NEWS AGENCY OF NIGERIA
Stop sitting on files – Wike warns FCTA Directors   
Metro

Stop sitting on files – Wike warns FCTA Directors   

146 total views today
By Philip Yatai

The FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, has warned Directors in the FCT Administration against unnecessary bureaucracy that may delay the delivery of road projects.

Wike gave the warning on Tuesday, while inaugurating the construction of a five-kilometre (km) road, connecting Naharati, River Ukya and Unguwan Hausawa communities in Abaji Area Council of FCT.

He particularly warned the Directors against sitting on files for weeks.

“Once I grant approvals, the bureaucracy should be able to do its due diligence within seven days and ensure the release of funds,” he said.

The minister who underscored the importance of rural road projects across the six Area Councils to the federal capital.said he would not allow anyone to stifle the development of rural communities in FCT

According to him, any director who refused to act on files that he had already approved, would be labelled a saboteur.

“We had a meeting on Monday with the most senior directors and I was telling them that woe unto that director who will keep a file that I have approved for weeks.

“Woe unto you because you are a saboteur. Once I approve, do the needful. You can take a week to do due diligence. You don’t need to take 20 days.

“The contractors are humans. When the money does not get to them on time, they incur more costs and then they begin to seek variation even though they know that variation is not in my dictionary.

“So, I need the support of the bureaucracy so that we can deliver the dividends of democracy to the people,” he said.

Wike assured rural dwellers that all the road projects would be completed before the end of 2024, including new projects that would soon be inaugurated.

Earlier, the Chairman of Abaji Area Council, Mr Abdullahi Abubakar, said that the road project represented a key moment in the council’s journey towards progress and development.

Abubakar said that the road connecting Naharati, River Ukya and Unguwan Hausawa road was deliberately chosen because of its connectivity.

“When completed it will decongest the by-pass, thus improving access to markets, schools, healthcare facilities, and other essential services for rural communities.

“This road project will also facilitate the movement of goods and services, boosting economic growth, and supporting agricultural activities.” the chairman said.

Similarly, the Ona of Abaji, thanked the minister for the commitment to rural development and pledged the support of the traditional council to ensure the success of the projects.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that so far, the FCT Minister has inaugurated the construction of five rural roads totaling 37.2 kilometres across five Area Councils.

The roads include 11 km road in Kwali Area Council, five km dual carriageway in Kuje, nine km road in Gwagwalada, 7.2 km road in Bwari and now five km road in Abaji Area Council. (NAN)

Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi

AMAC warns taxpayers against fake revenue collectors in Abuja 
Metro

AMAC warns taxpayers against fake revenue collectors in Abuja 

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By Philomina Attah

The Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC), has cautioned Abuja residents to pay their taxes and levies to designated AMAC accounts to avoid falling victims to fake revenue collectors.

The Chairman of the Council, Mr Christopher Maikalangu gave the warning while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Tuesday

He frowned at a situation where taxpayers in Abuja preferred to pay cash to fake agents and get reduction, instead of paying to the council’s bank account for accountability.

Maikalangu emphasised that only taxpayers who presented bank tellers of their payment into the council’s account that would be accepted,

“The public are hereby advised not to pay cash to any technical partner or their representatives to avoid fallen victims of fake revenue collectors operating illegally within the Council.

“Except for daily ticketing and mobile advertisements, remember that when you pay cash, it is assumed that you have not paid at all and you will pay twice,” he said.

According to him, the collection of revenue is not as easy as many people imagined and that informed the setting up of a taskforce when he assumed office.

“In fact, we recorded good results in 2023, that’s why I am relying on the taskforce to help in arresting revenue leakages abetted by fake revenue agents,” he said.

He urged residents to call mobile telephone numbers, 07055550346 and 07055550246 to confirm the authenticity and proper designated bank details before making any payment.

“After payment, your evidence of payment will be verified by AMAC Taskforce,” he added.

Maikalangu acknowledged that one of the major challenges he inherited upon assumption of office was fake revenue consultants.

He commended the AMAC Revenue Task Force for its efforts in apprehending and prosecuting the perpetrators.

