, an online-learning portal that will house a range of digital skills courses, available to anyone in Africa – free. The courses are designed to be as “light” as possible so they don’t eat up valuable data and intending learners can even learn from any Smartphone.

    In general, there are nine training courses already available and Google aims to have 50 available by July. These programs have already launched in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa, and will be scaled to reach more people in the next 12 months.

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  • Fleet technologies rebrands, plans to advance ICT in Africa

    Fleet technologies rebrands, plans to advance ICT in Africa

    Leading Information and Communication Technology (ICT) company in Africa, Fleet Technologies Limited has announced the launch of its new identity, Vatebra Limited at a grand event held in Lagos, Nigeria.

    Speaking on: “Beyond Now-Nigeria without oil: Prospect for Technology and Innovation, Keynote Speaker, Dr. Doyin Salami, member of the Lagos Business School stressed the importance of technology and innovations to Africa, Nigeria in particular.

    According to him, Nigeria beyond oil simply means diversify the Nigerian economy in such a manner that government revenues do not depend on oil, adding that 72% of government revenues in this country are derived from oil.

    “So you can already see the mismatch and the problems when the sector of your economy that is about 10% to 12% is responsible for 70+% of government revenues. You already know that should anything happen to that revenue generator. When we say Beyond Now-Nigeria without oil, what prospects for technology; even though I have set up for you that in certain dimensions, oil is not important, in other dimensions, oil is critical,” the scholar said.

    Speaking further on the role of technology as far as the Nigerian economy is concerned; the Economist observed that Technology has arguably become the fastest growing sector of the Nigerian economy. He said that ICT today in 2016 accounts for about 10% of the Nigerian economy, recalling that in the year 2000, ICT in Nigeria was less than one quarter of 1% of this economy.

    “Late starters in the technology game, tend to have a benefit of the newest technology. If we are going to be a late starter and a beneficiary, then we have to be serious about it. If we are going to be talk about a Nigeria without oil, if we are going to talk about the role of technology, we have to ask ourselves, is Nigeria ready for technology? Is Nigeria wired for technology?

    “I was looking earlier today at the Global Innovation index, and it was quite damning. Out of 148 countries, Nigeria ranked 121. If that is the case, at the very least, what it already tells us is that not only are we late starters, we don’t even seem to be interested in the game,” he lamented.

    In his opinion, if Nigeria is going to be serious about technology, education has to be taken more seriously than ever before. “Technology is about the practical application of knowledge and knowledge is about education. If we cannot educate our own people, then how do we want to be part of technology.  You may require technology to do innovation and you may not. But what is clear is that without knowledge we are unlikely to do either technology or innovation,“ Dr Salami maintained.

    In his remark, Vatebra Managing Director, Kunle Akinniran noted: “As a company, we have seen the evolution of thoughts and ideas; Ideas that simplify the way we conduct business to how our students register for examinations and check their results. We have seen how the mobile device has become the first and the last touch point for virtually every young person in Nigeria today.”

    According to him, the company has been at the forefront of championing innovative ICT solutions that have helped automate many manual processes both in government and private organizations.

    The event was graced by influential personalities from various Federal Government Agencies, multinational organisations and regulatory institutions among the, who are Registrar, West African Examination Council (WAEC); Registrar, National Business and Technical Examinations Board (NABTEB), Dr. Olatunde Aworanti.

    Others are Dr Iyi Uwadiae, The Chief Executive of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr. Boboye Oyeyemi  and chairman of Chams Group, Demola Aladekomo and many more.

  • Dell launches first virtual reality enabled Precision Workstations

    Dell launches first virtual reality enabled Precision Workstations

    End to end ICT solutions provider, Dell is formalising its commitment to the future of Virtual Reality, with the unveiling of a set of new Virtual Reality-ready solutions that are optimised for professional VR consumption and creation.

    Features of the new Dell Precision workstations and hardware configurations include minimum CPU, memory and graphics requirements to support optimal VR viewing experience and compatible graphics drivers.

    According to the Country Manager, Dell Nigeria, Akin Banuso, Dell Precision has been delivering immersive computing experiences for many years, including 3D immersive caves, simulation and military application, but the new Virtual Reality solution brings immersive visualisation to the masses by democratising the technology.

