News
N10.6trn:FG Fires Back At Ezekwesili
The Federal Government, yesterday, reacted angrily to
comments by the former Minister of Education, Dr. Obiageli Ezekwesili alleging
that the governments of Presidents Musa Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan,
squandered $67 billion(about N10.6trn) in foreign reserves, describing the
allegation as “outlandish and clearly fictitious.”
Minister of Information, Mr Labaran Maku who addressed a
press conference on the allegations by the former Vice President of African
Region of the World Bank said the damning verdict passed on the education
sector by Mrs Ezekwesili was a self indictment, as she presided over the sector
without bringing any positive impact on it.
The Information Minister who was flanked by the Senior
Special Assistant on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin Okupe; Economic Adviser, Prof.
Nwanze Okedegbo and Special Adviser on Performance Monitoring, Prof. Sylvester
Monye; said the allegations of Ezekwesili were curious in the light of the fact
that she had been part of governance in the past.
According to Mr Maku, Ezekwesili’s criticism of the
education sector amounts to hypocrisy as she was part of the sector and
contributed to its sorry state, because , despite receiving N458.1billion
between 2006 and 2007 for the sector, there is nothing to show for it, in terms
of achievements.
The Minister said, “If she says education has not worked it
means she is saying she did not work”.
He accused the former Education minister of betraying a
surprisingly limited understanding of government finances in her comments at
Nsukka.
Information Minister, Mr. Labaran Maku flanked by the Senior
Special Assistant on Public Affairs to the President, Dr. Doyin Okupe and the
Special Adviser to the President, Projects Monitoring and Evaluation, Prof.
Sylvester Monye during the briefing on the nation’s external reserves at the
National Press Centre, Radio House, Abuja.
He noted: “These statements are even more curious in light
of the fact that she has held senior positions in government, and more
recently, a position as a Vice President of the World Bank. However, rather
than speculate about her motives, we would focus on the facts.
“The statement by the former World Bank Vice President that
the governments of Presidents Musa Yar’adua and Goodluck Jonathan have
squandered $67 billion in reserves (including $45 billion in external reserves
and $22 billion in the Excess Crude Account) left by the Obasanjo
Administration at the end of May 2007 is factually incorrect. At the end of May
2007, Nigeria’s gross reserves stood at $43.13 billion – comprising the CBN’s
external reserves of $31.5 billion, $9.43 billion in the Excess Crude Account,
and $2.18 billion in the Federal Government’s savings. These figures can be
independently verified from the CBN’s records. The figure of $67 billion
alleged in her statement is therefore clearly fictitious.
“However, since President Obasanjo left office, the reserves
have experienced fluctuations, rising from $43.13 billion in May 2007, peaking
at $62 billion in September 2008 during the Yar’adua/Jonathan Administration
when oil prices peaked at $147 per barrel, and falling subsequently to a low of
$31.7 in September 2011. This fall in reserves was a result of the vicissitudes
of the global financial crisis which caused CBN interventions in the currency
market to defend the value of the naira. The Excess Crude savings, a component
of the reserves, was also used to stimulate the economy at the height of the
global financial crisis to the tune of about $1 billion (or 0.5 percent of our
2009 GDP). As a result, Nigeria is one of the few countries in the world that
did not seek assistance from international financial institutions.
He said it should be noted that the fiscal stimulus used to
shore up the economy during that period was shared by all 3-tiers of
government, including commitments of about $5.5 billion made under the Obasanjo
Administration for power projects, he added.
She urged Nigerians, especially the youths, to take their
destiny in their hands by creating a new political context in which citizens
demand for good governance and accountability by compelling their leaders to be
accountable and transparent in the management of the commonwealth of Nigeria.
According to her, ‘endowment of oil resulted in an indulgent
elite class who have made disastrous choices that have trapped the destiny of
Nigeria in oil wells.
The former World Bank Vice President attributed the economic
stagnation in the country for over fifty years to such indulgence on the part
of the emerging ruling class.
‘The fact is that our political elite suffers from delusion
of greatness simply because we sell barrel of crude oil to finance 80% of our
national budget while over 95% of our foreign exchange ad petroleum sector
earning represents a larger portion of industry’s contribution to GDP”, she
lamented.
‘I have known, at least, five cycles of commodity booms that
offered us rare opportunities to use revenues generated from oil to transform
our economy. Sadly, each cycle ended up sliding us farther down the productive
ladder. The present cycle of boom of the 2010s is, however, much more vexing
that the other four that happened in the 70s, 80s 90s and 2000s, she added.
She challenged Nigerian university graduates and
undergraduates to mobilise themselves and work towards pushing public office
holders to prudently manage our national wealth and provide good stewardship
and leadership to the people.
It would be recalled that
the former World Bank Vice President, Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili had last Saturday
lashed out at successive federal government since 2007, accusing them of
squandering over $67billion oil windfall.
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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