Tag: tinubu

• President names Issa-Onilu NOA DG, seven others as Information agencies’ CEOs

• Abu Ibrahim heads NADF, Olusi is BOI’s CEO

• Kashim Imam’s appointment withdrawn

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed new chief executive officers (CEOs) for eight agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

The President also endorsed the appointment of new helmsmen for the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF) and the Bank of Industry (BOI).

A former National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu, is the new Director General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

A statement yesterday in Abuja by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said: “President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of eight new Chief Executive Officers for parastatals and agencies under the Federal Ministry of Information and National Orientation.

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“National Orientation Agency (NOA) — Director General/CEO — Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu; Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) — Director General/CEO — Mr. Salihu Abdulhamid Dembos; Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) — Director General/CEO — Dr. Muhammed Bulama; National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) — Director General/CEO — Mr. Charles Ebuebu.

“Voice of Nigeria (VON) — Director General/CEO — Mr. Jibrin Baba Ndace; Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON) — Director General/CEO — Dr. Lekan Fadolapo; News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) — Managing Director/CEO — Mr. Ali Muhammed Ali; and Nigerian Press Council (NPC) — Executive Secretary/CEO — Mr. Dili Ezughah.

“The President tasks the newly entrusted leadership in these important sub-sectors to innovate and create new opportunities for Nigerians to leverage upon through the effective reform of these key institutions of government which function to unify our people, reshape mindsets, and showcase this great nation to the rest of the world.

“By these directives of the President, the above listed appointments take immediate effect.”

Also, President Tinubu has appointed Mr. Muhammed Abu Ibrahim as the Executive Secretary of the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF).

The appointment, which took immediate effect, was announced in a statement yesterday in Abuja by Ajuri Ngelale.

Also, the President has appointed Dr. Olasupo Olusi as the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry (BOI) for an initial term of four years.

A statement by Ngelale said Olusi’s appointment followed the voluntary retirement of BOI’s immediate past Managing Director, Mr. Olukayode Pitan.

“Dr. Olasupo Olusi has served as a World Bank economist and development finance expert over the past 20 years. Between 2011 and 2015, Dr. Olusi served as the economic adviser to then Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance.

“He is an alumnus of Hull University, United Kingdom (UK). He also obtained a Master’s degree in International Money, Finance, and Investment, as well as a Doctorate in Finance and Economics from Durham University, UK, in 2005.

“The President tasks the new BOI Chief Executive to ensure that Nigerians, who are operating all sizes of enterprises across sectors, are given fair and equitable access to much needed support in order to bolster employment generation and wealth creation amongst income groups in the country with special regard for lower and middle income enterprise operators,” the statement added.

Also, President Tinubu has directed the withdrawal of the nomination of Imam Kashim Imam as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA).

A statement by Ngelale said: “The President’s withdrawal of the above-mentioned nomination is directed with immediate effect.

“All other appointments to the board and executive management team of FERMA are not affected by this directive.”

• National Assembly tasked on early passage of N26.1tr 2024 budget

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has urged the legislature to work with the executive to strengthen and grow the economy as well as fight poverty in the land.

The President expressed discomfort at having 63 per cent of the population in poverty, saying this is unacceptable to his administration.

He assured of his commitments to engender a better life for all Nigerians.

President Tinubu, who was represented by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, spoke at the opening of a two-day retreat on fiscal policy and tax reforms for senators of the 10th National Assembly at Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, the President promised to ensure that the three per cent progress made in developing the economy would be sustained.

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He said: “We will ensure life is better for all Nigerians. It is unacceptable that we are quoted as having 65 per cent of the population, 84 million people, are found as multi-dimensionally poor.

“The antidote to this is that this government is committed to doing all we can to make the Nigerian economy grow and achieve rapid, sustained and inclusive growth.

“I cannot do this alone. There has to be a team network and, of course, legislations. The senators have a key role to play.”

He urged the National Assembly to remain committed, as it has always been, in passing the 2024 budget early so that it could be signed into law before December 31.

Senate President Godswill Akpabio restated the commitment of the 10th National Assembly to legislating on economic reforms that would bring more revenue to the national coffers for national survival.

The Senate President urged fellow senators to follow the dreams of their forebears in the development of the country.

He expressed the National Assembly’s commitment to an economy with double-digit gross domestic product (GDP) growth, greater food security, and one with a strengthened manufacturing base.

The organiser of the retreat and Director General of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS),

Prof. Abubarkar Sulaiman, said the retreat would strengthen measures to deepen legislature–executive relationships and address issues of insecurity, which have hampered meaningful development in the country.

President Bola Tinubu has signed the Instrument of Ratification of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa.

