Anti Gay Law: Britain will not reduce its aid to Nigeria

London – Britain will increase its aid to Nigeria this year from 200 million pounds to 270 million in spite of its disagreement with the introduction of an anti-gay law in the country.A spokesman for the Department of International Development (DFID) said, the Daily Mail reported on Tuesday.The spokesman said that the agency would not cut aidto Nigeria as none was channelled through the government.According to the spokesman, all British aid money is spent via agencies, such as UNICEF and private contractors providing education, clean water and anti-malaria projects, among others.The Same Sex Marriage Prohibition Act signed by President Goodluck Jonathan on Jan.7, prescribes up to 14 years in jail for persons who engage in gay marriage and up to 10 years for membership or encouragement of gay clubs and groups.The law also prescribes 10 years sentence for gay couples, who display affection in public and penalties for those who try to help homosexuals avoid detection.The approval of the law has continued to attract condemnation Europe, the U.S. and international bodies but many Nigerians, Africans and blacks from the Caribbean are in support of it.Nigeria is the 38th African nation to put in place such laws. (NAN)

President Jonathan announces Tukurs resignation

ABUJA- President Goodluck Jonathan, Thursday, announced that Bamanga Tukur had resigned his position as the National Chairman of the party, adding that the party would hold another National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting on Monday to select his replacement.
Tukur had earlier in his remarks at the ongoing NEC meeting announced his readiness to step aside.
It was learnt that Jonathan had given Tukur a soft landing, by allegedly promising to appoint him as an Ambassador of an unnamed country..
The president handed over Tukur’s resignation letter to the National Secretary of the party, Wale Oladipo, at the meeting in Abuja.
“He (Mr. Tukur) is not guilty of any offence and I am going to give him an assignment that is tougher than PDP chairman,” Jonathan said.
It was gathered that the Cross River State Governor, Liyel Imoke moved the motion for the acceptance of Tukur’s resignation and was seconded by the Deputy Senate Leader, Abdul Ningi, before it was accepted by the NEC.

Hausa traders flee Onitsha as youths protest killing of ASTA official

AWKA – BUSINESS activities were disrupted, Wednesday, in the commercial city of Onitsha following violent protests by hundreds of youths over the alleged killing of a staff of the Anambra State Transport Agency, ASTA, by a trailer driver of Northern extraction.
Vanguard gathered that the Hausa driver, who was travelling from Owerri in Imo State to Onitsha, was stopped at Ihiala for a check and when he failed to stop, an official of ASTA jumped into the passengers’ side beside the driver, apparently to force him to stop.
However, the driver sped off towards Onitsha, forcing ASTA officials in Ihiala to contact their colleagues in Onitsha via telephone to intercept the vehicle.
According to the report, when the vehicle was stopped at Onitsha, a lifeless body of the ASTA official, still in his uniform, was seen in the vehicle.
An eye witness who spoke to Vanguard said: “The trailer driver, who is an Hausa man was stopped by the ASTA people at Ihiala and when he refused to stop, one of the ASTA men jumped into the trailer to direct him to clear off the road.
“When the driver noticed that the ASTA man had entered his vehicle, he zoomed off. At that point, other members of the team started making calls to their colleagues and this led to the interception of the driver as he was already heading towards the Head bridge in Onitsha to cross to Asaba in Delta State.
“When the vehicle was searched, the lifeless body of the ASTA man was discovered with his hands tied behind him and fresh blood gushing out from his mouth and other parts of the body. There were also signs of injuries, indicating that there had been a scuffle.
“On hearing of the development, youths at the Upper Iweka-Head bridge axis mobilized themselves to attack the Hausa traders selling goats and onions at the Head bridge area of Onitsha.
“The youths, out of anger, set the trailer ablaze while the driver was lucky to escape as he ran towards soldiers in the area who whisked him away in their vehicle to avoid his being lynched.”
At the time Vanguard visited the Head bridge, Wednesday, all the Hausa traders and other non natives had fled Onitsha to Asaba, while others rushed into the 302 Artillery Brigade in Onitsha and nearby police stations for safety.

Meet the man who hasn't had a bath in over 60 years...

