Category: Lead

All Progressive Congress APC (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu yesterday promised to bring prosperity to Gombe State and make it one of the richest states in the country, if elected.

Addressing a crowd of supporters at Pantami Township Stadium in Gombe, the state capital, Tinubu said the exploration of the Kolmani oil field in Gombe will be properly managed to foster meaningful development.

He said the country should not be allowed to fall into the hands of those who will destroy it, promising to build and consolidate on the achievements of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said: “If I am voted into office as President of the Federal republic of Nigeria and Kashim Shettima as my running mate, you will know prosperity. I will make sure the exploration of the new Kolmani oil brings prosperity and development to Gombe State and make it one of the richest states in Nigeria.”

Tinubu also urged Gombawas to vote for Governor Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya for a second term.

The surging crowd chanting Ko Gezau (no shaking) went into wild jubilation as The standard bearer raised his two hands to acknowledge the gesture.

Tinubu, who landed at the Gombe International Airport around 12:30pm, was received by his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the host-governor, Alhaji Muhammad Inuwa Yahaya, and other party chieftains. 

Hundreds of party faithful joined in the reception party at the airport, creating a long convoy of vehicles. 

The convoy was warmly cheered by residents as it moved through the streets to the palace of the Emir of Gombe, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu Abubakar, for traditional homage. 

Tinubu thanked the people of Gombe State and Governor Yahaya for the grand reception, promising to deliver dividends of democracy when elected. 

He said the recently-developed Kolmani oil wells in the state would receive adequate attention to ensure full commercial operation and benefits for the people. 

Tinubu also pledged to institute an industrial park in the state, which will provide employment and create skills and wealth for the people. 

Senate President Ahmad Lawan said the people of Northeast have nothing but praises for the APC administration for helping them overcome challenges and developing the zone.  

The Senate President, Senator Ahmad Lawan, said insecurity will be a thing of the past when Tinubu assumes the reins.

He said: “The APC administration helped us discover oil here. The entire Northeast would have to reciprocate this gesture by voting for the APC in appreciation,” he said. 

Yahaya said APC is well grounded in Gombe State and will win all elections comfortably. He urged voters to vote for the APC at all levels.

Governor Yahaya, who spoke eloquently about the APC flag bearer, said the country will be better under Tinubu’s leadership.

He urged the people to also vote for other APC candidates.

Yahaya said the various developmental projects he had embarked on in the state will translate into reality in the lives of the people very soon.

He said within four years, he has achieved more than what his predecessor did in eight years.

Senator Abdullahi Adamu urged the people to vote for APC candidates.

He said the large turnout recorded at the rally showed clearly that Gombe belonged to APC.

He said Tinubu is a progressive leader who thinks only of the progress of the country, from the North to the South.

President Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Isa Pantami, thanked the people for coming out in large number to receive the APC presidential candidate. He urged them to translate the support to victory on election day.

Buhari said all candidates presented by the APC for various elective offices across the country had his full support.

He said: “I am in full support of all the candidates produced by my party and also in support of the party’s presidential candidate 100 per cent.

“So, anybody who comes and tells you contrary is not saying the truth.”

He enumerated the projects executed by the Federal Government in Gombe State, including oil exploration, which he said was discovered about 40 years ago, but was not explored.

He said his administration had implemented projects that had improved the wellbeing of citizens, adding that voting Tinubu would help consolidate on the gains.

At the rally were Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum, Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, former Governor of Borno State, Alimodu Sherrif, Plateau State Governor and Director-General of the Tinubu-Shettima Campaign, Simon Lalong, Jigawa State Governors Muhammad Badaru Abubakar and Senate President Lawan.

Others are Aisha Dukku, Bello Kumo, members of APC National Executive Council.

It was an either-or advice. Coming from the eminent members of the Council of State (CoS) that he invited to a meeting at the State House in Abuja last Friday, President Muhammadu Buhari was expected to ensure that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) heeded the advice without wasting time. Four days after the meeting, the nation is still waiting on the President and CBN to do sonething. When will they act? Only the President and CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, can say.

