The Abuja Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ACCI) has particularly commended Nigeria’s Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) for activating the constitutional authority of the National Economic Council (NEC) to initiate, integrate, and direct the focus of national economic development. The activation of the constitutional authority of NEC, the Chamber said, would enable various tiers of government not to be working at cross purposes. In a statement, the Chamber said that recent recommendations by the Council are the critical steps towards harmonising economic planning and development among the various levels of government. It quoted the new President of the Chamber, Prince Adetokunbo Kayode as, describing the new approach by the Vice President as a determined step to create synergy in national economic planning to provide a common sense of development direction for the country”. “Until now, the National Economic Council has not fully launched out to initiate and coordinate national economic direction for which it was established by the constitution. “The ACCI commends the Presidency and particularly the Vice President for finally activating the constitutional authority of the NEC to initiate, integrate, and direct the focus of national economic development so that the various tiers of government will no longer be working at cross purposes, or in silos.” Prince Kayode said that under the 1999 Constitution, the structure for effective political and economic governance of Nigeria is broadly divided. The legal luminary noted that while the President as Chief Executive presides over the Federal Executive Council (FEC), Defence, Security and Police Councils and also chairs the National Council of States (NCS), the Constitution mandates the Vice President to chair the NEC with membership that include all state governors, Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) governor and others. “It is thus clear that the constitution intended the Vice President to superintend the economy, of course, under the general direction of Mr. President. So, if the Vice President is enabled to fully implement the authority already given to his office by the constitution then as the focal authority for the management of the national economy along with the state governments, we can easily develop an integrated approach to economic planning and execution. “The NEC is a potent and veritable platform to ensure a concerted approach towards national economic development, the surest way forward for economic growth and betterment. “The next stage is now for the NEC to be fully institutionalized with a functioning secretariat through which inter – governmental economic planning can be coordinated with the National Planning Commission (also by law chaired by the Vice President), the state governments and other government agencies under the leadership of the Vice President. “For the economic prosperity, growth, peace and progress of our country, the Vice President must work towards strengthening the National Economic Council so that joint efforts at planning can make a difference in Nigeria’s quest for greatness.”
The Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) has asked former President Goodluck Jonathan to shut his mouth up over a statement credited to him attacking the government under the All Progressives Congress (APC). “To us, it was uncharitable for the former President to refer to APC as running a government of “lies and propaganda,” while all the time attempting to impress Nigerians that he ran a faultless government with time tested achievements.” In a statement by the chairman, Austin Braimoh and secretary, Cassidy Madueke, the group said that it is unbecoming of former President Jonathan to speak of President Buhari’s government in bad light, “even when majority of Nigerians, home and abroad, believed he ran the worst and most corrupt government ever. “We submit that the former President should always remember that Nigerians rejected him overwhelmingly during the 2015 Presidential election on the alleged incompetent and directionless government he ran, all through, a reason he should avoid being brazenly judgemental. “Indeed, the former President ought to be in the dock by now, answering charges on a welter of proven allegations bothering on phenomenal corruption, ineptitude, utter lack of focus and vision, all which combined to make Nigeria a pariah state under him.” The Buhari media group said that Jonathan cannot claim to be a saint at this point in time when huge amount of stolen funds running into trillions of Naira being were recovered from men and women who served in his government, including the former First Lady. It said that Nigerians still remember vividly that looting of treasury was an art under the past government of Jonathan, while terrorism gained momentum uncontrollably as government officials under his watch pilfered from monies earmarked to fight terrorism without remorse “No one is in doubt that Nigeria fell into the abyss under the Jonathan administration with a completely wreaked economy, which eventually gave way to a gripping recession that took ingenuity and wisdom from Present Buhari’s government to resolve. “The Jonathan’s administration almost nailed the future of Nigeria, dealing a fatal blow on the system with a fraudulently contrived privatization agenda, in which only his cronies and henchmen were, mostly beneficiaries. “In clearing the rot in the power sector, President Buhari did a rescue operation, which lifted power generation from an all time low of 2, 633MW by 2015 to 7,001MW now. “To us, Nigerians are grateful that the achievements of the President Buhari administration, in a period of just two years, has surpassed those of the entire 6 years of the Goodluck Jonathan era.” “We, therefore, allude to the ability of President Buhari to infuse a sense of transparency probity and accountability in the management of the national economy which has helped to curb looting, return stability to the Foreign Exchange Market while external reserve has continue to be on the sharp rise. “It is also gratifying for Nigerians that the policy of diversification of economy has revived the agricultural sector, leaving farmers to smile to the banks amid the prospects of growth of agro-allied industries in Nigeria” “In all, we, as a group, give kudos to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on the recoveries of monies and properties from Jonathan’s alleged group of mother looters, appealing to the anti-graft agency not to relent efforts in ensuring the prosecution of those found culpable.”[myad]
I had a memorable but sad encounter with General Victor Leo Malu sometime in 1995. He was then the General Officer commanding the 7th Mechanised Brigade in Enugu. General Sani Abacha’s government had initiated a process of state creation in Nigeria at the time and as the Secretary of the Movement for creation of Katsina Ala State out of Benue and Taraba, I followed Hon Atoza Ihindan, the chairman of the movement to his office to solicit for his support. He was a member of the highest organ of the ruling military junta led by Sani Abacha which was going to take a final decision on the state creation exercise. I always felt confident when I followed my chairman on such missions. As a newspaperman for these forty odd years, I have met almost all politicians of consequence in this country. I rate the great Zik of Africa, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe as the greatest orator I have ever met. Next to him will be Hon Atoza Ihindan who was unfortunately assassinated at his home in Katsina Ala Benue state in 2015. As we were ushered into Gen Malu’s office that day, I knew my chairman was going to activate his magic wand and get the general to support our cause. Sadly, I was proved wrong. Our case for a Katsina Ala State was supported by facts of history. All through the structuring and restructuring of Nigeria since colonial times, what was known as ‘Wukari Federation’ was part of Benue. First, it was in Benue Province, then Benue Plateau State. In the States creation exercise of 1976, the military government of General Murtala Mohammed removed Wukari Federation from Benue and merged it with Muri, Adamawa and Sardauna Provinces to form Gongola State. They also took Nasarawa and Lafia away from Benue where they had always belonged and merged them with Plateau Province to form Plateau State. They then brought the Igala that had never been with Benue in history from Kwara and merged them with some Tiv and Idoma Local Governments to form a new Benue. Explaining the rational for this strange state creation exercise, the government said that it was meant to separate the Tiv from the Jukun. Of course we also remember that in the national broadcast announcing the exercise, Murtala Mohammed in his usual thundering style warned that his government would not tolerate any “emotional outbursts or provocative demonstrations either for or against the creation of the new states”. Soon after this speech, Murtala was assassinated