The Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, has assured the nation that the Senate and the House of Representatives will work in tandem to pass the 2017 appropriation bill next week for the Presidential assent.
The deputy senate President, who presided over the Senate’s plenary today said: “by the grace of God, we will have it passed by next week and we send it to the President for assent.”
He assured that the national assembly would do everything possible to see that the bill was passed next week in view of the fact that the tenure of the 2016 budget would end on May 5.
According to him, the 2016 budget was passed on May 5, 2016 but under the Constitution, the Federal Government is entitled to continue to spend money based on the 2016 estimates up to June 30, 2017.
“We will not allow us to get into the reliance on the constitutional provision. Hopefully, by the grace of God, we will have this budget passed next week so that implementation will start in earnest.
“I just want to appeal for the understanding of the people of Nigeria.”
He said that though the senate was billed to receive the budget report today, Thursday, but that the Senate was informed in the morning that it was important for “it to be on the same page’’ with the House of Representatives.
“Let me emphasize for the benefit of the public that we were to receive this report today.
“It was only this morning that it was necessary for us to be sure that we are on the same page with the House of Representatives to avoid any possible conferencing.
“So, what we like to see is the House and the Senate laying just the same documents so that once we pass it, we will now send the documents to the President for assent.
“I think it is important that the point be made and the public know that the harmonisation which is going on should be concluded over the weekend to enable us receive the budget report by Tuesday.” [myad]
The United Nations Agency on Arms Conflicts in Nigeria has reported that at least 3,900 children have been killed and 7,300 more maimed by Boko Haram in the North East over a period of time since the insurgency started.
The first “Report of the Secretary General of the Agency,” which documents the impact on children of the severe deterioration of the security and humanitarian situation in the country between January 2013 and December 2016, said that suicide attacks became the second leading cause of child casualties, accounting for over one thousand deaths and 2,100 injuries during the reporting period.
The Secretary-General’s report strongly condemned grave violations against children committed by Boko Haram and urged the group to cease all such violations immediately.
“Boys and girls in north-east Nigeria continue to be brutalized as a result of Boko Haram’s insurgency in the region and the ensuing conflict.
“With tactics including widespread recruitment and use, abductions, sexual violence, attacks on schools and the increasing use of children in so-called “suicide” attacks, Boko Haram has inflicted unspeakable horror upon the children of Nigeria’s north-east and neighbouring countries.“
The Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, commended the Government of Nigeria for the measures already adopted and their collaboration with the UN to improve the protection of children.
She called upon the authorities to ensure that all boys and girls are provided with the necessary support and services to facilitate their reintegration into their communities. “The UN verified the recruitment and use of 1,650 children. However, estimates indicate that thousands more could have been recruited and used by Boko Haram since 2009, with credible accounts of children as young as four years old associated with the group.
“Testimonies from children separated from Boko Haram indicate that many were abducted, but that others joined the group due to financial incentives, peer pressure, familial ties and for ideological reasons. In some instances, parents gave up their children to obtain security guarantees or for economic gain.
“The children were used in direct hostilities, for planting improvised explosive devices, to burn schools or houses and in a variety of support roles. Beginning in 2014, children, and especially girls, were increasingly used in so-called “suicide” attacks. The UN verified the use of 90 children for suicide bombings in Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, the majority of whom were girls.
“Schools have been targets of choice for Boko Haram and the United Nations estimates that 1,500 were destroyed since 2014, with at least 1,280 casualties among teachers and students. In some cases, schools also provided the settings for another of the group’s main tactics: the mass abduction of children. Credible reports indicate that at least 4,000 girls, boys and young women were abducted during the period under review, including the 276 girls taken from their school in Chibok three years ago.
“The UN was able to verify incidents of sexual violence affecting 217 children during the reporting period. However, as rape and other forms of sexual violence are more challenging to document, it is estimated that thousands of women and girls may have been victims of this violation. Many were subjected to forced marriage and forced religious conversion. When they managed to escape or were rescued, these girls often faced stigma and rejection from their families and communities, especially when children were born as a result of rapes during their captivity.
“While Boko Haram’s insurgency created immense challenges for children, the response also generated protection concerns, including allegations of extra judicial killings.
