The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Nigeria

  • Nigeria needs Intellectual leaders, say Amaechi, Tambuwal, others

    Nigeria needs Intellectual leaders, say Amaechi, Tambuwal, others

    •Compass Editor launches book

    The lapses in governance were yesterday blamed on the lack of “intellectual leaders”.

    The observation was made at the presentation of book entitled: Here Comes The Commander in Chief, written by the Editor of Compass newspapers, Mr. Gabriel Akinadewo.

    The event was chaired by former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel.

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi urged Nigerians to hold their leaders accountable.

    Amaechi, who was represented by House of Representatives member Mr. Dagogo Peterside, said: “Nigeria is our commonwealth. One of the challenges we have in Nigeria is that we do not have intellectuals in government. Most intellectuals shy away from politics and that is the reason our country is what it is today. Politics should be driven by knowledge. May our leaders read! Only readers should lead. Those who do not read have no business in governance.”

    House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, who was represented by the Chairman of the House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Mr. Zakari Mohammed, said the situation in the country deserves the attention of serious-minded leaders.

    He spoke against political selection, where unqualified candidates are “hand-picked” for public positions.

    Tambuwal said: “For us in the 7th Assembly, we believe leadership positions should be given to those who seek and rightly deserve it, rather than reluctant persons. Nigeria’s situation is like a patient in an Intensive Care Ward and it deserves the attention of serious-minded leaders. Nigeria is a common project. Nigeria’s unity is not negotiable and we have adopted the pan-Nigerian stand.”

    Elder statesman Chief Ayo Adebanjo urged leaders to take a cue from the philosophies of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo.

    He said: “If Awo’s ideals are not resuscitated, we would never progress in this nation. Somebody wrote in the papers that ‘Obasanjo is the problem of Nigeria’. That is true.”

    Adebanjo said the media has a major role to play in nation-building. He praised the media for its role in the fight for democracy, especially during the military era.

    Urging journalists to be professional at all times, Adebanjo said: “Please, gentlemen of the press, go and get yourselves reborn.”

    Delta State Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, who was represented by Commissioner for Information Mr. Oma Djebah, urged the media to set national agenda and raise discourse on issues.

    He said: “This is the only profession recognised by the constitution and you must live up to expectations.”

    Calling the author, a “journalist-writer and journalist researcher per excellence’,

    Former Chairman/Editor-in-Chief, Daily Times group, Mr. Araba Adeniyi urged the media to hold dear “the service and emancipation of mankind”.

    Former Abia State Governor Orji Kalu; the Chancellor of Babcock University, Prof. Dayo Alao; former Deputy Editor, Daily Times, Mr. Dipo Ajayi; Mr. Martins Kuye;, Chairman, Bi-Courtney Limited, Dr. Bolanle Olawale; President, Guild of Editors, Mr. Gbenga Adefaye and the President of the National Union of Journalists (NUJ), Mr. Deji Elumoye, were at the event.

    The Alaafin of Oyo was represented by the Balogun of Oyo Kingdom, Chief Yussuf Akinade Ayoola.

    The book is a four-year compendium of Akinadewo’s journalistic activism. It contains commentaries on national issues between 2008 and 2012.

  • Still on Nigeria@52: Where is the love? The rights of Women at work; Police palaver

    Still on Nigeria@52: Where is the love? The rights of Women at work; Police palaver

    Nigeria or at least the electorate is still searching for a truly great selfless Nigerian with the love of Nigeria and the love of Nigerians as the cornerstone of his or her presidential policy thrust. As we ‘celebrate’ 52 years let us ‘cerebrate’ on the huge lack of achievement during that time compared with God-given resources, mineral, manpower and mental. If Ghana had a 100th of what we had, imagine where Ghana and Ghanaians would be now. We are also constantly reminded to look at Indonesia where imaginative leadership motivated by a deep love of Indonesia and Indonesians resulted in that Asian tiger riding on palm oil plantations originating from Nigeria. So we may be one year older, but are we one year better or one year wiser?

    The idea that the federal budget is for stealing needs a change. An anniversary is a good time to swear renewed allegiance and oaths to the country and citizenry. Of course they have been sworn but did they mean anything beyond photo-op for the paparazzi and yawning time for local channel viewers?

