SARAKI REMARKS ON THE VISIT OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF SOUTH AFRICA, MR. JACOB ZUMA (FULL TEXT)

1. On behalf of my colleagues, Distinguished Senators and Honourable members, I warmly welcome you to Nigeria and to the National Assembly in particular.

2. Your Excellency, your visit today is symbolic. This will be the first time in the life of this 8th National Assembly that we will be honouring a visiting President with addressing a joint session of the National Assembly. It is therefore, befitting that this honour goes to you Mr. President and by extension the people of South Africa. This is a rare gesture, last invested on the former President of the United States of America, President Bill Clinton in August 2000. It is another demonstration of our friendship, solidarity and deep affection for the people of South Africa.

3. Your visit today, speaks volumes on how much your government and the great people of South Africa value and cherish the fledging bilateral relationship Nigeria has with South Africa. It is testament to our collective aspiration and recognition that we must come together, act together and grow together to forge a new African reawakening, built on our people, democracy and the rule of law.

4. The legislature is vital to our cherished democracy and freedom. South Africa’s experience and ours demonstrates the need for us to further entrench our people’s liberties and freedoms and guide jealously our democracy.

5. Your visit to this hallowed ground bears eloquent testimony of the critical importance you attach rightly to the role of the legislature as a place for deliberation, where we can through engagement settle differences, find agreements that enhances our mutual interest, development and democracy.

6. We must therefore as African leaders today forge a new path to greater African integration through the easing of trade restrictions, travel restrictions and better policy action towards inter African investment and support.

7. As representatives of our people, we cannot fail to use this opportunity to enable you feel their pulse. Though our two nations are doing well in the area of trade and investment our people have found entry into the South African market, bottlenecked. This is not the case for South African businesses in Nigeria. Nigerians therefore yearn for greater reciprocity in this area. This is also the case with travels and visa restrictions. Another area we cannot fail to emphasize is the need to activate our MOUs that have been duly signed but are inactive. It is our belief that this would be in the mutual interest for greater integration, opportunity and engagement.

8. We must find ways of enabling, positively, inter African investment through policy interventions. This is a critical policy role the legislature can help us actualize. It starts with ensuring fairness and ease of doing business. This National Assembly is already at work to reduce the cost of doing business in Nigeria generally.

9. Mr. President, I will not end my remark without acknowledging the vital role the South African Government has played so far in terms of our engagements in the area of security and the fight against insurgency. The Nigerian people are grateful and ask you to keep up the good work. For us, the fight against terrorism remains a global one. Terrorism anywhere must continue to be seen as terrorism everywhere.

10. Your Excellency, our two countries have come a long way and this visit will help cement that. We are very delighted to have you in our midst. Please, enjoy the warm hospitality of our people wherever you may go from here.

Buhari wants Nigerian media, youths to generate sound economic ideas

President Muhammadu Buhari has enjoined the Nigerian media and the youth to help improve the Nigerian economy by partaking in national discourse aimed at formulating sound economic ideas.

The president made the call on Monday in Abuja at the public presentation of a book titled; "The Famous Call’’, written by a Senior Editor with the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Edwin Akwueh, on Monday in Abuja.

A reports shown that the book focused on the new direction of Nigeria after the March 28, 2015 presidential elections.

Represented by Sen. Ita Enang, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on the Senate, Buhari said that the Nigerian media and youths had immense contributions to make towards bringing the nation’s economy out of the woods.

"Let me appreciate and charge the media and the youths to join the discourse of addressing the Nigerian economy from currency evaluation, shift of emphasis from petro-dollar economy to an economy that is defined and sustained by agricultural products, exports of agricultural products, when we have produced enough for domestic consumption and the products of other goods of Nigeria and Nigerians.

"We charged authors to write to encourage value addition to our crude oil, to increase our local refining capacity, refining what we consume and refining in excess to export to earn dollar and save our foreign exchange from import of petroleum products.

"We should write and create confidence in all our domestic markets and local products and in our educational institutions.

"We should also write and encourage what Nigerian youths and other unemployed should do to have gainful employment and earn a living.’’

The president also said that he was pleased with the author of the book and treasured every Nigerian who stood out in their various callings.

In his remarks, Edwin Akwueh, the author of the book, said that what gave him the inspiration to write the book was the former President Goodluck Jonathan’s acceptance of defeat. following the outcome of the 2015 presidential election.

According to him, the acceptance of the election results by an incumbent president, as demonstrated by the phone conversation between Jonathan and Buhari, was a milestone in Nigerian democracy.

"Just like the name implies 'the famous call', it is famous because the book itself focused mainly on the telephone conversation between the former President of Nigeria, Dr Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, and the current President Muhammudu Buhari on March 31 2015.

"The inspiration came at the international conference centre when the results were being collated.

"We had gist that President Jonathan had called Buhari at around 5:15 p.m. to concede defeat.

"It dropped in my heart that it should not end like this, there should be something to remember. So what do I do?

"Beyond the news writing of what transpired, there should be a comprehensive work on what happened all through the 2015 election experience.

"The famous call is a call to end impunity, to end corruption and to end every anti-democratic element in Nigeria and Africa.

