The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the President Goodluck Jonathan administration of seeking to negotiate the release of the kidnapped Chibok girls to create a maximum public relations boost for himself, rather than out of a genuine concern for the girls who are now sixth months in Boko Haram captivity.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said the clearest evidence of the government’s manipulation of the girls’ release came during President Goodluck Jonathan’s recent visit to New York to attend the UN General Assembly.
“Apparently assured, somehow, that the girls were about to be released, the administration had set up an elaborate publicity event in New York, rented the necessary crowd and booked back-to-back interviews with the international media to enable the President to luxuriate in the girls’ release. This event was billed for the five-star Pierre Hotel in Manhattan, close to the UN Headquarters.
“Nigerians will remember that on 23 September, the military announced, on Twitter, the imminent release of the girls, only to retract the statement shortly thereafter. In the intervening period, thousands of ‘supporters’ of the President had gathered at the Pierre Hotel to welcome the President after the release of the girls, while media interviews had been booked for him.
“Such an occasion required prior organisation, and therefore prior knowledge by both the government and attendees of the timing of any release of the girls. This whole episode was timed to also coincide with President Jonathan’s speech to the UN General Assembly on the following day – Sept. 24th – and to secure maximum advantage for the government. Somehow, the whole process collapsed like a pack of cards, to the chagrin of those seeking to exploit the innocent girls for political advantage,” it said.
APC condemned the shameless politicization of the plight of the Chibok girls, saying since the incompetence of the Jonathan administration led to the abduction of the girls in the first instance, it must not seek to make political capital out of their release.
“What should be paramount is securing the release of the girls as soon as possible, not securing their release to fit with a schedule that benefits Goodluck Jonathan politically. For the girls, their parents and indeed all good people of Nigeria, this abduction saga has been a nightmare. It is time for it to end,” the party said.
It said the same Jonathan administration that rebuffed appeals from well-meaning Nigerians to negotiate the release of the girls in their early days in captivity has suddenly swung into feverish action, sending its cronies to negotiate with the abductors and even expressing the readiness to swap the Boko Haram commanders for the girls.
“We believe the government should do whatever it takes to secure the safe release of the girls. We believe nothing is too much to do to get the girls back home safely and bring the much-needed relief to their parents and families. But we suspect the government’s sudden efforts, which is undoubtedly aimed at giving a boost to President Jonathan’s candidacy for next year’s presidential election.
“This is most unconscionable, most exploitative and blatantly shameless. It confirms what we have been saying all along that the Jonathan administration knows more about the Boko Haram insurgency than it has admitted, and that the administration is exploiting the insurgency for the President’s re-election. Decent Nigerians are undoubtedly scandalized at this exploitative and deceitful behaviour of their government, and it must stop forthwith.” [myad]
The development that is gradually manifesting in the Nigerian politics as the 2015 general election approaches looks very painfully interesting. It is interesting because certain characters and characteristics, apology to Nigeria’s former permanent representative to the United Nations, Sir Yusuf Maitama Sule, are introducing vieled sadism, dressed in the garb of kindness to the game of politics. Though the picture has not come out clearly, but there are signs to show that our politicians are suddenly mending up the wrongs that had dogged the polity all these years. These category of the politicians, mostly in the leadership positions, remind me of one of those Indian movies I watched when I was in Zaria, Kaduna state, as far back as 1977. In the movie, members of the campaign team of a popular and wealthy Presidential candidate of one of the political parties took a dangerous decision to unleash terror, using thugs on some prominent communities where most of the votes that would decide the winner would come from. The thugs, who were tutored on how to go about the planned attack, went to the communities, burned down the houses of the poor people, maimed many of them and killed some. A day after the attack, the heartless Presidential candidate of the desparate party went to the affected communities to sympathize with the victims. They went ahead to distribute cash, clothes and other items to the victims and other people in the communities. They promised that if their Presidential candidate win the election, the government would not only rebuild the houses which (their) thugs pulled or burnt down but would bring the culprits to book. The innocent, unsuspecting people in the communities hailed the “kindmess” of the concerned political mathematicians and schemers. The people went ahead to vote enmass for the “concerned” Presidential candidate. The way Nigerian politicians are carrying on with the campaign for election in 2015 is having a semblance of the picture of an Indian movie scenario that has just been painted. As the campaign gets underway, one would not be surprised to see that many things that have gone wrong in the system all this while are gradually turning into normalcy. Let us keep our fingers crossed, open our eyes to see how it all turns out and, ears to the ground.
