The minister of state for petroleum, Timipre Sylva, has asked Nigerians to disregard news about purported increase in the pump price of petro, even as he also cautioned marketers to desist from arbitrary petrol price increase
In a statement today, March 12, Sylva said that there will be no increment in the pump price of petrol until the organized labour is consulted.
The minister’s statement was a reaction to the pricing template published by the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) which pegged the new pump price of petrol at N212.61 per litre.
The minister said: ‘irrespective of the source of that information, I want to assure you that it is completely untrue.
“Neither Mr. President who is the Minister of Petroleum Resources nor myself who deputize for him as minister of state has approved that petrol price should be increased by one naira.
“I therefore urge you to disregard this misleading information.”
The minister explained that the federal government would continue to consult with the organized labour and other stakeholders to arrive at a reasonable price regime for petrol.
Sylva said until an agreement is reached, all marketers are to maintain the current pump price of petrol.
PPPRA had on Thursday night, March 11, published a template on its website announcing an increase in the retail price of petrol.
Federal Government, via the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA) has announced what it called: “projecting” an increase in the price of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), better known as petrol, from barely N160 to N212.11 per litre. The agency, which announced the new price this morning, March 12, in its pricing template for the month of March, said that it based the price on the average costs of imported petroleum products. It said that the average littering expenses were put at N4.81 per litre; Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) charge N2.49 per litre; NIMASA charge N0.23 per litre; Jetty Thru put of N1.61 per litre and Storage charge of N2.58 per litre and average finance cost of N2.17 per litre, translating to an expected landing cost per litre of N189.61. The agency said that the wholesale margin has been fixed at N4.03 per litre; administration charge, N1.23 per litre; transporters’ allowance (NTA) of N3.89 per litre; Bridging Fund cost of N7.51 per litre and Marine transport average (MTA) of N0.15 per litre. The projection of PPPRA does not necessarily translate to a pump price increase for Nigerians as an official announcement has to be given for any increase to take effect. The agency released templates in January and February, yet fuel price was not increased officially. The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) recently said there would not be fuel price increase this month of March.
A self-acclaimed Yoruba activist, Sunday Adeyemo, popularly known as Sunday Igboho has come out to say that he is now agitating for a Yoruba nation and that there is no going back on this.
In a statement, Igboho said that former Nigeria’s Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode is one of the stakeholders who identified with the group on the struggle of Yoruba Nation agitation.
The statement, which was issued by the group’s media aide, Olayomi Koiki, quoted Igboho as asking on anyone willing to join the agitation for Yoruba nation to join the group.
“Anyone who is willing to support the agitation for Yoruba Nation is highly welcome, the goal is ‘Yoruba nation now.’
“We know what we want and no going back. Every other side talk is nothing but a distraction. we are fully focused, Yoruba nation is the goal.
“Let me reiterate, anything you did not hear from I, Sunday Adeyemo (Igboho) or my spokesperson Olayomi Koiki of Koiki Media is not a fact,” he said.
“He can give his own advice at anytime as regards the agitation and there’s no reason to doubt him. We have a 100 percent confidence in him. Lets not talk with envy. We must unite and stay strong in one voice.
“Therefore, we want to identify with Chief Femi Fani Kayode and any other person that stands for the Yoruba race irrespective of their religion or political party affiliation. Thank you and God bless.”
The Sultan of Sokoto, the Ooni of Ife, the Obi of Onitsha and other notable traditional rulers across the country have stormed the Aso Rock Presidential Villa, demanding specific roles in the constitution for the purpose of stamping out all forms of criminalities in Nigeria.
The traditional rulers, under the canopy of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, met with President Muhammadu Buhari today, March 11, and asked the President to assign definite roles, particularly on peace and security, within the ambit of the Constitution to them in addition to regular engagements with the National Assembly on multiple fronts.
