Following a recent directive by the federal government that all ministries, departments and agencies of government must align their activities and infrastructure with that of the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) in order to complete the ongoing registration process of national identity card, the Director-General of NIMC, Dr. Chris Onyemenam, has said the MDAs are in full compliance.
He said over three million Nigerians have registered for the exercise since registration commenced in October this year.
Onyemenam who dropped the hint in Lagos at a three-day Card, ATM and Mobile Expo, organised by Intermarc Consulting, said the affected agencies were already compliant with the directive and was optimistic that the December deadline given by the federal government for the completion and launch of the national identity card would be feasible.
"There is a presidential directive that the identity card project be completed and launched by December this year. It is a policy statement and we are all bound by it.
"According to the directive, all federal agencies that are involved in data capture services and also have identity and authentication need, should align their activities and infrastructure, with a view to switching over to NIMC's infrastructure," Onyemenam said.
Explaining further, he said: "The objective of the directive in my opinion is in two folds. Firstly to optimise the use of scarce resources at that level, which is dedicated to identity management, and secondly to ensure that there are no duplication of efforts to enable fast establishment of a national identity database."
The value proposition from this is enormous, be it in terms of security or financial services, deepening access to credit facilities and reducing dependence on cash among others, he said.
Giving details of the level of development towards issuing Nigerians, electronic identity cards that come with a unique national identification number (NIN), Onyemenam said the cards have been harmonised, connectivity infrastructure is in place, and that the commission is currently in the process of data capturing of every Nigerian and Nigerian citizen.
Onyemenam who was optimistic that the process would lead to building and increasing a national database for Nigeria, advised all Nigerians to visit the nearest NIMC registration centres and be part of the capturing exercise.
Addressing how the card will be effective in reducing financial fraud in the country, Onyemenam said it comes with three biometrics authentication that make it more secure and safe to use as identity card, and as debit card like the Automated Teller Machine (ATM) card.
He listed the authentication to include finger print, facial recognition and another authentication, which he said, would make it extremely difficult for unathorised persons to have access to it through hacking.
"We have tried to build public key infrastructure into the cards that make global best practice, thereby making the card more secured and it comes with 19 different security features," Onyemenam said.
He explained that measures were in place to avoid non-Nigerians and non-Nigerian citizens from getting registered and messing up the entire system.
"We know that there are tendencies for non-Nigerians to get registered, but we have put some measures is place that will actually identify Nigerians and Nigerian citizens," Onyemenam said, adding that several NIMC staff have been trained for the purpose.
Delivering a paper on the 'Role of Identity Management in the Nation' at the Card, ATM and Mobile Expo, Onyemenam said the new identity management scheme would help build a national database for the country, where data of every Nigerian is stored and easily accessed
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
MainOne, a data centre and telecoms services solutions provider for businesses in sub-Sahara Africa is getting ready for the completion and launch of its Tier-3 Data Centre, which will turnout to be the largest in West Africa, in terms of size of storage facilities and capacity of service delivery.
The new data centre, which is located in Lekki, Lagos, covers 3,500 square metres space, and will accommodate 600 racks spaces, with redundant power supplies up to 6MVA and a 24-7 network operations center, when completed in the fourth quarter of the year.
It is expected to gulp N4 billion to complete the physical structure and another N3 billion to purchase and install all facilities that make up a tier 3 commercial data centre.
MainOne's Chief Executive Officer, Ms Funke Opeke, gave the information during a media facility tour of the project site in Lagos at the weekend.
According to her, "the project is over 70 per cent completed, and has direct access to MainOne’s entire connectivity platform including its metro and international fiber, Internet backbone, as well as interconnection with all the major networks in Nigeria. It is being constructed to meet the rapidly growing demand for managed computing and network services in Africa."
The new data centre is an expansion of the company's existing data centre in Lagos, that is currently hosting data of big and small organisations and providing services for them.
In technical parlance, a data centre is an infrastructure, built to house the computing operating systems of an organisation. It is a commercial computer room that links all computational devices and operations and allows access and connectivity to all company branches for online transactions. It saves companies and operators the cost of building personalised data centres to run their individual operations.
