2023: We have no any other candidate than Gov. Sule, Nasarawa Speaker declares.

“… as he urges APC supporters not to join issues with opposition… “

Speaker, Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi, says that people of Toto Local Government Area of the State have no any other candidate than Gov Abdullahi Sule in 2023.

The Speaker made the declaration while speaking during the official flagging off of Gov. Sule/ Dr Akabe re-election campaign bid in Toto LGA.

He said that the people of the area would vote for Gov. Sule in 2023 in order to enjoy more dividends of democracy.

” His Excellency, we have no Governorship candidate apart from you in 2023

” The only way for us to pay you back for bringing peace and other developmental strides to Toto is for us to mobilise and vote for you come 2023.

Abdullahi lauded Gov. Sule for his developmental strides in the area and the state at large.

” By God’s grace, we will return His Excellency, Engr. abdullahi Sule to the Government House as Governor come 2023,” he said

The Speaker called on the ruling APC supporters in the area and the State at large not to join issues or insult with the opposition parties.

” We will not join issues with the opposition, we will not revenge or retaliate, if they abused or insulted us, we will revenge through the ballots during voting in 2023,” he said.

The Speaker called on the people of the area and the state to support Gov. Sule to succeed beyond 2023.

He also called on the people of the area and rhe State at large to vote Sen. Ahmed Bola Tinubu, the APC presidential candidate in 2023 and other party candidates.

Abdullahi alao enjoined the people of the area to continue to be law abiding, respect constituted authorities and co-exist peacefully for development to thrive.

China’s Hefei builds world-leading high-tech zone

By Xu Jing, People’s Daily

The Hefei National High-tech Industry Development Zone (Hefei high-tech zone) in east China’s Anhui province has explored a path of indigenous development featuring integrated scientific, technological, innovative and industrial progress.

It has generated a series of major innovative outcomes, such as a prototype of superconducting quantum computing, millimeter wave chips, the Micius satellite, proton knives, new steel materials for spacecraft, and atomic force microscopes.

On average, the Hefei high-tech zone sees the establishment of a company fueled by the commercialization of sci-tech outcomes on a daily basis and every week there are tech firms unveiling new innovations.

At the end of 2021, Geovis, a leading enterprise in the Chinese digital earth industry, reached an agreement with the Hefei high-tech zone to set up its global headquarters in Hefei. In just a few months, Geovis has registered four companies in the Hefei high-tech zone, which constitute an important part of the aerospace information industry in the high-tech zone.

Shao Zongyou, vice chairman and president of Geovis said that when the two sides were still in the negotiation stage, the Hefei high-tech zone has already shown that it attaches high importance to the development of the aerospace information industry and that it provides enterprises with resources matchmaking opportunities and other policy support.

To better grasp opportunities, the Hefei high-tech zone established a professional investment team that’s visionary and familiar with industrial development and technologies.

At present, the Hefei high-tech zone is home to 53 enterprises and institutions engaged in the aerospace information industry, which employ nearly 5,000 people.

Over the past year, the high-tech zone signed and implemented 17 projects related to the aerospace information industry, with total investment of 16.7 billion yuan ($2.34 billion). Besides, a batch of other quality projects are currently under negotiation.

Aligning the chains of innovation and industry is a guiding principle for the Hefei high-tech zone to advance industrial innovation.

The Yunfei Road in the high-tech zone, which is nicknamed the “Quantum Avenue,” is home to some 20 quantum technology companies. It is a renowned “landmark” in the quantum technology industry.

In the “Speech Valley of China,” China’s first national-level industrial base in the artificial intelligence sector located in the Hefei high-tech zone, had attracted over 1,400 enterprises as of the end of 2021.

Wang Qiang, chairman of the Hefei Gaoxin Development and Investment Group Company, noted that multiple 10-billion-yuan and 100-billion yuan industrial clusters are taking shape in the Hefei high-tech zone thanks to the efforts made by the high-tech zone to develop the digital and green economy, as well as the healthcare and service sectors.

The Hefei high-tech zone has held a number of road shows, investment salons and investment summits to build matchmaking platforms for investors and projects.

For instance, the Hefei Gaoxin Development and Investment Group Company has launched a high-level exchange platform to assist enterprises to make innovations and promote in-depth integration between technology and finance.

