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Tag: Osinbajo

  • Osinbajo to African leaders: don’t leave legacy of war, poverty

    Osinbajo to African leaders: don’t leave legacy of war, poverty

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday urged African leaders to do everything possible not to bequeath burden of war, misery and poverty to the next generation.

    He spoke at the ongoing African Union summit in Addis Ababa where he led the discussion on peace and security.

    Nigeria is the Chairman of the AU’s Peace & Security Council, a continental equivalent of United Nation’s Security Council.

    He urged the leaders to embrace a comprehensive approach to addressing the root causes of violence in countries on the continent.

    Osinbajo said: “We need to rekindle our political will and determination not to bequeath to the next generation of Africans the burden of wars, poverty and misery.  It is therefore necessary for the Assembly to reaffirm the overriding importance of holistically addressing the root causes of violent conflicts in our countries.

    “The Peace and Security Council has continued to relentlessly discharge its mandate of promoting peace, security and stability in our continent. Our peace and security agenda must remain on the front burner of our deliberations. We have no choice  peace, security and stability are  fundamental to the realisation of sustainable development and to assure our peoples of decent and happy lives.

    “As we move towards silencing the guns by 2020, our collective resolve must remain solid and steadfast to effectively tackle conflicts, terrorism, violent extremism and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons.”

     

     

    “Pursuant to our 50thAnniversary’s Solemn Declaration, and under Nigeria’s chairmanship of the Peace and Security Council in the month of July, we will prioritise the adoption of practical measures to address the current security challenges in South Sudan, Somalia, Guinea Bissau, the Sahel-Sahelo and Lake Chad Basin regions.

    “Furthermore, Nigeria will strengthen the engagement with all AU Member States in confronting the menace of child soldiering and millions of out-of-school children in armed conflict areas.

    “As a first step, we must ensure the full implementation of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), especially the operationalisation of the African Standby Force (ASF) and the Peace Fund. In particular, the Government of Nigeria reiterates the need for the Peace and Security Council to work towards removing all distractions and impediments to the full attainment of operational capacity of the African Standby Force.  To ensure the effectiveness of the African Union peace support operations, the Regional Economic Communities and relevant international bodies, especially the United Nations must remain strategic pillars of peace, security and development of the Continent as envisioned in Agenda 2063.

    “We must redouble our efforts and, and without equivocation avail the necessary resources, in order to successfully achieve the goals set out in Agenda 2063. We need to rekindle our political will and determination not to bequeath to the next generation of Africans the burden of wars, poverty and misery.  It is therefore necessary for the Assembly to reaffirm the overriding importance of holistically addressing the root causes of violent conflicts in our countries.

    “The tragic consequences of wars and conflicts in Africa are self-evident. The millions killed and maimed,  the Millions displaced, children out of school , set us back decades economically and socially.  Our resolve to end wars and conflicts in Africa is therefore our vote for a future of  real growth and development for our continent.”

     

  • Osinbajo and tax jokes

    Those who thought that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo was always too engaged with official duties to have any time for light-hearted banter were shocked last Thursday.

    They were swept off balance as he made jokes that caused laughter among audience, who filled one of the biggest halls in the Presidential Villa, the old Banquet Hall of the State House.

    The occasion was the launch of the Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) meant to prevail on tax defaulters in the country to change their ways before 31st of March 2018.

    Before his remarks, Osinbajo had watched documentaries supporting the new scheme and listened to some members of the VAIDS team, all youths, who gave testimonies on the goodness of taxes payment.

    Their accounts of how the training they received has changed their orientation about tax payment drew applause from the audience.

    As soon as Osinbajo was invited to the podium to deliver his speech, he did not spare the audience of ribs-cracking jokes.

    After observing protocol, Osinbajo started by joking about the body language of the audience which showed him that they have resolved to start paying more taxes to the government.

    He said: “I looked all over the room and I see that there are several people here who have promised to pay more tax…

    The audience cut him short with laughter that resonated throughout the space of the hall.

    Not done with the joke, Osinbajo continued: “…..and as I sat there I was making my notes very diligently and when we leave here we will be asking some questions about how much taxes people have been paying.”

    That also drew applause from the audience.

    Recalling an American who said that the two things that are considered certain in any society are death and taxes, Osinbajo jokingly pointed out that a Nigerian added to the American’s words of wisdom by saying “Yes, taxes and death are certain, but at least death is only once, tax is several times. “

    The audience again burst into laughter.

    He went further to joke about why the South Eastern part of the country have been coming last in the list of taxes paid by the various geo-political zones in the country.

