The event is part of efforts by the Tinubu administration to leverage international cooperation in delivering on the promises of the Renewed Hope Agenda.

Deputy Chief of Staff to the President (Office of the Vice President), Senator Ibrahim Hadejia, disclosed this at a press conference in Abuja on Thursday.

He said the vice president’s keynote address titled, “Delivering the Renewed Hope Agenda Through Enhanced International Cooperation: Imperatives, Opportunities and Challenges”, will set the tone for discussions at the forum aimed at laying the groundwork for the collaborative efforts that will propel Nigeria towards a future of enriched international cooperation.

According to him, the dialogue “is not just a ceremonial gathering, it is a strategic confluence of leaders and thinkers in government, the international development community and civil society, geared towards deliberating on how to advance the gains made in the first year of the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

READ ALSO: Tinubu inaugurates critical gas infrastructure projects, reassures investors

Senator Hadejia explained that the event would examine the work done by the administration in the past one year and the areas for consolidation.

“We have embarked on this path of economic revitalization, social empowerment and infrastructural development, while navigating the complexities of a rapidly evolving global space,” he stated.

Senator Hadejia added that the high-level dialogue would provide a comprehensive analysis of the government policy priority and delivery mechanisms that had been instrumental in translating that president’s vision into tangible results.

“This introspective analysis will enable us to celebrate our successes, learn from our challenges and refine our strategies moving forward.”

Making further inputs on the objectives of the high-level dialogue, Senior Special Assistant to the President on International Cooperation, Mr Dapo Oyewole, said discussions at the event would focus on how to strengthen international alliances to create a multiplier effect of the administration’s collective efforts.

He listed the objectives of the high-level dialogue to include to “articulate and deliberate on the policy priorities, delivery mechanisms, successes and challenges of the Renewed Hope Agenda in the past year and opportunities in the year ahead; highlight and discuss key areas where international cooperation between the government, international partners and investors can significantly catalyse the delivery of the Renewed Hope Agenda, and develop an Action Plan on how to leverage development financing and technical collaboration through international cooperation for enhanced and accelerated impact and achievement of the Renewed Hope Agenda.”

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Kalu thanked his colleagues for giving him unalloyed support as Chief Whip for four years.

He also thanked his colleagues who visited him while in prison.

Orji-Kalu said his election to the Senate gave him a better opportunity to continue to fight for a united Nigeria.

He stressed that he was not a thief before he took to politics, saying that he never lacked anything and could buy anything money could buy.

He said he brought money in 1997 and 1998 to fund and support the formation of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, before he became governor, stressing that he was never a thief.

He said those who put him in prison had their reasons to do so, adding that they also took over his businesses.

According to him, Nigeria was not fair to people like him.

He said he built factories and manufacturing companies to employ Nigerians and all he got was to be labelled a thief.

Present at the session were Vice-President Kashim Shettima; Sen. Oluremi Tinubu; Malam Ibrahim Hadejia; Deputy Chief of Staff to President Bola Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State.

Also in attendance were the Deputy Governor of Akwa Ibom, Dr Akon Eyakenyi and former Deputy Governor of Zamfara, Alhaji Hassan Muhammadu.

They were members of the ninth Senate, before their election into new positions on March 18.

The former lawmakers were ushered into the chamber following a motion to suspend Senate order as moved by Leader of the Senate, Abdullahi Gobir (APC-Sokoto).

Before the session, senators present were presented with certificates of service and a copy of the Legacy Report of the ninth Senate each.

Clerk to the National Assembly, Alhaji Sani Tambuwal, presented certificates to the Senate President, Sen. Ahmad Lawan, and Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege.

Lawan, in turn, presented certificates to other senators.

The senators thereafter took turns to reminisce experiences of their four years of service in emotion-laden tones.

Words of thanksgiving to God, commendations, love, apologies and admonitions formed the bulk of expressions of senators at the session.

Sen. Omo-Agege (APC-Delta), said it was a solemn moment as he was grateful and honoured to be elected deputy president of the Senate, saying that it was a rare privilege.

