₦airaland Forum

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
PRESS RELEASE

WHY WE NEED TO IMPROVE FUNDING OF RESEARCH & INNOVATION IN NIGERIA - OSINBAJO
*VP chairs first 2020 meeting of Research & Innovation council

In order to build local capacity to compete favourably with scientifically advanced economies, there is an urgent need to refine processes for funding research and innovation in the country, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Tuesday during the meeting of the National Research and Innovation Council held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Responding to a memo presented to the council on the need to improve funding of research and innovation in the country by Science and Technology Minister, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, the Vice President said the proposal to set aside a percentage of the national budget for funding of research and innovation deserve support.

According to him, “the point that has to be made is that there is really an urgent need to improve funding for research and innovation in our country.

“Whether it is research in agriculture, education or environment, we have to adopt steps and measures on how to improve funding in these areas. It is really the whole idea of setting targets on how to achieve objectives set for research and innovation.”

The Vice President then directed that plans to refine the processes and procedures for investing more in research and innovation be expedited in order to develop more local technology to address emerging challenges.

The Minister of Science and Technology, Dr. Onu, had earlier presented a memo to the council for the improved funding of research and innovation, specifically by setting aside one percent of the national budget for research purposes in public institutions.

The meeting, which is the first for the year 2020, had in attendance the Ministers of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; Environment, Mr Mohammed Mahmoud; Water Resources, Alh. Suleiman Adamu; Information and Culture, Alh. Lai Mohammed; Sports and Youth Development, Mr Sunday Dare; Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen; Aviation, Alh. Hadi Sirika; Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige; Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire; and Communications and Digital Economy, Alh. Ali Pantami.

Others include, the Ministers of State: for Budget and National Planning, Mr. Clement Agba; Science and Technology, Alh. Mohammed Abdullahi; and Education, Mr. Emeka Nwajuiba.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
4th March, 2020

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Photos: VP Osinbajo Presides Over The National Research And Innovation Council Meeting On 03/03/2020

* South Africa slumped to its second recession in two years
* Nigeria, South Africa make up half of sub-Saharan Africa’s GDP

As if a recession wasn’t enough bad news for South Africa, it’s now confirmed as the continent’s second-largest economy.


The answer to the question of whether South Africa or Nigeria, the two countries that account for almost half of sub-Saharan Africa’s gross domestic product, is the biggest economy on the continent has long depended on which exchange rate you use for the West African nation. But now both the official naira rate of 306 per dollar and the weaker market exchange rate of around 360 that almost all investors use put Nigeria tops.

Nigeria’s economic growth beat forecasts in the fourth quarter, helping its economy to expand the most in four years in 2019 as oil output increased and the central bank took steps to boost credit growth. GDP in the West African country stood at $476 billion or $402 billion, depending on the rate used.
South Africa’s economy went the opposite direction.


It slumped into a second recession in consecutive years, contracting more than projected in the fourth quarter as power cuts weighed on output and business confidence. For the full year, expansion was 0.2%, the least since the global financial crisis, and even less than the central bank and government estimated. Based on a average rand-dollar exchange rate of 14.43 for the year, GDP was $352 billion.
Projections show Nigeria’s economy will continue to grow faster. While the International Monetary Fund cut its forecast for Nigeria’s 2020 growth to 2% from 2.5% last month due to lower oil prices, South Africa’s GDP is forecast to expand only 0.8%.

https://www.bloomberg.com/amp/news/articles/2020-03-03/nigeria-now-tops-south-africa-as-the-continent-s-biggest-economy?__twitter_impression=true

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT
PRESS RELEASE

WHY WE MUST DEAL WITH SMALL ARMS PROLIFERATION NOW - OSINBAJO

*VP chairs review panel to develop strategies

A clear cut set of strategies to curb and curtail the proliferation of small and light weapons would be developed soon, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo hinted this at a meeting he held this morning with top security chiefs and members of the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons on the instruction of the President.

At the last National Security Council meeting, President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the Vice President to chair a committee to review the report of the Presidential Committee on Small Arms and Light Weapons (PRESCOM) constituted in April 2013 by the then Federal Government.

In line with that Presidential directive, Prof. Osinbajo on Monday chaired the inaugural meeting of the review committee, calling for the development of clear cut, specific line of action to address the serious problems of small arms and light weapons many of which fuel the insurgency in the Northeast and other security challenges in the country.

The Vice President noted that the seriousness of the matter had necessitated the setting up of the review committee said, “the problem we have at hand is really enormous”, adding that this is why the President is keen on effective and prompt solutions.


Members of the review committee present at the meeting include: the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr Abubakar Malami; the Ministers of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama; National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno; the Inspector General of Police, Mr Mohammed Adamu; the Comptroller General of the Nigerian Customs Service, Col. Hameed Ali (rtd); Director General of the National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; the Chief of Defence Intelligence, Air Vice Marshal Mohammed Usman; and the Chairman of PRESCOM, Amb. Emmanuel Imohe.

Others include the representatives of the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the Ministry of Defence.

Laolu Akande

Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, His Lordship, the Most Rev Ignatius Kaigama, has commended Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s demonstration of love and solidarity with Nigerians, including the Church at all times.
Archbishop Kaigama gave the commendation in his sermon at the opening mass of the first 2020 plenary meeting of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) held at the Catholic Secretariat of Nigeria, Abuja on Sunday.
The cleric, who spoke apparently against some agitation in the country, expressed happiness with the presence of the vice president at the event, declaring that he had always been in solidarity with Nigerians and the Church through thick and thin.

The vice president, on the invitation of the CBCN, attended the opening mass which is a prelude to the plenary meeting of all Catholic Bishops of Nigeria annually.
“I am so happy that our vice president is here; it is not just being here but there is a very profound sacramental blessing that he is here; when you are with us and we are suffering, we are together but when there is a gap with you, there is a feeling of insensitivity.

“We need to have access to our leaders; we need to have access to the president and to the vice president; to the ministers; they need to be closer to the people that elected them. This is very important,” he said.
While further commending Prof Osinbajo’s uncommon love and concern for the development of society, the Archbishop, said, “so much is happening in our country today that is why we need more patriotic Nigerians to help overcome some of the issues.”

According to him, “We need to also work together to eradicate or at least reduce the level of poverty; the level of diseases, sickness and ignorance, unnecessary deaths and other issues affecting us. So much is happening and that is why we need more patriotic Nigerians to come forth and help address these issues.”

He said the primary task of religious leaders was to steer the people to conversion and holiness, but for reasons of poverty and hardship being suffered by the people, “preachers are forced to become miracle workers or political revolutionaries, throwing verbal bombs, missiles, grenades, poisonous gas and all sorts of things at political leaders from the pulpit.”
“Now if you go to preach anywhere, all they want you to do is to abuse the authority for causing the poverty and social deprivation that we have but that is not the message of the Gospel,” the cleric said.

“Yes, we must denounce evil; we must denounce corruption; we must denounce reckless spending that cost the poor of their dignity; we must do that at all times. But why should Churches become the altar and the Mosque become places where we antagonise our leaders instead of seeking solutions?” he queried.
Kaigama, therefore, urged the Church to continue to pray for political leaders at all levels for the progress and development of the country, even as he urged the government to collaborate more with faith-based institutions in order to deliver the basic needs of the people.

Dignitaries at the meeting include the Governor of Imo State, Sen. Hope Uzodinma; Ministers of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, his counterpart in Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, among others.

https://tribuneonlineng.com/bishop-lauds-osinbajo-for-his-love-solidarity-with-nigerians/

Our Plans To Address Skills Gap & Employability In Nigeria – VP Osinbajo At Inauguration Of National Council On Skills


In addition to the efforts made by the Federal Government in the past four years to address unemployment, the inauguration of the National Council on Skills will further boost the employability of young Nigerians and as a result reduce unemployment in the country, according to Vice President Osinbajo, SAN.
 