The advice was simple and straightforward: Print more new notes or recirculate old ones. The CoS would have thought deeply before proffering that advice. Members of this eminent group are part of the society. They live among the people and so know what has been happening in the past few weeks. The country is bogged down by a cash crunch brought about by the redesign of the N200, N500 and N1000 notes by CBN, which initially gave January 31 for the phasing out of the old notes of the same denomination.

But there was a snag. The people returned the old notes to their banks, but they were not given the new notes in return. The banks claimed that they did not have the old notes. CBN said that was not true, insisting that there was enough stock of the new notes to go round. More than two months after the new notes were unveiled by the President, many Nigerians have not been able to access the money. They only see the notes in newspaper and television adverts. A lucky few have seen it with friends, colleagues and relations. This is how scarce the new notes are. But Nigerians were made to believe that all they needed to do was walk into their banks with the old notes and the new ones would be given to them.

The CoS met on the Friday that the seven-day ultimatum the President gave himself to address the cash swap crisis expired. He had asked for the seven days after meeting with All Progressives Congress (APC) governors on February 3 over the lingering crisis. He blamed banks for “their inefficiency and being concerned about themselves alone”. “I will revert to the CBN and minting company. There will be a decision one way or the other in the remaining seven days of the 10-day extension”, he promised in a statement by his spokesman Garba Shehu. May be that decison will come tomorrow.

The CoS’ advice, which came two days after the Supreme Court suspended the new February 10 deadline for phasing out the old notes, was an opportunity for the President to redeem his pledge, observers said last night. The President, they said, should have used the advice to address the sufferings of the masses over the policy by allowing the old and new notes to co-exist. “What was the essence of calling the meeting when he knew he would not carry out the advice of the advisory body?” They asked. The CoS is a creation of the 1999 Constitution. It is empowered under Section 6 (b) of Part 1 of the Third Schedule of the Constitution to: “advise the President whenever requested to do so on the maintenance of public order within the Federation or any part thereof and on such other matters as the President may direct”.

The Council has done its bit, it is left for the President to do his to ease the pains of the public. Living on a daily basis has become difficult for Nigerians, with the expiration of the February 10 deadline for the cash swap. Despite the Supreme Court’s order suspending the deadline, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Abubakar Malami (SAN), the sole respondent in the suit brought by Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara states, has done nothing to give effect to the order. His job is to advise the President and Emefiele to  obey the order. He is only paying lip service to obeying the order. In one breath, he said, the government would comply with the interim injunction, and in another, he said he would contest the propriety of the order.

  The attorney-general has the right to challenge the order, but he can only do so by first complying with it. He cannot be in contempt of the court and at the same time accuse it of making an unlawful order. Hearing will resume in the case at the Supreme Court tomorrow. On what basis will Malami seek to be heard when he and his clients, the President and Emefiele, have not complied with the interim injunction suspending the cash swap deadline? If they had complied, Emefiele should by now have told the nation that the old and new notes would be in use together until the conclusion of the case. The silence of the President and Emefiele has worsened the people’s predicament.

The President has not made his position known since the expiration of the seven days ultimatum he gave himself nor said anything about the CoS’ advice, while Emefiele has refused to tell the banks what to do in respect of the old and new notes following the Supreme Court’s order and the CoS’ advice. In many parts of the country, the old notes have ceased being legal tender as some individuals and organisations no longer accept the money. A supermarket in Kano was forced to reverse its decision not to accept the notes after Governor Abdullahi Ganduje shut it down. Only such interventions can save the populace from the antics of such stores and related organisations.

Will CBN suffer any damage if the old and new notes are allowed to co-exist? What damage will it suffer? None that is known of. Otherwise, there won’t be calls on it to allow the old and new notes to exist parri pasu. Can everybody be wrong and only the President and Emefiele right on this issue? Why are they not listening to the voices of reason? The Bretton Wood institutions – World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF) – also weighed into the naira redesign policy, asking that the deadline be extended. According to the multilateral institutions, the 108-day window given by the CBN to rest the old notes was too short.  The President and Emefiele do not want to hear that. They believe that even if the exercise is extended for one year, people will still come up with excuses on why it should be further extended.