Speaking separately as President Muhammadu Buhari challenged them to monitor everybody coming into their domains for proper security accountability, the traditional rulers stressed the urgent need to stem the insecurity that has been claiming lives across the country
Among the rulers who visited the President are the Sultan of Sokoto, the Ooni of Ife, the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, the Etsu Nupe, Alh. (Dr.) Yahaya Abubakar, King Jaja of Opobo, Dr. Dandeson Douglas Jaja, Emir of Bauchi, Dr Rilwanu Suleiman Adamu, Emir of Gwandu, Alhaji Muhammad Iliyasu and the Alawe of Ilawe-Ekiti, Oba Adebanji Ajibade Alabi.
The Council is co-chaired by the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III and the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi.
Meanwhile, President Buhari had solicited the greater cooperation of the royal fathers in the attempts at controlling the plethora of insecurity in various parts of the country.
The President apprised the traditional rulers with efforts by to stem the plethora of insecurity across Nigeria.
‘‘But what surprises is what is happening now in the North West where the same people, with the same culture are killing each other, taking their livestock and burning properties.
‘‘As a result of that, we had a four-hour meeting of the National Security Council attended by the Ministers of Internal Affairs, Defence, Foreign Affairs, Service Chiefs, Chief of Defence Staff, the Inspector-General of Police and others and we gave clear instructions.
‘‘One thing that got to the press which I read myself was that anyone with an AK-47 will be shot.
‘‘This is because AK-47 is supposed to be registered and it is only given to security officials.
‘‘We closed the borders for some years but the intelligence report I’m getting on a daily basis is that those who are conducting the abductions, the killings and so on are still not short of arms and ammunition,’’ he said.
The President expressed dismay on the attacks on police stations and killings of security personnel by criminals, warning that no investor will invest in a country that is unsafe.President Buhari also stressed the need for traditional rulers to use their roles and positions as bridge builders in each of their communities to complement government efforts at ensuring peace and security.
He appealed to the traditional leaders to deploy their reach and influence in the best interest of assisting the Government to root out those whose sole objective remains to cause trouble and destruction of livelihoods and families across the nation. The President, who listened to various interventions from representatives of the traditional rulers from each of the six- geo-political zones in the country, pledged that his administration would continue to support and work collaboratively with them to ensure peace and stability.
Restating his marching orders to the newly appointed Service Chiefs to bring the security situation under control, the President noted that closer control can only be achieved with the cooperation and collaboration of traditional rulers and authorities, who occupy a critical role in our society. ‘‘By your role and positions with history dating back hundred years, the people trust you implicitly and in return you provide them with comfort and guidance in accordance with our cultural heritage and traditions.
‘‘You are the bridge builders in each of your communities. No one is better placed with your strength of moral authority to ensure that people who visit your communities for either business, leisure or any honest and credible reason are protected and made to feel at home.”
The Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), Abdulrasheed Bawa has said that the commission has identified about N70 billion fraud perpetrated through the federal government fuel subsidy programme.
The EFCC boss, who spoke today, March 10, in a chat with news men in Lagos, after testifying in an alleged N1.4billion fuel subsidy trial involving an oil firm, Nadabo Energy, said that so far, only about N20 billion of the money has been recovered by the agency.
“We have identified fraud of about N70billion perpetrated through the fuel subsidy.
“So far the commission has recovered N20billion from the N70billion and we are working to recover the rest.”
Abdulrasheed Bawa expressed worry at the slow pace of some of the fuel subsidy trials, even as he assured that the commission will continue to rigorously pursue all it cases in court.
“Yes, we are worried about the slow pace of some of the fuel subsidy cases we charged to court since 2012 when investigations were concluded.
“Criminal trials are guided by statutes and procedures and we will continue to follow them. I have been a witness in this particular trial involving Nadabo Energy for five years and hopefully, we will get a conviction.”
He said that the EFCC is working so tirelessly to arrest an alleged fuel subsidy suspect, Seun Ogunbambo who was arraigned in 2012 but jumped bail and fled the country.
Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim has advised corps members to take entrepreneurial skills with all seriousness because there is no more jobs waiting for them.
The Director General reminded them that some corps members who passed out as far back as 10 years ago have not yet been gainfully employed.
Speaking to corps members who began orientation camps today, March 10, nationwide, the NYSC boss said that lack of jobs for ex-corps members is worrisome to the scheme, and that it would continue to intensify the Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme to bridge the unemployment gap.
