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Protest: Minister calls for calm, Says Tinubu has done a lot to salvage the current situation
The Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle has appealed to Nigerians to suspend the nationwide protests against the current government, assuring citizens that President Bola Tinubu is working assiduously to fix the current challenges of the country.
While addressing some select national heads of various youth Organisations on Tuesday in Abuja, he urged protesters to have more patience and trust the ‘Renewed Hope Agenda’ of President Tinubu.
According to Matawalle, the policies of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration encompass strategic plans and policies, that will drive Nigeria to economic prosperity, improved welfare, education and health systems, improved social amenities, food security, and infrastructural development, amongst many other needs when implemented.
While highlighting the achievements of President Tinubu in just over one year in office, he assured that Nigerians will get all their expectations of good governance before the end of the first tenure of the president.
“I want to appeal to my fellow Nigerians, especially you the youth leaders to please call for immediate suspension of the nationwide protests against the current administration and let us resort to dialogue to address all our concerns and expectations from the President Tinubu-led administration.
“Mr President has shown countless times his concern for the plight of Nigerians, with the recent implementation of the N70,000 minimum wage for workers, driving the Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) initiative with CNG vehicles to cushion the impact of the removal of fuel subsidy which will reduce the cost of transportation by at least 70 per cent.
“Responsive to the challenges of the masses in the face of the ongoing reforms, President Tinubu directed the disbursement of N50,000 uplift grants each to over 100,000 families per state for three months thereby impacting close to 5 million families nationwide.
My colleague, the Honourable Minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Sen. Abubakar Kyari, under the directive of Mr President, has assured Nigerians that food prices will crash in 180 days, with strategic measures aimed at addressing the high food prices currently affecting the nation currently being implemented.
250,000 metric tonnes of wheat and 250,000 metric tonnes of maize is being imported, and these semi-processed commodities will be supplied to small-scale processors and millers across the country.
“Additionally, strengthening the health sector, Mr. President has directed the redesign of the Basic Health Care Provision Fund, which attracted $2.5 dollars in financing for the National Primary Health Care so that citizens could have direct access to better healthcare.
“I and my colleagues at the Cabinet level, under the visionary leadership of Mr President across all sectors, have been working relentlessly to implement various policies within our respective mandates for the actualisation of the Renewed Hope Agenda so as to facilitate a better Nigeria for us all. Many of these projects have already come to light.
Again, Mr. President have given State Governors huge sum of monies to help curtail the hardship issues in our various localities.
“In the steel sector, the ongoing reforms to revive our steel plants will create over 500,000 direct and indirect jobs, while we attract Foreign Direct Investments as a means of growing and diversifying the economy”.
It is now crystal clear that we are making lofty successes in the war against banditry and terrorism as Mr. President has relentlessly taken the welfare of men and officersnof the Nigerian Armed Forces serious”, Matawalle stated.
The Defence minister (state) further appealed to Nigerians, to shun the protest following intelligence reports from security and law enforcement agencies, of miscreants with plans to hijack the protest to cause mayhem and breakdown of law and order across the country as he promised to create a youth relations unit in his office for frequent interface with the youthdom from time to time.
“Trust me, Dialogue will pay better than Protest. We are open for dialogue”, the Minister advocated.
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Change Negative Narrative About EFCC Being Used For Settling Political Scores- Reps
………Ask Anti Graft Agency To Fight Financial Crimes Within Established Laws
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……My Staff Are Poorly Paid, EFCC
…., States Why Fight Against Yahoo Boys Fierce
The House of Representatives has tasked the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, to purge itself from the negative impression that its being used to settle political scores and concentrate fighting financial and economic crimes within established laws.
The House handed the advise on Tuesday through the Chairman House Committee on Financial Crimes Honorable Ginger Onwusibe who led members of the committee on the 2024 oversight exercise on the commission.
The oversight covered extensive facility tour of departments and critical operational units of the antigraft agency.
In his terse remarks, Hon. Onwusibe challenged the agency to improve its operational activities in combating economic and financial crimes by complying with its 2004 Establishment Act and other relevant applicable laws like the Money Laundering ( Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022: Terrorism ( Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022: The Proceeds of Crime Act. 2022, as well as other statutes, that compels it to carry out these roles transparently with accountability and show that the negative maxim being peddled in some quarters that the agency is often being used for settling political scores is incorrect .
The committee assured that it will collaborate with the commission to actualize its mandate by enacting new laws or amending old ones and as well providing budgetary interventions, if it must strive tirelessly to be on top of its challenges
The House urged the agency to collaborate with sister agencies and desist from keeping suspects as- awaiting ‘trial in correctional centres nationwide
“At this point let me add that a recent visit to the Maximun and Minimun Correctional centres in Kirikiri Lagos State, numerous suspects have been awaiting trial for over one year and yet we are all acquainted with the saying that justice delayed is justice denied”
” It is on this note that we call on the EFCC, Attorney General of the Federation and the Judiciary to improve and ensure the administration of justice works and is efficiently delivered to the victims”
The House warned the agency to purge itself of rotten eggs in order to fight economic and financial crimes frontally, thereby stimulating the Nigerian economy
It also urged EFCC to focus properly on its mandate.
