Press Release: VP Osinbajo Attends MSME Clinic Launch in Osogbo
Nigeria’s future economic growth will be driven by small and medium-sized businesses, according to Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN.
Prof. Osinbajo said this during the launch of the nationwide MSME clinic in Osogbo, Osun State on Thursday. He added that the Buhari administration will continue to support small businesses nationwide through its economic initiatives.
The Vice President further said that there are enough resources to go round if the country and its people use its resources well, while urging Nigerians to tap into the potential in their communities to create wealth through entrepreneurship and MSMEs.
“It is pleasing to know that over 4,250 participants registered to take part in this MSME clinic and that there are nearly 206 exhibitors across the ago-allied, manufacturing and retail sectors,” Prof. Osinbajo said.
According to the Vice President “The small business is the engine of growth of the nation. We are here today, and I have seen for myself all the progress that small and medium businesses are making.
“I am confident that if we work together on this initiative, the business environment for MSMEs in our country will certainly improve significantly and by extension grow the economy.”
Also present at the event was Osun State Governor, Rauf Aregbesola; the Minister of Health, Prof. Isaac Adewole; Chairman, Federal Inland Revenue Service, Babatunde Fowler; among other government officials.
Laolu Akande
Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity
Office of the Vice President
November 30, 2017
Press Release: President Buhari Set To Participate in Counter-Terrorism Meeting in Jordan
President Muhammadu Buhari will December 2-3, 2017, join other Heads of State in Aqaba, Jordan, to review strategies in fighting terrorism, and reinforce joint security structures that will be more proactive in preventing attacks.
Tagged, AQABA RETREAT, the meeting, hosted by His Majesty, King Abdullah II of Jordan, is expected to be attended by West African Heads of State, representatives of governments of 48 countries and a number of key Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs).
At the meeting, the President is expected to share Nigeria’s experience on terrorism and its spread across West Africa, with a view to soliciting more support for pre-emptive measures that will neutralise the activities of insurgents in the sub-region.
The Nigerian leader will also hold bilateral meetings with some Heads of State to strengthen relations.
President Buhari and his delegation will attend the official dinner to be hosted by King Abdullah II in honour of visiting Heads of State and their delegations.
The President will be accompanied to Jordan by the governors of Kogi, Osun and Niger States; the Ministers of Defence, Education, Foreign Affairs; the National Security Adviser, and the Acting Director-General of the National Intelligence Agency.
Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President (Media & Publicity)
November 30, 2017
Press Release: President Buhari, Five African Leaders Demand for Resolution of Togo’s Political Instability
President Muhammadu Buhari and five other concerned West African leaders have called for an immediate roadmap to pave the way for negotiations between the Togolese government led by President Faure Gnassingbe Eyadema and the opposition movement.
The urgent demand by the leaders came at a meeting to discuss the situation in Togo, which ended early on Thursday in Abidjan, on the sidelines of the African Union-European Union Summit.
The Presidents of Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Benin Republic and Guinea Conakry, attended the meeting with President Eyadema.
The West African leaders asked the parties in Togo to urgently negotiate, without ‘‘any preconditions’’, and resolve the impasse in the interest of the well-being of the country and the region at large.
Recall that President Eyadema had given himself a deadline of Friday to provide the basis and framework for negotiations in response to the increasing list of demands put together by the opposition movement seeking to oust him from power after 12 years as President.
His late predecessor and father, Gnassingbé Eyadéma, was the President of Togo from 1967 until his death in 2005.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President for Media & Publicity
November 30, 2017
Press Release: Instablity in Togo Could Have Devastating Regional Consequences – Presidents Buhari and Ouattara Warn
President Muhammadu Buhari and his Ivorian counterpart, Alassane Ouattara on Wednesday expressed concern that political instability in Togo, if not averted, could have regional consequences.
Both leaders expressed the view during a bilateral meeting in Abidjan on the margins of the 5th AU-EU Summit.
“We must have a solution in Togo. The friends of the opposition and authorities must talk to them on the steps to jointly take to achieve stability. They must work towards gaining the trust of each other.
‘‘There will be regional consequences for instability in Togo and this will surely come at a cost to development,’’ President Buhari said.
The Nigerian leader also had a separate bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel where the issue of stemming the tide of illegal migration of Nigerians to Europe took the front burner.
The two leaders agreed to strengthen legal migration and made a commitment to expand discussions on how to stem the tide of illegal migration.
On security, President Buhari told the German Chancellor that his government’s commitment to the security of lives and property in Nigeria remains absolute.
Reaffirming the nexus between security and job creation in Nigeria, President Buhari said prompt attention is being given to the gainful employment of youths in Nigeria through education and the acquisition of skills and vocational training.
He said Nigeria and Germany can draw from the experiences to cooperate effectively in the area of investing in youths for a sustainable future.
In her remarks, the German Chancellor appreciated the strides made by the Buhari administration in revamping the economy and promised to increase support for Nigeria in dealing with terrorism.
Merkel said 58 German companies are operating in Nigeria, adding that more companies have indicated interest to invest in the energy, manufacturing, agriculture and construction sectors.
