“Wike, Abuja Investment Company Limited, and Advancements in the Development of the Federal Capital Territory”

Since the 21st of August 2023, when Chief Nyesom Wike resumed office as the Hon Minister of the FCT, Abuja has not been the same. The FCT has become once more a big construction site with road works causing diversions and attendant traffic jam. The citizens of Abuja definitely see and feel the arrival of Mr. Project as he is fondly called by adversaries and admirers. Abuja is changing just as Port Harcourt changed. I have met with Nyesom Wike and he touched my life on our first meeting without asking for anything in return. I owe him advise based on my experience.

All stakeholders to the FCT have the obligation to rally round Mr. Project to succeed in his avowed task of retaining Abuja’s Master plan, secure the FCT and tackle the problem of land grabbing amongst other challenges of the FCT.

Among the stakeholders, the staff of the Ministries, Parastatal Agencies and companies in the FCT make up the engine room to facilitate and actualize this objective. Of all of them, Abuja Investment Company Limited is at the heart of the engine room. Reason being that development and administration costs a lot of money and resources. The State of our economy and the lean resources has even made it more difficult than ever before. Inflation has raised the cost of development and resources to the highest level ever. Meanwhile, insecurity across Nigeria has forced Abuja to grow beyond the original target of about 3 million to well over 7 million people with the attendant pressure on infrastructure.

This is where AICL Abuja Investment Company limited comes in. Abuja Investment Company limited AICL is a Nigeria Development and Investments company of the Federal Capital Territory for the Federal Capital Territory Administration FCTA. It provides investments for the economic development for Federal Capital Territory region in Nigeria. It is the Flagship Investment and holding company for the FCT.

Abuja Investment company Ltd is an investment company with the mission to develop Abuja into a world class city using private sector funds from local and foreign sources. It’s the landing pad for investors seeking to invest in Abuja without the bottleneck and bureaucracy of the Civil Service. It serves as a nursery for development and investment of ideas and processes for investors. It takes care of teething problems faced by investors with investible funds by saving time and

irritating bottlenecks. So, the investor comes in and hit the ground running. In football AICL is the midfield, the engine room that creates the move and gives the attacker the through pass to score the goal.

The need for AICL has become even more profound today because there is need for a trillion United States Dollars to develop Abuja into a world class city like London, Singapore, Dubai or New York.

However, Mr. Project has to rely on a budget of 1 trillion Naira to do the magic. That is impossible, AICL has to step in by bridging the gap between the FCTA and the investors who have these funds in Abuja, Lagos, New York, Frankfort, London, Dubai, Qatar and Singapore to come down to Macedonia and help us.

A foreign investor in Dubai understands the language spoken at AICL more than that spoken at the ministry because of time constraints. He comes in a private jet or first- class ticket and has 48 hours to tie up a deal to inject USD 100 million to build an ultra-modern 7-star hospital or build a USD 20 million world class abattoir. He may be interested in investing USD 4 billion to set up modern Dubai type of urban transit system integrated with Digital Security System to make committing pleasurable, safe and reduce crime to the barest minimum.

AICL should be able to sort out all issues of land with the ministry, permits with Government MDA’s, feasibility and viability reports and insolate these investors from the harsh and rudimentary economic environment. Doing this attracts that fund for the benefit of Abuja stakeholders thereby saving our hard-working minister the stress of looking for resources but concentrate on administration of the FCT.

Mr. Project needs his match at Abuja Investments Company Ltd. I wish Mr. Project a successful tenure.

Hon. Osita Opara is the immediate past chairman of Investment and Strategy Committees of the Board of Abuja Investment Company Ltd.

He is a serial Entrepreneur; An Investment Banker; A development Enthusiasts.

Chieftaincy Law: Group raises alarm over plan by disgruntled elements to cause chaos in Kano

The Centre for Africa Liberation and Socio-Economic Rights (CALSER) has raised an alarm over a purported plan to tinker with the local government and chieftaincy affairs law in Kano State to favour the deposed Emir Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. 

The Centre, at a press conference on Wednesday, also alleged that some elements are taking illegal means to reverse this law not minding the consequences for the stability of the state. 

In his address, the executive director Dr. Amodu Ben said some members of the state assembly are being induced and coerced into entertaining this dangerous plot.

Ben further said that the end game is to have Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf speedily assent to this controversial amendment and hurriedly reinstate Sanusi. 

“At CALSER, we have multiple concerns. First, what becomes of the current emirs of Rano, Karaye, Bichi, and Gaya, whose deposition the hatchers of this plot are indirectly calling for? It is on record that there is no infraction found against any of them, so the promoters of this plot have to honestly answer this question,” he added. 

