Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo has sacked Lawan Daura, Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Spokesman of the acting president, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement.
The Statement reads:
“The Acting President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has directed the termination of the appointment of the Director-General, State Security Service, Lawal Musa Daura with immediate effect,” the statement read.
“Mr. Daura has been directed to hand over to the most senior officer of the State Security Service until further notice.”
No reason was given for the action but Daura has been directed to hand over to the most senior officer in the organisation. It isn’t clear now if the move was due to the early morning siege of the National Assembly by the DSS.
Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, will on Friday join other world leaders to witness the inauguration of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda in the country’s capital, Kigali.
His spokesman, Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement.
Akande said Osinbajo would return to the country immediately after the inauguration.
The statement read, “Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, is attending the presidential inauguration of President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, taking place today in Kigali, the country’s capital.
“The inauguration ceremony which is expected to be witnessed by several African Heads of State and Government, follows President Kagame’s victory at the August 4 Rwandan presidential election.
“Prof. Osinbajo who is accompanied by the Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama is expected back in Abuja later today.”
The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, is sending a five-man Federal Government delegation to Anambra State to visit and condole with the government and people of the state over last Sunday’s attack on worshippers at the St. Philips Catholic Church in Ofufe-Amakwa, Ozubulu, Ekwusigo Local Government Area of the state.
The Senior Special Assistant to the Acting President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja on Saturday.
According to Akande, the delegation is made up of the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige; Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama; Minister of State for Environment, Ibrahim Jibril; and the Minister of State for Education, Prof. Anthony Anwuka.
He said during the visit, the delegation would present a condolence letter from the Acting President to the state governor, Willie Obiano.
He added that Osinbajo, in the letter, extended commiserations to the families, friends of the victims and the Ozubulu community on the death of their sons and daughters and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured still in the hospital.
He further quoted the Acting President as condemning the attack which has brought sorrow to many innocent families and, has rightly provoked widespread condemnation.
“Such barbaric act constitutes an affront to our common humanity, and challenges, but will not overwhelm our collective resolve to rid our communities of all forms of violent crimes and criminality,” Akande quoted from Osinbajo’s letter to the governor.
The Acting President said the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari remained undeterred and would continually commit to deploying all available resources towards ensuring adequate security of lives and property in Anambra State and across the entire country.
Osinbajo said he had instructed law enforcement agencies to bring perpetrators of the crime to justice without any delay.
He said he would remain engaged with Obiano, the police authorities and other security agencies to ensure that the lives and property of citizens of the state and all Nigerians are well protected anywhere they may live.
The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, on Tuesday in Kaduna unveiled five Super Mushshak trainer aircraft acquired by the federal government to boost the capacity of Nigeria Air Force personnel in the country.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the five aircraft are among the 10 acquired by the government from Pakistan.
Mr. Osinbajo, who was represented by Minister of Defence, Mansur Dan-Ali, said Nigeria would welcome more support from friendly nations in its efforts to mow down Boko Haram insurgency.
“I will not fail to mention that the decision to acquire the Super Mushshak aircraft from Pakistan has greatly promoted the existing bilateral relationship between the two sister countries.
“It is our hope that we will continue to have the support and collaboration of other friendly nations, especially as we continue to combat insurgency and other security challenges in our country.”
The Acting President, who also witnessed the graduation of 16 young student pilots from 401 Flying Training School, for the first time in 30 years, pledged that the administration would continue to invest in the country’s air arsenal.
He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had two years ago pledged to build the capacity of the armed forces to effectively address Boko Haram insurgency and other national security threats.
“These achievements are a demonstration of the commitment and visionary leadership of the administration,’’ he said.
Mr. Osinbajo stressed that the administration had remained committed to its desire of ensuring a peaceful country.
“This has been a major security policy thrust of this administration. We have since embarked on qualitative training and acquisition of new platforms and other supporting equipment for the Armed Forces and security agencies.
“We have also sanitised the procurement process of military hardware with a view to eliminating corruption and inefficiency. I make bold to say that we have achieved remarkable savings and infused quality into the system.
