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Franco-Nigeria Bilateral Trade Drops by $2.2b Dollar in 2020 — Minister

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France, on Tuesday, announced that its volume of trade with Nigeria in year 2020 dropped to $2.3 billion dollars, from $4.5 billion in 2019, as a result of COVID-19.

The French Minister in charge of Foreign Trade and Attractiveness, Mr Frank Riester, disclosed this at a meeting he held with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), in Abuja, as part of his two-day official visit to Nigeria.

“We are optimistic of the future, when the crisis will be ending, because we have many companies that have settled here.

 We want a win-win partnership between our two countries.

“We have 100 companies that are settled in Nigeria, representing 10,000 people working in these companies and we want to increase our investments in Nigeria”, he said.

Riester added that the French Government wanted to help in the development of different states, by investing in both the private and public sectors, so as to deepen the relationship between the two countries.

He said that as the largest economy in Africa and the economic engine room of West Africa, Nigeria is indeed a major partner for France.

The minister said that the French Government was also putting in place measures that would allow more Nigerian companies to operate and invest in France.

“Tomorrow, I will meet some Nigeria companies that have already invested in France, as others are willing to invest in the country.

“These companies will be invited to a specific meeting in Paris in June, where President Emmanuel Macron will welcome many companies all over the world, and some of the companies will be from Nigeria, because we want more Nigerian investments in France.”

Riester added that the government was also putting in place policies that would encourage more Nigerian investment in France, while the French government was also willing to assist Nigeria to tackle insecurity.

The Chairman of the NGF, Gov. Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, commended the French government for its interest in Nigeria, especially in the states of the Federation.

Fayemi, represented by Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau, described the meeting, aimed at strengthening the bilateral relationship between Nigeria and France, as fruitful.

He said that the meeting sought ways of boosting France’s collaboration and investment in Nigeria, in particular with the state governments.

Speaking later in an interview with newsmen on the ongoing strike by the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) who are protesting the non-implementation of financial autonomy for the nation’s judiciary, Lalong said that state governors were not against financial autonomy for the judiciary.

Lalong, who said that the governors were already consulting with JUSUN, added that the NGF would be meeting on Wednesday, to finalize the issue, as they did not need any Order 10, to implement financial autonomy for the judiciary, since they played key role in the passage of the financial autonomy legislation.

He, however, said that certain criteria had to be put in place, for financial autonomy for the judiciary to commence at the state level.

Lalong said that financial autonomy was not about finances, but to strengthen the institution.

“You don’t wake up one day and say you are doing financial autonomy, because a law is passed, there must be processes.

“For instance, as a former Speaker, I will tell you that you cannot do financial autonomy until you establish a service commission. You must establish a state Allocation Committee. All these are steps towards autonomy.

“You don’t achieve autonomy in a day. We did it in the National Assembly, and there was no Order 10 for implementation. It took them stages. The federal government is aware.

“Members of the National Assembly, who are Governors today were members who fought for the autonomy, so how can we be against the autonomy”, Lalong asked. (NAN)

POLITICS

I Didn’t Call for Ganduje’s Resignation – Alia

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From Attah Ede, Makurdi
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue has denied calling for the resignation of Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje, the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman.
This was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday in Makurdi by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Tersoo Kula.


The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the CPS was reacting to some media reports that the governor has called for the resignation of the APC national chairman.

The Kula said the governor at no time called for the resignation of the APC national chairman.
He said the governor enjoyed a good relationship with the Ganduje-led leadership of APC.
“It is imperative to clarify that at no point did Governor Alia assembled, attended and sent a representative or participated in any meeting to discuss the removal or call for resignation of Alhaji.
Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
“The Benue State governor remains firm in his support and allegiance to the leadership of the National Working Committee of the APC, under the leadership of Alhaji Ganduje.
“Furthermore, at no point, whether publicly or privately, has the governor advocated or expressed any desire for the resignation of the National party chairman”, he said.
He said the governor was focused on positively changing the fortunes of the state.
“He is alive to his responsibilities as the leader of APC in Benue State and is doing everything legitimate to reposition the party for future victories.” Kula said.
Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in Benue State said it has withdrawn the only case filed by the embattled state chairman of the party, comrade Austin Agada that was pending before High Court 4 in Makurdi.
It said the said case has been consequently struck out by Justice T.A. Kume.
The state publicity secretary of the party, Daniel Ihomun,  said this was done in compliance with the directive of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in its 146th meeting held on the 20th March, 2024, wherein resolutions targeting peace were made directing all pending cases filed by members of the party in Benue State against the party or concerning the party and its members be withdrawn within 7 days.
Mr. Ihomun in a statement, made available to newsmen in Makurdi, said the State Legal Adviser of the APC, Alyebo Mathew Esq, at the instance of the state chairman, filed a Notice of Withdrawal on the 25th March, 2024, in the only case filed by the chairman that was pending before High Court 4 in Makurdi.
The party urged all members affected by the directive to withdraw all matters in court to clear the way for proper reconciliation that will ultimately pave the way for peace in the party.

