What Tillerson said as U.S. Secretary of State before sack

• Says transparent, credible, fair, peaceful elections expected next year

Rex Tillerson, until yesterday the United States Secretary of State had to cut short his trip to Africa because of developments at home. He had been fired by President Donald Trump. Tillerson, whose replacement has been named, will bow out of office on March 31. Below is excerpts of what Tillerson said in Abuja, Nigeria’s political capital on Monday before his sack.

Well, good afternoon, and I am so pleased to be back in Nigeria, a place that I have visited many, many times.  And I particularly appreciate the time that President Muhammadu Buhari and Foreign Affairs Minister Geoffrey Onyeama have given me to discuss our countries’ relationship, and importantly the commitments we have and make to one another.

We collaborate to create a number of opportunities to increase trade and investment and to expand access to electricity, an essential component of both human and economic development.  We also take on a number of challenges across this continent together, from corruption to disease to terrorism.  As Africa’s largest economy, Nigeria is America’s second-largest trading partner on the continent with over $9 billion in Nigerian-U.S. total goods traded last year.

Later this year, we will inaugurate the U.S. – Nigeria Commercial and Investment Dialogue and a Trade and Investment Framework Council, both very positive steps to develop stronger business networks and address barriers to increasing trade and investment from the U.S.

We also look forward to the finalisation of the Continental Free Trade Agreement through the African Union (AU) as an important mechanism to accelerate intra-African trade, a step which we believe is going to bring even greater foreign direct investment and I know a greater U.S. business investment and involvement in Africa, and most particularly Nigeria with Nigeria’s large population and growing economy.

We thank Nigeria for the leadership role it is playing in the Lake Chad Basin Multinational Joint Task Force (MJTF) with Chad, Cameroon, Niger, and Benin.  Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa have caused the displacement of millions and stolen the future from so many.  The recent kidnapping of more than 100 school girls is heartbreaking. Nigeria has the U.S. full support, and we are actively working with our partners here on other ways we can assist you in this fight.

Finally, I shared with the President the U.S. optimism about the future of democratic governance here and throughout the continent.  Nigeria’s elections and peaceful transfer of power in 2015 demonstrated for the rest of Africa and the world that diverse societies can conduct peaceful, democratic transitions of leadership.  The U.S. looks forward to joining with government and civil society groups in support of transparent, credible, fair, and peaceful elections once again here in Nigeria.

The U.S. also commends Nigeria’s anti-corruption efforts.  President Buhari’s work has resonated across the continent with his recent recognition as the AU’s anti-corruption champion.  We continue to encourage the Nigerian government to work with civic and community leaders to create a durable social, economic, and political infrastructure that supports lasting peace and development for the decades to come.

This is essential to deepening the people’s trust in their government, strengthening security efforts in the Northeast, and improving the U.S. ability to partner with Nigeria in the future.  We see nothing but a very bright future ahead for Nigeria and for U.S. – Nigerian relations.

 

Africa and Trump administration

 

Africa’s been really important for the administration, and that’s what I’ve been focused on for the past week, as you know.  I think, with respect to Mr. Kushner’s portfolio of assignments that the President has given him, I think it’s best to leave any comment on that to himself or the White House.

 

Consequences of the Boko Haram insurgency

 

Well, first, we respect the responsibilities of the Government of Nigeria.  This is sovereign territory of Nigeria.  But the way we support is in providing them capability, capacity, whether it’s equipment, but also training personnel for special operations, and sharing certain intelligence to ensure that they have all the information available to plan and carry out a recovery effort.

But I think it’s also important to put this in the broader regional context as well.  Boko Haram is a threat to others regionally, and this has been a subject in my meetings elsewhere while in Africa as well.  And in my discussions, in fact, with President Idriss Deby in Chad earlier today (Monday) we spoke about the threat of Boko Haram.  And I think what’s important and has really been powerful is the collaboration of the joint task force that – of which Nigeria is a part and Chad is a part, to respond to this threat of terrorism, of which Boko Haram is one organisation.  There are other threats that the leadership in this part of the country has to deal with and this part of the continent has to deal with.

