The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Vice president

  • Lufthansa gets new vice-president

    Lufthansa gets new vice-president

    Lufthansa group has appointed Dr. Stefan Kreuzpaintner as  Vice-President, Sales EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa), Lufthansa Group Airlines.

    In this position, Mr. Kreuzpaintner will be responsible for all sales and commercial activities in the EMEA region, including Nigeria – altogether comprising 74 markets in Europe (except for the airlines’ home markets, Austria, Germany and Switzerland), the Middle East as well as Africa.

    He will be based in Frankfurt and manage the recently merged areas of Europe and Middle East/Africa for the group’s premium airlines, Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa and SWISS.

    Furthermore, Kreuzpaintner and his entire sales team will represent Brussels Airlines in many markets as well as support the sales activities of Eurowings.

    In his function,  Kreuzpaintner reports to his predecessor, Heike Birlenbach, Senior Vice-President, Sales Lufthansa Hub Airlines and Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Hub Frankfurt.

    Birlenbach : ”With Stefan Kreuzpaintner, we appointed an airline manager with vast experience within the Lufthansa Group, including Network Planning, Revenue Management, Distribution and Sales.

    With his qualification and dedication, we will further strengthen our premium customer approach in these key markets.

    Kreuzpainter’s close ties to our strong airline brands Austrian, Lufthansa and SWISS clearly support our commercial strategy to increase the customers’ choice and flexibility within our airline group in the future.”

  • Buhari’s health: No cause for alarm – Presidency

    Buhari’s health: No cause for alarm – Presidency

    The Federal Government has assured Nigerians that despite the insinuations of a number of media organisations, there is no need for apprehension over the health of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu on Thursday.

    The statement noted that as eager as President Buhari is to be up and about, Doctors have advised on his taking things slowly, as he fully recovers from the long period of treatment in the United Kingdom some weeks ago.

    “President Buhari’s absence at the Federal Executive Council meeting of Wednesday, April 26, was a last minute decision; otherwise, the cabinet and the public might have been alerted in advance,” Shehu said in the statement.

    He further noted that on his return to the country, President Buhari himself intimated Nigerians of the state of his health while in London, adding that full recovery is sometimes a slow process, requiring periods of rest and relaxation.

    “Despite his lack of visibility, Nigerians should be rest assured

    that President Buhari has not abdicated his role

    as Commander-in-Chief of Nigeria.”

    “He receives daily briefings on the activities of the government and confers regularly with his Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo. His private residence, in which he has been spending the majority of his time recently, also has a fully equipped office.

    “God is the giver of life and health. We are grateful that He has seen our President through the worst period of his convalescence in London. We are thankful that the President has passed a number of benchmarks already. We pray that God continues to see him through this period of recuperation,” he summed.

  • FEC meeting fails to hold Wednesday

    FEC meeting fails to hold Wednesday

    The weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting failed to hold on Wednesday due to inability of the Secretariat to circulate relevant meeting documents as a result of the Easter holiday.

    The government had declared last Friday and Monday as public holiday to allow Christians mark the anniversary of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

    The Presidency on Wednesday also denied speculations that the cancellation could be because of President Muhammadu Buhari’s health.

    Similar speculations had trailed the absence of President Buhari last Wednesday when the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo presided over the meeting.

    Speaking on the matter on Wednesday, the Senior Special Assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, said that it was canceled because the FRC secretariat staff had no opportunity to circulate relevant documents for the meeting because of the Easter holiday.

    He said “I think it is because of the Easter holiday. The secretariat had no time to circulate the necessary documents,

    “The staff on the Council secretariat  resumed on Tuesday after the Easter. There was no time to prepare and circulate memos to ministers.

    “By practice, the ministers receive council memos two or three days ahead of meetings because they must read them and sometimes undertake research.

    “It is not a rubber stamp council so everyone must prepare themselves well for debates,” he added.

    On why the documents were not circulated before the holiday since the secretariat knew before hand that there would be a holiday, he explained that as human beings, they also needed the break.

