LOSING IS PART OF THE GAME

By FEMI ADESINA

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

ABUJA, FCT, 20 JANUARY 2022-

Following the first-ever successful prosecution of piracy in Africa by Nigeria, the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Ghada Fathi Wali, has applauded Nigeria for its leadership role and commitment towards curbing maritime crimes.

Wali gave the commendation in New York and noted that the successful collaboration between Nigeria and UNODC, as evidenced by the Global Maritime Crime Programme and the Strategic Vision for Africa launched in 2021, has encouraged the organisation to extend its partnership beyond national governments to regional organisations.

Indeed, one of the gaps identified by the Federal Government of Nigeria in the fight against maritime crimes was the weak legal and institutional framework for prosecuting offenders. In response, President Muhammadu Buhari, on the 24th of June 2019, assented to the Suppression of Piracy and other Maritime Offences (POMO) Bill. By the POMO Act, Nigeria became the first country in the West and Central African sub-regions to promulgate a stand-alone law against piracy. The Act also domesticates, as required, the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), 1982 and the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts against the Safety of Maritime Navigation (SUA), 1988.

In July 2021, under the POMO Act, the Federal Government secured the successful prosecution of 10 pirates for the first time anywhere in Africa. But asides creating a legal and institutional framework for prosecuting maritime crimes, the Federal Government has also prioritised the provision of maritime intelligence facilities. For instance, President Muhammadu Buhari commissioned a state-of-the-art Falcon Eye Maritime Intelligence Facility at the Naval Headquarters in Abuja last year.

The set up and operationalisation of the project was facilitated by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) as part of efforts to boost Nigeria’s overall maritime security architecture, in accordance with the National Security Strategy (NSS, 2019), under which kidnapping of oil workers, sea robbery/piracy, incessant problems of crude oil theft, illegal bunkering, hostage-taking and maritime terrorism are classified as national security threats.

The commendation by UNODC, therefore, places enormous responsibility on Nigeria to continue to lead innovative efforts towards the fight against maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea and across the continent, especially in the areas of intelligence sharing and coordinated legal strategy.

The Office of the National Security Adviser is committed to ongoing national, regional and international collaboration to strengthen legal, administrative and operational efforts in line with national maritime security objectives. All Stakeholders are, therefore, encouraged to continue to set high standard in the prevention and prosecution of maritime crimes.

Signed: Zakari Usman, Head, Strategic Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser

REMARKS BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF INFORMATION AND CULTURE, ALHAJI LAI MOHAMMED, AT THE SIGNING OF THE CULTURAL PROPERTY IMPLEMENTATION ACT (CPIA) AGREEMENT BETWEEN NIGERIA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA IN ABUJA ON THURSDAY, 20 JANUARY 2022

PROTOCOL

Good morning. It';s my pleasure to welcome you all to this important landmark event, which is the signing of the Cultural Property Implementation Act (CPIA) between Nigeria and the United States of America.

2. It is no longer news that Nigerian ancient arts are greatly appreciated around the world. Ordinarily, this should be exhilarating news to Nigerians, but it is also giving us a cause for concern, because the fact that the ancient arts are highly coveted encourages sponsored looting and illicit trafficking of the works by unscrupulous foreigners and Nigerians.

3. Despite all efforts by the Ministry of Information and Culture and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, with the assistance of law enforcement agencies, to prevent illicit export of the nation’s archeological and ethnological materials, widespread looting and illicit excavation of these materials still continue. The stolen artifacts are mostly smuggled to Europe, the United States of America and other places for the benefit of art collectors.

4. To curb this nefarious activities, Nigeria resorted to the UNESCO 1970 Convention, which enjoins Member States to the Convention, whose cultural patrimony is in jeopardy from pillage, to call upon other Member States to participate in concerted international measures, including the control of exports and imports and international commerce in the specific materials concerned.

5. It is on the basis of this Convention that Nigeria and the United States of America have agreed to leverage an American legislation, the Convention on Cultural Property Implementation Act (CPIA), to prevent the illicit import of Nigerian artifacts into the United States.

6. This legislation was enacted by the United States to restrict the importation into the US of archeological materials ranging in date from 1500 B.C. to A.D. 1770 as well as ethnological materials including those associated with royal activity, religious activity, etc. from nations that have entered into the kind of bilateral initiative that we are signing here with the United States today.

7. On the basis of this agreement, Nigerian antiquities being imported into the United States without the requisite Export Permit will be seized at the border of the United States and returned to Nigeria without the arduous and costly task of going through the labyrinth of judicial and diplomatic processes.

8. We are optimistic that this agreement will reduce the pillage of our irreplaceable archeological and ethnological materials, as the market for these materials is being shut in the United States against illicit traffickers.

9. The agreement will last for an initial period of five years. If it works well, as we anticipate it will, it shall be renewed for a longer term. We implore other friendly nations to take a cue from the United States of America and join us in finding means to prevent the illegal importation of our antiquities into their countries.

10. We want to most sincerely thank the Government of the United States, in particular the Embassy of the United States in Nigeria, for making this possible. We look forward to a diligent implementation of this landmark agreement, so it can become a game changer in our efforts to prevent the looting of our priceless ancient works of art.

11. I thank you all for your kind attention.

Let me start by thanking His Excellency, the Governor and the People of Ogun State for the reception accorded me and my team on our arrival in the State. I had planned to be here few weeks ago in December last year but for a conflict of schedules.

2.​This welcome by the large crowd brings back the nostalgia of my first arrival on this soil as a young infantry officer in the Nigerian Army at the then Lafenwa Barracks in Abeokuta, not long after independence.

3.​The traditional hospitality of the people of this State has not waned a bit. Today, I am “Omowale” and very happy at this homecoming to meet my brothers and sisters whose goodwill I have always enjoyed. Thank you.

4.​The last time I visited Ogun State was during the electioneering campaign and build-up to the 2019 general elections. Between the last visit and now, so much has changed. The then candidate, Prince Dapo Abiodun, is today the performing Governor of Nigeria’s Gateway State. I have read and heard so much about this silent but effective achiever and deliverer of good governance.

5.​I recall that Governor Dapo Abiodun visited me at the Presidential Villa at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in year 2020. During that visit, he presented to me a compendium of achievements in his first 52 weeks.

6.​The compendium contained a good number of projects as encapsulated under the Development Pillars with acronym: I-S-E-Y-A. He could not commission the projects then because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The compendium surprised me. I wondered how he could deliver all the projects under the then prevailing circumstances.

7.​I am therefore delighted to accept his invitation. The invitation was not just to come and see or inspect but to commission fully completed projects that his Administration has delivered for the wellness and wellbeing of the people of Ogun State.

8.​Today, we are here to be part of the development history of Ogun State. I am very pleased to be in the Gateway State, which is my first visit to any State in the New Year. It is my fervent hope that year 2022 will bring all of us good tidings.

9.​Today, I am here in Ogun State to commission FIVE visionary and trail-blazing projects:

a. the Gateway City Gate;

b. the 42-Kilometre Sagamu Interchange-Abeokuta Road; and

c. the 14km Ijebu-Ode-Epe Expressway.

10.​Also to be commissioned are two Housing Estates for low, medium and high income earners at Kobape and Oke-Mosan in Abeokuta, respectively. This is a high number of projects to be commissioned in one day, and it is gratifying.

11.​On arrival earlier today, I commissioned the 14km Ijebu Ode- Mojoda – Epe Road, which has been reconstructed into a modern expressway by your Administration. This impressive road will complement the Sagamu-Benin Expressway that the Federal Government is currently reconstructing; also due for commissioning this year.

12.​Just across the road is the 42-kilometer Sagamu-Interchange-Abeokuta Road which the state Government has reconstructed and equipped with street lights and other modern road furniture. That road, which I will commission shortly, enjoys a direct linkage with the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway that the Federal Government is rebuilding and due for completion later this year.

13.​I am particularly impressed by the quality and standard of your road projects, and the creative way you have deployed resources to reconstruct and rehabilitate them. It is significant to note that the two road projects being commissioned today are federal roads. This is an example of constructive engagement, cooperation and collaboration between the States and Federal Government.

14.​These roads also fit well into our rail transportation masterplan that connects Lagos, Nigeria’s economic capital to Kano, with Ogun State having more rail stations, along the Lagos-Ibadan rail corridor.

15. ​It is equally heartwarming that your housing programme cuts across different social strata. Some are for the medium and high income earners, whilst others are especially for the low-income earners and are truly affordable, costing as low as N6 million only per unit. This is inclusiveness at work and it is very commendable.

16.​This Gateway City Gate Project, where we are now, is not just a Park beautification project. It depicts that something new is happening in Ogun State, a welcoming entrance into the State Capital at the centre point of the State.

17.​It is also an ICON depicting the joining of hands for building the future of Ogun State in togetherness. I look forward to a busy but exciting day ahead with the commissioning of these laudable and impactful projects of your Administration.

18.​Your Excellency, well done! I am proud of what you have done for your State and your people. You have made our great Party, the APC, proud too. You are a worthy example of promises made, promises kept. These lofty projects could not have materialised without your huge investment and commitment to security of lives and property.

19.​This has made Ogun State one of the safest and most peaceful States in the country and investors’ destination of choice. You have justified the mandate of the people of Ogun State. You have represented our Party very well.

20.​I have also listened to your requests to give priority attention to the Lagos-Ota-Abeokuta and the Sango Otta-Idiroko Roads respectively. Let me assure the people of Ogun State that these roads will receive Federal Government attention. We are considering extending tax credit as funding option for the reconstruction of these roads, as we have done for the 100km Sagamu Interchange-Papalanto-Ilaro Road.

21.​I will also consider the approval of the reconstruction of Sagamu-Ogijo Road by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) under the tax credit scheme.

22.​I congratulate the people of Ogun State for having such a focused, deliberate and inclusive Administration under the watch of His Excellency, Prince Dapo Abiodun. I enjoin you to continue to support him for the successful implementation of the “Building our Future Together” Agenda of his Administration.

23.​Your support is required to deliver more development projects that will ensure an improved social-economic development of the State and individual prosperity of the citizenry.

24. ​Your Excellency, whilst commending you for your achievements so far, I urge you not to rest on your oars. The reward for success is more hardwork to meet the increasing expectations of the people. When state governments deliver impactful projects, in consultations with stakeholders, like we have witnessed in Ogun State, the trajectory of our national development will be enhanced.

25.​Once again, I thank Your Excellency, for the invitation and the opportunity to identify with the giant strides going on in Ogun State.

26.​I appreciate the people of Ogun State for the warm reception accorded me and my entourage. It is also with a sense of responsibility that I receive and cherish the honourary indigeneship bestowed on me as symbolised by the presentation of the key to the Gateway State by Governor Abiodun.

27.​ I will leave Ogun State with fond memories and look forward to enjoying the privilege of my honorary indigeneship.

28. ​It is now with great pleasure that I commission this Gateway City Gate.

I thank you and may God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Board of the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited was inaugurated by President Muhammadu Buhari last week. Two names were very prominent in the assemblage: Margery Chuba Okadigbo, the Chairman, and Constance Harry Marshall.

The presence of the personalities gives more than an inkling into the character of our President. It confirms what some of us had always known. Muhammadu Buhari never forgets a good turn. He repays every kindness, every justice done to him, as much as it lies in his power.

When you show kindness to the living, it is a good thing, something to applaud. But when you go further to do the same to the dead, it is something that places you on a very high pedestal; a man to be emulated, acclaimed, a blessed of the Lord.

Hear what the Good Book says: “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not left off his kindness to the living and the dead.” (Ruth 2:20).

Examples abound of many people serving in government today, who are there at the behest of the President. Their paths had crossed at one time or the other, they did him a good turn, showed him loyalty, faithfulness, and many years later, one good turn deserved another.

Before we dwell on Margery Okadigbo and Constance Harry Marshall, let’s consider what the President did to two jurists, who had given bold and fair judgments in the many litigation processes the then Candidate Buhari got involved in, on his way to the Presidency.

In 2003, his first shot at the country’s number one seat, the electoral umpire gave victory to Olusegun Obasanjo of the People’s Democratic Party, over Muhammadu Buhari of the All Nigerian People’s Party, ANPP. Buhari and his party went to court, and the Court of Appeal upheld the electoral victory of Obasanjo, the then sitting President.

But there was a man who gave a dissenting judgment. He was Justice Sylvanus Nsofor, from Oguta, in Imo State. In nullifying the election results, he declared: “I find that the substantial non-compliance with the mandatory electoral law amounts to no election. I also find that there was violence perpetuated by President Obasanjo. May Nigeria never and never again see a black Saturday like April 19, 2003.”

Justice Nsofor is Igbo. Buhari is Fulani. But justice knows neither race nor ethnicity. He ruled according to his conscience, though it was a minority judgment, which did not succeed in overturning the election results.

But what did Buhari do? Fourteen years later, when Nsofor was 82, and long retired, the President nominated him as Ambassador, and posted him to the United States of America. The Senate first balked, citing the man’s age, but the President re-presented him. Eventually, Justice Nsofor served in America from 2017, and died in 2020. Two times I met with him in the USA. What always struck me was his firm, strong handshake, and the quality of his mind. If you are healthy and strong, age does not truly matter. Age doesn’t mind, if you don’t mind it, goes the saying.

A second example. Anther jurist, this time, of the Supreme Court. George Adesola Oguntade. In 2007, Candidate Buhari felt shortchanged again, in the election in which Umaru Yar’Adua was declared winner. The victor himself confessed that the election was flawed. The case went as far as the Supreme Court, where the majority ruling gave victory to Yar’Adua and the PDP. But Justice Oguntade would have none of it. He upheld Buhari’s appeal, cancelled the polls, and ordered a rerun. But it was also a minority judgment.

What did Buhari do again? Ten years later, with Oguntade long retired, the President picked him as High Commissioner to the United Kingdom. Showing kindness to the living, and rewarding their good deeds.

Many other of such examples abound, but let’s go to the flip side. Showing kindness to the dead.

In his first outing in 2003, Buhari ran with the former Senate President, Dr Chuba Okadigbo, as vice presidential candidate. They both challenged the result of the election, and were determined to get justice. But in September of that year, Okadigbo died. Very painful.

Now, 19 years later, who has Buhari made Chairman of the NNPC Ltd Board? Margery, Okadigbo’s widow. “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not left off his kindness to the living and the dead.”

