Vice President Shettima Suggests Setting Up Of Nigeria-UK Binational Commission

June 21, 2023

The Vice President of Nigeria, Senator Kashim Shettima has suggested the setting up of Nigeria-UK Binational Commission to bring about a stronger relations between Nigeria and the United Kingdom.

Speaking when he hosted the British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today, June 21, Shettima said: “I will urge you to facilitate the setting up of the Nigeria-UK Binational Commission.

“The Bi-national Commission can be the driver for accelerating enhanced business relationship between our two countries.

“We need to ramp up the trade between our two nations taking into cognizance our proximity.

“There is no nation that we are close to than the UK and our trade represent less than five per cent of the volume of our import and export.”

On the economy, the Vice President said: “most definitely, we are going to create an enabling environment for businesses to flourish in this country.”

Senator Shettima underscored the need for economic reforms in order to position the country’s economy for growth, especially the removal of fuel subsidy.

“This is just the beginning because it was fait accompli to withdraw the fuel subsidy.

“We either get rid of the fuel subsidy or the fuel subsidy get rid of the Nigerian nation.”

The Vice President observed that in 2012, Nigeria spent $10 billion on fuel subsidy alone. “Last month, we were purportedly consuming 67 million litres per day, but after the removal of the subsidy, it drops to 41 million bpd, nearly 40% off.

“So, the whole subsidy regime was opaque, ridden with a lot of inconsistency.”

The Vice President noted that the previous multiple exchange rate regime with a lot of corruption brought about the proliferation of so many schemes.

“So obviously we have no option but to collapse the exchange rate regimes into one. In the coming weeks and months, we are going to make more pronouncements on how to reposition the Nigerian economy and make it vibrant for business.”

He emphasized the role of the private sector in driving economic growth, citing the example of Lagos.

“Lagos is booming fundamentally because of the private sector but not because of government; the government just created the avenue for businesses to thrive.”

On efforts to find a lasting solution to the security challenges in the country, Senator Shettima said that there is need for both kinetic and non-kinetic approaches towards addressing the problems.

“Unless we want to engage in an endless war of attrition, you have to find a kinetic and non-kinetic solutions to our problems.

“Yes, we have to strengthen our security architecture, so that we can be a stronger bargaining position with the insurrectionist; Boko Haram terrorists and kidnappers.”

He added that as part of the efforts of the Tinubu administration towards addressing on-going security problems, government will soon roll out different socio-economic intervention programmes and initiatives in the North East and North West that will facilitate empowerment and social inclusion of the vulnerable groups in the regions.

“So, I can assure you that we will pursue both kinetic and non-kinetic solutions to our challenges.”

In his remarks, the British High Commissioner, Richard Montgomery, commended the new administration’s proactive economic policies especially the reforms.

He lauded the long standing relationship and cooperation with Nigeria especially in areas of trade and investment, security and defence, digital technology, education.

He expressed the readiness of the UK government to partner closely with the Federal Government to achieve overall development of the country.

In the delegation of the British High Commissioner were the Deputy Development Director, Susan Mshana; Counsellor Lake Chad Basin, Alex Maclean; Political Counsellor, Jonathan Bacon and Senior Political Advisor, Damilola Oyedele.

Revenue Mobilisation Increases Salaries Of President, Vice, Govs, Others, By 114 Percent

Editorial staff

June 21, 2023

The Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) has approved a 114 per cent increase in the salaries of elected politicians, including the President, vice president, governors, lawmakers as well as judicial and public office holders.

RMAFC is saddled with the responsibility of determining the remuneration appropriate for political officeholders including the President, Vice President, Governors, Deputy Governors, Ministers, Commissioners, Special Advisers, Legislators and the holders of the offices as mentioned in Sections 84 and 124 of this Constitution.

The commission called on the 36 states’ Houses of Assembly to hasten efforts on amendment of relevant laws to give room for upward review of remuneration packages for political, judicial and public officers.

