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Tag: Zainab Ahmed

  • Nigeria-Brazil agriculture project to gulp $1.1billion loan

    The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, on Thursday said that $1.1billion loan would be required for the implementation of the Nigeria-Brazil Cooperation Project Agriculture “Green Imperative.”

    She made the disclosure while speaking at the launching of the project at the old Banquet Hall of the State House, Abuja.

    According to her, the loan will be majorly provided by the Brazilian Government.

    The launch of the project, she said, is part of Buhari’s administration moves to reposition and diversify Nigerian economy in a sustainable way.

    The loan, she said, will be provided in kind through the supply of agricultural machineries and implements in form of Completely Knocked Down (CKD) parts.

    She said that the project is designed to repay the loan facility through its proceeds, stressing that the repayment will not bring any fiscal burden on the tax payers.

    She said “The project we are launching today will be implemented with a total loan package of US$1.1billion majorly from the Brazilian Government which will be disbursed in four tranches over a period of two years.

    “It is pertinent to state here that greater percentage of the loan will be provided in kind through the supply of agricultural machineries and implements in form of Completely Knocked Down (CKD) parts.

    Read Also: How Atiku blocked restructuring as VP, by Osinbajo

    “This arrangement is expected to reduce fiduciary risks and create more employment opportunities for our teeming youth and those that will be involved in assembling the machineries and implements.

    “Another important benefit of the project is that its implementation will be purely private sector led in all its operations including the assembling of the machineries/ implements, operation of the service centres and the agro-processing centres.” she said

    She also said that the project will be implemented in all the 774 Local Government Areas of the country in phases.

    The Minister called on the Nigerian private sector, youth and women to get ready for the business.

    The selection of the participants for the project, she said, will be done on merit to ensure success of the project.

    “We will ensure that participation is devoid of politics and any form of nepotism.” she stated

    She also explained that the Buhari’s administration was not unaware of the desire of many Nigerians to obtain external loans.

    Speaking on moves to diversify the economic before Buhari’s administration, she said “Even though, past efforts were made to diversify the economic base of the country, the external revenue inflows remained stubbornly monolithic, i.e. mainly from oil.

    “It is in this regard that this administration sees it as a national emergency to explore every possible opportunity to grow the non-oil sector. Accordingly, today, we are here to launch one of the products of the diversification initiatives of the Government, christened ’Green lmperative’.

    “Let me first of all congratulate His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari for his visionary leadership and approval given for this project. Permit me also to congratulate His Excellency, the Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Professor Yemi Osinbajo for his relentless commitment as the leader of the Economic Management Team, to this project right from its conception till date.

    “Also, I will be remiss, if l do not appreciate the unyielding commitment of the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbeh who had personally led Nigerian delegations to Brazll to initiate and develop the project with the Brazilian ’think tank’ and relevant stakeholders.

    “As you are probably aware, the Green lmperative is designed to promote agricultural mechanization, create employment opportunities for our energetic youth and help achieve food seIf- sufficiency.

    “Let me at this point thank the Government and people of Brazil for their support and commitment to this project. Nigeria and Brazil have similar climatic and soil conditions that make Brazilian agricultural implements easily adaptable in Nigeria. I understand that a tractor manufactured in Brazil in 1946 is still in use till today. This is the kind of technology that we will need in this country.

    “I do hope such rugged tractors are what you will deploy for this project. I will like to express my appreciation to other partners like the Deutche Bank and Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) for their support in this project.

    “l have no doubt that this project will help to ensure food self – sufficiency, create more employment opportunities for our teeming population and also help transform the economic land scape of Nigeria.” she said

  • FEC approves 2019/2021 MTEF

    Projects N8.73 trillion for 2019 Budget 

    Pegs oil price at $60 per barrel 

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday approved the 2019/2021 Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) .

    The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said that the MTEF/FSP is designed to translate the strategic development objectives of the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) to realistic and implementable budget framework for the medium term.

    Inputs from stakeholders, he said, are part of the final document.

    The key assumptions highlights being proposed for 2019 budget, he said, included oil price benchmark of $60 per barrel, oil production of 2.3 million barrels per day, exchange rate of N305/$1, and GDP growth rate of 3.01%.

    He said that the MTEF projects budget for 2019 of N8.73 trillion, which is about N400 billion less than N9.12 trillion for 2018.

