Recession: Constitute sound team to revamp Nigeria’s economy – Ekweremadu tells Buhari

Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike
Ekweremadu, has advised President
Muhammadu Buhari to constitute a sound
economic team that will help him salvage
Nigeria from its economic woes.
Ekweremadu, in a Sallah message advised that
the team should cut across board, putting aside
party affiliation.
He also urged Muslim faithful to use the
occasion of the Eid-el-Kabir to pray for the
nation’s quick recovery of the nation.
The Deputy President of the Senate maintained
that the present economic challenges were not
beyond redemption, but could actually become
the nation’s turning point away from an oil-
depedent economy only if the right policies and
structures were put in place.
He said, “I warned long ago that elections had
come and gone and we should move from
politics to governance. It is time for governance
and we must bring all capable hands on the
deck, irrespective of political, religious or ethnic
backgrounds.
“Nigerians are facing hard times; and all they
are interested in are positive results and urgent
succour. They don’t care whether you are All
Progressives Congress, APC, or Peoples
Democratic Party, PDP and whether you are
North or South.
“The good news is that capable hands abound in
the country. We must assemble them and give
them both the mandate and liberty to help the
president’s team to revamp the nation’s
economy.” source daily post 

Falana To FG: Reject Swiss’ Conditions For $321m Abacha Loot

Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana, has asked
the federal government to reject, without
any further delay, the conditionality
attached to the repatriation of the sum
of $321 million Abacha loot from
Switzerland to Nigeria.
The conditionality includes the
supervision of the utilisation of the
money by the World Bank.
Falana said that if Switzerland refuses to
return the said $321 million without any
conditionality, the government should not
hesitate to initiate legal proceedings for
the recovery of the asset.
The lawyer, who said this in an open
letter he sent to the government, also
advised that in the proposed suit, Nigeria
should claim punitive and exemplary
damages and interests from Switzerland
for keeping the loot for over 20 years.
The letter reads in part: “We note that,
recently, the Swiss ambassador to
Nigeria, Mr Eric Mayoraz, disclosed that
the Swiss government would soon return
$321m of Abacha loot to Nigeria. As part
of the process of repatriation, the
ambassador claimed that the government
of Switzerland has, unilaterally, requested
the World Bank to supervise the spending
of the returned loot.
“We note that grand corruption, money
laundering and return of stolen assets
have long become major issues of
concern to the international community.
We further note that Switzerland has
acceded to all the relevant international
treaties such as the United Nations
Convention against Corruption for the
return of assets.
“We believe that the conditionality
imposed on Nigeria, which allows the
World Bank to supervise the spending of
returned assets by the Nigerian
government, breaches international law
principles and standards.”
Falana contended that Switzerland has
no legal authority to impose conditions
on Nigeria regarding the spending of
recovered assets.
“Imposing conditions on Nigeria regarding
the spending of returned assets is
disproportionate and amounts to an
unlawful intervention because
Switzerland has no legal or moral right to
the assets. Indeed, Switzerland is
completely complicit for the stashing and
depositing of stolen assets from Nigeria
in its banks and other financial
institutions.
“We are seriously concerned that the
World Bank itself has not demonstrated
sufficient level of transparency and
accountability in its supervision of
spending of previously returned Abacha
loot.
“For example, the World Bank has so far
refused to satisfactorily disclose
information on the spending of recovered
Abacha loot requested by Nigerian
anticorruption NGO, Socio-Economic
Rights and Accountability Project,
(SERAP).
“Having regard to the empty promises
made so far by Switzerland and the
United States to return forfeited assets
worth over $800 million, it is clear that
the Western countries will continue to
frustrate the repatriation of the looted
wealth of the nation being warehoused
by them, albeit illegally.”
Falana urged the federal government to
collaborate with relevant civil society
organisations to mount a campaign,
locally and internationally, to ensure full
compliance by Switzerland, the United
States and other Western countries to
international law principles of
accountability, sovereignty, equality,
fairness and non-interference.

Don’t let Nigeria become another Yugoslavia, Ajayi cautions Buhari

Elder statesman Sir Olaniwun Ajayi has
warned President Muhammadu Buhari
against taking steps that could cause the
country to go the way of the former
Yugoslavia, a balkan confederation that
violently split up in the 90s into smaller
nation-states over ethnic conflicts.
Ajayi, a political associate of the late
nationalist leader Chief Obafemi
Awolowo, while reacting to the on-going
agitation in the Niger Delta and Eastern
Region, said the President should not
reject the persistent calls for the
restructuring of Nigeria by well meaning
Nigerians across the south.
“Yugoslavia has about 6, 7, 8
nationalities. They’ve done all they could
to make sure that every nation in that
country went his own way, but their
leaders said no all the time up to the
time of Josep Broz Tito in 1980.”
The nonagenarian lawyer noted that
between 1980 and 1990 Yugoslavia tried
to stave off disintegration, until tensions
came to a boil in 1991, when the
state began its split into Croatia (1991),
Slovenia (1991) Macedonia (1991),
Serbia (2006), Bosnia and Herzegovina
(1992), Kosovo (2008), and Montenegro
(2006).
He noted that Nigeria should be ran along
the existing six geo-political zones and
let every zone develop in accordance
with its own pace.
“We are not a one monolithic country.
We are a federation of different nations
as a result of our nature, from the point
of view of our ethnic nationality, our
languages, culture. And if we are so
different we should be managed
according to our nature and culture.”
He pointed out that there was no way
the president or any leader could think he
could force a multiethnic country like
Nigeria to live same way, saying the
ideology and ways of life of Fulani and
Igbo are not the same as that of the
Yoruba and Kanuri, for instance.

Back to the Ekwueme Constitution

One of the most perplexing paradoxes in
today’s Nigeria is the strident campaign for the
adoption of the report of the 2014 national
dialogue on the Nigerian condition organized by
the Goodluck Jonathan administration as the
basis of a new constitution. Even people who
should know better have joined the bandwagon,
showing that many Nigerians just go with the
flow. Mental rigour remains a commodity in
awfully short supply in the Nigerian public
space.
The most critical objective for the campaign for
Nigeria’s structural redesign since the
mid-1990s is to reduce the number of states
from 36 to about 6, so as to, among other
factors, free the economy from perennial
paralysis arising out of the humungous annual
recurrent expenditure at all levels. But the 2014
Conference agreed that the number of states
should, in fact, balloon from 36 to 54.
The delegates believed that Nigeria, whose 28
out of the 36 states cannot pay workers’ salary,
should have the highest number of states
throughout the globe, four more than the United
States, the world’s wealthiest nation which has
50 states and a population of 300m. This
recommendation highlights the emptiness of the
Nigerian political class. Still, some people who
delight in being called social critics and
statesmen have of late been trumpeting the
2014 Conference Report as Nigeria’s only hope
for survival whereas it actually sounds the
country’s death knell. Pray, how can Nigeria
survive for up to six months with some 54
states?
High-minded people recognize the enormity of
power conferred on Nigeria’s centre, observing
it is a principal cause of the country’s
socioeconomic underdevelopment. And a major
reason for the concentration of power at the
centre is the large number of states. In other
words, the more states are balkanized to create
other states, the more they become dependent
on the federal government. And yet the people
who complain that the centre is too powerful
are the same individuals and groups pushing for
the 2014 Conference Report which advocates
as many as 18 more states to be created in one
fell swoop! The truth is that the death of the
report iwas foretold ab initio. Besides the fact
that there is no law creating the 2014
Conference, it never had legitimacy or moral
authority. All the almost 500 delegates were
appointed by one single individual. This is not
tenable in a democracy in the 21st century. And
those asking President Muhammadu Buhari to
adopt and implement the report should know the
Constitution does not vest such power in the
president. Interestingly, those who advocate
Buhari’s implementation of the report frequently
accuse the president of dictatorial tendencies.
Nigeria needs to be redesigned. Much of the
work has mercifully already been caught out, as
can be gleaned from the 1995 Constitution
which is sometimes called the Ekwueme
Constitution because its key differentiating
features were canvassed by former Vice
President Alex Ekwueme at the 1994/5
Constitutional Conference in Abuja. The major
differentiating contents of the 1995 Constitution
are the division of the country into geopolitical
zones, the adoption of the zones as the
federating units, rotational presidency, one term
of five or six years for the president and each
state governor which is not renewable, increase
in the use of the derivation principle from 3 to
13%, etc. Sani Abacha had begun to implement
the 1995 Constitution, as shown by his creation
of six states in 1996, with each zone getting one
new state. One good thing about the zones is
that it makes for equity and stability. It divides
the South into three zones and the North into
another three zones. Nigeria began as an
amalgamation between the North and the
South.
It is regrettable that Afenifere leaders coerced
Abdulsalami Abubakar into jettisoning the 1995
Constitution and replacing it with the 1979
Constitution. Afenifere leaders felt that since
the 1995 Constitution was drawn up under
Abacha who was justifiably considered an
enemy, it must be rejected, even though Abacha
had practically no input in it. It was a case of
throwing away both the baby and the bad water.
Abubakar was desperate to have the Yoruba
participate in his transition to civil rule
programme, and so capitulated to the Afeniferi
demand. He acquiesced to the demand that the
1979 Constitution be brought back. This is why
there are almost no differences between the
1979 and 1999 constitutions. The few
differences lie in such matters as the
establishment of the National Judicial
Commission and the increase in the use of the
derivation principle from 3to 13% in the revenue
allocation formula because the chairman of the
committee set up by Abdulsalami to look into
the adoption of the 1979 Constitution, Justice
Niki Tobi, an indigene of oil-rich Delta State,
insisted on its retention from the Ekwueme
Constitution.
Ironically, the Afenifere leaders who made
jettisoning the 1995 Constitution and its
replacement with the 1979 Constitution their
condition for participation in the transition
programme are the same people now accusing
the Abubakar military junta of imposing the
1999 constitution on Nigerians—and many
otherwise perceptive Nigerians believe the
propaganda stunt!
Nigeria needs a new constitution to meet its
new challenges. Only people directly elected by
the citizens can have the mandate to undertake
such a sacred enterprise as designing or
reforming a constitution in a fundamental sense.
Though some critical national issues have been
addressed by the 1995 Constitution, one matter
which should not be overlooked is the
imperative for multiple vice presidency. It was
about the only issue which Ekwueme spiritedly
but unsuccessfully fought to include in the 1995
Constitution. Ekwueme argued that there should
be six vice presidents, with each zone, including
the home zone of the president, supplying one.
In the event of the president dying in office or
resigning or removal from office, the vice
president from his zone will complete the term
of the president.
If the term is not completed, the people from
the president’s zone are most likely to feel
cheated, as we have seen in the case of
President Umaru Yar’Adua when he died in 2010,
in the third year of national leadership; the
North felt shortchanged. To reduce costs and
make things easier, the people who may be
regarded as vice presidents can be the Senate
President, Speaker of the House of
Representatives, secretary to the federal
government, head of civil service, and a person
who may be designated as Vice President 1 and
working daily with the president in State House.
This means that people coming from these
offices mentioned above will perforce hail from
different geopolitical zones.
Nigeria needs a new constitution or a
comprehensively reformed one. The states as
currently constituted and local government
areas cannot have a place in the new
constitution. The idea of a so-called third or
fourth tier of government is a misnomer. The
1995 Constitution, otherwise known as the
Ekwueme Constitution, provides the starting
point for a new Nigeria.

