₦airaland Forum

The Nigerian Army has explained that its troops, alongside other security agencies, invoked the extant Rules of Engagement by acting in self-defence as well as in defence of lives and property when it shot dead about five members of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra, MASSOB, and Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Monday.
The pro-Biafra activists were killed as they marched to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the declaration of the defunct Biafra Republic by late leader of the old Eastern region, Odumegwu Ojukwu, but the Army claimed that the MASSOB and IPOB members launched an attack on peace loving populace as well as security agencies while marking the first anniversary of the democratically elected government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

This was contained in a statement signed by Colonel HA Gambo, Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 82 Division of the Nigerian Army in Enugu, which stressed that the major objective of the security agency was to ensure peace, security and stability.


Claiming that members of MASSOB and IPOB attacked security agencies with a variety of firearms, crude weapons, volatile cocktails such as acid and dynamites, it pointed out that eight other members of the separatist organisations were wounded while nine were arrested for due legal actions.

The statement reads, “The attention of the general public is hereby drawn to the unwarranted attack that was launched by combined members of the Movement for Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) and the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) against the peace loving populace as well as security agencies at about 0415 hours on 30 May 2016.

“This attack was purported to have been orchestrated in order to mar the first anniversary of the present democratic government as part of the activities earmarked to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Biafra.

“Due to the wide spread panic, tension and apprehension that generated from the activities of the MASSOB and IPOB members, security agencies which comprised of detachment of Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police, Department of State Service, National Drug Law Enforcement Agency were compelled to intervene in consonance with constitutional provisions of aid to civil authority where and when such occasion demands. The over arching imperative to ensure a reign of peace, security and stability in this circumstance was most starring.


“However, the MASSOB/IPOB members who had earlier assembled at a school location on Ataa Road near Saint Edmunds’ Catholic Parish Maryland Nkpor-Agu in Anambra State resorted to fierce attack against the intervening security agencies that were carrying out their legitimate mandate.

“The nature of this attack involved brazen employment of various types of fire arms and all sorts of crude weapons, volatile cocktail such as acid and dynamites.

“Instructively, troops of 82 Division Nigerian Army as the lead agency of the security agencies had to invoke the extant Rules of Engagement (ROE) to resort to self defence, protection of the strategic Niger Bridge, prevent re-enforcement of the pro-Biafra members apparently surging ahead from the far side of the strategic Niger Bridge at Onitsha. All these efforts were in order to de-escalate the palpable tension as well as ward off the apparent threats to lives and property in the general area.

“In the aftermath of the fire fight that ensued, many of own troops sustained varying degrees of injury. These injured troops are currently receiving treatment at own medical centre. Similarly, 5 members of MASSOB/IPOB were killed, 8 wounded while 9 were arrested for due legal actions.

The statement said the unfortunate incident notwithstanding, “the 82 Division Nigerian Army wishes to assure all of its professional commitment to the protection of lives and property of the good people of Anambra State and indeed across its entire Area of Responsibility in tandem with the recent directive of the President and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria through the Chief of Defence Staff to the Chief of Army Staff to avert occurrences of such unwarranted and uncivilized attacks against the good and law abiding people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

[size=13pt]President Muhammadu Buhari will this week make his first visit as president to Nigeria’s oil-producing south, which has been riven by an upsurge in violence from militants, his office said Tuesday.[/size]

Attacks on pipelines and other infrastructure have cut Nigeria’s oil production to some 1.4 million barrels per day, exacerbating revenue shortfalls caused by the global slump in crude prices.

But a media aide to Buhari said the president would travel to Ogoniland in Rivers state to flag off a long-awaited clean-up of the area, which has been affected by oil spills. “All things being equal, the president will be in Ogoniland on Thursday for the historic clean up of the area,” the aide told AFP.

In August 2011, a United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report said Ogoniland may require the world’s biggest-ever clean-up. Environmental devastation to farming and fishing in the area has for many come to symbolise the tragedy of Nigeria’s vast but squandered oil wealth.

Decades of crude production filled the pockets of powerful government officials and generated huge profits for oil majors but corruption and spills left the people with nothing. Neglect and pollution fanned local resentment and anger, prompting militant groups to take up arms against the government in the 2000s. Attacks on oil facilities and personnel were frequent.

The violence was ended in 2009 when the government introduced an amnesty programme. But a new group calling itself the Niger Delta Avengers has renewed attacks since the beginning of the year.

