HOW OKOROCHA LOCKED STADIUM AGAINST APC, DIVERTED MONEY MEANT FOR WORKERS -OSHIOMHOLE

The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has told the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, that President Muhammadu Buhari has adopted the governorship candidate of the state, Senator Hope Uzodinma.

Oshiomhole also accused Okorocha of frustrating the APC candidate, an action he described as anti-party.

The former Edo stated governor said that by denying Uzodinma use of the state’s stadium, the governor has shown he is working against the party.

The former labour leader, who spoke during the flag off of the APC campaign in Owerri, on Friday, also accused the governor of neglecting the people of the state with his style of governance.

He said, “Let me appreciate the members of the National Working Committee for coming to join the governorship candidate of our party, we approach with one simple message.

“It is a message of Hope, not a message of lamentation. I want you to listen because for me campaign is not about entertainment.

“Today, we have come to deliver the message of Hope although things have gone wrong in the past.

“We have come to return the government of Imo state to the great people of Imo state.

“We have come to tell you that we have respect for you people. The next governor in the person of Senator Hope Uzodimma will restore all that have been destroyed.

“Please Imo people cool temper. Today is a day to pass a message of Hope. Today we desire to talk to the young people especially to my fellow colleagues the civil servants.

“The days are gone for a governor who will look at people and say there is money to do other things and not to pay civil servants.

“I want to tell you that those governors that were given money including the governor of Imo state that did not use it for that purpose will be retrieved.

“Buhari has adopted Hope Uzodimma as the governor of Imo state. I want you to go and tell people what I said.

“Nigeria needs to produce political leaders that have political concentration.

“How will you believe that an APC governor will lock the stadium against an APC governorship candidate?

“It is the tax payers’ money that is used to build that stadium and not his personal money.”

FACT CHECK: VERIFICATION OF PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI’S CLAIMS IN 2019 BUDGET SPEECH

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Wednesday, December 19, presented the 2019 budget to a joint session of the National Assembly.

In his speech, he made a number of claims and quoted statistics, while reviewing economic developments over the past three and a half years.

Most of the figures claimed are being examined by PREMIUM TIMES and DUBAWA, to verify the level of correctness. It must, however, be noted that many of assertions made on expenditure are difficult to verify as there are no documents in the public space to verify.

This is the reason we have had to tag some of the claims as “unproven” due to lack of data.

We will, however, keep researching to update this work in the coming days.

The president made the following claims in his presentation:

First claim: The economy has recovered from recession and we have had six quarters of growth since then. Real Gross Domestic Product growth stood at 1.81 per cent in the third quarter of 2018, compared to 1.17 per cent in the third quarter of 2017.

We have had a sustained accretion to foreign exchange reserves from a low of $28.57 billion in May 2015 to $42.92 billion by mid-December 2018.

This has contributed to exchange rate stability and will provide a buffer against any unanticipated external shocks. Inflation has also declined from a peak of 18.72 per cent in January 2017 to 11.28 per cent in November this year.

Verification: When did Nigeria exit recession?

Nigeria’s official repository of data, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), had in September 2017, announced to the world that the country’s economy had officially exited recession.

The NBS’ National Gross Domestic Product’s (GDP) report for the second quarter of 2017, released in September 2017, showed the GDP grew by 0.55 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms, an indication the country’s economy was gradually pulling out of recession after five consecutive quarters of contraction since the first quarter of 2016.

The official announcement of the economic comeback only came about two years after Nigeria was declared to be in recession. Quoting the statistics bureau, “the second quarter 2016 Gross Domestic Product (GDP) declined by -2.06 per cent.

Annual inflation rose to 17.1 per cent in July from 16.5 per cent in June, and food inflation rose to 15.8 per cent from 15.3.

Fact on GDP

The nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 1.81 per cent (year-on-year), in real terms, in the third quarter of 2018. Compared to the third quarter of 2017 which recorded a growth of 1.17 per cent, there is an increase of 0.64 per cent points.

