The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Lai Mohammed

  • FG assures of seamless operation at Kaduna airport

    FG assures of seamless operation at Kaduna airport

    The Federal Government on Monday announced its readiness to ensure seamless operation at Kaduna International Airport as Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja closes on March 8 for runway repairs.

    The Minster of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this during a World News Conference organided by the ministry in Abuja.

    The news conference featured the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi; Minister of State, Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika and the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahi Idris.

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Fashola, was also represented at the news conference.

    Mohammed said the Acting President had inspected Kaduna airport and the rail station to ascertain the level of readiness to ensure smooth operation during the six-week closure period.

    He said that the summary of the findings during the inspection was that even though the airport might not be 100 per cent ready, its current state was suitable enough for the operation.

    The minister also disclosed that the repair work on the Abuja-Kaduna highway had been completed to ensure smooth passage for Abuja bound passengers.

    “As you are all aware, the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja will shut from the midnight of Tuesday March 7 to the Wednesday March 8 for the purpose of repairing the failed portion of the airport runway.

    “During that time, Abuja flights will be diverted to Kaduna.

    “On Friday, the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo inspected the Kaduna airport and the railway station to ascertain the state of readiness.

    “The summary of the finding is that while the airport may not be 100 per cent ready, by the time Abuja airport is shut, it will indeed be suitable enough,’’ he said.

    Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said the government had concluded arrangements to provide free transportation service for Abuja-bound passengers to and from Kaduna.

    Amaechi said that the train services would be rearranged to suit the flight schedules at Kaduna airport, adding that the train would be coming from Kaduna instead of the current arrangement.

    He said the Kaduna airport runway was in perfect shape, adding that it was a portion of the terminal building that was yet to be completed as at Friday.

    According to him, the work was nearing completion as at that day and the contractor promised to deliver it before the deadline.

    The Minister of State, Aviation, Sirika, craved the indulgence of air travelers to bear with the government on the closure.

    He said that the decision was for safety reasons, which is the key word in aviation sector.

    The minister said the part of the Kaduna airport terminal building had been completed as at this morning, adding that much work had been done to ensure smooth operation.

    According to him, the ministry has provided a dedicated website (www.abujaairportclosure.info) to update airport users on the operations at Kaduna during the period.

    Sirika said the government had no other option than to shut the Abuja airport runway considering the level of dilapidation that had made it to fail completely.

    He said that Kaduna airport would remain a seasonal international airport even after the six weeks period until it met the requirements to be a designated international airport.

    According to him, Ethiopian Airline is the only foreign airline that has expressed its readiness to fly the airport so far but at the end we expect more to operate the airport.

    The minister reiterated the government’s plan to concession all the airports for efficiency beginning from the big four such as Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt.

    “We have already concluded the arrangement for the appointment of transaction adviser that will commence work in a matter of weeks,’’ he said.

    The Inspector General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Idris, assured that the police had made adequate security plans to ensure seamless operation between Abuja and Kaduna airports.

    Idris said the police force had enough capacity and capability to carry out efficient surveillance on the road, the rail line and air during the six weeks.

    According to him, he was in Kaduna on Sunday to conduct assessment of security in the airport, on the road and the rail at Jere and Idu stations.

    “In the whole, our deployment on the ground is perfect because we have the various units of the Nigeria Police Force in charge of specialized units.

    “We have the force Explosive Ordinance Department (EOD), we have the force animals in charge of dogs; we have the patrolling team and the mobile force as well as the air wing.

    “As I stated, all the units are deployed fully on ground,’’ he said.

     

  • Nigerians’ appetite for foreign goods cause of recession – Mohammed

    Nigerians’ appetite for foreign goods cause of recession – Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has blamed Nigeria’s economic downturn on the appetite of Nigerians for foreign goods and services.

    The minister, who said this during the quarterly public lecture organised by the National Institute for Cultural Orientation (NICO), in Abuja, on Thursday, said there was the need for attitudinal change among Nigerians.