 

This Iranian man you see above hasn't allegedly had a bath for 60 years. Daily Mail reports that 80 year old Iranian Amou Haji hasn't washed for 60 years because he believes being clean will make him sick, and his favourite food is rotten porcupine.

To relax he likes to sit down and have a smoke, from a pipe packed with animal faeces. Mr Haji says he chose this way of life after going through some emotional setbacks in his youth and since then - perhaps unsurprisingly - he has become a bit isolated.

His home is in Dejgah village in the southern province of Fars in Iran where, once, a group of young men offered to give him a shower - but luckily he managed to escape.

At night he either sleeps in a hole in the ground, which is quite like a grave, or in an open brick shack which concerned locals built for him. Continue...

Mr Haji's smoking pipe is filled with animal faeces instead of tobacco

As well as cleanliness, Mr Haji also has an aversion to clean food and drink. He much prefers the rotten meat of dead animals and five litres of water a day from a rusty oil can.

But don't think Mr Haji doesn't look after himself - when he wants to look his best he uses car mirrors for grooming, The Tehran Times reported.
And, when he needs a haircut, he simply burns his locks in a fire.

As for clothing, he wears rags and, in the winter, a war helmet to ward off the cold .
The last record of longest time going without showers belonged to a 66-year-old Indian man, Kailash Singh, who had not taken a bath over 38 years.

Mr Haji claims to have beaten that.

Culled from Daily Mail UK

OJB Jezreel to Release Autobiography – “The Celebrated Beggar”

 

OJB Jezreel will share his adult life experiences with the world.

The Nigerian music star who recently had a successful kidney transplant, reveals that the book – “The Celebrated Beggar“, will be centered on life as a producer, musician, and the travails of his kidney ailment.

He reveals to The Net NG.

“I want to talk about how we can go off the spotlight in just a single moment and a whole lot of things”, he says.

No word on the release date, but it seems it will be this year.

Beverly Osu blames “Nigerians” for Breaking Up her Relationship with Angelo Collins

 

It was a picture perfect love story for Beverly Osu and Angelo Collins until it ended.

The controversy that surrounded the Big Brother Africa: The Chase contestants made them instant media sensations.

Beverly who is over the relationship, is now the face of Prestige Cosmetics and has her mind set on a couple of projects.

She and fellow BBA housemate Bimp recently visited the Hip Hop World headquarters in Lagos. And of course, they had to ask her a few questions.

On her relationship with Angelo: ” We have broken up. Is it not Nigerians that caused it?”

On how Nigerians broke the relationship: “Today, one paper will say Beverly is with this man, tomorrow another paper will say another thing, I don’t know.”

On if she is dating Bimp: “We are close, everybody knows this right from the house. People think we are dating because he is always in Nigeria but we are good friends. Can’t I have a friend that is a boy?”

On being called one of the worst dressed celebrities by Venita “Vee Vee” Akpofure: “Now I want to talk about that issue. Two days after the Big Brother Africa show, I had not stepped out from where M-Net kept me because I had a bad leg and was taking treatment for it and when I came back I heard about the comment and I’m wondering where she saw me. Did she see me in her dreams? If it’s paining her she should buy me a fine dress since she is the best dressed celebrity.”

Beverly Osu & Bimp at the Hip Hop World Headquarters

Bimp who was with Beverly at the Hip Hop World office, also dished on his relationship with Beverly.
“Bev and I are really close. To be with someone you see 24 hours a day in a house for three months and not getting to know the person better is not easy. You’ll realise that you will have a bond different from the friends you have out there. So we are close, I know a lot of people are speculating about us dating but we are really close.” he says.

Photos: Destitute woman delivers baby boy on the street

 

A female destitute popularly known as Sister Esther delivered a baby boy around 7am this morning Thursday January 16th, on the road in front of No. 7, Adisa Akintoye Street, Ketu - Tipper.

According to an eye-witness, five women helped the woman to deliver her baby. They removed their wrappers to shield her while in labour and people in the neighbourhood also brought things like baby clothes, blade, thread, palm oil, water, sponge, soap, diaper, spirit etc that were used to cut the umbilical cord and bath the baby.