    According to him, the document will be transmitted to the National Assembly for consideration.

    The Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, also disclosed that FEC approved Nigeria to receive $1.5 million loan from Africa Development Bank for Lagos-Abidjan expressway.

  • FG working on new population control policy

    …Buhari will continue after 2019, says Zainab Ahmed

    The Federal Government is currently working on a new policy on population to determine how many children a woman will be allowed to have.
    This new policy initiative if operational, will help government check Nigeria’s ballooning population.
    Minister of Finance, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed made this disclosure on Tuesday during a plenary session on “Sustainable Economic Opportunities: Ending the Vicious Cycle at the 2018 Nigerian Economic Summit.
    She said government was presently consulting with both religious and traditional leaders across the country on the issue after which a policy will be formulated on the matter.
    Zainab Ahmed expressed regret at the controversy generated over the  imposition of fine on telecommunications company, MTN on repatriation of profits.
     Zainab Ahmed who described the incident as “ very damaging for us” blamed the telecommunications company for the episode because of its refusal to provide required information to settle the dispute.
    She noted that “MTN failed to cooperate with CBN auditors who were mandated to resolve the matter.”
    Giving the fears generated by the fine among investors, Zainab maintained that “there has not been any occasion in recent times when investors had difficulty in repatriating their capital.”
    With regards to other economic parameters, the finance minister admitted that government has not doing enough in the areas of job creation and social investment programmes but pleaded that government officials needed the input of private sector operators on how to develop the economy.
    According to the finance minister, “we must find out ways to engage our youths to be active, ensure that transportation is effective, available and reasonably priced”. She said there was need to support the informal sector of the economy so as to absorb the current 40 percent unemployment figure.
    Zainab Ahmed also assured that the 2019 general elections will not hamper government’s Economic Recovery Growth Plan (ERGP) target of 2020, saying the Federal Government is committed and focused on delivering on the set goals.
    She said the federal government is aware of the sense of urgency and the need for consistency for a sustainable growth of the economy and that Mr President has asked them to keep their eyes on the ball and focus on delivering on the ERGP.
    According to the Minister, “For the past four weeks or so, we have been talking to investors and we are sending out a message that the president has asked some of us to just keep our eyes on the ball to focus on delivering on ERGP and the goals that are set.
    “He has said we should not allow ourselves to be distracted by the elections. So there are few of us that are simply working towards 2020 which is the life of the ERGP, and also very soon we are going to start developing.”
    She added that elections are going to cause some distractions but as long as we keep focus in what we have planned, we would be fine. We are sure that the President will pass through the 2019 elections and continue as president, so our focus is on 2020 not 2019.
    Speaking further on a sustained economic opportunities, the minister noted the country will harness the potentials of its large energetic youth population and their entrepreneurial zest.

