Many people have been killed or
seriously injured in terrorist attacks at Brussels international airport
and a city metro station, Belgium's PM says.
Two blasts tore through the departures area of Zaventem airport shortly after 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT).
An hour later, an explosion hit Maelbeek metro station. The airport and whole transport system are closed.
The attacks come four days after Salah Abdeslam, the main fugitive in the Paris attacks, was seized in Brussels.
Belgium has now raised its terror threat to its highest level.
Prime
Minister Charles Michel called the attacks "blind, violent and
cowardly", saying they were a "tragic moment in our country's history. I
would like to call on everyone to show calmness and solidarity".
The Belgian prosecutor said it was "probably a suicide bomber" who struck the airport.
European
Union president Donald Tusk said: "These attacks mark another low by
the terrorists in the service of hatred and violence."
'Blood everywhere'
Belgian broadcaster VRT said 13 people were killed at the airport, with at least 35 people severely injured.
Some reports from the metro station speak of at least 10 deaths, but again there is no official confirmation.
The Belga news agency reports that shots were fired and shouts in Arabic were heard before the two explosions at the airport.
Rail transport to the airport has been halted and people have been
told not to come. All flights have been diverted. Eurostar has cancelled
all trains to and from Brussels.
Security has been stepped up at
Gatwick and Heathrow airports and the UK Foreign Office has advised
British nationals to avoid crowded areas in Belgium. UK PM David Cameron will chair a meeting of the Cobra response committee later on Tuesday morning.
France
has stepped up security. President Francois Hollande has held a cabinet
meeting to discuss the Belgian explosions. There is also extra security
at Dutch airports.
Some reports say at least one of the explosions at Zaventem was close to a Starbucks store but this has not been confirmed.
Zach
Mouzoun, arriving on a flight from Geneva, told France's BFM
television: "It was atrocious. The ceilings collapsed. There was blood
everywhere, injured people, bags everywhere. We were walking in the
debris. It was a war scene."
There are few confirmed details yet about the metro blast.
It
occurred shortly after 08:00 GMT during the rush hour at Maelbeek
station, with TV images showing smoke billowing from the entrance.
Alexandre Brans, told AP: "The metro was leaving Maelbeek station
when there was a really loud explosion. It was panic everywhere. There
were a lot of people in the metro."
Fire brigade spokesman Pierre Meys told AFP: "Most of the wounded have been evacuated. The scene is rather chaotic."
The
station is close to EU institutions. European Commission, the EU's
executive arm, has told employees to stay indoors or at home. All
meetings at EU institutions have been cancelled.
Ryan McGhee, a
catering worker at a college in Brussels, told the BBC: "The entire city
is in lockdown. People are calm at the moment but the atmosphere is
tense."
Belgium is sending 225 extra troops to Brussels following the explosions, Belga said.
Belgium's
Interior Minister Jan Jambon had said on Monday that the country was on
the highest level of alert for possible revenge attacks after the
capture of Salah Abdeslam.
He told Belgian radio: "We know that stopping one cell can... push others into action. We are aware of it in this case."
Zaventem airport is 11km (7 miles) north-east of Brussels and dealt with more than 23 million passengers last year.
The president said his
administration must do everything necessary to increase power generation
and distribution from its present status of about 1,500 to 3,500
megawatts with additional 2000 before the end of the year as a way of
halting the ripple effect effects on the economy.
But giving high hopes on the power sector, the president stated that
before his government winds up in 2019, he would achieve a historic
10,000 megawatts of electricity.
The promise was contained in a keynote address which he presented at the
opening ceremony of a two day summit of the National Economic Council,
NEC, in Abuja.
The president who noted the theme of the summit: Nigerian States:
Multiple Centers of Prosperity was apt, had identified five key areas
such agriculture, power, manufacturing, housing and healthcare as
challenges the Council must prioritize.
President Buhari also expressed misgivings over the privatization of the
power sector in the country, saying that the process was more profit
oriented than a thing of public interest.
He stated that the sector was yet to show the gains of the privatization
Programme as quality of service was still in a sorry state.
But being an ongoing process, the president said that it must be
completed.
He said: “Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the
power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no
longer a laughing matter. We must and by the grace of God we will put
things right. In the three years left for this administration we have
given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable
power. In 2016 alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the
national grid.
“This sector has been privatized but has yet to show any improvement in
the quality of service. Common public complaints are: Constant power
cuts destroying economic activity and affecting quality of life, High
electricity bills despite power cuts, Low supply of gas to power plants
due to vandalization by terrorists, Obsolete power distribution
equipment such as transformers, Power fluctuations, which damage
manufacturing equipment and household appliances, Low voltage which
cannot run industrial machinery.
“These are some of the problems, which defied successive governments. In
our determination to change we must and will, insha Allah, put a stop
to power shortages.
“Key points to look at here are: Privatization. We are facing the
classic dilemma of privatization: Public interest Vs Profit Motive.
Having started, we must complete the process. But National Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory authority, has a vital job
to ensure consumers get value for money and over-all public interest is
safe-guarded.
“Government to fast-track completion of pipelines from Gas points to
power stations and provide more security to protect gas and oil
pipelines.
“Power companies should be encouraged to replace obsolete equipment and
improve the quality of service and technicians.”
On agriculture, president noted with dismay the high cost of food items,
saying that government must play active role in achieving food
production and self sufficiency.
He also observed that the commercial banks had no meaningful credit
facilities for the agriculture sector, asking them to increase their
lending to the sector.
He said “On Agriculture today, both the peasant and the mechanized
farmers agree with the general public that food production and
self-sufficiency require urgent government action. For too long
government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted, suffering
from inconsistencies and discontinuities.
“Yet our real wealth is in farming, livestock, hatcheries, fishery,
horticulture and forestry. From the information available to me the
issues worrying the public today are: Rising food prices, such as maize,
corn, rice and gari, Lack of visible impact of government presence on
agriculture, Lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices. Cost of
fertilizers, pesticide and labour compound the problems of farming.
