Tag Archives: Policies

“In Nigeria, You Know Policies Are Good When People Criticize Them” – Emefiele Says

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The Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has stated that in Nigeria, the indication that the right policies are being pursued by the authorities is when such policies are criticized by people, as they know they cannot be circumvented.

He then harped on the need for all Nigerians to come to terms with the fact that these are not normal times across the globe and, therefore, they should know that hard choices are required to turn around the situation.

In the light of this, Emefiele vowed to deploy appropriate monetary policy tools to attain inclusive growth by bolstering productive capacity and ensuring that the economy is indeed self-sufficient.

He stated this while delivering a lecture entitled: ‘Managing monetary policy in turbulent times’, to participants of the Senior Executive Course 38 at the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, near Jos, on Friday.

Pointing out that, “developments over the last two years show that these are not normal times by any stretch of imagination,” he noted that “the CBN has always tried to act in good faith, with the best available information and in cognizance of current economic conditions, to pursue the goals of price and financial system stability, as well as catalyse job creation and inclusive growth in the country.”

The CBN governor, in his lecture, stated that “when you have policies that people are praising, that means such policies are not really good, because the people praising the policies know that they can circumvent them.

“But if people criticise your policies, especially in Nigeria, such policies are good; the people criticise them because they know that they cannot circumvent them.”

He, therefore, urged that “we should remain resolutely committed to the course and be motivated by the achievability of our desire to strengthen the economic fundamentals.”

Emefiele also advised that when we stop importing toothpicks, stop eating imported rice cultivated with chemical, stop eating chicken imported and preserved with formaldehyde, then our economy will begin to grow.

He recalled that 20 years ago, “we had textile, groundnut pyramids, Cocoa with which the legendry Cocoa House was built and palm oil.

‘‘We also used revenue from agriculture to build our economy. But after we found oil, we abandoned all that for easy money.

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“Today, we are suffering the consequences. According to him, with the size and structure of the country’s import bills, it is apparent that we as a people cannot continue to depend on other countries for things that can easily be produced locally, adding that, by so doing, we are merely exporting jobs and importing poverty.

“How do we justify the importation of items like eggs from South Africa, beef from Zambia and toothpick from China?” he queried.

The CBN boss expressed worry why the country cannot put its own institutions in order so as to avoid the huge amount being spent abroad, adding that the best Nigerian professionals are found abroad.

Review Anti-people Policies, Sultan Tells FG

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The Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III yesterday appealed to the Federal Government to  review policies and programmes that are not in the interest of the people, noting that if policies do not work, there was nothing wrong in reviewing them.
The Sultan made the call in Abuja while speaking at a town hall meeting/policy dialogue organized by the Alumni Association of the National Institute of Policy and Strategic Studies (AANI) in collaboration with the Ministry of Information and National Orientation, with the theme:  “Towards effective implementation of the 2016 budget.”
He said that when policies and programmes of government are not achieving desired results, they should be reviewed and realigned in line with prevailing realities.
Abubakar admonished those in authority to be conscious of the fact that they hold power in trust for the people, stating that according to 1999 constitution, the primary objective of government is to ensure security of lives and property and promote welfare of citizens.  “Those in authority should appreciate the fact that they hold power in trust for the people. They should listen and be prepared to make policy changes that address the welfare of the common people. Change has been said to be constant. Therefore, there is no problem if government would review policies and programmes.
“If a policy doesn’t work there is nothing wrong in reviewing them. In my view, policies that are anti-people should be discarded and realigned in line with prevalent realities. Where Nigeria has critical problem is in the area of policy implementation.”
The Sultan added: “At times, changes come with difficulties, but it is important that both the government and the governed should accept with clean hearts that after the days of suffering, there would be days of rejoicing. If we get it right in the 2016 budget, every other thing will fall into place.”
The monarch applauded the different efforts of the present administration towards re-positioning the Nigerian economy in the path of sustainable development, stressing that all hands must be on deck in ensuring that government delivers on its mandate.
He, however, encouraged the federal government to utilize the enormous human resources available in the AANI in driving the country towards the path of desired economic progress.

Read More: Sunonline

Abduction Of Minors: NGE Seeks Strong Policies To Protect Rights Of Under-Age Girls

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The Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has called on the Federal Government to come up with strong policies to protect the rights of under-age girls in the country.

 

This is contained in a communiqué at the end of its 2016 first quarterly Standing Committee meeting held at the weekend in Abuja.

 

It said that the call became necessary due to the rising cases of abduction and abuse of minors nationwide.

 

“Government should adopt very strong policies that would protect the rights of children, and in particular under-age girls, in the light of the rising cases of abductions and abuse of minors across the country,’’ the guild said in a communiqué.

