[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] Africa, With Nigeria Leading, Can Become World's First Green Manufacturing Hub, President Tinubu Writes in CNN Exclusive op-ed
AdminPresident Bola Tinubu says African countries, including Nigeria, need partnerships for a new green economy, emphasizing the efforts against climate change will only be successful through a cooperative approach.
Writing in an OP-ED article for CNN, the President said the security threats, the dislocation of people, the environmental atrophy and other collateral impacts of climate change were at the forefront of his mind during his participation at the COP28 World Climate Action Summit in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
He said Nigeria has battled back against major obstacles, including the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, short-term challenges from economic reforms, and the ongoing unification of foreign exchange rates, but that the nation remains steadfast in its resolve to reconstruct a better, cleaner economy despite these challenges.
"To uphold our legally binding commitment to a cleaner world, Nigeria launched the Nigerian Carbon Market Initiative at COP28 by joining the African Carbon Market Initiative," he said.
Reiterating his stance on the inequity in the economic status quo, the President wrote that developing nations, despite contributing minimally to the problem, endure most of its impacts.
He said African countries simply can not go at it alone, adding: "There must be a fair and cooperative approach. For too long, too many developed nations have hesitated to do what they should."
Highlighting Nigeria’s efforts and commitment to its pledges, President Tinubu said: "Nigeria has taken significant steps and acted decisively in enacting the Climate Change Act and committing to net-zero emissions between 2050 and 2070.
"Africa’s most populous nation has successfully mobilized tens of thousands of youths nationwide to plant 250,000 trees annually to honor a pledge to plant 25 million trees by 2030 as we build our great green wall to fight back against encroaching desert across the northern region of our nation."
The President said Nigeria is aggressively pursuing the exploitation of the nation’s abundant wind and solar resources but added that transitioning from fossil fuels, which are Nigeria’s economic mainstay, will not be easy.
"While in Berlin last month at the G20 Summit, I announced Nigeria’s commitment to develop blue and green hydrogen capacity for international export. In conversations with Middle Eastern oil producers, I also solidified this commitment.
"We now seek to mobilize private capital with support from initiatives like the Climate Finance Leadership Initiative and the new US and EU global infrastructure programs," he said.
He also said the European Union’s Global Gateway program and the U.S. Government's Build Back Better World initiative are potential resources Nigeria is seeking to explore in its efforts to transition to cleaner energy.
"We are also looking to diversify our economy by engaging in friendly competition with Russia in the supply of energy to European markets. We can do it with natural gas and through green energy. This is why we are investing massively in both.
"Batteries for hire could help Nigerians ditch their generators. But the time for watching and waiting is over. Developed nations must honor commitments in the form of significant contributions to the Loss and Damage Fund and the $100 billion annual climate financing pledge.
"It is time to seize the moment," the President concluded.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
December 12, 2023
The All Progressive Congress, APC, in Rivers, on Monday urged the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to join the party in the state.
Its Caretaker Committee Chairman, Tony Okocha, made the remark while briefing newsmen in Port Harcourt in reaction to the defection of the 27 lawmakers into the party from PDP.
Mr Okocha, who is also the State Representative in the Niger Delta Development Commission, NDDC, expressed joy over the steps taken by the defectors.
He said that the party had been communicated to officially by the defectors, which made the defection true and not a rumour.
Mr Okocha commended the lawmakers for their bold steps in defecting to APC, saying that the remaining four members in the house cannot be equated to the 27 members.
On whether or not the reason for defection was to prepare grounds for Mr Wike to defect to APC, he said, ”I don’t think so.
”Whatever their reason is, when they get to the bridge they will cross it.
‘’Wike is a politician whose name shakes and echoes in the society; so nobody can think or say for him if he will defect to APC or not.’’ .
Mr Okocha said that the party in the state needed Wike to join it to assist it, adding,” we are not begging him to join; in 2023. he immensely aided the victory of APC in the state.”
On claims that Mr Wike will be in PDP till 2027 to aid its victory like he did for APC in 2023,, Mr Okocha said, ”the party did not firmly see him do that.
‘’The best thing we are asking him to do is to come and join the APC because it is the government in power.”
On whether or not the lawmakers’ defection was a plan to impeach the sitting Gov. Fubara, Mr Okocha said that the impeachment of a governor was not a one- day affair or a coup.
He explained that the defectors did not tell him if their defection was to impeach the governor and as such, could not speak for them on that ground.
Mr Okocha explained. ”If the state governor has decided to give vent to the four persons over above the 27 persons, then you know that it is a complete anatomy and would not be tolerated by anybody.”
