₦airaland Forum

Fayose must be a joker, His strategy of working with the brain of the gullible will not work on us all. The fact is that Fayose received millions of dollars from Dasuki Dasuki is in for it, Obanikoro has entered into plea bargaining and refunding his own share of the loot, many others have ongoing cases in court. Surely, i dont know why he wants his own to be different just because he knows how to shout with the intention of diverting attention to distract from the real issue.

The federal government says it has spent a total of N2.7trillion on infrastructural development across the country. The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, disclosed this in his presentation at The Chatham House in London on Wednesday entitled: Nigeria’s National Unity: Toward Participation and Shared Values’. Alhaji Lai Mohammed He said the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari since coming into office in 2015 had embarked on an unprecedented renewal of the nation’s infrastructure, investing an unprecedented 2.7 trillion Naira on roads, rails, power and other similar projects. Beyond embarking on these projects, the minister said the spread of such projects cut across all the component regions of the country to foster a sense of national unity. ‘‘Since coming into office, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has embarked on an unprecedented renewal of the nation’s infrastructure, investing an unprecedented 2.7 trillion Naira on roads, rails, power and other similar projects. ‘‘But it is not enough to embark on these projects, it is important to let the public know the extent and spread of such projects to foster a sense of national unity. ‘‘This explains why we kick started a nationwide tour of Federal Government projects nationwide, with not less than 25 journalists accompanying me on each trip. Buhari meets aggrieved APC members of HoR. ‘‘Till date, we have inspected many of such projects, including the new Lagos to Kano standard gauge rail line, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in the Southwest that connects the port city of Lagos to other parts of the country, the new intra-city rail line connecting the Abuja city centre to the international Airport, the Enugu-Port Harcourt freeway in the South-east and the Ilorin-/Jebba-Mokwa road in central Nigeria.’’ Continuing, Mohamed told the audience that the administration went further to launch the FGNiApp, a downloadable on mobile devices, to provide up-to-date information about government’s projects and policies to the people, irrespective of where they are. On the abducted Chibok and Dapchi school girls, the minister said the government had made some strive by securing the release of some of the abducted girls, while efforts were still ongoing to secure the release of remaining girls in captivity. ‘‘As you are all aware, some 276 girls were abducted by terrorists from their school in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, about a year before the Buhari Administration assumed office. At his inauguration, President Buhari promised to do whatever is necessary to secure the release of the girls. Today, many of the girls have been freed unharmed, even though over 100 of the girls remained in captivity. ‘‘The civil society group Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG), which has consistently advocated for the release of all the girls, demanded information from the Federal Government on what is being done to free them. In response to their yearnings, we arranged with the military to embed them, so to say, in some of their search sorties. ‘‘Some Bring Back Our Girls campaigners were subsequently flown on search sorties by the air force to give them a firsthand knowledge of the military’s efforts to rescue the girls. BBOG was later to say, in their report on the trip: ‘’We can confirm that the air component of the counterinsurgency war is being prosecuted by a highly-professional, capable, motivated and committed team of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF). We were provided data and imagery evidence to show that the search for our Chibok girls and other abducted citizens is a daily activity by NAF.’’ ‘‘When some 110 Dapchi school girls were similarly abducted, on 18 Feb. 2018, we ensured that Nigerians were provided with detailed and up-to-date information, having led a number of Federal Government delegations to the school to get first-hand information. When, a few weeks later, most of the girls were released, Nigerians were never in doubt about the efforts that the government had put into freeing the girls. ‘‘Only last week, I led another Federal Government delegation to Dapchi, in Yobe State, to meet with the mother of Leah Sharibu, the remaining Dapchi girl in captivity, and to Maiduguri, in Borno State, to meet with the families of the three aid workers who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in March this year. Unfortunately, two of the three aid workers have now been killed, the latest one being killed this past Monday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the murdered women, even as we continue to do everything any responsible government will do to free the women who remain in captivity. ‘‘ It is important to say that we have regularly met with the various media stakeholders in Nigeria, to discuss with them government policies and programmes. These groups include the umbrella Nigeria Union of Journalists, Online publishers, bloggers and social media influencers, Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON), Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), etc. ‘‘We have also gone beyond the shores of Nigeria to meet with the global media, policy think tanks and decision makers, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States. My current visit to London is the latest of such visits, which are aimed at engaging with the international media and the think tanks. Since assuming office, I have made a deliberate effort to build consistent and constructive relationships with the international media, especially in key media centres and capitals. I have also attempted to make those visits regular, building consistent lines of communication, not only with media houses, but with specific journalists too. ‘‘I was here in the UK to engage with the media, think tanks and decision makers in September 2017, then travelled to the US for the same purpose in April 2018, and now I am back here to continue with the engagement. This is in appreciation that correct information and proper briefings – to also dispel rumour and conjecture – are just as important as short-term coverage. I am also aware that stakeholder relations are so vital – that is why Chatham House and other think tanks in the UK and the US are important. I have also met with academics. This is important to inform a wider debate. ‘‘As the 2019 general elections approach, Nigeria faces a new challenge, a threat not just to the country peace and security, but indeed its very existence. It is the dual challenge of fake news and hate speech. Yes, the fake news problem is not unique to Nigeria, but it poses a more potent threat to the country because of its multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural status. It is also a clear and present danger to the nation’s unity. Naysayers have latched onto the fake news phenomenon to exploit the country’s fault lines and inflame passion. For example, the BBC recently did a report on how fake news is aggravating the persistent Farmers-Herders clashes. Pictures of gun-totting herdsmen from other lands are routinely used to depict the herdsmen in Nigeria. Age-long clashes between Farmers and Herders have suddenly been dressed in the garb of religion and ethnicity. Ignored is the fact that the clashes have become more persistent because of a mixture of many factors, including population explosion, effects of climate change, keener contest for dwindling natural resources and sheer criminality. Religion and ethnicity are not the reasons for these clashes. ‘‘To tackle this, we have launched a national campaign against fake news and hate speech. The aim is to sensitize Nigerians to the dangers posed by fake news, how to spot fake news and what to do. We are under no illusion that the campaign can immediately stop fake news and hate speech. But we want to bring the issues to the front burner of national discourse. And I can say that we are succeeding in that respect. Today, fake news has become a topical issue in Nigeria. To Nigerians, we say: If you can’t vouch for the veracity of any news item, don’t share it!’’ On the theme of the paper, Mohammed said, ‘‘the topic could not have been more apt, as Nigeria continues to struggle to forge a national consensus, to accept its diverse ethnic groups as the source of its national power and cohesion, irrespective of religion, status, culture and geographical location. The challenge is made more daunting by the fact that the large country is occupied by diverse people, with diverse languages and culture. In other words, it is a multi-national state, a conglomeration of ethnic nations, each with its distinctive character and ethos. ‘‘Why is the question of national unity so important? This is simply because without a united country, all its component parts will be working at cross purposes with conflicting signals that will constantly threaten the foundation and the very existence of the country. This is more so in a country as diverse as Nigeria, which has had sufficient doses of ethnic and religious strives at various times in its nationhood journey, including a bitter, 30-month civil war and the Boko Haram insurgency. FG looking beyond N-Delta for alternative gas sources – Kachikwu ‘‘The relevance of the topic is also accentuated by the fact that, in the next few months, Nigeria will be returning to the polls for the general elections. The run-up to the 2015 general elections tested the nation’s unity, in no small measure, and it remains to be seen whether we, the people, have learnt any lessons as we move closer to the 2019 polls.’’ He said the Ministry was taking its mandate very seriously in order to ensure that the people get, and consistently too, the detailed information they require to enhance their participation in the political process and, ultimately, to help deepen the nation’s democracy. Part of the mandate of the Ministry is the strategic communication of government policies and programmes, as well as developing among Nigerians cultural values and awareness that will inculcate the spirit of patriotism, nationalism, self-discipline and self- reliance. This explains why, immediately upon assuming office as Minister in 2015, I decided to take a trip to the North-East, where the Boko Haram insurgency was then raging. The insurgency that started in 2009 had taken its toll on the country by the time we assumed office. The terrorists struck freely at places and times of their own choosing. They strolled into Abuja, the nation’s capital, several times to wreak havoc, including on the United Nations office and the police headquarters. The terrorists administered a territory the size of Lebanon, collecting taxes and removing and installing Emirs. Nigerians slept with one eye open. It was in the midst of this that the new Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came into office. The President ordered the relocation of the military campaign against the insurgents to the North-east, and rallied regional and international support for the battle. Shortly thereafter, the insurgents were dislodged from the territories they occupied, and they lost their capacity to freely attack cities or seize territories. ‘‘We figured, therefore, that in order to carry the people along and get them to buy into the government’s effort to prevent Nigeria from being balkanized by the terrorists, they needed to know exactly what was going on. On 5 Dec. 2018, I led over 30 local and foreign journalists to the liberated parts of the North-East, in fact to the heart of the insurgency, the self-declared capital of the terrorists – Bama, over 80 kilometres by road from Maiduguri, capital city of Borno state, touching Konduga and Kaura, all decimated, in the process. It was the first time any Information Minister had visited the battle zone since the slow-motion warfare started. Verification: Lamentation as Airways Pensioners sleep at center ‘‘The visit gave us the opportunity to see things for ourselves, and to convey such to Nigerians as vividly as possible. It helped to change the way Nigerians viewed that insurgency, to rally national support for the gallant men and women in uniform and to enlist Nigerians’ support for the efforts to reduce the cowardly suicide bombings of soft targets that the dislodged terrorists resorted to. ‘If you see something, say something’, became the rallying payoff line for the National Campaign Against Insecurity that we launched after the visit. ‘‘We also realized early on that for democracy to grow, it is important to ensure citizens’ participation in decision and policies affecting their lives – especially in a direct manner, rather than through their elected representatives only. This informed our decision to launch the Town Hall Meeting series that saw cabinet Ministers meeting, in a town hall setting, a cross section of Nigerians from all walks of life, with a view to keeping them informed about government policies and programmes and, at the same time, getting their feedbacks and inputs. So far, we have held 13 of such meetings, spread across the nation’s six geo-political zones and covering various topics. Many more are slated to hold between now and the general elections in February and March 2019,’’ he added. Related Buhari has kept his social contract with Nigerian people – Lai Mohammed May 28, 2018 FG okays $1.3bn for 5 critical projects – Lai Mohammed September 2, 2018