According to NAN, the RMAFC Chairman, Muhammadu Shehu, represented by a federal commissioner, Rakiya Tanko-Ayuba, made the call at the presentation of reports of the reviewed remuneration package to Kebbi State governor, Dr Nasir Idris, today June 21, in Birnin Kebbi.

He said that the implementation of the reviewed remuneration packages was effective from January 1, 2023, adding that the move was in accordance with the provision of paragraph 32(d) of part 1 of the Third Schedule of the 1999 constitution of the federal government (as amended).

He said that the last remuneration review was conducted in 2007, noting that it culminated in the “certain political, public and judicial office holders (salaries and allowances, etc) (Amendment) Act, 2008”.

“It empowers the revenue mobilisation, allocation and fiscal commission to determine the remuneration appropriate for political office holders, including the president, vice-president, governors, deputy governors, ministers, commissioners, special advisers, legislators and the holders of the offices mentioned in sections 84 and 124 of the constitution of the federal government.

“Sixteen years after the last review, it is imperative that the remuneration packages for the categories of the office holders mentioned in relevant sections of the 1999 constitution (as amended) should be reviewed.

“Pursuant to the above, your excellency may please recall that on Wednesday, 1st February, 2023, the commission held a one-day zonal public hearing on the review of the remuneration package simultaneously in all the six (6) geo-political zones of the country. The aim of the exercise was to harvest inputs/ideas from a broad spectrum of stakeholders.”

He said that the commission had objectively and subjectively reviewed the salary packages in the reports, adding that it adheres to the rules of equity and fairness, risk and responsibilities, national order of precedence among others.

“The subjective criteria reflected the various expression by stakeholders through memoranda received, opinion expressed during the zonal public hearings and responses to questionnaires administered.

“The objectives of the criteria were obtained from analysis of macro-economic variables particularly the Consumer Price Index (CPI),” he noted.

The chairman added that the commission was also guided by some principles, including equity and fairness; risk and responsibilities; national order of precedence; motivation and tenure of office.

Shehu said that having considered the impact of the review on the economy, the remuneration of the political, public and judicial office holders in the country was adjusted “upward by 114%.”

The chairman explained that with respect to the judicial office holders, the commission considered the introduction of three new allowances.

He said that the allowances include, “Professional Development Assistant: This is to allow for the provision of two law clerks to all judicial officers in the country.

“Long Service Allowance: This is to guarantee seniority/hierarchy between officers who have been on the bench for a minimum of five years and those that are appointed newly.

“Restricted or Forced Lifestyle: This is to take care of the nature of the lifestyle of judicial officers while in active service.”

Tinubu Had Not Appointed Me EFCC Chairman – AIG Odumosu

Greenbarge Reporters

June 21, 2023

Former Commissioner of Police in Lagos State, Hakeem Odumosu has discountenanced the news making the rounds in social media that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed him as substantive chairman of the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC).
Reacting to what he called “a barrage of phone calls” in a short statement today, Odumosu, who retired as Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of Police, said the news was strange to him.
“I have been inundated with so many calls and messages between yesterday and today on a purported “EFCC Appointment.
“I just want to use this opportunity to debunk this information and say it’s totally untrue.
“This information must have emanated from Mischief Makers and should be totally disregarded.
– Rt. AIG Hakeem Odumosu (21-06-2023).”

Do You Know Why I Hate White Garment Churches? Asks Pastor Ibiyeomie

Greenbarge Reporters

June 20, 2023

Presiding pastor of Salvation Ministries based in Port Harcourt, Rivers State capital, David Ibiyeomie has said that he hates white garment churches.
According to Ibiyeomie, leaders of such churches change destinies of people taken to them for prayers through what he called “demonic psalms” and other rituals.
According to him, such practice had been the reason why some people start doing things they never used to do after going to them for prayer.
“Do you know why I ‘hate’ white garment churches? People don’t know why I hate them. If you know what they do you will never like them,” he said to his congregation on Sunday, June 18.
“They can take your own surname and put it in a bottle of gin and make incantations. As they are doing that that’s how the boy will be drinking. Ask these ‘cele’ prophets, they will take someone’s name and put inside Kai Kai (local gin) and then read all those demonic psalms and the boy will look at them and say ‘Give me a bottle of schnapp’. The boy was not drinking before.”
However, Pastor Ibiyeomie’s message was received on social media with backlash. Many queried him for condemning another church’s manner of worship instead of teaching about salvation.
Source: Qed.ng.