[su_heading size=”14″] Read More Articles From This Author:Yusuf Ozi-Usman [/su_heading]
Ekiti State Governor-Elect, Ayodele Fayose has made it clear that he never slapped a judge in the state even as he called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to investigate the allegation that he beat up a judge.
According to him: “I cannot slap a house boy, let alone a High Court Judge, and I have utmost respect for judicial officers.” Fayose who spoke to newsmen in Abuja today is sure that investigation into the happenings in the state judiciary in recent times will expose cans of worms. He asked the NJC, legal officers and Nigerians not to allow themselves to be confused by what he called ‘the propaganda by the All Progressives Congress (APC),’ but to look at all issues at stake dispassionately and be guided by the truth. Fayose said that all the news about his causing troubles in the state was just a part of grand plan by the APC to cause crisis in the state with a view to preventing his inauguration on October 16. “What I’m saying is that the National Judicial Council should launch a thorough probe of the happenings in Ekiti State judiciary and through that, the rot in the system will be exposed. “A lot of things are happening there and there are signs that some judicial officers are conniving with the outgoing governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi and the APC. “The current crisis is an agenda of the APC and their sole aim is to try and get through the back door what the people of the state did not give them on June 21 when they voted overwhelmingly for me and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). “The media propaganda that I beat up a judge is an APC agenda to portray me in bad light having failed to take my mandate through the back door. “The Ekiti State Attorney General, Wale Fapounda has disclosed that he has spoken with the judge in question, and he spoke on Sunrise programme on Saturday morning on Channels TV where he made it clear that the news that I slapped the Judge was all lies. “I did not enter Justice John Adeyeye’s court because I had no business to transact there. The Tribunal venue, where I went to, is quite a distance from Adeyeye’s court. Then the pertinent question is, at what point I met him? “Is it that the Judge left his courtroom with his robe to face so called protesters? Investigation will reveal all these. “Up until now, nobody has been able to provide photo or video evidence that I slapped the judge. And the APC people should know that I will not succumb to blackmail and surrender the mandate freely given to me by the people of the state.“ The Governor-elect said that PDP leaders were aware of the various petitions written to the NJC by APC leaders in Ekiti and that investigation would reveal the truth. According to him, the actions and utterances of Governor Fayemi in recent times showed collaboration between him and some judicial officers. “For the information of all, I am openly expressing my readiness to appear before the committee to be set up by the NJC even after I must have been sworn in, to testify on the issue if need be. “The whole issue I can say with all intent, was part of a grand plan by the APC to cause mayhem and through it, install the Speaker of the Ekiti State House of Assembly as Acting Governor which the people of Ekiti has seen through, and are ready to stop at all costs.”
President Goodluck Jonathan has sent a condolence message to the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Sanusi Lamido Sanusi and the people of Kano on the death of the Galadiman Kano, Alhaji Tijani Hashim.
A statement from the presidential spokesman, Dr. Reuben Abati Said that the President mourned the death of Alhaji Tijjani who he said served his people admirably over many years as a regional minister in the first republic and very senior member of the Kano Emirate Council.
“The President believes the eminent Kano prince and highly revered community leader will always be remembered and honoured for his laudable contributions to peace, stability and progress in his community and country.
“President Jonathan prays that God Almighty will receive the late Galadima’s soul and grant him eternal rest.He also prays that the Almighty will bless the good people of Kano with a worthy successor to the late prince.” [myad]
Ten Nigerians in Saudi Arabia to performing this year’s hajj rites have been confirmed dead. According to the Coordinator of the National Hajj Commission in Mecca, Aliyu Tanko, the ten are out of at least 50,000 Nigerian that have so far arrived Mecca with virtually all them having performed the Umrah rites.
He advised the pilgrims to always seek medical advice before embarking on pilgrimage, even as he wanred them against exposing themselves to the harsh weather condition in the Holy Land.
Tanko said that the commission’s three clinics in Mecca and those set up by the various state pilgrims boards provide effective medical services to Nigerian pilgrims in Mecca. [myad]
One of the most powerful members of the Kano emirate council, the Galadiman Kano, Tijjani Hashim, is dead. He was 79.
