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Nigeria Needs a New Lease of Life

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The Source
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By Peter Obi & Datti Baba-Ahmed

Nigeria is a nation challenged. This is crystal clear. Given the severe reversal in quality of life and development, the present state of our nation is simply no longer sustainable.

Leadership lies at the heart of the problem. While our country remains confronted by a handful of natural disasters, it is leadership woes and limitations that have kept Nigeria on its knees.

Moving Nigeria forward and meeting its needs now and in the medium and long terms, requires a complete paradigm shift that must begin with purposeful and transformative leadership; leadership that can think disruptively, within and outside the box.

Today, Nigeria sits on the lowest rungs of global development indices. Insecurity is at an all-time high. Our economy is in a bad shape. The Naira is in free fall. Prices of goods and services are skyrocketing. This is even as family incomes dwindle, and good-paying jobs evaporate. Our country is hugely indebted. Capital flight from Nigeria reportedly is at 82%.

A significant portion of our revenue goes to debt servicing. Government can barely meet its statutory obligations.

Staff unions of academic and medical institutions are embarking on paralyzing strikes. Currently, 18.5 million children are out of school. Unemployment is at 35%. National cohesion and resilience is at its lowest ebb. Electric power supply remains as epileptic and unreliable as it has been for decades.

Consequently, Nigerians are hungry, angry and fed up with bad leadership. The choice of whether to continue along this trajectory or to seek a new course is no longer a matter of debate.

Nigeria needs an enabling environment in which domestic and foreign investors are incentivized and protected. Tackling insecurity should no longer be a cliché. It requires consistency. It calls for robust and reformed federal and state policing. And it is imperative that genuine grievances be addressed without compromising national sovereignty and security.

It is time for the state to tackle criminality seriously, both within and outside governance circles.

There is a clear correlation between a poor and disenfranchised society and one that relapses into criminality. National remediation has thus become imperative.

The parallel track requires an assertive reinvigoration of Nigeria’s economy to ensure people are lifted out of poverty.

Nigeria is also confronted with a combination of circumstances that undermine her overarching governance needs. These challenges are not insurmountable. However, they require curated leadership and governance responses. The prevailing era of deprivation, insecurity, poverty, visceral violence and bloodletting must end. But these challenges will not end if the government remains inactive and resigned to these stark realities.

It is time to urgently rescue Nigeria from implosion. People can certainly pursue personal, partisan and group interests. But in times of serious challenge, true patriots must rise above self-interest and sectional considerations to build a resilient society in the national interest. The primary mission, as we see it, is to secure, unite and make Nigeria productive once again. We must invest in our human capital development to match what we need in today’s technology-driven 21st century economy.

Never in its history has Nigeria been so divided. There is a serious trust deficit between Nigerian leaders and the national public. Furthermore, our society today is so terribly, even insidiously, polarized. Our country attaining true nationhood should, therefore, be a matter of priority to every well-meaning Nigerian.

This means that along with the government’s responsibility to protect and guarantee the security of lives and property, a united Nigeria should be on the front burner of our national discourse. We find no better way of uniting Nigerians than for leaders to engender the trust and confidence of the people in the leadership. Nigerians need a leadership they can trust.

Moving Nigeria forward requires essentially a twin-tracked approach. It requires self-sufficiency in food and improved power supply. Beyond oil, Nigeria must turn her vast arable lands in the North into her new oil. We must get our industries running optimally again.

We must progressively generate 4,000 megawatts of electricity annually for the next decade. When we have accomplished these goals, then we will have created employment opportunities that will translate to lowered criminality.

Conventional wisdom suggests that in life, we must make a choice: to take a chance, or our lives will never change. Nigerians need to make hard choices with a view to ensuring that in her nascent democracy, the government commits to the unfettered promotion of the rule of law. We must guarantee that governance is henceforth inclusive, cost-effective, transformative, and less transactional. We must ensure that national investments are transparent and regenerative.

It is imperative that we shift from consumption to production. This must be the new national mindset.

Securing, uniting and making Nigeria productive requires steady and trusted hands. That assurance is something all Nigerians desire. In fact, beyond desire, they demand it vehemently. From our vantage position, these demands are now imperative. Nigeria needs a new lease of life. We are ready to deliver it.

Peter Obi and Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed are the Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates, respectively, of Nigeria’s Labour Party.