Negative Corruption Report On Nigeria: How We Weakened Transparency International – ICPC Boss

Greenbarge Reporters

June 20, 2023

Chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Professor Bolaji Olufunmileyi Owasanoye (SAN), has painted a picture of how the annual negative report by the Transparency International (TI) on corruption status of Africa countries, especially, Nigeria has simmered down without the Commission being confrontational.
He said: “some of you must have noticed that this year, TI’s (Transparency International) release did not have much grounding or impact. This is not a Nigerian phenomenon. A lot of developing and European countries are beginning to interrogate TI reports as to why the countries that are victims of corruption always run poorer than the countries that are the recipients of the proceeds of corruption.”
Professor Owasanoye spoke yesterday, June 19, at the opening of a two-day training which ICPC organised to equip journalists from no fewer than 50 different media outlets across the country, with necessary wherewithal for the reportage of the Commission’s anti-corruption crusade.

He said that the training is a device to enable Nigeria to have the capacity to tell it’s story the way it should be, as counter narrative to the one being presented by the Transparency International to the world.
He emphasized that the training is borne out of the need to balance the narrative which the Transparency International always come up with about Nigeria, adding that the body had been in the habit of presenting gloomy picture of corruption status of the country without taking into account, the nature of the country as a developing nation.
“TI used a strategy to complicate its report. We needed a strategy to respond.
“For those of us who have a duty to report, like you (Journalists), you are always under the pressure to report the news as it is.
The ICPC boss admitted that Nigeria as a developing country, has its own challenges, regretting that when there are prospects to make progress, there are frustrations mounted that are not visible to observers.
“It is therefore time for us to begin to get involved in the narrative, at least to present our own side of the story the way it ought to be presented, so that there would be a balance in the information exchange.”
Professor Owasanoye insisted that the legal framework under which ICPC was established did not allow it to embark on media trial of suspected corrupt public officers, appealing to media men therefore, to bear with them if they fail to publicize suspect before investigation is concluded.
He explained that the Commission is not permitted by law, to go public with matters that are under investigations, until they go for prosecutions.

Lectures were delivered by some Directors in the Commission. They are Muhammed Ashiru Baba, who spoke on ICPC Initiatives: sexual harassment, moral reorientation and others; Professor Elijah Okebukola on Measuring Progress in the Fight against Corruption; Ebenezer Shogunle on Understanding the Process of Prosecution of Corrupt Cases and Terminologies and Jude Okoye on Overview of ICPC Achievements (2019 – 2023).

The training continues and ends today, June 20 at the ICPC Headquarters in Abuja.

President Tinubu Receives Bill Gates, Asks Him To Do More For Developing Nations

Editorial staff

June 19, 2023

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will embark on his first foreign trip on June 22, since he was sworn in as President on May 29 this year.

He will leave for Paris, capital of France to join world leaders in reviewing and signing a New Global Financial Pact that places vulnerable countries on priority list for support and investment.

Those are the countries hit by the impact of devastating climate change, the energy crisis, and after effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A statement today, June 19, by Dele Alake, the President’s Special Adviser on Special Duties Communications and Strategy, Dele Alake, said that President Tinubu will participate in the two-day Summit on June 22 and 23, on the opportunities to restore fiscal space to countries that face difficult short-term financial challenges, especially the most indebted; mobilize innovative financing for countries vulnerable to climate change.

The Summit will also foster development in low-income countries, and encourage investment in “green” infrastructure for the energy transition in emerging and developing economies.

The statement said that

President Tinubu and the other global leaders, multilateral institutions, financial experts and economists will take a more holistic look at the recovery of economies from the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, and rising cases of poverty, with a view to providing access to finance and investment that will leverage inclusive growth.

“The Summit, which will be hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France, will be held at Palais Brongniart.”

