The Nation Newspaper

Tag: President Goodluck Jonathan

  • Almajiri education: Engaging the civil society

    Almajiri education: Engaging the civil society

    Developing the mental and social abilities of the nation’s over nine million Almajiris is one of the key promises that President Goodluck Jonathan has kept. There is a popular saying that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. Put in another way, people who are idle are easier weapons to be manipulated by mischief makers and ill-intentioned politicians.

    It has been stated severally, but it is worth repeating that President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan on campaign tour for the 2011 Presidential election committed himself to addressing the age-long Almajiri challenge that has bedevilled the North, posing threat to the social cohesion of the region. The promise has been kept and the administration is deepening the process to ensure that the states and other non governmental institutions drive the initiative to achieve a complete turn-around, which will benefit the entire nation.

    There are critical reasons why the President drove this programme of addressing the Almajiri challenge to a logical conclusion. First, the Almajiris constitute over 9million out of the estimated 10.5million Nigerian children who are out of school. At present, the nation has the highest in the world. Therefore, ensuring that the Almajiri are in school, goes a long way to critically tackling the root of the nation’s out of school problem.

    Furthermore, if the Almajiris are continually left out of the educational and social system, the national development will remain stunted as a large chunk of the population will be socially excluded, with this population serving as a threat to other citizens. Already, Nigerians are witnessing the disadvantage of them being out of school.

    Fundamentally, tackling the Almajiri challenge cannot be an issue for the Federal Government alone. It was for this reason that the Minister of State for Education, Barr. Ezenwo Nyesom Wike met with leaders of 40 prominent civil society groups on August 15 to solicit their cooperation in the implementation of the Almajiri Education Programme and other Federal Government programmes aimed at addressing the nation’s out of school challenge.

    The civil society groups were drawn from different parts of the country, with the aim of ensuring that the effect of the interactive session gets to all the nooks and crannies of the nation. The objective is very clear. To engage the groups who represent different aspects of the society, outside of government, so that they can contribute their quota towards putting to rest the social problems that confront the nation because some children are not in school while their mates are in class learning.

    Already, the Federal Government is directly engaging the Mallams who are custodians of Almajiris. The engagement with the Mallams is being implemented by technocrats from the Federal Ministry of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission, UBEC. This is being done preparatory to the September commencement of academic activities in the schools. These Mallams who will play key roles in the success of the programme. The interaction between the government’s technicrats and the Mallams has been fruitful. The successful take off of the historic programme is certain.

    For the Federal Ministry of Education, this is the beginning of a process to undo years of neglect of the education sector by previous administrations. On this note, the Federal Government says it will continue to intensify work on increasing the school enrolment of less privileged out of school children across the country to improve the living standard of these street kids being used by politicians and other religious bigots to cause unrest and derail the development process. This was the commitment made by Minister of State for Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike who spoke at the interactive session with civil society groups.

    In his remark, Permanent Secretary, Federal Ministry of Education, Dr. MacJohn Nwaobiala said that the ministry adopted total transparency to ensure that the projects are delivered according to specification.

    Farouk Umar of the Transparency Centre Network, stated that the direct engagement between the minister and the civil society groups signified that the Federal Government was keen to partner with all interest groups in its quest to reach the less privileged.

    Another northern based non governmental organization, Northern Peoples Agenda, represented by its executive secretary, Mohammed Zannah, pointed out that the fact that the management and officials of the Federal Minitry of Education are directly engaging the Mallams indicates that the administration is committed to the overall success of the programme. He believes that since the Mallams have been involved in the execution of the project, they will actively work towards its success.

    The National Coordinator of Human Rights Writers Association, HURIWA, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko said that the President’s programme for Almajiris and other less privileged children deserves commendation. He said that the civil society will continue to engage the government for better results in the people oriented programme. Prince Elias Odoemena of African Network for Peace Progress and Development shared the same view.

    It is imperative to note that some civil society groups raised questions about the sustainability of this historic project. To this, the minister outlined some measures taken by the Federal Government to ensure that the programme survives the teething challenges expected as it takes off. First, a memorandum of understanding between the Federal Government, states and traditional rulers has been signed. This spells out the responsibilities of each party in the project. For now, it is being followed religiously. The Federal Government has also committed itself to continuous advocacy to ensure that the states and other institutions increase their investment in basic education.

