President Buhari’s strategic implementation plan for the 2016 budget

Below is President Muhammadu Buhari’s strategic implementation plan for the 2016 budget according to Vice President; Yemi Osinbajo:


We acknowledge the pains you face and are concerned about them.
There are a multitude of things that require decisive action. We are taking action and in due course they will produce satisfying outcomes. Our determination is firm and unrelenting.
Consequently, I am pleased to share President Muhammadu Buhari’s strategic implementation plan for the 2016 budget.

This Strategic Implementation Plan articulates 6 thematic Strategies and 33 priority actions which will constitute the short-term priority of the Federal Government over the next 12 months.

1. Lasting Changes in the Policies, National Security and Governance.

● Achieve an Appropriate Foreign Exchange Regime
● Increase low interest lending to the Real Sector. We will need to move toward a single digit interest rate.
● Maintain Capital Spending in the Budget at a minimum of 30%. Complement this with funds from the Infrastructure Fund for commercial projects
● Intensify the Implementation of Public Financial Management Reforms to Grow Revenues and Cut Costs.
● Maintain Sustainable Debt Management Strategy.
● Introduce Fiscal Incentives to Improve Collections
● Intensify the Fight Against Corruption by increasing Transparency, Accountability and Compliance with Law and Order
● Intensify Public Procurement Reforms in Projects to obtain Value for Money and cut costs.
● Sustain the Fight Against Insurgency, Kidnapping and Other Violent Crimes, Terrorism, Cyber-Crimes, Piracy, Oil Theft and Illegal Mining Activities.
Intensify the reorientation of the populace through Integrity Campaigns
2. Diversify the Economy by Fast-tracking Industrialization, Agriculture and Agro-Allied Processing, as well as attracting investment into the Solid Minerals, Tourism and Entertainment Sectors

● Implement Measures to Achieve Self-Sufficiency & Become Net Exporters of certain agricultural Items:
Rice-2018,
Tomato Paste-2016,
Wheat-2019.
Increase local production of maize, soya, poultry & livestock, so as to achieve self-sufficiency: deadlines to be announced in due course.
● Revitalize and Expand Agro-Allied Processing to intensify local production and processing of cassava, cocoa, cashew, fruits and sesame seed
● Utilize 5,000 hectares of Irrigable Land in the 12 River Basin Development Authorities and utilize 22 Dams for Commercial Farming activities by prospective investors
● Develop Dadinkowa, Gurara and Oyan dams with 82.5 MW capacity contribution to the National Grid.
● Adopt and Implement a Roadmap to Stimulate Investment into the Solid Minerals sector, and plug Revenue Leakages in the Sector
● Implement the National Industrial Revolution Plan and Launch the ‘Made in Nigeria’ Campaign
● Increase Manufacturing Capacity through the operationalization of Industrial Parks, Free and Export Processing Zones, etc.
● Enhance support facilities to provide increased financial, technical assistance, networking and information to new investors and existing enterprises.
● Implement the Roadmap to Increase Private Sector Investment in Culture, Tourism, Entertainment and Sports
● Create high-technology innovation hubs to support growth in the Digital and Technology Sectors
3. Priortize critical Infrastructure, focused on increasing investment in Power, Rail and Roads, etc.
● Optimize the 7,000MW installed capacity and ensure associated infrastructure to Fuel, Transmit and Distribute this capacity.
● Ensure Tariff includes all costs of Transmission, Generation and Gas at new price, and Distribution Company costs required to operate, maintain and upgrade distribution networks.
● Resolve all Issues on Gas Pricing, Tariffs and Payment Assurance. Conclude Roadmap on Gas Development.
● Complete the Kaduna-Abuja and Ajaokuta-Warri Rail Lines scheduled for 2016; commence the construction of the Lagos-Kano standard gauge Line; and finalize negotiations for the Calabar-Lagos Rail Project.
● Undertake the rehabilitation and construction of 31 major Road Projects scheduled for 2016 to restore degraded sections of the Federal Highways network and to Establish Connectivity over a distance of 2,193km (through public works projects, maintenance works, PPP and other interventions)
● Complete the Rehabilitation of 4 Airports (i.e. Abuja, Kano, Lagos and Port Harcourt..
4. Oil and Gas Reforms
● Adopt & Execute a Comprehensive National Oil & Gas Master-Plan (‘NOGM’) as the roadmap for the Petroleum Industry’s Development, Diversification, Privatization & Governance. Adopt & Execute a Roadmap of Gas Development & Flare Elimination
● Set a deadline to be Self-Sufficient in Refined Petroleum Products & become a Net Exporter
● Work with the National Assembly on the passage of a Revised Petroleum Industry Bill (‘PIB’) or Bills to give effect to the NOGM & to resolve Fiscal & Governance Issues of the Sector, & Eliminate Gas Flaring.
● Conclude negotiations to deal with all funding gap issues in the Upstream Sector
5. Ease of Doing Business
● Move 20 places up global Ease of Doing Business Rankings, by implementing fast track measures for business approvals, acquisition of land titles, etc. (Nigeria is currently ranked 169 out of 189 countries by the World Bank – 2015 Survey)
● Fast-track visa application and issuance processes
6. Social Investment
● Implement Social Intervention Programme and specific Health / Education projects included in 2016 Budget
● Health Sector Interventions including Flagging off the Revitalization of 1 Primary Health Centre per Ward (a total of 10,000 nationwide)
The Social Investment plans include the following:
● Train and deploy 500,000 unemployed graduates as volunteer teachers who would be paid on the job while they seek jobs in their chosen careers.
● Homegrown School Feeding for primary school pupils across the country paid for by the government
● Micro-credit scheme that provides very soft loans to a million market women, artisans, traders
● Creating innovation and technology hubs/ parks on a large scale and skills acquisition & vocational training for over 300,000 non-graduate youths
● Conditional Cash Transfer where one million poor and vulnerable Nigerians would receive N5000 monthly
● Bursary awards for tertiary education students of Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths, STEM.
President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration remains committed to economic diversification through import substitution and export promotion.
In addition to this, we will continue to engage the Nigerian people. We will resume Town-hall meetings to explain the progress and address the challenges.
Together, Nigeria will prevail”