The commercial data centre being built by MainOne, will house the data of various organisations, and allow their operations to be accessed online 24/7, with high reliability and availability.
Differentiating between tiers 1, 2 and 3 data centres, General Manager, Capital Projects for MainOne, Mr. Gbenga Adegbiji, said the tier 1 data centre referred to a conventional computer room with less operational redundancy, while tier-2 is a more reliable facility with dual system such that if one system goes down the second picks up when manually operated.
The tier-3 data centre, he said, comes with concurrent facilities that allows for easy maintenance and service delivery. All its cooling system, power system and backup system are working concurrently such that if there is a failure in any of the facilities, others pick up automatically without creating redundancy and downtime of any sort, with a reliability of 99.98 per cent.
"The tier-3 data centre has a higher level of reliability and availability, compared with tier-1 and tier-2. With the tier-3, online service could be accessed 24 hours, seven days in a week and 365 days all year round, which makes it adequate for online realtime business," Adegbiji said.
Opeke explained that the data centre would be a further proof of MainOne’s commitment to deploy infrastructure based services within its primary markets, as it would aid the reduction in information technology costs and risks, while enhancing business efficiency and profitability.
"The tier 3 commercial data centre that we are building will help improve the ability of organisations to move their key business processes online as well as accelerate the evolution of Nigeria into a digital economy when launched," Opeke said.
She added: “Access to bundled data centre services and connectivity solutions from a trusted provider ensures organisations save capital costs that would have been required to build and maintain dedicated data centre facilities.”
According to Adegbiji, “The facility is designed to meet rigorous availability standards, and offers a highly secure and reliable purpose built alternative with multiple layers of redundancy on all critical electrical and mechanical components to our customers.
"This guarantees continuous access/uptime to hosted critical applications and data improving the overall operational efficiency and profitability of our customers”.
With the rollout of its Lagos metro fiber network and data centre in 2014, MainOne said it remained focused on taking the lead in the provision of broadband communication services to large corporates, e-commerce providers, government and educational institutions in Nigeria.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) seeks to partner the Nigerian Academy of Engineering and other stakeholders to add value to the country’s hydrocarbon resources.
Speaking in Lagos at the weekend during his induction as a fellow of the academy, the Group Managing Director of NNPC, Mr. Andrew Yakubu, would partner other engineering stakeholders for a mutually beneficial synergy.
“I am glad that I am coming into the academy as a sitting Group Managing Director of NNPC. This is the first time it is happening. That means it is the beginning of creating mutually beneficial synergy between the wealth of experience of our elders and other stakeholders to add value to oil and gas,” Yakubu said.
In his lead presentation at the event, the guest speaker and emeritus professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Lagos, Prof. Alfred Akpoveta Susu, said only few challenges in the world today are more threatening than the unsustainable nature of the energy infrastructure.
He said every aspect of contemporary society was dependent upon the availability of clean, affordable, flexible and sustainable energy.
“Yet our current energy infrastructure, heavily dependent upon fossil fuels, is unsustainable. Global oil production is expected to peak within the next several decades.
"While there are substantial reserves of coal and tar sands, the mining, processing and burning of these fossil fuels poses increasingly unacceptable risk to both humankind and the environment, particularly within the context of global climate change,” he said.
Susu further stated that recent analysis of world petroleum production and known reserves suggest that global oil production could peak as early as the next decade, with gas production peaking a decade later.
Citing further studies, he suggested that “holding off the peak until 2040 would require both a high and much less, certain total oil resource and adding more production each year than ever before, despite having already produced all of the world’s most easily extractable,” he said.
He noted that the consequence of passing over the global production peak is not the disappearance of oil, as roughly half of the reserves would remain.
“Rather, it would be a permanent imbalance between supply and demand that would drive oil prices dramatically higher than today’s levels – $100 per barrel; $200 per barrel and beyond, with corresponding increases at the pump.
