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The President of African Development Bank, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, on Wednesday, said the future of the Nigerian youths does not lie in any country but in Nigeria.
He said this in Lagos while speaking at the 2023 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership in Lagos.
Adesina was awarded the 2023 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership Award.
Former heads of state, state governors, royal fathers and other distinguished Nigerians graced the event.
Past winners of the prestigious award are Nobel Laureate, Wole Soyinka; former South African President, Thabo Mbeki; and lawyer, Aare Afe Babalola.
Adesina added that Nigerians must make the country a viable place for people to stay and not a place to run away from.
“I refuse to believe that the future of Nigeria’s and Africa’s youths lie in Europe, North America, Asia, or anywhere else. I believe that their future must lie in Africa, growing well, robustly, able to create quality jobs and decent earnings for our young people.
“There is absolutely no reason in the world how we have a demographic asset that then becomes a global negative externality. Let’s take pride in ourselves and let’s make our demographic asset our economic asset globally. I firmly believe that their future lies right here in Nigeria,” he said.
The former Minister of Agriculture from 2011 to 2015 decried the migration to other countries by Nigerians, especially youths, as it does not develop sustainability.
“While one might argue that our growing diaspora is good as they send back billions of dollars, higher than the oil revenue that we have, this is not the way to develop sustainably.
“Nations that develop do all they can to keep their best human capital at home and additional resource skills elsewhere, with flexible immigration and labour policies,” he said.
He said AfDB unveiled a $614m programme to support Nigeria’s digital and creative enterprise to create 6.3 million jobs and add N6.4bn to the economy.
“I always say to myself, how can we have 477 million people under the age of 35 and there are no financial institution? That means we have missing institution and market failure problems and that is why the African Development Bank decided that we will create what we call Youths Entrepreneurship Investment Bank,” Adesina added.
Speaking about the event, former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (retd.), described Adesina as a brilliant man, who “represents the best of Nigeria.”
“The choice of Dr Akinwumi Adesina can only be described as having been very well done. He represents the best of Nigeria, hardworking, diligent, brilliant, forward-looking, and deeply patriotic,” Gowon stated.
[Punch]
A 37-year-old Nigerian woman working as a caregiver in the United Kingdom slumped on February 22, and died two days later.
The victim, Chidimma Susan Ezenyili, known as Suzy, collapsed while on duty in the street of Bishop’s Stortford.
Ezenyili who was a lawyer in Nigeria was tendering an elderly woman, Ian Hale in Scott Road, but a report said she was not feeling well herself but managed to work before her collapse on the fateful day.
Ezenyili and her husband, Friday left Nigeria in August 2023, to go and work as caregivers on sponsorship visas to give their toddler daughter Mandy a better life.
The 37-year-old migrated to the UK and had been caring for the 86-year-old Hale for the past five months.
Hale’s daughter, Catherine Segal, said, “She (Ezenyili) was driven there by her husband with their three-year-old daughter as she wasn’t feeling well but didn’t want to let my dad down.”
When Segal recounted the incident, she said the caregiver collapsed on Thursday, February 22, and stopped breathing and did not have a pulse.
“Naturally, her husband started shouting for help. The neighbourhood raced to help. Myself and my husband ran outside along with our next-door neighbour and our neighbour from across the road,” Segal said.
Segal further said, “We had two GoodSAM first responders arrive shortly after to assist. The community first responder along with several ambulances, police and the critical care team arrived to take over attempts to save her life and were successful in getting her on life support in the ambulance.”
The caregiver was taken to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge, where doctors at the neurosciences critical care unit discovered she had suffered a severe brain haemorrhage.
Segal and Ezenyili’s manager from Harlow-based Care at Hand Ltd, Elisha Newberry, went to the hospital with Friday to support him.
In his narration, Segal’s husband, Saul said, “Sadly, life support was turned off two days later, on February 24, and she passed with her husband by her side.”
But Segal said, “Suzy came here as a carer to fill a need in our community. She was qualified in law in Nigeria and was planning to attain her qualifications to practise law here after her sponsorship as a carer finished.
“She was a really good carer. Kind, considerate and always willing to help no matter what the circumstances.
“Her dream was for her daughter, Mandy, to attend school in the UK and to make a new life here where she would have the opportunities that Suzy and Friday never had growing up in Nigeria.”
