Urhobo News

Olorogun Kenneth Oghenerhoro Okpara is dead.

The international financial expert, an astute political leader, an Urhobo patriot, and a pan-Deltan died in Warri on Friday.

Born into the great Okpara Dynasty of Eku on February 8, 1961, in Eku Community, Ethiope East Local Government Area of Delta State,

Okpara had his Primary Education at C.M.S, in Eku and attended Saint Peter’s Claver Aghalokpe and later proceeded to the University of Maiduguri, Borno State, where he bagged (Bsc. Accouting) in 1987.

He went abroad for further education and did his Master’s in Business Administration (MBA) in the prestigious Cambridge University, Cambridge, United Kingdom (UK).

Olorogun Kenneth Oghenerhoro Okpara was a product of Havard University, JFK School of Government Executive Education (Cutting Edge of Development Thinking Programme) May, 2013, and Cambridge University London, Judge Business School, April, 2011.

He was an Associate Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria,1999, fellow of the Chartered Institute of Taxation 1998, Microsoft Professional-Internet (MCP- 1) 2000, Microsoft Certified System (MCSE) 2000.

He was also an International Financial Expert and a Chartered Accountant with strong leadership and analytical skills

The late Senior Financial Management Specialist with the World Bank was saddled with the responsibilities of Financial Management, implementation support and supervision of its funded and multi donor trust fund investment projects in Afghanistan, South Asia.

He worked as a co-Task Team Leader / Manager for Public Financial Management Projects funded by the World Bank here in Nigeria as well.

He was appointed the Honourable Commissioner for Economic Planning in September 2011-July 2013 by Dr. Ewetan Uduaghan, former governor of Delta State.

He proved himself a financial guru whose tenure led to the boosting of the economic base of Delta State and later appointed as the Honourable Commissioner for Finance by the same former governor, Uduaghan,

ENDSARS PROBE PANEL REPORT: WE WAIT FOR THE STATES, PRESIDENT BUHARI TELLS BLINKEN, AMERICAN SECRETARY OF STATE

Federal Government will allow the system to exhaust itself, and will, therefore, wait for pronouncements from state governments which set up panels to probe police brutality in the country, President Muhammadu Buhari has said.

The President spoke Thursday at State House, Abuja, while receiving in audience Mr Antony Blinken, United States Secretary of State.

“So many state governments are involved, and have given different terms of reference to the probe panels,” the President added. “We at the Federal have to wait for the steps taken by the states, and we have to allow the system to work. We can’t impose ideas on them. Federal Government has to wait for the reaction of the states.”

On the recent removal of Nigeria from watchlist of countries violating religious freedom, which Blinken said was “based on facts,” President Buhari expressed the country’s appreciation, noting that there was freedom of worship in Nigeria, and no one is discriminated against on the basis of his or her faith.

He said education is a priority in the country, “because when you educate a people, there are certain levels they will not fall below.”

The President equally appreciated the United States of America for allowing Nigeria to procure military hardware to fight terrorism in the country, and for the training given to Nigerian military.

“It’s helping us to stabilize the situation in the Northeast, and we’ve made a lot of progress since 2015,” he said. “We are doing a lot on security, and the people involved appreciate our efforts.”

On development of democratic ethos, President Buhari said Nigeria has adopted the American model, “hook, line, and sinker, with its term limits. Those who have attempted to breach it were disappointed, if not disgraced. You are even lucky if you have two terms. Others try hard, and don’t get it. The American model has been accepted by Nigerians as the best.”

Nigeria and her neighbors, the President noted, have been living with the impact of climate change for a while, which has seen the Lake Chad shrink drastically from its original size, and affected the livelihood of about 30 million people in the Lake Chad Basin countries.

“That is why the youths defy the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean to attempt emigrating to Europe. Inter-basin water transfer is needed to keep the youths at home, and they can resume their lives of farming, fishing, and animal husbandry.”