The eye witness said after the delivery instead of taking the baby to a nearby health centre, they took the new born to the palace of the King of Ketu that is on the same street the destitute delivered but the King did not attend to them. Continue...

The people then took the baby to Tipper Garage (bus stop) where sister Esther usually sleeps, in front (outside) of Sweet Sensation at Tipper Garage.

As of when the LIB reader left the place, the baby and the new mother were still at the garage. Will bring an update on this, and see how we can help this woman and her new born baby.

Anti-gay bill: More celebrities speak

 

OAP Gbemi just reiterated by biggest fear with this new law. May it not be you, me or our family members. Seun Kuti's opinion on the bill after the cut...

2014 Oscar nominees list out! Chiwetel & Lupita Nyong'o nominated. see full list here

 

The 2014 Oscar nominees list is out and some African actors are really shining this year. Chiwetel Ejiofor got a Best Actor nomination for his role in '12 Years a Slave', while Kenyan beauty Lupita Nyong'o got a Best Supporting actress nomination for same movie. Somalian Barkhad Abdi got Best Supporting actor nomination for his role as the main villain in Captain Phillips.

American Hustle and Gravity lead this year's Oscars with 10 nominations each, followed by 12 Years a Slave with 9. Captain Phillips - 6. Dallas Buyers Club - 6. Nebraska - 6. Her - 5 and The Wolf of Wall Street - 5. See the full list of nominations after the cut..


Best picture
12 Years a Slave
American Hustle
Captain Phillips
Dallas Buyers Club
Gravity
Her
Nebraska
Philomena
The Wolf of Wall Street

Best director
Alfonso Cuaron, Gravity
Steve McQueen, 12 Years a Slave
Alexander Payne, Nebraska
David O Russell, American Hustle
Martin Scorsese, The Wolf of Wall Street

Best actor
Christian Bale, American Hustle
Bruce Dern, Nebraska
Leonardo DiCaprio, The Wolf of Wall Street
Chiwetel Ejiofor, 12 Years a Slave
Matthew McConaughey, Dallas Buyers Club

Best actress
Amy Adams, American Hustle
Cate Blanchett, Blue Jasmine
Sandra Bullock, Gravity
Judi Dench, Philomena
Meryl Streep, August: Osage County

Best supporting actor
Barkhad Abdi, Captain Phillips
Bradley Cooper, American Hustle
Michael Fassbender, 12 Years a Slave
Jonah Hill, The Wolf of Wall Street
Jared Leto, Dallas Buyers Club

Best supporting actress
Sally Hawkins, Blue Jasmine
Jennifer Lawrence, American Hustle
Lupita Nyong'o, 12 Years a Slave
Julia Roberts, August: Osage County
June Squibb, Nebraska

Best animated feature
The Croods
Despicable Me 2
Ernest and Celestine
Frozen
The Wind Rises
Best foreign language film The Broken Circle Breakdown
The Great Beauty
The Hunt
The Missing Picture
Omar

Best Adapted Screenplay:
- Before Midnight
- Captain Phillips
- Philomena
- 12 Years a Slave
- The Wolf of Wall Street

Best Original Screenplay:
- American Hustle
- Blue Jasmine
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Her
- Nebraska
Best Animated Feature Film:
- The Croods
- Despicable Me 2
- Ernest & Celestine
- Frozen
- The Wind Rises

Best Documentary Feature:
- The Act of Killing
- Cutie and the Boxer
- Dirty Wars
- The Square
- 20 Feet from Stardom

Best Foreign Language Film:
- The Broken Circle Breakdown Belgium
- The Great Beauty Italy
- The Hunt Denmark
- The Missing Picture Cambodia
- Omar Palestine

Best Cinematography:
- The Grandmaster Philippe Le Sourd
- Gravity Emmanuel Lubezki
- Inside Llewyn Davis Bruno Delbonnel
- Nebraska Phedon Papamichael
- Prisoners Roger A. Deakins

Best Film Editing:
- American Hustle
- Captain Phillips
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Gravity
- 12 Years a Slave
Best Original Score:
- The Book Thief, John Williams
- Gravity, Steven Price
- Her, William Butler and Owen Pallett
- Philomena, Alexandre Desplat
- Saving Mr. Banks, Thomas Newman

