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Tag: Vice president

  • Africa needs determined youths, says Osinbajo 

    Africa needs determined youths, says Osinbajo 

    Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, has commended the Imo State governor, over the establishment of the Rochas Foundation College of Africa, which has offered scholarship to the first batch of 275 students from 55 African countries.

    Osinbajo said that Africa needs determined young people who understand that the future belongs to the bold and to the intelligent.

    He noted that it does not matter where one starts from, “but how committed and how determined one is”.

    The Vice President made the remark when he visited the Students of Rochas Foundation College of Africa in Owerri weekend.

    Adressing the students, the Vice President, said that shaking their hands and talking to them “is talking to the bright future of Africa”.

    His words “It is really a special pleasure to meet you personally and to be able to shake your hands as well. Shaking your hands and talking to you is talking to the bright future of Africa and am really excited. And the reason why it is so is because what Africa needs most is committed and determined young people who understand that the future belongs to the bold and to the brain”.

    He continued, “it doesn’t matter where one starts from, it doesn’t matter at all where you start from. It is how committed you are, how determined you are and how hardworking you are, that will ultimately make the difference; all of those that you see anywhere in the world especially in Africa, everyone that you see has a story. Many have stories that are similar to yours”.

    He added further that, “So, there is no disadvantage. As a matter of fact, you have become very privileged because there are millions of children in Africa and other parts of the world that have not had the opportunity of education. Every one of us who is seated here, who has gone to School, represents a tiny percentage of Africans, a small percentage including yourself. That you are in the School, you represent a very special privileged class and that puts a great deal of responsibility on your shoulders.

    “You cannot afford not to do well. You cannot afford not to work hard. You cannot afford to blow the opportunity. This opportunity is a great one. Every opportunity to go to School is a great opportunity and all of us who are seated here are beneficiaries of an opportunity to go to School. I want to say that I am very excited for you and I also almost feel envious of you because the future is so bright and you are going to have such a great future.

    “And when I look at all of you, and I see that you are from different parts of Africa and that you are already working together, you are doing what it is that we have been trying to achieve all these many years. So in the next few years when I meet you guys, you will be the Presidents, Vice Presidents, Prime Ministers, Engineers, great Technologists, great businessmen and women, great legislators all over Africa and when that opportunity comes you must not forget me”.

    Governor Rochas Okorocha in his speech, told the Vice President that, “some of them have been here about one month or two months and many of them are still coming. But what has shocked me about this whole thing here is the relationship that exists among them, not even the story of poverty because you can see the young girl who introduced the Students said meet my brother, meet my Sister”.

    He also remarked that,  “this is the Africa that we are talking about and those people here are the future Presidents, future governors. There is a serious competition in the class among nations which country will beat the other. The first one to three positions in the class would go to America for holidays. We have been doing this for the past seventeen years. But this is the first time we are having the Rochas Foundation College of Africa, but there are other Schools we have with over fifteen thousand students and located in different parts of this country.

    “This is an attempt to bring the whole African nations under one roof. That is why we signed the MoU here with President Jacob Zuma and the understanding with President Kuffo Addo and many nations are coming. We are hoping that this might be the final tree that would provide shed for all African nations and with somebody like you who is so passionate about things like this, I know with your support we shall go far”.

    Read Also: Obasanjo bags AFRIMMA’s Leadership Award

     

  • FG orders NAFDAC to cut down registration period

    FG orders NAFDAC to cut down registration period

    As part of the efforts to improve the ease of doing business in the country, the federal government Tuesday ordered the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration (NAFDAC) to reduce products registration period by 30 days.

    Currently, it takes 90 days to register products with NAFDAC.

    With the new directive, henceforth registration of should not be more than 60 days.

    Speaking in Abuja Tuesday at the NAFDAC stakeholders’ consultative forum on the ease of doing business in Nigeria, the Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo, said that this will encourage business owners.

    The Vice-President, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Fola Johnson, said a shorter period of sixty days is possible.

    He therefore charged NAFDAC to speed up its process of registration as this was one of the best ways to encourage small businesses.

    He said, “Sixty days is possible. Collectively let us put our house in order. Let MSMEs, NAFDAC and the Federal Government, target 60 days. The shorter the time for registration, the better for MSMEs, because just to collect a registration numbers should not take months, when will you start the business? When will you start making profits?