He said the state had gone past the era of 16 members being above 19 members like in the previous regime.
Mr Okocha said that the defectors allegedly confided in him that there was no good governance in the state.
He said that the new entrants into APC would be formally received into its fold on Sunday.
NAN
Japa syndrome: VCs, ASUU decry mass exodus of Nigerian lecturers - say ‘quality of university degrees in geopady’
AdminSome Vice-Chancellors, Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, and other stakeholders on Tuesday expressed concern over the decline in the number of lecturers in the nation’s universities.
The university education stakeholders bared their minds in interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had recently approved the implementation of 35 per cent and 23 per cent of salary increment for staff of all federal tertiary institutions。
In a letter issued on Sept. 14, the CEO of Salaries, Income and Wages Commission, Ekpo Nta, said the Federal Government had released a circular on the implementation of the adjusted salary structure.
The letter was addressed to the Minister of Education, Prof. Tahir Mamman.
But this seems to have come late as recent media reports indicate that about 50 per cent of lecturers have resigned from the various universities while more are reportedly warming.
We have crisis on our hands–V-Cs
The V-C of Ilorin, Prof. Wahab Egbewole, blamed the dearth lecturers on the employment embargo by the Federal Government.
He, therefore, pleaded with the Federal Government to lift the embargo to enable the universities bridge the gap.
The gap was caused by a number of factors, including lecturers seeking greener pastures at home and abroad, retirement and death.
He urged the authorities to provide the universities with the enabling environment that would discourage the brain drain.
Prof. Alewo Johnson-Akubo, Vice-Chancellor, Salem University Lokoja, described the shortage of lecturers as very unfortunate.
He said though universities in the past tried to manage the situation through sabbaticals, now such arrangement has become difficult as the number of lecturers continues to shrink.
In Yobe, Dr Muhammad Lawan, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Academic Yobe State University, advised the resuscitation of culture of absorbing first-class graduates as lecturers.
Another measure, according to Lawan, that could help is to expand the existing universities instead of establishing new ones.
Also speaking, Prof Olayemi Akinwumi, The V-C of Federal University Lokoja, FUL, virtually all lecturers in the countries are overstretched as result of shortage of lecturers.
“Each time I see what my lecturers going through to cope up with the work load I feel it for them.
“We used to have lecturers from other universities on sabbatical but IPPIS (the unified payment platform) doesn’t allowed that anymore.
“Sabbatical is a university culture where as a lecturer you are given the opportunity to go to another university and lecture.
“Again, the visiting lecturers were very helpful in areas or departments you don’t have enough lecturers. But because of poor funding on the part of government and IPPIS, it’s no more tenable.
“I can tell you now that this is not the best time for us, the vice chancellors.
“This is because as V-C you have no power to employ a single cleaner not to talk of a lecturer. You have to go Abuja and start begging before you can have one,” he said.
The V-C urged proper funding of the universities and abolishing removing of universities from of IPPIS platform, adding that: “we (the universities) shouldn’t be subjected to civil service rules’’.
Quality of degrees is in jeopardy—ASUU
Universities lecturers who bear the brunt of the exit of their colleagues are also worried by the impact of this on their workload and academic standards.
Academic Staff Union of Universities, (ASUU) Federal University of Lafia (FULafia) says the shortage of lecturers in Nigeria universities is affecting the standard and quality of education negatively.
“It is a fact that many lecturers have left the university system in Nigeria. This exodus is defined by the poor working conditions existing in the universities.
“The universities are coping largely because the few existing lecturers are being over burdened with excess work load that are academic.
“And in most departments, lecturers are made to teach large classes and more courses to be able to keep the courses running.
“It is common to find a lecturer teaching at all levels of a department with very poor facilities and very poor working conditions,” said Dr Sunday Oraye, the Chairman, ASUU FULafia
The ASUU chairman said that this has put undue pressure on their health leading to high mortality rates amongst lecturers in the university.
“During the last NEC meeting of the union held at the Kaduna State University in November, over 100 lecturers were reported to have died between August and November 2023 alone,” he said.
In Adamawa, Dr El-Maude Gambo, the ASUU chairman, Modibbo Adama University (MAU), Yola, urged for 30 per cent budgetary allocation to education.
He said this would engender the provision of facilities that would discourage lecturers from seek greener pastures.
Dr Oluwagbemiga Adeleye, the chairman, ASUU, Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (FUNAAB), blamed the shortage of lecturers on government policies and the bad economy.
