Ongoing construction of main work and associated infrastructure of the 2nd Niger Bridge Linking Anambra and Delta states.
#GovtAtWorkNG

- The President wants results
- VP chairs inaugural meeting of Presidential Committee on the Repatriation, Returns and Resettlement of Displaced Persons in the North-East

The safe return of Nigerians displaced by the insurgency in the North-East from Cameroon, Niger and Chad will be treated as an emergency assignment, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this on Monday at the first meeting of the Presidential Committee on the Repatriation, Returns and Resettlement of Displaced Persons in the North-East. The Committee was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari on February 2, 2022 with the VP as Chairman and Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State as Vice Chairman.

The meeting presided over by the Vice President had in attendance, Prof. Babagana Zulum; his counterpart from Gombe State, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya; the deputy governor of Yobe State, Alhaji Idi Gubana; and Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, members of the Federal Executive Council, among others.

On the task ahead of the Committee, Prof. Osinbajo urged members to carry out the assignment with every sense of urgency, noting that the President wanted a committee with wide representation in order to be inclusive, and to be able to deliver, taking to account all the issues.

The Vice President then urged that the committee deals “with this task as an emergency. We simply don’t have the time to get into too much bureaucracy so that we are able to deliver on all of the issues.”

Prof. Osinbajo noted that while the committee will work with existing frameworks in the management of the issues, ongoing efforts to facilitate the return of displaced persons to their communities must continue unhindered.

He said: “we should immediately do whatever it takes to commence the process of repatriating our people back home. Already there are several initiatives. We need to deal with all of that working as quickly as possible to achieve the terms of reference and of course, ensure that all other initiatives continue to run in the way that they are designed to run.”

The Vice President then assured that governments at both Federal and State levels will work in conjunction with other stakeholders to ensure a hitch-free repatriation exercise, noting that “there is no reason why we cannot return our citizens to their homes.”

The Vice President then directed the secretariat to commence work on constituting three technical working groups on the work plan, repatriation exercise and rehabilitation of repentant Boko Haram combatants.

The committee will meet later to assess progress.

Other members of the committee present at today’s meeting included the Ministers of Justice, Abubakar Malami; Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq; Defence, Maj. Gen. Bashir Magashi (rtd) and National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Babagana Monguno (rtd). Others included the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Lucky Irabor; Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba; Director-General, State Security Service, Yusuf Bichi; Chief of Defence Intelligence Agency, Maj. Gen. Samuel Adebayo; and the representative of the Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ahmed Rufai Abubakar.

The representatives of the North-East Development Commission and the National Commission for Refugees, Migration & Internally Displaced Persons were also in attendance.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
7th March 2022

KNOCK, KNOCK. WHO’S THERE?

By FEMI ADESINA

It’s obviously not the easiest of times in our country currently, what with severe fuel scarcity exacerbating the other existential challenges we have been coping with. In some areas, there’s no fuel, no electricity, thus translating to severe energy crisis.

Yet some other people have children, wards, dependents, relations in Ukraine, currently being bombarded by Russia. I have one, daughter of a family friend. When I spoke with her last week, she was hiding in a bunker, talking in whispers. But amidst it all, no fuel, no electricity, anxiety about Ukraine, general insecurity, Government continues to work. The Heavens won’t fall, and sanity would be restored. The current situation is called SNAFU: Situation Normal All Fouled Up. Normalcy will definitely return. “Be patient, my soul. Thou hath suffered worse than this.” (Thomas Holcroft).

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.” Psalm 42:5.

President Muhammadu has promptly approved the sum of $8.5 for the evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine. Good. That’s what a responsible father does to family members in distress. He’s also working night and day, ensuring the country has fuel, power, infrastructure, and all the good things of life. Be patient my soul...

Knock, Knock, Who’s there? Yes, do you remember the title of that book by James Hadley Chase that we read in the 70s and 80s? Were you old enough then?

Do you also remember the song we used to listen and dance to then? Written by Aaron Schroeder and Sid Wayne, released in 1959 by Isley Brothers, and it became a global hit. Were you old enough then?

“I’m gonna knock on your door, ring on your bell
Tap on your window too,
If you don’t come out tonight when the moon is bright
I’m gonna knock and ring and tap until you do.”

Are you like King Lear at his gloomy worst? I’ve come to knock on your door. Are you saturnine and lugubrious ‘cos there’s no fuel, no light, no power? “Dem go reach bed power no dey, shuffering and shmiling ,” Fela Anikulapo-Kuti had sang long ago. “Be patient my soul, thou hath suffered worse than this.” There were cases of bad fuel before in this country. We slept for days, weeks on end at petrol stations, queuing for fuel. We survived. We will survive again. Las las.

I’ve come to knock and ring and tap on your door today, to remind you that it is not all doom and gloom in our country. However overcast the sky is, there’s always a shimmer of light. And that was what we were shown a couple of weeks back, when the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, accompanied by Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, and their other counterparts addressed a town hall meeting on infrastructure financing and human capital development. It was like streaks of light in an overcast sky.

What did the Ministers tell us, which should kindle the joy kiln in our hearts, despite the seemingly encircling gloom?

Nigeria, under President Muhammadu Buhari, has prioritized spending on infrastructure and human capital development to catalyze rapid economic development. In year 2022 alone, the sum of N1.42 trillion will be spent on infrastructure, while N2.11 trillion will be expended on human capital development.

Between 2019 and 2021, the Finance Minister said, about N78 billion worth of tax credits were issued to investors under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme (RITCS). President Buhari approved the building of 19 roads covering 769.16 kilometers, located in 11 States across the six geo-political zones in 2019, under the scheme.

In 2021, the President approved 14 additional roads, bringing the total to 33, covering 1,564.95 kilometers in 19 states across the country. Work is going on at steady pace. Will any other government come, and start rebuilding those roads again? No, they would have become legacy projects, for the good of Nigerians.

In housing, said Minister Ahmed, mortgage-based affordable housing scheme has recorded over 13,542 houses. The perpetual cynic would say; what is 13,542 in a sea of millions of Nigerians without affordable houses. That is just a beginning, and because government is a continuum, others will come and build on the success. Incrementally, we will eventually get to where we are going. No single government will solve the problems of a country within its time in office. It will do its level best, and others will continue.

There is the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), under the National Investment Sovereign Authority (NSIA), with a stock of $300 million for key infrastructure projects. They include the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge, and the Abuja-Kano Expressway. All projects are in different stages of completion, and are due for commissioning within the lifespan of the Administration. Don’t forget that in the past, the funds would just have been pocketed by government officials, and contractors who would be mobilized, and refuse to deliver, yet life would go merrily on.

To also lift your gloom are infrastructural works in the health sector. Three projects worth $22.5 million easily come to mind. The NSIA-LUTH Oncology Centre, which has provided service to over 4,000 cancer patients since it was commissioned by President Buhari. The NSIA-FMCU diagnostic centre in Umuahia, and NSIA-AKTH, Kano, which have provided services to over 47,000 patients. Who feels it knows it. Those patients and their relations will probably never join anyone to say the Buhari government is not doing anything, as some wailers do.

The Sukuk was introduced as a financing window for infrastructure in 2017. Under it, the Ministry of Finance has given the Federal Ministry of Works N362.56 billion to fund key road projects.

The first Sukuk of N100 billion was deployed to 25 roads, delivering total of 482 kilometers, the second Sukuk in 2018 was deployed to 28 roads, and delivered 643 kilometers, while the third in 2020, the sum of N162 billion, was deployed to 44 roads and delivered 757 kilometers. Will another government come to do same roads all over again? Not with the quality work done.

Shake off your gloom, again I say. Between November 25 and December 13, last year, this Administration handed over 941 kilometers of roads connecting 10 States in five geopolitical zones of the country. We are making progress despite all odds, I tell you.

All these projects mean jobs for different kinds of professionals and artisans. It means good business for those who deal in construction materials. It affects the economies of the local communities, and reduces commuting times by several hours. Somebody said recently that the Loko-Oweto bridge, which connects Benue and Nasarawa to the eastern part of the country has reduced travel time from six hours to about two hours. Why then won’t we be happy, despite all?

Fuel crisis will come and go. Energy crisis will be resolved. Nigerians who appreciate good things will be made happy progressively. That is is why I’m knocking on your door. Ringing on your bell. Tapping on your window too. And if you don’t come out to enjoy the bright moonlight, “I’m gonna knock and ring and tap until you do.”

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

It’s obviously not the easiest of times in our country currently, what with severe fuel scarcity exacerbating the other existential challenges we have been coping with. In some areas, there’s no fuel, no electricity, thus translating to severe energy crisis.

Yet some other people have children, wards, dependents, relations in Ukraine, currently being bombarded by Russia. I have one, daughter of a family friend. When I spoke with her last week, she was hiding in a bunker, talking in whispers. But amidst it all, no fuel, no electricity, anxiety about Ukraine, general insecurity, Government continues to work. The Heavens won’t fall, and sanity would be restored. The current situation is called SNAFU: Situation Normal All Fouled Up. Normalcy will definitely return. “Be patient, my soul. Thou hath suffered worse than this.” (Thomas Holcroft).

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why the unease within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him for the salvation of His presence.” Psalm 42:5.

President Muhammadu has promptly approved the sum of $8.5 for the evacuation of Nigerians in Ukraine. Good. That’s what a responsible father does to family members in distress. He’s also working night and day, ensuring the country has fuel, power, infrastructure, and all the good things of life. Be patient my soul...

Knock, Knock, Who’s there? Yes, do you remember the title of that book by James Hadley Chase that we read in the 70s and 80s? Were you old enough then?

Do you also remember the song we used to listen and dance to then? Written by Aaron Schroeder and Sid Wayne, released in 1959 by Isley Brothers, and it became a global hit. Were you old enough then?