The second quarter of 2018 had a growth rate of 1.50 per cent showing a rise of 0.31 per cent points. Quarter on quarter, real GDP growth was 9.05 per cent.

In 3rd quarter 2018, aggregate GDP stood at N33,368,049.14 million, in nominal terms. This performance is higher when compared to the third quarter of 2017, which recorded a GDP aggregate of N29, 377,674.03 million thus, presenting a positive year on year nominal growth rate of 13.58 per cent.

Fact on foreign reserve

According to the Central Bank Of Nigeria, Nigeria’s foreign reserves hit $36.3 billion in October 2014, fell to $32.4 billion in January 2015, and stood at $28.6 billion by May 2015 and as at December 14, 2018 (the president said mid-December) Nigeria’s reserves stood at $42,918,575,967.

VERDICT: As documented by the National Bureau of Statistics, the president’s claim that the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 1.81 per cent (year-on-year) in real terms in the third quarter of 2018 compared to the third quarter of 2017 which recorded a growth of 1.17 per cent is TRUE.

Also, his claim on foreign reserves in 2015 and 2018 is TRUE, according to the Central Bank Of Nigeria.

Second Claim: In the area of trade, Nigeria has moved from a deficit to surplus in its trade balance.

As at the third quarter of 2018, the trade balance was a surplus of N681.27 billion, representing a significant improvement from the deficit of N290.1 billion in 2016. This reflects the rebound in crude oil exports, increased non-oil exports and a reduction in the importation of food and items that can be produced locally.

Foreign capital inflows, including direct and portfolio investments, also responded to improved economic management. Capital importation to Nigeria in the third quarter of 2018, stood at $2.86 billion, which is a 56.7 per cent increase, compared to the corresponding period in 2016.

Verification

According to Nigeria Bureau of Statistics’ foreign trade report for Q3 2018, Nigeria’s trade balance nosedived by 67.6 per cent, quarter-on-quarter, to N681.3 billion in the third quarter of the year (Q3’18). The report revealed that foreign trade rose by 30 per cent with total imports rising by 73.8 per cent while exports rose by 7.8 per cent during the quarter.

The report stated, “Nigeria’s external trade totalled N9.025 trillion during the third quarter of 2018. Compared to the value of N6.903 trillion recorded against the second quarter; a rise of N 2.12 trillion or 30.7 per cent was indicated.

“The total export component of this trade was recorded N4.9 trillion, representing increase of 7.8 percent over Q2’18 and 35.7 percent over Q3’17. The import component stood at N4.2 trillion in Q3’18 showing 73.8 percent higher than Q2’18.

“The total value of capital importation into Nigeria stood at $2,855.21 million in the third quarter of 2018. This was a decrease of 48.21% compared to Q2 2018 and a 31.12% decrease compared to the third quarter of 2017.

“The largest amount of capital importation by type was received through Portfolio investment, which accounted for 60.5% ($1,723.05m) of total capital importation, followed by Other Investment, which accounted for 21.07% ($601.53m) of total capital, and then Foreign Direct Investment FDI, which accounted for 18.58% ($530.63m) of total capital imported in the third quarter.”

Also, the total value of capital imported into Nigeria in the third quarter of 2016 was estimated to be $1,822.12 million, which represents an increase of 74.84% relative to the second quarter, and a fall of 33.70% relative to the third quarter of 2015.

VERDICT: The president’s claim is TRUE according to the nation’s official data repository.

Third Claim: In agriculture, we are seeing increased investment across the entire value chain from agricultural inputs to farming and ultimately, food processing. Barely three years ago, Nigeria was spending $5 million dollars a day, on rice importation.

Today rice imports have virtually stopped. Indeed, we are on course to achieve food security in major staple foods in the not too distant future.

Verification

There is no documented evidence to back up the president’s claim on rice importation and food security.

According to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Nigeria consumes more rice than any African country and is one of the biggest producers and importers of the grain on the continent.

