Nigeria “ll partner Japan on technology – Buhari

ABUJA – President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday said that Nigeria and Japan will partner in the area of manufacturing, science and technology to boost job creation.

Buhari also promised that Nigeria will assist Burkina Faso to achieve fair, free and credible elections in October.

The pledge to work with the Japanese government came during a presentation of letter credence to the president by a new Japanese Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Sadanobu Kusaoke at the presidential villa in Abuja.

Speaking during the ceremony, president Buhari said his administration would create the enabling environment for economic activities to thrive in Nigeria.

The President told Mr. Kusaoke that his administration will particularly welcome more trade and economic cooperation with Japan in the manufacturing, technology and agricultural sectors.

“I was very impressed with the role your Prime Minister played at our talks with G-7 leaders in Germany. He had a deep understanding of the challenge in the North-East of Nigeria and how it is affecting our economy.

“We look forward to a stronger partnership with your country in many areas, especially in technology, which is now the major driver of job creation across the world today,’’ President 

Buhari told the new Japanese ambassador who was at the Presidential Villa to present his letters of credence”, he said.

The President also received the letters of credence of the new Ambassador of Ukraine, Dr. Valerii Aleksandruk and the new High Commissioner of Pakistan, Lt.- Gen. Agha Muhammed Umer Farooq who assured President Buhari of a good working relationship between Nigeria and their respective countries.

On a similar note, president Buhari at another meeting with the visiting Burkina Faso’s Minister of Housing and Urban Development, Mr Rene Bagoro who came to Nigeria as a special envoy of the transitional President of Burkina Faso, Mr. Michel Kafando promised to help the country achieve a credible presidential election in October.

“I am aware that ECOWAS is providing logistics support and some form of electoral assistance to Burkina Faso. Nigeria will provide its own support as soon as possible,’’ 

President Buhari assured Bagoro, who was in Abuja as a Special Envoy of the transitional President of Burkina Faso, Mr. Michel Kafando”, Buhari said.

Speaking with Journalists at the State House, Bagora emphasized the cordial relationship that existed between those countries, saying he was in the country to solicit Nigeria’s assistance in his country’s forthcoming elections.

President Buhari also received Niger Republic’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ms Aichatou Kane who delivered a special message from President Mahamadou Issoufou.

The message from the Nigerien leader and President Buhari’s discussion with the Foreign Minister focused on ongoing efforts to strengthen the Multinational Joint Task Force established to combat Boko Haram.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/nigeria-ll-partner-japan-on-technology-buhari

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Saraki condemns renewed Boko Haram attacks

Abuja – President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, has condemned renewed Boko Haram attacks in the North Eastern part of Nigeria in spite of the ongoing Ramadan.

This is contained in a statement signed by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Senate President, Mr Yusuph Olaniyonu in Abuja on Thursday.

It added that Saraki expressed displeasure over suicide attacks in Maiduguri when the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, was in Borno State for assessment of the situation of the internally displaced persons.

“It was really a sad day for me to learn that suicide bombers unleashed attack on the people on a day the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo visited Maiduguri.

It said it was a visit to the beleaguered families and communities whose lives and means of livelihoods, had been adversely affected by the barbaric acts of the insurgents.

“Boko Haram is not invincible. I have no doubt that the present administration possesses the requisite political will and determination to decisively fight the insurgents and restore security to affected areas.’’

He commended the military for their bravery so far but noted that Nigerians were eager to see a quick end to the carnage and bloodletting.

The President of the Senate also commiserated with the families of six school children who lost their lives in a boat mishap in Lagos.

He called on relevant agencies, including water transportation authorities and the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), to ensure that the bodies yet to be recovered were found.

“This incident, which is one too many, is another wake up call for officials charged with the regulation of water transportation across the country to turn up their prevention strategies.

“It is my firm commitment that the Senate and indeed the National Assembly under my leadership will continue to fashion appropriate legislation.

“This will be aimed at strengthening the capacity of the present administration to appropriately prevent and respond to life wasting emergencies such as we have just witnessed’’, Saraki said.

He urged Nigerians, especially the religious ones, to pray to God to continue to save the country from further calamities. 

(NAN)

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/saraki-condemns-renewed-boko-haram-attacks

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U.S. asks Switzerland to extradite 7 FIFA officials

Geneva – The U.S. has formally asked Switzerland to extradite the seven FIFA officials arrested in May for alleged corruption.

“On July 1, the U.S. embassy in Bern sent Switzerland formal extradition requests within the timeframe set down in the bilateral extradition treaty,’’ the Federal Office of Justice said in a statement.

The seven officials were arrested in Zurich on May 27, the first day of a FIFA Executive Congress.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/07/u-s-asks-switzerland-to-extradite-7-fifa-officials

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IGP deploys new commissioners of police to Lagos, Rivers, Ogun

The Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon E. Arase, has deployed new commissioners of police to Lagos, Rivers and Ogun states, according to a statement from the deputy Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Abayomi Shogunle.