Nigeria: Why I Will Not Serve in Buhari's Govt - Okonjo-Iweala

By Charles Kumolu
Former Finance Minister, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-
Iweala yesterday said it was better to allow
those managing Nigeria's economy to do the
best they could, noting that there could be
solutions to the present economic decline in the
country.
She also noted that she would not be available
to serve the present administration if overtures
were made to her by President Muhammadu
Buhari, noting that Nigeria boasts of competent
people, who would offer their services when
called upon.
Okonjo-Iweala, who said this while participating
in an Aljazeera programme: The Stream,
regretted that the economic gains recorded in
Africa started eroding a few years ago, noting
that solving macroeconomic question was key
to fixing the continent's economic challenges.
ARTICLE CONTINUES AFTER ADVERTISEMENT
She specifically said that having a firm control
over the rate of inflation in addition to ensuring
a stable exchange rate should be prioritised by
African governments.
She said: " One of the things you learn as you
get wiser is to talk less as you grow older. I
have spent my time contributing to the country.
It will be better to live those managing the
economy to do what they know how to do.
There can be solutions.
"I am not a typical politician. I went in as a
technocrat. I think on the continent we have
seen a period when the economy was doing
well, in the last two years we have been
experiencing challenges. We need to focus on
the basics which are macro-economics. You
must get the fundamentals like having a stable
exchange rate and having inflation under
control.
"I served my country for seven years and it was
a great honour. The second time was very tough
but it is still an honour. I am not the only
person who is a repository of knowledge. There
are other people who can equally try their hands
in running the economy.
"I will advise young people not to wait for
employment. They should create jobs to employ
six people or more. During my time in
government, we had a programme called You
Win designed to support young entrepreneurs.
The whole idea was to have a business plan
competition. Source All Africa

FG Orders Navy to Investigate Influx of Foreign Trawlers into Niger Delta Waters

The federal government has ordered the
Nigerian Navy to investigate and stop the
increasing influx of foreign trawlers into the
nation’s territorial waters for indiscriminate
fishing.
The Minister of State for Agriculture and Rural
Development, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri,
disclosed this while addressing some issues
raised during the interactive session held with
farmers in Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital.
Lokpobiri said the influx of foreign trawlers into
Nigerian territorial waters through the coast to
fish without the permission of the federal
government would no longer be tolerated.
He said the presidency had directed the Chief
of Naval Staff to look into the matter with
immediate effect.
Lokpobiri also enjoined the indigenes of Bayelsa
and other states of the region to embrace
peace while the federal government would
continue to provide ways of boosting the
economy.
He expressed concern about pipeline vandalism
by youths in the region, urging them to go into
agriculture.
Lokpobiri also advised the people of the Niger
Delta region to invest in farming as loans would
be provided for them by Bank of Industry and
Agricultural Development Bank in the state.
Commenting on the interactive session, the
President of the Ijaw Youth Council, Mr. Udeng
Eradiri, said the Niger Delta region and youths
had to key into agriculture to create wealth.

ONDO GOV POLL: How padded delegates’ list tore APC apart

Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Rotimi
Akeredolu, SAN, as the governorship
candidate of the All Progressives Congress,
APC, is already tearing the party apart.
Signs that all is still not well in the party
even after the initial calm that followed last
weekend’s governorship primaries are
becoming more visible and is threatening
the fragile peace in the party.
The aftermath of the primaries has claimed
a Senatorial Chairman of the party, Chief
Gboyega Adedipe, who stepped down
following Akeredolu’s emergence.
Interestingly, more leaders may dump the
APC, as some of the aspirants are already
in talks with political parties that are yet to
conduct their primaries with the hope of
picking their tickets.
The highly monetised election saw the
preferred aspirant of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed
Tinubu, the national leader of APC, Dr
Olusegun Abraham taking the second
position behind Akeredolu.
Akeredolu took many by surprise as political
pundits had posited that he would perform
dismally at the polls.
Padded delegate’s list
However, the outcome shook many to the
marrows and huge dust is being raised by
some of the aspirants, who allege that the
delegates’ list was padded to favour
Akeredolu in Saturday’s election.
Rejection of the result by two frontline
contestants and calls for fresh election have
trailed the exercise in the last one week.
Two aspirants, Prof Ajayi Boroffice and Dr
Bode Ayorinde both members of the
National Assembly have preferred not to
lend their voices to the alleged padded list,
perhaps, for political reason and to secure
their present positions.

Aggrieved aspirants kick

First to complain over doctoring of the
delegates’ list released to the aspirants a
few hours to the election was the former
governorship candidate of the PDP in the
2012 governorship election, Chief Olusola
Oke.
Also, Dr. Olusegun Abraham, who had earlier
conceded defeat recanted and described the
result as fraudulent and unacceptable.
Some aggrieved leaders of the party in the
state have picked holes in the election
describing it as a sham.
Oke said in a statement, a day after the
election, that the postponement of the
election twice was “as we later learnt from
the process of the primary, to allow time to
perfect the rigging strategy of the primaries
to return a pre-agreed aspirant.
“The illicit substitution of the delegates’ list
officially given to the aspirants from
Abuja,less than 12 hours to the primary was
meant to allow persons who were never
members of the executive of the party to
participate as voters in the primaries.
Speaking through the Director General of
his campaign Organisation, Bola Fisayo, Oke
said, “let the people of Ondo State and in
particular members of the APC in the state
not be deceived, what they saw on
television as a process was a voodoo. The
primary election was everything but credible
primary.”
On his part, Dr Olusegun Abraham who was
the “annointed” aspirant of Tinubu, who had
earlier conceded defeat and congratulate
Akeredolu recanted by rejecting the result
which he markedly declared as fraudulent.