Even though the Nigerian government, through the Central Bank of Nigeria, imposed import restrictions on rice and introduced a borrowing programme to stimulate local rice production while reducing the country’s food import bills in 2015, available data from Index Mundi and the United States Department of Agriculture states that rice imports increased from 2.1 million tonnes in 2015 to an estimated 2.5 million tonnes of rice in 2016, 2.6 million tonnes in 2017 and 3.0 million tonnes in 2018.

Also, according to the International Grain Council, rice imports in 2016 was estimated to be 2.1 million tonnes and 2.7million tonnes in 2017. It is estimated that Nigeria’s rice import will be 2.8 million tonnes in 2018.

Verdict: The president’s claim remains UNPROVEN.

Fourth Claim: Infrastructure development is also another area in which we have made a lot of progress.

For example, in the ministry of water resources, we identified 116 abandoned or uncompleted projects relating to irrigation, dams, drainage and water supply.

To date, we have completed and/or commissioned a number of these projects including; Central Ogbia Regional Water Project, Bayelsa State, Northern Ishan Regional Water Supply Project, Edo State, Sabke Water Supply Project, Katsina State,Takum Water Supply Project, Taraba State,Ogwashi – Uku Dam, Delta State, Shagari Irrigation Project, Sokoto State, Galma Dam, Kaduna State, Mangu Water Supply Project, Plateau State and Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi Water Supply Project, Benue State.

Verification: This claim has been made several times, by the government, even though there is no publicly available documentation to support the claim.

In lieu of this, we will continue to research and will also send Freedom of Information letters to the ministries of finance and water resources, to demand the actual status of these projects and contract terms.

Verdict - Until we are able to get the official figures of money spent from the ministry of finance and status of project from the ministry of water resources, this claim remains UNPROVEN.

Fifth Claim: In the railway sector, we completed and commissioned the Abuja-Kaduna Rail Line and the Abuja Metro-Rail Project.

Similarly, the previously abandoned Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Rail Line is undergoing test runs and will soon be commissioned.

We are also on track for the Lagos – Kano rail line as significant progress has been made on the Lagos to Ibadan segment of the project. We remain committed to rebuilding and expanding our road network.

In 2018, an additional 1,531 kilometres of roads have been constructed and 1,008 kilometres rehabilitated across the country.

Verification: Apart from some news report where the government had been making claims, there is no official data repository to substantiate these claims, we will, however, request full details of road and rail projects from the Ministries of Transportation and Ministry of Works, we hope to update this report as soon as we get details.

Sixth Claim: As a Government, we took a long-term view on tackling the effects of climate change which must be contained and ultimately reversed. We have stepped up our afforestation efforts. In the past two years, we have planted over 2.3 million seedlings in 21 States.

We also successfully launched the Green Bond which will focus on developing environmentally friendly projects and other green programs across the country. Nigeria is also actively participating in international efforts to tackle climate change.

Verification- There is no publicly available documentation to support the claim. Until there is any, this remains UNPROVEN.

Seventh Claim: Working with key stakeholders including the National Assembly, State Governments and the private sector, we intensified our drive to remove obstacles, reduce processes and lower costs of doing business.

The fact that over the past three years, Nigeria has gained 24 places in the World Bank Ease of Doing Business rankings is a clear indication that we are moving in the right direction.

Verification: According to the World Bank Ease of Doing Business report, Nigeria went down from 120 to 170 between 2008 and 2015. In 2017, Nigeria moved 24 places from its 2016 spot of 169 to 145. According to World Bank Ease of Doing Business report released in October 2018, out of a total of 190 countries ranked by the World Bank, Nigeria was ranked 146th in 2018, dropping by a spot from its 145th position in 2017.

Verdict- So, the statement by the president that Nigeria has risen by 24 places under his administration is TRUE.

Eighth claim: Through the N-Power scheme, 500,000 graduates have been employed to date. The National Home-Grown School Feeding program is feeding 9,300,892 pupils in 49, 837 schools in 24 states across Nigeria, and empowering 96,972 cooks; The Government Enterprise and Empowerment Program has seen to the disbursement of 1,378,804 loans to small businesses and farmers in all states including the FCT.

