President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of Dr. Dennis Brutu Otuaro as Administrator of the Presidential Amnesty Programme (PAP).

Dr. Otuaro holds a PhD in Comparative Politics & Development Studies; an MSc in Public Administration, and a BSc in Education.

He had previously served as a top-level executive of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) with a surfeit of experience across multiple sectors, including infrastructure development, security, environmental remediation, as well as oil and gas.

The President anticipates that the new Administrator will bring his requisite experience and know-how to this role to revamp the Amnesty Programme and advance the realization of its founding purpose and vision.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale 

Special Adviser to the President 

(Media & Publicity)

The Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, has elevated his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr. Gboyega Akosile, to Special Adviser, Media and Publicity. 

The appointment, which took immediate effect, was announced on Wednesday in a letter dated March 13, 2024, and signed by the Head of Service, Mr. Bode Agoro.

"I wish to convey the approval of Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos State, of your new appointment as Special Adviser, Media and Publicity (Non-Cabinet Rank) to Mr. Governor. The appointment takes effect from 13th March 2024 to 21st May 2027.

"In appointing you, the State Government expects you to demonstrate a high level of dedication, diligence, and selflessness in the discharge of your duties to justify the confidence and trust reposed in you," the statement reads in part. 

Before his new appointment, Akosile was the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sanwo-Olu.  He had earlier served as Media Adviser to the Governor during the 2019 governorship campaign and in the same capacity after the swearing-in of Governor Sanwo-Olu for a second term.

He also served as Deputy Chief Press Secretary and later Chief Press Secretary to Governor Sanwo-Olu during his first term in office. 

Akosile holds Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts degrees in Theatre Arts from both the University of Ilorin and University of Lagos respectively. He also bagged a Master of Business Administration degree, MBA at the Obafemi Awolowo University, OAU between 2008 and 2010.

He has over two decades of robust career and hands on experience in journalism, media and perception management.

In his new role, Akosile is expected to continue his media and perception management of the Governor and his administration, in line with the Government’s THEMES+ development agenda.

SIGNED

OLABODE AGORO

HEAD OF SERVICE

President Bola Tinubu has approved the relocation of the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare.

NACA was previously domiciled in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

The relocation of NACA to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is to foster synergy and enhance collaboration in pursuit of the nation's goal to achieve the 95-95-95 pathway for ending the AIDS epidemic.

In line with his topmost priority of manifesting the Renewed Hope Agenda of his administration across sectors, the President is determined to consistently harmonize institutions within and between the different sectors in the country, ensuring improved coordination and synergy among agencies for efficient and qualitative service delivery to all Nigerians.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity) 

President Bola Tinubu has directed the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy; the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS), and the Federal Ministry of Environment to align regulations and tax frameworks to facilitate investment expansion in telecommunications and broadband infrastructure nationwide.

The President issued the directive at a meeting with a delegation from American Tower Corporation (ATC) Nigeria at the State House in Abuja on Thursday, expressing dissatisfaction with the bureaucratic pace in permit issuance processing for companies operating in the digital infrastructure sector.

The Chief Executive Officer of ATC Africa, Mr. Marek Busfy had expressed ATC Nigeria's commitment to expanding its investments in the country, which have already surpassed $2.19 billion since its commencement of Nigerian operations in 2015.

Busfy also emphasized ATC's commitment to delivering value to subscribers while reducing greenhouse gas emissions associated with its operations.

Responding, President Tinubu commended ATC Nigeria for its significant contributions and investments in the country's ICT sector, highlighting the importance of innovative solutions to bridge the digital divide.

The President lauded the ongoing efforts of the Federal Ministry of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy to promote digital connectivity across the nation, particularly the 3 Million Technical Talent (3MTT) programme that functions to upskill three million Nigerian youths in digital literacy and innovation through innovation incubators nationwide.

President Tinubu outlined ongoing initiatives to establish broadband connectivity in all 774 local government secretariats within six months, leveraging existing infrastructure, such as NIGCOMSAT and Galaxy Backbone's fibre optic network.

''In the area of ease of doing business, no nation can make progress without paying attention to the opportunities that are right in front of them. We have a vibrant youth population that has successfully innovated without much government support. What now happens in this era when we are providing massive support to their digital economic activities? They will do very well. You are investing in the right place at the right time.

''Considering our population and land mass, we need your investments to ensure that we are ready for a higher level of digital penetration in the telecommunications sector and the specific type of digital education that is needed in the competitive, knowledge-based global economy of the 21st century,'' the President said.

Addressing concerns raised by the delegation regarding the ease of doing business in Nigeria, President Tinubu assured them of his administration's commitment to implementing reforms that will eliminate bureaucratic constraints.