“I’m gonna knock on your door, ring on your bell
Tap on your window too,
If you don’t come out tonight when the moon is bright
I’m gonna knock and ring and tap until you do.”

Are you like King Lear at his gloomy worst? I’ve come to knock on your door. Are you saturnine and lugubrious ‘cos there’s no fuel, no light, no power? “Dem go reach bed power no dey, shuffering and shmiling ,” Fela Anikulapo-Kuti had sang long ago. “Be patient my soul, thou hath suffered worse than this.” There were cases of bad fuel before in this country. We slept for days, weeks on end at petrol stations, queuing for fuel. We survived. We will survive again. Las las.

I’ve come to knock and ring and tap on your door today, to remind you that it is not all doom and gloom in our country. However overcast the sky is, there’s always a shimmer of light. And that was what we were shown a couple of weeks back, when the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Zainab Ahmed, accompanied by Works and Housing Minister, Babatunde Raji Fashola SAN, and their other counterparts addressed a town hall meeting on infrastructure financing and human capital development. It was like streaks of light in an overcast sky.

What did the Ministers tell us, which should kindle the joy kiln in our hearts, despite the seemingly encircling gloom?

Nigeria, under President Muhammadu Buhari, has prioritized spending on infrastructure and human capital development to catalyze rapid economic development. In year 2022 alone, the sum of N1.42 trillion will be spent on infrastructure, while N2.11 trillion will be expended on human capital development.

Between 2019 and 2021, the Finance Minister said, about N78 billion worth of tax credits were issued to investors under the Road Infrastructure Development and Refurbishment Investment Tax Credit Scheme (RITCS). President Buhari approved the building of 19 roads covering 769.16 kilometers, located in 11 States across the six geo-political zones in 2019, under the scheme.

In 2021, the President approved 14 additional roads, bringing the total to 33, covering 1,564.95 kilometers in 19 states across the country. Work is going on at steady pace. Will any other government come, and start rebuilding those roads again? No, they would have become legacy projects, for the good of Nigerians.

In housing, said Minister Ahmed, mortgage-based affordable housing scheme has recorded over 13,542 houses. The perpetual cynic would say; what is 13,542 in a sea of millions of Nigerians without affordable houses. That is just a beginning, and because government is a continuum, others will come and build on the success. Incrementally, we will eventually get to where we are going. No single government will solve the problems of a country within its time in office. It will do its level best, and others will continue.

There is the Presidential Infrastructure Development Fund (PIDF), under the National Investment Sovereign Authority (NSIA), with a stock of $300 million for key infrastructure projects. They include the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, the Second Niger Bridge, and the Abuja-Kano Expressway. All projects are in different stages of completion, and are due for commissioning within the lifespan of the Administration. Don’t forget that in the past, the funds would just have been pocketed by government officials, and contractors who would be mobilized, and refuse to deliver, yet life would go merrily on.

To also lift your gloom are infrastructural works in the health sector. Three projects worth $22.5 million easily come to mind. The NSIA-LUTH Oncology Centre, which has provided service to over 4,000 cancer patients since it was commissioned by President Buhari. The NSIA-FMCU diagnostic centre in Umuahia, and NSIA-AKTH, Kano, which have provided services to over 47,000 patients. Who feels it knows it. Those patients and their relations will probably never join anyone to say the Buhari government is not doing anything, as some wailers do.

The Sukuk was introduced as a financing window for infrastructure in 2017. Under it, the Ministry of Finance has given the Federal Ministry of Works N362.56 billion to fund key road projects.

The first Sukuk of N100 billion was deployed to 25 roads, delivering total of 482 kilometers, the second Sukuk in 2018 was deployed to 28 roads, and delivered 643 kilometers, while the third in 2020, the sum of N162 billion, was deployed to 44 roads and delivered 757 kilometers. Will another government come to do same roads all over again? Not with the quality work done.

Shake off your gloom, again I say. Between November 25 and December 13, last year, this Administration handed over 941 kilometers of roads connecting 10 States in five geopolitical zones of the country. We are making progress despite all odds, I tell you.

All these projects mean jobs for different kinds of professionals and artisans. It means good business for those who deal in construction materials. It affects the economies of the local communities, and reduces commuting times by several hours. Somebody said recently that the Loko-Oweto bridge, which connects Benue and Nasarawa to the eastern part of the country has reduced travel time from six hours to about two hours. Why then won’t we be happy, despite all?

Fuel crisis will come and go. Energy crisis will be resolved. Nigerians who appreciate good things will be made happy progressively. That is is why I’m knocking on your door. Ringing on your bell. Tapping on your window too. And if you don’t come out to enjoy the bright moonlight, “I’m gonna knock and ring and tap until you do.”

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

This week’s Edition of State House Briefing has just started, and features the Hon Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, speaking on the Presidential Power Initiative (PPI) and other key projects being undertaken by the Ministry:

Watch live on YouTube: https:///L8GUk6YNaJ

While efforts to begin talks between Russia and Ukraine are underway, paramount on our minds is the safety and human rights of some four thousand Nigerian citizens and many others from friendly African nations today stranded in Ukraine.

There is a long history dating back to decades of Nigerians and other Africans studying in Ukraine, particularly medicine. The majority of Nigerian citizens in the country today are university-enrolled students.

From video evidence, first-hand reports, and from those in contact with their wards and/or Nigerian consular officials there have been unfortunate reports of Ukrainian police and security personnel refusing to allow Nigerians to board buses and trains heading towards the Ukraine-Poland border.

In one video widely circulating on social media, a Nigerian mother with her young baby was filmed being physically forced to give up her seat to another person.

There are also separate reports of Polish officials simply refusing Nigerian citizens’ entry into Poland from Ukraine.

One group of Nigerian students having been repeatedly refused entry into Poland have concluded they have no choice but to travel again across Ukraine and attempt to exit the country via the border with Hungary.

We understand the pain and fear that is confronting all people who find themselves in this terrifying place.

We also appreciate that those in official positions in security and border management will in most cases be experiencing impossible expectations in a situation they never expected.

But, for that reason, it is paramount that everyone is treated with dignity and without favour.

All who flee a conflict situation have the same right to safe passage under UN Convention and the colour of their passport or their skin should make no difference.

As a nation, we are proud of those educated in Kyiv and Kharkiv and other cities and centres of learning who have returned to Nigeria to perform great service for our nation and our people.

Without the generosity of spirit of the Ukrainian people that would never have been possible.

We pray for those directly affected by this conflict.

Nigeria, with our 200 million people, support all and every diplomatic effort to bring this war to an end.


Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
February 27, 2022

By

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

The assent to the Electoral Act 2022 by President Muhammadu Buhari after the back and forth on some controversial provisions underscores the perfect workings of a parliament and executive both driven by new energy to deliver CHANGE in a country where the people want to move in a different direction.

This of course runs parallel to that which we witnessed in the past when self interest overrode the nation’s and the fashioning of electoral acts.

More than anything else, this law underscores the government's commitment to ensuring free and fair elections, dignity of the citizens, opportunity and justice to all political participants whether they are voters or candidates.

This law furthers social empowerment and inclusion by limiting the influence of money on elections and raw power of incumbents to use to the disadvantage of opponents outside the political tent. It equally limits the thuggish practice of kingpins who scare voters and officials away, snatch ballot boxes to fill desired outcomes against the popular wish.

It is easy to forget that the election of 2015 was the first time in the history of Nigeria that power peacefully changed hands at the ballot box. It was the first time any party or candidate not from the incumbent PDP had won a nationwide contest since the re-establishment of democracy. This came despite the then administration pulling every lever of its sixteen-year incumbency to bend the electoral system to its advantage.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election by a 15 per cent and a 4 million vote margin in 2019 was therefore equally decisive: it was the first time a non-PDP administration had even been returned to office to a consecutive term.

The last two contests represent the levelling of the political playing-field between long-time incumbents and long-time opposition by sheer force of citizens’ determination for change. Nigerians voted so decisively for the President and the APC, and the margins so significant that the result could not be in doubt.

However, this is not a reason to ignore the fact there have been inadequacies in electoral law – and therefore electoral practice. No democratic system of elections is perfect: in every country that considers itself a democracy those laws must be subject to a continual process of improvement. Indeed, to stop being better is to stop being good.

The Electoral Act makes better and makes good on the circumstance in which every citizen casts their ballot. It ensures that the ballot is fair and free, and that every vote cast is equal, respected, and counts.

For this to be so, the Act was drafted in concert with and through the collaborative consultation of civil society NGOs, labour unions, the media, and the Independent National Electoral Commission itself – and not merely by politicians with a vested interested in the rules under which they stand for public office.

It empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission by assuring their funding by law well in advance of the election season.

It addresses the unfortunate fact that some polling station results in the past have been declared under duress: now with the power to review any results announced under such circumstances enshrined in law, it makes the use of coercive behavior counterproductive.

The Act also addresses the misuse of appointed political office as a platform and source of resources from which to campaign for elected political office. In the coming days or weeks, the parliament and the executive should reach a common ground on the issue raised by the President at the point of signing the law, which is the requirement for appointed political office holders to first resign before being eligible to vote or stand for election in the primaries for elective offices.

These are crucial changes to the law which will benefit voters not parties, empower citizens not politicians, and strengthen our democracy as part of President Buhari’s legacy to our nation.

A man with empathy for the poor, the weak and the vulnerable. He loves them deeply, and they also love him to bits. That is President Muhammadu Buhari for you.

It is often said that the man already has at least 12 million votes waiting for him in different parts of the country before the first ballot is cast in general elections. The poor and the vulnerable constitute this large army of voters. They swarm round him, as bees do to the honeypot.

