Saturday, 11 March 2017
Our Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Controversy
Following an executive order on immigration made at the beginning of the year, by the new US President, Donald Trump, the country’s immigration service allegedly became more aggressive creating anxiety for some travellers. Initially, Nigerians believed they were not likely to be hurt by the plan not just because its enforcement was blocked by federal courts but because the revised order did not include Nigeria among the seven countries on the target list. Unfortunately, some Nigerians have reportedly been refused entry without reasons. The development should ordinarily have bothered the handlers of our foreign affairs, but that was not exactly the case. It became the lot of concerned Nigerians in the Diaspora to fill the gap. Two influential Nigerian community associations in the U.S. the Nigerian Lawyers Association and the Organisation for the Advancement of Nigeria (OAN) were the first to act. Having found that some U.S. law enforcement officials had become overzealous with extreme vetting since the roll out of the travel order and were sometimes going beyond their Constitutional bound, the groups organized sensitization programmes for Nigerians who have relatives travelling to the U.S.
The programmes revealed a number of rights. First, that a security officer does not have the right to ask unnecessary questions from travelers. Second, that the law prescribes that no one can be delayed for more than six hours. So if after six hours of arrival of the relevant flight, people do not see their relatives, then they should immediately meet immigration attorneys to file for their release. Third, that some Nigerian attorneys had volunteered to be part of the Legal Aid Society who can easily come to the aid of any Nigerian stranded at the airports. The proactive Nigerian patriotic groups were neither being confrontational nor were they questioning the executive orders; instead, they were bothered by what they termed “unintended consequences of inappropriate questioning.” Meanwhile, both the Nigerian Embassy in the US and our foreign affairs ministry did not appear to be aware of the development let alone to seek to stop the humiliation of any Nigerian.
In due course, those adversely affected formally sent complaints to Abike Dabiri- Erewa, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign Affairs and Diaspora Matters. They complained that although they had valid visas, they were denied entry to the US and sent back to Nigeria on the next available flights. Dabiri-Erewa having received no less than four cases in 2 weeks advised Nigerians who had no “compelling or essential reasons to visit the US to consider delaying their trip until there is clarity in the new immigration policy.” Less than 24 hours later, Godfrey Onyema, our foreign affairs minister fiercely faulted Erewa’s position. At a news conference on the subject, the minister said: “On the issue of Nigerians being turned back from the US, this is not the case. I have reached out to the US Ambassador to Nigeria and the country’s high level officials who said nothing of such had happened. If the Nigerian government is speaking on any external relations, you will hear it from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs or the Office of the President. I can tell you to ignore the advice to reconsider travelling to the US because there is no basis for that.”
Nigeria in our view was worse off with the minister’s supposed clarification on the subject. To start with, he didn’t say anything substantive about the issue at stake. Instead he was more interested in the territorial defence of his ministry. When asked by the media to define the functions of the office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Foreign affairs and Diaspora matters, he didn’t say. If so, how did he know what the office could not do? The claim that US officials also disagreed with Erewa does not prove that undue humiliation of Nigerians did not happen; the US officials were probably defending their country. Otherwise how do we explain the case of one Femi Olaniyi who was reportedly deported on the 21 of February 2017, from his point of entry in Los Angeles? Femi said he was put in a cold cell and held for 4 days and that his phones were seized making it impossible for him to have access to his family or anyone else. Another Nigerian, Francis Adekola, who narrated his own travel ordeal to Punch newspapers, said he was detained for over 10 hours before he was placed on an aircraft and returned to Abuja via Johannesburg.
The most irritating rationalization of the deportation allegations is the minister’s argument that the story could not have been true because the Nigeran Ambassador to the US was unaware of the reports. If a Nigerian was not allowed to enter the US at all, how does such a citizen reach our Ambassador? Besides, what we have in the US or anywhere else are not viable foreign missions but some proliferated structures here and there described as embassies, consulates and high commissions. Even when Nigeria was not in recession they always faced a lot of embarrassment for their inability to resolve basic challenges like settling ordinary electricity and telephone bills. At a point the irrepressible Ojo Madueke of blessed memory told our House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Policy that in New York “we have a mission where the Ambassador’s car would have to be pushed on the road in an important capital in the world.” Thus, we see as instructive, the statement by our own President, Muhammadu Buhari a few months back that “there is no point keeping embassies all over the world with dilapidated and demoralised staff.” Who can such people help?