    He started by saying: “In Nigeria, historically, every one of the old regions recognised that and it’s interesting that practically every region was basically paying for us all its programmes with tax money.

    “The first region to recognize formal tax was the Northern region and thereafter the South and last was the South East.

    “When I mention this to an every good governor friend of mine, who is from the South East, that how come the South East came last on the taxes list, he said ‘we are the smartest.’

    The hall again erupted in laughter.

     

    Sending phone charger on exile

     

    For years, a mobile telephone charger had remained a shining star in Wuna village under the Gwagalada Local Government Area Council of Abuja. The village was not connected to the National grid

    With the entrepreneur’s generating set, he became the rallying point for all the villagers that wanted to power their mobile telephone sets.

    As a monopolistic business in the village, the entrepreneur’s revenue increased over the years.

    But recent development has changed the settings in the village.

    Business was no longer as usual forcing the entrepreneur to leave the village for another backward village to operate.

    The only reason that propmted the entrepreneur to close shop in Wuna village was the introduction of renewable energy.

    The Acting President Yemi Osinbajo recounted how it happened during the Nigerian Renewable Energy Roundatable organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology in conjunction with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said: “Many of us may never have heard of Wuna. I hadn’t either until about two years ago. A village in the Gwagalada Local Government Council of Abuja, lying between Abuja and Nasarawa State. It is an agrarian community. It is not on the national grid, and had no other source of light.

    “To charge their phones, an entrepreneur with a small generator runs a service. You take your phone to his shop once a day or so, you pay a small fee for charging. Life in Wuna shuts down at about 7pm until daylight.

    “We decided working with the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to provide a sustainable renewal energy solution solar.

    “I was in Wuna to see it for myself. For the first time in their existence, the village now has running water, solar powered. The school has power and the school hall is now used as a community hall in the evenings. Each home has 4 points of light.

    “Children can now stay up and do some studying at night. Many of Wuna’s women can now process their  millet and yams at night. New jobs have been created, solar installers, maintenance, payment systems and so on.

    “One guy has lost his business in Wuna. The phone charger. Every household can now charge their phones.  But he now charges phones of residents of other villages.” he added

    The Acting President, however, was certain that the entrepreneur and others in similar business nearby areas, will soon have no option but to change their line of business as renewable energy will be extended to more villages not connected to the National grid.

  • Osinbajo, royal fathers, others for Arase’s book launch

    Osinbajo, royal fathers, others for Arase’s book launch

    Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, royal fathers and other eminent personalities are set for a book launch at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja on Tuesday. The book entitled ‘Law on Prevention and Detection of Crimes by the Police in Nigeria’ is written by former Inspector General of Police (IGP), Dr. Solomon Ehigiator Arase.

    According to a statement, the publication draws on Arase’s legal and professional experience in aiding the understanding of the laws, processes and complex dynamics guiding the prevention and detection of crimes in Nigeria.

    Osinbajo, who is the Special Guest of Honour, is expected to grace the event alongside former Cross River State governor, Mr. Donald Duke (Chairman); Edo State governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki; the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammed Sa’ad Abubakar II; Oba Ewuare II of Benin, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe; Oba Rilwan Akiolu of Lagos; former Inspectors General of Police; Ministers and Service Chiefs, among others.

    Aside being a manifestation of his intellectual passion, the statement says the publication was driven by Arase’s desire to strengthen indigenous literature on law enforcement and criminal justice administration and to contribute to initiatives aimed at bridging the knowledge gap on the field, particularly in relation to Nigerian criminal justice and policing space.

     

  • FG uncovers 60,000 ghost workers,says Osinbajo

    FG uncovers 60,000 ghost workers,says Osinbajo

    No fewer than 60,000 ghost workers have been uncovered by the Federal Government since the introduction of the bank verification number (BVN), according to Acting President Yemi Osinbajo.

    Osinbajo was giving an update on government’s war on corruption at the 5th Annual Christopher Kolade Lecture on Business Integrity in Lagos on Thursday night.

    This is almost twice the 33,000 figure given by Finance Minister Kemi Adeosun in October last year.

    The minister said at the time that the removal of the names of the 33000 ghost workers from payrolls of federal government’s ministries, departments and agencies had helped in reducing the wage bill from N166billion to N142billion.

    The acting president did not say on Thursday how much government now saves with the uncovering of the 60000 ghost workers.

    But he said the closure of over 20, 000 government bank accounts  and the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has brought a great deal of sanity into handling of public funds.

