The Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State has granted bail to Yunusa Dahiru, alias Yellow, the alleged abductor of Ese Oruru, in the sum of N3 million by the. Dahiru is also required to provide two sureties in like sum and who must be resident within the jurisdiction of the court, while one must be a civil servant of not less than level 12. The second must be a title holder. Ruling on the bail application, Justice H.A. Nganjiwa ordered that the suspect be remanded in prison custody pending the perfection of his bail. The judge further said the sureties must provide tax clearance for the past three years and adjourned the case to April 17. Dahiru was on March 8 charged with abduction, kidnapping, unlawful carnal knowledge and sexual exploitation by the police. The News Agency of Nigeria recalls that Dahiru had pleaded not guilty to the charges. The counsel to Dahiru, Kayode Olaoshebikan, who thanked the court for granting the bail, pledged to work to meet the conditions. The judge is expected to rule on the application of the prosecution to obtain the evidence of Oruru in camera on the adjourned date. [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a congratulatory message to the President-elect of Benin Republic, Mr. Patrice Talon, on his electoral victory in the presidential run-off yesterday, as announced by the Autonomous National Electoral Commission.
In a statement by the special adviser to the President on media and publicity, Femi Adesina, Buhari commended the Government and people of Benin Republic on the peaceful and orderly conduct of the presidential elections.
The President also acknowledged the courage and statesmanship of Prime Minister Lionel Zinsou and presidential candidate of the ruling coalition, in upholding the democratic process by promptly congratulating his main challenger, Mr. Talon, on his electoral victory.
He commendeds President Boni Yayi for his leadership throughout the electoral process and for his invaluable contribution to democratic governance in the sub-region, evidently demonstrated in the successful conduct of the presidential elections.
´The President is encouraged by the determination and exemplary conduct demonstrated by Beninese in coming out en masse to perform their civic duties.
“President Buhari believes that the successful conclusion of the electoral process marks an important step in consolidating democracy in the sub-region and a beacon for other African countries to emulate.
“The President trusts that the Beninese will give the incoming government all the necessary support to succeed and reaffirms that Nigeria, as a beneficiary of the dividends of democracy, will continue to build strong partnerships with her neighbours for the peace, progress and prosperity of our citizens.”
, Patrice Talon, an opposition candidate, had emerged winner of the presidential election after garnering majority of the ballots in the second round of polls. The 57 year old Talon beat the candidate of the country’s ruling party and prime minister, Lionel Zinsou, in an election to select the replacement for the President of the West African country, Boni Yayi, who has spent the constitutional allowed two five-year terms in office.
In a move reminiscent of the action of Nigeria’s immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr. Zinsou has called Mr. Talon to congratulate him even before official release of results.
Official results are expected to be announced later today (Monday).
“The provisional results point to a decisive victory for Patrice Talon,” Zinsou told AFP by telephone. “The difference is significant, (Talon’s) electoral victory is certain.
“I have called Patrice Talon this evening to congratulate him on his victory, wish him good luck and put myself at his disposal to prepare for the handover.”
Mr. Talon, a successful businessman and former ally of incumbent President, Mr. Yayi, who rose from a humble beginning and made his money by running the port at Cotonou, presented himself to voters as the authentic Beninese while attacking his opponent’s dual French nationality, media reports say.
His supporters nicknamed Mr Zinsou, “yoyo”, which means “the white man” for his complexion. Mr. Zinsou, 61, is of mixed birth and attended an elite French University. He was the former speechwriter for former prime minister Laurent Fabius.
Mr Zinsou, who was the frontrunner after the first round of voting with 27.1 per cent, was favoured to win the second round but 24 of the 32 candidates in the election, including third-placed Sebastine Ajavon, who won 22 per cent in the first round endorsed Mr. Talon, who had won 23.5 per cent in the first round, as their candidate during the second round of voting.
Mr. Talon bankrolled Mr Yayi’s successful campaigns in 2006 and 2011 but fell out with the outgoing President and fled to Paris after he was accused of planning to overthrow Mr. Yayi in a coup.
He only returned to the country last October after he was granted a presidential pardon.
He endeared himself to young Beninese with his taste for luxury. Many of them look up to him as being able to come up with solution for the country’s high unemployment. [myad]
Facts have emerged to show that another N500 Billion discovered by the National Assembly Budget Office to have been questionably inserted in the controversial 2016 national budget has been responsible for the delay in the passage of the budget as earlier scheduled.