“When there is a ban, you won’t be able to replace lecturers who have are no longer in the system.
“Another reason causing the shortage is the negative economic impact on the citizens and it still boils down to government policies.
“The terrible economic situation we have faced has made some lecturers seek greener pastures elsewhere around the world and that is what we call the ‘Japa’ syndrome,” he said.
The FUNAAB ASUU chairman called on the government to be more responsible in taking care of, not only academic staff but all university members of staff.
Lecturers cry out
The Head of Department, Guidance and Counseling, University of Ibadan, Prof. Oyesoji Aremu, says the history of migration of lecturers from Nigeria was repeating itself.
“In the 1980s, there was a similar scenario. Then it was called brain drain, but currently, it is called ‘japa’.
“The ‘Japa’ syndrome, which has been on for a while now has brought nightmares to the Nigerian university system.
“This is because of the high migration of lecturers to Europe, America, Asia, and even to some African countries,” he said.
He blamed the situation on a number of factors, adding: “first among these is the working environment in many universities in Nigeria which has dampened the morale of many academics.
“Another factor is poor remuneration, which is abysmally inhuman and disturbing,” Aremu said.
According to him, Nigerian academics are the worst paid globally, a development, he said, has driven lecturers out of the country in mass proportions.
“While there are others, the two above are very crucial to the issues of shortage of lecturers.
“The consequences of these are tellingly disturbing on the university system in Nigeria,” Aremu said.
Dr Idris Badiru, Senior Lecturer, Department of Agricultural Extension and Rural Development, University of Ibadan, said the gravity of the shortage varied from one discipline to the other.
“Everything has to get to Abuja before anything is done and the coping mechanisms are both institutional and individual.
“At the institutional level, the workload allocated to the available academic staff has simply increased; which means more responsibilities for the individual staff.
“At the individual level, the academic will only do his best and leave the rest.
“If there is enough intrinsic motivation, the academic may start altering his work/life balance to deny his family quality time that is due to them,” Badiru said.
Dr Onatolani Hassan, Lecturer, Department of Business Education, Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED), Ijebu-Ode, identified poor welfare and poor working conditions as some factors responsible for the menace.
“Most lecturers are traveling out of the country in pursuit of greener pastures. The salaries have not been increased for a long time.
“The inflation rate is in double digits, eating deep into the income of lecturers, which had remained static while expenses are increasing on a daily basis.
“Lecturers are now funding their own research; no more grants from expected quarters. There is a heavy workload on the few lecturers you have on ground.
“The government has not employed in the past 10 to 15 years, while professors are retiring.
“There are vacancies but the university management cannot recruit. There is heavy workload on the lecturers that are on ground,” he said.
Hassan called on the government to increase funding of tertiary institutions to alleviate the situation.
Ibrahim Kachala, a lecturer in the Department of Political Science, University of Maiduguri, said that the last eight years of the previous administration had wreaked havoc on the university system.
Kachala said that government policies and nonchalant attitude to public university education in Nigeria, had affected the development of tertiary education in the country.
He said this situation would worsen in in 2024 when most of the professors employed in the 70s would exit the system.
Mr Usman Abdallah, of the department of mass communications said lack of government funding had made the university to be unsuitable for learning and research.
Another lecturer, Sheriff Bamus, urged private organisations to be mandated to utilise the universities for their Research and Development (R&D).
“As it is done in other climes businesses and private organisations should be mandated to utilize the universities for their R&D requirements as part of their corporate social responsibilities.
Dr Adeola Olatunji, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology, University of Lagos, says the shortage of manpower is having negative impact on and teaching, research, and community service.
This, he said, has made lecturers to be overburdened with classes work as students population to continues to climb.
“I, therefore, call on the Federal Government to lift the embargo on recruitment for universities to address the widening gap,” he said.
According to him, with the provision of an enabling environment through improved remuneration and adequate facilities in the nation’s universities, fewer Nigerians will travel out for greener pastures.
Dr Ibrahim Nasir, Senior Lecturer, Department of Political Science, Prince Abubakar Audu University, Ayingba, Kogi, said that universities were coping with shortage of lecturers’ through improvisation.
“To say that there is a shortage of lecturers in the Nigerian University is an understatement.
“This is evident in the lecturer to student ration in all the universities. In most cases you have a ratio of one lecturer to over 2,050 students.
“The main reason for this shortage of lecturers in the university system is usually poor remuneration. The take home salary is grossly inadequate compared to what is obtainable globally.
“We improvise by lumping classes together where you will have large numbers of students to teach at a time in a class.