"At the moment, it is a book but it is an advocacy beyond a book because there is a website being launched this week www.famouscall.com.ng

"Our mission is to galvanise African youths, emerging leaders to see that we end all these issues that are against democracy and promote tenets of democracy and the hallmarks of democracy that the famous call promoted on March 31. ‘’

Akwueh said that other African countries should take a cue from Nigeria on how true democracy should be practised.

"Africans should understand that in any game you play, any venture you enter, it is either you win or lose.

"So, we should exercise patience and be tolerant and not get into acts that will jeopardise ourselves and others because of our selfish ambition.’’

Reviewing the book, the book reviewer, Dr Uche Nwankwo, said that the book was a call for courage, vision, political maturity, statesmanship and morality, adding that politics must be played with statesmanship to end impunity.

Nwankwo, a lecturer in the Political Science Department, University of Ibadan, commended former President Goodluck Jonathan for exhibiting high level of maturity which helped to save the country from anarchy.

"The famous call is an appeal to our leaders to make sacrifices that will save lives, enhance our democracy, and make our people the champions of democracy that will harvest the dividends of democracy,‘’ he stressed. 

(NAN)

Efforts to modernise Nigeria’s rail transport system on course -Transport Minister

The Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, reiterates Federal Government’s efforts and commitment at transforming the country’s rail transport system.

He made the declaration at the inspection of newly-acquired executive coaches for the Abuja-Kaduna standard gauge line at the Apapa Ports Terminal in Lagos.

Amaechi, represented by Mr Mohammed Babakobi, Director, Rails, Federal Ministry of Transportation, said government remained resolute in improving the rail transport system in the country.

He said that the new coaches are made with particular focus of the comfort of passengers; “they are very safe and have a designed speed of about 150km/h.” he added.

He said they will soon be moved to Abuja and installed on the rail tracks, where they are supposed to be servicing.
He also assured Nigerians of the Federal Government’s sustained efforts at acquiring more standard gauge coaches to meet demand.

Mr Fidet Okhiria, the Acting Managing Director of the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC), who said that the coaches were designed to run at 150km/h, added that the corporation was on track to upgrade its operations.

He said one is for executive, three standard coaches and one baggage van that will carry loads belonging to passengers.
He added that all coaches are air-conditioned, fitted with vacuum toilets, CCTV cameras and TVs. “The legroom is quite accommodating and it is going to be comfortable to ride in them.” he said.

The Ag.MD said that the NRC had commenced the upgrade of its website, to ensure that passengers could purchase tickets online.

On maintenance, Okhiria noted that the coaches were accompanied with spares, saying “the manufacturer is going to be here in Nigeria for at least one year, to maintain them.
“By that time, our technicians and engineers will grab the nitty-gritty of the maintenance of the coaches.” He said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the maiden operation of the standard gauge coaches is expected to commence in May between Abuja and Kaduna.

The corporation’s narrow gauge coaches currently operate weekly from Lagos to Kano, Offa to Kano, Lagos to Ilorin, Port Harcourt to Kano, as well as the Lagos Mass Transit shuttle.

A cleaner donates her retirement benefit to support President Buhari's war against corruption

A pensioner, Mrs Rose Julius, on Monday, donated her monthly pension of N10,000 to support the Buhari administration's war against corruption.

Julius announced the donation while presenting the N10,000 to Mr Femi Adesina, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President in Abuja.

The retired cleaner, who worked with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, also promised a monthly contribution of N1,000 toward the rehabilitation of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the country.

She said that the donation was because she was convinced that President Muhammadu Buhari was a tested man of integrity who could be trusted to restore the lost glory of Nigeria and drastically curb corruption in the country.

The pensioner also commended the President's efforts to end the Boko Haram insurgency and rehabilitate IDPs.

Receiving the donation on behalf of the President, Adesina thanked Julius for her faith in the Buhari administration.

He said "we have a pact with Nigerians to change things for the better and we are on the right track.

"President Buhari and his team are working tirelessly to revamp the economy, combat terrorism and curb corruption.'' 

(NAN)

The Seme Command of Nigeria Customs Service set a record of 1.07bn revenue

The Seme Command of Nigeria Customs Service on Monday said it generated N 1.07 billion revenue in February.

Controller for the command, Victor Dimka, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Seme.

Dimka said that the revenue for the period was N 172.6 million higher than N 899.8 million generated in the corresponding period in 2015.

"When I came to this command in January, one of the promises I made was that I would collect maximum revenue and suppress smuggling to its barest minimum.

"I am glad we have started achieving that; the command generated N 1,072,484,462.82 as revenue in the month of February.

"This is the first of its kind in the month of February since the creation of the command.

"We were able to achieve this in spite of the prevailing high exchange rate, the strike by the Nigerian Ports Authority and the Customs in the Republic of Benin and protest on implementation of unifying ex-factory price,’’ he said.

Dimka added that the command made 55 seizures with a Duty Paid Value (DVP) of N15.6 million and arrested six suspects during the period.

He attributed the achievement of the command to the commitment of the management team, stakeholders and the members of the community.

"It is easy to attain success, but not easy to maintain success, therefore all hands must be on deck to maintain and exceed the current record,’’ he said.

Dimka urged Nigerians to desist from smuggling and embrace legitimate trade, saying that there was no room for smuggling in the area.

"We are determined to eliminate all loopholes and block all revenue leakages which would translate to more revenue generation for us,’’ he stated.