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Tag: PRESIDENCY

  • Consultation ongoing on $30bn loan – Presidency

    Consultation ongoing on $30bn loan – Presidency

    The Presidency on Wednesday said top level consultation had been initiated between the Executive and Legislative arms of government on the request by President Muhammadu Buhari to borrow $29.96 billion for infrastructural development.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Affairs, Senator Ita Enang, who disclosed this, said President Buhari has not withheld his assent on the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) amendment bill.

    Enang told journalists in Abuja that necessary legislative process aimed at paving way for the loan is still pending.

    He noted that in recent times, the level of consultation between the arms of government has increased.

    The consultations, he said, were intended to address and resolve thorny questions in any of the requests made by the executive.

    Enang said the President and governors cannot proceed to take loan because it will become the responsibility of the entire country to pay.

    He said, “The year has been very active, politically and legislatively active and I used the opportunity to comment that this present National Assembly under the leadership of Distinguished Senator Bukola Saraki and the Speaker Yakubu Dogara has been very rewarding in terms of legislation, the number of bills passed.”

     

     

  • Presidency hails progress on social investment programmes

    Presidency hails progress on social investment programmes

    Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir David Lawal yesterday said President Muhammadu Buhari would revamp the economy and take the nation out of recession next year.
    The SGF said the government had laid the foundation for a diversified economy, with the 2017 budget further strengthening the economy.
    Lawal spoke in Abuja while receiving a delegation from the Methodist Church of Nigeria, Archdiocese of Abuja, led by the Archbishop, Rev Joseph Oche Job.
    A statement by Director (Press) in the Office of the SGF Bolaji Adebiyi said Lawal promised that the President was determined and committed to the three major objectives of his administration: to improve national security, fight corruption and overhaul the economy.
    He thanked the church and religious leaders for supporting the government.
    The SGF implored them to continue to pray for peace and security.
    Job expressed the support of the church to the Federal Government in the fight against corruption, saying: “It is the No 1 enemy of our dear country.”
    The cleric noted that the major ills of the society, including youth unemployment, poor and weak infrastructure, injustice and insecurity, were products of corruption.
    He hailed the government for ensuring the release of some Chibok schoolgirls, adding that the governmenmt should explore all avenues to release the remaining Chibok girls.

    THE Presidency has hailed the progress of President Muhammadu Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programmes (SIP) with the take off of the N-Power Volunteers Corps (NPVC) and Homegrown School Feeding Programme.
    Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media and Publicity in the Office of the Vice-President, Mr. Laolu Akande spoke yesterday in Abuja while giving an update on the social investment programmes.
    Akande said verification was holding in states on the first 200,000 of 500,000 unemployed graduates to be engaged by the Federal Government.
    He said those engaged would serve in their “communities; teaching, supporting health care systems and educating farmers”.
    Akande said the feeding programme started last week in Anambra State, adding that three states were implementing the programme, including Osun and Kaduna.
    On Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) and micro-credit schemes, Akande said the data of beneficiaries for nine states were ready.
    The Vice-President’s aide said payment for those states were in top gear.
    Under the CCT, one million vulnerable and poorest Nigerians would receive N5,000 monthly.
    Also, on the micro-credit scheme, over one million Nigerians would get small loans at low interest rates through Bank of Industry (BOI).
    The SSA said about 10,000 market associations and cooperatives had registered and were being cross-checked.
    The loans, ranging from N20,000, N50,000 to N100,000, would be granted with the collaboration of such associations and cooperatives across the country. The pilot scheme would take off soon in eight states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Akande said.
    He noted that as the case in all social investment spending of the Federal Government, payments would go directly to accounts of beneficiaries.
    Akande added: “Clearly, we can see that despite the considerable constraints government has faced this year in revenue projections, the Buhari Presidency remained faithful to its promises on social investment plans, with the full assurance that the programmes would seamlessly dovetail into the next budget cycle.”

  • No plans to replace service chiefs – Presidency

    No plans to replace service chiefs – Presidency

    The Presidency on Monday denied report in the media of plans by President Muhammadu Buhari to replace the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, as Service Chiefs.

    It said Olonisakin, who is due to retire from the Army next week, is yet to be replaced.

