₦airaland Forum

Na like this we go take do am for here on NairaLand. Oya, let's go...
Like for __PDP
Share for APC

Na like this we go take do am for here on NairaLand. Oya, let's go...
Like for __PDP
Share for APC

Do everyone think Buhari have time to hear/listen to your protest? Buhari has thought on something else on OndoTomorrow "Abuja boy" Akeredolu. If you know, you know.

Good! But if i should be the judge: I will just ask them to kill him by using step by step method. Starting by cutting off his right hand follow by right leg next by his right eye. Then start again by left hand also follow by his left eye. At this stage he won't know/see when the last operation will take on. By this time his dying already... So rest in advance to him!

Heeding Jega’s constitutional counsel

Former chairman of INEC, Attahiru M. Jega






By Ejeviome Eloho Otobo & Oseloka H. Obaze
 

The mixed reactions with which Nigeria’s 60th anniversary was celebrated by Nigerians, revealed the depth of resignation and cynicism pervading the nation at a time, when debate on restructuring has taken the political centre stage. The debate which persists against the backdrop of rising ethnic agitations, will either serve as a trigger for restructuring or a tripwire for an uncharted change. Political leaders and pundits divide between supporters and sceptics of restructuring. Into this breach steps Professor Attahiru M. Jega, a professor of political science and former chairman of INEC, who in the past three years, alone or in collaboration with other like-minded persons, made contributions to the debate on three important public policy issues. These are reflected in the titles of: “Pastoralist-Farmers Conflicts and the Search for Peaceful Resolution”(2018); and “Time for Dialogue is Now” (2020) published under the auspices on Nigerian Working Group on Peace-building and Governance. “On Constitutionalism: Towards Restructuring Nigeria” (2020), his third piece, was solely authored by him.

The tone, style and substance of all the three papers elicit admiration. They are devoid of threats and diktat – a sad carry over attribute from the military era that many highly-placed Nigerians seem unable to transcend. More importantly, the exposés outlined common sense proposals for dealing with some contentious national issues. For instance, on the pastoralists-farmers conflict, Jega and his group observed that “Pastoralism is not sustainable in Nigeria over the long term due to high population growth rate, expansion of farming and loss of pasture and cattle routes… but the traditional form of pastoralism should continue for a period to be agreed upon.” More crucially, they argued that a “programme for the country’s transition to modern forms of animal husbandry must be accelerated” and advocated the “need for permanent settlement of the pastoralists…with commercial ranches established in the sparsely populated zones in the Northeast (Sambisa Game Reserve in Borno State) and Northwest (Gidan Jaja Grazing Reserve in Zamfara State).” Had these sensible proposals been embraced and enacted as the centrepiece of public policy on addressing the herders’ challenges, the ensuing tensions and controversies would have been avoided. It’s noteworthy that even the federal government’s policy choice, the National Livestock Transformation Plan has not doused lingering suspicions and pushback on the matter.



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Jega’s contribution on the urgent need for dialogue on national issues is both important and germane to any serious efforts at nation-building. But it is Jega’s most recent contribution on ‘constitutional reforms’ that deserves much appreciation. In seeking to provide a solution to some constitutional issues bedevilling Nigeria, especially modalities for restructuring, Jega asked what “restructuring” of the Nigerian federation should entail. In laying out his proposals for constitutional reforms, Jega asserts that “statements like ‘Nigeria’s unity is non-negotiable’ or ‘Nigeria’s continued stay as one country is not negotiable’ are factually incorrect, wishful thinking and politically abhorrent to those making the demand”. He helpfully suggests that the unity of every nation is subject to negotiations and “continuous improvement”.  Indeed, that is why constitutional democracies periodically enact and embrace amendments to their constitutions. He, then, offers wide-ranging proposals, covering the [federal] structure, power sharing, resources and revenue allocation -– all predicated on his observation that “the 1999 Constitution has concentrated too much power and resources in the hands of the federal government, [requiring] a dispassionate review of the 1999 Constitution.”

Herein, we will focus on only five of the myriad proposals by Jega. He proposes that Nigeria should: (1) revert to the two-tier system: federal and states, with Local Government Areas subsumed under the states; (2) abjure the merger of existing states, except by referendum in which two-thirds majority have voted yes, adding that under no circumstances should the merger or reconfiguration of existing states into regions as federating units, analogous to what obtained in the past, be contemplated; (3) have a short federal exclusive list, consisting of foreign affairs, national defence and security, monetary policies and commerce  with a  short concurrent list, consisting of policing, taxation and tertiary education/health and whatever is not  listed belongs to the residual powers of the states; (4)retain the federal character principle with identified challenges in its implementation must be redressed; and (5) review upwards the derivation formula to 18 per cent and adjust the revenue allocation  formula so that the federal government would be entitled to a maximum of 40 per cent and the states 60 per cent.

