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Tag: Laolu Akande

  • TraderMoni, MarketMoni beneficiaries, doing well, paying back – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says feedback from the field and testimonies indicate that the TraderMoni and MarketMoni beneficiaries  are doing very well and are paying back their loans.

     Osinbajo’s spokesman, Laolu Akande, in a statement in Abuja, said the vice president had  an interaction with newsmen after his assessment visit to markets in Keffi and Masaka towns of Nasarawa State where the TraderMoni and MarketMoni schemes are being disbursed to traders.

    The vice president urged beneficiaries of the loan schemes to continue to pay back their loans so they could get more money and become very successful in businessess

      “It is going very well; and I am excited to hear the testimonies of the traders who have done so well after getting their first loan. 

    “It is also exciting to see that they have repaid their loans very quickly, because as you pay back, you are able to get more; when you get N10, 000, and you pay back, you get N15, 000 and it gets to N20, 000, when you repay, all the way to N100, 000, and it is so exciting to see that these traders are doing so well.

     “Everybody is keying in already, what we want to do is to expand it so that more traders can get this facility, so we need to do more because at the moment, we have done close to two million but we need to increase the number”.

    Osinbajo said the target of the Federal Government in the Next Level was to expand the scheme to cover more traders and also increase the amount received to enable beneficiaries expand their businesses.

     According to him, the TraderMoni and MarketMoni schemes will be expanded  to include more people in every state.

    He said more of the traders  would get the TraderMoni and the MarketMoni loans. 

     “So long as you continue to pay back you will continue to get more money.

    “We want to make sure that every petty trader in the market have enough so that they themselves can even employ more people and pay their children’s school fees and also build their own houses. 

    “As I told you, we are going to expand the scheme so that more people can benefit.”

     Earlier at the palace of the Emir of Keffi, Alhaji Shehu Yamusa, Osinbajo said his visit to the State was to assess the disbursement of the TraderMoni and MarketMoni loans to traders in markets across the States.

    He said that TraderMoni was the President Muhammadu Buhari’s  own way of empowering women and men who were traders. 

    He said the inventories of the many of the traders  were very small as they could be people hawking groundnuts, selling bread and other basic things. 

    “Most of them don’t have enough capital to improve their businesses. So, what we do is to empower them through the Bank of Industry.

     “So, we want to ensure that people who are trading have an opportunity and that opportunity is provided when we are able to give them capital as part of this TraderMoni scheme. So, that is why we are here.”

    Read Also: Osinbajo decries high port charges

     On the Emir’s appeal about improving educational standards, the vice president said Buhari was determined to improve both access and quality of education to all Nigerians regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds.

     He said that one of the other things that would the traditional  might be happy to hear was the President’s determination to the question of education.

    “On June 20, while speaking to hovernors when he inaugurated the National Economic Council, he made the point that the Federal Government will enforce, along with the State governments, the law on free and compulsory education of the first nine years of the child’s school life.

     “It is a very important thing because we all know that education is the key to the economic success, the key to self-realisation and the key that enables any person live a dignified life.

    ” So, we are extremely concerned on how to improve education; Technical education in particular, I think that it is very important.

     “As a matter of fact, under our N-Power scheme we already have a number of technical education schemes going on.  We have what we call N-Build which is technical education for persons involved in the building industry (tillers, brick layers etc). We also have training for extension workers, persons who will provide extension service. 

    ” There is the one for persons involved in technical training like carpenter, electricians and many others,” he said. 

    He added that the Federal and state governments were committed to doing more in terms of technical education.

    Osinbajo said there was also collaboration  in supporting the states  especially in making primary education and first three years of secondary education free and compulsory as well as in the education of young women.

    In his remarks, Chindo commended the vice president for his show of concern and interest in the welfare of the people of Nasarawa State and Keffi in particular.

    The traditional ruler appealed to the Federal Government to review the nation’s education curriculum to integrate vocational and technical education to address youth unemployment.