    Most important is the fact that the new Almajiri Education Programme does not in any way affect the Qur’anic education that the Almajiris are currently exposed to. What it brings to the table is the assurance that the Almajiris will have access to quality basic educaction in a conducive environment backed by an adequate feeding programme and quality educational resource materials. The Almajiris will also be exposed to skills that will enable them participate more actively in the society, other than beg for survival.

    They will also be housed in their respective hostels with facilities that are of high societal standards. Simply put, the Federal Government has put in place several measures to ensure the retention of these Almajiris in the schools.

    Simeon Nwakaudu is the Special Assistant (Media) to the Minister of State for Education.

     

  • Jonathan praises $2b trade with Canada

    Jonathan praises $2b trade with Canada

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday welcomed increasing level of trade and economic relations between Nigeria and Canada.

    He said the level has risen from about $600 million three years ago to over $2 billion  presently.

    Jonathan, who spoke with the out-going Canadian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Chris Cooter, also welcomed the strengthening of bilateral cooperation between both countries in other areas, such as education, electoral reform and polio eradication.

    He praised Cooter for working very hard to improve relations between Nigeria and Canada during his three-year tenure in Abuja.

    “You have done wonderfully well here, and I assure you that our relationship will continue to grow from strength to strength,” Jonathan said, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Dr. Reuben Abati.

  • Govt mulls funding housing from N60b ‘dormant accounts’

    Govt mulls funding housing from N60b ‘dormant accounts’

    The Federal Government is considering borrowing money from the N60billion “dormant account” among some other options, to fund social housing in the country.

    Other sustainable funding options being considered for funding the project are unclaimed dividends, Sovereign Wealth Fund (SWF) and Pension Fund, according to a document obtained by The Nation.

    Nigeria has a huge housing deficit of 17 million, which grows by two million yearly.

    “Dormant accounts”, according to a letter to President Goodluck Jonathan, “are largely the pool of funds that the corrupt and unrighteous had stacked away until subsequently overcome by death or other incapacities.”

    The letter, which emanated from the Social Housing Committee, said that Pension Funds can also be effectively deployed in mass rental apartments across the nation starting with pilots in each of the six geo-political zones in the country.

    The security for using these funds, according to the Committee, would be tied to a “Rent to Own Contract.”

    According to the proposal to the President, “A ‘Tenant’ is promised a conditional Rent to Own Contract if he does not default in first three years. This conditional contract that is signed in the third year becomes effective in the fifh year at which point all past rents are converted to deposits for owning the flat at a predetermined price.

    At the contract signing in the fifth year, a new condition is given that should the tenant default for a period of three consecutive months there will be a foreclosure with refunds of only a percentage of the payment from the contract period (from the fifth year).”

    The Committee noted that housing delivery generally requires large amount of long-term funds, noting that this has been the singular most common reason past governments would rather shy away from the challenge.

    “No responsible government would do anything that will be tantamount to the abuse of the savings of her workers, directly or indirectly. “It will take great political will and devotion to the greater good of the land to break these strongholds.

    “Our challenge is not in shying away from the funds, but to proffer solutions to the challenge of proper investment of the funds at near zero risk, while possibly growing same. It is within this context that investing in Secure Real Estate development, being a global standard practice is our humble submission,” the Committee said.

    The Federal Government had some months ago partnered with the World Bank to develop a $300million mortgage financing structure that would deliver affordable houses to Nigerians.

  • Jonathan tasks African leaders on trade

    Jonathan tasks African leaders on trade

    • Nigeria’s projects in Ghana hit $200m

    President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday called on African leaders to take concrete steps towards fulfilling their declared commitment to improve trade and economic relations among the countries in the continent.

    He made the call while receiving the outgoing Namibian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mrs. Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    The President said there is an urgent need for African leaders to move beyond declarations of support for greater intra-African trade and act in unison to overcome obstacles, which currently hinder economic relations among the nations and people of the continent.

