News From Nigeria
March 23, 2022
Press Statement
…Says It Will Not Succumb to Blackmail
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the Buhari Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are running from their shadows and haunted by their failures in governance.
PDP’s position is predicated on the outburst by the Buhari Presidency on Tuesday, March 22, 2022 against our Party for asking President Muhammadu Buhari to address the lingering fuel crisis and cautioning that the unrelenting culture of arrogance, impunity, suppression and corruption by the APC administration was akin to “kneeling on the necks of Nigerians.”
From the outburst of the Buhari Presidency, Nigerians now realize that the APC administration does not care about the suffering, agony and life discounting experiences encountered by our citizens daily as a result of APC’s thoughtless and inhumane policies.
If there is anybody seeking to destabilize our nation, it is the sinking, confused and discomfited APC that is clutching to straws and making unguarded statements including boasting that “heavens will not fall” over its refusal to address the lingering fuel crisis.
The APC administration is afraid because its corruption, impunity and recklessness which are responsible for the biting petrol and diesel crisis, collapsed national grid, distressed aviation sector, plummeting currency and near collapse of the production and service sectors of the economy are being exposed by the PDP.
APC is afraid of Nigerians for bungling the once thriving $550 billion economy (largest in Africa and 26th globally) handed over to it by the PDP in 2015 and reducing our nation to the poverty capital of the world where over 80 million citizens, according to official reports, can no longer afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life.
Why would the APC not be afraid of the people when it opened our nation to terrorists and bandits who it reportedly imported from neighbouring countries in 2015 to help APC muscle and rig the elections, after which APC leaders failed to honour their deal to pay the said mercenaries for the heinous ‘services’ they were contracted to provide against Nigerians by the APC?
The APC is uncomfortable, having been indicted for human rights violations including reported cases of extra-judicial killings, torture, illegal arrests, detentions and other atrocious acts as contained in the June 2021 report of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).
Moreover, in stating that the October, 2020 peaceful EndSARS protest by Nigerian youths signified “murder, mayhem, mass destruction, even cannibalism”, the APC administration has confirmed reports of its complicity and approval of the violent attacks and gruesome massacre of innocent youths at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos.
Such stance on the EndSARS peaceful protest by our youths also questions the sincerity of President Buhari’s description of the protest as “genuine concerns and agitation by Nigerians”. The renewed negative tagging therefore appears to be a design by the APC to frame our youths for another onslaught.
The PDP holds that the EndSARS peaceful protest signifies the resilience of Nigerian youths against injustice, suppression and insensitive system being foisted on our nation by the APC administration. Our Party therefore cautions the APC to perish the thought of venting its frustration on the PDP and Nigerian youths.
It is often said that a bad workman complains about his tools; but a hopelessly irredeemable one (which the APC is) complains about others.
The APC must know that the PDP is back. Our Party stands with the people and will never be deterred from exposing APC’s atrocities and fighting for the wellbeing of Nigerians as we march towards 2023 to Rescue and Rebuild our nation from the misrule of the APC.
Signed:
Hon. Debo Ologunagba
National Publicity Secretary
March 23, 2022
Special Announcement
PDP to Inaugurate Zoning Committee
The National Working Committee (NWC) of our Great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), pursuant to the approval of the National Executive Committee (NEC) at its 95th Meeting announces the appointment of the following party members for the Zoning Committee.
The members of the Committee are as follows:
State Nominees
1 (Abia) Sen. Mao Ohuabunwa
2 (Adamawa) H.E. Boni Haruna
3 (Akwa Ibom) Sen. Emmanuel Ibokessien
4 (Anambra) Prof. A. B. C. Nwosu
5 (Bauchi ) Sen. Abdul Ahmed Ningi
6 (Bayelsa) Rt. Hon. Boyelayefa Debekeme
7 (Benue) H.E. Dr. Samuel Ortom
8 (Borno) Sen. Sanusi Daggash
9 (Cross River) H. E. Liyel Imoke
10 (Delta) Rt. Hon. Ndudi Elumelu
11 (Ebonyi) Amb. Franklin Nchita Ogbuewu
12 (Edo) Chief Tom Ikimi
13 (Ekiti) H. E. Dr. Ayodele Fayose
14 (Enugu) H. E. Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi
15 (Fct/Abuja) Mohammed Abdulrahman
16 (Gombe) H. E. Dr. Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo
17 (Imo) Chief Fidelis Izuchukwu
18 (Jigawa) H. E. (Dr.) Sule Lamido
19 (Kaduna) H.E. Sen. Mohammed Ahmed Makarfi
21 (Katsina) H. E. Barr. Ibrahim Shehu Shema
22 (Kebbi) Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, San
24 (Kwara) Alhaji Abubakar Kawu Baraje
25 (Lagos) Chief Olabode Ibiyinka George, CON
27 (Niger) Prof. Jerry Gana
28 (Ogun) Hon. Daisi Akintan
30 (Osun) Prof. Adewale Oladipo
31 (Oyo) Sen. Hosea Ayoola Agboola
32 (Plateau) H. E. Jonah David Jang
33 (Rivers) Rt. Hon. Austin Opara
34 (Sokoto) H. E. Attahiru Bafarawa
35 (Taraba) H. E. Darius Ishaku
36 (Yobe) Alh. Adamu Maina Waziri
37 (Zamfara) H. E. Barr. Mahadi Aliyu Gusau
The Committee will be inaugurated as follows:
Date: Thursday, March 24, 2022
Time : 11:00AM
Venue: NEC Hall, PDP National Secretariat, Wadata Plaza, Wuse Zone 5, Abuja
Signed:
Hon. Umar M. Bature
National Organizing Secretary
PRESS RELEASE
BUHARI INAUGURATES NEW INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL AT LAGOS AIRPORT, 43 YEARS AFTER ESTABLISHMENT
…Aviation project complements, redefines Lagos’ infrastructure narrative – Sanwo-Olu
…Lagos Government, FAAN seal partnership to develop new access roads to airport
Lagos State, Nigeria’s hub of commerce, is set to witness a rapid economic growth, as a major remodelling project undertaken by the Federal Government at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja comes to fruition.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, commissioned the newly built international terminal at the international airport, creating a new travel experience for air passengers passing through the Lagos international airspace.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu joined the president to unveil the new MMIA Terminal 2, designed and built under the ambitious rehabilitation programme of the Federal Ministry of Aviation in which 22 federal airports were marked for upgrade and remodelling.
At the occasion, Lagos State Government signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to construct ancillary road infrastructure that will create seamless vehicular connectivity to the airport through Alimosho axis.
The agreement gives legal backing and concession of right-of-way for the construction of a new perimeter expressway to link Shasha Road to the Airport Complex. The development is expected to decongest the existing Lagos-Abeokuta corridor, and reduce journey time in commuting to the airport.
Gov. Sanwo-Olu and Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, jointly supervised the signing of the agreement by the Lagos Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, and the FAAN Managing Director, Captain Rabiu Yadudu.
Other Lagos cabinet members at the MoU signing ceremony included the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye, and Special Adviser on Public Private Partnership (PPP), Mr. Ope George.
