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Tag: Osinbajo

  • Niger can feed Africa, says Osinbajo

    Niger State has the capacity to produce assorted crops that will feed Africa, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said.

    He spoke in Minna, the Niger State capital, where he declared open a two-day Niger State Economic Submit with the theme: Impact investment for advancing agricultural economy and innovation.

    The conference, which attracted economic experts, industrialists and manufacturers and some state governors, was organised to attract investors in various sectors to boost the state’s economy.

    Osinbajo praised Governor Abubakar Bello for organising the conference, noting that it would assist in attracting investors, especially in the agricultural sector.

    He called on state governments to assist farmers with alternative sources of power, to enable them to process and preserve their produce.

    The Acting President said the Federal Government was ready to partner with state governments willing to rehabilitate federal infrastructure in their areas.

    “Niger State government is collaborating with the Federal Government to complete Baro Port,” he said, noting that such projects would create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive.

    Osinbajo said Niger was hosting three major hydro dams, adding that renewable energy was the way forward to increase the capacity of villagers and farmers for agricultural investment.

    He said there was also the need to improve on road infrastructure for enhanced agricultural development in the state.

    Bello said the state had large deposits of natural resources, such as hydro carbon at the Bida Basin, gold, copper, tin, iron ore, tantalite, kaoline and clay.

    He said the potential in the mining sector were untapped and open for investment.

    Similarly, there abound tourism sites, such as the Zuma Rock, Bark Empire Hills, Nagwamatse Well, Mongo Park Cenotaph and Gurara Waterfalls.

    Bello explained that the state government had developed a road map on some cardinal investment potential such as Banana Free Trade Zone, Garam Industrial Park, Baro Port and Suleja New Smart City.

  • Hate speeches will be treated as terror acts – Osinbajo

    Hate speeches will be treated as terror acts – Osinbajo

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo said on Thursday that people making hate speeches would henceforth be treated as terrorists.

    He spoke in Abuja during the National Economic Council (NEC) Retreat on National Security.

    The retreat was attended by states’ governors and some ministers.

    Such hate speeches, according to the acting President, are categorised as acts of terrorism under the law.

    Nigeria, he said, has been beclouded with incitements capable of jeopardizing peaceful co-existence in the country.

    He said: “Please permit me a comment on hate speech. The Federal Government has today drawn the line on hate speech. Hate speech is a specie of terrorism.

    “Terrorism as it is defined popularly is the unlawful use of violence or intimidation against individuals or groups especially for political ends. The law, that is the Terrorism (Prevention) Act 2011 (as amended), defines terrorism as inter alia, an act which deliberately done with malice which may seriously harm or damage a country or seriously intimidate a population.

    “The intimidation of a population by words, by speech is an act of terrorism and this government intends to take this matter very seriously. As I have said, we have drawn a line against hate speech. It will not be tolerated, it will be taken as an act of terrorism and all of the consequences will follow it.”

    He also called on all business, religious and political leaders to condemn hate speech in the strongest possible terms at all times.

     

  • Osinbajo assigns portfolio to new ministers

    Osinbajo assigns portfolio to new ministers

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday assigned portfolios to the two ministers sworn in on July 26.

    Stephen Ocheni (Kogi) is now the Minister of State for Labour while Suleiman Hassan (Gombe) is now the Minister of State for Power, Works and Housing.

    While Ocheni replaced the late Minister of State for Labour, James Ocholi, who died in a ghastly auto-crash along Kaduna-Abuja highway in 2016, Hassan replaced Amina Mohammed, who resigned as Minister of Environment to take up the job of Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations.

    Osinbajo also sworn in the new permanent secretaries before the commencement of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting.

  • Adeboye’s role in my life, by Osinbajo

    Adeboye’s role in my life, by Osinbajo

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo and former President Olusegun Obasanjo yesterday gave an insight into the roles played by Pastor Enoch Adejare Adeboye in their political lives.

    The pastor of the influential Redemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) gave them the advice that infleuced their decisions to accept public office, they revealed.

    The two leaders spoke at the Youth Centre of the RCCG on Kilometre 46, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway yesterday during the presentation of a book Pastor E. A Adeboye; His Life and Calling.

    Prof. Osinbajo, who lauded Pastor Adeboye for his role in “my spiritual growth”, said he sought the General Overseer’s consent before accepting to run with President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential race.

    Osinbajo said: “Over the years, daddy (Adeboye) has been an instrumental factor to my spiritual growth. I consulted daddy and he gave the go-ahead for me to accept the VP position.”

