The Nation Newspaper

Tag: fair

  • ‘Fair to boost activities’

    The organiser of the Lagos International Motor Fair and Autoparts Expo, BKG Exhibitions Limited, has said the fair would revive activities in the sector.

    The expo, the firm said, would showcase capacities and potential of the sector, thereby improving the economy.

    Its Managing Director, Ifeanyichukwu Agwu, said the seemingly intractable lull in the sector is taking a lot of shine out of the industry making it difficult for stakeholders to showcase the abundant opportunities and offers in the sector.

    Agwu said it was no longer news that the automotive sector is passing through tough times, saying: “What should be on every stakeholders’ mind is how do we unite to combat the challenges one of which is using the platform to bring the sector into the front burner of economic discuss in the country.

    “We are going to add more energy to promoting the spare parts sub-sector. This is informed by our determination to champion the development and thriving of auto parts sub-sector as leeway to fast-tracking the development of the automotive industry.

    “In this edition as we have been doing for sometime, we will champion the autoparts section so as to making Nigeria the hub of the business in Africa. We want to make it a strong point of real taking off of a realisable auto policy.”

    Agwu urged the Federal Government to focus more on spare parts manufacturing instead of assembling.

    According to him, spare parts are the place where the real technology transfer takes place. It involves precision and proper planning more than the coupling that takes place in assembling.

    This will give rise to establishing of more Original Equipment Manufacturers and increase employment.

    He said there should be a review of the ongoing auto policy to make it achieve the desired ends.

  • Free, fair, credible and peaceful – for every dream, there is its reality

    It is Friday, February 22, 2019 and I am writing my column for the week. By the time that it appears two days from now on Sunday, February 24, 2019, the first round of the 2019 general elections would have taken place. That is then; I am writing this piece in the time of now. And I am wondering how it will be then. Specifically, I am thinking about – peace. Concretely, I am thinking, asking: will the elections, on the whole, be peaceful? Iwalesin secularist that I am, nonetheless, I am “praying” silently but fervently for the elections to be peaceful. I am hoping, with a desperation that surprises even me, that by the time that this piece is published, the news outlet will not be awash with gruesome stories of homicidal violence and mayhem in many parts of our country. In this thought, I see and acknowledge my oneness, my solidarity with virtually all my countrymen and women: with nary an exception, we are all yearning for peaceful elections; we are all hoping that by this time next week, we would not be inundated with tales and pictures of deaths and destruction in many parts of the land – as usually happens at the end of many of our elections in this country and on our country. This is why the title of this essay contains the four words, free, fair, credible and peaceful.

    Human beings are defined, are constituted by both the reality of their lives and the dreams that arise in response to the reality. Quite simply, very few things are free, fair, credible and peaceful in the reality of the collective, associated lives of most Nigerians. Nowhere is this truer than in the time of elections. That is precisely why we dream of free, fair, credible and peaceful elections. In general, from the simplest to the most complicated aspects of our lives, human beings everywhere hope that their dreams do not repeat or reenact the worst aspects of the reality of their lives. I do not know about you, compatriots, but I know that in the last four to six months, I have not seen or heard of any other grouping of words in the print, broadcast and social media to the same degree that I have encountered those four words – free, fair, credible and peaceful. At home and abroad in the wider world, you encounter the same words when you come across reporting or commentary on our 2019 elections. Indeed, it was the regularity, the constancy with which I encountered those words in recent months that finally drew my attention to their dream or otherworldly vintage, that is in relation to the lived realities of collective existence in our country.

    Of the four words in the exemplary or symbolic concatenation that I am discussing in this piece, the one that seems not to be immediately apparent as a dream motif inversely related to social reality in Nigeria is “free”. By this, I mean that while it should be immediately apparent that the words “fair”, “credible” and “peaceful” do not remotely seem to have anything to do with public, collective life in Nigeria – the Nigeria of the PDP and the APC – the word “free” seems to be far less distant from our ideas and feelings about life in our country. Precisely, I am suggesting that for the most part, Nigerians do not feel that they are unfree, that they live under a dictatorship or even a repressive political order. Of course, sometimes, Buhari has been rather lax in his dealings with the rule of law; he has been very flexible in deciding which orders of the law courts to obey and which to ignore. But so far at least, he has generally kept his innate anti-democratic and autocratic instincts in check. At any rate, being unfree is not something most Nigerians complain about, no be so?

