The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Engr. Babachir David Lawal

  • Breaking: FG removes NTDC DG, Sally Mbanefo

    Breaking: FG removes NTDC DG, Sally Mbanefo

    The Federal Government on Wednesday removed the Director General of the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC), Mrs. Sally Mbanefo.

    The Director General  has been asked to handover the affairs of NTDC to the next most senior officer.

    The removal of the Chief Executive was contained in a November 27, 2016 letter which was signed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. Babachir David Lawal.

    The letter was titled “Notification of de-secondment from the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC).

    The letter reads: “I refer to the attached letter, Ref. No. SGF.6/S.23/1/568 of 8th October, 2013 in respect of your secondment from the Keystone Bank Limited to serve as Executive Director/ Chief Executive Officer of the Nigeria Tourism Development Corporation (NTDC) for a period of two years with effect from 6th May 2013.

    You may note from the foregoing that the period of your secondment at the corporation had since lapsed on 5th May 2016.

    Consequently, you are to handover the affairs of the corporation to the most senior officer on or before Wednesday, 30th November, 2016.”

  • Buhari wades into Edo APC crisis

    Buhari wades into Edo APC crisis

    There were indications Thursday that President Muhammadu Buhari may have directed the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Engr. Babachir David Lawal to interface with stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress in Edo state with a view to resolving the crisis in the party.

    Sources close to the party told journalists that the President has asked the SGF to meet with all the aspirants in the last governorship primaries and other stakeholders within 24 hours.

    The Edo State APC governorship primaries which was held on June 18 and won by Mr. Godwin Obaseki is being challenged by two of the aspirants who alleged irregularities in the conduct of the primary.

    In his petitions to the Appeals Committee, Ogiemwonyi alleged over voting at the primaries, while Imansuagbon claimed that the primary was rigged electronically.

    It was gathered that the two aggrieved aspirants have threatened to drag the party to court if they fail to nullify the primary.

    The source said, “The two aggrieved aspirants are waiting the recommendation of the Committee, threatening to go to court and work against the party in the event of any last minutes endorsement”.

    Chairman of the Primary Committee and  governor of Katsina, Aminu Bello Masari who was invited to appear before the committee was said to have been represented by a Director at the National Secretariat of the party.

    Chairman of the Appeal Committee, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele stated that the committee was compiling its recommendations, adding that all the stakeholders invited met with the Committee members and made oral presentations of the primaries.

    He however deny knowledge of the proposed meeting between the aspirants and the SGF.

  • Buhari inaugurates panel on parastatals’ reconstitution

    President Muhammadu Buhari, has inaugurated the Presidential Committee on the reconstitution of Federal Government Boards of Parastatals, Agencies and Commissions.

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Engr. Babachir David Lawal, disclosed this on Monday in Abuja.

    A statement issued by the Assistant Director (Press) in the Office of the SGF, Oise Johnson, said the committee is headed by the SGF.

    Members of the committee, according to the statement,include Alh. Mai Mala Buni (North-East Zone), Alh. Zakari Idde (North-Central Zone) and Alh. Inuwa Abdulkadir (North-West Zone).

    Others are Chief Hillard Etagbo Eta (South-South Zone), Chief Pius Akinyelure (South-West Zone), Chief Emmanuel Eneukwa (South-East Zone, and Mr. Gideon Sammani (SSAP to the President) as Secretary

    The Terms of Reference of the Committee include “(i) To determine and recommend to Mr. President, the Governing Boards of Federal Government Parastatals, Agencies and Commissions to be reconstituted immediately.

    “(ii) To identify the available positions of the Chairmanship and Membership levels in each of the affected Parastatals, Agencies and Commissions as provided for in their respective enabling laws.

    “(iii) To allocate the Chairmanship and Membership positions to each State of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, including slots for Presidential discretion.

    “(iv) To receive and screen the nominees received from the States and the Federal Capital Territory and recommend them to the President for consideration and approval.

    “(v) To ensure balance in the distribution of Board members along the geo-political zones of the country.

    “(vi) To advise Mr. President on any other matter(s) regarding the composition of the Boards that are incidental on the foregoing terms of reference.”

    The committee after the inauguration, held its inaugural meeting in Abuja.