    Also yielding positive results, according to him, are   ‘’getting all our armed forces personnel on the electronic human resource payroll to prevent scams in the service,’’ and the whistleblower policy.

    Osinbajo said the Buhari admnistration would not relent in the  anti-corruption war, although he stressed that the war was better fought by preventing it than trying to recover stolen funds.

    He cited the $15billion arms funds allegedly stolen during the Jonathan presidency  and the frustrations government currently faces in recovering stolen funds stashed abroad.

    His words: “In our investigations into defence spending, we discovered 15 billion dollars unaccounted for, with no guarantee that we will ever be able to recover it.

    “You can imagine the damage done by that corrupt act.

    “You need to engage forensic consultants and hire other experts; even then, you will only have some hope of recovering some of what has been lost.”

    On repatriating stolen money from abroad, he said: “Many countries are reluctant to return proceeds of corruption by introducing legal obstacles of different kinds to ensure that we do not get back the money.

    “There is a long list of ‘what if’ – what if we were able to do something or invest even half of that money in economic or infrastructure projects before it disappeared?

    “If some of that money went into boosting our reserves, our exchange rate will not be where it is today; so there lies evidence that corruption is cheaper to prevent than to cure”.

    The acting president said that the negative impact of corruption on human lives and development could never be fully reversible.

    Osinbajo urged Nigerians neither to condone corruption nor celebrate those indulging in it.

    “Corruption is the robbery of the wealth of the nation, and thieves exist in every tribe or religion,’’ he said.

    Osinbajo said that the Federal Government would continually seek ways to make it harder for government funds to be stolen or diverted.

    “The solution really is to ensure stiffer control to prevent fraud and corruption,” he said.

    Osinbajo said that the presidency would ensure close working relationship with the judiciary and ensure that the judiciary itself “is free of corruption to successfully prevent corruption”.

    “We will not succeed in preventing corruption to a significant extent unless the acts of corruption are met with appropriate levels of sanctions and deterrence,” he said.

    The acting president described Kolade as an outstanding man of integrity in both the public and private sectors.

    Dr Christopher Kolade is a former Director General of the old Nigerian Broadcasting Corporation (NBC),ex-Managing Director of Cadbury Nigeria PLC and former Nigerian High Commissioner to London.

    The lecture was entitled: “Prevention is Better than Cure Even on the Issue of Corruption’’.

    It was organised by the Integrity Organisation Ltd., an anti-corruption, research and advocacy organisation.

    Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State said that corruption had collapsed businesses and societies.

    Ambode, represented by his deputy, Dr Idiat Adebule, said that more measures should be put in place to prevent corruption.

    The governor described Kolade as a man who had not compromised standards, saying that the lecture in his honour would contribute to value reorientation for sustainable prosperity.

    In his remarks, Kolade said: “It is sad that we have made integrity our enemy which is why this administration is trying to fight corruption, but preventing it is better than curing it.

    “My prayer for this country is that we will actually get to a point where we intensify our energies to apply prevention rather than looking for a cure that we ourselves dilute by our own behaviour.

    “We all need to continue to build the good name of this country by securing a firm place for integrity as our way of life and norm in our communities.’’

    In his keynote address, Mr Nick Leeson, an international speaker, said that integrity and good name would attract investors, development and growth to any business.

    “It is very easy to get another job, but not easy to get another reputation.

    “We, therefore, need to be careful and prevent anything that can soil good name or integrity,” Leeson said.

    Dr Kehinde Bolaji, Team Leader, United Nations Development Programme, also said that preventing corruption was easier than addressing its consequences.

    “Corruption steals resources, hinders development and threatens democracy and the rule of law.

    “In Nigeria, the level of corruption calls for concern which is why our organisation is working closely with the government in its anti-corruption crusade to promote transparency, integrity and good governance,” Bolaji said.

  • Osinbajo appoints Oniha as DMO chief

    Osinbajo appoints Oniha as DMO chief

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Friday approved the appointment of Mrs. Patience Oniha as the new Director-General of Debt Management Office (DMO).

    The Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun, announced the appointment in Abuja.

    Oniha, from Edo State, takes over from the former Director-General, Abraham Nwankwo, who retired after serving for two terms of five years each.

    The handover formalities took place in a brief ceremony held at the DMO office in Abuja.

    The new DG contributed greatly to the success DMO achieved in the last 10 years.

    She retired as a director in the agency and also served in the Efficiency Unit of the Ministry of Finance before her recent appointment as DMO chief executive.

