The Daily
Trust on Sunday reviews Professor Yemi Osinbajo’s acting presidency in 38 days.
Its verdict on the actions taken so far:
This is the
third time Osinbajo is acting as president. The first was in February 2016 when
the president embarked on a five-day vacation, and the second time was in June
2016 when President Muhammadu Buhari went on a trip to the United Kingdom to
treat an ear infection.
Unlike the
era of the late President Umaru Yar’adua’s health crisis, Buhari had
transmitted a letter to the National Assembly, informing them of his vacation
and surrendering power to Osinbajo. President Buhari began a two-week vacation
in London but later extended it indefinitely to address yet-to-be-disclosed
medical concerns. Since then, the acting president has been riding out the
storm.
Following a
directive from the acting president, the dollar came crashing, 24 hours after
the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) released $500 million to the banks,
stabilising at 450 from N525. This is one of the effects of the directive
issued after the National Economic Council meeting to the CBN to review its
foreign exchange policy that weakened the national currency.
The name of
Justice Walter Onnoghen was also forwarded to the National Assembly as acting
Chief Justice of Nigeria, less than 24 hours to the expiration of his
three-month acting period, saving the country another constitutional controversy.
A
presidential task force was set up to address the skyrocketing prices of
foodstuff across the country, while seven bills passed by the National Assembly
were signed into law. Four others were rejected.
Face-to-face
talks were held with communities in the creeks of the oil-rich Niger Delta on
how to stabilise the region, fix their infrastructure and ensure a hitch-free
flow of crude to the international market.
Osinbajo has
so far presided over five meetings of the Federal Executive Council (FEC),
awarding contracts worth billions of naira, among others.
January 20:
After the Davos summit
Osinbajo was
attending the 2017 World Economic Summit in Davos, Switzerland when Buhari
travelled to London and he became acting president. On his return in January
20, he swung into action by having an engagement with service chiefs who
briefed him on the situation in The Gambia at that time. He also received
briefing from some members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).
January 23:
Unveiling 59 strategies for economic recovery
On January
23, Osinbajo presided over the Presidential Business Forum, during which 59
strategies for implementing the Economic Recovery and Growth Plan (ERGP) were
unveiled. He later received the special envoy of President Ismail Omar Guelleh
of Djibouti.
January 24:
Micro enterprise clinic launched
On January
24, Osinbajo launched the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Clinics at the
Old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa. He later proceeded to preside over
a meeting of the Presidential Enabling Business Council.
January 25:
Presided over his first FEC meeting
The acting
president has so far presided over five weekly meetings of the Federal
Executive Council since President Buhari left for the United Kingdom. The first
was on January 25.
January 27:
Met with the World Food Programme chief
On January
27, the acting president held a meeting with the executive director of the
World Food Programme (WFP), Ms Ertharin Cousin.
January 30:
Met with Senate Leader over budget
On January
30, Osinbajo had an audience with Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan over the 2017
Appropriation Bill.
January 31:
Met with Ortom, Saraki, Dogara, Kogi APC
On January
31, he also received the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom. He later met
with Senate President Bukola Saraki and the House of Representatives Speaker
Yakubu Dogara, over the economy and the 2017 budget.
A delegation
of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains from Kogi State visited him
in the evening of January 31.
February 1:
Inaugurated NPC commissioners
Shortly
before presiding over the FEC meeting on February 1, during which the
Presidential Task Force on Food Security, mandated to reduce prices of food
items in the country, was constituted, Osinbajo had inaugurated five
commissioners of the National Population Commission (NPC).
February 2:
Met Saraki, Doagara again
The acting
president again met with the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives on February 2.
February 6:
Economic Recovery Forum opened
On February
6, Osinbajo declared open, the Agenda for Consultative Forum on Economic
Recovery and Growth Plan. He told the forum that the nation was in a very
serious economic situation, but assured that the government remained committed
to putting the economy on the path to sustainable growth.
Osinbajo
assured the nation that President Buhari is hale and hearty and would return
home as soon as he completed the necessary tests recommended by his doctors in
the United Kingdom after his reported telephone conversation with the
president.
February 7:
Sent Onnoghen’s name for confirmation
The acting
president, on February 7, sent the name of the acting Chief Justice of Nigeria,
Justice Walter Onnoghen, to the Senate for confirmation.
He later
issued a statement assuring Nigerians that with the federal government’s
complete focus on improving the economy, the current recession would soon be
history. “We are committed to a continuous engagement with our people to
explain government policies, receive advice and criticism,” he said.
Later in the
day, the acting president met with the then outgoing Ondo State governor,
Olusegun Mimiko.