    Alhaji Lai Mohammed
    Alhaji Lai Mohammed

    He said the task of developing Nigeria’s economy was the responsibility of everyone, calling on Nigerians to be disciplined and patriotic.

    The minister stressed the need for synergy among Federal, State and Local governments as well as private bodies to promote entrepreneurship in culture and tourism sector.

    He also listed the importance of the sector to economic diversification, adding that government had launched “Change Begins with Me” campaign to foster national consciousness and appreciation for “Made in Nigeria” goods.

    Mohammed said: “There is no gainsaying the fact that our appetite for foreign goods and services is a major factor in our economic meltdown.

    “It is pertinent to state that the task of developing our economy is the responsibility of all Nigerians. The development will need through public-private -partnership (PPP) arrangement.

    “I am fully convinced that if all hands are on deck and government gets the support of all stakeholders, the culture sector will be of strategic importance in the economic diversification agenda of our beloved country.”

    Owella Rochas Okorocha
    Rochas Okorocha

    Imo State Governor, , urged the federal government to restructure Nigeria’s education system in line with “our culture.”

    Okorocha, who delivered a lecture on: “Promoting Culture, Developing the Economy: A Nigerian Perspective,” called on Nigeria to celebrate its major languages to promote their cultural values instead of celebrating other people’s languages and cultures.

    [feature_slider display=”category” category=”40″ count=”6″ caption=”on” caption_length=”200″ nav=”thumbs” animation=”crossfade” easing=”easeInOutCubic” timeout=”2000″ arrows=”on”]

     

  • ‎FG okays N701b power purchase guarantee for GenCos

    ‎FG okays N701b power purchase guarantee for GenCos

    …Power generation hits 4,000 megawatts

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved N701 billion as Power Assurance Guarantee for the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET). 

    The Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola briefed State House correspondents at the end of FEC meeting chaired by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

    He was accompanied by the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed and Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh.

    Fashola said that the facility, which will be made available by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), is to guarantee the payment for the evacuation of power produced by Generating Companies (GenCos) for the national grid. 

    The amount, he said, will be drawn on monthly basis to tackle liquidity challenges faced by GenCos.

    NBET will pay GenCos in arrears of electricity generated as a deliberate step to boost their confidence and that of intending investors to the sector. 

    Part of the liquidity problem being faced by GenCos is the inability to pay their gas suppliers.

    Fashola said: “You will recall that a few weeks back we announced the approval of council for early works for the second Niger Bridge. That bridge at some time was part of a PPP initiative. You will also recall that at some time some private agreements have been signed to build the Lagos-Ibadan express way. 

    “The first memo is to brief council on the PPP status of those infrastructure projects and present options to government which was essentially that government where those PPPs are having problems, government must lead and finance the infrastructure while continuing to engage the private sector. Government remains committed to ‎having private participation in infrastructure renewal.

    “But government as a matter of strategy thinks that it can continue until financial closures, agreements and all of that are put in place when PPPs become ready and viable to help deliver. So, it was a strategy memorandum, the conclusion essentially which is that government is committed to doing short financing as much as possible and encouraging PPP as much as possible. 

    “The second memorandum is in another area of critical importance which is power‎. Part of the challenges there was addressed in the memo that was presented to council to solve some of the liquidity problems, especially as it relates to NBET. 

    “NBET as you know is the government’s own company, which is the Bulk ‎Trader Electricity who buys power from the GENCOS. The liquidity problems that have characterized the market have affected NBET’s ability to deliver on its PPP obligations through the GenCos.

    “So, going forward in order to strengthen NBET, CBN is proving a payment assurance guarantee for any energy produced by any GenCos, so that the GenCos can pay their gas suppliers when they get paid. So that the hydros can continue to operate.  