and the “emotional outbursts and provocative demonstrations” he warned against erupted in Wukari. Relying on the governments stated rationale of taking Wukari away from Benue to Gongola, Local Government officials and traditional rulers in Wukari started evicting Tiv indigenes of the area with brutal force and telling them to go to Benue where they now had their state. That was the origin of Tiv Jukun crisis that has refused to go away up till date. When the brutalized Tiv indigenes of Wukari took their case to Gen Obasanjo who was the then Head of State, he ordered Col Mohammadu Jega, the Military Governor of Gongola State to make sure the attacked Tiv people returned to their homes and were paid compensation. From that date, the Tiv who had always lived peacefully with the Jukun in pre-colonial times and under the same administrative umbrella under colonial and post- colonial era suddenly became implacable enemies. There were persistent attacks and counter attacks as a game of tit for tat persisted. Finally in 1990, there was an outright break of war between the Tiv and the Jukun. The war was prolonged and very brutal and the army had to intervene in 1992 to restore peace. Our Katsina Ala state movement believed that the only way to restore peace was to reunite the Tiv and Jukun by carving the former Wukari Federation which was now part of Taraba and merging it with some contagious Tiv Local Governments in Benue State to form a new Katsina Ala State. This was nothing new we argued. In the past during the days of Indirect Rule under Lord Lugard, these Tiv Local Governments in Benue State were under the control of Aku Uka of Wukari. That was our argument for a Katsina Ala State. My chairman Hon Atoza Ihindan was at his oratorical best as he presented his case to General Malu. Unfortunately, it was clear to me that the General was not paying attention to this orator. At the time of our visit, the General was leading a war in Bakasi to ensure that Nigeria restored her territorial claims over the disputed oil rich peninsular. His office was like an armory, littered with all kinds of guns. There were over a dozen telephone lines on his table and as he sat there with us, the phones kept ringing and ringing non- stop. It was clear from his body language that our long political talk was boring. He wanted to be left alone with his guns and war games. I frequently overhead him as he spoke on phone, barking out orders to his officers at the war front: “Attack”, “hold your grounds”, “use maximum force”, etc. I never heard him shout withdraw or surrender to his troops. That was General Malu for you. He enlisted into the NDA in 1967, a year after the military strayed into the politics of Nigeria. But unlike his peers who loved politics more than military life, Malu was a soldier who loved soldiering and nothing else. The military held political power from 1966 to 1999 except for the brief Shagari years 1979 to 1983. Victor Malu was there from 1967 and never for once held any political office. General Malu led and won the fight to reclaim Bakasi for Nigeria. He also led ECOMOG in Liberia and subdued Charles Taylor. In all these campaigns, he did Nigeria proud. When democracy returned in 1999, he naturally emerged as Chief of Army Staff. General TY Danjuma, the Minister of Defense who was saddled with the responsibility of getting a new Chief of Army Staff said in public that General Malu had the best credentials for the job. Sadly, the honeymoon between Malu and the Obasanjo government was short lived. Obasanjo signed a secret military pact with the US to give them uninhibited access to all our military secrets but General Malu refused to allow the Americans the access they wanted. They demanded his sack and Obasanjo complied. Shortly after his sack, the perennial Tiv Jukun clashes – the basis of our demand for a Katsina Ala state that led us to the ill-fated visit to Gen Malu in Enugu – erupted again in 2001. Obasanjo used the killing of some soldiers in Zaki Biam as a pretext to visit mayhem on General Malu. The General felt betrayed and shocked that a military he served creditably could descend so low – set ablaze his modest country home, murder his unarmed aged relatives, little children and subject his over 80 year old mother to military drills. There can be no other explanation to the stroke he suffered which led to his eventual death. [myad]
But for the “diplomatic skills” of President Muhammadu Buhari, the government of President Recep Edorgan of Turkey would have had a head-on-collision with the government of President Buhair of Nigeria over the last year’s failed coup in Turkey. The Nigerian foreign affairs minister, Geoffrey Onyeama, told news men in Istanbul, Turkey, that the government of Edorgan actually requested President Buhari to extradite over 1000 Turkey citizens in Nigeria, belonging to Fethullah Movement “FETO, which was declared a terrorists organization by the Turkish government. The minister, who was in the entourage of President Buhari to the four-day visit to Ankara and the D8 meeting, in Istanbul, said: “there was the request for the extradition of some of the Turks in Nigeria who have been given asylum to remain in Nigeria and recognized by the United Nations (UN) as political refugees. The Turkish government requested that we extradite some of them. There was also the request that the schools and hospitals established by Gülen Movement should be closed in Nigeria. They labelled them Fethtulah (FETO) as a terrorists organization. “These were all issues that were lingering and complicating slightly relationship between the two countries. So what this visit has been able to do I think is to put all those to rest and facilitated direct engagement and, what I will call, agreeing for a way forward between the two countries. “Mr. President was very very good in that. He is a very good diplomat. Very very skillful diplomat. He was able to really douse the tension between the two sides while not compromising on principles of Nigeria. He did it very very well with a lot of diplomatic skills. The result has been that it has improved relationship between the two countries and government. The level of confidence between the two countries has also increased. It is a real diplomatic masterpiece.” Onyeama said that President Buhari assured President Erdogan that Nigeria would not allow its territory be used as a breeding ground for any terrorist or group of individuals with the aim of destabilizing Turkey. “The point was made and Mr. President with regard to the Gülen movement that under no circumstances would Nigeria allow itself to be a base for the destabilization of Turkey. And Mr. President came out very strongly in support of the democratic process and institutions of Turkey, condemning the coup attempt in Turkey and reassuring the Turkish government of Nigeria’s total support for the territorial integrity of Turkey, for the democratic governance in Turkey and the security of Turkey. Likewise the Turkish government made that reassurance to Nigeria. So once they got those different issues out of the way, it was much easier and they were more able to focus on what will transform the lives of Nigerians and the Turkish people.” Onyeama spoke on other areas that would have sparked off diplomatic crisis that President Buhari was able to amicably resolve with President Erdogan to include the refusal of visas to some Turkish security personnels, IPOB issue, and the delay in the issuance of Turkish visas to Nigeria and the request to increase the number of flights of Turkish Airlines into Nigeria. “With all the outstanding issues, he was able to really skillfully navigate through but at the same time mending all the ruffled feathers and fences. We were able to void making it what I will call antagonistic. The part that he really chatted was to look at those areas where we can cooperate and there would be win-win and would diffuse tension. They looked at economic areas, educational areas, economic development, operational areas and agree to allow the normal legal international processes to run their course with regard to the more sensitive issues.” [myad]