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/we-have-invested-n2-7trn-on-infrastructure-fg/

NO fewer than 9,804 La-gos State pensioners have been paid their accrued pension rights of N40,245 billion, the Lagos State Pension Commission, LASPEC, has confirmed. File Photo: Aged Pensioners waiting for their entitlement According to the commission, the N40, 245 billion has been paid into their Retirement Savings Accounts, RSA, since the beginning of the current administration till date. 2019: Why women’s participation is dwindling This came as the government released N795 million in September to settle part of the accrued pension rights of its pensioners. LASPEC in a statement by its Director-General, Mrs Folashade Onanuga, said the release was in fulfillment of monthly pension settlement embarked on by Gov. Akinwunmi Ambode. Lawyers and Alleged Forgeries: Do We Still Have an NBA? According to LASPEC, the fund was released for 213 Public Service Retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme, CPS, in the state. “His Excellency has remained committed to pensioners’ welfare in spite the huge funding obligations facing the administration. For this reason, funds are released monthly into the RSA of employees, and also the accrued rights are gradually being cleared,” A journalist’s house of horror after retirement The commission also said there was a move by the National Pension Commission to execute the Pension Law on guaranteed Minimum Pension for life. The law will be executed for retirees under the Programmed Withdrawal benefit option as it will be recalled that the annuity option offers pension for life for the annuitants.”

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/9804-lagos-pensioners-get-over-n40bn-2/

I disagree with this statement, saying that Atiku is corrupt is a factor that should be considered, Reasonable Nigerians know better. We will choose integrity over corruption.

The PDP will use this opportunity to drag the government to the mud no doubt, it is bad enough that Nigeria has lost one of her own, no government will sit back and watch some unknown gun men kill its citizens. They should not capitalize on this, Crocodile tears everywhere.

The Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Ibe Kachikwu, on Monday said the country was looking beyond the Niger Delta in its effort to find alternative source for gas supply.

Mr Kachikwu disclosed this at a breakout session at the ongoing Nigerian Gas Association 11th International Conference and Exhibition in Abuja.

The minister was represented by his technical adviser, upstream and gas, Gbite Adeniji.

He said that the federal government was serious about taking gas to the Northern region of the country, through the Ajaokuta-Kaduna-Kano( AKK) gas pipeline project, so as to address the huge economic challenges witnessed in the region.

The minister stated that the country could no longer tolerate a situation where 11 power plants across the country would be forced to shut down, once there was disruption in gas supply through the Escravos Lagos Pipeline System (ELPS).

“As a government, you want to ensure that you have robustness in supply sources and robustness on delivery system. The position we have taken is that we have to look at as many options as possible in terms of supply sources.

“Today, we are very dependent on gas supply from the Niger Delta. The policy position is that we have to look at other terrains to see what is possible. We have discovered huge amount of gas resources in the offshore.

“Hence, the statement made earlier on that we must ensure that by the end of this quarter, we settle the issues of the contractual framework that would help us unlock those gas resources, so that we have optionality.

