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Tag: President Bola Tinubu

  • Senator Nwoko facilitates over N30bn projects for Delta North

    Senator Nwoko facilitates over N30bn projects for Delta North

    Senator Ned Nwoko, representing Delta North Senatorial District at the National Assembly, has facilitated development projects worth over N30 billion for his constituency under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

    The projects, routed through the Benin-Owena River Basin Authority, include the construction of treatment plants and water reticulation works for the completed Ogbashu Dam in Aniocha South Local Government Area, each valued at over N7.5 billion.

    In a statement issued by his media consultant, Michael Ogah, and made available to reporters in Lafia, Senator Nwoko also listed irrigation schemes for farmers in Olodu and surrounding communities within Aniocha South as part of the initiatives.

    Additionally, a N7.5 billion dam project is planned for Idumuje in Aniocha North Local Government to accelerate water resource development in the area.

    “Another N7.5bn is earmarked for irrigation across the river belt with Idumuje and other communities to ease the farming activities of the peasant farmers as well as supporting the farmers with good seedlings, fertilizers and farm implements to cultivate their crops.

    “The target for these programme is to make all year round farming for the farmers for increased food production for local consumption and for foreign earnings in the state.

    “I am proud to announce that through President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, I’ve facilitated over ₦30 billion in projects aimed at transforming the lives of the people of Delta North and beyond. These projects, which are being funded through Mr. President’s special intervention funds, will address key infrastructure needs and improve agricultural productivity in the region.

    “Among the ongoing projects, we’re seeing significant progress in the Benin-Owena River Basin Authority initiatives, including the construction of treatment plants and reticulation systems at the completed Ogwashi-Uku Dam in Aniocha South.

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    “Additionally, the Idumuje Dam project in Aniocha North is set to fast-track water management solutions in the area, with over ₦7.5 billion invested. We’re also prioritizing irrigation systems across the region to boost farming activities, provide quality seedlings, fertilizers, and farming implements to local farmers, all aimed at ensuring year-round farming and improving food security.

    “These projects are not only a testament to my commitment to the people of Delta North but also a direct result of the strong relationship I have with President Tinubu and the federal government. Together, we will continue to build a prosperous and thriving Delta State.

    “This is one of the major landmark projects that senator Ned Nwoko is bringing to Delta state. This wouldn’t have been possible if not for his relationship with APC and the president of the federal republic of Nigeria. 

    “This project came directly from the president to him and some few influential senators in the Senate,” the statement read.

  • We will support Tinubu’s transformation drive of military to world-class force, says Akpabio

    We will support Tinubu’s transformation drive of military to world-class force, says Akpabio

    Senate President Godswill Akpabio has pledged the National Assembly’s support for President Bola Tinubu’s initiative to modernize the Nigerian military into a world-class force.

    Akpabio gave the pledged on Thursday, April 10, at the inaugural high-level roundtable of the National Defence College (NDC) Irregular Warfare Centre, in Abuja.

    The Senate President was the Special Guest of Honour.

    The event focused on presenting research findings from ongoing Joint Task Force operations in the country and demonstrated the ongoing efforts to strengthen Nigeria’s defense systems and promote regional security through collaborative research and strategic planning initiatives.

    Akpabio said, “Let me affirm here now that the National Assembly stands as a steadfast ally to our Armed Forces. We remain fully committed to supporting you, not only in defending our sovereignty but in evolving into an elite, world-class force.

    “We will ensure you are equipped not only with weapons, but with training, intelligence, innovation, and the moral mandate of the people.”

    Represented by Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, Sen. Abdulaziz Yar’adua, the Senate President described the initiative by the NDC as not only timely, but a kind of strategic and inclusive thinking that is forward looking and that would shape the future of the country.

    While saluting members of the Armed Forces for their sacrifices in defending the country against adversaries, he urged the military to continue to uphold professionalism, discipline, and respect for human dignity.

    He said: “We understand that the battles we fight are not only on the frontline of war, but also on the frontier of perception…For it is through these virtues that you ensure trust between the community and the citizens. Let the people not see our soldiers as mere children-poets, but as patrolling warriors standing between order and chaos.

    “Let them in their uniform be seen not as a symbol of fear, but as a banner of protection, honor, and peace.”

    Akpabio called for the implementation of the research findings to create a stronger defense policy, foster deeper cooperation, and inspire bolder thinking.

    In his remarks, Defence Minister Mohammed Badaru, who was represented by his Special Assistant Technical, Maj.-Gen. Ahmed Jibril (Rtd), said the Federal Government is combating insecurity through a whole-of-society approach.

    Badaru said that the approach was designed due to the realization that the kinetic approach alone cannot solve the problem of insecurity.

    He explained that the approach, which is a comprehensive strategy, involves government agencies, civil society organizations, individual citizens, and the private sector in efforts to solve the insecurity problem.