    Read Also: Nigeria population to hit 350 million by 2050

    She said government is also partnering different sectors and helping small scale businesses access to finance, creating the enabling environment, improving on infrastructure and make cost of transportation reasonable low.
    She said, “We have a situation where there is an economy that is beginning to go back to the path of growth but it is also exposed to a lot of fragility.
    “Any external shocks will affect us significantly. We also have this growing unemployment that is really a threat to all of us. We have on the other hand a very large population of youths that are very active and very entrepreneurial. So that in itself is a very huge advantage to me because I think even though, we are a country that is resourceful but most important resources that we have is actually our people and our energetic youths.
    “And what we have to do as policy makers first is to find out how we can engage the youths to be productive in the society to add their contribution and also to help them into deciding what thing they should be involved in.
    “The youths for me hold the key to the future to be able to raise Nigeria from where it is so that we can become another good example that maybe in the years to come we can be sited along side Indonesia, China and Malaysia.
    “What we are doing now is significant but it’s not enough, we need to do a lot more. The people that are in government don’t have all of the expertise that is required to really pull our country and make that quantum stride which is required.
    “So we have to engage more with the private sector. We are doing a lot of engagement, but we have to enable small scale businesses to access finance, we have to provide basic infrastructure, especially power for businesses whether it’s a barber or hair saloon or a small restaurant or cafeteria or a tailor to be able to do their business without having to run their generator or ramping up their cost.
    “So I see this economic summit as an opportunity for us to lead a frank discussions on the things that we are doing right, but how we can round them up so that it is felt. The national social investment programme is well designed but we today covered maybe 9.2 million people including about 8.7 million children that are being fed. But if you take out the children that are being fed, the number of people that have been enabled to be employed is still under 2 million, so that is still not enough.
    “We hope to be able to expand that programme and there is no reason why we cannot be partnering with private sector even in running this social investment programme. We have found out that there is a need to enable as many people as possible to be involved in the financial sector just helping people to open bank accounts. So whatever it is that they need passes through the financial system. Then it enables them to save and then it enables them to access more finance.”
    She gave the assurance that governance would not stop because of the coming elections as “Mr. President has mandated some of us to concentrate on the economy and shun election matters.
    Another member of the panel, Dr. Doyin Salami of the Lagos Business School declared that Nigeria must reverse the massive movement into poverty. He noted that of the 1.5 million candidates that yearly seek admission into universities, only 350,000 are admitted while less than half of them eventually get employment after graduation.
    He identified lack of capacity as a major problem of government saying “it is erroneous to assume that government always knows there is a problem. “When they know there is a problem, they may not have the wherewithal to solve it. We must deal with the problem of capacity in government.”
    Salami identified abysmally low wages as major contributor to low level corruption in the country decrying that there was upward concentration of income declaring “ we need to go back and review our reward and remuneration system”.
    Also contributing, Director, School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, United States of America, Prof. Peter Lewis observed that that the presence of corruption in the system was not an excuse for poverty and underdevelopment.
    He however, insisted that the reward system must be attractive. “There must be po!icy consistency to give assurance to investors.”
    He said there were enough talents and good policies in Nigeria but identified inconsistencies, lack of collective action, coordination and government inability to galvanise citizens as major reasons for lack of development in Nigeria.
    In his view, the executive arm of government must show a sense of urgency and that it is important to have a stable and capable economic management team in place.

  • FEC okays issuance of $2.9 billion Eurobond

    …Approves six transaction parties

     

    The Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting on Wednesday approved the issuance of $2.9 billion Eurobond towards implementing 2018 budget.

    This was disclosed by the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed at the end of the FEC meeting chaired by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    She was with the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh and the Minister of Labour, Chris Ngige.

    Read Also:$2.5b Eurobond: Nigeria faces higher debt service cost – Fitch

    She said “We got approval for the issuance of $2.9 billion in Eurobonds and other securities from the international capital markets.

    “They are to enable us implement the external borrowing plan of 849.6 billion equivalent to $2.786 billion, which is provided for in the 2018 Appropriation Act.  And this is to fund capital projects in the 2018 budget.

    “We also got approval to raise $82.5million to bridge the shortfall of 500 million Eurobond that matured on the 12th of July 2018,” she said.

    According to her, FEC also approved six transaction parties including Citigroup Global Market Limited, Standard Chartered Bank as joint manager; FSDH Merchant Bank Limited as financial adviser; White and Case LLP, Banwo and Ighodalo as legal adviser and Africa Practice Limited as technical adviser on communication.

    She said that they are expected to adviser the Nigerian Government on the structure and timing and documentation for the issuance of the Eurobonds and other securities.

    The Minister also disclosed that the total cost of the six advisory groups is N374 million

    She went on “We also got approval for $60 million loan for livelihood improvement family enterprise project in the Niger Delta for six states, while three other states will join them in the phase two.

    “N187 million 600 bullet proof vest and helmets for Nigeria Customs Service in the fight against rice smuggling into the country,” she added.

     

  • Nigeria seeks IMF’s support on tax collection

    The Federal Government is seeking assistance from the International Monetary Fund (IMF)  on modalities  for improving  tax collection, especially  from the International Oil Companies (IOCs), Finance Minister  Zainab Ahmed, has said.

    She told reporters  on the sidelines of the ongoing 2018 International Monetary Fund (IMF)/World Bank Group Meetings, in Bali, Indonesia, that government has to be in a position to develop tools  that could help pursue taxes, especially  ”from very large corporates, like international oil companies (IOCs).”

    The IOCs,according to her, has the    greatest tax potential in Nigeria.

    ”This is the industry that, from the Thabo Mbeki Report, shows that about 70 per cent of the illicit financial flows that go out of Africa, Nigeria included, are related to the extractive industry,” she said.