    But how many tens of millions of Nigerians have the freedom not to starve, the freedom not to be the recipients of some of the most inferior and worst services, products and treatment from both public utilities and private enterprises? The freedom not to die useless, senseless deaths on badly constructed and maintained roads and highways and ill-equipped hospitals and clinics? The freedom to live dignified, anxiety-free lives with neighbours in communities across the length and the breadth of the country that are not plagued by bandits, kidnappers, cultists and official and unofficial extortionists, do we have this freedom in Nigeria? With all these freedoms drastically curtailed or outrightly denied, what true and real freedoms remain? The ill-usage that Nigerians routinely receive at home from their government is second only to the same contemptuous treatment that Nigerians receive in many other parts of the world – without the intervention of their government. As this is not the subject of this essay, I will not deal exhaustively with it. But my point, my intent in bringing it up for notice should be fairly evident to the reader by now: being free in an expansive, enriching and humanistic conception of the word, is not a notable part of being a Nigerian in our age – the age of the PDP and the APC. And that is why I include the word with the other three words – fair, credible and peaceful.

    For every dream, there is its reality: this is the other part of the title of this piece. Free, fair, credible and peaceful elections are desired by every nation on the planet. I do not forget that fact. But there is another fact of historic, global significance that I also do not forget: in many parts of the world, free, fair, credible and peaceful elections are no longer mere aspirations or dreams; they are achieved and regularly repeated experiences. Significantly, a few of such nations are on the African continent. I think we can all agree that our country, Nigeria, is not one of such African nations. From this, I think, I hope that we can all agree that elections are not (yet) free, fair, credible and peaceful in Nigeria because so many other things that affect the quality of life in our country are also not free, fair, credible and peaceful. In other words, the dream of fair and credible elections in Nigeria goes far beyond elections themselves to just about every other aspect of our lives, including, incidentally, the lives of our social and political elites. This is what that phrase, “for every dream, there is its reality”, implies in this piece.

    If a dream is not a nightmare, if it is euphoric and comforting, we embrace it. This is common to all human beings, as individuals and as entire communities. This is what dream interpreters and social psychologists mean when they say that dreaming is a very important aspect of human lives, in particular the psychic and imaginative aspects of our lives. From this, I wish to say, simply, that we must never give up on the dream of free, fair, credible and peaceful elections – whatever happens or does not happen in the ongoing 2019 general elections in our country. Throughout the sixteen years of the reign of the PDP, the dream of elections that are free, fair, credible remained just that, a dream, a fantasy as illusory as the dream of a deluge of rain and water in an unforgivingly dry and parched desert. [Especially under the duo of Maurice Iwu, the amoral and cynical INEC Chairman in the period and President Olusegun Obasanjo, Nigeria experienced its worst and most violent election malpractices to date] The 2019 elections are the very first to be organized and conducted under the reign of the APC. Whatever happens in the elections, whoever wins or loses, this is one question we must all face: what are elections going to be like under the reign of the APC?

    There are many dimensions of this question to keep in mind. One: if the APC loses, the question becomes automatically redundant. However, remember, compatriots, that APC and PDP are two sides of the same coin since, quite literally, a large chunk of the PDP leadership have been APC chieftains, just as many in the leadership of the APC were once doyens and kingpins of the PDP. Thus, like a customer seated in a barber’s swivel chair while having his head shaved, Nigeria may be caught between a rock and a hard place in the gap between the dream of free, fair and credible elections and the overwhelming reality of the unfreedom, incredibility and unfairness of life for most Nigerians.

    Another dimension of the question to keep in mind is how long the reign of the APC itself will be, that is, if the party wins in these 2019 elections. Everything on the horizon of the present indicates that APC will remain unevolved and non-evolving. Like the PDP, indeed like all the ruling class political parties, its main driving force is the combination of dedication to the idea of a rotational presidency and deep ethno-regional primordialism, thinly overlaid by confused progressivist and populist ideological pretensions. And there are no thinkers, no visionary intelligentsia among the party’s leadership. If there are, they are yet to emerge as a clearly distinct and influential formation within the party. Above all else, the APC, leadership and rank-and-file membership, is as dedicated to the primitive accumulation project of diversion of our national wealth and public assets to private ownership and control as is the PDP and, indeed, all the ruling class parties. I beg, may I talk this one in true wazobian Nigerian Pidgin: looters and would-be looters borku inside APC as dem borku inside PDP and all the other big men and women parties and na so ‘e go be until…

    I will not end this piece on a negative, despairing note. We must keep our dreams of free, fair, credible and peaceful elections in Nigeria alive, knowing fully well that it is a dream appertaining to all aspects of the quality of life for all in our country. Let us look out for and take note of every aspect of the dream that stands out clearly during and after the elections. Euphoric, comforting and inspiring dreams often come to us, not as entire wholes but as fragments, as bits and pieces of broken porcelain being laboriously glued together again. Thus, I would ask, compatriots, that we keep in mind any of the following things that might strike us as unusual during and after the elections.

