The Minister of Solid Minerals Development, Dele Alake, has said that the wave of tariffs introduced by the United States to discourage export by Nigerian businesses may become a blessing in disguise for African economies.

The minister made this remark during a chat session at the 14th Annual Investment Meeting Congress in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.

A statement by the minister aide, Segun Tomori, on Sunday said the session was titled “The Alchemy of Foreign Direct Investment – Turning Policies into Prosperity for Emerging Global Markets,” focused on the shifting climate for investment and trade.

Recall that US President Donald Trump recently imposed a 14 per cent tariff on exports by Nigerian businesses, presenting a significant risk to the $10bn annual exports to the United States, potentially disrupting key sectors such as oil export and agricultural trade.

The regime, now suspended for 90 days, has ignited a trade war, raised the prices of goods and services for consumers, weakened the standard of living, slowed down manufacturing activities and hindered international trade.

Commenting on the implications of US-led trade tariffs, Alake urged African countries to take a more inward-looking approach by strengthening domestic policies and boosting intra-African trade.

He also called on African countries to adopt an introspective approach by looking inwards and adjusting their domestic policies to focus more on intra-African trade, with little dependence on external forces.

He said, “The prevailing barrage of tariffs initiated by the United States of America may well be a blessing in disguise for African countries. We need to organize our economic imperatives to ensure a balance of trade and strengthen intra-African trade among ourselves. The time is now”.

Alake criticised the long-standing model of exporting unprocessed raw materials from Africa — a practice he described as “pit to port.”

“That era can no longer continue. Investors are welcome, but they must come in, set up factories, add value to our mineral resources and create jobs on the continent — not just ship out raw wealth,” he said.

According to the minister, Nigeria’s mineral development policy prioritises value addition and job creation, a stance that is gaining ground among mineral-producing African nations.

Alake chairs the African Minerals Strategy Group, a coalition focused on protecting the continent’s mineral wealth.

Nigeria’s policy on the minerals sector development is strictly geared toward value addition and boosting the local economy through job creation.

Other participants who spoke at the fireside chat included His Excellency Zaher Al Qatarneh, Secretary General of Jordan Ministry of Investment, Goncalo Terenas, Co-founder- Diaspora Prime Portugal, and Vadim Tretyakov, Minister of Investment and Development of the Sverdlovsk Region.

During the Congress, Alake toured the exhibition platform where Nigeria was ably represented by the Solid Minerals Development Ministry, Solid Minerals Development Fund, and Zamfara State government.

He also visited the booths of the private business groups from Nigeria, such as the Women Enterprise Alliance and Ghana’s Jant’s Fashion Collection.

The AIM Congress welcomed thousands of top government leaders from around the world, including corporate leaders, technology innovators, and sundry financial institutions and experts.

The aim of the yearly congress is to “ignite positive transformation by creating investment opportunities, upholding solidarity and developing economic relations among nations.”

The yearly AIM Congress took place at the impressive Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre under the broad theme, “Mapping the Future of Global Investment: The New Wave of a Globalized Investment Landscape – Towards a New Balanced World Structure.”

The Federal Government through the Bureau of Public Procurement, BPP, has threatened that it will expose any procurement officer involved in inflating cost of contracts.

BPP also said that it will soon release a policy that will debar contractors that default consistently, warning that the era of procurement officers behaving like politicians and collaborating with contractors to circumvent the process was over.

The Director- General of BPP, Dr. Adebowale Adedokun, read the riot act, weekend, while making his presentation at the Bureau Enlightenment Workshop for Directorate of Procurement in Ministries, Departments, Agencies, MDAs, in Abuja.

Dr. Adedokun, said Procurement Officers were expected to lead procurement reforms which he said was changing rapidly and should make sure government projects are delivered timely and according to specification.

He threatened to hold accountable procurement officers if any procurement process failed, just as he assured those that carryout their duties diligently will be protected by the agency

He said: “Public procurement is the use of public fund by public entities for the delivery of public goods, works and services usually through a third party (contractors).

“Procurement is an enabler for economic growth, a sustainable development, prevention of fraud and risk management. Procurement is not to award contract alone but is used for planning,” he added.

The BPP DG, said any procurement process that was not tendered to the BPP for approval is illegal, noting with dismay the discovery from its audit the abuse of contract splitting that involves procurement officers.

He further said that some people award contract without ‘Certificate of No Objection’, and that some even go to the extent of adopting a method that is not open and transparent and don’t pass through the Tenders Board.

He said: “You will be held accountable for an award that was not delivered in line with the specification. We will hold the accountable.

“So the change has come that we will hold you accountable for any mis- procurement, that you cannot provide evidence that you guided them correctly.”