“This has contributed in no small way to the acquisition of these new aircraft without any encumbrances. It is now your responsibility to make good use of the aircraft as we await the delivery of the last batch by the end of the year.
“I have no doubt that the acquisition of the Super Mushshak aircraft would add impetus to the training efforts of 401 FTS.”
He lauded the achievements and transformations taking place in the military, linking the feat to “focused and visionary leadership.”
“It is heart-warming to see the Nigerian Air Force striving to meet the nation’s security needs through the sacrifices, dedication of the officers, airmen and airwomen,” he added.
Earlier, Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Sadiq Abubakar said the NAF has attained 70 per cent aircraft serviceability as against 30 per cent two years ago.
He said that the training of several combat pilots and other capacity building initiatives had raised the morale of air personnel and their efficiency.
“We now have the capability to embark on and sustain major operations simultaneously within and beyond our national boundaries,’’ he said.
Source
NAN
The leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, on Wednesday knocked the Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, for allegedly equating the IPOB group with the “faceless and uninformed” northern youths coalition, which issued a quit notice to the Igbo living in the North.
Kanu, who spoke in Abuja through his team of defence counsel led by Ifeanyi Ejiofor at a briefing, also accused the Federal Government of disrespecting court orders.
Kanu demanded that other detained IPOB leaders — Chidiebere Onwudiwe, Benjamin Madubugwu, David Nwawuisi and Bright Chimezie, be freed immediately.
He said, “With due reverence to the Acting President, and his rank as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, we deem it obligatory to state the correct position of the law as it relates to his faulty position.
“We observed most respectfully that the learned silk made this remark in direct response to the quit notice threats and ultimatum handed down to Igbo living in the northern part of the country, by a faceless and uninformed northern group.
“But it must be noted that it is a mistake to equate the lawful and legitimate aspirations and agitations for Biafra with the unlawful, illegal and illegitimate quit notice, and threat given to the Igbo people to leave the North by this group.
“We submit that the right to self-determination, recognisable under various instruments which Nigeria is a signatory to is clearly provided for under Article 20(1) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) ( Act Cap 10) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 1990.”
The lead counsel said the five counts preferred against the IPOB leaders must also be “immediately withdrawn.”
“Section 35(1)(4) (a)(b) of the 1999 Constitution is explicit on the maximum length of time that a citizen can be detained in custody either with order of court or without trial. This period is two months and Bright Chimezie has spent well over nine months in detention of the state without trial, more so when a court of competent jurisdiction has ordered the Department of State Services to release Chimezie.
“On the strength of the foregoing, we demand that the five counts preferred against our clients — Kanu, Onwudiwe, Madubugwu. Nwawuisi and Chimezie — be immediately withdrawn and the defendants freed without further ado.
“We demand that Chimezie, who was ordered to be released by the order made on May 24 by His Lordship, Hon. Justice Ijeoma Ojukwu, be released immediately without further ado and in compliance with the positive orders of court.”
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Tuesday received the visiting Ghanaian President, Nana Akufo-Addo, at the Presidential villa, Abuja.
Akufo-Addo arrived at the Villa at about 11.12 a.m. and was welcomed by Osinbajo who ushered him into the Acting President’s office through a red carpet.
The visit lasted for barely four minutes as the Ghanaian leader proceeded immediately to the National Defense College to deliver a lecture to the college graduands.
Akufo-Addo won the country’s 2016 presidential poll against the incumbent, John Mahama, by a margin of 9.45 per cent.
He was inaugurated into office on Jan. 7, 2017.
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo has charged governors under the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to think out of box in meeting up with social welfare of people.
Osinbajo stated this, on Tuesday, in Birnin-Kebbi, during the Federal Government-Progressive Governors Forum, where he noted that the present ruling party promised better life for Nigerians and they must deliver it.
Reminding the governors their campaign promises, the Acting President said that two-third of Nigerian population were poor and needed social welfare scheme to be implemented to better their lives.
Said he, “That is why in the budget, we have N500 billion for social welfare. If states think out of the box, like Lagos, Kebbi, Jigawa and other states who used their initiative, we can improve their lives”.