Where is MSN? Barca Curse and the Saviours

Reigning champions Barcelona were eliminated by Atletico Madrid on Wednesday to ensure the UCL's great curse on title-holders continued
The great curse of the UEFA Champions League struck once again this week, as reigning champions Barcelona were sent packing by Atletico Madrid at the Calderon.
Barcelona were just latest. The 24th to try, the 24th to fail. Since the competition took its current form in 1992, nobody has managed to retain the title. They had beaten Atletico in their previous 11 meetings.

They had not failed to score in a UCL match since April 2014. They held the lead from the first leg and would have 76% possession in Madrid for the second. But the goal would not come.



The curse continues. It first hit Barcelona themselves in the inaugural 1992 UFA Champions League when they arrived as kings of Europe but were eliminated by CSKA Moscow in the second round after losing 3-2 at Camp Nou to exit 4-3 on aggregate.

The Catalans suffered their most famous exit in 2010 when Inter Milan put in a backs-to-the wall performance at Camp Nou to escape with a 1-0 that saw them humble perhaps the greatest club side ever assembled.


Pep Guardiola’s all-conquering team were odds on to finally break the curse but were undone by Jose Mourinho, who was desperate to gain revenge after being overlooked for the job after he left Cheslea.

Inter themselves then had to stomach the bitter taste of the curse in the following season when they were eliminated by Schalke 04 in the quarter-finals of the 2010-2011 campaign, suffering a shocking 5-2 home defeat at San Siro before going down 2-1 in the away leg.


“I think it's difficult to win the Champions League because now the Champions League is more and more competitive compared to the past," Carlo Ancelotti told Goal. "When [my AC Milan side] won it in 1989 and 1990 there were not a lot of games to reach the final and to win, and not a lot of teams.

"In the past, there was only one team for each country who could play in the Champions League and now there are three or four teams from each country. Because of this, it is more competitive and more difficult to win it."

Last season, the most storied side in European history, Real Madrid, fell victim as Juventus eliminated los Blancos at the semi-final stage when former Blancos star A lvaro Morata came back to haunt them at the Bernabeu, stunning his former home with the equaliser in a 1-1 draw that secured a 3-2 aggregate victory for the Italians.



Milan, Ajax, Juentus and Manchester United have come closest, but all four fell at the final hurdle and finished runners-up as they stood just one match away from breaking the UEFA Champions League curse to retain the crown.

Barcelona are just the latest victims of the UEFA Champions League curse.

Donald Trump: "These African Countries Will Leave US Once I Win"


Imagine! Popular US Presidential Candidate has made video declarations insisting that the people from the following African Countries will be sent out of the United States to their home countries once he becomes the president. In the video below, he warned that....watch it!

List of countries:
Namibia, Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Nigeria, Papua New Guineas, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, .Uganda, Zambia.