Sporadic bombings of key pipelines run by Nigerian subsidiaries of Anglo-Dutch group Shell, US firm Chevron and Italy’s Eni, as well as the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

On Monday evening, the group warned in an email and in a statement on its website that more devastating attacks were to come. “To the international oil companies and indigenous oil companies, it’s going to be bloody this time around,” it said.

Buhari said on Sunday he would keep and “re-engineer” the amnesty, apparently reversing previous policy to wind-down the programme by 2018.

UYO—A 28-year-old man, Uwem Akpanebe, who killed his 75 years old aunty, Josephine George, yesterday in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, said he was told by prayer warriors that she was behind his travails. 

The suspect, detained at Akwa Ibom State Police headquarters, Uyo, told Vanguard that he decided to kill his aunty as the prayer houses he went to for solutions to his problems told him the person behind his woes was a close relative, who did not only spiritually block his chances of realising his aspirations, but was also plotting his death for money ritual.

The native of Ikot Ineme in Essien Udim Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State added that since he was living with Josephine, he thought she was the one plotting to use him for money rituals and, therefore, had to go for her life first.

He said: “My action was caused by the revelations given to me by the prayer houses I have been attending. I was told in almost all the prayer houses that someone close to me was the cause of all the ordeals I was passing through and that the person was even plotting to use me for money rituals. 

“So I hid somewhere with a machete, waited for her and when she was returning home, I cut her with the machete till she died.”

Speaking on behalf of Akwa Ibom State Commissioner of Police, Mr. Murtala Mani, the state Police Public Relations Officer, Delia Nwawe, reiterated the commitment of the police in the state to smoke out all criminal elements from their hideouts for the state to remain peaceful and safe.

She expressed surprise that the young man could murder the woman he was living with because of unsubstantiated revelations by prayer houses that someone was after his life.

Lalasticlala

No fewer than seven persons have been confirmed dead following protest by members of the Movement for the Actualisation of Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB), in Asaba on Monday. 

The Acting Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), in Delta, SP Charles Muka, who confirmed this in a statement, added that the police recorded two casualties. He said in the statement that five members of MASSOB were killed by military officers who had confrontations with the group along the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway in Asaba. It stated that the military arrested and brought eight members of MASOB to the police and “are now in custody in Asaba.’’

According to him, the protesters turned violent and attacked the policemen deployed to monitor the protest, killed two and injured two others. “We had to deploy our officers to ensure that the protest was peaceful but we were surprised that the people turned violent.

“To our surprise, they started attacking our men and at Okwe Junction in Abraka area of Asaba, the group killed a police corporal and took his AK47 riffle.

“Also along the Dennis Osadeby Way in Asaba, they wounded a police officer and took his anti-riot gun.

“This group also attacked and wounded two policemen, suspected to be marine police, and threw them into the River Niger at Cable Point in Asaba and in the process one died and one was rescued.

“This brings the casualty number to two with two others injured on the side of the police. “The protesters also attacked military vehicles along the Asaba-Onitsha Expressway which left four members of the group dead and eight others arrested and brought to the police headquarters.”

It added that a pregnant woman was hit by a stray bullet during the fracas but now receiving treatment at the Federal Medical Centre, Asaba.

The statement advised parents and guardians to warn their children and wards to follow the part of peace and pursue their agenda constitutionally.

WARRI- FORMER militant leader, Government Ekpempuolo, alias Tompolo, again on Sunday, said he does not know the Niger Delta Avengers, NDA, and urged the militant group to cease blowing up oil facilities and embrace dialogue if it was truly fighting for Niger Deltans.

Tompolo, in a statement, said: “I wish to appeal to you (Niger Delta Avengers) once again to stop the bombing of oil facilities in the Niger Delta region, and embrace the path of dialogue with the Federal Government of Nigeria, as the government is ready to hear you out on whatever issues you wish to discuss with it.”

“You guys know that I do not know you and how to reach you, except through the mass media. If truly, as you guys claimed, that you are fighting for the well-being of the people of the Niger Delta, then you must adhere to this appeal, otherwise, the world will label you as criminals,” he said.

The ex-militant leader asserted: “You members of the Niger Delta Avengers group are aware that some mischievous persons have continued to point accusing fingers at me that I am either behind you or directly carrying out the destruction of oil pipelines across the Niger Delta region, therefore , I should be arrested by the Nigerian military.”

