Nigerian Newspapers
Federal Govt gives self pass mark
PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan described yesterday the mid-term performance of his administration as creditable.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Anyim Pius Anyim, Minister of Finance Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Minister of National Planning Shamsudeen Usman gave the government a pass mark.
President Jonathan launched a document on the performance of the government in the last two years at a ceremony organised to mark Democracy Day at the International Conference Centre in Abuja.
Opposition All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and Lagos lawyer, Bamidele Aturu, said the government has not lived up to the expectations of Nigerians.
At the ceremony were former Heads of State Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Second Republic President Alhaji Shehu Shagari and former Head of Interim National Government, Chief Ernest Shonekan.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former military President Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and former Head of State Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar did not attend.
Two foreign dignitaries – former Liberian President Amos Sawyer and former United States presidential aspirant Rev. Jesse Jackson attended.
Dr. Jonathan said his administration had done well but he faulted the recent assessment of his ministers by a national newspaper, wondering what kind of criteria was used for the assessment.
“I noticed that some ministers – National Planning, Trade and Investment – were scored average. From 2007, I have worked with two ministers of National Planning and two ministers of Trade and Investment; they have never done what has been done today.” He praised the minister in charge of the ministries.
“Today, we are marking the end of the first 24 months, which is our mid-term review and my duty is to formally present a document that all Nigerians will be able to read and assess us.
“So, I am not meant to talk and, of course, you have heard from the Planning minister, the Finance minister and the Secretary to the Government, that will give you the idea of what we have done.
“The idea is to formally present a document to all Nigerians about the activities of government in the past two years. I plead with all of us, especially those who want to assess and write about it, to develop criteria because without a marking scheme, you cannot mark any student’s paper. Two years of a government, this is what we have done, develop your marking scheme and score us.”
Presenting a report on the Economic Policy Framework (2011 -2013), Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said remarkable progress had been made in the economy.
She said Nigeria’s economy was strong and growing, adding that foreign reserve is $ 50 billion, up from $ 32.08 billion in May 2011.
Due to the level of foreign reserve, she said, foreign exchange has remained stable in the past two years.
According to Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is one of the fastest growing in the world. The GDP growth in 2013 is expected to be at 6.5% (NBS) or 7.2% (IMF).
Inflation rate, she said, has slowed down to 9.1% from 12.4% in May 2011.
She said: “Our economy has been growing. Inflation has been coming down. Our focus is to complete ongoing projects. The government is concerned about keeping our debts low. We have started retiring existing debts. We want to keep our debts at very manageable level.”
Noting that Nigeria’s export is shifting from oil to non-oil products, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said oil export is 70 per cent while non-oil export is 30 per cent.
The Excess Crude Account (ECA), component of external reserve, she said, rose from $ 4 billion in May 2011 to $ 9 billion in 2012 and $ 6 billion in May 2013.
ECA is now helping the economy as oil production has fallen from the projected 2.53 million barrels per day to between 2.1 and 2.2 million barrel per day, the minister said.
According to her, the cost of government is reducing – thanks to a policy to reduce recurrent expenditure and complete unfinished capital projects.
Recurrent expenditure dropped from 74.4% of total budget in 2011 to 68.7% in 2013.
Annual borrowing has reduced from N852 billion in 2011 to N588 billion in 2013.
The Minister also claimed that aggressive monitoring of contract threshold, encouraging whistle blowing, introduction of stiffer penalties and take-off of e-procurement led to savings of N420 billion at the end of 2012.
On the expenditure side, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala said Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) have resulted in N118.9 billion savings on the payroll cost, and that 58% of the budget is now being executed through Introduction of the Government Integrated Financial Management and Information System (GIFMIS).
Through the Treasury Single Account (TSA), she said, the government’s overdrawn position has dropped from N102 billion in 2011 to N19 billion in 2012.
To prevent corruption in the various pension schemes, she said: “All the pension schemes are now coming under one roof to check abuses.”
From the Subsidy Re-Investment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P), she said in 2012, the Federal Government got N180 billion, states – N154 billion and local governments – N76 billion for various projects.
While stating that Nigeria has become the highest destination for investment, Mrs. Okonjo-Iweala noted that 22 airports were being refurbished simultaneously.
On power and water, she said: “There have been tangible improvements in our power sector. The privatisation that is going on now, will at the end boost the power sector. Seven water projects have been completed across the country.”
Giving an overview of the Transformation Agenda of the government, the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, said: “Mr. President is actually setting a record in Nigeria. He is raising the bar.”
According to him, about eight of the 14 key objectives set by the administration in 2011 have been achieved by the government.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Senator Anyim Pius Anyim said the government should not only be assessed by the physical infrasructure in place now but that there are many intangible achievements that have been recorded in the past two years.
Stressing that there have been stability and no interference with the legislature, he pointed out that INEC had been receiving great funds towards procuring permanent electoral materials, like permanent voters’ cards, among other things.
“We have recorded some progress, but a lot is yet to be achieved,” he said.
The Founder/President of Rainbow PUSH Coalition, the Right Rev. Jackson, warned that winning elections is not what matters, but the transformation carried out by the government.
He noted that Nigeria is the biggest democracy in Africa.
He said as the most populous black nation on earth, the entire black race expects much from Nigeria.
The chairman of the African Peer Review Mechanism and former President of the Interim Government of National Unity of Liberia, Prof. Amos Sawyer said that Nigeria is demonstrating the best practice of APRM.
Other dignitaries at the occasion included: First Lady Dame Patience, Senate President David Mark, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha, Chief Justice of Nigeria, Mariam Aloma-Mukhtar.
There governors, Service chiefs, traditional rulers and students.
ANPP National Financial Secretary, Alhaja Fatima Muhammed said on the telephone last night that the PDP should be prepared to leave office after the 2015 elections when the All Progressives Congress (APC) will take over.
“Why will Jonathan say that he has performed with the security challenge in the country. We want change and that we will get in 2015. Jonathan should get ready to hand over power to the APC. No matter his plans to remain in power beyond 2015, Nigerians are tired of his regime. He is deceiving himself.
“Nigerians are aware of all the happenings in the country and only an APC government will solve the problems. I do not know what is giving Jonathan the confidence that he has performed in the last two years. His party members should advise him on what to do.
“Things have got worse compared to when Jonathan got into power. I am not saying that he should be impeached, all I know is that by 2015, the country will be singing another song of victory. The PDP government has ruled for 14 years without improvement in lives of the people. Nigerians are not enjoying the dividends of democracy.”
Responding to the mid-term report last night, Lagos lawyer, Bamidele Aturu said:
“People must understand that democracy is for us to stand up and demand what is right. This mid-term report that Jonathan is giving is his own idea of setting the exam and giving himself marks.
“It is only a very funny student that would set exams for himself and give himself marks. To even give a mid-term report today is a sign of un seriousness from the Federal Government, you don’t mark yourself, let the people asses you. When you begin to asses yourself, then there is a fundamental problem.
“I am not saying this for Jonathan alone; I say it for all the leaders, even down to the local governments. Our leaders have failed us.
“My take on this is this: If you say you have achieved and Nigerians are not seeing your achievements who are you achieving for? This is a made up achievement, there is no doubt there are no achievements here. If he says he will shock us with his achievements we cannot be shocked again. What I want to say is this; our leaders have failed us, not just the President but leadership at all level. There is no development.”
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
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Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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