With this kind of mindset, Nigerians may have long to wait for the President to come to their aid. But has he not seen the lie in Emefiele’s assurance that CBN and the minting company have all it takes to print the new notes? For how long will Nigerians continue to buy the naira at an exhorbitant cost in order to survive before he acts? Why should the government stand by and allow moneychangers to skin their compatriots alive by exchanging N100,000 for N125,000? Maybe, the Supreme Court will save the day by straightening Malami out when hearing resumes in the pending cash swap case tomorrow.

The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC) has debunked the allegation by main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) that the ruling party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is piling up new naira notes to buy votes.

In a statement yesterday in Abuja by its Special Adviser on Media and Public Affairs, Mahmud Jega, the PCC said the allegation was a desperate attempt to divert public attention from the anti-people posturing of the opposition to the extension of the deadline for the use of old naira notes.

The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the irresponsible and infantile allegation by Atiku Abubakar’s Peoples Democratic Party, claiming that our presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is mopping up new naira notes to buy votes.

“The allegation is simply ludicrous, spurious and a desperate attempt to divert public attention from the anti-people posturing of the PDP candidate, after he and Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, asked the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) not to extend the deadline for the use of old naira notes.

“They took the position, despite the pains our compatriots are experiencing. They actively promoted the sanctity of the deadline in the calculated hope of reaping political windfall from the people’s suffering.

“We are not surprised that the PDP made a volte-face conjure, a completely unfounded allegation against Asiwaju Tinubu. Having realised that Atiku’s selfish, uncaring position has generated popular anger and resentment against him, it came up with this absurd claim that our candidate is mopping up new currency notes.

“We want to assure Nigerians that the claim is utterly false.”

Assuring Nigerians of Asiwaju Tinubu’s readiness to continue to champion the course of the masses, the statement added: “Our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, being always the voice of the voiceless and champion of the underprivileged, at numerous rallies and campaign stops, identified with our people and boldly called on CBN to extend the deadline and end the public suffering.”

The PCC described as “spurious, devilish and unconscionable the claim by two UK-based Nigerians, Bulama Bukarti and Jafar Jafar, that the currency change was made because Asiwaju Tinubu stockpiled billions of naira in every state with the intention of vote-buying”.

It added: “There is no iota of truth in this claim, which was concocted for mischievous and devilish purposes by these PDP agents.

“The duo claimed they ‘heard’ the ‘information’ from ‘knowledgeable sources’. These ‘sources’ clearly exist only in the partisan imagination of Bulama Bukarti and Jafar Jafar.

“They made this serious allegation recklessly without a shred of evidence, believing that by living in the UK, they are beyond the reach of Nigerian laws of defamation.

“We urge all Nigerians to disregard the allegations being peddled by the PDP and its surrogates, Bukarti and Jafar and continue to exercise patience and to exhibit love, support and determination until the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu/Kashim Shettima ticket is delivered at the polls with a landslide.”

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Minister of Works and Housing Babatunde (SAN) have reiterated the determination of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to provide a conducive atmosphere for the organised private sector to thrive, if elected.

They said Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, will fight the infrastructure battle nationwide, stressing that infrastructural development is germane to business growth and industrialisation.

They said the organised private sector can invest trust and confidence in the presidential candidate, who had a pedigree of optimal performance, foresight, competence and capacity to fulfil his campaign promises.

Sanwo-Olu and Fashola, a former governor of the state, spoke at an interactive session with the Organised Private Sector held at Oriental Hotel, Lekki.

At the session moderated by the eminent banker, Tunde Lemo, were former Deputy Governor Joke Orelope-Adefulire, Presidential Senior Special Assistant, Sustainable Millennium Development Goals and Ben Akabueze, Director-General, Budget Office of the Federation.

The four panelists have served as members of the Lagos State Executive Council.

Captains of Industry, leaders of commerce, manufacturers and service providers were at the event, where the governor presented his score card and welcomed strategic deliberations and input into his economic blueprint.

 The interactive session, according to the organisers, was also aimed at assisting the ruling party to clearly assimilate the expectations of the organised private sector in its quest for improved economic programmes for Nigeria.

Sanwo-Olu, who said Nigeria should move from an experimental trajectory or trial and error approach, said the state government will continue to implement policies and programmes that will make businesses to thrive.

