₦airaland Forum

Ask for a President beleaguered from all sides, and I’ll show you Muhammadu Buhari, the ramrod straight man from Daura, in Katsina State, who turns 78 today.

In the build up to the 2015 presidential election, we used to say everything had been thrown at him as projectiles, except the kitchen sink. Permit me to update that expression. Today, everything possible has been thrown at President Buhari, including the kitchen sink. Anything. Everything. Fake news. Hate speech. Lies. False propaganda. Evil thoughts. Malediction. Odium. Opprobrium. Ogbunigwe. Ogulutu.Surface to air missiles. All offensive weapons. But the man trudges on. Calmly, sedately, peacefully.

If only more Nigerians knew this President. If only they knew the essential Buhari, the quintessential patriot and gentleman, they would behave differently, handle him with more care, and show him more kindness. Yes, everyone needs kindness, even Presidents.

Remember that song by Mary Mc Kee and The Genesis?
You’ve got to try a little kindness
Yes, show a little kindness
Just shine your light for everyone to see
And if you try a little kindness
Then you’ll overlook the blindness
Of narrow-minded people, on narrow-minded streets.

Too many people have chosen to believe the wrong things about President Buhari, and have ossified their minds against the truth. But then, those of us who have had the privilege to work with him, studied and known him at close quarters, have a duty to tell what we have seen. And what better day to do it, than on his birthday.

Oh, he eats from the President. What else would he say than to sing his praises. True? False. If need be, I will serve this President for free. I consider it a great privilege to serve a man I admire. Even gratis.

Somebody commented that a blitzkrieg has been launched against Buhari and the government he leads, from all quarters. Some elements in the media, human rights groups, so-called activists, NGOs, Boko Haram, ISWAP, all at once. But is Buhari the loser? Not at all. It’s the country that ultimately loses, just as Eric Donaldson sang in ‘Little Did You Know:’
You think that you are hurting me
But little did you know you are only hurting yourself
Little did you know you are only hurting yourself.

In about two years and five months, with God being merciful as He always is, President Buhari will land safely, and retire to Daura for a well-deserved retirement at 80. And if those engineering distraction against his government continue, it is the country that would have lost. A great deal.

What are the things some people hurl against the President, which shows that they don’t know him at all?

He’s a religious bigot. Really? I’ve not seen a scintilla of evidence in the past five years. Every Christmas and Easter holiday, he calls those of us who are Christians, working with him, and asks us to stay off work, and enjoy the season with our families. That’s not the way of bigots, who would never acknowledge any religion, except their own.

As a military commander, history has it that Buhari would always give soldiers working under him time to go for worship on Sunday mornings, just as he did to the Muslims on Fridays. Yet, bigot, bigot, some people continue to shout.

He’s a Fulani, he rears cows, and all Fulani herdsmen are criminals, that’s why he tolerates them. Really? Some people even say all Fulani are herdsmen, whether they see them with cattle or not. Truth is; every ethnic stock has its deviants, its criminal elements. You can’t just demonize all Fulani, simply because you want to excoriate the President. Did he choose to be born Fulani? Did I choose to be born Yoruba, and did the Ishan, Idoma or Ijaw man choose the ethnic stock he wanted to be born into? It’s a biological accident. You have nothing to do with it. A man then doesn’t go repudiating where he comes from, simply because some people have decided to tar his people with the brush of infamy.

He’s nepotistic. A common refrain, but non-scientific. About three years ago, we did a scientific exercise. We chronicled all the appointments made by the President since 2015, and allocated them to states and regions. The result showed that the Southwest had the largest share. Followed by Imo and Kano states. Then Edo and Katsina. And on and on. But the naysayers ignored facts and figures, and stuck to their false narratives. Nepotism.

One day, the President had given me an appointment to announce in the early days of the administration. By then, some people had started talking of northernisation agenda. So I said, “Mr President, this is the murmur we hear. Why don’t you consider giving this position to another part of the country?”

He looked at me calmly, smiled, and said: “If a search has been conducted for a position, and someone has been thrown up as the best candidate. And I then bypass him because of where he comes from, or because of his religion, haven’t I been unfair to that person?”

Food for thought, indeed.

This is Jubril from Sudan and not Muhammadu Buhari, who had died during the medical vacation in 2017, some people say. You have a clone in Aso Villa, not Buhari. Idiocy, sadly believed by even some intellectuals.

Let me tell you a story. On the day the President finally returned to the country in August 2017, after months of absence, the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Abayomi Olonisakin, was giving out his daughter in marriage. I had attended the church service, decked unusually in complete Agbada, with cap to match. From the wedding, I went straight to the airport to join the reception party.

We formed a welcome line, as we usually do. And as the President shook each person, he had one wisecrack or the other to say. When he got to me, he took my hand and said: “Adesina, this is the best I’ve seen you dressed.” We both laughed heartily, and the television cameras captured it. I remember that many people asked me later what had tickled me and the President, that we laughed so uproariously.

Jubril from Sudan? Would he know my name as Adesina? Would he know I rarely wear Agbada? How ridiculous can some people be?

Another story. The journalist Lindsay Barret had been a long time friend of the President. One day, he sent me to give his greetings. When I did, the President said: “Lindsay Barret. I remember meeting him at the war front in 1968. He was covering the war. There was a day he was almost killed in an ambush, and he then described himself as a ‘devout coward,’ who was lucky to be alive.”

Jubril of Sudan? And he remembers Barret, whom he met at the warfront in 1968? Tell it to the marines.

Ask me for a loyal man, who never forgets a good turn, and I’ll show you Muhammadu Buhari. Among the last class of Ambassadors, he had personally picked Justice George Oguntade, who was sent to United Kingdom, and Justice Sylvester Nsofor, who he deployed to America. The latter died only last week, aged 85.

How did the two men gain the favour, loyalty and respect of the President? In his many legal battles after disputed election results in 2003, and 2007, they had given dissenting judgements at both the Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, nullifying the election results, saying Candidate Buhari had been cheated. The man never forgot, and sought them out in due time. The same also happened to some of us working with him today.

A kind man. I have lots of stories to tell, but let me restrict myself to a few. In December 2015, I had lost my elder sister, a Professor of Dramatic Arts, in an auto crash. While I was crying like a wailing wailer, who was on the phone, consoling and condoling with me? Muhammadu Buhari.

And before he became President, when my mother passed on in 2013, and we had a commendation service for her in Lagos, who flew in all the way from Kaduna to attend? Muhammadu Buhari. He sat through the Christian service. Yet, they say he’s a bigot. I hear. Bigot from Sudan.

And in January 2017, I was to receive the traditional title of Nwanne di Namba of Mmaku Kingdom, in Enugu State. Courtesy demanded I tell the President. This man, who prides himself as ‘very stingy’ gave me a handsome amount of money to ferry my friends and family to the ceremony. How much? I won’t tell you, lest you ask for a belated share.

And in May 2018, I was billed for China for a 12 days course for senior government officials from Africa. He said when the journey was two days away, I should come to see him. I did. You know what he said? “Adesina, I know that you don’t have money. But you are too shy to ask.” We both laughed, and he gave me an envelope which contained foreign currency. How much? You think I’ll tell you? For where?

This President is a patriot. He loves this country dearly. A man of personal discipline. Single minded about the infrastructural development of the country. And he’s succeeding at it. I have loads of stories to tell to justify each virtue. But time and space won’t permit.

However, let me tell this final one, as told to me by a retired Colonel of the Nigerian Army.

He said he was a Major at the Second Mechanized Division, Ibadan, when the then Major General was posted there in early 1983, as General Officer Commanding.

There was a cocktail reception, billed for 8 pm. Fifteen minutes to the time, the new GOC walked briskly in. Only a sprinkle of officers had arrived. He moved round the venue, surveying the place, and at the dot of 8 pm, with the hall still scanty, he went to the gate, and directed the sergeant-major on duty to lock the inner one firmly, admitting nobody.
Nobody.
Yes sir!
The GOC went back inside, held the cocktail with the few officers available. Event over, he went back to the gate, to see the battery of latecomer officers huddled there. He surveyed them, and then instructed:
All of you, see me in the office tomorrow by 8 am.
Yes sir!
The GOC walked briskly away. And you know what? As early as 6 am next day, most of the officers had reported in his office. Once bitten, twice shy.

At 78, the President still scrupulously respects time. Do they make them like this anymore? Doubtful.

Yet, many people are plotting, and engineering all sorts of artifices, to ensure Buhari does not succeed. Who loses? The country!

There is this classic Yoruba film, Saworoide, which I watched years back. Adebayo Faleti, who wrote and starred in the film, looked at the stratagems and underhand dealings of man. And he sang, rather philosophically: Koi ye won, yio ye won lola.

Translated freely, it means: They don’t understand today. They’ll understand tomorrow.

It’s better for a lot more cynical Nigerians to understand this President today, rather than tomorrow, for the good of the country. That would be the best birthday gift they can give him.

*Adesina is Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity

This government is really trying in assisting the MSMEs.
I love the part where the VP said Nigerians should call out government officials who frustrate their businesses.

VP wants an end to “all manner of constraints”

Asks businesses to call out govt officials making things difficult for people

At different levels of government, there is a need to take a second look at the regulation of small businesses with a view to addressing peculiar challenges they face in order to further promote private sector contribution to the country’s economic development.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo made the observation in Abuja Monday at the commissioning of the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s Trade & Convention Centre.

