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NIGERIA POLITICAL OUTLOOK 2023

by with No Comment By Ahmad Olasege and Amos BalogunGoverancePolitics

 There are some important personalities that will shape Nigeria’s social and political this 2023. They range from political actors, heads of public institutions, business leaders, traditional rulers and others. Prominent among these are President Buhari, the letterman, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, IG-P, Usman Alkali Baba, CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, NPC, Isa-Kwarra ,the presidential candidates Senator Bola Tinubu, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku, Peter Obi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Then the People’ Democratic Party (PDP)  Iyorchia Ayu  and the G-5 governors , led by Rivers state governor, Nyesom Wike.

 

Nigeria’s 2023 general election is just weeks away. With President Mohammadu Buhari term-limited, the country will be choosing a new leader. Also a new crop of leaders is also expected to emerge at the parliament. The elections for the National Assembly would be held on the same day as the presidential. The actions of the president will go a long way toward the success of this and determine a lot of thing for the ordinary man this year.

Of course, what ordinary Nigerians want is clear enough: economic opportunity; security; political accountability; an end to corrupt Big Man rule; and improved investment in health, education, and infrastructure. Working with local partners and investors across the country, President Buhari has been doing his best to achieve these and also strengthen institutions and democratic values. The structures being put on ground can help stimulate a new era of foreign direct investment in projects and initiatives that will spark economic growth and reduce dependence on frequently wayward states such as China. But on issues of election, nothing but absolute commitment is expected of him.

Buhari’s will do much to shape activities in Nigeria within the year. Though he has assured Nigerians that he would bequeath the country with credible elections and give the electoral body free hands to conduct the exercise, all eyes are on him to fulfil the pledges.

“INEC is ready because I made sure they were given all the resources they asked because I don’t want any excuses that they were denied funds by the government,” Buhari said while responding to a question on the readiness of INEC to conduct the elections in Washington DC, USA, at an interactive session titled: “A Conversation with President Muhammadu Buhari of Nigeria”, on December 17, 2022.

And these are reasons for optimism that the upcoming polls will be an improvement on the 2019 election. The retired general wants a credible, transparent electoral process to be an important part of his legacy. he put in place, legal reforms enabled earlier planning and new technology has been deployed to improve voter accreditation and the transmission of results.

A surge of new voter registration, especially among young people, suggests that Nigerians believe the 2023 elections are a process worth their time and energy.

Nigerians expect that the president will ensure a smooth transition of power to the winner of the February 25, presidential election. Before then, he is expected to step up his campaigns against terrorism and banditry and complete some of his legacy projects.

He is expected to end subsidy on petroleum products. As announced by the federal government. A deadline of June has been set. The president has laid the foundation for this with his assent to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB). But the issue of credible transparent elections count more.

INEC Chair, Yakubu

The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Mahmood Yakubu, is also on the radar as he oversees and gives directions on the conduct of the polls to national commissioners who in turn supervise the Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in states.

He is expected to ensure the electoral umpire functions independently and free from external influence. The commission, under him, is also expected to display openness and transparency in all its activities and its relationship with all stakeholders. So  the success or otherwise of the elections rests largely on Yakubu’s shoulders. Of course, INEC, under Yakubu, has demonstrated a determination to conduct credible elections in this year 2023. His coming up with technological innovations is a right step in the right direction, despite serious opposition from some quarters. The beauty of it all is it that will make rigging impossible for politicians.

To ensure constitutional backing for its action, INEC ,sometimes last year, sensitised Nigerians to put pressure on the National Assembly and the Executive arm of the government to ensure the signing of the amended Electoral Act 2022. This electoral law helped to define off-season elections conducted in 2022 by curbing malpractices.

The technological innovations brought up by INEC has forced politicians to sit up and bond more with the electorate ahead of the 2023 general election since it won’t be business as usual.

Recall that three out-of-season elections in the FCT, Ekiti, Anambra and Osun states held in 2022 to test-run INEC’s innovations and technology. The Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS)  was fully deployed. It is one of the technological innovations INEC has devised to identify and accredit voters’ fingerprints and facial recognition before voting. It is also used for capturing images of the polling unit result sheet (Form EC8A) and uploading the image of the result sheet online.

So those states used for the test-running of INEC’s innovations, courtesy of the improved electoral law, benefitted from the BVAS system.

With this technology, alteration of votes at polling units, distortion of number of accredited voters, collation of false results, mutilation of results and computational errors, swapping of results sheets, forging of results sheets, snatching and destruction of results sheets, obtaining declaration and return involuntarily, making declaration and return while result collation is still in progress and poor record-keeping, will no longer be prevalent in future elections.

Equally the commission’s Election Result Viewing Portal (IReV) is another technology in the form of online portal where polling unit-level results are uploaded directly from the polling unit, transmitted, and published for the public.

Yakubu’s determination to use these technologies in 2023 elections has unruffled some feathers but the electoral umpire has demonstrated a strong determination to put the election riggers out of business in  February 25th  polls.

IGP, Baba

The Inspector General of Police (IGP), Usman Alkali Baba, is carrying a very heavy load of integrity and patrotism. This is because the neutrality of the police is critical in 2023 elections. Baba has the mandate to coordinate the police and other security agencies to ensure the elections are conducted peacefully.

Of course, he had already declared that the Nigeria Police, the military and other security forces were fully prepared to ensure free, fair, credible and acceptable polls in 2023.

“We are assuring Nigerians and the international community that the 2023 general elections will hold as planned by the Independent National Electoral Commission in all the 36 states of the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja. The country is enjoying relative peace now and we are going to sustain this, the President and Commander-In-Chief of the Armed Forces, Muhammadu Buhari has promised times without numbers to give the nation peaceful, free and fair elections, come 2023.

“The president has been keeping to his words by encouraging us and the security forces towards achieving this, we will have no excuse to fail the nation. Nigerians too have been helping the police and other security agencies with credible information in their localities,” he reportedly said.

He drummed that contrary to speculations in some quarters that the forthcoming polls may not hold in some parts of the country due to security concerns, the elections would hold nationwide as scheduled by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

The IG-P had also warned political actors to play by the rules of the game and to stop overheating the system, saying the era of ballot box snatching was gone for good in the country based on the various innovations introduced into the system by INEC.

Ahead of the polls, the country has continued to witness election-related violence. Scores of people have been killed and dozens injured in different clashes. This is just as the menace of banditry is still terrorising the North West; farmers/herders clashes in the North Central; Boko Haram in the North East; IPOB in the South East and pockets of security breaches being recorded in the South West.

The neutrality of the police is another issue that Baba is expected to ensure.

CJN, Ariwoola

“As the Chief Justice of Nigeria, I will not condone any act of recklessness, abuse of power and public trust,” Mr Ariwoola warned the judicial officers who will be handling post-election cases.

The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, presides over the Supreme Court, the highest court in Nigeria which decisions are final. Some of the litigations that will follow the elections will end at the apex court.

Ahead of the elections, the CJN on November 7, 2022, inaugurated members of the 2023 Election Petitions Tribunals. A total of 307 judges will be serving on the tribunals set up to adjudicate disputes that may arise from the 2023 elections.

The Court of Appeal coordinates and serves as the secretariat of the election petitions tribunals across the country. According to authoritative sources, members of the tribunals are expected to be deployed to states this January. Also some of the cases will end at the apex court, the CJN will constitute panels of the Supreme Court that will entertain post-election cases that would drag to the apex court.

All eyes are on CJN Ariwoola to fully monitor and address allegations of corruption and misconduct that may be levelled against judicial officials as he is the Chairman of the National Judicial Council (NJC).

National Population Commission, Isa-Kwarra

2006 was the last time national  population census took place in Nigeria. Seventeen years after, the country is gearing up for the conduct of another national population census. The exercise was last held back in 2006 during the time of former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

The exercise, which ideally is to be conducted every 10 years, has now been scheduled for April this year. A pilot census was held in July last year. It is recently reported that the exercise would be held under the chairmanship of Nasir Isa-Kwarra. Thus all eyes are on him as he is expected to supervise the conduct of the exercise.

Experts say the importance of census cannot be overestimated as it is the centre of every planning activity, and that no meaningful development can be achieved without taking census data into account.

Frontline presidential candidates

A total of 18 presidential candidates have indicated interest in taking over the job of President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29, this year, but the pendulum is swinging towards the candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar; Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi; and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP). The fate of the candidates would be determined by 84 million registered voters in 176,846 polling units of the country.

Atiku Abubakar

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, Turaki Adamawa is the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The former vice president is a strong political force, and one of those that will help to shape the Nigerian politics in 2023. As a former vice president who had contested the presidential elections several times, Atiku has built alliances and bridges across all the states in the country. His wide contacts and connections will provide a formidable structure that will influence the outcome of the 2023 general election. As the candidate of the PDP, which is one of the three frontline political parties, Atiku is a major factor to watch in 2023. His political base, the North, with her intimidating voting population, will be a major determinant of the outcome of the elections.

Bola Tinubu

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former governor of Lagos State, Senator Bola Tinubu became a formidable national political force after he dismantled all the plots against him and emerged as the presidential candidate of the ruling party.

With his deep pocket, Tinubu, a political strategist, has built strong contacts and alliances in all the states across the country. His support groups have penetrated every nook and cranny of the country, promoting his presidential ambition. The former Lagos State governor had played a key role in the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 presidential election.

Tinubu is no doubt a strong factor in the 2023 politics.

 Peter Obi

Many political analysts did not take the former governor of Anambra State, Mr. Peter Obi serious when emerged as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP).

Before he joined the LP, Obi was a presidential aspirant on the platform of the PDP where he also contested the 2019 elections as the vice presidential candidate of the party.

Shortly before the presidential primary of the PDP, Obi resigned from the party and joined the LP, which many had described as a party without a structure that could win a presidential election.

Amazingly, the sooner than he joined the LP than the Nigerian youths who are his support base, elevated a political party without a formidable structure to a mass movement. The youths organised massive pre-campaign rallies across the major cities in the country, which unlike other political rallies, were not influenced by monetary inducements.

Obi has consistently told his critics who claimed that he had no formidable structure to clinch power next year that those making such assertion were referring to political structures of corruption and criminality which he doesn’t have and strongly abhors.

Obi has also argued that the type of structures that his critics were talking about involves bribery and corruption; and also sharing money to acclaimed political stakeholders to enlist their support and help in rigging elections.

LP was said to lack structures but Obi’s supporters, mainly the youths, have formed formidable structures to promote his presidential aspiration.

Various states in the country stood still when these youths marched through their state capitals and these sent shock waves across the PDP and the APC. The former Anambra State governor is a major factor that will shape the 2023 politics.

 

 Rabiu Kwankwaso

The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Mr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, will also be a force to reckon with in the politics of 2023. Though none of the various local and international polls has favoured him, his popularity in Kano State in particular can erode the votes of any of the three major candidates and change the political permutations that could lead to a runoff.