    A statement issued by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, Femi Adesina, reads: “It is necessary to respond to a fictive story published in today’s edition of New Telegraph Newspaper, to the effect that President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the replacement of Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olonisakin, and Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ekwe Ibas, as Service Chiefs.

    “The newspaper, rather than rush to print an unsubstantiated story, would have done better to confirm the information at its disposal, from many available military and government information channels.

    “It then would have avoided the self-inflicted wound of publishing a one-legged story that is not completely true, and damaging its brand in the process.

    “Gen. Olonisakin is due to retire from the Army next week, having satisfied the official number of years in service. He is yet to be replaced.

    “But the Chief of Naval Staff has a short while more, and President Buhari could, therefore, not have approved his replacement yet.”

    The statement noted that the administration has repeatedly pledged commitment to transparency and accountability, which resulted in the availability of information to the media.

    “But when some sections of the media would rather speculate, than cross-check and double check information, then it borders on deliberate mischief.

    “That, surely, is not the way to go, for national cohesion and development,” it added.

  • Amina Mohammed still minister of Environment, says Presidency

    The Presidency has reacted to reports on the purported appointment of Mrs. Amina Mohammed, Nigeria’s minister of Environment as deputy secretary-general of the United Nations (UN), saying “she remains our minister of Environment.’’

    In a tweet yesterday in Abuja, Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President, Garba Shehu, said Nigerians would be informed on any development concerning the matter.

    He said: “There is a lot of exuberance on the net concerning a UN job for Mrs. Amina Mohammed. She remains our minister of Environment. If there is anything on this that is released officially, we will let Nigerians know.

    “I am pleased to know that she enjoys so much goodwill.’’

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that social and traditional media outfits had reported that Amina Mohammed is set to be appointed UN deputy secretary-general.

    A tweet by Pamela Falk, CBS news reporter for the UN, obtained by NAN, said the world body would release a statement confirming the appointment.

    She is expected to be deputy to Antonio Guterres, who will assume office as UN secretary-general, on January 1, 2017.

     

  • Presidency running out of excuses

    Presidency running out of excuses

    BY its responses to its own judicial policy, Nigeria seems uninterested in claiming either regional or continental leadership, a position previously surrendered to it by other African countries during the ideological flourish of the 1970s. Even though that ideology was not clearly and sharply defined, the country nevertheless championed the struggle for the complete decolonisation of the continent, proudly and courageously stood against foreign meddlesomeness on the continent, and portrayed an Africa that had come of age.
    Two examples illustrate this abdication. First is the judgement given in October by the ECOWAS Court of Justice that declared the detention of former National Security Adviser (NSA), Sambo Dasuki, unlawful, and awarded him N15m as damages. Nigeria, which should be the number one country of example in the region in law and politics, simply ignored the ruling, apparently because the court’s rulings are not binding. Had Nigeria not even ignored its own domestic court rulings that are binding? Second is the judgement ordering the release, in not more than 45 days, of the Shiite leader, Ibraheem el-Zakzaky, and his wife, and the payment of N50m as damages to the couple.
    If Nigeria were conscious of the leadership position reserved for her by circumstances and continental political dynamics, if she had a sensible and realistic vision for Africa, especially the regeneration of its values and reclamation of its ethos, not only would Col Dasuki (retd.) be on bail on strict conditions by now, Sheikh el-Zakzaky would also be released before the 45 days indicated in the judgement ordering his release. He would in addition be housed in a temporary accommodation of his own choice, and efforts made to heal the divisions caused by the controversial Shiite crisis. Sadly, this new awareness of the country’s manifest destiny is too much to ask for, for Nigeria has little consciousness of its potentials, not to say the advantages which that leadership, if claimed, could confer far above the temporary benefits of watching its quarries pine away in detention.

  • Presidency warns against N-Power jobs racketeering

    The Presidency on Thursday declared illegal any act of extortion by the handlers of the social intervention programmes of the Federal Government.

    It specifically warned that no one should ask for money from the applicants of the N-Power jobs or beneficiaries of the School Feeding Programme.

    The Special Assistant on Homegrown School Feeding Programme in the Office of the Vice President, Mr. Dotun Adebayo gave the warning while speaking in Awka, Anambra State.

    According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, Adebayo said that the pupils in Anambra state were excited as the feeding programme kicked off in their schools.

