**Says President Tinubu’s foreign policy drive boosting investors’ confidence*

 

Vice President Kashim Shettima said today that Nigeria’s strategic partnership with China needs to be scaled up, as it remains key to Africa’s development.

This, he assured, is in progress on the part of Nigeria, just as he said since assuming office, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has strategically tinkered with the country’s foreign policy to drive and boost investors’ confidence.

To augment this, the Vice President noted that President Tinubu has walked the talk by creating levellers for the ease of doing business in Nigeria.

The Vice President who is representing President Tinubu at the ongoing Belt And Road Initiative Forum in Beijing, China, stated this when he was hosted by his People’s Republic of China counterpart, Vice President Han Zheng, at the Diaoyutai State Guest House, Beijing.

He expressed profound gratitude for the warm reception accorded his delegation, noting that Nigeria and China, having celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations in 2021, must now take their destinies into their own hands.

Declaring that the rest of Africa stands to gain from a successful Nigeria, VP Shettima said, “Our mutually beneficial relationship will be further enhanced and upgraded to a comprehensive strategic partnership.

“Nigeria is China’s second-largest trading partner in Africa; it is the largest economy in Africa and the most populous country in the African continent. The Belt and Road Initiative is a big beautiful concept that can be deployed to achieve this”.

The Vice President drew attention to the burgeoning relationship between Nigeria and China, stating that both countries stood to gain mutually from their friendship.

On his part, Vice President Zheng assured his Nigerian counterpart of continued partnership with Nigeria, hinting that President Jinping’s meeting with VP Shettima would enhance political mutual trust, advance practical cooperation and better develop the bilateral relation between the two countries.

Vice President Shettima was later a guest at the State Banquet hosted by President Jinping and his wife, Madame Peng Liyuan.

In the meantime, attention and focus would shift to the opening ceremony of the Belt and Road Initiative Forum at the Great Hall in Beijing billed for tomorrow.

VP Shettima is expected to proceed to the National Convention Centre to deliver his Paper titled, “Digital Economy As A New Source Of Growth”.

A bilateral meeting with the Chinese President and Prime Minister of Pakistan is also on the VP’s itinerary, just as he and other members of his delegation will be presiding over meetings with management of top construction, technology, finance and communication giants in China.

 

*Stanley Nkwocha*

*Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media & Communications*

*(Office of the Vice President)*

*17th October, 2023*

President Tinubu Appoints New ICPC Management Team; Approves 90–Day Pre–End of Tenure Leave for Outgoing ICPC Chairman

In exercise of powers conferred on the President as established in Section 3(6) of the Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Act, 2000, and in furtherance of the Renewed Hope mandate to reform key institutions and invigorate Nigeria’s war on corruption, President Bola Tinubu has approved the appointment of a new management team for the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), pending Senate confirmation:

Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu — Chairman / Chief Executive Officer, ICPC

Mr. Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu — Secretary to the Commission, ICPC

The new Chairman of the ICPC is nominated for confirmation by the Nigerian Senate, following the President’s approval of the outgoing Chairman’s request to proceed on pre-end of tenure leave beginning on November 4, 2023, ahead of the expiration of his tenure on February 3, 2024.

The position of Secretary to the Commission does not require Senate confirmation and, therefore, by the directive of the President, the appointment of Mr. Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu as Secretary of the Commission takes immediate effect.

Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu has embarked upon many far-reaching reforms as the Attorney General of Jigawa State since September 2019 and holds Bachelors, Masters and Doctorate degrees in Law. He was also named as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria-designate in October 2023.

Mr. Clifford Okwudiri Oparaodu is a lawyer with over 30 years of experience and has served meritoriously in the public service as a Member of the Rivers State Judicial Service Commission and Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of Port Harcourt City Local Government Council.

The President implores the new management team of the ICPC to always be above board as they discharge their duties without fear or favour concerning all matters before them.

 

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

October 17, 2023

 

President Tinubu Condoles Ex–Senate President Lawan over Mother’s Death

October 17, 2023 in Latest News, Press Releases

President Bola Tinubu has condoled with the former President of the Senate, Senator Ahmad Ibrahim Lawan, over the death of his mother.

Senator Lawan’s mother, Hajiya Halima (Baba) Ibrahim, died at the weekend and was buried on Sunday in Gashua, Yobe State, in accordance with Islamic rites. She was 86.