According to Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim, the corps members should aim aim at becoming employers of labour, rather than “an army of restive job seekers, trudging the streets of Nigeria in search of scarcely available white collar jobs.
“NYSC in the last few years recorded a paradigm shift in the orientation course content, aligning it with the prevailing security and economic realities. The precarious state of national security and shrinkage of white-collar jobs made this phenomenal change germane and compelling.
“This shift witnessed the introduction of Martial Arts training into the course content so as to equip corps members with basic self defence skills. That notwithstanding, the scheme is always in constant touch with the various security agencies to ensure that your security is not compromised.
“A corollary to the above is the issue of financial security. It is quite worrisome to note that a lot of ex-corps members who got discharged from service as far back as 10 years are yet to be gainfully employed. This sorry state of affairs has brought about despondency and dejection on the part of some serving corps members.
“It equally fans the embers of criminality and depravity such as robbery, advance fee fraud, prostitution, drug peddling and abuse to mention but a few.
“In an attempt to stem this tide, the scheme introduced Skill Acquisition and Entrepreneurship Development programme into the orientation course content. Prior to this intervention, the scheme had been in collaboration with the National Directorate of Employment, the Central Bank of Nigeria as well as Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on MDGs, now SDGs.”
File photo is used to illustrate the story | Credit: Yale University
In preparation for the 2021 edition of the International Women’s Day, Hawwah Jiddare, a vocal feminist from Northern Nigeria and Chevening Scholar requested if I could recommend any person to discuss the rampant cases of early marriage in Arewa, Northern Nigeria. I told her that not only in Northern Nigeria but also across Africa, a lot of educated people and political leaders are products of early marriages. I added that beyond the hysteria and negative denotations around early marriage, many of these experiences could be narrated from proper and more positive perspectives. In her response, Hawwah who runs “Sheroes”, a publishing platform for women’s empowerment, advocacy and documentation, requested my participation as one of the panellists. “As a journalist, writer, author and Public Relations practitioner, your role is to give us an objective rationale behind a situation where 59% of girls are married before the age of 18 in Northern Nigeria, even though it does not guarantee them having an education…” she added. While mulling my proposed participation in the webinar, whose agenda pertaining to the theme of the discussion was not immediately clear to me, Hawwah added that “What is the rationale behind such beliefs and actions in the North?” I suspected that she asked the question as a way of goading me and inciting my interest in the discussion. It was a fairly emotional issue for me, not only because of some of the misconceptions that have come to be attributed to the issue of early marriage but also because I am a product of parents who married early. Yet, the experience of my family has been nowhere near the predominantly negative narrative being peddled around. I can say the same for a number of families I know. My father evolved to become a distinguished scholar and academic, who is now retired, while my mother is a trader, who is now a remarkable matriarch of our family. They both remain strong, physically and mentally till date. I decided to accept the invitation to be a member of the panel on early marriage and girl child education, as a way of offering my lived perspective to the issue of early marriage in the North. During the webinar on March 8, International Women’s Day, I came into the same discursive space with other panel members who had contrary views to mine, including a legal practitioner, a gender activist and a medical doctor. Since I had the opportunity to speak first, my argument set the agenda of the discourse. I insisted that early marriage, as distinct from child marriage, should be tolerated and encouraged in society. Since marriage is a union of two people who have met certain conditions set up by different cultures, customs, religions and legislation, then it should naturally lead to a legal and legitimate companionship. The designation of legal adulthood and the marriageable age in many countries is 18 years; however, the marriageable age may be older or younger in other countries. Still, cultural traditions may override legislation, as many jurisdictions permit early marriage with parental consent or in special circumstances, such as teenage pregnancy. Meanwhile, in exceptional cases, apart from parental consent, authorisation from the court and religious laws allow for marriages below the age of 18 to hold. A report of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) shows that in 2010, 18 years was the minimum legal age for marriage for women, without parental consent or approval by the pertinent authority, in 158 countries; also, in 146 countries, state or customary laws allow girls younger than 18 to marry with the consent of their parents or other authorities. Still, in 52 countries, girls under the age of 15 can marry with their parental consent. Most religions forbid the marriage of a female before the onset of puberty