“The poor you will always have with you,” the Good Book tells us in Matthew 26:11. And further in Galatians 2: 10, it says “Don’t forget the poor.” All major religions have this admonition, and it is something President Buhari takes very serious.

In 2019, having put on his thinking cap on how he could further be of help to the poor, the weak and vulnerable, the President established the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development. He appointed Sadiya Umar Farouq as the Minister.

Last week, Minister Farouq was guest at the 30th edition of the weekly State House Press Briefing. And there, she unfolded Buhari’s kind of kindness, his compassion for the hapless and the disadvantaged.

President Buhari won’t give you sack-loads of cash to compromise you, or curry your favor. He would rather deploy same to do good deeds, showing kindness to the weak and deprived, the aching and hurting.

The Ministry headed by Umar Farouq came into being as result of desire by the President to coordinate implementation of all humanitarian affairs, disaster management, and social development activities in the country.

And what a yeoman’s job is being quietly done round the land, without flourish or fanfare, no ballyhoo or peal of trumpets. The Ministry is even constant object of fake news, hate speech, but no matter. The quietly effective work continues.

What did Hajiya Farouq unfold to the media?

The Ministry has oversight over the welfare and rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) who number about 1.8 million in the country. It swings into action in cases of natural disasters, armed conflicts, terrorism, floods, epidemics, fire disasters, and other man-made crises. In fact, about 7.1 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in the North East region alone, not to talk of nationwide.

Policies already formulated, enunciated and running include Policy on Internally Displaced Persons, National Social Protection, Cash and Voucher Assistance, Mass Housing, in which over 1,000 houses have been constructed and handed over to the Borno State government, while 500 units each are being built for each of the other five North East States.

There is distribution of food and non-food items to the poor and vulnerable across the country, collaboration with States to return and resettle IDPs in their communities of origin, and cooperation with National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP) on routine repatriation of Nigerians stranded abroad. About 17,242 of such cases have been handled.

Farouq was not done. The Ministry is interpreting the dream of President Buhari for the deprived through the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP). This has components like job creation (N-Power), National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, Government Enterprises and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), and Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT).

There is a National Social Register, which had over 46 million Nigerians on enrollment as at January 2022. Under CCT, the sum of N5,000 is paid to the poor and vulnerable monthly. Over 1,632,480 households are benefiting from that already.

Just N5,000 only, some people may say in derision, with their noses turned skyward. But for a person who possibly has not owned half of that amount, to now receive it monthly, it is sheer bliss. That is why they are called poor and vulnerable. President Buhari loves them, and cares for them.

There is a grant of N20,000 for 320,000 rural women, while the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme is already in 35 States, with 54,796 schools involved, 9,976,654 pupils being fed, and 112,453 cooks engaged.

Under GEEP, there is TraderMoni, which has taken care of 1,962,383 and 382,368 people in two phases, MarketMoni, 425,362 and 412,388 people, respectively, and FarmerMoni, 36,508 and 348,027 people.

The poor you will always have with you, the Good Book says. That explains the vision to take at least 100 million people out of poverty in 10 years. But apart from that big picture, one after the other, in tens, hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands, the vulnerable are being taken care of through the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management, and Social Development. He who feels it knows it. Leaders must be kind to those they lead. It has reward both here, and in the hereafter.

Now you know why President Buhari always has that standby 12 million votes. He cares for the poor and lowly. Whence comest another? They don’t seem to make them like this anymore.

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

PRESIDENT BUHARI HAILS NASARAWA GOVERNOR FOR COMPLEMENTING FG’s EFFORT ON INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday inaugurated six strategic projects in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa State executed by the State and Federal Government, commending Governor Abdullahi Sule for complementing the efforts of the Federal Government in the provision of infrastructure.

In the capital, the President who is on a two-day official visit to the State, inaugurated the Lafia Airport, Modern Bus Terminal, Vocational and Skills Acquisition Centre, and the Shinge-Barkini Abdullahi-Kilema road, executed by the State Government.

The Federal Government projects commissioned by the President on the first day of his visit are 330kva Power Substation, and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) building in Lafia.

Expressing delight on the pace of development in the State, the quality of the inaugurated projects and several others by the Federal Government constructed in the State, the President said:

''The last time I came here on 6th February, 2019 was to solicit for your support to vote for me, Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule as the Governor of this State and others under the political platform of All Progressives Congress with clear and genuine ideology of securing our country, an ideology that was accepted by the good people of this State and, indeed, the country since 2015.

''I must say that Nasarawa State continues to remain my political laboratory because I have been following the developmental strides which the APC Administration has recorded in terms of security, education, infrastructural development, as well as youth and women’s empowerment.

''As we landed at Lafia Airport, I have re-assured myself that we have a personality who is working in line with the philosophy of our great political party, APC, and I have had the privilege to commission the Airport in order to open up a vista of economic activities between the State, Nigeria and the outside world.

''The magnificent Lafia Bus Terminal, as well as the Vocational and Skills Acquisition Centre and the network of roads that I also commissioned will go a long way to uplift the State’s economic status and thereby reduce poverty amongst our people.''

The President, who spoke at a State dinner in his honour, told the people of Nasarawa State that the Federal Government has also constructed other projects in the State including a Federal Secretariat, 500 Units of Federal Housing Estate, UBEC Smart School for the North-central Zone, Keffi-Akwanga-Lafia-Makurdi dual carriage road, as well as the Oweto-Abagana bridge that links Nasarawa State with South Eastern Nigeria.

The President announced that he would also inaugurate Keffi Neighbourhood Market and Karu Bus Terminal on Friday, before returning to Abuja.

''I sincerely commend the Governor for his foresight in ensuring economic growth through diversification.

''I note the request by the Government of Nasarawa State for the takeover of the Lafia Airport, realizing the importance and its associated benefits,'' he said.

On peace and security, the President commended the Governor for ensuring the sustenance of peace and harmonious co-habitation of the diverse ethnic groups in the State.

He said the Federal Government had ensured the establishment of additional military and police units in the State with a view to providing adequate security for the people.

He listed the Military Super Camps at Kenyehu and Udege in Toto and Nasarawa Local Government Areas, 4 Special Forces in Doma Local Government Area, Police Mobile Training College at Ende-Hills in Nasarawa-Eggon Local Government Area and Operation Whirl Stroke.

President Buhari commended security agencies on their joint operations that dislodged the erstwhile Darul Salam sect around Toto Local Government Area and the combat readiness of the recurrent threats.

Reassuring Nigerians of his administration’s commitment to intensify efforts at securing lives and property, the President said:

''The insurgency in the North-west and parts of North-central is being tackled with full force. We shall continue to cooperate with the affected States to confront the challenges head on.''

President Buhari urged Nigerians to support the Administration, pledging ‘‘we will not rest on our achievements but will continue in our drive to secure, safeguard and develop Nigeria.''

In his remarks, Governor Sule congratulated the President on the management of the economy, citing the latest National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) report, showing that Nigeria’s GDP expanded by 3.98 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2021.

''The growth indicators of the Nigeria Stock Exchange (NSE), financial reports of the listed companies and agricultural revolution are indeed unprecedented. The GDP growth is now the highest since 2014. We salute your policies Mr President, '' he said.

The Governor, who described the State as relatively peaceful, thanked the President for the tremendous support in securing lives and property.

He also lauded the President for appointing prominent sons and daughters of the State into various positions in Federal establishments, including the National Population Commission, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency, NSCDC, National Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Company as well as the National Awards Committee.

Governor Sule requested the Federal Government to complete the Kwandare-Abuja bypass, the University Teaching Hospital in Lafia and the extension of the rail lines from Abuja to Keffi, connecting to the main railway line in Guidi station.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
February 24, 2022

PRESIDENT BUHARI: LEADERS WHO SWEAR BY THE HOLY BOOK MUST NOT ABUSE PUBLIC OFFICE

President Muhammadu Buhari on Thursday in Lafia said leaders who take the oath of office, swearing with the Holy Book, must be careful not to abuse the trust of leadership placed on them by the people and God.

Speaking at a courtesy visit to the palace of Emir of Lafia, retired Justice Sidi Bage Muhammad 1 , the President reaffirmed that he has no intention whatsoever to stay beyond the constitutionally recognised two terms of office as leader of Nigeria.

''The traditional ruler is on a terminal appointment. Constitutionally, we (elected public office holders) are not. I cannot go beyond two terms and I have sworn by the Holy Quran that I will uphold the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

''Politics apart, whenever we are made to swear by the Holy Quran, we have to be very careful. We must make sure that we do not abuse the trust God has given us as leaders.

''I have seen former Governors here and I am looking forward to also becoming a former President,'' he said.

President Buhari thanked the people of Nasarawa State for a rousing welcome, expressing delight that the North-Central State was wearing a new look since his last visit in 2019.

He congratulated the immediate past Governor and Senator representing Nasarawa South Senatorial District, Umaru Tanko Al-Makura and the incumbent, Governor Abdullahi Sule for the laudable initiatives and accomplishments in the State.

Welcoming the President to the over 200-year old palace, the Emir of Lafia thanked him for ending the problem of insufficient power to Nasarawa State with the provision of 330kVA sub-station.

The Emir, who is also the Chairman, Nasarawa State Council of Chiefs, told the President that the provision of the electricity plant ''has taken out 80 percent of our problem.''

''Our people have never had it so good. Our people are back to their normal life as entrepreneurs, '' he said, adding that the Federal Government projects that were ''standing as ghosts'' in the state in the past have now become a reality.

The retired jurist listed the newly inaugurated CBN Building in Lafia, the Federal Secretariat, UBEC Smart School and completed Ecological projects, just to mention but a few.

