The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Osinbajo

  • How judiciary can help tackle insecurity, by Osinbajo

    •’Why Nigeria has not signed free trade agreement’

    THE judiciary can help tackle insecurity by ensuring that perpetrators of crimes are swiftly brought to justice, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) has said.

    He noted that the lawyers and the judiciary have been blamed for delaying criminal justice administration.

    Osinbajo was reacting to a call by the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President Abubakar Mahmoud (SAN) on President Muhammadu Buhari to deploy his full constitutional powers to end killings.

    They spoke at the opening of the 12th Annual Business Law Conference of the NBA Section on Business Law (NBA-SBL) in Abuja.

    The theme of the three-day event, which began on Wednesday, is: “Bringing down the barriers: The law as a vehicle for intra-African trade.”

    Bemoaning increasing killings, especially in Plateau State, Mahmoud urged the Federal Government to bring the perpetrators to book.

    He said: “It is not enough for the President to pay a visit to the affected communities. The President must use all constitutional powers at his disposal to bring these killings to an end.

    “More importantly, we must ensure that the perpetrators and their sponsors are arrested and properly brought to justice.

    “Unless that is achieved, democracy and its promise of prosperity for our people will be completely empty and meaningless,” Mahmoud said.

    But, Osinbajo said fighting insecurity requires a joint effort, including the support of lawyers and the judiciary, in ensuring that justice is quickly meted out to those brought to trial.

    “As professional elite, it is important for us to continue to support ways by which we can ensure that our security framework and our system of administration of justice are able to deliver.

    “One of the charges that is laid at our doorstep frequently is the fact that our administration of justice system, which involves ourselves as a profession and the judiciary, are far too slow in holding people to account for anything – whether it is petty offences or corruption or even some of the security issues that we face.

    “I think that one of the critical ways that we can contribute to making our society safer and better is by ensuring that our profession delivers in the promises we made to our people, one of which is that we will ensure swift justice,” he said.

    On the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) agreement, around which discussions in the conference centre, the Vice President said Nigeria has not signed it because consultations were still ongoing.

    The AfCFTA is a trade agreement between 44 African Union member states with the goal of creating a single market followed by free movement and a single currency union.

    Osinbajo said there are concerns that the country could become a dumping ground with its signing, adding that Nigeria was more interested in free movement of goods made in Africa.

    He said: “Due to the prevalence of dumping on the continent and the potential for its escalation, one may argue that free trade in Africa may not necessarily be fair.

    “Our vision for intra-Africa trade is for free movement of made-in-Africa goods – goods made by Africans using a significant proportion of African raw materials; not just free movement of goods.”

    The AfCFTA was signed in Kigali, Rwanda on March 21. Signing the Agreement does not yet establish the African Continental Free Trade Area. It will function as an umbrella to which protocols and annexes will be added.

    Once all documents are concluded and ratified by 22 states, the free trade area will formally exist.

    Negotiations will continue this year with Phase II, including Competition Policy, Investment and Intellectual Property Rights. A draft shall be submitted for the January 2020 AU Assembly.

    Kenya and Ghana were the first countries to deposit the ratification instruments on May 10 after ratification through their parliaments.

     

     

  • Bamidele: Oni, others won’t sabotage APC’s victory

    The Director General of the Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has said the All Progressives Congress (APC) entertains no fear about the victory of its candidate in the July 14 governorship poll, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    Bamidele said he has implicit confidence in the leadership of the party in Ekiti State, including former Governor Segun Oni and his group working for Fayemi to make the victory a resounding and collective one.

    The Director General made the remarks yesterday in a statement from his Media Aide, Ahmed Salami in Ado Ekiti.

    Recently, Oni was linked to a litigation purportedly filed in Abuja seeking the nullification of Fayemi’s victory in the party’s primary on account of his failure to resign as a minister in line with the party’s constitution and guidelines.

    Commenting on the event that has been causing ripples in the APC, Bamidele said he has no reason to doubt Oni and his commitment to Fayemi’s victory in this election.

    Bamidele said: “We are not ruling out the possibility of people having some ill-feelings about certain issues in our party, but that should not degenerate to the level where people can act as fifth columnists in their own party.”

     

     

     

     

  • Osinbajo, Tinubu, others for Lagos Assembly’s anniversary today

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) will be the guest speaker at the third anniversary of the Eighth legislative Assembly of the Lagos State parliament today.