Osinbajo noted that APC states must support the Federal Government to fight corruption and fidelity, stressing that corruption was endemic disease, ‘if we don’t killed corruption, corruption will killed us’ “.
Speaking on insecurity, Osinbajo disclosed that there was no doubt that Boko Haram insurgents had been decimated saying, “The tasks before us is how to ensure their attacks is totally stopped. The task before us is how to ensure IDPs returned to their homes in Bama and live their normal life”.
The Acting President also promised that the Federal Government would rehabilitate Bama, which is the second largest cities in Borno State by reconstructing hospitals and schools damaged by the insurgents and employ more doctors, nurses in the town.
He charged all the APC governors and others states in the country to be ready to give accounts of their stewardships and operate transparent government in their various states.
The Acting President, however, commissioned WACOT Rice Mill in Argungu which was worth N10 billion.
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo and worshippers at the Aso Villa Chapel on Sunday prayed for President Muhammadu Buhari's quick recovery. It was at the 50th birthday celebration of the wife of the acting president, Mrs Dolapo Osinbajo.
Buhari has been on medical vacation in the United Kingdom since May 7. Osinbajo had, on his return from the UK where he met with the president last week, said he was recuperating fast.
Those at the Villa Chapel were the chaplain, Pastor Seyi Malomo; the administrator of the chapel, Rev. Isaac Ambi; the General Suprintrndent of New Covenant Gospel Church and President of the Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN), Rev Felix Omobude;Osinbajo's father-in-law, Elder Olutayo Shoyode; the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang; among others.
Rev. Omobude, in his sermon titled: "Triumph of Hope," admonished Nigerians to have hope in God that despite the present challenges, the country would be great again.
Quoting from the book of Solomon 5:5, he said since Nigeria is a God's project, "Our God never gives up on his project. There is no room for the self-defeated in this world and we must know that challenges are part of life. Life would have been boring if there were no challenges. So, I call on everyone to embrace God's provision and know that we are his divine project."
Praying for Mrs Osinbajo, Omobude said: "So let's thank Him. He is God of the night; he is God of the day. He is God when you are happy and he is God when you are not happy. He will continue to uphold you (Mrs Osinbajo) and everyone. He who has begun this good work in your life will complete it," he prayed.
The cleric expressed optimism that under the present administration, truth and equity would reign in the country, saying "Nigeria is God's project and Nigeria of our dream will be delivered."
Job applicants interested in registering for the N-power initiative have been given a fresh lifeline with an extension in deadline.
The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, has extended the 2017 N-Power application by two weeks.
The application portal, according to a statement by the Special Assistant to the President on Job Creation, Afolabi Imoukhuede, will now close on July 27.
The Federal Government, according to the statement, undertook the largest post-tertiary recruitment exercise in Africa when it engaged 200,000 young Nigerians in the N-Power Volunteer Corps Programme.
The 200,000 young Nigerians, in partnership with state governments, were deployed in public primary schools, primary healthcare centres and agriculture development project centres in all the local government areas in Nigeria.
This year, N-Power is recruiting an additional 300,000 to bring the total number to 500,000. The application process has seen well over 2.45 million applicants.
The Acting President, while extending the two-week grace period, assured Nigerians that the selection process for the second batch would match the first as it would be characterized by transparency.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari is recovering fast from an undisclosed illness and should be back in Nigeria soon, his deputy said on Wednesday, after a whistlestop trip to meet the ailing head of state in London.
The Acting President Yemi Osinbajo told reporters before a weekly cabinet meeting in Abuja that he had been in London on Tuesday to “check up on” the 74-year-old Buhari, who left for medical treatment in the British capital on May 7.
“Of course I’ve been speaking to him on the phone and I thought it would be a good thing to go and see him and generally check up on how he was doing and also to brief him on developments,” he said.
“We had a very good conversation on wide-ranging issues and he’s in very good spirits. He’s recuperating very quickly and he’s doing very well.”
