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Tag: President Muhammadu Buhari

Recession: Amosun urges Nigerians to be patient

… Says two years not enough to fix rots in govt

Governor Ibikunle Amosun on Sallah Day urged Nigerians to exercise more patience with President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration, saying two years are not enough for him to fix the rot the (Buhari) met in government.

Amosun said it is obvious that times are hard today and that Nigeria has also suddenly headed to a “corner,” but expressed the hope that once the country wriggled itself out of the “bend,” rays of better life for Nigerians would emerge.

The Governor made this known yesterday while fielding questions from reporters shortly after observing the Eid prayer along with thousands of faithful at the Muslim prayer ground, Lantoro, Abeokuta, the State capital.

He noted that a lot have gone wrong with governance over the years, saying the President does not only need time to put the nation on the right path but that Nigerians have to also work hard enough to enable the country navigate the challenging time.

“My message to Nigerians is that we are on the right track, we do not expect that things that have been bad for years will just be normalised in one or two years, no.

“Even four years is not enough, eight years is not even enough to fix the rot in government, that is why whatever you do with two terms, let other fresh hands come in.

“With where we have found ourselves, with where we are coming from, it is appearing like things are very tough now, like we are almost getting to the corner now but once we just take the bend, we are going to be on the right path and we will all get there.

“I believe that it is only tough times that bring the best out of the people of this nation, that is why all of us are thinking out of the box, we know that money is hard to come by these days and that is why we have to work very hard.

“I appreciate all Nigerians for their support so far and I urge them to continue with their support for the government and I know that Nigeria will be better for all of us at the end of the day,” Amosun said.

On the forthcoming local government election in the State slated for October 8 this year, Amosun said it is about the state and not individual or political parties, adding that whoever wins would serve the interest of Ogun people.

“In the final analysis, we are all citizens of Ogun State, the common thing that binds all of us together is that we are all from Ogun State because of that we should know that whoever ultimately emerge as winners in the election will be serving the good people of Ogun State. He will not be serving his political party.

“I know that our people will not let us down, we know who we are, you can see there will be nothing like rancour or violence because the people of Ogun State are peace loving so for me, the local government election is just like any other election,” he said.

Earier in his Sallah message, he urged Nigerians to live and love one another as well as support the three tiers of government in order to move the nation forward.

Also, in his Eid – El – Kabir sermon, the Chief Imam of Egbaland, Chief Liadi Orunsolu, urged Nigerians, particularly the muslim faithful, to have the fear of God in their daily dealings with others to ensure peace, progress and development in Nigeria.

September 12, 2016
Sallah: We will continue to work to make Nigeria great – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday greet Nigerians on the celebration of the Eid-Il-Kabir.
The President in his message said: “I wish all Nigerians a joyous Eid-El-Kabir. We will continue to work to make Nigeria a great nation.
“On security, we have made tremendous progress against Boko Haram. We are now applying the same determination to the battle against militancy.
“On the economy, no doubt these are difficult times for Nigeria. Let me assure you we’re doing our best to improve the lives of all Nigerians.
“One area of special concern is job creation for our unemployed youth. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is leading our efforts in this regard.
“We will emerge from these difficult times. We are doing our best, I urge you to equally do your best.”

September 12, 2016
NLNG: Omotowa hands over to Attah

The leadership transition at Nigeria Liquified Natural Gas Limited (NLNG) ended at the weekend in Abuja with the former Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer, Babs Omotowa handing-over the symbolic NLNG Key to his successor, Tony Attah.

This took place at farewell and welcome ceremony held in honour of the executives, the NLNG Key changed hands, marking the formal end and the commencement of the tenures of Omotowa and Attah respectively.

In his farewell remarks, Omotowa noted that the NLNG is an inspiration and it is changing the narrative about Nigeria; same as Daewoo in South Korea, Mercedes in Germany, Toyota in Japan, etc., while maintaining that all hands must be together to protect this jewel.

“It has been an amazing five years that I have been privileged to occupy the position.

I thank President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo for leadership and support to NLNG. We met with the president last year and he gave us tremendous support. He was really concerned about the growth of the company.

“I wished we implemented the growth programme with a Train 7 in play now. The increase in volume by 40% would have counteracted the 60% decline in crude oil price,” he said.

Receiving the NLNG Key, Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of NLNG, Tony Attah said that the company is committed to the construction of Train 7, saying that with the instability in the industry, the company has no choice but to grow value and competitiveness in the global LNG market.

“Our reality today is that as a business, we are again faced with significant challenges from within and without. Fuelled mainly by oversupply and under performing global economies, international energy prices are once more travelling southwards. While domestically, the insecurity which bedevilled our industry and others several years ago will appear to be unfortunately returning to the headlines.

