The Nation Newspaper

Tag: tackle

  • Jonathan must tackle corruption, insecurity, says Ribadu

    Former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has said unless things are done properly, Nigerians may lose the country to another civil war.

    Ribadu, who spoke on a Liberty Radio programme, Guest of the Week, monitored in Kaduna, said with the way things are going, care must be taken not to lose the country.

    He accused his successor, Mrs Farida Waziri and former Delta State Governor James Ibori of destroying the Commission and truncating all efforts to fight corruption in the country.

    He described the state pardon granted to former Bayelsa State Governor Deprieye Alamieyeseigha and former Managing Director of Bank of the North, Shettima Bulama as a tragic development and unfair to the fight against corruption.

    He said: “The way things are going, if something is not done soon, Nigerians will lose Nigeria to a civil war. The management of the country today is in a worst form which is gradually pushing us towards failure.

    “Nigeria is one of the unsafe places to live in the world today, poverty is at its highest level, a terrible division that is crippling our society, intolerance and lack of trust and respect for one another which government cannot run away from and if we are not careful, we will lose Nigeria.

    “This government has failed to address the challenges and problems we are confronted with, it failed to address insecurity; it has failed to protect Nigerians, especially the vulnerable.

    “We can save it by coming together and forgetting about sentiments, about differences and work towards unity and saving the resources of this country because it is only way that we can achieve peace.

    “Jonathan was wrong to have said he will not grant amnesty to Boko Haram members.

    He should not fail to protect people and when people are saying we are tried, we are down; even if it means to dialogue and have a solution, he should opt for such.

    “You cannot say they are faceless because faceless people do not do things like this, faceless people cannot be responsible and daily you see them on Facebook, faceless people cannot be in your custody, ghosts cannot be people who are in the communities, people who at a point wanted to dialogue.

    “People like Farida Waziri, James Ibori and a couple of others who are still alive and they took over the EFCC and brought it to its knees.

    “They literally destroyed the cases that were already in existence with the intention of wiping out the war against corruption.

    “The intention was to reverse it and take us back to where we started and they did a lot of damage to the Commission and the war against corruption.

    “But as God will have it, the EFCC survived because today, it is still doing the work probably not like it did before, but somehow it has been given the chance to bounce back again.

    “The pardon granted to Alamiesegha and Shettima is a tragic development, a very unfair action against Nigerians because corruption is our biggest problem and any step taken against the direction of reversing it is a negative development.”

  • KYC will help to tackle money laundering, says agency

    The ‘Know Your Customer’ (KYC) requirements for Designated Non-Financial Businesses and Professions (DNFBPs) will help in tackling money laundering, the Inter-Governmental Agency Against Money Laundering and Terrorism Financing (GIABA) has said.

    KYC in banking parlance refers to customers’ due diligence that financial institutions and other regulated companies must perform to identify their clients and ascertain relevant information pertinent to doing business with them. It is aimed at correcting the anomalies in financial transactions.

    In a circular last month, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) extended the deadline for the exercise to April 30, following representations made by stakeholders.

    GIABA Director-General Dr Abdullahi Shehu said the KYC initiative is key to the reduction of fraudulent practices in the industry.

    He said the idea would help financial institutions and DNFBPs to check money laundering.

    He said banks and designated non-financial institutions have taken preventive measures to tackle money laundering, adding that they would do more in view of KYC initiatives introduced by the banking regulators.

    The financial intelligence unit in Nigeria, among other countries in West Africa, he said had been operating sub-optimally, stressing that the development has affected the capacity of the country to tackle money laundering and its associated offences.

    Shehu said Nigeria and other member-states must demonstrate strong political will before they can effectively implement laws on anti-money laundering terrorist financing. He said the measures would deepen regional integration in line with the Economic Community of West African States’ (ECOWAS) Vision 2020 agenda to have crime-free society.

    He said Nigeria, among other countries, are still struggling with the implementation of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) standards, adding that poor compliance is a pointer to the level of vulnerability of the financial systems to money laundering and other related crimes.

    GIABA, he said, has been providing technical assistance to member states and civil organisations to fight the crimes, stressing that the regional body has delivered on its mandates to curb money laundering activities.

    He said the body included tax crimes as a new predicate offence, adding that the revised Standards places emphasis on continuous monitoring; identifying risks, developing policies and ensuring domestic coordination of money laundering programmes.