Four sessions of the high-level exchange platform have been hosted since 2018, joined by over 150 companies in integrated circuit, big health, AI and intelligent manufacturing sectors, and 120 investment and financing institutions. The platform speeds up the commercialization of technologies and assists high-quality development of the regional economy.

An official from the Hefei high-tech zone said that the high-tech zone will unveil a master plan to introduce and foster a number of world-leading enterprises, according to which the numbers of high-tech firms and listed companies in the high-tech zone are expected to exceed 5,000 and 60, respectively.

Chinese electronic signature industry on fast track

By Han Xin, People’s Daily
As an important tool for digital transformation, electronic signature technology is widely applied by various industries in China.
With electronic signature technology, a test drive can be scheduled online, real estate contracts can be registered with an electronic signature service, and financial products can be purchased on online platforms.
Electronic signature is a way of confirming and signing electronic documents in electronic forms based on the Internet. Over the recent years, the electronic signature industry has rapidly grown in China, releasing huge development potential.
For instance, electronic stamp, an efficient and reliable way that has the same legal validity as physical stamps, was used in a power supply company in Fuyang district, Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province. According to an employee of the company, the application of electronic stamps is expected to save over a million yuan ($140,017) for the company each year.
Electronic signature technology benefits not only enterprises, but also individuals. At the end of June this year, Nanjing, capital of east China’s Jiangsu province comprehensively launched electronic signature services for real estate transactions. House buyers can sign their names on a mobile application or a mini program to have their contracts registered.
“Electronic signature verifies identities with biometrics, bank card information and other authentication methods. It makes sure that contracts represent the will of signatories through login encryption, SMS verification and other approaches. Besides, it employs timestamp technology so that the signing is traceable and irreversible,” said Liu Quan, director of the research institute of cyber security under the China Center for Information Industry Development (CCID).
With these technologies employed, contracts and agreements can be inked even if parties involved are at different locations, and counterfeit signatures would no longer be a problem. Liu added.
Over the recent years, electronic signature has seen a stable expansion of its market in China and has been applied in a number of sectors such as finance, e-government, healthcare and real estate.
According to a CCID report, the market size of electronic signature in China had grown from 22 billion yuan in 2017 to 30.86 billion yuan in 2021.
“In general, electronic signature has gained a big market in China. Its industrial chain is being improved. The providers of software and hardware as well as electronic signature services, terminal users, and other entities in the industry are growing rapidly,” said Liu.
The rapid development of the industry is attributed to many aspects. On the one hand, policy support and mature technologies have paved a path for the normalized application of electronic signature. On the other hand, enterprises’ increasing demand for digital transformation has constantly released the potential of the industry.
Li Tao, an employee of a major company, told People’s Daily that the implementation of paperless offices could save the company 320,000 pieces of paper each year, and electronic signature as well as other digital tools have improved the company’s efficiency amid COVID-19.
According to statistics released by iiMedia Research, a world-renowned third-party data mining and analysis organization for new economic industries, electronic signatures were used over 50 billion times in China in 2020, surging 317 percent from a year ago.
As electronic signatures are more and more utilized and gain increasing recognition from users, the industry will embrace constant growth.

Abuja-Kaduna train service to resume next week amidst tight security

The Minister of Transportation Mu’azu Jaji Sambo, has disclosed that full train service on the Abuja-Kaduna rail corridor will resume in a week’s time.

The Minister disclosed this on Sunday during an inspection tour of the Abuja-Kaduna rail line in preparation for the full resumption of the train service which has been shut down for over seven months.

Sambo, stated that passengers who refuse to provide their National Identification Number (NIN) will not be able to purchase tickets.

Speaking on the reason for the inspection, he said “I traveled from Idu to Rigasa to assess the state of readiness of train service between Abuja and Kaduna.

“Several measures have been put in place to ensure that lives and properties will be secured when we resume services and I am satisfied with what I have seen. Of course, there are one or two areas that need to be addressed and we are going to address them immediately.

There are increased numbers of security personnel and without mincing words, some of the security personnel may not be in uniform to guarantee the safety of the traveling public. There are other sensitive measures that we have deployed which I will not reveal”, he noted.

Speaking further on plans ahead of the full resumption, the Minister said, “Also, on every journey, the train is monitored every second on a screen and the train driver can see up to a certain distance if there is any threat on the track, that will enable him to match the brakes long before getting to the perceived threat.“On the issue of whether the train service will start tomorrow or not, we have not said the train services will start tomorrow. I want to be very categorical about that”, he explained.

