By Kingsley Okoye

The Neighbourhood Economic Development Foundation (NEDF) has urged Nigerians to be positive-minded at all times and support the present administration.

President and Founder of the foundation, Mr Taju Dolapo, said in a statement that it was better to have a positive mindset based on the laudable policies of President Bola Tinubu’s administration, rather than focus on the difficulties.

Dolapo said that positive mindset followed by positive actions would yield positive results, individually and collectively to the nation.

He said that the recent moves and policies by Tinubu were strategic in order to strenghten the institutions and help erradicate poverty, ineptitude and all negative tendencies from the country.

Dolapo solicited the support of all Nigerians for Tinubu and all other arms of government for the collective good of all.

“I call on the private sector, government at all levels, philanthropists and all men and women of goodwill, including the friends of Nigeria, to support the Tinubu administration.

“This support will ensure maximum reach to our people and an enduring success of the administration.

“On our part as a foundation and as our contribution to the peace and development of our dear country, Nigeria, we will continue to promote positive mindset through our ‘God Bless Nigeria’ initiative by God’s grace,” he said.

Dalapo further said that all hands must be on the deck for the country to achieve success and triumphs. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Muhammad Suleiman Tola

By Deborah Coker

The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, Dr Ibrahim Kana, says the implementation of the reforms of the Nigerian Armed Forces is on course.

Kana said this Monday in Abuja when he received the Chief of Defence Staff, Maj.-Gen. Christopher Musa, who led the new service chiefs on a visit to the ministry.

He said that the reforms were started by the previous administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

Kana said that the ministry would continue to carry the military hierarchy along in the implementation of the reforms.

“Specifically, I have to say that one of the things we are going to pursue along with the services is the reform of the armed forces, which the past President has approved and we have commenced implementation.

“Basically some of the key issues mentioned here in the reform of the Ministry of Defence and the Armed Forces, is the establishment of the Octagon.

“We know in America we have what is called the Pentagon. In Nigeria, our leaders that came together under the reform committee choose to create what’s called Octagon.

“Octagon is an institution whereby civilians and military work hand in hand to see to the provision of security to the nation.

“We are committed to that implementation.”

The permanent secretary also said that the ministry was committed to supporting government by contributing to the growth of the economy.

“We are committed to the deep blue services of Nigeria. Nigeria is covered by waters and there is no reason why the military cannot support the country through the waters.

“As a matter of fact, some countries don’t have oil, some countries majorly depend on maritime, which is called the blue economy.

“We have not stopped committing ourselves to supporting the country in the blue economy, and also the insecurity in the Niger Delta and oil theft.

“We will continue to work as a team along with other security agencies to ensure peace in the Niger Delta.”

Kana also said that the ministry was committed to the development of Nigeria’s military industrial complex, through the Defence Industries Corporation.

“We will see how Nigerians should be employed in the production of arms and amunitions in our country to not only support the economy but also make us self-sufficient in the production of arms and ammunition.”

He commended the contributions of professionals in the military,  such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The permanent secretary, therefore, said Nigerians expect a lot from the armed forces.

He noted that the service chiefs had started on a very good note, “because the President had made his mandate very clear and what he wants to achieve.

“We will be part and parcel of this from the outside,” he added

Earlier, the CDS said that they were in the ministry on familiarisation visit and to assure that the military was committed to achieving the mandate of President Bola Tinubu

“We are here to familiarise ourselves with the ministry, to show our commitment to the set goals of the ministry.

“We assure you all that we are committed to ensuring that we achieve the mandate of the President.” (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

=============

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

By Olukayode Babalola

Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State and other dignitaries have commended the Founder, Keffi Polo Ranch, Sen. Ahmed Wadada (SDP/Nasarawa West) for organising a tournament in support of orphans.

Sule gave the commendation in an interview with newsmen at the grand finale of the 11th edition of the Keffi Polo Ranch Tournament for orphans in Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the five-day democracy tournament in support of orphans organised by the Keffi Polo Ranch was sponsored by the Flour Mills of Nigeria, Co-sponsored by the Keystone Bank and supported by the Nasarawa State Government.

Represented by his Deputy, Dr Emmanuel Akabe, the governor thanked Wadada for his commitment in providing viable platforms such as the polo tournament to elicit support for the orphans and less privileged in the society.

“We thank him for his courage and commitment to this project and you can see it is a game that has brought people from all over Nigeria to converge here.

“From the North to the South and middle part of this country, we are all here to witness this event and join Wadada in supporting orphans.

“Our administration will continuously support the tournament because we believe in it. The Keffi Polo Club tournament is a platform to engender unity among the diverse groups in Nigeria.