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POLITICS

Mutfwang Meets PDP North Central Leadership Calls for Unity among Officials

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From Jude Dangwam, Jos
The Executive Governor of Plateau State, Barrister Caleb Manasseh Mutfwang has called for unity a purpose among officials of the North Central geopolitical political zone towards the growth of the party in the region.
He noted that the region has consistently remained a stronghold for the PDP since its inception, attributing it to the party’s ideologies and its developmental impact on the citizens at any given opportunity.


Governor Mutfwang made the commendation during a meeting on Wednesday with PDP officials from the North Central, led by the zonal National Vice Chairman, Hon.
Theophilus Dakas Shan, at Plateau House in Abuja the nation’s capital.

While applauding the dedication, patriotism, and steadfast support of the PDP officials in the region for their role in promoting unity and internal democracy in the party reiterated that such dedication will not be forgotten by the party.
Governor Mutfwang through his Director of Press and Public Affairs expressed his gratitude to the zonal officials for their commitment during the 2023 general elections, an effort he said aligned with the party’s principles.
He reiterated that the party’s mission is to govern not for personal gain but for the people’s liberation, voicing his expectation that the PDP will continue to be the people’s party, deserving of significant involvement in its administration.
As the opposition party, the Governor emphasized the need to strive for the governance Nigerians aspire to, stating, “We must offer constructive criticism to the government and ensure the Nigerian people are not shortchanged.”
The Governor announced plans to reform the party into a robust, dependable, and credible political platform that enables Nigerians to run for elections and fulfill the promise of democracy.
The National Vice Chairman of the PDP North Central Zone, Hon. Theophilus Dakas Shan, congratulated Governor Mutfwang on his election and Supreme Court victories.
He pledged full support to his administration, noting that the Governor’s unique position as the sole PDP-elected Governor from the zone will not be taken for granted.
He acknowledged the North Central’s role in electing the National Chairman of the PDP by consensus before the 2023 elections. However, recent political events in Benue State, has set aside the Chairman from office adding that the zone needs to address the matter as a family.
Hon. Shan said plans are underway to hold congresses of the Party and called for unity to ensure that the process is reliable, credible, and universally accepted, thereby minimizing potential litigation.

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POLITICS

FG Seeks Swedish Govt Support on Technical Education

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By Tony Obiechina, Abuja

The Federal Government is seeking the support of the Swedish Government to help drive its ongoing efforts of integrating technology and skills into the education sector.The Minister of Education, Prof Tahir Mamman who made the appeal while hosting the Ambassador of Sweden to Nigeria, Annika Hahn-Englung, on a working visit to the ministry on Tuesday in Abuja, said it was important to leverage Sweden’s technical expertise.

The Minister also said the Federal government is seeking the support of the Swedish government in the development of indigenous languages to aid sound educational development in Nigeria.
He said: “The presence of (Swedish) tech companies in education and training is very important for us because one of the major things this ministry is focusing on now is to bring technology and skills into our education system right from the very early stage of education and we feel it is a very important mechanism tool for learning and teaching.
”And so we will be looking at your experiences to see how we can grow from that because what we want is right from primary school we want our students to be exposed to technology and skills so that at that stage they can grow with it and nurture critical thinking capabilities.“Right now education is not all about just providing training for jobs and skills of today, but preparing them to think about the skills of tomorrow and the best way to do that is by nurturing critical thinking capability right at the early stage.“So we will be leveraging your expertise and experience in order for us to develop our plans and integrate skills and technology into the curriculum at all the levels of our education system in Nigeria.”Mamman who noted that some agreements had been signed between Nigeria and Sweden in the past, however, stressed the need for both countries to deepen bilateral relationships by committing to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in several areas of partnerships.The Swedish envoy had earlier named some Swedish firms in Nigeria engaged in educational and entrepreneurship programmes.Hahn – Englung who expressed Sweden’s readiness to deepen existing relationships, especially in the area of education, noted Sweden’s desire to have more students study in the country’s institutions of higher learning.“We have quite a number of companies especially when it comes to EdTech but then also, we have ideas to see what we can do more together.“We have many Nigerian students going to Sweden every year. They are very competitive students we have noticed but we will like to see that expand more.”

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