    Badaru said: “The idea of dealing with insecurity through a kinetic approach alone, we knew that it’s not going to work. I recall during the Chief of Army Staff Conference, he told us that this thing that everybody is thinking is a military thing, or a police thing, or a security agency thing, is not going to work. If we continue like that, this problem will remain with us for life.”

    The minister said that the government was attacking the root causes of insecurity by addressing the problems of poverty, inequality, and unemployment in the country.

    The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, represented by the Director of Special Operations at the Defence Headquarters, Rear Admiral Alexander Bingel, said that the concept of a joint task force was responsible for bringing peace to the North East.

    “However, of recent, we have noticed that those successes have been dwelt down,” he said.

    “And this research is so timely that it will give us an insight into what we need to do, what we need to improve on, so that we will, at the end of the day, achieve the common goal of securing a country where the lives and properties of our citizenry are protected.”

    Earlier in his remarks, the Commandant of NDC, Rear Admiral Olumuyiwa Olotu, said the Irregular War Centre was established in January 2025 to close the gap in research effort especially in the areas of irregular and hybrid threats to meet the evolving security dynamics in contemporary times, where nations are confronted by various forms of threats other than conventional war.

    According to him, the centre, as part of its mandate, also conducts evidence-based research that contributes to public policies, strategies, and training needs to enhance the effectiveness of our defence and security services as part of a whole-of-society approach to mitigating security challenges.

    These field researches in the areas of operation of the various Joint Task Forces in the country were informed by the need to identify the impacts of JTF operations on the socio-economic and political development in their Areas of Responsibility.

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    This is consistent with the mandate of the College to undertake research in pursuit of its mandate as a Centre of Excellence in research and training at the strategic level. On this, I sincerely thank the Chief of Defence Staff, General CG Musa, OFR, for being very supportive of the project.

    He said: “Between 16 and 25 February, six Research Teams comprising members of the Faculty and Research Fellows in the College navigated complex socio-political landscapes and traversed challenging terrains across the six geopolitical zones in the country. They engaged various stakeholders drawn from state and local government officials, academics, defence and security services, traditional and religious institutions, local vigilantes, residents, and civil society Organisations, among other stakeholders. In the course of the field research, the teams conducted Key Informant Interviews (KIIs), Focused Group Discussions (FGDs), and observed firsthand the realities on the ground.

    “The field research was not merely an academic exercise; rather, they were a mission to gather objective insights that can inform strategic decision-making and contribute to a more effective and sustainable approach to security and stability in Nigeria. No doubt, the data that have been gathered reveal the multifaceted realities as they apply in the various geopolitical zones in the country. It is on this basis that the College has organised and extended invitations to Your Excellencies and your institutions to be present at this High-Level Roundtable as we publicly present the reports.”

    Rear Admiral Olotu said that the research of findings would be another starting point that further feeds existing knowledge on the subject matter in such a manner that stimulates open and constructive dialogue.

  • PDP governors challenge Fubara’s suspension, head to Supreme Court

    PDP governors challenge Fubara’s suspension, head to Supreme Court

    Eleven governors elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have filed a lawsuit at the Supreme Court, challenging President Bola Tinubu’s constitutional authority to suspend Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara or impose emergency rule in the state.

    The suit, lodged on Tuesday, seeks a judicial interpretation of the president’s powers concerning democratically elected state officials.

    The states represented in the legal action are Adamawa, Enugu, Osun, Oyo, Bauchi, Akwa Ibom, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Zamfara, and Bayelsa. Each governor is represented by their respective state’s Attorney General.

    The governors raised eight legal questions before the apex court, primarily seeking clarity on whether the President has any constitutional right to suspend an elected governor and appoint a sole administrator under the pretext of declaring a state of emergency.

    One of the central issues presented is whether, based on Sections 1(2), 5(2), 176, 180, 188, and 305 of the 1999 Constitution, the President of Nigeria can lawfully interfere in the offices of a Governor and Deputy Governor of any of the 36 states, and replace them with an unelected nominee disguised as a Sole Administrator under a proclaimed state of emergency.

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    “Whether upon a proper construction and interpretation of the provisions of Sections 1(2), 4(6), 11(4) & (5), 90, 105 and 305 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria can lawfully suspend the House of Assembly of any of the component 36 States of the Federation of Nigeria, under the guise of, or pursuant to, a Proclamation of a State of Emergency in any of such States, particularly in any of the Plaintiffs States?

    “Whether the consequent threat by the first Defendant acting on behalf of the President to the States of the Federation, including the Plaintiffs’ States, to the effect that the offices of the Governor and Deputy Governor of the States can be suspended by the President by virtue of a Proclamation of a State of Emergency, is not in contravention of the provisions of Sections 1(2), 4(6), 5(2), 11(2) and (3) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 and inconsistent with the principles of constitutional federalism?”

