General News
Social Media Powerful Tool for Societal Growth – NIIA DG
Prof. Eghosa Osaghae, Director-General, Nigerian Institute for International Affairs (NIIA), said that Social media has been heavily criticised with some of its platforms banned in many countries, but says it is a powerful tool for societal growth.
“The social media presents platforms for robust discussions on issues, views and ideas with opposing views flowing side by side. It is healthy to have debates with fierce disagreements.
“Ultimately, a cross-fertilisation of these ideas, the sublime and ridiculous alike, will fashion out a path to greater togetherness, growth and progress,” Osaghae told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Sunday.
He emphasised the need for Nigerians to prioritise national interest above other considerations while using social media and cautioned against the tendency to exaggerate perceived flaws to ridicule or divide the nation.
Osaghae regretted the influx of fake news, misinformation and negative perceptions into social media platforms, urging Nigerians to be more circumspect when handling issues bordering on insurgency, terrorism, ethnic relations and the “so-called national question debate”.
“It is good to have unbridled access to information, but a lot of it is exaggerated. Sometimes, you think the country is at war. We should always argue toward arriving at a middle ground.
“Freedom behoves on the user the responsibility to be ethical, reasonable and responsible. So, we must always pander to national interests and defend our country.
“It is important for Nigerians to realise that citizens of other countries read what we put into the internet. We must strive to be positive so that others can have positive impressions about us.
“Patriotism should always be the guiding spirit. It should always be ‘country first’; your mother is your mother, no matter how ugly.
“No matter how beautiful other mothers are, they cannot replace your mother. So, you must promote your mother and make her lovable instead of loving other people’s mothers.
“We shall help our country more if social media is used as a tool for sober reflection. For the leaders, it can be used as a feedback mechanism with everyone defending and extending frontiers of national interests.
“No Nigerian should agree to be used as a surrogate for other countries’ national interests,” he said.
Osaghae also spoke on ongoing efforts to reposition the 61-year-old NIIA to achieve its mandate as the epicentre for the constant interface between local and international affairs.
“We are trying to rebuild, reposition and reinvent the institute to surpass what had been achieved in the past.
“We have had our golden years but had to slow down owing to scarce resources, but part of a leadership challenge is to diversify so as to broaden our resource base.
“We are building smart partnerships with the media, government, the business cycle, international development groups and institutions with similar mandates to broaden our horizon.
“Aside pooling in more resources, we shall be focused on research and knowledge sharing to sharpen our capacity to influence and shape developments,” he said.
He said the institute was also reinventing citizen diplomacy with a focus on making Nigerians feel more positive about themselves and their country.
“We want Nigerians to feel proud of their country because it has produced some of the best leaders in all sectors of human endeavour.
“Nigeria has produced the finest scholars, technocrats, administrators and diplomats in the likes of Emeka Anyaoku, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Prince Ajibola and Prof. Adesina.
“The world has also recognised our literary prowess with great writers like Prof Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and others winning global honours.
“Nigeria is also famed to have led the struggle that conquered apartheid and effectively chaired the UN anti-apartheid committee to great success.
“In the John Biden administration in U.S., there are up to five Nigerians holding key positions. They got that far on merit. There is generally a vast potential waiting to be tapped in this country.
“There are Nigerians whose attitude is uncomplimentary, but that is just a distraction. We are a great people and should deploy our ethnic and religious diversities to maximum advantage,” he said.
He advised Nigerians to feel proud of their nationality and avoid being too critical of their nation as it was the only space they could call their own.
“Time has come for everyone to redirect the world to see our positive sides. If we do not project Nigeria positively to the world, it will be relegation unending,” he said.
Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) indicted the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) and other ministries over administrative lapses that allowed the fictitious Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council (PFIPC) to operate.
Musa Aliyu, chairman, ICPC, stated that NITDA, alongside the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (OSGF), the Budget Office, and other bodies, failed to carry out adequate due diligence and standard operating procedures.
ICPC said however, clarified that the findings pointed to severe internal control weaknesses and administrative negligence rather than active official complicity by NITDA and the other affected agencies.
The briefing followed a 30-day investigation ordered by the president on July 7 into allegations surrounding the purported presidential council.
The commission also cleared the presidency and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) of any wrongdoing but blamed institutional lapses in several ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs).
Aliyu said investigators established that Adeniyi Adeyemi, the director-general, was never appointed by the federal government and that the PFIPC had no legal existence.
“As you may recall, on the 7th of July, Mr. President directed the ICPC to conduct an investigation into the fake Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council and submit a report within 30 days,” he said.
“Today, exactly within the stipulated period, we have submitted an interim report based on our interactions with all stakeholders involved.”
According to Aliyu, Tinubu directed the commission to make its findings public in the interest of transparency and accountability.
He said the investigation found that Adeyemi’s purported appointment letter was forged.
“It has been established that Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was never appointed by the Federal Government or any authority whatsoever,” he said.
“The Presidential Foreign Investment Promotion Council, which sometimes they called the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council, was never established by any law, executive order or any valid instrument of government.