“That’s why every year if I am unavailable, my deputy will represent me at the event. We believe in it and we believe in the unity of Nigeria.

“We are proud of this initiative and we are proud of our son, the distinguished senator,” he said.

Sen. George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) also applauded Wadada for not allowing any obstacle derail him from constantly organising the tournament to elicit support for orphans.

Akume said that Wadada’s compassion and desire to improve the lives of his people especially orphans and the less privileged was commendable and should be emulated by other well meaning Nigerians.

The SGF assured that the administration of President Bola Tinubu was determined to alleviate the hardships of Nigerians and called on Nigerians to support it.

Sen. Barau Jibrin, Deputy Senate President told newsmen that apart from supporting orphans, the tournament would also help to promote the game of polo among young Nigerians and get them engaged.

Barau described the tournament as a worthwhile initiative to assist the needy and promote the game of polo.

Wadada, in his remarks, said the tournament was dedicated to the orphans to generate awareness and support for their needs to live decent lives.

“We annually hold two tournaments and all for charity. One in support of orphans and the other in support of education.

”This is in support of orphans and that is why it is democracy celebration in support of orphans,” he said.

Wadada refuted insinuations that the game of polo was exclusively for the rich all persons can play it irrespective of status.

“The game of polo is not only for the rich but owning horses and being patron of a polo team is what the rich does.

“But playing it does not necessarily mean you have to be rich before you play it,” he said.

The founder vowed to continue to do whatever it takes to bring people together to alleviate the sufferings of the poor.

NAN reports that the tournament tagged “Democracy Tournament in Support of Orphans”, commenced on Tuesday,June 20th.

The tournament had in attendance several dignitaries including rep. Benjamin Kalu, Deputy Speaker House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Ado-Bayero, Emir of Kano and Dr Shehu Chindo-Yamusa III Emir of Keffi, among others. (NAN) (nannews.ng)

Edited by Peter Amine/Bashir Rabe Mani

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

A Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) on Sunday decried their alleged exclusion by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in the ongoing fuel subsidy negotiation with the Federal Government.

They stated this in a statement signed by Dr Basil Yelwa Musa and Malam Haruna Maigida, its convener and co-convener respectfully and released in Abuja.

They said any agreement the NLC reaches with the Federal Government without carrying them along would not be acceptable.

The coalition which comprises of 65 different organisations added that that any negotiation done in the absence of CSOs would only end up serving the interest of NLC with about 35.6 million workers, leaving out 175.4 million Nigerians not captured.

The CSOs raised concern about the proposed salary increment by NLC for the workers without factoring palliatives for the citizens in the informal sector.

They said given that it is the CSOs that know the depth of hash condition Nigerians are going through, they therefore called on the Federal Government to stop further negotiation with NLC until the CSOs are co-opted into it.

They called on the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Sen. George Akume and other key government officials involved in the negotiation to immediately draft the CSOs and other stakeholders to an all-encompassing discussion that will provide a lasting solution.

They described as backstabbing, the turn of events when the NLC’s current leaders chose to hold meetings with the representatives of the Federal Government without them.

They recalled that in the times past, CSOs were drafted into the struggle to protest when there were breaches of agreements with the Federal Government.

They called on the Federal Government to investigate the discrepancies recorded in the subsidy figures during the last administration and the current one.

“In the history of Nigeria, this is the first time, the fuel subsidy was removed with dare consequences as petroleum pump price surged to over 35 per cent with its attendant hike in food stuff and other commodities.

“This, the CSOs viewed as unsustainable as Nigerians can no longer live their average life due to difficulties.

“The coalition also called on the Federal Government to probe all fuel subsidy payments for the past years and ensure that all illegal payments are recovered for servicing of the country.

“This becomes necessary as the latest figure showed a drastic reduction in the consumption of litres of fuel per day, after fuel subsidy was scrapped by President Bola Tinubu on May 29.

“The coalition insists that it remains a mystery for litres of petrol consumption to have dropped from 66 million per day to 40 million.

“Investigation into activities of fuel subsidies will reveal the threshold of scam that has been existing in the oil and gas industry for several years which Nigerians are interested to see further reasons the subsidy should be removed,” they said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

By Okeoghene Akubuike

The South African Government has sought the collaboration of the Nigerian Government on mutually beneficial infrastructure development through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs).

This is contained in a statement signed by Manji Yarling, Acting Head, Media and Publicity, Infrastructure Concession Regulatory Commission (ICRC) in Abuja on Friday.

The South African High Commissioner to Nigeria, Tharmi Mseleku disclosed this when he led a team of officials on a courtesy visit to the Director-General of ICRC, Mr Michael Ohiani.