    The army and how obtrusive or decisive or, conversely, unobtrusive and minimal its participation was/is in the elections. In all the countries of the world where elections are routinely free, fair, credible and peaceful, there are never any army tanks and trunks and any soldiers, in uniform or mufti, in sight. Shoot at sight, Buhari more or less said to the police and the other security forces, if you see any ballot box snatchers. This clearly implied that the president expected the use of force to disrupt the smooth and peaceful conduct of the elections and is more than ready to meet force with force. Pay attention, compatriots, to the scope of the militarization that we see in the course of the elections.

    Look also, compatriots, to what I would describe as the NECO yardstick of pass and failure in the conduct of the elections. At one time in this country, NECO passes used to be as low as 10%. In one particular year, 2003, the success rate was 1.8%. Yes, 1.8%, leaving a failure rate of 98.2%. In more recent years, an improvement of sorts has happened and passing percentiles of 45% to 55% have been recorded. If you can detect a NECO pattern in the election results, know, compatriot, that it is not yet Uhuru in free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria.

    Finally, dear reader, look to how confirmed or, conversely, confounded are expectations of voting allegiances along primordial and ethno-regional lines in the results of the elections. In all the nations of the world, demographic trends are often very marked in how people vote. For instance, in the United States, the two huge coastal areas, the Atlantic and the Pacific, together with the large urban centers, have electoral allegiances quite distinct from those of communities in the hinterland and the rural areas of the country. But not demographics but primordialism dominates our elections. Will this pattern repeat itself in this electoral cycle? The APC and the PDP are betting on this while some of the newer, “upstart” parties like African Action Congress (AAC) and the Young Progressive Party (YPP) are hoping to buck that pattern. For every dream, there is its reality? No, or not entirely so. Rather, for every reality, the dream is there to reshape and transform it when conditions become auspicious.

    • Biodun Jeyifo bjeyifo@fas.harvard.edu

  • Nigerians shall have free, fair, credible elections – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has allayed the fears of Nigerians and assured of its readiness to conduct free, fair and transparent elections, beginning with the Presidential election on Feb 16, 2019.

    Speaking with media executives on the preparations ahead of the coming Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections, in Lagos, yesterday, the National Electoral Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education, Mr. Festus Okoye, said a total of 84,004,084 million Nigerians have been registered to participate in this year’s election which will feature 91 registered political parties.

    According to him, the elections would take place in 1,558 constituencies and 774 local government areas, and results collation in 8,809 registration areas/wards, in 119,973 polling units and 57, 023 voting points nationwide.

    Okoye said a total of 73 candidates had been cleared to contest the presidential election, while the governorship election will be contested by a total of 1,068 candidates in 29 states of the federation. The 109 senate seats will be contested by 1,904 candidates, while 4, 680 candidates will jostle for the 360 seats in the House of Representatives.

    The 991 state constituency elections will have 14,583 contestants, while 806 candidates would be jostling for the 68 area council seats in the Federal Capital Territory.

    Okoye said INEC will be recruiting 17,618 senior academic staff of the various federal universities in Nigeria, to serve as collation and returning officers, as the commission, he said, have decided to have two collation officers or each of the 8,809 centres to facilitate timely collation of results.

    These returning officers, according to Okoye, would be assisted by 814,453 ad-hoc staff, made up of National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) and in some cases final year students in federal universities, who are currently being trained across all the states of the federation.

    For logistics, the commission, Okoye disclosed has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Transport Workers Union, whose members are going to be deployed nationwide to deploy and retrieve election personnel and materials on the days of elections. He added that all the vehicles to be involved in the exercise across the states would be certified by the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC), and all would have tracking devise installed by the commission to ensure the safety of all personnel and electoral materials.

    The National Commissioner said Nigerians who are yet to collect their Permanent Voters Cards have up to Feb 8, to do so at the local government offices of the commission nationwide, adding that all uncollected PVCs would thereafter be withdrawn for safekeeping pending the conclusion of the two strands of elections in the electoral calendar this year.