Extension services are virtually absent in several states.
“Imports of subsidized food products such as rice and poultry discourage
the growth of domestic agriculture.
“Wastage of locally grown foods, notably fruit and vegetables which go
bad due to lack of even moderate scale agro-processing factories and
lack of feeder roads.
“These problems I have enumerated are by no means exhaustive and some of
the solutions I am putting forward are not necessarily the final word
on our agricultural reform objectives:
“First, we need to carry the public with us for new initiatives.
Accordingly the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with
the States should convene early meetings of stakeholders and identify
issues with a view to addressing them.
“Inform the public in all print and electronic media on government
efforts to increase local food production to dampen escalating food
prices.
“Banks should be leaned upon to substantially increase their lending to
the agricultural sector. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should bear part
of the risk of such loans as a matter of national policy.
“States should increase their financial support through community
groups. The appropriate approach should be through leaders of community
groups such as farmers cooperatives.
“Provision of feeder roads by state governments to enable more effective
evacuation of produce to markets and processing factories.”
Speaking on manufacturing, president Buhari felt grieved that many
industries were having the challenges of accessing foreign exchange to
buy their raw materials.
Noting that the situation was a phase however, he also identified
Inadequate infrastructure such as Power, Roads, Security, high cost of
borrowing money, lack of long term funding as factors militating against
manufacturing in Nigeria.
As a way of surmounting the problems, president Buhari made some
recommendations.
“The infrastructure Development Fund should be fast-tracked to unlock
resources so that infrastructural deficiencies can be addressed.
“There should be more fiscal incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises
(SMEs), which prove themselves capable of manufacturing quality
products good enough for export.
“Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should create more incentives and ease
credit terms for lending to manufacturers.
“A fresh campaign to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods should be launched.
Example: all uniforms in government-sponsored institutions should be
sourced from local factories”, he said.
On housing, president Buhari said that there was housing deficit in
Nigeria. According to him, the plan by his party, the All progressives
Congress, APC to build 250 housing units might not be realized.
He said: “Some estimates put Nigeria’s housing deficit at about sixteen
million units. In our successful campaign to win the general elections
last year our party, the APC, promised to build a million housing units a
year. This will turn out to be a very tall order unless:
“The Federal Government builds two hundred and fifty thousand units. The
22 APC States together manage another two hundred and fifty thousand
units.
“We invite foreign investors together with local domiciled big
construction companies to enter into commercial housing building to pick
up the rest.”
The president also noted that “Severe shortage of housing, High rents,
Unaffordable prices for prospective buyers especially middle and
low-income earners”, in addition to “red tape, corruption and plain
public service inefficiency lead to long delays in obtaining ownership
of title documents”, amongst others were the huddles faced in
actualizing meaningful housing scheme for all.
President Buhari while speaking health as prerequisite for economic
development, revealed that a whooping sum of $1 billion was been spent
by Nigerians for medical treatment abroad on Healy basis.
He said “In my inauguration speech last May, I remarked that the whole
field of Medicare in our country needed government attention. Dirty
hospitals! (Few sights are more upsetting than a dirty hospital),
inadequate equipment, poorly trained nursing staff, overcrowding. The
litany of shortcomings is almost endless.
“Sound health system is part of the prerequisites for economic
development. Nigerians travel abroad, spending an estimated One Billion
US Dollars annually to get medical treatment. Despite huge oil revenues
the nation’s health sector remains undeveloped”.
In attacking the challenges of the sector, the president stated that
there should be more funding for health centres to improve service
delivery.
According to him, the “World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO)
could be persuaded to increase their assistance”.
He also stated that a public health propaganda should be strengthened on
Environmental sanitation, smoking, Better dieting, Exercising”.
This was even as he charged the National Agency for Food, Drug,
Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to intensify campaign against fake
drugs.
“NAFDAC should intensify efforts on reducing or stopping circulation of
fake drugs in Nigeria. Ministry of Health should work closely with the
Nigerian Medical Association to ensure that unqualified people are not
allowed to practice”, he said
Meanwhile, the Vice President Yemi Osinabjo who chaired the summit and
the chairman of Nigerian Governors forum and governor of Zamfara state,
Abdulazz Yari who also spoke at the opening ceremony underscored the
need for prioritization in the light of dwindling oil prices in the
international market.
The summit had all the serving ministers as well as the 36 Nigerian
State governors as participants.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
The president said his
administration must do everything necessary to increase power generation
and distribution from its present status of about 1,500 to 3,500
megawatts with additional 2000 before the end of the year as a way of
halting the ripple effect effects on the economy.
But giving high hopes on the power sector, the president stated that
before his government winds up in 2019, he would achieve a historic
10,000 megawatts of electricity.
The promise was contained in a keynote address which he presented at the
opening ceremony of a two day summit of the National Economic Council,
NEC, in Abuja.
The president who noted the theme of the summit: Nigerian States:
Multiple Centers of Prosperity was apt, had identified five key areas
such agriculture, power, manufacturing, housing and healthcare as
challenges the Council must prioritize.
President Buhari also expressed misgivings over the privatization of the
power sector in the country, saying that the process was more profit
oriented than a thing of public interest.
He stated that the sector was yet to show the gains of the privatization
Programme as quality of service was still in a sorry state.
But being an ongoing process, the president said that it must be
completed.
He said: “Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the
power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no
longer a laughing matter. We must and by the grace of God we will put
things right. In the three years left for this administration we have
given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable
power. In 2016 alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the
national grid.
“This sector has been privatized but has yet to show any improvement in
the quality of service. Common public complaints are: Constant power
cuts destroying economic activity and affecting quality of life, High
electricity bills despite power cuts, Low supply of gas to power plants
due to vandalization by terrorists, Obsolete power distribution
equipment such as transformers, Power fluctuations, which damage
manufacturing equipment and household appliances, Low voltage which
cannot run industrial machinery.
