₦airaland Forum

Ratello:
It is no mean feat that Alhaji Atiku has come a long way as far as politics in Nigeria is concerned having being at the forefront of National Politics as far back as 1993 as a Presidential flagbearer of his party, SDP, so when we talk about experience which is needed then Atiku counts. He was part of the 1999-2007 government of PDP that transformed Nigeria from her lowest ebb to the path of historical economic transformation never before seen in the political history of the Country when they took over from the Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar junta inheriting a little above $3 billion dollars in our Forex with a paltry $9-$[[ per barrel in its first 3 years only for them to turn things around to making Abuja a mega city, increased GDP with a huge forex of $45 billion, opening Nigeria's frontiers of business to the outside world, making Nigeria a Mecca of business of all sorts, stemming the tide of security and many other benefits in the area of fiscal policies where our open market operations (OMO) recorded its highest transactions ever giving rice to a huge financial base of our Capital Market under the legendary Madam Ndidi Onyuike Okereke 

Going by the above, I see no  reason why Nigerians will not need the hand of such a man who was part of the main team that gave Nigeria her best government ever. I will Atikulate very well by 2019!

I concur to this simple and short analysis this is food for thought only for the wise!

Answer: The Council of Nicea took place in AD 325 by order of the Roman Emperor Caesar Flavius Constantine. Nicea was located in Asia Minor, east of Constantinople. At the Council of Nicea, Emperor Constantine presided over a group of church bishops and other leaders with the purpose of defining the nature of God for all of Christianity and eliminating confusion, controversy, and contention within the church. The Council of Nicea overwhelmingly affirmed the deity and eternality of Jesus Christ and defined the relationship between the Father and the Son as “of one substance.” It also affirmed the Trinity—the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were listed as three co-equal and co-eternal Persons.

Constantine, who claimed conversion to Christianity, called for a meeting of bishops to be held in Nicea to resolve some escalating controversies among the church leadership. The issues being debated included the nature of Jesus Christ, the proper date to celebrate Easter, and other matters. The failing Roman Empire, now under Constantine’s rule, could not withstand the division caused by years of hard-fought, “out of hand” arguing over doctrinal differences. The emperor saw the quarrels within the church not only as a threat to Christianity but as a threat to society as well. Therefore, at the Council of Nicea, Constantine encouraged the church leaders to settle their internal disagreements and become Christlike agents who could bring new life to a troubled empire. Constantine felt “called” to use his authority to help bring about unity, peace, and love within the church.

The main theological issue had always been about Christ. Since the end of the apostolic age, Christians had begun debating these questions: Who is the Christ? Is He more divine than human or more human than divine? Was Jesus created or begotten? Being the Son of God, is He co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, or is He lower in status than the Father? Is the Father the one true God, or are the Father, Son, and Spirit the one true God?

A priest named Arius presented his argument that Jesus Christ was not an eternal being, that He was created at a certain point in time by the Father. Bishops such as Alexander and the deacon Athanasius argued the opposite position: that Jesus Christ is eternal, just like the Father is. It was an argument pitting trinitarianism against monarchianism.

Constantine prodded the 300 bishops in the council make a decision by majority vote defining who Jesus Christ is. The statement of doctrine they produced was one that all of Christianity would follow and obey, called the “Nicene Creed.” This creed was upheld by the church and enforced by the Emperor. The bishops at Nicea voted to make the full deity of Christ the accepted position of the church. The Council of Nicea upheld the doctrine of Christ’s true divinity, rejecting Arius’s heresy. The council did not invent this doctrine. Rather, it only recognized what the Bible already taught.

The New Testament teaches that Jesus the Messiah should be worshipped, which is to say He is co-equal with God. The New Testament forbids the worship of angels (Colossians 2:18; Revelation 22:8, 9) but commands worship of Jesus. The apostle Paul tells us that “in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (Colossians 2:9; 1:19). Paul declares Jesus as Lord and the One to whom a person must pray for salvation (Romans 10:9-13; cf. Joel 2:32). “Jesus is God overall” (Romans 9:5) and our God and Savior (Titus 2:13). Faith in Jesus’ deity is basic to Paul’s theology.

John’s Gospel declares Jesus to be the divine, eternal Logos, the agent of creation and source of life and light (John 1:1-5,9); "the Way, the Truth, and the Life" (John 14:6); our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1-2); the Sovereign (Revelation 1:5); and the Son of God from the beginning to the end (Revelation 22:13). The author of Hebrews reveals the deity of Jesus through His perfection as the most high priest (Hebrews 1; Hebrews 7:1-3). The divine-human Savior is the Christian’s object of faith, hope, and love.

The Council of Nicea did not invent the doctrine of the deity of Christ. Rather, the Council of Nicea affirmed the apostles’ teaching of who Christ is—the one true God and the Second Person of the Trinity, with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Lalasticlala

rhemmiedream:
Ask your parents after waking them up with a sliding tackle tomorrow morning.

My judgment and sentiments of you was easy through your response thanks for not disappointing!

I know this is true!

rhemmiedream:
President of Uganda or Biafla

What do you crave for in life? Happiness or sadness?

userplainly:
the guy asked an indirect qstn.... I even told him I don't understand d qstn......na must say I fail, u ask about cobra dah gives birth to live young without it laying eggs n ask about fish dah lays the most eggs in " one tin one tin" den asked of scientific names....man d guy jus wan confuse me to sound smart....every qstn he asked na Google e go use.... I failed it to prove I didnt cheat....if I had rapped so many analysis n theories u'll say am smart but instead I read n copy wat Google said.......... online stuff like this is just busy body, Google n paste......... ur guy can't clarify his qstn mke it more understandable....... nobi waec...jus ask which animal do this, how long maybe an elusive creature lives or its food source...he's twisting qstn...why Nigerians no go fail exams cos u teach dem sometin n ask a whole different thing in ur exam qstns

You mean these two questions are indirect and twisted?