Furthermore, the Minister disclosed that a new system has been introduced to ensure that before passengers purchase tickets, they will be required to provide a phone number and National Identification Number (NIN) for profiling which is the beginning of the security checks.“If you don’t have NIN you are not going to board our train. It is as simple as that. If you are a minor, an adult will pay for you and will register for you and an adult can only register for not more than four minors.“The NIN will take care of racketeering and it is one of the reasons we introduced it. Only one human is entitled to a NIN and I don’t see how one person will get multiple NINs. In any case, at the point of the departure lounge, the profile of the person will have to show and if it is not shown, you don’t get access. It is as simple as that. So, if you get 20 tickets, 19 will be useless and your money will be wasted.

“Now, we want to give sufficient time for the Nigerian public to listen to these and assimilate this new system because if we start tomorrow, a lot of people will be disgruntled. They will ask; why didn’t they tell us? Is this the new way of doing it? Why didn’t they give us adequate time to do it? So we want to give adequate time, certainly not more than a week.”Furthermore, Sambo announced that the number of trips will be reduced while advising passengers to prepare for an increase in fares. According to him, “The number of trips will be reduced. Naturally, you should expect that a certain number of passengers will not be comfortable boarding the train for obvious reasons. So, we will reduce the number of trips and as the traveling population picks up, we will increase the number of trips but we will certainly not travel at night for now.“Please, expect an increase in fares. I am having final consultation with the management of NRC and the management of the ministry to see whether it will be immediate or we will take a little time.“We all know that prices of things have gone up, even airfares have gone up and we have not heard anybody cry about it. Why is it that it’s only when it is train fares that people are reactive? I can assure you that the poor masses will be taken care of and considered because we are a very sensitive government”, he said.

That New Sheriff at NPA

By Odumu Igbudu

The name Mohammed Bello Koko might not ring a bell at the slight. But it is doing wonders at the strategic Nigerian Ports Authority. In record time, the revenue drive and operations of the agency improved tremendously. And Nigerians wondered what happened.

I have been an ardent critic of the operations of the NPA, describing it as an inept agency lacking leadership and operational efficiency. I believe this position was corroborated by a large section of the population, especially those in the maritime sector.

Those of us in this category were pleasantly surprised with the turn of events in recent times with Mohammed Bello Koko at the helms of affairs. Initially, I saw him as one of them that would do nothing to improve the agency’s fortunes. But I was wrong and remained so.

Today’s NPA reflects purposeful leadership, improved fortunes and rapid transformation in port operations across the country. One of the indicators of what to expect at the NPA was the efforts at revitalizing port operations in the eastern part of the country and the partnership with the Lagos State government on taming the gridlock on the access roads to the two busiest ports in Apapa.

Mohammed Bello Koko justified his appointment by implementing sustainable reforms in the nation’s seaports. This is on the heels of the strategic import of seaports in revenue generation in the country.

For example, the NPA generated a total of N172, 285,626,312.00 (One hundred and seventy-two billion, two hundred and eighty-five million, six hundred and twenty-six thousand and twelve naira only) from its operations in the first half of 2022. In the same period, the NPA remitted N78, 496,966,862.20 (Seventy-two billion, four hundred and ninety-six million, nine hundred and sixty-six thousand, eight hundred and sixty-two naira and twenty kobo) to the Consolidated Revenue Fund (CRF) of the Federation. This is indeed brilliant and a feat in the annals of the agency.

I wasn’t surprised by these notable achievements recorded in the NPA. As a first, Mohammed Bello Koko is a thoroughbred professional whose grasp of port operation was manifest when he was first appointed as the acting managing director and subsequently as substantive managing director. According to reliable insider sources, he hit the ground running, and one of the areas he focused on was blocking revenue leakages. And it paid off handsomely.

Today, the revenue of the NPA recorded a 5.38 percent increase. According to the managing director, this was an expression of the ports’ operational performance. I could not agree less with this position.

Also, his sterling performance has led to unprecedented growth, improved operational efficiencies that led to a significant increase in container traffic to Onne Port, and the demonstrated resolve to open up the Eastern Ports of Warri, Calabar and Rivers. This culminated in the successful berthing of MV Lady Jane vessel in Onne Port, Rivers state.