“These are some of the problems, which defied successive governments. In
our determination to change we must and will, insha Allah, put a stop
to power shortages.
“Key points to look at here are: Privatization. We are facing the
classic dilemma of privatization: Public interest Vs Profit Motive.
Having started, we must complete the process. But National Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory authority, has a vital job
to ensure consumers get value for money and over-all public interest is
safe-guarded.
“Government to fast-track completion of pipelines from Gas points to
power stations and provide more security to protect gas and oil
pipelines.
“Power companies should be encouraged to replace obsolete equipment and
improve the quality of service and technicians.”
On agriculture, president noted with dismay the high cost of food items,
saying that government must play active role in achieving food
production and self sufficiency.
He also observed that the commercial banks had no meaningful credit
facilities for the agriculture sector, asking them to increase their
lending to the sector.
He said “On Agriculture today, both the peasant and the mechanized
farmers agree with the general public that food production and
self-sufficiency require urgent government action. For too long
government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted, suffering
from inconsistencies and discontinuities.
“Yet our real wealth is in farming, livestock, hatcheries, fishery,
horticulture and forestry. From the information available to me the
issues worrying the public today are: Rising food prices, such as maize,
corn, rice and gari, Lack of visible impact of government presence on
agriculture, Lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices. Cost of
fertilizers, pesticide and labour compound the problems of farming.
Extension services are virtually absent in several states.
“Imports of subsidized food products such as rice and poultry discourage
the growth of domestic agriculture.
“Wastage of locally grown foods, notably fruit and vegetables which go
bad due to lack of even moderate scale agro-processing factories and
lack of feeder roads.
“These problems I have enumerated are by no means exhaustive and some of
the solutions I am putting forward are not necessarily the final word
on our agricultural reform objectives:
“First, we need to carry the public with us for new initiatives.
Accordingly the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with
the States should convene early meetings of stakeholders and identify
issues with a view to addressing them.
“Inform the public in all print and electronic media on government
efforts to increase local food production to dampen escalating food
prices.
“Banks should be leaned upon to substantially increase their lending to
the agricultural sector. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should bear part
of the risk of such loans as a matter of national policy.
“States should increase their financial support through community
groups. The appropriate approach should be through leaders of community
groups such as farmers cooperatives.
“Provision of feeder roads by state governments to enable more effective
evacuation of produce to markets and processing factories.”
Speaking on manufacturing, president Buhari felt grieved that many
industries were having the challenges of accessing foreign exchange to
buy their raw materials.
Noting that the situation was a phase however, he also identified
Inadequate infrastructure such as Power, Roads, Security, high cost of
borrowing money, lack of long term funding as factors militating against
manufacturing in Nigeria.
As a way of surmounting the problems, president Buhari made some
recommendations.
“The infrastructure Development Fund should be fast-tracked to unlock
resources so that infrastructural deficiencies can be addressed.
“There should be more fiscal incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises
(SMEs), which prove themselves capable of manufacturing quality
products good enough for export.
“Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should create more incentives and ease
credit terms for lending to manufacturers.
“A fresh campaign to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods should be launched.
Example: all uniforms in government-sponsored institutions should be
sourced from local factories”, he said.
On housing, president Buhari said that there was housing deficit in
Nigeria. According to him, the plan by his party, the All progressives
Congress, APC to build 250 housing units might not be realized.
He said: “Some estimates put Nigeria’s housing deficit at about sixteen
million units. In our successful campaign to win the general elections
last year our party, the APC, promised to build a million housing units a
year. This will turn out to be a very tall order unless:
“The Federal Government builds two hundred and fifty thousand units. The
22 APC States together manage another two hundred and fifty thousand
units.
“We invite foreign investors together with local domiciled big
construction companies to enter into commercial housing building to pick
up the rest.”
The president also noted that “Severe shortage of housing, High rents,
Unaffordable prices for prospective buyers especially middle and
low-income earners”, in addition to “red tape, corruption and plain
public service inefficiency lead to long delays in obtaining ownership
of title documents”, amongst others were the huddles faced in
actualizing meaningful housing scheme for all.
President Buhari while speaking health as prerequisite for economic
development, revealed that a whooping sum of $1 billion was been spent
by Nigerians for medical treatment abroad on Healy basis.
He said “In my inauguration speech last May, I remarked that the whole
field of Medicare in our country needed government attention. Dirty
hospitals! (Few sights are more upsetting than a dirty hospital),
inadequate equipment, poorly trained nursing staff, overcrowding. The
litany of shortcomings is almost endless.
“Sound health system is part of the prerequisites for economic
development. Nigerians travel abroad, spending an estimated One Billion
US Dollars annually to get medical treatment. Despite huge oil revenues
the nation’s health sector remains undeveloped”.
In attacking the challenges of the sector, the president stated that
there should be more funding for health centres to improve service
delivery.
According to him, the “World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO)
could be persuaded to increase their assistance”.
He also stated that a public health propaganda should be strengthened on
Environmental sanitation, smoking, Better dieting, Exercising”.
This was even as he charged the National Agency for Food, Drug,
Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to intensify campaign against fake
drugs.
“NAFDAC should intensify efforts on reducing or stopping circulation of
fake drugs in Nigeria. Ministry of Health should work closely with the
Nigerian Medical Association to ensure that unqualified people are not
allowed to practice”, he said
Meanwhile, the Vice President Yemi Osinabjo who chaired the summit and
the chairman of Nigerian Governors forum and governor of Zamfara state,
Abdulazz Yari who also spoke at the opening ceremony underscored the
need for prioritization in the light of dwindling oil prices in the
international market.
The summit had all the serving ministers as well as the 36 Nigerian
State governors as participants.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
The president said his
administration must do everything necessary to increase power generation
and distribution from its present status of about 1,500 to 3,500
megawatts with additional 2000 before the end of the year as a way of
halting the ripple effect effects on the economy.
But giving high hopes on the power sector, the president stated that
before his government winds up in 2019, he would achieve a historic
10,000 megawatts of electricity.