1. What is the name of the only cobra species that give birth to live youngs instead of laying eggs?
2. Give me the name of the fish that lays highest number of eggs in a clutch and it's binomial name?

userplainly:
guy which qstn be that n y u ask here wen u know I could jus Google it....... fest time I just rushed it with over confident cos af not really seen a king cobra's egg nest........ about the fish I know grupper lay the most eggs but I don't know wat more u want .....abi na d scientific names?

Give it up please, you brought this upon yourself when you said this;

userplainly:
OKAYY......I get u.....even baby hippopotamus fall victims too
I know everything about every snakes, animals and fishes alive.....I even do small intern for Ife mangrove park/zoo.. they got huge pythons there ..did it outa love for animals but d owner wan keep me as worker nai I run..... niccur dunno anything about wild animals, he even named them wrong n give dem wrong foods...like naming Jackal "pale fox" or Blue heron "flamingos" n he tries to feed the heron with palm kennels......... I MAD

Because you said you know everything about every snakes, animals and fishes, that why he ask those two simple and direct questions here:

Ratello:
At the bolden no you don't my brother I can test you on two questions and you must answer me quickly or else you miss it.

1. What is the name of the only cobra species that give birth to live youngs instead of laying eggs?
2. Give me the name of the fish that lays highest number of eggs in a clutch and it's binomial name? Your time starts now, I am a known guy in OAU Ile Ife too back in the days (15 years ago) I love wildlife like anything and even floated a conservation group on campus.......your time starts now please don't disappoint.

Yet you can't answer them instead of you to ask him for answers you resorted to the "he tricked you mantra" my friend indeed you have just been humbled. Just pick the lesson of humility next time

junketer:
Op stop deceiving yourself. Buhari's govt has achieved nothing. How pathetic can you people get for supporting this man blindly?. This your long epistle clearly shows buhari has achieved nothing in two years.

Perhaps you didn't read through my position on these "bogus achievements" of the clown. you think I believed these?

I really appreciate all your contributions so far, I actually brought it to our full glare because I am as confused as you all are too wondering whether they meant achievement in Kenya Luke one thread created by one TonyeBarcanista on the developments of Kenya above Nigeria. Indeed these bunch of clowns at BMC will eventually finish Nigeria except we stop them.

I stumbled on this while on a site and I thought its worth sharing so that we can assess and vet the workability of these so called achievements of Buhari within 2 years. Guys kindly prove these records right or wrong with proofs! Over to you Lalasticlala

DIPLOMACY AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Re-establishment of Nigeria’s position and influence in the regional and global arena. Fragile/broken relations with the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, and with neighbouring countries (Chad, Niger, Cameroon) have been revived and strengthened since June 2015. The Meeting of the was the first since 2009.
Nigeria’s prominent participation in the London Anti-Corruption Summit and the Commonwealth Conference on Tackling Corruption, in May, 2016 in London. Major outcomes of these events include:
The establishment of a Global Forum for Asset Recovery to be hosted by the governments of the US and UK this year, to focus on assisting Nigeria and three other countries to reclaim their stolen assets.
The signing, in August 2016, of an MoU with the UK Government on modalities for the return of Nigeria’s stolen assets in the UK.
In 2016 Nigeria signed an Agreement on the identification and repatriation of Illicit Funds with the United Arab Emirates during the Visit of Mr. President to that country.
The Federal Government under President Buhari has engaged the governments of Switzerland, Jersey Island, United States, United Arab Emirates, and Liechtenstein among others, in an effort to ensure the repatriation of Nigeria’s stolen assets. So far, the Swiss government has agreed to repatriate illicit loot of about USD320 million, while another tranche is being expected from the Jersey Islands.
The Buhari Administration has mobilized International Support for the War against Boko Haram, forging strong partnerships with key countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany, ECOWAS, the AU, the UN, and others.
The Buhari Administration has revamped the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) comprising troops from Nigeria and Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin; this revamp has contributed significantly to the weakening of Boko Haram.
Landmark Government-to-Government engagements with China and Morocco, aimed at developing and upgrading National Infrastructure.
Nigeria’s successful rallying of OPEC and Non-OPEC members to discuss stabilisation of the global oil market in Doha and in Algiers, and the successful negotiation of an exemption from the OPEC production freeze agreed at the 171st OPEC Ministerial conference in Vienna in November 2016; leading to a rise in oil prices to US$55/bbl for the first time in 16 months.

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/promoted/232504-factsheet-what-the-buhari-administration-has-achieved-in-two-years-presidency.html

