General
Reps at 2: Read Full Speech of Yakubu Dogara
ADDRESS BY HON. SPEAKER, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA, RT. HON. YAKUBU DOGARA, ON THE OCCASION OF THE SECOND YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE 8TH HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ON 9TH JUNE, 2017.
Protocols:
Permit me to welcome all of us to this very important event marking the 2nd year anniversary of the 8th House of Representatives. It is indeed a rare privilege to preside over this House on such a momentous occasion attended by many of our predecessors who made this institution what it is: a House of the Nigerian people.
- We have chosen to mark this day, not because we are in the mood for celebrations. No. We are marking this day even when the nation is struggling to exit from the excruciating economic recession and anguish being faced by our people.
- Our intention therefore is to simply appraise ourselves, to find out at mid-term, how far we have kept faith with our constituents and Nigerians in the contract or social charter we entered into at the inception of the 8th House of Representatives via our LEGISLATIVE AGENDA. We wish to be availed an honest assessment of the achievements and failures we have recorded so far, as a deliberate effort that may lead to deepening our democracy and its tools with which to approach with the needed confidence, the next two years left of our mandate.
- It is important to ask ourselves some hard questions. Have we always placed the interest of our Constituents and Nigerians first in all our endeavours? Have we always placed national interest above self, regional and other interests? Are we patriotic or partisan? Have we used our legislative authority to expose corruption, inefficiency and waste in government activities? Have we made laws for the peace, order, and good government of Nigeria? Have we shown fidelity to the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy enshrined in Chapter two of the Constitution?
- The answer to above posers is the criteria and yardstick to assess who we are. Are we leaders or mere politicians? The difference is that while politicians are just interested in the next election, leaders are cultural architects because they create the environment by which others can grow and flourish.
- On my part, I will answer the above posers with qualifications. Yes, we have done reasonably well in most of the indices indicated. But there is a very large room to do even more. I answer these questions, fully conscious of the fact that self-appraisal is inherently problematic and is prone to bias. The appraisal of the general public and our peers will be more objective. Let me therefore save myself from the dishonour of marking our own script and submit to the judgement of those given the task of appraising our performance today.
- However, I must hasten to add that for our appraisal not to miss the mark, it must take into account our promise to bring change to and render nugatory the old narratives about our Parliament. We must never discount the fact that it is not what you change from but what you change to that brings true transformation. Change is about what you embrace not what you abandon. Objective assessment is often difficult in an environment such as ours where we want those in government to live the way we want but we want to be free to live anyhow.
- Hon colleagues and distinguished guests, before I hand over this issue to others, I would crave your indulgence to make few comments and observations on our scorecard. In terms of the core mandate of law-making, we have remained a bastion of legislative activism. Indeed members of the 8th House of Representatives are in keen competition with one another in fashioning out legislative solutions to myriad of problems facing the nation. That is why in all facets of law-making, we can comfortably and conveniently assert that we have broken all records.
- Statistics bear this out. The total number of Bills introduced so far are 1064 out of which Executive Bills are 50, Senate Bills transmitted to the House – 21 and Private Members Bills – 993. A total of 126 Bills have been passed by the House and the others are at various stages in the legislative mill. 27 Bills have received Presidential assent and a lot more are in the pipeline. Each of the achievements highlighted above is unsurpassed by any previous Assembly. The sheer volume of these Bills attests to the vibrancy of the House in its attempt to legislate on key areas of our national life at a very trying time in our history.
- Public Petitions received in the last two years are over 500 in number and the Committee on Public Petitions conducts Public Hearings on these petitions almost every week to ensure citizen access to the legislature.
- Whereas it is immediately difficult to measure the impact of these Bills, a thorough examination of them shows the interest of the House in getting the economy out of the current recession that has affected both large and small businesses as well as families across Nigeria.
- On issue of Budget, we kept our promise to Nigerians at the beginning of the legislative session to ensure transparent deliberation and passage of the 2017 Appropriations Bill which will be signed into law early next week. We have also carried out significant Budget Reforms. For the first time in the history of Nigeria, a Public Hearing was conducted in the National Assembly to get the input of Nigerians in the budgetary process. Further reforms introduced include the details of the Appropriation Act being available to all members before passage in plenary; the requirement that members of each Committee should sign the Report of their Committees before being sent to the Committee on Appropriations. All these novel measures are unprecedented in the history of our Parliament. These proactive measures ensured that the House’s debate and consideration of the 2017 budget proposal presented by the President was evidence based and geared towards galvanizing the economy for greater growth.