    He said the RCCG was able to attract the largest gathering of worshippers to its convention due to Adeboye’s sincerity and humility.

    “Apart from Coca-cola, the Church is next in mileage across the world. And it all has to do with the sincerity, dedication and humility of Daddy G.O.” Osinbajo said.

    Recounting how Pastor Adeboye influenced his decision to run for president in 1999, Obasanjo said after visiting former South African President Nelson Mandela and respected South Africa cleric Desmond Tutu,   the pastor’s opinion finally convinced him to run.

    “I visited Pastor Adeboye who told me to come back as he would have to pray and know the mind of God concerning the matter.

    ”I was concerned about his response because I got immediate responses from my two friends (Mandela and Tutu). Weeks after, I was sent for and he told me to go ahead and serve as President. I still had a thread of doubt but 48 hours after we met, I opened the scripture and it was the Book of Esther that I opened and I began to read about her,” Obasanjo said.

    The former president noted that he read about how Esther responded to God’s call for her to serve God’s people because that was the reason she was chosen as queen at that material time. “Afrter that, I submitted.”

    He added:  ”I want to thank Pastor Adeboye for helping me at that crucial time in my life when I was to make the right decision.

    “There is no one in modern Africa that has touched lives as much as Pastor Adeboye. I came to the conclusion that anyone who does not respect him does not respect God. After all, God uses men to carry out his work on earth. This man is a tremendous instrument in God’s hands.”

    Obasanjo hinted of his plan to lead many other writers to author a book about Pastor Adeboye.

    Although Obasanjo did not name the would-be authors, he noted that whatever had been written about the man of God by others was not adequate to capture the life of the exemplary man of God.

    The wife of the General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor Folu Adeboye, who conceived the idea of the book, said that it was to celebrate Pastor Adeboye’s 75th birthday.

    I know he loves to read the Bible and other books of great men and women to learn from their lives, principles and values. I believe that it is time to put his life and calling in print for others to read and be inspired and blessed. This is just the beginning”, he said.

    Prof. Omolewa, said that the book helped to provide an authoritative account and information about Pastor Adeboye.

    He said: “We can proclaim that this book is an encyclopedia, telling the story of the little town of Ifewara in which Pastor Adeboye was born and the circumstances of his young days and early childhood. Seeing him rise through challenges and odds to become a dedicated teacher, sport master, theatre director, song composer and becoming a guest of royalty and president, leaving in the trail of signs and wonder everywhere he had visited.”

    The book, he said would help to correct many of the myth and misleading information on Pastor Adeboye, including the one attributed to his first degree from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka and the one which stated that he was named one of the most influential people in the world by Time Magazine.

    The book, written by 40 scholars, diplomatic corps, close associates, leadership experts from within and outside Nigeria and members of the Governing Council of the church, is coordinated by Omolewa.

    Guest at the event included: Bishop David Oyedepo, wife of the Lagos State Governor, Mrs. Bolanle Ambode, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Mrs. Orelope Adefulire, Access Bank Group Managing Director Herbert Wigwe, Standard Charted Bank  Managing Director Bola Adesola, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State Sarah Sosan, wife of the General Overseer of the Christian Pentecostal Mission, Rev Mercy  Ezekiel, former of Nigeria Breweries Chairman Pastor Felix Ohiwere and many others.

     

     

  • Osinbajo okays 615 land titles

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has approved the issuance of 615 pending land titles..

    He gave Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola the approval to sign the land titles.

    The Minister told State House correspondents after a meeting with the Acting President at the Presidential Villa Abuja last night.

    The approval will enable land transactions, mortgages, assignments and debentures across the country.

    According to him, letters were already being issued to applicants.

    He said: “Just to update the members of the public about the delegation of authority to issue consent for land transactions.

    “It has accumulated for a while but we received the delegation, I believe, on 27th of July.

    “On the first week of August my office approved all of the 615 pending applications for land transactions, mortgages, assignments, debentures and all of those things.

    “So, letters are being issued now to all the applicants and those who haven’t received theirs should just tarry a while.

    “In a matter of a few days to fortnight from now we would have cleared that backlog then we go and deal with the pending applications for Certificates of Occupancy.

    “Again, we are expecting delegation of authority for that one.’’ he stated

    Fashola said that the applications had piled up which should not have happened adding that it was important to tell the public about the approvals.

    According to him, the implication is that it is a further boost to the economy.

    He said that those who wanted to borrow or lend money or had sold or planning to sell their land could complete those transactions and money could move round.