The meeting lasted for “well over an hour”, he said, adding: “We are expecting him (back in Nigeria) very shortly.”
Osinbajo, who has been acting president since Buhari’s departure, made no mention of the president’s medical condition, which has led to growing calls for clarity about his fitness to govern.
The former military ruler has now spent nearly four months of this year out of the country and has not been seen in public for more than two months.
When he returned from a previous trip to London in January and February, Buhari said he had “never been so sick” and disclosed he had undergone blood transfusions and a battery of tests.
Aides have previously played down rumours that he was terminally ill with cancer or even dead.
– Power struggle? –
His wife Aisha, who flew to London earlier this month, on Monday posted a cryptic message on her Facebook page in response to a Nigerian senator’s description of Buhari as “the absent Lion King”.
“God has answered the prayers of the weaker Animals. The Hyena’s and the Jackals will soon be sent out of the kingdom,” she wrote.
The description has been seen as a reference to a supposed behind-the-scenes struggle for power and influence in government during Buhari’s absence.
The Nation newspaper, owned by the founder of Buhari’s All Progressives Congress party, Bola Tinubu, said Osinbajo’s trip to London had been secretly planned for weeks.
“The acting president has actually been relying on third-party information and purported directives from the president in London,” an unnamed source was quoted as saying.
Another said: “The trip had been planned in the past three weeks but was only known to few people for strategic reasons. The ‘Jackals and Hyenas’ were beaten to it.”
Osinbajo wanted “undiluted information” on Buhari’s health, to brief his boss on decisions he had taken in his absence and get approval for policy, the second source added.
Source
AFP
Ahead of one more meeting with all 36 State Governors to conclude his consultative sessions over certain ethnic agitations and exchanges between some groups in the South-East and the North, Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has affirmed the readiness of the Federal Government to protect the territorial integrity of the country.
Prof. Osinbajo spoke this afternoon at a meeting with traditional rulers from the North at the Presidential Villa where he observed that traditional rulers play critical roles in the affairs of the nation.
Below are his full remarks:
REMARKS BY THE ACTING PRESIDENT, HIS EXCELLENCY, PROF. YEMI OSINBAJO, SAN, AT THE CONSULTATION MEETING WITH TRADITIONAL RULERS FROM THE NORTHERN STATES HELD AT THE OLD BANQUET HALL, STATE HOUSE, ABUJA ON TUESDAY, 20TH JUNE 2017
“Having said this, let me say that we are not deaf to the legitimate concerns and frustrations arising from around the country. Every part of Nigeria has its own grievances. But these have to be expressed graciously and managed with mutuality rather than with scorn and disdain.”
I welcome you, our royal fathers, elders and leaders, to this important meeting. I thank you for taking the time to respond to our invitation to dialogue and engage with us. Your demonstration of commitment and leadership is heartwarming, and I have no doubt that we will all be enriched by our interaction today.
This meeting is the third in a series that commenced last week. I have met with Leaders of Thought from the North, and Leaders of Thought from the Southeast, and on Sunday with Traditional Rulers from the South-East. Yesterday you graciously consented to joining us at the Iftar, ahead of today’s meeting.
As Royal Fathers and Traditional Leaders, your place and your role in our society and nation is significant. You are the custodians of our cultures and traditions, and living embodiments of our rich heritage.
You are, by virtue of your vast knowledge, wisdom and experience, both a vital link with our past, and an important guarantee for the success of our future. This is why your role in national affairs is critical.
The reason for these series of meetings is well known to all of us: it became necessary in the wake of a spate of divisive statements, in recent months and weeks, pitting the South-East against the North. We are all aware of the so-called ‘ultimatum’ issued by a group of Northern youths, asking that all Igbos living in the North vacate the region.
Before then, there was the clamour – and it’s still ongoing – by some South-Eastern youths, operating as IPOB and affiliated groups, demanding secession from Nigeria.
In all our previous engagements with Northern and South-Eastern leaders, we all came to the consensus that Nigeria is stronger and better together, and that these hate-filled and divisive rhetoric and agitations are unjustifiable, unacceptable and often times illegal. And I would like to reiterate that today.