    “What we seek to achieve here is to bring some stability to the production side of the power value chain and also give confidence to investors who want to come in, who are concerned about how to recover their money….. payment assurance and also people who are planning to invest in the gas sector which is being championed by the ministry of petroleum also are saying the same thing in terms of payment for gas produced.

    “So, the approval of council was to provide this guarantee for NBET, which is a 100 percent government owned company to pay on a monthly basis it’s obligations for energy actually produced on to the grid to the GenCos that are its customers,” he said.

    He said that the government is expanding transmission capacity regularly because it wants to generate more power.

    He said “I have been here to announce to you transmission projects that have been approved by council and over the last one year plus the transmission capacity has grown to almost seven thousand from five thousand and is continuing to grow with every project.

    “So, it is not the problem of taking power, ‎it is actually a problem of getting power from generation. If you recall just about a few weeks ago you were reporting that power supply had dropped to a little over 2000. It’s back now at over 4000. Because what we were seeing on the eastern side of the Delta was that there power. We have solved the transmission problem in Ikot Ekpene largely to evacuate over a thousand. But the gas suppliers were being owed so they were not supplying gas for the power producers. 

    “As to the quantum of the guarantee, it is for two years from January this year right through to December 2018. It is capped at a maximum of N‎701 billion but it is to be drawn monthly. It is possible it may not reach that. But we are projected on the total cost that NBET will likely to pay. And that is why it is for power generated onto the grid only.

    “So, if the power generated does not meet that cost we don’t pay for it. It is paid in arrears at the end of the month not in advance. So, it is for actually what gets unto the grid. And this is part of the reforms that we have briefed you about that we were planning to undertake,” he said.

    He also said that he briefed the cabinet on the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) status of the Second Niger Bridge and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh, said the FEC approved the sum of N263 million for three research institutions to produce gum Arabic seedlings for Nigerian farmers and for export.

    He said Nigeria earned as much as $43 million from export of gum Arabic last year, and that more will be earned with increased production, especially the commodity is in high demand in 17 other countries.

    Ogbeh disclosed that similar efforts are on to boost Cassava research, noting recent discovery of well-packaged ‘garri’ imported from India.

  • Boko Haram affiliate planning deadly attacks – FG

    Boko Haram affiliate planning deadly attacks – FG

    The Federal Government on Friday raised the alarm that a Boko Haram affiliate, Muslim Brotherhood, is planning massive attacks on banks, arms depots and prisons.

    It said the group through its cell in Kogi State was trying to acquire bomb-making chemicals and high-calibre weapons to perpetrate acts of terror.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the alert followed intelligence made available to the government.

    The statement said: “The cell is making frantic efforts to advance its IED-making capability through the acquisition of such chemicals as Sodium Azide (for producing improvised detonators), Potassium Chlorate (alternative to ammonium nitrate used for producing IEDs) and Aluminium Powder (a fuel source for amplifying explosions).

    ”One Usman, an IED apprentice, left the cell some time back to join Islamic State in Libya. The new desire to acquire IED precursor chemicals could suggest that Usman or other persons may have returned from Libya and have acquired IED-making skills intended to increase the activities of the group.

    “Intelligence also revealed that the group is making serious efforts to acquire sophisticated arms, including shoulder-fired rocket launchers.

    ”Further intelligence monitoring has revealed that members of the Muslim Brotherhood are planning to forcefully free their members who are in detention in Kogi, Abuja and Kaduna,. Including one Bilyaminu, an IED expert for the group, who is now at Kuje prison.

    Mohammed appealed to Nigerians to be vigilant and to report any suspicious persons or movements to the appropriate authorities.

    Boko Haram and some of its affiliates have established cells in some parts of Kogi State.

    On January 10, the Department of State Security Service ( DSS) arrested a kingpin of the sect in Okene town, Adavi local government area of Kogi State.

    Identified as Abdullahi Mohammed, he was said to be the leader of the Boko Haram sect in Okene and was responsible for the coordination of Boko Haram activities in Okene axis of Kogi State.

