Argentina ex-international Hernán Jorge Crespo has declared the Super Eagles football playing maestro Austin Okocha as the greatest Nigeria had ever produced.
He said: “I think the greatest player so far in Nigeria was Austin Okocha,” at an interactive session with news men when he arrived in Lagos, his first visit to Nigeria on the invitation of Heineken Group.
Crespo along with Nigeria’s ex-internationals, Taribo West, Augustine Eguavon, Mutiu Adepoju and Samson Siasia, was invited by Heineken for an interactive session with newsmen in Lagos.
Crespo attributed the success of his over 18 years football career to respect for others which, he said, was one of the fundamental values of life.
“As a young player, I love the game of football but one fundamental thing I learnt along the way was respect for the game, my team mates and fans of football.
“As I grew older in football, I also learnt that it was very important to respect my opponents as well; indeed, it has been a worthwhile experience for me.
“I am in Nigeria because I want to have the opportunity to meet people, to support my passion and most importantly support Heineken and their vision for the UEFA Champions League,’’ He said.
Crespo said that he would never forget playing against Nigeria’s ex-internationals, especially against hard tackling Taribo West and Celestine Babayaro, who were his team mates at Inter Milan and Chelsea, respectively.
“In my career I met a lot of players I had respect for and I would never forget players like West, Babayaro, Emmanuel Amunike, Daniel Amokachie, Sunday Oliseh and George Finidi.
With over 300 goals during his career, Crespo was regarded as one of the deadliest striker ever in the history of European and World football.
He played for Argentinian club side River Plate and Italian sides such as Parma, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Genoa and Lazio.
He won the 2005 English Premiership League title with Chelsea FC of England, among other laurels.
While in Nigeria, Crespo is set to share the drama of Heineken-sponsored UEFA Champions League Final between Real Madrid and Liverpool with Lagos fans Saturdaynight.
There are strong indications that 58 year old Maurizio Sarri is warming up to become the new manager of Chelsea Football Club following talks with the Italian manager in London.
Sarri was replaced by Carlo Ancelotti as Napoli manager in the course of the week and flew into London on Friday to engage in negotiations with the London club over a two-year contract. He is being appointed to replace Antonio Conte who is set to leave the club.
Conte has a year left in his initial contract and it is believed that it will cost Chelsea £9m to sack the Italian, who has refused to quit the club despite the speculations over his future.
Ethiopia has pardoned Andargachew Tsige, an opposition leader with British citizenship who had been sentenced to death. He was sentenced to death in absentia in 2009 over his role in the opposition group Ginbot 7, leading to his arrest in Yemen five years later and extradition to Ethiopia.
Andargachew served as secretary-general of the anti-government group, which describes itself as a reform movement but is branded a terrorist organization by Addis Ababa.
Attorney General Berhanu Tsegaye said that Andargachew has been pardoned “under special circumstances” along with 575 other inmates.
The decisions were made with the “intention of widening political space,” the attorney general told reporters in the capital, Addis Ababa. Andargachew is expected to be released within the next two days.
Thousands of prisoners, including several senior opposition leaders, have been freed since January having been accused of a variety of charges such as terrorism or incitement to topple the government.
The pardons are part of reforms that the government has pledged to undertake after violent unrest broke out three years ago, sparked by an urban development plan for Addis Ababa that critics said would trigger land seizures in the surrounding Oromiya region.
The protests broadened into rallies over political rights, leading to the resignation of Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn in February. He has since been replaced by former army officer Abiy Ahmed.
Ethiopia last carried out an execution in 2007, a rare move against a military officer convicted of killing a former head of security and immigration.
Ginbot 7 is among five groups Addis Ababa has blacklisted under anti-terror legislation, alongside the secessionist groups Oromo Liberation Front and the Ogaden National Liberation Front, as well as al Qaeda and Somalia’s al Shabaab.