What of Constance Harry Marshall, a relation of Marshall Sokari Harry, a political ally of the then Candidate Buhari in ANPP in 2003. A day before Buhari would flag off his campaign in Port Harcourt, Rivers Sade, Marshall, who had decamped from PDP to become National Vice Chairman of ANPP, was assassinated. Painful. And those truly behind the murder were never known.

Today, 19 years later, Constance Harry Marshall is on the NNPC Ltd Board. Yet, ignorant people say evil of this President. He’s a tyrant, wicked, unforgiving. Really? “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not left off his kindness to the living and the dead.”

The lesson: Let us not be quick to condemn what or who we don’t know or understand. President Buhari is strict, unbending on certain issues. But wicked? Not so. In the days of Gen Murtala Ramat Muhammed as head of state, one senior military officer described him as a bully, “a kind-hearted bully.” Same with Buhari. Not a bully, but strict man with a kind heart. A man who does not forget to show kindness to both the living and the dead.

You now see why some of us have chosen to follow the President through thick and thin? “Blessed be he of the Lord, who has not left off his kindness to the living and the dead.”

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

ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE GOVERNOR OF OGUN STATE,HIS EXCELLENCY, PRINCE DAPO ABIODUN, MFR, AT THE WELCOME CEREMONY OF THE OFFICIAL VISIT TO OGUN STATE OF HIS EXCELLENCY MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR, PRESIDENT AND COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF, ON THURSDAY, 13TH JANUARY, 2022

Protocols,

Mr. President, I most heartily welcome you on behalf of the Government and good people of Ogun State to your second home, the Gateway State. We are most delighted that you are here after the postponement of the initial visit scheduled for December, 2021. Your visit to Ogun State today is not just a routine official visit of a sitting President to a State. It is much more. It is a honour done to the good people of the Gateway State. This is your first visit since my assumption of office. And we look forward to many of such. The rousing welcome for Your Excellency and the entourage by our people is an expression of our love for you.

2.​A little over a year ago, I was with Your Excellency to share some success stories of the stewardship of our first year in office. This was presented in a Compendium. COVID-19 protocols did not allow for gatherings such as formal commissioning of projects. Your Excellency, you are here on our invitation to see our modest contributions to the continued development of our dear State in line with our “Building our Future Together” Agenda. We thank you for accepting to come.

3.​Let me publicly acknowledge and also thank Mr. President for the support and goodwill we have continued to enjoy in Ogun State even before we were sworn into office.

4.​All the projects and programmes of our Administration in Ogun State are deliberate and guided by our vision. The vision is to give Ogun State a focused and qualitative governance and create an enabling environment for a Public Private Sector Partnership to thrive. We believe this is fundamental to the socio-economic development of the State and individual prosperity of our people.

5.​The choice of the five projects that we are commissioning today from our many landmark projects was a daunting task. These are just a few of our achievements. We have so much more to showcase. These selected few that Your Excellency will commission are however symbolic of the various types of projects across all sectors of our dear State’s economy. And, they are spread all through the THREE Senatorial Districts. Mr. President, I have the honour to report that our Administration in Ogun State has continued to fulfil all its promises to the people within the available means.

6.​It is noteworthy that all our projects have the inputs and are informed by the needs of the people as expressed by them at different engagement fora that we provide. This is because we anchor our “Building our Future Together” Agenda on inclusiveness, equity, fairness, transparency, accountability, justice, and obedience to the rule of law. Under our FIVE Development Pillars with the acronym I.S.E.Y.A; that is I – for Infrastructure, S - for Social Welfare and Wellbeing, E - for Education, Y - for Youth Empowerment, A for Agriculture and Food Security, we based our choices on what the people say they want and we get their buy-in for implementation.

7.​Mr. President, may I now provide a panoramic view of the five projects that have been scheduled for commissioning today. The Gateway City Gate where we are now, for instance, is an iconic monument that not only beautifies the environment, but a reflection of the new approach to governance in the State. It symbolizes the convergence, harmony, and unity amongst all the groups and sections of the State. It is not just a physical Intersection of the three Senatorial Districts; it is a symbol of the togetherness of our people and the legendary warmth and hospitality to our visitors and guests.

8.​The Ijebu-Ode-Epe Road , a Federal Road which Your Excellency commissioned earlier, is another strategic arterial road that links the Lekki / Epe corridor of Lagos State to the eastern corridor of Ogun State at Ijebu- Ode. With this road, socio-economic activities in the South East and South South zones of our country will receive a boost through the linkage of the road to Sagamu-Benin Expressway for easier access by motorists to Lagos, Nigeria’s largest economy.

9.​In the same vein, the Sagamu Interchange-Abeokuta Road is 42km in length and is the main arterial road that leads to our Capital City. It is a dual carriageway with streetlights, median and other road furniture. This road, though a federal road, was redesigned and reconstructed to address the daily challenges being experienced by commuters, and to make commuting between the State Capital and other parts of the State and, indeed, the rest of the country a safe, secure and pleasant experience. The two roads are very significant and critical to the socio-economic development of not only Ogun State but the Nation at large.

10.​Mr. President, two of our many housing projects have been completed and ready for you to commission. Our affordable Housing Estate at Kobape in Abeokuta comprises of 526 units of 2 and 3-bedroom bungalows. The King’s Court at Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta is a middle/high income Housing Estate and has 31 of its 85 units in the first phase fully completed. The remaining 54 units are at various stages of completion.

11.​Furthermore, several similar housing projects are under construction in different parts of the State. Our aggressive housing programme is aimed at delivering 2,500 units of houses by the end of our first term. So far, we have achieved over 60% of the target within 30 months and are confident that we will deliver on this commitment, as we have done in all our programmes.

12.​Your Excellency, we will like to inform you that all these projects are interrelated. These are not just projects - they are also part of our Agenda for development and have been deliberately conceived and implemented to also achieve employment generation; poverty alleviation and local capacity development, as most of the people working on these projects are local artisans, technicians and tradesmen and women.

13.​We have many more projects that could have been scheduled for commissioning today – but for time constraint. Yet, there are many others at different stages of completion. These include the first phase of the Ogun State International Agro Cargo Airport at Ilishan, and Atan-LUSADA-Agbara expressway which leads to Agbara Industrial Estate, the industrial nerve center of not just our State, but also Nigeria and indeed, the entire ECOWAS Sub-region. It is therefore our hope that Your Excellency will graciously grant our request to return and commission more projects when they are completed and ready for commissioning later in the year.

14.​Beyond these physical projects, we have also embarked on several fiscal and policy reforms to enable the effectiveness and efficiency of Government Some of these are the reinvigoration of the Security Trust Fund; establishment of Public-Private Partnership Office; launch of Ogun Digital Economy Infrastructure Projects; and Ogun State Land Revenue and Management Systems (OLARMS). Others include establishment of Ogun State Investment Promotion Agency. The Business Environment council which provides a truly one-stop-shop for Big Investors; and business bottlenecks in dealing with Government establishment of Ogun State Enterprise Development Agency to strengthen the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and boost their capacities; and, All these have led to an increased IGR of about 95B in 2021 .

15.​We have continued to improve on our Ease-of-Doing-Business (EoD). Ogun State now ranks 4th on the scale of Ease-of-Doing-Business in Nigeria. We will continue to improve on that, until we become number one! We appreciate that as existing businesses continue to thrive, more investments must also be attracted and start-ups be encouraged. Today, I am pleased to report that Ogun State is ranked the no 1 investment destination of choice, not only in Nigeria but in the entire West-African sub region. We will continue to make Ogun State a place to “live, work and play”.

16.​Your Excellency, that is the Ogun State of our dream. And, there are testimonials that we are on the right part. In the last 30 months, we have restored people’s trust and confidence in their government. We will continue to rekindle the hope of the people; and will NEVER take their mandate for granted.

17.​Mr. President, I wish to thank you for the post-humous honour and recognition done to our illustrious son, the martyr of democracy, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Olawale Abiola, GCFR, by acknowledging his victory in the 1993 presidential polls and by conferring on him, the highest National Award as the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic (GCFR). You have not only honoured the man, but you also honoured the entire people of Ogun State. With this singular act, you have indeed strengthened the democratic ethos and principles and given practical demonstration to the line in our National anthem that “the labour of our heroes past shall never be in vain”

18.​On behalf of the people of Ogun State, I also thank Your Excellency for the tremendous support the federal government gave to Ogun State in our fight against COVID-19 pandemic. In particular, we appreciate the choice of our State to pioneer the COVID-19 mass vaccination campaign. We are pleased to note that the Federal Ministry of Health has rated us the leading State in achieving mass vaccination in the country. In the same breadth, the relative peace and security we enjoy in Ogun State is a direct outcome of the support of Mr. President for our various initiatives to ensure security of lives and property. On our part, we will continue to support and collaborate with all the security agencies in our State, both Federal and State owned.

19.​Mr. President, i want to thank you for facilitating that the central bank provides us support particularly as we embraced and domesticated your eat what you grow and grow what you eat policy in agriculture. To date we have through anchor borrowers scheme, we have turned about 30,000 young men and women into Agripreneurs. Your Excellency, I wish to specially thank you for the construction of the Lagos-Ibadan new standard railway gauge. The longest part of the rail-line is in Ogun State with five stations, the most by any State. We also thank Mr. President for the ongoing reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway. The longest stretch of that road is also in Ogun State and is due for completion this year. These projects are particularly strategic to the economic development of not only Ogun State but the entire Nation. The railway and the improved Lagos-Ibadan Expressway have brought tremendous increase in economic activities in our dear State and with other States.

20.​In the same vein, we appreciate your approval to Aliko Dangote for the reconstruction of Sagamu-Interchange-Papalanto-Ilaro Road through the Federal Government’s tax credit scheme. Let me also appeal that the same tax credit scheme be extended to the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) for the reconstruction of Sagamu-Ogijo-Ikorodu Expressway. This road not only leads to one of the largest depots of NNPC at Mosinmi, Sagamu, it is also an alternative road to the ever-busy Lagos-Ibadan expressway. We also look forward to federal government’s approval of similar creative funding arrangements for the Otta-Idiroko Road and other federal roads traversing our dear State. We passionately appeal to Your Excellency to graciously direct relevant federal government agencies to expedite action towards prompt rehabilitation and completion of these roads. This will improve the welfare and wellbeing of our people.

21.​The number of federal roads in Ogun and their strategic significance to the socio-economic development of the country cannot be over-emphasised. Your Excellency it is noteworthy that Ogun State has more Federal roads than any other State in the Country. Therefore, we are passionately requesting again that Ogun State be accorded a Special Status for Federal Government Infrastructural Funding, especially on roads.

22.​Mr. President, permit me to thank my brother Governors,National Assembly members, Honourable Ministers, my friends from the private sector and other eminent and distinguished dignitaries for joining us to welcome you. Many of them have to inconvenient themselves to be here today. I also thank the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN, for the tremendous support we have enjoyed from his Ministry. Our appreciation also goes to the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria for the creative funding support and Same appreciation goes to others in the private sector Alhj Aliko Dangote Herbert Wigwe Abdul Samad Rabiu that have been supportive one way or the other in the implementation of our “Building Our Future Together” Agenda.

23. ​To the good People of Ogun State, words are inadequate to convey my appreciation for the support, cooperation and prayers that we have enjoyed from you all since the inception of our Administration. I thank our Royal Fathers, religious leaders, community leaders, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), market men and women, the youth, security agencies and the media for your support. Our thanks also go to those non indigenes of our dear State that have made Ogun State their home. As it is our practice since we came on board on May 29, 2019, we will continue to be inclusive and take development to all parts of our dear State. We do not promise to do everything, but we will do everything that we promise.

24.​Once again, I thank Your Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR, for honouring our invitation and identifying with us. I have no doubt that Your Excellency and the entourage will have an exciting and enriching experience in our State, even as I wish you all safe trips back.

25.​Before I end this address, let me state that there is no better place to formally welcome Mr. President than this Gateway City Gate. This monument represents our unity as a people and is the centre-point of our State.

26.​Mr. President, at this point, it is my honour and privilege to present, on behalf of the Government and People of Ogun State, the Key to the Gateway City Gate. This formalises your long time honourary indigeneship of Ogun State. You are no longer a visitor. Mr. President, welcome home.

27.​I thank you all for listening. God bless Ogun State, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Igbega Ipinle Ogun, Ajose Gbogbo Wa Ni

Prince Dapo Abiodun, MFR
Governor, Ogun State
Thursday, 13th January, 2022.

#PhotoNews: The official Launch of the Nigeria Police Special Desk for Persons with Disability, held today 6th January 2022, at the Force Headquarters, Abuja.

The Special Desk was established to avail persons with disability unfettered access to police services, and give full effect to the Discrimination Against Persons with Disability (Prohibition) Act, 2018.

There’s a City of David, not in Jerusalem, but in Uburu, Ohaozara Local Government Area of Ebonyi State. If the biblical City of David was magnificent, this one is no less so. If the earlier was a sight for sore eyes, the latter equally pulls its weight in grandeur.

Governor Dave Umahi, an accomplished engineer, conceived an ultra-modern state-of-the-art medical university for his state. He turned his idea into action, his dream to reality, and out came spectacular and breathtaking King David University of Medical Sciences, a modern City of David.

There are some Governors whom my principal, President Muhammadu Buhari loves, irrespective of political parties. Long ago, ever before he joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), Engineer Dave Umahi had always been a special one. Even as a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governor, President Buhari had visited Ebonyi in 2017, and stayed the night, something not very common. It was simply because he saw a man making a mark in his domain, and party differences do not matter at that point. Not at all.

King David University of Medical Sciences is envisioned to develop specialized manpower in all aspects of medicine. It is programmed to provide manpower needs to address the challenge of Human Resources for health in line with new global realities and trends.

If you can dream it, and apply yourself to it, then you can achieve it. By July this year, the National Universities Commission had approved the academic citadel Umahi dreamt of.

We have always demanded for world class medical institutions in the country, so that Nigerians do not spend so much on medical tourism. Well, here comes one. In the King David University, there’s a 500-bed teaching hospital, which would compete with the very best in advanced countries of the world. Already, medical equipment are being installed, and best brains being assembled from within and outside the country, to run the facility.

The hospital, according to Prof Jessy Uneke, Vice Chancellor of the university, will produce dialyzers, a special consumable for kidney dialysis, from mid 2022, and also have an oxygen production plant, for medical and other uses.

