The Nation Newspaper

Tag: President Muhammadu Buhari

  • Buhari arrives N’DJamena for CED SAD meeting

    President Muhammadu Buhari has arrived N’Djamena to participate in the Extraordinary Session of the Conference of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD).

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the presidential aircraft conveying the President and members of his entourage including some of his personal aides and three state governors landed at the Hassan Djamous International Airport N’Djamena at about 9.40 a.m.

    Those at the airport to welcome the President included Ministers of  Foreign Affairs, Interior, Mr Jeoffrey  Onyaema and retired Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau.

    Others were Minister of Defence, retired Brig.- Gen. Mansur  Dan Ali; National Security Adviser to the President, retired  Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno and the Nigerian Charge d’Affaire, Mr Nasiru Waje.

    Buhari and other regional leaders would join their host and current Chairperson of CEN-SAD Conference, President Idriss Deby Itno, to deliberate on political and security issues, among others.

    A statement by presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, on Friday, said the leaders  would deliberate on state of peace and ways to address multifaceted threats in CEN-SAD area, especially Boko Haram and refugees.

    The leaders would make a declaration on the entry into force of CEN-SAD revised Treaty intended to fast track the realisation of the objectives of the body.

    “During the opening Session of the Conference, special Awards will be given to heads of state and military contingents in Mali, Sudan, Somalia, Central African Republic and in the Lake Chad Basin,’’ Shehu further explained.

    Created by the Treaty of Tripoli on Feb. 4, 1998, with six founding members, Nigeria joined the current 29-member regional economic community in 2001.

    The group seeks mainly to create a free trade area in Africa as well as to “strengthen peace, security and stability, and achieve global economic and social development of its members.”

    Delegations from 22 member-countries are expected at the extraordinary meeting of CEN-SAD holding at the Radisson Blu Hotel, N’Djamena.

    Sudan which is a member of CEN-SAD may not be represented at the meeting following socio-political uncertainties in the country caused by the removal of President Omar Al-Bashir from office by the Sudanese military on Thursday.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) learnt that  Al-Bashir, had earlier indicated interest to attend the CEN-SAD meeting holding from Friday to Saturday.

  • Senate confirms new ambassadorial nominees

    The Senate on Thursday confirmed three new ambassadorial nominees forwarded to it by President Muhammadu Buhari earlier in the year.

    Those confirmed are Mr. Christopher C. Chiejina from (Delta), Mr. Bukar Kolo, (Yobe) and Mr. M. A. Mabdul from Benue State.

    The nominees were confirmed following the consideration of the report of the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs.

    Chairman of the committee, Senator Monsurat Sunmonu had earlier led members to screen the nominees.

    While presenting the committee’s report to the Senate in session, Sunmonu said all the nominees met the criteria for the job.

    Similarly, nominees for the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) were also confirmed by the upper legislative chamber.

    Their confirmation followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on National Planning and Economic Affairs.

    Mr. Kabiru Nakaura was confirmed as chairman, representing the North West zone.

    Members of the new board, as confirmed by the Senate, are Akinola Bashir (South West), Moses Momoh (South South), Wallijoh Ahijoh (North Central), Adam Modu (North East) and Nwafor Chukwudi (South East).

    President Buhari had forwarded their nomination to the Senate in November 2018.

  • Japan congratulates Buhari on reelection

    The Ambassador of Japan to Nigeria, Mr Yutaka Kikuta has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari for his reelection on behalf of his country.

    Kikuta said that Japan intends to continue to work with and assist Nigeria anyway they can, to support the country in its growth.

    The Ambassador, who pointed out the area of science and technology as a great way if collaboration, said this on Thursday in Abuja when he paid a courtesy visit to the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.

    He said: “The area of Science and Technology is the area Nigeria can explore further possibility of cooperation.

    “I will like to congratulate the reelection of President Buhari for second term of presidency and Japan is determined to continue to support the government anyway possible.”

    Onu stressed the need for Japan and Nigeria to boost their diplomatic relations, especially in Science and Technology.

    He said Japan could be of great help to Nigeria in her quest to be a developed nation.