Replacement of old Cash-Based Accounting System with an Accruals-Based System:
Cash accounting makes no reference to the liabilities that the Federal Government may be required to meet in the future nor does it recognise the benefits that will be obtained from assets purchased over a period of time.
The cash accounting system fails to capture information on public sector assets and liabilities which may present the illusion of positive financial results in the short term, at the expense of longer-term fiscal stability and sustainability.
Accruals-based accounting, on the other hand, presents the true financial position of the Federal Governments assets and liabilities, which would help the Government plan future funding requirements for asset maintenance and replacement, and the repayment of existing and contingent liabilities and, thus, better manage their cash position and financing requirements.
It provides comprehensive information on Government’s current and projected cash flows, leading to better cash management. For example, the conversion from cash accounting to accrual accounting led to the discovery of unrecorded debts owed contractors, oil marketers, exporters, electricity distribution companies and others.
Enlistment into Open Government Partnership (OGP):
In May 2016, President Buhari attended and participated in the International Anti-Corruption Summit organised by the UK Government. At that Summit he pledged that Nigeria would join the OGP, an international transparency, accountability and citizen engagement initiative.
In July 2016, Nigeria became the 70th country to join the OGP. Following this, Nigeria constituted an OGP National Steering Committee (NSC), which went on to develop a National Action Plan (2017–2019) that aims to deepen and mainstream transparency mechanisms and citizens’ engagement in the management of public resources across all sectors.
The National Action Plan was submitted at the OGP Global Summit in Paris, France, in December 2016.
Insistence on Conditionality of Fiscal Support to States:
The Fiscal Sustainability Plan (FSP) is a reform programme that specifies conditions under which States can access the Federal Government’s N510 billion Budget Support Facility (BSF). The FSP was introduced to enhance fiscal prudence and transparency in public expenditure, across the states. 35 States signed up.
Independent verification and auditing of participating States is now ongoing — against the FSP conditions & milestones — by eight ( accounting firms.
State Governments that fail to implement the FSP action plans, as stated, will be taken off the Budget Support Facility with immediate effect.
The Fiscal Sustainability Plan is part of our reform of Public Financial Management Systems nationwide.
Creation of Efficiency Unit (EU) to spearhead the efficient use of government resources, and ensure reduction in Recurrent Expenditure:
The Efficiency Unit reviews all Government overhead expenditure, reduces wastage, provides efficiency and ensures quantifiable savings for the country. Also, the Unit identifies best practices in procurement and financial management for adoption.
The Efficiency Unit’s efforts have resulted in more than N15 billion in savings on travel, sitting allowances and souvenirs.
There is also potential savings of N7 billion on other expenditure lines where the unit seeks to control spending through Circulars. In addition, there is on-going work on the deployment of a price-checker, as well as the use of debit cards for payments.
Asset Recovery Reforms:
The Constitution of a Presidential Committee on Asset Recovery (PCAR), headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, to bring together all law enforcement agencies involved in the recovery of assets; as well as designation of a dedicated Central Bank Account to receive all recovered funds, for coordination and transparency of management and oversight.
Oil and Gas
Since August 2015, NNPC began publishing its performance monthly (NNPC Monthly Oil & Gas Report) in newspapers and various new media platforms and most importantly on the NNPC website to improve transparency and probity.
The controversial Offshore Processing Arrangement (OPA) has been cancelled and replaced with a ‘Direct Sales and Direct Purchase (DSDP)’ scheme with reputable offshore refineries. 
Petroleum Industry Governance Bill: Completion of work, by the Federal Ministry of Petroleum Resources, on the draft of the Petroleum Industry Governance Bill. The Bill has now been passed into law by the Senate, after 17 years of failed efforts.
Reform of longstanding Petroleum Sector Cash Call Arrangement:
In 2016 the Federal Government exited the cash call arrangement by which the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) traditionally funded its share of the crude oil exploration and production Joint Ventures (JVs) with International Oil Companies (IOCs).
The Cash Call obligations had consistently put pressure on the Federal Government’s finances, and a failure to fully fund them has resulted in the accumulation of debt arrears of more than six billion dollars, as at December 2015.
Starting 2017, a new funding mechanism is being introduced, which will allow the JVs to transform into independent, self-financing entities. The advantages for the Federal Government finances include: (1) freeing-up the Federal Government from the budgetary obligation of coming up with the cash calls (savings made under the new arrangement can be directed to critical Infrastructure projects), and (2) a potential increase in Nigeria’s oil production to about 2.5 million barrels per day, on account of optimal funding.
Also as part of the reforms, the debt arrears owed the IOCs have been negotiated downwards to approximately US$5.1 billion — for which a long-term repayment plan has been drawn up.
New Whistleblowing Policy:
The new Whistleblowing Policy introduced by the Federal Ministry of Finance yielded, within its first two months of operation, yielded $160m and N8 billion in recoveries of stolen Government funds.
SECURITY
Capture of Boko Haram’s operational and spiritual headquarters, “Camp Zero”, in Sambisa Forest. Following this the Nigerian Army conducted its Small Arms Championship from 26th to 31st March 2017, a measure aimed at enabling the Armed forces to dominate the area, and avoid regrouping by the terrorists.
Revitalization of Multi-National Joint Task Force operations, aimed at combating trans-border crime and the Boko Haram insurgency.
More than 12,000 Boko Haram hostages have been freed from Boko Haram captivity, including 106 of the Chibok Girls abducted in April 2014.
Arrest of Usman Mohammed, aka Khalid AlBarnawi, leader of the Ansaru Terrorist group and one of the most wanted Terrorists in the world, with a US$6m United States bounty on his head. He’s currently being prosecuted alongside his accomplices. Also arrested and being prosecuted: Amodu Omale Salifu, leader of an ISIS affiliate group active in North Central Nigeria.
Establishment of civil authority in the areas affected by the Boko Haram insurgency. The Nigeria Police Force and the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) have deployed officers in liberated areas to take over effective civil responsibility from the military, and secure and maintain law and order in the affected areas. The NSCDC has also deployed 5,000 personnel to the North-East to protect the Internally Displaced Persons’ (IDPs) camps and re-occupy the reclaimed towns and villages.
Transfer of 2 Nos. AW 101 Helicopter from the Presidential Air Fleet to the Nigerian Air Force, for deployment in support of Operation LAFIYA DOLE in the North East. Also transferred to the NAF: 3 EC-135 and 3 Dauphin helicopters, from the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC)
Establishment of a Naval Outpost in the Lake Chad Basin.
Establishment of the 8 Task Force Division in Monguno to further strengthen military presence in the North East.
Successful Military Operations across the country:
Operation Harbin Kunama in Dansadau Forest, Zamfara aimed at flushing out armed bandits and cattle rustlers.
Operation Safe Haven to curtail the incessant clashes between Fulani herdsmen and farmers in the North Central (Plateau, Nasarawa, and Benue states).
Exercise Crocodile Smile to curtail the menace of militant activities in the Niger Delta
Exercise Obangame, a multinational operation aimed at securing and protecting the Gulf of Guinea.
Operation Awatse, a joint operation between the Military and the Police, in South West Nigeria, to flush out militants and pipeline vandals
Operation Python Dance in the South East to tackle kidnappers and militant elements.

