The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Segun Aganga

  • Jonathan in minor cabinet shake up

    Jonathan in minor cabinet shake up

    …Onwuliri replaces Wike in Education ministry

    President Goodluck Jonathan on Wednesday appointed the Minister of State I for Foreign Affairs, Mrs. Viola Onwuliri as the substantive Minister of State for Education.

    She takes over from Nyesom Wike, who resigned to contest the governorship election in Rivers State.

    Briefing State House correspondents at the end of Federal Executive Council meeting presided over by President Jonathan, the Minister of State II for Foreign Affairs, Nurudeen Mohammed, who now supervises Ministry of Information, said the President approved the changes during the meeting following resignation of seven ministers from the cabinet.

    He said the Minister of Defence, Lt. Gen. Aliyu Gusau, is to oversee the Ministry of State for Defence.

    Dr. Khaliru Alhassan, who is the Minister of State for Health is to take over the function of the Health Minister for now.

    The Minister of Industry Trade and Investments, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, will also act as Minister of State in the Ministry.

    The Minister of Special Duties, Kabiru Turaki will supervise the Ministry of Labour, while Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Dr Steven Oru, will oversee the affairs of the Minister of State of the ministry.

  • 2015 elections will not deplete Nigeria’s reserves – Emefiele

    2015 elections will not deplete Nigeria’s reserves – Emefiele

    The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has said that the 2015 general election would not deplete the country’s reserves.

    Emefiele gave the assurance on Wednesday in New York, United States, at the Africa Business Summit, a high level international forum on Africa’s investment climate and market with the theme: “Africa is Rising, There Are Challenges, Still We Rise.’’

    He said the nation’s economy was currently doing well and the 2015 elections would not let it take a downturn.

    He further said that Nigeria currently had a reserve of about 41 billion dollars, “which is the highest in Africa.’’

    The CBN governor said though people were predicting a drop in crude prices and revenues, with 41 billion dollars reserve supporting imports and production for the next seven to eight months, “Nigeria’s economy is doing very well and 2015 will not be different.

    “People are generally expecting crude prices to drop and maybe there will be reduction in production and crude prices will fall,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the CBN chief as saying at the summit.

    He allayed the fears of investors in the stability of the economy, stressing that the country’s Gross Domestic Product was consistently moving up.

    Emefiele said “Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves fell by 18 per cent year-on-year, although it climbed by 3.8 per cent in July to 38.49 billion dollars.

    “Investors became nervous after the suspension of former Central Bank Governor, Lamido Sanusi, in February, and ahead of presidential election in February 2015 but I assure you we are in a comfortable position.’’

    The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Olusegun Aganga, who spoke at the event, said the summit, which was a Private- Public Partnership, was meant to educate and attract investors.

    “This platform provides a level of advocacy for Nigeria’s economic image,’’ he added.

  • Senate, minister disagree over CAC board appointment

    Senate, minister disagree over CAC board appointment

    The Senate and the Minister of Trade and Investment, Dr. Olusegun Aganga, on Thursday disagreed over proposed amendments to the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA).

    The Senate and the minister spoke at a public hearing on the proposed amendment to the CAMA in Abuja.

    The Chairman, Senate Committee on Trade, Senator Odion Ugbesia, had explained that the Bill entitled: “Companies and Allied Matters Act CAP. 20, LFN 2011, Amendment Bill 2013” seeks to empower the Upper Chamber to approve the appointments of board members and the budget of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC).

    Ugbesia said: “The highlight of this amendment is to subject the appointment of the Chairman, members of the Board of Corporate Affairs Commission, to the confirmation of the Senate.

    “Similarly, the Bill seeks to subject the Commission’s annual budget to the scrutiny and approval of the National Assembly, as the institutional arm of government vested by the constitution with the power of appropriation.”

    He added: “In an emerging democracy such as ours, this is certainly an aberration. The minister is neither an appropriating authority nor the President.

    “The time has come for all to stand up and be counted on the side of the constitution which we all swore to uphold and protect by putting a stop to this objectionable practice.”

    However, Aganga faulted the Senate on the proposed amendment.

    Aganga said the proposed action of the Senate would infringe on the powers and independence of the executive to appoint competent and qualified professionals to manage the affairs of the CAC.

    He insisted that since the budget of the CAC, like other agencies and parastatals, is always part of the national budget presented to the National Assembly annually, there was no need to demand for a separate budget from the agency.

     

     

  • Jonathan receives inventor of socket Jessica Matthew

    Jonathan receives inventor of socket Jessica Matthew