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Tag: Abubakar

  • Why Nigerians must unite, by Abubakar

    Why Nigerians must unite, by Abubakar

    Former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar, yesterday urged Nigerians to unite and collectively evolve solution to the problems.

    Abubakar stated this at the 8th Convocation of Crescent University, Abeokuta.

    He cautioned political leaders to avoid making frivolous promises to the people in the face of the prevailing difficulties for the credibility of the fledgling democracy.

    He remarked that fulfilling promises made by political leaders enhanced the credibility of leadership and raised the integrity of leaders.

    The former head of state maintained that in times of difficulty, leaders would be measured by the promises kept.

    He admonished the people to be moderate in their expectations, saying that there could be no quick fixes to all national challenges.

    He explained that challenges were not strange to the country and recalled that collective resolutions to such challenges had seen the nation through in previous times.

    “We must accept that Nigeria has always had social, economic and political problems and it will continue to have them to varying degrees of intensity.

    “The real joy lies for us in our determination to pursue them and solve them as brothers,” he said.

    Abubakar stressed the need for government at all levels to institute monitoring teams on higher institutions in the country in a bid to discourage education tourism of Nigerian students.

    He explained that the step would also enable Nigeria to return to its lost glory among the comity of nations in the area of education.

    He called for continued monitoring of academic performances of all tertiary institutions, especially the private ones, in order to improve the quality of education in the country.

    Abubakar, who bagged Doctor of Science degree (Honoris Causa) in Public Administration of the university, described the award one he and his family would cherish forever.

    Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, who was invested as the Chancellor of the university, was also honoured with Doctor of Science (Honoris Causa) in Public Administration.

    Adeyemi expressed gratitude to the management of the university for the honour.

    The monarch promised to try everything at his disposal to position Crescent University to an enviable height.

    Ogun State Governor Ibikunle Amosun reaffirmed that his administration would not relent in ensuring that the sector remained accessible and affordable in the state.

    Announcing automatic employment for the first-class graduating students, the governor advised them to strive to become self-reliant and avoid over-dependence on white collar jobs.

    The convocation, which produced 28 First Class graduates from the 435 graduating students, saw Miss Rasheedat Modupeola of Accounting Department emerge as the overall best graduating student.

     

  • Between Dogara, Abubakar and Bauchi people

    I recently read comments credited to the governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed AbdullahiAbubakar, that the Speaker of the House of Representatives, YakubuDogara is leading other federal lawmakers to wage a political battle against him because he was not in support of his emergence as Speaker of the House of Representatives. It is instructive to note that the Speaker himself has never been on record to have said anything negative about the governor. I have searched in vain for a shred of evidence.

    The governor reportedly told State House Correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday August 31, that, “My problem with Rt Hon DogaraYakubu started during the election for the leadership of the National Assembly. I stood on the side of the party. I directed every Bauchi lawmaker to toe the line of the party by voting Femi Gbajabiamila as speaker. At that time, nine out of the 11 Lawmakers did that, and later the candidate of Bauchi (Dogara) won.”

    The governor also said that the Speaker, who hails from the same Bauchi south zone with him, is the brain behind the troubles he is witnessing in the state and federal level.

    This came as a surprise, considering the well-known fact that it was the Speaker who gave Governor Abubakar a consolidated bloc vote of delegates from Bogoro/Dass/Tafawa Balewa during the primaries where he ran against his fellow lawmaker and friend, Hon. Yusuf Tuggar and former federal minister, Dr Yakubu Lame and won by 36 votes only. There is no informed Bauchi indigene including the governor that will deny the known contributions of Dogara to his emergence as governor of Bauchi State.

    On the contrary, this gesture was not returned by the governor, as he himself confessed that he refused to support Dogara during his race for the seat of the Speaker of the House of Representatives. Instead, he mobilized Bauchi members to vote against him. But the Speaker is not one to bear grudges.

    Interestingly, the governor presently does not have the support of 11 out of these same 12 Reps members. As a testimony to what the Speaker stands for, even Hon (Dr) M S Abdu, his own brother from Bauchi State, who nominated his opponent during the Speakership election is now a committed ally; ditto so many honourable members who voted against him. He is also not known to hold any resentment against his main challenger, Femi Gbajabiamila who later became the House Leader. The question agitating my mind is why should the case of Governor Abubakar be different when the Speaker has reconciled with those who worked against him?

