Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, LP, Mr Peter Obi, said it was the ‘establishment of criminality’ that made the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, servers not work during the last presidential election.

Obi, who insisted that the people must one day make it to work, explained that Amazon testified there were no glitches recorded globally on the day of the presidential election.

The former Anambra State governor made the statement on Friday in Canada while addressing the issues about the last general election, including IREV servers.

DAILY POST reports that the LP presidential candidate was in Canada for a “thank you” tour to appreciate Nigerians living in the country for their support offered him during the 2023 campaign/ general elections.

He said: “Where did we go wrong in the last election? We didn’t go wrong anywhere. We did the right things. But as I can always tell people: when you bring a change, you fight all those who live off the old order. They don’t go away; they gang up. And don’t think it’s a straight race to remove an establishment. It’s a long-distance journey anywhere in the world. Go and check anywhere, whether you are looking at what happened in India, with Mandela in South Africa, or America. No change has happened overnight, it takes time. I urge all of you, if you really want change, we have just begun. We just have to continue from where we are.

“Yes, there might be one or two things we will correct, those things we will correct. I assure you we are correcting them without naming them.

It’s not going to be easy.

“The INEC server was the same as the establishment. The server would not work because it was the establishment that made it so it wouldn’t work. It’s ours to continue to say that it would work. But there was no glitch. Amazon came and said there was no glitch. Amazon glitch is noticed globally – it’s recorded globally. And at that period, we brought down an Amazon person who said this is the number of glitches we have had since inception. And there was none that it reported that day. We know it didn’t occur. It was the glitch of the establishment criminality that was in the system. And we must one day make it work.”

Dr Chuma Ezedinma, Agricultural Economist at African Development Bank (AFDB), says the Special Agro-Industrial Processing Zone programme (SAPZ), will create jobs for no fewer than 200,000 residents in Anambra.

Ezedinma spoke with newsmen on the sidelines of a meeting tagged “Preparation Mission for the Development of the second phase of SPAZ programme” on Saturday in Anambra.

The meeting on the SPAZ-2 programme had officials from the Federal Ministries of Finance, Agriculture and Food Safety, AFDB, and the Anambra State Government.

According to him, AFDB is very much interested in what is happening in the state because Anambra’s presentation on the SPAZ project is the best seen so far, and  shows the state’s readiness to run.

“From what we have seen, about 450 hectres of land will be dedicated to the industrial site.

“We are looking at approximately 5,000 farm families per zone. Multiply it by three zones, you have 15,000 farm families in the state.

“If you also add other secondary jobs that will be created in the park itself, you will see that we are creating real massive employment for more than 200,000 people over the next five years.

“The state government had already committed resources to put infrastructure in place and there is also a private sector interest to deliver this programme within a very short time,” he said.

Also speaking, Dr Louis Enaberue from the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, commended Anambra State Government for its preparedness for the phase two of the SAPZ programme.

“What we saw in Anambra’s presentation shows they are ready for the phase two of SPAZ and I hope and pray they meet the grade.

“The state government is expected to pay 50 per cent counterpart fund, provide the land and other infrastructure for the project, and they are already working towards achieving them,” he said.

Similarly, Dr Forster Ihejiofor, the state’s Commissioner for Agriculture, said that the state’s Investment Promotion and Protection Agency, and the Ministry of Industry were working tirelessly to ensure that the SPAZ project was ready to go in Anambra.

“Clearly, we are ready because this project will transform agriculture in the state as it will increase farmers’ incomes, foster job creation and enhance food security in the state and country at large,” Ihejiofor said.

The delegation visited the three proposed sites for the SPAZ-2 project in Ayamelum, Ogboji in Orumba South and Ufuma in Orumba North Local Government Areas of the state.

…Certifies 603 pre-payment certificates for projects across 20 LGAs

By Sodiq Adelakun

The Lagos State Government has taken a significant step towards reducing poverty in the state by connecting 688,759 poor and vulnerable households on the register with SFMDAs, development partners, corporate organizations and other relevant stakeholders.

This was announced by the Honourable Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, Mr. Ope George, at the 2024 Ministerial Briefing held on Thursday at the Bagauda Kaltho Press Centre, Alausa, Ikeja.

According to the Commissioner, the Ministry has successfully registered 688,759 heads of poor and vulnerable households, comprising 2,681,507 members, as validated by the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), Abuja.

He revealed the registration has enabled the state government to provide a holistic approach to poverty reduction, improving the livelihoods of households through connections with Social Fund for Millennium Development (SFMDAs), development partners, corporate organisations, and other stakeholders.

According to him, “As a Social Protection Nexus and the custodian of the Lagos State Single Social Register (LASSR),

“The Ministry has been able to register 688,759 Heads of Poor & Vulnerable Households and 2,681,507 Members of Households as validated by the National Social Safety-Nets Coordinating Office (NASSCO), Abuja. The LASSR is hosted on the State’s website.

“These efforts aligned with Mr. Babajide Olushola Sanwo-Olu’s T.H.E.M.E.S+ agenda.

“Deepening the Mining Process, the Ministry is currently mining data for various stakeholders, including Socio-Functional Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, Development Partners, Civil Society Organizations and Philanthropists to facilitate access to Social Intervention programmes aimed at uplifting the Poor and Vulnerable Households.

“A total of 592,602 Poor and Vulnerable Heads of Households (PVHHs) have benefited from various social interventions Statewide.”

Also, while speaking the commissioner announced the certification of 603 Pre-Payment Certificates (PCs) for projects executed across all 20 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in the state.

He said the certified projects were carried out collaboratively by 46 Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) in partnership with 410 contractors, covering both direct labor and outsourced services.

The projects span across nine sectors, including Economic Affairs, Education, Environmental Protection, General Public Services, Health, Housing and Communities Amenities, Public Order and Safety, and Social Protection.

According to the breakdown of Pre-Payment Certificates PCs, it was gathered that across nine critical sectors reveals a concentrated effort towards economic advancement, education, environmental protection, public services, health, housing, and public safety.

With 256 PCs allocated to the Economic Affairs Sector, 77 to Education, 75 to Environmental Protection, 62 to General Public Services, 47 to Health, 77 to Housing & Communities Amenities, and 9 to Public Order and Safety, the Ministry underscores its commitment to holistic development and sectoral progress.

Also, the Ministry has made significant strides in its efforts to promote economic growth and development in the state.

“The State through this Ministry has led another milestone delivery, as the first State to publish a State specific economic update tagged ‘Lagos Economic Development Update’ (LEDU) Report.

“The report summarises the State’s macroeconomic outlook, economic journey and prospects; projects the economic landscape and gives insight into the sector’s productivity for ease of access to economic growth and development,” He reiterated.