Last week, the government and an exiled opposition party from Oromiya opened talks with the aim of enabling it to return to the political fold.
The Oromo Democratic Front (ODF) was formed in 2013 by former members of the Oromo Liberation Front and seeks self-determination for ethnic Oromos, Ethiopia’s largest ethnic group. Its leaders have been living in exile.
The Bishop of the Diocese of Ekiti State, the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Rt. Rev. Christopher Omotunde, has asked politicians whay they must kill others just for the purpose of winning elections when they too will die.
The Bishop, who spoke at the funeral service in honour of the late Mrs. Comfort Aduke Ogunleye, at the Cathedral Church of Emmanuel, Okesa, Ado-Ekiti said: “if you become president, governors, senators or whichever high position you might get to, the ultimate is that you will die one day. So, why killing to win election or get positions of influences? All is vanity.”
“You don’t have to be desperate in life but to use their time on earth for the service of God and fellow human beings.
“If you are here and you don’t spare a thought for the day of death, you are a fool. If you have thousands of clothes at home, only one will be used to bury you.
“If you swindle to acquire wealth, embezzle money to build mansions, doctor records in office, you are not taking them to heaven, they will all be left behind here.
“No matter how beautiful your mansion is, when you die, you will not be buried inside of it. The best your children will give to you is to bury you outside your house.
“When you die, all your belongings will be shared without your input. All the positions and offices you are holding tight unto will soon be taken away from you.
“In fact, when an office holder dies in Nigeria, people will be struggling to take over his seat even when his mourning has not been concluded.”
Bishop Omotunde advised Nigerians to stop the pursuit of vanity because “nobody can take his wealth, power, fame and property out of this world when he dies.”
He advised the children of the deceased not to depart from the legacies of prayer, dedication and service to God handed to them by their late mum.
The deceased, who died on January 19, was the mother-in-law of the Bishop of the Diocese of Ekiti West, the Rt. Rev. Rufus Adepoju.
One of the notable features of the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration in the last three years is the re-establishment of Nigeria’s leadership position in Africa and its values to the world.
So, when he was appointed as Anti-Corruption Champion for the year 2018 during the 29th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, it came as no surprise to observers.
For his position in featuring good leadership in Africa, the African leaders also unanimously endorsed Nigeria to champion the fight against corruption in the African Union.
They were convinced that the endorsement of Nigeria was in recognition of Buhari’s administration’s demonstrable commitment and glowing success in the fight against corruption.
Also, Nigeria’s prominent participation in the Anti-Corruption Summit and the Commonwealth Conference on Tackling Corruption in May 2016 in London had yielded positive results globally.
Major outcomes of events are the establishment of a Global Forum for Asset Recovery, hosted by the governments of the U.S. and UK in December 2017; and focusing on assisting Nigeria and three other countries to reclaim their stolen assets.
At the event, Buhari signed an agreement with the UK on modalities for the return of Nigeria’s stolen assets in the UK.
Similarly, Nigeria joined the Open Government Partnership and developed a National Action Plan which is already being implemented.
Apart from the agreement with UK in 2016, Nigeria also signed an agreement on the identification and repatriation of illicit funds with the United Arab Emirates during his visit to that country, the presidency said.
It said that so far, the Swiss government has repatriated 322 million dollars looted by a past leader and the amount is in a special account in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said that the Buhari-led government had succeeded in abolishing grand corruption at the top as attested to by the President Donald Trump of U.S.
He observed that the government had significantly brought down the level of corruption in the whole country.
“Many, who are discerning, would have read this from Buhari’s speech when he inaugurated the impressive new headquarters building of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“He narrated how and why he was overthrown as a military Head of State in the 80s; and in that speech, he said that he was kicked out because he fought corruption and those who took power freed all those that he had jailed, returning whatever they stole to them,’’ he said.
“Buhari also said at the inauguration of EFCC head office building that the building was another milestone in his determined and collective fight against corruption, acknowledging that since 2015, his administration had made significant progress in the fight against corruption.
