FIDEI Poly Protest: 2 Students Killed, 1 Injured

Two students of the FIDEI Polytechnic, Gboko, Benue State were on Wednesday killed which resulted in the institution’s shutdown by the management.

The Polytechnic owned by by Rev. Fr. Chris Utov of the Catholic Diocese of Makurdi was shutdown on account of the killing of two students and two policemen by a suspected group of thugs identified as ‘SHAWA’.

During the crisis which broke out on Tuesday and lasted till Wednesday, a total of two students were recorded dead and another hospitalized after sustaining injuries.

The crisis also led to the destruction of the institution’s properties.

Speaking on the crisis, an eye witness, Terfa Guum confirmed that the affected properties include the bakery, bursary, the ranch and pen house.

According to reports, the group of thugs known as SHAWA allegedly invaded the institution to tackle a group of students who were protesting their exemption from the school’s second semester examination. According to the eye witness, the protest was led by the final year students who were owing the institution tuition fee and thus were not allowed to write the examination.

Guum said: “This made the students to stage a peaceful protest.”

He further disclosed that Policemen as soon as the protest started stormed the venue armed with tear gases and shooting sporadically

“In the process, a student was hit on the chest and died instantly, while another died in the hospital.”

Speaking on the protest, the Police Public Relations officer, ASP Moses Yamu, said: “Miscreants and students overpowered policemen during a peaceful protest in the school, injured two police officers and damaged six vehicles, one belonging to the police.”

He further disclosed that a total of 21 persons have been arrested so far in connection with the protest.

 

 

Human Rights Commission To Probe Kano Police Over Mass Wedding Ban

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has said it would probe the circumstances that led the Kano State Police Command to stop last Saturday’s mass wedding organised by Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso for 100 intending couples in his constituency.

Angwe who commended the aggrieved protesters for towing the path of the rule of law, noted that the right to free association and by extension marriage, is constitutionally-guaranteed.

Sen. Kwankwaso who is sponsoring the mass weddings had earlier on Wednesdaypetitioned the Police Service Commission PSC, asking it to call the Kano police authorities to order.

Chairman of the Commission, Prof. Bem Angwe stated this Thursday in Abuja when some of the intending couples stormed the commission to submit a petition detailing how the police in Kano violated their human rights.

Angwe said: “In 1999, Nigerians freely voted to return to democratic rule. That is to say that Nigerians chose democracy as opposed to military rule. By that token, Nigeria had become a fully democratic natiuon which not only recognises the rights of citizens as enshrined in the constitution but also the rights of citizens of Nigeria to benefit from the provisos of international instruments that prescioribe the norms that are responsible for the promotion and enforcement of rights. The NHRC has the mandate to enforce all the fundamental human rights enshrined in the constitution. One of those rights is the right to free association which includes the liberty of Nigerians to get married”

Promising to investigate the issue, he said, “we will seek to find if there exists any justification known in law for the steps taken by the CP Kano state command. We would give opportunity to the police to defend itself”.

Representative of the intending couples, Khadijat Ibrahim had earlier told journalists that the police, acting in concert with the Kano state government decided to scuttle their wedding just because it was sponsored by Sen. Kwankwaso.

According to her, the beneficiaries only resorted to seeking the support of the Kwankwasiyya Development Association, after the state government rebuffed their pleas to assist them.

She said, “marriage in Islam is seen as important to maintaining the moral fabric of the society and to also stem the tide of drug abuse”, saying having fulfilled all legal requirements for marriage including medical tests and other religious obligations, there was no justification in the action of the state government using the police to stop their marriages.

glean: Leadership Newspaper

LEADERSHIP Journalist Loses Car To Robbers At APC Secretariat

A journalist with the LEADERSHIP Newspapers Group, Mr. Andrew Essien, on Wednesday night lost his car to robbers on at the national secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC)  in Abuja with the robbers taking away his Honda Accord car (Academy) 1998 model.