    Banuso said: “The implementations are endless and Precision aims to address the need for more rigor when professional creators demand the utmost in performance and reliability while building incredible VR content.”

    Dell also announced upgrade to its Dell Precision Tower Workstations to meet the needs of professional creators, with new increased performance, graphics, and memory for VR content creation.

    The newly refreshed Dell Precision Tower 5810, 7810, and 7910 Workstations and Rack 7910 have been upgraded with new Intel Broadwell EP Processors that have more cores and performance for multi-threaded applications that are ideal for professional modelling, analysis and calculations.

    Additional upgrades includes the latest professional graphics technology from AMD and NVIDIA, Dell Precision Ultra-Speed PCle drives with up to 4xfaster performance than traditional SATA SSD Storage and up to 1TB of DDR4 Memory running at 2400MHz speed.

  • ACLN urges FG to review 2016 Budget

    ACLN urges FG to review 2016 Budget

    The Association for Credible Leadership in Nigeria (ACLN), has shown appreciation to President Muhammadu Buhari for understanding the current economic situation in the country, which has led to reductions in the 2016 budget.

    The association, in comparing the budgets of recent past years with the 2016 budget, observed some reductions in most sectors in the 2016 budget.

    The ACLN said this in a press release made available to newsmen, noting that the allocation for National Assembly in 2015 budget was N120 billion but reduced to N115 billion in 2016.

    “So too, the allocation for Presidential Amnesty in the 2015 budget was pegged at N63.28 billion but reduced to N43.28 billion.

    “However, like all well meaning Nigerians, we still believe that is not anywhere close to what we need especially with the dire economic situation that we found ourselves in as a country.

    “No doubt that these costs of governance could have been better reduced if a number of things were taken out completely or reduced to minimum.

    “We recall that the President, upon assumption of office, promised to reduce the Aircrafts in the Presidential fleet from about ten or eleven to one.  As far as we know, nothing has been done in that regard and the country spends a lot to run and maintain these airplanes,” the release reads in part.

    According to the Association, of what use is it if Lawmakers must have official accommodations and cars despite having personal ones.

    “Even commissioners have official cars and houses: these we believe are waste of resources. With the present economic situation of the country, all quarters need to sacrifice hence, government officials should cut down the way they spend public funds.

    “We advise that the country deal with corruption and excessive spending among government officials if we want to stabilize our economy and attract meaningful foreign investors.

    “Nigeria needs to learn from a country like Tanzania where the President, John Magufuli is radically ‘changing’ the way things were done among public office holders.

    “The President suspended the Independence Day celebration to save the country 4billion Tanzanian shilling after which the proposed money was converted to addressing the outbreak of cholera that had killed 74 people at the time. He has cancelled foreign travel for most government officials and maintained that when it is compulsory, public office holders must travel by economy and not business class,” it said.

    It noted how one of the lawmakers, Senator Ben Murray-Bruce decried the number of unnecessary luxuries included in the budget that is expected to be funded by borrowing from other countries.

    In the video, the Senator noted that the British Prime Minister, David Cameron, gets 30,000 pounds for the uplift of his official residence. Yet the Great Britain does not have one Presidential jet but Nigeria has multiple.

    “Sadly, Nigeria plans to borrow from Britain, which according to the Senator, leaves Nigeria being a debtor, living larger than its creditor,” Murray-Bruce lamented.

    In furtherance, the ACLN said: “Right in the middle of all these, the National Assembly proposed to splash about N4.7billion on at least 400 vehicles for leaders and members of the Senate and House of Representatives, of which the Senate President, Bukola Saraki has received the delivery of two exotic cars at the cost of N329,515,625.

    “A sum that is larger than the allocations for many government schools as seen in the 2016 budget according to an online news media.”

    The group quoted former President Olusegun Obasanjo to have said: “A pool of a few cars for each Chamber will suffice for any Committee Chairman or members for any specific duty. The waste that has gone into cars, furniture, housing renovation in the past was mind-boggling and these were veritable sources of waste and corruption. That was why they were abolished. Bringing them back is inimical to the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians.”

    The ACLN therefore pleaded with the Buhari-led administration to further look into the 2016 budget and remove, suspend or drastically reduce the budget.