     

  • ‘Jonathan should tackle marginalisation’

    President Goodluck Jonathan has been urged to redress the imbalance in the oil block allocations to erase the feeling of ethnic marginalisation and domination.

    A political scientist, Prof. Opeyemi Ola, said that the skewed allocation should be investigated further by the National Assembly, adding that other stakeholders, including the labour, bar association and civil society groups, should speak out against the discrimination and injustice.

    Ola, a Second Republic member of the House of Representatives, said the “outrageous, provocative and devastating” revelations by the National Assembly have vindicated the agitations by militants that the oil-producing states have been short-changed by the Federal Government for too long.

    He hailed the legislature for enlisting on the side of equity and fairness, urging the progressive wing of the National Assembly to ensure that the matter is not swept under the carpet.

    Ola enjoined the federal government to seize the oil blocks from those who have possessed them through foul means, adding that they should be re-allocated in accordance with due process.

    “This is the revelations of all revelations. It has revealed the inequality between the North and the South. Politics is the science of allocation of values and sharing of the commonwealth. Equity should prevail. Why should the ownership of the allocation of the oil situated in the South be entirely in the North where there is no oil well? Those who did it do not mean well for Nigeria. This cannot augur well for national integration”.

    The former university don urged the National Assembly to resist pressures from powerful quarters in the course of investigating the skewed allocation. He queried: “Who did the allocation? The President or NNPC? Who owns these oil blocks? How much wealth have they made from this imbalanced allocation? Have they used them to develop the economy, the manufacturing sector? How many youths have they employed?”

  • ‘APC will tackle Nigeria’s problem’

    The Special Adviser to Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Environment, Hon.Bola Ilori, has expressed optimism that the All Progressive Congress (APC) will rescue the country from its present precarious situation.

    Ilori, who is a chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN), spoke to reporters at the High Court premises,Akure,the Ondo State capital when on a solidarity visit to the party supporters at the tribunal.

    He said the merging of the parties underscores the collective resolve aimed at rescuing the people of the country from the ‘’ruderless Peoples Democratic Party government”.

    Ilori emphasised that the merger is not to advance the political interests of the two leaders; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), adding that it is in the national interest.

    The former Chairman of the Alimoso Local Government Area of Lagos State predicted success for the APC at the general elections.

    Ilori said the political leaders have overcome the problems that undermined the previous alliances, urging Nigerians to brace up for change at the centre.

    He described the PDP as a divided house assailed by a protracted civil war, adding that a house divided against itself will fall.

    Ilori stressed: “PDP has over the years used billions of dollars to produce darkness and poor quality of education. There is mass unemployment, particularly among the youths. The opposition is concerned. APC will soon flow down to the state level when all the necessary things are sorted out at the national level. Nigerians will reject PDP in 2015 and embrace the APC because they are tired of the inept PDP administration”.

    On the electoral litigation involving the ACN and Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State, Ilori said that, with the unprecedented evidence before the panel about all the illegalities that characterised the last governorship election, the case would be addressed in favour of Akeredolu.

    The politician urged the party supporters to remain steadfast and pray to God for the panel to uphold truth and justice.

  • ‘APC will tackle Nigeria’s problem’

    The Special Adviser to Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Environment, Hon.Bola Ilori, has expressed optimism that the All Progressive Congress (APC) will rescue the country from its present precarious situation. Ilori, who is a chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN), spoke to reporters at the High Court premises,Akure,the Ondo State capital when on a solidarity visit to the party supporters at the tribunal. He said the merging of the parties underscores the collective resolve aimed at rescuing the people of the country from the ‘’ruderless Peoples Democratic Party government”. Ilori emphasised that the merger is not to advance the political interests of the two leaders; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), adding that it is in the national interest. The former Chairman of the Alimoso Local Government Area of Lagos State predicted success for the APC at the general elections. Ilori said the political leaders have overcome the problems that undermined the previous alliances, urging Nigerians to brace up for change at the centre. He described the PDP as a divided house assailed by a protracted civil war, adding that a house divided against itself will fall. Ilori stressed: “PDP has over the years used billions of dollars to produce darkness and poor quality of education. There is mass unemployment, particularly among the youths. The opposition is concerned. APC will soon flow down to the state level when all the necessary things are sorted out at the national level. Nigerians will reject PDP in 2015 and embrace the APC because they are tired of the inept PDP administration”. On the electoral litigation involving the ACN and Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State, Ilori said that, with the unprecedented evidence before the panel about all the illegalities that characterised the last governorship election, the case would be addressed in favour of Akeredolu. The politician urged the party supporters to remain steadfast and pray to God for the panel to uphold truth and justice.