Uzodimma: Things Looking Up For Imo State In 2023

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The Source
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Hope Uzodinma

Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State has assured Imo State indigenes that 2023 will be far better than 2022 given his determination to complete critical road infrastructure his administration initiated in the year that just ended.

Specifically, the Governor said that the Owerri-Umuahia road, the Orlu- Mgbee- Akokwa-Uga road and the Oguta- Okporo-Orlu road will all be completed this year and with the already completed Owerri-Orlu and Owerri-Okigwe signature roads, Imo can never be the same again in terms of road network that will catalyse trade and commerce and boost the economy of the State.

Governor Uzodimma said 2023 is a year to watch because “it is a year that Imo people will look back to and further appreciate this administration for keeping faith with our social contract with the people.”

He said though 2023 is an election year and demands that the citizens “should conduct themselves peacefully before, during and after the elections,” he added that “things are looking up and 2023 is likely to be better than 2022.”

Governor Uzodimma who gave the assurance in his New Year message to Imo people, noted that despite the fact that 2022 came with a lot of challenges nationally , “we have every reason to thank God for sparing our lives to see this year.”

The Governor noted that the transformation that had taken place in Imo State since he mounted the saddle in 2020 due to the hard work, sacrifice, honesty, prudence and tenacious dedication to duty by his team will continue, and urged the citizens not to despair, but remain steadfast in their prayer as God’s blessings will be certain.

Governor Uzodimma’s message reads in full:

“My beloved NDIMO,  Ndewonu. I wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.

To the glory of God, we have seen the end of the year 2022, and we are alive to celebrate the beginning of another year – 2023.

As people of faith, we give God all the glory and adoration for the divine privilege  of being alive to see this new year of our Lord – 2023.

“The last year – 2022 – was a challenging year for the entire country and we have every reason to thank  God for sparing our lives to see this year. As we know, many of those who celebrated the beginning of 2022 with us are no longer  alive today to see the beginning of 2023.

“Yet, it is neither by our might nor by our righteousness that we have been so favoured to see this new year; It is only by the special grace of God. So, as we  celebrate and congratulate ourselves for surviving the new year, we should also pause for a minute  to appreciate and praise God for His abundant mercy and grace on our lives

“Therefore,  as I say very happy new year to all of us, let me, on your behalf,  express our profound gratitude to God Almighty for keeping  us alive to witness yet another year in our pilgrimage on planet Earth. Indeed,for Imo people and Nigerians in general,the preceding year of 2022 was a very challenging one. Yet to the glory of God, through all the trials, we all came out triumphant. May God be praised.

“My beloved NDIMO,  as Imo people, looking back into last year it wasn’t all about trials and survival.  Many of our prayers were also answered and some  of us received some blessings from God, both individually and collectively as a people. For example, I am aware that some families  were  blessed with new babies, new houses, new jobs, and some got promoted to new positions. Some also started new businesses while others grew their old businesses. Thus, in addition to being alive, we have other reasons to thank God for.

“On the part of government, we are thankful that in spite of the monstrous challenge of insecurity which was deliberately contrived to frustrate and cripple my administration, we were able to accomplish our objectives in governance. For instance, two of our signatures projects – the Owerri – Orlu road and the Owerri – Okigwe road were commissioned by no other person than President Muhammadu Buhari.

“This is in addition to several other roads and infrastructural projects which were completed last year. ( I am satisfied and encouraged by the  testimonies I received  from our citizens who retuned and used these roads during the festive season).

” We were also able to get the Federal Government to upgrade the Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, to a University Teaching Hospital for use by the Federal University of Technology, Owerri. Of course, these developments come with abundant employment opportunities for our people and the additional prospect of value addition to the growth of the  economy of the state.

“The same goes for the Alvan Ikoku  College of Education, which we got the Federal Government to take over as a Federal University of Education. We also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian Navy for the dredging of Oguta Lake/ Orashi River to the Atlantic ocean. This will grant Imo State, and indeed the South – east, the much needed access to the sea with vast potentials to boost international trade and commerce in the region.

“This also comes with the concomitant opportunities for investment in the oil and gas sector. With the establishment of a Naval base at Oguta, facilitated by my administration, maritime security is assured in the area which will help to combat crude oil theft and pipeline vandalism.

