Spokesman of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Osita Nwanisobi has fingered those he described as being neck-deep in rent-seeking practices in the parallel forex market as responsible for the recent call on the Governor of the apex bank, Godwin Emefiele to resign.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Monday evening, Osita Nwanisobi said that those behind such calls are only pursuing their selfish agenda.
He emphasized that the Governor’s refusal to recognize such practices as significant segment of the country’s forex market infuriated such people.
He made it clear that CBN would not be distracted in its mandate and would therefore not yield to the selfish tendencies of a few to the detriment of the majority.
He therefore called on the banking public to disregard claims aimed at impugning the reputation of the Bank, insisting that the Bank remained committed to carrying out its mandate for the good of the Nigerian people.
Osita Nwanisobi also assured that the CBN remains committed to meeting the foreign exchange request of travelers with legitimate needs as they relate to travel allowances, payment of tuition and medical fees among other invisibles.
He said that there is enough supply of foreign exchange to the banks to meet legitimate demands for foreign exchange.
Osita Nwanisobi insisted that no customer requiring foreign exchange for genuine transactions would be turned back by their banks, even as he advised the banking public to insist on their rights to be attended to as long as they possess all the requisite documents to validate their request.
On the willingness of the Bank to meet the demands of customers, the spokesman said that the CBN would not hesitate to approve foreign exchange for customers with legitimate demands that exceed transaction limit insofar as the application is supported with specified requirements.
He restated the decision of the Bank not to revisit the issue of allocation of foreign exchange to the operators of Bureau de Change (BDC), adding that such a practice is not sustainable in the long run, considering that many of the BDCs had since deviated from the purpose for which they were issued licenses in the first instance.
He insisted that the rate in the CBN-unrecognized parallel market is not the reference rate of the Naira, even as he called on Nigerians to be wary of the activities of speculators who sought to manipulate the market for unpatriotic reasons.
Chairman of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc, Alhaji Aliko Dangote has said that the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) when executed as designed, can fetch the nation foreign exchange in excess of $700 million yearly from the Backward Integration component of the plan.
Dangote made this known while receiving in his office, some businessmen who were on a visit to Dangote Sugar company in Lagos.
He however warned that the BIP scheme must be protected to insulate the Nigerian economy to be able to achieve the twin objectives of local manufacturing and job creation.
“If the national sugar master plan is followed strictly and the players all follow the rules, the country will be better for it as Nigeria will save between $600 million and $700 million annually as forex.”
Dangote also told the visitors that the Dangote Group is scaling up its social intervention in communities hosting its companies across the country.
He said that efforts are being made to impact positively on the host communities saying his companies had expended billions of naira in states where these investments are located.
Dangote explained that the Corporate Social Responsibility projects undertaken by his companies was in addition to efforts by his Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, which is presently giving out micro-grants to vulnerable women in all the 774 local governments across the country.
It would be recalled that the Minister for Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo who was on a working tour of the Dangote’s expansive Savannah Sugar Company (SSCL) Ltd in Numan, Adamawa State and Tunga sugar project site in Nasarawa State, had described the projects as “huge, impressive and amazing.”
The minister said about the Dangote’s sugar plantation in Nasarawa State: “It’s a very impressive sight. Amazingly, such a project exists in this place.
“What we’ve seen so far from all the plantations we’ve been to are very impressive. We are impressed with the level of work they are doing.”
Group Executive Director, Government and Strategic Relations Mansur Ahmed had described Nasarawa State as one of the easiest states in the country to do business.
General Manager for the BIP, Dangote Sugar, John Beverley had said when the factory was fully operational, it would have the capacity to crush 12,000 tons of cane per day, while 90MW power would be generated for both the company’s use and host communities.
Last month, the Nasarawa State House of Assembly lawmakers who visited the Sugar Project site said they were highly elated and would give any legislative support to make the project a success.