    “So we did ask for how we can effect transfer pricing and how we can stop the flows from that sector.”

    She said  these revenues are needed to enhance development.

    Mrs. Ahmed said Nigeria’s  delegation also met  with investors from different parts of the world and told them “the Nigerian story and made it clear to them that Nigeria is a good place to do business and that the returns you get from Nigeria are high, at about 14 per cent, as against about four per cent,” in other countries.

    She was confident that “the Eurobond we are trying to raise will have a positive outcome.”

     

     

  • FG to prosecute those responsible for the failure of Skye bank

    The Federal Government has promised to persecute all those found to be responsible for the failure of the erstwhile Skye Bank.
    A statement from the federal ministry of finance issued on Friday evening and signed by the Director of Information Mr. Hassan Dodo said the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed made this known when she a paid a familiarity visit to the Nigerian Deposit Insurance Corporation (NDIC), in Abuja.
     
    According to Dodo, “The minister directed the Managing Director/CEO, Umaru Ibrahim to ensure that a thorough investigation is done into the failure of Skye Bank, adding that at the end of the investigations, all those found culpable in the failure of the bank would be prosecuted.”
     
    “The example of the recently wound-up of Skye Bank, now Polaris Bank is something we would look into. We would find out what happened. Your investigation must be thorough, we are going to hold whoever was responsible for the failure of that bank.”, she said.
     
    “We have to show some examples, we can not just be bailing out banks and leaving perpetrators of the failure of these banks to just go scot-free. Even though you intervene by protecting depositors, but your intervention is limited. You’re not able to payback all that the depositors have. We must show some examples and this is a good one for us to start with”, the Minister said.

    Read Also: CBN revokes Skye Bank’s licence

     
    Ahmed stressed the need for the NDIC to continuously monitor the banks to ensure that problems are detected early and solved before they become crises. 
     
    “The role that you play in monitoring banks should be continuous, because if you capture these issues early, there is a better chance of us protecting these banks, protecting shareholders and depositors”, the Minister said. 
     
    The Minister commended the NDIC for its adherence to the requirements of the fiscal responsibility act by constantly paying its operational surpluses to the Federal Government. 
     
    “I can confirm to you that just within this week, the sum of N15 billion was received by the Federal Government and this brings to about N107 billion that NDIC has paid to date”, she said. 
     
    The Minister said the job of the NDIC of ensuring capital adequacy within the banking system, ensuring profitability, ensuring access to finances are very important for the success of the administration and the economy, adding that the agency should work with the CBN to reduce the number of unbanked citizens.
     
    Earlier in his remarks, the Managing Director/CEO, Umaru Ibrahim briefed the Minister on the achievements and challenges of the Agency. 
     

  • FIRS to hand over 114 companies to Attorney General

    The Federal Inland Revenue Services (FIRS) has uncovered 114 companies that claimed that they are not aware of lands allocated to them.

    However, the FIRS has confirmed from the Abuja Geographical Information System (AGIS) that these lands were actually allocated to these companies and the Service has vowed to hand over these false claims to the Attorney General of the Federation for further action on the controversial lands.
    These disclosure was made by the Executive Chairman of the FIRS Mr. Tunde Fowler at the African Union high level panel on illicit financial flows from Africa which held in Abuja on Thursday.
    According to Fowler, “114 Companies claimed they were unaware of land allocated to them but  AGIS has confirmed the ownership for all the cases referred to them and we will soon hand these cases over to the Attorney General on the way forward.”
    Highlighting the benefits of curbing Illicit Financial Flows in Nigeria in particular, Fowler revealed that the “total tax debt recovered From January 2017 to 31st August 2018 is N3,631,949,050, broken down as From Nov 2016 – Dec 2017 Total collected – N1.9 Billion From Jan 2018 – Date N1.731 Billion.”
    With regards to the Issuance of tax notification obligation to Company Income Tax (CIT) Non-Compliant Companies that own properties and Identified Non-Filers for Abuja, Fowler stated that it issued 2,672 Demand Notices; 653 those Now Filing and N2.983 Billion as total payments for Demand Notices for Abuja Properties
    Fowler identified the Component of Illicit Financial Flows in Nigeria to include: Commercial Activities which are illegal flows from business activities that leads to hiding wealth, evading or aggressively avoiding tax, and dodging customs duties and domestic levies; Criminal activities: IFFs are often driven by criminal activities with the purpose of keeping the transactions from the view of law enforcement agencies or revenue authorities; Corruption: Money acquired through bribery and abuse of office by public officials are enormous and can be used to further develop different projects, and also increase taxation revenue collection.
    Other are, nature of IFF in Nigeria Payments of expatriates staff emolument and remuneration and failure to declare for personal income tax purposes such emoluments to the relevant tax authorities in Nigeria; Laundering of funds (often sourced illegally) through Real Estates transactions to acquire property in choice locations outside Nigeria; Illegal transfer of money out of Nigeria, via unapproved channels; Mispricing of goods and services transferred between interrelated Nigeria based companies (e.g. MNEs) and Individuals to offshore based entities and individuals; Profit Shifting – for instance through excessive interest payments on foreign and locally sourced loans and Mis-invoicing of imports and exports.
    Earlier, Mr Thabo Mbeki, former South African President and Chairman, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s High Level Panel on IFF said that Africa looses about $80 billion annually through IFFs.
    Mbeki, who is also a former South African President, said the huge sums came from proceeds of commercial transactions through multinational companies, criminal activities and corruption.