"The rapidly increasing oil and gas demand from developing economies such as China, India and Latin America make this imbalance even more serious,particularly when it is noted that the United States currently consumes 25per cent of world’s production” he explained.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Ondo State government is making frantic efforts to attract foreign investors to the state, through planned partnership with local entrepreneurs, for the rapid development of the state.
The government has initiated a platform that will enable the targeted investors and prospective venture partners, to interact and nurture viable partnerships.
Senior Special Assistant to the State Governor on International Relations and Diaspora Affairs, Mrs. Remi Duyile disclosed that the government intends to host a gathering of diplomats and the business community of the state, on September 22 this year under the platform of the Ondo State Embassy Day.
According to Duyile, “the Ondo State Embassy Day is a day being initiated for the nurturing of trade and investment in the state."
She explained that the event, which would be the first of its kind, would serve as a window of opportunity for embassies in the country to market the investment potentials of their countries to the business community of Ondo State.
“At the same time, the Ondo State Embassy day, will create the opportunity for local entrepreneurs to share knowledge on how to reach out to foreign markets, for trading opportunities and investment partnerships” she said.
Duyile pointed out that the commercial units of diplomatic missions resident in the country could exploit the opportunity of the Ondo State Embassy Day, to make presentations to the business class, on key sectors of their country’s economy that could be attractive to Nigerian partners.
She said the state remained blessed with an abundant reservoir of Oil and Gas, Bitumen, Cocoa, Palm produce, Granite, Rubber, Timber, Limestone, Bulk clay, Aquaculture, Silica Sand and African Shea Butter trees that of great opportunities for local and foreign investment delivery.
Duyile said operators of cottage industries in the state could take advantage of the Ondo State Embassy Day, to fraternise with local and foreign development partners, at the event, on available options for sourcing of funds and equipment for their varied enterprises.
She explained that professional associations, local chambers of commerce and industry as well as research institutes could enrich their capacities, via the flow off vital information that will be at their disposal during the Ondo State embassy Day. She said the event would catalyse the flow of capital and investment across various frontiers within Nigeria and beyond.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Concerned about the alarming widespread growth of cybercrime, the National Security Adviser, Mohammed Sambo Dasuki, has advocated proactive approach to tackle the menace.
Dasuki who was speaking at the First National Cybersecurity Forum in Lagos said the abnormal trend is denting Nigerian image and those of many nations.
According to him, “realising the importance of cyber space, the Federal Government of Nigeria has designated cyber security as a national security priority with the office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) stepping up efforts towards meeting the challenge by working in close collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure a safer and more secure cyberspace.”
He added that experiences from other jurisdictions have shown that success of national cybersecurity initiatives can best be achieved by adopting a coordinated and integrated approach encompassing Law; Technology; Institutional Capacity Building; Private Sector Partnership (PPP) and International Law Enforcement Cooperation.
Represented by the Permanent Secretary Special Services, Alhaji Ibrahim Mahe, the NSA said that computers and the internet represent modern tools used by criminals and the trend would continue for the foreseeable future because of the fact that cybercrimes are particularly lucrative.
He said: “They are generally non-violent crimes, yield high profits and have relatively low risk of capture. Incidents of cybercrime have caused extensive loss to the national economies and pose challenging threats of cyber terrorism among nations.”
Giving an overview of the Draft National Cybersecurity Strategy in Nigeria, Director of Communication, Office of the National Security Adviser, Ambassador Haruna Wando, said that with the growth of computer technology in Nigerian businesses and personal life, so also is the increase in computer based crimes originating from Nigeria or aided by Nigerian citizens around the world.
“The telecommunication and banking industry have been the worst hit by this menace due to its high dependence on the Internet and its many online tools. Traditionally, Nigerian cyber-crime activities appear to be only limited to money fraud Internet based crimes. The recent trend of web defacement or hijacking and e-mail scams has now changed this perception. Web bullying instances are on the rise in the country, especially with the coming into being of social networking websites like facebook and twitter," he said.
In order to reflect a more cogent approach towards a more secure cyberspace in Nigeria in line with international baseline standard and global best practice, the Office of the National Security Adviser has been pursuing a number of initiatives including the development of a National Cybersecurity Policy and strategy for Nigeria.