Group General Manager Alhaji Bello Dan-Musa had told the visiting lawmakers that when phase II of the project is completed, it would make it the largest integrated plant in Africa.
The Nigerian Army has raised an alarm over the commencement of massive recruitment by terrorists, especially leadership of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), of new members.
Director of the Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyeama Nwachukwu, made this known today, September 20, at the headquarters of the Theatre Command, Operation Hadin Kai Maimalari, during a tour in Maiduguri, Borno State.
“I will like to mention that the ISWAP, very recently, has been depleted by the surrendering of their members, as well as a conflict between them. They’ve embarked on what I will call a massive recruitment drive and I consider it very important to engage the media to block this recruitment.
Nwachukwu wanted members of the public to be on the lookout within their immediate environment.
On Thursday, September 16, 2021, headquarters of News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja was formally renamed Wada Maida House, a befitting honour to a veteran journalist, who worked most of his life for the agency. Until his death, August 17, 2020, Malam Wada Abdullahi Maida, 70, was the Chairman of the NAN Board.
Before then, Wada, as he was popularly and preferably known, was Managing Director of the news agency for eight years, after working as Editor-In-Chief. The former Editor-In-Chief, who was a pioneer staff in 1978 with eight others, following the establishment of NAN in 1976, also served variously as Zonal Editor, Kaduna, in charge of Western States, Political Editor and Western Europe Correspondent, London.
Wada’s career trajectory reflects the history of NAN in its 45 years of existence. For the period of his appointment as Chief Press Secretary to then military Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari in 1984, and retirement to start a private media business of consulting and publishing a newspaper, Peoples’ Daily, Wada’s his image continued to looms large. He influenced many appointments and recruitments, facilitated access to government, states and federal, and used his international network to the advantage of NAN.
To Wada’s credit, his predecessors and successors, NAN remains the most webbed media institution in Nigeria, with a reputation for accuracy and balance in reporting. NAN has hundreds of reporters across 30 states and a metro office in Lagos, many district offices covering major towns and villages, and foreign offices, that until recently, were active as European Office in London, North American and UN Office, New York, West African Bureau, Abidjan, Cote D’Ivoire, North Africa, African Union Office, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and South African Office, Johannesburg.
Wada played a major role in the structuring and sustenance of the agency’s global spread to gather news to enrich the content of bulletins and increase subscribers, which include almost all media houses in Nigeria, partnerships and exchange agreements with Reuters, AFP, Xinhua Chinese News Agency, DPA of Germany, Pan African News Agency and Rossiya Segnodya of Russia.
Among some significant milestones and legacies, the former Managing Director ensured that the agency owns its operational buildings in New York, Johannesburg and Abidjan and a five-storey marble edifice in Abuja, which he supervised completion and upgrade of working tools. President Muhammadu Buhari approved the naming of the headquarters after the former Chairman on November 26, 2020.
Conveying the approval, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said it was in recognition of the immense contributions of Wada to the growth of the agency.
“I write to convey my approval for the naming of the NAN headquarters building after the late Wada Maida, who served the agency in many capacities, including Foreign Correspondent, Editor-in-Chief and Managing Director.
“It is my sincere belief that the decision to honour the late Wada Maida is well thought out and that he deserves such a great honour, considering his immense contributions to the development of NAN,” he said.
At the ceremony, Mohammed commended management and staff of NAN for immortalizing Wada. “Wada played a strong role in NAN. The man who built this edifice deserves to be immortalised.’’
“He believed journalism served a higher purpose for peace, harmony and development. If a country goes down everything goes down, with it,’’ Mohammed said. “I appeal to media houses to put Nigeria first. Yes, we have challenges but this administration is working.’’
Wada’s love for journalism started in Secondary School, says his longtime friend and colleague, Sen. Ibrahim Ida. Ida disclosed that the former Managing Director was named Abdullahi Maida at birth, and only got Wada as a pet name while growing up. Wada, taken from “Wadata’’ meant influence and affluence.
