Connect with us

BIG STORY

Relocation Of FAAN, CBN Offices To Lagos “To Reduce Expenses”, Not Political — Information Minister Mohammed Idris

Published

4 months ago

on

Nigeria’s minister of information and national orientation, Mohammed Idris, says the relocation of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) headquarters and certain departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to Lagos are not politically motivated.

Ali Ndume, the Senate’s chief whip, predicted political repercussions for the decision, while Muhammadu Sanusi, a former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, thought it was a prudent one.

Idris said in a statement on Sunday that the accusations were “unfounded” and that the move is a realistic measure to raise operational competence and lower operating costs.

He clarified that the move was not intended to isolate any region of the nation.

“It is not true that the relocation to Lagos of the headquarters of the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), and of certain departments of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), are political moves aimed at marginalizing a section of the country,” Idris said.

“These allegations are unfounded. Instead, these are pragmatic administrative steps to improve operational efficiency and reduce operating costs.”

The minister underscored the federal government’s efforts to mitigate the impact of inflation on citizens through its initiatives like the students’ loan scheme, reduced cost of CNG mass transit buses, and various low-interest loan schemes for businesses.

“Regarding the economy, all relevant ministries and agencies of the federal government are working in coordinated fashion, to bring down inflation, stabilize foreign exchange rates, and create a truly enabling environment for business and investment. The Nigeria that President Tinubu seeks to build is one where no one is left behind,” he said.

“Impactful interventions are being rolled out, including a students’ loan scheme, a presidential initiative to deploy lower-cost CNG mass transit buses to provide alternatives to petrol and diesel, and various low-interest loan schemes for businesses.

“The CNG interventions will bring down the cost of transportation by more than 50 percent. We urge Nigerians to take advantage of these opportunities as they emerge, as they have been designed for the benefit of all.”

Idris said the federal government under the leadership of President Bola Tinubu, is particular about ending the menace of banditry in the country.

Idris commended the effort of the security and intelligence agencies in ensuring the safety of the citizens and that criminals are smoked out of their hideouts.

“In the area of security, all threats are being boldly confronted. We are taking the fight to the criminals’ dens, with promising results. Within the last week, several bandits, kidnappers and militants have been neutralized or arrested,” the minister said.

“The resurgent crisis in Plateau State is indeed highly regrettable, and we assure that all perpetrators of violence there, and everywhere else in the country, are being brought to book. Justice will be done, and peace will be restored in all affected communities.

“We salute the gallantry of security and intelligence agencies who are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that we are safe in our homes and on the highways, and that criminals have no breathing space.”

Commenting on the Nigerian stock market performance in 2024, Idris said the bourse has been on the positive side since the beginning of the year, attracting global investors, which will see the country make developmental progress.

“In the opening weeks of 2024, our stock market has already put us on the global map for the impressive returns being delivered. The Indian businesses that pledged $14 billion in new investment in Nigeria on the sidelines of the G20 summit in India in September 2023 have since started making good on those pledges,” He said.

“Across oil and gas, agriculture, consumer goods, renewable energy, healthcare, ICT and many other fields we are seeing global and local businesses demonstrating unshakable belief in the limitless possibilities that Nigeria embodies.”

The minister also praised the performance of the Super Eagles at the ongoing Africa Cup of Nations, noting that their victory was a reminder of Nigeria’s unity in diversity.

“The heartwarming exploits of our beloved Super Eagles at the ongoing African cup of nations in Cote d’Ivoire are another case in point; a timely reminder that the things that bind us together as one is much deeper than the things that separate and divide us,” he said.

Idris said despite the temporary challenges and setbacks Nigerians face from time to time, a glorious dawn is around the corner.

Post Views: 215
Related Topics:
Advertisement
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

BIG STORY

JUST IN: After 23 Months Of Suspending Operations In Nigeria, Emirate Airlines To Resume In October

Published

28 mins ago

on

May 16, 2024

By

Emirates Airlines has stated that it is prepared to resume direct flight service from its base in Dubai to Nigeria twenty-three months after it halted operations there.

The airline made this announcement on Thursday through its official X account.

The service will be operated using a Boeing 777-300ER. EK783 will depart Dubai at 0945hrs, arriving in Lagos at 1520hrs; the return flight EK784 will leave Lagos at 1730hrs and arrive in Dubai at 0510hrs the next day.

“We’re back, Nigeria! We’ll be resuming services to Lagos from 1 October 2024, and we can’t wait to offer unrivalled connectivity to Dubai and beyond to over 140 cities,” the tweet read.