“This means where you are supposed to have four or five lecturers you will have only a lecturer taking care of them“, he said.
According to him, lecturers also deploy the grouping system where they have batch A, B and C .
“In this case you have to fix extra lectures to see how you can finish a course outline within a short possible time.
“Even at that, you have to struggle and even go into the weekend to see how you can meet up.
“These are some of the measures we undertake to bridge the gap in the universities. The shortage of lecturers halls also added to our stress,” he said.
NAN
The Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, says the administration of President Bola Tinubu will account for revenue from oil.
Mr Edun said this when he appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Appropriation to defend the 2024 appropriation bill.
He said the issue of accounting for oil revenue is germane, “and clearly whatever we have met as a way of monitoring oil revenue and payment into the federation account will be done.”
The minister said he was in agreement with many who had pointed out the fact that, the federal government must have a system of paying into government coffers with exchange rates.
He said that the current administration`s plan was to increase revenue from taxation, adding that there was a need to increase the efficiency of tax administration collection.
Mr Edun said the government depends on foreign direct investment, including domestic and the private sector to grow the economy.
He said the government was not spending enough on key infrastructure, adding that there was a need to interrogate why there seemed to be an overestimation of certain expenditures.
The minister said the plethora of share waste in the number of taxes was being compressed, saying that 90 per cent of tax revenue from the government comes from a particular tax end.
According to him, all the rest that goes out in the name of taxes and levies do not go into the government coffer.
Mr Edun said there was a comprehensive revamping of tax administration, which was done through the instrumentality of the tax reform committee.
This, according to him, has a lot to operate with and will be suggesting ways to go about the tax system.
Rep. Abubakar Bichi, the Chairman, Appropriation, said there was a need to look at the 2024 budget proposal in order to support the president’s renewed hope agenda.
He said money was needed to achieve this through more funding, saying all the revenue-generating agencies were summoned to ensure Nigeria got the money.
“We need to find a way out to achieve the objective of the president’s renewed hope budget. Nigerians are happy that we are reducing borrowing,” he said.
NAN
Edwin Clark, convener of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), has asked President Bola Tinubu to intervene in the political crisis rocking Rivers state.
On Monday, 27 members of the Rivers house of assembly defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The lawmakers who are said to be loyal to Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), held a plenary session at about 8 am where the decision was taken amid tight security.
The legislators said division within the PDP was their reason for jumping ship.
The defection of the lawmakers is reportedly connected to the rift between Siminalayi Fubara, governor of Rivers and Wike, his predecessor, over control of the political structure in the state.
The crisis between the two politicians heightened last month, culminating in an attempted impeachment of Fubara.
Despite Tinubu’s reported intervention, the political crisis looks far from resolved.
Early this month, Wike said he would do all it takes to maintain his “political structure” in the state.
“Nobody can take away the political structure in Rivers. Nobody can intimidate me. If I want to do something, I will do it. The impeachment is not a military coup, it is provided under the constitution,” Wike had said.
The minister had also called Fubara an ingrate, saying he is “trying to create” a political crisis for himself.
During a recent quarterly general meeting of the Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers in Port Harcourt, Fubara said he would not surrender the mandate of the people “to intimidation, blackmail and deliberate sabotage”.
CLARK ASKS TINUBU TO CALL WIKE TO ORDER
In a letter addressed to the president, Clark asked Tinubu to “personally handle this matter”.
“Mr. President, I want to seek your clarification, why is the Minister keeping structures and for what purpose,” Clark wrote.
“I recall that in his days as a Governor, he had attacked the concept of godfatherism as totally unacceptable.
“As a matter of fact, this made him to fall out with his predecessor, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, the immediate past Minister of Transportation, whom we know was not even directly interfering in the affairs of the state.
“So, what purpose are the structures supposed to serve when there is a governor in place?
“This is a question that he owes you and all Nigerians.
“If all governors who as a matter of right, insist on allowing their favoured candidates as successor, insist on controlling them, insist on controlling the State Assemblies, insist on controlling the structure which they left behind, what manner of confusion will we have in Nigeria?
The Coordinating Ministry of Health and Social Development, Prof. Ali Pate has assured that a decisive action will be taken to combat criminal activities in health practices.
Responding to a newspaper investigation, titled “Inside Abuja’s Kidney ‘Market’,” Pate on his X page condemned the depravity and criminality revealed in the report.
The Minister said the development revealed the depth of depravity and criminality prevalent in sections of the society.