February 8:
Met Kano Emir, as FEC approved N21bn roads contract
On February
8, Osinbajo chaired a meeting of the Federal Executive Council, which adopted
measures to reduce prices of food items in the country. The meeting also
resolved to restrict importation, from ECOWAS countries, of finished products
that could be produced locally. That was in addition to the approval by the FEC,
of N21 billion for the construction of the Ilorin-Omu Aran-Kabba Road, Section
I.
Later in the
day, the acting president held a closed-door meeting with the Emir of Kano and
former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Muhammadu Sanusi.
February 9: Met
Oba of Lagos, Labour, CSOs, Asset Recovery Committee
On February
9, Osinbajo met with the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and
the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and applauded them for joining the ongoing
anti-corruption campaign in the country. He gave the commendation when leaders
of the NLC and TUC visited him and jointly presented an 18-point demand to the
federal government. He also received the Oba of Lagos, Oba Rilwan Akiolu.
Later in the
evening, Osinbajo chaired a meeting of the Presidential Committee on Asset
Recovery. The meeting was attended by the Inspector-General of Police Ibrahim
Idris, the director-general of the Department of State Services (DSS), Lawal
Daura; the acting chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission
(EFCC), Ibrahim Magu and the chairman of the Independent Corrupt Practices and
Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), Ekpo Nta.
February 10:
Visited the creeks in Bayelsa
Osinbajo
headed for Yenagoa, the Bayelsa State capital on February 10 in continuation of
his interactive engagements with oil-producing communities in the Niger Delta
region.
February 13:
Met Governor Wike in Rivers
Similarly,
on February 13, the acting president was in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, to
meet stakeholders of the oil producing communities. During the meeting, he
rolled out the framework for the clean-up exercise of Ogoni land.
February 15:
FEC approved N126bn roads contracts, national health policy
The Federal
Executive Council meeting he chaired on February 15 approved the award of N126
billion road projects spread across Kano, Bauchi, Adamawa, Kwara, Gombe, Enugu
an Kaduna states. The council meeting also approved the National Draft Health
Policy 2016.
February 16:
Directed the CBN to review foreign exchange policy
On February
16, the acting president inaugurated the National Road Safety Advisory Council,
mandated to advise the Federal Executive Council and the National Economic
Council on how to improve road safety management in the country. He chairs the
council.
He presided
over the first National Economic Council meeting of the year on February 16.
The meeting directed the CBN to review the foreign exchange policy. The meeting
also resolved that fresh $250 million be injected into the Sovereign Wealth
Fund (SWF). The CBN subsequently released about $500 million through the
interbank market, where the 23 banks bought $371m.
The dollar
crashed between N400 and N450 against the earlier N525.
The naira
also gained against other currencies such as the Pound Sterling, which traded
at 645 a day earlier but slipped to 610 while the Euro came down from N537 to
N507 at the end of trading yesterday.
Also during
the week, the CBN began moves to fund commercial banks with additional Forex to
carter for school fees, medicals and personal travelling allowance (PTA) and
business travel allowance (BTA) at a special rate.
February 17:
Signed 7 bills into law
On February
17, the acting president signed seven bills into law. They were Oaths
(Amendment) Act 2017; Defence Space Administration Act 2017; Veterinary
Surgeons (Amendment) Act 2017; National Film and Video Censors Board
(Amendment) Act 2017; Pension Rights of Judges (Amendment) Act 2017; Nigeria
Institute of Soil Science (Establishment) Act 2017 and Mortgage Institutions
(Amendment) Act 2016.
February 18:
Attended Barrow’s inauguration in The Gambia
The only
function Osinbajo had so far attended outside Nigeria as acting president was
the inauguration of the new president of The Gambia, Adama Barrow, which took
place in Banjul on February 18. The Presidency did not announce that Osinbajo
was going for the inauguration; his aides only released the photographs of the
event two days after.
February 19:
No money earmarked for vice president’s residence
On February
19, Osinbajo said that no money was earmarked for the proposed new official
residence of the vice president following reports that he budgeted N250 million
for an iron gate to the proposed residence, which had been under construction
since 2010 despite lingering economic crisis.
February 20:
Met wheat and rice task force
Osinbajo, on
February 20, presided over a meeting of the Presidential Task Force on Wheat
and Rice. He assured that the nation would attain self-sufficiency in food
security. The meeting was attended by the governors of Kano, Jigawa, Kebbi and
Ebonyi states, as well as ministers of agriculture and finance.
Osinbajo
could not make his proposed visit to Ondo State where he was expected to
commission Governor Mimiko’s N1.5 billion event centre due to ‘bad weather’.
