• Alleges poor consultation on AfCFTA, fiscal indiscipline
• Nigeria’s renegotiation delaying ratification, says official
• Russia seeks more commitment to raise deals above $20b

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has lamented that nepotism in Nigeria is obstructing the fight against corruption.In what seemed like reporting the country’s leadership to the world, the elder statesman, before a gathering of investors at the ongoing yearly meeting of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) in Moscow, accused the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari of fiscal indiscipline and bias in the fight against corruption.

He described corruption and development as strange bed fellows, warning that people in authority would remain deluded as long as their definition of corruption is when money, goods and services are involved.

“Nepotism is a form of corruption and condoning what is bad is a height of corruption. Lack of fiscal discipline is corruption. So, corruption and development cannot meet. You must eschew corruption to make sure that you make significant progress.

“Fighting corruption is not a matter of do it today and tomorrow you are absent. It must be consistently fought. There must not be sacred cows, and it must be comprehensive and inclusive,” he said.The Buhari administration has repeatedly come under criticism for allegedly favouring a section of the country on appointments and targeting the opposition in its campaign against graft.

The government’s alleged shoddy consultation was also blamed for the delay in the ratification of the African Continental Free Trade and Agreement (AfCFTA), acclaimed the largest free trade agreement in the world. Obasanjo told investors that while there is no confusion on what the deal is, private sector operators became disillusioned over the government’s alleged inaction and poor consultations after it had taken the lead in design and execution.

He expressed hope that Nigeria would sign the deal before the July 7 launch in Niamey.“Nigeria will not be absent at the launch of the AfCFTA. But I see no reason why Nigeria can be present at the launch when it has not signed the agreement. It is out of place. Eritrea and even Niger and Benin who are our neighbours have signed, and Nigeria is counting itself out.

“If you heard the statement of the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Trade today, there is nothing more beautiful than that, but he is not a policy maker, he is a policy executor.

“He will have to go home and tell the policymakers that he made the right statement, so it’s now their turn for action. I hope that when he gets home and says it’s time for right action, they will follow through,” he said.

But Gabriel Aduda, Permanent Secretary (Political and Economic Affairs) at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, said the delay was not indicative of government’s doubt on the initiative, but the consequence of ongoing renegotiations.He explained that Nigeria wants to ensure that some protective steps are put in place, lest the country becomes a dumping ground.

“With time, Nigeria is going to sign. But we have to do what China did, even with the world trade agreement – they gave a condition. And that is what we are going to do. You do not expect a country like Nigeria to be given the same size of cake with a country like The Gambia, even though we are all in Africa.

“You cannot just go ahead and enter into an agreement with a neighbouring nation without looking at who is standing behind that nation. How are you going to protect yourself?

“Though we need a free and fair deal, how also do we protect ourselves to ensure that we do not just become a dumping ground? These are some of the issues we are looking at, at the moment. Absolutely, we are coming back to the table to say, “this is what we want,” Aduda said.

Earlier, Sergey Lavrov, Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, expressed his country’s willingness to contribute more to the development of the African continent, disclosing that over $20 billion worth of investments was done in Africa in 2018.

“Russia is building a long-term relationship with Africa and has become a shareholder in Afreximbank. To give an additional impetus to all our cooperation, including commercial and economic, it was decided to jointly organise the first Russia-Africa summit in October 2019 in Sochi.

“We are waiting for African Heads of State and Government, leaders of the African Union and other major sub-regional organisations to key into our partnership and hope that Afreximbank will contribute to the substantial content of the economic part of the programme, which seems very solid,” he said.

Source: https://www.google.com/amp/s/guardian.ng/news/nepotism-is-corruption-obasanjo-tells-presidency/amp

all your letters, all your wailings, all your warnings


people still voted bubu en masse

go to your farm and face ur pigs, nobody sends you again

Yu right on this

"Nepotism is the worst form of corruption. It is the mother of all corruption.That was probably why the framers of our constitution stood firmly against it, by enshrining the most-maligned Federal Character provisions at both Federal and State levels.

By the time we lift the lid off the other federal agencies populated by the President’s kinsmen, townsmen and clansmen; more stench is likely to come out..."