The efforts made for Kwankwaso and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP) to form a joint ticket failed as the former Kano State governor insisted that he would be the presidential candidate in the joint ticket. Interestingly, the various polls conducted at different times predicted victory for the presidential candidates of the three major political parties – Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Obi of the LP. None of the various polls favoured Kwankwaso as he was said to be popular only in his home state, which however, has the second-largest voting population, after Lagos State. Many political analysts have predicted that his alliance with any of the three major candidates can be a game changer. However, such an alliance is still unlikely, in view of his body language and comments.

G-5 Governors

Member of the G-5 are also important this 2023. Led by the lion-hearted Governor Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, this group will have an impact on whichever side they decide to throw their support. T

he five governors led by Wike have not made known their preferred presidential candidate between Bola Tinubu of APC and Peter Obi of the LP but it is expected that they will reveal their choice in the coming days.

Wike used the unlimited resources at his disposal to make remarkable impact in the presidential primary of the PDP. But despite the huge resources he deployed to pursue his ambition, he lost the presidential ticket to the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.

He also lost the party’s vice presidential ticket to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State. Since he lost both tickets, he has aligned with four other governors – Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), to work against Atiku. Wike and his allies, who are referred to as G-5, are insisting that the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, should relinquish his position to the southerner as a condition to support Atiku.

Wike said he would not only tell his people who to vote for but would campaign for his choice of presidential candidate throughout the country. “Nothing will happen,” he added.

With the large voting population in Rivers State, Wike’s choice of presidential election, which may potentially be the choice of the G-5, will be a game changer in the 2023 politics.

 

Iyorchia Ayu

How the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) manages the agitation for the resignation of its national chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu is critical in the 2023 elections

Ayu will be a strong factor in Nigerian politics in 2023 due to the crisis rocking his party following the calls for his resignation.

Ayu emerged at a time the main opposition party was enmeshed in crisis over the zoning of 2023 presidency and the tenure of Prince Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee (NWC).

Many had thought that the former university lecturer would concentrate efforts to navigate the party through the raging storms.

Little did analysts know that his emergence would inflict more wounds on the party.

The emergence of Ayu as the National Chairman of the party in its October 30, 2021 National Convention had given the initial impression that the main opposition party was going to zone the presidency to the South. But the party threw the position open to all the six geopolitical zones. This led to the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the party to the dissatisfaction of many southern leaders of the party, including Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, among other party leaders from South. Even Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State also voiced his preference for a southern presidential candidate.

When the former vice president won the primary, Wike and four other governors insisted that Ayu should resign but his supporters insisted that he would only resign if Atiku wins the 2023 presidency.

With the refusal of Ayu to resign, Wike and the four other governors have been working against Atiku. The Rivers State governor and his allies are set to unveil their preferred choice of presidential candidate. Many believe that no matter how the pendulum swings, the Ayu factor will shape the politics of 2023.

Prominent Nigerian elites

Influential opinion leaders and elders will also be quite visible on the national landscape this year. These lelement are guided more by patriotism than any other thing as the want the best for the country. Prominent among these are former President  Olusegun Obasanjo, former head of state General Abdulsalami Abubakar, General Theophilus Danjuma, Chief Edwin Clarke, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Afe Babalola, Barr Femi Falana among others. Of these, Chief Obasanjo seems the most controversial, with his letters.

 

Traditional rulers

The traditional institutions can be of immense benefit to the security institutions in complementing their efforts at resolving civil conflicts before they degenerate into violent conflicts. They will play this role this year to stem any disturbance that may arise from the general election 2023. These include  most notably Sa’adu Abubakar, Sultan of Sokoto and Sarkin Musulmi of Nigeria, current Co-Chair of the National Council of Traditional Rulers, Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, Ooni of Ife, current Co-Chair of the National Council of Traditional Rulers, Muhammad al-Amin al-Kanemi, Shehu of Borno, the Oba of Benin and Obi of Onitsha.

Creating fear and hatred is not the best option to dealing with any outbreak of the confusion in political matters. But some elements and non-state actors may want to create crises in the aftermath of the elections, if any of the major parties feel aggrieved. They can just throw off fake information that can spread animosity.
Some information can trigger social disharmony  and behaviours in some areas against anyone perceived to have different interest. This can undermine social solidity, solidariy and prompt possible social tension among groups, which might contribute to a situation where the confusion is more, not less, likely to spread

.It is understandable that if there is such confusion, anxiety and fear will spread among the public. These factors are also capable of fuelling harmful labels, which can throw the country into chaos like those of June 12, 1993. A pointer to the possibility of this is the incessant attacks on INEC’s critical assets by gunmen and arsonists across several states since two years ago.

Fortunately, these eminent traditional rulers are on ground to promptly respond to such challenges. Their hallowed presence and response will extinguish any fire of confusion around their domains.

As the de facto arbitrators at the community level, their technical capability may be called upon this year as they continue playing the role of grievance managers.

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CGI Jere Idris Returns Efficiency and Honour to Nigeria Immigration Service

by with No Comment Goverance

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday 11th day of October 2022, conferred various categories of national honour awards on 440 Nigerians and seven foreigners. One of these honorees is the Comptroller General of Immigration, Isah Jere Idris, who was conferred with Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR). But this did not come to many as a surprise.
Jere Idris, the Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) is a man of repute, integrity and credibility. And he has long known to be a man of sterling moral character who has etched his name in gold as an officer of repute, who concerns himself with measures that can improve governance, transparency and accountability of public service delivery of goods and services to the people. He is also a strong and vibrant anti-fraud and corruption crusader. These are some of the reasons why President Muhammadu Buhari appointed him to head the service last year.
He is a professional , a tested administrator and a passionate Nigerian of uncommon leadership qualities. Like the saying, a goldfish has no hiding place. Accordingly, good report about him got to President Muhammadu Buhari, who appointed him last September 2021 in acting capacity with the exit of former Immigration boss Muhammed Babandede. Expectedly, since becoming the CGIS last year, he has worked assiduously with his officers to increase the efficiency of service delivery by the immigration service.
“May I hasten to state that I am not under any illusion whatsoever about the herculean task which lies ahead but I believe that with the usual support of the Federal Government, particularly the Ministry of Interior, the enhanced commitment, cooperation and dedication to duty by all Officers and Men as well as the collaboration of our teeming stakeholders, we shall not only consolidate on existing legacies of the past administration which we all vigorously pursued, but we shall equally strive to fill identified gaps and take the NIS to greater heights”.
CGI Jere said the following words while appearing before the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregebesola in September last year as he took over the headship of the service. And ever since then, he has left no stone unturned in the pursuit of service delivery to the Nigerian people. These include a more efficient passport issuing exercise, efficiency at the country’s borders through improved border security strategies, staff motivation and welfare, capacity building, entrepreneurship training and other related issues.
Within a short time in office, he carved a niche for himself as focus, hard working , visionary anti-corruption officer. Hence he was decorated with new rank as substantive Comptroller General of the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) in April this year. In addition to his new rank, CGIS Idris Jere also got one year extension of Service by the President on 22nd April, to enable him lead the service to higher heights.
The NIS boss, whose official retirement date was April 24, 2022, having attained the age of 60 as stipulated by civil service rules, will preside over the affairs of the agency for one more year following that development.
In a letter dated April 22, 2022, and addressed to the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, Chief of Staff to President Buhari, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, announced the approval of the extension of Jere’s tenure with immediate effect.
Why is this Kaduna State indigene able to work so seamlessly with staff and stakeholders to the admiration of the general public? His experience and background play a lot of roles in this. Comptroller General Idiris Jere is an alumnus of Bayero University Kano where he obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Mass Communication in 1985. He joined the Service in 1987 as a Deputy Superintendent of Immigration and has served in various Commands and Formations including Adamawa, Borno, and Benue State Commands among others. He was the Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Finance and Accounts until 10th September 2021 when he took over from the former Comptroller General, Muhammad Babandede (rtd) as acting Comptroller General.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after the Immigration boss was decorated by the Minister of Interior Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, Coomassie urged the CGI to take bold steps in making tough decisions within the next 30 days, which include the overhauling of the entire directorate and same should be extended to other directorates of the service.
Meanwhile since coming to office, CGIS Idris Isah Jere has done much to solve the challenges bedeviling passport policy, overhauling its operations by altering the recent passport reforms and the mode of processing Nigerian passports which many noted had become unruly for the citizens, before the CGIS came into office.
He has taken and implemented measures, actions or decisions that best serve and protect the interest of the country and its citizens. He has also been working to protect Nigerian Immigration service and its staff from the influence and impact of corruption and corrupt conduct. Hence his war to stamp out corruption in the service. His belief is that corrupt conduct in the form of actions, decisions and behaviours are detrimental to the welfare and development of a nation. It brings to the fore serious issues of disrepute, integrity and credibility.
That is why countries around world have implemented measures that would help them best deal with corruption and its consequences. CGI Jere Idris does not want people to import corruption and corrupt conduct into the service under his watch. It explains why the CGI recently ordered a probe into the reports of corruption against some officers of the service at the Murtala Muhhamed International Airport, Lagos.
In Nigeria where public service is perceived to be riddled with widespread corruption and corrupt conduct at all levels of institutions of government and other sectors of the economy. It is struggling to survive every day under the yoke of corruption. To see public officials like CGIS Jere Idris is therefore a thing of joy. One is not therefore surprised by the national honour awarded to him.

Apart from these, CGIS jere Idris has been pressing ahead with service efficiency to ensure the fruition of the blue print he made available when he was appointed last year. At that time, he had disclosed this when he was formally presented to the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola by the Federal Commissioners and Board Secretary of the Civil Defence, Correctional, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB) in Abuja in September, 2021.
Then he had noted that he is quite aware of the daunting task of securing the nation’s borders as well as offering effective service to Nigerians and migrants. Then, he highlighted some vital components that would form the policy thrust of his administration to include but not limited to:
i. Review of Border Security Strategies by enabling a committee of experts to re-examine the strategies with a view to ascertaining the overall effectiveness and efficiency of the Service’s Border Management Policies and Operations;
ii. Critical assessment of Passport Operations to find lasting solution to the incessant challenge of Passport Booklet scarcity and;
iii. Improve staff welfare through massive capacity building and Entrepreneurship training for Officers and Men as well as prompt action to address pending allowances and other claims of Officers and Men.