    I join millions of fellow Nigerians to apologise to our female police, rank and file, for the law that forbade them to marry or have children for three years after joining up and needing more than automatic permission to marry. Perhaps such a law exists throughout many uniformed and civil service institutions and even some banks et cetera may have such secret policies. I hate to think how many of them were forced to compromise themselves with immoral senior officers in order to get that ‘Permission To Marry’ stamp. In Nigeria nothing is as it seems and exploitation of employees is seen to be a right for the ‘authority figures’. They see nothing wrong with such bestial behaviour as ‘that was what so-and-so did in the ‘glorious past’, so why should they be any better?’ Nigerians will exploit every loophole and this is why we need much more good high level monitored policing from a better equipped, better focused police service than is available at present. Our police service must join the 21st century police services in many areas including human rights and employees’ rights. Giving birth is a national service –hence maternity leave. Some of the police stations are unworthy of the name with no facilities or amenities for the police- male and especially, female.

    The old standard Nigeria Police station should be re-designed with a leaf taken from South African Police stations, though the South African Police let Africa down by creating Soweto Two by shooting 44 miners and then accusing the miners of murder under an old obnoxious apartheid law. Police equipment referred to above includes every police station utilising locally available IT know-how with computerising of the police station and digital cameras to record crime scene and detained suspects for criminal face recognition records and fingerprints to avoid the Ibori incident, intelligence and weapons.

    Every policeman should have a pre-paid cell phone. This ‘no marry’ is blatantly discriminatory as it did not forbid men from doing the same. In these days of men developing cold feet over marriage for financial and other reasons, such a law complicates an already difficult situation further. Let us remember that reproducing is a national responsibility which keeps the population steady or growing. This obnoxious rule should have been thrown out years ago by the Police Service Commission and must be thrown out by the NASS if it has not already done so. It is as bad as the old Maternity Leave Law which gave ‘Six weeks before and six weeks after delivery’ under which most Nigerian mothers in employment would lose days and weeks if she gave birth earlier than was predicted by her Last Menstrual Period (LMP) or did not start leave early enough. Most women have always desired to work longer to around 36 weeks so as to get about 8-10 weeks with the baby post-delivery before having to send them to creche or give them up to a nanny at home. It was an avenue for extortion from the helpless women by unscrupulous doctors who had to sign the maternity leave forms especially for civil servants. I personally fought for years, and successfully, to get the Maternity Leave Law to be a consolidated to read ‘12 weeks maternity leave, regardless of the date of delivery’. Unfortunately some retrogressive elements in the federal and state governments are still living in the past and insisting on cancelling any leave not used fully if the delivery comes before six weeks into the maternity leave. By using the ’12 weeks consolidated Maternity Leave’ we were able to eliminate frustration of the mothers, a mountain of paperwork as the date the mother wanted was when the leave started and fraud from medical personnel colluding for money to alter maternity dates. The women in NASS and state assemblies should fight to ensure that the ’A Pregnant Woman is Entitled To 12 weeks Consolidated Maternity Leave’ is what is being practiced in their areas. Enough of cheating women. Women must demand their rights to pregnancy and full three months maternity leave. For Police or the public, ‘Pregnancy is a National Service’ lasting much longer than nine months and still too many fellow Nigerian women die trying to complete this service. What will Nigeria@53 bring? Is there any ‘Love for Nigeria’ out there?

     

     

  • Nigeria a failed state: Mark disagrees with Chukwumerije

    Nigeria a failed state: Mark disagrees with Chukwumerije

    Senate President, Senator David Mark on Tuesday sharply disagreed with Senator Uche Chukwumerije over the latter’s assertion that Nigeria is a failed state.

    Mark noted that contrary to Chukwumerije’s declaration the country has a lot of things to be proud of.

    Chukwumerije had in his contribution to a motion entitled “Congratulations to Nigeria and Nigerians on her 52nd Independent Anniversary” described Nigeria as a either a failed state or on the verge of failure.

    The motion was sponsored by Senator Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom North East) and 108 others.

    Enang said in his lead debate that the Senate should noted that on Monday, October 1, Nigeria marked her 52nd Independence Anniversary, having attained Independence from Britain on October 1, 1960.

    He further noted that “steadily and gradually in Nigeria , the nation is developing its domestic production capacity as an Independent nation”.

    He urged the Senate to resolve to congratulate President Goodluck Jonathan and the people of Nigeria on the 52nd Independence anniversary of Nigeria .

    In his contribution Chwukwumerije said: “I want to draw attention to the scanty way the mover of the motion summarized the achievements of the nation before moving on to congratulations.

    “That scanty way in itself says a lot.

    “In three dry sentences he summarized what he saw as Nigeria ’s achievements. In saying that I want to draw attention to what we can say in a more blunt way.

    “Before putting it in a more blunt way let me first refer to the very first speaker here, Senator Abaribe (Enyinnaya) who used the analogy of a human being who is 52 years old and gave the impression of someone that has gone beyond even maturity.