“The UN documented the recruitment and use of 228 children, including some as young as nine by the Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF), created in Borno State to assist the Nigerian Security Forces. Children were used mainly for intelligence-related purposes, in search operations, night patrols, for crowd control and to guard posts. The CJTF initiated a dialogue with the UN to develop an Action Plan shortly after their listing in the Secretary General’s annual report for the recruitment and use of children.
“I am heartened by the CJTF’s openness to improve the protection of children and encourage them to finalize the development and implementation of an Action Plan to end and prevent the recruitment and use of children,” declared Virginia Gamba. “I also encourage the Government of Nigeria to support this process.
“Another concern is the detention for alleged or suspected association with Boko Haram. Starting in 2014, children who surrendered or were captured during military operations have been detained for screening, with some classified as combatants and transferred to military detention facilities. In 2016, more than 1,100 children were also deprived of their liberty because of their parent’s alleged association with Boko Haram. On average, children were detained between three to four months, but 68 boys between the ages of 12 and 17 have been detained since September 2015. In a positive development, as of December 2016, 1,058 children have been released and UNICEF has worked with partners to provide them care and protection services. The Government of Nigeria and the UN are also engaged in ongoing discussions to enhance the protection and well-being of children encountered in these operations by developing joint standard operating procedures for the handover of children to protection actors.
“I welcome the efforts made to release children and to continue to provide access to the UN to facilities where children have been detained. I call on the authorities to treat boys and girls formerly associated with Boko Haram primarily as victims,” said the Special Representative.
“In conclusion, she urges all parties to abide by their obligations under international humanitarian, human rights and refugee law and to ensure civilians are protected during armed clashes.” [myad]
The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside has asked American business people to take advantage of the federal government’s policy on ease of doing business to invest in the country.
Speaking today when he addressed selected businessmen from the United States of America, that the policy of ease of doing business, coordinated by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo is already yielding fruits, particularly in the maritime sector. According to him, red tapes and bottlenecks which hitherto militated against investment in the sector have started disappearing.
Peterside said during a side event at the Offshore Technology Conference (OTC) currently going on in Houston Texas, with the theme: “Sub-Saharan African Oil & Gas networking session.”
He said that Nigeria allows income tax exemptions for infrastructural development in ship building, the NIMASA DG noted that there are financial incentives for ship building and ship scrapping with assurance of foreign repatriation of capital and profit.
“We ensure that we provide the basket of incentives to ensure that you get into the industry, maximize the opportunities in the industry for the benefit of both Nigerians and the investors.” [myad]
The Buhari Media Support Group (BMSG) has described the hues and cries about the ill health of President Muhammadu Buhari by some interest groups and individuals as mischievous, diversionary and laced with pure political motives.
A statement today, Thursday, by the group’s Protem Coordinator, Austin Braimoh and Secretary, Chief Cassidy Madueke, said that it is unfortunate that such interest groups have failed to realize that Nigerians are no longer gullible for cheap blackmail.
”Nigerians feel and are still feeling the presence of the Federal Government administration through programmes/projects being implemented all over the country as well as people oriented polices being churned out.”
“The true condition of the President as disclosed by the officials of the Presidency is that he is in recovery mode, and gaining energy from treatment he received in the UK; the President continues in his role as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigerian and he has not abdicated his responsibility in that regard.”
“The President is getting on with the business of governance, on a daily basis, even though he may have stayed out of ceremonial activities.”
“We believe that this orchestrated propaganda that dwells on a daily reportage of the President’s health is simply an attempt by beneficiaries of the old order to distract attention from the war against corruption which is attaining new heights.
“Furthermore, BMSG observed that the war against Boko Haram terrorism, militancy and the sabotage of the economy in the Niger Delta have recorded huge success.
“The spotlight is an attempt to take away public attention from the enormous strides being made to pull the economy out of recession, a feat that is about being achieved in a matter of days or weeks.”
The group insisted that the Buhari administration has continued to record significant progress in the three cardinal areas of economy, security and fight against corruption, adding that no amount of campaign of calumny will deter the administration from serving Nigerian’s selflessly.
“It is not surprising that as soon as the country started witnessing economic recovery and progress in various sectors as well as local and international commendations, people who are not comfortable with the emerging order of things have devised this strategy to divert attention with the ill-health of Mr. President. “ [myad]
The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has made it clear that the policy on some import items ineligible for forex has not been reversed and will not be compromised in future.