President Recep Tayyeb Erdogan hosted Muhammadu Buhari, the President of Nigeria for a fairly long one-on-one meeting in Ankara, the Turkish capital on Thursday before the bilateral meeting that involved their ministers and members of their delegations. This was President BUhari’s first visit to Turkey since his election in 2015, but the second meeting with President Erdogan who as Prime Minister visited Abuja in March, last year. Though the meeting of the group, Development Eight, simply “D 8” in Istanbul was what President Buhari set out to attend, he spent an earlier 24 hours in the capital, Ankara to round off the technical meetings of delegates from both governments in what can be summed as a compressed State Visit. President Buhari’s overarching objective during this visit for both occasions was to focus on issues of security and anti-terrorism; agricultural cooperation; trade cooperation; education and health; transport and connectivity; energy sector cooperation and increased private sector participation. Expectations on major concrete deliverables out of the trip had been loudly suggested by our officials, even before the meetings began and from the early outcomes we got, there is every reason for that excitement. The visit has achieved quite a lot on the stated objectives. The meetings have also helped to enhance momentum in ties between Nigeria and the rest of the “G 8” members and the establishment of a positive working relationship especially between Presidents Buhari and Erdogan. This is an added bonus. Here are some takeaways from the bilateral meetings between Nigerian and the Turkish government leaders: SECURITY AND PARTNERSHIPS ON TRANSNATIONAL CRIMES: The two governments agreed to support each other in the fight against terrorism, human trafficking, drugs trafficking and arms trafficking. Turkey specifically mentioned the menace of the Fethullah organization “FETO” which they accused of terrorism and involvement in the abortive coup plot last year which the Turkish population gallantly resisted. There are more than 1,000 Turkish citizens in Nigeria, many of them accused of belonging to this organization and for which reason, their passports have been declared invalid by their country. Nigeria has her own problems with the Boko Haram terrorist organization which claims ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS and (possibly) Daesh, (two international terrorist organizations which Turkey is up against) in the fight of which we get support from Turkey and we desire more. Both countries also have issues with domestic terror organizations for which they need each other’s help. There is, equally, the burning issue of the smuggling of illicit arms allegedly from Turkey, which their authorities effectively debunked but nonetheless agreed to enter into agreement with Nigeria that their ports, harbors, airports and territories will not ever again be used as transit points for such trafficking originating from other lands. On the issues of the suspected terrorists of Turkish origin in Nigeria, President Erdogan received the the best assurances from our leader that Nigeria will not allow any person or organization to use her territory for any subversive activities. President BUHARI used every given opportunity to denounce the failed coup attempt. The Turkish citizens who have sought and already obtained assistance from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNCHR since they became stateless persons have been warned not to engage in any political activities while they are in Nigeria. Turkish authorities for their part gave all assurances that no subversive activities against Nigeria will be permitted of their citizens or on their territory. Nigeria and Turkey also discussed the possibility of working together on the challenges brought about by Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs and refugees in the Northeast, especially that Turkey has the experience in handling about five million refugees in her territory. On the specific issue of arms smuggling, our team which included the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau(Rtd) and the Comptroller-General of the Customs, Colonel Hamid Ali reached conclusions with the Turkish authorities on how to avert future occurrence and to that effect, a negotiated agreement is to be signed by both sides after vetting by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as a requirement of our own administration. Industry, Trade, Investment and Transportation The primary objective of the visit by the President was to seek ways to increase the size of trade and investment between both countries had in many ways been realized. After the various meetings, the delegations agreed that there are basic complementarities between both countries which should result in more trade and investment relations between them. ▪ Turkey serves as a hub and intersection for transport, trade, religion and cultures. ▪ Nigeria as a large domestic market and is considered as the access to a West African market (which together is twice its size). The volume of trade between both countries fluctuates severely (from Turkey’s perspective) and does not seem to follow a pattern. For instance, there has been swings of 40 percent trade surplus in a year to a trade deficit of 30 percent the next year. In addition, the level of trade generally between “D-8” Member States is also low. The proportion of trade between member states is only about 7 percent, while the European Union (EU) has about 65 percent trade relations between member states. It was agreed by them all to boost the amount of trade between the “D 8” member states. To achieve this, certain concrete steps aimed at increasing the volume of trade and investment between Nigeria, Turkey and the “D 8” were outlined and these included: The setting up of a technical committee to analyze the trade relations between both countries, with a view to increasing the volume. This committee will come up with a roadmap with timelines for defining and measuring key goals. Presently, there are Forty-Eight (48) Turkish companies operating in Nigeria, with investment of about $USD600mm, whereas Ethiopia, a smaller economy, has investments of over $USD3,000m from Turkey. Our government is determined to understand why Nigeria with stronger innate complementarities with Turkey, is not attracting similar or larger investment. Some of the agreements that both countries agreed that will potentially advance these objectives include a treaty against double taxation, investment promotion and protection agreement, banking regulation, and preferential trade agreement. Nigeria also gave commitments to make further efforts to diversify the economy and make the environment attractive for investment. Some of these measures include diversifying the economy from relying primarily on Oil & Gas, to developing other areas of comparative advantage; enhancement of initiatives and programs currently being implemented including the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP); creating the enabling for business and investment; industrialization programs; extensive build-out of hard infrastructure (including roads, rails, power, etc.) and focus on deepening trade relations with strategic partners (including Turkey). The team from Nigeria also brought home lessons from Turkey, which included using their Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model for the funding of infrastructure requirements. For instance, the Turkish Government has just completed a $USD26 BN BOT arrangement with a consortium to build and expand the Istanbul airport into the largest in the world. The BOT arrangement does not cost the government anything, as the private sector partner fully funds the financing. The Turkish Government recommended the BOT arrangement for Nigeria, especially as government funding takes exceedingly long time and is fraught with a lot of bottlenecks and bureaucracy. Civil Aviation In regards to this specific sector, Turkey made a demand for increased slots of air transportation for their airline, the Turkish Airline and in addition made a case for a Turkish Company seriously interested in bidding for the concession of the Abuja Airport. They were informed that the airport concession process in Nigeria is ongoing and Turkish Investors are welcome to participate Education and Health Matters. Nigeria and Turkey reached very important agreements on matters concerning education and health. These are key areas in which Turkey has made a lot of progress. There are existing Turkish investments in these areas in Nigeria and it is on record that a number of countries in the world, including some in Africa have shut down schools and hospitals on the request of their home government following allegations that they are owned and operated by this organization accused of terrorism. The smart thing the owners of some of these businesses did is that they transferred part or full ownership to Nigerian citizens at the onset of the crisis. The Nigerian government delegation has accepted offers by the Turkish authorities to support a new group, the Maarif Organization intent on setting up of schools and specialist hospitals as new investors who are not tainted by such accusations. It was in this regard that this new organization, the Maarif Foundation for educational was introduced to the Nigerian delegation. A delegation from the foundation will visit Nigeria to commence the process of registration as well as following the procedures of establishing the new schools. The two countries agreed to expand cooperation in exchange of scholars, exchange of students and exchange/sharing of ideas, skills and education technology and to improve scholarships for Nigerians to study in Turkey. They also agreed to resolve the issues relating to Nigerian students in Turkish universities that are facing exclusion due to visa challenges. Nigeria and Turkey have equally agreed to strengthen and promote investments in health institutions and