Best Original Song:
- “Alone Yet Not Alone” from – Alone Yet Not Alone
- “Happy” from – Despicable Me 2
- “Let It Go” from – Frozen
- “The Moon Song from – Her
- “Ordinary Love” from – Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom

Best Sound Mixing:
- Captain Phillips
- Gravity
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Inside Llewyn Davis
- Lone Survivor

Best Sound Editing:
- All Is Lost
- Captain Phillips
- Gravity
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Lone Survivor

Best Production Design:
- American Hustle
- Gravity Woollard
- The Great Gatsby
- Her
- 12 Years a Slave
Best Visual Effects:
- Gravity
- The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
- Iron Man 3
- The Lone Ranger
- Star Trek Into Darkness

Best Costume Design:
- American Hustle
- The Grandmaster
- The Great Gatsby
- The Invisible Woman
- 12 Years a Slave

Best Makeup and Hairstyling:
- Dallas Buyers Club
- Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa
- The Lone Ranger

Best Documentary Short Subject:
- CaveDigger
- Facing Fear
- Karama Has No Walls
- The Lady in Number 6: Music Saved My Life
- Prison Terminal: The Last Days of Private Jack Hall

Best Short Film (Animated):
- Feral
- Get a Horse!
- Mr. Hublot
- Possessions
- Room on the Broom

Best Short Film (Live Action):
- Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me)
- Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just before Losing Everything)
- Helium
- Pitääkö Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?)
- The Voorman Problem

President Jonathan sacks Service Chiefs, appoints new ones

 

President Jonathan has sacked Nigeria's Service Chiefs and appointed new ones.

According to a statement by Presidential spokesperson, Reuben Abati, Air Marshall Alex Badeh is the new Chief of Defence Staff, replacing Admiral Ola Ibrahim. Major-General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah takes over from Lt.-General Azubike O. Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff.

Read the State House press release after the cut...

STATE HOUSE PRESS RELEASE

PRESIDENT JONATHAN APPROVES CHANGES IN MILITARY HIGH COMMAND

President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has in the exercise of the powers conferred on him by the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria approved the following changes in the nation’s Military High Command:

Air Marshal Alex Badeh takes over from Admiral Ola Sa’ad Ibrahim as Chief of Defence Staff;

Major-General Kenneth Tobiah Jacob Minimah takes over from Lt.-General Azubike O. Ihejirika as Chief of Army Staff;

Rear Admiral Usman O. Jibrin takes over from Vice Admiral Dele Joseph Ezeoba as Chief of Naval Staff; and Air Vice Marshal Adesola Nunayon Amosu takes over from Air Marshal Badeh as Chief of Air Staff.

All the changes are with immediate effect.

The new Chief of Defence Staff and former Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshal Badeh was born on January 10, 1957 and joined the Air Force as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 21 Regular Course while the new Chief of Army Staff, Major-General Minimah was born on July 27, 1959 and joined the Army as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 25 Regular Course. Until his new appointment, Major-General Minimah was the Commander of the Nigerian Army Infantry Corps, Jaji.

The new Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Usman Jibrin was

born on September 16, 1959 and joined the Navy as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 24 Regular Course. Until his appointment as Chief of Naval Staff, he was Director of Training at Defence Headquarters.

The new Chief of Air Staff and immediate past Commander of the Presidential Air Fleet, Air Vice Marshal Amosu was born on August 1, 1958 and joined the Air Force as a member of the Nigerian Defence Academy’s 25 Regular Course. Until his new appointment, Air Vice Marshal Amosu was the Air Officer Commanding, Tactical Air Command, Makurdi.

President Jonathan has briefed the leadership of the National Assembly on the appointment of the new service chiefs and will, in keeping with the provisions of the law, request the National Assembly to formally confirm the appointments when it reconvenes.

Reuben Abati

Special Adviser to the President

(Media & Publicity)

January 16, 2014

PHOTO;Atiku Celebrates Super Eagles victory in style

Nigeria's former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar took to the floor yesterday January 15th, dancing Azonto after the Super Eagles of Nigeria bashed the Mambas of Mozambique 4-2 in the ongoing 2014 CHAN Nations Cup in South Africa.

