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Tag: Nigerian government

  • Malala Fund, Hamzat Lawal, Other Partners Urge Nigerian Government to Protect VAPP Act

    Malala Fund, Hamzat Lawal, Other Partners Urge Nigerian Government to Protect VAPP Act

    The Malala Fund, alongside prominent advocacy groups including Connected Development (CODE) and YouthhubAfrica, has issued a call to action to the Nigerian government, urging it to protect the Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) Act from proposed repeal. 

    This legislation, enacted in 2015, provides essential safeguards against gender-based violence (GBV) and supports the safety, empowerment, and education of girls across Nigeria.

    The VAPP Act represents a milestone in Nigeria’s battle against GBV, criminalizing various forms of abuse, including domestic violence, rape, female genital mutilation, and child marriage. 

    Nabila Aguele, Chief Executive of Malala Fund Nigeria, said, “Repealing the VAPP Act would not only undermine efforts to protect Nigerian women and girls from violence but also threaten their right to education. 

    “When girls feel safe, they are more likely to attend school and reach their full potential. We cannot afford to take a step back in the fight for gender equality. We urge the Senate to amend and strengthen the Act, rather than repeal it.”

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    Hamzat Lawal, Founder of Connected Development (CODE), echoed the same concerns, stating that: “The VAPP Act is a cornerstone in the fight against gender-based violence in Nigeria. Its repeal would be a setback for the progress we’ve made in protecting our women and girls. 

     “We must not dismantle the protections put in place after years of advocacy and effort. The Act has been adopted by 35 out of 36 states, reflecting its crucial role in safeguarding the rights of women and girls across the country.”

    Lawal further stressed the need for legislative improvements rather than a complete repeal. 

    “While we acknowledge that the Act might need revisions to address specific issues, the idea of repealing it entirely is deeply concerning. Instead of taking a step backwards, we should focus on strengthening and implementing the Act more effectively. 

     “We need to ensure that the legal framework remains robust and that survivors of GBV continue to receive the protection and support they need.”

    Bukky Shonibare, Executive Director of Invictus Africa, supported the view, noting, “The VAPP Act, passed after many years of effort, is now adopted by 35 out of 36 states in Nigeria. Let us build on this progress by amending and properly implementing the Act rather than repealing it.”

    Toyin Chukwudozie, Executive Director of Education as a Vaccine, added, “Enacting and implementing legal protection to prevent gender-based violence is critical for ensuring girls have access to education, stay in school and complete their education.

    “Repealing the VAPP Act will jeopardise this fundamental right for all girls nationwide, particularly in states where the Act has already been adopted. It is unnecessary and undermines the efforts of everyone who fought for its passage.”

    The Malala Fund and its partners urged the Nigerian Senate to reject the repeal of the Act and focus on amending it to include clear, inclusive language that safeguards all individuals, particularly women and girls.

    Other partners who signed the statement include Benjamin John of Unique Care and Support Foundation (CASFOD), Hassana Shuaibu of ACE Charity, and Sani Muhammad of Bridge Connect Africa Initiative, e.t.c

  • Of books, bookworms and illiteracy

    During the week, I read someone’s claim that if the poor in Nigeria benefit from a Nigerian government’s policy, it is completely accidental, or something to that effect. I’m sure you and I agree with that statement, if you know what it means. On my part, I interpret it to mean first and foremost that Nigerians (both government and people) have ways of conceiving ideas that benefit only a small number of people, say the government’s men (and women too). So, in this country, the president’s diet is changed so that someone close enough can make the supplies.

    Don’t let us take this interpretation thing further, or else I might begin to think the statement may also mean that the education you and I have received so far have not really been aimed at us but we somehow stood in the way, and gained an education. Really, government’s policies have never been directed at improving the lot of the poor; everything it has done has been for itself. Talk of anyone being self-serving.

    You know of course that the converse will also hold true: that everything the government has failed to do has also been for its own benefit. Take the failure to revive and develop the railways, for instance. That is one colossal failure for which the government needs to cover its face in deep and great shame. The wonderful thing is that I can never for the life of me fathom out the benefit it is deriving from that failure when many nations in the world are being sustained by such social services. All I know is that one of the greatest benefits of modern living is still the train, and it is being denied us the poor in this country. But we are not here to repeat ourselves today; let’s leave that for a rainy day.

