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Nigeria’s Size Unmanageable, Agabkoba Tasks Tinubu On Way Forward

Published

6 months ago

November 1, 2023

Former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, Dr Olisa Agbakoba, has urged President Bola Tinubu to unbundle the administration by allowing autonomy of the states in running affairs of the country.

He also assured Nigerians that Tinubu will stabilise the economy adding that his fiscal and monetary policies are effective to deliver Nigerians from the current hardship.

The maritime lawyer made this known in a recent exclusive interview with Business Day, stressing that leadership is vital to the resuscitation of the Nigerian economy, as he added that Nigerians will soon enjoy the policies introduced by Tinubu.

“You need to unbundle the judicature…I don’t like to use the word restructure because it is offensive to some parts of Nigeria. And if you want a marriage, there are things that you must do. Bring everyone together, but I think the common denominator that we should all agree on is that we need to create more space,” Agbakoba said.

Agbakoba likened Nigeria to an aircraft that just leaves the climb-out and is already halfway to the cruising level, as it is in the airline parlance, with the assurance that government officials in the front seat of the Nigerian economy are capable.

“So Captain Tinubu on the aircraft pushes back, he’s on the tarmac, he’s cleared by the air traffic control to take off. Very well, head wings, turbulence. For me, the state is Nigeria. My loyalty is to the state, not to the president, so whoever occupies it, I’m loyal to that person because of the state, because of the office,” Agbaokoba said.

“I just did a little test with my people at home. They don’t care who is the president, they are hungry. They are not interested whether it’s Tinubu or whoever. They just said ‘Look, I don’t want to know. I’m hungry, I can’t pay school fees, medicals.’”

“If there is a big volcano that comes and bruises Abuja away, no one feels it, because the informal sector is keeping Nigeria alive. We just hope that we can find this in airline parlance it is called the climb-out. We are halfway on the climb to cruising. When we get to cruising level, then things will look good. The potential for Nigeria having a single-digit interest rate is very possible.”

Speaking on the potential of the Minister of Finance and Coordinating Economy, Mr Wale Edun and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Dr Yemi Cardoso, the ex-NBA chair said the duo are heavyweights in the economic sector that can help stabilise the economy.

“The two guys are my friends, I know them. They are bright. I know Wale Edun, in fact, sort of like I prophesied in one of my shows on TV as I talked about Cardoso and I talked about Chikobi for CBN. I mentioned them. They are good guys,” he noted.

“So now, I know the case in court is distracting, let’s be honest with ourselves. And I’m not going to comment on the merit of it. I think that when that phase is over, we might then begin to see strategic thinking come out. I was happy to hear some things at the National Economic Summit which the President attended. So, let them just get it together. Nigeria is not a big challenge in the other plan.”

News

[BREAKING] ‘Juju’ Scare: Edo Speaker Suspends Shaibu’s Ally, Two Others

Published

3 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Editor

The Speaker of the Edo State House of Assembly, Blessing Agbebaku, on Monday suspended three lawmakers over an alleged plot to impeach him and other principal officers of the Assembly.

One of the suspended lawmakers, Donald Okogbe, PDP, Akoko-Edo II, is an ally of the impeached deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, and was the only lawmaker who did not sign the petition that led to Shaibu’s impeachment.

The two others are Addeh Emankhu Isibor, APC, Esan North-East I, and Iyamu Bright, PDP, Orhionnwon II.

Agbebaku also accused the trio of bringing native doctors to the House on May 1 at around 1am to perform a sacrifice.

Agbebaku said the three lawmakers were suspended indefinitely, alleging that external forces were influencing them to cause chaos and remove the house’s leadership.

The suspension of the lawmakers, however, created tension in the House as the affected lawmakers kicked against their suspension.

In a rowdy session, the three suspended lawmakers were seen screaming, “Mr Speaker, you do not have the right to unilaterally suspend any member(s) of the house.

“You must call for votes. Allow members vote on the matter.”

The Speaker, thereafter, adjourned the plenary abruptly.