Responding then, the Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola charged the Acting Comptroller General to effectively secure the Nigerian borders and deepen the Passport application and issuance reform with a view to enabling a seamless process.
This he has been doing as he gradually returns service efficient to the Immigration service. As the Nigerian aphorism advises, “follow who know road.” This maxim must have guided stakeholders to join hands with CGI Idris Jere and his officers to build on the remarkable foundation already put in place to put the service on global reckoning.
No wonder, many were not surprised that national honour came the way of this remarkable man. And many are praising President Buhari as they congratulate the CGIS.
Acting Head of Mission and Country Representative, International Peace Commission of the United Nations, Ambassador Hussaini H. Coomassie, has commended President Muhammadu Buhari for the conferment of national honour of Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR) on the Comptroller General of Immigration, Isah Jere Idris.
In a congratulatory message he personally signed, Coomassie, who is also the global vice chairman, Advocacy for Good Governance & Social Justice Network (AGGSJN), said the Immigration boss deserved the national award, having demonstrated core attributes of a professional in his national assignment and for his immeasurable contributions to the growth and development at a revenue generating agency where he is serving as the number one staff.
Also honoured by the President is the Deputy Comptroller General in charge of Visa and Residency, Isiaka Abdulmumuni Haliru, who was also conferred with the award of the Member of the Order of the Federal Republic (MFR).
“On behalf of the International Peace Commission of the United Nations I hereby celebrate with the management, Officers and Men of the Nigeria Immigration Service, the Comptroller General and the other awardees of the Service for the honour bestowed on them and I wish them sound health for more contributions to organisations and nation building at large.”
With his activities within one year in office, CGIS Jere has proved his leadership and administrative mettle. Many have had to concur with the view that the office of the comptroller-General is not a place to learn administration or how to get things done. It should be a place for people who have proven their administrative mettle to solve the state’s more enormous challenges.

haliru nababa

Haliru Nababa: Building A Correctional Service that Truly Transforms

by with No Comment Goverance

Haliru Nababa, mni, assumed office as the Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service on May 10, 2021, he came with tremendous zeal and commitments to bring holistic reform to the service in line with the cardinal objectives of government. And his enviable record in the service as well as his outstanding academic reputation put him on a higher ground, well prepared for the big tasks he was saddled with,
The cardinal objectives of many government ministries, departments, agencies and other parastatals is to provide the most needed services as it’s being enshrined in the Nigerian constitution and other relevant civil service rules and regulations as obtainable. There are certain peculiarities and exceptionalities in operation within various organizations which is equally centered on achieving the desired and set objectives.
While some may find it easy and fun handling their designated task, to some it wasn’t that easy because it involves sacrifices, courage and risk taking to execute their assignments and render the needed services beyond office comports. The Nigerian military, police, security and civil defence corps, state security service and other sister security agencies were the notable organizations where sacrifices has to be made for the general well-being and peaceful coexistence of the Nigerian nation. But there are silent organizations that have been putting in their best to bring succor, relieve and hope to Nigerians amidst despondency and despair; Nigerian Correctional Service is without doubt fall into this category.
The Nigerian Correctional Services and its ever resilient, pertinacious and dogged Comptroller-General, Nababa whom ever since he assumed the leadership of the organization, he has restlessly transverse all the nooks and crannies of Nigeria to further acquaint himself with the state of facilities of correctional centres in different states across the country. On resumption of office in May 2021, the CGC embarked on a familiarization tour of the country to assess the state of infrastructures and facilities. This was in keeping with his commitment to provide safe and secure custodial centres where inmates are treated in line with global standards. He went round the states despite the security challenges rising from the perceived ambush attacks by the militants.
On August 6, 2021, the CGC, in an inaugural meeting with the command officers , outlined his agenda centred on comprehensive reform of the correctional service, including safe custody of inmates, training, staff and inmates welfare, capacity-building for staff, staff discipline and effective implementation of non-custodial measures. He used the opportunity of that meeting to share his vision and policy direction with his staff.

The Correctional Services, under the visionary leadership of Nababa has spared no effort in moving the service forward and tackling jail emergencies wherever and whenever they occur and through painstaking and meticulous management of the lean resources by formulating way to ensure that the limited resource at his disposal are well utilized for the benefit and welfare of staff his staff and also the well-being of the prisoners under his agency’s care. Whenever those jailbreaks occur, Nababa is the first person to be called to action.
As a demonstration of his commitment to promotion of staff welfare, the CGC, shortly on assumption of office, initiated the promotion of 2,455 junior staff and also facilitated the release of promotion of 3,477 senior officers through the Civil Defence, Correctional Service, Fire and Immigration Service Board. This was to motivate the staff to work assiduously towards achieving his set goals.
In addition, he vigorously embarked on providing conducive office accommodation at various state command headquarters to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of staff. Among the states that have benefitted from the new offices is Osun, which was launched on July 23, 2021.
In keeping with the concept of a correctional service tailored towards reforming and rehabilitating inmates so that they could be re-integrated into the larger society, the CGC has initiated various programmes aimed at giving lifelines to former inmates to enable them engage in meaningful enterprises. This involves giving out starter packs and other incentives to inmates that acquire skills while in custody; indeed, one of the cardinal objectives of the Nababa-led administration is to provide opportunities for inmates to acquire necessary skills that will make them relevant in society. Many of the inmates have taken advantage of this unique opportunity to improve themselves while serving their term in the custody. For instance, there are several of them who have acquired various academic qualifications, including doctor of philosophy (PhD). This is made possible by the conducive and friendly environment provided by the new administration, as well as the encouragement given to the inmates to embark on any career of their choice.
Equally laudable is the agricultural policy of the administration, which is geared towards ensuring adequate food production not only to satisfy the food need of the staff and inmates, but also the entire nation. While flagging off the 2021 cowpea production on August 5, the CGC reiterated the commitment of his administration in food production. During the ceremony, he distributed 12 tractors to 10 farms across the country. The tractors are meant for the training of inmates in mechanized farming. He followed this up with a visit to Dukpa farm centre in Gwagwalada Area Council in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, where he called on the inmates to take advantage of the opportunity they have, while serving in correctional custody, to inprove their skills in modern food production.
Farming remains a key component in the correctional service administration. The Nigerian Correctional Service has 17 mechanized farm centres across the country; apart from being used to train inmates in modern food production, they are also to serve as source of food supply to feed the inmates. However, the farms were not being fully utilized until the present administration decided to give top priority to food production, which has seen the gradual resuscitation of the farms. The vision of the administration is to become self-sufficient in food production, thereby reducing the huge cost the Federal Government is spending on feeding the inmates.
Similarly, in line with the new welfare policy of the administration, much emphasis has been given to providing quality healthcare system in the correctional centres across the country. This has resulted in accelerated provision of healthcare needs of the inmates. It is instructive to note that the correctional centres have not experienced any major outbreak of diseases in recent times, unlike in the past. Equally commendable is the fact that there has been no record of COVID-19 incident in any of the correctional centres since the outbreak of the dreaded discase. This can only be attributed to various measures put in place by the administration to safeguard the health of the staff and inmates. In addition, the administration is interfacing with various orgnisations towards improving the general condition of the correctional centres, especially as it relates to the welfare of the vulnerable, juveniles and female inmates.
Also arising from incessant jailbreaks as a result of the porous and weak structure in the correctional centres, the CGC has introduced various measures that would curb this ugly trend, which has become a major embarrassment to the country. Indeed, securing the life of the staff and inmates, as well as the facilities, has been given top priority by the administration.
Recently Nababa said measures put in place to prevent attacks on correctional centres across the country have been yielding results. According to him, this is the major reason the correctional centres have not been attacked recently. He, however, clarified that the country had yet to experience jailbreaks, saying that there had only been attacks on correctional centres.
“I would like to make this correction that we don’t have jailbreaks in the country, what we had were jail attacks. When we say jailbreak, we mean an uprising in the correctional centre but recently what we have had were attacks from outside; these are called jail attacks.
Who is Haliru Nababa? He hails from Sokoto State, was born on 15th December, 1964. Nababa had his First School Leaving Certificate from the Demonstration Primary School, Sokoto in 1975. He attended Government Secondary School Tangaza where he obtained his West African School Certificate in 1980 and then proceeded to the Usmanu Danfodiyo University, Sokoto where he graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor degree in History. In 1996, he obtained a Diploma in Criminology from the Same University.
He joined the Nigerian Prisons Service, as it then was called, on 13th August, 1990 as an Assistant Superintendent of Prisons. He rose through the ranks and was promoted to the Rank of Assistant Controller General of Corrections on 01 January, 2018. On 26th August, 2020 he was appointed as Deputy Controller General of Corrections Covering Duties in the Directorate of Finance and Accounts.
Career Courses Attended
The senior officer attended the following statutory courses in the Service: Assistant Superintendent Basic Course at Corrections Staff College, Barnawa, Kaduna; Citizens & Leadership Training, Shere Hills, Jos, Plateau State; 3rd Chief Superintendent course at Corrections Staff College, Barnawa, Kaduna; Command Course at Corrections Staff College, Barnawa, Kaduna; Advance Command Course, Ijebu-Igbo, Ogun State; He underwent a Senior Executive Course 41, 2019, at the prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies, Kuru.
Haliru has headed many formations in the course of his career between 2016 and 2019, amongst which are: Officer in Charge, Wurno Satellite Custodial Centre, Sokoto State, Nguru Custodial Centre, Yobe State; Mubi Custodial Centre, Adamawa State, and Sokoto Central Custodial Centre, Sokoto State. He has also served as a Command Controller in Kebbi and Sokoto States.
Until his appointment to head the Service, he was covering duties as the Head of the Directorate of Finance and Account.
In the past one year in office , Haliru Nababa as the Controller General of Nigerian Correctional Service has witnessed a breathtaking flurry of activities, which are geared towards the transformation of correctional service in the country. Though it is still too early to draw conclusions on the performance of the CGC, there are clear indications that the present administration is committed to giving a new face to Nigerian Correctional Service. Given the reputation of the CGC as an astute and tested administrator, with an impeachable record in service, he has all it takes to achieve this lofty vision for the service, but he needs the support of government, especially in the area of funding, which is key to achieving his target of building a correctional service that truly transforms inmates for the better.

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GOVERNANCE AND ECONOMIC OUTLOOK 2022

by with No Comment By Tayo AreGoverance

This year 2022 will be dominated by events in the political landscape, business and economy. Then there are some notable characters who will shape the polity in the course of the year. These range from politicians, opinion leaders, to business leaders and even entertainers whose activities are bound to shape the future of the country one way or another this 2022.

The 2023 general election is just a year away. As it approaches, the decisions of certain key personalities, organs of governments and agencies in 2022 will shape the country’s political dynamics,  Politics, economy and some influential figures will determine shape events this 2022. The national Assembly, the Judiciary and the Central Bank will play much roles this year.

Notable opinion leaders and influential elders including traditional rulers will dominate the public space. These include the Sultan of Sokoto, the Ooni of Ife, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Chief Edwin Clark, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, will not resist the temptation of being in the news this year. The name of Dr Akinwunmi Adeshina of African Development Bank (AfDB) will also hug newspapers’ headlines .

As the tempo of political activities rises in the year, key figures in the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will dominate the landscape.

Since the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) successfully conducted its National Convention in October 2021, pressure has been on the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC led by the Governor of Yobe State, Mai Mala Buni to do the same.

