The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Muhammadu Buhari

  • N-Power: beneficiaries count gains after five months of empowerment

    N-Power: beneficiaries count gains after five months of empowerment

    Some beneficiaries of the Federal Government N-Power under the National Social Investment Programme (N-NIP), have started counting the gains of the programme after five months of empowerment.

    N-Power is one of the components of N-SIP, aimed at empowering Nigerians both graduates and non-graduates between the ages of 18 and 35 by paying them N30, 000 monthly over a period of two years.

    Some of the beneficiaries, who spoke with NAN on Wednesday in Abuja, said that the programme had established them and taken them out of poverty.

    Nwanjel Alfred, a beneficiary of N-Power graduate scheme in Plateau said he was employed under the scheme and posted to a Nomadic Primary school in the state as a teacher.

    “I graduated in 2011, did NYSC in 2012 and I was not employed for five years; I studied Biology Education but have passion for agriculture.

    “There is no capital to start agric project but as soon as I started receiving my stipend in December 2016,  I went into farming.

    “I have been able to plant and harvest 15 bags of Irish Potatoes seedlings and I thank God the potatoes are doing well.

    “Hopefully in July, I should be able to harvest 50 bags from the farm,’’ he said.

    The beneficiary, however, appealed to the government to ensure the sustainability of the programme by giving them full employment after the two years duration of the programme.

    Similarly, a beneficiary from Taraba, Jeremiah Daniel who graduated in 2008, said he became a photographer as there was no job.

    “A photographer turns a teacher, courtesy of N-power and I have been able to embark on contributory scheme from my stipend.

    “We are six posted to a secondary in the state, we contribute N30,000 (all the stipend) and I have received N180,000 from the first round of contribution and I want to open a cyber café.

    “I have been able to render such service in a rural community in addition to the photography,’’ he said.

    Daniel said that the government had promised to also give them digital device as part of the programme to empower them technologically.

    He said that the government had been paying N4,500 monthly to a company that would supply the electronic gadgets, which they promised would be ready for disbursement in June.

    Daniel, however, advised youths to desist from involving in social vices and engage in business to support and make them self-reliant.

    Also narrating his experience, Okoka Owa, a beneficiary of N-power in Cross River, thanked the Federal Government for coming up with such a programme.

    “I have been able to save N10,000 monthly from the N30,000.

    “I want to open a food stuff shop from the money I will get from the contribution,’’ she said.

    Meanwhile, Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation (N-Power Scheme), said no fewer than 200,000 out of 500,000 youths targeted had been empowered under the N-power programme in the country.

    The N-Power programme recruits and trains young unemployed graduates as teachers, agricultural extension workers and health support workers, etc.

    The presidential aide said the N-power scheme was being implemented under the N-SIP as promised by President Muhammadu Buhari during his campaign to help poor and vulnerable Nigerians.

  • We have seen tremendous progress as promised – Osinbajo

    We have seen tremendous progress as promised – Osinbajo

    The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said on Monday that the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration had  witnessed  the fulfillment of promises it made to Nigerians for 2017.

    In his message to mark Democracy Day and second anniversary of the administration, Osinbajo noted that the promise was amplified in the 2017 budget where Buhari outlined the Economic Agenda in detail.

    “In his Budget Presentation Speech to the National Assembly last December, President Buhari outlined our Economic Agenda in detail.

    “He assured that 2017 would be the year in which you would begin to see tangible benefits of all the planning and preparation work.

    “It is my pleasure to note that in the five months since he delivered that speech, we have seen tremendous progress as promised.’’

    The acting president mentioned the Social Investment Programme, which kicked off at the end of 2016 as a promise fulfilled.

    “Its Home Grown School Feeding component is now feeding more than one million primary school children across seven states and would be feeding three million by the end of the year.

    “N-Power, another component, has engaged 200,000 unemployed graduates – none of whom needed any ‘connections’ to be selected.

    “Beneficiaries are already telling the stories of how these initiatives have given them a fresh start in their lives.”

    He said that the micro credit to a million artisans, traders and market men and women as well as the conditional cash transfers, to eventually reach one million of the poorest and most vulnerable households, had begun.

    Osinbajo hinted that road and power projects were ongoing in every part of the country.

    He also said that in rail, the administration was making progress with plans to attract hundreds of millions of dollars in investment to upgrade the existing 3,500km narrow-gauge network.

    “We have also in 2017 flagged-off construction work on the Lagos-Ibadan leg of our standard-gauge network, and are close to completing the first phase of Abuja’s Mass Transit Rail System,’’ he added.