    Oh yes, I remember, the rainy days are here again. How do I know? Oh, because I can see various governments scampering around trying to fix leaky potholes and blocked drainages. You thought I would say because I can hear the rains falling down, down this way? No, I can’t say that because most times when it’s raining, I am too busy wading through flooded roads. When I’m not on the road, however, I pick something up and read. That is how I have come to read so many things: newspapers, comics, drug literatures, books, dog’s teaks (sorry, that’s counting), stars… I would willingly have read the dog’s liver (just to know the signs of the times) but the dog refused to oblige me. Yeah, that’s what bookworms do: read anything that comes to hand. That’s why the dog now runs away when he sees my hands coming.

    Bookworms, goes my Encarta, are enthusiastic readers; they are people who love reading so much they gobble books up. The good news is that I am not alone. Indeed, I pale into insignificance when I consider a friend of mine who says he can out-read a bookworm. Now, that is something. Just mention any title in the classics, he’s at home. Even bestseller lists do not go past his door step. And he lives in Nigeria. And he is an engineer. Once, I teased him that I quite believed if he lived in Britain, he would have been one of those who would camp all night in front of some bookshop just to be able to get a copy of a Harry Potter book. He said he got someone to do that for him. I rested my case, but not before I was struck by two things.

    One, I reflected on the rise and rise of Harry Potter and why it has not happened here. To begin with, the book publishing industry in Nigeria is suffering from a grave disease inflicted on it by the government. All over the world, it has been known that revolutions in literacy and information can be accelerated only through making books and newspapers cheap and affordable. I remember being sent to buy newspapers for three pence when I was young. That was some big money then, but I believe that it made news and information to be within the reach of more people than it is now at a whopping two hundred Naira – daily feeding money for many people now.

    Somewhere in the seventies, the trend of information affordability failed and I believe it was entirely the government’s fault. First it introduced SAP, and then it raised importation duties on printing materials. Book and news industries practically crumbled under the weight of the government’s wickedness. So, dear reader, even though Harry Potter is possible here, it will not come in a long while because publishing houses are more interested in fighting for survival than in aesthetics or altruism. Now they work very closely with schools’ curricula.

    Unfortunately, those among us who can really afford to finance publishing houses that would not be too desperate for survival are not ready to do so. They are the people who have had easy access to the government’s treasury but who are more inclined to quickly take their loot abroad than in making the economy grow. After all, it is not their responsibility to help people improve in their reading and thinking habits. Truly, only a foolish rich ‘un will keep his stolen money lying around long enough for detectives to find or for banks to give as soft loans to publishers.

    The second thing that struck me was that the government might have deliberately been trying to keep the literacy level down so that the number of its critics would be minimal. It’s much the same way you would keep the noise level down in the house by tying up the noise-maker. If I didn’t know the government better then, I would have said it was trying to stifle the people from seeking knowledge, wisdom, information and understanding so that they would not have independent minds. I think it has succeeded. Congratulations government; you are now presiding over one of the brightest illiterate societies in the world, and you did it all by yourself.

    That Nigerians are bright and intelligent, there is no doubt. Just look at the array of their activities: ‘419’ scams, intractable boko haram and Niger Delta insurgencies, ‘Yahoo Boys’’ scams, kidnapping businesses, and yes, more 419 scams. These are the efforts of brains put to work. True, these organs are now run by graduates and undergraduates but they were not started by graduates. You see, a dysfunctional society like ours where everything is upside down would sooner than later cause a malfunction of the brain even in the strong breeds.

    The present low level of literacy in Nigeria is causing havoc in every way. People are dying every day because they really do not know the difference between uniforms in health care institutions. I hear that general hospital attendants have been known to divert patients to their own home dispensaries because the patients do not know any better. Believe me, a nation’s economic and political survival has everything to do with the amount of knowledge and literacy its citizens have between them. If you don’t believe me, just look at the farming business in Nigeria today: how many mechanised farms can you count? Well, there’s mine, and mine, and mine; that’s all.

    Seriously, there is a strong connection between the government’s ‘Vision 2020202020’ or whatever name it goes by, the development of books and reducing the level of illiteracy in the country. That connection is political will. If the government wants a literate Nigeria by 2020, it will be done by its will.

