The Nation Newspaper

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  • Minister raises the alarm over Boko Haram, high profile inmates in Kuje prison

    Minister of Interior, Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Danbazau (rtd), has expressed worries over the rate at with Boko Haram and dangerous inmates are kept in the same prison facility in Kuje, Abuja.

    Danbazau disclosed that government is urgently building new prisons to relocate the high profile inmates.

    He said this in Abuja when he paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, (FCT), Malam Muhammad Bello.

    Danbazau also urged the FCT administration to have a closer look at the small markets springing up around the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the FCT, saying some of them have been turned to platforms for sale of dangerous and prohibited drugs.

    According to him: “We have received approval to build maximum and minimum prisons in Abuja as well as renovate and reconstruct existing facilities.

    “It’s very important that we build because Kuje houses all manner of convicts and those awaiting trial.

    “We have suspected Boko Haram persons, we have very dangerous criminals awaiting trial all in the same place.

    “We have high profile convicts in the same place and we have those who committed offences that should keep them in prison for probably six months.”

    He went on: “We have all kinds of mix which we think is not the standard we should achieve.

    “Some of them will claim they are IDPs from the Northeast; of course, there is need for us to accommodate these displaced persons but we have to do it in a way that it does not have negative consequences on security.

    “I thought I should seize this opportunity to bring it up so that we can put heads together and know precisely how to deal with the situation.”

    Speaking on the Old Secretariat building housing his ministry, Danbazzau said the Ministry is looking for a befitting area to erect a new secretariat that would reflect its image and importance.

     

  • Minister: Buhari’s government committed to fighting corruption

    Attorney General of the Federation and Justice Minister Abubakar Malami (SAN) said yesterday that lack of credible leadership by past administrations militated against curbing corruption in the country.

    Malami spoke in Abuja at the Media Merit Award of Excellence organized by the Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative (ARDI).

    He said: “Several years of lack of credible leadership in the fight against corruption meant that institutions, such as the judiciary and anti-corruption agencies were weakened.”

    But all that, according to him, is now changing as the Buhari Administration  has worked on laws aimed at  strengthening  the fight against corruption.

    He listed the laws as the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Bill, the Proceeds of Crime Bill and the Mutual Assistance in Legal Matter Bill, among others.

    Malami, who was represented on the occasion by the Special Assistant to the President on Justice Sector Reform, Barrister Juliet Ibekiaku-Nwagwu, said:”To reaffirm the government’s willingness to respect human rights laws, President Muhammadu Buhari accorded high priority to compliance with the recommendations of the panel of inquiry set up by the National Human Rights Commission. Although the incident in this case occurred before he came into office, he felt duty bound to ensure that the government of Nigeria would always respect international and national human rights laws.

    ”The victims of the Apo killings that occurred in 2013 were compensated and for the first time in the history of Nigeria, the victims received monetary compensations. This action underscores the fact that the government recognizes the independence of the Human Rights Commission and would continue to comply with their rulings.

    ”Surely, this government is taking several steps to address issues related to human rights violations. Most of the alleged violations arise as a result of the activities of insurgents in the northern part of Nigeria.

    ”In response to the concern of the public about human rights violation by military officials, President Buhari set up the Presidential Investigation Panel to Review Compliance with Human Rights Obligations and Rules of Engagement by the Nigerian Armed Forces. The panel was made up of members of the civil society organizations and the National Human Rights Commission.

    ”It is interesting to note that the panel found that there is no evidence to suggest a systemic violation of human rights of the citizens and/ or non-compliance with rules of engagement by the Nigerian Armed Forces. The panel did advise that individuals who perpetrate human rights violation should be disciplined.

    ”The Nigerian Armed Forces have mechanisms that are in compliance with international laws to sanction officers. It may also interest you to know that the Nigerian military is enjoined by their rules of engagement to act with utmost professionalism in all their operations based on the Geneva.”

  • Minister: support Buhari to end killings

    Minister of State for Environment, Alhaji Ibrahim Jibrin yesterday solicited the support of well meaning Nigerians to enable the Federal Government restore peace across the country.

    The minister, who made the appeal while speaking with newsmen in Nasarawa, stressed that President Muhammadu Buhari is working hard to end the killings not only in Nasarawa State but also across the country.

    Jibrin particularly urged Agatu farmers and herdsmen in the state to co-exist peacefully and sheath their swords in the interest of development.