- In addition to these, the House has considered and passed several Bills designed to stimulate economic growth and promote competition. These include: The Bill for an Act establishing Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission, etc. This legislation has the potential to engender innovation and efficient allocation of resources, eliminate barriers to entry and restrictive trade practices in our market. It will have a hugely positive impact on the quality of goods and services and their prices in the interest of the Nigerian consumer. Several Bills and Resolutions aimed at improving ease of doing business in Nigeria have been passed and more are in the works.
- Realising that underemployment is as grave a problem as unemployment, we in the House have introduced a Bill on new minimum wage Bill to promote the welfare and well-being of Nigerian Workers especially in light of changing economic realities. For us it is unacceptable that the average Nigerian worker is shut out from the promise of democracy, which is: “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. Our democracy must be made to work for all Nigerians including our workers who must have the tools with which to pursue happiness while in active service or in retirement.
- One other challenge that the country has had to grapple with is corruption. Our legislative response has been by way of legislation and Resolutions. Many Bills in this respect have been passed, and many are still in the mill. Some motions have led to the series of investigative Hearings that are ongoing. Besides we have injected oversight emphasis in that direction.
- This 8th House of Representatives introduced Sectoral Debates. The idea is to get Ministers to share their vision and how they intend to achieve them so that Parliament can hold them accountable to goals they themselves have set. The first phase of the debate on diversification of the Nigerian economy has been concluded. The other phases are scheduled in the next Session.
- I must mention this to our collective credit, that the cohesion in the House is one of the major achievements of the 8th House. Without this, all else would have fallen apart as valuable hours of legislative business would have been dissipated on the management of internal squabbles. This we achieved by always placing patriotism above partisanship which is key to the unremitting exemplary maturity that is seen on the floor, week in week out. It was Albert Einstein who said, “life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance, you must keep moving”. Dear colleagues patriotism is and will always be what keeps us moving and balanced. Permit me to commend and deeply appreciate you all as we look forward to even greater cohesion in the years ahead.
- This self-appraisal cannot be complete without mentioning areas for further improvement. The timely submission of Reports by various Committees require improvement in the next legislative Session. To this end, we would ensure that timelines for legislative measures referred to Committees are strictly enforced. We need to also ensure that Ad-Hoc Committees do not constitute themselves into permanent or Standing Committees.
- Furthermore, we need to do a better job of coordinating the activities of various Committees to ensure synergy and avoid overlapping of activities and functions.
- On this note, it is my singular pleasure to once again welcome us all to this Special Session, and to specially thank my Honourable colleagues for your support, solidarity, patience, understanding, comradeship, hard work and harmony exhibited in the last two years in spite of many daunting challenges. Having said this, it is now time for me, to surrender the floor to our eminent assessors for their appraisal.
- Thank you all, God bless you and bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
Search Engine Optimization isn’t what it used to be.
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Search engines—especially Google—have become dramatically smarter.
Modern ranking systems analyze:
- Topical authority
- Content depth and expertise
- User engagement signals
- Link quality (not quantity)
- Brand credibility
- Search intent satisfaction
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Search engines reward expertise and trust.
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🔥 Why Most SEO Strategies Fail
Many businesses struggle with SEO because:
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We believe in:
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We do not use:
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Long-term growth requires integrity.
📈 The Rise of Performance-Based SEO
The future of SEO isn’t “deliverables.”
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🔮 The Future of Search
AI-generated content is flooding the internet. Competition is rising daily.
Search engines will increasingly reward:
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Wholesale marketplaces were created so that business owners could find profitable offers and make deals on B2B platforms worldwide. In addition to buyers and sellers, there are traders, distributors, logisticians, and other professionals on such platforms. Let’s take a closer look at these professions. Traders purchase goods in order to resell them at a higher price; speculation is allowed on B2B marketplaces and is a legal instrument. Distributors are the official representatives of the manufacturer, meaning you can purchase original products at the lowest price. Most often, goods are purchased in China and then transported by sea to European countries or North America. We suggest you try the Globy Platform, where the most reputable Asian distributors are registered. Logisticians can also register on Globy. They provide services for the transportation of goods by sea. The following are the advantages of Globy, which are mentioned most often:
- quick registration on the portal;
- website with simple navigation and management;
- excellent choice of reliable suppliers;
- most relevant products in the catalog;
- free registration;
- no commission.