The university is already being touted as the most beautiful campus in Africa (though we that attended University of Ife, now Obafemi Awolowo University, will not readily agree with that). It’s core values are; Excellence, Godliness, Ethics, Compassion, Respect, Delivery, Collaboration, Innovation, Accountability, Learning, Improvement, and Sustainability.

What of the Centers being paraded by the university? They include; Maternity and Child Care, Cancer treatment/Oncology, Eye Centre, Dialysis Centre, Laboratory Unit, Radiology, Oxygen Production Plant, Virology and Quarantine Unit, Dental, Pharmacy, among others.

King David University of Medical Sciences, Uburu, is good thinking, good product. And if you ask me, that is what all our helmsmen in States should do. They should leave their footprints on the sands of time, so that if they aspire for higher offices, the showpiece they have made of their States would stand them in good stead, serve as reference points.

Talking of the hospital, Gov Umahi said: “We are happy that we have opportunity to change the narrative in this direction, and we are grateful to President Muhammadu Buhari for the financial support in building the Cancer and Isolation Centers.

“It is my prayer that this institution will close the gap that is causing our people to embark on foreign medical trips/ studies as it is designed to solve medical challenges that take our people outside the country.”

The Governor thanks President Buhari for his support. That is the man from Daura for you. Anything that will bring positive changes to bear on the lives of the people, he would support. Recall the humongous refund he approved for Federal roads in a state where the Governor is always abusing him. Malice towards nobody, it’s about our country. That is President Buhari for you.

Where there is no vision, the people perish, says the Good Book, Governor Umahi has the vision of a world class medical university. And he has translated it to action. May we have many more visioners like that in this country.

“There is a River, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God.” (Psalm 46:4). King David University is like that River. It makes us glad. Thank you Governor Umahi. You have ended 2021 on a high, through this project.

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

President Buhari Signs N17.127tr 2022 Budget Into Law, Directs MDAs to Commence Early Preparation of 2023 Transition Budget

v Expresses Concern Over Worrisome Changes to 2022 Budget by NASS

v To Submit Amendment Bill Early 2022

In keeping with the tradition of restoring a predictable January to December fiscal year, as provided for in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in Abuja signed into law the 2022 Appropriation Bill and the 2021 Finance Bill.

The President signed the documents in the Presidential Villa in the presence of Senate President Ahmed Lawan, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, and other members of the Federal Executive Council.

Speaking at the event, the President said the 2022 Budget, just signed into law, provides for aggregate expenditures of N17.127 trillion, an increase of N735.85 billion over the initial Executive Proposal for a total expenditure of N16.391 trillion.

The President explained that N186.53 billion of the increase however came from additional critical expenditures that he had authorised the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to forward to the National Assembly.

‘‘The Minister will provide the public with the details of the budget as passed by the National Assembly, and signed into law by me,’’ he said.

The President announced that as the 2023 Budget is going to be a transition budget, work will start in earnest to ensure early submission of the 2023-2025 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper as well as the 2023 Appropriation Bill to the National Assembly.

He, therefore, directed Heads of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to cooperate with the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning, more specifically with the Budget Office of the Federation, to realise this very important objective.

President Buhari also expressed strong reservations on the ‘‘worrisome changes’’ made by the National Assembly to the 2022 Executive Budget proposal.

He announced that he would revert to the National Assembly with a request for amendment as soon as the Assembly resumes to ensure that critical ongoing projects cardinal to this administration do not suffer a setback due to reduced funding.

The President recounted that during the presentation of the 2022 Appropriation Bill, he had stated that the fiscal year 2022 would be very crucial in his administration’s efforts to complete and put to use critical agenda projects, as well as improve the general living conditions of our people.

‘‘It is in this regard that I must express my reservations about many of the changes that the National Assembly has made to the 2022 Executive Budget proposal.

‘‘Some of the worrisome changes are as follows:

‘‘Increase in projected FGN Independent Revenue by N400 billion, the justification for which is yet to be provided to the Executive;

‘‘Reduction in the provision for Sinking Fund to Retire Maturing Bonds by N22 billion without any explanation;

‘‘Reduction of the provisions for the Non-Regular Allowances of the Nigerian Police Force and the Nigerian Navy by N15 billion and N5 billion respectively.

‘‘This is particularly worrisome because personnel cost provisions are based on agencies’ nominal roll and approved salaries/allowances;

‘‘Furthermore, an increase of N21.72 billion in the Overhead budgets of some MDAs, while the sum of N1.96 billion was cut from the provision for some MDAs without apparent justification;

‘‘Increase in the provision for Capital spending (excluding Capital share in Statutory Transfer) by a net amount of N575.63 billion, from N4.89 trillion to N5.47 trillion.’’

President Buhari also expressed concern in the reductions in provisions for some critical projects, including N12.6 billion in the Ministry of Transport’s budget for the ongoing Rail Modernisation projects; N25.8 billion from Power Sector Reform Programme under the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning; N14.5 billion from several projects of the Ministry of Agriculture, and introducing over 1,500 new projects into the budgets of this Ministry and its agencies.

Further, the President also expressed his reservations on the following:

‘‘Inclusion of new provisions totaling N36.59 billion for National Assembly’s projects in the Service Wide Vote which negates the principles of separation of Powers and financial autonomy of the Legislative arm of government.

‘‘The changes to the original Executive proposal are in the form of new insertions, outright removals, reductions and/or increases in the amounts allocated to projects.

‘‘Provisions made for as many as 10,733 projects were reduced while 6,576 new projects were introduced into the budget by the National Assembly.

‘‘Reduction in the provisions for many strategic capital projects to introduce ‘Empowerment’ projects.

‘‘The cuts in the provisions for several of these projects by the National Assembly may render the projects unimplementable or set back their completion, especially some of this Administration’s strategic capital projects.

‘‘Most of the projects inserted relate to matters that are basically the responsibilities of State and Local Governments, and do not appear to have been properly conceptualised, designed and costed.

‘‘Many more projects have been added to the budgets of some MDAs with no consideration for the institutional capacity to execute the additional projects and/or for the incremental recurrent expenditure that may be required.’’

President Buhari declared that it was surprising that despite the National Assembly increasing projected revenue by N609.27 billion, the additional Executive request of N186.53 billion for critical expenditure items could not be accommodated without increasing the deficit, while the sum of N550.59 billion from the projected incremental revenues was allocated at the discretion of National Assembly.

‘‘I signed the 2022 Appropriation Bill into law to enable its implementation to commence on 1st January 2022.

‘‘However, I will revert to the National Assembly with a request for amendment and/or virement as soon as the Assembly resumes to ensure that critical ongoing projects that are cardinal to this administration, and those nearing completion, do not suffer a setback due to reduced funding.’’

On COVID-19 and budget implementation, the President said despite the lingering adverse effects of the pandemic, he was happy with the success recorded in the implementation of the 2021 Budget.

‘‘The sum of N3.94 trillion that was provided for the implementation of capital projects by MDAs during the fiscal year has been released fully.

‘‘To enable MDAs to complete the implementation of their 2021 capital projects and optimise the impact of the capital budget on the economy, they have been allowed to continue to expend the funds released for their 2021 capital budgets till 31st March, 2022,’’ he said.

The President commended the understanding and speedy action of the National Assembly on this matter.

‘‘As the 2022 Budget will be the last full year budget to be implemented by our Administration, its effective implementation is very critical for delivering our legacy projects, promoting social inclusion and strengthening the resilience of the economy.

‘‘The Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning will implement all measures required to ensure timely and targeted release of capital votes.

‘‘All MDAs are to effect early commencement of project implementation, while ensuring productive use of funds provided for achievement of the objectives set for their sectors.

‘‘Considering the incidence of new COVID-19 variants globally, we will ensure timely implementation of measures provided for in the 2022 Budget to contain the spread of the virus and protect our people.

‘‘We continue to count on the collaboration of the State governments in our effort to protect the lives and livelihood of our people.’’

To achieve the laudable objectives of the 2022 Budget, President Buhari pledged that the Federal Government would further intensify revenue mobilisation efforts.

He expressed optimism in the ability of the Government to finance the budget considering the positive global oil market outlook and the continuing improvement in non-oil revenues.

‘‘To achieve our revenue targets, revenue generating agencies, and indeed all MDAs must ensure prompt and full remittance of collected revenues.

‘‘Relevant Agencies must also ensure the realisation of our crude oil production and export targets.

‘‘I also appeal to our fellow citizens and the business community at large to fulfil their tax obligations promptly.

‘‘However, being a deficit budget, the specific Borrowing Plan will be forwarded to the National Assembly shortly.

‘‘I count on the cooperation of the National Assembly for a quick consideration and approval of the Plan when submitted.

‘‘All borrowings will be judiciously utilised and invested in our future growth and prosperity.’’

The President also directed MDAs to liaise with the Bureau of Public Enterprises and/or the Infrastructure Concession and Regulatory Commission to explore available opportunities for public-private partnerships, concessions as well as climate finance arrangements to fast-track the pace of infrastructural development.

He thanked the Ministers of Finance, Budget and National Planning, the Budget Office of the Federation, and all who worked tirelessly and sacrificed so much towards producing the 2022 Appropriation Act.

‘‘Let me conclude by commending the understanding, sacrifice and resilience of our people during these challenging times.

‘‘As a Government, we remain committed to improving the general living conditions of our people.

‘‘We will continue to implement measures aimed at moderating the unintended negative effects of policies on the citizenry,’’ he said.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

December 31, 2021

KANO-MARADI RAIL: AMAECHI MEETS GERMAN FINANCING ADVISORY, VISITS MAJOR MOTA-ENGIL RAIL SITE IN PORTUGAL

...Holds Bi-Lateral talks at the Portuguese foreign office

Minister of Transportation, Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has met with the financing advisory for the construction of Kano-Maradi rail line, seeking a speed-up of the process to ensure construction begins as soon as possible.

In the meeting held at the Nigerian Embassy, Berlin with representatives of KfW-IPEX bank of Germany who are serving as an advisory in partnership with African Finance Corporation for the Kano-Maradi rail project, Amaechi stated that the ECAs (Export Credit Agencies) are free to come to Nigeria and become part of the process on ground to ensure that everything follows their recommenced practices and avert hiccups in the course of the project.

Following their concerns on resettlement of villages that may be impacted by the construction, Amaechi assured that Nigeria has laws in place for that and that the Ministry of Transportation ensured that the right of way was distant from the villages except in Kano where it is difficult to totally avoid the town.

“For us in the Ministry of Transportation, in choosing the right of way, we avoided communities. If we don’t do that, we’ll clear the entire Kano. Like in Lagos, we avoided communities and used the old line, because if we had to choose a different route we would pay billions. In fact, to even work from the old line, we paid 7 billion naira in compensations, not because the people had the right to the land, but because after 12 years and nothing is done it becomes their land and you just can’t chase them out. We still paid compensation, because the rail line was moribund. To eject them we still had to treat them as though they were the original owners of the land. We didn’t wait for Europe. That’s our law.

“In Kano-Maradi, we also took into consideration the people, we choose the right of way distant from the communities, which makes it even more expensive, because government will have to do access roads from the rail line into the communities. We did that because of environmental issues, but the Europeans want us to assume that there are people living along the route. There are none, apart from Kano.

“I don’t know what the law is in Europe in terms of your ESIA. We’ve taken the first step by giving notice, we have assessed the land. What we have not done is payment, because the payment is tied to the contract. On our part, we are ready. What I want to know is the next step to paying compensation, to know that the project is going on and that we can create employment.

The Managing Director/Global Head, Aviation Mobility and Transport, KfW-IPEX Bank, Dr Carsten Wiebers expressed belief that the Nigerian government will be able to manage the risk with pay back of the loan. He advised that the process of putting in place the consulting firms for the project should be sped-up to facilitate financing, while documentation of the process should be properly done.

“Given the fast timeline of 15months, I would recommend speeding up the process of putting in place the consulting companies and other terms of references are met to facilitate the financing. Of course the first level of requirement is your national regulation and law. You take care of that.

“What we are trying to do is create a bridge between your interests and the demands of the Export Credit Agencies, to guarantee we get an affordable loan for you. There has to be evidence of the working group in the areas where the rail would be (actual site) all the way to Kano to convince the decision makers of the ECAs.

“Personally I'm comfortable with your timeline. You dictate the speed of the construction with Mota-Engil. There needs to be an international representative on the site to avoid hiccups with the ECAs. The problem I think is documentation and communication. The process needs to be properly documented and certified,” Wiebers said.

The Director, Mobility and Transport, KfW-IPEX Bank, Sylvia Sedlacek, assured that a consortium of consultants are already working on the ESIA and would come up with the report soon, while a working group has been formed and is in talks with the Nigerian Ministries of Environment, Transportation and Housing on the Environment and social study of the are.

On his part, Nigerian Ambassador to Germany, Yusuf Tuggar explained that the Ministry of Environment in Nigeria started as the Environmental protection agency which also came about through conventions and series of stakeholders meetings, locally and internationally. So they are naturally inclined to abide by the regulations.

Earlier, the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi with a team from the Ministry and officials of the Nigerian Embassy in Portugal toured a major rail project site by Mota-Engil to ascertain their capacity to construct the Kano-Maradi rail within the stated timeframe of 15 months.

The project, ‘Corredor International Sul - Ligação Freixo/Alandroal’ also known as Evora line is a 78km rail project to unite the Port of Sines all the way to Spain. The 20km extension being handled by Mota-Engil has 10 bridges, one of which is a 600m Bridge - the longest in the line, 11 overhead bridges (over passage), 5 underpasses (1 for cars, finished within 2 days of nonstop work, and a total of 800 workers on the project.

The site Engineer, Luis Mota explained that the project of that magnitude is one of the fastest within 19 months.
Amaechi however demanded that the Kano-Maradi project be faster as it is an EPC, “by now you should have finished your backend engineering and design,” he said. Amaechi further called for a meeting in Abuja in the first week of January to identify all the challenges and ensure that the contractor follows the plan.

At the Nigerian Embassy in Lisbon, the Ambassador, Alex Kefas expressed joy that the country is moving forward. According to him, “I have never seen massive railway projects in Nigeria until he (Amaechi) became Minister. We are grateful he is doing very well. We just finished a meeting with the secretary of internalisation which will help in boosting our bilateral relations. At the bilateral meeting, they assured us of their support in achieving this project (Kano-Maradi).

