Femi Gbajabiamila – The Commerce Africa https://thecommerceafrica.com African Reneissance Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:13:35 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=5.9 President Tinubu names Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff, Akume as SGF https://thecommerceafrica.com/president-tinubu-names-gbajabiamila-as-chief-of-staff-akume-as-sgf/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/president-tinubu-names-gbajabiamila-as-chief-of-staff-akume-as-sgf/#respond Fri, 02 Jun 2023 14:13:34 +0000 https://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=14034 President Bola Tinubu has appointed the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as his Chief of Staff and George Akume as Secretary to the Government of the Federation(SGF).

Akume, a former governor of Benue State, is the immediate past minister of special duties in the administration of ex-President Muhammadu Buhari

In the same vein,President Tinubu, in a statement on Friday signed by Abiodun Oladunjoye, Director of information in the State House, named Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia as the deputy chief of staff in the office of the Vice President.

The statement reads:

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT TINUBU APPOINTS FEMI GBAJABIAMILA COS, SEN. IBRAHIM HADEJIA, DCOS, GEORGE AKUME, SGF

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Friday in Abuja announced the appointment of Speaker of House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as Chief of Staff, and Sen. Ibrahim Hassan Hadejia, a former Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, as Deputy Chief of Staff.

In a meeting with Progressives Governors Forum (PGF), the President also named former Governor of Benue State and immediate past Minister of Special Duties, George Akume, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

Abiodun Oladunjoye
Director, Information.
June 02, 2023

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Speaker Gbajabiamila Confirms Death of Newspaper Vendor Shot by His Security Aide https://thecommerceafrica.com/speaker-gbajabiamila-confirms-death-of-newspaper-vendor-shot-by-his-security-aide/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/speaker-gbajabiamila-confirms-death-of-newspaper-vendor-shot-by-his-security-aide/#respond Fri, 20 Nov 2020 06:15:45 +0000 http://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=2715 The Speaker of the House of Representative, Femi Gbajabiamila Friday confirmed the death of a newspaper vendor shot by one of his security aides on Thursday.

Narrating the incidence he described as unfortunate, Gbajabiamila in a series of tweets on his official handle said “a horrible incident has taken place. This evening as I left the national assembly, I stopped as usual to exchange pleasantries with the newspaper vendors at the corner. Many of them have known me since I first moved to Abuja and it was a friendly exchange.”

“Unfortunately, after the convoy set out in continuation of movement, unidentified men obstructed the convoy which got the attention of security men in the convoy who shot into the air to disperse them.

“Some hours later, after getting to our destination, it was brought to my attention that someone was hit by a stray bullet, contrary to an earlier report by men in the convoy that they applied their security discretion to shoot in the air.

“I have caused a report to be made to the local police station and an investigation has commenced.

“In the meantime; the officer who fired the fatal shot has been suspended from the convoy pending the conclusion of the investigation.

“My value for human life and my respect for all people – irrespective of social economic status – is what endeared me to these vendors and these are the reasons why I stop my convoy quite often to connect with them. For one of them to have been shot by my security detail is horrific and I cannot begin to imagine the grief and loss Ifeanyi’s family must feel on this sad day. No family should have to go through this.

“I am personally distraught about this incident and my deepest sympathies go to the victim, his family and Abuja vendors,” he said.

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Ghana, Nigeria Propose Joint Business Council to Address Trade Issues https://thecommerceafrica.com/ghana-nigeria-propose-joint-business-council-to-address-trade-issues/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/ghana-nigeria-propose-joint-business-council-to-address-trade-issues/#respond Fri, 04 Sep 2020 08:44:19 +0000 http://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=1824 Ghana and Nigeria are proposing a joint business council that would govern matters of trade and investment between the two countries.

The initiative is as a result of the recent high-level exchanges between the two West African neighbours over the closure of Nigerian owned alleged to have breached Ghana’s domestic investment laws.

The proposal was disclosed when the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Nigeria, Femi Gbajabiamila called on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo at the Jubilee House, Accra on Thursday.

Mr Gbajabiamila, who is at the head of a Nigerian delegation, was on a two-day visit to Ghana to hold talks with his Ghanaian counterpart, Speaker Prof. Mike Aaron Ocquaye, on relations between the two nations following the implementation of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre Act 2013, Act 865, which Nigerian traders in Ghana say was inimical to their businesses.

Mr Gbajabiamila noted that perceived frosty relations between Ghana and Nigeria were mere “chatters” due to “misconceptions and misinformation” by people as to the real issues of Nigerians in Ghana.

He said the relations and bonds of friendship forged over decades between the two countries, should not be allowed to wither because of misunderstandings and difficulties that could be resolved amicably through dialogue.

The Nigerian House of Representatives Speaker told the President that since his arrival in the country, he and his delegation had met and educated a section of the Nigerian community in Ghana on some of the misconceptions they held which had generated the impasse between the two nations.

He noted that during their discussions with officials of the Ghanaian Legislature, both sides resolved to undertake the necessary actions to maintain the cordiality between the two nations, because “there cannot be a talk on Africa without a mention of Nigeria and Ghana.”