    Instructively, all the three senators from Bauchi State have parted ways with the Governor because they are not happy with the hardship his style of governance is bringing to the good citizens of the state who fought hard to bring him to office.

    The question governor Abubakar should be asking himself is: Why is it that nearly all National Assembly members from the state are not with him?  Why are nearly all Bauchi elites not with him? Why are preachers and traditional rulers against him? Are all these happening to him simply because he refused to support the emergence of Speaker Dogara? Certainly not.

    Indeed, not even a fool would fail, in the present circumstances, to see that the governor’s problems are much deeper than just a mere issue with Dogara over his emergence as Speaker.  The sooner the governor realizes this, the better for him. It seems it’s the entire people of Bauchi State or an overwhelming majority of them that have had enough of the governor and his antics and have decided to face him on their own.

    Why is the governor scared to mention other reputable stakeholders like MallamAdamuAdamu, Sen Ali Wakili, Senator NazifGamawa, Hon Yusuf Tuggar, Dr Yakubu Lame and others too numerous to mention who are all strongly united in rejecting his retrogressive brand of politics?  Is it cowardice or sheer brinkmanship? Is he saying they are not important enough to warrant his attention? Is he telling us that all these principled and distinguished stakeholders from Bauchi have abandoned him and joined forces with Speaker Dogara to fight him for no reason other than what he alleged?  Where are the marines that would buy the governor’s story? He talked about lies been spread about him without telling us what the lies were in specific terms. Has Speaker Dogara become so central to the politics of Bauchi so much so that he can orchestrate a counter revolution at will or spread lies so well that the mass of Bauchi will start voicing their displeasure at the governor in all the Local Government Areas he visits? Is that how Bauchi people have become, jeering at their governor for an election that was settled more than a year ago? Who really believes that?

    From all indications, Governor Abubakar does not have to look far to identify the cause of his woes. Neither the Speaker nor the federal lawmakers are responsible for his troubles. His anti-people policies and actions are clearly the reason for his estranged relationship with the Bauchi people. As if that is not enough, the governor is incurring the wrath of Bauchi people for sabotaging the APC in Bauchi in making his key appointments including composition of Local Government Area caretaker chairmen and committees.

    Since 2015, he sanctioned an unending salaries verification exercise for all public service staff to remove “ghost workers” and all this while, most workers and pensioners who have been denied verification have not received their salaries and entitlements – an exercise which the governor himself admitted in a BBC Hausa interview is a failure.

    It is time to focus on building the state and its institutions to serve the people of Bauchi. This can be achieved faster if there is a synergy between the governor, Speaker, Malam AdamuAdamu, senators, legislators and other stakeholders. Honestly any fight with any or all the major stakeholders, as is presently the case, will not do the governor any good. It’s the governor’s responsibility to provide the needed leadership by uniting the people behind him and to deliver on the APC change mandate. No smart adviser would counsel otherwise. But if the governor hopes that he can go alone and still succeed, then good luck. Ti

     

    • Mohammed wrote in from Alkaleri, Bauchi State.
  • I do not see any serious crisis within APC -Abubakar

    I do not see any serious crisis within APC -Abubakar

    Jigawa State Governor, Muhammed Badaru Abubakar,  spoke to some selected journalists on the crisis rocking the National Assembly, All Progressives Congress, why there is high hope for economic policies of President Muhamadu Buhari as well as ongoing efforts at diversifying the economy of his state. Adetutu Audu reports

    Do you think the socio-economic policies of the federal government are in the right direction?

      The Federal Government of Nigeria has done remarkably well considering the situation we found ourselves in after we were sworn in on May 29th 2015. People tend to forget that the economic downturn actually started manifesting in 2014 due to a growing mismatch between the profligate and reckless spending by the previous government fueled by high oil prices and the resultant shock to the system when prices started to fall. Nigeria’s case was worsened by the fact that with the falling oil prices, our production targets were affected by militant activities in the Niger Delta and outright theft of the nation’s crude on a massive scale perpetrated with the full backing and sanction of government officials.

