The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo has posed a question to the Nigerian workers on what sort of politics can best deliver good governance and development.

“Given the season that we are in, this is entirely appropriate.  The question that the theme calls for: is what sort of politics can best deliver good governance and development?”

Addressing workers today, May 1, as they marked Workers Day in Abuja, Osinbajo said that this year’s May Day celebration, coming shortly before a national elections, required much to reflect upon.

“And the theme you have chosen for this occasion invites us to ponder on “Labour, Politics and the Quest for Good Governance and Development,” adding that the labour movement in this context, belongs firmly to the progressive political persuasion.

He recalled that in the days of the anti-colonial struggle, labour pitched its tent with progressive nationalist forces.

“Historically, by reason of the ideological kinship shared by both camps, labour has always made common cause with the progressives. Indeed, it is impossible to separate both. Progressives have been left of centre and pro-labour, while labour has always been of course left of centre and progressive.
“This is an important observation because seven years ago, an alliance of progressives, the All progressives Congress made history when it became the first opposition party to defeat a ruling party against all odds and secure a national victory at the polls.

“It was a watershed moment for our nation because, until that momentous event, the progressive tendency had been the neglected cornerstone of our nation’s history.
“The question of what sort of politics can deliver good governance and development is decisively answered by progressive politics. As a progressive, I believe that good governance and development mean compulsory free education for the unlettered, universal healthcare coverage, inclusion for the alienated, social mobility for the poor, justice for the wronged and social security for the vulnerable.
“The progressive vision of Nigeria is of a nation in which the relations between the government and the governed are defined by a social covenant. It is of a society in which no Nigerian is left behind. It is of a canopy of inclusive and broad-based prosperity in which the security and the welfare of each citizen are guaranteed.
“This administration has embarked upon the most ambitious programme of social protection in sub-Saharan Africa. We are catering for our children through the Home Grown School Feeding Programme which feeds about 9.5 million children daily and for our unemployed youth through programmes such as the N-Power scheme. Over 4 million people have benefitted from the Government Empowerment and Enterprise Programme (GEEP), and other support initiatives under the National Social Investment Programme.
“We established the National Commission for Persons with Disabilities and the National Centre for Senior Citizens to cater for the needs of our compatriots that live with disabilities and our elders. This is a demonstration of our commitment to inclusion – especially of groups that have long been relegated to the margins.
“In the realm of politics, the enactment of the Not Too Young To Run Act which modifies the age restrictions for seeking public office not only opens doors of opportunity for more youth engagement in politics; it is a further demonstration of our commitment to inclusion in all its ramifications.
“We have pursued our progressive agenda for inclusion and social protection in a period of global turbulence. We have not had the benefit of record-high oil prices to work with instead, we have had to contend with recessions, the collapse of international oil prices, the COVID-19 pandemic which stalled the global economy and even now, we must deal with the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine which is having a disruptive impact on global commodity markets. Regardless of all these challenges, this administration has been steadfast in tackling the issues facing Nigerian workers. This is why President Buhari implemented an increase in the national minimum wage in 2019.”

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has cautioned the residents of the federal capital to beware of the lurking COVID19 as they celebrate Eid-del-Fitri tomorrow, May 2.

In a goodwill message to the residents, Muhammad Musa Bello said: “it is important to remind all that COVID -19 has not been eradicated. Enjoy the Eid-El-Fitr festivities in conformity with all extant COVID-19 protocols.”

He recalled that in the last 30 days, Muslims have engaged not only in fasting and prayers, but also in various acts of charity and caring for one another in keeping with the Islamic injunctions.

He expressed satisfaction that residents have, during the period shown compassion and care for each other, especially the less privileged, irrespective of religious or ethnic differences.

He called on the residents not to limit these acts of charity, love and tolerance to only the holy month but should inculcate this culture into our everyday lives.

“The end of Ramadan should also not signal an end to our prayers. I therefore, enjoin us all to continue to offer supplications to the Almighty for our dear country Nigeria and her leaders for divine wisdom and guidance, especially as they fight our security challenges and  political activities take center stage.