    NAN

  • 9.8m pupils have benefited from school feeding programme – Presidency

    The Federal Government’s National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) now feeds over 9.8 million pupils daily in 32 states.

    Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, who disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja, also said that Yobe has joined the programme.

    Under the NHGSFP, school children in over 53,000 public primary schools are fed with one free, nutritious meal a day, while it has engaged over 106,000 cooks in the 32 states.

    The 32 states currently benefiting from the school feeding programme are Anambra, Abia, Akwa Ibom, Adamawa, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Ebonyi, Enugu, Kaduna, Kebbi, Kogi, Sokoto, and Nasarawa.

    Others include Taraba, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Plateau, Delta, Zamfara, Imo, Jigawa, Kano, Niger, Katsina, Ondo, Edo, Gombe, Ekiti, and Yobe states.

    In the second term of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, the programme has a target of reaching well over 12 million pupils in all the 36 states and the FCT.

    Read Also: Presidency tackles Atiku over comments on judgement

    More so, the Federal Government has commenced the distribution of aluminium bowls and spoons for pupils in public primary schools in six states currently benefiting from the School Feeding Programme.

    Under the First phase of the distribution, over 2.4 million bowls and spoons will be distributed in Plateau State (314,082), Adamawa (182,144), Kaduna (834,130), Katsina (742, 689), Oyo (199, 922), Delta (136, 710) and Ebonyi (73, 513).

    The School feeding programme has not only helped to increase enrolment rates of pupils in the states, it is also effectively tackling early year malnutrition and the problem of stunting, while improving the cognitive skills of children.

    The programme has also provided sustainable income for local farmers, jobs for cooks as well as increasing growth and productivity in the local economies.

    NAN

     

     

     

  • Osinbajo urges journalists to expose corruption

    Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has urged Nigerian Journalists to continue to interrogate and expose corruption in the country.

    He said that in this age of social media and fake news which spreads like wildfire, the primary responsibility of media houses is accurate reporting.

    The Vice President made this plea on Monday in Abuja, at a two day editorial conference on legal and ethical issues in investigative reporting in Nigeria, organised by Dailytrust in collaboration with Daily trust foundation and MacArthur foundation.

    Prof. Osinbajo who was represented by his Special Assistant on media, Laolu Akande added that the level of fake news and unverified information which was shared on social media and media platforms during the general elections makes it important for investigative journalism trainings in the country.

    His words, “In the age of social media, where for pecuniary, political or whatever interests, fake news spread like wild fire, and facts are distorted by a few individuals leveraging on various media platforms to push outright misrepresentation into the public space.

    “Recent events, including the past general elections – where fake news and unverified information were shared by many on different media platforms, and on social media especially – have also put a spotlight on the importance of investigative journalism and why our country needs this aspect of the profession more than ever.

    Read Also: Osinbajo meets Blair in Aso Villa

    “Our country needs more of such brave, dogged and passionate investigative journalists, that can speak truth to power, with accuracy, without diluting the facts; journalists who can dig deep into the heart of a story that would enhance the common good and improve the life of the common man, and not the selfish interest of a few; journalists who would refuse the temptation of personal and political interests to rightfully investigate and expose corruption in every sector of society, and make our country and the world at large a better place for all of us.”

    Chairman, Daily Trust foundation, Mallam Wada Maida revealed that so far, the foundation has trained 200 Journalists in Nigeria in the art of investigative Journalism and is working towards training more.

    He added that worldwide, about 94 Journalists were killed last year in the cause of doing their jobs, he also said that any society that suppresses the voice of truth does not progress.

  • TraderMoni loans not for election purpose, Presidency insists

    The Presidency on Thursday said that the TraderMoni scheme and other GEEP micro-credit products (MarketMoni and FarmerMoni), which are components of the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programme, are still very much in operation.