this, as promised by the President will proceed quickly, that is as soon as the details of the various agreements reached in the bilateral discussions are laid on his table. Defence The two countries agreed to strengthen defence and military cooperation initiated by them a few years ago. This had already lead to the establishment of the Defence section in the Turkish Embassy, Abuja in 2013 and Nigeria’s Defence section in Ankara in 2016. In the latest rounds of discussions, Nigeria and Turkey penned an agreement on military training. They also agreed to collaborate towards the development of the Defence Industries Corporation, DIC in Kaduna into a Military Industrial Complex of Nigeria, which is a key agenda of the Muhammadu Buhari administration. Furthermore, two Turkish companies have have taken the giant stride to collaborate with the DIC in the production of arms and ammunition. Of the two companies, one is establishing a rifles production line and the supply of raw materials, technical assistance and training while the second one is partnering the DIC in the conceptualization, designing, consulting, invention, manufacturing, marketing, sale, exportation and sale of military industrial products. Ninth Summit of the “D 8” The ninth summit, which took place in Istanbul on the 20th October also marked the 20th Anniversary of the organization. It also witnessed the handover of the baton of its leadership from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sahid Khaqan Abbasi to President Recep Tayyep Erdogan of Turkey. At the end of the Summit, the Heads of State and Government adopted a communique which spelt out the direction of the organization for the coming two years under Turkey. Immediate next steps: *The Turkish Minister of Economy plans to visit Nigeria as part of the Trade Ministers of the D-8 Conference holding in Abuja between November 14 and 17, 2017. *Nigeria will consider hosting the Joint Action Committee (JACO) on boosting the volume of trade and investment between Nigeria and Turkey in January 2018. This will also include a business forum with the private sector of both countries. The Turkish Ministry of Economy will send a formal notification to the Nigerian Government in the coming days. *The Turkish Government will prepare a case study of the BOT model used to fund airport and other infrastructure projects to Nigeria. Specifically, the case-study on the successful build and expand Istanbul Airport project. *Turkey will invite Nigeria for the Turkey-Africa Business Forum that will be taking place in Istanbul sometime in Autumn. *Nigeria will work on ratifying the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) of the D-8. *Nigeria and Turkey will in the coming weeks sign an agreement with Turkey against against trafficking in weapons, humans and drugs. *Nigeria will raise a technical committee to advise her on how to ramp up trade and investment with Turkey as well as with other members of the “D 8.” Taking everything concerning the trip as a whole, the two meetings, i.e the bilateral between Nigeria and Turkey and that of the “D 8” in which the country participated, it can safely be concluded that this is perhaps one of the best outings by President Muhammadu Buhari in a little over two years of his administration. The President was accompanied on this mission by his wife, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Geoffery Onyeama, Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd), Defence, Brig-Gen. Mansur Dan Ali (Rtd), Education, Adamu Adamu and that of Industry, Trade and Investment Okechukwu Enelamah. The rest included the National Security Adviser, Maj-General Babagana Munguno (NSA),his counterpart in the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Arab Yadam, the Comptroller-General of the Customs, Colonel Hamid Ali (Rtd) and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Turkey, Ilyas Sulaiman Paragalda.
Garba Shehu is Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity to President Buhari. [myad]
A Nigerian pastor, Christ Ojigbani, the founder and Senior Pastor of Covenant Singles and Married Ministries has said that it is a sin before God for Christians to give tithes and for Church to receive same, referring to some biblical quotes to support his claim.
In an article he shared on social media, he wrote:
“For hundreds of years, Christians incur the wrath of God by paying and receiving tithe. Though the doctrine of tithe is popular and generally accepted in Christianity, it’s a wrong doctrine. It’s actually a sin to pay tithe and it’s equally a sin to receive tithe in Christianity. The doctrine is generally accepted because of the misinterpretation of some tithe related scriptures.
A misinterpretation of a scripture can lead many generations astray. In like manner, the misinterpretation of tithe related scriptures has led many Christian generations astray. Before explaining the true meaning of the scriptures, it’s important I first explain what tithe means.
What is tithe?
Tithe as an English word means one tenth or 10 percent. Tithe in the scripture means a mandatory 10 percent of one’s increase (Deuteronomy 14:22).
How often did Israelites give Tithe?
The tithe system had a seven-year cycle. The Israelites were mandated to give tithe on the first year, second year, third year, fourth year, fifth year and sixth year. They didn’t give tithe on the seventh year because they weren’t allowed to farm on the seventh year. It was called the Sabbath year or the sabbatical year. On that year, they would allow the land to lie fallow (Exodus 23:10-11) (Leviticus 25:1-7). So, because they used agricultural products as tithe, they never gave tithe on the Sabbath year.
The Types of Tithe
There were basically three types of tithe practiced by Israelites.
First, was the Levitical tithe or the first tithe (Numbers18:21-24), and it was given yearly to the Levites. This first tithe is the doctrine of tithe practiced by Christians.
The second tithe was called the tithe of feasts. In this kind of tithe, the person tithing would eat the tithe himself at a place the Lord will choose for him This tithe was done on the first year, second year, fourth year and fifth year of the seven-year cycle (Deuteronomy 14:22-27).
The third tithe was the poor man’s tithe, which was done on the third and sixth year. In this kind of tithe, the person tithing would give the tithe to strangers, widows, fatherless and Levites to eat and be satisfied (Deuteronomy 14:28-29).
Amongst the three kinds of tithe, Christians wrongly practice the first one, which is also called the Levitical tithe. I will quickly show you why it’s a sin to pay or receive tithe in this dispensation.
Why It’s a Sin to Pay or Receive Tithe
When God gave the commandment of tithe, He clearly stated who would pay the tithe; who would receive the tithe; and the purpose for receiving the tithe. He said the tithe would be paid by Israelites (except those from the tribe of Levi). He said that only the Levites were permitted to receive tithe and also said it was for their service in the tabernacle of the congregation. God actually gave them the tithe as an inheritance (Numbers18: 21-24).
For you to be eligible to pay tithe, you have to come from any of the tribes of Israel, apart from the tribe of Levi.
But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as a heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
Numbers 18:24
Though Gentile Christians are children of Abraham, we were not given any tribe. As long as you don’t have an Israeli’s international passport, you are not eligible to give tithe. The instruction was very specific.
Second, if you are eligible to give tithe, you are permitted to give the tithe only to one set of people called the Levites
And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation.
Neither must the children of Israel henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the congregation, lest they bear sin, and die.
But the Levites shall do the service of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they shall bear their iniquity: it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children of Israel they have no inheritance.
But the tithes of the children of Israel, which they offer as an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit: therefore I have said unto them, Among the children of Israel they shall have no inheritance.
Numbers 18: 21-24
The Levites are simply those from the tribe of Levi. Even in the New Testament of the Bible, the scripture clearly tells us that only the Levites are permitted to receive tithe (Hebrews 7:5). If you give your tithe to non-Levite, you are going against God’s instruction. And it will be counted against you as a sin. I will also like to state that there is nothing like spiritual Levites. We may have spiritual Israelites but not spiritual Levites or spiritual Benjaminite. I will also like to state here that priests did not receive tithe from the Israelites. The Israelites gave their tithe to Levites and Levites would then give 10 percent of the tithe to Priests (Numbers 18:26-28).