    By 2015, the country’s economy was on life support and was literally handed over to the APC government on a stretcher.  If you bother to add up all the billions that were stolen in the name of security and the rot in the oil sector, you will appreciate the fact that these people were not running a government in the last eight years but simply supervising the organised sharing of public funds amongst themselves. It is actually a miracle that the Buhari administration has been able to come this far without a complete collapse of the economy and the government like what we are seeing in Venezuela which had the same toxic combination of a collapsing  mono-economy and an uncaring administration. Without the massive operation to plug the leakages in the system and sending a signal that it’s no longer business as usual, Nigeria would not have lasted up to July 2015 with a 70 percent drop in revenue and the unsustainable recurrent expenditure that continues to take the lion’s share. President Buhari has very few options with the hand that he was dealt with, and the inevitable road to economic diversification that he is leading the country is the silver lining on the Nigerian economic cloud, because even if oil prices rebound subsequently the commodity will only be one of the several pillars of a decentralized economic model. It has not been easy and nobody is pretending that it will be, but Nigerians have to understand that we must pass through this very difficult phase before things get better, and macro economics is no respecter of persons or regimes. It took President Obama the whole of his first term to reverse the tide of the economic downturn brought about by the fiscal recklessness of the Bush administration to fund the Iraq war and the global recession, and it was only halfway through his second term that the outlook turned positive.

    Even when people talk about the falling Naira, exchange rates are largely a reflection of the confidence people have in any particular currency and rates are not dependent on what President Buhari or the CBN governors decrees them to be. The indices are your foreign exchange reserves, your trade balance or imbalance and the perception of future  outlook; so there is no way to support a N160 to the dollar rate that was prevalent in a $110 per dollar oil price regime and $60 Billion reserve scenario with what we have at the moment. We need to diversify our economy and push towards a basket of export commodities that will shore up foreign earnings while concurrently weaning ourselves off foreign non essential consumer goods that continuously put pressure on the Naira, otherwise demand, dollar supply  and perception will continue to hold sway in rate determination.

    We are on the path to recovery and the outlook is very good; with focus and reorientation we are seeing a three-fold increase in rice yield per hectare this harvest season and in a lot of states like Kebbi, Ebonyi etc the story is the same. If dwindling oil prices force us back to the farm and this in turn ensures food security, in two to three years, Nigeria will be back to the glory years.

    Experts have questioned lack of any visible short, medium or even long term policies that they think could seriously guide this nation to economic stability. Don’t you think lack of these clear policies may hinder this optimism you are expressing about the economy?

    I just told you that with the best policies, economists and largest fiscal footprint in the world, it took the United States almost six years to turn the tide from the economic meltdown that manifested at the end of the Bush administration; the economy does not respond to lamentations or criticism or political chicanery and it took eight years of systemic maladministration under an atmosphere of  unprecedented oil wealth to bring it to this sorry state; why does anyone expect `Buhari to wave a magic wand and suddenly shore up the value of the Naira, reflate our foreign reserves and crash food prices country wide? Have you counted the zeros behind the numbers coming out of the reports on stolen funds? Are you aware that our inherited foreign reserves are only slightly more than the amount in private domiciliary accounts? Do you know that illicit funds traced to a few individuals can fund several months of foreign exchange auctions? I think we should thank our stars and breathe a collective sigh of relief that a change at the helm of affairs has probably brought this country back from the brink of collapse, because a continuation of the former government would not have exposed the mess we were in, we would just wake up one day and find that they have taken their private jets and handed over what is left of the country to Boko Haram.

    It is not a question of policy, the fact is the bleeding and wastage has to be stopped and a clear signal sent out that it cannot be business as usual and I think what has been achieved in that regard in the last 12 months is nothing short of a miracle.

    As a former President of NACCIMA and a businessman, are you then confident that these policies can reverse the mass loss of employment and inject opportunities for the teeming populace who are struggling to have access to jobs?

    Definitely, the current trend is paying off. Look at states like Jigawa and Kebbi and many others that are diversifying their economies through a complete restructuring of the agricultural landscape. The truth is that our only mainstay is fertile agricultural land which through a combination of archaic cultivation and production methods and a preference for importation has remained stagnated. Nigeria is the only country I know that doesn’t place food security on the same pedestal as the security of its borders, and we have 160 million mouths to feed. The mantra was to import everything we eat, using oil dollars to the detriment of local production, so there is no incentive to localize production and increase our competitiveness. How do you expect a farmer tilling his land with a hoe and getting an average of three tons per hectare of rice per season to compete with his Thailand counterpart getting eight tonnes twice a year? By sheer dint of focus, we have achieved a 3-fold increase in our farm rice production this season with farmers averaging six tons per hectare with less input utilization. We are expanding this programme through harnessing 50 hectare clusters across 287 wards in the state.