    “Another insensitive way of spending that we observed in the budget is the N3.8 billion reportedly allocated to State House Clinic. If Mr President is serious about the budget, this insensitivity needs to be addressed.

    “Therefore, the ACLN join Nigerians home and abroad to say that this sum is excessive for a government that is advocating for a reduction in the cost of governance. There is no justification for such a sum, if this is true.

    “We urge the Federal Government to revisit this outrageous sum having in mind that several clinics and Primary Health Centers in the country are either understaffed, lacking equipment or poorly managed and exposing citizens to different health problems.

    “We must also commend Nigerians for standing up to note and query the supposed excesses observed in the budget, even as we urge every Nigerian to exercise patience with the government as we hopefully expect the changes we voted for to materialize. Nigeria is great and can be greater if government can lead the citizens through the right path, even as we trust that citizens’ interest will prevail in the 2016 budget. We believe in the power of the people; We the people,” it stated.

  • BREAKING! Emir of Kano orders release of abducted teenager

    BREAKING! Emir of Kano orders release of abducted teenager

    The emir of Kano, Malam Sanusi Lamido II has ordered the Sharia Commission in the state to liaise with office of the Deputy Inspector General of police, zone 1 to immediately commence process of returning the a 14-year old teenager, Ese Oruru allegedly abducted in Bayelsa state.

    Ese was allegedly kidnapped by one Yunusa in Opolo, Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State, in August, 2015.

    He reportedly renamed her Aishat on arriving Kano State.

    Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, former minister of finance Obi Ezekwesili as well as the governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Hajia Aishat Al-Hassan have shown interest in Ese’s case, demanding her immediate release.

  • African Union’s CFTA-NF 1st meeting kicks off

    African Union’s CFTA-NF 1st meeting kicks off

    The 1st Meeting of the Continental Free Trade Area Negotiating Forum (CFTA-NF) kicked off on Wednesday at the African Union Commission (AUC) Headquarters in Addis Ababa.

    During the next three days, Member States will consider the post launch preparatory issues and essential process issues and technical documents that will enable the efficient conduct of the negotiations. The Meeting will consider and adopt the Rules of Procedure for the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) Negotiating Forum.

    The 25th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union, which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa in June 2015, launched the negotiations for the establishment of the CFTA.

    The launch of the negotiations marked a major milestone in the implementation of the Summit decision to establish a continental free trade area by the Indicative date of 2017.

    In her statement, the Commissioner for Trade and Industry, H.E. Mrs. Fatima Haram Acyl reminded participants how critical it is to deliver the CFTA by 2017.

    “Why is this important? Because the whole world is watching and waiting. And Africa must prove to itself and the whole world that it can agree internally on solutions towards its own development. We must strive to deliver the CFTA by 2017, and the Rules of Procedure that we will be considering and adopting in this session will be highly consequential in this regard”, she echoed.

    According to the Commissioner, negotiating a free trade area among such various Member States will require enormous amounts of energy, effort, and persistence. At the same time, Commissioner Acyl also acknowledged that diversity is Africa’s strength, that’s why she urged the participants to work as a team in a spirit of tolerance.

    “With a collective spirit of ‘Together as one Africa’, where disagreements are tolerated and differences of opinion are encouraged, we can and will prevail. With your commitment, the establishment of an African Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) can and will become a reality”, she concluded.

    The role of the African Union Commission in the negotiations is to provide and coordinate technical and administrative support to the Member States and REC’s. The AUC also serves as the Secretariat to the CFTA Negotiating Forum.

    In playing its support and harmonization role, the AUC closely collaborates with the RECs, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the African Development Bank (AfDB) who are members of the Continental Task Force on the CFTA which operates at the level of Chief Executive Officers and at the Technical level.

    This was published on African Union website.

  • Ondo: Boroffice replies Mimiko, insists govt lied

    Ondo: Boroffice replies Mimiko, insists govt lied

    The Senator representing Ondo North Senatorial District, Prof. Ajayi Boroffice has replied the Ondo State Government over its reactions to the controversial sum of N11bn allegedly spent by the state government on federal roads in the state.