    His words: “Nigeria needs to pay a lot of attention to the key role Science, Technology and Innovation plays in national development, since our population is growing at a rate of 3.2%, by the turn of the century our population will be reaching almost a billion people.”

  • Buhari greets Professor David Ijalaye at 90

    President Muhammadu Buhari has warmly congratulated Emeritus Professor David Adedayo Ijalaye (SAN) on his 90th birthday, rejoicing with his family, friends and associates as they mark the milestone.

    Buhari, in a statement read by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, joined the Nigerian Bar Association(NBA), National Judicial Council and the academia in celebrating Emeritus Professor Ijalaye for his contributions to the teaching and practice of law in Nigeria for more than 34 years before retirement in 1998 and his consistency in ensuring competitive standards by supervising post-graduate thesis.

    The President believed the legal luminary has left his footprints indelibly in the sands of jurisprudence in the country, and generations to come will continue to extol his virtues.

    As Emeritus Professor Ijalaye turns 90, President Buhari commended his dedication and discipline to delivery of best results, which attracted many awards and enviable positions within and outside the academia like Dean, Faculty of Law; Deputy Vice Chancellor and Chairman, Board of Postgraduate Studies of the Obafemi Awolowo University, Fellow of the Nigeria Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (FNIALS) and Fellow of the Nigerian Society of International Law (FNSIL).

    The President prayed for more joyful and memorable years for the Emeritus Professor.

  • Ex-UN chief urges Buhari to cleanse Judiciary

    A Lawyer and multilateral diplomat, Dr Babafemi Badejo, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to cleanse the Judiciary of corrupt elements.

    He said Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen’s resignation should kickstart the cleansing process in the President’s second term.

    According to him, if anti-graft agencies beam searchlights on other judges and Justices, there would be more ‘voluntary resignations’.

    Badejo, a former Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, said Onnoghen should have resigned earlier in view of the sensitive office he occupied.

    He believes Onnoghen should be given the chance to defend himself in court while Buhari must prove that he is not selective in his anti-graft war.

    Badejo said in a statement: “The throwing in of the towel by Chief Justice Onnoghen came too late than should have been the case.

    “As I repeatedly said after the news broke on him, a prima facie case being made on the occupant of a post as high as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) should lead to the honourable next line of action: a stepping aside, even if temporarily, in the interest of the high office.

    “But he got goaded on by some of the Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs). Some of these SANs have since abandoned him and returned to the side of the government for lucrative legal briefs while others, who had initially thought they could use foreign embassies and the media to intimidate the executive, have gone quiet.”

    According to him, some of the 100 SANs who thought they could shout loudest in the media and thereby cover their own tracks are gradually being exposed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

    Badejo said: “In fact, I would repeat that a honourable CJN should have cared about the exalted office he was occupying and should have resigned.

    “His conscience should have guided him to seek a soft landing as the National Judicial Council (NJC) is reportedly recommending.”

    Badejo was of the view that the idea of a soft landing for Onnoghen, which will guarantee his retirement benefits and a seat of honour at the National Council of State, “makes Nigeria a huge joke”.

    The statement reads: “If it indeed made such a recommendation (and what we are reading is not fake news), then the NJC condones corruption and this raises a lot of questions in my mind.

    “However, the simple question for the Executive is whether President Muhammadu Buhari would confirm that he is, indeed, selective on which allegations of corruption he chooses to prosecute.

    “In my view, given the situation as it is, the honourable path for President Buhari should be to accept the so called voluntary resignation and leave the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) and EFCC to continue with their respective jobs on the allegations on Justice Walter Onnoghen.

    “President Buhari would, by so doing, be helping the country to get to the bottom of the case for the sake of probity in our national life.

    “Importantly, the outgoing CJN would also have the opportunity to clear his name in open court on the allegations that the EFCC is levelling against him.

    “Finally, the outcome of such open court trial will make it clear to all as to whether the outgoing CJN should receive benefits, including sitting in the Council of State.”

    Badejo, a former University of Lagos (UNILAG) don who consults for the African Union (AU), urged the President to do more in cleansing the Judiciary.