Acknowledging the pain of victims, Pate cited the NHA (2014) sections 51-56, which prohibit such illegality, emphasising the need for stringent enforcement.
“The NHA (2014) sections 51-56 clearly prohibits the illegality uncovered by the journalists. The central issues are on the enforcement practices and evasion of such legal and regulatory guidelines by unpatriotic criminal elements.
“This is similar in so many ways to many other acts of criminality in society,” he wrote.
The minister highlighted the government’s commitment to improving regulations, as evidenced by the recent inauguration of the Tertiary Hospitals Care Standards Committee.
According to him, “there is a sound policy and legal framework that enables regulation of health practice in Nigeria, including medically necessary transplantation”.
He further noted that the Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria, MDCN, was also gearing up to enforce standards to be followed by medical professionals in Nigeria.
Pate, however, said regulation of hospitals relied on state governments, urging them to step up to ensure such facilities in their domains were properly checked.
President Bola Tinubu on Monday summoned the Ondo state Deputy Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Olamide Oladiji for another meeting at the Villa.
The meeting, it was gathered, became necessary following indications that the president’s earlier intervention has not yielded the permanent solution expected in the political crisis rocking Ondo State over the continuous absence of the governor, Rotimi Akeredolu.
Our correspondent gathered that the Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Princess Oladunni Odu, and the State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Ade Adetimehin, were equally invited to the meeting.
A source, who confided in our reporter, revealed on Monday that the move by President Tinubu was to put a “final solution” to the political impasse that has divided the government.
“It is true that the president has summoned some of the cabinet members to a meeting for the second time and it’s expected he will address this issue once and find a solution to it.
“Recall that a political solution was put to it in the last meeting with the president but it didn’t work. All the actors that met with the president still went back home and continued to fester the crisis in the state.
“I’m aware that Tinubu is bothered and this time around, I think he would allow the constitution to take its course considering that election is even coming up in the state by next year,” he said.
The meeting is coming barely 24 hours after an elder statesman, Edwin Clark, appealed to Tinubu, to support the adoption of the “doctrine of necessity” as a solution to the current political impasse in the state.
The elder statesman likened the current situation in Ondo with that of late former President, Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who was also sick and flown outside the country to Saudi Arabia for treatment and refused to hand over to his then Vice, Goodluck Jonathan.
In its efforts to tackle illicit financial flows and corruption in Africa, the African Development Bank, AfDB, has begun the training of relevant stakeholders to build their capacity.
Dr Eric Ogunleye, the Acting Director and Division Manager, Policy Management at the African Development Institute of the AfDB, said this in Abuja.
Mr Ogunleye spoke during the Public Financial Management, PFM, Executive Training Education of the Public Financial Management Academy for Africa, PFMA, held in Abuja.
The training was organised for mid-to senior-level officials from the Ministries of Finance and Planning, central banks, and other public financial management institutions from across African countries.
Participants were also drawn from key anti-corruption agencies and statistical offices.
The theme of the training is: “Enhancing Accountability, Transparency and Curbing Corruption and Illicit Financial Flows in Africa”.
”This training, which will hold from Dec. 11 to Dec. 15, is special because it is the first hybrid training for this cohort.
” It is also special because our deserving participants will graduate and receive certificates at the end of this module in a few days.
” I am excited because the journey we started together in March 2022 has gradually come to a happy and beneficial ending,” Mr Ogunleye said.
According to him, several pieces of positive feedback have been received from participants on how the training has greatly benefited their daily work, career, and professional development.
He said the Academy also received commendations from its stakeholders on the impact these trainings were making in their countries.
”Following this, several requests for country-specific and sub-national versions of these trainings from regional member countries have been requested.
”This feedback has further encouraged and strengthened our commitment to continue delivering the 18 months of structured executive training,” Mr Ogunleye said.
He said the training aimed to deepen participants’ understanding of accountability, transparency, anti-corruption, anti-money laundering/counter financing of terrorism, and anti-illicit financial flows and obligations in mitigating the risks.
NAN
Nigeria’s federal government, on Monday, hinted that it might consider returning to the National Assembly to seek the lawmakers’ approval for a supplementary budget next year if the government surpassed its revenue projections.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s N27.5 trillion 2024 appropriation bill is currently being considered by the federal legislature.
Addressing a joint sitting of the National Assembly Committee on Finance, Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, told the lawmakers that there had been a tremendous improvement in the country’s revenue profile in recent months.
Edun said if the revenue continued to increase, the federal government might return to the National Assembly to seek further appropriation for the additional revenue.