Mr Blinken, who had held a virtual meeting with the Nigerian President earlier in the year said jocularly that it was now good to see him “mask to mask, hoping that we will soon see face to face.”

He appreciated the contributions of President Buhari to protection of the climate, particularly his presence and contributions at the recent COP26 climate conference held in Glasgow, Scotland.

Blinken said America and Nigeria have diverse challenges, but a common denominator is security, and hoped for better partnerships, “so that the bad guys won’t get the good guys.”

He described the report of the EndSARS probe panel as “democracy in action,” stressing that America equally had its own police brutality, and hoping that necessary reforms would be made.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media and Publicity)

November 18, 2021

PRESS STATEMENT

18th November, 2021

DELTA APC CONFUSED, EMPTY, DROWNING IN ITS OWN LIES – PDP

The Delta State Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has dismissed the latest Press Statement

by hirelings and paid goons of the opposition All Progressives Congress APC, titled: “Okowa/PDP Administration: A Government Built On Lies, Massive Corruption – APC”, issued on November 18, 2021 and signed by one Francis Amaechi of their Directorate of Media and Publicity, as another epistle of a confused, empty, political party, swimming and drowning in its own catalogue of lies and propaganda, both in the State and at the National level.

Dr. Ifeanyi Osuoza, State Publicity Secretary, Delta PDP, in a swift but terse and concise response to the APC statement, suggested to the APC that the title of their press release actually describes appropriately, their woefully failed, inept and clueless Federal Government administration, which has brought nothing but hardship and suffering upon Nigerians and seen the escalation of all the societal vices, from kidnapping, banditry, killings and massive corruption, all perpetrated with impunity.

The Delta PDP spokesman further observed the multiplicity of APC publicists in the State, signing their press statements and wondered why a fractured and factionalized party which, like Humpty Dumpty, has fallen down from the wall and broken up in such a manner that it can never be glued together again, is still littering the public space with lies and diversionary noises, when it knows it has nothing to offer to Deltans.

Dr. Osuoza’s statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the latest press statement of the opposition All Progressives Congress APC, titled: “Okowa/PDP Administration: A Government Built On Lies, Massive Corruption – APC”, issued on November 18, 2021 and signed by one Francis Amaechi of their Directorate of Media and Publicity, and we cannot help but observe how this title perfectly fits the APC administration at the Federal level which, just like one of its Delta factions so aptly observed and many Nigerians now concur with, is a Government built On Lies and propaganda and is now drowning in the Massive Corruption, recalcitrance and impunity which have defined the administration in the last six years.

“Without meaning to join issues with the uncertain nomenclature which the APC has metamorphosed into in Delta State, especially with the multiplicity of signatory publicists, indicating an irredeemable fragmentation of its hitherto amorphous structure, we make bold to say that, having read through its bogus, grammatically striken and error-prone statement, we are at a loss to connect the nexus between its logic and the sensationalism of its misleading title.

“We however wish to assume the obvious fact that since this faction of APC in Delta State has commenced its surreptitious campaign for the gubernatorial ambition of the Deputy Senate President (DSP), it must, by a comprehensive dosage of dubious, devious and typically characteristic negative propaganda, attempt to distance the DSP from the battered, damaged and bitterly despised image of the failed APC administration at the centre; an administration which he has so vigorously and with obsequious dynamism, akin to servitude, defended at every instance, with annoying, unpatriotic and sometimes disingenuous sophistry.

“Of course the PDP has no qualms with the attempt of Delta APC to desperately launder and position their new knight in shining armor. We have seen it all before and we already know that our sterling leadership under the astute, cerebral administration of His Excellency, Senator, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, the Executive Governor of Delta State, the undisputed leader of our united party and the unrivaled ‘Ekwueme’ of the universe, coupled with the excellent performance in governance and the delivery of multi-sectoral democracy dividends to the people and communities of Delta State, will always deliver victory to us, no matter who they put up in any election.

