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FG should deploy funds for clamping down on protesters to empower them, Hon Ikwechegh

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Alexander Mascot Ikwechegh

***’You can’t tell people to tighten their belts when you are living large’

***Wants 2025 budget to reach NASS for scrutiny by September

Honorable Member representing Aba North/Aba South, Alexander Mascot Ikwechegh9 has advised the Federal Government to direct the funds for clamping down on protesters over the EndBadGovernance planned protest to empower them to learn one skill or the other so they can be self reliant.

The Nigerian Government has been employing all known tactics, subtle and physical force including propaganda to ensure the EndBadGovernance protest billed for 1St August does not hold.
Speaking against the backdrop that the Government is mobilizing forces to clamp down on the protesters, Hon Ikwechegh reminded the President that protests are part and parcel of democracy
“I advise the government, the monies you would channel towards clamping down on demonstrators, why not appropriate them for the unemployed youths to learn one skill or the other and channel them into places where they can earn a living.

“Why not prepare these young men and women to learn Technology that will help us identify the people that are coming to steal our crude oil?”
He said there are good ICT people that can use ICT to unravel the mystery behind crude theft
Speaking also on the issue of banditary that has made it impossible for farmers in the North to access their farms he asked the Government to use the money to recruit a bunch of people for forest protection, farm prprotection by setting up something like a Farm Protection Agency.

“That money that you would have given to police and military to fight civilians ue that money, set it aside, pay those boys, to create some type of technology that will help to put what you call sensors in different farms to identify people that are actually coming in to chase farmers away.
“Just find a way to channel their energy towards something productive instead of waiting and looking for protesters to clampdown on.”

“The truth is this, there’s so much hunger in the land. I don’t think Nigeria has had it this bad except for maybe just a couple of years post-civil war period. People can barely buy food to eat.
“It may be slightly difficult for the political class, especially people that have been successful for a long time to truly understand the plight of the people as of today.
“There are certain things that go on and when the poorest of the poor gets to hear them, it breaks their heart and that is why people are very interested about this protest.
“You can’t be telling people to tighten their belt when governors, president, ministers are still busy driving bulletproof Lexus 600 SUVs.

“You see one governor riding on 30 cars. You see one minister riding on 15 cars. You see the president riding on 50 cars and then you expect them to tighten their belt.

“If government is truly interested in having people’s belts tightened, government should live by example. They should set that example and the president can say, okay, I’m moving around with four cars, five cars, bulletproof vehicles. He’s the president.

I mean, it’s something that he deserves to do. But moving around with 50 cars, I mean, this is just a few, of course. And then we’re caught down on a lot of different things.

Do we actually need the number of people that are being paid in government? Let me explain this. From a technocratic or entrepreneurial standpoint, when an entity, a business entity begins to fail, what it does is it cuts on costs. What is the federal government doing to cut costs of governance? There is a pervasiveness of prodigality, total avoidance of frugality in the day-to-day running of government.

“What is the government doing to cut governance, cost of governance? That has to be done. While preparing the budget, do you bring consultants to take time to scrutinize the content of what is inserted in the budget?
“When it gets to us here, you give us one month to scrutinize this budget. How do we scrutinize the budget within one month? And then everybody’s rushing.

“By right, in September, as soon as we are resuming session, the budget should be on our table. The president should present the 2025 budget so that we can take between September and December to scrutinize the budget and then approve it. If there are things that we feel shouldn’t be there in the budget, then we will quickly do it.

“The legislative arm of government should remain independent. The judicial arm of government should remain independent. The executive arm of government should remain independent.

“These are little, little things that we ought to do for the country to move forward. A popular senator once said, if you tell the truth, you die. If you tell a lie, you die.

It’s better I tell the truth and die so that I know that I spoke the truth. Now, Nigeria cannot possibly be poor. Nigeria is a powerful country.

