Buhari Archives — Page 2 of 2 — Business Bells

Business Bells

Tag: Buhari

  • Buhari Suspends Hadiza Bala Usman as NPA MD

    Buhari Suspends Hadiza Bala Usman as NPA MD

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the suspension of Hadiza Bala Usman as the managing director of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA).

     

    In a statement signed by Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, on Thursday, the suspension followed a recommendation by Rotimi Amaechi, minister of transportation, to set up an administrative panel of inquiry to investigate the management of the NPA.

     

    Buhari also approved the appointment of Mohammed Koko to take over while “the investigation is carried out”.

     

    The panel is to be headed by the director of maritime services in the ministry while the deputy director of legal in the same ministry will serve as secretary.

     

    Other members of the panel will be appointed by the minister.

     

    Bala Usman was first appointed as the NPA MD in July 2016.

     

    In January, President Muhammadu Buhari reappointed her as NPA MD, for an additional five-year tenure.

     

    She previously served as the chief of staff to Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, from 2015 to 2016.

     

    In 2014, she co-founded the Bring Back Our Girls campaign to advocate the rescue of abducted Chibok schoolgirls.

     

    Bala Usman is also a founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

     

    NPA recently launched Etó, an electronic truck call-up system, aimed at tackling the perennial logjam caused by articulated trucks within the Apapa ports corridor.

  • Buhari Lauds Olusegun Ogunsanya Over Appointment As CEO Airtel Africa

    Buhari Lauds Olusegun Ogunsanya Over Appointment As CEO Airtel Africa

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari has commended Olusegun Ogunsanya over his appointment as the new Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Airtel Africa.

     

    In a statement on Thursday, the telecom giant announced Ogunsanya’s elevation from MD/CEO of Airtel Nigeria to the new office with effect from October 1, 2021.

     

    Ogunsanya will take over from Raghunath Mandava, who will be retiring on September 30.

     

    Reacting to the announcement, Buhari described Ogunsanya’s appointment as commendable saying “the reward for hard work is more work”.

     

    Femi Adesina, the president’s special adviser on media and publicity, in a statement, said Buhari noted that the development shows that “the flag of Nigeria has been hoisted proudly across the African skyline once again”.

     

    Buhari said the appointment has once again proven that Nigeria has a surfeit of quality professionals, who can hold their own in any part of the continent, and even beyond.

     

    “President Buhari is sure that, with the cognate experience of the new MD/CEO for Africa, which spans consulting, banking, fast moving consumer goods, and telecommunications, he would acquit himself creditably in his new role, and repeat the strides that made him position Airtel Nigeria as the second largest telecommunications company by revenue, serving over 50 million customers,” the statement read.

     

    “He urges younger Nigerians to draw inspiration from Ogunsanya, saying with focus, dint of hard work, and resourcefulness, they would reach the peak of whatever careers they have chosen for themselves.”

     

    Ogunsanya is said to possess over 25 years business management experience in banking, consumer goods and telecoms.

     

    Before joining Airtel, he held roles at Coca-Cola in Ghana, Nigeria, and Kenya (as MD and CEO); MD of the Nigerian Bottling Company; and group head of retail banking operations at Ecobank.

  • Electricity: Buhari Orders Installation of 6m Prepaid Meters By June

    Electricity: Buhari Orders Installation of 6m Prepaid Meters By June

    The minister of state for power, Goddy Jedy-Agba, says President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered that six million prepaid meters be installed across the country by June.

     

    Speaking on Friday after inspecting the meter testing facility of the Nigeria Electricity Management Services Agency (NEMSA) in Enugu, the minister stated that the agency is mandated to ensure that meters imported into the country meet the expected standard.

     

    Recent data released, in February, by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) indicates that only 4,425,628 out of 11.8 million registered customers had been metered as of September 2020.

     

    ”I came to inspect what is going on and to know the position regarding the meter testing facilities we are going to have here in Enugu,” NAN quoted the minister to have said.

     

    ”I came also to see what has been done and the preparation toward commissioning of the office and I am satisfied with the plans so far.

     

    ”We import meters and our facilities here will be used to test the meters to ensure that they meet what Nigerians require. It is after the testing and satisfying our standards that the meter will be installed.