“In line with the determination of the Inspector-General of Police, IGP Solomon E. Arase NPM, fdc, to inject fresh ideas in the security architecture in Lagos, Rivers and Ogun States, and some other Force Headquarters Formations. The IGP has ordered postings of new Commissioners of Police,” the statement reads

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Okonjo-Iweala to Oshiomhole: Your allegations baseless, I’m not afraid of Buhari

 The Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has reacted to the allegations raised by Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State.

Read her reply below:

OSHIOMHOLE’S BASELESS DIATRIBE AGAINST OKONJO-IWEALA

It is no surprise that a few days after the Federal Ministry of Finance published the details of what the Federal and State governments received from the Excess Crude Account over the past four years, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State has launched an attack against the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. His article “Economy: Okonjo-Iweala’s hidden figures” is full of gaping holes, both in facts and logic.

Obviously, for daring to publish how the ECA was shared and showing that governors who cannot pay salaries have no excuses, Okonjo-Iweala is being targeted. It is noteworthy that several of their colleagues have been able to manage their finances reasonably well under these same difficult circumstances.

The release of the ECA details has also demonstrated very clearly that there is no substance in the wild allegations that any money is missing from the account or that finances of the country under Okonjo-Iweala watch have not been well managed.

Like previous baseless allegations by some Governors, the motive behind Oshiomhole’s attack is clear: to deflect public attention away from the manner in which they have run the finances of their states and make Okonjo-Iweala the scapegoat. If it was meant to intimidate the Minister, it has failed abysmally.

How can Governor Oshiomhole claim that state governors were not properly briefed on the status of the ECA when his commissioner of finance attends all the FAAC meetings where decisions are taken and communicated to the nation?

This diversionary tactic will not succeed because Nigerians are too smart to buy into this fiction. Secondly, the Finance Ministry under Okonjo-Iweala, the Minister who started the practice of publishing details of allocations from the Federation Account to all the three tiers of government, has regularly furnished Nigerians with information on the country’s finances.

Governor Oshiomhole’s statement that Okonjo-Iweala “must disclose to the nation the full details of subsidy payments made to oil marketers in the last four years” is therefore astonishing given the fact that EVERY payment made to the marketers has been published in the media and widely disseminated through all news channels.

Oshiomhole’s allegation that Okonjo-Iweala has not been transparent is ridiculous and totally lacking in merit. Apart from the monthly publication of allocations to the federal, state and local governments, the Federal Ministry of Finance under Okonjo-Iweala also publishes SURE-P receipts and distribution to different tiers, details of payments to oil marketers and other information.

Has Governor Oshiomhole demonstrated the same level of openness in his management of the affairs of Edo State? Can Oshiomhole also go public with ALL the information showing what he has received from various sources and the uses to which he has deployed them?

Equally incomprehensible – for a supposedly smart Governor – is Oshiomhole’s claim that the CME has “just woken up from her slumber to realize that oil marketers have been all along falsifying subsidy claims and defrauding the nation of billions of Naira”. This statement underscores the extent to which he is willing to go in his desperation to tar Okonjo-Iweala. 

When she returned as Finance Minister in 2011, the outstanding fuel subsidy bill was about N1.3 trillion. It was the work done on subsidy fraud by the Aig-Imoukhuede Committee which the Minister set up, later elevated into a presidential panel that determined that over N300 billion of the amount was fraudulent. This eventually led to the prosecution of some persons for subsidy fraud and reduction of the annual subsidy budget to N791 billion, saving the country over a trillion naira in the process. Maybe it is His Excellency who was snoring while this was going on. Such baseless posturing only serves to diminish the credibility of Oshiomhole in the minds of objective Nigerians.

For the record, Dr. Okonjo-Iweala has no apologies for insisting that a claim of N159 billion for forex differentials by the marketers out of a total bill of N200 billion should go through an additional verification process. When 80% of a subsidy claim is made up of forex differentials and not the value of the amount of fuel supplied, the right and proper thing to do is to take extra steps to ensure that the country is not being cheated. That is what Okonjo-Iweala did.

Oshiomhole’s allegation that the Minister is involved in “an unholy alliance” with government agencies and the marketers is therefore manifestly untrue and totally irresponsible. How can a minister against whom the oil marketers have conducted a very public campaign of calumny be in league with them? A decent public official should not make such scurrilous and unsubstantiated statements.

The most laughable part of Oshiomhole’s article is the claim that Okonjo-Iweala has been speaking out lately because of the “fear of Buhari”. Nigerians know this is ridiculous. If there is any minister whose voice has been strong on the right issues over the past four years it is Okonjo-Iweala. Okonjo-Iweala combines a stalwart integrity, a mastery of her mandate and the courage of her convictions. She therefore has no reason to fear. Those who cannot adequately explain what they did with the resources of their states and are begging for bailout are those who should to be scared.

Paul C Nwabuikwu

Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister of the Economy and Minister of Finance

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2015/05/okonjo-iweala-to-oshiomhole-your-allegations-baseless-im-not-afraid-of-buhari

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