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Tag: Nigeria

  • Whether a state is littoral or not in Nigeria is a question of fact

    The decision of this court in the case of A-G Rivers State v. A-G Akwa Ibom State adequately supported the use of negotiated agreements in the resolution of maritime boundary disputes. The 2nd defendant however pointed out that such agreements may only be possible in the context of onshore/offshore Dichotomy Abolition Act 2004 where the parties share maritime boundaries. The plaintiff and the 2nd defendant do not share boundaries and there cannot be an enforceable agreement between the two states on the attribution of the 76 oil wells pursuant to the Dichotomy Abolition Act. The case A-G Rivers State v. A-G Akwa Ibom State (2011) 8 NWLR (Pt.1248) Pg.31 has no application to this case as both States in that suit are and still remain Littoral States. The 2nd defendant urges this court to so hold.

    Issue one as identified by this court is prompted by the contention of the plaintiff that there was no maritime dispute between the plaintiff and the 2nd defendant hence there was no basis for the alteration of the existing indices for revenue distribution to have called for a fresh implementation of the powers of the RMAFC as relied upon in Exhibit 1 attached herewith. By the letter of 4th January 2005 already approved by the President, an agreed maritime boundary was identified between the plaintiff and the 2nd defendant. The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission acted on the amicable boundary dispute resolution between the plaintiff and the 2nd defendant and the plaintiff enjoyed to some extent payment of the derivation fund. The plaintiff now disputed in this suit the unilateral removal of the plaintiff’s name among the beneficiaries of the 13 per cent derivation fund and the recalcitrance of the 1st defendant to change the position, culminated in the filing of this case (vide the plaintiffs statement of claim and Final Written Address Exhibit 1).

    It is not disputed that in order to qualify for the payment of the 13% derivation fund or revenue, the state must appear on the National Boundary Commission Maritime Boundary Delineation Map as a littoral State. The RMAFC Inter-Agency meeting held in Kano in 2008 relied on the National Boundary Commission 2008 Maritime Boundary delineation Map to decide those which are littoral states and consequently entitled to the payment of the derivation. It is convenient to explain at this stage that the bone of contention is 76 oil wells located offshore the coast of Nigeria to which Cross River State, represented by the plaintiff, lays claim for the purpose of 13% derivation revenue attribution pursuant to Section 162(2) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    By way of brief background as at the time the judgment of this court in A-G Federation v. A-G Abia State (2002) 6 NWLR (Pt.764) Pg.542 was pronounced, only the Federal Government and not the littoral states could lawfully exercise legislative, executive and judicial powers over the maritime belt or territorial waters and sovereign right over the exclusive economic zone subject to universally recognized rights. The immediate effect of that judgment popularly referred to as the Resource Control judgment was the promulgation of the Allocation of Revenue (Abolition of Dichotomy in the Principle of Derivation) Act 2004. By virtue of Sections 1(1) and (2) of the Act, as from the date of commencement in 2004 the 200 meters water depth Isobaths contiguous to a State of the Federation was deemed to be a part of that State for the purpose of computing the revenue accruing to the Federation Account from that state pursuant to the provisions of the 1999 Constitution or any other enactment.

    For the purpose of the application of the principle of derivation, it is immaterial whether the revenue accruing to the Federation account from the state is derived from the natural resources located onshore or offshore. In effect, by virtue of Section 1(1) of the Allocation of Revenue (Abolition of Dichotomy) Act 2004, all littoral States had some derivative interests in offshore natural resources located within 200 meters water depth Isobaths. Relevant agencies of government like the National Boundary Commission with the Surveyor-General of the Federation have the statutory duty of delineation of national and maritime boundaries. The National Boundary Commission was established by the National Boundary Commission Act Cap N10 Laws of the Federation 2004. Section 1(a) depicts that the Commission shall deal with, determine and intervene in any boundary dispute that may arise between Nigeria and any of her neighbours or between any two States of the Federation with a view to settling such dispute. Section 7(1) empowers the Commission to define and delimit boundaries between States, Local Government Areas or Communities in the Federation and between Nigeria and her neighbours in accordance with delimitation instrument or document established for that purpose.