    On October 13, about 10 suspected Islamic fundamentalists were killed near Lokoja in Kogi State during a bloody encounter between an Islamic sect and men of the Nigerian Army.

     

  • Buhari, victim of transparency — Lai Mohammed

    Buhari, victim of transparency — Lai Mohammed

    Information Minister Lai Mohammed on Wednesday declared that President Muhammadu Buhari had become a victim of his own transparency in relation to his current vacation abroad.

    The Mohammed stated this while speaking with State House correspondents after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) on the interest Nigerians have shown in knowing the President’s health status.

    According to him, the President is hale, hearty and absolutely in no danger.

    “I can say it without any equivocation, Mr President is well, he is hale and he is hearty; no question about that.

    “I want to assure you, Mr President is well and he is in absolutely no danger.

    “Mr. President, like I said elsewhere, is probably a victim of his own transparency.

    “He was going on leave, he did what the constitution said he should do, transmitted it to the National Assembly and Acting President was put in place.

    “And he said `while I am on leave, I am going to conduct some medical tests’ which many, or all of us do without announcing it.’’

    Mohammed said it was surprising that Buhari was pronounced dead by some people, less than six hours after he arrived in London.

    He noted with regret that even those, who saw the President board the aircraft in Abuja en route London, claimed that he was flown to that country via an air ambulance.

    The minister, who said that the Acting President had been speaking with Buhari on a daily basis, added: “I can assure you that the President is well he is hale and hearty and there is absolutely no cause for concern.’’

    Reacting to the suggestion that the Federal Ministry of Information should be releasing hourly bulletins on the President’s health condition, Mohammed said there was no need for that.

    “Mr President is not ill, he is not in hospital and there is no reason to give anybody any bulletin about his health, pure and simple,’’ he said.

    The minister said that all organs of government were working closely with the ministers and going about their normal duties across the country.

    According to him, there is no cause for alarm. (NAN)

  • No plan to Islamise Nigeria – FG

    No plan to Islamise Nigeria – FG

    The Federal Government says the alleged Islamisation of Nigeria under the current administration is totally false and should be perceived in its entirety as a campaign of calumny.

     

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed stated this on Monday in Ilorin at the Federal Government Town Hall meeting for the North Central zone.

     

    He noted that in recent times, the media had been increasingly awash with incendiary statements designed to pitch the adherents of the two prominent religions Christians and Muslims against one another.

     

    The minister said the secular nature of Nigeria’s Constitution makes the issue of religious dominance and impunity improbable.

     

    “Such fallacies like the Islamisation of Nigeria, the killing of Christians by Muslims, the labeling of Nigeria as the most dangerous place for Christians in the world can only serve one purpose: trigger a religious war.

     

    “Needless to say that no nation ever survives a religious war,’’ he said.

     

    The minister said those making the allegations were using religion as tool to demonise the government and divert attention from the government’s anti-corruption stance.

     

    He said that more often than not, conflicts between Muslims and Christians were fuelled by political motivations, ethnic differences, extremism, intolerance and terrorism.

     

    “Make no mistake about it, there have been conflicts between adherents of the two major religions in certain parts of the country.

     

    “To now extrapolate from that to say Nigeria is the most dangerous place for Christians in the world is a disservice to Nigeria and an overkill.’’

    He appealed to the media to desist from providing a platform for exponents of incendiary statements.

     

    The minister also appealed to Christian and Muslim leaders to emulate Catholic Cardinal John Onaiyekan and Sultan of Sokoto, Sa’ad Abubakar who formed the Inter-faith Initiative for Peace to promote inter-faith dialogue.

     

    Mohammed said the North-Central edition is the eighth in the series of the Town Hall Meetings, which started in Lagos on April 25, 2016.

     

    He said the intention was to bridge the communication gap between the government and the people, carrying the people along in the process of governance and also getting the much-needed feedback from the citizenry.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Ministers of Health,  Prof. Isaac Adewole, Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and Water Resources, Suleiman Adamu attended the event .

