The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Indonesia

  • SDG: UN to integrate behaviour change communication

    The United Nations says it will integrate Behavior Change Communications into development agenda and practice in order to fully deliver in the Sustainable Development Goals and leave no one behind.

    The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed made this known in Bali, Indonesia at the opening plenary of the 2nd International Social Behaviour Change Communication (SBCC) Summit on Monday.

    The Summit with the theme; ‘Shifting Norms, Changing Behaviour, Amplifying Voice, What works,’ also featured Entertainment Education as one of the tools for behaviour change communication and holds from April 15-20, 2018.

    Mohammed who addressed the gathering of more than 1,200 researchers, academics and policymakers in a televised message said SBCC is playing important role in engaging young people, empowering victims and shifting attitudes.

    “Social behaviour change is critical to addressing gender inequality. The media, entertainment, education and technology sector play important role in helping us mobilize in these constituencies, engage young people, empower victims and shift attitudes.

    “The social behaviour change community is well placed to contribute and add meaning. You have the proven ability to harness the power of communication. You are a vibrant community shown by the presence of over 1200 practitioners, researchers, academics and policymakers.

    “The United Nations looks forward to working with you and other stakeholders to fully integrate social behaviour communication strategy into development agenda and practice. Together, we can transform societies and our future and uphold our promise to leave no one behind,” Mohammed said.

    Earlier in her welcome remarks, the Executive Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Program (CCP) Susan Krenn said the presence of so many professionals at the conference will deliver insights that would serve the community of communicators for many years to come.

    The Minister of Health, Republic of Indonesia, Dr Nila Moeloek who delivered a keynote address said SBCC has the power to change norms and attitudes adding that SBCC is important because it has the power to change people’s lives.

    “I am fully aware of the importance of SBCC in improving people’s lives. Indonesia has put this to use in reducing open-air defecation and the use of Sulphur in washing hands. SBCC was key in the fight against Ebola outbreak in Africa and when we had the bird flu (H5N1) strain, communication strategies helped us to overcome this and we were able to change the attitude of both buyers and sellers,” she noted.

    The Minister who was represented by the Health Economics Advisor, Dr Mohammad Subur also noted that the social media will be a critical tool in SBCC communication.

    The conference has participants from at least 93 countries, with 1,300 abstracts submitted and 429 organisations represented.

     

  • Indonesia eyes more oil from Nigeria

    Indonesia yesterday expressed its desire to buy more crude oil from Nigeria. The request was made by the Head of Economic Affairs, Indonesian Embassy, Mr. Dwiyatna Widinugraha, who led a delegation from the country on a courtesy call on the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Dr. Baru Maikanti, in Abuja.

    Speaking on the purpose of the visit, Mr. Widinugraha commended NNPC for its support in crude oil supply which has helped Indonesia to achieve energy sufficiency, adding that the country needed further assistance in the form of increased crude oil allocation.

    According to a statement, Widinugraha said Indonesia with a population of more than 250 million people needed about 1.6 million barrels of crude oil daily (bpd) to meet its burgeoning energy needs as an emerging economy and would love to have a government-to-government arrangement with Nigeria in that regard.

    Shedding more light on the mission of the delegation, Vice President of Pertamina, the Indonesian National Oil Company, Mr. Anizar Burlian, said the group was in Abuja to thank Nigeria for helping the country to meet Indonesia’s local oil demand and to further explore better arrangements of buying the country’s very high grade crude oil.

    “Over the years, we have bought huge amount of crude oil from Nigeria. We are extremely happy to buy more Nigerian crude oil which is globally rated to be of very high grade and which is very suitable for our refineries,” Mr. Burlian said.

    He said Indonesia was also interested in investment opportunities in the Nigerian upstream, midstream and downstream sectors of the Nigerian oil industry.

    Responding on behalf of the corporation, the Group General Manager, Crude Oil Marketing Division (COMD), Mr. Mele Kyari, who was represented by Mr Adokiye Tombomieye, said NNPC would continue to assist Indonesia in the area of crude oil supply, adding that the request for a government-to-government crude supply arrangement should be routed through the president of Nigeria.

    On investment, the corporation advised the team to articulate its request in a proposal to enable management review and act accordingly.

     

  • Be potent force for peace and justice, Osinbajo tells D-8 countries

    Be potent force for peace and justice, Osinbajo tells D-8 countries

    Vice-President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo has urged the D-8 countries to remain a potent force for peace, justice and the observance of fundamental freedom, at all times, to enhance trade relations.

