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Tinubu’s UNGA inaugural statement affirms democracy – Sanwo-Olu
Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has described President Bola Tinubu’s inaugural statement to the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) as credible because it affirmed democracy as the best form of government.
The Nigerian leader had on Tuesday called on world leaders to affirm democratic governance as the best guarantor of the sovereign will and well-being of the people.
According to him, military coups are wrong as is any tilted civilian political arrangement that perpetuates injustice and that the wave crossing parts of Africa does not demonstrate favour towards coups.
Sanwo-Olu told journalists in New York that Tinubu was able to proffer a solution, saying a democratic process is still the best option as best guarantor of the sovereign will of the people.
“It set the tone for Nigeria to stake its own space in a global arena like in the United Nations, but also be able to project that, yes, everything is not perfect with us here but we are on a path of economic recovery.
“We are on the path of ensuring that the renaissance of Africa is not lost and that the world should be able to carry Africa along and let us, indeed, give Africa its fair share, its fair place in global politics and in the economic agenda of the world.
“I believe it was a very credible outing for him.
“We believe there’s a lot more that will come in from our president, and year-on-year, I believe it will probably just be getting better and better as he shows up,” he said.
In addition, he said the president’s statement demonstrated true statesmanship and he was able to personally put forward his view of what a new Africa should look like.
“He was also able to analyse the issues concerning Africa, West Africa and Nigeria.
“I believe, being his first outing, he demonstrated that Nigerians have actually chosen well, to be present at this point in time.
“He was not only defining what the role Nigeria will play, but was also putting Africa on the world map in expressing that even with global challenges, that the entire world needs to be able to listen and watch the opportunities that abound in Africa,” he said.
According to him, Africa has been the “whipping boy” but Africa has been unfairly treated, and that Africa is the untapped future resource of the entire world.
“And he was able to put that forward to say that the world needs to listen and watch the potential that Africa presents.
“And he was able to put that forward to say that the world needs to listen and watch, you know, the potential that Africa presents.
“And he was also able to take it further, to all of the issues we have in West Africa, you know with coups and counter coups and the rest of it, that is not fashionable.
“It is so undemocratic, but he was not trying to run himself over any of these countries,” he said.
The governor said the president’s speech spoke to the importance of collaboration.
“They need to dialogue to be able to reverse that very unfortunate trajectory that we’re seeing coming out in Africa, where coups are becoming the order of the day,” he said.
The Nigerian government has disclosed that the visa ban restricting travellers to the United Arab Emirates, UAE, will soon be lifted.
The Minister of Aviation, Festus Keyamo, disclosed this during a 44-minute interview with the Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu, Otega Ogra, published on the official YouTube page of the State House.
Keyamo assured Nigerians that resolutions have been reached between President Bola Tinubu, and UAE President, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan to lift the ban.
He said the resolution was reached during Tinubu’s visit to UAE in September 2023.
The Minister said the Nigerian government has since completed all processes, paving the way for an imminent announcement from the UAE government.
According to Keyamo: “After that high-level meeting, Mr. President, credited to him, made things very easy for us all. We did our follow-ups as his ministers.
“We have done everything. We have resolved everything. Just wait for the announcement from the UAE government, and that announcement is imminent.”
Keyamo further mentioned that he is aware of the specific date when the travel restriction will be lifted but he emphasised that it is up to the UAE government to make the official announcement.
By Austine Emmanuel, Kaduna
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has identified lack of core value and over-ambition of young military officers who do not want to wait for their turn as the major causes of coups d’état in Africa.
The UNDP Team Lead, Governance, Peace and Security, Matthew Alao, said this in an interview with newsmen after the Graduation Ceremony of the Leadership and National Cohesion Course at Martin Luther Agwai International Leadership and Peacekeeping Centre, in Jaji, Kaduna State.
He said that though the military cannot be divorced from the society where it situates, but over-ambition by young military officers, eroding core societal values, religious beliefs, and lack of education are the key reasons for more coups in West African countries and Africa at large.