The minister said, “The revenue performance was encouraging, here we see that the revenue profile is encouraging.
“It is expected that it will continue to be encouraging. There is a fiscal policy and tax reform committee which is already at work.
“It is meant to provide fundamental changes together with digitalization and greater efficiency in collection because it is revenue to debt that can give us the opportunity to even increase this budget.
“If we have a solid revenue performance, we will be coming back, and I am sure Mr. President will authorize the process to return to the National Assembly to appropriate extra revenue. That is a situation we are all looking forward to.”
Edun said the federal government was already looking at how to speed up the procurement process in order to increase capital spending in the 2024 budget.
He said, “When we look at the actual budget performance, expenditure as of the third quarter of the year, which is September, was 32 per cent below the budget estimate.
“Revenue was five per cent up, the revenue performance is quite encouraging because of a change in exchange rate, a depreciation of the currency and the fact we have foreign debt of about $46 billion outstanding.
“This means that debt service was up by 18 per cent, capital expenditure performed below budget quite significantly.
“We are looking at the issue of procurement process and ways to speed up capital spending.
“In terms of overall balance of the budget, the fiscal deficit is expected to come down from N13.7 trillion to N9.2 trillion.
“Importantly, the deficit, the amount of the budget to be funded by borrowing, is down from 6.1 per cent to 3.9 per cent. That is, the percent of GDP and Capital expenditure remains at 32 per cent, so that is the whole structure of the budget.
“In the meantime, the efforts in tax side, to tax revenue as a percentage of GDP from its relatively low figure of under 10 per cent, is doubling now within two or three years to 18 per cent.”
Chairman of the Joint National Assembly Committee on Finance, Senator Sani Musa, said Nigeria was currently in a delicate situation, economically.
Musa, however, said the Tinubu administration was doing everything possible to change the narrative.
Musa said, “Nigeria today has found itself in a delicate situation, the high rate of unemployment and you know this is transition period.
“It is a new government, so we must give Nigerians the right budget. What is the right budget? We must look at our revenue projections, we must look at our performances, and then look at what we are committing to by the time this budget is passed.
“We want to make sure that before we even pass the budget we have really checked it, where to dot and cross it, we do it and at the end of the day, we will have a budget that is at least what is expected to do.
“We need a budget that will renew the hope of this country and that is why Mr President tagged it the renewed Hope Budget.”
[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Hails Osimhen, Oshoala, Nnadozie on African Players of The Year Award
AdminPresident Bola Tinubu congratulates Nigeria's Super Eagles forward, Victor Osimhen, on winning the CAF 2023 Men’s Player of the Year award.
The President also celebrates the remarkable achievements of Asisat Oshoala of Nigeria’s Super Falcons, who clinched the 2023 CAF Women's Player of The Year for the sixth time, and Chiamaka Nnadozie, who was awarded the Woman Goalkeeper of the Year, as well as the Super Falcons for emerging the Women's National Team of the Year.
The President commends the trio of Osimhen, Oshoala and Nnadozie for their outstanding performances on both national and international stages, and for being sources of pride to the nation and an inspiration for aspiring footballers across the continent.
''Watching the great ambassadors of Nigeria stand atop the podium as the African Footballers of the Year, in the men and women categories, on Monday night in Marrakesh, Morocco, has strengthened our belief that with hard work, perseverance, and the help of God, everything this nation needs for greatness is within us and available to us.
''I commend Victor and Asisat for not forgetting their roots and days of humble beginnings in the game they love so much and for acknowledging the role of indigenous coaches in shaping their careers.
''I join all Nigerian fans in praying that this well-deserved honour will be the beginning of a continued journey filled with success, triumphs, and the fulfilment of all your footballing dreams,'' the President says.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser of the President
(Media & Publicity)
December 12, 2023
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The first lady of Ogun State, Mrs. Bamidele Abiodun has reiterated the commitment of the present administration towards eradicating Gender-Based Violence (GBV), while calling on all stakeholders to join hands in the fight against the menace so as to achieve a violence-free society.
Mrs. Abiodun said this in at a symposium organised in commemoration of the 2023 16 Days Activism Against Gender-Based Violence, held at the Cultural Centre, Kuto, Abeokuta, admonishing all gender to speak out when they were being assaulted, so that perpetrators of the evil acts could be brought to book.
According to her, "the 16 days Activism is crucial because it shines a spotlight on the issue of violence against women and it creates a platform for public awareness, and I am calling on all relevant stakeholders to work together in order to reduce the acts in the society, if not eradicated”.