    He said: “No one should have to pay any fees to benefit in the N-Power or the Homegrown School Feeding programmes, and any such imposition or request for fees is uncalled for and illegal.

    “Reports of such acts of extortion in some states where beneficiaries are being asked to pay a ‘fee for registration’ have reached the Presidency, and firm instructions have been given that such acts should stop,” he added

    Noting that the National Homegrown School Feeding scheme has entered implementation stage with the feeding of primary school pupils in Anambra State, he said: “The pupils were excited and enjoyed the meals.

    “All together in Anambra State, an estimated 76, 690 pupils in 1050 schools would be served every day of school. The feeding programme caters to pupils from primary 1-3.

    “Having met the stated requirements for Federal Government funding for the Homegrown School Feeding, a sum of N53, 687, 900 had been released directly to cooks for the kick-off of the school feeding programme in Anambra, to last till the end of the current school term.

    “All the cooks were recruited from communities around the primary schools for the program, verified and trained to provide the catering service in the 21 LGAs in the State,” he said.

  • Buhari won’t allow death of citizens, says Presidency

    Buhari won’t allow death of citizens, says Presidency

    •President denies alleged mass starvation

    The Presidency yesterday maintained that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration is leading a responsible government and will not allow lives to be lost in the country.

    The statement followed fears in some quarters that the government was not doing enough to save the lives of Nigerians presently facing humanitarian crisis in the Northeast and the crisis might degenerate to mass starvation.

    Millions of Nigerians, over the years, have been displaced from their communities by the onslaught of the Islamic sect, Boko Haram.

    The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, in a statement, said: “It is a problem that the Buhari administration continues to handle with great sensitivity.

    “Since his coming to office, the President has fully mobilised state mechanisms to deal with the problems and this needs to be appreciated.

    “This notwithstanding, we are concerned about the blatant attempts to whip up a nonexistent fear of mass starvation by some aid agencies, a type of hype that does not provide solution to the situation on the ground but more to do with calculations for operations financing locally and abroad. In a recent instance, one arm of the United Nations screamed that 100,000 people will die due to starvation next year. A different group says a million will die.”

    He noted out that the Boko Haram terrorism and their occupation of communities and destruction of houses, infrastructure and means of livelihood have manifested in the decline of socio-economic activities throughout the Northeast.

    He added that it in turn negatively impacted farming, pastoralism, trade, exchange of goods and services and social interaction among the people and leading to the displacement of more than two million people, mostly women and children.

    “Consequently, there is death, there is hunger and there is poor nutrition. The displacement pattern as revealed by the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) indicates that there are currently about two million people who are displaced.

    “Only about 20 percent of this is however in IDP camps. This much reduced numbers are in Borno in 13 formal and 16 satellite camps; four of such camps currently operating in Adamawa and about the same number in Yobe.

    “The larger number of the IDP population is living either in self-settled camps or with host communities,” he added.

    According to him, the affected states with active collaboration with NEMA and the recently inaugurated Presidential Committee on Northeast Initiative (PCNI) are deeply involved in efforts to cushion the humanitarian challenges, especially on food security and nutrition.

    “Through an ongoing arrangement, NEMA provides raw food items to IDPs at formal camps, self-settled centres, host communities and satellite centres. The states for their part provide condiments, firewood and maintain environmental quality of the IDP camps.

    “Beyond the IDP camps, government agencies are distributing food in host communities. The T.Y. Danjuma-led PCNI is currently doing this in Borno State at the time of writing,” he stated.

    Apart from the supply of food, he said the Federal Government, through NEMA and the PCNI, has made the provision of drugs to some major hospitals in the zone as a priority.

    “These agencies have also been deploying on continuous basis, medical teams and equipment to the Northeast to support the provision of medicare to the IDPs.

    “There are also search and rescue vehicles in service in the region as well as the deployment of a revolving fund at major hospitals in Maiduguri and Yola to ensure full treatment of victims of insurgents’ attacks and sick IDPs.

    “Government has also been providing skills and empowerment equipment to IDPs side-by-side with education for children in camps and the UN Safe Schools Initiative (SSI).

    “While the humanitarian situation in the Northeast is already complex and challenging, there is no doubt that the recent successes by the Nigerian military against the terrorists has come with it  the releases of thousands of people held against their wish in the forests.

