Category: Leadership & Diplomacy

The House of Representatives of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has concluded voting on 33 major bills to amend several parts of the Nigerian constitution.

Bill 1: Members of the Council of States To Include former Senate President & House of Reps Speakers as members
Yes: 274
No: 6
Abstain: 2

Bill 2: Reduction of Authorization of expenditure Before Budget Passage from 6 to 3 months
Yes: 295
No: 0
Abstain: 0

Bill 3: Devolution of Powers to States
Yes: 210
No: 71
Abstain: 0

Bill 4: Financial Autonomy for State Legislature
Yes: 286
No: 10
Abstain: 1

Bill 5: Financial Autonomy to LGAs
Yes: 291
No: 12
Abstain: 1

Bill 6: Democratic Existence, Funding and Tenure of LGAs
Yes: 285
No: 7
Abstain: 1

Bill 7: State creation and boundary adjustment
Yes: 166
No: 125
Abstain: 3

Bill 8: Immunity for legislators for Words Spoken in Chamber or in Committee Meetings in Course of Duty
Yes: 288
No: 10
Abstain: 1

Bill 9: Political Parties and Electoral Matters: Time to conduct Bye Elections and Power to deregister parties
Yes: 293
No: 2
Abstain: 1

Bill 10: Presidential Assent To Constitution Amendment Bill
Yes: 248
No: 28
Abstain: 4

Bill 11a: Time frame for submission of names of ministerial nominees
Yes: 248
No: 46
Abstain: 1

Bill 11b: Submission of Ministerial Nominees with their Portfolios
Yes: 248
No: 46
Abstain: 1

Bill 11c: 35% affirmative action for women as ministers
Yes: 248
No: 46
Abstain: 1

Bill 11d: Submission of Commissioners Nominees with their Portfolios
Yes: 248
No: 46
Abstain: 1

Bill 11e: Submission of names of office of commissioners shall be attached with portfolio
Yes: 248
No: 46
Abstain: 1

Bill 11f: 35% Affirmative action for women as States Commissioners
Yes: 248
No: 46
Abstain: 1

Bill 12: Appointment of Minister from the FCT
Yes: 191
No: 21
Abstain: 3

Bill 13: Change of names of some LG councils: Ebonyi, Oyo, Ogun, Plateau and Rivers
Yes: 220
No: 57
Abstain: 8

Bill 14: Independent Candidacy
Yes: 275
No: 14
Abstain: 1

Bill 15: The Nigeria Police Force to become Nigerian Police
Yes: 280
No: 9
Abstain: 1

Bill 16: Restriction of the Tenure of Presidents and Governors
Yes:292
No: 3
Abstain: 3

Bill17: Separation of office of Accountant General of the Federal Government from Accountant General of the Federation
Yes:274
No: 23
Abstain: 2

Bill 18: Financial Independence for Office of Auditor of Federation/State
Yes: 289
No: 11
Abstain: 0

Bill 19: Separation of Office of the Attorney General of the Federation/State from the office of Minister/Commissioner of Justice
Yes: 234
No: 58
Abstain: 3

Bill 20: Submissions from the Judiciary
Yes: 265
No: 6
Abstain: 7

Bill 21: Determination of pre-election matters
Yes: 288
No: 3
Abstain: 1

Bill 22: Consequential Amendment on Civil Defence
Yes: 293
No: 2
Abstain: 1

Bill 23: Citizenship and indigeneship
Yes: 208
No: 78
Abstain: 2

Bill 24: Procedure for Overriding Presidential Veto in Constitutional Alteration
Yes: 271
No: 20
Abstain: 0

Bill 25: Removal of law making power from Executive Arm.
Yes:
No:
Abstain:

Bill 25: Part (1): Removal of NYSC, National Security Agencies, Public Complaints Commission Acts from the Constitution
Yes: 209
No:47
Abstain: 5

Bill 25 Part 2: Removal of Land Use Act from Constitution
Yes:139
No:148
Abstain:4

Bill 26: Investment and Securities Tribunal
Yes: 270
No: 12
Abstain: 2

Bill 27: Reduction of Age for Election
Yes: 261
No: 23
Abstain: 2

Bill 28: Authorization of expenditure time frame for laying Appropriation bill, Passage, etc.
Yes: 252
No: 7
Abstain:2

Bill 29: Deletion of the National Youth Service Corps decree from CFRN
Yes: Rejected
No:
Abstain:

Bill 30: Deletion of Public Complain Act from CFRN.
Yes: Rejected
No:
Abstain:

Bill 31: Deletion of National Security Agencies from the CFRN
Yes: Rejected
No:
Abstain:

Bill 32: Deletion of State Independent Electoral Commission (SIEC) from CFRN
Yes: 229
No: 51
Abstain: 1

Bill 33: Inclusion of Section 141 of Electoral Act into the Constitution
Yes:241
No:16
Abstain:1

Winners have emerged in the 2017 BusinessDay States Competitiveness and Good Governance Awards held at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja.

• Fastest Growing State economy award – Kano State

Based on noticeable increase in its IGR, expanding business opportunities and rising confidence among investors across the state.

• Best State in Tourism Award – Osun State

Based on its consistent successes in hosting the annual Osun Osogbo festival.