    “He has institutions to direct to interfere in the Judiciary towards totally cleaning up the Augean stable at our Supreme Court. With incontrovertible evidence, there would be more ‘voluntary resignations’.

    “Not to do so is to confirm that he, Mr. President is also corrupt. To be quiet and condoning of corruption is to be corrupt.

    “The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has been condoning allegations of corruption on many politicians and had turned a blind eye on glaring cases having to do with the ruling party’s major financiers.

    “Equally, some principal members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have also been sacred cows under President Buhari’s first term in office.

    “Cleaning up our Judiciary presents an opportunity for the President to do well and not follow the APC pattern with politicians on the situation of our Judiciary.

    “The Judiciary is far above our dishonourable politicians. President Buhari should show that his second term will not be business as usual and move towards justice in the land would be an appropriate point of commencement.

    “He should not be persuaded by compatriots who want all cases of corruption caught and brought before the law before allowing our Judiciary to handle the allegations against the outgoing CJN.

    “By the same token, he should nudge the CCB/ICPC/EFCC to look into all outstanding cases, including those very close to himself as the President. It would be injustice to make the outgoing CJN the only case to be examined.

    “His successor in waiting should be scrutinised properly. This is more so when the outgoing CJN had reportedly argued that some of the alleged wrong doings had been the practice/convention at the Supreme Court.

    “I do not buy this as defence (if indeed he made it), because if he found wrongs, CJN Onnoghen had enough time to undertake reforms.

    “The point is that outgoing CJN should have his days in open court and not only before an opaque NJC as President Buhari makes transparent effort to clean up the Judiciary.

    “Nigeria must have clean Judges left who can occupy the exalted position of being the ultimate judicial leaders.”

  • Coalition urges Buhari to review decision on digital bill

    A coalition of civil society organisations promoting digital rights in Nigeria and other African countries has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to review his decision on the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill.

    The coalition, in a statement at the weekend, expressed disappointment in President Buhari’s decision to decline assent to the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill.

    The bill, the group said, was meant to protect Internet users against the infringement of their fundamental freedoms and guarantee human rights online in the country.

    The organisations include Paradigm Initiative, African Academic Network on Internet Policy, Internet Society, Nigerian Chapter, Public and Private Development Centre, Dotunroy.com, Alliance for Affordable Internet – A4AI and World Wide Web Foundation. Others are Senegal ICT Users Association ( ASUTIC ), Enough is Enough Nigeria (EiE Nigeria), Jonction Senegal, TechHer NG and Fantsuam Foundation, Nigeria.

    President Buhari declined to assent to the bill on the grounds that it fails to address too many technical subjects and that some areas covered by the bill are also covered by ‘various bills pending at the National Assembly’.

    Read also: Youths: Buhari keen in ending corruption, poverty

    The coalition said: “The various bills as referred to in the letter are still merely bills which may or may not become laws. For instance, the Data Protection Bill (HB. 02) has been pending at the National Assembly (NASS) for up to eight years. Why then would Mr President miss an opportunity to fill the lacuna for these subject areas when a bill duly passed by the NASS has been presented for assent? We make this assertion with the knowledge that no law or bill is perfect.”

    According to the coalition, the Digital Rights and Freedom Bill does not conflict with any existing laws or the Constitution of the Federal Republic, and it is uncommon that a bill would be stood down because it could conflict with laws that might exist in the future.

    “Our opinion is that the decision not to sign the bill is nothing short of a  missed opportunity for Nigeria to send an important message to the rest of the world on its commitment to protect its citizens from abuse and create a positive regulatory environment for digital technology,” the coalition said.

  • Ambode: The shape of hope to come

    THE best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done… Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th President of the United States of America.

    Gradually, Nigerians are being led into the new world in which they would live under the second coming of President Muhammadu Buhari. Every day since he was reelected, he has unveiled in bits what his encore presidency would look like. He opened a chink shortly after the result of the February 23 ballot was announced. Buhari said he would run an ‘inclusive’ administration where all stakeholders would be accommodated. Days after, he widened the aperture, telling us what was in the offing: only men and women of integrity would make his cabinet.