“I recently paid a courtesy call on Mota-Engil at their Headquarters in Porto and they paid a courtesy call to me here at the embassy. I assured them of speedy visa issuance to ensure that the project in Nigeria is completed speedily,” he said.

Both the Minister and the Ambassador were at the Portuguese foreign ministry for bilateral talks and both nations agreed to be of help to one another. The Portugese Secretary of State for Internalisation affairs, Mr. Eurico Brilhante Dias assured the Minister of Portugal’s support and cooperation to ensure that the project by Mota-Engil is completed without hitches.


Eric Orjiekwe
Director, Press & PR
December 23, 2021

BUHARI’S CHRISTMAS BONUS FOR THE POLICE

By FEMI ADESINA

They were born just like any other person. They have fathers, mothers, uncles, aunts, wives, children, just like the next man or woman. They pound their beats, in thunder, lightning or rain. The sun beats them till their eyes almost pop out of the sockets. But we accord them no respect, we esteem them as men of sorrow, acquainted with grief. They are policemen, and must be treated like something the cat dragged in, article of no commercial value.

During the EndSARS protests of October 2020, see what happened to our cops: 39 were killed, with one roasted and eaten, 210 injured, their stations and barracks worth N11.6 billion were burnt, along with 198 police vehicles, 9 Armoured Personnel Cars. Also razed were Police Communication Equipment worth N5.8 billion, and 422 exhibit vehicles valued at N5.5 billion.

The police were the main reason the protests took place in the first instance, but then, do you first annihilate an institution that needs reforms? They had their excesses, but is decapitation the cure for headache?

President Muhammadu Buhari in the wake of the EndSARS protests promised to reform the police, including looking into their welfare and enhancing their status. It is now promise made, and promise kept, as the Federal Executive Council unfolded a new deal for the police. It is like a Christmas bonus, which came at the end of the year.

Following the promise of the President in 2020, probe panels were instituted by states to look into the excesses of the police, and recommend sanctions and compensations where necessary, while a stakeholders committee was also set up to look into the welfare of the police.

See the parlous conditions of members of an institution we gave arms and ammunition to, and we asked to protect us.

*At least 1,898 personnel were not paid outstanding insurance benefits for the period of 2013 to 2020.

*Death benefits were not paid to families of 5,472 personnel, who died on active duty between 2013 and 2021.

*Financial claims amounted to N1,128, 174, 150.00 in respect of the 1,898 uninsured personnel.

*Death benefits amounted to N13,127,197,269.48, while burial expenses amounted to N1,234,520.000.00, for personnel who died between 2012 and 2021.

A working group set up at the instance of President Buhari, came up with recommendations, which have now been approved by the Federal Executive Council. They include:

*The release of over one billion, one hundred and twenty-eight million for the payment of outstanding benefits to 1,898 personnel for the period 2013 to 2020.

*The release of over 13 billion for the payment of outstanding death benefits.

*Tax waiver in the sum of over N18 billion per annum for all junior personnel in order to increase their take-home emoluments.

*Increase of rent subsidy from 15-20% to 40% of the Consolidated Police Salary Structure (CONPOSS).

*Payment of additional 6% shift duty allowance.

*Payment of 20% of COMPOSS as peculiar allowance to boost morale and take-home pay of the police.

All these, and more, are to take effect from the 2022 appropriation act, thus improving the welfare of our police personnel.

Will it automatically translate to better behavior, and elimination of bribery and corruption? Not by the waving of a wand. But it would signpost the beginning of caring for the police. The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.

History will record President Buhari as the man who began to take practical steps in repositioning the welfare of the police. They would no longer be regarded as scum, and would earn respect from a society that loves to look down on them. I tell you, this President cares.

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

AS PRESIDENT BUHARI CLOCKS 79, A FOCUS ON ACHIEVEMENTS, CHALLENGES

By Garba Shehu

President Muhammadu Buhari marks the age of 79 on Friday 17, without the joy of being with the family and the country he governs, seeking to maximize bilateral benefits in critical areas of Nigeria’s safety, survival and economic development in a distant country, Turkey.

As President in the last six years, he has had several achievements to his credit. But there are also challenges that need to be met in the balance of 18 months before he leaves office upon the completion of two terms in office.

As with all the countries around the globe, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown the biggest challenge to the Buhari administration, for the obvious reason that it kept under attack, not only the health of citizens but the economy and environment.

For a country and a continent designated for a world record of positive cases and deaths, yet turning in the lowest in terms of numbers, the explanation our people give here is to say “Thank God,” and they move on.

Nothing wrong with thanking God for everything that happens or does not, for, without His grace, nothing can truly get done (or undone).

But the Almighty uses the instrumentality of humans to get some of these things done.

These last two years, President Buhari led a government that believes in science and in our doctors that put in place an effective mechanism to check the spread of the pandemic and we are where we are today because this dedicated team has responded in the most capable manner any country could ever do.

He gave the experts the latitude of freedom and resources to lead us out of the worst-case scenarios using especially well-thought-out non-pharmaceutical protections and these, in the face of the denial of fair access to vaccines to us by those who make them, have really done us wonders.

Although high figures for active cases, new cases and deaths are rising lately and a fourth wave is being feared in many quarters, the proven competence of our administrators, whose aptitude, agility and appropriate sense of timing have drawn commendation from no less a body than the United Nations gives us the reassuring solace that we will wade through the muddle by getting it right.

Increasing awareness about health and hygiene is helping the country fight the deadly coronavirus disease pandemic.

The campaign against open defecation is catching on in all the states and the only way for the momentum is up and up.

President Buhari was handed an economy in 2015 just on the verge of a recession. It was sluggish due to internal as well as external factors, all these compounded by the fall of oil prices occasioned by global recession.

The new administration surprised itself by pulling the economy out of recession in less than two years.

Just as this was being celebrated, the COVID-19 pandemic has added to the global economic woes, and there we were, back in recession just as did everyone.

Yet again, the careful handling and management helped us out of a second recession in six months, setting an unbeaten record on how not to suffer a recession.

The current and projected economic growth figures are quite encouraging and if government measures being worked out to curb the existing high food inflation work well as they should; unemployment figures which are officially at 34 percent are being forced downwards through growth, especially in agriculture which President Buhari saw as the silver lining from the very beginning, the economy will continue to recover at a faster rate than projected.

Today, the economy is back on the path of growth after two consecutive recessions and it is noteworthy that the administration’s priority sectors, especially ICT, agriculture and solid minerals continue to lead the growth of the now diversified economy.

Inflation has maintained a downward streak and external reserves have stayed on healthy levels throughout these periods.

Exports have grown and have remained in an upward trajectory in agriculture, raw materials, solid minerals and manufactured goods, setting a clear tone that we are ready for a leading role in the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCTA), which is the largest world free trade organization.

Agriculture growth could be attributed to bumper harvests in rice and other agricultural communities which have been aggressively promoted by the lending schemes put in place by the Central Bank of Nigeria and other commercial banks, the revival of the fertilizer industry which has seen such production plants grow from only four in 2015 to nearly 40 at the moment, employing thousands directly and indirectly and saving the country USD 200 billion in import bills and more than N60 billion in government subsidies.

However, smuggling across the country’s vast land borders still remains a dark spot amidst the ray of hope for total national food security.

The APC government led by President Buhari has been challenged by the worrisome activities of bandits, now classified as terrorists and the incidents of attacks on communities especially that which pitches farmers against herders.

Both have had the combined effect of disturbing the nation’s social fabric.

The government has a two-pronged strategy in dealing with the clashes: one by addressing immediate security and then dealing with scarcity of land.

Additional police and military units have been deployed to the affected states to address the former. They have already had some noticeable successes against militia groups.

But the increased presence will also enable quicker response to distress calls to prevent attacks before they happen.

The National Livestock Transformation Plan remedies this through a phased transition from herding to ranching.

This shall allow both parties to recognise for themselves the solution, rather than having it thrust upon them.

Notably, a majority of the states-which control land- and the major farmer and herder associations have welcomed the initiative.

Boko Haram which is now reduced to a shell of its former self now holds no territory and not a single militant incident has been recorded for years in the Niger Delta.

Of course, there is still more to do, but the President’s determination is to end all the conflicts to keep citizens safe.

The main reason for the defeat of the PDP in 2015 was corruption.

The present administration at the centre led by President Muhammadu Buhari has so far presented a corrupt-free image of itself.

It has also succeeded in abolishing grand corruption at the top and as attested to by the former American President, Donald Trump, when the President visited him in 2016, the government has significantly brought down the level of corruption in the whole county.

It is, however not lost on anyone that corruption is fighting back.

In this country, politics is often considered as a synonym of corruption.

The previous government came under huge criticism for scandals like that discovered in arms procurements in the office of the National Security Adviser (NSA) which transformed itself into a major source of funding of the PDP; NNPC crude oil thefts, broadband spectrum licensing scandal, oil subsidy scam and so many others but the present government has not faced any such corruption charges.

Minister Diezani Allison-Maduekwe who has so far forfeited cash denominated variously to the Federal Government: USD 153 million, N23.4 billion, and USD 4m and USD 5m in separate counts; a former Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) forfeited GBP 578,080, and the Ikoyi Apartment Owners from whom USD43.4m; N23m and GBP 27,800 respectively, were recovered are part of the success of the war against corruption waged by the government.

Also, the hidden owner of the N449.6 million cash, in Lagos, is still unable to step forward to say “it’s mine”; the ex-Naval Chiefs who have forfeited N1.8 billion; the Governors Forum which surrendered N1.4 billion and the major oil marketers, from whom the EFCC has so far seized N328.9 billion.

Banks in the country which equally joined the party while it lasted, gave back N27.7 billion they “ate,” the scion of the Akinjides, Jumokes and her N650 million as well as those scammers in INEC who coughed out N1 billion all tell a story of the success of the war against corruption under Buhari.

But perhaps the greatest game-changer in the war against corruption is the institution of those measures that seek to stop such incidents from happening.

These include the biggest tax revolution since independence, VAIDS, now being implemented, and which many rich citizens are made to pay outstanding taxes; the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) that has saved the nation billions paid to ghost workers, the Treasury Single Account (TSA) and the Open Treasury Portal tell the citizens where their money is and how it is being spent.

There is also the Whistle Blower policy by which the government is able to recover stolen or concealed assets through information provided by citizens.

This has changed the moral tone of the business transactional space in the country. The whistleblower is entitled to between 2.5% to 5.0 % of the amount recovered.

The government’s moves on Ease of Doing Business have attracted international attention and investment and significantly improved the ranking of Nigeria as a place of doing business, in fact achieving a place in the World Bank’s top 10 reforming economies.

But this is how the World Bank saw Nigeria: “Overall, the 10 top improvers implemented the most regulatory reforms in the area of getting credit, starting a business, dealing with construction permits and paying taxes,’ the report said.

Someone said President Buhari should be named as infrastructure President.

Hear the President:

“Infrastructure is vital to economic development. As you are aware, this administration has given special attention to the infrastructural transformation of our country. This is in consonance with the CHANGE philosophy of the administration. Such projects and programmes form part of our contribution to national development, which are tangible for all to see.”

In the last six-and-half years, President Buhari has taken historic decisions which have changed the country, top among which was his signing into law, the Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) amidst cheers by the Nigerian business community; the Climate Change law and the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), all of which are now part of our laws.

PIA came after lengthy negotiations with the states, the whole of the oil industry, the oil-producing communities. By taking all of them on board, this success broke a twenty-year jinx.

Yet another jinx broken was the very recent decision for an out-of-court settlement of the dispute involving a businessman and the government of Nigeria that had prevented the take-off of the Mambila Hydro Electric Power Project, a development that may see it leave the drawing boards after nearly 50 years.

On the external front, President Buhari’s towering figure as an honest leader and an international statesman continues to generate a successful run in our foreign relations.

Security and political stability in West Africa have posed a tough challenge for the government of late. Little wonder that the riot act was read by the President at the ECOWAS Summit last weekend in Abuja, warning that constitutional amendments to elongate term tenure, increasingly becoming the norm in the sub-region will continue to fuel instability. It must stop.

In 2015, Presidential candidate Buhari stood on a platform to secure the country, improve the economy and fight corruption and won.

He did again in 2019 and the current challenges facing the country, though not new will only make him give his best for the country.

Politicians seeking political capital in the prevailing security situation in the country and the sections of the media making the problem appear as intractable so as to sell copies have a shock waiting for them because this one is a way President Buhari is determined to win before he leaves office in 2023.

What the President has achieved in the past six and a half years is for the nation and its people.

Sooner than later, the frustrations we face are challenges to be overcome and this period will one day be written as the golden period of Nigeria’s history.

Garba Shehu is Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media & Publicity

BUHARI AT 79: LESSONS WE’VE LEARNT FROM HIM

By FEMI ADESINA

When he popped out of his mother’s womb 79 years ago in rustic Daura, now in Katsina State, nobody could have predicted that he would bestride the country, nay the world, like a colossus.

Who could have predicted that a honest man, Mai Gaskiya, had come forth? Who could have foretold that he would rule the country twice, first as a soldier, and later, as a civilian, a democrat? And who could have prognosticated that he would perhaps be the politician with the greatest crowd in the history of the country, for a long time to come?

But we’ve had all these, and more, in Muhammadu Buhari, the child of destiny, who turns 79 December 17, 2021.

This country will never forget this President, will it? And for good. He came, he saw, and he’s conquering.

I’m a student of Muhammadu Buhari. I study him like a book. I plumb his depths, and learn from him daily. And what are the lessons? Many. Very many.

Attaining stardom, reaching the highest rungs of the ladder in life, is not determined by the circumstances of your birth. You don’t have to be born with a silver spoon. Doubtful if baby Buhari even had a wooden spoon. He grew in the plainest of all areas, and ended at the very peak of the military profession: a General. He has been round the world, as a professional, a head of state, a retiree, and a two-term elected President. The auguries didn’t tell these about the baby, but it has happened. You can get anywhere, attain any height, if the divine powers are with you, irrespective of the circumstances of your birth. Vital lesson.

‘Honesty is the best policy,’ I can recall my father, that great educationist, drumming it into the ears of his children daily. And he lived it, showing us an example. Today, I’ve seen another honest man, the Mai Gaskiya. He has been everything possible, held positions which could have made him stinking rich: Governor of a territory which now covers six states. Minister of Petroleum for over three years. Head of State. Chairman of Petroleum Trust Fund, with billions of naira in his care. A civilian President, running out his second term of four years each, in another 17 months. And yet he remains a man of modest means.