    “But I think he is being very generous to Nigeria . To make my point on this I want to draw the attention of my colleagues to a general view of international affairs.

    “In Turkey , it took General Atatuk only 21 years to transform Turkey from a feudal state to highly modernized state that has remained till today.

    “South-East Asia countries, it took them 30 years to move from undeveloped ex-British colonies to what they are today, Asia Tigers.

    “One of them took our own palm produce and turned it into an export market.

    “It took South Korea 18 years to move from a very dependent country to one of the world’s top today.

    “It took China exactly 48 years to move from a slum status derided by the West as the begging bowl of Asia to a super power.

    “Taking the development of this country into considering for the last 52 years, you will come to understand why I said the first speaker was being very generous when he compared us with a 52 year old human being.

    “If a country that took ordinary palm nuts from us some years back has turned it into its main export product, how will you describe the country from which it was taken that is today importing all those things.

    “I can only describe that country in one word: that Nigeria is either a failed state or on the verge of being a failed state.

    “You will agree with me that a country that cannot meet the basic expectations of her people has failed in every way in meeting the basis of a social contract.

    “So we must start therefore by accepting that objective reality that as of today Nigeria is a failed state or nearly a failed state.

    “But it has tremendous potential to move to something. I believe that Nigeria is a sleeping giant.

    “All the vital signals around the corporate body politics of Nigeria indicate that Nigeria is going to move into the top of regional power in Africa and a formidable regional power in the world.

    “I therefore say that as we are moving towards that we have to be able to look back as they say in African proverb and ask ourselves from where the rain started beating us in order to be able to correct ourselves to be able to realize the fullness of this potential ahead of us.

    “I just want to draw attention to two issues. One: I don’t know of any country in the world that moves forward by following a path that leads to mediocrity and failure.

    “A country that has to move forward must aim at excellence, aim at healthy competition.

    “I think one of the greatest difficulties facing this country, one of the greatest anti-growth handicaps facing this country is what we call Federal Character and the second thing is the issue of corruption.”

    But Mark disagreed completely with Chukwumerije.

    The Senate President noted that rather than describe the country as a failed state, Nigerians should congratulate themselves for still being one united nation “that one alone is an achievement.”

    He said, “There is no gain saying that we are not where we would love to be, certainly, we are not there but that is not to say that we have not made progress at all.

    “We have made some considerable achievement and for that, we need to show gratitude to God.

    “We need to pray and work, not just pray, prayer alone will not solve the problem we need to combine both of them.

    “More than anything else, we need the political will to take our policies to logical conclusions either at the executive level or legislative level, whether it is at the federal, state or local government levels.

    “Unless we are determined to politically pursue the decision we have taken that are of benefit to this country, we will still be where we are in another 20, 30 years because the political will is lacking in so many areas.

    “I do not agree that Nigeria is a failed state; we are not on the way to being a failed state either.

    “We may not have done well but to say we are a failed state is going the extreme of it and I disagree completely with that in my candid opinion.

    “We have challenges, there is no doubt about that but I believe that with political will, we will meet those challenges.

    “It is at every level. Most times, when we are going on the road and there is traffic, people will drive by the foot path, is that a failure of leadership?

    “Every Nigerian has something to do. When people do the wrong thing and they are not caught and dealt with according to the law, they continue to do it.

    “At every level, we must know that we have leadership role to play.

    “When things begin to go wrong, we must have the courage to speak out before it gets too far.” Mark stated.

     

     

  • There is better future for Nigeria – Kumuyi

    There is better future for Nigeria – Kumuyi

    The General Superintendent of Deeper Life Bible Church, Pastor William Kumuyi, has urged Nigerians to forget the past and look ahead, saying that there was hope for the country.

    Kumuyi made this known on Monday in Abuja at the end of a four-day programme tagged “Divine Connection for Freedom”, organised by the church to mark the nation’s 52nd anniversary.

    He advised Nigerians to remain steadfast, adding that a better future lay ahead.

    Kumuyi also urged the country’s leaders to bequeath to the younger generation, the Nigeria of their dreams.

    “We should be concerned to give the younger generation the kind of a nation which they dream of.”

    He underscored the need for the realization of the Vision 20: 2020 Agenda, saying that it would move the country forward.

    “There is room for improvement, if every individual can do what he is expected to do; our nation will get to where it is expected to be.

    “Everybody knows that we are not happy the way we are; but we can stop and think about what we have not done right.

    “If there is a united focus and courage to move on, I believe that there is still a better future for Nigeria.

