Thursday, 30 May 2019

PRESS STATEMENT: INAUGURATION OF PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI, GCFR FOR A SECOND AND FINAL TERM





Press Statement: inauguration of president muhammadu buhari, gcfr for a second and final term

Thursday 30th May, 2019
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Election Monitor congratulates His Excellency, President Muhammadu Buhari, GCFR on his inauguration as President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for a second and final term as well as His Excellency, Vice-President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, GCON. As an organization that promotes good governance in Nigeria, Election Monitor urges President Buhari to ensure that adequate measures are put in place to guarantee the sustainable development of Nigeria and significantly improve the standard of living of the nation’s citizens in the coming years. When all is said and done, all the government programmes and initiatives need to culminate into a better quality of life for every Nigerian.

Election Monitor has the following recommendations for President Muhammadu Buhari:

·       Security

o   While insecurity is a very critical challenge currently facing Nigeria, it must be tackled conclusively as much as possible to ensure that other sectors are able to develop effectively.
o   President Buhari should review the performance and loyalty of his service chiefs to Nigeria and decide if and where changes need to be made.
o   There is also a need to accurately identify and bring to justice all those who are sponsoring the insurgency and organized violence across the country in a fearless manner. These people whether within or outside Nigeria have to be urgently held accountable to enable long-term peace of Nigeria.
o   More efforts should be made to curtail corruption in the security agencies so as to ensure that the officers on the ground benefit optimally and receive high quality equipment at all times which will ultimately boost the morale of the officers.
o   Consideration should be given to significantly scaling up the efforts of the security agencies at tackling the insecurity by increasing and deepening the number of security operations in the affected areas.
o   Establishing an easy to access online and physical contact centre should be considered urgently. This will afford a central location where any citizen that has information relating to security issues can submit to. This information pool can be shared across the security agencies. Citizens must be reassured that they will not be victimized for providing useful information to the government. Ultimately the insecurity can only be defeated comprehensively with the support of well meaning citizens. It should be possible for citizens to submit information anonymously and also with their contact details if they so wish. The key is that most of the perpetrators of the violence will be known by some citizens somewhere and intelligence gathering cannot be the exclusive preserve of the security agencies alone.  One single phone number, email, website etc should be used. Putting 20 phone numbers or several emails will confuse the public. It should be easy to remember and easy to access. A public campaign can be done on billboards, media etc to familiarize Nigerians.
o   The government should consider seeking additional international support for addressing the insecurity from friendly and well-meaning global partners.
o   There should be increased and adequate funding for the nation’s security agencies. It is also important to eliminate bottlenecks in fund management; therefore government should ensure strict compliance with its cashless policy.
o   The government should invest more in technology drones / satellites / CCTVs etc to optimise intelligence and data gathering efforts.
o   Establishment of a police and armed forces widows support fund (funded both by government and private sector philanthropists, CSR etc) to offer additional support to families of deceased security agents.

·       Anti-corruption Campaign

o   As one of the flagship goals of the administration, efforts to eradicate corruption have to not only be sustained but increased significantly. Focus should be made on increasing convictions as well as significantly increasing recoveries from corruption. Government must not relent in bringing looters of Nigeria’s treasury to book. If corruption is not decimated it threatens every single aspect of Nigeria’s development.
o   The National Assembly needs to ensure that the adequate legal framework is urgently (within the first year at most) put in place to ensure speedy prosecution of corruption cases which is a win-win for all. Those acquitted get to go free quickly while the guilty are speedily convicted which builds more confidence in the citizenry about the effectiveness of the anti-corruption campaign.  
o   The Judiciary needs to support the Executive and the National Assembly as much as is possible to ensure effective and timely prosecution of corruption cases.
o   President Buhari should consider setting up a Recovered Funds Monitor which shows at any point in time the amount of funds recovered in all currencies. It should be possible to know the breakdown over a month, quarter, year etc. This monitor can be on the websites of the anticorruption agencies as well as some newspaper or media websites since citizens frequent these. Its important for Nigerians to know just how much is being achieved by government in the anti-corruption campaign.
o   Mr. President may kindly wish to consider (if the legal framework permits) accruing all recoveries from corruption into a single fund. The monies in this fund could be used for specific projects of government such as roads, railways, bridges, schools etc. This way the recovered funds will be linked by Nigerians to certain tangible investments thereby dispelling the skepticism of what happens to the recovered loot which bothers many Nigerians. If it is known that the railway line from city X to city Y was built purely from corrupt funds recovered by government it will make the citizens appreciate much more government’s efforts. It will also make citizens understand the true value of corruption tangibly because it is very clear that corruption means one less road, railway line, school etc.
o   There is a need to increase the involvement of the states in the anti-corruption campaign. The Federal Government alone cannot deal with corruption since a major chunk of corruption occurs at the state and local government levels. This needs to be done in a holistic fashion irrespective of political affiliations.
o   Government needs to find more ways to engage the public in the fight against corruption. The whistleblower policy is commendable and has been a success, however more methods need to be developed so that the average Nigerian citizen is involved in one way or the other.

