Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) President Reverend Olasupo Ayokunle has urged the Federal Government to prosecute some herdsmen arrested in connection with the killings in Southern Kaduna and Benue State.
He stressed that if suspects were made to face the wrath of the law, the tension in the two states would reduce.
Ayokunle, who is also the President of the Nigerian Baptist Convention (NBC), warned that failure to stop the unprovoked killings by suspected herdsmen in some parts of the country could spark war.
He noted that the government must rise up to protect innocent Nigerians through effective surveillance, particularly at the nation’s borders, to prevent illegal immigrants from entrering the country.
The cleric spoke in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital at a special service at First Baptist Church (Miracle Cathedral).
The Centenary Estate built by the Ekiti Conference of NBC, which is located in Oke Ila area of the town, was also inaugurated during Ayokunle’s pastoral visit by the Ewi, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe.
A book titled: “The History of First Baptist Church, Ado Ekiti”, was also launched at the event. It was written by the church’s Historical Committee and was reviewed by the Vice Chancellor of Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State, Prof. Matthew Ojo.
Tag: Fed Govt
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CAN to Fed Govt: curb herdsmen menace to prevent war
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Why Fed Govt swapped Chibok girls with Boko Haram members
•Excitement in Chibok
•Saraki, Dogara, Atiku, BBOG, ACF, others happy
Two options came up for the Federal Government during the talks that led to the release of 82 Chibok girls on Saturday, The Nation learnt yesterday.
They are: •swapping the 82 girls with detained Boko Haram members; and
- paying ransom.
The government chose swapping because, a source said, it did not want a repeat of ransom payment as the case was during the administration of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.
Besides, it took negotiators some months to agree on swapping because the two sides were consulting.
A source, spoke of how the negotiation took many months because each side was going back and forth to consult on the terms for the release of the 82 girls.
“As a matter of fact, the insurgents wanted ransom and the government had to weigh its implications,” the source said, pleading not to be named, adding:
“At the end of the day, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari opted for swapping instead of payment of ransom to avoid a mistake of the past. The government also felt ransom could further lead to the acquisition of more equipment and ammunition by Boko Haram.
“Above all, the government was guided by the fact that swapping is in line with international best practices. Many countries, including the United States, have undergone some situations like this before.
“So, we saw swapping as cost-effective since Boko Haram has been largely degraded.”
In response to a question, the source said: “Both parties agreed to manage the release of the girls in a no winner, no vanquished manner. We don’t want to jeopardise the chances of freedom for others.”
Amnesty International (AI) yesterday asked the Federal Government to ensure the privacy of the released girls.
AI gave the advice in a statement by its Nigeria Director, Osai Ojigho.
The statement said: “It is vital now that they receive adequate physical and psychosocial counselling and support so that they can fully reintegrate in their communities.”
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Bi-Courtney to Fed Govt: pay N200b debt for ‘failure to hand over airport terminal’
•MMA2 handles 20m passengers, 400,000 flights in 10 years
Airport terminal operator Bi-Courtney Aviation Services Limited (BASL) has urged the Federal Government to pay over N200 billion to it for failing to hand over old domestic terminal, otherwise known as General Aviation Terminal (GAT), Lagos.
Its chairman Dr. Wale Babalakin said the payment was necessary after BASL was awarded damaged by the Federal High Court to the tune of over N132 billion in 2012.
He said the amount increased to N200 billion, owing to the revenue the terminal operator would have collected as revenue for flights and other commercial activities at the old domestic terminal.
Babalakin spoke to reporters at the 10 years’ anniversary of Murtala Muhammed Airport Terminal Two (MMA2), in Lagos.
He called on government to honour the terms of the concession agreement it signed in 2007, so as not to frustrate more private sector players interested in funding airport infrastructure.
He said said: “We are seeking the assistance of all and sundry for the payment of the N200 billion owed to Bi-Courtney Airways Services by the Federal Government. As far back as 2012, the Federal High Court awarded damages of N132 billion to Bi-Courtney Airways Limited.
“Six appeals against the judgment in the Court of Appeal have been dismissed. Even the appeal to the Supreme Court was also dismissed. No nation can truly achieve its potential, if it treats its dynamic citizens this way.
“We call on the regulatory authorities to honour the concession agreement, which has been approved by every level of government, including the Presidency and confirmed by all the strata of the courts in Nigeria.
“This is the only way to reward our pioneering efforts .We are grateful to Allah that our eye opening effort that had led to the upgrading of some airports in Nigeria and the decision of the Federal Government to concession airports.”