    “We have only one life to live and whatever we do this time, is what we will be remembered for. So let everybody do something positive and progressive.’’

    “This is because what we do for the few, will eventually affect the rest of the people, because we are living in a network of relationships,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Kumuyi as saying at the programme.

     

  • Nigeria as an emerging democracy: Dilemma, promise (Part 3)

    Nigeria as an emerging democracy: Dilemma, promise (Part 3)

    Text of the keynote address by Catholic Bishop of the Diocese of Sokoto, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, at the NBA Annual General Conference in Abuja

     

    What is most disturbing is the fact that we have completely taken the intellectual contribution to politics out of our process. We are only concerned with how to capture raw power, how to get into the engine room, how to share in this life changing booty called oil money which is gradually looking like blood money in our country. We need to turn the corner and do so with confidence and assurance. I will make five quick points.

    First, we need to fix the economy and I believe that we cannot do better than what we have now under the President and Dr. Ngozi Iweala. We hope that sooner than later, our economy will not only grow, but that we the people shall also grow. This is no easy task. According to the Vision 20-2020 report; The pillars of the Nigerian economy are extremely weak and the continued economic viability of the Nigerian state and the continued economic viability of the Nigerian state is perpetually at risk.

    Of great concern is the need to create the leadership to support this vision. Although every government official has taken the transformation agenda as a mantra, it is important that this message percolates through the other crevices of our national life. This is why the idea of a performance bond is important. However, this performance should not be confused with sycophantic cooking up of figures and power point slides. There is need to clearly lay out the programmes to be measured. For a country that is used to monitors being compromised, the President must ensure that these measuring mechanisms are clearly explained to the people in a way and manner that they can understand. We will also require at least an annual review of the scorecard and this should go right down to the President. This show of good will in my view will go a long way in ensuring confidence in the system and process.

    There has been the nagging issue of a Sovereign National Conference as a solution to our problems. Nigerians keep saying we need to talk as if we are not talking. The real challenge is the content of these talks and whether indeed, that is the way to solve our problems. It is important to note that we have never been short of talking points.

    Those who are calling for a Sovereign National Conference made up of representatives of the various ethnic groups must say whether this is different from what the late Anthony Enahoro and Professor Wole Soyinka worked on and they might also honestly tell us the fate of the final document.

    I hold a slightly different view. First, I believe that we need to talk but the talking needs to be of a certain quality that is founded on scholarship and a proper understanding of the issues of statecraft. We also require a level of maturity and an understanding of these processes. It is clear that our problems are not documents but the issues relate to whether we can ever find the political will to focus on how to build our country and how to develop the required time lines and so on.

    Everyone keeps talking about Leadership, Leadership and Leadership. We create the impression that somehow, leadership will simply drive an unwilling band of horses to a river and getting them to drink water by force. We believe that political leadership is the only form of leadership. We all ignore the challenges in our own leadership levels whether it is in the churches, mosques, civil society and professional groups. The curious thing is that what we all accuse the political leadership of exists in our own midst. If we borrow the example of the Fulani man and his herd of cattle, we get an interesting view of leadership. In that scenario, it is interesting to note that it is the cattle that actually lead, after all, the leader who leads them to the grazing field does not eat grass. It is they who eat grass, they know which grass has poison and so on.

    The shepherd only guides them and also ensures their security, but it is they who know what they want. So, there is need to close in the gap between our perceptions of leadership.

    My view is that we must now address the issues of how justice can become a cardinal point of reference in governance. Here, I still insist that judicial activism is one way of interpreting the mind of the Constitution but also of extending the frontiers of justice. I use just two examples to illustrate the point I am making.

    First, we have the famous story of Rosa Parks whose singular decision on December 1, 1955 not to leave her seat for a white man turned the course of the struggle of black people for freedom. This is one of the events that threw the Rev Martin Luther King into prominence. For, by December 3rd, the bus boycott which would change the tide of history had started.

    Secondly, the Brown vs. Board of Education ruling in 1954 by the Supreme Court, struck down the policy of state segregated education. Other events such as the Civil Rights Act of 1964 followed, but perhaps the case of James Meredith was more phenomenal. An ex air force veteran, he was denied entry into College in Mississippi. He took his case all the way to the Supreme Court whose ruling marked a turning point in the struggle against segregation. It took the courage of both President John Kennedy and his brother, Robert, the Attorney General to enforce the ruling. In the process, lives were lost, but on the day of the enforcement, some 2,500 people turned up to protest. The federal government had to send in some 20,000 troops along with 11,000 National Guards. He finally graduated amidst all the difficulties but his life changed the course of history.