    The suit challenges both the legality and constitutional implications of any executive interference with elected state structures

  • The benefits of rotational presidency

    The benefits of rotational presidency

    Sir: After sixty – five years of independence and more than two decades of Fourth Republic, the time seems auspicious for the country to start addressing some of its national questions. Since independence, of the complex knotty national question that regularly befuddles the country is the presidency, and its succession between the north and south.

    Notwithstanding the amalgamation of 1914, Nigeria is a nation of two hemispheres north and the south, and each side has inalienable right to the presidency as the highest position in the country. Whereas the constitution guarantees tenure-ship of four years of two terms, meaning eight years, for an incumbent president, north or south, but till date there is no constitutional provision to guarantee an uninterrupted eight years for the occupant of the presidency seat, north or south.

    Fox example, President Bola Tinubu is in his first four years of a constitutional eight years, a southerner; yet the coast is not clear whether APC his party will clear him for a second term of four years. As there is nothing in either the party or the constitution that barred prospective contestants for the presidency in 2027, some northerners are already jostling up and warming for the 2027 presidential contest against the incumbent who also is entitled to another second term tenure of four years as stipulated by the constitution.

    There are already series of political hullabaloos and manoeuvrings if only to wary the spirit of other contestants. Some political pundits are already dancing themselves lame even before the real dance starts. All these are happening because the principle of rotation either at party level or at constitutional level has never been vouched.

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    What we need in Nigeria is a truly united federation based on equity, fairness and justice and the principle of rotational presidency between the north and south as entrenched in the constitution is one of the surest ways to achieve this. The rotational principle if entrenched in the constitution and the party constitution, will act as a check on the greed and desperation of political gladiators who are ready to go any length if only to win election at all cost. 

    Politics seems to be a profession that scoffs at fairness probably because of the innumerable opportunities that abound; yet no good politics can take place or abound in an atmosphere of chaos and lack of clarity of intents and purposes.

    It is absurd to see members of APC, the ruling party already gathering for purpose of uniting against the president his entitlement to another four years of a second term notwithstanding. The presidency will just be two years old in May and already, the heat of political realignments for 2027 even in a APC ruling party is already deadly.

    This has the tendency to cause detraction to the president whose mind should be at rest to concentrate on governance based on political party manifesto. The president deserves a good rest of mind to pursue his programme. Usually, if this rotational principle is put in place constitutionally, incumbent president will be saved the trouble of lack of peace of mind to pursue his programmes for the nation.

    Rotational presidency has many benefits such as giving the incumbent the stability of mind to address issues of governance appropriately and head long; giving him time to marshal his programmes and how best to implement and execute them for the benefit of the electorate. Stability of tenure means he can undertake and achieve many things for the country in eight years. Except defeated by opposition as in 2015, the incumbent has confidence to finish his tenure and implement his party’s manifestoes to the letter.

    Aside being a recipe for peace, stability and probable progress for the nation, it would have solved one of the most knotty national questions since independence.

    •Sunday Olagunju,Ibadan, Oyo State.

  • The key factor in internal security

    The key factor in internal security

    By Femi Salako

    At various times, President Bola Tinubu has often declared the commitment of his administration to winning the war against insecurity in the country.

    He stated this much during the Regimental Dinner Night in honour of the Armed Forces Celebration and Remembrance Day in Abuja, in January. It is significant that the top priorities of his  budgeting outlook are defence and internal security, job creation, macro-economic stability, improved investment environment, human capital development, poverty reduction, and social security.

    The Renewed Hope Agenda focuses on bolstering national security for peace and prosperity. Specifically, it aims to strengthen national security for peace and prosperity.

    The thinking is that security is the bedrock of national development. Thus, the focus “is on enhancing the capabilities of our security forces, promoting peace and stability, and ensuring that every Nigerian feels safe and protected, no matter where they reside.” In strengthening internal security, the president settled on Hon Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, a personality whose tech background was expected to bring a fresh perspective to addressing the country's mounting security challenges.

    The objective is to leverage technology, intelligence, and community engagement to  create a comprehensive security strategy that makes a real difference in the everyday lives of Nigerians.

    Since assuming office, Tunji-Ojo has sought to enhance border security as a critical component of Nigeria’s overall security strategy. In specific terms, he has placed emphasis on secure communication networks an integrated system that uses sensors, drones and AI-powered analytics to monitor and manage border activity. The use of biometric technologies such as facial recognition, fingerprinting, and iris scanning to identify and track individuals crossing the border, secure communication networks for border security personnel to share information and coordinate efforts, and equipment of order patrol agents with modern technologies, such as night vision goggles, thermal imaging cameras, and advanced surveillance systems has been sharply focused. And, of course, collaboration with neighboring countries to share intelligence, coordinate border security efforts, and address common security challenges has been a toppriority. As would be clear from the foregoing, then, leadership is the most critical factor in internal security. The resources may be there, but it is leadership, specifically quality leadership, that brings everything together to form a unified, efficient whole.