    He gave the advice when he declared open the sixth D-8 Ministerial Meeting on Industrial Cooperation on Tuesday in Abuja.

    The D-8, also known as Developing-8, consists of Bangladesh, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Malaysia, Nigeria, Pakistan and Turkey.

    Osinbajo said maintenance of peace and justice in the D-8 countries was necessary, especially with the social upheavals, conflicts and tensions flaring up everywhere.

    He told the ministers that though the present situation in the world was a time of great challenges, it was also a time of enormous opportunities.

    “The fall in commodity prices has led us to deepen diversification of our economies and challenge industries to greater productivity and cost effectiveness.

    “Most of our nations are achieving great milestones in the use of renewable energy while our young people, in spite difficulties, are competing with their peers in commercial use of innovation and technology,’’ he said.

    He also said it was time to leverage on the clear vision of the founders of the organisation for economic cooperation by advancing the positions of developing countries in the world economy.

    Other areas, he said were; diversification and create new opportunities in trade relations, enhance and provide better standards of living for the people.

    Osinbajo said the organisation must begin to make concrete plans for collaboration and partnerships for areas it had marked for cooperation.

    He said it could this by using its strengths and comparative advantages to advance the good of one and all of its nations.

    The areas of collaboration are; finance, banking, rural development, science and technology, humanitarian development, agriculture, energy, environment and health.

    He reiterated Nigeria’s commitment to enlarge the opportunities for trade and investments amongst the D-8 countries and its readiness to continue to support the work of the organisation in the areas of collaboration.

    The D-8 Secretary-General, Dr Seyed Mousavi, in an address said trade was the backbone of the D-8 member states’ cooperation, adding that it needed to be improved substantially.

    He said though the value of the D-8 inter-trade increased from 50 billion dollars in 1997 to around 100 billion dollars in 2015, the revenue remained below the target of the D-8 set at 500 billion dollars.

    Mousavi said there was room for improvement to achieve the target set by the founding leaders, stressing that participation of member countries was very important to realise the objective.

    He said networking among Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the D-8 organisation was also very vital to enable them have access to knowledge and expertise.

    The D-8 was established in 1997 to primarily promote industrial and other economic activities in the global economy using the same platform to fast-track the position of member countries’ activities.

    The 3-day meeting is scheduled to end on Thursday.

    NAN

  • Nigeria, Indonesia to strengthen economic ties

    Nigeria, Indonesia to strengthen economic ties

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has disclosed that Nigeria and Indonesia have agreed to work together to increase the level of economic cooperation between both countries.

    Prof. Osinbajo spoke on Tuesday morning at a bilateral meeting he held with his Indonesian counterpart, Vice President Jusuf Kalla, on the sidelines of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative ( EITI ) Beneficial Ownership Transparency Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia.

    According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo said that Nigeria is open for business and more investment.

    He said “We are looking forward to more Indonesian investments especially in the manufacturing sector in Nigeria, trying to exploit our local raw materials,”

    He also informed Mr. Kalla that the Buhari administration has implemented reforms that have made the Nigerian business environment “a more favourable environment.”

    In his own remarks, the Indonesian Vice President said his country is also ready for more economic cooperation with African countries, especially Nigeria.

    Vice President Kalla also conveyed his greetings to President Muhammadu Buhari and asked after his health, to which Prof Osinbajo responded that the President was doing very well.

    The Nigerian Vice President then expressed appreciation to the Indonesian government and extended greetings to President Joko Widodo.

    Other issues discussed by the two Vice Presidents included how both countries can collaborate more in the Agriculture and agro-allied sector, and also in palm oil research and production.

  • Nigeria, Indonesia agree to reinforce economic ties

    Nigeria, Indonesia agree to reinforce economic ties

    Nigeria and Indonesia have agreed to increase the level of economic cooperation between both countries, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo said.

    The agreement was reached on Tuesday at a bilateral meeting Osinbajo held with his Indonesian counterpart, Jusuf Kalla, a release issued by Mr Laolu Akande stated.

    The meeting was on the sidelines of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative ( EITI ) Beneficial Ownership Transparency Conference in Jakarta, Indonesia.

    According to Osinbajo, Nigeria is open for business and more investment and recalled the partnership reached with members of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce on Monday.

    “We are looking forward to more Indonesian investments especially in the manufacturing sector in Nigeria, trying to exploit our local raw materials,” he said.

    The vice president also informed his counterpart that the Muhammadu Buhari administration had implemented reforms that had made the Nigerian business environment “a more favourable environment”.