Buhari said his administration fully understood the importance of airport infrastructure as a catalyst for economic growth, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and socio-economic development, which informed the Federal Government’s decision to prioritise the completion and delivery of five brand new international terminals, which were at 11 per cent progress level when he assumed office in 2015.
The president stressed that the construction of the new terminal aligned with his Government’s aviation roadmap developed in 2016 for the purposes of establishing critical infrastructure, including a national carrier, Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul Centre and improved airport terminals through concession, to boost aviation practice in line with global standards.
He said: “I am confident that the new terminal, with 66 check-in counters, 16 Immigration desks at arrival, 28 Immigration desks at departure, and eight security screening points, among others, will go a long way in contributing to the socio-political and economic prosperity of our great nation.
“This improvement will increase airport operations and management services to about 14 million passengers per annum, with the attendant positive multiplier effects, by creating about 3,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities for our youths, increase inflow of Foreign Direct Investments and exponential growth in the Gross Domestic Product.”
Sanwo-Olu, who described the delivery of the new air terminal as “long-overdue upgrade” to the nation’s flagship International airport, said President Buhari, by the achievement, had re-written the infrastructure narrative of Lagos, Southwest region, as well as the nation.
The Governor said the construction of Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Line, upgrade of Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki Expressway, full rehabilitation Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and development of a world-class Creative Industries Park in Iganmu were a few of the landmark infrastructure brought to Lagos by the Buhari administration.
He said: “We are very grateful to the Federal Government, under President Buhari’s leadership, for seeing to the completion and commissioning of this brand new international terminal building, almost 43 years to the day the old terminal was built. Finally, our dear Lagos has an international airport terminal that is befitting, and that has the capacity to cope with the fast-growing flow of passenger traffic.
“The new terminal is a worthy complement to the various transportation and road infrastructure projects of the Lagos State Government, such as the Airport Road and flyover which you were delivered three years ago, and the Red and Blue Lines of our Light Rail network, which we are working very hard to deliver on as soon as possible.”
Speaking on the infrastructure MoU, Sanwo-Olu said the partnership with FAAN further testified to a new era of productive collaboration between Lagos and the Federal Government, which was not the case between 1999 and 2015.
The Governor said by President Buhari’s commitment, fairness and respectful leadership, Lagos infrastructure story had changed for the better, with the benefits emerging in terms of improved quality of life for the residents.
Sirika said the development of the new terminal was to achieve an efficient and rapid transportation network, which would make Nigeria to remain a key player in the global logistical ecosystem.
Aside facilitating international trade, commerce and tourism, the Aviation minister said improved air services that would be achieved would lead to creation of jobs and boost economy.
In the coming months, Sirika said there would be a partnership with the Lagos State Government on development of rail project to connect the nearby local airport to the new international terminal.
The new terminal is designed as a world-class aviation route, with the capacity to handle 18 million air passengers yearly. Offering best convenience for travellers, the facility was developed on an architectural acreage of 50,887 square metre.
It has 10 Extra-Low Voltage systems, three-dimensional multi-layer baggage sorting system, five arrival and six departure gates, seven boarding bridges, and over 2,000 seat spaces for passengers.
The perimeter expressway will be constructed in four phases across six local councils, with the first phase spanning a 9-km toll road from Shasha to the airport. There will be a toll-free alternative route from Shasha towards Agege Motor Road en route airport.
The second phase of the Lagos-FAAN road project will open the airport to northern connection on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. Other phases include linkage to Egbe, Isolo, Mushin and Okota roads.
Earlier, President Buhari commissioned Dangote Fertilizer Plant in Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ), and inspected the ongoing construction of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex, and the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
22 MARCH 2022
AVIATION: PRESIDENT BUHARI DIRECTS FINANCE MINISTER TO LOOK FOR SPECIAL FUNDING FOR ABUJA AIRPORT SECOND RUNWAY, INAUGURATES NEW TERMINAL BUILDING AT MMIA
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday directed the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to look for special funding for the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new Terminal Building, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the President also directed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to conclude the documentation of the approved 12,000 hectares of land to accommodate the runway and other developmental projects.
Further, the President tasked the Minister of Aviation to fast-track the airport concession programme, to boost aviation practice in the country and make the aviation industry reflect global standards.
The President noted that the completion and delivery of five brand new international airport terminals since 2015, which were at 11% completion level then, aligns perfectly with the Aviation Roadmap, developed in 2016, for the purposes of establishing critical infrastructure, including a National Carrier as well as maintenance, repairs and overhaul centre, and improved Airports Terminals through concession.
The President, who described the administration’s investments in inter-state rail connectivity, road networks, agriculture, power and telecommunications, despite limitations in resources, as unprecedented noted that robust initiatives have been complemented with specific fiscal policies to drive aviation infrastructure renaissance.
‘‘These include the designation of 4 airports, namely Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt as Free Trade Zones, in which customs duty is not applicable; removal of VAT on all forms of shared transportation, including air transportation; and exemption of commercial aircraft and spare parts from VAT payment.
‘‘Similar projects at both the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Port Harcourt International Airport were completed and commissioned by this administration and our people have since been benefiting from the positive economic impacts of those magnificent terminals.
‘‘The one in Kano has also been completed, and will be commissioned soon, while work continues apace to complete that of Enugu shortly,’’ he said.
The President expressed confidence that the new terminal in Lagos with sixty-six check-in-counters, sixteen Immigration desks at arrival, twenty-eight Immigration desks at departure, and eight security screening points, among others, would go a long way in contributing to the socio-political and economic prosperity of the country,
He added that the improvement would increase airport operations and management services to about 14 million passengers per annum, create 3,000 direct and indirect jobs, increase inflow of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and exponential growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He thanked the Government and People of the Republic of China, through the China Export-Import Bank and CCECC Nigeria Limited, (FAAN), for their commitment and support towards the completion of the project.
The President also commended the Federal Ministry of Aviation and its agencies, particularly, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, for working assiduously towards the realization of the project.
‘‘With the delivery of this project, a new era of safety, security, and comfort has been ushered into the Nigerian aviation industry, and I am persuaded that it will get better with the passage of time,’’ he said.
The Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu said it was instructive that Lagos State in one day had witnessed the evolution of three major infrastructure development projects that will change the Nigerian landscape while commending President Buhari for the infrastructural renewal and redevelopment necessary for a city like Lagos.
He lauded the private sector in the aviation industry for their continued contributions to the growth of the country despite the challenges.
The Governor informed the gathering that Lagos State Government was forming a partnership with FAAN towards ensuring that the new international terminal enjoys easy access which would be achieved by creating a bypass, the Airport – Alimosho Bypass Project, to create an alternative route to the airport.
The signing of the agreement for the partnership was later done by the officials of the Lagos State Government and FAAN.
In his remarks, Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika said aviation is the worldwide rapid transportation network that facilitates international trade, commerce and tourism, the only medium for achieving continental integration and interaction towards achieving the AU Agenda 2063.