[Vanguard]
Bayo Adelabu, minister of power, says the ministry will hold all electricity distribution companies accountable for their performance.
In a post on his X page on Wednesday, the minister said he invited chief executives of Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) and Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC), as well as the managing director of the Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN).
He said the meeting is over the worsening power supply in their regions and to collectively find lasting solutions.
“As the Minister of Power, I am deeply concerned about the deteriorating electricity supply across the country,” he said.
Despite the coordinated attempts to improve the situation, Adelabu said it is depressing to see the drop in power supplies.
“The Ministry has been exerting pressure on the Generating Companies (GENCOs) to enhance their performance, resulting in a recent increase in generation to over 4000MW,” he said.
“Despite this progress, certain distribution companies are failing to adequately distribute the power supplied by TCN, while vandalism of power infrastructure exacerbates the problem in regions such as Abuja, Benin, Port Harcourt, and Ibadan.
“Moving forward, I am committed to holding all distribution companies accountable for their performance. Willful non-performance will not be tolerated, and severe consequences, including license revocation, may be imposed.”
Also, the minister said TCN has been instructed to prioritise repair works on damaged transmission towers and power lines to improve supply in affected areas.
“During recent supervisory visits to power generating plants, I have witnessed firsthand the challenges faced by the sector,” Adelabu said.
“Plans are underway to settle outstanding debts owed to power generation and gas supply companies, which will alleviate the financial strain and contribute to improved generation levels nationwide.”
Adelabu urged electricity consumers to remain patient as the power ministry works tirelessly to address the issues and provide better service to all Nigerians.
[TheCable]
[STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE] President Tinubu Congratulates AFDB President Akinwumi Adesina on Award of Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership
AdminPresident Bola Tinubu congratulates Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), on the award of the prestigious Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership.
Dr. Adesina joins the pantheon of other previous winners of the award such as Nigeria's Nobel Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka; former President of South Africa, Thabo Mbeki, and lawyer-educationist, Chief Afe Babalola.
President Tinubu commends the AfDB President for his visionary and noble endeavour to transform agriculture in Africa and ensure food security on the continent, recalling the growth enhancement schemes revolutionizing Nigeria’s agriculture value chains he introduced as the then Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.
The President acknowledges Dr. Adesina's unblemished records, tried and tested integrity, as well as his immense leadership and development strides, particularly in agriculture, efforts of which have earned him numerous honours and recognition globally, including the World Food Prize in 2017.
President Tinubu wishes the AfDB President more success at AfDB and strength in his service to Africa and to humanity at large.
Chief Ajuri Ngelale
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
March 6, 2024
The Court of Appeal, Abuja division, has affirmed Julius Abure as the National Chairman of Labour Party, LP.
The appellate court on Wednesday set aside the judgment of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory which restrained Abure and two others from parading themselves as national officers of the party.
However, in the judgment on Wednesday, Justice Hamman Barka held that the high court was wrong to have assumed jurisdiction on the matter.
Delivering judgment in the appeal filed by Abure challenging the decision of the high court, Justice Barka, leading a three-member panel of Justices of the Court of Appeal, held that Abure’s appeal had merit and was accordingly allowed.
He said, “The judgement of the lower court is hereby set aside” Justice Barka held and awarded a cost of N1 million against the respondents to be to Abure.
As part of efforts to actualize his plans of empowering the Nigerian Women under the Renewed Hope Agenda, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration is to introduce a $100m World Bank Fund.
The $100m Fund Project tagged P-BAT Cares For Nigerian Women is to economically empower the Nigerian Women.
Speaking on the project at a press briefing, Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, Barrister Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, called on all Nigerians to support the Federal Government and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda for the Care of Nigerian Women.
The Minister who said that when a woman is taken care of, the Nation is also taken care of, pleaded with the Media and Nigerians to support the President whose plan is to put smiles on the faces of Nigerian Women.
According to her, “I am pleading with you to support Mr President who will be unveiling P-BAT Cares for Nigeria Women , and integrity Brigade”,
“So I am urging you all to support and partner with Mr President to achieve the Renewed Hope Agenda which is one of the things that will curb insecurity and save Nigerians”,
Barrister Uju revealed that the P-BAT Cares For Nigerian Women programmes are targeted at empowering women across the Country and improving their productivity in whatever capacity they may find themselves.
