It’s no longer news that the N15.6 trillion estimated for the 740km Lagos-Calabar Coastal Highway project embarked upon by PBAT has continued to generate interests among Nigerians because of the administration’s infirmal and odd way of engaging a non experienced contractor, Hitech Construction company to execute it which is a breach of the norm in contract awards in the country.. It will be recalled that the project was first awarded by former President Goodluck Jonathan in November 2014 for the 10-state, 22-station project to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation, CCECC at a cost of $11.97bn, before his administration ended abruptly.…
Author: Musa Ilallah
While Nigerian Muslims were busy with the Ramadan fasting and making last minute arrangements to celebrate this year’s Eid el Fitr with pomp and pageantry in the midst of scorching hard times brought about by PBAT’s withdrawal of fuel and energy subsidies, Nigeria’s Minister of Power, Adebayo Adelabu was quoted by the Ministry’s spokesman as saying “that there was no progress on the Siemens project since the death of the late Abba Kyari. The lie is in the claim that the death of Abba Kyari stalled the implementation of the Siemens project”. For the records, Abba Kyari died on April…
As Deputy Governor in 2023 and APC’s 2023 Gubernatorial Candidate, Mallam Umar Namadi, FCA alias Danmodi had told every Jigawa indigene who cares to listen that “the task before us is to build a stronger, smarter Jigawa that works for everyone,” as his Strategic campaign oath. Titled “My agenda for greater Jigawa, Governor Danmodi had since swung into action to implement his agenda to develop the state beyond imagination. Though it’s no longer news that global development challenges are growing and evolving rapidly in response to the financial difficulties created by the global pandemic, aka Covid 19 and climate change,…
Chief Godswill Obot Akpabio , a Nigerian lawyer and politician and currently Nigeria’s Senate President can be counted as one of the luckiest politicians of our time. A number of reasons can be put forward to depend this assertion. He was born on December 9, 1962. In 2002, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP Governor Obong Victor Attah of Akwa Ibom State appointed Akpabio as Commissioner for Petroleum and Natural Resources. By sheer political dexterity and scheming, Akpabio succeeded Attah as Governor of the state in 2007 and served for two terms that ended in 2015. As is the normal, Akpabio got…
Recent negative comments by the suspended Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN and deposed 14th Emir of Kano, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi on the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari did not come to most Nigerians as a big surprise. SLS’s grouse with PMB is that despite his lobbying for his reinstatement as CBN governor, PMB had refused the entreaties to return Sanusi as the apex Bank’s governor. That is PMB’s crime in the heart of SLS. Sanusi, as social critic has a long history of undoubtedly possessing antecedents of rubbishing anything that he hasn’t been opportuned to add his…
After almost 9 years of leading the country’s chief telecoms regulatory agency, Nigerian Commnications Commission, NCC, its Executive Vice Chairman, EVC/CEO, Professor Umar Dambatta successfully handed over to Dr Garba Maida as the Commission’s new helmsman more then 100 days ago. Since that colourful handover and takeover, Dr Maida had swung into action to contribute his widow’s mite to strengthen the country’s telecom sector. In celebrating his first 100 days in office, Dr Maida seized the opportunity to stylishly roll out his Strategic Vision for the Industry during an engagement with two segments of the public he called “critical stakeholders” which…
Most, if not all Nigerians are of the firm belief that former Finance Minister, Olu Falae’s medicine of Structural Adjustment Programme, SAP introduced during the era of military Head of State, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida in July 1986 is the foundation upon which the present economic crisis of the country was laid. Undoubtedly, the IMF-World Bank economic policy packages embodied in the structural adjustment programme, SAP provided an overt encouragement to the fostering of an unregulated, dependent capitalist development model, while allowing only a supportive role for the government in a refurbished economic environment of highly reduced government ownership and…
January 16, 2024 was indeed a Special day for former President Muhammadu Buhari for two reasons. First it was the day he was stepping into Abuja since he ‘stepped aside’ and handed over power to his successor, PBAT 232 days ago. Second, it was the day he launched two books on his stewardship of the country after a successful two terms of 4 years each from 2015-2023. On that day the banquet Hall of Nicon Hilton hotel was filled to the brim by associates, some ex members of his cabinet and aides including his VP, Prof Osinbajo and many other…
The World Bank’s Nigeria development update, titled, ‘Turning the Corner: From Reforms & Renewed Hope, to Results,’ in December last yearstated in unambiguous terms that poverty rate in Nigeria had increased to 46 percent in 2023, representing 104 million poor Nigerians. However highlights of the 2022 Multidimensional Poverty Index survey had revealed that: 63% of persons living within Nigeria, representing 133 million people are multidimensionally poor. In general, the incidence of monetary poverty is lower than the incidence of multidimensional poverty across most states of the country. In Nigeria, the poverty alleviation measures implemented so far have focused more on growth,…
“I have, at my behest, arrived at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC to honour the invitation by the anti-graft agency to offer clarifications in respect of some issues that the commission is investigating”, former Nigeria’s Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar-Farouq made the remarks in her twitter or X handle last Monday shortly after arriving at EFCC to confer with investigators. Despite the fact that the former minister visits EFCC daily thereafter, reliable sources have cried out that since nothing incriminating has been found implicating her by the contractor, Mr…