An emirate source confirmed that the Galadima died in the early hours of today (Monday) in Abuja. He died of an undisclosed ailment and is survived by many children, grand children.
Tijjani Hashim was the most senior prince in Kano Emirate and was by birth, like the current emir, Muhammed Sanusi II, an heir to the throne of the Emir of Kano when the late emir Ado Bayero died recently.
Although the Galadima’s father was never an emir, his grand father, Abbas, ruled Kano from 1903 to 1919.
The late Hashim was said to be a very close ally of the late Premier of the north and Sardauna of Sokoto, Ahmadu Bello. He served as a regional minister under the Sardauna.
Tijjani Hashim was arguably the most powerful member of the Kano emirate council and was close to virtually all presidents and head of state of northern extraction.
He is also reported to be very close to current Vice President, Mohammed Namadi Sambo.
Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that the Kano Emirate Council has lost a prized asset with the demise of the Galadiman Kano, Dr Tijjani Hasheem who passed away on Monday.
The former Vice President said in a condolence message by his media office in Abuja on Monday that Hasheem’s influence had become so profound that he had earned an oracular father figure in the emirate before his passage.
The Turaki Adamawa paid tribute to Hasheem for having lived a fulfilled life spent on community service and in peace-building in the Kano Emirate.
“The people of Kano have lost a prized asset, who spent most of his life and times pursuing peace and communal harmony among his people. As the Galadiman Kano, he was a strong confidant and adviser to the Emir of Kano and was the strong backbone of the late Emir Ado Bayero’s reign and contributed immensely to the love and respect that characterised that era,” Atiku said.
He expressed his condolences to the Kano State government, the Emir and people of Kano Emirate Council and the family of Dr. Tijjani Hasheem.
Atiku prayed God to receive the soul of Tijjani Hasheem in al-janna firdaus, fill the vacuum his death has caused in the Emirate and give the family the fortitude to bear the loss of their patriarch. [myad]
Chairman of the Delta State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Peter Nwaoboshi has made it clear that Sir Tony Obuh who is an aspirant on the platform of the PDP is eminently qualified to contest for the party’s ticket. Reacting to insinuations from certain quarters that he is not qualified to run for the governorship ticket in the state, the chairman asked those flying such rumour to discard it. Chief Nwaoboshi who spoke when Sir Obuh paid the PDP executive a consultation visit at the party’s secretariat, said Obuh is a card carrying member of the PDP and has been so since 2011. He added that though Obuh has been non-partisan until he retired from the Delta State Civil Service in August 2014 but that he has been in the background giving the PDP all the needed support to ensure that it moved in the right direction. According to him, the governorship hopeful has in no small way impacted on the party’s performances since 2005 by founding several support groups that propagated the PDP’s manifesto as well as its determination to take Nigeria to a higher pedestal. Chief Nwaoboshi called on those peddling rumours to desist, saying that such rumours would not deter the party from going ahead to hold its primaries or prepare for the general elections. He said that PDP remains the only vibrant and dynamic party in Nigeria with solid structures to win elections in Nigeria in a free and fair atmosphere. The PDP Chairman said that the party is interested in those who can build the party and make it stronger and not those who will derail it through gossip and rumour mongering even as he challenged Sir Obuh not to be deterred but continue to garner support. He gave assurance that the party will support anyone chosen by the members of the party. Speaking earlier, Sir Obuh said that the State needed someone to harness its potentials towards becoming great hence his decision to present himself as he had the immense experience needed to transform the State into an economic super power. He acknowledged the huge potentials that abound in the State especially things need to be done to make those potentials beneficial to the people of the State. Obuh said he believes that government can serve the interest of the people by formulating and implementing policies that everyone can be proud of, adding that he has the experience to achieve all these if given the opportunity. He stressed that his experience in government and governance stands him above the other aspirants, adding that he is also in tune with how the public and private sectors can work together towards enhancing the growth of the State. He pledgef that he is ready to articulate the potentials towards creating a virile and vibrant economy that will cater for the elderly, the women and youths. The Director-General of the Project Obuh 2015 and Political Adviser to the Governor, Chief Fred Majemite acknowledged that Sir Obuh is a marketable product who has stood out in the public service over the years and is capable of taking Delta to a higher pedestal. He described Sir Obuh as a bridge builder who can unite Deltans having impacted on the lives of the people while in the Civil Service. Chief Majemite said that Sir. Obuh will also build a stronger PDP as he is the new face of Delta State politics. [myad]
