President Bola Tinubu says he will do everything within his constitutional powers to ensure that the Nigerian military is well-resourced and fit-for-purpose in the duties of protecting the nation.
Tinubu, represented by Mohammed Badaru, minister of defence, spoke on Friday during the graduation of participants of the National Defence College (NDC) Course 31 in Abuja.
Tinubu said the Nigerian armed forces represent one of the finest institutions that the nation could be proud of.
He added that the government would continue to appreciate the sacrifice and patriotism of the gallant men and women of the military.
The president congratulated the commandant and college management team for working hard to grow and empower such a crop of strategic leaders.
He said the college has continued to produce military and civilian leaders who are intellectually sound, courageous, patriotic and of high integrity.
Tinubu added that the college’s unique style of consolidated knowledge through a broad thematic area has helped in finding sustainable solutions to national security and development problems in Africa and beyond.
He expressed confidence that the graduates of course 31 would bring the knowledge, expertise and skills acquired during the course to help in finding solutions to current and emerging security and developmental challenges in the country.
“Our dear country is faced with a plethora of challenges, including insecurity, social economic hiccups, climate change and migratory issues, ‘the so-called Japa syndrome,” NAN quotes Tinubu as saying.
“We are confronted by systematic corruption, crude oil theft, reduced national productivity, weak infrastructure, weak revenue base, and rising domestic and external debt among others.
“Those challenges demand creative and purposeful driving leadership to mitigate.
“Since coming into office, I have rolled up my sleeves myself to confront and address them frontally and we shall overcome with the special grace of God.
“I must admit that those challenges will require the deployment of knowledge and insight you have acquired from this college.”
The president said he rejigged the leadership of the armed forces and police among others to usher in a fresh perspective to deal with the security challenges in the country.
He asked the participants to go back to their respective services and agencies and align with the visions of the new leadership.
Tinubu said the world is currently faced with myriads of threats such as the disruptive effect of emerging technologies, cyber threats, and unconstitutional change of government in the African sub-region.
He called on the military to help the governments build resilience against the recent spate of the democratic recession in West Africa and build stronger assistance to mitigate all the challenges.
“I am banking on you to provide creative leadership solutions towards addressing those national, regional and global challenges,” he added.
The president also pledged to ensure the completion of the college’s permanent site before the end of his first term to enable the institution to conveniently transmute into a full-fledged defence university.
[TheCable]
Nnaji: “Nigeria Should Embrace Artificial Intelligence Now To Join the 4th Industrial Revolution”
AdminOne of Africa’s foremost scientists, Professor Bart Nnaji, has advised Nigerians to embrace artificial intelligence (AI) on an industrial scale in order to join the 4th Industrial Revolution now sweeping across the globe.
Professor Nnaji, a former Minister of Science who did his Post-Doctoral Research Fellowship in AI at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology before joining the University of Massachusetts as a professor and Director of the Robotics and Automation Laboratory at the University of Massachusetts in the United States before his 27th birthday, made the appeal at the fifth convocation ceremonies of Michael and Cecilia Ibru University at Agbara-Otor near Ughelli in Delta State where he also received an honorary doctorate in science.
“AI has come to stay”, he asserted before a large audience comprising academics and researchers from other universities, as well as business executives, philanthropists, and community leaders, including the founder of the university, Mrs. Cecelia Ibru, its vice-chancellor, Professor Ibiyinka Fuwape.
“AI holds the key to our participation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution, driven by Big Data, Internet of Things, etc.
“We lost the First Revolution which is the Agricultural Revolution, the Second which is the Industrial Revolution, and the Third which is the Digital Revolution".
Nnaji, recognised as one of the three top academic engineers in the world in industrial engineering before he returned to Nigeria in 2004, said that AI “has become ubiquitous especially with Generative AI which enables machines, that is digital systems, to do things faster, cheaper and better through repetitive tasks and, in the process, achieve greater autonomy.
“This means that they perform tasks without human control or human input, and this process keeps on improving rapidly”.
He said that, unlike previous revolutions in history, Nigeria does not require massive resource infusion before leapfrogging into the 4th Industrial Revolution
“The computer and the Internet have made things much cheaper, faster, and shorter, as a person can stay in the comforts of his or her home and still be in touch with cutting-edge technology, including AI”, he declared.