    The National Boundary Commission had the presidential mandate to produce the delimitation of the Maritime Boundary of Nigeria Littoral States: Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Rivers, Delta, Ogun, Ondo States from the shore/baselines into the sea up to 200 meters isobaths.

    (b) Determine the total number of offshore oil wells for each littoral state so that the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission can implement the Constitution and prepare indices for the sharing of the proceeds in the escrow accounts and the 13% derivation fund. The National Boundary Commission on the 4th of January 2005 in Exhibit F gave proposals for the Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State Maritime Boundary delineation followed by the allotment of 76 oil wells to Cross River State. The parties accepted the issues of boundary delineation as mutually settled to the satisfaction and benefit of both parties (See Exhibit A of the plaintiff which is a letter from the Akwa Ibom State Governor to the president dated 31st January 2005). This court rejected the National Boundary Commission 2005 revised map in the case of Attorney-General Cross River State v. Attorney-General Federation & anor (2005) 15 NWLR (Pt.947) Pg.71 and concluded that in the prevailing circumstance of the judgment of the International Court of Justice on the case between Nigeria and Cameroon.

    “The effect of the judgment of the International Court of Justice dated 10/10/2002 on the land and maritime boundary case between Nigeria and Cameroon is that it has wiped off what used to be the estuarine sector of Cross River State as a result of which the State is hemmed in by the new international boundary between Nigeria and Cameroon. That being the case, there seems to be no longer any estuarine boundary between Akwa Ibom State and Cross River State. lf the median line principle or the ‘thalweg’ principle is adopted in drawing the boundary line along the Cross River between the Cross River State and Akwa Ibom State, the line must intersect and the new maritime line between Nigeria and Cameroon with the result that Cross River State no longer has a seaward boundary. In the circumstance, it is unnecessary to consider in the instant case the question about the applicable principle in determining the maritime boundary between the two states.”

    Another fine point projected in the case by Edozie JSC (as he then was) at Pg. 109 parags D-H is that

    “It can easily be seen from paragraph 17 of the above affidavit that the revised boundary delimitation of the NBC dated 5/7/2004 which the plaintiff is urging this court to declare as the maritime boundary of the two states is predicated on the negotiations between Nigeria and Cameroon which negotiation is almost but not finally concluded.

    It also needs to be stressed that the NBC revised boundary map was made and allegedly approved by the President at a time when the boundary dispute was sub judice. In the light of the observations I have expressed above regarding the NBC revised boundary delimitation, I do not feel comfortable to grant the declaration sought. Until both Nigeria and Cameroon conclude their negotiation to finality and the international boundary fixed by the ICJ is modified and published in line with the agreement, it will be premature for this court to determine the maritime boundary of the two states.”

    The plaintiff argued that the decision of the International Court of Justice can no longer be the basis for changing realities as erroneously canvassed by Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission and the National Boundary Commission. The reasons given were that (1) the decision of the International Court of Justice was made in 2002.

    (2) The boundary dispute between the plaintiff and the 2nd defendant was amicably resolved in 2005.

    (3) The decision has the implication of the retention of the Western part of Bakassi Peninsula by Nigeria which means legally and administratively Bakassi LGA of Cross River State remains an integral part of Nigeria. This entails that Cross River State has an outlet to the sea.