Nigeria has seen enough violence and bloodshed in its history, the price of our unity has already been paid in the blood and lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians.
President Muhammadu Buhari spoke of his commitment to one Nigeria as arising from his experience in the Military, where he fought side by side with Nigerians of every tribe and faith. He said “we protected each other, put our lives on the line for each other, we were brothers even in the face of death.” This is the type of nation we must maintain.
As Royal Fathers and Leaders, I think you will agree with me that we all have a role to play in countering the voices of divisiveness, and the elements who seek to take us down a bloody path.
Let us continue to counsel the misguided elements among our youth, who think that ethnic confrontation is a game and that words can be thrown around carelessly without repercussion.
Having said this, let me say that we are not deaf to the legitimate concerns and frustrations arising from around the country. Every part of Nigeria has its own grievances. But these have to be expressed graciously and managed with mutuality rather than with scorn and disdain.
I would like to assure you all that we are here to listen and to answer, and, very importantly, to reassure everyone that we are committed to the unity of Nigeria, and that upon the foundation of that unity we can together build a prosperous and great country.
We must never take our diversity for granted; the fullness of our strength actually lies in that diversity. And we must wield that diversity, not as divisive tool, but instead as a binding agent.
As we round up these consultations tomorrow with a meeting with governors, it is clear to me that we are all resolved to, by words, conduct and action, promote the unity of our dear nation.
On our part as government, let me say that we will ensure that the entire apparatus of government is deployed to ensure that no one threatens Nigeria’s territorial integrity, that no one threatens the lives or livelihoods of any Nigerian living anywhere in the Federation.
Our objective is to provide the environment for a prosperous nation, a nation where all regardless of ethnicity or religion can pursue their legitimate aspirations peacefully and securely.
Once again I thank you for your time, and your unyielding cooperation and support.
May the Almighty God continue to give you the wisdom and the strength to preside over your Kingdoms and the good health to reign long and reign well.
Baring any last minute change of mind, the Federal Government of Nigeria is set to release additional N701 billion intervention fund to the Nigeria Bulk Electricity Trading (NBET) Plc.
It also revealed its plans to embark on a broader restructuring of the electricity sector towards achieving a more systematic development power market design, especially for the renewable energy.
Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo made the disclosure at the inaugural event of the Nigeria Renewable Energy Roundtable organised by the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology, in partnership with the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and Heinrich Boll Stiftung, Nigeria, held at the State House Conference Centre, Abuja.
The Federal Executive Council (FEC) had, in March this year, approved N701 billion for power assurance guarantee, while the NBET had, earlier this month, released the first tranche of about N12 billion to 10 generating companies (GENCOS) from the intervention fund.
The release of the funds is expected to free up that value chain which, according to Osinbajo, has created several problems of its own.
“We hope this injection will help. We are also looking at several other reforms in the sector to make the market self sustaining, independent and run on its own and free up all of the private sector energy that is waiting to come into the market,” Osinbajo said.
The acting president noted that as a multi-stakeholder platform, the Nigerian Renewable Energy Round table had its work cut out for it, which include “to champion this new vision for renewable energy and ensure we can translate theory to practice for the greater good of the Nigerian people.”
He said: “We also need to explore the opportunities for revolving funds for solar PV/wind projects as well as opportunities for other investment remuneration mechanisms.
It is also very important that we break the deadlock of electricity market structures by exploring the options to transform the “competition for markets” approach, continue to embark on a broader restructuring of the electricity sector and strive to achieve a more systematic development of the power market design, especially for renewable energy.”
Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo has shifted his meeting with traditional rulers from the North, which was initially scheduled to hold Monday.
The meeting will now hold at 3pm on Tuesday. On Sunday, Osinbajo met with traditional rulers from the South East, having earlier met separately with leaders of thought from the North and the East last week.
His spokesman, Laolu Akande, tweeted: “Tonight, the acting president would be holding iftar dinner with northern traditional rulers and tomorrow continue ongoing consultations with them.