  • Kano to tackle begging with education

    The government of Kano State is to establish an interim policy on the Almajirai system of education, pending the implementation of the Justice Wali Committee on Almajirai Report, Governor Rabi’u Kwankwaso has said.

    He said the government has adequate resources to feed, clothe and educate children in the state, hence there is no reason for some children to scavenge for food on the streets of Kano.

    Speaking during the beginning of the Secondary Schools Sports Competition and distribution of car loan cheques to the tune of N200 million to 1,584 primary school teachers, at the Government House, Kwankwaso said his administration had shared the Justice Wali Committee’s report with other state governments in the North, with a view to stopping begging by children under the guise of Qur’anic education.

    He said no right thinking government would allow its citizens to become beggars when it had the means to educate them for a brighter future, stressing that governments and other stakeholders must do something fast to make children in the North become responsible citizens.

    “We are worried when we see our children roaming the streets begging. That was why we reintroduced the feeding programme in our primary schools so that parents could be encouraged to send their children to schools. We also established schools of Arabic and Islamic Studies to ensure those with bias for religious knowledge are formally educated,” Governor Kwankwaso said.

    He said government would initiate policies that would revive the education sector. According to him, his administration has invested N5billion for the procurement of furniture and teaching materials in primary schools, in addition to the millions of Naira spent on schools’ rehabilitation.

    At the event, the governor distributed cartons of chalk and footballs worth over N100 million to the head teachers.

    The Muslim umbrella body in the North, the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), said in Kaduna yesterday that street begging has dented the image of Muslims in the country.

    In a communiqué at the end of its Annual Central Council Meeting in Kaduna, the JNI also expressed concern over the vilification of Islam and Muslims through various campaigns of calumny as well as the controversy and misunderstanding associated with the polio campaign in the North.

    The communiqué, which was signed by the Secretary General of JNI, Sheikh Khalid Abubakar Aliyu, appealed to Islamic scholars and preachers to foster the spirit and mechanism for cooperating mutually and working together in the interest of Islam.

  • ‘APC will tackle Nigeria’s problem’

    ‘APC will tackle Nigeria’s problem’

    The Special Adviser to Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola on Environment, Hon.Bola Ilori, has expressed optimism that the All Progressive Congress (APC) will rescue the country from its present precarious situation.

    Ilori, who is a chieftain of the Action Congress of Nigeria(ACN), spoke to reporters at the High Court premises,Akure,the Ondo State capital when on a solidarity visit to the party supporters at the tribunal.

    He said the merging of the parties underscores the collective resolve aimed at rescuing the people of the country from the ‘’ruderless Peoples Democratic Party government”.

    Ilori emphasised that the merger is not to advance the political interests of the two leaders; Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), adding that it is in the national interest.

    The former Chairman of the Alimoso Local Government Area of Lagos State predicted success for the APC at the general elections.

    Ilori said the political leaders have overcome the problems that undermined the previous alliances, urging Nigerians to brace up for change at the centre.

    He described the PDP as a divided house assailed by a protracted civil war, adding that a house divided against itself will fall.

    Ilori stressed: “PDP has over the years used billions of dollars to produce darkness and poor quality of education. There is mass unemployment, particularly among the youths. The opposition is concerned. APC will soon flow down to the state level when all the necessary things are sorted out at the national level. Nigerians will reject PDP in 2015 and embrace the APC because they are tired of the inept PDP administration”.

    On the electoral litigation involving the ACN and Labour Party (LP) in Ondo State, Ilori said that, with the unprecedented evidence before the panel about all the illegalities that characterised the last governorship election, the case would be addressed in favour of Akeredolu.

    The politician urged the party supporters to remain steadfast and pray to God for the panel to uphold truth and justice.

     

  • Panel committee to tackle desertification

    Kano State Government has set up a Shelter Belt and Afforestation Committee to facilitate the take-off of the Great Green Wall Programme in the state.