    A statement by Mr Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant on Media & Publicity to the President (Office of the Vice President), said that the loans are not for the purpose of election.

    According to a progress report on the GEEP micro-credit products (TraderMoni, MarketMoni, and FarmerMoni), he disclosed that over 30,000 beneficiaries per state have been captured under the programme.

    He said “So far, a target of 30,000 minimum beneficiaries per state has been achieved in majority of the 36 states and FCT since after the national and state polls.”

    “What the implementing agency has been doing since the last phase of disbursements is generating the balance of program funding while ramping up on the states with shortages.”

    “Consequently, disbursements have continued to happen in the states; for instance, we have had over 28,000 disbursements across 10 states since after the elections. Our priority is ramping up these numbers in the balance of states before we move to phase two of the program after detailed reviews and structural enhancements for larger scale. Under the Next Level agenda, Trader Moni loans will target ten million petty traders, a significant ramp up from the initial target of two million beneficiaries.”

    On the role of the Ministry for Industry, Trade and Investment in the implementation of the scheme, he said, “it is actively involved in the project.”

    Mr Akande said, “that ministry is, in fact the oversighting Ministry of Bank of Industry, which is the deploying agency. The office of the Minister executes the GEEP program via the Bank of Industry.

    “The governance structure of GEEP includes the office of the Vice President (National Social Investment Office), The Ministry of Trade and Investment, and the Bank of Industry.”

    Speaking on measures adopted to enhance repayments, the Presidential Media Aide said GEEP has pioneered innovative solutions to drive repayment compliance.

    “Working with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Nigerian Interbank Settlement System (NIBSS), we successfully piloted the concept of the BVN as digital collateral; and we saw repayment go up significantly on the MarketMoni and FarmerMoni loans.

    “For TraderMoni, beneficiaries can pay back at any commercial bank in the country just like a NEPA or WAEC bill; all they need to provide the bank teller with is their phone number. We also developed and successfully piloted scratch cards as a repayment option for beneficiaries who stay kilometres away from the nearest banks in their community. The cards are loaded the same way Telco recharge cards are loaded, thus requiring no new learning curve.

    “This improved repayment received compliance to the extent that in January, the Bank of Industry began second level disbursements – disbursements of N15,000 – to beneficiaries in Lagos, Borno, Ogun and Oyo states for trader who had successfully paid back their first N10,000 loans,” Mr Akande disclosed.

    According to him, “GEEP’s vision (in the long term) remains to empower the over 30 million MSMEs in Nigeria with interest-free, collateral-free loans.”

    The GEEP programme, a component of the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programme (SIP) has since inception about two years ago, impacted many lives, improved living conditions and expanded opportunities for ordinary Nigerians to do petty trading as well as small and medium scale businesses.

    Under the Trader Moni scheme, an initial N10,000 loan is given to petty traders and once they repay within six months, they can receive a new N15,000 loan and when they repay that they can get another N20,000 loan until they get as much as N100,000

  • How Pastor Adeboye prayed for me before chopper crash – Osinbajo

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has revealed how the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, prayed for him night before the Saturday chopper crash in Kogi State.

    He made the revelation on Sunday while giving testimony at the RCCG, City of Grace, Lokoja, Kogi State.

    According to a statement issued on Monday by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Laolu Akande, Osinbajo said “On Friday, we went to (RCCG) camp; usually, I attend our Holy Ghost service. We came in very late from Akwa Ibom State. In fact, we arrived just in time for the grace at the end of the service.

    “Thereafter, our daddy in the Lord, (G.O) Pastor Adeboye, wanted to speak to me. He asked me how things were going on, the campaign activities and all that, and I explained everything; what I was doing on the campaign trail and all of that, some of the challenges.

    “He then said, I am going to pray for you. He said a prayer that turned out to be very interesting because usually, as you know, he doesn’t pray for long.