“Everyone now knows that corrupt officials will be held to account, no matter how long it takes; we have recovered and are still recovering trillions of naira that were stolen in the past few years by people without conscience.
“We are pursuing recoveries everywhere and are making sure that anyone who has been found culpable is made to answer for his or her crime under the law,’’ he said.
He, however, noted that “the war of corruption is not an easy one to fight, because it affects so many different branches of our lives, so much so that some people do not even consider breaking trust is anymore a crime.
“It has become the norm. That is why we must fight this attitude and encourage Nigerians to change their attitudes and perspectives.’’
Shehu said that as part of deliberate efforts to enhance the image of Nigeria globally, the fragile, nearly broken relations with the U.S., UK, South Africa and neighbouring countries, such as Chad, Republic of Niger and Cameroon, had been strengthened since June 2015.
According to the presidency, the present administration has mobilised international support for the War against Boko Haram and developed strong partnerships with key countries in the fight.
“The U.S. has finally agreed to sell weapons to Nigeria and the sale of 12 Super Tucano Aircraft by the U.S. Government to Nigeria has just been finalised.
“The Buhari’s administration has revamped the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) comprising troops from Nigeria and Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin which has contributed significantly to the weakening of Boko Haram insurgency,’’ the presidency said.
It noted further oil prices rose to 55 dollars per barrel for the first time in 16 months, following the successful negotiation of an exemption from the OPEC production freeze agreed at the 171st OPEC Ministerial conference in Vienna.
According to the presidency, the present administration has successfully launched a renewed cooperation in the areas of security, agriculture and anti-corruption with a member of friendly countries including the U.S., China, Morocco, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates, among others.
On rail transportation, Shehu said that Buhari’s recent official visit to China had unlocked billions of dollars in infrastructure funding primarily for road and rail projects.
He also said that the visit brought to reality the currency swap agreement between the Peoples Bank of China and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“The Chinese government is currently investing billions of dollars in concessional infrastructure funding for critical road and rail projects.
“All trains and coaches are being modernised by the Chinese; new standard railway tracks are being laid linking Ibadan and Lagos.
“Kaduna-Abuja, partly completed when President Buhari took over, is now in use and contracts for the entire stretch, Lagos-Kano have been awarded.
“Lagos-Port Harcourt will follow and by the presidential directive, all state capitals are to be linked by the new, standard gauge railway,’’ he said.
The presidency further notes that the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative, that involves a partnership with Morocco for the supply of phosphate, has resulted in the revitalisation of 11 blending plants across the country.
It says the economy has witnessed significant growth and consolidation after the recession of 2016 and 2017 as the economy recorded 1.9 per cent Gross Domestic Product growth in the first quarter of 2018.
“Inflation has fallen for the fifteenth consecutive month, while External Reserves are at their highest levels in five years and double the size as of October 2016.
“Nigeria’s Stock Market ended 2017 as one of the best-performing in the world, with returns of about 40 per cent.
“Records made available by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning has shown that five million new taxpayers had been added to the Tax Base since 2016 as part of efforts to diversify Federal Government revenues.
“It shows that tax revenue increased to N1.17 trillion in first quarter of 2018, a 51per cent increase when compared with what obtained on the first quarter of 2017 figure,’’ the presidency said.
Shehu observed further that last three years of the Buhari administration also witnessed the contribution of Solid Minerals to the Federation Account which tripled from N700 million in 2015 to N2 billion in 2016 and rose to N3.5 billion in 2017.
“Also, the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), the Federal Government’s medium-term Economic Plan, was launched in April 2017.
“It charts a course for the Nigerian economy over the next four years (2017-2020) to restore economic growth, invest in Nigerians and to build a globally competitive economy, among others.