The promise was contained in a keynote address which he presented at the
opening ceremony of a two day summit of the National Economic Council,
NEC, in Abuja.
The president who noted the theme of the summit: Nigerian States:
Multiple Centers of Prosperity was apt, had identified five key areas
such agriculture, power, manufacturing, housing and healthcare as
challenges the Council must prioritize.
President Buhari also expressed misgivings over the privatization of the
power sector in the country, saying that the process was more profit
oriented than a thing of public interest.
He stated that the sector was yet to show the gains of the privatization
Programme as quality of service was still in a sorry state.
But being an ongoing process, the president said that it must be
completed.
He said: “Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the
power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no
longer a laughing matter. We must and by the grace of God we will put
things right. In the three years left for this administration we have
given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable
power. In 2016 alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the
national grid.
“This sector has been privatized but has yet to show any improvement in
the quality of service. Common public complaints are: Constant power
cuts destroying economic activity and affecting quality of life, High
electricity bills despite power cuts, Low supply of gas to power plants
due to vandalization by terrorists, Obsolete power distribution
equipment such as transformers, Power fluctuations, which damage
manufacturing equipment and household appliances, Low voltage which
cannot run industrial machinery.
“These are some of the problems, which defied successive governments. In
our determination to change we must and will, insha Allah, put a stop
to power shortages.
“Key points to look at here are: Privatization. We are facing the
classic dilemma of privatization: Public interest Vs Profit Motive.
Having started, we must complete the process. But National Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory authority, has a vital job
to ensure consumers get value for money and over-all public interest is
safe-guarded.
“Government to fast-track completion of pipelines from Gas points to
power stations and provide more security to protect gas and oil
pipelines.
“Power companies should be encouraged to replace obsolete equipment and
improve the quality of service and technicians.”
On agriculture, president noted with dismay the high cost of food items,
saying that government must play active role in achieving food
production and self sufficiency.
He also observed that the commercial banks had no meaningful credit
facilities for the agriculture sector, asking them to increase their
lending to the sector.
He said “On Agriculture today, both the peasant and the mechanized
farmers agree with the general public that food production and
self-sufficiency require urgent government action. For too long
government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted, suffering
from inconsistencies and discontinuities.
“Yet our real wealth is in farming, livestock, hatcheries, fishery,
horticulture and forestry. From the information available to me the
issues worrying the public today are: Rising food prices, such as maize,
corn, rice and gari, Lack of visible impact of government presence on
agriculture, Lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices. Cost of
fertilizers, pesticide and labour compound the problems of farming.
Extension services are virtually absent in several states.
“Imports of subsidized food products such as rice and poultry discourage
the growth of domestic agriculture.
“Wastage of locally grown foods, notably fruit and vegetables which go
bad due to lack of even moderate scale agro-processing factories and
lack of feeder roads.
“These problems I have enumerated are by no means exhaustive and some of
the solutions I am putting forward are not necessarily the final word
on our agricultural reform objectives:
“First, we need to carry the public with us for new initiatives.
Accordingly the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with
the States should convene early meetings of stakeholders and identify
issues with a view to addressing them.
“Inform the public in all print and electronic media on government
efforts to increase local food production to dampen escalating food
prices.
“Banks should be leaned upon to substantially increase their lending to
the agricultural sector. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should bear part
of the risk of such loans as a matter of national policy.
“States should increase their financial support through community
groups. The appropriate approach should be through leaders of community
groups such as farmers cooperatives.
“Provision of feeder roads by state governments to enable more effective
evacuation of produce to markets and processing factories.”
Speaking on manufacturing, president Buhari felt grieved that many
industries were having the challenges of accessing foreign exchange to
buy their raw materials.
Noting that the situation was a phase however, he also identified
Inadequate infrastructure such as Power, Roads, Security, high cost of
borrowing money, lack of long term funding as factors militating against
manufacturing in Nigeria.
As a way of surmounting the problems, president Buhari made some
recommendations.
“The infrastructure Development Fund should be fast-tracked to unlock
resources so that infrastructural deficiencies can be addressed.
“There should be more fiscal incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises
(SMEs), which prove themselves capable of manufacturing quality
products good enough for export.
“Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should create more incentives and ease
credit terms for lending to manufacturers.
“A fresh campaign to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods should be launched.
Example: all uniforms in government-sponsored institutions should be
sourced from local factories”, he said.
On housing, president Buhari said that there was housing deficit in
Nigeria. According to him, the plan by his party, the All progressives
Congress, APC to build 250 housing units might not be realized.
He said: “Some estimates put Nigeria’s housing deficit at about sixteen
million units. In our successful campaign to win the general elections
last year our party, the APC, promised to build a million housing units a
year. This will turn out to be a very tall order unless:
“The Federal Government builds two hundred and fifty thousand units. The
22 APC States together manage another two hundred and fifty thousand
units.
“We invite foreign investors together with local domiciled big
construction companies to enter into commercial housing building to pick
up the rest.”
The president also noted that “Severe shortage of housing, High rents,
Unaffordable prices for prospective buyers especially middle and
low-income earners”, in addition to “red tape, corruption and plain
public service inefficiency lead to long delays in obtaining ownership
of title documents”, amongst others were the huddles faced in
actualizing meaningful housing scheme for all.
President Buhari while speaking health as prerequisite for economic
development, revealed that a whooping sum of $1 billion was been spent
by Nigerians for medical treatment abroad on Healy basis.
He said “In my inauguration speech last May, I remarked that the whole
field of Medicare in our country needed government attention. Dirty
hospitals! (Few sights are more upsetting than a dirty hospital),
inadequate equipment, poorly trained nursing staff, overcrowding. The
litany of shortcomings is almost endless.
“Sound health system is part of the prerequisites for economic
development. Nigerians travel abroad, spending an estimated One Billion
US Dollars annually to get medical treatment. Despite huge oil revenues
the nation’s health sector remains undeveloped”.