Beneficial Government-to-Government Partnerships with China and Morocco: President Buhari’s April 2016 Official Visit to China has unlocked billions of dollars in infrastructure funding. Construction work has commenced on the first major product of that collaboration, a 150km/hour rail line between Lagos and Ibadan.
The National Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (NERGP), the Federal Government’s medium-term Economic Plan, launched by President Buhari in April 2017, charts a course for the Nigerian economy over the next four years (2017–2020).
The Vision of the NERGP is to restore economic growth, invest in Nigerians, and to build a globally competitive economy, and the Plan aims to achieve these by focusing on five execution priorities:
Stabilizing the macroeconomic environment;
Achieving Agriculture and Food Security;
Ensuring energy efficiency (especially in power and petroleum products);
Improving transportation infrastructure; and
Driving industrialization primarily through SMEs.
The ERGP will return Nigeria’s economy to sustainable, inclusive and diversified growth, and to transform Nigeria from an import-dependent to a producing economy; a country that grows what it eats and consumes what it produces.
The almost 8-fold oversubscription of our recent Eurobond (orders in excess of US$7.8 billion compared to a pre-issuance target of US$1bn) demonstrates strong market appetite for Nigeria, and shows confidence by the international investment community in Nigeria’s economic reform agenda.
Power Sector:
Power Sector Reform is on course with the launch of the 701 billion Naira Payment Assurance Programme designed to resolve the liquidity challenges in the Power Sector by guaranteeing payments to Generating Companies and Gas Suppliers, while the Federal Government undertakes the much-needed reform and strengthening of Distribution Companies.
In addition to the PAP is a much more comprehensivePower Sector Recovery Programme, launched in March 2017 and which has received the endorsement of the World Bank.
Improved Local Refining Capacity: The total amount of Crude refined by the NNPC’s three Refineries (Port Harcourt, Warri and Kaduna) grew from 8m barrels in 2015 to 24m barrels in 2016, and 10m barrels in the first quarter of 2017.
ANTI-CORRUPTION AND TRANSPARENCY
The Presidential Initiative on Continuous Audit (PICA):


PICA was set up by President Muhammadu Buhari to strengthen controls over Government finances through a continuous internal audit process across all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs), particularly in respect of payroll. Through the activities of PICA, more than 50,000 erroneous payroll entries have been identified, with payroll savings of N198 billion achieved in 2016.
Also, the Federal Ministry of Finance has set a target to ensure that the Federal Government’s Payroll Platform — the ‘Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System’ (IPPIS) — covers 100 percent of MDAs by the end of 2017. Currently 60% of MDAs are enrolled on the IPPIS platform.
Budget Reforms:
First, a Presidential Order was issued directing that all budgets of all Government Agencies be prepared in line with International Public Sector Accounting Standards (IPSAS), using a budget template developed for that purpose.
Second, the 2017 Budget was collated using a web-based application developed by the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF), for the first time ever. Instead of the traditional method of hard copy submissions of budget proposals, Ministries, Departments and Agencies were asked to upload their proposals to the new budget preparation portal.
By replacing paper submissions with an audit-able and trackable online system, the 2017 budget preparation process was strengthened against manipulation and unauthorised alteration. All MDA budget proposals were uploaded to the new system, for review and final collation by the Budget Office.
More than 4,000 staff of the MDAs were specially trained to use the new application, across multiple locations nationwide. Also to support the deployment of the budget portal, the Budget Office set up a Helpdesk, accessible by telephone and email, for authorised users.
Expansion of TSA Coverage:
OnAugust 7, 2015, President Buhari issued a directive to all Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to close their accounts with Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) and transfer their balances to the Central Bank of Nigeria on or before 15th September 2015.
This decision to fully operationalise the Treasury Single Account (TSA) system—a public accounting system that enables the Government to manage its finances (revenues and payments) using a single/unified account, or series of linked accounts domiciled at the Central Bank of Nigeria — has resulted in the consolidation of more than 20,000 bank accountspreviously spread across DMBs in the country, and in savings of an average of N4.7 billion monthly in banking charges associated with indiscriminate Government borrowing from the DMBs.
As at February 10, 2017, a total sum of N5.244 Trillion had flowed into the TSA.The TSA allows the managers of the Government’s finances, including but not limited to the Ministry of Finance and the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation, to have, at any point in time, a comprehensive overview of cash flows across the entire Government.
It also ensures increased transparency in public financial management, as well as prevents a scenario in which some MDAs have idle cash while other MDAs are compelled to borrow exorbitantly from DMBs.
The TSA system was launched in 2012, but failed to gain traction until President Buhari’s executive order in August 2015.As at December 2016, 766 MDAs were TSA-compliant. The Ministry of Finance continues to fine-tune the system to improve its efficiency, and has also commenced an audit to ensure that all funds due to the TSA are remitted into it.
Deployment of BVN for Payroll and Social Investment Programmes:
Considering that personnel costs are the Federal Government’s largest expenditure line, the Federal Government has given priority to the deployment of the BVN for payroll and pension audits. The use of BVN to verify payroll entries on the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) platform has so far led to the detection of more than 50,000 erroneous payroll entries.
The Federal Government has also ensured the deployment of BVN system to serve as the verification basis for payments to beneficiaries and vendors in the N-Power Scheme and the Homegrown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP)