So the U.S. is very engaged in that coordinated effort as well, both in supporting, equipping, training, and where we can advise and provide information.  I think that’s the best way we can help the Government of Nigeria secure the release of these girls, which we hope will be done in a peaceful manner.  We hope that something that can be worked out and they will be persuaded to release these girls quickly.  That’s what we’re pray, anyway.

 

Trump and Jong-un

 

With respect to the ongoing discussions about a potential meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-un, as you know, it’s a very recent development.  There will be – several steps will be necessary to agree on a location, agree on a scope of those discussions.  It’s very early stages.  We’ve not heard anything directly back from North Korea, although we expect to hear something directly from them.  So, I would – I know those are all questions that people are anxious to have answers to.  I would say just remain patient and we’ll see what happens.

 

How about a location?

 

That as well…  Nothing – nothing’s been agreed, and I don’t want to start floating ideas out through the media.  I think it’s going to be very important that those kind of conversations are held quietly between the two parties.

 

Chinese debts

 

Well, I’ve commented on this question a couple of other times, and I think it’s important that our view be clearly understood.  We do not seek to keep Chinese dollar investments from flowing to countries that need those investment dollars.  What we are cautioning countries is to look carefully at the implications of the level of debt, the terms of the debt; whether the arrangements around that financing are in fact creating local jobs, local capacity, or are the projects being carried out by foreign labour being brought to your country?  Is the structure of the financing such that you will always be in control of your infrastructure?  Are there mechanisms to deal with default in a way that you do not lose the ownership of your own assets?  These are national assets, whether they’re ports or railroads or major highways.

And we have seen this occur in other countries where countries were not so careful, and as a result, they got themselves in a situation where they ultimately lost control of their infrastructure, they lost the ownership of it, they lost the operatorship of it.  And that’s the caution we have.  There are very well-known international rules and norms, well-known financing structures to deal with unforeseen circumstances, and I think we’re just – we’re cautioning countries to look carefully.

And there are other alternatives.  There are other alternative financing mechanisms available, and I think in particular, if governments create the right conditions around those infrastructure investments, there are also great potential for public-private sector co-investing in infrastructure.  And we are developing mechanisms and the President has charged some of his executive staff back home to begin to develop alternative financing mechanisms that will also create alternative opportunities to what China is offering.  And again, it may be that China is fine, but we have seen many, many examples around the world where it didn’t work out so well for the host country.  And as friends of all countries, we’re just asking:  Be careful.

 

Former secretary unaware of reason for sack

FORMER Rex Tillerson is unaware of why President Donald Trump asked him to resign AS United States (U.S.) Secretary of State, Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs, Steve Goldstein, said in a statement on yesterday.

Goldstein also said the former Secretary of the State and did not speak to Trump about the development.

“The Secretary did not speak to the President and is unaware of the reason, but he is grateful for the opportunity to serve, and still believes strongly that public service is a noble calling,” Goldstein said.

Trump, however, said that he and Tillerson disagreed on many things, including the Iran nuclear deal, following the announcement of the top diplomat’s departure from the high-ranking position.

The U.S. President said: “We got along actually quite well, but we disagreed on things. When you look at the Iran deal, I think it’s terrible, I guess he thinks it was okay.

“We wanted to either break it or do something and he felt a little bit differently. So, we were not really thinking the same.”

Trump added that he made the decision to fire Tillerson by himself, announcing that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director, Mike Pompeo, will replace Tillerson.

“Mike Pompeo, Director of the CIA, will become our new Secretary of State. He will do a fantastic job! Thank you to Rex Tillerson for his service!” Trump wrote in a Twitter message.

A White House official said Trump wanted to make the change at the State Department ahead of expected talks with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un and trade negotiations.