These and many more initiatives of the agency geared toward repositioning the eastern ports for productivity are yielding results, and that Onne Port Complex is fast becoming an attraction for container vessel traffic is an indication of the leadership drive of the NPA under Mohammed Bello Koko to optimize port operations across the country for greater efficiency and productivity.

There is, therefore, no doubt that the NPA helmsman is restless and eager to implement a complete turnaround in port operations in the country. And in doing this, he is leaving no stone unturned. His leadership of the agency has brought about improved productivity in its workforce. Also, there has been an array of technological improvements in operations across seaports in the country.

This has led to efficient port services in a safe, secure and customer-friendly environment. Various stakeholders in the maritime sector attested to his efforts at repositioning port operations in the country. Today, port operations in Nigeria have adorned a new look.

The NPA digitization project has also received considerable action from the Mohammed Bello Koko-led administration. The smart port transformation agenda of the agency, aimed at the enthronement of paperless, time-saving and cost-efficient port operations by 2025, is a move many industry watchers have commended. If implemented, I gathered that this project would address critical challenges in port operations in Nigeria.

Mohammed Bello Koko is indeed the new sheriff at the NPA. His exemplary leadership reminds me of the famous quote on leadership by John Maxwell, “A great leader’s courage to fulfil his vision comes from passion, not position.” This is what Mohammed Bello Koko exudes at the NPA. He has touched on those critical areas of the NPA operations that need to be rejigged. And it was easy to see results in a short period due to his passion for the job.

Is he relenting? It doesn’t seem like it from feelers gathered from stakeholders in the maritime sector in Nigeria. They have described him as the Apostle of Change that revitalized port operations in Nigeria in a short period. One can only imagine what to expect in the future.

I am impressed with his drive and passion for the job. He is indeed a thoroughbred administrator who has successfully combined influence, initiative, and responsibility to turn the fortunes of the NPA around for good. He is also a lesson in public service that should be emulated. He must be encouraged to sustain the reforms introduced in port operations in Nigeria.

Igbudu wrote this piece from Abuja.

Echono And His Midas Touch At TETFUND

By Abubakar Sani

The Federal Government of Nigeria established the Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFUND) in 2011 to disburse, manage, and monitor education tax to public tertiary institutions in Nigeria.
TETFUND is an essential part of Nigeria’s education sector, whose success is highly dependent on a robust, transparent and accountable system that ensures resources are appropriately allocated towards achieving public service delivery in the education sector.
In recent times, the activities of the agency have continued to elicit commendation from critical stakeholders in light of the visible improvements in the fulfilment of the operational mandate of the agency. In some quarters, this has been ascribed to the exploits of its Executive Secretary, Arc. Sunny Echono.

