COVER
FG Lists Nigeria’s Gains in OGP
By Tony Obiechina, Abuja
Minister of State, Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba, yesterday said Nigeria has made remarkable achievements since joining the Open Government Partnership (OGP) in 2016.
According to him, the country has developed and implemented two National action plans organized around critical thematic areas like fiscal transparency, access to information, anti-corruption, citizen engagement, service delivery, inclusion and extractive transparency
The Minister made these remarks during the end of year Media Parley for journalists covering the Ministry in Abuja yesterday.
The OGP is a global partnership for reformers from both government and civil society who work together to make the governance process open, accountable and citizen-driven.
The Minister explained that at the core of the OGP is a commitment from participating countries to undertake meaningful new steps as part of concrete actions to deepen good governance and service delivery while empowering citizens.
He said Nigeria joined the OGP in 2016 as the 70th member as part of efforts to fight corruption and improve governance in the country.
“Since joining in 2016, the country has developed and implemented two National action plans organized around critical thematic areas like fiscal transparency, access to information, anti-corruption, citizen engagement, service delivery, inclusion and extractive transparency. The second NAP is almost rounding off and there are some modest achievements and success stories to show for it,” Prince said.
Agba pointed out that other benefits the country has derived from being a member of the OGP include, improved Budgetary Processes, improved Procurement Processes, boost in Anti-Corruption Fight through the Introduction of Transparency in Company Ownership (Establishment of Beneficial Ownership Register
“The Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning was able to, with the 2020 federal budget, return the country to January to December budgetary cycle adding that, “We achieved the same feat in 2021 and 2022. 2023 Federal Budget will not be different.
“We hope that successive administrations will ensure that this continues. This, certainly, is not a mere annual ritual. It has assisted in early commencement of implementation of the Annual Budgets. It has also assisted the Private Sector and State Governments to Plan their Budgets to align with the Federal Government Budget. It has also led to full implementation of the Budgets especially the Capital Component.
“Significantly, it has also removed uncertainties associated with delayed budgets, which include delayed investment, thus making the implementation of government programmes and projects predictable. In fact, the early submission of the Federal Government’s annual budget enables the states to use the budget assumptions to prepare their annual budgets. Efforts are made to ensure prompt distribution of the federally collected revenues to the Federating units to enable them to implement their budgets,” Agba added.
Agba added that the country’s budgetary processes are much more transparent and participatory; as all stakeholders, especially the citizens, are carried along and enabled to make input into the process.
“Nigeria recorded its best performance in the Open Budget Survey (OBS), scoring 45% in the latest 2021 survey for transparency, indicating an improvement by 24 points, a significant leap from the 21% achieved in the previous year.
“The procurement thematic area, we have established the Nigerian Procurement Portal (NOCOPO), where citizens can monitor all government procurement processes in a transparent manner, thereby making the procurement processes a lot more open, participatory, and transparent.
“Boost in Anti-Corruption Fight through the Introduction of Transparency in Company Ownership (Establishment of Beneficial Ownership Register): Nigeria has also attained giant strides in curbing illicit financial flows, terrorism financing and corruption through the beneficial ownership process.
“The Companies and Allied Matters Act (CAMA) 2019 and Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), 2021 have provided the legal backings for the full implementation of beneficial ownership regulatory framework in Nigeria, whose provisions give effect to national beneficial ownership portal in general and strengthen the application of beneficial ownership regulations in the Oil and Gas Sector.
“Consequently, our Beneficial Ownership portal, being developed by the Corporate Affairs Commission, CAC, is our flagship instrument to curtail illicit financial flows and terrorism funding while eliminating official corruption.
The Minister disclosed that at the last OGP Global Summit in Seoul, South Korea, from December 15-17, 2021, Nigeria won the OGP Impact Award “for our commitment to Beneficial Ownership. This Global Award is in recognition of our resolve to press forward with OGP reforms”.
He also disclosed that 24 states out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Nigeria have so far accepted the OGP and are making concrete commitments to develop the culture of transparency and accountability in the governance processes while empowering citizens to participate effectively in governance processes.
According to him, the Abuja Municipal Area Council (AMAC) has also keyed into the OGP, making it the first local government to do so, stressing that the OGP is gradually transforming the governance ecosystem in Nigeria.
“The third National Action Plan (NAP III) being developed is expected to take forward these gains earlier outlined and introduce new steps and efforts to sustain them. Indeed, Corruption is still a big issue in the country; it is therefore pertinent that successive governments in Nigeria would sustain the OGP and even show more political support and commitment to the process”, Agba added.
