The Federal Government has declared Monday, June 12, 2023 Public Holiday for the purpose of observing the annual Democracy Day.
The Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Interior, Dr. Oluwatoyin Akinlade made the declaration on behalf of the Federal Government.
Nigeria’s democratic journey has, like in many other climes, encountered both stormy and smooth sails, but the ship of State, it’s institutions and most importantly, the Nigerian people have remained steadfast on the tenets of democratic governance.
He said that Nigerians and friends of Nigeria are invited to appreciate the progress that has been made, celebrate the milestones covered and look forward to a better future for the country’s democracy.
The Permanent Secretary wished Nigerians a Happy Democracy Day celebration.
The Group of five Governors on the platform of the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP), otherwise known as G-5, have resolved to team up with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to build the Nigerian nation. Rising from a close door meeting with President Tinubu today, June 8, at the Presidential villa, Abuja, the G-5 emphasized that the visit was part of their nation building efforts. Speaking to newsmen on their behalf by the Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde, the group, made up of immediate past governors of Rivers, Nyesom Wike; Enugu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Abia, Okezie Ikpeazu and Benue, Samuel Ortom, said that they wanted the President to know what they stand for. They made it clear that they stand for fairness, justice and equity. “Well, nation building is a very difficult task. You have to keep evaluating. You know what your day is, where you’re going? So, we have to keep seeing the President, you know, to let him know what is happening. “And for this evening, the G-5, the integrity group, we also came to let the President know what we stood for: fairness, justice, and equity”. The G-5 said that now that elections have been won and lost: “we are going towards Mr. President, you know, coming with us on the route for fairness, for justice and for equity in Nigeria.”
“I am profoundly grateful to the people of Surulere 1 Federal Constituency for allowing me to represent them for the last twenty years.”
Femi Gbajabiamila, the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, made the following statement in his farewell message to his colleagues yesterday, June 7. He will assume his new duty as Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential villa shortly.
Below is his full address:
Honourable colleagues, fellow Nigerians:
I thank God almighty, by whose grace and mercy we have gathered here once more in the people’s House to do our duty even as our time in the 9th House of Representatives comes to an end.
This will be the last time I address you from this dais as the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives. It has been the honour of my life to serve our beloved country from this honourable House. I am profoundly grateful to the people of Surulere 1 Federal Constituency for allowing me to represent them for the last twenty years. And I am grateful to you, my dear colleagues, for the honour and privilege of serving as Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives for the last four years. All glory belongs to the almighty God, who ordains our destinies and guides our path.
In the years since I first stepped into this hallowed chamber, the House of Representatives has changed profoundly, just as our country has changed too. Yet, in all that time, I have not witnessed change on a scale and with such speed as has been the case in the last four years. We have lived through a global pandemic that nobody anywhere saw coming. We have governed at a time of global crises and relentless transformations to the global economy. We have seen our nation’s politics come of age with a new generation of young people determined to have a seat at the table and prepared to fight for it, whatever the cost. Just in the last few days, we have seen the end of a subsidy regime that has distorted the energy market in our country for over thirty years.
When change happens at this scale and with such an unrelenting pace, it creates challenges and opportunities almost in equal measure. Over the last four years, this House of Representatives has worked to ensure that our country can overcome these challenges and take advantage of the moment to achieve economic, social, and political transformations that benefit all the Nigerian people. We elevated the debates in the House of Representatives and made this chamber the arena for informed exchanges about Nigeria’s future and the welfare of all our nation’s people. We have left our mark in every sector of our national life and positively impacted people’s lives across our country.
We introduced discipline into the appropriations process by implementing a January to December budget cycle that ended the policy instability and economic uncertainty of the previous irregular budget cycles. We reformed the oversight process to ensure greater collaboration between the arms of government. We made it easier for citizens to access details of budget expenditures so that they, too, can be part of the process of ensuring accountability in the administration of public funds. We did not yield our constitutional obligation to ensure faithful compliance with the letter and spirit of the Appropriation Act by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the government.
While the strategic importance of the oil and gas sector to Nigeria’s socioeconomic well-being has long been apparent, successive administrations failed to put in place a functional statutory regime to allow that sector to function optimally. We ended that legacy of lethargy with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). With the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act, we went even further to put the sector on the right footing. These statutory reforms rightfully ought to have happened a long time ago. Now, we must ensure that the reforms contained in these Acts are dutifully implemented as part of a broader energy policy suited to the realities of technological advancements and the evolving demands of the global energy market.
We passed the Police Act to change the nature of relations between the police and citizens in our country and ensure that police officers who fall short of their responsibilities can be quickly held accountable. The Act expressly prohibits police officers from arresting citizens for civil wrongs, imposes an obligation on the police to inform citizens of their rights at the point of arrest, and mandates the police to ensure that persons arrested have access to their families and legal representation. In addition, the Act established the Police Complaints Units as a statutory organ accessible to the public to report police misconduct and empowered to initiate action when such reports are received.
These reforms did not end police misbehaviour in our country; soon enough, there was a national reckoning. We responded by working with the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to establish a new framework of accountability to hold erring members of the Police Force to account for their conduct in the performance of their duties and compel the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) to take responsibility for the failures of training and discipline that leads to such wrongful conduct. And we appropriated the sum of Five Hundred Million Naira through the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to compensate victims of police brutality nationwide. I sincerely hope that the work of police reform will continue in the House of Representatives until we achieve a system of policing that meets our nation’s needs and reflects the best of us.
When in March 2020, the covid-19 virus entered our shores, we became bound with the world in experiencing a tragic disruption to our economic, political, and social lives, unlike anything we have ever witnessed. This House of Representatives responded by taking active measures to protect the Nigerian people, including those who work here in the National Assembly. We passed the Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill to grant companies a rebate on Companies Income Tax, suspend import duties on medicines, medical equipment, personal protective equipment, and other essential medical materials and defer mortgage obligations on residential mortgages by contributors to the National Housing Fund.