    “Any MSME that employs a person today is doing the Federal Government a huge favour. What the Federal Government is supposed to do is create an enabling environment.

    “It is the private sector that drives the economy, so we must encourage every activity that drives that space,” he said.

    In his reaction, the acting Director-General of NAFDAC, Mr. Ademola Mogbojuri, said the agency had reduced its registration period from a maximum of one year to a minimum of 90 days.

    He however assured that efforts would be made to ensure that it is brought down to between a month and 60 days especially for small businesses.

    On other measures taken to encourage small businesses, Mogbojuri, who was represented by Mr. Abubakar Jimoh, Director, Strategy said the agency had recently slashed by 50 per cent the cost of registration for companies with less than five employees.

    He said:  “In order to encourage MSMEs, NAFDAC has guaranteed a 50 per cent reduction in cost of registration of products for companies with five or less than five employees “We’ve also reduced the registration time to 90 days and established a small business support desk to guide small business through the registration process and serve as enquiry point for small businesses on regulatory issues.

    “NAFDAC has set up a system for the electronic submission of documents to line directorates to reduce the time taken for hard copies to get to such directorates in Lagos,” he noted.

    Magbojuri also hinted that NAFDAC would ensure that bread registration is done within 30 days while the fees charged for registration of locally manufactured products are lower than those charged for imported products.

  • Osinbajo leads Dangote, others to Alaghodaro Investment Summit

    Osinbajo leads Dangote, others to Alaghodaro Investment Summit

    The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, is to lead industry titans including Africa’s richest man and President of the Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote, to the maiden edition of Alaghodaro Investment Summit, to be hosted by the Edo State Government, in Benin City, beginning on November 10.

    The three-day summit with the theme: “Envisioning the Future,” will explore opportunities for local and foreign direct investments in Edo State by highlighting the state’s competitive advantage across various sectors.

    Also expected at the investment summit are local and international business leaders and investors, bankers, financiers, industry experts, policymakers, the diplomatic community and the academia.

    The summit will showcase the reform that the Obaseki-led government has carried out in critical sectors of the economy such as the Private Property Protection Law that has sanitised land acquisition and use, the planned development of 58 tourist sites across the state that will unlock the tourism potential of the state and the incentives for investment in the agricultural sector through public private partnership, amongst other sectors.

    According to the Chairman of Alaghodaro 2017 organising committee,  Asue Ighodalo: “The world over, governments are looking beyond oil to alternative revenue sources in order to ensure sustainable development, and we must also get creative and take action today for our future and the future of our children.”

    Ighodalo said that the key areas of focus at the three-day event would include Law and Order, Civil Service Reform, Agriculture, Manufacturing, Transportation, Forest Regeneration and Conservation, Education, Healthcare and Arts and Culture.

    He further said that Alaghodaro Summit, is part of the response of the Edo State Government, under the leadership of Mr. Godwin Obaseki, to the imminent threat of an oil-dependent economy.

  • Senate endorses swearing-in president, vice at NASS

    Senate endorses swearing-in president, vice at NASS

    The Senate Thursday passed a Bill for an Act to provide for the inauguration of the President and the Vice-President at the National Assembly Complex.

    The passage of the Bill followed the adoption of the report of the Senate Committee on Special Duties which scrutinized the legislation.

    The Bill was sponsored by Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu.

    Chairman of the Committee, Senator Abdulaziz Nyako who presented the report noted that the Senate had on Thursday, December 8, 2016, deliberated on the general principles of the Bill.

    “The Bill seeks to provide for the inauguration or swearing in of the President and the Vice-President to be carried out within the confines of the Parliament as it is done in the United States and other democracies of the world.

    “This is in recognition of the fact the legislature is the assemblage of the representatives of the entire country and as such, it will not be out of place for such important national event to take place in the National assembly.”

    Ekweremadu who presided said that inauguration of the President and his vice at the National Assembly Complex is a standard practice in most presidential systems.

    “That is the standard. Because the National Assembly is the symbol of democracy and here is the temple of democracy. It makes every sense that presidents will take oath office within the confines of the highest legislative body in the land under the supervision of the peoples’ representatives.”