After immense pressure from stakeholders, the Buni committee as well as the APC some governors  met with President Muhammadu Buhari and approved the March 2022 target for the party’s convention, after more than a year of dilly-dally by the Buni committee. Even before March target was set, a former Governor of Abia State and the Senate Chief Whip, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu in a recent letter to Buni called for the postponement of the party’s convention in order to reconcile aggrieved members in some state chapters of the party torn by crisis.

But the Buni committee has however resolved to set up sub-committees on budgeting and other relevant structures for the National Convention of the party.

Though, it is not written in the constitution of the party that power will rotate between the North and South, party stakeholders and leaders had at several times claimed that there was an unwritten agreement that power would rotate to the South in 2023.

It is important to note that the Caretaker Committee of the party was only mandated to conduct the party’s convention; it does not have power to zone the party’s presidential ticket. It is however expected that the new National Working Committee (NEC) that will emerge after the convention of the party will be saddled with that task. The ruling party will make strong a decision over its 2022 on the issue of its national convention and the 2023 presidency.

Those to watch out for in the presidential race  in the All Progressive Congress (APC) include Senator Bola Tinubu, vice president Yemi Osinbajo, Senator Orji Uzor Kalu, Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State,  Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti state.

Bola Tinubu

First to declare his ambition is the National Leader of APC, Senator Bola Tinubu. He has remained most active presidential aspirant of them all, with many groups are already drumming up support for his ambition across the country. And he may have an edge over other aspirants.

Despite narrowly losing out in the race for Buhari’s running mate in the 2015 general election, Tinubu has remained a strong pillar of the APC. Odds seem to favour him to take over from President Buhari, despite the mounting opposition by political enemies. This may happen except President Buhari have a secret weapon about who takes over from him.

Osinbajo:

With the increasing number of groups expressing support for the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, and urging him to join the 2023 presidential race, he is definitely going to be on the political radar  this year. Osinbajo, even though he has not expressed interest in running for political office in 2023, comes across as someone, who wants to run for president, but is more likely to keep his cards close to his chest for now.

With several groups asking him to join the presidential race 2023, there will be a lot of searchlight on him.

Kayoed Fayemi:

Dr. Kayode Fayemi has also not indicated interest to run for the presidency in 2023. But the Ekiti State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) may not be a joke. In March 2021, members of the Ekiti State House of Assembly endorsed the undeclared presidential ambition of Fayemi. The lawmakers had further pledged their full support to work with well-meaning Nigerians and groups for the realization of having an Ekiti son as the next president. In August 2020 his presidential campaign posters, emerged in some Nigerian cities. That sparked off some public debate on various social media platforms then regarding the possibility of his candidacy.

Electoral Law and Elections

If President Buhari signing the electoral bill into law, the determination of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct credible elections in 2023 will become realizable.  It will certainly help to define the subsequent elections this year and 2023. The law will help to eliminate malpractices and compel politicians to sit up ahead of the 2023 general elections because it won’t be business as usual.

Equally, the two out-of- season elections in Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections scheduled for this year will also benefit from this improved electoral law.

PDP and 2023 Presidency

Where the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the 2023 presidency will determine what happens to the party this 2022. The zoning, which will largely be determined by the governors will come on stream this year. The main opposition party had successfully conducted its National Convention where it elected a former President of the Senate, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as its national chairman.

With the zoning of the national chairman to the North, it is expected that the party will zone the presidency to the South, especially given the public mood that favours power shift to the South.

Ayu and the PDP:

The leadership skills of the new National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyiorcha Ayu, would be tested in 2022. How Ayu would be able to manage the different tendencies in the party and keep them together would determine if his name would be in the PDP hall of fame or infamy. He has started well by identifying APC’s alleged failures and promising to rescue Nigeria from the ruling party. He has continued to remind Nigerians what he terms the good days under the PDP government and also how the APC has allegedly destroyed the country. Ayu has also cited the rising security challenge as one of the reasons the APC should not be allowed to lead the country beyond 2023. He has given himself a target of winning about 25 states in 2023, which sounds like a tall ambition. But the main task for him next year would be to manage the big egos in PDP, especially, some of the governors.

Atiku

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition will make a huge impact in the 2022 politics. With a large political network and experience having started his presidential quest in 1993 alongside the likes of the late Chief MKO Abiola, he is likey to spring some surprises. Since 1993, Atiku has remained a consistent feature in every presidential election and his doggedness has earned him a lot of reputation as a credible and strong-willed politician.

Atiku remains a scion of the Shehu Yar’Adua political dynasty that played influential role in the formation of the PDP. If power shifts to the South, his ambition will suffer setback. Age is also not on his side.

Governor Wike

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State is a rallying point of the main opposition party. He came into national fame and recognition in the party when as a governor he was able to take over the leadership of the party to the chagrin of supposed political heavyweights in the party.He installed Secondus as the national chairman in 2018 and also ensured his removal in 2021 when both of them became estranged. Despite the fact that the  PDP has many colourful politicians, none of them seems to have matched Wike’s political showmanship and audacity. So he will play influential role in the determination of the next presidential candidate of the PDP.

Saraki:

A former President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, strongly believes the North-central geopolitical zone has paid its due by working very hard to keep Nigeria together as one united entity and should be given the chance to lead the country. He also thinks he is the perfect man to lead Nigeria, when the tenure of the present All Progressives Congress (APC) government ends. The former Kwara State governor has announced his intention to run for the office of the president in 2023. Going by his disposition, Saraki is not going to back down as he seeks the support of people of his region and other PDP leaders towards realising his presidential ambition. He is widely considered qualified, competent and boasting the requisite capacity for the job.

Tambuwal:

Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum is a man to watch. Within his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he remains one of the most influential members and it is not a coincidence that his name keeps propping up as the likely presidential candidate of the PDP in 2023.

The National Assembly

For the National Assembly, 2022 will be a year of political streamlining with various stakeholders playing its part to shape the nation’s politics in the political moves ahead of the 2023 general election,

The Judiciary

The place of the judiciary in any constitutional democracy needs not be overemphasised. This is why Nigeria, it continues to play a crucial role in the sustenance of the nation’s democracy as well as the survival of the country as a whole.

In order to constantly remind the judges of their roles, the current leadership of the judiciary under the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, has not only been talking tough but has also been making serious efforts at repositioning the judiciary and making it the hope and pride of the ordinary Nigerians.

One of the bane in the judiciary is the indiscriminate issuance of injunctive orders by judges particularly in political cases, be it leadership tussle among members of a political party or rightful flagbearers of political parties in an election.

But for the timely intervention of the CJN, the political terrain would have been in disarray as activities gears up for the 2023 general election.

The Economy

Emefiele:

Godwin Emefiele, Governor Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)  will be one of the key personalities to shape activities in the Nigerian economy this year , 2022. His effort to support domestic production  has seen the CBN engaged in a lot of interventions in critical sectors of the economy with potential for high job creation. His effort to make credit flow to the private sector deserves praises, especially, in agriculture, through the Anchor Borrowers’ Programme (ABP), which has revolutionised local rice production and created massive job opportunities for Nigerians. The CBN intervention in the power sector has also helped to stabilise the sector, which had almost been crippled by its legacy debts to the financial industry.

Emefiele helped to broker a deal, which had since kept the ship sailing, despite all odds, and guaranteed improved electricity supply to homes and businesses. The apex bank under Emefiele played a crucial role in ensuring that the economy exited two consecutive recessions through its intervention programmes in key sectors as well as boosting government’s spending to reflate the economy. In addition, this year, the central bank under Emefiele launched a Central Bank Digital Currency, the first in Africa, and the ‘100 to 100’ policy that focuses on job creation.

Going into 2022, the Emefiele-led CBN, in collaboration with the fiscal authority, would be critical in steering the economy towards accelerated growth.

Zainab Ahmed:

Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, will play a critical role in shaping the direction of the Nigerian economy in 2022. Nigeria recently launched a five-year National Development Plan (NDP), a replacement to the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), which expired in December 2020. The finance minister will be expected to drive the process of actualising some of the set goals in the plan before the end of the present administration.

Dangote:

Africa’s richest man and President of Dangote Group, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, is among those expected to shape events next year. While products from his $2 billion granulated urea fertiliser plant hit the market this year, in 2022, his first private crude oil refinery is expected to commence operations in Nigeria. This refinery, expected to be a game changer for the country in 2022, would to be a major forex saver for the country. The Dangote Refinery is under construction in the outskirts of Lagos State, and when fully operational, the $7 billion investment would have the capacity to process about 650,000 barrels of crude oil per day, making it the largest single-train refinery in the world.

Otedola: A Critical Factor in First Bank’s Future

Billionaire businessman and philanthropist, Femi Otedola will be one of the shakers of the Nigerian economy this 2022. He is the Chairman of Geregu Energy Group. He became one of the personalities that shaped 2021, through his strategic investment in FBN Holdings, making him the single largest shareholder in the holding company with a total shareholding of 7.5 per cent and he is going to play a role in determining the future of First Bank, the leading subsidiary of FBN Holdings and an important bank in Nigeria.

Elumelu:

Founder, Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF), Mr. Tony Elumelu, is expected to remain focused on building the next generation of entrepreneurs in Africa, which he says is his lifetime ambition. His goal is to impact lives and transform societies in Africa. Through his TEF Entrepreneurship Programme, a $100 million commitment to empower 10,000 African entrepreneurs, he intends to the continent better than he met them. Elumelu is driven by his philosophy of Africapitalism, through which he wants to see the private sector play its role in the economic development of the continent. In 2022, he is expected to continue to promote the development of young African entrepreneurs.

Wigwe:

Group Managing Director of Access Bank Plc, Mr. Hebert Wigwe, who this year was involved in an aggressive expansion drive, is not likely to slow down in 2022. The bank is targeting expanding its footprints to 20 countries in Africa. From Nigeria to Rwanda, South Africa, Mozambique, Kenya, Zambia, among several others, Wigwe’s expansion drive has remained on the rise.

Entertainment

Davido: Taking Philanthropy to Another Level

David Adeleke, whose stage name is Davido, made news towards the end of 2021 following his N250 million donation to orphanages across the country during his birthday celebration. The award-winning singer has since set up a five-man committee to supervise the disbursement of the fund. Nigerians would be expecting to see how the committee would distribute the money. In addition, Nigerians would be looking forward to more releases by the award-winning musician in the new year.

Wizkid: A Consistently Rising Star

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun, popularly known as Wizkid is a very influential musician. He was one of the most influential entertainment icons on the continent last year 2021. This year 2022 won’t be different.

Then he made history when he edged out Drake to win Mobo Awards. He also made history as the most awarded African act after winning the Best International Act and Best African Act awards. His “Essence”, which featured Justin Bieber and Tems, crossed genre lines to top Billboard’s R&B, hip-hop, rhythmic and world charts. Coming up on the one-year anniversary of its release, it reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100 and became the first song with lyrics in Nigeria’s Yorùbá language to debut on the Global 200 chart, with 269 million on-demand global streams, according to MRC Data. 2022 will be a more juicy year for Wizkid.