    Finally, the famous I Have a Dream speech contains some assumptions that we have often ignored. The speech was anchored on both the Emancipation Proclamation and the Constitution of the United States of America. What is significant here is the fact that the speech drew its inspiration and a sense of righteous indignation from these two historic documents and the reluctance of the leadership to live by its own laws. He spoke about a promissory note that these documents had promised ordinary Americans but which was not available to the black people. He continued: It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.” But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. So we have come to cash this check — a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice….Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God’s children. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood.

    From our own Constitution, the provisions of Chapter 2 on the Fundamental Directive Principles of State Policy, should be a basis for stirring up a sense of moral revulsion as to how and why a country so richly endowed could allow so much poverty to continue to exist. It is sad that all we have always said about this very important segment of the Constitution is that it is not justiciable. It is the duty of our lawyers to compel to Judiciary to breathe life into this very significant section of the Constitution. This is the challenge and I do hope and believe that the Bar and the Bench in collaboration can indeed, bring about the realisation of our own promissory note. Thank you very much for your kind attention.

  • Nigeria at 52

    Nigeria at 52

    To anyone in the business of public comment, one uncomfortable burden must be the duty to constantly answer to the question of whether Nigeria is headed in the right direction at every turn. Like the cliché goes – as it was in the past, so it was yesterday, so it would be tomorrow – and evermore. Like the proverbial bad coin that keep showing up at intervals, the question of the nation’s destination would again pop up at the occasion of its 52th independence anniversary.

    Let me state that ritual of self-score that keeps producing what most Nigerians have come to regard as spurious verdicts – which suggest that the nation is finally getting things right – is nothing unusual. As uncomfortable as that ritual of outlandish self-assessment is, and which successive administrations have entertained themselves to at the expense of the long-suffering citizens, it does serves one important function of letting citizen into the mind of the leader – if only to allow them measure how far detached the leadership is from their reality.

    Take yesterday’s address by President Goodluck Jonathan with its beautiful presentation of the economy as one finally revving in full throttle: an economy which in the last two years has maintained a sustained path of growth with the real Gross Domestic Product averaging 7.1 percent.

    Until yesterday, I actually thought that we had gone beyond such meaningless statistics. After the spurious growth of the last decade that neither delivered jobs nor spread prosperity, I thought the adumbrations ought to have been tempered by the frightening reality of joblessness and rising poverty in the land. In vain did I search for recognition for the troubling, but long recognised fact.

    Now, I understand: the path would point in the direction of an underachieving presidency!

    From the power situation, to the economy; from job creation to security, the President insisted that he has his hands firmly on the handle. Unfortunately, the citizens who have borne the brunt of the failed policies of the administration couldn’t be sure.

    It seems not too long ago that the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) drew our attention to the yawning disconnect between the growth and the incidence of poverty. I recall the bureau summarising the trend this way in February: “In 2004, Nigeria’s relative poverty measurement stood at 54.4 per cent but increased to 69 per cent or 112.518 million Nigerians in 2010″.

    The statistician would observe in summary that “It remains a paradox… that despite the fact that the Nigerian economy is growing, the proportion of Nigerians living in poverty is increasing every year.”

    Did the President offer proof to show that the trend has changed? He didn’t. He needn’t. Nigerians know that things have grown worse, not better!

    Let’s move swiftly to the President’s claim of performance in the real sector. In the President’s own words: “we have improved on our investment environment; more corporate bodies are investing in the Nigerian economy. Our Investment Climate Reform Programme has helped to attract over N6.8 trillion local and foreign direct investment commitments”.

    Was it entirely surprising that the President would not see his score-card as complete without touting Nigeria’s emerging status as the preferred destination for investment in the continent? Hear the President: “the nation’s share of total FDI flows into the continent is in excess of 20 per cent”. Really? Where?

    There are of course the add-ons which he threw in; the registration of close to 7, 000 companies within the second quarter of the year alone; the 249-odd new members enrolled in the manufacturers’ club – the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) as at July this year. All these – the President seems to have reasoned – were proof enough of the economy in full flight.

    If Nigerians expected the administration to be forthcoming on the specifics of jobs created through the trillion-naira FDI, they got none. Rather, it was sufficient for the President to claim that millions of job opportunities are being created for the youth and the general population – in public works, in the local content initiative in the oil and Gas sector and the agricultural transformation programme of his administration!

    Now, there must be something extraordinary in the federal government’s professed love for FDI at a time when no finger is being lifted to help the few indigenous companies. The result is that many of them have bitten since the dust. Does the love of FDI reflect our typical preference for dispensing our charities abroad?