“They also have to explain how the government should manage the outrage and protests that will come from the subjects of these emirs as they have become accustomed to the leadership they provide.

“We also think that hatching and attempting to implement a dangerous plan of this nature is uncalled for at a time when the depressed economy and cost of living crisis have already primed major cities across the country for implosion and explosion with citizens looking for the slightest excuses to start protesting, which is most likely to turn violent given the level of economic pressure that people are under.

“It is most unfortunate that Lamido Sanusi, encouraged by the Kano State Governor and some members of the Kano State House of Assembly, is attempting to tap into this populist anger in his bid to clinch back a position he lost under a different administration that followed due process to remove him.”

The Centre, therefore, warned “Sanusi that while he is free to set his home state on fire the rest of Nigeria does not want to be caught in the conflagration that will result from this evil enterprise.”

Been added: “He needs to advise himself correctly that this is not the same as grandstanding with populist comments and interventions in the media, taking the steps to physically implement a comeback is a charade that will cost lives and unleash destruction beyond his anticipation.

“We equally urge Governor Abba Yusuf that there is still time to retrace his steps and not deliberately plunge the state into crisis. Our most profound message to the Governor is that there is a limit to politicking – the hostile reaction to his unpopular demolition of structures and the knife edge on which the state walked the height of the election petition tribunal and court rulings would be child’s play compared to the inferno he is stoking by agreeing to this misadventure of plotting to merge emirates and reinstate a deposed emir. 

“The governor must understand and acknowledge the dangers of mixing politics and the traditional institution as this is a sure recipe for destroying this institution that has provided stability for the society in this part of the country.”

PRIORITIZING SECURITY: THE ORTOM EXAMPLE

By Andrew Yakubu

“The truest kind of leadership demands service, sacrifice, and selflessness”
~ Former United States President Barack Obama.

I am from Plateau State, but my mother hails from Gwer East local government area of Benue State, so I follow events in my maternal home with avid interest. In the last decade, Benue State, like my home state Plateau has been on the butcher’s slab with herders sacking communities and killing hundreds of people.

For some time, Benue was in search of a permanent solution to the herdsmen attacks which began around 2010 or 2011. A former governor of the state Gabriel Suswam was nearly killed by the armed herders in 2014. It was in that milieu of hopelessness and confusion in the face of increasing herder attacks on Benue people that Samuel Ortom emerged as governor in 2015.

Ortom was immediately greeted by more ferocious attacks from the rampaging pastoralists. His government knew that it had to quickly find a solution to end the attacks before the whole of Benue was enveloped by mayhem. So in 2017, he found a solution! His administration enacted a law against open grazing of livestock and began to encourage ranching. Enforcement of the law commenced in November of that year.

As expected, Fulani social-cultural groups rose in stiff opposition of the Benue law with Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore in the vanguard of the resistance against the law. They threatened to visit more violence and death on the state if Governor Ortom did not repeal the law. But Ortom, not being one known for been easily intimidated, called the bluff of the herders as well their sponsors and went on with the enforcement of the law against open grazing. He consequently attracted the anger of the then President, Muhammadu Buhari who was averse to anything that would prevent his kinsmen from moving with cattle by foot from Sokoto to Lagos and from Borno to Port Harcourt.

Ortom was vilified, blackmailed and intimidated by the Buhari administration with the willful conspiracy of its cohorts in Benue State. In fact, he narrowly escaped assassination in 2021 from the hands of armed herders, but would not buckle under the yoke of the pressure and deadly threats. He refused to betray his people who were massively behind his decision to make the law against open grazing.

Ortom chose to sacrifice his political future by leaving the All Progressives Congress, APC which he accused of not protecting his people. I remember watching Ortom on television in 2018 speaking boldly and passionately, “I was not elected to preside over dead people. The 2019 election is not my priority. The safety of my people comes first. Of what use is the seat of Governor if my people are being killed on daily basis?These killings are unacceptable and must stop”.

That message was received loud and clear across the country and many Nigerians rose in condemnation of the killings in Benue State. Ortom instantly became a model of courage and patriotism in governance. And of course, his people acknowledged and appreciated his efforts when they overwhelmingly voted for him during the 2019 election. On the other hand, the open grazing and ranches establishment law became a reference point in the country. Anywhere you went at that time in Nigeria, people were calling on their governors to emulate the Ortom example.

Eventually, many states adopted the ban on open grazing initiative of Ortom and indeed some enacted the same law but sadly, none other showed the courage to enforce the law. Even here in Plateau State, Governor Simon Lalong sent the bill to the State House of Assembly, but that was the end of the story. No guts to pass and sign the law.