Burna Boy:

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu, commonly known as Burna Boy- singer, rapper and songwriter- will shake national limelight this year 2022.  Last year, he made remarkable progress as a musician this year and lived up to his title of African Giant. He won the Best International Act Award this year and also his album, Twice as Tall, won a Grammy, the Best Global Music Album in 2021. He is one of the biggest and most successful African artists. Burna Boy became the first African artiste to bag three nominations consecutively, having won the BET Award in 2019, 2020 and 2021. The year 2022 will surely see the award-winning artist maintain his rising profile.

Mele Kyari:

Events in 2022 will put Mele Kyari in limelight. The action of the Group Managing Director of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) will, to some extent, define the direction for Nigeria’s economy in 2022. With the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) which has been described as a game-changer for the industry, the NNPC would be expected to drive the process of transforming the nation’s petroleum industry into a hub of business opportunities. The Act is also expected to attract huge capital globally into the country’s oil sector, strengthen cost recovery and ensure decent returns on investment. Kyari wil have his plate full this 2022,

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji: The Power of Tech and Innovation

Iyinoluwa Aboyeji co-founded two successful fintech startups in Africa before launching Flutterwave in 2017. With $15.7 million in funding, the payments company is empowering Pan-African merchants to execute business on global scale.

In 2021, Flutterwave started the year by securing a $170 million deal in the first quarter. New York-based private investment firm Avenir Growth Capital and US hedge fund and investment firm Tiger Global led the Series C round. New and existing investors who participated include DST Global, Early Capital Berrywood, Green Visor Capital, Greycroft Capital, Insight Partners, Salesforce Ventures, Tiger Management, Worldpay FIS and 9yards Capital. The Series C round came a year after Flutterwave had closed its $35 million Series B and $20 million Series A in 2018. The company helps businesses build customisable payments applications through its APIs.

Shola Akinlade: Expanding the Frontiers Beyond Africa

Akinlade is the Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of Paystack, a fintech company. The company provides modern online and offline payments services for users across the continent. It was founded in 2015 and was acquired by Stripe in 2020 for over $200 million in what was then described as one of the biggest exits in the African tech space. Paystack currently services more than 60,000 businesses and millions of individuals scored 27.5 for ingenious storytelling, 28.5 for brand tribe and 31 for brand experience thus ranking it at Number 8 with a total of 87 points. But despite the acquisition, Paystack has continued to operate independently. Stripe had estimated that the African internet economy was expanding quickly, with online commerce in the region growing at 21 per cent year-over-year, which was said to be 75 per cent faster than the global average. Akinlade believes that with the right tools, African creators, developers, and entrepreneurs would be able to do incredible things.

These people listed above as well as the government institutions listed in this story will also be parts of the events to shape the landscape in 2022.

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JONATHAN,ZULUM URGE ENGINEERS TO WORK WITH STATE GOVERNORS

by with No Comment Goverance

Former President Goodluck Jonathan and Borno State Governor Professor Umara Zulum have called on  Nigerian engineers to work with state governors in implementing the infrastructural development of the country.  Jonathan made this declaration on Saturday, January 22 during the investiture ceremony of the 33rd national president and chairman-in-council of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (NSE), Engineer Tasiu Sa’ad Gidari-Wudil, at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. He was the special guest of honour at that event.

President Muhammdau Buhari who was the distinguished guest of honor was represented by the minister of science and technology,Dr  Ogbonnaya Onu. Delivering President Buhari’s message, Onu told the audience that the Buhari administration had made significant progress in the infrastructural development of the country. Borno State Governor, Babagana Umara Zulum, FNSE, a professor of soil and water engineering, delivered the keynote address at the occasion.

Speaking on “Infrastructural Development in a Stressed Economy – the case of Borno state,’ the governor referenced several cases in his state and lamented that the poor quality of materials often used by engineers in construction was detrimental to the infrastructural development of the country. To remedy the situation, he urged Nigerian engineers to see the need to strengthen their involvement and professional involvement in the infrastructural development of Nigeria

Former President  Jonathan agreed with  Professor Zulum’s view. He charged Nigerian engineers to work with governors in implementing the infrastructural development of

the country. He also lamented over the frequent collapse of buildings in the country, stressing that it does not speak well of the integrity and quality of Nigeria’s engineering. Jonathan charged Nigerian engineers on renewable energy and reviewed Nigeria’s engineering curriculum. He drummed.

“If we diligently apply ourselves to developing alternative and renewable energy sources, we will become a force to be reckoned with in this regard, considering that we have abundant all-year-round sunshine, several kilometres of ocean coastline, and different bodies of water with significant waves, currents, and wind.” He also advised the NSE to: “Pay special attention to the teaching of engineering in schools to ensure that its curriculum is constantly retooled in tune with the changing needs of modern society.”

He described the new NSE president as: “An engineer with years of experience at this time to move the society forward. It is a good thing that the person taking charge today to lead NSE is an accomplished electrical engineer, with a knack for innovation.” The former president thanked the NSE for inviting him to their events, saying: “This is the second time in barely one and a half months that I would be taking part in NSE events, here in Abuja. The first time was in December 2021, where I was represented at my younger brother, Azibaola Robert’s investiture as honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Society of Engineers (FNSE).

“I know that the society was inspired to honor Mr. Robert because of his considerable contributions to the development of engineering and the technological development of Nigeria through the activities of Zeetin Engineering, which he founded.” Speaking on the sidelines of the ceremony, the founder of Zeetin Engineering, Azibaola Robert, FNSE, welcomed the new NSE president on board.

While congratulating Gidari-Wudil, Robert charged him, during his tenure, to throw his weight behind regulation on materials, code of practice in engineering, amongst others.

He urged the new NSE president: “To give energy and bite to the practice of mechanical engineering, to create things in the automobile, aeronautic, electrical, renewable energies, and more. It is only this way that Nigeria can become a force at the world stage.”

It would be recalled that the NSE on Tuesday, December 7, 2021, honored Robert, a popular lawyer, and entrepreneur, as a Fellow. The investiture ceremony was superintended by the immediate past president and chairman in council of the NSE, Engineer Babagana Mohammed at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

Speaking after his recognition by the NSE, Robert charged the government and wealthy Nigerians to improve on the infrastructural development of the country by investing in the purchase of machines that make machines, rather than spending their money on intangible things.

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Gov. Sanwo-Olu receives Members of the Nigerian Christian Pilgrims Commission (NCPC)

by with No Comment Goverance

Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) Rev. Dr. Yakubu Pam (left) presenting a souvenir to Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, during a courtesy visit at Lagos House, Marina.

Executive Secretary, Nigerian Christian Pilgrim Commission (NCPC) Rev. Dr. Yakubu Pam; Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu; Chairman, Lagos State Christian Pilgrim Welfare Board (LSCPWB), Rev. Akinpelu Johnson and Board Secretary, (LSCPWB), Mrs. Yetunde Gbafe, during a courtesy visit at Lagos House, Marina.

 

RELOAD DEC 2021 TELESCOP

AVM Mohammed Idris and the Task of Preparing Military Personnel for Productive Post-service Life

by with No Comment GoveranceMilitary

Shaping the future essentially means planning to build a robust, prosperous and sustainable existence, as well as a successful development model that meets the competitive demands of life. This ensures that the concerned entity excels in various areas of development compared to its counterparts worldwide. This is what  AVM Mohammed Idris , the Commandant Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, (NAFRC) Oshodi, is doing as he oversees the task of integrating military retirees into productive civil life.

Expectedly, as customary to military tradition, concern with values, dedication, discipline and leadership is key. They are  comfortable with the key principles and concepts, and able to explain them clearly.  Be outstanding.  AVM Idris have learnt  principles, concepts and combine them with moral values that make people credit him with integrity and a sense of compassion. These he deploys at  NAFRC to help drive training  and advancement of knowledge for retiring service personnel.

With a vision to be a world class training institution capable of repositioning not only ex servicemen but retirees of other paramilitary/security agencies and organisations in order to cope with the challenges of post service life, the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC) was established to provide military personnel with relevant vocational and entrepreneurial training, in preparation for living a productive and fulfilling life in retirement.

first established as an idea by the British Colonial Government’s as a Vocational Resettlement Centre (VRC) for the West African Frontier Force (WAFF) that fought on the side of the Allied Forces in the Second World War in 1945, the center was mandated to impact relevant skills to meet the resettlement needs of the ex-combatants of the war in Nigeria and Ghana.

However, by the end of the Nigerian Civil War in 1970, the mandate was redefined to meet the urgent need of rehabilitating the disabled soldiers of the civil war. Thus, the centre became an army establishment and was accordingly renamed the Nigerian Army Rehabilitation Centre to rehabilitate the disabled soldiers of the Nigerian Civil War.

In the early 1980s, it became necessary to review the mandate of the centre when virtually all the disabled soldiers had been rehabilitated. Accordingly, with the introduction of the concept of Defence Headquarters, in the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre in 1982 with a renewed mandate.

On June 20 this year, 343 courses 1, 2021 soldiers were disengaged from the military after six months of training at the Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre (NAFRC), Oshodi. Their disengagement brought to over 50,000 personnel equipped with vocational and entrepreneurship skills since the inception of NAFRC.

The retirees, including 26 women, comprised 266 from the Army, 71 from the Navy and seven from Air Force, while the forces lost two men.

Speaking at the graduation, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, said the concluded pre-retirement course trained retiring personnel on rudiments for successful reintegration into civilian life after meritorious service to the country and asked them to remain dedicated, disciplined as they reintegrate into the civil society.

Irabor, who was represented by the acting chief of training and operations, Defence Headquarters, Rear Admiral Okon Eyo, said their completion of the intensive training was a reflection of determination, commitment and discipline, which were attributes acquired in the course of service to the nation.

He added that the retired soldiers had been transferred from active military duty to the legion of veterans who will continue to make positive contributions to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Admonishing the officers on the challenges ahead, he said, post-service life has its peculiar challenges, which would include management of resources, especially retirement benefits, influences from friends and family members, management of both mental and physical health as well as integrating with the civil society, urging them to be proactive in conduct to avoid problems.

In his remark, NAFRC commandant, AVM Mohammed Idris, said the centre has been well-positioned to optimally deliver on its core mandate of vocational training not just for retiring personnel of the Armed Forces of Nigeria but also for all Nigerians.

Awo Okonkwo, who served in the army said: “It was a challenging moment for him. He thanked God for seeing him through another retiree, who served in the Navy, Lawal Olamiposi, said it was a tough time serving as an officer, as a wife and a mother.

She said: “Being an officer requires a lot from me, especially being able to manage my in-laws, children and home. When I am at home, I put my military self away and act like a wife and mother and when I am away I am an officer.”

Two weeks before that D-day, the Commandant had urged retiring personnel to be good ambassadors of the country as they prepare to bow out. He gave the admonition during an Interdenominational Thanksgiving Service held at the centre in Oshodi, Lagos on June 11th , as part of event to commemorate their graduation for the six months skill acquisition at the centre.