The Army green-coloured car with registration number YAB 722 PG, Chassis number: 1HGCD5650VA03436 and Engine Number:  22B14416805 was stolen around 6:30pm on the fateful day shortly after Mr Essien had closed from reporting the activities of the party which he covers as a beat.

Earlier in the day, a mild drama had ensued at the National Secretariat of ruling APC on Wednesday when youth who claimed they came from Bauchi State stormed the premises in protest for and against the Bauchi State Governor.

The robbers may have used that chaos to capitalize on the vulnerability of the area to see-through their evil intentions leading to the car theft. Encased in the car were his ATMs and other valuables.

Photo: From herdsmen attack in Enugu community

Suspected Fulani herdsmen this morning attacked Atakwu community, in Nkanu West LGA, Enugu state, killing a seminarian of the Catholic Church, a mother and daughter, pregnant woman amongst others. Tochi Precious, an eyewitness at the hospital some of the victims of the attack were brought in, shared a graphic photo and wrote, *viewer discretion advised*

"Fulani is at it again! What a wicked world. I saw it with my two eyes this early morning around 4.am at Emergency Unit ESUT Teaching Hospital Parklane Enugu where two of the victims were rushed to and others were taken to Mother Of Christ Hospital Enugu.

They were attacked in their village by fulanis in d middle of the night at Amagu Attakwu Akegbe Nkanu Local Government Enugu. A seminarian who is among the victims ,just came back from Break yesterday evening only to meet his death in the middle of the night. He was butchered like cow meat and he died immediately.

This lady here and her mother are in the same condition with their intestines out. A pregnant woman was also badly injured on her head and some others who are lying hopelessly in the hospital. What a bad day. Enugu State Government pls where are u ooo.."

Images: Woman survives after bus ploughs into herd of cattle

Evelyn Ify Nwobi survived after the vehicle she was traveling in ploughed into a herd of cattle, killing 7. Fortunately she sustained minor injuries. What she posted on Facebook after the cut...

 "Pls my brethren help me to thank God for His infinite mercy upon my life for saving me from d hands of death Tru accident today,though injuries sustained but grateful to God for the gift of life. 2 herdsmen nd their cows from nowhere entered the middle of d road,our bus on speed bt Nt on high speed now end up hitting nd killing 7 cows Bt none of us died...just minor injuries..if not for God,whr would I have been ND wht would I have become??

Barcelona: Goalkeeper Cillessen from Ajax signed

Barcelona have completed the signing of Dutch international goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen from Ajax, the Spanish champions confirmed on Thursday.

In a statement on their official website the Catalans confirmed they had signed the 27-year-old on a five-year contract for a fee of 13 million euros (£11.1 million, $14.7 million), rising to a potential 15 million euros.

Barca said Cillessen flew to Spain on Thursday morning to undergo a medical and would be officially unveiled on Friday.

Cillessen made a farewell appearance for Ajax on Wednesday in their 4-1 Champions League play-off defeat to Rostov in Russia.

His arrival cleared the way for Chilean goalkeeper Claudio Bravo to leave the Camp Nou for Manchester City, leaving the Dutchman to compete with Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the number one jersey in Luis Enrique’s side.

FC Barcelona announced later Thursday that Bravo had “been transferred” to City for a fee of 18 million euros, rising to a potential 20 million euros.