He commended the administration of President Buhari for efforts towards resolving the problems inherited in the aviation industry in 2015 such as lack of professionalism, scarcity of foreign exchange, obsolete equipment, poor facilities, blocked funds for airlines among others, adding that more still needed to be done.
The Minister said the airport concession project including the new terminals has reached an advanced stage with the Ministry issuing requests for shortlisted firms before the end of March.
According to the Minister, a study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Nigeria in 2020, “showed that the sector created 241,000 jobs, direct and indirect, and contributed $1.7billion to the economy,” with a hope to grow the contribution of the sector from the current 0.68% to 5% or approximately $14.16billion.
Senator Sirika gave assurances that the new terminal will be linked to the railway system.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
March 22, 2022
DESTABILIZATION: PDP GIVES ITSELF AWAY
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has given itself away as being interested only in the destabilization of the country, peradventure it could then sneak its way back to power.
Less than 24 hours after the Department of State Services (DSS) raised alarm about sinister plots by some elements to cause disorder in the land, using the energy crisis as a smokescreen, the PDP issued a statement, saying; “Our party fears that the situation is getting to a boiling point and can trigger a nationwide agitation that might be worse than the October 2020 EndSARS if not addressed immediately.”
Which patriotic political party or organization ever threatens its country with anarchy, social upheaval and disorderliness, except one still smarting from its snout being yanked from the honeypot, as happened to PDP in 2015?
But we wish to remind the now tepid opposition party that it was Nigerians that gave it the boot 7 years ago, and those same Nigerians have not forgotten the travails they experienced, at a time the country was awash with money: no power, no infrastructure, insurgents ran riot round the nation, and our collective patrimony was looted blind. Those same Nigerians are not ready for another PDP misrule, not now, and perhaps not for a long time to come.
Rather than plot and encourage “agitation worse than October 2020 EndSARS,” which it may well be conceiving, the PDP should work for harmony and cohesion in the country, if it ever understands such concept.
EndSARS signified murder, mayhem, mass destruction, even cannibalism. PDP now wishes Nigeria something worse.
A presidential aspirant of the PDP has warned that the party would die by 2023, unless it wins the Number One position in the country. And die it would, if the party wishes the country nothing except something worse than EndSARS.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
March 22, 2022
PRESIDENT DIRECTS TIMELY COMPLETION OF LEKKI DEEP SEA PORT, WANTS RAILWAY LINK TO THE HARBOR
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Lagos praised the efforts of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, towards making the Lekki Deep Sea Port a reality, and directed him to consult and bring up a memorandum to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to link the facility with the railway network.
As part of his engagements in Lagos, the President inspected the rate of work done at the first Deep Sea Port in Nigeria located in Lagos Free Zone, 65Km east of Lagos.
In the course of the inspection, the President received firm assurances that the port, which has a concession period of 45 years and sits in a land area of 90 hectares, will be completed on schedule by September.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
March 22, 2022
NIGERIA’S DEPENDENCE ON IMPORTED PRODUCTS TO END SOON, PRESIDENT BUHARI SAYS AT INAUGURATION OF DANGOTE’S 3M METRIC TONNES FERTILIZER PLANT
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday declared that Nigeria’s dependence on imported products in the agriculture sector will soon be a thing of the past with the inauguration of Dangote Fertilizer Plant, which has an installed capacity of 3.0 million metric tonnes of Urea per annum.
Speaking at the commissioning of the plant in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State, the President said the plant will further advance Nigeria’s drive towards achieving self-sufficiency in food production, create jobs, increase the inflow of foreign exchange and accelerate economic growth.
He commended the Chairman, Board and Management of Dangote Industries Limited for their business initiative in conceptualizing and building this plant, which is the second largest in the world.
The President expressed confidence that the investment in this plant will replicate the Group’s earlier exploits in the cement sector, where Dangote Cement holds the enviable record as our continent’s largest cement producer, with footprints in ten other African countries.
‘‘This new plant is a renewed testament to the widely acknowledged patriotism of Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the leadership of Dangote Industries Limited. It also demonstrates their commitment to the socio-economic development of our country and the well-being of our people.
‘‘The Group’s investment in integrated cement plants, spanning the value chain from quarry to ‘bagging, has effectively ended Nigeria’s dependence on imported cement products.
‘‘Along with the several other subsidiaries, Dangote Industries Limited has created thousands of jobs across Nigeria. It is the second biggest employer of labour in this country, after the Federal Government.
‘‘This is very pleasing because job creation by private sector operators is vital to security as it takes thousands of youths off the street,’’ he said.
On other benefits of the plant, the President expressed delight that with the commencement of exports to other countries including the United States, India, and Brazil, Nigeria is already gaining extensively in earnings of foreign exchange from the excess production of, and export from, the plant.
He noted that coming on stream of the plant had created huge opportunities in the areas of job creation, trade, warehousing, transport, and logistics, which would, in turn, create significant wealth, reduce poverty, and help in securing the future of the nation.
‘‘In the agricultural sector, another focal point of our economic policy, we expect a boom as fertilizer is now readily available in greater quantities and better quality.
‘‘Many Nigerians who hitherto practiced subsistence farming because of nonavailability of necessary inputs can now take up agriculture as a business.
‘‘We expect the rise of a new breed of agropreneurs who will add value to farming and make the nation self-sufficient in food production,’’ he said.
President Buhari used the occasion to reassure Nigerians that his government is focused on providing an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive, pledging continuity in improving infrastructure, power and security as well as enacting relevant laws and regulations to drive investments in the economy.
‘‘We are partnering with the private sector, through a tax credit scheme, in the rehabilitation of roads across Nigeria under Presidential Order No. 7.
‘‘As we know, good roads contribute to easy movement of goods and services across the nation, thus reducing the cost of doing business and improving productivity.
‘‘We are also rehabilitating our railway lines and building new ones to lessen the burden on our roads and create more effective multi-modal transportation networks,’’ he said.
‘‘I look forward to coming back to inaugurate the Refinery and petrochemical plant later in the year.
‘‘Projects of this magnitude and complexity require the support and collaboration of many persons and organisations. I am grateful to all of them.
‘‘In particular, I would like to commend the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Development Finance Institutions and the Local and Foreign Commercial Banks that have supported the investor to make these projects a reality,’’ the President declared.
Lauding Dangote for helping to rebrand Nigeria through his mega investments across Africa, President Buhari said:
‘‘He has fueled job-led growth and transformation of several African economies. I am proud of his contribution to affirming Nigeria’s leadership status in the continent, and I wish him many more successes in the future.’’
After the historic inauguration, President Buhari inspected the Group’s 650,000 barrels per day Petroleum Refinery and 900,000 tonnes per annum Polypropylene Plant sited within the Dangote Free Trade Zone Complex.
In his remarks, Dangote said the fertiliser complex, which occupies 500 hectares and built at a cost of $2.5 billion will drastically reduce the level of unemployment and youth restiveness in the country, through generation of direct and indirect employment.
”Agriculture accounts for over 20 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, and the country is a leading producer of various agricultural commodities. The sector has the potential of becoming the biggest source of income for our Nation, providing employment and raw materials for industries.