We also passed the Emergency Relief and Assistance Bill to provide a limited salary guarantee for low-income permanent employees of companies registered and operating in Nigeria, relieve legal consumers of electricity in Nigeria of the burden of electricity charges for a limited period and suspend for a fixed period, the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) provisions of the Finance Act 2020. Whilst these legislations did not pass in the Senate and never became law, they provided the framework for the federal government’s policy response to the pandemic, as the policy ideas contained therein were adopted and variously implemented through executive orders and subsequent legislations.
We worked to establish, under emergency conditions, a fully functioning care facility in the Federal Capital Territory under the management of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). We intervened to prevent potentially devastating strike action by doctors and ensure that the medical professionals at the fore of our response to the pandemic were remunerated correctly and provided the allowances due to them. We reviewed the statutory framework for managing infectious disease outbreaks and proposed the Infectious Disease Bill to reform an area of our laws that hadn’t been examined for a century. In an act of service for which I remain proud and thankful, members of this House volunteered their salaries to the covid relief fund to support the needs of the most vulnerable in our society.
The legislative legacy of the 9th House of Representatives includes the Companies and Allied Matters Act and the Nigeria Start-Up Act, two critical legislations aimed at changing the way we do business in Nigeria by streamlining regulations, reducing red tape, and setting the conditions for the private sector to innovate, thrive and grow. Our legacy also includes the comprehensive electoral reforms in the Electoral Act that have changed forever for good the way we conduct elections in Nigeria. While we recognise the need to continue to work to improve election management in Nigeria, we must acknowledge the vast improvements that have happened since the return to democracy. And we take pride in our contribution to these improvements over the last four years.
Through the constitutional review process, the House of Representatives sought to restructure our government to make it more effective, reorganise our politics to make it more inclusive, enshrine efficient mechanisms for holding the institutions of state to account and put an end to the debilitating conflicts that even now continue to tear our nation apart. We made an audacious attempt to create a constitution that addresses once and for all the fundamental issues that distract from nation-building. The constitutional amendments we enacted devolved power and responsibilities over critical areas of our national life in an effort to spur innovation and healthy competition at the subnational level. By our joint effort, we achieved financial independence for state houses of assembly and state judiciary, granting greater autonomy to these arms of government in line with democratic best practice.
To succeed in our shared ambition of building a prosperous and peaceful country, we must do everything within our power to ensure that our daughters and those yet to be born can grow up in a more open, more equal society than their mothers did. Unfortunately, we did not succeed in removing some of the constitutional barriers that have long stood in the way of women’s full and unhindered participation in the politics, governance and economy of our nation. This issue must continue to be at the fore of our national conversations. I hope the 10th House of Representatives will take up the mantle and do better than we did.
Beyond legislative interventions, the 9th House of Representatives will be remembered for our efforts to change how we do the business of parliament, most notably for introducing information technology tools through the e-parliament project and establishing the National Assembly Library Trust Fund. The National Assembly Library Trust Fund will ensure that the National Assembly is operationally suited to meet the needs of the Nigerian people by providing modern library and research infrastructure, training and capacity development for legislators and aides and operating as a resource centre for the legislature, and all who have any interest in legislative endeavours.
This 9th House, with unwavering courage and determination, defended the rights and dignity of the Nigerian people abroad from every attempt to dehumanise and victimise our people. Our interventions on behalf of Nigerians in China during the pandemic put an end to recurrent incidents of abuse, just as our efforts on behalf of Nigerians in South Africa and Ghana caused the governments of those nations to step up action to protect the lives and property of our citizens in those countries. From Ghana to South Africa, from China to the United States of America, we made it clear that this parliament will defend the rights of our citizens to conduct their legitimate businesses without fear of molestation and that the wellbeing of Nigerians remains our business whether home or abroad. This model of parliamentary diplomacy has become a legitimate tool for back-channel interventions to resolve conflicts involving our citizens around the world. It is an approach that ought to be sustained and improved.
We convened a Summit on National Security to examine our national security and defence infrastructure and identify critical areas of improvement. I hope that work to ensure our borders are secure and our people are safe will continue in the next assembly and throughout government. Through the Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments (CoSAP), we have initiated a new and promising framework for interparliamentary cooperation across the continent to address our shared challenges and build better networks for collaboration, progress, and prosperity. This effort should continue in the best interests of our country and continent.
Honourable colleagues, despite the considerable investments we have made to improve our public infrastructure and the numerous reforms we have enacted to change how we administer the government, our country faces many significant challenges. These challenges have caused many of our fellow citizens to wonder if the promise of democracy will ever become real in their lives. Too many of our young people have lost faith entirely and are choosing in droves to seek their fortunes and their futures in other lands. We are losing some of our best and brightest, and if we don’t act now, the consequences of this loss will shortly become painfully evident.
How do we ensure a healthy, vigorous, growing economy that provides opportunities for all who work hard to succeed through their labour and ingenuity? How do we protect our people from the marauders and insurgents, the petty criminals and assorted villains who wish to harm them, whether for profit or in service of other agendas? How do we restore faith in our young people so that so many of them no longer feel like the only way to achieve their best aspirations is to chase their fortunes in far away, often hostile lands? These are the critical questions all of us in government must answer or risk the unforgiving judgment of history. With each new day, we have an opportunity to make the hard choices and take the necessary actions to guarantee our nation’s future. With each new day, we have less time to act and a more outstanding obligation to act quickly.
As you are all aware, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, has nominated me to continue serving the people of Nigeria as Chief of Staff in the Presidency. I am humbled by this new call to duty, and I am grateful to all of you who have reached out to me. I have long believed that the ultimate end of all political and governance efforts must be to achieve measurable improvements in the lives of the people on whose behalf we hold office. This fundamental belief in the responsibility of government to be a force for good has been my guiding light. It will continue to be so in my new endeavours. I humbly ask for your prayers and support in this new chapter. I assure you that in this new role, I will work to ensure a cordial and productive relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government whilst respecting the independence and prerogatives of the legislature.