His statement of course has sparked controversies as many Africans took to social media to lash at Donald Trump while others supported him. One lauded him, saying his policies are excellent and then challenged Africans to jet back and develop their motherland

Donald Trump is also said to have listed the above named African countries that will leave when he becomes the president.

According to the report by Capital FM, Donald Trump said: SEE Donald Speech VIDEO below and don't forget to share your views.

Arsenal Makes Statement With Mourinho Jinx

The FA Cup holders took on the Premier League champions in the season curtain-raiser, with the Gunners coming out on top at Wembley Stadium thanks to Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain

Arsene Wenger finally beat rival manager Jose Mourinho at the 14th time of asking as Arsenal emerged with a 1-0 victory over Chelsea in the Community Shield at Wembley Stadium on Sunday.

The Gunners had gone over 500 minutes without netting against the Blues until Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the scoring in the first half, shifting the ball onto his left foot and rifling a thunderous effort into the top corner.

Mourinho tried to rally his side in the second period, bringing on Radamel Falcao, but it was Eden Hazard who had the best chance to level the scores, only to blast the ball over the bar.

Petr Cech, facing his old club, was forced to palm away Oscar's goal-bound free-kick as time ticked away, but Arsenal held on comfortably - and even had two one-on-one chances to extend their lead - to pick up their third trophy of pre-season.

Both sides were missing their top scorers from last season, but Chelsea felt the absence of the hamstrung Diego Costa more keenly than Arsenal did that of the rested Alexis Sanchez.

Cech, so often Chelsea's saviour throughout his glittering decade at Stamford Bridge before his switch across London in June, was rarely troubled in Arsenal's goal as Mourinho's men looked blunt up top without Costa.

BlackBerry ditches keyboard for new Leap smartphone

BlackBerry is forgoing its famous physical keyboard in its newest smartphone, media reported.
BlackBerry ditches keyboard for new Leap smartphone
The Canada-based company recently launched BlackBerry Leap in Canada.
Leap is a cheaper option for consumers who want a touch screen but don't want to pay a higher price as in the case of an iPhone or Samsung Galaxy phone.
It's the first touch screen phone from the company since it launched the Z30 more than a year-and-a-half ago.
Usually, BlackBerry sets with a keyboard are more popular with the company's business-centric clientele and it has focused on releasing models like the Passport and Classic.
Features on the Leap include a 25-hour battery life and an eight-megapixel camera, according to reports.
The company says wireless carriers will offer BlackBerry Leap for free when users sign a two-year contract, or it can be purchased without a contract for $349.
Higher-end smartphones, including some alternative BlackBerry devices, tend to cost $400 to $900 with a contract, depending on the model.
BlackBerry also announced that T-Mobile, one of the big US wireless carriers, will begin stocking its BlackBerry Classic model starting next week.

Uber offers to buy Nokia's map business HERE for $3 bn: Report

Ride-hailing service Uber has submitted a bid for Nokia Oyj's map business, HERE, for as much as $3 billion.
Uber bids for Nokia's map business: Report
Uber is competing against a consortium of automakers,
including BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. (Photo: Reuters)
Nokia had said last month that it had started a strategic review for HERE, a competitor to Google Maps, after announcing a takeover of network equipment rival Alcatel-Lucent.
Citing people with knowledge of the offer, The New York Timesreported that Uber is competing against a consortium of automakers, including BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, the newspaper said.
The German automakers are teaming up with the Chinese search engine Baidu on the offer, the report added.
Uber declined to comment on the matter.
The report said a private equity firm has also bid and that Nokia is expected to announce the sale of HERE by the end of May.
(Reuters)

Uber offers to buy Nokia's map business HERE for $3 bn: Report

Ride-hailing service Uber has submitted a bid for Nokia Oyj's map business, HERE, for as much as $3 billion.
Uber bids for Nokia's map business: Report
Uber is competing against a consortium of automakers,
including BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz. (Photo: Reuters)
Nokia had said last month that it had started a strategic review for HERE, a competitor to Google Maps, after announcing a takeover of network equipment rival Alcatel-Lucent.
Citing people with knowledge of the offer, The New York Timesreported that Uber is competing against a consortium of automakers, including BMW, Audi and Mercedes-Benz, the newspaper said.
The German automakers are teaming up with the Chinese search engine Baidu on the offer, the report added.
Uber declined to comment on the matter.
The report said a private equity firm has also bid and that Nokia is expected to announce the sale of HERE by the end of May.
(Reuters)