Nigerians can therefore not relate with our foreign missions until they are transformed – a job we assumed Onyema was brought in to do instead of getting engaged in territorial squabbles. Indeed, if his ministry was proactive, there would have been no vacuum for anyone else to seek to fill. Besides, our minister should not echo such rationalization as that Nigerians deported may have had personal problems; rather he is expected to take great pains to investigate and remedy any allegation of inhuman treatment meted on any Nigeria even if it is just one citizen.
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Wednesday, 8 February 2017
Ebonyi targets 557, 000 children, 139, 000 pregnant women, others in immunization exercise
By Peter Okutu
ABAKALIKI—Ebonyi State government yesterday said it was targeting a total of 557,000 children, 139,000 pregnant women and 613, 000 women of child bearing age for the state’s immunization exercise.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Daniel Umezuruike stated this at Ugbodo, the headquarters of Ebonyi local government area of Ebonyi State during the flag-off of second round of maternal/ newborn child health week in the state.
He noted that de-worming and vitamin A tablets will be given to children between 0-59 months while 139,000 pregnant women will be given free HIV counseling.
According to him, the best way of managing HIV is prevention and the best way of attaining prevention is HIV counseling and testing.
“When somebody knows his or her status, the person can access care if it is positive and know that it is not the end of life. If the person is negative, the person becomes more careful.
“Women of child bearing age and children of less than 5 years are supposed to present themselves to primary health care centres nearest to them and get all these intervention commodities free of charge”, he said.
Umezurike explained that the essence of the immunization was to reduce maternal mortality.
Flagging of the programme, Governor David Umahi who was represented by his Deputy, Dr. Kelechi Igwe said the state government does not joke with the health of the people and called on women and children to participate fully in the exercise.
According to the Governor, participation of men, women and children in immunization exercises would help in checkmating the outbreak of certain diseases in communities across the state.
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How MSMEs can benefit from Lagos Trust Fund
By Yinka Kolawole
THE Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) is a N25 billion Fund established by the state government to power SME and improve the skills of entrepreneurs, with a view to helping Lagos residents create a thriving SME economy.
Specifically, the Fund was established by the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund Law 2016 to serve as an instrument to inspire the creative and innovative energies of all Lagos residents and reduce unemployment across the State.
It has the mandate to directly invest N25 billion in helping Lagos residents grow and scale their Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) or acquire skills to get better jobs.
Meanwhile, the Fund is set to raise additional N25 billion from international donor agencies to boost its program of micro, small and medium, MSME, funding. This will bring the total amount in the Fund’s management to N50 billion, haven received a take off funding of N25 billion last year.
Capacity building support
Akin Oyebode, Executive Secretary, LSETF, said the Fund will focus on promoting entrepreneurship by improving access to finance, strengthening the institutional capacity of MSMEs and formulating policies designed to improve the business environment in Lagos State. “We have a set target of providing financial support to over 100,000 MSMEs within the next 3 years; support the creation of 300,000 direct and 600,000 indirect jobs; and add over 200,000 new taxpayers to the tax register.
To also ensure sustainability of the Fund, we will aim to raise a minimum of N25 billion from domestic and international donors, in addition to N25 billion committed by the Lagos State Government. Our interventions will provide loans to micro, small and medium enterprises at single digit interest rates per annum; we will also provide training and capacity building support to the business we finance, giving them the necessary technical support to drive growth and job creation,” Oyebode stated.