The National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO), which published the questionable figures, said in the preface to the publication that it embarked on the scrutiny of the budget “to give technical support to member of the legislature, by pointing out some errors in the bill.” It further said that given the current challenge of abnormalities in the 2016 budget proposal, where projects are repeated more than once in the budget and others undefined, NABRO rose to the occasion by providing the legislature with an accurate and inclusive review of the line items in the 2016 appropriation bill.” The breakdown of repeated items showed that items totaling the sum of N1.030 billion were repeated in the estimates for Ministry of Agriculture. Some of the items include the N20 million repeated in the name of “water reticulation in main station” repeated twice as N15 million and another N5 million for the National Institute for Oil Palm Research (NIFOR), Benin; the sum of N 198 million for the Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan; another N98 million for the Federal College of Agriculture, Moore Plantation, Ibadan; the same of N676 million for the Federal College of Fisheries and Marine Technology, Lagos; N23 million for Federal College of Land Resources Technology, Kuru, Jos and the sum of N14 million for Nigerian Institute of Animal Science. The Federal College of Animal Health and Production Technology, Ibadan, Oyo State, had the sum of N64.3 million repeated for “advertisement in the dailies, opening ceremony and commencement of training programme, purchase and distribution of start-up kits, closing ceremony and departure.” The same item was captured with the sum of N43.3 million in the same budget. The same institute also has different figures captured as “substructures, concrete works, block works of roof and roofing coverings, metal work (windows), doors and ironmongery and plumbing installation,” which has the sum of N43.3 million and N37.1 million in the same budget. NABRO submitted that the above represented repetitions in the Ministry of Agriculture, with some items captured as recurrent and capital projects at the same time. It stated that the projects in the ministry were not detailed in terms of location and scope. The NASS Budget Office also raised issues with the contents of the Service Wide Votes, which had the sum of N370.003 billion in its capital component, but was recalculated to the sum of N7.4 billion by NABRO. The office said the difference stood at the sum of N362.5 billion. Also affected is the Ministry of Communications Technology which had the sum of N6.7 billion repeated in different subheads. For instance, the office said the ministry had different figures for one line item “supervision of the work,” which was repeated with figures including N832,300, N381,600, N2,064,000 and N1,231,600. It also had the sum of N302,801 and N1,933,250 as amount for “preliminary works” in the same budget. The Ministry of Environment accounted for repeated amounts totaling N367.7 million; National Park Headquarters, N5.5 million; Federal Capital Territory (N6.9 billion); Foreign Affairs (N10.04 million); office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation (N152.8 million); Ministry of Science and Technology, N382 million; Ministry of Works, Power and Housing (N8 billion). Of that amount, the Federal Road Maintenance Agency (FERMA) accounted for N828.7 million, while the headquarters of the ministry accounted for N6.47 billion. The document also discovered a repetition of the sum of N1.4 billion under the National Rural Electrification Agency and another N206.8 million for the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN). The document also indicated that the Ministry of Transport repeated a number of items in the recurrent and capital projects. The ministry, according to the document, had a line item captured as “Furniture, Electronic gadgets, electrical appliances, stationeries and essential commondities” in the capital and recurrent votes. The item has N27,200,000 in capital votes and N43,856,016 in the recurrent. It also had a subject considered as curious by NABRO captured as “to ensure effective operation of the parastatals’ which has the sum of N25 million under recurrent expenditure. The office remarked that “more details may be required.” The ministry also repeated the item “provision of sports equipment for participation in sports activities” and another purchase of sporting/gaming equipment which got allotted the sums of N33 million under capital votes and another N47 million in the recurrent votes. NABRO described the items as “similar projects.” The Ministry of Interior, according to the report, had the sum of N150 million repeated under the item “purchase of 6 nos marine patrol boats” which appears as recurrent and capital votes, while it also had the sum of N200 million as both capital and recurrent votes under the line item “purchase of generating set,” aside the sum of N1.5 billion captured as “rehabilitation/renovation of existing barracks” which also appears in the capital and recurrent votes. The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), the report noted, also had the sum of N2.6 billion and another N801.9 million repeated as purchase of security equipment and purchase of defence equipment. In the Ministry of Health, NABRO queried the sum of N209 million it described as “bilateral discussion with agencies of the Ministry, BOF and NASS monitoring and evaluation, e-payment and procurement of office equipment,” and another N1.9 billion described as “new items requesting.” The office said explanations had to be provided for the said items. In the Ministry of Education, NABRO discovered that the sum of N1.9 billion was captured under repeated items. While the ministry allotted the sum of N1.9 billion for an item “acquisition of 17 offices for federal education quality assurance service,” under capital votes, it equally allotted the sum of N53 million for the same item under recurrent votes. The Budget Office of the the National Assembly also discovered the curious allocation for “other maintenance services” captured in the allocation for West African Examination Council (WAEC); National Library of Nigeria; National Educations Council; Mass Literacy Council; Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria and the National Commission for Colleges of Education Secretariat. The NABRO concluded that: “The 2016 budget proposal of the Federal Government of Nigeria has many areas that definitely require strict oversight by the legislature. “The identification of repeated and undefined projects in the budgeted proposal is an area of concern that National Assembly Budget and Research Office consider necessary for effective legislative oversight. “The need to make ‘The Change Mantra’ a reality also includes thorough legislative input into the budget as well as ensure full implementation by the Executive.” [myad]
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Magnus Abe, Dakuku Peterside, Jukaye Flag Amachree and other chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of masterminding the spate of violence, killings and electoral malpractices during Saturday rerun elections in some parts of the State.
