Acting President Professor Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) has said that Nigerians must have learnt a bitter lesson from the bad leadership this country had been riddled with in the past years.
According to him, as a nation, “we have learnt our lesson.”
Professor Osinbajo, who spoke today when he received in audience, a delegation of the global body-Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), said that going Muhammadu Buhari’s government is determined to work transparently and generate more revenues.
“it is important for us that we handle our resources with transparency and good governance.
“One of the objectives that we have set for ourselves is to ensure that we are transparent and able to handle our resources well.”
The Acting President argued that if the past leaders had handled the nation’s resources better, with transparency, and good governance, “we would not find ourselves were we are now.”
He said that the Buhari administration is determined to work with the Nigeria Extractive Industry and Transparency Initiative (NEITI) to ensure good governance and to work hard towards generating more revenues with proper accounts.
On the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB), Professor Osinbajo assured that government is working with the National Assembly to get the bill passed into law.
“We want to see what will come out of the bill because this will give some regulatory direction and we are working very closely to get that done.”
The in-coming global Chairman of EITI, Mr. Fredrik Reinfeldt, a former Prime Minister of Sweden commended Nigeria’s commitment to the EITI process, saying he has been following the restructuring of the NNPC, and other developments in the oil sector. On the delegation were also the Acting Executive Secretary of the NEITI, Mr. Orji Ogbonnaya Orji and the Deputy Head of the EITI global, Mr. Eddie Rich.
The Minister of State for Budget & Planning, Mrs. Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed and the former Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI), were in at the meeting with the Acting President.
Also today the Vice President received delegations from Nigeria Leadership Initiative, NLI class of 2015 and the Nigerian Institute of Legislative Studies, NILS.
He told the delegation from the NLI that considering the extent of effort required to address the socio-economic impact of the insurgency in the Northeast, Nigerians with the required capacity should partner with different agencies of government to rehabilitate and rebuild the area.
“It would be useful to work with the Presidential Committee on Northeast Initiative to achieve some of its objectives.”
The Acting President commended the class for its work, even as he asked the group to go further and play a more active role beyond making a documentary submission. Professor Osinbajo said that there is quite a lot to be done and lots of effort are underway.
The group was led by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investments, Dr. Okey Enelamah and Central Bank Deputy Governor, Mrs. Sarah Alade.
Dr. Enelamah informed the Acting President about the proposed documentary project of the group, which focuses on the humanitarian crisis in the North East is a collective issue rather than government concern alone.
In his meeting with the NILS, Vice President Osinbajo expressed government readiness to support the work of the Institute, saying that the Institute plays a prominent role in the legislative arm of government.
In his remarks, the leader of the delegation, the Senate Committee Chairman on Water Resources and also a member of the Governing Council of NILS, Senator Muhammad Ubali Shitu, expressed their support for the change agenda of the Buhari’s Administration and praised the Vice President’s response to support the Institute. [myad]