These are interest free loans that will be paid back; 297,973 households in 26 states across the country are benefitting from the Conditional Cash Transfer program.

Verification- The government’s National Social Investment Programme remains a major programme where different government officials have been making claims on its impacts. However, these claims are difficult to verify as there is no credible database that houses the activities of this programme.

In a freedom of Information reply to PTCIJ by the National Social Investment Office, the office refused to provide details on the actual number of beneficiaries of these programmes with an explanation that the FOI Act prohibits the sharing of personal information of the specified individuals who are currently receiving financial and social grants from public institutions without their consent.

The office also said the National Cash transfer programme is well known to the Community Trained Facilitators of the scheme who are said to be visiting the conditional cash transfer beneficiaries every week to support them with financial skills, (savings) group, basic numeration etc.

Verdict– Based on this reply, we can ascertain that there is no public data to support the figures the president quoted on beneficiaries of the social programme, so it remains UNPROVEN.

Verification- Regarding the president’s claim on the Npower programme, the information available on the website of the scheme states that 200,000 Nigerians have been enrolled so far in the scheme while news report have it that another 300,000 youths have been engaged so far, on the programme.

Verdict-The claim is TRUE.

Ninth Claim:[/b] Of the total appropriation of N9.12 trillion 2018 budget, N4.59 trillion had been spent by September 30, 2018 against the prorated expenditure target of N6.84 trillion. This represents 67 per cent performance.

Debt service and the implementation of non-debt recurrent expenditure, notably payment of workers’ salaries and pensions are on track. Despite the delay in the passage of the 2018 Budget on 20th June 2018, the sum of N820.57 billion had been released for capital projects as at 14th December, 2018.

Verification: The latest budget implementation report by the Budget Office of the Federation has no capture of the 2018 budget performance, so far. This will make it difficult to verify the president’s claim. We will expand our scope of research and update this report once new information arises.

Verdict: Until more information emerges on this, the president’s claim remains unproven.

Source: 

https://www.premiumtimesng.com/news/headlines/302096-fact-check-verifying-president-muhammadu-buharis-claims-in-2019-budget-speech.html

INEC DEMANDS IMMEDIATE RESOLUTION OF ASUU STRIKE

.....Warns it may mar 2019 election

“We call on ASUU and the Federal Government to quickly and gently resolve the lingering impasse that has led to the uncertainty in the education sectors.”

Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has raised the alarm over the lingering industrial action embarked on by lecturers in tertiary institutions, particularly members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

According to the electoral umpire, if not speedily resolved, the strike is capable of truncating the 2019 general elections, especially the presidential polls scheduled for February 16.

National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, who gave the warning at a one-day seminar on ‘Media and gender sensitive reporting in elections’ in Abuja, yesterday, pointed out that it was impossible for members of the National Youth Service Corp (NYSC) to provide all the ad hoc staff needs and requirements of the Commission.

“As you are all aware, Nigeria is 56 days away from the presidential and National Assembly elections. INEC is the constitutional, statutory and administrative driver of this particular process. But the commission is not the only player or stakeholder in the electoral process.”

While making appeal for the resolution of the strike, the INEC’s National Commissioner said: “For the 2019 general elections, INEC will recruit and deploy over one million ad hoc staff made up of lecturers from federal high institutions, members National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), and students of tertiary institutions.

“These categories of ad hoc staff will serve as returning officers, collating officers, supervising presiding officers and assistant presiding officers. The bulk of the assistant presiding officers will be drawn from the students of tertiary institutions in Nigeria.

“INEC is presently organising real training for Corps members that will be deployed as presiding officers. We want to resume training for students in various tertiary institutions in Nigeria and it is imperative that these category of students are in school at this point in time. It is next to impossibility for Corps members to provide all the ad hoc staff needs and requirements for the commission.

He said it was important that students of tertiary institutions were in school, at least a month before the February 16, 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections.

“They are a critical resource and their absence will have adverse effects on the ad hoc staff requirements of INEC,” he said.