The communiqué is jointly signed by its President, Malam Garba Deen Muhammad and Assistant General Secretary, Mary Atolagbe.

 

It called for the immediate closure of all JAMB centres that lacked the capacity to ensure seamless conduct of its computer-based examinationss to ensure credibility of the exercise.

 

“The guild expresses serious disappointment over the poor conduct of the last JAMB computer-based examinations, describing it as a national embarrassment capable of truncating the destinies of future leaders.

“The guild, therefore, implores government to immediately halt the approval of centres that lack the capacity to ensure seamless conduct of such examinations.’’

It expressed concern over the state of the Nigerian media, stressing that the prevailing economic challenges had negatively affected the performance output of the traditional media.

 

“The guild further notes with concern that the media industry, like most other sectors, is suffocating under the prevailing economic challenges, which poses a threat to the survival of traditional media in particular and credible information dissemination.

“It, therefore, asks the government to review policies that impede the operations of the media in order to sustain democracy and avoid job losses.’’

 

Reviewing the state of the Nigerian economy, the guild urged government to fast-track the diversification process of the nation’s economy to prioritise on the development of the agriculture and mining sectors.

“The guild notes that the current economic challenges facing the country have made the need to diversify the Nigerian economy more compelling.

“It urges government to quickly evolve very clear and productive policies on mining, as well as make agriculture more attractive through the provision of soft loans and other incentives that would facilitate the development of the agricultural sector,’’ it stressed.

 

The guild passed a vote of confidence on its President, Garba Deen Muhammad and deferred discussion on the possibility of change in leadership of the guild following his appointment as Group General Manager (Public Affairs) Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation.

 

The guild also agreed that it would discuss the matter during the next Standing Committee meeting scheduled for between May and June.

 

The guild acknowledged the recent changes in the status of its leadership and unanimously agreed on a handover plan that will culminate in a change of baton at its next Standing Committee Meeting.

 

The meeting was attended by the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr Femi Adesina, in his capacity as the NGE’s former President and Fellow of the guild.

 

(NAN)

FG Will Encourage Self-Sufficiency In Food Production With Relevant Policies – Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari says his administration will implement policies that will revive Nigeria’s agricultural sector and reposition it as the mainstay of the national economy.

 

A statement by Mr Femi Adesina, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the President, said Buhari spoke when he granted audience to Bulgaria’s new Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr Vesselin Blagoer Delcher.

 

He said his administration would evolve and implement policies that would help Nigeria become self-sufficient in food production because continued importation of food could expose the country to more external shocks.

 

According to the president, the unbridled importation of food also contributes to the depletion of the country’s foreign reserves and deprives citizens of job opportunities.

 

‘‘We must produce what we eat. We don’t have unlimited resources to continue the importation of food that can be produced locally.

 

“Fortunately, some Nigerians have shown foresight by building factories that process agricultural products within the country.

‘‘They have created a value chain that boosts employment, protects foreign reserves and safeguards the economy from external shocks.

“We will do all that we can to encourage others to join in the efforts to achieve national self-sufficiency in food production’’, he said.

 

The President said administration would also help and encourage Nigerian farmers to adopt modern technology-driven methods that guarantee higher production and returns on investment.

 

Buhari also received Mr Paul Lehmann, the new High Commissioner of Australia, Hajiya Afsatu Olayinka Ebiso-Kabba, the new High Commissioner of Sierra-Leone and Thordur Aegir Oskarsson the new Ambassador of Iceland.

 

The president told the envoys that Nigeria would welcome the further strengthening of relations with their countries, especially in the areas of agriculture, solid minerals and trade.

 

He wished the envoys, who were at the Presidential Villa to present their letters of credence to him, very successful tenures in Nigeria.

 

(NAN)

Policies To Ease Business Transactions In Nigeria Out Soon– Buhari

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President Muhammadu Buhari has said his administration will soon introduce more policies to further ease the process of doing business in Nigeria. He disclosed this after a presentation on enhancing Nigeria’s trade and economic competitiveness at the Presidential Villa.

According to Buhari, the new policies will focus on increasing efficiency and transparency in government operations, and blockage of leakages from revenue-generating agencies.Buhari said his administration was fully committed to closing all loopholes in revenue generating agencies, increasing efficiency in trade facilitation and ensuring transparency in all government businesses to attract greater foreign direct investments into the country.

The president added that the Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), Ministry of Trade and Investment, Ministry of Finance and other relevant agencies will be encouraged to adopt some of the positive ideas contained in the presentation for implementation next year.

A representative of the company, which made the presentation, Mr. Lim Chee Boon, told President Buhari which virtually all the countries that implemented its solutions have successfully reduced corruption in their import and export processes

Credit: Sun