It also drafts and proposes relevant laws required to be enacted by the National Assembly for the security of computer systems and networks in Nigeria pursuant to national strategies on cybersecurity.
The office has also established National Computer Emergency Readiness and Response Mechanism with Early Warning System (EWS) and Alerts for all cyber related emergencies in the country (ngCERT).
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Abia State Government has for the first time stated its position on the arrest of 486 suspected Boko Haram insurgents in its territory, saying it has no hand in the arrest, which was purely a security issue, professionally handled by the appropriate authorities.
The government’s clarification was contained in a statement issued at the weekend by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Theodore Orji, Mr. Charles Ajunwa, following insinuations and allegations from politicians and groups in northern part of the country accusing the state government of instigating the arrest of the suspects.
Some members of the Jigawa State House of Assembly had reportedly threatened to drag the Abia State Government to court if Jigawa indigenes among the arrested suspects were not released without further delay.
“The position of Abia State government is that the security agencies should be allowed to thoroughly investigate this matter. Those meddling into this matter through their reckless and unguarded utterances aimed at weeping up sentiments for the detained suspects are the real problems of this country,” the statement said. He said the utterances of such individuals and groups had portrayed them as unpatriotic Nigerians having left the substance to chase shadow in the face of the daunting security challenges facing the nation.
“These unpatriotic elements for no just cause have deliberately employed all kinds of guerrilla tactics to tarnish the good image of the Abia State government simply because it exposed and alerted the nation including the international community on the arrest of 486 suspected Boko Haram members by a team of vigilant and gallant soldiers on routine patrol at Aro Ngwa and Imo Gate along Enugu/Port Harcourt expressway,” he said.
Ajunwa stated that Abia State government had “at no time ordered the arrest of the 486 Boko Haram suspects travelling in a convoy of 35 buses in the cover of darkness as their surreptitious mission had aroused the suspicion of team of vigilant soldiers on routine patrol hence the arrest.
The Army headquarters had already revealed that a notorious Boko Haram kingpin was discovered to be among the arrested suspects in the course of screening them.
“The soldiers who effected the arrests, merely carried out their constitutional and legitimate duties which are to protect the lives and property of the citizens especially now that insurgency is on the increase in Nigeria,” the Abia governor’s spokesman said.
He cautioned against using religious and ethnic veils to trivialise the arrest of the suspected insurgents, adding that: “The Nigerian security agencies have the capacity to do a thorough job and only needed the cooperation of all well-meaning Nigerians at this moment and “not distractions from self-acclaimed ethnic bigots who never meant well for the nation.”
Ajunwa dismissed the threat by some lawmakers in the Jigawa State House of Assembly to drag Abia State government to court if some of its citizens among the 486 Boko Haram suspects were not released, describing it as “laughable and diversionary.”
He said the Abia State government had not breached any law and so was not afraid of any law suit coming from the Jigawa lawmakers or any other group for that matter.
“Their utterances showed that they are lawbreakers and not lawmakers. Instead of the lawmakers to praise the Abia State government for providing the security agencies the enabling environment to discharge their constitutional duties, they are busy chasing shadows,” he said.
Ajunwa stated that the lawmakers were free to come to Abia state “to understudy how the robust synergy and cordial relationship existing between the executive and the state House of Assembly have ensured the atmosphere of peace and tranquility being experienced in the state today.”
He advised the Jigawa lawmakers, the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and other individuals and groups of northern extraction trivialising the arrest of the 486 Boko Haram suspects in Abia, to channel their energies to things that will promote the unity of Nigeria not on things that will destroy the corporate existence of the country.
He further enjoined them to join hands with the President Goodluck Jonathan-led government in the fight against terrorism and insurgency.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Governor-elect of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayo Fayose of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sunday thanked the people of the state for voting for him and promised to work with the state governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in developing the state.
Fayose spoke at a maiden news conference in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, shortly after Fayemi conceded defeat and congratulated the winner of Saturday’s gubernatorial election.
