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President Tinubu’s address at UN general assembly (Full Text)

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President Bola Tinubu delivered his first address at the 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly in the early hours of Wednesday (7:55 pm New York time).

His speech touched on the need for Africa to scale the limitations of foreign exploitation to reach its lofty potential while attaining the prosperity inherent in the region’s democratic ideals, the importance of the international community seeing African development as a priority for investments, and the need to tackle the effects of climate change.

See the full speech below:

STATEMENT DELIVERED BY HIS EXCELLENCY, BOLA AHMED TINUBU, GCFR PRESIDENT, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA AT THE GENERAL DEBATE OF THE 78TH SESSION OF UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, 18TH SEPTEMBER 2023

Mr. President,

Heads of State and Government, Secretary-General,

Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

 

Mr. President,

On behalf of the people of Nigeria, I congratulate you on your well-deserved election as President of this Session of the United Nations General Assembly.

We commend your predecessor, His Excellency, Mr. Csaba Korosi for his able stewardship of the Assembly.

We also commend His Excellency, Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, for his work seeking to forge solutions to humanity’s common challenges.

This is my first address before the General Assembly. Permit me to say a few words on behalf of Nigeria, on behalf of Africa, regarding this year’s theme.

Many proclamations have been made, yet our troubles remain close at hand. Failures in good governance have hindered Africa. But broken promises, unfair treatment and outright exploitation from abroad have also exacted a heavy toll on our ability to progress.

Given this long history, if this year’s theme is to mean anything at all, it must mean something special and particular to Africa.

In the aftermath of the Second World War, nations gathered in an attempt to rebuild their war- torn societies. A new global system was born and this great body, the United Nations, was established as a symbol and protector of the aspirations and finest ideals of humankind.

Nations saw that it was in their own interests to help others exit the rubble and wasteland of war. Reliable and significant assistance allowed countries emaciated by war to grow into strong and productive societies.

The period was a highwater mark for trust in global institutions and the belief that humanity had learned the necessary lessons to move forward in global solidarity and harmony.

Today and for several decades, Africa has been asking for the same level of political commitment and devotion of resource that described the Marshall Plan.

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We realize that underlying conditions and causes of the economic challenges facing today’s Africa are significantly different from those of post war Europe.

We are not asking for identical programs and actions. What we seek is an equally firm commitment to partnership. We seek enhanced international cooperation with African nations to achieve the 2030 agenda and Sustainable Development Goals.

There are five important points I want to highlight.

First, if this year’s theme is to have any impact at all, global institutions, other nations and their private sector actors must see African development as a priority, not just for Africa but in their interests as well.

Due to both longstanding internal and external factors, Nigeria’s and Africa’s economic structures have been skewed to impede development, industrial expansion, job creation, and the equitable distribution of wealth.

If Nigeria is to fulfil its duty to its people and the rest of Africa, we must create jobs and the belief in a better future for our people.

We must also lead by example.

To foster economic growth and investor confidence in Nigeria, I removed the costly and corrupt fuel subsidy while also discarding a noxious exchange rate system in my first days in office. Other growth and job oriented reforms are in the wings.

I am mindful of the transient hardship that reform can cause. However, it is necessary to go through this phase in order to establish a foundation for durable growth and investment to build the economy our people deserve.

We welcome partnerships with those who do not mind seeing Nigeria and Africa assume larger roles in the global community.

The question is not whether Nigeria is open for business. The question is how much of the world is truly open to doing business with Nigeria and Africa in an equal, mutually beneficial manner.

Direct investment in critical industries, opening their ports to a wider range and larger quantity of African exports and meaningful debt relief are important aspects of the cooperation we seek.

Second, we must affirm democratic governance as the best guarantor of the sovereign will and well-being of the people. Military coups are wrong, as is any tilted civilian political arrangement that perpetuates injustice.

The wave crossing parts of Africa does not demonstrate favour towards coups. It is a demand for solutions to perennial problems.