The Guest of Honour and Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Bello Masari, said the naming of the NAN House after Wada was well deserved, considering his contribution to the development of journalism in the country and penchant for helping others.
“You can live for 120 years in this world, but what matters is the courage you brought to life and how many people you touched. With this naming, Wada’s life will continue to the end of time.
“That’s a life worth living. He lived for others. Anytime he visited me it was because of the needs of others and his community, not for personal reasons,’’ he said.
Masari noted that the former Managing Director of NAN contributed to the emergence of many media houses, both print and broadcast, in the country, particularly in the Northern part, adding that “the whole of Katsina remains proud of his achievements and many would have made it to Abuja for the ceremony, if they were informed.’’
Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media and Publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, described Wada as “an elder brother, mentor and a facilitator.”
“He lived a life of patience & integrity. We should learn to be patient. Good things will come as we wait. Wada thought us not to rush the story; to be thorough. I recall, as editors, we will always wait for the NAN bulletin before our newspapers will go to bed.’’
The passion for reporting, editing, publishing and Public Relations saw Wada through trainings in London School of journalism, Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Aberdeen College of Technology and University of Salford, Manchester and Nigerian Institute of Journalism. He was once President of Nigerian Guild of Editors, and later became a Fellow of the guild.
He was a member of other associations like the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), Commonwealth Press Union, Amnesty International, Executive Director of International Press Institute and Chairman of Pan African News Agency (PANA) and Katsina State Broadcasting Corporation.
Wada’s contemporaries in the newsroom, who are also veterans in journalism, his mentees, some former administrators in NAN and other media houses across the country, traditional rulers and political leaders, friends and family were all at the renaming event.
The Managing Director of NAN, Mr Buki Ponle, affirmed that Wada’s leadership guided him to get a first degree and a Master’s degree while working and the former pioneer staff also encouraged him to get a Ph.D, if he wanted.
Ponle said the agency had suffered financial hardship over some years, forcing it to scale down some operations and dream projects for expansion, while thanking Wada’s vision for the progress recorded.
Wada’s family led by his wife, Hajiya Amina and son, Dr Aminu Maida, joined in unveiling the signage, and received a plaque from Governor Masari.
Aminu, witty, reticent and unassuming like his father, thanked President Buhari and the Federal Government for the honour done to his father, telling everyone that the entire family remains grateful to NAN.
“NAN will continue to be part of our family, and we will always be part of NAN,’’ he said.
Like the Wada Maida House in Central Area, the former Managing Director of NAN continues to stand tall in our memory and a physical structure.
Oche Egwa is a Senior Editor in the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and Chief Information Officer, Office of the Special Adviser to the President, Media and Publicity.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced that it had recorded a total crude oil and gas export sales of $219.75 million in May 2021, representing 180.29 percent increase on sales from the previous month of April 2021.
This is contained in the May 2021 edition of the NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations Report, according to a statement today, September 20, by the Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs Division of the Corporation, Garba Deen Muhammad.
According to the report, crude oil export sales contributed $181.19 million (82.45 percent) of the dollar transactions compared with $4.22 million contribution in the previous month, while the export gas sales component stood at $38.56 million in May 2021.
The report also showed that between May 2020 and May 2021, the Corporation exported crude oil and gas worth $1.64 billion.
In the gas sector, the report showed that natural gas production in the month under review increased by 6.19 percent at 222.23billion cubic feet (bcf) compared with output in the previous month, translating to an average production of 7,177.53million standard cubic feet (mmscf) of gas per day.
For the period May 2020 to May 2021, a total of 2,898.34bcf of gas was produced representing an average daily production of 7,322.94mmscf during the period.
Period-to-date production from Joint Ventures (JVs), Production Sharing Contracts (PSCs) and Nigerian Petroleum Development Company (NPDC) contributed about 60.94 percent, 20.04 percent and 18.99 percent respectively.