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    Given the minister’s sterling background, it can be no wonder that he has recorded monumental strides since assuming office. In particular, Nigerians have been keen to point to the strategic importance of the remodeling of the Fire Service Academy, Abuja, the launch of the Safe School Initiative, establishment of the Command and Control Center and, of course, the launch of the Contactless Biometric Passport, which recently took off in Europe after its successful implementation in Canada. In any case, with the clearance of 204,332 passport backlogs and over 50,000 new passports in just three weeks, not to mention the 2.5 million NiN modification backlogs, the decongestion of the prisons/correction centres with 4,068 inmates (comprising persons sentenced to various terms of imprisonment with the option of fine and compensation in custodial status nationwide) released; improved emergency and fire response time by commissioning new fire engines and rapid intervention vehicles and the establishment of enhanced e-passport facilities at select Nigerian Embassies in Italy, Spain, Greece, Austria and Switzerland, Nigerians have seen the dynamics of positive leadership in the Ministry of Interior.

    By making the passport application and collection processes easier and faster, launching Mines Marshal to smoke out illegal miners and all those who flout Nigeria’s nation's mining laws, deploying over 40 eGates across Abuja, Lagos, Kano, Enugu, and Port Harcourt international airports, and commissioning of thirty (30) operational vehicles dedicated to the surveillance and patrol of our border space and rehabilitating Correctional Centers, the Interior Minister has shown that matters of internal security are being accorded the prime attention that they deserve. Indeed, as Nigerians count down to the March 1 launching of the revised visa policy, which features the E-Visa and an end-to-end application process for Nigerian visas, the Federal Government is meticulously ensuring that every detail is addressed to deliver a seamless, secure, and safe solution. This initiative aims to unlock Nigeria's economic potential by fostering tourism and business growth. That is not quite strategic.

    Coming to the specifics regarding the welfare of personnel of the paramilitary agencies, since assuming the chairmanship of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB), the minister has seen to the expedited promotion exercises, payment of allowance, upward review of salaries and the establishment of the Paramilitary Pensions Board, training and welfare packages for staff under the ministry. He approved the promotion of 32,361 personnel across agencies under the Ministry of Interior, setting a new record. At the NSCDC, in particular, 21, 385 personnel were promoted to new ranks in 2023 alone, and this is an ongoing exercise as we speak. Nigerians have also lauded the minister for inaugurating a special force, Mining Marshal, under the NSCDC to protect mining sites across Nigeria as the government seeks to crack down on saboteurs. Poised to make the corps more efficient, especially within the context of the complaints that Nigerian have lodged against the service over the years, the minister commissioned a fleet of operational vehicles to enhance patrol and surveillance around critical national assets. Regarding the ugly incidence of abduction of school children, he promoted and Supported the Safe Schools Initiative in a bid to continue its legacy contribution to the safety of school children, among others.

    The NCoS has witnessed similar gestures as its sister agencies, including the romotion of 4,498 personnel from the service to new ranks in 2023, decongestion of correctional facilities, and the facilitation of speedy trials of inmates awaiting trials, through active and dynamic collaboration with the Ministry of Justice. To reiterate a fact, Nigerians have also praised the renovation of the Correctional facilities across the country. Remarkably, the Federal Fire Service (FFS) now has an emergency response time below 15 minutes, a timeline that it strives to adhere scrupulously to. In addition, it has15 new rapid response vehicles and six firefighting trucks to enhance the operational capabilities of the service, while the NIS, which, let us reiterate, cleared over 200k passport backlogs in just three weeks, has its passport environment portal redesigned to become a seamless and automated system where every citizen has an NIS office on their mobile phone.

    Many Nigerians applauded the launch of the contactless biometrics passport application system for Nigerians in Canada and Europe., but the deployed Advance Passenger Information System (APIS)/Passenger Name Record (PNR) is another game changer on its own. The Tunji-Ojo leadership commenced the upgrade of the passport enrolment portal into a contactless technology, commissioned 30 new patrol vehicles deployed to secure Nigeria’s borders, and constructed a command and control centre housing a 1.4 petabytes capacity data centre in the NIS headquarters, Sauka, Abuja.

    Then, there is the installation of e-Gates as border security measures across all international airports, activation of Document Verification Officers (DVOs) at LGAs, and the inauguration of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Technology Innovation Complex (BATTIC) comprising the Command and Control Center, the NIS Data Center, the ECOWAS

     Biometric Card Production Center, the Interior Data Center, Passport Personalization Center, the Visa Application Center and the Solar Farm.