In response to a request from the delegation for a reduction in withholding tax for telecommunications companies to stimulate investments in telecommunications and broadband infrastructure, the President said the Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) would review the matter and provide a solution that is in the best interest of both the investors and the Nigerian people.

''Every citizen, whether at the corporate or individual level, fights tax. Let us work with the FIRS and see how we can slice the cake. If the country has a good path of growth, it is a greater opportunity for you to invest,'' the President stated.

In his remarks, the CEO of ATC Africa reiterated the company's readiness to invest further in Nigeria's ICT infrastructure to meet the market's growing demand for data, while lauding the clarity of strategy demonstrated by the administration, particularly praising the roadmap and efforts of the Honourable Minister of Communications, Innovation, and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani.

''Mr. President, what has struck me in Nigeria is the clarity of strategy by your administration, particularly in the ICT sector, and the administration's 3MTT programme. In the last year, we have invested over $200 million in growing our infrastructure in Nigeria, and we are ready to do significantly more.

''We have employed several hundred people in Nigeria and 25,000 more indirectly. We have paid about $400 million in taxes, both direct and indirect. As an American company, we are often asked about our experience in Africa and in Nigeria, and we want to stress that we are very ethical in our approach to business,'' Mr. Busfy said.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Pastor Umo Eno, today, signed the Bulk Purchase Agency and Assets Management and Maintenance Agency Bills recently passed by the State House of Assembly, into law.

Speaking during the Enlarged State Executive Council meeting at the EXCO Chambers, Governor Eno commended the leadership of the State House of Assembly for working to expeditiously pass the two bills.

The Bulk Purchase Bill, as the Governor has been saying, is a response by Government to the high cost of staple food items in the nation arising from some economic challenges currently being felt by Nigerians across social strata.

The Governor had stated that, “this is an intervention exercise, and the only way we can mitigate the suffering of our people, is to directly intervene. We believe the best vehicle for such intervention, was to set up an agency that will do a direct intervention in the market and get staple food items to our people at a reduced price. That is what the Bulk Purchase Agency seeks to address.

“Let me again, emphasize that this is an intervention exercise and not a permanent solution. The permanent solution is to return to the farm.

“That is why we will soon, set up an Agric Committee that will support our people with seedlings so they can return to the farm.

“This committee will work tirelessly to ultimately make our staple food items available at drastically reduced price range.

“ The second bill, seeks to create the State’s Assets Register, different and separate from Akwa Ibom State Road and Other Infrastructure Maintenance Agency, (AKROIMA) which as the name implies, is essentially for roads maintenance. We have to develop a strong maintenance culture. We can’t allow our assets to deteriorate.

“This bill also seeks to create an occupational safety department, in line with what obtains elsewhere.”

The signing of the bills was followed by a presentation of the key element of the Bulk Purchase Agency, which is the food voucher by the SSA on ICT Matters, Dr. Frank Ekpenyong.

A massive publicity on the working of this process will be further enhanced in the coming weeks.

All over the State, the people have commended and celebrated Governor Umo Eno for his people- centric initiatives, especially at this time of severe economic stress among Nigerians.

Ekerete Udoh
Chief Press Secretary to the Governor

President Bola Tinubu has approved the establishment of the Regional Coordinating Centre (RCC) of the Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa-CDC) in Nigeria.

President Tinubu is the African Union (AU) Champion for Human Resources for Health and Community Health Delivery Partnership.

The President's approval of the siting of the Centre in Abuja is part of his larger effort to convey Nigeria’s commitment to regional and global health security, while promoting local economic opportunities in the health care delivery value chain and enhancing Nigeria's and West Africa's collective capacity to respond promptly to outbreaks which is vital to the overall well-being and stability of the African continent.

The Centre will also bring with it enormous socio-economic benefits in the form of enhancing aggregate national productivity and reversing human capacity drain, even as the ability of indigenous medical professionals and scientists will be bolstered to respond adequately to old, recent, and emerging diseases, not only in Nigeria, but across the continent.

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

March 14, 2024

What does palliative mean to you? Free food items from the government? Subsidized transportation or increased in wages? While other states are distributing food items to their vulnerable and the very poor citizens and some are topping up workers’ salaries with some cash, Akwa Ibom state government is going a step further by taking healthcare to the rural communities and the lessons are instructive. For three days in February, Gov. Umo Eno arranged a huge medical outreach program in Uyo in which an open field in the metropolis was turned into a gigantic hospital and thousands of people trooped into the airconditioned tents to receive treatment for all sorts of ailments, ranging from hernia to glaucoma. Practically, every disease that afflict our people were treated for free and in the three days of the program, over 1,700 patients received attention and medications; 248 surgeries were performed, including caesarean sections; 630 eye glasses dispensed; 102 dental procedures performed and 742 eye consultations done. In all, 200 medical personnel participated.