    Then in the closing week of March, he dropped more hints: he said he would put in all effort to ensure the best for Nigeria and her citizens when his second term begins on May 29, 2019. His words:” I assure you I will do my best during the second term. We will work for Nigeria and her people.”

    When leaders publicly make such solemn declarations, they assume the aura and force of covenants or contracts that must be redeemed or honoured. You can’t break them for the sake of your integrity and good name. Now running such an ‘impeccable’ administration in the interest of the people as Buhari is planning simply implies you populate your government with ‘good’ men and women, as the 26th US President counsels above. They must be tested citizens whose past bears no blemish. Nor do they have a baggage of scandals that slows down governance. Still more: they must be on the same page each step of the way with the leader of government and other strategic functionaries of the system.

    If truly we want Nigeria to move into the ‘next level’ of greatness, the mantra the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) waved before us to win the presidential ballot, then we must go for such men in the next government. All over the country, we can locate them, not requiring a trip to Mars or some other outer planet.

    One personality that easily springs up to meet these qualifications is Akinwunmi Ambode, the Governor of Lagos State, who has been described superlatively as the ‘Governor General of Nigeria’. After a survey of the transcendent achievements of Ambode in all areas of performance in the economic powerhouse of Nigeria, Rauf Aregbesola, himself then a governor in Osun State, turned in the verdict that indeed Ambode is first among equals.

    Receiving Ambode in his office in Osogbo, the state capital, Aregbesola said:” I recognise the Governor of Lagos State who by my own assessment is the Governor General of Nigeria. I say so for a very good reason. It is not a question of age of the occupant of that office or his tenure. It is simply an attestation to the fact that the economy of Lagos (under the guidance of Ambode) is about the summation of the economies of thirty states in Nigeria. One will be deceiving himself not to recognise that fact.” Aregbesola went on to ascribe the feat to what he called the ‘brilliant performance’ of Ambode.

    Observers have said that Aregbesola only alluded to a national feat by Ambode. They assert that Ambode’s era has also earned Nigeria a positive place in contemporary annals, which put Lagos as the fifth largest economy in Africa. This makes it bigger than Cote d’Ivoire and Kenya, two of the continent’s most promising economies. Neighbouring Ghana, reputed to be one of Africa’s poster nations in national growth rates, also falls behind Lagos in the Ambode dispensation.

    At the higher federal plane, the country can do with the wand Ambode deployed to give Lagos this facelift, now that President Buhari is shopping for a fresh and dynamic engine to take the country to the next level.

    He is going to be available for call-up to Buhari’s team from May 29, after an outstanding work in Lagos where he gifted residents with some of the best urban and rural development deliveries ever witnessed in Nigeria. The president will find in Ambode a kindred spirit, whose passion is integrity in hard and ceaseless work to ease the plight of the masses.

    Both are pro-poor. Buhari revealed this streak repeatedly as he gave salary-defaulting states huge amounts as bailouts to save the civil servants from hardship. In Lagos, Ambode revealed this same pro-people inclination by not owing salaries and by doling out billions of naira at a go to meet the pension of senior citizens. The humble backgrounds of the duo have influenced them to show pity to the vulnerable of the society. We need such leaders to identify with the people they govern, if we are not to have a disturbing cleavage between government and the citizens that pushes a nation to the precipice.

    But the abiding attribute Lagosians have noticed in their governor is his knack for legacy monuments for the benefit of the society. I dare say Ambode has about the same adroitness at thinking up first class structures as the legendary Brazilian striker Pele had for scoring goals during his days. The footballer is credited with 1281 goals in 1363 appearances, the highest by any player.

    Now spread across the small water-soaked area called Lagos are great landmarks that some societies only get during a succession of administrations or over generations of leaders. However under four years, Ambode’s government has presented us with great mementos that will still command the attention of the future. Even now, as he prepares to leave the scene, he has taken over the expansion, rehabilitation and complete upgrade of the Murtala Mohammed Airport Road. It’s sordid state used to be the nemesis of motorists and a reproach to the nation, given its status as the window to our country, being the busiest airport not only in Nigeria but the West African sub-region. It’s a federal road; but Ambode can’t tolerate what brings shame to his fatherland, the same way Buhari wouldn’t stand shameful treatment of the masses!