Nnaji, a winner of the Nigerian National Order of Merit, the nation's highest honour for intellectual achievement, said AI is helping humanity in every area of life, ranging from healthcare to mass communication to business management to education to legal advice to creativity, crediting much of the new progress to ChatGPT4 launched last November by OpenAI.
“It can write a novel for you and in your name within a few minutes, just as it can write an office memo or an advert jingle or a legal opinion on a complex matter or solve a mathematical or scientific question”, the AI and robotics expert stated.
“All you need do is write the keywords, or a few words, on what you want and prompt the words, and in a jiffy, everything is all yours”.
While expressing delight that an increasing number of Nigerians are embracing AI, the erstwhile power minister advised the Nigerian government to immediately take concrete steps to make the country a significant AI participant, calling the United States, the United Kingdom, China, South Korea, the European Union, and India the frontline AI developers.
The Ministry of Communication and Creativity should be treated as a frontline development ministry, he argued, adding that the Nigerian Communication Commission and the National Office for the Acquisition of Technology should receive priority status.
He counselled the Federal Government to drastically reduce tariffs on certain information technology equipment or even abolish them.
He also called for intensive training of IT specialists in both academic and professional institutions in Nigeria and abroad.
He added: “ Let us borrow a leaf from India which prioritised Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) and has consequently excelled in medical tourism, manufacturing, food security, and moon and sun exploration”.
Nnaji, however, pointed out some of the dangers associated with AI, including job losses and deep fakes.
ChatGPT has replaced the customer teams in some companies because it is more efficient and faster in attending to customer needs than humans.
He named more dangerous consequences of AI use.
“You can use it to make extremely dangerous bombs, for instance”, he said, identifying plagiarism, misinformation, disinformation, invasion of privacy, pornography, blackmail, extortion, and even a possible nuclear catastrophe as well as a possible pandemic as some of the risks.
Nnaji, therefore, called on every government in the world to join hands with AI researchers and developers to create a global body to promote positive and safe AI use “just as the establishment of the International Atomic Energy Agency in 1957 in Vienna, Austria, has resulted in a safer world”.
No government in the world should be left behind in the project to coordinate and regulate AI because, according to him, a rogue AI developer can move to an ungoverned space and cause a human tragedy from there.
The Federal Government has announced plans to establish humanitarian hubs across Nigeria’s 774 local government areas to alleviate suffering through a variety of projects.
The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation, Betta Edu stated this on Friday during a two-day visit to Maiduguri, Borno State.
The minister said that high-level poverty is not found in the Federal Capital Territory but in the hard-to-reach local government areas in the country.
According to Edu, reaching out to the poor would be a field operation all through for her, stating that she will basically not be found in her office “because every day I will be on the field reaching out to the poorest of the poor. We don’t want to do the Abuja business.
“We don’t want to do the state business, we want to drop it down to local government so that individuals that are poor can be easily identified and easily supported,” she said.
Continuing, she revealed that the Humanitarian Ministry will start an expanded upscale social safety net programme which will reach out to at least 15 million households in Nigeria.
Furthermore, she said that conditions will be attached to the social safety net programme, saying that “these are funds to start up businesses, these are funds that put you back on track, so it is not government giveaways as usual.”
The Minister warned that funds given to individuals by the government will come with criteria attached to them and anyone who gets the funds would be held accountable for how the money given was utilised.
She noted that her ministry would work with the Borno State government to expand the social register to accommodate more persons.
She said the country currently has 15.7 million households and around 62 million individuals on the social register. However, she said the figures are inadequate compared to the number of people who seek assistance from the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.
She added that the register would be updated through immediate verification of people on the register to know whether they deserve it or not.
Explaining that the register is not a permanent but a dynamic one, she said, “There are people coming and people going out, so whoever left should leave the register. And, if you are coming in we should truly know that you deserve to be part of the register by the criteria.”
The minister promised Nigerians that if the verification was completed within the next month, the expanded upscale social safety net program would begin immediately.
She emphasised that the administration of President Bola Tinubu aimed to resettle internally displaced people, refugees from Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, as well as other people of concern.
Adding that, “It’s not just about resettling them, or offering them humanitarian services or responding when we have a humanitarian crisis.
“The issue is, how can we prevent these humanitarian crises from happening? How can we work with the security agencies, how can we work with the communities to prevent this crisis from happening?