    He cautioned Nigerians against unguarded utterances that would further escalate the crisis.

    “So, we call on the people in Nasarawa state and the entire country to be mindful of the language we use so that we don’t inflame what is already a bad situation.

    “The issue of insecurity is not a one man show, it is something that is collective whether your are a political, religious or community leader, we have to come together to address this issue.

    “Lets continue to provide intelligence to the security agencies as no security agent can succeed without intelligence.

    “I assure you that the federal government is determined, the President is determined to make sure that farmers/herdsmen clashes is stopped,” he said.

    The minister, therefore, urged Nigerians to be law abiding, respect constituted authorities, live in peace and be their brother’s keepers in the interest of development

  • How Buhari is changing Nigeria, by minister

    THE President Muhammadu Buhari Administration is steadily transforming Nigeria through innovative measures that are yielding positive results, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed said at the weekend.

    His media aide Segun Adeyemi quoted the minister as speaking in a keynote address he delivered at the 2018 “Africa Together Conference” at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom (UK).

    The minister listed investment in people, changing the business environment and building national infrastructure as some of the areas in which the administration has made a great impact.

    By focusing on education and skills acquisition, Mohammed said the administration is addressing the need to create opportunities for the country’s teeming youth population.

    He said: “In my country, school enrolment is a challenge we face. And one of the main culprits is malnutrition. Government has stepped in: 8.2 million are being fed daily free meals in 45,000 schools. Not only does this increase attendance and provide children with a – in some case only – nutritious meal a day, it enhances learning efficacy in class and boosts cognitive development over the long term,” the minister said.

    Mohammed said the Home-Grown School Feeding programme has yielded other results, including the employment of over 80,000 cooks and a ready-made market for food crop farmers.

    The minister said skill shortages in the labour pool are being addressed through several measures, including the four-pronged N-Power

    programme that is providing employment and vocational training for graduates and others, access to loans for medium and small business as well as conditional cash transfers to the most vulnerable members of the society.

    He said the administration is also changing the business environment for good, especially focusing on removing the red tape that makes it cumbersome for business and stifles innovation.

    “Much of our programme has honed-in on business reform. Nigeria has moved up 24 places on the World Bank Ranking of Ease of Doing Business index – putting it among the top 10 global reformers, along with Zambia, Malawi and Djibouti. The two areas we have prioritised are starting a business and access to credit,” Mohammed said.

    He noted that the challenge of access to credit is also being frontally addressed by making it possible for MSMEs to register their movable assets, such as vehicles and equipment, and use them as collateral to raise loans and finance, thus removing the need for traditional assets like real estate, offices and factories.

    The minister told his audience that the two most critical impediments against business, decent transport connections and a reliable power supply, are also been tackled by ensuring better roads and train networks to enable goods and services move around more cheaply and efficiently.

    His words: “For instance, Nigeria earmarks 30 per cent of its annual national budgets for capital expenditure. That means N2.7 trillion has gone towards our infrastructure in the last two years – unprecedented in our history. Power generation has climbed to 7000MW (from just over 2500MW), to which we hope to add another 2000MW by the end of the year. We have also laid down thousands of kilometres of road.

    “Also, the government has now signed a concession agreement with an international consortium led by General Electric. This will breathe new life into the tracks, increasing capacity and speed. Not only will this allow for goods and services to be moved around cost-effectively, it will allow the prosperity of the nation to be more equitably spread through increased connectivity.”

    He added that the government is also constructing a new standard-gauge railway.

     

     

     

  • Minister visits Kuje prison to forestall more jailbreaks

    Minister of Interior, Lt Gen. Abdul-rahman Dambazau last week paid an unscheduled visit to Kuje prison, it was learnt yesterday.

    The visit was in connection with the jailbreak in Minna prison on June 3.

    Gunmen had attacked the Minna Medium Security Prison in Kafin-Tella B, Tunga Local Government Area of Niger State where a prison officer and motorcyclist were killed around 8pm.

    The visit, according to a top source at the Ministry of Interior, was meant to be secret for a check around the prison and ensure everybody deployed to the facility is not taking things for granted.

    The source, who pleaded anonymity, told our correspondent that Dambazau is worried about the incessant jailbreaks across the nation forcing him to hurriedly visit the Kuje prison.