House Finance Committee’s 50 Questions: Okonjo-Iweala provides detailed 102-page response

 

Find a press statement below...

The Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has provided a detailed 102-page documented response to the 50 questions posed by the House of Representatives Committee on Finance. The document provides, in extensive detail, including tables and graphs, answers to the committee’s well publicized questions.

In her response, the Minister stressed that, in spite of many challenges which government has acknowledged, the Nigerian economy is showing real and measurable progress in many areas. This can be seen in the fact that more jobs are being created; roads, rail and other infrastructure are being improved; the country is saving for the future and planning better for the present. Continue...

The Jonathan administration, contrary to the impression given by some critics, is making impact in the areas that, according to credible opinion polls, Nigerians are most passionate about.

For instance, on job creation which is a central focus of the administration, a total of 1.6 million jobs were created last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) of which 250,000 were seasonal jobs created in dry season farming in 10 northern states. In manufacturing, the Onne Oil and Gas Free zone created an estimated 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. The government special intervention programme YouWin supported young entrepreneurs, creating over 18,000 jobs. The SURE-P Community Services prgramme has also created 120,000 job opportunities.

The improvement in federal highways has been confirmed by many Nigerians who travelled over the Christmas and New Year holidays. Key highways which have witnessed significant progress include Kano-Maiduguri road, the Abuja-Lokoja road, the Apapa-Oshodi road, the Onitsha-Enugu-Port-Harcourt road and the Benin-Ore-Shagamu road. Preliminary work has commenced on Lagos-Ibadan road and the Second Niger Bridge.

The Railway Modernization Programme involving the construction of standard gauge lines is underway. The 1,124 km Western line linking Lagos and Kano is now functional while work on the Eastern line linking Port Harcourt to Maiduguri is about 36% complete. The Abuja-Kaduna Standard Gauge line has attained 68% completion, and the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Line which is presently 77% completed, will be completed next year. The annual passenger traffic on our railways has increased steadily: rising from 1 million in 2011 to 5 million in 2013.

One of the issues the Coordinating Minister dealt with is the charge, made by the Chair of the Committee in the media that the country is racking up debts under Dr Okonjo-Iweala’s watch as Finance Minister. As shown in her response, there is no substance to the charge. In fact, the opposite is true. Right from her Senate confirmation hearing in 2011, the Minister had identified rising debt as a major challenge which the country needs to confront. Under the leadership of President Jonathan and working with the Debt Management Office and the Budget Office of the Fedration, the Minister followed through with a robust approach which includes progressive reduction of borrowing, quick settlement of due debts and the retirement of N75 billion of maturing bonds via a Sinking Fund dedicated to paying off substantial bonds. These measures have produced clear results as shown in the reduction of borrowing from N852 billion in 2011 to N571.9 billion this year.

It is important to note that many of the 50 Questions had been adequately answered at various fora, including meetings and open hearings organized by the House Committee. The Minister’s detailed response in spite of this, is a reflection of her well known high regard for the National Assembly as an institution.

Please see below some highlights of the Coordinating Minister’s answers to the 50 questions.

Paul C Nwabuikwu

Special Adviser to the Coordinating Minister for the Economy and Minister of Finance

HIGHLIGHTS OF SOME ANSWERS TO THE

50 QUESTIONS

JOB CREATION

A total of 1.6 million jobs were created last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). In agriculture for instance, the provision of inputs in 10 Northern states enabled dry season farming and created over 250,000 seasonal jobs. season. In manufacturing, the Onne Oil and Gas Free zone created an estimated 30,000 direct and indirect jobs. The government special intervention programme YouWin supported young entrepreneurs, creating over 18,000 jobs. The Sure-community Services has also created 120,000 job opportunities.