Encouraged by its success, the government is taking the program to the other two senatorial districts. This week (March 13 – 18) is the turn of the Akwa Ibom North West senatorial district (or Ikot Ekpene Senatorial district) which has 10 LGAs while Akwa Ibom South or Eket Senatorial district (12 LGAs) will take their turn next month. Persons afflicted with hernia, cataracts, glaucoma, malaria, skin infections and all sorts of ailments are receiving attention, and instead of tents in an open field, the outreach in Ikot Ekpene is held at the general hospital and it will last for five days, two days longer than the one in Uyo. In the first two days at Ikot Ekpene, 3,000 patients have received attention and over 300 surgical procedures, including CS, were performed. I have just asked a friend whose mother is suffering from swollen legs (apparently a symptom of renal impairment) to rush the poor woman to the general hospital.

‘’The success is amazing and the government is thinking of organizing the outreach more frequently’’, Dr. Emmanuel John, the personal physician to the governor told me. But why didn’t these people go to hospitals, the government-owned health facilities, all along? Were they waiting for this outreach program? Did they know that it was coming? I asked Dr. John. His answer is instructive. They kept away from hospital because of cost. ‘’You will be surprised to learn that even a N2,000 bill can scare away our people from hospitals’’, he said, adding, ‘’the governor is very concerned about the welfare of our people in the rural areas and he knows about their limited capacity to bear financial burdens, no matter how minor they are, and so he came up with the idea of this outreach which is essentially taking free healthcare to the people’’.

Although Akwa Ibom government is planning to increase the frequency of the program, the most sustainable system of providing healthcare to the people lies in compulsory health insurance scheme. Nigeria has had health insurance since the Obasanjo administration introduced it over 20 years ago, but the coverage has been too low – just about three percent of the population is covered. In the whole of Africa, it is only Rwanda that has a coverage of up to 90%. Said Dr. John: ‘’We need to make health insurance compulsory in Nigeria so that the working class in the country can bear the burdens of the weak and the elderly members of the population’’. I agree. If, for example, 200,000 people in the state contribute N2,000 each in a month, that would fetch N400 million. This is more than enough to cater for the health needs of every sick person for the month. This is a matter for the National Economic Council and the Nigerian Governors Forum to take a keen look at.

There are some lessons to take away from the success of the Akwa Ibom medical outreach. Number one: Our people are so poor that even the thought of a N2,000 medical bill can prevent them from seeking help in government-owned hospitals. The previous administration spent huge resources to renovate and re-equip general hospitals in many LGAs and the incumbent administration is revamping the primary health centers, yet our people do not go there for treatment.

Another lesson is that distribution of rice and food items is not the only way of providing palliatives to the people. Quite often, we hear of governments distributing foodstuffs to ameliorate the cost-of-living crisis in the country. But unknown government officials, more of their citizens are dying of common preventable and curable diseases than of hunger. These people are so poor that they do not even know where to seek help for their ailments. So, while the governors are in Abuja looking for money to provide food palliatives, their citizens are dying of common infections. Truly, humans require food as much as they need medical care to live.

This program may cost Akwa Ibom government up to N300 million or more, in my estimation. Today, a surgical procedure, whether for hernia or appendicitis, even in a government hospital, costs up to N300,000! Whatever the total cost will be, it is worth it. This is the time to cater for the hapless and the helpless amongst us. I commend the governor. Akwa Ibom State is not for the political class alone! To create a more enduring system, I urge the governor to make a law for a compulsory health insurance scheme in which every working person, including the self-employed, will contribute to a pool that would fund medical care for all, especially the weakest segments of the population.