“Equally heart – warming is the fact that in the preceding year, we were able to wrestle the remaining pockets of security challenges and banditry to a standstill. The few remaining kingpins of  bandits were rounded up and are now dancing to the music of the law. To the glory of God, security agencies were able to act with greater precision in confronting banditry as witnessed in the foiled attempt to burn the office of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Owerri. So, on the whole, I can assure you that we are on top of the situation and Imo is relatively safer each year. A clear evidence of this is that no incident of insecurity was reported in the state during the festive season.

“The good news is that things are looking up and 2023 is likely to be better than 2022. We hope to complete the Owerri – Umuahia road and the Orlu – Mgbee – Akokwa and the Oguta to Okporo- Orlu road, this year. Adding these  strategic roads to the two already commissioned signature roads  will serve to catalyse trade and commerce and would ultimately boost the  economy of the state.

“Let me also assure you that the security situation will continue to improve this year. Our security agencies are now better equipped and better trained to confront the security challenges. I can further assure you that this year, the few unrepentant ungodly people and their sponsors, who want to continue to unleash violence and insecurity in the state, will be doing so at their own peril. NDIMO should be assured that we will all be safer this year. Above all, I  give you my word that our dear state will do better this year in all ramifications than it did last year.

“It is noteworthy that I have already signed  the 2023 budget of N474.4billion into law, and we are set to go this fiscal year. As you know, the budget  is tagged “ The Budget of Wealth Expansion”. It  seeks to improve the state’s economy, with priority on security, agriculture, education and transportation,  among the others.  With a capital outlay of N373 billion – that is about  72 percent of the entire budget – nothing will stop us from attaining our developmental goals for the year.

“This is a year to watch because it a year that Imo people will look back to and further appreciate this administration for keeping faith with our social contract with the people. Today, even our worst critics will acknowledge the huge difference between the Imo State of today and the Imo State we inherited in 2020.

“I must tell you that this great transformation that has taken place is as a result of hard work, sacrifice, honesty, prudence and tenacious dedication to duty by my team. Needless to add that we could not have done much without your support and  prayers which crowned our modest efforts with God’s blessings. To God be the glory.

“I should also remind our people that 2023 is an election year. My appeal is that the good people of Imo State  should conduct themselves peacefully before, during and after the elections. I do not want our state to be in the election news for all the bad reasons. Let us go out peacefully and elect the candidates of our choice.

“Ndi Imo nwem, let us collectively resolve that Imo shall not witness any bloodshed in 2023. Let us  resolve to  work together to ensure that peace, unity and progress shall be our goal and that the interest and welfare of Imo State shall supercede our narrow selfish interests.

“May God keep us safe and bless the works of our hands in 2023.

“I wish all of us a happy,  prosperous and blessed 2023.”

I Resigned Voluntarily – Ex- Kano Commissioner Counters Sack Story By Gov Ganduje

By
Ayodele Oni
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Muhammad Tahar Adam

By Ayodele Oni

Immediate past Kano State Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Dr Muhammad Tahar Adam has countered the State Governor Abdullahi Ganduje, over claims of his sack saying he resigned his appointment voluntarily.

Kano State Commissioner for Information, Muhammad Garba, had issued a statement on Saturday announcing the sack of  Dr Muhammad Tahar Adam, popularly called “Baba Impossible” as Commissioner for Religious Affairs.

In an interview with Freedom Radio on Saturday, “Baba Impossible” expressed surprise over the news of his sack, noting that he submitted his letter of resignation on Friday, December, 30th 2022, to the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Usman Alhaji.

The former Commissioner said he was amazed to hear on the Media that he was relieved of his appointment, and  described  it as a blatant lie. He said his resignation was based on personal reasons.

“Baba Impossible” noted that if the State Government continue to dish out lies against him , he would be compelled to hit back.

The Commissioner for Information,  had earlier, in   a statement stated that “the sack of the Commissioner for Religious Affairs is with immediate effect.’’

The statement read in part: “The sacking of the commissioner and member of the state executive council followed his unbecoming attitude as a public servant holding sensitive office, as well as unguarded utterances.”

Malam Garba pointed out that he was also found to be running the affairs of his office as personal business and even unilaterally reducing working days for the staff of the ministry, exempting Wednesdays and Fridays.

The Commissioner added that apart from operating without due consultation, Baba Impossible has not been loyal to the Government.

He announced that the Governor has sent the name of Dr Nazifi Ishaq Bichi of Bayero University, Kano, to the state House of Assembly as replacement.