The Vice President who stated this on Thursday at the inauguration of the National Council on Skills (NCS) at the Presidential Villa, said the council’s inauguration was an indication of the commitment of the Buhari administration to address problems associated with the skills gap and youth unemployment in the country.
 
While inaugurating the council, Prof. Osinbajo, who also chairs the council said, “the present administration has really prioritized the skilling and employment of Nigerian youths and this is borne out of what we have in our Economic and Recovery and Growth Plan.”
 
According to him, “We consider that vocational and digital technology skills are critical in the effort of this government not only to provide employment for our young people but also as an important feature of diversifying our economy.
 
“There is no question at all that one of the critical questions that come up all the time is the employability of our young men and women. It is becoming increasingly evident that it is not enough to have the certificate to compete favourably today. It is important that young men and women have requisite skills, technical and digital skills to enable them to find a place especially in the job market of this challenging 21st century.”
 
Speaking further on the responsibilities and objectives of the council the Vice President said the council shall amongst other things “formulate skills development policy and also layout plans and strategies for skills development in Nigeria.”
 
“The council will direct the conduct of regular skills survey to identify the skills gap in the country so that training will be demand-based and to fast track the institutionalization of the National Skills Qualification Framework in Nigeria, and also to enforce legislation on the use of certified professionals in the country.
 
“The council will also bring coherence to skills development in the country by the facilitation of policy formulation,” Prof. Osinbajo added.
 
The Vice President expressed hope that the national council which is the highest decision-making body on skills development in Nigeria, “is a major step forward for us in our human resource development plan”.
 
The council has Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, as first Deputy Chairman, while Chairman of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote is second Deputy Chairman. Members include: Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Ahmed; Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige; Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; Industry Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; Communications and Digital Economy, Dr Ali Isa Pantami; Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola; Sports and Youth Development, Mr Sunday Dare, Women Affairs, Mrs Pauline Tallen. Minister Adamu was represented at the inauguration by the Minister of State for Education, Mr Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.
 
Chairman of the Governors Forum and Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi; his Borno State counterpart, Prof. Babgana Zulum and the Deputy Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, who represented Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, were present at the inauguration. Other Governors who are members of the council include Dr Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State; Mr Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo; Mr Willie Obiano of Anambra; and Alhaji Yahaya Bello of Kogi State.
 
The membership of the council also includes the representatives of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), Nigeria Employers’ Consultative Association (NECA), Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria (COREN), National Universities Commission (NUC), UK Department For International Development (DFID), National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), while the Director, Technology and Science Education in the Federal Ministry of Education, is the secretary.


https://www.yemiosinbajo.ng/our-plans-to-address-skills-gap-employability-in-nigeria-vp-osinbajo-at-inauguration-of-national-council-on-skills/

The World Health Organization on Thursday advised employers on ways to prevent the spread of the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) at workplaces.
This was contained in a memo titled, ‘Getting your business ready in case COVID-19 arrives in your community’.
The United Nations Specialised Agency for health coordination and management said “employers should start doing these things now, even if COVID-19 has not arrived in the communities where they operate”.


It advised employers “to make sure workplaces are clean and hygienic, ensure desk surfaces and intercoms wiped with disinfectant regularly.
“Promote regular and thorough hand-washing by employees, contractors, and customers and put sanitizing hand rub dispensers in prominent places around the workplace.
“Make sure that staff, contractors and customers have access to places where they can wash their hands with soap and water because washing kills the virus on your hands and prevents the spread of COVID19.

“Ensure that face masks and/or paper tissues are available at your workplaces, for those who develop a runny nose or cough at work, along with closed bins for hygienically disposing of them as good respiratory hygiene prevents the spread of COVID-19.

“Advise employees and contractors to consult national travel advice before going on business trips.


“Brief employees, contractors, and customers that if COVID-19 starts spreading in your community anyone with even a mild cough or low-grade fever (37.3 C or more) needs to stay at home. They should also stay home (or work from home) if they have had to take simple medications, such as paracetamol/acetaminophen, ibuprofen or aspirin, which may mask symptoms of infection.”
It explained that employers should cultivate good hygiene because when someone who has COVID-19 coughs or exhales, they release droplets of infected fluid.

“Most of these droplets fall on nearby surfaces and objects – such as desks, tables or telephones. People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects – and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth.
“If they are standing within 1 or 2 meters of a person with COVID-19 they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them. In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a similar way to flu.”

As of Thursday, the novel virus, which was first detected in China, has been reported in over 18 countries across Europe, Asia, Middle East and lately Africa.

WHO stated that there was a high risk of the disease spreading to more countries around the world, hence all sections of the society – including businesses and employers – must play a role to stop the spread of the disease.
Nigeria confirmed its first case of the virus on Friday.
Also, the Federal Government recently released N386million to health agencies to strengthen Coronavirus preparedness in Nigeria.

https://punchng.com/how-to-prevent-coronavirus-spread-at-workplaces-who/

*Governors dismiss allegations of depletion
Media speculations regarding the Excess Crude Account being depleted have been dismissed by state governors who explained that the operation of the Account is conducted with their knowledge and due approvals of the National Economic Council, NEC.
Answering reporters’ questions at the end of the NEC February meeting today, Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State explained that the change in balance of the ECA from USD$325 million last month to USD$71 million is due mainly to the new USD$250 million investment in the Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA), approved by the Council.
According to him, “the Authority is doing very well, they are handling infrastructure so nicely that the governors and the Federal Government are investing well. When the investment was made both the Federal Government, State Governments and Local Governments all get their investment certificates, so we are together in this.”
Continuing, Governor Umahi explained the other expenditure of USD$4 million being significantly reduced consultancy cost approved by the Council besides the USD$250 million NSIA investment. According to Umahi, who spoke on behalf of the Council members, “So no money is missing.”
The National Economic Council holds monthly and is chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, comprising the 36 governors, the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and the Governor of Central Bank.
Other highlights of the meeting include reporting balances on the Excess Crude Account which stands at the sum of $71,813,941.84. The balance on the Stabilization Account stands at N34, 186, 655,761.82, while the balance on the Natural Resources Account stands at the sum of N101, 889,686,452.53.
A presentation was made by the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Lessa Fever. He said “103 confirmed cases and 13 deaths reported from 18 States (Ondo, Ebonyi, Edo, Bauchi, Plateau, Benue, Enugu, Gombe, Kaduna, Kastina, Kogi, Sokoto, Taraba, Delta, Rivers, Adamawa, Nasarawa and Lagos). Of the confirmed cases 72% are from Edo, Ondo and Ebonyi states,” noting however, that there is a decline in the number of new cases in Benue.
On the efforts at addressing Lassa fever, the Health Minister said National Multi-Sectoral Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) has been activated while state Health EOCs are activated in affected states, adding “intensive sensitization of the public on safety measure needs to be carried out.”
Ehanire also assured of the country’s readiness to respond to the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), saying multi-sectoral Coronavirus Preparedness Group has been established, 4 diagnostic testing facilities are ready at National Reference Laboratory in Abuja, LUTH in Lagos, Irrua in Edo State and Redeemer’s University in Osun State.
NEC was also updated on the status of ownership structure of the Electricity Power Distribution Companies (DISCOs) by the Council Committee set up for the purpose. According to the Committee, it has received responses from the public, while forensic audit of the DISCOs are being conducted.
While requesting for additional time to complete the report, the Committee stated that state governments would provide it with details of their investments in the electricity companies.
Council was also informed that Edo State is hosting 20th National Sports Festival (NSF) from Sunday, March 22nd, 2020, while the new governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Duoye Diri was introduced and welcomed by the Council.

https://www.yemiosinbajo.ng/how-excess-crude-account-is-managed-by-nec-members/

Earlier today, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, inaugurated the National Council on Skills.