    In a statement issued by his media aide, Kayode Adeniyi, the All Progressive Congress (APC) Senator said that the reaction of the Mimiko-led administration to his honest observations raised more questions than answers.

    “The Media Office of Distinguished Senator (Prof.) Ajayi Boroffice has noted the reaction of the Ondo State Government, through its Commissioner of Information, Kayode Akinmade, to the appeal made by Senator Boroffice to the Federal Government on the need to exercise circumspection on the issue of reimbursement of funds reportedly spent on federal roads to the Mimiko-led government.

    “The twin-ground of appeal are: firstly, it was in view of the conflicting figures emanating from the governor and his appointees. Secondly, it was due to the fact that most of the federal roads, for which the Mimiko-led administration is seeking reimbursement, are presently death traps that require the urgent intervention of the federal government.

    “Therefore, the under listed points must be stated: That the reaction of the government falls short of gubernatorial mien. It was hogwash from a sloppy commissioner who glaringly failed in the cruel bid to muddle up issues with his expressed befuddlement and confusion. Obviously, he knows little or nothing about the government he speaks for.

    “Meanwhile, the insinuation that Senator Boroffice is working against the interest of the state‎ is false and misleading. That was a poor shot at blackmailing the federal lawmaker for his honest observations.

    “Why is the government seeking to wipe sympathies of the people like a forsaken-crying baby? A man who has been at the forefront of attracting the intervention of the federal government to fix bad roads in Ondo State cannot be said to be working against the interest or hate the same state. He should also not be expected to keep mute when there is a coordinated plan to defraud the federal government,” the statement read.

    Similarly, the Senator noted that it is a known fact that the N11bn claimed to have been expended on federal roads in Ondo State is an accumulated figure from past administrations.

    The Lawmaker further said: “Of course, the Mimiko-led administration couldn’t have claimed it single-handedly spent N11bn on roads when roads are not built inside a dome – the official conduit pipe to siphon public resources. The emphasis of the government on an obvious fact is therefore a mere distraction. It doesn’t address the issue of conflicting figures”

    ‎Putting the record straight, Senator Boroffice noted that on Tuesday, 10th of November 2015, Governor Mimiko claimed that the state government was owed N7bn on federal roads. Senator Boroffice also noted that on Thursday, 29th of January 2015, the state commissioner for Works, Gboye Adegbenro‎ said‎ that N11bn was spent on federal roads.

    Presently, Akinmade has claimed part of the N11bn incurred by the state government had been paid three years ago with N9bn balance yet to be paid. If this administration were to be a transparent one, should it take the observation of Senator Boroffice to bring it to public domain that it received N2bn in 2013?

    The Senator raised further questions saying: “If the state government was paid N2bn out of N11bn in 2013, why did a commissioner of works, Gboye Adegbenro, claim that the amount yet to be received by the state government was N11bn in 2015? Was the money received without the knowledge of the state commissioner? Was it received through the backdoor or did Adegbenro deliberately lie to the people on behalf of the government?

    “Considering the fact that Akinmade has said N9bn is the balance yet to be paid, why did Governor Mimiko claim it was N7bn in November, 2015? Does it mean Governor Mimiko made an uninformed comment? Who should the people believe between Governor Mimiko and Akinmade? Who is in charge?

    “Rather than reconcile figures, the commissioner has only confirmed that indeed, the figures brandished by the Governor and other officials of the government ‎are conflicting. ‎A competent government official would not seek to wave off issue of accountability and transparency by resorting to political innuendoes. That is being clever by half.

    “As clearly analyzed above, Akinmade needs to acquire basic rudiments of arithmetic as much as he needs fundamental knowledge of space technology.”

    On a reiterating note, Senator Boroffice maintains the view that most of the affected roads are death traps and the people of Ondo State would prefer the federal government to fix them rather than pay such funds to an administration that lacks accountability and transparency.

    “‎Finally, given the established conflicting figures as admitted by the officials of the Ondo State Government, the federal government should exercise caution on this issue. And the Hon. Rotimi Ameachi-led team should make its report and recommendations available to the public,” the Federal Lawmaker maintained.

  • ‘The future of Africa is urban’

    ‘The future of Africa is urban’

    The city of Abuja, under the auspices of the Government of Nigeria, is about to host a strategic event vital to the future of Africa and its citizens.