“The appointment letter presented by Adeniyi Adeyemi Matthew was completely forged alongside similar documents used to perpetuate the illegal activities of the fake agency.”
Aliyu stated that a purported government gazette used to legitimise the organisation was also fabricated.
“If you recall, there was a gazette which he used to support the fake agency. That gazette is an illegal document that never passed through the processes prescribed by law,” he stated.
“Our investigation found that the office used by the fake agency was the office of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council. The office was broken into and access was gained illegally. That was how he was able to operate from there.”
Aliyu also revealed that investigators uncovered two additional fictitious government agencies allegedly created by the suspect — the FCT Investment Promotion Agency (FIPA) and the Foreign Investment Promotion Agency/Public-Private Partnership (FIPA-PPP).
According to him, fake legislative instruments were used to create the agencies and open bank accounts.
Despite the elaborate scheme, the ICPC chairman said the investigation found no evidence that federal government funds were disbursed to the fake council.
“Our investigation found that no funds of the federal government were approved or disbursed to the fake PFIPC,” he said.
“We also discovered no weaknesses in the systems of the State House or the Central Bank of Nigeria during our investigation. The fake appointment letter did not originate from the presidency.
“Our investigation found that some public officers failed to carry out due diligence and failed to comply with standard operating procedures in their ministries and departments. That gave him the opportunity to carry out these illegal acts.”
Nigeria tax system is build on taxing prosperity not poverty, according to Dr. Zacch Adedeji, executive chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service (NRS).
Dr. Zacch Adedeji, executive chairman, Nigeria Revenue Service
Adedeji, also dismissed the insinuation that the government’s tax reform is aimed at extracting money from Nigerians .
He said the essence of reform is creating an economic environment where individuals and businesses can prosper.
Dr. Adedeji made the clarifications on Sunday night while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he defended the administration’s tax reforms and addressed concerns over rising government revenue amid the economic hardship facing Nigerians.
According to him, the government’s objective is to tax the fruits of investment rather than the investment itself.
“For us at Nigeria Tax, we are not there to extract. Our focus is not revenue. I don’t want to tax poverty. I’m to tax the fruit, not the seed, and I’m to tax the return, not investment.”
Adedeji explained that the government would generate more revenue as businesses became more profitable, without necessarily increasing the tax burden on individuals and companies.
He said a company that made N100 in profit could generate N30 in tax revenue for the government, but if its profit increased to N200 or N300, government revenue would rise accordingly.
“So, if I want to make more, I must work for you to make more. And that is why it is in the best interest of us in Nigeria Revenue Service that businesses are doing well, individuals are doing well,” he said.
He said the approach was consistent with President Bola Tinubu’s economic agenda, which seeks to remove barriers to investment and create a more conducive environment for businesses to operate and expand.
Adedeji cited reforms in the electricity sector as part of the government’s efforts to stimulate economic activity.
He noted that the Electricity Act had devolved powers to state governments to generate, transmit and distribute electricity, arguing that improved power supply would boost production and productivity across the economy.
Prof Chidi Oguamanam, Nigerian scholar, has been invited to serve as a member of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO’s) World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology.
Prof Chidi Oguamanam,
The appointment, which covers four years from 2026 to 2029, recognises Oguamanam’s contributions to the ethics of science and technology and related disciplines.
The invitation was conveyed in a letter from UNESCO on Saturday, which described the commission as an independent advisory body and forum for reflection on major ethical challenges arising from advances in science and technology.
The letter stated, “Recognising your significant contributions to the ethics of science and technology and related disciplines, it is my honour to invite you to become a member of UNESCO’s World Commission on the Ethics of Scientific Knowledge and Technology for a period of four years, from 2026 to 2029.”
Established in 1998, the commission brings together experts from different regions and disciplines to examine ethical issues associated with scientific and technological developments, climate change and the environment.
UNESCO said regional balance was important to the commission’s membership to promote multidisciplinary and transdisciplinary debate on emerging ethical challenges.
According to the organisation, the commission provides guidance and recommendations through its reports to UNESCO, its member states, the scientific community, policymakers, civil society and other stakeholders.
Its previous work has contributed to global normative instruments, including the Declaration of Ethical Principles in Relation to Climate Change adopted in 2017 and the Recommendation on the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence adopted in 2021.
UNESCO noted that the commission had recently published reports examining the ethics of quantum computing and space exploration and utilisation.
The organisation said the commission would now focus on new areas identified for its future work programme, including emerging ethical challenges arising from scientific and technological developments.
In inviting Oguamanam to join the commission, UNESCO expressed confidence in his expertise and active contribution to the development of its forthcoming reports.
The organisation also said it expected members to contribute to “horizon scanning” of emerging ethical challenges and help identify issues that should be addressed in the commission’s next cycle.
Oguamanam’s appointment adds to Nigeria’s representation in international discussions on the ethical implications of science, technology and innovation.
He is expected to serve on the commission alongside experts from different regions and academic disciplines during the 2026–2029 term.
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