    A statement from the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati on the Ghana’s outgoing High Commissioner to Nigeria, Alhaji Baba Kamara’s visit to the State House, said that the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre revealed that out of the over 200 projects registered by it last year, Nigeria had 42 projects with a value of almost $200 million in Ghana.

    It said that only China accounted for more registered projects in Ghana during the period with 56 projects.

    On the Namibian High Commissioner’s visit, Jonathan said that with the right political will and commitment, African leaders could speedily overcome all obstacles to intra-African trade such as poor transportation links and achieve a significant boost in continental economic interaction for the benefit of their countries and peoples.

  • Jonathan tasks African leaders on trade, economic relations

    Jonathan tasks African leaders on trade, economic relations

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday called on African leaders to take more concrete steps towards fulfilling their declared commitment to improve trade and economic relations amongst African countries.

    He made the call while receiving the outgoing Namibian High Commissioner to Nigeria, Mrs. Selma Ashipala-Musavyi, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    According to him, there is an urgent need for African leaders to move beyond declarations of support for greater intra-African trade and act in unison to overcome obstacles which currently hinder economic relations among the nations and people of the continent.

    A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, on the Ghana’s outgoing High Commissioner to Nigeria, Alhaji Baba Kamara’s visit to the State House maintained that the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre revealed that out of the over 200 projects registered by it last year, Nigeria had 42 projects with a value of almost $200 million U.S. Dollars in Ghana.

    It said that only China accounted for more registered projects in Ghana during the period with 56 projects.

    On the Namibian High Commissioner’s visit, Jonathan said that with the right political will and commitment, African leaders could speedily overcome all obstacles to intra-African trade such as poor transportation links and achieve a significant boost in continental economic interaction for the benefit of their countries and people.

  • ‘Why power can’t return to north now’

    As the debate over the 2015 presidential election hots up, an emerging northern group, Arewa Peoples Patrotic Front said on Monday that those clamouring for the return of power to the region should have a rethink since it ( the region) no longer exist as a single political unit.

    Addressing a news conference in Kaduna, the National Chairman of the group, Mordecai Sunday Ibrahim, said that the north as a single entitle died long time ago when some leaders came up with the idea of the north and the core north.

    Former Vice- Chancellor of Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria and spokesman of the Northern Elders Forum, Prof. Ango Abdullahi, was reported to have said that the north will take back power in 2015, hitting at the President’s men for denying the principle of rotation.

    Mordecai said, “Prof. Ango and his team demanded that power must return to the north in 2015 but we want to know which of the north he is referring to. Not long ago, he was in this country when we were told of two norths – the north and the core north. We have seen and are still seeing the effect of that balkanization of the north.

    “We also want to know whether there is any constitutional provision that prohibits President Goodluck Jonathan from having a second term in office. To our mind, President Jonathan and his Vice, Arc Namadi Sambo are doing their very best to move the nation forward given the circumstances they find themselves while serving as leaders of this country.

    “It will be uncharitable of anyone therefore to say that they are not or have not done anything good to better the lives of Nigerians and so they should vacate office in 2015.”

    He noted that for several decades, the north held on to power without any positive impact on the life of the people, saying “we had power in the north for decades, how did it change our fortunes? What impact did those northerners who ruled the nation for over three decades make in our lives?”