    Okoye said; “All the state offices and local government offices of the commission have taken delivery of the non-sensitive materials for the conduct of the elections, while the various branches of the Central Bank of Nigeria are presently receiving sensitive materials for the conduct of the elections.”

    He said the commission has accredited a total of 116 domestic and 28 foreign election observers for the 2019 elections, while the commission’s chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on January 12, 2019, have signed the regulations and guidelines for the election.

    Okoye disclosed that among other innovations, the commission has enhanced the smart card readers, eliminated the use of incident forms, and has introduced the use of Braille jackets, magnifying glasses and assistive posters for persons living with disability, while it is also working on appropriate framework for internally displaced persons voting.

     

  • Why elections will be free, fair, credible, by Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has restated his promise to ensure a level playing ground for all contestants into the various political offices in next year’s general elections.

    The President said he was not unaware of the agony of being cheated during elections.

    He spoke while receiving  a delegation from the International Republican and National Democratic Institute, United States (U.S.) at the State House, Abuja.

    According to him, before the 2015 elections, what was done during elections were merely allocations of votes.

    In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari said: “I am glad you are here to assess our pre-election preparations. It reminds me of the visit by the then Secretary of State, John Kerry, before the 2015 polls. We appreciate the concern of America for stability in developing countries.

    “Having run for president three times, ending up at the Supreme Court all three times, before God and technology made a way for me the fourth time, I know what it is to be cheated at the polls.

    “What they used to do was just to award votes and tell anyone who was dissatisfied to go to court. But we won’t do that. I am prepared to give the opposition the opportunities I was not given in the past.”

    He informed his guests that the heads of the security agencies had been warned not to be partisan, but to do their work professionally, and allow the will of the people to prevail.

    Saying that the All Progressives Congress (APC) would keep faith with its priorities of securing the country, reviving the economy, and fighting corruption, he said he was happy that the opposition has not been able to successfully fault the focal areas of the government.

    He said: “We have done fairly well in the areas we focused on. We know how many local government areas in the Northeast were under Boko Haram occupation before we came.

    “That does not happen again, save for cowardly attacks, using young girls as suicide bombers. Other areas of security challenge like farmers/herdsmen clashes are receiving attention, and would be sorted out as much as possible.”

    On the controversy trailing his veto of the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018, the President said: “Time is against us. We are extremely vulnerable, and need to be careful that messages are not hijacked and figures tampered with, while being transmitted electronically.

    “Even the Russians were accused of tampering with American election. So, we will remain conventional, and use electronic transmission in subsequent elections.”

    Leader of the American delegation Ambassador Linda-Thomas Greenfield said they had met with the media, civil society and political parties.

    She also spoke on the fears being expressed on security agencies being partisan in the forthcoming elections, suspected non-commitment to free and fair elections by key stakeholders, delayed budget for the electoral umpire Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the non-signing of the new Electoral Bill into law.

  • Promise of free and fair elections not enough

    Sir: President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated his commitment to a free and fair election come 2019.  Based upon his promises, eminent Nigerians including Sultan Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakr III has called on Nigerians to hold Buhari to his words. Nonetheless, I want to point it out that holding Buhari to his word is not enough to guarantee free and fair elections.

    The above is premixed on the elections thus far under President Buhari’s watch. May God grant the soul of late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua a perfect peace. He was about the only president committed to free and fair elections. Jonathan also followed suit when he took the reign of government after the demise of Yar’Adua. Thus far, President Buhari has not shown any commitment to free and fair election and this is quite unfortunate. Before he won election to become president, he tasted rigging to the extent that he ordered his supporters not only to be vigilant during the polls but asked them to police their votes. Many of Buhari’s supporters before 2015 therefore believed that election process in Nigeria would be sanitized if Buhari became president. First, because of what he experienced. Two, because of his perceived love for the greatness of the nation.

    However, many have been disappointed by the conduct of elections under Buhari so far. Instead of moving forward, the nation electoral process is going from bad to worse with the unfortunate and degrading slangs like ‘vote and get money to cook stew’ among others. The collaboration of security operatives and electoral body to favour ruling party is another feature of the elections so far.

    So if President Buhari promises free and fair elections in this context, one should think before holding him for his words as the Sultan urged. Unless, there is clear evidence that their votes would count, next election will witness a low turnout never experienced in this nation.