     

  • FG uncovers 60,000 ghost workers

    FG uncovers 60,000 ghost workers

    At least 60,000 ghost workers have been uncovered by the Federal Government since the introduction of the Bank Verification Number (BVN), Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has said.

    Osinbajo gave the update on government’s war on corruption at the 5th Annual Christopher Kolade Lecture on Business Integrity in Lagos on Thursday night.

    This is almost twice the 33,000 figure given by Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun, in October last year.

    The minister said at the time that the removal of  33,000 ghost names from payroll of federal government’s ministries, departments and agencies had helped in reducing the wage bill from N166billion to N142billion.

    The acting president did not say on Thursday how much government now saves with the uncovering of the 60,000 ghost workers.

    But he said the closure of over 20, 000 government bank accounts  and the introduction of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) has brought a great deal of sanity into handling of public funds.

    Also yielding positive results, according to him are ‘’getting all our armed forces personnel on the electronic human resource payroll to prevent scams in the service and the whistleblower policy.”

    Osinbajo said President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration would not relent in the anti- corruption war although he stressed that the war was better fought by preventing it than trying to recover stolen funds.

    He cited the $15billion arms funds allegedly stolen during ex- President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration and the frustrations government currently faces in recovering stolen funds stashed abroad.

    He said: ”In our investigations into defence spending, we discovered $15 billion unaccounted for, with no guarantee that we will ever be able to recover it.

    “You can imagine the damage done by that corrupt act.

    ”You need to engage forensic consultants and hire other experts; even then, you will only have some hope of recovering some of what has been lost.”

    “Many countries are reluctant to return proceeds of corruption by introducing legal obstacles of different kinds to ensure that we do not get back the money.”

  • Osinbajo appoints new RECs

    Osinbajo appoints new RECs

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday approved the appointment of 14 new Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs).

    The Director (Press), Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Bolaji Adebiyi, disclosed this in a statement in Abuja.

    The new appointees are – Prof. Godwill Obioma (Abia), James Lorliam  (Benue), Dr. Nwachukwu Orji   (Ebonyi), Dr. Iloh Joseph Valentine Chuks (Enugu),  Dr. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda (Plateau) and Umar Ibrahim (Taraba).

    Others are – Mr. Emeka Ononamadu Joseph (Imo), Obo O. Effang (Cross River), Prof. Francis Chuckwemeka Ezeounu (Anambra), Dr. Briyai O. Fardinard (Bayelsa), Ibrahim Abdullahi (Adamawa), Agboke Mutiu  (Ogun), Hussaini Halilu Pai – FCT (Reappointment) and Alhaji Ahmad Makama (Bauchi).

    The RECs, the statement said, have been confirmed by the Senate.

    The appointments take immediate effect.

     

  • NEC approves rehabilitation of prisons by states

    NEC approves rehabilitation of prisons by states

    The National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday resolved that state government with the financial capacity can rehabilitate prisons and provide necessary facilities towards reducing prison decongestion across the country.

    The decision was reached during the 78th session presided over by Acting President Yemi Osinbajo at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The Council had expressed worries over the appalling conditions of structures and logistics in the nation’s prisons after a presentation by the Minister of Interior, Abdulraman Danbazzu and the Comptroller General of Prisons.

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi, said the governors were unanimous on the need to rehabilitate prisons in the country.

    He said: “The situation they painted was quite pathetic. I visited the prisons in my state for the first time recently and what l saw was terrible. So, it was agreed that governors should on their own develop initiatives to manage the prisons. For instance, some have transferred prisons from urban centres.

    “NEC agreed that governors should support the federal government on prison matters. States that have the capacity to build prisons should go ahead and do so, including the involvement of private sector participation.

    “The minister said 70 per cent of inmates are awaiting trial. Some of them can be converted to labour use. 10 per cent of them are condemned, meaning 20 per cent are true prisoners. Some of the prisoners should be engaged in agricultural programme.

    “Governors should do a number of things to decongest prisons. Chief judges of states should frequently visit prisons. Governors should either sign death sentences of those condemned or commit them because it is risky leaving them after their trial had been concluded. NEC resolved that there should be emergency situations on prisons.”

    Also speaking, Gombe State Governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo, gave an update on the Excess Crude Account (ECA) put at $2.3billion as well as Stabilization, Natural Resources Development and Ecological Funds.

    He said that Council also approved extension of budget support to states due to the economic recession.

    He said: “Council was briefed on budget support to states because of dwindling revenue and budget implementation. The programme was meant for a year but because of recession, acting president said the facility should continue pending when other claims of states and local governments would be settled.”