Let me tell you a story. Have you been to the Buhari home in Daura? Modest, modest, modest, is what the structure shouts at you, as you approach. The furnishing; modest. The locale itself; modest. The appurtenances; modest.

It is said that President Buhari had used a carpet in that house for almost 20 years. He knew every bit of furniture and fittings like the back of his hands. And then, one day, in his first term as President, he visited home, and a new carpet was in place.

Who changed my carpet? That was the first question he asked, as he stepped into the house? Imagine the President of Africa’s most powerful country, the largest economy on the continent, having time to ask about a carpet that had become old and threadbare? But that is Muhammadu Buhari for you. Simple man, if ever there was one.

We know of the 50 bedroom hilltop mansion (even if slightly exaggerated) where his former colleagues live. And we know of presidential libraries and other mansions built by somebody else, through what Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, called “executive extortionism.” But not all these trappings for Buhari. Scant regards for material things, what I recall my father describing as “shadows of life.”

Devout. Faithful and committed to his God. That is Muhammadu Buhari. Some people, who have not attained one-third of the heights he reached, would already have their shoulders permanently up, kicking at God, saying: “Is this not the great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honor of my majesty?” (Daniel 4: 29, 30). Godliness with contentment is great gain.

We are mere actors, playing on a stage, having our entrances and exits. “Out, out, brief candle! Life is but a walking shadow. A poor player that struts and frets his hour upon the stage, and then is heard no more. It’s a tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing,” wrote William Shakespeare. You can’t relate with Buhari, and not internalize that lesson.

Apart from at official hours, I often drop into the house at nights on goodwill visits. When he’s at dinner table, he eats the most modest things. And his talks are interspersed with “while we are here, we will do our best.” You know what that means? He knows that he’s but a tenant in the Presidential Villa. He would do his bit, and one day return to his home. That is the same place some people occupy, and they try all gambit to become President for life, attempting to sit tight by changing the laws of the land that prescribes term limit. But President Buhari is fully aware of the fact that he would drop the trappings of power one day, so he wields that power with simplicity. A vital lesson. Nothing lasts forever. Not power, not position, not even life itself. That is why I often laugh delightfully, when some people think they are needling me, saying: ‘you will soon be out of that place. You will come back and meet us. You will spend a maximum of eight years there, no more.’

In their vexing against the good fortunes God has bestowed on others, they keep thinking of evil. Fall, fall, fall. Fall on bad times. Or even, fall down and die. But they don’t know that whatever God gives, He also preserves. And He takes His own people from one level of glory to the other. And then, when the man you work with has learnt to count his days, who are you to think like an army of occupation? We are mere pilgrims, in government, in office, wherever. A pilgrim always returns home, and joyfully, too.

Ability to overlook and ignore. That is one thing I’ve learnt from President Buhari. Imagine all the noise in the country. On social media, traditional media, from political opposition, separatists, everywhere. But when you are in the market, you ignore the noise, ululation of the place, and focus on the person you are transacting business with. President Buhari is an expert at that. He ignores wailers, no matter their wailings, and just focuses on the job he has been elected to do.

At one time, an issue suffused the atmosphere about his family, so much so that it could deafen anyone. So I went to see him, and raised the matter. He asked me; “Where did you hear that?”
On social media, I responded.
He swept his hand through the air, and exclaimed: “Don’t mind the nuisance!”

And we laughed. Yes, we do laugh. The President enjoys his laughter, and you don’t go to see him without hearing one wisecrack or the other. Very witty man. But some people don’t know. They only remember the unsmiling duo of Buhari/Idiagbon days, in the 1980s. They think he’s all iron and steel, no soft side. Ask me, and I’ll tell you. That was why we did a documentary couple of years ago on the human, soft side of the President. Laughter is music of the soul. If the President is comfortable with you, there are no dull moments.

Ability to listen. Oh, the President has it. I know a former President who would never let you speak. He knows everything. You start a sentence, he completes it for you. And he tells his interviewers openly that they are talking rubbish. Not Buhari. He listens to you patiently, not interjecting. He lets you make your point to the end.

Can I ever forget the first day I resumed on this assignment, and he met with me privately. He said; “Adesina, please tell me the truth. You can be in this type of position, and people won’t tell you the truth. Argue with me. As a General, I may not agree, but please, argue with me. If you have a superior position, I will eventually see your point.”

You can argue with him. He listens, and is humble enough to change his mind and position. And he would tell you: “You are very right,”, adding: “My good God!” And he laughs.

Stingy but generous. President Buhari is very thrifty. He does not throw money at things, and as his media adviser, I can tell you. He even pokes fun at himself, saying; “don’t you know I’m very stingy?”

True. He doesn’t waste public money. He won’t misappropriate, and neither would he let you, if he knows about it. But when he needs to give, he does. I have personal experiences, which I’ve related before. I won’t repeat them, lest some people ask me to bring part of it, as they’ve done before. Lol.

No bigotry. He’s a Muslim who loves and respects other religions. Part of the de-marketing against him over the years is that he wants to Islamize the country. Really? Then he should start with me, and his other Christian aides. And his Vice President, a pastor. He should urge us to embrace Islam. Has it happened? Not even a whiff of it. When it is time for Christian festivals, Easter, Christmas, he’s the one who tells Christians working with him: “Take some time off. Spend the season with your family.” Bigot? I hear.

What of his compassion, his love for the lowly. I remember 2015, in the earl days of the Administration. Someone had said at cabinet meeting that the civil service was bloated, and it could be time to cut the size by half.

The President listened patiently, and then said: “I agree with you. But times are hard enough, and if it lies in my power, I won’t want to see even one person lose his or her job.” And so it remains.

The lessons are plenty. The man has a mind of his own. That’s why I laugh when they say a cabal is controlling him. Yes, he delegates a lot, but to abdicate responsibilities? He takes decisions, and he’s not even afraid of taking tough ones.

Unflappable. Cool, calm, collected. Straight talker, no tongue-in-cheek. That’s why you can’t afford to spin anything on his behalf. Otherwise, he comes out one day, and tells the truth. And you become damned as a liar.

Capacity to forgive. How many times have I seen people who abused his father and mother on TV in the morning, coming to see him under cover of darkness? And he’s all genial with them. He is all chummy, when they should rather have left with black eyes.

The lessons are inexhaustible. But let me say this last one. Who has the final say? Jehovah has the final say. Do you know how many doomsday prophecies we have heard about this President? They come from all angles, including embarrassingly from the pulpit. One said he would never return, when he was ill in 2017. Another said before the 2019 polls that Buhari was a goner, that God had revealed it to him. And another declared pontifically: “ Get out of that place! Your time is over. Power has been taken from you.” He even directed fasting and prayers against the President. But who says a thing, when God has not spoken? Heaven is with this President, and Heaven will see him through, no matter what finite man says.

Happy birthday, Mr President.

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

Let’s go down memory lane. In May, 2016, President Muhammadu Buhari had led the Nigerian delegation to London to attend the global anti-corruption summit being hosted by the then British Prime Minister, David Cameron.

We arrived London to the storm of reactions accompanying comments Cameron had made in a private conversation with the Queen of England, and the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, in which he described Nigeria as “fantastically corrupt” alongside some other countries. The PM did not know that his unofficial comments were being picked by a nearby television microphone.

The development played out while we were airborne from Nigeria to London, and after I had got the full perspectives of what happened, I went to brief our President. He listened carefully, as he usually does. He pondered for a while, and then asked me: “Do you disagree with the Prime Minister? Are we not a fantastically corrupt country?” He then laughed.

The next day, I was by no means surprised when a foreign journalist accosted our President, and asked:

“Are you embarrassed by what the Prime Minister said?”

Deadpan, President Buhari replied: “No, I’m not.”

The journalist went on.

“Is Nigeria fantastically corrupt?”

“Yes,” our President said.

Hoopla. Hullabaloo. Bedlam back home, from those who claimed President Buhari had gone to de-market Nigeria and Nigerians abroad. But that is the man from Daura for you. Straight as an arrow. He doesn’t talk tongue-in-cheek. He says it as it is.

He had inherited a country badly suffused with corruption, polarized down the middle by forces of ethnicity, religion, and other divisive tendencies, and he was not going to gloss over the issues, whether at home or abroad.

He’s painting us in bad light. He’s washing our dirty linen in the public, some people began to shout. He says we’re lazy, corrupt, indolent. He runs us down abroad. That was the noise of those initial years.

After a while, with some moral rearmament done, the psyche of the average Nigerian refocused, corruption robustly fought, and still being fought, infrastructure work in full steam, the President changed tune and style. He felt it was time to begin to market the country, time to tell the Nigerian story as it now is, and to seek foreign direct investment, which every country needs.

What did the naysayers then begin to say? Oh, he’s painting a false picture of our country abroad. We do not merit the attention of investors. We are corrupt, insecure, docile, decrepit. We do not deserve the attention of any investor. They should let us be, we should remain the way we are, cabined, cribbed, consigned to the backwaters of development.

Can you ever satisfy some people? Never! Head or tail, you won’t win with them. All they want now is to tell the story of killings by insurgents, bandits, kidnappers, and other criminals. Are those things happening in the country? Yes, they are. But are those the only things happening in Nigeria? They keep quiet. As far as they are concerned, it’s all doom and gloom in Nigeria, and there are no redeeming sides. True? False.

Despite the crippling challenges, our country has good stories to tell. Renaissance of infrastructure; roads, bridges, rail, airports, and many more. A vast market attractive to investors, human capital, vast natural resources, ease of doing business, policies targeted at business growth, and many more.

But they say shhhhhhhh. Don’t talk about it. Talk about those that bandits are killing daily. How insurgents take the battle to our towns and communities in the Northeast. How farmers and herders are in perpetual conflict nationwide. How students are kidnapped for ransom. How life is nasty, brutish and short.

When President Buhari moves from Riyadh, to Paris, to Durban, in South Africa, to Dubai, and many more, doing nothing other than selling the potentials of Nigeria to the world, asking investors; “come here and prosper, and reap handsome returns,” they say no. Not true. We are not worth anything. We are fantastically corrupt, bleeding on all sides, not worth anything. How duplicitous!

On Monday this week, I was on Channels Television, guest of Seun Okinbaloye on Politics Today. And he sought to know whether the peregrinations of our President was worth it, searching for investors, when some research statistics show that we were good for nothing as a foreign direct investment destination.

I said to the contrary, Nigeria was quite attractive. The huge market, the natural resources, the human resource, emerging infrastructure, and many more. But the TV host kept reeling off statistics from a fringe research report that said Nigeria was not even among the first ten investment destinations of choice in Africa.

I told him I doubted the parameters of the report he was quoting, and he challenged me to provide a better one. I promised to liaise with the relevant agencies of government, and I would provide more reliable data on the status of Nigeria.

In a matter of hours, the Buhari Media Organization, an independent advocacy group devoted to showcasing the good works of our President, came out with the facts and figures. See their statement, verbatim, on the status of Nigeria as an attractive investment destination:

“President Muhammadu Buhari's description of Nigeria as Africa's most viable and attractive investment destination is incontrovertible.

“According to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) in a statement on Monday in Abuja, the President's assertion is based strictly on verifiable facts.

“In the statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, BMO said that apart from available facts and figures, there are also the factors of the country's endowment as well as the conscious efforts by the Buhari administration to improve on the country's investment climate.

"President Buhari's address at the trade and investment forum at Dubai Expo 2020 in which he argued that the country is the most viable and attractive investment destination is not different from what he had said at three other stopover events in recent weeks.

"His sales pitch to potential foreign investors in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), and previously in France and Saudi Arabia have centred around outlining how the business environment in the country is changing as a result of efforts to make it better.

"For the avoidance of doubt, the President saId in his sales pitch that , 'our location, our natural resources, our population, and our regulations are there for all to see.' He also provided some insight into policies, projects and programmes his administration introduced to support private sector investors.

"This is not different from what he said about two weeks ago at a similar investment forum in Durban, South Africa, where he also argued that the country is putting in place fiscal, monetary and trade policies to support investments and investors in Agriculture, Mining, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, Banking and Financial services, Tourism, as well as Manufacturing.

"It is therefore not surprising that ABSA, one of Africa's largest financial services group named Nigeria among the continent's most attractive foreign direct investment destinations in its recent Africa Financial Markets Index 2021 (AAFMI)".

BMO said it was shocking that at the time President Buhari was pitching the country as the most attractive place to invest, some people went to town with a questionable ranking of FDI in Africa.

"We noticed how some unpatriotic Nigerians gleefully shared the questionable data on FDI in Africa from a small, unknown investment bank in South Africa, same time that the President was providing verifiable information on Nigeria.

"But we want to point Nigerians in the direction of the 2021 AAFMI, posted on the website of one of Africa's foremost financial service companies which clearly showed that the Buhari administration has not been sleeping on the wheel as far as opening up the economy to foreign investors is concerned.


"The research done in collaboration with the Official Monetary and Financial Institutions Forum (OMFIF) showed Nigeria in third place behind South Africa which retained the top spot for the third year running, and Mauritius

"And unlike what is being bandied around, the ABSA group outlined the parameters used, as well as country-by-country performance on a scale of 0-100: So this is how Nigeria fared- 'market depth, 62; access to foreign exchange, 20; market transparency, tax and regulatory environment, 86; capacity of local investors, 44; macroeconomic opportunities, 69 and enforceability of standard master agreement, 100.

"We should add that Nigeria has consistently risen on the AAFMI since its inception in 2017 when it was ranked 6th, mainly because of the success of the Ease of doing Business regime and we also expect further improvement once the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) goes into operation next year."

The group urged Nigerians to always ignore doomsday scenarios regularly painted in social media platforms by those who cannot separate politics from reality.

"The financial services group said in the report that Nigeria's official borrowing is relatively low at 8.4% of GDP, compared to other countries on the continent and it was emphatic that the country is not at risk of debt distress.


"Countries considered as high risk are Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and Zambia; while those on the moderate risk threshold are Côte D' Ivoire, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, Senegal and Uganda.


"But generally, the report noted that Nigeria has 'continued to make strides in creating an enabling investment environment for foreign investors, with the necessary regulatory developments and policy initiatives.’


"So contrary to naysayers, the Buhari administration has been steadily and surely removing the bottlenecks that had been negatively impacting the country's FDI drive".