“Sadly, the military had bought this ethnic induced and wicked accusation without a single proof to show that I am truly behind you people. On the other hand, some have suggested that you may be part of the multitude of persons I had catered for, from economically empowering to payment of school fees, hospital bills, and house rents and so on. “And that as am out of circulation as a result of my travails in the hands of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), you might be tempted to strike out on your own for sheer survival. Whichever the case, I still maintain that I know nothing about your group and the destruction of crude oil facilities in the Niger Delta region.

“I have made it clear in many occasions that the issue I am having with the EFFC will not make me to resort to violence and bombing of oil pipelines as my team of lawyers have already challenged the defective process of legal service on me in the Court of Appeal. I am a man of truth and peace, therefore will not be involved in violent activities,” he said.

His words: “Come to think of the consequences of your actions in the region so far, particularly as it affects me and the people of Gbaramatu kingdom. Just yesterday (Saturday), the Nigerian Army invaded the ancestral headquarters of the kingdom, Oporoza town, under the guise of looking for members of your group, particularly me, who they have wickedly linked to your group, and unleashed mayhem on the innocent people of the community.”

“And this happened in my absence as I am currently out of Gbaramatu kingdom, but what I gathered from some of the victims of the army invasion is unspeakable. Even pots of soup where not spared. The army has massively looted resident homes, desecrated traditional places of worship, committed sacrilege and abominations, and has continued to occupy the community until this moment.

“What a sad tale, one thing you should know is that government is not interested in its constitutional duty of protection of lives and the welfare of its citizens, rather it is interested in the continuous flow of crude oil in the region. Therefore, it could do anything to make the oil flow, not minding the security and the welfare of the people,” he said.

Tompolo added: “Remember, this same army arrested Chevron Nigeria Ltd staff and labeled them as members of the Niger Delta Avengers, few weeks ago, in one of the communities in Gbaramatu kingdom. It took a spirited effort by the community and other well-meaning Nigerians to intervene for the release of those Chevron staff. This shows that the Nigerian government can do anything to our innocent people in the communities in the guise of looking for members of the Avengers.”

He continued: “One other reason you guys must stop this new campaign of destruction is that the contractors in charge of repair works of attacked pipelines are equally culpable in the act of pipeline vandalism as they now sponsor their allies in the communities to continue to destroy pipelines to get more repair works. This is the sorry state we have found ourselves in the Niger Delta.”

“To this end, dear Niger Delta Avengers, you must put an end to this economic sabotage and allow the government to look into your demands now. I believe a word is enough for the wise,” he said.

LOKOJA – Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has said the All Progressives Congress, APC, came to power during the ‘worst’ and difficult period in the history of the country, however said with cooperation and resilience of the people, the situation was surmountable.

Bello said this was because the Peoples democratic Party, PDP, mismanaged Nigeria democracy while in power; the more reasons Nigeria should count themselves lucky to have the President Muhammedu Buhari led All Progressive Congress, APC, government at the helms of affairs. Bello who stated this Sunday during a state wide Democracy Day broadcast, also said he has change the face of governance and entrenched the dividend of democracy in the state.

His words,”With much hopes and high expectations we installed the Peoples Democratic Party as ruling party in 1999. Unfortunately, the PDP soon became a monster of the sort that was once aptly described as a nest of vipers. The PDP and her members grossly mismanaged our hard-earned Democracy. After about 16 disastrous PDP years, ordinary Nigerians, uniting around the APC and Hurricane Buhari, again swept them out of the corridors of power and into the dustbin of history, hopefully to be seen no more.

“There is no denying the fact that the APC came to power at probably the worst time, socio- economically speaking, for Nigeria and Nigerians. With the steep slid in the global rices of Crude Oil which is the mainstay of our economy, governance has become more challenging than usual. It is indeed a wonder that Mr. President and his Team have been able to starve off a full-blown recession given the circumstances.

The governor however said inspite of the economic hardship, his government had made impart in the state; with education a priority in the “New Direction” blueprint developed to guide the state, said government had developed a holistic approach that would help to revamp and reposition its educational sector for better productivity.

According to him, parts of the approach are welfare of the teaching and non-teaching members of staff in public schools, infrastructural development and provision of instructional materials to students, “Education leads the priority list in our New Direction Agenda. We have continued to pay salaries, renovate school buildings and infrastructure and acquire instructional materials which we distributed to schools across the state.