    Osinbajo said that Buhari’s promise for the take-off of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative had resulted in the revitalisation of 11 blending plants across the country.

    He added that the initiative resulted in the creation of 50,000 direct and indirect jobs so far, and in the production of 300,000 metric tonnes of NPK fertilizer.

    He noted that the Initiative was the product of an unprecedented bilateral cooperation with the Government of Morocco and that farmers now bought fertilizer at drastically reduced prices.

    “By the end of 2017, that Fertilizer Initiative would have led to foreign exchange savings of 200 million dollars; and subsidy savings of N60 billion.

    “The initiative is building on the solid gains of the Anchor Borrowers Programme, launched in 2015 to support our rice and wheat farmers, as part of our move towards guaranteeing food security for Nigeria.

    “All of this is evidence that we are taking very seriously our ambition of agricultural self-sufficiency.

    “I am delighted to note that since 2015, our imports of rice have dropped by 90 per cent, while domestic production has almost tripled.

    “Our goal is to produce enough rice to meet local demand by 2019.’’

  • ‘We will build on successes of last two years’ – Osinbajo

    ‘We will build on successes of last two years’ – Osinbajo

    The Acting President, Prof.  Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday said the Muhammadu Buhari administration spent the last two years building foundations for development and would spend the next two years to build on the successes of the past.

    This is one of the high points of his speech to Nigerians to mark this year’s Democracy Day and the second anniversary of the administration.

    “In the next two years we will build on the successes of the last two.

    “We have demonstrated a willingness to learn from our mistakes and to improve on our successes.

    “The critical points that we must address fully in the next two years are: Agriculture and food security, Energy (power and petroleum), Industrialisation and Transport infrastructure.

    “Every step of the way we will be working with the private sector,  giving them the necessary incentives and creating an environment to invest and do business,’’ he said.

    The acting president said that the administration’s vision “is for a country that grows what it eats and produces what it consumes.

    “It is for a country that no longer has to import petroleum products, and develops a lucrative petrochemical industry.

    “Very importantly it is for a country whose fortunes are no longer tied to the price of a barrel of crude, but instead to the boundless talent and energy of its people, young and old, male and female as they invest in diverse areas of the economy.

    “And that vision is also for a country where the wealth of the many will no longer be stolen by or reserved for a few.

    “And where the impunity of corruption – whether in the public or private sectors – will no longer be standard operating practice; a land rid of bandits and terrorists’’.

    He said that citizens deserve a country that works, not merely for the rich or connected, but for everyone.

    Osinbajo promised that the administration would, with the citizen’s support and cooperation, take every step needed to create that country of our dreams.

    “We also know that this journey will of necessity take time.

    “But we will not succumb to the temptation to take short-cuts that ultimately complicate the journey.

    “We did not find ourselves in crises overnight, and we simply do not expect overnight solutions to our challenges,’’ the acting president added.

  • Ramadan: Saraki urges prayers for Buhari, help for IDPs

    Ramadan: Saraki urges prayers for Buhari, help for IDPs

    The President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has called on Muslims and all Nigerians to dedicate Ramadan period to offer prayers for the recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari and nation’s prosperity.

    Saraki, in a message he signed, said the Holy month presented another opportunity for Nigerians to show love to the less privileged, especially those currently living in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps across the country.

    “It is a great pleasure and honour to once again felicitate with millions of Nigerian Muslims, and of course, Muslims across the world, on the start of the glorious month of Ramadan.

    “Ramadan is one of the five pillars of Islam.

    “Ramadan is a unique symbol of the values that Muslims and people of all faiths share – that is charity, cooperation, compassion and self-restraint,” he said.

    He added that Ramadan was also an occasion for Muslims to strengthen family and community ties and share God’s gifts with those in need.

    “This is why I invite us to reflect on the conditions of our brothers and sisters in IDPs camps that for no fault of their own are unable to fast in the comfort of their homes like you and I.

    “This heart-breaking conditions, therefore, remind us all of our common humanity and compel us into positive actions that could bring a permanent end to the situations.

    “I like to also use this occasion to pray for the quick recovery of our dear President, President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “My thoughts and prayers are always with him just as I wish for him a complete and restful recovery.

    “May the glory and blessings of this month shine upon us now and always,” he said.

     

  • Ex-militants hail Buhari, score administration high

    Ex-militants hail Buhari, score administration high

    Some beneficiaries of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP), have urged Niger Delta ex-agitators and youths to support President Muhammadu Buhari’s programmes and policies for the region, saying the president meant well.

    The ex-agitators, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja, said they would remain grateful to Buhari’s administration for empowering them in various skills.