The Council, which features the Minister of Education, Alhaji Aliko Dangote as deputy chairmen, State Governors and Ministers, is charged with the responsibility of formulating skills development policy and ensuring our citizens are ready for work.

HOW BUHARI ADMINISTRATION IS PUSHING THROUGH MAJOR SUPPORTIVE INITIATIVES FOR MSMEs


*VP Osinbajo to FG agencies: we need to do a lot more
*$20M fund for technology & innovation
*N90B single digit loan scheme for small scale agric, 7000 beneficiaries already shared N20B
Bank of Industry has now approved a $20M technology fund for young innovators, Central Bank is offering a N90B soft loan facility for small scale agric enterprises, and the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it is now poised more than ever to register more Nigerians venturing into the food and drug businesses.
These and more form the highlight of a meeting to assess the progress of the MSMEs programmes of the Buhari administration, whose flagship is the MSMEs clinics initiative driven by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN and has now reached 26 States including the FCT.
Recalling at the meeting, the plan of President Muhammadu Buhari to pull out 10 million Nigerians annually out of poverty in the next ten years, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN said “clearly we need to do a lot of things on scale”.
Addressing several heads and representatives of Federal Government agencies interfacing with MSMEs after they had all given reports and made presentations at the meeting held later on Tuesday at the Presidential Villa, Prof. Osinbajo said “we have all the competence we need in this room, we even have the erudition. What we need is to coordinate and the willingness to implement. We need to get things done. We have all it takes.”
According to the Managing Director of the Bank of Industry, Mr. Kayode Pitan, the $20 million technology fund was part of measures of the bank to support the Buhari administration and encourage technology innovators grow the technology sector. He disclosed that the Bank’s board has approved the soft loan fund already.
He explained that technology innovators and startups would be supported through the fund to grow viable businesses in the technology sector, adding that National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), represented also at the meeting would monitor progress made by beneficiaries of the fund.
On his part, the Director General of NITDA, Mr Kashif Inuwa said in line with the Federal Government’s agenda on leveraging technology in diversifying the economy, the agency has so far licensed 27 Data Protection Companies.
In the agricultural sector, the Central Bank through the National Microfinance Bank is offering N90 billion soft loan facility to small scale agricultural enterprises under the Agric-Business/Small and Medium Enterprises Investment Scheme (AGSMEIS).
So far, and in just within weeks, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) through the 56 branches of the National Microfinance Bank across the country has disbursed N20 billion to 7000 beneficiaries already, with plans to give out N5 billion monthly to more beneficiaries in the country.
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on the other hand, says it is now poised more than ever to register more Nigerians willing to venture into the food and drug businesses by unveiling its e-registration platform for ease of registration and is offering a 75% reduction in the cost of product registration to commence soon.
The NAFDAC DG, Prof. Moji Adeyeye said the move was to address challenges faced by owners of small businesses in the registration of their products. She said the agency believes this will also lead to job creation.
Equally, the Corporate Affairs Commission is reviewing its business name registration processes by removing unnecessary interferences that cost prospective business owners extra money to register with the commission.
Under the new arrangement, prospective business owners can walk into any CAC office nationwide and register a business name by themselves without the assistance of a lawyer, an accountant or any middle-person.
In the same vein, the Director General of Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency (SMEDAN), Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda, disclosed plans to commence the registration of MSMEs in the country as part of measures to build a comprehensive database of MSMEs for the purposes of planning, coordination and development.
Present at the meeting were the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Mariam Katagum, CEO of NEPC, Mr Segun Awolowo; MD of BOI, Mr. Kayode Pitan; MD of NEXIM Bank, Mr Abubakar Bello; MD of Nigeria Incentive-Based Risk Sharing System for Agricultural Lending (NIRSAL), Aliyu Abdulhameed; MD of Bank of Agriculture (BOA), Kabir Adamu; Directors General: of SMEDAN, Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda; NAFDAC, Prof. Moji Adeyeye; NITDA, Mr Kashif Inuwa; Raw Materials Research and Development Council (RMRDC), Prof. Hussaini Doko Ibrahim; and representatives of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Standards Organisation of Nigeria (SON), amongst other stakeholders.

http://news-af.feednews.com/news/detail/b04ba31166e347969532c978ab1c60da?country=tz&language=en&share=1&client=news

ludd2018:
Old photo

can we have the new ones ?

See how the good people of Ondo State welcomed President Muhammadu Buhari earlier today.
The president was in the state on an official visit and commissioned some key projects executed by the state government, including the Ondo-Linyi Industrial Hub, which has Automobile Assembly Plant, Paper Mill Factory, Textile Company, largest Cassava to Ethanol Factory in Nigeria, as well as the country’s first MDF Factory that produces high-density fibre and marine boards. #PMBinOndo

*Flash:* VP Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, just ended a meeting to review progress on Buhari administration's efforts to support MSMEs.

*Some outcomes:* Bank of Industry has now approved a *$20M* technology fund for young innovators, while CBN is offering a *N90B* soft loan facility for small scale agric enterprises, while NAFDAC is now poised more than ever to register more Nigerian firms venturing into the food and drugs sub-sectors.

All federal agencies playing one role or the other in the MSMEs sector attended the meeting.

Also, MSMEs clinics driven by the Vice President have now reached 26 States and the FCT.

*Expect more!*

CONTINUATION

In the world of medicine and healthcare, there is LifeBank, owned by a young Nigerian lady. This is a health tech startup, which also uses drone technology to facilitate blood delivery to various health centres. We could highlight another called 54gene, a firm that is harnessing genomic data from African DNA to revolutionize the drug industry, and change the future of medicine. Even in the usually conservative legal profession, which I am the chairman, entrepreneurs are disrupting old trends. There is a digital legal research company called Law Pavilion, the company’s digital tools help lawyers to do legal research quickly and efficiently and even answer legal questions. Judges and lawyers subscribe to it and the usage is a very lucrative value addition to legal practice. Yet the founder and CEO of the company is not even a lawyer.

So today there are opportunities for entrepreneurs to build their businesses around traditional professions without being professionals themselves. The most widely read online publications are neither owned nor run by trained journalists. Some of us are familiar with the news aggregation platform called Nairaland which was started by two Obafemi Awolowo University students while still in school. Today it is one of the most successful online platforms we have. Even many of the most successful online advertising or PR companies have no formal training in these disciplines, most are self-thought. My nephew, who is a lawyer, is establishing an organic farm and poultry after taking lessons online. His only knowledge is derived from taking a few classes from somebody in Kano State offering online training for people interested in poultry farming.

But let me direct your minds to the new areas for job opportunities being created today. Data Science is one big area. Currently, we leave vast amounts of personal data online and in the near future, companies will need data scientists to go through it all and generate answers to business questions and make recommendations based on their findings. Many businesses already spend time and money going through people’s data so that they can sell their products. This is a new area of opportunities for jobs.

A big area today is Content Production - 3D/2D animation, Virtual Effects and Special Effects, as well as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality. The use of animation in education, entertainment and media is growing in leaps and bounds. Those who can create content with animation are being and will be much sought after in the years to come.

According to a recent survey by the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, multimedia artists and animators are among the highest-paid within the US workforce. This has translated to more jobs for animators in emerging economies such as India, Vietnam and now Nigeria. The average pay of a 3D animator in Nigeria who has just started out after learning his trade could be in the region of N300,000 - N500,000 monthly. In our training of N-Power beneficiaries, we set aside a fair amount of money to train animators. We have carried out two sets of training; one in the North and one in the South of Nigeria. In total, we have trained over 25,000 young men and women in animation.