Abraham kick

Abraham declared that “the result was
unacceptable to him considering the
staggering facts of anomalies that have
since emerged to the demerit of the
exercise.
Speaking through the Director General of his
campaign Organisation, Chief Olu Adegboro,
Abraham said he was baffled by “the gale of
allegations and facts of malpractices that
have since mared the conduct and process
of the Ondo gubernatorial primary election.
He said: “It is now beyond doubt that the
delegates’ list used on the day of the
primary election was doctored and strangely
injected with a mind blowing number of
delegates who are neither executive
members of our party nor statutory
delegates.
“To say the least, the manipulation of the
delegates’ list, highly skewed accreditation
process and the entire processes leading to
the conduct of the primary election has cast
the darkest stain on the result of the
primary election held on the 3rd September,
2016.
“Against this background, coupled with the
change and integrity that our party preaches
and practices, and having widely consulted
with my numerous supporters, I have
reached the hour of decision to fall back on
the internal mechanism of our great party to
seek redress so that at the end justice will
be served and more importantly, our
democracy may endure.
“To this end, the outcome of the September
3rd APC Governorship primaries in Ondo
State is unacceptable and I hereby appeal
against same.”
Also, some leaders of the party have
petitioned the appeal committee equally
alleging fraud in the election and called for a
fresh exercise.
The petition signed by chairman of the party
in the Central, East and West senatorial
districts, Messrs Adegboyega Adedipe,
Akintunde Samuel and Adeola Ademulegun
respectively, said the result failed to reflect
the reality of the election.
They alleged in their petition that “A strange
delegates’ list was introduced on the night
of the election after everybody had gone to
sleep only for us to wake up in the morning
of the election to see a massively corrupted
delegates’ list.”
“Names of 47 percent of the delegates in
Ondo East were either deleted or substituted
with people who are unknown to the party
as executive members. Some of the injected
names are not even aware of the
development and so did not come for the
primary election.
“In all, a total of 64 names were injected
into the delegates’ list. The names were
unknown to the party. For instance,
somebody who never contested any
election, and some even unknown to the
party suddenly became ward chairmen in
wards four, six, two and seven of Ondo East
Local Government.
“Our total valid delegates are 135 out of
which 64 were disenfranchised, meaning 47
of the delegates on the unlawful list were
illicit voters.
“While Akeredolu got 669 votes at the
primaries, Abraham got 635 votes.

Ondo PDP call for probe

Also worried by the monetised election, the
Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state
has called on President Muhammadu Buhari
to probe the alleged N5 billion allegedly
spent by the aspirants of the APC during
the primary election.
It’s publicity Secretary, Banji Okunomo, said,
“It was gathered that the aspirants involved
in a cash bazaar to induce the delegates at
the elections, an act that is unprecedented
in the history of party primaries in Ondo
state.
“If the Buhari government fails to urgently
probe the sources of money wasted on the
APC primary in Ondo State, it would be
difficult for any sane person to countenance
the seriousness of the acclaimed fight
against corruption by the APC led
government.”

REVEALED: How Politics Cost Nigeria The Services Of History Making Coach Of Uganda

The coach of the Cranes of Uganda Milutin
Sredojevic popularly refereed to as Micho who
made history by qualifying Uganda for their
first ever Africa Cup of Nations since 1978,
would have been the coach of Nigeria were it
not for power play, politics and intrigues of
the Nigeria football system.
Before the appointment of Sunday Oliseh as
coach of the Super Eagles, Micho was the
front runner for the job after he was proposed
to the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) by
match agent Jairo Pachon.
President of the NFF Amaju Pinnick took his
board members by surprise when he held talks
with former Nigeria national team captain
Sunday Oliseh and offered him the job as
opposed to Micho.
After Nigeria’s failure to qualify for the Africa
Cup of Nations, Micho was once again
approached few months before the Paul Le
Guen fiasco but this time around interest in
the office of the NFF president put a stop to
it.
Pinnick waxed lyrical about his preference for
a Serbian coach but settled for French man Le
Guen who later turned down the job. But prior
to that time, Micho’s appointment would have
been rubber stamped were it not for greed
among close allies of the NFF supremo.
An unnamed ally of the president of the NFF
wanted the coach to dump the man who
proposed him for the job in Jairo Pachon for
him, but the Serbian refused and insisted on
the Colombian match agent of the NFF.
It didn’t go down well with the said individual,
who in turn turned the head of the NFF
president against appointing the Serb. His loss
happened to be Uganda’s gain as while Nigeria
missed out on a second consecutive AFCON,
Uganda under Micho are going to be there for
the first time in 38 years.

Court slams N10m bail on Orubebe

A High Court of the Federal Capital
Territory sitting in Maitama Wednesday
admitted bail in the sum of N10 million to
the former minister of Niger Delta Affairs,
Godsday Orubebe, and four others
standing trial before it for allegedly
diverting the sum of N2.3 billion. Orubebe,
Oludare Lawrence Alaba (an Assistant
Director, Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs),
Ephraim Tewolde Zeri (Director of
Contracts in Gitto Costruzioni Generali
Nigeria Limited were yesterday arraigned
before the court on a six-count charge by
the Independent Corrupt Practices and
other related offences Commission
(ICPC).
They were accused of diverting the money
meant for the dualisation of Section IV of
the East-West Road.
The accused however pleaded not guilty
to all the charges when it was read out to
them.
The trial judge, Justice Olukayode Adeniyi,
after listening to the submissions from
both the defence and prosecution
counsels over their bail application,
admitted bail to the former minister in the
sum of N10 million.
The judge also ordered Orubebe to
produce one surety in like sum.
Adeniyi said Orubebe’s surety must be a
responsible Nigerian with evidence of
three years tax payment and land property
owner within the FCT.
The judge however ruled that Alaba and
Zeri should produce one surety each in
like sum, who must be an assistant
director in the civil service and a land
owner within the court’s jurisdiction and
that the sureties must depose to an
affidavit of means.
Adeniyi said Orubebe shall remain in the
custody of ICPC until his bail conditions
were met and adjourned the case till
November 10 for hearing.
The defendants were accused of diverting
about N2.3 billion meant for the
dualisation of Section IV of the East-West
Road.
Orubebe allegedly circumvented a Federal
Executive Council approval for the
dualisation of the Eket-Oron Road, part of
the East-West Road which runs from Edo
to Bayelsa.
He allegedly instructed the contractor,
Gitto Construction, to rehabilitate instead
of dualising as approved by the council. Source. National mirror