Babalakin said his firm welcomes the idea of concessioning, it is done properly and in accordance with the Rule of Law.
He called on government to assist domestic carriers, which are struggling to keep their operations afloat.
He said the firm was disposed to plans by government to concession 22 airports, if the process is transparent.
He said the firm has explored necessary mediation channels to impress it on government to honout its agreement, but the efforts were yet to produce the desired results.
He said: “In 2008, the former President Musa Umaru Yar’Adua presided over meetings to resolve all issues about MMA2, despite the directive given by the former president, aviation authorities are yet to honour the concession agreement.”
He said aviation authorities are frustrating efforts by BASL to begin regional flights from MMA2, despite approval secured since 2007.
Babalakin said: “We got approval since 2007 to operate regional flights from MMA2, but the relevant authorities are frustrating our efforts. We could trace it to both the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) and the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). It is the airlines that are affected, because they burn aviation fuel moving their aircraft from MMA2 to the international terminal. This would not arise if they had allowed us to operate regional flights from MMA2.”
The Chief Executive Officer of BASL, Captain Jari Williams, said MMA2 processed over four million passengers annually.
He added that MMA2 is the first privately-funded Design, Build, Operate and Transfer (DBOT) terminal in Nigeria.
It was inaugurated in May 2007 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.
MMA2 has handled over 20 million passengers, 400,000 flights and created employment opportunities for over 100,000 people in the past 10 years.
The terminal is home to retail outlets, shops, restaurants and banks offering a wide range of products.
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NGO appeals to Fed Govt over N5.6b prison food contract debt
A non-govern mental organisation, Alliance for Good Governance and Democracy (AGGD), has appealed to the Federal Government to immediately address the huge debt profile of the Nigerian Prisons Service (NPS) to food contractors.
It puts the debt profile at N5.6 billion.
The debt is said to have accumulated over the last few years following the increase of daily feeding allowance of inmates from N200 to N450.
The AGGD in a statement by its National Coordinator and National Secretary, Shadrack Nwokolo and Jimi Sanwo, said contractors to the NPS are being owed the huge sum for the food supplied for over two years.
“There are about 56,000 inmates scattered in Nigerian prisons. A lot of prisoners would have been dying on a daily basis if not for the kind gesture of the contractors who have not stopped supplying foods to the inmates despite the huge indebtedness by NPS in the last two years,” it said.
It appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari, Interior Minister Abdulrahman Bello Dambazzau and the prison authorities for “a quick intervention over the non-payment of this huge debt so as to avert an imminent stoppage of food supplies to inmates in prisons nationwide. The consequences may be fatal if something is not done urgently.” -
Fed Govt approves N54b for road linking Akwa Ibom, Cross River
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N54 billion for the reconstruction of Odukpani Itu-Ikot Ekpene road linking Akwa Ibom and Cross River states.
The Ministers of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, disclosed this at the end of the FEC meeting held in the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
He stated that the road would boost socio-economic activities and improve the performance of the economy by reducing journey time, the cost of doing business and also create more job opportunities.
“The Ministry of Power Works and Housing had just one memorandum it was for the award of the Odukpani Itu-Ikot Ekpene route linking Akwa Ibom and Cross River states with a spur to Ibede Itan, the road project was approved for award to messrs Julius Berger Plc.
“So we expect that all of the problems that have been associated with that road which was constructed for well over 40 years ago which has outgrown its design life and also its design capacity those problems will now be frontally responded to by the award of this contract.
“We will do the best to quickly mobilise the contractor to site with the onset of the rainy season and am sure that by this time next year, it will be a better story, a better journey time experience in that area of the country.
“So, this is consistent with the promise of the administration to improve the growth and the performance of the economy by reducing journey time, the cost of doing business and the ease of transport and so on and so forth and also create jobs that would arise from the period of construction,’’ he said.
The Minister of Aviation (State), Hadi Sirika also disclosed that the FEC approved N1.5 billion for projects in the aviation sector.
He disclosed that the Council approved the appointment of transaction advisers for the establishment of national carriers, establishment of aviation leasing company and establishment of maintenance repair and overhaul centre.
He said advisers were also approved for the establishment of Aerotropolis or airport city and for the concession of the nation’s airports
“Today in Council we took the memo for the appointment of those transaction advisers to carry out the advisory services on establishment of national carriers, establishment of aviation leasing company and establishment of maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) centre, establishment of aerotropolis or airport city as you may call it and of course the concession of our airports.
