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Tag: Namadi Sambo

  • Sambo replies el-Rufai on debt allegations

    Sambo replies el-Rufai on debt allegations

    …Challenges ex-minister to substantiate claims

    Vice President Namadi Sambo on Thursday replied the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, over allegation of huge debt burden during his tenure as Governor of Kaduna State.

    In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Umar Sani, Sambo challenged the former Minister to back up his claims with documents.

    He said: “My attention was drawn to a statement said to have emanated from Nasir El-Rufai a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, alleging that the Vice President left a huge debt as a Governor of Kaduna State, stressing that anyone in doubt should verify at the debt management office and that the Vice Presidents company failed to execute the Zaria water project having received payment for same.

    “While it is not in the character of the Vice President to trade words or join issues with anyone, the compelling need to set the records straight has necessitated that a clarity of the issues raised be proffered for posterity.

    “As a patriot and one who is determined to expose corrupt practices it will have served members of the public some good if such records which were made available to him are published for all to see.

    “I therefore challenge El-Rufai to publish the debt profile of Kaduna State from 1966 to date for the public to decipher and judge whether huge debts was bequeathed to Kaduna State or not by the Namadi Sambo administration.”

    He went on: “In his haste to drag the name of the Vice President to the mud and muster some continuous relevance in the media, he failed to conduct an elementary check on the status of the Zaria water project.

    “The contract for the reactivation of the two treatment plants built separately by the defunct North Central State government and later the Kaduna State government was awarded to Nalado Nigeria Limited to return it to its original capacity of 60 million liters per day water treatment plant. At the time of the award of the contract it was operating at a minimal 10 million liters per day.

    “The contract was executed successfully and handed over to the Federal Ministry of Water Resources. However after an audit of the water situation in Zaria was conducted it was discovered that Zaria requires about 150 million liters daily to stabilize in terms of water supply so under the Namadi Sambo administration the current 150 million liter per day water supply contract was awarded to MotherCat Nigeria Limited after a competitive bidding process and we have it on good authority that it is at 90 per cent completion.”

     

  • 2nd joint meeting of NDPHC and NCP at Presidential Villa

    2nd joint meeting of NDPHC and NCP at Presidential Villa

  • Condolence visit to the First Lady

    Condolence visit to the First Lady

  • Commissioning of football house

    Commissioning of football house

  • Oil theft ; N7.35bn loss recorded daily- FG

    Due to oil theft and shortfalls in oil production in the country, the Federal Government says  it is losing 400,000 barrels per day.

    Delta State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the National Economic Council (NEC) meeting chaired by Vice President Namadi Sambo.
    The NEC, which comprises the 36 state governors, ministers of National Planning, Finance, FCT, CBN governor, also took steps on Thursday  to curtail the rising incidences of oil theft in the country including immediate prosecution of oil vandals and thieves.
    The daily loss of 400,000 barrels of oil per day at an international price of $117 per barrel, converted to naira at the exchange rate of N157 to a dollar gives N7.35 billion total loss per day.
    Uduaghan, who was appointed to head the Oil Theft Committee at last month NEC meeting, said that the Committee was working on providing both long and short term strategies.
    On the interim measures being taken, he said: “A technical level meeting involving key stakeholders has been held, where concerned agencies including security outfits have made useful submissions, with more submissions expected from other stakeholders, especially from the oil producing states.”
    “The Committee has moved to address the issue of the 400, 000 barrels per day production shortfall. The Governors of Bayelsa and Delta have been mandated to meet with the concerned oil majors and the JTF to work out modalities for the effective repair of the Nembe and Trans Niger pipelines which are currently shut.”
    “The Committee also mandated Akwa Ibom Governor, Obong Godswill Akpabio, CON, Secretary to National Planning Commission, the NEITI chief executive and a representative of the Inspector-General of Police to meet with the Attorney-General of the federation towards strengthening the extant deterrence policy by ensuring more arrests and convictions of the oil thieves.”
    “In this regard, a meeting of the Governor Akpabio-led Committee with the AGF this morning, agreed on the following resolutions: A legal task force, headed by the AGF to be set up immediately to commence prosecution of proven cases, using relevant laws; particularly the miscellaneous offences Act which carries a sentence of 21 years without option of fine.”
    According to him, the legal task force, which is to be in force for one year with effect from July, 2013, is to be made up of representatives from the NNPC, the Armed Forces, Civil Defence, Police, SSS and other related agencies.
    While prosecution of established cases will continue and all convictions to be given wide publicity, he said that the members of the task force would be announced by the AGF on Monday 22 July, 2013.
    “The Council commended the efforts of the Committee and further urged it to ensure that the bid to repair the shut pipelines is achieved within the targeted period of six to eight weeks.” He stated

     

  • Jonathan commissions Football House

    Jonathan commissions Football House

     … Vows to develop sports in Nigeria

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Thursday reiterated the commitment of his administration to sports development in Nigeria.

    Jonathan, who spoke through Vice President Namadi Sambo during the commissioning of the Nigerian Football House, named Sunday Dankaro House, at Package B, of the National Stadium Complex, Abuja, said that no effort will be spared to achieve the goal.

    The edifice, he said, represents a bold step into the future of Nigerian football and marked a significant millstone in football development and administration in the country.

    He said that it was a good omen that the commissioning came soon after the outstanding performance of the Super Eagles at this year’s African Cup of Nations and Nigeria’s resurgence in several categories of football championships.

    Praying that the edifice would serve as a catalyst for better football administration in the country, Jonathan commended the Presidential Taskforce on FIFA 2010 World Cup (PTF) for a job well done.