A taxi driver, who returned N18 Million to the owner, Mr. Imeh Usuah; a traffic warden who perform his duty with a lot of zeal at Wuse in Abuja, Corporal Solomon Dauda and a cook in the Presidential villa since 1979, Mr. Onuh Michael have all bagged a presidential order for a flat each in Abuja for their honesty and hardwork. They also bagged a national honour of Member of the Federal Republic (MFR). Similarly, the man who designed the Nigerian National White-Green-White flag, Pa Michael Taiwo Akinkunmi got a Presidential order to be placed on salary of the officer equivalent to the Special Adviser (SA) to the President for the rest of his life. He also bagged the award of the Officer of the Federal Republic (OFR). President Goodluck Jonathan, who announced the special packages for these four Nigerians as he presented various national awards of honour to 313 Nigerians and friends of Nigeria at in Abuja today, said the government would continue to recognize and reward those who place value on dignity. The President regretted that over time, Nigeria has degenerated from high standard values in every sector of the polical and social life to even desecrating the religious values. Others who received national awards of honour today are eight serving governors: Chief Theodore Orji of Abia state, Malam Isa Yuguda of Bauchi state, Barrister Sullivan Chime of Enugu state, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo state, Alhaji Saidu Dakingari of Kebbi state, David Jonah Jang of Plateau state and Senator Ibikunle Amosu of Osun state who each bagged Commander of the Order of Niger (CON).
Nine serving ministers were also conferred with CON. They are Malam Ibrahim Shekarau (Education), Professor Chinedu Nebo (Power), Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe (Water Resources), Arc. Mike Onolememen (Works), Labaran Maku (Information), Hajiya Zainab Maina (Women Affairs), Arc. Musa Mohammed Sada (Mine and Steel), and Nyeson Wike (Education –State) and Ambassador Bashir Yuguda (Finance -State).
All the present service chiefs, including the acting Inspector General of Police and most judges of the Supreme court, Head of the nation’s Civil Service and some top traditional rulers were awarded with Commander of the Federal Republic (CFR). [myad]
Between Friday 18 and Sunday 21 September, 2014 the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Diaspora Organization (NIDO) in the United States and the Americas took place at the Embassy Suites, Columbus, State of Ohio, United States. There is no doubt that the sweet memories of the epochal conference would linger in the minds of many for a long time to come due to its resounding success. For the Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed who was represented at the conference by the Permanent Secretary of FCT, Engr. John O. Chukwu, it was a moment of honour as his land reforms and infrastructure provision mechanism received high rating. The event whose theme was, “Nigeria’s Transformation Agenda and Leadership Accountability: The Role of Nigerians in Diaspora” attracted no fewer than 500 delegates from the Americas and Nigeria. These comprised the Nigerian Diasporans in the Americas, their allies, friends of Nigeria, Afro-Americans, Nigerian lawmakers, top Nigerian government functionaries, diplomats and many others. The FCT Minister made an elaborate power point presentation at the event. Among the areas covered were investment opportunities in FCT, transportation, security, strategies for accelerated infrastructure provision and general land reforms. The highly revealing presentation was greeted with a thunderous ovation by the delegates many of whom became enthusiastic to invest in Abuja. They were particularly enamored by the innovative land swap policy designed to catalyze development and at the same time bring down spiraling property cost in the nation’s capital. The Permanent Secretary, after the presentation, was besieged by the Diaspora members and other potential investors from different parts of the US, Canada and other American countries. They were all making enquiries on how they could tap into the new opportunities in FCT. While calling on Nigerians in the Diaspora to take opportunity of the current transformation agenda and invest in Nigeria, particularly the Federal Capital Territory, Engr. Chukwu urged them to think more about what they could contribute to the development of Nigeria and less about what they could get from it. He stressed that demonization of Nigeria, its government and people by the Nigerian Diaspora rather than solve would worsen the challenges facing Nigeria. He added that the time is now for the Nigerian Diaspora to act fast to assist in finding solution to the challenges confronting the nation. One interesting strand of the discussions among the delegates after the FCT’s presentation was the correlation some of them drew between ongoing infrastructure cum general developmental revolution in Abuja and Dubai’s transformation from an outlandish idea to an economic powerhouse of the Middle East. A parallel was drawn between Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, the man whose magical infrastructure and PPP modules are accelerating the development of Africa’s fastest growing city and