On arrival in the capital for his 2-day State Visit to Nasarawa, President Buhari inaugurated the Lafia Airport, Vocational and Skills Acquisition Centre, Modern Bus Terminal and the Shinge-Barkini Abdullahi-Kilema road, executed by the State Government.

He also inaugurated CBN Lafia Branch building and a 330kva Akurba Transmission Substation executed by the Federal Government through the Niger Delta Power Holding Company (NDPHC) to boost power supply in the state and its environs.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
February 24, 2022

Remarks on Roadmap Vision by the Honourable Minister, Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, at the Launch of the Ministry’s Strategic Roadmap 2021 - 2025, Held at the Banquet Hall, State House, Abuja on Monday, Feburary 14th, 2022

Protocols

1. It gives me great pleasure to welcome His Excellency, the Vice President Professor Yemi Osinbanjo, SAN, GCON and all invited guests to this historic event of the formal launch of the Ministry’s Strategic Roadmap 2021 - 2025.

2. On 21st August 2019, when President Muhammadu Buhari announced the creation of this Ministry, along with my appointment as the Minister, the President’s mandate was clear and unequivocal: to ''develop humanitarian policies and provide effective coordination of national and international humanitarian interventions; ensure strategic disaster mitigation, preparedness and response; and manage the formulation and implementation of fair focused social inclusion and protection programmes in Nigeria”.

3. To effectively execute the Presidential directives, we recognized early enough that it is imperative to brainstorm and develop a strategic roadmap that will serve as a guiding light on our path towards fulfilling the ministerial mandate. The roadmap we are launching today is the end product of the cohesive analysis of the valuable insights, feedback and inputs received from the Ministry’s departments and agencies.

4. This Strategic Roadmap is aptly themed, “mapping out a life of dignity for all”, in line with the Ministry’s onerous task of effectively discharging responsibilities that are pivotal to the economy of the nation and the well-being the citizenry. From managing disasters, to responding to humanitarian issues and implementing social development programmes and interventions, the Ministry is well positioned to proactively deal with myriad issues, such as natural and man-made disasters, social imbalance, inadequate food provision and inequitable distribution of social amenities amongst the citizenry.

5. Under the guidance and effective coordination of the Ministry, our agencies are collectively meeting the needs of our people, and through our National Social Investment Programmes (NSIP), we have used the machinery of our cluster programmes to bolster the productivity of our men, women and the youths, and also improve their overall economic status.

6. The National Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, for instance, has had a major impact on school children through a significant increase in school enrolment and attendance, along with a corresponding improvement in the health of pupils credited to the nutritious meal that is now made available to them. In addition, our young people are provided access to capital, labour and training through the N-Power and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP) scheme, along with targeted cash transfer to poor and vulnerable households under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT), amongst other NSIP interventions. Collectively, these programmes are playing a significant role towards the attainment of President Buhari’s commitment to lift 100 million Nigerians across the country out of poverty by the year 2030.

7. Since its creation in August 2019, the FMHADMSD has steadily expanded through the decidedly deliberate addition of issue - specific commissions. For instance, in line with the Discrimination Against Persons with Disabilities (Prohibition) Act 2019, we have successfully ensured the seamless take-off and constitution of the Board of the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) to ensure that Persons Living with Disabilities are fully represented and catered for, and are also able to actively participate in all matters affecting them to enable them live a life of dignity.

8. To effectively cater for the worrying number of out-of-school children in Nigeria, President Buhari recently launched the Alternate School Programme (ASP) to ensure that every out-of-school child in Nigeria has access to quality basic education, irrespective of their social, cultural or economic circumstance. We are fully committed to providing opportunities for out-of-school children to develop life supporting skills, from vocational and entrepreneurship training, for effective functioning in the society.

9. Our elderly people aged 70 (seventy) years and above are also not left out of our intervention initiatives, as President Buhari has given effect to the National Senior Citizens Centre Act, 2017, via the Presidential approval granted for the take-off of the National Senior Citizens Centre and the constitution of its 12-member Board. Through this center, we are able to map out a life of dignity and cater for the specific needs of our senior citizens who have spent their active years in the service of our dear country.

10. In formulating the 7 (seven) key strategic focal points of the Strategic Roadmap, we thoroughly analyzed the 9 (nine) key priority areas of President Buhari’s agenda, the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), and the National Development Plan that was recently launched by Mr. President on Wednesday, 22nd December 2021. The alignment of the Ministry’ strategic pillars with these operative national plans ensures that the Ministry and its stakeholders are working in the right direction towards championing the federal government’s developmental stride.

11. The roadmap also introduced implementation, monitoring, evaluation, review and reporting mechanisms that will be deployed to ensure effective results delivery. These key performance indicators and performance tracking instruments will enable the Ministry to monitor its efficiency and measure implementation of the strategic roadmap over the five-year period 2021 - 2025. In addition, the full implementation of the strategic thrusts and the roadmap, while consolidating the Priority Areas of the Federal Government, will also guide us towards achieving the mandate of the Ministry, improving the lives of vulnerable Nigerians and mapping out a life of dignity for all.

12. The 7 (seven) Strategic Pillars that have been identified for the Ministry are as follows:

a. Strengthening Policies and Institutional Framework;
b. Building Evidence-Based Systems for Transparency and Accountability;
c. Enhancing Programme Delivery Through Effective Monitoring and Evaluation Mechanisms;
d. Optimizing Funding and Resourcing Opportunities;
e. Strategic Partnerships, Collaborations and Disability Inclusion;
f. Implementation of a Robust Humanitarian Coordination System for Improved Communication and Governance; and,
g. Mainstreaming of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Integration of Social Initiatives and Investment Programmes.

13. We have provided detailed information on each of the strategic pillars - providing the background and objective, highlighting the key action plans, and identifying the key stakeholders. The roadmap has also clearly demonstrated the activities that must be carried out under the planning, implementation, coordination, monitoring and evaluation phases of each strategy. Our stakeholders have been carefully mapped out and grouped into clusters and the interwoven relationship between the clusters have been clearly delineated in the roadmap.

14. The most critical aspect of the Strategic Roadmap is in the implementation, and I assure Your Excellency and everyone gathered here today of the Ministry’s firm resolve and commitment to providing all the necessary support and resources required to execute the strategies and actualize its founding vision. We must not allow this Strategic Roadmap to fail, and I call on everyone to join hands with us to ensure its success.

15. It is expected that after the formal launch today, every policy, programme, initiatives and activities of our units, departments and agencies will be aligned with the Strategic Roadmap. Quarterly strategic review meetings will also be held, in line with the set targets and corresponding timelines across all units, departments and agencies supervised by the Ministry.

16. Your Excellency, Sir, this Strategic Roadmap is a product of widespread consultation and extensive deliberations within and outside the Ministry and its agencies, and I must express our collective heartfelt appreciation to all those who contributed towards the development of the roadmap, many of whom are present here today.

17. Thank you all very much for your kind attention.

The Federal Government of Nigeria has received with surprise, reports of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been reassured by the Nigerian Embassy in Ukraine of the safety of Nigerians in that country and measures being undertaken to keep them safe and facilitate the evacuation of those who wish to leave.

See full Press release below...[b][/b]

The Federal Government of Nigeria has received with surprise, reports of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has been reassured by the Nigerian Embassy in Ukraine of the safety of Nigerians in that country and measures being undertaken to keep them safe and facilitate the evacuation of those who wish to leave.

You are warmly invited to the 30th Session of the State House Briefing scheduled for today Thursday 24th February, 2022.

The briefing would feature the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai. He would brief the press on the current status of Internal Security and economic strides in Kaduna State.

He would provide further updates on key collaborations between the Federal Government and the State Governments in the North West to tackle the menace of banditry and terrorism in the region.

Please note that time for the briefing is 10am prompt and venue is the State House Press Gallery.

Please follow the livestream of the programme on the link below:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcneAIwuqm8

Last week, President Muhammadu Buhari was in Brussels, Belgium for the 6th EU-AU Summit.

President Buhari believes that there is the need for a fresh and sustainable collaboration between European Union and Africa on socio-economic matters ranging from inter-continental trade, job creation, security to political stability.

Here are some of his arguments:

LET US WORK TOGETHER TO DETER COUPS IN WEST AFRICA, OSINBAJO TELLS UK, EU, OTHER GLOBAL BODIES

*VP also receives Worldwide Leader of Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from US at Presidential Villa
*Urges faith-based organisations to preach unity among Nigerians

Following the tough stance by leaders of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) against recent coups d’etat in the sub-region, the cooperation of the international community including other global, regional bodies and financial institutions will concretize the efforts against unconstitutional changes of government and deter coup plotters.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, stated this late Monday when he received on a courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, the United Kingdom’s Minister for Africa, Vicky Ford, MP who was accompanied by British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing.

According to the Vice President, “there is a lot of attention being paid to coups d’etat going on, especially in the West African sub-region, I think it is important that we take a closer look at how to prevent and deter coups detat and adventurers of various kinds who want to take over governments by force.

“One of the critical things which have been discussed at various ECOWAS meetings is how to cooperate with the rest of the world, bodies such as the UN, EU and some of the Development Finance Institutions to give our sanctions more teeth.”

“So, we think that if there is some cooperation at the multilateral level, we might be able to deter some of these coups. I think that it is an issue that we should engage even more on because it is troubling that one after the other, countries are experiencing coups detat,” the VP added.

Speaking on the government’s efforts in the area of energy transition and economic development, the Vice President restated Nigeria’s commitment to the post COP26 agenda while calling on the wealthier countries in the international community to fulfil their obligation, especially in funding gas as a transition fuel.

He commended the United Kingdom’s acknowledgement of Nigeria’s Economic Sustainability Plan, among other efforts to ensure growth in the economy and foster prosperity among the people.