    The APC governors have recently intervened in the seeming crisis within the party between the legislature and the executive; what is really causing these frictions within the party?

     No, I do not see any serious crisis within the APC or between the National Assembly and the executive. People are just mischievously trying to blow things out of proportion and to bring a political angle to every mundane administrative issue. We are running a presidential system of government with three independent arms whose roles have been spelt out by the constitution. Since the constitution cannot envisage every foreseeable scenario, the judiciary has been saddled with the responsibility of interpreting it in case of dispute or overlap and its decisions are binding and final. Because we are coming from an era of near anarchy where the executive had its finger in every arm and had bastardized the system, people were expecting business as usual. It’s not fair to castigate the President for refusing to interfere in the process of the legislature choosing its leaders and then turn round to blame him for not intervening because they have issues with the judicial arm. The truth is even those advocating for a so-called political solution are asking the president to call the judiciary and instruct them to hands off. That was the order of the day in the PDP administration but it negates the rule of law and makes nonsense of the sanctity of separation of powers.

    Has your intervention settled the seeming crisis between the senate President Bukola Saraki and the Presidency?

     The relationship between the National Assembly and the presidency has always been cordial. There was of course some misunderstanding with the party when it sought to assert its supremacy on some issues but even that has been sorted out with the series of discussions held at the behest of the governors.

    Recently, the APC governors are working with some foreign countries on the issue of borrowing, what is the state of the talk?

    The efforts by APC governors to collaborate with some foreign countries to borrow is in line with our national borrowing plan and is being looked at by the Federal Budget Office and the other relevant organs to ensure the plan is in line with our overall national plan and the projects that will come out from the states and the federation in general are in conformity with our collective short and medium term developmental plans.

    How would you rate your performance so far in Jigawa State?

     Well, I believe I cannot assess myself but the best way is to go out there and ask people how they assess my performance since inception. I really don’t like it when states are being benchmarked and assessed on their ability to pay salaries, which is a basic recurrent expense but the indices are so bad that a lot of states are technically insolvent, and it’s unfair to blame a governor who found that situation thrown on his lap on assumption of office.

    In Jigawa, we are trying to ensure that all recurrent obligations are met and not just state salaries but local government and teacher’s salaries, including all allowances, pension and gratuity liabilities, examination fees and scholarships, including almost three years backlog we inherited and so on. There is no secret formula for this. We simply borrowed a leaf from what the President was doing at the national level and cut all unnecessary expenditure, plugged fiscal leakage and put prudence and efficiency in the driver’s seat. You see, just like Nigeria, a state like Jigawa is a mono-economy and if you disrupt the injection of the salary component on a monthly basis, it will translate into a crisis. This is why our focus is to create an alternative economy that impacts on the entire populace and the agricultural sector being the predominant activity has the capacity to achieve this.

  • With Abubakar, a new Bauchi beckons

    For the people of Bauchi State, voting for the All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial candidate in the April 2015 election was predicated on a conscious decision by the electorate to open a new lease of life for the state. For many, the decision to vote for the APC was not misplaced as the Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar-led administration has continued to fulfil the promises he made during electioneering campaign across the state.

    For Abubakar, the wind of change that is blowing across every facets of the state is to enable the people see the difference between the 16 years of lack-lustre governance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the proactive mien of the present administration. He believes that his ascension to the state’s number one position was made possible by the masses of the state who thought that it was time to move Bauchi forward through desirable change that trickles down to the people.

    The governor’s vision is aimed at political and social re-engineering of the state back to its pride of place in Nigeria. Since assumption of office, Governor Abubakar has swung into action by first defining the roadmap to achieving the new Bauchi. The agenda includes a reformed and reinvigorated civil service that delivers service to the people. The current multi-pronged approach in reforming the civil service is expected to culminate into a robust civil service that meet people’s expectations. It is intended to strengthen the capacity, skills and capabilities of workers.