The statement said that Tinubu will be accompanied by members of the Presidential Policy Advisory Council and senior government officials.

He will return to Abuja on Saturday, June 24.

President Tinubu Makes First Foreign Trip, Goes To Paris For Summit On Global Pact

Editorial staff

June 19, 2023

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will embark on his first foreign trip on June 22, since he was sworn in as President on May 29 this year.

He will leave for Paris, capital of France to join world leaders in reviewing and signing a New Global Financial Pact that places vulnerable countries on priority list for support and investment.

Those are the countries hit by the impact of devastating climate change, energy crisis, and after effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Summit will also foster development in low-income countries, and encourage investment in “green” infrastructure for the energy transition in emerging and developing economies.

The statement said that

“The Summit, which will be hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France, will be held at Palais Brongniart.”

The statement said that Tinubu will be accompanied by members of the Presidential Policy Advisory Council and senior government officials.

He will return to Abuja on Saturday, June 24.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will embark on his first foreign trip on June 22, since he was sworn in as President on May 29 this year.

He will leave for Paris, capital of France to join world leaders in reviewing and signing a New Global Financial Pact that places vulnerable countries on priority list for support and investment.

Those are the countries hit by the impact of devastating climate change, energy crisis, and after effect of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Summit will also foster development in low-income countries, and encourage investment in “green” infrastructure for the energy transition in emerging and developing economies.

The statement said that

“The Summit, which will be hosted by President Emmanuel Macron of France, will be held at Palais Brongniart.”

The statement said that Tinubu will be accompanied by members of the Presidential Policy Advisory Council and senior government officials.

He will return to Abuja on Saturday, June 24.

Tinubu Sacks Service Chiefs, Customs Boss, Police Boss: Names Replacements

Editorial staff

June 19, 2023

President Bola Tinubu has terminated the appointments of the Chief of Defence Staff, other service chiefs, the Inspectors General of Police, Usman Baba, and the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Customs Service, retired Colonel Hameed Ali.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, in a statement today, June 19, said: “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the immediate retirement of all Service Chiefs and the Inspector-General of Police, Advisers, Comptroller-General of Customs from Service as well as their replacements with immediate effect.

“Tinubu consequently appointed Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as National Security Adviser; Major General C.G Musa, Chief of Defence Staff; Major General T. A Lagbaja, Chief of Army Staff; Rear Admirral E. A Ogalla, Chief of Naval Staff; AVM H.B Abubakar, Chief of Air Staff, DIG Kayode Egbetokun, Acting Inspector-General of Police and Major General EPA Undiandeye as Chief of Defence Intelligence.

“President Tinubu also approved the following appointments: Col. Adebisi Onasanya, Commander, Brigade of Guards; Lt. Col. Moshood Abiodun Yusuf, 7 Guards Battalion, Asokoro, Abuja; Lt. Col. Auwalu Baba Inuwa 177, Guards Battalion, Keffi, Nasarawa State; Lt. Col. Mohammed J. Abdulkarim, 102 Guards Battalion, Suleja, Niger state; and, Lt. Col. Olumide A. Akingbesote, 176 Guards Battalion, Gwagwalada, Abuja.

“Similarly, the President has approved the appointments of other Military Officers in the Presidential Villa as follows: Maj. Isa Farouk Audu (N/14695), Commanding Officer, State House Artillery; Capt. Kazeem Olalekan Sunmonu (N/16183), Second-in-Command, State House Artillery; Maj. Kamaru Koyejo Hamzat (N/14656), Commanding Officer, State House Military Intelligence; Maj. TS Adeola (N/12860) Commanding Officer, State House Armament; and, Lt. A. Aminu (N/18578), Second-in- Command, State House Armament.

“Finally, the President has approved the appointment of Adeniyi Bashir Adewale as the Ag. Comptroller General of Customs.