“We designated three secondary schools, one in each zone, as centres of excellence and unity. They are first in a series designed to raise future leaders who have no distrust of one another and worthy ambassadors of the one Kogi initiative”.

Speaking on efforts of his government at developing the state, Bello said he had resorted to creative financial and social engineering to redistribute the meager federal allocations in the overall interests of the people.

He also said government had paid serious attention to agriculture because it is the next frontier in the revenue projections, adding that several task forces set up had already started yielding results. He said it had signed Memoranda of Understanding with tested large scale farm enterprises with Dangote Group negotiating 20, 000 hectares for rice production.

He however urged the people to look forward to the future of the country with optimism and enthusiasm, said that President Muhammadu Buhari, is laying the foundations for a mega structure that would grow into the Nigeria of our dreams.

Secrets11:
Na anywhere belle face you be

President Muhammadu Buhari says the economic measures his administration must take may lead to hardships.

The president stated this Sunday morning in his Democracy Day nationwide broadcast.

He said his government had resolved to keep the Naira steady as devaluation had done dreadful harm to the Nigerian economy in the past.

He said he supported the monetary authority’s decision to ensure alignment between monetary policy and fiscal policy, saying that government would keep a close look on how the recent measures affect the Naira and the economy.

"But we cannot get away from the fact that a strong currency is predicated on a strong economy. And a strong economy pre-supposes an industrial productive base and a steady export market. The measures we must take may lead to hardships," he said.

Buhari, who acknowledged that the problems Nigerians had faced in the last one year had been many and varied, stressed that the real challenge for his government had been reconstructing the spine of the Nigerian state.

He said the last twelve months had been spent collaborating with all arms of government to revive institutions so that to make them more efficient and fit for purpose.

"That means a bureaucracy better able to develop and deliver policy. That means an independent judiciary, above suspicion and able to defend citizen’s rights and dispense justice equitably. That means a legislature that actually legislates effectively and above all; that means political parties and politicians committed to serving the Nigerian people rather than themselves. These are the pillars of the state on which democracy can take root and thrive. But only if they are strong and incorruptible. Accordingly, we are working very hard to introduce some vital structural reforms in the way we conduct government business and lay a solid foundation on which we can build enduring change," he said.

 He said an important first step had been to get the government's housekeeping right.

So we have reduced the extravagant spending of the past. We started boldly with the treasury single account, stopping the leakages in public expenditure," the president stated.

He said his administration had identified 43,000 ghost workers through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information system, saying "That represents pay packets totalling N4.2 billion stolen every month."

The president said the government would save N23 billion per annum from official travelling and sitting allowances alone.

 "Furthermore, the efficiency unit will cut costs and eliminate duplications in ministries and departments. Every little saving helps. The reduction in the number of ministries and work on restructuring and rationalization of the MDAs is well underway. When this work is complete we will have a leaner, more efficient public service that is fit for the purpose of changing nigeria for the good and for good.

"As well as making savings, we have changed the way public money is spent. In all my years as a public servant, I have never come across the practice of padding budgets. I am glad to tell you now we not only have a budget, but more importantly, we have a budget process that is more transparent, more inclusive and more closely tied to our development priorities than in the recent past. 30% of the expenditure in this budget is devoted to capital items. Furthermore, we are projecting non-oil revenues to surpass proceeds from oil. Some critics have described the budget exercise as clumsy. Perhaps. But it was an example of consensus building, which is integral to democratic government. In the end we resolved our differences," he said.

Buhari admitted that his government had made the very painful but inevitable decisions in the last few weeks "specifically on the pump price of fuel and the more flexible exchange rate policy announced by the Central Bank.

He said it was even more painful for him that a major producer of crude oil with four refineries that once exported refined products today had to import all of its domestic needs.

He emphasised: "This is what corruption and mismanagement has done to us and that is why we must fight these ills."

He said as part of the foundation of the new economy, his administration had to reform how fuel prices had traditionally been fixed.

Explaining how the government arrived at the decision to hike fuel price from N86.50 to N145, Buhari said: "This step was taken only after protracted consideration of its pros and cons. After comprehensive investigation, my advisers and I concluded that the mechanism was unsustainable."

Lalasticlala

President Muhammadu has described the resurgence of the Niger Delta militancy as a plot by vested interests to cause chaos and divisions in the country.