I recall when President Muhammadu Buhari approved the appointment of Arc. Sunny Echono as the executive secretary of TETFUND, many positives were expected of the former Permanent Secretary whose performances in the Education sector had been stellar. It was expected that he would bring to the table wealth of experiences spanning diverse sectors.
A reformer to the core, his ascension to the TETFUND leadership, was another opportunity for him to showcase the instrumentality of transparency and accountability in delivering excellent results. And so far, he has not disappointed. With in-depth experience in civil service and administrative positions, Arc Echono’s obsession with exceptional service delivery has never been in doubt.
Soon after taking over the affairs of TETFUND, Echono sort to consolidate and improve upon the reforms initiated by his predecessors. He is currently addressing the challenges associated with building a solid relationship between academia and other sectors. The Echono-led administration has created an endless source of the academic workforce needed for national development through strategic innovations and programmes. To his credit, TETFUND brokered top local and international partnerships and initiated initiatives and programmes beneficial to achieving excellence in Nigeria’s Tertiary institutions.
Under Arc. Sunny Echono, TETFUND had entered strategic partnerships with notable institutions, including “The University of Brazil, Vicosa, for the training of more Nigerian professionals in agriculture, secured transnational cooperation with the government of Britain, Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) as well as the African Union (AU) in areas of research and collaboration that would aid the growth and development of tertiary education in Nigeria.
To protect the academic integrity of educational institutions and academia, it was reported that TETFUND initiated a Digitization Project Steering and Coordinating Committee with the mandate to create a national research bank to serve as a repository for academic work and to generate an extensive collation of local institutional research into Digital Repositories in line with international standards in public tertiary institutions across the country. Also, under his watch, TETFUND set up a Coordinating Secretariat to operationalize the partnership between the government, private sector and academia.
The TETFUND boss believes that transparency and accountability are also crucial in addressing some of the challenges in the operations of the agency. He argues that through greater accountability, the leaky pipes of corruption and inefficiency will be repaired, and funds will be channelled more effectively towards initiatives and programmes that will produce more significant and visible results.
True to his words, transparency and accountability have been entrenched in the operations of TETFUND. He initiated practical reforms aimed at promoting prudent spending, curbing financial leakages and wastages, and ending programmes or projects that were not productive to the agency or tertiary institutions across the country.
Arc. Echono has so far shown great courage; he does not shy away from stepping on toes in his determination to provide purposeful leadership. It is on record that the era of frivolous programmes and initiatives without benefits to the operational mandate of the agency has been discontinued and replaced with laudable programmes with an impact on the promotion of focused and transformative intervention in public Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria.
Also, in line with his agenda of accountability and transparency, Arch Echono reviewed the agency’s procurement processes to conform to standard practices and extant laws. He also championed the ongoing reorientation of the agency’s workforce through seminars and workshops to acquaint workers with the new practice. This ultimately discouraged the deployment of unethical practices within the agency.
The awards have poured in celebration of an astute administrator who has demonstrated passion and commitment to service delivery. His passion is infectious. This is evident in the improvement in workers’ morale at the agency. At TETFUND today, there is a breath of fresh air. Staffers are well motivated and it is indeed a regime of productivity at its best.
Arc Sunny Echono is silently revolutionizing TETFUND; these various stakeholders have corroborated. The position of stakeholders is that the operations of TETFUND have been rejigged and positioned for optimal results. For example, the Council of the Nigerian Institute of Management (NIM) extolled the high level of professionalism demonstrated by Arc. Sunny Echono and his sound management principles and practices in running the agency affairs.

Without a doubt, Arc. Sunny Echono has provided credible leadership, which must be commended in service to the country.

Sani wrote this piece from FUT Minna.

Transportation, Aviation stakeholders to discuss economic rescue measures at ATACA annual seminar

The Ministers of Transportation and Aviation, alongside renowned experts in the aviation, rail and maritime sectors have been lined up to speak on measures required to rescue the Nigerian economy through the country’s various modes of transportation.

The industry professionals are to outline these measures at the 2022 Annual Seminar of the Abuja Transport and Aviation Correspondents Association (ATACA), coming up on December 5, 2022, in the Federal Capital Territory.

The seminar, with the theme: “Nigeria’s Troubled Economy: Aviation, Rail, Maritime As Rescue Sectors.” is being organised by ATACA with its industry partners to proffer necessary measures to tackle the country’s current economic quagmire.

In a statement signed by the ATACA Chairman, Chris Agabi, he explained that the seminar was part of the association’s efforts to create an avenue for stakeholders to discuss strategies through which the transportation sectors would significantly impact and rescue the Nigerian economy.

The Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika, and Minister of Transportation, Mu’azu Sambo, are the chief hosts for the seminar, while the Minister of State for Transportation, Prince Ademola Adegoroye, is the host.

The Chief Economic Adviser, Cross River State, who once served as Private Sector Specialist for the African Development Bank, Dr. Francis Ntamu, is the guest speaker at the all important seminar.

The rise in NIgeria’s inflation coupled with the crash of the local currency against the United States dollar and the plunge in the country’s oil production due to massive oil theft, have led to economic instability nationwide.

There have been calls for economic diversification and the need to explore other avenues of growing the nation’s earnings in order to address the instability in the economy.

Experts have stated that the transportation sectors could support in rescuing the troubled economy if the right measures are adopted.

It is therefore in this regard that a body of journalists covering the sector has deemed it necessary to engage the relevant stakeholders and industry players in both public and private sector to brainstorm on the way forward.

The seminar will also witness inciteful presentations from the Nigerian Shippers Council, Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria, Nigerian College of Aviation Technology, Maritime Academy of Nigeria, Nigeria Ports Authority, Nigeria Railway Corporation, among others.

Xi’s trip demonstrats China’s role as a rational, confident and responsible major country

By He Yin, People’s Daily

From Nov. 14 to 19, Chinese President Xi Jinping attended the 17th Group of 20 (G20) Summit in Bali, Indonesiaand attended the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in Bangkok, Thailand, as well as visited Thailand.

