Business
Nigeria @ 57: What The People Say
Exactly 57 years ago, the colonial rule of the Great Britain in Nigeria came to an end after years of struggle by some of our past heroes.
As always, today October 1, the country marks the anniversary of the great event.
But how has the country fared in these past 57 years? What can the citizens say about Nigeria at 57? Our Deputy Editor (Features), Calista Ezeaku sought answers to these questions from some Port Harcourt residents.
Excerpt:
Barr Emeka Onyeka: It is really good we are celebrating. It is really good we’ve come this far, but it is not yet an Eldorado. I think it calls for more of sober reflection than bonfire in the sense that it is really a good time for us to do a stock keeping, checking ourselves from 1960 till date, so far, how far? What have we done? What have we achieved? Are we making progress? Are we actually on a steady decline?
So for me, it’s neither here nor there.
Sincerely, I don’t think this is a time to merry, given the present condition of the country. What really calls for rolling out of the drum is the happy mood of the people. When a greater number of the people are hungry, what are we rolling out the drum for? By doing so you will be irritating them. You will be angering them and if you don’t take time, the anger might translate to action. I think what we need to do is for us to check ourselves, look at our people, which is the primary responsibility of the leaders and know wether the leaders have actually been fair to the citizens.
There are so many things that we have not gotten right in the past 57 years. The first one is fairness. Sincerely, people are not treated fairly. I believe strongly that people should be treated fairly. Our resources should be distributed fairly. You know that fairness is justice. Appointment of individuals or groups to government positions should be done fairly to reflect the true federalism that we claim to have in practice. A situation where you see people in leadership acting with some sectional colouration, does not augur well for the nation.
Going forward, for me I think it is a wonderful opportunity that we are one. I strongly believe that we should remain one. Being one is of great advantage.The greater advantage is there when everybody is treated fairly.
What I recommend is this, irrespective of where the president or even the governor comes from, he should see every citizen of the nation or his state as one and the same and treat them as their children. When you start treating some of the children as outsiders, naturally, you can never be fair to them. The President and the Governors should treat their subjects better than they are doing at the moment.
The strike and agitations that have been going on in the country for sometime now are anger in action. They are anger demonstrated, animosity displayed. People are not happy for one thing or the other.
You see a situation where those at the federal level are spending money as if others simply escorted them to the nation, without having any stake in the nation called Nigeria. I mean it is annoying! Every person feels so bad. The workers are not paid adequately, and those who are elected to serve us are taking all and at the end of the day, we are all going to the same market. So how do you think the workers will feel? Naturally they will feel bad. The resources are not fairly distributed. Naturally the people, especially those from whose areas the resources are being generated, will feel bad.
So as a person, I strongly support restructuring. True federalism is what will make people sit up.
Mr Monday Johnson – Driver:
What I can say about Nigeria at 57 is that things are not moving on well in the country. There is bad leadership. Just look at the roads we ply here in Rivers State, they are bad . The East/West road is very bad. There is hardship every where.
Our hope is that with the Independence day celebration, there should be some positive changes.
We will be very happy if they can fix the roads and make life better for us. Government should invest in the education sector and also the health sector so that the poor people will have reasons to rejoice.
Miss Mercy Kaneh- Young School Leaver:
Nigeria today is a very difficult place to live in. Cost of living is so high, business is not flurishing. I help my elder sister with her business and I know how hard it is for her to sell her goods and even make profit. Look at me, I’m supposed to be in a higher institution but because of economic hardship I couldn’t go. So we want a change in this country. I want better leadership that will make things easy for the people.
Mr Franklyn Obiene – Public Servant/ Youth Leader:
There are many good reasons why we should celebrate Nigeria at 57. Because it is Nigeria’s birthday, because we are alive, because we are a united country, we should celebrate. But the growing insecurity in the country is a big concern. People are no longer free to move around because of fear of the police, militants or political party fanatics. In other parts of the country, we have the IPOB challenge, the boko haram and other agitating groups. All these create tension in the country and make people feel unsafe.
So let government think of measures to tackle the problem of insecurity and what is making people to agitate. Let our leaders lead us well and then the people will follow.
They said, they are fighting corruption abi? Let them do it without fear or favour. Any corrupt person, no matter how highly placed, should be fished out and brought to book. Let government at various levels empower the youth. It is said that the future of any country is in the youth but I don’t see any attention being given to these future leaders.
Every administration that comes on board will tell you they will do this and that for the youth but at the end of the day, nothing is done. The situation still remains the same. Let them empower the youth, please.
Mr Salisu Musa – Businessman:
We thank God for keeping us alive to celebrate Nigeria at 57. For me, l like as the country is now. The fighting has reduced. The tribalism issues are coming down. In Rivers State here, our roads are better. As Federal Government dey fight corruption, l like am. Government should create job opportunities for the people.
Many companies are laying off their staff, that is not good. Government should build industries that will employ the jobless people. They should equip public hospitals. Before now, they use to give us free drugs at the hospitals. Today, there is nothing like that anymore.
Mrs Ngozi Amadi – Teacher:
The country has come a long way. Struggling with challenges ranging from insurgency, militancy, Ebola, corruption and others.
A country where leaders have emerged with the sole motive of enriching their pockets and saving for their generations unborn. Being the most populous country in Africa coupled with the instigations from outside and within the continent, to mention but a few.
Regardless of these numerous challenges, Nigeria has remained integrated. Nigeria is a great country, I am proud to be a Nigerian. My advice to fellow Nigerians is to come together and let’s fight all appearances of corruption at all levels and make this country an envy to the rest of the world.