and maturity. In fact, disputes regarding physical maturity are often resolved by a scholar or a judge, potentially after examination by a female expert witness. In addition, many religions also vehemently prohibit sexual intercourse outside marriage; therefore, they establish a minimum age for marriage in one way or another. Early marriage allows a couple to experience adult life, while still young and strong. Obviously, there are other factors responsible for early marriage, which include the promotion of a sense of responsibility, the guarantee of security and prevention of social decadence. The unfortunate cases of baby factories where young girls are made to reproduce essentially for illegal adoption could be avoided even when such adoptions are common and encouraged in some developed countries. During the webinar, I pointed out that early marriage provides a safety net against poverty and deprivation, which could lead some to prostitution and drug addiction. It also protects the female, especially, from sexual violation and insecurity, particularly for those who live in or find themselves in slums and crisis zones. We should also be mindful and aware of the fact that political and financial alliances between parents, beyond poverty and insecurity, are also rampant among the Northern elites, who seal these relationships by arranging marriages for their children. Meanwhile, in most states in Northern Nigeria, newly married wives are becoming homemakers and home-entrepreneurs through skills acquisition. They now engage in tailoring, food catering and snacks making services, among others, from the comfort of their homes. Surprisingly, some of the skills being utilised and deployed are acquired through online programmes on credible social media platforms, websites and webinars, and not necessarily from conventional schools, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic. While age can occasionally be a wrong indicator of physical, emotional and psychological maturity, some good insight can be gleaned from how in these modern times, young people are emerging as very successful entrepreneurs, who are creating huge business enterprises and empires early in life. Interestingly, some highly successful entrepreneurs have been found out to be even school dropouts. The stories of Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook, Matthew Mullenweg of WordPress, Catherine Cook of MyYearBook.com, Blake Ross of Mozilla Firefox and even Justin Bieber, a singer and performer are proof that with focus, starting things early in life can only serve to enhance one’s potentials. The advocacy for early marriage, rather than child marriage, is one that hinges on the promotion and encouragement of reciprocal love, affection, alongside mutual respect and understanding, as against a union formed through compulsion or the forceful yoking of two people. It is necessary to urge partners who are candidates for early marriage to be strong, confident, and supportive of each other in achieving their personal and career goals. They should also seek to be always level-headed, thoughtful, and with senses of maturity in managing their emotions. Quite unfortunately, many even above the age of 40 cannot exhibit the same level of maturity displayed by a number of young people. While the other panel members were not comfortable with some of my submissions, one of them even made bold to suggest that the best age for marriage should be between 35 and 40 years! Nevertheless, the point I reiterated in the webinar is in support of early marriage and not a child marriage. On this occasion of International Women’s Day, we must acknowledge women for making all of us in society aware, appreciative and proud of their fundamental and remarkable contributions to our development. Yushau A. Shuaib www.YAShuaib.com yashuaib@yahoo.com
Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum , Salihu Mohammed Lukman has described incessant strikes by the Nigeria Labour Congress and other organized labour union as outdated.
Speaking at a new conference against the background of protest to the National Assembly by organized labour against decentralizing the minimum wage structure, Salihu, a onetime top official of the NLC, advised the labour unions to perfect their negotiation skills instead of strike actions all the times.
According to him, the protest will not stop the National Assembly from considering bills that have to do with decentralizing the minimum wage structure.
Salihu Lukman who said he was speaking in his personal capacity and not on behalf of the APC governors said: “we are not saying they should not protest but this protest is needless. I can guarantee that it is not going to stop the process in the National Assembly.
“It is not also going to take away the issue. We need to work with them to develop this democracy and we can only do that if every constituent unit and citizens in those units can negotiate with the constituent governments and get results. As it is, we are all frustrated and that is what we should be addressing.
“This ‘we against them’ that labour is creating does not exist. We should be applying ourselves to resolving the problems of this democracy. There are fundamental problems bigger than we can imagine”.
Salihu Lukman said that a structure that imposes the same minimum wage on a state as buoyant as Lagos and a state that is less buoyant like Zamfara or Yobe would impact negatively on productivity as workers in Lagos would feel shortchanged and therefore not give their total commitment to their job.