The trip, as the first one paid by the Chinese President after the successful conclusion of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China (CPC), drew global attention.

During his six-day trip, Xi participated in more than 30 events, which has sent out a loud voice for promoting global development and leading global governance, demonstrating China’s role as a rational, confident and responsible major country.

While addressing multilateral meetings and talking with leaders of other countries, Xi elaborated on the 20th CPC National Congress, Chinese modernization, win-win cooperation between China and the rest of the world, and championed bright prospects of China’s high-quality development and high-standard opening up, sending a strong signal that China will always advance world peace and development and deepen opening up and cooperation with other countries.

It has helped other countries better understand and be more receptive of the CPC’s governing strategy and China’s path and vision.

French President Emmanuel Macron commended the Chinese path to modernization and Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted that a strong and friendly China will bring positive influence to the region and the world.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern called China a major force for promoting the world’s future development and prosperity.

The G20 summit has brought together world and regional major countries and is also a platform for international economic cooperation. It shoulders heavy responsibilities in responding to global economic challenges.

At the 17th G20 Summit, Xi said it is imperative that all countries embrace the vision of a community with a shared future for mankind, and advocate peace, development, and win-win cooperation.

He said all countries should replace division with unity, confrontation with cooperation, and exclusion with inclusiveness, and make global development more inclusive, beneficial to all and more resilient.

He called on all countries to join hands together to answer the question of the times — “what is wrong with this world, what we should do about it.”

China’s important ideas and proposals concerning international economic cooperation were included in a joint leaders’ declaration adopted at the end of the 17th G20 Summit, and 15 cooperation projects and initiatives proposed by China were incorporated in a list of practical cooperation made by the summit. It fully indicated China’s support for multilateralism and contributions to G20 cooperation.

It is believed by international personages that China, advocating solidarity and win-win cooperation, has played a constructive role in making the summit a success.

The APEC is the most important regional economic cooperation platform in the Asia-Pacific. At the APEC CEO Summit, Xi summarized the successful experience achieved in Asia-Pacific economic cooperation, saying the world should follow a path of peaceful development, openness and inclusiveness, and solidarity.

He also encouraged the Asia-Pacific region to bolster the foundation for peaceful development, take a people-centered development approach, pursue higher-level opening-up, strive for higher-standard connectivity, build stable and unimpeded industrial and supply chains, and promote economic upgrading.

At the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, he stressed that the Asia-Pacific region needs to continually deepen the Asia-Pacific partnership featuring mutual trust, inclusiveness and mutually beneficial cooperation, build an Asia-Pacific of peace and stability, bring about prosperity for all in the Asia-Pacific, ensure a clean and beautiful Asia-Pacific, and make itself a region where all are ready to help each other.

Xi’s remarks mirrored China resolution and vision in driving the future development of the world with its own progress and leading global recovery with the recovery of the Asia-Pacific.

After the 29th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting, APEC economies issued a declaration and endorsed an outcome document on Bio-Circular-Green Economy, which reflected China’s proposals in building an Asia-Pacific community with a shared future and the country’s new development philosophy.

During Xi’s visit this time, Xi and his U.S. counterpart Joe Biden had their first face-to-face meeting in three years. The two presidents had a candid and in-depth exchange of views on issues of strategic importance in China-U.S. relations and on major global and regional issues.

The international community believes that the meeting will help China-U.S. relations steer clear of disruptions and get back to the right track of development.

China and Indonesia furthered their consensus on building a China-Indonesia community with a shared future; China and Thailand announced to build a China-Thailand community with a shared future for enhanced stability, prosperity and sustainability. It indicated that the vision of building a community with a shared future is taking roots and yielding fruits in the neighboring countries around China.

During the trip, Xi met with over ten leaders of foreign countries and international organizations. The compact schedule and fruitful trip once again proved that cooperation, dialogue, and win-win results represent a momentous trend of the times and are the right way to go, and the Cold War mentality and bloc confrontation cannot win public support.

More and more countries have come to realize that China’s development expands the strength of peace and progress, and that China is a reliable friend and partner that they must cooperate with.

The historical trend of peace, development, cooperation, and mutual benefit is unstoppable. The will of the people and the general trends of our day will eventually lead to a bright future for humanity.

Embarking on a new journey in the new era, China will always stand on the right side of history and on the side of human progress.