“Beyond this, we want to be able to provide a more resilient system that is reliable and the interventions are sustainable, so it is not about going to offer a cup or bag of rice, no,” she noted.
Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola has said he is open to reconciling with former Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, and his loyalists, but only if they show remorse and are willing to make amends.
Oyetola, who lost his re-election bid as governor of Osun State in 2022, said the crisis within the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state can only be resolved if all parties involved are willing to put the past behind them and work together for the good of the party.
Speaking at a reception in his honour in Osogbo, Oyetola said, “I am in support of reconciliation, but it must be genuine. Those who engaged in anti-party activities must show remorse and be willing to make amends. They must also be willing to abide by the rules and regulations of the party.”
Oyetola, who did not directly mention Aregbesola, urged APC members in the state to dissociate themselves from any faction or caucus within the party.
He said the party is stronger when it is united, and that any attempt to divide it will only serve the interests of the opposition.
“We must all come together and work for the success of the party,” he said. “We must not allow anyone to divide us.”
The Osun APC has been plagued by internal divisions for years, and the divisions have contributed to its recent electoral defeats.
If Oyetola and Aregbesola can reconcile, it may be a major step towards healing the divisions within the party and making it more competitive in future elections.
Recall that Aregbesola had recently admitted working against his party during the last Osun governorship election that produced Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner.
In addition to calling for reconciliation, Oyetola also used his speech to thank his supporters for their loyalty.
He said that the APC will reclaim the government of Osun State in 2026, and that he is confident that the party will continue to be successful in the years to come.
“I want to thank all of you for your support and steadfastness,” he said. “I am confident that we will reclaim Osun in 2026 and continue to be successful in the years to come.”
The management of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN) has announced the cancellation of its 2023/2024 Post-Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME), earlier scheduled for October.
The development, according to a statement issued on Friday by the school’s Registrar, Mrs C. N. Nnebedum, followed the current economic crisis bedevilling the nation.
The statement explained that the management waived the Post-UTME Screening test after considering the prevailing uncertainties and logistical implications of traveling down to Enugu State from across the country.
According to the Registrar, the management has resolved to assess verified JAMB UTME, O’Level and Direct Entry results of prospective candidates.
The statement reads, “This is to inform prospective candidates and the general public that the University of Nigeria, Nsukka 2023/2024 Post-UTME Screening Exercise, earlier slated to start from Tuesday, October 3, 2023, through Friday, October 18, 2023, will no longer be held.
“The reconsideration by the Management to waive the Post-UTME Screening Test for 2023/2024 academic session was occasioned by the prevailing uncertainties and logistical implications of travelling down from various parts of the country at this challenging time.
“Management has come up with the decision that for the 2023/2024 Academic Session, the Screening Exercise shall be by the assessment of verified JAMB UTME, O’Level and Direct Entry results in place of the Post-UTME Computer Based Test (CBT) examination.
“Any candidate who fails to upload the verified O’Level results at JAMB CAPS in record time shall not be considered for admission.
“Other details on the registration for the Screening on O’Level and Direct Entry results at the UNN portal, as already published on our Website, remain as scheduled.”
DAILY POST reports that following the removal of fuel subsidy by President Bola Tinubu, transportation fares have skyrocketed across the country.
[DailyPost]
The Lagos State Examinations Board has urged both public and approved private schools within the state to check their 2023 Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) results on the board’s portal.
In an unprecedented move, the board has made it possible for all schools in the state to access their results in real-time, as stated by Mr. Fatai Bakare, the Public Affairs Officer, in a press release in Lagos.
What he said
Bakare said,
- “This development is to eliminate the burden of coming to the board for the collection of results and reduce the delay associated with that process.
He also gave the board’s portal as: https://examsboard.lagosstate.gov.ng with the schools’ default username and password provided during the registration of their students and pupils.
He explained that the provided link offers the capability to access and print candidates’ results online starting from Friday, September 8th.
Mr Adebayo Orunsolu, the Director of the Lagos State Examinations Board, has also indicated that the resit examination for BECE is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 5th, and will take place at designated centres throughout the state, as per his statement.
[Nairametric]
The Benue State Election Tribunal has declared Senator Gabriel Suswam of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the 25 February Senatorial election in the Benue North East Senatorial District.