Meanwhile, in Benue State, the enforcement of the law drastically reduced the attacks on Benue people as herdsmen with their cattle left the state in their thousands for neighboring states. Though nearly two million people were displaced, some had begun to visit the ruins of their ancestral homes and carry out skeletal farm activities at the time Ortom was leaving office in 2023.

The unfortunate thing is that despite his efforts and huge sacrifice, Ortom’s adversaries at the federal and state levels conspired against his ambition to go to the Senate in 2023. They saw him as a potential threat to the vested interests that wanted to take Benue by all means. Some of his people who were compromised betrayed him and he paid the price! The outcome of the 2023 Benue North West Senatorial election shocked many people to this day. Ortom lost! But was he the real loser? No, the people of Benue and other minorities in the Middle Belt region were the actual losers. We lost a voice that would have spoken for us in the red chamber of the National Assembly.

Lessons to be Learnt

What Samuel Ortom saw years ago is only being seen by some people now. He rightly spoke against the herders occupation agenda in his state which is today an agenda to occupy parts of this country. But some undiscerning people dismissed him as an ethnic jingoist. Many states in this country are in crisis today with kidnappings, destruction, killings and other acts of terrorism taking place unabated. The former Benue governor has been vindicated. If only someone had listened and acted early enough, the current situation would have averted.

Ortom has no doubt emerged as a shining example of a courageous and dedicated leader who prioritized the safety and well-being of his people. His dogged determination to ensuring the security of lives and property, particularly in the face of the challenges posed by open grazing, has set him apart as a beacon of leadership and determination.

By taking a firm stance against open grazing and advocating for the establishment of ranches, he showed remarkable courage in standing up for the best interests of his people, despite facing significant opposition and criticism.

What distinguished Ortom was not just the enactment of the law, but his commitment to its enforcement. In addition to his efforts to address the issue of open grazing, Ortom made significant strides in enhancing the overall security of Benue State. His proactive approach to addressing security challenges and his willingness to make difficult decisions for the greater good of the state further exemplified his exceptional leadership qualities.

Governor Ortom’s legacy as a courageous leader who prioritized the security and well-being of his people is a testament to his selfless dedication and commitment to the common good of his people. His willingness to stand up for the interests of Benue people, even in the face of adversity, serves as an inspiration to leaders across the nation.

Today, Samuel Ortom’s legacy serves as a reminder of the profound impact that courageous and determined leadership can have in addressing critical issues and improving the lives of citizens. His contributions to the security and well-being of Benue State will undoubtedly be remembered and celebrated for years to come.

  • Yakubu writes from Bukuru, Jos.

“Dangote Sugar Refinery Employees Stage Large-Scale Protest Due to Unpaid Salaries Spanning Several Months”

Employees at the Dangote Sugar Refinery in Nasarawa State have taken to the streets to protest against what they claim as neglect and non-payment of salaries for over eight and a half months. The dramatic demonstration, fueled by mounting frustration, underscores deep-seated grievances within the workforce.

Recall that a viral video circulating on various social media platforms depicted the fervent protest of Dangote Sugar Refinery workers from Tunga, Nasarawa State, brandishing placards bearing messages revealing their plight of salary arrears and dire working conditions.

Expressing the anguish felt by the workforce, one employee, speaking on condition of anonymity, bemoaned their predicament, stating, “We are employed but have been kept idle for months, with no salaries forthcoming. We are suffering here; we want Dangote to hear us. We have not received payment for six months and nine weeks.”

Amidst the uproar, concerns have arisen from sources within the refinery’s premises regarding the absence of sugar-related activities despite the continuous influx of trailer trucks entering and exiting the facility.

Allegations have surfaced suggesting that these trucks may be transporting solid minerals or involved in mining activities, casting doubts on the refinery’s core operations.

The disgruntled workers are urging the management of Dangote Sugar Refinery to take immediate action by dismissing the current director overseeing the company. Additionally, they demand the prompt settlement of their overdue salaries and advocate for the removal of the Director responsible for the farm.

“We will not engage in any dialogue with the current director due to a lack of trust. He should be relieved of his duties,” remarked one protester.

Another demonstrator cautioned the public not to underestimate the gravity of the protest, warning that if left unaddressed, the situation could escalate to resemble the crimes witnessed in other northern states.

As tensions escalate and grievances deepen, stakeholders eagerly anticipate a resolution to the impasse, aspiring for a swift and amicable conclusion that addresses the concerns of the affected workers while reinstating confidence in the operations of the Dangote Sugar Refinery in Nasarawa State.

Minister Tijani, NCC Boss Revamping Communications Sector – Centre

The Centre for International and Strategic Studies (CISS) has applauded the Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr Bosun Tijani and Aminu Maida, the CEO/EVC of the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) for reforming the sector.