    The minister, according to reports, spent almost three hours going round all the sections and listening to complaints from the officer-in-charge of Kuje prison.

    He advised armed security operatives deployed to secure the prison to be alert and not compromise no matter the situation.

    Heads may roll, the source said, if after receiving the Minna jailbreak investigation report and any officer is found wanting.  The source added: “How would the authority explain this? Is it that there is no tight security?

    “I am sure more people will dance to the music when proper investigation is concluded. Government will not let this issue go without proper investigation and adequate punishment.

    “The prison boss has been ordered from above to carry out a proper investigation and aside that another investigation is ongoing that is not known to the prison authorities.

    “The Minister of Interior is concerned about this and would not allow this act to continue.”

    The source added:  “That is why the sudden visit to Kuje prison is not made public. Every measure to ensure adequate security is not supposed to be made public.

    “Government, I can tell you, will not rest on its oars in ensuring that no gun men will have free day invading prison facilities across the country.”

    In 2014, former Minister of Interior, Comrade Abba Moro, ordered the immediate removal and suspension of the Niger State Controller of Prisons, Musa Maiyaki and officer-in-charge-ACP Mohammed Bena, following the jailbreak at the Minna Medium Security Prisons.

    Almost four years on, jailbreaks have remained a major challenge of the Nigerian Prisons Services.

    The Nigerian Prison Service, Public Relations Officer, Francis Enobore, when contacted confirmed the minister’s visit to Kuje prison adding that it was due to the jailbreak in Minna.

    Enobore said several reforms are ongoing to further put a stop to jailbreaks in the country.

    The NPC Comptroller General, Ja’faru Ahmed, accompanied the minister on the fact- finding visit.

     

  • Minister accuses NLC of undermining national interest

    •Labour explains position

    Minister of Labour and Employment  Chris Ngige has said   the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)’s decision to report the country to the Committee on the Application of Standard of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) was done in bad faith and against national interest.

    The NLC had written to the committee reporting both Kaduna and Kogi state governments and asking the ILO to send a high-powered delegation to Nigeria to investigate infringements of the right of workers by the states.

    The report by the NLC against the two states was one of the issues discussed by the Committee on Application of Standard at the just-concluded 107th session of the ILO and the decision of the committee is expected to be ready in November.

    The NLC is asking the ILO to send a high-powered delegation made of experts to visit the country on a fact-finding mission, but the Federal Government delegation said there was no need to send experts as the issue was already being handled.

    The minister, in an interview in Geneva, Switzerland, said the retrenchment of unqualified teachers in Kaduna State, which the NLC stated in its petition, was being tackled at home and needed no mention at the international labour forum.

    He said: “We don’t need to wash our dirty linen in the public. My ministry summoned both the Kaduna State Government and the Nigerian Union of Teachers and they presented their cases. We know the truth and don’t need to bring such to the ILO. Some of the people disengaged by the Kaduna State Government from the records tendered to us are not qualified teachers.

    “They don’t have the prerequisite certificate and competence. They got smuggled into the system, but we don’t need to come here tell the world that Nigerians get jobs with fake certificates. We don’t need to engage in such de-marketing of the nation.”

    The minister said based on agreement with the Kaduna State Government, about ten thousand out of the number that failed the qualification test have re-applied, and the Kaduna State has re-absolved some of them.

    The state government, he said, promised to move others to another jobs.

    It has besides recruited more qualified teachers into the system.

    However, NLC Deputy President Comrade Peters Adeyemi, who represented the congress at the proceedings of the Committee on Application of Standards, said the congress took the matter to the ILO because the governors were behaving more like untouchables.

    He said: “This arbitrariness needed to be checked. We had to come here because, if we cast our mind back, President Muhammadu Buhari, out of pain, looked at governors and asked them, how you can sleep when salaries of workers remained unpaid.

    “The problem has to do with the fact that the states have become lords to themselves to the extent that all our President can do is to lament, because he is not able to make them do what is right. Some of these bailout funds were not used for the purpose they were used for. We know that at some point in time, the Economic and Financial Crimes commission (EFCC) was trying to follow up some of those who misused these funds, but we have not gotten any result.

    “What we are saying is that the ILO should send a high-powered mission to Nigeria to ascertain some of these claims. Clearly, we had to put some of these things before the international community because if, despite his efforts, the president has not been able to do what is required, maybe if it is brought to the international community, people will have reason to begin to think more reasonably that this is a disgrace to our country.”