    • A version of this article was first published in 2013 but because of its relevance it has been reproduced today.
  • No penny will be spent on Ajaokuta steel – Fayemi

    No penny will be spent on Ajaokuta steel – Fayemi

    Dr Kayode Fayemi, Minister of Mines and Steel Development, on Thursday in Abuja said no penny will be spent by the Nigerian Government to revive Ajaokuta Steel Company.

    Fayemi said this while addressing newsmen on a ‘Vote of No Confidence’ passed on him by the House of Representatives recently.

    He said that government would not spend a dime to put Ajaokuta steel to use but would rather concession it to a capable company with good history of competence and financial buoyancy, among others virtues.

    About eight billion dollars had been sunk into the steel mill by previous administrations.

    Fayemi said a technical audit of the steel company is ongoing and would be completed in the next six weeks.

    He said after completion of the technical audit of the steel company, the ministry would declare it open for concession and only a competent bidder would be allowed to operate the company.

    “The position of the government is clear on Ajaokuta; that only a company that is verifiable, competent, financially buoyant will Ajaokuta be concessionned to after the technical audit is completed.

    “The rumour going on that Ajaokuta is at 98 per cent completion is not true; that is why the technical audit is going on to ascertain its level of completion and other information needed,’’ he said.

    On the vote of no confidence passed on him and his minister of state, he described it as an attack on their personalities and it was unacceptable.

    He said that since himself and the minister of state assumed office till date, they had appeared at the National Assembly four times – three at different House committee levels on the Ajaokuta steel situation.

    He said what led to the “attack’’ was an invitation sent to them to appear before the House on the Ajaokuta issue and they replied that they were currently indisposed but another date should be given to them to appear.

    He said instead of the house to understand with them, it raised vote of no confidence and the news went viral.

    “As if that was not enough, the Leader of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila, gave another news conference and passed a vote of no confidence on us in Lagos and that also went viral in the dailies.’’

    According to him, “we have made it clear to the house on what to do before we concession the steel plant in which the technical audit is on-going”.

    The minister said that most of the allegations made against him and the minister of state and the ministry’s officials were not only unfounded but malicious.

    He said while the House members reserved the right to discuss and pass resolutions on national issues, he took serious exception to a member of the House going outside the hallowed chambers to make spurious allegations against public servants.

    Members of the House of Representatives had passed a vote of no confidence on the Minister of Mines and Steel Development, Dr Kayode Fayemi.

    The members described their non-appearance as a contempt to the House and executive recklessness.(NAN)

  • Nigerian Government owing Maina N159BN, says, ‘let’s meet at open panel’ – Maina’s Lawyer

    The latest has not been heard on the controversy surrounding the ongoing ‘war’ between the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and former PPRT chairman, Abdurasheed Maina.

    Maina in a latest revelation through his lawyer, Barr Sani Katu claimed that the federal government is owing him over N159BN, as against the N2.1bn he is being accused of siphoning while in office.

    The embattled ex-PRTT boss challenged the anti-graft agency to meet at an open panel of investigation where he would spew out all the unknowns to Nigerians.

    “In 2011 we stopped the stealing of N300m daily from police pension. Also, in 2011, we stopped the stealing if N1.04bn monthly from police pension allocations

    “Same 2011, we were able to stopped the yearly stealing of N52.5bn which has been an annual ritual at the head of service pension

    “It would interest you to know that between 2011 and 2012 the PRTT recovered cash and asset worth N1.63trn which has been with the EFCC.

    It may be recalled that some pensioners petitioned the National Assembly to ensure that EFCC produce these recoveries so that Nigerians would know.

    These recoveries belong to Nigerians and thus the need to know the whereabout of these monies and properties. The Pensioners urged EFCC in their Petition to stop diverting the attention of Nigerians from the N1.63Tr towards an imaginary and concocted N2.1bn fraud, that EFCC pension Fraud unit created using coercion to hide the monies some of them stole and the result is that conviction of the 43 alleged notorious pension cartel WHICH MAY NEVER BE POSSIBLE.

    “Similarly, between 2016 and June 2017, Maina, released the intelligence and tip-offs that stopped the annual stealing of N1.3trn. (This has been confirmed by the Attorney General and Minister of Justice of the Federation).