Earlier in her remarks, the UK Minister for Africa, Ford, recalled the cordial relationship that exists between Nigeria and the UK, noting the need for improved collaboration in the areas of trade and investment, and green energy, among others.

She commended the excellent job done by the Buhari Administration with the Economic Sustainability Plan which has ensured a positive growth trajectory of the economy.

In another development, the Vice President also received at the Presidential Villa, a delegation from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, led by its global leader, Elder Todd Christofferson who is based in the United States of America.

At the meeting, while welcoming the delegation of the global Christian denomination, Prof. Osinbajo urged faith-based organisations to speak more for the unity of the country and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians.

“I appreciate the social service works that the church (i.e the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) is doing in the area of clean water, immunization, and several other things. For faith-based organisations, it is an article of faith that you must contribute to the development of society.

“We need to also speak a bit more about the unity of men and women across the country regardless of their faith and ethnicity. We are at a time in our country where this message is very important. The message of unity, the message of saying that nations are built around people who believe in God and those who do not.”

On his part, Elder Christofferson who was accompanied by church leaders and their spouses from within and outside Nigeria commended the efforts of the Vice President in fostering unity and peaceful coexistence among Nigerians and noted that the church in Nigeria would, in the coming years, work to contribute to the growth and development aside preaching unity among citizens.

The VP also presided over a board meeting of the Border Communities Development Agency, BCDA, virtually earlier in the morning yesterday.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
22nd February 2022

AT EU-AU SUMMIT, PRESIDENT BUHARI CALLS FOR WEIGHTY SANCTIONS FOR UNCONSTITUTIONAL LEADERSHIP CHANGES IN AFRICA

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Brussels, Belgium called on European leaders as partners in promoting democracy and good governance to lend their weight behind measures put in place by the African Union to stem the tide of unconstitutional leadership changes, rearing its head again on the continent.

In his contribution to the roundtable discussion on Peace, Security and Governance at the ongoing 6th EU-AU Summit, President Buhari equally stressed the need to nip the root causes of extremism, conflicts and tensions in Africa at inception.

“Africa has continued to witness different waves of violent extremism, community- based conflicts and inter-ethnic tensions, notably in rural areas. For many decades, our continent has been deprived of political stability and socio-economic development due to terrorism and violent extremism.

“More worrisome is the current state of democracy on the continent, which has become a great source of concern to many of us, with increasing cases of unconstitutional change of governments across the continent, particularly in West Africa. This is in addition to the challenges posed by COVID-19 pandemic.

“The African Union has often responded to these challenges through its different structures, such as the African Peace and Security Architecture and the African Governance Architecture.

“Through enhanced collaboration with our development partners, especially the European Union, we can identify areas of cooperation for quick and substantive results.

“As leaders and policy makers, it is important for our partnership to place priority on tackling the root causes of conflicts in Africa, as well as taking measures in safeguarding peace and security, if we are to achieve the African Union Agenda 2063.

“We also call for stronger support from the European Union in the condemnation and imposition of weighty sanctions on countries that engage in unconstitutional change of governments, as well as manipulation of constitutions in favor of extension of term limits,” he said.

The Nigerian leader added that it was imperative to ensure that election processes in Africa have outcomes that truly reflect the wishes of the electorate, as to go contrary to these is courting instability.

According to him, “we have a responsibility to reduce conflicts that stem from lack of good governance, unaccountability, corruption and social exclusion.
“Free, fair, credible and transparent elections remain crucial elements in ensuring peace and security, and promoting constitutional order, democracy and inclusive governance on the continent.

“It is therefore imperative for our partnership to also focus on strengthening election processes in Africa and prevent interference to influence the process and outcomes of elections."

President Buhari also called for the concretization and transformation of promises of cooperation made by the European leaders to actions.

“I wish to underscore the need to convert our pledges on political cooperation in the area of peace, security and conflict prevention into concrete initiatives such as joint field missions, shared understanding and analysis on crisis situations, as well as joint early action and swift implementation of agreed positions.

“The movement and operation of terrorists and violent extremist groups along the Sahel could better be addressed through an improved Continental Early Warning Mechanism. Consequently, we believe there is a clear need to strengthen our cooperation on security with the European Union, particularly through improved intelligence sharing and acquisition of military equipment and hardware.

“We invite the EU to upscale its support for the G5 Sahel and the Multinational Joint Taskforce in the Lake Chad Region as we strive to further degrade the Boko-Haram insurgents and their Islamic State in the West Africa Province counterparts. Africa also looks up to Europe for enhanced support in the area of combating Illicit financial flows and terrorism funding that aid the activities of terrorists and violent extremist groups.”

He called for all hands to be on deck to ensure that Africa’s Blue Economy Agenda for development is realized.

According to him, “I must emphasize the importance of expanding regional and international cooperation on ocean governance, on the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing as well as on maritime security, including piracy, illicit trafficking and other maritime crimes and threats as reflected in the 2050 Africa Integrated Maritime Strategy.”

Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
February 18, 2022

- The Economic Relationship Between the Two Continent’s Must Be Recalibrated to Focus on Job Creation.
BY MUHAMMADU BUHARI

When it comes to the relationship between the European Union and Africa, unfair arrangements have long been skated over for lack of alternatives.

Increasingly unsustainable, these one-sided deals have provoked calls from both sides of the Mediterranean for a partnership of equals. At the EU-Africa Summit, leaders from across my continent will gather with their European counterparts to transform such rhetoric into substance.

The EU is currently Africa’s largest trading partner, and Africa is the fastest growing continent on earth. While each presents the other with great opportunities, as partners, we also share a host of problems. Today, the EU-Africa relationship must be shifted toward a new economic arrangement in order to address them.

By 2050, Africa’s population of 1.3 billion is set to double, making up a quarter of the world’s total. My country, Nigeria, is set to double its population to 400 million by then, surpassing the United States to become the third largest nation in the world. This means a huge youthful market right on Europe’s doorstep and — with increased trade — a growing middle class with money to spend.

However, despite burgeoning possibility, irregular northward migration from my continent drains Africa’s talent pool, while provoking political crises in the EU. Despite its best efforts, Europe will not find a sustainable remedy to this problem by further reinforcing its Fortress Europe approach. Instead, more opportunities must be created for Africans at home, providing alternatives to the decision to take a life-threatening boat journey in order to seek them elsewhere.

The relationship between the EU and Africa must be rebalanced to power job creation. Unfortunately, today’s arrangements do just the opposite.

Where some claim preferential trade policies with the EU lend a helping hand to Africa, the real picture is far more complicated. The Everything but Arms scheme grants 32 African countries tariff-free access to Europe’s protected markets. In addition to the fact that this excludes many of the continent’s 54 nations, there remain barriers to Europe’s markets even for countries that qualify.

For example, though agricultural subsidies to EU farmers may not be the same as external tariffs, their effects are identical: They make Africa’s exports uncompetitive. More than €50 billion is ploughed into keeping European food produce cheap. With its main export market distorted against them, African countries are deprived of foreign exchange, and investment in agriculture is stifled.

Conversely, Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs) give Europe deeper access to African markets. At the lower end of the value chain, these free-trade deals ensure EU agricultural subsidies deliver another blow to African farmers, as artificially depreciated produce floods the market, undermining domestic competitors. For instance, subsidy-driven surpluses of European milk are powdered and sent to Africa, decimating its dairy industry. It is a similar story when it comes to wheat and poultry production. Despite having the most underutilized arable land in the world, Africa remains a net food importer. Meanwhile, more than half of Africans work in agriculture, a sector in which sustained improvements offer the fastest path to poverty reduction across the continent.

At the higher end of the value chain, premature trade liberalization demanded by these EPAs have put nascent manufacturers out of business. In other cases, industries simply don’t materialize because there is no incentive to enter the market. Consequently, the jobs required to satisfy millions of young Africans joining the employment market every year are not created.

It is for these reasons that Nigeria decided against signing an EPA. But this was only possible because of our place as the largest economy in Africa. Smaller nations have little choice.

The unease over such deals is not limited to Africans either. Warnings from within the EU, including from development ministers, have stated the deals are irreconcilable with poverty reduction pledges and U.N. Sustainable Development Goals.

When subsidies and EPAs are taken together, the current trade arrangements are a little different from what took place in our past. Africa is supplying natural resources. Yet extractive industries are job-light and sift Africa’s wealth from the continent.

This is not only a matter of rewriting agreements. We must also change the way we interact. In 2019, the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA) came into effect. It created the largest free trade market in the world, and over time it will progressively break down tariffs and non-tariff barriers between nations within the continent.

An inheritance of colonial extraction, trade within the continent currently languishes at 17 percent, compared to Europe’s 68 percent. In fact, Africa trades more with Europe than it does with itself. The free trade area shall rectify this, driving development whilst also diversifying economies.

At the same time, speaking with one voice, Africa can mobilize its collective clout to gain better deals for itself on the world stage. Today we meet as continents, and our trade relations should reflect that. Yet EPAs pitch the EU as one against regional groupings or individual countries in Africa, and the pursuit of these deals has the effect of creating a motley of various conditions and tariff regimes across the continent. Pulling nations in different directions, will slow the implementation of AfCFTA and undermine eventual efforts to attain a customs union.

Moving forward, it is clear what a new economic deal between our unions should entail: For Africa, it must offer a chance for a fundamentally new economic deal. For Europe, it must provide the chance to rid itself of a trade policy that quashes job-creation in Africa and hinders efforts to stem economic migration to Europe.

The way forward is clear, the deal just needs to be struck.