    This foregoing to my mind is a misconception. As the attempt by Nigeria through President Olusegun Obasanjo to retain Western Bakassi Peninsula sequel to the ICJ judgment proved abortive. On the basis of the retention, Cross River State would still have had direct access to the sea and would have remained a Nigerian Littoral State. It was based on the negotiation and the expectation that Nigeria would be allowed to retain Western Bakassi that the NBC letter of 4th January 2005, the plaintiffs Exhibit F titled ‘Akwa Ibom/Cross River Inter-State Maritime Boundary’ was approved by the President and the 76 oil wells transferred and attributed to Cross River State. ‘However between 2002 to 2008, after the ICJ judgment to the time of the implementation and the transfer of the Bakassi Peninsula and the estuarian area of Cross River State to Cameroon, Cross River State continued to enjoy the 13% derivation revenue from the 76 oil wells. After the affected areas were ceded to Cameroon, Cross River State became landlocked with no seaward boundaries. It was deprived the status of a littoral State and eventually Cross River State shares no maritime boundary with Akwa Ibom State or any other Nigerian State. The position came before this court in the case of A-G Cross River State v. A-G Federation & anor (2005) 15 NWLR (Pt.947) Pg.71.

    The RMAFC Inter-Agency meeting of August 2008 was convened to attribute offshore oil wells/fields to Nigeria’s littoral state for the purposes of calculating the derivation funds payable and due to the littoral states in 2009 by virtue of Section 162 (2) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999. The RMAFC has the power by section 6(1)(a) and 6(1)(b) of the RMAFC Act Cap R7 Laws of the Federation 2004 to monitor the accruals to disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account and review from time to time the revenue allocation formula and principles in operation to ensue conformity with changing realities. The National Boundary Commission and the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission used their statutory powers to react to changes brought about by the implementation of the judgment of the International Court of Justice.

    The ICJ judgment altered the configuration of Nigeria’s maritime boundary with Cameroon. The argument of the plaintiff that none of the parties – Cross River State or Akwa Ibom State was invited to the August Kano RMAFC Inter-Agency meeting and thereby causing the issue of breach of fair hearing is irrelevant and out of context. The relevant question is whether the plaintiff is entitled to the derivation revenue from the seventy-six oil wells located within the 200 meters water depth Isobaths contiguous to its territory as stipulated in Section 1(1) and (2) of the Allocation of Revenue (Abolition of Dichotomy) Act 2004. On this issue, the plaintiff averred in paragraph 18 of the statement of claim that – “Strangely, however in 2008 the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission wrote to the President of Nigeria suggesting that the 76 oil wells attributed to Cross River State be given to Akwa Ibom, claiming falsely that Cross River State had ceased to be a littoral

  • Nigeria, Cameroon to partner on economy

    The Nigerian High Commissioner to Cameroon, Hajiya Hadiza Mustapha, on Monday said the two countries were proposing to partner on economic development to enhance cooperation between them.

    In a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja, Mustapha said the two countries had recognised that if cooperation was maintained, there would be improved economic development in the countries.

    She said the partnership would create room for increased exchanges between the two countries.

    “The oil wells issue is one of my missions. I am pursing a project that will expand our economic cooperation in that area because it is one of the best ways to ensure security between the two countries.

    “It is something that has been discussed under the Cameroon-Nigeria Mixed Commission and we are hoping that it will yield positive results,” Mustapha told NAN.

    The high commissioner said there was a proposal from Cameroon to Nigeria for cooperation in hydrocarbon production, adding that the Federal Government was studying the proposal “and the issue is on course.”

    She advised Nigerians in Cameroon to always renew their residence permit when due “even though I don’t have any problems with that as Nigerians in that country are cooperating well.

    “I always advise them to obey the rules and regulations of the country so that they will not face any harassment.

    “Cooperation and peaceful living are my major areas of priority and I want to ensure that it is maintained.

    “The relationship between Cameroonians and Nigerians living in Cameroon is very cordial. The government cooperates with us and gives me all the facilities to do my job,” she added.

     

  • MDGs: World Bank to assist Nigeria, others

    MDGs: World Bank to assist Nigeria, others

    The World Bank has promised to assist Nigeria and other developing countries to achieve the Millenium Development Goals(MDGs) by 2015.

    Speaking during the Fourth Organisation for Economic and Development World Meeting in New Delhi, India, the bank’s Vice President, Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Mr Octaviano Canuto said the bank was on track to achieve MDGs in three years to foster growth globally.

