Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara said on Wednesday that he missed the opportunity to tell the late Minister of State for Labour and Employment, James Ocholi what he meant to him.
Speaking with an emotion-laden voice at the Service of Song for the late Minister and his family, Speaker Dogora recalled meeting the late Minister in the house of his elder brother, pointing out that “we had useful discussion, but never knew that was the last time we will be meeting.
“If I had known that was the last time I will be seeing him, I would have told him what he meant to me”.
The speaker said although a lot has been said about the late James Ocholi, the service of song was not enough to honour him, pointing out that the service is however an avenue to remind ourselves of what Ocholi did when he was alive.
He said further that the best way to honour the late Minister was to replicate the good virtues he left behind, stating that even though the late Minister has departed, he touched so many lives and will continue to live in the heart of those whose lives he has touched.
A childhood friend of the late Minister and a Justice of the Port Harcourt division of the Court of Appeal, Justice Stephen Adah described Ocholi as a son who spoke the language of his father.
Justice Adah said the late Minister was consistent as a Minister of the gospel, pointing out that Ocholi did what he was passionate about till his death.
In his exaltation, the Founder of Foundation Faith Church (Salem Family) where Ocholi worshipped, Archbishop Sam Amaga asked Christians to remember that there is judgement awaiting man after death, pointing out that it is an appointment that man cannot run away from.
He said further that death, as an appointment must come, but never gives information as to when it will come, pointing out that if death gives notice of when it will come, Ocholi would not have travelled on that day.
He described Ocholi as a book with many chapters, pointing out that he has always been a honest and faithful man who was simple to a fault and died in active service, serving the Lord.
Those who attended the service of song include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Davis Lawal, Archbishop of Abuja Catholic Diocese, Cardinal John Onayekon, Ministers, members of the National Assembly and the deputy governor of Kogi state.
Tag: Yemi Osinbajo
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What I failed to tell Ocholi – Dogara
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FG to create 3 million jobs next 3 years
The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday said that the Federal Government is planning to create about 3 million jobs in the next three years.
The 3 year job plan, he said, is expected to come from the Technology, Wholesale and Retail, Construction and Agro-allied sectors of the Nigerian economy, while 700,000 jobs, which would be private sector driven, would come from the Agro-allied sector.
According to a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, it was contained in the report of an implementation of job plan titled “Strategic Framework & Implementation Plan for Job Creation & Youth Employment in Nigeria, submitted to Osinabjo by the Job creation Unit (JCU) of the Presidency and the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Receiving the report, the Vice President said “We are in a situation now when the only way is up,” thanking the NESG “for working so hard on this project.”
Osinbajo who expressed excitement and hope recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had set job creation as the central focus of government policy when he instructed that policy planning must address the question of, “how many jobs would the policy create?”
Stressing that job creation might be “painfully slow,” Osinbajo assured Nigerians that the Buhari presidency was addressing the constraints that businesses face including regulatory and institutional delays.
He said that government and the private sector needed to work together to produce positive results.
“I am extremely excited at all that is available. We really have everything we need, we just need to get it right” he said
Speaking earlier at the meeting, the chairman of the NESG, Mr. Kyari A. Bukar noted that “NESG is honored to be part of the Committee, and we commit to collaborate with the JCU whilst leveraging our vast private sector network to collectively solve the unemployment challenges Nigeria faces.”
He said that the NESG “have had the opportunity to review the Strategic Framework & Implementation Plan for Job Creation developed by the JCU, with the support of Dahlberg, and understand the urgency in addressing unemployment in Nigeria”.
He urged the federal government to address the sectoral constraints of job creation particularly in the four selected sectors of Technology, Wholesale & Retail, Construction and Agro-allied businesses.
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Nigeria to sign UN gas flaring 2030 deadline agreement
President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday said that Nigeria intends to sign the United Nations Agreement on Zero Routing Gas Flaring by 2030.
This will be done with the support of the National Assembly.
Buhari, who spoke through Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the opening of the 6th African Petroleum Congress and Exhibition in Abuja, also disclosed that the federal government has set an earlier national target of 2020 to end gas flaring in the country.
He said that ending gas flaring was an imperative for African oil producers considering the amount of waste involved.