    The administration’s resolve to embark on a massive restructuring of political apparatus in the state is to ensure that all political office holders in the states see their positions as public trust, an opportunity to render service to the people of the state.  This new awareness will create the needed mind-set to chart a new course in elevating public service that works for the people.

    Expectedly this new orientation has brought about the much-needed team spirit that will galvanise service delivery in the state. The top to bottom demonstrable leadership model of Governor Abubakar is beginning to impact on all cadres of leadership including commissioners, permanent secretaries, directors, and across the state civil service and local government service commission. In Bauchi, it is a new dawn aimed at achieving world class service delivery, managing for results and a better Bauchi for all.

    The Governor’s leadership principle which essentially is “managing for results” created an enabling environment which has made government more responsive to the aspiration of the people. It is a leadership that frowns at flamboyant lifestyles and wasteful spending of public funds. In the last 12 months of being on saddle, the governor has remained focused on his administration’s set objectives. In line with his agenda of managing for results, the governor decided to cut down cost of governance by reducing number of political appointees to essentially those needed to deliver efficient service to the people. This has helped to save funds for investments in public infrastructure, education, health, water and sanitation, agriculture and other social sectors

    Among the milestone so far achieved by the governor is the payment of workers salary, which other states across the country still find difficult to manage. Bauchi has set template for ensuring prompt payment of workers salary. Governor Abubakar believes that prompt payment of salaries to workers is crucial to performance and remains consistent in delivering this promise. It is no longer news that under Governor Abubakar’s watch, three months arrears of salaries inherited from the immediate past administration was settled in what many public administration experts described as unprecedented. For the governor, the decision to ensure regular payment of workers’ salaries is predicated on the principle that a well-motivated work force will put in their best in delivering efficient service to the people.

    In furtherance of his campaign promise to uphold public trust at all times, in his inaugural address at Tafawa Balewa Stadium Bauchi, on May 29, 2015, the governor unveiled the administration strategy for nurturing a corruption free public service in Bauchi. The intention is to set a benchmark for assessing public officers and their fidelity to public trust. For the governor, public office is a trust which is given by the people and must be guarded with high level of integrity and transparency.   Following up to the strategy, he set up a Commission of Inquiry to review the activities of the immediate past administration of Governor Isa Yuguda.

    The committee which was headed by Alhaji Salihu Lukman undertook a forensic audit of all contracts, expenditure and appointments by the Isa Yuguda’s administration from May 2007 to May 2015. Governor Abubakar disclosed that his administration noticed that corruption had eaten deep into the fabric of state’s socio-economic and political life, hence his resolve to sanitise the state. He also appointed a committee for the recovery of all government properties illegally taken carted away by former state public officials.

    Through the work of the committee chaired by Air Commodore Ahmed Tijjani (retd), assets worth millions of naira has been recovered, while its work is still on-going. Other items recovered include monies worth millions of naira, lands and other properties. At the last count, the committee recovered over 70 vehicles, generating sets valued at N600 million, and  several air conditioners. For Governor Abubakar, the exercise is to instil discipline, transparency and accountability in the handling of public trust and government property.

    Another area of focus by the governor is the security sector, in view of its importance as an enabler in promoting political, economic and social development. The state government working in collaboration with the federal government and the security agencies have continued to keep insurgency at bay in the state.

    The administration identified with President Muhammadu Buhari’s undying commitment to defeat Boko Haram in the north east region. In partnering with the federal government, the governor has been engaging the people of the state on the need to stamp out insurgency, uphold peace across the communities, while urging traditional leaders and public officers across the country to promote national unity.

    For Bauchi state, a new era which began on May 29, 2015 will lead to emergence of a new Bauchi that delivers the goods for the people. The citizenry as the centre of governance will no doubt be better served given the framework being put in place by Governor Abubakar administration.

    Wholly taken, it is not difficult to see that the current administration is on a mission to restore the state to its pride of place in the north-east region and the nation in general. The governor is focused and has kept faith with the people through the numerous innovations he has brought to bear in the governance of the state. With his eyes on the ball, and the support of all Bauchi stakeholders, making of a new Bauchi is a done deal.

     

    • Bello writes from Bauchi

  • Abubakar: ‘Army lost a professional’

    The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Yusuf Buratai, has described the death of Maj.-Gen. Yushehu Abubakar as a colossal lost to the Army, especially in the fight against Boko Haram terrorist.