The Centre made this known in its assessment report of the communications sector under President Bola Tinubu.

In the report signed by Dr Thomas Uzah, the Centre hailed Dr Tijani and Maida for keying into President Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda with laudable initiatives and reforms. 

The report praised the minister for convincing President Tinubu to sign four Executive Orders including the suspension of the five percent Exercise Tax on telecommunication services.

It also acknowledged the importance of the National Broadband Alliance for Nigeria (NBAN) in fostering collaboration for broadband development and adoption to position the country at the forefront of the global digital landscape.

“The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is consolidating on these gains as part of his promised renewed hope,” the report said in part.

“His appointment of an experienced young Nigerian in the person of Bosun Tijani as Minister of Communication and Digital Economy has yielded fruits with the reforms introduced by the ministry since his assumption of duty.

“He got the President to sign an executive order to suspend multiple taxation that has stifled business in the sector. The administration has rolled out many initiatives that, if implemented diligently will turn things around in the communication sector.

“Efforts are in place in human capacity development with the training of young men and women in ICT while also improving internet accessibility for Nigerians. The reforms introduced under the auspices of Dr Dr Bosun Tijani if sustained will solve many of the problems witnessed in the sector. “

The Centre, however, recommended that the NCC should revamp stakeholder engagement across the country.

It also urged the Federal Government to address the cost of doing business and invest massively in infrastructure, especially the power sector.

Group Tasks Security Agencies to go After Blackmailing Syndicate

With rising cases of targeted blackmail and character assassination of public officials and government appointees in Nigeria, Freelance Journalist Federation (FJF), a coalition of over 100 Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) has urged security agencies to beam their searchlight on organised syndicates and cabal masquerading as CSOs

FJF particularly called out Prof. Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr., the purported Convener of Country First Movement as the ring leader of the blackmailing syndicates complicated in the mudslinging attack against the Chief of Staff to President and the Minister of Interior.

In a petition to the Director General (DG) Department of State Security Service (DSS) dated 9th February 2024 and signed by its Executive Director, Comrade Peter Adi Ibrahim, a copy of which was s our reporter, the group described the activities of Prof. Chris Mustapha and his gang as an abuse of democratic privileges and an intentional plan to undermine the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President for self enrichment.

According to the petition, “democracy offers freedom of expression but there has to be decorum to ensure that the expression of one’s rights does not infringe on the fundamental rights of others. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been magnanimous enough to give free vent to all opinions and even dissenting voices. Most importantly, he has also shown an unprecedented political will and courage to fight corruption. While we find this very healthy for our democracy, it appears some persons have mischievously decided to exploit Mr. President’s staunch anti-corruption stance as a tool for witch-hunt and blackmail.

“In fact, there has been in recent times, an upsurge in the number of fake and unregistered CSOs (including Prof. Chris Mustapha’s Country First Movement), who have formed themselves into a syndicate whose speciality is to blackmail and tarnish the images of Heads of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) with the aim of extorting money from them with unfounded, unverified as well as unsubstantiated allegations and complaints.

With a determination to refute falsehood and misinformation with facts, FJF in their petition gave a detailed modis operandi of Country First Movement which is a cover for syndicated cabals and their highly malicious and criminal activities under the coordination of Prof. Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr.

Excerpts, “working under different pseudonyms such as CSOs Budget Implementation, Evaluation and Monitoring Committee, Prof. Chris Mustapha Nwaokobia Jnr has built a formidable underground network of professional blackmailers who will stop at nothing until their victims are made to part with huge sums of money in settlement. The game-plan is always to spin up unprintable allegations and then go to the media and spread them like wildfire, eliciting fear in their chosen targets and victims. The wannabe Professor is now called in as a mediator of a crisis situation he actually started.

“Of recent, Prof. Chris Mustapha and his gang had descended heavily on the venerable Chief of Staff to the President RT. Hon. Femi Gbajamiabila without any provocation. The entire country was shocked and if not for our careful investigation, even security agencies are yet to identify the source and direction of the salvo that was hauled at the Chief of Staff. The outcry from the public on the need to checkmate these charlatans especially that of CSOs like Save Nigeria Movement, the Chief of Staff and the Speaker of the House of Representatives deserves an urgent to end this smear campaign and extortion”.

The CSO also revealed that, aside his penchant for consistently blackmailing the Chief of Staff and other highly placed Nigerians because of his media visibility and reputation in the academia, Prof. Chris Mustapha has set up fictitious, unregistered kangaroo organisations and identities, made up of rogues in the name of CSOs to extort bribe money from Chief Executive Officers of MDAs through various blackmailing schemes, with more than 33 MDAs penciled down for his vicious attacks.