Town hall meeting at Kano, raises issues on Buhari’s popularity

When Lai Mohammed, Minister of Information, dragged his colleagues (ministers from the North), on May 29 , 2016, to Kano State for an unprecedented Town Hall meeting with the people, as part of the anniversary celebration, many Nigerians saw it as a fresh dimension to celebrating the annual political event.
But only a thinking few saw the other side of the script or the urgency and the breathless dispatch by which the administration wanted to reach out to the people of Kano State on their own ground and in their own language so as to explain and get them to understand the policies, the programmes and anticipated prosperity under the present charge.
What was not evidently stated, at that august event was the growing unease by the administration over the gradual demystification of the famous ‘Buhari Myth’ in the state.
To understand the political grip of President Muhammadu Buhari on the people of Kano State, which had raged like a Tsunami in the run-up to the 2015 general elections, one only needs to remember that it took his raising the hands of Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau to fall the well performing Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in 2003.
In a similar vein, it should not be forgotten that Kwakwaso had to subtly invoke the name of Muhammadu Buhari to defeat the incumbent All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) government in the state in 2011 when he staged his miraculous comeback.
In fact, not even the famed rank of the Late Aminu Kano, revered in life and in death, for his Talakawa politics nor the irrepressible, indomitable and charismatic political style of the Late Alhaji Abubakar Rimi had the awesome sway on the people of Kano State like the grip of Muhammadu Buhari who is adored to no end by the ordinary people of the state.
The slogan that drowned the ancient city in the countdown to 2015 election was simply: “Kano, Sai Ganduje, Nigeria, Sai Buhari”.  The state and its people adopted candidate Buhari as their own, shutting out Katsina State and Daura, his town.
From the street cobbler, to the water vendor, the bricklayer to the painter,  the Almajirin to the beggars, from the maize farmers to the horse riders, traders, motorcyclists, professional class, political and the traditional class, they all stood like rock behind his aspiration. They rooted for him, fought his enemies, drenched his adversaries and brought home the glorious trophy
However, between the 2015 general elections and now, many things have changed. Old ways and beliefs have given way to new realities and things undone in the past are common place in the present politics and fortunes of this leader, who had promised “Change” to Nigerians and to the people of Kano State.
From a leader who was considered a political idol in the state, elevated to the reigns of sacredness, entrusted with unreserved faith and trust, from this point to his present state, showed a gradual decline in ranking and estimation, according to latest views and perspectives from some people in state
Before the election day, hopes were high up to the heaven; hopes raised by lavish campaign promises of abundant prosperity. It was common to hear most Kano voters say they would buy fuel for far less the selling pump price when Buhari takes over power or to hear them say that the prices of foodstuff would fall or again, to see the poorest of the poor scratch their fingers in readiness for a monthly stipend on May 28, 2015.
At last, the new government has come, but the dream of a new dawn is still born. Many of these supporters in the state, hence, are regaling in utter disappointment and outright grief. Months of unfulfilled dreams -rioting stomachs, shut doors of opportunities, “zero welfare” for the boys, coupled with an unthinkable poverty in the country have wiped out the invented images of Eldorado that they had nursed.
Indeed, Kano politics is well for its devotion to deserving icons, but it is also renowned for its shift in loyalty from one hero to another. In politics as in life, the people are quick to love as they are quick to divorce. Hence, the increasing spat of criticisms against the administration in the state in the face of things not expected and unanticipated happenings.
Of all, the harshest criticism so far came from a party chieftain, who was described as the factional Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in the state, Alhaji Useni Magari.
Speaking to a Kano based radio station, Cool FM, three days ago, Alhaji Useni Magari took the Presidency to the cleaners.
He described the Buhari-led administration as a total failure, stating that the administration had betrayed the confidence of the Nigerian masses, who massively voted for them.