The Minister disclosed that, “The President will officially be launching the P-BAT Cares for Nigerian Women alongside other programmes like the Nigeria for Women project and the Integrity Brigade which I want all of you to be part of.
“As a people, let us start realising who we are because this is the greatest Nation in the whole of Africa.
“As members of the Integrity Brigade. you play a crucial role in helping us fight some of these challenges.
“Not just the Media, the Royal Father’s and the Religious Leaders are also part of this Vanguard that the President will be launching.
” But the Media is very important to me because it is only you that I can use to achieve our goals for this country through your enlightenment and publicity.
According to her, the Integrity Brigade will aid in preventing misappropriation and discourage counterproductive protests among women, with NGOs expected to play a pivotal role in disseminating information.
The Minister who called on the Media to closely monitor projects and programmes to ensure they reach their intended beneficiaries, reiterated Government’s commitment to sustainability and Women Empowerment.
“I am pleading with you to support Mr President who will be unveiling P-BAT Cares for Nigeria Women and integrity Brigade”,
“So I am urging you all to support and partner with Mr President to achieve the Renewed Hioe Agenda which is one of the things that will curb insecurity and save Nigerians”, She said
According to her the Federal Government (FG) intends to go after Non-Governmental Organizations (NGO’s) and institutions using Donor monies for technical support, trainings, research and others.
Minister of Women Affairs said most of the Organisations are having millions of dollars allocated to them with the excuse of assisting especially Nigerian Women but the funds do not impact on Nigerians directly.
She said most organisations who apply for Donor Funding on behalf of Nigerians, spend a large sum of the money on consultancy fees, Technical support, Workshops, Research while Nigerian women who should be the original beneficiaries get nothing.
She disclosed that the Brigade, which would be formed under the P-BAT Cares For Nigerian Women Initiative, would be launched by President Bola Tinubu on Thursday.
The initiative would include P-BAT Cares For Women E-Market portal, National Women Helpline, Naija Save Nigeria Intergrity/Transparency Brigade and Nigeria be informed National Broadcast channel
Kennedy-Ohanenye said: “With the Intergrity Brigade, we want to make sure that every decision that will be made concerning Nigeria must be the one that will benefit Nigeria, we will not allow any decision that will not be beneficial to Nigerians.
“Even if you’re an NGO, if you want to write for support for Nigeria, it must be a support that will bring sustainability. We do not want support that you will use advocacies meetings, consultancies and syphon monies you brought on behalf of Nigerians.”
She warned those distracting government through protests and other upheavals to desist or face the wrath of Government .
The Minister who is passionate about the wellbeing and progress of the Nigerian Women appealed to the Media to join as partners in progress in enabling Nigerians to reap from the benefits of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
The Federal Government’s appeal against a Federal High Court of Abuja judgment stopping it from resuming the trial of former Abia Governor Orji Kalu and his company, Slok Nigeria Ltd., on money laundering accusations has been dismissed by the Court of Appeal in Abuja.
A three-member panel of the appellate court ruled on Wednesday in two rulings that the two appeals the federal government filed were not competent.
Justice Joseph Oyewole, who wrote and read the majority rulings in both appeals, supported the objections made by Slok and Kalu, who is currently a senator.
The court found that the records of appeal in both cases were not properly compiled and certified as required under Court of Appeal’s Rules and Section 104 of the Evidence Act.
It held that even if the breach of the court’s rule was to be overlooked, the court cannot close its eyes to the non-compliance with the mandatory provision of the Evidence Act.
The court noted that the official of the trial court, who certified the records did not indicate his/her designation as required by the Evidence Act.
Lawyer to the Federal Government, Oluwaleke Atolagbe said, with the court’s decision, the appellant will refile new appeals to enable the appellate court deal with the substance of the case.
The appeals were against the September 29, 2021 judgment by Justice Inyang Ekwo of the Federal High Court in Abuja prohibiting the Federal Government from further prosecuting Kalu and Slok following an earlier judgment of the Supreme Court voiding the proceedings leading to their earlier trial and conviction.