“It just does not do well that once the ELPS goes down, 11 power plants and many industrial enterprises also go down with it. That is not the system. A huge part of investment in there, but the reality of our life in Nigeria is that it goes down with them. The planning is that we have to create options to the ELPS for Lagos.”

Mr Kachikwu listed the strategic importance of the AKK pipeline project.



He noted that the key was to ensure that the project was delivered in a manner that gives confidence to the upstream that there was viable anchor project to keep it going.

According to him, until the AKK pipeline comes on stream, the country must look at the possibility of alternative gas supplies into the Northern region and into other stranded gas markets in the country.

“Let us focus a bit on Northern Nigeria, which is facing quadruple whammy, which is what I would call it today. It is significantly de-industrialized; there is deforestation going on; there is desertification going on; then the population is booming.

“Cheap access to energy sources is a big solution to these problems on Northern Nigeria, which is the key essence of the AKK project,” he said.
https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/290532-gas-supply-nigeria-looks-beyond-niger-delta-targets-north-official.html

That is what is supposed to be, this is expected, in recent times, in recent times the Buhari led government has embark on the completion of abandoned projects by the previous government across the country, this is a prove that he will do more to develop Nigeria irrespective of religion or tribe.

The Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Monday said the federal government has spent N1.7 trillion on capital projects in two budget years.

He made this claim while addressing participants at the 9th Presidential Quarterly Business Forum held at the State House Banquet Hall in Abuja.

The vice president said infrastructure development was crucial in economic growth and job creation.

In his words, “I am convinced that we can crack the jobs problem and we are in the right direction.

“First, by investing in infrastructure; we are investing more in infrastructure today than any previous governments in our history.

“We have spent so far in two budgets, N1.7 trillion in capital investment – that is the largest in the history of the country. Despite earning 60 per cent less, we are doing far more with far less resources,’’ he said.

THE CLAIM
“We have spent so far in two budgets, N1.7 trillion in capital investment – that is the largest in the history of the country despite earning 60 percent less; we are doing far more with far less resources,’’ Mr Osinbajo said.

Verification Of Claim
The vice president said N1.7 trillion was released for capital projects in two budget years.

Since the present administration, under Muhammadu Buhari, was sworn in on May 29, 2015, the first full year budget of this current administration was in 2016. Hence, verifying this claim will be based on the realities of the 2016 and 2017 budget.

According to the Budget Office of the Federation, the 2016 budget, as approved by Mr Buhari has an aggregate expenditure of N6,060,677,358,227 (N6 trillion) out of which N1, 587,598,122,031 was projected as capital expenditure; but the total release for capital projects in 2016, according to the Accountant General, was N1,219,471,747,443 (N1.2 trillion) which translates to the fact that 20 per cent of the total budget size was spent on capital projects.



In 2017, a total expenditure of N7.44 trillion was passed by the National Assembly. Out of this, N2.99 trillion was earmarked for non-debt recurrent spending, while N2.36 trillion was budgeted for capital expenditure, which represents 31 per cent of the entire budget.

According to official documents from the cash management department of the ministry of finance, out of the N2.36 budgeted for capital expenditure in the 2017 budget, a total of N1.6 trillion was released to Ministries, Departments and Agencies for financing capital projects in the 2017 federal budget.

Going by available data on capital releases for 2016 and 2017, a total of N2.8 trillion was spent on capital projects by the current government for the 2016 and 2017 budget years, a figure which is more than the N1.7 trillion quoted by the vice president.

The claim by the vice president that this government has so far spent N1.7 trillion in two budget years on capital projects is, therefore, TRUE.

A previous fact check had also shown that the latter part of Mr Osinbajo’s claim that the capital release “is the largest in the history of the country” is also true if the actual figures (N1.2 trillion in 2016 and N1.6 trillion in 2017) are taken in real value. In no previous year was up to N1 trillion actually released for capital projects in a budget year.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/289314-fact-check-how-true-is-osinbajos-claim-that-nigerian-govt-spent-n1-7-trillion-on-capital-projects.html

President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday in Abuja urged religious leaders in the country to assist government to overcome forces of destruction by enlightening their followers to guard against religious extremism and terrorism.

Receiving the leadership of Qadiriyya Islamic Movement in Africa at the State House, Mr Buhari noted that Muslim leaders have a duty to promote the principles and tenets of Islam as a religion of peace and justice.

The president said those who indoctrinate children and plant explosives on them to harm innocent people do not belong to any religion but ‘‘terrorists who should be identified and fought until they give up their evil ways.’’

Mr Buhari, who commended the Qadiriyya movement for promoting education, interfaith dialogue and good moral conduct in the society, expressed support for the proposed Islamic Centre in Abuja by the movement.

Earlier in his remarks, the leader of the Qadiriyya in Africa, Qaribullah Kabara had congratulated the president on his emergence as his party’s candidate for the 2019 election.

He also commended the president on the achievements of his administration since coming into office, stressing the diversification of the economy, increased power supply and food sufficiency.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/289383-education-antidote-to-extremism-terrorism-buhari.html

As the sun slowly baked his skin, Saliu Babamale navigated his way slowly through Akerebiata road, a few kilometres away from Shao garage, on his way to the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Birni Gwari expressway.

Mr Babamale, 42, is a commercial driver plying the Ilorin-Jebba commercial route. The time was 12.40 a.m. and he told PREMIUM TIMES in a chat that the trip was his second trip of the day. A few years ago, he would still be wobbling through his first trip at that period of the day, he explains.

“Help us thank Fashola (minister) and Buhari,” he said, brimming with smile, “they are the ones that saved us on this road by rehabilitating it.”

Mr Babamale is not alone in his undisguised show of love for Messrs Raji Fashola and Muhammadu Buhari.

“So many people died on this road when it was dilapidated,” said another driver, who identified himself as Alhaji Karimu. “We appreciate the government for a job well done.”

The Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Birni Gwari expressway is one of the numerous road projects the Buhari administration has embarked on since it came to power in 2015. But while the Ilorin-Jebba section of the road has since been completed to the delight of road users, the same cannot be said of other sections of the road from Jebba through Mokwa, all the way to Birni Gwari.

LAGOS-IBADAN EXPRESSWAY
The Lagos-Ibadan expressway is regarded as one of the most crucial road networks in the country. Plans to rehabilitate the road, for years, have always been subject of controversies with successive governments unable to successfully reconstruct the road.



When the Buhari government came into power, the road was one of its major areas of focus and it received commendable attention especially between 2016 and 2017. But when PREMIUM TIMES moved round the two sections of the road in a recent inspection conducted in June, there were no visible presence of contractors on the road.from the front of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, (RCCG), up until Sagamu interchange, the road had been well paved, there was no construction worker on site. “They said they didn’t pay them their money so they all left,” said Akintunde Badmus, a commercial motorcyclist who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES.