    If we are to get free and fair  election next year, opposition parties have to make it clear to the ruling government as Buhari did in the past that nothing sort of free and fair election can sustain the corporate existence of this nation beyond 2019.

    Nigeria has a long way to go in achieving free and fair elections. Our leaders have seen political power as a pot of honey. They are not ready to forgo it. That is why elections have been war in Nigeria. One only prays that God will give us a leader that will sanitize the process. The crops of leaders in Nigeria today are too myopic and closed their eyes at history but obsessed with ephemeral power and its ancillaries than to give Nigerians a say in who rules them. This is why once they leave government, their memories are obliterated and consigned into abyss of thrash.

     

    • Adewuyi Adegbite, Ayekooto05@gmail.com

  • Ekiti poll free, fair, INEC witnesses tell tribunal

    A Deputy Director with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Sylvester Aigbogun, yesterday told the Ekiti Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal sitting in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court, Apo, Abuja, that the July 14 governorship election  was free and fair.

    Aigbogun, who was the Electoral Officer for Ikole Local Government Area, was testifying for the electoral body in the petition filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the election, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.

    The petitioners sued the INEC, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Governor Kayode Fayemi, the winner of the election, as respondents before the tribunal.

    They are challenging the declaration of Fayemi as winner of the election by the first respondents, the INEC.

    Aigbogun, during cross-examination by Yomi Aliyu (SAN), counsel for the APC, said his assertion that the election was free and fair was based on what he saw while visiting some polling units in the local government during the election as well as what was presented to him from various units and wards.

    He said: “The election was free and fair. This was based on what I saw and what was presented to me.

    “The PDP and its candidate, Kolapo, did not make any complaint to me on the conduct of the election in my local government.”

    Answering questions from R. O. Balogun (SAN), Fayemi’s counsel,  the witness said APC won in Ikole Local Government Area with 14,522 votes as against PDP’s 13,961.

    He said the election was conducted substantially in line with the Electoral Act and the manual for the election issued by the INEC, which was tendered and admitted as Exhibit RA9.

    The witness said he did not see any presiding officer or other persons deliberately voiding ballot papers during his visit to some polling units.

    Aigbogun told the tribunal during cross-examination by the counsel for the petitioners, Adebayo Adelodun (SAN), that entries on Form EC8A had to tally with those on the pink copy issued to agents of parties at polling units.

    According to him, wherever an alteration in the entries was not initialled by either the presiding officers or collation officers, there was no way he could know that such was an honest mistake.

    Another witness, Akinyemi Shamsudeen, who was the Electoral Officer for Ido-Osi Local Government Area, told the court that he did not receive any complaint from the petitioners on the conduct of the election.

    He said the ad hoc workers for the election were trained to initial mistakes, adding that when they failed to initial such mistakes and there was no complaint from anybody, “I would take it as an honest mistake”.

    Akinyemi said there were no reports from the PDP that there was no compliance with procedural steps, as contained in Exhibit RA9.

    During cross-examination by the petitioners’ counsel, the witness said a void ballot could not be caused by deliberate action.

    He said: “I am not familiar with the word voided as far as our work is concerned.”

    Dada Emmanuel, the Electoral Officer for Ilejemeje Local Government Area, said there were no protests from party agents in the local government.

    According to him, none of the presiding officers who worked under him reported any problem to him.

    Emmanuel also said there was no complaint from the petitioners about the conduct of the election in Ilejemeje Local Government Area, adding that Exhibit RA8, which INEC tendered, was the true result of the July 14 election in his local government.

    During cross-examination by the petitioners’ counsel, he said a void ballot could be the result of deliberate action, though he said voided ballots were not deliberately done by INEC officials.

    Another witness, Kayode Bamidele, the Electoral Officer for Ikere Local Government Area, told the tribunal that there were no irregularities in the election, as stated by the petitioners.

    He said he would be surprised “if anyone says INEC officials deliberately voided ballot papers and thumb-printed ballot papers”.

    Also, the INEC, through its counsel, Charles Uwensuyi-Edosomwan (SAN), tendered as exhibit the certified true copy (CTC) of the Certificate of Return it issued to Governor Fayemi after the election.

    While counsel to the other respondents did not oppose its admissibility, Adelodun said the petitioners had issues with its certification and would address it later.

    The tribunal admitted the document and marked it as Exhibit RA10.

    Tribunal Chairman Justice Suleiman Belgore adjourned till today at the instance of the first respondent.