    The theme of the fourm is: Beyond 2015: The future of development goals.

    Canuto said the aim of the forum was to reduce poverty to the barest minimum in countries, arguing that poverty was ravaging many nations.

    He said: For the first time since poverty trends began to be monitored, poverty and extreme poverty rates have fallen in every developing region, including sub-Saharan Africa, where rates are highest. Globally, extreme poverty is down to 22 per cent, from 52 per cent 30 years ago. Despite a 35 per cent population increase, fewer people live in extreme poverty today than 30 years ago. MDGs One, the global poverty reduction target, was met in 2010, five years ahead of the 2015 deadline.

    Poverty surveys indicate that by 2010, the global poverty rate was less than half of its 1990 level.

    “With regard to gender equality, we have made great strides in women’s endowments, capabilities, and rights, particularly on health and education. Our progress is commendable, and the first set of MDGs has, undoubtedly, served as an important catalyst for the development community to focus support on poverty reduction and improvements in human development. The energy they generated around development efforts attracted attention from governments and civil society alike, which in turn translated into greater resource flows.”

    Unfortunately, not everyone has shared in this prosperity. In Sub-Saharan Africa, only 61% of the poverty target was reached, and in fragile and conflict-affected states, only 53%. In fact, few fragile and conflict-affected states have met even a single target. Women’s economic opportunities and rights are still lagging: 44 countries still restrict the working hours of women relative to men, and 71 limit the industries in which women can work.

    In at least 47 countries, women are restricted in their ability to get a job, sign a contract, register a business, open a bank account, be the head of the household, or choose where to live. So while we’ve made headway, it is simply not enough to make progress in most countries but not in fragile states, or to help millions escape poverty but fail to reach the most marginalized, or move towards gender equality in only some areas. We need to step up our efforts in this final stretch to the 2015 deadline.”

    He said the bank is learning from the past be designing an effective post-2015 MDGs framework, ading that efforts are being made to reflect on

    how best to tackle our world’s challenges as its appraoching 2015.

    “Going forward, this is our chance to design a post-2015 framework that builds on our successes, draws lessons from past shortcomings, addresses the gaps in the current MDGs, and most importantly, aims higher across the board.

    For the new goals to act as a catalytic force for transformation in developing countries and empowerment of the poor, they must be truly universal, indivisible, complementary, and inclusive.

    With over one billion people still living in extreme poverty, and poverty reduction significantly behind target for 2015 in many countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa and in fragile and conflict-affected states, accelerating progress towards the effective eradication of poverty must remain a primary goal for the international community. It is time to focus resources on those who need them the most and the hardest to reach groups. True progress goes beyond growth to include equity – in fact, the absence of equity considerations in the current MDGs has been widely criticized – because inequalities may not only hinder our steps forward but also erode what we have already accomplished. Setting ambitious objectives for ourselves in terms of both social inclusion and economic security will ensure that no one is left out this time around.” he added.

  • Over 8,000 bags of rice smuggled into Nigeria daily, survey shows

    No fewer than 8,000 bags of rice worth over N56 million are smuggled into the country daily, it was learnt, over the weekend. They are smuggled through Ere River in Ado–Odo/Ota in Ogun State.

    The river, which links the country with Cotonou to Owode-Apa and Ado-Odo/Ota Local Government Area of Ogun State, also links Gbaji and Badagry Lagoon up to the Atlantic Ocean.

    When The Nation visited the area last week, locally made boats carrying more than 1,000 bags of rice each, were being used to ferry the commodity into the country.

    Ere River is a rice smuggling point, yet to be discovered by Customs and other security officials posted to the area.

    The boats were seen offloading rice to vehicles that would carry them to places, such as Agbara, Sango-Ota, Ifo and Alaba-Rago Market, Iyana-Ipaja.

    The smugglers have been using the river for their illicit business for years.