President Buhari this morning in his Democracy Day nationwide broadcast, bemoaned the recent spate of attacks by militants disrupting oil and power installations in the Niger Delta region.

A group known as Niger Delta Avengers had continued to blow up oil and gas facilities in the region.

Buhari said the federal government was fully aware that those vested interests who had held Nigeria back for so long would not give up without a fight.

"They will sow divisions, sponsor vile press criticisms at home and abroad, incite the public in an effort to create chaos rather than relinquish the vice-like grip they have held on Nigeria," Buhari stated.

He, however, assured that the disruption of oil and power installations would not distract his administration from engaging leaders in the region in addressing Niger Delta problems.

The president warned that "If the militants and vandals are testing our resolve, they are much mistaken."

President Buhari also vowed that the government would apprehend the perpetrators and their sponsors and bring them to justice.

According to him, the policy measures and actions taken so far are not to be seen as some experiment in governance.

He said his administration was committed to implementing the United Nations Environment Programme report and was advancing clean-up operations.

Buhari said he believed the way forward was to take a sustainable approach to address the issues affecting the Delta communities, noting that "re-engineering the amnesty programmes is an example of this.”

Lalasticlala

My Compatriots

It is one year today since our administration came into office. It has been a year of triumph, consolidation, pains and achievements. By age, instinct and experience, my preference is to look forward, to prepare for the challenges that lie ahead and rededicate the administration to the task of fixing Nigeria. But I believe we can also learn from the obstacles we have overcome and the progress we made thus far, to help strengthen the plans that we have in place to put Nigeria back on the path of progress.

We affirm our belief in democracy as the form of government that best assures the active participation and actual benefit of the people. Despite the many years of hardship and disappointment the people of this nation have proved inherently good, industrious tolerant, patient and generous.



The past years have witnessed huge flows of oil revenues. From 2010 average oil prices were $100 per barrel. But economic and security conditions were deteriorating. We campaigned and won the election on the platform of restoring security, tackling corruption and restructuring the economy. On our arrival, the oil price had collapsed to as low as $30 per barrel and we found nothing had been kept for the rainy day. Oil prices have been declining since 2014 but due to the neglect of the past, the country was not equipped to halt the economy from declining.

The infrastructure, notably rail, power, roads were in a decrepit state. All the four refineries were in a state of disrepair, the pipelines and depots neglected.

Huge debts owed to contractors and suppliers had accumulated. Twenty-seven states could not pay salaries for months. In the north-east, Boko Haram had captured 14 local governments, driven the local authorities out, hoisted their flags. Elsewhere, insecurity was palpable; corruption and impunity were the order of the day. In short, we inherited a state near collapse.

On the economic front, all oil dependent countries, Nigeria included, have been struggling since the drop in prices. Many oil rich states have had to take tough decisions similar to what we are doing. The world, Nigeria included has been dealing with the effects of three significant and simultaneous global shocks starting in 2014:

1. A 70% drop in oil prices.

2. Global growth slowdown.

3. Normalization of monetary policy by the United States federal reserve.


Our problems as a government are like that of a farmer who in a good season harvests ten bags of produce. The proceeds enable him to get by for rest of the year. However, this year he could only manage 3 bags from his farm. He must now think of other ways to make ends meet.

From day one, we purposely set out to correct our condition, to change Nigeria. We reinforced and galvanized our armed forces with new leadership and resources. We marshaled our neighbours in a joint task force to tackle and defeat Boko Haram. By the end of December 2015, all but pockets and remnants had been routed by our gallant armed forces. Our immediate focus is for a gradual and safe return of internally displaced persons in safety and dignity and for the resumption of normalcy in the lives of people living in these areas.

EFCC was given the freedom to pursue corrupt officials and the judiciary was alerted on what Nigerians expect of them in the fight against corruption. On the economy, in particular foreign exchange and fuel shortages, our plan is to save foreign exchange by fast tracking repair of the refineries and producing most of our fuel requirements at home. And by growing more food in Nigeria, mainly rice, wheat and sugar we will save billions of dollars in foreign exchange and drastically reduce our food import bill.