Out of the 216.29bcf of gas produced in May 2021, a total of 133.56bcf was commercialized, consisting of 44.02bcf and 89.54bcf for the domestic and export markets respectively.
This translates to a total supply of 1,419.83mmscfd of gas to the domestic market and 2,893.66mmscfd to the export market for the month.
This implies that 61.75 percentbof the average daily gas produced was commercialized while the balance of 38.25 percent was either re-injected, used as upstream fuel or flared.
In the Downstream sector, the report indicates that the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC), a downstream subsidiary of the NNPC, posted a total sum of ₦295.72 billion from the sales of petroleum products in the month of May 2021 compared with ₦220.13 billion sales in April 2021.
Furthermore, total revenues generated from the sales of petroleum products for the period of May 2020 to May 2021 stood at ₦2.345 trillion where Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) contributed about 99.61% of the total sales with a value of ₦2.336 trillion.
In terms of volume, the figure translates to a total of 2.241billion litres of white products sold and distributed by PPMC in the month of May 2021 compared with 1.673billion litres in the month of April 2021.
Total sales of petroleum products for the period May 2020 to May 2021 stood at 18.651billion litres and PMS accounted for 99.69 percent of total volume.
In May 2021, 64 pipeline points were vandalized representing 39.13 percent increase from the 46 points recorded in April 2021. The Port Harcourt area accounted for 65 percent and Mosimi and Kaduna Areas accounted for 30 percent and 5 percent respectively of the vandalized points.
NNPC in collaboration with the local communities and other stakeholders continuously strive to reduce and eventually eliminate this menace.
The 70th edition of the NNPC MFOR highlights the Corporation’s activities for the period of May 2020 to May 2021.
The Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, Ojaja 11, commenced a seven day seclusion, starting from yesterday, September 19, in the process leading to the annual ‘Olojo’ Festival in the ancient city.
‘Olojo’ in Yoruba means ‘the day of the first dawn’, but in the lores of Ile-Ife, the Olojo Festival is an annual cultural festival created to celebrate the day Almighty God created the earth. Speaking before going incommunicado, Oba Ogunwusi said that he would dedicate this year’s seven-day seclusion to pray for a better Nigeria. The Ooni said that Nigerians had every cause to thank God in view of the devastating effect of COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the rest of the world. “When we compare what have been happening in other nations, we have every cause to glorify God, for He has been so faithful to us by delivering us from the power of Coronavirus. “Our efforts to protect people from the pandemic by providing fumigators for 36 states and Abuja, the FCT cannot be over-emphasised. “But we shouldn’t relent in our efforts to see to the welfare of people generally that’s why am dedicating my sixth seclusion on the throne to pray for our leaders. “Seclusion is so significant that I cannot joke with, because I inherited it from my ancestors thousands years ago,” Ooni explained. The Oba said that he would also use his period seclusion to pray for God to touch the hearts of Nigerian politicians to stop playing games with people’s lives and be sensitive to people’s yearnings. “Our politicians in this country have the same value, same character, politicians, but am going into seclusion to pray for our leaders to have change of mind, so that things could get better. “Our leaders should be ready to serve us genuinely, as promised during their campaigns, so am going there to pray to my ancestors to touch their hearts, for them to make life more bearable to us.
“We cannot continue like this, things need to change and there cannot be any change without the hands of God, for the prayer of the righteous availeth much,” the Ooni said. Source: NAN.
The Ghanian Government has concluded plan to sign agreement with W.E.B du Bois Museum Foundation, to transform the current du Bois Memorial Centre and burial site in Accra, Ghana into a state-of-art museum complex and world-class destination for scholars and heritage tourists.
Japhet Aryiku, Executive Director, W.E.B. du Bois Museum Foundation, who disclosed this in a statement today, September 19 in Abuja, Nigeria, said Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, would offer remarks at the signing as the historic agreement would grant authority for the W.E.B du Bois Museum Foundation to construct a multi-million dollar museum complex to preserve Dr. Du Bois’ legacy over a 50-year period.