    A motorcyclist, who took The Nation’s reporter to the river, alleged that some Customs officials are aware of the smugglers’ activities, but are handicapped because of the calibre of the people involved.

    “The reason I agreed to take you there is to tell you that there is nothing government can do to stop smuggling unless those in power provide employment for the youth.

    “I graduated from the Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education more than six years ago but I have not been able to secure employment since I finished from the school. I make my money through the number of rice I convey to the market per day.

    “I am not the only youth involved; we are many. We use our motorcycles to survey where the Customs are staying at a particular time before we ask our vehicles to bring the rice to the road.

    “If you counted the number of people we met at that place, you will notice that they are no fewer than 80 and they are more than that. A majority of them are ex-security officers and the few serving ones have access to arms and ammunition and that was why I told you that it would be dangerous for you to use your camera.

    “The people you saw there are very deadly and they have wasted so many people that have threatened their business,” he said.

    A Customs officer from the Federal Operations Unit (FOU) of Zone A at Agbara-Lusada road, said the Customs mounted surveillance in the areas because it suspects the smugglers have a hide-out there.

    Several bags of rice, he said, have been intercepted by hire teams on the axis.

    “Although, I don’t know where the river you mentioned is located, but we cannot deny that smuggling is going on around this place and that is why many of our officers have been posted to curtail the unpatriotic activities of the smugglers.

    “My experience since I was posted to this area is that there is the need for the Federal Executive Council and the Minister of Finance to address the issue of high port charges, which created incentive for tariff avoidance and smuggling, and support the good efforts of the Comptroller-General of the Nigeria Customs Service, Alhaji Dikko Abdullahi.

    “Those of us posted to curb the nefarious activities of smugglers in the border areas are not finding it easy.

    “It is a difficult task because a majority of those involved are youths from the area and they know the area very well. Don’t forget that we, security officials, are strangers and we are not expected to detect all the routes that smugglers use in a few days. So, if you have detected a new route, it is your duty as a journalist to inform us before telling the public,” the officer said.

    The smugglers’ activities, was also learnt, are crippling the business of those importing the commodity through the ports.

    Last year, the country was said to have lost N16.3 billion to smuggling.

    A Customs officer at a check point mounted by the Customs before the Agbara Bridge popularly called death trap (Koto Orun) told The Nation that the number of youths now into smuggling has grown because of unemployment.

    Smuggled goods include second hand vehicles, textile materials, used cloths, bags, shoes, tyres, rice, frozen chicken, frozen turkey, vegetable oil, soap, furniture sweets, cigarettes, apples, pineapple and palm oil.

     

  • Nigeria, Global Fund, seal agreement on HIV, Tuberculosis

    Nigeria, Global Fund, seal agreement on HIV, Tuberculosis

    Nigeria and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria have signed five grant agreements worth 335 million dollars.

    This is to support programmes that would aid prevention and treatment of HIV and tuberculosis in the country.

    The information is contained in a release signed by the Head, Grant Management Division of the Global Fund, Mark Edington.

    Edington said the grant agreements were a critical part of the three billion dollars in 169 grants that the Global Fund has committed in 2012.

    “For Nigeria, the grant agreements address a tremendous need: Nigeria has the second highest number of people living with HIV in the world and only 30 per cent of people requiring HIV treatment are receiving antiretroviral therapy,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Edington as saying in the statement.

    He said that the grant-signing followed the launch in October by President Goodluck Jonathan, of a national program aimed at “Saving One Million Lives” by 2015.

    He said that Nigeria is committing $500 million to support the program.

    “Nigeria has made some big strides and to turn back now is unthinkable, but the challenges are formidable and much remains to be done.

    “There is now an excellent opportunity for Nigeria’s government to close the funding gap for antiretrovirals.

    “The HIV grants signed today will target “most-at-risk populations” such as female sex workers, men who have sex with men and injecting drug users.

    “Also, orphans and vulnerable children, including those infected with HIV; and HIV positive mothers who have recently given birth to children and are breast-feeding them,” the Global Fund chief said.