Omokri Tackles Wike, Says The Governor Lied Over Obasanjo, Atiku 2023 Incident

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The Source
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Omokri and Wike

By Adesina Soyooye

A social critique and political commentator, Reno Omokri, has said that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike is misinformed on his narration of how President Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2003, knelt down for the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to plead with him  to allow him, Obasanjo, get a second term in office.

In 2003, Atiku was Obasanjo’s Vice President.

The story has often been told that Obasanjo, in 2003, sneaked into Atiku’s bedroom, at an uncivilized time of the night, as PDP’s Presidential Primary delegates, gathered in Abuja to choose a candidate, knelt down and begged Atiku, to support him, and not run against him.

The rumours were strong then that majority of PDP’s Governors and stakeholders  were rooting for Atiku, and urged him to run against his boss, President Obasanjo.

This humiliating story has always been generally ignored, especially, as neither Obasanjo nor Atiku commented on it. Their close aides and political associates ignored it too.

But the PDP poisonous politics of 2023, has thrown the story up again, and given it a new life. Wike reopened it.

Speaking on Friday in Porthacourt at the flag off of a new road, Wike told the story of the humiliation of Obasanjo by Atiku again.

Wike has been at loggerheads with the PDP National Leadership and Atiku since he lost the Presidential ticket to Atiku, and also lost the slot of the Vice Presidential candidate to his Delta State counterpart, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa.

Wike, who is the leader of four other Governors, distanced the five of them – G5 – and a few other stakeholders from PDP activities, including the Presidential Campaign, unless the National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, steps down from office.

Wike’s Group insists that it is a breach of the Party’s Constitution for both the National Chairman and the Candidate to come from the same region – North.

While trying to explain that the condition the G5 gave Atiku is mild, compared to the conditions Atiku gave Obasanjo, a sitting President then, in 2003, before he could support Obasanjo, Wike told the story again.

He said: “In 2003, when President Olusegun Obasanjo wanted to run for a second tenure – a whole President wanted to run for a second – he knelt down before his Vice, and said, ‘my Vice, please, allow me to run.’

“You know one of the conditions he (Atiku) gave him? That Tony Anenih must be sacked as the Minister for Works, and Tony Anenih must not be in the Presidential Campaign Council.

“Obasanjo obliged and sacked Tony Anenih as the Minister for Works, and removed him from the Presidential Campaign Council. This is a President, (and) his own his own Vice giving him condition. A retired General knelt down and was given conditions.

“We (G-5) are not even doing  that, we are not saying sack this one, we are only saying that the constitution of our Party must be respected, based on what the National Chairman said, and what you (Atiku) told me in my house.”

But quickly realizing the damage Wike’s narration could have on Atiku’s Presidential chances, especially, in the South-west, Omokri, who is a staunch PDP member, and one of the Spokespersons  of the Party’s PDP, debunked Wike’s story.

In a post, he dismissed the story, as told by Wike on Friday, 30th December, 2022, as a lie. He said Wike is misinformed.

Said Omokri: “Wike is sadly misinformed. President Obasanjo did not, at anytime kneel before then Vice President Atiku.

“Atiku never requested that from his boss. Chief Obasanjo is alive. The Media may want to seek his insight into these claims by Wike. Wike can do better.”

OPINION: Our Tired President

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The Source
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Muhammadu Buhari

By Hakeem Baba-Ahmed

“Nearly all men can stand adversity. If you want to test a man’s character, give him power.’ – Abraham Lincoln”

President Muhammadu  Buhari says, for the umpteenth time, that he cannot wait for the end of his term. He says he plans to live as far away from Abuja as he can when he serves his two terms out.

Recently, he was specific in preferring Daura, his hometown, where he will live in peace without being troubled by anyone.

In recent days, he had lamented that he has not been as appreciated as he should have been, in spite of doing his best. On one or two occasions, he had hinted that he was tired of leading the nation. On the whole, you will be forgiven for thinking that our President is behaving  like a pained married person who cannot wait for a divorce to come through.

President Buhari appears resigned to a single-item legacy which he believes he can leave intact: a credible election. His understanding of credible election appears to be one in which INEC has all it needs in funding, and one in which no one, in  his party or in   the country, will see his hands in determining candidates or outcomes and consequences.