“It was considered and all of them were divided into six groupings and they were awarded to Messrs Luftansa consulting/TN Aero FGE for the national carrier, then the aviation leasing company was awarded to Messrs Arrow.
“Then the concession of airports was awarded to Messrs Infrata Dantens, while the establishment of MRO was awarded to Messrs Arrow, then aerotropolis and agro cargo terminals was given to JEBB, all of these were at different amount but the total sum was N1.524,492,863.62.
“Council had graciously approved, these will signal the kick start of all of these activities within the industry of transportation and aviation,’’ he said.
The Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Suleiman Adamu disclosed that the Council approved contract verification of the diary irrigation project located along Kano and Jigawa states.
He explained that the project, which is about 2,300 hectare, was abandoned after reaching 50 per cent completion.
“It has been abandoned for almost 20 years. As you are aware it has been the policy of the federal ministry of water resources to put priority on ongoing projects .
“This particular project happens to be one of the priority projects. Having been abandoned for over 17 years it is not easy to just move back to site.
“We have to do a more detailed analysis of the scope of work to know how much work is needed to complete the project and how much it will cost.’’
According to the minister, there is already a provision for the project in the 2016 budget and it has also been included in the 2017 budget.
He said: “We are hoping that by the time they finish this project we will be able to come back to council for approval to continue.
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Osinbajo: Fed Govt will develop local economy through MSMEs
The Federal Government is committed to building the local economy through the encouragement of Micros, Small, Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in rural communities across the country, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said yesterday.
Speaking while inspecting Plateau-made products on display at Polo Field, Jos during his one-day state visit to Plateau State he expresses delight over the made-in-Plateau products. He said his office is embarking on a nationwide MSMEs Clinic 2017 programme across the states of the federation in order to grow the local economy.
“The programme has solved so many business challenges faced by business men and women in some parts of the country where the National MSME Clinic 2017 have been held through the engagement of various agencies involved in doing business in the country.
“The MSME Clinic is basically meant to encourage local entrepreneurs for the purpose of growing local economy of the country, Prof Osinbajo said.
The state Governor, Simon Lalong, in his welcome remarks said the commitment of the Vice President to social investment and the economic emancipation of the citizens have remained the indisputable reflection of the desire of President Muhammadu Buhari to enhance the economic well being of the citizens of the country.
He said: “Beyond poverty alleviation is livelihood sustainability, hence the various programmes that the government has initiated in the agric sector and through the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency, to enhance the economic well being of Nigerians.
“We have keyed into the objectives of the MSME Clinic which is to bring all relevant stakeholders and business operators together, to discuss issues affecting the setup and operations of MSMEs in Nigeria. Further to this is for government and other stakeholders to share and provide information on all policies and programmes that, have being initiated in the country to encourage activities of MSMEs”
Gov Lalong commend Mr Vice President for initiating the SMEs Clinic which has already been held in 4 states of the federation and has provided a platform for SMEs to be empowered with necessary tools for growth.
The Plateau State Government is almost at a point of signing a Memorandum of Understanding with Bank of Industry (BOI) on matching fund of Two Billion Naira (N2Bn) facility to enable the trained people have access to funds at a subsidized rates for the establishment of their businesses.
The State Government in partnership with the European Union (EU) has also organized an exhibition programme for MSMEs to show case especially the Made-In-Plateau products which is a move towards encouraging MSMEs and linking them to markets and financial institutions.
Chairman of the planning committee, Mr. Ezikiel Gomos in his address said MSMEs have been working hard to keep the economy of Nigeria growing over the years in their various areas of specialisation, disclosing that the MSMEs Clinic 2017 is to make them grow more.
Mr.Gomos maintained that, small businesses are the engine room of every economy in the world and, “This is the day for the MSMEs on the Plateau, government want to ensure that citizens are told how various agencies can take part in the growth of their various businesses for the economic growth of evey individual and the Country in general.”
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Lagos seeks Fed Govt’s approval to use Aje field’s
The Lagos State government is in discussion with the Federal Government through the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) – Nigeria’s oil and gas industry regulator, to get approval to take all the gas produced from Aje field located offshore Lagos.
A source in the Ministry of Petroleum Resources who requested for anonymity told The Nation that the discussion is progressing well but couldn’t confirm whether the state would be able to get the government’s endorsement for its request.
According to the source, Lagos wants to take all the gas produced from Aje field to generate power for residential, commercial and industrial electricity consumers. However, he didn’t give further details on the transaction
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode had announced that the state targets 3000 megawatts (Mw) generation capacity to be able to sufficiently meet the power consumption requirements of the state. He said the quest to achieve energy security for the nation can no longer be left to the Federal Government to address alone, adding that his government aspires to give the state 24 hours power supply by 2022.