Suswam defeated Emmanuel Udende of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the tribunal and was returned on Friday, after a judgement that lasted for over three hours.
Details shortly…
[DailyPost]
Afolabi Ghandi Olaoye, a pastor with the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), has been installed as the new Soun of Ogbomoso.
Olaoye was installed by kingmakers led by Sobalaje Otolorin at the palace on Friday.
Other traditional rites for the throne have commenced.
The new Soun arrived at Ogbomoso on Friday morning with a private jet from the US.
On September 2, Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, approved the appointment of Olaoye as the new Soun.
Olaloye succeeds Jimoh Oyewunmi Ajagungbade III who died in December 2021, aged 95, after reigning for 48 years.
Olaoye is a descendant of the 9th Soun of Ogbomoso, the late Oba Laoye Orumogege from Baiyewuwon ruling house of Aremo House, Ode-Aremo, Ogbomoso.
He is the pastor of RCCG, Jesus House, Washington DC, USA.
On Thursday, a high court sitting in Ogbomoso restrained Makinde, attorney-general of the state, commissioner of local government and chieftaincy, and their agents from presenting any instrument of office in any form of ceremony, or issuance of certificate of installation to Olaoye, pending the final determination of a suit.
The court gave the order while ruling on a motion ex-parte in a suit filed by one of the contenders for the Soun of Ogbomoso stool, Muhammed Kabir Olaoye.
[TheCable]
At least, thirty people have been reportedly killed in a landslide caused by the activities of illegal miners in Kuje area council of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
This is just as 19 persons were also kidnapped yesterday in the Bwari area council of the FCT.
The twin incidents were disclosed at a maiden meeting between FCT minister, Nyesom Wike, and the six area council chairmen.
The minister who was surprised at the development said he would summon the FCT director of State Services as well as the commissioner of Police to receive adequate briefings on the kidnap incident and facilitate rescue operations.
Wike asked the council bosses to set up a surveillance task force in their areas to monitor mining activities, just as he promised to meet with his counterpart in Solid Minerals, Dele Alake, to begin talks on the elimination of illegal mining in the FCT.
Also, the minister of state for FCT, Dr Mariya Mahmoud, and the permanent secretary in the FCTA, Olusade Adesola, expressed the willingness of the administration to continue to partner with the area councils to ensure even development of the territory.
Speaking on the challenges confronting the councils, Kwali area council chairman, Danladi Chiya, appealed to the minister and the minister of state to come to their aid.
“When we heard about your appointment, we were happy because you have been a council chairman and, therefore, understand our challenges. Our challenges are inadequate funding of the local government system.
“We have the major challenge of insecurity across the six area councils. Just today (Thursday), about 19 people were kidnapped in the Bwari area council. I just received about five in my council who were in captivity for about six days.
“The next is the development of satellite towns. The issue of sanitation is one of the major challenges confronting us. There is also no efficient transport facility. The Abuja Urban Mass Transit buses are no longer functional.
“Then there is the issue of land allocation. You sit in your council, and your backyard will be allocated to someone you do not even know. Your graveyards and worship centres would be allocated and we are saying that we should be carried along in terms of land allocation,” Chiya said.
The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on Thursday said he knew the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi will not win the February 25, 2023 presidential election.
Wike claimed that the youth settled for Obi because he was the youngest among the top politicians who contested.
He noted that even though the youths were tired of the situation in the country, they did not take into cognisance a lot of things.
The Minister stated this during an interview on Channels TV.
Wike said, “I know that he won’t win the election. Let me tell you the truth, I am a realist.
“For me, the way the election went, it was a tough election. I give it to INEC (the Independent National Electoral Commission).
“Obi couldn’t have won the election. “Yes, as a young man, people would have preferred that but look at how the votes went.
“There is this generational change, the young people were tired. So, for them, the only hope they had was to vote for Obi as a younger person compared to other candidates.
“But unknown to them, that is not the reality of Nigerian politics. They didn’t take into cognisance that ethnicity is a factor. They didn’t take into cognisance that religion is a factor, not only competence; that is the reality of Nigerian politics.”
Speaking on the judgement of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal on Wednesday, Wike said some believe the judiciary was right when Obi reclaimed his mandate as governor of Anambra State in 2007 but the judiciary was wrong when he lost at the presidential Tribunal.