He commended colleagues for defying odds to pass the landmark Petroleum Industry Act, the Electoral Act, the Finance Act and for ultimately returning the budget cycle to January-December.

Omo-Agege thanked senators for their patriotic disposition and urged incoming senators to support the new leadership of the Senate that would be elected on June 13.

In his remarks, Shettima noted that debates at the ninth Senate defined Nigeria’s politics, saying the Assembly was leaving behind indelible memories to guide generations, successors and followers.

He said Nigerians would continue to need the services of members of the ninth Senate as they had served Nigeria in turbulent times.

He said the ninth Senate was a testament to the possibility that could transpire between the Executive and the Legislature, realising the fact that they were bound for the same destination.

Shettima said the Senate chamber would continue to bear memories of the lives the senators touched by serving humanity.

He thanked the Senate president for his leadership, patriotism and dedication to democracy.

He urged incoming senators to note that the “stability of Nigeria is superior to the stability of their pockets’’ and urged them to vote wisely on June 13 at the election of principal officers.

In her remarks, Sen. Tinubu thanked God for sustaining her as a three-term senator, saying that it entailed a lot of sacrifice to serve Nigeria.

She also thanked her husband, President Bola Tinubu, for his unflinching support and freedom to make contributions for the people, especially for women and youths.

She said God used her to make exploits in the Senate, saying she did virtually everything required as a lawmaker, sponsoring bills and motions that were signed into law.

She said a nation that young Nigerians would be proud of could be built given the crop of lawmakers that emerged from the Legislative to the Executive arm of government.

“It is not due to share luck that the president passed through the Senate before, so has the vice-president and myself; the president’s Chief of Staff, the deputy; governors and deputy governors.

“We can only say God is good.

“We need to give so much to this nation; this new administration beckons hope, and we have to make the necessary sacrifices which starts with the 10th Assembly,’’ she said.

Source: NAN

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The announcement was made on Friday in Abuja in a statement signed by Director, Information State House, Abiodun Oladunjoye.

Also, former governor of Benue State and immediate past Minister of Special Duties, George Akume, was named the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF.

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Suleiman Hadejia, an unknown football analyst based in Kano recently displayed high level of ignorance and poor hatchet job for his pay masters when he linked TotalPromotion with the brewing face-off between the new Interim Management Committee, IMC, and the club owners.

Apparently displaying the Biblical hand of Esau and voice of Jacob mentality, Hadejia lambasted the sports minister, Sunday Dare, accusing him of sundry issues including failure to foist Seyi Akinwunmi on the Nigeria Football Federation board during the Edo Congress and the creation of the IMC with his (Dare’s) kinsman, Hon Gbenga Elegbeleye as chairman.

Unknown to this errant boy, Dare is from Ogbomosho in Oyo State while Elegbeleye is from Akoko in Ondo State.

He also accused the minister of trying to bring back TotalPromotion, using Davidson Owumi as the contact point.

“Their mission is to use their money to play the more you look,  the less you see, then hoodwink people to believe in their fire brigade approach of abridged league,” Hadejia wrote. “After the fire brigade abridged league which he wants to end in May, he will force the NFF to retain Elegbeleye as the permanent chairman of the league before he leaves office on May 29.

“To achieve the agenda and for TotalPromotion to reclaim the TV rights, Owumi is bringing their money into the league by quoting unknown people as sponsors of the league using 200m carrot and stick to attract clubs to key into it.”

But it is obvious that TotalPromotion does not need Owumi in the IMC if he wants to claim the Title or TV rights which it bid for and won.

TotalPromotion also has the right to legally fight for its Title, if he chooses to go that way as it is already in court even before the concocted IMC and the shenanigans.

It is not for fun when the apex court, Supreme Court, described the LMC as fraudulent in its judgement this year.

But the irony of Nigeria Football is like an out of the ring boxing promoter will see his boxer. The IMC has failed to look at the facts before them in taking decisions. They have no iota of respect for law and state of law as it affects their actions and behaves like the ostrich which buries its head in sand while the rest of its body is vividly miles off.

