The Managing Director/CEO of Nigerian Export Import Bank (NEXIM), Mr. Roberts Orya, has met with the top management team of The Crown Agents led by its Chief Executive, Mr. Terence Jagger, at the headquarters of NEXIM Bank in Abuja to explore how the t...
Nigeria's president, visiting the region at the heart of an Islamist insurgency for the first time since he was elected in 2011, on Thursday rebuffed calls for an amnesty deal for the extremists.
President Goodluck Jonathan's visit came amid mounting political pressure for him to travel to the region and followed calls this week from Nigeria's top Islamic figure for an amnesty deal for insurgents.
Jonathan landed in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state and considered the home base of Islamist extremists Boko Haram, and travelled by helicopter to neighbouring Yobe state, also hit by repeated attacks blamed on the group.
Security was tight, with soldiers stationed along roads and movement restricted. He is due to return to Maiduguri later Thursday for a visit that will extend into Friday.
The president said he could not rule out an amnesty deal in the future, but said that it was impossible to negotiate an agreement with Boko Haram because their identities and demands remained unclear.
"You cannot declare amnesty for ghosts," Jonathan told an audience of politicians and dignitaries in the Yobe state capital Damaturu, broadcast live on national television.
Jonathan made reference to a 2009 amnesty deal for militants in the oil-producing Niger Delta region, where the president is from.
The deal has been credited with greatly reducing unrest in the Niger Delta, but criminality has since flourished, including the theft of crude oil on a massive scale, costing Nigeria an estimated $6 billion per year.
"In the Niger Delta, if you call them, they come and they will tell you their grievances," he said. "But Boko Haram, I don't see anybody who says they are Boko Haram."
The visit came with Jonathan facing political pressure to visit the northeast, wracked by scores of bombings and shootings blamed on Boko Haram. The military has been accused of major abuses in response to the insurgency.
It is also the region where seven members of a French family were believed taken after being kidnapped on February 19 just over the border in Cameroon. They remain held by the abductors and their whereabouts are unknown.
There have been growing calls for Jonathan to visit the area. A group of opposition state governors visited Maiduguri last week, drawing further attention to Jonathan's absence there.
Jonathan earlier in the day held talks with Yobe governor Ibrahim Geidam and was due to help commission a number of government projects.
Violence linked to Boko Haram's insurgency in northern and central Nigeria has left some 3,000 people dead since 2009, including killings by the security forces.
The group has claimed to be fighting for an Islamic state in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and largest oil producer, though its demands have repeatedly shifted.
It is believed to include various factions with differing aims, in addition to imitators and criminal gangs who carry out violence under the guise of the group.
Nigeria's 160 million population is roughly divided between a mainly Muslim north and predominately Christian south. Jonathan, a southern Christian, has been accused by his opponents of neglecting the northeast.
In this third episode of Gidi up, Tokunbo and Eki make a connection, while Obi and Yvonne share a lot but don't realise how much they have in common, and Folarin gets desperate.
A former Enugu State Governor, Chimaroke Nnamani, was on Thursday re-arraigned before a Federal High Court Lagos for alleged money laundering. Nnamani, his former aide, Sunday Anyaogu, and seven companies, were re-arraigned on an amended 105-count...
Mr Wole Olaniran, the Assistant Corps Marshal in charge of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) Zone RS5 in Benin, on Thursday threatened to arrest and sanction reckless motorists in the state.
The zone comprised Edo, Delta and Anambra states.
He issued while fielding questions on efforts to curb reckless driving from the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin.
Olaniran specifically warned tipper drivers who convey sand without cover to desist forthwith or risk severe sanctions.
He said that such acts could ``constitute nuisance on the road and eventually lead to crashes’’.
Olaniran also warned tipper drivers who dump sand indiscriminately along the Benin-Sapele Road Bye-pass, saying that the act was constituting hazards to road users.
``After this warning, they (motorists) would henceforth be made to face the full wrath of the law,'' he said.
The FRSC boss also warned those who dump refuse on the high ways to stop forthwith because of the inherent health and environmental hazards associated with such acts.
While describing such acts as unpatriotic, Olaniran liken it to throwing stones in the market place.
He also warned motorists against disobeying traffic laws, saying that officers and men of the corps had been deployed to different black spots with orders to apprehend erring motorists.