Infrastructure:
The Buhari Administration has demonstrated a single-minded commitment to upgrading and developing Nigeria’s Transport Infrastructure.
Road Projects are ongoing across every State of the country; many of these projects had been abandoned in recent years because of mounting debts owed by the Federal Government to contractors.
The Administration is also pushing ahead with the revitalization of Nigeria’s 3,500km network narrow-gauge railway. In March 2017 a consortium led by General Electric, and comprising Transnet of South Africa, APM Terminals of the Netherlands and Sinohydro Consortium of China submitted the sole bid for the concession of the Lagos-Kano Railway narrow-gauge Line. (Transaction Advisers were approved for the project in 2016). In May 2017 the Federal Executive Council (FEC) approved the commencement of negotiations with GE to conclude the concessioning.
In addition, Abuja’s Light Rail system will also go into operation (test-run) in 2017. The first line to be launched will connect the city center with the Airport, with a link to the Abuja-Kaduna Railway Line. The test-run will start in November 2017, ahead of full commencement of operations in Q1 2018.
The Buhari Administration successfully completed the reconstruction of the Abuja Airport runway within the scheduled six-week period (March – April 2017).
Progress with the Alignment of Monetary, Fiscal and Trade Policies: Landmark initiatives here include:
Ongoing FX regime reforms by the Central Bank, which have seen increased stability in the FX market, and increasing appetite for Nigerian stocks by foreign portfolio investors. Reforms include the creation in April 2017 of a New FX Window for Investors and Exporters. The new Window has attracted $1.4bn in its first four weeks of operation, according to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Revision of the List of 41 Items excluded from the Central Bank FX Window, in line with a request from the Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN)
The establishment of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations by the Economic Management Team (EMT), and
The Introduction of a new, Tariff-driven Tomato Policy to support domestic producers and production.
A new Social Housing Programme is kicking off in 2017. The ‘Family Homes Fund’ will take off with a 100 billion Naira provision in the 2017 Budget. The rest of the funding will come from the private sector. A pilot component has already kicked, to construct the first set of homes for the Programme)
1.2 Trillion naira has been released for capital expenditure in the 2016 budget, since implementation started in June 2016. This is the largest ever capital spend within a single budget year in the history of Nigeria. This investment has enabled the resumption of work on several stalled projects — road, rail and power projects — across the country.
All 4 components of the Social Investment Programme (SIP) have now taken off.
The SIP is the largest and most ambitious social safety net programme in the history of Nigeria, with more than 1 million beneficiaries so far — 200,000 N-Power beneficiaries (160,000 of them have had their details validated and are now receiving the monthly N30,000 stipend, while the rest are undergoing verification.
3,162,451 people belonging to 26, 924 registered cooperatives have been registered for the Government Enterprise and Empowerment (GEEP) Scheme. 57,234 interest-free (except a one-time low administrative fee) loans have been issued, across 28 States and the FCT. 56% of loans so far disbursed has gone to female beneficiaries.
1,051,000 Primary School Pupils are currently benefiting from the Homegrown School Feeding Programme (HGSFP), in 8,587 schools across seven States. More than 11,000 cooks have been employed for the HGSFP.
Under the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) Programme, 26,942 beneficiaries are now receiving the monthly N5,000 stipend in 9 States and 84 Local Government Areas. The States are Borno, Cross River, Niger, Kwara, Ekiti, Kogi, Oyo, Osun and Bauchi.
Strategic Engagements with OPEC and in the Niger Delta have played an important part in raising our expected oil revenues. Already, Nigeria’s External Reserves have grown by around $7 billion in the last six months. In the same period we have added $87m to the Excess Crude Account, and $250m to the Sovereign Wealth Fund.
New Vision for the Niger Delta:


Acting President Osinbajo is leading the engagement, on behalf of President Buhari and the Federal Government. The Vice President has been visiting oil-producing communities across the Niger Delta, listening to them and outlining the Federal Government’s commitment to the peace, security and development of the region — encapsulated in the Buhari administration’s ‘New Vision for the Niger Delta’.
The New Vision brings together a robust set of promises, solutions, targets and initiatives aimed at ensuring that the people of the Niger Delta benefit maximally from the region’s oil wealth.
The New Vision offers a detailed response to the 16-point Demand Agenda submitted to President Buhari by the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) in November 2016.
Tangible results of the New Vision so far include:
Approval of a 2017 commencement date for the stalled Nigerian Maritime University in Delta State
Approval by President Buhari of an additional 35 billion naira for the 2016 budget of the Presidential Amnesty Programme
Approval for the establishment of Modular Refineries across the nine States of the Niger Delta
Resumption of construction work on abandoned projects across the Niger Delta, including the all-important East-West Road.