According to the Vice President, “with respect to government policy, of course, you are aware that the government’s position is that we must continue, on an incremental basis, to provide for ourselves, a properly enabling business environment in every respect which is why we have Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) which focuses on trying to improve on the business environment.”

Prof. Osinbajo said “but I think that one of the drawbacks that we have had in improving the business environment is really with respect to how we regulate small businesses. So, for example in Abuja, I hear very frequently, small businesses who talk about the kind of problems that they experience, either with fumigation licenses, or one license or the other. All manner of constraints, which ideally should not occur.”

Citing a presidential directive on improving the business environment in the country, the Vice President said, “the private sector must work, very actively with us, in ensuring that we are policemen and women of the regulations.”

Prof. Osinbajo explained that “a time has come for us to have a Chamber of Commerce, paying attention to all that is going on in the MSMEs space especially with respect to regulation. You must call out government officials who are making it difficult for people to do business.

“If you recall, the President himself said that there is no way the private sector and business can thrive if government officials see themselves as roadblocks and hindrances as opposed to facilitators. Every government regulator must be a facilitator of business that is the way forward. We cannot afford a situation where government regulators see themselves as policemen only, they must be facilitators of things.”

The Vice President noted that “I know that the Minister of the FCT is actively working with the PEBEC and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, have all been concerned about making this work. But Abuja is just one example of how generally speaking, all over the country, we need to take a second look at how we regulate small businesses.”

Speaking on the impact the Buhari administration’s pro-business finance initiatives, the Vice President said “as part of government policy, we have already more or less removed some of the major taxes. For Corporation taxes, if your turnover is under N25 million, your tax is zero. And we have reduced incrementally all the way up. So, with respect to Corporation taxes, at least, we know that we are doing quite well.

“If you look at the proposed Finance Act, there are several incentives for small businesses,” the Vice President added.

On the significance of the Convention Centre, the Vice President said “I was quite shocked frankly to see that such an incredibly sized building could have been done purely by voluntary private sector effort. This is why, in my opinion, this is a very important event because it underscores the strength and dynamism of our private sector which is a crucial component of economic development.”

Prof. Osinbajo noted that “as a matter of fact, I think that we are all generally, in agreement that there are at least three trends that will determine our economic development. The first, of course, is government policy, the second is private sector investment, and the third is that part of private sector which is the SMEs sector. I think that those three will definitely determine the way that our economic development trajectory proceeds in this country.”

Earlier in his remark, Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo assured the Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) of his ministry’s support in growing businesses in Nigeria.

On his part, President of ACCI, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode said the Convention Centre will serve as a place for the promotion of Nigerian businesses and the empowerment of the youths.

The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry was established in 1986 with the principal objective of promoting economic and industrial development within the FCT in particular and Nigeria in general.


Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
14th December 2020

Registration is yet to commence but you can log on to nshp.gov.ng to view the steps required to own your home.

Please spread the news.

Nigerians will acquire houses built by the Nigerian government for as low as N2 million, as the housing scheme of the Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) kicks off.
The social housing scheme is expected to create 1.8m jobs as the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) commits initial N200 billion facility to the project which kicks off this week.
The Social Housing scheme of the ESP will build about 300,000 very affordable houses for Nigerians.
This week the portal to invite Nigerians interested either as beneficiaries of the Social Housing or as delivery partners would be launched by the Family Homes Fund, the Federal Government agency designated to implement the scheme. The portal is nshp.gov.ng.


In an update on the Social Housing plan of the ESP shared with the media by Mr. Laolu Akande, the Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the President in the Office of the Vice President, it was disclosed that more than 20 States including the FCT have already expressed interest and support in the programme including many who have offered free land for the constructions of the houses.
The ESP Update shared with the press over the weekend showed that some of the States that have already expressed interest and supported the implementation of the Social Housing scheme which will offer houses at low prices such as between N1.8m to N2m include the States of Osun, Ogun, Enugu, Delta, Bauchi, Kebbi, Nasarawa, Plateau, and the Federal Capital Territory where the first set of construction sites have been indicated.
There are also others like Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Cross River, Sokoto, Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Borno and Yobe States that are now working towards joining in a similar vein.


Under the ESP Social Housing Plan, 300,000 low cost houses would by itself create 1.8 million jobs in the housing sector and beyond, while as indicated under the ESP approved by the President and the Federal Executive Council the Central Bank of Nigeria has now committed N200B facility for the Social Housing
UPDATE ON THE SOCIAL HOUSING SCHEME OF THE ESP AS BEING IMPLEMENTED BY THE FAMILY HOMES FUND
• In June 2020, President Muhammadu Buhari approved the 2.3 Trillion Naira Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) prepared by the Osinbajo-led Economic Sustainability Committee.
• The Federal Government social housing scheme is one of the planned schemes under the ESP targeted at providing 300,000 low-income houses and creating 1.8 million jobs in the process.

• To achieve these goals, the Family Homes Funds has been appointed as the implementing agency for this initiative and it will construct 300,000 housing units across the country.
• To kickstart the social housing projects, the CBN has already committed to a N200 billion facility and most of the sites where the housing project will commence have already been identified across various geo-political zones by the Federal Government.
• The early start sites include those in Osun and Ogun in the Southwest; Enugu in the Southeast; Delta, in the South-south; Bauchi in the Northeast; Kebbi in the Northwest; Nasarawa and Plateau in the North-central; and a number of sites in Abuja.
• Several other states including Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Imo, Cross River, Sokoto, Kaduna, Zamfara, Katsina, Borno, and Yobe, are also working towards kick-starting the project in their states in the next phase.
• The programme has one, two, and three-bedroom units that will be sold at low prices. The 1-bedroom unit will cost as little as between N1.8miliion to N2million, while financial assistance would be available for Nigerians to pay the mortgage.
• To achieve the low-price points being targeted, a model design has been produced for the 1- and 2-bedroom houses against which a sample house has been built to demonstrate the costings.
• The form of financial assistance that will be made available to Nigerians include mortgage loans at low interest rates.
• Financing will be arranged through the designation of a Homes Warehousing Agent that will purchase the completed homes from the developers. Individual buyers will then purchase homes from these Home’ Warehousing Agents.
• Family Homes Fund Limited (FHFL) has mobilized cooperatives and other such organised groups across the country as the main offtakers for the homes.
• For instance, FHFL recently met with 93 Cooperative Leaders from the 6 geographical zones, under the aegis of the Co-Operatives Federation of Nigeria.
• A Housing Portal that allows all interested parties in the scheme to get more information on the programme and express their interest in it will be launched on the 16th of December. Possible interested parties include individuals and organized groups interested in home ownership under the scheme, as well as delivery partners including developers, young professionals in the building industry, suppliers, and manufacturers.
• Focusing on job creation under the social housing project, jobs will be created from the need for the local production of building materials and housing inputs such as doors, windows, hinges, frames, cement, paints, etc. For instance, about 1.5m doors would be needed, 1.8m windows, 7.8m hinges amongst other input needs.
• Building sites will also function like factories for the manufacturing of these house inputs to increase local production of building materials and save costs on the importation of building products.
• The social housing project will also employ both the services of established developers and young small-medium scale professional contractors (architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, accountants, etc). These groups will in turn employ the needed artisans.


https://www.chronicle.ng/2020/12/nigerians-to-buy-fg-built-houses-at-n2m/

This is nothing but the truth. I know a lot of people around me that were beneficiaries

By Senator Babafemi Ojudu
Special Adviser on Political Matters to the President
Office of the Vice President

The recent call by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus of the House of Representatives for the House to commence impeachment proceedings against President Muhammadu Buhari is nothing short of mischief and partisan politics.

Equally suspect is the PDP Caucus' disingenious attempt to misrepresent a 2015 tweet by the Vice President and completely but deliberately change its import and meaning.

The the Vice Presidential candidate of the APC tweeted at a time when Nigeria was facing one of its darkest periods due to incessant terrorist attacks in some parts of the country, including the FCT.

In fact at the time the tweet was done 8th of February 2015, the then Federal Government administration had said it could not guarantee the security in parts of the country for the election to hold and actually elections were postponed because of that stance of the Jonathan Presidency.

This was the context of tweet by Prof. Osinbajo in 2015.

However, opposition elements have disingenuously twisted it out of context even insinuating as though it's a tweet done recently. The Vice President never said this in relation to President Buhari.

More importantly, President Buhari has never said that he has lost the capacity to guarantee the security of lives and property of Nigerians. On the contrary, he remains fully committed to the welfare and protection of all Nigerians across the country.

As the President noted concerning the senseless murder of hardworking farmers in November by terrorists in Zabarmari community in Jere Local Government of Borno State, the Nigerian Armed Forces will continue to be given all the needed support “to take all necessary steps to protect the country’s population and its territory.”

Nigerians should ignore the misrepresentation and misleading narrative by the PDP House of Reps Caucus, which is an obvious attempt at mischief and causing disaffection.

The security and welfare of Nigerians remains one of the cardinal purposes of the Buhari administration and it will continue to take proactive steps to tackle the country’s security challenges.

December 9 2020

Borno state Governor, Professor Babagana Zulum stated this in a Facebook post recently.

