06062019 - NSECURITY: Danjuma, Lekwot, others take Nigeria's case to UK

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42 — VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 08152060944 What Buhari must t do differently now---La ---Lawy wyer ers By Henry Ojelu Creation of State Police should be his priority - Prof. Ojukwu, SAN A second term for President Buhari offers a great opportunity for him to write his name down in history as the leader that changed Nigeria positively. I dream of a Buhari regime that will tackle headlong the issue of security which has become the most challenging subject of governance. I hope the President will pay greater attention to this and “personally” take charge especially with the crimes of kidnapping and murders by herdsmen in parts of the country. In that wise, the President should as a matter of urgency, approve the principle of having State Police and support the necessary constitutional, legal and executive actions to make it happen. This should be treated by the President as most urgent. I am happy that the President has himself recently raised the amber on obedience to rule of law and court decisions. I will like to see the President’s executive orders on this and actual enforcement and obedience to rule of law by political and public service leaders no matter the status. We cannot survive as a democratic nation without adherence to rule of law, including the very important obedience to court decisions and independence of the judiciary. I commend the actions of government so far at stabilising our economy and building infrastructure across the country. I commend his government on the fight against corruption. But in this second term, I hope President Buhari will do more on these frontiers, improve employment opportunities for our citizens and reduce poverty, continue with greater impetus on the reconstruction of our decayed infrastructure and take more appropriate measures to really begin a real fight against corruption, especially on the fronts of re-orientation, education and community involvement. I pray that the President will appoint honest men with real capacity as his Ministers and other leaders to assist him focus on the enormous responsibility of governing Nigeria today and in so doing, do everything within the principle of merit to be sure every part of the country feel included in governance. Adoption of 2014 National Conference very vital - Ozekhome, SAN President Buhari, before the much awaited Election Petition Tribunal judgment must quickly take Nigeria out of the social, economic and political doldrums he and his APC government have sunk it. He should be more nationalistic in his approach to governance; less sectional, less partial, nepotic, cronystic and prependalistic. He should drop his stiff garb of suffocating military imperiousness and jackbootism and know that he is now supposed With the swearing in of President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term in office, opinions vary regarding how well he has fulfilled the promises he made to the country in his first term. While the President and his handlers believe they have delivered on key areas such as security, economy, infrastructure, power, employment and fight against corruption, critics and opposition elements describe Buhari’s first term as four years of empty promises. They point to worsening economic hardship, unemployment, kidnapping, killings in most parts of the county and decaying infrastructure as an indication of a failed administration. Many believe that Buhari’s scorecard fell short of the *Ojukwu, SAN *Ozekhome, SAN *Falana, SAN *Ubani *Ojo most important amongst them government solves security and is the vexed but overdue issue of electricity issues, that will be devolution of powers and fantastic. Even the first lady restructuring of the unworking raised alarm on the issue of Nigerian contraption, to become insecurity in the country. This a truly fiscal and federal system shows the extent and enormity of government. of the problems. to be a democrat, subject to due process of law, with the attendant democratic safeguards. Buhari should allow rule of law to flourish, learn to obey court orders and respect citizens’ cherished and inalienable fundamental human rights. Buhari must, as president of a whole nation, drop his 97 per cent/5 per cent bellyaching mantra and endeavour to be less divisive and vindictive; and treat all Nigerians equally and as one, whether they presumably voted for him or not. He must stop promoting the superiority, suzerignty and sovereignty of his ethnic group over and above the other more than 350 ethnic groups in Nigeria. He must give democracy dividends to the Nigerian people through the provision of adequate security (section 14 of the 1999 Constitution), robust economy and infrastructure development. He should think outside the box of how to fight corruption, as his performance in this regard has been woeful, selective, exclusionary and favoritism-based. Nigeria is more corrupt today than ever before (according to latest Transparency International Corruption Perception Index). Where corruption could be said to have been “democratized” by previous governments before him, corruption under Buhari has been greatly ”privatised” by a few high-headed cabalistic elements. Thus, corruption money, unlike before now, no longer circulate, or sip down to the common people. It has been hijacked, privatised and held down by the jugular by these few elements at the precincts and corridors of temporary power. More importantly, Buhari should dust up the over 600 groundbreaking recommendations of the 2014 National Conference scripted by 491 delegates from across Nigeria (wherein I was a Federal Government delegate, and voted “Cicero of the 2014 National Conference”) and implement them. Some of the Nothing will change under Buhari – Falana With a comatose economy, with insecurity and unemployment, with detention of citizens without trial, with disobedience of court orders and official impunity all over the place, nothing will change during President Buhari’s second term. Security and energy should be key focus - Ojo The paramount priority is security and energy. Once the government solves security issues, there is peace, security of lives and property, investors can come in with their investments and grow the economy and jobs for unemployed graduates. With electricity in place, industries