The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, also called on African countries to take advantage of the gas-to-power potentials.
He observed that “there is also the gas-to-power challenge in many member-states and the paradox of much gas but precious little gas to fire power plants.”
“It’s time to take a much further stand on gas flaring, both from environmental and a waste-of-needed-resources perspectives,” he told the gathering composed of oil and energy ministers from several African countries and chieftains in the oil and gas sector.
He explained that the incremental use of gas in Africa’s energy mix has become an imperative stressing that if Africa must meet her future energy needs, the issue of the development of a robust gas infrastructure must be jointly addressed.
Of the over 150 billion cubit metres of associated gas being flared annually in the world, he saud that Africa flares an estimated 40 billion cubit metres, while about half of that is flared by Nigeria.
He further observed that Nigeria has the 7th largest deposit of gas in the world with reserves estimated at over 185 trillion cubic feet (TCF) and also the highest quality.
He said that with the present volatility in the industry, the coming years would be defining for African oil and gas producing countries.
The President suggested that developing local content initiatives and policies would be very useful for the sector, while also adding that “a common approach to local content will ensure that the whole of Africa benefit from economy of scale associated with vast resources.”
With the current oil prices and the challenges faced in the industry, he said that the relevance and creativity of the African Petroleum Producers Association “is being tested.”
The President assured that the continent has all the resources needed to transform African countries stating that “there is no reason why the African oil and gas industry should remain attached to the apron springs of industries elsewhere.”
Expressing the need for African oil producing countries to take their destiny in their hands, he challenged African Petroleum Producers Association (APPA) member-countries to recognize the latent and huge resources in Africa and develop the strategy for the development of domestic refining capacity in the oil and gas critical for sustainable economic growth.
“We must explore mechanisms to expand regional refining capacities in an efficient and cost effective manner”, he said.
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Nigeria can build solid economy without oil – Osinbajo
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday, said that the country had everything needed to build and sustain a vibrant economy in spite of the drop in global oil prices.
The vice-president said this during an interactive meeting with a group of international investors at the State House, a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity to the Vice-President, Mr Laolu Akande, said.
Akande stated that the interaction involved global investors from companies, including Renaissance Capital, Russia-China Investment Fund, China Africa Development Fund, Invest Abu Dhabi, Actis, Emerging Capital Partners, ECP, KKR & Co. LP, Old Mutual of South Africa.
The senior special assistant quoted Osinbajo as saying “this country has practically what it takes to run a solid economy that is not dependent on oil, but on business and commerce.’’
According to the vice-president, President Muhammadu Buhari has already given the mandate to ensure that conducive environment is created for business investments in the country.
He added that work had already started, with government looking at the different aspects involved.
The Vice President, alongside Dr Okey Enelamah, the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, also met with the World Bank Ease of Doing Business Ranking Team.
At the meeting, issues were laid out and specific lines of action identified on how to improve the business climate in the country.
The vice president explained that working with the state governments, the Buhari presidency would ensure that issues such as pre-investment approvals and land titles were reformed to attain ease in doing business in the country.
He explained that where necessary, government would rationalise agencies involved in granting approvals, thus creating space for businesses to thrive.
Regarding the critical role of electricity in creating a conducive business environment, the vice president said the Federal Government would continue making further investments in the sector.
He said the entire power value chain would have to be well compensated in order to produce the needed results.
Osinbajo also restated the commitment of the Buhari administration to create jobs through businesses and direct government action to engage the youth.
He said the 500,000 teaching positions for unemployed graduates proposed in the 2016 budget was a means of engaging the youths in paid voluntary occupations in their communities until such a time when they could find jobs in their different disciplines.
Besides, he noted, the programme would address the critical need for teachers in the public school system.
Osinbajo further said that the Federal Government would create opportunities for about 370,000 youths who were not graduates to receive vocational training and acquire skills, while one million artisans and market women would receive soft loans through the Bank of Industry (BoI) as already proposed in the 2016 budget.
Former Minister of National Planning, Alhaji Shamsudeen Usman led the delegation of the international investors, while Dr Rachid Benmessoud, the Nigeria Country Director of the World Bank led the bank’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking Team.