    Prof Osinbajo will speak on the topic: Strengthening Democratic Institutions: Panacea For Enduring Democracy.

    The programme will start at 2 p.m inside the legislative chamber of the Assembly.

    A statement by Musbau Rasak, the Chief Press Secretary to Speaker Mudashiru Obasa, said a former House of Representatives Speaker Ghali Umar Na’aba will be the main discussant of the theme after Osinbajo’s presentation.

    The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will lead important personalities to the event.

    They include Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode; his Osun and Oyo states’ counterparts, Rauf Aregbesola and Abiola Ajimobi.

     

  • Owners to get back land forcibly taken, says Osinbajo

    Owners of land forcibly taken over in previous conflicts in Plateau State will get them back, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said.

    Briefing reporters on the outcome of his Monday night meeting with the government of Plateau State, traditional rulers and religious leaders  following last weekend’s killings, the vice president said the return of land was part of the measures to end the carnage.

    Osibanjo said: “The emergency meeting has to do with an emergency security situation that came up in Plateau state and we had very robust deliberations on causes of the violence, the lingering issues and the way forward.

    “We have discussed the problems that gave rise to killings in the Barkin Ladi Local Government with emphasis on what we need to do so as to ensure such killings stop forthwith.

    “Part of the short term steps we need to take is the immediate deployment of security to reinforce the existing ones and halt the conflict. We commend the state governor for declaring curfew immediately. That has helped as a short term solution to the violence as calm has returned.

    “Similarly, government will direct the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to deliver some relief materials to those displaced as a result of the attacks to cushion the effect of the conflicts.”

    “On the medium and long-term measure to be taken, government has taken note of a very serious issue raised in the meeting which is the issue of people forcefully chased away from their land in previous conflicts.

    “Government is going to guarantee the return of the land to their original owners so as to calm the anger of victims of that attack. Such displaced persons were part of the security challenges this present governor inherited.

    “We have also agreed to the establishment of security posts in the flashpoint areas to enable them react faster when an attack is reported to them. We have equally agreed on the locations of the proposed security posts.

    “One fact we cannot deny is that these conflicts and violence have been there; they are not new, but we can’t afford to ignore them as was done by past administrations. We can’t afford this cycle of violence anymore, it must be brought to an end.

    “Attacks by herdsmen anywhere is condemnable; it is barbaric, inhuman, and the perpetrators must be fished out and be made to face the law, they must not escape justice. Good enough, the security agencies have told us arrests have been made. Government will ensure they are prosecuted. The security should go after anyone that has link to the killings and make further arrests.

    “Community leaders should be bold and open to reconciliation. They should be able to make sacrifices, make concession where necessary for peace to reign. Community leaders should resist being ruled by your people; you should rule over them, make concessions. Peace is all about give and take.”

  • Osinbajo: govt compelled to restrategise on lead poisoning

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said the Federal Government will restrategise its efforts in tackling lead poisoning.

    Osinbajo, who lamented that current efforts employed in tackling lead poisoning has been inadequate, warned that as Nigeria progresses in gold mining, the country must keep from practices which harm its health and environment.

    Lead poisoning results from the effects of artisanal gold mining.

    The Vice President, who spoke yesterday at the second International Conference on Lead Poisoning, said no country should have to pay for its economic prosperity and development with the life and well-being of its people.

    His words: “The thousands of children who did not die of lead poisoning in Zamfara and Niger States may have to live with cognitive and other disabilities.

    “Many of these children may never attain their full potentials. We must start by admitting that the current efforts to tackle lead poisoning in artisanal gold mining have been inadequate. The fact that the Niger State lead poisoning outbreak occurred five years after we thought we had contained the problem in Zamfara is a reason for concern.

    “Indications of recontamination in previously remediated sites in Zamfara compel us to retrieve and refocus our commitment and strategy to protecting our vulnerable children and communities. As Nigeria progresses in gold mining, we must ensure that we do not operate in a way that harms the health or environment.

    “Those who say they prefer the option of death by lead poisoning rather than poverty offer a hard choice; artisanal mining and the life to enjoy the wealth from it should be the option, no country should have to pay for its economic prosperity and development with the lives and well-being of its people.

    “I am confident that this conference will produce a coordinated prevention plan that leverages all the lessons learnt so far and bringing local, state, and federal authorities as well as civil society and the corporate into alignment.