Meanwhile, on the other lane beginning from Sagamu back to Lagos, the construction work was done up till Magboro before it was terminated. There were no construction workers on site either.

SAGAMU-IBADAN SECTION
The second section of the road beginning from Sagamu to Ibadan was no better as no major construction work was also done on the road. The road, a single lane track, was in a dilapidated state from Sagamu interchange, through Ogere up until Sapade village. At Isara-Remo, there were two motorable lanes with the third lane in the middle filled with gravel. The lane, ostensibly being built as the third lane, is now abandoned and overgrown with grasses.

Shortly after Isara-Remo, the road diverts into a single lane, up until the location of Foursquare (church) camp. The other side of the road has been constructed but not open for use. There were a few construction workers on site working on the road.

“I think our people have not been paid,” said a staffer of the construction company, RCC, who asked not to be named. “Many people already left before they were invited again last week or so.”

A few kilometres away from Al-Hijrah site, the road was still being used as single lane with motorists complaining of the inconvenience of using such a road.

“The road is too narrow and sometimes it leads to accidents especially when drivers are not in a hurry,” said Bashiru, a road user.

From the locations of Macpherson University, to Skelly Quarry, Noor Foundation, Free Trade Zone, Dominic University, and the Technical University Ibadan, the road has been constructed and well paved.

It however terminates at a spot not far away from the site of Guru Maharaji complex, up until the location of the Ibadan Toll Gate.

ILORIN-JEBBA-MOKWA-BIRNIN GWARI
PREMIUM TIMES findings showed that motorists are delighted about the state of the Ilorin-Jebba section of the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa-Birnin Gwari expressway. Once the vehicle wriggles its way past the tiny road at Shao and bursts into the expressway, which leads to Ilorin and Ogbomoso, it’s a smooth ride all the way to Jebba, they say.

“Fashola really tried for us,” said another commuter who trades in dried fish in Ilorin, Limota Kazeem. “The good state of the road has eased businesses for us and increased our gains because of low cost of transport.”

Another commercial bus driver, Baba Wakili, said he heard that the contract for the construction was earlier awarded to a certain monarch in Kwara, who allegedly abandoned the road.

“When Fashola came, he told them to quickly refund the money or do the road. He came for inspection almost on a weekly basis, correcting them when they did shoddy jobs. Fashola really tried for us on this road.”

Our reporter observed that from the KWASU-Shao intersection, through Camp Olooru, Alagba, Agbele and Shegi villages, the road is smooth up until Bode-Sadu. From Bode-Sadu, through Adena Village in Kaiama Local Government Area, the road was equaly well paved up till the Kwara axis of Jebba bridge.

While the Ilorin-Jebba axis of the road has received attention to the delight of users, the Jebba-Mokwa-Birni Gwari section of the road has however remained in its old decrepit state.

When PREMIUM TIMES inspected the road, it gathered that the construction works terminated at the tip of the River Niger bridge, creating traffic gridlock.

Sam, a construction worker with the Chinese Group of Companies, CGC, the company handling the construction, said they were recently invited to the site after months of being off-site

“The road is bad, it’s why transport is high,” said Umaru Umar, a commercial motorcyclist, who spoke with our reporter.

“From here to Minna is N2,500, and that’s because of the road. It should not be more than N1000 if the road was good.”

Meanwhile, PREMIUM TIMES noticed that a section of the road around Tatabu bridge was rehabilitated, but other sections up till Mokwa are still in decrepit states.

“Tatabu bridge area was constructed like this because it collapsed too last year,” said a passerby who lives around the bridge but declined to be identified. “It took a while before it was rehabilitated.”

Two construction workers, who craved anonymity, told PREMIUM TIMES that they were awaiting the arrival of President Buhari before works would commence on the Mokwa-Jebba road.

“No money. what we are doing is ‘patch-patch’ work,” said a construction worker. ”Really work will begin when Buhari comes for (presidential) campaign or inspection.”

A worker who identified himself as Monday however said, “The project was started in 2014 but abandoned during elections. We have done the Kwara wing; we are waiting for when the Niger wing would be done.”

ENUGU- ONITSHA EXPRESSWAY
The Enugu to Onitsha expressway, one of the major roads that is of high socio-economic importance to the people of the South-east, is seen as a gateway into the region as it connects the region from the South-west.

When our reporter monitored the road, about 30 per cent of the road has been done by the contractor handling the projects, even though one of the contractors has had his contract terminated by the federal government due to inability to deliver.

Also, some users of the road and members of the community have lamented since the road became bad. Some of them however commended the Buhari government for the increased pace of work by the contractors.

One of the major challenges that has been blamed for the poor state of the road is the inability of the contractors to find lasting solution to the soil texture of the area which is said to have a very difficult soil composition.

This has led to the road failing almost immediately they are constructed, PREMIUM TIMES learnt. The CCC Construction Company was initially awarded the contract to construct the Abakpa Junction in Enugu to Ninth mile section of the road, which is about 16 kilometers, but it was unable to do the project for many years before the emergence of the Buhari administration.

Another bad section of Enugu-Onitsha Expressway [Photo: James Eze] A bad section of Enugu-Onitsha Expressway [Photo: James Eze]
The other section of the road from Ninth Mile to Amansea in Enugu being handled by RCC construction is progressing and road users equally expressed delight at the quality of work being undertaken by the contractor.

So far, RCC have completed one lane of the two-lane road and this has alleviated the plight of road users on the road as the area was one of the worst segments of the road. The third section of the road which was awarded to Nigercat Construction Company, an indigenous company based in Delta state is not progressing.

Apart from the signpost announcing the details of the road project, there is no evidence to show that the contractor was on sight or working when our reporter visited the road.

Enugu-Onitsha Expressway under construction [Photo: James Eze]
The Anambra section from the border with Enugu to Awka though not yet done is motorable but travelling on the road is not smooth. Within Awka metropolis, the road is very smooth as it has been maintained by Anambra State government. So also is the segment within Onitsha metropolis.

Many parts of the Anambra segment were scrapped by the contractors and then abandoned for many years without any work done; forcing drivers to use one lane. This is one of the major reasons for accidents on the road as travelers going opposite ways try to overtake each other sometimes carelessly. The bad road in this segment also cause lots of traffic gridlock on the road leading to delay for travelers.

The bad has road forced motorists to use one lane [Photo: James Eze]
A commercial driver, Ngwu Obinna, commended the president for re-awarding the contract but lamented the poor pace of work on the road.

“It too annoying that we still run on a bad road. I am not in the government system to know how the road is going on but we are quite happy that they are doing some work now unlike before when the whole road was bad.

“We the drivers are suffering a lot because of the bad road. I would say that we are the worst hit by the bad road as about 80 per cent of the money we get from this business, we spend it on maintenance of our cars.”