To be fair to the President, limiting himself to  the 2023 election matters is not a bad strategy. What else will stand scrutiny as an outstanding legacy by May, 2023? He certainly cannot refer to his three key promises on fighting corruption, fixing the economy and securing the country when he judges himself. He and his beleaguered salesmen have shiploads of excuses for his incredible achievements of  making these key matters a lot worse than he met them.

The country has its own opinion over the lamentable record of the administration in these areas.

People who recently crafted voluminous and expensive  advertorials and media releases  celebrating the birthday of the President must have scratched heads to hair roots searching for language to use which will not further offend a country labouring under a record of spectacular failure that will take the best part of the next decade to reverse.

The laziest accolades  were those that hailed him as a man of integrity, or more specifically, the President who was not corrupt. The insult to intelligence of Nigerians screamed in the face of some of the most outrageous cases of breathtaking corruption being alleged or tried against people who work right under the President’s nose. Perhaps President Buhari never really had a sense of smell. This is the only  explanation for the stench around the entire petroleum and gas sector where he is also the Minister, the CBN, the banking and finance sector, telecommunications, defence and security institutions and just about every institution or system that is relevant to governance and the private sector.

The excuses for failure to improve the economy, secure jobs and improve diversification in eight years should be carefully documented by students of policy as reference material when discussing leadership failure. From underestimating the damage inherited by  PDP administrations, to crash in cost of crude prices, to COVID, to crude theft and sabotage, every excuse has been offered to explain why  an administration is about to leave a country a lot poorer than it should be, by any standards of sound judgement. Sound judgement will rank among the major deficiencies of President Buhari, especially when applied against failure to manage an economy with better hands, ideas and stronger political will.

No area will indict Buhari’s record more that the failure to secure the country. In a little less than eight years, Nigeria  moved from a country battling an incipient insurgency feeding on insensitivity and incompetence, to a country  at the mercy of the multiple threats, some of which have raised questions about the entire capacity of the Nigerian state to protect citizens.

The insurgency Buhari inherited developed international links and dug in; irredentism developed muscles strong enough to hold an  entire region hostage and threaten the unity of the country; armed gangs targeted the nation’s soft underbelly (its large,  unprotected population) to raise banditry and kidnapping into monsters that stalk millions of citizens, and opportunistic crimes blossomed where corruption and weak leadership had virtually  crippled public safety,  and law and order  institutions. It will be  a badge Buhari will not want to wear, but the truth is that under his leadership, Nigeria has become one of the most dangerous countries to live in.

It  says  to a lot about Buhari’s hands-off approach to governance that he thinks he has done all there is to do to have a credible election in February 2023. It will not be unfair to assume that someone forgot to read him the leadership and governance manual in 2015, and now it is looking increasingly clear that he is not reading the writing on the wall that should tell him that even his pet dream about a credible election is under threat.

A credible election is one conducted under a safe and secure environment; in which all votes count under a free and fair process; results are transparently compiled and contestants and voters respect rules and accept outcomes. Security of the electoral environment and of the ballot are the two most important requirements of a credible election in 2023, and both are threatened.

Unfortunately for President Buhari’s  limited governance approach, they are also his to fix.

Unfortunately for the nation, it does not appear that President Buhari thinks he has to radically improve the security environment in spite of increasing breaches that could get worse by the day. His textbook approach is to leave it all to those he trusts to do the job, and neither experience nor commonsense have taught him that he has responsibility to do more than appoint people into sensitive positions.

As things stand, IPOB/ESN, or, as they are more popularly known, unknown persons, will ultimately decide if millions of voters in the five states of the South-East vote or not. Large numbers of communities in many parts of the North will have to depend on the disposition of bandits and insurgents towards allowing them vote. Politicians have trashed peace accords, and their followers now know that pretenses at selling visions, plans and promises are over.

Election-related violence will intensify, and the President will have little say on its intensity or impact. His ‘neutrality’ will free his party to fight its way to victory in an election in which it also has to shoulder the liabilities of his legacies. The opposition will fight dirty, dusting an old rule book for a new battle in which friends and enemies change places at dizzying pace. This is an election that will decide whether the nation loses the South-East or regains it. Another President will be looking at options and scenarios regarding the region. President Buhari appears to think this  problem will be more appropriately left to his successor, no matter how he emerges.

President Buhari is tired of being Nigeria’s President, and cannot wait  to relocate to Daura. He thinks that will buy him peace, but he is likely to change his mind because Daura is part of his State of Katsina which has not known peace in the last few years. To be honest, Nigerians are also tired of a President who will not govern.