He said further that to fast-track the implementation of the ERGP, the Federal Government inaugurated the ERGP Focus Labs to unlock medium-scale and large-scale investment projects held back by bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“The just-concluded Phase I of the ERGP Focus Labs identified projects worth about 10 billion dollars for fast-tracking and the bottlenecks holding them back are now being resolved,’’ he said.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udu Udoma on May 23, said that he updated members of the Federal Executive Council meeting on the positive developments being recorded by the nation’s economy.
He said that the council was impressed and encouraged by the report which showed a GDP growth rate of 1.95 per cent.
Similarly, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogheh, said that Nigeria’s rice import from Thailand had drastically dropped by more than 95 per cent and thereby saving the country billions of dollars from the importation of the commodity.
Besides, these developments, concerned citizens observed that the 2018 budget which was raised to N9.1 trillion by the National Assembly with additional N501 billion was transmitted to President Buhari for his assent.
The senate increased the 2018 budget from N8.612 trillion as proposed by Buhari to N9.12 trillion while the crude oil benchmark price of the budget was also increased from 45 dollars to 50.5 dollars.
They, therefore, believe that significant implementation of the 2018 budget will witness increase in government spending in infrastructure, observing that with the 2017 appropriation budget which is about to lapse, government’s capital spending will hit N1.5 trillion.
Ismaila Chafe if of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello has approved the release of N700 million for the payment of retirement benefits of 75 workers in Federal Capital Development Authority (FCDA) who retired in 2004.
The Permanent Secretary of the FCT, Chinyeaka Ohaa, who announced at the sign off ceremony on the resolution of 2004 FCDA retirees matter while receiving the retirees, said that the entitlements of the 75 beneficiaries would be paid directly into their accounts within two weeks.
The resolution of the matter, which has been a subject of litigation, has been stalled for fourteen years running, causing the affected officers all forms of hardship.
The minister has to use the Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) window to resolve the 14 year old dispute.
Ohaa said: “the minister has graciously agreed to bring your challenges to an end, by giving human face to your issue.”
Earlier, the Chairman of the 2004 retirees, Engineer Audu Umar said that the sign off ceremony is an indication that the present leadership of the FCT Administration is indeed different and poised to address issues bothering on staff welfare.
He appealed to the minister to grant long service award to the affected staff in view of their meritorious service to the nation.
Minister o the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello and Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubkakar Sani Bello have moved to resolve the lingering border disputes between communities in Niger State and the Federal Capital Territory.
At a joint press conference today, Friday, the minister said that Abuja is a creation of law and that the issues about its boundary are clearly stated in the laws of the land.
Malam Musa Bello recalled that the easiest way out of the situation is to reactivate various institutional frameworks set up to deal with such matters, adding that such a committee should be headed by very senior officials.
He suggested such committee could be made up of Secretary to the Niger State Government or the FCT Permanent Secretary, including all relevant officers of both administrations.
According to the minister, the committee should liaise with relevant Federal Government agencies like the National Boundary Commission with a view to working out a permanent solution to the issues.
The minister expressed readiness to remit all Pay As You Earn (PAYE) taxes due to Suleja from workers who reside in Suleja but work in Abuja, saying that FCT is always prepared to act in tandem with the provisions of the laws.
Malam Musa Bello called on the local council officials of the border communities to rise up to the challenge of combating the menace of filth in the Zuba-Madalla axis, as well as the encroachment of traders on the Madalla end of the Abuja –Kaduna Highway.
He noted that the road has become so congested that it is now a serious obstruction to traffic and posing a severe risk to life and property even as he directed the Coordinator, Abuja Metropolitan Management Council (AMMC), TPl Umar Shuaibu to set machinery in motion to reclaim the road and the adjoining shoulders.
Governor Abubakar Sani Bello also said that he was in Abuja in the quest for a peaceful resolution of the lingering border dispute between the two territories in Dakwa and Tafa Local Governments of Niger State as well as Gwagwalada and Bwari Area Councils of FCT.