     

  • Buhari to May: 2019 polls will be free, fair, credible

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday assured British Prime Minister Theresa May of his commitment to conducting free, fair and credible elections in 2019.

    The President spoke during a bilateral meeting with the visiting Prime Minister at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Buhari, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, welcomed Britain’s support at strengthening democratic institutions in the country.

    He said: “I assure you that I’m all out for free, fair and credible elections. I’m very pleased that my party is doing very well. The High Commissioner will brief you more. The recent successes in polls in Katsina, Bauchi, and Kogi have boosted our morale greatly.

    ‘‘Nigeria has accepted multiparty democracy and that is putting politicians on their toes, forcing them to work harder,’’ he said.

    On the anti-corruption campaign, the President applauded Britain’s support to Nigeria, noting that the success of the fight is very important to ordinary Nigerians.

    He said: “We had great opportunities and resources between 1999 and 2014, due to high oil prices. But when we came in 2015, oil prices plunged to as low as 37 dollars per barrel.

    ‘‘What we have been doing since 2015 is to focus on infrastructure development, despite low earnings. Work is ongoing in roads, rail, power, and many others.”

    On Brexit, Buhari noted that it provides an opportunity to strengthen the historic ties between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

    ‘‘We are nervously watching the development about Brexit because we know that the relationship had been on for a long time.  I assure you that I am prepared to strengthen the relationship between our two countries.’’

    The President also thanked the UK government for its support on security and the fight against insurgency in the North Eastern part of Nigeria, and the improved trade relations between both countries.

    ‘‘I am very grateful to the British government under you leadership for the help in security, particularly your training team that is in our institution in Kaduna,’’ he said.

    Speaking earlier before the bilateral meeting, Buhari underscored the need for UK support on reviving of Lake Chad, which is a means of livelihood for millions of people.  The water is said to be dying up, putting at risk fishing, which is the major means of livelihood for many.

    The President told the visiting Prime Minister that Europe and China were already conducting an in-depth study on recharging the Lake through inter-basin transfer from the Central African Republic.

    May, who welcomed the assurance by the federal government on credible elections in 2019, said she was pleased to be in Abuja to continue the ‘‘excellent discussions’’ she started with President Buhari in London last April, particularly on security, trade, asset recovery and the fight against corruption.

    ‘‘Security and defence cooperation are very important steps to address Boko Haram and Islamic State in West Africa,’’ May said.

    On asset recovery, the Prime Minister told President Buhari: ‘‘We do not want to hold anything that belongs to Nigerian people, but we follow the judicial process, which can be slow.’’

    The Prime Minister urged Buhari to use his position as ECOWAS Chair to keep human trafficking on the front burner in the sub-region.

    President Buhari and Prime Minister May witnessed the signing of two agreements: Security and Defence Partnership and Economic Development Forum Agreement.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama said: “There were two agreements that were signed today. The first one was Defence and Security Partnership between the two countries. It was signed by the respective national security advisers and the second one was on Economic Development Forum that has been set up.

    “This clearly highlights the two priority areas in our relationship at the moment.

    “Under the Defence and Security Pact, it is a comprehensive agreement that covers all aspects of security challenges. So, apart from the military training, there is also the support for policing, civil policing, human rights aspect of security and the close cooperation that the two countries will have, the training that will be provided by the UK to our security forces.

    “On the economic development forum, this is a forum that really aims at co-prosperity. The prosperity of our two countries is sloping to leverage in areas where we have as countries comparative advantages, the financial centre that London is and the investment opportunities in our country and ready to build that up with the private sector as well as the government level. So everything will be comprehensive and involve different stakeholders and this is in the context of UK’s BREXIT. Coming out of the European union, they feel freer now to engage with countries on bilateral level and build up trade relations with those countries.

    “For us, this also fits into our Economic Recovery and Growth Plan where Mr. President has put forward a roadmap that is really transforming this country. So this partnership is a framework that is very key to our Economic Growth and Development Plan.”

    “On human rights, we have taken a number of steps. Mr. President has set up a committee that looks into the various allegations made against our military and the process is ongoing and we are very keen to have as a government a mechanism within the security apparatus of this country that ensures that the correct procedures and methods are employed by the military and so of course, in a cooperation with us in the area of security, the United Kingdom and other countries also expect that we will maintain the highest human rights standard,” Onyeama said

     

    UK offers Lagos access to 750m pounds finance

    British Prime Minister Theresa May yesterday told the Lagos State Government of the availability of 750 million Pounds export credit finance to benefit from.