     

  • ‘Nigeria is prone to severe hurricane’

    A Consultant Meteorologist, Mr. Idowu Adebayo, said Nigeria is prone to severe hurricane, typical of that being experienced in parts of America, Europe and the Caribbean.

    Adebayo said this in a chat with the News Agency of Nigerian in Lokoja.

    He said the evidence of climate change in different forms like the recent flood disasters was enough indication that Nigerian was more prone to severe storms.

    It would be recalled that several states were devastated by flood, killing many people, destroying property and submerging several houses and farmlands.

    The meteorologist is an expert who has long years of collaboration with the United Nation International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR) in Geneva.

    He told NAN that many of the storms, being experienced in America and Europe, actually originated from the West and Central Africa.

    “Storms from West and Central African regions move systematically with different intensities into the Atlantic and across the East Coast of America and the Caribbean,’’ he said.

    Adebayo said that the Hurricane Katrina and Sandy Storm, which recently swept across the America, had not been scientifically established to have originated from the West and Central Africa.

    He said that Nigeria had been experiencing hurricanes but that the intensity only became noticeable on July 31, 2000.

    “That was when a severe hurricane swept through the country, causing substantial damage to farms and the environment and without hitting the cities.’’

    Adebayo, who was shortlisted for the UN SASAKAWA Award in 2011, said that severe storms had since been passing through Nigeria without attention paid to them by the government.

     

  • Ghana wants Nigeria to fix gas pipeline

    Ghana wants Nigeria to fix gas pipeline

    President John Mahama of Ghana has asked his Nigerian counterpart, President Goodluck Jonathan to help fix the broken West Africa Gas Pipeline.

    This, according to the Ghanaian leader, is important in the country’s bid to use Nigerian gas for power generation.

    Mahama spoke on Wednesday after meeting with President Jonathan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The Ghanaian president, who was re-elected during Saturday’s presidential election in the West African country told State House Correspondents that he want Jonathan to use his influence to get the pipelines back into operation.

    He said, “I took the opportunity to discuss with him the issue of West Africa Gas Pipeline. As you are aware, it got broken and there was an accident when they were trying to activate it. So, I want President Jonathan to use his influence to get the pipeline back into operation as soon as possible so that Ghana can continue to receive Nigerian gas to power our electricity generation.”

    President Mahama, who said he was on his way to Equatorial Guinea for the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States conference also said the two leaders, discussed the relationship between both countries during the short meeting.

    “This has been a very short visit. I am on my way to Equatorial Guinea for the ACP African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of states conference that is taking place there. As you know, Ghana has been the chair since 2008 and we are supposed to be handing over to Equatorial Guinea and so enroute I decided to pass through Abuja to pay my respect to President Goodluck Jonathan considering the relations between Ghana and Nigeria.

    “After election, it is significant that this is the first country I should visit just to cement the relations between our two great countries,” President Mahama told journalists.

    He also said the visit was an opportunity to condole with President Jonathan over the death of his younger brother, Chief Meni Innocent Jonathan.

     

     

  • INEC commissioner opts for five parties

    INEC commissioner opts for five parties

     

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Rivers said on Wednesday that a five-party system would guarantee and strengthen the electoral process in Nigeria.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr. Aniedi Ikoiwak, told the News Agency of Nigeria in Port Harcourt that the nation’s electoral system needed to be sanitised.

    He said a five-party system was the best for the country to overcome electoral irregularities and shake off corruption among political parties.

    “We don’t want unserious political associations whose members stay at home with their wives to demand money from government.

    “Many of them are registered to disappear during elections,” Ikoiwak said.

    According to him, a five party structure will raise the standard of Nigeria’s electoral process because all the parties will be serious in contest for power.

    The commissioner urged the country to strive towards better electoral process which could be attained through a five-party system or lesser.

    Ikoiwak explained that such system would usher in an unprecedented grassroots mobilisation and participation in the electoral process with its attendant accountability.