No one doubts the fact that media as the fourth estate of the realm today, faces quite a number of challenges including it being used by politicians, anti corruption agencies among others to drag some prominent persons reputation and integrity to the dogs through media trial. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC has been fingered as prominent in this enterprise. It recently issued a statement allegedly accusing a minister of laundering N37bn during her tenure in office without a prior formal notification to the ex Minister concerned. This was subsequently followed by a publicly released fresh 72-hour ultimatum to…
As Nigerians’ celebrate another end of year in several ways, news broke out with the important announcement of the accession of United Nations to the nation’s request for the extension of the country’s Continnental Shelf. Announcing the good news, Adnan Rashid Nasser Al-Azri, chairman of the United Nations Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS), said that following a successful submission, “Nigeria’s continental shelf had now been extended from 200 nautical miles to 220 nautical miles”. Welcoming the development, the Nigerian government led by President Bola Tinubu promptly acknowledged and praised the UN for acceding to the nation’s…
Since his days as Nigeria’s minister of Petroleum and later as Head of State, then General Muhammadu Buhari’s life long ambition has been to have the four country’s refineries operate at installed capacity and make Nigerians enjoy the God given gifts of all petroleum products without hitches. However, due to PMB’s foresight and unflinching committment, he tried hard through thick and thin to ensure availability of all the refineries’ products to flood the Nigerian markets at affordable prices. That was however not to be due to a number of bureaucratic bottlenecks. Fortunately, respite began to manifest itself during hus second…
At 81, former President Muhammadu Buhari is in all ramifications a fulfilled man for the simple reason that he successfully steered the affairs of his country twice as a military Head of State and a civilian democratically elected President of Nigeria full of integrity and patriotism in the service of the country and humanity. Globally acknowledged as the best President Nigeria has ever had so far, PMB as all Buharists and well meaning Nigerians call him even after leaving office, is no doubt an elder statesman of repute and a leader who has made his indelible mark in the history…
I find the almost one hour interview by Nigeria Television Authority, NTA recently with the immediate former President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR as not only timely but also once more an opportunity that reminds us of his deep sense of humour, patriotism and nationalism to his fatherland. In his usual frank, bold and philosophical response to questions put to him by his interviewer, Thelca Wilkue, a presenter/producer with the NTA in an exclusive interview tagged “conversation with history” in his modest home in Daura, Katsina State, he bares it all in his usual down to earth and ever relaxed…
It is public knowledge that the Nigeria-Morocco 5,600km Gas Pipeline, NMGP, most of which would be built offshore, would be connected to the existing Maghreb-Europe pipeline between Morocco and Spain — and the parallel hydrogen pipe would also be connected to Europe. It would also make use of existing gas pipelines between Nigeria and Ghana. Facts have emerged that this pipeline will carry gas from Nigeria to Morocco (and Europe), running across 11 West African countries. It will be recalled that the agreement for the Nigeria-Morocco Gas Pipeline project was originally signed by the two countries when President Buhari paid…
The Ajaokuta–Kaduna–Kano, alias AKK gas project is a 40 inch×614km-long pipeline being developed by the then Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC to transport natural gas from Southern to Northern Nigeria. The $2.8bn AKK natural gas pipeline project being constructed by the Federal Government through the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited and its partners, which is at 80% completion, would be delivered and come on stream by December 2024. The NNPC said the AKK gas pipeline and stations project was a flagship project that would further deepen the integration of the Northern region of the country with the Niger Delta and…
After almost six years of legal engagement, Nigeria has finally succeeded in halting the enforcement that would have cost the Nigerian government $11 billion being arbitration award in favour of Process and Industrial Development, P&ID. This walk over against the company did not come to all patriotic Nigerians as a surprise. As a background, in 2017 an arbitration tribunal ordered Nigeria to pay $6.6 billion to P&ID following the collapse of a contract between the group and Nigeria’s petroleum ministry. The award increased to $11 billion with interest. Last week’s judgment delivered by Robin Knowles, a Justice of the Commercial…
Disturbed by the trend of increasing number of people living in extreme poverty which began in 2013, former President Buhari quickly moved into action by strategically putting in place two key policies of a national social investment programme and a national food security plan to boost farming activities by intriducing an Anchor borrower’s orogramme ained at making it easier for farmers to grow more food and producers to process the farm produce. The Global Food Security Index, GFSI rank of Nigeria has been on the increase since 2013 and regretably the then national government did nothing to address the challenge.…
ABDULLAHI MUSA, a public, social policy analyst, writes from Area 11, Abuja The creation of the Ministry of Humanitarian affairs, disaster management and social development by President Muhammadu Buhari in August 2019 saw the birth of the National Social Investment Programme, NSIP under the leadership of its pioneer Minister, Hon. Sadia Umar Farouq. NSIP, as a project that was created to change the lives of millions of Nigerians living in extreme poverty, upgrade their standard of living and improve the economy of the country, has gone a long way in achieving its objective of establishment. Undoubtedly, the National Social…