“Both Muslim and Christian traditional rulers from the north would be participating in consultations tomorrow afternoon with the acting president.”
It is understood that many of the invited guests, including some Emirs were already seated at the Old Banquet Hall of the Aso Rock Presidential Villa in Abuja, before it was postponed.
House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Deputy Senate Leader Bala Ibn Na’alla, Interior Minister Abdulrahman Danbazzau, Science and Technology Minister Ogbonnaya Onu, Ona of Abaji Alhaji Adamu Baba Yunusa, who is also the chairman of the Federal Capital Territory Traditional Rulers Council, Sakaruyi of Karu Dr Emmanuel Kyauta Yekwi, were mong those who had been seated for the meeting.
Osinbajo decries ‘crawling’ judicial process in Nigeria
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday met with South East Governors and other leaders of thought from the region and urged them not to be tempted into a tit-for-tat scenario amid hate speeches across the country.
At the meeting which held at the old Banquet Hall, Presidential Villa, Abuja, Osinbajo urged the leaders to always speak out against hate speeches and comments capable of polarizing the country along ethnic, sectional and religious lines.
He stated that the meeting was “very urgent and crucial’’ because of the current loud voices of hate speeches and divisive comments resonating across the country, stressing that the situation required urgent attention from all concerned.
According to him, this is not the time to hide under any ethnic or religious platform to support comments that divide rather than unite us as a nation.
“Violence and war are not going to do anyone any good. Wars today hardly ends. No one who has seen the face of wars even on Television who wish it for anyone.
“We should not tolerate hate speeches or divisive comments.’’
The acting president reiterated the Federal Government’s resolve to deal with any troublemaker who threatens the peaceful coexistence of Nigeria.
He said:
“There is no doubt on the resolve of the government to allow anyone get away with hate speeches and divisive words.
“Our emotion should not be allowed to run wide so as to threaten the existence of anyone anywhere in Nigeria.
“We will do everything within our power to protect the lives of every citizen anywhere and in any part of the country.’’
He thanked the leaders for their prompt response to the consultative meeting.
Those who attended the meeting included the Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker of the House of Representatives Yakubu Dogara, Governor of Enugu State Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, Governor of Ebonyi State David Umahi, Governor of Abia State Okezie Ikpeazu, Governor of Anambra State Willy Obiano and Governor of Imo State Rochas Okorocha.
The Acting President on Tuesday began consultations with leaders of thought from the North and warned that the government would deal decisively with persons who make hate speeches or attempt to disrupt the peace of the country.
The meeting was a sequel to the calls for secession by youth from different ethnic groups in the country resulting in some asking others to vacate their enclave before Oct. 1.
The Acting President noted that that was not what the country desired at this time and urged those involved to desist or face the full weight of law.
Photo Credit:
Lets recall that the Acting President of Nigeria Yemi Osinbajo signed 2017 Budget into Law at the State House, Abuja, 12th June 2017.
1. The 2017 Budget Preparation process was a much more efficient process than the 2016 process. There was also less acrimony regarding it, between the Executive and Legislature.
2. The 2017 Budget was collated using — for the first time ever — a web-based application developed by the Budget Office of the Federation (BOF). Instead of the traditional method of hard copy submissions of budget proposals, Ministries, Departments and Agencies were asked to upload their proposals to the new budget preparation portal, resulting in a more efficient and transparent preparation process.
3. More than 4,000 staff of the MDAs were specially trained to use the new application, across multiple locations nationwide. To support the deployment of the budget portal, the Budget Office set up a Helpdesk, accessible by telephone and email, for authorized users.
4. President Buhari presented the 2017 Budget Speech to a Joint Session of the National Assembly on December 14, 2016.
5. The National Assembly passed the Budget on May 11, 2017, five months after it was submitted by President Buhari.
6. The next step, which should have been the signing of the Budget by the Executive, was delayed because of disagreements regarding some alterations the National Assembly made to the submitted document — for example the National Assembly reduced proposed budgets for a number of critical infrastructure projects (the standard gauge railway projects, the Mambilla Power Project, the Second Niger Bridge, the Lagos–Ibadan Expressway etc), and applied the difference to fund some new projects introduced by the legislators.