For everything, there is a time and season, and we are obligated each season to do the most and the best we can in the time we have. This is a good rule for politics and for life itself. The 9th House of Representatives is ending, and the 10th will shortly be convened. All of us, those whose time in office is ending, and those for whom duty continues, will face the judgment of history. I urge you to keep this in mind and let your actions be guided by the desire to ensure that you are not found wanting by man or God in the final judgment. As a member and Speaker of this honourable House, I have travelled the length of this country, and I have been amazed by the talent and capacity, dogged determination, and resilience of the Nigerian people. The abundance of these qualities among our people assures me that if government lives up to its responsibilities, our people are ready to do the rest. So, we must live up to our responsibilities; there is no other option.
I want to express my sincere appreciation to the civil servants and aides who have toiled tirelessly with me during my time here; I thank you all most sincerely for your service. I want you to know that the roles you play in keeping this institution running are crucial to achieving the kind of country we desire. I urge you to please take pride in performing those roles credibly at all times. Reach for excellence in all you do, and resist the cynicism and pessimism that encourages laziness and ineptitude. I also wish to thank our compatriots in the media for their dedicated efforts in ensuring that the exercise of state and economic power is fair and proper and in service of the greater good. A lot of the work we do in the legislature would not be possible without the support and partnerships of civil society organisations and development partners. I want to especially thank the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and several others who have proven worthy partners in progress.
For the better part of my adult life, I have traversed the halls of this complex, legislated from the chamber of this hallowed House and built relationships with people from across the country, colleagues past and present. I have met and established genuine bonds of brotherhood with some of the most amazing human beings, and together we have shared experiences that strengthened those bonds. As I transition into my new role, a role unlike the one I have had for these many years, I ask for your support and best wishes as we continue to work together to advance the cause and fulfil the promise of Nigeria. I will miss all of you, and I will miss this House. I want you to rest assured that wherever the road takes me, I will carry you all in my heart fondly because you have enriched my life in ways words alone cannot fully express.
Nigeria is an unfinished story, a long tale of promise and peril, and our final chapters have not been written yet. Some persist in believing that this grand nation is a victim of history, that our destiny has already long been written, and that we cannot escape from it. I do not subscribe to this view. In fact, I reject it entirely. Indeed the world today is being remade by profound and powerful forces, and it may seem our destiny no longer lies within our control. But we are a proud and resilient people with a limitless capacity for excellence. All that we hope to be, we can. All that we desire is within reach. Our greatest successes as a nation will come when we work together across party lines, without considering differences of tribe and tongue, religion and creed towards the shared goals of our nationhood – peace and prosperity, equity and justice for all.
As we bring this 9th House of Representatives to a close, I am proud to say that by our joint effort at nation-building, we have ensured that the cause of Nigeria will long endure and the dreams of our nation’s founding fathers will not die. We came, we saw, and while there is much yet to conquer, we have done our duty to God and country. I came to this honourable House twenty years ago, filled with hope for our nation’s future. I leave this office today with hope unbroken, and my enthusiasm to serve remains undiminished. I am more confident that our best days are ahead and that we can build a future where our nation is a beacon of excellence, a refuge and a place of pride for all who salute our flag and swear allegiance to our constitution. This is a future worth fighting for; this is the future I will never stop fighting for.
Thank you, goodbye, God bless you, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) and Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS), have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish a Joint FIRS and LIRS Audit and Investigation Team aimed at encouraging the exchange of information between both agencies.
In the communique by Ayodele Subair, Executive Chairman of LIRS and Muhammad Nami, Executive Chairman of FIRS yesterday, June 7, the general public, taxpayers and tax practitioners are charged to provide full support and cooperation to both Agencies for the overall economic benefit of all stakeholders.
According to the MoU, the overall objective of the Joint Tax Audit would be to improve tax administration by reducing tax compliance cost thereby enabling ease of doing business in the country.
Speaking on the MoU, Ayodele Subair said that while the importance of the agreement was to foster greater collaboration between the two agencies: “There is no reason to debate the above as it has been established that tax compliance and good governance are expected to co-exist as the undividable social contract that binds citizens and governments anywhere in the world. Therefore, citizens and governments are expected to fulfil their end of the bargain in achieving a balance.”
According to the FIRS Executive Chairman, Muhammad Nami: ‘’the cooperation would enable the two authorities to work as a team in sharing relevant information that would assist both parties in their tax administration and enforcement roles as it would also provide capacity building between both tax authorities.
“We will carry out a joint audit and investigation as a team, we will also conduct an automatic exchange of information for gathering data for the purpose of tax administration. With that information, we would be able to carry out tax administration seamlessly.”
The communique said that while the notice was issued for the information and guidance of the general public, taxpayers and tax practitioners in line with the memorandum of understanding, the collaboration between both Agencies in the area of exchange of information will ensure efficiency, accurate assessments and increased revenue for funding of Government expenditure,
FIRS and LIRS, the communique said, are leveraging on their existing distinct competencies in tax administration to collaborate in the areas of exchange of information, harmonization of an integrated tax system and joint tax audit or investigation exercise (where necessary) in carrying out their respective mandates for the purpose of optimizing tax revenue to the Federal Government and the Lagos State Government respectively.
The collaboration is expected to improve tax administration with a view to enhancing tax revenue generation, creation of a robust database and improve on the country’s tax-to-GDP ratio.
The parties are expected to establish a Joint Audit or Investigation Team to be known as the FIRS/LSBIR JAIT (hereinafter referred to as “JAIT”), whose membership shall be determined by both parties to conduct a joint audit or investigation exercise which shall be concluded timeously.
The communique assured the public that employees of both parties will abide by the Code of Conduct and Ethical compliance to assure that the implementation of the MOU does not impact negatively on the taxpayers and the parties.
The Managing Director of the Northwest Petroleum & Gas Company Limited, Winifred Akpani has confirmed that Nigeria had been feeding the whole of the West African subregion with subsidized fuel long before the government of Bola Tinubu removed it.