Mischievously and shamelessly too, Osita Benjamin Chidoka, former Aviation Minister was recently on air saying that former President Buhari has ‘ruined security architecture through nepotism’. What else could be further from the truth. According to Osita Chidoka, former President Muhammadu Buhari caused a massive breakdown of security architecture in Nigeria through nepotistic appointment of service chiefs. Though not holding brief for the former President, my conclusion is that PMB has done more in securing this country than any of the former 3 PDP Presidents the country had since our return to democracy on 29th May, 1999. A careful look at…
Spokesman to Former President Muhammadu Buhari, Mallam Garba Shehu in a recent treatise titled ‘one hundred days after Buhari’, undoubtedly summed it up as an abridged highlight of the success story of PMB’s eight years governance of the country from May 29, 2015- May 29, 2023. There isn’t any ambiguity in the fact that PMB’s decision to relocate to Daura, his home town in Katsina state, is deliberate and strategic. It is also quite significant, cogent and down to for PMB to embark on a temporary ‘Hijrah’ to his beloved ancient Bayajidda city for obvious reasons. Simply put, PMB’s reasoning…
FIRS’s Progressive And Impressive Tax Collection Deserves Commendation It is not in doubt that the FIRS Executive Chairman, Muhammad Mamman Nami is set to write his name and that of FIRS in gold. Since coming on board as FIRS ‘s CEO, Nami has proved his mettle, his worth and an asset to the country. Newspaper reports recently were awash with another unprecedented achievement by FIRS in tax collection which indicated that it raked in a total tax revenue collection of N5.5 trillion for the half-year period of January to June 2023. This is the highest tax revenue collection ever recorded…
Nigerians Voted For Fuel Subsidy Removal By the time President Bola Ahmed Tinubu reiterated, in his Inauguration Speech on Monday, May 29, 2023, that the end has come to Nigeria’s longstanding subsidy regime, it had become clear that it truly was time to close that chapter for good. To its credit, the Administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari had already set in motion the steps for a post-subsidy regime in Nigeria, with the historic Presidential Assent to the long-overdue Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), the ongoing total overhaul of Port Harcourt and Warri Refineries, and the significant government support provided to…
Reading Reuben Abati’s May 2 article about Nigerians in Sudan, drove home again for me that many Nigerian journalists need a masterclass in how not to denigrate their country falsely and needlessly, and downplay its positive attributes and commendable action. So much of that article feels like a desperate attempt to denigrate Nigeria by unfairly and inaccurately comparing her with other countries, who all happen to be stuck in the same situation as Nigeria, and have been struggling in the same way to figure out what to do about evacuations in a war situation filled with so much uncertainty and…
The 2nd Heads of State and Governments of Sahel Region Climate Commission, SRCC at the 36th African Union, AU Summit held this month in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia has come and gone, but its memories will continue to raise issues of concern, and discussions, in the continent and beyond. One vital issue that has continued to attract attention globally is the “Sahel Climate Fund” as the financial body of the Sahel Region Climate Commission, SRCC. SRCC is one of the three climate Commissions for Africa created in Marrakech, Morocco in 2016 at the Summit of African Heads of State and Governments,…
Steadily and successfully, Nigeria is moving faster than what most people anticipated in the area of improving and diversifying its revenue base and exporting its products to the world market. Prior to the coming of the President Buhari administration in 2015, Nigeria depended largely on meeting its Sugar needs through importation. This implies that the industry has been comatose before the arrival of its messiah in 2015. It is not an exageration to say that Nigeria had spent so much of its foreign reserve on financing Sugar importation over the years due to the failure of previous governments to patriotically…
History was made in Nouakchott, Islamic Republic of Mauritania on Tuesday, January 18th 2023, when President Muhammadu Buhari received the ‘African Award for Strengthening Peace’ bestowed on him by an assembly of African leaders under the auspices of Abu Dhabi Peace Forum. The Special Adviser to President Buhari on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina had said in a statement before the event that President Buhari wass being honoured for his “leadership role in promoting peace on the continent, through regular interventions, counsels and conciliatory position.” The Abu Dhabi Peace Forum was established in 2014 to pursue new ways to embrace…
Like dream like dream, like play like play, prospecting for oil in the desert North Eastern States of Bauchi and Gombe has become a stark reality. Tuesday November 22, 2022, this was the day President Muhammadu Buhari officially flagged off oil activities at Kolmani River site, better referred to as Kolmani Integrated Development Project. Kolmani field is located in Barambu village in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State which borders Gombe State. Most Nigerians see this development as very positive to the country’s economic development. Kolmani oil field has proudly broken the jinx by the confirmation of huge commercial…
There’s no doubting the fact that President Buhari’s administration is on record as being the first to consciously determine to address Nigeria’s perennially low ranking in global ease of doing business (EDB) and competitive ratings. This was also acknowledging the inevitability of taking composite reform actions to significantly improve Nigeria’s EDB rankings in the global business world. In pursuance of the declared goal to improve Nigeria’s EDB ratings, President Buhari inaugurated the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC) chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo in July 2016 to make recommendations on institutional reforms to promote Nigeria’s investment attractiveness. In February…