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Fed Govt to explore mixed energy sources for power
The Federal Government is considering a mix of energy sources for electricity supply.
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo stated this yesterday while receiving a delegation of the Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC) led by its Director-General, Dr. Erepamo Osaisai, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
Besides working to improve power generation from the national grid, renewable energy is being pursued, he said.
The Vice President said: ‘’The long and short of it is that we definitely need a mix of energy choices because in the next decade such a mix will be imperative.’’
The solar option, he said, is also being considered by the Federal Government.
Dr. Osaisai was in the State House to present a report on the Implementation of Nuclear Power Programme for Nigeria, conducted in partnership with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
Director, Nuclear Power at IAEA, Dr. Dohee Hann, told the Vice President that Nigeria as Africa’s leading economy, needs to consider nuclear energy for electricity in order to address the power deficit.
He said the presentation of the report to the Vice President was an important stage in the process, emphasising that the report had articulated how the nation can meet the infrastructural need for nuclear power programme for the country.
Dr Osaisai said Nigeria plans to make each of its nuclear power plants to generate power in excess of 1,200megawatts (Mw),
adding that IAEA conducted an integrated nuclear infrastructure review mission in the country in June and that the nation’s nuclear power energy programme was on course to diversify power sources beyond gas and hydro bases.
“Our nuclear power plants are huge machines. And what we are planning is, each of the power plants will be generating power in excess of 1,200 Mw.
“Nigeria is signatory to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. We are a member of the IAEA and our responsibility as a country is to utilise nuclear power in the safest way possible.
“And what Nigeria is doing, as we can tell, is diversifying our energy generation base beyond gas and hydro to include other sources for which nuclear is also being considered.’’
The chairman said the United Nations (UN) nuclear watchdog made recommendations that could help Nigeria develop its nuclear power projects.
“They (IAEA officials) have made a final report in which there are specific recommendations, suggestions and also identifying good practices in the implementation of our own nuclear power programme in the country.
“That is the report they (we) came to submit to Mr Vice President.
“It’s quite a serious task and responsibility for a country to implement a nuclear power programme and what we do at the NAEC is to take leadership in building the pertinent nuclear power infrastructure.’’
According to Osaisai, NAEC has a nuclear power road map “which is being approved by government and that is what we are implementing’’.
He said in the implementation of the road map, the organisation needed to build critical nuclear power infrastructure and enter into partnerships with international agencies and other technical partners.
“The mission of the agency in June was to assess our level of preparedness and readiness in the building of this national nuclear power infrastructure.
“And we’ve done quite well. I think there are specific recommendations that would also strengthen our own effort in the country.’’
On the commission’s facility in Ile-Ife, the chairman said it was a “tandem accelerator“ for practical physics, which could be used to implement a number of things including environmental studies.
“That is not directly in the power area, but it is a machine or equipment that will be useful for nuclear education, training, and research as well as for development in the country. We are putting it to good use; it is working fine; we have been able to conduct a number of studies.”
Also, the Federal Government is urgently striving to bring succor to the people of the Northeast whose lives have been affected by the insurgency.
The Vice President while receiving the new World Bank Country Director to Nigeria, Mr. Rachid Benmessaoud, said: “There is the need for immediate action within a short time. We need to deal with the planning and implementation of the projects that will bring succor to the people of the Northeast.”
The World Bank is providing assistance to the Federal Government for the rebuilding of the Northeast.
The new Country Director pledged the bank’s continued support to the government, while also expressing hope to work with the new Federal Executive Council in other areas including economic diversification.
General T. Y. Danjuma, the Chairman of the Presidential Committee in the Northeast initiative (PCNI) attended the meeting alongside the Finance Minister, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun and the Budget and Planning Minister, Mr. Udoma Udo Udoma.
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Photo: Osinbajo in Addis Ababa for peace talks
Konare, the VP and Kenya Foreign Minister Ms. Amina Mohamed 
VP wiith Kenya President Uhuru Kenyatta 
Vice President Osinbajo signing to witness the event 
Vice president , South Sudan President Salva Kiir Mayardit after the signing event on Monday evening in Addis Ababa -
Nobody is above law in Nigeria – Osinbajo
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday maintained that nobody in Nigeria is above the law.