Speaking to newsmen shortly after a solidarity visit to President Tinubu today, June 7, at the Presidential villa, Abuja the major oil marketer said: “we have been feeding the whole West Africa Sub Saharan Africa, with fuel.
“Since last week Monday, and it’s difficult to believe that it’s only 10 days that this happened, if you check, all those neighboring countries have all their prices shot up.
“Probably maybe Niger is the cheapest with about N580 per liter because they were all feeding on Nigeria’s fuel.”
She defended the removal of the subsidy, saying that it is all about repositioning the country.
“I think Nigeria has suffered for too long. It’s about putting your money in the right place. “We spent like N4 trillion last year. We have spent N4 trillion this year for the first three, four months already.
“We are at about spending 2.7 trillion in subsidy and by the end of this year, we would have been at over 6.7 trillion. How much of that really goes to the populace?”
The boss of the oil marketer stressed that Nigeria cannot be subsidizing the whole of Africa, especially when the country has a lot of its own problems.
“So we came today to express our support and to see how we can cooperate with government because ultimately, you can’t kill the people you’re trying to save. So we’re not going to sit back and say, hey, yes, you have removed subsidy, so it’s fine. There are a aches, there are pains, what can we all do?”
She said that a lot of suggestions were made to the President on how to move the country forward.
She said that over time, Nigeria had depended on PMS because it was cheap, regretting that gas was not developed. “There’s electricity. So we’ll have alternate sources of energy. It doesn’t have to be PMS.
Now suddenly, we now realize that we have gas in abundance.
“There was no fresh investment. Nobody’s going to invest in an economy that is not free. “You’re going to have restrictions. since maybe July last year, I don’t think NNPC has paid anything into the Federation accounts.
“As a matter of fact, we’re actually going to start billing the Federation because there was spending more on a subsidy than they were earning. So these are the problems and that’s why we said it was important for the government to understand that we do support and we are very willing and able to help Nigeria transit this situation.
“The President did listen to us very graciously. And it was interesting, because we all suddenly remember that he’s an accountant first and foremost.
“He asked and he interjected with very, very intelligent questions, and he understood what we meant by saying we want a complete free market. “Free market to have one exchange rate so people can stop trading in dollars. When there’s free exchange rate then we can compete in importation, have competitive licensing, and having refineries running.
“Ee have gone through so many years of no fresh investments, all you ever see are new depot being built? Why is that because that’s all it takes. If you do that, then you become a marketer and you can begin to sell fuel but no. And we also try to explain that whereas you were buying 10,000 matrix ton of petrol for N4 billion, today you have to pay N12 billion. So it’s also important to recognize the fact that the pain is not only for the populace, it’s for the marketers, we’re going to see mergers.
“We’re going to have drop off because that’s a lot of money. But that’s also not to say that we’re going to have scarcity No. Finally we’re going to have our real volumes. “We have stopped feeding most of Africa already, the volumes have dropped. And it’s not only because you’re saying we can’t afford transportation. It’s only the man who has a Jeep that will spend N70,000 now to fuel his car.
“The man who doesn’t have a car doesn’t have to worry about that. All he needs is transportation. And to that extent, we recognize this fact that we have to have an effective mass transit system so that people don’t want to be bothered to drive cars have alternatives, and they’re not going to be stuck at home because they can move.
“So, most of what we talked about is how do we go from here? How can we actually make it work? How can we go back to almost the points where we are before? It’s possible.
“And I say that with all sense of responsibility. And one good thing we also have recognize is the fact that a lot of jobs are going to be created, new businesses are going to come up.
“That’s an adage that says sometimes if you don’t shut a door a window doesn’t open. “And you will find out that maybe that window that opens because of the timing, there’s a lot of opportunity that comes through that.
“So for us it was a very, very good meeting. And we had an input in which we also were able to discuss about helping the economic team, participating in what they’re doing, because they were the people on the field were the ones doing this distribution. What can we do differently?
“And one thing that the President also stated clearly is that we must minimize frictions in this system. We must have a free market that works. “Whether is licensing if you say you are licensing, how long does it take to license it has to be done promptly.
“So in a nutshell, I think that covers essentially what this meeting was all about. We believe by July, which is only a month away, we’re going to begin to really see what is being put in place to help, to assist and to make sure that people can go back to seamless living.
“And we all collectively agree that we’re going to work at providing real mass transit buses that work, the ones that run on CNG, which is a compressed natural gas and diesel interchangeably, and hopefully we’re going to start with about 50 to 100.
“And that is in the very, very short term. And these are locally produced, so you see that we’re also providing jobs, a lot more jobs because we’re using local assembly plants, we are not importing this.
“That is less pressure on our foreign exchange, and that’s more jobs for Nigerians. And Mr President was very happy with that. And we’re really relieved to thank the President because he has a perfect understanding of a lot of the issues.
“I guess we’re not surprised but we were almost amazed to use that word. He asked all the right questions and he pointed to who could solve this problem and that problem.
“So like I said, we’re really, really grateful that we’ve had this interaction, and we’ll take it from there.
“And hopefully, everybody here and Nigerians at large will begin to see that even if this sounded very difficult, it’s a very, very good move, and very courageous.
“We’ve been trying to do this for so many years. “No president has had the courage to do this. “But now we’ll have to face it and like we said, support is what is required now to sit this through.”
Governors in the 36 States of the Federation have expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s Government on the removal of fuel subsidy payments in the country and other policy initiatives.
The governors, who took turns to speak when the President hosted members of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), led by its chairman, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, at the State House today, June 7, acknowledged the President’s moves to run an all-inclusive leadership and statesmanship.
They congratulated President Tinubu for tackling the fuel subsidy behemoth, promising to work with him to ameliorate the short-term impact of the policy.
President Tinubu had earlier called on the governors to collaborate with the Federal Government to tacke the menace of poverty in the country, saying that the level of impoverishment is unacceptable.
The President advised the political leaders to downplay their differences and jointly focus on alleviating the sufferings and pains of the people.