    Now, FDI is good. Often touted as a measure of international confidence in the national economy, it is admittedly a sign that some things are being done right. The problem however is the fetish being made of the so-called FDIs.

    Coincidentally, as this is being written, I have a report quoting the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) as stating that no fewer than 800 indigenous companies closed shop between 2009 and 2011 due to harsh operating business environment. While it seems unlikely that those in the list would be among the 249 which the President’s hyperactive MAN recently enrolled on their membership register, the President did no more than gloss over the issue of the harsh operating environment which has rendered manufacturing business a nightmare.

    For instance, nowhere did I hear the President address the question of easier access to credit; the unconscionably steep interest rates; the poor transportation infrastructure all of which constitute significant cost elements in manufacturing, but which with proper attention from government would keep the economy roaring.

    Not while there was something to boast about in the modest improvement in the power supply situation, the arrival of the Presidential cassava bread, the Presidential rice which promises to keep Thailand rice permanently outside our shores. Oh; I nearly forgot the dozen-plus contracts to revive the railways!

    Finally, does it count for anything that the Presidential Change of Guards –part of the independence ceremonies – was again held within the fortresses of the Villa?

    Does it equally matter that the place of the once bright and colourful Eagle Square as host to national events have since faded into distant memories?

    Talk about the dread of the Boko Haram being the beginning of Presidential wisdom.

    Here is to Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala

    At a forum in Awka, the Anambra State capital sometime in August 2011, you spoke of the plan by the Goodluck Jonathan administration to overhaul the mortgage system. Then, you rightly identified the absence of the mortgage institution as one of the key drivers of corruption in the public service. I thought the idea was spot on.

    It seems easy to imagine that a good number of the public servants under pressure to steal public funds in order to be able to put a roof over their heads would be less pressured to do if they access to relatively affordable mortgage.

    Well, it’s been more than a year since you let us into the plan. Do we need to wait till 2020 for the plan to materialise?

     

  • We must believe in Nigeria as a nation – Jang

    We must believe in Nigeria as a nation – Jang

    Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State on Monday said that Nigerians’ belief in nationhood was the first step in the efforts toward greatness.

    “We are on a journey which also comes with challenges, but we must remain resolute and optimistic as a nation because we shall surely overcome and come out stronger to the shame of our detractors,’’ Jang said in Jos.

    Jang, who was speaking at the nation’s 52nd independence anniversary, said that Nigerians “must do away with vices such as corruption, sectionalism and other unpatriotic traits for the nation to get to its destiny.’’

    “Even as it is now, there is every reason for us to be thankful for our journey to nationhood so far because we have made progress and have witnessed transformation as a country.’’

    “Nigerians should not to dwell on the negative side but to appreciate the positive strides in other spheres of our lives.

    “It is these positive aspects that will propel the nation to the path of progress,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the Plateau governor as saying in his address on Monday.

    Jang urged Nigerians to continue to pray for President Goodluck Jonathan and other leaders in the efforts to build a united and prosperous Nigeria despite all odds.

     

  • ‘Nigeria earned N5.5tr in eight months’

    ‘Nigeria earned N5.5tr in eight months’

    Nigeria earned N5.5 trillion from mineral and non-mineral resources revenue between January and August this year, a data from the Federation Accounts Allocations Committee showed on Monday.

    The figures obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria in Abuja revealed that the country recorded the highest revenue of N825.39 billion in July.

    Out of the total amount generated so far in 2012, a total of N1.5 trillion was recorded to have been lodged into the Excess Crude Account (ECA) between January and August.

    A portion of the revenues above the benchmark oil price are saved while the remaining revenue is distributed among the federal, state, and local governments based on a set formula.

    NAN reports that records from the FAAC during the months under review however contained only information on lodgments into the excess crude account and not withdrawals made from it.

    NAN recalls that on September 14, the accountant-general had announced that the balance in the ECA was $8.03 billion, following lodgment of N124 billion into the account in August.

    Similarly on August 15, the Minister of State for Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama told reporters that one billion dollars was withdrawn from the account for distribution among the federal, states and local governments “to execute some on-going projects.’’

    A breakdown of the country’s revenue in the month of July showed that mineral revenue accounted for N646.47 billion while the non-mineral revenue amounted to N178.92 billion.

    In other months, FAAC recorded N666.32 for January, N766.77 in February, N726.77 in March and N626.17 for the month of April.

    Also, a total of N586.91billion was credited to the national treasury in May, N763.55 billion in June and N564.88 billion for the month of August.