IMC’s antic to hide names of sponsor/s, while announcing N10 billion naira partner that holds all their products under one roof for that sum is unbelievable. In today’s value of naira, the present COO of IMC had N3 billion in 2012 for Title right. At today’s naira value to pound sterling, the much flaunted 10 billion naira sponsor intake is far less than the naira value of One  billion naira per year that Owumi  got for just one product in 2012.

Owumi’s tenure as an elected Chairman of Premier League run by NFLL in 2012 had better value from deal on one of its products that was done in the open unlike  this dead of the night deal being attempted to be foisted on a public owned body.

The whole illegal pack of cards will fall soonest with just a single legal pin given that the foundation of the IMC  is built on quicksand.

It would have been better for the said Hadejia and some other football writers to read all facts and legal imperatives epitomised by court judgements and write facts that will advance and rebuild the worrisome structure of football which all Nigerians pray for.

The sacked LMC should stop distorting facts, because the reason they were kicked out of office today is the Supreme Court judgement and TotalPromotion was never  a party in that case.

Owumi literally went on his knees begging TotalPromotion in 2012 to deploy its contacts to get them sponsors. The outfit bid in an open exercise, paid billing fees for interested parties as published in papers, competed with GLO and won. Subsequently, it sold the right for N3 billion and passed the whole money to NFLL as TotalPromotion only owns the title.

Ironically Owumi who was the chairman at that time is trying to ignore the legal facts and conjuring names for same product with same ingredients.

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The Senate also urged the president to direct an investigation into the causes of the frosty relationship between Dr. Nasiru Ladan Argungu and his supervisory Minister, the Minister of State for Labour and Employment and the impact of such frosty relationship on the implementation of the federal government’s Special Works Programme.

The decision of the Senate to call the president to reconsider his decision against Argungu followed a motion to that effect during plenary by Senator Hassan Hadejia (APC – Jigawa North East).

The motion presented by Hadejia reads:

“Notes with concern, reports on the removal of Dr. Nasiru Mohammed Ladan Argungu as the DG, NDE attributed to a press statement of 8th December, 2020 issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu which indicates that the presidential directive on the removal of Dr Argungu as the DG, NDE on Friday, December 4th, 2020 took effect from Monday, December 7th, 2020;

“Notes further the controversies surrounding the removal of Dr Ladan Argungu as the Director-General, National Directorate of Employment (NDE) since the news of his removal began trending in the print and electronic media;

“Observes that while it is within the power of the president as the custodian of executives powers of the federal government to a point and remove such caliber of appointees, the presidential directive on the removal of Dr. Argungu as the DG, NDE gave room for speculations in many quarters that some unpatriotic people are scheming to undermine and disrupt the implementation of the laudable Federal Government’s Special Works Programme. This is also capable of creating needless and avoidable leadership crisis at the NDE at this critical time that the federal government intends to leverage on the NDE to address the issues of unemployment and youth empowerment in the country;

“Observes further that it is in the overriding public interest to reconsider and rescind the said presidential directive on the removal of Dr. Ladan Argungu as the DG, NDE to ensure leadership stability at the NDE for smooth implementation of job creation, skill acquisition and the FG Special Works Programme aimed at benefitting our youths, many of whom are unemployed and remain restless in the streets, nationwide.”

Speaking on the motion, the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, gave assurance that the National Assembly would continue to support the social intervention programmes of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

According to Lawan, the various intervention programmes by the federal government sought to reduce unemployment figures across the country.

His words: “My understanding of this motion is essentially to make the point that the Senate and, indeed the National Assembly, is in full support of the Social Public Works Programme.

“The recruitment of 1000 people in each local government, which comes to 774,000 slots across the country, is one that we are in total support of, and will continue to do so.

“We relate with people all the time and we know the need and imperative of such a programme, and this administration is doing well with so many social intervention programmes and, therefore, we will continue to support such programmes.

“I think the problem is the dislocation, if I may use the word, that the sacking of the DG would cause.

“The NDE successfully implemented a pilot Programme in six states under the leadership of the DG, and if there are rifts between the DG and his ministers, I think we should look at the benefits of getting this programme implemented and resolve the issues that may characterise the relationship.”

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