We resolved to keep the Naira steady, as in the past, devaluation had done dreadful harm to the Nigerian economy. Furthermore, I supported the monetary authority’s decision to ensure alignment between monetary policy and fiscal policy. We shall keep a close look on how the recent measures affect the Naira and the economy. But we cannot get away from the fact that a strong currency is predicated on a strong economy. And a strong economy pre-supposes an industrial productive base and a steady export market. The measures we must take, may lead to hardships. The problems Nigerians have faced over the last year have been many and varied. But the real challenge for this government has been reconstructing the spine of the Nigerian state. The last twelve months have been spent collaborating with all arms of government to revive our institutions so that they are more efficient and fit for purpose:

•That means a bureaucracy better able to develop and deliver policy.

•That means an independent judiciary, above suspicion and able to defend citizen’s rights and dispense justice equitably.

•That means a legislature that actually legislates effectively and

•Above all; that means political parties and politicians committed to serving the Nigerian people rather than themselves.


These are the pillars of the state on which democracy can take root and thrive. But only if they are strong and incorruptible. Accordingly, we are working very hard to introduce some vital structural reforms in the way we conduct government business and lay a solid foundation on which we can build enduring change.

An important first step has been to get our housekeeping right. So we have reduced the extravagant spending of the past. We started boldly with the treasury single account, stopping the leakages in public expenditure.

We then identified forty-three thousand ghost workers through the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information system. That represents pay packets totalling N4.2 billion stolen every month.  In addition, we will save Twenty-Three Billion  Naira per annum from official travelling and sitting allowances alone.

Furthermore, the efficiency unit will cut costs and eliminate duplications in ministries and departments. Every little saving helps. The reduction in the number of ministries and work on restructuring and rationalization of the MDAs is well underway. When this work is complete we will have a leaner, more efficient public service that is fit for the purpose of changing nigeria for the good and for good.

As well as making savings, we have changed the way public money is spent. In all my years as a public servant, I have never come across the practice of padding budgets. I am glad to tell you now we not only have a budget, but more importantly, we have a budget process that is more transparent, more inclusive and more closely tied to our development priorities than in the recent past. 30% of the expenditure in this budget is devoted to capital items. Furthermore, we are projecting non-oil revenues to surpass proceeds from oil. Some critics have described the budget exercise as clumsy. Perhaps. But it was an example of consensus building, which is integral to democratic government. In the end we resolved our differences.

We have, therefore, delivered significant milestones on security, corruption and the economy. In respect of the economy, I would like to directly address you on the very painful but inevitable decisions we had to make in the last few weeks specifically on the pump price of fuel and the more flexible exchange rate policy announced by the central bank. It is even more painful for me that a major producer of crude oil with four refineries that once exported refined products is today having to import all of its domestic needs. This is what corruption and mismanagement has done to us and that is why we must fight these ills.

As part of the foundation of the new economy we have had to reform how fuel prices had traditionally been fixed. This step was taken only after protracted consideration of its pros and cons. After comprehensive investigation my advisers and I concluded that the mechanism was unsustainable.

We are also engaged in making recoveries of stolen assets some of which are in different jurisdictions. The processes of recovery can be tedious and time consuming, but today I can confirm that thus far: significant amount of assets have been recovered. A considerable portion of these are at different stages of recovery. Full details of the status and categories of the assets will now be published by the Ministry of Information and updated periodically. When forfeiture formalities are completed these monies will be credited to the treasury and be openly and transparently used in funding developmental projects and the public will be informed.

On the Niger Delta, we are committed to implementing the United Nations Environment Programme report and are advancing clean-up operations. I believe the way forward is to take a sustainable approach to address the issues that affect the delta communities. Re-engineering the amnesty programmes is an example of this. The recent spate of attacks by militants disrupting oil and power installations will not distract us from engaging leaders in the region in addressing Niger Delta problems. If the militants and vandals are testing our resolve, they are much mistaken. We shall apprehend the perpetrators and their sponsors and bring them to justice.

The policy measures and actions taken so far are not to be seen as some experiment in governance. We are fully aware that those vested interests who have held Nigeria back for so long will not give up without a fight. They will sow divisions, sponsor vile press criticisms at home and abroad, incite the public in an effort to create chaos rather than relinquish the vice-like grip they have held on Nigeria.

The economic misfortune we are experiencing in the shape of very low oil prices has provided us with an opportunity to restructure our economy and diversify. We are in the process of promoting agriculture, livestocks, exploiting our solid mineral resources and expanding our industrial and manufacturing base. That way, we will import less and make the social investments necessary to allow us to produce a large and skilled workforce.