  • Rivers Crisis: Monarch invites Jonathan, Amaechi, others for peace talks

    Rivers Crisis: Monarch invites Jonathan, Amaechi, others for peace talks

    In a bid to resolve crisis rocking Rivers State, Her Royal Majesty Queen Akasoba Duke-Abiola, the Akasoba of Kalabari and Chair, Akasoba Centre for Peace and Conflict Resolution (ACPCR), has invited some political leaders in the country and outside Nigeria for a meeting.
    According to a statement issued on behalf of Queen Akasoba by Secretary of the ACPCR, Dr. Jen Clarence, the invited leaders included the Nigerian President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan,  the Governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi,  ex Nigerian Head of State, Dr. Yakubu Gowon, first  President of Zambia, Dr. Kenneth Kaunda and former United Nations Secretary General, Dr. Boutrous Boutrous Ghali.
    Other personalities billed to attend the Peace and Conflict Resolution Conference include all traditional rulers of Rivers State and patriots  including the Emir of Zazzau His Eminence Alhaji Shehu Idris, the Alaafin of Oyo His Royal Majesty, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, former governor of old Rivers State, Air Marshal Ernest Adeleye and former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mr. Mofia Akobo.
    Stressing that attendance at the conference is strictly by invitation, the statement said that the peace meeting became necessary, adding “in view of the seemingly intractable socio-political problems presently besieging our beloved Rivers State, and taking into consideration the need for reason and moderation at these trying times of our nascent democracy.”
    The meeting, which will take place at the ACPCR Centre, Kula, Ekulama, in Rivers State (near the Atlantic ocean) on August 3, 2013, will focus on the restoration of peace and progress in Rivers State, the need for creation of more states, and the need to continue to maintain the indissolubility of the Nigerian Nation state.
    On the earlier conferences held, Queen Akasoba said: “I have been involved in peace efforts and conflict resolution around the world, it is therefore necessary that we deploy some vital strategic appurtenances and modus operandi designed to bring lasting peace to Rivers State, the entire Niger Delta Region and Nigeria as a whole.”
  • Good trip, bad destination

    Good trip, bad destination

    The five governors’ tour to save democracy is good. But it is targeted at wrong persons

    The tour of the five northern governors, to save democracy in the country, is a very good initiative. For one, in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crisis in Rivers State, President Goodluck Jonathan is literally setting fire to his own hut – and he does not seem to particularly care.

    For another, aside from general insecurity in the country and a declining economy, the Abuja-backed devil-may-care assault on the rule of law, which emboldened five legislators to attempt to remove the Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, that resulted in the affray in the hallowed chambers, has generated avoidable tension in the state. This has naturally driven up insecurity and exposed the clear and dangerous disconnect between the political class and society.

    These are worrying signs because, from our experience, democracy often stumbled when a reckless centre tried to illegally annex the right of a constituent unit. The resultant repulsion of such evil often led to chaos.

    From the benefit of hindsight therefore, the five northern governors: Rabiu Kwakwanso (Kano), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu (Niger) and Aliyu Wamako (Sokoto) have acted patriotically in reaching out to personalities they felt are elder statesmen who, in their thinking, have the clout and the wisdom to help save the situation.

    They have therefore visited former President Olusegun Obasanjo, General Ibrahim Babangida and Gen. Abdusalami Abubakar, all former military heads of state.

    On the face of it, this is a patriotic initiative. There is no doubt that the country is drifting. Even then, the Abuja-backed forces in Rivers State do not seem deterred from launching more assaults. A newspaper has reported an alleged plot, a so-called “final plan” to commit further constitutional crimes in the state, with the report hinting at assured massive security cover from an already suborned Nigeria Police.

    If the approached personages can help prevent avoidable disaster therefore, the five northern governors must be praised for their initiative and Nigerians must support their efforts. But can they?

    To start with, there is the grand irony of approaching three former soldiers, who ruled as military overlords because democracy was killed, to help save democracy. Though as a general principle that apparent contradiction in terms inspires little faith, it could well be argued the three gentlemen have been exposed to statecraft.

    Still, approaching the three comes with serious doubts. Rightly or wrongly, they are perceived as part of the genesis of the problem – not the Rivers crisis per se, but the crisis of democracy in Nigeria.

    Gen. Abubakar with Gen. Babangida played a crucial role in Gen. Obasanjo’s emergence as first president of the Fourth Republic, even with his all too obvious gruff temper, hardly suited for a country transiting from decades of military rule. But for reasons known to them and the eerie power configuration that is always Nigeria’s Achilles heels, Obasanjo was their Hobson’s choice.

    Obasanjo himself went on to shape the new republic in his own image and temper, such that whatever constitutional outrage is today being done in Goodluck Jonathan’s name could well be out of the Obasanjo manual of political rascality. Besides Obasanjo, who never forgets a slight, has a score to settle with his estranged political godson, the president. So, how could he possibly be a part of the solution to Jonathan’s problem?

    As laudable as the governors’ initiative should have been, the attempt shows the futility of running to those who are part of the problem to help solve it. That is unlikely to happen. Besides, it is the Nigerian penchant to go around in circles, because there is no political will to solve the problem.