We should be grateful that the democratic system puts time limits, but the person who is indifferent over our  journey to the elections, their conduct and outcomes cannot wish this country well. Neither President Buhari nor Nigerians can afford the luxury of expecting a happy future because he is no longer President.

Adeleke Suspends Top Osun Officials Over Alleged Corruption

By
Adesina Soyooye
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Ademola Adeleke sworn in as Governor of Osun State

By Adesina Soyooye

For alleged corruption,  Governor Ademola Adeleke of Osun State has suspended, from office, two top officials of his Government. The suspension is with immediate effect.

The suspected officers are Dr. Niyi Oginni, Executive Secretary of Osun Health Insurance Agency (OHIS), and Dr. Adebukola Olujide, Head of the Primary Health Care Development Board.

Adeleke  directed the Public Procurement Agency and other Government Agencies to, with  immediate office, begin the process of recovering every other outstanding tender fees on contract awards, JVAs, MoU etc., as long as the State Government is a party, within the past four years.

Adeleke, also, announced an investigation into the Public Procurement Agency (Due Process Office) to find out the extent of “its culpability in the non-remittance of tender fees to the state treasury and contract manipulation in the last four years.”

A statement signed by Adeleke’s Spokesman, Olawale Rasheed, on Saturday, said the “suspension of the two Chief Executive Officers was sequel to the interim report of the Committee on Contracts and MOU chaired by Hon Niyi Owolade which indicted the two agency chiefs of gross abuse of office, mismanagement of public resources and serial violations of agency and public service regulations and laws.”

It continued: “The Committee in its recommendation had unearthed the unethical practices of the suspended heads of the OSHIA and the Primary Health Care Board as manifested  in contract awards without due process, non-remittance of actual tender fees collected from contractors, contracts without value for money like the PHCs, deliberate splitting of  contracts.

“The Committee further found out that the suspended OHIS boss gave contracts to the tune of several millions of Naira to his own biological daughter and his own private Hospital in the Agency he is heading, while the Acting Career Head in the Primary Health Care lied on oath when she falsely denied knowledge of all contracts of infrastructures and supplies in the PHCs, resorting to bulk-passing and blame trading.”

Every directive is with immediate effect.

Valedictory New Year Message: President Buhari Assesses Administration, Gives Pass Mark

By
Ayodele Oni
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Muhammadu Buhari - Londo Trip

By Ayodele Oni

President Mohammadu Buhari has used the opportunity of his new year message to Nigerians to take stock of his administration on the last seven years, concluding that he has fulfilled his mission.

The administration is expected to terminate on May 29 2023, with Nigerians preparing to elect Buhari”s successor in less than 60 days time.

In his 2023 New Year message to Nigerians, Buhari expressed the hope that the next president will pick up the baton and continue his good legacies.

“As we welcome the New Year, let us look with hope to 2023, a year to move forward as a Nation towards unity, progress, and prosperity.

“I offer my own personal felicitations, mindful of the various opinions and interpretations of our executive legacies.

“I welcome and accept both the accolades and criticisms in an equal measure secure in the conviction that I did my best to serve our dear country Nigeria

“And I pray that the next President will also pick up the baton and continue the race to make Nigeria one of the leading countries of the world by the end of this century.”

President Buhari said each New Year is an opportunity to reflect on the past year, reposition, and move forward with the New.

The President is if the view that Nigerians must also acknowledge the passing away of our brothers and sisters who didn’t make it into this New Year, praying that may their souls rest in perfect peace.

He further said this year was particularly important to him because this message is in essence valedictory.

According to him, after having the honour of serving Nigerians for the last seven-plus years, he said “my tenure as your President in the most revered tradition of our ongoing and maturing democracy must necessarily come to an end.

“Reflecting on the year 2022 allows us as a government to examine our legacies of successes and challenges.

“As we celebrate our wins and review obstacles, we all must understand that governance is a continuum, which still places a transitional responsibility on this administration to provide for the incoming government a non-partisan and objective roadmap for 2023.

“We as Nigeria; one country united under the will of God and actively growing as an indivisible entity, have been enabled year after year, decade after decade, to weather all stormy waters and emerge stronger and better where others have fallen and disintegrated. This has made us a unique nation across the globe and our continent.