By Laide Akinboade, Abuja
As part of efforts to reposition the newspaper for optimum corporate performance, the management of Asset Newspapers Limited, Publishers of DAILY ASSET, has announced the appointment of David Torough as the Editor of the Abuja-based national daily.
A statement by the management said the appointments were part of the company’s new strategy to further penetrate the various states in the country and raise its readership and patronage.
“DAILY ASSET is widely acceptable across the country and to maintain our leadership position, we need to increase management presence, hence the need to create new Bureau offices in some locations outside Abuja and Lagos,” the statement quoted the Publisher/ Editor-in-Chief, Dr Cletus Akwaya to have said.
In a statement yesterday, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of the fast-growing daily, Dr. Cletus Akwaya said the appointment was part of the new strategy to properly situate the paper for better productivity.
“DAILY ASSET has a commitment with the Nigerian people. We are determined to weather the storm and give Nigerian readers a Newspaper that satisfies their yearnings and reading pleasure and we can only do that with the right set of professionals,” the statement said.
Akwaya, a former Commissioner of Information from Benue State said the difficult times being faced by Nigerians posed a great challenge to the media as the people deserved credible information with which to make choices.
“We have a bond with the people, to offer credible information at all times in the best tradition of the Nigerian Press and on this scale of objectivity, truth and fairness, we pledge to remain steadfast no matter the challenges,” Akwaya was quoted to have said.
He said the newspaper will maiantin its daily print run and circulation to all states of the federation and urged advertisers to take advantage of the deep penetration of the Daily Asset brand to send their messages.
Torough, the new Editor has had a steady rise in the Newspaper in the last five years.
A graduate of Mass communication of the Benue State University, Makurdi, Torough joined the company in 2022 as Benue State Correspondent. He was spotted for his brilliance and redeployed to Abuja the following year and promoted to Deputy News Editor. He was subswuently named Deputy Editor of the paper, a position he held until the recent appointment.
Torough has attended several journalistic workshops and trainings to properly equip himself for the task ahead.
The statement also said the Management named Eze Okechukwu as Deputy Editor.
Before his elevation as Deputy Editor, Eze has been Deputy Politics Editor and DAILY ASSET Newspaper correspondent covering the Senate, having joined the organization in 2021.
Born on March 10, 1975, Eze holds a Masters Degree in Mass Communication from the Enugu State University of Science and Technology.
Eze began his journalism career with Daily Star, Enugu and later worked with Daily Trust Newspaper, Abuja as sports reporter.
Aside from his journalistic excellence, he has a great deal of passion for sports.
From Ngutor Dekera, Kaduna and Aliyu Askira, Kano
Northern governors and traditional rulers yesterday called for the suspension of mining activities across the region for six months, blaming illegal mining for worsening insecurity in many states.The resolution was contained in a communiqué issued after a joint meeting of the Northern States Governors’ Forum and the Northern Traditional Rulers’ Council held at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim House, Kaduna.
The meeting, chaired by the Gombe State Governor and NSGF Chairman, Muhammadu Yahaya, had in attendance the 19 northern governors and chairmen of the 19 states’ traditional councils. The Forum expressed concern over the escalating violence in parts of the North, including the killings and abductions recently recorded in Kebbi, Kwara, Kogi, Niger, Sokoto, Jigawa and Kano states, as well as renewed Boko Haram attacks in Borno and Yobe.“The Forum extends its deepest condolences and solidarity to the governments and good people of the affected states,” the communiqué said, noting that the attacks on schoolchildren and other citizens had become “unacceptable tragedies” that required urgent collective action.It commended President Bola Tinubu for what it described as the Federal Government’s “firm response” to recent abductions and insurgency threats, especially the rescue of some abducted pupils.The governors also saluted security agencies for their sacrifices on the frontlines.“We resolved to renew our support for every step taken by the President and Commander-in-Chief to take the fight to insurgents’ enclaves in order to end the criminality,” the Forum stated.A major highlight of the meeting was the North’s renewed push for the establishment of state police, with governors and traditional rulers insisting that decentralised policing had become inevitable.“The Forum reaffirms its wholehearted support and commitment to the establishment of state police,” the communiqué added, urging federal and state lawmakers from the region to “expedite action for its actualisation.”On illegal mining, the governors said criminal mining networks were fuelling violence and providing resources for armed groups.As a corrective measure, they asked Tinubu to direct the Minister of Solid Minerals to impose a six-month suspension of mining activities in order to allow for a full audit and revalidation of licences.