Jega’s proposals represent an opening bid for negotiations on constitutional reforms. Still, his proposals, like those under consideration by the Senate Ad hoc Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution, falls short of a major overhaul of the constitution by convening of a Constituent Assembly. Since the path of constitutional incrementalism is what is currently on offer, we propose some amendments to Jega’s proposals. To enhance the fiscal viability of the states, the derivation formula should be increased to 25 per cent.  The exclusive of legislative items should not include water resources and the federal government should abandon the water bill now under consideration. The objection is based on both practice and principle. As a practical matter, the federal government has been a poor steward of the oil and other mineral resources creating many tensions. In principle, the current bill further deepens the centralisation of powers on water issues beyond the spirit in Schedule II (64) of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended), which itself requires to be reviewed in favour of the states. While the federal character principle can be retained, precisely because its implementation has gone terribly awry, more sustained efforts would be required to retain public confidence in it. National cohesion and solidarity cannot endure infinitely, when federal principle has witnessed deeply troubling distortions. Rather than promote equity and inclusivity, federal character principle has deepened fault-lines.

 

Otobo is a Non-Resident Senior Expert at the Global Governance Institute, Brussels.
  Obaze is Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Selonnes Consult in Awka.

https://thenationonlineng.net/heeding-jegas-constitutional-counsel/?fbclid=IwAR0HyZkkRxEhR7hgNS8711VQHOZrVCvsjRrxyckDi_-pKSEybJv7F_cE5Lo

Depressed economy will bounce back, says Buhari
•President presents N13.08tr 2021 Budget estimates
October 9, 2020

NIGERIA’S economy which has been projected to go into recession this quarter will return to recovery next year, the President said on Thursday.

President Muhammadu Buhari raised the hope when he presented the 2021 budget estimates for Federal lawmakers consideration.

He tagged the N13.08 trillion estimates as Budget of Economic Recovery and Resilience.

Buhari said: “The Nigerian economy is currently facing serious challenges, with the macroeconomic environment being significantly disrupted by the Coronavirus Pandemic.

“Real Gross Domestic Product (‘GDP’) growth declined by 6.1 per cent in the second quarter of 2020.

“This ended the three-year trend of positive, but modest, real GDP growth recorded since the second quarter of 2017.

“I am glad to note that through our collective efforts, our economy performed relatively better than that of many other developed and emerging economies.”

According to the President, the economy may slip because the “GDP growth is projected to be negative in the third quarter of this year. As such, our economy may relapse into the second recession in four years, with significant adverse consequences”.

He added: “We are working assiduously to ensure a rapid recovery in 2021. We remain committed to implementing programmes to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty over the next 10 years.”

The President said liquidity of the economy will be boosted with the withdrawal of subsidy and the reforms of the electricity sector.

He said:  “The new petrol pricing regime has freed up resources that was allocated to subsidise petroleum products. Similarly, the ongoing IPPIS verification exercise has closed gaps that encourage ghost workers or pensioners. The service reflective electricity tariffs will help resolve liquidity crisis in the power sector and make the sector attractive to foreign investment.”

He noted that since skills’ deficits limit employment opportunities in the formal economy, various skills’ development programmes are being implemented simultaneously to address the problem frontally.

“For instance, the Government is implementing the Special Public Works programme to provide employment opportunities to 774,000 youths across the 774 local government areas of Nigeria.

“We have also recently introduced the N25 billion Nigeria Youth Investment Fund.

“We thank all Nigerians, for your perseverance and continued support during these difficult times. We remain unwavering in our commitment to actualise our vision of a bright future for everyone.”

2020 performance
On the performance of the 2020 budget, Buhari urged the lawmakers to recall that the 2020 ‘Budget of Sustaining Growth and Job Creation’ was amended in response to recent fiscal pressures.

He added: “I am glad to report that these efforts enabled us to effectively respond to the public health challenge of Coronavirus outbreak and moderate economic impact.

“Pursuant to our revised assumptions, the amended 2020 Budget was based on a benchmark oil price of $28 per barrel; oil production of 1.80 million barrels per day; and exchange rate of N360/$.

“Based on these budget parameters, aggregate revenue of N5.84 trillion was projected to fund N10.81 trillion in expenditure.

“The projected deficit of N4.98 trillion, or 3.57 per cent of GDP, is expected to be financed mainly by borrowing.

“In 2020, average daily oil production was 1.88 mbpd up to June, as against the revised estimate of 1.80 mbpd for the entire year.

“However, the market price of Bonny Light crude averaged $40.79 per barrel, significantly higher than the revised benchmark price of $28.

“As at July 2020, the Federal Government’s actual revenue available for the budget was N2.10 trillion.

“This revenue performance was only 68 per cent of our pro-rated target in the revised 2020 budget.

“At N992.45 billion, oil revenue performed well above our budget target, by 168 per cent.

“Non-oil tax revenues totalled N692.83 billion, which was 73 percent of the revised target.”