    Osinbajo expressed appreciation to the Indonesian government and extended greetings to President Joko Widodo.

    In his own remarks, the Indonesian Vice President said his country was also ready for more economic cooperation with African countries, especially Nigeria.

    Other issues discussed by the two Vice Presidents included areas of collaboration in the Agriculture and agro-allied sector including palm oil research and production.

    NAN

  • Secret corporate ownership a global problem – Osinbajo

    Secret corporate ownership a global problem – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has described secret corporate ownership as a global problem and bane of development in resource-rich countries like Nigeria.

    Osinbajo said this at the Beneficial Ownership Conference of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative ( EITI ) in Jakarta, Indonesia on Monday.

    The vice president’s speech was made available to newsmen in Abuja.

    He cited a 2014 report by the One Campaign entitled, “One Trillion Dollar Scandal’’, which showed that developing countries loose one trillion dollars annually to corporate transgressions.

    According to the vice president, most of the funds are traceable to the activities of companies with secret ownership.

    “Another report that may enjoy mention here is the 2015 report of the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa chaired by former South African President Thabo Mbeki.

    “The panel stated in its report that Africa had lost more than one trillion dollars over a 50-year period, and that Africa loses more than 50 billion dollars annually to illicit financial flows.

    “Most of these illicit flows are perpetrated in the extractive sector and through companies with hidden ownerships.’’

    Osinbajo said Nigeria was still struggling with the negative impact of the use of corporate ownership secrecy by senior government officials and their cronies to corner juicy contracts in the extractive industry.

    He specifically mentioned the celebrated Malabu scandal of the 1990s, which he said remained the subject of criminal and civil proceedings in many parts of the world.

    According to him, the court cases involved huge legal costs, while the full benefit of the natural resource remains unexploited for the benefit of the people of Nigeria to which it belongs.

    “So, for us in the developing world and especially in Africa, breaking the wall of secret corporate ownership is an existential matter.

    “It is for us literarily a matter of life and death. Masked or Hidden corporate ownership is deeply implicated in the sad story of our underdevelopment.

    “Yes, we know that anonymous companies are not always illegal or are not always designed to harm.

    “But we also know that secrecy provides a convenient cover for the criminal and the corrupt. And we are not just operating from the theoretical or hypothetical standpoint,’’ he said.

    The vice president said that the problem was a global one driven by an inter-connected world where the foothold of anonymous companies does not respect the developed/developing divide.

    He said although the degree of exposure may differ, everyone in today’s world was at risk of the dangers posed by anonymous corporate ownership.

    “If nothing else, the Panama Papers clearly illustrated the global scale and spread of this problem.

    “So, this is a global challenge and nothing less than a truly global approach will be needed to tackle it.’’

    Osinbajo commended the United Kingdom, Norway, Netherlands and Denmark for setting the pace in the establishment of public registers of the real, human owners of companies in their countries.

    He, therefore, called on other G8 and G20 countries to follow suit by initiating actions to end corporate secrecy at home and their dependencies.

    “Open Ownership and its partners must also be commended for establishing a global register of beneficial ownership with entries on about two million companies.

    “However, we must note that legislative measures in the mentioned countries may need to go farther to effectively discourage or totally prohibit non-disclosure agreements by governments with big corporate, and to re-evaluate the use of secret trusts to hide beneficial ownership from the prying eyes of the law.

    “It is important to underscore the fact that opacity in one section of the globe undermines openness in the other.

    “We need to break down this wall together as we are all at risk of the evil effects of opacity in business ownership.

    NAN

  • Agro-entrepreneur urges FG to ban importation of starch

    Agro-entrepreneur urges FG to ban importation of starch

    An agro-entrepreneur, Mr Goke Adeyemi, on Monday urged the Federal Government ( FG )to ban the importation of starch as way encouraging  starch production from cassava in the country.

    Adeyemi, who is the Chairman of the Harvest Feed and Agro Processing Limited ( HFAP ), made the call in an interview in Abuja.

    He underscored the need for the government to protect local starch producing industries from unfair competition from foreign products, saying some companies were importing starch to the detriment of the local industries.

    “Nigeria is the leading cassava producer in the world, producing a third more than Brazil and almost doubling the production capacity of Thailand and Indonesia, which is opportunity for us to stop corn starch importation.

    “We have enough raw materials to produce edible cassava starch for local use and exportation to earn foreign exchange but government needs to help local producers.

    “Cassava has the potential to industrialise Nigeria more than any other product; if the potential is properly harnessed, it is a key instrument for job creation and catalyst for development,’’ he said.