Enugu-Portharcourt Expressway under construction [Photo - James Eze]
A trader, Confidence Chukwu, lamented the high rate of accidents on the road which she blamed on the state of the road. A week prior to PREMIUM TIMES’ visit, a family of seven reportedly perished on the road close to Ninth Mile. Ms Confidence noted that the accident ”happened because of the poor state of the road”.

“Many cars divert and use the old expressway reconstructed by the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi led government in Enugu State. That one is in good condition, because of that, we are not making much sales.”

Enugu-Onitsha Expressway under construction - Photo - James Eze
A staffer of one of the construction companies who spoke with our reporter on condition of anonymity attributed the slow pace of work on the road to the non-release of funds to the construction companies.

“You don’t blame the contractors, we only started getting money during the Anambra elections last year when the APC candidate Nwoye started lobbying and using it as a campaign point. Even at that, I dont think they have released enough money yet though the minister on his visit last month (May) promised release of more money for us,” the source said.

The reconstructed section by RCC construction
Efforts to get the Controller of Works in charge of Enugu State, Oyekanmi Olufemi to comment on the allegation of inadequate release of funds and the poor state of the road were not successful.

He gave this reporter series of appointments but was not always in the office at the Federal Secretariat Enugu when the reporter called.



ALESI-UGEP ROAD, CROSS RIVER
The Alesi-Ugep Road, Cross River State, a major federal highway in the South-south of Nigeria, connects Cross River and Akwa Ibom states to the North-central part of the country.

A single carriageway, the width is about 7.3 metres, although it is wider in some portions, especially at the corners, with 66.75 km length.

The contract for its rehabilitation was awarded since 2014, but its execution only began when Mr Buhari came to power in 2015, Okoi Obono-Obla, Mr Buhari’s special assistant on prosecution, told PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr Obono-Obla is from Ugep, where the road passes through.

From Ikom town to Alesi community, in Ikom Local Government Area, the highway is smooth and has road markings on it. Some people who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES said that particular section of the road was constructed by the previous administration of Goodluck Jonathan, while others said it was done by the current administration.

“Before, the road used to be very bad, and armed robbers used to rob commuters because of the poor condition of the road which prevented vehicles from speeding through it,” a cab driver told PREMIUM TIMES.

Alesi-Ugep Road - From Ikom town to Alesi community, in Ikom Local Government Area, the highway is smooth, and has road markings on it [Photo: Cletus Ukpong]
PREMIUM TIMES learnt from the locals and the political leaders that in the height of its dilapidation, there was a spot on the road, somewhere around the Alesi community, that was infamously called Bakassi because of the magnitude of suffering drivers and passengers went through whenever they reached the spot.



In those inglorious days, passengers traveling from Calabar to Ikom and beyond had to step down from their vehicles, with their luggage, struggle to cross the collapsed Bakassi portion of the road, this newspaper learnt.

Bad portion of the Alesi-Ugep Road [Photo: Cletus Ukpong]
Often, they had to pay heavy fees to the locals for them to help ferry their luggage to the other side of the road. Most often, they were either extorted or robbed of their property.

After crossing over to the other side, they had to board a different vehicle to continue their journey.

From Alesi, towards Obubra, around the Ochon community, there are potholes at some sections of the highway. From Ochon upward, towards Ugep, through Ohana to Iyamoyong community, there are also several potholes on the highway.

But at some point in Obubra, around where Sermatech Nig Ltd has its construction yard, to Ugep, the road has been asphalted neatly.

Alesi-Ugep Road - Sermatech Nig Ltd working on a section of the highway [Photo: Cletus Ukpong]
Sermatech’s project engineer, Iheanacho Chibueze, told PREMIUM TIMES ”the bad portions on the highway are not part of their project”.



Heavy equipment and construction workers from Sermatech were seen working on the road shoulders when a PREMIUM TIMES reporter visited the highway in June 2018.

“We have had a very peaceful relationship with the communities here,” a supervisor in Sermatech, Joel Pius, told PREMIUM TIMES. “I think that is because the company has employed many people from the communities to work in the project.”

The asphalted road terminates in Ugep, shortly after the Ediba junction. Sermatech’s project engineer, Mr Chibueze, said the project is 60 per cent completed.

“From Obubra to Ediba junction in Ugep is 45 km. We still have about 21 km to cover, which terminates at Akpet 1,” Mr Chibueze said.



Apart from fixing the road shoulders, there is still some pavement and concrete work to do, he said. The project engineer said ‘fragmented’ payment from the federal government was their major challenge, for the project.

Drivers, passengers, and people living around the communities where the road traverses expressed their excitement over its rehabilitation.

Vera Moses, a food vendor in Alesi, said she had had several terrible experiences then, at the Bakassi spot when the highway was bad.

“We dey call that place Bakassi because we been dey suffer no be small,” she said in Pidgin English.

“I have been traveling through this road, and I can tell you how horrible the journey used to be,” a journalist who was traveling from Uyo, in Akwa Ibom State, to Ikom also said.

“We appreciate Buhari’s effort for this road,” Ebri Isobo, a local food vendor at Ediba junction, Ugep, told PREMIUM TIMES. “Him try, him try,” he added affably in Pidgin English.

Mr Isobo said big trucks used to ‘spoil’ (break down) in the middle of road when the highway was bad, thereby preventing the free flow of traffic, and sometimes causing accidents.

Alesi-Ugep Road - A section of the road under construction by Sermatech Nig Ltd [Photo: Cletus Ukpong]
“Today, as you can see, big trucks and cars are moving freely on the road,” he said. “You can now have a smooth ride, without many potholes,” Ayang Azom, who works for the Cross River State government as the Director-General, Border Commission, Calabar, told PREMIUM TIMES.

“Before now….” Mr Azom giggled as he began to recount his experience. “The road was really really bad. You needed to put in at least three hours if you are driving from Alesi to Ugep, a distance that is less than 1.25 km,” he said.

He said he sometimes felt discouraged but didn’t have a choice since he had to travel to his village in Ikom.

“I was spending more money on the maintenance of my car, and changing tires, and fuel. And my health too, because every time you go and come back, you would need some rest.

“To God be the glory, we thank God that the federal government has finally done something about the road,” he said.

He added, “But from Ugep to Calabar is terribly bad. So, you just come from this way happily, and after Ugep you start feeling the same problem.”



ELATED PRESIDENTIAL AIDE
Apparently, out of excitement, the presidential aide, Mr Obono-Obla, took to Facebook to castigate previous Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led administrations for not rehabilitating the Alesi-Ugep Road.

“The road was not rehabilitated despite the fact that (the) people of Cross River State voted massively and consistently for PDP for 16 years. However, the three years old administration has fixed the road,” Mr Obono-Obla wrote on the social media site on April 30.