  • REVEALED: Limitations of trade liberation scheme in Nigeria

    REVEALED: Limitations of trade liberation scheme in Nigeria


    [dropcap style="square" color="#017a25" bgcolor="#ededed" sradius="5" font="play"]The[/dropcap] Economic Trade Liberation Scheme (ETLS), a well-known path to economic prosperity for many countries, has been described to be marred by smuggling and evasion of duties, which have further have become destructive drainpipes for an ailing economy. An analyst further described the country as a young, unprotected, naïve but extremely beautiful lady, who everyone tries to take advantage of, liking the Nigerian economy to a victim of circumstances. Previously, there is an ongoing oil and gas boom in Nigeria, which translates into an attractive market. However, unfortunately, the central government appears too pre-occupied to protect all these from economic predators both within and outside the country, leaving the nation constantly exposed to violation. The swift crash of crude oil per barrel in the international market to $45.89 should not only be a wakeup call to the Nigerian government on the need to revamp the other sectors of the economy especially the crude Palm oil Sector. This can be done by increasing the internal and local production which will help meet up with the internal demand of the product and subsequently boost the export of the commodity. In 1990, the Economic Community Of West African States (ECOWAS) launched a the Economic Trade Liberation Scheme (ETLS) among its member states with the primary objective of establishing a Customs Union aimed at the total elimination of Customs duties and taxes of equivalent effect and removal of non-tariff to protect goods produced in Member States. The ECOWAS Trade Liberalisation Scheme (ETLS) is a trade instrument designed by the Regional Economic Community and administered by the ECOWAS Commission to encourage Intra-ECOWAS trade. There is no denial that the ETLS is the main ECOWAS operational tool for promoting the West African region as a Free Trade Area and the Commission’s first step towards the realisation of the objective of the community which is the establishment of a common market through: “The liberalisation of trade by the abolition, among Member States, of customs duties levied on imports and exports, and the abolition among Member States, of non-tariff barriers….” (Article 3 of ECOWAS Treaty). The ETLS was established as a medium for increasing productivity and market access for products originating from the Region’s domestic economy. The concept was originally intended at benefiting the private sector in particular, and ultimately boosting 1 the West African economy. It was also targeted at reducing the massive importation of goods which West Africa has been known for. Its ultimate goal targets at generating employment among the member States of ECOWAS and increasing intraregional trade. Unfortunately, practical experiences from the private sector engaged in cross border operations have rather continued to show that the implementation of the ETLS despite its enviable goals has remained shoddy and has led to the unattainable realisation of the noble objectives of the founding fathers. The result is that West African intra-regional trade has remained abysmally poor revolving around 10-12 percent. The foregoing predicament coupled with unattractive reports on the ETLS implementation among member states, goes to show how much West Africa may be the architects of her poor performance at the global trade arena. Crude Palm Oil (CPO) under ETLS is classified under processed goods hence enjoys certain concession upon entry into a different ECOWAS state. The three groups of goods under the scheme enjoy the following concessions:

    • Total exemption from import duties and taxes
    • No quantitative restriction,
    • Non-payment of compensation for loss of revenue for unprocessed goods and traditional handicraft product as a result of their importation.
    To however qualify for these concessions, certain conditions must be fulfilled by member states one of which being that the country of origin of such goods shall be from the community with specified percentage of value addition. Although many of the member countries cultivate oil palms there is a need to increase potential production of palm oil in order to meet both the domestic and the regional demand, particularly the needs of ECOWAS member countries with vulnerable economies and high rates of hunger. ECOWAS still experience a deficit of edible oil, which requires the importation of an estimate of 1.5 million metric tons per year and is foreseen to increase to some 2.0 million metric tons by 2020. However, in year 2014, Nigeria alone was reported to have a deficit of over 900,000 metric tons which is about 60% of the total ECOWAS current imported volume. Despite the glaring benefits of the ETLS, certain Stakeholders of the industry have taken undue advantage of the scheme to indulge in sharp practices by importing CPO from member states through round tripping from other countries. These CPO round tripped into these member states are then imported into Nigeria under ETLS zero duty regime. The Federal Government of Nigeria (In one of the National Dailies of 3rd June 2013) confirmed the illegal flooding of the Nigerian market with large volumes of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) imported from neighboring West African nations, under the guise of the ECOWAS Trade Liberalization Scheme (ETLS) According to the report, most of the palm oil imported from Malaysia, Indonesia and others actually end up in the Nigerian market duty-free; thereby displacing locally produced palm oil from the market and suffocating the Nigerian oil palm plantations The article continued to report that the aggregate of locally produced and imported palm oil in these neighboring West African nations by far surpasses what they require both for their domestic and industrial consumption, therefore making the massive Nigerian market the dumping ground for these cheap CPO, which also come into Nigeria duty-free under ETLS; making it by far cheaper than the CPO produced within Nigeria. “Nigeria”, it said, “should be producing and exporting into those countries. We should not be using those countries as transit areas. Regional trade does not mean that we should import. Neighboring West African countries import crude palm oil far higher than their needs. For Benin Republic, between the period 2003 to 2013, their production was stagnant, but their export increased by 1,018 per cent. Their import increased by 1,084 per cent of crude palm oil.”

  • Only Buhari has capacity to defeat Boko Haram – APC

    Only Buhari has capacity to defeat Boko Haram – APC

    The National Vice Chairman (North East) of the All Progressives Congress, Engr. Babachir David Lawal, said Wednesday in Abuja that the party’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari , remains the only candidate in the forthcoming elections that has the capacity to defeat Boko Haram and restore the battered image of the Nigerian military.

    Addressing a news conference in his office in Abuja, Lawal said the military high command should have known that the Buhari was the only one with the capacity and inclination to restore the dismally low morale and self-esteem of the present day armed forces.

    He also dismissed claims that the Independent National Electoral Commission was bias in the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), with troubled states in the northeast having collected more PVCs than others.

    Lawal stressed that people in the region have every reason to vote out the current government which has failed to protect them in the last six years.

    He said: “If the military high command comprised of patriots and/or men of honor of if they are men that have pride in their profession, they would have realized that the only one of the presidential candidates that has the capacity and inclination to restore the battered pride, and dismally low morale and self-esteem of the present day Nigerian military is Gen. Mohammadu Buhari.

    “The only one that has the capacity and inclination to defeat Boko Haram in the shortest possible time is GMB. But no, they are none of these. They are more comfortable hiring out their men to work under corrupt civilians, taking orders from them to rig elections.

    “They find it easier to deploy armored personnel carriers and battalions of troops to Imo State Government House and the residence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to harass and intimidate them, their wives and children for standing up for democracy. This is their comfort zone, not on the battle field tackling insurgents. To them, it is easier to intimidate Prof. Attahiru Jega of INEC than Ibrahim Shekau of Boko Haram.

    “But all these are futile efforts to delay the doomsday for the corrupt, the clueless, and the religious bigots in this government and their sit-don-look presidential candidate who gets stoned by his own party men at several campaign rallies. Nigerians are wiser now.”