“From statewide statistics on affairs in the 27 Local Government Areas since 2011, the fact is that despite the recent happenings in Borno State, the security situation in Borno State and, indeed, that of the entire North East sub-region is still far better under Buhari, and this is based on records.

For instance, unlike the years before Buhari when a number of local governments were no-go-areas, we now have indigenes safely back to Gwoza, Askira-Uba, Dikwa, Ngala, Monguno, Kukawa, Damboa, Konduga, Mafa and led by our traditional leaders, which no one could have visited not to talk of living there. Our Emirs were all in exile.

Today, Bama is coming back to life and so is Askira-Uba, Damboa, Gwoza and others. Life is even returning to Baga. This was impossible before Buhari. In fact, it was not possible to move few kilometers out of Maiduguri.

Insurgents were so bold to attack and take over military facilities, like the Army Barracks at Monguno, Bama, Giwa Barrack and Multinational Joint Task Force Headquarters at Baga, to mention just a few.

There were daily bomb blast attacks in many parts of Maiduguri, the most populated part of the state but all these have stopped under President Buhari. These are the records and no one can dispute them”.

- Prof. Babagana Zulum, Borno State Governor, 06-12-2020

This is a great feat.
I hope the real beneficiaries get the funds directly in their account.
With this, it is safe to say there’s no government that has invested so much in her people like this administration.
Nigeria will surely prevail

FG COMMENCES N30,000 GRANTS FOR TAXI, BUS, OKADA, KEKE NAPEP, UBER, BOLT DRIVERS, & CART PUSHERS

*Survival Fund scheme to benefit 4500 Nigerians per state and FCT
*Payment to Artisans & Payroll Support beneficiaries ongoing
*207,319 beneficiaries drawn from 35,837 businesses paid under Payroll Support
*59,000 verified artisans have been paid in 23 states and the FCT
As the implementation of its Economic Sustainability Plan, ESP, continues, and in furtherance of its commitment to support small businesses to cushion the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Federal Government has also launched the transport support track under its MSME Survival Fund schemes for artisans and transporters.

The launch of the transport track last Monday follows the successful take-off of the Artisans’ Support track on October 1st. While the Artisans track is under the Survival Fund, the Transport track is a different scheme also under the Fund.

While verified Artisans have started receiving the N30,000 one-time grants, Nigerians operating in the transport business – including Rideshare drivers (Uber, Bolt, etc.), Taxi drivers, Bus drivers, Keke Napep riders, Okada riders, cart pushers etc., now have the opportunity to benefit from the scheme.

The Artisan track is being implemented in three streams, and as of November 25, a total number of 59,000 individual Artisan beneficiaries have been paid across 24 states in Stream 1 and Stream 2 States.

They include FCT, Lagos, Ekiti, Kaduna, Borno, Kano, Bauchi, Anambra, Abia, Rivers, Plateau, Delta, Taraba, Adamawa, Bayelsa, Edo, Ogun, Ondo, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Enugu, Ebonyi.

While the verification process for artisans under Stream 3 states commenced on Monday, November 30. Stream 3 states comprise Akwa-Ibom, Cross-River, Zamfara, Yobe, Sokoto, Nasarawa, Niger, Imo, Oyo, Osun, Jigawa, Gombe and Benue.

Similarly, payment to beneficiaries under the Payroll Support scheme for different categories of MSMEs, ranging from education, hospitality to other sectors, has since commenced.

The payroll support scheme, which is designed to support vulnerable MSMEs, targets supporting 500,000 beneficiaries with payment of up to N50,000 per employee for a period of three months, starting from October. The disbursements to approved Payroll Support beneficiaries commenced on 17th November 2020.

So far, 207,319 individual beneficiaries drawn from 35,837 businesses/MSMEs nationwide have received their first monthly payment from the Survival Fund’s Payroll Support Scheme.

A breakdown of this figure shows that: N30,000 each was paid to 180,196 employees/Beneficiaries; while N50,000 each was paid to 26,353 employees/Beneficiaries. Out of this, 2.6 per cent of beneficiaries are with special needs, while 43 per cent are female employees/beneficiaries.

Under this Artisan Support scheme, a total of 333,000 Artisans and Transport business operators nationwide will get one-time operations grant of N30,000 per beneficiary to reduce the effects of income loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

There will be a total of 9,009 beneficiaries per state for both Artisan and Transport beneficiaries. Of this number per state, there will be a total of 4,505 beneficiaries under the transport scheme, while the remaining 4,504 will be artisan beneficiaries.

For the Transport track, Nigerians are encouraged to apply through their registered Associations to be enumerated, such as the Nigerian Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Keke Riders’ Association, Okada Riders’ Associations and Unions, among others. All schemes are applied to beneficiaries on a first come first serve basis.

State focal persons, project field officers, enumerators and others will work alongside the MSMEs Survival Fund Project Delivery Office to properly identify and ensure that members of the respective associations are paid.

There is also provision for individuals who are members of Associations but will rather apply directly with the enumerators. However, such individual applicants in the transport cluster must show their proof of membership of an association to be enumerated.

Like all the schemes of the Buhari administration to support different categories of Nigerians, these schemes are absolutely free, and the grant will be paid directly to the beneficiary’s account.

Nigerians are encouraged to speak up if anyone tries to charge a fee or subvert this arrangement.

Also, the formalization support scheme (registration of 250,000 new businesses with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)) commenced on the 26th of October, 2020 and the registration by aggregators - CAC registration agents, has since commenced across the 36 states and the FCT. The ongoing scheme will run for a period of 3 months effective from the date of commencement.

The MSME Survival Fund, a component under the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan, NESP, is designed to support vulnerable Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in meeting their payroll obligations and safeguard jobs in the MSMEs sector. The scheme is estimated to save not less than 1.3 million jobs across the country and specifically impact on over 35,000 individuals per State.

In the implementation of the Transport track the Federal Government is working with representatives of Keke Napep and Okada riders; Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN); representatives of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW); Uber and Bolt drivers, among others.

Looking at his contributions to nation building, one would see that there’s no better candidate other than Yemi Osinbajo.

Osinbajo is the man for the job.

OSINBAJO JOINS GATES, DANGOTE OTHERS AT LEADERSHIP FORUM ON NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH OUTCOMES*

*Stresses importance of enriching food processing

Although efforts by stakeholders in the Food Processing Industry to improve nutritional value of edible oil, salt, sugar, wheat flour and other processed foods is commendable, ensuring full compliance to national standards will be required to shape national public health outcomes to attain desired levels, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this Thursday at the 3rd Annual Nigeria Food Processing and Nutrition Leadership Forum, held virtually, and organized by the Aliko Dangote Foundation, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

According to the Vice President, “the Nigerian government is keen on driving collaborative efforts in enhancing national monitoring and enforcement of fortification quality standards.

He praised the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Standards Organization of Nigeria (SON) and the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) for their innovative work in this regard through the Joint Regulatory Framework.

Said he: “Industry Compliance with food fortification standards especially in Wheat Flour, Salt and Sugar has also improved. We however need to reach full compliance to be able to shape national public health outcomes to the extent that we desire.”

Food fortification is the practice of enriching processed foods by adding nutrients at higher levels than what the original food provides. This is done to address micronutrient deficiencies across populations.

Commending the efforts of stakeholders in meeting set targets in food fortification, Prof. Osinbajo said “the food systems within the processing sector are fitted for improved nutrition.”

He noted that “we have an enormous opportunity here to reinforce the goal of sustainable food fortification in Nigeria. I am pleased to see that the average compliance rates to national fortification standards had increased from 50% in 2018 to 75% in 2019 and hit the 2020 target of 90%.

“I believe this platform will continue to serve as an opportunity to review progress on an annual basis, and share lessons learned against fortification standards within their respective sectors.”

Speaking particularly about the ingenuity of the stakeholders in address micronutrient deficiencies in Nigeria, Prof. Osinbajo explained that “the Micronutrient Fortification Index (MFI) is an interesting innovation that will motivate industries to self-regulate in meeting government standards for food fortification. The use of this tool should be adopted by all companies involved in fortification and I believe it should be made available to stakeholders and shareholders alike.”

“We should be able to hold them accountable as they strive to meet industry benchmarks, including compliance with Nigerian Fortification Standards. Government regulatory agencies will definitely find the tool useful in support of industry regulation efforts and consumer expectations.

“The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the Ministry of Industry Trade and Investment and the Ministry of Health each play a critical role and have been at the forefront of food fortification in Nigeria. Through ongoing engagements with the Director Generals (DGs) and core group representatives from NAFDAC, SON, and FCCPC, the collaboration towards enhancing national monitoring and enforcement of fortification quality standards has been strengthened,” Prof. Osinbajo added.

The forum featured presentations by Chairman of Aliko Dangote Foundation, Alhaji Aliko Dangote; Co-chair of Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Mr Bill Gates; Director, Strengthening African Processors of Fortified Foods (SAPFF) Programme, Mr Rizwan Yusufali; Group COO, Flour Mills of Nigeria, Mr Boye Olusanya; MD, Dangote Sugar, Mr Ravindra Singhvi; and MD, PZ Wimar, Mr Ipsit Chakrabarti, among others.

The Ministers of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire; Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; the Director General of the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye; and the Director General of the Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), Mr Babatunde Irukera, also spoke at the forum.

It’s shameful that this is coming from PDP.