Postpone Edo Election, Police, DSS Tell INEC

For fear of possible breach of security
and attack on citizens, the Nigeria Police
and the Department of State Services
(DSS) have called on the Independent
National Electoral Commission (INEC)
postpone the September 10, 2016
governorship election in Edo State.
The security agencies said the call
follows credible intelligence available to
them which indicate that there may be
terror attacks during next week’s Sallah
holidays, particularly in Edo State.
The electoral umpire, INEC, however said
yesterday that it was yet to get a formal
security report from the security
agencies calling for the postponement of
Saturday’s election.
According to the Force Public Relations
Officer, DCP Don Awunah, and his DSS
counterpart, Tony Opuiyo, who was
represented by Garba Abdullahi, at a
briefing in Abuja yesterday, it was in the
light of the intelligence gathered that the
appeal for the postponement of the
election became pertinent.
DCP Awunah, in a statement he read
during the briefing, said: “The Nigeria
Police and the DSS wish to inform the
general public that credible intelligence
availed to the agencies indicate plans by
insurgent/extremist elements to attack
vulnerable communities and soft targets
with high populations during the
forthcoming Sallah celebrations between
September 12 and 13, 2016.
“Edo State is among the states being
earmarked for these planned attacks by
the extremist elements. It is in regard of
this that we are appealing to INEC,
which has legal duty to regulate
elections in the country, to consider the
need for possible postponement of the
date of the election in Edo State in order
to enable security agencies deal
decisively with the envisaged terrorists
threats.
“While the police/DSS remain mindful of
the inconveniences this request may
cause the various political stakeholders,
it is our strong resolve that security
agencies need not be distracted from
ensuring a peaceful and secure Nigeria
now and always.”
The security agencies, however, assured
members of the public that they will
continue to remain focused and
committed to their security.
INEC’s deputy director, Voter Education
and Publicity (VEP), Mr Nick Dazang,
noted that the electoral commission had
no official communication from any of
the security agencies relating to the
postponement of the polls.
He further said that INEC had just
concluded a stakeholders’ meeting in Edo
State, and that the commission’s
chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu,
was planning to make another visit to
the state to finalise plans ahead of the
polls.
“As a matter of fact, we got the
information from the media. Some of
your colleagues have been calling; that’s
how we got to know about it.
“We’ve just finished stakeholders’
meeting there. The chairman and other
national commissioners are meeting here.
Maybe subsequently, we will have an
idea. In fact, we will have to confirm the
veracity of that statement,” he declared.
PDP kicks, advises against false alarm
The Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) leadership
yesterday kicked against the call by the
police and DSS for the postponement of
Saturday’s Edo State governorship
election on grounds of an insurgency
alert, describing it as a false alarm.
The opposition party, therefore, called on
President Muhammadu Buhari to call the
security agencies to order, stressing that
it was taken aback that the alert came a
day after he (the president) attended a
rally of his party, the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in Benin City, which was
concluded without any hitch.
A statement by PDP’s national publicity
secretary, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, advised
INEC not to succumb to the alarm.
The party wondered why the security
agencies saw no reason to call off a
recently conducted Senatorial by-election
in Borno State, which is a high-point of
insurgency in the country.
“Our attention has been drawn to the
shocking breaking news of the advise by
the DSS and the Police to INEC to
postpone the Saturday, September 10,
2016 gubernatorial election in Edo State
on the excuse of insurgency alert.
“We are taken aback by this advise
coming a day after the president and
commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces
of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,
Muhammadu Buhari was present at the
mega rally of its party, the APC, in Benin
City, which was concluded without any
hitch.
“It is on record that INEC recently
conducted a ‘hitch free’ Senatorial By-
Election in Borno State which is a high-
point of insurgency in the country but
the security agencies saw no reason to
call-off the election. It is therefore
lamentable to hear from these same
security agencies that election cannot be
held in a state where in less than 24
hours, the president and all the APC
leaders and members had an
uninterrupted rally.
“We are calling on the President,
Muhammadu Buhari to caution the
security agencies and direct them to
provide full security and also to desist
from doing anything that will jeopardise
this forthcoming gubernatorial election in
Edo State. We are equally counting on
INEC not to succumb to this false alarm
by acting independently and holding
election as scheduled.
“We hope that this advise from the
security agencies is not in concert with
the APC, having seen the indices of
losing the Edo State gubernatorial
election to the PDP,” the party stated.
The Senator Makarfi-led PDP called on
its members, supporters, other Edo voters
and the international community to
remain law-abiding “while staying alert on
this calculated attempt at scuttling our
hard-earned democracy.”
Also in a reaction yesterday, the PDP
governorship candidate in the election,
Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, accused the
APC of being behind the call for the
postponement of the election, using what
he termed “DSS and police fake security
report.”
According to him, the APC had developed
cold feet because he had established a
comfortable lead over its (APC’s)
candidate, Godwin Obaseki, according to
A new opinion poll conducted by a media
research and marketing organisation,
Samrex Communications Ltd.
Data from the survey supervised by Dr
Ubani Azuka, and released on Tuesday,
showed that the lead which Obaseki had
enjoyed in Edo North had hugely
declined, compared to the last survey.
The report said that the survey, which
targeted 23,000 respondents cut across
the three senatorial districts, was carried
out between August 1 and September 2,
2016.
The latest report by the organisation,
which targeted likely voters by telephone
and online survey in the three senatorial
districts – Edo South, Edo Central and
Edo North – showed Ize-Iyamu to have
the support of 75 per cent of the
electorate in Edo South, 77 per cent in
Edo Central, and 47 per cent in Edo
North versus 25 per cent, 22 per cent
and 53 per cent of the respondents who
said they supported Obaseki.
The survey said that many of the
respondents based their decision on the
neglect of their communities, unfulfilled
promises by the government, huge
corruption within the state government,
high cost of living, bad roads and
abandoned projects in their areas.
On the other hand, those who promised
to vote for the APC generally based their
decision on the renovation of schools;
the promise to build industries to
generate income and create jobs; loans
to farmers and small scale business
owners and provision of potable water
and youth empowerment.
They also said they wanted somebody
who would sustain Governor Adams
Oshiomhole’s legacies.

Nigeria: Presidency - Nigeria Not Importing Poisonous Rice

The Presidency has dispelled rumours in the
social media that the federal government was
importing poisonous rice.
Presidential spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina, in a
statement on Wednesday, said the government
described attempts by unscrupulous individuals
on the social media linking the government and
Dangote Group with a plan to flood the country
with genetically modified rice as extremely
uncharitable.
He said the government warned purveyors of
such malicious information and those thinking of
embarking on the same route to have a rethink
and retrace their steps.
"In real terms, the federal government in 2014
signed a $1billion Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) for investment in an
integrated rice project with Dangote Industries
Ltd. Further to this agreement, Dangote
Industries Limited this year cultivated over 8,000
hectares in Hadejia, Jigawa State, creating over
10,000 direct and indirect jobs for farmers who
are the major beneficiaries of the scheme.

"In consolidation of the rice project of the
federal government, the President Muhammadu
Buhari administration is also in partnership with
the African Development Bank (AfDB) and other
reputable companies to tap into the vast
potentials in the private sector and broaden the
economic base of the country," he said.
He said the gains of the diversification drive,
especially in the agriculture sector, were already
yielding dividends as shown by the recent
statistics in the sector as published by the
National Bureau of Statistics.
According to him, these engagements will
continue until the present administration has
laid a solid foundation for the economic
development of the nation.
He said it was therefore ridiculous that a
government that was wholly devoted to the
generation of employment for Nigerians,
especially through agriculture, would turn
around to get involved in an activity that would
reverse the gains of the same partnership. Source All African

Political appointments: no part of Nigeria is left out, says Lai Mohammed

In a statement, the Minister of Information
and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the
comment made by the US lawmaker was
based on a faulty premise.

Alhaji Mohammed said: “Congressman
Marino was poorly informed about the issues
he commented on, wondering why he did not
take the pains to get first hand information
from the US Embassy in Nigeria or any other
credible source before engaging in what is
nothing but a propaganda of his own
imagination.”
The Minister said by asking the US to
refrain from selling war-planes and other
military equipment to Nigeria based on a
faulty premise, the Congressman relied on
the strength of some imaginary accusation
against President Muhammadu Buhari’s
administration.
He said, “Insecurity anywhere is insecurity
everywhere. Had Congressman Marino
understood this, he would not have made
the kind of call he made concerning the US
security assistance to Nigeria. The Boko
Haram insurgency that Nigeria has
decisively dealt with under President
Muhammadu Buhari is not just a Nigerian
problem but a regional and international
crisis.”
The Minister said US lawmaker did not have
Nigeria in mind when he wrote that the US
should withhold security assistance to
Nigeria until President Buhari “demonstrates
a commitment to inclusive government and
the most basic tenets of democracy:
freedom to assemble and freedom of
speech.”
The statement reads: ‘’An Administration
that operates purely on the basis of respect
for the rule of law and a strict adherence to
constitutional order is not one to deny the
citizens of their constitutionally-guaranteed
rights. This Administration therefore does
not need the goading of Congressman
Marino or anyone for that matter to do what
is right.
‘’Concerning running an inclusive
government, had Congressman Marino done
his homework before dispatching his letter,
he would have realized that no part of the
country is left out in the distribution of
political appointments, for example, or in the
appointment of Ministers, which was done in
accordance with the Constitution that
mandates that the President must appoint
at least one minister from each of the 36
states and the Federal Capital Territory.
‘’Had the Congressman sought information
from credible sources before engaging in a
flight of fancy, he would have been
presented with a comprehensive information
on the appointment of CEOs for Federal
Government’s parastatals, agencies and
commissions that shows that the appoints
were almost evenly matched along the line
of the six geo-political zones in the country:
With the North West having 51, North
Central 46, North East 45, South East 41,
South West 45 and South South 45.
“The Congressman may wish to note that
each geo-political zone comprises 6 states,
with the exception of North West (7) and
South East (5).”
The Minister described Marino’s description
of the administration’s anti-corruption
efforts as ‘selective’ as a tired argument
that clearly shows that the US lawmaker
must have appended his signature to
someone’s concocted line.
‘’That line was invented by those seeking to
cause an unnecessary distraction from the
Administration’s anti-corruption efforts, and
it has been roundly rejected. Congressman
Marino’s decision to exhume the dead
postulation without an iota of proof is a
reflection of whose side he has taken in the
ongoing efforts to rid Nigeria of corrupt
elements. Needless to say that the anti-
corruption battle will continue unhindered,
irrespective of whose ox is gored. And in
this fight, only the guilty needs be afraid,”
he said.
Mohammed said Nigeria is delighted that US
Secretary of State, John Kerry, to whom
Marino addressed his letter, is more
knowledgeable, better briefed and definitely
more hands-on concerning Nigerian issues.

