SOUTH-WEST GOVERNORS’ ECONOMIC FORUM HELD AT THE OYO STATE EXCO CHAMBERS,

The meeting which was convened at the instance of the Governor of Oyo State, Senator Abiola Ajimobi was attended by the Governors of Ekiti, Mr. Ayodele Fayose; Lagos, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode; Ogun, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; and Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; with Ondo represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Rotimi Adelola .

Also in attendance were the Director-General, NISER, Professor Victor Oladosu Adeyeye; Group Managing Director, Odua Investment Limited, Mr. Adewale Raji; the Director-General DAWN Commission, Mr. Dipo Famakinwa; and some very high level officials across the States in the Region.

Deliberations at the Forum focused on developing and agreeing on a common and integrated strategy of regional integration and economic development in Southwest Nigeria. The meeting deliberated on the need for strong and implementable decisions that would put the Southwest Region back on the path of irreversible progress.

At the end of the meeting, the Governors of the Region agreed and resolved henceforth:

1. That the optimum interest of the Yoruba people should be the prime focus of the six state governments at all times, and that all politics within the region must henceforth be guided by the philosophy of politics of development.

2. That regional cooperation, synergy and economies of scale are critical to the development of the Region.

3. That good intentions are not enough unless backed by sincerity of purpose and commitment to action.

4. That the prosperity of any constituent part of the Region is ultimately negated if other parts are not similarly prosperous.

5. That political differences should no longer be a barrier to the economic development of the Region where the aggregate welfare of Yoruba people concerned. All the States consequently agreed to work together within the framework of a people-centred development strategy.

6. A regime of continuity, regularity and urgency of interaction was canvassed and agreed upon by the meeting. The present crop of governors therefore agreed to bequeath to their people a good legacy reflective of the visions of our founding fathers and common ancestors.

7. The States also agreed to jointly embark on collaborative programmes in areas of common interest that require immediate action in the region. These include Security, Education, Transportation infrastructure (roads, rail and water transportation), Trade, Commerce, Agriculture and Sports

8. That the DAWN Commission (the regional development agency for pursuing the regional integration agenda of the States of Western Nigeria, comprising Ekiti, Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun and Oyo) should be vigorously strengthened to coordinate the regional development process

9. That the current Chairman of the Southwest Governors’ Forum, Senator Abiola Ajimobi should also serve as the Chairman of the Commission

10. DAWN Commission shall consequently develop programmes and activities along the identified areas of cooperation and bring them up for cooperative implementation.

SUMMARY
At the end of the forum, all participants agreed that regional integration as a sustainable economic development paradigm presents the Southwest Region, and indeed the whole of Nigeria, a pathway out of our economic recession into economic prosperity for all.

NEXT MEETING
The Forum agreed on a quarterly meeting henceforth. His Excellency, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, Governor of Ekiti State, is scheduled to host the next meeting of the Southwest Governors’ Economic Forum.

Finally, Buhari’s govt fulfills campaign promise, employs 200,000 jobless graduates

ABUJA-Finally, the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has kicked off the process of engaging 500,000 unemployed graduates of different tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

The programmes which would commence December 1, 2016 was in line with the 2015 election campaign promises of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC to providing jobs for the teeming youth in the country. President Muhammadu Buhari The fulfillment is however coming precisely one year and 7 months after the administration came on stream. The project had had several slips which elicited doubts in many Nigerians about its reality. This persisted until the Office of the Vice President where the project domiciled announced that it was factored into the 2016 National Budget signed into law by President Buhari on May 6, 2016. To this end, a statement from the Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s office on Sunday stated that “all is now set for the deployment of 200,000 unemployed graduates selected in the first batch of the Buhari administration’s plan to hire half a million Nigerians.” Seemingly excited by the development, the office stated that the names of the selected 200,000 had been sent to state governments and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT who would deploy them to their specific programme assignments in various communities. The names would also be published this week on the N-Power internet portal, while the participants would start receiving SMS messages informing them of their selection as from today. The federal government therefore congratulated the successful candidates.

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PROBLEMS OF OUR LEARNING PERCEPTION: THE FINLAND EXAMPLE

Finland is ranked No.1 in the world in Education. What’s so great there!