Chairman of the Rivers State chapter of PDP, Felix Obuah, in a statement, demanded the arrest and prosecution of the political top shots, including Barry Mpigi for hijacking electoral materials in Tai LGA, to his home town, Koroma, with the aid of the military and the former Commissioner for Youth in the state, Felix Nwaeke. The party also called for the arrests of the Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission, Ibim Semenitari, who Obeah said lacks manners and does not possess the honour of a woman, as she allegedly engaged in ballot paper hijack and falsification of polls results. Obuah says it is most disappointing and embarrassing that the APC chieftains preferred to act irresponsibly and undemocratically by engaging in electoral frauds and using the military to intimidate the electorate and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission in some parts of the state rather than embarking on intensive campaigns to make the party known and popular in order to be voted for at the polls. He strongly condemned the involvement of the Army in the elections, a development he said heightened tension in the State and emboldened the APC chieftains to carry out nefarious conducts during the exercise, including disrespecting state authorities, xourt orders and the rule of law. The PDP Chairman also bemoaned the assassination attempt on the Chief of Staff, Government House, Engr. Emeka Woke, the assault on the Secretary to the State Government, Hon Kenneth Kobani, and other PDP leaders, who had been marked for arrest and detention by the APC-led Federal Government, using the Army and the DSS, on spurious allegations to ensure smooth sail by the APC in the elections. Obuah observed that all suppressive and oppressive actions by the federal authorities, which have been very obvious in the re-run elections, are aimed at getting Rivers State, unfortunately, by all means, and which the electorate have resisted through their votes at the polls. He added: “Our understanding of all of this is that the APC is only trying to create a state of anarchy in this part of the country and then blame it on perceived political opponents, a development we have continued to abhor and will not be allowed to strive in the State. “The PDP is seriously pained by the continued killing of the electorate, innocent and law-abiding citizens of our State by the APC-federal government controlled military and security authorities in the name of politics and election. “We, as a responsible party will continue to play by the rule, respecting all electoral principles and laws and to ensure strict adherence to the principles of free, fair and peaceful elections in the State. “We are also aware of attempt by the APC-federal government to arrest some chieftains of the PDP on spurious allegations, following the arrival of a team from the Department of State Security in Port Harcourt, with a list submitted to them on which the arrest would be carried out in the State and the PDP leaders taken to Abuja. “We therefore, reiterate our earlier and resolute call on the international community and all well-meaning citizens of Nigeria and the world over to impress on the Nigerian government and the All Progressives Congress to obey rule of law and to allow proper and free, fair and peaceful electoral process in Rivers State and other parts of the country. “While calling for thorough investigations into the assassination attempt on the Chief of Staff, Government House, Port Harcourt, and other cases of intimidation and assault on PDP leaders in the State, including killings by soldiers before and during the elections in the State, we also appeal to President Buhari to call his APC leaders in Rivers State to order to allow peace reign in the State.” [myad]
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has fingered the Rivers state governor, Nyeson Wike in the the assassination attempt on the Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, Dr. Dakuku Peterside; the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya; and the Deputy Governorship candidate of the party in the April 2015 elections, Hon. Asita O. Asita.
In a statement issued today in Port Harcourt, APC called on relevant security agencies to quickly arrest and interrogate the governor and to hasten to bring the full weight of the law on all those involved in the dastardly act. “We have often cried out about Wike’s bloodthirstiness but, unfortunately, nothing was done to keep him in check. Before last weekend’s State and National Assembly rerun elections in the State, we had openly cried out following Wike’s open threats on the lives of President Muhammadu Buhari, Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, and Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Those who thought we were shouting wolf where one does not exist now know better. “On the day of the rerun election, 19th March, 2016 the strategy of Chief Wike dressing his gang of killers in police and military uniforms was duly exposed when his Special Assistant on Special Projects, Mr. Cyril Dum Wite, was caught with N40 million, arms, police and army uniforms in his car. We were not surprised because to install Wike as a Governor, 100 APC members had to be sent to their early graves. In the countdown to the rerun elections, an army major and two soldiers, as well as an Immigration Officer, were killed in Wike’s desperation to install his stooges as members of National and State Assemblies. Also, an APC chieftain was beheaded with his wife and his son killed. Another APC chieftain was buried alive while yet another was burnt alive. “Now that Chief Wike has fully crossed the line by attempting to snuff out the lives of our leaders in broad daylight, we call on the relevant security agencies to move in quickly to interrogate him and to bring the full weight of the law on his killer gang. Wike is being emboldened by the immunity he enjoys as Governor but he does not enjoy immunity from interrogation for murder-related crimes.” The Rivers State APC lamented that Wike in only 10 months in office is fast turning Rivers State into another Somalia, adding: “he is attempting to dwarf other evil and satanic regimes such as those of Mobutu Sese Seko, Emperor Jean Bedel Bokassa and Idi Amin Dada known for displaying optimum barbarism. Wike now hunts his opponents like a game, with many beheaded, clubbed