Nigeria: How National Assembly Members Earn N6.78 Billion Annually

At a time Nigerians are groaning under the yoke
of recession, members of the National Assembly
comprising the senators and members of House
of Representatives have received a total sum of
N6.78 billion as their official salaries and
allowances in one year, investigation by
Economic Confidential has revealed.
The report obtained by the Economic
intelligence magazine showed the 'legitimate'
remuneration of the federal legislators in
compliance to the statutory approval of the
Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal
Commission (RMAFC). The remuneration
packages include: annual salaries,
accommodation, vehicle maintenance and fuel,
personal assistants, house maintenance,
domestic staff, entertainment and utilities
allowances.
Others allowances are: Constituency allowance,
annual leave, hardship allowance, wardrobe,
newspapers and responsibility allowances.
A careful scrutiny of the report showed that
each senator has an annual salary of
N2.02million while a member of House of
Representative receives N1.98million as annual
basic salary. The basic salary of the Senate
President is N2.48million while that of the
Speaker of House of Representatives is
N2.47million.

The Deputy Senate President has N2.30million
as annual basic salary while his counterpart,
Deputy Speaker earns N2.28million annually.
In addition to the annual basic salary, each
member of the National Assembly receives 200
per cent of the annual salary for
accommodation, 75 per cent for vehicle
maintenance, 25 per cent for personal
assistants, five per cent for house maintenance,
75 per cent for domestic staff, 30 per cent for
both entertainment and utilities.
Others are, 25 per cent for wardrobe, 15 per
cent for newspapers and responsibility
allowance of between 10, 7, and 5 per cent
respectively as the case may be on the position
of the legislator.
While each senator receives a whopping 250 per
cent for constituency allowance, member of
House of Representative gets 100 per cent for
the same annually.
In all, the senate alone numbering 109 senators
gulped the sum of N1.85billion annually, while
the 360 members of the House of
Representatives got N4.93 billion as total
remuneration packages.

According to estimates from the report, there
are non-regular allowances federal legislators
are entitled to.
They include furniture and severance gratuity
which are due only once in four years.
Other non-regular allowances include estacode
allowances which is paid in US dollars for
foreign trips and duty tour allowance which is
paid in naira for local trips within Nigeria.
Further analysis revealed that an average
Nigerian worker with a minimum wage of
N18,000 a month will have to work for four
years before earning the utility allowance for
one legislator.
Unless the remuneration package is reviewed
downward or upward by the RMAFC, the
legislators will continue to enjoy the current
salaries and allowances.

Immigration Minister signs agreement with Nigeria on returning stolen criminal assets

Criminal assets stolen in Nigeria and seized in
the UK are to be returned to the West African
country through a new agreement signed this
week.
The deal was signed by Immigration Minister
Robert Goodwill and Nigerian Attorney General
Abubakar Malami.
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed
as part of a 2 day visit to the African country
by the Immigration Minister last week (Tuesday
30 and Wednesday 31 August). It reinforces the
2 countries’ commitments to continuing
cooperation and mutual support in returning the
seized proceeds of bribery or corruption in a
responsible and transparent way.
Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill said:
This government is committed to
attacking criminal finances, making it
harder to move, hide and use the
proceeds of crime. Between April 2010
and March 2016, we seized a total of
£1.2 billion from criminals, with more
assets recovered in 2015 to 2016 than
ever before.
Crime of this sort is not confined to our
own borders and it is therefore essential
that we work with international partners
to tackle it. This agreement spells out
how the UK and Nigeria will ensure that
criminal finances that have been
misappropriated from Nigeria will be
returned for the benefit of the Nigerian
people.
The Memorandum of Understanding makes
clear that both countries are committed to
ensuring that returned money should not be
allowed to get back into the hands of criminals.
As part of the agreement, the Nigerian
government has also pledged to use any
returned funds for projects that will benefit the
poorest members of society and improve access
to justice for all Nigerians.
The UK has been a driving force in bringing
countries together to tackle serious and
organised crime. Earlier this year, it created the
Global Forum for Asset Recovery which will
bring together governments – including Nigeria -
and law enforcement agencies to work to
recover stolen assets. Domestically, as outlined
in this year’s Queen’s speech, a Criminal
Finance Bill will be introduced to Parliament
which will allow the government to recoup more
criminal assets by reforming the law on
proceeds of crime. Source,

Nigeria ranks 106 out of 140 countries on Tech Readiness, says Onu

LAGOS—Minister of Science and Technology,
Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, has said that in Global
Competitiveness Report for 2015/2016, Nigeria
recorded a score of 3.0 out of 7 and ranked
106 out of 140 countries on Technological
Readiness and a score of 2.8 out of 7 with a
rank of 117 out of 140 countries on
Innovation.
The minister at a policy dialogue with private
sector organised by the Nigeria Economic
Submit Group, NESG, said: “It is worth pointing
out that 13 of the countries that ranked
among the top 20 in the Global Competitive
Index also ranked among the top 20 in the
rankings of the Technological Readiness and
Innovation Pillars.
They are Switzerland, Singapore, United States
of America, Germany, Netherlands, Japan,
Finland, Sweden, United Kingdom, Norway,
Denmark, Belgium and Luxembourg.
“When we look at the MINT countries of
Mexico, Indonesia, Nigeria and Turkey, apart
from the fact that the other three are doing
much better than us in competitiveness, they
rank far above Nigeria in the rankings on
Technological Readiness and Innovation.
“We should aim to be the best for only the
best is good enough for Nigeria. We can no
longer continue to depend on others. The time
has come for us to be self-reliant and also be
competitive enough for others to depend on us
at least in some areas. This will nourish our
national pride.”
“Closing the development gap will depend on
closing the existing STI investment gaps. While
a target of 1% of GDP for Research and
Development, RD, is perceived as high by
many governments, countries with strong and
effective STI systems invest up to 3.5% of
their GDP in RD.
“If countries wish to break the poverty cycle
and achieve Sustainable Development Goals
SDGs, they will have to set up ambitious
national minimum target investment for STI.” source, vanguard

Present Economic Recession in Nigeria a Blessing, Says Utomi

A renowned political economist, Professor Pat
Utomi, has described the recession presently
facing Nigeria as a golden opportunity and not a
problem, saying it is an opportunity to finally get
the Nigerian economy right.
Utomi who spoke during the ground breaking
ceremony of Integrated Produce City (IPC), a
private initiative championed by him and other
investors at Ugbokun community in Ovia North
East Local Government Area of Edo State,
added that without appearing to scandalise
anybody, he actually prays for oil prices to stay
down for a long time for Nigerians to come to
their senses to know that the country is really
rich.
His words: “Let me shock you by saying that
the recession we face in Nigeria is a golden
opportunity. It is not a problem; it is an
opportunity to finally get the Nigerian economy
right.
“So without appearing to scandalise anybody, I
actually pray for oil prices to stay down and
stay down for a long time. Then, we will come
to our senses and we will know that Nigeria
really is a rich country.
“Right now, we are not behaving as we should
be behaving. Competitively-driven industrial
policy in select value chains will be helpful in
confronting the misery index and bringing hope
to millions.”
He said Integrated Produce is unique first,
because it aims to confront the biggest monster
facing agriculture in Nigeria, which is yield
losses – the poor returns that farmers get, as
middle men scoop everything up, the profits that
slip away in these kinds of disarticulated
markets and the poor infrastructure challenge
that face people in agriculture.
According to him, “With a well organised trading
platform, accessing commodity exchanges,
efficiencies increase at a pace that increases
global competitiveness on the produce in which
our factor endowment are strong.”
On his part, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo
State who performed the ground breaking
ceremony, described the Integrated Produce
City (IPC) as a sheer commitment by the
investors to combat poverty, noting that it is the
first produce city in the heart of Benin kingdom.
“Today we are having the first produce city right
in the heart of Benin Kingdom few minutes’
drive from Benin City. I want to appreciate you,
your wife, your boss because we know that the
neck controls the head.
“This is an event that will kick-start what will
add meaning and value to thousands of people
both within and outside here. What you have
done by this initiative is to demonstrate that
there are Nigerians who have those qualities
that we celebrate elsewhere. All those who
teach can also practicalise what they teach and
practically in the country you are one of those
teachers.
“This gathering couldn’t have been better not
just what we have been telling people in the
past three months that our candidate said he
would create 200,000 jobs many believe that it
is not possible and that brings you to two
divides of Nigerians that we have those who
believe that our future lies in that lazy tradition
of extracting the liquid gold and exporting it with
little or no value to it, bring dollar home, quarrel
over sharing it, do some symbolic public toilets
and buildings, and then privatise the rest and
import more,” he said.
Oshiomhole who thanked all the foreign partners
to IPC for showing confidence that they can
come and invest in the state, also enjoined the
host community to regard the project cited in
their community as their own and defend it as
their own as they stand to benefit more.
In his welcome address, the state Commissioner
for Agriculture and Natural Resources, Joe
Plague, saluted the courage of IPC, saying the
project was timely because it is in line with the
agricultural policy of the state, more so with the
concept of combining farming with industry.
He therefore promised that the state
government would do everything possible to
ensure the purpose of the project is achieved.
Also in his speech, the representative of
Ugbokun community said his people would ever
remain grateful for the project because it is
going to open the forest that has become a
hideout for hoodlums who use it to attack
unsuspecting travellers.
He therefore requested that government should
establish a police station in the community to
help safeguard the investment, while calling on
the management of IPC to take care of the
interest of the host community. Source, this day