·       The Economy

o   There is a need to tackle the economy aggressively. While overcoming insecurity is germane it won’t mean much if the economy does not rebound and grown inclusively.  Effective policies need to be put in place to address this. At the end of the day a robust economy helps all Nigerians and government just has to make it work.
o   There are too many unemployed Nigerians. President Muhammadu Buhari should make sustainable job creation a critical priority of his administration. The recent reports of the government’s intention to create 20 million jobs by 2023 are commendable but the action plan needs to be publicized and diverse stakeholders and citizens need to be carried along. A Specific Job Creation Job Plan needs to be designed and come into effect before December 2019.
o   Government must keep making it easier for citizens to do business. Government agencies should not extort money from business owners especially Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs). If business is easier to do and companies make more profit then national tax revenues will increase.
o   There is a need for more effective clampdown on smugglers to ensure that locally made goods remain competitive. This is especially important for agricultural produce such as rice.
o   Sustained efforts need to be made at bringing down food prices and transportation costs. These most directly affect the average Nigerian.
o   Mr. President needs to meet with leaders of international companies doing business in Nigeria and identify challenges these companies are having especially with international trade and customs. Everything must be done to prevent further closing down of companies in Nigeria especially the international ones. These companies usually belong to federations in their home countries and continents, therefore if they are having a bad experience in Nigeria it becomes very difficult for them to encourage other companies to come and invest in Nigeria. Nigeria has to regain its position as Africa’s leading Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) destination and this must be done in a hurry.
o   Government should reach out to businesses that have left Nigeria already for other locations in Africa and discuss practical and mutually beneficial ways to get them back into Nigeria within a reasonable time-frame.
o   It’s important to also ensure that foreign companies maintain local content in most of their positions whether senior or junior. However these companies should also not be exploited or frustrated by local agencies to ensure Nigeria is able to benefit maximally from them.
o   The government needs to critically think about reducing its labour force. The current recurrent expenditure bill is clearly not sustainable for the country. In order not to exacerbate the recuperating economy, government may consider coming up with an option for civil servants who may want to retire early. Such civil servants could be identified, given robust entrepreneurship training and provided with a combination of government grant and zero interest loans (guaranteed by their pensions perhaps) to go into any business of their choice. Allowing voluntary exit from public to private sector would not attract the wrath of the labour unions while also helping to grow the economy.
o   The Federal Government should consider encouraging an increase in remittances made to Nigeria from other countries. Some of these remittances are made by people who want to build houses and make other local investments for example. Government can create a special purpose vehicle in collaboration with the private sector to ensure that Nigerians in the Diaspora can buy or build a house in Nigeria anywhere of their choice without even having to deal with a relative or third party (this covers land acquisition, real estate agents, contractors, architects etc). If this can be successfully achieved it should be possible to get more foreign exchange coming into the country and also support economic growth. In addition government may choose to issue bonds that will give Nigerian investors abroad returns that are just not practical in more robust and developed economies thereby increasing funds coming into the local economy. In summary it is important for government to design a specific plan to get Nigerians in Diaspora more invested into the local economy in a mutually beneficial and secure way.
o   There is a need to improve the implementation of the nation’s cashless policy. More incentives are needed as well as compliance measures taken.
o   Government needs to make it much easier for Nigerians to export their products and services to other countries as well as receive their payments.
o   Government should support the emergence of at least 5 Nigerian Multi-nationals (different sectors) which will be competitive across Africa and other markets across the world eventually (long-term).