    “He said “Lord God Almighty, I want you to protect this man,” He said it three times and paused, then he continued. “You know how very dear he is to my heart. I want you to protect him.” I found it very funny that he repeated it several times and then he prayed for favour and other things.

    “So, when the crash happened, immediately it dawned on me that the Lord God had led him to say that very special prayer. And the Lord God Almighty delivered us in accordance with His word that, “even when 10,000 fall by our side, no harm whatsoever will come near us.”

    “I just want to thank the Almighty God for His grace and mercy that has been so abundant in my life and in all of our lives who are here,” he added.

    Earlier, the Vice President had called up members of his entourage who were with him in the Chopper and who were in the church to join him at the altar.

    They included Labour Minister of State, Stephen Ocheni; and Mr. Femi Osinbajo, VP’S elder brother. He also called the names of Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser; and Ambassador Abdullahi Gwary, SSA Foreign Affairs/Protocol – although both of them were not in the service.

    Read Also; Osinbajo: we can’t thank God enough for our lives

    Others are Mr. Laolu Akande, the VP’s Spokesman; Dr Biodun Adelowo, Personal Physician; Mr. Doyin Adetuberu, Security Officer; and Ayoola Oladunni, ADC).

    “This is my older brother, the same father, same mother. Our father passed on long ago, but our mother is alive. If both of us had lost our lives on the same day, that would have been an absolute tragedy, but God saved that from happening.

    “We are truly grateful to the Almighty God and we bless the name of the Lord. And for all of you who are rejoicing with us today, your homes will be filled with rejoicing. You will not know tragedy, you will not know harm, all the days of your lives will be filled with rejoicing,” he said.

  • Crash: Osinbajo thanks Nigerians for their concern

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has expressed his appreciation for the concern shown by Nigerians over the crash of the Chopper carrying him at Kabba, Kogi State on Saturday.

    Osinbajo’s spokesman, Dr Laolu Akande, had earlier confirmed that the Chopper crashlanded but everyone was safe.

    Akande said that Osinbajo was already in Kabba and was continuing his community engagements in the state on the Next Level plan of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    Osinbajo thanked Nigerians via his verified Twitter handle @ProfOsinbajo.

    NAN

  • Osinbajo in Germany, says grand corruption Nigeria’s greatest problem

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo says the problem with Nigeria is not about resources or planning, but the poor management of resources in the past.

    This was contained in a statement by Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President, on Monday in Abuja.

    Fielding questions from a cross section of Nigerians in Germany on Sunday night, Osinbajo said that those who made away with the nation’s resources should be made to account for it.

    He said that to move forward, such massive corruption should not be allowed again.

    “The greatest problem Nigeria has is one of grand corruption; that is the biggest problem we have; not the problem of planning or plans; and grand corruption is the reason why we are not moving as fast as we should in our country.

    “There is no country in the world that can survive if its resources are stolen the way Nigeria’s resources are stolen.’’

    The Vice President said that most of the issues raised by the Nigerians in Diaspora at the meeting over lack of energy, infrastructure, quality and extensive health care services, education and security were traceable to the management of resources.

    He called on Nigerians to hold leaders accountable for the nation’s wealth.

    The vice president responded to over 30 questions at the town hall meeting in Berlin, described by many of the attendees as the first of its kind since 1999, when civil rule was restored in Nigeria.

    Read Also: Osinbajo flags off door-to-door campaign in Lagos

    Osinbajo stated that one of the key issues the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration was dealing with in partnership with European leaders was the repatriation of the country’s stolen assets stashed abroad.

    He said that the Federal Government was equally having conversations with European countries on the subject of migration of Nigerians to Europe.

    The vice president told the gathering that government was concerned about migration issue and had started negotiating with European countries.

    He added that European countries could partner with Nigeria by investing in the country thereby discouraging the prevalent migration of young people.

    Osinbajo expressed optimism that the challenge could be effectively addressed through Nigeria’s collaboration with its European partners.