     

    Others are Ministers of State for Mines and Steel,  Bawa Bwari, Budget and National Planting,  Zainab Ahmed and Industry, Trade and Investment, Aisha Abubakar.

     

    The ministers gave accounts of their stewardship and fielded questions from the audience on critical national issues. (NAN)

  • FG warns clerics against ‘hate’ messages

    FG warns clerics against ‘hate’ messages

    The Federal Government on Monday warned religious leaders against incendiary messages capable of causing religious war in the country.

    It also said allegations bordering on Islamization of Nigeria and persecution of Christians were mere fallacies.

    It said conflicts between Muslims and Christians were often fuelled by political motivation, ethnic differences, extremism, intolerance and terrorism.

    It said it was ludicrous that some leaders were accusing Nigerian military of arming Fulani herdsmen to kill Christians.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, made the government’s position known in an address at the Town Hall meeting for North-Central in Ilorin.

    The session was the eighth in the series of the Town Hall Meetings which was started in Lagos on April 25, 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    Mohammed said the government was worried about comments from religious leaders.

    The minister said: “Without equivocating, let me say that a lot has been achieved by this administration, despite the challenges that we have faced since assuming office. But whatever has been achieved in all spheres will pale into insignificance if there is no peace in the country.

    “And there is no bigger threat to the peace and unity of our country today than religion-coated incendiary messages, which are being carelessly sent out there by some religious, political and opinion leaders.

    “In recent times, the media has been increasingly awash with incendiary statements that seem designed to pitch the adherents of the two prominent religions in the country, Christians and Muslims against one another.”

    He described as fallacies such insinuations that the government was either out to Islamize Nigeria or persecute Christians.

    He added: “Such fallacies like the Islamization of Nigeria, the killing of Christians by Muslims, the labelling of Nigeria as the most dangerous place for Christians in the world can only serve one purpose: trigger a religious war. Needless to say that no nation ever survives a religious war.

    “Those who are making these allegations know that they are not true, but they have found in religion another tool to demonize the government of the day, divert attention from the government’s anti-corruption stance and create undue tension in the polity.

    “Make no mistake about it, there have been conflicts between adherents of the two major religions in certain parts of the country. To now extrapolate from that to say Nigeria is the most dangerous place for Christians in the world is a disservice to Nigeria and an overkill.

    “What those who are pushing this negative narrative about Nigeria do not know is that if they succeed in giving Nigeria a bad name in the comity of nations, they too will not escape the consequences that will result therefrom.

    “The alleged Islamisation of Nigeria under the current administration is totally false and should be perceived in its entirety as a campaign of calumny.”

     

  • Shun disinformation, fake news – Minister tells media

    Shun disinformation, fake news – Minister tells media

    The Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed on Friday urged the media to eschew disinformation and fake news, saying the phenomenon if left unchecked, could damage the credibility of the media and endanger the country’s peace and security.

    The Minister on a courtesy visit to the headquarters of Daar Communications Plc. owners of the African Independent Television (AIT) and Raypower radio station deplored what he called the current siege of disinformation and fake news in the country.

    “Unfortunately this dangerous trend, if not checked by the media – especially the traditional media – is capable of tearing the fabric of the society and bringing the country to its knees,” he said. 

    Alhaji Mohammed said that to make matters worse, a section of the traditional media often amplifies the disinformation and the fake news being spread on the Social Media. 

    He noted that in spite of the incursion of the Social Media, the traditional media remains the most credible platform, hence it should not join forces with the purveyors of falsehood. 

    “My greatest problem is with the traditional media because most people will probably say Social Media is what it is. But when the traditional media also latches on the same fake news and the same disinformation, then I begin to get worried for many reasons. Number one, it affects the credibility of the media itself and once the media is no longer believed, once the media loses its credibility, then it has serious consequences for the media and the society as a whole,” the Minister said. 