According to him, the complex will be designed by Sir David Adjaye, renowned Ghanaian architect and designer of the Smithsonian Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
“The Du Bois Memorial Centre in Accra where Dr. Du Bois and his wife, Shirley Graham Du Bois, are buried, opened to the public in 1985, but in recent years had required additional upkeep and maintenance.
“The Du Bois Museum Complex aims to transform the Center and create a living museum that revives the transformative spirit and vision of Dr. Du Bois for a unified ancestral home for Africans in the diaspora around the world.
“The complex will serve as a historic memorial site where visitors can honour his life and legacy, connect to their cultural and ancestral roots, and serve as an impetus to inspire solidarity between people of African descent.
“At the signing, Nana Akufo-Addo, President of the Republic of Ghana, will offer remarks on the significance of the agreement in strengthening historical, cultural, and economic ties between Ghana and the United States and Diaspora Africans.
“This agreement will build on the government’s “Year of Return” and “Beyond the Return” campaigns that encourage the return of African Diaspora from around the world.
“The Du Bois Museum Complex will usher in a renewed commitment to building an international treasure and historic memorial honouring the legacy of Dr. Du Bois, and fostering unity among the African Diaspora through a vibrant cultural and research center,” Aryiku said.
According to him, speakers at the signing will include leading political, financial, and cultural leaders from the U.S. and Ghana, including Dr. Ibrahim Mohammed Awal, Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture, Republic of Ghana; Japhet Aryiku, Executive Director, W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation; Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and Alphonse Fletcher University Professor and Director, Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University.
Others are Kwame Anthony Appiah, novelist and professor of philosophy and ethics, New York University and board member, W.E.B Du Bois Museum Foundation; and Daniel Rose, Chairman, W.E.B. Du Bois Museum Foundation, philanthropist, and leading real estate developer of several award-winning properties.
Dr. Du Bois, a civil rights pioneer and one of the world’s leading black intellectuals and thinkers, became a citizen of Ghana and resided in the country until his death in 1963. Du Bois’ vision of a continent of free and independent African nations was a major influence on Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah
When President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB) took over the reins of power on May 29, 2015, Nigeria was already, not just a broke state, but sadly a broken state in many respects. It was so bad that it appeared that the exiting PDP government of President Goodluck Jonathan could not wait for his term to officially come to an end before leaving. As a result of many other factors including bad governance and untold level of corruption, government could not live up to its financial obligations to citizens and service providers at both the federal and state levels.
Indeed one of the most official assignments that President Buhari carried out was the approval of billions of Naira in bailout funds to enable state governors pay something as basic as workers’ salaries. Granting those bailout funds was a huge boost to national security because the pressure of arrears of unpaid monthly salaries building dangerously all over the country was a ticking bomb. You know what is said about a hungry man and anger, especially when that anger is about duly-earned income but withheld as a result of the insensitivity of those in power.
Ask the naysayers and they would readily remind you of how long it took President Buhari to appoint his ministers and how that contributed to collapse of the economy as if, without ministers, governance was frozen. But buying that narrative would amount to what a famous Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Adichie, termed “the danger of a single story”. Yet the whole story was that many of our citizens did not know how decrepit a state President Buhari inherited in 2015.
It was therefore necessary for him to take stock against the background of the fact that the departing government did not, reportedly, cooperate full well with the incoming government in terms of leaving workable handover notes. Although President Goodluck Jonathan was gracious in defeat, many of his appointees were still sulking over what they saw as their personal losses and therefore pulled all the stops to make things difficult for the Buhari government.
Even with the obvious and unpatriotic obscurantist behaviour of the PDP appointees and their supporters still in government hell bent on making things difficult for Buhari, the President moved on with his methodical repair of a broken country. The first thing he did was to identify all possible sources of income to the nation and directed that all inflows be paid into one single account in line with the policy of Single Treasury Account (TSA).