FACTSHEET: What the Buhari administration has achieved in two years – Presidency
May 30, 2017Premium Times

President Buhari resumes office
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ECONOMY
Growth in Agriculture and Solid Minerals:
The number of sub-sectors of the economy experiencing negative growth has almost halved; falling from 29 sub-sectors for the whole of 2016 to 16 in Q1 2017. Growth in manufacturing has returned to positive territory after five quarters of negative growth. It grew by 1.36% in Q1 2017 after falling to -7.0% in Q1 2016.
Our priority Sectors of Agriculture and Solid Minerals have seen improved performance, in spite of the recession. Agriculture grew by 4.11% in 2016, while Solid Minerals recorded a 7% increase. The contribution of the Ministry of Solid Minerals’ to the Federation Account tripled to about N2 billion in 2016, up from N700m in 2015.
Savings:
Even at a time of low oil prices (and by implication low government revenues):
Nigeria’s External Reserves have grown by US$7 billion since October 2016
The Sovereign Wealth Fund has seen inflows of US$500m in 2016 and 2017 (the first inflows since the original US$1bn with which the Fund kicked off in 2012), and
The Excess Crude Account has seen an inflow of US$87m, in 2017.
Phasing Out of Subsidy Regimes for Petroleum Products and Fertilizers.
The Anchor Borrowers Programme (ABP) of the Central Bank of Nigeria (details below), combined with a newly developed soil map designed to aid fertilizer application, substantially raised local production of grains in 2016 (yields improved from 2 tonnes per hectare to as much as 7 tonnes per hectare, in some States) and produced a model agricultural collaboration between Lagos and Kebbi States.
Nigeria’s rice imports fell from 580,000 MT in 2015 to 58,000MT in 2016


The Presidential Fertilizer Initiative (which involves a partnership with the Government of Morocco, for the supply of phosphate), has resulted in the revitalization of 11 blending plants across the country.  The benefits include annual savings of US$200 million in foreign exchange, and ₦60 billion annually in budgetary provisions for Fertilizer subsidies. The Scheme has also made it possible for Farmers to purchase Fertilizer at prices up to 30 percent cheaper than previously available.
Support for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises: The Administration has launched a series of funding and capacity development initiatives designed to support MSMEs across the country, as follows:
The newDevelopment Bank of Nigeria (DBN) is finally taking off, with initial funding of US$1.3bn (provided by the World Bank, German Development Bank, the African Development Bank and Agence Française de Development) to provide medium and long-term loans to MSMEs
The MSME Clinic, which bring relevant Government Agencies and their managements together with small businesses operating in various cities across the country, to enable the Agencies provide direct support to these businesses. The Interactions allow the Agencies better understand the issues facing small businesses, and provides a platform for speedy resolution.
The Ease of Doing Business Reform Programme (see below)
The Government Enterprise and Empowerment component (GEEP) of the Social Intervention Programme (SIP)
Ease of Doing Business Reform Successes: The Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (inaugurated by President Buhari in August 2016) implemented a 60 National Action Plan between February and April 2017, with 70 percent of the Targets achieved, including the following:
Intending Business Owners can now search for Company names on the website of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
Intending Business Owners can now upload their registration documents directly to the website of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)
Eliminated the need for SMEs to hire lawyers to prepare registration documents
Introduced a single form for Company Incorporation to save time and reduce cost
Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) e-payment solution has been integrated with the CAC portal to facilitate e-stamping.
Interested parties can conduct online searches of secured interests on movable assets on the National Collateral Registry
New Arrival and Departure forms for use at our International airports. The new forms are shorter, and have also consolidated a number of previously separate forms into single documents.
Simplified our Visa on Arrival (VoA) Process. Submission of VoA applications and receipt of approval letter can now be done electronically via a dedicated NIS email address: oa@nigeriaimmigration.gov.ng
Nigeria Customs Service (NCS) has now been mandated to schedule and coordinate joint physical examination of cargo to ensure there’s only one point of contact between importers and official
Imports into Nigeria now required to be placed in pallets to facilitate quicker physical examination.
Central Bank, Customs and banks now required to process Net Export Proceeds forms within 72 hours; and Pre-Shipment Inspection Agencies (PIAs) now required to issue Certificate of Clean Inspection (CCI) within 3 days
Approval obtained to reduce number of documents required for imports from 14 to 8, and number of documents needed for exports from 10 to 7
Minimum container placement notice time needed by Terminal Operators for examination reduced from 24 hours to 12 hours.
Minister of Interior has approved and launched a new Immigration Policy for Nigeria
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has since followed up on the National Action Plan by signing, in May 2017, Executive Orders on Improving Efficiency in the Business Environment, and on Promoting Local Procurement by Government Agencies.

TELL him prof

Maxi112:
shut up, I'm not Igbo. I'm not allowing myself to be used, I'm preparing for referendum.


why's buhari laying siege on that innocent young man, why are they using arms to fire at peaceful protesters!

this is 2017 bro, it's no longer business as usual.


is this the kind of country you wish for your kids?

Stop replying that jester and son of Okorocha the traitor.

lilytender:
Your forefathers are fools for sacrificing over three million souls to a senseless course. I can see that you are ready to repeat the same senseless action of your forefathers. Well, Yoruba gods of iron, thunder and river will be happy to suck more blood of stubborn goats.

Sometimes I read miserable comments here from folks (just like you) and I keep wondering if you are raised by a human being, someone once said that Nigerians are their own worst enemies. To even think you are a bipedal being with brain, mind, heart, eyes and all that still beats my imagination because if I must comment about your morphology, I believe you should have two giant horns on your head completed with a long tail behind you to complete your human demon status! What a waste

It is becoming clearer that Nigeria is about to implode I thought this demonic lanky General was voted into power to fix the rot and grow the economy but the unfortunate being came up with the first divisive statement of 97% to 5% and now making good his wicked intention. IPOBS should team up with their SS brethren and let's ground everything it is obvious this satanic lanky general is going to perish soon.

Funny enough the guy yearn correct!