NPower Project: Nigerian Manufacturers Cry Foul over Plot by Osinbajo’s Office to Favour Foreign Firm

As information and communication technology
(ICT) companies in the country jostle for a fair
share of the supply of 500,000 computers to
empower Nigerian youths in the federal
government-sponsored NPower project, some
local firms have accused the office of Vice
President Yemi Osinbajo of trying to favour a
foreign firm and its proxy.
The NPower programme is an ambitious project
of the President Muhammadu Buhari
government which hopes to buy 500,000
computers for the 500,000 unemployed
graduates it is about to recruit and deploy to
schools and other sectors. The Office for
Nigerian Content in ICT as well as the National
Information Technology Development Agency
(NITDA) have voiced their preference for the
patronage of local computer manufacturers in
the course of executing the project, arguing that
it would not only arrest capital flight but also
help to create jobs within the country.
However, some members of the Certified
Computers Manufacturers of Nigeria (CCMON),
the umbrella body of indigenous computer
manufacturers, have accused the office of vice
president of orchestrating a plot to award the
contract to a foreign firm through its Nigerian
proxy.
Impeccable presidency sources said three firms
namely: Brian Systems, Zinox and Softcom, had
been shortlisted in the bid process.
While Brian and Zinox are members of CCMON,
the third company is said to be fronting for
Samsung of South Korea.
Industry sources said they have information that
some persons in the vice president’s office are
hatching a plot to award the contract to the
agent of the foreign firm which has no known
pedigree and experience in delivering critical
jobs of this magnitude.
The plot to award the contract to a foreign
company against the ongoing campaign of the
Buhari government to patronise local
manufacturers has enraged some indigenous
firms.
A chief executive of an indigenous company
(name withheld) which was not short-listed in
the bid, said he was not bothered by the fact
that his company did not make it in the bid
process but he did not hide his disgust at the
news that the promoters of the NPower project
are contemplating awarding the contract to a
foreign company.
“It will be a disaster and disgrace to the
reputation of President Buhari if the office of
the vice president goes ahead to involve a
foreign company in a project in which there are
qualified and certified indigenous companies
who can effectively deliver world class products
and support services. Giving the job or any part
thereof to a foreign firm will only help to grow
the economy of that country, create jobs for its
youths while the Nigerian economy continues to
shrink with attendant job losses. Whoever that is
scheming to involve a foreign company in the
deal is an enemy of Nigeria,” he said.
The federal government’s Npower project seeks
to empower and engage Nigerian youths and
build a new legion of technology-savvy
Nigerians.
Osinbajo while promoting the programme
recently at a forum, said: “The key to change
and our future prosperity lies in innovation and
is critical to our development.”
He said government would establish an
Innovation Fund this year that would deploy
significant resources for the aim of creating
opportunities for the youths to access fund for
innovation and entrepreneurship.
He highlighted other plans as follows:
Establishment of technology innovation hubs
across the country; two super hubs (in Lagos
and Abuja) and six regional hubs in the six geo-
political zones in partnership with some major
technology companies; 65,000 young Nigerians
to be trained in hardware and software services
and in animation; create a reservoir in
technology capacity that can be exported
annually like the case of India; and bursary
award to 100,000 STEM undergraduates
developing their interest in programming, robotic
and animation technology, in addition to
deploying technology in the training of the
500,000 teachers that are expected to be
employed under the social investment scheme
of government this year. Source, this day

Nigeria Confirms Nickel Discovery In Kaduna

Authorities at the Ministry of Solid
Minerals Development yesterday
confirmed the discovery of world class
nickel in Kaduna State, by an Australian
mining syndicate.
Top officials at the ministry, who
confirmed the development in separate
telephone chats with LEADERSHIP, on
Monday night, said a more
comprehensive report would be made
available by the Ministry today.
One of the sources, who craved
anonymity as he was not authorised to
speak on the matter, said: “Yes it is true.
Nickel has been found in Nigeria, but we
cannot say anything right now. But be
rest assured that a comprehensive report
on the matter will be made available by
the Ministry today, or as soon as
possible.”
Nickel is a silvery-white metal with a
shiny surface common to most metals,
and is ductile and capable of being
drawn into thin wires. The name is said
to come from the German word
Kupfernickel, meaning “Old Nick’s
copper,” a term used by German miners.
It is also said to be one of three
naturally occurring elements that is
strongly magnetic. The other two are iron
and cobalt, but nickel is less magnetic
than either iron or cobalt.
Nickel is used in many forms, including
electric guitar strings, magnets and
rechargeable batteries. It is added to a
very important metal, alloy-stainless
steel, which has numerous applications.
It is used in cookware, cutlery, kitchen
appliances and various bronzes and
brasses as well as coins among several
others.
LEADERSHIP findings revealed that the
top ten countries where the mineral is
found in tonnage include the Philippines
(73,000) , Russia (240,000), Canada
(240,000), Australia (234,000), New
Caledonia (190,000), Indonesia (170,000),
Brazil (110,000) China (102,000),
Colombia (73,000) and Cuba (57,000).
Following the discovery, Nigeria is set to
join the league of the world’s largest
producers as the find is said to offer
potential for early cash flow. Nigeria’s
current major source of nickel, scrap
metals, currently yields an average 2.5
metric tons annually.
The discovery was first reported by an
Australian national daily, The Australian,
which reported that the private mining
syndicate that made the discovery was
led by Hugh Morgan, a mining industry
veteran.
“The discovery is unusual because the
nickel is found in small balls up to 3mm
in diameter of a high purity in shallow
soils in what could be the surface
expression of a much bigger hard-rock
nickel field.
“The nickel balls, rumoured to grade
better than 90 per cent nickel, and
thought to be a world first given their
widespread distribution, offer the
potential for early cash flow from a
simple and low-cost screening operation
to fund a full assessment of the find that
has exploration circles buzzing,” The
Australian reported.
Though the newspaper reported that
details of the discovery were sketchy, it
indicated that the discovery was on a
border town in Kaduna State, close to
Dangoma, a small farming settlement
about 160 kilometres northeast of the
Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
According to the report, Minister of Solid
Minerals Development, Dr Kayode
Fayemi, is one of 13 African ministers of
mines scheduled to attend this year’s
three-day Africa Down Under mining
conference at Perth’s Pan Pacific Hotel
in September.
Meanwhile, Fayemi has said that the
analysis conducted by major stakeholders
in the solid minerals sector, the
Association of Metal Exporters of Nigeria,
indicates that Nigeria can generate at
least N5 trillion annually from mining and
exporting of its vast solid mineral
deposits.
He stated this in his keynote address at
the opening of the 5th International
Mining Investment Conference/Exhibition
on Nigeria, which started in Abuja
yesterday, with the theme, ‘Connecting
the Global Mining Industry to the
Opportunities of the Solid Minerals
Sector in Nigeria.’
The minister said: “Based on current
data, Nigeria’s solid minerals sector only
makes up about 0.34 per cent of gross
domestic product (GDP).
“While that is significant, it is much
smaller than its true potential as the vast
majority of our mining assets have yet to
be exploited.
“According to one of the major
stakeholders in the solid minerals sector,
the Association of Metal Exporters of
Nigeria, we can generate at least N5
trillion annually from mining and
exporting of its vast solid mineral
deposits, with several multiplier effects
on job creation, state development and
social infrastructure that could position
the solid minerals sector as the main
catalyst for national development.”
Fayemi noted that should Nigeria
successfully implement the proposed
recommendations, growth is expected to
return to the sector in the form of new
exploration activity, operations and
production from active mining, functional
and expanded processing and refining
capacity, and higher value-addition in
exports.
“The net outcome will be the creation of
thousands of direct jobs and potentially
hundreds of thousands of indirect jobs.
We anticipate contribution to mining GDP
to exceed $25 billion by 2026 as
industries are better able to use the
output of the sector, substituting for
imports,” he added.
The minister, however, lamented that the
sector was faced with both internal and
external challenges which include the
lack of viable geosciences data and
information, low industry participants,
institutions and governance
On the external challenges, he said:
“Asides the negative perceptions about
the Nigerian investment environment is
the turmoil besetting the global
commodities market as key sources of
demand that supported decent prices
over the past two decades have steadily
declined.
“This has put mines and mining houses
under immense pressure which is
reflected in the sharp decline in the
share prices of major industry players
such as Glencore, Anglo-American and
Rio Tinto. “Naturally, as the prices of
metals and their assets plunge, many of
the top mining houses are pulling back
from investment planning, shutting down
mines and optimizing current operations.
This greatly affects our prospects for
new entrants into the Nigerian mining
space.
He, however, stated that in spite of the
abovementioned challenges, the sector
was resolved to overcome them and fulfil
its mandate.
“As things currently stand, in 2015, the
sector contributed approximately 0.33
per cent to the GDP of the country. This
contribution is a reversal from historically
higher percentages (about 4-5 per cent in
the 1960s-70s).
“Our policy goal is to return to a
contribution level of 5 per cent -7 per
cent over the next 10-15 years, and the
recently approved Medium Term
Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and the
Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) is very
supportive of this aspiration.
Also speaking the vice president, Prof
Yemi Osinbanjo, who was represented by
the special adviser to the president on
Economic Matters, Dr Adeyemi Dipeolu,
said: “The conference is important
because it is coming at a time when the
world is mired in economic crises, which
requires a synergy of efforts to restore
goals and normalcy.
“The administration of President Buhari
has consistently advocated and pursued
the formidable policy of diversifying the
Nigerian economy from over reliance on
crude oil with the current economic
downturn. It had become imperative that
we focus on areas of comparative
advantage, like agriculture and solid
minerals development.”
While urging the participants to bring up
strategies of engagement, he assured
that the federal government, through the
Ministry of Solid Minerals Development,
had developed a roadmap to provide the
basis for some key initiatives which had
been identified as crucial to the success
of the sector.