“In the year 2023, Nigerians go to the polls to exercise our right to vote and elect a new Administration, it is an important year for our country to ensure that we have another smooth transition of government, to whoever the people have decided upon.

“This administration’s landmark Amended Electoral Act will ensure that we have free and fair elections across the Nation.

“We as Nigerians must also take responsibility to ensure we participate in ensuring that the 2023 elections are free and fair by not engaging in anti-state activities and other nefarious acts that may affect the run of the polls.

“We must also resist every attempt to be used by politicians to create unrest in any form to disrupt the elections. We, as a government will ensure such activities are met with the full force of the law.

“As our security agencies continue to make the country proud, we must continue to assist our patriotic forces by providing much-needed community intelligence. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that Nigeria remains safe and peaceful for us all.

“Therefore, we have a duty and obligation to support our troops and intelligence agencies by being alert and reporting anything suspicious.”

“A number of surrendered insurgents are currently being processed by the rehabilitation (Operation Safe Corridor) program.

“The fight against banditry, kidnapping, and other crimes in the North West and other regions is gaining momentum and showing very clear results.\

“One of which is the resumption of Train Service along the Kaduna to Abuja corridor.”

LAWMA MD Reads Riot Act, Urges Lagos Residents To Pay Bills

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Ibrahim Odumboni - LAWMA MD

By Akinwale Kasali

Ibrahim Odumboni, the Managing Director/CEO of the Lagos Waste Management Authority, LAWMA, has reiterated the commitment of the Agency to make the State habitable, clean and healthy for  Residents.

He, however, urged residents to regularly pay their waste bills, acquire waste bins for their homes, avoid cart pushers, and patronise assigned PSP operators in order to avoid drastic enforcement on defaulting homes, planned to commence next month.

Odumboni said that it had informed residents of the State the Agency’s intention to make the State a conducive and health- friendly State for all, but in achieving this, everyone needs to work in tandem with the laid down.

The LAWMA Boss who gave this charge in a statement specifically urged residents to cooperate with respective PSP operators by promptly paying their waste bills, which have been reviewed upwards.

He noted that the minimal review became inevitable as a result of current economic realities, which he noted had weighed heavily against the business survival of the PSP operators.

The Statement reads in part: “As we bid farewell to the year 2022 and welcome the new year 2023, I strongly appeal to residents to promptly pay their waste bills, although slightly reviewed upwards. The review is as a result of the current economic realities in the country. The truth is that the PSP people cannot sustain their businesses on the old rates. Practically, the prices of everything have multiplied, from tyres, to diesel, truck parts, labour, etc. We need to help them stabilise to continue offering quality service, to keep our city clean”.

Speaking further, he reiterated the need for every home to acquire a waste bin, as enforcement on defaulting homes would begin in January, adding that patronage of cart pushers has become an environmental offence attracting prosecution and possible jail term for the cart pusher and his customer.

He said, “I also want to make it abundantly clear that it is now an environmental offence, for a home not to own a bin or patronise cart pushers. Full enforcement of bin ownership on tenements will commence next month. Also, anyone caught patronising cart pushers will be arrested and prosecuted along with the pusher. Many cart pushers had been prosecuted and serving various jail terms”.

He laid more emphasizes on LAWMA’s efforts at improving the collection and disposal of solid waste, including the deployment of additional waste collection trucks and the implementation of a route optimization system, as well as empowering PSP operators to deliver optimally.

“One of the key areas we focused on last year was improving the collection and disposal of solid waste, and this year we will do more. We have increased the number of waste collection trucks on the roads, and have implemented an optimisation system to ensure that waste is collected efficiently and effectively,” he stated.

He however harped on the importance of recycling in the waste management ecosystem in the state, urging residents to explore it for its vast economic and environmental values.

“In addition to improving the collection and disposal of solid waste, we have also worked hard to boost recycling in Lagos. We have launched a number of programs to promote the separation of recyclables from other waste, and have established partnerships with local businesses and organisations to increase the amount of recyclable materials being collected and processed,” he said.

The LAWMA helmsman said the authority would step up its advocacy campaign in the new year, to promote the culture of environmental sustainability among residents, through community, school and market advocacy programs.

“We are also committed to educating the public about the importance of waste management and environmental sustainability. We have launched a number of public awareness campaigns to educate residents about the importance of proper waste management and have worked with schools and community organisations to promote these messages to residents”, he quipped.