    Also between February 2017 to October 2017, He also recovered N152bn, N60bn, and other sensitive materials. These achievements goes to further the importance of Maina to this Country. It means the Government acted in public interest by obeying Court order which brought Maina to office.

    “It could be recalled that Maina was shot at and dismissed by the pension cabal, The 7th Senate asked for his head, He approached the high court and got judgement and is now being accused of N2.1bn which is not even a .000001% of what Maina is supposed to be paid by Government. ARE WE ACTUALLY FIGHTING CORRUPTION OR PLAYING CARTEL GAMES, he retorted.

    “Now let’s total what Maina recovered, then apply the whistle blower 5%, and get the total to be paid to Mains, then subtract N2.1 bn which even though is a complete fabrication by the EFCC, then pay him the balance of N —–

    Speaking further, he said, “Nigerians are not stupid and cannot be deceived. They want to take our attention away from all these recoveries because they have repeatedly failed to account for them. Our attention cannot be diverted away from about N4tr to a mere N2.1Bn which is an insignificant percentage the N2.1bn, which is less of all the recoveries.

    “Let’s meet at an open panel of investigation if the EFCC is truly straightforward.” We urge the Government to appoint an independent panel of investigation and see who will run out of Nigeria

  • Nigeria, Cameroon discuss Bakassi, Boko Haram

    Nigeria, Cameroon discuss Bakassi, Boko Haram

    …As Cameroonian officials denies Bakassi mascara report

     

    The issue of Bakassi and Boko Haram dominated discussions Thursday when Nigerian government and their Cameroonian authorities met.

    Cameroonian President Paul Biya dispatched a three man delegation to the country to discuss issues of mutual benefits to both countries.

    Dr Joseph Dion Ngute, Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs led the delegation that was received by Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, Nigeria Minister of Foreign Affairs in Abuja.

    At a joint briefing at the end of their closed door meeting which lasted about 45 minutes, the visiting Minister denied the recent report of massacre of Nigerians by Cameroonian gendarmes.

    He said there was no iota of truth in the report; saying that Cameroon is a law abiding country and no such thing would ever happen.

    He said: “I was sent here by President Paul Biya to come and meet with the foreign Affairs Minister of Nigeria to discuss a number of subjects that are mutually beneficiary to both countries.”

    On the reported killing of over 97 Nigerians, the minister said, “We also came to inform the government of Nigeria that a month ago, we had reports in the media concerning massacre of people in the Bakassi area. We sent our administrators and we even asked Nigerians Counsel in Bua to accompany them. They went there and they realize that not a single person was touched, nobody was injured, nobody was killed and it was a fabrication which appeared in the media, which we don’t know why and for what purpose. But we came to reassure the government and Nigerian people that Cameron is a law abiding country and no such thing would ever happen under our watch.”

    On Boko Haram, he said both countries have been working perfectly in trying to clip the terrorists group.

    According to him: “We came to discuss the situation that afflict North Western part of Cameroon and North-Eastern part of Nigeria concerning the fight against Boko Haram.  It really to say that the two countries have been working perfectly in trying to make sure that this evil group is completely alienated.”

    He also denied the report that his country maltreated Nigerian refugees; saying that they have protested to UN human right commission.

    “You know been a refugee is a very difficult condition. We in Cameroon are very sensitive to the issue. If you visit our own camp where we have about 60,000 refugees, you will see for yourself that they are being given the most humane treatment that we in Cameroon can give and can afford along with the UNHCR.

    “We were a bit surprise by that report and we take exception to it. We drew the attention of the UNHCR that in Cameroon we have been abiding by the law and have been doing everything we can because these refugees unfortunately, are the same people whether they are in Cameroon or in Nigeria. It is the same families that across both borders. It is even difficult to distinguish one from the other because they are the same people and we have been doing our best to give them the best possible treatment and we know that our brothers and sisters of Nigeria agreed within us that we have been doing our maximum in order to make sure that refugees who are already under a very difficult circumstances do not get any worst treatment from anybody.”

    Ngute also briefed Nigeria on other issues of interest, especially in the English speaking part of Cameroon, including resolving the strike action.

