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Nigerians boo World Bank chief on stage, for suggesting 15 years of more needed pains
Indemit Gill, Senior Vice President, World Bank Group, got a taste of the current feelings of Nigerians when his speech at a public function was punctuated with loud grumbling that nearly resulted to heckling for suggesting that Nigerians needed to endure another 15 years of their current suffering in the country.
A key speaker at this years, Nigerian Economic Summit, organized by the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG), in Abuja, Gill, an Indian nationale, had to pause for several seconds as his suggestion elicited immediate negative reactions from the audience, made up of mostly chief executives of various bodies, to underscore that the parlous situation in the country, is widespread beyond just the poor.
The World Bank boss, had started by advising Nigerian government to do everything in its power to protect the most vulnerable citizens in the county against hardships because their lives and the lives of over 110 million children depended on it.
Painting a gloomy picture of Nigeria’s economy, he had praised the initiatives taken by the government of President Bola Tinubu to reform the economy, referring to the removal of subsidy on petroleum products and floating of the nation’s currency, two key policies the people see as the source of their present excruciating financial and social pains.
But while the audience listened with rapt attention, it was at the point he said: “Nigeria will need to stay the course for at least another 10 to 15 years to transform its economy” that the rumbling started, making him pause to survey his audience, before continuing.
Amid the persistent echoes of muffled voices of apparent discontent, he hurriedly concluded his speech, saying: “So I don’t know if you’re agreeing with me or if you’re disagreeing with me. If it does that, it will transform its economy into an enviable one.”
He added: “Now, during the coming year, Nigerian policy makers have to do three things. The first is to prioritise non-oil drilling. This requires a competitive exchange rate, which Nigeria now has. Nigeria’s real exchange rate is at its most competitive in at least 20 years.
“This is a great opportunity for the private sector. To protect the poor and maintain competitiveness, the Central bank must stay focused on inflation. It should resist the lure of short-term capital inflows that might push up the Naira’s value too quickly and crib non-oil growth.
“It should rebuild foreign exchange reserves instead, as a cushion against oil price volatility.
“Again, I think Governor Cadorso (Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria) is doing many of these things, and he should be encouraged. The second is that every vulnerable household cope with is high inflation. The government is rolling out a large-scale targeted temporary cash transfer programme that has already reached between four and five million households. It should quickly extend this to 10 million households and perhaps more if necessary.”
Explaining that the government should, over the next few years, also install a cost-effective safety net to protect its most vulnerable citizens, financing it with some of the savings from fuel subsidy and exchange rate distortions, posited: “It has to make the economy more business-ready. And I think that the Chairman of NESG actually put out a very clear agenda of what needs to be done there.
“In the next 10 years, more than 12 million young Nigerians, both men and women, will enter the workforce. Generating jobs for them will greatly be facilitated by the private sector. And, it will be facilitated by large-scale domestic and foreign private investment in the non-oil sector.
“Attracting such investment means boosting the national power grid, improving transportation, improving security, and improving the rules and regulations and the enforcement of private enterprise. So failure would set back reform efforts across the continent, besides ruining the future of yet another generation.
“Nigeria’s elites, we are all elites here in this room, must unite to support these reforms to enabling a broadly prosperous and stable Nigeria, they will be making perhaps the most valuable and the biggest request to their own children and grandchildren.”
Gill who was full of praises for the World Bank team in Nigeria, described them as one of the best leaders, adding: “You have here an excellent country director. You have a top-notch team of economists, of energy specialists, operations staff, they have the expertise that is needed.
“Most importantly though, especially in difficult times, they have the experience that the moment demands. Many of these experts that you have here in the Abuja office are people who are veterans of similar reforms in places like Indonesia and many other places.
“You should take full advantage of that. But the one thing that struck me about our team here, as I prepared for this as I prepared for this visit, the most important thing that I learned about them is that they have great affection and admiration for everyday Nigerians. The Nigerian government and the people can count on their support 24-7 and this team will get all the support they ask for from the entire World Bank group.”
Obioma Obikeze, an internationally-acclaimed medical doctor will on April 1, assume duties as its new Managing Director and Chief Executive officer (MD-CEO) of Healthnomics HMO Plc, in a move the organisation, said is to tap his huge experience in healthcare policy and financing as well as strategic leadership and expertise in health insurance and managed care operations.
A statement by the organisation, announcing the appointment, cited Obikeze’s background including his transformative roles at the Federal Medical Centre Yenagoa, where he led significant operational enhancements in health insurance and managed care programmes, saying his commitment to excellence in healthcare leadership remained evident from his recent tenure as Acting Head of Clinical Services and Training at his institution.
The statement, signed by Kenneth N. Ozoilo, a Professor and Chairman, Board of Directors, said further relished the quality of the new organisation’s boss, saying with a medical degree from the University of Nigeria, a fellowship of the West African College of Physicians, and a master’s degree in epidemiology and medical statistics from the University of Ibadan, fitted perfectly into the company’s desires and mandate.
“Obikeze was also a World Bank Exchange Scholar at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University, Massachusetts, USA, graduating with a master of science (MS) in International Health Policy and Management. He also holds certifications in Health Care Financing for Universal Health Coverage from prestigious institutions like the World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, and Heidelberg University, Germany.