President Buhari also had fruitful bilateral discussions with Ghanaian President Nana Akufo-Addo and the Vice President of the Gambia Fatoumata Tambajang.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity)
November 30, 2017
Factsheet On The Migrant Crisis Involving Nigerian Citizens
1). The Buhari Administration recognises the seriousness of the migrant situation, across West Africa, the Sahel, North Africa, Europe and the Middle East, and is taking steps to decisively address the situation. The President has described news reports of the enslavement of persons in Libya as appalling and unacceptable. Read the Statement featuring the President’s remarks, here
2). President Buhari has directed the constitution of a Committee of relevant Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and law enforcement agencies to address the issues.
3). President Buhari has assured that all Nigerians in Libya and elsewhere will be assisted to return safely to Nigeria. More than 5,000 Nigerians have returned home in 2017, according to NEMA. About 90 percent of them returned from Libya, and the remaining from Saudi Arabia. Repatriation is ongoing; a batch of 242 Nigerians arrived Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, at 9pm Tuesday November 28, 2017, and were received by government officials.
4). In line with the President’s mandate, on Wednesday November 29, Vice President Osinbajo chaired a meeting attended by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Minister of Justice, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Directors-General of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), National Agency for the Prohibition of Trafficking in Persons (NAPTIP), and the National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI). Watch a video of the Vice President’s remarks at the Meeting, here
5). The three agencies have been working with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) to resettle and reintegrate returning Nigerians. These agencies are also stepping up their education and sensitisation campaigns, targeted at vulnerable persons.
6). Nigeria’s security agencies are also collaborating to arrest and prosecute the local and international criminal networks responsible for human trafficking and enslavement.
7). The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is strengthening its engagements with concerned foreign governments, to ensure that Nigerian citizens are better treated and protected abroad.
8). On Wednesday November 29, on the sidelines of the 5th AU-EU Summit in Abidjan, President Buhari held a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel where the issue of stemming the tide of illegal migration of Nigerians to Europe took the front-burner. The two leaders agreed to strengthen legal migration and made a commitment to expand discussions on how to stem the tide of illegal migration.
Press Release: President Buhari Vows to Return Stranded Nigerians Home From Libya
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday night in Abidjan declared that all Nigerians stranded in Libya and other parts of the world will be brought home and rehabilitated.
The President while speaking when he addressed Nigerians in the Diaspora, vowed to reduce the number of Nigerians heading for Europe illegally through the Sahara Desert and the Mediterranean Sea by providing basic social amenities such as education, healthcare, and food security at home.
In an interactive session with members of the Nigerian Community in Cote D’ Ivoire, on the margins of the 5th AU-EU Summit, President Buhari said all necessary steps will be taken to stem the tide of illegal migration by Nigerians.
He, however, noted that it is very difficult to know the origin of the people who died, while attempting the perilous journey across the Mediterranean, because of lack of documentation.
“When it was announced that 26 Nigerians died recently in the Mediterranean, before they proved that they were all Nigerians they buried them.
“But the evidence I have from the Senior Special Assistant on Diaspora and Foreign Affairs, (Mrs. Abike Dabiri-Erewa) is that only three of them were identified as Nigerians. But I’ll not be surprised if the majority of them were Nigerians.
“For people to cross the Sahara desert and Mediterranean through shanty boats… we will try and keep them at home. But anybody who died in the desert and Mediterranean without documents; to prove that he is a Nigerian, there is absolutely nothing we can do,’’ he said.
Reacting to a recent footage on the sale of Africans in Libya, President Buhari said it was appalling that “some Nigerians (in the footage) where being sold like goats for few dollars in Libya.’’
‘‘After 43 years of Gadhafi, why are they recruiting so many people from the Sahel including Nigerians? All they learned was how to shoot and kill. They didn’t learn to be electricians, plumbers or any other trade,’’ he said.
On domestic issues, President Buhari told Nigerians in the Diaspora that there is ‘‘good news from home’’ in the area of security, economy and anti-corruption.
“We are not doing too badly in trying to secure the country, improve the economy and deal with corruption.
“We are doing our best at all levels including security. It is absolute madness for people to blow others up in markets, churches, and mosques. No religion advocates violence. Justice is the basic thing all religions demand and you can’t go wrong if you do it,’’ he said.
On food security, the President said that his vision of repositioning Nigeria as a food-secure nation is on course as the country is on the verge of attaining food security.
He attributed the development to positive agricultural reform programmes and bumper harvest occasioned by good weather.
According to the President, interventions through the Anchors Borrows Programme of the CBN and the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative, among others, had been very successful in the agricultural reform initiative.
“People have gone back to the farm. We got the CBN, agriculture minister and money was provided at very low interest to farmers and the farmers responded and it was very positive.
“We are lucky that we are in a position to feed ourselves. So we are going to have food security in Nigeria earlier than anybody ever thought,’’ he noted.
The President advised Nigerians in Cote D’ Ivoire to be good ambassadors in their host country, warning that the Embassy will not hesitate to repatriate those who tarnish the image of the country abroad.
Garba Shehu
Senior Special Assistant to the President (Media & Publicity)
November 29, 2017.