to death or buried alive like chicken. All these have further exposed Wike as being grossly unfit to occupy the exalted office of Governor. We hereby plead with the Federal Government to rescue us from Wike’s hands before he turns Rivers into a failed State. Finally, let us reiterate unequivocally that what we had during the rerun election was a sham, charade where PDP hoodlums had a free day intimidating voters to vote only PDP candidates or get killed with the Police looking the other way in order to secure their lives. We urge Nigerians to rise and condemn this act of wikeism where only blood is the only means to win elections. “For any meaningful election to be held in Rivers State or any part of Niger Delta, the President Buhari Federal Govt must completely dismantle the present police force and assembly a modern police force that will guarantee and protect the citizens of this country. Apart from this, all the militias in Niger Delta must also be dismantled and demobilized so that the region can breathe. The region is chocked up with armed gangs. These gangs have killed economic activities in the region thereby depriving the region of needed investment and employment. While the self destruction goes on, businesses move to the South west. The present way of playing politics in Rivers state and Nigerdelta in general must stop. The Rivers election is a big sore and a national shame.” [myad]
President Muhammadu Buhari has listed a number of items which he wanted the National Economic Council (NEC), made up of Vice President, governors of the 36 states of the federation and other stakeholders to look into as they began a two-day retreat on the nation’s economy today, at the Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
The President, who declared the retreat opened reminded the participants about the consensus amongst Nigerians of the ills of the nation’s economy, but that there are divergent views about solutions.
“I am going to throw at this gathering some random policy options filtered from across the spectrum of our stakeholders on four (4) selected sectors of our economy.”
The full speech of the President is reproduced here for our committed readers:
Address by President Muhammadu Buhari at the National Economic Council Retreat on the economy held at the State House Conference Centre, Presidential Villa, Abuja, Monday 21st March, 2016
Protocols:
I am delighted to have the opportunity to address this distinguished and all-important retreat on the Nigerian economy. The purpose of this retreat as outlined in the Retreat Concept Notes is to generate immediate, medium and long-term viable policy solutions to the economic challenges facing us at both the Federal and State levels.
From information at my disposal, if we aggregate public views from the grassroots, city dwellers, the economic managers, consumer groups, the Unions and other stakeholders of the economy, there is near unanimity about the ills of our economy. But naturally, there are divergent views about solutions.
I am going to throw at this gathering some random policy options filtered from across the spectrum of our stakeholders on four (4) selected sectors of our economy.
These are:
Ø Agriculture
Ø Power
Ø Manufacturing
Ø Housing
I have not touched Education, Science and Technology pointedly because these related subjects require a whole retreat by themselves.
Distinguished Ladies and gentlemen, these suggestions I am putting forward to you are by no means directives but a contribution to your discourse.
AGRICULTURE
On Agriculture today, both the peasant and the mechanized farmers agree with the general public that food production and self-sufficiency require urgent government action. For too long government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted, suffering from inconsistencies and discontinuities.
Yet our real wealth is in farming, livestock, hatcheries, fishery, horticulture and forestry.
From the information available to me the issues worrying the public today are:
Rising food prices, such as maize, corn, rice and gari.
Lack of visible impact of government presence on agriculture.
Lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices. Cost of fertilizers, pesticide and labour compound the problems of farming. Extension services are virtually absent in several states.
Imports of subsidized food products such as rice and poultry discourage the growth of domestic agriculture.
Wastage of locally grown foods, notably fruit and vegetables which go bad due to lack of even moderate scale agro-processing factories and lack of feeder roads.
These problems I have enumerated are by no means exhaustive and some of the solutions I am putting forward are not necessarily the final word on our agricultural reform objectives:
First, we need to carry the public with us for new initiatives. Accordingly the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the States should convene early meetings of stakeholders and identify issues with a view to addressing them.
Inform the public in all print and electronic media on government efforts to increase local food production to dampen escalating food prices.
Banks should be leaned upon to substantially increase their lending to the agricultural sector. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should bear part of the risk of such loans as a matter of national policy.
States should increase their financial support through community groups. The appropriate approach should be through leaders of community groups such as farmers cooperatives.
Provision of feeder roads by state governments to enable more effective evacuation of produce to markets and processing factories.
When I was a schoolboy in the 1950’s the country produced one million tons of groundnuts in two successive years. The country’s main foreign exchange earners were groundnut, cotton, cocoa, palm kernel, rubber and all agro/forest resources.
Regional Banks and Development Corporations in all the three regions were financed from farm surpluses. In other words, our capital formation rode on the backs of our farmers. Why was farming so successful 60 years ago? The answers are simple:
Access to small scale credits
Inputs (fertilizers, herbicides etc)
Extension services.
Now we have better tools, better agricultural science and technology, and greater ability to process. With determination we can succeed.