·       Infrastructure

o   Clearly the government has made major strides in infrastructure in the first four years. However for investments in infrastructure to have the desired driving effect on the economy and the lives of the citizens they must be aggressive, gargantuan, ubiquitous and rapid.
o   There is a need for new and improved funding models to be developed to ensure effective infrastructural development. Private Public Partnerships (PPPs) and other private sector and multilateral driven approaches need to be given thorough consideration. The Federal Government may consider hosting an infrastructure investment road show or summit (within 3 months of inauguration) where local and international investors are brought together to discuss creative and sustainable ways to fund the infrastructure plan of government and how these investors can securely recoup their investments in the long-term. A vehicle could also be created to allow Nigerians home and abroad to also invest in roads, railway lines and other infrastructure by issuing bonds to the public. If Nigerians invest in these projects directly it will also improve accountability of government because the citizens will be committed to ensure that their money no matter how small is properly invested.
o   Once the funding gap is closed there is a need for quick, simultaneous implementation nationwide. The administration has 1460 days to the end of this term and cannot afford to finish one road or railway line before starting another. So for example, the government may consider an ambitious target to connect all 36 state capitals of Nigeria and the FCT by rail by March 2023. It may then choose to concession some of the lines and build other ones itself. The important thing is that if funding is addressed then all the lines can be built simultaneously especially if different companies and investors are involved. It would be an amazing feat to inaugurate an administration with a nation fully connected by rail on May 29th 2023.
o   Probably the single greatest tangible legacy the administration can leave for Nigeria is robust infrastructure and as such this has to be government’s priority.
o   There is a need to effectively address the housing deficit in the country aggressively and creative and sustainable ways need to be determined in-order to achieve this.
o   The Federal Government may consider organizing an international competition (for Nigerians only both home and abroad) to come up with creative solutions to address the challenge of adequately housing Nigerians. Areas of focus could include (new low cost designs, cheaper and more durable materials, easier and cheaper access to mortgage facilities and housing finance etc). The prize money should be very attractive as well as offering the winners a role in implementing the ideas if they wish.
o   Power infrastructure is also very critical to jumpstart the economy. While the government has made efforts to improve the quality of power supply nationwide, clearly there is a need for significant increase in the electricity provision to Nigerians in their homes, offices, industries etc. Nigeria has to move more aggressively towards the path of long-term sustainability in power provision. The government has also embarked on several solar power projects which are quite commendable using an off-grid approach. This is important but has to be accelerated within the next four years to ensure that it is sufficient to spur economic growth. In addition the private sector and multilateral agencies need to provide increased support for renewable energy use in Nigeria. Government may for example discuss with some of the leading private sector organizations in Nigeria across all sectors to support a solar-powered university project each as their corporate social responsibility for a year or two depending on how much they naturally ear-mark for CSR annually. International donor agencies could also support as well so as to reach all the government universities/polytechnics by March 2023. If all the universities and polytechnics are fully powered up, the foundation would be laid for innovation and application of more digital tools to improve the quality of education. The key is to invest in power supply in such a way as to impact each Nigerian significantly and in such a proportion that it can drive economic growth.
o   Nigeria needs to critically consider using renewable energy more for transportation. This can be for example by encouraging more people to use bicycles, solar powered keke vehicles etc.

o   There is a need to address the issue of fuel subsidy and establish new refineries. It is not in Nigeria’s interest to continue to import petrol and other crude oil bi-products. 