The governor-elect recorded a resounding victory with a total vote haul of 203,090 out of the 350,256 votes cast.
Fayose, who called on other candidates to support his administration, warned his supporters against making disparaging remarks, which may promote violence. He particularly warned against attacks on the personality of Fayemi, saying: “We must respect each other so as to allow peace to reign in our dear state.
“Governor Fayemi has called to congratulate me and I am determined to reciprocate this humble and kind gesture.”
Fayose also pledged to work with Fayemi and Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele of the Labour Party (LP) in order to draw from their wealth of experience.
The governor-elect also said indigenes of the state would benefit from award of contracts, adding that this would boost the local economy and create employment. Fayose further promised to assist all victims of the political violence during the election without consideration for party affiliation.
He also pleaded with the police to grant unconditional release to whoever that was detained as a result of the political crises during the electioneering in the state. He also assured the people that his government would not abandon any project yet to be completed by the Fayemi-led government, saying: “As a leader, we must learn how to embrace continuity because playing politics with the lives of the people can destroy any country, but love can keep us together forever as a nation.” Fayemi, in a rare display of sportsmanship, also accepted his defeat in Saturday’s election in the state, stating that he had called Fayose and congratulated him on his victory at the election. In a state broadcast yesterday, the outgoing governor said: “Yesterday, Ekiti State decided. Following the gubernatorial election held in the Land of Honour, Ekiti State, Nigeria, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has officially returned the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as the winner of the election.
“If indeed this is the will of the Ekiti people, I stand in deference to your will. If the result of the election is an expression of the voice of our people, we must all heed your voice. “I have just spoken with my brother, Mr. Peter Ayodele Fayose, congratulating him on his victory. In a few hours from now, I would be meeting the governor-elect to discuss the future of our dear state and how we would work together to institute a smooth transition programme.”
The governor acknowledged that the election was hard fought, observing that in the course of the campaigns, there were unsavory episodes as the candidates toured the nooks and crannies of the state to sell themselves to the people. “Elections tend to be highly divisive affairs that often see brother rising against brother. Despite our diverse party affiliations, and regardless of which way we voted on Saturday, we must remember that we are all sons and daughters of Ekiti State. Ekiti is ours to build together.
“On our part, over the course of the campaigns, we presented our scorecards before the people of Ekiti State. We never at any point took your support for granted. We campaigned, we canvassed and we traversed the nooks and crannies of this state. “Our performance and achievements in office will remain the backdrop against which the next government and indeed future governments will be assessed. “We are proud that with the support of Ekiti people, we have raised the bar of excellence in governance. In all, we gave our best, for conscience and for posterity.
“Indeed a new sociology of the Ekiti people may have evolved. However, the task of understanding how the outcome of this election has defined us as a people will be that of scholars. For us as an administration and a cadre of political leaders in Ekiti State, we have fought a good fight, we have kept faith,” he said. He thanked members of APC, his campaign team and all Ekiti people who defied the siege to the state to cast their votes for him, stating: “I salute your exemplary courage and doggedness in the face of harassment.
“Thank you for staying the course. The incidences of brazen harassment, intimidation and allied infractions on fundamental human rights, which many of you suffered in the hands of agents of the state, would be documented and communicated to the appropriate authorities, for the records.”
Also, Bamidele expressed appreciation to the Ekiti people for their support for him during the gubernatorial election. He said as a mature politician, he considered the conduct of the election by INEC as a true reflection of true democracy.
Bamidele, in a statement signed by Ahmed Salami, his media aide, also hailed INEC and all security agencies involved in the entire process for their roles and for allowing Ekiti people to be involved in the nation's democratic process.
He especially thanked those from Iyin Ekiti, his hometown, for staying by him throughout his campaign rallies and the election, which assisted him to be victorious over other political parties in the town.
Bamidele, who got 18,125 votes, came a distant third out of the 18 political parties, which participated in the election. Reacting to Fayose’s victory, President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday congratulated the governor-elect, Fayose. In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, Jonathan equally commended INEC, the security services and the people of the state for the successful and peaceful conduct of the election.