Mr Obono-Obla, in an interview with PREMIUM TIMES, said the road was of great economic importance because it is a link between the North and the South-south.

However, the member representing Obubra II State Constituency in the Cross River State House of Assembly, Elucate Ekom, faulted the quality of work done by Sermatech Nig Ltd.

“From Alesi up to the first community in Obubra, the construction work there has quality. But as soon as you enter the Obubra part of the road, you find out that the quality of the delivery there is low,” said Mr Ekom, who is from Iyamoyong community.

Mr Ekom was elected to the House under the PDP before he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC). The lawmaker said the federal government’s intervention on the road was commendable, but that ”what is worth doing, is worth doing well”. He said he has issues with the thickness of the road and the overall quality of work done by Sermatech.

He called on the federal ministry of works to strictly supervise the project.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/289368-special-report-amidst-inadequate-funding-buharis-road-construction-projects-across-nigeria-continue-1.html

The change Nigeria need cannot be brought to life by a single man, it is a collective effort, i wonder why some Nigerians want only the Buhari led administration to bring the desired change to life, for this change to manifest, every individual has a role to play, i believe that voting in another corrupt individual will only drag Nigeria back to where it is coming from. Atiku have been tested and cannot be trusted again,

This is what is expected from a patriotic Nigerian that wants the best for this Nation, no body with the interest of this country at heart will vote against the government that is really trying to fix what the past administration has destroyed, the government that is on the process of completing what the past administration has abandoned, projects that is supposed to serve the interest of the people.

This should be taken seriously, Obasanjo knows him more than the public, we should consider certain things from OBJ statement, Nigeria needs true leadership not the corrupt politics that these people are trying to introduce again with Atiku as their candidate.

The pdp will always use any medium to drag the ruling party to the mud, this is the era of change, Nigerians will not let these people lead them astray, they should always come out with allegations with facts.

This is a good one, i trust the APC on this one, they will never shield any member that have run to hide under their protection, they have done it to some of their members found wanting before and i trust them to do it again.

Saraki' is a political opportunists who cannot be trusted, they know that he will never emerge as the pdp presidential aspirants, its glaring that he did not know that the public knows that he is a double faced and selfish politician. his party members are actually the ones mocking him, Just like every other patriotic Nigerian, The pdp members and those pretending to be milling around saraki understand that,

The Federal Government has acquired Unmanned Aerial System, UAS, technology at the border town of Daura, Katisna State, with a view to aiding security and intelligent agencies across the country to track criminals and miscreants that operate within the border communities. The Surveyor-General of the Federation, SGF, Ebisintei Awudu, disclosed this during an official presentation of the Cadastral Map of Daura, to the Emir of Daura, His Highness, Umar Faruk Umar in his palace at the weekend. Awudu informed that the map could be used for the exploration of mineral resources and for agricultural purposes, adding that farmers could use the map to acquire loans from banks. Commending President Muhammadu Buhari for supporting the procurement of the digital cadastral mapping equipment for the office, the SGF noted that “without the support of President Muhammadu Buhari, it wouldn’t have been possible to acquire the Unmanned Aerial System technology.” According to him,the first UAS application for Cadastral Mapping Technology in the country starts with Daura, because of its proximity to the border areas, pointing out that during the preliminary stage of the exercise, some strategic locations like the Emir’s palace and other historical places were captured. He assured the Emir that a comprehensive UAS mapping exercise would facilitate the capturing and highlighting of all street names and other strategic/historical places in the ancient town of Daura. He further disclosed that upon completion, the Daura map would be useful to various security and intelligent agencies across Nigeria in tracking miscreants and criminals that operate within the country especially in the border communities in Nigeria. In response, the Emir, His Highness, Umar Farouk Umar commended President Muhammadu Buhari and the Office of the Surveyor-General of the Federation for the acquisition of the new mapping technology and for deeming it fit to start the Digital Cadastral Mapping project in his domain. He assured the Surveyor- General of the Federation of the unalloyed support of his subjects for the duration of the assignment, pointing out that accurate mapping is critical in the development of any community and expressed his delight for the use of the new technology in the mapping of Daura town. He said even Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, was mapped through aerial survey known as photogeometric mapping. He further revealed that Daura is one of the most ancient and oldest towns in the whole of West Africa, noting that the choice of Daura for the commencement of the new digital mapping technology in the country was not misplaced.



Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/fg-acquires-unmanned-aerial-system-to-curtail-insecurity/

Nigeria has assured the international community of its unalloyed commitment to the advancement of women’s rights and the eradication of violence and all forms of discriminations against women. The Permanent Representative of Nigeria to ECOWAS, Amb. Babatunde Nurudeen, stated this while making Nigeria’s presentation on ‘Advancement of Women’ to the UN General Assembly in New York. Nurudeen said: “The advancement of women remains a critical issue for continuous engagement and calls for action-related measures for the achievement of national and international policies capable of promoting and enhancing their fundamental rights. “Nigeria under the leadership of President Muhammadu Buhari is unequivocally committed to the advancement of women rights, gender equality, empowerment of women through eradication of poverty, prohibition of trafficking in women and girls, elimination of violence and discrimination against women”‘. He also said Nigeria had developed a National Gender Policy aimed at eliminating gender discrimination, and promoting political, economic and social opportunities in the public and private sector for women. The Nigerian envoy said in furtherance of the objectives of the UN Security Council Resolution 1235, Nigeria has launched its Second National Action Plan of the Council’s resolution. He said: “To reinforce government’s commitment to the eradication of all forms of violence against women, Nigeria has adopted a programme on Stop-Violence Against Women in Election (VAWIE). “The adoption is with the objective of mitigating violence against women and demonstrating the link between gender-based electoral violence vis-à-vis the reduced participation of women in the political landscape. “To facilitate its full implementation, a special contingent of VAWIE monitors are deployed to man designated situation room at various election centres for the purposes of collating and reporting cases of electoral violence against women during any election in the country”. In the area of women empowerment, Nurudeen said the Nigerian Government had introduced an empowerment programme to disburse $1.66 million micro-credit lending to businesses at the bottom of the financial pyramid. This has created an array of women entrepreneurs in the country, especially given the soft conditions of zero collateral, zero interest and only five per cent administrative fee attached to the loans, he said. In combating gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies, he said the government recently unveiled a ‘Road Map on Call to Action on Protection from Gender Based Violence in Emergencies’. The Road Map, he said, provided a model and standard operating procedures aimed at ensuring that women and girls are protected from violation in conflict situation. He said the Plan had been further externalised with its subsequent launch, during the Oslo II/Berlin Conference on the Lake Chad, held in Berlin in September. The Nigerian envoy said the launch had given further impetus for the international recognition of the Roadmap as a model for preventing gender based violence during humanitarian and emergency situation. According to him, Nigeria acknowledges the pivotal role of its women in achieving accelerated national economic growth and development. He added that the country attached importance to realising demographic dividend and gender equality in all spheres of our national development plans. Nurudeen announced that Nigeria had been selected as one of the three pilot countries for the ‘Demographic Dividend with a Gender Dimension for 2018-2022’. The project is being implemented by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, as entry points for the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals in Africa, Asia and the Pacific. He emphasised that Nigeria believed the advancement of women must be approached in a concerted and collective manner. “Nigeria reaffirms the importance of the effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and other International Agreements for the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. “We must work together to ensure the upliftment of womanhood in the realization of objectives of the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development and the African Union Agenda 2063,” he stressed.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/nigeria-pledges-commitment-to-eradicating-discrimination-against-women/

This is commendable, i like the fact that the APC has continue to show a very good example for other political parties to follow.