    “The first of the issues is to inform Nigerian authority that for some time we had so e issues with the English speaking region of Cameroon and to tell the minister and the good people of Nigeria that those problems have been resolved. The trade union that went on strike is back to work. The situation has been normalized and to thank our brothers and sisters of Nigeria for the understanding they have showed throughout this episode.  We have obviously numbers of radicals who don’t want to see things from the way most people see them,” he said.

    He also said he was very pleased with the responses he got from his Nigerian counterpart; adding that “It shows that the two countries are working in and the cooperation between us is very good.”

    Onyeama on his part denied any distrust between countries, saying “on the contrary both countries are extremely close, working together very closely and I think sending this delegation by the president himself, shows the importance he attaches to that relationship.

    “And we are also keen that this should trickle down to average Nigerian and Cameroonian. And I think by and large it does. But we also have to be careful of social media where you can have a very small minority of people generating a narrative that is not in any way reflective of the reality.”

    He was also quick to recall the recent cooperation between both countries in the fight to reclaim territories under Boko Haram in the North East.

    “You will recall that Cameroon is fighting shoulder to shoulder with our soldiers against Boko Haram. And in fact their intervention in that fight was very important and decisive,” he said.

  • Nigeria, Singapore agree to protect investors from double taxation 

    Nigeria, Singapore agree to protect investors from double taxation 

    The Nigerian and Singaporean governments have agreed to protect their respective investors from double taxation.

    As a result of this agreement, the volume of trade between both countries from 2011 to 2015 which stands at N 846 billion is expected to increase significantly.

    The agreement was sealed in Abuja Wednesday evening at the Ministry of Finance and it was witnessed by top officials of both countries.

    The Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, in her comments said the pact between Nigeria and Singapore has clearly spelt out taxing rights of each country in respect of different income derived from each country.

    The agreement according to Adeosun “will assist prospective investors know their income tax obligation in the other country as well as available tax incentives; and spells out clearly tax jurisdiction of each country in respect of all possible areas of business activities which give rise to taxation.”

    Adeosun stated that the negotiation of the avoidance of double taxation agreement between both countries was held in Singapore from 28th to 30th October 2013 and was concluded in October 2014, after all outstanding issues had been resolved.

    The Federal Executive Council at its meeting of November 16, 2016, approved the content of the agreement and authorized Adeosun to sign the agreement on behalf of Nigeria, following the resolution of all outstanding issues.

    Singapore was identified as a suitable tax treaty partner for Nigeria because it is currently one of the fastest growing economies in the world with a highly developed and successful free-market economy.

    The volume of trade between the two countries from 2011 to 2015 stands at N846 billion, the absolute Balance of Trade was N222 billion in favour of Nigeria while Balance of Trade net of petroleum export stood at N42 billion in favour of Singapore. In terms of the volume of Foreign Direct Investment from Singapore to Nigeria, Adeosun said between 2010 and March 2015 the figure stood at $908.8 million.

    Some of the areas of economic cooperation between Nigeria and Singapore are consumer electronics, information technology products, pharmaceuticals and medical technology products, and financial services, among others.

    Adeosun signed the agreement on behalf of the Federal Government, while Singapore’s Minister of State for Trade and Investment, Dr Koh Poh Koon signed for his country.

    In his comments at the event, the Singaporean trade minister said that “the agreement would send a strong signal to investors from both countries about the commitments of the two countries to stimulate investments.”

    He prayed “that both governments will happily ratify both agreement so that it sends a strong signal to business communities from both sides that both our governments are committed to ease of doing business. This will enable companies to be able to look at investments from both sides with seriousness.”

    Adeosun said “this treaty with Singapore is important because it is consistent with Nigeria’s on-going efforts to expand its treaty network.”

  • BACK TO THE MULTICHOICE-WON BBN DEBATE

    JUST when you think Nigerian government is through with an issue it considers serious, momentary impulse brings back the same old matter only for us to see how inconclusive we are with several matters. It is in the same manner that most elections have not been smooth sailing.

    The Minister of Information’s strong desire to transform the creative industry into a creative economy is obvious since assuming office, but his desire alone cannot turn things around overnight. This is evident from the fact that he had met several brick walls on some of his good plans.