According to him, even all states commence paying the N30, 000 minimum wage, the problems of Nigeria’s workforce would still remain unresolved.
“I want to be able to engage labour even though some of them continue to accuse me of being sponsored by a governor. But it is not just a governor. I have 20 governors sponsoring me. I am happy to have the knowledge that would attract all the consideration of being sponsored.
“I believe the future of this country is about negotiating these issues. I have respect for the NLC and TUC leadership but my advice to them is that they have better capacity in getting things done.
“In fact, this country is where it is because they are not really applying themselves in the right direction.
“The total number of membership of NLC, and I am being generous, is not more than 20, 000 for the whole country. I left NLC in 2006 and at that time, the total membership was about 4,000, but I am giving it to them because they have organised new sectors. There are new areas and so it is possible they have risen to 20,000. That is a very critical mass but they need to be guided and led properly.
“Assuming every government pays N30,000, will that solve the problem of workers? So, nobody should deceive anybody. We all have a lot to do in this country. It is not about dancing on the streets, but they should develop their capacity.
“I am saying they have lied by saying that people proposing that minimum wage and labour issues should be moved to the Concurrent List, that they do not want the National Minimum Wage.
“I heard the NLC President, which is a disappointment, arguing that when it is not negotiated at the national level, it means it is not a ‘National’ Minimum Wage. I am saying you can still negotiate it at the national level but the methodology is important because you are looking for a benchmark which everybody should be able to pay.
“It is not about coming to the federal government. I am worried at the situation where anything that appears contrary to what labour wants, the next thing is to go on strike.
“My belief is that the main business of labour is negotiation and negotiation is about applying knowledge and information that you have”
A member of the House of Representatives, representing Sabon Gari Federal Constituency of Kaduna State, Mohammed Garba Datti had recently sponsored a bill to move minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List in the 1999 Constitution in line with recommendations of the report of the All Progressives Congress APC Committee on True Federalism.
But the organized labour attached a protest to the National Assembly, armed with placards carrying various inscriptions like ‘On national minimum wage we stand’ , ‘No to relocation of minimum Wage to Concurrent List’, ‘Yes to minimum wage on exclusive list’.
Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika has said that the continuous suspension of international flights from the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano is for health reasons despite the desire of the Ministry of Aviation to open it.
The Minister, who spoke today, March when he received a high powered delegation from Kano State, led by Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje in his office, acknowledged however that it does not make economic sense for government to spend so much money, as it has done in the airport, and just decide to leave it inoperative with the attendant degeneration on infrastructure, redundancy amongst operational staff, revenue losses, hardship to travellers, amongst others.
Hadi Sirika told the delegation that the decision to suspend international flights to and from the airport, like the ones in Enugu and Port Harcourt, were for health and security reasons.
The Minister acknowledged the hardship to the users of the airport, passengers and service providers alike, even as he promised that all that are necessary for the resumption of international flight operations at the airport would be fast-tracked to ensure that it resumes soon.
He challenged Kano indigenes to create activities that will make the airport more viable through increased passenger traffic.
Governor Ganduje had told the Minister that he was in the Ministry for two reasons, first to show appreciation to the Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari for the completion of the International wing of the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, and secondly to appeal for the resumption of international flight operations at the airport.
The governor expressed great concern over the effect of the continued suspension of international flights to and from the airport by passengers and service providers.
According to him: ” the Kano State government has put in place all that was necessary to make the state healthy for flights, including mobilisation of the populace for the COVID-19 vaccinations.”
The delegation comprised members of the Kano State House of Assembly, representatives of the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Aminu Ado Bayero and members of the Kano Chamber of Commerce,
The watershed events of March 1985 opened up a new vista of discussions between the sub and super structure of the entity known as China. The august event which came to be dubbed the “two sessions” has transcended decades and with time left its mark and imprints around social discussions within and outside China. The two sessions is a practical platform that engenders robust parliamentary activities essentially galvanizing members of the Chinese parliament to brainstorm and debate on issues of national interest and ensure that the impact of leadership is felt on the downtrodden, which is a clear indication of the prevalence of good governance. The China two sessions is a crucial gathering of the National People’s Congress (NPC), which is the Chinese Parliament and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), to deliberate on matters of national interest and the overall development of the citizenry, exhibiting the hallmark of its democracy. This event not only draws on issues ranging from the political to economic and social concerns of the Chinese state and its people it also beams its searchlight on the reassessment and plausible re-evaluation of the national security concerns and foreign policy of the state.