  • Osinbajo denies approving NNPC ‘Contracts’

    Osinbajo denies approving NNPC ‘Contracts’

    Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday said that he only approved two loans for the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and not contracts.

    Osinbajo’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande had earlier said that the Vice President approved contracts for NNPC.

    Akande said the contracts were approved after due diligence by the Vice President when he acted as President when President Muhammadu Buhari was away in the United Kingdom.

    The VP’s aide said his principal approved the recommendations for the contracts as part of necessary actions to deal with the backlog of unpaid cash calls and incentivise investments.

    Akande said Prof. Osinbajo made the clarification in view of media enquiries that followed NNPC’s claim that the contracts were indeed approved by Osinbajo.

    Akande had tweeted: “In response to media inquiries on NNPC joint venture financing, VP Osinbajo, as Ag President approved recommendations after due diligence & adherence to established procedure.

    Read Also: I approved NNPC joint financing contracts – Osinbajo

    “Action necessary to deal with huge backlog of unpaid cash calls which Buhari adm inherited and also to incentivise much needed fresh investments in the oil & gas sector,” Akande had tweeted.

    But reacting to the statement on Thursday in Bonny Island where he flagged off the Bodo-Bonny Road, Rivers state, Osinbajo said he granted loans and not contracts.

    His words: ” They were financing loans, joint venture loans, that have procured so in some cases NNPC ventures have to secure loans and they need the authorization to secure those loans.

    “While the President was away, I granted authorization which is what the law provides.

    “The law actually provides for that authorization, so I did grant all of those, in fact, there were two of them but those are presidential approvals but they are specifically for financing joint ventures and they are Loans not Contracts”, the Vice President added.

  • 2nd Niger Bridge will be a reality — Osinbajo

    2nd Niger Bridge will be a reality — Osinbajo

    The Federal Government has re-stated its resolve to complete work on the  second Niger Bridge as well as other federal projects in the South-East zone.

    The Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo gave the assurance during a funeral mass for late Mrs Roseline Akabueze, the mother of Mr Ben Akabueze, the Director-General, Budget Office, Abuja at St Gabriel Catholic Church, Ifitedunu, Anambra State.

    Osinbajo explained that the FG under President Mohammadu Buhari was committed to completing every federal project in the South East especially the second Niger Bridge.

    According to him, “President Buhari went to China to negotiate with them about the second Niger Bridge and East-West road.

    He said that everything have also been put in place to ensure the completion of Enugu-Onitsha expressway.

    Osinbajo urged the National Assembly to consider and accommodate all the federal projects during their deliberations.

    He re-stated that one of the cardinal principles of Buhari administration was fairness, which according to him has offered every political zone the opportunity to benefit from  his government.

    Also speaking, Gov. Willie Obiano of Anambra recalled that Ifitedunu Community had benefited immensely from his administration, especially in the area of appointments.

    Obiano urged the people to apply for the second phase of his N20 million community “Choose your Project” initiative, which is  geared toward developing every community simultaneously as well as empowering the youths.

    Dignitaries present include the Minister of Labour, Dr Chris Nwabueze Ngige, Minister for Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udo Udoma.

  • FG seeks FRA amendment to off-set N2.7 trillion obligations

    FG seeks FRA amendment to off-set N2.7 trillion obligations

    The Federal Government (FG) is seeking a legal framework for the issuance of promissory note and bond to settle some financial obligations amounting to N2.7 trillion.

    This is contained in a letter to the Senate President, Abubakar Bukola Saraki written by Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo.

    The letter dated August 4, 2017 and addressed to the Senate President was written when Osinbajo was Acting President.

    Saraki read the letter on the floor of the upper chamber on Tuesday a copy of which was obtained by our reporter yesterday.

    Entitled “Request for the amendment of the Fiscal Responsibility Act by the National Assembly to give effect to the proposed promissory note and bond issuance programme,” Osinbajo sought expedited treatment of the request by the Senate.

    The letter read in part: “I forward herewith, for your kind consideration and passage into law, the Fiscal Responsibility (Amendment) Bill, 2017.

    “The proposed amendment is necessitated by the need to commence the programme of promissory note and bond issuance to provide a final solution to the long standing issue of outstanding obligations of the Government that have been quantified at a gross amount of N2.7 trillion.