President Tinubu described the late matriarch as a strong pillar of support, not only for Lawan and his siblings but also for others beyond her immediate family.

The President asked the former Senate President to find strength in the knowledge that Mama lived to an advanced age and to continue to cherish the good name she left behind.

“We thank God for the invaluable roles played by the deceased matriarch in raising exemplary children and for her tireless service to Allah and her community,” the President said.

President Tinubu prayed that Almighty Allah forgive the shortcomings of the departed elder and supply her family with the needed consolation in this difficult moment of grief.

 

Chief Ajuri Ngelale

Special Adviser to the President

(Media and Publicity)

October 17, 2023

 

PRESS RELEASE

NIGERIA’S FIRST LADY DECLARES 23RD NATIONAL WOMEN CONFERENCE OPEN

…Says Women’s Potential Are Boundless

… As Akpabio, Sanwo-Olu, Others Laud COWLSO

 

The First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, CON, OON, has declared the 23rd National Women’s Conference open, saying that women have the capacity to transform not only individual lives but also the broader landscape of our nation and the world if given the needed support.

Giving a Keynote Address at the Conference organised by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials, COWLSO, at Eko Hotel and Suites, Victoria Island on Tuesday, Senator Tinubu urged participants at the event to work together, collaborate, and support one another to ensure that every woman in Nigeria has the tools and opportunities to reach her full potential.

According to her, women have the power to shape the future as leaders, innovators, caregivers, and agents of positive change but must continue to break down barriers that limit their progress, challenge stereotypes, and foster an environment of equal opportunity for all.

The First Lady told women at the conference to remember that their potential is not just about personal success; but about uplifting families, communities, and Nigeria as a whole, hence the need to unleash their potentials and transform the communities.

She said “I call upon each and every one of you to embrace the theme of this Conference, “Unleash Your Potential,” not only for your benefit but for your individual States and the benefit of our beloved Nation.”

While delivering a Goodwill Message at the event, the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said that the theme for the Conference, “Unleash Your Potential”, is very apt in view of the current challenges that Nigeria is facing, as it underscored the need to be more intentional and determined in harnessing the innate abilities and capacities of women to drive the Renewed Hope agenda at the national level, and similar initiatives being implemented at the sub-national levels.

Sanwo-Olu maintained that the gathering of women under the COWLSO umbrella, represents an invaluable opportunity to explore the collective power and potential of individuals, particularly women, in the quest to build a Greater Lagos.

He acknowledged the many interventions of COWLSO in critical sectors such as Health, Education, Environment, and Youth development are impacting positively on the lives of Lagosians, revealing that COWLSO recently completed the construction of three-floor classroom building in partnership with the Lagos State Committee on Rehabilitation of Public Schools, (SCRPS), for students of Ogombo in Ajah.

The Governor urged participants at the Conference to be catalysts of positive change in their various communities, workplaces, and families, saying that together, we have the power to shape a future where every individual, regardless of gender, is afforded equal opportunities to excel and contribute meaningfully to society.

Other speakers at the event included the Senate President, Senator Goodwill Akpabio, and the Governors of Oyo, Ogun, and Osun who were represented at the event, lauded the various giant strides of COWLSO and the developmental projects already delivered by the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials.

Earlier, the Chairman of COWLSO and the wife of the State Governor, Dr. Mrs. Claudiana Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, acknowledged the First Lady of Nigeria Senator Oluremi Tinubu CON, OON for the massive support she continues to give to women and children, as well as the Senate President Senator; Godswill Akpabio, the Governors of Oyo and Bauchi States, Engr. Seyi Makinde and Abdulkadir Mohammed for identifying with the cause of women’s leadership and development in the State.

The First Lady who listed some activities of COWLSO under her leadership, reported that the Committee of Wives of Lagos State Officials had impacted lives through its various interventions in the education sector, Agriculture, donation to orphanages, seminar on sanitation, security, and safety for market leaders and stakeholders, senior citizens outreach with presentation of cash gifts and household items, just to mention a few.

According to the First Lady. The 2023 theme of the Conference “Unleash Your Potential”, is urging participants to take risks, face their fears, and push past their comfort zones in order to discover what they are truly capable of achieving. “Our focus is to bridge the gap between where you are presently and the place or position where you ought to be, where your potential is fully unleashed”, she added.

The COWLSO Chairman, however, remarked that unleashing one’s potential is a step one has to take with courage as anyone who fails to unleash his/her potential has robbed the world of valuable treasures.