    Mr Reuben Wilson, an ex-militant leader, said that PAP, under the leadership of Brig-Gen. Paul Boroh had engaged ex-agitators in various empowerment programmes and had also facilitated employment for some of them who graduated recently.

    According to Wilson, PAP has also assisted in rehabilitating more than 200 persons from his camp who have all shunned violence and embraced peace.

    He commended the Federal Government for initiating the programme which he said had empowered many youths in the region and scaled down crime rate.

    Mr Jerry Fiberesima, a native of Okrika, Rivers State, said the programme helped him become a better man after living a life of violence.

    Fiberesima said he is now a successful farmer with 28 persons from his community working under him and earning a living.

    “I now have a farm where I plant corn, plantain and other vegetables; and which is being managed by my 28 employees.”

    He urged those yet to be empowered to exercise patience as it would be their turn.

    Mr Emmanuel Onoyo-Akorhe, a fish farmer in Delta, said PAP had given them the opportunity to boost their fishing business and created a ladder out of poverty and food insecurity for the region.

    Mr Reuben Opuobori, who also owns a fish farm, said that the vocation had offered him and other ex-agitators a chance to make a difference by growing enough food to feed the nation.

    Opuobori said though there were many challenges, young people should be trained and encouraged to live on their own and contribute to making Nigeria self-sufficient and peaceful.

    “As we look to find solutions to feeding a world of nine billion people by 2050; it is this new generation that will work together to achieve that set goal,’’ he said.

    Uche Ogburia, from Elele, Rivers state, said poultry farming had become very lucrative due to the high demand for the products.

    “Little investment is required to start up the business and losses are minimal,” Ogburia said.

    He also encouraged those with the challenge of acquiring land for the business to consider family land as an option, so that gradually they would be able to acquire theirs when the business becomes lucrative.

     

     

  • N-Power money is for work done, Buhari tells volunteers

    N-Power money is for work done, Buhari tells volunteers

    President Muhammadu Buhari has reminded volunteers in the N-power scheme that the financial benefits they receive from the programme “is money paid for work done”.

    Mr. Afolabi Imoukhuede, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation said this when the scheme’s assessment and evaluation team paid a courtesy visit to the Kano State governor Abdullahi Ganduje on Wednesday night.

    He said: “There is a message that Mr. President has asked us to pass in every state we visit.

    “It is that please this is money paid for work done; this is an investment in their lives.

    “And this is an investment that, for the first time in many years, is going directly to the beneficiaries and not through any third party, not through any gateway.’’

    According to the presidential aide in Kano no fewer than 1,200 volunteers are being paid stipends earlier in the year.

    Imokhuede said that as at April about N0.58 billion had entered into the state’s economy through the beneficiaries that were getting paid regularly.

    He said that at inception 25,600 applications were received from Kano State out of which about 11,000 were for graduate recruitment and about 13,000 applicants were non-graduates.

    He said Kano State was offered 4,900 placements in the first phase but noted that 3,868 of them were verified for payment by the Nigeria Inter-Bank Settlement System (NIBS).

    He said that the 13,000 non-graduate applicants in the state would be mobilized in batches as from May.

    Imokhuede noted that those graduates who scaled the verification besides getting their regular N30,000 monthly stipends would also receive the credit device facility under the scheme from June.

    “From June we will take delivery of the devices and shall tell them where to pick them up,’’ he said.

    He said that underscored the President’s message and urged the volunteers to work hard and take the programme seriously as the funds got to them directly.

    He said the scheme’s monitoring framework was in place and that defaulters would not only be delisted but also penalized.

    Imoukhuede said the scheme would soon resolve all payment challenges of Kano volunteers adding that once resolved all their stipend backlog would be settled.

    He said that the growth of the economy led to the job creation scheme adding that what the president had done with the N-power was a lifeline to unemployed youths and not an end in itself.

    “It is a lifeline because it is a paid volunteer programme for 24 months to enhance their employability through being deployed to community schools, farms and health programmes,’’ he said.

    The presidential aide said the appeal that Kano be given special consideration due to its population was noted by the presidency and gave the assurance that it would be considered when the portal reopens in June.

    Responding, Ganduje said the scheme was the best thing that had happened to the economy of the country in recent times.

    The governor said that N-Power was capable of reviving the economy but advised that a template for its sustenance be created for it not to fail.

    He urged the youths to recognize that the benefits they derived came from President Buhari and that they imbibed the discipline of the president in order to move the country forward.

    The Senior Special Assistant on Special Intervention Programmes in Kano, Hajiya Aisha Jafaru, noted that the success of the N-Power scheme in the state was heartwarming.