Trump reportedly asked Tillerson to resign on Friday while the secretary was in the middle of a diplomatic trip to Africa.

Tillerson, who was in Abuja, on Monday cut his trip short by a day and returned to Washington, DC.

Trump plans to nominate Gina Haspel, the CIA’s Deputy Director, to take over for Pompeo.

Haspel would become the first female director in the history of the intelligence agency.

Haspel served as a clandestine officer with the CIA in 2002 in Thailand and oversaw the torture of two terrorism suspects and destruction of videotapes documenting that torture, according to a Senate Intelligence Committee report on CIA torture.

Both Pompeo and Haspel will need Senate confirmation before starting their new positions.

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House of Reps lifts suspension on Jibrin

The House of Representatives has lifted the suspension placed on the former Chairman of its Committee on Appropriation, Rep. Abdulmumin Jibrin (Kano-APC).

This followed a letter of apology sent to the House by Jibrin, which was presented by the Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara, at plenary on Tuesday.

The lawmaker was suspended in 2017 for 180 legislative days for allegedly exposing “budget padding” scandal in the legislative arm of government.

Presenting the letter, Dogara said that the suspended legislator had met all the conditions necessary for him to resume his duties.

He therefore said that Jibrin was free to resume his legislative duties whenever he wished

 

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Lassa fever kills three in Ekiti

•Five out of eight persons tested positive

A fresh outbreak of Lassa fever has reportedly killed three persons in Ekiti State, the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Rotimi Ojo, has said.

Ojo, who addressed reporters yesterday in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, said five of the eight suspected cases tested negative while one was uncertain and the last one pending at press time last night.

The commissioner said the government was taking proactive steps in its surveillance involving the residents because some cases and deaths had been recorded in neighbouring states.

He assured the residents that the State Disease Control team had been alerted while the process of sensitising the people with jingles, adverts and other communications media were ongoing.

Ojo said similar actions taken during the 2016 outbreak were successful, adding that the epidemic was controlled and the identified patient, who was properly managed, survived.

According to him, the three isolation centres at Ido Federal Teaching Hospital in Ido-Ekiti; Oba Adejugbe General Hospital, Ado-Ekiti and the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital in Ado-Ekiti were still operational.

The commissioner urged stakeholders, including health practitioners, teachers, traditional rulers, religious leaders as well as community and opinion leaders, to join hands with the state government to prevent the spread of the disease.

He advised the people to avoid self-medication and keeping sick people at home.

Ojo noted that any unusual increase in temperature or fever must be reported to the nearest health facility.

He stressed the importance of environmental sanitation practices and general cleanliness, saying hand-washing, good food storage as well as practice and enforcement of infection prevention and control at various health facilities should not be compromised.

 

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Gunmen kill 25 in Plateau attacks

•Lalong sacks Bokkos council chair

No fewer than 25 people were killed in an attack by gunmen in Bassa local government of Plateau state on Monday night.

The gunmen attacked Kimakpa, Zirshe and Dundun villages in Kwall district of the local government.

The killing were carried out as people were preparing to burry 18 of their people killed last weekend who bodies were deposited at the morgue of the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).

Plateau State Police Spokesman Terna Tyopev, said policemen had been deployed in the communities to prevent further attack.

He said: “The gunmen stormed the village at about 11pm and took residents unaware. Some residents were able to escape, but the gunmen killed 25 people before the information got to us”

However, the special military task force code named operation safe haven (OPSH) said 21 people were killed and two injured

Some of the villagers who escaped the Bassa attack said the gunmen that came were more than 200 and they were heavily armed.

Many of the residents were reported missing after the attack; a rescue team put up by the villagers have been combing the nearby bush in search of the missing ones.

Media officer of OPSH Major Adam Umar said the task force had launched a manhunt for the killers. “With the deployment of men of the OPSH to the affected villages, residents can be assured of safety”

Spokesman of the Irigwe Development Association Ivy Gulu, said 23 persons were killed at Dundu, another village in Kwall District of Bassa.