“Intelligence report available to us has shown that apart from the hide and seek games, Prof. Chris Mustapha has personally reached out to several Heads of government agencies with a view to convincing them to part with huge sums of taxpayers money as a cover up for crimes not committed with a promise to silence the media mob. The money thus far collected is nothing but bribe money.

“So far, over 33 MDAS and their Chief Executives have been targeted in the coordinated attack which has started with the Chief of staff to the president and the Minister of Interior. In the coming days, the syndicate intends to spread their tentacles to other agencies and the security agencies must act swiftly to save the country such distraction.

“We, therefore, call for his arrest in relation to the bribes has been collecting from MDAs under the pretext of mediation as well as his role in the planned plot to blackmail and malign a number of MDAs and public officials which he has already started with Chief of Staff to the President. Relevant security agencies must investigate and prosecute him accordingly otherwise the syndicate is going to distract Mr. President administration. The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission must act with alacrity to prevent rogues from continuously extorting innocent Nigerians and distracting Mr. President’s administration in the name of anti-corruption watchdogs”, the statement added.

The Freelance Journalist Federation similarly called on security agencies especially the DSS to profile all CSOs in the country to know their leadership, mandates and objectives so as to minimize incidents of multiple blackmail and extortion, adding that, must of them work with quack journalists to spread their bile.

“It is sad to note that some faceless groups have been working with unprofessional journalists to fast track their extortionist schemes with the aim of bringing the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to disrepute. We therefore urge security agencies to profile all civil society organisations in the country and issue security clearance to ensure strict compliance to laid down ethos.

“As a group, we remain unfazed by the antics of charlatans who are bent on dustabilising our nation. We commend the efforts of our security agencies as they have done so much already in bringing an end to the numerous threats facing us as nation. It is our believe that they will immediately swing into action and fish out Prof. Chris Mustapha and his cohorts in no distant time”, the statement concluded.

U.S. should stop taking “national security” as catch-all excuse

By Zhong Sheng, People’s Daily

Recently, the U.S. Department of Defense once again used “national security” as an excuse to include some Chinese chip and artificial intelligence (AI) companies on its discriminatory lists, and threatened to take further measures against these entities.

The U.S. side consistently invokes “national security,” overstretches the concept of national security, and abuses its state power to restrain the development of other countries’ enterprises. Its moves have seriously infringed upon the legitimate rights of others to develop, undermined the international economic and trade order and world trade rules, and threatened the stability of the global industrial and supply chains.

Every country has its national security concerns, but these concerns must be legitimate and reasonable. The concept must not be politicized and securitized, or be used to suppress and contain other countries’ development.

In recent years, the U.S. has overstretched the concept of “national security” to encompass almost anything in order to contain and suppress China.

Last August, the White House signed an executive order on setting up a screening mechanism on outbound investments and restricting U.S. entities’ investments in the semiconductors and microelectronics, quantum information technologies, and AI sectors in China.

Recently, The U.S. Department of Commerce announced it would investigate the supply chains of the U.S. semiconductor and national defense industries to assess their level of dependence on Chinese chips, again using the excuse of the so-called “national security” risks.

Some American politicians even hyped up Chinese-made port lifting equipment and Chinese video applications, which are popular among Americans, as threats to their “national security.” These practices are typical examples of pan-politicization and pan-securitization.

In the eyes of some U.S. politicians, “national security” has become a catch-all excuse for unreasonable and brutal suppression of foreign companies. In recent years, the U.S. has continuously politicized, instrumentalized, and weaponized economic, trade, and technological issues under the guise of “national security,” resorting to all means to suppress Chinese companies and restrict normal economic and trade cooperation between its domestic companies and China.

Such an approach essentially aims to promote de-globalization and “de-Sinicization,” creating a chilling effect in economic and trade cooperation and serving its purpose of pushing for “decoupling and breaking the chain.”

The U.S. has forcefully labeled other countries’ companies as “national security risks,” using it as an excuse for the so-called “de-risking” narrative, which has posed serious risks to international economic and trade cooperation as well as the stability of the global industrial and supply chains.

In fact, the risk that the world needs to get rid of the most is confrontation and rivalry caused by pan-politicization, and the dependence that needs to be reduced the most is the act of returning to protectionism.

The U.S. overstretching the concept of national security is a complete departure from the principles of market economy and fair competition that it has long claimed to champion.

When it comes to pursuing global hegemony, coercing other nations, and disregarding international norms in the early 21st century, the United States is the country that comes to mind, said a U.S. media outlet.

The principles of market competition and international trade rules, which the U.S. claimed to advocate, are only followed when they are beneficial to the U.S. American politicians may talk about fair competition, but deep down they believe in “America First” and wield the “sanctions stick.”