    Speaking during a whistle-stop visit to Lagos, Mrs May pointed out the important role a stable government in Lagos had played in giving confidence to investors.

    The prime minister arrived at the Presidential Wing of the International Airport at about 4:30pm. She was received by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode, Deputy Governor Oluranti Adebule, Secretary to the State Government Tunji Bello and Special Adviser Overseas Affairs and Investment Ademola Abass.

    She hinted of her interest in the development of the technology industry in Lagos, adding that an expert in Fintech was on her delegation.

    .She also noted the special strength of the London City as a financial hub that could be of considerable importance to Lagos State. She urged the sustainability and growth in the UK/Lagos relationship.

    Ambode said Nigerian education, cultural and political systems were largely influenced by Britain and that there are more Nigerians living in the UK than elsewhere outside Nigeria.

    He told the prime minister that Lagos remained a place of choice for British investors especially given that stability in the government, the size of the Lagos economy and population, the particular focus of his administration on the rule of law and justice sector reform.

    He said it would be of particular importance to Lagos State if British investors could explore the various opportunities in the areas of energy, technology, export finance, infrastructure and the creative industry.

    Ambode said “the important part of this visit to us about how investment in Lagos can be improved upon by British investors and you would realize that Lagos is the commercial capital of Nigeria and a whole lot of British investments are domiciled in Lagos.  We spoke about how we can improve the investment climate in Lagos and then the other parts of what Lagos has been doing to attract investors. You know we have been doing a lot in judicial sector reforms and security sector reforms.”

    Giving her impression of the visit, Mrs May told reporters: “I have had a fantastic visit to Nigeria and we have outstanding relationship between UK and Nigeria but there is much more that we can do in the future. I enjoyed being able to come to Abuja and also to Lagos to see the thriving business community here.

    “We want to see increased trade between Nigeria and UK; increased investment; bringing jobs here to Nigeria, jobs in the UK being good for both countries and I have had an excellent time here and I am very pleased to being able to be here and thank you Governor (Ambode).”

  • 2019 poll ‘ll be free, fair, says Fed Govt

    •Nigeria frowns at ICC’s decision to probe terror cases •We’re not witch-hunting African countries, says court head

    THE Federal Government will ensure that the 2019 elections are free, fair and credible,  Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) Abubakar Malami (SAN) said yesterday.

    Malami said the country was mindful of the implication of a flawed election, adding that everything would be done to prevent intervention by foreign agencies like the International Criminal Court (ICC) in the polls.

    The AGF spoke in Abuja when ICC President Prof.  Chile Eboe-Osuji visited him.

    Malami expressed Nigeria’s concern over the ICC’s decision to continue to entertain eight cases relating to it and in connection with its handling of the problem of terrorism.

    The AGF said: “It is regrettable that despite Nigeria’s support and commitment to the ideals of the ICC, the court has proceeded to escalate the eight potential cases relating to Nigeria.”

    He said: “Presently, the ICC has escalated the eight potential cases against Nigeria – six against the Boko Haram and two against the military – from the initial preliminary examination to preliminary investigation.

    “This is worrisome as Nigeria has demonstrated beyond doubt, and in absolute cooperation with the ICC, that it is willing and able and, as a matter of fact, it is indeed arresting, investigating and prosecuting anyone that commits any offence that falls within the Rome Statute of the ICC.”

    Malami said Nigeria’s recent decision to defray all its arrears of assessed contributions, totalling €1,303,402.00, was a demonstration of the country’s support for Eboe-Osuji’s leadership of the ICC.

    The AGF assured that the country would prevail on countries that have withdrawn their membership from the court or threatening to do so to reconsider their position.

    Malami added: “Let me assure you that my office will continue to work with the National Assembly to ensure speedy passage of the Bill for the domestication of the Rome Statute of the ICC, which is currently awaiting action by the National Assembly.”

    He urged Eboe-Osuji to ensure that his reign favours the country, particularly when there are job openings.

    Eboe-Osuji praised the country’s for its support to the ICC and assured that the court will continue to ensure work against injustice and abuse of powers in its area of jurisdiction.

    The ICC President described as inaccurate and erroneous the impression that Article 27 of the Rome Statute, which abhors immunity for any head of state or senior government officials, was targetted at African leaders.

    He said the provision and the reason for that portion of the Rome Statute predate independent African states.

    Eboe-Osuji, after meeting the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama yesterday, said the court was not witch-hunting African leaders.