Central Bank of Nigeria will offer more fiscal incentives for business that prove capable of manufacturing products that are internationally competitive. We remain committed to reforming the regulatory framework, for investors by improving the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the first steps along the path of self-sufficiency in rice, wheat and sugar – big users of our scarce foreign exchange – have been taken. The Labour Intensive Farming Enterprise  will boost the economy and ensure inclusive growth in long neglected communities. Special intervention funds through the Bank of Agriculture will provide targeted support. Concerns remain about rising cost of foods such as maize, rice, millet, beans and gari. Farmers tell me that they are worried about the cost of fertilizers, pesticides and the absence of extension services. The federal and state governments are on the same page in tackling these hurdles in our efforts at increased food production and ultimately food security.

I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation for the increasing role that our women are playing in revitalizing the agricultural sector. Modern farming is still hard and heavy work and I salute our Nigerian women in sharing this burden. In this respect I am very pleased to announce that the government will shortly be launching the national women’s empowerment fund, which I have approved to provide N1.6 billion in micro-finance loans to women across the nation to assist in rehabilitating the economies of rural communities, particularly those impacted by the insurgency and conflict.

With respect to solid minerals, the minister has produced a roadmap where we will work closely with the world bank and major international investors to ensure through best practices and due diligence that we choose the right partners. Illegal mining remains a problem and we have set up a special security team to protect our assets. Special measures will be in place to protect miners in their work environment.

For too long, ours has been a society that neglects the poor and victimizes the weak. A society that promotes profit and growth over development and freedom. A society that fails to recognize that, to quote the distinguished economist Amartya Sen“poverty is not just lack of money. It is not having the capability to realize one’s full potential as a human being.”

So, today, I am happy to formally  launch, by far the most ambitious social protection programme in our history. A programme that both seeks to start the process of lifting many from poverty, while at the same time creating the opportunity for people to fend for themselves. In this regard, Five Hundred Billion Naira has been appropriated in the 2016 budget for social intervention programmes in five key areas. We are committed to providing job creation opportunities for five hundred thousand teachers and one hundred thousand artisans across the nation. 5.5 million children are to be provided with nutritious meals through our school feeding programme to improve learning outcomes, as well as enrolment and completion rates. The conditional cash transfer scheme will provide financial support for up to one million vulnerable beneficiaries, and complement the enterprise programme – which will target up to one million market women; four hundred and sixty thousand artisans; and two hundred thousand agricultural workers, nationwide. Finally, through the education grant scheme, we will encourage students studying sciences, technology, engineering and maths, and lay a foundation for human capital development for the next generation

I would like to pay a special tribute to our gallant men and women of the armed forces who are in harm’s way so that the rest of us can live and go about our business in safety. Their work is almost done. The nation owes them a debt of gratitude.

Abroad, we want to assure our neighbours, friends and development partners that Nigeria is firmly committed to democratic principles. We are ready partners in combating terrorism, cyber crimes, control of communicable diseases and protection of the environment. Following on the Paris Agreement, COP 21, we are fully committed to halting and reversing desertification. Elsewhere, we will intensify efforts to tackle erosion, ocean surge, flooding and oil spillage which I referred to earlier by implementing the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report.

We are grateful to the international community notably France, the US, UK and China for their quick response in helping to tackle the recent Ebola outbreak in our sub-region. We also acknowledge the humanity shown by the Italian and German governments in the treatment of boat people, many fleeing from our sub-region because of lack of economic opportunity. We thank all our partners especially several countries in the EU.

We appreciate the valuable work that the UN agencies, particularly UNICEF, ICRC, the World Food Program have been doing. We must also appreciate the World Bank, the Gates Foundation, the Global Fund and Educate A Child of Qatar for the excellent work in our health, education and other sectors.

Fellow citizens let me end on a happy note. To the delight of all, two of the abducted Chibok girls have regained their freedom. During the last one year, not a single day passed without my agonizing about these girls. Our efforts have centred around negotiations to free them safely from their mindless captors. We are still pursuing that course. Their safety is of paramount concern to me and I am sure to most Nigerians. I am very worried about the conditions those still captured might be in. Today I re-affirm our commitment to rescuing our girls. We will never stop until we bring them home safely. As I said before, no girl should be put through the brutality of forced marriage and every Nigerian girl has the right to an education and a life choice.

I thank you and appeal to you to continue supporting the government’s efforts to fix Nigeria.

Lalasticlala