He explained that it was not an exaggeration that many families in the country now go to bed, without at least a square meal, while some other bread winners flee their homes because they could no longer provide the basic needs to their family.
He remarked that there was nothing to show for the one year of the administration in power while adding that poverty in the land had reached an unprecedented level.
He specifically lamented the situation, whereby those around the president fail to tell him the truth and advise him on the present day realities.
A few days earlier, social critic and Second Republic legislator, Dr Junaidu Mohammad, who had been lamenting the outrageous instances of nepotism of the Buhari administration, categorically stated that Buhari had betrayed the people of Kano State.
Speaking to Sunday Sun, he said: “As far as I am concerned, it is the responsibility of the President and leader to ensure that he gives credible leadership so that everybody will have a sense of belonging. At the moment, Buhari’s leadership does not endow parts of Nigeria with a sense of belonging”.
He argued that President Buhari, contrary to impression, has not been fair to the people of Kano State, his so called adopted political home.
His words: “ I know that his political home, as far as Nigeria is concerned, is Kano. Please tell me what Kano has gained from the Buhari administration? Nothing! To add insult to injury, it is a non-Kano man who is representing Kano State in the cabinet, ” he stated.
He was categorical that so far, Buhari has not done well for the people of Kano State where he got his highest votes.
Hear him:  “I am saying that Buhari has not done well for Kano despite all that he got from the state. In fact, within the period Buhari has been in power, four markets- and they are some of the biggest markets in the North- had been gut by fire and Buhari has not deemed it fit to even pay a private visit to Kano or come through Kano to come and see what happened.”
He reflected: “ He is now rediscovering his background connection to Katsina State. He has been to Kaduna and he has been to Zamfara States and so many other states. He has been to Kaduna several times because that is where he has a home.
“But up till today, Buhari has not seen it fit to pass through Kano or fly to Kano”.
He said that if Kano people were smart enough and knew their politics well enough, Buhari would not be treating them the way unfairly.
As the new reality dawns, what is clear is that the journey after the victory is usually longer and interests not well accommodated are bound to fight back.  Perhaps, this too is playing out in Kano State.
It is no news that a majority of the Kwankwasiyya group, a politically coordinate and influential group within the APC in the state is no longer at home with the administration after their leader, Kwankwaso was left in the cold, with little or nothing in reward for his purported contributions to the making of the new government administration at the centre.
In fact, in those days, Governor Kwankwaso had laughingly prided himself that he delivered the 44 local government councils, all the House of Assembly seats in the state, all the 22 House of representatives seats, the three senatorial seats and the governorship seat to the party apart from ensuring that Buhari got his highest votes in Kano.
Hence, he expected to be rated very high in the new dispensation. But it is certainly clear that the reverse had been the case. On the contrary, Buhari has been at home with the state governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who at present is at a cross with Kwankwaso and his Kwankwasiyya faction. The implication is that many of the ignored failures of the present administration are now being played up in the politics of the state.
Also, a sizable number of the PDP members in the state, who defied party bounds to step out in favour of Buhari in the last election, have come to realize that it does not pay to betray ones party. This group of politicians in the state, who previously, would easily have been countered on the side of candidate Buhari, has been ignored from the power space. Today, they stand on the sidelines, watching without any benefits from their prodigality.  It is not surprising that many of them are no longer with Buhari. Rather, they are back to rebuild their party from the ruins of the past.  Negatively, this too has affected the “Buhari myth” in Kano
Mallam Abubakar Garba, a political analyst in the state, concurred that surely, this was not the best of times in the relationship between Kano voters and Buhari as there a few cracks here and there.
He defended that the President is still massively dear to the voters of the state but insisted that this political romance is gradually going down.