Maikalangu warned that any partner caught producing its own receipts and documents risk licence revocation and criminal prosecution.

He added that measures were being implemented to collect revenues without resorting to force and eliminate revenue leakages.

On his part, the Chairman, AMAC Revenue and Security Taskforce, Mr Yunusa Yusuf, disclosed that the taskforce had arrested and prosecuted 68 illegal revenue agents.

According to him, steps were also underway to digitise revenue payment in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“The chairman has engaged ICT consultants to digitise our activities.

“Very soon, you will sit and get demand notice and we will be monitoring those who have paid and those who have not paid,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Rotimi Ijikanmi

Health insurance: We’ll ensure coverage of more Nigerians – NHIA D-G nominee
Health

Health insurance: We’ll ensure coverage of more Nigerians – NHIA D-G nominee

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By Naomi Sharang

Dr Kelechi Ohiri, Director-General nominee for the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), said he would ensure coverage of more Nigerians under the health insurance scheme.

Ohiri said this on Tuesday during his screening by the Senate Committee on Health, in Abuja.

In his presentation, the nominee said it was true that very few Nigerians had financial protection from the cost of health care.

“The number we have shows that less than seven per cent of Nigerians are protected, are covered.

“This number has been under 10 per cent since inception. It is quite low, and we need to improve upon it if Nigeria is to be on the path of universal health care coverage,” he said.

He said there were many reasons why these numbers were low including policy framework, the issue of awareness and trust.

“Health insurance has been one of the many things that the government has introduced to improve access to care and as such it was voluntary.

“With the passage of the NHIA act in 2022, we now have health insurance as mandatory.

“For insurance to work, that mandate is a critical part of driving and improving coverage,” he said.

Ohiri said, indeed, there was no awareness of health insurance as a veritable tool for financial protection.

“Some of it is cultural, some of it is more work and effort that is needed on our path to educate fellow Nigerians.

“We have about 70 per cent of Nigerians who still pay for care out of pocket or privately, and this means that they are vulnerable to the shocks, they are vulnerable to the rising cost of health care.

“Bringing a lot of these under the umbrella of health insurance will enable us to increase coverage,” he said.

Ohiri further said there were some Nigerians that could not afford the premium required for insurance.

“This is where interventions come in such as the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, and recently the Vulnerable Group Fund.

“These are three fundamental things we need to address to begin to increase the coverage of health insurance,” Ohiri said.

Earlier, chairperson of the committee, Sen. Banigo Ipalibo, asked the nominee how he proposed to get the exact number of persons covered by health insurance both in the formal and informal sectors.

She said without gainsaying, health insurance was the way to go, adding that it would reduce out of pocket expenses for citizens.

Ipalibo urged the nominee to ensure that the vulnerable group fund was utilised effectively to touch the lives of children under five years, pregnant women and the elderly above 60. (NAN)

Edited by Salif Atojoko

Attacks: FCTA pledges maximum security for contractors handling projects in Abuja
Metro

Attacks: FCTA pledges maximum security for contractors handling projects in Abuja

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By Philip Yatai

Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has promised to provide maximum security for the contractors handling various projects in the federal capital.

Director, Development Control, FCTA, Mr Mukhtar Galadima, gave the assurance when he led a security task force to Shehu Shagari road in Gwarinpa District, Abuja, on Tuesday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the assurance was sequel to the attack on some workers of CBC Global handling the ongoing construction of N16 Road project in the area on Friday by hoodlums.

Galadima assured the contractors that FCTA would deal with anyone obstructing construction of any public interest project across the territory.

He said that the FCT Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, had directed that all necessary security provisions be made to protect the contractors.

He also said that the cashew trees by the roadside were being removed, as they were housing all manner of shanties and suspected criminal elements, thus constituting security threats to the area.

“Our job on the project site is to make sure that some illegal structures are not preventing the work and we have done the needful by removing illegal structures and shanties.

“If there is any reaction or protest by any other person, there are security agencies that are responsible for taking care of that.

“On the cashew plantation, several times, we found out that these cashew trees provide safe haven for men of the underworld and that is why we are cutting them down,” he said.