INFRASTRUCTURE

Progress has been made on construction of the Kano-Maiduguri road, the Abuja-Lokoja road, the Apapa-Oshodi road, the Onitsha-Enugu-Port-Harcourt road and the Benin-Ore-Shagamu road, among others. Preliminary work has also commenced on the Lagos-Ibadan road, as well as on the Second Niger Bridge. The Railway Modernization Programme involving the construction of standard gauge lines is underway. The 1,124 km Western line linking Lagos and Kano is now functional while work on the Eastern line linking Port Harcourt to Maiduguri is about 36% complete. The Abuja-Kaduna Standard Gauge line has attained 68% completion, and the Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri Line which is presently 77% completed, will be completed next year. The annual passenger traffic on our railways has increased steadily: rising from 1 million in 2011 to 5 million in 2013.

INLAND WATERWAYS

We have dredged about 72 km of the lower River Niger from Baro in Niger State to Warri in Delta State; and completed the construction of the Onitsha inland port; while the Baro port is nearing completion. The result of all these is that we now have year round navigation around the lower Niger; and we are already witnessing an increase in cargo volume from below 2.9 million metric tons in 2011 to over 5 million metric tons on the inland waterways. As in the case of the rail transport, the number of passengers travelling via our inland waterways has increased fourfold from 250,000 in 2011 to over 1.3 million.

WATER RESOURCES

Key milestones recorded in 2013 include the construction of 9 dams, which resulted in an increase in the volume of the nation’s water reservoir by 422MCM. Progress was made on major projects such as the South Chad Irrigation Project, the Bakolori Irrigation Project, and the Galma Dam. Implementation of irrigation and drainage programme resulted in increase of the total irrigable area by over 31,000Ha, job creation for about 75,000 farming families and increased production of over 400,000Mt of assorted irrigated food products.

AVIATION:

The 22 airports across Nigeria are being remodeled and upgraded: in 2013, we completed the upgrade of 11 airport terminals and work on the remaining 11 terminals is in progress. The Enugu Airport is now operational as an international airport with a new terminal under construction. We have also commenced work on the construction of three new international airport terminals: in Lagos, in Kano, and in Abuja. Modern navigational and meteorological systems were installed at our airports to improve air safety. In addition, 6 airports namely: Jos, Markurdi, Yola, Jalingo, Lagos and Ilorin which are strategically located in proximity to food baskets have been designated as perishable cargo airports and international standards perishable cargo facilities are being developed at these airports. A new Cargo Development Division has been established in FAAN to give focus to this effort.

POWER

We have completed one of the most comprehensive and ambitious power sector privatization and liberation programmes globally. We have privatized 4 power generation companies and 10 power distribution companies, and have virtually settled all claims and entitlements of PHCN workers. Some major cities get an average of 16-18 hours of electricity per day in 2013. This however dropped in November and December during the transition we expect some teething problems and then power supply should pick up. In 2013, we also mobilized $1.5 billion in financing from multilateral sources for investment and upgrade of the transmission network in 2014 and beyond. To promote clean energy, we also commenced construction of the 700MW Zungeru Hydro-Power project in 2013. We have strengthened relevant power market intermediaries such as the Nigerian Bulk Electricity Trading Plc (NBET), and backed them with financing to stimulate greater private investments in the sector.

MANUFACTURING:

We launched the National Industrial Revolution Plan (NIRP), which focuses on industrializing Nigeria and diversifying our economy into sectors such as agro-processing, light manufacturing, and petrochemicals. In the 2013 fiscal year, Nigeria was named the #1 destination for investments in Africa by UNCTAD (the UN Conference on Trade and Development), attracting over $7 billion in FDI. There were a large number of both foreign and domestic investments in the economy, such as by: $250m investments by Procter and Gamble in Ogun State; $40 million in agricultural projects by Dominion Farms. To further support the manufacturing sector, the Government successfully negotiated a strong Common External Tariff (CET) agreement with our ECOWAS partners, which would enable us to protect our strategic industries where necessary. The Nigerian Enterprise Development Programme (NEDEP) was initiated in 2013 to address the needs of small businesses. Some key interventions by NEDEP include supporting small companies with access to affordable finance, access to markets, capacity support, business development services, youth training, and support in formalizing their operations. In addition, in 2013, we reduced business registration costs for small businesses by 50%, to help them conserve capital. Finally, as a result of our backward integration policies, Nigeria is now a net exporter of cement and expanded cement output capacity from 2 million metric tonnes in 2002 to 28.5 million metric tonnes in 2013.