    The agro-entrepreneur commended FADAMA III Additional Financing (AF) Programme for its intervention in the country’s agricultural sector and described its partnership with his company as “wonderful”.

    “We are into processing cassava into edible starch; we have a wonderful relationship with Osun State FADAMA, which involves the cultivation a 300-hectare cassava farm.

    “The FADAMA in Osun State is very organised; they are on top of their game and they supervise their farmers properly. They have also facilitated the interface between the off-takers and farmers very well, we have a seamless relationship,’’ he said.

    Adeyemi, however, urged the National Office of FADAMA to increase the size of the farmers’ farmlands because the farms were too small to meet the off-takers’ demand.

    “FADAMA should strive to develop commercial farmers; particularly those farmers who can cultivate 10 to 50 hectares of farmlands.

    “The arrangement will be beneficial to industrial users like us in HFAP, rather than smallholder farmers that are cultivating less than five hectares.

    “All the same, cassava farmers that are cultivating less than five hectares are also good for food market but FADAMA needs to  do more to help both farmers and off-takers,’’ he said.

    Adeyemi urged the FADAMA programme to encourage smallholder farmers to adopt the use of equipment such as tractors, harvesters, planters and ploughs, among others, in place of the traditional farm implements such as hoes and cutlasses.

    “This is the only way to encourage the youth to become interested in agriculture and engage in mechanised farming.

    “We can go into partnership with the FADAMA programme in the area of agricultural equipment but this should not a short-term relationship, it must be a long-time relationship like five years, such that we can recoup our investments.

    “We started our engagement with FADAMA sometime in July by off-taking cassava from their farmers, and we are able to solve transportation problem by off-taking directly from their farm, instead of waiting for them to bring their produce to us,’’ he said.

    Adeyemi identified the challenges they encountered awhile ago to include the price issue, saying that the price of cassava had started to drop, regardless of the agreed price.

    “Even though we agreed on a certain amount, the price we agreed to pay was too high, compared to the current market price.

    “We had to do some negotiations again; we reached an agreement and started doing our business together,’’ he explained.

    He, however, said that that HFAP had its own cassava farms in Ogun State, adding that his company, nonetheless, patronised FADAMA farmers, while off-taking cassava from other farmers.

    “We provided inputs to the farmers and they do the farming and after a year, we buy from them and deduct whatever we had spent on them. However, my challenge is that our farmers still need more education because there is a lot of side-selling taking place.

    “I am planning of engaging in in-grower schemes aside from out-growers schemes, which I am doing presently. In this case, I will own the land and will ask farmers to come and cultivate it.

    “We will also sign an agreement with the farmers, it will be better for me to control the processes; I will like to work with FADAMA and any other programme or organisation to develop the model.

    NAN

  • Nigeria’s ambassador to Indonesia assumes duty

    Nigeria’s ambassador to Indonesia assumes duty

    Nigeria’s Ambassador to Indonesia, Hakeem Balogun, has assumed duty in Jakarta, following the presentation of his Letters of Credence to Indonesian President Joko Widodo.

    A statement by the Nigerian Embassy in Indonesia made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, said that Balogun applauded the existing cordial bilateral relations between Nigeria and Indonesia.

    The envoy expressed Nigeria’s desire to deepen its economic ties with Indonesia in the areas of trade and investment, particularly in agriculture, energy, solid minerals, oil and gas, manufacturing, tourism and infrastructure development.

    He also conveyed President Muhammadu Buhari’s fraternal goodwill and good wishes to Widodo.

    Balogun told the Indonesian President that he would convey his request on his invitation to Buhari to visit Indonesia and his request for direct purchase of Nigeria’s crude oil.

    The envoy stressed the need for continued efforts to enhance the existing economic ties between the two countries.

    He said that Nigeria was the surest door through which Indonesia could enter the African market, adding that the current volume of trade between Nigeria and Indonesia stood at around $1.7 billion dollars in favour of Indonesia.

    Balogun assured that he would interface with the relevant Indonesian investors to take advantage of the favourable investment climate in Nigeria as the largest market in Africa.

    He said that a proposed Nigeria-Indonesia Joint Commission would be an opportunity for both countries to further boost the existing cordial relations.

  • Execution of Nigerian sparks rights violation crisis in Indonesia

    The office of Indonesia’s ombudsman has unearthed evidence of rights violations in the execution of a Nigerian drug convict in 2016, an official said yesterday.