The apex bank said insisted that the media reports that it had made moves to reverse the policy were not true, adding: “the CBN has not reversed its policy on the 41 items ineligible for forex through the Nigerian forex market.
“The reports appear to be a misinterpretation of our circular titled: REVISED DOCUMENTATION REQUIREMENTS FOR ALLOCATION OF FOREIGN EXCHANGE FOR SMALL-SCALE IMPORTATION dated May 03, 2017, to the effect that importers of items classified as “ineligible for Forex” with transactions value of $20,000 and below per quarter shall now qualify for allocation of foreign exchange subject to the completion of form Q.”
A statement from the CBN said that this provision does oot refer to the 41 items that remain ineligible for forex sale in the Nigerian Forex market.
The statement asked the media and the general public to take note of the facts. [myad]
President Mahamadou Issoufou of Niger Republic has caused his scheduled visit to President Muhammadu Buhari to be postponed because of some domestic engagements.
The President of the Republic of Niger, who would have been in Nigeria tomorrow, Friday to observe Friday Jum’at prayer with his Nigerian counterpart and also hold talks with him, pleaded that the visit be temporarily put off as he will attend to another domestic engagement.
A statement by the special adviser to President Buhari on media and publicity, Femi Adesina said that all arrangements have been concluded for President Buhari to receive his Nigerien counterpart and his delegation at the forecourt of the Presidential Villa and attend the Jum’at prayers together as well as lunch, before the last-minute postponement.
Adesina said that a new date for the visit will be announced in due course. [myad]
When Mr. Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to President Muhammadu Buhari, explained why he has not followed my footsteps at the public presentation of my book, ‘Against The Run of Play’, last Friday in Lagos, I had a feeling that he might be speaking too soon. Going by feelers from Aso Rock, the real drama of the health challenge of President Buhari may have just started. And I feel very sorry for Mr Adesina because there is no manual for managing the media for a sick president; especially under the political climate in which we operate with all the mix of religion and ethnicity. Tomorrow marks exactly seven years that President Yar’Adua died and, as it has been a tradition since May 2011, I usually coordinate a memorial advert for those of us who were his principal officers in remembrance of him. It is also a period when we reflect on what might have been. Against the background that President Buhari, for the third week in a row, skipped the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting yesterday, the rumour mill is already on overdrive while parallels are already being drawn to the Yar’Adua saga. On Monday, Chief Bisi Akande, former Osun State Governor and founding National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), issued a loaded statement. “The health of the leader is intricately intertwined with the health of the nation. It is more so in a delicately fragile Union of Nations called Nigeria” wrote Akande who claimed to have wept when he couldn’t see President Buhari at the wedding of his grandson in Kaduna last Saturday. Although Chief Akande attributed the health challenge to “corruption fighting back”, whatever that may mean, the point is that President Buhari’s capacity to govern has been severely diminished and the agitation for him to either take another medical vacation or resign would be more strident in the coming days and weeks, especially if he does not resume work. That then explains why the idea of a second term that some people within the administration are now canvassing, is not only silly, it is very provocative. But it is also understandable. In a piece I did when President Buhari went on his elastic vacation in February, I borrowed from the embedded lessons in the book, “When Illness Strikes The Leaders: Dilemma of The Captive King” to examine the implications of what is happening in Nigeria right now. According to Jerrold Post and Robert Robins, “the ailing or aging leader and his close advisers can become locked in a fatal embrace, each dependent upon the other for survival: a captive king and his captive court. “In the absence of clear rules for determining when a leader is disabled and should be replaced and how a successor will be chosen, illness in high office can be highly destabilizing”. I consider it very sad that Nigeria would be going through another traumatic season like this on account of the health of the president. But we have to take Mrs Aisha Buhari’s word that her husband is not in any immediate danger. While we will come back to this issue another day, it is comforting that the handlers of President Buhari have managed the Aso Rock end of the situation very well thus far, given what I hear these days. I hope it stays that way. OF HACKERS AND PIRATES My web portal, olusegunadeniyi.com is loaded today. From the transcript of what President Buhari’s spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina said at my book presentation to that of his immediate predecessor, Dr Reuben Abati, there are revealing insights for readers. I thank both of them for attending the book presentation. On the web portal, there is also the speech by former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar who, as chair of the occasion, arrived 10 minutes before the scheduled time of 10am to meet Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Mr Remi Makanjuola and several other members of their generation who were more disciplined and had to be kept waiting for almost an hour before we started the event. On the website also is the book review by Dr Okey Ikechukwu. It also contains the addresses of the bookshops/places where the books can be purchased. Meanwhile, I have been overwhelmed by the kind words and messages of solidarity, following the hacking and free distribution of my book, ‘Against The Run of Play’.