“Today’s reality means that as a company which wants to continue being successful, we will most definitely have to think and act differently going forward. And I strongly believe-because I have seen it- that at Nigeria LNG we have the talent, the resources and most importantly, the will to continue to be successful and extraordinary. Successful entrepreneurs go above and beyond in everything that they do. They, more than anyone else, know that without the right skills and the will to achieve their goals, there won’t be any ‘extra’ in their ‘ordinary’. That is what today holds for us all – the opportunity to do better than we did yesterday and the day before that. I believe that this is why today is called ‘the present’; it is a gift, and we must accept it with equal quantities of grace, appetite and commitment,” he said.

He commended the NLNG Board of Directors, led by its chairman, Chief Dr LongJohn, for the continuing support, describing the directors as “leaders whose relentless creativity, commitment and zeal have served us tremendously well over the years, and whose qualities we look forward to benefitting from, well into the future.”

On his predecessor, he said “anything other than success in Bab’s assignment five years ago would perhaps have meant that Nigeria would return to the top of the international gas flaring table. It would have meant that at NLNG, we would be wondering about who we are, corporate culture-wise. It would have meant that NNPC and other shareholders would have to look elsewhere for several billions of dollars in revenues over the years. It would have left Nigeria without approximately $6 billion in much needed taxes.”

Speaking on behalf of NLNG Management and staff, the Deputy MD, Sadeeq Mai-Bornu, in his remarks assured the MD of support. “Be assured that I and the rest of the NLNG family welcome you with open arms, and are ready to give you all the support which enabled your predecessor to safely excel at his job. As you already know, there is not likely to be much rest, but we wish you plenty of excitement and fulfillment in the days ahead.”

Former MD, Omotowa, left NLNG over the weekend to join the Shell Upstream International Leadership Team as Vice President Safety and Environment (S&E) at The Hague, Netherlands.

Recall that the NLNG is owned by four shareholders, namely, the Federal Government of Nigeria, represented by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC (49%), Shell Gas BV, SGBV, (25.6%), Total LNG Nigeria Limited (15%), and Eni International (N.A,) N. V. S. a. r. l (10.4%).

The ceremony was graced by representatives of the Federal Government, Minister of Transportation, Rt Honourable Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi and Minister of Environment, Honourable Aisha Mohammed; Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, ably represented by the Rivers State Deputy Governor, Dr Ipalibo Banigo; members of the NLNG Board of Directors; Permanent Secretaries including that of the Ministry of Petroleum, Dr Jamila Shu’ara; Chief Executives and top of officials of key Government and private organizations, former NLNG Deputy MDs and dignitaries in Nigeria’s oil and gas sector and beyond.

September 8, 2016
Change before you ask the change we promised – Buhari

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday launched the national re-orientation campaign at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

According to him, the slogan of the re-orientation campaign “Change Begins With Me” is geared towards engendering a holistic attitudunal change in Nigerians.

This, he said, will go a long way in restoring in the country credible value system, spirit of patriotism among other values.

The campaign, being championed by the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture, is organized under the change mantra of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He said: “Nigeria today is passing through a challenging moment where hardly anything works in a normal manner. Many have attributed this phenomenon to the total breakdown of our core values over the years.

“It is safe to say today that honesty, hard work, Godliness have given way to all kinds of manifestations of lawlessness and degeneration in our national life. This is why we have among our cardinal objectives ‘change’, which implies the need for a change of attitude and mindset in our everyday life.

“I need not mention the serious effort we have engaged in since the inception of this administration on the fight against corruption in our public life.” He said

With the progress recorded in the fight against corruption, he said that his administration is putting in place the necessary sustainable framework for action and measures that will help to entrench and consolidate the progress achieved so far.

He insisted that the best can be maintained through attitudinal change, and the change of mindset in private and public life.

He added: “The campaign we are about to launch today is all about the need for us to see change not merely in terms of our economic, social progress but in terms of our personal behaviour on how we conduct ourselves, engage our neigbhours, friends and generally how we relate with the larger society in a positive and definitive way and manner that promotes our common good and common destiny, change at home, change in the work place, change at traffic junction, change at traffic lights etc.

“This campaign is part of the determination of our party to seek to carry all Nigerians along on the journey to a better and greater society that we all can be proud of.

“There is no doubt that our value system has been badly eroded over the years. The long-cherished and time honoured, time-tested virtues of honesty, integrity, hard work, punctuality, good neighbourliness, abhorrence of corruption and patriotism, have given way in the main to dishonesty, indolence, unbridled corruption and widespread impunity.