Business
NCDMB Hails Tinubu’s Oil Sector Executive Orders
The Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB), Engr. Felix Omatsola Ogbe, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over the announcement of three Presidential executive orders.
The orders, he said, are aimed at providing incentives in the Nigerian oil and gas industry, encourage new investments in the sector, reduce contracting costs and timelines, as well as promote cost efficiency in local content requirements.
According to a statement from the NCDMB’s Directorate of Corporate Communications and Zonal Coordination, the Executive Orders are the “Oil and Gas Companies (Tax Incentives, Exemption, Remission, ETC) Order 2024”, “Presidential Directive on Local Content Compliance Requirements, 2024 (EO 41)”, and the “Presidential Directive on Reduction of Petroleum Sector Contracting Costs and Timelines, 2024 (EO 42)”.
Speaking at the Nigerian Content Tower, headquarters of the NCDMB in Yenagoa, Bayelsa State, the Executive Secretary stated that the policy directives had reinforced the implementation of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development (NOGICD) Act and codified the Service Level Agreements (SLA), which the NCDMB first introduced in May 2017, to fast-track approvals for the Nigeria LNG Limited Train 7 project, before expanding it to the entire industry after signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPC Ltd), and five international oil-producing companies in September 2023.
Ogbe clarified that the Presidential Executive Orders did not whittle down the powers of the NCDMB or abrogate the schedule of the NOGICD Act.
He said, rather, the Executive Order 41 mandates the Board to ensure the patronage of local companies with domiciled proven capacities and capabilities to achieve cost competitiveness and project delivery within schedule.
He also noted that Executive Order 42 re-emphasized NCDMB’s obligation to fast-track approval processes as required by the SLA and section 23 of the NOGICD Act, which mandates the Board to review projects’ documentation within 10 days and advise the concerned operating company.
The Board’s helmsman assured that the NCDMB would comply with the terms of the Presidential Executive Orders, insisting that the Board had always been pragmatic with its implementation of the NOGICD Act, and mindful of the cost competitiveness of projects and schedules.
He also stated that the objectives of the Executive Orders and the SLAs were directed to shorten the oil industry’s contracting cycle to six months or less, engender speedy development of new projects, contribute to increased oil production, and improve the national economy.
The Executive Secretary expressed delight that President Tinubu had put his stamp of authority on the noble objectives of the SLAs, and commended him for acknowledging the giant strides recorded in Nigerian Content development.
Particularly, he noted the impressive capacities built by local oil and gas service companies in key areas of the industry and the substantial benefits that had accrued to the Nigerian economy and her citizens through local content implementation.
The NCDMB boss assured that the agency would continue to serve as a business enabler and maintain the recognition conferred by the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), which awarded the Board the most efficient agency amongst all Federal Government’s MDAs in 2022, and the PLATINUM rating by the Bureau for Public Service Reforms in recognition of the self-imposed reforms of the Board’s processes.
Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa
Business
Nigeria Opens Land, Air Borders With Niger Republic
President Bola Tinubu has directed the opening of Nigeria’s land and air borders with the Republic of Niger.
He also directed the lifting of other sanctions against the country with immediate effect.
A statement signed by the President’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ajuri Ngelale, said “President Tinubu has also approved the lifting of financial and economic sanctions against the Republic of Guinea”.
The statement is titled “Nigeria opens land and air borders with Republic of Niger, lifts other sanctions”.
The President’s directive has come just days after the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government lifted economic and travel sanctions on Niger, Mali, and Guinea at its extraordinary summit on February 24, 2024, in Abuja.
ECOWAS leaders had agreed to lift economic sanctions against the Republic of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Guinea.
Consequently, the President directed that sanctions imposed on the Republic of Niger be lifted immediately alongside others.
The sanctions are: “Closure of land and air borders between Nigeria and Niger Republic, as well as ECOWAS no-fly zone on all commercial flights to and from Niger Republic.
“Suspension of all commercial and financial transactions between Nigeria and Niger, as well as a freeze of all service transactions, including utility services and electricity to the Niger Republic.
“Freeze of assets of the Republic of Niger in ECOWAS Central Banks and freeze of assets of the Republic of Niger, state enterprises, and parastatals in commercial banks.
“Suspension of Niger from all financial assistance and transactions with all financial institutions, particularly EBID and BOAD.
“Travel bans on government officials and their family members”, the statement read.
Business
FG Targets Standards For Electric, CNG Vehicles
The National Automotive Design and Development Council (NADDC) has announced plans to validate its National Occupational Standards for the conversion and maintenance of electric vehicles and Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)vehicles.
The Director-General of NADDC, Joseph Osanipin, disclosed this during the validation workshop exercise for the draft of the national standards for auto gas vehicles in Nasarawa recently.
He stated that the primary objective of the workshop was to develop a blueprint for skills development and standardised operational procedures in the conversion, calibration, and maintenance of those new automotive energy sources, aligning with the government’s renewed hope agenda.
Osanipin noted that upon approval of the draft by the National Assembly, it would facilitate job creation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, as ongoing plans include the establishment of more CNG gas stations in Abuja.
He said, “If we achieve what the Federal Government wants us to achieve with autogas, it will reduce the dependency on PMS and diesel and mitigate environmental concerns. It will also create more jobs and wealth for the nation”.
According to Osanipin, the essence of the workshop was to ensure that the input of all relevant stakeholders was captured in the making of this national document.
“This is in line with international best practices. It is expected that the document will come out of this effort at international standards and help to drive the auto sector to global standards”, he added.
He emphasised the significance of the Nigerian Automotive Industry Development Plan 2023 – 2033, relaunched by the Federal Government in 2023, aimed at revitalising the automotive industry and fostering sustainable growth through technological and skills development.
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