    It is no coincidence that the office of the minister has institutionalised timely response to emergency situations, routine inspection of all projects under the ministry, and invitation  of technical partners to pitch relevant ideas towards the enhancement of internal security, visa enrolment process and the localisation of the production of international  passports. Strategically, it explores various inter-ministerial and inter-agency collaborations to beef up internal security, going on to formalise working partnerships with ministries including Defence, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Mine and Steel Development, Justice, Trade, Industry And Investment, as well as institutions such as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), and the Department of State Services (DSS), amongst others. That’s the power of vision, mission, and leadership.

    •Salako is a media consultant.

  • There is no perfect nation to be born

    There is no perfect nation to be born

    There is no perfect nation to be born yet Nigeria is deemed an ultimate hell to every newborn. Thus the rat race by most Nigerians to Japa. In 2013, an Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) report ranked the country 80th out of 80 countries assessed in its Where-to-be-born-index. Twelve years on, Nigerians throng American and European consulates in a frantic bid to Japa.

    No thanks to the Economist’s sister publication, most Nigerian kids may mature thinking they had been born where the neurotic tick-tock of midnight silences the whispers of dawn.

    From birth through adulthood, each poor child glides down maturity like a greased pole to hell. The scriptural hell, we are told, shall be consequent at a future date: the judgement day. But here in Nigeria, we make our matches from mayhem and distil sulphur from sadness, ultimately to make our hell.

    Predictably, the EIU report inspired doomsday forecasts about the country; foremost columnists and newspapers penned damning editorials affirming the report – as they do every International Child’s Day or Children’s Day in Nigeria. Amid the bleeding heart patois, child advocacy groups serially squeeze local and international donors of grants that hardly get to the touted recipients.

    Through the preachment and plots, a crucial voice dies without recourse; the voice of the Nigerian child. If there has been any change since the EIU’s damning report, it is barely discernible.

    To speak for the newborn and generations unborn, we must learn to speak ‘humane.’ We must reinvent Nigeria as a nation fit for every human segment, children, in particular. Nigeria must improve her education and health sectors.

    President Bola Tinubu’s 2025 budget allocations to education and health signal an attempt to confront two of the most pressing challenges facing Nigerian children: access to quality learning and adequate healthcare. On paper, the numbers appear impressive—N3.52 trillion for education, with a significant portion directed at infrastructure and student support, and N2.48 trillion for health, including funds for strengthening primary healthcare systems. Yet, beyond the figures lies a deeper question: will these allocations translate into real, tangible improvements in the lives of Nigerian children?

    In education, the expansion of higher institutions and the N34 billion earmarked for student loans suggest a policy shift toward accessibility, but the reality remains that the majority of Nigerian children struggle to receive even the most basic primary education. Many classrooms remain overcrowded, understaffed, and lacking essential teaching materials. While infrastructure investments may create new structures, without a corresponding investment in teacher training, curriculum improvement, and systemic reforms, Nigerian children may find themselves sitting in new classrooms that offer little by way of quality education.

    On the healthcare front, the allocation of N282.65 billion to the Basic Health Care Fund offers a glimmer of hope, particularly in addressing primary healthcare needs. However, with Nigeria’s health sector plagued by a shortage of medical professionals, dilapidated facilities, and an overburdened system, the question remains whether these funds will effectively trickle down to rural clinics and urban slums where children face malnutrition, preventable diseases, and high infant mortality rates. The additional $200 million set aside to fill gaps left by the suspension of U.S. health aid is a necessary intervention, but it highlights the country’s continued dependence on external funding rather than a sustainable, internally-driven approach to child welfare.

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    In 2023, President Bola Tinubu pledged that, on his watch, every Nigerian child, regardless of his or her background, would have access to quality education. Speaking while receiving representatives of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) at the State House, in Abuja, he said, “If we all believe that education is the greatest weapon against poverty, then we have to invest in it. If you eliminate poverty in one family, you can carry the rest of the weight. Poverty should not prevent anyone.”

    In 2024, only 7.9% of the N27.5 trillion budget was dedicated to education, and in 2025, the figure dropped slightly to 7.3% of the N47.9 trillion budget. While the 2025 allocation of N3.52 trillion represents a nominal increase in funding, its proportion of the total budget remains disappointingly low. Given Nigeria’s struggling education sector—marked by dilapidated infrastructure, poor teacher remuneration, and inadequate learning resources—this level of funding is unlikely to drive the change needed. However, Mr President’s promise to allocate 25 per cent of the national budget to education, in time, is encouraging.

    A 2022 UNICEF report states that Nigeria accounts for approximately 20.2 million out-of-school children, the second highest number of unschooled children globally after India. On Tinubu’s watch, the education system must be re-envisioned to address the disparities that make education incompatible with job market realities.

    More importantly, a remedial education summit must be convened by the Federal Government where issues of impracticality and redundancy can be addressed; there, the curriculum must be reviewed and recalibrated as a Nigerian-centred syllabus driven to reflect global learning and cater to the immediate and envisioned realities of the country’s labour market and socioeconomic milieu.