On his part, the Secretary, FCT Command and Control Centre, FCTA, Dr Peter Olumuji, said that the hoodlums who attacked CBC Global officials injured some of them and destroyed some of the company’s equipment.

“It is the responsibility of law enforcement agencies to maintain law and order.

“So, when they reported the incident to the administration, we had to mobilise today to give them adequate cover so that they can continue their work,” he said.

Olumuji said that the Commissioner of Police in the FCT would deploy a team of policemen to the companies to provide adequate security.

Project Manager of CBC Global, Mr Titus Sende, thanked FCTA for the prompt response and called for reinforcement of security personnel to the area. (NAN)

Edited by ‘Wale Sadeeq

FCT indigent students laud association over scholarship awards
Metro , Health

FCT indigent students laud association over scholarship awards

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By Philip Yatai

Some indigent students in FCT public secondary schools have commended the University of Lagos Alumni Association for giving them the opportunity to finish school through scholarship awards.

They gave the commendation during the awards ceremony, organised by the association in collaboration with the Education Secretariat, FCT Administration, in Abuja on Monday.

One of them, Abdulhamid Mubarak, a Senior Secondary II student of Government Secondary School, Kuje, described the gesture as a life changer.

Mubarak, a son of a schoolteacher, said that his parents struggle to pay his school fees every term, adding that he had to do some menial job to support his parents to pay for the fees.

“Sometimes I work in farms, sometimes at construction sites or some form of hard labour just to raise money to help my parents pay for my school fees.

“But now all the struggles are over.  With this scholarship, I’ll complete my secondary education with confidence.

“In feeling so happy and I want to say that the alumni association will be proud of me later in the future,” he said.

The story was no different for Grace Dantani, an SS II student of Government Day Secondary School, Bwari, who said she was never sure of graduating until now.

Dantani said her father is a bricklayer, added that the job comes once in a while, a trend which made it difficult for him to pay her school fees.

“Honestly, we feel so happy, and we are rejoicing for the scholarship support.

“Many of us were not sure whether we are going to write the West African Examination Council (WAEC) with our fellow students, but because of the scholarship support, we are confident we will graduate,” she said.

Earlier, the Chairman, Scholarship Committee of the association, Dr Emmanuel Ibe, said that 24 students selected from six public secondary schools would benefit from the gesture.

Ibe said that one secondary school was selected in each of the six Area Councils of the FCT.

He said the association would disbursed N2.5 million under the bursary award, adding that each of the 24 students would receive over N100,000 to cover tuition fee for six terms.

Ibe also said the scholarship would also cover the students’ WAEC and National Examination Council registration fees.

The association Chairman in FCT, Aliu Akoshile, said the goal of the scholarship was to impact on the society,

Akoshile said the decision to support the indigent students was influenced by the need to give opportunities to children from poor households to grow academically and socially.

Similarly, the President of the association, Worldwide, Dr Ifeoluwa Oyedele, said that the support was part of the group’s commitment to ensure that, ‘no one is left behind’.

On his part, the Mandate Secretary, Education Secretariat, FCT Administration, Dr Danlami Hayyo, thanked the group for the support, which he described as encouraging.

“This is what we are expecting from so many people. People that have enough should contribute to the education sector, especially in provision of infrastructure, scholarship, and other needs.

“This is because the government cannot fund education 100 per cent.

“We wish other people would emulate what the Lagos Alumni Association is doing in the education sector,” Hayyo said. (NAN)

Edited by Rabiu Sani-Ali

FCT minister seeks partnership with Qatar on tourism development, security
Metro

FCT minister seeks partnership with Qatar on tourism development, security

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By Philip Yatai

Mr Nyeson Wike, Minister of the Federal  Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja,  says his administration is ready  to partner with the State of Qatar, to develop the tourism sector and improve security in the nation’s capital.

Wike made the offer when the Qatar Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Ali Al-Hajri, paid him a courtesy visit in his office in Abuja on Monday.

The minister noted that Qatar has a lot of influence in the international community due to its economic potential and level of development.