the architect of the rapid transformation of Dubai, the United Kingdom-trained Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum. Sheikh Mohammed combined the speeds of a gazelle and a lion to transform Dubai into a world mega business hub of repute. In the story of the gazelle and the lion, one is running to eat while the other is running to live. Realizing that life is a race, Sheikh Mohammed never abandoned one opportunity to wait for another. Through a parallel strategy designed to lure multinational companies, Sheikh Mohammed successfully turned Dubai into the global business hub of the Middle East. Senator Mohammed is doing the same through the land swap programme in Abuja. The land reform decree issued by Sheikh Mohammed in 2002 allowing foreigners to own real estate in Dubai — a first in any Gulf state, is akin to the courageous land reforms and the swap strategy introduced by Senator Mohammed in 2011 in FCT. Prior to the reforms, Dubai had no real estate market and land was given out under semi-feudalism. In other words, all land was held by the sheikhs or by favored Emirati friends upon whom the sheikhs had bestowed parcels. Everyone else — including every foreigner — was a tenant. But with the 2002 reform, anyone could buy a home or land in Dubai — an opportunity with particular appeal to wealthy families in unstable countries nearby and other around the globe. For example, “loaded Lebanese afraid of another civil war back home, Indian nouveaux riches seeking respite from the poverty at their doorsteps, and Russian oligarchs banking assets stripped from operations in their decaying motherland all poured cash into Dubai properties.” Overnight, Dubai became a place for the magnates of the Middle East, Africa (including Nigeria), South Asia and the former Soviet Union to park wealth too risky to keep back home. A highpoint of the mad rush for Dubai occurred in 2009, “when the dictator of Azerbaijan amassed nine waterfront mansions during a two-week, $44 million buying spree — all purchased in the name of his 11-year-old son.” Back in Nigeria, with the land swap and an unprecedented land reform in place under the midwifery of Senator Mohammed, Abuja is fast becoming a veritable global outpost and has clearly emerged as one of the three fastest-growing cities in the world. The reforms introduced by Senator Mohammed have ignited massive booms. Between 2010 and date with the current Minister in the saddle, Abuja’s population has nearly doubled and its urbanized footprint tripling. Statistics show that standard housing development for residential and institutional use has quadrupled in numbers and still ballooning. The rapid turnaround is the product of Senator Mohammed ability to think outside the box. As Engr. Chukwu put it in Ohio at the 2014 NIDO Summit, the implementation thrust of the Transformation Agenda in FCT is to open up the Territory to unfettered private capital-driven development. He said it was this thrust that made the FCT Administration to introduce the Land Swap programme as a catalyst for accelerated infrastructure, housing and overall development. According to him, the private sector under the programme would be incentivized to provide site and services within the districts. Thus Government’s emphasis would be to provide the policy, legal regulatory environment for seamless private sector participation in the development of the districts of the FCT. Of course, the benchmark of the current rolling plan is to open up by providing modern infrastructure in at least 10 new districts within five years. The programme is based on contractual Agreement with no fewer than 15private investors on the basis of the Land-for-Infrastructure Swap Framework at the onset. The total land area for the development in the present package is 4,283.2 hectares within Phase IV of the Federal Capital City (FCC). It is projected to require a minimum of $3.8 Billion of private sector capital. The distance of this area is averagely 20 minutes from the City centre and 15 minutes fromthe Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja. The benefit analysis of the investment initiatives of the FCT Administration include creation of more than 300,000 jobs within the plan period; inflow of over N1 trillion investment to the FCT; reduction of housing deficit by 20%; reduction of cost of rent/lease by 15%; increased funding to human capital development and enhanced security of lives and properties 20% of schooling population. Abuja under Senator Bala Mohammed with its vibrant economy anchored on an emerging class of home-grown multinational corporations which are as able as they are eager to participate in the global growth party is the ideal place for the moment. With the right policy in place and a robust security network in place, the Federal Capital Territory is reshaping business and redefining the African economy for a powerful launch on the global stage. Other speakers at the Ohio NIDO conference include former Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Professor Ibrahim Gambari who spoke on “Nigeria’s Diplomatic Strategies in Relation to the Transformation Agenda”, Professor Vince Anigbogu of the Institute for National Transformation, Abuja who delivered the keynote address; Professor Ilesanmi Adesida, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Illinois who spoke on “How Nigerians in