….Lauds Professor Gambari’s appointment as CoS to President Buhari
The Vice President of IndustriALL Global Union and member of National Institute, Kuru Jos, Comrade Issa Aremu has lauded the choice of Professor Ibrahim Agboola Gambari CFR as the Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari just as he gave kudos to the President Buhari-led administration for reviving the Ajaokuta Steel plant.
Comrade Aremu said the the recent inauguration of the “Ajaokuta Presidential Project and Implementation Team” (APPIT) is a welcome development reinvent iron and steel sector.
Aremu in a statement signed by him and made available to the joirnalists, pledged that rhe Industrial Global Union and sector Unions of iron and steel and engineering workers will partner with President Buhari’s administration in reviving the Ajaokuta Steel plant which he said has been idle for about four decades.
“Revamping the Ajaokuta Steel Plant, “clearly presents a unique opportunity to make us West Africa’s largest fully integrated steel producer and most importantly accelerate our industrialization especially in steel related industries”, he said.
According to him, It is gratifying that President Buhari is committed to industrialization in a diversified economy, saying that idustrialization of the economy would give birth a diverse opportunities for the country.
Comrade Aremu therefore noted with delight that the appointment of Professor Ibrahim Agboloa Gambari, CFR, OCORT as the 5th Chief of Staff (COS) in the current dispensation by President Muhammadu Buhari is deserved, earned, timely and commendable.
“The bipartisan, national and global appreciation of this singular appointment shows that the scholar-diplomat is eminently qualified to assist President Buhari in Nigeria’s stride for Nation- Building.
“As the Head of the Presidential aides and principal coordinator of the policy vision of the President, Professor Gambari brings to the Presidency impressive triple heritage of scholarship, statesmanship/diplomacy and civil society/private experiences spanning decades” Aremu added.
He affirmed that the relevance of the timeliness of Professor Ibrahim Gambari’s impeccable credentials cannot be over emphasized, pointing out that the achievements of President Buhari in the critical three point agenda of Security, Anti- corruption and the repositioning the economy have been well documented.
Comrade Aremu advised Professor Gambari to upscale the good work of the Presidential Task Force in coordinating and overseeing Nigeria’s multi-sectoral inter-governmental efforts to contain the spreading the spreading disease with active 4000 infected persons in the country.
“The appointment of the-diplomat, statesman and non-state activist is in the fullest of time of the second term of President Buhari. Professor Gambari was the former United Nations Under-Secretary General and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa (1999-2005), former Chairman of the United Nations Special Committee Against Apartheid (1990-1994) and on Peace-Keeping Operations (1990—1999) and Head of the United Nations Department of Political Affairs (2005-2007) and UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Cyprus, Zimbabwe and Myanmar and Special Representative in Angola.
“Undoubtedly he is better positioned to mobilize important material and policy resources to contain the pandemic which has claimed almost 300,000 lives in the world” he posited.
“Given the enormous challenges before the administration, the public must give the necessary support to the new Chief of Staff in order for him to hit the ground running in making an urgent difference.
“It’s time for partnership between the government and private sector in the task of nation building. Acrimony and suspicion among stakeholders must give way to constructive engagement and cooperation to protect lives and ensure sustainable livelihoods in the country as well as Recovery of the economy from the negative impact of Corona Virus on the economy. In a diverse country, transparency and consultation will remove doubts and inspire creative suggestions that would help President Buhari to ensure peace and stability, being necessary condition for growth and development” he added.
While explaining that Covid 19 had triggered unprecedented economic challenges necessitating an urgent review of 2020 budget of 10.52 trillion naira, lower than 10.59 trillion naira approved in December by President Muhammadu Buhari, Comrade Aremu commended the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) under Godwin Emefiele for initiating series of measures that could turn the current “tragedy into opportunities” for Nigeria ‘s development.
He pointed out that the Finance Minister, Zainab Ahmed and Labour Minister, Chris Igige had also commendably announced recovery plans to stimulate the economy and create jobs in all local governments.
Aremu therefore explained that Professor Gambari being Founder/Chairman of the Board of Directors of Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development, a non-governmental think-tank on research, policy studies, would bring his wealth of experience in advocacy and training on the prevention of Virus for which there is no vaccine yet.
Comrade Aremu who recalled with nostalgia as a Labour Delegate to 2014 National Conference, bore witness that Professor Ibrahim Gambari, was among the Eminent Elders who set the guidelines for consensus building which led to the success of that historic confab.
He hinted that despite diverse legitimate differences, the Confab built unprecedented National Solidarity and consensus for National Development on critical issues as Industry, trade and investment, labour, religion, energy, political restructuring, devolution of power and Foreign policy among others without rancor and without acrimonious votes counting.
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