The Commandant who was represented by the Director of Logistics, Commodore Ignatius Iliya, urged the retiring personnel to be loyal to the institution and the country by bringing their experiences to bare for the advantage of their fatherland.

He said: “ The Commandant is quite happy that we have started this training about six months ago and we have the opportunity of joining the graduands to appreciate God in this interdenominational church service, as part of the graduation ceremony.

“The Commandant has admonished those that are leaving very soon and wishes them the very best in their endeavors after they depart from service on Friday. He also wants them to bring to bear those skills: be they practical, theoretical and all they have been taught ,whenever they leave the force,” he said.

He advised members of the public to accept the retiring personnel as they reintegrate into the society, having been away in the course of their service in the Armed Forces.

He explained that with such collaboration, the retiring men would assist in providing information that would foster peace and security in the country.

On his part, the Director of Coordination, Commodore Adesoji Babalola, disclosed that 344 trainees comprising those from the Nigerian Army, Navy and Airforce were taken through 41 skills within the last six months.

The training according to him, would go a long way to creating a means of survival for them after retirement.

In his sermon , the Chaplain, NAFRC Protestant Church, Flying Officer, Reverend John Moses, charged the retiring personnel to be truthful and avoid being used to bridge peace and unity of the country, admonishing that smoking and engaging in money doubling should be avoided.

For the men and officers undergoing training there, it is new dawn of transitioning into civil life after their 35 years sojourn into the military. For 35 years, they have gone through series of military trainings to ensure they turned out to be professional soldiers in their various units and fields. In those years, their entire process are wired in a military pattern, which is often with precision, regimentation, dedication to duty and discipline.

Throughout those years, they recite the soldiers creed, and are dedicated to the actualisation of the Armed Forces core responsibilities whatever the cost or odds. However, after 35 years, it is time to de-brief them. Their thinking process is made to go back to the civilian life they were used to before their sojourn into military life.

Thus to ensure a smooth and seamless transition back to civil life, NAFRC was created. At the centre located at Oshodi, Lagos, the retirees undergo six months training and re-training to ease their transition. They are also equipped with relevant civilian skills that would ensure they are kept busy.

Here, they are equipped with relevant trades and vocational skills. For the fashion wing, courses like shoemaking, barbing, tailoring, laundry and weaving are taught.  The fine arts and printing training courses also exist. These include the likes of fine arts, ceramics making, photography and printing as its core base. There is also soap and cosmetics department with courses like soap and cosmetics making and domestic products. Then the agricultural section has general agric/food/cash crop, poultry, piggery, fishery, rabbitary, ruminants and snailery.

To make beneficiaries if the training able to benefit from opportunities in the real estate sector, there are the woodwork section and the building and civil works section. The woodwork section boasts of carpentry and joinery, furniture design and construction, as well as the machined woodwork, while the building and civil works section has bricklaying and concreting, plumbing and pipe lifting, painting and spraying.

For the electrical and electronics section, courses like refrigeration and air conditioning, electrical installation and maintenance practice, as well as radio and television. The auto mechanics wing boasts of mechanical engineering, battery charging, vulcanising and car wash.

Other departments like fabrication and welding have the fabrication, welding, machining and fitting, as well as foundry, while the music department deals with instrument learning and entertainment, even as the food and beverages department deals with bakery and the information technology department takes care of computer appreciation, hardware maintenance, networking and internet, as well as systems development and design.

Given the important role the centre is saddled with it, it is therefore expected that consistency in providing quality training, geared towards preparing the retirees to face the challenges of re-integrating into civil life, is sacrosanct.

And the Commandant Air Vice Marshal Adamu Idris has been ensuring this. AVM Mohammed Idris was appointed the Commandant Nigerian Armed Forces Resettlement Centre, (NAFRC) Oshodi in May this year.

Until his appointment,  AVM Mohammed Idris was  COPP, HQ NAF. he had also been  the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) Tactical Air Command (TAC) of the Nigerian Air Force (NAF), Air Vice Marshal (AVM) Mohammed Idris on Friday, 14 July 2017 .He took charge at the Headquarters in Makurdi, from AVM Nurudeen Balogun Before that appointment as the AOC TAC,  AVM Idris was the Director of Training at the NAF Headquarters.

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Bello Maigari: The Excellence of Promoting Good Causes for Nigerians through the NLTF

by with No Comment GoveranceLottery

Nigeria is easily by way of size, resources, population and potential the largest of the African nations. That is an undeniable and undisputed fact and, yet, we lag behind some of our  neighbours, in terms of development and attitude, especially in life-changing facilities in rural and sub-urban areas. The National Lottery Trust Fund (NLTF) is changing this narrative under the watch of Dr Bello Maigari, its Executive secretary/CEO.

Of course, one cannot argue that despite having huge resources, a lot of people outside the country, especially foreign interests, have the perception that we are worse off in many regards to a country such as Ghana. The difference here is our attitude and perception of corruption and corrupt behaviour. To these outsiders, corruption in all its forms has single-handedly held back Nigeria from reaching its full potential as a nation. Sadly, they perceive everyone from the tea boy up to the members of parliament in the national Assembly is guilty of corruption in one form or another.  We cannot continuously accept this kind of image and blame by foreign business and political interests as being the reality of our current state, especially since the coming of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

The National Lottery Trust Fund ( NLTF) is one of the agencies of government that faithfully pursues the vision of President Buhari. As Maigari leads the NLTF to deliver trusted practical solutions that enable impactful government actions and transformation across Nigeria, despite many challenges, he is showing that it is possible for a public servant to make government agency and institution work efficiently. He showcases excellence in practices that top government officials and managers of government business must emulate in order to build people’s trust in government programmes and help improve the way services are delivered to target beneficiaries without much problems. It will also help the way business is carried out in Nigeria.

The NLTF was established under Section 35 of the National Lottery Act 2005 to take custody of a certain percentage of all national lottery operations in the country for investments to promote the well-being of the nation.

“Promotion of good causes is a social service to the nation which can cater for the sick and the unemployed and uneducated, the talented but undiscovered young sportsmen, the victims of natural and ecological disasters, the refugees and homeless. It is, therefore, an agency that can assist the government to promote social stability, poverty eradication, social cohesion and economic welfare,” says Maigari.

Indeed, the National Lottery Trust Fund highly values health, education, sports and well-being of the people, making regular interventions in these areas. And that bodes well as the country seeks to diversify away from its oil and gas largesse and capitalize on its agricultural potentials ,manufacturing and information technology to finally build the nation that all Nigerians have hoped for since independence in 1960.  An encouraging development along these lines is the recent donations of medical equipment to primary healthcare centres across Nigeria.

One of these took place on 22 April 2021, when the NLTF  presented vital medical equipment worth millions of naira to Karu Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC) in Nasarawa State. During that presentation the NLTF urged Nigerians to invest and engage in regulated lottery schemes to attract overall development in the country.

Its Executive Secretary, Dr Maigari, gave the admonition in Abuja, at the official handover of vital medical equipment to New-Karu Primary Health Care Clinic, Nasarawa state.  He noted that investment in regulated lottery schemes affords individuals the opportunity to contribute to national development, adding that the provision of medical equipment to under-resourced communities across the country by NLTF is part of its corporate social responsibility.

“As we speak, the lottery industry is worth over two trillion Naira. We have Co-lottery operators, sports gaming, mobile lottery operations, and even promotional lottery undertaken by multinationals such as Dangote, PZ, Nestle, and so on. The telecom sector carry out mobile lottery and that also is a huge segment of the market”.

The items donated to the New-Karu Primary Health Care Clinic were 34 in number. According to Dr Maigari, “items donated include, digital X-ray machine, colored ultrasound machine, kidney disc, HIV kits, delivery kits, genotype machine, wheelchair, suction machine, , bed and mattresses, among several other items that would, expectedly, herald improve basic medical services to the rural communities.

 

“The items donated are of intense value and are part of the strategy set up the NLTF board to ensure that every Nigeria receives the best healthcare. It is evident we are facing an enormous health crisis in recent history, not only one occasioned by the coronavirus pandemic which had escalated demand for healthcare services globally, travels to other jurisdictions for medication is also increasingly becoming difficult due to restrictions and tighter traveling protocols.

“This type of intervention, which would go round the country is one step taken by the board to ensure that we are prepared for this pandemic and also any other health challenge that might arise in future.”

Maigari, while noting that there was no better time to improve the nation’s healthcare system, said the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari recognizes the importance of the lottery as a vehicle in enhancing the social well-being of its citizenry.

He challenged the communities to take ownership of the equipment and ensure that people it was meant for benefit from it. Nasarawa State Commissioner for Works Philip Dada, who represented Governor Sule at the event, commended NLTF for the kind intervention, describing it as a major boost to the effort of the state government to improve health care delivery system particularly at the rural communities.

The Etsu Karu, and Dr. Luka Baba, who spoke on behalf of the community, applauded the NLTF for the kind gesture. They noted that the medical items would alleviate the problem of residents of Karu and surrounding communities, who they say travel far distances to access quality health care services.

Not far from that time, the National Lottery Trust Fund also donated vital medical equipment to 12 primary healthcare centres selected from six geopolitical zones. The donated items included digital X-ray machines, colour ultrasound machines, suction machines, kidney discs, hydraulic beds, wheelchairs, blood banks etc.

Presenting the equipment to the beneficiaries Dr Maigari asserted that the items would increase access to quality healthcare services across the country. He expressed hope to that the NLTF wish to see projects of such nature in every constituency in the country seeking to save and change lives for the good of all Nigerians. He added that the goal was to ensure everyday Nigerians living in rural communities have access to modern laboratory and radiology services as a critical first step in receiving decent and quality healthcare, without the need to travel long distances from remote communities to urban areas just to obtain basic laboratory services such as x-rays, blood tests, etc. which often result in patients dying even before receiving proper medical attention.

“For us in the trust fund this is a major concern which needs to be addressed urgently, more so if we are to change the current narrative that our hospitals are not just mere consulting clinics. Hence this vital and constructive effort by the agency to equip healthcare institutions with basic radiology facilities across the nation.” He said.

Last year as Nigeria struggle with the Coronavirus pandemic, the National Lottery Trust Fund built and handed over a fully-equipped Isolation Centre to the Katsina State Government.

At that time, Dr Maigari thanked the Katsina State government for the support that ensured the success of the project. He expressed optimism that the facility would be useful in the fight against the disease and improve health care standard in Daura community and Katsina State.He assured Governor Aminu Masari that the people of Daura would continue to receive good health care services from the hospital with efforts intensified to make it a model.

In a similar move in 2020, the National Lottery Trust Fund empowered some women in Nguru community. About 40 women in Nguru received 30.000 cash each from Lottery Trust Fund under its support for women empowerment project. The programme was also part of constituency projects by Tijjani Zanna Zakariya, a member representing Machina, Karsuwa,Yusufari and Nguru Federal Constituency.