The DG further said: “I need to reiterate, if the procurement fails, I will hold you accountable in your organization if procurement plans are done and done incorrectly, I will hold you accountable. That should be very clear. If a project is inflated, I will hold you accountable. If specification and needs drafted by a user department, and you accept, we will hold you accountable. It’s time that the narrative about procurement officers being unskilled or unqualified is over.

“You just need right now to take full account responsibility of your department. Because of COVID 19, lot of things were done and we got away with it, there’s no more COVID-19. You just have to do procurement the way it is.

“We have moved from how they say, procurement delays. Procurement no longer delays, because we are pragmatic now we are a solution provider. We will solve problems within the ambient of the law.

“BPP will defend procurement officers. If they do the right thing, we will defend them, protect them, but if they fail, we’ll be the first to expose them. That is a decision we have reached with the Head of Service, that BPP will provide skills, capacity, building, education, enlightenment, Head of Service will be there to defend you. Having said that, globally, procurement is an instrument that is used to give development to its citizens.

“We are professionals, including the engineers, everybody. We make this to happen. And so we need to begin to ask ourselves questions. If I, as a procurement officer approved a contract or recommend or carry out evaluation and that contractor actually does not merit it, shouldn’t our conscience judge us? We need to start thinking, the future of Nigerians relies on the effectiveness of our procurement process.

“Let me say this, political heads are eager to deliver, but they also must be. told the consequences of doing procurement, that when they leave, they will account. So it’s for you and I to guide them in the appropriate manner so that even when they exit government or after retirement, they are sure that what they did will not be questioned. It’s your duty.”

The National Association of Nigerian Students has slammed the National Assembly over a proposed bill to make voting mandatory and jail Nigerians who fail to vote.

NANS, in a statement by its National Vice President, Inter-Campus and Gender Affairs, Akinbodunse Felicia, on Sunday, in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, described the bill as not only “ridiculous but laughable,” urging the NASS to ditch the ludicrous idea or face the wrath of the Nigerian students.

The NASS had proposed a new bill, titled ‘Bill for an Act to Amend the Electoral Act 2022 to make it mandatory for all Nigerians of majority age to vote in all National and State Elections and for Related Matters.’

If passed, the bill would make voting mandatory for all eligible Nigerians, marking a significant shift in Nigeria’s electoral landscape.

The proposed bill seeks to amend the current Electoral Act of 2022 by enforcing compulsory participation in national and state elections.

It proposes that any eligible voter who fails to vote without a valid reason would face a penalty, including a fine of N100,000, a six-month jail term, or both.

The bill, which has sparked heated debates across the country, according to NASS, aims to address voter apathy, a persistent issue in Nigerian elections, and increase civic participation in the democratic process.

Since the House of Representatives Speaker, Tajudeen Abbas, proposed the bill, it has raised concerns about the imposition of penalties for non-participation.

Akinbodunse, however, in the statement, said the proposed bill is a misplaced priority by the NASS and should be discarded accordingly.

She added that voting, which is a constitutional right of Nigerians who are eligible to vote, cannot be imposed on them, particularly when they strongly feel their votes don’t count.

She noted that instead of the NASS proposing bills to strengthen the electoral process that will truly reflect the wishes of Nigerians, it has busied itself to further strangle Nigerians by proposing punitive measures against non-voters.

Akinbodunse, who declared that NANS will mobilise massively against the bill, urged civil societies, organised labour and other stakeholders to stand against the proposed bill, which she described as a “low one from the National Assembly”.

“NANS views the proposed bill by the National Assembly to impose a fine and a jail term on eligible Nigerians who do not vote, as not only ridiculous but laughable.

“The bill, if it is passed, will make Nigeria a laughing stock among the comity of nations in the world. Where in the world does a nonparticipant in an election get jailed or fined?

“It is unfortunate that NASS, which is saddled with the constitutional responsibility and duties to make laws that will ensure the development of the nation and protect the citizens, is the one proposing a bill capable of strangulating the same people.

“Instead of the NASS to make laws that will strengthen our democracy and enhance the electoral processes, it has busied itself to pass a bill that will infringe on the rights of Nigerians.

“It is known by Nigerians that the country’s electoral processes are still fraught with irregularities and loopholes that give room for electoral fraud and rigging.

“This is the area NANS expects the National Assembly to work on. Rather, it has continued to make Nigerians doubt the competence and sincerity of members of both the Senate and House of Reps.

“This proposed bill is another comedy show from the stable of the NASS. As an umbrella for the students in the country, NANS will mobilise massively against this proposed bill aimed at imposing a needless law on Nigerians.

“NANS leadership hereby urges civil society groups, stakeholders and organised labour to rise against this latest charade by the National Assembly,” the statement stated.