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vanguardngr.com/2017/10/nepotism-mother-corruption/amp/

It's even the worst form of corruption. More worse is SELECTIVE ONE-SIDED ANTI CORRUPTION FIGHT.

Baba elenu jawaya!

Translation- Baba mouth cut wire cut wire!

phelonrays:
[s][/s]Your level of Zombiesm has blind your eye that you can see and think with your 'daft' brain that we are in democracy......... Continue being a fool till one BH member locate you....

*spits*

Hehehehehehehe

phelonrays:
[s][/s]Your level of Zombiesm has blind your eye that you can see and think with your 'daft' brain that we are in democracy......... Continue being a fool till one BH member locate you....

*spits*

as usual children of the yeast

Did I Insult u? Why are u guys always quick to replying people with insults

Daft brain, fool all because I support buhari

Nigeria has challenges, what is important is suggesting solutions and supporting the government with efforts to make things right.

All these perpetual wailing will not move Nigeria forward.

iamJ:
all your letters, all your wailings, all your warnings


people still voted bubu en masse

go to your farm and face ur pigs, nobody sends you again

Who are you referring to as "people" voted for your Bubu?
Did I tell you I voted for Bubu ?when you said "people" don't you think you mentioned my name without my consent?
Anything about lifeless President, please count me out.

Lovelive:



Who are you referring to as "people" voted for your Bubu?
Did I tell you I voted for Bubu ?when you said "people" don't you think you mentioned my name without my consent?
Anything about lifeless President, please count me out.

did we ever say that 5% is a priority

Back to back the yeast rejected bubu and he still won

netpro:
Nigeria has challenges, what is important is suggesting solutions and supporting the government with efforts to make things right.

All these perpetual wailing will not move Nigeria forward.

Has he, PMB ever supported any government in Nigeria before?
What are you even saying? Refresh your memory and...

You can hate Baba or say all sort of things against him, but he remains one of the few leaders who love this country dearly.

No be lie

All these our elders sef.

Buharists will not see it as corruption

Buhari e rats over to you... Start defending your master even with proven facts presented

A truely great Man. Many people are yet to realize that the very few good that Buhari is still doing for non-Fulanis in Nigeria is because of the checkmating that this truly courageous Man is giving him. Non of the senseless leaders have been courageous enough to be cautioning Buhari, they all chickens despite seeing the glaring satanic blood-thirsty Fulani orchestrations. Now that bubu has the Judiciary, Senate and House of Assembly in his Pocket, We need to pray hard that God should grant OBJ long life. Before you critisize him remember that nobody is perfect, not even you. Obasanjo was a truly untribalized President, he engaged the best technocracts regardless of tribe during his tenure. A true visionary Leader, we wish he is still our President. Like for OBJ, share for Buhari.

Thank you for always speaking the truth to this government

iamJ:
all your letters, all your wailings, all your warnings


people still voted bubu en masse

go to your farm and face ur pigs, nobody sends you again

Mumu is it all about farming? Read abeg

It can never end in NIGERIA

Baba is tensioning this Government

iamJ:
as usual children of the yeast

Did I Insult u? Why are u guys always quick to replying people with insults

Daft brain, fool all because I support buhari

My brother the thing tire me sef oooo, they cannot have a healthy argument without using abusive words. It really sad, you see people happy that a criminal dies, where is the humanity instead of letting nature takes it cause they instigate hatred,violence and hate speech. Operate more on twitter, they are more matured. Cheers

If there is anything I like about OBJ, its the fact that he's exposed. When he talks, he talks sense. When Buhari talks to the world, 90% is about flight ng corruption. It's so boring listening to my current president because you can predict what he'll say next, lack of exposure makes him believe corruption is limited to financial crimes.

Unfortunately, his supporters make things worse by not teaching him.

Obasanjo is a demon
Evil wicked bastard

So u want us to sign an agreement that will turn the country into dumping ground, just because u have collected money to lobby govt. Oloshi. God punish u wicked pple

Obj is guilty of this same offense.

Its very easy for him to point nepotism out now that he's no longer in power.

That doesn't make him any better