    Read Also: FIRS to amend controversial insurance law

    According to him, illicit financial flow had posed developmental challenges on the continent, in terms of draining hard currency reserve, reduced tax collection, deepening income gap, depleting investment and weakened governance.
    He harped on the need to strengthen institutions like the Revenue Service Agencies, Customs Services and the legislation,  to enable them tackle better, incidences of money laundering as well as other forms of IFFs.
    Meanwhile the Minister of Finance, Mrs Zainab Ahmed said that IFFs have robbed Africa of the wealth and resources needed to invest in infrastructure, education, hospitals, electricity and many other necessities for sustainable and inclusive economic development.
    Ahmed was represented by the Permanent Secretary,  Ministry of Finance, Mr Mahmoud Isa-Dutse.
    “The quest for Africa’s economic development will be accelerated if funds illegally acquired, stolen and hidden abroad by illicit finance flow perpetrators are repatriated.
    “Our development will no doubt receive a leap if Multinational Corporations desist from illicit activities of aggressive transfer pricing, base erosion, profit shifting and trade mispricing.
    “As indicated in the 2015 High Level Panel Report, the challenge of combatting IFFs is particularly pronounced in countries such as Nigeria, due to the dominance of the extractive industries in the economy.
    “In this regard, the work of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), which I used to head, as well as the Federal Inland Revenue Service, whose operations the Ministry of Finance oversees, are relevant,” she said.
    Ahmed also said that to address IFFs within the context of taxation, the FIRS, several years ago, introduced Transfer Pricing Regulations to curb the incidence of aggressive transfer pricing practices and enthrone the “Arms-length” Principle in the cross-border trade practices of multinational corporations, as well as indigenous firms.
    In addition, she said that the Voluntary Asset and Income Declaration Scheme (VAIDS) initiative which ended in June 2018, was a tax amnesty programme aimed at raising tax revenues, regularizing the tax status of citizens and bringing concealed tax assets into the national tax base.
    “Furthermore, the Federal Government is collaborating with several countries in terms of sharing information on Nigerians who own properties and bank accounts abroad.
    ” We also run a programme for the Automatic Exchange of Tax Information with the United Kingdom.
    “In addition, we have signed agreements on the Multilateral Competent Authority on the Common Reporting Standard which is a platform for exchange of financial accounts information.
    “This will come into effect as soon as the legal framework is finalized,” she said.
    Ahmed also informed the panel that in July 2018, President Muhammadu Buhari signed the Nigeria Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU) Bill into law.
    She said that the NFIU would ensure autonomous and independent agency monitoring of cross-border financial flows with a view to identifying and intercepting suspicious transfers.
    The Unit is also empowered to fight the funding of criminal activities, money laundering and terrorism through the international and domestic financial system.
    “To aid us in our efforts, it will be appreciated if the HLP will share its experiences in domesticating international best practices in the key sectors of our economy with respect to IFFs.
    “In this regard, Nigeria stands to gain much from initiatives such as the European Union’s country-by-country reporting (CbCR) transparency measures. By requiring companies that are of a particular size or operate in certain industries to publish operational and tax data for each country in which they do business.
    “Governments such as ours would be better equipped to check the incidence of aggressive tax-planning strategies, adopt more targeted and risk-based tax audits, and persuade large multinational corporations to voluntarily reduce the magnitude of their tax avoidance,” she said.
    Also, the Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami said that Nigeria had put in place institutions, legislations and technology expertise to minimize IFFs in the country.
    “We established the EFCC, ICPC, Code of Conduct Bureau, Code of Conduct Tribunal and the Financial Intelligence Unit, and backed them with laws, to ensure that Nigeria wins the fight against corruption and IFFs.
    “We have also deployed technology in this fight.  For example, we have deployed BVN in the banking sector, to identify the real owners of bank accounts.
    “Also, the TSA and the IPPIS were deployed to ensure that the Federal Government resources are prudently managed,” he said.