Mseleku said that although both Nigeria and South Africa were learning from each other in implementing PPPs, there was a need for both nations to rekindle their collaboration and take it to a greater height.

“We are here to get the information about the kind of infrastructure that is envisaged to be developed through PPPs because we have the capacity to support, both from the financing and technical point of view,” he said.

Mseleku said that the Development Bank of South Africa (DBSA) was part of the financiers of the Kano-Maradi rail project, adding that the bank was willing to do more in the area of financing.

“The DBSA is not the only one looking to finance infrastructure from that perspective, they have the capability to also support the post-contract processes.

“We came to have a conversation so that we can open the doors to rekindle the relationship. South Africa is open for business,” he said.

Responding, Ohiani noted that the relationship between both countries on PPPs dated back to the inception of ICRC when members of staff went on a study tour of the South African PPP institutions.

It said the director-general hinted that from then on, the commission had recorded great milestones with many PPP projects already underway.

“Over the years, we now have 82 ongoing PPP projects that we are regulating.

“From 2010 to date the Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved 102 PPP projects that are worth N10.8 trillion to be invested in by the private sector.

“We have been able to achieve a lot in terms of using PPP to deliver on the infrastructure needs of the country,” he said.

Ohiani told the envoy that the commission had established a PPP training institute called the Nigerian Institute for Infrastructure and PPP (NII3P).

He said the institute offered training on PPPs, adding that an MBA in PPP programme was also available in the institute in partnership with the Malaysian University for Science and Technology.

Ohiani notified the High Commissioner that some South African companies were already engaged in PPPs in Nigeria while some others had indicated interest.

“We look forward to having further collaborations especially as it relates to the Africa PPP Network (AP3N) which is scheduled to hold in South Africa later in the year,” he said. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

=========
Edited by Sadiya Hamza

By Jacinta Nwachukwu

The Third Chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Gwagwalada and District Society, Musa Dala has called on government to harmonise wages for civil servants to discourage corruption.

Dala spoke during the investiture of the third Chairman and inauguration of Executive Committee of ICAN Gwagwalada and District Society on Saturday in Gwagwalada, Federal Capital Territory.

He said there was need for the removal of fuel subsidy, saying that the Nigerian economy had suffered for a very long time.

Dala also said that government should consider harmonising civil servants wages, saying that the disparities in the wages were not encouraging.

“Because the wages system of the country encourages corruption. So if we allow this kind of wages to continue there is no way to go,” he said.

On his acceptance speech, Dala said that his team would consolidate on the achievements of his predecessor and lift ICAN Gwagwalada and District Society to a higher level.

Similarly, the guest speaker of the occasion, Prof. Obida Wafure said that the removal of fuel subsidy was a welcome development.

Speaking on the topic, “Petroleum subsidy removal and the Nigeria economy”, Wafure said that the subsidy removal would reduce government borrowing and the associated huge debt.

“It will free resources for investment to other critical sectors of the economy, such as education, health, infrastructure, security and power.

“Reduce incentive for smuggling and associate risk. It will encourage investors into the petroleum sector to boost the economy,” he added.

On the possible solutions to fuel subsidy, Wafure said that there is need for a full deregulation of the downstream sector and complete removal of petroleum subsidy.

“Remove fuel subsidy and provide credible evidence based policies. Government should redesign the subsidy regime and direct it towards the poor.

“Increase minimum wage and increase monthly income threefold for Pay As You Earn (P.A.Y.E),” he said.

Earlier, the immediate past Chairman, Chimezie Ogu highlighted the achievements of his one year tenure.

Ogu said that during the tenure, the executive under his leadership was able to set a relevant, customised system of accounting in order to enable the District consciously practice the profession effectively.

“We earnestly embarked and built a healthy corporate image of the District within, at zonal and national levels, this is to attract responsible numerical and financial growth.

“You may recall, during my inaugural speech, I promised to ensure a District corporate office. As I speak, we have a contact Secretariat office among other achievements,” he said.

On his part, the 59th President of ICAN, Prof. Innocent Okwuosa advised the newly inaugurated executive to work as a team in the interest of ICAN and Nigeria in general.

Represented by by Mrs Qeensley Seghosime, the 2nd Deputy Vice President, ICAN, Okwuosa said that the executive had to demonstrate integrity and accountability at all times.

“They have to demonstrate integrity at all times, they have to demonstrate accountability at all times, they have to work together as a family.

“Because that is the essence of team work to be able to deliver on their mandates,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 13-member Executive Committee under the leadership of Dala, will run the ICAN affairs in the next one year. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

===========
Edited by Razak Owolabi