“We can see the effects of poverty on the faces of our people. Poverty is not hereditary, it is from the society. Our position is to eliminate poverty. Set aside partisan politics, we are here to deliberate about Nigeria and nation-building.”
President Tinubu stated that the nation should be seen as one big family.
“We are a family occupying one house, and sleeping in different rooms. If we see it that way and push forward, we will get our people out of poverty. A determined mind is a fertile ground for delivering on results.”
The President said that good governance would safeguard the future of democracy.
“Present in this room is our diversity in culture and politics, but we are one nation. The unity and stability of the country rest upon us.
“We are in a democracy and we have to nurture the democracy. It is a hard-earned system and not easy to manage. If anyone thinks it is easy, look at other nations who are over a hundred years in democracy.
“We have managed ourselves very well to have a democracy. We have campaigned and arrived at our present destination. We must work for our people,’’ President Tinubu told the governors, while assuring them that he would maintain an open-door policy.
The President said that he is prepared to share ideas, strengthen institutions, and create bottom-up frameworks that will improve the livelihood of Nigerians.
“What do we do in the face of crushing poverty? What do we do with our development goals? We took the bull by the horns by removing the elephant in the room, before the nation sinks.
“We need synergy to fight other vices like corruption. We are trying to get smugglers out of the way. How do we work together to galvanize the economy, and put resources in place. We must think and perform.
“After removing subsidy, there must be savings accruing to the Federation Account,’’ he noted.
President Tinubu said the education sector must be improved as part of efforts to reduce poverty and penury.
“How do we address the unacceptable level of poverty? How much are we investing in education, which is the only tool against poverty? I am ready to collaborate with you.’’
The President also drew attention to the security problems in some states, admonishing the governors that all efforts should be put in place to tackle the security situation, without thinking it’s only for those facing it.
The Chairman of the NGF and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRasaq, thanked the President for the invitation to deliberate on the challenges of poverty and security, promising that the governors would support the Federal Government in meeting the targets of human development.
“The NGF will follow the tradition of working constitutionally and harmoniously with you,’’ he said.
The meeting, which was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima and new Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, had 22 governors and two deputy governors from Edo and Niger States, in attendance.
The governors made suggestions highlighting the plight of citizens in their states, assuring the President of their support in proffering solutions through the National Economic Council.
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), the National Population Commission (NPC), and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) have announced a new partnership aimed at enhancing birth registration in Nigeria.
The signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), today, June 7, solidifies the commitment of the three organizations to collaborate and support the digitalized birth registration process in 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Information reaching us at Greenbarge Reporters online newspaper and hardcopy magazine said that the partnership is aimed at providing a robust framework within which the parties can implement a comprehensive and efficient digitalized birth registration process across Nigeria.
By leveraging their existing resources and facilities, the NYSC, NPC, and UNICEF intend to benefit at least 12 million under-5 eligible children who will be registered as primary beneficiaries.
Families, parents, caregivers, communities, households, state and local government areas (LGAs), and ward level administrators will be indirect beneficiaries of this collaboration.
Speaking on the collaboration, the Director General NYSC, Brigadier General Y. D Ahmed expressed his enthusiasm, saying: “The NYSC is honoured to join hands with the NPC and UNICEF in this vital initiative.
“Our deployment of 850 corps members as coordinators and supervisors, spread across 22 states and the FCT, will ensure effective monitoring and supervision of the birth registration process. Together, we will strive to achieve comprehensive data collection and availability, supporting increased birth registration coverage in our respective LGAs.”
The NPC, as a key partner, will play a crucial role in ensuring the success of this partnership.
According to Chairman of NPC, Nasir Isa Kwarra: “We are committed to supporting the recruitment of ad hoc birth registrars at the ward level and ensuring the availability of registration materials to coordinators and supervisors.
“By distributing protocols, checklists, FAQs, and informational materials, we aim to engage local government chairpersons, traditional and religious leaders, and communities to promote the importance of birth registration.
“Together, we will generate and analyze digitalised birth registration data at the LGAs and wards, ultimately increasing birth registration coverage.”
UNICEF, a leading organization in child welfare and development, will bring its expertise to the table to support the digitalised birth registration services in focus states. “Our primary focus will be on providing technical assistance and evidence-based interventions,” emphasized Cristian Munduate, UNICEF representative in Nigeria.
“By integrating birth registration into routine health service delivery, conducting the digitalized birth registration process, and increasing awareness through state and community-level campaigns, we aim to ensure that every child has access to and benefits from the essential health and birth registration interventions they deserve.”
Through this partnership, the NYSC, NPC, and UNICEF are committed to promoting the importance of birth registration within the National Youth Corps programs, stimulating increased demand for birth registration services in health facilities and at the community level. The collaboration will also foster constructive engagement with local government chairpersons, traditional and religious leaders, leveraging their support to enhance the digitalized birth registration process.
MTN Nigeria Communications (MTNN) Plc has beaten Dangote Cement Plc, and others to emerge as the most profitable company in Nigeria in 2022 after making N553.97 billion.
This is based on information gathered from the companies audited results released on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX).
According to the NGX, Nigerian economy expanded by 3.1 percent in real terms in 2022, representing slow growth when compared to the previous year’s 3.4 percent expansion. Headline inflation also rose to a 21-year high of 18.77 percent in 2022 due to the pass-through effect of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Businesses in the country have been able to increase their income, whilst giving value in the form of dividends to their shareholders.
In 2022, fifty top companies were listed on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) posted profit before tax of N3.54 trillion, surpassing the previous year by 8.1 percent (N3.27 trillion).
The immediate-past Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs, Senator George Akume has taken an oath of office to assume the position of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).
Senator Akume, who also served as two-term Governor of Benue State, was sworn-In today, June 7, by President Bola Tinubu in the Council Chambers of the State House, Abuja.
Akume, 70, was Governor of Benue State from May 1999 to May 2007. After his tenure as governor, he was elected into the National Assembly as the Senator representing Benue North West Senatorial zone in 2007.
Senator Akume was re-elected in 2011 and 2015, demonstrating the trust reposed in him by his constituents.