     

  • Nigeria consumes 20 billion cigarettes annually, says minister

    No fewer than 20 billion sticks of cigarettes are consumed annually in Nigeria, Minister of Health Prof. Isaac Adewole said yesterday.

    Adewole noted that 4.5 million adults, which is 5.6 per cent of the population, presently use tobacco products. About 82 per cent of the entire population are exposed to second-hand smoke when visiting bars/night clubs.

    He noted that 6.4 million adults  (29.3 per cent) are exposed to second hand smoking when visiting restaurants.

    Adewole spoke yesterday at a news briefing organised to mark the 2018 World No-Tobacco Day celebration in Abuja.

    The minister added that a recent studies among University of Abuja undergraduates revealed that 33.3 per cent of the students are smokers.

    Adewole said the country is losing $800 million annually to stroke, heart disease and diabetes.

    In 2015,  the minister said the country’s projected accumulated loss to tobacco was put at $7.6 billion, paradoxically.

    Adewole, who also spoke on the trending shisha (flavoured tobacco), said the country would not accept tobacco consumption in whatever disguise.

    He stressed the need to protect the future of the country.

    He regrettably noted that the tobacco industry makes huge profits without taking responsibility for the harm they do to public health.

    Explaining that “evidence also shows that for every $1 gain from tobacco business, about $3 is expended on healthcare cost.”

    On the ban on shisha, the minister said: “A key outcome of this review was the ban on all characterising flavours, including the addition of menthol into tobacco products.

    “This decision is to protect our children from getting enticed by flavoured tobacco products. Let me stress that the ban on tobacco products with characterising flavours is still in place and the ban includes shisha because it has flavour. I therefore urge the Consumer Protection Council (CPC)  and the law enforcement agencies to intensify arrest of defaulters. “He also noted that the latest tax increase on tobacco products was part of the efforts at controlling tobacco consumption in the country.

    “May I inform you that the new rate come into effect from today, June 4, 2018. It is a tax increase of N20 per pack of 20 sticks of cigarettes; this would be raised to N40 per pack in 2019 and subsequently, N58 per pack in 2020. Although the tax increase is below the ECOWAS tax directive of at least 50 per cent ad valorem plus USD 0.02 per stick of cigarette, cigar and cigarillos (or USD 20 per net kilogramme for all other tobacco products), I believe Mr. President will lead ECOWAS in implementing this directive within a shortest possible time to move Nigeria near the WHO recommended tax increase that is equivalent to 70 per cent of retail price of tobacco products,” he added.

    The minister also stressed that “as taxes are being raised, we must prevent revenue leakages and curtail illicit trade in tobacco products, which is the argument often put forward by the tobacco industry”.

    He announced that the country required vigorous and multi-pronged strategies in the control of tobacco epidemic.

  • Fed Govt spends $9b on infrastructure in two years, says minister

    •’Nigeria is safe for tourism’

    The Federal Government has spent $9 billion on infrastructure in two years, Minister of Information and Culture Lai Mohammed said yesterday.

    He also said the nation attracted over $6 billion capital investment and that the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE) is rated as one of the best six in the world.

    According to the minister, Nigeria is safe for for tourism and investment.

    Mohammed spoke at a news conference in Abuja on the 61st meeting of the UNWTO-CAF which begins today in Abuja.

    The news conference was attended by Secretary-General of the UN World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) Mr. Zurab Pololikashvili.

    Expected at the conference will be attended by 26 ministers and 498 delegates from across the world.

    He said: “The government has spent about $9 billion on infrastructure in the last two years.

    This has never been done before.

    “Please permit me to most sincerely thank President Muhammadu Buhari for his invaluable support, without which this event would not have been possible. Thanks to the successes recorded by this administration in fighting insecurity, we are holding this global meeting here.

    “Four years ago, hosting this event in Abuja would have been a pipe dream, considering the level of insecurity. Remember that Boko Haram carried out many deadly attacks in this capital city. That is now history.

    “Nigeria is safe and secure for its citizens and for foreign tourists and investors. Whatever pockets of criminal acts that exist are being addressed squarely.

    “All the ingredients of tourism are here. This administration will promote  tourism religiously.