He said the reason Lagos embarked on the initiative was that it believes strongly that if the power problem is solved in Lagos, it is technically solved in the whole of the country.
“The problem of power in Nigeria is the problem of transmission and that is the truth. We have generating companies and we have distributing companies and they say power is in the hands of the private sector but we know technically that that is not totally true. We also know that transmission is hundred per cent owned by government,” he said.
Besides, out of the 3000Mw envisaged by 2022, the governor said 350Mw would be delivered by the first quarter of next year, additional 850Mw by the last quarter of 2018, and the balance of 1,800Mw not later than third quarter of 2022. So the state needs a lot of gas to be able to achieve production of such power production, he said.
Also, the state Commissioner for Energy and Mineral Resources, Olawale Oluwo told The Nation on the sidelines of the inauguration of the National Executive Council members of the Oil and Gas Trainers’ Association of Nigeria (OGTAN) in Lagos, where he represented the governor, that the state government just established an integrated oil and gas firm that will play across the entire oil and gas value chain, which may involve a petrochemical plant that consumes a lot of gas.
He said Ibile Oil & Gas Corporation, the business arm of the Lagos State oil and gas operations, has concluded the setting up of its structures and has gone into marketing of the new oil firm for operation and partnerships. The oil firm will play in all the oil and gas value chain. They are into the downstream, midstream and upstream. They have been mandated to freely invest anywhere in the world and intervene in any area of business. They have put their structures and strategies in place.
“Currently they are moving into business development, they are marketing. They are doing a front end work and sometime later this year they will go into major projects,” he said.
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Fed Govt mulls national carrier
Nigeria has appointed advisers to help it set up a national airline and develop its aviation infrastructure currently seen as a barrier to economic growth to create a hub for West Africa, junior aviation minister Hadi Sirika said yesterday.
Sirika said a group of six firms including German carrier Lufthansa would advise the government on setting up an airline, an aviation leasing company and a maintenance hangar and on creating concessions to run the country’s airports.
A cabinet meeting presided over by Vice President YemiOsinbajo had approved N1.52 billion ($4.99 million) of funding for the project, he added.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who promised a national airline when campaigning for election, did not attend the weekly meeting, fueling concerns about the state of his health.
Decades of neglect and lack of investment have left Nigeria with low-quality infrastructure that is seen as a hurdle to prosperity and the government has already said that upgrading it will require private investment.
The government set up a committee on establishing a national airline in 2015, in fulfillment of the campaign promises which brought Buhari’s All Progressive Congress (APC) to power.
An APC transition paper seen by Reuters in 2015 had proposed merging a dozen debt-laden airlines on the books of state-owned “bad bank” AMCON into a single carrier that would partner with a global airline to serve the West and Central African region.
The single carrier would include Nigeria’s biggest airline, Arik Air, which AMCON took over in February.
AMCON has said it has no plans to convert Arik into a national carrier and that the government has no interest in doing so other than to ensure that the airline continues to fly.
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Akinyemi advises Fed Govt on cash haul probe
A former Minister of External Affairs, Prof. Bolaji Akinyemi yesterday asked President Muhammadu Buhari not to spare anyone involved in the $43.4 million recovered from a private apartment at Osborne Towers in Ikoyi.
He, however, cautioned against putting a foreign intelligence officer on trial in an open court as doing so could hurt external national security.
He also urged the President to include an expert in external intelligence in the membership of the Prof. Yemi Osinbajo-headed Presidential Investigative Committee.
According to him, it was not too late to appoint a retired Head of the National Intelligence Agency (NIA) as a consultant to the panel.
Sharing his thoughts in a statement, Akinyemi said that under no circumstances should the National Assembly be allowed to conduct hearings into the activities of the NIA.
The statement reads: “When the news broke that some millions of dollars had been found hidden in a flat in Osborne Rd, Ikoyi, Lagos, I was, quite frankly, indifferent as it has become a recurrent decimal. I was not even bothered when nobody initially stepped forward to claim it.
“But when Ambassador Ayo Oke stepped forward to claim it on the part of the NIA, alarm bells started to ring in my ears. It is one of the sacred traditions of the external intelligence trade to admit nothing and to deny nothing.
“A saving grace emerged when the President set up the Osinbajo Panel to untangle the web over the millions of dollars. But the President inadvertently made a mistake. He did not appoint anyone with a history of external intelligence experience unto the panel.”