He said that FCT was open to cooperation on tourism and security that would be mutually beneficial to both countries.

According to him, tourism and security are top priorities in the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu.

“I will be happy if we can have a relationship, particularly as it relates to tourism. We have a lot of potential here that we can explore in terms of tourism with Qatar. So, it will be in our interest if you can explore this.

“We are willing to give out land for the building of a tourist center. We are willing to see how we can partner with people outside Nigeria to fully complete the Millennium Tower and Cultural Centre, which are the main tourist centers in Abuja.”

Wike said the FCT recorded appreciable achievements in terms of security and the provision of infrastructure due to  President Tinubu’s efforts to change the narratives in the country.

He also pledged the commitment of the FCT administration to continue to provide support to all foreign missions in the nation’s capital.

“You will agree with us that in the past few years, it wasn’t that good but things are moving on.

“We are ready to cooperate with you in terms of security. It’s very key. Yes, there was a time when it did appear that we had some security issues. But as it is today, there is a lot of difference.

“Security is one of the eight-point priorities of the President’s renewed hope agenda. So, we can assure you that we will make it very convenient for all our friends who reside and carry out business in Abuja,” the minister said.

Responding, the Ambassador noted that Abuja was one of the biggest capital cities in Africa with investment potentials.

Al-Hajri said Qatar was ready to increase bilateral relations with Nigeria, adding that opportunities existed for investments in the tourism, education, and health sectors in the FCT. (NAN)

Edited by Chioma Ugboma

FCTA seals orphanage over alleged trafficking of 23 children in Abuja
Metro , Health

FCTA seals orphanage over alleged trafficking of 23 children in Abuja

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By Philip Yatai

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) has sealed the Priesthood Orphanage in Karon Majigi Village, Abuja, after 23 children between the ages of one and 14 were rescued from the orphanage.

The children were believed to have been allegedly trafficked from Plateau.

Mrs Adedayo Benjamins-Laniyi, the Mandate Secretary, Women Affairs Secretariat, FCTA, disclosed this while handing over the children to Plateau Commissioner for Women Affairs, Mrs Caroline Dafur, in Abuja on Monday.

She said that investigation was ongoing to unravel the facts of the allegation.

Benjamins-Laniyi also said that the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike, had authorised the Secretariat to profile and recertify orphanages operating within the nation’s capital.

“Using this as an example, one of the first things I have done is to get approval for the recertification of orphanage homes in Abuja.

“The Minister has approved that there will be a full thorough reprofiling and recertification of anything that has to do with orphanages in Abuja,” she said.

The mandate secretary said that the Secretariat was already working with Dafur to reunite the children with their families.

She added that some of the children had been in the uncertified orphanage since 2019.

Also speaking, Dafur said that three of the children had escaped due to the poor condition of the orphanage.

She added that the escaped children were discovered by officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps, who reported the case to the National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons.

She said that the FRSC officials further took the children to the Human Rights Radio, Abuja, who then notified the Plateau Government and the FCT Women Affairs Secretariat.

“We came in yesterday and on reaching here, we were told that they went to church. We kept going from one church to another, looking for them until we found them in a Deeper Life Church.

“From there we went to the orphanage and what we saw in that place, in fact, it is not supposed to be called an orphanage.

“The place is just so unkempt. Nine girls were sleeping in a very small room with just two mattresses.

“For the boys, they were in a small room too, with two mattresses just on the floor. It is so pathetic the way human beings treat their fellow human beings in this country,” she said.

She thanked the mandate secretary for assisting to evacuate the children to the Karu Childrens’ Home. (NAN)

Edited by Maureen Atuonwu

Wike asks illegal occupants of Abuja Technology Village to vacate 
Metro

Wike asks illegal occupants of Abuja Technology Village to vacate 

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By Philip Yatai

The Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has asked illegal occupants at the proposed Abuja Technology Village site, along Airport Road, to vacate the area.

Wike gave the directive when he visited the area in Abuja on Monday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)reports that Wike was accompanied by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology, Mr Uche Nnaji, on the visit to the site.