While I thank all the people who have taken it upon themselves to fight the infringement on my intellectual property in the social media, and I have seen several efforts, I want to make two things clear. One, this battle is not about me. Two, given where I am coming from, I am not so much bothered by what happened. Perhaps, I should explain that. I wrote my first book, ‘Before The Verdict’, in 1991 as a fresh reporter with The Guardian on Sunday. I collected the CVs of the 23 presidential aspirants in both the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC) which I then used to write their profiles. In my naivety, I imagined that members of the two political parties would find it useful before making their choices. I expended all my savings on it yet at the end, only one person paid for a copy: Mrs Ireti Kingibe. I am not sure any other person read the book. Following the disqualification of the 23 presidential aspirants, I updated the book with the reports of the primaries that led to their disqualification and titled it ‘Fortress on Quicksand’. I printed about a thousand copies which I hawked around. The only person I can remember who gave me any money after collecting two copies of the book is Dr Ibrahim Datti Ahmed, one of the disqualified SDP presidential aspirants at the time. A year later, I wrote “POLITRICKS: National Assembly under Military Dictatorship”. Despite the fact that the book captured the entire debate on the June 12, 1993 presidential election as well as all the drama preceding it, I got no feedback that any of the people who took the copies, free of charge, read it. Yet, that did not deter me from writing, in August 1997, “Abiola’s Travails” to mark his 60th birthday at a time the winner of the annulled June 12, 1993 presidential election was in detention. For that effort, only the then Chairman of PUNCH newspaper, Chief Ajibola Ogunsola gave me any financial support. That in itself is very instructive since I was at the time a staff of Abiola’s Concord newspapers. In all those efforts, what motivated me was to tell the background stories of the political developments at the time even when it was not financially rewarding. But by the time I got married in December 1998, I had to come to terms with the fact that I no longer had any money to waste on books that I was not sure people were reading. However, early in 2005, then as the editor of Sunday THISDAY, I wrote a column about those goading President Olusegun Obasanjo to seek a third term in office. Many of them were involved in the late General Sani Abacha’s controversial transition programme that was designed to end with his adoption and I named names. The responses I got to the piece suggested that majority of Nigerians had forgotten. That was the inspiration for yet another book: The Last 100 Days of Abacha. Before I started, I sent a mail to Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka that I was writing a book on Abacha and I would want him to present it for me. Days turned to weeks and I didn’t hear from him. Then, one day, I got a mail from him saying he would be in the country within two weeks and that he would like to see the manuscript. I had not even written a single line! I went to Vanguard, PUNCH and Daily Times where I spent days using their libraries after which I wrote the draft. On completion, I sent it to Reuben Abati to help me look at. He called to say that he enjoyed it and that he would write a comment which I could use any way I liked. Without solicitation, that was how Reuben wrote what I turned to the Foreword while Col Abubakar Dangiwa Umar (rtd) wrote the Postscript. The book sold out within weeks despite the price tags of N8,000 for paperback and N15,000 for the hardback editions. It was the first financially rewarding book I wrote. The next book of course was “Power, Politics and Death”. Even though the online edition was hacked from Day One and was being circulated free, I still made some good money from the sales and we actually printed a second edition. In 2012 and 2013, I worked on The Verbatim Report (The Inside Story of the Fuel Subsidy Scam). It took me more than one year to complete but at the end, I put the book on my website for free download. It is one of the most extensive works on our oil and gas industry. It is about 800 pages. Interested readers can still download it free on my web portal just like the Abacha book which is also there for free download. I have gone to this length to let readers know that my motivation for writing has always been to tell compelling stories that would be read while monetary consideration is secondary. However, as I stated in the statement I released on Sunday, I am more worried, especially for those in Nollywood, who are practically at the mercy of hackers and pirates.
