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AT LAUNCH OF INTEGRATED FINANCING SYSTEM, PRESIDENT BUHARI RESTATES NIGERIA’S COMMITMENT TO ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
“For Nigeria and indeed Africa as a whole, achieving the SDGs will mean ending poverty and hunger, safeguarding our ecosystem and the planet and ensuring our people live in peace and prosperity by the year 2030.”
This was contained in the address by President Muhammadu Buhari Friday in New York at the strategic High Level Event to mark the Official Launch of the Nigeria Integrated National Financing Framework Report on Sustainable Development (NIFF), on the sidelines of the 77th United Nations General Assembly.
Stressing the importance placed by the present administration towards achieving this, President Buhari said, “It is pertinent to state that achieving inclusive, broad-based and sustainable development is a cardinal objective of our Administration.
“It is for this purpose that the Federal Government of Nigeria established a number of ambitious programmes in an attempt to accelerate the achievement of the SDGs in Nigeria.
“The Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on SDGs has continued to provide technical leadership in the operations of the SDGs at all levels of governance in Nigeria.”
He expressed delight that the process leading to the NIFF which started in 2020 finally crystalized into Friday’s memorable activity.
“Today’s event marks the end of a long process which began in 2020, when the Steering Committee and the Core Working Group on Nigeria’s Integrated National Financing Framework were inaugurated. The Integrated National Financing Framework has been developed to map out a much-needed sustainable financing plan for Nigeria to deliver on our commitment to the SDGs and our National Development aspirations,” he said.
President Buhari explained that the various developmental plans and programmes for the country have all been aligned with the SDG and are poised to move the economy to greater heights despite the challenges that have confronted the country.
“Despite the challenges caused by the sharp drop in the prices of crude oil and the COVID-19 pandemic, Nigeria has remained resolute in our genuine desire to maintain and grow our economy.
“The 2017-2020 Economic Recovery and Growth Plan; the 2020 Economic Sustainability Plan; the 2021 National Poverty Reduction with Growth Strategy; and the 2021-2025 National Development Plan are all aligned with the SDGs.
“It is in line with this commitment and with a focus on the National Development Plan (2021-2025) that, the Federal Government of Nigeria, with the support of the United Nations Development Programme, has adopted the INFF as a tool to improve SDGs financing without increasing public debt and contingent liabilities to levels that will be detrimental to economic sustainability.”
Rallying Nigerians, International Community and Development Partners behind this new development, the President assured stakeholders of its immediate implementation.
In her remarks, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, Princess Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire said the United Nations had particularly praised the Nigerian government for the implementation of the action plans of Nigeria, putting Nigeria ahead of many countries.
She added that in August, Nigeria became the “first country in the Global South to have successfully completed a Country-led Independent Evaluation of SDG-3 on ‘quality health and well-being for all’ and SDG-4 on ‘qualitative and inclusive education and lifelong learning for all.’”
Mrs Orelope-Adefulire said the Office of the Senior Special Assistant on SDGs also collaborated with the National Bureau of Statistics to track progress on the 230 Key Performance Indicators on annual basis, ascribing the successes to the unflinching support of President Buhari.
The Presidential aide explained that she was also working with some state governors to “integrate Sustainable Development Goals into their policies, programmes and budgets,’’ hoping that before the end of the current administration all the states would be covered.
Goodwill messages were delivered by the Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations, Amina J. Mohammed, the European Union and Development Partners.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
September 23, 2022
PRESS STATEMENT
Let us pity Atiku, another shot at presidency is slipping away
Once again, another bid for the presidency of our country by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar is slipping away. This is unraveling before our very eyes even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) blows the whistle for electioneering campaign. His party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in disarray. The signs are just too ominous for the Waziri what with the report by the Economic Intelligence Unit predicting another trashing for him in the forthcoming polls.
After violating his party’s code for power rotation between the north and south and grabbing the PDP ticket without a modicum of sensibilities about our national ethos, Alhaji Atiku is now faced with the karma of his inordinate ambition.
The PDP has imploded in a battle of attrition, the result of which is predictable. The ongoing fraticidal war where a faction of the party being led by the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike is engaging Atiku in a fight to finish has undermined any momentum the PDP candidate had hoped to build. With further loss of confidence in PDP by its own members who can not find any redeeming feature in the fast disappearing party, it is crystal clear that Atiku’s latest bid for the Nigeria’s top job has hit the rocks.
A pillar of Atiku’s campaign is the claim of being a unifier and nationalist. That bogus claim has now been discredited, even within his party as the disaffected members cry for justice and inclusivity.
Instead of the perennially running and perennially failing candidate to offer them some sop, he has rebuffed them, pleading that he could not grant their request for justice.