    Notably, the country recorded its least revenue of N564.88billion in the month of August, compared with figures recorded in the months of May, April and January, respectively.

    The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, headed by Mr. Jonah Otunla, computes the figures and also distributes monthly revenue from the Federation Accounts to the three tiers of government.

    The office attributed the shortfall in oil revenue to decline in production, poor sales and strikes embarked on by Labour unions in January.

     

  • President Jonathan’s Independence speech

    President Jonathan’s Independence speech

    ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT GOODLUCK EBELE JONATHAN ON THE OCCASION OF THE INDEPENDENCE DAY ANNIVERSARY ON MONDAY, 1ST OCTOBER, 2012

    1. Beloved countrymen and women, on this day, fifty-two years ago, our founding fathers brought joy and hope to the hearts of our people when they won independence for our great country. Nigeria made a clean break with more than six decades of colonial rule, and emerged as a truly independent nation. That turning point was a new beginning for our nation.

    2. Those who witnessed the lowering of the Union Jack and the emergence of the Green White Green flag continue to relish the memory, because that ceremony was not just about the destiny of a nation, but the future of a people.

    3. That future is here; we are the inheritors of a great legacy that goes even much farther into the past.

    4. The worthy patriots who made this possible were young men and women in their twenties and thirties. They worked together to restore dignity and honour to the Nigerian people. Their resolve united a multicultural and multilingual nation of diverse peoples, with more than 250 distinct languages and ethnic groups.

    5. In 1960, our diversity became a source of strength, and the new leaders resolved to carry the flag of independence for the benefit of future generations. They had their differences, but they placed a greater premium on the need to come together to build a new nation.

     

    6. It is that resolve, and that glorious moment that we celebrate today. We also celebrate the patriotism of our heroes past: Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Michael Okpara, Chief Anthony Enahoro, Herbert Macaulay, and several others who made the case for our independence.

    7. We remember as always, their contributions to the making of the Nigerian nation, and the efforts of their successors since 1960. We also celebrate the unfailing optimism and resilience of Nigerians who remain proud of our national identity.

    8. On this special day, I call on every Nigerian to remain steadfast, because our nation is indeed making progress. I call on every Nigerian to rediscover that special spirit that enables us to triumph over every adversity as a people:

    9. We weathered the storm of the civil war, we have refused to be broken by sectarian crises; we have remained a strong nation. I bring to you today, a message of renewed hope and faith in the immense possibilities that lie ahead.

    10. Fellow citizens, I have an unshaken belief in the future of our great Country. I consider it a priority and sacred duty to continue to strengthen the bond of unity that holds our nation together and to promote and nourish the creative energies of our people. This is a central objective of our administration’s Transformation Agenda. Nigeria, I assure you, will continue to grow from strength to strength.

    11. Since I assumed office as President of our dear country on the 6th of May 2010, I have continued to work with our countrymen and women to enhance our nation’s growth and development.

    12. Our vision is encapsulated in the Transformation Agenda. We are working hard and making progress on many fronts. We have cleaned up our electoral process; our elections are now globally acclaimed to be free and fair. Nigeria is now on a higher pedestal regarding elections.

    13. Over the past five years, the global economy has been going through a weak and uncertain recovery. During the same period and particularly in the last two years, the Nigerian economy has done appreciably well despite the global financial crisis. Nigeria’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has grown by 7.1 per cent on average.

    14. It is also significant that the GDP growth has been driven largely by the non-oil sector. In pursuance of the main goals of the Transformation Agenda, a number of reforms and initiatives are being pursued in key sectors of the economy with a view to consolidating the gains of the economic growth.

    15. Our country’s power supply situation is improving gradually. We are successfully implementing a well-integrated power sector reform programme which includes institutional arrangements to facilitate and strengthen private-sector-led power generation, transmission and distribution.

    16. We have also put in place a cost-reflective tariff structure that reduces the cost of power for a majority of electricity consumers. I am pleased with the feedback from across the country, of improvements in power supply.

    17. We are continuing to improve and stabilize on our crude production volumes; our 12-month gas supply emergency plan, put in place earlier this year, has produced more than the targeted volumes of gas for power generation. A robust Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) has been placed before the National Assembly. Its passage into law will ensure far-reaching reforms, transparency, accountability, increased government revenue and predictability for investors in the Oil and Gas sector.

    18. Several government programmes and projects are creating wealth and millions of job opportunities for our youth and general population. Such programmes include: You-Win, both for the youth and for the women, Public Works, the Local Content Initiative in the Oil and Gas Sector, and the Agricultural Transformation programme.