He said that in order to improve independent revenue performance, he had directed that the cost profiles of Government Owned Enterprises (‘GOEs’) should be scrutinized and limits imposed on their cost-to-revenue ratios.

He said he has also ordered Supervising Ministers to ensure closer monitoring of the revenue generating activities and expenditures of the Government Owned Enterprises.

On the expenditure side, Buhari said a total of N5.37 trillion had been spent as against the pro-rated expenditure of N5.82 trillion as at end of July 2020.

Accordingly, he said that the deficit was N3.27 trillion which represents 66 per cent of the revised budgeted deficit for the full year.

He added: “Despite these challenges, we met our debt service obligations.

“We are also up to date on the payment of statutory transfers and staff salaries, while overhead costs have been significantly covered.

“For the first time in recent years, we commenced the implementation of this year’s capital budget in the first quarter.

“As at 15th September 2020 a total of about N1.2 trillion had been released for capital projects.

“Every Federal MDA has received at least 50 per cent of its 2020 capital expenditure budget, in line with my earlier directives.”

He lamented that revenue generation remained a major challenge to the nation’s economy.

“Nevertheless,” the President said, “Government is determined to tackle the persisting problems with domestic resource mobilization, as there is a limit to deficit financing through borrowing.”

He added: “The time has come for us to maintain a healthy balance between meeting our growing expenditure commitments and our long-term public financial health.”

2020 achievements
President Buhari also spoke about the key achievements of his administration in the 2020 fiscal year.

He said that his administration implemented several priority projects over the course of the year.

Buhari added: “Government has delivered on key policies, programmes and projects in these priority areas.

“In agriculture, we have recorded appreciable success in rice and other crops mainly through the Anchor Borrowers Programme and the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, anchored by the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority, respectively.

“We are also accelerating the construction of 337 rural roads around key agricultural corridors to enhance access to market and reduce post-harvest losses.

“These efforts have reduced the adverse impact of Coronavirus on our food availability, prices and security.

“We have made progress on the railway projects connecting different parts of the country.

“The Lagos-Ibadan Line will soon be operational. The Abuja-Kaduna Line is running efficiently.

“The Itakpe-Ajaokuta Line was finally completed after over 30 years since it was initiated and commissioned in September 2020.

“Arrangements are underway to complete the Ibadan-Kano Line.

https://thenationonlineng.net/depressed-economy-will-bounce-back-says-buhari/?fbclid=IwAR14xbS64JuqYn-hp4-PDzw6tBeooG5KuVV6TS99pHlPJF-ZJF-IGWGG09A

At last...

Yes! At last...

Nawa for this Nigeria self. Every-Every day na from fry pan to fire...

Don't even think of it. You can't smell draw not to talk of winning.

Election strategy!

Yeye dey worry him!

Oya now...

PDP chairman, others decamp to APC in Osun



Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ward 1, Ife-East-Central Local Council Development Area of Osun State, Kehinde Ajisafe, has defected to the ruling All Progressive Congress.

Ajisafe dumped the party alongside 36 other members of the opposition party.

A statement by Kola Olabisi, a Senior Special Assistant to Governor Gboyega Oyetola, obtained on Wednesday, explained that the defection took place during a meeting of the ‘4 + 4 = Oyetola’ group at St. Stephen’s B Primary School, Modakeke.


The statement also quoted Ajisafe as saying, “It is visible to the blind, audible to the deaf that the APC administration led by Governor Gboyega Oyetola, is really trying its best in Modakeke community in particular and the entire state in general.


“It will be important to work as an indivisible team by all the stakeholders for the fortune of the party.”
https://punchng.com/pdp-chairman-others-decamp-to-apc-in-osun/?utm_term=Autofeed&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR3NtZ0QaU8xbcOTrDKYUiF80UgGH46n0G9GcbVZtvtrCjgnLamtVn45eRc#Echobox=1602141107

Abi now!


quote author=Rawhumper post=94723071]Thats the power of collectivity, the people's
will always prevails.

The Politicians and security agencies are burgling up by force.

He would have made noise, coward he quietly went to his seat, wise man lol.


Abi now!

ElValiente:
you can shake president during campaign.

If that should be case. They shouldn't have allowed them to do beyond now!

imitor4us:
I won ask the same question

Abi now. The thing shocked me. I don't know maybe na thug politicians/thug security

What can far?.. I don't believe this jare!

Good to hear that. But don't act like the green snake under the green grass!

Fear don dey catch them. Because they know...

Best option...

Good!

Yeye dey smell. You people should just stop wasting your time. As you can see the hand writing and hear the anthem...

If you don see them or hear their name's. You don't need to be disturbing your self by questioning your self. Those are the WINNING TEAM.

How the thugs near him self. Shey security wey dey guard him no dey there ni

LordviccoDaGuru:
Ondo no be Edo

Who told you that? Edo na Ondo and Ondo na Edo. All jamm and mixed together and become one.