Ten women were selected from each local government and given N30,000 to purchase goats, sheep and chicken in order to be self-reliant. Some of the beneficiaries interviewed are of the belief that the NLTF is doing great things to help people at the grassrrots.  Yani Baba said she would buy goats with the money as she has been longing to go into the business. Another beneficiary, Hamandi said women were good managers of business and had no doubt about the success of the programme.

“This N30,000 if God blesses we with the little chickens we will buy, we will one day buy cows.” Alhaji Abba Umar, one of the facilitators, said the women were given cash to enable them decide which business they would go into.

In August last year, the National Lottery Trust Fund also donated medical equipment to the Onikan Health Centre as part of its support to the quest for proper health services to athletes and other members of the society suffering from various ailments.

The National Lottery trust fund, which, over the years, has sponsored Nigeria’s sports stars and donated facilities to various organisations, said it provided the medical support to ensure that Nigerians from all strata of the society get quality health care without travelling out of the country. The Fund sponsored rising star athlete, Rosemary Chukwuma to the 2018 World Youth Olympics, where she won medals for the country in the 100 meters event. .

In the year 2020, the fund also donated customised equipment in nine sports to over 2000 public primary schools in the 36 states and FCT. Speaking at the event, Executive Secretary/CEO, National Lottery Trust Fund, Dr. Bello Maigari, said the organisation’s intervention was to deliver world-class vital medical facilities that is urgently required in the country.

“The Lottery Trust Fund saving provides high standard care not only to vulnerable pregnant women and children, but also to athletes and other patients seeking urgent medical interventions in Lagos State and its environs.

With all these activities, Dr Maigari has built confidence in the National Lottery Trust Fund and brought a difference into government service delivery in Nigeria. The mix of administrative and operational actions on all fronts have rendered many favorable results.

The Executive secretary and his team are very much creating good times for people, mostly in the country side. Longer term, their visibility remains high with a sustained momentum for rural Nigerians gaining confidence in the government rural health facilities, to guarantee good health of the masses, progressively lifting people trust in government. With the  provision of widespread availability of  medical facilities for people in rural areas, with drugs spread  in these countrywide, for their well-being and overall improved economic conditions, NLTF has lived up to its mandate, as “an agency that helps government promote social stability, poverty eradication, social cohesion and economic welfare.”

For the time being, seat belts fastened and doing the right things seem to be the formula for  success, fully deployed by Dr  Bello Maigari at the National Lottery Trust Fund.

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Governance Outlook As President Buhari Focuses On Nation Building, Security And Unity Of Nigeria

by with No Comment By Akintunde OgohGoverance

The plans of the Federal Government in growing the economy and changing the lives and livelihood of Nigerians for the better is largely dependent on the shape of events this year. Unarguably, President Muhammadu Buhari focuses on nation-building, security and unity of Nigeria, despite the country’s many challenges. He is passionate about laying a solid foundation for the transformation of the country which future leadership can take forward.

Nigeria faces challenges no doubt, and 2021 is a pivotal year. To state that Nigerians live in challenging times is also true. The realities include a world faced with a pandemic the scale of which hasn’t been seen in 100 years. The crisis has crippled economies of many powerful countries. And last year, it destroyed global supply chains and disorganized once productive and viable sectors of the economy in different countries.

Nigeria has its own fair share of these. According to the world bankwhile Nigeria has made some progress in socio-economic terms in recent years, its human capital development remains weak due to under-investment. “It ranked 152 of 157 countries in the world bank’s 2018 human capital Index.The country continues to face massive developmental challenges, including the need to reduce the dependency on oil and diversify the economy, address insufficient infrastructure, build strong and effective institutions, as well as address governance issues and public financial management systems. These pre-existing structural challenges have left the Nigerian economy especially vulnerable to the COVID-19 outbreak and its consequences.

Inequality, in terms of income and opportunities, remains high and has adversely affected

poverty reduction. The lack of job opportunities is at the core of the high poverty levels, regional inequality, and social and political unrest.”

Despite all these, the Buhari administration has within limited resources designed responses that are targeted at mitigating the full impact of these scourges. What happens this year determines how well the responses will succeed.

But the country, in fragile financial and social health, is being propped up by an army of certain nationalist individuals in a crusade against people bet

ting on its demise. Key members of President Buhari’s cabinet, policymakers, and certain influential characters are among these pillars of support.

These include Vice President YemiOsinbajo, National Security Adviser, Gen Munguno; DG  Directorate of state security  (DSS)YussufBichi, the ministers of Interior, RaufAregebesola, Transport-Rotimi Amaechi, Works and Housing-Babatunde Fashola, Communication and digital economy-Isah Pantami, Finance-Zainab Ahmed, Health-OsagieEhanire, Trade, and Commerce-Niyi Adebayo, Labour-Chris Ngige, members of the Governors Forum, led by Ekiti state Governor KayodeFayemi, the Governor Central Bank of Nigeria, the National Economic Advisory Council led by Prof Doyin Salami.  These will help shape events this year, along with some critical agencies and MDAs such as the Nigeria Customs Service and the Nigerian Ports Authority.

Influential characters outside government include former President Olusegun Obasanjo,  former Heads of State: General Yakubu Gowon, General AbdulsalamAbubakar, former Vice–President Atiku Abubakar, GeneralTheophilus Danjuma, Chief Edwin Clarke, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Prof Wole Soyinka, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

So what’s up? What happens this year?

The Economic Sustainability Plan of the Federal Government has earmarked N2.7 trillion earmarked for it,  in spending to create and sustain jobs and livelihoods for those who have been impacted the most by the COVID-19 crisis. The Federal Government will also galvanize productivity through various other packages designed to boost the SMEs across the country.

Despite battling with low public revenues, and the hydra-headed monster of low oil price and a reduced production quota from OPEC, this administration remains committed to honouring the promises made to the Nigerian people across the key areas of Security, Economy and fighting Corruption.

The year will witness one or two Inter-Ministerial Retreats being held. The entire Government apparatus will gather to review performance over the lastone year, with a singular objective of identifying how to improve in those areas where successes fell short of target, and how to replicate those key elements that led to success in others.

Frank conversations will take place between the participants and independent assessors. Amongst the critical themes that emerged from the two-day session was the need to improve focus, coordination, and collaboration amongst Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, and the importance of rigorous execution, monitoring, and evaluation of projects and activities against set targets.

Expectedly, Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council, (PEBEC) led by Professor YemiOsinbajo will feature prominently to define the course of the year. In a renewed attempt at further deepening the reforms of the nation’s business environment, the PEBECmembers will work seamlessly with ProfessorOsinbajo.

Others of the PEBEC  include the Ministers of Industry Trade and Investment, OtunbaNiyi Adebayo, the Vice Chairman of PEBEC; Finance, Budget, and National Planning, HajiyaZainab Ahmed; Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi; Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Interior, OgbeniRaufAregbesola; Budget and National Planning (State), Clem Agba; Special Adviser on Ease of Doing Business, Dr. JumokeOduwole, and Senator AishatuDahiru Ahmed, representing the National Assembly among other top government officials.

Recently, PEBEC has resolved that CEOs and Heads of some Federal Government regulatory agencies be presented with the outcome of a recent survey that exposes major pitfalls in the operations of the agencies.

The Cost of Compliance Report which was presented to the Council at its first virtual meeting of early this year revealed persistent corruption, the duplicity of functions, poor service orientation, and several anti-business disposition in some of the regulatory agencies.

Vice President YemiOsinbajo, SAN, who presided over the meeting directed that CEOs and heads of such government regulatory agencies involved should be presented with the outcomes, and interaction should take place regarding some of the worrying disclosures in the report of the survey conducted by Pricewaterhouse Coopers, PwC.

Prof Osinbajo who said the report revealed human issues that are not unavoidable, stressed the important roles regulatory agencies play in ensuring businesses are able to thrive seamlessly without inhibition. He noted that doing otherwise would only jeopardize the government’s efforts in creating a conducive business environment. The focus will be on this area this 2021.

In the area of domestic policy actions this year, Nigerians will see critical decisions being taken around the economy. These are decisions which previous governments had neglected over the years, and as a result, cost the country several billions of dollars.

These domestic policy decisions are by no means easy but are in the best interest of development and President Buhari’s nation-building effort. The impact of this decision is to have an improved allocation of very scarce resources, create an opportunity for private sector investment to return to sectors where government intervention had created distortions in various ways. The return of the private sector promotes job creation and provides for the entrepreneurial genius that is embedded in Nigerians.

President Buhari will move to settle the rift between farmers and Fulani herders in the South-west, where the issue had blown into an open confrontation in Ondo and Oyo state, where there was even direct attack on the Seriki Fulani at Igangan town, Ibarapa area of Oyo state.  The president is also aware that there are historic fissures that exist in various locations across the country. Of course, he has advocated for dialogues between key parties who are direct stakeholders in ensuring peace.

Many elder statesmen, traditional rulers, and influential figures will be playing a leading role in bridging and or mediating these fissures to bring about lasting peace.  This is one area where influential people like His Eminence the Sultan of Sokoto and Ooni of Ife and some other traditional rulers will matter this year. General Gowon and  General Abdulsalam Abubakar will probably go round on peace-building initiatives to meet stakeholders, mostly traditional rulers.

In a highly fragmented landscape, Chief  Olusegun Obasanjo has mastered the art of using the media “to really stoke excitement.” We can expect him to that this year. Gen Danjuma, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah, and Sheik Gumi will also be in the news.

Other giants like  Atiku, Adebanjo, and Clarke are also there. But Obasanjo is probably more of an attention-seeking persona, he’s much more of a showman. We will see pretty much of this in the course of the year.

Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. Swept on by the success of his strategy and big thinking, he is considered by many fans to be a visionary, his slightest word enough to sway millions of people.

the mere mention of the name of the publisher of the Nation newspaper apparently delights many people. He is likely going to be much in the news this year.

All these influential figures will shape the year pretty much. They will invest their time in trying to ensure the unity of the Nigerian state. They will build bridges over those fault lines and pour water to douse the burning embers of ethnicity and religious differences so that the values of tolerance and peaceful co-existence become cherished as common assets for all.RaufAregbesola, minister of interior will be much involved with this. So also is  AlhajiBich, DG DSS as well as General Monguno, the National Security Adviser.

Government’s attention will also be on employment generation. President Buhari is known to be concerned with how Nigeria growing youthful population can compete in a world that has no boundaries and barriers, given the country’s natural resources and its very fertile land. Focus will be  on how the country can best improve agricultural practices and increase yields per hectare, so that youth are encouraged into agriculture as a choice and farmers benefit from their sweat and honest labour.

These are the things that will occupy governance in 2021. They will occupy the thoughts of the  President Buhari too, as he is focused on deepening Nigeria’s unity and laying a solid foundation for the transformation of  the country so that future leadership can build on, march towards prosperous nation building.