“It is to be noted that the appointed Service Chiefs, the Inspector-General of Police and the Comptroller General of Customs are to act in their positions, pending their confirmation in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Super Eagles Beat Sierra Leone To Qualify For AFCON

Greenbarge Reporters

June 18, 2023

Former African champions, Nigeria’s Super Eagles, have beaten the Leone Stars of Sierra Leone 3-2 to qualify for the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations ( AFCON).
The match was played today, June 18, at the Samuel Doe Stadium in Monrovia.
Victor Osimhen grabbed a first half brace, but the hosts came back into the game by drawing level.
Super Eagles substitute, Kelechi Iheanacho, tapped a low cross from Zaidu Sanusi to restore Nigeria’s hope in the last minute of the tie.
Nigeria returned to the top spot of the table with 12 points ahead of close rivals Guinea Bissau with 10 points.
The Jose Peseiro’s lads will host São Tomé and Príncipe in their final group game on September 4.
Source: The Eagle online

Presidency Identifies New Challenges Before Nigerian Media

Greenbarge Reporters

June 17, 2023

The Presidency has identified new challenges that Nigerian Media needs to face within the Democratic space.
“President Tinubu insists that the challenges ahead of the media in playing its role towards strengthening our democracy, keeping power continually in check as well as promoting good, responsible and accountable governance are greater than the paths traversed before.”
In an essay detailing the roles which media has been playing even before the nation’s independent in 1960, Dele Slake, Special Adviser to President Tinubu on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy, assured that Tinubu”s government will support for and collaborate with the media towards achieving the lofty objectives in the best interest of the country.
Alake’s essay goes thus:
The last Biennial Convention of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) was an epochal milestone in the evolution of the journalism profession in Nigeria. An event that witnessed the election of new officers of the Guild to guide the affairs of the organization for the next two years, it is most gratifying that the outcome was successful and rancor-free despite the intensity of the contest for the various positions competed for. On behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu (GCFR), I congratulate the newly elected President of the Guild, Mr Eze Anaba, Editor of the Vanguard newspaper and wish him and other newly elected officials of the guild a most fulfilling and productive tenure in office.
By its peaceful and rancor-free conduct of elections to elect its new officers, the NGE has sent a resounding message to the larger Nigerian polity that elections for desired offices can be intensely competed for without degenerating into bitterness, acrimony and needless malice. In this regard, the President commends those who lost out in the elections at various levels such as Mr Bolaji Adebiyi of ThisDay newspaper for accepting the outcome and pledging support for the winners. This is a light that the NGE is showing that the rest of us may find the way to a mature, tolerant, stable and sustainable democratic culture.
It is of the utmost importance that the various unions in the newspaper industry such as the NGE, Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ) and the Newspapers Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN) imbibe the ethos of internal democracy in support of professional integrity for the benefit of good governance, stability and sustainability development in Nigeria. The NGE has, in this regard, made a strong statement for the Nigerian media as a worthy exemplar. But then, elections are not held within the unions in our profession just for the sake of holding elections to appoint new officers of associational offices. Rather, the larger picture is to ensure at all times that we place the profession in prime position to continually fulfill its constitutional obligation of serving as a watchdog of the people in checking the excesses of government and promoting the greatest good of the greatest number of our people.
The history of the Nigerian media has, since it’s epochal role in the struggle against colonial imperialism, been intimately intertwined with the fate of the Nigerian state and her peoples. The press was active in the struggle against military dictatorship in post-colonial Nigeria and this opposition to autocracy was particularly exemplified in the fierce opposition of patriotic media practitioners to the annulment of the June 12, 1993 presidential election won by the late Chief MKO Abiola. It is impossible to write the history of the democratic benefits we have enjoyed since the commencement of this dispensation in 1999 without emblazoning the heroic contributions of patriotic sections of the media in gold.
But President Tinubu insists that the challenges ahead of the media in playing its role towards strengthening our democracy, keeping power continually in check as well as promoting good, responsible and accountable governance are greater than the paths traversed before. He pledges the support of his administration in collaboration with the media towards achieving these lofty objectives in the best interest of our country.
Once again, the President congratulates the newly elected officials of the NGE and wishes them a most successful and productive tenure in office.
Dele Alake
Special Adviser
Special Duties, Communications and Strategy
June 17, 2023

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