”However, low fertilizer usage has been a major reason for low productivity in the sector. It is common knowledge that non availability of the product, in quantity and quality, rather than affordability, is the primary constraint to the use of fertilizer.
”Our goal is to make fertiliser available in sufficient quantities and quality for our teeming farmers assuring greater agricultural output,” he said.
The Chief Executive of Dangote Industries expressed immense gratitude to President Buhari, for his sustained support and encouragement, and for honoring the invitation to come, in person, and inaugurate the plant.
He also commended the leaders of the host communities and their people for providing a peaceful and conducive environment for the project to thrive, recognizing the many years of enthusiastic teamwork, labour, toil and sweat of the Management and Staff of Dangote Group for their commitment to high performance, perseverance and resilience.
The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, recounted the role played by a former governor of the State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the establishment of the fertiliser plant and the refinery.
”The idea of having a free zone in the Ibeju Lekki was conceived by our leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
”I was with him in 2003, when we took a trip to China and we were trying to conceive a free zone and this is where we are.
”The free zone is not only home to the largest fertilizer plant in Africa but will certainly be home to the largest refinery,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He thanked the President for coming to Lagos, adding that he looked forward to receiving him in a few months’ time to commission more projects.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
March 22, 2022
By Femi Oboro
In view of the serial and unrelenting misrepresentation of facts and mischief orchestrated by forgers, pathological liars and pseudo anti-corruption activists in partnership with an online publication globally notorious for its culture of blackmail and extortion, it is important to set the record straight on the pronouncements of the Court of Milan, Republic of Italy, in the OPL 245 trial. The court discharged and acquitted all defendants of criminal charges on 17 March 2021. Of particular interest to me is the extent of involvement of my client, Mr Mohammed Bello Adoke SAN, who served as the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice of Nigeria between 2010 and 2015 during which the OPL 245 dispute was resolved and the oil block was acquired by Royal Dutch Shell Plc and ENI S.p.A. from Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd for a combined consideration of $1.3bn.
Although Mr Adoke was not on trial in Italy, his name came up frequently in the court proceedings because of the desperate desire of Mr Fabio De Pasquale, the Deputy Public Prosecutor for Milan, to criminalise the OPL 245 transaction by impugning the integrity of Mr Adoke and casting aspersions on his legal advice as the Attorney-General of the Federation in which position he acted on the lawful and legitimate instructions of President Goodluck Jonathan, GCFR.
In trying to work to an answer, Mr De Pasquale came up with a series of investigative theories, some of which were propounded by the so-called anti-corruption campaigners who were out to win awards as transparency champions by trampling on the truth. To them, all is fair in war. They can cook up anything, forge any e-mail and stage-manage any interview as long as they would get applause from their funders and promoters.
Mr De Pasquale argued in court that the OPL 245 Resolution Agreement of 2011, which was based on a Settlement Agreement reached between the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) and Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd on 30 November 2006, was illegal. He argued that it was also illegal to award an oil prospecting licence (OPL) through a court-ordered Settlement Agreement. De Pasquale and his team theorised that the $801 million paid by Royal Dutch Shell plc and ENI S.p.A. to Malabu Oil & Gas Ltd to acquire the rights to the oil block was illegal and was a scheme to bribe FGN officials. They alleged that Mr Adoke participated in the bribery scheme and profited to the tune of N300m ($2.2m at the time) from the $1.3bn transaction. Specifically, they said Alhaji Aliyu Abubakar, a property developer known to both Chief Dan Etete, the promoter of Malabu Oil and Gas Limited, sold a property worth N700m for N500m to Mr Adoke. They further alleged that the N200m difference was a bribe. The Italian prosecutors tried to use the property transaction as evidence of corruption.
Since some of these expended allegations are sub-judicial in Nigeria because Mr Adoke is still being tried in two honourable courts by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the same issues, my comments would have to be limited to the Milan Court decision.
Also, some of the facts are already in the public domain and as such do not require any further comments from me. Luckily, the full text of the 458-page judgment, marked “Judgment No. 3055”, is available on the internet. Anyone interested in reading the document, which I intend to quote generously in this article, should google “OPL 245 full decision” and download it. It documents the key presentations made by the prosecutors and the final pronouncements of the court after nearly three years of trial.
It is significantly of note that no adverse findings were made against Mr Adoke, contrary to the lies being peddled online by the coalition of miserable pseudo activists. I may allow myself to speculate that some of their tantrums might be out of ignorance, because, admittedly, it is not every lay person that can read and understand a court decision. The judges normally summarise presentations by the prosecutors and the defendants before making a pronouncement. It is not uncommon for those not familiar with legal proceedings to take a summary of presentation as part of the court finding or decision. However, because these mischief makers have been on this project for a while, and because they have enjoyed the funding and support of those well versed in law, I am very much tempted to conclude that ignorance is not the case, or perhaps ignorance is just red herring. It is malice.
I will now go into the specifics. It had been alleged that Mr Adoke exerted “unlawful pressure” on the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) to endorse the Settlement Agreement. But the Milan Court pronounced at Page 241 of its judgment: “We cannot instead accept the comments on the fact that Adoke Bello allegedly exerted unlawful pressure on NNPC and DPR. In fact, as we have seen, it had been the Minister himself who had engaged these departments and demanded that an agreement be made reflecting their suggestions, so that the companies (Shell and ENI) were forced to give ground on recognition of the back-in rights, which were not included in the previous contractual framework, which called for direct purchase from Malabu, considering that that company had been granted a license free of these restrictions.”
On the rightfulness of awarding an OPL based on an out-of-court settlement (and the attempt to link it to corruption), the judges said at Page 248: “The opinions of the Public Prosecutor’s expert are absolutely contradictory and legally erroneous. Although she admitted that licenses in Nigeria may be issued by the government on a discretionary basis, it underscores the anomaly represented by the issuance of a license in the context of an out-of-court settlement agreement that involved a party, Eni, that was considered to have nothing to do with the legal disputes over ownership of the license. On the basis of these erroneous premises of its own expert, the prosecution transforms a fact from common experience (out-of-court settlements of disputes may come about through the intervention of a third-party investor or financier) into circumstantial evidence of underlying corrupt arrangements.”
They continued at Page 249: “Contrary to what was revealed during the trial proceeding, the prosecution argues that there were no other cases of assignments of oil license after out-of-court settlements, although the defense experts pointed out that the use of a Resolution Agreement as the basis for a direct award is not an unprecedented event. Examples are found in the Annual Report 2016 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry published by the DPR, which reports that certain assets were assigned/reassigned on the basis of out-of-court settlement agreements. The circumstance generates no wonder, since the settlement is a typical arrangement, which is common practice in circumstances involving a dispute. In this regard, we should mention in passing that, from the legal point of view, the license was not awarded with the Resolution Agreement, but the latter was used as the negotiating tool whereby the Government assured itself approval by Snud (Shell Nigeria Ultra Deep) and Malabu to reassignment in favor of Snepco (Shell Nigeria Exploration and Production Co) and NAE (ENI-Agip). Indeed, the deed of assignment is comprised of a discretionary measure issued by the Minister and of which the Resolution Agreement constituted a simple factual premise.”