Also, remember that content is becoming more in demand with the streaming wars that have engulfed Netflix, Apple, Disney Plus, HBO and only recently, Airtel, the telecommunications provider, launched its own streaming service in Nigeria.

Then we have the whole range of Cybersecurity, another big area of opportunity. Today, there are new opportunities for cybersecurity specialists. How is that? With each technological advance comes the implied addition of more security risks just to store and keep the information secure. Therefore, cybersecurity will continue to be a growing sector. In this sense, each country will have its own specific regulations just as we have and many other international regulations, which will ensure that professionals with an advanced technological background capable of nullifying new threats posed to both technology and people, will be in demand all the time.

How about 3D Printing? 3D printing is becoming an area of great need. It will become even more relevant and fundamental in the future when compared with Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. Experts in 3D printing must possess creative skills with the ability to improve the profitability and applicability of models. Also, they must have computer skills and knowledge of 3D printing tools. The Federal Government established a humanitarian hub in Adamawa State about two years ago. In that hub, young Nigerians are making artificial limbs with 3D printers for people who lost their limbs in the conflict in the North East. This is a growth area which will continue to grow because 3D printing can be applied in different ways and for many purposes. It doesn’t take a year to learn how to use 3D printers.

The technical revolution from the last few decades have considerably changed the business and cultural world. Currently, we live in an “application economy” as a result of the amount of technology and mobility that surrounds us with our smartphone applications that we depend on for everything, from mobile banking to even health monitoring. As such, it is difficult to find a reason why one shouldn’t try to find a career related to technology, especially when we consider that it is already present in everything we do; from our professions in our companies to our personal lives as consumers. This means computer programming in one shape or form of the other, will continue to be an important skill for those seeking viable employment and a decent pay.

So today, the most successful businesses are those able to add value, even our culture can become a great wealth creator, but only if we add value. So just doing traditional dances is not enough, to put together 8 or 16 barefooted young men and women dancing when foreign guests are visiting cannot make enough money. Organizing dance dramas, on the other hand, can make money. When a whole drama outfit is created with our culture and our songs, where we are able to employ a director, scriptwriter, a composer and an arranger, then it is possible to make money from our cultural dances.

In our future, there is truly something for everyone. We should all take advantage of digital technology, especially social media and the various platforms on offer, to grow a customer base, gain traction and advance businesses. You can write a blog, develop a website to sell your products or even your ideas – whatever it is you know how to do best. People are running fully-fledged commercial businesses on Instagram without a single physical shop, an opportunity only made possible by the internet. We are an entrepreneurial people, a society of multitaskers who, thanks to the virtual economy, can make a real opportunity out of anything we are passionate about.

The question for many of our young people today is: what is your passion? How can you take the skills that you have, and add value to the world around you? The future is going to depend a great deal on what we do with our passions and how we can sell what we are passionate about to millions of people around the world.

I have seen videos tutorials on how to make the best soups or bake the best cakes, getting hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram and YouTube, and people advertising on them. YouTubers like Dimma Umeh are showing us how to do makeup, how to master that highlight and contour, and she told us in one video that she made her first million from YouTube! I have also seen videos of people teaching young women how to keep their husbands, very interesting videos!

Thanks to the social media age, whatever ideas and skills that you have can be leveraged for benefit. Your knowledge is of immense importance and you have to find creative ways to take advantage of it.

While it is easier than ever to sell your knowledge and skills, it has also become easier and cheaper for you to acquire them. “The Mobile Prof” in Lagos, for example, is teaching people how to code from their mobile phones, you don’t even need a laptop anymore!

The future is about self-education, self-development. It is important for us to invest a little in the incredible opportunities for online education. Years ago, it was impossible to do a specialized course in a leading international university without getting an admission, paying a lot of money and then travelling abroad. Today, you can sit in the comfort of your home and get an Ivy League education. Universities such as Harvard University and Dartmouth College, for example, offer full-time online courses on Data Science and Linux Programming through an online learning platform called EdX.

This means you can learn a whole new programming language in a year, for less than it would cost you to even get to America! There are new means of self-education and they are more accessible than you might have thought.

There is no question that an exciting future lies ahead. There are breakthroughs in radical technologies, capable of disrupting whole industries, and perhaps even our very conception of work itself. For higher institutions who are getting graduates ready for the world of work, for the graduates, and new and near graduates who are here today, what does the disruption of the workforce by emerging technologies signify for both livelihoods and employment?

Today, there are several important implications related to the fields of Artificial Intelligence and Emerging Technologies that will change the way we work and our economies. So, we have seen for example that much of what is considered analytical work by lawyers, investment bankers, accountants, and other age-old professions will be performed better by machines in a fraction of the time that humans can. There is a need to train these professionals differently, and with these new opportunities and challenges in mind.


With the advent of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, the Internet of Things, the world of work is in a state of flux, changing as never before, driven by inexorable forces that have an impact, not only on professional services but on manufacturing and trade, global supply chains and the digitalization of the global economy to name just a few. So, for example, the supervision work that managers do is changing rapidly and there may be no more need for it. A young lady who owns a clothing store in Abuja and Lagos, who lives in Abuja was showing me how she can remotely see all that is going on in her shop in Lagos on her laptop in real-time. And she can speak to all her employees from her laptop in real-time. In other words, she can supervise her store herself from anywhere in the world. So, the type of manager you will need going forward will be a different type.

Education today must be education for employability, the sort of education that makes us employable and relevant in the technologies and opportunities that present themselves today.

So, our university curricula must be versatile and dynamic. The focus must be on innovation, critical thinking, interdisciplinary thinking, design thinking, synergizing and collaboration with others across the world to solve problems.

The era of cramming the teacher’s notes and regurgitating for high grades is over. The graduate of the future is a problem solver, a thinker, an entrepreneur. Our educators, policymakers, schools, universities must now adapt their curricula, policies and projects to improve the skills that enable the graduate to nimbly and constantly respond to the ever-changing face of the economy and the workplace.

A student of humanities today equipped with the right skills and mindset will be a crucial part of the collaboration required to build an application that will redefine an aspect of business. In other words, a student of History, English, Languages, without any previous scientific training or knowledge, can with the right skills being taught today, with self-teaching, develop applications that will change business and industries, earn a lot of money. Applications are developed through collaborations; there are those that are scientists, there are those who come from the point of view of imagination and others from the point of view of design; all of them collaborating together.


Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, was more of an artist than a computer scientist. Yet he developed some of the most incredible applications that we have ever seen and made the kind of profit that makes people wonder whether they are not in the wrong profession.

A man or woman of ideas, no matter your degree, can become, in collaboration with others, the designers or owners of the next application that will make billions and create jobs for millions. This is the exciting future ahead of us, the opportunities are limitless.

I want to urge all of us, especially the young people who are here, to note that we are in the best times in the history of mankind. Let nobody tell you about the good old days. I said before, and I am quoting someone, I'm not so sure who he is, he said that "those who remind us of the good old days are probably suffering from memory loss." We must not allow them to keep talking about the good old days. We are in the best times possible today. And the reason why these are the best times is that we are in the most technologically advanced human history.

This is the most technologically advanced moment. This is the most advanced moment in the history of mankind, we have never been advanced as we are today. It was Fareed Zakaria, the CNN journalist, who said and I'm quoting him that, "the smartphones that we have today, have more computing powers than all of the computing power that took men to the moon on the spacecraft, all of the computing powers that were in that spacecraft, we now have a hundred times of that computing power in the smartphone that we carry about today."

So, we are living in a time of sheer magic! We must take every advantage of it and I know the young people today, especially those in this Federal University Dutse, are rearing to go. The future is certainly bright!