The Chinese chip and AI companies that have been included in the discriminatory lists by the U.S. are all key players in high-tech industries. These industries are exactly the areas where American politicians have repeatedly claimed to win the competition against China.

The deliberate designation of various discriminatory lists by the U.S. and the inclusion of Chinese companies are aimed at using state power to suppress Chinese enterprises, create obstacles to China’s technological innovation, hinder China’s high-quality development, and deprive the Chinese people of their right to development. This action violates international trade rules and is inconsistent with the principle of fair competition.

Recently, a U.S. senator repeatedly questioned a company executive in the hearing whether the executive has Chinese nationality. It has exposed that the so-called “threats to national security” claimed by the U.S. side are false, while containing and suppressing China is the real motive.

Some American politicians always see China as the primary competitor and the most significant geopolitical challenge. According to their logic, the U.S. can develop advanced semiconductor, quantum information technology, and AI, while China’s development of advanced technology and innovation is seen as a “security threat.”

They believe that the U.S. can only talk about fair competition only when it maintains its leading position, and that China’s potential threat to its lead is a “security threat.” This is undeniably a hegemonic logic and double standard.

The U.S. side must correct all discriminatory practices and provide a fair, just, and non-discriminatory environment for Chinese businesses. It should do more to promote mutual trust and cooperation between the two sides, and engage in actions that benefit global economic and trade exchanges and cooperation.

Efforts, implied or explicit, to shape or change China over several decades did not succeed, said a senior U.S. official, adding the two countries must find a way to co-exist in competition.

For China and the U.S., turning their back on each other is not an option. It is unrealistic for one side to remodel the other. The U.S. should engage in more rational thinking, and refrain from using aggressive and unreasonable measures to suppress.

The U.S. has publicly promised that it has no intention to seek decoupling from China or halt China’s economic development. It should demonstrate sincerity and take action to stop politicizing, instrumentalizing, and weaponizing economic, trade, and technological issues, so as to create a favorable environment for normal economic and trade cooperation between China and the U.S.

(Zhong Sheng is a pen name often used by People’s Daily to express its views on foreign policy and international affairs.)

Spring Festival in Chinese folk arts

By Yin Bo
The Spring Festival is the grandest traditional festival of the Chinese nation.
In the long agrarian civilization, the ancient Chinese people marked a year from the sowing of seeds to the harvest of grains, and this agricultural cycle has set the rhythm of people’s lives – growing crops in spring, seeing them mature in summer, harvesting them in fall and storing them in winter.
As winter faded into spring at year’s end, people celebrated the good harvest of the year and welcomed a new cycle. They worshiped the heaven and ancestors, prayed for blessings, hosted feasts, bid farewell to the old year and ushered in the new, which helped form a series of solemn yet joyful folk customs. These customs provided people with an opportunity to express their feelings, make wishes, enjoy the joyful atmosphere, and voice their longing for a good life.
The Spring Festival is about folk customs, as well as art and aesthetics. The art of the Spring Festival is the collective creation and experience of beauty by the Chinese people and Chinese nation, a process that everyone joins.
During the Spring Festival, every household would paste images of Menshen, or door gods, traditional Chinese New Year paintings, Fu characters, paper cuttings, and Spring Festival couplets to the doors, creating a joyous and lively atmosphere.
The couplets on the doors and the paper cuttings on the windows reflect the spirit of a family. Symbolizing the vigor and energy of the household, those decorations are mostly in fiery red color, with gorgeous and vibrant complementary colors. The patterns are highly familiar to commoners – vivid and distinctive.
The auspicious characters, calligraphy, images of gods, and depictions of ideal life with good weather, national peace and prosperity, family happiness and longevity express people’s hopes and aspirations for a better life.
These folk paintings and paper cuttings not only fully convey the tastes and pursuits of the common people, but also can serve as decorations in traditionally furnished houses.
Apart from pasted decorations, there are other decorative items placed at home during the Spring Festival, including seasonal fruits, potted flowers, antiques, and more. The Spring Festival decorations, ornate and elegant or simple and fresh, are always joyful, pleasing to the eye, and full of hope.
The food prepared for eating and ancestor worship during the Spring Festival, which is more sumptuous than usual, not only provides a rich culinary experience, but also contains auspicious meanings of prosperity.
For instance, families in the Jiaodong region of east China’s Shandong province would make various steamed buns and cakes, as well as auspicious dough sculptures, starting from the kitchen god day, also known as the Little New Year, several days around the Spring Festival. They are a part of the festive cuisine and serve as gifts and offerings. The beauty and symbolism of the Spring Festival food, when shared through social interactions, creates a spiritual bond among people.
During the Spring Festival, there are splendid recreational and celebratory activities. Folk arts like stilt walking, lion and dragon dancing, drumming, and Yangge dancing are presented at carnival-like events. Spontaneous performances, crowds of onlookers, cheerful and stirring drum beats, as well as the costumes and masks worn by performers that carry elements of local culture and traditions jointly make up the lively festival celebrations.
In addition, from New Year’s Eve to the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar, large red lanterns are often hung in shops and homes in both cities and rural areas.
Villagers in northern Shaanxi province would visit the Jiuqu Yellow River Lantern Array, a popular traditional folk event hosted on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. On the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau in southwest China, people of various ethnic groups would dance around bonfires to celebrate the festival. This showcases the purity and sincerity of the Chinese nation.
Throughout the ages, the Chinese nation has transitioned from tradition to modernity, from an agricultural civilization to an industrial and information civilization. The ceremonies celebrating the Spring Festival have changed to varying degrees, but they remain grand and solemn. The art and aesthetics of the Spring Festival have been innovated and passed down.
Today, the Spring Festival travel rush has become a cultural phenomenon. A number of Spring Festival-themed cultural products and clothing are emerging, with Chinese red, auspicious patterns and Chinese zodiac animals becoming trendy elements. Traditional Spring Festival rituals and customs also strike a chord among the young generations.
The Spring Festival is a cultural vein of the Chinese nation that has developed over thousands of years. It carries on the power of life and the pursuit of ideals from generation to generation. The Spring Festival, presented in folk arts, transcends history and materiality. In the pursuit of beauty, kindness and happiness, it reveals the ideals and meaning of life.
(Yin Bo is a professor at the Shandong University of Art & Design)