    Explaining Federal Government’s efforts at addressing unemployment challenges, the vice president observed that a young population of about 60 per cent created a yearly addition of about 1.4 million graduates to the unemployment market.

    He, however, revealed that the Buhari-led administration was addressing the matter as the Federal Government had employed 500,000 graduates under the N-Power scheme, as well as through other social investment programmes like MarketMoni and TraderMoni.

    On health care delivery services to majority of Nigerians, Osinbajo agreed on the need to extend good health care to all Nigerians, but pointed out that it could only be achieved through compulsory health insurance policy.

    Underscoring the urgent need to develop a functional educational system, the vice president announced that the Buhari-led administration was developing a robust education policy, saying “education is the basis of all we’re doing.”

    On the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), the vice President said negotiation between the Federal Government and ASUU was continuing and expressed hope that an agreement could be reached soon.

    The Ambassadors of Nigeria to Germany, France, Italy, Switzerland and Belgium were all part of the audience.

    The vice president will headline the Nigerian-German Business Dialogue in Berlin on Monday.

    NAN

  • ‘Economic Recovery and Growth Plan means investing in Nigerians’

    Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo says investing in Nigerians is a major pillar of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP).

    Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice-President Laolu Akande said that Osinbajo spoke on Friday in a lecture at Oxford University, UK.

    In the lecture entitled: “The Challenges of Human Development in 21st Century Africa’’ the vice-president said that Human Capital Development must be a priority of public policy of governments across Africa.

    According to him, this will effectively tackle multidimensional poverty and improve long-term development on the continent.

    He highlighted ongoing investments, efforts and plans of the Nigerian government and the progress it had made in improving the country’s Human Capital Development indices and investment climate.

    He said that the National Social Investment Programmes (N-SIP) had also made huge impact, calling on African governments to unlock other opportunities to significantly achieve improved standards of living.

    “All over Africa, the political will to better the lot of our restive populations is evident, innovative ideas are also in abundance.

    “If we keep our focus, especially on good governance, the next two decades may truly be the African decades.

    “Governments are also best placed to deploy the public policy tools required to bring about synergy between growth objectives and social needs,’’ Osinbajo said.

    The vice-president also said that the administration’s N-SIP would continue to make policies and initiatives to improve Human Capital Development in Nigeria.

    “The major plank of the Federal Government’s approach to empowerment is to improve financial inclusion.

    “Our Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) is an important tool for financially empowering small businesses, artisans, market women, petty traders and table top traders.

    “Over the past two years, through the N-Power Programme, the largest post tertiary employment programme in Africa, we have been able to offer skills development programmes digitally to more than 500,000 young citizens between the ages of 18 years and 35 years.

    “We have set a target of skilling 10 million Nigerians by 2023’’, he said.

    Osinbajo said that by the end of the year, two million petty traders nationwide were expected to benefit from the TraderMoni, which provided them collateral and interest-free N10, 000 loans.

    He added that a total of N55 billion had been disbursed to 250,000 farmers on the platform of  the administration’s Anchor Borrowers’ Programme scheme, which provided subsidized credit to small holder farmers.

    At the event, Osinbajo also inaugurated the International Advisory Board of Oxford University’s African Studies Centre in the School of Global and Area Studies.

    NAN

  • Osinbajo backs quotas for young APC aspirants

    Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, has expressed support for the request by young aspirants under the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC) to be given quotas in elective offices.

    Osinbajo’s stance was communicated in a statement by Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President on Thursday in Abuja.

    The vice president had on Wednesday night met with young aspirants under the platform of APC at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Osinbajo commended Nigeria’s youths for their desire to contribute to nation building in their various constituencies through active involvement in politics.

    He called on them to make needed sacrifices to ensure the ideals they want to see in the country were realised.

    “We are in a place where we are the ones who can make the difference; nothing is going to change overnight, but we can make efforts to change the process.

    “We can do a lot more, but it depends on our commitment. I like the idea of young people getting a quota in the party structure to run for office on some level, such as the state houses of Assembly.