This is just too ridiculous for a state claiming to be a model for other States. How can Lagos forge ahead infrastructural wise when you have a "50 Percenter" called Tinubu demanding for the life of Lagos every month in billions of Naira, installing Lagos Governors who must kowtow forcefully to his wicked, outrageous demands and you think meaningful demand will come. 2019 please come quickly!

agabaI23:
Buhari is fishing for reasons to clamp down on Nnamdi Kanu..

You got the whole gist!

989900:
Burden of proof should be on Saraki.

I am of the opinion that this case should be re-opened as soon as possible so as to open a new vista to processing and facilitation of reliable judgment on high profile case. Saraki must be kicked out of the Senate!

If really Yorubas are smart and reasonable they will not only hop in the "restructuring wagon" but will harp on Odua Rupublic should Restructuring is resisted by these good for nothing, never-do-well greedy mallams. Restructuring will reveal many secrets that will shock Nigerians and the world.

Tinubu is not that relevant in this government - FACT! He thought during the pre election time that he owns APC by calling himself National Leader of a party that consist of the old CPC and APGA cum his ACN, however during elections the CPC dudes and hawks in the amalgamated APC now realise that they contributed more in kind, cash, logistics to the emergence of Buhari than the ACN and APGA elements within APC hence, Tinubu was cut to size. His feud with the National Chairman, John Oyegun, who had the backing of the CPC elements within the party was another reason Tinubu was further reduced to a spectator within the party as his games of wits were scuttled before maturity. He lost the Senate and House of Representatives top positions to his political foes. Good for him! Tinubu is the singular reason an Osinbajo may not become a President under Buhari and even after. My opinion though!

Here’s what reportedly led to the end of Ooni of Ife’s 17 months old marriage

Lailasblog yesterday posted a report from thecapital.ng on the marriage crash of Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II and his Queen Wuraola-Zynab Ogunwusi.
Read the new report by LIB on what led to the end of their 17 months marriage.

The Ooni married Olori Wuraola shortly after meeting her last year. According to sources close to the estranged couple, after he ascended the throne, a wife was needed asap and he was introduced to Wuraola who at the time was with a Lebanese business man. But immediately the Ooni indicated interest to marry her, she quickly dumped the Lebanese man and went with the new Ooni.

“She was with this guy in February 2016, infact she had their photo on her Whatsapp DP and just the following month, in March, she was married to the Ooni. We were all surprised” a source close to the former Olori told LIB exclusively

“The funny thing is; the Ooni was advised not to marry her. Former president Obasanjo himself, who regards the Ooni highly, advised him to marry someone else but the Ooni turned a deaf ear to his plea. She had been married before to a former governor and a Lebanese man and so many of his inner circle friends wanted another woman for him but he was adamant” the source continued.

We gathered that the Olori still ran to the same Obasanjo for help and advise when the Ooni threatened to marry another wife. Obasanjo didn’t do much according to what we gathered.

According to another source, Olori Wuraola and the Ooni didn’t court for long and didn’t really know themselves that well before getting married. And she went into the marriage with high expectations from the new Ooni but when those expectations were not met, she allegedly started to act up.

“They have been having issues for many months now. But the Ooni finally knew his marriage to Wuraola was nearing its end after they returned from London in March. While there, he suspected the Olori was not 100% loyal to him after he saw some text messages on her phone. I wish I could go into details of what he saw. Before then, she had done so many things, including traveling abroad to be by herself, and many other things that the Ooni was bitter about” the source continued.

According to what we gathered, after the Olori staged the walk against domestic violence in Lagos in July, the Ooni told a few friends that his marriage to the Olori was over but it wasn’t until about two weeks ago that he informed her family that he no longer wanted the marraige and asked the Olori to leave.

LIB asked the source how they could have been having marital issues as far back as March 2017 when the Ooni sent out a loving birthday shout out to the Olori in April. The source laughed and said

“Everyone who knows the Ooni knows he would never write that kind of message publicly. We know him. He himself was surprised to see the message online on her birthday but didn’t react not to embarrass her. The Olori wrote the message herself and posted it on his IG page. I can assure you that message was not from the Ooni”
The message read

“Happy birthday to my beautiful wife, my queen. I pray on this day you continue to increase in strength, grace and wisdom. I love you very much”
When we asked the source if they thought the marriage could be save, he said no!

“It’s final. He’s done with the marriage but don’t be surprised if there’s a media storm betweem them, especially from the Olori. She sent him a long scathing text message threatening fire and brimstone and called him unprintable names but the Ooni is not fazed. We expect him to get a new wife soon”

http://www.lailasblog.com/heres-reportedly-led-ooni-ifes-marriage-crash/

Don't be deceived.

248 million naira per week is massive, in fact it is out of this world and you only get a better understanding of how big it is worth when you compare it with the average salary of a first class graduate here in Nigeria. You know you will need to earn 1 million naira average salary for 20 years and 8 months to hit that figure(bro when will you retire?), but guys, let's still not blow it out of proportion because there is another comparison.

Now, if Neymar without a WAEC result (according to those who claim to know) earns 248 million per week, how much does Bill Gates (who actually went as far as Harvard) earn? Mind you, Bill Gates went to school as far as Harvard, the whole talk of him dropping out is widely misrepresented. He didn't drop out because he was not good enough, he didn't drop out because he was irresponsible, in fact he had a meeting with the school authority when it became obvious that he needed more time to work on the Microsoft idea and in his exact words he told the school that he was going on a 'leave of absence' and should return if the idea failed to work as planned. He didn't leave the school empty, he left with the knowledge he had acquired, he left having made friends and built a network of like minds, he left having access to mentors from the school (for me, these are some of the most important reasons of going to university in the first place, and not just for that paper called certificate). With that knowledge and skill acquired directly or indirectly by going to school, Bill Gates was able to build Microsoft and in 2013 he earned 11.5 billion dollars in a single year. That figure would give you 1.38 million dollars per hour. What it means is that the 248 million naira Neymar earns in a week is what Bill Gates earns in 30 minutes.