He noted that all the four council areas have continued to lay claims to the various disputed pieces of land and that there was need to deal with the matter in an amicable way.
He directed that all developments on the disputed areas as well as allocations by both local councils in the affected communities be suspended pending the resolution of which local councils own the various parcels of land.
Governor Bello said that there was the issue of waste management, especially in Zuba – Madalla stretch and the issue of PAYE tax remittances due to Suleja Local Government from officers working in Abuja but residing in Suleja.
He said that the Chairman of Tafa Local Government would need the support of the FCT Administration in dealing with environmental sanitation and waste management in the area as facilities in Suleja are over stretched as a result of FCT workers.
The Bauchi State Governor, Mohammed Abubakar has attributed the spate of resignation by his aides to his determination to effect positive change in the way things were being done before, which he said ‘is very very difficult for people to accept.’
“If you think you can’t go at my pace, you stay and if you can’t go at my pace you resign.”
The governor, who spoke to news men at the Presidential Villa shortly after conferring with President Muhammadu Buhari, said: “people are used to a certain way of doing business and I have come to change that way of doing business. Because that way (of corruption) was destroying Bauchi State. So, we had to put a stop to it; we had to bring Bauchi state out of the dungeon.”
Referring to the recent resignation of his deputy in particular, the governor said that his letter from him did not indicate anything bad that transpired between the deputy governor and him.
He said that in the final paragraph, his deputy stressed that he remained loyal to his leader and his brother and that in his response, he eulogized him and wished him the best in his future endeavour and assured him of the support of the good people of Bauchi State.
“There was no problem whatsoever.
Governor Abubakar said that his working relation with his deputy was so cordial that for the two time he had gone a vacation since he became governor, he had always made him acting governor.
“Go to the House of Assembly and check. I went on official leave twice since I took over and each time I transmitted a letter to the House of Assembly making him the acting governor of Bauchi. I gave him the most important ministry; ministry of education where I have been allocating the largest share of the budget of Bauchi state since 2008.
“So, we had the most fantastic working relationship. In his words and you can ask him, he has said several times that he is the most pampered deputy governor in Nigeria.”
Former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, has called on the Federal Government and its relevant agencies to come to the aid of scores of persons affected by cholera outbreak in Mubi, Adamawa State and Wulari settlement in the Kumbotso Local Government Area of Kano State.
The former Vice President who made the call today, Friday against the backdrop of the death of 12 persons already from the scourge of the disease in Mubi and four in Kano, asked for take expedite action by coming to the aid of those infected and stop the spread of the disease before it gets deadlier.
In a statement by his media office, the former Vice President regretted the deaths that have occurred since the outbreak of the disease, even as he called on Nigerians, especially in the affected regions to be on high alert and make it a priority to observe personal and environmental hygiene.
Atiku, who is also the Waziri Adamawa, reminded that an operation centre has also been set up in Mubi General Hospital where all suspected cases should be reported to. The numbers are 08031230359 and 07080601139.
President Muhammadu Buhari has made it clear that as democratically elected President he is not as powerful as when he was military head of state. The President who hosted female law makers at the presidential Villa today, Friday remarked “I am not as powerful as you think”. He said that the idea of deciding who should be Vice president could only be made by a military head of state, adding that he had since dropped the uniform. President Buhari expressed appreciation to Nigerian women for the support they gave him in the four times he ran for presidency. He recalled reports he received during elections in which women in Labour queue to vote for him. He asked the delegation to take a message to their colleagues to extend the same support since he has declared to seek for second term. Earlier speaking on behalf of the Female Parliamentarians, made up of elected lawmakers from the nation’s 36 states, Elizabeth Ativie said that Nigerian Women are being marginalized by their male counterparts. She said that the country only had one principal officer in each of the two chambers of the National Assembly since the return to democracy in 1999. According to her, anything he said at the gathering as President would become policy and subsequently law, adding: “whenever the president is a man, the Vice President should be a woman.” Ativie said that for every three senatorial seats in the states, one should be a woman, saying: “where there are nine House of Reps members, the men should take six and leave three for women.”