Muhammadu Buhari is the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

REFORM WORK IN PROGRESS, EXPECT REAL JUSTICE SYSTEM CHANGES, OSINBAJO ASSURES

* Service conditions of judges must be good enough, befitting-VP
*Calls for imposition of severe costs for delays in administration of justice

Challenges affecting the administration of justice in Nigeria are being addressed and "there is much hope for the positive reform of the system as more result-oriented work is going on and some real changes expected", according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this Friday evening at the 20th year memorial anniversary symposium in honour of a resoundingly successful legal practitioner, Mr. Bankole Olumide Aluko, SAN, themed, "Administration of Justice: the Ideal Standard, the Nigeria Reality and Our Potential."

The Vice President who spoke on the issues of judicial appointments, delays in the dispensation of justice, democracy, and digitization in the judiciary, among others, noted that "the administration of justice system is the foundation of law and order, commerce and democracy."

On the delay of justice delivery, the VP submitted that addressing delays should "involve imposing sanctions by a more intentional regime for the award of adverse and wasted costs."

"The court is a taxpayer-funded public resource. The wasting or abuse of its finite time and resources without strict consequence will eventually discredit the system.

"Adverse costs are paid to the successful party in a civil case and wasted costs are directed against legal practitioners for poor professional standards in the conduct of a case.

"Severe costs should attend adjournments, there is no greater waste of taxpayer’s funds than for a scheduled case to have to be adjourned. It is only heavy costs that will discourage this malfeasance."

He noted that "certainty or predictability of judicial outcomes is one of the major strengths of the common law."

Regarding the impact of the law on democracy, Prof. Osinbajo noted that "the democratic rights of the people and their confidence in the notion of a government of the people, by the people, for the people, suffers when the system of electoral justice fails to see itself as a handmaid of the democratic process."

Citing the decision of the Supreme Court in the 2019 elections in Zamfara State to buttress his point, the VP noted that "to make sense, judicial decisions and reasoning must in most cases meet the common notions of fairness and justice.

"The system of justice must recognize the larger principles that it serves. In judicial interpretation, the spirit is as important as the letter of the law. Otherwise, judicial decisions become technistic applications far removed from common sense.

"The notions of justice that would meet public expectations of fairness and equity are those that promote substance over form. The observance of technicality over merit will always alienate the system of justice from the people it is meant to serve."

On the expectations from judicial officers, Prof. Osinbajo said "while we ask for the best from our judicial officers, we must equally ensure that the conditions under which they operate are not only befitting but are good enough to attract the best of minds in our profession."

In addition, the Vice President said the institution and infrastructure remain key to reforming the system, stating that "the judge is, of course, central to how our system of justice works. It is the court, not counsel that must determine the pace of cases."

On the process for judicial appointments, the VP stated that the robustness and transparency of the processes in other jurisdictions "provide comfort to the candidates of the fairness of the selection process; and enable the public to have front-row seat in some of these processes", arguing that such a process be replicated in Nigeria.

The VP extolled the late Aluko's mastery of his craft, highlighted his varied abilities, and praised his contributions to the legal profession in the country. He described him as a truly iconic figure and recalled that "he was always my preferred lawyer."

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
19th February 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari has pledged to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. In the design of the National Social Investment Programs, the vulnerable populations, who are at the lowest stratum of the socio-economic pyramid, top the priority list of the government.

Having undergone training and acquired necessary skills in their chosen areas, 20,000 non-graduate beneficiaries under the N-Knowledge Scheme are expected to utilize this opportunity to better the lot of their businesses and livelihood.

https://fb.watch/aPFZ6IRKt2/

Watch the testimonials of the beneficiaries of the Federal Government’s N-Knowledge Scheme under the National Social Investment Programs:

https://fb.watch/bcwzB_wUlx/

The education component of the National Social Investment Programmes, NSIPs, has helped reduce the number of Out-Of-School Children across the country.

Also with the National Home Grown School Feeding Program, our children get to eat nutritious meals, our vendors are empowered and our farmers sell their produce and make profits.

NIGERIA, EU TO WORK TOGETHER ON DIGITAL ECONOMY, EXPLORE RAISING LNG SUPPLY TO EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

*VP: It's a relief EU supports gas as transition fuel
*EU announces 820m-Euro Digital Economy Package for Nigeria

It is a relief that the European Union (EU) supports the view canvassed by Nigeria that gas be considered a transition fuel as the global community moves towards net-zero emissions targets.

Nigeria's Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, said this while receiving at the Presidential Villa last night, a delegation of the European Commission led by its Executive Vice-President, Margrethe Vestager, who is currently on a visit to the country.

According to Prof. Osinbajo, "we are relieved to hear of the EU's support on gas as a transition fuel. It's some bit of relief." Nigeria has been in the forefront of the international advocacy on the issue and the Vice President has spoken and written about it in different international forums.

Issues discussed at the meeting included the use of Digital Technology, Trade and Investment. The importance of the energy relationship between Nigeria and the EU also featured, while a consideration of all options for increased supply of Liquified Natural Gas (LNG) from Nigeria to the EU was agreed to, following a request from the EU. A technical meeting on this will be convened shortly.

The European Commission’s Executive VP informed Prof. Osinbajo on the announcement by President of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, of a Global Gateway Africa-Europe Investment Package worth €150 billion.

In that context, she announced an EU-Nigeria Digital Economy Package of at least €820 million until 2024. The package will help enhance secure connectivity, digitalise public services, support entrepreneurship and build digital skills, while developing a human-centric, democratic governance framework for technology.

Welcoming on the EU Digital Economy support, which the Vice President Osinbajo described as impressive, he noted that the use of Digital Technology is crucial in Nigeria's recently released National Development Plan.

Finally, the importance of a renewed Nigeria-EU partnership was noted during the meeting, including expectations for a successful EU-AU (European Union - African Union) Summit in Brussels later this week, specifically on the 17th-18th of February.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
14th February, 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates Senator Lekan Balogun on his appointment as the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland.

The President believes that the dedication of High Chief Balogun, the Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland, in diligently serving his people has rightly earned him the new position.

He trusts that the appointment of the 42nd Olubadan of Ibadanland, which validates the noble and cherished tradition of Ibadan people in selecting a traditional leader, will bring peace and prosperity to the land and continued honour to the crown.

The President extends best wishes of good health, wisdom and longevity to the Kabiyesi.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
February 14, 2022

OSINBAJO TO REPRESENT NIGERIA AT LIBERIA'S BICENTENNIAL CELEBRATIONS

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, will this morning depart Abuja for Monrovia, Liberia, to represent President Muhammadu Buhari at the formal launch of the year-long commemoration of the country's Bicentennial Anniversary.

Prof. Osinbajo will join other leaders across Africa and beyond to grace the event scheduled to hold today at the Samuel K. Doe Stadium in Monrovia.

The Vice President will also attend other events later today in Monrovia as part of the Liberian national celebrations.

Liberia was founded in 1822 when freed black people started relocating to West Africa from the United States. On July 26, 1847, the country proclaimed its independence and became the Republic of Liberia.

Prof. Osinbajo, who will be accompanied on the trip by Minister of State, Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Zubairu Dada; and Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters, Dr. (Amb.) Adeyemi Dipeolu; is expected back in the country tomorrow, Tuesday, February 15.

Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
14th February, 2022

POLICE SERVICE COMMISSION
PRESS RELEASE

DCP ABBA KYARI CASE –PSC DEFERS DECISION UNTIL REPORT ON FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS RECEIVED, DIRECTS THAT POLICE MUST CONCLUDE INVESTIGATION IN TWO WEEKS AND SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT BY A DIFFERENT PANEL; REAFFIRMS DECISION ON SP SHAABA ADAMU GBOYAKO; PROMOTES 89 STAFF

The Police Service Commission has deferred decision on the case involving suspended Deputy Commissioner of Police Abba A. Kyari, who until his suspension by the Commission was the Officer in charge of the Inspector General of Police Intelligence Response Team (IRT). Kyari had earlier been indicted by a Report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) of the United States and was also investigated by a special Panel set up by the Inspector General of Police.

The Report had earlier been forwarded to the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice for legal advice by the Inspector General of Police.

The Commission also directed that further necessary investigation should take half the time it took the Police to conduct the original investigation and that the investigation should be carried out by a different panel.

The Commission took the decision at the continuation of its14th Plenary Meeting which ended in Abuja on Thursday, February 11th 2022 and which was chaired by Alhaji Musiliu Smith, a retired Inspector General of Police and Chairman of the Commission.

The Commission at the Plenary Meeting also considered 20 Pending Disciplinary Matters and five appeals and petitions from the Inspector General of Police and aggrieved serving and ex-Police Officers. It also considered five promotion appeals.

The Commission reaffirmed its earlier decision to exonerate SP Shaaba Adamu Gboyako a former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to former Inspector General of Police taken at its I9th Plenary Meeting of 28th and 29th September, 2020. The Commission was mindful of the need to safeguard its corporate image and defend its institutional integrity. It directed the Inspector General of Police to implement its decision as its affects the Officer without delay.

The Commission also directed that the judgment of a Kano High Court in an application for enforcement of the fundamental right to life brought by the father of one Abdulkadir Nasiru (now deceased) be forwarded to the Inspector General of Police for implementation of the orders of the court.

The appellant was seeking justice for the alleged torture of his son to death by Police.

The appeal for accelerated/notional promotion based on merit from CSP Ita Lazarus Udom was also considered and approved by the Plenary. The Commission approved the adjustments of promotion dates of the Officer from the rank of Superintendent of Police to a Deputy Commissioner of Police in line with his course mates.

The Commission also considered and promoted 89 staff of the Commission with a promise to ensure that staff promotion will continue to receive priority attention while they should ensure they, at all times put in their best.