    “The captives come to government camps famished, ragged, poorly nourished and mostly ill, released from the hunger and acute shortages of basic necessities of life on account of the effective sieges of Sambisa forest by the military.” He said

    The Presidency also welcomed the increasing humanitarian assistance, which kept complementing the efforts of the federal and state governments in the Northeast.

    Stressing that local and international humanitarian responders, including the United Nations (UN) have done an immeasurable amount of effort filling in the gaps wherever they existed, he denied the reports indicating that 100,000 or a million people would die because government was unable to provide care at the camps.

  • 200,000 hired graduates have resumed, says Presidency

    The Presidency said yesterday that the first batch of 200,000 unemployed graduates hired under the N-Power scheme had resumed and posted to the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

    Senior Special Assistant to Vice President Laolu Akande said the programme had begun and that the states were in the process of deploying those selected to their primary places of assignment.

    He said those deployed could work as teachers, agricultural extension educators, community health care programmes, among others.

    “So, deployment is going on about this time and we still have 300,000 more to do.

    “The idea is to engage the youth, the unemployed graduates and give them some training, some values.

    “Prepare them so that at the end of the two years they will become more empowered to go forward with their lives.

    “Hopefully, by that time we would have created more permanent jobs working with the private sector,’’ he added.

    Akande said that the N-Power scheme was not a permanent job creation but a palliative for the jobless.

    He said there was also plan by government to engage 100,000 or more non-graduates.

    He added that government was developing policies and working with the private sector to develop an enabling environment that would revatilise the economy and create more sustainable employments

    He added that all 500,000 graduates to be employed under the scheme would be provided with tablet devices to equip them with new skills.

    Akande told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja that that the provision of the tablet devices would enable the graduates to be skillful, knowledgeable and empowered in their own area of specialization.

    Akande said this was part of the present administration’s plan to tackle massive youth unemployment under its social investment programmes by hiring of 500,000 unemployed graduates and 100, 000 for non-graduates

    ”So, everybody that is selected will go into the programme and spend two years. In those two years, number one, they will be trained, so that they can become more employable.

    “Number two, they will be exposed to skills that can even  turn them into entrepreneurs. Number three, in their engagement they will be contributing to their own community.

    “So they will get a sense of not only adding value but also adding value within their community. Of cause this a volunteer scheme.

    “But government will be paying them a stipend of N30,000 monthly and then each of them will also get a device that will have a lot of apps (applications) in it.

    “These are the apps that will be used to train them to be skilled and all kinds of knowledge that can actually empower them.”

  • Presidency: 1.2m Nigerians to get single-digit loans

    Presidency: 1.2m Nigerians to get single-digit loans

    The Federal Government  on Sunday  said 1.2 million Nigerians would be given soft loans at two or three per cent interest rate as part of efforts to create jobs under its social investment programme.

    Mr Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, said this when he appeared on the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Forum in Abuja.

    He said the Federal Government was synergising with its enterprise agencies with the private sector to achieve the goal.

    He named the agencies as Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Bank of Industry (BOI), Bank of Agriculture and National Directorate of Employment (NDE), among others.

    ”About 1.2 million Nigerians are going to be given soft loans, may be at two or three per cent, loans of N20,000 to N50,000, N100,000; the traders, for people that have small businesses.

    “We are going to be using co-operatives, so all these groups mentioned will be working together because we believe small and medium enterprises are very critical to the recovery and rejuvenation of the economy.

    “So, we are working to design all kind of intervention financial facilities since we are not getting the kind of affordable loans in the main banking sector.

    “So, we are using the intervention funds to release money to small and medium scale enterprises so that they can trade with the money. with very little interest two or three or four per cent.’’

    He said that the Federal Government was hoping to do more for Nigerians using the intervention fund as part of its social investment programme.

    He said that the SMEDAN, BOI, Bank of Agriculture, NDE, others had been harnessed to provide such support.

    Akande said the government would continue to use resources from the agencies to actively boost social investment programmes.

    “We are working with these agencies to have that kind of glory of affordable loan to 1.2 million Nigerians to do trading of different kinds,’’ he added.

    He gave the assurance that the Federal Government would soon generate 7000 megawatts (MW) of power.