    He denied the suggestion that the cancellation was related to the president’s state of health.

    Stressing that it would be wrong to make such assumption, he said “That will not be fair.”

    Explaining the President’s absence at FEC last week, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had said that Buhari did not attend FEC meeting because he was attending to other issues.

    He said: “Clearly when we came in this morning, Mr President was not in the chambers but the Vice President did preside over the council meeting.

    “Understandably, that has sparked a lot of controversies and imputations in the mind of people.

    “I just want to make this clear, Mr President is in town. Mr. President is attending to other issues. Mr president looked at the agenda, it was a very light agenda and decided that the Vice President should preside.

    “It’s not unusual for the kind of interest that is shown especially given the fact that Mr. President was away for a while on medical treatment and is not. We are not surprised that people will be wondering is he ill again?

    “He is not ill, he is not sick. Am sure that later in the day or tomorrow morning he will be back in the office. I just want to clear that misconception.

    “Is not unusual even if Mr. President is hail and hearty and everything is going on well for the VP to come and preside over meetings of the federal executive council.

    “The fact that Mr. President is not in the office does not mean that he is not working.

    “I have just been told now that the Secretary to the Government is already with with him in the residence working.

    “So, the fact that you did not see him in the office does not mean that he is not working at all,” he stated

  • Osinbajo urges political leaders to use position to bring change

    Osinbajo urges political leaders to use position to bring change

    The Vice-President, Prof.  Yemi Osinbajo, has called on political leaders to commit themselves to act collectively and individually in ways that can alter the ways things are done in Nigeria for the common good.

    Osinbajo gave the advice on Thursday when he met with a delegation of the House of Representatives in his office to discuss the economy and, particularly, possible ways of taking  Nigeria’s economy out of recession.

    The legislators, who called on the vice-president were members of the House of Representatives Tactical Committee on Recession, led by its Chairman, Dr Bode Ayorinde.

    He said leadership was a call to service.

    “How many people will get this kind of opportunity we have to lead? The opportunity to serve is one that must be taken seriously and used for the common good,’’ Osinbajo said.

    He said “ it is in our interest to deal with corruption.

    “This is not moralising, it is an existential threat, it a survival issue; we need to address the fundamentals of that abnormality; if we do not address it, no matter what we say, things won’t work.

    “I think it is very important, especially for us who are in government today either as legislature or executive.

    “We have to address this issue, it is a fundamental issue; everywhere in the world, even where they do not have the problems we have, they are addressing the issue.

    “So we must address it and it is everywhere; look at foreign exchange and you can identify the problems, you fix the rate of foreign exchange at the rate it is and you know what the black market is.

    “Look at the arbitrage which is so large; there is bound to be corruption, it is impossible for there not to be corruption.’’

    Osinbajo offered hope that the monetary and fiscal policies were being harmonised, adding: “we are constantly in discussion with the CBN on how to reduce interest rates.’’

    Responding to issues of revenue allocation, the vice-president stressed  that emphasis must shift from ‘sharing’ to generating more revenue internally, including in the states.

    He said the Federal Government was actively exploring options on how best to liquidate the debts owed contractors across the country, including the option of using bonds.

    In his remarks, Ayorinde said some of the committee’s areas of concern included the foreign exchange policy and its impact on manufacturing and called for a review.

    He said the Tactical Committee was ready to interface with the Economic Management Team.

    He also commended the team for its efforts to revamp the economy including the recently released Economic Recovery and Growth Plan.

    Earlier, the vice-president chaired a meeting of the National Innovation and Research Council attended by ministers of Science and Technology, Budget and National Planning, Education and Justice.

    Representatives of the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria also attended the meeting.