He said Lagos State government, which the four discussants have been part of, have recorded tremendous growth due to the continuity of the progressive governance in the last 24 years.

He said in this electioneering, Nigerians have an option of making a decision to choose a good leader for the country, adding that the APC candidate is the best alternative.

Explaining why Tinubu has an edge over other candidates, Sanwo-Olu said:”Nigeria cannot be an experimental trajectory. You cannot come to the highest leadership position of our country with people that don’t have experience or with people that cannot show who they have trained, or the people that have worked with them or the leaders that they have groomed.”

He added: “The four of us are part of the movement where we are groomed and developed and we still have energy to double whatever that we have done.

“So,  we are pleading and appealing to each one of you as stakeholders and people that believe in your leadership, that believe in whatever you stand for and say, that Nigeria cannot be a trial and error. Not now and not at this moment. The renewed hope for Nigerians is tied with ‘Rising Lagos.’ We believe we can make it and bring prosperity for you, the organised private sector, and for all the vulnerable people in our society, and that we can take our country to an enviable height.

“I need not say much. You know where our heart is and we believe you will all do the right thing.”

Sanwo-Olu pledged his administration’s commitment to further activating the creative industry, scaling up technology and data investments under the THEMES agenda.

He added that the state would do more to provide critical transport, education and healthcare infrastructure across the state.

He said: “We look to give citizens options on the transportation system via rail, water and road transport system. We have built over 1,000 classrooms under my tenure and there is remarkable improvement in the West African Examination Council (WAEC) results.

“In healthcare, we handle COVID-19 pandemic well and we are rebuilding Macy Hospital to become a 10-floor hospital and have plans to build an infectious disease research hospital to handle any pandemic situation in the future.”

The governor reiterated his resolve to foster inclusive development in the state. 

He said: “We have several interventions that are delibrately aimed at pushing investments and development in form of education, infrastructure, from Badagry, Epe to other areas of the state.”

Fashola said the options made by the electorate in the forthcoming election will define the fates of  businesses and families.

He said: “For those of you who are investors, businessmen and entrepreneurs in Lagos, this is a pleasant opportunity for me in particular to interface with you again and to perhaps ask us to be unemotional and dispassionate because we have choices to make in the next few days.

“The options and choices we made will be so defining for our businesses and families and loved ones.

“Last week, I was in Lagos and I spoke on the capacity required to do this job. Having done it for eight years, I think I can stand by and make an informed decision about who is ready and who is not ready.

“The four of us-Ben Akabueze,  Princess AdejokeOrelope-Adefulire,  Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Dr Tunde Lemo-all of us have found ourselves in government. We came from the private sector.”

Fashola said while the APC government campaigned based on security, economy and anti- corruption, it has made efforts to fulfil the manifestos.

He said under the administration of PDP that is crying wolf about security now, the chief law officer of Nigeria, the Attorney General, was murdered without consequences.

He said:“At the federal level, the major problem we met was insurgency and terrorism, and now Nigerians are facing the other party that ran away from the problem and the one that confronted the problem.

“Do you want to go back to those that didn’t attend to them or those that have started the job?

“On infrastructure, we noticed that Nigerians were ‘japaing’ because of the quality of infrastructure, knowing that infrastructure builds the economy and the quality of life.

“We decided to address infrastructure to increase economic growth, so that the effect would be more felt with our well laid out economic plan and ways of optimisation of government revenue.”

On Sanwo-Olu’s achievements,  the minister said:”This is Lagos and the governor has talked about his emergency response, but this is the first state where you have 767 emergence response in Nigeria. Those are backbones of security. Its about lives and livelihood.”

The minister maintained that the APC Federal Government had improved security,  saying: “National Day and Labour Day celebrations were held in the courtyard of the Villa. Upon the assumption of the APC government, we confronted the Chibok girls issue and out of the over 250 girls that were kidnapped, 178 girls were returned and about 57 girls have escaped.”

On the economy, Fashola said:”As far as the economy is concerned, we inherited aging, dilapidated and broken infrastructure. So, right now, even in this state, the major road that connects Lagos to Ibadan, Lagos to Badagry through Ogun, Lagos through Ikorodu to Sagamu are all receiving attentions, which they did not receive for 16 years.