Surely a man who cannot resolve a genuine dispute among his party members, who cannot forge an entente among them, cannot be expected to unify our country.
Instead of being a unifier, Atiku is now a divider-in-chief.
His campaign on this score is heading for a still birth, just as some of his programmes have been found to be nothing new, as they are already being implemented by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The former Vice President created the crisis for himself, by pushing the fallacy that only a northern candidate can win the presidency for his party, despite the open record that southerners, when they network with their northern compatriots can also win the election.
Former leaders, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan demonstrated this in 1999, 2003 and 2011.
As a campaign, we can only pity former Vice President Atiku for the self-inflicted injury he invited unto himself. Chinua Achebe, the very accomplished novelist in one of his classics, Arrow of God, wrote that a man who brought ant-infested faggots into the homestead should not grumble when lizards begin to pay him a visit.
Atiku brought this unto himself and we dare say he can kiss his ill-fated presidential bid goodbye.
Bayo Onanuga
Director, Media and Publicity
APC Presidential Campaign Council
September 23,2022
Atiku to APC: Nigerians require answers to some weighty character questions about Tinubu
APC should focus on its frailties
Reading through a disingenuous press release by the APC Presidential Campaign Council on issues pertaining to developments within the PDP comes across as a laughable work of an interloper.
The release is disingenuous because it lacks any merit of a reasonable, intellectual riposte. Rather, it exposes the APC and its presidential candidate as a bunch of busy bodies who, rather than focus on the burden of credibility that continues to dog their campaign, are poking their nose into minor internal issues of the PDP.
Well, since the APC Presidential Campaign Organisation seems to have woken up from their state of hibernation, it is good to remind them that there are pending questions about the social and educational history of their candidate that Nigerians want answers to.
We shall be kind enough to remind the APC that when, in the next few days, campaigns begin in earnest, Nigerians will require answers to some weighty character questions about their candidate and, rather than expend precious time on what is never their business, should use the remaining few days judiciously.
Secondly, whatever is happening in the PDP is a conversation among leaders of the party and that, in itself, is a reflection of the PDP, as a living and engaging political party. The conversation in the PDP is all about consensus building, which in itself is a major ingredient for peace and unity.
The PDP, as a truly democratic party, understands that democracy is a lively concept because it allows for people to express their opinions and, it is within that understanding that everyone becomes part of the process.
The same, of course, cannot be said of the APC where what exists is at best graveyard peace. It is on record that in the seven years and more that the APC has been in power and with the attendant hardship that the party has foisted on the ordinary people of Nigeria, the candidate of the APC, former governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu had not for one single time stood on the side of the people.
And, that is so for the obvious reason that the presidential candidate of the APC considers his poorly conceived presidential ambition more important than the adversity that his party has unleashed on a vast majority of Nigerians. We wish to remind the APC that its presidential candidate has to own the failures of the party in the last seven plus years. He should also know that Nigerians will not reward their failure with nothing less than a resounding loss in the election.
Tinubu and the APC ma lu’le!
It is important to let Tinubu and his paid agents know that what obtains in the PDP is not the mundane stoicism that the APC is known for.
Indeed, the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar has established credibility before the masses of this country that he is one patriot who can be counted on to stand by the side of the people – even when the times are hard.
Atiku is a democrat to the core and that is evident in the way that he continues to carry on with the responsibility of ensuring that the PDP rescues Nigeria from the stranglehold of the APC in the next year’s general election.
Signed:
Paul Ibe
Media Adviser to Atiku Abubakar
Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party
Abuja
23rd September, 2022.
HUMANITARIAN ISSUES: PRESIDENT BUHARI URGES MORE PRIVATE SECTOR PARTICIPATION, HIGHLIGHTS INTERVENTION PROGRAMMES
Against the backdrop of lingering challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, catastrophic weather events and conflicts, President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday in New York called for more private sector participation in the humanitarian sector in Nigeria.
The President also stressed the need for efficient collaboration among stakeholders involved in humanitarian action and disaster mitigation in the country, urging bilateral and multilateral development partners to continue to provide technical support to well-planned policies and programmes in the sector.
The President spoke at a side event at the 77th UN General Assembly, hosted by the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, entitled ”Strengthening Resilience and Sustaining Development: A Humanitarian Development Peace Approach to Leaving No One Behind.”
Describing the creation of the Humanitarian Ministry in August 2019 as a strategic intervention, President Buhari said it underscored Nigeria’s commitment to consistently strengthen resilience and sustain development through improved coordination and synergy between international, regional and national humanitarian and development actors, partners and governments.