``This is to make our roads safe for all users,’’ said Olaniran. (NAN)
The Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, said that the gross federally collectible revenue in 2013 budget was projected at N11.34 trillion.
Okonjo-Iweala made this known at a press briefing on the breakdown of the 2013 Budget, on Thursday in Abuja.
She said, ``The gross federally collectible revenue is projected at N11.34 trillion, of which the total revenue available for the Federal Government’s Budget is forecast at N4.1 trillion.''
This she said represented an increase of 15 per cent over the estimate for 2012.
According to the minister, the projection is based on oil production of 2.53 million barrels per day compared to 2.48 million barrels per day in 2012.
``Benchmark oil price of 79 dollars per barrel, up from 72 dollars per barrel in 2012, Projected real GDP growth rate of 6.5 per cent and average exchange rate of N160 per dollar,’’ she said.
The minister said that the non-oil sector was expected to sustain the 2013 budget.
She commended the Federal Inland Revenue Services for attaining 20 per cent growth in non-oil tax revenue between 2007 and 2012.
On the expenditure provision, she said that budget made provision for an aggregate expenditure of N4.987 trillion.
This she said represented a modest increase of 6.2 per cent over the N4.697 trillion appropriated in 2012.
``This is made up of N387.97 billion for statutory transfers; N591.76 billion for debt service; N2.38 trillion for recurrent (non-debt) expenditure.
``Of which N1.717 trillion is the provision for personnel cost, while overhead cost is projected at N208.9 billion.
``And a total of N1.62 trillion has been provisioned for capital expenditure,’’ she said.
The minister added that an additional N273.5 billion had been provisioned for the subsidy reinvestment (SURE-P) programme.
Okonjo-Iweala said that with the development, the fiscal deficit was projected to improve to about 1.85 per cent of GDP in the 2013 Budget when compared with the 2.85 per cent in 2012.
She said that N497 billion was marked out for critical infrastructure such as power, works, transport, and aviation.
The minister said that another N705 billion was set aside for human capital development under education, water, agriculture and health sector
``We also allocated over N950 billion for national security purposes, comprised of N320 billion for the police, and N364 billion for the Armed Forces, N115 billion for the Office of the NSA, and N154 billion for the Ministry of the Interior.
``For 2013, the SURE-P programme has a projected allocation of N180 billion, augmented by the 2012 unspent balances of N93.5 billion.
``This amount will be used to make further progress in the provision of social safety net schemes, maternal and child healthcare, youth development and vocational training for Nigerians,’’ she said.
Okonjo-Iweala said that budget had key priorities, which included the reduction in cost of governance, and debt management.
Others are infrastructure investments, job creation and the development of the manufacturing sector.
She said that the recurrent spending in total expenditure had reduced from 74.4 per cent in 2011 to 67.5 per cent in 2013 while capital spending increased from 25.6 per cent in 2011 to 32.5 per cent in 2013.
The minister said that N100 billion was saved for 2013 budget from the implementation of IPPIS.
On debt management, she said that N75 billion of maturing debt obligation payment was made last week and N25 billion had been set aside in a sinking fund to be used for retirement of maturing debt obligations in the future.
The minister said that government had reduced annual domestic borrowing to finance the budget deficit from N852 billion in 2011, to N744 in 2012, and now to N577 billion in 2013.
She said, ``We are also making concerted efforts to defray the debts of our foreign missions.
``We have made a provision of N13 billion in the 2013 budget to help clear accumulated debts as at the cut-off date of June 2012.'' (NAN)
An Abuja High Court on Thursday remanded an Abuja-based businessman, Usman Gumi, in EFCC custody over alleged issuance of a dud cheques pending its ruling on oral application for bail.
The Presiding Judge, Justice Ishaq Bello, reserved March 8 for ruling on the application for Gumi's bail as submitted by his Counsel, Mr Adegoke Basi..
The businessman is standing trial on a 10-count charge for alleged issuance of cheques worth N100 million but which were dishonoured.
Counsel to the EFCC, Mr. Salisu Majidadi, told the court that the offence was punishable under Section 1 sub 1b of the Dishonoured Cheques Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Majidadi said the accused, who was the account signatory officer of Cell Wireless Ltd, had, sometime in March 2011, allegedly issued a N10 million Guaranty Trust Bank cheque.