• The most improved in healthcare development – Ebonyi State

Governor David Umahi’s administration was commended for channeling the resources of the state to build the first virology centre for the entire south eastern region.

• Transparency in Governance award – Jigawa State

The Award Committee based its decision on full disclosure of the contracts awarded, their costs, contractors and the level of performance of each project.

• The most improved state in rural and urban development – Enugu and Edo states
• Best state promoting made in Nigeria goods and SME development award – Abia State

This campaign earned entrepreneurs in Abia state about ₦1 billion in revenue in the last fiscal year. Governor Okezie Ikpeazu was highly commended for promoting made in Nigeria goods.

• The most improved state in ease of doing business – Kaduna State

Since he assumed office, Mallam El Rufai introduced a number of measures that have seen all the government agencies improved remarkably in addressing investors’ concerns and this has led to a number of new investments being injected into the state.

• Agricultural development award – Benue State
• Housing development award – Ogun State
• The most improved states in education development for the southern and northern regions respectively – Imo and Sokoto states

Apart from being the state with the highest enrolments into tertiary institutions in the country, Imo State has maintained the top five positions by WAEC ranking among the states of the federation. On its part, Sokoto State has embarked on massive reforms of the education sector, starting with the highest budgetary allocation to that sector.

• The most improved states in peace and security – Gombe and Plateau states

According to Frank Aigbogun, publisher/CEO BusinessDay:

“As the leading business and financial newspaper in West Africa, our aim is to encourage state governments and public officials generally, to see governance as a serious business, so that our scarce resources can be judiciously used with a view to making Nigeria a better place for all.

There is no doubt that since the good governance awards debuted, we have seen a lot of improvements in governance across the states. Starting with increasing internally generated revenue (IGR), robust official websites that help public officials disseminate information better; timely disclosures of government finances, especially with regards to the awards of contracts, and so on.”

Esther Agbarakwe, Aminu Waziri Mohammed and Usman Muhammad have been honoured with Crans Montana Forum of New Leaders of Tomorrow award [2017] for their outstanding professional achievement.

The Forum, which is domiciled in Switzerland consists of a unique community of young leaders from Africa, the Arab World, far Eastern Europe, Central Asia, South-America and far East that were selected for their exceptional professional achievement and leadership experience in businesses and governments.

Continue reading 2017 Crans Montana Forum Of New Leaders Of Tomorrow Award

Yuonov Frederick Agah has been reappointed as Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for another four-year term; resuming his second term at the WTO headquarters in Geneva on October 1 till September 30, 2021. Mr. Agah was first appointed as Deputy Director-General of WTO in 2013 for a four-year term, which he assumed on October 1 that year.

The 164-member countries’ organisation is the only global international body that deals with the rules of trade between nations to help producers of goods and services, exporters, and importers to conduct their business.

Mr. Agah was appointed as Nigeria’s Ambassador to the WTO in 2005.

In that capacity, he served as the Alternate Chief Negotiator for the Doha Round and Head of Nigeria’s Trade Office to the WTO in the Permanent Mission of Nigeria to the United Nations Office in Geneva.

The Trade Office is responsible for Nigeria’s participation in Geneva-based trade-related international organisations,, particularly the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the World Intellectual Property Organisation, the International Trade Centre and the WTO.

The WTO deputy chief served as Chair to WTO’s General Council in 2011.

He was responsible for organising the Eighth WTO Ministerial Conference, which was acknowledged to be successful in spite of prevailing stalemate in the Doha Round.

He also served as Chair of the Dispute Settlement Body in 2010 and the Council for Trade in Services in 2009.

He was also the chair of the Trade Policy Review Body in 2008, the Council for Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights in 2007, and the Council for Trade in Goods in 2006.

He chaired the Council for the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights – an international legal agreement between all the member nations of the – Special Session, in 2013.

Mr. Yuonov Frederick Agah had previously worked as a lecturer at Kaduna Polytechnic, Kaduna State from 1979 to 1981 and Senior Features Writer/Circulation Manager, Benue Printing and Publishing Corporation from 1982 to 1984.

Professor Lawrence Folajimi Awosika, has been re-elected as Chairman of the United Nation’s Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) [2017].

Professor Lawrence Folajimi Awosika polled 154 out of 157 votes to emerge Chair of the prestigious 21-person UN scientific body.

Continue reading Lawrence Folajimi Awosika Is Re-Elected UNCLCS Chairman [2017-22]

Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) awards Dika Odum, who graduated with an MSc in Energy and Environmental Management in 2015 as the Alumnus of the Year 2017 for the significant career achievements and charitable work he has undertaken since graduating.

Dika Odum is currently Managing Director of Kherithdum Limited, a company based in Nigeria offering management consultancy and cooperate training services in the areas of environmental management, energy efficiency, human resource management, finance, business administration, project management and health and safety.

Dika was involved in organising Anambra state’s participation in 2016, for the first time, in World Environment Day, established by the United Nations in 1972. He also initiated a project to encourage children in Nigeria to get involved in contributing to environmental sustainability at an early age. He spoke to over 1,500 children on climate change, reuse, recycling and the need to go green.