Third, for you to be eligible to receive tithe, you must be a Levite. It’s very clear in the scripture. When a non-Levite receives tithe, the person has gone against the instruction of God. Such person has committed a sin. If you are not from the tribe of Levi, then you are not a Levite. There is nothing like a spiritual Levite. This explains why Jesus Christ, who was from the tribe of Judah, didn’t receive tithe from anyone. Apart from the fact that Jesus didn’t ask the Israelites to pay tithe to him, He still encouraged them to continue paying their tithe. In Matthew 22:23, He rebuked the Pharisees that they pay tithe, which is less important, and leave the more important things like justice, mercy and faithfulness. He then encouraged them to do both the less important ones and the more important ones. In other words, He encouraged them to continue paying tithe to the Levites. That was simply the law. Only Levites could receive tithe.
If Jesus Christ who was from Israel couldn’t receive tithe because He didn’t come from the tribe of Levi, how then can a non-Israeli pastor from Africa or America be entitled to receive tithe? This also explains why Apostle Peter, Apostle Paul and the other apostles couldn’t receive tithe from anyone. Though they were men of God, they couldn’t receive tithe because they were not Levites. It will also interest you that presently we have some non-Levite Jewish Rabbis who are in charge of synagogues but do not receive tithe. Though they are Rabbis and are “physical” citizens of Israel, they don’t receive tithe because the law does not permit them. Any non-Levite who receives tithe sins grievously against God.
Finally, tithe cannot be paid or received in this dispensation because the purpose of giving tithe to Levites can no longer be fulfilled now. Why did God command that tithe should be given to the Levites?
And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Israel for an inheritance, for their service which they serve, even the service of the tabernacle of the congregation. Numbers18:21
Levites were given the tithe simply because they serve at the temple of congregation. But because the temple has been destroyed, the Levites can no longer serve at the temple. So, even if you are eligible to give or receive tithe, you cannot give or receive tithe now because the temple has been destroyed. Do you know that no Israelite pays or receives tithe today. Yes, they have stopped giving tithe until the temple is rebuilt. Please note that when the temple is rebuilt, Christians will still not join the Jews in paying and receiving tithe because the tithe system was not created to cater for Christians. Rather, it was created to cater for Levites. This explains why the early Christians who existed before the temple was destroyed never neither paid nor received tithe.
As Abraham’s children, are we not Israelites?
A person once asked, “If we are children of Abraham and also heir to his blessings, are we not Israelites? That you are a child of Abraham does not make you Jewish. You are still a Gentile, but because you have given your life to Christ, you receive his blessings. So, you don’t receive Abraham’s blessings because you pay tithe but because you have given your life to Christ.
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit. (Galatians 3:14, NIV)
The scripture above still calls us Gentiles. Even though we may be spiritual Israelites, we are still Gentiles and as such are not Levites. We are not permitted to pay or receive tithe.
Understanding Abraham’s Tithe to Melchizedek
Though Abraham once gave tithe to Melchizedek, the doctrine of tithe practiced in Christianity is different. While tithe is one tenth of one’s increase, Abraham didn’t give one tenth of his increase. Rather, he gave one tenth of the spoils he got from war. Though he was very rich, he didn’t touch his increase.
Second, Abraham’s tithe was a one-time gift. He didn’t give it every month or every year unlike the monthly tithe practiced in Christianity. In addition, tithe in the scripture was mandatory while Abraham’s tithe was voluntary. Abraham didn’t pay the tithe because any law said he should pay it. He paid it of his own volition. This explains why his son Isaac didn’t pay tithe. Even his grand son Jacob didn’t pay tithe as well. Though Jacob vowed to give God one tenth, it wasn’t tithe. It was a personal vow he made that if God would protect and bless him, he would give Him one tenth of the blessing.
And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on,
So that I come again to my father’s house in peace; then shall the Lord be my God:
And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God’s house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee. Genesis 28:20-22
Jacob’s vow was also a one-time one and voluntary. It wasn’t every month or every year.
Finally, Abraham didn’t give the tithe to Melchizedek for us to emulate him and start giving tithe. And even if we are to emulate him, then you can only give tithe from spoils you get from war. That means for you to give tithe, you would need to go for a war, win the war and bring the spoil. Abraham’s tithe cannot be used to teach people to pay tithe.
Understanding Malachi 3:10
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. Malachi 3:10
Many people have asked me questions regarding Malachi 3:10. One person once asked me “If we are not supposed to pay tithe, what does Malachi 3:10 mean?” The answer is very simple. Malachi 3:10 doesn’t refer to the congregation. It rather refers to priests. Yes, the scripture speaks to priests. For better understanding, I will take you to the Book of Numbers. In Chapter 18 of the Book, verses 25-29, the Bible says that when the Levites receive the tithe of the people, they should also take a tithe of the tithe and give to priests. In verse 32, the Bible say that when they present the best part, they will not be guilty and they will not defile the holy offerings. Also in Nehemiah 10:38, the Bible also says that priests and Levites should bring the tithe of tithe to the storeroom of God.
A priest descended from Aaron is to accompany the Levites when they receive the tithes, and the Levites are to bring a tenth of the tithes up to the house of our God, to the storerooms of the treasury. Nehemiah 10:38, NIV
So, it happened that the priests in those days were not taking the tithe of tithe to the storehouse of God. And God was angry and warned them in Malachi 3:10. To really know who God spoke to in Malachi 3:10, it’s better to go to Chapter 2:1 where the instruction started.
And now, you priests, this warning is for you. Malachi 2:1, NIV
The warning continued from Chapter 2 until it got to Chapter 3, verse 10.
So, the scripture was a warning to priests and not a warning to the congregation.
Conclusion
It’s a sin to pay or receive tithe. If you are a Christian do not pay tithe again so that you don’t incur the wrath of God. If Israelites do not pay tithe now, then why should you, a non-Israelite pay tithe. Even if you are a spiritual Israelite, why should you pay tithe whereas the physical Israelites don’t?
If you are a man of God, please do not receive tithe again so that you don’t incur the wrath of God. If Jesus Christ, Apostle Paul, Apostle Peter, and co didn’t receive tithe, why then should you receive tithe? There are many other kinds of offering you can receive. You can receive the regular offering, partnership offering, sacrificial offering, but not tithe. The tithe system is against the poor. Yes, the tithe system takes from the poor to take care of the rich. But we are supposed to take from the rich and take care of the poor. You must stop now! Why am I telling you this? It is an instruction from the Lord. Can the instruction be found in the Bible?
Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. – 2Timothy4:2
The above scripture clearly says rebuke and correct wrong doctrines.
A revival has actually started. Yes, it has started. And because it’s of God, no one can stop it. I encourage you to join the revival. A true revival is not gathering together to pray but identifying errors, recognizing the truth, and start practicing the truth.
President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has insisted that Africa must not only feed itself with adequate food but feed itself with pride.
Adesina said: “not only must Africa feed itself, it must feed itself with pride. Africa must also unlock the potentials of agriculture, turning agriculture from something that you use for managing poverty, to something that you use for creating wealth.”
The Nigeria former minister of Agriculture spoke yesterday, Friday in Des Moines, the capital city of Iowa, United States of America, when he was honoured with the World Food Prize. The prize money is $250,000 which he said he would use to set up a foundation for African youth development in Agriculture.
The AfDB President thanked God for taking him this far in his chosen profession, saying: ” it is simply amazing that the son of ATQ poor farmer can be at the world stage receiving this award. I will dedicate my life to feeding the world.”