Senator Ben Bruce was making sense from the onset, it seems he is one of the most useless senator we have now, comparing the president and a business mogul is uncalled for, Bruce should understand that Dangote has only been a beneficiary of a monopolized government collaborated structure which has aided him since inception.

President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated the commitment of his administration to the fight against corruption, saying the fight is not negotiable.

According to a statement on Thursday by his media aide, Femi Adesina, the president stated this on Thursday when he received former South African president, Thabo Mbeki, in audience at the State House Abuja.

Below is the statement.

TATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

FOR US, FIGHTING CORRUPTION IS A MUST, PRESIDENT BUHARI TELLS MBEKI, EX-SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENT

“For this administration, fighting corruption is non-negotiable. It is a MUST,” President Muhammadu Buhari told former South African President, Thabo Mbeki, at State House, Abuja, Thursday.

Mbeki heads the African Union High Level Panel on Illicit Flows from Africa, and he was around to give the President, who is the current Champion of AU Anti-Corruption Campaign, critical updates.

“We must fight corruption frontally, because it’s one of the reasons we got elected,” President Buhari told his guest, adding: “We campaigned on three fundamental issues; security, reviving the economy, and fight against corruption. It’s the reason we got elected, and we can’t afford to let our people down.”

Noting that the government was making progress on the anti-corruption war, “and not just talking,” the President said he was very pleased with the assignment the former South African President was carrying out for the African continent.

He submitted that when Africa is vigorous with the war against corruption, “we will eventually appeal to the conscience of the rest of the world.”

In his remarks, former President Mbeki said corruption was an African challenge that must be responded to, “as development challenges can only be met through the check of illicit financial flows.”

He said he was delighted that President Buhari touches on the issue in most of his speeches, with the most recent being at the United Nations General Assembly last week.

“We are pleased with the way you take up the matter. Countries need political will to stop the illicit flow. Nigeria has shown good example. The more we are showing that we are acting as Africans, the easier to get the rest of the world to cooperate,” Mbeki said.

FEMI ADESINA

Special Adviser to the President

(Media and Publicity)

October 4, 2018

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/288380-fight-against-corruption-not-negotiable-buhari.html

Politics is a game no doubt, but Saraki has taken it to another level, he is now gambling with the people's interest, playing politics with matters of national interest is undemocratic, he is a major problem faced by this administration just because of the quest achieve his selfish desires.

This selfish people must be joking, they are only working on Bond that cant be binding as if the bond signing will prevent them from decamping as usual

The Vice President, Prof. 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. Osinbajo “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 programmes, 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 sensitise 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. “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, Prof. Isaac Adewole, said that the committee was the working group that had been meeting to look at the impact of government intervention programmes 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. Related

Read more at: https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/fg-is-employing-creative-ways-to-tackle-poverty-osinbajo/

The Foreign Affairs Minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, says a UN joint delegation will visit Maiduguri, Bama and Abuja first week of October, to scale up its humanitarian intervention in the crisis-affected areas.

Mr Onyeama said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) after a meeting with the UN team leaders on the sidelines of the 73rd UN General Assembly in New York.

The minister said that the team would be led by the UNDP Administrator, Achim Steiner, and UN Emergency Relief Coordinator and Head of UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Mark Lowcock.

He said that the joint UN Development Programme (UNDP)-OCHA Principal-level mission was part of the world ogranisation efforts to support the victims of Boko Haram insurgency in the region.

Mr Onyeama said that the visit was sequel to the conference on the Lake Chad Basin crisis in Berlin, where the international community committed to a comprehensive crisis response in the Lake Chad Region.

He explained that the conference was held at the beginning of September in Berlin on the humanitarian and development efforts on the Lake Chad Basin area.

Mr Onyeama said that the visit was aimed at discussing with senior government and donor officials in Nigeria on how to further strengthen humanitarian and development responses, including national and local ownership in the northeast.

“We are looking essentially on how to build on the humanitarian programme and the UN has been very much involved and supportive on the humanitarian front in the North-east

“We realised that we have to now move towards the development stage; they also want to hear from the Nigerian government what they should be looking at.

“And of course, it is about reconstruction, rehabilitation and resettlement; it is about creating an environment for economic growth which will require school education and also jobs.



“This is what we are looking at and UN where they can invest the resources and the technical aspect,” he said.

The UN had said in a statement that the objectives of the joint UNDP-OCHA principal-level mission, was to address humanitarian, resilience and stabilisation needs of communities to prevent a protracted crisis in North-east.

“The urgency to make progress on the New Way of Working (NWoW) by the UN Country Team and the Humanitarian Country Teams (UNCT/HCT) has been amplified by large-scale humanitarian needs and the related imperative to address the root causes of the Lake Chad Basin crises in a comprehensive and sustainable way.

“Accordingly, the Nigeria UNCT/HCTs are jointly working on formulating collective outcomes which will guide planning and interventions of humanitarian and development actors,” he said.

The world body said that pragmatic pilot projects were currently being set up, where several agencies ”can work together in a defined geographic area to address immediate support needs in the area.”

It stated that this would also help establish the foundations for community recovery and resilience.

It said that the mission to Nigeria would provide a unique opportunity to create momentum for the NWoW and to identify additional opportunities for a comprehensive crisis response in the Lake Chad region.



https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/more-news/287911-boko-haram-un-officials-to-visit-maiduguri-bama-abuja-in-october.html

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Tuesday in Abuja signed a memorandum of understanding with Public Health England (PHE) in a bid to strengthen international disease control across borders.

With this agreement, the British public health institute would be helping Nigeria and four other countries to improve their International Health Regulations (IHR) in disease prevention, detection and control.

This partnership is coming days after two patients were diagnosed and hospitalised for monkeypox in the UK.

The two patients were found to have travelled from Nigeria where there was an outbreak of the disease last year.

The MoU signed by both parties is part of a £16 million project funded by the British Department of Health to support capacities of public health institutes in five countries including Nigeria.