    The Habitat III Africa Regional Meeting of 24-26 February is a crucial spur to the current global debate on urbanization as a source of prosperity and an engine of development.

    Above all, this meeting is a pragmatic contribution by the African continent to Habitat III: the UN International Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development scheduled this October in Quito.

    While we are entering the final straight towards Habitat III, it is important to assess what is at stake for Africa in this global debate.

    First is the fact that the future of Africa is inevitably urban. Although Africa is the least urbanized continent in the world, its urbanization rates are nowadays higher than anywhere else.

    The continent’s population growth is projected to double from 1 billion in 2010 to 2 billion in 2040, with an accelerated transition from rural to urban population.

    Second, and inseparable from urban population growth, is the evidence that cities will form the backdrop to unprecedented urbanization that, if well planned and designed, will constitute one of the most significant boosts to economic and social prosperity ever seen.

    The economic transition from the primary sector of the economy, traditionally agriculture and extractive industries, towards more productive sectors of the economy, mainly industrial manufacturing and services, will largely depend on African urbanization.

    And third is the commitment of the African leaders to promote an African Urban Agenda that will position the continent in the lead of these transformations, in line with Agenda 2063.

    Visionary leaders across the continent share our vision of sustainable urbanization, which goes to the core of the UN Agenda 2030, and more specifically Goal 11, which considers urbanization a source of economic growth, social prosperity, and environmental sustainability.

    What is at stake in Abuja and in Habitat III in Quito is the well-being of millions of Africans. I commend the Nigerian authorities for hosting us and for launching such an important debate at a crucial moment for urbanization. Nigeria has the good fortune of counting on the expertise of Minister Amina Mohamed, who has been key to the gestation of the new global agenda.

    Well-planned and designed urbanization in Africa can be an essential part of the solution to many of the challenges facing the continent today, such as inefficient transport, pollution, unemployment and social exclusion.

    I encourage African leaders to take an active part in Abuja and in Quito for Habitat III to transmit Africa’s experience on using urbanization as a force for positive economic and social development. Africa has a lot to offer to the world.

     

    Joan Clos is the Executive Director of UN-Habitat, headquartered in Nairobi (Kenya), and the Secretary-General of Habitat III.

  • Safer Internet Day 2016: Google, NFVCB, others train students

    Safer Internet Day 2016: Google, NFVCB, others train students

    Nigeria on Tuesday join the rest of the world to celebrate the Safer Internet Day (SID) 2016, following the increasing importance of the Internet to everyone especially children and youth, for whom schoolwork, online gaming, and social networking are among the most popular activities.

    Since 2004, Safer Internet Day has been celebrated on the second day of the second week of the second month of the year, with this year’s theme being ‘Play your part for a better internet’.

    SID 2016 seeks to show young internet users the significant role they also have in ensuring a better cyberspace, promote safer and more responsible use of online technologies, now including mobile Internet.

    Safer Internet Day was born in Europe and has grown rapidly and spreading to over 100 countries worldwide, with thousands of people involved in events to promote safer Internet use.

    Having observed the SID for the past three years, Google Nigeria, partnered the National Film and Videos Censors Board (NFVCB) and Home Vida, to organise an interactive programme for Nigerian students, managing to reach out to over 600 learners, teachers and parents.

    According to Titi Akinsanmi, Google’s Policy & Government Relations Manager, the aim of the event is to reach out to young Internet users (target group of 10 to 18 years old) and share information with them on how they can enjoy the multiple benefits offered by the medium of the Internet, while at the same time, staying safe from harm and exposure to age-inappropriate content.

    “A Safer Internet Day is undoubtedly good for everyone. We all use the internet, so it is important for government, the organised private sector and civil societies to continue to collaborate to develop and promote strong policies aimed at improving the safety of users while on the web.

    Responding to questions from Journalists, Mr Terry Odey, National Film and Video Censorship Board (NFVCB), Southwest Zonal Coordinator, implored the general public to help the board by reporting any video with inappropriate contents.

    His words: “We are trying to stop videos with illicit contents from being sold in the country but there are limitations. Even if we have 1000 members of staff, they can’t all be at the same place, at the same time. Just before leaving the office, I received about two calls, complaining about the sort of content in a video.”