    “We must avoid working in silence and expect to solve the problem, especially because this problem cuts across sectors and disciplines. I believe that a carefully thought out and comprehensive national plan, which focuses on population and community-based prevention of lead poisoning associated is the way to yield the desired results.”

    Acting Minister of Mines and Steel Development Abubakar Bwari said following the Shikira incident, the government constituted an inter-ministerial committee on lead eradication.

    His words: “This administration has been proactive in dealing with cases of lead poisoning, and following the Shikira incident, the government constituted an inter-ministerial committee comprising Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, Federal Ministry of Health, and Federal Ministry of Environment among others, to tackle the outbreaks, in partnership with other key actors, including the MSF, Zamfara and Niger State Governments, Local Government Councils of affected areas and leadership of host communities.”

  • Osinbajo: Fed Govt highly disturbed over Plateau killings

    Vice-President Yemi Osibanjo said last nigt in Jos, the Plateau State capital, that the Federal Government was highly disturbed about the security situation in Plateau State.

    He told community leaders and security agencies the view of the government at the Plateau State Government House in Rayfield, Jos, when he arrived for on–the-spot assessment of the site of weekend’s attacks in which scores were killed by yet to be arrested gunmen.

    Osinbajo arrived at the Government House at 5:40pm with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Director-General Mustapha Maihaja,  Minister of State Mines and Steel) Bawa Bwari and Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu, among others. He met with Berom and Fulani community leaders as well as Christians and Islamic leaders.

    Lalong said: “If I say I’m disappointed in this outbreak of violence in the state it is an understatement, I’m greatly shocked that it happened at all because we have set a road map for peace for ourselves in the state. We even launched it so that it will be an official document to guide us in our peace building processes.

    “Shocked because, the Berom and Fulani have agreed to live in peace with one another and in practical terms they have co-existed for the last three years based on that agreement – to put the past behind them and live as a family.

    “I keep telling other communities in the state to emulate the peaceful co-existence between Berom and Fulani in Barkin Ladi and Riyom local governments.

    “When I was told a few weeks ago of people preparing for attacks in the areas, I never believed it based on the assurances the Berom and Fulani have given me. I met with the security agencies and I was told nothing of such would happen. I left and it happened.

    “I’m happy the Vice President is here with us, I want the Berom leaders and Fulani leaders to tell the Vice President why the peace agreement failed, why the attack came this time. Because they are the same people that have maintained the peace within the last three years, so they know why and how the attack was allowed to occur.

    “I demand that we have a frank talk among ourselves so that at the end of the meeting, solutions will be found from you.”

    Osinbajo said: “I’m so sad because the efforts so far put in place to restore peace in this state are becoming wasted efforts by these killings.

    “I’m under the directive of Mr. President to come here and find out directly from the community leaders and government because the President himself is highly disturbed by the situation in Jos.

    “Mr. President is insisting that whatever it takes to resolve the issue, we must find out the perpetrators of these killings.

    “It’s also unfortunate that people take laws into their hands by blocking highways and attacking innocent travellers. Why do people take pleasure in taking advantage of this situation to cause havoc? Who is benefiting from the blood of victims?

    “This will not be allowed to stand.  I will speak with all the security agencies here before I depart. The Chief of Defence Staff has deployed special forces to take charge in support of the existing special task force in the state.

    “The Federal Government has been giving examples of Jos to other states to emulate and coexist peacefully; that is why the Federal Government is shocked that Plateau will repeat the ugly era they have left in the past.

    “No matter who is wrong or right, we must find a way of peace, this is a condemnable act. No one has licence to kill; it’s criminal. This should not be allowed to continued; we must control it.

    “As we go into this meeting, community leaders should show restraint in what they say so that this issue will not go out of control. We need to nip these things in the bud because we can’t afford any religious conflicts anywhere in the country because no country ever survives religious crisis”

    The meeting then went into a closed-door session.

  • Buhari, Akufo-Addo, Osinbajo, others for NBA conference

    President Muhammadu Buhari, Ghana President Nana Akufo-Ado, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo and former Head of State, Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar ( rtd) are among dignitaries expected at the 2018 Annual General Conference of the Nigerian Bar Association ( NBA).

    It will hold from August 26 to 30 at the International Conference Center, Abuja, with the theme: Transition, Transformation and Sustainable Institutions.