“It is that combination of strength that we seek to protect, not just for today, but for tomorrow and the future moving forward,“ he said and appealed to the President to have the GIPC Act 865 reviewed to enable his countrymen and women trading in Ghana to meet the demands of the law.

Mr Gbajabiamila suggested a Ghana – Nigeria business council backed by legislation by both countries as the roadmap for a successful trade and business regime between the two countries.

“There is nothing as good as a bilateral trade agreement backed by two countries to give better results,“ he noted, appealed again to the President to give critical attention to the outcome of discussions that he had with the Ghanaian legislature in order to sustain the enviable relations between both nations.

On his part, President Akufo-Addo made reference to the strong historical relations between Ghana and Nigeria, which continued to wax stronger.

He said that he was alarmed by the tone and issues that emerged in the statement that was issued by the Nigerian information minister, and had to.speak to the Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari immediately when the matter came up to find a solution to the issue

The President said it was heartwarming that officials of both countries, in the spirit of maintaining the friendship between Ghana and Nigeria, had gotten together to chart a way forward.

He praised the suggestion for the setting up of a Ghana/Nigeria Business Council to oversee the trade and investment matters between the two countries, saying, “It may well be long overdue, but the time has come for it to be done and I think it is a worthwhile step that is being taken.“

The President told the delegation that he had in discussions with his Nigerian counterpart mooted the idea of setting up a Joint Ministerial Committee to shepherd issues between the two countries and report outcomes to both presidents on how matters should be resolved.

He said he hoped to advance that discussion to a conclusion when he meets President Buhari the ECOWAS Summit in Niamey, Niger next Monday,

The President told the delegation that the government of Ghana took the concerns raised by Nigeria seriously and would seek a common ground to address the challenges.

“The review that you are asking for makes a lot of sense for our mutual prosperity, the request would be treated seriously…It is important that we preserve what has been built if we cannot enhance it,” he said.

President Akufo-Addo assured the Nigerian delegation of the safety of Nigerians in Ghana, many of whom have lived in the country for decades without any problems.

“That culture of cooperation and brotherliness will continue…Whatever initial problems we have will be resolved,” he said.

GNA

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Trade Crisis: Nigeria’s Delegate Heads to Ghana https://thecommerceafrica.com/trade-crisis-nigerias-delegate-heads-to-ghana/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/trade-crisis-nigerias-delegate-heads-to-ghana/#respond Wed, 02 Sep 2020 08:09:46 +0000 http://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=1794 President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday met behind closed door with Speaker, House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, at the State House, Abuja.

Speaking to State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, Gbajabiamila stated that he was in the villa to seek the blessing of the president over his planned trip to Ghana on Wednesday over the closure of shops owned by Nigerians in that country.

Gbajabiamila had last week said the closure of Nigerian shops in Ghana contravened Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) trade protocols.

The Speaker said, while in Ghana, he would engage with the Speaker of the parliament in Ghana with a view to finding solutions to the challenges facing Nigerian traders in that country.

He said: “One of the issues we discussed today, I’m leaving for Ghana tomorrow to meet with the Speaker of the parliament in Ghana to look at the issues on ground, as it affects our citizens, and to try and calm things down and see if there’s a way forward.

“I’ll meet with the Speaker tomorrow (Wednesday), I informed the President and he’s aware of every single step that we are taking, all the way and we hope that we’ll come to an amicable settlement one way or the other.

“It’s called Legislative Diplomacy, if you remember very well, during the days when I was Leader of the House, I lead the delegation to South Africa during the crisis there with Nigerians and we were able to accomplish quite a bit, to simmer things down at that time.

On demands Nigeria is taking to Ghana, the Speaker said: “No demands, we just going to discuss in the spirit of African Parliaments and we’ll be looking at issues from time to time as they affect African countries and this is one of them.’’

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Nigeria and Ghana have traded words over the closure of the shops owned by Nigerians in Ghana

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, had summoned the Ghana’s Charge d Affaires to Nigeria, Ms Iva Denoo, to deliberate on the closure of the shops.

Onyeama had also met with representatives of Nigerian Traders in Ghana, led by Jasper Emenike, the National President of Progressive Ambassadors of Nigeria (PAN) and the organisation’s National Director, Hon. Ruth Ango over the issue.

NAN reports that Ghanaian government had also proposed a meeting between President Nana Akufo-Addo of Ghana and his Nigerian counterpart, President Buhari, over the bilateral misunderstanding.(NAN)

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African Heads of Parliaments Push For Debts Cancellation https://thecommerceafrica.com/african-heads-of-parliaments-push-for-debts-cancellation/ https://thecommerceafrica.com/african-heads-of-parliaments-push-for-debts-cancellation/#respond Tue, 18 Aug 2020 07:57:32 +0000 http://thecommerceafrica.com/?p=1572 Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila and some African Speakers of Parliaments say there is an urgent need to push for debt cancellation for the continent from multilateral and bilateral partners.