    “Some of the aspirants had earlier raised the issue of allowing quotas to young people in elective offices.

    “It is up to us to fight at every stage to see the ideals that we desire; we will win, in the end, if we are consistent.

    “Our party is stronger if our young people are determined to make a change and a difference, even from within.

    “We would see what can be done to ensure that women and youths are more involved in party politics.”

    Osinbajo noted that the country’s future depended on the commitment of young people who were willing to play their part and make positive differences.

    Read Also: Osinbajo to Young aspirants: Nigeria’s future depends on you

    He said that it was important to encourage young people to participate at all levels of the party.

    The vice president said the courage of the young aspirants was exceptional for aspiring to run for offices in a country of about 200 million people.

    “Having gone this far in the game; that you are not just sitting down at home, not just getting upset with yourself on Social Media.

    “You are putting your money, resources and your time where your mouth is.

    “So, consider yourself in very exceptional company. This is a group of people who have not lost hope, but are very determined to ensure that things work.”

    Osinbajo added that young people should not lose hope in the country as things would continue to change for the better if they remained committed to the ideals.

    He said he strongly believed that the future of the party depended on people who were committed to building a party that was based on ideals that were deemed important.

    “As a young person, I belonged to several pressure groups. I graduated at the age of 21.

    “And when I graduated, I began to participate in various pressure groups, human rights organisations, and anti-corruption, civil society groups of every kind.

    “When political parties started forming, we could not aspire, but we remained involved. My first involvement in government was when I was appointed as Attorney General in Lagos State.

    “For seven years – after serving as Lagos Attorney-General – I was part of the party, I did not have a board appointment or anything, but I kept working for the party.

    I kept working for the party as a lawyer. Most of those cases we were not paid a dime. But we went from place to place.

    “Sometimes we didn’t even have a place to stay when we went to court the next morning. So, there is a measure of paying the price, it depends on how serious or committed we are to some of the things we say we are committed to,” he said.

    Osinbajo further called on young people to stay committed and remain within the party to help to build the party structures.

    He said that he believed that, in party politics, faithful must go beyond positions, whether elective or appointed, but must be committed to something, the principles and beliefs of those who were the forebears of that party.

    Young aspirants in APC across the country who attended the meeting on Wednesday night had requested for audience with the Vice President ahead of the forthcoming party primaries.

  • FG endorses Pinnick as NFF President

    The Federal Government has announced its recognition of the Amaju Pinnick -led executive as the authentic leadership of the Nigeria Football Federation ( NFF ).

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Laolu Akande, Special Assistant to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made the announcement on his official Twitter handle on Monday.

    The tweet which was sent at 11.38 a.m., few minutes before the 12 p.m. deadline given by FIFA for the resolution of the leadership tussle in the Nigerian football governing body, said the government had already informed FIFA of the decision.

    “The FG has already conveyed to FIFA its firm position recognizing Amaju Pinnick-led NFF as the current & only NFF Exco.

    “Govt will also continue to work with all relevant stakeholders involved to resolve dispute in a timely manner. FG is upholding NFF treaty obligations to FIFA,’’ Akande tweeted.

    Read Also: Fed Govt writes FIFA, recognises Pinnick executive

    World football governing body FIFA had on Tuesday said it would go on to suspend Nigeria from football activities if they failed to comply with its instructions by Monday at noon (CET).

    FIFA, in a statement by its Media Office, said it had been notified about ongoings in the NFF, and it viewed them as “undue interference in their affairs’’.

    It said Nigeria must ensure the NFF offices in Abuja were occupied by the Amaju Pinnick faction of the federation’s Congress by Monday.

    NAN also reports that the Glass House had been occupied at different times by both the Chris Giwa and Pinnick factions of the federation’s Congress

    This occupation has however been with the aid of men of the Nigeria Police and the Department of State Services at such times.

    NAN