This is a developing story…
The Pan-Yoruba social political group, Afenifere, on Tuesday told President Bola Ahmed Tinubu he had no excuse not to restructure Nigeria having been elected on the platform and ideology of the group.
The body also declared that its blueprint on restructuring Nigeria is ready.
This is just as the body hinged its restructuring blueprint on the adoption of a parliamentary system of government for Nigeria.
The Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, disclosed this while briefing journalists after the caucus meeting of the group held at Isanya Ogbo Ijebu, Ogun State residence of Pa Ayo Adebanjo, a factional leader of Afenifere.
The meeting which was presided over by Adebanjo equally had in attendance Oba Oladipo Olaitan, the Deputy leader of the group, Chief Supo Sonibare, Treasurer, Chief Mrs Kofoworola Bucknor, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Prince Justice Faloye, Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Chief Segun Ojo, Bashorun Segun Sanni, among others.
The Afenifere, which is one of the leading voices on agitation for restructuring Nigeria, had set up a committee to aggregate views of stakeholders on the demand.
At a caucus meeting of the Afenifere held on Tuesday, the panel submitted its report.
Adejumo said Afenifere had developed its blueprint on restructuring the country and called on the Tinubu-led administration to adopt the blueprint.
The group said Tinubu before his election was at the vanguard of the call for the restructuring of the country, hence he must not betray Nigerians.
Afenifere described Tinubu as a beneficiary of the call for restructuring within this democratic dispensation.
“Sometimes last year November, a committee under the leadership of Oba Oladipo Olaitan was set up to aggregate Afenifere’s view on restructuring and today (Tuesday), the committee said that the report is ready.
“However, this report will still be considered by the executives of the association after which it will be taken to the general assembly where all the members will get to know what we stand on restructuring as Afenifere and we shall then print the report, do our various publicity on it for people to be enlightened on what we believe on restructuring.
“Tinubu himself is a product of Afenifere, he was elected on the platform and ideology of Afenifere. He took the federal government to court under the leadership of former President Obasanjo for 31 times in an effort to implement restructuring.
“He didn’t do anything when former President Buhari was there for eight years, probably he was bidding his time because he knew that northerners won’t implement restructuring because they thought it won’t favour them.
“But Tinubu is there now as the President, he is answerable to us all as a product of Afenifere and as what the whole Yoruba did under the Afenifere in Adamasingba, Ibadan, Oyo State in 2017 that what we want is nothing but restructuring.
“For this 2017 meeting, we invited the South South, South East and the Middle Belt and this is the beginning of what we called Southern and Middlebelt Leaders Forum.
“So we are still meeting at this forum when other zones will also submit their recommendations. So what we took to 2014 Confab is what we are submitting even though some things have changed. We will then take it before the National Assembly for their approval”, Afenifere said.
Asked to give a hint on the Afenifere’s report, Adejumo said, “what we are actually proposing is a parliamentary system of government. Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo didn’t have to campaign in Ijebu Igbo, all he had to do was to win in Ikenne to become a member of the House and whoever is the leader of the party becomes the Prime Minister or the Premier.
“The old Western Region was from Badagry in Lagos to Asaba in present day Delta State but he never had to be campaigning everywhere as we do now. It makes governance so cheap, nobody will have to spend billions on campaigns again. You will need as much as N100m to campaign for local government chairmanship elections.
“So, until under this system you will from your constituency come into the house of Assembly and from here you will choose your Ministers and your Commissioners, you are not going to be appointed anyone again from outside but those that have been elected into the House house of Assembly.
“With this system of government, we are going to be spending one tenth of the humongous resources we are using to run this presidential system of government.”
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party in the last general election, Mr Peter Obi, says it is now difficult to sleep at night knowing that millions of Nigerian households do not know where their next meal will come from.
Obi urged Nigerians to unite above tribe, religion, and political party affiliation to rescue the nation from the shackles of leadership failure and bad governance.
He made this known on Wednesday in a post on his X handle.
According to him, “This generation of Nigerians has a sacred duty to make Nigeria a nation Nigerians can be proud of.”
The former Anambra State governor further said that this was no time to apportion blame or to hunt for culprits, adding that it is the hour of collective responsibility for national salvation.