  • We need creative ways of tackling poverty-Osinbajo

    The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, says the Federal Government is focusing on more creative ways of getting Nigerians out of poverty and also improve the country’s Human Capital Development indices.

    Osinbajo made this known while chairing a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC ), Steering Committee on Human Capital Development on Wednesday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He said that the Federal Government was committed to lifting Nigerians out of poverty as a crucial agenda towards attaining intended development outcomes.

    “Poverty as we know is both a cause and consequence of some of what we are looking at in our human capital development deficit.

    “Really, I think we need to focus a lot more on some of the more creative ways of getting our people out of poverty.

    “ And of course, we have some social investment programs, we are looking at some of the examples of what India did, some have been tried and tested in such huge populations.

    “I think there is a need for us to sensitize our people to why we need to get a large segment of our people out of poverty. Recently, we have been launching the TraderMoni scheme, which is basically giving credits to petty traders across the country in the markets and all that.

    “We must do even more in terms of giving credits and whatever assistance and support to people.

    “Obviously, the more money people have, the better it is for them, so they can apply their little resources to some of what we are expected to do to improve human capital development,” he said.

    Osinbajo harped on the importance of improving data collection at all levels so as to ensure effective tracking of Human Capital Development outcome areas in the states.

    On his part, Aliko Dangote, President, Dangote Group, told State House correspondents that the Dangote Foundation was committing 50 million dollars to the fight against malnutrition in Nigeria.

    Dangote said that the foundation was focused on three major areas-health, education and empowerment.

    Read Also: Group demands Oshiomole’s resignation, Buhari to call Osinbajo to order

    “I think we really need to wake up and meet most of our development goals, in education, in health, and also in empowerment.

    “One of the things that we are doing is to make sure that we tackle malnutrition.

    “The Dangote Foundation has announced a decision to spend 50 million dollars so that we can fight malnutrition in most of the states that are affected, which we have started rolling out,” he said.

    He said that the foundation joined the committee to make sure that targets were set and met.

    On his part, Minister of Health, Professor Isaac Adewole, said that the committee was the working group that had been meeting to look at the impact of government intervention programs in economy, education, health, among others.

    “The issue of Human Capital Development is a measure of how we care for our citizens; and so, this is like bringing everybody to the table at the highest level.

    “We have the governors, and there is a renewed commitment even at the states because we cannot go far except the states are really on the table.

    “There is enough Federal Government commitment; enough of Federal Government involvement, but we need to bring the states on board,’’ he said.

    Speaking, Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, said that the committee received a presentation on the framework for further investments in the key areas of health, education, social inclusion as well as empowerment.

    “We had a very good meeting and we hope that the outcome of the meeting and the work of the core working group will bring out very clear plans and strategies to invest more in education, healthcare, nutrition, empowerment, gender inclusion, as well as job creation for our young people,’’ he said.

    The meeting was also attended by the  Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige and the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udo Udoma, .

    There were also representations from development partners- World Bank, DFID and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

  • Zainab Ahmed takes over Finance Ministry after Adeosun’s exit

    Minister of State Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed, will oversee the Ministry of Finance, henceforth.

    The temporary appointment was announced by President Muhammadu Buhari Friday, after  accepting  the resignation of the holder,  Mrs Kemi Adeosun.

    The President thanked the Minister for her services to the nation and wished her well in her future pursuits.

    Ahmed was born in Kaduna State. She got her first degree in Accounting from Ahmadu Bello University in 1981, after-which she proceeded to Ogun State University for her MBA.

