Columns

Tinubu’s Effort To Shift Blame For Bad Governance To Governors, Deceitful

Published

2 months ago

September 20, 2024

Spread the love

The 1st to 10th August 2024 End Bad Governance Nation – wide protest put tremendous pressure on President Tinubu, and exposed the failures of his administration.

The protesters demanded that the President must tell the nation how he intended to improve the deplorable state of the economy, and the ever-growing insecurity to life and property. They insisted that the President must change his extravagant lifestyle, reduce the size of his cabinet, and cut back on the cost of government. Unable to address these concerns, the President became unduly defensive and belligerent. He began to blame others for his own failures. The state governors were his favorite scapegoats.

In order to cement his accusations against the governors, Tinubu posited that they have all the money they need to develop their states if they wanted to.

According to the President, the N2.4 trillion Federal Government allocation which he approved for state governors between January and June 2024 was the largest ever in history. In addition to this allocation which translates to N431 billion monthly per state, the President announced that he gave each state an additional N570 billion.

Unfortunately, both of the generous funds which Tinubu claimed he has made available to the governors are fallacious misrepresentations.

Consider the facts: Given Nigeria’s 35% rate of inflation and the value of the naira which has depreciated by over 300% (450 to 1 dollar in 2022, and 1,500 to 1 dollar in 2024), the N2.4 trillion allocated to states from January to June 2024 is in reality less valuable than the N1.788 trillion six months Federal Government allocation to states by President Buhari in 2022.

In order for governors as alleged by Tinubu to be able to achieve similar developmental goals they achieved with N1.788 trillion (for six months, and N298 billion per month) in 2022, they would require N8.4 trillion, (six months), not N2.4 trillion. And for their monthly allocation they would require N1.508 trillion monthly, not N431 billion. Clearly the governors have less revenue to work with today, not more as alleged by Tinubu.

Disingenuous as the N2.4 trillion allocation issue is, the President’s other claim of providing an additional N570 billion to each state is even more egregious. Simply put, on the matter of the N570 billion additional funds, the president lied to the nation. As Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and other governors have explained and as the World Health Organization (WHO) records show, the said N570 billion was a World Bank Intervention Fund for COVID Recovery. The States have already spent their own money for the purpose of fighting the impact of the COVID pandemic on behalf of the World Health Organization (WHO), and were merely refunded through their Federal Government. This was how WHO refunded states all over the world.

President Tinubu mustaccept the responsibility for the myriads of problems which his policies and actions have brought upon Nigeria instead of blaming state governors. After all he has said that the buck stops with him as President.

It was his ill-conceived decision to remove fuel subsidies which has virtually brought the economy to its knees. His devaluation of the naira has led to an astronomical increase in the cost of living. Food and every day household items are becoming increasingly unaffordable. His draconian tax policies are creating a crisis of unemployment as companies are going bankrupt and others are relocating out of Nigeria. The instability of the economy is keeping foreign investors away from our shores.

True, about 60% of Nigerian governors are performing very poorly. Unfortunately for the country, these wasteful, greedy and unethical governors’ model themselves after the President; the nation’s leader. But even these unreliable governors cannot be held responsible for the state of the economy and the state of the country’s security as both critical areas of government are controlled from the center.

It is the Federal Government which coordinates the country’s economy by receiving revenue from states and redistributing it to them through the Federal Government’s distribution formula. It is not the Governors who control the Federation Account.

And it is the Federal Government which is responsible for the nation’s security through its control of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force as well as the police, not state Governors. Whether he likes it or not, President Tinubu has to be held responsible for Nigeria’s worsening economy and disastrous security situation.

Also, President Tinubu cannot blame Governors for the aspect of bad governance which is reflected in his obnoxious lifestyle. He has only himself to blame if Nigerians condemn him for prioritizing his 150-billion-naira jet, his N1 billion cardilac, his N5 billion yacht, the N21 billion vote for refurbishing his Vice President’s lodge and several billion Naira approved for the First Lady’s travels over Education, Health, Transportation and agriculture.
Dr. Adetokunbo Pearse, PhD. Public Affairs Analyst and Convener Reset Lagos PDP and member PDP National Presidential Campaign Council (2023).

Columns

Israel’s Katz says Iran nuclear sites ‘exposed’ to strikes

Published

9 hours ago

November 12, 2024

Ekwutos Blog

Iran continues to develop enriched uranium in defiance of international demands © Farzaneh Khademian/dpa/picture alliance

Spread the love

Israel’s new defense minister, Israel Katz, has hinted that Israel has an “opportunity” to target Iran’s nuclear program. He has also told military officials there will be no cease-fire with Hezbollah.

Israel will continue to hit Hezbollah with “full force,” says Israel’s defense minister The UN’s humanitarian agency says Israel often denied access to northern Gaza last month Gaza medical officials say at least 14 have been killed in Israeli strikes in the Palestinian territory on Tuesday Israel’s military says four of its soldiers have died in fighting in northern Gaza

This is a roundup of the latest developments in the conflicts in the Middle East on November 12, 2024.

Iran’s nuclear sites ‘more exposed than ever,’ says Israel’s Katz

Newly appointed Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz told military officials on Monday that Iran was “more exposed than ever to strikes on its nuclear facilities”.

“We have the opportunity to achieve our most important goal — to thwart and eliminate the existential threat to the State of Israel,” Katz added on X, formerly Twitter.
https://twitter.com/Israel_katz/status/1856076850352504875?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856076850352504875%7Ctwgr%5Eeb0144dbf162d244c87aeea163c5f7488536c948%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dw.com%2Fen%2Fisrael-s-katz-says-iran-nuclear-sites-exposed-to-strikes%2Flive-70761116

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Iran is rapidly advancing its nuclear program, and is continuing to increase stockpiles of uranium enriched to weapons grade levels in defiance of international demands.