glean: SUN

Nicki Minaj, Ariana Grande to perform at MTV awards

Nicki Minaj and Ariana Grande will reunite to perform at the latest MTV Video Music Awards, the network announced Wednesday.

Minaj, one of the most successful female rappers, will join Grande in the pop star’s single “Side to Side” at the gala Sunday night at New York’s Madison Square Garden.

The pair, along with English singer Jessie J, collaborated together at the 2014 VMAs in one of the night’s first and best-received performances.

Minaj again kicked off the awards in 2015 in a performance with pop superstar Taylor Swift — despite Minaj’s criticism of MTV that year for passing over her “Anaconda” in nominations for Video of the Year.

Previously announced performers for Sunday’s awards include Rihanna, who will be presented with a career Video Vanguard Award, as well as the rapper Future and Britney Spears, who is releasing a new album.

MTV on Wednesday announced that award presenters for Sunday will include reality television star Kim Kardashian, whose husband Kanye West is up for the top prize with “Famous.”

Other presenters will include New York-born hip-hop mogul Puff Daddy, R&B singing great Alicia Keys, second-generation rapper and actor Jaden Smith and British singer Rita Ora.

A year after Miley Cyrus enjoyed much of the focus by presenting the awards, MTV will forego a traditional host.

The gala will instead have a series of presenters including rap producer DJ Khaled, who will appear from a luxury box in the arena.

glean:  MTV 

Typhoon grounds air flights in Tokyo

A strong typhoon packing heavy rain and wind has struck near Tokyo, grounding hundreds of domestic flights.

Typhoon Mindulle made landfall at about 12:30pm local time (04:30 GMT) in Tateyama city, some 80km (50 miles) southeast of the capital.

The storm packed gusts of up to 180 km/h (112 mph), and was headed north at a speed of 20 km/h, local reports saidm, as officials warned of landslides and flooding.
“In Tokyo, please exercise 36caution for landslides, flooding in low-lying areas, surging rivers, violent wind and high waves,” the weather agency Netanyahu said.
There were no official reports of casualties, but reports said at least two were feared dead.

The storm caused airlines across the country to cancel about 400 domestic flights, local media said, with the majority going to and from Tokyo’s Haneda airport.

Japan Airlines said it had cancelled 185 domestic flights, according to reports while All Nippon Airways also said 112 domestic flights had been cancelled.
Most major commuter train services in the Tokyo area were operating normally.

glean: World News

Lamentations over hike in interest rates

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) recently increased the Monetary Policy Rate (MPR) from 12% to 14%, leading to fears that lending rates by money deposit banks will also rise correspondingly.  The MPR is a major determinant of interest rates at which the deposit banks lend money to borrowers.  While the MPR was at 12% the MDBs were granting loans at between 20% - 25%. With the new development it is feared that they will lend money at higher levels of between 28% - 30%.
The CBN justified its action on the grounds of fighting inflation which it sees as its cardinal goal in the challenge of maintaining the health of the Nigerian economy. According to the apex bank it was faced with the task of securing a balance between reducing interest rates with the goal of stimulating growth at the risk of further inflation, and tightening liquidity as well as checking inflation by increasing lending rates. It, however, chose the second option of increasing lending rates by increasing the MPR and hopefully curbs inflation.

A regular problem of developing economies like Nigeria’s is the issue of excess liquidity, which features a situation where too much money chases too few goods and services due to their often depressed productive capacities. The excess liquidity serves as a major culprit in fuelling rise in inflation. It therefore remains a core concern of monetary policy of the CBN to keep a close watch on the level of liquidity in the economy.
However, the initiative has attracted sharp reactions from some quarters, including the governor of Kaduna State Mallam Nasiru El Rufai who criticised it as being unhelpful to regular business interests in the country. Speaking to an all-women business forum - Women in Business - the governor berated  the CBN on the grounds that the increase placed loans in banks out of the reach of most normal businesses in the country except for “drug pushers and traders”. He blamed the high interest rates for job losses, arguing that the inability of businesses to borrow money at affordable rates diminished their operational capacities. On that ground he mooted the idea of a legislation that will fix interest rates outside the brief of the CBN. 
Populist as his prognosis may be, it conjures the worrisome idea of pegging the interest rate at artificial levels that may not reflect the realities of the economy. The interest rate is the price at which banks lend money to borrowers hence it is the price for borrowed money. Given Nigeria’s free market economy, any attempt to control the price of any resource such as credit through regulation outside the extant protocol of the CBN, and as is being advocated by El Rufai, may trigger fears of government interference in the dynamics of the free market and launch retrogressive tendencies associated with lender apathy. Such an outcome may not help an economy that is needy of fast track growth like Nigeria’s.
 Nevertheless the concern raised by el-Rufai borders on the central challenge of the Nigerian economy and defines an area which the present administration of President Muhamadu Buhari needs to direct its focus to in order to make appreciable change in the economic fortunes of the citizenry, with over 95% of them trapped in the informal sector which hardly benefits from the credit facilities in banks, for the simple reason of lack of capacity to access such facilities. 
 In the same vein the reference by el-Rufai to “drug barons and traders” as the best favoured by the interest rate regime alludes to a crying need for availing the real sector of the economy of the much needed access to credit. Most investors in the real sector are denied the opportunity for them to benefit from such, often by technical conditions imposed by the banks. El-Rufai’s lamentation is therefore a clarion call to address the plight of these real sector investors by the CBN to enable them move the economy forward. The CBN should therefore balance its interventions in the economy from a more-broad based perspective in order to carry all Nigerians along.   