    The minister explained that titles could change hands as all businesses related to land whether the person was running a school, bank, a newspaper agency or catering outfit.

     

     

     

     

  • Agriculture holds key, say Osinbajo, Obasanjo, Abdulsalami

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalam Abubakar, yesterday said that agriculture will take Nigeria out recession.

    They urged Nigerians focus more on the sector.

    According to Prof Osinbajo, a sustainable growth in agriculture has an important role to play in the government’s economy diversification policy and the food security drive.

    Osinbajo, who spoke yesterday in Minna at the Niger State Investment Summit, believed that Nigeria could feed 50 per cent of the Africa if it can harness its agricultural potentials.

    He said that the Federal and Niger State governments have been collaborating to reposition the state to feed the nation, urging other state governments to harness their agricultural potentials.

    He commended the state government’s measures in attracting investors and harnessing its economic potentials, urging it to do more to compliment the federal government’s efforts, especially in infrastructural development.

    Chief Obasanjo said that only agriculture can take the nation out of recession, saying that the sector can sustain the nation, create jobs and the wealth needed to make the nation great again.

    He said: “If we have anything to take us out of recession and to lift Nigeria. It is agribusiness and not oil or minerals because it is the renewable business that we can do to sustain us and give us all the job creation and wealth creation we need in the country.”

    The former President, however, called on the Federal Government to draw up policies that would reduce the interest rate being charged by banks on loan-seeking farmers, adding that the interest rates were killing agriculture and agribusinesses.

    “There is need for available of fund and the rate of loans to farmers should be conducive for agribusiness.

    Charging of double digit interest rate by banks has caused the failure of agriculture in the country”, he said.

    Gen. Abubakar urged the banks to look into their interest rate and come up with rates that would be friendly to farmers to encourage agricultural development.

    He described as encouraging that agriculture was taking the centre stage in the country. According to him, food would soon cease to be a challenge as investments in agriculture would have addressed it.

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Muhammadu Abubakar III described the struggle for power devolution in many quarters as unnecessary.

    According to him, those advocating the devolution of powers should exert their energies on the devolution of the economy.

    Governor Abubakar Sani Bello described the summit as a paradigm shift of the economy from oil revenues to agriculture facing the challenges.

    He expressed optimism that the summit would open the state to the global community and showcase its potentials of investment opportunities.

  • FG to re-position Civil Service for greater service delivery – Osinbajo

    FG to re-position Civil Service for greater service delivery – Osinbajo

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo said on Friday the Federal Government would do everything possible to reposition the civil service for effective and efficient delivery of services to Nigerians.

    Osinbajo stated this at the 2017 Nigeria Civil Service Week Dinner and Award Night held at the old Presidential Banquet, Abuja.

    The acting President, who was represented by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Alhaji Muhammad Bello, noted that the nation’s civil servants had worked against all odds to drive government’s agenda in its efforts to meet the needs of Nigerians.

    He, therefore, challenged them to continue to work hard so as to achieve meaningful results in the implementation of the agenda of the federal government aimed at uplifting the quality of life of all citizens.

    He said: “It should be our collective resolve to go all out in hard work to implement the agenda of this administration.

    “This is centred on stabilising the micrographic environment, achieving agriculture and food security, ensuring sufficiency in power and petroleum products, improving transportation infrastructure, driving industrialisation with focus on SMEs and promoting the informal markets with particular attention to production and consumption of made in Nigeria goods and services.”

    The acting President said the government was also committed to the promotion of local industries, stimulating national economic growth and creating better environment for business to thrive in line with its economic diversification policy.

    Osinbajo added: “The Executive Orders that were issued recently is a further attestation to this and they are meant to drive the Made in Nigeria Initiative with a view to increasing the demand for locally manufactured goods and services.

    “The support of government for local content in public procurement will further strengthen the naira, create jobs and expand the country’s entrepreneur capacity leading to greater competitions among local manufacturers and service providers.

    “This we believe will drive down costs, improve quality and enhance ease of doing business in our dear country.

    “All these will not be achieved without a confident and motivated workforce to run with the agenda of this administration.’’

     

    NAN

     

  • Ozubulu Attack: Osinbajo sends FG delegation to Anambra

    Ozubulu Attack: Osinbajo sends FG delegation to Anambra

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has approved a five-man delegation to visit and condole with government and people of Anambra over the August 6 horrific attack on worshippers in the state.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, disclosed this development in a statement issued in Abuja on Saturday.

    At least 13 worshippers were killed and 20 others injured when a gunman invaded the St. Philips Catholic Church in Ofufe-Amakwa, Ozubulu, Ekwusigo local government area of the state.