“We are pleased to have Dr. Obioma Obikeze lead our team. His exceptional expertise, track record, and uncommon commitment make him the perfect candidate to guide our organization towards impactful healthcare solutions for our clients,” Ozoilo, said.
On his part, the new MD-CEO, was quoted as saying: “I am thrilled to lead Healthnomics HMO Plc on our mission to redefine healthcare quality through responsible and accountable purchasing arrangements. Our dedicated team is focused on enhancing health outcomes, elevating the patient experience, and fostering positive collaborations and accountability with our stakeholders.”
Ozoilo, who described the company as described as a visionary Health Maintenance Organisation driven by its mission to enhance access to quality and affordable healthcare services to individuals, families, and corporate organisations at affordable costs. We work to improve health outcomes, enhance responsible patient experience, and make a positive impact on our communities.
Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, Senator representing Ebonyi North Senatorial District, at the National Assembly, is still talking tough hours after raining expletives on Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education, calling her a thug, an old woman with smelly mouth among others during an engagement in the Senate, on Tuesday.
The ugly encounter took place at the sitting of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions during the commencement of hearing on the petition of sexual harassment brought by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Senator representing Kogi Central against Godswill Akpabio, Senate President.
Contrary to the belief in some quarters that he spoke in the heat of the moment and on reflection would be regret the words he used at the former Minister, before then Vice President of the World Bank for Africa, Nwebonyi, palpably still burning with anger, told his host on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television on Tuesday evening, that he had no such regrets.
Justifying his obstinate position, he accused the former Minister of bringing the insults on herself deservedly for ordering him to shut up, even when she knew she was speaking to a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, adding that such insult to his person would never be allowed.
Hear him: “It started when she was asked to be an oath because she said she was a witness. She said, ‘no she can’t be on oath, she can’t oath.’ As a person, I said I am willing to be sworn on oath so that I can give my own evidence. I was addressing the presiding office. She turned to me and said, ‘Will you shut up your mouth, you are a hooligan.”
Absolving himself of blame at the choice of his word in which he thundered: “How can I regret the scenario? I gave it to her. Is it fair for her to address me that way? As a former minister of the federal republic and a grandmother, ask her first.”
Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education, on Tuesday, gave further details on the altercation between her and Onyekachi Nwaebonyi, Senator representing Ebonyi North, at the National Assembly, during the commencement of hearing of the sexual harassment case filed against Godswill Akpabio, Senate President by Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, Senator representing Kogi West.
At the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges, and Public Petitions, the two had engaged each other in a shouting match, using unprintable names, with the Senator virtually going overboard to as much as calling the former Vice President of the World Bank, a whore.
A guest at Prime Time, a public affairs programme of ARISE NEWS Network, hours after the incident, the former Minister admitted telling the Senator to shut-up, but explained that it was because the team of Akpoti-Uduaghan, was overly stressing Senate rules over the constitution and giving undue preference to the Akpabio camp.
Giving a detailed account of the encounter, she said: “I was there as the Chair of the global body known as the Women Political Leaders. It is based in Brussels, but it is a global body for all women who have been Presidents or former Presidents, Prime Ministers, parliamentarians and members of cabinet of countries.
“So, it is a global flagship for women political leadership. And so, I was there as a witness on her side on the basis of the expert knowledge that we have over this issue around the world. It is based on data that this is a problem. One out of every three women, has faced one form of sexual-based violence or the other. And so, a lot of countries are paying serious attentions to it, because it is inimical to the society.”
The former Minister who was present at the hearing alongside Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, lawyer to Zubairu Yakubu, who raised the petition on behalf of the Kogi Senator, one in the four females in the 10th Senate, narrated how the petitioners raised the issue of bias against the committee, said she became more displeased, when the committee tried to dismiss the Natasha team as unserious.
“In fact the words they used was that ‘we do serious things here, we don’t have time for unserious things.’ At that time, I had my hand up and I said, ‘I actually think that was a wrong use of words, we are not unserious people, this is a serious matter.’ Many conversations went on. Eventually, the Senate Ethics Committee, decided that based on the fact that the petitioner was saying that he wasn’t going to go into his main petition until they assured him that on the two objections that he had, they said, it meant we were not ready to engage on the matter.
“Then, suddenly, they also said, by the way, this matter is sub-judice because there are two cases in court and they mentioned the case of the wife of the Senate President and that on the basis of that they actually really shouldn’t… it was at that point that Dr. Abiola said, what’s the point, why are we here?
“When all that was going on, then, this Senator, who I would not acknowledge by mentioning his name, he then said if they are not ready about giving any testimony, I am here representing the Senate President as a respondent. I’m prepared to speak because we can’t continue with this. Then I said to him, ‘can you please shut up?’ Because we were just told that we couldn’t speak. And you have been speaking without any form of an equivalent treatment.
“You said we couldn’t speak because we were not ready to go into any conversation without our objections being addressed. Yes I said that. But he was already provoked, by the fact that he felt that we were not serious. Part of what inflamed it was that the petitioner said, by the way, it is this Senator that made a lot of statements about my Senator in words that were not complimentary.”
Obikeze, globally-acclaimed medical doctor, becomes Healthnomics’ MD-CEO
I don’t regret my insult on Oby Ezekwesili, she deserved it – Nwaebonyi
Why I asked Nwaebonyi to shut up – Oby Ezekwesili
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