He said, “Did Peter Obi not win at the Supreme Court when he was removed as governor? Did he pay a bribe? Let him tell the world now.
“When he was removed as a governor, did he not reclaim his mandate at the Supreme Court? Judiciary was right but now that the decision happened, the judiciary is wrong.”
More...
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kogi State has suffered a setback ahead of the governorship election in the state.
The crisis rocking the party has seen a former Deputy Governor of the State, Yomi Awoniyi, officially dumped the party.
Awoniyi, who served as Deputy to former Governor Idris Wada addressed his resignation letter to the Chairman of PDP in Mopamuro Local Government Area of Kogi State, dated 31st August 2023.
He, however, did not state the reason for dumping the opposition party in the state.
The letter titled, “Letter of Resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party”, was released to the media on Thursday.
He wrote, “I hereby write to tender my letter of resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party after 25 unbroken years of loyal and dedicated membership and service.
“With this resignation, I cease to be a member of the PDP. Kindly convey my sincere gratitude to the party faithful in Mopamuro LGA, Kogi West Senatorial District, and indeed the entire state, through your fellow LGA Party chairmen, for their support and camaraderie, over the years.
“I look forward to our continued friendship despite no longer being members of the same political party.”
The governorship candidate of the party in the forthcoming governorship election in the state is Dino Melaye, who at a time represented Kogi West Senatorial District in the National Assembly.
People Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has said the only legacy of Vice-President Kashim Shettima is transforming Borno State from ‘the Home of Peace’ to hell fire.
Atiku said this in a statement by special assistant on Public Communications, Mr. Phrank Shaibu, while reacting to Shettima’s joke about him shortly after the verdict of the Presidential Election Petition Court (PEPC).
Following the tribunal judgment in favour of President Bola Tinubu and Shettima, had said “Atiku Abubakar is an elder statesman that I hold in very high esteem, and anybody who knows the social-cultural interaction between the Fulanis and the Kanuris in the North will know that I have the liberty to haul all insults at him, and he will bear,” said Mr Shettima on Wednesday, fielding questions after tribunal’s ruling.
“We are not going to retire him to Dubai or Morocco. I will retire him to Fombina. I will buy him goats, broilers and layers so that he can spend his days rearing goats and broilers, but on a joking side,” the Vice President said.
Responding however, Atiku, a former vice president, said Shettima failed abysmally as governor and chief security officer of Borno State.
The statement said it was laughable that Shettima who has the most woeful governance record in Nigerian history and could not lift the people of Borno State from poverty was planning on investing in Atiku.
It added, “He (Shettima) loves to crack lackluster jokes at every given opportunity. Last year, he said Vice-President Osinbajo should have been an ice cream man instead of a politician. Later on, he said Nigeria needed a leader like Sani Abacha.
“As part of his circus act, he visited the annual general conference of the Nigerian Bar Association in an oversize suit, a pair of sneakers and a poorly knotted tie. Shettima needs to decide if he wants to be a statesman or Baba Sala of blessed memory .
His behaviour is certainly unbefitting for a man who currently holds the exalted office of Vice-President, even if temporarily.”
Shaibu said it had become Shettima’s stock in trade to deride others because he had nothing worthwhile to say about himself or his principal, Bola Tinubu, whose three months in office have only worsened poverty and inflation.
He recalled that Shettima was appointed as commissioner for finance and later became governor of Borno State, adding that those who brought him into government had high expectations for him having come from the banking sector.
“During his tenure as governor between 2011 and 2019, Borno State was taken over by terrorists completely. He ignored a security report about an impending attack on Chibok which ultimately led to the abduction of over 250 schoolgirls.
“Specifically, the head of WAEC’s National Office in Nigeria, Charles Eguridu, stated in 2014 that WAEC had informed Shettima about the danger of holding exams in Chibok and advised that the students be relocated to Maidguri which was relatively safer. Shettima refused to relocate the students and they were abducted, half of whom have not been seen again till today.
“Even though he left government four years ago, the millions of residents of Borno State have yet to recover from the mistake called Shettima. Rather than be penitent, he continues to move about like a clown, making unsolicited dry jokes about others.”
Shaibu advised the Vice-President to stick to praying to God for forgiveness for thwarting the destiny of the millions of people of Borno State.
“We advise Kashim Shettima to spend the remainder of his days praying to God everyday for forgiveness for destroying the lives of the millions of people of Borno State rather than making dry and insipid jokes at those who have actually bettered the lives of people.