He told the meeting that in the 37 months the Ministry has been operational, it has worked with national governments, Ministries, Departments and Agencies, organized private sector, the United Nations, Local and International Non-Governmental Organisations and security actors to widen dialogue, reinforce existing capacities and strengthen coping strategies:
”The Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management & Social Development, its Agencies and Programmes, have developed policies, frameworks, programmes and plans that form the foundation necessary to build resilience.
”Some of these include the Civil Security Cooperation in Humanitarian Action, which created the National Humanitarian Coordination Committee, the development of LIFE Coordination Framework and the National Humanitarian Committee Technical Working Group.
”Other policies, frameworks, programmes and plans that support the agenda 2030 and resilience building of our citizenry are the National Internally Displaced Persons Policy, the Revised National Emergency Management Plan, the National Emergency Flood and Response Plan, the National Policy for Aging for Elderly Persons, the Poverty Reduction Plan, and the revised National Policy on disability, all aimed at supporting our Administration’s strategy to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.”
The President noted the Ministry has also led the administration’s efforts to tackle poverty and ensure social inclusion through the Social Investment Programmes, namely the Home-Grown School Feeding Programme, the Conditional Cash Transfer Programme, the N-Power Programme and the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme.
The President added that Nigeria has also brought to the fore the inclusion of Persons with Disability and elderly persons in the social protection space by the creation of agencies that will lay emphasis on these populations in the country.
The President, therefore, urged the meeting to analyse the shared experiences over the years and devise possible transformational solutions for the future.
In her welcome address, the Honourable Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouk, thanked President Buhari for his support since the creation of the Ministry in 2019.
Goodwill messages were delivered by Prof. Babagana Umara Zulum on behalf of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Amina J Mohammed, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations as well as Development Partners.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
September 23, 2022
PRESIDENT BUHARI REJOICES WITH NSA MOHAMMED MONGUNO AT 65
President Muhammadu Buhari felicitates with National Security Adviser, Major General Mohammed Babagana Monguno (retd) on his 65th birthday, September 23, 2022.
The President, at a special audience, appreciated the NSA for his services to the country, and wished him good health, longer life, and greater service to God and humanity.
Gen Monguno served meritoriously in the Nigerian Army, and held positions like Commander Guards Brigade, 2007-2009, Chief of Defence Intelligence, 2009-2011, among others.
He was appointed National Security Adviser by President Buhari in July, 2015.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media and Publicity)
September 23, 2022
PRESIDENT BUHARI SALUTES BRUCE ONOBRAKPEYA AT 90
President Muhammadu Buhari warmly felicitates with renowned printmaker, painter and sculptor, Bruce Obomeyoma Onobrakpeya, on his 90th birthday, joining celebrations with friends, family and associates on the remarkable journey of creativity, inspiration and transformations.
President Buhari rejoices with the nonagenarian, whose tactile works, encapsulating tradition and modernity, colours and contours, continue to speak to various generations, with his first one-man exhibition held in 1959 in Ughelli, Delta, and steadily spread across the world, including London, Washington DC, Italy, Sweden, Zimbabwe, Germany and Kenya.
The President affirms that Onobrakpeya’s creative works, attractive, ethereal and sublime, have improved understanding of African arts, and delivered to the world a new narrative on functionality of arts, especially in capturing cultural identities, history, politics and development.
As the nonagenarian celebrates, President Buhari extols the scholar for also sharing his knowledge and vast experience with younger generations, raising new thinkers, scholars and creative artists.
The President prays for more strength and good health for the sculptor.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
September 23, 2022
PRESIDENT BUHARI REJOICES WITH RENOWNED INDUSTRIALIST, KOLA DAISI ON 90TH BIRTHDAY
President Muhammadu Buhari shares in the joy of the occasion as renowned industrialist, educationist and philanthropist, Ibadan High Chief, Bashorun Kola Daisi, turns 90, with remarkable testimonies of bringing courage and hope to many lives, and contributing to Nigeria’s economic growth.
President Buhari notes the humble beginnings of the legal luminary, who ventured into business, with a larger goal of adding value to lives, stimulating growth in private sector by creating employment and helping the underprivileged to realize their dreams with quality education.
The President celebrates the visionary leadership of the respected tycoon, taking into consideration the impact of his investments in the real sector, measured by social and structural interventions that have resulted in primary and community health centers, donation of educational facilities and learning equipment to universities and establishment of Kola Daisi University.
President Buhari believes the Kola Daisi Foundation adequately captures the vision of the educationist to touch the lives of many Nigerians, and his elevated outlook on life from childhood prepared him for service to the country and humanity.