    The Tinubu administration must also cater to the health needs of children, revamp healthcare services and institutionalise incentives for health workers, to arrest brain-drain within the health sector. In 2023, the Special Adviser to the President on Health, Salma Anas, stated at a health summit in, Abuja, that President Tinubu has pledged to increase the annual health allocation to 10 per cent of the country’s total budget. Subsequently, the President of the Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), Dr. Dele Abdullahi, urged Tinubu to allocate at least 15 per cent of the 2024 annual budget to the health sector. Abdullahi’s plea is worth consideration given the state of the sector; just 24,000 licensed physicians currently cater to the over 200 million population in the country. This negates the WHO minimum threshold that a country needs a mix of 23 doctors, nurses, and midwives per 10,000 population.

    Foreign Trade Statistics by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) also reveals that the country is heavily dependent on foreign drug manufacturers thus subjecting the citizenry to the machinations of the mercantile and much dreaded big pharma. Between the third and fourth quarter of 2021 alone, Nigeria imported anti-malarial drugs worth over N110 billion. This requires urgent reinvigoration of Nigeria’s local drug manufacturing capacity.

    Tinubu’s administration must also work with State governments to prioritise child protection by ensuring a comprehensive and enforceable legal framework and policies that safeguard children from all forms of exploitation.

    To guarantee the success of these measures, Mr. President must evolve and sustain an effective monitoring and evaluative mechanism to effectively neuter the human and structural elements of sabotage. President Tinubu must never shy from wielding the big stick and instituting punitive measures against persons, groups or institutions that may work against the realisation of the highlighted policy goals.

    President Tinubu must appreciate his position for the wonderful opportunities it offers; beyond his hard-fought victory, the status quo provides a priceless opportunity to reconnect with broad segments of the electorate in realistic terms and convert them to ambassadors of the Nigerian enterprise.  

    Nigerians expect him to lay the foundation for the fortune he promised. They expect him to midwife national prosperity built “on a fast-growing industrial base capable of producing the most basic needs of the people and an export track to other countries of the world,” as he promised. They expect him to deploy humane governance to resolve insecurity and socioeconomic crises.

    They expect him to rebuild Nigeria as the best nation to be born.

  • Tinubu’s administration is non-partisan, all-inclusive – Aide

    Tinubu’s administration is non-partisan, all-inclusive – Aide

    Ms. Khadijat Omotayo, the Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Constituency Affairs, says that the president is running a non-partisan and all-inclusive administration.

    Omotayo said this during a town hall with some critical stakeholders on Saturday in Jos.

    She said that the townhall aimed at getting feedbacks from the stakeholders in the state on government’s projects, policies and programmes.

    “My role is to ensure that the concerns of Nigerians are properly addressed by the president.

    “I want to assure you that the Tinubu administration is non-partisan; it is devoid of ethnic or religious sentiments.

    “The president is running an all-inclusive, transparent and accountable government; he is building a better future and laying a solid foundation for the next generation.

    “So, let’s support him to succeed. This is why I have come to Plateau to hear your concerns and take them to the President for immediate action,”she said

    Omotayo said that the Federal Government had concluded arrangements to commence the dualisation of the Akwanga-Jos-Bauchi-Gombe road.

    The president’s aide particularly called on the youth to support the president in his bid toward moving Nigeria to the next level.

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    Speaking, Gov. Caleb Mutfwang, represented by Mr Musa Ashoms, the Commissioner for Youth and Sports Development in the state, thanked Omotayo for organising the meeting in Plateau.

    According to him, the townhall had provided a platform for residents of the state to interface with her and present all the pressing challenges confronting the state.

    The governor, however, said that his administration had put measures in place toward boosting agriculture, education, healthcare services, youth empowerment, infrastructure, among others.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the town had in attendance traditional rulers, religious leaders, youth and women groups, representatives of various labour unions, ethnic nationalities, among others.

    (NAN)

  • Nigeria will prosper in 2025, Betta Edu assures Nigerians

    Nigeria will prosper in 2025, Betta Edu assures Nigerians

    Former Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management, Betta Edu, has assured Nigerians that Nigeria is poised for prosperity in 2025.

    In her New Year message released on Wednesday to mark the beginning of 2025, Edu expressed optimism for the country’s future, describing the year as a time of restoration and opportunity. 

    She highlighted that 2025 would be a year where to perfect President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.

    “2025 stands before us like a chapter in a book waiting to be written. It is incumbent upon us to pen optimism and hope into it, believing that the New Year offers us a refreshing new dawn to turn our dreams and aspirations into reality,” Edu said.

    She added, “I have no doubt that 2025 will bring full restoration from the hardships and trials of 2024. It will be a year for the optimisation of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”

    Edu continued by stressing that 2025 holds immense promise for Nigeria. 

    “It is a year when Nigerians will take charge of their great future as current economic challenges give way to a horizon of hope, leading to the blossoming of prosperity,” she noted.

