Nigerian Newspapers
‘Nigeria has a lot to benefit from Australian economy’
Ayoola Lawrence Olukanni has been the Nigeria High Commissioner in Australia since 2011. A graduate of Political Science from the Obafemi Awolowo University, he has had a stint as Second Secretary at the Nigeria Embassy in Belgium covering the European Economic Community and African, Caribbean Pacific (ACP) States, America as well as Kenya. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde and Bukola Afolabi he speaks on the Australia-Africa initiative vis-à-vis the challenges as well as the potentials. Excerpts:
What is the level of Australian investments in Nigerian economy?
Well, I may not have the exact figures now but it is growing certainly. It is growing because of what I refer to as Australia’s warm attention to Africa. Australia, since 2010, has paid more attention to what they call the Australia-Africa Initiative. It paid more attention to Africa because of the importance of Africa in global affairs and at that time too, they were also trying to go into the Security Council. They discovered that strategically, Africa was very important in terms of the total number of people who will vote for them. So, that was part of it. Apart from that, they also discovered that Africa has about 30% of world resources in various areas, natural resources such as oil and gas, biodiversities that Africa contains. You cannot ignore a continent like that and a continent which is also gradually emerging and has emerged from the stereotypes of conflict, wars. There is stable peace as well as increasing democratisation on the African continent as more countries are now democratic. And within the framework of this new paradigm, Nigeria, of course, was naturally identified as a very key and strategic country. For various reasons, Nigeria plays very important role as far as African affairs is concerned. For various reasons, in the West African sub region and some other places, Nigeria plays very important role in peacekeeping, peaceful resolutions of conflicts and also as an economic giant especially against the background of our own economic growth and development. 30% growth is not a small thing. So, that is what makes Nigeria very very important in the context of Australia’s relations with Africa generally. So, when Mr. President visited Australia, he signed the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Australian team and Investment Council to be able to provide a framework for closer collaboration between the two of us. We have been very strategic in terms of our relations with Australia. They say that mining is in the Australian DNA and they have done very well in terms of mining resources as the mainstay of the economy taking advantage of what is happening in China. They have developed a very sophisticated mining industry which we think we can replicate as well. Of course, that is one of the focus and they are working closely with us. Australian investment is coming more into Nigeria especially in the area of mining and resources development and I will give you an example. Iron ore is one of the areas which a lot of Australian investment is coming into Nigeria. Mining in Australia is what I refer to as mining for development. So when you are engaged in mining, you develop the infrastructure, you have new cities, you develop clinics. If it is possible also, you have a small x-ray. So, mining activities impact on the development of that area. That is one of the things attracting them to us.
Apart from mining, what are the other areas that we are collaborating with them?
The other area which we are working on is in the area of agriculture, specifically farming and livestock rearing. That is another area in which they have done very well. We are also working with them in terms of the public sector reform through scholarship and development aid especially scholarship to Nigerians to study in Australian universities and others. The other areas are of course, research and development and medicals.
How will you identify those who will benefit from the scholarship scheme?
That will be done largely through the public sector. It is a public sector support for Nigeria. This will be done through the ministry. Both the national planning committee is involved as well as the civil service. They have specific areas such as health, governance and also in the area of gender and development. It includes Masters programme as well as long and short term programmes.
What is the level of trade between Nigeria and Australia so far?
Well, I think currently, we must be hitting close to about N15 billion. But if you add oil and gas, then I think it will definitely be more than that. But, I like to take oil and gas out of it because everybody knows that as far as our economy is concerned, we don’t want to focus on oil and gas alone.
What is the number of the Australia business community in Nigeria?
Well, it is a growing number. They must have close to about a thousand in various areas. With the growth and development of the mining industry, a lot of them are also coming in.
What are some of the challenges that you have encountered or you are still encountering?
People say that Australia used to suffer from the tyranny of distance, but I think they have turned that upside down because it is an online world. You know today, air travels have shortened the distances. But honestly speaking, Nigeria to Australia, you will do anything less than 24 or 25 hours. But the point is that, in a way that is the challenge which a lot of people have decided to overcome. As I have said, it is an online world, you can do a lot of trading online and that goes on. It also attracts Nigeria to that part of the world because Australia has a flourishing mining industry, as well as tourism; these are the great strength of Australia. The adjacency to Asia and Pacific Ocean is a challenge in a way. But like I said, since Australia is focusing attention on Africa, we now have an improvement in that area.
What is the number of Nigerians in Australia?
We play with the figure 10,000. Know that Australia is a country continent; it is a continent on its own. The flying time between east and west Australia is five hours. That is like from Lagos to London. The flying time from the southern part to the northern part of Australia is about six or seven hours. So, we have all of these to contend with. Australia has done so well that it is now attracting a lot of people from different parts of the world because within this population that we are talking about, the total population is 22 million people. So, a lot of people are moving to the place. It is a country which has been referred to as a lucky country, because of the economic growth and development. So, a lot of people who are Nigerians come into the place but most of them are professionals.
These 10,000 Nigerians, are there some people who have carved a niche for themselves and in what areas?
A lot of them are medical professionals who have their clinics all over the place. We have university lecturers, heads of departments and faculties of engineering. In the premier Australian universities, Nigerians are there. One of the things they are also doing is that we have a lot of them who work as Auditor-Generals in the office, governor generals and they do it very well. Let me give you a short story about how Nigerians are generally in the place. I ran into somebody, a medical doctor. He runs a clinic and then I was introduced as a Nigerian commissioner and he said please, I need to recruit more Nigerian doctors. So I said, why do you want to recruit more Nigerian doctors, because I need Nigerian doctors at home? He said because it has been proved in Australia that Nigerian doctors have the best bedside manners. I have some of them in my establishment and I need more. And that is the profile. The person is not a Nigerian.
We have people saying that we have a lot of Nigerians in China. Do you have them like that in Australia?
We don’t have too many Nigerians in Australia because like I said to get the Australian visa is not easy. A lot of people relocate to Australia as immigrants. To get the visa for work, you have to be a professional and the process you have to go through is tedious. Also, Australia is a long distance.
I know that Australia majors in mining but Nigeria is going into that area. As the High Commissioner, what will make the collaboration work?
I am happy that the Nigerian mining industry has been repositioned and I will give credence to the Minister of Mines and Steel Development and his team who have done a lot in what we refer to as SMMRD- Sustainable Management and Mineral Resources Project. A lot have been done such as the geophysical mapping and we worked closely with Australia in doing this. We are also in the process of entering an MOU. The environment and the law must be investor friendly. Those are some of the things which have been done which, of course, is very helpful. Also, the mining law has also helped. The union for mining in Australia is a major forum for mining and for investors from various countries.
Sir, the MOU the president came to sign in Australia, I think sometime last year. How far has the implementation gone?
It is ongoing and it is the Australian-Nigerian treaty. That MOU helped to establish the Australian–Nigerian Treaty and Investment Council. There is supposed to be a secretariat in Lagos and a counterpart secretariat in Press. Press is in Western Australia. The two secretariats are supposed to work together in terms of being mechanism for us to be able to achieve the ultimate goal and objective because at the end of the day, it is people who will operate it.
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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
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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