    Eboe-Osuji said those Africans, who have suffered from violation, have not complained against the court.

    He spoke in Abuja when fielding questions from reporters.

    The ICC was being perceived as witch-hunting African leaders, which led to the withdrawal of membership of some African countries.

    The African Union (AU) had in 2017 backed a strategy for collective withdrawal from the court over allegation of witch-hunting, but the decision suffered a setback after Nigeria and other stood in support of the court.

    Three African countries – Burundi, South Africa and The Gambia – had signified their withdrawal of their membership of the court

    According to him, Nigeria has been very supportive in saying that there was a need for the court to stand and to be supported.

    He hailed President Muhammadu Buhari for backing the court, noting that Nigeria had stood to lay a good legacy for other countries to follow.

    He hoped that other countries around the world yet to join the ICC would also walk the talk.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu yesterday pledged the support and goodwill of the National Assembly to the ICC in its efforts to check crimes against humanity and ensure justice for the victims.

    Ekweremadu made the pledge when he received Eboe-Osuji in Abuja yesterday.

     

     

  • KADCCIMA visits The Nation, seeks partnership on Fair

    Kaduna Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KADCIMA) is partnering with The Nation Newspaper on the forthcoming 39th Kaduna International Trade Fair holding between the 23rd February to 4th March.

    The Chamber’s President, Dr Muheeba Dankaka, disclosed this during a courtesy call to the Corporate headquarters of the newspaper, earlier in the week. Dankaka was accompnied by other  members of the Council.

    In her speech, Dankaka commended The Management of The Nation for the giant strides they have made in repositioning journalism as a profession and solicited for the cooperation and improved synergy with the paper towards the overall success of the fast approaching Trade Fair in Kaduna state.

    The delegation also thanked The Nation for its consistent coverage of events at the Trade Fair every year.

    The theme of  this year’s event, is: “Promoting Commerce, Industry and Agriculture for International Competitiveness.”

    Dankaka explained that the theme was chosen to compliment the efforts of the Federal Government towards revamping the economy by encouraging investments in agriculture, manufacturing, trade, services, and technology.

    The 10 day event begins on February 24 and ends on  March 5 at the Kaduna International Trade and Investment Center.

    According to her, this year’s event which is the 39th in the series and will create an avenue through which investors from various parts of the country and across the globe would exhibit their goods and services for the growth of the nation’s economy.

    Speaking on behalf of the management, The Nation’s Online editor, Mr. Lekan Otufodurin, assured the team of the company’s readiness to partner with the Chamber and urged them to always advertise in The Nation to enjoy wider overage.

     

    In his speech, the Advert Manager told members of the Council that The Nation is one of the widest circulating newspapers in the country, ensuring the same daily edition for readers anywhere across the nation.

    “We know you advertise with us and we appreciate your efforts. Our source of revenue is the advert we get from you  and others and I want to assure you that our correspondent wiil be there at the event to report your activities,” he said.

    Osirike assured the Council of a robust relationship if they advertise in The Nation and make the paper to survive.

     

     

  • Ambode’s wife opens LTV Xmas fair

    Ambode’s wife opens LTV Xmas fair

    Wife of Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode has declared open the Lagos Television (LTV) Christmas fair.

    She called on all Lagosians, especially fun lovers and school children to be a part of the various entertainment events slated for the Christmas season and end of the year celebration by the State Government.

    Ambode, represented by the wife of the Permanent Secretary, Office of Civic Engagement, Mrs. Joke Odeyemi made the call on Saturday while declaring open the 33rd edition of the LTV annual Christmas Fair at De Blue Roof, LTV premises, Ikeja.

    She assured Lagosians that the state government had concluded plans to make the yuletide season and beyond a time of endless fun and entertainment for all fun lovers.

    She noted that all the events and many more that would be holding this yuletide season further confirms the status of Lagos as the entertainment hub of Africa.

    Ambode advised that the main Christmas message should not be trivialized in the name of fun and merry making, stressing that Christ is the reason for the season.

    She urged all to emulate the meekness, simplicity and holiness of Jesus Christ, who rose from a very humble birth in a manger, to become the savior of the world.

    The General Manager, LTV,  Mrs. Funke Moore described the 2017 edition of the Fair as a special one, coinciding with the Golden Jubilee celebration of Lagos State created in 1967.

    She said the celebration would witness quiz competition among school children with focus on Lagos State.

    She said the rationale behind the competition is to test the knowledge of the children about the information they have about Lagos State.