Tag: FG

The federal government is committed to consolidating the position of Nigeria as Africa’s largest economy through dynamic local and international investment policies and projects, Trade and Investment Minister Segun Aganga said in Abuja yesterday.

Speaking at the signing of an agreement between the Tafawa Balewa Square Management Board (TBSMB) and The Infrastructure Bank PLC towards the development of the 25-storey Independence Building, Lagos into a National Trade and International Business Centre, Mr. Aganga said that the country will realise its dream of becoming one of the world’s top-20 economies by year 2020.

The minister said the project, which he described as a “game changer”, will give Nigeria an iconic building in the league of the Ronald Reagan Centre in Washington DC.

He said the choice of the Infrastructure bank as the financial advisor for the project and the agreement signing were quick steps to ensure its speedy completion.

Aganga described the bank as a premier development financing institution with the domain expertise and market credibility to structure and attract a renowned concessionaire to undertake the development and operation of a world-class international trade centre.

The minister said the bank is expected to work closely with the concessionaire to ensure that the design concept optimised all the benefits accruable to the development of such an iconic development.

Aganga commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the ‘’fast approval’’ of the project in recognition of the status of Lagos as Nigeria’s commercial capital.

In his own remarks, the Managing Director of the bank, Mr. Adekunle Oyinloye, said it was pre-mature to talk on the estimated cost of the project before its designs were completed.

Oyinloye reiterated that the bank would conduct project due diligence and develop transaction structure and financing mechanism and Public Private Partnership model for it within 12 to 8 months.

Also speaking, the representative of TBSMB, an agency under the federal ministry of trade and investment, Mr. Bibonga Umar, said that the project will be an ultra-modern high-rise complex that will be a convergence point for the facilitation of national and international trade in Nigeria.

Two Northern leaders  have described the recently announced ceasefire between the Federal Government and the dreaded Boko Haram group as a political gimmick to return President Goodluck Jonathan to office by 2015.

The Chairman of  the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), IGP Ibrahim Coomasie (rtd), and a top member of the Northern Elders’ Forum (NEF), Professor Ango Abdullahi,  said the sincerity of the Federal Government was doubtful, as people are still being killed on daily basis.

They said: “We in the Northern Nigeria are the ones losing because our people are still being killed, property being destroyed and people charged with the constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property are not doing much”.

‘I doubt the

agreement’

IGP Coomasie (rtd) said: “First of all, I have my doubt over the existence of the ceasefire agreement. Previously, several attempts have been made to reach a ceasefire agreement and get amnesty for members of Boko Haram. But, none received adequate attention.

“This insurgency has been going on for five years and we have been hearing of many Boko Haram leaders being killed. They said  Shekau had been killed. Later, they said he was alive. Now they said he had been finally killed.

“We want to know the leaders of Boko Haram negotiating with the government. And who has broken the ceasefire agreement? Is it national, continental or international. And then, what are the guarantees for this ceasefire and why did Boko Haram break the agreement and they started shooting and killing people immediately after the announcement of the ceasefire.

“Immediately after the announcement of the ceasefire agreement, it has created certain doubt as to whether the whole thing is true or just a gimmick. But, if it is true, and we are sure we are dealing with the right people from  both sides, then there is hope for this country. But, if it is not true and it happens to be another gimmick, which I believe it is, then, there is more to it.

“There are certain questions which need to be asked   at the appropriate time. We will ask those questions. We believe that eventually, the truth will come out. We think all are gimmicks. Maybe something became a stumbling block, but suddenly, they rushed into a ceasefire and less than 48 hours after it was announced, it was broken.

“Some said it was broken because the government rushed to announce the ceasefire agreement. If that is anything to go by, it means, that the ceasefire was not concluded before the government announced it. But it could also be that the whole thing is a lie and that is why Boko Haram reacted.

“Head or tail, we in the Northern Nigeria are the ones losing because our people are still being killed, property being destroyed and people charged with the constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property are not doing much.”