In her welcome address, Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Hon. Adijat Adeleye said, the Ministry was making effort to protect women and girl-child from all forms of violence, building their capacity so that they would not end up being a perpetrator but learn to safeguard themselves and other people in their communities against abusers, emphasising need for character modification for the girl-child.
The Commissioner, according to Ministry's Press Officer, Mrs. Folake Ogunboyejo, noted that the State government would not rest on its oars in strengthening operational ties with both governmental and non-governmental agencies, with aim of educating and eradicating GBV across the 20 Local Government Areas of the State, while fostering a safer environment for women and girls.
She implored all and sundry to work together to achieve a holistic road map towards domesticating Ogun state gender policy and validation of the Costed Action Plan for the 5th implementation of Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP), in promoting gender equity and social inclusion.
In their separate remarks, the Special Advisers to the Governor on Woman Affairs, and Education, Mrs. Ayotunde Olanbiwonnini and Mrs. Ronke Soyombo respectively said it was imperative to educate and sensitise the girl-child on safety awareness and encourage victims to speak out and stop discrimination against victims of Gender-Based Violence, calling for action to end violence against women and girls worldwide.
PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Monday vowed that the battle to keep Nigeria secured is one battle he will not lose.
The President said he will continue to work assiduously and provide the military with the necessary support to keep the troublers of the nation at bay.
Speaking at the Chief of Army Staff Annual Conference 2023 in Maiduguri, Borno State, President Tinubu said he has no intention of relenting or resting on his laurels in securing Nigeria, declaring that he will win the battle to keep Nigeria safe.
The President, who acknowledged the Nigerian Army’s commitment to national security, asked the army to remain non-partisan but vigilant in upholding democratic principles, emphasizing their role as a guardian of constitutional order during elections.
A statement issued by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, quoted Tinubu as saying, “The professional conduct of the Armed Forces during the elections in Bayelsa, Imo and Kogi States underscores your role as a guardian of our constitutional order and democracy precepts. In this regard, the Nigerian Army must remain completely non-partisan but vigilantly pro-democracy.
“We also note with great satisfaction the many civilian-military projects across the country, some of which will be commissioned during this Conference.
“These projects not only bring the military and civilian population into closer affinity and mutual understanding, they also serve the practical purpose of tangibly improving the living conditions of the people.”
Citing the recent procurement of new aircraft as a testament of his resolve to upgrade national defence capability, President Tinubu also affirmed his administration’s commitment to advancing the ongoing modernization process within the military, with a focus on improving mobility, communications, and offensive striking capabilities.
The President, while expressing the nation’s gratitude for the service and sacrifice of the armed forces, recalled his earlier approval of N18 billion in Group Life Assurance benefits for families of fallen heroes, even as he pledged continuous government support for the welfare of serving personnel and their families.
The Minister of Defence, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar said the President’s new approach to empowering the force and enhancing intra-military collaboration has led to a substantial increase in morale for the armed forces.
“Mr. President, you are a man of your word. Your Renewed Hope agenda assured Nigerians of progress in the fight against insecurity. The men of the armed forces are more committed than ever before. They see the progress they recording. They know the damage they are inflicting on our enemies. They have high morale. Our enemies do not because of your leadership. Thank you, Mr. President,” the Minister stated.
He pledged to sustain his support for the Nigerian military in the provision of infrastructure while acknowledging the unalloyed commitment of the Tinubu administration to substantial investments to enhance the operational capabilities of the military.
The Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, informed the President that ongoing military operations in different parts of the country have significantly weakened criminal elements, while checkmating farmer-herders crises in various parts of the country.
“Notwithstanding these achievements, we recognize the importance of continuous evaluation and this conference will be instrumental in formulating long-term strategies to bolster our ability to carry out our constitutional responsibility in the year 2024,” the Army Chief said.
The organised Labour and the Federal Government are on a collision course over the government’s failure to sustain the payment of N35,000 wage award to workers.
Workers in the Federal Civil Service, in separate interviews with our correspondent on Monday, noted that the Federal Government only paid N35,000 wage award for September.
Following the removal of the fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu on his assumption of office, the Federal Government agreed to pay N35,000 to each of its workers to reduce the hardship caused by the subsidy removal.
The government, in a memo signed by the Chairman, National Salaries Wages and Income Commission, Ekpo Nta, stated that the payment of the wage award would begin to take effect from September 1, 2023.
However findings by our correspondent indicated that the government only paid the wage award for September.
