The presidency on Thursday declared that no request for a 114% increase in the salary of the President, Vice President, elected Federal and State political office holders and judicial officers, has been brought before President Bola Tinubu for approval, and he has not okayed such wage hike.
The clarification from Aso Rock came amidst the dust raised by the purported plan to increase the salaries of these officers by the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC).
“We have followed with consternation the viral story of the purported 114% increase in the salary of the President, Vice President, elected Federal and State political office holders and judicial officers.
“We state without any equivocation that President Bola Tinubu has not approved any salary increase, and no such proposal has been brought before him for consideration.
“While we recognise that it is within the constitutional remit of Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission to propose and fix salaries and allowances of political office holders and Judicial Officers, such can not come to effect until it has equally been considered and approved by the President.
“It is important to note that RMAFC, through its Public Relations Manager, has responded to this fake story being circulated and has already set the record straight.
“However, that this unfounded story gained prominence on social media and in a section of mainstream media, again, brings to the fore the danger fake news poses to the society and our national well-being.
“The misinformation was, obviously, contrived to create ill-will for the new administration, slow down the upward momentum and massive goodwill the Tinubu-led administration is currently enjoying among Nigerians as a result of its fast paced, dynamic and progressive policies.
“It is important to reiterate to journalists, media managers, and members of the public that stories on government activities and policy issues that do not emanate from approved official communication channels should be ignored.
“Media practitioners are enjoined to, at all times, cross-check their stories to ensure accurate reportage, which is the hallmark of responsible journalism”, said the statement issued by presidential spokesman, Dele A lake.
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Bill Gates endorses Obi’s position on ‘japa’ emigration
By Chesa Chesa
The visiting American billionaire Bill Gates has agreed with the position of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, on the growing exodus of Nigerian professionals in search of greener pasture abroad, popularly known as ‘japa’.
A press statement issued by Obi’s 2023 campaign spokesman, Duran Onifade on Thursday, recalled that Obi had said in 2021 that stopping them is not a good option because the brain drain today will be brain gain tomorrow.
This was when federal lawmakers were debating on stopping Nigeria doctors from moving abroad after being trained in Nigeria with government subsidies in federal universities.
Obi in a tweet on Thursday said that he had always maintained the position and cannot agree less with “Bill Gates’s recent comment on the “japa” syndrome, where, according to reports, he stated that the recent surge of Nigerian professionals leaving the country for greener pastures is good and healthy for our country”
Obi who also took the same stand during the Presidential campaign said that he had “always preached and maintained this same position on the ‘japa wave’.
“For years now, and throughout my campaign in the last Presidential election, especially during my tours from Canada, the USA, Germany, the UK, and other countries”
“I maintained that “our brain drain today will be our brain gain tomorrow.” Nigerians leaving the country may look like a loss today, but when we start doing the right things and taking the governance of our nation more seriously, the knowledge and resources from them will be critical in the building of the New Nigeria, as it happened in China, India, Ireland, and other developing countries.
The former Anambra state Governor noted that “today, India prides itself as one of the countries with the biggest tech talents in the world, having produced some of the world’s top engineers and computer scientists. Many top global tech companies are headed by CEOs of Indian origin.
“So India’s success in the tech industry can partly be attributed to its ability to harness the knowledge and resources of Indians in the diaspora for their national growth.”
The Labour Party standard bearer said optimistically, that “Nigeria will grow and develop on all fronts when we build the New Nigeria that prioritizes investment in education, health, and support for small businesses, guarantees respect for the rule of law, security of lives and properties, and unity of the nation.
“And after then, our diasporan Nigerians around the world will return home with their global training, skills, and resources, to immeasurably contribute to building a New and better Nigeria. We will not give up on our dreams for the New Nigeria.”
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Tinubu networks with global investors in France, says Nigeria ready for business
By Chesa Chesa
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu Thursday in Paris, France said ongoing reforms, starting with removal of fuel subsidy and streamlining of exchange rate, will be sustained for a more competitive economy that attracts Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).
He therefore, urged investors to take advantage of opportunities in Nigeria, saying that “we are ready for business, prepared to welcome investments”.
This was while receiving President and Chairman of the Board of Directors of African Export-Import Bank (Afrexim), Prof. Benedict Oramah and President of European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), Odile Renaud–Basso, in separate meetings, on the sidelines of the Summit for New Global Financing Pact.
The President assured the delegation of AfreximBank Executives led by Dr Oramah that the Federal Government will continue to stimulate the economy with policies that support investments in areas of Nigeria’s competitive advantage, particularly agriculture.
“We need reforms for national survival,’’ he added, noting that it would take boldness and courage to reposition the economy, calling for more collaboration to solidify the economy.
“We must stimulate recovery for the growth and prosperity of our people, which will not be far away. Nigeria is ready for global business and our reform is total.
“Nigeria is blessed with human and material resources,’’ President Tinubu told the delegation, who had earlier listed areas of interventions to buoy the economy, like infrastructure, health, energy and agriculture.
The President of AfreximBank commended President Tinubu for the bold steps in removing the fuel subsidy and unification of the exchange rate, assuring the Nigerian leader of the full support of the financial and development institution on the ongoing reforms.
Dr. Oramah said the bank was already building the first African Specialist Hospital in Abuja, and Energy Bank, pledging to inject more money into the economy to further build confidence of investors.
In the meeting with the EBRD, President Tinubu said, “we are challenged in terms of reforms, and we have taken the largest elephant out of the room with removal of fuel subsidy, and multiple exchange rates are equally gone. We are determined to open up the economy for business. Consider us a stakeholder in the Bank.’’
He told the EBRD President that Nigeria’s economy was too large and potent to be ignored, adding that “ignoring Nigeria will be a peril to the universe.’’
Renaud-Basso said it would be a mistake for the development bank not to invest in Nigeria, after considering six potential economies for investment.
She explained that focus would be on the private sector, especially Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs).