    Speaking earlier, the Minister of Sports and the Chairman of the National Sports Commission, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi noted that the Nigerian Football Federation was the first to own a befitting structure as a secretariat.

    He said that locating the project at the National Stadium Complex was part of the grand plan to relocate all National Sports Federations to Abuja and also to make the complex a hub for sports administration.

    In his remarks the Director-General of the National Sports Commission, Hon. Gbenga Elegbeleye, said that the commissioning was a landmark event in sports administration and that it would afford the NFF a sports friendly environment to operate from.

     

  • FG urges ASUU to suspend strike

    The Federal Government has appealed to the Academic Staff Union of University (ASUU) to suspend the on-going strike in order to allow room for the issues involved to be discussed for a lasting solution.
    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice President Namadi Sambo, on Wednesday,  the Minister of Interior, Abba Moro urged ASUU to only use strike as a last resort.
    Moro addressed the press briefing along with the Minister of State (I) (Foreign Affairs) Viola Onwuniri and Minister of State for Finance, Yerima Ngama after the meeting that last for about one hour.
    He said: “On issues on national concern, the current impasse between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government was considered with some concern by the Federal Executive Council.”
    “We took a general overview of what has been happening in the education sector and expressed the concerns of the average Nigerians, stakeholders, parents and students and came to the conclusion that passionate appeal be made to ASUU to consider the overall interest of Nigerians in terms of the education of our children and to see the possibility of using a strike, which has become too incessant in recent times, as a last resort.
    “And to see that a common ground is developed between ASUU and the Federal Government, considering the fact that development of education in all its ramifications is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders including ASUU, council also directed that some level of interactions be established between members of the Executive Council, Government and ASUU to find sustainable, enduring solution to the frequency of strike in the Nigerian university system especially that Nigerians are concerned that Nigerian children find it very easy and commonplace now to seek for greener pastures in education in small countries as Republic of Benin, and considering the fact that it constitutes some level of waste in the national assets.
    “We hope that the intervention by all stakeholders including the National Assembly, traditional rulers, prominent Nigerians would persuade ASUU to call off the strike and find other means of extracting from government its demands rather than resorting to strike once too often. These are some of the issues that we have canvassed today,” he stated
    He also disclosed that Council reviewed the President’s state visits to China in search of partnership with the Peoples Republic of China in various areas of development, saying: “Council considers the trip and its national significance and prayed for the success of Mr. President’s visit.”
    “Council also considered a variety of issues concerning Nigeria’s participation at the 67th session of the United Nations General Assembly between September and December last year. Council also considered a report of the special summit of the 50th anniversary of OAU.”
    On the unsettled salaries and allowances in some Ministries, Moro said: “Council considered that steps should be taken to ensure that Ministries and parastatals and MDAs where salaries haven’t been paid that every effort must be made to ensure that salaries are paid.”
  • Ground breaking ceremony of the General Electric manufacturing facility in Calabar

    Ground breaking ceremony of the General Electric manufacturing facility in Calabar

  • Jonathan inaugurates GE’s $1b plant

    Jonathan inaugurates GE’s $1b plant

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday inaugurated the General Electric’s $1billion service and manufacturing facility in Calabar.

    The ground breaking ceremony according to a statement, followed the Memorandum of Understanding signed by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga; and the Global Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of GE, Mr. Jeff Emmelt, in January.

    Represented by the Vice-President, Arch. Namadi Sambo, Jonathan said the groundbreaking ceremony would not only give a fine boost to the administration’s Transformation Agenda, it would also further strengthen the improved confidence in the Nigerian business environment by both local and foreign investors.

  • Sambo urges partnership with OPS

    Sambo urges partnership with OPS

    The Federal Government is determined to forge a synergy of cooperation with the organised private sector (OPS) on a periodic assessment to ensure sustainable economic growth in the country.

    Vice President Namadi Sambo who dropped this hint during the Institute of Directors’ Convention and Exhibition in Lagos recently, said the country at this period of growth requires all stakeholders to contribute their quota to the development index and ensure that such socio-economic growth are sustained.

    Some of the organisations involved in the proposed partnership include the Institute of Directors of Nigeria (IOD), National Economic Summit Group (NESG), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigerian Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA) among others.

    Speaking on the theme ‘Optimising Performance in a Growing Economy’, Sambo, who was represented by the Head, Federal Civil Service, Buka Aji, said though the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of the country stands at 7.1percent in 2012 as against 7.4 percent in 2011, assured that the government is fast tracking measures to place the country among one of the most industrialised nations by the year 2020.

    “Like any other human problems, the government will be delighted to see that IOD and other well-meaning groups would forward proposals to us on how to better combat all the challenges facing the economic situation of the country”, he said.

    Also speaking during the occasion, the Chief Executive Officer, Nigerian Stock Exchange, Oscar Onyema, said good economic and corporate governance including transparency in financial management were essential prerequisites for promoting economic growth and reducing poverty, promoting economic market efficiency, controlling wasteful spending as well as encouraging private financial flow.

    He said corporate governance practices in companies is currently at varied stages of implementation but however added that all registered companies should have and be accountable for their corporate practices, adding, the banking sector is leading the charge.

    Onyema agreed, regulators were still struggling with the scope of regulation, capacity and ability to effectively monitor levels of compliance and enforcement mechanisms, adding stakeholders’ limited understanding of corporate governance prevents increased investments, higher valuations competitiveness and adequate risk management and investor protection mechanisms.

    He said to contain corporate governance implementation challenges, there is need to ensure among other things consistency, responsibility, accountability, fairness, transparency and effectiveness that is deployed through the organisation.