• Boko Haram used to control 17 LGAs but now they attack villages after making inroads from the border.

• Boko Haram used to bomb churches, mosques and markets but all that has been halted now.

• Boko Haram used to kill Christians, Muslims targeting special holidays like Christmas, Sallah, etc across the Northeast but now they have been restricted to random attacks in Borno State only.

• Boko Haram attacked other States in Nigeria and they had attacks even in the Federal Capital Territory.

4. Lest We Forget, here are some of the attacks by the Boko Haram terrorists.


*SUCH ATTACKS HAVE REDUCED OR EVEN STOPPED BECAUSE THE TERRORISTS HAVE BEEN CONSTRAINED MAINLY TO ONE AREA*


SOME ATTACKS ON CHURCHES

• St. Theresa Catholic Church in Madalla, Niger bombed. - 25 December, 2011

• Mountain of Fire in Jos bombed - 25 December, 2011

• 19 persons were killed in bomb attacks against three churches in Kaduna - 7 June, 2012

• Deeper Life Church in Kogi, 19 persons killed - 7 August, 2012

• Suicide bomber detonated explosives at the gates of a church during service in Kogi, killing 8 persons. - 22 December, 2014

• Suicide bomber died in an attempt to bomb ECWA Church II in Gombe. - 1 January, 2015

• Suicide bomber detonated himself at a church in Jos, 6 worshippers killed.- 25 February, 2012

• Boko Haram gunmen attacked a church in Kano and Maiduguri, where at least 19 people were killed. - April, 2012

SOME ATTACKS ON MOSQUES

• 56 people killed in an attack on a Maiduguri mosque – 12 August, 2013

• A suicide bombing killed 15 Shiites in Yobe - 3 November, 2014

• Maiduguri Mosque was attacked on July 2017, October 2017

• A suicide bomber detonated in Mubi Mosque explosives killing 50 - November 2017

The Rector of Kaduna Polytechnic, Prof. Idris Bugaje, has called for a government policy that will make it compulsory for youth to acquire at least one vocational skill set in addition to their formal education.
According to the Rector, it is only when Nigerian youth acquires vocational skill set as part of their university, polytechnic or NCE programme, that they will be able to self-employ and even create employment for others in the absence of their preferred choice jobs thereby addressing unemployment and the insecurity ravaging parts of the country. 

Addressing the Centenary Anniversary of Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) in Nigeria, the Northern School of Survey Kaduna on Wednesday, Prof. Bugaje said instead of converting polytechnics to universities, Nigeria needs to do the opposite to provide the required skill sets for the youths to make employment accessible to them and make them employable.

“There should be a policy of the government that says everybody should have a skill set irrespective of whatever other knowledge you have, to resolve the present security challenges and unemployment in Nigeria. 
“The massive unemployment and underemployment we are facing in Nigeria, the solution is skill acquisition. Everybody should acquire a skill set whether you are in the university or polytechnic there are over 100 skill sets tiling, carpentry, welding, bricklaying, plumbing etc. 

“We have young people in Nigeria who are not employed and are unemployable. There is a high rate of unemployment in Nigeria due to neglect of technical vocational training which is why skills are absent. Nigeria needs to bring back skill acquisition in the country, we need to encourage skill acquisition training in the polytechnics. 
“Entrepreneurship and skill acquisition is the way to go for Nigeria to move forward from where we are and develop. That is why we are celebrating TVET (Technical and Vocational Education Training), we want to move TVET forward.”

Former Rector and presenter of the lead paper titled ‘Technical Vocational Education and Training in Nigeria: Past, Present and Possible Reform Strategy’, Prof. Ahmed Tijani Abdullahi, said Nigeria can apply geographic information maps to address insecurity in the country. “The country is facing a lot of challenges due to lack of sufficient systems to monitor. 

“We need to engage individuals as well as other countries. Most of the people wreaking havoc in Nigeria came from neighbouring countries. There is a modern system of monitoring movement within the country, if we do so we will be addressing insecurity in the country to a large extent.”
Chairman of the Kaduna Polytechnic Governing Council, Alhaji Yusuf Hassan in his remarks said they are celebrating the 100 years of Technical Vocational Education Training in Nigeria. 

https://www.blueprint.ng/insecurity-kadpoly-rector-advocates-for-policy-on-skill-acquisition/?fbclid=IwAR1F1sykdYO1eLZZqfvUJPA4wg6O9kkHoaCaUsvEXydyIsIxqa4HCrp6cvU

*Emir of Lafia says: We will follow you wherever you go
*VP describes State's infectious diseases centre a landmark, proof of Nigeria's greatness
*Attends state’s Job fair, urges youths to leverage on technology for development

*Pays condolence visit to wife of late APC State chairman

Just after the Nasarawa State Traditional Council conferred on him the title of Madagun Jihar Nasarawa meaning the Leader and Captain, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo proceeded to commission what is considered a world class infectious diseases diagnostic and research in the State.

According to him the conceptualization and completion of the world class centre for infectious diseases diagnosis and research, wholly by indigenous experts is a landmark achievement and yet another proof that Nigeria can be ranked among great and prosperous nations.

Prof. Osinbajo made the observation Monday in Lafia at the inauguration of the Nasarawa State Infectious Diseases Diagnostic and Research Centre, which was part of activities scheduled for his one-day visit to the State.

According to the Vice President, “the Nasarawa Infectious Diseases, Diagnostic and Research Centre is a landmark achievement. There is no question at all that, anywhere in the world, this type of achievement deserves to be celebrated. This is not just some Mickey mouse, tiny club achievement. This is a phenomenal achievement in technology terms, and it was done and fulfilled by Nigerians, and done here in Nigeria.”

Speaking about the significance of the new diagnostic and research centre, the Vice President said, “perhaps, the most important lesson is that this country has everything that it takes to be the best anywhere in the world. We have everything it takes. We have the talents. We have men and women of vision, and we have all of the resources that it takes to be just as good as any country, anywhere in the world.”

Continuing, he noted that, “as we have heard, the centre here comprises a bio-safety level-three laboratory, a molecular biology laboratory and infectious diseases isolation unit, and an epidemiology unit as well. And we are told that these are top of the class, first-rate facilities that you could find anywhere in the world.”

Urging Nigerians not to despair, but to remain faithful as the President remain committed to addressing present challenges, Prof. Osinbajo assured that Nigeria will overcome the problems, noting that “just as the scripture says that weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning, I am very assured and continually assured by the people of this country, by the kind of leadership that we have in our President, President Muhammadu Buhari, who is focused. I want to say that I am reassured that the dawn for this country is coming.

“Our greatness is only hidden slightly now by the clouds, but these clouds will clear. And what we will see for ourselves, is a great nation, the nation that God has purposed us to be. And one of the things that tells us that so eloquently is what we are here to commission today.”

Prof. Osinbajo also stated that the Buhari administration will continue to make efforts to improve security in the country, even as he condoled with victims of the recent terrorist attack on a farming community in Borno.

“It is a major tragedy; it’s a very unfortunate thing and our hearts are with the family of those who were killed in such a terrible manner. We are very confident and the Federal Government will continue to do what it needs to do especially in terms of trying to ensure security in the Northeast and all over Nigeria,” the VP stated when accosted by reporters earlier on his arrival in Lafia.

Earlier on arrival in Nasarawa State, the Vice President, on a courtesy visit to the Palace of the Emir of Lafia, was conferred with the traditional title of Madugu Jihan Nasarawa by the Emir, HRH, Hon. Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad.

While commending the Nasarawa State traditional council for the honour of the title, Prof. Osinbajo noted that though “our country is in a period of great challenges because of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic on the economy and also on the aspect of security, this is a time of great opportunity; everywhere we look, the potential is there and we surely can reap this potential.”
He noted that his visit to Nasarawa State was in support of the State’s realization of its aspirations of becoming a better place.

His words: “We are here to do a number of things just as the governor has said. Since the COVID-19 pandemic, we have realized the importance of healthcare and there is no gainsaying the fact that we need more sophisticated institutions, better equipped medical facilities; we just need more and more.”

In his remark, the Emir stated the traditional title conferred on the Vice President followed due consultation with the state traditional council, describing Prof. Osinbajo as worthy recipient of the title.

He said: “After due consultations with all brothers that are seated, we have decided to confer on you a traditional title, please accept it. And the title that is carefully selected, in Hausa, it is called Madugu Jihan Nasarawa.

“Madugu means a leader and a captain. Today, you are the captain of Nasarawa State; as you pilot the affairs of Nigeria, you also pilot the affairs of Nasarawa State as the captain of the state.

“As from today, we will continue to follow you wherever you go as our leader and the captain of the state. Thank you for accepting this honour and I will take this singular privilege to decorate you a little with some part of this traditional title conferred on you.”

At the graduation of 80 participants of the Nasarawa State ‘Job fair for employability and entrepreneurship’, the Vice President, while commending the state government and the participants, advised the beneficiaries to leverage the opportunities offered by the training especially in adding value in whatever they would be involved in.

Prof. Osinbajo encouraged youths in the state to always leverage technology in their attempt to find solutions to challenges facing them.
The Vice President accompanied by Governor Abdullahi Sule, former Governor Tanko Almakura and others, also paid a condolence visit to the wife and family of the slain APC State Chairman, Mr Philips Shekwo, assuring the widow that “we will have you and the children in mind.”