Adnan Kazim, Emirates’ Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer said, “We are excited to resume our services to Nigeria. The Lagos-Dubai service has traditionally been popular with customers in Nigeria and we hope to reconnect leisure and business travellers to Dubai and onwards to our network of over 140 destinations. We thank the Nigerian government for their partnership and support in re-establishing this route and we look forward to welcoming passengers back onboard.

“With the resumption of operations to Nigeria, Emirates operates to 19 gateways in Africa with 157 flights per week from Dubai, with further reach to an additional 130 regional points in Africa through its codeshare and interline partnerships with South African Airways, Airlink, Royal Air Maroc, Tunis Air, among others.

“As a major economic hub in Africa, Nigeria and the UAE have built strong bilateral trade relations over the years, headlined by Lagos as the nation’s commercial centre. With the resumption of daily passenger flights, the airline’s cargo arm, Emirates SkyCargo, will further bolster the trade relationship by offering more than 300 tonnes of bellyhold cargo capacity, in and out of Lagos every week.”

Nigeria’s Minister of Aviation and Aerospace Development, Festus Keyamo, SAN, hinted at the development earlier.

Post Views: 31
Continue Reading

BIG STORY

Corrupt Politicians Should Not Get Any Serious Punishment, They “Steal And Share With The People” — Ndume

Published

2 hours ago

on

May 16, 2024

By

Ali Ndume, the Chief Whip of the Senate, has explained the difference between corruption by politicians and other people.

Ndume said corruption by Nigerian politicians should not warrant any serious punishment, noting that it is People-Driven.

The senator admitted that politicians “steal and share with the people”.

He stated this on Tuesday when he featured on Channels TV Politics Today while speaking on the death penalty as the deterrent for those caught with drugs.

He said when politicians’ corruption is compared to others, it is a “small one’

He stated, “If you compare us, politicians, to all the corruption, it is very small. Our corruption is people-driven. If you steal it, you will go and share it with the people. If you don’t, you are not coming back for four years. There is no reason for stealing.

“I have been to the National Assembly, I can’t say because we are on TV now and not tell the truth. If the death penalty is supposed to be included in corruption, I will support it but you don’t go and kill someone that stole one million or one billion, no. But someone who steals one trillion of government money should be killed.

The senator said he supports death punishment for drug dealers.

“The death penalty is the best deterrent for those being caught for drugs. If you do drugs, you are killing people.

“In fact, that means you have destroyed the lives of so many people and killed so many people,” he said.

Recently, the Senate passed a bill, the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency Act (Amendment Bill) 2024 passed by the Senate.

The bill prescribed death penalty for persons found guilty of trading in hard drugs and narcotics.

This has, however, been debated and faulted by many stakeholders on whether or not President Bola Tinubu should accent the bill.

On Saturday, some legal practitioners expressed different opinions on the debate over the bill. Some of them urged President Bola Tinubu not to assent to the bill passed by the Senate while others pressed for it to be signed into law.

Some of the lawyers stressed that the death penalty was not a solution to drug trafficking and other drug-related offences in the country.

Post Views: 55
Continue Reading

BIG STORY

NEMA Receives 150 Nigerians Repatriated From Chad — 23 Males, 48 Females, 71 Children, 8 Infants

Published

5 hours ago

on

May 16, 2024

By

The National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) has confirmed the arrival of 150 stranded Nigerians repatriated from the Chad Republic.

The agency, in a statement on Wednesday, said the repatriated Nigerians include 71 children, 48 females, eight infants, and 23 men.

It said the evacuated Nigerians arrived at the Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on Tuesday at about 8:30 pm.

“The Nigerians were assisted back in a voluntary repatriation exercise programme by the United Nations International Organisation for Migration (UN’IOM) on Tuesday, 14th, 2024,” the agency said.

“The flight Air Cargo with registration number SU-BUR landed at the cargo wing of Muritala Muhammed International Airport, Ikeja, at about 2030 hours.

“The profiles of the returnees indicate that 23 males, 48 females, 71 children, and 8 infants arrived in Nigeria aboard the flight.

“Some of the returnees demonstrated their joy at the success of their return back to Nigeria. Agencies on the ground to receive the Nigerians were NEMA, Immigration Services, Nigeria Port Health Services, FAAN, and the Nigeria Refugee Commission.”

Last year, 104 stranded Nigerians were repatriated from N’Djamena, the capital of the Chad Republic.

Post Views: 44
Continue Reading

Most Popular