    “This programme has become imperative in view of the seriousness of the accumulation of these obligations, which are inimical to Government plans to revive the economy through the provision of improved and modernised infrastructure; and, at a human capital level, the issue of pension and promotional arrears, which go back as far as 2012, is causing untold hardship among those who have served. It also adversely affects the morale of those currently in service, and on whom we depend to implement Government programmes.

    “However, as you are no doubt aware, pension and salary arrears are recurrent expenditure and the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 (FRA) clearly stipulate in section 41(1)(a) and 44(2)(b) that the proceeds of borrowing by Government shall be applied solely towards capital expenditure.

    “In this regard, I request that the National Assembly approves the proposed amendment to FRA to provide legal backing for the use of the use of the mentioned instrument in the satisfaction of the accumulated obligations.”

  • Mrs Osinbajo to address women convocation in Abuja

    Mrs Osinbajo to address women convocation in Abuja

    The wife of the Vice President, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo, has accepted to be the Special Guest of Honour and to give keynote address at the Greater Women Pilgrimage Convocation.

    According to a statement signed by Mr Celestine Ogugua, Head Media, on Monday in Abuja, the programme is scheduled for September 21 at the National Women Development Centre, Abuja.

    Osinbajo would also present the keynote address at the occasion.

    Rev. Tor Uja, Executive Secretary, NCPC, was quoted as saying that Mrs Osinbajo would give the needed support and encouragement towards the mobilisation of women pilgrimage.

    Uja said that the one-day workshop was expected to draw female church leaders, wives of church leaders and other leading Christian women.

    He explained that the Commission had held two Strategic women leadership meetings ahead of the convocation.

    The meetings was to make the convocation a success and more importantly on mobilising for Women Pilgrimage to Israel next year.

    Rev. Uja commended the Nigerian Women for their zeal and passion to advance the cause of Women Pilgrimage.

    He further said that the women were pacesetters in the world, and are distinctive in lifestyle, ministry and leadership.

    He urged other women to key into NCPC Women Pilgrimage Programme so as to bring them together under one umbrella and strengthen them in their various roles.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the programme is designed for women in all cadres and to mobilise women for pilgrimage in May 2018.

  • Buhari to military: You must defeat ideologies of mindless killings

    Buhari to military: You must defeat ideologies of mindless killings

    …as, 689 pass out of NDA

     

    As 689 new officers were commissioned into the armed forces on Saturday, President Muhammadu Buhari has told the military that they must defeat the ideologies that promote mindless killings and anarchy, saying that, Nigeria is confronted by enemies whose identities and motivations are unknown

    President Buhari stated this while reviewing the combined passing out parade of the cadets of the 64 Regular Course of the Army, Navy and Air Force), the 65 Regular Course of the Navy and Air Force), and the Short Service Course 44 of the Army.

    The President who was represented by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo said, the swift evolution in suicide bombings is a perfect illustration of the nature of the threats that nations face today, which are unpredictable, asymmetric, constantly adapting to changing conditions and driven by a compulsive need to inflict maximum damage with minimal effort.

    Addressing the newly commissioned officers of the challenges ahead of them, Buhari said, the world has gotten to a stage where people can now learn production of explosive device on the internet.

    He therefore, challenged the military to answer the question of how to defeat the ideologies that promote mindless killings and anarchy.

    According to him, “The world has changed a great deal in the time since today’s graduating classes enrolled into the NDA. The threats that confront us a nation and as a planet have evolved and continue to evolve. Forty years ago, a Speech like this would have been situated firmly within the context of the Cold War with its well-defined ideologies, and distinct warring parties.

    “Today we speak of non-State Actors and of asymmetric warfare, and are confronted by enemies that whose identities are as nebulous as their motivations. It feels like yesterday when the earliest high-profile Boko Haram suicide bombings happened in Nigeria.

    “If I recall correctly the bombing of the Police Headquarters in Abuja was the first major incident to hit the national consciousness. It was a surreal moment, something that no one associated with Nigeria. It was not uncommon, at that time, to hear people argue that the perpetrators had to have been of foreign origin, as it was not in the nature or personality of Nigerians to be suicide bombers.