The minister said that he would direct the Department of Development Control to issue the illegal occupants an ultimatum to leave, adding that the indigenous community in the area had been compensated since 2015.

“I am not impressed with what I am seeing. We don’t lack the political will. If you don’t take action, people will not believe that anything is possible.

“I will call the Development Control Department and give them an ultimatum for these people to leave. They have been compensated since 2015.

“I urge those who settled here illegally to know that we will not hesitate to move them out. No amount of campaign will stop us from doing the right thing,” he said.

He advised the management of the Abuja Technology Village to take position of the space, fence the area and show some level of presence.

Wike explained that he invited Nnaji to accompany him to the site so that he could take control of the place and see how investors could come in.

He asked the management of the technology village to send him an estimate of what would be required to erect a befitting office on the site.

“You are in charge of this place, and you don’t even have an office here, at least to show presence and tell people that we are here.

“So, if an investor is coming now, he is coming to meet an empty land, and you are renting an office outside the village.

“Please, let us know what it will take to erect a befitting office, so you can leave that place that you said that you are renting, and if you calculate the amount of money you spent renting is a waste,” he said.

Earlier, Nnaji expressed concern over the presence of illegal occupants on the site, saying “erection of illegal buildings in the area could discourage some investors who had expressed interest in investing in the village.”

He disclosed that an American company had already declared intention to build 200 megawatts of electricity in the technology village.

“There are so many other companies that want to start right away, but as this encroachment continues, we have to stop it somewhere, and see how we can take over, either to compensate the owners or demolish them.

“We can’t have this kind of thing here. Our mission here is in the interest of the country, and it is in keeping with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Tinubu,” Nnaji said.

Nnaji said the technology village would be modelled after the London Technology City and the Silicon Valley.

“So, the infrastructure and technology that this place is going to house in a couple of years would be humongous,” he said.

Speaking on behalf of the management team of the technology village, the Acting Managing Director, Mr Yusuf Isa, said their hopes were being renewed by the minister’s visit.

NAN  reports that the Abuja Technology Village is a science and technology park and a Special Economic Zone, being developed to accommodate clusters of science and technology firms from selected sectors and promote technology innovation and entrepreneurship.

The project site, where primary infrastructure construction works are ongoing, is strategically located adjacent to other science and technology institutions that together create a huge economic cluster along a superhighway connecting the Abuja City centre and Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport. (NAN)

Edited by Buhari Bolaji

Kidnappers used poisonous snakes to terrorise us – Victims
Defence/Security

Kidnappers used poisonous snakes to terrorise us – Victims

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Abducted victims recently freed from captivity have revealed that kidnappers used poisonous snakes to terrorise them.

Some of them, who recounted their ordeals in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), said that there were many snakes in the forests inhabitated by the bandits.

They said that the snakes often bite both the kidnappers and the victims.

One of them, who craved anonymity, told NAN that kidnappers threw them into snake-infested spots.

“The kidnappers know the areas infested with snakes and would often throw the victims there.

“Immediately they see snakes, the fear-stricken victims will want to run away. The sight is used to frighten people.

“That is the time a victim can ask friends and family members to sell everything – house, land, cars, household items, shoes, just everything – to raise the ransom.”

NAN investigation revealed that the worst snake-infested forests are in Birnin Gwari in Kaduna State, and Kala-Balge, near Lake Chad, in Borno.

Other areas included Shaki in Oyo State, Borgu and Kagara in Niger, Karim Lamido in Adamawa, and Lau in Taraba.

Some of the victims told NAN that the situation is worse now with the current heat as snakes leave their holes in search of fresh air and food.

“The nights are often more traumatising. You are left outside, in the dark, and a reptile may just creep through your legs.

“While I was in captivity, snakes bit some victims. The kidnappers were not spared as some of them also got bitten,” a victim, who was taken to a thick forest in Kagara, in Niger, told NAN.

According to him, in Kagara forest, the snakes are so common that the locals refer to them as “kadangarun Kagara (Kagara lizards).”