I don’t know if there are elements from outside Nigeria that is selling this very nefarious, malevolent, and ominous narrative. Because Nigeria is a rich country. It’s not a poor country.
On the issue of crude oil theft, he asked rhetorically, “But who are the people that man our waters? Who are the ones that are allowing those vessels to sail into our shores and lift our oil and move back to wherever it is that they came from unaccounted for? “Who are the people that are managing our mining industry? The gold in Zamfara, as I hear, can literally power this country. Why are we not harnessing what we have? Oil theft is a term that we have heard over time. It has literally become a platitude that people throw around all the time.”

“Why should there be hunger if we harness our oil, harness our natural resources?”

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FG Takes Major Step in Enhancing Food Security with Cold Storage Initiative

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In a major step to address food insecurity and reduce post-harvest losses, the Federal Government has pledged its support for the Cold Storage Initiative, aimed at improving food storage and enhancing the country’s food security.

The Honourable Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Mr. Wale Edun, made this announcement during a meeting in his Abuja office with a delegation from the National Agricultural Development Fund (NADF), GENESIS Energy Group, USAID, and KPMG.

Director of Information and Public Relations, Mohammed Manga in a statement indicated that the meeting focused on establishing a strategic partnership to implement solar-powered cold storage facilities and optimize logistics systems across Nigeria.

The delegation shared updates on their ongoing efforts to introduce cold storage solutions in key agricultural hubs nationwide.
The initiative is expected to tackle significant post-harvest losses, improve food supply chains, and ensure a more consistent availability of fresh produce.
Minister Edun commended the project, highlighting its alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to food security.
He noted that recent economic reforms, including fuel and foreign exchange pricing adjustments, have stabilized the economy and opened up opportunities for investment.
He further assured the delegation of the Ministry’s full support for the initiative, recognizing its potential to create jobs, attract foreign investment, and contribute to poverty alleviation.

The meeting was attended by key representatives, including Akinwole Omoboriowo, CEO of GENESIS Energy; Mohammed Ibrahim, Executive Secretary of NADF; and Dimeji Salaudeen of KPMG, among others.

With the Federal Government’s backing, this initiative is set to revolutionize the food storage sector, ensuring the preservation of agricultural produce, reducing waste, and ultimately enhancing Nigeria’s food security. This project marks a major step forward in the country’s goal of achieving long-term food security.

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Tax Reform Campaign: NOA Takes Fight Against Get-Rich-Quick Syndrome to Jigawa

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By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has launched a public enlightenment campaign in Jigawa State, urging citizens, especially youths, to abandon shortcuts to wealth and embrace integrity, hard work, and ethical practices.

Speaking at the Federal Secretariat in Dutse, the NOA Director-General, Mr. Lanre Issa, represented by Mr. Williams Dogo, Director of Legal Services, emphasized the importance of addressing societal challenges such as the get-rich-quick mentality, security concerns, and misinformation surrounding tax reforms.

The campaign, part of a nationwide initiative, is aimed to combat the rising trend of fraudulent wealth acquisition.
It is also aimed at raising awareness on security issues and promote public cooperation with law enforcement.
It is also meant to educate citizens on the benefits of the new tax reform and its role in equitable development.

Issa highlighted the detrimental effects of the get-rich-quick culture, particularly among the youth, noting that such practices erode societal values and contribute to criminal activities like internet fraud.
He stressed that the government has criminalized such fraudulent practices and is implementing programs to empower young people through skill acquisition and other initiatives.

“The government is deeply committed to addressing economic hardship by providing opportunities for youth empowerment. However, we need citizens to reject dubious means of wealth acquisition and work with integrity,” Issa said.
On security, the NOA DG commended government efforts to enhance security through better funding, training, and equipment for agencies. However, he called on citizens to report suspicious activities and cooperate with security personnel to create a safer society.
Addressing concerns about the new tax reforms, Issa explained that they aim to ease the burden on hardworking Nigerians while ensuring fairness and increased funding for development projects.
He urged stakeholders, including traditional and religious leaders, media, and civil society groups, to support the reforms by spreading accurate information and encouraging compliance.