    “This was only about six years ago. In the time since we have come to grow accustomed to suicide bombings and by Nigerians no less. The targets evolved rapidly, from symbols of authority like the Police Headquarters and the United Nations Building in Abuja, to encompass soft targets bus stations, religious houses, markets. And again very quickly we started to see a trend of female suicide bombers.

    “It is worthy of note that until about 2013, the phenomenon of female suicide bombers was virtually unknown in the Boko Haram insurgency. A short four years later, it is one of the defining elements of the insurgency, young girls, some not even teenagers yet, laden with explosives and sent off as harbingers of death and destruction.

    “This is therefore the question we ought to be asking ourselves: are our Armed Forces evolving with a similar speed and urgency, are they adapting with a similar nimbleness? How do we evolve rules of engagement in asymmetric warfare situations? Should we be redefining the borders of the Geneva Convention in the light of military engagements with armed militant combatants? Can we observe the same human rights rules where suicide bombers and persons determined to die and take with them as many innocent lives as possible? Are they enemy we must confront? What are the borders of the right to privacy and freedom of expression on the internet? What is the responsibility of Nations of the world in policing the internet, which has become a virtual training ground for much good and as much evil.

    “Some of the early analyses of yesterday’s bombing in a London tube suggest that tutorials for making the explosive devices used are available on the internet. How can the military get ahead of the curve on communications in the age of the fast, cheap and available communication for all?

    “We must also answer the question of how to defeat the ideologies that promote mindless killings and anarchy. But just as important as these issues around conflict are the issues around how the military can in the process of innovating or thinking through military uses of science and technology can add real value to the society and nation it has sworn to defend.

    “At this point let me say that I am pleased to note that the NDA has itself been positioning itself as a hub for innovation.  I am already aware of inventions such as an Automated Pop-Up Target System, a Multi-Purpose Combat Mobile Robot, and a Perimeter Surveillance Robot, which the NDA has showcased at various science and technology exhibitions in the recent past. This is laudable and I urge you to sustain the culture.

    “I would also like to urge you to collaborate more extensively with the private sector, for research and innovation. All around the country technology hubs are springing up that are attracting our Nigeria’s brightest talent, and breaking new technological ground. I am convinced that the military should make its presence felt in this area.

    “Let me of course also commend the management of the NDA for your efforts so far in adapting your curriculum and programmes to contemporary realities. I have been told of the recent paradigm shift in the Academy’s training calendar, such that Naval and Air Force cadets now spend only four years in the Academy and then move to their respective bases, in place of the old system that saw them spend all five years in the Academy. By allowing them to spend their final year within their respective bases is a clear indication of the commitment to producing better-trained and better-prepared Naval and Air Force graduates”, he said.

    The President therefore charged the new officers to contribute their own quota to the defence of their fatherland, saying that, they belong to a special breed of young Nigerians, who model the highest form of patriotism and love of country as they have sworn to defend the nation with their lives, as armed forces personnel.

    “You have an obligation to commit yourself to the never-ending task of nation-building, especially at a time like this when our country is urgently in need of peace, unity and cohesion. As you join your senior colleagues in the field, you will be obligated to contribute your own quota to the defence of your fatherland.

  • NIGERIA ELECTED VP OF UN WORLD TOURISM ORAGNIZATION GENERAL ASSEMBLY

    NIGERIA ELECTED VP OF UN WORLD TOURISM ORAGNIZATION GENERAL ASSEMBLY

    NIGERIA, represented by the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has been elected Vice President of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) General Assembly.

    Nigeria was elected by acclamation to represent Africa, alongside Cape Verde, at the 22nd General Assembly of the UNWTO, which opened in Chengdu, China, on Wednesday. China was elected President of the Assembly.

    Nigeria’s election followed the country’s unopposed nomination by the UNWTO Commission on Africa (CAF), which met a day earlier.

    Reacting to Nigeria’s election, the Minister said: ”To be called upon to serve as a Vice President of the General Assembly of the UNWTO is a very big honour to Nigeria.

    ”It has proven one thing, that in the last two years, we have succeeded in pushing tourism and the Creative Industry as a whole from the back burner to the front burner, from a side issue to the main issue. This has also been noticed by the global community and I feel highly gratified by it.”

    Nigeria, which will serve on the UNWTO General Assembly until 2019, will host the 61st edition of the UNWTO CAF Meeting in Abuja on June 4 and June 6, 2018.