The TSA policy, interestingly, was mooted by the PDP government but its penchant for imprudence and lack of accountability denied it the courage of implementing the policy. But for Buhari, a man whose lifestyle can best be defined by asceticism and anti-corruption, the era of reckless handling of public funds was over and gone for good. What the President literally did was to gather all the nation’s money into one box and locked it up with a big padlock and watched for any thief to come close.
Who can blame the President for almost developing paranoia over the safeguard of the national treasury with revelations and reports of mind-boggling looting that took place in the sixteen years of the PDP? With such disclosures of how billions meant for fighting insurgency in the Northeast ended up in the pockets of a few individuals while our gallant soldiers fought with bare hands and on empty stomach, President Buhari was duty bound to bring sanity and accountability back in national spending.
Thus, under President Buhari, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which had remained comatose for years, was woken up to resume its duties. Apart from the trillions of Naira of looted funds and property recovered from corrupt politicians by the EFCC, President Buhari by his action has successfully brought back to the public consciousness the need to treat public funds with the highest level of transparency and accountability. In short, President Buhari has returned to public consciousness the consequences of stealing public funds, which were clearly lacking in the PDP years with all its negative implications for national economy and orientation.
After keeping treasury looters on their toes and at bay through the EFCC, particularly, President Buhari moved to curb unnecessary spending habits of the nation on what economists call articles of ostentation. Part of the disclosures of the President’s stock taking was how the country frittered away billions in foreign currency by importing goods, which can be produced at home. One of such items was rice, a major staple among Nigerians. By banning rice importation into the country, the President on one hand had saved the nation billions in foreign currency annually.
And, on the other hand, the President has boosted domestic production of rice and in the process had nudged the country into self sufficiency in food production. He also created millions of jobs for young people in the rice value chain. Today, states like Kebbi, Ebonyi and Lagos are the hub of rice production in the country, and with continuous support in terms of protectionist policies from government and citizens, may in fact become exporters of the commodity to other African countries in the nearest future.
The quiet rice revolution ongoing in the country is completely attributable to the firmness of President Buhari and the commitment of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). It also goes without saying that the Nigeria Customs and Immigration Services have been supportive in this mission by enforcing the border closure ordered by President Buhari to checkmate rice smugglers. Knowing the financial muscles of these trans-border smugglers and their powerful allies in government with whom they form a deadly criminal syndicate, that the President sustained the border closure for the period it lasted was a testament to Buhari’s incorruptibility and single mindedness in repairing his country.
What is most admirable about President Buhari and his government is its frugal management of scarce national resources to attain optimum goals. Recall that since President Buhari stepped in the saddle, oil revenue dropped abysmally as if to sabotage him knowing all the big promises he made to citizens during his campaigns. But with the little resources that trickle in, the President is achieving what governments that received oil windfalls could not dream of.
Today, the trains are up and running daily from Abuja to Kaduna. And from Lagos to Ibadan a brand new rail track was started and completed; citizens are already commuting daily to and fro these two major cities in the country seamlessly as they reap from the dividends of democracy. And with the way this government is going, before 2023 when the President would leave, the entire country would be linked by rail with all of its economic advantages.
And President Buhari is not only doing rails, he is also rehabilitating roads that the PDP left to fail in its sixteen years of rule after spending billions of Naira in budgetary allocations on them in what has become a big scam. For example, is it not a shame that in its entire sixteen years, the PDP government could not deliver the Lagos/Ibadan Expressway to the Nigerian people when crude oil was selling above $120 per barrel?
Let us go to the vexed matter of banditry, President Buhari is now speaking to the bandits and terrorists in the language they understand with the renewed onslaught on these wicked lot by the air force and gallant land troops. Even Boko Haram soldiers have now found surrendering the only safe option for them as the end of insurgency draws near.