Every citadel of learning derives its claim to greatness from the reputation and accomplishments of its students and staff: the great academics and scholars to whom has been given the enormous task of instructing, guiding and inspiring the minds and talents that are destined to define the future. Your task is possibly the noblest anyone could ask for, yet often without great reward or even gratitude. But we thank you today for your great and priceless service to this and coming generations.

It is most pleasing to learn that the proverbial seed planted less than a decade ago, the Federal University, Dutse, has not only produced four sets of graduates already and tomorrow by the grace of God, a fifth set, but has also grown so bounteously to now have over 7,000 students spread across 6 faculties, including a College of Medicine and Health Sciences.

Yours is the first among the set of Universities set up by the Federal Government in 2011 to establish a College of Medicine and Health Sciences. Congratulations! Equally remarkable are reports of the great exploits being recorded by the University in many fields that amply validate the promise of the fruitful synergy between town and gown.

Let me cite just two such examples, in recognition of your relevant and innovative research efforts. First is the Federal Ministry of Agriculture selected your University to host the Agribusiness Incubation Centres.

The second has been your response to the security challenges besetting our nation today, you elected to express a shared commitment to the national search for solution by being the first among your peers to mount a programme on Criminology and Security Studies, thereby demonstrating your relevance and proving that the university should not just be an incubator of ideas, but also a solution provider.

Congratulations on these sterling achievements. And to the students of this university, and especially the graduating class of 2019, let me just say congratulations and well done! The future is certainly very bright indeed.

Madam Vice Chancellor, my lecture titled “Facing the New Decade”, a topic you graciously allowed me to choose, is really directed at the young men and women here in this arena today. I count myself among those young men and women and I hope that those of us who are here also see ourselves as young men and women.

The reason why this is addressed to the young people here is first, the young men and women, students of this University, are the future of our country. Secondly, that future has already arrived at our doorsteps, perhaps much faster than we expected. For the next few minutes permit me to take you on a brief journey into this imminent future, how it will affect us all and my humble suggestions about what you may need to do to make the best of it.

Let me begin by making a few general statements and perhaps some predictions. First is that the next few decades will present tremendous opportunities for getting well-paying jobs and lucrative entrepreneurship opportunities all over the world. Anyone will be able to access many of those jobs without even having to move from your own country, in some cases even without leaving your home.

There will be a truly international market place of ideas, talents and opportunities, but to access that market place, you need to become, in many senses, a global citizen by your own effort. Self-education and self-development will be important.

Second, technology in its various iterations and applications will be crucial in all and every aspect of human existence. The greater our access to technology, our adaptation and application of the ideas we have, the more successful we are likely to be.

The third is that we are today in the most advanced moment in human history, and on a daily basis, knowledge and its applications grow in leaps and bounds. For the first time in human history, anyone of us can be heard or seen all over the world by live-streaming without owning our own satellite TV station. We can share ideas with millions of people in seconds on Facebook or Instagram.

It was Arthur Clarke, the British Science Fiction writer, who said that “any sufficiently advanced technology is not different anymore from magic.” If you follow some of the trends in technology over the past years in particular, much of his statement appears true, as the coming years look set to be one of the most spectacular magic shows ever.


Last year, DeepMind, which is a learning outfit, announced that one of its healthcare algorithms could detect over 50 eye diseases as accurately as a trained doctor. Only recently, we witnessed the trial run of an Artificial Intelligence, AI, a newsreader on the Chinese Xinhua News station, and the unveiling of a digital assistant that can mimic the voice of humans with uncanny likeness. It is called 'Google Duplex’. There are provinces in China that are now trying out AI teachers in remote villages where graduates and young people are not likely to stay. In 2018, there was a world-first recording of an Artificial Intelligence system engaged in a two-way debate with a human opponent!


The fourth and perhaps the most important point I wish to make today is that the abundance of natural resources such as we have in Nigeria, oil and several minerals, even talents, mean little or nothing unless we are able to creatively and by using innovation and adding value, add to whatever it is that we have in terms of talent or resources.

Let me put it differently, the difference between poverty and wealth or mediocrity and high achievement is creativity, or the capacity and willingness to add value. This is the reason why Apple, manufacturers of the iPhone and iPad, make more money in four months than Nigeria earns from oil in one year.

Apple sells the product of the ingenuity of the human mind, ideas translated to products, services and solutions that millions are prepared to pay for. And because the capacity of the human mind for creativity, generation of ideas and for innovation and invention is limitless, the source of wealth of innovative companies and individuals is literally limitless. On the other hand, oil drilling and selling, and other extractive activities without adding value by refining and developing a whole petrochemical ecosystem cannot yield optimal profit or create the jobs and wealth.

Similarly, the mere fact that you have large tracts of arable land for agriculture does not mean you will succeed in agriculture or become wealthy, or even as a nation, feed yourself. Anybody can plant a seed and expect a harvest, but the reason why most farmers, our subsistent farmers, remain relatively poor is that they add no value to what they produce by processing, packaging or making other products out of the raw harvest.

And also, because many times they do not have access to cutting-edge innovations and inventions in farm inputs and farming techniques. Those who can add value to the farmers’ harvest become wealthier than the farmer. So the growers of the raw materials are the weakest in the value chain and the poorest.

For example, the man who makes chocolates from cocoa is bound to be richer than the cocoa farmer. He has added value to the raw cocoa by processing and designing and packing the chocolates in appealing wrappers. By adding value, he will create more jobs and more wealth. So, while we will always need the traditional professionals, doctors, lawyers, accountants and bankers, those adding value to their services will make more money than they can. So those developing Artificial Intelligence for giving legal advice or medical diagnoses, or accounting or banking will be more successful than the professionals themselves.

So, the future of banking and financial services doesn’t belong to banks or bankers as we know them today, it may well belong to the FinTechs and other technology-enabled solutions. For example, today we have KiaKia, which uses Artificial Intelligence and algorithms, to process loan requests in minutes and grant credit without the hassles of regular banks. Besides, there is Kuda Bank, for example, a bank without a single physical branch with all its features built into a mobile application. There is also Eyowo, another example of a payment services company which is designed for identifying, enumerating and paying to and collecting repayments from 2.2 million TraderMoni and MarketMoni beneficiaries.

They have revolutionized financial inclusion, making and receiving payments from the farthest parts of Nigeria. There is also another company called Paystack, whose founders are just over (the age of) 30. They have developed applications that make it easier to make payments across the world. There is also InvestBamboo, for example, which was started by two 26-year-olds, and offers new ways for you to save money and invest in stocks, all from a single application.

Others have developed technologies that make it possible for you to invest in a farm without ever seeing the farm. Two Nigerian companies again, ThriveAgric and Farmcrowdy, set up by young Nigerians under the age of 35, are great examples of the service providers that help small-scale farmers scale-up, and access valuable training; and all of these done through crowdfunding.

Davash222:
Take your frustration to President Kyari.

You have been reasonable if you have read the content.

Davash222:
President Abba Kyari don relegate our Star boy to Minister of Technology.
Inside life.