Some B2B platforms process payments, but Globy allows participants to make money payments outside the platform using one of the secure methods. In addition, Globy does not charge a commission when concluding a purchase deal. To start working on the platform, you need to register in accelerated mode or fill out a form with your company’s details. You can be sure that your banking details, personal, and contact information are protected. Third parties can only see the information that you leave open. When registering, do not forget to enter your company’s contact information (messenger, phone, email) so that new partners can contact you. You can pay attention to the fact that the Globy catalog contains items without specifying a price, but the product profile contains the vendor’s contacts. You can contact the seller to discuss the deal details, determining the price of the product.
Logistics Tool on Globy
There is often a situation when the supplier does not provide transportation services and the buyer has to search for a carrier on their own. In fact, this problem is solved simply. Globy has a special tool that helps you quickly find a charterer. You would open the freight calculator and fill in all the fields in the suggested form. You would specify the sending and destination port, and don’t forget to specify the dates and choose the container size. If you want to place containers in an optimal way, then use the load calculator, which is also available for free on the official website. You can use these tools only after registration. You can log in quickly if you have a Google account or a LinkedIn profile. After entering the data, the freight calculator will process your request and provide a list of prices. You can select a suitable line and contact the charterer to discuss the details of the contract. It is recommended to choose a sea delivery with a minimum number of intermediate stops, in which case the cargo will arrive at the destination port faster.
Receiving Cargo at the Destination Port
Buyers should remember that you can check the cargo when it arrives at the port. If the rules of transportation were violated, there was a long delay, or the goods were damaged, you can refuse the cargo, explaining the reason. You can discuss a price reduction with the supplier if the product has lost its proper appearance or the packaging is damaged. You can evaluate the cargo yourself or with the help of third-party experts. It is best to carefully check the documentation when receiving the goods at the port. All documents must be executed in accordance with international law. You can register on Globy today, find the goods you need, and use the logistics tools for free. More than fifty-five thousand users have already been registered on the platform, which indicates the high authority of Globy. If you have any questions, you can ask them in the Help Center on Globy website.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Shipping giant, Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), has signed a 45-year concession agreement with Nigerian maritime company, Nigerdock, to develop, operate and maintain a new container terminal at Snake Island Port in Lagos.
A statement by MSC on Thursday noted that the new container terminal would be completed by 2028 with a 910-meter quay, six Ship-to-Shore (STS) cranes, two ship berths, three barge berths, and up to 18 meters of draft.
The dedicated MSC terminal would be part of the company’s announced $1 billion investment in infrastructure and logistics in Nigeria.
“We are thrilled to take this step forward in our partnership with MSC to develop a world-class container terminal within Snake Island Port.
“This gives the world’s leading shipping line a home in Nigeria and brings significant foreign direct investment into the country to accelerate growth in the maritime and logistics industry,” it said.
Global shipping companies are pushing to secure long-term footholds in emerging markets as supply chains are reconfigured worldwide.
MSC said the terminal, to be built by ITB Nigeria and DEME Group, is expected to be ready by 2028.
It will occupy 30 hectares (74 acres) and feature a 910-metre (3,000 ft) quay capable of handling ship‑to‑shore cranes and mobile harbour cranes, serving both deep-sea vessels and barges.
MSC President, Mr Diego Aponte, said: “Completing this key phase in the development of Snake Island Container Terminal with Nigerdock and our trusted partners demonstrates MSC Group’s commitment to providing excellent service to our customers in Nigeria and throughout Africa.
“The new terminal will open up opportunities, enhance efficiency, and elevate Snake Island Port as a major global shipping centre.
“Together with our Group’s other long-term investments in Nigeria, it will generate many local jobs and significantly increase economic revenue and resilience.”
Snake Island Port is an 85-hectare facility operated by Nigerdock, a maritime and logistics company, and comprises three terminals serving the Lagos port complex.
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