He expressed gratitude to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who was present with former Ghanaian President, John Mahama, for nominating him to serve as a minister in Jonathan’s government.
“For me, the World Food Prize is a great honour and recognition for all of the work that I have done for decades of my life. But it also puts wind behind our sail as we now take off to feed Africa, because it is a job that has to be complete.
“The World Food Prize is a great motivation which puts the wind behind the sails of what the African Development Bank is doing with its development priorities – the High 5s – especially Feed Africa.
The President of the Bank noted how the High 5s were all linked, and pledged the commitment of the Bank to continue its development work in Africa.
Adesina stressed the need to put technology and information in the hands of farmers describing the mobile phone as the most important tool in the hands of a farmer.
“With it, they will find out information about the market, about weather, and about to access finance. They will be able to get information about nutrition for mothers, for instance. That is very important. That was why when I was Minister of Agriculture in Nigeria, we launched this electronic wallet system that allows farmers to access fertilizers, and we reached well over 15 million farmers.”[myad]
Twenty nine students have bagged first class in the final examination of the Nigerian Law School, even as 1,272 candidates failed, out of a total of 5,891 that participated in the examinations.
Head of Information and Protocol of the Nigerian Law School, Chinedu Ukekwe, who made this known in the results of the examination released today, Saturday, said that 211 students made Second Class Upper while 1,046 made Second Class Lower.
He said that 2,999 got a Pass while 334 got a Conditional Pass, adding that in all, 4,285 candidates were successful and will be called to the Nigerian Bar.
Further breakdown of the results showed that 72.7 percent of the students passed, while those that passed with conditions represented 5.7 percent. The candidates who failed represented 21.6 percent.
Ukekwe said in the statement that the ‘Call to the Bar’ ceremony for the successful candidates will hold on November 28 and 29 in Abuja.[myad]
The United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary-General, Hajiya Amina Mohammed has announced opening of no fewer than 37 career job for young Nigerians in the UN, under the UN bureaucracy. She explained that the opening is available via the Junior Professional Officers’ (JPO) Programme, including internship for young graduates.
Hajiya Amina who announced these at a Cultural Night organized by Nigerians working at the United Nations Systems, said that Nigeria has the opportunity to sponsor its youth for the jobs through the JPO but that, for a long while, Nigeria has not seized this opportunity.
“JPO is a programme for the young people to come and grow their career at the UN and it has 37 positions for Nigeria – one for each of the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The JPO programme provides young professionals with hands-on experience in multilateral technical co-operation, and is one of the best ways to gain entry level positions within the UN system.
“JPOs are sponsored by their own government, which fund their placement in one of a range of UN organisations.”
Hajiya Amina, who was the Nigeria’s immediate past minister of environment, asked older Nigerians to pave the way for the youth by creating leadership opportunities for them .
She asked them to stop competing with the younger ones for employment opportunities.
“Whenever there are opportunities, try and pave the way for the young ones; you are getting old and we want to see the young ones in the system.
“We need to give the youth the opportunity because if we don’t give them the opportunities, they can easily fall victims of crimes.”
According to her, the Nigerian employees at the UN system are getting old and there is the need for the Nigerian youth to be allowed to come into the system.
“Home really does need us; there are leaders and we are trying with the professionals that we see in the United Nations.
“The work we need to do is not just to the world but also to remember that at the root of all that, you are only as good as where you come from.
“And it’s really important that we remember, with what we do here, what we can get back home, that we can encourage those at home, and inspire them. It’s not just what we do for the world. Can’t we take those expertise back home.”
Hajiya Amina advised them to make the best use of every opportunity they got even as she condemned what she termed alarming gender-based violence in Nigeria.
She said that it has increased in dimensions that one could never imagine.
“So when I look back home and I see that there are women that are coming back from Boko Haram captivity, they come back with a type of violence that many, for the rest of their lives, can’t recover from.
“But I also see that what is worse is the kind of violence that is visited upon the young girl. She is indoctrinated and convinced to tie a bomb around her and blow it off; that’s violence against girls; that’s violence against women.
“But what I wanted to say was that as we look at the gender-based violence initiative that we put a spotlight on our own nation; we all have a part to play.
“I know we would spend some money in Nigeria on this initiative but we all have a part to play individually and collectively in trying to bring it to zero.”
Hajiya Amina also lamented how girls were left behind in education, stressing that everyone needs to have an education – the boys and the girls.
“The boys we didn’t educate are the same ones that kidnap the girls that we educated.
“So education for everyone is exposure for everyone; it matters so much; it really does give us the basis, the moral compass to help us navigate through life.”
Nigeria’s Ambassador/Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Samson Itegboje, commended the Nigerians in the UN and particularly lauded the appointment of Mohammed as the UN Deputy Chief.
Itegboje said that Nigeria was proud of Mohammed, describing her as an “ultimate authority and a reference point when it comes to Sustainable Development Goals’ issues”.
The Nigerian envoy said: “Nigeria is a great country; we are a happy people, you can’t take that away from us; we have gone through difficult times but we are happy that we have a government that is responsive to the yearnings and aspirations of dear people of Nigeria.”
President of the United Nations Staff Recreation Club Nigeria Association, retired Col. Jolly Abu, said that the cultural night was organised to showcase Nigeria’s culture.
According to him, the Nigerians in the UN are very proud of their culture adding, it is also for them to mingle, rekindle and renew their bonds.
“The UN encourages that we should meet and foster unity among ourselves and also enjoy ourselves; so that’s what we’re doing.”