    She urged Nigerians to stay committed to their love for the country and remain confident in the current administration’s efforts to overcome economic difficulties.

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    “Mr President means well; good intentions need time to yield results. I believe in the Nigerian project. I have always given my all to Nigeria and Nigerians, and nothing will ever change that,” Edu said.

    In closing, she fervently encouraged Nigerians to approach the future with confidence, believing that the nation is moving closer to overcoming its challenges. 

    “I fervently urge Nigerians to approach the future with confidence and an overwhelming sense of assurance that we are inching closer to the end of our trying times as a nation,” Edu added.

  • Reps express satisfaction with President Bola Tinubu’s N47.9 trn 2025 budget

    Reps express satisfaction with President Bola Tinubu’s N47.9 trn 2025 budget

    Some members of the House of Representatives have expressed satisfaction with the 2025 Appropriation Bill of N47.9 trillion presented to the joint session of the National Assembly by President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that in the 2025 budget, the sum of N4.90 trillion was allocated to Defence, N4.06 trillion to infrastructure, N2.48 trillion to health and N3.52 trillion to education, among others.

    The lawmakers, in their separate reactions after the presentation of the budget, described the budget as a ‘huge improvement’ on the 2024 budget.

    The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Defence, Rep. Benson Babajimi (APC-Lagos), said that if well-implemented, the budget would meet the expectations of Nigerians.

    “It very ambitious, a huge improvement from last year’s budget. It shows the president is bold and a reformist.

    “He wants to connect Nigeria with rail and roads; the Sokoto-Badagry expressway project is a game changer; that of Lagos-Calabar is a game changer as well.

    “There is a huge improvement in security, budget, health and education. That shows somebody who has a mission and a vision. The renewed hope infrastructure fund he spoke about also will take us to the next level.

    “So we believe that it is a good budget, and he has prayed for cooperation from the national assembly.

    “To ensure that, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, has emphatically said that we will ensure that the budget is ruthlessly implemented; so we are hoping for a renewal of hope in 2025,” he said.

    Rep. Abubakar Fulata (APC-Jigawa) also said that all the assumptions in the budget were very satisfactory, except a few areas.

    Fulata said that the over 15 trillion set aside for debt servicing out of the entire sum was not very impressive.

    He stated that the current price of crude oil was hovering between $73 and $74 per barrel, with the budget predicated on $15 dollars per barrel

    Read Also: 2025 Budget of Restoration anchored on non-oil revenue generation – Budget Office

    “Already, we have a deficit of about $1.5 in each barrel. So I hope that we will be able to raise the money we are expecting to realise.

    “We also hope that there will be peace in the Niger Delta so that we will be able to get the 2.06 million barrels per day,” he said.

    On his part, Rep. Idem Unyime (PDP-Akwa Ibom) said that the January to December budget circle would not be realised.

    He said that though the budget was presented within the stipulated time, the assembly could only consider it after the Christmas holidays.

    Unyime said that the assembly would work on the budget and ensure its passage before the end of January 2025.

    (NAN)

  • As President Bola Tinubu goes to Paris

    As President Bola Tinubu goes to Paris

    By Simbo Olorunfemi and Ade Adefeko

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be visiting France in a few days to be hosted by French President, Emmanuel Macron on a State Visit. While President Tinubu has visited France at different times since he assumed office, most of the trips have been private.

    However, his first official foreign trip in June 2023, less than a month after his inauguration, was to Paris to attend the “Summit on New Global Financing Pact” to deliberate on how to reposition global financial architecture in consideration of less developed countries dealing with debt hangover, effects of climate change and Covid-19, and struggling with energy transition. The summit was hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who warmly received President Tinubu on that visit.

    This trip to France is, however, different in a few respects. Not only is it a state visit, which is a formal visit by the head of a sovereign country at the invitation of the head of state of another sovereign country, which is considered to be the highest expression of friendly relations between two countries, this is the first such visit in 24 years by a Nigerian leader. The last state visit by a Nigerian leader to France was by President Olusegun Obasanjo in February 2020.

    It is early days yet, but perhaps we already have a signal that the efforts invested by President Tinubu in his role as the Chief Diplomat, with the several foreign trips he has made, are beginning to yield fruits.  It could well be that Nigeria and France have come to a renewed realisation of the importance of strong bilateral relations between the two countries, with an interesting past behind them, a compelling present before them, and immense possibilities for the future.

    The historical nature of the Nigeria-France relations, characterised by upheavals and mutual suspicion, has been generously documented and interrogated by scholars of Nigeria’s foreign policy. However, as we argued in our 2021 intervention, https://www.premiumtimesng.com/opinion/495323-nigeria-france-and-the-spirit-of-fraternite-by-simbo-olorunfemi-and-ade-adefeko.html, apart from other areas in which there is a convergence of interests between the two, Nigeria and France must work with the mind that they are obviously the two most powerful interests in West Africa, which predisposes them to rub themselves the wrong way.