Prof. Abdulsalam Nasidi, Chairman, Echitap Study Group, the outfit in charge of Echitap Anti-Snake Venom(ASV), who spoke on the development, confirmed that banditry was associated with areas prone to snake bites.

Nasidi, whose group collaborates with Micropharm UK Ltd and Instituto Clodomiro Picardo (ICP), Costa Rica, to bring the drugs to Nigeria, decried the rising cases of snake bites in Nigeria.

“Unfortunately for us, the cost of snake bite treatment has gone well beyond the reach of the poor,” he said.

While confirming that some abductees indeed returned with snakebite wounds, he said that the cost of treatment could only be affordable if the ASV drugs were produced locally.

“The ASV manufacturers are ready to collaborate with us to produce the ASV in Nigeria.

“It is only when we produce ASV locally in Nigeria that we can make it available at a reduced cost.

“The rise in the value of the dollar has made the cost of foreign production so high that the poor man who, in most cases, is the victim of snake bites, cannot afford it.

“In the past, villagers used to contribute money to purchase ASV, that is no longer possible.

“An ample of the Echitap G ASV, which takes care of venoms from a carpet viper, costs 59 Pounds factory price. 97 per cent of poisonous snake bite cases in Nigeria are from carpet vipers.

“For Echitap plus ICP ASV, which treats venom from puff adder, carpet viper and black cobra, an ample is 24 dollars factory price.

“If you add the cost of transportation from the two countries – UK and Costa Rica – plus the charges for clearance at the ports, the price becomes a different thing.”

He identified the most poisonous snakes in Nigeria as carpet viper, puff adder and black cobra.

“But, we even have an equally dangerous snake – Black Mamba – in Abuja. So, we also need an ASV for it,” he said.

According to him, in the past, Nigerians bitten by snakes had 40 per cent chances of survival.

“But, if the black mamba is added, the chances shrink to 10 per cent. It means we desperately need to produce ASV locally,” he said.

On kidnappers deliberately exposing their victims to snakes, he pointed out that snakes do not know the difference between a kidnapper and his victim.

He lamented the prevalence of snake bites among poor Nigerians that were already hungry.

“If a snake bites a hungry person, his case is only pathetic as he is already economically traumatised without much hope.”

He particularly condemned the inhuman behaviour of exposing abductees to snake bites, and regretted the “zero” premium placed on human life.

“From the accounts of victims, kidnapped people could see a snake coming toward them and are not allowed to run. Nothing is more traumatising.”

Nasidi said that his group had submitted a proposal to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), for the local production of ASV.

“The proposal has been approved and we are waiting for the money to start up.

“The foreign manufacturers are ready to offer the technology. So, we are hopeful that we shall soon start local production of ASV,” he said.

Nasidi advised Nigerians to be careful while moving at night, noting that snakes were moving closer to human habitats.

“We must all be very watchful and observant. Treating snake bites is very expensive. So, prevention is better than any form of cure,” he said. (NAN)

Edited by Ephraims Sheyin

Minister to Nigerians: Keep hope alive, Tinubu’s policies are yielding results
General News

Minister to Nigerians: Keep hope alive, Tinubu’s policies are yielding results

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By Angela Atabo

The Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Atiku Bagudu, has urged Nigerians to remain hopeful, saying President Bola Tinubu’s policies to transform the country were already yielding results.

Bagudu said this at a National Policy Summit in Abuja, organised by the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu(P-BAT) Academics and Professionals

The summit had the theme` `Activating the Policies and Promises in the President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda.”

The minister said that the president had not relented on his oars since assumption of office,” working within the resources available.

“This P-BAT academicians came together to say what can we do for our country?

“This is really humbling and encouraging to all of us that we should not just lament but come together to put our best brilliance to draw the government’s attention to what can be done better.

“This is what the president has invited Nigerians to do to ensure that they take ownership of the government and keep public officials on their toes by asking questions especially because we took measures that are not convenient but demanded.

“Sometimes, to rebuild, you have to live with some inconveniences.

“Our country Nigeria is a great and blessed country, but for decades, particularly under democracy, Nigeria has been literally on a tiny budget.