“Twenty-three persons were killed in an attack on Dundu village last night. We are already preparing for a mass burial,” Gulu said.

He said that many others were missing and were feared killed.

Gulu said that many houses were burnt down by the invaders.

A correspondent of NAN, who visited the village, observed that smoke was still billowing from some of the houses set ablaze while many residents had fled to villages considered safer.

Gulu expressed sadness that the attacks came on a day slated for the mass burial of those killed last week.

Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong has sacked Mr Simon Angyol, the Management Committee Chairman of Bokkos Local Government over incessant killings in the locality.

Lalong made this in communication forwarded to the State’s House of Assembly and was read at Tuesday’s plenary by its Speaker, Mr Peter Azi.

“Following certain unpleasant development in the management of Bokkos local government council, I wish to seek approval for the removal of Mr Simon Angyol as Management Committee Chairman of the Council.

“I also wish to seek your approval to appoint Mr Tamai Simon as the new Management Committee Chairman of the Council,” he stated.

Members of House, in a voice vote, approved the removal of Angyol and the subsequent appointment of Simon

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We’ve restored stability in foreign exchange market, says President

President Muhammadu Buhari  yesterday said the government had restored stability to the foreign exchange market.

“We have restored stability in foreign exchange market and have recorded improvements in our foreign reserves which have grown from 24 billion US dollars in September 2016 to 42 billion US dollars by mid-February 2018 and now 46 billion US dollars.

“This has been achieved partially because of the recovery of oil prices on the international market.”

The President spoke during the launch of the Focus Labs for the Administration’s Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) in Abuja.

He added that his administration had made remarkable strides in creating a conducive business environment for investors, earning the World Bank’s ranking as one of the Top 10 most improved economies in 2017.

“This has encouraged both local and foreign investments in the last few months,” Buhari added.

The ERGP is a medium-term plan, 2017-2020, launched by the President in April 2017.

ERGP sets out the direction of government policy for the economy to put it on the path of a strong, diversified, inclusive and sustainable growth.

According to Buhari, the focus labs are part of the strategies being put in place to ensure implementation of the ERGP.

He also pointed out that focus labs had been successfully used in other countries to boost their economies.

The President said: “Many will recall that almost a year ago, I made a promise that this Administration will be committed to its full implementation.

“The Labs we are flagging off today constitute one of the many strategies this Administration is taking to ensure that the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan is effectively implemented.”

The President listed the key goals in the ERGP to include achieving sustainable, diversified and inclusive growth, becoming self-sufficient in basic commodities to curtail our food imports, diversifying economic base from crude oil dependence, empowering local businesses to create thousands of jobs and, improving the general wellbeing of the people.

“In the past ten months, we have achieved several noteworthy milestones. As you are aware, economic growth returned in second quarter of 2017 due to a clear follow-through of some of the economic initiatives we set out to implement. Since then, we have consolidated on the recovery path reaching a Real GDP growth of 1.92% by the fourth quarter of 2017.

Significant progress, he said, has also been made in the Agricultural sector with the expansion of the Anchor Borrower’s programme to more beneficiaries to boost local production.

“We plan to build upon the success of the Presidential Fertilizer Initiative to double the 500,000 metric tons of fertilizer delivered to States, agro-dealers and farmers in 2017, by achieving production output of 1 million metric tons in 2018.

“Today, our local food production, particularly rice, has witnessed a remarkable growth and has saved the nation millions of dollars of foreign exchange.

“However, we are not relenting on our efforts until these improvements in economic indices translate to visible improvements in the lives of our citizens.”

Minister of Budget and National Planning Senator Udoma Udo Udoma, said the Government had so far screened 240 projects for the ERGP focus laboratories.

He said the government’s target was to mobilise at least 25 billion dollars or its Naira equivalent in private investments through the labs.