News

Man, 35, Docked For Allegedly Forging Oyo Govt Hackney Permit

Published

3 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Editor

The police on Monday docked Mr Samuel Oyetayo, 35, in an Iyaganku Magistrates’ Court, Ibadan, for allegedly forging the Oyo Government hackney permit and ticket.

Oyetayo, whose address was not provided, is standing trial on a count charge bothering on forgery of the Oyo Government hackney permit.

He, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge.

The prosecutor, Insp Toyin Ibrahim, told the court that the defendant committed the offence on May 1, around Dugbe, Ibadan.

Ibrahim said that the defendant, on the said date and place, forged the Oyo Government hackney permit and ticket without the government’s consent.

He said the offence contravened Section 467 of the Criminal Laws of Oyo State, 2000.

The magistrate, Mrs Kausarat Ayofe, granted the defendant bail in the sum of N50,000 with two sureties in like sum.

She adjourned the case until June 24 for hearing.
(NAN)

News

PIND, Niger Delta Ministry Validate Regional Peacebuilding Strategy

Published

3 hours ago

May 6, 2024

Editor

The Foundation for Partnership Initiatives in the Niger Delta (PIND), the Ministry of Niger Delta Development (MNDD) and other stakeholders in the region have validated the Niger Delta Regional Peacebuilding Strategy (NDRPS).

PIND’s Executive Director, Tunji Idowu, disclosed this at a validation workshop held on April 18 in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State.

He said the document co-designed by PIND and the MNDD, will provide the framework for the implementation of a regional peacebuilding apparatus in the Niger Delta.

Idowu, who was represented by PIND’s Peacebuilding Manager, David Udofia, said: “This apparatus will apply a multistakeholder approach, where all stakeholders focused on peacebuilding and conflict management and resolution in the Niger Delta will join resources to ensure the effective prevention, management, and resolution of conflicts in the region.”

Mr. Idowu noted that the validated NDRPS document had passed through due process and was very participatory.

“To ensure that the resulting strategy addresses conflict management holistically, we solicited inputs from various stakeholders at the community level, civil society organizations, government institutions, unions, and social groups,” he said.

“On January 23, 2024, PIND, the MNDD, representatives from various security agencies, academia, civil society and multinational organizations, traditional institutions, and other relevant stakeholders reviewed the final draft,” he added.

He explained that the development of the NDRPS was based on a presidential directive to the MNDD in 2021 to guarantee an atmosphere of peaceful coexistence and sustainable development in the Niger Delta.

“The NDRPS highlights the importance of establishing an outfit that is not just security-focused but also serves the needs of the people through effective conflict prevention, resolution, and management through multi-stakeholder and inclusive approaches necessary for conflict resolution and management.”

In his remarks, the Minister of the MNDD, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, commended the commitment of all the stakeholders involved in the process.

The Minister who was represented by Gorah Ayuba, Deputy Director of Community Development of MNDD said: “Your inputs are not in vain as the finalized NDRPS framework will be forwarded to the Federal Executive Council of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for approval and necessary action.”

Participants at the validation workshop included representatives of security agencies, states’ Ministries of Planning and Budget, civil society organizations, academia and other stakeholders from across the nine Niger Delta states.

During the technical session, which also included breakout sessions, the stakeholders provided valuable input to update the NDRPS document.

The Deputy Commandant of the Nigeria Security & Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Akwa Ibom State Command, Emmanuel Peter, emphasized promoting citizenship sensitization for inclusiveness and peaceful coexistence.

Dr. Emmanuel Maman, the Director of Conflict Resolution, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), Abuja, while commending PIND and its partners for its peacebuilding efforts, congratulated them on organizing the validation workshop and proposed enhanced inter-agency collaboration as a panacea for conflict mitigation in the region.

On his part, Dr. Iboro Nelson of Silverline Development Initiatives noted that since youth unemployment was a major driver of conflict, a system of economic empowerment as a peacebuilding approach should be included in the document.

At the end of the validation process, PIND officially handed over the NDRPS document to the MNDD, marking a significant milestone in the process.

The launching of the strategic document is scheduled for the second quarter of 2024.