He said the successful and peaceful conduct of the election, was in tandem with his administration’s avowed commitment to ensuring that elections in all parts of Nigeria are progressively freer, fairer and more credible.
“As Mr. Fayose readies himself to assume office in fulfillment of the clearly expressed wish of his people, President Jonathan urges him to be humble and magnanimous in victory and commit himself to forming an administration that will work for the advancement of the interests of all Ekiti people irrespective of their political affiliations or loyalties. “President Jonathan calls on Mr. Fayose to regard his second chance to serve as Governor of Ekiti State as a sacred mandate from God Almighty and his people which he must discharge with immense dedication, wisdom and vigour to achieve a much more rapid pace of socio-economic development in Ekiti State for the benefit of its people who resoundingly reaffirmed their trust in his leadership by voting overwhelmingly for his election yesterday (Saturday).
“The president assures Mr. Fayose that the Federal Government will give all the necessary support and assistance to his incoming administration and cooperate fully with him in furtherance of the present administration’s objective of significantly improving the living conditions of Nigerians in all parts of the country. “He wishes Mr. Fayose continued good health and a very successful second tenure as governor of Ekiti State,” the statement concluded.
Similarly, the ruling PDP has congratulated the Ekiti State governor-elect, stating that the victory of the party in Saturday’s election was an indication that PDP is the preferred party in Nigeria.
In a statement by the National Chairman of PDP, Adamu Muazu, he said he expressed hope that the outcome of the governorship victory would be a forerunner of further victories for the PDP in subsequent elections.
In describing the Ekiti State governorship election as credible, free and fair, he also asked the main opposition APC to concede defeat.
“I wish to dedicate the victory of Ayo Fayose to all our supporters and President Goodluck Jonathan for his steadfastness and commitment to free and fair elections. This victory is particularly possible because of our unity in Ekiti State and I wish we replicate this in all elections,” he said.
In another statement, the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Olisa Metuh, in the congratulatory message to Fayose, said the victory of the party’s candidate and indeed PDP was well deserved. Metuh also described the Ekiti governorship poll as credible, free and fair, adding that it was an unequivocal statement on the preference of the PDP by the entire people of Ekiti State, nay Nigeria, “a victory indeed for democracy”. “We are particularly elated that the will of the people of Ekiti State prevailed and we sincerely congratulate them for realising their yearnings for a truly democratically elected administration in their dear state. “The outcome of this election confirms the popularity and acceptability of the PDP and its candidate, the governor-elect of Ekiti State. It brings to the front burner, the genuineness of the crowd that throng our rallies across the country, especially in Ekiti State,” the party said.
The PDP also attributed the victory to its “strict adherence to the principles of internal democracy, the kernel of transparency in the conduct of our governorship primary which produced a popular candidate through the overwhelming choice of party members.” Thanking the people of Ekiti for their support, the PDP urged the governor-elect to ensure an all-inclusive administration that would revamp and reposition the state in line with the manifesto and ideology of the PDP and move it from APC’s valleys of poverty, stagnation and ruin.
Also, the Ndigbo Cultural Society of Nigeria (NCSN) congratulated Fayose and PDP for their victory at the governorship race. In a statement signed by the President of the Igbo group, Chief Udoka Udeogaranye, the group said: “We believe that this landslide and resounding victory came handily, mainly because of the ultra high performance of President Goodluck Jonathan, whose extraordinary leadership qualities have given Nigerians the right to choose their leaders through the ballot box as stipulated in the President Goodluck Jonathan's one man, one vote policy.”
However, there were indications yesterday that the APC, unlike Fayemi, would not concede defeat as it dropped the hint that it might call for forensic examination of the ballots cast during the election in the state.
THISDAY gathered that though Fayemi had accepted the outcome of the election, the leadership of APC was still considering several options last night. One of the options that was being considered is to subject the ballots used for the gubernatorial poll to forensic scrutiny.
A top party source told THISDAY that the party leaders met in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, yesterday to weigh the options available to them, adding that the party hopes to make its final position on the matter known to the public in the days ahead.
