Politics
Dismantle Criminality, Build Up Skills, Obi Tells FG
The Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 general elections, Mr Peter Obi, has said that the country must end criminality in order to build up skills and entrepreneurship as a strategy to address the current economic challenges.
He said this, Monday, in Lagos, at the 21st yearly lecture and international leadership symposium by the Centre for Values and Leadership (CVL), founded by Prof. Pat Utomi.
Noting that corruption and criminality kill hard work, he said there must be a deliberate fiscal policy by the government to grow talents, skills and entrepreneurship.
According to him, any country where people in government are richer than businessmen or manufacturers will not survive.
“Nigeria, I believe, is a great country but first, we must dismantle the criminality in government and then we can reverse it. Corruption kills entrepreneurship, professionalism and nobody thinks well in a corrupt country,” he said.
CVL founder, Prof Utomi, said Nigeria must stimulate entrepreneurship for global enterprise.
“How do we look at our endowment and take specific measures that we want to become global leaders in those value chains and use limited industrial policy to stimulate the sector and facilitate young people to becoming producers in that sector?”, he queried.
The House of Representatives Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility (SCR) has resolved to sanction MTN, Airtel, and other companies for failing to perform their Corporate Social Responsibilities.
The committee said that it would enact laws to sanction any offenders in that regard.
Rep. Oby Orogbu, the Chairman of the Committee on Corporate Social Responsibility, said this during a public hearing in Abuja, yesterday, on “a Bill to regulate corporate social responsibility in Nigeria.
She, however, gave MTN and Airtel the last warning to honour the committee’s invitation or face the arrest warrant.
According to Orogbu, some companies operating in the country have overtime violated the law, hence the need for punishment to be imposed on them.
She also frowned at the conduct of the National Communications Commission, MTN and Airtel, adding that they had several times ignored the invitation of the Committee.
She said that the committee had no choice but to invoke its powers by issuing a warrant of arrest.
“Section 89, 8 of the Constitution mandates individual companies as invited to make themselves available to parliament, but they break the law.
“I want to tell MTN and Airtel that they take so much from our nation and they feel too big to appear before the parliament; we will not tolerate that.
“We gave them the powers to operate in Nigeria, so to refuse to honor the invitation of the parliament is a no-no; we take exception to it.
“I have taken all friendly measures to make them understand the need to appear before the parliament, but they have refused.”
“If you feel you are responsible, then you should appear before the parliament. We want you to be responsible and accountable,” she said.
She said that in spite of operating from across the country, they had disrespected the same nation by not honoring the House invitation.
Mr. Wondi Ndanusa, who spoke on behalf of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, said that the CBN is in support of the bill.
He expressed concern about the proposed penalty of imprisonment for defaulting companies, stating that the penalty should rather be persuasive.
He also said that many companies were faced with a lot of financial burdens and responsibilities, adding that the proposed SCR should be domiciled with the Corporate Affairs Commission.
Mr Bala Wuoir, the representative of the Oil Producers Trade Section, expressed concern that the PIA already mandates oil companies operating in Nigeria to make a financial contribution of three per cent of their profits to NDDC.
He said that mandating them do so again would be burdensome, adding that oil companies should be exempted from the bill.
The emergence of Governors Abiodun and Soludo, was part of the decision reached at the end of the meeting of the Southern Governors Forum, held at the Presidential Lodge, GRA Ibara, Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwoolu, announced the emergence of Abiodun and Soludo.
Sixteen out of the 17 governors that constituted the Southern Governors Forum attended the meeting with only Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, absent at the meeting.
While some governors, were physically present at the meeting, some were represented by their deputies.
The governors that attended the meeting include Babajide Sanwoolu (Lagos), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Alex Otti (Abia), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Ademola Adeleke (Osun), Bassey Otu (Cross River).
Other governors in attendance, were Charles Soludo (Anambra), Francis Nwifuru (Ebonyi),
Peter Mbah (Enugu), Douye Diri (Bayelsa) and Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom).
Also on ground to represent their governors were Deputy Governors Chinyere Ekomaru (Imo), Monday Onyeme (Delta) and Olayide Adelami (Ondo).
Governor Hyacinth Alia of Benue says his administration inherited more than N359 billion in salary arrears over several years from his predecessor.
Mr Alia alleged that previous administrations in the state lied to the people that the federal government denied them funds to pay salaries.
The governor promised that his administration would continue prioritising the payment of workers’ salaries.
“Henceforth, civil servants in the state will be paid from 22nd of every month,“ he said.
He thanked the people for their confidence in him to lead the state and promised to revive the Igumale Cement Factory and construct access roads in the area.
“Okpoga is in darkness; I will light it up with 5,000 kw of electricity. I have come to reduce your pain and suffering,“ he said.
He urged them to continue to support his administration and be patient with President Bola Tinubu, as he has good policies for Nigerians.
Earlier, Daniel Onjeh, a former senatorial candidate under the All Progressives Congress ( APC), urged the governor to match words with action by fulfilling his campaign promises.
Mr Onjeh said the opposition parties were mocking the people that the governor had abandoned them in terms of infrastructure and appointments.
‘The opposition is asking what you have done for Benue South. We want to see things manifest. Do not be distracted by the blackmail of the opposition,” he said.
Benjamin Omakolon, the acting chairman of the APC, while receiving 500 persons who defected from the opposition parties to the APC at the event, promised them equal treatment.
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