In his remarks, the Jigawa State NOA Director, Alhaji Tijjani, expressed concern over the exploitation of the current economic hardship by some individuals to commit crimes. He reiterated the agency’s dedication to guiding citizens towards legitimate means of success and discouraging fraudulent behaviors.

“We are targeting youths and other stakeholders to educate them on the dangers of shortcuts to wealth and encourage them to embrace legal and ethical ways of achieving their goals,” Tijjani said.

The campaign underscores the government’s resolve to build a society rooted in integrity, fairness, and sustainable development, urging all citizens to play their part in realizing this vision.

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NOA flags off sensitization campaign on 5 critical national issues

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By Friday Idachaba, Lokoja

The National Orientation Agency (NOA) has flagged off a nationwide sensitization campaign on five critical issues central to Nigeria’s well-being, unity, and development.

Mallam Lanre Issa-onilu, Director General of the Agency who flagged off the campaign at the weekend in Lokoja urged unity among Nigerians in their commitment to address the issues and foster a more informed, secure, and ethical society.

Represented by Kogi State Acting Director of NOA, Mr Patrick Edogbanya, the Director General highlighted the five Key national issues and the efforts the national government has made so far at addressing them.

Issa-Onilu whose speech was theme, “Promoting Awareness, Ethical Values and National Development”, pointed out that the challenges before the nation required collective action and active participation from all Nigerians.

He identified the five critical issues as issues arising from World HIV/AIDS Day; Security Awareness; Shunning Get-Rich-Quick Syndrome; World Human Rights Day and Tax Reforms.

On the burning issue of Tax Reforms, the Director General said government was taking a holistic approach to make the nation’s tax system fairer and less burdensome for citizens.

“The tax reform bills are four different bills that seek to bring everything about taxation and administration of tax in Nigeria under four different pieces of legislation”, he said.

The bills according to him include: The Nigeria Tax Bill; The Nigeria Tax Administration Bill; The Nigeria Revenue Service Establishment Bill and The Joint Revenue Board Establishment Bill, all with specific functions to ameliorate the burden of tax.

He said that the reforms will benefit everyone by eradicating double taxation and Support for Low-Income Earners as those earning very little will pay little or no taxes adding that simple and transparent processes will be adopted with introduction of new digital systems.

On the issue of HIV/AIDS, he said that aside joining the global community to raise awareness during World HIV/AIDS Day Nigeria had intensified efforts to provide free and accessible HIV testing and counseling services nationwide.

The DG added that among other efforts, the country had ensured that antiretroviral treatment remains available and accessible to people living with HIV/AIDS and went further to partner local and international organizations to combat stigma and discrimination arising from the disease.

He however, noted that the government alone cannot win this fight against HIV/AIDS and therefore, urged citizens to take advantage of services being provided by government and other entities, practice responsible health behaviours, and support those living with HIV/AIDS.

On security, Issa-Onilu reminded Nigerians that Security remains a top priority for the government adding that government was strengthening security architecture through better equipment, training, and increased funding for security agencies.

He said that government was also expanding its policing initiatives to improve collaboration between citizens and law enforcement to combat criminal activities as ge called for active support of citizens.

On Human Rights as one of the critical issues, the NOA Director General said efforts at dealing with the issue include
strengthening of legal frameworks to address human rights violations, including gender-based violence and child trafficking.

The efforts, according to him, also include establishing support centers for survivors of abuse and violence in collaboration with Civil Society as well as Promoting constitutional awareness to ensure citizens understand their rights and responsibilities.

The NOA Director General also identified the “Get-Rich-Quick Syndrome” as part of the nation’s critical issues requiring sustained sensitization campaign for Nigerians to shun in all ramifications.

Issa-Onilu said government has taken cognizance of the erosion of our age-long values and evolved measures to address the situation even as economic hardship often drives individuals toward unethical practices.

He urged citizens to reject shortcuts to wealth and embrace integrity, hard work, and the opportunities provided through government initiatives to make life better for all.

“Addressing these five key areas requires collaboration from all citizens, stakeholders, and institutions. Together, we can build a healthier, safer, and more ethical Nigeria”, he urged.

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