To showcase the efficacy of the democratic socialism embedded in the Chinese state, these two aforementioned revered bodies which constitutes the highest legislative authorities come together to deliberate and pass major state laws, take decisions on major state issues, and further supervise and oversee the activities and performances of the state councils, the Supreme People’s court and the Supreme People’s Protectorates. These bodies not only appear to be democratic in principle but have an architecture that is democratically construed in its configuration. The body consists of 3000 NPC deputies, and as we may know these deputies across the breadth of the country are elected either by those at the next lower level or directly by the voters, allowing for inclusivity. It is also gender sensitive as women account for over one-third of the entire proportion of the elected population. There is also consideration for ethnic representation and the CPPCC being a conglomerate of multi-party institutions cooperate and consult under the leadership of the CPC. As a national committee, the CPC has more than 2000 membership drawn across board and across several political parties and together the NPC and CPPCC represent the position, interest and needs of the various groups and regions within the state. The session is therefore indicative of purposeful leadership within the context of a practical democratic socialism.
This year’s sessions focus on an array of areas as its predecessors have, particularly on the global pandemic which has threatened the annihilation of the human species but has been meet by our collective resilience. However, worthy of reflection is the five year plan of President Xi, which hopes to drive the economy of China to even greater heights. The five year plan is consistent with the goals set by the state to attain the strategically planned economic growth and prosperity plan set in motion from its early days of 1949, these plans consist of what is now the goal of achieving total eradication of poverty from China and creating a moderately prosperous economy for all which sits at the heart and core of Xi’s five year plan and constitutes an integral part of China’s reform and opening up policy.
This ambitious drive began to manifest as early as 2020 where according to various reports over 700million people have been lifted from extreme poverty and this is despite the downturn economies world over have faced as a result of the pandemic. However, China was able to surmount the challenges posed by the pandemic and while other economies grew at a negative in the year 2020 China came out on a surer footing with a 2.3% growth record. This feat of pulling an entire population out of poverty was realized through strategic and coordinated planning by the central government under the able leadership of His Excellency, President Xi and his team of economic experts who have proven to understand the impact of social intervention programs, causing China to spend billions of dollars on deliberate social intervention programs that will stimulate the economy through dedicated cash transfers to the poorest and also handouts of cash. This no doubt is why and how President Xi through his five-year plan initiative has conquered the poverty in china. While some would question the extent of poverty eradication in china by trying to throw up the technicalities in etymological distinction between relative and absolute standards of poverty, it remains clear that the poverty index used as a standard for measuring poverty levels world over which is $1.90 dollars have been met by the Chinese government. This is a clear indication of the purposeful will of government to attain the ‘common prosperity’ goal thereby replacing the old order of some Chinese getting rich first, and in this is a lesson for all serious-minded societies. Under the rural revitalization plan of the government, it seeks to bridge the gap in income inequality and disparity in wealth distribution between rural and urban distributions, all of which is in line with the desires and aspiration of the administration to double the size of its economy and become a high-income country by the year 2035, and in doing this it will tour the path of wealth creation and income generation through the provision of jobs focusing on agriculture, manufacturing, industry and tech, social intervention programs, infrastructural development and the availability of capital to rural areas. The passion exhibited by the President Xi led administration is exactly what is driving this to a logical high end.