    A statement by NBA Technical Committee on Conference Planning (TCCP) chairman Mr. George Etomi said Akufo-Addo will give the keynote address, while there will be a “conversation with President Buhari.”

    “The conference theme has been carefully chosen to reflect the global, socio-economic, technological and political shifts that underpin current contextual realities in governance, business and politics.

    “Debates around the challenges to the assumed global order or the developmental difficulties in Africa reinforce the need for sustainable institutions to manage transitions and transformations.

    “The theme similarly speaks to the role various stakeholders can play in ensuring peaceful and successful transitions, drawing references from Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe. The Conference will therefore focus on how transitions are handled in critical spheres of human endeavours and the strength of institutions to withstand the shocks that may be incidental to change.”

    He said the conference will have five sub-themes, including Political Transition and Governance; Rule of law and security, sustainable economic development, technological disruptions and diversity and inclusion, with 35 sessions.

    Gen Abubakar, who Etomi said is generally acclaimed to have overseen one of the most peaceful transitions of power from military to civilian authorities, will also speak.

    “The conference will also feature high level panel discussions by renowned global and industry leaders in various fields, while we will also have a complement of young minds who will be making robust contributions to nation-building from their perspectives.

    “The NBA is Africa’s largest body of lawyers with over 106, 000 members and the Annual General Conference remains a melting pot for intellectual and policy shaping discourse.

    “This year is going to be no different as we expect more than 10,000 delegates to converge in the city of Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory of Nigeria to chart the course for transformation of law, politics and the economy in Nigeria and Africa.

    “For ease of participation at this year’s conference, we have launched our new website which will leverage cutting edge technology and mobile applications, to cater for registration, conference enquiries, hotel and event bookings and details on conference speakers at the click of a button.

    “We will also continue to update the website with exciting features such as tourism guides and activities to expect at our Friendship Centres, among other details as we progress.

    “Please visit the conference website at www.nbaconference.com to take full advantage of the early bird registration offer which remains open up until 31st July, 2018.

    “The NBA is also working in partnership with notable hotels who are offering fantastic concessionary rates that you will do well to take advantage of by making a reservation through the website,” Etomi said.

  • Osinbajo: Technology start-ups to get tax holidays  

    Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has said the Federal Government is including technology start-ups and businesses in the list of businesses eligible for tax holidays.

    Osinbajo spoke in Lagos while inaugurating Vibranium Valley, a hub for technology and innovation start-ups described as the largest in sub-Saharan Africa.

    The Vice President said Vibranium Valley, established by Venture Garden Group, could become Nigeria’s next innovation cluster housing tech firms devoted to talent, data and entrepreneurship.

    Vibranium Valley, located within the expansive grounds of the former Concord Newspaper Headquarters in Ikeja, consists of “world-class office spaces” fully furnished to meet the needs of up to 50 tech start-ups.

    According to the firm’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Bunmi Akinyemiju and its Executive Director Kunmi Demuren, the “Campus” already houses “over 20 tech-driven companies.”

    The Vice President, who delivered a keynote address on The role of technology and entrepreneurship in nation building, praised tech innovators for providing “technology-driven solutions to some of the most difficult development problems confronting us today.”

    Osinbajo said: “Today’s event is devoted to talent, data and entrepreneurship.  These three things represent the Vibranium of Africa.

    “Vibranium Valley, similar to Yaba, could be the next innovation cluster where mature tech companies can be housed, to drive the industrial revolution, and exports of ‘innovation’ for the country.

    “On the part of government, we are putting our money where our mouth is. We believe it is our role to provide the environment where innovation can thrive, so, we are including technology start-ups and businesses in our list of businesses eligible for pioneer status and that means tax holidays.

    “Also both the Central Bank and the Bank of Industry are working on intervention funds and loans for technology start-ups, while we have till date opened about three state-of-the art technology hubs. These are government-supported technology hubs.”

    The hubs include the Northeast humanitarian technology hub in Yola, Adamawa State, which specialises in innovation for victims of conflict. The South-south innovation hub in Benin, Edo State and the climate change technology hub to be launched at the Pan African University, Lagos.

    Osinbajo also noted “the hand of providence” in Vibranium Valley’s location.

    He said:  ”This place where we are today for many years the housed Concord Press, a once highly successful national newspaper owned by Chief MKO Abiola GCFR posthumous, winner of the June 12 1993 presidential election.