In attacking the challenges of the sector, the president stated that
there should be more funding for health centres to improve service
delivery.
According to him, the “World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO)
could be persuaded to increase their assistance”.
He also stated that a public health propaganda should be strengthened on
Environmental sanitation, smoking, Better dieting, Exercising”.
This was even as he charged the National Agency for Food, Drug,
Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to intensify campaign against fake
drugs.
“NAFDAC should intensify efforts on reducing or stopping circulation of
fake drugs in Nigeria. Ministry of Health should work closely with the
Nigerian Medical Association to ensure that unqualified people are not
allowed to practice”, he said
Meanwhile, the Vice President Yemi Osinabjo who chaired the summit and
the chairman of Nigerian Governors forum and governor of Zamfara state,
Abdulazz Yari who also spoke at the opening ceremony underscored the
need for prioritization in the light of dwindling oil prices in the
international market.
The summit had all the serving ministers as well as the 36 Nigerian
State governors as participants.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
ABUJA – President
Mohammadu Buhari on Monday woke up to the realities of epileptic power
supply in Nigeria, saying that the situation was no longer funny.Buhari
Should the situation persisits, the president said it would seriously
affect the change agenda of the present administration.
The president said his administration must do everything necessary to
increase power generation and distribution from its present status of
about 1,500 to 3,500 megawatts with additional 2000 before the end of
the year as a way of halting the ripple effect effects on the economy.
But giving high hopes on the power sector, the president stated that
before his government winds up in 2019, he would achieve a historic
10,000 megawatts of electricity.
The promise was contained in a keynote address which he presented at the
opening ceremony of a two day summit of the National Economic Council,
NEC, in Abuja.
The president who noted the theme of the summit: Nigerian States:
Multiple Centers of Prosperity was apt, had identified five key areas
such agriculture, power, manufacturing, housing and healthcare as
challenges the Council must prioritize.
President Buhari also expressed misgivings over the privatization of the
power sector in the country, saying that the process was more profit
oriented than a thing of public interest.
He stated that the sector was yet to show the gains of the privatization
Programme as quality of service was still in a sorry state.
But being an ongoing process, the president said that it must be
completed.
He said: “Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the
power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no
longer a laughing matter. We must and by the grace of God we will put
things right. In the three years left for this administration we have
given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable
power. In 2016 alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the
national grid.
“This sector has been privatized but has yet to show any improvement in
the quality of service. Common public complaints are: Constant power
cuts destroying economic activity and affecting quality of life, High
electricity bills despite power cuts, Low supply of gas to power plants
due to vandalization by terrorists, Obsolete power distribution
equipment such as transformers, Power fluctuations, which damage
manufacturing equipment and household appliances, Low voltage which
cannot run industrial machinery.
“These are some of the problems, which defied successive governments. In
our determination to change we must and will, insha Allah, put a stop
to power shortages.
“Key points to look at here are: Privatization. We are facing the
classic dilemma of privatization: Public interest Vs Profit Motive.
Having started, we must complete the process. But National Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory authority, has a vital job
to ensure consumers get value for money and over-all public interest is
safe-guarded.
“Government to fast-track completion of pipelines from Gas points to
power stations and provide more security to protect gas and oil
pipelines.
“Power companies should be encouraged to replace obsolete equipment and
improve the quality of service and technicians.”
On agriculture, president noted with dismay the high cost of food items,
saying that government must play active role in achieving food
production and self sufficiency.
He also observed that the commercial banks had no meaningful credit
facilities for the agriculture sector, asking them to increase their
lending to the sector.
He said “On Agriculture today, both the peasant and the mechanized
farmers agree with the general public that food production and
self-sufficiency require urgent government action. For too long
government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted, suffering
from inconsistencies and discontinuities.
“Yet our real wealth is in farming, livestock, hatcheries, fishery,
horticulture and forestry. From the information available to me the
issues worrying the public today are: Rising food prices, such as maize,
corn, rice and gari, Lack of visible impact of government presence on
agriculture, Lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices. Cost of
fertilizers, pesticide and labour compound the problems of farming.
Extension services are virtually absent in several states.
“Imports of subsidized food products such as rice and poultry discourage
the growth of domestic agriculture.
“Wastage of locally grown foods, notably fruit and vegetables which go
bad due to lack of even moderate scale agro-processing factories and
lack of feeder roads.
“These problems I have enumerated are by no means exhaustive and some of
the solutions I am putting forward are not necessarily the final word
on our agricultural reform objectives:
“First, we need to carry the public with us for new initiatives.
Accordingly the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with
the States should convene early meetings of stakeholders and identify
issues with a view to addressing them.
“Inform the public in all print and electronic media on government
efforts to increase local food production to dampen escalating food
prices.
“Banks should be leaned upon to substantially increase their lending to
the agricultural sector. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should bear part
of the risk of such loans as a matter of national policy.
“States should increase their financial support through community
groups. The appropriate approach should be through leaders of community
groups such as farmers cooperatives.
“Provision of feeder roads by state governments to enable more effective
evacuation of produce to markets and processing factories.”
Speaking on manufacturing, president Buhari felt grieved that many
industries were having the challenges of accessing foreign exchange to
buy their raw materials.
Noting that the situation was a phase however, he also identified
Inadequate infrastructure such as Power, Roads, Security, high cost of
borrowing money, lack of long term funding as factors militating against
manufacturing in Nigeria.
As a way of surmounting the problems, president Buhari made some
recommendations.
“The infrastructure Development Fund should be fast-tracked to unlock
resources so that infrastructural deficiencies can be addressed.
“There should be more fiscal incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises
(SMEs), which prove themselves capable of manufacturing quality
products good enough for export.
“Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should create more incentives and ease
credit terms for lending to manufacturers.
“A fresh campaign to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods should be launched.
Example: all uniforms in government-sponsored institutions should be
sourced from local factories”, he said.