    Not a few believe that the president can’t but look the way of such a man as he seeks a team to join him guide the nation into the next level. Ambode has proved in Lagos that he is for a legacy-pursuing agenda, a mission he pursued stoically and pragmatically to the end, even when unconscionably denied a conventional privilege to automatically seek a second term without a challenge within the party.

     

    – Ogunjinmi, a lawyer wrote in from Surulere, Lagos

  • Killings: I’m the unhappiest leader in the world

    President Muhammadu Buhari has described himself as the unhappiest leader in the world on the account of killings across the nation, especially the northeast.

    He reassured Nigerians that ending banditry remains a key priority of his administration,

    According to him, he would do whatever it takes to ensure the country’s security system confronts these public enemies with merciless determination.

    Reacting to the recent spike in reported incidents of banditry and kidnappings in some parts of the country, Buhari condoled all those affected by the unfortunate events

    In a statement by the Senior Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, the President said “How can I be happy and indifferent to the senseless killings of my fellow citizens by bandits?

    “I am human and I understand the pains of the victims and their families who have been traumatized and impoverished by constant ransom demands by bandits,” the President said empathetically.

    Read also: Ending banditry remains key priority of my administration – Buhari

    “The politicisation of tragedy reveals the darkest sides of our primitive politics. Almost every week, I summon my security chiefs to get an update on the strategies being devised to defeat these mass murderers.

    “There is no issue that dominates my mind every 24 hours like security because, as an elected President, protecting the citizens of my country is one of the primary functions of my administration.

    “I constantly listen to our security personnel in order to understand their problems and needs, and I have never hesitated to attend to those needs in terms of motivating and equipping them to respond effectively to our security challenges.

    “It is therefore ridiculous to suggest that I am indifferent to these killings.

    “I have ordered rapid and robust deployment of troops to all the areas currently under attack from bandits and we are determined to tackle this challenge ferociously until these remorseless killers are crushed and utterly defeated,” the President said.

    President Buhari called on communities where banditry is active to support and cooperate with the security agencies, particularly the recently launched Operation Puff Adder to battle bandits and kidnappers.

    The President said it was regrettable that bandits have informants within some communities and utterly reprehensible that certain communities have signed protection deals with bandits at the expense of other communities, thereby creating complications and frustrating government’s intervention

    He appealed to communities to report suspicious movements of the bandits into their areas within the shortest available opportunity, especially considering the fact that intelligence is critical to detecting, frustrating, neutralising and defeating the criminals.

  • Ending banditry remains key priority of my administration – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has reassured Nigerians that ending banditry remains a key priority of his administration.

    In a statement by Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, in Abuja on Saturday, Buhari said that would do whatever it takes to ensure the country’s security system confronts these public enemies with merciless determination.

    Buhari was reacting to the recent spike in reported incidents of banditry and kidnappings in some parts of the country.

    To this end, the President vowed that ending criminality.

    The president condoled with all those affected by the unfortunate events.

    Buhari described as ridiculous allegation of indifferent being levelled against him in some quarters.

    “How can I be happy and indifferent to the senseless killings of my fellow citizens by bandits?

    “I am human and I understand the pains of the victims and their families who have been traumatized and impoverished by constant ransom demands by bandits.

    Read also: Buhari committed in the fight against corruption, says youth group

    “The politicisation of tragedy reveals the darkest sides of our primitive politics. Almost every week, I summon my security chiefs to get an update on the strategies being devised to defeat these mass murderers.

    “There is no issue that dominates my mind every 24 hours like security, because as an elected President, protecting life and property remains primary function of my administration.

    “I constantly listen to our security personnel in order to understand their problems and needs, and I have never hesitated to attend to those needs in terms of motivating and equipping them to respond effectively to our security challenges.

    “It is therefore ridiculous to suggest that I am indifferent to these killings.

    “I have ordered rapid and robust deployment of troops to all the areas currently under attack from bandits and we are determined to tackle this challenge ferociously until these remorseless killers are crushed and utterly defeated,” Buhari said.