A senior civil servant in one of the core ministries, departments and agencies said, “The wage award was only paid once and I assume that was the one for September. Since then, we have not received another. We all are confused as there has been no official communication from the government as regards the matter. We are all confused at the moment.”
Another civil servant, who spoke to our correspondent on the condition of anonymity, said, “What you heard is true. We have not received anything else other than the initial wage award which was paid. The government cannot continue to let the citizens suffer. Our takehome salaries cannot even take us home any longer at this point.”
Also speaking with our correspondent, a civil servant in one of the Federal Government-owned schools in Abuja noted that the workers were only paid the wage award for one month.
“We only received for one month which I assume was for September. Though the peculiar allowance introduced by the former administration is still being paid alongside our salaries, we have not received any such thing as a wage award. The government needs to stop playing games with our emotions.”
The Head of information at the Nigeria Labour Congress, Benson Upah, in an interview with our correspondent said, “This betrays the government’s dishonorable intentions and is completely unacceptable.”
When asked if the NLC would take action, he said, “Certainly, the congress will do something about this but what it will do will be dependent on the appropriate organs of the congress. On communication with the government, sure, we will. It usually precedes our actions.”
But the spokesperson for the Office of the Accountant General of the Federation, Bawa Mokwa, in an interview with our correspondent in Abuja on Monday allayed fears of civil servants. Mokwa noted that plans were ongoing to ensure that civil servants receive their wage awards.
“The process is ongoing. They will be paid. The process to pay the wage awards has commenced.”
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has budgeted N1tn for minimum wage adjustments, promotion arrears and severance benefits for civil servants, an analysis of the 2024 appropriation budget released by the Budget Office of the Federation has revealed.
This is as the head of information of the Nigeria Labour Congress, Upah further explained to our correspondent that the congress would kick against any form of imposition of a new minimum wage by the Federal Government.
Upah told The PUNCH in Abuja that negotiations had yet to commence, but he expressed optimism that talks on the new minimum wage would start soon.
“No, not yet but soon, I suppose,” Upah said when asked if the congress had received notice for the commencement of negotiations surrounding the new minimum wage.
Upah said, “ The national minimum wage law is a product of collective negotiation by all the critical stakeholders, workers, employers (plus private sector), and government. It cannot be fixed by fiat by any stakeholder. Thus, any unilateral action by any party will not only be presumptuous but contemptuous and injurious to other parties and will certainly be at variance with the law and principles governing this variant of minimum wage-setting procedure.”
Nigeria witnessed another collapse of its national grid on Monday, leading to a crash in power generation from 4,032.8 megawatts around 1pm to 43.5MW at about 2pm the same day.
Power generation figures obtained from the Transmission Company of Nigeria showed that electricity on the system moved up to 115.4MW around 3pm, before rising further to 240.9MW at about 4pm on Monday.
It climbed to 544.9MW at 5pm and continued the upward trend, as TCN strived to restore the national grid on Monday afternoon till in the evening.
Commenting on the development, the spokesperson of the transmission company, Ndidi Mbah, confirmed the collapse of the grid, but was quick to state that the system was restored by TCN engineers.
“The grid experienced a collapse today (Monday). Presently, it (supply) has been restored except for the Jos axis, which will soon have supply within the hour. The collapse happened by 13.49pm this afternoon. It is now fully restored by 18.51pm,” she stated.
Nigeria’s power grid witnessed series of collapses in September this year, as power consumers lambasted the managers of the system for the incessant crash of the grid.
On September 20, 2023, The PUNCH reported Nigeria witnessed another round of widespread blackout across the country the preceding day as the national power grid collapsed again, making it the third grid collapse in about five days during that period.
The report had showed that power generation on the grid crashed from a peak of 3,594.60 megawatts at midnight to 42.7MW by midday of September 19, 2023.
The PUNCH had earlier reported in the same month of September that the Federal Government explained that the nationwide blackout witnessed was due to a fire incident and an explosion on the Kainji/Jebba 330kV line 2.
Power consumers, however, kicked against the never-ending excuses of the government as regards power generation and supply in Nigeria, despite privatising the generation and distribution arms of the sector since November 2013.
But the Nigerian Power Consumers Forum condemned the spate of disturbances on the national electricity grid and the fire incidents around power transmission infrastructure.
NPCF’s Convener, Michael Okoh, had raised the concern in a statement issued in Abuja.
“From independent assessment which started last year and up to this year, the forum was able to confirm the various initiatives TCN deployed to stabilise the grid including the use of Internet of Things and the deployment of the stop gap system as a placeholder for a smart grid system,” Okoh had stated.