The President prays for good health and sound mind for Bashorun Daisi and his family to continue with the good work.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
September 23, 2022
PRESIDENT BUHARI MOURNS UNILORIN COUNCIL CHAIR ABIDU YAZID RAFINDADI
President Muhammadu Buhari joins the government and people of Katsina State in mourning a former Secretary to the State Government and Chairman/Pro-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Alhaji Abidu Yazid Rafindadi.
Reacting to the news of the death, President Buhari said the “nation has lost a skillful administrator and loyal public servant.”
President Buhari said the late Abidu Yazid was an experienced leader who made rich contributions to the nation’s development before his demise. Every moment of his life was dedicated to the service of his community and the nation.
“May Allah repose his soul and grant the family he left behind the fortitude to bear the loss,” the President said.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President
(Media & Publicity)
September 23, 2022
PRESIDENT BUHARI GREETS PASTOR OLAITAN AROMOLARAN , SALUTES HIS PUBLIC SPIRITEDNESS
President Muhammadu Buhari congratulates Pastor Olaitan Aromolaran, Senior Pastor of Joy Cometh Ministries and members of the church on 53rd birthday of the spiritual leader, September 24, 2022, noting the good works of the cleric in supporting underprivileged people.
President Buhari celebrates Pastor Aromolaran for heeding the call to service in God’s vineyard for many years, and committing himself, through sacrifice and selflessness, to alleviating the situations of others through investments in health, education, sports, scholarship, entrepreneurship and skills acquisition.
The President notes the focus of Joy Cometh Ministries on prayers, evangelism and counseling, commending the church’s scriptural adherence to praying for the nation and its leaders.
President Buhari rejoices with families, friends and associates of the Senior Pastor on the auspicious occasion, praying that Almighty God will continually increase the spiritual leader in wisdom, knowledge and understanding for greater works.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
September 23, 2022
PRESS STATEMENT
Wuruwuru NOI Polls on 2023 elections
The attention of the APC Presidential Campaign Council has been drawn to a poll conducted by the NOI polls which made wild and incredible permutations on the presidential elections.
We are unperturbed by these dubious and unreliable statistics because our research shows that NOI Polls have been off the mark at critical election periods in recent times.
For example, preparatory to the March 2015 presidential elections, NOI published in October 2014 the results of a “Viability Poll” which used the concepts of Familiarity and Net Favourability Position to survey.
In the results, NOI claimed that President Goodluck Jonathan has the best overall familiarity rating at 99% and Net Favourability Probability of ±25.
By contrast, NOI dismissed the then All Progressives Congress candidate, Muhammadu Buhari as a “borderline candidate” who needed ” huge public relations” to shore up his performance.
But when the Nigerian people went to the polls, who won? The APC candidate and now President, Muhammadu Buhari.
This is not the only instance when the NOI has turned its political bias in an election period to fraudulent statistics.
Towards the 2019 presidential elections, and knowing fully that President Muhammadu Buhari was going for re-election for a second term in office, the NOI pollsters embarked on another abracadabra. In June 2017, they issued the results of another poll, that Nigerians prefer a middle-aged president claiming that this poll was inspired by the election of Macron as the president of France and the campaign of the Not Too Young To Run. According to the predictable bias, NOI claimed that 64% said they would prefer to vote for a presidential candidate between the ages of 40 and 50 years and 15% preferred candidates between 51 and 60. In short, for a presidential candidate in his 70s running for re-election, NOI results meant certain defeat.
But when the Nigerian people went to the polls on February 23, 2019, the man the NOI polls had tried to bully with statistics out of the race won again.
It is significant that at the time NOI was generating the unrealistic figures to boost the ego of President Jonathan, a more serious and independent team of pollsters- Neo-Telligence based in the United Kingdom used geo-demographics and public sentiment analysis to forecast the emergence of President Buhari. By contrast, their empirical analysis showed that two years before the 2015 presidential elections, Goodluck Jonathan’s public approval rating on corruption, insecurity and the economy had nosedived across most of the battleground states.
Our objective profiling of NOI Polls as an anti-APC research organisation is grounded on the aforesaid facts and that is why we believe this present report is, in the language of Nigerians, “*wuruwuru to the answer”.
The NOI has chosen the preferred candidate and has decided to use fake, dubious statistics to package him to the Nigerian voters.
We know as a matter of fact, the owners of NOI and where their political interest lies and wish to advise NOI to stop polluting the political system with irresponsible, unscientific and biased polling so that we don’t expose the puppeteers pulling it’s strings.
Our party is putting every necessary machinery in motion to win the federal elections with a margin that will be too wide to contest. Our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu recorded the highest votes of a senator across the country under the Social Democratic Party in July 1992. He will do it on nationwide scale on February 25.2023.
Bayo Onanuga
Director,
Media and Publicity
All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council