“We however take strong exception to the barefaced lies that Governor Okowa’s administration has not delivered quality projects across the three Senatorial zones in the State. Photographs of projects commissioning and testimonies from even leaders of the opposition and the beneficiaries of these projects themselves, have since been widely reported to debunk the APC lies.

“We are also quite disappointed with the wickedly deliberate and misleading comments, especially the invocation of an infantile, irresponsible and illiterate allusion of “governance being reduced to family business,” which not only exposes the crude, primitive, kindergarten mindset and governance ignorance of the APC publicists in this modern day and age, when governance is becoming more functional, intellectually certified and expatriate-specific rather than compensatory, in terms of sectoral proficiency in delivering the MDG objectives, but shamelessly underscores the extremist nature of their political desperation and the potentially dangerous cleavages to brigandage, which their unhealthy quest for power is rapidly tilting towards.

“Let us sound it loud and clear to the APC in the State, that all its ridiculous lies and misleading propaganda have not only been debunked by practical and verifiable projects and widely published reports, but have sadly not enhanced their electoral fortunes one bit, even with their constantly changing and replacing their Publicity Secretaries.

“We should also remind the APC that elections in Delta State, are not won with lies and propaganda, but by physical, comprehensive, ward to ward, unit to unit, Local government to local government and of course the ultimate cap-up, in-your-ears, mosquito campaigns from house to house and face to face, which the PDP has made the hallmark and unconditional standard of its campaign in every election.

“Our party, guided by the articulate, focused and result oriented, visionary leadership of our leader, His Excellency, Senator, Dr. Ifeanyi Okowa, the ‘Ekwueme Gburugburu’ and undisputed ‘roadmaster’, both literally and in political metaphor, has since commenced our unstoppable march to 2023 and the massive momentum has already garnered tremendous, satisfactory progress, to the chagrin of the hapless, confused and fragmented APC, evidently manifested in the avalanche of defections and decampees to the PDP, even in areas often regarded in their imaginary, fairy tale hallucinations as APC strongholds.

“Our quest to ensure and achieve a smooth, seamless landslide victory in 2023, is fully on an irrevocable trajectory and no matter the amount of lies and propaganda or even the number of Publicity Secretaries and Publicists they employ to deliver their dirty, filthy garbage of lies and opprobrious verbiage in the public space, the fact of the matter remains that Delta is PDP and PDP is Delta. ‘Quod Erat Demonstrandum’ (QED). End of discussion.

PDP! Power to the People!!

Dr. Ifeanyi M. Osuoza

State Publicity Secretary,

PDP, Delta State.

PRESIDENT BUHARI DIRECTS MDAS TO STUDY NIPSS REPORT ON POLICY DESIGN, IMPLEMENTATION

President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday in Abuja directed Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to study a Report on how best to ensure effective policy design and implementation with a view to implementing some of its recommendations.

The report entitled, “Getting Things Done: Strategies for Policy and Programme Implementation in Nigeria,” was presented to the President by the Senior Executive Course 43 (2021) of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS) , Kuru, Plateau State.

Receiving the report, the President assured the course participants that it would be treated with the seriousness and urgency it deserves.

‘‘As such, I am directing the MDAs and the National Steering Committee on the Vision 2050 to study the Report, with the view to diligently consider the recommendations presented and incorporate them as part of over-all execution strategy,’’ he said.

Declaring that this administration has invested great efforts in the provision of good governance and making tremendous progress at getting the desired results, the President said:

‘‘This report becomes important and timely in our quest to enhance service delivery to our citizens.”

On the importance of NIPSS and its course participants, the President noted it was always a delight to receive their input on important issues that are of very great concern to the government and the nation.

‘‘No nation will progress without paying close attention to the ways policies are made and implemented, as it is often unclear how best to ensure effective policy design and implementation.