On the Vice President’s entourage to Nasarawa State were former governors, Tanko Almakura and Abdullahi Adamu; Minister of State, Science and Technology, Mr Mohammed Abdullahi; Political Adviser to the President, Sen. Babafemi Ojudu, among others.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has said that Nigeria has the resources to be great.
He said this Tuesday, while commissioning the Nasarawa State Infectious Disease and Research Centre (NASIDRC) in Lafia.

He said: “Nigeria has all it takes to be the best in the world; we have the talents, men and women, vision and the resources it takes to be great.

“Governor Abdullahi Sule has shown leadership qualities by continuing the work initiated by his predecessor, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, behind Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH), Lafia.
“Nasarawa State is not by any means the wealthiest state in the country. In fact, if you look at what Nasarawa State earns and what is allocated to it, it certainly doesn’t come anywhere near the top one third. I call for the policy to be sustained.”
Earlier in his speech at the occasion, Governor Abdullahi Sule said, “The centre will serve as research hub, crucible for innovations and operational research that will provoke policy initiation. It will conduct clinical trials for vaccines, drugs and other products, in compliance with ethical standards, as well as support trainings in public health and researches at all levels.
“It will also provide scientific guidance for the local production of vaccines, diagnostic kits and other related health products. I am happy to state that the centre is one of the best diagnostic centres in the country.”

https://dailytrust.com/nigeria-has-all-it-needs-to-be-great-osinbajo

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo has underscored the need to constantly review the conventional means of dealing with the security challenges in the country, following the killing of rice workers in Zabarmari community of Borno State.
Osinbajo, who spoke on Tuesday in Lafia during a one-day official visit to Nasarawa State when accosted by reporters on his arrival, said the Muhammadu Buhari administration was ready to put new ideas on the table in order to secure the country.


The Vice President, who was received by Governor Abdullahi Sule, said the efforts to secure the nation required “a lot more of local intelligence and the community policing”.

He said the security agencies could swiftly attend to challenges if necessary information was provided on time.
He said: “As the President said, these groups of people have acted insanely in such a dastardly manner, killing innocent people, people who had gone to their farms to work.
“I spoke to the Governor, Governor Babagana Zulum and the former Governor, Senator Kashim Shettima to express my condolence, but more importantly, to try and think through ways of dealing with this kind of random attacks.
“It’s important to understand also that we will probably need to keep reviewing the conventional means of dealing with some of these issues, these security challenges, especially the randomness.
“Which is why the President has said that he is taking a serious look at how to deal with the issues, especially the randomness: some insane person goes into a place and shoots people, that is not the sort of thing that you are prepared for conventionally.
”We have to do a lot more local intelligence and some of the community policing efforts we are planning on, so that information is supplied faster, especially at the local level and then a reaction will then be possible.”
Osinbajo added: “It is a major tragedy; it’s a very unfortunate thing and our hearts are with the family of those who were killed in such a terrible manner.
“We are very confident and the Federal Government will continue to do what it needs to do especially in terms of trying to ensure security in the Northeast and all over Nigeria.
“You’ve heard the President and what he has to say, especially some of the new ideas around security and the security architecture which we are trying to put in place. We will get there.”
“Nigeria has the resources to be great”
While commissioning the Nasarawa State Infectious Disease and Research Centre (NASIDRC), the Vice President reiterated that Nigeria has the resources to be great.
According to him, ” Nigeria has all it takes to be the best in the world, we have the talents, men and women, vision and the resources it takes to be great.
” Governor Abdullahi Sule has shown leadership qualities by continuing the work initiated by his predecessor, Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura behind Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital (DASH) Lafia.
“Nasarawa State is not by any means the wealthiest state in the country. Infact, if you look at what Nasarawa State earns and what is allocated to it, it certainly doesn’t come anywhere near the top one third. I call for the policy to be sustained.” Osinbajo said.
Earlier in his speech, Governor Abdullahi Sule said, ” The Centre will serve as a research hub, crucible for innovations and operational research that will provoke policy initiation. It will conduct clinical trials for vaccines, drugs and other products, in compliance with ethical standards, as well as support trainings in public health and researches at all levels”
“In addition, it will also provide scientific guidance for the local production of vaccines, diagnostic kits, and other related health products. I am happy to state that the Centre is one of the best diagnostic centres in the country” he said.
According to him, when he assumed office, he made a solemn commitment to complete projects initiated by the previous administration in the State.
Governor Sule said that his administration promised to improve on the living conditions of citizenry through the provision of quality healthcare service.


https:///gsGUj9DVKJ

VP Osinbajo visits the family of slain APC Chair in Nasarawa, Philips Tatari Shekwo with Gov & other chieftains.

Condoling the wife & children, VP says Shekwo was a man of peace and "we will have you and the family in mind." He prayed that God will comfort the family.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9jARoSwAa8

VP Osinbajo arrives at the Emir of Lafia's palace with Gov. Engr Abdullahi Sule for a one day official tour for:

* JOB FAIR

** OPENING "Nasarawa State Infectious Diseases, Diagnosis and Research Centre"

***DISCUSS SECURITY CHALLENGES
VP honoured with Nasarawa traditional title of Madugu Jihan Nasarawa which translates to leader and captain of Nasarawa.

Captain and Leader....Emir says u lead us...


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qEvNS_qeJqM


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onZlvPCp2_U

A Twitter user, Dr Biobele (@DublingreenB) claimed that the 101,567 beneficiaries of the N3.18 billion payroll support of the Federal Government were non-existent and imaginary. Another Twitter user claimed that 200 million Nigerians would have gotten N15 million each from the N3.18 billion the Federal Government said was disbursed to the 101,567 beneficiaries.
Verdict: FALSE. The Federal Government has debunked the claim that the beneficiaries are non-existent and imaginary. Testimonies of several beneficiaries of the payroll support also discredit the claim. It is also false that 200 million Nigerians would have gotten N15 million each from the N3.18 billion said to have been disbursed. If shared among 200 million Nigerians, N3.18 billion would amount to N15.9 per Nigerian.


Full Text
The Federal Government recently revealed that it had disbursed N3.18 billion as payroll support for 101,667 employees in different firms across the country under its Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) Survival Fund to cushion the effect of coronavirus pandemic on businesses.
Reacting to the revelation, a Twitter user, Dr Biobele (@DublingreenB) claimed that the 101,567 beneficiaries of the N3.18 billion payroll support of the Federal Government were non-existent, imaginary and made up.
Dr Biobele tweeted that the beneficiaries were non-existent, imaginary, made up beneficiaries. That N3.18bn is in a few highly placed politicians' accounts, if truly 100,000 Nigerians got over 3billion naira from the government, trust me we will all know, we would have heard of it from amongst us the people."


Similarly, doubting the authenticity of the beneficiaries, another Twitter user, Wonder World (@Confide0406) claimed that 200 million Nigerians would have gotten N15 million each from the N3.18 billion the Federal Government said was disbursed to the 101,567 beneficiaries.
"You distributed 3.18bn and we can't see it.
What is Nigeria's total estimated population 200m, that is 15m each Nigerian. Also means 1m for each Nigerian for 15 months including the president and even those saddled with the sharing responsibility.
Abeg I can't keep on with this," the user tweeted using @Confide0406.
A claim that 200m Nigerians can get N15m each from N3.18bn
Brief on FG's Payroll Support for MSMEs

The Payroll Support Scheme was initiated by the Federal Government and it was aimed at MSMEs adversely affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
The scheme would provide Payroll Support to a maximum of 10 employees per qualifying MSME.
Speaking during the 2020 edition of the MSMEs Awards held recently, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo said workers would benefit from the Payroll Support Scheme the present regime has put in place for MSMEs to cushion the effect of the coronavirus pandemic.
Osinbajo said the survival fund would help provide payroll support to MSMEs with a minimum of 10 and maximum of 50 staff members.
He explained that the MSMEs that qualify for the fund would make available their payroll for verification by the government.
"The target beneficiaries of this scheme will include private schools, hotels, road transport workers, creative industries and others. The verification process will be very rigorous and painstaking," the Vice President said.
So, how true is the claim that the beneficiaries are non-existent, imaginary and made up?
Verification
The Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, has debunked with videos and names the claim that the beneficiaries of the Payroll Support Scheme are fictitious.


Akande posted the video of a beneficiary from Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Chimaobi Nwachukwu, in which he testified to have received the payroll support.
In the video, Nwachukwu said, "As a beneficiary to this FG wonderful programme, I want to say thank you for this great opportunity, now I feel more a Nigerian than ever."
A tweet with video of a beneficiary of payroll support
Akande further disclosed another video and name of a beneficiary, Offor Modestus Ogadinma from Mushin, Lagos State with two workers paid.
Meanwhile, checks showed that several beneficiaries of the Payroll Support have shared their testimonies on social media.
For instance, a Twitter user, Chuks Ogbonnaya (@Chukogbo) testified that his spouse's workers got the salary support.
"I can testify that 4 of my wife's employees benefited from this. She applied through the Enugu State SME Centre in October and they got paid N30k each this November. I didn't take it seriously until I saw the alert. Business name is Blossom & Jenny," he tweeted.
Ogbonnaya's testimony
Olusoga Owoeye (@olusogaowoeye) tweeted that two of his staff in Lagos were paid.
"I was told last week that 3 of our staff received 30k each in our small business in Lagos," he tweeted.
Owoeye's testimony
Abdulazeez Abdulsalam (@Abdulaz93643945) confirmed that he got the payroll support, as well as his spouse and neighbours.
"Myself, my older brother, my brother's wife and 5 of my neighbours. We all received the 30k. Really grateful," he tweeted.
Abdulsalam's tearimony
In addition, the Special Assistant to the Vice President on Micro-Small and Medium and Medium Enterprises(MSMEs), Mr Tola Johnson, debunked the claim that the beneficiaries are fake.