    “Abiola’s campaign slogan was hope and the eradication of poverty, but the enemies of our freedoms and democracy thought that they had killed that dream by the annulment of the election and complete destruction of the Concord Newspapers. But they were wrong.

    “…Today we celebrate the trees that have grown from the seeds that were buried here. The hope that they thought they killed has risen again, through the young men and women, some of whom were not even born when that travesty was committed. So, Concord was only the foundation for Vibranium.”

    Abiola’s son, Abdul, prostrated before Osinbajo and thanked him for his support to the family in his days as Lagos State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice.

    Akinyemiju, who described Vibranium Valley as the “Campus”, said it would serve as a hub for tech start-ups which “will build an entrepreneur ecosystem, where people can be inspired to create companies and ultimately be able to create employment.

    “Nigeria needs to take disruptive approaches to development challenges in infrastructure, financial inclusion and education to become the Africa’s first ‘start-up nation.’

    Guests at the event included Special Advisor to the President on National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP), Mrs Maryam Uwais, former United States Ambassador to Nigeria, Ambassador Robin Sanders, CEO and executive secretary of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF), Akin Oyebode, Former Director-General of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Dr Harold Demuren, among others.

  • Osinbajo for Oyo MSMEs clinic tomorrow

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo will be in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, tomorrow, for the state’s edition of the national Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) clinic and town hall meeting with the youth.

    The MSMEs clinic, organised by the Office of the Vice President in collaboration with the Oyo State government, will start today at the International Conference Centre of the University of Ibadan (UI) at 10 a.m daily.

    An exhibition of locally-made products and enterprise will be held for inspection of Governor Abiola Ajimobi and an interactive session between Federal Government’s agencies and members of MSMEs.

    The Commissioner for Trade, Industry, Investment and Cooperatives, Princess Taibat Adeyemi-Agaba, broke the news at the weekend.

    She said Prof. Osinbajo will inspect the MSMEs tomorrow and intimate stakeholders on the efforts of Federal and state governments towards strengthening SMEs in the state and across the country.

    The commissioner said the vice president will also address youths during the town hall meeting at the Prof. Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, opposite the University College Hospital (UCH) main gate at 3 p.m tomorrow.

    Princess Adeyemi-Agaba added that federal and state government officials, members of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), the chambers of commerce, organised private sector, informal sector, beneficiaries of Federal Government’s Social Investment Programmes and other stakeholders are expected to be part of the MSMEs slinic while youth across the state will be the guests of the Vice President at the town hall meeting.

     

  • Osinbajo urges monarchs to ensure peaceful co-existence

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has called on traditional rulers in Ekiti State to ensure unity among people of various ethnic groups residing in their domains.

    Osinbajo said working for unity in their various localities will assist the Federal Government to maintain peace in Ekiti State and other parts of the country.

    The Vice President made the call yesterday evening at the palace of Ewi in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital where he hosted by Ekiti Obas as part of his visit to the state to canvass support for the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    Osinbajo was accompanied on the visit by Ondo State Governor, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu, Dr. Fayemi, his running mate, Chief Bisi Egbeyemi, senior party leaders and campaign officials.

    The Vice President made a return to Ekiti barely 24 hours after departing for Abuja and headed straight to the palace of the Ewi, Oba Adeyemo Adejugbe.

    He was also accompanied to the palace by heads of security agencies in Ekiti State

    Osinbajo apologised for his inability to pay homage to the monarchs on Tuesday which he attributed to an emergency assignment in Abuja.

    He canvassed the traditional rulers’ backing for the candidacy of Fayemi, urging them to also collaborate with key stakeholders to ensure a peaceful conduct of the poll on July 14.

    The nation’s number two man noted that since traditional rulers remain the custodians of culture and tradition, their roles are fundamental to uniting Nigerians.

    He promised the monarchs that the Federal Government would continue to accord respect to the traditional institution in the country.

    Osinbajo urged the traditional rulers to educate their subjects on various policies of the Federal Government put in place to better the lots of Nigerians.

    He said the various social intervention schemes of the Muhammadu Buhari administration were meant to improve the standard of living of Nigerians.

    Responding, the Chairman of Ekiti State Council of Traditional Rulers and Oloye of Oye-Ekiti, Oba Oluwole Ademolaju, said monarchs would always support the government in executing policies that will make life easier for the masses.

    Oba Ademolaju lauded the Buhari administration for various achievements recorded in office.