The group reassured Nigerians that the government will not relent until the country becomes the ultimate destination for foreign investment in Africa.

Now, who has believed our report, and to whom has the hand of the Lord been revealed? Yes, which would you believe, and disseminate widely? Doomsday reports by shadowy groups, or scientific and well grounded ones? Whichever you embrace and share will determine your real attitude to your country. I keep saying it. Some people hate their country, hate fellow human beings, hate God, and even hate themselves. Pity!

But whether we believe or not does not stop the inexorable march of Nigeria to halcyon days, a season devoid of gore and blood, in which all the security challenges will become but a story told, and the land will flow with milk and honey once again. Believe, and be part of it.

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

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Lagos commissioned a Seaward Defence Boat (SDB) III, built by the Nigerian Navy.

The indigenously constructed SDB, NNS Oji, is the third of its series to be locally built at the Naval Dockyard Limited, Lagos solely by Navy engineers after the successes of NNS Adoni, and NNS Karaduwa, commissioned in 2016 by President Buhari. 

Speaking at the event, which also marked the inauguration of some recently acquired platforms and the keel-laying ceremony for the construction of Boat-IV and Boat-V, President Buhari said the new inductions to the Naval fleet would boost their capability in securing Nigeria’s maritime domain. 

He charged all naval personnel to maintain professionalism and ensure good use of the newly built and recently acquired platforms including NNS LANA, KANO, IKENNE, ABA, SOKOTO and OSUN.

‘‘We should note that we are in a critical period where our country is faced with a serious decline in our revenue and the security challenges we are facing. 

‘‘The present realities, therefore, call for prudent resource management, innovativeness, accountability and careful maintenance.

‘‘I wish to reiterate that despite these challenges, our administration is very determined to ensure that the Navy is well supported to achieve its statutory responsibilities. 

‘‘Let me assure you that the Government will continue to support the ideals of the Nigerian Navy in the performance of its constitutional duties. God bless the Nigerian Navy, God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Onward Together,'' he said.

The President commended the Nigerian Navy for maintaining a steady course in its drive for local content development which is in tandem with the philosophy of this administration. 

He said the Federal Government’s commitment to properly equip the Navy with the right mix of platforms has seen the Service take delivery of NNS LANA in May this year from France.  

‘‘I commend the business dependability of Messrs OCEA Shipyard - France, the builders of our Navy’s first-ever purpose-built Offshore Survey Vessel for a conclusive and successful execution of the contract. 

‘‘Local partners should share in this commendation for their efforts at local facilitation as outlined in the Government’s local content policy,’’ he said.

President Buhari acknowledged that the Federal Government is aware of the Navy’s dedication towards ensuring the security of the vast oil and gas industry in the nation’s maritime environment as well as sea lanes of communications. 

According to him, given the present high dependence on oil and gas revenues, the Navy is undeniably a major contributor to the economic well-being of Nigeria.

‘‘Arrests of those involved in illegalities have yielded results as some pirates, illegal bunkering syndicates, pipeline vandals and other miscreants have been convicted during this year. 

‘‘Such successes were made possible through the enforcement of our new anti-piracy law on Suppression of Piracy and Other Maritime Offences Act 2019.

‘‘Furthermore, the provision of the new policy directives by the current administration of the Navy codified in such documents as the Nigerian Navy Strategic    Plan 2021-2030; the Chief of the Naval Staff Strategic Directive 2021-5 and the Total Spectrum Maritime Strategy have given the Service credible guidelines and leverage for improved operational efficiency,’’ he said. 

The Commander-in-Chief also used the occasion to laud the Navy’s efforts in the fight against maritime crimes in the Gulf of Guinea region, praising the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral AZ Gambo and all the officers, ratings and civilian staff of the Navy for remarkable achievements. 

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

December 9, 2021

NO ONE INVOLVED IN THE OROMONI KILLING WILL BE SPARED, ASSURES PRESIDENT BUHARI

For several days now, the nation has been gripped by the news of the tragic incident at Dowen College, in Lagos with morbid details constantly emerging of how our young son, Sylvester Oromoni (Junior) met his death.

President Muhammadu Buhari condemns the killing of Sylvester, one of our bright youngsters doing excellently in school, bringing joy to the family and if this incident is truly arising from bullying or cultism, the President assures that it must act as a trigger leading to a permanent solution to this recurring problem.

“I share the anger and grief up and down the country following this incident. On behalf of my family and I, and the government of the federation, I convey our heartfelt condolences to the Oromoni family, the government and people of Lagos State and give the firm assurance that this incident will be thoroughly investigated and the appropriate punishment meted out to all those who are culpable.”

The President urges the Police to continue the ongoing investigation until they get to the root of the matter in order for the law to take its course, assuring that justice will be done, no matter who is involved.

Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
December 8, 2021

Attention!

We have good news of another investment milestone for Nigeria.

It was my pleasure today to virtually preside over the groundbreaking ceremony of the Africa Medical Center of Excellence in Abuja (AMCE), a landmark hospital project that will significantly transform the healthcare sector in West Africa.

The AMCE, a 500-bed specialist facility, is a 300 million US dollar investment that will provide services in the areas of oncology, cardiology, and haematology and will seek to address the significant shortage of clinical care options in West Africa.

It is being implemented by the African Export Import Bank - Afreximbank in partnership with the Federal Government of Nigeria Aso Rock Villa; Kings College Hospital, London; University of Winsconsin Teaching Hospital, USA and Christies Hospital, Manchester.

The success of the AMCE will pave the way for future investments and partnerships in Nigeria’s healthcare sector while raising the local standard of healthcare and providing a blueprint for quality of services required to address Nigeria’s and Africa’s healthcare and economic challenges.

The AMCE indeed represents a return to fundamentals, and the understanding that there is no African development agenda without able-bodied Africans to execute our vision of transformation.

The AMCE demonstrates that Afreximbank is not only Africa’s trade finance partner, but also its development partner. Our appreciation goes to the Bank, under the leadership of Prof Benedict Oramah.

I would also like to commend the Ministers of Industry, Trade and Investment, Foreign Affairs, Federal Capital Territory and Health for their tireless support to ensuring this project comes to life. This was truly a team effort.

We are truly rebuilding Nigeria, one investment at a time.

KEYNOTE ADDRESS MADE BY HONOURABLE ATTORNEY - GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION AND MINISTER OF JUSTICE, ABUBAKAR MALAMI, SAN AT THE LAUNCH OF THE VIRTUAL COURT SITTING FACILITIES AT THE KUJE CORRECTIONAL CENTRE, ABUJA HELD ON 6TH DECEMBER, 2021

PROTOCOL:

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this epoch making event which is the launch of the Virtual Court Sitting facilities deployed here at the Kuje Correctional Centre for Virtual Court Sitting Proceedings.
Permit me to thank the Honourable Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Comptroller - General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Nigerian Correctional Service, the Government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Spotlight Initiative for their cooperation and funding support which has made today’s event a reality.

One of the strategic interventions by the Federal Ministry of Justice towards engendering lasting reforms in the Criminal Justice Sector in Nigeria was the development of the Consolidated Sentencing Guidelines (Custodial and Non-Custodial) Practice Directions, 2020. The Ministry in collaboration with the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion thereafter hosted a Virtual Technical Session involving crucial stakeholders to review and validate the draft document. At the end of the Session, it was recommended that “the Federal Ministry of Justice should expedite its engagement with the Nigerian Correctional Centres to make it possible for evidence of suspects in custody to be taken without their physical presence in court to avoid disruptions”
This is a re-enactment and consolidation of spirit of Administration of Criminal Justice Act targetted at speedy determination of cases by way of eliminating delays and displacement of denial of justice which will further support our policy of decongestion of correctional centres across the country.

It may be recalled that in my press release issued on the 20th of April 2020, on Post Covid-19 justice system plans, I had expressed the resolve of the Federal Ministry of Justice to respond appropriately to the challenges posed by the pandemic to the administration of justice in the country in collaboration with other critical stakeholders in the Justice Sector.

I also emphasized that there was the need for a paradigm shift in the administration of justice through the deployment of appropriate technologies to drive the administration of justice.

Accordingly, on the 27th of April 2020, the Committee on post Covid-19 Justice System in Nigeria was constituted and inaugurated. The primary aim of the committee is to assess and identify the challenges and impact of the Pandemic on the entire Justice System and make appropriate and actionable recommendations on the immediate, medium and long term measures for addressing the challenges of the pandemic.

One of the mandates of the committee is to work with the Nigerian Correctional Service to establish virtual court rooms/studios in correctional centres to enable suspects in custody participate in the remote hearing of cases or bail applications.

Consequently in this regard, the Ministry partnered with the UNDP and Japan Government towards deploying Virtual Court Proceedings in Correctional Centres nationwide with a Pilot Project in Kuje Correctional Centre.

As you may recall, the Covid-19 pandemic pushed various sectors of the economy of most countries of the world into a complete shutdown-from private sector organizations to public organizations, and even the Criminal Justice sector.

Court proceedings became delayed and there was an ensuing collapse of the prosecution of several high-profile cases. In the circumstance, the correctional centres were becoming overcrowded and gradually sliding into a very critical state. The Pandemic created a problem that basically could not be solved without the adoption of technology.

This project was, therefore, initiated to ensure the hearing and determination of urgent and time-bound cases, using the digital platform. This system would equally ensure speedy dispensation of trials in line with section 36(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), which provides that every person shall be entitled to fair hearing within a reasonable time. It would also eliminate the issue of difficulties in conveying the inmates to court and would further ensure the safety and security of the inmates and law enforcement officers.

We are no longer constrained by mobility, space and time in the justice delivery on account of accommodation of the virtual court sitting facilities and deployment of incidental technology.

Notably, our justice system is founded on the constitutional principle of fundamental rights to fair hearing that requires the court to hear and determine cases in public and the physical presence of the suspects or parties in court.

I assure you that the Virtual Court Proceedings are in compliance with the provisions of section 36(3) of the Constitution, which provides for public court sitting or hearing. This Virtual Court Proceedings meet up with the expectation of the Constitution and are not private hearings but open to the respective counsel involved, the litigants (inmates) and the general public at large.

In addition, it is important to note that this virtual court hearing will not in any way contravene the provision of section 36(6) of the 1999 Constitution which provides for the arraignment, taking of evidence, tendering of documents, cross-examination and general conduct of criminal proceedings. In as much as these are done in accordance with the said provision, the virtual hearing would be valid.

This initiative will in no small measure help boost the economy by ensuring that funds meant for the movement of the inmates would be channeled to other essential areas of needs in the Correctional Centres, and assist the country to meet up with global best practice in terms of the Administration of the Criminal Justice.

Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, I have no doubt whatsoever, that the effective deployment of these facilities for the virtual court sitting proceedings for the inmates will significantly contribute to the overall efficiency of the criminal justice system in Nigeria.

As we launch these facilities today, I am hopeful that this initiative would bring about effective virtual court sittings in correctional centres nationwide which would feed into the adoption of the National Judicial Council Guidelines on Virtual/Remote Court Sittings and Quick Access to Justice for incarcerated citizens in Correctional centres across the Federation.

At this juncture, I must appreciate the commitment and dedication of the Administration of Criminal Justice Reform (ACJR) Department of the Federal Ministry of Justice, the representatives of the UNDP and indeed, all stakeholders who worked round the clock to ensure the success of this project.

On behalf of the President, President Muhammadu Buhari, Federal Republic of Nigeria, I thank and express my deep appreciation to the Government of Japan and UNDP Spotlight Initiative for their funding support. We look forward to a continued collaboration and it is on this note that I wish to declare this facilities open.
Thank you.

ABUBAKAR MALAMI, SAN
HONOURABLE ATTORNEY-GENERAL OF THE FEDERATION AND
MINISTER OF JUSTICE

Assistant Inspector General of Police, AIG Garba Baba Umar, psc, the Head of INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB), Nigeria, has emerged the duly elected Vice President (Africa) and Executive Committee Member of the International Criminal Police Organization (ICPO) - INTERPOL. AIG Garba was elected in the early hours of today, 25th November, 2021 in the 89th INTERPOL General Assembly currently holding at the Halic Congress Hall, Istanbul, Turkey. The year 2021 General Assembly, which have in attendance 470 Police Chiefs, Ministers and Senior Law Enforcement Officials from the 195 INTERPOL member countries, seeks to identify areas where the organization can reinforce the global security architecture and enhance collaboration against national and transnational crimes.

AIG Garba, one of Nigeria’s finest criminal investigators and professional strategic police manager, with over thirty (30) years policing experience both at national and international levels, polled the highest number of votes in the elections. With this appointment, which will span through a period of 3yrs, AIG Garba is expected to bring his wealth of experience to bear in coordinating INPERPOL operations targeted at ensuring a safer world for people and communities across the African continent. This is in addition to drawing international policing support and cooperation towards advancing public safety and security, protecting the cyber space and generally addressing challenges faced by law enforcement officers and policing managers in the continent.

The Nigeria’s delegation to the 89th INTERPOL General Assembly was led by the Honourable Minster of Police Affairs, Muhammad Maigari Dingyadi, ably supported by the Inspector General of Police, IGP Usman Alkali Baba, psc (+), NPM, fdc. The other members of the delegation are: the Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Abdulrasheed Bawa and the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Awwal Zubairu Gambo (represented by the Naval Provost Marshal).


CP FRANK MBA
FORCE PUBLIC RELATIONS OFFICER
FORCE HEADQUARTERS
ABUJA

LORI IRO: THE EVIL THAT LIE MERCHANTS DO

By FEMI ADESINA

You have probably seen something on social media, which I consider a parody of lie merchants against our country. We will talk about it in a minute.

But let me take an early digression to recall the story of a teacher we didn’t particularly like when we were in secondary school. The man could wield the whip, ehnnnn. And when he decided to give you a knock on the head, you began to swallow your own mucus. Fast fast.

So, the obstreperous boys, who didn’t want any form of control, nicknamed the teacher Aji pogun iro. The person who lies at least 20 times a day.

Boys will be boys. I doubt if we ever caught the teacher at a single lie, but just because we didn’t like him, we nicknamed him Aji pogun iro. We usually had so much fun calling him that name behind him.

Back to our topic. Some people hate their country so much, that they tell a minimum of 20 lies against her daily. And they use the digital media, particularly the variant called social media. There, you have no checks, no balances. An ‘army of anything goes’ operates there.