    The delegation comprised the Ministers of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige; Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole; Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of State for Environment, Mallam Usman Jibril; and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwuka.

    The statement said the delegation would present the acting President’s condolence letter to Governor Willie Obiano.

    He said: “In the letter, Prof. Osinbajo extends deep commiserations to the families, friends of the victims and the Ozubulu community on the death of their sons and daughters and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured still in the hospital.

    “The acting President condemned in very strong terms the atrocious and dastardly act which has brought sorrow to many innocent families and, has rightly provoked widespread condemnation.’’

    “He said such barbaric act constitutes an affront to our common humanity, and challenges, but will not overwhelm our collective resolve to rid our communities of all forms of violent crimes and criminality.’’

    Osinbajo said the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would remain undeterred and continually deploy all available resources towards ensuring adequate security of lives and property in Anambra and across the country.

     

  • Osinbajo to visit Ondo for Niger Delta meeting

    Osinbajo to visit Ondo for Niger Delta meeting

    The Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, will declare open the second meeting of the National Council on Niger Delta (NCND), slated for September 7 to 14, in Ondo State

    The event, with  the theme; ‘Fast tracking the development and peace in the Niger region’, is to be attended by the nine Oil producing sates in the country.

    Also, the visit of the acting president  will avail him the opportunity to conclude his tour to all Niger Delta states and to meet the stakeholders on how to sustain peace in the oil communities in the state.

    It will be recalled that the visit, earlier scheduled for February this year, was cancelled due to poor weather.

    This was disclosed by the Minister in charge of Niger Delta Ministry, Pastor Usani Uguru, at a joint press conference organised by the Ministry and the Ondo State in Abuja, on Friday.

    The Deputy Governor, Hon. Agboola Ajayi and the Chairman of the State Oil Producing Areas Development Commission (OSOPADEC), who also doubles as the Chairman of Local Organising Committee (LOC), Hon. Gbenga Edema, represented the state government at the press conference.

    Uguru said Ondo State was chosen to host the NCND for strategic reasons, stressing that it is presumed that only states from South South states are in the Niger Delta region.

    According to him, “again we understand the percularities of Ondo state in term of resource based and which we are determined to tap into and see how.”

    Uguri commended Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, for being the first governor to prepare an independent programme to match with the initiative of the ministry.

     He noted that the event will not be for talking without action, adding that the outcome will immediately be linked with the ministry current activities and programmes.

    Ajayi, expressed optimism that the sunshine state will be the best host of the meeting among its counterparts.

    He described the state as the most peaceful among all other Niger Delta states, adding that the state is well prepared for the one week programme.

    The deputy governor stressed that the administration of Akeredolu has made it a point of duty to make the state attractive for investors

    Agboola, however, lamented what he said was a short-changing of the two oil producing communities in the state by the Niger Delta ministry in its 2016 and 2017 budgets.

    He appealed to the ministry to improve on what should be budgeted for the state.

    The first meeting was hosted by Akwa Ibom State Government in Uyo, the state capital, in 2013.

  • Human rights: Osinbajo inaugurates panel to investigate military

    Human rights: Osinbajo inaugurates panel to investigate military

    The Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday inaugurated the presidential investigative panel to review compliance of Armed Forces with human rights obligations and rules of engagement.

    He said it is the responsibility of the Armed Forces and every one in government to ensure compliance with human rights norms and basic rules of decency observed across the world.

    He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari has repeatedly stated that the administration’s focus is on three broad issues – security, economy and the fight against corruption.

    He said: “The first security, is one without which others may prove impossible. In any event fundamental to the functions of the state, is the protection of lives and property and livelihood of citizens in peace or in conflict.

    “For our government, we add that respect for the lives of Nigerian citizens is not just a constitutional but also a moral duty. This is why it is incumbent upon us even as we maintain security especially in conflict situations to interrogate, as we go along on a regular basis, alleged crimes and human rights abuses by all sides in these conflicts and insurgencies.

    “Today’s occasion is in continuation of the efforts of this administration geared towards attaining this goal.

    “You may recall that in June 2015, President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the military to conduct an internal inquiry into allegations of rights abuses by its personnel.”

    He said the findings of the board of inquiries set up by the Nigerian Army to investigate extra-judicial killings and rights violation by soldiers, which was submitted in June 2017, would be made available to the new panel.

    The acting President said the report of the Inspector-General of Police’s investigation on alleged sexual abuse and exploitation in Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the Northeast is being awaited.