POWER
Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no longer a laughing matter. We must and by the grace of God we will put things right. In the three years left for this administration we have given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable power. In 2016 alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the national grid.
This sector has been privatized but has yet to show any improvement in the quality of service. Common public complaints are:
Constant power cuts destroying economic activity and affecting quality of life.
High electricity bills despite power cuts.
Low supply of gas to power plants due to vandalization by terrorists.
Obsolete power distribution equipment such as transformers.
Power fluctuations, which damage manufacturing equipment and household appliances.
Low voltage which cannot run industrial machinery.
These are some of the problems, which defied successive governments. In our determination to CHANGE we must and will, insha Allah, put a stop to power shortages. Key points to look at here are:
Privatization. We are facing the classic dilemma of privatization: Public interest Vs Profit Motive. Having started, we must complete the process. But National Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory authority, has a vital job to ensure consumers get value for money and over-all public interest is safe-guarded.
Government to fast-track completion of pipelines from Gas points to power stations and provide more security to protect gas and oil pipelines.
Power companies should be encouraged to replace obsolete equipment and improve the quality of service and technicians.
MANUFACTURING
It grieves me that so many manufacturing industries in the country today are groaning and frustrated because of lack of foreign exchange to import raw materials and spare parts.
Painful though this is, I believe it is a temporary phase which we shall try to overcome but there are deeper, more structural problems bedeviling local industries which this Retreat should identify short and long-term answers to. Chief among these problems are:
Inadequate infrastructure:
Power
Roads
Security
leading to increase in costs of making Made-in Nigeria goods pricier than imports
High Cost of Borrowing Money:
Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) has been hammering on the fact that high lending rates make manufacturing unviable and unprofitable.
Lack of Long Term Funding:
The Nigerian Capital Market has not completely recovered from the 2008 worldwide crisis. Banks’ funding sources are short-term in nature due to sources of the liabilities.
Under-developed Science and Technology Research: As with Agriculture, Nigeria’s industries are in the main outmoded and industrial practices far behind those in advanced countries.
Unions:
We need to protect our workers from exploitation, but unions must cooperate with entrepreneurs to substantially improve productivity and quality of products if we are to move forward.
Smuggling:
Need I say more?
Recommended Actions on industries are:
The infrastructure Development Fund should be fast-tracked to unlock resources so that infrastructural deficiencies can be addressed.
There should be more fiscal incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), which prove themselves capable of manufacturing quality products good enough for export.
Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should create more incentives and ease credit terms for lending to manufacturers.
A fresh campaign to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods should be launched. Example: all uniforms in government-sponsored institutions should be sourced from local factories.
HOUSING
Some estimates put Nigeria’s housing deficit at about sixteen million units. In our successful campaign to win the general elections last year our party, the APC, promised to build a million housing units a year. This will turn out to be a very tall order unless:
The Federal Government builds two hundred and fifty thousand units. The 22 APC States together manage another two hundred and fifty thousand units.
We invite foreign investors together with local domiciled big construction companies to enter into commercial housing building to pick up the rest.
The most frequent public concerns brought to my attention are three-pronged:
Severe shortage of housing
High rents
Unaffordable prices for prospective buyers especially middle and low-income earners.
In addition, red tape, corruption and plain public service inefficiency lead to long delays in obtaining ownership of title documents.
Again, there are no long term funding sources for mortgage purposes.
These hurdles are by no means easy to scale, but we must find solutions to the housing deficit. This Retreat might start by looking at the laws.
Laws
The relevant laws should be reviewed to make the process of acquiring statutory right of occupancy shorter, less cumbersome and less costly. Court procedures for mortgages cases should make enforcement more efficient. Ministries of Works and Housing should upgrade their computerization of title registration system for greater efficiency.
Mortgage Institutions. Achieving affordable housing for all Nigerians will require the development of strong and enduring mortgage institutions with transparent processes and procedures.
Mortgage Re-financing Company. This institution when fully operational should ensure adequate support for mortgage financing.
HEALTHCARE
Last of the four areas that time will allow me to say a few words, but by no means the least, is healthcare. In my inauguration speech last May, I remarked that the whole field of Medicare in our country needed government attention. Dirty hospitals! (Few sights are more upsetting than a dirty hospital), inadequate equipment, poorly trained nursing staff, overcrowding. The litany of shortcomings is almost endless.
Sound health system is part of the prerequisites for economic development. Nigerians travel abroad, spending an estimated One Billion US Dollars annually to get medical treatment. Despite huge oil revenues the nation’s health sector remains undeveloped.
In attacking the challenges of this sector we could start with
More funding for health centres to improve service delivery. World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO) could be persuaded to increase their assistance.
Strengthening public health propaganda in primary prevention:
Ø Environmental sanitation
Ø Stop smoking
Ø Better dieting
Ø Exercising
And secondary prevention:
Screening and early diagnosis of diseases
NAFDAC to intensify efforts on reducing or stopping circulation of fake drugs in Nigeria.