    Adeosun bowed out today after an allegation by the online newspaper, Premium Times, that she presented a fake NYSC exemption certificate as part of the requirements for clearance as a minister by the Senate.

    Until today, Adeosun kept quiet until she was faced with a report today that concurred with the publication and declared the certificate fake.

    “I have, today, become privy to the findings of the investigation into the allegation made in an online medium that the Certificate of Exemption from National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) that I had presented was not genuine. This has come as a shock to me and I believe that in line with this administration’s focus on integrity, I must do the honourable thing and resign”, she wrote in her letter to President Buhari.

     “Your Excellency, kindly permit me to outline some of the background to this matter. I was born and raised in the United Kingdom, indeed my parental family home remains in London. My visits to Nigeria up until the age of thirty-four (34) were holidays, with visas obtained in my UK passport.  I obtained my first Nigerian passport at the age of thirty-four (34) and when I relocated there was debate as to whether NYSC Law applied to me.  Upon enquiry as to my status relating to NYSC, I was informed that due to my residency history and having exceeded the age of thirty (30), I was exempted from the requirement to serve. Until recent events, that remained my understanding. 

    “On the basis of that advice and with the guidance and assistance of those, I thought were trusted associates, NYSC were approached for documentary proof of status. I then received the certificate in question. Having never worked in NYSC, visited the premises, been privy to nor familiar with their operations, I had no reason to suspect that the certificate was anything but genuine. Indeed, I presented that certificate at the 2011 Ogun State House of Assembly and in 2015 for Directorate of State Services (DSS) Clearance as well as to the National Assembly for screening. Be that as it may, as someone totally committed to a culture of probity and accountability I have decided to resign with effect from Friday, 14thSeptember, 2018.”

  • Boko Haram: Gov. Shettima calls for military support

    Boko Haram: Gov. Shettima calls for military support

    …FG committed to return of remaining Chibok girls, says Lai Mohammed

    Borno Governor, Kashim Shettima has called for more support from the Federal Government to the military to end the onslaught on the Boko Haram before the start of the rain.

    He spoke when he received the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed who is in the state for the 2nd special edition of the Town Hall meeting in Miaduguri, Borno state to showcase the current government efforts and that of the military in the fight against insurgency.

    Other Ministers at the Town Hall meeting are: Minister of Interior, Abudulrahman Danbazau, Minister of Defence, Mansur Ali and Minister of state, Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed. 

    Governor Shettima said everything must be done to sustain the tempo of the ongoing fight so as to end the activities of the Boko Haram sect as soon as possible before the rainfalls.

    He explained that once the rain begins, it might become difficult for the military to push further because of the terrain of the Sambisa forest, this he feared might give the terrorist group the opportunity to regroup again. 

    The governor was full of praises to the military, especially the current leadership of the military operation under the command of Gen. Nicholas Rogers.

    While appealing for unity across the country, he noted that the military operation has been able to achieve so much in the last three weeks when compared to the last three years.

    Buttressing his call for national unity, the governor said that officers from the southern part of the country have contributed to the relative peace achieved so far in the North east.

    He also used the opportunity to lambast the immediate past Commander of the military operation, Lafia Doyle for incompetence. 

    In his remark, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed reassured the gathering that the Federal Government is committed to return of the remaining Chibok girls who were abducted in 2014.

    To this, he called on the people of the state to cooperate with the military by providing necessary information to the security agency.

    He also warned the people on the need to be very vigilant, especially now when the battle against insurgency is almost over; saying that the Boko Haram elements out of desperation have resort to bombing of soft targets. On the town hall meeting holding in Maiduguri and return of night life in the state capital, the minister said it is an attestation of the successes achieved by the military in degrading of the Boko Haram sect. 

    He also cited the return of football matches at Maiduguri stadium as another  success story of the military activities since the the current government came on board. 

    This, he however said it did not just come over but as a result of a well thought out plan and programmes of the government in changing the military architecture and also motivating the military in the fight. 

    He said: “The mere fact that we are gathered here in Maiduguri, the epicentre of the Boko Haram insurgency, for this meeting is a testimony to the success that has been recorded in fighting the insurgency. In the heat of the insurgency, this would have been impossible. I am told that at least three airlines now have scheduled flights into Maiduguri. None was flying this route at the height of the insurgency.