“We, therefore, call on ASUU and the Federal Government to quickly and gently resolve the lingering impasse that has led to the uncertainty in the education sectors. The national interest, the interest of our democracy and the reputation of Nigeria demand the immediate resolution of the issues that led to the strike and we so urge.”

On the aim of the seminar, Okoye said: “For the media to cover, disseminate and report election activities in an objective and professional manner to deepen our democracy, it is imperative for the INEC to constantly interact, explain upfront in providing information to the public, to avoid speculation, and rumour mongering, especially at this critical election year. INEC is wrapped around inclusivity and believes in the doctrine of not leaving any segment of the Nigeria society behind,” he said.

Programme, the INEC Director, Gender Division, Mrs. Blessing Obidegwu, gave further details on the objectives of the media workshop.

“Today’s seminar is designed to sensitise the media on the need to take conscious steps in mainstreaming gender in their reportage of the electoral activities for the 2019 general elections and beyond.

“In the past, male politicians tended to receive more media coverage at the detriment of their female counterparts who sometimes get displaced for lack of adequate exposure.

“In general, election-related media reporting is naturally gender blind and insensitive to the challenges women face in the pursuit of their political ambition.”

The workshop organised by INEC, in collaboration with the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, had participants drawn from various media organisations from the north.

MINIMUM WAGE: LABOUR REJECTS PMB’s COMMITTEE, To RESUME STRIKE JAN 1

Organised labour yesterday rejected the call by President Muhammadu Buhari to set up another high-powered technical committee on the new national minimum wage.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its emergency meeting held in Lagos, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Trade Union Congress (TUC) and United Labour Congress (ULC) urged the president to transmit the new National Minimum Wage Bill to the National Assembly on or before December 31, 2018.

In the communiqué signed by NLC president, Ayuba Wabba; TUC president, Kaigama Bobboi and ULC president, Joe Ajaero, the organised labour warned that should the government fail to do so, workers will be forced to resume their suspended industrial action.

Labour described the setting up of another committee on the minimum wage as diversionary and a delay tactics.

It expressed surprise that almost two months after the submission of the National Minimum Wage tripartite committee’s report which included a Draft Bill, no Bill has been submitted to the National Assembly for passage into Law.

According to the communiqué, federal government’s decision to set up a high-powered Technical Committee is alien to the tripartite process and ILO conventions on National Minimum Wage setting mechanism.

Labour argued that the National Minimum Wage committee was both technical and all-encompassing in its compositions and, therefore, no further committee was required.

The communiqué noted: “That we reject in its entirety the plan by the federal government to set up another high-powered Technical Committee on the new national minimum wage. It is diversionary and a delay tactics.

“Nigerian workers are urged to be vigilant and prepared to campaign and vote against candidates and political parties who are not supportive of the implementation of the New National Minimum Wage.

“Finally, Organised Labour will not guarantee industrial Peace and harmony if after the 31st of December 2018 the Draft Bill is not transmitted to the National Assembly. This serves as a statutory notice for Organised Labour to recall our suspended nation-wide industrial action.”

RENO OMOKRI PUBLICLY CAUGHT POSTING FAKE NEWS (PHOTOS)

The former aide to Ex- President Goodluck Jonathan, Reno Omokri, publicly disgrace himself as he was caught posting news of "800 companies that shut down" it is reported that the news was actually published by Premium Times in 2012 during his boss, Jonathan regime.

A Nigerian blogger who caught him wrote: 

Reno Omokri in his usual style of posting fake news tweeted earlier today in a bid to paint Buhari in bad light. Unknown to him, the report he referenced in his post is dated 2012, when his hero was the one in charge of the country. Dude has since deleted the tweet, but it’s here

What he previously wrote:

The Manufacturers Association of Nigeria reveals that 800 firms folded up in 3 years due to President @MBuhari’s failed government, yet the President, with all his ‘integrity’, went to NASS yesterday to boast of ‘economic recovery’ #Buhari2019BudgetLies

Source: https://www.mediahelm.com.ng/2018/12/reno-omokri-publicly-caught-posting.html

2019 BUDGET, AN HOPELESS DOCUMENT – SARAKI

The Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, Thursday tasked Nigerians not to expect much from the 2019 Appropriation Bill, describing the budget proposal as hopeless.