Ministry of Health should work closely with the Nigerian Medical Association to ensure that unqualified people are not allowed to practice.
Finally I urge participants to learn from the array of experts and resource persons and learn from the shared experiences and perspectives to understand how other countries have transformed their economies and livelihoods of their people for the better. It is also the government’s expectation that this Retreat will highlight the respective roles and responsibilities of each tier of government in adopting and implementing agreed policy initiatives.
I hope this Retreat will come up with practical, viable solutions and recommendations as we chart a course for our nation in this turbulent domestic and international economic environment.
The social media is awash with news on impunity that now pervades the society, like the Agatu killings, electoral mayhem in Rivers, and the siege on the Ekiti State government. These, you would not see published in the mainstream media because it is torn between confusion and protection of the government we installed. Such actions and inaction are, however, not new to the Nigerian political environment. In those days of military takeovers, illegitimate jackboots and coups, none succeeded without the backing of the media. According to accounts by coupists, every of their so called revolution never came to fore without the media steering the waters to ascertain the disposition and conviction of the people. The narratives even implied that media watchers could rightly predict at that time that a coup was being hatched. After such successful coups, the newspaper always fell asleep.
Those were the days when everyone’s ambition was to become a soldier boy. A period when young men only dreamt of attending the Nigerian Defense Academy or graduate from the conventional universities to enroll for the short services programme in the armed forces units to be commissioned as military officers. It was that period when notes (scribbled on pads) from military assistants and aide-de-camps open several doors of opportunities. Nobody tempers with your family if there exists even a sergeant in your lineage. Yes! That was how far we went before the rebirth of democracy in 1999. The same rhythm heralded the change of government from the People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressive Congress in 2015. We all had a stand; that stand has made it difficult for us to really perform our duties as media practitioners and change agents because we clamored for an Utopian state without studying the underlining factors that bore such conditions.
Like the dead and dying young men in Rivers State at the weekend election rerun, we all wished for change with the actors riding on our backs to achieve their aims and objectives but leaving us to lick our self-inflicted wounds sustained in exercising our right to support them while still clouded in ignorance. From the ocean end of Cross Rivers to the edges of Nigeria in Sokoto state, the same voice that cried and prayed for change is singing a recalcitrant song of disappointment in power outages, bad roads, shortage of petroleum products, high cost of living, insecurity — not boko haram at this times but that of the unknown marauders lurking around from nowhere at night in our cities, roads and villages. The distrust, both ethno and religious, and the ready answers from the government and the indifferent attitude to such yearnings of the people reverberate all over the country. The government is always quick to tell you that it is cleaning the Augean stable left behind by the previous administration of the PDP, forgetting that all successive governments in the history of Nigeria rode to power on the alleged ineptitude and cluelessness of predecessor administrations. None of them came on an agenda that was not hinged on the alleged lack of skills of the past overseers.
While the media has lost confidence and audacity to bark, it does not translate that the current state of affairs is the best bargain for Nigerians. Human rights abuses pervade the society with countless numbers of state-orchestrated criminality and individually planned kidnappings taking place everywhere at all time. The government is, however, silent on these, especially when they seem to have taken place in states aligned with the ousted opposition party, the PDP. A case in point is the abduction of female minor, Ms. Ese Oruru, from far away Bayelsa, to Kano state for eight months, and the continued alleged detention of Ekiti lawmakers in the dungeons of the States Services Department. The federal government has not come out to clear the air on whether it has hands or not in the tragic stories of harassment by federal security agents against the Ekiti State Government and its officials. All this makes mockery of the oath-taking ritual that is now seen as a ceremony. Because elected political and public officers have never adhered to it but have, instead, treated majority of the people unfairly and favour only those considered as their lackeys or of the same ethnic and religious background, in an attempt to quieten dissenting voices that preach true change. This they do, not realizing that it is this non-adherence to the oath of office that has caused all the failures of the past.
That is the same latitude that made a group of people accused of extra judicial killings in Agatu land to go public, claiming that they were behind the attacks on innocent women and children in Benue State. They had not only gone further to downgrade their case but claimed that their actions were a consequence of the activities of local cattle rustlers who stole over 200 of their cows and killed one of their important kinsmen in 2013. Those are the sad narratives we see and listen to in this clime daily. Stories that make our land insecure for foreigners who read the negatives in our stories; yet, we pretend to want to woo them into being part of us by bringing in their funds from more stable environments to invest in our country. In any part of the country you turn to today, there is one gory picture of someone who is being subverted by the system directly and with all impunity. It’s either you are denied your privileges and/or entitlement, or denied your rights by those who have sworn deceitfully to their oath of office using the Quran and the Bible. In some cases, you are indirectly punished with harsh policies of those who swore to protect you, in line with constitutional dictates. A very sad recurring decimal.