‘‘The gaps between policy design and programmes implementation must be closed in order for our country to continue to make meaningful progress.

‘‘This was why I charged Participants of the Senior Executive Course No. 43, 2021 to work on the theme: “Getting Things Done: Strategies for Policy and Programme Implementation in Nigeria,” he said.

Alluding to the report and the presentation done by participants of Course 43, the President noted that their research had drawn attention to the numerous efforts of his administration in policy and programme implementation, as well as the challenges faced.

He acknowledged that the report also generated constructive and compelling recommendations with adequate implementation strategies.

‘‘The structure, content and mode of presentation of this report shows great commitment and hard work that has gone into it.

‘‘This confirms to me and our administration of the consistency and reliability of the National Institute in delivering on very critical and sensitive assignments of national importance.

‘‘While I congratulate the Participants for justifying the confidence in nominating you for this course, I wish to commend the National Institute for once more living up to expectations.

‘‘Let me express my pleasure at the level of knowledge and discipline you have openly demonstrated about our country and our challenges,’’ he said.

President Buhari urged the course participants, mainly drawn from the senior cadre of Federal and State establishments, to put to work all they have learnt in their various establishments.

‘‘I am convinced that you are now well equipped for the task of handling higher and more complex responsibilities for the benefit of our country,’’ he told them.

In his remarks at the presidential parley, the Acting Director-General of NIPSS, Brig. Gen. Chukwuemeka Udaya told the President that the 85 participants of Senior Course 43 of 2021 were distributed into seven groups to interrogate the theme of the study.

‘‘The seven groups received lectures and presentations from top class resource persons, went on study tours in order to interact with and gather data on the theme for study from experts, public and private sector practitioners from across the globe carried out individual and group research work and rigorous intellectual debates,’’ he said.

Femi Adesina

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

November 18, 2021

PRESIDENT BUHARI SIGNS CLIMATE CHANGE, AMCON (AMENDMENT) BILLS INTO LAW

President Muhammadu Buhari has signed into law two important bills passed by the National Assembly thereby making them to become part of the Laws of the Federation.

The Climate Change Act owes its origin to a bill sponsored by a member of the House of Representatives, Sam Onuigbo and provides for, among other things, the mainstreaming of climate change actions and the establishment of a National Council on Climate Change.

It also paves the way for environmental and economic accounting and a push for a net zero emission deadline plan in the country.

The Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (Amendment) Act amends the AMCON Act No.4, 2010.

It provides for the extension of the tenor of the Resolution Cost Fund and grants access to the Special Tribunal established by the Banks and other Financial Institutions Act 2020, which confers on the corporation the power “to take possession, manage, foreclose or sell, transfer, assign or otherwise deal with the asset or property used as security for eligible bank assets and related matters.’’

This, in effect, will help AMCON make recoveries and for debtors to fulfil their commitments to banks.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media and Publicity)

November 18, 2021

PRESS RELEASE

LAGOS REQUIRES $15BILLION FOR INFRASTRUCTURE, SAYS SANWO-OLU

• LASG holds Investors’ Roundtable, Launches Deal Book 

• Gov urges Investors to optimise opportunities in Lagos toward 21st Century Economy

Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Thursday disclosed that given the rising population and limited geographical space of the State, Lagos will require about $15 billion over the next five years for infrastructure.

Speaking at the third Lagos Investors’ Roundtable and launching of Deal Book organised by the Office of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Investment, Governor Sanwo-Olu called on investors to optimise the advantages of the opportunities in Lagos State toward the goal of developing a 21st Century economy as projected by his administration.

At the investment roundtable, which was attended by foreign diplomats, members of business communities, captains of industries and members of the State Executive Council, among others, Governor Sanwo-Olu also called for partnership with investors and private sector, saying the implementation of the development strategies of his administration demands partnership and contributions of private investors.