On the allegation of conflict of interest, the prosecutors argued that Chief Etete, as Minister of Petroleum in 1998, should not have awarded an oil block to a company in which he had interest. The court agreed with the position of the defence lawyer that it was never raised as a breach of law before any court. In fact, the 1998 assignment was subsequently confirmed several times by the government, even before Mr Adoke became AGF. The court agreed with the defence lawyer who had argued that the “fallaciousness of the prosecution’s reasoning was such that the Public Prosecutor was forced to contradict himself when he explicitly affirmed that confirmation of the license awarded to Malabu had legitimated it to sell the license”. The court then declared at Page 249: “So, the Court agrees with the defense attorneys, and even with the Public Prosecutor, that the confirmation of the license by the Nigerian Government in July 2010, during the pendency of the arbitration proceeding, definitively legitimated the negotiations for acquisition of the license itself.”
On the charge that Adoke’s involvement in meetings and communications with key actors in the OPL 245 negotiations was evidence of vested interest for corrupt enrichment, the judges said at Page 291: “Equally devoid of evidentiary value is the fact that the Minister Adoke Bello intervened in the context of these communications, guaranteeing the legitimacy of the agreements underlying the payments, legitimacy that has already been demonstrated and would in fact also be recognized by the Nigerian judicial authority at the request of the same public official (see the ruling of Judge Binta Nyako). The prosecution’s argument, based on the fact that the defendants knowingly provided the money for the bribe paid by Etete to the public officials, is reasonably contradicted by the outcome of the SOCA authorizations…”. SOCA is the UK Serious Organised Crime Agency which gave JP Morgan the go-ahead to transfer funds to Malabu in 2011 after investigating suspicion of fraud.
At Page 317, the judges, in dismissing allegations of bribery in the OPL 245 deal for lack of proof, reproduced the transcript of the interrogation of a defendant, Mr Vincenzo Armanna, a former ENI manager, by the prosecutor over the issue of kickbacks. Armanna said that, in fact, Adoke threatened to arrest and prosecute ENI officials for negotiating kickbacks. The conversation is reproduced below:
PUBLIC PROSECUTOR: But the meeting, which I can now specify directly because you mentioned it this morning, when the Attorney General said: “They’re bribes, I’ll put you all in jail,” when was that? And who was there?
DEFENDANT ARMANNA: It was the first one with a bigger group, so it was…I think it was after November 15.
PUBLIC PROSECUTOR: And what did he say exactly?
DEFENDANT ARMANNA: That they were bribes and that we were blackmailing Dan Etete and forcing him to pay a fee to Obi and that we would be arrested.
It is, therefore, a matter of public record that Mr Adoke actually warned against bribery in the transaction and threatened to get the commission agents arrested and prosecuted. This is the same Adoke that is being maligned and defamed as a bribe taker. Before Mr Armanna’s testimony, Ednan Tofik ogly Agaev, a former Russian ambassador to Colombia, had also withdrawn his earlier claim to the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in which he said Mr Adoke was involved in bribery. Agaev refused to adopt the statement in court, saying he was pressured to mention a name during interrogation and he mentioned Adoke. In other words, Agaev lied to the FBI to get off the hook.
I must, however, regret that there was an allegation against Mr Adoke before the Italian court that was not exhaustively dealt with: the accusation that he bought a house from his supposed share of the kickbacks. Every piece of evidence was purely circumstantial and an over-extension of the facts just to fit the narrative: one, that Mr Adoke previously knew the property developer; two, that the property developer was close to Chief Etete; three, that Mr Adoke tried to buy a house for N500m after the OPL 245 transaction; four, that the property had just been acquired by the developer for N700m; five, that the N200m difference was his kickback; six, that as a public servant, where could he have earned the N500m to buy the property. Of course, the conclusion of the judges was that there was no proof of corruption and while we may say Mr Adoke was exonerated, that will still not totally solve the puzzle around the mortgage and will continue to be used by the mischief makers as evidence of corruption.
But here are the facts, most of which were presented in Italy by the prosecutors but which they deliberately jumbled together because they were shooting at a target. Mr Adoke never denied knowing Alhaji Abubakar, the property developer. He never denied being offered a house at Plot 3271 Cadastral Zone A06, Maitama District, Abuja. What he has said, and quite consistently, is that Alhaji Abubakar approached him to buy the property for N500m. He then approached his bankers, Unity Bank Plc, where he was a substantial shareholder, and asked for a mortgage of N300m. He was to make an equity contribution of N200m to complete the payment. The bank opened a mortgage account, credited it with N300m and transferred the funds to Carlin International, owned by the developer. However, because Mr Adoke could not raise his equity of N200m, Alhaji Abubakar had to return the N300m to Unity Bank. The bank took the money and closed the account. The developer then sold the property to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). All the documents presented in court by the prosecutors as provided to them by EFCC established the facts. Actually, Mr Adoke lost money because he had to pay high interests on the loan. But the prosecutors fiddled with the facts.
Since there was an agenda, the prosecutors said the same property had previously been purchased for N700m by Alhaji Abubakar. What they maliciously hid from the court was that three buildings were being developed on the 5,500sqmtr-plot. They also did not tell the court that it was just one of the three buildings that was offered to Mr Adoke for N500m. They made it look like it was the entire property and cruelly calculated a discounted “benefit” of N200m. This is evil, to put it mildly. Also, they failed to disclose to the court that the property now belongs to the CBN who bought it in 2013 because Mr Adoke could not complete the payment. Mr Adoke said he had been hoping to sell a plot of land in Abuja to raise his N200m equity but he did not get a buyer. He never said he was going to pay for it from his salaries as a public officer. But this was the impression presented to the court.
To sum up, the Italian court has, after an extensive trial, put a lie to the allegations levelled against Mr Adoke over his role in the OPL 245 deal. The Hon. Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court declared in 2018 that Mr Adoke could not be held personally liable for carrying out a lawful presidential order. The US Department of Justice investigated the transaction and brought it to a close in October 2019 without any charges. The US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) closed its own investigation in April 2020. As yet, no court of law has concluded that the OPL 245 deal is a scandal. It is just the narrative cooked up by self-serving pseudo activists and forgers, and vented by notorious online blackmailers. The truth will eventually prevail and those who participated in the defamation should know that they will pay when the stage-managed storm is finally over.
My intervention is aimed at those who may not know the truth and are confused or have wrongly believed the concoctions being served online in the name of activism. To be frank, I am not hoping that my clarifications would stop the mischief makers from continuing with their malicious project. They are not reasonable characters. All they want is miscarriage of justice so that they would be decorated with murderous medals for destroying an innocent soul. They will never succeed. But if the intention of Mr Adoke’s traducers is just to destroy his name and keep him busy with having to declare his innocence every day, they have succeeded to some extent. I congratulate them. They should continue to enjoy their pyrrhic victory. It is just a matter of time before they stew in their own juice. No matter how many miles a lie travels, it takes the truth just a nanosecond to pursue and overtake. In fact, with the truth now coming to the fore, many of them are already regretting their actions and apologising in private to Mr Adoke. But their day of inescapable reckoning beckons.