“Let us, once more be reminded that as residents of the Federal Capital Territory, which was founded on the ideals  of unity and peace, we are obliged to live up to the dreams of our founding fathers.

“We should therefore resist the machinations of those who seek to destroy these ideals and in our actions and utterances, seek always to sow the seeds of unity, peace and tolerance in our communities.

“ Abuja, our beautiful national capital city is the pride of every Nigerian. As residents, we should please commit ourselves to ensuring that she does not lose her allure due to our actions.”

The minister advised that as the raining season commences, people should maintain their drainages and make sure they are clean and free of debris, even as he called on them to avoid construction on flood plains and river courses to avoid unfortunate incidences of flooding.

“On our part, I wish to assure you that the FCT Administration remains committed to the implementation of projects that will have the greatest impact on the majority of residents especially in the provision of social service infrastructure, just as we will continue to work hard to ensure the security of lives and property across the Territory.

“I also wish to assure you all that security agencies have put measures in place to ensure the peaceful celebration of Sallah and also call on residents to be security conscious and follow all guidelines issued by the relevant security authorities regarding the Eid El-Fitr celebrations.

Africa’s leading philanthropist, investor and founder of the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Chief Tony O. Elumelu has described youth unemployment as waste of talent and betrayal of a generation, as well as being one of the major contributors to extremism and insecurity in Africa.
“Youth unemployment is a waste of talent and a betrayal of a generation. It feeds extremism and insecurity.”
He emphasized that the fight against extremism and conflict must start with making youths to be productive and creating jobs as the centre piece of African countries’ policies.
The top African entrepreneur and banker, who spoke in a virtual Fireside chat hosted by the United States Institute of Peace (USIP) and the Heritage Foundation on Building Entrepreneurship, said that the economic transformation of Africa lies in the hands of the young ones and young entrepreneurs.
Speaking on the topic: “Building entrepreneurship, economic opportunity and peace in Africa,” Tony Elumelu said that the young entrepreneurs who have great ideas, energy and audacity should be encouraged to see what and how they can contribute to the development of the African continent.
“Unfortunately in terms of job creation and opportunities for our youths, Africa suffers and lags dismally behind.
“It has therefore become critical to lead conversations and forge partnerships across the world that should help to address this fundamental issue.
“U.S. relations with Africa in my view, should be re-imagined, away from aids to focus on youth empowerment and support for sustainable institutions that should allow teeming youths to be productive.”
According to him, poverty  anywhere is a threat to mankind everywhere, stressing that extremism is a product of poverty, joblessness and lack of education.
“We need to remove the incentive of being extremist in the 21st century in Africa, by engaging and providing jobs for the young ones.
“On my own in 2010, my family founded the Tony Elumelu Foundation. Our purpose was simple; we wanted to democratize luck, we wanted to create economic opportunities for people.
“We wanted to play our own role in economically empowering our young ones and making them become better future Elumelus.
“So far, we have supported over 16,000 Africans. We set out to support 10,000; 1,000 every year, but through collaboration with like-minded partners we have been able to increase and achieve over 16,000 in seven years since we set up the entrepreneurship programme.
“I believe that the time to act is now and we need to do so urgently. We need to work together to avoid global catastrophe.”
This was even as the Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Senior Director for Africa at the National Security Council, Dana Banks, said that the U.S government through the Prosper Africa initiative is looking at how to support African startups and entrepreneurs.
“In 2016 Africa Start-ups generated about $350 million in capital. In 2021 it was already up to $4 billion and on track in 2022 to generate $7 billion in capita.
“Through our Prosper for Africa Initiative, that was relaunched in July by President Biden, we have many tools in our tool box and one of the tools that was recently launched would provide additional credit to African startups to help them shape their businesses and community.”
It is on record that the Tony Elumelu Foundation, founded in 2010, has trained more than 60,000 young entrepreneurs in 54 countries in Africa.
It has given about $200 million to trained entrepreneurs across Africa.

Source: Persecond News.