    19. We have improved on our investment environment; more corporate bodies are investing in the Nigerian economy. Our Investment Climate Reform Programme has helped to attract over N6.8 trillion local and foreign direct investment commitments.

    20. Nigeria has become the preferred destination for investment in Africa. It is ranked first in the top 5 host economies for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in Africa, accounting for over 20 per cent of total FDI flows into the continent. We have streamlined bureaucratic activities at the ports to ensure greater efficiency in the handling of ports and port-related businesses. Specifically, we have drastically reduced the goods clearing period in our ports from about six weeks to about one week and under. We have an ultimate target of 48 hours.

    21. We have put in place, a new visa policy that makes it easier for legitimate investors to receive long stay visas. We have achieved a 24-hour timeline for registration of new businesses, leading to the registration of close to 7, 000 companies within the second quarter of 2012.

    22. The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has disclosed that, as at July 2012, 249 new members across the country had joined the Association, and that capacity utilization has also improved. The multiplier effect of this development on our job creation programme cannot be over-emphasized.

    23. In the last two years, we have put in place structures for an upgrade of the country’s health sector, to promote in every respect, the individual citizen’s right to quality, affordable and accessible healthcare.

    24. In this regard, we are devoting resources under the Subsidy Reinvestment Program (SURE-P) to reducing malaria incidents, dramatically reducing maternal and child mortality, and eradicating polio.

    25. Fellow Nigerians, in recent times, we have witnessed serious security challenges in parts of our country. We have taken pro-active measures to check the menace. This has included constant consultation and collaboration with our neighbours and other friendly nations on issues relating to internal and cross border security, and the sharing of information on smuggling and illegal dealing in small arms and light weapons.

    26. Our security agencies are constantly being strengthened and repositioned for greater efficiency. Many Nigerians have acknowledged that there has been a significant decline in the spate of security breaches.

    27. While expressing our condolences to the affected families, let me reiterate the commitment of this Administration to ensure the safety of lives and property of all Nigerians.

    28. Even as we remain focused on the issue of security, the fight against the scourge of corruption is a top priority of our Administration. We are fighting corruption in all facets of our economy, and we are succeeding. We have put an end to several decades of endemic corruption associated with fertilizer and tractor procurement and distribution. We have exposed decades of scam in the management of pensions and fuel subsidy, and ensured that the culprits are being brought to book.

    29. In its latest report, Transparency International (TI) noted that Nigeria is the second most improved country in the effort to curb corruption.

    30. We will sustain the effort in this direction with an even stronger determination to strengthen the institutions that are statutorily entrusted with the task of ending this scourge.

    31. I have given my commitment of non-interference in the work of the relevant agencies and I am keeping my word. What we require is the full cooperation of all tiers of government, and the public, especially civil society and the media.

    32. This Administration has also introduced for the first time in Nigeria’s history, a Performance Contract System for all Ministers, and other officials of government. This is to further place emphasis on performance, efficiency, and service delivery.

    33. Fellow Nigerians, our determined efforts on several fronts not-withstanding, our country still faces a number of challenges.

    34. Those challenges should not deter us. In the last few weeks, for example, many of our communities have been ravaged by floods, resulting in the loss of lives and property, and the displacement of persons.

    35. I want to reassure all affected Nigerians that I share in their grief, and our Administration is taking steps to address these incidents, in collaboration with the States and Local Governments.

    36. I have received the interim Report of the Presidential team that I set up to assess the flooding situation across the country.

    37. The Federal Government has taken measures to assist the affected States, while considering long term measures to check future re occurrence.

    38. We must continue to work together, confidently and faithfully, to ensure that our country’s potentials are realised to the fullest; that our dreams are translated into reality; and that our goals are achieved.

    39. Let me reiterate that our administration is committed to the pursuit of fundamental objectives of an open society: the pursuit of freedom, security and prosperity for the Nigerian people, and the rule of law.

    40. In the next few days, I shall lay before the National Assembly the 2013 Federal Budget Proposal so that deliberations can commence in earnest on the key policies, programmes and projects that will mark a decisive year for our development and transformation.

    41. I have no doubt that by the time I address you on our next independence anniversary, many of our reform efforts would have yielded even better results.

    42. Over the years, several leaders have built on the foundation laid by our Founding Fathers. The baton is now in our hands. Let me assure all Nigerians that we shall not fail.

    43. I am confident that Nigeria will continue to be a source of pride to its citizens; to Africa and the Black Race and to humanity; a land that is known for progress, freedom, peace and the promotion of human dignity.

    44. May God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. May God bless you all.