    He spoke on Wednesday at the burial of Maj.-Gen. Abubakar at Ex-Land (Gindin Akwanti) village, Barkin Ladi Local Government, Plateau State, according to Islamic rite.

    Maj.-Gen. Abubakar died in a road accident allegedly caused by burst car tyre while on his way from Maiduguri to Damaturu on Tuesday.

    Gen. Buratai said: “This is a colossal loss because the man is a professional combatant and the officer would be remembered for spearheading the beginning of defeat of the Boko Haram terrorist when he was the Theatre Commander, “Operation Lafiya Dole” in the Northeast.

    Buratai explained that the late Maj.-Gen. Abubakar was appointed as the chief of Training and Operations Army Headquarters, Abuja and was on his way to address troops, who will be inducted today.

    The late army officer left behind two wives, seven children and 14 brothers.

    The deceased’s elder brother, who is the chief of Hausa community living in Ex-Land Village (Gindi Akwati), Alhaji Shehu Garba, said: “The community would miss his humility. He was humble to  Christians and Muslims and would be missed for the foodstuffs he distributed to villagers at Christmas and during Sallah.”

    He prayed for the repose of his soul.

    Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong, who was represented by Secretary to the State Government, Rufus Bature, described the death as a depletion of the human resources of the state and military.

    Laolong said: “The general died a fulfilled soldier, having spearheaded the defeat of Boko Haram in the Northeast.”

    Senior military officers, political office holders, relations and well wishers attended the burial.

  • Lalong, Abubakar for NBA NEC meeting

    Lalong, Abubakar for NBA NEC meeting

    Plateau State Governor Simon Lalong and his Bauchi counterpart, Mohammed Abubakar  will on Thursday, at Crest Hotel, Jos declare open the quarterly National Executive Committee  ( NEC) meeting of the Nigerian Bar Association ( NBA).

    Chairman, NBA Jos branch, Dafer Ledak said the NEC meeting would begin with a visit to the Gbon Gwom Jos, followed by a cocktail  in the evening to be hosted by Chief Judge of Plateau State

    The NEC will open on Thursday at 9am.

    On security arrangements, Ledak said: “We visited the Commissioner of Police and he assured us of maximum security to protect everybody in the State during and after the meeting. The Anti-bomb squad, the Nigerian Police Force, the Civil Defence Corps, Operation Rainbow,  the Joint Task Force ( JTF)  and others will be there to maintain maximum security.”

    Co-chair of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) Tob  Kekemeke said the Jos Branch and state governemnt are earger to host lawyers.

  • Abubakar drops planned probe of Lamido

    Abubakar drops planned probe of Lamido

    The planned probe of ex-Governor Sule Lamido by his successor, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar may have been put in abeyance, sources have disclosed. Shortly on assumption of office in May, Abubakar had vowed to probe his predecessor’s tenure, but six months down the line, indications have emerged that the governor has jettisoned the plan owing to the distractions the probe may constitute for his administration in delivering on its promises.

     

  • HALIMA ABUBAKAR SHOOTS MOVIE IN UK

    HALIMA ABUBAKAR SHOOTS MOVIE IN UK

    CONTROVERSIAL Nollywood actress, Halima Abubakar who started acting in 2001, is currently in the United Kingdom shooting another movie. This is coming on the heels of her successful debut production, Mistresses.

    The CEO of a Modehouse Entertainment, a music label and Entertainment Management Company took to her Instagram page to share the good news; “If anyone told me I would film my own movie in the UK, I would never have believe that. God is good. TBT Oxford Street United Kingdom.”

    An award winning actress, Halima has won awards such as Best Actress Award at City People Entertainment Awards, Best Actress Award at Eminent Achievers Award, Best Actress Award at Leadership as well as Best Supporting Actress from Afro Hollywood Awards among others.

    The Sociology graduate of Bayero University, Kano made her Nollywood debut in the movie, The Rejected.

    She is yet to give the full details of the movie and faces that will be appearing in the movie. Halima also runs a charity organisation, ‘Halima Abubakar Foundation for the Poor’, which focuses on people without food.