the Diaspora can Transfer their intellectual property/capital for the Transformation of Nigeria into a Technological Superpower,” Dr. Harry Alford, President/CEO, US National Black Chamber of Commerce; Professor Kelechi Kalu, Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs, Ohio State University whose lecture was on “Safety and Security and Nigerian Transformation Agenda” and others. Among others were the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Dr. John Adefuye, Professor Hauwa Ibrahim of the Harvard, Architect Bernard Lot, the Director of Public Building of the Federal Capital Development Authority, Professor Chris Igodan of Ohio State University, Dr. Kate Okpaleke of the, Engineer Mike Akpan and many others. NIDOA Board of Directors Chairman, Chief Gabe Okoye in his welcome address said that the average of about $21.5billion was remitted to Nigeria in the past two years by Nigerians in Diaspora, a contribution only surpassed by oil revenue. One thing which the NIDO members are expecting with bated anxiety is the creation of the Diaspora Commission by the Federal Government to act as a medium for seamless interface between Nigerians in the Diaspora and their native land. In other words it is expected to serve as the vehicle through which the Nigeria Diaspora Community can channel their vast resources to Nigeria for the development of the country, the NIDOA leader reasoned. Chief Okoye likened the creation of the commission to former President John Kennedy’s call for Americans to ask for what they can do for their country, not what their country can do for them. With the resolution passed by this year’s National Conference recommending the creation of the commission, Okoye and other NIDO members are upbeat that their dogged push for its birth is beginning to yield the expected result. “We must use the opportunity availed to us by this conference to plant in the ears of all our guests, especially those from the homeland that, we unapologetically insist on the implementation of the resolutions of the National Conference,” Okoye added. In his opinion, the resolutions have common sense, relevant and equitable. [myad]
• Nosike Ogbuenyi , the Special Assitant on Media to the FCT Minister was in Columbus, Ohio for the NIDO Conference.
The Advisory Council of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has resolved to urgently address the funding challenges facing the commission so as to re-position it for better service delivery to the people of the region. The Advisory Council which comprised of governors of the nine Niger Delta States of Delta, Edo, Rivers, Cross River, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Ondo, Imo and Abia has Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan of Delta State as its chairman. The Council which met on Saturday night in the New Government House, Asaba, also decried the attitude of some oil majors who defaulted on their funding obligations to the commission thus stalling the commission’s activities. The Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who briefed the press after the meeting said that the meeting has provided the Council an opportunity to look into the funding challenges, programmes and budget of the Commission. He said that the Advisory Council also looked at ways to leverage the outstanding funds from some of the oil majors who have defaulted on their funding obligations to the commission. “We got a briefing from the Chairman of the Commission on the funding challenges facing the commission and we are ready to see how we can assist in resolving some of these challenges and how we can (recover) some of the outstanding funds from the oil majors.” Governor Mimiko explained that the Advisory Council also looked at the projects undertaken by the Commission and urged the NDDC Board to place emphasis on legacy projects that would create jobs for the people of the Niger Delta region and sustain the economy of the region beyond oil. The Chairman of the Board, Mr. Dan Bassey Abia in an interview said that the meeting has provided an opportunity to resolve the problems facing the commission stressing: “we have started a new NDDC. Things are getting better” Besides Mimiko, others in attendance are Theodore Orji of Abia, Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa, Liyel Imoke of Cross Rivers, the host Governor, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan and the Secretary to the Imo State Government who represented the Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha. Also in attendance were members of the Board and management of the NDDC.
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The Advisory Council of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has resolved to urgently address the funding challenges facing the commission so as to re-position it for better service delivery to the people of the region.
Nigeria’s FCT Land Policy Riceives High Rating At Diaspora Summit In America, By Nosike Ogbuenyi
Between Friday 18 and Sunday 21 September, 2014 the Annual General Meeting of the Nigerian Diaspora Organization (NIDO) in the United States and the Americas took place at the Embassy Suites, Columbus, State of Ohio, United States. There is no doubt that the sweet memories of the epochal conference would linger in the minds of many for a long time to come due to its resounding success.