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
Minister o the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Malam Muhammad Musa Bello and Niger State Governor, Alhaji Abubkakar Sani Bello have moved to resolve the lingering border disputes between communities in Niger State and the Federal Capital Territory.
Landmarks Of Buhari Administration, By Ismaila Chafe
So, when he was appointed as Anti-Corruption Champion for the year 2018 during the 29th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of African Union (AU) in Addis Ababa, it came as no surprise to observers.
For his position in featuring good leadership in Africa, the African leaders also unanimously endorsed Nigeria to champion the fight against corruption in the African Union.
They were convinced that the endorsement of Nigeria was in recognition of Buhari’s administration’s demonstrable commitment and glowing success in the fight against corruption.
Also, Nigeria’s prominent participation in the Anti-Corruption Summit and the Commonwealth Conference on Tackling Corruption in May 2016 in London had yielded positive results globally.
Major outcomes of events are the establishment of a Global Forum for Asset Recovery, hosted by the governments of the U.S. and UK in December 2017; and focusing on assisting Nigeria and three other countries to reclaim their stolen assets.
At the event, Buhari signed an agreement with the UK on modalities for the return of Nigeria’s stolen assets in the UK.
Similarly, Nigeria joined the Open Government Partnership and developed a National Action Plan which is already being implemented.
Apart from the agreement with UK in 2016, Nigeria also signed an agreement on the identification and repatriation of illicit funds with the United Arab Emirates during his visit to that country, the presidency said.
It said that so far, the Swiss government has repatriated 322 million dollars looted by a past leader and the amount is in a special account in the Central Bank of Nigeria.
Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, said that the Buhari-led government had succeeded in abolishing grand corruption at the top as attested to by the President Donald Trump of U.S.
He observed that the government had significantly brought down the level of corruption in the whole country.
“Many, who are discerning, would have read this from Buhari’s speech when he inaugurated the impressive new headquarters building of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
“He narrated how and why he was overthrown as a military Head of State in the 80s; and in that speech, he said that he was kicked out because he fought corruption and those who took power freed all those that he had jailed, returning whatever they stole to them,’’ he said.
“Buhari also said at the inauguration of EFCC head office building that the building was another milestone in his determined and collective fight against corruption, acknowledging that since 2015, his administration had made significant progress in the fight against corruption.
“Everyone now knows that corrupt officials will be held to account, no matter how long it takes; we have recovered and are still recovering trillions of naira that were stolen in the past few years by people without conscience.
“We are pursuing recoveries everywhere and are making sure that anyone who has been found culpable is made to answer for his or her crime under the law,’’ he said.
He, however, noted that “the war of corruption is not an easy one to fight, because it affects so many different branches of our lives, so much so that some people do not even consider breaking trust is anymore a crime.
“It has become the norm. That is why we must fight this attitude and encourage Nigerians to change their attitudes and perspectives.’’
Shehu said that as part of deliberate efforts to enhance the image of Nigeria globally, the fragile, nearly broken relations with the U.S., UK, South Africa and neighbouring countries, such as Chad, Republic of Niger and Cameroon, had been strengthened since June 2015.
According to the presidency, the present administration has mobilised international support for the War against Boko Haram and developed strong partnerships with key countries in the fight.
“The U.S. has finally agreed to sell weapons to Nigeria and the sale of 12 Super Tucano Aircraft by the U.S. Government to Nigeria has just been finalised.
“The Buhari’s administration has revamped the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF) comprising troops from Nigeria and Chad, Niger, Cameroon and Benin which has contributed significantly to the weakening of Boko Haram insurgency,’’ the presidency said.