glean: Daily Trust

Klopp tries to keep peace with frustrated Sturridge

Liverpool’s English striker Daniel Sturridge / AFP PHOTO / OLI SCARFF /

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is trying to keep the peace with Daniel Sturridge after the frustrated striker complained about being played out of position.

Sturridge has been deployed on the right wing rather than in his preferred central striker’s berth in his two appearances for Liverpool this season and he made it clear he is unhappy Klopp has used him in the unfamiliar role.

The 26-year-old scored twice in the 5-0 English Football League Cup win at Burton Albion on Tuesday but afterwards said: “Of course it’s more difficult for me to play wide because I am a centre-forward.

“In the modern-day game you have to try and be flexible, but everyone knows my best position.

“I’m a player who plays on instinct, and in the middle I have clarity on movements and things that I have been doing for years.

“I am not saying I am happy to do it, I am saying I have to do a job for the team.”

Klopp was asked about Sturridge’s comments on Thursday and, although he didn’t rule out using the former Manchester City and Chelsea player on the flanks again, the German said there is no reason for Sturridge to see the role as a demotion.

“The first thing is I don’t want to play Daniel as a wide player but of course he can start there and play there but in the decisive moments he needs to be involved in all the finishing situations,” Klopp told reporters.

“I think both goals (against Burton) he scored inside the box so he was not on the wing in this moment — that is flexible football.

“That is how football works, it is not a fixed position (where you) stay outside and wait until you get the ball — especially not in Daniel’s case.

“Daniel is a very smart player in hiding himself in positions where it is not easy to defend and it is very often in a wing position.”

Sturridge has been injured for much of Klopp’s time at Anfield, but the German insisted his relationship with the England international is still good.

“We have still to work on a lot of things. I know him and when we have talks there is no issue,” Klopp said.

“It is only a starting position for the next offensive move for my team.

“We don’t have these positions anymore where you say, ‘You play this all the time’, it is normal.”

glean:  Liverpool news

Abducted Kaduna lawmaker regains freedom

A member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Ismail, who was abducted from his residence on Tuesday, has been released, according to the Police.

The Kaduna State Police Command spokesman, ASP Aliyu Usman, confirmed the development in an interview with theNews Agency of Nigeria.

Usman said the lawmaker was released on Wednesday evening and had reunited with his family.

The lawmaker, who represents Tudun Wada constituency in the state Assembly, was abducted at his residence in Abapka area of Kaduna metropolis. 

The police spokesman did not, however, say whether ransom was paid before Ismail’s release of if any of the kidnappers was arrested.

Usman assured residents of the police commitment to protect lives and property, and urged them to volunteer information on the movement of criminals, to make the society safe.

NAN

Buhari Salutes David-West at 80

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated eminent academic and former federal minister, Prof. Tamunoemi Sokari David-West, as he turns 80 yearsthis Friday.

Buhari, in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, ‎recalled with fond memories his long-term relationship with the elder statesman, when he served as Minister of Petroleum, 1984-1985.

The president commended  David-West’s steadfastness and forthrightness on issues of good governance, democracy, human rights and the unity of Nigeria, especially when some seemed to easily give up on the project of building one great nation.