On housing, president Buhari said that there was housing deficit in
Nigeria. According to him, the plan by his party, the All progressives
Congress, APC to build 250 housing units might not be realized.
He said: “Some estimates put Nigeria’s housing deficit at about sixteen
million units. In our successful campaign to win the general elections
last year our party, the APC, promised to build a million housing units a
year. This will turn out to be a very tall order unless:
“The Federal Government builds two hundred and fifty thousand units. The
22 APC States together manage another two hundred and fifty thousand
units.
“We invite foreign investors together with local domiciled big
construction companies to enter into commercial housing building to pick
up the rest.”
The president also noted that “Severe shortage of housing, High rents,
Unaffordable prices for prospective buyers especially middle and
low-income earners”, in addition to “red tape, corruption and plain
public service inefficiency lead to long delays in obtaining ownership
of title documents”, amongst others were the huddles faced in
actualizing meaningful housing scheme for all.
President Buhari while speaking health as prerequisite for economic
development, revealed that a whooping sum of $1 billion was been spent
by Nigerians for medical treatment abroad on Healy basis.
He said “In my inauguration speech last May, I remarked that the whole
field of Medicare in our country needed government attention. Dirty
hospitals! (Few sights are more upsetting than a dirty hospital),
inadequate equipment, poorly trained nursing staff, overcrowding. The
litany of shortcomings is almost endless.
“Sound health system is part of the prerequisites for economic
development. Nigerians travel abroad, spending an estimated One Billion
US Dollars annually to get medical treatment. Despite huge oil revenues
the nation’s health sector remains undeveloped”.
In attacking the challenges of the sector, the president stated that
there should be more funding for health centres to improve service
delivery.
According to him, the “World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO)
could be persuaded to increase their assistance”.
He also stated that a public health propaganda should be strengthened on
Environmental sanitation, smoking, Better dieting, Exercising”.
This was even as he charged the National Agency for Food, Drug,
Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to intensify campaign against fake
drugs.
“NAFDAC should intensify efforts on reducing or stopping circulation of
fake drugs in Nigeria. Ministry of Health should work closely with the
Nigerian Medical Association to ensure that unqualified people are not
allowed to practice”, he said
Meanwhile, the Vice President Yemi Osinabjo who chaired the summit and
the chairman of Nigerian Governors forum and governor of Zamfara state,
Abdulazz Yari who also spoke at the opening ceremony underscored the
need for prioritization in the light of dwindling oil prices in the
international market.
The summit had all the serving ministers as well as the 36 Nigerian
State governors as participants
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
ABUJA – President
Mohammadu Buhari on Monday woke up to the realities of epileptic power
supply in Nigeria, saying that the situation was no longer funny.Buhari
Should the situation persisits, the president said it would seriously
affect the change agenda of the present administration.
The president said his administration must do everything necessary to
increase power generation and distribution from its present status of
about 1,500 to 3,500 megawatts with additional 2000 before the end of
the year as a way of halting the ripple effect effects on the economy.
But giving high hopes on the power sector, the president stated that
before his government winds up in 2019, he would achieve a historic
10,000 megawatts of electricity.
The promise was contained in a keynote address which he presented at the
opening ceremony of a two day summit of the National Economic Council,
NEC, in Abuja.
The president who noted the theme of the summit: Nigerian States:
Multiple Centers of Prosperity was apt, had identified five key areas
such agriculture, power, manufacturing, housing and healthcare as
challenges the Council must prioritize.
President Buhari also expressed misgivings over the privatization of the
power sector in the country, saying that the process was more profit
oriented than a thing of public interest.
He stated that the sector was yet to show the gains of the privatization
Programme as quality of service was still in a sorry state.
But being an ongoing process, the president said that it must be
completed.
He said: “Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the
power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no
longer a laughing matter. We must and by the grace of God we will put
things right. In the three years left for this administration we have
given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable
power. In 2016 alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the
national grid.
“This sector has been privatized but has yet to show any improvement in
the quality of service. Common public complaints are: Constant power
cuts destroying economic activity and affecting quality of life, High
electricity bills despite power cuts, Low supply of gas to power plants
due to vandalization by terrorists, Obsolete power distribution
equipment such as transformers, Power fluctuations, which damage
manufacturing equipment and household appliances, Low voltage which
cannot run industrial machinery.
“These are some of the problems, which defied successive governments. In
our determination to change we must and will, insha Allah, put a stop
to power shortages.
“Key points to look at here are: Privatization. We are facing the
classic dilemma of privatization: Public interest Vs Profit Motive.
Having started, we must complete the process. But National Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory authority, has a vital job
to ensure consumers get value for money and over-all public interest is
safe-guarded.
“Government to fast-track completion of pipelines from Gas points to
power stations and provide more security to protect gas and oil
pipelines.
“Power companies should be encouraged to replace obsolete equipment and
improve the quality of service and technicians.”
On agriculture, president noted with dismay the high cost of food items,
saying that government must play active role in achieving food
production and self sufficiency.
He also observed that the commercial banks had no meaningful credit
facilities for the agriculture sector, asking them to increase their
lending to the sector.
He said “On Agriculture today, both the peasant and the mechanized
farmers agree with the general public that food production and
self-sufficiency require urgent government action. For too long
government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted, suffering
from inconsistencies and discontinuities.
“Yet our real wealth is in farming, livestock, hatcheries, fishery,
horticulture and forestry. From the information available to me the
issues worrying the public today are: Rising food prices, such as maize,
corn, rice and gari, Lack of visible impact of government presence on
agriculture, Lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices. Cost of
fertilizers, pesticide and labour compound the problems of farming.
Extension services are virtually absent in several states.
“Imports of subsidized food products such as rice and poultry discourage
the growth of domestic agriculture.
“Wastage of locally grown foods, notably fruit and vegetables which go
bad due to lack of even moderate scale agro-processing factories and
lack of feeder roads.
“These problems I have enumerated are by no means exhaustive and some of
the solutions I am putting forward are not necessarily the final word
on our agricultural reform objectives:
“First, we need to carry the public with us for new initiatives.
