Headline

Information minister promises rubost publicity for humanitarian affairs ministry

Published

7 months ago

October 4, 2023

The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Malam Mohammed Idris, has promised to ensure adequate publicity to the activities of the Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Alleviation.

The minister made the promise in Abuja when his humanitarian affairs and poverty alleviation counterpart, Betta Edu, paid him a visit.

Idris said the ministry would provide effective coverage for the ministry’s activities which he noted were targeted at addressing humanitarian crises and poverty reduction.

“The Social Register has been disputed in the past by state governors and many stakeholders. So, the first assignment of the humanitarian minister is to strengthen that document.

“The Social Register needs to be clean so that everyone will have faith in the document. The Register is very important because without data, planning becomes very difficult.

“Our job here is to ensure that every policy and programme of the government is publicised to ensure better understanding. Such good understanding will generate goodwill from the public.
“So, you have come to the right place. We have Federal Information Centres across the country and representation in the 774 local government areas through National Orientation Agency.

“The ministry also has the News Agency of Nigeria, Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria, Nigerian Television Authority and Voice of Nigeria.

“As a public institution, we have the responsibility to report government activities in the best, most honest, positive and transparent manner,” Idris pointed out.

The information minister said that President Bola Tinubu’s eight-point Renewed Hope agenda is rooted in the need to be truthful, honest, transparent and accountable.

“This commitment to the truth is what this ministry upholds.

“We are so happy with the way you quickly identified the need for this partnership. It is very important.

“I assure you that we will work with you to ensure that all your programmes are propagated to Nigerians.

“All hands will be on deck. We will continue to collaborate and engage with you all the way,” Idris said.

Speaking earlier, Edu said the reason for the visit was to build a partnership that would help propagate the programmes of her ministry.

She explained that Tinubu had made certain commitments through the eight-point agenda with food security and poverty eradication as top priorities.

“We need publicity; we need to win the confidence of the populace. We need to seal the communication gap between the government and the people it governs.

“We have about 16 million people that are affected by humanitarian crises. We have programmes to help alleviate poverty and build shelter for people affected by humanitarian crises.

“The programmes include Renewed Hope Shelter, Home Grown School Feeding Programme, Conditional Cash Transfer, Traders Moni, Farmers Moni, Market Women Moni, N-Power, and many others.

“As we go out for the implementation of these programmes, we want to work together with the agencies under your ministry, especially the National Orientation Agency, which has representations across the country.

“We want to run a transparent system that will tell Nigerians what we are doing. We need you on this,” Edu said.

Headline

EFCC bars dollar transactions, orders embassies to charge in naira

Published

3 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Desmond Ukafor

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has barred foreign missions based in Nigeria from transacting in foreign currencies and mandated them to use Naira in their financial businesses.

The EFCC has also mandated Nigerian foreign missions domiciled abroad to accept Naira in their financial businesses.

The anti-graft agency said the move is to tackle the dollarisation of the Nigerian economy and the degradation of the naira

The Commission, therefore, asked the government to stop foreign missions in Nigeria from charging visa and other consular services in foreign denominations.

The EFCC gave the advisory in a letter to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Amb. Yusuf Tuggar, for onward transmission to all foreign missions in the country.

In the letter, the EFCC said it issued the advisory because the practice of paying for consular services in dollars was in conflict with extant laws and financial regulations in Nigeria.

In a letter dated April 5, 2024, which was addressed to the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Yusuf Tuggar, titled: “EFCC Advisory to Foreign Missions against Invoicing in US Dollar,” the EFCC Chairman, Ola Olukoyede expressed dismay over the invoicing of consular services in Nigeria by foreign missions in dollars.

The EFCC cited Section 20(1) of the Central Bank of Nigeria Act, 2007, which makes currencies issued by the apex bank the only legal tender in Nigeria.

The letter read, “I present to you the compliments of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, and wish to notify you about the commission’s observation, with dismay, regarding the unhealthy practice by some foreign missions to invoice consular services to Nigerians and other foreign nationals in the country in United States dollar ($).

“It states that ‘the currency notes issued by the Bank shall be the legal tender in Nigeria on their face value for the payment of any amount’.

“This presupposes that any transaction in currencies other than the naira anywhere in Nigeria contravenes the law and is, therefore, illegal.”

The commission further stated that the rejection of the naira for consular services in Nigeria by certain missions, along with non-compliance with foreign exchange regulations in determining service costs, is not just unlawful but also undermines the nation’s sovereignty embodied in its official currency.

The letter continues: “This trend can no longer be tolerated, especially in a volatile economic environment where the country’s macroeconomic policies are constantly under attack by all manner of state and non-state actors.

“In light of the above, you may wish to convey the commission’s displeasure to all missions in Nigeria and restate Nigeria’s desire for their operations not to conflict with extant laws and regulations in the country.”

Diplomatic sources said yesterday, May 10, that some embassies were wondering whether the EFCC’s advisory represented the position of the Federal Government.

Headline

Prince Harry visits sick Nigerian soldiers in Kaduna

Published

3 hours ago

May 11, 2024

Alero Danjuma

Prince Harry and his team visited the 44 Nigerian Army Reference Hospital in Kaduna to interact with wounded soldiers who are receiving treatment.

The Duke of Sussex is in Nigeria with his wife to champion the Invictus Games, which Harry founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans.

Nigeria joined the Invictus Community of Nations in 2022 becoming the first African country to join.

Prince Harry’s visit to Kaduna came 68 years after his late grandmother Queen Elizabeth II visited the state during the time of the late Premier of Northern Region Sir Ahmadu Bello.