    Akande said that government was working assiduously to step up power generation from 5000 mw to 7000 mw.

    He said that the country began to experience low electricity supply due to pipeline vandalism and the bombings in the Niger Delta.

    ”When the administration came in as a matter of fact we were doing less than 300mw.

    He said that the Federal Government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with companies that would supply gas that would ultimately increase the output to 5000 mw.

    Akande said that by rejuvenating some of the transmission facilities and infrastructure government was doing what is called “incremental power ‘’  to bring up the megawatt.

    He said that there were plans also by government to effect public, private partnership to ensure that Mambila project came on stream in power generation.

    On the issues of idle power plants Akande explained that the truth was that “a lot of those plants, facilities are just there and not being utilized.

    “The power plants are all disconnected and we are trying to fix them so that the plants will bring significant increment to the output.

    He said that rather than new taxes the government was expanding the coverage area in its Value Added Tax (VAT) drive to generate more income.

    ”Essentially, we are not increasing VAT at this time, but what we are trying to do is to increase the coverage of VAT.

    ”So, for instance now, if  VAT is only coverable for the 10 per cent that it should cover and you know the current rate is five per cent.

    ”We want to increase the coverage to 20 per cent because we believed that by just increasing the coverage, we are going to get in more revenue.

    Akande, however, said that the council was looking at a whole lot of things happening in the business environment to encourage people to invest and to promote their businesses.

    He said the government wanted to ensure that those who want to get   all kinds of approval for business purposes could visit only a one stop shop.

    According to him, we have installed one-stop-shop government policy approach.

    ”That is if you are a businessman and you have dealings with government.

    ”You do not have to go to Ministry of Finance today, Federal Inland Revenue Service or CAC tomorrow, among others you just have to go to one agent.

    ”Whatever you need from those agencies of government, the one stop shop will be the one that will do the running around.

    ”So, things like that are going on and we are actually trying to see that people do not suffer double taxation,’’ he said.

    He assured Nigerians that the government was doing its best to ensure a conducive environment for businesses to thrive

    According to him President Muhammadu Buhari’s economic team is composed of competent and tested people with significant private sector experiences.

    ”The major problem of Nigeria’s economy is a problem of vandalism of our oil installations and also the drop in the prices in the international oil market.

    “Look at what we have been able to do in spite of all these problems. In spite of the drop in revenue we have paid out almost N800 billion for infrastructure, for capital projects, more than what was budgeted for last year.”

  • Nigerians need not panic over Donald Trump’s presidency — Ministry

    Nigerians need not panic over Donald Trump’s presidency — Ministry

    The new Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, on Sunday assured Nigerians that Donald Trump’s presidency would not disrupt the U. S. and Nigeria’s long-existing relations.

    Enikanolaiye told the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Lagos that there was no need for Nigerians to be agitated over Trump’s presidency.

    The permanent secretary expressed optimism that the long existing relations between Nigeria and the U. S. would be strengthened in the years ahead.

    “We do not think that Donald Trump’s presidency would lead to a disruption in the relations between Nigeria and the United States.

    “The United States and Nigeria have had excellent relations since the attainment of Nigeria’s Independence.

    “And under every government in the U. S, whether Republican or Democrat, we have always had cordial relations.

    “So, we do not think that this already existing relations between Nigeria and the U. S. would necessarily be altered under the U. S. President-Elect Donald Trump,’’ he said.

    The permanent secretary, however, said that Nigeria would not be naive to be caught unawares by any future eventualities.

    Enikanolaiye said that ahead of eventualities, his Ministry would on Monday, Nov. 28, hold a special retreat in Abuja, to deliberate on some of Trump’s rhetorics during his campaigns.

    “Given the President-elect’s rhetorics during his campaigns and election, we would not be naive not to prepare for these eventualities.

    “We have, therefore, decided to organise a special retreat on Monday, Nov. 28, in Abuja.

    “This retreat would give major foreign policy stakeholders the opportunity to deliberate on what Trump has said and advise government on how best to respond to this,’’ he said.

    Enikanolaiye recalled that Nigeria had excellent relations with the administration of the outgoing president Barack Obama in different areas, including economic ties, deepening of Nigeria’s democracy and other areas.