During his term in the Senate, Akume served as Minority Leader from June 2011 to June 2015.
Prior to his political career, Akume started work as a civil servant in the Benue State Civil Service in 1979 as a Land Officer.
Over the years, he held various positions in both the State and Federal governments, retiring voluntarily as a Federal Permanent Secretary, Establishments and Management Services, in 1998.
Speaking to newsmen after his inauguration, Akume said:
”It is an honour to be chosen to serve in this exalted position out of over 200 million Nigerians. It is a challenge to serve in line with the oaths I have taken today. I assure Nigerians I will do my best and I will not disappoint the President.
”I will not disappoint this country; I will not disappoint my party. I believe Nigerians will find fulfillment in my responsibility as I discharge my duties.”
Also present at the ceremony were the Governor of Benue State, Fr. Hyacinth Alia, Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, the wife of the SGF, Regina Akume, some former governors, the leadership of the All Progressive Congress, family members and well-wishers.
Governors in the 36 States of the Federation have expressed support for President Bola Tinubu’s Government on the removal of fuel subsidy payments in the country and other policy initiatives of the government.
The governors, who took turns to speak when the President hosted members of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF), led by its chairman, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State, at the State House today, June 7, acknowledged the President’s moves to run an all-inclusive leadership and statesmanship.
They congratulated President Tinubu for tackling the fuel subsidy behemoth, promising to work with him to ameliorate the short-term impact of the policy.
President Tinubu had earlier called on the governors to collaborate with the Federal Government to tacke the menace of poverty in the country, saying that the level of impoverishment is unacceptable.
The President advised the political leaders to downplay their differences and jointly focus on alleviating the sufferings and pains of the people.
“We can see the effects of poverty on the faces of our people. Poverty is not hereditary, it is from the society. Our position is to eliminate poverty. Set aside partisan politics, we are here to deliberate about Nigeria and nation-building.”
President Tinubu stated that the nation should be seen as one big family.
“We are a family occupying one house, and sleeping in different rooms. If we see it that way and push forward, we will get our people out of poverty. A determined mind is a fertile ground for delivering on results.”
The President said that good governance would safeguard the future of democracy.
“Present in this room is our diversity in culture and politics, but we are one nation. The unity and stability of the country rest upon us.
“We are in a democracy and we have to nurture the democracy. It is a hard-earned system and not easy to manage. If anyone thinks it is easy, look at other nations who are over a hundred years in democracy.
“We have managed ourselves very well to have a democracy. We have campaigned and arrived at our present destination. We must work for our people,’’ President Tinubu told the governors, while assuring them that he would maintain an open-door policy.
The President said that he is prepared to share ideas, strengthen institutions, and create bottom-up frameworks that will improve the livelihood of Nigerians.
“What do we do in the face of crushing poverty? What do we do with our development goals? We took the bull by the horns by removing the elephant in the room, before the nation sinks.
“We need synergy to fight other vices like corruption. We are trying to get smugglers out of the way. How do we work together to galvanize the economy, and put resources in place. We must think and perform.
“After removing subsidy, there must be savings accruing to the Federation Account,’’ he noted.
President Tinubu said the education sector must be improved as part of efforts to reduce poverty and penury.
“How do we address the unacceptable level of poverty? How much are we investing in education, which is the only tool against poverty? I am ready to collaborate with you.’’
The President also drew attention to the security problems in some states, admonishing the governors that all efforts should be put in place to tackle the security situation, without thinking it’s only for those facing it.
The Chairman of the NGF and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRasaq, thanked the President for the invitation to deliberate on the challenges of poverty and security, promising that the governors would support the Federal Government in meeting the targets of human development.
“The NGF will follow the tradition of working constitutionally and harmoniously with you,’’ he said.
The meeting, which was attended by Vice President Kashim Shettima and new Secretary to the Government of the Federation George Akume, had 22 governors and two deputy governors from Edo and Niger States, in attendance.
The governors made suggestions highlighting the plight of citizens in their states, assuring the President of their support in proffering solutions through the National Economic Council.
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I Served In House Of Reps For 20 Years – Speaker Gbajabiamila
“I am profoundly grateful to the people of Surulere 1 Federal Constituency for allowing me to represent them for the last twenty years.”
Femi Gbajabiamila, the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, made the following statement in his farewell message to his colleagues yesterday, June 7. He will assume his new duty as Chief of Staff to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Aso Rock Presidential villa shortly.
Below is his full address:
Honourable colleagues, fellow Nigerians:
I thank God almighty, by whose grace and mercy we have gathered here once more in the people’s House to do our duty even as our time in the 9th House of Representatives comes to an end.
This will be the last time I address you from this dais as the Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives. It has been the honour of my life to serve our beloved country from this honourable House. I am profoundly grateful to the people of Surulere 1 Federal Constituency for allowing me to represent them for the last twenty years. And I am grateful to you, my dear colleagues, for the honour and privilege of serving as Speaker of the 9th House of Representatives for the last four years. All glory belongs to the almighty God, who ordains our destinies and guides our path.
In the years since I first stepped into this hallowed chamber, the House of Representatives has changed profoundly, just as our country has changed too. Yet, in all that time, I have not witnessed change on a scale and with such speed as has been the case in the last four years. We have lived through a global pandemic that nobody anywhere saw coming. We have governed at a time of global crises and relentless transformations to the global economy. We have seen our nation’s politics come of age with a new generation of young people determined to have a seat at the table and prepared to fight for it, whatever the cost. Just in the last few days, we have seen the end of a subsidy regime that has distorted the energy market in our country for over thirty years.
When change happens at this scale and with such an unrelenting pace, it creates challenges and opportunities almost in equal measure. Over the last four years, this House of Representatives has worked to ensure that our country can overcome these challenges and take advantage of the moment to achieve economic, social, and political transformations that benefit all the Nigerian people. We elevated the debates in the House of Representatives and made this chamber the arena for informed exchanges about Nigeria’s future and the welfare of all our nation’s people. We have left our mark in every sector of our national life and positively impacted people’s lives across our country.