“Considering how our nation sadly retrogressed, and became in the last few months, putting us in a far more deplorable situation, economically and otherwise, than we already were, I must say that we all need to rise and join in rescuing our nation from further collapse.
“It is difficult to sleep at night, knowing that millions of Nigerian households do not know where their next meal will come from, or knowing that some Nigerians may be under terror attack due to the high level insecurity in the country.
“I urge us all to unite, above tribe, religion, and political party affiliation, to rescue our nation free from the shackles of leadership failure and bad governance. This generation of Nigerians has a sacred duty to make Nigeria a nation Nigerians can be proud of.
“This is no time to apportion blame or to hunt for culprits. It is the hour of collective responsibility for national salvation,” Obi said.
Guaranty Trust Bank (GTB) subsidiary in Ghana says it is working with relevant government agencies and customers in the country to resolve the trade-related issues in no time.
On February 4, 2024, the Central Bank of Ghana suspended the foreign exchange (FX) trading licences of two Nigerian-owned banks over “fraudulent documentation” during operations.
The suspension, which is to take effect on March 18, 2023, and last for one month, involves GTBank and First Bank of Nigeria (FBN).
However, in a statement on Tuesday, GTBank assured customers that the suspension would not affect other services
“We would like to assure all our esteemed customers and stakeholders that we are currently working with the relevant government agencies and customers with a view to resolving these trade-related issues timely,” GTBank said.
‘’Our customers and stakeholders are our primary responsibility and, Guaranty Trust Bank Ghana would like to clarify that this development does not affect customers’ own deposits and other business segments of our operations.
“All other products and services, Main branches, Agency Banking outlets are available for your convenient use at our regular opening hours and our Mobile Apps and Internet banking are available for your use at any time of the day.
“We further assure our customers that the issue was not a function of willful non-compliance by the Bank, as the Bank has a culture that endeavours to comply with regulations at all times and stringent Anti-money laundering CFT policies which are applied across all our operations.
“We are also in ongoing consultations and discussions with the Central Bank of Ghana to fully resolve all matters raised in the shortest possible time.”
The bank said it remained committed to being a constructive participant in Ghana’s financial markets and to contributing to its developments in the interest of all its customers and stakeholders.
FBN ASSURES OF WORKING TO ADDRESS ISSUE
On its part, FBN Ghana, on Monday, also reaffirmed its willingness to resolve the FX trading licence suspension.
The bank said all branches would be open for operations as usual.
“We refer to the Bank of Ghana’s announcement of the 30-day suspension of our Foreign Exchange Trading Licence effective March 18, 2024,” FBN said.
“We would like to advise our valued customers and esteemed stakeholders that we are working with the Bank of Ghana to remediate the identified trade-related matters.
“FBNBank would like to assure its valued customers that when the suspension kicks in, the Bank’s other business segments and solutions will be fully operational. This will include branch operations, agent banking partners and channels for seamless banking.”
FBN said it will continue to uphold high ethical standards.
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The Federal Government has said that the fact that Nigeria accepted grains from Ukraine to combat hunger does not make Nigeria a weak or failed state.
Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this in Abuja at the LEADERSHIP Annual Conference and Awards 2023, with the theme; ‘An Economy in Distress: The Way Forward’ on Tuesday.
Idris was reacting to the comments by the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, who spoke at the event moment after being presented with the LEADERSHIP Politician of the Year 2023 Award.
Obi had criticised Nigerian government for accepting the donation of grains from Ukraine, a country currently at war, to combat hunger, describing the action as shameful.
But, Idris, who represented President Bola Tinubu at the occasion, earlier spoke as the government’s chief spokesman to reply Obi before reading the President’s speech.
“Egypt gets about 60 per cent of its grains from Ukraine. The fact that Egypt gets about 60 per cent of its grains from Ukraine does not make it a failed state.
“The fact that we are having challenges at the moment does not make Nigeria a failed state.
“Therefore, accepting grains from Ukraine does not make Nigeria or Egypt failed countries, it is a normal thing, because countries exist to depend on one another,” the Minister fired back.
Idris noted that it was true that Nigeria was facing some challenges and President Tinubu was aware of this and he does not shy away from it.
He stressed that Nigerians voted for Tinubu with the deeper understanding and conviction that he has the capacity to turn things around for the better and that is what he was doing.