The president assured the octogenarian that his place in Nigeria’s history was guaranteed for the statesmanship, fearlessness, intellectual depth, resourcefulness and versatility that he brought into public discourse.

The president prayed that the Almighty God would continue to grant the former minister good health and more fruitful years of service to his fatherland.

2017-2019 Budget Framework has been Approved by FG

L-R; President Muhammadu Buhari, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Mr Abubakar Malami,Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh, Minister of State Agriculture Hon Heineken Lokpobiri, Minister of Budget and National Planning, Senator Udoma Udo Udoma and Minister of State Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Ahmed as President presides over July 20th 2016 Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House in Abuja. PHOTO; SUNDAY AGHAEZE

As the federal government fine-tunes preparations for the 2017 budget, wednesday it approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) for 2017-2019, estimating that the nation’s economy will grow at an average of 3.73 per cent in the next three years.

The Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udo Udoma, who disclosed this in Abuja, after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari, said the economy is projected to grow by three per cent in 2017, 4.26 per cent in 2018 and 4.04 per cent in 2019.

“The reason the GDP growth rate for 2019 is slightly lower than 2018 is because it’s an election year and usually in an election year, because of the uncertainties, we have also made provisions for that,” he clarified.

The minister said government set $42.50 as a reference price in 2017 for oil and projected that it would rise to $45 in 2018 and $50 in 2019.

He said: “Government is being very conservative in terms of the reference price of crude oil, even though we are expecting it to go higher than this, but we are keeping to an extremely conservative price scenario.”

In terms of oil production, he said government would retain this year’s estimate of 2.2 million barrels per day for 2017 despite the fact that the militancy in the Niger Delta has forced oil production to below one million barrels per day.

For 2018, government remained ambitious and expects production to rise to 2.3 million barrels per day, while in 2019 it is targeting an increase to 2.4 million barrels per day.

The minister said:‎ “The Federal Executive Council meeting approved the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP) for 2017-2019.

“As you know, the Fiscal Responsibility Act requires the executive to prepare the MTEF/FSP and send it on to the National Assembly for their consideration.

“And it is on the basis of the MTEF that the next budget will be fashioned. So, in short, we have started the process of preparing the 2017 budget.

“Before the MTEF was presented to FEC for consideration, there were extensive consultations with the private sectors, governors and NGOs.

“In the 2017-2019 MTEF, the government intends to intensify efforts in pursuing a manpower driven economy.

“So we intend to intensify efforts to diversify the economy; we intend to go on with the implementation of on-going reforms in public finance; we intend to enhance the environment for ease of doing business so as to generate private sector investments.

“We intend to continue to pursue gender sensitive, pro-poor and inclusive social intervention schemes, similar to what we did in 2016 – our social intervention programmes is going to be sustained.

“We intend to devote even more resources to critical infrastructure projects, just as we did this year. So we will continue to spend more on roads, rails, transport infrastructure, ports and so on.

“We intend to focus on governance and security and we intend to maintain the zero-based budgetary approach.”

Also speaking at the briefing, ‎the Minister of Industries, Trades and Investments, Okechukwu Enelamah, said FEC also approved the ratification of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade Facilitation Agreement.

He explained that the agreement was approved by all the members of WTO at the ministerial conference held in 2013.

He said: “What that agreement seeks to do is basically to lower the cost of trade generally for everybody.

“There was a clear understanding that everyone benefits from lowering the cost of doing trade, it is particularly beneficial to developing countries that want to access the international market.”

He said‎ Nigeria was one of the countries that approved the agreement.

“We have been going through the process to ratify the agreement so that it will come into effect. The idea is that the agreement will come into effect when it is ratified by two thirds of all the countries that approved it originally, we think that will happen sometime this year,” he added.

He said that given the importance of trade to Nigeria, it was appropriate that Nigeria not only ratifies the agreement but also that it should champion the cause of lowering the cost of doing businessm which the agreement seeks to achieve.