. Femi Oboro, Solicitor at Gromyko Amedu Solicitors wrote via femi.oboro@gromykoamedusolicitors.co.uk
As a prelude to the Diamond Jubilee Anniversary of the Committee of Vice Chancellors of Nigerian Universities, CVCNU, the nation’s premier university, the University of Ibadan, kick started the celebration with a unique event tagged ‘Soap Box’ a discussion forum to commemorate activities lined up for the Diamond Jubilee ceremony slated for October 2022
The event which took place at the South West Zone of the University Campus , weekend, attracted notable scholars within the University Community with a theme ‘Sixty Years in Sixty Minutes: Exploring Trends in The Nigerian University System.
Speaking at the event, the Chairman of CVCNU, Professor Samuel Gowon Edoumiekumo who was represented by Professor Kabiru Aderemi Adeyemo, Vice Chancellor, Lead City University, lauded the Premier University for accepting to host the first leg of the event to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee and appreciated the institution for the goodwill CVCNU had enjoyed over the years as partner in progress
He therefore urged the leadership of the tertiary institution not to relent in her efforts to continue working harmoniously with CVCNU for the common good of the nation’s education sector.
Also speaking, the Secretary-General of CVCNU, Professor Yakubu Aboki Ochefu in his glowing remarks expressed profound gratitude to the leadership of the premier University for accepting the onerous task of hosting the first event marking the Diamond Jubilee
Ochefu recalled the enviable role played by University of Ibadan to birth CVCNU in 1962, and added it was a great honour to the institution to be part of the Diamond Jubilee event
Consequently, Professor Ochefu reiterated the resolve of the association to continue to work assiduously towards the promotion of landmark activities that will continue to support the growth and development of the university education in Nigeria
Ochefu also highlighted other programmes of the Diamond Jubilee event
The opening session of the discussion event code named ‘’soap box’’ had one time Vice- Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Emeritus Professor O. A Bamiro, FAS who set the ball rolling with a talk on Transformation of University Education, while the current Vice Chancellor,
Professor K.O Adebowale, FAS, MNI spoke On Learning Management Systems (LMS)
Other panelists that featured at the auspicious event include ; Professor E. O. Ogunkola, a Council Member and Chairman, IGR Committee, University of Ibadan; Professor A. K Aremu former Chairman, University of Ibadan Council Committee on Campus Security; Professor S. B Olaleye, Editor in Chief African Journal of Biomedical Research; Professor Elsie Adewoye, President University of Ibadan Alumni Association Worldwide; Mrs. Olubunmi O. Faluyi MCIPM, Registrar, University of Ibadan and Mr. Adeyinka Adewale, President, Student Union, University of Ibadan,
The eminent scholars spoke on wide range of topical issues such as Funding and Generating Internal Revenue, Campus Security, Plagiarism, Alumni Experience, Business of Recycling and Data as Resource for Universities
The gathering attracted scholars from other universities. It was a melting point to brainstorm and further suggest ways on how to make the university environment more conducive, comfortable and convenient for academic activities, research learning for students, university teachers and the university management
PRESS RELEASE
BUHARI INAUGURATES NEW INTERNATIONAL TERMINAL AT LAGOS AIRPORT, 43 YEARS AFTER ESTABLISHMENT
…Aviation project complements, redefines Lagos’ infrastructure narrative – Sanwo-Olu
…Lagos Government, FAAN seal partnership to develop new access roads to airport
Lagos State, Nigeria’s hub of commerce, is set to witness a rapid economic growth, as a major remodelling project undertaken by the Federal Government at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA) in Ikeja comes to fruition.
President Muhammadu Buhari, on Tuesday, commissioned the newly built international terminal at the international airport, creating a new travel experience for air passengers passing through the Lagos international airspace.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu joined the president to unveil the new MMIA Terminal 2, designed and built under the ambitious rehabilitation programme of the Federal Ministry of Aviation in which 22 federal airports were marked for upgrade and remodelling.
At the occasion, Lagos State Government signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Federal Airport Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) to construct ancillary road infrastructure that will create seamless vehicular connectivity to the airport through Alimosho axis.
The agreement gives legal backing and concession of right-of-way for the construction of a new perimeter expressway to link Shasha Road to the Airport Complex. The development is expected to decongest the existing Lagos-Abeokuta corridor, and reduce journey time in commuting to the airport.
Gov. Sanwo-Olu and Minister of State for Aviation, Sen. Hadi Sirika, jointly supervised the signing of the agreement by the Lagos Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr. Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, and the FAAN Managing Director, Captain Rabiu Yadudu.
Other Lagos cabinet members at the MoU signing ceremony included the Deputy Governor, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, Special Adviser on Works and Infrastructure, Engr. Aramide Adeyoye, and Special Adviser on Public Private Partnership (PPP), Mr. Ope George.
Buhari said his administration fully understood the importance of airport infrastructure as a catalyst for economic growth, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and socio-economic development, which informed the Federal Government’s decision to prioritise the completion and delivery of five brand new international terminals, which were at 11 per cent progress level when he assumed office in 2015.
The president stressed that the construction of the new terminal aligned with his Government’s aviation roadmap developed in 2016 for the purposes of establishing critical infrastructure, including a national carrier, Maintenance, Repairs and Overhaul Centre and improved airport terminals through concession, to boost aviation practice in line with global standards.
He said: “I am confident that the new terminal, with 66 check-in counters, 16 Immigration desks at arrival, 28 Immigration desks at departure, and eight security screening points, among others, will go a long way in contributing to the socio-political and economic prosperity of our great nation.
“This improvement will increase airport operations and management services to about 14 million passengers per annum, with the attendant positive multiplier effects, by creating about 3,000 direct and indirect employment opportunities for our youths, increase inflow of Foreign Direct Investments and exponential growth in the Gross Domestic Product.”
Sanwo-Olu, who described the delivery of the new air terminal as “long-overdue upgrade” to the nation’s flagship International airport, said President Buhari, by the achievement, had re-written the infrastructure narrative of Lagos, Southwest region, as well as the nation.
The Governor said the construction of Lagos-Ibadan Standard Gauge Rail Line, upgrade of Apapa-Oshodi-Oworonshoki Expressway, full rehabilitation Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, and development of a world-class Creative Industries Park in Iganmu were a few of the landmark infrastructure brought to Lagos by the Buhari administration.
He said: “We are very grateful to the Federal Government, under President Buhari’s leadership, for seeing to the completion and commissioning of this brand new international terminal building, almost 43 years to the day the old terminal was built. Finally, our dear Lagos has an international airport terminal that is befitting, and that has the capacity to cope with the fast-growing flow of passenger traffic.
“The new terminal is a worthy complement to the various transportation and road infrastructure projects of the Lagos State Government, such as the Airport Road and flyover which you were delivered three years ago, and the Red and Blue Lines of our Light Rail network, which we are working very hard to deliver on as soon as possible.”