Why hardship may increase corruption in Nigeria, by cleric

CALABAR—CURRENT hardship affecting a
large section of Nigerians has the capacity
to increase the rate of corruption as people
become desperate to survive, Bishop
Emmah Isong, Assistant National Deputy
President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of
Nigeria, PFN, South South, has said.
Speaking with Vanguard, yesterday, the
President of Central Christian Chapel
International, noted that those who
ordinarily would have kept away from
corruption could out of desperation to make
ends meet be forced to engage in corrupt
practices just to survive.
He said: “The question is, are we going to
be alive in Nigeria till 2019 with the level of
hardship the people are going through? This
situation has the tendency to make people
who ordinarily would have stayed away from
corrupt practices to engage in corruption.”
He said what the current administration
should do is to draw up an economic blue
print that focuses on increased agricultural
production and rehabilitation of
infrastructure to create jobs for people as
many companies and industries were folding
up and laying off workers which is
exacerbating the hardship in the land.
“I can testify that Nigerians are feeling the
impact of the hardship as 17 of my
members have opted to return to their
villages because they have either been laid
off work or have closed their businesses
and so cannot pay their rents and feed their
families.”
According to Bishop, the fight against
corruption should take into account the
need to address the basic needs of the
people which include good roads, food and
regular payment of salaries.
“Nigerians are very easy people to lead, all
a leader needs to do is to ensure that there
is food for the people, good roads, pay
salaries but if things are allowed to continue
like this, there is a level of hunger which
can cause people to revolt, so the
government should not concentrate solely in
fighting corruption but should endeavour to
create a viable economic atmosphere to
help put food on the table. Source, vanguard

Nigeria: We'll Partner Islamic Development Bank On Health, Water, Others - Buhari

The Federal Government says it will deepen its
partnership with the Islamic Development Bank
(IDB) to fund critical projects in health, water
and the infrastructure sector. This is contained
in a statement issued by Malam Garba Shehu,
the President's Senior Special Assistant on
Media and Publicity, in Abuja on Monday.
Buhari stated this when he received, Dr Ali
Madani, the President of the IDB Group at the
State House, Abuja. The president commended
the bank for supporting several developmental
projects across the country.
He acknowledged that the bank had funded
several people-oriented projects in Osun,
Kaduna, Jigawa, Niger, Katsina, Kano and Ebonyi
states, demonstrating its "soft spot and robust
support" for Nigeria. "We cannot thank you
enough for the height you have achieved for the
bank in 41 years.
"Now that you are about to retire, we thank you
for the quality leadership which the world has
recognised," the president said. Buhari also
expressed appreciation to the IDB Group and
other countries for extending their assistance to
Internally Displaced Persons in the North-East.
He assured the visiting IDB chief that Nigeria, a
major financier of the bank, would meet all its
obligations to the development institution within
the shortest time possible. Buhari highlighted
efforts of the current administration at
diversifying the economy with emphasis on
agriculture.
He expressed strong optimism that Nigeria
would achieve self-sufficiency in rice and sugar;
and export both commodities in the next three
years. In his remarks, Madani congratulated
Buhari on the positive outcomes of the war
against corruption and terrorism.
According to him, the bank is ready to mobilise
resources from Arab fund for developmental
initiatives of the Nigerian government and the
private sector, particularly on agriculture.

PDP Crisis: Oladipo Seeks Buhari, CJN Intervention

The embattled former National Secretary of the
Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prof. Wale
Oladipo, has asked President Muhammadu
Buhari and the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN),
Justice Mahmud Mohammed, to wade into the
judicial altercation trailing the court actions
instituted by the warring factions.
He said President Buhari should step in to save
the judiciary from the “imminent danger of
being infiltrated and controlled by politicians”.
He spoke against the backdrop of the many
conflicting orders and judgments emanating
from different divisions of the Federal High
Court and the High Court of the Federal Capital
Territory (FCT) as they relate to the leadership
crisis rocking the PDP.
In a statement he issued in Abuja on Sunday,
Oladipo said it was worrisome that after parties
have been served court processes and have
joined issues, they rush to another court where
they get pliable judges to grant them ex-parte
orders and conflicting orders and judgments
within days.
“This ugly trend began with the Hon. Justice
Mohammed Liman of the Port Harcourt Division
of the Federal High Court. He granted an
exparte order in respect of the same issues and
parties on the 23rd of May, 2016, twelve (12)
days after the Federal High Court, Lagos, had
become seized of the matter and made orders
which forbid the PDP from conducting any
election into the offices of the National
Chairman, National Secretary and National
Auditor occupied by the 1st (Sheriff), 2nd (Prof.
Wale Oladipo) and 3rd plaintiffs (Alhaji Fatai
Adeyanju) respectively pending the
determination of the substantive suit.
“The same court granted an order restraining
the Independent National Electoral Commission
(INEC) from monitoring and/or recognizing the
conduct of any election by the 2nd Defendant/
Respondent (PDP) into the offices of the
National Chairman, National Secretary and
National Auditor occupied by the 1st (Sheriff),
2nd (Prof. Wale Oladipo) and 3rd Plaintiffs
(Alhaji Fatai Adeyanju) respectively pending the
determination of the substantive suit. Source, This Days