“You have a choice before you. We hear about production. We don’t know about a country that produces without infrastructure and without ports. The Lekki Free Trade zones and the sea ports are all the initiatives that the APC government started in Lagos State for national prosperity.

“The foundation for a resurgent economy has been laid in eight years, half of the time it took the opposition to ignore them. What is the choice before you? Do you want to go back to those that didn’t attend to them or do you want to trust those who have started the job?”

Orelope-Adefulire appealed for more private sector participations to drive investments, saying, “We want more participation from the private sector and that is the essence of SDG. The government alone cannot do this. We need your supports.  I can say that you will have robust returns on investments.”

On women inclusion in government,  she said: “Until 2015, we only have seven women in the cabinet and in 2019, after the election, we have more women in government. About 70 per cent of the parastatal are headed by women. The APC government is fair to Nigerian women.”

Orelope-Adefulire said the APC led administration was committed to the universal call to action to end poverty.

She added that the call to action would ensure that all people, irrespective of their agenda and status, enjoy peace and prosperity.

She, however, emphasised the importance of government working with the expertise of private sector to ensure the success of and fast tract the goals of the SDGs within a short timeline.

Orelope-Adefulire said the APC led administration was committed to the universal call to action to end poverty.

She said the call to action would ensure that all people irrespective of their agenda and status enjoys peace and prosperity.

She, however, emphasised the importance of government working with the expertise of private sector to ensure the success of and fast tract the goals of the SDGs within a short timeline.

She stressed: “The APC government is also willing to ensure more social inclusion such as more women inclusiveness in its administrative make-up to engender the actualisation of the SDG on gender equality. The APC government is fairer to Nigerian women and they are ready to do more.”

Akabueze said the Lagos economy under Sanwo-Olu was growing twice as fast as the national average.

Akabueze, a former Lagos State Commissioner for Economic Planning and Budget, said the state’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate was twice that of the country.

He said while some states record zero growth, but Lagos has been responsible for pulling up the country’s GDP.

He also noted that government records had shown that leads the rest of the country in tax compliance.

On tax compliance, Akabueze said:”Even with those that are paying, it is one thing to pay, it is another to pay the appropriate amount. And that is where Lagos State has really led the pack and been a model.

“I’ve been in government in Lagos and at the federal level. Let’s not the take efforts and successes in Lagos for granted, in terms of what the government of Lagos is doing to keep this place working.

“We’ve been talking about GDP growth, if the average nationally is just over three per cent, typically that means that Lagos is growing at least double that level, because that is the engine that is driving, pulling up this economy.

“There are parts of the country where the growth is negative. So, when you have an average of three per cent, it means that Lagos is doing at least double that rate on a more sustained level that enables that growth.”

Akabueze also said the private sector would be well advised to take greater interest in public finance engagement and be more involved at the policy level.

He noted that the needs of government had grown very significantly over the period, particularly with population increase, but its resources had not grown enough.

Akabueze revealed that in 2016, government to Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ratio was under eight per cent, but had grown to nine per cent against its 15 per cent goal.

He added that the country’s infrastructure stock, which was 15 per cent seven years ago, was currently at 35 per cent against the 70 per cent goal countries needed globally.

He, however, stressed that the country would have been in a worse state if the infrastructural choices were not made, even with hovering debt concerns.

Akabueze added: “We understand the need to double growth rate for people to begin to feel the growth and to achieve double GDP growth takes action from both private and public sector.

“We require public investment in order of N350 trillion and while N50 trillion is to come from government, the rest is expected from private sector.

“What we are about is what government needs to do, to buy in the weight of the private sector.”

The Chairman of Oodua Group, Otunba Bimbo Ashiru, who spoke on behalf of the Organised Private Sector, alluded to the danger of having hostile government in power.

He said: “The danger of having an hostile government is that the people will suffer for it because when a new government comes into power, it is going to start its own projects and abandon the Federal Government projects. I can tell you I have experienced it because I have worked in government.

“It is important to get the presidency to work together with the state because if you don’t get the presidency right, you won’t get the state right. So, there is the bandwagon effect. We must all sit together and decide on what we want. I pray that Lagosians will appreciate what has happened and try as much as possible to vote for Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu for the second term.”