  • IBB, Abubakar drum up support for Buhari

    IBB, Abubakar drum up support for Buhari

    Two former heads of state, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) and Gen. Abdulsalami Abubakar (rtd), yesterday urged the citizenry to support the Federal Government in its efforts to win the war against insurgents.

    The two former leaders made the call after joining others to perform the two Rakaah Eid-el-Fitri prayers in Minna.

    Babangida urged Nigerians to be patient with the President Muhammadu Buhari administration and support it in the efforts to not only end insurgency, but also boost the country’s economy.

    “I call on Nigerians to support the present administration in the country in its efforts to end insurgency and regenerate the economy,’’ he said.

    Also speaking, Abubakar said there was need for the citizenry to be more vigilant in order to help government overcome insurgency, especially in the North Eastern part of the country.

    Also speaking, Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger prayed “Allah to accept our devotion during the Ramadan.”

    He also prayed to “Allah to guide the leadership of the state and the country at large to enable us overcome our challenges.”

    The governor enjoined the people of the state to continue to co-exist peacefully irrespective of religion and ethnicity.

    He congratulated the Muslims for the successful completion of the Ramadan rites.

  • Abubakar, Yuguda bicker over Bauchi’s debt profile

    Abubakar, Yuguda bicker over Bauchi’s debt profile

    Bauchi State Governor Abdullahi Abubakar has asked his predecessor, Isa Yuguda, to explain the state’s debt profile. But, the former governor says his successor is witch-hunting him and his aides. Correspondent AUSTINE TSENZUGHUL writes on the predecessor-successor crisis in the Northeast state.

    For eight years, former Governor Isa Yuguda ruled Bauchi State. On May 29, he bowed out of office after the expiration of the two terms. When he was governor, he was powerful and influential. But, barely a month outside power, his successor, Governor Abdullahi Abubakar, a lawyer, is asking him to properly render accounts.

    Yuguda, a former Minister of Transport, is a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). In his view, the governor, who belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC), is trying to wage war against the opposition.

    When he assumed the reins, the governor declared that governance will not be a tea party. He promised to clean the Augean table, adding that indiscipline, recklessness and laxity would not be tolerated. “Our administration is a product of people’s resilience . We are committed to upholding their yearnings for improved living standards. We will strengthen weak institutions and revive essential facilities,” he stressed.

    Abubakar alleged that “ the previous government literally lived at the expense of Bauchi state’s populace for eight years.” He said the previous government was reckless. “We have taken over a government owing a cumulative external and domestic debts to the tune of N125 billion, made up of N48,743,196,021:79 domestic loans, foreign loans  at $87 million (N18,915,644,597,04), contractual liabilities of N42,556,123,229,05, workers’ gratuity arrears of N7,741,016,737,19, and  local government workers’ gratuity arrears of N1,670,407.774:00,” he alleged.

    The governor said he inherited three months unpaid workers’ salary arrears, totaling N5.2 billion. There are other worrisome disclosures.  “ I met an absolutely empty treasury. Bauchi State treasury had next to nothing of funds,“ Abubakar added. He also said that, for eight years, the Yuguda government got N864 billion, besides ecological funds. “Yet, there are decayed infrastructures,” he fumed.

    When Abubakar assumed office, he was inundated with complaints about lack of essential farm in-puts, including fertilizers. Many farmers cried foul, saying that the previous government neglected them.

    According to sources, the new government needs N572 million as subsidy for intending Muslim pilgrims to Saudi Arabia this year. The empty treasury, they said, is crippling the feeding of students in boarding schools.

    Allegations of maladministration against a predecessor does not translate into performance for the new governor. Therefore, Abubakar has unfolded what he described as “ quick win programmes.” The elements include the reduction in the cost of governance, financial frugality and bridging the loopholes. The governor has laid a good example by reducing his salary and that of his deputy   by 50 per cent. He has also reduced the number of domestic aides. He has also disclosed that there will be downsizing of political appointees.

    In April, Abubakar set up a 41-member Transition Committee, which he tagged: Committee on the Recovery of Government Property.  It was headed by Air Commodore Ahmed Tijani Baba Gamawa. The committee was charged with the duty of recovering government property allegedly carted away by government functionaries under the last administration. The governor said the recovered vehicles will facilitate the discharge of official duties by government officials.  The committee was also mandated to recover institutional lands, movable and unmovable assets illegally taken away by government officials.