Accordingly the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with
the States should convene early meetings of stakeholders and identify
issues with a view to addressing them.
“Inform the public in all print and electronic media on government
efforts to increase local food production to dampen escalating food
prices.
“Banks should be leaned upon to substantially increase their lending to
the agricultural sector. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should bear part
of the risk of such loans as a matter of national policy.
“States should increase their financial support through community
groups. The appropriate approach should be through leaders of community
groups such as farmers cooperatives.
“Provision of feeder roads by state governments to enable more effective
evacuation of produce to markets and processing factories.”
Speaking on manufacturing, president Buhari felt grieved that many
industries were having the challenges of accessing foreign exchange to
buy their raw materials.
Noting that the situation was a phase however, he also identified
Inadequate infrastructure such as Power, Roads, Security, high cost of
borrowing money, lack of long term funding as factors militating against
manufacturing in Nigeria.
As a way of surmounting the problems, president Buhari made some
recommendations.
“The infrastructure Development Fund should be fast-tracked to unlock
resources so that infrastructural deficiencies can be addressed.
“There should be more fiscal incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises
(SMEs), which prove themselves capable of manufacturing quality
products good enough for export.
“Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should create more incentives and ease
credit terms for lending to manufacturers.
“A fresh campaign to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods should be launched.
Example: all uniforms in government-sponsored institutions should be
sourced from local factories”, he said.
On housing, president Buhari said that there was housing deficit in
Nigeria. According to him, the plan by his party, the All progressives
Congress, APC to build 250 housing units might not be realized.
He said: “Some estimates put Nigeria’s housing deficit at about sixteen
million units. In our successful campaign to win the general elections
last year our party, the APC, promised to build a million housing units a
year. This will turn out to be a very tall order unless:
“The Federal Government builds two hundred and fifty thousand units. The
22 APC States together manage another two hundred and fifty thousand
units.
“We invite foreign investors together with local domiciled big
construction companies to enter into commercial housing building to pick
up the rest.”
The president also noted that “Severe shortage of housing, High rents,
Unaffordable prices for prospective buyers especially middle and
low-income earners”, in addition to “red tape, corruption and plain
public service inefficiency lead to long delays in obtaining ownership
of title documents”, amongst others were the huddles faced in
actualizing meaningful housing scheme for all.
President Buhari while speaking health as prerequisite for economic
development, revealed that a whooping sum of $1 billion was been spent
by Nigerians for medical treatment abroad on Healy basis.
He said “In my inauguration speech last May, I remarked that the whole
field of Medicare in our country needed government attention. Dirty
hospitals! (Few sights are more upsetting than a dirty hospital),
inadequate equipment, poorly trained nursing staff, overcrowding. The
litany of shortcomings is almost endless.
“Sound health system is part of the prerequisites for economic
development. Nigerians travel abroad, spending an estimated One Billion
US Dollars annually to get medical treatment. Despite huge oil revenues
the nation’s health sector remains undeveloped”.
In attacking the challenges of the sector, the president stated that
there should be more funding for health centres to improve service
delivery.
According to him, the “World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO)
could be persuaded to increase their assistance”.
He also stated that a public health propaganda should be strengthened on
Environmental sanitation, smoking, Better dieting, Exercising”.
This was even as he charged the National Agency for Food, Drug,
Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to intensify campaign against fake
drugs.
“NAFDAC should intensify efforts on reducing or stopping circulation of
fake drugs in Nigeria. Ministry of Health should work closely with the
Nigerian Medical Association to ensure that unqualified people are not
allowed to practice”, he said
Meanwhile, the Vice President Yemi Osinabjo who chaired the summit and
the chairman of Nigerian Governors forum and governor of Zamfara state,
Abdulazz Yari who also spoke at the opening ceremony underscored the
need for prioritization in the light of dwindling oil prices in the
international market.
The summit had all the serving ministers as well as the 36 Nigerian
State governors as participants
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
ABUJA – President Mohammadu Buhari on Monday woke up to the realities of
epileptic power supply in Nigeria, saying that the situation was no
longer funny.Buhari
Should the situation persisits, the president said it would seriously
affect the change agenda of the present administration.
The president said his administration must do everything necessary to
increase power generation and distribution from its present status of
about 1,500 to 3,500 megawatts with additional 2000 before the end of
the year as a way of halting the ripple effect effects on the economy.
But giving high hopes on the power sector, the president stated that
before his government winds up in 2019, he would achieve a historic
10,000 megawatts of electricity.
The promise was contained in a keynote address which he presented at the
opening ceremony of a two day summit of the National Economic Council,
NEC, in Abuja.
The president who noted the theme of the summit: Nigerian States:
Multiple Centers of Prosperity was apt, had identified five key areas
such agriculture, power, manufacturing, housing and healthcare as
challenges the Council must prioritize.
President Buhari also expressed misgivings over the privatization of the
power sector in the country, saying that the process was more profit
oriented than a thing of public interest.
He stated that the sector was yet to show the gains of the privatization
Programme as quality of service was still in a sorry state.
But being an ongoing process, the president said that it must be
completed.
He said: “Nigerians’ favourite talking point and butt of jokes is the
power situation in our country. But, ladies and gentlemen, it is no
longer a laughing matter. We must and by the grace of God we will put
things right. In the three years left for this administration we have
given ourselves the target of ten thousand megawatts distributable
power. In 2016 alone, we intend to add two thousand megawatts to the
national grid.
“This sector has been privatized but has yet to show any improvement in
the quality of service. Common public complaints are: Constant power
cuts destroying economic activity and affecting quality of life, High
electricity bills despite power cuts, Low supply of gas to power plants
due to vandalization by terrorists, Obsolete power distribution
equipment such as transformers, Power fluctuations, which damage
manufacturing equipment and household appliances, Low voltage which
cannot run industrial machinery.