705 beneficiaries: In January, 705 entrepreneurs emerged the first set of beneficiaries of the Lagos State Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) loan scheme, designed for enterprise development and driving productivity for the Nigerian economy. In his remarks, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode said the first batch of the LSETF beneficiaries will access about N1 billion in financing with a low interest rate of 5 percent, which was favourable than what the financial institutions were offering in the country. He charged them to use the funds judiciously, by providing effective services, creating more jobs and focusing on innovative solutions for the economy, becoming economic agents of transformation.
Requirements
According to the LSETF executive secretary, “The businesses we support must demonstrate capacity to repay our loans; be owned by Lagos residents duly registered by the Lagos State Residents Registration Agency (LASRRA); show evidence of tax payments to the Lagos Inland Revenue Service (LIRS); and have valid Bank Verification Numbers (BVNs). In addition to our MSME financing schemes, we will also train unemployed residents to either take up identified jobs or run their businesses.”
Micro-Enterprise Fund: Beneficiaries can access maximum loan of N500,000.00 at an interest rate of 5 percent per annum, to be spread over 12 months. Under this category, the applicant’s business must be the main source of livelihood and he/she must also demonstrate existence of a verifiable and economically stable market for goods and services. The business must have a minimum turnover of N20,000 monthly. In cases where applicant is unbanked, turnover can be estimated using price of applicant’s service and walk in or buying rate. The business should have been operational for at least one year otherwise the applicant should have a certification in a trade and reference from the certifying body.
SME Fund: Maximum loan obtainable is N5,000,000 in the case of an SME, and must be for asset acquisition and/or working capital for the business at an interest rate of 5 percent per annum payable over 36 months.
Working capital
The business must be located in Lagos; registered with the CAC; must be registered with the LIRS and must be in existence for more than 12 months.
How to apply: Download and complete the applicable forms and submit to LSETF Office. For an application to be valid, the submitted form must include a copy of the LASRRA Card and Tax Identification Number. The first phase closed on Friday, February 3, 2017. The second phase is expected to roll out soon.
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Monarch’s stool stirs tension in Enugu community
By Dennis Agbo
ENUGU—There is growing tension in Amankanu community, Nkanu East local government, following the conduct of election for the traditional stool of the community.
The election supervised by the Enugu State Ministry of Chieftancy Matters ended in controversy following the rejection of the election outcome by both contestants to the throne.
One of the contestants, Chief Bennett Ikenna allegedly announced publicly before the commencement of the election that he would not accept whatever was the outcome of the exercise, as according to him, proper procedures were not followed before the polls.
He however turned around to claim victory at the end of the election when he was credited with the highest number of votes, 607 votes as against 587 votes credited to his opponent, Prince Vitus Ani.
However, his opponent, Ani rejected the result, alleging that Chief Ikenna imported people from a neighbouring community, who masqueraded as Ama-Nkanu indigenes to swell his votes, and that the presiding officer, Chukwudi Onah, did not count many of his supporters, who queued behind him.
The tension-soaked exercise saw the state Commissioner for Chieftaincy Matters, Barr. Fidelis Ani, who was almost held hostage, run for his safety after he was pressured to announce the result his presiding officer handed over to him.
Prince Vitus Ani while fielding question from journalists called on the state government to cancel the election in two out of the five villages because of alleged importation of strangers and other acts of fraud and intimidation.
“I want the election cancelled in two villages of Amaede and Ohubo because they cheated me there. The people that voted at Amaede are not the indigenes of Amaede village that is living in Ama-Nkanu, they are from their home base (Amaede) in Ehamufu in Isi-Uzo local government area. And also in Ohubo they counted one of my lines and refused to count two lines and people trouped in from outside and joined the line of my opponent.
“When I was telling the Director, Chukwudi Onah he refused to hear me and counted everybody because he is supporting
Bennett Ikenna, my opponent,” he alleged.
On his part, Chief Bennett Ikenna had earlier declared that he would not accept the outcome of the election because the constitution of Ama-Nkanu community was not strictly adhered to and that he was not given consideration as the pioneer secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the local government area.
“I disagree with those who want to conduct this election, and I will contest it to any level.
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