China’s PV industry contributes to global green development

By Guan Kejiang, People’s Daily

Newly installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity is expected to reach 375 gigawatts globally in 2023, growing 31.8 percent year on year, said an annual report recently issued by the International Energy Agency.

China’s solar PV installations last year equaled to the world’s total in 2022. Demetrios Papathanasiou, global director for the World Bank’s Energy and Extractives Global Practice, believes that developing the solar PV industry is crucial for addressing climate change and promoting energy transition.

At the 28th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) held last year, the development of solar energy was one of the key topics discussed.

The agreement reached at the COP28 for the first time acknowledged the decreasing costs and technological innovations in solar energy, wind energy, and energy storage, recognizing their potential in achieving climate goals. It called on countries to transition away from fossil fuels in a just, orderly, and fair manner within the energy system.

In recent years, the global PV industry has been experiencing rapid growth. According to relevant statistics, the average annual growth of PV installations worldwide reached 28 percent from 2019 to 2023.

Consulting firm Wood Mackenzie said that solar energy has become the most cost-competitive energy source in most countries. The PV industry is expected to maintain a high growth rate over the next decade.

Former Vice Chair of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Mohan Munasinghe, noted that sustainable development is a crucial challenge for human society. The continuous innovation and growing advantages of solar PV technology provide developing countries with options for achieving economic sustainability, transitioning to clean energy, and protecting the environment.

The Francisco Pizarro PV plant in Extremadura, Spain, began operation in 2022 and is one of the largest operational PV power stations in Europe. All the solar panels used in this plant were sourced from China.

In Garissa County, Kenya, the Garissa solar power plant constructed by a Chinese company, has effectively addressed the issue of electricity shortage in the local area, providing continuous clean electricity to local residents.

In recent years, the Bank of China (BOC) has been involved in various solar power projects, such as the Al Dhafra PV2 solar project in the United Arab Emirates and the 300 MW Sakaka solar PV project in Saudi Arabia. Last year, the bank issued a $500 million green bond with a focus on the Belt and Road Initiative.

Pan Xinyuan, general manager of Bank of China Dubai Branch, said that China, as the world’s largest producer of solar components, has a leading advantage in solar project construction. Chinese banks, as a bridge connecting production capacity and market demand, can play a positive role in promoting global energy transformation.

Fatih Birol, executive director of the International Energy Agency, noted that China has achieved remarkable success in the development of clean energy, such as solar and wind power, as well as the electric vehicle industry, making it a champion in the field of clean energy.

Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, minister of Industry and Advanced Technology of the United Arab Emirates and president-designate of the COP28, emphasized that China’s continuous leadership in clean energy technology is a crucial factor in facilitating global energy transition, addressing climate change, and promoting development.

Xiao Jinyu, deputy director-general of Economic and Technology Research Institute, Global Energy Interconnection Development and Cooperation Organization, said in an interview with People’s Daily that China has elevated the acceleration of renewable energy development to a level of ensuring national energy security and strengthening ecological progress, achieving rapid progress in a short period of time.

