To counter China’s influence on the continent, the European Union (EU) is working on a €20 billion ($22.7 billion) financing package to support African transport networks, as well as energy, digital, education, and health projects.

According to officials familiar with the discussions, member states have yet to commit to financing the infrastructure plans, according to a Bloomberg report.

Read Also:  Sylvester Oromoni died as result of his parents, school’s negligence, says pathologists

According to a draft of the package seen by Bloomberg, the bloc’s plan includes strategic corridors, international submarine cables, new energy interconnections, and renewable energy investments in Senegal, Cote d’Ivoire, Egypt, Morocco, and Kenya.
But Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation and the biggest economy on the continent, was missing on the list of countries to directly benefit from the move, It was observed.

Last year, President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigeria’s low share of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) flow to Africa between 2015 and 2019 was a cause for concern. Buhari, who spoke at a retreat organised by the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (NEITI) in Uyo, the Akwa Ibom State capital, described the situation as unacceptable.

Despite having the biggest economy in Africa, Nigeria only received four per cent, which was about $3 billion of the $75 billion invested in the continent in the first term of Buhari’s administration.

According to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 2020 World Investment Report, FDI flows to Nigeria showed a 48.5 per cent decrease compared to the previous year.

Read Also:  ASUU threatened another strike

Nigeria has a poorly developed transport and energy infrastructure, resulting in high operating costs, an inefficient judicial system and unreliable dispute settlement mechanism as well as serious security concerns.

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Boss Mustapha, represented Buhari on the occasion.
However, the report stated that the investment was aimed at underpinning the new partnership that the EU and Africa want to seal at a February 17-18 summit in Brussels.

African leaders have prioritised roads, railways and bridges, but some EU governments face national budgetary constraints that make it hard for them to pledge significant funding ahead of the meeting.
Others, including Germany, the report stated, remain sceptical about the readiness of some of the proposals, officials added.

The EU list included about 60 projects meant to relaunch the relationship, after months of tensions over vaccine supplies and patents, as well as travel restrictions aimed at stemming the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most of the funds in the EU’s plan would go to the Global Gateway, Europe’s initiative to rival China’s massive investment plan in the continent. The bloc is seeking to mobilise €150 billion euros by 2027 from various sources.
EU offers “quantitative and qualitative advancements on infrastructure financing,” according to the document.

The bloc promises “substantial funding” to invest in projects and for technical assistance to identify new ones. The EU also wants to attract private money by using public funds as guarantees and involving African development banks.

Read Also:  Group urges political parties to field Abia North indigenes for governorship

China promised in 2018 around $60 billion in loans over a three-year period to finance roads and bridges in Africa. But China’s Belt and Road plan, Bloomberg said, has been controversial from the outset “due to corruption and debt sustainability challenges” faced by host governments.

The EU has picked projects focused on key trade areas selected by African nations according to their level of readiness, their potential impact, and the possibility of attracting member states’ money and private funding, an EU official said.

The list includes the Dakar-Abidjan corridor in West Africa; the Libreville-Kribi-Douala-N’Djamena area that links Gabon, Cameroon and Chad; and the area between Mombasa and Kisangani in Kenya and Democratic Republic of Congo.

The trading bloc wants to show that they are putting money behind their promises by offering a solid package during the summit.

But the commission has been struggling to bring member states on board, in spite of intense discussions. Two-thirds of the financing should come from national coffers, the commission told national capitals.

Europe would also propose building an international submarine fibre cable to connect the EU with Africa along the Atlantic coast, and fostering access to clean energy pools across the continent.

The EU would also offer new security cooperation. As part of more comprehensive effort to support African armed forces, European countries would deliver military equipment in the coming months “including material designed to deliver lethal force,” according to the draft text.

Migration would be another top issue during the summit next week. EU countries will mobilise €4.4 billion to fight human traffickers, enforce voluntary and forced returns, and strengthen border management.
One of the European demands is to secure a bigger role for its border agency, Frontex, in African nations, the report stressed.

On Valentine’s Day, These Couples Lead with Love

Read Also:  Nigeria, Argentina talk about Boko Haram, ISWAP—Ambassador Ikurusi

Today, February 14, couples and people in meaningful relationships, the world over, celebrate the essence of their union/affair, anchored on love and its other essential elements, such as patience, consistency, perseverance – in sickness and in health – till death parts them.
It is in view of this that some of Nigeria’s leaders, who despite the many challenges buffeting leadership, have continued to lead with love through personal examples with their spouses in power, are singled out.

The Buharis: Honest and Critical in Love
For President Muhammadu Buhari and his wife, Aisha, it is another moment to share quality time together. However, this time, it would be love in all the rooms, not just in the other room.
This couple has remained one of the ‘realest’ in the nation’s history, who despite their family values, openly tell each other the truth and disagree without being disagreeable. Today, they deserve all the love in the spirit of the season.