Hon. Minister of Agriculture and Food Security,

Hon. Minister of Budget and National Planning

Hon. Minister of State, Agriculture and Food Security

Permanent Secretary,

Distinguished Colleagues,

 Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good Morning,

1. It is with great honour and enthusiasm that I stand before you today to address a matter of paramount importance that not only aligns with the core objectives of the Central Bank of Nigeria and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security but also resonates deeply with the livelihoods of all Nigerians - the escalating cost of food.
2. As we are all well aware, Hon. Minister, the Central Bank of Nigeria significantly emphasises maintaining price stability as one of its primary mandates. Food prices are a crucial component of inflation, especially considering that a substantial portion of household expenditure in Nigeria is allocated towards food and non-alcoholic beverages. This reinforces the critical need to address food inflation as a pivotal aspect of managing overall headline inflation rates. While the CBN has been implementing comprehensive measures to curb inflation, it is evident that in the short term, inflationary pressures may persist, predominantly driven by escalating food prices.
3. This is precisely why we convene today - to strengthen our collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture to mitigate the surge in food prices. In alignment with our strategic shift towards focusing on our fundamental mandate, the CBN has veered away from direct quasi-fiscal interventions and transitioned towards leveraging conventional monetary policy tools for executing monetary policies effectively. In this light, we aim to extend our support and foster closer ties with Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) with the mandate and expertise to undertake these critical initiatives. Consequently, we aim to enhance our partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, bolstering your endeavours to enhance food productivity and security, ultimately curbing food inflation and fortifying our pursuit of price stability.
4. In pursuit of these shared goals, we are delighted to announce the allocation of 2.15 million bags of fertiliser, valued at over 100 billion naira, which we humbly hand over to the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security. This contribution from the Central Bank aims to amplify food production capabilities and foster price stabilization within the agricultural sector.
5. My team and I reiterate our unwavering commitment to prioritising price stability and instilling confidence in the Nigerian economy by upholding consumer price stability and ensuring a balanced foreign exchange market. Despite the prevailing challenges posed by inflation and currency depreciation, we remain resolute in our determination to surmount these obstacles. While transient inflationary pressures may persist, we anticipate substantial alleviation by the third quarter of 2024, coupled with diminished exchange rate strains. Our resolve lies in implementing policies that cultivate a resilient macroeconomic environment and enhance the welfare of all Nigerians.
6. I extend my heartfelt gratitude for your collaboration, Honorable Minister. Together, we embark on a journey to fortify food security, foster economic stability, and uplift the prosperity of our nation.
7. Thank you.

Olayemi Cardoso

Governor

We are the CONSCIENCE OF YORUBA NATION GROUP an affiliate of Afenifere.

In regards to the recent instruction of our president of Nigeria, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to the state Governors to provide land for grazing to herders in attempt to curtail the incessant Farmer Herders Crisis that is ravaging the country. Members of COYN hereby reject this proposition of PBAT on this subject. Grazing zones as a proposal to combat the farmers herders crisis has proved ineffective in the middle belt of the country. Benue state banned open grazing and provided ranches yet the crisis in Benue has continued. In Plataeu State and Nasarawa, lands were donated by the President Buhari administration but this did not stop the continued Farmers -Herders clashes. Southern Kaduna is another example of cases of failure of the grazing reserves: they have the longest record since the 1960 grazing reserve act where the former Northern region let the herders lease land for grazing, the reserve land subsequently becoming disputed land, leading to further conflicts till today and continued killings in the region.

We are also dismayed that the President did not recommend any investigation into the offending herders who are interfering with agricultural practices in affected regions such as the South West of Nigeria. As the chief law enforcement officer of the country, we urge the president to look into farm security initiatives for farmers whose lives are endangered everyday by herders who are often armed and has been confrontational in their encounters with farmers, leading to their murdering of many farmers in cold blood. We propose that the president set up a committee to investigate the causes of the incessant farmers -herders crisis and why existing remedies in other regions of the country with adequate land mass for ranching has failed. Mandating State Governors to give land as grazing zone appears to be a repeat of same ineffective strategies that have plagued the country since 1960s.

We urge the State Governments of the Southwest to double their efforts in Animal husbandry to meet the demands of the citizens.

COYN continues to believe in the unity of Nigeria under a federal system based on equity and fairness.

We also believe in the capacity of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to solve the problems bedevilling Nigeria.

Otunba Adekolejo Kole Omololu. 
Conveiner.

Lionel Messi built on his 13th minute assist to Luis Suarez, netting a stupendous finish for the Herons just 15 minutes later.

After a 2-2 draw in the first leg that saw Inter Miami seize an away goals advantage, the Herons came out firing on home turf in the second leg on Wednesday night.

The Herons opened the scoring just eight minutes in, with Suarez providing the goal on a Messi assist.

Just 15 minutes later, though, Messi got one of his own, firing home a feed from Diego Gomez to make the score 2-0.

The Argentine’s brilliant first half set the tone for the Herons, shooting them to a 3-1 victory (5-3 aggregate) over NSC.

Now, they’re off to the quarterfinals of the tournament.

The CONCACAF Champions League is Inter Miami’s first crack at a trophy this season, having won the club’s first-ever piece of silverware last season in the Leagues Cup.

Perhaps more importantly, though, the tournament gives Miami a chance to qualify for the Club World Cup, where they can match up against some of the world’s best.

Following Wednesday’s cup match, the Herons will be back in action this weekend as they return to MLS play. They’ll play host to D.C. United on Saturday as they look to bounce back from a frustrating defeat to CF Montreal.

As for the Champions Cup, Inter Miami will play the winner of FC Cincinnati and CF Monterrey Thursday evening, in the next round of the tournament.

[Leadership]