“Many have asked whether we are not being too ambitious in targeting 25 billion dollars. My answer is that we have no choice.

“We actually need multiples of 25 billion dollars, or its equivalent in Naira of new investments to create enough jobs to address the high unemployment rate in the country.

“So, we will not stop after the first set of labs. After this first set of labs, we will hold more labs and more labs.

“We shall keep on addressing all the constraints to investments until we achieve the goals we have set for ourselves,” he said.

According to him, the implementation of the initiative will further drive quick delivery of some of the outcomes of ERGP and contribute to accelerating the growth momentum of the country.

He said:  “The expected deliverables are the identification of projects followed by detailed implementation plans for each project with identified budgets and Key Performance Indicators (KPIs).

“The process has become imperative because government is fully committed to the achievement of the primary objective of the ERGP, which is restoring the strength of the economy.

“We cannot rest until we achieve the ERGP’s vision of a new Nigeria.

“We cannot rest until we see a Nigeria that is transformed from a consuming nation to a producing nation, from an import dependent nation to an export oriented nation.

“A Nigeria from a nation that survives on one single commodity to a nation that runs on multiple engines of growth,” he said.

Udoma said that the government had invited potential and existing local and foreign investors, who may be interested in investing in any of the three focus areas to attend the closed-door sessions.

“The three sectors are: Agriculture and Transportation, Manufacturing and Processing, and Power and Gas.”

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Buhari and the National Assembly

The gulf between the Presidency and the National Assembly widened yesterday.

President Muhammadu Buhari may have drawn the battle line with the parliament. The bone of contention is the Election Sequence Adjustment Bill, which the lawmakers passed  despite the criticisms that trailed it.

The President has refused to assent to the bill, making its fate to hang in the balance. But, not for long. According to the constitution, the bill will revert to the National Assembly, following the withholding of the critical presidential assent. Should the National Assembly override the presidential veto, the frosty relationship will continue. It is not in the interest of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). It will not be in national interest.

Tempers rose in the chambers when the bill was introduced. The National Assembly began the debate on it after the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) released the time table for next year’s general elections. Whose agenda is the bill serving?

Many critics have insinuated that the motive of those behind the bill is to make the electoral commission to retrace its steps and reorder the election timetable so that the presidential election will come last. It was speculated that after the parliamentary and governorship elections have been completed, forces against President Buhari will swing into action and abort his second term bid. Instructively, the President is yet to unfold any re-election bid. But Senator Abdullahi Adamu from Nasarawa State is adamant that the bill is targeted at the president’s second term ambition.

A few weeks ago, the umpire raised the alarm that the bill came late, stressing that its retroactive implementation might throw spanners in its plans for the elections. Irked by the scenario, former INEC Chairman Attahiru Jega, advised his successor, Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, to go to court to seek legal interpretation.

What is worrisome to observers is that the ruling party has majority in the National Assembly.  Why are APC senators, now supported by their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) colleagues, at war with the president under the guise of separation of powers? Is a special reconciliation not necessary now between the APC-Presidency and the APC-dominated National Assembly? Where will the acrimony lead the party to?

When the legislature, the first and the most important organ of government is at loggerheads with the so-called power-loaded executive, is the eclipse of democracy not imminent?

The party is battling with many crises in an election year. Its troubled state chapters are on the edge. Some founding fathers are complaining that they have been sidelined.  Calls for congresses and convention and resistance to the legitimate clamour have boxed party supporters into anxiety. Is APC being indirectly subverted or undermined to deliberately weaken and decimate it? Are some APC stalwarts bent on reinventing the strategy that led to the mass exodus from the PDP, ahead of 2015 elections?