When asked to produce figures of what other sectors such as mines and agriculture would contribute to the economy in view of government’s diversification programmes, Udoma said that the MTEF included projections for other sectors, but did not disclose the figures.

He said: “Even though we want to diversify, we still have to use a particular number to plan in terms of revenue from crude oil. It doesn’t mean we don’t use numbers for other receipts. I was just reading the highlights.

“We have numbers for everything, we have numbers we expect to get from customs, VAT, independent revenue, etc. So we have numbers for all the things we expect but because oil is volatile and is an area that has caused us to be where we are today, we want to assure Nigerians that we are not going back to using high estimates even though we sense that prices may be moving towards $60 per barrel in the next year or so, we are still going to use conservative numbers.”

On the exchange rate projections, he said government would use N290 to $1 as the exchange rate in 2017.

He said: “We believe that the naira will stabilise and we believe that N290 to $1 is a fair estimate from the central bank of what the naira is worth.”

On the level of implementation of this year’s budget, the minister said: “In terms of the performance of the current budget, in terms of the capital budget, we have released over N400 billion and we are up to date in terms of the recurrent, all salaries have been paid, overheads are released, statutory transfers have been made.”

He said the government had done well in terms of implementation of the budget.

In a related development, the Emir of Kano, Alhaji Muhammad Sanusi II, has warned that the inconsistencies in the country’s economic policies by successive administrations have plunged the nation into unprecedented hardship.

Sanusi added that if Buhari does not act fast by reviewing his economic policies, his administration might end up the way of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.

Sanusi insisted that Nigeria has to retrace its step in terms of economic policies.

He also cautioned Buhari on the activities of those he described as “voodoo economists” in the corridors of power.

Delivering a lecture in Kano yesterday at Tahir Guest Palace, during the 15th Joint Planning Board (JPB) and National Council on Development Planning organised by the Ministry of Budget and National Planning in collaboration with the Kano State Government, Sanusi said the inconsistencies in the country’s current economic policies do not favour business and investment in the country.

The emir also advised the federal government to copy Lagos in terms of formulating policies that could boost trade, business and attract investors, adding that the Lagos example could bail the country out of its current economic woes.

He decried Nigeria’s over-dependence on oil, pointing out that more investment in agriculture, the power sector, manufacturing and infrastructure development and attractive incentives to investors would enhance the growth of the nation’s economy.

According to him, “I just saw that we are always blaming the past administration, but we have also made mistakes in this administration.

“The problem is that there is nothing we are facing today that we did not know would happen. That is the truth.

“We made mistakes, many of them deliberate. We ignored every single warning. Not building roads, not building power, and other necessary infrastructure that can boost the economy and development of the country.

“We are spending 30 to 40 per cent of every naira we earn servicing debt. The new borrowings were simply recycled into much higher recurrent expenditure. The country’s GDP was growing largely due to consumer spending.

“In 2010 when I was the central bank governor, the government increased the minimum wage to N18,000. I protested but they went ahead and borrowed money to pay.

“In 2012, as CBN governor, I said that this was an unsustainable wage bill; we needed to reduce the size of public service, which fell on deaf ears.

“I believe we have started retracing our steps and we have to retrace our steps. If a policy is wrong, it is wrong and it has to be changed.”

He further advocated for the devaluation of the naira, stating that those who are advising the president on the nation’s economy are not getting it right.

In his opinion, only very few Nigerians are benefitting from the current economic policies, noting that some of them are making the rich get richer, while the poor continue to wallow in poverty.

According to him, Nigeria has also been hampered by bad trade policies which are responsible for the collapse of industries.

Sanusi further warned that the economic downtown could engender terrorism and other crimes, because millions of Nigerian youths are jobless and restiveness.

Glean: Thisday

Two serving commissioners who are in their 30s "VIEW PHOTOS"

On the right is 30 year old Mark Okoye who is the Commissioner for Budget & Planning in Anambra state while on the right is 37 year old Kaduna state Commissioner of Budget & Planning, Mohammed Sani.