Oil rebels announce conditional ceasefire

A Nigerian rebel group has announced a
conditional ceasefire and agreed to hold talks
with the government following months of
attacks on key oil and gas facilities that have
hammered the economy.
In a message posted on the Niger Delta
Avengers' (NDA) website late on Saturday, the
group said it would "observe a cessation of
hostilities," so long as the country's ruling
party stops what it called harassment of
innocent civilians.
It said it would support efforts to negotiate
with "the federal government of Nigeria,
representatives from the home countries of all
multinational oil corporations and neutral
international mediators."
There have been unconfirmed reports for
several weeks of talks underway with Abuja,
and the government of President Muhammadu
Buhari has invited rebels to discussions
several times.
But the NDA never publicly acknowledged that
it was engaged in negotiations, or that it
would support efforts by community figures
from the area.
The NDA said it would honour its ceasefire
pledge "unless the ruling political APC (All
Progressives Congress party) continues ... to
arrest, intimidate, invade and harass innocent
citizens and invade especially Ijaw
communities."
Otherwise it warned: "We promise to fight
more for the Niger Delta, if this opportunity
fails."
The Ijaw ethnic people of Delta, Rivers and
Bayelsa states have long dominated oil rebel
groups operating in the area, although experts
say militants from other communities have
also set up new branches.
- Devastating attacks -
When he took office last year President Buhari
announced he wanted to progressively wind
down a scheme which had offered amnesty to
former members of armed groups in the Delta,
notably the Movement for the Emancipation of
the Niger Delta (MEND).
The scheme was inherited from the previous
government of Buhari's predecessor Goodluck
Jonathan.
Since 2009 large sums of money have been
paid in allowances to some 30,000 former
fighters, while training programmes were
offered to those who pledged to lay down their
arms.
MEND, which is in talks with the government,
distanced itself from the NDA in a statement
Sunday.
"MEND reiterates its full support for the
ongoing military presence in the Niger Delta
region," said the statement by its spokesman
Jomo Gbomo, accusing the NDA of being
supported by former president Jonathan to
destabilise the country.
The NDA has carried out a string of
devastating attacks on Nigeria's oil pipelines
and facilities since the start of the year.
Two state-owned pipelines were blown up in
the delta region on Friday, in attacks blamed
on the NDA.
Also on Friday, a newly emerged group calling
itself the Niger Delta Greenland Justice
Mandate (NDGJM) claimed responsibility for
an attack on the same day.
Earlier this month, the NDA threatened to pull
the oil region out of Nigeria, accusing the
president of fuelling divisions in the country.
- Dire poverty -
Oil majors including Shell, Exxon, Chevron, Eni
and the state-run oil group NNPC have all
been targeted by attacks this year.
The assaults have reduced Nigeria's output by
21.5 percent since January, according to the
Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC), hammering government revenue at a
time of low global oil prices.
Before the attacks, the oil sector accounted
for 90 percent of the nation's foreign
exchange earnings and 70 percent of
government revenue.
Nigeria's economy has been hit badly by the
global fall in oil prices since mid-2014, which
has hit government revenues hard and forced
up inflation to an 11-year high.
But despite the billions of dollars generated
since the discovery of crude in Nigeria in the
1950s, most people live in dire poverty around
the creeks and rivers of the oil-producing
southern delta region.

Nigeria: With His Presence At AACB Meeting, Buhari Becomes First President to Visit CBN Head Office

Visit CBN Head Office
By Kunle Aderinokun
The just-concluded meeting of Association of
African Central Bank Governors recorded a
milestone - It witnessed the presence of
President Muhammadu Buhari inside the head
office of the Central Bank of Nigeria in Abuja,
the first time a Nigerian President would visit the
apex bank's headquarters since the building was
inaugurated in 2002.
As the 39th Ordinary meeting of the Assembly of
Governors of the Association of African Central
Bank Governors (AACB) ended in Abuja, what
distinguished it from any other international
event that had been held by the Central Bank of
Nigeria (CBN) was the presence of President
Muhammadu Buhari inside the apex bank's
headquarters to declare it open.
Apart from former President Olusegun Obasanjo
who inaugurated the multi-billion naira head
office of the CBN, successive Nigerian leaders
before Buhari, namely the late President Umaru
Musa Yar'Adua and former President Goodluck
Jonathan never stepped into the building,
situated in the heart of the Central Business
District, which is less than five minutes away
from the Presidential Villa in Asokoro District.
The CBN headquarters, an intelligent building, is
a complex reputed to be the most expensive and
sophisticated edifice in Abuja, the Federal
Capital Territory. The sprawling building is 94
metres high with outstanding glass and granite
façade.

The building, an architectural masterpiece,
consists of a central atrium with four office
wings, spacious auditorium seating 500 people,
three-storey car park and service block with five
generators as well as other ancillary buildings.
The total gross floor area is 99,500 m².
Considering the exceptional beauty of the
complex regarded as one of the most-prized
assets of the CBN, an institution that is strategic
to the government, many wonder why the former
presidents were not attracted to it.
Buhari's presence at the meeting of African
central bank governors at the CBN head office,
analysts believe, may be a show of confidence in
the apex bank led by its Governor, Godwin
Emefiele, particularly its efforts at ensuring
monetary stability in the economy. The visit has
also been described as a positive precedence.
Declaring the meeting open, Buhari commended
the CBN for spearheading economic stimulus
through its intervention programmes.
He described the theme of the symposium -
"Unwinding Unconventional Monetary Policies:
Implications for Monetary Policy and Financial
Stability in Africa" as apt, considering the
number of growing challenges that threatened
the growth and stability of the continent's
financial systems. Source, All African

LA Times Poll: Donald Trump up Two Points over Hillary Clinton

The New York real estate mogul has not
led the former Secretary of State by two
points since the beginning of August.
Saturday was the first day the poll
showed Trump pulling slightly ahead of
Clinton since Aug. 3.
Sunday’s results come from 2,385
voters, who are tracked daily through
election day, Nov. 8.
The USC Dornsife/ Los Angeles Times
“Daybreak” poll tracks roughly 3,000
voters each day, asking them who they
plan to vote for in November. The data
is averaged daily based on responses
from the week prior, so results may lag
somewhat following major campaign
events.

Boroh: Oil Discovery Brought Hunger, Starvation to N’Delta

Coordinator of Nigeria’s amnesty programme for
repentant militants and Special Adviser to
President Muhammadu Buhari on Niger Delta
Affairs, Brig. Gen. Paul Boroh, retd., Friday
argued that the discovery of crude oil in the
region has fuelled hunger and starvation in the
area.
Boroh, who spoke in Bayelsa, his state of origin,
maintained that the paradox of the oil find in
Nigeria had remained the cause of the various
conflicts experienced in the past and which is
presently threatening to crumble the country’s
economy.
He added that the over-reliance on oil had led
to a mono-economy, destruction of the
ecosystem, poverty, and conflicts as evidenced
by the current agitation by militant groups in
the region.
Speaking after inspecting facilities at the Bio
Resources Development Centre, Odi, Kolokuma/
Opokuma Local Government Area of the
Bayelsa State, Boroh disclosed that 500 ex-
militant youths from the Niger Delta would be
trained in various agro-based related skills as a
means of engaging the youths.
He warned that the amnesty office would no
longer be a place to share ‘free money’, and
urged the youths in the Niger Delta to embrace
change and join hands with the government to
make the area the agricultural hub of the
nation.
Boroh, who also witnessed the graduation and
passing-out ceremony of ex-militants from the
trainees’ pilot scheme at the Centre, described
the scheme as a success, noting that the
potential that abound in the agriculture sector
was enormous.
He pledged that some of the ex-militants would
be sent to Songhai Farms in Delta state, while
others would be sent to the various agriculture
programmes departments at the Delta State
University, DELSU, University of Port Harcourt,
UNIPORT, Rivers State University of Science and
Technology, RSUST, and the Peremabiri Rice
Farms in the state.
Boroh stressed that the President Muhammadu
Buhari led administration had resolved to
diversify the economy from oil and gas to
agriculture, which he said was the best
alternative.
“The shift from reliance on agriculture to over
reliance on oil income has had a tremendous
impact on agriculture and the localities where
crude petroleum is found.
“This has become the harbinger of hunger,
starvation, unemployment and ecosystem
degradation and that is the bottom-line of the
resource base conflict in the Niger Delta”, he
said.
He added, however, that, “President Buhari has
embarked on a drastic diversification of the
economy from oil and gas dependence and
agriculture to provide the nation the opportunity
for growth, investment, wealth and job creation”. Source, this day

Turkey, China grant scholarships to Nigerians

The Turkish Government yesterday said that it
has decided to wave tuition fees for Nigerian
students studying in private universities in the
country before they were closed down by its
government.
The Turkish government had closed down
private universities and other establishments
operating in the country following an
attempted coup.
Also yesterday, the Chinese Government
offered scholarships to 24 Nigerians for study
in various universities in China as part of
efforts to strengthen bilateral relations
between Nigeria and China.
Turkish Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Hakan
Cakil, announced Turkey’s offer when he
visited the Minister of Education, Mallam
Adamu Adamu, in his office in Abuja.
According to a statement issued by the
ministry’s Deputy Director, (Press), Ben Bem-
Goong, Nigerian students in private
universities shut down in Turkey had been
moved to public schools close to the students
to enable them continue their studies.
The statement read: “Following the coup
attempt in Turkey which led to the closure of
many private Universities, Nigerian students
studying across Turkish private varsities which
have been closed down have now been moved
by the Turkish Government to public schools
in that country where they will pay very little
or no tuition fees at all.
“Cakil assured the minister that no Nigerian
student would be affected by the closure of
private schools, and that any student who
wished to return to Nigeria would be doing so
as a matter of choice.
In his response, Adamu expressed gratitude to
the Turkish government for paying special
attention to the wellbeing and safety of
Nigerian students in the country.
Mr Qin Jian, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy
of China in Nigeria, at a send-off party
organised by the embassy for the
beneficiaries yesterday in Abuja, described
education as the foundation of a nation.
Beijing, he noted, has provided 700
government scholarships to Nigerian students
since 1987. ”Two hundred and thirty seven
Nigerians are currently studying in China under
the Chinese government scholarship scheme,
apart from the self sponsored ones.”