7. What followed were four weeks of painstaking engagement between Executive and Legislature, to resolve the differences.
8. The conclusion of the matter is that the funding deductions on those critical projects will all be restored during the course of the budget year. The leadership of the National Assembly has assured the Executive that this will be done.
9. The Executive and the National Assembly have reached an agreement to return the Federal Government to a January–December budget calendar, starting from the 2018 budget. To ensure this happens the Executive has committed to submitting the 2018 budget to the National Assembly by October 2017, and on its part the Assembly has committed to passing the budget into law before the end of 2017.
10. Budget Highlights:
a. Total expenditure of N7.44 trillion, comprising N5.08 trillion in revenues and a projected deficit of N2.36 trillion which will largely be financed by borrowing.
b. N2 trillion for capital expenditure (principally infrastructure).
c. More than N500 billion for investments in roads, and power and housing projects
d. N46 billion for Special Economic Zone Projects to be set up in each geopolitical zone.
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, on June 12, signed the 2017 budget into law. President Muhammadu Buhari should have done the honour. But he’s receiving medical treatment in London.
In a letter addressed to Budget Minister, Udoma Udo Udoma, Buhari said it was in the interest of the nation’s economy for Osinbajo to sign the 2017 Appropriation Bill into law.
President Buhari wrote the letter to Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, according to a statement by Garba Shehu, the senior special assistant to the president on the media and publicity, NAN reported.
President Buhari, who is recuperating in London, said he had received a full briefing on the Appropriation Bill as passed by the National Assembly.
To buttress the unity at the highest level of government, he said he was yielding his signatory authority to Osinbajo.
AG President Osinbajo storms UNIZIK for NALT Conference (Photos)
We join the State Government to say "Welcome to the Safest State in Nigeria" Nigeria's Acting President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo
Nnamdi Azikiwe University Awka yesterday played host to the Acting President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, legal luminaries as well as law teachers nationwide.
The State Governor led the acting President to UNIZIK for the 50th Anniversary Conference of Nigerian Association of Law Teachers. Interestingly the theme of the conference is "Law, SECURITY and National Development"
These eminent personalities converged at the "University of all times" for the 50th conference of the Nigeria Association of Law Teachers (NALT) with the focus on"Law, Security and National Development".
Declaring the conference open, Prof. Osinbajo asserted that Nigerians are bedeviled with serious challenges which include the Boko Haram, tensions in the Niger Delta, herdsmen-farmer clashes, threats of secession, poverty, unemployment and corruption.
He faulted the inability of the state to create an inclusive society under existing constitutional arrangements, to guarantee the security of lives, liberties by the agencies charged with maintaining law and order and to build trust around the rule of law and the system of administration of justice, as the premise of the persistent agitations.
In his words,
“First, on the matter of inclusion and inequalities, there is little doubt in my mind that the provision of the basics of life to the largest number of our people remains the greatest source of tension in the polity.
“The daily struggles of many, for healthcare, a means of livelihood and the absence of a socially just means of ensuring that many, especially young people, have access to education and jobs provides a constantly replenished pool of young malcontents, ready to be recruited into any sort of Army, whether it be of kidnappers, terrorists, or violent or antisocial agitation for one cause or the other.
“Besides, the constant agitation for share of national resources, is a product of individual-elite- deprivation, taken up by ethnic nationalities and socio-cultural groups. Each group views the other with suspicion when it comes to matters of resources, and government appointments.
“As it is at the Federal level, so it is at the State level. In my state for example, the Egba and Ijebus in Ogun State are constantly arguing over who is getting a better deal in government appointments or infrastructural development.
“Unfortunately, in order to give our campaigns greater acceptability and resonance, we often characterize them as ethnic or religious agitation. The right to a decent existence, to education, healthcare or jobs must not depend on how loudly my ethnic or religious group agitates; no, these are my rights as a citizen of Nigeria.