The weakness of the party leadership is underscored by its aloofness, its lack of capacity to restore order into a state of pandemonium and lack of skill for crisis resolution. Indeed, the leadership may have become an albatross to the political family. What is the position of the party, for example, on the contentious bill? Where is the party caucus? How can the party be supreme when the party caucus is ineffective? How can a party avert indiscipline and promote consensus building when such a towering party organ is dormant? How can a party position be canvassed when there is none?

The party caucus should be the conscience of the party. It is an avenue for closing communication gaps and intra-party ventilating grievances. It is a forum for the articulation of party positions. It is an arena for projecting party policies and programmes, and motivating members to support the government.

Party language is spoken by members at the caucus. Decisions are collectively taken and defended afterwards. Although senators elected on a party platform have the constitutional right to engage issues on the floor, negation of the party directive will be tantamount to indiscipline and anti-party activities.

Many things are wrong with the APC. It is not laying a good example for other parties.

 

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Anxiety in Senate, House as Buhari rejects polls bill

Senators seek legal opinion    

Bill ‘infringes on Constitution’

There was anxiety in the Senate and the House of Representatives yesterday following President Muhammadu Buhari’s rejection of the bill on the reordering of the 2019 election sequence.

The Senate and the House on February 14 adopted the conference report of the Electoral Act amendment.

Unlike what is in the Electoral Act in which elections will hold on two legs: Presidential/ National Assembly and Governorship/ State Assemblies, the amendment is a three-leg process; National Assembly, Governorship /Assemblies and Presidential.

But the President, in a correspondence to the lawmakers – which was read on the floors yesterday – declined assent to the bill.

The presidential letter entitled “Presidential decision to withhold assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018” reads: “Pursuant to Section 58(4) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), I hereby convey to the Senate my decision on 3rd March 2018 to decline Presidential Assent to the Electoral Amendment Bill 2018 recently passed by the National Assembly.

“Some of my reasons include the following:

“A.The amendment to the sequence of elections in Section 25 of the principal act may infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed discretion of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to organise, undertake and supervise elections provided in Section 15(A) of the third statue to the Constitution;

“B.The amend to Section 138 of the principal act to delete two crucial grounds upon which an election may be challenged by candidates, unduly limits the rights of candidates in elections to a free and fair electoral review process;

“C. The amendment to Section 152(3)-(5) of the Principal Act may raise Constitutional issues over the competence of the National Assembly to legislate over local government elections.”

Before Senate President Bukola Saraki read the letter, senators went into an executive session.

He read the letter at the plenary convened after the closed session. Thereafter, there were no comments.

After Speaker Yakubu Dogara read the letter in the House of Representatives, there were also no comments.

This is the second major bill that the President has declined to sign in the last one month, the first being the Peace Corps Bill.

It was learnt that at the executive session, senators resolved to seek advice from the legal department on the issues raised by President Buhari for withholding his assent to the amendment of the Electoral Act Bill.

A source said that the next line of action would largely depend on the advice from the legal department.

The source said: “If the advice turns out that the reasons given by President Buhari to decline assent on the Bill were not cogent enough, we will surely mobilise to override the President.”

Some senators, he said, “are already of the view that we should go ahead and override the president.” The Senate requires 74 members to take that step.

Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) told reporters that the Senate would do “the needful” because it believed that what the National Assembly did was in the best interest of the country.

But another ranking senator dismissed Abaribe’s claim.

He said: ”The President’s action was expected. Many of us felt it (the sequence) should not be altered.  Many APC members are not for reordering of elections clearly this time around and there are sympathisers in the PDP.

“We felt that it will be money-guzzling and where will the funding come from? The position of the Senate on the development would soon be made known.

“The issue of veto is not as smooth as the people say it. If there is a stalemate on any matter, it will be put into vote. It is then everyone will answer his father’s name.”

Following the bill’s passage, some senators, led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu, stormed out of the chamber to fault the amendment.

The group of nine senators also claimed that President Buhari was the target of the amendment and vowed that it would not stand.

Some commentators have also risen to fault the amendment and threatened to challenge it in court.

 

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