    He, however, called on communities affected by banditry to support and cooperate with the security agencies, particularly the recently launched Operation Puff Adder to battle bandits and kidnappers.

    The President said it was regrettable that bandits had informants within some communities and utterly reprehensible that certain communities had signed protection deals with bandits at the expense of other communities, thereby creating complications and frustrating government’s intervention

    He appealed to communities to report suspicious movements of the bandits into their areas within the shortest available opportunity, especially considering the fact that  “intelligence is critical to detecting, frustrating, neutralising and defeating the criminals.” (NAN)

  • Buhari keeping promises, says presidency

    Despite his campaigns to all the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory(FCT) before the February 23  Presidential election,  President Muhammadu Buhari has said that  governance did  not suffer .

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, listed the achievements and actions of the government during the campaign and election periods.

    He highlighted the areas touched by the President during the period.

    On minimum wage, he said that the President on January 9, 2019, inaugurated the Presidential Technical Advisory Committee on the Implementation of the National Minimum Wage (PTAC), with a mandate to advise the Federal Government on how best to fund, in a sustained manner, the additional costs of implementing the imminent increase in the National Minimum Wage.

    According to him, the Committee, chaired by Mr. Bismarck Rewane, submitted its report on Monday, March 25, 2019.

    Also in January 2019, he said, President Buhari submitted a National Minimum Wage Amendment Bill to the National Assembly for passage, following the approval of the National Council of State. The Bill is now awaiting presidential assent.

    On financing government, he said that the Strategic Revenue Growth Initiatives (SRGI) programme of the Federal Government was launched on January 23, 2019  by Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, in Abuja.

    SRGI, he said, is built on three (3) main planks including achieve sustainability in revenue generation, identify new and enhance the enforcement of existing revenue streams and achieve cohesion in the revenue ecosystem (people and tools).

    The Steering Committee of the SRGI, with membership drawn from all the major revenue-generating agencies, Adesina said, held its inaugural meeting on February 12, 2019.

    On financing infrastructure, he said that President Buhari signed the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme, Executive Order 007 of 2019 on January 25, 2019.

    Through this Scheme, he said, companies that are willing and able to spend their own funds on constructing roads to their factories or farms, will recover their construction costs by paying reduced taxes, over a period of time.

    In the first phase, he said,19 Eligible Road Projects are to be undertaken by 6 leading manufacturing and construction firms, in 11 States, and in each of Nigeria’s six geo-political zones, as follows:

    “The Companies: Dangote Industries Limited; Lafarge Africa Plc; Unilever Nigeria Plc; Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc; Nigeria LNG Limited; and China Road and Bridge Corporation Nigeria Limited.

    “The Roads: a) Construction of Ashaka-Bajoga Highway in Gombe State; b) Reconstruction of Dikwa-Gambaru-Ngala Road in Borno State; c) Reconstruction of Bama-Banki Road in Borno State; d) Rehabilitation of Sharada Road in Kano State; e) Rehabilitation of Nnamdi Azikiwe Expressway / Bypass, in Kaduna State; f) Reconstruction of Birnin Gwari Expressway – Road in Kaduna State; g) Reconstruction of Birnin Gwari – Dansadau Road in Kaduna State;

    Other roads include “h) Reconstruction of Makurdi-Yandev-Gboko Road in Benue State; i) Reconstruction of Zone Roundabout-House of Assembly Road in Benue State; j) Reconstruction of Obajana-Kabba Road in Kogi State; k) Reconstruction of Ekuku-Idoma-Obehira Road in Kogi State; l) Construction of Adavi-Eba-Ikuehi-Obeiba-Obokore Road in Kogi State; m) Rehabilitation of Lokoja-Ganaja Road in Kogi State; n) Ofeme Community Road Network and Bridges in Abia State; o) Rehabilitation of Obele-Ilaro-Papalanto-Shagamu Road in Ogun State; p) Reconstruction of Sokoto Road in Ogun State; q) Reconstruction of Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki-Ojota Road in Lagos State; r) Construction of Bodo-Bonny Road & Bridges across Opobo Channel in Rivers State; and s) Rehabilitation of Benin City – Asaba Road in Edo State.