• A child goes to school there only at the age of 7. The torture does not start at 2 ½ as it is elsewhere.
• A child learns from each move that it comes across in this early age at home.
• From the age of 7 to 10 the child spends 50% of it’s time in school and the remaining as vacation.
• The school timings are also less and equal importance is given to Music, Arts and Sports too
• The schools there have relaxation rooms for the children to take rest if they feel tired.
• Until the age of 13 there is no grading and no report cards for students.
• If their parents are inquisitive of the child’s progress they can apply to know that.
• Since there is no grading there is no pressure on the student to compete.
• They are not given homework. Students can do their homework in the subject of their choice.
• A doctor stationed in each school monitors their health and advices.
• Only a maximum of 600 students are permitted in a school.
• There aren’t any private schools. All are Govt. run. There is equality in education for all.
• 99% of children in Finland get primary education.
• Students who hail from a country where there aren’t exams excel in competitive exams elsewhere.
• You may wonder how this is possible. A UN research explains this…..
• UN does an annual research about the happiest children in the world. Finland stands first.
• Educationists from other countries flock to Finland to understand their system more.
• 1500 representatives from 56 countries go there every year.
• The country’s major foreign exchange comes from education tourism.
• A teachers job in Finland is highly valued .
• The teachers there have a major stake in the laws and policies of the country.
• Every third child there wants to become a teacher. But it’s not so easy.
• Only students who excel are considered for this post.
• They are given 5 years of Teacher Training, 6 months of Military training, One year of onsite teacher training, Training in the Laws and Policies, Fire service, Self Defense, First Aid.
No wonder the Crime rate is so low in Finland.
Good upbringing breeds responsible Adults.
Thoughts to ponder:
• Don’t find fault in children. Don’t hesitate to appreciate when they do good.
• No one knows what a child can become. Keep encouraging them.
• Edison was considered dumb and thrown out of school.
• Louis Pasteur was an average student in school.
• Einstein was considered an idiot in school.
• Talk to children daily about their goodness.
• Don’t compare a child with another.
• Talk about successful people to them.
• Instead of telling them how not to be, just tell them about how to be.
• Don’t curb them to the house
• Give them good examples and independence.
• If you talk to them about a bed of flower they’ll understand the path of thorns.
• Tell them about hardwork. They will get to know about laziness.
• When you tell them about successful people they will understand the reasons for failure.
And for all these, we need good parenting and good governance.

33 states can’t pay salaries –BudgIT

BudgIT, a data-simplifying civic organisation has said 33, out of the 36 states of the Federation, are unable to fulfill recurrent obligations.

In 2015, BudgIT said only 19 states were in that situation.

Before President Muhammad Buhari’s administration officially declared Nigeria in a recession, few months ago,  17 states were reportedly able to meet up with recurrent needs, but, according to BudgIT’s report, only three states can now meet recurrent obligations.

A report released by the organisation titled ‘State of States’ showed that only Lagos, Rivers and Enugu are the states that can fulfill obligations to its workers.

Akwa Ibom reportedly placed last on the table of ability to meet monthly recurrent expenditure commitments followed by Bayelsa, Oyo and Osun, said BudgIT.

Other weak states, according to BudgIT are Ogun, Plateau, Delta, Kwara, Adamawa, Abia, Benue, Bauchi, Jigawa, Kano, Cross River, Kogi, Imo, Ondo, Nassarawa, Yobe, Kaduna, Ekiti, Sokoto Borno and Taraba.

Zamfara, Gombe, Anambra, Niger, Katsina, Ebonyi, Edo and Kebbi were classified as states with fair shortfalls. The report focused on how much revenue is received and generated by the states, the total debt stock and the total recurrent expenditure of the states.

Lagos, Akwa Ibom and Rivers are the states with the highest budget for 2016 while Delta, Lagos and Akwa Ibom are the states with the highest domestic debts.

The table of the external debt profile showed Lagos, Kaduna and Edo at the top of the table with Yobe, Borno and Taraba occupying the bottom spots on the table.

At the second National Executive Committee (NEC), meeting of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in Abuja on Thursday, March 24, 2016, President Muhammad Buhari dropped the bombshell that 27, out of 36 states, are unable to pay workers’ salaries.

On October 18, 2016, the president reiterated inability of the states to pay salaries, despite collecting bailout funds from Abuja.

At a meeting with the International Committee of the Red Cross President, Mr. Peter Maurer, the president said “about 27 of our 36 states couldn’t pay salaries when we came last year and we are still struggling with that. But, we will get out of it.”

Five months ago, the federal government announced plans to give fresh N90 billion bailout to states, to cushion the effect of the current economic crisis, although with stringent conditions. In the fresh bailout, as at June, only five states qualified, according to the Finance Ministry, to access bailout funds with 22 conditions attached to the bailout.