will improve. This will drive the economy of the country. The manufacturing companies, tailors, vulcanisers and others will get something doing and they will be able to feed their families and pay school fees. Otherwise, restiveness will be the order of the day. Idle mind will engage in cultism, yahoo etc and will stretch the anti-graft bodies to breaking point. The government must as a matter of urgency, address these key issues. If the Fundamentally, the president should appointment ministers who have the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians at heart expectation of Nigerians, who bought into his change mantra. In this edition, Vanguard Law and Human Right sought the views of lawyers on what they think should be the focus of President Buhari second and what the president must do differently to meet the needs of the people. Those who shared their opinion include, Prof. Ernest Ojukwu, SAN, rights activists, Mr Mike Ezekhome, SAN; Femi Falana, SAN; Senior Law Lecturer, Lagos State University, Gbenga Ojo; former 2 nd Vice-President, Nigeria Bar Association, NBA, Monday Ubani; rights activist, Yemi Omodele and Executive Director, Cadrell Advocacy Centre, Evans Ufeli. Appointment of right persons as ministers key to development - Omodele Before and during the swearing in of President Buhari on May 29, 2015, expectations were high. However, few months after the swearing in, many Nigerians were a bit disappointed due to style of governance and the unexpected economic hardship. Despite these, Nigerians still elected him for another four years. Therefore, it is expected of the administration to correct the mistakes of the last four years. He should add more value and show concern for citizens, give priority to education at all levels, create an avenue to discourage wasting of government resources, sanitize all sectors of the administration in terms of corruption, make Nigerians smile about their take home, encourage more Nigerians to participate in agriculture, ensure the aviation sector works, ensure availability of petroleum products, among others. The president should appoint ministers who have the interest of Nigeria and Nigerians at heart. Inclusive policies and government is vital -Ubani On my expectations on the president on his second tenure, I wish him to address the issue of energy, roads, railway, unemployment, inflation, foreign exchange and interest rates in the economy. On security, decentralise the structure of the Police and ensure that crime is detected and fought with technology. On corruption fight, let him discover all the avenues through which the elite steal from the system and block them. They steal through security votes, local government funds and bogus award of contracts, he should stop them from using these methods. Furthermore, those who are caught stealing should be dealt with through a strengthened judicial system. On a final note, the president must run an inclusive government, reconcile the entire country through humane and inclusive policies that will propel growth for the country. He must address Nigeria’s problems with every sense of urgency all the time. Let him surround himself with technocrats with sense of patriotism to move the country forward. Wastage must be discouraged - Ufeli My expectations on Buhari’s second term are that he should deliver on the promises of democracy that he made to Nigerians. He has sworn to an oath for the second time even when he is yet to deliver on the economy, security and corruption as he promised in his first term under the change agenda. The president should improve on the security strategy of the country, develop a smart system through technology to address the situation and deploy the requisite incentives, welfare packages and equipment to the armed forces. In so doing, he would have created an enabling environment for farmers to return to their farms and traders will return to their businesses and displaced citizens can go back to their homes. This will revive the economy and production will increase and the informal sector of the economy will find its bearing and the citizens will once again come alive. While government succeeded in chasing the insurgents (Boko Haram) to a point, the resurgence of the herdsmen concomitantly threw the nation into turmoil and this hasn’t been addressed. Buhari must address this now. C M Y K
The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN) has called on small and medium enterprises (SMEs) to leverage opportunities offered by financial institutions in the country to grow the sector. Lagos State Coordinator, SMEDAN, Yinka Fischer, stated this at the maiden edition of Business Funding and Acceleration Summit for SMEs in Lagos. He explained that SMEs urged to leverage financial opportunities SMEDAN was set up to encourage small businesses in a bid to create job opportunities for the nation's teeming population as well as facilitate finance for SMEs development. Fischer urged SMEs to leverage the financial opportunities offered by financial institutions aimed at supporting businesses. According to him, most SMEs were not well informed about the financial opportunities available in the country. SMEDAN, Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN) and stakeholders in the financial industry convened the summit to explore financial opportunities for SMEs in the country. They noted that SMEs and the business community need support and encouragement to provide job opportunities and create wealth in the economy. In his remark, Director- General, MAN, Segun Ajayi-Kadir, said the summit was part of MAN's mandate to disseminate information critical to people and its members. Ajayi-Kadir who was represented by MAN's Director of Corporate Affairs, Ambrose Oruche, said the summit was aimed at bridging the gap between the funds available in the market VANGUARD, THURSDAY, JUNE 6, 2019 — 43 and the complaints by users who did not get those funds. He stated: "The plan is to get the fund providers and users in one forum to discuss how best to get these funds readily available for businesses to grow. It is going to be an annual forum to ensure that we bridge the funding gap for genuine businesses in the country." Also speaking at the event, an Assistant Manager in Bank of Industry (BoI), Mohammed Ismail, said there are many products accessible to businesses in the development finance institution provided the SMEs met the requirements. He