When contacted on the claim, Mr Johnson, who is a member of the Steering Committee of the MSME Survival Fund, said the Federal Government has a comprehensive data of all beneficiaries, but would not be appropriate to release their names and Bank Verification Numbers (BVN).
He said 25,000 employees from Lagos, 17,000 from Kano, 16,000 from Abia, and 13,000 across other states have so far benefited from the payroll support.
"We have real testimonies. We have people that have collected this money. It's touching their lives and their families. We'll keep ramping up the numbers," he said.
Meanwhile, a simple arithmetic showed that 200 million Nigerians would not receive N15 million each from the N3.18 billion disbursed to the 101,567 beneficiaries by the Federal Government.
N3,180,000,000/200,000,000 people =N15.9 per person
Conclusion
The claim that the 101,567 beneficiaries of the N3.18 billion payroll support of the Federal Government were non-existent, imaginary and made up is false. The Federal Government has debunked the claim. Testimonies of several beneficiaries of the payroll support also discredit the claim. It is also false that 200 million Nigerians would have gotten N15 million each from the N3.18 billion said to have been disbursed. If shared among 200 million Nigerians, N3.18 billion would amount to N15.9 per Nigerian.


https://allafrica.com/stories/202011270792.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlWuv_jNNbs

FG welcomes partnership with tech companies to build capacity, employ more Nigerians.

The idea of a partnership between the Federal Government and technology companies to develop an eco-system of competent Nigerians working in the service sector and even outsourcing their expertise abroad is a welcome development and a step in the right direction in job creation.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, stated this during a virtual courtesy call from Huawei Nigeria, led by its new CEO, Trevor Liu on Thursday.


 
According to the Vice President, “I think that Huawei and the Federal Government should work as partners, not just a business relationship, but a relationship that also takes employment into account, especially with our young population.”

Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said, “we need to develop an ecosystem of competent Nigerians who can work locally and get international jobs as well, a business-outsourcing-type arrangement.”  

He acknowledged the work Huawei had done in the past with training of Nigerians but reiterated the need for employment opportunities that go beyond capacity building.
 
Prof Osinbajo explained that “every other technology company does training programmes, but that is not what I am looking for. I am looking at something that shows Huawei wants to be a partner with Nigeria, working together as a corporate organization that sees itself as a part of Nigeria’s future. There are loads of people who have done training but have no work”

He further went on to say “I want us to do something groundbreaking and different.” 

“Let’s see something that gives young people more than training, gives them some opportunity as well because this ecosystem will require a lot of people who see Huawei not just as a business but a brand that’s interested in them going forward” 

Responding, the CEO of Huawei Nigeria, Trevor Liu, said that the strategy of the company is indeed to focus on investing in young people in every country in which they operate, adding that the company has invested in a lot of young people in Nigeria but would also like to do more. 

He assured the Federal Government that Huawei would invest more resources in young people and give a progress update, adding that it’s the plan of the company to position Nigeria as a technology center for the continent.

Also present at the meeting were Otunba Lanre Odekunle, Deputy Managing Director of Huawei and Michael Zhuang, the General Manager of Huawei in Nigeria.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
27th November 2020


https://www.operanewsapp.com/ng/en/share/detail?news_id=e002ada6440a23ca7bacf06f2ecf1b2e&news_entry_id=s14927cfd201127en_ng&open_type=tanscoded&request_id=news_13b74d0a-a8e5-4cfb-b14e-b7a0279c03be&from=news

Statehouse Press Release | Office Of The Vice President

*HOW CLEAN NIGERIA CAMPAIGN IS CRITICAL TO FG’S POVERTY REDUCTION, SOCIAL INCLUSION & OTHER EFFORTS — VP OSINBAJO*

Aside the main goal of ending open defecation across the country, the Buhari administration is prioritizing the Clean Nigeria Campaign as its success contributes to key initiatives including, enhancing social inclusion; poverty reduction; business growth, and entrepreneurship; greater access to quality education and affordable healthcare, among others.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, stated this in his remarks delivered virtually at a ceremony organized to mark the first anniversary of Clean Nigeria: Use the Toilet Campaign, today.

According to the Vice President, “the success of the Clean Nigeria Campaign will contribute to some of the key priority areas of this Government which include enhancing social inclusion and poverty reduction, expanding business growth and entrepreneurship; and expanding access to quality education, affordable healthcare and productivity of Nigerians.”

Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said “we are aware that access to adequate Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services is a critical factor in the socio-economic development of any nation and contributes to human capital outcomes such as early childhood survival, health and educational attainment. Access to WASH services is also one of the key preventive measures in the raging global COVID-19 pandemic.”

Speaking about the role of the private sector in the actualization of the objectives, Prof. Osinbajo stated that “the initiative of the Organized Private Sector in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (OPS-WASH) tagged ‘FLUSHIT’ which aims at promoting private sector-led innovative financial strategies in WASH, is a welcome development.”

He emphasized that “the role of the private sector is critical in building a virile sanitation economy which will drive the sustenance of the results being achieved under the Clean Nigeria Campaign.”

Restating the commitment of the Federal Government to the success of the campaign especially by appointing campaign ambassadors to support the process, Prof. Osinbajo said “in our desire to aggressively mobilize the entire country towards ending the practice of open defecation, we have identified Campaign Ambassadors to support the national drive towards open defecation free status.”

The Vice President explained that “these are citizens who have contributed to the existing successes achieved so far under the Campaign or have been identified as persons of influence who can significantly advance the Campaign.

“Clean Nigeria Campaign Ambassador will be required to provide leadership in advancing the objectives of the Campaign and engage in Campaign activities as may be initiated by you or other stakeholders.”

Giving further insights about what the Federal Government is doing to sustain current efforts, Prof. Osinbajo said “the Clean Nigeria Campaign is backed by Presidential Executive Order 009 which gives effect to its implementation.”

“The Executive Order provides that the National Open Defecation Free (ODF) Roadmap be put into effect towards meeting the national target of ending open defecation by 2025.

“It mandates the ‘Clean Nigeria Campaign Secretariat’ in collaboration with relevant government institutions to ensure that all public places including schools, hotels, fuel stations, places of worship, market places, hospitals and offices have accessible toilets within their premises.

“It also provides for the enactment of legislation appropriate sanctions and penalties to back up the fight against open defecation while ensuring that all developmental projects include the construction of sanitation facilities as an integral part of the approval and implementation process,” the Vice President added.

Prof. Osinbajo however noted that “ending open defecation is not just about access to toilets. It is about generating demand for toilets and changing people’s behaviour regarding toilet usage. The Clean Nigeria Campaign as a transformational and behaviour change campaign will require the contribution and commitment of everyone: government at all levels, civil society, private sector, development partners and the entire populace in building a new culture of safe sanitation.”

The campaign to end open defecation in Nigeria was launched about a year ago to galvanize efforts from both public and private sectors to promote water, sanitation and hygiene in the 774 Local Government Areas (LGAs) across the country. So far, 33 LGAs in the country are known to be open defecation free.

Aside the host, the Minister of Water Resources, Engr Suleiman Adamu, other officials at the event include the Minister of State for FCT, Hajiya Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu; representatives of Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi, and development partners and the organized private sector.

*Laolu Akande,*
*Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity,*
*Office of the Vice President.*
26th November 2020

Freestainworld:
which one have you guys been doing? Nigeria going into recession twice in 5yrs, shameless people in government.

You should be reasonable enough to know that recession is a global thing caused by Covid-19

A major feature of Nigeria’s economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic as indicated in the Economic Sustainability Plan currently being implemented, has been the openness to new and creative ideas, all in a bid to save jobs, protect businesses, and attract new investments, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Tuesday during a webinar with some French business leaders under the auspices of the Franco-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The Vice President noted that part of what the Buhari administration had done in its response to the pandemic was to “build a business environment that will be supportive of domestic and foreign investors.”

According to Prof. Osinbajo, “it is important to recognize that the pandemic, which really is the cause of the downturn, not just in the Nigerian economy, but practically all of our economies, all over the world, except perhaps China, also provides incredible opportunities for doing all manner of very innovative, and creative things.

“And I think that we are in a season where we are ready to experiment and ready to do a lot more. And if you look at our Economic Sustainability Plan, which is our response to the pandemic, what we tried to do was to do a few things that we thought would be game changing.”

Continuing, he said “for example, one of the important things that we are trying to do with respect to renewable energy is with solar power. We are collaborating with several solar power companies to provide, within the next 12 months, 5 million Nigerian households with solar home systems.

“This is partly to address the issues with the national grid by providing more off-grid capacity and provide more opportunities in the renewable energy space. What we are doing is to get the financing through the Central Bank of Nigeria as part of the Economic Sustainability Plan.”