Don’t be unfortunate Mr man

As innovation in technology continues to reshape opportunities and challenges across different fields of human endeavour, the need to review Nigeria’s curriculum of higher education to focus more on technology and creativity has become a necessity rather than an option, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Friday at the Fifth Convocation Lecture of the Federal University, Duste, Jigawa State attended by a cross-section of Nigerian academics, public intellectuals, and traditional leaders including the Sultan of Sokoto, the Emir of Kano and the Emir of Dutse among others.
In a lecture titled “Facing the New Decade,” the Vice President said “Education today must be education for employability, not just for its own sake. So, our curricula must be versatile and dynamic.”
According to him, “the focus must be on innovation, critical thinking, interdisciplinary thinking, design thinking, synergizing and collaboration with others across the world to solve problems.
“The era of cramming teacher’s notes and regurgitating for high grades is over. The graduate of the future is a problem solver, a thinker, an entrepreneur.
“Our educators, policymakers, schools, universities must now adapt their curricula, policies and projects to improve the skills that enable the graduate to nimbly and constantly respond to the ever-changing face of the economy and the workplace.”
And speaking directly to the students the VP said “the exciting future ahead of us, the opportunities are limitless. Go for it!”
He further noted that the need to prepare school graduates adequately for the challenges of the future, the Vice President said “there will be a truly international market place of ideas, talents and opportunities, but to access that market place you need to become a global citizen by your own effort. Self-education will be important. Second, technology in its various iterations and applications will be crucial in all and every aspect of human existence.”
He said Nigerian graduates of higher institutions of learning would only fit into the future driven by technological advancement if the management and teachers in the institutions review the entire system in order to adapt to realities in their environment.
According to Prof. Osinbajo, “there is no question that an exciting future lies ahead, there are breakthroughs in radical technologies, capable of disrupting whole industries, and perhaps even our very conception of work itself.
“For higher institutions who are getting graduates ready for the world of work, for the graduates and near graduates who are here today, what does the disruption of the workforce by emerging technologies signify for both livelihoods and employment?”
Speaking specifically about areas that require improved skills training to increase access to opportunities, the Vice President said that adding value to what already exists is what can create more wealth in societies hitherto fixed on old methods and ways of doing things.
He said: “So today the most successful businesses are those adding value, even our culture can become a great wealth creator but only if we add value.”
“In our future, there is truly something for everyone. We should all take advantage of digital technology, especially social media and the various platforms on offer, to grow a customer base, gain traction and advance businesses.
“You can write a blog, develop a website to sell your products or even your ideas – whatever it is you know how to do best. People are running fully-fledged commercial businesses on Instagram without a single physical shop, an opportunity only made possible by the internet.”
Continuing on the need for graduates and young Nigerians to leverage innovation in technology to rewrite the history of their communities, Prof. Osinbajo said: “We are an entrepreneurial people, a society of multitaskers who thanks to the virtual economy, can make real opportunity out of anything we are passionate about.”
Citing examples of some Nigerians who have dared to tap from limitless opportunities in creative collaborations in hitherto unknown ventures, the Vice President challenged young Nigerians to be creative and courageous enough to break new grounds.
“ What is your passion? How can you take the skills that you have, and add value to the world around you?
“I have seen videos tutorials on how to make the best soups, or bake the best cakes, getting hundreds of thousands of views on Instagram and YouTube.
“YouTubers like Dimma Umeh are showing us how to do makeup, how to master that highlight and contour, and she told us in one video that she made her first million from YouTube!”
“Thanks to the social media age, whatever ideas and skills that you have can be leveraged for benefit. Your knowledge is of immense importance and you have to find creative ways to take advantage of that. While it is easier than ever to sell your knowledge and skills, it has also become easier and cheaper for you to acquire them.
“The Mobile Prof” in Lagos, for example, is teaching people how to code from their mobile phones, you don’t even need a laptop anymore! The future is about self-education and self-development.”
He urged Nigerian Universities and other higher institutions of learning to support and nurture students that would face the emerging future starting with this new decade, driven by the limitless opportunities in creativity and technology.
https://www.yemiosinbajo.ng/how-innovation-technology-will-drive-progress-in-the-new-decade/

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE
 
BEWARE, MERCHANTS OF FAKE NEWS ON THE PROWL – PRESIDENCY 
Purveyors of fake and concocted Information are currently on overdrive, and Nigerians are urged to be careful what they consume as news, and also share with others, particularly from the social media.
An unfounded information has been making the rounds that President Muhammadu Buhari is billed to travel to the United Kingdom for 20 days, and from there proceed to Saudi Arabia, and then Austria. Fake. It is nothing but falsehood from mischievous minds.
Members of the First Family, Ministers, top government officials, the military, and other key institutions, are equally objects of this orchestrated falsehood, coming from enemies of national cohesion.
We urge Nigerians to be discriminatory about what they accept as credible information, and restrain themselves from sharing what they have not authenticated as genuine. That is how we can all collectively beat the malevolent minds at their pernicious games.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
February 17, 2020

Osinbajo lauds West African surgeons for thousands of free surgeries_

Given the impressive performance and achievements recorded by Nigerians across diverse fields, at home and abroad, it is evident that many of the country’s problems can be solved by Nigerians themselves without recourse to foreign aid, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo said this on Friday when he preceived a delegation from the West African College of Surgeons (WACS), in his office. (The College formed by a group of young Nigerian surgeons 60 years ago predated the Economic Community of West African States)

The delegation led by Prof. Ibrahim Yakasai, mni, was at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa to brief the Vice President about the activities of the College including its planned 60th Annual General Meeting and Scientific Conference scheduled for Abuja. Yakasai is the Local Organising Committee chairman.

Speaking after listening to a brief on the achievements of the WACS, the VP said “I am glad to hear the good things that have been done by the college through the years.

“I believe that a lot of our problems, some of the aids that we need, can be provided by ourselves. We have the resources including human capacity to do it.” He thanked the delegation for the visit, assuring the College of the Federal Government’s continued support.

Earlier in his remarks, the immediate past President of the College, Prof. King-David Yawe highlighted some of the achievements of WACS especially with regards to free medical outreaches to several Nigerian communities.

He said while working with the Presidential Committee on North East (PCNE), the College has conducted 9, 000 surgeries on 49,000 patients in the Northeast with the insurgency in the region, adding that the body was currently conducting free medical outreaches in 14 hospitals across the FCT, some North Central States and Maiduguri.

Prof. Yawe added that as part of the 2020 pre-conference events, the College is currently conducting free surgeries in the FCT, Borno and other States, noting that 700 such surgical operations have so far been conducted in the past one week with a target of reaching 1000 before the commencement of conference.

He also said that the outreaches which started 14 years ago include eye surgeries, orthopedic, paediatric & plastic surgeries, brain tumor amongst many others complicated health challenges that otherwise cost patients several millions of Naira, and for which many travel out of the country to treat.

Continuing on the activities of the surgeons, Prof. Yawe said the College has accredited training centres in Gombe, Borno and Yobe States.

He commended the Buhari administration’s support to the association in partly funding some of its activities and meeting its responsibilities especially in solving its 20-year-old problem regarding a request for land in the FCT.

Prof. Yawe informed the VP that the land has been allocated to the College for the establishment of a Skills and Simulation Centre to train surgeons in West Africa in hi-tech surgeries.

The leader of the delegation, Prof. Yakasai also informed the VP that the College works in partnership with the ECOWAS and has surgeons from 18 countries with over 7000 fellows across West Africa. The College conducts training, postgraduate education and research activities

While Yawe is the immediate past President of the College, Yakasai told the VP the current President is from Senegal. (Prof Serigne Magueye Gueye.)