It noted further oil prices rose to 55 dollars per barrel for the first time in 16 months, following the successful negotiation of an exemption from the OPEC production freeze agreed at the 171st OPEC Ministerial conference in Vienna.
According to the presidency, the present administration has successfully launched a renewed cooperation in the areas of security, agriculture and anti-corruption with a member of friendly countries including the U.S., China, Morocco, Switzerland and United Arab Emirates, among others.
On rail transportation, Shehu said that Buhari’s recent official visit to China had unlocked billions of dollars in infrastructure funding primarily for road and rail projects.
He also said that the visit brought to reality the currency swap agreement between the Peoples Bank of China and the Central Bank of Nigeria.
“The Chinese government is currently investing billions of dollars in concessional infrastructure funding for critical road and rail projects.
“All trains and coaches are being modernised by the Chinese; new standard railway tracks are being laid linking Ibadan and Lagos.
“Kaduna-Abuja, partly completed when President Buhari took over, is now in use and contracts for the entire stretch, Lagos-Kano have been awarded.
“Lagos-Port Harcourt will follow and by the presidential directive, all state capitals are to be linked by the new, standard gauge railway,’’ he said.
The presidency further notes that the Presidential Fertiliser Initiative, that involves a partnership with Morocco for the supply of phosphate, has resulted in the revitalisation of 11 blending plants across the country.
It says the economy has witnessed significant growth and consolidation after the recession of 2016 and 2017 as the economy recorded 1.9 per cent Gross Domestic Product growth in the first quarter of 2018.
“Inflation has fallen for the fifteenth consecutive month, while External Reserves are at their highest levels in five years and double the size as of October 2016.
“Nigeria’s Stock Market ended 2017 as one of the best-performing in the world, with returns of about 40 per cent.
“Records made available by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning has shown that five million new taxpayers had been added to the Tax Base since 2016 as part of efforts to diversify Federal Government revenues.
“It shows that tax revenue increased to N1.17 trillion in first quarter of 2018, a 51per cent increase when compared with what obtained on the first quarter of 2017 figure,’’ the presidency said.
Shehu observed further that last three years of the Buhari administration also witnessed the contribution of Solid Minerals to the Federation Account which tripled from N700 million in 2015 to N2 billion in 2016 and rose to N3.5 billion in 2017.
“Also, the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP), the Federal Government’s medium-term Economic Plan, was launched in April 2017.
“It charts a course for the Nigerian economy over the next four years (2017-2020) to restore economic growth, invest in Nigerians and to build a globally competitive economy, among others.
He said further that to fast-track the implementation of the ERGP, the Federal Government inaugurated the ERGP Focus Labs to unlock medium-scale and large-scale investment projects held back by bureaucratic bottlenecks.
“The just-concluded Phase I of the ERGP Focus Labs identified projects worth about 10 billion dollars for fast-tracking and the bottlenecks holding them back are now being resolved,’’ he said.
The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Sen. Udoma Udu Udoma on May 23, said that he updated members of the Federal Executive Council meeting on the positive developments being recorded by the nation’s economy.
He said that the council was impressed and encouraged by the report which showed a GDP growth rate of 1.95 per cent.
Similarly, the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogheh, said that Nigeria’s rice import from Thailand had drastically dropped by more than 95 per cent and thereby saving the country billions of dollars from the importation of the commodity.
Besides, these developments, concerned citizens observed that the 2018 budget which was raised to N9.1 trillion by the National Assembly with additional N501 billion was transmitted to President Buhari for his assent.
The senate increased the 2018 budget from N8.612 trillion as proposed by Buhari to N9.12 trillion while the crude oil benchmark price of the budget was also increased from 45 dollars to 50.5 dollars.
They, therefore, believe that significant implementation of the 2018 budget will witness increase in government spending in infrastructure, observing that with the 2017 appropriation budget which is about to lapse, government’s capital spending will hit N1.5 trillion.
Ismaila Chafe if of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)