It is exactly because of China’s vigorous development of renewable energy that the cost of solar power generation has decreased by nearly 90 percent globally in recent years, and wind power cost by 80 percent.

Ahmed Mohamed Mohina, vice minister of Electricity and Renewable Energy of Egypt, said that the Chinese solution is of great significance to global energy transition and climate governance. It provides feasible solutions for African and Arab countries to promote energy transition, stimulate economic development, and improve ecological environment.

Erik Solheim, vice president of the Belt and Road Initiative International Green Development Coalition and former UN under-secretary-general, noted that China has made significant contributions to the global development of renewable energy. It has also provided innovative driving forces for the economic development and green and low-carbon transformation of developing countries.

China sees emerging forms of Spring Festival trips

By Zhu Jinyi

As the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation, the Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, offers an abundance of customs and rituals, making it a perfect time for a cultural trip. Dai Bin, president of the China Tourism Academy, estimated that the Spring Festival holiday in 2024 would become a “super golden week,” with high enthusiasm for travel and consumption. China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism recently launched a series of 25 Spring Festival-themed activities, covering seven major categories including popular cultural performances, public service events, intangible cultural heritage experiences, tourism and leisure consumption, winter sports and educational trips, cultural and historical exhibitions, as well as international and domestic celebrations. These activities will offer a wide range of choices for people to celebrate the Chinese New Year and enjoy a joyful holiday. The museum remains an important destination for offline cultural tours. Statistics show that in 2023, museums across China received a total of 1.24 billion visits, 2.1 times the number in 2022. During the Spring Festival holiday in 2024, most national museums and provincial museums will continue to be open to the public. In addition to permanent exhibitions, they plan to launch exhibitions themed with the Year of the Dragon and featured exhibitions. According to an official with China’s National Cultural Heritage Administration, more than 400 themed exhibitions have been planned nationwide, including one on the culture of northern Xinjiang and a digital exhibition on cultural relics about Loong collected by the Shaanxi History Museum. Besides, over 1,000 social education and cultural activities will be hosted, including rubbing experiences and ancient Chinese music performances. These activities aim to offer a cultural feast to the audience. “Since last year, new trends have emerged in the stage performance market, with many people hitting new destinations to attend art performances,” said Zhang Yi, an official with China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism. During the Spring Festival this year, 10 national art troupes under the direct administration of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism will hold 204 offline performances, including Peking Opera masterpieces, dance drama tours, as well as a musical presented by the China National Theatre for Children. In addition, Art China and many other online broadcasting platforms will launch special programs for the Chinese New Year, showcasing to the audience the splendid achievements and artistic essence of China’s stage arts in the past year. Apart from enjoying high-quality art performances, during the holiday, people can also watch videos and livestream, and listen to Chinese New Year-themed songs on their mobile phones to experience the festive atmosphere around the world without leaving their homes. Recently, a livestream event was hosted in Changsha, central China’s Hunan province to celebrate the upcoming Chinese New Year. It was organized by the China Association of Performing Arts in collaboration with Douyin, Kuaishou, Tencent Video and other platforms. By setting up dedicated livestream areas, it allowed netizens to experience the joyful and peaceful atmosphere of the Spring Festival in the virtual world. Various regions in China are leveraging their unique cultural and tourism resources to launch a diverse range of Spring Festival travel products. Jilin, Liaoning, Xinjiang and other places, in combination with local resources including sports, recreation, hot springs, and folk activities, have hosted colorful events to mark the Chinese New Year, featuring a series of ice and snow-themed tourism products and preferential measures for the public. Eleven provinces, including Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, Hainan, and Sichuan, have launched study tour activities that focus on the natural ecological environment as well as regional cultural characteristics. For example, Sichuan has launched a study tour that introduces the habitats of pandas, while Shandong is also showcasing the charm of traditional Chinese etiquette. The “Happy Chinese New Year” activities have been held globally for over 20 years, including family day activities held in the U.S., parades on the Trafalgar Square in the UK, temple fairs in Russia and a grand temple fair in Egypt. As the 2024 Spring Festival approaches, the “Happy Chinese New Year” activities will be organized in nearly 100 countries and regions worldwide, with nearly 500 diverse exchange activities. In around 20 countries such as the Netherlands, Kazakhstan and New Zealand, lantern lighting events will take place, spreading the joy and harmony of the Chinese New Year to the world. Shi Zeyi, deputy director of the international exchange and cooperation bureau of China’s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, noted that during the Spring Festival, various tourism promotion activities will be carried out overseas to encourage domestic enterprises to launch more culturally rich inbound tourism products, and allow more foreign tourists to experience the charm of the Spring Festival in China.