Laolu Akande,
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity,
Office of the Vice President.
15th February 2020

*Prelate Uche: “We are proud of the Vice President”
The responsibility to ensure harmony amongst people of different religious and ethnic backgrounds in Nigeria and elsewhere depends largely on the contributions and sacrifices of faith leaders, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Friday when he received on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, a delegation from the World Methodist Council led by its President, Rev. Dr. Jong Chun Park, and the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, His Eminence, Most Rev. Samuel Uche.
While noting that the Methodist Church in Nigeria had played an important role in maintaining harmony in the country, the Vice President said “in most societies that have been seamless, you will realize that a lot of it has had to do with what men and women of God did.
“I think that the role of the church in bringing that harmony is crucial. The political leadership is one, but the solutions to the world’s deepest problem lies in Gospel and I believe that we as the body of Christ hold the key to several of the problems.
“So, the question is how we deploy the resources that God gave to us to unite people. Obviously, it requires tremendous sacrifice and it is really about the sacrifices that we are prepared to make.”
Speaking further about the need for collaboration between government and other stakeholders in promoting harmonious coexistence in Nigeria, the Vice President said “I believe that religious harmony is possible and it is our duty to promote same”, the VP emphasized, while thanking the visiting global religious leader for underscoring the important point.
According to Prof. Osinbajo, “we should try and bring our communities together. We have a large Muslim and large Christian populations, and we can’t do anything without collaboration. Religious leaders can’t wish that away.
“Our Constitution guarantees religious freedom not just in words but in practice in Nigeria, again it is a duty that we accept this reality.
“Despite all the various challenges that we face as a country, we are all resolved that this country is one that is fair for all, that there is justice, equity and that we give everyone a chance to realize the objectives that they set for themselves,” the Vice President added.
He then commended the contributions of the Methodist Church in the development of society noting that “the Church has not just contributed to the salvation of souls, but also to human capacity development, education, and health care.
Earlier in his remark, Rev. Dr. Park commended the role played by the Vice President in promoting religious harmony through his numerous engagements and activities across the country.
He also prayed for the country and its leadership, expressing optimism that the leadership and wisdom exhibited by the Vice President would enable Nigeria achieve its objectives.
The World Methodist Council leader added that by working together both President Muhammadu Buhari and the Vice President are demonstrating a commendable and harmonious governance.
Said he:” I feel touched by your harmonized way of governance. May God bless President Buhari and you, the Vice President.”
Dr. Park further prayed that God will bless Nigeria, “and all Christians and our Islamic brothers and sisters to live together in harmony, peace and love.”
In his own remarks, the Methodist Prelate who introduced Rev Park both as a priest and University Professor expressed satisfaction with the work of the Vice President saying “we are proud of you” adding that this is also “because you attended our school”. He was referring to Igbobi College which was founded by both the Methodist and Anglican Churches.
Also at the meeting were Archbishops, Bishops and priests of the church in Nigeria.


https://www.yemiosinbajo.ng/how-to-attain-religious-harmony-in-nigeria-by-osinbajo-world-methodist-leader/

kerry57:
Google dey craze? Condem him in security. Security is the most important thing. How do u do biz in an insecure environment? Yeye google.

Get well soon o

Doron Avni, Google’s Government Affairs and Public Policy Director has recounted how Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo helped the organization achieve remarkable success in Nigeria.

Leading a delegation from Google Global Services in the United States, UN, on a courtesy visit to the Vice President, Avni described Osinbajo as an excellent partner of his organisation.

Avni also disclosed that the firm has trained three million Nigerians since its pledge to train 10 million people in Africa.

He stated that Google has been able to train three million Nigerians through the assistance of Osinbajo.

Avni said: “Obviously, we have an excellent partner here (Prof. Osinbajo) who has been doing God’s work, it is thanks to leading partners like him that we are able to be helpful in communities in which we operate.

“We had made a pledge to train 10 million people in Africa by 2022, I am happy to report to you that so far we have trained more than 5 million people. Most important is the fact that out of those 5 million, 3 million are Nigerians.

With the collaboration that we have with the Ministry of Education, we have now integrated some of Google’s curriculum on online safety into the school’s curriculum. So, we will be reaching 56 million students in Nigeria this year.”

Avni stated that the company’s target of training up to 10 million people in Africa by 2022 was realizable.

Earlier, Osinbajo said the Federal Government will support any partnership that addresses literacy and educational challenges including the problem of out of school children and girl child education in Nigeria.

According to the Vice President: “It might help if we begin to look at something more in the area of literacy type skills because really, we are looking at how to expand the whole scope of education especially education for girls.

“So, the question really is how we can use technology to make it easier for girls, in particular, to go to school, because if we somehow bring education to their doorsteps, it might take care of some of the problems around taking them out of their home environment.

“For us, our education mandate is so crucial.”

https://dailypost.ng/2020/02/14/google-commends-osinbajos-role-on-ease-of-doing-business/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

Osinbajo is full of energy!
He flew from Abuja to Nasarawa, then back to Abuja and moved to Kenya and now he is in Abuja.
leaders like him are rare

Cosmatikka:
Minister for Condolence and trade money, abeg I need 100k to add to my biz. Wen re u coming to Abia to share money?

You have sold your destiny for Kerosene

Nigerian Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's pays tribute to Former President Moi


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_pQgUmF-Ww

Nigeria Vice President Yemi Osinbajo's tribute to Kenya 2nd President Moi


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

Photos: VP Osinbajo Arrives Kenya For Funeral Of Former President, Daniel Arap Moi

Tonight some contacts on WhatsApp have forwarded to me a video of a Channels news broadcast of some 400 Boko Haram members arrested in Abia State by the army.

More than 20 folks have forwarded this to me under two hours. This clip was grim and it is capable of driving fear into anyone. From the clip one could wrongly conclude terrorists are about overrunning the country. Snippets of accompanying pieces, mostly fake, are circulating as well.

One even claimed Nuhu Ribadu accused President Buhari of creating banditry and terrorism. I remember Nuhu came out two years ago in a press statement to deny this.

A professor in a WhatsApp group I belonged even pushed the narrative . Academics are supposed to reference whatever they publish but this professor will not even adhere to this simple rule guiding his calling- no reference, just emoting!

Today, people are making the Channels news piece look like it happened yesterday or even at noon today. Many have been scared beyond reason.

One cannot but ask if some people somewhere want to set fire on Nigeria, cause disharmony and ultimately war. They want to set us on the path of Rwanda, Sudan, Somali and Syria. I hope they know the consequences of their action.

Yes there are securities challenges in our country just as there are in other places ( see Thailand today where an individual slaughtered 26 people in a mall ) but the way we exaggerate ours and broadcast falsehood is alarming.

Lagos and Abuja based on 2019 statistics on violent deaths are far safer than New York and Houston according to UNODC and the NBS. Yet no American is maligning America for insecurity.

I have done a check and also did content analysis and found that that Channels broadcast was made in 2013.

Even at that it looks unprofessional to me. It was an era of hysteria. It was a period when bombings were common in Kano, Kaduna, Abuja and even Nasarawa and Kogi. The military was under funded and small capital meant for arms were looted by Dasuki and shared with CAN. Even media houses got their share and they whipped up divisive hysteria to engineer election wins that never came. Thank God.

Let us assume 400 persons were intercepted by the army, how did those who apprehended them come to the conclusion they were members of Boko Haram ? Did they wear a lapel button indicating that? Did they wear uniform or carry identity cards, or had an inscription on them showing they were members of this terrorist group? Even the man parading them illegally on TV was not identified as a personnel of the Army. He was not in uniform nor was his name, rank or title mentioned. He was barely intelligible.

When I was an editor these and more are the questions I would have asked my reporter before broadcasting such news. It was irresponsible journalism at its best. And somehow those who sought to use it for divisive purpose filed it away for seven years like an ammunition to be weaponized when they needed it.

But then, why is our instincts always go bad mouth our country? Why is our thumb fast to spread bad news even when fake about our country? Where is our patriotism to question unwholesome news about Nigeria? Why is our thumb so itchy to destroy our unity rather than to build it?

Now when foreign countries seize on this fake reports and pronounce ban on Nigerians from visiting their countries we will rage at everyone but ourselves. We are seriously demarketing our country and we shall be the one to pay the price for doing so.

We are the biggest and largest economy in Africa. Our citizens are the best educated in the United States among immigrants. Lets promote that instead of fake news that destroy the fundamentals of our beautiful country. Change starts with you, stop forwarding before you verify. Ask yourself, does this build or destroy Nigeria? If it doesn’t, then quit!