    The Budget Support Loan Facility is an initiative of the Buhari administration to help states boost their funding in the light of the dwindling Federal Accounts Allocation Committee (FAAC) allocations.

     

     

  • FG to publish ‘non-repentant’ tax defaulters’ list

    FG to publish ‘non-repentant’ tax defaulters’ list

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo warned on Thursday that the list of tax defaulters in the country who failed to repent by March 31, 2018 would be published.

    He gave the warning during the launch of Voluntary Assets and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

    Disclosing that VAIDS will be operated from July 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018 to give opportunity to tax defaulters to regularise their tax affairs, Osinbajo also signed executive order to support the scheme.

    Those who have diverted Nigeria’s legitimate tax revenues abroad or concealed them at home, he said, should face the full force of the law.

    The acting President said only 214 Nigerians located in Lagos State are paying taxes of N20 million and above annually.

    He also said that about 914 Nigerians, all located in Lagos State except two in Ogun State, pay taxes of N10 million and above annually.

    Osinbajo said government is committed to tax revenue accountability, adding that tax revenues would be a driver of real lasting progress in the country.

    He said: “The issue of accountability in tax revenue is one that this government is fully ready and able to address. In our war on waste and inefficiency at all levels we have positioned ourselves to ensure that tax revenues will be a driver of real lasting progress.

    “Based on information on tax evasion that is now available, our personal preference is that those who have diverted Nigeria’s legitimate tax revenues abroad or concealed them at home, should taste the full force of the law. However, the extent of noncompliance coupled with the urgent need to revive the economy has persuaded all of our policy makers that we adopt the pragmatic approach of declaring a time limited programme of the VAIDS.

    “VAIDS will be operated from July 1, 2017 to March 31, 2018. It will be supported by an executive order that I will sign into law today. VAIDS will offer a once in a lifetime opportunity to those in default to regularise their tax affairs.

    “This is an offer in the spirit of national reconciliation and rebuilding and must be taken as such. In addition because we understand that those some tax payers may have challenges raising tax, we have built in a system that will allow those owing to pay over a period of time subject to conditions.

    “Upon expiry of the scheme we will consider those who have failed to take advantage of this offer or who have declared falsely, to be wilful tax defaulters and economic saboteurs.

    “We will then proceed with aggressive investigation with a view to criminal prosecution. We will also publish a tax defaulters list to name and shame those refusing to do the right thing.”

     

  • Presidency to continue consultations on Nigeria’s unity – Akande

    Presidency to continue consultations on Nigeria’s unity – Akande

    The consultations by the Presidency with various segments of the Nigerian society will continue, the Spokesman of the Acting President, Mr. Laolu Akande, said on Tuesday.

    He stated this in a release while emphasizing the import of the dialogue the Acting President had with leaders from the North, Southeast and the media over the last two weeks.

    “While this set of consultations was concluded last week, the presidency will continue to actively engage with different segments of the Nigerian population at different stages and formats in the near future.

    “The meetings were convened to provide a platform for frank and open discussions between the concerned stakeholders and by extension the Nigerian public on issues relating to the unity, peace and security of the country,” the release said.

    In the course of the interaction from June 13, to June 22, the Acting President gave the assurance that the Muhammadu Buhari administration was not deaf to grievances in parts of the country and would address them.

    He, however, urged that such grievances should be expressed with grace.

    According to Akande interactions began following the recent spate of agitations pitting some groups in the North against others in the Southeast while Osinbajo used it to douse inter-ethnic tension using political, religious, traditional and media leaders.

    He said the meetings established some common ground on a number of issues such as the condemnation of all the hate and divisive rhetoric by the concerned groups of Northern and Southeastern youths.

    “They affirmed the need for all leaders and elders, regardless of political or ideological persuasion, to speak out more forcefully to counter divisive and hate speeches and any form of warmongering.

    “They also affirmed the primacy of the country’s constitution, the ultimate basis for the unity of Nigeria.”

    Also during the meetings it was agreed that the constitution guarantees freedom of residence and of movement for all Nigerians anywhere in the country, without fear of discrimination or prejudice.

    They also affirmed the need to draw a line between the freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution and the degeneration of such expression into hate rhetoric and prejudice.

    The interactions similarly affirmed the necessity of confronting all grievances and frustrations head-on, however uncomfortable they might seem instead of ignoring issues and allowing them to fester.

    The Acting President expressed appreciation to all the leaders for their time and commitment to the unity, peace and progress of the nation.

    He also assured Nigerians of the determination and resolve of the Buhari administration to ensure their well-being and security at all times.