    On consumer protection, Adesina said that President Buhari assented to the new Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Act (FCCPA), Nigeria’s first unified and comprehensive Competition legislation on January 30, 2019.

    He said that the new Act establishes the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), to replace the Consumer Protection Council.

    “The goal of the FCCPA is to foster a business environment in which markets are competitive and the rights of consumers are protected.

    “The functions of the FCCPC include the review and approval of mergers and acquisitions, to ensure that they do not have anti-competitive effects in the relevant market.

    On special economic zones, he said President Buhari presided over the signing ceremony for a Partnership between the Nigeria Special Economic Zones Investment Company (NSEZCo) and Strategic Investment Partners on February 8, 2019:

    Read also: NJC advises Buhari to okay Tanko Muhammad for CJN

    The ceremony, he said, also marked the full operationalization of the NSEZCo.

    He also said that the Project MINE – Made In Nigeria For Exports – is the Buhari Administration’s Special Economic Zones programme that seeks to boost manufacturing’s share of GDP to 20%, generating $30bn in annual export earnings; and creating 1.5 million new jobs, all by 2025.

    “A new company, the Nigeria Special Economic Zones Investment Company (NSEZCo) has been incorporated as the delivery vehicle for Project-MINE.

    “NSEZCo is a Public Private Partnership (PPP) jointly owned by Government of Nigeria (Ministry of Finance) and a group of Development Finance Institutions (DFIs), including the Africa Export Import Bank, Africa Development Bank, Africa Finance Corporation, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority.

    “NSEZCo will mobilize public and private sector funding to develop world-class export-oriented industrial zones in Nigeria, offering advanced infrastructure and facilities at competitive costs.

    “The projects in the pilot phase include Enyimba Economic City, Funtua Cotton Cluster and Lekki Model Industrial Park. Infrastructure upgrade work is also ongoing in the brownfield Calabar and Kano Free Trade Zones, for which the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the award of contracts in excess of N19.45 billion.

    “NSEZCo will be working with a range of local and international partners – anchor tenants, development advisers and consultants to deliver on this project.” he added

    On healthcare, he said, President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned the NSIA – LUTH advanced cancer treatment centre located in the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, Lagos on February 9, 2019.

    Structured under a public-private partnership (PPP) arrangement between the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, NSIA and the LUTH, he said, the project is a US$11 million investment for the rehabilitation, equipping and operation of an existing cancer center co-located in LUTH, which will provide advanced radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment services.

    He said “The PPP is executed as a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT). The NSIA owns the center 100% today and but full ownership is expected to revert to LUTH after 10 years of operations.

    “The upgraded facility will run as a joint venture between NSIA Healthcare Development and Investment Company (“NHDIC”) and LUTH.

    “The centre is the first of three projects with the other two, NSIA-AKTH (Kano) and NSIA-FMCU (Umuahia) Diagnostic Centers, scheduled for commissioning in the first half of 2019.” he stated

    On the ease of doing business, the Presidential Aide said that the government on March 1, 2019, commenced National Action Plan 4.0, which will run from March 1 to April 29, 2019.

    “This was accompanied by the launch, on March 15, 2019, of the reportgov.ngWebsite and App to enable the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) / Enabling Business Environment Secretariat (EBES) obtain feedback from citizens.

    “PEBEC/EBES have also launched, in addition to ongoing stakeholder engagements across the public sector and organised private sector, the Business Made Easycampaign to communicate the reforms

    “NAP 4.0 will run from the 1st of March to the 29th of April, 2019. It aims to deepen the reforms delivered over the past 3 years and drive institutionalization.”

    According to him, NAP 4.0 will focus on initiatives such as: enforcing compliance with SLAs across all indicators/focus areas,

    driving the passage of the CAM Bill 2018 for improved, effectiveness of company law in Nigeria, enhancing efficiency in the small claims court, and

    enhancing the application and approval system for visas on arrival.

    Over 140 reforms, he noted, have been implemented in the past 3 years to make doing business in Nigeria easier.