He said some of the decisions he has taken were to ensure that Nigeria finds its rightful place among the comity of nations.
He highlighted that the decisions included removal of fuel subsidy and addressing the issue of foreign exchange and many others.
He, however, said in spite of the current challenges, the economic growth of Nigeria was on track and has continued to improve.
He emphasised that fuel subsidy removal was a bold step in the right direction and urged Nigerians to support the president as the country would soon begin to reap the benefits.
He noted that current national challenges did not begin upon the assumption of office by President Tinubu.
He stressed that going by figures released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), Nigeria’s fuel importation reduced by 50 per cent after fuel subsidy removal, just as the economy improved significantly.
Idris noted also that President Tinubu had demonstrated capacity and, since his assumption of office, had attracted more than $30 billion in foreign investments into the country.
“He has not stopped at that. Just last week, President Tinubu went to Qatar to attract more businesses and investments into Nigeria.
“We are optimistic that soon, what we are passing through will be a thing of the past and Nigeria will be better,’’ the Minister declared.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is yet to resume visa services for Nigerian citizens wishing to visit the country.
Several news outlets had reported that UAE on March 4 lifted the visa restriction on Nigerian travellers.
But Bayo Onanuga, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Information and Strategy, refuted the viral document in an update on his “X” page on Tuesday, March 5.
In October 2022, the UAE implemented a ban on citizens from approximately 20 African nations from entering its borders.
Among the affected countries are Nigeria, Uganda, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Cameroon, Liberia, Burundi, Republic of Guinea, Gambia, Togo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Senegal, Benin, Ivory Coast, Congo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Comoros, and the Dominican Republic.
The Emirati authorities issued a notice to trade partners and travel agents, instructing them to reject all applications.
Since the ban, the UAE and Nigeria have been embroiled in a diplomatic dispute concerning flight allocations and travel restrictions.
Reacting on Tuesday, Onanuga said: “UAE has not resumed visa issuance to Nigerians. The document in circulation is not authorized either by the Nigerian government or the UAE.”
The Plateau State Government has revealed that some persons planned to forcefully break into the State House of Assembly chamber to swear in the 16 All Progressive Congress (APC) lawmakers, as affirmed by the Court of Appeal.
As against this background, the state government vowed to ensure diligent constitutional processes must be followed over the logjam.
LEADERSHIP reports that in the early hours of Tuesday, men of the Plateau State Police Command averted a clash between the supporters of the 16 APC lawmakers who wanted to force their way into the Assembly complex and some of the PDP supporters loyal to the sacked PDP members.
They were dispersed by the police, who later condoned off the assembly to prevent both parties from gaining access to the premises.
The special adviser to Governor Caleb Mutfwang on Strategic Communication, Hon. Timothy Golu, while reacting to the development, said the unfortunate incident was a shock to the government, considering the fact that the State House of Assembly had shifted its sitting to the old government house because the premises were under renovation.
Golu said the speaker of the House, Hon. Gabriel Dewan, was handicapped in swearing in the 16 lawmakers because of two court injunctions restraining him, adding that as a law-abiding citizen, he has no choice but to restrain himself until the determination of the suit.
“We just woke up this morning to see the presence of security men around the State House of Assembly. You know the House of Assembly is not sitting in its original location. It has been moved by resolution to the Government House because it was under renovation. The official dealings of the House are being done in the Government House.
“But everybody knows that there has been an issue in the House of Assembly. The Speaker would have reconvened the House, but he was handicapped because he was served with two injunctions restraining him from swearing in the 16 members that were given judgment by the Court of Appeal, and as a law-abiding government, we will not toy with that until that injunction is vacated.
“So to see security men there without the consent of the Chief Security Officer of the State and the Speaker, it is threatening because the House with eight members has nothing to do with the traditional vicinity of the House because they are no longer sitting there,” he said.
“But we heard from the grapevine that there are plans by some people to penetrate the House and swear in the 16 lawmakers illegally. We are law-abiding people; therefore, we must respect the rule of law. We heard it from the grapevine that meetings are being held in someone’s house. Thank God that security has refused to be used, so the police have been there to protect and prevent anyone from getting into the premises to wreak havoc,” he said.