One of the conditions for accessing the fund is that beginning December 2016, states must publish their financial statements, budgets and the quarterly budget performance within nine months of financial year end.

The money was to be disbursed in two tranches, with an initial N50 billion released in three months and another N40 billion in nine months, which would be shared among qualified states at a 9 percent interest rate.

In June 2015, barely one month in the saddle, government gave the states bailout to enable them clear arrears of salaries owed workers.

As part of bailout for financially ailing states, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) restructured existing bank loans owed by state government from a short term repayment period of about seven years to a minimum of 20 years. Bank loans acquired for salary arrears were reportedly extended to a minimum of 15 and not more than 20 years.

Founded in 2011, BudgIT is a civic organisation that uses an array of technological tools to simplify the budget and matters of public spending for citizens, with the primary aim of raising standard of transparency and accountability in government.

FG Targets 2018 Deadline For Self Sufficiency On Rice Production

Re-engage ex militants for pipeline protection, NUPENG tells Buhari … Vows to resist fuel price increase.

The Nigeria Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas (NUPENG), has called on the Federal Government to re-engage the services of ex-Niger Delta militants, who were sacked at the inception of President Muhammadu Buhari, for the protection of oil pipelines.

Besides, the union has also warned, against the rumored planned increase in the price of petroleum products, saying that, it would resist any attempt by the government to further increase fuel price.

President of NUPENG, Comrade Igwe Achese, who was delivering a Key Note address, at the 2016 NUPENG National Education Seminar, in Abuja, on Wednesday, said Buhari Government should in the interim reinstate the ex-militants to end disruption of oil facilities.

The NUPENG president said: “We frowned at the frequent vandalization of pipelines in the country, by so-called militants, which has depleted our supply of crude oil for exports. We therefore call on the Federal Government, to increase security surveillance, to stem the tide and establish a Pipeline Protection Agency, to be fully committed to reduce the scourge.

“In the interim, we suggested that, the former private security outfits hired by the last administration be reinstated, so that there will be no further disruption of oil facilities, which enable us meet the 2.8 million barrels production per day then.”

On the planned increase in pump price, Achese warned that NUPENG and entire labour force in Nigeria will rise to resist it with all its power.

He said; “N145 is the price, so there is no price increase for now, we have said clearly that any price increment would be resisted by us. It is a rumour for now, and that is why we are working very hard to partner with IPMAN and other necessary stakeholders in depot communities, to see that scarcity of petroleum is abated, and the as the issue of price increment is also abated.”

Achese warned of a possible strike next week, if government failed to call to order the multinational companies, who have engaged in anti-labour and union activities.

“Let me use this opportunity to call on the Federal Government, to intervene in the unresolved labour issues with the following companies, so that we do not witness a nationwide industrial action by next week when our 21-day ultimatum expires,” he said.

He condemned the anti-union posture of the international oil companies, as the constitution stipulates freedom of association and the International Labour Organisation (ILO), Convention 87 and 98 of which Nigeria is a signatory.

He said the anti-union postures of the multinationals are brewing tension in the oil and gas industry.

Achese said; “We are opposed to the sale of the nation’s assets, especially the refineries. We believe that the proposed sale in unnecessary, and not in our national interest, as they will be sold to their cronies as scraps. The union will resist any attempt to sell these national assets and advise that government should look at other areas to revamp the economy.

“The states of our roads are still nothing to write home about, as they are all dilapidated. We condemn the slow pace of work by the contractors recently mobilized to site.”

Lagos pays N1. 5billion pension to retirees

The Lagos State Government, through Lagos State Pension Commission (LASPEC), has paid N1. 5billion to 333 retirees from the Mainstream Civil Service, Local Governments, State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB), Teachers Establishment and Pensions Office (TEPO) and other agencies of Government for the Month of October, 2016.

The Director-General, Lagos State Pension Commission, Mrs. Folashade Onanuga said that since monthly payment of accrued pension rights started in August 2015, this administration has been able to pay the cumulative sum ofN20.98b to a total number of 4,799 retirees under the Contributory Pension Scheme in the last fifteen months.


Speaking at the 32nd Retirement Benefit Bond Presentation Ceremony recently, Onanuga stated that the payment of accrued pension rights is structured in such a way that, one does not need to know anyone before he or she got paid.

She said that apart from the commitment to paying the entitlements of the retirees, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode is also interested in the well-being of the retirees and as such will be holding an interactive forum with them soon.

This forum, tagged “Retirees Day-Out with His Excellency”, is designed as a “feedback mechanism” that allows retirees to inform the Government of their challenges and how the State could intervene effectively among others.