” The issue of appropriate and proper focusing on the mandate of the EFCC must relentlessly be on the front burner:
“Orders from competent courts , arrest and debt recovery must be pursued religiously” the House cautioned
But on its side, the antigraft agency said it has not deviated from its focus but rather working hard and fighting financial and economic crimes as enunciated in its mandate.
Chairman of the agency , Ola Olukeyede told his guest in his remarks during the oversight visit that the commission was doing much to fight financial and economic crimes and stimulate the Nigerian economy
He said so far that the agency has recovered over N250bn cash, tens of million of Dollars and other foreign currencies, with over 3000 convictions: 17000 petitions while also investigating over 20000,with about 4000 fresh cases , all being handled by a misery number of staff strenght
He noted that its priority is to improve the country’s image and stimulate its economy, such that there could be improvement in foregin direct investments and stimulation of the local economy.
Olukeyede however, argued that the agency needed more staff strenght, funding , better renumeration for staff because they were poorly paid. He also emphasised on modern day technology to fight the ever dynamic cyber criminals
According to the EFCC boss, it was important to give more salary to EFCC staff and deploy modern technology to fight emerging cyber crime dynamism . He expalined that the agency has increased efforts to fight Yahoo, yahhoo, boys because of their ability to crumble any economy within a twinkle of an eye
According to him, the agency was expanding its drag net to focus on ministries, departments and agencies infrastructural projects. ” “Go to MDAs and see their budget implementstion. It is not up to 20%”
“We want to ensure 50% infrastructural development” the anti graft boss announced, insisting that it would henceforth encourage monitoring of project implementation which was an aspect of preventing financial crimes
He said the agency has dismissed lots of erring staff, and will continue to dismiss and even prosecute them going forward.
Olukeyede disclosed that it had designed a template on staff integrity, using the Gift- Policy model
.” It is not every thankful gift we should collect” the EFCC boss warned
” I am advocating for more welfare improvement, better welfare, he said.
“We will do more recoveries, more convictions, but we need more resources to do our work, maintaining that, that was his stand on ethics and integrity .
Olokeyede’s demand for more salary wage for staff of the commission, is seen as an incentive to boost welfare and morale to fight financial crimes to standstill.
He stated that there was the utmost need to increase salaries of staff of the commission
The EFCC boss who spoke on his stewardship in the last one year, further added that it increased the war against Yahoo- Yahoo boys because of the consequences of their nefarious acts which could crumble a nation’s economy in a jiffy.
He argued that more technology was required to fight financial crimes.
For instance he explained that it was a common scenario then for thieves and armed robbers to attack and break into banks with guns and Dynamites
” But it is the same common and more easier scenario and task now to have Yahoo-Yahoo boys and bank thieves attack banks with technology in the comfort of their homes or hideouts”
“So we need technology and we also need to increase our fight against these Yahoo boys who can dismantle any economy within a twinkle of an eye
He called on the national Assembly to improve and increase its finances because fighting Financial crimes was a herculean task that requires adequate funding
Olokeyede who apparently was responding to criticisms of the commission’s over concentration on Cyber crimes/ thieves, perpetrated by Yahoo boys, said he has made tremendous impact in enforcement, investigation and conviction with an outstanding record convictions between October 2023 when he was appointed till date
News
Trouble looming for Obaseki as Gov Okpebholo orders probe of his admin
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Governor Monday Okpebholo of Edo State has ordered the setting up of a committee to probe the immediate-past administration of Godwin Obaseki for its failure to inaugurate 14 Edo Assembly lawmakers-elect into the 7th Assembly.
Okpebholo disclosed this while giving his inaugural speech as the new governor of the state.
Governor Okpebholo also ordered the State Chief Judge to immediately investigate the initial delay of former Governor Obaseki to inaugurate duly-cleared judges by the National Judicial Council (NJC) last year
News
Naira may depreciate to N1,993 against dollar – Report
By Kayode Sanni-Arewa
Nigeria’s naira has been projected to depreciate further to N1,993 per dollar in the coming days.
This is according to BMI, a Fitch Solutions subsidiary report title, ‘Weak Naira and Structural Challenges to Constrain Nigeria’s Medical Devices Market Growth’.
The report said the forecasted depreciation will be predicated on the 95 percent dependence on imports for pharmaceuticals in Nigeria.
According to the report, the development would erode both the health system and patient purchasing power.
“We expect that the naira will end 2028 at N1,993/$ from N306/$ in 2018.
“As the naira weakens, the cost of importing medical devices will continually increase, eroding both the health system and patient purchasing power, especially to invest in essential medical technologies given the underfunding of the public health sector,” the report stated.
This comes as Naira fell to N1681.42 and N1735 at the official and parallel foreign exchange markets on Monday.
This comes as FMDQ FX transaction turnover dropped significantly from $1.4 billion on Friday to $471.5 million on Monday.
Last Thursday, the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Olayemi Cardoso, said the country’s external reserves rose to $40 billion.
Despite Central Bank of Nigeria’s interventions and external reserves rise in the last months, the naira has continued to experience fluctuations in the FX market.
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