He said: “We strongly believe that the continued growth and success of Lagos is premised on the strength and diversity of our partnerships. It is such strategic partnerships that account for Lagos being by far the leading recipient of local and foreign direct investments in Nigeria. It is estimated that, in the last few years, about 80 percent of the investments into Nigeria, has come into Lagos.

“These investments remain vital to our economic growth and wellbeing, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and livelihoods across the city. This is the reason why a forum like this is so important – as a platform for harmonising our respective visions and targets and agreeing on key actions that will not only strengthen existing investment partnerships but also initiate new ones.”

Governor Sanwo-Olu stressed further that “As a government, we understand the value of these relationships in fostering economic resilience, particularly during times of uncertainty, like this one we are in, marked by the combined effects of a global pandemic, climate change, global inflation, the burden of poverty and social and economic inequality, among others.

“As a low-lying aquatic city with over 22 million citizens, confined to the smallest landmass in Nigeria, Lagos is especially vulnerable to all the challenges of a sprawling, densely populated, climate challenged, fast-growing Megacity.

“We believe that given the rising population and limited geography space that we have, Lagos will indeed require about $15 billion over the next five years on infrastructure alone. $15 billion is about five times the budget that we currently have. Lagos budget is about $3 billion today.”

While assuring investors that Lagos State is open and ready for investments, innovation and collaboration, Governor Sanwo-Olu assured investors and private partners that the State Government will create enabling policies and environment for them to thrive in Lagos and for their investments to be safe and secure, as well as ensuring that innovation thrives.

“Indeed we have a huge responsibility to develop critical hard and soft infrastructure that can act as a catalyst for what you do as investors. All of these we have been doing and will continue to do,” the governor said.

Governor Sanwo-Olu during the event also launched the ‘Lagos Deal Book’, which is a compendium of investment opportunities across the state as well as information about the incentives for making the investments and the processes for doing so.

He said: “I encourage you all to take advantage of the rich information contained in this Deal Book, to guide and inform your decision making. Information, they say, is power, and there is something of value and interest to each and every one of you, inside the compendium.

“I also urge you all to continue to support, partner and collaborate with Lagos State and with one another, to create sustainable economic prosperity that will touch the lives of all Lagosians. I would like to ask you all, to please spread the word; Lagos State is open and ready for investment, innovation, and collaboration.”

Speaking earlier, the Special Adviser to Governor Sanwo-Olu on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and Investment, Mrs. Solape Hammond, said the roundtable was part of shared aspiration towards making Lagos the most preferred investment destination in the world.

She reassured the investors about the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration’s determination to institute business-friendly measures to boost investors’ confidence and guarantee trust, adding that her office is working with relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) of government to minimise all perceived threats and scale-up strategic benefits.

“It is an incontrovertible fact that Lagos derived its age-long excellence partly from the worthy contribution of private investment to its socio-economic development, hence, the commitment towards creating a conducive atmosphere for private businesses to strive.

“As carefully exemplified by Mr. Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in his developmental agenda, T.H.E.M.E.S, the utmost goal is to make Lagos the most desirable investment destination in the world. The ability to attract investment remains the hallmark of healthy economies all over the world,” she said.

Also speaking, Commissioners for Transport (Dr. Frederick Oladeinde), Energy (Mr. Lere Odusote), Agriculture (Ms Bisola Olusanya), Tourism, Arts and Culture (Pharm. Uzamat Akinbile-Yusuf), Health (Prof. Akin Abayomi), Special Adviser to the Governor on Works and Infrastructure (Engr. Aramide Adeyoye) and Director-General, Office of Public Private Partnership (Mr. Ope George), who spoke passionately on huge investment opportunities in different sectors in the State and urged investors to tap into them.