‘It’s a reaction to our ultimatum’

Similarly, Professor  Abdullahi said he had wished the ceasefire agreement were true, but, according to him,  it was a gimmick for the purpose of 2015 elections.

He said: “This is because the population generally believe that President Jonathan is not doing enough, either deliberately not doing enough or he is incompetent and unable to do anything.

“The point now is that, as we head for 2015 elections, he wants to show Nigerians that he is still in charge and that he is able to achieve result, so that he can continue in office, that is all. You remember that two months ago, we in the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) gave an ultimatum that by the end of October, we must see result about Chibok girls, but we were called names by the sycophants around the Presidency.

“So, we see this as a reaction to our ultimatum, especially now that the ultimatum is about to expire. Having realised that there was no result, they had to go into hasty announcement of a ceasefire.

“If the ceasefire is true, we see it as a very good thing for the country. Since the announcement of the agreement, so many people have been killed, bombs have been detonated, more women have been abducted, so where is the ceasefire?

“So, it now left for Nigerians to judge as to whether the President is succeeding or he is failing.”

Federal Government’s effort to stop the ongoing strike embarked upon by  health workers on Thursday has failed.

The meeting between the two parties did  not yield any positive  result as the health workers insisted on continuing the nationwide strike.

Workers, under the umbrella of the Nigerian Union of Allied Health Professionals (NUAHP), said it was left with no other choice since the government failed to do its own part of the bargain.

NUAHP is the umbrella body of physiotherapists, medical laboratoryscientists, pharmacists, medical imaging scientists/radiographers, dietitians, dental technologists, dental therapists, occupational therapists, optometrists, medical social workers, clinical psychologists, among others, excluding the National Medical Association (NMA).

NUAHP President, Felix Faniran, told journalists in Abuja at the end of the meeting with the Federal Government delegation led by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Anyim Pius Anyim Wdnesday night  that “the srike is on.”

He said there was no sign that  government wanted to address the issue, explaining that while the meeting lasted, there was nothing on the table to show that government was willing to provide solution.

Faniran noted that apart from the fact that the agreements reached with us last year August had not been  implemented, “new demands have been made and they are yet to be addressed.”

The union’s demands are: appointment of chief medical directors and wrong advertorials on the posts; need to abolish the post of Deputy Chairman, Advisory Committee illegally created and others.

The Federal Government has turned agriculture to a big business by reducing the cost of food import by $2 billion in the country.

Vice-President, Alhaji  Namadi Sambo, who stated this yesterday during the official opening of the Lifetime Africa Achievement Prize Economic Forum in Uyo,  Akwa Ibom capital, said the Federal Government started by encouraging the production of between 1.5 million and 2 million tones of rice locally.

 Sambo further said in the last three years, the Federal Government has established 12 new, functional universities in the country to address specific areas of development.

On the control of the Ebola Viral Disease, he said President Goodluck Jonathan took the outbreak of the disease seriously and assured of the country’s readiness to support other countries in the world to eradicate the disease.

 The Vice President hinted that the Federal Government has released a take-off grant of N220 billion to support small medium enterprises in the country.

Commenting on electricity supply, Namadi remarked that the President has prioritized power supply and hoped that by 2018-2020, Nigeria would produce about 20,000 megawatts for transmission.

He lauded Governor Godswill Akpabio for hosting the foundation which coincided with the celebration of 100 years millennium goal and its 54th independence anniversary and for transforming the state through such major infrastructure as roads, airport, seaport, security, health and education, among others.

Governor Akpabio thanked President Jonathan and Vice President Sambo for the proper handling of Ebola and the Federal Government for sending about 500 health workers to Sierra Leone to control the disease.

Earlier, the President of Millennium Excellence Foundation, James Victor Gbeho, had said the forum was meant to generate ideas for the development of Africa, saying the choice of hosting the forum in Uyo was to showcase the achievements of Akwa Ibom State and to let the world have a glimpse of infrastructural development for other states and countries to emulate.