  • Lagos speaker hails Buhari, Osinbajo style of leadership

    Lagos speaker hails Buhari, Osinbajo style of leadership

    Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa has urged leaders around the world, politicians especially, to emulate the exemplary leadership style of President Muhammdu Buhari and Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

    Commenting on the return of President Buhari from medical vacation in UK at the weekend in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Political and Legislative Matters, Hon. Mufutau Egberongbe, Obasa commended President Buhari for handing over the baton to Prof. Osinbajo when he was leaving for London for his vacation.

    According to him, the President did the expected and necessary thing by handing over to Osinbajo, “and since the president left for vacation, activities in the country were not put on hold, in just one week, Osinbajo visited Rivers state two times despite being an opposition state as well as some other Niger Delta states.

    “The Acting President didn’t just visit Rivers state, while there he flagged-off the reconstruction of doctors’ quarters in Port Harcourt and also inspected the ongoing construction of the Rivers state Ecumenical Centre.

    “And just last week, he paid an unscheduled visit to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where he expressed dissatisfaction with the state of some of the facilities within the airport, and noted that there was need to urgently make the facilities function at optimal level.

    “Few days after this visit to the airport, the Federal Government sacked all the nine directors of the nine directorates in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). This shows that we have a Vice President who is not docile; in other climes, the Vice President would have to wait for the President to return before taking action,” Obasa said in the statement.

    “There were so many other pressing issues Osinbajo was able to take care of during the period without any controversy”.

    The Speaker further explained that the attributes displayed so far by Osinbajo gave President Buhari the confidence to attend to his health fully, adding that he (Osinbajo) has shown that he is capable and can deliver in the absence of his principal.

    Obasa maintained that Osinbajo has served as a Commissioner for Justice under the tutelage of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his contributions to the state judiciary and legal system cannot be over-emphasized.

    “He has been in the thick of the action since Buhari left the shores of the country to proceed on vacation and a routine medical check-up in the United Kingdom. Leaders must emulate this leadership style of Buhari and Osinbajo,” Obasa added.

     

  • Buhari, Osinbajo’s leadership style worthy of emulation – Obasa

    Buhari, Osinbajo’s leadership style worthy of emulation – Obasa

    Speaker of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Hon. Mudashiru Obasa has urged leaders around the world, politicians especially, to emulate the exemplary leadership style of President Muhammdu Buhari and Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

    Obasa in a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Political and Legislative Matters, Hon. Mufutau Egberongbe commended President Buhari for handing over the baton to Prof. Osinbajo when he was leaving for London for his vacation.

    According to him, the President has done the expected and necessary thing by handing over to Osinbajo, “and since the president has left for his vacation, activities in the country have not been put on hold, in just one week, Osinbajo visited Rivers state two times despite being an opposition state.

    “The Acting President didn’t just visit the state, while there he flagged-off the reconstruction of doctors’ quarters in Port Harcourt and also inspected the ongoing construction of the Rivers state Ecumenical Centre.

    “And just last week, he paid an unscheduled visit to the Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, where he expressed dissatisfaction with the state of some of the facilities within the airport, and noted that there was need to urgently make the facilities function at optimal level.

    “Few days after this visit to the airport, the Federal Government sacked all the nine directors of the nine directorates in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA). This shows that we have a Vice President who is not docile; in other climes, the Vice President would have to wait for the President to return before taking action,” Obasa said in the statement.

    The Speaker further explained that the attributes displayed so far by Osinbajo has given President Buhari the confidence to attend to his health, adding that he (Osinbajo) has shown that he is capable and can deliver in the absence of his principal.

    Obasa maintained that Osinbajo has served as a Commissioner for Justice under the tutelage of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his contributions to the state judiciary and legal system cannot be over-emphasized.

    “He has been in the thick of the action since Buhari left the shores of the country to proceed on vacation and a routine medical check-up in the United Kingdom. Leaders must emulate this leadership style of Buhari and Osinbajo,” Obasa added.

  • Alex Okosi named Viacom Africa’s Executive Vice President

    Alex Okosi named Viacom Africa’s Executive Vice President

    Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) Africa has promoted its SVP/MD to the position of Executive Vice President & Managing Director of the African multimedia entertainment network.