The document was adopted by the 13th Ordinary Session of the Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 29, 2018.

President Tinubu‘s signing of the instrument was contained in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, on Thursday.

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“I, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, do hereby formally declare that the Federal Republic of Nigeria accepts the aforementioned Protocol and undertakes to faithfully perform and carry out the stipulations therein contained;

“In witness whereof, I, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, have set my hand and Seal of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on this Instrument of Ratification at Abuja on this 19th day of October in the year Two Thousand and Twenty-Three,” the President said.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has called for collaboration with the National Assembly to grow Nigeria’s economy.

Declaring the retreat for Senators on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms open at Four Points Hotel by Sheraton, Ikot Ekpene on Thursday, October 19, Tinubu said it was unacceptable that 65 percent of Nigerians, representing 84 million people were multi-dimensionally poor.

The president who was represented by the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, said he was committed to making Nigeria’s economy grow from the current three percent.

He said: “My ambition, commitment, and objective is to make life better for all Nigerians. It is unacceptable that we are quoted as having 65 percent of the population, 84 million people are found as multi-dimensionally poor.

“The antidote to this is that this government is committed to doing all we can to make the Nigerian economy grow and achieve rapid, sustained and inclusive growth.

“I cannot do this alone, there has to be a team network and of course legislators. The Senators have a key role to play.

“At this time when we are considering the medium-term economic framework and fiscal sustainability programme, it is topical and timely that we should be having this retreat.

“I am sure that as I am committed to you, you are also committed to maintaining the fine tradition of having the budget considered, passed and signed into law by December.

“It will take collaboration, teamwork and understanding of all to make all the lofty projects of this administration to work.”

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While speaking, Senate President, Godswill Akpabio said the retreat will transform the physical and mental psyche of Nigerians and look into fiscal laws that contradict the constitution with a view to initiate reviews.

Akpabio said the opportunities given to government agencies to generate revenue and send pittance to the Federal Government was null and void as it was not in tandem with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“This retreat would afford us the opportunity to review some of those laws and at the end, walk closely with the House of Representatives so that we don’t continue to make laws that is against our own constitutional provision.

“We want to assist the Federal Government, we are not against the Federal Government; but if we continue the way we are going, we will continue to have agencies of government spending more monies, agencies competing with the Federal Government, building schools, engaging in scholarships, and building universities.

“We must unbundle the Federal government. We cannot continue to vote money year in, and year out for primary school construction, and primary education and the Federal government does not have a single primary school in this country. Why then do we vote billions of naira at the centre,” he stated.

The Senate President traced insecurity in the country to the mining of natural resources across different states of the country, without proper regulation and remittance to the coffers of the government, and called for a long-term plan to improve the internally generated revenue of the country.

On his part, the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin said fiscal policy and tax reforms that guarantee the nation’s survival should be central to Nigeria’s policies and governance as long as it does not add to the economic woes of the citizens.

He stated: “Our job at this retreat is to contribute to the discourse on the needed Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, towards the realisation of the 8-point agenda of the executive arm of government.

“We are to identify the policies, reforms, and other economic plans in tandem with the thinking of the executive arm of government.”

Also speaking, the speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Abbas Tajudeen mentioned that the high revenue spent on debt servicing constrains the fiscal space for other developmental needs, adding that the multiplicity and duplication of taxes impacts negatively on the nation’s efficient tax system.

Tajudeen stated that the House of Representatives was committed in its collaboration with the Senate to tackle the nation’s fiscal problems through the implementation of appropriate legislative frameworks and measures. 

He said: “The gap between the Federal Government’s revenue and expenses has grown four times larger between 2015 and 2021. In 2023, for instance, the expected budget deficit is over N10 trillion, which is mainly being funded through borrowing.

“Although our debt-to-GDP ratio remains relatively low compared to many countries, the proportion of revenue spent on debt servicing is high, which can constrain the fiscal space for other developmental needs.

“Only a few weeks ago, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, Taiwo Oyedele, disclosed that Nigeria loses about N20 trillion (about $26 billion) annually due to gaps existing within its tax system, including evasion, inefficiencies in collection modes, weak enforcement, and a large informal sector that remains outside the tax net.

“Over the years, the National Assembly has responded proactively to these issues and promoted economic reforms emphasizing ease of doing business.

“We in the 10th House of Representatives intend to work with the Executive and stakeholders to improve the coherence of our tax system, both in terms of administration and operation. Accordingly, the Fourth Legislative Priority in our Legislative Agenda is Economic Restructuring.

“We will use legislative measures to provide incentives on tax breaks to encourage innovations and for industries that have the potential for job creation and export growth.”