When creative people in both the arts and sciences cannot be guaranteed the legitimate benefits of their sweat and investments, they lose the incentive to take the risk to create and innovate. And when that happens, the whole society loses.
I thank all the individuals and groups who have taken it upon themselves to fight not only for me but against the theft of intellectual property that is now becoming rampant in our country.
The Institute of Change Management International (ICMI) has offered direct membership to interested professionals across all sectors of the business community, government establishments, agencies and institutions even as it flagged off an initiative aimed at building change management capacity across all sectors through the development of the change management competences in the country.
The Registrar of the Institute, Joseph Anetor, in a statement, said that the Institute is set up to regulate, train and certify practitioners in the practice of organizational change management. It is registered by the Corporate Affairs Commission and approved by the Federal Ministry of Education.
Anetor, a human resource expert said that the institute was established as a critical intervention and response to the urgent need for a more professional and impactful change management practices in organizations.
He said that getting businesses to run smoothly and the team aligned to the business strategy require a radical re-assessment of current change management practices in organizations in order to achieve desirable business outcomes.
“Any change programme that does not take due cognizance of the people element is doomed to fail.”
Anetor advised interested career minded professionals to take advantage of this window to become certified as the speed of growth of any professional in any organisation is defined by his or her ability to anticipate and manage change successfully.
“This is what differentiates the high-flying employees who consistently deliver strong results.” Anetor said that details are available at www.icming.org. [myad]
The Global Initiative for Peace, Love and Care (GIPLC) has launched a new initiative Project known as ‘Touch a life.’ The GIPLC, which will cater for about 1,000 patient in three states over three weeks, kicked off on April 25. It will end on May 17. Founder and Chairman of Taleveras, and past recipient of a Dr. Martin Luther King Legacy Award for Philanthropy and International Service, Igho Sanomi, said that the organization, which was founded in 2006 to cater for orphans and vulnerable children in Nigeria, launched the project as part of his birthday celebrations and to commemorate the GIPLC’s 11th anniversary. He said that the 1,000 identified vulnerable Nigerians in Abuja, Delta and Benue States will receive financial support to subsidize and assist their medical bills. He added that visits will also be made to patients to follow up on their progress. According to him, full professional team of GIPLC staff, doctors and nurses have been deployed to ensure the desired impact is met and lives are touched and saved. “Supporting the work of the GIPLC is something I have done for many years, in many ways. This year I wanted to do something which would help even more of the vulnerable people who have been at the core of the GIPLC activities. This unique initiative seeks to touch the lives of the most needy members of our communities at a time when they need it the most. This is something I believe in wholeheartedly and to which I am pleased to have been able to lend my support.” the GIPLC Co-ordinator, Nuhu Kwajafa, said: “We give God all the glory for His blessings and the capacity and the will, for people like Igho Sanomi to give back to those in need. We pray that by this gesture, ICS II will endear others to do same, so we may sustain this practice on a yearly basis. Ultimately, the goal is to stimulate the mobilisation of resources and raise awareness on the plight of those living in especially difficult circumstances. GIPLC will coordinate and share this experience daily. God bless you all.” Project “TOUCH A LIFE TODAY” visited Ughelli General Hospital and Kiagbodo General Hospital in Delta state on 2nd May 2017. So far 131 patients, including children, women and men had their medical bills subsidized. [myad]
The Presidency has confirmed that President Muhammadu Buhari is not always comfortable whenever any of his aides attacks journalists, whether such aide is right or not.
According to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu in an interview with some newsmen at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, it is the wish of the President to allow journalists practice their profession without any hindrance.
“President used to rebuke officials of the government that use excessive power on journalists. He is not always happy with such thing.”
Garba Shehu said that in the history of Nigeria, journalists had never enjoyed freedom to express themselves than in the present Buhari government, adding that no journalist has been arrested or detained and no media house has been shut down in the two years Buhari has been in charge.
The presidential spokesman appealed to newsmen however, to join Buhari in cleansing the country of the Augean stables, including corruption, insecurity, economic saboteurs and all other vices, which the press is set out to combat in the first place. [myad]
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The Global Initiative for Peace, Love and Care (GIPLC) has launched a new initiative Project known as ‘Touch a life.’ The GIPLC, which will cater for about 1,000 patient in three states over three weeks, kicked off on April 25. It will end on May 17.