Now to that parody of lie merchants. A man is seen with a bouquet of flowers, kneeling down before a lady. He says:

“Abeni, please agree to marry me, or I’ll die. You are my joy, my honey, the salt of my life.

“If I don’t see you, I can’t eat. I can’t sleep. And peradventure I sleep, I dream of you like a crazy man.”

As he spins his yarn, a male voice interjects periodically: Lori iro. Lori iro. Meaning, Big, Fat, Lies.

The lady was probably getting convinced, and about to say ‘I will do’ when a heavily pregnant woman appears on the scene, and shouts:

“Who am I looking at? My husband!”

A shocked Abeni exclaims: “So you are already married!” And she gave Aji pogun iro a dirty slap. He saw stars. End of story.

The man with the voice then takes centre stage, chanting lyrically: Iro po, iro po. O ti po repete. Lie lie lover, lie lie lover, meaning, Big Fat Lies, Big Fat Lies, Too Many Lies. Lie lie lover.

And I say, Big Fat Lies, Big Fat Lies against Nigeria, and against a President doing his honest best for the country. And anybody loyal to the President also becomes a butt of lies, undue hatred, odium, misinformation, disinformation, opprobrium.

We were at the 76th Assembly of the United Nations in New York between September 19 and 26, this year. We returned home without any incident, landing in Abuja about 4 am.

Few days later, a perpetually lying online newspaper published that on the trip back home, the presidential jet developed a technical fault, and we made emergency landing at a place called Sable Island, where we were held up for three hours, before resuming the journey.

Holy Moses! I was on that flight! Nothing of such happened. How did a fecund but sick mind conjure that lie? Lori iro. When did journalism become a cocktail of lies? And to what end? Shame, big shame.

I got a number of phone calls from people who wanted to rejoice with me that we escaped what could have been a crash. I let them finish talking, and would say: Lori iro. They would be shocked, then curse the lying blog, and go off the line.

A high rise building unfortunately came down in Lagos recently, killing a large number of people, including the developer. Pronto, that lying online medium published that the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, was a partner with the developer, who was his bosom friend. Lori iro.

The VP, a professor of law, demanded a retraction, or he would go to court. But these liars have no honor, nor any sense of shame. They never correct nor retract their lies. It is second nature to them. No wonder the Good Book says when the Devil lies, “he speaks his natural language. A liar and father of lies.” Lori iro.

There’s another Liars’ Gazette, which makes it a point of duty to tell at least 20 lies against the country daily. Aji pogun iro. The former boss of the suicide journalist behind that online publication once described him to me as “a danger to today and to tomorrow.” When he lies, he speaks his natural language.

Recently, Dr Chike Akunyili, husband to that deceased Nigerian heroine, Dora, was gruesomely killed in the Southeast, apparently by murderous separatists. What did Liars’Gazette say? Dr Akunyili killed by Fulani herdsmen! No shred, not even a scintilla of evidence. They are just bent on throwing the country into a turmoil, and the more heinous the lie, the more it serves their evil purpose.

It was the same Liars’ Gazette that went to town in October last year, during the EndSARS protest, publishing that President Muhammadu Buhari had agreed to scrap the SARS police team early, but his media adviser, Femi Adesina, prevailed on him not to do so. Lori iro.

What the Liars’ Gazette wanted to do was to turn the public against me. It succeeded for a while, going by the volume of vitriol and hate messages I received initially. But it is said that if lie travels for 20 years, truth catches up with it in one day. Soon, the truth came out, and the liar was left standing small and looking stupid.

I was special guest recently at the unveiling of a book, 101 Fake News on EndSARS, written by a young investigative reporter, Dahiru M. Lawal. The book is published by PR Nigeria, and how I wish every citizen of this great country can get a copy. In 203 pages, the author chronicles all the lies that accompanied the EndSARS protests, which began as a laudable outcry against police brutality, till the Devil took over, and things took a murderous turn. Lagos was almost completely burned down, and scores of policemen and other security agents lay dead round the country. The truth of that saga is still being unraveled by probe panels round the country.

Lies are being told daily against the President. He’s Jibril of Sudan, the real Buhari is long dead. A cabal runs the country for him, he can’t even talk again. He’s a tyrant, and tramples on the human rights of Nigerians. He’s not even achieving anything. Blah blah.

And don’t think it’s only inconsequential people who are behind these lies. Even serial election losers join the fray. When an opposition party speaks, just tell yourself; Lori iro. Because it lies daily. It speaks its natural language when it spews untruth. When some pastors, and some imams preach, it is Lori iro. They lie against the President, and against the government he leads. Simply because they hate their country, hate the citizens, and even hate themselves.

But I’ve got news for such people. As God wills, President Buhari would continue to achieve for the country. Infrastructure works would continue, the insecurity war would be won, the economy would continue to revive, and corrupt people would endlessly march straight to jail. And then, by May 29, 2023, the President would land safely. Amen.

Every other thing, as conjured by evil hearts, the Lie Lie Lovers, would be Lori iro.

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

Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN is to launch nationwide deployment and use of Virtual Court Proceedings in Nigeria’s Correctional Centres.

This is made known by Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu, Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations, Office of the Attorney General of the Federation in a statement issued to newsmen on Friday the 3rd day of December, 2021.

According to the statement, Malami is to launch the pilot project for the deployment and use Virtual Court Sitting facilities at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja on Monday the 6th day of December, 2021.

Expected at the Occasion are the Honourable Minister of Interior; Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, the Controller - General of the Nigerian Correctional Service; Halilu Nababa as well as members of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion.

The Secretary of the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion, Leticia Ayoola-Daniels working with the representative of the supporting organization; Mrs. Oyinye Ndubuisi of the UNDP are working assiduously to ensure achievement of the laudable project.

According to Dr. Gwandu the initiative is one of the strategic interventions by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice and indeed the Federal Government towards engendering lasting reforms in the Criminal Justice Sector in Nigeria.

He said the development of the Consolidated Sentencing Guidelines (Custodial and Non-Custodial) Practice Directions, 2020.

The Ministry in collaboration with the Presidential Committee on Correctional Reforms and Decongestion expedite engagement with the Nigerian Correctional Centres to make it possible for evidence of suspects in custody to be taken without their physical presence in court to avoid disruptions.

According to the statement the development is part of the process to implement the Post-Covid-19 Justice Sector Plan marshaled out by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in April, 2020.

*Dr. Umar Jibrilu Gwandu*
(Special Assistant on Media and Public Relations,
Office of the Attorney General of the Federation)
Friday the 3rd day of December, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari departs Abuja today Wednesday to attend EXPO 2020 Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

EXPO 2020 Dubai, with the theme, "Connecting Minds, Creating the Future", creates the environment for Nigeria to join over 190 countries to forge true and meaningful partnerships "to build a better future for everyone.”

The Expo will provide another opportunity for the Nigerian delegation to highlight significant strides in the economy in the last six years as a basis for making the country an important destination for foreign direct investment.

Aside touring the Nigerian Pavilion at the Expo on Friday, Nigeria’s National Day, the President will also receive in audience prospective investors as well as meet with His Highness, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces and Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai.

On Saturday, President Buhari will be the Special Guest of Honour at the special Trade and Investment Forum themed: Unveiling Investment Opportunities in Nigeria. It is put together to mark Nigeria’s presence at the gathering by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment.

The President will be accompanied by the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adeniyi Adebayo; Finance, Budget and National Planning, Hajia Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed; Defence, Maj.-Gen. Bashir Magashi (retd); Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika; and Agriculture and Rural Development, Dr. Mohammad Abubakar.

Others are: Ministers of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire; Communications and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Ali Pantami; Mines and Steel Development, Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite; Minister of State, Industry, Trade and Investment, Amb. Maryam Katagum, the National Security Adviser , Maj.-Gen. Babagana Monguno (retd), Director-General of National Intelligence Agency, Amb. Ahmed Rufai Abubakar and the Chairman/CEO Nigerians in Diaspora Commission , Hon. Abike Dabiri-Erewa.

President Buhari is expected back in Abuja on Sunday, December 5, 2021.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
December 1, 2021

The *3rd National Summit on Diminishing Corruption in the Public Sector* holds on *Tuesday, 30th November 2021* at 10am prompt.

*Login on Cisco Webex with the following link:*

https://galaxybackboneng.webex.com/galaxybackboneng/onstage/g.php?MTID=eaeca67925c1c5e933c35dfa9df5e12de

*Password:* 53752

BUHARI’S ‘DEEL’ WITH NIGERIAN YOUTHS

By FEMI ADESINA

What’s the deal for youths in the country, particularly from the Muhammadu Buhari administration? That is a question that often comes from different quarters.

Well, the deal for the largest demographic composition, representing about 65% of our population, has been encapsulated under the acronym DEEL. And it’s a big deal, standing for Digital Skill Acquisition, Employability, Entrepreneurship, and Leadership.

Unfolding the deal behind DEEL last week at the State House Press Briefing was Minister of Youth and Sports Development, Sunday Dare, who disclosed that his Ministry has the mandate to promote the physical, mental and socio-economic development of the youth through the advancement and protection of their rights within Nigeria.

But is the job being done? How, and to what end? The Ministry has the duty of developing the youth, and also sports. But let’s focus on the youth component in this piece, as it is quite a germane issue, which often sends those involved into dangerous and illegal migration, in which they dare both the Sahara Desert, and the Mediterranean Sea, all in the bid to get to ‘greener’ pastures in Europe, and other parts of the world.

A few survive the misadventure, while the larger number perish in the famished bowels of the Desert, or the watery enclave of the Sea. But why should our youths stay at home? Minister Dare unfurled the reasons.

DEEL. Digital Skill Acquisition. Entrepreneurship. Employability. Leadership.

Under D, the Minister says a minimum number of 6523 of our youths have been trained in robotics and artificial intelligence. Others have been tutored in mobile device repairs, 30,000 have benefited from what is called Digital Youth Nigeria through the IBM Digital Nation Africa, and 10,000 Youth Corps members benefited in Digital skills training.

There are also trainings in youth entrepreneurship for vulnerable youths, and applicant recruitment across the six geopolitical zones in the country, with a budget of N5.2 billion.

Under E, Entrepreneurship, the sum of N75 billion is to be spent over three years, 2020-2023. Called the Nigeria Youth Investment Fund (NYIF), it is an initiative of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Development, and is funded by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

The aim is to invest in the innovative ideas, skills and talent of our youths, thereby turning them into entrepreneurs, wealth creators and employers of labour, contributing to national development. The intention is to generate 500,000 jobs between 2020-2023.

According to Minister Dare, the sum of N2.9 billion has been disbursed so far under the CBN/NIRSAL arrangement, while 25,000 applicants have been evaluated and are undergoing final stage of training before funds disbursement.

Hear testimonials of some beneficiaries of NYIF: “I will like to send my appreciation to Mr President and the Ministry for the good job done to make sure the fund got to the right people.” Suleiman Abdulkadir.

Yemi Kemi Borisade: “Thank you Mr President for approving this fund through the Ministry of Youth and Sports. God bless Nigeria, God bless Mr President.”

And another beneficiary: “I thank the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Youth and Sports for the opportunity to benefit and scale up my business.”

About 5,258 youths have already benefited from the MSME loan.

In a digital age, the onus is on literate youths to apply online, to become beneficiaries. They need not look for godfathers to help, as it is available for all and sundry. Our youths need to eschew cynicism and skepticism, and step into what has been provided for them. The saying that “nothing ventured, nothing gained,” still rings true. The testimonies are from different parts of the country under the scheme.

There’s the Nigeria Online Youth Assembly (NOYA), which is a purpose-built portal by the Ministry to enable youths get job opportunities, scholarships for personal development, and it presently has over 98, 300 youths signed up.

Instead of joining NOYA, we have millions of youths who are online, spewing hatred against their country, its leadership, and being purveyors of fake news, and hatred. It’s surely not the way to go.

There are series of opportunities for our youths to improve their employability, and acquire leadership skills. There’s the Work Experience Programme (WEP), designed to provide opportunities for them to obtain technical and work readiness skills that will increase their potential for employment, through placement in various organizations for a period of three months.

Under President Buhari, stipend payable to NYSC members has been increased from N18,000 monthly to N33,000. Over 3000,000 youth benefit from this.

Opportunities abound for our youths to benefit from different provisions under DEEL. But they have to go for what has been provided, and not just bemoan their fate, lamenting that nothing is being done for them. Leadership is taken, not given on a platter. They asked for the Not Too Young to Run law, they got it. Let them use what they now have.

The truth is that the focal points of the Buhari administration have been designed to give our youths a future and a hope. When insurgency and banditry are being robustly fought, it is so that the youths can have a country. When efforts are made to retune, diversify and make the economy robust, it is for the youth. And when corrupt people are jailed and their loots recovered, it is for the youths to have a future.

Let there be no disruptive tendencies from our youths again. Let them know that they are stakeholders in the country, their country, and they have roles to play in salvaging Nigeria. It’s a big deal, and DEEL is a good way to get there.

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

*Adds: It’s a testament to the possibilities in the Nigerian economy

Coca Cola’s plan to invest $1 billion in Nigeria in the next five years testifies to the possibilities in the economy despite challenges, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.

Prof. Osinbajo stated this Monday evening at the 70th anniversary gala of the Nigerian Bottling Company (NBC).

According to the Vice President, “your ongoing investment in the country, which I am told will be in the order of $1billion in the next five years, testifies to your faith in the possibilities of Nigeria.”


“And you can rely on the partnership of the Nigerian government, (and i dare say the Nigerian people too) as you make these great strides,” Prof. Osinbajo assured.

While narrating his personal and family stories about drinking Coke, including how he drank two bottles of Coke a day up until 2017, the Vice President reiterated that the Buhari administration’s commitment to “creating an environment that allows the private sector innovate and thrive remains active and sincere, despite the challenges.

“And we will continue to work with businesses across the broad spectrum of our dynamic economy to ensure that we do this with a clear view of the opportunities and problems of the day.”

Prof. Osinbajo further stated that in the 70 years that the company has operated in Nigeria, it has demonstrated “commitment to the Nigerian people with repeated investments, in the building of production facilities across the country, in creating thousands of jobs but also in your active support of every aspect of our national life, from health to education, from women and youth empowerment to sports. All done with conscious respect for the environment.”