     

    ”This is an agency that is responsible for installation and the president has given them the mandate that 6,000,000 meters must be installed by the end of June.”

     

    The NERC had stated its plans to review the Meter Asset Provider (MAP) scheme as the deployment of prepaid meters to Nigerian homes suffers a setback.

     

    Despite the myriad of regulations put in place by different administrations over the years, most Nigerians have been on estimated billing, which is believed to be a means by the electricity distribution companies (DisCos) to allegedly rip off customers.

     

    Editor’s note: This story has been updated in view of new information that the president directed the installation of six million prepaid meters by June — not 36 million.

  • Buhari Leads Mo Ibrahim, Adesina, Okonjo-Iweala, Others to Lagos Economic Summit Ehingbeti Feb. 16

    Buhari Leads Mo Ibrahim, Adesina, Okonjo-Iweala, Others to Lagos Economic Summit Ehingbeti Feb. 16

    President Muhammadu Buhari will next week lead other eminent Nigerian, African and global leaders to the Lagos Economic Summit, Ehingbeti, scheduled to hold from Tuesday, February 16 to Thursday, February 18, 2021.

     

    The summit is living up to its repute as Africa’s most practical and result-oriented private sector-led forum for socio-economic and infrastructural development with the quality of speakers confirmed to discuss at the virtual summit.

     

    This year’s edition, with the theme: For a Greater Lagos: Setting The Tone For The Next Decade, has drawn about 150 speakers from across the world to discuss and deliberate on pragmatic optimisation of the inherent opportunities in Africa’s fifth largest economy and offer perspectives on how to manage the peculiar socio-economic landscape of Lagos State in the coming decade.

     

    Leading the array of speakers at the summit are the Founder and Chair of Mo Ibrahim Foundation, Mr. Mo Ibrahim; Works and Housing Minister Babatunde Fashola (SAN), Director General of the Budget Office of the Federation, Mr. Ben Akabueze; former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala; President of African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwunmi Adesina; United Nations (UN) Deputy Secretary General, Amina Mohammed and UNDP Resident Representative, Mohammed Yahaya.

     

    President Buhari; former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and British Higher Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing, will give goodwill messages.

     

    The Summit opening address will be delivered by the Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu will deliver the opening address, while his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and House of Assembly Speaker Mudashiru Obasa will lead the session on Strengthening Governance, Institution and Legislation.

     

    Other speakers at summit include Managing Director, Nigerian Breweries, Jordi Borrut Bel; Chief Executive of Centre for Values in Leadership, Prof. Pat Utomi; Academic Director, Lagos Business School, Prof. Yinka David-West; Director General of the Nigerian Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines And Agriculture (NACCIMA), Ambassador Ayoola Olukanni; Director General of Lagos Chamber of Commerce & Industry (LCCI), Muda Yusuf; Founder of Ebony Life TV, Mo Abudu; Founder of Terra Culture, Bolanle Austen-Peters; Director of Creative Arts (West Africa), British Africa, Miss Ojoma Ochai, among others.

  • WTO Job: Okonjo-Iweala Thanks U.S., Buhari, Nigerians For Support

    WTO Job: Okonjo-Iweala Thanks U.S., Buhari, Nigerians For Support

    A former Nigerian minister, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, has expressed appreciation to the United States, President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians for the support she has enjoyed thus far in her bid to become director general of the World Trade Organisation (WTO).

     

    Mrs Okonjo-Iweala took to her Twitter handle to show gratitude shortly after she was endorsed for the top job by the U.S. government Friday night.

     

    Since last year, President Buhari had been at the vanguard of the campaign for the emergence of Mrs Okonjo-Iweala as the world trade body’s DG.

     

    “Grateful for the expression of support from the US today for DG @WTO. Congratulations to Madam Yoo of Rep. Korea for a hard fought campaign,” she tweeted.

     

    “Thank You President Muhammadu Buhari @MBuhari &all Nigerians for your unflinching support.Thank you friends. Love to my family. Glory to God.”

     

    The United States government announced its endorsement of Mrs Okonjo-Iweala in a statement by its office of trade representative on Friday.

     

    “The Biden-Harris Administration also congratulates Minister Yoo Myung-hee on her strong campaign for this position,” the statement said.