    Okosi, a Nigerian, is expected to continue to lead the growth and expansion of VIMN, the biggest international network on the continent and home to world class entertainment brands such as MTV, MTV Base, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., Nicktoons, VH1 and BET.

    The move was part of the company’s resolve to reinforce the executive team to drive its successful business in Africa.

    In other senior appointments, Strini Naicker has been promoted to the new role of Vice President, Commercial and Content Distribution, Dillon Khan as Vice President, Comedy Central, Africa, Chris Torline as Senior Marketing & Digital Media Director while Richard Hill will take on the new role of Director, Legal, VIMN Africa.

    “This is an exceptional, experienced and proven senior executive team that has been instrumental in VIMN Africa’s growth and success,” said Okosi who pointed out that “their leadership and vision will help drive our business goals and position us for further long-term success.”

    As the driving force behind VIMN Africa’s powerhouse entertainment brands MTV Base, MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon Jr., NickToons, VH1 Classic and BET on the African continent, Okosi will continue to report to Raffaele Annecchino, Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks (VIMN) South Europe, Middle East & Africa.

  • Osinbajo, Ambode, Mimiko, others attend RCCG Holy Ghost Congress

    Osinbajo, Ambode, Mimiko, others attend RCCG Holy Ghost Congress

    The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osibanjo and his wife, Oludolapo; Governor of Lagos State, Akinwumi Ambode and his wife, Bolanle; Ondo State Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko and his wife Olukemi; Speaker, Ekiti state house of assembly, Kola Oluwawole and Chief judge of South Africa, Mogoeng Mogoeng were on Friday present at the Redemption Camp on km46, Lagos Ibadan Expressway, for this year’s Holy Ghost Congress of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), with the theme; ‘Complete restoration’.

    The one week long congress which began on Monday, December 5, ended will end Saturday, December 10.

    It was a gathering of millions of worshippers from all over the world.

    In his sermon on Friday night, The General Overseer of RCCG, Pastor Enoch Adeboye, spoke on the topic, ‘Complete restoration’.

    The Cleric explained that complete restoration is a process.  He said every Christian is entitled to miracles,  noting that those who are not born again cannot get miracle, because miracles comes from God and God is holy.

    Reading from Ezekiel chapter 3, verse 7 to 10, Adeboye said; “Whenever God wants to begin the process of restoration, He remembers the forgotten and miracles are bound to follow. God also he visits the person and something miraculous happens

    “Anytime God want to do something there must be a noise; When God arrives, there must be a shaking; nakedness is covered; shame is ended; the  wind blows, and whenever the wind blows there will be miracles,” he said.

    The Cleric assured that the blessings of God makes rich and adds no sorrow. “When a miracle comes from God it is clean, with no string are attached and there will be divine protection. “When you are child of God your future is secured. Whatever is available to Jesus is available to you,” he said.

  • TUC rejects proposed increase in data tarrif

    TUC rejects proposed increase in data tarrif

    …Says it is against Nigerians
    The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC), said Tuesday that the proposed increase in data rate by the telecoms operators in the country was a conspiracy against the collective interest of the common man in the country.

    In a statement made available to newsmen and signed by the President, Comrade Bobboi Bala Kaigama and Acting Secretary General, Comrade (Barr.) Simeso Amachree, the Congress said the proposed increase was unacceptable as if is aimed at frustrating the lives of the Nigerian people.

    If said rather than increase awareness for greater citizens’ participation especially in ICT, they are doing the opposite, pointing out that while the government is banking on ICT for youth empowerment, the NCC is trying to cut youth participation.

    The statement reads: “The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria warns against the on-going conspiracy between the Federal Government through the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) and some major telecom companies, especially MTN to further increase their data rates from December 1, 2016. It is really startling the extent government and its capitalist’s cronies would go to frustrate the lives of Nigerians.