·       Agriculture

o   The Federal Government has to find a way of making agriculture attractive to youths (literate and illiterate). Young people graduating from university/polytechnic should see agriculture as a viable way to live and make money. This will ease pressure on the white collar jobs, increase investments in agriculture and ultimately help to grow the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). For example, young people doing their National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) who are interested in agriculture could be provided with arable land, training, equipment support and some financing. They could commence their agricultural businesses during their NYSC so they just continue after passing out.
o   There is a need to optimize the agricultural value chain leveraging technology as much as possible (digitising the last mile for example). The agri-tech space in Africa is booming, with the number of startups operating in the market growing 110 per cent over the past two years, and over US$19 million invested into the sector in the same period, according to the Agrinnovating for Africa report released by Disrupt Africa.  
o   Government needs to ensure improved access to markets for farmers.
o   More investments need to be made into processing and preservation facilities nationwide.
o   There is a need for improved distribution systems which will drive down food prices and provide increased earnings for farmers.


·       Digital Economy/Infrastructure

Global investments into the world's digital economy are expected to top US$196 Billion by 2020. Nigeria needs to get a good piece of that coming into the country. The good news is that Africa is seeing more investment in the digital economy. According to Quartz Africa, in a recent survey at least 76% of private equity firms surveyed planned to increase or maintain their provisions to African private equity over the next three years, while 53% anticipated increasing their allocation to the continent. Of those surveyed, 67% said they would consider investing in a first-time African fund. Nearly two-thirds of investors also viewed Africa as more attractive for ventures than developed markets over the next ten years. Increased performance and diversification are part of what’s driving this preference, with almost half of the financiers expecting their returns to exceed more than 2.5 times over the next decade.

This is one area where Nigeria can be globally competitive in a reasonably short period of time. Nigeria remains Africa’s largest mobile market, with about 162 million subscribers and a penetration rate of 84% from 53% in 2016. For the Nigerian market, looking at the trajectory of growth between 2016 & 2017 (31% growth year-on-year), there is a strong indication that by the end of 2019, there might be a 100% penetration of mobile subscriptions. The E-commerce and E-Business sectors, which were estimated to be worth 13 billion USD in 2018 is impressive but clearly largely untapped when considering that a single company, China’s Alibaba made USD 37.5Billion (13.32Trillion Naira) sales in a single day.

In 2017, the wider global mobile ecosystem also supported a total of 29 million jobs (directly and indirectly) and made a substantial contribution to the funding of the public sector, with almost $500 billion raised through general taxation and $25 billion through mobile spectrum auctions. Clearly there are millions of jobs in the digital economy and its incumbent on the country to explore the possibilities here in its quest to grow the nation’s economy, make Nigeria globally competitive outside oil and gas and ensure the majority of teeming youths are gainfully employed. The Internet fraud and criminality is ugly but is a clear indication that young people are ready to build a digital economy even though this needs to be done legally and honestly and not through defrauding people all over the world. The youths need redirection and support to leverage the genuine potentials of the internet and the internet age.