“These are some of the problems, which defied successive governments. In
our determination to change we must and will, insha Allah, put a stop
to power shortages.
“Key points to look at here are: Privatization. We are facing the
classic dilemma of privatization: Public interest Vs Profit Motive.
Having started, we must complete the process. But National Electricity
Regulatory Commission (NERC), the regulatory authority, has a vital job
to ensure consumers get value for money and over-all public interest is
safe-guarded.
“Government to fast-track completion of pipelines from Gas points to
power stations and provide more security to protect gas and oil
pipelines.
“Power companies should be encouraged to replace obsolete equipment and
improve the quality of service and technicians.”
On agriculture, president noted with dismay the high cost of food items,
saying that government must play active role in achieving food
production and self sufficiency.
He also observed that the commercial banks had no meaningful credit
facilities for the agriculture sector, asking them to increase their
lending to the sector.
He said “On Agriculture today, both the peasant and the mechanized
farmers agree with the general public that food production and
self-sufficiency require urgent government action. For too long
government policies on agriculture have been half-hearted, suffering
from inconsistencies and discontinuities.
“Yet our real wealth is in farming, livestock, hatcheries, fishery,
horticulture and forestry. From the information available to me the
issues worrying the public today are: Rising food prices, such as maize,
corn, rice and gari, Lack of visible impact of government presence on
agriculture, Lack of agricultural inputs at affordable prices. Cost of
fertilizers, pesticide and labour compound the problems of farming.
Extension services are virtually absent in several states.
“Imports of subsidized food products such as rice and poultry discourage
the growth of domestic agriculture.
“Wastage of locally grown foods, notably fruit and vegetables which go
bad due to lack of even moderate scale agro-processing factories and
lack of feeder roads.
“These problems I have enumerated are by no means exhaustive and some of
the solutions I am putting forward are not necessarily the final word
on our agricultural reform objectives:
“First, we need to carry the public with us for new initiatives.
Accordingly the Federal Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with
the States should convene early meetings of stakeholders and identify
issues with a view to addressing them.
“Inform the public in all print and electronic media on government
efforts to increase local food production to dampen escalating food
prices.
“Banks should be leaned upon to substantially increase their lending to
the agricultural sector. Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should bear part
of the risk of such loans as a matter of national policy.
“States should increase their financial support through community
groups. The appropriate approach should be through leaders of community
groups such as farmers cooperatives.
“Provision of feeder roads by state governments to enable more effective
evacuation of produce to markets and processing factories.”
Speaking on manufacturing, president Buhari felt grieved that many
industries were having the challenges of accessing foreign exchange to
buy their raw materials.
Noting that the situation was a phase however, he also identified
Inadequate infrastructure such as Power, Roads, Security, high cost of
borrowing money, lack of long term funding as factors militating against
manufacturing in Nigeria.
As a way of surmounting the problems, president Buhari made some
recommendations.
“The infrastructure Development Fund should be fast-tracked to unlock
resources so that infrastructural deficiencies can be addressed.
“There should be more fiscal incentives for Small and Medium Enterprises
(SMEs), which prove themselves capable of manufacturing quality
products good enough for export.
“Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) should create more incentives and ease
credit terms for lending to manufacturers.
“A fresh campaign to patronize Made-in-Nigeria goods should be launched.
Example: all uniforms in government-sponsored institutions should be
sourced from local factories”, he said.
On housing, president Buhari said that there was housing deficit in
Nigeria. According to him, the plan by his party, the All progressives
Congress, APC to build 250 housing units might not be realized.
He said: “Some estimates put Nigeria’s housing deficit at about sixteen
million units. In our successful campaign to win the general elections
last year our party, the APC, promised to build a million housing units a
year. This will turn out to be a very tall order unless:
“The Federal Government builds two hundred and fifty thousand units. The
22 APC States together manage another two hundred and fifty thousand
units.
“We invite foreign investors together with local domiciled big
construction companies to enter into commercial housing building to pick
up the rest.”
The president also noted that “Severe shortage of housing, High rents,
Unaffordable prices for prospective buyers especially middle and
low-income earners”, in addition to “red tape, corruption and plain
public service inefficiency lead to long delays in obtaining ownership
of title documents”, amongst others were the huddles faced in
actualizing meaningful housing scheme for all.
President Buhari while speaking health as prerequisite for economic
development, revealed that a whooping sum of $1 billion was been spent
by Nigerians for medical treatment abroad on Healy basis.
He said “In my inauguration speech last May, I remarked that the whole
field of Medicare in our country needed government attention. Dirty
hospitals! (Few sights are more upsetting than a dirty hospital),
inadequate equipment, poorly trained nursing staff, overcrowding. The
litany of shortcomings is almost endless.
“Sound health system is part of the prerequisites for economic
development. Nigerians travel abroad, spending an estimated One Billion
US Dollars annually to get medical treatment. Despite huge oil revenues
the nation’s health sector remains undeveloped”.
In attacking the challenges of the sector, the president stated that
there should be more funding for health centres to improve service
delivery.
According to him, the “World Bank and World Health Organization (WHO)
could be persuaded to increase their assistance”.
He also stated that a public health propaganda should be strengthened on
Environmental sanitation, smoking, Better dieting, Exercising”.
This was even as he charged the National Agency for Food, Drug,
Administration and Control, NAFDAC, to intensify campaign against fake
drugs.
“NAFDAC should intensify efforts on reducing or stopping circulation of
fake drugs in Nigeria. Ministry of Health should work closely with the
Nigerian Medical Association to ensure that unqualified people are not
allowed to practice”, he said
Meanwhile, the Vice President Yemi Osinabjo who chaired the summit and
the chairman of Nigerian Governors forum and governor of Zamfara state,
Abdulazz Yari who also spoke at the opening ceremony underscored the
need for prioritization in the light of dwindling oil prices in the
international market.
The summit had all the serving ministers as well as the 36 Nigerian
State governors as participants.
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/03/power-situation-nigeria-no-longer-laughing-matter-buhari/
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