Osinbajo insisted that the rule of the law be maintained in the country.
He spoke at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, while receiving the leadership of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), who paid him a courtesy visit.
According to him, there is no reason why Nigeria should not be well run like other countries across the world.
Osinbajo, according to a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, said: “Good economies are run by men not spirits. Men and women like you and I, flesh and blood. There is no reason why our country cannot be well run.”
Noting that the key to a properly runned society is the rule of law, the vice president said: “We insist that the rule of the law be maintained, that no one is above the law. Nobody is above the law, it is the first rule. The President has committed himself to this. He said it yesterday again in the United States that nobody is above the law.”
“If somebody is held according to law, we must support that. Let us support what is good and right for the country.”
Commending the important role road transporters play in the nation’s economy, Osinbajo said the union is “one of the truly national organisations that Nigeria can boast of.”
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Photo: Osinbajo with IDPs in Maiduguri
During his visitation to Maiduguri, the Vice President made an Emotional Speech when he came in contact with little Aishat Ibrahim.
Inside the camp of Internally Displaced People in Maiduguri, Northeast-Nigeria 
Vice President Yemi Osinbajo checking on little Aisha Ibrahim 
The VP in the IDP camp in Maiduguri -
Osinbajo’s message to Maiduguri IDPs
1..Today @MBuhari requested that I convey FG's sympathies to our displaced brothers & sisters in Borno & Adamawa. pic.twitter.com/7uEsJB78fP
— Prof Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) July 1, 2015
2. Plight of many of our own like little Aisha Ibrahim reinforces our resolve to stamp out the scourge of terrorism. pic.twitter.com/YgDmTwLusD
— Prof Yemi Osinbajo (@ProfOsinbajo) July 1, 2015
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Govt mulls $3tr infrastructure investment, says Osinbajo
The Federal Government has said it plans to inject $3trillion in fresh investment into the power sector to end Nigeria’s nightmare in the sector.
Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, who spoke on “The Nigerian Economy and the Future” at the 10th Year Anniversary Lecture of Crescent University, Abeokuta, Ogun State at the weeekend, the investment will come over the next 30 years.
He said: “The plans for the power sector will be supported with a National Infrastructural Master Plan that requires an investment of $3trillion over a 30-year period. This is the minimal requirement to improve our infrastructure stock from 35 per cent of GDP (gross domestic product) to the benchmark for our peers, which is estimated at 70 per cent of GDP.
“Apart from enabling manufacturing and other sectors, we expect that the investment in infrastructure will also directly create thousands of jobs in construction and maintenance activities.”
The Vice President blamed weak transmission grid for its inability to wheel 5,000 megawatts (Mw) of electricity into the national grid.
He promised to work with distribution companies (DISCOs) to ensure that necessary investments are made to get electricity to Nigerians.
A statement endorsed yesterday by Mfon Udott of the Media Office of the Vice President, explained that government promised to remove the gridlock.
He said: “The APC manifesto is to deliver a minimum of 10 per cent GDP growth annually, while ensuring an inclusive economy that improves the lives of all Nigerians. This cannot happen unless we achieve a significant improvement in the power sector.”
He assured that the administration will focus on improving the supply of gas to power plants, which will ensure sufficient gas supply that will help maximise the 13,000Mw of generating capacity.
On the pervasive poverty ravaging the country, Osinbajo said: “We cannot talk about the economy of the future without addressing how we move people out of poverty. One of the most striking promises we made during the campaign was the payment of Five Thousand Naira to the poorest Nigerians across the country.
“We are currently evaluating the best ways to collapse existing cash transfer and social welfare schemes to ensure consistency and alignment; once this is completed, we will implement the first phase of this program, using recognized identification platforms and transparent payment solutions.
“Today, about 112 million (66 per cent of Nigerians) are deemed extremely poor, measured by World Bank parameter of those living on less than $1.25 per day.
“This level of poverty explains much of the Nigerian situation because it affects all aspects of life. It explains why over a million Nigerians die yearly of preventable diseases. It reflects in our alarming rates of infant mortality and maternal deaths at childbirth. It also tells why so many children of school age are out of school and why so many adults lack access to healthcare and proper vocational training; why, in effect, they are less efficient and less productive at work.”