“The resultant effect of this derailment in our value system is being felt in the social, political and economic sphere. It is the reason that some youths will take to cultism and brigandage instead of studying hard or engaging in decent living; it is the reason that some elements will break pipelines and other oil facilities, thus robbing the nation of much-needed resources; it is the reason that money belonging to our commonwealth will be brazenly stolen by the same public officials to whom they were entrusted; it is the reason why motorist drive through red traffic lights, it is the reason that many will engage in thuggery and vote-stealing during elections; it is part of what has driven our economy into deep problem out of which we are now working hard to extricate ourselves.

“Every one of us must have a change from our old ways of doing things, we cannot fold our arms and allow things to continue the old way.

He said that Nigerians must resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship, pettiness and immaturity that have poisoned Nigeria for so long.

“Let us summon a new spirit of responsibility, spirit of service, of patriotism and sacrifice, Let us all resolve to pitch in and work hard and look after, not only ourselves but one another, What the current problem has taught us is that we cannot have a thriving army of rent seekers and vested interests, while the majority suffers.

“Rather than sit back and complain endlessly, we have decided to act pragmatically, with the launch of this National Re-orientation Campaign. The campaign will not be a sprint but a marathon that will run the course of our tenure.

“We are under no illusion that the changes we seek will happen overnight, but we have no doubt that the campaign will help restore our value system and rekindle our nationalistic fervor”

The President appealed to all Nigerians to be part of the campaign, noting that the change the citizens expect to see begins with them.

“And that personal and social reforms are not theoretic exercise. If you have not seen the change in you, you cannot see it in others or even the larger society. In other words, before you ask ‘where is the change they promised us’, you must first ask how far have I changed my ways ‘what have I done to be part of the change for the greater good of society’.

He said that while the government will drive the ‘Change Begins With Me’ campaign, it must be strongly supported by all concerned individually.

“In this regard the private sector is a major stakeholder. Indeed when the campaign succeeds, it will impact heavily on the private sector. A punctual, diligent and hardworking staff can only be of benefit of not just himself or herself or the organization they work for but to various governments whether at local, state or Federal level.

“While congratulating the stakeholders, especially Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Orientation Agency for conceiving this campaign, I charge all to pursue the campaign with vigour and ensure its sustenance by taking it to all the nook and crannies of this country, with the aim of getting the buy in of the old, the young, the rich, the poor irrespective of gender or other social positions.

“Your Excellencies, Honourable Ministers, Members of the National Assembly, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is now my pleasure to formally launch and handover the instrument of the Change Campaign tagged Change Begins With Me to the Honourable Minister for Information and Culture, for transmission to all Nigerians and friends of Nigeria.” He stated

September 8, 2016
Presidency denies poisonous rice importation

The Federal Government on Wednesday described attempts by some individuals on social media to link the government and Dangote group with a plan to ‘flood’ the country with genetically modified rice (GMO) as extremely uncharitable.

A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that the Federal Government in 2014 signed a $1billion Memorandum of Understanding, (MoU) for investment in integrated rice project with Dangote Industries Ltd.

In line with the agreement, the statement said that Dangote Industries Limited this year cultivated over 8,000 hectares in Hadejia, Jigawa state, creating over 10,000 direct and indirect jobs for farmers who are the major beneficiaries of the scheme.

It reads: “In consolidation of the rice project of the Federal Government, President Muhammadu Buhari administration is also in partnership with the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other reputable companies to tap into the vast potentials in the private sector and broadening the economic base of the country.

“The gains of the diversification drive especially in the Agriculture sector are already yielding dividends as shown by the recent statistics in the sector as published by the National Bureau of Statistics.
These engagements will continue until the present administration has laid a solid foundation for the economic development of the nation.

“It is therefore ridiculous that a government that is wholly devoted to the generation of employment for Nigerians especially through Agriculture will turn around to get involved in an activity that will reverse the gains of the same partnership.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has said it repeatedly that, ‘we have the capacity to feed ourselves in Nigeria and even export from what we produce in the country.”

“He has also said that through the provision of N200 billion by the CBN for small holder farmers and processors involved in local production of rice and other grains, rice importation will hopefully stop in the next three years.” It added.

The statement said that it was unfortunate that a few self-serving individuals are bent on distracting the administration while the Buhari administration is working assiduously with well-meaning Nigerians to bring the country out of the current economic situation it has found itself.

The government, it said, is focused on reflating the fortunes of the country through the diversification of the economy which will very soon yield results.