    But the time has come for them to find accommodation for each other’s interests and chart a mutually beneficial course for themselves, especially in heralding peace in the Sahel and other troubled parts of the region.

    There has been an uptick in the relationship between Nigeria and France in recent years, possibly out of mutual love and respect between Nigeria’s immediate past President, Muhammadu Buhari and Emmanuel Macron of France, who has a personal relationship with Nigeria stemming from his stint as an intern in the country.

    Trade relations have been on an upward swing between one of Europe’s largest economies and one of Africa’s largest economies, extending beyond oil to agriculture, finance, energy services, and technology. Nigeria is France’s leading trading partner in sub-Saharan Africa, and the fourth-largest in Africa, only behind Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia, which were French colonies in Africa. Historically, France has been a major buyer of raw materials from Nigeria, accounting for 20% of France’s trade with sub-Saharan Africa, amounting to €3.53 billion, in 2021.

    In the first quarter of 2024, France emerged as Nigeria’s largest trade partner, surpassing Spain and the United States for the first time in recent years, with French imports from Nigeria rising to $1.4 billion, accounting for 11.05% of Nigeria’s total exports, ahead of Spain, which had led for the past five years, and the United States, solidifying France’s position as Nigeria’s top trade partner.

    While petroleum products have dominated French imports from Nigeria over the years, standing at 95% in 2021, it has scaled down to 88% as of the first quarter of 2024. French foreign direct investment in Nigeria has doubled in a decade, putting it ahead of the United Kingdom and the United States of America, with around 100 French companies operating in different sectors of the economy.

    For the Tinubu Administration which has made the drive for foreign investment the centrepiece of its diplomatic drive, with the President as the Diplomat-in-chief, this visit could not have been better structured with the firm integration of leading Nigerian business interests, such as BUA, OLAM as part of the delegation. It is good to see the level of progress in only a few years by the France-Nigeria Business Council, launched in 2018 to bring together major French and Nigerian companies that wish to launch investment partnerships.

     This visit should serve as an avenue to further strengthen security and defence cooperation agreements between the two countries, deepening current support to Nigeria’s security forces not only with the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) in the fight against Boko Haram and terrorist activities around and beyond the Lake Chad region, as well as in Nigeria’s north-west, while enhancing efforts at improving maritime security, especially along the Gulf of Guinea, to curb the different illicit activities in that region.

    It is not enough, however, to seek support abroad without taking time to put our house in order. There is work to be done within to bring to fruition gains from agreements signed during visits of this nature.

    With Dr. Jumoke Oduwole as the Minister of Trade and Investment, it is hoped that the Nigerian business environment will experience significant improvement given the work she did with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) which was established in 2016 by President Muhammadu Buhari “to make Nigeria a progressively easier place to do business by removing bureaucratic constraints to doing business in Nigeria, as well as improving the perception of investors and stakeholders about the Nigerian business terrain” credited with reforms that resulted in improvement in Nigeria’s ranking on the “Éase of Doing Business Index’’.

    It is over a year already, since President Tinubu recalled High Commissioners and Ambassadors from their duty posts. In the case of France, it is slightly longer, as Nigeria’s last Ambassador to France and exemplary diplomat, Kayode Laro, passed in August last year. It is no use having the President put in the shift, and doing the groundwork when there are no Ambassadors in the missions to see through with the gains made.

    Read Also: President Bola Tinubu Introduces Fuel at N230 per Litre with CNG

    The Charges d’Affaires can only do so much, with diplomatic protocols denying them privileges accorded Ambassadors. For instance, they can’t meet with Presidents and Ministers. Nigeria cannot take full advantage of the benefits that accrue from such a visit without an ambassador in place. The Diplomat-in-Chief will do well to make the appointments now so that what sometimes becomes a lengthy process that culminates in the presentation of letters of credence can commence in earnest.

    There is hardly a better time and opportunity to reset and strengthen the relationship between the two countries than now. President Macron’s affinity and history with Nigeria always come to the fore. When President Bola Tinubu visited Paris last year, the reception between him and the French President, Emmanuel Macron, was warm, like one between old friends. We must find a way to build on what we have going between us to the benefit of both countries and the troubled region. The historic nature of this visit speaks for itself, we must make the best of it

    There is no doubt that it is an increasingly interdependent world, which suggests that every country must find ways to prioritise cooperation and collaboration, let go of mutual suspicion, and key into the opportunities out there for the benefit of citizens (individuals and corporates) of the two countries who have so much in common so that the spirit of liberte, egalite and fraternite might prevail.

    -Olorunfemi is a Specialist on Nigeria’s Foreign Policy and Managing Editor of Africa Enterprise, while Adefeko is Vice President, Olam International Nigeria and Honorary Consul of Botswana to Nigeria (Lagos).