February 21:
Adopted 60-day action plan for business
On February
21, he chaired an expanded meeting of the Presidential Enabling Business
Council. The meeting, which was attended by Senate President Bukola Saraki and
House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara and other government officials,
adopted a 60-day national action plan for business. Osinbajo asked the nation
to expect changes in business visas, as well as seaports and airports.
February 22:
Approved N32bn for Kaduna bypass
The Federal
Executive Council meeting he chaired on February 22 approved N32 billion for
the resuscitation and completion of the 50km dual carriage Kaduna eastern
bypass highway. The Council also approved $39.9 for the construction of the
Cameroon-Nigeria border link bridge at Ikot Efiem. The council also approved
the Revised National Policy on Environment.
Osinbajo
also withheld assent to four bills recently passed into law by the National
Assembly.
He asked the
House of Representatives for approval to borrow $500 million out of the $1
billion Eurobond from the International Capital Market (ICM). He said the $500
million would be used to fund the 2016 budget deficit.
After the
FEC meeting, the acting president hosted the commander of the United
States-Africa Command, General Thomas Waldhauster and the American ambassador
to Nigeria, Stuart Symington.
February 23:
Met economic team, Saraki, Dogara over budget
On February
23, the acting president, at his Aguda House residence in Aso Rock Presidential
Villa, presided over a meeting between the National Economic Management Team
and the leadership of the National Assembly over the 2017 budget.
He summoned
Inspector-General of Police Idris Ibrahim over the kidnap of two German
archaeologists, Prof. Peter Breunig and Mr. Johannes Behringer in Kagarko Local
Government Area of Kaduna State.
February 23:
Unscheduled visit to Lagos airport
The acting
president also paid an unscheduled visit to the Murtala Muhammed International
Airport, Lagos, as part of the 60-day action plan for business reforms in the
country. The visit took many airport workers by surprise. Osinbajo inspected
facilities and interacted with airport officials.
February 24:
Sacked 10 NCAA directors, met poultry farmers
Less than 24
hours after his unscheduled visit to Lagos airport, the federal government
announced the sack of 10 directors of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority
(NCAA). Three new directors and a general manager were also appointed for the
Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN).
He also met
with representatives of the poultry farmers in the country. He said the
government was planning urgent relief for poultry farmers in the country to
save the industry from collapse.
Those in
attendance were the comptroller-general of the Nigeria Customs Service, Hameed
Hali, CBN governor, Godwin Emefiele and Minister of Finance Kemi Adeosun.
How Osinbajo
spends his day
Before he
became acting president, as vice president of Nigeria and a senior pastor in
the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG) in Lagos, he was used to attending
the church’s weekly Holy Ghost night vigil along the Lagos-Ibadan highway. Each
time he attended the programme, the vice president’s wing of the State House
always appeared deserted, especially on Fridays, with only a few members of
staff and aides sighted in their offices.
Now, a close
monitoring of the acting president’s itineraries and programmes shows that he
is, for obvious reasons, keeping vigil only at the Aso Rock Presidential Villa
in Abuja, attending to state matters.
Except he
has any official function to attend outside the State House, the acting
president resumes in the office as early as 9.00am and most times, remains
there, holding meetings, treating files and discharging other duties till about
9.00pm. And when occasionally he travels at weekends, it is strictly on official
duties.
Since
Osinbajo became acting president, the vice president’s wing of the Presidential
Villa, from where he operates, has been a beehive of activities. He only moves
to the Council Chambers of the Presidential Villa for the weekly meetings of
the FEC and the monthly meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC).
Osinbajo has
continued to combine his duties as acting president with the various
responsibilities assigned to him as vice president who heads some vital organs
of the executive and several presidential committees. He chairs the National
Economic Management Team (NEMT), which is the government’s think-tank
responsible for the formulation of the country’s economic policy direction, as
well as the NEC, saddled with the responsibility of guiding the president on
his economic policies.
Osinbajo
equally heads the Presidential Committee on Asset Recovery (PCAR); the
Presidential Enabling Business Council (PEBEC); the Presidential Committee on
the Reconstitution of Federal Government Boards of Parastatals, Agencies and
Commissions; the National Council on Privatisation (NCP); the Federal Road
Safety Advisory Council, among others.
Osinbajo is
in charge – Spokesman
The
Presidency told Daily Trust on Sunday that Osinbajo is fully in charge of the
affairs of the nation, contrary to some speculations. His senior special
assistant on media and publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, said Osinbajo was doing
everything expected of him as acting president.
“Mr.
President is on vacation and has asked for time to rest. In accordance with the
constitution, he handed over power to Mr. Vice President. This is a commendable
and unprecedented act of a statesman. So the vice president, as acting
president, is fully in charge as Mr. President requested in his letter to the
National Assembly,” Akande said.
(Daily Trust)
No comments:
Post a Comment