The Osinbajos: Consistently in Love
The nation’s second family, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and his wife of many years, Dolapo, have a way of making other couples green with envy as they still boast and share the love of their youth.
Thus, this Valentine’s day, provides another opportunity to publicly share personal memories of the love that has lasted this long. They are the couple many would like to emulate, as they always appear happy and comfortable around each other.

The Sanwo-Olus: Peacefully in Love
Who can begrudge Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and his wife, Dr. Ibijoke? This quiet and unassuming couple, has endeared themselves to Lagosians. Their sheer simplicity is both endearing and disarming to anyone, who comes in contact with them.
From their affectionate whispers to the gentle touch and effective eye contacts, love is all over their expressions. This Valentine’s is theirs to cement further the love that binds them together.

Read Also:  FG started work on 21 roads earmarked for NNPC’s N621bn fund

An Inseparable Duo
From the campaign podium, to the Government House in Asaba, Delta State, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and his wife, Edith, typify a case of the the family that works together, stays together.
For this unassuming couple, love and commitment to each has taken them this far. What’s more? The flame of their love still burns brightly. Therefore, on this Valentine’s day, they remain united in love as they have always been from the very beginning.

Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State has stated that Vice President Yemi Osinbajo’s fate in terms of his political ambitions in 2023 will be decided by the Progressive Consolidation Group (PCG), the National Assembly, and other stakeholders.

Zulum made the remarks over the weekend at the Government House in Maiduguri, where he was receiving members of the PCG led by Dr. Aliyu Kurfi.

Read Also:  Buni: The miracle man who revived APC

Contending interests in upcoming presidential primaries and other elections, he claims, will not prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from reaching a consensus that will strengthen party unity and advance the party toward the 2023 elections.

“Borno State will work with the party’s hierarchy, the National Assembly, and stakeholders to put President Muhammadu Buhari’s decisions into action,” he said.
He said there’s a need for political unison and determination to make Osinbajo the next President, adding: “I am solidly behind initiatives aimed at enhancing the unity of our party and progress of Nigeria.

“At this point in our political history, no one and nothing will prevent the party from moving in unison for a presidential candidate.”

Read Also:  FAAN remits 16.7 billion FG, proposes budget of N188 billion for 2022.

On Osinbajo’s aspirations and others, he maintained: “We have to identify the right individuals to lead the nation, and the task requires governors, party hierarchy and the President working together.”

He noted that individual aspirations might have to be downplayed from the decision of the party’s “de facto leader”, President Muhammadu Buhari.

The governor promised, on his part, to promote unity in the state, to give APC resounding victory across the country in the 2023 polls.

Responding, Kurfi said that Zulum and other governors, party leaders at federal, state, and council levels would reach a consensus concerning Osinbajo’s bid to the country’s top seat.

“Osinbajo deserves the right of first refusal, even in a crowded race with great individuals,” he said.
For Kurfi, the VP stands out as an insider with the right level of competence and intellect to do the job better than all others.

He noted that Osinbajo’s self-discipline and competence during Buhari’s long absence made him the best candidate for the presidential ticket.

Read Also:  Stakeholders kick as N’Assembly delays NGEagle’s takeoff due to Arik’s N10.8 billion debt.

Other personalities on the PCG include Musa Liman, Dr. Ebenezer Faji, Shettima Abba-Gana, Emmanuel Pippa (publicity secretary) and the women leader, Rabi Dauda.

The National Assembly has stated that NGEagle, a new start-up airline, will not see the light of day until Arik Air pays off a debt of N10.8 billion.

At a joint oversight function at Lagos Airport over the weekend, lawmakers said the Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), which owns both airlines, should demonstrate a stronger commitment to asset recovery and offset outstanding debts to aviation agencies and taxpayers.

The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) will continue to hold NGEagle’s Air Operator’s Certificate (AOC) until the debt is paid, according to the lawmakers.
In a related development, Senate’s Public Accounts Committee said it has summoned officials of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to appear before it on Wednesday to answer questions over an alleged N100 billion scandal.

This was as the House of Representatives commenced investigation into circumstances surrounding spending of about N1.93 billion by Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) on charter service without documentation.

Aviation stakeholders, meanwhile, faulted the National Assembly’s meddling in strict regulatory affairs, describing it as a dangerous violation of international civil aviation rules.

They said summoning an autonomous NCAA to a meeting and issuing orders to withhold an airline’s AOC, a core technical affair, was undue interference that has implications for safe operations.

Aviation Safety Round Table Initiative (ASRTI), a think-tank group of local aviation, said the development amounts to interloping in regulatory affairs of aviation.

Read Also:  Group urges political parties to field Abia North indigenes for governorship

President of the group, Gabriel Olowo, said it is not the responsibility of the Assembly to direct the NCAA to issue or not to issue AOC to an airline.