Regarding Niger, we are negotiating with the military leaders. As Chairman of ECOWAS, I seek to help re-establish democratic governance in a manner that addresses the political and economic challenges confronting that nation, including the violent extremists who seek to foment instability in our region. I extend a hand of friendship to all who genuinely support this mission.

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This brings me to my third crucial point. Our entire region is locked in protracted battle against violent extremists. In the turmoil, a dark channel of inhumane commerce has formed. Along the route, everything is for sale. Men, women and children are seen as chattel.

Yet, thousands risk the Sahara’s hot sand and the Mediterranean’s cold depths in search of a better life. At the same time, mercenaries and extremists with their lethal weapons and vile ideologies invade our region from the north.

This harmful traffic undermines the peace and stability of an entire region. African nations will improve our economies so that our people do not risk their lives to sweep the floors and streets of other nations. We also shall devote ourselves to disbanding extremist groups on our turf.

Yet, to fully corral this threat, the international community must strengthen its commitment to arrest the flow of arms and violent people into West Africa.

The fourth important aspect of global trust and solidarity is to secure the continent’s mineral rich areas from pilfering and conflict. Many such areas have become catacombs of misery and exploitation. The Democratic Republic of the Congo has suffered this for decades, despite the strong UN presence there. The world economy owes the DRC much but gives her very little.

The mayhem visited on resource rich areas does not respect national boundaries. Sudan, Mali, Burkina Faso, CAR, the list grows.

The problems also knocks Nigeria’s door.

Foreign entities abetted by local criminals who aspire to be petty warlords have drafted thousands of people into servitude to illegally mine gold and other resources. Billions of dollars meant to improve the nation now fuel violent enterprises. If left unchecked, they will threaten peace and place national security at grave risk.

Given the extent of this injustice and the high stakes involved, many Africans are asking whether this phenomenon is by accident or by design.

Member nations must reply by working with us to deter their firms and nationals from this 21st century pillage of the continent’s riches.

Fifth, climate change severely impacts Nigeria and Africa. Northern Nigeria is hounded by desert encroachment on once arable land. Our south is pounded by the rising tide of coastal flooding and erosion. In the middle, the rainy season brings floods that kill and displace multitudes.

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As I lament deaths at home, I also lament the grave loss of life in Morocco and Libya. The Nigerian people are with you.

African nations will fight climate change but must do so on our own terms. To achieve the needed popular consensus, this campaign must accord with overall economic efforts.

In Nigeria, we shall build political consensus by highlighting remedial actions which also promote economic good. Projects such as a Green Wall to stop desert encroachment, halting the destruction of our forests by mass production and distribution of gas burning stoves, and providing employment in local water management and irrigation projects are examples of efforts that equally advance both economic and climate change objectives.

Continental efforts regarding climate change will register important victories if established economies were more forthcoming with public and private sector investment for Africa’s preferred initiatives.

Again, this would go far in demonstrating that global solidarity is real and working.

CONCLUSION

As I close, let me emphasize that Nigeria’s objectives accord with the guiding principles of this world body: peace, security, human rights and development.

In fundamental ways, nature has been kind to Africa, giving abundant land, resources and creative and industrious people. Yet, man has too often been unkind to his fellow man and this sad tendency has brought sustained hardship to Africa’s doorstep.

To keep faith with the tenets of this world body and the theme of this year’s Assembly, the poverty of nations must end. The pillage of one nation’s resources by the overreach of firms and people of stronger nations must end. The will of the people must be respected. This beauty, generous and forgiving planet must be protected.

As for Africa, we seek to be neither appendage nor patron. We do not wish to replace old shackles with new ones.

Instead, we hope to walk the rich African soil and live under the magnificent African sky free of the wrongs of the past and clear of their associated encumbrances. We desire a prosperous, vibrant democratic living space for our people.

To the rest of the world, I say walk with us as true friends and partners. Africa is not a problem to be avoided nor is it to be pitied. Africa is nothing less than the key to the world’s future.