    The reforms, he said, included: “Online reservation of a business name within 4 hours, Registration of a new company with Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) within 24 hours, Automatic generation of Tax Identification Number (TIN) after completion of registration, Creation of National Collateral Registry (NCR) to support the use of movable assets (SMEs can now use movable assets as collateral for loans such as motor vehicles, machinery, inventory, even jewelry).”

    Others are “Passage of the Credit Bureau Act 2017, Small Claims Courts established in Lagos and Kano for cost-effective and fast resolution of debt recovery disputes involving small claims of up to N5,000,000, Filing and payment of federal taxes online available; E-platform accessible to all classes of taxpayers, Removal of the Infrastructure Development Charge (IDC) for 2-floor warehouse construction permits applications in Lagos State, Implementation of 24/7 operations in Apapa Port, Simplified visa-on-arrival process; application done online and issued within 48hrs.”

    Adesina disclosed some reforms that will be delivered in 2019 to include “The new Company and Allied Matters (CAM) Bill, which seeks to repeal and replace the existing CAM Act

    “Establishment of a National Trading Platform for Nigeria’s Ports: a unified digital platform through which all imports and exports happen.” he said

    On micro-pension, Adesina said President Buhari launched a new Pension Scheme that allows the self-employed and persons working in organisations with less than 3 employees to save for the provision of pension at retirement or incapacitation on March 28, 2019.

    “It is a voluntary, self-saving scheme available only to those not currently participating in the existing mandatory Contributory Pension Scheme.

    “To formally flag off commencement of the Scheme, President Buhari supervised the registration of Sagir Shawai, a Motor Tricycle operator in the FCT, and presented his enrolment certificate to him.” he said

    On infrastructure, Adesina said that for the first time in Nigeria’s recent history, election season did not halt or negatively affect on-going Federal Government construction projects across the country.

    The various projects (Road, Rail and Power) currently proceeding on schedule, he said, included: “Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Project (160km)

    Abuja-Kaduna-Zaria-Kano Expressway (375km)

    Enugu-Port Harcourt Expressway

    Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi Road (220km)

    Lagos-Sagamu-Ibadan Expressway (130km)

    Others are “Kano-Maiduguri Highway Second Niger Bridge (11.9km)

    Afam Fast Power Plant (240MW)

    Zungeru Power Plant (700MW)

    Bodo-Bonny Bridges and Road (38km).”

    He said that Energizing Economies and Energizing Education programmes is taking clean and sustainable electricity to markets and University campuses across the country.

    In February 2019, he said that Nigeria formally launched its first ever on-grid solar power project, in Torankawa community in Yabo LGA of Sokoto State.

    “The solar plant provides uninterrupted electricity supply to 350 households in the community. For about five years before the completion of this project the community was cut off from the grid.”

    On the citizens’ portal, he said that the Buhari Administration has also launched a Citizen’s Portal on Infrastructure, to showcase the Government’s investments in infrastructure across the country.

    On the economic indices, he said “The National Bureau of Statistics released figures for Q4 2018 economic growth: 2.38 percent; and for the Full Year 2018: 1.93 percent – more than double the Full Year 2017 growth rate of 0.82 percent.

    “This growth in Q4 2018, as well as for the Full Year, owed a great deal to the performance of the non-oil sector. The non-oil sector grew at 2.7% in Q4 2018 versus 1.14% in the oil sector.

    “The non-oil sector recorded its strongest growth since the Q4 2015. (The non-oil sector also grew by 2% in Full Year 2018, considerably better than its 0.47% growth in the whole of 2017).

    The services sector, which accounts for 53.62% of GDP, registered its strongest growth performance in 11 quarters.

    39 out of 46 economic activities recorded growth

    “There has been a sustained accretion to External Reserves from $23.81 billion in September 2016 to $44 billion as of end-March, 2019.

    “Manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) in the month of March 2019 stood at 57.4 index points, indicating expansion in the manufacturing sector for the 24th consecutive month.

    “Inflation Rate has been trending downwards from 18.55% as at December 2016 to 15.37% in December 2017, 11.44% in December 2018 (below the ERGP target of 12.42% for 2018) and further to 11.31% in February 2019.

    “Total FX Turnover at the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) from launch in April 2017 to March 2019 = US$105.9 billion.” he added