AGRICULTURE:

There have been many achievements in the agricultural sector following the launch of the Government’s comprehensive Agricultural Transformation Agenda program. In October 2013, inflation fell to 7.8%, its lowest since 2008, partly due to higher domestic food production. The Government’s Growth Enhancement Scheme (GES) is providing subsidizing inputs to farmers via an e-Wallet program. In fiscal year 2013, an estimated 4.2 million farmers received subsidized inputs via the Government’s Growth Enhancement Scheme. As a result, in 2013, we produced 1.1 million metric tonnes of dry season rice across 10 Northern states; and over 250,000 farmers and youths in these States are now profitably engaged in farming even during the dry season. The Federal Government launched Staple Crop Processing Zones to support investments in the entire agricultural value chain. At present, there are over $8 billion of private investment commitments from agribusiness ventures such as: Flour Mills of Nigeria, the Dangote Group, Syngenta, Indorama, AGCO, and Belstar Capital. In 2012, 2.2 million metric tonnes of cassava chips were exported, exceeding the ATA’s target by over 100% while the 40 percent substitution of cassava for wheat has been achieved through research and collaboration with the IITA and Federal Institute for Industrial Research. Similarly, there has been a decline in wheat imports to Nigeria from an all-time high of 4,051,000 MT in 2010 to 3,700,000 MT in 2012.

HEALTH

To further invest in the human capital of our population, we are building strong safety nets and improving access to primary health care using the Saving One Million Lives programme. In the 2013 fiscal year, we recruited 11,300 frontline health workers who were deployed to under-served communities across the country. We have reached over 10,000 women and children with conditional cash transfer programmes across 8 States (Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Ebonyi, Kaduna, Niger, Ogun, Zamfara) and the FCT and we intend to scale up this successful initiative. As a result, over 400,000 lives have been saved through our various interventions. Nigeria’s national immunization coverage has now exceeded 80% and is yielding demonstrable results. The Type-3 Wild Polio virus has been contained in 2013, with no recorded transmissions for more than one year; while Guinea worm that previously affected the lives of over 800,000 Nigerians yearly has been largely eradicated. Facilities at various medical centers across the country – such as the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital in Enugu, and the University College Hospital in Ibadan – have also been upgraded. Finally, Nigeria has also been honoured as Co-Chair of the fourth replenishment of the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, and I shall be co-chairing this initiative with other selected world leaders.

EDUCATION

To improve access to education at all levels, a number of priority investments were made in 2013. These include the construction of 125 Almajiri schools and establishment of 3 additional Federal Universities, to bring the total number of new Federal Universities to 12. Additionally, special girls’ schools were constructed in 13 States of the Federation. In fiscal year 2013, we rehabilitated 352 science and technical laboratories while 72 new libraries have been constructed in the Federal Unity Schools. Furthermore, the laboratories of all 51 Federal and State Polytechnics have been rehabilitated and micro-teaching laboratories are being constructed in 58 Federal and State Colleges of Education. The Presidential Special Scholarship programme for first class graduates has commenced with an initial set of 101 beneficiaries. Over 7,000 lecturers from Universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education are benefitting from scholarships to support their doctoral training in Nigerian and overseas institutions.

COMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGY:

We continued our strategic focus on investing in modern ICT technologies. We constructed 500km of fibre-optic cable to rural areas; 3,000km targeted for deployment in 2013/2014. A total of 266 Public Access Venues were established in 2013 – 156 Rural IT Centres, 110 Community Communication Centres. We facilitated the deployment of mobile communications base stations in rural areas of Nigeria. A total of 59 Base Stations have been installed thus far, with an additional 1,000 planned for 2014. In addition, we also provided wholesale internet bandwidth to Internet Service Providers, Cyber cafes, and ICT centres like Community Communication Centres (CCC) in rural communities – connectivity to 12 out of 18 pilot sites completed. In 2013, we deployed a fibre-optic high-speed internet network to connect 27 Federal universities, and provided computing facilities to 74 tertiary institutions and 218 public schools across the country. Finally, we established innovation centers to support entrepreneurs in the ICT sector, and also launched a Venture Capital fund of $15 million for ICT businesses.