    He emphasised the importance of grassroots inclusiveness in the nation’s electoral process, saying that it was the foundation of any viable democracy.

    He decried the misconduct of some political parties which nominated fraudulent candidates, adding that it would be eliminated through the system, if adopted.

    Ikoiwak explained that some unserious party candidates had developed the habit of playing the role of ‘’spoilers’’ if they were not settled by serious opponents.

    The commissioner said that such misconduct was common under the current multi-party system.

    He, however, expressed optimism on the ability of the commission to flush out corrupt politicians if the right political party system was adopted.

    According to him, it is the constitutional right of the commission to register and also de-register parties, drawing its powers from the Electoral Act.

     

  • ‘U.S to help Nigeria eradicate polio’

    The United States government has pledged to continue rendering assistance to Nigeria in the efforts to completely eradicate polio in the country.

    The Country Director of U.S Centers for Disease Control and Preventions (CDC) in Nigeria, Dr. Okey Nwanyanwu, gave the assurance at the U.S Embassy in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Nwanyanwu spoke at a press conference on World AIDS Day with special focus on disease outbreaks and control in Nigeria.

    According to him, the CDC is committed to strengthening polio surveillances in major hospitals in urban areas of the northern states, in poor performing local government areas and in nomad/scattered communities.

    He stressed that CDC has been providing key health data to decision makers in Nigeria in the bids to prevent diseases outbreaks.

    He said: “We will do everything possible to support the Nigerian government. We have to get polio out of Nigeria. We are establishing surveillance systems to monitor health issues in Nigeria through integrated disease surveillance response, animal disease surveillance system and surveillance for HIV.”

    To turn around the poor services in the health sector, he harped on the need for the Federal Government to increase annual budgetary provision for heath in order to make meaningful impact in the sector.

     

     

     

  • Canada to assist Nigeria on 2015 elections

    Canada to assist Nigeria on 2015 elections

    The Canadian Government said it will partner with Nigeria to ensure credible elections in 2015.

    The President, Parliamentary Centre, Canada, Mr. Jean-Paul Ruszkowski, told journalists in Abuja that the partnership was arrived at after a roundtable with leaders of major political parties on Monday.

    Ruszkowski said the aim of the meeting with leaders of major political parties was to work out modalities on how to set up a Parliamentary Centre that would enhance the country’s electoral process.

    “ The purpose of the visit is to learn about how Nigeria is progressing in its democratic practice; how the federal system works and through that process explore, with the help of the party leaders, to understand what the priorities, what will bring all parties together to conduct a project that will be of use to Nigeria.

    “Be it in the field of budgetary oversight, in the field public accounts, security, natural resources and whatever sector is identified by the parliamentarians as high priority is welcome.

    “We have been to several countries and over the years, we are in the position to help.

    “We are just starting and the whole idea is to build confidence between the citizens, and governments and political parties; so when the elections come there will be no doubt about how representative the election will be,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Ruszkowski as saying to journalists on Tuesday.

    He said the Parliamentary Centre worked with legislatures of 31 African countries to “help them better serve their people.”

    Also speaking, the Presidential Adviser, Inter-Party Affairs, Senator Ben Ndi Obi, said several meetings with legislative leaders, the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Canadian Parliamentary Centre would be held to map out strategies on improving the country’s electoral process.

    “He (Ruszkowski) will be meeting with the Senate President, the Speaker and some leaders of the National Assembly; we had met with the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

    “To round off the visit, he will be meeting with Prof. Attahiru Jega all on how to further improve the electoral process of our country.

    “We have had a robust discussion with our leaders here on how to build formidable internal democracy in our parties and how the parties can work hand-in-gloves with their legislatures in the National Assembly to make democracy more at home with us.

    “I will add that our aim is to have the Canadian Parliamentary Centre be established here in Nigeria and because they have been functional in 31 African countries and in Nigeria, it is not there yet.

    “So, we intend that this visit is the beginning of how that centre can be established here in due course,” he said.