“His lack of sophistication is eroding the elegance of the Office of the Vice-President. Men of honour have held that position in the past and Shettima should learn from the examples they led in public decency. In any case, he would do well by attending a finishing school on Atiku’s scholarship and learn how to behave like a polished statesman,” Shaibu said.
Managing Director of National Inland Waterways, Dr. George Moghalu, in this interview speaks on a lot of national issues including the recent crisis that engulfed the ruling All Progressives Congress and his assessment of President Bola Tinubu since he assumed office. Adedayo Akinwale brings excerpts.
What is your assessment of the current government at the centre?
I’m one of those people who don’t believe in this 100 days thing. President BolaTinubu-led administration, in fairness, is still too young for anybody to think of an honest assessment. This, our administration is three months plus.
So it won’t be fair to start making a proper assessment of the administration.
However, I must be honest enough to say that the initial steps taken are quite courageous. He points to the direction of an administration that is committed to delivering on its promises. Because in these times, for you to run an administration, one thing you must have is courage to take very strong and hard decisions.
So I must say the government has started well, but requires all the citizens to keep supporting the government, keep encouraging the government, because we’re all part of the system.
Perhaps I should ask you if you have reconciled with APC?
I never quarrelled with APC. There was a disagreement, which was on principle. And the moment the issue was resolved by the court, I moved on. I was injured, I felt disrespected, I felt humiliated in a party I can boldly claim to be one of the founders of.
I’m not a joiner. So I had to follow the judiciary route as a Nigerian who believes that the judiciary is the last hope of the common man. And fortunately enough, the three stages – we went to the High Court, to the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court – they all gave judgment in my favor. So I made my point. So for me, that phase has passed. Then we continued with our party.
What is your assessment of the new national leadership of the APC and the chances of the party winning the staggered elections in three states?
The new leadership of Dr. Umar Ganduje, it is not up to one month. So what basis are you going to assess him? The point is that he’s experienced, you can’t take that away from him. Somebody who has been special advisor, somebody who’s been Commissioner, somebody who’s been deputy governor, somebody who’s been governor.
I think if there’s any experience that is required to hold any public office, I think Dr. Ganduje has enough of it. But to whom much is given much is also expected. Everybody is expecting him to lead the party well, and like you rightly observed too, and there is a staggered election in three states, which provides his current leadership of the party an opportunity to demonstrate capacity.
So we have three states’ elections in November. So I expect that he will work very hard to deliver. Get everybody on board, and see to it that the party wins the elections in the three states that are going to be contested for in November.
The APC has had six national chairmen in 10 years. Most of them were sacked following internal crisis that bedevilled the party. What do you think should be done to stop this trend?*
That goes to show that it is a human organisation. Because, like I keep telling people, wherever there’s a human organisation, interests certainly would clash. Whenever there’s a human organisation, there are developments that may require you to change the way you are. You are not apt, you’re not fixated on a particular position, and that may have been what has happened in the issue of Chairmen of APC.
Don’t forget that it is only in this last instance that it involved the Chairman and Secretary. Usually, you find out that it is only the chairman because the box stops on the table of the chairman. He is the leader of the party. So, any failure in leadership or any feeling of such will now be pointed at the chairman just as the way he will get all the glory if the party wins any election or scores any positive feat. So changing up our chairmen for me, it doesn’t matter so much. It’s about getting the right people at the right time to do the right job. So if it requires changes till will get the best, to God be the glory.
One of the reasons why Senator Abdulahi Adamu was asked to go was based on alleged corruption. And, surprisingly, Ganduje that was brought to replace him reportedly has a corruption case against him. Is that an indication that the present government is corruption-friendly?
The point here is, are we not living on speculation? Is there any judgement, any indictment of Ganduje? There’s none. It is all about what is being said. We have strong anti-corruption agencies. Nobody has come out to say, Ganduje is corrupt. Nobody has taken him to court. No judgement is pronounced. I am confident that our party wouldn’t have allowed him to be chairman if there’s a conviction or if there’s a pronouncement over him.