Golu, a former member of the House of Representatives, said the Muftwang-led administration will not condone lawlessness, adding that the government believes in the rule of law and will never use illegal means or circumvent the process of law.
He said, ” This government will not condone lawlessness; everything that needs to be done will have to go through due process, and whatever the outcome, everybody will have to take it. Nobody should be distracted by what is happening; the situation is under control. So we are waiting; whatever the court says, whatever the conclusion, we are going to continue from there.”.
Smuggling, flooding, others causes of food crisis’
Customs intercepts 120 food-laden trucks at border
Nigeria needs at least 72,000 tractors for farmers to engage in mechanised farming and contribute massively to curbing the food crisis facing the populace, Agriculture and Food Security Minister Abubakar Kyari, has said.
Kyari, at a sectoral debate organised by the House of Representatives in Abuja yesterday, revealed that only about 5,000 tractors are currently in working condition at farmlands across the country.
He, however, said that the ministry has signed an agreement with a manufacturer for the supply of 2,000 tractors annually for the next five years.
The minister spoke just as the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission(EFCC) and the Nigeria Customs Service(NCS) announced the arrest of 141 trucks heading out of the country with loaded smuggled food items.
Making his presentation before the House plenary, the Agriculture minister said the rising food crisis in the country was due mainly to smuggling, flooding, COVID-19, insecurity and last year’s cash swap by the Central Bank of Nigeria(CBN).
He, however, said that long, medium and short-term measures, including funding for wheat, rice and cassava production, have been initiated to address the challenge.
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Kyari explained that while the Naira redesign/cash swap policy left smallholder farmers without cash for cultivation in 2022/2023, flooding destroyed farmlands across the country.
He said the good news is that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu recently gave his ministry a marching order to release grains from the National Strategic Grain Reserve and to adopt other measures to address food insecurity.
The minister added that the government, in partnership with the World Food Programme, halted mass procurement of grains for stockpiling in order to stabilise food prices.
Also, NCS Comptroller-General Adewale Adeniyi told the House that President Tinubu directed that 120 trucks arrested by the Service be driven to nearby markets where their contents should be sold to locals at moderate prices.
He, however, did not say where the trucks were heading to and when they were seized.
The Customs boss decried the attitude of border community residents who encourage the smuggling of grains.
Adeniyi advised against adopting quick-fix solutions to the nation’s food crisis, saying that long-term measures must be put in place.
The Customs boss, who said that border posts would soon be reopened, added that the NCS and the government were working on a policy for the export of food items through designated terminals.
He also announced that the ban on petrol stations operating within 20 kilometres to Nigeria’s borders was being reviewed.
House Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu said that efforts to address food crisis must focus on demand and supply.
Kalu said he had personally identified increasing per capita consumption, raising production yields, curbing food price inflation and reducing reliance on food imports as critical levers for improving food security.
He said: “It is evident that Nigeria’s per capita consumption falls behind that of other countries, indicating a clear need for increased diversification to stimulate consumption.
“Moreover, the lower yields attributable to input scarcity underscore the urgency of improving access to timely, high-quality, and affordable inputs such as fertilisers, modern irrigation methods, and mechanization.
“Food inflation, a persistent challenge, reached a staggering 35.41 percent in January. This places an immense burden on our working population, with 90 percent allocating around 60 percent of their income to meet their basic food needs, as reported by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
“This harsh reality is further compounded by the alarming projections for 2024. The number of food-insecure individuals is expected to reach 26.5 million, with 9 million children at risk of acute malnutrition. Of these, 2.6 million children face the threat of Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), requiring critical nutrition treatment.
“Agriculture, a crucial sector representing 23 percent of our GDP and employing 51 percent of the workforce, should be the bedrock of our food security. However, a harsh reality confronts us.
The past decade has seen an intensification of insecurity in the North East, coupled with rife fighting in the North Central and banditry in the North West. These conflicts have had a catastrophic impact on food production, particularly amongst our vast farming communities.
“According to the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), 90 percent of food produced in Nigeria comes from rural farmers. The rife insecurity in these regions has steadily contributed to a shrinking cultivated arable land area and declining farm yields.
“This is not the future we envision for our nation. We must act decisively to address these challenges and ensure food security for all Nigerians. Let us now delve deeper into the specific issues and explore potential solutions.”