“We are yet to come to terms with the tsunami that befell us last Saturday. The truth is that we have not entirely accepted the outcome of election. What we are considering is to compel the entire exercise to forensic investigation. Our party would meet and come up with a decision on that soon,” he said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The palace of the Oba of Benin, Oba Erediauwa, was excited at the weekend, following the return of two Bronze works looted from the Palace of the Oba during the British invasion of Benin Kingdom in 1897.
Dr. Adrian Mark Walker, great grandson of Capt. Philip Walker, one the soldiers who participated in the invasion, returned the bronze works to the Oba of Benin whose great grand father, Oba Ovonramwen, was the Oba of Benin during the British invasion.
Making the presentation, Dr. Walker said of his decision to return the Bronze works, “I have no idea it would cause so much excitement. Seeing this, I feel this is the right thing to do.” He confessed that most of the looted artworks are in private hands overseas and in Nigeria. According to him, “There was a tusk sold by my grandmother to Jos Museum here in Nigeria. Efforts should be made to trace its present whereabouts.”
Receiving the items, the elated Benin monarch, described Walker's gesture in returning the two artifact as the best birthday gift he had ever received, as the historic event was just a few days before his birthday.
He called on Britain and other countries still in possession of Benin looted bronze works to emulate Dr. Walker and return them to Benin, their home of origin.
In his remarks, the Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole while commending Dr. Walker for having a heart of gold by returning the bronze works, expressed joy that the historic event was taking place during his time as governor.
Amidst the euphoria, the Minister of Culture and Tourism and officials of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM) expected at the event, were conspicuously absent.
Their absence, as gathered, had to do with the disagreement that ensued between NCMM and the palace of the Oba of Benin over arrangements for the return of the items, with the commission insisting that they be presented at Abuja. But Dr. Walker was said to have preferred presenting them in Benin, the original home of the artworks.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
In a bid to stem the perennial depletion of Nigeria’s foreign exchange reserves, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) will this week review the guidelines for the licensing of Bureau De Change (BDC) operators in the country.
Specifically, the central bank is expected to introduce tough measures that would tighten the licensing requirements for the forex dealers. A reliable source at the presidency informed THISDAY yesterday that the CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has discussed the problem with President Goodluck Jonahan and obtained his approval to review the licensing and funding regime for BDC operators.
According to the presidency source, the continuous funding of BDCs depletes the external reserves by an average of about $9 billion annually as there are presently 3,208 registered BDCs in the country. The CBN sells $50,000 to each BDC weekly. But if the CBN grants licences to the prospective 1,417 operators that are currently awaiting approval, the amount of funding to BDCs annually by the central bank could go up to $12.025 billion per annum, which according to the presidency source is outrageous and a far cry from the past when BDCs were self-funded.
Nigeria’s external reserves stood at $37.090 billion as at last Thursday. The reserves derived mainly from the proceeds of crude oil earnings have fallen by $12 billion since its post-global crisis peak of $63 billion in April 2013 and this has remained a concern to the central bank and the federal government.
BDCs are the retail segment of the forex market. They are regulated by the central bank. The presidency source further explained that as at 2008, as much as $11 billion was used to fund BDCs in the country. As at 2006 when the practice of funding BDC operators started, only two countries in the world were involved in it – Nigeria and Kenya. However, Kenya has since discontinued the practice.
Funding of BDCs, according to the source, has led to the dollarisation of the economy because dollar cash is available.
“Today, houses, school fees, hotel bills, among others are priced in dollar in Nigeria. This clearly affects intermediation negatively because funds that are supposed to be kept in naira in banks for on-lending to businesses is significantly reduced. It also hurts the external reserves and affects transmission of monetary policy,” he explained. The source added that the continuous funding of this arm of the forex market portrays the country in negative light as Nigerians move several millions of dollars in cash through the country’s international airports unchallenged.
According to him, lack of money trail for expenses further reinforces the perception of a corrupt nation involved in money laundering activities. “CBN must do something to reduce this haemorrhage on our foreign reserves. Today, any person who has the capacity to deposit $20,000 at the CBN can own a BDC, hence the upsurge in the number of BDCs. “CBN must therefore tighten the licensing requirements for BDCs,” the source argued.