Akinyemi, who asked the government to apply caution in managing the activities involving NIA, called for the appointment of an external intelligence officer as a consultant to Osinbajo panel.
He said: “External intelligence operations do not belong into the same security genre as domestic security forces such as the SSS, EFCC and the police.
“External inteligence officers, otherwise called spies, do not operate under the same operational penalties as domestic intelligence officers.
“The ultimate penalty for a foreign spy in most countries is death. Countries go to incredible lengths to hide the identities of their agents both domestic and foreign and their operations.
“No receipts get issued. Budgets are called black budgets because they are never publicly acknowledged. It would have been reassuring if the President had appointed a former head of or a former very senior member of NIA to be a member of the panel.
“Even at this stage, let me remind the vice president that a lawyer with a specialty in constitutional law will not appreciate the niceties of international law. It is not too late to appoint a retired Head of NIA as a consultant to the panel.”
On the planned probe of the cash haul, he said: “What has motivated me at this late stage to issue this release is the news that the House of Representatives has now decided to institute its own inquiry to this peculiar mess.
“This is a dangerous move. In my knowledge in this field, I know of only one occasion when a government, in this case, the United States (U.S.) Government, set up a Congressional Committee, the Church Committee, named after the Chairman, Senator Frank Churchill, to look into ‘governmental operations with respect to intelligence activities’.
“In fact the main issue which was its concern was “Did the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) ever indulge in carrying out assassinations of foreign Presidents?
“Normally, foreign intelligence activities are shrouded in secrecy, and not in the glare of publicity.
“Now the whole saga has made us a laughing stock in the world. Nigerian agents strewn all across Africa are now in dread of being exposed. Recruiting agents in future in Africa is going to be difficult out of fear of future exposure.
“The following recommendations are to secure damage limitation:
“It is not too late to call in a former director of NIA to serve as a Consultant to the Osinbajo panel.
“No more leaks from the panel.
“Under no circumstances should the report of the panel in as far as it relates to the activities of the NIA be made public.
“Under no circumstances should the National Assembly be allowed to conduct hearings into the NIA affair. The Osinbajo panel report could be shared secretly with the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House.
“Should any NIA officer be found culpable, he or she should be quietly eased out. Putting a foreign intelligence officer on trial in an open court is going to be disastrous to external national security interests.
“If there is no provision to put an intelligence officer on trial in a secret and special court, an executive bill should be sent to the National Assembly to make provision for such.
“Under no circumstances should one security agency be allowed to move against another security agency especially one dealing with foreign intelligence, without the express permission of the President or in his absence the Acting President. This should be without any publicity or fanfare.”
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MAN cautions Fed Govt on EPA
The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has again cautioned the Federal Government to be wary of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) – European Union (EU) Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA).
Its Director–General, Mr. Segun Ajayi-Kadir said the Organised Private Sector (OPS) remained deeply concerned about agreement, arguing that EPA Market Access should be addressed before the country endorses the agreementthe way it was done before the take-off of the ECOWAS CET
He said MAN’s position was to ensure that the nation is not used as a dumping ground for finished products from the EU.
He said MAN had submitted a position paper at the inception of the current administration where it recommended strongly that EPA should not be signed in its present form. This he said is as a result of the inherent negative consequences it would have on local manufacturing in particular and the economy in general, especially in the areas of job creation, loss of investment and revenue to government.
He said: “Nigeria, at various stages in the EPA negotiation process, voiced strong opposition to the agreement and raised concerns that it would lead to de-industrialisation as it is structured to limit the growth of manufacturing in West Africa, particularly in Nigeria. The implication of this is that our economy will remain a provider of raw materials and importer of finished products.”
He also stressed that MAN’s concern is premised on the fact that from all parameters, West African states, including Nigeria, are not at the same level of economic development with any European country and therefore not in a position to conclude a reciprocal trade relationship as espoused in the trade agreement with EU.
The MAN chief said based on the country’s national interest, the last and the current administrations took a decision not to join other West African states in endorsing the EPA in its present form as it is not development oriented but designed to turn Nigeria into a dumping ground for European products.
He said the nation can ill-afford to rely on exporting raw commodities such as crude oil, natural gas, solid minerals and unprocessed agricultural products, urging on the need to break the circle and invoke deliberate efforts to industrialise our economy.
He advised that government’s decision should henceforth be dictated by our national industrial aspiration to develop a virile manufacturing sector. He insisted that our national interest currently dictates that we should not sign the ECOWAS-EU EPA which is structured to destroy our industries both in the short and long run.