“The highest our budget has been, is less than 40 billion US dollars. Of all the countries in the world with populations of 150 million and above, we are the ones with the smallest budget. ‘’

According to Bagudu, a study by the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation and Development, reveals that Singapore spends somewhere between 20,000 to 27,000 pounds followed by the United States where its different states spend between 10,000 to 14,000 dollars.

“This is followed by Brazil, Mexico, and China spending between 4000 to 800 to 5000 to 700 dollars.

“The study went further to extrapolate that for you to have a good primary education system, you need to be spending at least 700 dollars.

“This calls for a fundamental rethink and to achieve this, we need those blessed with that capacity to contextualise beyond the polity so as to quit the blame game which is what the president is doing,” he said.

Bagudu said that there was also a need to have insightful leaders willing to accept the challenge and take on new ideas.

He said that Nigerians had a reason to be optimistic because they had found a leader in Tinubu who had succeeded before in a leadership capacity to transform Lagos from what it used to be through an inclusive leadership.

“Today, there is a cry for inclusion across the country and we have a leader who believes in inclusion and has practiced it in Lagos by creating a state that works for all, carrying everyone along and giving them the opportunity to excel.

“All that is needed is a support system for Tinubu to work.

“His policy to move the economy from less than 500 billion GDP to a trillion Naira GDP in three years, requires boldness and requires risk taking with our support to his leadership.

“The decision to remove fuel subsidy is a necessary step. As painful as it may be, that needs to be done to lead to a greater tomorrow.

“So, some of the measures being taken particularly under the leadership of the president are measures we believe will lead to a greater tomorrow.

“All policies have a lifetime. So, as good as a policy can be and its strategy, if we don’t appreciate it, we can lose some stakeholders because sometimes the benefits take time to come,’’ he said.

Bagudu said that there were so many reforms in the pipeline adding that, “We will run within time and do our very best with your support.

“We know that by God’s grace we are on the right course and all men and women of conscience will support us to remain on the right course under the able leadership of Tinubu,’’ he said.

Mr Tope Fasua, Special Adviser on Economic Affairs in the office of the Vice President, said that the implementation of Tinubu’s renewed hope agenda was still very much on course.

Fasua said the president recently launched the renewed hope housing estate idea which would be starting soon with 200,000 houses nationwide.

“I have always preached that Nigerians should try not to be cynical because these are opportunities going on. We did promise double digit growth, it’s not over yet.

“What is going on right now is like the Chinese bamboo, we are digging roots. Some of the reforms that the president has committed to are very painful reforms.

“However, they are also the very necessary roots that must be planted so that when it starts germinating it’s going to be in leaps and bounds.

“The 2024 budget is one of the best budgets ever done, reducing deficit by half and making provisions for the right things, reducing deficit and reforming the revenue sector.so basically, we are remaking the economy.’’

Prof. Yemi Oke, National Coordinator and Convener, P-BAT Academics and Professionals, said the group desired a shift in the paradigm of merely criticising the government and its policies to engaging the process of governance.

According to Oke, the group does that by offering well-thought -through practical suggestions and solutions to support the government in policy implementations.

“Our aim is to volunteer our time, efforts, and resources by deploying our privileged positions to support the Tinubu-led administration.

“At inception, the group tasked itself with the sole objective of using her intellectual input to support President Tinubu to win the election, after the election, we transformed into P-BAT Academics and Professionals.

“The next mission is to positively engage and add critical objective views and values to all forms of governance and continue to volunteer our talents and skills.

“This is bearing in mind that to be elected is not as crucial as to deliver on the mandate of renewed hope to Nigerians.’’

According to Oke, Nigeria belongs to all and not the exquisite reserve of those in government, so it is up to citizens to own the process, encourage inclusivity and tell the government when they do right or wrong.

The media Spokesperson of P-BAT, Mary Ikoku, said members of the group did not only support the aspiration of Tinubu but were also professionals and academics who developed and designed and formulated policies.

Ikoku said that these policies would be sent to the government for implementation for a transformed Nigeria. (NAN)

Edited by Kevin Okunzuwa/Sadiya Hamza

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