    In any case, the airport was not even open for such flights due to safety and security concerns.

    “My Special Assistants, who flew into Maiduguri on Saturday, have told me of how they were pleasantly surprised to see a city that was in sharp contrast to what is being painted out there: busy roads, people going about their daily chores as you would have in any normal city, and even a bubbling nightlife. On Sunday, the 30 local and international Journalists who came from Abuja to cover this Town Hall Meeting were taken on a guided tour of the city, both during the day and at night, by the Hon. Commissioner for Information.

    The Journalists even chanced on a football league match that has just been concluded between El-Kanemi FC and Enyimba.

    The fact that football matches are now being played in Maiduguri is a clear testament to the return of normalcy to the city.

    “We have come a long way from those days, when Boko Haram could strike at a place and time of their own choosing, when Boko Haram conquered and administered territories. That time, not even Abuja, the heartland of the nation, was safe from the insurgents’ attacks.

    Today, Boko Haram is no longer capable of carrying out coordinated attacks anywhere. All they do now is to engage in cowardly attacks on soft targets.

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    That, in itself, is a sign of weakness.

    “Let’s be clear: We didn’t get to where we are today by accident. Our gallant men and women in uniform have made all the sacrifices, including the supreme sacrifice, to bring us here. Our political and military leaders have shown leadership in getting us here, unlike in the past when, in the words of Mr. President, official bungling, negligence, complacency or collusion made Boko Haram a terrifying force. The ordinary folks have also shown great resilience and support to bring us here. We are eternally grateful to all.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari charted the path to where we are today. In his inaugural speech on May 29, 2015, he gave the nation a roadmap for the defeat of Boko Haram, which he described as the most immediate of the security challenges facing the nation. The President said victory cannot be achieved by basing the Command and Control Centre in Abuja and directed the relocation of the command centre to Maiduguri until Boko Haram is completely subdued. He also visited our neighbouring countries, including Chad, Niger and Cameroon, and some Western countries, to rally their support for the fight against the insurgency.

    “The efforts have paid off. Let me quote the President: ”We have since beaten Boko Haram. Isolated attacks still occur, but even the best-policed countries cannot prevent determined criminals from committing terrible acts of terror as we have seen during the past years in Europe, Asia, Middle East, elsewhere in Africa and in America.”

    “The last phase of the war on Boko Haram is on now. The military is punching deep into the enclaves of the insurgents, rescuing women and children and catalysing the surrender of many insurgents. Over this past weekend alone, the military handed over more than 82 women and children rescued from the insurgents to the Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) right here in Maiduguri. Among them is Rabi Abu-Yasir, said to be the wife of Boko Haram’s chief physician.

    This is commendable.

    “Since this last phase of the war is intelligence-driven, we will like to appeal to the people in the affected areas to cooperate with the military in terms of providing information, especially about fleeing Boko Haram insurgents. There is the need for vigilance now, more than at any other time. More than 100 Chibok girls have so far been rescued.

    The government is committed to the safe return of the remaining Chibok girls, and we need every useful information we can get on their whereabouts.

    “With Boko Haram beaten and on the run, we are now tackling the post-war challenges of reintegration and rehabilitation. The schools that have been destroyed as a result of years of the insurgency are being rebuilt. The health facilities are being revamped.

    Overall, our humanitarian response is being scaled up, with the support of our international friends.”

    The minister also commended the state government  for its massive post-war reconstruction programme; assuring the people of the state ” that you are not alone in your efforts to rebuild the state, and indeed to put in place measures to combat poverty, thus reducing the number of people who are available for recruitment by fringe elements who later metamorphous into a terrifying fighting machine.”

    Senator Ali Ndume in his remark challenged the Federal Government on the need to do more for the state.

    While commending international Organisations for coming to the aide of the state in addressing the challenges as a result of the activities of the Boko Haram, he said the Federal Government has not done in enough.

    Citing the N45 billion budget of the Federal Government for the North East in the 2018 budget which he said is grossly inadequate to do anything, especially when compared to $750 million (N130billion) from the development partners. 

    The law maker also expressed his displeasure over the activities of some Non-Governmental Organisation who are doing one thing or the other in the state without working with the state government. 

    He therefore urged them to either align with the state government or get out of the state instead of embarking on projects without any recourse to the government.