It will pursue its own development as it strives to safeguard world peace and development, and make greater contributions to world peace and development through its own development, so as to make constant contributions to building a community with a shared future for mankind.

China provides solution for building secure, stable world

By Seymur Mammadov

Azerbaijan is one of the earliest countries to show support for the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The initiative promotes the synergy between the development strategies of China and participating countries, promotes the economic development of participating countries and the region as a whole, and promotes global connectivity and international trade.

It has improved and will continue improving the livelihood of the people in the countries along its route, marking an important contribution made by the Communist Party of China (CPC) to world peace and development.

The global economic recovery remains sluggish due to the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors. China, responding to COVID-19 and pursuing economic and social development in a well-coordinated way, has provided meaningful experience for other countries.

I agree with what Chinese President Xi Jinping said that to understand China today, one must learn to understand the CPC. China has set a successful example in the development of socialism, and the leadership of the CPC is the key to China’s achievements.

The CPC is dedicated to the people and forever puts their interests first. Meeting the people’s expectation for a better life is its goal. Under the leadership of the CPC, China has succeeded in eradicating absolute poverty, meeting the target set out in the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ten years ahead of schedule.

The Chinese civilization values a holistic concept and systematic thinking, and champions mutual learning and exchanges. Drawing wisdom from the fine traditional Chinese culture, the CPC has chosen a development path that best suits China’s national conditions and always marched in the correct direction.

The country has achieved unprecedented success since the reform and opening up. It is always committed to safeguarding world peace and promoting common development in foreign exchanges.

I have read through the book “Xi Jinping: The Governance of China”, which comprehensively demonstrates the new governance philosophy and strategy of the CPC and helps foreign readers to get a full picture of China’s development path and governance model.

President Xi said in a speech he delivered at the CPC in Dialogue with World Political Parties High-Level Meeting that “As all of us human beings live on the same planet, no country should maintain its own security at the cost of others’ security. A threat to another country may turn out to be a challenge of your own.” This left a deep impression on me.

President Xi proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind, the Global Development Initiative and the Global Security Initiative. He advocates coping with global challenges based on peace and solidarity and creating a security environment featuring fairness, justice, joint participation and shared benefits.

His ideas transcend the concepts of confrontation and Cold War mentality, providing Chinese solutions for building a secure and stable world.

The vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind has been written into multiple bilateral and multilateral documents including UN resolutions, gradually becoming a consensus recognized by the international community.

At present, the world is facing severe challenges, such as food security, climate change, geopolitical conflicts and financial risks. None of these can be solved by one or a few countries.  They call for collaboration from all countries.

The international community needs peace and stability more than ever before. China, by upholding the vision of building a community with a shared future for mankind and pursuing mutually beneficial cooperation and common development, will constantly maintain the stability of the international situation.

(Seymur Mammadov is the director of the international expert club EurAsiaAz and editor-in-chief of Azerbaijan news agency Baku Tribune.)

Gov. Sule approves contracts for rural electrification in Gadabuke Dev. Area, says Hon Shafa

“… as 5 communities which includes karmo, tudu-uku, loko-goma, nakuse and gwargwada are benefiting in the first phase…”

Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has approved contract for rural electrification in five communities of Gadabuke Development Area in Toto Local Government Area of Nasarawa State.

This was part of the present APC administration in the State to ensure that rural dwellers enjoy more dividends of democracy and boost socio-economic activities among the rural populace.

Member Representing Toto /Gadabuke at the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Hon. Usman Labaran Shafa revealed this today in Umaisha while speaking to newsmen shortly after he visited the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly Alh Ibrahim Balarabe Abdullahi.

“it is with joy and full sense of commitment and appreciation that His Excellency Engr. Abdullahi Sule has graciously approved contract for rural electrification in five communities of my constituency”

“This no doubt was part of the government commitment, zeal and determination to better the lots of our people, we are highly indebted to the Governor”

“Already, the Engineers handling the work has been mobilized to site to kick start the job immediately and five Villages to benefit are KARMO, Tudu-Uku, Loko-Goma, Nakuse and Gwargwada” Hon Shafa added.

“I want to sincerely appreciate and thank His Excellency Engr. Abdullahi A Sule for his magnanimity and concern for our people”

Shafa (APC Toto/Gadabuke) said the project if completed will enhance development of the people and boost business activities in the area.