 

OLUBUKONLA NWONAH

DEPUTY DIRECTOR, PUBLIC AFFAIRS

OFFICE OF LAGOS STATE FIRST LADY

October 17, 2023

PRESS RELEASE

SANWO-OLU MARKS WORLD FOOD DAY WITH LAGOS FARMERS, RECOMMITS GOVT TO FOOD SAFETY MEASURES

• Governor woos individual paddy rice farmers for immediate supply

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, on Monday, recommitted his administration to actions and interventions that would make quality food affordable and accessible within the State.

The Governor said the ongoing development of Food Security Systems and Central Logistics Park in Ketu-Ereyun, Epe, was part of the current interventions by his Government to ensure food affordability, stressing that the facility would help bring the food market closer to the consumers and scale down food prices.

Sanwo-Olu joined hundreds of farmers at Lagos Farm Fair – an event held at the Police College in Ikeja for the commemoration of the 2023 World Food Day.

The event with the theme: “Water is Life, Water is Food; Leave No One Behind”, was organised by the Ministry of Agriculture with the objective to promote awareness and action against hunger, and to highlight the need to ensure healthy diets for all.

Farmers from various Local Government Areas of Lagos, who were supported by the State Government through Lagos APPEALS Project, exhibited their produce at the Fair and offered reduced prices for bulk purchase of their crops.

As the State population grows, Sanwo-Olu said there was need for collaborative efforts and innovation to sustainably scale up agricultural production to meet demand, while improving food supply chain and security.

The completion of the Food Logistics Hub next year, the Governor said, would centralise the State’s food supply from the farm to the markets where consumers would buy at affordable prices. He said the facility was being developed with capacity for long-term storage to reduce waste and loss.

He said: “It is another year of commemoration of the World Food Day. For us in Lagos, it is to celebrate and appreciate our resilient farmers, while also bringing up a conversation on need to begin to ensure that food is affordable and accessible. It is important to note that the current economic situation has made the prices of food to go up, but I believe with deliberate interventions that will bring the market closer to the consumers, we can help to bring down the food prices.

“As part of our efforts, we are currently building the largest Food Logistics Hub in West Africa in addition to middle level markets we are opening across the State. By this time next year, we would have completed the first phase of the project. The Logistics Food market will be the central hub through which all farm produce will come into Lagos. The facility has cold and dry storages from which food will be supplied to the middle-level markets and where products go to the retail shops.”

Sanwo-Olu said the Logistics Hub was part of a “robust, integrated” plan of his administration to ensure food adequacy and sufficiency. Other initiatives, he said, focused on equipping farmers to raise productivity, and supporting the market in order to make food affordable for the end consumers.

The Governor said despite the deficiency of land in Lagos, the State had been showing the way in urban farming in areas, such as aquaculture, piggery, fishing, poultry, vegetable and fruits production. He reiterated his commitment towards providing infrastructure and creating incentives for farmers to meet residents’ nutritional needs.

In spite of the collaboration with some key agrarian States for paddy rice supply, Sanwo-Olu said the Lagos-owned Imota Rice Mill hardly received adequate paddy rice from its suppliers to meet production capacity. He called on independent paddy rice farmers to collaborate with Lagos in order to sustain the rice production.

“Farming is an important component of our Government’s activities. We need to grow what we eat, and eat what we grow. While we have collaborated with some major agricultural states within the country, we are also looking for independent paddy rice farmers across the federation to raise paddy supply to Lagos Rice Mill. We need a lot of paddies to meet up with production capacity. It doesn’t matter the tonnage of paddy rice they have, we are ready to take it up. This is calling on paddy growers across the country to key into this opportunity,” he said.

Commissioner for Agriculture, Ms. Abisola Olusanya, noted the event was held in the wake of critical food security issues facing the country and which required “urgent” actions to scale up food production across the various value chains.

She said the Farm Fair would encourage action on food insecurity, promote production and consumption of safe food, which would have an immediate and long-term benefit on the people, the planet and the economy.

“Not only is Lagos playing frontline role in the aqua farming industry, we are also key players in production of other crops and edible produce. This year’s commemoration of World Food Day is to come out and encourage our farmers, and create a platform for them to be aware of all the incentives and interventions we have created for them,” the Commissioner said.

 

SIGNED

GBOYEGA AKOSILE

CHIEF PRESS SECRETARY

16 OCTOBER 2023