    As part of events commemorating the day, Google announced the launch of the Web Rangers program in Nigeria. The program which currently runs in 10 countries provides workshops which aim to train young people to become ‘online safety ambassadors’ who will help raise awareness of online safety with their peers and in their schools.

    “We will be working with the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and HomeVida, to train over 10,000 Nigerian students via the Web Rangers face-to-face training sessions and via the newly launched online portal at www.saferinternet.org.ng” said Akinsanmi.

    Google also announced the launch of its Security Checkup tool which gives Google account owners a quick way to control their security settings, manage recovery phone numbers and control what devices are connected to their accounts.

    Google account owners who complete the Security Checkup by February 11th will get 2GB of extra Google Drive storage.

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  • DasukiGate: Justice must prevail in citizen’s interest – ACLN

    DasukiGate: Justice must prevail in citizen’s interest – ACLN

    The Association for Credible Leadership in Nigeria (ACLN) has expressed support for the ongoing anti-graft campaign led by the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    The association also salutes the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) for unraveling the level of involvement of some notable individuals in the arms deal, which has somewhat incapacitated the Nigerian military from properly prosecuting the Boko Haram terrorism in North-Eastern Nigeria.

    ACLN expressed their support in a statement, commending the EFCC for being able to expose the corruption in Nigeria, especially among senior citizens without fear or favour. “This shows to us that the government is on the right cause against corruption,” the group said.

    The statement reads; “this is also a confirmation that the current administration empowers institutions and not individuals unlike past administration in the country.

    “It is rather sad for the former National Security Adviser (NSA), Col. Dasuki Sambo (rtd.), who should be leading the battle against Boko Haram insurgents to be found leading the team of corrupt politicians who cared less about an average citizen. What sort of advice was he rendering the President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration.

    “The implications of what Dasuki did include portraying Nigeria and her citizens in a bad light of terrorism before the international community, killing of several innocent souls, as well as squandering national funds which is largely average citizen’s tax money.

    “No doubt, considering the state of infrastructures in the country, the diverted US$2 billion dollars (N13 billion) would have helped to an extent in advancing the course of building Nigeria.

    “The ACLN condemn the wicked act of Col. Dasuki as well as Chief Raymond Dokpesi of Africa Independent Television (AIT) and others involved in the arms deal who are yet to be exposed.

    “We believe like many other logical persons will agree that such callous act is responsible for the further escalation of the war against terrorism in the Country.”

    According to the association, the Nigerian Army, who have tried in terms of manpower despite losing gallant war men to such a petty battle, would have been in control of the battle and secure Nigeria’s territories if they were better equipped.

    “Similarly, the death of these soldiers who were not given adequate weapon to withstand the firepower of the Sect, the killings and kidnapping of innocent and vulnerable citizens (women and kids), who would not have experience such if adequate funding have been made available to the army, all call for justice,” the group added.

    The ACLN urge the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), to allow the rule of law prevail as everyone indicted in the deal must be made to face the full weight of the law and ensure that all looted funds are recovered.

    “At this stage of the revelations of the arms deal, the United Nations’ judicial organ, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and all other relevant international authorities may need to step in, to ensure that judgement is not manipulated in Nigeria.

    “We are saying this because despite the magnitude of the effect of the deal and the caliber of persons involved, the Federal High Court sitting at Maitama, Abuja granted bail to Dasuki, the former Executive Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission (NNPC), ‎Aminu Baba-Kusa‎ and three others, to the tune of N250 million each, while all accused persons have suddenly developed strange health issues for which they are attempting to flee the country.

    “What we are saying is that if justice must be done, such penalty is too meager for an offence that has not only claimed the lives of thousands of Nigerians, Niger, Cameroon and Chad have also suffered casualties.

    “The ACLN consider this as a shame on the past administrations for painting such a wicked picture of leadership for the younger generation of Nigerians. Thus, if judgement is not properly melted out, there are chances of today’s youths treading the same path in few years time.

    “We therefore call on the National Assembly to work with President Buhari in overhauling the Nigerian law, if the fight against corrupt practices must be won in the country,” the association noted.

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