    The Rivers crisis, fuelled by a misguided Presidency, is the latest indication that Nigeria’s federalism faces basic dissonance that gives every president the delusion that it could subvert the constitution and get away with it. That can be solved through rigorous political restructuring and not by fleeing to a triumvirate that is part of the problem.

  • Reps query Ecological Funds Office over N3.7b contract

    Reps query Ecological Funds Office over N3.7b contract

    The House of Representatives Committee on Environment wants the Ecological Funds Office to explain why it abandonment a N3.7 billion contract designed to mitigate desert encroachment in the country.

    The money was part of the N5billion approved by President Goodluck Jonathan in November 2009, for the phase One of the National Afforestation Programme. The N3.7 billion was specifically meant for the development of tree nurseries and raising of seedlings project in the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

    But the committee findings in a report on the project described it as a “failed project: “

    The report stated: “In all the project sites visited, the Committee discovered that the tree seedlings had been raised and abandoned. Most of the seedlings had overgrown the transplanting stage, while a good number of the seedlings had withered and die.”

    It said apart from the fact that the project was “poorly conceived,” the states and local governments were not carried along in the implementation of the project. “ some of the local government councils where the projects sited did not know anything about the project.”

    Speaking during an oversight visit to the Ecological Funds Office, the Committee Chairman, Ekwunife said trillions of taxpayers money has been spent on numerous ecological projects with nothing to show, adding that the era of profligacy was over.

    According to her, the contractors of the project in the different states “informed the committee that the terms of their contract were to raise the tree seedlings only, which they had completed. they said the contract did not include transplanting of the seedlings and budgetary provision was not made for it.”

  • N52b pay-off: Ex-Airways workers seek Jonathan’s intervention

    Former Nigeria Airways workers owed about N52.8 billion severance pay-off have appealed to President Goodluck Jonathan to come to their aid.

    They urged Jonathan, through one of their unions-Air Transport Services Senior Staff Association of Nigeria(ATSSSAN)-to ensure the payment of the money to the ex-staff of the airline before another national carrier being planned by the Minister of Aviation is floated.

    This was contained in a memo/appeal sent to the President and endorsed on behalf of the aggrieved ex-staff by the acting General Secretary of ATSSSAN, Comrade Olayinka Abioye.

    He said: “It is only proper and expedient that all matters associated with the outstanding pay- off of the Nigeria Airways Limited former employees are finally settled, before the establishment of a National Carrier to avoid complications.”

    In order to expedite the ex-workers demand, Abioye urged the President to mandate the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) and the Nigeria Airways liquidator -Babington Ashaye & Co., to submit to Mr. President, a comprehensive report of its activities and proceed therefrom, so as to assist the government in meeting its obligation as being demanded by the former staff.

    He said it was baffling that the former Nigeria Airways’ employees in New York, Paris and London were paid 25 years pay-off in accordance with industry best practice and extant law, while those based in Nigeria were left unpaid. He said many staff of the Nigeria Airways have died while waiting to be paid.

    Meanwhile, Workers of defunct Nigeria Airways in other African countries, have made an appeal to the Minister of Aviation, Princess Stella Oduah to intervene in the matter.

    In a petition to the Minister dated April 15, 2013, entitled: ‘The cry of a suffering and helpless orphan. What is our fate, 10 years after the liquidation of Nigeria Airways,’ the retirees catalogued the pains they have gone through in their attempts to secure their benefits.

    The airline was liquidated in 2003, and in March, 2008, the Nigerian-based workers were paid part of their benefits, while all the West Coast staff who were all present in Lagos in 2008, during this payments were left out.

    The workers based in Lome, Togo, Cotonou, Douala, Cameroon and Libreville disclosed that they had considered following up the approval of the supplementary list by the National Assembly and the Presidency.

    They said: “Unfortunately, we were completely neglected as we were told that the payment was only for the Nigerian workers. The excuse we were given by the paying staff from Abuja, was that the West Coast staff were erroneously not captured in the system.

    “They told us that we would be paid with the supplementary list coming up before the end of 2008. No one could imagine this could take another five to six years.” another aggrieved retiree said.