For the Minister of FCT, Senator Bala Mohammed who was represented at the conference by the Permanent Secretary of FCT, Engr. John O. Chukwu, it was a moment of honour as his land reforms and infrastructure provision mechanism received high rating.
The event whose theme was, “Nigeria’s Transformation Agenda and Leadership Accountability: The Role of Nigerians in Diaspora” attracted no fewer than 500 delegates from the Americas and Nigeria. These comprised the Nigerian Diasporans in the Americas, their allies, friends of Nigeria, Afro-Americans, Nigerian lawmakers, top Nigerian government functionaries, diplomats and many others. The FCT Minister made an elaborate power point presentation at the event. Among the areas covered were investment opportunities in FCT, transportation, security, strategies for accelerated infrastructure provision and general land reforms.
The highly revealing presentation was greeted with a thunderous ovation by the delegates many of whom became enthusiastic to invest in Abuja. They were particularly enamored by the innovative land swap policy designed to catalyze development and at the same time bring down spiraling property cost in the nation’s capital.
The Permanent Secretary, after the presentation, was besieged by the Diaspora members and other potential investors from different parts of the US, Canada and other American countries. They were all making enquiries on how they could tap into the new opportunities in FCT.
While calling on Nigerians in the Diaspora to take opportunity of the current transformation agenda and invest in Nigeria, particularly the Federal Capital Territory, Engr. Chukwu urged them to think more about what they could contribute to the development of Nigeria and less about what they could get from it.
He stressed that demonization of Nigeria, its government and people by the Nigerian Diaspora rather than solve would worsen the challenges facing Nigeria. He added that the time is now for the Nigerian Diaspora to act fast to assist in finding solution to the challenges confronting the nation.
One interesting strand of the discussions among the delegates after the FCT’s presentation was the correlation some of them drew between ongoing infrastructure cum general developmental revolution in Abuja and Dubai’s transformation from an outlandish idea to an economic powerhouse of the Middle East.
A parallel was drawn between Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, the man whose magical infrastructure and PPP modules are accelerating the development of Africa’s fastest growing city and the architect of the rapid transformation of Dubai, the United Kingdom-trained Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa Al Maktoum.
Sheikh Mohammed combined the speeds of a gazelle and a lion to transform Dubai into a world mega business hub of repute. In the story of the gazelle and the lion, one is running to eat while the other is running to live. Realizing that life is a race, Sheikh Mohammed never abandoned one opportunity to wait for another.
Through a parallel strategy designed to lure multinational companies, Sheikh Mohammed successfully turned Dubai into the global business hub of the Middle East. Senator Mohammed is doing the same through the land swap programme in Abuja.
The land reform decree issued by Sheikh Mohammed in 2002 allowing foreigners to own real estate in Dubai — a first in any Gulf state, is akin to the courageous land reforms and the swap strategy introduced by Senator Mohammed in 2011 in FCT.
Prior to the reforms, Dubai had no real estate market and land was given out under semi-feudalism. In other words, all land was held by the sheikhs or by favored Emirati friends upon whom the sheikhs had bestowed parcels. Everyone else — including every foreigner — was a tenant. But with the 2002 reform, anyone could buy a home or land in Dubai — an opportunity with particular appeal to wealthy families in unstable countries nearby and other around the globe. For example, “loaded Lebanese afraid of another civil war back home, Indian nouveaux riches seeking respite from the poverty at their doorsteps, and Russian oligarchs banking assets stripped from operations in their decaying motherland all poured cash into Dubai properties.” Overnight, Dubai became a place for the magnates of the Middle East, Africa (including Nigeria), South Asia and the former Soviet Union to park wealth too risky to keep back home. A highpoint of the mad rush for Dubai occurred in 2009, “when the dictator of Azerbaijan amassed nine waterfront mansions during a two-week, $44 million buying spree — all purchased in the name of his 11-year-old son.”
Back in Nigeria, with the land swap and an unprecedented land reform in place under the midwifery of Senator Mohammed, Abuja is fast becoming a veritable global outpost and has clearly emerged as one of the three fastest-growing cities in the world. The reforms introduced by Senator Mohammed have ignited massive booms.