     

    “She is a trailblazer as the Republic of Korea’s first female trade minister and the first candidate from Korea to advance this far in the Director General selection process.

     

    “The United States respects her decision to withdraw her candidacy from the Director General race to help facilitate a consensus decision at the WTO.”

     

    Indications emerged earlier on Friday that Mrs Okonjo-Iweala, a former finance minister and World Bank executive, would likely clinch the coveted post after her final challenger for the position, South Korean Trade Minister and candidate, Yoo Myung-hee, announced her withdrawal.

     

    Ms Yoo made the decision after discussions with the U.S. and other major nations, a statement from Korea’s trade ministry said on Friday.

     

    She also took various issues into account “comprehensively” including the need to revitalise the multilateral organisation, reports said Friday.

  • Don’t Blame Nigerians For Transparency Ranking, SERAP Tells Buhari

    Don’t Blame Nigerians For Transparency Ranking, SERAP Tells Buhari

    The Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project, SERAP has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to take full responsibility for Nigeria’s poor ranking on Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index.

     

    The CPI placed Nigeria as the second most corrupt country in West Africa with Guinea Bissau in the first position.

     

    In reaction, SERAP, in a statement on Monday, advised the President to stop blaming Nigerians for the report, stressing that his regime should see the ranking as an opportunity to raise its game to fight grand corruption and end the legacy of impunity in the country.

     

    The statement said, “We urge the government of President Buhari to take full responsibility and stop blaming Nigerians for the country’s poor ranking in Transparency International’s Corruption Perception Index (CPI), published last week.

     

    “Rather than looking for excuses, blaming Nigerians and attacking Transparency International, the government should see the ranking as an opportunity to raise its game to fight grand corruption, and end the legacy of impunity of perpetrators in the country.

     

    “According to Transparency International’s report, the perception of corruption has worsened under President Buhari. The 2020 Index scored Nigeria 25 out of 100 and named the country the second most corrupt nation in West Africa, raking Nigeria 149 out of 180 countries.

     

    “TI’s findings correspond substantially with the reality of impunity of perpetrators, as shown for example, by the persistent failure to obey court judgments, such as the judgment of Justice Idris which ordered release of spending details of recovered stolen assets since 1999.

     

    “The Buhari government is still failing to implement critical reforms, ensure transparency in the spending of security votes, and to address widespread corruption in MDAs, as documented by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.

     

    “Several former state governors accused of corruption are still not held to account. Yet, many of these governors continue to receive life pensions. Similarly, public officials still use political power to enrich themselves without considering the public good.

     

    “Authorities should take the report seriously and use it as an opportunity to raise their game in their efforts to rid our country of corruption and underdevelopment.

     

    “The government should obey court judgments, end life pensions for former state governors, stop corruption in security votes spending, and address corruption in MDAs, if Nigeria is ever going to improve on its global anti-corruption ranking.”

     

  • Buhari Appoints Auditor-General, FRC Boss

    Buhari Appoints Auditor-General, FRC Boss

    President Muhammadu Buhari has nominated Mr Aghughu Adolphus for appointment as the auditor-general for the Federation.

     

    The appointment according to a statement on Tuesday by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Babajide Omoworare, is in pursuant to Section 86(1) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

     

    Aghughu has been acting as the auditor-general since the retirement of Mr Anthony Ayine from service upon attainment of the mandatory retirement age of 60 years on 25th October 2020.

     

    The auditor-general designate hails from Edo State and holds a master’s degree in economics.

     

    He is a Fellow of the Association of National Accountants of Nigeria, Member of the Nigerian Institute of Management and Associate member of Chartered Institute of Taxation.

     

    He became an auditor in the Office of the Auditor-General in 1992 and was promoted to the rank of Director of Audit in January 2016.

     

    In a related development, the President has also nominated Victor Muruako for appointment as Chairman for the Fiscal Responsibility Commission in accordance with the provision of section 5(3) of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007.

     

    Muruako, a legal practitioner had served as the Secretary to the Fiscal Responsibility Commission and currently acts as the chairman of the commission. He is from Imo State.

     

    Both letters of nomination have been forwarded to the Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, for confirmation by the Senate.