Alao who noted that then fundamental problem the world is facing today is the lack of core values, said this resulted to persistent coups and counter-coups staged in Africa by military officers.
“Our core values are fast breaking down. You will see agitation and expectation on so many issues that may not be reality.
“Most people don’t go to school. Some do go to school but do not have employable skills. This contributes to what is happening.
And because the military cannot be divorced from the society where it situates, they also feel part of that agitation. When that cry is going on, it speculates and overshadows the event. I think that is one of the reasons for coups.
“Then, maybe over-ambition by the young officers. They don’t want to wait for their turn. The idea of young people wanting to be there is another cause of coups.
“Young people need to learn. Because if young people don’t learn, we continue to somersault. After all, this country was ruled by 27-year-olds. At a point they delivered, but they didn’t deliver well. If the military of those days had the necessary experience and requisite vision when Nigeria was still in the morning, they would have planned our future and laid the foundation and we wouldn’t be where we are today. We wouldn’t be clamoring for roads, infrastructure, and all that.
Suppose the people that found this country, like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, were able to do something up to the late 80s, Nigeria would have been better than this. The situation we are now is dangerous.
“In those days, Ibadan was flourishing, Kaduna was a hub, Lagos was a factory ground, but within a blink of an eye under the Structural Adjustment Program, everything collapsed.”
He expressed concern that this leadership deficit was taking a toll on the country and should be addressed right from the family unit to the community level
Alao described Nigeria today as very individualistic, saying, “We have lost it. Now it’s all about I and my family. And this is leading us nowhere. This is why this course is very critical at this moment.”
”Leadership start with us as parent that brings little children to this world. Leadership starts from grassroots.
”Unfortunately, we have lost it. Nigeria today is very individualistic. It’s all about i and my family. And this is leading us to no where. This is why this course is very critical at this moment.
”If nothing is done to address the leadership deficit from the family unit, from the community unit and community level, we are not going anywhere. Money can not save our society.”
He said the leadership course, which happened to be the brainchild of the past Commandant of the Peacekeeping Centre, Major General Obinna, was born due to the spate of coups happening in West Africa.
“They felt that providing leadership training to the middle-level military and civilians is an antidote to it.
”They felt that because that quality training, that orientation on subordination is weakening in the military and political space of West Africa. They felt that UNDP, with the funding made available by the government of Japan, is sponsoring it,” Alao added.
The Centre for the Promotion of Private Enterprise (CPPE) has stated that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s committee on food security has yet to impact the rising prices of food in Nigeria.
Muda Yusuf, the Director of CPPE, disclosed this in his statement reacting to Nigeria’s latest headline and food inflation in May 2024, which stood at 33.95 percent and 40.66 per cent, respectively.
CPPE lamented that the purchasing power of Nigerians has continued to drop amid the untamed inflationary pressure.
According to the economic think-tank group, drivers of Nigeria’s inflation include the depreciating exchange rate, surging transportation costs, logistics and supply chain challenges, forex market volatility, energy costs, climate change, insecurity in farming communities, seasonality of agricultural outputs, and structural bottlenecks to production.
“Regrettably, inflation drivers are not receding. There is also the factor of seasonality of agricultural outputs, which triggers seasonal price surges in some food crops. It is important to stress that insecurity in farming communities remains a major factor in disrupting agricultural production and perpetuating the food supply crisis.
“The food security situation is frightening and requires an urgent and emergency response. Meanwhile, the impact of the Presidential Committee on Food Security is yet to be felt. We believe that the proposals contained in the government’s Inflation Reduction and Price Stability Plan will have a significant impact in moderating inflationary pressures if implemented. We request that the plan be urgently implemented.
“The government could review the tariff policies by granting concessionary import duty on intermediate products for industrialists. The same is true for investors in the logistics sector. Some of these measures are already contained in the draft Accelerated Economic and Sustainability Plan proposed by the Coordinating Minister of the Economy,” he stated.
Recall that last year, in July, Tinubu declared an emergency on food security, but nearly a year later, the country’s food inflation has worsened.
Nigeria’s food inflation surged to 40.66 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
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