We introduced discipline into the appropriations process by implementing a January to December budget cycle that ended the policy instability and economic uncertainty of the previous irregular budget cycles. We reformed the oversight process to ensure greater collaboration between the arms of government. We made it easier for citizens to access details of budget expenditures so that they, too, can be part of the process of ensuring accountability in the administration of public funds. We did not yield our constitutional obligation to ensure faithful compliance with the letter and spirit of the Appropriation Act by the Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the government.
While the strategic importance of the oil and gas sector to Nigeria’s socioeconomic well-being has long been apparent, successive administrations failed to put in place a functional statutory regime to allow that sector to function optimally. We ended that legacy of lethargy with the passage of the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA). With the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act, we went even further to put the sector on the right footing. These statutory reforms rightfully ought to have happened a long time ago. Now, we must ensure that the reforms contained in these Acts are dutifully implemented as part of a broader energy policy suited to the realities of technological advancements and the evolving demands of the global energy market.
We passed the Police Act to change the nature of relations between the police and citizens in our country and ensure that police officers who fall short of their responsibilities can be quickly held accountable. The Act expressly prohibits police officers from arresting citizens for civil wrongs, imposes an obligation on the police to inform citizens of their rights at the point of arrest, and mandates the police to ensure that persons arrested have access to their families and legal representation. In addition, the Act established the Police Complaints Units as a statutory organ accessible to the public to report police misconduct and empowered to initiate action when such reports are received.
These reforms did not end police misbehaviour in our country; soon enough, there was a national reckoning. We responded by working with the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) to establish a new framework of accountability to hold erring members of the Police Force to account for their conduct in the performance of their duties and compel the Nigerian Police Force (NPF) to take responsibility for the failures of training and discipline that leads to such wrongful conduct. And we appropriated the sum of Five Hundred Million Naira through the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to compensate victims of police brutality nationwide. I sincerely hope that the work of police reform will continue in the House of Representatives until we achieve a system of policing that meets our nation’s needs and reflects the best of us.
When in March 2020, the covid-19 virus entered our shores, we became bound with the world in experiencing a tragic disruption to our economic, political, and social lives, unlike anything we have ever witnessed. This House of Representatives responded by taking active measures to protect the Nigerian people, including those who work here in the National Assembly. We passed the Emergency Economic Stimulus Bill to grant companies a rebate on Companies Income Tax, suspend import duties on medicines, medical equipment, personal protective equipment, and other essential medical materials and defer mortgage obligations on residential mortgages by contributors to the National Housing Fund.
We also passed the Emergency Relief and Assistance Bill to provide a limited salary guarantee for low-income permanent employees of companies registered and operating in Nigeria, relieve legal consumers of electricity in Nigeria of the burden of electricity charges for a limited period and suspend for a fixed period, the implementation of the Value Added Tax (VAT) provisions of the Finance Act 2020. Whilst these legislations did not pass in the Senate and never became law, they provided the framework for the federal government’s policy response to the pandemic, as the policy ideas contained therein were adopted and variously implemented through executive orders and subsequent legislations.
We worked to establish, under emergency conditions, a fully functioning care facility in the Federal Capital Territory under the management of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC). We intervened to prevent potentially devastating strike action by doctors and ensure that the medical professionals at the fore of our response to the pandemic were remunerated correctly and provided the allowances due to them. We reviewed the statutory framework for managing infectious disease outbreaks and proposed the Infectious Disease Bill to reform an area of our laws that hadn’t been examined for a century. In an act of service for which I remain proud and thankful, members of this House volunteered their salaries to the covid relief fund to support the needs of the most vulnerable in our society.
The legislative legacy of the 9th House of Representatives includes the Companies and Allied Matters Act and the Nigeria Start-Up Act, two critical legislations aimed at changing the way we do business in Nigeria by streamlining regulations, reducing red tape, and setting the conditions for the private sector to innovate, thrive and grow. Our legacy also includes the comprehensive electoral reforms in the Electoral Act that have changed forever for good the way we conduct elections in Nigeria. While we recognise the need to continue to work to improve election management in Nigeria, we must acknowledge the vast improvements that have happened since the return to democracy. And we take pride in our contribution to these improvements over the last four years.
Through the constitutional review process, the House of Representatives sought to restructure our government to make it more effective, reorganise our politics to make it more inclusive, enshrine efficient mechanisms for holding the institutions of state to account and put an end to the debilitating conflicts that even now continue to tear our nation apart. We made an audacious attempt to create a constitution that addresses once and for all the fundamental issues that distract from nation-building. The constitutional amendments we enacted devolved power and responsibilities over critical areas of our national life in an effort to spur innovation and healthy competition at the subnational level. By our joint effort, we achieved financial independence for state houses of assembly and state judiciary, granting greater autonomy to these arms of government in line with democratic best practice.
To succeed in our shared ambition of building a prosperous and peaceful country, we must do everything within our power to ensure that our daughters and those yet to be born can grow up in a more open, more equal society than their mothers did. Unfortunately, we did not succeed in removing some of the constitutional barriers that have long stood in the way of women’s full and unhindered participation in the politics, governance and economy of our nation. This issue must continue to be at the fore of our national conversations. I hope the 10th House of Representatives will take up the mantle and do better than we did.
Beyond legislative interventions, the 9th House of Representatives will be remembered for our efforts to change how we do the business of parliament, most notably for introducing information technology tools through the e-parliament project and establishing the National Assembly Library Trust Fund. The National Assembly Library Trust Fund will ensure that the National Assembly is operationally suited to meet the needs of the Nigerian people by providing modern library and research infrastructure, training and capacity development for legislators and aides and operating as a resource centre for the legislature, and all who have any interest in legislative endeavours.