While wishing residents a prosperous new year, he thanked them for their cooperation and support in the outgoing year. “We are grateful for the support of residents in our efforts to create a cleaner and safer Lagos for all. We look forward to continuing to work together in the new year to achieve our shared goal of a healthier and consistently cleaner environment”, he said

Governor Ganduje Sacks Commissioner; Alleges Unguarded Utterances

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

By Akinwale Kasali

Hours to the end of Year 2022, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has sacked his Commissioner for Religious Affairs, Muhammad Tahar Adam.

Adam was accused of unguarded utterances and running the affairs of his office as personal business outfit.

Announcing Adam’s sack in a Statement, the  Commissioner for Information and Internal Affairs, Mallam Muhammad Garba, said the removal was with immediate effect.

Following the sack, the State Governor immediately forwarded the name of a nominee, Dr Nazifi Ishaq Bichi of Bayero University, Kano to the House of Assembly for confirmation.

The statement stressed that the sack of the Commissioner was due to his unbecoming attitude as a public servant holding a sensitive office, and his unguarded utterances.

According to him, the former Commissioner popularly known as ‘Baba Impossible’ was also “found to be running the affairs of his office as personal business and even unilaterally reduced work days for the staff of the Ministry, exempting Wednesdays and Fridays.”

The Commissioner added that apart from operating without due consultation, Adam has not been loyal to the Government.

Governor Ganduje wished Adam best of luck in his future endeavours.

Amidst Introduction Of New Charges, Gov Oyebanji Seeks More Support, Signs 2023 Budget Into Law

By
Ayodele Oni
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0

By Ayodele Oni

The people of Ekiti state as they mark the new year with pomp, are set to be confronted with new taxes and rates regime, as government attempts to shore up its internal revenue base.

Before the expiration of the tenure of immediate past administration, various levies and taxes were introduced by Dr Kayode Fayemi, but could not implement the new rates before October 16, 2022, when the new administration crept in.

One of the new rates is land use charges. Under this, owners of landed properties in the state are mandated to pay specific charges to government coffers yearly, depending on vastness of properties.

Before the exit of the administration, enumeration had been carried out on houses with landlords notified about what to be paid yearly to state government coffers.

It was gathered that former Governor Fayemi delibrately put on hold the implementation of the new land charges because of the election.

Now, the state revenue service, which had been privatized is set to commence the implementation of the land rates. The revenue board, now under a consultant, has mounted campaigns to educate people of the state on the need to pay their charges, failure of which may lead to sealing of such properties.

Even with the law vesting on government ownership of landed properties, the people are still not satisfied or rather convinced that the state government, which never provide, accessible roads, electricity and portable water running 24 hours, has the moral right to demand for land charges from them.

Even the glorified Government Reserved Areas, (GRA) in the state are not better off. Roads there remain dilapidated, with no access to regular portable water. The GRAs under the control of the state housing corporation remain eyesore yet the people are being compelled to pay land charges.

This is going to be one of the initial test case for Governor Oyebanji’s  administration, who happened to have served as secretary to the former administration, which introduced the land charges.

Revenue from this source is among the fund government is banking on for the implementation of 2023 budget.

While signing the budget to law on Friday, Governor Oyebanji said it was a product of consultation with the people.

The budget, which is N113,600,000,000.00B, as passed by the State House of Assembly, christened “Budget of Strong Beginning”, as claimed by the governor will be the first major action document of his administration.

The governor noted that the budget was his first fiscal document in office, was carefully crafted after due consultation with all relevant stakeholders in the drive to lay a solid foundation for his administration and achieve the desired prosperity for the people.

The Governor, recalled that he presented the bill to the House on November 3rd, 2022 to afford the members sufficient time to scrutinize the document and engage all the relevant stakeholders in a bid to abide with the Fiscal Sustainability Plan that ample time should be allowed for legislative processing of annual appropriation bill.

He emphasized the focus and vision of the administration to make the state a land of prosperity, peace and progress where the people can reap the fruit of their labour in dignity, good health and safety.

He thanked the Nigeria Governor’s Forum (NGF) secretariat for providing technical support to the state in developing the latest NCOS template which will be used in the publication of the 2023 budget which is expected to be replicated in all the MDAs to further equip officers of the state for the implementation of the budget as well as ensure easy and seamless implementation of the fiscal document by the end users in view to meeting the disbursement link indicato…

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