As of now, it is still in the realm of speculation. Even the one we are talking about, Adamu, is still in the realm of speculation because it has not been proven. You know, we’re very quick in this country in sentencing people to prison without even hearing them out. But meanwhile, the truth still remains that you don’t have evidence to prove that these people committed these offenses they’ve been accused of because if you had evidence, you go to court and the judiciary is there. If they find you guilty, they pronounce you guilty, and it is only at that stage, that you can boldly come out and say that somebody is corrupt. Otherwise, you’re living in the realm of speculation.
For 2023 presidential poll, your party fielded a muslim-muslim ticket, after the ouster of Adamu, the party still fielded a chairman who is a muslim and the National Secretary who is also a muslim. Do you think your party is sensitive enough to the Christians in the party like yourself and the general public?
I think the party is sensitive. It is not about the sensitivity of the party now. When the party fielded muslim-muslim ticket, Nigerians ignored that and then chose competence, chose capacity to deliver. Yes! muslim-muslim ticket was presented, but it did not override the other benefits. People felt that it’s better for them to deal with so-so and so-so persons based on their capacity and the belief they have in them in the ability to deliver and the expectation.
So for me, that did not matter at all. Because it has happened it has happened. We had an opportunity to say we don’t accept it. And then when you look at the party, it was circumstantial.
For political expediency, the presidency is in the south, a Chairman has to come from the North. In the north today, truth be told, we have more muslims than we have Christians. Just like we have more christians in the south than we have in the north. So I wouldn’t be surprised that the person who emerges from the north is a muslim. Then coming to the south, the Secretary emerging became also circumstantial because from the area where he comes from, there are families that they have christians and muslims together.
In fact, I didn’t even know the Secretary is a muslim until recently and you don’t even need to go too far to find out. Our president in his house, the president is a Muslim, the wife is not only a Christian but a pastor. So how do you balance that? He goes to show that the issue of religion does not matter even in the homes. So let the emphasis be on the capacity and the ability of the people to deliver on the responsibilities assigned to them. Because if they do very well, nobody will remember whether they are christians or muslims. It is when the person now fails, you start looking for other problems to bring up.
I keep telling people, there is no supermarket in Abuja, for example or a market in Abuja that only muslims go to. There is also no market here in Abuja that only christians go to. There are no shops here you can say you must come from the north to buy from them or you must come from the south to buy from them. These things are not necessary.
The important thing is what do we do as a people to better the living condition of our people so that government can impact on them and I think that’s where the emphasis is for now.
You are coasting to the finish line, looking back now, how would you assess yourself? What would you beat your chest for and say I’m a satisfied person and what are those unfulfilled dreams?
Let me put it this way. I would rather find it very difficult to start assessing myself by saying I did very well or I did not do well.
But I would rather prefer a situation where those who worked with me, those in NIWA who worked with me from the date I came in up to the date I will be leaving to the glory of God, for them to be in a position to say this man who came here did well or he did not do well. But what I am going to do is to avail you of a brochure that contains all our projects from 2019 that I came in up to this month, by the 29th, my first term will end.
So that you can be able to look at the projects, you can be able to see them, you can be able to see the list so that when you’re speaking or when you’re writing, you write authoritatively. But I feel satisfied and I sincerely appreciate the former president, my former ministers, the two of them, who provided me the opportunity, who gave me this platform to serve. I also appreciate my colleagues in NIWA from the least person to the highest person, I’m eternally grateful, but most importantly, I thank God Almighty, who literally gave me good health, protected me, guided me and assisted me through to this point.
But I am very satisfied with the little I have contributed in building that agency. If nothing else you will say today, the NIWA you know today was not the same NIWA in 2019.
Four years is very small for you to achieve all, what are those things you wished were completed under your watch?
There is quite a lot that still has to be done. But don’t forget that this is a relay race. You do your bit, you hand over the baton to somebody else to do. Just like somebody handed over the baton to me.
Even if I do a second term, I would still certainly one day hand the baton over to somebody. There is still quite a lot to do in NIWA because I believe very strongly that the potential in the riverine sector, the maritime economy is enormous and we need to explore it.
The government needs to invest further in that sector to be able to reap the benefits that abound in that sector.
Like I always say, Nigeria has the advantage of over 10,000 kilometres of inland waterways, though it’s only about 3,000 and some fractions that are all year round navigable. You can also access 28 states of our country by water if our channels are all open.
So even if it is this we achieve, then we have achieved a milestone. If nothing else, by the time we move bulk cargo by water, you remove them from the road, we save our road infrastructure.