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FG fixes May 24 to open student loan portal

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The Nigerian Education Loan Fund (NELFUND) has fixed May 24 for the opening of the student loan portal.

 

Akintunde Sawyerr, managing director of the fund, announced the development in a statement on Thursday.

 

Sawyerr said the opening of the portal for student loan applications marks a significant milestone in the current administration’s goal of fostering accessible and inclusive education.

 

“Through the portal, students can now access loans to pursue their academic aspirations without financial constraints,” the statement reads.

 

“The portal provides a user-friendly interface for students to submit their loan applications conveniently.

 

“We encourage all eligible students to take advantage of this opportunity to invest in their future and contribute to the growth and development of our nation.

 

“Students can access the portal at www.nelf.gov.ng to begin their applications.”

 

President Bola Tinubu, in June 2023, enacted the student loan policy to grant interest-free loans to needy students.

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The scheme was slated to commence between September and October 2023, but implementation was repeatedly deferred.

 

The policy was heavily criticised for its stringent requirements, which many stakeholders argued would render the scheme inaccessible.

 

In March 2024, the president wrote to the national assembly requesting the repeal and reenactment of the law.

 

On April 3, Tinubu re-enacted the policy, effectively repealing the old law and reintroducing a new version.

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JUST IN: 36 house of assembly speakers back creation of state police

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The speakers of Nigeria’s 36 state houses of assembly have supported the ongoing process by the national assembly to create state police.

 

The speakers made their resolution known in a communique issued at the end of the meeting of the conference of speakers of state legislatures held in Abuja on Thursday.

 

Adebo Ogundoyin, speaker of the Oyo house of assembly and chairman of the conference, signed the communique.

 

The speakers said state policing would check the negative trend of insecurity in the country.

 

“To achieve this, the Conference appeals to the National Assembly, Presidency and other relevant Stakeholders to leverage on the ongoing constitution review exercise,” the communique reads.

 

The two chambers of the national assembly are working to amend some provisions of the 1999 constitution to include items such as state police.

 

Last month, Kayode Egbetokun, inspector-general of police (IGP), said Nigeria is not “mature” for state police.

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On February 15, the federal government set up a committee to explore the creation of state police in the country.

 

Mohammed Idris, minister of information and national orientation, said President Bola Tinubu and governors have agreed on modalities for the concept.

 

The minister added that a series of meetings would take place to determine the workability of a decentralised police force.

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Some youths trading crypto unaware they’re being used to fund terrorism – Olukoyede

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Ola Olukoyede, chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says some youths who trade in cryptocurrencies do not know that they are being used to fund terrorism in Nigeria.

 

Olukoyede spoke on Wednesday during a multi-stakeholders’ national dialogue on preventing terrorism financing and violent extremism.

 

The EFCC chair said some of the people who receive money to trade in cryptocurrencies do not know that their financiers are sponsors of terrorism.

 

He added that some of the 1,146 bank accounts recently frozen by the anti-graft agency were conduits for terrorism funding.

 

“Some of you are aware of our activities in the area of investigating virtual currency trading and the likes of cryptocurrencies,” he said.

 

“They are potential platforms to fund terrorism. A lot of us don’t understand that. Some of our discoveries during investigation of some of these platforms were mind boggling.

 

“We thought Binance was a major one. Yes, it was. We are prosecuting them. But there are other platforms we have discovered.

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“They used some of these young men. Some of them don’t know that the people who gave them money to trade are people who fund terrorism.”

 

The EFCC boss said there is a need to adopt technology in tracking money used to fund terrorism in the country.

 

Olukoyede narrated how he was informed by a friend in the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) that dollar bills across the world can be tracked with technology.

 

“It is important for us to adopt the use of technology,” he said.

 

“I was comparing notes with an assistant director in the FBI — a friend of mine. He said: ‘My brother, from our systems in the US, we can track every printed dollar anywhere in the world’.”

 

The EFCC boss added that Nigeria must get to that stage where technology can be deployed to track naira notes used for terrorism financing.

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