    Humphrey Jefferson was still seeking clemency from President Joko Widodo at the time of his execution, which meant he still had a chance of being pardoned, said Ninik Rahayu, an official of the ombudsman’s office who is overseeing the case.

    Jefferson, sentenced to death in 2004, had also sought a second judicial review of his case by the Supreme Court, but his request was denied by the Central Jakarta Court without proper explanation, Rahayu said, in what she called maladministration.

    If the court had taken on Jefferson’s case, his execution would have had to be delayed until its final verdict.

    “When one is given the death penalty, all of the procedures must be done according to the laws,” Rahayu told reporters in her office.

    “The rights of the person must be fully met before his sentence is carried out. You can’t bring back the dead to life.”

    Rahayu said the Attorney General’s Office, responsible for conducting the execution, had not followed rules requiring it to give Jefferson and his family 72 hours’ notice of the event.

    But a spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office, Muhammad Rum, insisted that the execution was done according to law.

    Telephone calls to the Central Jakarta court to seek comment were not answered.

    A Supreme Court spokesman, Judge Suhadi, who goes by one name like many Indonesians, did not comment on the specific case, but said the court did not generally grant a second review.

    Jefferson, two other Nigerians and an Indonesian were the only prisoners to face the firing squad on July 29 last year, from a group of 14 picked initially.

    The delay was due to a “comprehensive review”, said Attorney General H. Muhammad Prasetyo.

    The executions were the second round under Widodo, whose predecessor, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, imposed a moratorium on the death penalty.

    Many international bodies and foreign governments had urged Indonesia to pardon those on the death row. They also asked Indonesia to abolish capital punishment, but the calls have gone unheeded.

    Widodo has told law enforcement officers not to hesitate in shooting drug traffickers who resist arrest in the war on drugs.

    The ombudsman’s office has given government bodies 60 days to respond to its findings. But its limited powers mean it can only take its recommendations to Widodo in cases of failure to respond.

    Jefferson’s lawyer, Ricky Gunawan, said he planned to use the ombudsman’s findings to file a civil lawsuit against the office of the attorney-general, seeking compensation for his client.

    “We call on the Attorney General’s Office to stop the preparation of any future death execution and treat the convicts with respect and have their rights fulfilled,” Gunawan said.

  • Indonesia imposes travel ban on Trump’s business partner

    Indonesia imposes travel ban on Trump’s business partner

    Indonesian authorities have imposed a travel ban on tycoon and politician Hary Tanoesoedibjo, who is building resorts to be managed by Trump hotels, over an investigation into allegations he threatened a prosecutor via a text message.

    A spokesman at the immigration directorate said on Wednesday that Tanoesoedibjo has been given a 20-day overseas travel ban starting on June 22 based on a request by Indonesian police’s criminal investigation unit Agung Sampurno.

    The Indonesian billionaire “is under investigation related to a violation of the information and electronic transactions law,” Sampurno said.

    Tanoesoedibjo, whose MNC Group controls businesses ranging from media to property, has been named a suspect for allegedly sending a threatening message to a prosecutor investigating a case involving Mobile 8, a telecommunications company previously owned by MNC Group.

    Tanoesoedibjo’s lawyer could not be reached on Wednesday but in an earlier statement dismissed the allegations.
    “The content of Hary Tanoesoedibjo’s SMS is general and idealistic and does not threaten anyone,” his lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea said.

    Part of Tanoesoedibjo’s text message read: “If I am the leader of this country, then that’s where Indonesia will be changed and cleared of things that are not as they should be,” according to the statement from the lawyer.

    Tanoesoedijo has also denied the allegations in media reports. Breaching the law can carry a maximum jail term of four years and a maximum fine of 750 million rupiah (56,000 dolars)

    The tycoon, who in the 2014 election ran as a candidate for vice president, founded his own a political party in 2015 and said in January he would decide before the end of 2018 whether to run in the 2019 presidential election.

    He described U.S. President Donald Trump’s victory as inspiring for candidates with little political experience and attended Trump’s innauguration in Washington in January.

    His company is currently building two luxury resorts in the island of Bali and in West Java, which would be managed by Trump Hotel Collection.

    In an interview with Reuters ahead of Trump’s inauguration, Tanoesoedibjo dismissed concerns by ethics officials that Trump’s overseas business deals might be vulnerable to conflicts of interest.

    Tanoesoedibjo also said in February that while his relationship with the U.S. president has been focused on business he could help ties between the nations “if needed”.

    Several leaders in Muslim-majority Indonesia have expressed concerns over Trump’s tough immigration stance.