A statement issued in Abuja on Monday by Lanre Lasisi, Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, said that the speaker convened a virtual meeting of African Speakers of Parliaments seeking to establish the Conference of African Speakers and Heads of Parliament (CoSAP).

The body, which he said would facilitate increased collaboration among Speakers, Heads of Parliament and National Assemblies across Africa got a boost.

The African speakers will also seek to advance the African development agenda within and outside the continent in conjunction with both the executive arms of government as well as African regional institutions.

The virtual meeting had in attendance Hon. Tagesse Chafo, Speaker, House of Peoples Representatives, Ethiopia,Mr Aaron Oquaye, Speaker of Parliament, Ghana, Mr Justin Muturi, Speaker, National Assembly, Republic of Kenya.

Others were Mr Donatille Mukabalisa, Speaker, Chamber of Deputies, Rwanda and President Moustapha Niasse, AFP, President, National Assembly, Senegal.

According to Gbajabiamila, development across the continent has become stunted due to the heavy burden of the debts.

He also said that the outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) had compounded the issue for the continent, considering the socio-political and economic consequences of the disease.

“We all agreed that Africa’s debt burden had become an existential threat to our societies, our economies and the future and we need to do something about this and treat it as a continent-wide priority.

“It is safe to say that the burden of debt servicing, vis-à-vis spending on education and health care for example, is a threat to our continent’s stability and development, especially in the era of COVID-19.

“When we find ourselves having to make policy choices between paying debts or saving lives, we know something is not morally right.

“As democratically elected representatives of our people, we cannot be silent, we must speak up and we must act. And the time to act is now,” he said.

The speaker added that there was the need to reflect on the processes that led to Africa’s heavy indebtedness in the first place and the role parliamentarians could play to address it.

He also said that the speakers and heads of parliaments should reflect on the assurances they as parliamentarians could give their borrowers if their debts were cancelled, adding that the freed-up resources would be invested in social and economic development of citizens.

“If we want debt cancellation, we must be able to build the confidence of the borrowers that the cancellation will indeed save lives and livelihoods across the continent, and we, as Speakers and Heads of our parliaments, will ensure that is indeed the case,” he said.

On the need for the establishment of the Pan-African Speaker’s Conference, Gbajabiamila said that collective efforts at tackling challenges facing the continent had become expedient.

According to him, the motive behind the initiative is that each year they identify a theme, issue or challenge that is pan-African in scope and meet to deliberate on how to work together across parliaments in Africa to tackle these continental issues and challenges.

“As heads of our respective parliamentary entities, it will also be a good platform to share experiences and expertise in different aspects of our legislative duties pertinent to the growth, development and sustenance of our economies and our societies; and on ways to enhance the capacity and impact of our parliaments on our democracies and the lives of the peoples we all represent.

“We have spent decades learning from the rest of the world, now we must begin to learn from one another,” he said

Agreeing with both initiatives, Mr Tagesse Chafo, Speaker, House of Peoples Representatives, Ethiopia, said that though almost every government on the continent had been trying to seek debt forgiveness, this should not, however, stop the parliaments from contributing to the efforts through a platform such as this.

“As representatives of our people, we are to come together, advise and campaign about the issue, we don’t have to keep quiet because debt cancellation would be good for the resuscitation of our economies that have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Also, Mr Aaron Oquaye, Speaker of Parliament, Ghana said that the debt burden was essentially a common challenge on the continent, as most African countries had to depend on foreign loans to execute their national budgets.

He, however, noted that the Speaker’s group, in its efforts to push for debt cancellation must be able to convince the creditors about accountability if they hoped to succeed.

“Donor agencies are interested in accountability because they are confounded about the issue of corruption, and we must be able to give the assurance and that is why the speakers Conference is critical,” he said.

He added that if nothing was done, there may be no economy to service the loans.

Mr Justin Bedan Muturi, Speaker, National Assembly, Republic of Kenya, also emphasised the need for the initiative, adding that, the coronavirus pandemic had undermined most African economies because conditions attached to most of the loans had been eroded by the consequences of the pandemic.

On her part, Mrs Donatille Mukabalisa, Speaker, Chamber of Deputies, Rwanda, noted that already, African countries depend on and were heavily burdened by loans even before the pandemic.

She, however, added that the group must be clear about the kind of debt it was seeking to address and from which partners.

While President Moustapha Niasse, AFP, President, National Assembly, Senegal, regretted that the pandemic had affected all economies on the continent negatively, he suggested that opinions of members of the forum must be sought on how to solve the issues between suspension or cancellation of debt.

“We must be convinced that we have a job to do at the level of parliament”, he added.

It was also agreed that a Communique would be released in the first week of September, while the campaign for implementations of the plan of action would begin in the second week of September as well.

According to the forum, the third week of September would be devoted to the planning for the 2021 conference by the secretariat.

While it was decided that Nigeria would host the maiden edition of CoSAP chaired by Gbajabiamila, the new body is expected to meet again in the first week of September to approve the plans and swing into action.(NAN)

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