Senator Ojudu is Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters

Prof. Sagay, PACAC commend Buhari administration, calls VP 'sterling' deputy*

To underscore its commitment to the fight against corruption, the Buhari administration will continue to ramp up efforts in this area and engage more with anti-corruption agencies to highlight the progress recorded by the administration, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Friday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, when he received a delegation from the Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), led by its Chairman, Prof. Itse Sagay (SAN).

The Vice President noted that Government will ramp up efforts to ensure that there is better synergy among anti-corruption agencies and other government agencies so as to push out the correct narratives on the fight against corruption.

"Nigerians are definitely familiar with the anti-corruption drive of this administration," the VP noted while stating that efforts to enlighten the public within Nigeria and beyond would be ramped up significantly.

In his remarks, the Chairman of PACAC, Prof. Sagay, noted that the administration has recorded significant achievements in its fight against corruption.

Prof. Sagay, renowned for his uncompromising stand in the fight against corruption by the Buhari administration, also expressed confidence in the sterling leadership role played by the Vice President in the achievements recorded so far by the committee.

He said, “We want to assure you of our confidence in your leadership, not only in the supervision of PACAC, but as a leader in this country. We also want to assure you that we have noted with pleasure your sterling performance as Vice President, and we regard you as a very successful co-pilot with President Muhammadu Buhari in steering the ship of this nation.

“We have absolute confidence in your leadership and will continue to associate with you and will look for your supervision and leadership role in what we are doing.”

The PACAC Chairman noted that a data and information synergy with the anti-corruption agencies would help to further highlight the efforts of this administration in its anti-corruption drive.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
7th February, 2020

When an article is erected on a foundation of falsehood, then the rest of the piece would read as one from an uninformed writer desperate to cry wolf with no just cause. That is the only conclusion one could make after reading Banji Ojewale’s piece entitled, “Osinbajo and the Lamentation of the Ancient Mariner”.
At a time when there is a universal admission – even in enlightened western circles – that globalisation is breeding more inequality in wealth distribution in most countries, hence the urgency of the need to create social safety nets for the most vulnerable in the society, how pathetic that neo-Marxist Ojewale chooses to make a fetish of the obvious. Only an arm-chair critic expects to be lauded for misinterpreting a simple sentence or merely restating the obvious without providing new workable solutions.
It, therefore, beats one why Ojewale chooses to begrudge the Buhari-Osinbajo administration over its modest effort to bring succor to the most vulnerable in our society.
It is amusing reading Ojewale pontificating with magisterial finality on the “abundance” of resources in the fashion of those weaned on the old theory of Karl Marx, which time has since proved to be inadequate.
Indeed, at the fifth anniversary of the Airtel Touching Lives project held in Lagos on January 25, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) did talk about the impact of the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programmes (N-SIP), which is made up of different components, such as the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, the Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme, the GEEP, and the N-Power job scheme.


As massive as the intervention has been within three years, the vice president stated that government could have done more but for the paucity of resources. He expressed the hope that if sustained, the initiative would surely help to mitigate extreme poverty in the land with time.
Apparently, Ojewale missed the wider import of the VP’s remarks, thus ignoring entirely or missing the wider picture of these remarks.
After noting that more needs to be done to touch the majority (200 million Nigerians), the VP did explain his point further that: “It is clear that to do so, we need far more resources behind that programme. This is why the work of socially conscious companies like Airtel is so vital, bridging the huge gap between what the government can do and what is left to be done.”
In a nutshell, the vice president’s statement was also a clarion call to other organisations like Airtel to support government’s efforts, so that such huge social welfare schemes like the SIPs could be replicated for more millions of Nigerians.


As the vice president noted during his remarks at the event, the N-Power job scheme has engaged 500,000 young graduates, as well as 200,000 non-graduates in different key sectors, and the School Feeding Programme caters for almost 10 million school children in 34 states.

The VP’s remarks simply provided an insight into the significant impact of the multi-faceted Social Investment Programmes nationwide.
So, in what way could the referenced statement by the vice president be termed an admission of government’s failure, as Ojewale would have us believe? Except the writer operates a different dictionary.
For the avoidance of doubt, the vice president meant that more could be achieved if socially-minded corporate entities joined in the national push against extreme poverty.
They say the largest room in the world is the one for improvement. This unlimited room for improvement is the same reason why humans search for greener pastures, despite having green grass all around them. It is the same reason why multi-billion-dollar corporations keep improving on smartphone apps, products and consumer goods. It is the same reason why nations all around the world are scaling up on their welfare schemes and other social programmes to reach more of their citizens.
It is precisely in that context that the vice president made the clarion call. It was not an admission of failure; it was a call to action, a clarion call borne from the heart of compassion. Let’s not forget that the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programmes is a N500 billion social welfare scheme that has reached millions of Nigerians. Juxtapose that with the billions of the nation’s resources that had been frittered away in the past in the name of bogus programmes, while the commonwealth was being looted in broad daylight for decades.
However, it seems such distinction is lost on writers like Banji Ojewale who do not seem to see anything good in what the Buhari-Osinbajo government is doing in a country that had been bedeviled by the poor management of resources in the past.
Let the truth be told: An unprecedented social safety net that is currently reaching over 42 million indirect and direct beneficiaries, more especially in country where such scheme was hitherto alien, isn’t a drop of water in an ocean, it is a deluge!


Since the implementation of the SIP in 2016, its programmes have impacted over 12 million direct beneficiaries and over 30 million indirect beneficiaries, comprising family members, employees of beneficiaries, cooks and farmers.

In a country of about 200 million people, that is saying a lot. Also, a scheme that has been running for close to four years isn’t a palliative or skin-level intervention, as the writer would have readers believe, it is a system set in motion and is working and has room for improvement.
To put this in perspective, no government before the Buhari/Osinbajo administration has driven such far-reaching national social safety scheme for ordinary Nigerians such as the SIPs. This is not only unprecedented in Nigeria, for the records, the SIP provides the largest social safety net in sub-Saharan Africa and, as noted, is positively impacting the lives of millions of Nigerians.
The nationwide social impact of the SIPs has garnered both local and global recognition for empowering Nigerians and meeting the urgent needs of Nigerians in different areas, including providing employment, supporting small businesses and poverty alleviation.
The GEEP programme (including TraderMoni and MarketMoni) has provided microcredit to over two million petty traders. Under the Trader Moni micro credit scheme, the federal government (FG), through the Bank of Industry (BOI), provides interest free and collateral free loan to petty traders and artisans. The loan ranges from N10,000 to N100,000 per beneficiary. Last year, the programme won the AfDB prize for financial inclusion because of the work that was done with TraderMoni.
In June 2019, One of the SIP components, GEEP, which is executed through the Bank of Industry, was recognised as the most impactful financial inclusion programme in Africa during the African Bankers’ Awards ceremony, which held in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea. There are several more awards won by the SIPs for their groundbreaking impacts on the lives of millions in Africa’s most populous country.
The testimonies of beneficiaries are there for all to see: From the young unemployed graduate, to the small business owner, to the farmers and cooks, the ordinary folks on the streets, to the petty trader in a roadside market, to the poor and vulnerable in society – who N5,000 means the world to, to many more Nigerians everywhere you go. It is a story of nationwide impact.
Unlike what Nigerians have witnessed in the past, the Buhari administration’s Social Investment Programmes have shown that government can actually put the welfare of the citizens as a cardinal focus of its policies and long-term vision. Twelve million direct beneficiaries and over 30 million indirect beneficiaries of the SIPs can testify to that. And, despite the myopic view of a few, that is a game changer of epic proportions.

Arukaino Umukoro, an award-winning writer, wrote from Abuja.

https://opinion.premiumtimesng.com/2020/02/05/ojewales-poor-invocation-of-karl-marx-against-osinbajo-by-arukaino-umukoro/