It thus calls for the government to look into the now ingraining culture of inglorious license for lawlessness in the country whether instituted and perpetrated by law enforcement officials, their allies, or the new class of untouchables whose population seems to be growing geometrically. Except in Africa, there is nowhere persons will want to see the people they want to serve killed, just to climb unto the podium of service, but in Nigeria. Alas, Nigeria belongs to all of us. We must also realize that today’s men will evolve into yesterday’s men in no time and they can only be judged by their actions of today by posterity. As for the ethnic jingoists and religious bigots, there is need for caution. They should allow peace reign in this country because Nigeria is a nation only when peace is seen as the rallying point amongst the people.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has given some reasons why it had to suspend further announcement of the result it conducted elections into various seats in both the National and the Rivers State House of Assembly on Saturday.
A statement today by the INEC’s Director of Voters Education and Publicity, Mr. Oluwole Osaze-Uzzi, said that unfortunately, some of the elections witnessed the disruption of the process, including the barricading of some of the INEC Local Government offices and Registration Area Centres (RACs) used for the distribution of Electoral materials which led to the late commencement of the exercise in some places and consequently, its smooth take off.
“Of more serious concern was the level of threats, violence and intimidation of election officials and voters by well armed thugs and miscreants allegedly acting on behalf of some politicians, which marred the elections in some areas. There were reports of numerous attacks resulting in fatalities, kidnappings, ballot snatching, diversion of officials and materials, amongst others, which necessitated its suspension in 8 Local Government Areas.
“Regrettably, such deviant behaviour has continued today. Several permanent and ad hoc staff engaged have been attacked, again resulting in fatalities, while some have been forcibly abducted and taken to presently unknown destinations.
“Under such difficult circumstance, the Returning Officers were only able to collate and declare results in 1 Federal and 9 State constituencies where the disruption and malpractices were not so widespread.
“Having reviewed the situation, the Commission is compelled to suspend all further action concerning the exercise in all the other constituencies in the State pending the receipt of a comprehensive report from its Field Officials and Monitors. For the avoidance of doubt, it should be noted that the suspension does not affect the constituencies where the exercise has been completed and the results declared by the Returning Officers.” [myad]
A fine face and a velvety voice, Michael Oladimeji Idumu aka Gidikid has got what the ladies like. And that’s not all; the Lagos-based dude is also multi-talented. He’s a singer, sound engineer, and music producer as well. Newly signed to the Dr. Gee-owned Bounce Music, Gidikid has a lot to offer. His newest single, ‘Super Story’ produced by Maxxy Jay, mixed and mastered by Marqui Mix, is set to be released in a couple of days, and his fans and social media followers are already giddy with excitement and expectation. Speaking on the inspiration behind ‘Super Story’ Gidikid says it’s a product of his life experiences.
‘The song is all about me begging God to bless my hustle. Then telling people the story of how God blessed me and some of the stuff I passed through along the way. It was basically inspired by life, and the things around me. While growing up, I went through a lot, and that’s what prompted me to sing this song.’ Some of Gidikid’s previous songs include club banger, ‘Buga’ and he was also featured by Sleek in the hit-track, ‘In the Mood.’ As fans await the release of ‘Super Story’ which promises to be an industry-defining anthem, you can connect with, and follow the cool dude: Twitter/Instagram: @iam_gidikid Facebook: Gidikid Idumu. [myad]
The Department of State Security (DSS) in Rivers state has averted an assassination attempt on Peterside Dakuku, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in last year’s gubernatorial election in the state and reportedly arrested ChukwuEmeka Woke, the Chief of Staff to Governor Nyesom Wike for leading a killer squad in two Sport Utility vehicles that trailed and opened fire on Mr. Dakuku.
According to a statement by Mr. Dakuku’s office, the gunmen trailed him from Aba Road as he drove towards his house in the GRA area of Port Harcourt, but as his car made to turn towards the GRA entrance to his home, the gunmen drove aggressively hoping to overtake his car.
Dakuku then changed course and drove to the state headquarters of the DSS as his security aide had already radioed for help.
Soon as Dakuku was allowed into the premises of the DSS, officers at the gate reportedly opened fire on the two SUVs trailing him and succeeded in demobilizing the care and got some of the occupants including Mr. Woke arrested.
One of Dakuku’s security aides was seriously injured as a result of exchange gunfire during the thirty-minute long encounter.
And in a statement, the All Progressives Congress (APC) said that Peterside was in his car with Davies Ibiamu Ikanya, Rivers State APC Chairman and Hon H.O. Asita, Deputy Governorship candidate of the APC in April 2015 election. “Two Jeeps belonging to Emeka Woke, Nyesom Wike’s Chief of Staff carrying two unknown gunmen trailed us to UTC Junction and opened fire on my car. Our car however did a detour to the DSS office gate where we drove to seek refuge but the unknown gunmen opened fire again at the SSS men on guard. “The exchange of fire between the DSS men and the assailants lasted for more than 30 minutes. This is a very ugly experience but I thank God that my colleagues and I escaped unhurt”. “Today’s experience is not only terrifying but also shows the parlous state of security in Rivers State. If I can be engaged openly by gunmen for nearly an hour in the heart of Port Harcourt, only God knows the fate that will befall members of our party and those sympathetic to our predicament. What is happening today in our dear state is not only horrible but also constitutes serious national security risk.” Peterside who was Wike’s opponent in last year’s governorship election in Rivers State added that it is now evident that the governor wants to kill him and that he is prepared to do everything possible to eliminate him.” [myad]
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The Federal High Court in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State has granted bail to Yunusa Dahiru, alias Yellow, the alleged abductor of Ese Oruru, in the sum of N3 million by the.