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, has said the country lost about $46 billion (N16.25 trillion) to crude oil theft between 2009 and 2020.
This is even as a committee of the House summoned the Nigeria National Petroleum Company Limited, Nigeria Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, and Ministry of Petroleum Resources, among others, for failing to honour its invitation.
The speaker, who spoke yesterday in Abuja while inaugurating the ad hoc committee to investigate crude oil theft and loss of revenue, said the menace of crude oil theft has drastically hampered the growth of the country’s oil production, with Nigeria losing between five and 30 per cent of daily crude oil production.
He, however, expressed shock that critical agencies in the oil and gas sector had refused to honour the committees’ invite, adding that the agencies were not doing the nation any good by refusing to appear before the parliament to answer questions on the critical aspect of the economy.
Represented by chairman of the House Committee on Petroleum Upstream, Al Hassan Ado Doguwa, the speaker said if decisive action was not taken to address the issue, the country might be thrown into a deeper fiscal crisis due to dwindling revenue from the oil and gas sector.
Quoting data from the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI, the speaker said Nigeria’s oil production declined from 2.51 million barrels per day in 2005 to 1.77 million barrels per day in 2020.
He said: “NEITI reports also show that 619 million barrels of crude valued at $46 billion were stolen in the period 2009-2020”, adding that “Nigeria has continually failed to meet its daily production quota as set by the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, OPEC.”
Abbas explained further that “recently, Nigeria’s OPEC quota was reduced from 1.742 million barrels per day to 1.38 million barrels per day.
”Yet, the country is still struggling to meet this quota as daily production output was 1.184 million barrels per day and 1.249 million barrels per day in May and June 2023 respectively.
“On average, current daily production output is a far cry from the budget assumption of 1.69 million per day. The implication is clearly manifest in the economic crisis that the country is facing.”
While noting that the nation faced a major fiscal crisis, the speaker said global recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine had continued to cast a cloud of uncertainty on the oil and gas industry in the country.
He said: “While the average international price for Brent crude oil has hovered slightly above the set benchmark price since January, Nigeria’s daily oil production has performed poorly due to a number of reasons.
“It is common knowledge that investment in the oil and gas sector has declined in the past few years, owing to global financing constraints and the overall response to energy transition considerations.
“However, we must agree that the greatest challenge to optimizing crude oil production in Nigeria is the grand scale oil theft that has plagued the sector for the past 2 decades.”
Abbas said the House was aware of several efforts by past administrations to address the menace of crude oil theft with a number of task forces, special committees and investigative panels set up in the past, each with a wide range of findings and recommendations
He said: “NEITI provides yearly updates on the amount of crude oil stolen or lost through sabotage. Yet, the menace of oil theft has continued unabated despite the enormous resources already committed to addressing it.”
In his remark, chairman of the committee, Alhassa Usman Rumrum, said the volume of losses occasioned by oil theft in the country and its associated impact on the economy were completely unacceptable and could not be tolerated by any government that sincerely loved its citizens.
He said: “The manner this act of sabotage and breach on our national security and sovereignty is carried out daily makes a caricature of our pride as a nation and even a mockery of the acclaimed status of our armed forces.
“It is an affront to government and its institutions which must be tackled without further delay.
It is in the light of these that the House constituted this committee and is determined to bring this ugly trend to an end, otherwise there may be no future for our remaining children who have not yet Japa to other countries in search of survival.
“To members of the armed forces/security agencies, all Nigerians in the various states, host communities and even in the diaspora who are involved in this practice, I challenge you all to have a rethink. We have no other country to call our own, let , therefore, not push this madness to a point of no return where we may find nowhere to run to.”
While commending the President for the courageous steps so far taken to rebuild the country, Rumrum said: “These efforts will be in vain unless we make a resolute statement and send a powerful message through both words and actions, declaring that oil theft and all form of hydrocarbon unaccountability will not be tolerated under this administration.
“Only then can our people confidently and joyfully embrace a renewed sense of hope and purpose.”
Also speaking, a representative of the Nigeria Police Force, Mr Alabi Abiodun, said the police had put in place a task force to assist other security agencies in arresting those attacking oil facilities.
In addressing the menace, Abiodun said perpetrators of the act should be handed over to the Nigerian police to prosecute them effectively.