    She, however, urged the Presidency to increase the number of volunteer recruits in the state and also resolve the issue of unpaid stipends to about 632 volunteers.

     

  • Nigerian women hold prayer session for President Buhari

    Nigerian women hold prayer session for President Buhari

    Women from all works of life on Wednesday converged in Abuja for a one-day prayer and fasting session for the speedy recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari.
    The women, led by President of the National Council for Women Societies (NCWS), Mrs Gloria Shoda said the prayers had become necessary to ensure the good health of the president.
    “We have been praying as individuals in our closet but this time, we have decided to hold this open prayer for our president.
    “We want him to recover quickly and return to work. The council has decided to make this prayer a monthly routine to ensure that things work well in this country also.
    “Nigeria belongs to all of us and it is our responsibility to always pray for our leaders, most especially our president, irrespective of our political affiliations,’’ she said
    Shoda said that the prayer session was also held to ask God to restore the glory of Nigeria and move the country forward.
    Also speaking, Anna Nosike, the founder Gender Support for Women Emancipation and Empowerment Development told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) the prayer session was to bring down the Hand of God upon Nigeria.(NAN)

  • Nigeria showcases success on Polio, Universal Health Coverage

    The Federal Government has informed global leaders that the National Health Act would guarantee every Nigerian a right to a basic minimum package of health services.

    Prof. Isaac Adewole, the Minister of Health, said this in a statement issued by Mrs Boade Akinola, the Director, Media and Public Relations of the ministry, in Abuja.

    Adewole, who delivered an address at the 70th World Health Assembly in Geneva, also informed the world leaders of Nigeria’s response to the outbreak of the four cases of Polio in Nigeria.

    He said the four cases of Polio were recorded in areas affected by Boko Haram insurgency last year.

    “In curtailing the spread of Wild Polio Virus (WPV1) across our borders, there has been a robust international outbreak response and enhanced surveillance activities.

    “The surveillance activities include high level coordination with countries of the Lake Chad Region, implementation of high quality rounds and vaccination of high risk populations during in-between rounds activities,

    “and re-activation of routine immunisation services in newly liberated areas,” he said.

    The minister assured that the current momentum would be sustained for as long as it takes to be certified polio free and beyond.

    Adewole also highlighted Nigeria’s progress towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UCH), through the one Primary Healthcare Center (PHC) per ward programme of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    He said that the country had begun the operationalisation of the National Health Act which specifies that “all Nigerians shall be entitled to a Basic Minimum Package of Health Services”.

    The minister also discussed the country’s Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) efforts, Accelerated TB Case Finding and ongoing humanitarian response in the North East of Nigeria.

  • Osinbajo to hold interactive session on new executive orders

    Osinbajo to hold interactive session on new executive orders

    The Presidency has promised to vigorously implement the new executive orders in its determination to significantly transform the business environment in the country.

    The spokesman to the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, Mr. Laolu Akande, made this known in a statement he issued on Sunday to give update on the new orders signed last Thursday.

    He said as part of measures to drive the reforms intended in the executive orders, Osinbajo would hold an interactive forum in Abuja on Wednesday.

    He said that Osinbajo would be discussing in particular, the executive orders on business environment and promoting “Made-in-Nigeria” products with a cross-section of middle level and senior public and civil servants.

    “These are the people who will be directly responsible for the attainment of the objectives of the executive orders.

    “So the acting president wants an opportunity to talk with them directly and hear from them in person.”

    Akande noted that the interactive forum would be open for live coverage and live streaming.

    According to him, ensuring the effective implementation of the orders is critical for the overall prosperity of Nigerians and Nigeria.

    He said that as part of activities commemorating the second year of the Muhammadu Buhari administration, a presidential level report card event on the Social Investment Programmes (SIPs) of the Buhari presidency would be held at Aso Rock on May 29.

    “At this national event, we shall be updating Nigerians on the progress so far attained, how we are addressing some challenges and how Buhari’s Social Investment Programmes would be significantly expanded going forward,” Akande said.

    The SIPs are the N-Power, which engaged 200,000 unemployed Nigerians graduates for a volunteer job programme and the Conditional Cash Transfer being implemented now in nine states.

    Others are the General Economic and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), a micro credit scheme that has given out almost 60,000 loans already, and the National Homegrown School Feeding Programme.

    In the feeding programme, 25 million meals have been served and over one million primary school pupils in at least seven states are being fed using over 11,000 caterers.

    On the progress of the report of the Presidential Investigative Panel, Akande urged for patience.

    He explained that at the appropriate time the outcome of the panel would be made public “and Nigerians will be satisfied”.

    He said the two suspended officials remained suspended.