Don't be deceived.

Why would I rather be a Bill Gates than a Neymar? Why would I rather point my kids to Bill Gates than to Neymar? It is simple. If you go by the figures, you have already seen it above. If you want to look at the future, then you will know that Neymar is 25 today, but will he still be playing football at this level at 35? What if in an unfortunate situation where he breaks his leg tomorrow (no one prays for that, but it does happen), that will be the end of everything, football doesn't even provide for pension or gratuity. But Gates can sleep for the rest of his life and the billions will keep flowing because alert has been set on auto run, he has 'programmed' his business directly into his bank account - with his knowledge (you need education to set up that kind of system). What if you are looking at relevance and significance, how many millionaires have Neymar made or will he ever make in his lifetime? Bill Gates has made 3 billionaires and over 12,000 millionaires.

I asked someone what Neymar will do with this money, and he said Neymar already has a private jet, now is the time to get a yacht and start paying for the penthouse of all the 5-star hotels in the world. Do you think someone who is well schooled will choose to spend the money that way?

Don't be deceived.

Education is still the key, education is still superior, education has birthed technology and technology is where the money is and not football. The most valuable club in the world according to Forbes 2017 rating is Manchester United and they are worth a whopping 3.69 billion dollars to edge both Barcelona and Real Madrid. But how whopping is that compared with the worth of Apple, Google, or Microsoft? In fact the total worth of the top 20 football clubs in the world (including Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea, Bayern Munich, PSG, Arsenal, Manchester City, Juventus, Liverpool) is 29.6 billion dollars. Mark Zuckerberg can simply pull out a cheque from his back pocket and buy those 20 clubs without even discussing with the board of Facebook (that sounds like an insult but that is the fact). That is how powerful ideas are, that is how powerful knowledge can be, that is how powerful education can be. What would you rather choose for your child?

Don't be deceived.

The standard of education in Nigeria has dropped so badly that it is beginning to lose its relevance, but rather than turn our backs on it completely, rather than encourage our children not to go to school, rather than insult it the more, we should champion a course on how to make it what it ought to be and more attractive. We should teach our children the real importance of education and not just to come out and get a good job.

Trends are changing, the world has evolved and our educational system must evolve and not allowed to dissolve.

Don't be deceived. Send your children to good school if you can afford it, and after that allow him or her the freedom of choice and if he or she chooses to play football he will be buying football clubs and earning 10x what Neymar earns today.

I choose to go to school, learn how to build and buy existing businesses. I choose to go to school, learn how to employ the grace God has given me to serve humanity. I choose to go to school and learn how best my ideas can be a solution to the problems of the society.

What do you choose, for yourself and for your kids?

Don't be deceived.

©Kachi Ogbonna
Founder, HTS Business School.
Cofounder, Myunihostels.
Founder, Youth Initiative for National Transformation.
Author, How They Started

Copied From Facebook Page

Cc: Lalasticlala

.

So by this time tomorrow Neymar will get his first alert of 248 million naira and every Thursday, like drug money it will be dropping like that! Chaiii, that one is too much oh, but what is the guy playing self?

Well, it is no longer news that last week Thursday, August 3rd, 2017 the biggest contract ever in the history of world football was signed. Neymar Da Silva Santos Junior officially signed for Paris Saint Germain from Spanish giant Barcelona after they met his buyout clause of €222M. Hours later the news of his weekly earnings of about €515,000 or 248 million naira broke the internet.

I will be the last person to dispute if Neymar is worth all that money because I have watched the guy and I can tell that he is good. He is talented, his dribbling skill, finishing, ease of taking defenders one-on-one and the shooting accuracy with both feet are all admirable, but above all these Neymar is simply a very strong and saleable brand. By Sunday, when PSG line up against Guingamp FC Neymar will get the first chance to show the watching world (will you watch the match?) why PSG is paying that much for his signature. The ideal scenario will be for Neymar to open his account with a hat trick in that match and win the man of the match - and that is exactly what I wish him.

But most amazing, most confusing and perhaps now annoying about that contract is what Nigerians have made out of it here at home. Most of us have misrepresented not just the worth but the significance and implications of that deal. Most social media users (including professionals) have made serious attempts to demean 'education' by comparing the monetary rewards that it offers to what football offers. I heard that A is no longer for Apple and B is no longer for Book. I understand that the new way of teaching children ABCD (in Nigeria) is to let them understand that A is for Attack, B is for Back pass, C is Control the Ball, D is for Defence and indeed every single footballing terminology is now used in learning the English Alphabet, and at the end of the day the lesson to the child is simple - you must play football whether you like it or not. But I think that is dangerous, we can't promote this ideology as a nation otherwise I am afraid of what the future holds. We will not be doing our generation any good if we encourage them to ignore education for the pursuit of money. Of course, you should know that I am a key promoter of the fact that going to university is completely useless if it is all about the degree, but for God's sake how can someone who is actually a graduate want to make it look as if it is all about the degree? In the first place why is the emphasis not on "what Neymar can do" but on the fact that he doesn't have WAEC result? Is PSG paying him that money because he didn't go to school or because he has proved himself competent enough in his chosen career? I think the emphasis should rather be on what someone can do rather than his academic qualifications otherwise all those without a secondary education will easily be earning like Neymar already.