    “We feel particularly awful about the move because data is one of the cheapest ways to empower the teaming youth. This move if allowed would make it unaffordable. In our view, this is insensitive and criminal on the part of the parties involved.

    “We are not surprised that MTN has thrown its whole weight behind the policy; but the telecom giant should realized that trying to lobby the government will not save the organization when the chips are down. Of course, this cannot happen in South Africa.

    “Naturally, we had expected that government would increase awareness for greater citizens’ participation especially in ICT, but unfortunately they are doing the opposite. One cannot really situate Federal government policy direction these days.

    “On the one hand, the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo is banking on ICT for youth empowerment while on the other, the NCC is trying to cut youth participation. All the promises made to the Chief Executive Officer of Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg when he visited the country cannot be achieved if the policy is implemented.

    “This is not the best way to make money. This move is spineless and should be done away with. What then would be the benefit of the policy to the self-employed who depend on data for their businesses? The truth is, cheap internet data is a vehicle of some sort to economic development.

    “It is very unfortunate, very unreasonable and inhuman to come up with such idea at a period of recession. Any call for increase in anything for now is most unreasonable, uncalled for and a calculated attempt to record more suicide cases and insecurity in our already tension-soaked country.

    “The telecoms sector was often used as a case study to justify the removal of fuel subsidy. But the question is, is the telecoms sector truly deregulated? What happens to the issue of free market in the telecoms sector?

    “There is so much deceit and insincerity in the system. We are calling on government to come up with godly policies that would encourage investment and stimulate growth, instead of deliberately trying to stifle businesses.”

  • Group faults Niger Delta leaders’ 16-point demand

    Group faults Niger Delta leaders’ 16-point demand

     

    Niger Delta Youth Association (NDYA), has faulted the 16-point demand handed to President Muhammadu Buhari by leaders of Niger Delta, known as ‘Pan-Niger Delta Forum, (PNDEF) on the way forward in resolving the crisis in the oil -rich region.

    This was contained in a seven-point communiqué issued in Akwa Ibom State after an emergency conference of the body during which it took a critical assessment of the ’16 Point Demand’ earlier presented to the Presidency.

    In the communiqué, the President, Comrade Victor James, Vice President, Comrade Ibiso Harry and other executives of NYDA, regretted that the leaders could not give priority to the Niger Delta Coastal Road Project which they said would improve the economic life of the people of the region.

    Harry who read the communiqué for the group also pointed out that the delegation ought to have expanded the request for the granting of oil and gas blocks to cover communities of the entire Niger Delta other than giving few individuals the blocks.

    The group while commending the contingent for their courage, tasked the presidency to ensure sincerity in dealing with the issues of Niger Delta.

    The communiqué read in part: “We endorsed some of the ’16 Points Demands’, ranging from the Maritime University at Okrenkoko in Delta State, to the restructuring of the Amnesty Programme, the opening up of Warri, Calabar and Port Harcourt Ports as international Ports, the cleaning up of the entire Niger Delta wherever pollution is found.

    “PNDEF should have made the ‘Niger Delta Coastal Road Project’ one of its basic demands and as clear as possible without ambiguity because it is strategically positioned along the region’s vast coastline and an economically viable project which will attract serious foreign investments to the Niger Delta in terms of real estate and tourism.

    “Some demands like the federal government’s granting of oil and gas blocks should rather be expanded to cover communities of the entire Niger Delta as simply giving a few individuals from the Niger Delta oil and gas blocks will not create the wealth need to move the region forward.

    “The reason is because our region is suffering from institutional and systemic poverty, therefore, clusters of communities within all ethnic nationalities should be granted oil and gas blocks as doing so will create wealth which the people are starved and which prevents the people from enhancing their potentials.

    “What the Niger Delta needs is sincerity from this present administration particularly when it cannot be argued that the current resurgence of violence and insurgency resulting in the bombing of oil and gas facilities is occasioned by the current administration’s approach to issues relating to the Niger Delta Region and Its People.”