SIGNED

GBOYEGA AKOSILE

CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY

NOVEMBER 18, 2021

INTRA-AFRICAN TRADE FAIR IN DURBAN: WE HAVE COME HERE IN FULL FORCE, SAYS PRESIDENT BUHARI

… AFRICA WILL REDOUBLE TRADE IN 10 YEARS

President Muhammadu Buhari Monday in Durban, South Africa assured participants at the 2nd Intra-African Trade Fair 2021, that his delegation is attending with ‘‘full force’’ to maximize the advantage of the gathering.

Addressing the opening ceremony of the event, the President said:

‘‘Let me assure you that Nigeria has come to Durban in full force to actively participate in this very important trade fair and take full advantage of all the opportunities it provides.

‘‘We have streamlined the country’s participation under one roof to enable you access all the information you need.”

President Buhari’s expectation of a good performance by Nigerian businesses at the Durban Fair is hinged on the outcome of the last edition in Cairo, Egypt at which they got deals worth over 3.3 billion Dollars.

Current records show that Intra African trade accounts for only 15 percent of their transactions.

The President expressed optimism that the creation of the biggest free trade area in the world, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), will work, especially with the active collaboration of the public and private sectors.

He canvassed support for the implementation of the free trade initiative, listing several benefits to the continent, including doubling trade in 10 years and reducing over-reliance on imports.

The Nigerian leader expressed concern that most of Africa’s existing challenges, whether security, economy, or corruption, can be traced to the inability over the years to domesticate the production of most basic requirements and provide jobs to her teeming and dynamic youth population.

‘‘Under the African Continental Free Trade Area, we can double our intra-African trade by 2030, reduce our reliance on imports and therefore create more jobs within the continent.

‘‘We cannot achieve this goal by talking alone. The implementation will be a difficult journey. But all challenges are surmountable if both the public and private sectors collaborate.

‘‘On the public sector side, Governments must support local entrepreneurs to build scale and therefore improve productivity.

‘‘This means providing incentives to encourage our businesses to formalise and comply with laid down regulations,’’ he said.

On the rules of engagement for the free trade initiative, President Buhari reminded fellow Heads of State and participants at the trade fair:

‘‘Free trade must also be fair and fairness can only be achieved when there is full compliance with regulations, especially those relating to rules of origin.

‘‘The AfCFTA is for “made-in-Africa” products and services.

‘‘Africa must be a marketplace where no country is left behind. As we implement, we must ensure that we create jobs and enhance revenues for all parties.

‘‘We must leverage on one another’s strengths to succeed,’’ he said.

President Buhari also used the occasion to call on businesses in Africa to key into existing regional value chains or build new ones, either to extend operations into the higher value segments of their industries or to satisfy the Area’s rules of origin requirements.

He expressed delight that the Intra-African Trade Fair was uniquely positioned to help in these areas.

The President stressed that the Nigerian economy under his administration had witnessed a re-engineering.

‘‘As many of you are aware, in the past five years, Nigeria has made significant strides towards the diversification of her economy from an oil revenue-dependent country to a nation with diverse revenue sources.

‘‘We were able to achieve this by putting in place fiscal, monetary and trade policies that support investments and investors in key sectors such as Agriculture, Mining, Telecommunications and Digital Economy, Banking and Financial services, tourism, and manufacturing,’’ he said.

Declaring that Nigeria is open for business, the President highlighted that progress was being made in the reforms of key institutions, the fight against corruption as well as the ease of doing business in the country.

He congratulated the African Union Commission, the AfCFTA Secretariat and the Africa Export-Import Bank for their dedication and relentless effort in seeing the Trade Area become a reality.

‘‘Today is a great day for Africa as we start our collaborative journey towards collective economic prosperity through the African Continental Free Trade Area. I very much look forward to seeing more African products manufactured in Africa using African resources.

‘‘I also commend the people of Durban for hosting this year’s Intra-African Trade Fair. I sincerely hope that we will witness milestone agreements among African businesses at this gathering.

‘‘Through these gatherings, we will be laying a solid foundation for future business-to-business, business and government, and government-to-government co-operation,’’ he said.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

November 15, 2021