Ikechukwu Ani
Head, Press and Public Relations
Friday, February 11th, 2022

Every Child Counts, We Must Invest in our Children to Guarantee Security, Prosperity - VP Osinbajo


*At-Risk Children Programme now in progress, started in five pilot States, Borno, Sokoto, Gombe, Kaduna & Ekiti

The only way to guarantee the long-term peace and prosperity of our communities is to invest in our children by providing opportunities for them to thrive and be productive within their chosen paths, thereby giving them hope for a better future. 
 
These were the words of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, on Thursday during the Stakeholders Summit of the At-Risk Children Programme, ARC-P, at the Statehouse Banquet Hall, Abuja.
 
Prof. Osinbajo noted that the Federal Government has taken a multi-dimensional approach in addressing the challenges faced by the vulnerable in society, especially children and young people, nationwide, with various intervention programmes.
 
These include the National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy Committee, which was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari with the objective of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years. The At-Risk-Children Programme (ARC-P), domiciled in the Office of the Vice President, is one of the initiatives of the Committee.
 
Speaking at the event themed 'Last Mile interventions for the Vulnerable', Prof. Osinbajo noted that the Programme “is the beginning of a journey to give succour and hope to millions of vulnerable young people.”
 
“The ARC-P is an important component of the variety of government interventions designed to complement and support existing initiatives of the Buhari administration in dealing with the problems of vulnerable children and young people,” the VP said.
 
Prof. Osinbajo noted that the central purpose of the At-Risk Children Programme is the idea that every Nigerian child counts, noting that the ARC – P “is aimed at giving a new lease of life to millions of children, who, through no fault of theirs, have found themselves without hope or support."
 
“A nation will be measured ultimately by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. We recognize that we cannot make progress as a people, while a significant population of our children – those to whom the future belongs – are left on the margins of society, deprived of the opportunity to discover and fulfill their potential,” he stated.
 
The VP added that the Programme “will provide a safe space for the mentoring and training of these children, with a specific emphasis on basic literacy and numeracy, health and nutrition, entrepreneurial skills, digital skills, sports and life-skills, among other skills.”
 
Highlighting other intervention programmes by the Buhari administration, the VP said: “In 2019, the President made two crucial policy statements. The first was the plan of government to lift a hundred million Nigerians out of poverty within a decade. The second was the strict enforcement of the laws on free and compulsory education for all children at the primary level. The President emphasized that it is a criminal offence in Nigeria to fail or refuse to implement the law.   
 
“In the same year, the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development was established to implement the highly successful Social Investment Programmes of the government, aside from responsibilities for humanitarian, safety and disaster management.
 
“In 2016, the Rule of Law Advisory Team was established in the presidency. One of the team’s main tasks was to ensure that, following the Violence Against Persons Prohibition Act, there is an effective coordination of responses to cases of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV). Since then, the team has supported the establishment of SGBV Response Teams across the country.”
 
Aside from the multi-dimensional approach of the Federal Government in addressing these concerns, Prof. Osinbajo called for a holistic collaboration by Government at all levels, Federal, State and Local, to produce more impact; especially since primary, secondary education and healthcare are constitutionally state functions.
 
The ARC-P, which has kicked off in five pilot States, Borno, Sokoto, Gombe, Kaduna and Ekiti, is also focused on training young, educated but unemployed youths from each of the Local Government Areas (LGA) on basic skills.
 
These diverse skills, including basic literacy and numeracy, entrepreneurship, financial literacy, vocations, agriculture, sports, life skills, digital skills – are expected to either prepare the target beneficiaries (children of primary age) for school or to enrol the older ones into cooperatives, for the purposes of pursuing their preferred vocations.
 
Commending the Special Adviser to the President on Social Investment Programmes, and the coordinator of the ARC-Programme, Hajiya Maryam Uwais, and her team, for their passion, hard work and commitment to the project, the Vice President also acknowledged and thanked State Governors of the pilot States.
 
He also acknowledged development partners, the private sector, civil society, that have identified with ARC-P in what he described as a “renewed effort to positively change the fortunes of youths and children At-Risk across the country.”
 
The VP further stated that “Local Government Authorities, as well as our religious and traditional institutions, have also been instrumental to the successful take off of the At-Risk-Children Programme.”
 
“We particularly commend the governors of the pilot states, Borno, Sokoto, Gombe, Kaduna and Ekiti, as well as other State Executives that have indicated interest in joining this multi-stakeholder effort geared towards restoring hope to millions of marginalized young Nigerian citizens all over the country.”

Prof. Osinbajo urged that all efforts by stakeholders across the different levels of government and society “must be aligned to work in tandem, especially because they need to be addressed in a manner that also engages with other deprivations around health and empowerment.”
 
Present at the event were State Governors: Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Ekiti; Engr. Abdullahi Sule, Nasarawa; and Muhammadu Yahaya, Gombe. There were also members of the Federal Executive Council, federal legislators, heads of MDAs, members of the Diplomatic Corps, development partners, among others.
 
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
10th February, 2022

Every Thursday, we hold what we call State House Press Briefing at the Press Gallery of the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The intention is to keep the public up to speed with the activities of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Last week, our guest was Borno State Governor, Prof Babagana Zulum. In almost 30 editions of the special briefing, only one Governor had featured before. Engineer Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State. Zulum was the second.

The idea was to get first hand brief of the security situation in Borno State, which has been beleaguered and besieged since 2009, when Boko Haram burst on the national scene. For more than 13 years, the once peaceful State had become a theatre of bloodletting, characterized by bombings, maiming, killings, abductions, and other horrendous acts. In fact, it had spread all over the North East, then to the North West, North Central, including Abuja, the seat of the Federal Government.

The country was about to be overrun, till Muhammadu Buhari came in 2015, and took the battle to the insurgents. They were clobbered and driven out of major parts of the North, till they got circumscribed in Borno, which was the epicenter of the insurgency.

So Gov Zulum was the appropriate person to brief the country on efforts made, successes attained, and what remained to be done. What did he tell the Press?

Insurgency has been a curse to the North East, and Borno State in particular. In fact, the total loss is in the region of $7 billion. Apart from thousands of human lives, destroyed infrastructure include 900,000 houses, 5,000 classrooms, roads, bridges, 713 energy distribution lines, 1,600 water sources, and telecommunication infrastructure, and other public installations. At least 49,311 widows had been spawned, with 49,917 orphans.

But is it a hopeless case? Must we throw our hands up in surrender? Hear the emissary of hope called Zulum, a veritable Nigerian star, and inspiring public servant.

“With the mass surrender of Boko Haram insurgents, normalcy is expected to return to most parts of North East soon....The gradual return of peace can be attributed to the commitment and collaboration on the part of the State and the Federal Government.”

Still some good news: “Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are returning to their communities, farming is picking up, markets are reopening like Monguno market, the one in Damasak, and in Gubio. Such level of achievements will never have been possible without collaboration and creating of enabling environment. We have rehabilitated up to 50,000 houses, major roads like Maiduguri to Damso, Maiduguri to Gwoza, Banki-Bama , have been reopened.”

A lot of advances have been made in the anti-insurgency war, but we can’t say the final hurrah yet. The Governor thinks we might need the help of mercenaries, something President Buhari, a retired army general, is opposed to. The President can’t fathom that the same Nigerian Army that performed excellently in Burma, Congo, Sierra Leone, Liberia, and other theaters of conflict, should find it impossible to extirpate Boko Haram. Does it then mean Zulum disagrees with the President?

“Governance is not static,” he said. “The President disagreed with the idea of mercenaries in the past, but he may have cause to reconsider. Even countries that are stronger than us have cause to seek external help when necessary.”

The Governor gives reason for the level of success recorded so far, which holds vital lessons for some cantankerous States helmsmen in the country:

“One of the fundamental reasons we continue to succeed in our fight against insurgency is that there was never a time I asked to see Mr President, and I was denied access.”

And that is President Buhari for you. Give every person his due. Some Governors abuse him in daytime, come to the Presidential Villa under cover of darkness, and he still opens the doors to them.

Some Governors think they can be heroes by antagonizing the President. If they owe salaries and pensions, once the month is ending, they begin to abuse the President, thinking their people would forget the outstanding salaries and pensions. When they have not built a single kilometer of road, it is Buhari. When infrastructure has decayed under them, it is Buhari. When they can’t secure the lives and property of the people they govern, it is Buhari. They play to the gallery, thinking they will receive applause from their people. No, the only sound the people hear is the rumbling from their bellies, due to hunger. And they know where their problems come from.

A couple of weeks earlier, the media had been awash with stories of two local governments being under Boko Haram occupation, credited to the Governor, making it seem contrary to the position of the President that no Nigerian territory is now in the hands of terrorists. What’s the truth?

“The two local governments are not under Boko Haram occupation. It is just that the people don’t feel safe enough to return home. Boko Haram is not in charge of the places. The military actually occupy the local governments, not insurgents. Just that the people don’t feel confident enough to return yet.”

Explanation made. But it didn’t hug the headlines as the earlier erroneous story had done. Typical of us media people. Bad news sells more.

Is the job done in terms of security? Not yet, the Governor tells you matter-of-factly. “There are still security challenges, but milestones have been achieved because of collaboration between the Federal Government and Borno State, the Armed Forces, Police, DSS, and other security agencies. Bomb attacks have reduced by almost 90%. Over 5,000 physical infrastructure have been built by the Federal and State governments.”

Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). That is a scourge the Governor warned the country about. He said the way they were proliferating, with seemingly boundless resources available to them, they might be worse than Boko Haram, if care was not taken. Early warning. And I’m sure the right people in government have heard, and are doing something about it.

Governor Zulum is sure doing great things in Borno State, in terms of human and infrastructural development. A 25 years development plan and 10 years strategic transformation initiatives have been formulated.