Yet, it is regrettable when some opposition politicians who ought to have buried their heads in shame accuse a hard-working President of constantly whining about how past governments underdeveloped the country. Indeed, they should, for once, pretend like patriots and consider the frustrations of opportunities they threw away in the midst of plenty. The PDP particularly should be grateful to a President clearing their mess and quietly repairing the incomprehensible damage they inflicted on their own country, as if they were praetorian armies. That President Buhari is going about bringing back sanity to a bruised nation and quietly repairing Nigeria without drama puts him in the pantheon of great leaders.
▪︎ Mr Ainofenokhai Ojeifo, a social commentator, contributed this piece from Abuja.
President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to fly to New York, the United States of America, tomorrow, September 19, to participate in the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA76), which opened early in the week, September 14.
According to a statement today, September 28 by presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, the theme for this year’s UNGA is: “Building Resilience Through Hope – To Recover from COVID-19, Rebuild Sustainably, Respond to the Needs of the Planet, Respect the Rights of People and Revitalize the United Nations.”
The statement said that President Buhari will address the Assembly during the General Debates on Friday, September 24 when he will speak on the theme of the conference and other global issues.
It said that in the course of the Assembly, the President and members of the delegation will partake in other significant meetings such as High Level Meeting to Commemorate The Twentieth Anniversary of the Adoption of the Durban Declaration and Programme of Action on the theme “Reparations, Racial Justice and Equality for People of African Descent.”
It said that the delegation will also participate in Food Systems Summit; High Level Dialogue on Energy and The High Level Plenary Meeting to commemorate and promote the International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons.
The statement hinted that President Buhari will also hold bilateral meetings with a number of other leaders of delegations and heads of International Development organisations.
Buhari, according to the statement, will be accompanied to New York by Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; Attorney General and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN); and Minister of State for Environment, Sharon Ikeazor.
Also on the President’s delegation are National Security Adviser, retired Major General Babagana Monguno; Director-General, National Intelligence Agency, Ambassador Ahmed Rufai Abubakar; Chairman, Nigerians in Diaspora Commission, Abike Dabiri-Erewa and the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs, Mrs. Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire.
President Buhari is expected back in the country on Sunday, September 26.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that a total of 15 projects, spread across the six geo-political zones of the country, will be financed with more than $4 billion loan from multilateral institutions, under the 2018-2021 medium term (rolling) external borrowing plan.
The President had recently requested the Senate to approve sovereign loans of $4.054 billion and €710 million as well as grant components of $125 million for the proposed projects.
According to the letter by the President, the sovereign loans will be sourced from the World Bank, French Development Agency (AFD), China-Exim Bank, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Credit Suisse Group and Standard Chartered/China Export and Credit (SINOSURE).
The President’s request to the Senate listed 15 proposed pipeline projects, the objectives, the implementation period, benefiting States, as well as the implementing Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).
A breakdown of the ‘‘Addendum to the Proposed Pipeline Projects for the 2018-2021 Medium Term (rolling) External Borrowing Plan,’’ shows that the World Bank is expected to finance seven projects including the $125million grant for ‘‘Better Education Services for All’’.
The Global Partnership for Education grant is expected to increase equitable access for out-of-school children and improve literacy in focus states.
The grant, which will be implemented by the Federal Ministry of Education and the Universal Basic Education Commission (UBEC), will strengthen accountability for results in basic Education in Katsina, Oyo and Adamawa States.
Other projects to be financed by the World Bank are, the State Fiscal, Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability Programme for Results as well as the Agro-Processing, Productivity, Enhancement and Livelihood Improvement Support Project.
The benefiting States for the agro-processing project are Kogi, Kaduna, Kano, Cross River, Enugu and Lagos with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development as the implementing ministry.
A statement today, September 18 by a presidential spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu said that the objective of the project is to enhance agricultural productivity of small and medium scale farmers and improve value addition along priority value chains in the participating States.