IAEA head Rafael Grossi has warned that Iran possess enough uranium enriched to near- weapons-grade levels to make “several” nuclear bombs if it chose to do so.

Iran claims it’s nuclear program is for peaceful purposes.

The always tense relations between Israel and its regional archenemy have recently worsened further amid tit-for-tat missile strikes.

Iran twice fired missiles directly on Israeli territory this year, drawing responses in kind from Israel.

No cease-fire with Hezbollah: Israeli defense minister

Israel’s new defense minister, Israel Katz, says he told military officials on Monday that there would be no cease-fire in Lebanon until “the goals of the war are achieved.”

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Katz wrote that he had told the General Defense Forum that “offensive activity should be continued in order to … realize the fruits of victory.”

“In Lebanon there will be no cease-fire and there will be no respite,” the post said.

https://twitter.com/Israel_katz/status/1856219485469839367?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856219485469839367%7Ctwgr%5Eeb0144dbf162d244c87aeea163c5f7488536c948%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dw.com%2Fen%2Fisrael-s-katz-says-iran-nuclear-sites-exposed-to-strikes%2Flive-70761116

Israeli leaders on Monday seemed to send mixed signals on the possibility of a cease-fire in Lebanon.

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, who this week replaced Katz in the Foreign Ministry, said Israel was “working with the Americans on the issue,” reporting “a certain progress.”

Israel has escalated its hostilities against Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah militia since late September, beginning a ground offensive on September 30 after a previous campaign of intense airstrikes.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has been carrying out attacks on Israel since Israel began an offensive in Gaza against Hezbollah ally Hamas in response to deadly raids by the Palestinian militants in southern Israel on October 7, 2023.

Israeli army says 4 soldiers killed in northern Gaza

The Israeli army said on Tuesday that four of its soldiers had been killed in figthing in the northern Gaza Strip, where it has been carrying out a major offensive.

All four “fell during combat in the northern Gaza Strip” on Monday, a statement said.

The deaths bring to 376 the total number of Israeli soldiers killed in the Palestinian territory since the start of ground operations against Hamas militants in October last year.

Some 43,500 Palestinians have been killed during the campaign, according to health officials in Hamas-run Gaza. That figure does not distinguish between civilians and militants.

Israeli strikes in Gaza kill at least 14, officials say

Palestinian medical officials said two Israeli strikes in Gaza late on Monday and early on Tuesday have killed at least 14 people, including two children and a woman.

At least 11 people, including two children, died in a strike on the so-called Muwasi humanitarian zone west of Khan Younis, according to officials at Nasser Hospital.

Al-Awda Hospital officials say three people, including a woman, were killed in another strike that hit a house in Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza.

Israel hindering aid to northern Gaza, UN says

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, known as OCHA, says most of its bids to coordinate aid convoys and humanitarian visits to northern Gaza last month were denied or impeded by Israel.

OCHA says it made 98 requests for authorization to enter the war-stricken zone but only 15 made it through.

A spokesperson said Ocha was “worried about the fate of Palestinians remaining in North Gaza as the siege there continues, and urgently calls on Israel to open up the area to humanitarian operations at the scale needed, given the massive needs.”

Residents of northern Gaza are at risk of acute hunger as Israel carries out a major offensive therethat it says aims to prevent Hamas militants from regrouping.

Columns

BOI to conduct Survey about N50,000 Federal Government Grant- FG

Published

14 hours ago

November 12, 2024

Ekwutos Blog

BOI to conduct Survey about N50,000 Federal Government Grant- FG

Spread the love

The survey is related to the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme (PCGS), a federal government initiative aimed at empowering nano businesses across Nigeria. This scheme provides financial grants of N50,000 to eligible small business owners in various sectors, such as trading, food services, ICT, transportation, creatives, and artisans.

The PCGS targets 70% women and youth, 10% people with disabilities, and 5% senior citizens, with the remaining 15% distributed to other demographics. The program’s primary objective is to unlock the potential of Nigeria’s entrepreneurial ecosystem and drive sustainable economic development at the grassroots level.

By participating in the survey, you’ll likely be asked about your experiences with the PCGS, its impact on your business, and potential areas for improvement. This feedback will help the Bank of Industry (BOI) and the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment refine the program and better support small business owners in Nigeria.

Key aspects of the Presidential Conditional Grant Scheme (PCGS):

Eligibility: Nano business owners in various sectors, with a focus on women, youth, people with disabilities, and senior citizens.

Grant amount:N50,000 per beneficiary.

Target beneficiaries: 1,000,000 small businesses in 774 local government areas and the six council areas in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT)

Program goals:Empower nano businesses, drive sustainable economic development, and promote inclusive economic growth

Columns

You don’t teach Children to pray in school but you teach that male will -Donald Trump

Published

2 days ago

November 11, 2024

Ekwutos Blog

Spread the love

Advocates for Traditional Family Values in Education

In a recent statement, former President Donald Trump expressed strong opposition to teaching gender identity concepts in schools. He emphasized the importance of traditional family structures, stating, “Children shall know a family is made up of a mother and father.”

Trump vowed to uphold policies that allow prayers in schools and threatened legal action against those who suggest children may be trapped in the wrong body. He further declared that cartoons and movies promoting such ideas would be banned, asserting, “You don’t have children but want to force your ideas on other people’s children?”

This statement underscores Trump’s commitment to advocating for what he perceives as traditional values in education.