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Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Building Mutual Trust and Fruitful Co-operation at the Ministry of Interior

by with No Comment GoverancePolitics

Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Nigeria’s Minister of Interior is a man with strong commitments to the magnificent vision and dedication of President Muhammadu Buhari towards the security and welfare of the Nigerian people.Today, as the flag of this country flutters in the hands of this great leader, Aregbesola is working tirelessly to help him achieve the people’s aspirations, broader national ambitions, and to continue the process of growth, renewal, development and prosperity. Despite the global turbulence occassioned by COVID-19, Aregbesola remains one of the pillars of support, actively supporting him with his creativity and ingenuity at the Ministry of Interior.
Since his appointment as minister of Interior, he has worked towards realizing the vision of the Buhari leadership and its sound directives by contributing to transforming Nigeria challenges into development opportunities that keeps pace with the rhythm of the era, anticipates a promising future, and achieves rates of development and growth that can dazzle the world.
Ayear ago,Ogbeni Aregbesola was appointed minister when President Buhari constituted his second term cabinet and deployed him to that ministry. The Ministry of Interior has become more vibrant since then
After a careful assessment of things on getting into office in 2019, he began to work on revamping the entire internal security architecture, under his supervision for efficient service delivery, along the path of President Buhari’s vision of SET – security, economic rejuvenation and transparency. Aregbesola has been pursuing a strategy to improve and develop performance of the agencies under the ministry in all competitiveness indicators. Clearly the approach is rooted in open socio-economic policies, modernisation and updating of policies and streamlining of procedures as well as the adoption of innovation to move the country up on the scale of global competitiveness in all agencies he ministry has supervisory control over.
He started by paying inspection visits to all the agencies under his supervision. They include the Nigerian Correctional Service (NCoS), which had just been reformed from the old Nigerian Prison Service; the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS); the Federal Fire Service (FFS); Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC); and the Civil Defence, Corrections, Fire and Immigration Services Board (CDCFIB).
Improvement in staff welfare:
On assumption of duty, in August 2019 Aregbesola promised to make life better for the staff in the ministry and the agencies under the ministry.To the minister, equipping staff and giving them relevant training will motivate them to be efficient and productive.
He said staff welfare would be a top priority of his and that he would make a strong case for training, equipping and motivating the personnel, emphasising that a well motivated personnel will deliver well on the job. This promise soon became a reality. The ministry organized many workshops for the staff of NIS and NCoS and also deployed fire fighting trucks to Bayelsa and Kaduna States respectively. Equally, it promoted 3548 staff of the NIS and NCos. He also commissioned Kwara and Adamawa States commands of the NIS and unveiled the Forward Operation base in Katsina State.
Relations with other countries:
Ogbeni Aregbesola had promised to restore the confidence of the international community where business partnership will be established among Nigeria and other countries.He also said his ministry would restore the confidence of the global community in doing business with Nigeria by enhancing the ease of doing business.
So far, the ministry has signed a Memorandum of Understanding on behalf of the Federal Government with the Belarusian Minister of Internal Affairs, Yuri Karayev, in Minsk with actions planned towards ending poverty and inequality in both countries leveraging on each other’s experience.
Well, after a year in office, the MoU with Belarus is yet to generate any positive returns accruing to the country. Perhaps implementation of the MoU is still in the pipeline.
Security and safety: NSCDC
To tackle the rising wave of general insecurity in the country, Aregbesola had promised to ensure that national peace and stability is attained. Some success has been recorded on with the creation of a solution path.
The NSCDC recorded the following achievements within the same time frame. Training and deployment of over 2,000 personnel as professional Peace Ambassadors and Chartered Mediators to promote peace in the country; training and deployed over 1,500 personnel as Agro-Rangers in Yobe and Adamawa State to protect farmers and their farms to ensure food security. Creation of the Agro-Rangers Squad for the provision of physical security to the Agro-Allied sector of the economy and the safety of the proposed 250 cattle ranches nationwide. Deployment of over 5,000 officers to the North East to protect the IDP Camps and to re-occupy the liberated towns and villages in the North East. Arrest of Illegal Miners in Zamfara, Kebbi, Osun and illegal refineries destroyed in the Niger Delta in the quest to protect critical national asset. Last comes the creation of the Citizens’ Integrity Unit in the Corp to fight rape and other sexual abuses in the country.
With what is listed above, it is clear for anyone to see that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps have been doing a lot to secure communities and promote peace, in addition to providing security for critical national infrastructure. It is on the back of NSCDC that the Agro Rangers scheme is built. Without this scheme and the service of brave men and officers in the Agro Rangers Unit, food production from the North, which witnessed perennial herder/farmers clashes in the past, would not have improved considerably. The unit continues to provide security for farmers and herders.
Of interest to President Buhari is the dignity and integrity of citizens. To actualise this, a new unit called the Citizen’s Integrity Unit was established. They oversee and nip in the bud, the perennial cases of rape, extortion and dehumanising treatment that Nigerian citizens are subjected to.
Fire Service:
As at the time Aregbesola assumed office, the equipment in the inventory at Federal Fire Service was old and mostly out of order. To him putting things in order became urgency, so as to prevent avoidable loss of lives and properties to fire.He put in initiatives that helped Fire Service to hit the ground running with the procurement of vehicles, equipment as well as being infused with efficiency.
Thus Federal Fire Service in five months after the minister took over, responded to 2,615 fire calls, saving 726 lives and assets worth N1.629 trillion across the country. The service was able to do these because of the initiatives that were put on ground by Aregebesola, which have made the fire service record tremendous achievements.
These include first the establishment of Six (6) additional training school towards capacity development of officer of the federal fire service. Second achievement is the creation of Six (6) additional zonal commands, recruitment and training of newly employed 2,200 personnel in order to drive efficiency towards ensuring public safety of lives and property across the country. Third comes the buying, commissioning and deployment of twelve (12) modern firefighting trucks to strengthen the federal fire service capacity in ensuring public safety of lives and property.
Fourth is the Affiliation of National Fire Academy, Sheda with Nigeria Defence Academy to run Postgraduate studies in Disaster and Risk Management towards human capacity development. The fifth achievement of the service is its collaboration with the Federal ministry of Environment to disinfect and decontaminate public offices, markets, educational institutions, and streets with a view to contain the Covid-19 pandemic.
Aregbesola knows that a Fire Service is as good as the fire engines and fighters it possesses. So he made necessary arrangements that made President Buhari approve for the Service the purchase of about 100 ultramodern firefighting trucks and engines. The last time any equipment was procured was sometime in 1996. The equipment in the inventory before the advent of the administration of President Buhari were those procured between 1985 and 1996, and since then there has been no procurement until now. It will also interest you to note that 2,200 fire fighters have been employed, trained, commissioned and deployed into service. For the first time in Nigeria’s history, Federal Fire Service stations and presence now exist in every state of the federation.

Correctional Centre Reforms and Decongestion:
Aregbesola focuses on prison inmates well-being. Normally, Correctional Service provides the mechanisms, facilities and services for carrying out the orders of the judiciary in relation to community members who have been charged with or convicted for breaking the laws of the country.
When he took office, he said his ministry would concentrate on looking after prisoners well-being – providing food and healthcare for them. Though times are tough, with Aregbesola’s effort , Nigeria Correctional Service (NCS) now provides good food for prisoners which is very important , with mechanism in place to ensure that the prisoners are not be so shabbily treated. As a result of commitments , the correctional Centre Reforms gathered momentum, leading the NCS to record milestone achievements. These include the following:
Safe custody of over seventy-five thousand inmates and personal against Covid 19 with no single case recorded; laying the foundation for three thousand capacity correctional centre in three zones across the federation in order to improve the infrastructure of the correctional service thereby gradually solving the problem of overcrowding, launching and unveiling of 243 operational vehicles for smooth operation of inmates and personal of the service.
Others include the full Implementation of the correctional service act signed by President Buhari which changed the name from the Nigeria Prison Service to the Nigeria Correctional Service which brings in play new initiatives such as Non-custodial measures which will drive decongestion within the correctional facilities and drive human capital development of men and officers of the service; the release of over five thousand inmates from the various correctional centres across the federation in consultation with the presidential committee on prison decongestion as a way to reduce the effect of Covid-19 infection; the launching of digital empowerment scheme which complements government efforts at reforming inmates at the correctional centres and equipping them with life skills that will make them better members of the society and lastly, the graduation of a total 315 cadets’ officers-despite the COVID-19 pandemic- at the correctional training school in kaduna which further strengthens the workforce of the service.
For a long time, recruitment was on hold along with maintenance on NCS officers’ houses and prisons and prisoners’ rehabilitation programmes. Then there was overcrowding of prisons, which resulted in continuous jailbreaks.
The minister changed all these and said the inmates ‘must have peace of mind by ensuring that the environment of the correctional centres remains a conducive atmosphere for them to reflect on their past life and make the transition to a new life easy for them.
And he set the procedure in motion to enhance the safety and security of society through secure, humane containment and facilitating the rehabilitation of convicted detainees in partnership with stakeholders in fulfilment of Correctional Service mandate and to achieve President Buhari’s SET Agenda. Along that path, it is responsible to provide counselling, education, and training, which will assist detainees to return to society as reformed citizens.

Another major activity was the ministry’s decision to decongest the correctional centres in the last one year. Encouragingly, the de-congestion policy has started in many states, with about 5,000 inmates regaining their freedom in the last one year.This was made possible by the pardon and amnesty graciously approved by President Buhari. The process is ongoing and many more who meet certain stringent criteria will benefit from the programme. Added to this is the fact that modalities are being put in place to operationalise the parole system, so that first-time minor offenders or others who have no reason to be incarcerated can serve their terms at home or other designated places
Also, 850, inmates were able to continue their educational courses. Virtual learning center was opened in Kaduna State and pharmaceutical drugs distributed across the correctional centres in the country.
The New Visa Policy:
There is a new visa policy in place: Nigerian Visa Policy(NVP)2020 launched by President Buhari.The new Visa Policy now has 75 categories which include Religious Visa, Sport Visa, Entertainment Visa, several others which were not part of the old visa policy.No doubt, the new visa policy is a welcome development and can be termed an achievement for Aregbesola.
Now friends, those not-so-friendly, adversaries and enemies will agree that the minister has done well in the past one year.Of course, he is a treasure of trust to the government, and all could connect to him, and trust him. Why? Primarily because he is the predictable factor of the APC.
It is anybody’s guess now that without the presence of this one-man-institution — who is a ready reckoner of President Buhari’s era in Nigerian politics — the recent developments in the interior ministry would not have been possible.
Contribution to the goals of a country is a journey all of us must set out on, one day or another. Aregbesola is helping the government of President Buhari to fulfill many of the dreams of the people. From the time he joined the cabinet in 2019, there wasn’t a single promise made by him that he did not honour. Every now and then, we see new decisions, new efforts, and new initiatives announced by the ministry of interior under the watch of Ogbeni Aregbesola as he continues to support President Buhari’s vision for achievements in all political, economic, social, human and environmental fields to take Nigeria forward on the path of progress, and build a fair, safe, productive, prosperous and developed society forall.