Speaking on the infrastructure MoU, Sanwo-Olu said the partnership with FAAN further testified to a new era of productive collaboration between Lagos and the Federal Government, which was not the case between 1999 and 2015.
The Governor said by President Buhari’s commitment, fairness and respectful leadership, Lagos infrastructure story had changed for the better, with the benefits emerging in terms of improved quality of life for the residents.
Sirika said the development of the new terminal was to achieve an efficient and rapid transportation network, which would make Nigeria to remain a key player in the global logistical ecosystem.
Aside facilitating international trade, commerce and tourism, the Aviation minister said improved air services that would be achieved would lead to creation of jobs and boost economy.
In the coming months, Sirika said there would be a partnership with the Lagos State Government on development of rail project to connect the nearby local airport to the new international terminal.
The new terminal is designed as a world-class aviation route, with the capacity to handle 18 million air passengers yearly. Offering best convenience for travellers, the facility was developed on an architectural acreage of 50,887 square metre.
It has 10 Extra-Low Voltage systems, three-dimensional multi-layer baggage sorting system, five arrival and six departure gates, seven boarding bridges, and over 2,000 seat spaces for passengers.
The perimeter expressway will be constructed in four phases across six local councils, with the first phase spanning a 9-km toll road from Shasha to the airport. There will be a toll-free alternative route from Shasha towards Agege Motor Road en route airport.
The second phase of the Lagos-FAAN road project will open the airport to northern connection on Lagos-Abeokuta Expressway. Other phases include linkage to Egbe, Isolo, Mushin and Okota roads.
Earlier, President Buhari commissioned Dangote Fertilizer Plant in Lekki Free Trade Zone (LFTZ), and inspected the ongoing construction of Dangote Refinery and Petrochemical Complex, and the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
SIGNED
GBOYEGA AKOSILE
CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY
22 MARCH 2022
AVIATION: PRESIDENT BUHARI DIRECTS FINANCE MINISTER TO LOOK FOR SPECIAL FUNDING FOR ABUJA AIRPORT SECOND RUNWAY, INAUGURATES NEW TERMINAL BUILDING AT MMIA
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday directed the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning to look for special funding for the second runway of the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
Speaking at the inauguration of the new Terminal Building, Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, the President also directed the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory to conclude the documentation of the approved 12,000 hectares of land to accommodate the runway and other developmental projects.
Further, the President tasked the Minister of Aviation to fast-track the airport concession programme, to boost aviation practice in the country and make the aviation industry reflect global standards.
The President noted that the completion and delivery of five brand new international airport terminals since 2015, which were at 11% completion level then, aligns perfectly with the Aviation Roadmap, developed in 2016, for the purposes of establishing critical infrastructure, including a National Carrier as well as maintenance, repairs and overhaul centre, and improved Airports Terminals through concession.
The President, who described the administration’s investments in inter-state rail connectivity, road networks, agriculture, power and telecommunications, despite limitations in resources, as unprecedented noted that robust initiatives have been complemented with specific fiscal policies to drive aviation infrastructure renaissance.
‘‘These include the designation of 4 airports, namely Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port Harcourt as Free Trade Zones, in which customs duty is not applicable; removal of VAT on all forms of shared transportation, including air transportation; and exemption of commercial aircraft and spare parts from VAT payment.
‘‘Similar projects at both the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport and Port Harcourt International Airport were completed and commissioned by this administration and our people have since been benefiting from the positive economic impacts of those magnificent terminals.
‘‘The one in Kano has also been completed, and will be commissioned soon, while work continues apace to complete that of Enugu shortly,’’ he said.
The President expressed confidence that the new terminal in Lagos with sixty-six check-in-counters, sixteen Immigration desks at arrival, twenty-eight Immigration desks at departure, and eight security screening points, among others, would go a long way in contributing to the socio-political and economic prosperity of the country,
He added that the improvement would increase airport operations and management services to about 14 million passengers per annum, create 3,000 direct and indirect jobs, increase inflow of Foreign Direct Investments (FDI) and exponential growth in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
He thanked the Government and People of the Republic of China, through the China Export-Import Bank and CCECC Nigeria Limited, (FAAN), for their commitment and support towards the completion of the project.
The President also commended the Federal Ministry of Aviation and its agencies, particularly, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, for working assiduously towards the realization of the project.
‘‘With the delivery of this project, a new era of safety, security, and comfort has been ushered into the Nigerian aviation industry, and I am persuaded that it will get better with the passage of time,’’ he said.
The Governor of Lagos State Babajide Sanwo-Olu said it was instructive that Lagos State in one day had witnessed the evolution of three major infrastructure development projects that will change the Nigerian landscape while commending President Buhari for the infrastructural renewal and redevelopment necessary for a city like Lagos.
He lauded the private sector in the aviation industry for their continued contributions to the growth of the country despite the challenges.
The Governor informed the gathering that Lagos State Government was forming a partnership with FAAN towards ensuring that the new international terminal enjoys easy access which would be achieved by creating a bypass, the Airport – Alimosho Bypass Project, to create an alternative route to the airport.
The signing of the agreement for the partnership was later done by the officials of the Lagos State Government and FAAN.
In his remarks, Minister of Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika said aviation is the worldwide rapid transportation network that facilitates international trade, commerce and tourism, the only medium for achieving continental integration and interaction towards achieving the AU Agenda 2063.
He commended the administration of President Buhari for efforts towards resolving the problems inherited in the aviation industry in 2015 such as lack of professionalism, scarcity of foreign exchange, obsolete equipment, poor facilities, blocked funds for airlines among others, adding that more still needed to be done.
The Minister said the airport concession project including the new terminals has reached an advanced stage with the Ministry issuing requests for shortlisted firms before the end of March.
According to the Minister, a study by the International Air Transport Association (IATA) on Nigeria in 2020, “showed that the sector created 241,000 jobs, direct and indirect, and contributed $1.7billion to the economy,” with a hope to grow the contribution of the sector from the current 0.68% to 5% or approximately $14.16billion.
Senator Sirika gave assurances that the new terminal will be linked to the railway system.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
March 22, 2022
DESTABILIZATION: PDP GIVES ITSELF AWAY
The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has given itself away as being interested only in the destabilization of the country, peradventure it could then sneak its way back to power.
Less than 24 hours after the Department of State Services (DSS) raised alarm about sinister plots by some elements to cause disorder in the land, using the energy crisis as a smokescreen, the PDP issued a statement, saying; “Our party fears that the situation is getting to a boiling point and can trigger a nationwide agitation that might be worse than the October 2020 EndSARS if not addressed immediately.”
Which patriotic political party or organization ever threatens its country with anarchy, social upheaval and disorderliness, except one still smarting from its snout being yanked from the honeypot, as happened to PDP in 2015?