“Our vision is a secured, competitive agri-business and commercial hub anchored on prosperous, dignified people and sustained development. In 10 years, we plan to have a self-reliant Borno with over 70% productive population.”

About 9,500 resettlement houses have been built for displaced people. Twenty new schools constructed, and 39 existing ones completely rehabilitated, 432 classrooms and 242 wash facilities constructed in 48 schools, 37 new primary healthcare centers in 17 local government areas, 676 medical workers recruited from 2019 till date, 24 new roads constructed, including Borno’s first flyover, which President Buhari commissioned last December, 779 new boreholes drilled, 545 existing ones rehabilitated, 30,000 hectares of farmlands cultivated in resettled communities, 18 communities resettled with livelihood support.

And the half, nay, one quarter, has not yet been told. Gov Zulum is a star of this administration, and of this generation. Like I wrote before, we shall surely be hearing much more of him in the months and years to come, God willing.

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

PMB AND THE NDDC

By FEMI ADESINA

The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is an interventionist agency created for the development of the oil producing region of the country.

Well, it is meant to be an interventionist agency, but one thing is crystal clear. Despite hundreds of billions of naira invested over 20 years, the true intervention has been in the pockets of some select people, rather than on the region, and the lives of the people in general.

There’s one thing President Muhammadu Buhari hates with a passion. Grand larceny. Expropriation and purloining. Once it’s confirmed that you are filching from the public purse, you can never be his friend, no matter who you are. So he had to bring to a halt the gravy train that the NDDC had become over the years. And no stampede, no rout or panic. The house cleaning must be done, and done well. Thorough.

In the Niger Delta, you see plenty signboards, but little or no projects. In other words, people collect contracts, erect signboards announcing the project, but the job never gets done. And the contractors get paid.

What to do? A forensic audit was necessary. Some powerful forces mounted robust resistance, but they didn’t reckon with the iron will of the President. The audit was done, and report submitted.

On December 30, 2021, while commissioning prototype hostels built by the NDDC at the University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, President Buhari gave inkling into shape of things that were to come.

“The ultramodern hostel complex, built and donated to the University of Uyo by NDDC, renews our confidence that the forensic audit, which has been completed and currently being reviewed for necessary action, has achieved one of its core objectives. That objective is to rebuild the NDDC into an agency that is equipped and better placed to facilitate sustainable regional development in a transparent and impactful way, “ the President said.

He added that if the resources pumped in over the years had been justified with verifiable projects, it would have impacted on the region, and on the lives of the people.

The President said the audit was done because of “serial abuse, lack of delivery, entrenched institutional decay,” and that every recoverable kobo would be retrieved, used in service of the people, and the malefactors would be prosecuted.

The case of the NDDC is symptomatic of the lot of our country. An interventionist agency is established to serve the people, and it turns to a private cash cow for a few people. Who has cursed and bewitched our country, that there are few men (and women) of probity and accountability in public life? No wonder after Buhari served us for 20 months between January 1984 and August 1985, and he was toppled, we brought him back to power 30 years later. Do they make them like this anymore? Doubtful.

See what has been happening at the same NDDC, where all you saw were just signboards, and no project. About September last year, a Special Protection Unit Base 6 Barracks, built by the agency, was commissioned by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, at Omaha, in Rivers State. Money well spent, simply because there is honest leadership in the country.

The hostels commissioned by the President in December last year had started in 2004. Hundreds of millions of naira had been paid, and the project was abandoned. But simply because President Buhari had directed the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, to finish all abandoned projects, a 1,050 hostel with 525 bed spaces for males, and the same number for females, came out. Fully furnished, and guaranteed to engender a positive academic environment. That is what we get when we have a honest leadership in the country.

As 2023 approaches, I pray that Nigerians would consolidate on honest leadership by electing somebody who can move us forward in probity and accountability. Buhari has shown us the way, may we never veer off the path again. Amen.

There has been strident clamor for a composition of the Board of the NDDC. It is inexorable that it would come, but it should never be the business as usual we experienced in the past. Honest service to the people must be the watchword. That is what President Buhari has in mind, and that is what we should get. Order is better than speed, and we will get there.

In the past couple of years, NDDC has recorded more positive strides than it did in about 15 years. It even has a befitting head office, something deemed impossible before now. That is what is possible with honest leadership in a country. Will we ever return to Egypt because of the free onions, garlics and leeks, but which eventually lead to servitude? Never! Forward ever, backward never. Nigeria should have learnt its lesson by now.

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

You are warmly invited to the 28th Session of the State House Briefing scheduled for today Thursday 3rd February, 2022.

The briefing would feature the The Executive Governor of Borno State, Engr. Prof. Babagana Zulum, he would brief the press on the current status of Internal Security, relocation of IDPs and key collaborations between the Federal Government and the State Governments in the North East.

Time for the briefing is 11 am prompt and venue is the State House Press Gallery.

You can also join us live on the streaming link shown below


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1gENRTCVbs

Thank you and we look forward to welcoming you.

Soccer-loving Nigerians were heartbroken last Sunday when the Super Eagles of Nigeria could not fly higher than the Carthage Eagles of Tunisia in the second round match of the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament holding in Cameroon.

Nigerians were full of expectations. The Super Eagles players were confident. President Muhammadu Buhari had done what the father of the nation should do, engaging in a video conference earlier in the day to ginger the players. Alas, Nigeria lost the game by a lone goal, and exited the tournament.

Nobody likes to lose in a keen contest, whether political, economic, domestic, professional, or in sports. Winning is exhilarating, gives a feel-good sensation, and generally sends the adrenaline pumping. But you know what? Losing is part of the game. Any game, all games. We may comfort ourselves by saying no victor, no vanquished, but the real truth is that somebody loses. A team loses. It is ineluctable.

I follow football a lot, and apart from our local and national teams, I also pay attention to the English Premiership League (EPL), where Manchester City currently leads its closest rival, Liverpool FC by nine points.

In October, Man City had been beaten 2-0 by less fancied Crystal Palace, and right at Etihad Stadium, home base of the league leaders. It was something akin to sacrilege.

Pep Guardiola is possibly the best coach in the world today, and handles Manchester City. When he was interviewed after the Crystal Palace debacle, he just shrugged, and said; “Losing is part of the game.” True.

We want to win at all times. We don’t want to be worsted, or have our nose bloodied at all. But life is not so. You win some, and you lose some. That was what happened to Nigeria last Sunday, though rather painfully.

I have read many silly, idiotic and imbecilic comments, trying to link the loss to the video conference the President had with the players on Sunday morning. Witless. Thoughtless. And incidentally, if the Super Eagles had gone into the match without encouragement from their President, the same people would have come out to condemn the leader of the country for being taciturn and insensitive. Head or tail, you never win with some Nigerians.

There are countries, and football teams, who have established a tradition for being outstanding in soccer. But such teams and countries have lost scandalously before, underscoring the truth that losing is part of the game.

We have talked about Man City and the loss to Crystal Palace. After that week, they went ahead to win the next 12 EPL games, and the fairy tale run did not end till last Saturday, when they played 1-1 away to Southampton FC. You win some, you lose some.

Football can be cruel at times. There can be a humiliation of the brightest and best, but it does not mean the end of the beautiful game. After falling, you get up, dust your pants, and move on, waiting for another day. “It’s not whether you get knocked down, it’s whether you get up,” says renowned American football coach, Vince Lombardi.

Now, see a few checklist of humiliations of great soccer playing teams and nations, and see whether it calls for the otiose politicking, as we saw with some Nigerians earlier this week.

AC Milan and Real Madrid are super powers in football. But at the semi final of the European Cup in 1989, Milan handed a 5-0 trouncing to Madrid.

In the run up to winning the European Champions League last year, Bayern Munich crushed the great Barcelona FC 8-2. The defeated team included world’s best, Lionel Messi.

Argentina is a super power in soccer. But in a 2009 World Cup qualifier, it lost 1-6 to Bolivia. Scandalous!

Brazil, possibly the best soccer playing country in the world, hosted the World Cup in 2014. They had reached the semi final, and were clear favorites to lift the trophy. They met Germany, and got thumped 7-1. Outrageous! Well, losing is part of the game.

Argentina, under the legendary Diego Maradona lost a World Cup game to Germany 4-0. France beat Brazil 3-0 at France ‘98. The old Czechoslovakia trounced Argentina 6-1 before, England slumped to Hungary 3-6 at Wembley Stadium, their home base, while Portugal fell 0-10 to England at Lisbon in 1953. Spain beat Germany 6-0 in 2020. I say it again: losing is part of the game.

One thing was clear from the way the Super Eagles played their firs three matches at AFCON. The German Technical Adviser, Gernot Rohr, should have been fired long ago. He contributed nothing to Nigerian soccer. The team played better under the tutelage of home based Augustine Eguavoen. As the Sports and Youth Development Minister, Sunday Dare, has said, the team “faced the challenge bravely and gave a good account of themselves.”

On those making mischievous political capital out of the loss, the Minister rightly said: “We, as a nation win together, and we lose together. Sports is a unifying factor and those that seek to use it as vectors of division, targeting players with hate speech and making irresponsible statements should rise above such behavior. We are much better than that as a people.”

The best players in the world-Pele, Maradona, Johan Cruyff, Messi, Ronaldo, etc have lost, and still lose matches. Under Muhammadu Buhari as military head of state, we won our first Under 17 global trophy in 1985. In this dispensation, we have won the same trophy twice. So, why do the heathens rage, and the people imagine vain things?

“Winning is not everything-but making the EFFORT to win is,” says Lombardi. Super Eagles made the effort to win, encouraged by their President, but they lost. Sad. But that is how it is, till another day. Losing is an inevitable part of the game.

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