Sequel to the above, it is glaring to see that the composition of President Xi’s economic team is profound as shown in their robust understanding of the workings of the Chinese economy that they have created an elaborate model for spatial distribution of growth hence development in china. This model seeks to allow high spending by the local authorities, independent of the central government thereby boosting consumer spending, it also includes the plan to ensure aggressive consumer support, which will also form part of the discussions in this year’s two-session, it also includes the scaling up of the domestic demand alongside export demand which will, in turn, drive growth and warrant the survival and sustainability of indigenous innovation as enshrined in the ‘dual circulation’ strategy of the government. This plan will guarantee that going forward china’s supply chain is made more resilient through its independence and non-reliance on external markets. As much as this seems to pose a concern to countries particularly those in the west, the Chinese hope to attain this through a carefully thought-out process and with consideration of the overall interdependence of the global market. It is also worthy of note that this year marks the 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO).Over the past 20 years, China has contributed an average of nearly 30 percent to global growth annually. Its overall tariff rate is down substantially from 15.3 percent to below 7.5 percent, much lower than the 10 percent pledged upon WTO accession and far lower than other major emerging economies. Imports in goods have been growing at a double-digit annual rate on average. Over one million foreign companies have presence in China. These numbers show how China’s WTO membership means that both China and the world have come out as winners.
The Chinese economy has also done tremendously well in the area of fintech, with specific reference to e-commerce and the incredible efforts of Alibaba and its ilk’s, which has in turn brought about a pace in the credit facilities given to small and micro businesses. This is one of the major drivers of an economy and China is doing well to leverage on this and certify that it gives a boost to the development of SMEs so as to attain the overall growth in its economy. China has been able to achieve all this even in the face of adversaries from Washington, and has gone a step further to close ties with the European Union in its recently signed deals with the EU on trade and investments which will be of critical importance to the development of not just the economy of China but the protection of the economic interest of Europe. In the final analysis, there are countless issues on the economic outlook of China predicated on the five-year plan as is being discussed in this year’s two sessions’ that can be of significant importance to Nigeria and other emerging economies, chiefly amongst which is the need for a robust and well-articulated national policy which should reflect our national interest especially in this age and time. It’s been said that yesterday belongs to the Mediterranean (Europe), today belongs to the Asian-Pacific (China) and tomorrow belongs to the Atlantic (Africa), well, that tomorrow started yesterday and we must awaken to that realization, while wishing China well in its 2021 edition of the ‘two sessions’.
Dr. Mukhtar Imam, Lecturer, Baze University and Lead Research Consultant, Centre for China Studies and member of Young Sinologist, June/July 2018, Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.
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Director-General of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), Brigadier General Shuaibu Ibrahim has advised corps members to take entrepreneurial skills with all seriousness because there is no more jobs waiting for them.
Reflections On China ‘2 Sessions’ And Lessons For Nigeria, By Mukhtar Imam
To showcase the efficacy of the democratic socialism embedded in the Chinese state, these two aforementioned revered bodies which constitutes the highest legislative authorities come together to deliberate and pass major state laws, take decisions on major state issues, and further supervise and oversee the activities and performances of the state councils, the Supreme People’s court and the Supreme People’s Protectorates. These bodies not only appear to be democratic in principle but have an architecture that is democratically construed in its configuration. The body consists of 3000 NPC deputies, and as we may know these deputies across the breadth of the country are elected either by those at the next lower level or directly by the voters, allowing for inclusivity. It is also gender sensitive as women account for over one-third of the entire proportion of the elected population. There is also consideration for ethnic representation and the CPPCC being a conglomerate of multi-party institutions cooperate and consult under the leadership of the CPC. As a national committee, the CPC has more than 2000 membership drawn across board and across several political parties and together the NPC and CPPCC represent the position, interest and needs of the various groups and regions within the state. The session is therefore indicative of purposeful leadership within the context of a practical democratic socialism.
This year’s sessions focus on an array of areas as its predecessors have, particularly on the global pandemic which has threatened the annihilation of the human species but has been meet by our collective resilience. However, worthy of reflection is the five year plan of President Xi, which hopes to drive the economy of China to even greater heights. The five year plan is consistent with the goals set by the state to attain the strategically planned economic growth and prosperity plan set in motion from its early days of 1949, these plans consist of what is now the goal of achieving total eradication of poverty from China and creating a moderately prosperous economy for all which sits at the heart and core of Xi’s five year plan and constitutes an integral part of China’s reform and opening up policy.