The Creeping Impunity, By Moses Okpogode
Those were the days when everyone’s ambition was to become a soldier boy. A period when young men only dreamt of attending the Nigerian Defense Academy or graduate from the conventional universities to enroll for the short services programme in the armed forces units to be commissioned as military officers. It was that period when notes (scribbled on pads) from military assistants and aide-de-camps open several doors of opportunities. Nobody tempers with your family if there exists even a sergeant in your lineage. Yes! That was how far we went before the rebirth of democracy in 1999. The same rhythm heralded the change of government from the People’s Democratic Party to the All Progressive Congress in 2015. We all had a stand; that stand has made it difficult for us to really perform our duties as media practitioners and change agents because we clamored for an Utopian state without studying the underlining factors that bore such conditions.
Like the dead and dying young men in Rivers State at the weekend election rerun, we all wished for change with the actors riding on our backs to achieve their aims and objectives but leaving us to lick our self-inflicted wounds sustained in exercising our right to support them while still clouded in ignorance. From the ocean end of Cross Rivers to the edges of Nigeria in Sokoto state, the same voice that cried and prayed for change is singing a recalcitrant song of disappointment in power outages, bad roads, shortage of petroleum products, high cost of living, insecurity — not boko haram at this times but that of the unknown marauders lurking around from nowhere at night in our cities, roads and villages. The distrust, both ethno and religious, and the ready answers from the government and the indifferent attitude to such yearnings of the people reverberate all over the country. The government is always quick to tell you that it is cleaning the Augean stable left behind by the previous administration of the PDP, forgetting that all successive governments in the history of Nigeria rode to power on the alleged ineptitude and cluelessness of predecessor administrations. None of them came on an agenda that was not hinged on the alleged lack of skills of the past overseers.
While the media has lost confidence and audacity to bark, it does not translate that the current state of affairs is the best bargain for Nigerians. Human rights abuses pervade the society with countless numbers of state-orchestrated criminality and individually planned kidnappings taking place everywhere at all time. The government is, however, silent on these, especially when they seem to have taken place in states aligned with the ousted opposition party, the PDP. A case in point is the abduction of female minor, Ms. Ese Oruru, from far away Bayelsa, to Kano state for eight months, and the continued alleged detention of Ekiti lawmakers in the dungeons of the States Services Department. The federal government has not come out to clear the air on whether it has hands or not in the tragic stories of harassment by federal security agents against the Ekiti State Government and its officials. All this makes mockery of the oath-taking ritual that is now seen as a ceremony. Because elected political and public officers have never adhered to it but have, instead, treated majority of the people unfairly and favour only those considered as their lackeys or of the same ethnic and religious background, in an attempt to quieten dissenting voices that preach true change. This they do, not realizing that it is this non-adherence to the oath of office that has caused all the failures of the past.
That is the same latitude that made a group of people accused of extra judicial killings in Agatu land to go public, claiming that they were behind the attacks on innocent women and children in Benue State. They had not only gone further to downgrade their case but claimed that their actions were a consequence of the activities of local cattle rustlers who stole over 200 of their cows and killed one of their important kinsmen in 2013. Those are the sad narratives we see and listen to in this clime daily. Stories that make our land insecure for foreigners who read the negatives in our stories; yet, we pretend to want to woo them into being part of us by bringing in their funds from more stable environments to invest in our country. In any part of the country you turn to today, there is one gory picture of someone who is being subverted by the system directly and with all impunity. It’s either you are denied your privileges and/or entitlement, or denied your rights by those who have sworn deceitfully to their oath of office using the Quran and the Bible. In some cases, you are indirectly punished with harsh policies of those who swore to protect you, in line with constitutional dictates. A very sad recurring decimal.
It thus calls for the government to look into the now ingraining culture of inglorious license for lawlessness in the country whether instituted and perpetrated by law enforcement officials, their allies, or the new class of untouchables whose population seems to be growing geometrically. Except in Africa, there is nowhere persons will want to see the people they want to serve killed, just to climb unto the podium of service, but in Nigeria. Alas, Nigeria belongs to all of us. We must also realize that today’s men will evolve into yesterday’s men in no time and they can only be judged by their actions of today by posterity. As for the ethnic jingoists and religious bigots, there is need for caution. They should allow peace reign in this country because Nigeria is a nation only when peace is seen as the rallying point amongst the people.
Twitter: @MOkpogode. [myad]