“It is established in International Civil Aviation (ICAO) regulations that no matter how powerful the ministry is, which is the political arm of government, it can only wield influence but not dictate to the NCAA,” Olowo said.

He insisted that the criteria of awarding AOCs are the exclusive preserve of NCAA.

“That is the agency that has the right to issue a licence. The NCAA is recognised internationally as an institution to regulate civil aviation. The autonomy of the NCAA is not negotiable. We will be killing the NCAA, if we allow such interferences over its activities.

“This is an aspect of unnecessary political interference we’ve been addressing over the years in NCAA autonomy. This will not help the sector. If care is not taken, we will begin to see such interferences on safety issues: which airline is to be grounded or not despite safety violations and so on. Standard ICAO regulation on issuance of AOC should be followed,” Olowo said.

AMCON, the special debt recovery vehicle of the Federal Government, took over Arik Air in February 2017, as part of measures to save the airline from “imminent collapse”. It had cited gross mismanagement by the owners of Arik and debt in excess of N300 billion.

Inherited in the lot is the sum of N9.6 billion and $2.3 million (totalling N10.85 billion), being five per cent ticket and cargo sales charge that Arik Air owed aviation agencies before AMCON took over, and which stands unpaid till date.

Five years down the line, it was learnt that Arik airline remains a hard sell, given the level of rot, debt and hard-to-recover liquidity pumped in to keep it on life support. As an alternative, the Federal Government, through AMCON, decided on a new carrier, NG Eagle, from some viable assets of Arik Air. At least, three Boeing 737 airplanes that once belonged to Arik have been stripped and rebranded into NGEagle’s livery.

Managing Director of Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN), Capt. Hamisu Yadudu, told the lawmakers that the agency faces huge challenges in infrastructural development, and is largely constrained by economic challenges affecting revenue generation, accumulated debts, rising operating and maintenance cost, among others.

Yadudu said recovering the outstanding debts of Arik would help FAAN turn the corner in airport administration.
Chairman, Senate Committee on Aviation, Smart Adeyemi, in his response, said they were not unaware of the tango on Arik’ debt and “that has delayed NGEagle’s taking off. AMCON is a responsible government agency that has a duty to recover outstanding debt. Let them (AMCON) find the means to pay this debt, otherwise, NGEagle will not take off,” Adeyemi said.

Read Also:  ASUU threatened another strike

House of Representatives member, Kabir Idris, said the indebtedness is not exclusive to Arik but involves other airlines that owe FAAN and other regulatory agencies.

Idris, however, expressed displeasure on the laid back attitude of aviation agencies that indulged airlines into accumulating debt over a five to 10-year period, without raising the alarm.

This came as the Senate’s Public Accounts Committee said it has summoned officials of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) to appear before it on Wednesday to answer questions over an alleged N100 billion scandal.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Matthew Urhoghide, yesterday, said it was painful that the huge sum was spent of contracts without justification.

He said: “We have invited NDDC to come. They don’t have records of financial transaction. They will appear before us on Wednesday. They have 47 audit queries and we are going to look at the issues one after the other from one to 47, and we are going to personalise any refund.

“We equally invite them for status enquiry on all revenue into their accounts. We are waiting for the NDDC. If they don’t come, we’ll take necessary action against them.”

Urhoghide added: “It was observed that so many contractors were paid mobilisation fees to enable them commence execution of projects awarded to them. Contrary to the terms and agreement, some of the contractors bolted away after collecting the fees.

Read Also:  House of Reps summon NNPC GMD over N1.93bn charter contract

“The surprising aspect of it was that this practice involved 626 contractors in which the sum of N61.4 billion was lost to fraudulent practices.”

In addition, the House of Representatives has launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation’s (NNPC) expenditure of N1.93 billion on charter service without documentation.

This was contained in the 2019 report of the Auditor General of the Federation (AuGF) currently being investigated by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of the House, chaired by Oluwole Oke.

The report stated that NNPC, now NNPC Limited, spent the said amount on 17 charter hire services without payment vouchers and adequate supporting documents to back up the expenditure.

It also said that there was no supporting document like evidence of vessels transshipment of products, clearance certificates from appropriate inspection agencies, among others, to show that the payments were valid and charged against public funds.

The AuGF report indicted the management of the NNPC for what it called weakness in the internal control system at the corporation, adding that this could have led to illegitimate payment and payment for services not rendered.

Read Also:  FAAN remits 16.7 billion FG, proposes budget of N188 billion for 2022.

According to the report, the management of the NNPC failed to provide any response to the audit query issued. It demanded that the Group Managing Director, Mele Kyari, be asked to provide reasons why payments were made without supporting documents. Besides, the corporation is to account for N1.93 billion paid to 17 contractors for the charter hire.