This ambitious drive began to manifest as early as 2020 where according to various reports over 700million people have been lifted from extreme poverty and this is despite the downturn economies world over have faced as a result of the pandemic. However, China was able to surmount the challenges posed by the pandemic and while other economies grew at a negative in the year 2020 China came out on a surer footing with a 2.3% growth record. This feat of pulling an entire population out of poverty was realized through strategic and coordinated planning by the central government under the able leadership of His Excellency, President Xi and his team of economic experts who have proven to understand the impact of social intervention programs, causing China to spend billions of dollars on deliberate social intervention programs that will stimulate the economy through dedicated cash transfers to the poorest and also handouts of cash. This no doubt is why and how President Xi through his five-year plan initiative has conquered the poverty in china. While some would question the extent of poverty eradication in china by trying to throw up the technicalities in etymological distinction between relative and absolute standards of poverty, it remains clear that the poverty index used as a standard for measuring poverty levels world over which is $1.90 dollars have been met by the Chinese government. This is a clear indication of the purposeful will of government to attain the ‘common prosperity’ goal thereby replacing the old order of some Chinese getting rich first, and in this is a lesson for all serious-minded societies. Under the rural revitalization plan of the government, it seeks to bridge the gap in income inequality and disparity in wealth distribution between rural and urban distributions, all of which is in line with the desires and aspiration of the administration to double the size of its economy and become a high-income country by the year 2035, and in doing this it will tour the path of wealth creation and income generation through the provision of jobs focusing on agriculture, manufacturing, industry and tech, social intervention programs, infrastructural development and the availability of capital to rural areas. The passion exhibited by the President Xi led administration is exactly what is driving this to a logical high end.
Sequel to the above, it is glaring to see that the composition of President Xi’s economic team is profound as shown in their robust understanding of the workings of the Chinese economy that they have created an elaborate model for spatial distribution of growth hence development in china. This model seeks to allow high spending by the local authorities, independent of the central government thereby boosting consumer spending, it also includes the plan to ensure aggressive consumer support, which will also form part of the discussions in this year’s two-session, it also includes the scaling up of the domestic demand alongside export demand which will, in turn, drive growth and warrant the survival and sustainability of indigenous innovation as enshrined in the ‘dual circulation’ strategy of the government. This plan will guarantee that going forward china’s supply chain is made more resilient through its independence and non-reliance on external markets. As much as this seems to pose a concern to countries particularly those in the west, the Chinese hope to attain this through a carefully thought-out process and with consideration of the overall interdependence of the global market. It is also worthy of note that this year marks the 20th anniversary of China’s accession to the World Trade Organization (WTO). Over the past 20 years, China has contributed an average of nearly 30 percent to global growth annually. Its overall tariff rate is down substantially from 15.3 percent to below 7.5 percent, much lower than the 10 percent pledged upon WTO accession and far lower than other major emerging economies. Imports in goods have been growing at a double-digit annual rate on average. Over one million foreign companies have presence in China. These numbers show how China’s WTO membership means that both China and the world have come out as winners.
The Chinese economy has also done tremendously well in the area of fintech, with specific reference to e-commerce and the incredible efforts of Alibaba and its ilk’s, which has in turn brought about a pace in the credit facilities given to small and micro businesses. This is one of the major drivers of an economy and China is doing well to leverage on this and certify that it gives a boost to the development of SMEs so as to attain the overall growth in its economy. China has been able to achieve all this even in the face of adversaries from Washington, and has gone a step further to close ties with the European Union in its recently signed deals with the EU on trade and investments which will be of critical importance to the development of not just the economy of China but the protection of the economic interest of Europe. In the final analysis, there are countless issues on the economic outlook of China predicated on the five-year plan as is being discussed in this year’s two sessions’ that can be of significant importance to Nigeria and other emerging economies, chiefly amongst which is the need for a robust and well-articulated national policy which should reflect our national interest especially in this age and time. It’s been said that yesterday belongs to the Mediterranean (Europe), today belongs to the Asian-Pacific (China) and tomorrow belongs to the Atlantic (Africa), well, that tomorrow started yesterday and we must awaken to that realization, while wishing China well in its 2021 edition of the ‘two sessions’.