A breakdown of the activities of BDCs in the country showed that between 1989 and 2004 when the Federal Ministry of Finance was in charge of licensing operators, there were only 74 firms in the sub-sector and they were self-funded.
However, between 2005 and 2009 when the responsibility of licensing operators was moved to the central bank, the number of firms increased significantly to 938. As at April 2006, the central bank started supplying $200,000, bi-weekly to the forex dealers. This was later increased to $300,000 twice a week between September 1, 2008 and 2009.
In 2009, the central bank introduced Class A and B BDCs with funding of $1 million and $100,000 per week respectively. Nevertheless, as at 2010, the classification of BDCs was abolished and between 2010 and 2012, BDCs were funded at the rate of $1 million per week.
But as the number of licensed BDCs more than tripled in the same period, the CBN reduced the amount of forex sales to $50,000 a week to the operators. The CBN last year withdrew the operating licences of 20 BDC operators over allegations of money laundering activities.
It had at the time revealed that the illegal activities of the forex dealers were partly responsible for the volatility observed in the forex market.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The victory by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Ayo Fayose, in last Saturday’s governorship election in Ekiti State has stunned the leadership of the All Progressives Party (APC), which was certain that their candidate and governor of the state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, would win by a comfortable margin. The shocking defeat of Fayemi has forced the APC leadership, according to party sources, to go back to the drawing board to map out a strategy to ensure that APC does not lose Osun State scheduled to hold its governorship election on August 9, 2014. On paper, Fayemi had everything going for him: The incumbency factor, his laudable stewardship as governor for four years and the fact that he belonged to APC which supposedly had the South-west geopolitical zone firmly in its grip. The election, by all estimates, was his to lose.
But that was not to be, as APC party sources have confided in THISDAY that they the main opposition party lacked the funds to effectively execute the election in Fayemi’s favour. “The truth is that APC ran out of resources to effectively execute the election on Saturday. It was not a case of Fayose being more popular than our candidate. “We grossly underestimated the capacity of the PDP to upturn the tables against Fayemi and the fact the military stopped some of our governors who could have helped from entering the state during the final rally last week did not help matters either,” the source disclosed.
THISDAY, however, discovered that it was not just APC chieftains and governors who were prevented from entering Ekiti State on the eve of the election, as a source in the presidency revealed that the Minister of State of Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro, and Minister of Police Affairs, Mr. Abdul Adesiyan, among other PDP chieftains, who were initially allowed entry into Ekiti by the military, were asked to leave before the election. However, having lost Ekiti, the APC leadership has turned its focus on Osun and has sworn to hold on to the state come August 9.
The Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola, though popular and is considered more of a grassroots politician than Fayemi, the party will not leave anything to chance given Senator Iyiola Omisore’s strength in the state.
According to the APC chieftain, “What happened in Ekiti was a mistake. But I assure you that we will not be caught napping a second time around. If PDP is pounding its chest that it has made inroads into the South-west by capturing Ekiti, then its celebrations are premature as APC still has control over the most populous states in the region.”
However, despite APC’s assurance to THISDAY that it would win Osun, a source in the PDP opened up on how the ruling party deployed all the arsenal at its disposal to win Saturday’s election in Ekiti. He said a leader of the PDP in the South-west, Alhaji Buriji Kashamu, played a significant role in influencing the outcome of the Ekit election by deploying 25 persons in every village in Ekiti as volunteers and agents in the state.
“Each of them was empowered with bags of rice and cash, which paved the way for them to canvass for votes and protect them.” He disclosed that Fayemi lacked the charisma of a grassroots politician willing to canvass for votes in every nook and cranny of the state. PDP, on the other hand, shed all airs of superiority and begged for the votes.
“Let there be no doubt, the PDP has made its inroads into the South-west and we shall not stop at Ekiti as we have Osun and other states in our sights. We will keep changing strategy as we go along while APC continues to make the noise,” he said.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
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