Between 2010 and date with the current Minister in the saddle, Abuja’s population has nearly doubled and its urbanized footprint tripling. Statistics show that standard housing development for residential and institutional use has quadrupled in numbers and still ballooning. The rapid turnaround is the product of Senator Mohammed ability to think outside the box.
As Engr. Chukwu put it in Ohio at the 2014 NIDO Summit, the implementation thrust of the Transformation Agenda in FCT is to open up the Territory to unfettered private capital-driven development. He said it was this thrust that made the FCT Administration to introduce the Land Swap programme as a catalyst for accelerated infrastructure, housing and overall development.
According to him, the private sector under the programme would be incentivized to provide site and services within the districts. Thus Government’s emphasis would be to provide the policy, legal regulatory environment for seamless private sector participation in the development of the districts of the FCT. Of course, the benchmark of the current rolling plan is to open up by providing modern infrastructure in at least 10 new districts within five years. The programme is based on contractual Agreement with no fewer than 15private investors on the basis of the Land-for-Infrastructure Swap Framework at the onset.
The total land area for the development in the present package is 4,283.2 hectares within Phase IV of the Federal Capital City (FCC). It is projected to require a minimum of $3.8 Billion of private sector capital. The distance of this area is averagely 20 minutes from the City centre and 15 minutes fromthe Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
The benefit analysis of the investment initiatives of the FCT Administration include creation of more than 300,000 jobs within the plan period; inflow of over N1 trillion investment to the FCT; reduction of housing deficit by 20%; reduction of cost of rent/lease by 15%; increased funding to human capital development and enhanced security of lives and properties 20% of schooling population.
Abuja under Senator Bala Mohammed with its vibrant economy anchored on an emerging class of home-grown multinational corporations which are as able as they are eager to participate in the global growth party is the ideal place for the moment. With the right policy in place and a robust security network in place, the Federal Capital Territory is reshaping business and redefining the African economy for a powerful launch on the global stage.
Other speakers at the Ohio NIDO conference include former Nigeria’s Permanent Representative at the United Nations, Professor Ibrahim Gambari who spoke on “Nigeria’s Diplomatic Strategies in Relation to the Transformation Agenda”, Professor Vince Anigbogu of the Institute for National Transformation, Abuja who delivered the keynote address; Professor Ilesanmi Adesida, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Provost, University of Illinois who spoke on “How Nigerians in the Diaspora can Transfer their intellectual property/capital for the Transformation of Nigeria into a Technological Superpower,” Dr. Harry Alford, President/CEO, US National Black Chamber of Commerce; Professor Kelechi Kalu, Vice Provost for Global Strategies and International Affairs, Ohio State University whose lecture was on “Safety and Security and Nigerian Transformation Agenda” and others.
Among others were the Nigerian Ambassador to the United States, Dr. John Adefuye, Professor Hauwa Ibrahim of the Harvard, Architect Bernard Lot, the Director of Public Building of the Federal Capital Development Authority, Professor Chris Igodan of Ohio State University, Dr. Kate Okpaleke of the, Engineer Mike Akpan and many others.
NIDOA Board of Directors Chairman, Chief Gabe Okoye in his welcome address said that the average of about $21.5billion was remitted to Nigeria in the past two years by Nigerians in Diaspora, a contribution only surpassed by oil revenue.
One thing which the NIDO members are expecting with bated anxiety is the creation of the Diaspora Commission by the Federal Government to act as a medium for seamless interface between Nigerians in the Diaspora and their native land. In other words it is expected to serve as the vehicle through which the Nigeria Diaspora Community can channel their vast resources to Nigeria for the development of the country, the NIDOA leader reasoned.
Chief Okoye likened the creation of the commission to former President John Kennedy’s call for Americans to ask for what they can do for their country, not what their country can do for them. With the resolution passed by this year’s National Conference recommending the creation of the commission, Okoye and other NIDO members are upbeat that their dogged push for its birth is beginning to yield the expected result.
“We must use the opportunity availed to us by this conference to plant in the ears of all our guests, especially those from the homeland that, we unapologetically insist on the implementation of the resolutions of the National Conference,” Okoye added. In his opinion, the resolutions have common sense, relevant and equitable.
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• Nosike Ogbuenyi , the Special Assitant on Media to the FCT Minister was in Columbus, Ohio for the NIDO Conference.