But we wish to remind the now tepid opposition party that it was Nigerians that gave it the boot 7 years ago, and those same Nigerians have not forgotten the travails they experienced, at a time the country was awash with money: no power, no infrastructure, insurgents ran riot round the nation, and our collective patrimony was looted blind. Those same Nigerians are not ready for another PDP misrule, not now, and perhaps not for a long time to come.
Rather than plot and encourage “agitation worse than October 2020 EndSARS,” which it may well be conceiving, the PDP should work for harmony and cohesion in the country, if it ever understands such concept.
EndSARS signified murder, mayhem, mass destruction, even cannibalism. PDP now wishes Nigeria something worse.
A presidential aspirant of the PDP has warned that the party would die by 2023, unless it wins the Number One position in the country. And die it would, if the party wishes the country nothing except something worse than EndSARS.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
March 22, 2022
PRESIDENT DIRECTS TIMELY COMPLETION OF LEKKI DEEP SEA PORT, WANTS RAILWAY LINK TO THE HARBOR
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday in Lagos praised the efforts of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, towards making the Lekki Deep Sea Port a reality, and directed him to consult and bring up a memorandum to the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to link the facility with the railway network.
As part of his engagements in Lagos, the President inspected the rate of work done at the first Deep Sea Port in Nigeria located in Lagos Free Zone, 65Km east of Lagos.
In the course of the inspection, the President received firm assurances that the port, which has a concession period of 45 years and sits in a land area of 90 hectares, will be completed on schedule by September.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
March 22, 2022
NIGERIA’S DEPENDENCE ON IMPORTED PRODUCTS TO END SOON, PRESIDENT BUHARI SAYS AT INAUGURATION OF DANGOTE’S 3M METRIC TONNES FERTILIZER PLANT
President Muhammadu Buhari Tuesday declared that Nigeria’s dependence on imported products in the agriculture sector will soon be a thing of the past with the inauguration of Dangote Fertilizer Plant, which has an installed capacity of 3.0 million metric tonnes of Urea per annum.
Speaking at the commissioning of the plant in Ibeju Lekki, Lagos State, the President said the plant will further advance Nigeria’s drive towards achieving self-sufficiency in food production, create jobs, increase the inflow of foreign exchange and accelerate economic growth.
He commended the Chairman, Board and Management of Dangote Industries Limited for their business initiative in conceptualizing and building this plant, which is the second largest in the world.
The President expressed confidence that the investment in this plant will replicate the Group’s earlier exploits in the cement sector, where Dangote Cement holds the enviable record as our continent’s largest cement producer, with footprints in ten other African countries.
‘‘This new plant is a renewed testament to the widely acknowledged patriotism of Alhaji Aliko Dangote and the leadership of Dangote Industries Limited. It also demonstrates their commitment to the socio-economic development of our country and the well-being of our people.
‘‘The Group’s investment in integrated cement plants, spanning the value chain from quarry to ‘bagging, has effectively ended Nigeria’s dependence on imported cement products.
‘‘Along with the several other subsidiaries, Dangote Industries Limited has created thousands of jobs across Nigeria. It is the second biggest employer of labour in this country, after the Federal Government.
‘‘This is very pleasing because job creation by private sector operators is vital to security as it takes thousands of youths off the street,’’ he said.
On other benefits of the plant, the President expressed delight that with the commencement of exports to other countries including the United States, India, and Brazil, Nigeria is already gaining extensively in earnings of foreign exchange from the excess production of, and export from, the plant.
He noted that coming on stream of the plant had created huge opportunities in the areas of job creation, trade, warehousing, transport, and logistics, which would, in turn, create significant wealth, reduce poverty, and help in securing the future of the nation.
‘‘In the agricultural sector, another focal point of our economic policy, we expect a boom as fertilizer is now readily available in greater quantities and better quality.
‘‘Many Nigerians who hitherto practiced subsistence farming because of nonavailability of necessary inputs can now take up agriculture as a business.
‘‘We expect the rise of a new breed of agropreneurs who will add value to farming and make the nation self-sufficient in food production,’’ he said.
President Buhari used the occasion to reassure Nigerians that his government is focused on providing an enabling environment for the private sector to thrive, pledging continuity in improving infrastructure, power and security as well as enacting relevant laws and regulations to drive investments in the economy.
‘‘We are partnering with the private sector, through a tax credit scheme, in the rehabilitation of roads across Nigeria under Presidential Order No. 7.
‘‘As we know, good roads contribute to easy movement of goods and services across the nation, thus reducing the cost of doing business and improving productivity.
‘‘We are also rehabilitating our railway lines and building new ones to lessen the burden on our roads and create more effective multi-modal transportation networks,’’ he said.
‘‘I look forward to coming back to inaugurate the Refinery and petrochemical plant later in the year.
‘‘Projects of this magnitude and complexity require the support and collaboration of many persons and organisations. I am grateful to all of them.
‘‘In particular, I would like to commend the Central Bank of Nigeria, the Development Finance Institutions and the Local and Foreign Commercial Banks that have supported the investor to make these projects a reality,’’ the President declared.
Lauding Dangote for helping to rebrand Nigeria through his mega investments across Africa, President Buhari said:
‘‘He has fueled job-led growth and transformation of several African economies. I am proud of his contribution to affirming Nigeria’s leadership status in the continent, and I wish him many more successes in the future.’’
After the historic inauguration, President Buhari inspected the Group’s 650,000 barrels per day Petroleum Refinery and 900,000 tonnes per annum Polypropylene Plant sited within the Dangote Free Trade Zone Complex.
In his remarks, Dangote said the fertiliser complex, which occupies 500 hectares and built at a cost of $2.5 billion will drastically reduce the level of unemployment and youth restiveness in the country, through generation of direct and indirect employment.
”Agriculture accounts for over 20 per cent of Nigeria’s GDP, and the country is a leading producer of various agricultural commodities. The sector has the potential of becoming the biggest source of income for our Nation, providing employment and raw materials for industries.
”However, low fertilizer usage has been a major reason for low productivity in the sector. It is common knowledge that non availability of the product, in quantity and quality, rather than affordability, is the primary constraint to the use of fertilizer.
”Our goal is to make fertiliser available in sufficient quantities and quality for our teeming farmers assuring greater agricultural output,” he said.
The Chief Executive of Dangote Industries expressed immense gratitude to President Buhari, for his sustained support and encouragement, and for honoring the invitation to come, in person, and inaugurate the plant.
He also commended the leaders of the host communities and their people for providing a peaceful and conducive environment for the project to thrive, recognizing the many years of enthusiastic teamwork, labour, toil and sweat of the Management and Staff of Dangote Group for their commitment to high performance, perseverance and resilience.
The governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, recounted the role played by a former governor of the State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in the establishment of the fertiliser plant and the refinery.
”The idea of having a free zone in the Ibeju Lekki was conceived by our leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
”I was with him in 2003, when we took a trip to China and we were trying to conceive a free zone and this is where we are.
”The free zone is not only home to the largest fertilizer plant in Africa but will certainly be home to the largest refinery,” Sanwo-Olu said.
He thanked the President for coming to Lagos, adding that he looked forward to receiving him in a few months’ time to commission more projects.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
March 22, 2022