    The programme is aimed at establishing shelter belt trees to check desertification and desert encroachment (Hamada).

    Inaugurating the committee yesterday in his office, the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Rabiu Suleiman Bichi, urged it to ensure the success of the programme.

    He said the programme is to begin in some local governments, which include Makoda, Danbatta and Gabasawa.

    Bichi said the committee, among others, would conduct a baseline survey to determine the areas affected and confirm the routes and walls of trees to be established.

    He said the committee should conduct a field survey and consult with the affected local government officials as well as the communities, to sensitise them on the programme.

    Responding on behalf of the members, the Chairman of the committee, who is also the Commissioner for Environment, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, thanked the government for the assignment. He assured that they would do their best to meet government’s expectation.

    Members of the nine-member committee were drawn from relevant organisations in the state and federal establishments.

  • Jonathan’s inability to tackle terror shameful, says Archbishop

    PRESIDENT, Gospel Baptist Conference of Nigeria and Overseas, Archbishop Magnus Atilade, has described the unabated terror being unleashed on defenseless citizens by the Boko Haram sect as a crying shame on the part of the Federal Government.

    While adding that the failure of the security agencies to tackle the insecurity situation as an indication that President Goodluck Jonathan is timid and unassertive, Atialde urged the President to re-invent his governance with human development and equality as its core objectives.

    Addressing newsmen in Oyo town on the state of the nation, the Archbishop said the nation is at a crossroads where the sitting government has shown lack of capacity to confront terrorism and corruption.”

    Describing the President’s recent statement that Boko Haram is faceless and could not be dialogued with as “disgusting and offensive,” Atilade added further, “The sanctity of human lives and maintenance of peace is sacrosanct and must be given topmost attention by a serious-minded President.

    “Nothing is so important than the protection of lives and properties and nothing is too much in seeking that peace and pursuing it. If in having the peace, we need to dialogue with the devil, we must do it quickly. To say otherwise, in view of the gravity of damaged done to innocent lives and properties by the Boko Haram sect, is to say the least an act of timidity.”

    The Minister of God who is also the South-West Chairman, Organisation of African Churches, wondered why the Federal Government has refused to declare war on Boko Haram, and the inability of security agencies to identify the group’s sources of funding, their sponsors, and even prosecute those arrested so far.

     

  • AFRICAN UNDER-17 QUALIFIER: Eaglets to tackle Mali at 2:00 pm

    AFRICAN UNDER-17 QUALIFIER: Eaglets to tackle Mali at 2:00 pm

    The peculiar tight flight schedule within the West African sub region has again forced the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) to change the kick off time of the Golden Eaglets’ Sunday’s Under-17 African Championship qualifier against the Junior Eagles of Mali to 2:00pm

    The match earlier billed for 4:00pm at the team’s traditional home ground at the U.J Esuene Sports Stadium in Calabar was shifted to 2:00pm so that the Malian delegation could return to Bamako via Lagos as scheduled on Monday.

    It would be recalled that similar reason was responsible for a similar 2:00pm kick off time against Guinea last month but the Golden Eaglets still grinded a convincing 3-0 win despite the harsh weather condition.

    The temperature in Calabar at present is oscillating between 25 and 30 degree Centigrade with a maximum temperature of 31 degree Centigrade expected on Sunday’s afternoon according to local weather forecast.

    Consequently, the Golden Eaglets have equally adjusted their training session in order to acclimatize ahead of the 2:00pm kick-off time even as the team’s medical doctor, Dr. Ayodeji Olarinoye has assured that the players would be able to cope despite the expected dry condition.

    “The good thing is that we have a bunch of experienced coaches and they have actually been making rooms for any change in our training programmes as we are experiencing now,” stated Olarinoye. “All the players we have in camp are match fit and in good spirit too. They would cope with the weather because they are already used to the weather in Calabar.”

    In a related development, Head coach Garba Manu (MFR) has already told the players to brace themselves up for the Malian challenge, adding that no sacrifice would be too small on their parts to ensure outright victory on Sunday.

    “We are playing at 2:00pm on Sunday and that means we must be battle ready,” Garba told the players after the team rounded off training after midday on Wednesday. “It is good that we have been familiarizing ourselves with training around this time and we shouldn’t have any worry playing at any time because we have been training over time during bad and good weather condition.