noted that there were intervention funds by Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and other funds currently being managed by BoI available to existing and prospective businesses, adding that the bank was established to support genuine businesses in the country. BoI's disbursement sement to MSMEs up by 14.9% in 2018 By Yinka Kolawole The Bank of Industry (BoI) disbursed a total of N33.9 billion to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in 2018, representing an increase of 14.9 percent over the N29.5 billion disbursed in 2017. Chairman, BoI, Aliyu Dikko, disclosed this at the bank's recently held 59th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Abuja. He said that between January and December 2018, a total of N259.6 billion was disbursed by BoI to support the industrialisation policy of the federal government. This, according to him, represents an increase of N147.1 billion or 130 percent when compared to N112.5 billion disbursed to businesses in the 2017 financial year. Giving the breakdown, Dikko said that N33.9 billion was disbursed to MSMEs while the balance of N225.7 billion was deployed to support large enterprises. Speaking on the financial performance, he said that during the period, the group's total asset grew by 49 percent from N713.3 billion in 2017 to 1.07 trillion in 2018. The BoI boss further declared that the bank's total equity increased by 12.5 percent from N241 billion in 2017 to N258.3 billion in 2018, while profit before tax rose to N36.7 billion, indicating a 39 percent increase over N26.4 billion recorded in the previous year. Simple way to register your business with Corporate Affairs Commission Dikko said the management of the bank proposed N2 billion dividend pay-out, which was unanimously approved by shareholders of the bank. He said: "The bank's developmental impact profile and financial performance are fundamental indicators of our success." In his remark, Managing Director, BoI, Mr Olukayode Pitan, said the bank would continue its intervention programme in the various sectors of the economy. He said the bank facilitated the disbursement of N29 billion to 1.55 million beneficiaries nationwide through its flagship products such as TraderMoni and MarketMoni. This, he noted, is in partnership with the federal government with respect to its Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), a component of its Social I n v e s t m e n t Budgets & forecast for SMEs (1) Even though there has been considerable improvement in the appreciation of the peculiar nature of small & medium enterprise, SMEs, in terms of standard operating procedures, SOPs, most banks expect the small business owner to operate a semblance of formalization in their business approach. For the purpose of the topic of this discussion one of the SOPs a bank would require of any company that intends to access its business loan is the presentation of a credible budget, which includes a financial forecast. A budget and financial forecast assist you to meet your business goals. They are a future prediction of your business finances. Your bank would like to see the potentials of your business in terms of sustainability and growth, especially, its ability to generate enough cash to repay whatever loan that may be advanced to it. In other words, the bank wants to see the future of your business. Predicting the financial future of your business is not easy, especially if you're starting a business and don't have a trading history. However, forecasting and making adjustments frequently will enable you to become more accurate. So beyond whatever the bank may require it is in the interest of the business and the owner to see the future with a view to both motivate action today and navigate tomorrow's challenges. Monthly or weekly forecasts may be necessary when starting your business, experiencing rapid growth, or having financial difficulties. Regular forecasts allow you to closely monitor your finances and develop strategies to fix problems before they become major issues. Monthly or quarterly forecasts may be more appropriate for a stable, established business. Off course you will need to establish an annual budget which is a build-up of all the weekly, monthly and quarterly forecasts. Next week we look into the detailed content of a typical financial forecast. SMEDAN AN DG decries MSMEs’ attitude tow owar ards ds expor xport t drive The Director General, Small and Medium E n t e r p r i s e s Development Agency of Nigeria (SMEDAN), Dr. Dikko Umaru Radda, has decried the attitude of Nigeria MSMEs towards taking advantage of export windows due to poor quality of Nigerian products. Radda was speaking at the knowledge sharing session under the agency's Enterprise Network Initiative (ENI) programme held in Aba, Abia State. The DG was represented by the Director, Policy Partnership and Coordinaton, Dr. Friday Okpara. In a statement by Ibrahim Mohammed, Head, Corporate Affairs Unit, SMEDAN, it quoted Programmes (SIPs). According to him, the products were specifically aimed at providing soft loans at no interest rate to small entrepreneurs. He also said the bank was working with the federal government in the implementation of the N- Power programme, under which soft loans worth N15.34 billion were provided to 199,989 beneficiaries to purchase work-tools in sectors such as agriculture, health and education. the DG as saying ECOWAS, Asian, European and American markets as well as other African countries as yearning for Nigeria products. The Director- General noted that the quality of Nigerian products should be enhanced and the ease of doing business improved. Radda added that Nigeria MSMEs should explore the huge markets with its unique products and that the standards and specifications should be enhanced and improved. He also said labelling and packaging should meet international standards. "We should critically overhaul our strategy structure and system to be export ready," he added. The SMEDAN DG explained that ENI is based on a unique organizational model for the Nigeria sector, adding the initiative was apt given the present realities of the nation's economy which was in dire need of enhanced capacity to push her global competitiveness and inclusive growth.
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06062019 - NSECURITY: Danjuma, Lekwot, others take Nigeria's case to UK

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