o   The Federal Government should urgently develop a new and more ambitious four year (2019 - 2023) National Broadband Plan which will help to ensure broadband penetration to at least 80% of the population.
o   There is a need to reduce the high cost of laying fibre optic cables due to the current right of way costs which accounts for over 80% of the deployment costs. Government can address this by crashing Right of Way and multiple taxation charges and possible incentives for telecom companies to expand and deepen their penetration.
o   There needs to be large scale efforts to improve the digital skills of millions of Nigerians (especially the younger ones).
o   Digital entrepreneurship needs to be taught and supported by a government/private sector alliance.
o   E-Services need to be encourage for most businesses. Government can give incentives to companies which offer e-services.
o   Government should invest in developing a national digital marketplace (attract at least 1 million SMEs within the first 18 months) where every Nigerian business can come and offer his/her products to customers both within and outside Nigeria.
o   The key for government is to leverage the 4th Industrial Move of mankind by creating a deliberate policy to build Nigeria’s digital economy quickly and aggressively.
o   Government invested hundreds of billions into the Social Investment Scheme over the past four years which is commendable however this cannot significantly grow the economy since there is no real creative and growth capacity involved. The Federal Government should urgently consider investing between 500 billion to 1 trillion naira to jumpstart the digital economy (cash, debt, private equity) over the next two years. Technology hubs are great but physical cash is required as well as adequate digital infrastructure to get the digital economy to a point where it will contribute significantly to Nigeria’s overall economy.
o   Out of the 162 million mobile subscribers in 2017 in Nigeria, only 21 million of them are smartphone users, and only 17 million smartphone users are active on social media via their mobile phones. This new figure for active mobile social media users doesn’t capture the number of active desktop social media users (those that use their desktop computer, laptop or tablet to access social media). To radically increase broadband penetration cheaper and more ubiquitous access is required to broadband devices such as laptops, tablets and smartphones. Prices of smartphones have dropped considerably over the past decade however quality devices that can be used for digital entrepreneurship are still quite high for the average Nigerian (considering that the national minimum wage was only increased to N30, 000 last month; many young people are actually unemployed) to be able to access digital devices to develop enterprises.
o   There is a need to develop a plan and implementation programme for digitalizing the operations of government at all levels. Automation in government operations will significantly mitigate bureaucracy, increase effectiveness and output as well as appreciably reduce corruption.
o   A holistic policy framework that reflects the changing digital landscape while reducing costs and barriers to network deployment will deliver the best outcomes for society and the economy.
o   Regulatory frameworks should be reviewed and updated to promote market dynamism, competition and consumer welfare, while discarding legacy rules that are no longer relevant in the context of the digital ecosystem.
o   Competition policy is an effective and versatile tool to ensure the proper functioning of markets, and should be updated to reflect a number of characteristics of the digital economy.
o   The rules designed to protect society should be applied evenly across the digital economy and not be so prescriptive that opportunities to innovate are blocked.

·       Education

o   President Buhari should convene a national summit for stakeholders in the education sector and from that summit set up a panel to come up with solutions to the educational challenges of Nigeria. Government has to be frank about its ability to fund education in the long-term while also not making it impossible for low and middle income children to get a good education. Without investing adequately and effectively in education Nigeria would not be competitive for the long haul.
o   Jobs should be available that pay at least minimum wage for youths who choose not to further their education beyond secondary school but focus on a technical skill. Not every youth must go to university or polytechnic to live a decent and comfortable life.
o   Scholarship opportunities need to be increased so as to ensure that students who excel academically are able to get access to optimum educational facilities irrespective of their financial status and this should be a mandatory policy for all tertiary institutions to provide a percentage of admissions for this.
o   Only about 1% of the current Nigerian population is enrolled in the university system which is one of the lowest in the world. With only 264 universities in Nigeria catering for around 2 million students (500,000 of these students are enrolled in the National Open University (NOUN) alone), there is an urgent need to address the challenge of capacity and approach. The Federal Government should explore how to deepen e-learning and general use of technology to improve the quality of education especially at the tertiary level.        
o   Innovation, research and development are critical for any great economy therefore significantly more needs to be invested here to transform various sectors in the country.

·       Healthcare

o   Every government at state and federal levels over the years has built new hospitals and health care centres and many times commissioned them with much fanfare. Yet there still exists a major gap in affordable and quality healthcare service provision. Clearly, simply building new hospitals and even equipping them does not solve the challenges in the health sector.  For this reason, the Federal Government should consider developing a more effective and sustainable model for affordable and ubiquitous health care delivery in Nigeria.
o   Government should find ways to attract more private sector investment into the health sector while ensuring that a more robust healthcare insurance scheme is deployed to enable every Nigerian have affordable access.
o   The Federal Government should explore ways in which technology (especially mobile and internet technology) can be deployed to optimize health care delivery across Nigeria. For example, last-mile digital solutions in the health sector can help expand coverage (access), enhance services (quality) and optimise resources (cost). Several public-private partnerships (PPPs) have been launched over the last few years to address key health challenges faced by developing countries, including high maternal mortality. Nigeria can imbibe some of these to transform health care delivery within the next four years.
o   These partnerships involve government (which plays the role of funders or payers), health tech companies (providers of healthcare solutions, content, software) and mobile operators (ICT partners, telcos), and increasingly represent a viable business model to share resources, capabilities, opportunities and risks among stakeholders.
o   Mobile operators are engaging in digital heath in developing countries by providing – directly or through partnerships – business-to-government (B2G), business-to-business (B2B) and business to consumer (B2C) services throughout most of the value chain. These range from digitisation of healthcare professionals to digitisation of health centres, supply chains and patient data, and integrated digital platforms for information, booking, payments and complementary services.