“The Federal Government warns purveyors of such malicious information and those thinking of embarking on the same route to have a rethink and retrace their steps.” It stated

September 7, 2016
Buhari, Jonathan, others attend Council of State meeting

President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday presided over Council of State meeting at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting was the second one under the current dispensation while the first meeting was held on the 21st of October 2015.

Some former Presidents and Head of State who were at the meeting when it started around 11:07 a.m. included Goodluck Jonathan, Abdulsalami Abubakar and Ernest Shonekan.

Jonathan was attending the meeting for the first time since leaving office in May 2015.

Former leaders who were conspicuously absent at the meeting included Olusegun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangida, Shehu Shagari, Yakubu Gowon.

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara were not at the meeting when it started.

Among the state governors at the meeting included Rivers, Borno, Niger, Imo, Cross River, Taraba, Yobe, Benue, Bauchi, Enugu, Kwara, Adamawa.

Others are Abia, Sokoto, Kaduna, Lagos, Kogi, Plateau, Jigawa, Kebbi, Katsina.

Former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) at the meeting included Lawal Uwais, Mariam Muktar, Idris Kutigi, Alfa Belgore.

The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

September 7, 2016
Photos: Buhari, Ambode, others in Edo for APC rally

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (3rd left), with Minister of Labour & Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige; Governors of Adamawa; Sokoto; Kaduna; Jigawa States, Sen. Bindo Jibrilla; Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal; Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal; Abubakar; Alhaji Badaru Abubakar and the APC Gubernatorial Candidate, Mr. Godwin Obaseki during the Edo State APC Grand Finale Campaign at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, on Tuesday.

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (middle), with APC Gubernatorial Candidate, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (right) and his running mate, Mr. Phillip Shuaibu (left); during the Edo State APC Grand Finale Campaign at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, on Tuesday

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (middle), with All Progressives Congress (APC) Gubernatorial Candidate, Mr. Godwin Obaseki (right) and his Wife, Betsy during the Edo State APC Grand Finale Campaign at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin, on Tuesday

L-R: Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode (2nd left), in a warm handshake with President Muhammadu Buhari (right); while the Governors of Niger; Kaduna and Sokoto States, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello (left); Mallam Nasir El-Rufai (middle) and Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal (2nd right) watches with admiration during the Edo State APC Grand Finale Campaign at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin

September 6, 2016
Buhari to Zuckerberg: We’re not used to seeing people like you

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday commended the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of social networking website, Facebook, Mark Elliot Zuckerberg for sharing his wealth of knowledge with Nigerian youths, and inspiring a new generation of entrepreneurs.

He gave the commendation while receiving the internet entrepreneur in the State House, Abuja.

Buhari, in a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that the various meetings held with Nigerian youths since his arrival were most timely as the country was already exploring opportunities to spur development through entrepreneurship.

He said: “Nigeria has always been identified as a country with great potentials for growth, especially with our youthful population, but now we are moving beyond the potentials to reality.

“I am impressed by your simplicity in sharing your knowledge and wealth with those with less income,’’ the President said.

Buhari noted that the simplicity and magnanimity of the entrepreneur, who is among the world’s richest men, had also challenged the culture of lavish wealth display and impulsive spending that had become peculiar to Nigerians.

He added: “In our culture, we are not used to seeing successful people appear like you. We are not used to seeing successful people jogging and sweating on the streets.

“We are more used to seeing successful people in air-conditioned places. We are happy you are well-off and simple enough to always share,” he said.

In his remarks, Zuckerberg said he was impressed by the interest, energy and entrepreneurial spirit displayed by young Nigerians in all the ICT camps that he had visited.

“I was highly impressed by the talent of the youths in the Co-creation Hub in Yaba. I was blown away by their talent and the level of energy that I saw,’’ he said.

Zuckerberg said he was in the country to promote the penetration of “fast and cheap” internet connectivity, Express-wifi, that would help people create online businesses and reduce poverty.

After the meeting with the President, Zuckerberg and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo went to the old Banquet Hall of the State House for the Aso Villa Demo Day where the three finalists, Tracology, Recycle point, and Mass shuttle were announced to the public.

The three winners emerged from a total of 4,000 that competed on innovative and technology ideas relevant to solving Nigerian problems.

Out of the 4,000 that competed across the country, 30 of them had earlier emerged from Lagos, Port Harcourt and Abuja competition.

As a reward to the three final winners, Airtel announced N3m each for the top 3, Sahara Energy announced N500,000 each for the top 3, while Dell also announced undisclosed amount for the winners.

Speaking at the event, Zukerberg said: “Thank you all for having me here today. It’s so inspiring to see what you have built here. This trip has really blown me away by the talents of young entrepreneurs and developers in this country, and making a difference and making a change.