    Last week, it was disclosed that the committee has recovered 71 assorted luxury vehicles, including Sports Utility vehicles(SUVs).”Of this number, 25 vehicles were recovered,” said Tijani-Baba

    Also, the committee retrieved 15 Toyota Camry, 24 Peugeot 242 and Peugeot 306, three Range Rover HSE Sports, two Honda Civic IVTEC, one Peugeot 407,  seven Land Cruiser Prado, two Honda Jeeps,   one C 35,  two ChevRolet Optra L.S, two  Nissan Buses, four Toyota Land Cruiser TXL Jeeps, three Toyota Hilux, three Ford Range Pick-ups and three Peugeot Station Wagons. The cost of the vehicles was not disclosed. But, a car dealer in Bauchi, who pleaded for anonymity, said they cost billions of naira “because the 15 jeeps (SUVs) are not up to 26 months in use”.

    Also, some generating sets were recovered.  Eighty electric transformers hastily purchased at over N 245 million in April were recovered. Of the 80 transformers, 70 were allegedly sold  to local government councils, communities and individuals at the cost of N50,000:00 each.

    According to dealers,  a transformer costs about N5 million. The immediate past administration allegedly awarded contract for the installation of the 70 transformers at N92 million.

    The chairman of the panel said: “We have recovered over 100 plots of land illegally acquired. These plots are located at the current premises of Bauchi Specialist Hospital (former BACAS premises) ,Bauchi State Agricultural Development Programe and the Ministry of Information land Kyaure along Bauchi / Jos road.”

    But, it is not yet Uhuru for the committee. Gamawa said: “We are yet to start looking into the accounts books of the past administration. But, I can tell you that Bauchi’s common wealth was mercilessly plundered”.

    Sources said that the committee has identified some land grabbers. They have now been asked to stop further development on a large parcel of land belonging to the Specialist Hospital in the state capital. It also directed those who bought 95  plots of land belonging to Bauchi State Agricultural Develoment Programe in Bauchi  to keep off as they risked been labeled as “trespassers on government land”.

    Abubakar has vowed to bring culprits to book. He said: “We have gotten a clearer picture of the extent to which Bauchi State has been plundered and gravely short changed. We have commenced a diligent process to recover resources that have been converted into private use by officials and even non-officials of the previous administration.”

    The governor has now resolved to cut down the expenditure in ministries, departments and agencies. This has enabled the government to save N800 million on the Hajj expenditure. He also promised to unfold structural and policy adjustments that would generate funds.

    Abubakar’s policies have been criticised by PDP chieftains, who accused him of vendetta. But, he vowed to continue with what observers have described as the financial sanitation. There is bickering in the state and critics are sowing the seed of discord. But, the governor said he will not be discouraged by foes. He urged the people to support his administration.

    Abubakar said: “We are ready to deliver selfless services to the people, no matter whose ox is gored, and no diabolical machinations will deter us from this journey of promise.”

    Gamawa also assured that the committee will not look back. He said: “We have been given a state assignment to recover these government properties and we owe Bauchi people and God a duty to put in our best. We have recovered 57 assorted vehicles, two from a local government chieftain. Other people have been calling and bringing their cars. But, we go to others to recover the cars. We do not have a limit of cars to recover, but we are targeting about 150 or more. For now, we are on vehicles, land, movable and unmovable assets. We are yet to go for the money and other things taken by individuals and or in the name of organisations”.

    The committee chairman lamented that laid down procedures were completely thrown away.

    He said: “Those who were using these vehicles were supposed to return them to the pool, for a certain committee or surveyors to assess their value in Naira, before those interested could apply and perhaps, buy”.

    “But, this process was not followed. Some of those that went away with their cars applied to the governor on May 27,2015,and the governor approved same day. Their applications  did not pass through any person or process. This is illegality and we are say no to that. It is Bauchi people’s property and they should returned to them. Things must be properly done.”

    Abubakar, in his maiden address on June 1, vowed to recover public property. He said: “Our government shall recover such illegal acquired funds and properties and use the same in developing our dear Bauchi state”.

    However, Yuguda has fired back. He said: “The governor has no right to reverse what I did in my capacity as an executive governor of Bauchi State”. Also, his associates have accused the governor of victimisation.