The statement said that the World Bank is also financing the Nigeria Sustainable Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) project in Delta, Ekiti, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, Imo and Plateau States, for the next five years.
It explained that the project, when completed, is expected to improve rural water supply, sanitation and hygiene nationwide towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for water supply and sanitation by 2030.
It said that under the external borrowing plan, the World Bank supported projects also include Nigeria’s COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Project (COPREP), under the supervision of the Federal Ministry of Health and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The statement said that the project, which has an implementation period of 5 years, will respond to threats posed by COVID-19 through the procurement of vaccines.
“Furthermore, no fewer than 29 States are listed as beneficiaries of the Agro-Climatic Resilience in Arid Zone Landscape project, which is expected to reduce natural resource management conflicts in dry and semi-arid ecosystems in Nigeria.
“The benefiting states for the project to be co-financed by World Bank and European Investment Bank (EIB) are: Akwa Ibom, Borno, Oyo, Sokoto, Kano, Katsina, Edo, Plateau, Abia, Nasarawa, Delta, Niger, Gombe, Imo, Enugu, Kogi, Anambra, Niger, Ebonyi, Cross River, Ondo, Kaduna, Kebbi, Jigawa, Bauchi, Ekiti, Ogun, Benue, Yobe and Kwara.
“The World Bank is also funding the Livestock Productivity and Resilience project in no fewer than 19 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
“The China EXIM Bank is expected to finance the construction of the branch line of Apapa-TinCan Island Port, under the Lagos-Ibadan Railway modernisation project.
“The French Development Agency will finance two projects, which include the National Digital Identity Management project and the Kaduna Bus Rapid Transport Project.
“The digital identity project will be co- financed with World Bank and EIB.
“The Value Chain Development Programme to be financed by IFAD and implemented in Anambra, Benue, Ebonyi, Niger, Ogun, Taraba, Nasarawa, Enugu and Kogi States will empower 100,000 farmers, including over 6,000 and 3,000 processors and traders respectively.
“The loan facility to be provided by European ECA/KfW/IPEX/APC will be spent on the construction of the Standard Gauge Rail (SGR) linking Nigeria with Niger Republic from Kano-Katsina-Daura-Jibiya-Maradi with branch to Dutse.
“The specific project title, Kano-Maradi SGR with a branch to Dutse, has an implementation period of 30 months and will be implemented by the Federal Ministry of Transport.
“The Chinese African Development Fund through the Bank of China is expected to provide a loan facility of $325 million for the establishment of three power and renewable energy projects including solar cells production facility Phase 1 & II , electric power transformer production, Plants 1, II, III and high voltage testing laboratory.
“The National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure (NASENI) will implement the project aimed at increasing local capacity and capability in the development of power and renewable energy technologies and infrastructure.
“Credit Suisse will finance major industrialisation projects as well as micro, small and medium enterprises schemes to be executed by the Bank of Industry while SINOSURE and Standard Chartered Bank will provide funds for the provision of 17MW Hybrid Solar Power infrastructure for the National Assembly (NASS) complex.
“The project, with an implementation period of five years, is expected to address ‘‘NASS power supply deficit and reduce higher overhead burdensome cost of running and maintaining fossil fuel generators (25MW installed capacity) to power the assembly complex.’’
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The Nigerian Army has raised an alarm over the commencement of massive recruitment by terrorists, especially leadership of the Islamic State of West African Province (ISWAP), of new members.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has announced that it had recorded a total crude oil and gas export sales of $219.75 million in May 2021, representing 180.29 percent increase on sales from the previous month of April 2021.
President Muhammadu Buhari is scheduled to fly to New York, the United States of America, tomorrow, September 19, to participate in the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA76), which opened early in the week, September 14.
President Muhammadu Buhari has said that a total of 15 projects, spread across the six geo-political zones of the country, will be financed with more than $4 billion loan from multilateral institutions, under the 2018-2021 medium term (rolling) external borrowing plan.
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