    For instance, inability to get the National Theatre running for the just held Africa Movie Academy Award, AMAA, despite collaborating with Lagos State Government comes to mind. It is in the same manner that the Motion Picture Practitioners Council of Nigeria (MOPICON) bill, for which he set up a review committee, is yet to see the light of the day.

    It is important to sit back, digest the complexity of the entertainment industry, and study the Acts before making blanket statements that breed unnecessary tirades that make fun of genuine intentions.

    When the Federal Government said, last Saturday, that whatever we consume in Nigeria in terms of music and films, must be made in Nigeria, it was Alhaji Lai Mohammed speaking passionately and personally about patriotism, but his personal desire wasn’t in synch with creativity and the liberty that independent producers have on choice locations.

    “This government has agreed that henceforth, we cannot continue to go to South Africa or any other country to produce our films and then send them back to be consumed in Nigeria,” he said.

    This was clearly a gaffe, leading to insults from people whose anger was more pronounced along political divide.

    But now that the Minister has rephrased his statement, and narrowed perceived transgressions to Nigeria branded shows like the last Big Brother Naija (BBN) and the ongoing The Voice Nigeria music reality show, which, like the former, is being shot in South Africa, one can only say, the rephrase makes sense.

    However, I am of the opinion that rather than make patriotic pronouncements that sound draconian, we can make more sense if government uses its might to put up structures that naturally will lobby the market force in a way that it would be a business folly to shoot reality shows outside Nigeria.

    For example, I like the idea the Minister’s plan to establish a one million dollar Venture Capital to boost the creative industry. I like the idea of the Creative Industry Summit, which, in structure and format appears to be the best kind of referendum ever experienced in the entertainment sector. I like the FG MoUs with Tony Elumelu Foundation, Bank of Industry and the British Council for the creative sector. I like the plan to revive the National Endowment Funds for the Arts.  I like the proposed plan to overhaul the National Theatre. I like the fact that international treaties are a possibility now that the entertainment industry is under the Ministry of Culture. I like the Innovation Distribution Fund segment of the Project ACT Nollywood grant, albeit if implemented from a very shrewd approach. In all, I like ideas that provide enabling environment for creativity to thrive.

    However, I think that not to encourage international competition is a defeatist attitude, even if our creatives are shooting for the local market. Unfortunate for this type of mindset, the world is already a global village and like they say, with a sense of priority for the Nigerian product, there is need to ‘Glocalise’.

    Based on current realities, I maintain, just like I did during the hot debate about shooting Big Brother Naija in South Africa that Multichoice was right in their business decision. Anyone in their shoes would do the same.

    After all, the Broadcasting Code and the Advertising Code say that for you to classify a product as a Nigerian product, it must have a certain percentage of Nigerian content.

    I guess that this clause was what stalled the investigations that the Minister asked Nigerian Broadcasting Commission, NBC, to conduct while the last BBN was running.

    How could the NBC have found fault with Multichoice when all housemates were Nigerians; when the popular Big Brother Voice was that of a Nigerian; when the series Director, Gbenga Kayode is a Nigerian and Nigeria-trained; when head of content and about nine other members of his team were Nigerians; when Title sponsor, Payporte is a Nigerian online retail company; when foods, drinks, fabrics, decors, props are largely from Nigeria; when English, pidgin, and other Nigerian languages were permitted on the show; when Nigeria’s major language interpreters were engaged on the show; when all the eviction live show performers were Nigerian artistes; when all the coaches/mentors brought on the show were Nigerians; and the prize money of 25 million that went to Efe was in Naira.

    If the Minister decides to get NBC to amend the Broadcasting Code by saying Nigeria-branded shows like Big Brother Naija (if Naija is Federal Government copyrighted at all) and The Voice Nigeria must be produced in Nigeria without having a competitive studio and relevant infrastructures in place, we would only have succeeded in teaching the likes of Multichoice a new business trick.

    Supposing they decide to drop Naija and bring back Big Brother Africa. I don’t see how this makes any difference knowing that Nigerian housemates always hold sway with great followers that help popularize the show on the continent. What about if The Voice Nigeria is simply called The Voice just so it can be shot in South Africa?

    Looking at it critically, where you shoot a reality show is not as important as the number of Nigerians and the value of ‘Nigerianess’ in the show.  Indeed, we need to get less emotional and be pragmatic.