·       Entertainment

o     As one of the largest employers in Nigeria and also one of the biggest contributors to the nation’s GDP, there needs to be a deliberate policy to develop Nigeria’s entertainment sector which has so much potential. Government should invest significantly (not just financially) in this sector as it has the potential to help jumpstart the economy due to the sheer number of people involved.
o     There is a need to expand digital entertainment to address piracy and deepen access. If broadband penetration is radically deepened and data rates drop significantly, this can provide the platform for Nigerians to access their entertainment content online. If it costs N200 to N300 (data and rental costs) for example to watch a Nollywood movie online many people would not buy the pirated DVDs and this would shutdown the operations of pirates. Of course there would be a need to effectively regulate the online space to ensure that only licensed distributors are able to open online video stores. Online pirates could be shut down by the regulator. If earnings of stakeholders in the sector are increased then they can plough back their profits to expand and develop the sector. The important thing here is that a concrete plan needs to be in place early which would probably require some level of stakeholder participation.
o     There is a need to redefine sports for recreation and business in Nigeria.
o      Government needs to develop the tourism sector as it has good potentials for Nigeria. The internal tourism should be more robust while the external tourism potential is grown as the country overcomes insecurity and other image challenges. 

·       Electoral Reform

o Comprehensive reform of the Nigerian electoral process is very pertinent. Strengthening the electoral process significantly is also a great legacy for Nigeria’s democracy and it is very important this is adequately supported.


·       Innovation

o   The Federal Government should give strong consideration to the role innovation will play in national development and endeavour to deliberately leverage innovation to optimize key sectors of the economy.
o   In line with this, President Muhammadu Buhari should consider appointing a minister of innovation whose primary responsibility is to develop ways to use technology to improve the productivity of government agencies while creating more user friendly interface with citizens. This could be achieved by upgrading SERVICOM to have greater innovative and technological capacities. The innovation team should be comprised of a good number of technology experts as well as others and operate with private sector level efficiency.  For example the innovation department meets with the minister of health or agriculture etc and identifies the challenges in the ministry especially around productivity and bureaucracy. The innovation department develops a prototype solution leveraging technology and test runs the same. If tweaking is necessary, then such modifications are made till a workable solution is developed which is subsequently implemented by the ministry with the support of some staff of the innovation department. For example if government has a special scheme for SMEs and targets five hundred thousand SMEs to benefit from the scheme across the country, it is almost impossible for such a scheme to be effectively administered without automation. So the innovation team builds the technology tools (websites, mobile apps, backend administration and support etc) based on the design of the SME programme and its expected deliverables. These tools can be administered to beneficiaries by ministry trained staff and ensure the greater success of the scheme. Every ministry can benefit from some sort of innovation.
o   If the government sets a four year target to digitalise government operations across board, then this would be a major task of the innovation department. 

·       Nation Building
              
o   President Muhammadu Buhari should champion a holistic campaign for tolerance, love, equity and justice for all Nigerian citizens. There is a need for Nigeria to overcome the divisions that have slowed down the country in the past. Effective national healing will help to fast track development. The Federal Government should ensure nation building is given a top priority in the administration.
o   Periodic dialogue with traditional rulers and religious leaders will help ease tensions generated from insecurity.

Election Monitor encourages all citizens to be law abiding at all times as well as do their part in advancing Nigeria, because at the end of the day government alone cannot do everything. It’s important for citizens to think of Nigeria first above any political affiliation because when Nigeria succeeds, everyone benefits therefore all citizens should strive to ensure that Nigeria succeeds.  For the Federal Government, BREVITY is the key because there are only 1,460 days left till the end of the term.

Nigeria shall prevail!

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

God Bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria!

Signed

Abiodun Ajijola
National Coordinator


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