Speaking on the issue of backward integration and citing the example of Fan Milk Plc, Prof. Osinbajo said private sector commitment need to align to the Federal Government’s backward integration policy.

“I am glad to hear that you are already doing 1.5 million litres of milk in Ogun State,” Prof. Osinbajo noted adding however that there is still a lot more to be done.

The Vice President noted that “for us, the issue of backward integration is right, front and centre, and it has been so for many years. We believe that an aggressive pursuit of it is really important for us as an economic policy.”

He continued: “The most important thing, as I said, is that we are committed to backward integration. Unfortunately, over the years, many companies have committed to backward integration but have simply not been as diligent and faithful with those promises. So, we really want to see much greater commitment and a plan that is as aggressive as our own aspirations.”

Participants at the forum include Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo; The Executive Secretary and CEO of Nigerian Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC), Mrs Yewande Sadiku; the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Jérôme Pasquier; Chairman of the Board of the Franco-Nigeria Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr Usman Mohammed, representatives of some French companies operating in Nigeria including Total Nigeria, Air France, Kwik Delivery, among others.

*Laolu Akande,*
*Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity,*
*Office of the Vice President.*
24th November 2020.

Juliusmalema:
Osinbajo is a con-artist

and your father?

Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, says the Nigerian economy is on its path to recovery.

Laolu Akande said this while reacting to the report released by the National Bureau of Statistics which showed that Africa’s biggest economy entered a second recession in five years.

The NBS, in its report for the third quarter of 2020 released on Saturday, said the GDP, the broadest measure of economic prosperity, fell by 3.62 per cent in the three months up till September.

In his reaction, Akande said, “Let me say very clearly that if you look at the GDP (Gross Domestic Product) figures themselves, there is a clear indication of restoration. For instance, in Q2, the contraction was -6.1 but in Q3 which figures were just released, the contraction is -3. So, clearly, the Nigerian economy is on a rebound.

“To the question of when we will get out of this situation, the figures bear the truth that the Nigerian economy is on its way to recovery. This is going to be mainly because of the Economic Sustainability Plan that the President had put in place and asked the Vice-President to share its development and implementation.

“The economy is rebounding and this is mainly because of the preemptive action that the Buhari administration had taken even before now to ensure that the situation doesn’t get worse. We have the confidence that the Nigerian economy will bounce back very promptly.”

https://aledeh.com/2020/11/recession-osinbajos-aide-optimistic-about-recovery/

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Friday said the plans of the current administration to slash taxes is to make Nigeria’s business environment attractive to investors.
According to him, just like the Muhammadu Buhari offered a range of tax incentives to Nigerians through the Finance Bill later passed into law last year, it is again offering more this year through the 2020 Finance Bill so as to attract more incentives and make doing business in Nigeria more competitive.


Osinbajo gave this explanations at the third edition of the Nigeria Diaspora Investment Summit held virtually, which featured several Nigerians and prospective investors from the Diaspora.
 
Speaking specifically about how the Federal Government has been able to use the 2019 Finance Act to improve the business environment in the country, the Vice President said “what we have done in furthering our own economic policy is to attempt to make the fiscal environment as attractive as possible. What we have done is to use the instrumentality of the Finance Acts to make or propose significant reforms.”
He gave highlights of the tax incentives in the proposed 2020 Finance Bill to include: Reduction in duties on tractors from 35 to 10 per cent; Reduction in duties on motor vehicles for the transportation of goods from 35 to 10 per cent and Reduction of levy on motor vehicles for the transportation of persons (cars) from 35 per cent to 5 per cent.

Others are exemption of small companies from payment of education tax under the Tertiary Education Trust fund (TETFUND)-companies with less than N25m turnover are eligible; 50 per cent reduction in minimum tax; from 0.5 per cent to 0.25 per cent for gross turnover for financial years ending between January 1st, 2020 and December 31st, 2021; granting of tax relief to companies that donated to the COVID-19 relief fund under the private sector coalition (CACOVID) and introduction of software acquisition as qualifying capital allowance.”
Commending the contributions of the Nigerian diaspora community in the development of the country, the Vice President noted that “our diaspora is one of our most vital resources, a literarily endless reservoir for talent, trade, investment, tourism, education, culture and sport opportunities.”
“But perhaps more important is the sheer range of well trained, honed and experienced talents that our diaspora represents. It is that potential not remittances that make our diaspora network an endless source of economic hope and social aspiration,” Prof. Osinbajo added.
Acknowledging the efforts of the CEO of the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa, particularly in harnessing the resources and talents of Nigerians abroad, Osinbajo said “the diaspora initiatives that we have, and all of your efforts are certainly appreciated and will result to a stronger economy for Nigeria and a better country.”
In her opening remarks, Dabiri-Erewa said: “The objective of this Summit is to establish a platform where Diaspora Investors can interact with potential sponsors, partners, collaborators and government agencies with a direct roundtable deals for mutual benefits.
“The Summit is an avenue to expose the Nigerians in Diaspora to key into the following investment sectors: Healthcare, Education, Agribusiness, Creative Entertainment and Sports, Telecommunication, ICT/Fintech and Manufacturing.”
On the benefits of the summit to Nigerians in Diaspora, she said “it will strengthen your investment profile, expand your business network, showcase your global best practices, provide opportunity to meet key decision makers and industry influencers, brand exposure and many more that will help you in contributing to National development.
“As we are all aware, Nigeria is our country and it is important to bring together all expertise from various fields especially from the diaspora to develop Nigeria.
The Summit Coordinator, Dr Badewa Adejugbe-Williams, said she was impressed that participants took time out to participate in this Summit regardless of the differences in time zone.
“This simply shows the resilience of Nigerians in Diaspora and at home in seeing a new Nigeria in bringing about national development to their country.
“This event is a culmination of an enormous effort which began in the year 2018 with the aim of actualizing the Federal Government Economic Recovery growth plan in encouraging multichannel investment options, and in recognition of the Diaspora as being one of the best groups to connect with when designing strategies for attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). From that moment, many institutions and individuals have contributed in one form or the other towards the organization and the success of this yearly summit. I should like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation to this institutions and individuals, most especially His Excellency the President of the Republic for the constant firm support for this summit.
“The theme “Post Covid 19 Resurgence: Targeting Diaspora Investment” is apt, especially at this era when the Corona Virus Pandemic has affected both the human and material resources of all Nations. We need our Diaspora Community more than ever before because they possess the pertinent resources and are at the cutting edge of technology and development. There is no doubt therefore that our Nigerian Diaspora are an asset to their host countries and Nigeria in terms of their resources, skills and talents.
“The engagement of Nigerians in Diaspora in resurging the economy is more pertinent now as the post COVID-19 economy recovery plan requires global best practices for which the Diaspora are best suited.”


https://www.sunnewsonline.com/slashed-taxes-to-make-nigerias-business-environment-attractive-osinbajo/

*101,567 beneficiaries drawn from 16,250 businesses paid

As the implementation of its Economic Sustainability Plan, ESP, continues, and in furtherance of its commitment to support small businesses to cushion the economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Buhari administration has commenced payment to beneficiaries of the payroll support scheme track under the MSME Survival Fund.

The MSME Survival Fund, a component under the ESP, is generally designed to, among other things, support vulnerable MSMEs in meeting their different obligations and safeguard jobs in the sector.

So far, 101,567 verified employees drawn from 16,250 businesses have received their first monthly payment from the Survival Fund’s Payroll Support Scheme, which is designed to support vulnerable MSMEs in meeting their payroll obligations by paying the salaries of their staff for a period of three months.

Verification is still ongoing as the payroll support scheme targets supporting 500,000 vulnerable MSMEs in meeting their payroll obligations of up to N50,000 per employee during the duration of 3 months, starting from October.

It would be recalled that registration for the Payroll Support had commenced on Monday, 21st September, for different categories of MSMEs - education, hospitality and other sectors (general); and ended on the 15th of October.

The requirements needed for the application include: the employees’ company must be registered in Nigeria under the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC; must have a BVN; the business have a staff strength of at least 3 persons with proof of monthly salary payment and must be owned by a Nigerian in Nigeria.

All successful applicants had received SMS and email verification with a list of requirements for the second stage of application, while applicants/businesses were required to upload their details and documents supporting their applications for verification.

The commencement of payment for beneficiaries of the Survival Fund payroll support follows that of the ongoing N30,000 one-time grant payment to artisans nationwide. The payments are being made to sets of verified beneficiaries of the Artisan Support Scheme, a track under the MSMEs Survival Fund. The Artisans’ scheme is paying one-time grants of N30,000 to a total of 333,000 beneficiaries across the country.

In the first stream of payments which started at the end of October, beneficiaries are being drawn from the FCT, Lagos, Ondo, Kaduna, Borno, Kano, Bauchi, Anambra, Abia, Plateau and Delta States. They form the first batch of applications for the scheme submitted between October 1 and October 10.

The Survival Fund grant has been designed to cushion the effect of the Coronavirus pandemic on the most vulnerable MSMEs across Nigeria, targeting 1.7 million individuals and entities across Nigeria.

The MSME Survival Fund is a conditional grant to support vulnerable micro and small enterprises in meeting their payroll obligations and safeguard Jobs in the MSMEs sector. The scheme is estimated to save not less than 1.3million jobs across the country and specifically impact on over 35,000 individuals per state.