Continuing, Prof. Osinbajo said “I think it is fair to say that the commitment has been met with the enthusiastic patronage of generations of Nigerians; families who have been supported by the stable careers of staff who have grown with the company through the years.”

He explained that “young people who have found successful careers in sports and entertainment inspired by your support; consumers from Lagos to Kano, Rivers to Plateau, linked by distributors in every region of the country, who have built enduring businesses getting Coca Cola into the hands of millions; a robust value chain that includes service providers and marketing agencies, creators of the iconic Coke adverts that have formed part of our individual and collective memories all these years.”

The high point of the event was the presentation of awards to distinguished staff and partners of the company across the country.

On his part, Board Chairman of NBC, Amb. Segun Apata recalled the company’s growth and contribution to the economy and noted that the company will continue in its 70 years tradition of investing in the economy as well as impacting its host communities through several initiatives, especially for the youths.

Nigerian Bottling Company also known as NBC was incorporated in 1951 but started production in 1953 at the basement facilities of the mainland Hotel, owned by Leventis Group, producing Coke licensed by the Coca Cola Company.

The gala night was also attended by the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat.


Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity
Office of the Vice President
November 23, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law two important bills passed by the National Assembly thereby making them to become part of the Laws of the Federation.

The Climate Change Act owes its origin to a bill sponsored by a member of the House of Representatives, Sam Onuigbo and provides for, among other things, the mainstreaming of climate change actions and the establishment of a National Council on Climate Change.

It also paves the way for environmental and economic accounting and a push for a net zero emission deadline plan in the country.

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (Amendment) Act amends the AMCON Act No.4, 2010.

It provides for the extension of the tenor of the Resolution Cost Fund and grants access to the Special Tribunal established by the Banks and other Financial Institutions Act 2020, which confers on the corporation the power “to take possession, manage, foreclose or sell, transfer, assign or otherwise deal with the asset or property used as security for eligible bank assets and related matters.’’

This, in effect, will help AMCON make recoveries and for debtors to fulfil their commitments to banks.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media and Publicity)

November 18, 2021

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to study a Report on how best to ensure effective policy design and implementation with a view to implementing some of its recommendations.

The report entitled, “Getting Things Done: Strategies for Policy and Programme Implementation in Nigeria,” was presented to the President by the Senior Executive Course 43 (2021) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) , Kuru, Plateau State.

Receiving the report, the President assured the course participants that it would be treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves.

‘‘As such, I am directing the MDAs and the National Steering Committee on the Vision 2050 to study the Report, with the view to diligently consider the recommendations presented and incorporate them as part of over-all execution strategy,’’ he said.

Declaring that this administration has invested great efforts in the provision of good governance and making tremendous progress at getting the desired results, the President said:

‘‘This report becomes important and timely in our quest to enhance service delivery to our citizens.”

On the importance of NIPSS and its course participants, the President noted it was always a delight to receive their input on important issues that are of very great concern to the government and the nation.

‘‘No nation will progress without paying close attention to the ways policies are made and implemented, as it is often unclear how best to ensure effective policy design and implementation.

‘‘The gaps between policy design and programmes implementation must be closed in order for our country to continue to make meaningful progress.

‘‘This was why I charged Participants of the Senior Executive Course No. 43, 2021 to work on the theme: “Getting Things Done: Strategies for Policy and Programme Implementation in Nigeria,” he said.

Alluding to the report and the presentation done by participants of Course 43, the President noted that their research had drawn attention to the numerous efforts of his administration in policy and programme implementation, as well as the challenges faced.

He acknowledged that the report also generated constructive and compelling recommendations with adequate implementation strategies.

‘‘The structure, content and mode of presentation of this report shows great commitment and hard work that has gone into it.

‘‘This confirms to me and our administration of the consistency and reliability of the National Institute in delivering on very critical and sensitive assignments of national importance.

‘‘While I congratulate the Participants for justifying the confidence in nominating you for this course, I wish to commend the National Institute for once more living up to expectations.

‘‘Let me express my pleasure at the level of knowledge and discipline you have openly demonstrated about our country and our challenges,’’ he said.

President Buhari urged the course participants, mainly drawn from the senior cadre of Federal and State establishments, to put to work all they have learnt in their various establishments.

‘‘I am convinced that you are now well equipped for the task of handling higher and more complex responsibilities for the benefit of our country,’’ he told them.

In his remarks at the presidential parley, the Acting Director-General of NIPSS, Brig. Gen. Chukwuemeka Udaya told the President that the 85 participants of Senior Course 43 of 2021 were distributed into seven groups to interrogate the theme of the study.

‘‘The seven groups received lectures and presentations from top class resource persons, went on study tours in order to interact with and gather data on the theme for study from experts, public and private sector practitioners from across the globe carried out individual and group research work and rigorous intellectual debates,’’ he said.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

November 18, 2021

5th EDITION OF THE NIGERIA MINING WEEK (VIRTUAL), 16TH - 17TH NOVEMBER 2021

Keynote Address

by

Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development

Your Excellency, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, GCON, Vice President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Your Excellencies, executive governors, Honourable ministers, distinguished members of the National Assembly, members of the Diplomatic Community, heads of agencies and government parastatals, captains of industries, distinguished participants, ladies and gentlemen.

On behalf of the Ministry of Mines and Steel Development, it gives me great pleasure to welcome you all to the 5th Annual Nigeria Mining Week, which is being held virtually.
Although we greatly miss the ambience of getting together in-person, occasioned by the current challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, the digital event remains the ideal platform for all the mining stakeholders in the public and private sector to come together.

Thank you all for coming to this platform, which offers an avenue for open dialogue between the government, mining operators, and technology service providers.

This year’s event is titled "Seven Compelling Reasons to Invest in Nigeria’s Mining Sector". I can, however, give you a hundred compelling reasons to invest in Nigeria’s mining sector. For starters, we are endowed with over 44 different mineral types occurring in commercial quantities in over 500 locations across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. These mineral endowments broadly cut across the various mineral spectrums.

We have industrial minerals such as barite, kaolin, gypsum, feldspar, and limestone. We are endowed with energy minerals such as bitumen, lignite, and uranium. We also have metallic ore minerals such as gold, cassiterite, columbite, iron ore, lead-zinc, and copper.

There are construction mineral types such as granite, gravel, laterite, and sand. We also have the precious stone variety such as sapphire, tourmaline, emerald, topaz, amethyst, and garnet, just to mention a few.

This clearly demonstrates the wide mineral spectrum we are endowed with, which offers limitless opportunities for exploitation, job creation, revenue growth, and economic development.

Out of the 44-mineral endowment, seven were selected for immediate development. They are coal, iron ore, bitumen, gold, limestone, lead-zinc, and barite.

We have also adopted a forward-thinking approach by developing the strategic minerals of the future. These include minor metals such as titanium and cobalt, which are vital to futuristic industries such as telecoms and electric vehicle manufacturing.

We have indeed created a very business-friendly environment in the mining sector through reforms that grew out of the roadmap for the growth and development of the Nigerian mining industry.

The roadmap, which was formulated in 2016, gave us clear policy direction on how to develop the sector, which we have adhered to religiously to unlock the potential in the sector.

This is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s determined resolve to diversify the economy, weaning it off its addiction to the hydrocarbon sector. To this end, the ministry has continued to work hard to increase the revenue generated from the sector and its contribution to the national GDP.

The sector is also being primed to be a huge job creator, broadening the spectrum of economic opportunities available to Nigerians through the pursuit of strategic policies.

It may please you to know that every policy initiated by us has been steeped in global best practices. Transparency has been our watch word and cornerstone upon which the mining industry has been administered, as we continue to foster a culture of openness which will, in turn, engender trust between all stakeholders in the industry.

Carrying out this mandate through our various reforms is a drive towards creating value in the mining sector that would ultimately benefit the citizens.

The Ministry has been scaling up the capacity of the sector, transforming it into a strategic catalyst for domestic growth while also achieving a high level of global relevance.

Your Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen, permit me to remind you that in July 2021, the Ministry successfully hosted a virtual meeting with the 774 local government chairmen, chaired by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

The event was part of our mandate to develop the sector, creating opportunities for both local and foreign investors to exploit the various minerals occurring in each local government area to create jobs and empower members of the local host mining communities.

Just recently, we launched the Made in Nigeria Barite in Port Harcourt, as part of our modest efforts towards the development of industrial minerals. This initiative is expected to spur the promotion and growth of local content, boosting the economy with a corresponding increase in revenue.

The initiative would not only put Nigeria on the radar of the global mining communities, but would also save the country about $300 million in annual importation costs, thereby creating employment opportunities for the teeming population.

The Ministry will also commission an open marketplace portal that will connect all stakeholders along the barite value chain to a hub that allows for easy coordination, stocking, effective costing, and seamless sale of barite, as we adhere to the ease of doing business initiative.

We have commenced one pilot project per geopolitical zone in order to enhance local content along the mineral value chain.

This is in line with our mandate to fast-track mineral processing in the country using a cluster approach. Each cluster will be equipped with modern equipment and technologies to support a network of miners, processors, skills development providers, logistics providers, etc.

We have operationalized an Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining (ASM) Remote Sensing Monitoring System to regulate and support ASM activities.

Through the Nigeria Integrated Exploration Programme (NIMEP), we are building a strong geoscience base to enhance our competitiveness as a world-class mineral exploration destination that foreign investors would find attractive. This geoscience information will help in de-risking the sector.

Target minerals under the first phase include gold, lead, zinc, iron ore, and rare metals, among others. Delineated areas will be partitioned into blocks and transparently concessioned to financially competent investors.

We have also commenced the process of retrieving Nigeria’s colonial geological data from the United Kingdom by engaging the British Geological Survey (BGS) to build a national electronic geo-data archiving management system to be called the Nigerian Geo-data Center at the Nigerian Geological Survey Agency (NGSA). This would provide easy access to geo-science data for prospective investors on potential areas to target for exploration and mining within and outside Nigeria.

The BGS will also integrate historical geo-data of Nigeria into NGSA and the National Steel Raw Materials Exploration Agency (NSRMEA) into the system.

The Mining Cadastre Office has been repositioned to promote transparency in mineral title administration. The processes have been streamlined to enable investors to apply online and obtain licenses and leases within and outside Nigeria.

We are also establishing MCO offices in the six geo-political zones. They include Jos, Enugu, Ibadan, Kaduna, Maiduguri, and Benin.

From the revenue drive perspective, MCO has demonstrated marked improvement despite the challenges of the pandemic. It grew its revenue from N2.3 billion in 2020 to N3.88 billion in 2021 as of October 31st, with two months still remaining in this year to achieve higher revenue.

The secret of the sudden jump can be attributed to the introduction of "First Come, First Served" and "Use it or Lose it" in the licensing administration. This has helped to re-organize, eliminate speculators, and led to the revocation of about 1,566 mineral titles. This has activated many dormant licences and increased revenue inflow into the treasury.

We have also institutionalized business-friendly incentives to further make the Nigerian mining sector more attractive to foreign investors.

The incentives include:
a. Customs and import duties waiver for plant, machinery and equipment imported for mining operations

b. Tax holidays of between three to five years as applicable.

c. Free transferability of funds and permission to retain and use earned foreign exchange

d. Capital allowances of up to 95% of qualifying capital expenditure

e. Deductibility of Environmental Costs (money meant for environmental remediation will be tax free)

f. 100% ownership of mineral properties.

We have made the gold sector more compelling for investors by building a gold ecosystem that nurtures value across the entire value chain. The Segilola gold project, which is the first large-scale high-grade gold project owned by the London Stock Exchange, listed Thor Exploration is a testament to such an effort.

Located in Osun State, the project has begun the production of gold. Similarly, two gold refineries, Kian Smith and Dukia Gold and Precious Metals Refining Company Limited, are currently being built to increase the value of gold in the country for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Through the ongoing Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Initiative (PAGMI), we are organizing, formalizing, and equipping artisanal and small gold miners (ASGMs) in Kaduna, Kebbi, Osun, Niger, Ebonyi, Sokoto, Gombe, and Ekiti.

We are also building human and institutional capacity, which remain one of the cornerstones of our drive to transform the sector. We want to ensure that when you come, you have adequate capacity within the country to carry out your exploration work or operate the mines. The mining institutions are currently being re-equipped, and the ministry staff are being trained to perform their regulatory functions more efficiently and professionally.

Finally, I wish to urge those who are still dithering about investing in the Nigerian mining sector to take the leap. Our country still provides one of the highest rates of return on mining investment as our minerals are closer to the surface, conferring the advantage of lower cost of production when compared to other mining jurisdictions.

Thank you for your rapt attention.

The Ministry of Mines and Steel Development launched the Made in Nigeria Barite in Port Harcourt, as part of its’ modest efforts towards the development of industrial minerals. This initiative is expected to spur the promotion and growth of local content, boosting the economy with a corresponding increase in revenue.

The initiative would not only put Nigeria on the radar of the global mining communities, but would also save the country about $300 million in annual importation costs, thereby creating employment opportunities for the teeming population.

The Ministry will also commission an open marketplace portal that will connect all stakeholders along the barite value chain to a hub that allows for easy coordination, stocking, effective costing, and seamless sale of barite, as we adhere to the ease of doing business initiative.

Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development

FG has made the gold sector more compelling for investors by building a gold ecosystem that nurtures value across the entire value chain.

The Segilola gold project, which is the first large-scale high-grade gold project owned by the London Stock Exchange, listed Thor Exploration is a testament to such an effort. Located in Osun State, the project has begun the production of gold.

Similarly, two gold refineries, Kian Smith and Dukia Gold and Precious Metals Refining Company Limited, are currently being built to increase the value of gold in the country for the benefit of all stakeholders.

Through the ongoing Presidential Artisanal Gold Mining Initiative (PAGMI), we are organizing, formalizing, and equipping artisanal and small gold miners (ASGMs) in Kaduna, Kebbi, Osun, Niger, Ebonyi, Sokoto, Gombe, and Ekiti.

Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development

The incentives include:

a. Customs and import duties waiver for plant, machinery and equipment imported for mining operations

b. Tax holidays of between three to five years as applicable.

c. Free transferability of funds and permission to retain and use earned foreign exchange

d. Capital allowances of up to 95% of qualifying capital expenditure

e. Deductibility of Environmental Costs (money meant for environmental remediation will be tax free)

f. 100% ownership of mineral properties.

Arc. Olamilekan Adegbite, Honourable Minister, Ministry of Mines and Steel Development