The 2020 date for the single currency for countries in West African region might have hit a brick wall.
All indications right now shows that it will be difficult to meet the targeted date.
Already, some countries within the region are using the same currency which has been posing some difficulties.
Benin, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo use the West African CFA.
Responding to questions from reporters at the end of the 54th Ordinary Session of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of States and Government, Chairman of ECOWAS Foreign Minister, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama said there were some challenges, which he said normal with such processes.
Onyeama however said the body has a road map for the realization of the single currency regime.
He noted that there are still some contingents that are to be satisfied .
He assured that efforts are still on to ensure that the dream comes to pass, “but it will be difficult to achieve it by 2020”.
On free movement of people and goods, he said the body is putting in place all the needed building blocks.
He added that all efforts are geared towards facilitating the free flow of movement as it is to the benefit of the region.
He further added that serious efforts are on to remove all bottlenecks to free trading among member nations.
In his contribution, the Dr. Jean-Claude Kassi Brou, President of ECOWAS Commission said the region has made a very good progress in its efforts to ensure free movement of people among member states.
He also revealed that part of the efforts was to have biometric identity card for all citizens in the region.
He said three countries have already adopted the biometric identity card.
The Academic Staff Union of Universities-Lagos State University (ASUU-LASU) chapter, has alleged a plot by the university Vice-Chancellor of LASU Prof John Oladapo Obafunwa to sponsor some hoodlums to attack the union chairman Dr Adekunle Idris.
ASUU said a deposed member of the union Dr Tajudeen Olumoko, is being contacted to execute the plan. Dr Olumoko was once the treasurer of ASUU but now the sub-dean Management Sciences of the university.
Idris said:”ASUU just received a piece of information now (yesterday) that the Vice-Chancellor (Prof Obafunwa) has already concluded plans to attack me using some students as hoodlums. We also heard that he (Obafunwa) has contacted one of our suspended members, one Dr Tajudeen Olumoko to coordinate the attacks.
“As I’m talking to you now, security is being beefed up around me. We pray and hope their plans does not sail through but we are telling our members to keep their nose close to the ground in case of any unexpected incident on me or the union.”
Though a text sent to Prof Obafunwa was not replied as at the time of filling this report, Olumoko said ASUU’s allegations are as baseless and amount to character assimilation.
In a phone conversation with The Nation, Olumoko wondered where the union got the piece of information. He said though he once had issues with ASUU that resulted in his unlawful suspension; he would not on that account orchestrate any evil plan against his colleagues.
“The issues are simple!” Olumoko told our reporter on phone yesterday. “Workers including ASUU are fighting against non-promotion of members, management refusal to set up budget monitoring committee to access Federal Government intervention fund and other demands which I also considered legitimate.
“So how will I be against such demands? Truth is we have our issues which border on my unlawful suspension from ASUU. But that has since been thrashed.
“The last time I was in school was Wednesday March 25, and since then I’ve not come around. Maybe they (ASUU) felt that way because I am more popular with students. Let me also warn that any student that is bold enough to attack his lecturer has automatically placed a curse on himself.”
The university PRO, Mrs Ronke Osho also denied knowledge of such plan.
“I’m not aware of this,” she told our reporter on phone yesterday.
Meanwhile ASUU-LASU has condemned in strong terms the recess declared by the management of the university last week directing workers and students to vacate the campus supposedly in view of the ongoing general elections.
A statement made available to The Nation at the weekend and signed by ASUU chairman Dr Idris and secretary Dr Wale Adeyemi-Suenu, noted that aside declaring that management by law, has no statutory right to take such action, the union is more worried that the purported recess bears no resumption date.
The statement states: “The union would like to state, unequivocally, that the open-ended recess announced for the sake of elections is not only unwarranted and disruptive to the academic calendar, it is equally illegal and therefore null and void as the vice-chancellor under the guise of the university management, has no authority within LASU Law to declare such.
“The shutting down of activities in the university when other institutions are undertaking academic activities is an act of impunity that will adversely affect our students- the main purpose of which the university exists. By law, only the Senate of LASU has the prerogative to adjust the academic calendar and declare a recess.
A group, Northern Christian Leaders Eagle Eyes Forum (NCLEEF) has raised the alarm that the lives of its officials are under serious threat following their endorsement of the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), General Muhammadu Buhari.
The group said its members cannot be intimidated into supporting President Jonathan on mere basis of religious sentiment adding that, if it was about religion, Christians had ruled Nigeria for longer period than Muslims.
The Christian leaders said they supported President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, but his tenure in the past six years has been a disappointment to Nigerians; particularly Christian communityý.
Addressing a press conference in Kaduna yesterday, chairman of the group, Pastor Aminchi Habu, said the group decided to support Buhari because of Jonathan’s failure as president.
Habu stressed that, “Our decision to endorse Buhari was informed by our patriotic commitment to build a free, fair and a secular society where the inheritance should be justice to all.
“After the endorsement, our members have continued to receive threatening phone calls and text messages, labelling them a sell-out group who has abandoned a Christian candidate in the person of President Goodluck Jonathan.
“We supported the present government in 2011, however after critical analysis, the forum decided to endorse General Muhammadu Buhari because of Jonathan’s abysmal performance, the security challenges, outrageous corruption in public places, coupled with economic downturn.
“Our enemies accused us of collecting N500,000,000.00 from General Buhari, this accusation is not only wrong, but a blatant lie from the pit of hell. We charged anybody with concrete evidence of any money collected by anybody on behalf of the forum to come forward with such evidence.
“The endorsement of Buhari was done publicly, and not secretly like our accusers will do, yet a segment of corrupt minds are employed to water down the good intention of the forum which is to build bridges and promote peaceful co-existence.
We shall not betray our trust as religious leaders for any monetary consideration. We shall do everything humanly possible within our calling to protect the interest of our image. We are therefore calling on the Christians not to be deceived by these religious bigots and shun sentiment by voting the right candidate in the forthcoming general election.”
“Christians have ruled Nigeria for 29years and three months, as against the Muslims leadership of 23 years and one month.The problem of leadership in Nigeria is not in religion but lack of vision and focus on the part of the leaders. When President Jonathan assumed the leadership of this country, the economy was in sound footing, there was also security but look at what is happening today; the economy is nothing to write home about, so also the security situation,” he added.
For supporting Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, a member of the House of Representatives, representing Degema/Bonny Federal Constituency, Davies Sokonte, has alleged threats to his life.
Sokonte said his extended family members were not spared from the threats.
In a statement at the weekend, the lawmaker said he would not abandon Amaechi and the cause he was pursuing.
The statement reads: “Recently, my family and I have come under attacks due to my principled stance concerning the issues of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State and my support for Governor Rotimi Amaechi.
“These attacks have been in various forms, such as anonymous phone calls, death threats, subtle coercing by others who request that I mellow down on my position.
“Please, note that I am making this statement to all concerned that there is nothing anybody can do against the truth and as it is said, tyranny thrives when men of good conscience keep silent.
“Also, note that cowards die many times before their death.
“Finally, let it be known to all that for me, anybody who intends to kill me has just declared his or her own obituary.
“I have never shed anybody’s blood and nobody can shed my blood or that of any member of my family.
“What has Governor Amaechi done to attract all this hatred? What type of governor will Amaechi be if he kept silent?
“As for my support, nobody can stop it because I am convinced beyond any doubt that Amaechi has done well and is doing well.
“I believe that this distraction they want to give to him has failed and that he will finish stronger.
“He is not only a national darling but an international one.
“People should stop trying to destroy what they cannot build.
“If they failed when they had opportunity, they could join the achiever in commending him/her and share in the success by so doing.”