Man is really in an ambiguous position in nature. Nature presents to him (gender neutral) series of paradoxes and puzzles he is expected to solve. His consciousness reminds him of his individuality because he has his own name, ambitions, destiny and in some cases fate; yet to optimise his individuality in nature, he must act as a group. Man’s search for “good life” that can help him achieve his lofty aspirations in this seemingly ambiguous position in nature is endless. This explains why political and social systems are always evolving as man’s consciousness changes to suit his circumstances per time. I have listened to several commentators, both experts and pedestrian, speak on the “ills” of the Nigerian situation and RESTRUCTURING as the best “user friendly manual” to solve these problems or to “make Nigeria better”. Understandably, all these “solutions” are emotional-laden, value-filled, subjective in orientations, and in some cases, arrogant in approach. On my part, I have told those who cared to listen that the nebulous concept, RESTRUCTURING will need to be properly analysed in the context of the Nigerian situation. Of all the positions I have heard or read on the RESTRUCTURING debate is an article written by Solomon Ukhuegbe under the title, FACTS AND FALLACIES IN THE “RESTRUCTURING” CONVERSATION published in The Guardian of the 16th of October, 2017. Inasmuch as I do not agree with all the “fallacies” he raised in his article, I feel the need to expand the scope of the discussion a bit. I will restrict myself only to the central theme of the article which is the nebulous nature of what is known in Nigeria as “True Federalism” if such ever exit! Before I proceed, let me make some important clarifications. First, the concept “Federalism” in itself should not be taken as given. It must be taken for what it is- a concept. A concept, to be properly understood, must be properly operationalised by the user. For instance, is Spain a federation simply because it fits Professor Kenneth C. Wheare’s criteria of a “Federal Principle”? Also, can we classify the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) as a federation even though its Constitution gave her “Republics” the right to secede but not unilaterally? Second, as a federalist myself, I do not share Professor Wheare’s highly legalistic conception of federal principle in his Federal Government published in 1946. Rather, I prefer William Riker’s “Federal Bargain” in his Federalism: Origin, Operation, Significance published in 1964which makes the adoption of federalism a political solution and just not a legal jingoism contained in some long, prosaic documents to complicate issues for mortals. Riker, in criticising Wheare’s “highly legalistic in tone” conception of federalism, restated politics as the role of the political elites in the formation of federations. Again, federalism is not the same as devolution of power. There are in varying degrees, power devolutions, in all countries, but that does not make all countries federations. Spain operates a Unitary Constitution with a high degree of devolution of power to the regions which can be withdrawn by the central government under Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. Having said these, I have observed that when many Nigerians use the concept “True Federalism”, as Ukhuegbe noted, in most cases they mean the system or political structure as adopted in the United States of America (USA) where many countries “borrowed the concept from” as one pro-“True Federalist” (I couldn’t find a better way to describe him) noted. If we must borrow a concept, as some commentators maintain, we must “borrow it fully”. On the surface, this looks good as an argument. Also, when told to define federalism, the chances are higher that many will simply regurgitate Wheare’s “Federal Principle”. Unfortunately, many of people who hold advanced degrees in political science and law have done little or nothing to disabuse the minds of our people over this misconception. Comparing US federal experience with Nigeria and passing the former as “True Federalism” is at best dubious. The US federation is a product of the 13 colonies who came together to form, initially, a United Colonies, and later the United States. Over time, to show the dynamic nature and changing powers in the domestic and global arena, since the American Civil War (1861-1865), the First and Second World Wars, the federation have moved from Competitive, Fiscal, or Cooperative Federalism. Also, the United States has not been as unfortunate as many African countries, especially Nigeria to have experienced military incursion into politics. This alone affected the character and psyche of the political elite since the drafting of the famous Decree 34 (Unification Decree) of 1966 which abolished the once-powerful 3 (later 4) regions of the First Republic. I have also heard the argument that Nigeria needs a “perfect” Constitution or “people’s Constitution” as though there is anywhere in the world where the people have gathered to frame a Constitution for themselves. Japanese Constitution was written by US general, McAuthor, after the defeat of the former during the World War II in 1945. I am not sure the Japanese complain of their Constitution being written by a General from an occupational army the way some Nigerians complain about the so-called “Military Constitution”. Since the framing of the Japanese Constitution, Nigerian have operated about ten different ConstitutionS. Yet, the search is on in Nigeria for a “people’s Constitution”. Isn’t that wonderful? Some agitators are today advocating for us to go back and dust the 1963 Constitution and use to solve the numerous political problems in the country today. This is another reductionist fallacy. I will not end this piece without mentioning that the whole argument of RESTRUCTURING is today a political issue. That itself is fine. The major political parties, All Progressives Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are set to take positions on the issue. It will be too early to know which party will officially make it its campaign slogan during the 2019 and see what becomes of it. By then, we will know what it means better. For now, it remains ambiguous needing more clarifications. Therein lies the heart of the fallacies in the RESTRUCTURING conversation!
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[myad]
Twenty nine students have bagged first class in the final examination of the Nigerian Law School, even as 1,272 candidates failed, out of a total of 5,891 that participated in the examinations.
Key Takeaways From President Buhari’s 4-Day Engagement In Turkey, By Garba Shehu
This was President BUhari’s first visit to Turkey since his election in 2015, but the second meeting with President Erdogan who as Prime Minister visited Abuja in March, last year.
Though the meeting of the group, Development Eight, simply “D 8” in Istanbul was what President Buhari set out to attend, he spent an earlier 24 hours in the capital, Ankara to round off the technical meetings of delegates from both governments in what can be summed as a compressed State Visit.
President Buhari’s overarching objective during this visit for both occasions was to focus on issues of security and anti-terrorism; agricultural cooperation; trade cooperation; education and health; transport and connectivity; energy sector cooperation and increased private sector participation.
Expectations on major concrete deliverables out of the trip had been loudly suggested by our officials, even before the meetings began and from the early outcomes we got, there is every reason for that excitement. The visit has achieved quite a lot on the stated objectives.
The meetings have also helped to enhance momentum in ties between Nigeria and the rest of the “G 8” members and the establishment of a positive working relationship especially between Presidents Buhari and Erdogan. This is an added bonus.
Here are some takeaways from the bilateral meetings between Nigerian and the Turkish government leaders: SECURITY AND PARTNERSHIPS ON TRANSNATIONAL CRIMES:
The two governments agreed to support each other in the fight against terrorism, human trafficking, drugs trafficking and arms trafficking.
Turkey specifically mentioned the menace of the Fethullah organization “FETO” which they accused of terrorism and involvement in the abortive coup plot last year which the Turkish population gallantly resisted.
There are more than 1,000 Turkish citizens in Nigeria, many of them accused of belonging to this organization and for which reason, their passports have been declared invalid by their country.
Nigeria has her own problems with the Boko Haram terrorist organization which claims ties to the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, ISIS and (possibly) Daesh, (two international terrorist organizations which Turkey is up against) in the fight of which we get support from Turkey and we desire more.
Both countries also have issues with domestic terror organizations for which they need each other’s help.
There is, equally, the burning issue of the smuggling of illicit arms allegedly from Turkey, which their authorities effectively debunked but nonetheless agreed to enter into agreement with Nigeria that their ports, harbors, airports and territories will not ever again be used as transit points for such trafficking originating from other lands.
On the issues of the suspected terrorists of Turkish origin in Nigeria, President Erdogan received the the best assurances from our leader that Nigeria will not allow any person or organization to use her territory for any subversive activities. President BUHARI used every given opportunity to denounce the failed coup attempt. The Turkish citizens who have sought and already obtained assistance from the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, UNCHR since they became stateless persons have been warned not to engage in any political activities while they are in Nigeria.
Turkish authorities for their part gave all assurances that no subversive activities against Nigeria will be permitted of their citizens or on their territory.
Nigeria and Turkey also discussed the possibility of working together on the challenges brought about by Internally Displaced Persons, IDPs and refugees in the Northeast, especially that Turkey has the experience in handling about five million refugees in her territory.
On the specific issue of arms smuggling, our team which included the Minister of Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau(Rtd) and the Comptroller-General of the Customs, Colonel Hamid Ali reached conclusions with the Turkish authorities on how to avert future occurrence and to that effect, a negotiated agreement is to be signed by both sides after vetting by the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice as a requirement of our own administration. Industry, Trade, Investment and Transportation
The primary objective of the visit by the President was to seek ways to increase the size of trade and investment between both countries had in many ways been realized.
After the various meetings, the delegations agreed that there are basic complementarities between both countries which should result in more trade and investment relations between them.
▪ Turkey serves as a hub and intersection for transport, trade, religion and cultures.