The scheme made provision for a 45% female business participation and 5% participation of persons with special needs.

The MSMEs Survival Fund scheme is a component of the Nigerian Economic Sustainability Plan, NESP, which was developed by an Economic Sustainability Committee established by President Muhammadu Buhari in March 2020. The President asked his deputy, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, to head the committee which produced the plan and is overseeing its implementation.



Laolu Akande

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity

Office of the Vice President

18th November 2020

https://www.yemiosinbajo.ng/fg-provides-additional-reliefs-for-businesses-individuals-in-proposed-finance-bill-2020/

*Let's expand umbrella of hope over all sections of society
*And rebuild morale of the Police, says VP



REMARKS BY HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, GCON, VICE PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, AT THE LAUNCH OF THE REBUILD LAGOS INITIATIVE AND INAUGURATION OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF REBUILD LAGOS TRUST FUND IN LAGOS ON THE 16TH OF NOVEMBER, 2020

PROTOCOLS

I bring you the warm greetings of Mr. President, H.E Muhammadu Buhari and he has also asked me to express once again, his sincere and deep condolences on the catastrophic events of the last few weeks. To that I add again, my own sincere commiserations to the government and people of Lagos State, this place of my birth, for the loss of lives of citizens, the injured and the colossal destruction of public and private properties, social amenities and infrastructure as we’ve heard and seen.

Never in the history of our nation has this former capital city, and our nation’s commercial nerve centre experienced such mindless acts of violence and the enormity of destruction that occurred.
Perhaps it is worth noting that the destruction and disruption of life and work in Lagos is a national tragedy and a major economic setback for the nation even as we face the most difficult challenges, perhaps in a generation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is the State that leads by far in the collection of non-oil revenues. The bulk of VAT is generated here. Of the 114 persons who pay self-assessed taxes of over N10million, 112 of them live and work here in Lagos. The Lagos port whose Marina office was attacked generates the most revenue and is the busiest in the Nation. The Lagos airport is the busiest in Nigeria. In so many ways, our fortunes as a nation are closely tied to the fortunes of this great State.

But even in the darkest of clouds, there is and will be silver linings. These trying times offer an invaluable learning opportunity, a teachable moment, and it is the lessons we draw from this period that will shape our path going forward.

We have seen how the most noble causes, such as the ENDSARS protests designed to call attention to a serious problem of brutality and extrajudicial killings, can be subverted leading to the exact opposite of its objectives; chaos, murder, looting and arson. So, we saw what can happen when the restraints of law and order are loosed and anarchy is given free rein.

In those difficult days when chaos swept from street to street, consuming lives and livelihoods, we learned that society is built on the balance between freedom and order. But we have also realized that order itself is a social construct sustained by the consent of the governed. Which is why it is important, as the Chairman of the Rebuild Lagos Trust Fund said, that we investigate and thoroughly interrogate the deep causes of the disenchantment that resulted in the chaos.

We recognize that our law enforcement agents who are tasked with keeping their fellow citizens safe do so under extremely difficult and challenging operational conditions; that while the dedication of the diligent officers among them is often overshadowed by the deviance and indiscipline of some of their comrades, there are undeniably a preponderance of competent officials who discharge their duties with a high sense of professionalism and patriotism. These good men and women in our police force and law enforcement agencies deserve our encouragement and support for standing in the gap between order and lawlessness.

At this point, let me pay tribute to the officers of the Nigeria Police Force who tragically lost their lives in the line of duty during the recent crisis. I offer my heartfelt sympathies to the families of the fallen. The task of serving and protecting the public is one of the noblest of professions and we are committed to upholding the dignity of all who do this work. Indeed, we recognize that the protests as well as the current national conversation they have inspired are ultimately about building a police force that will proudly represent our highest values. I will return to this point in a moment.

Your Excellencies, it is now time to rebuild. It is time for the painful and costly task of reconstruction and rehabilitation. It is now time for the private sector, our international friends and partners, and all who love this city and State, to make their contributions to the rebuilding and reconstruction effort. When Lagos works, it works for all of us.
For the Federal Government’s part, Mr. President has said that he will await a full report from Your Excellency, (the Governor) and I am sure that will be on hand soon so as to measure the sort of support that will be required.

We are also, of course, speaking with the National Assembly. I had a few conversations with the Rt. Honorable Speaker and we have also heard the representative of the Senate President, Senator Olamilekan Solomon, speak about the collaboration that must take place between the Executive and the Legislature and the National Assembly, in order to be able to do something that would make a difference in this reconstructive effort and of course, it is not just for Lagos, but for the rest of the country. But as we heard repeatedly, Lagos will clearly have to take the bulk of whatever effort that is put together.

For businesses that were destroyed, we also heard the CBN Governor speak about the CACOVID allowance and what the Bankers' Committee will do. They have been speaking about suspending existing facilities that business owners may have in banks and also offering lines of cheap credit to help them rebuild their damaged facilities and re-stock.

But it is clear that the task of reconstruction goes beyond physical infrastructure or brick and mortar. There is a moral, social and ethical reconstruction to be undertaken as well. We must rebuild trust between the government and the governed; the vast majority of who are young persons, rebuild trust between law enforcement agents and the communities that they are meant to serve.

Never again should law enforcement find itself on the opposite side of any conflict with society. We must in the process rebuild the morale of our police force, the gallant men and women who daily brave the elements to keep us all safe.

The process of reform has commenced. After 70 years of the Police Act, the President signed the new reformed Police Act 2020 into law. The new law contains in many parts, components of a charter of the rights of citizens even when they are questioned, or when they are detained, or whenever they have contact with the police or law enforcement agents under the purview of the police.

The President has also signed into law, the Police Trust Act, essentially to provide a source of extra funding for the police. Equally, the Police has also initiated its community policing programme aimed at reframing policing as an activity based on trust between law enforcement and the local communities. We recognize that our communities can be made safer when they are primarily policed by members of that same community who enjoy the trust of their neighbours. Which is why community policing involved recruitment of policemen from the local governments where these men and women live and they are required to remain in those local governments when they serve in the Police Force.

We must renew the ties that bind us together as a society. All of us who have a stake in a peaceful and prosperous Lagos must take upon ourselves, the task of expanding the umbrella of hope over all sections of our society.

We certainly cannot afford to alienate our young people who constitute the majority of our society and bear the burden of enterprise, resourcefulness and innovation required to propel our economy into the future. For their sake and ours, we need a broad-based and inclusive prosperity that creates opportunities on a scale commensurate with the aspirations of our population. Beyond restoring what we have lost, the task before us is nothing short of the reformulation of the social contract.

Let me extend my deepest sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives during the protests and to all those who have lost their loved ones or who have been affected by the actions especially of police brutality and brutality of law enforcement agents generally. Nothing can replace the life of a loved one and for that, I offer my deepest condolences.

These deaths should never have happened. It is now our responsibility to honour their memory and ensure that justice is comprehensively served.

Our State, like our nation, is in need of healing. We recognize that the balm for a wounded society is truth and justice. This is why the President has approved the setting up of Judicial Panels of Inquiry which has been established all over the country by the States of the Federation. Their mandate is to investigate cases of police brutality against citizens, where necessary recommend compensation for victims. Specifically, in Lagos, the mandate of the inquiry has been expanded to include the full investigation of the Lekki toll gate incidents. This process has begun in Lagos and you have seen already that all Federal Agencies and the armed services are participating actively in the proceedings of the judiciary inquiry. Mr. President said and I quote ''we will also ensure that all those responsible for misconduct or wrongful acts are brought to justice.”

This is why Judicial Panels of Inquiry have been established all across the country. Their mandate is to investigate cases of police brutality against citizens and where necessary compensate victims.

Specifically, in Lagos the mandate of the inquiry has been expanded to include a full investigation of the Lekki toll gate incidents. This process has begun and all Federal Agencies and the armed services are participating actively as Mr. President said and I quote ''We will also ensure that all those responsible for misconduct or wrongful acts are brought to justice.”

The pursuit of restorative justice, recompense for injury to innocents and a reckoning for perpetrators of abuse are essential components of the moral and ethical reconstruction of our homestead. I urge all of us to give this process a chance to work and to commit to the advocacy and participation that it will take to enable this process succeed.

We have been through a very difficult time but all our moral traditions instruct us that character is forged in hardship. The things that truly strengthen us are gained in seasons of adversity.

It will be severely remiss of me if I leave here without commending the outstanding leadership shown by the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo–Olu in what has been an immensely challenging season for the State.

First, Mr. Governor, you led your State’s efforts in addressing the COVID-19 Pandemic to both local and international acclaim with the sort of leadership you have shown. When State Governors under the auspices of the National Economic Council (NEC) resolved that States should establish Judicial Panels of Inquiry, Lagos was the very first State to constitute its inquiry.

Throughout this period, your actions have been an example of responsibility, creativity, sensitivity and resolve under pressure. I want to say that we are extremely proud of what you have done and what you are doing. Thank you very much.

In closing, let me on behalf of the Federal Government of Nigeria assure you that we stand with you and the great people of Lagos as you undertake this difficult journey of rebuilding. It is my conviction that Lagos and our nation at large will emerge from this crisis better and stronger.

Igbega ipinle Eko, ajumose gbogbo wa ni o.

May God bless the government and people of Lagos State and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Thank you.

Released by:
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
17th November 2020