“The Forum observed that illegal mining has become a major contributory factor to the security crises in Northern Nigeria. “We strongly recommend a suspension of mining exploration for six months to allow proper audit and to arrest the menace of artisanal illegal mining,” it said.To strengthen the fight against insecurity, the governors also announced the creation of a regional Security Trust Fund.Under the proposed arrangement, each state and its local governments will contribute ₦1bn monthly, to be deducted at source under an agreed framework.They said the fund would help provide sustainable financing for joint operations, intelligence-driven interventions and coordinated security responses across the region.At the end of the meeting, the Forum reaffirmed its commitment to unity and collective responsibility.“Only through unity, peer review and cooperation can we overcome the pressing challenges before us,” it declared.The Forum agreed to reconvene on a date to be announced.Meanwhile, Nigeria’s worsening security crisis took a grim turn on Monday as bandits launched fresh attacks in Kano State, abducting 25 villagers, even as the Federal Government raced to secure the release of more than 300 Catholic school children kidnapped in Niger State.In the early hours of Monday, armed bandits invaded Unguwar Tsamiya—popularly called Dabawa—in Shanono Local Government Area of Kano State, whisking away nine men and two women after shooting into the air and assaulting residents. The attackers also rustled two cows.A resident lamented the community’s helplessness: “We cannot do otherwise; most of us cannot leave because we have nowhere to go. This is our place, our land and everything is here.”The assault came less than 24 hours after a similar attack on Yan Kamaye in Tsanyawa LGA, a community along the volatile Katsina border.In Niger State, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu has assured distraught families of St. Mary’s Co-Education School, Kontagora that the more than 300 students and staff abducted on November 21 will return home “soon.” Ribadu, who led a high-level federal delegation to the school on Monday, said the abductees are safe, though he offered no specifics on their location or the status of rescue operations.According to Daniel Atori, spokesman for the Catholic bishop overseeing the school, the NSA reassured officials: “The children are where they are and will come back safely.”The St. Mary’s attack is part of a worrying resurgence of mass kidnappings reminiscent of the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction. Security analysts warn that banditry has evolved into a “structured, profit-seeking industry,” with hundreds of Nigerians abducted in November alone.The Kontagora school abduction occurred the same week 25 girls were kidnapped in Kebbi State—victims who authorities say have since been rescued through “non-kinetic” means. About 50 of the St. Mary’s hostages have also managed to escape.Ribadu’s delegation, which included the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS), reaffirmed the government’s commitment to securing the freedom of all abducted citizens.As communities from Kano to Niger continue to bear the brunt of these violent incursions, the escalating spate of kidnappings underscores the urgent national demand for a more decisive and coordinated security response.
By David Torough, Abuja
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) said former Attorney‑General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, will face a team of interrogators at its office daily throughout December.A credible source in the EFCC said on Monday that the daily appearance was part of an ongoing investigation into the whereabouts of an alleged 490 million dollars Abacha loot secured through a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLAT) request.
The source said that Malami, who was summoned for interrogation by the EFCC on Saturday, was barred from leaving Nigeria for the next one month.According to the source, one of the conditions for his release on Saturday was that he should report daily to the EFCC Headquarters in Abuja for further interrogation.The source said Malami would have to appear daily at the anti-graft office due to the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him.”We seized his passport, it is the normal routine during investigation, but he has to report at the EFCC headquarters in Abuja every day for the next month.”He will be reporting for further investigation throughout December.”He will be reporting every day, starting from Dec. 1st to Dec. 31st.He will appear before the team of investigators for the entire month of December.”He will be reporting to EFCC for investigation for the period because of the volume of the investigation and the seriousness of the charges against him,” the source added.According to the source, a fact sheet on the former minister revealed that Malami had several issues to clarify with the EFCC within the coming weeks.“We have asked him to explain the whereabouts of the $490 million Abacha loot secured through MLAT.“We didn’t say he stole money, but he should account for the loot. This is one of the issues he will clarify to our investigators.”The commission cited the large volume of documents he must review and the need for extensive interviews as reasons for seizing his passport.The source said EFCC would not engage in a war of words but would release its findings after a thorough investigation.Malami, in a statement by his media aide, Mohammed Doka, on Monday in Abuja, however, described the EFCC investigation as a political witch‑hunt.He confirmed he honored an EFCC invitation on Nov. 28, describing the engagement as fruitful and expressing confidence that the probe would vindicate him.Malami described the EFCC’s allegations as baseless, illogical and devoid of substance, insisting they collapse under factual scrutiny.
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