This 9th House, with unwavering courage and determination, defended the rights and dignity of the Nigerian people abroad from every attempt to dehumanise and victimise our people. Our interventions on behalf of Nigerians in China during the pandemic put an end to recurrent incidents of abuse, just as our efforts on behalf of Nigerians in South Africa and Ghana caused the governments of those nations to step up action to protect the lives and property of our citizens in those countries. From Ghana to South Africa, from China to the United States of America, we made it clear that this parliament will defend the rights of our citizens to conduct their legitimate businesses without fear of molestation and that the wellbeing of Nigerians remains our business whether home or abroad. This model of parliamentary diplomacy has become a legitimate tool for back-channel interventions to resolve conflicts involving our citizens around the world. It is an approach that ought to be sustained and improved.
We convened a Summit on National Security to examine our national security and defence infrastructure and identify critical areas of improvement. I hope that work to ensure our borders are secure and our people are safe will continue in the next assembly and throughout government. Through the Conference of Speakers and Heads of African Parliaments (CoSAP), we have initiated a new and promising framework for interparliamentary cooperation across the continent to address our shared challenges and build better networks for collaboration, progress, and prosperity. This effort should continue in the best interests of our country and continent.
Honourable colleagues, despite the considerable investments we have made to improve our public infrastructure and the numerous reforms we have enacted to change how we administer the government, our country faces many significant challenges. These challenges have caused many of our fellow citizens to wonder if the promise of democracy will ever become real in their lives. Too many of our young people have lost faith entirely and are choosing in droves to seek their fortunes and their futures in other lands. We are losing some of our best and brightest, and if we don’t act now, the consequences of this loss will shortly become painfully evident.
How do we ensure a healthy, vigorous, growing economy that provides opportunities for all who work hard to succeed through their labour and ingenuity? How do we protect our people from the marauders and insurgents, the petty criminals and assorted villains who wish to harm them, whether for profit or in service of other agendas? How do we restore faith in our young people so that so many of them no longer feel like the only way to achieve their best aspirations is to chase their fortunes in far away, often hostile lands? These are the critical questions all of us in government must answer or risk the unforgiving judgment of history. With each new day, we have an opportunity to make the hard choices and take the necessary actions to guarantee our nation’s future. With each new day, we have less time to act and a more outstanding obligation to act quickly.
As you are all aware, the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, has nominated me to continue serving the people of Nigeria as Chief of Staff in the Presidency. I am humbled by this new call to duty, and I am grateful to all of you who have reached out to me. I have long believed that the ultimate end of all political and governance efforts must be to achieve measurable improvements in the lives of the people on whose behalf we hold office. This fundamental belief in the responsibility of government to be a force for good has been my guiding light. It will continue to be so in my new endeavours. I humbly ask for your prayers and support in this new chapter. I assure you that in this new role, I will work to ensure a cordial and productive relationship between the executive and legislative arms of government whilst respecting the independence and prerogatives of the legislature.
For everything, there is a time and season, and we are obligated each season to do the most and the best we can in the time we have. This is a good rule for politics and for life itself. The 9th House of Representatives is ending, and the 10th will shortly be convened. All of us, those whose time in office is ending, and those for whom duty continues, will face the judgment of history. I urge you to keep this in mind and let your actions be guided by the desire to ensure that you are not found wanting by man or God in the final judgment. As a member and Speaker of this honourable House, I have travelled the length of this country, and I have been amazed by the talent and capacity, dogged determination, and resilience of the Nigerian people. The abundance of these qualities among our people assures me that if government lives up to its responsibilities, our people are ready to do the rest. So, we must live up to our responsibilities; there is no other option.
I want to express my sincere appreciation to the civil servants and aides who have toiled tirelessly with me during my time here; I thank you all most sincerely for your service. I want you to know that the roles you play in keeping this institution running are crucial to achieving the kind of country we desire. I urge you to please take pride in performing those roles credibly at all times. Reach for excellence in all you do, and resist the cynicism and pessimism that encourages laziness and ineptitude. I also wish to thank our compatriots in the media for their dedicated efforts in ensuring that the exercise of state and economic power is fair and proper and in service of the greater good. A lot of the work we do in the legislature would not be possible without the support and partnerships of civil society organisations and development partners. I want to especially thank the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (KAS) and several others who have proven worthy partners in progress.
For the better part of my adult life, I have traversed the halls of this complex, legislated from the chamber of this hallowed House and built relationships with people from across the country, colleagues past and present. I have met and established genuine bonds of brotherhood with some of the most amazing human beings, and together we have shared experiences that strengthened those bonds. As I transition into my new role, a role unlike the one I have had for these many years, I ask for your support and best wishes as we continue to work together to advance the cause and fulfil the promise of Nigeria. I will miss all of you, and I will miss this House. I want you to rest assured that wherever the road takes me, I will carry you all in my heart fondly because you have enriched my life in ways words alone cannot fully express.
Nigeria is an unfinished story, a long tale of promise and peril, and our final chapters have not been written yet. Some persist in believing that this grand nation is a victim of history, that our destiny has already long been written, and that we cannot escape from it. I do not subscribe to this view. In fact, I reject it entirely. Indeed the world today is being remade by profound and powerful forces, and it may seem our destiny no longer lies within our control. But we are a proud and resilient people with a limitless capacity for excellence. All that we hope to be, we can. All that we desire is within reach. Our greatest successes as a nation will come when we work together across party lines, without considering differences of tribe and tongue, religion and creed towards the shared goals of our nationhood – peace and prosperity, equity and justice for all.
As we bring this 9th House of Representatives to a close, I am proud to say that by our joint effort at nation-building, we have ensured that the cause of Nigeria will long endure and the dreams of our nation’s founding fathers will not die. We came, we saw, and while there is much yet to conquer, we have done our duty to God and country. I came to this honourable House twenty years ago, filled with hope for our nation’s future. I leave this office today with hope unbroken, and my enthusiasm to serve remains undiminished. I am more confident that our best days are ahead and that we can build a future where our nation is a beacon of excellence, a refuge and a place of pride for all who salute our flag and swear allegiance to our constitution. This is a future worth fighting for; this is the future I will never stop fighting for.
Thank you, goodbye, God bless you, and God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.