    “It is common knowledge that culture drives tourism. We will, therefore, use the occasion of this meeting to showcase the rich and diverse culture of Nigeria. Some spectacular cultural events have thus been lined up for the meeting.”

    The minister confirmed that 26 ministers and 498 delegates from the country and abroad will attend the meeting in Abuja.

    He added: “We are all set to host the best UNWTO-CAF Meeting ever! All the necessary preparations have been made to ensure this. The main committee, as well as the many sub-committees, have worked tirelessly to make this event a huge success. We also expect an impressive attendance.

    “As at Sunday,  we have confirmation from 166 foreign delegates, 26 ministers and 332 Nigerian delegates, excluding the gentlemen of the press. Several delegates have arrived and many more are expected in today.

    “As you must be aware by now, the theme of the meeting is ‘’Tourism Statistics: A catalyst for development’’. That theme fits very well into our quest to improve on our tourism statistics for planning purposes and the ultimate development of our tourism.”

    Pololikashvili said: “We will use tourism for peace and creation of jobs.

    “We are working towards seamless travel, investment, innovation, sustainable development worldwide, and security.

    “As the new Secretary-General, I am not a magician, but I know we need to sit down and work out how to promote seamless travel in Africa.”

  • Minister decries opposition’s ‘disdainful of truth’

    INFORMATION Minister Lai Mohammed has described the opposition as unserious and very disdainful of the truth for not acknowledging the achievement of the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration.

    Besides, the minister accused the opposition  of deliberately and perpetually blind to the administration’s monumental achievements.

    He spoke yesterday in Abuja while inaugurating the Nigeria Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) governing council.

    The minister noted that the opposition has made the practice of government perception managers very difficult with the speed at which it spew out fake news.

    He said: “It is a tough time to be a public relations practitioner. I should know. At the Annual Conference and General Meeting of the NIPR in Ilorin in April 2017, I did say that for the government perception manager, whether he or she is the Minister of Information, Commissioner for Information, spokespersons for the President or governor or for any government agency, it is an almost impossible task these days.

    “Today, that observation is more valid than when I first made it in 2017 – especially for the government perception managers. This is because we have an opposition that is unserious, very disdainful of the truth, lacks ideas and believes that being in opposition means crying wolf where there is none and spewing out fake information at the speed of light!”

    He queried: “Where is the seriousness in an opposition party throwing out a spurious figure of N10 trillion as the amount of money that has been looted under the present administration? What is Nigeria’s annual national budget?

    “How do you react to an opposition that is deliberately perpetually blind to the monumental achievements of this administration?”

    He, however, noted that the present administration has recorded a number of unprecedented achievements.

    “While naysayers say they have not seen all these achievements, Nigerians who are benefitting directly from them have testified to the reality of the successes, ” he said.

    Identifying the social media as another wedge to professionalism in the practice of public relations in the country, the minister urged practitioners not to be tired of projecting the image of their establishments.

    “I said the challenges faced daily by the perception managers have been made tougher by the Social Media, that the challenges have defied everything the practitioner may have been taught about perception management, public relations and all, and that the government spokesperson, in order to succeed, must be a Cicero, a Socrates, an Albert Einstein and a Machiavelli all rolled into one.

    “Public relations practitioners, whether working for government or not, must never be tired of projecting the image of their establishments, even when some people decide to play the blind or the spoiler. They must never be discouraged or allow themselves to be disenchanted. Yes, it is a tough job, but if they don’t do it, no one else will.”

     

     

  • Minister seeks better welfare for African teachers

    African countries have been called upon to pay sufficient attention to teachers’ welfare as well as laws and ethical standards to promote quality education on the continent.

    Education Minister, Mallam Adamu Adamu, said this while declaring open the 7th Annual Conference of African Federation of Teaching Regulatory Authorities (AFTRA) in Abuja.

    Adamu said the Federal Ministry of Education had come up with Ministerial Strategic Plan, which, amongst others, seeks to ensure professionalism in the teaching sector and accord teachers deserved respect and recognition.

    He added that the Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria (TRCN) had been reinvigorated and was run by a vibrant management and governing council with an understanding of factors that produce attractive teaching and learning.

    He stressed that participants should be aware that standards have to be created and maintained to ensure quality, adding that regulatory agencies in the teaching and learning profession in Nigeria, were well positioned to set, review, supervise and maintain the required standards for quality teaching and learning.