He said the accused first issued the cheque with teller number 26476970 to Nebas Integrated Limited for the credit he obtained.
The counsel added that the accused later issued N10 million dishonoured cheques on nine different occasions to make the said N100 million amount.
He said the cheques were all dishonoured as a result of insufficient funds in the account of Cell Wireless Ltd.
Gumi, however, pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The prosecution then prayed the court to fix a date to enable it present its two witnesses to support its case in view of the accused’s plea of not guilty.
The defence counsel, therefore, moved an oral application for bail which was opposed by the prosecution.
Justice Bello then fixed March 8 for ruling on the application and adjourned the case to April 24 for hearing.(NAN)
The Nigerian Union of Teachers (NUT) on Thursday called on the Bauchi Government to as a matter of urgency, resolve the contentious issues of the disengaged 2000 teachers in the state.
The NUT President, Mr Micheal Olukoya made the call while briefing newsmen on the face-off between the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and the state wing of the NUT in Abuja.
``It should be recalled that Bauchi Universal Education Board
sometimes in December 2012, disengaged almost about 2000 primary school teachers on the inexcusable grounds of possessing a National Certificate of Education of the National Teachers Institution.
``All efforts to convince the Bauchi Government to appreciate that NTI as a federal institution legally established to train and
certify teachers in this regards fell on deaf ears.
``At the intervention of the Elders Forum in Bauchi, the state government accepted to verify the genuineness of the certificate.
``Yet till date, the teachers have not been recalled, even after the intervention of the elders and the National leadership of the union,’’ he said.
Olukoya said that the leadership of the union had made an attempt to meet with Gov. Isa Yuguda of Bauchi to amicably resolve the issue but was ``rebuffed’’.
He said that payments of teachers’ salaries from January till date had been stopped while the state government had also impounded the union's dues.
Olukoya, therefore, called for a peaceful resolution of the contentious issues which included the return of the disengaged teachers back to the classroom, while the process of verification of their certificates continued.
He called for the immediate release of the salaries of all the teachers in the interest of equity, fairness and justice.
He also called for the release of the check-off dues of the NUT in compliance with the Trade Union Act of 2004.
The Trade Union Act stated that it is mandatory on employers to deduct check-off dues from workers wages and release same unconditional to the registered office of the union.
Olukoya said that the union was desirous of a quick end to the dispute and called on the state governor to grant the leadership of the union an immediate audience to dialogue ways of industrial peace in the sector.
The National leadership of the union assured teachers in the state that the union was doing everything possible to resolve all issues with the relevant authorities.
He commended the Bauchi state Elders Advisory Committee, state House of Assembly and the Nigerian Labour Congress state council for their efforts in fashioning out ways to resolve the issues. (NAN)
Some beneficiaries of Eko Free Health Mission- sponsored by the Lagos State Government - on Thursday commended Gov. Babatunde Fashola for the initiative.
The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said on Thursday that it would train journalists on how best to report disasters in the country.
Alhaji Abubakar Kanar, the North East Zonal Coordinator of the agency, disclosed this in a statement issued in Yola.
Kanar said that NEMA would organise a one-day sensitisation workshop on the role of media in disaster management and control for journalists in the region.
The statement explained that the workshop was designed to sharpen the techniques of media practitioners from the zone on the role of the media in proper reporting of the agency's activities and emergencies.
``It is in view of the aforementioned that the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) is organizing workshops for critical stakeholders and media practitioners at the Zonal level on the role of the media in reporting emergencies and sensitisation for checkmating the re-occurrences of flood related disasters," Kanar said.
The coordinator noted that the recent flood disasters that claimed several lives and property, and displaced many communities needed appropriate management.
According to him, the essence of disaster management was to protect people’s lives, properties and the environment in general.
``The key to attaining success is the involvement of all jurisdictions, sectors, disciplines and resources in an organised and coordinated manner.
``The media is viewed as a critical stakeholder in information dissemination; before, during and after emergencies," he said.
Kanar added that more than 50 different media organisations are expected to receive the training.
He said that the workshop would hold on March 13, in Yola, Adamawa. (NAN)
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