“It is the failure of the State to deliver on these essentials of life and livelihood that compels our people to run to their tribal and religious camps to seek succour by way of agitation for basic rights and services.
“Unfortunately, it is the same elite especially the political elite, who fail the people by the wastage and embezzlement of their funds who are at the forefront of pretending that their deprivations are caused by other ethnic nationalities.
“Having gone round this nation to its villages and settlements, everywhere in the course of the campaigns, and after, there is no doubt in my mind that poverty has the same character in Bodinga Local Government in Sokoto State as in Ayanmelum Local Government here in Anambra state; poverty on an Ibo man is not more dignified than on a Hausa Fulani man. Hunger is neither a tribal or religious issue.
“So, the question for us is how to resolve these issues. First is to place responsibility where it rightly belongs. It is the business of government, by that I mean the executive, legislature and judiciary to provide the enabling environment for the quality of life that people expect.
“Indeed the constitutional obligation to do so is clear. Section 14(2 ) (a) says that sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through the Constitution derives all its powers and authority ; and assures that (b) the security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government. This is crucial.
“Whereas the classic overriding obligation of the State is Security our constitution places Security and Welfare on the same pedestal as the primary purposes of government. Coming from this perspective, the fundamental objective must become the founding principle for legislation, executive action and the observance and enforcement of the rule of law.
“However in the current Federal Government the argument is being won by those who believe that government has a central role to play in the provision of social welfare. That extreme poverty is not only immoral, it should be illegal.
“This has led to the largest single provision in our history for social welfare. In the 2017 budget we are providing N500 billion for social investment alone; N100 billion of that is for part of our social housing fund and the total value of that fund is N1 trillion; the provision for cash transfers which is for the poorest and vulnerable is 1 million Nigerians; the N-Power, which is the provision of direct jobs to young graduates for two years is 500,000 and 200, 000 jobs have been created already but certainly we can do more.
“It is important that our budgets are crafted in such a way that we take into account the aspect of social welfare.Like I said, it is an ideological battle. It is a battle that must be contended for and must be contended by all of us especially law teachers. I was speaking to a group of law teachers and I was telling them that we have not engaged government, we have to engage government.
“Take the herdsmen and farmer conflicts. As justice Amina Augie just said, it is first and foremost a struggle for food security, land and water resources. The context of environment and environmental justice sets the stage for meaningful engagement and arbitration.
“We must also admit that these conflicts are not new. But engagement and law enforcement had kept things in check. Law enforcement must move apace with engagement. The President for example had issued a directive to the police to arrest and prosecute anyone found with weapons. This is important not only to assure the citizenry of safety of their lives and property but to prevent resort to self-help. There is a long way to go.
“But the issue of what happens to victims of conflict within society; victims of the Herdsmen clashes with farmers, victims of the insurgency in the North-East, victims of environmental degradation in the Niger Delta; the question of what happens to them is certainly captured in transitional justice.
“I think that these are aspects of law that are developing and are developing very rapidly because people are asking all sorts of questions. What happens to me when my property is destroyed by insurgents or herdsmen or what happens to me when the only source of fishing for me and entire environment is damaged by activities unrelated to me in anyway.
“To go beyond that, there is also the question of communal responsibility, what are the responsibilities for communities, civil society, and non-state actors. For example, in the North-East, hundreds of people have been killed, children have seen horrible violence, some have seen their parents killed and have faced severe hunger, and all kinds of situations that you would not wish for your enemy; how do you reconcile these people to society?
“There are all of these transitional justice vehicles such as truth and reconciliation commission and all of that. There are all sorts of international compensation models that could be adopted to resolve these issues because societies in conflict issues are becoming part of our lives and it is not just in Nigeria, it is across our continent and the globe”.
Check out photos from the conference below
The vice chancellor together with other dignitaries awaiting the arrival of the Acting President
Gov Obiano mounts the stage at the 50th Conference of the Nigerian Association of Law Teachers @ UNIZIK with acting President, Prof Osinbajo in attendance.
Source | Photo Credit
Nnamdi Azikiwe University | Franklin Onwubiko
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