    Alhaji Mohammed recalled the role that disinformation, fake news and hate speeches played in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda in which over 800,000 people were killed and urged the media to draw some lessons from that unfortunate development. 

    He expressed concern that in the past few weeks, the media was saturated with false news on the health of the President, and that even when the government and the presidency promptly clarified that the President is hale and hearty, some people did not believe them because of the lies they have read in the Social Media.

    “What happened in the last couple of weeks is quite worrisome. Mr.President left for a vacation. When he was leaving, he transmitted the necessary letter to the National Assembly on who was going to act. He said during his vacation, he will also use the opportunity to carry out his routine medical check-up. Within 12 hours of leaving the country, the news was that he had died, and when that was not sustainable, they said he was critically ill.

    ”Some even went on to say that he was actually flown out of the country in an ambulance when the whole world saw when he was leaving and it was televised. For a week or so all we heard was this dangerous disinformation,” the Minister said.

    In his remarks, the Executive Chairman of Daar Communications Plc.

    Chief Raymond Paul Dokpesi, said the emergence of fake news is a global phenomenon, but noted that the Media Group has been absolutely committed to upholding the highest standard of journalism.

  • FG has signed MoU to improve creative industry – Minister

    The Minister of Information, Culture and Tourism, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the Federal Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the British Council and the Tony Elumelu Foundation to develop the creative industry.

    Mohammed spoke on Friday night in Lagos at the maiden edition of the Rasheed Gbadamosi Eko Art Expo organised by the Lagos State Government.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Art Expo was in memory of Chief Rasheed Gbadamosi who died in November 2016 and also to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the state coming up in May.

    “The MoU with the British Council will enable us improve capacity building, and between February 28 and March 6, we are training festival managers drawn from 40 major festivals across the country,” NAN quoted the minister as saying at the forum.

    “We have also been able to succeed in getting a grant to do a scoping of the cultural industry.

    “With this, we know exactly which industry is prevalent well.”

    He said with Tony Elumelu Foundation, the federal government would create, for the first time, a task force on creative economy.

    “What we want is to transit from creative industry to creative economy and the task force is going to be co-chaired by somebody in the private sector.

    “Today, most of our creative artistes, all they have is raw talents; they are very bad business people and they need to work with the private sector to create very workable business models, get new markets and new clientele,” the minister said.

     

  • Buhari hale and hearty – FG

    Buhari hale and hearty – FG

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, has said there is no truth in the messages being circulated on the health of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Mohammed said the President is hale and hearty.

    The minister therefore urged Nigerians to disregard the subversive messages being circulated via text messaging and the social media about the President’s health.

    In a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, Mohammed said the fabricated messages are being orchestrated by those who feel threatened by the emerging order.

    He said there is no iota of truth in the messages being circulated on the health of the President, who is hale and hearty, and the purported emergency meetings of state governors in Abuja or anywhere.

    He said the naysayers have also resorted to the use of ethnicity and religion as tools to divide Nigerians, overheat the polity and cause panic among the citizenry, in addition to using fake news and disinformation to distort government activities.

    The minister said while opposition and criticism are all part of democracy, the crafting and circulation of subversive materials and scare-mongering are unacceptable, hence the full wrath of the law will be brought to bear on those who are bent on subverting the state.

    He added: ”The source/sources of the fabricated messages are already being investigated and the authors should prepare to face the consequences of their actions.

    ”The emerging trend of resorting to destabilization and scare-mongering is not unexpected, considering this government’s clampdown on the corrupt elements in the society, the plugging of all financial leaks which has derailed the gravy train of the looters of public treasury and the enthronement of probity and transparency in the polity.

    ”While we will neither stifle press freedom nor abridge the citizens’ right to express themselves freely, whether through criticism or protests, the security agencies will neither allow any resort to violence nor a willful subversion of the state for whatever reason.”