“It reminds me of when I wanted to start Facebook. I wasn’t starting a company at the time but wanted to build something to see if it will work. And that is what I see people here do, pushing through challenges, building things that you want to see in the world, if it will help the company great, if it will help the country great.

“You are not just going to shape Nigeria and the whole of Africa but the whole world. So what I will say to the winners today and all the people that participated that I’m blown away by what you are doing, I believe in you and I look forward to seeing what you do and congratulations,” he added.

Osinbajo said: “It’s really exciting to have Mark Zugerberg with us. I think one of the great things you have demonstrated is that it is possible to live your dream, it is possible to make your dreams not just come true but so fabulously that it will not only influence your environment but you will influence the whole world.

“One of the things you have done is really to create connectivity across the world so that people are really able to interact across tribe, race, countries and feel as part of one family and one faith.

“So I think that it’s one of great things that you have done. And your coming to Nigeria has been especially energizing not just for the young people but for everyone else. As you can seek I’m on Facebook and the president is also on Facebook so we are one of the 17 million.

The Vice President also commended all the 30 winners and the three finalists for their great achievement.

He said: “This is the first Aso Villa Demo Day but the next year will be bigger and better. I don’t know if we will be able to get Mark to show up for that but somehow of the other, we are going to keep him in the loop and let him know what we are up to and how and how progress we are making.” He said

He said that Nigeria is going to be built and is being built on the energy, the innovation and the creativity of the young people.

He added: “Today, Technology has created a level playing field; technology has made it possible for you seated somewhere, in your office or living room to create wealth, to create connectivity, to create all manner of things across the world.

“So this is not like when I was 25 years. It’s a completely new day and I think that there is so much hope, so much your generation is going to do and I am certainly looking forward to being a part of that.

“By the time I am 80 I hope that I will be in a position to have an app that will enable me follow what you guys are doing, seated somewhere in my village, enjoying life.

“I’m sure you are going to have a great future and I certainly look forward to working with as part of the government of Nigeria to ensure that all that your talents and abilities are put in the best possible use and we I’ll support you all the way.

“We are also looking forward to cooperating with Facebook, I’m sure that in the next couple of months we will be working out the ways we can cooperate especially with connectivity and some of the great ideas that Mark has to improving connectivity in Africa,” he stated.

September 2, 2016
Buhari won’t go to war with Niger Delta people -Minister

Is President Muhammadu Buhari contemplating a war in the Niger Delta? No, says Niger Delta Affairs Minister Usani Uguru Usani.

Usani, a pastor, whose responsibility is to bring about a turnaround in the fortune of the oil-rich region, told The Nation that contrary to belief in some quarters, the Buhari administration has immense humane disposition towards the Niger/Delta area and the people.

He said that government’s tolerance of the chain of reactions in the region is “a demonstration of the fact that government is willing to bring peace at all reasonable cost.”

But the minister is not impressed by the attitude of most militants in the region to the peace process.

He thinks they are not showing the required commitment to ensure peace in the region contrary to what many of them want the rest of the world to believe.

Usani said contradictory signals from the militants tend to suggest that they do not often mean what they say.

“The same person saying let’s negotiate and sends Mr. B to negotiate or to discuss can be the same person that will say I don’t want and sending Mr. C to say we don’t agree,” the minister said in an interview published today.

“So the correlation in different shades is what complicates the situation but government is not relenting, we still want to talk with our people,” he added.

He also said that reports about the region are often exaggerated.

Using a recent warning by the US to its citizens to be wary of doing business in the region, Usani said: “in spite of that type of warning, businesses are going on there and investments are still coming in.

“Sometimes, the information that is given out about the region is actually beyond the proportion of the reality and so that should not discourage people from coming in.

“We know there are volatile areas in the Niger Delta region but there are still places of absolute peace and safety.

When we went to the area where the bulk of oil production is carried out in Awka Ibom State, the report we had was that that place has never experienced any form of militancy, yet it is just by the maritime shell. Militancy has not taken place.

“The pocket of areas of violence should not abrogate the peaceful environment that really demands and commands investments and potentials.”

The minister who also spoke on the economic challenge in the country said: “it is not everyone that is willingly submitting to what we call due process and it is not everyone that is actually committed to due process.

“Adjusting to the wind of change tends to convey an impression that this government is not interested in the welfare of people. This is not correct.

“Instead, we are far more interested in the welfare of the people. Basically, the challenge is to get people to understand that, without the foundation, there can be no structure established and that is the foundation that we are trying to set up which is also a serious challenge because change in every circumstance is always resisted.”

September 2, 2016
Photos: Zuckerberg returns to Nigeria, visits Aso Rock

September 2, 2016