▪ Nigeria as a large domestic market and is considered as the access to a West African market (which together is twice its size).
The volume of trade between both countries fluctuates severely (from Turkey’s perspective) and does not seem to follow a pattern. For instance, there has been swings of 40 percent trade surplus in a year to a trade deficit of 30 percent the next year.
In addition, the level of trade generally between “D-8” Member States is also low. The proportion of trade between member states is only about 7 percent, while the European Union (EU) has about 65 percent trade relations between member states. It was agreed by them all to boost the amount of trade between the “D 8” member states.
To achieve this, certain concrete steps aimed at increasing the volume of trade and investment between Nigeria, Turkey and the “D 8” were outlined and these included:
The setting up of a technical committee to analyze the trade relations between both countries, with a view to increasing the volume. This committee will come up with a roadmap with timelines for defining and measuring key goals.
Presently, there are Forty-Eight (48) Turkish companies operating in Nigeria, with investment of about $USD600mm, whereas Ethiopia, a smaller economy, has investments of over $USD3,000m from Turkey. Our government is determined to understand why Nigeria with stronger innate complementarities with Turkey, is not attracting similar or larger investment.
Some of the agreements that both countries agreed that will potentially advance these objectives include a treaty against double taxation, investment promotion and protection agreement, banking regulation, and preferential trade agreement.
Nigeria also gave commitments to make further efforts to diversify the economy and make the environment attractive for investment.
Some of these measures include diversifying the economy from relying primarily on Oil & Gas, to developing other areas of comparative advantage; enhancement of initiatives and programs currently being implemented including the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP); creating the enabling for business and investment; industrialization programs; extensive build-out of hard infrastructure (including roads, rails, power, etc.) and focus on deepening trade relations with strategic partners (including Turkey). The team from Nigeria also brought home lessons from Turkey, which included
using their Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) model for the funding of infrastructure requirements. For instance, the Turkish Government has just completed a $USD26 BN BOT arrangement with a consortium to build and expand the Istanbul airport into the largest in the world.
The BOT arrangement does not cost the government anything, as the private sector partner fully funds the financing.
The Turkish Government recommended the BOT arrangement for Nigeria, especially as government funding takes exceedingly long time and is fraught with a lot of bottlenecks and bureaucracy. Civil Aviation
In regards to this specific sector, Turkey made a demand for increased slots of air transportation for their airline, the Turkish Airline and in addition made a case for a Turkish Company seriously interested in bidding for the concession of the Abuja Airport. They were informed that the airport concession process in Nigeria is ongoing and Turkish Investors are welcome to participate Education and Health Matters.
Nigeria and Turkey reached very important agreements on matters concerning education and health. These are key areas in which Turkey has made a lot of progress.
There are existing Turkish investments in these areas in Nigeria and it is on record that a number of countries in the world, including some in Africa have shut down schools and hospitals on the request of their home government following allegations that they are owned and operated by this organization accused of terrorism.
The smart thing the owners of some of these businesses did is that they transferred part or full ownership to Nigerian citizens at the onset of the crisis.
The Nigerian government delegation has accepted offers by the Turkish authorities to support a new group, the Maarif Organization intent on setting up of schools and specialist hospitals as new investors who are not tainted by such accusations.
It was in this regard that this new organization, the Maarif Foundation for educational was introduced to the Nigerian delegation. A delegation from the foundation will visit Nigeria to commence the process of registration as well as following the procedures of establishing the new schools.
The two countries agreed to expand cooperation in exchange of scholars, exchange of students and exchange/sharing of ideas, skills and education technology and to improve scholarships for Nigerians to study in Turkey. They also agreed to resolve the issues relating to Nigerian students in Turkish universities that are facing exclusion due to visa challenges.
Nigeria and Turkey have equally agreed to strengthen and promote investments in health institutions and this, as promised by the President will proceed quickly, that is as soon as the details of the various agreements reached in the bilateral discussions are laid on his table. Defence
The two countries agreed to strengthen defence and military cooperation initiated by them a few years ago.
This had already lead to the establishment of the Defence section in the Turkish Embassy, Abuja in 2013 and Nigeria’s Defence section in Ankara in 2016.
In the latest rounds of discussions, Nigeria and Turkey penned an agreement on military training.
They also agreed to collaborate towards the development of the Defence Industries Corporation, DIC in Kaduna into a Military Industrial Complex of Nigeria, which is a key agenda of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.
Furthermore, two Turkish companies have have taken the giant stride to collaborate with the DIC in the production of arms and ammunition.
Of the two companies, one is establishing a rifles production line and the supply of raw materials, technical assistance and training while the second one is partnering the DIC in the conceptualization, designing, consulting, invention, manufacturing, marketing, sale, exportation and sale of military industrial products. Ninth Summit of the “D 8”
The ninth summit, which took place in Istanbul on the 20th October also marked the 20th Anniversary of the organization.
It also witnessed the handover of the baton of its leadership from the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Sahid Khaqan Abbasi to President Recep Tayyep Erdogan of Turkey.
At the end of the Summit, the Heads of State and Government adopted a communique which spelt out the direction of the organization for the coming two years under Turkey. Immediate next steps:
*The Turkish Minister of Economy plans to visit Nigeria as part of the Trade Ministers of the D-8 Conference holding in Abuja between November 14 and 17, 2017.
*Nigeria will consider hosting the Joint Action Committee (JACO) on boosting the volume of trade and investment between Nigeria and Turkey in January 2018. This will also include a business forum with the private sector of both countries. The Turkish Ministry of Economy will send a formal notification to the Nigerian Government in the coming days.
*The Turkish Government will prepare a case study of the BOT model used to fund airport and other infrastructure projects to Nigeria. Specifically, the case-study on the successful build and expand Istanbul Airport project.
*Turkey will invite Nigeria for the Turkey-Africa Business Forum that will be taking place in Istanbul sometime in Autumn.
*Nigeria will work on ratifying the Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) of the D-8.
*Nigeria and Turkey will in the coming weeks sign an agreement with Turkey against against trafficking in weapons, humans and drugs.
*Nigeria will raise a technical committee to advise her on how to ramp up trade and investment with Turkey as well as with other members of the “D 8.”
Taking everything concerning the trip as a whole, the two meetings, i.e the bilateral between Nigeria and Turkey and that of the “D 8” in which the country participated, it can safely be concluded that this is perhaps one of the best outings by President Muhammadu Buhari in a little over two years of his administration.
The President was accompanied on this mission by his wife, Aisha Muhammadu Buhari and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs Geoffery Onyeama, Interior, Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau (Rtd), Defence, Brig-Gen. Mansur Dan Ali (Rtd), Education, Adamu Adamu and that of Industry, Trade and Investment Okechukwu Enelamah.
The rest included the National Security Adviser, Maj-General Babagana Munguno (NSA),his counterpart in the National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Arab Yadam, the Comptroller-General of the Customs, Colonel Hamid Ali (Rtd) and Nigeria’s Ambassador to Turkey, Ilyas Sulaiman Paragalda.
Garba Shehu is Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity to President Buhari. [myad]