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N77trn Debt: ‘Buhari Borrowed Nigeria Back To Stone Age’

Following a recent revelation of the nation’s debt of about N77trillion, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Omoyele Sowore, yesterday, accused President Muhammadu Buhari of “borrowing Nigeria back to Stone Age.”
Recall that the Director-General of the Debt Management Office, Patience Oniha disclosed recently during a public presentation of the 2023 budget, that Nigeria’s public debt burden may hit N77trillion if the National Assembly approved the request by President Muhammadu Buhari to restructure the Ways and Means Advances.
However, Sowore stated that if elected president in 2023, the repayment of the N77trillion in debt amassed by the previous administration would be suspended until a thorough audit is conducted.
Sowore, who played host to a television presidential interview, in Lagos, also explained that his government would prefer to use available resources on infrastructure development in addition to other urgent needs of the nation rather than paying down the N77trillion debt.
He said: “As President, I am going to pause repayment of debts until I audit the debts, that is what I will do first and foremost when I am sworn in. I am not paying any debt until the audits are properly done.
“This is because we need money to fix the country because Buhari has borrowed Nigeria back to the Stone Age; everybody has agreed on that. But, our problem is not the debt to GDP ratio, our problem is debt to revenue ratio, and the revenue, we will aggressively increase.”
Speaking on his plans to increase the revenue generation of the country, if elected, he said: “I have said this several times and I have identified several other revenue sources that have either been hidden, or have not been harnessed the way they should be.
“I have identified taxes that are owed to the Nigerian states that are up to about N4.5billion by oil companies. We have identified about N3trillion of revenue generating government agencies that are not remitted to the Federal Government’s purse.
“We have identified monies that could come from the NLNG that is the Nigeria Liquefied Natural Gas Company, that is over $5billion that is not remitted directly to the federal government but is remitted to the NNPC and the NNPC just quaff the money.
“So, I have identified several other products that can get into the international market at this time. A lot of mineral resources that are being sold under the table that we have identified that they brought into the official and formal processes that will give you a lot of money.”
Speaking on the subject of subsidies, Sowore claimed that what the country refers to as subsidies is actually a fake conduit set up by political cabals to profit themselves at the expense of the nation’s communal resources.
Against the odds, Sowore said he would maintain subsidy, explaining that: “If you remove the so-called subsidy without any plan to support the poor in the country that means petrol will go to N1000 and you are paying slave wages of N30, 000 per month. How do people survive in this country? That’s the question we should be asking.
“Government should not exist to make life miserable for the citizens? It should exist to find solutions to problems and afflicting the populace and that is what we are saying and that is what we stand for so that they will stop deceiving you every year”, he added.
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I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
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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
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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.