Saraki, who spoke in his capacity as the Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council, PPCO, also declared that Nigerians were safer in 2015 than they are today.

He stated this at an interactive session between the PDP presidential candidate, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Abuja.

2019 Budget Presented by President Muhammadu Buhari at the at a joint session of the National Assembly in Abuja
PDP Vice Presidential candidate, Peter Obi, at the event lamented that 60 percent of the 2019 budget is dedicated to debt servicing of the APC government which he noted has surpassed what was accrued in the 16 years of the PDP government.

Saraki in his opening remark, argued that the budget proposal presented by Buhari on Wednesday has no future because the statistics does not indicate the financial model by which it will be funded.

He said, “Yesterday (Wednesday), we all heard the 2019 budget. That is a budget that has no hope for anybody because if you look at the statistics and the figures there’s poverty, if you look at the figures based on revenues that are coming in, there is nothing left. So where’s the future?

“There must be an alternative and that is what we hope that by this evening speaking to our candidate and vice presidential candidate, not based on sentiments. We are not voting on sentiments, we are voting on what is the need for you.

“How is your life going to be better? Which party offers you a better future because we see you as those who are patriotic and committed . It’s not about what you’ll get today. It’s about the great country a lot of you expect to see.

The Senate President who noted that the President will fail to attend the January 19, 2019 Presidential debate stressed that any President that wants to lead the country and the African continent should be able to sell his blueprint to the people.

He said, “This is an interactive session. I’m not sure whether the other political parties will give you an opportunity like this to ask them any question. I’m told that one has debated and you already know the answer to that debate. On the second one, I’m very sure he’s not going to debate. So how do you assess somebody who is not ready to tell you what he’s going to do.

“Those days are gone, my good people. A country that leads the continent that is not ready to show example is not what we want for this continent. The whole world is going in a direction, if you’re seeking a position, you must come and tell people what you want to do. You must sit down and they will ask you questions and that is why we’re here.

“Today is your day, we will sit down and take questions. I hope at the end of the exercise you will stand up and say yes this is the team that will secure Nigeria, this is the team that will unite Nigeria , this is the team that will fight the poverty in town and bring a bright future.”

Atiku’s running mate, Obi, who also faulted the 2019 budget said “When you look at the revenue, we will spend 60 percent to service debt. So what is left? And they will borrow more.

“What they borrowed in 2016 and 2017 is the same PDP borrowed in 16 years. When you ask them, they say they use it for capital project.”

He lamented the level of poverty in the country and lambasted the President for urging Nigerians to tighten their belts, saying “Nigerian people have no belt again to tighten up”, stressing “we now wake up everyday with a sense of helplessness.”

While he noted that APC administration didn’t heed warnings over the alarming rate of job losses and unemployment in 2017, he said the recent rise in the unemployment rate from 18.8 percent to 23 percent is only going to get worse because “nobody is doing anything.”

He promised that immediately they get elected into office, their administration will show numbers of persons who are unemployed and correspondingly provide daily statistics on the number of persons that will get jobs.

FORMER KANO STATE DEPUTY GOVERNOR, OTHER TOP KWANKWASO LOYALISTS RETURNS TO APC

A former Kano State Deputy Governor, professor Hafizu Abubakar, has returned to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Mr Abubakar, a former staunch ally of the ex-Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, left the ruling party in August and resigned his position as deputy to the current governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

After leaving the APC, he joined Mr Kwankwaso in the Peoples Democratic Party. He, however, later defected to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) when he could not get the PDP governorship ticket in Kano.

Mr Abubakar’s return to the APC was confirmed by his spokesperson and the presidency.

Garba Shehu, the spokesperson to President Muhammadu Buhari, said the president had a meeting with Mr Abubakar and other former Kwankwaso loyalists in Kano.