This is aimed at strengthening health security in the countries to reduce incidence of diseases trans-border crossing.

In Nigeria, the project will focus on disease surveillance, emergency preparedness and response, public health laboratory services as well as workforce development.

The outfit and NCDC are expected to collaborate in knowledge sharing, capacity building, laboratory upgrading aimed at achieving accreditation standards.

This would contribute to ensuring the world is much safer and less vulnerable from the threat of infectious diseases, officials say.

British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, at the signing called for strong collaboration among public health institutes to ensure global health security.



“The United Kingdom recognises that we must work closely with other countries in our efforts to build strong and resilient health systems globally,” he said.

The chief executive of PHE, Duncan Selbie, in his remarks said the IHR project is a “partnership and invaluable opportunity for both countries to learn from each other”.

He said by working together and sharing expertise, both countries would become stronger in tackling diseases and control and “that is the aim of the project”.

He added that the ultimate goal is to share knowledge, to be able to improve disease surveillance, increase technical understanding of the disease which would result in vaccine production to tackle most of the diseases in Nigeria.

NCDC will coordinate the IHR strengthening programme and provide staff to drive collaboration with the federal ministry of health and environment as well as agriculture and rural development, it was learnt.

The NCDC chief executive, Chikwe Ihekweazu said the agency is grateful to the British government for this opportunity “which formalises and strengthens the existing relationship between NCDC and PHE”.

He said the unit is looking forward to building to the cooperation, for national and global health security.

“IHR comprises all activities from prevention, detection and control of diseases. In recognition (of the fact) that we live in a global world and the diseases we face are common, we started this partnership with PHE and together we designed the programme activities for five years,” he explained.


https://www.premiumtimesng.com/health/health-news/288062-nigeria-partners-uk-to-enhance-disease-control.html

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has announced approval of a 90-day special window to register businesses at a reduced rate of N5,000 only from N10,000 Mr. Laolu Akande, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Office of the Vice President in Abuja, said that Osinbajo made the announcement in Enugu. Osinbajo Osinbajo, who was quoted as making the announcement at the launch of the 19th edition of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Clinics in Enugu, said the special window of 90 spanned from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31. He said that the gesture was to further ease the process of registering MSMEs in the country. “It was observed during some of the earlier editions of the MSMEs Clinics that a lot of MSMEs were finding it difficult to register their businesses as a result of cost. “The practice since we began the MSMEs clinics is that most agencies offer price reductions, especially for registration, and all other pre-investment approvals, during the Clinics. “So, I am pleased to announce that the Federal Government, through the Corporate Affairs Commission, has approved a special window of 90 days from Oct. 1 to Dec. 31 to register businesses at a considerably reduced rate of N5,000 only, down from as much as N10,000 previously.’’ He said the action was taken to afford more MSMEs an opportunity to formalise their businesses. Speaking on other initiatives by the Federal Government designed to consolidate the gains of the MSMEs Clinics, Osinbajo said that the Federal Government would be establishing shared facilities for MSMEs. He said that the facilities would be based on a partnership between the Federal Government, interested States, Bank of Industry, NEXIM Bank, FIRS, NAFDAC, SON and interested private sector partners, as part of efforts at deepening the impact of the Clinics. “The purpose of these shared facilities is to have a fully-equipped place with machinery and equipment required for various trades and businesses. MSMEs can then do their businesses at those locations at a reasonable cost. “This way, MSMEs are spared the financial burden of having to buy their own equipment in order to be able to do business. “Where possible, these shared facilities would have been pre-certified by relevant agencies, removing the need for MSMEs to pursue these certifications by themselves.’’ He also announced the Federal Government’s willingness to partner with State governments in establishing more One-Stop Shops, to further enhance business registration and facilitate seamless interaction between owners of small businesses and the relevant regulatory agencies. The vice president said that the Federal Government was also aware that some States had gone on to set up ‘One-Stop Shops’ after the Clinics. According to him, the One-Stop Shops will bring all the relevant agencies together in one place so as to enable the MSMEs access their services on an ongoing basis. “The Federal Government is also willing to partner with your State Government to immediately set up one such place for the good use of MSMEs in Enugu State,” he said. Osinbajo also said there were follow-up plans to ensure that all the finalists from the maiden edition of the MSMEs Awards were supported with publicity and media exposure, to enable them to reach even larger markets at home and abroad. He said that the ongoing disbursement of collateral and interest-free loans given to petty traders under the GEEP TraderMoni programme would soon be launched in Enugu. Earlier in his remarks, Gov. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu state said the State government had already keyed into some of the social investment programmes initiated by the Federal Government. Ugwuanyi promised that the state would continue to cooperate with all federal authorities to improve the well-being of the people. The governor expressed appreciation to the Federal Government for inaugurating the National MSMEs Clinics in the state as it would greatly improve the lives of many youths, especially those seeking employment opportunities.

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2018/10/osinbajo-announces-slash-in-business-name-registration-fees/

Nothing good can come from the senate president, everything he does is for himself, he does not have the interest of this country at heart, all he is interested in is how to enrich himself.

The INEC did a very good job in that state, the fact is that the pdp did not do their assignment well, if Adeleke should take APC to court, he will meet same fate as Fayose, why? Because there is no credible indicting evidence, APC won the election period.

If the president has promised to do better if voted in for continuity, i will agree with him, this is because he has done alot in less than four years, its good that he instructed the inec that all Nigerians must be allowed to vote whoever they want without harassment.

The first day of the nationwide strike action called by the Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) over the lingering national minimum wage issue recorded partial success in parts of the country.

The warning strike commenced midnight on Wednesday over the federal government’s failure to reconvene the tripartite committee constituted November last year to recommend a new national minimum wage for workers in the country.

On Wednesday, a last ditch effort by the federal government to avert the strike ended in a stalemate.

NLC President, Ayuba Wabba, told reporters the strike action would be total across the country.

But, PREMIUM TIMES correspondents’ reports showed the strike recorded partial success in some places, and total compliance in others.

Abuja
In Abuja, the federal secretariat and environs, most ministries and government offices were virtually deserted as workers stayed away.

At the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation, the Supreme Court and Court of Appeal, the gates were locked. Only scant number of senior staff reported for work.

The entrances to the ministries of finance, foreign affairs and environment were also closed. Only labour enforcement teams were seen moving from office to office to enforce complete compliance.

Some school children in the Federal Capital Territory, who went to school, were turned back home as their teachers also joined the strike.

However, the strike recorded little impact on the satellite communities of FCT: Kubwa, Mararaba, Karu, Gwagwalada, among others. Here, the people were seen going about their normal businesses unperturbed.


https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/top-news/286941-nlc-records-partial-success-in-first-day-of-nationwide-strike.html